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Friday 20th November Schools for the Future - Parents Forum 16th November Thank you to parents and friends who supported the Forum this week. We have just come to the end of an intense period of negotiation over the first of several agreements related to the building of the new school. This agreement was related to having all of the ICT provision for the school managed by a central service. That included most of our existing equipment being handed over and all of our ICT staff being employed by the new central service. Initially we had great concerns about several aspects of the agreement, including the inclusion of 6th form numbers, the possibility of a new school not being built, and the ownership of existing stock. We are now much closer to reaching agreement, however, it has clarified the position that we in, and the dilemmas that we may face in the future. In April/May, having listened to parents, the governors took the decision to delay any action on the possible closure of the 6th form. Now they have gone further to state that the 6th form is staying open. This may, however, bring us back into conflict with the Building Schools for the Future programme, as the Local Authority's Outline Business Case was based upon an 11-16 school being built at Wardle. There are many unknown factors that will influence that future discussion including future government funding policies, future government decisions on school capital programmes, the competition created by the new 6th form college, the actual numbers and predicted 6th form numbers for 2010/11/12. At present we know that the 6th form is growing, it is viable, OFSTED rated it as good and its care and guidance rated as outstanding. We are committed to continuing to raise standards in the 6th form, and feel confident, that we can offer a good provision to students wishing to continue their post-16 education in a supportive school environment for many years to come. We will review our position again in 12 months time, when many of the factors influencing that discussion on the new school are known. If all does go to schedule and government policy does not change, the next crucial deadline for governors is Dec 2010/Jan 2011, when the planning for the new school begins in earnest. New Website due online next week Friday 11 December - Musicial Evening - More details to follow. Santa Fun Run - Saturday 12th December Following on from our successful fun run for Christies Hospital that raised over £2500, we are going to repeat the run again this year by running/walking 1 mile in Father Christmas outfits. With police permission, we hope to run/walk from the Watergrove Reservoir at the top end of Wardle back down to the school. Similar to last year, the entry fee (£6) includes the Father Christmas suit. A shuttle bus will take entrants from the school up to the Reservoir. Tea, coffee and refreshments will be available at the school after the run. We hope that many parents and students can give up an hour away from Christmas shopping to support this cause. We would like to raise £3000 this year if possible. More details to follow. OFSTED Visit 8th & 9th July 2009 The first paragraph of the OFSTED Report states that: 'Wardle High is a GOOD school that provides its students with OUTSTANDING levels of care guidance and support. The exceptional leadership of the headteacher and senior team is a significant factor in its success. The great majority of parents who voiced their opinion showed good support for the school, its staff and leaders. 'I am grateful that my son is receiving his education from a school with staff who want the best for my child as I myself do', is typical of the supportive comments from parents'. In the second paragraph it comments 'the achievement of students has risen sharply and standards are now above average'. The key judgements are as follows: The Sixth Form was graded as GOOD, Teaching and Learning - GOOD, Personal Development and Well Being - GOOD, Attainment and Academic Standards - GOOD, Care and Guidance - OUTSTANDING, Leadership and Management - OUTSTANDING, Capacity for further Improvement - OUTSTANDING. Personally, the last judgement is the most satisfying. They recognised that we are going to continue improving, and that we are not satisfied. We are confident that over the next two years our academic record will become even stronger and that we will become even more successful. The report should be available from the OFSTED website from the 14th September. In the meantime we have uploaded our copy. Click on the OFSTED Report link below to access it. OFSTED Report |
