A very warm welcome to the Home Page of our School Website.
These are the key features of school for the week beginning Monday 8 February.
· Tuesday 9 February Internet Safety Day
· Wednesday 10 February Year 9 parents evening 4 pm – 6.30 pm and Careers Fayre for all year 9’s and 11’s 5.30 – 8.30 pm.
· Thursday 11 February
· Friday 12 February – School closes for half term to re-open on Monday 22 February.
Poor weather condition have been forecast for our region later in the week. Please refer to our updated procedures for the closure of school. Our website from now onwards will be updated daily. Mr Griffiths is responsible for all aspects of our website.
It is with great pride that I accept the honour of an OBE which appeared in the New Years Honours List. This is very much about all of us working together and the practices that we establish together to ensure all of our young people achieve to their full potential. I feel very honoured to be working with staff, governors and parents who are very supportive and work very closely together. All of us put our children first. This has always been and will always be my major priority. Children and young people deserve the very best that we can give them. If we can’t champion their cause well who will? This philosophy has always lived in me and I have done my best to live this out in my personal and professional career and so it was with great surprise combined with joy to hear that I had been awarded an OBE. I have been teaching and in leadership roles for 30 years and how wonderful for the teaching profession that this award recognises collaborative working practices. I will again be visiting the Palace in the next few months to receive my OBE, another new outfit! I look forward to sharing this experience with you all.
On Thursday 21 January Mr Brian Hadgraft Chair of the Governing Body and myself attended the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust reception at the Guild Hall in London. This was a specific invite to myself and Brian. We mingled with the good and great! We spoke with the Secretary State Rt Honourable Ed Balls MP and with Elizabeth Reid Executive Director of Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. Liz was delighted at the Honour I have received and was delighted with the progress the school is making. The Secretary of State was also pleased that when we last met he didn’t let it slip that he knew about my forthcoming award.
It was with great sadness that we received news that a former pupil Gilly Prescott passed away. A number of staff attended the funeral on Wednesday 27 January and in the order of service celebrating the life of Gillian I thought these words were so pertinent “may her faith, courage, love and determination never be forgotten.” We will always remember Gilly as a lively, dynamic young person full of care and consideration always for others.
Year 11 are coming to the end of their GCSE mock examinations and some pupils have taken early GCSE modules. It is imperative that we all work closely with these young people to ensure that they achieve to their full potential. Also screening will be taking place for year 9 shortly. At our Leadership Team meetings staff always present the data with regards to the information from the screening, recently Mr Griffiths has presented screening information from year 10 and we will be looking forward to Mrs Banks presenting screening on years 7 and 8. The crucial bit in this jigsaw is the action that is taken as a result of what we know about the pupils and groups of learners via important screeing.
On Wednesday 10 February 5.30 – 8.30 pm a Careers Fayre will run for years 9 and 11 pupils and parents. This is a very big event with many employers and colleges present. For year 9 running alongside the Careers Fayre will also be a parents evening . Later on this term there will be an opportunity for year 9 pupils and their parents to have an individual interview with a member of the senior leadership team with regards to the KS4 options process.
I am very grateful to all parents for their co operation with regards to the recent poor weather. The Governors Health and Safety Committee will be receiving reports from both myself and Mrs Neilson on this issue. New procedures are now in place please ensure you click on the correct link.
