education plus 16 september 2014
DESCRIPTION
Your guide to education in and around Bristol, 2014TRANSCRIPT
2EPB-E01-S5
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
2 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 3Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
on STEM subjects and careers wasbeginning to loosen.
This is backed up by new figureswhich have revealed that the num-ber of female students consideringuniversity courses in STEM subjectshad grown by more than it has for
the opposite sex.The survey, compiled by Cam-
bridge Occupational Analysts(COA), is based on detailed ana-lysis of answers to 150 questions
by around 20,000 sixthformers each year for the
past seven years.To a backdrop of re-
peated warnings aboutthe importance ofSTEM subjects to theBritish economy, thefindings will havebeen welcomed by
employers and politi-cians alike.Earlier this year, a re-
port by the CommonsScience and TechnologyCommittee warned thatthe UK risked a seriousshortfall of workers tofill vital jobs in scienceand industry if it didnot increase the num-
SCHOOLS INDEX
Abbeywood.........................p20Badminton School.............p35Bradley Stoke.....................p20Brimsham Green ..............p21Bristol Grammar School..p33Castle School......................p21Clifton High.................p34&35Colston’s School................p34Downend School...............p19Kingfisher School...............p21Nailsea School....................p23Oasis AcademyBrightstowe.........................p22Oasis Academy JohnWilliams ..............................p22QEH.......................................p36Redland High School forGirls .....................................p31Red Maids’...........................p32St Bede’s .............................p23St Bernadette ....................p19Steiner Academy........p22&23St Katherine’s.....................p19
FEATURESSTEM subjects.................p2&3
Keeping pupils – and teach-ers – safe online .............p4&5Teen helping shape futurefor education...................p6&7
What next for Sir DavidCarter? .............................p8&9Exploring the Bristol heritageproject ......................... 10&11Schools going the extramile................................p12&13States schools on the up inBristol...........................p14&15Applying for places............p16Lessons in finance ............p18Schools and houseprices.....................................p25Bursaries helping to realisedreams .........................p26&27Tides project.................28&29Young enterprise schemeunearths top talent............p30
Education 2014 State education
WHEN GCSEand A-levelresults werereleased lastmonth, there
was an eye-catching changein tack from Bristol schoolsas they announced theira ch i eve m e n t s.
Among independentschools in particular, thefamiliar boasts about re-cord numbers of A* stu-dents awarded places atOxford or Cambridgeplayed second fiddle thisyear. Top billing insteadwent to the news that femalestudents had performedwell in STEM (Science,Technology, Engineeringand Maths) subjects andearned places on coursesin those disciplines at uni-versity. The shift of em-phasis appeared to signalthat the male stranglehold
ber of women in these areas. A lead-ing website for school and collegeleavers revealed earlier this monththat two of the three mostsearched-for terms and courses itwitnessed in the fortnight followingA-Level results week were ‘engin-eering’ and ‘science’.
Over the last few years, the edu-cational landscape in Bristol has
INSPIRING NEW GENERATION
repositioned itself to cater for theforecast rise in demand to studySTEM subjects. One college with anengineering focus has opened, BristolTechnology & Engineering Academyin Stoke Gifford, and another is in thepipeline (a studio school at WellswaySchool in Keynsham). Another centreaimed at fostering the engineers ofthe future, North Somerset Enter-
prise and Technology College, hasjust opened in Weston-super-Mare.
Catherine Hobbs, the head of theengineering and mathematics de-partment at the University of theWest of England, says the shortage ofwomen in STEM jobs has been aentrenched cultural problemworsened by misconceptions of whatbeing an engineer actually involves.
She believes getting the messageacross children about the potentialscope of an career in engineering isimpor tant.
Ms Hobbs said: “We need to getstudents to change their mind in Year11 about engineering.
“They think an engineer is a guy ina boiler suit and a spanner fixing awashing machine. But engineers aredesigning washing machines and su-personic cars – they are not on theshop floor fiddling with a nut.
“This country doesn’t see them as aprofessional. If you ask a child at theage of five or six, ‘What does anengineer do?’ they would say it issomeone who fixes their dad’s car.But children of that age knows ex-actly what a doctor does.”
She said the engineering was maledominated in most Western coun-tries with the exception of Italy.
Ms Hobbs said: “There is percep-tion of science and maths as being a‘boy thing’ but in some countries thati s n’t the case. In Italy, maths is seen asbeing a female subject and there is ahigh proportion of women in STEMcareers. As a female in this country,you know if you select a engineeringor maths degree, you will be in aminority and it’s just slightly un-
comfortable. And that’s speaking assomeone who has gone through it –being on a course where others don’tlook like you.”
Of the 1,500 students on maths andengineering courses at UWE, only 20per cent are female. When the figuresare examined in more detail, engin-eering emerges as the more prob-lematic subject. Under 10 per cent ofstudents on engineering courses arefemale, compared with 40 per cent inm at h e m at i c s.
Subjects allied to medicine, such asbiology, chemistry and maths, aremore popular with women, standingat 40 per cent. But physics and en-gineering subjects attract less than 20per cent.
Ms Hobbs said that among thecauses is a shortage of girls studyingscience and maths at A-level, andtaking triple science at GCSE.
To solve the problem, there havebeen campaigns, including one fromthe lobby group Campaign for Sci-ence and Engineering, and the use ofrole models and mentors.
At UWE there are Year 11 and Year12 engineering workshop days forstudents studying A-level maths.
When it comes to targeting youngerchildren, Ms Hobbs added: “Wi t hprimary school children, things arebeing made more creative aroundengineering. There are lots of peoplegoing into schools and doing handson activities, and an event called To-mor row’s Engineers, which is a weekin October.”
Things are moving in the rightdirection, reports Ms Hobbs, with theproportion of women in STEM sub-jects more than doubling over 20 or 30ye a r s.
She said: “It’s important for theeconomy to get more women in STEMindustries – that would bring di-versity, which has many benefits to apopulation. And if you don’t encour-age girls to fulfil potential, it’s a bit ofa sad thing.”
Marc RathEducation [email protected]
Catherine Hobbs
It’s important for theeconomy to get morewomen in STEMindustries. If you don’tencourage girls to fulfiltheir potential, it’s a bit ofa sad thing.”
“
OF TALENTED YOUNG ENGINEERS
� Above, The Earl of Wessex at theopening of the Bristol Technologyand Engineering Academy in StokeGifford last year; Above right, thenew Enterprise and TechnologyCollege opens in Weston. Left,Catherine Hobbs, the head of theengineering and mathematicsdepartment at the University of theWest of England
YOUNG ENGINEERS
� Engineering is one of the most popularGCSE options for both girls and boys atFairfield High School in Horfield.
This follows sustained efforts to changeyoung teenagers' preconceptions about thesubject.
The school hosts talks and demonstrationsby industry leaders such as Airbus andorganises visits to employers and workshops,as well as holding hands-on activities for itsstudents and for primary childrensuch as a tower challengeinvolving marshmallowsand spaghetti, aparachute challenge,and playing withro b o t s .
Earlier this year, agroup of Fairfield girlswent to an event atCardiff City FCdesigned to dispelmyths about careers inareas such as construction,plumbing, sport, publicservices and engineering.
As well as bumping into some PremierLeague players, the students were inspired byJessica Jones, winner of Young Engineer ofthe Year.
Teacher Chris Long said: “As Jessica took tothe stage the girls commented that ‘shedoesn’t look like a typical engineer!’ Whenasked, ‘What does an actual engineer look likethen?’ one of the responses was ‘someonewho wears overalls and gets dirty a lot.’”
By the end of the day, in which they got totry out tiling a wall, building a brick arch,learning CPR with paramedics, playing golfand football and experimenting with science,the students' aspirations had grown.
Shelbie Lane, 15, said: “I have been inspiredby women who have a lot of power, becausethey have shown us that we have no limits - inour life and careers.”
Saado Omar, 15, said: “Women can beindependent no matter what people say.”
excellenceasstandard
excellenceasstandard
excellenceasstandard
excellenceasstandard
excellence as standard
▪ ▪
▪
▪ ▪
Brislington Enterprise College, Hungerford Road,Brislington, Bristol BS4 5EY
www.because.org.uk ▪ 0117 377 2055 ▪ [email protected]
excellence as standard
OPEN EVENINGTuesday 7th October: 5.30-8.30pm
OPEN MORNINGSSaturday 11th October: 10.30am-12.30pmTuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th October:9.30-11.30am
Let us nurture your potential
Open EveningYate International Academy
Thursday 25th September 6pm-8.30pmSundridge Park, Yate, Bristol BS37 4DX
Open EveningWinterbourne International AcademyThursday 2nd October 6.30pm-8pm
High St, Winterbourne, Bristol BS36 1JL
The fundraising visit to Mexico allowed
us to experience new and different
cultures while helping underprivileged
schools. Also, staying with host
families gave us plenty of opportunities
to practise our Spanish!
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at
Yate International Academy. Their great
support through the years has helped
me to gain an offer to study languages
at the University of Cambridge.
Ellie Wood
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
2 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 3Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
on STEM subjects and careers wasbeginning to loosen.
This is backed up by new figureswhich have revealed that the num-ber of female students consideringuniversity courses in STEM subjectshad grown by more than it has for
the opposite sex.The survey, compiled by Cam-
bridge Occupational Analysts(COA), is based on detailed ana-lysis of answers to 150 questions
by around 20,000 sixthformers each year for the
past seven years.To a backdrop of re-
peated warnings aboutthe importance ofSTEM subjects to theBritish economy, thefindings will havebeen welcomed by
employers and politi-cians alike.Earlier this year, a re-
port by the CommonsScience and TechnologyCommittee warned thatthe UK risked a seriousshortfall of workers tofill vital jobs in scienceand industry if it didnot increase the num-
SCHOOLS INDEX
Abbeywood.........................p20Badminton School.............p35Bradley Stoke.....................p20Brimsham Green ..............p21Bristol Grammar School..p33Castle School......................p21Clifton High.................p34&35Colston’s School................p34Downend School...............p19Kingfisher School...............p21Nailsea School....................p23Oasis AcademyBrightstowe.........................p22Oasis Academy JohnWilliams ..............................p22QEH.......................................p36Redland High School forGirls .....................................p31Red Maids’...........................p32St Bede’s .............................p23St Bernadette ....................p19Steiner Academy........p22&23St Katherine’s.....................p19
FEATURESSTEM subjects.................p2&3
Keeping pupils – and teach-ers – safe online .............p4&5Teen helping shape futurefor education...................p6&7
What next for Sir DavidCarter? .............................p8&9Exploring the Bristol heritageproject ......................... 10&11Schools going the extramile................................p12&13States schools on the up inBristol...........................p14&15Applying for places............p16Lessons in finance ............p18Schools and houseprices.....................................p25Bursaries helping to realisedreams .........................p26&27Tides project.................28&29Young enterprise schemeunearths top talent............p30
Education 2014 State education
WHEN GCSEand A-levelresults werereleased lastmonth, there
was an eye-catching changein tack from Bristol schoolsas they announced theira ch i eve m e n t s.
Among independentschools in particular, thefamiliar boasts about re-cord numbers of A* stu-dents awarded places atOxford or Cambridgeplayed second fiddle thisyear. Top billing insteadwent to the news that femalestudents had performedwell in STEM (Science,Technology, Engineeringand Maths) subjects andearned places on coursesin those disciplines at uni-versity. The shift of em-phasis appeared to signalthat the male stranglehold
ber of women in these areas. A lead-ing website for school and collegeleavers revealed earlier this monththat two of the three mostsearched-for terms and courses itwitnessed in the fortnight followingA-Level results week were ‘engin-eering’ and ‘science’.
Over the last few years, the edu-cational landscape in Bristol has
INSPIRING NEW GENERATION
repositioned itself to cater for theforecast rise in demand to studySTEM subjects. One college with anengineering focus has opened, BristolTechnology & Engineering Academyin Stoke Gifford, and another is in thepipeline (a studio school at WellswaySchool in Keynsham). Another centreaimed at fostering the engineers ofthe future, North Somerset Enter-
prise and Technology College, hasjust opened in Weston-super-Mare.
Catherine Hobbs, the head of theengineering and mathematics de-partment at the University of theWest of England, says the shortage ofwomen in STEM jobs has been aentrenched cultural problemworsened by misconceptions of whatbeing an engineer actually involves.
She believes getting the messageacross children about the potentialscope of an career in engineering isimpor tant.
Ms Hobbs said: “We need to getstudents to change their mind in Year11 about engineering.
“They think an engineer is a guy ina boiler suit and a spanner fixing awashing machine. But engineers aredesigning washing machines and su-personic cars – they are not on theshop floor fiddling with a nut.
“This country doesn’t see them as aprofessional. If you ask a child at theage of five or six, ‘What does anengineer do?’ they would say it issomeone who fixes their dad’s car.But children of that age knows ex-actly what a doctor does.”
She said the engineering was maledominated in most Western coun-tries with the exception of Italy.
Ms Hobbs said: “There is percep-tion of science and maths as being a‘boy thing’ but in some countries thati s n’t the case. In Italy, maths is seen asbeing a female subject and there is ahigh proportion of women in STEMcareers. As a female in this country,you know if you select a engineeringor maths degree, you will be in aminority and it’s just slightly un-
comfortable. And that’s speaking assomeone who has gone through it –being on a course where others don’tlook like you.”
Of the 1,500 students on maths andengineering courses at UWE, only 20per cent are female. When the figuresare examined in more detail, engin-eering emerges as the more prob-lematic subject. Under 10 per cent ofstudents on engineering courses arefemale, compared with 40 per cent inm at h e m at i c s.
Subjects allied to medicine, such asbiology, chemistry and maths, aremore popular with women, standingat 40 per cent. But physics and en-gineering subjects attract less than 20per cent.
Ms Hobbs said that among thecauses is a shortage of girls studyingscience and maths at A-level, andtaking triple science at GCSE.
To solve the problem, there havebeen campaigns, including one fromthe lobby group Campaign for Sci-ence and Engineering, and the use ofrole models and mentors.
At UWE there are Year 11 and Year12 engineering workshop days forstudents studying A-level maths.
When it comes to targeting youngerchildren, Ms Hobbs added: “Wi t hprimary school children, things arebeing made more creative aroundengineering. There are lots of peoplegoing into schools and doing handson activities, and an event called To-mor row’s Engineers, which is a weekin October.”
Things are moving in the rightdirection, reports Ms Hobbs, with theproportion of women in STEM sub-jects more than doubling over 20 or 30ye a r s.
She said: “It’s important for theeconomy to get more women in STEMindustries – that would bring di-versity, which has many benefits to apopulation. And if you don’t encour-age girls to fulfil potential, it’s a bit ofa sad thing.”
Marc RathEducation [email protected]
Catherine Hobbs
It’s important for theeconomy to get morewomen in STEMindustries. If you don’tencourage girls to fulfiltheir potential, it’s a bit ofa sad thing.”
“
OF TALENTED YOUNG ENGINEERS
� Above, The Earl of Wessex at theopening of the Bristol Technologyand Engineering Academy in StokeGifford last year; Above right, thenew Enterprise and TechnologyCollege opens in Weston. Left,Catherine Hobbs, the head of theengineering and mathematicsdepartment at the University of theWest of England
YOUNG ENGINEERS
� Engineering is one of the most popularGCSE options for both girls and boys atFairfield High School in Horfield.
This follows sustained efforts to changeyoung teenagers' preconceptions about thesubject.
The school hosts talks and demonstrationsby industry leaders such as Airbus andorganises visits to employers and workshops,as well as holding hands-on activities for itsstudents and for primary childrensuch as a tower challengeinvolving marshmallowsand spaghetti, aparachute challenge,and playing withro b o t s .
Earlier this year, agroup of Fairfield girlswent to an event atCardiff City FCdesigned to dispelmyths about careers inareas such as construction,plumbing, sport, publicservices and engineering.
As well as bumping into some PremierLeague players, the students were inspired byJessica Jones, winner of Young Engineer ofthe Year.
Teacher Chris Long said: “As Jessica took tothe stage the girls commented that ‘shedoesn’t look like a typical engineer!’ Whenasked, ‘What does an actual engineer look likethen?’ one of the responses was ‘someonewho wears overalls and gets dirty a lot.’”
By the end of the day, in which they got totry out tiling a wall, building a brick arch,learning CPR with paramedics, playing golfand football and experimenting with science,the students' aspirations had grown.
Shelbie Lane, 15, said: “I have been inspiredby women who have a lot of power, becausethey have shown us that we have no limits - inour life and careers.”
Saado Omar, 15, said: “Women can beindependent no matter what people say.”
excellenceasstandard
excellenceasstandard
excellenceasstandard
excellenceasstandard
excellence as standard
▪ ▪
▪
▪ ▪
Brislington Enterprise College, Hungerford Road,Brislington, Bristol BS4 5EY
www.because.org.uk ▪ 0117 377 2055 ▪ [email protected]
excellence as standard
OPEN EVENINGTuesday 7th October: 5.30-8.30pm
OPEN MORNINGSSaturday 11th October: 10.30am-12.30pmTuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th October:9.30-11.30am
Let us nurture your potential
Open EveningYate International Academy
Thursday 25th September 6pm-8.30pmSundridge Park, Yate, Bristol BS37 4DX
Open EveningWinterbourne International AcademyThursday 2nd October 6.30pm-8pm
High St, Winterbourne, Bristol BS36 1JL
The fundraising visit to Mexico allowed
us to experience new and different
cultures while helping underprivileged
schools. Also, staying with host
families gave us plenty of opportunities
to practise our Spanish!
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at
Yate International Academy. Their great
support through the years has helped
me to gain an offer to study languages
at the University of Cambridge.
Ellie Wood
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
4 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 5Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
on engaging performances andworkshops. The primary schoolthen hosts a parent presentation,where the children demonstratewhat they have learned, spreadingtheir knowledge of E-Safety totheir parents and friends.
Unique Voice says the model hasbeen hugely successful at em-powering schools, young peopleand families. The organisationsays it strengthens relationshipsbetween secondary and primariesas well as providing schools withcurrent material that youngpeople can relate to.
Krystal, who along with othermembers of her organisation allstudied performing arts at BathSpa University, said the biggestthreats the web posed varied de-pending on age.
For primary school children itcan be the temptation to click onpop-up which promises to givethem the chance to win a new Macor iPad. Children have been ad-vised about clicking on pop-upsleading to viruses, opening up thepossibility of hackers accessingtheir personal information, andleading to them unknowingly run-ning up a bill.
For secondary school children,cyber bullying is more of a prob-lem, where there is a lack of ‘think-ing before posting’. Krystal saidpupils tagging unflattering pic-tures on social media can lead to
“fall out”. She said: “ T hinkingabout what they share can have abig impact on the situation.”
Krystal recommends reportingcyber bullying in a safe manner,like on the BeatBullying websiteor to school support staff or policeofficer. She sympathises witht o d ay ’s generation of school chil-dren who suffer bullying whichgoes under the radar, with victimsstaying silent. She said: “Somethings can explode over the in-ternet but you could walk past aperson concerned and theywo u l d n’t say anything to you – it’smore tortuous than when I was atschool. If something explodes onsocial media or someone is beingtrolled online, it is so widespreadand it can go deep in the way it canharm a person.”
The project is primarily fundedby Bristol City Council’s EarlyHelp Team, with some comingfrom secondary schools.
In a testimonial, Kelly Harmer,the business development man-ager at Fairfield High, said: “Wehave just finished working on theConnected project with UniqueVoice and our students have beeninspired. Not only are our ‘ESafety Champions’ well informedabout E Safety but they havepassed on information to anothergeneration in our primary schoolsas well as to their parents andp e e r s. ”
IN the rapidly-evolving digitallandscape we now occupy, youwould pity anyone – wh e t h e rteachers or parents – re s p o n s i bl efor keeping children safe from
harm online.With sophisticated new apps appear-
ing on an almost daily basis, the latestsmart phones and tablets becomingever more powerful and the numbersusing of social media continuing tosoaring, keeping up with technologyhas become an near impossible task.
But one Bristol-based organisationis taking an innovative and novel ap-proach to helping pupils dodge theperils of the web, whether it be socialmedia, cyber bullying, hacking or pri-vacy. Unique Voice is training sec-ondary school children to be E-safetyChampions, who use their experienceand coaching to warn primary schoolchildren against the dangers lurkingon the internet.
One of the organisation’s directors,Krystal Keeley, says the champions areoften better placed to give advice thanteachers or other adults because theyhave up-to-the-minute knowledge onthe latest apps and social media sites.
She said: “Secondary school chil-dren are moving away from the main-stream social media sites but it’s nowmums and dads using Facebook. Theyare using new picture-related appscoming forward like Snapchat. Butrather than trying to put people offusing them, we are learning the mech-anics of them and how they can beused safely.”
Unique Voice’s project, called Con-nected, is aimed at giving youngpeople the “voice and lead” on E Safetyas “main consumers of technology”.
Four secondaries, Fairfield High,Bedminster Down, City Academy, andOrchard, have all taken part in theinitiative, with children at more than30 feeder primaries also involved. Al-
together, 6,000 young people in the cityhave benefited. Unique Voice trainsthe champions in public speaking andonline safety knowledge. They thenaccompany Unique Voice actors to put
Bristol-based Unique Voice is taking an innovative andnovel approach to helping pupils dodge the perils ofthe web – by training secondary school children to beE-safety Champions. Marc Rath reports.
RISKS FOR TEACHERS AS WELL AS YOUNGSTERS
� Lisa Middle, secretary of theBristol division of the National Unionof Teachers, says the web can bedangerous for teachers too.
She said: “Advice from the NUT isto exercise extreme caution whenusing the internet. The union advisesteachers not to use social mediawithout the using the highest
security settings.“The danger is that comments can
be taken out of context and usedmaliciously. Teachers have had their‘posts’ or ‘likes’ used maliciouslyagainst them when they wrote thecomments with entirely differentmeanings in mind.
“We suggest teachers to not
‘friend’ pupils, ex-pupils or theirfamilies on Facebook or make anycomments about pupils, staff oraspects of school.
“However, this is a very sad stateof affairs. Teachers should have thesame right to use social media asother people whilst having the samere s p o n s i b i l i t i e s . ”
ONLINE SAFETY TIPS
� Mark Anderson, director ofe-learning at The Sir BernardLovell School, said: “Theknowledge that yourchild’s mobile devicemost likely hasunrestricted Interneton it is somethingthat many parentsare unaware of.Devices that run theApple iOS system andthe alternatives in Androidand Windows phones do haveparental controls on them. Youcan age restrict and prevent
purchases of apps. There arelots of features that parents canuse to help safeguard against
inappropriate access anduse. Advice from leadingexperts reinforces theidea that communicationwith your children is key.Being open and frank
with your child about howthey use technology and
where they use it is vital.Talking with your child is thesimplest and best way to keepup with what they are doingonline.
TIPS FOR PARENTS
� Talk with your child abouttheir use of technology� Come up with an agreedset of rules for the use oftechnology� Use the features of theirdevices to help safeguardyour child� Use technology in an openand honest communicationline as a family� Ask your child to show youthe latest shortcuts, tips andsites so that not only are youshowing an interest in them,you can learn too whilstensuring their safety – youcan become a digi-parent!
NET GAINS:HELPING TOKEEP PUPILSSAFE ONLINE
SCHOOL NEWS Keep up-to-date with news from your school at BRISTOLPOST.CO.UK
ONLINEState education State education
���� ������ ��������������� ���� ��������� ��� � ���
���� ����� ���� ������ �������� ���� �������� ������ ��������������������������
���������� ������������� ��� �������� �� ���������������� ��������� ����� ��������
�������� ��� ���������� ��� ��������������
Open Mornings:
Wednesday 1stOctober & Tuesday7th OctoberTours at 8.45am, 9.45amand 11.05amBookable by appointment only
Open Evening:
Wednesday 1stOctober6.00pm - 8.00pmCreche facilities are available
Headteacher talks at 6.00pm and 6.45pmAbbeywood Community SchoolNew RoadStoke GiffordSouth GlouchestershireBS34 [email protected]: 0117 307 5660
Open Day:
Wednesday 24thSeptemberTours at 8.45am, 9.45am,11.05am and 1.35pmBookable by appointment only
Open Evening:
Wednesday 24thSeptember6.00pm - 8.00pmCreche facilities are available
Headteacher talks at 6.00pm and 6.45pm
Bradley Stoke Community SchoolFiddlersWood LaneBradley StokeSouth GlouchestershireBS32 [email protected]: 01454 868840
Our Mission: To support and enable allstudents to believe in themselves, achievetheir full potential and develop the skillsneeded to succeed and enjoy life.
Our Mission: To support and enableall students to believe in themselves,achieve their full potential anddevelop the skills needed to succeed andenjoy life.
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
4 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 5Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
on engaging performances andworkshops. The primary schoolthen hosts a parent presentation,where the children demonstratewhat they have learned, spreadingtheir knowledge of E-Safety totheir parents and friends.
Unique Voice says the model hasbeen hugely successful at em-powering schools, young peopleand families. The organisationsays it strengthens relationshipsbetween secondary and primariesas well as providing schools withcurrent material that youngpeople can relate to.
Krystal, who along with othermembers of her organisation allstudied performing arts at BathSpa University, said the biggestthreats the web posed varied de-pending on age.
For primary school children itcan be the temptation to click onpop-up which promises to givethem the chance to win a new Macor iPad. Children have been ad-vised about clicking on pop-upsleading to viruses, opening up thepossibility of hackers accessingtheir personal information, andleading to them unknowingly run-ning up a bill.
For secondary school children,cyber bullying is more of a prob-lem, where there is a lack of ‘think-ing before posting’. Krystal saidpupils tagging unflattering pic-tures on social media can lead to
“fall out”. She said: “ T hinkingabout what they share can have abig impact on the situation.”
Krystal recommends reportingcyber bullying in a safe manner,like on the BeatBullying websiteor to school support staff or policeofficer. She sympathises witht o d ay ’s generation of school chil-dren who suffer bullying whichgoes under the radar, with victimsstaying silent. She said: “Somethings can explode over the in-ternet but you could walk past aperson concerned and theywo u l d n’t say anything to you – it’smore tortuous than when I was atschool. If something explodes onsocial media or someone is beingtrolled online, it is so widespreadand it can go deep in the way it canharm a person.”
The project is primarily fundedby Bristol City Council’s EarlyHelp Team, with some comingfrom secondary schools.
In a testimonial, Kelly Harmer,the business development man-ager at Fairfield High, said: “Wehave just finished working on theConnected project with UniqueVoice and our students have beeninspired. Not only are our ‘ESafety Champions’ well informedabout E Safety but they havepassed on information to anothergeneration in our primary schoolsas well as to their parents andp e e r s. ”
IN the rapidly-evolving digitallandscape we now occupy, youwould pity anyone – wh e t h e rteachers or parents – re s p o n s i bl efor keeping children safe from
harm online.With sophisticated new apps appear-
ing on an almost daily basis, the latestsmart phones and tablets becomingever more powerful and the numbersusing of social media continuing tosoaring, keeping up with technologyhas become an near impossible task.
But one Bristol-based organisationis taking an innovative and novel ap-proach to helping pupils dodge theperils of the web, whether it be socialmedia, cyber bullying, hacking or pri-vacy. Unique Voice is training sec-ondary school children to be E-safetyChampions, who use their experienceand coaching to warn primary schoolchildren against the dangers lurkingon the internet.
One of the organisation’s directors,Krystal Keeley, says the champions areoften better placed to give advice thanteachers or other adults because theyhave up-to-the-minute knowledge onthe latest apps and social media sites.
She said: “Secondary school chil-dren are moving away from the main-stream social media sites but it’s nowmums and dads using Facebook. Theyare using new picture-related appscoming forward like Snapchat. Butrather than trying to put people offusing them, we are learning the mech-anics of them and how they can beused safely.”
Unique Voice’s project, called Con-nected, is aimed at giving youngpeople the “voice and lead” on E Safetyas “main consumers of technology”.
Four secondaries, Fairfield High,Bedminster Down, City Academy, andOrchard, have all taken part in theinitiative, with children at more than30 feeder primaries also involved. Al-
together, 6,000 young people in the cityhave benefited. Unique Voice trainsthe champions in public speaking andonline safety knowledge. They thenaccompany Unique Voice actors to put
Bristol-based Unique Voice is taking an innovative andnovel approach to helping pupils dodge the perils ofthe web – by training secondary school children to beE-safety Champions. Marc Rath reports.
RISKS FOR TEACHERS AS WELL AS YOUNGSTERS
� Lisa Middle, secretary of theBristol division of the National Unionof Teachers, says the web can bedangerous for teachers too.
She said: “Advice from the NUT isto exercise extreme caution whenusing the internet. The union advisesteachers not to use social mediawithout the using the highest
security settings.“The danger is that comments can
be taken out of context and usedmaliciously. Teachers have had their‘posts’ or ‘likes’ used maliciouslyagainst them when they wrote thecomments with entirely differentmeanings in mind.
“We suggest teachers to not
‘friend’ pupils, ex-pupils or theirfamilies on Facebook or make anycomments about pupils, staff oraspects of school.
“However, this is a very sad stateof affairs. Teachers should have thesame right to use social media asother people whilst having the samere s p o n s i b i l i t i e s . ”
ONLINE SAFETY TIPS
� Mark Anderson, director ofe-learning at The Sir BernardLovell School, said: “Theknowledge that yourchild’s mobile devicemost likely hasunrestricted Interneton it is somethingthat many parentsare unaware of.Devices that run theApple iOS system andthe alternatives in Androidand Windows phones do haveparental controls on them. Youcan age restrict and prevent
purchases of apps. There arelots of features that parents canuse to help safeguard against
inappropriate access anduse. Advice from leadingexperts reinforces theidea that communicationwith your children is key.Being open and frank
with your child about howthey use technology and
where they use it is vital.Talking with your child is thesimplest and best way to keepup with what they are doingonline.
TIPS FOR PARENTS
� Talk with your child abouttheir use of technology� Come up with an agreedset of rules for the use oftechnology� Use the features of theirdevices to help safeguardyour child� Use technology in an openand honest communicationline as a family� Ask your child to show youthe latest shortcuts, tips andsites so that not only are youshowing an interest in them,you can learn too whilstensuring their safety – youcan become a digi-parent!
NET GAINS:HELPING TOKEEP PUPILSSAFE ONLINE
SCHOOL NEWS Keep up-to-date with news from your school at BRISTOLPOST.CO.UK
ONLINEState education State education
���� ������ ��������������� ���� ��������� ��� � ���
���� ����� ���� ������ �������� ���� �������� ������ ��������������������������
���������� ������������� ��� �������� �� ���������������� ��������� ����� ��������
�������� ��� ���������� ��� ��������������
Open Mornings:
Wednesday 1stOctober & Tuesday7th OctoberTours at 8.45am, 9.45amand 11.05amBookable by appointment only
Open Evening:
Wednesday 1stOctober6.00pm - 8.00pmCreche facilities are available
Headteacher talks at 6.00pm and 6.45pmAbbeywood Community SchoolNew RoadStoke GiffordSouth GlouchestershireBS34 [email protected]: 0117 307 5660
Open Day:
Wednesday 24thSeptemberTours at 8.45am, 9.45am,11.05am and 1.35pmBookable by appointment only
Open Evening:
Wednesday 24thSeptember6.00pm - 8.00pmCreche facilities are available
Headteacher talks at 6.00pm and 6.45pm
Bradley Stoke Community SchoolFiddlersWood LaneBradley StokeSouth GlouchestershireBS32 [email protected]: 01454 868840
Our Mission: To support and enable allstudents to believe in themselves, achievetheir full potential and develop the skillsneeded to succeed and enjoy life.
Our Mission: To support and enableall students to believe in themselves,achieve their full potential anddevelop the skills needed to succeed andenjoy life.
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
6 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 7Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
was very important and grateful Ihad been given the opportunity tohave qualified people listening towhat I thought.
“They were listening a lot andvery carefully – that was quite pre-c i o u s.
“Young people were put at thecentre of this, which was pretty in-c re d i bl e.
“Sometimes young people’s issuesare not addressed with young peoplefirst. But in this commission it wasthe case – I felt quite proud to havebeen involved.
“There is nothing more importantthan young people’s futures – it’ssomething I feel very stronglyab o u t . ”
The Passport to Employability,known as PEBL, will be aimed atbridging the gap between school andwork, and making people aged 14 to 25more employable, particularlyfocusing on jobs – mostly in the cre-ative, green and digital technologysectors – expected to be created thenew Temple Quarter EnterpriseZ o n e.
Sanya used her experience at na-tional level as one of six members ofUK Youth Parliament to highlightresearch revealing that young peopleoften lack financial skills and have alimited understanding of the politicalsystem.
Another problem thrown up in re-search was the ineffectiveness of ca-reers advice available to youngpeople, with the jobs market chan-ging at such a pace that careers spe-cialists were unable to keep pace andadvise with insight on the latest di-gital roles.
THE BIG IDEAS
� The Education & SkillsCommission, called for by MrFerguson in May last year,announced its two ‘big ideas’ earlierthis year. The first recommendation,the Passport for Employability, isaimed at better preparing youngpeople for their adult lives andreducing inconsistencies in theadvice and guidance youngstersreceive at school and college. Thesecond recommendation is that anEngagement Hub be set up in theTemple Quarter Enterprise Zone,enabling business, educationproviders and young people tocome together for activities aimedat boosting their employability. Thecommission’s findings werediscussed by the council’s cabinetlast month.
Speaking earlier this year, MrFerguson said: “A crucial element ofmy vision for Bristol is that it is aLearning City. I welcome therecommendations of thecommission as reinforcing thatvision. I’m hugely grateful and amconfident this will leave the citybetter prepared for the challengesand opportunities that lie ahead.”
But the Bristol division of theNational Union of Teachers (NUT)has warned against focusing solelyon the demands of employers.
Lisa Middle, the secretary of theBristol division, said: “Whilst theNUT supports the preparation ofpupils for work it is crucialschooling does not focus just onthe demands of business.”
IN lesser hands it may havebeen too heavy a responsib-ility to shoulder, but for tal-ented teenager Sanya Rajpalbeing the lone voice for her
peers on a project which couldtransform the life chances of Bris-tol youngsters was an honour.
The 19-year-old was tasked withconveying how her fellow studentsfelt about their job prospects in thecity to help steer the newly-formedEducation and Skills Commissiontowards a solution which wouldoffer the city’s youth a brighterf u t u re.
One of the commission’s mainrecommendations, to introduce a“Passport for Employability” en-titling every young person in thecity to CV production tips, inter-view practice and work experienceto help them find jobs, was madeafter Sanya’s input.
She offered an insight into thechallenges teenagers face whenthey complete their education andfind themselves thrown into theoften harsh and unforgiving worldof work.
But Sanya is no stranger tobeing selected to voice the viewsand experiences of her peers.From a young age the former Bris-tol Grammar School pupil hasbeen prefect and member of schoolc o u n c i l s.
Until February this year, shewas a member of UK Youth Par-liament for north Bristol and untilnext February will be member ofthe Bristol Youth Council, com-pleting a two year term.
She said one of the most im-portant findings of the commis-sion, set up by Mayor GeorgeFerguson with the backing of someof the biggest players in the edu-cation and employment scene inBristol, was the ‘disconnect’between education and work.
The teenager from LongwellGreen said: “Even with qualific-ations it’s hard in a lot of cases foryoung people to get jobs. The firstproblem is experience; you arenew to the working world so tohave experience is impossible andit’s impossible to have the skillsyou gain from that experience be-cause education doesn’t provide it– t h at ’s been a real struggle.
“Maybe the passport will bridgethat gap. From what I understandand what I’ve seen in my life, andfrom every young person I’vespoken to, education is so focusedon exams and results and targets.Young people’s skills and whatthey need in the future is some-times lost.
“You need education and skills,with high standards in both, tosurvive in the world. Things don’t
seem as easy as perhaps they werein the past.”
Sanya, who will begin a law de-gree at Bristol University thismonth to pursue a career inhuman rights, was not daunted bybeing the only young person on a
commission which included thelikes of Professor Ron Ritchie ofthe University of the West of Eng-land along with 12 others withbackgrounds spanning education,business, media and science.
She said: “I felt what I was doing
HELPING SHAPE FUTURE OF EDUCATIONSanya Rajpal
Sometimes young people’sissues are not addressed withyoung people first. But in thiscommission it was the case – Ifelt proud to be involved. Thereis nothing more important thanyoung people’s futures.
“
� Sanya Rajpal Pic: Dan Regan BRDR20140903C-002_C
State education State education
See the school in action
OPEN MORNINGS
Monday 29th September11.15am -12.45pm
Tuesday 30th September11.15am -12.45pm
A warm invitation to to join us for
Open EveningThursday 25th September 2014 6pm-8.30pm
Tours 6pm -7.45pm ~ Headteacher’s Speech 8pm
Proud of our Record Results this Year!
ASHTON PARK SCHOOL
Tel: 0117 3772742Email: [email protected]: www.ashtonpark.net/sixth-form
Don’t miss out…come and see us!
ASHTON PARK SIXTH FORM
Impressive Results | Amazing FacilitiesBroad Range of Courses | High Level Care
Exciting Activities and Opportunities
With you everystep of the way
Wednesday 8th October 20146.30 - 8.30pm
Headteacher’s Speech 6.30 - 7.00pmTours of Sixth Form Centre 7.00pm
OpenEvening
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO ENROL ON A
FULL-TIME COURSE OR APPRENTICESHIP
AT CITY OF BRISTOL COLLEGE
Courses include:•A Levels• Barbering•Beauty•Childcare•Construction• Electrical
• Engineering• Fashion•Hairdressing•Heavy VehicleMaintenance
•Music
• PerformingArts• PaintingandDecorating
• Public Services• Sport• Plusmanymore
Courses are available at all levels, so thereis sure to be something for you.
For more information or to enrol call0117 312 5000 or visit www.cityofbristol.ac.uk
������������������������ ����� ������������ �������� ��� ���
�������� �� ������� ������� � ���
����� �����������
������ ���� ���� �� �������� ��� �����
�� ��������� ��� �����������
��� �� ��� ���������� ����� ������
Brimsham Green School
Brimsham Green School nurtures the limitless potential of all learners, inspiring students and staff to excel.
“Students…make good progress… this is evident in thequalifications they achieve… they are ambitious andrespond enthusiastically to the school’s high expectations”
Brimsham Green SchoolBroad Lane,Yate, South Gloucestershire, BS37 7LB
Tel: 01454 868888 Fax: 01454 868880email: [email protected]
www.brimsham.com
• Well qualified, inspirational staff• Engaging & friendly students• Comprehensive support &development
• An exciting range of coursesin the Sixth Form
• Extensive range of study &sporting facilities
• Most popular school in locality
• Outstanding sporting achievement• Many UK & international travel& cultural opportunities
• Exemplary careers support &guidance
• Commitment to preparingstudents for life beyond school
www.brimsham.com
OpenEvening
Thursday 2ndOctober 2014HeadTeacher’s address at6.15pm & 6.50pm (doors open 6pm)
School tours available throughout September
INSPIRING ALLTO EXCEL
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
6 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 7Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
was very important and grateful Ihad been given the opportunity tohave qualified people listening towhat I thought.
“They were listening a lot andvery carefully – that was quite pre-c i o u s.
“Young people were put at thecentre of this, which was pretty in-c re d i bl e.
“Sometimes young people’s issuesare not addressed with young peoplefirst. But in this commission it wasthe case – I felt quite proud to havebeen involved.
“There is nothing more importantthan young people’s futures – it’ssomething I feel very stronglyab o u t . ”
The Passport to Employability,known as PEBL, will be aimed atbridging the gap between school andwork, and making people aged 14 to 25more employable, particularlyfocusing on jobs – mostly in the cre-ative, green and digital technologysectors – expected to be created thenew Temple Quarter EnterpriseZ o n e.
Sanya used her experience at na-tional level as one of six members ofUK Youth Parliament to highlightresearch revealing that young peopleoften lack financial skills and have alimited understanding of the politicalsystem.
Another problem thrown up in re-search was the ineffectiveness of ca-reers advice available to youngpeople, with the jobs market chan-ging at such a pace that careers spe-cialists were unable to keep pace andadvise with insight on the latest di-gital roles.
THE BIG IDEAS
� The Education & SkillsCommission, called for by MrFerguson in May last year,announced its two ‘big ideas’ earlierthis year. The first recommendation,the Passport for Employability, isaimed at better preparing youngpeople for their adult lives andreducing inconsistencies in theadvice and guidance youngstersreceive at school and college. Thesecond recommendation is that anEngagement Hub be set up in theTemple Quarter Enterprise Zone,enabling business, educationproviders and young people tocome together for activities aimedat boosting their employability. Thecommission’s findings werediscussed by the council’s cabinetlast month.
Speaking earlier this year, MrFerguson said: “A crucial element ofmy vision for Bristol is that it is aLearning City. I welcome therecommendations of thecommission as reinforcing thatvision. I’m hugely grateful and amconfident this will leave the citybetter prepared for the challengesand opportunities that lie ahead.”
But the Bristol division of theNational Union of Teachers (NUT)has warned against focusing solelyon the demands of employers.
Lisa Middle, the secretary of theBristol division, said: “Whilst theNUT supports the preparation ofpupils for work it is crucialschooling does not focus just onthe demands of business.”
IN lesser hands it may havebeen too heavy a responsib-ility to shoulder, but for tal-ented teenager Sanya Rajpalbeing the lone voice for her
peers on a project which couldtransform the life chances of Bris-tol youngsters was an honour.
The 19-year-old was tasked withconveying how her fellow studentsfelt about their job prospects in thecity to help steer the newly-formedEducation and Skills Commissiontowards a solution which wouldoffer the city’s youth a brighterf u t u re.
One of the commission’s mainrecommendations, to introduce a“Passport for Employability” en-titling every young person in thecity to CV production tips, inter-view practice and work experienceto help them find jobs, was madeafter Sanya’s input.
She offered an insight into thechallenges teenagers face whenthey complete their education andfind themselves thrown into theoften harsh and unforgiving worldof work.
But Sanya is no stranger tobeing selected to voice the viewsand experiences of her peers.From a young age the former Bris-tol Grammar School pupil hasbeen prefect and member of schoolc o u n c i l s.
Until February this year, shewas a member of UK Youth Par-liament for north Bristol and untilnext February will be member ofthe Bristol Youth Council, com-pleting a two year term.
She said one of the most im-portant findings of the commis-sion, set up by Mayor GeorgeFerguson with the backing of someof the biggest players in the edu-cation and employment scene inBristol, was the ‘disconnect’between education and work.
The teenager from LongwellGreen said: “Even with qualific-ations it’s hard in a lot of cases foryoung people to get jobs. The firstproblem is experience; you arenew to the working world so tohave experience is impossible andit’s impossible to have the skillsyou gain from that experience be-cause education doesn’t provide it– t h at ’s been a real struggle.
“Maybe the passport will bridgethat gap. From what I understandand what I’ve seen in my life, andfrom every young person I’vespoken to, education is so focusedon exams and results and targets.Young people’s skills and whatthey need in the future is some-times lost.
“You need education and skills,with high standards in both, tosurvive in the world. Things don’t
seem as easy as perhaps they werein the past.”
Sanya, who will begin a law de-gree at Bristol University thismonth to pursue a career inhuman rights, was not daunted bybeing the only young person on a
commission which included thelikes of Professor Ron Ritchie ofthe University of the West of Eng-land along with 12 others withbackgrounds spanning education,business, media and science.
She said: “I felt what I was doing
HELPING SHAPE FUTURE OF EDUCATIONSanya Rajpal
Sometimes young people’sissues are not addressed withyoung people first. But in thiscommission it was the case – Ifelt proud to be involved. Thereis nothing more important thanyoung people’s futures.
“
� Sanya Rajpal Pic: Dan Regan BRDR20140903C-002_C
State education State education
See the school in action
OPEN MORNINGS
Monday 29th September11.15am -12.45pm
Tuesday 30th September11.15am -12.45pm
A warm invitation to to join us for
Open EveningThursday 25th September 2014 6pm-8.30pm
Tours 6pm -7.45pm ~ Headteacher’s Speech 8pm
Proud of our Record Results this Year!
ASHTON PARK SCHOOL
Tel: 0117 3772742Email: [email protected]: www.ashtonpark.net/sixth-form
Don’t miss out…come and see us!
ASHTON PARK SIXTH FORM
Impressive Results | Amazing FacilitiesBroad Range of Courses | High Level Care
Exciting Activities and Opportunities
With you everystep of the way
Wednesday 8th October 20146.30 - 8.30pm
Headteacher’s Speech 6.30 - 7.00pmTours of Sixth Form Centre 7.00pm
OpenEvening
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO ENROL ON A
FULL-TIME COURSE OR APPRENTICESHIP
AT CITY OF BRISTOL COLLEGE
Courses include:•A Levels• Barbering•Beauty•Childcare•Construction• Electrical
• Engineering• Fashion•Hairdressing•Heavy VehicleMaintenance
•Music
• PerformingArts• PaintingandDecorating
• Public Services• Sport• Plusmanymore
Courses are available at all levels, so thereis sure to be something for you.
For more information or to enrol call0117 312 5000 or visit www.cityofbristol.ac.uk
������������������������ ����� ������������ �������� ��� ���
�������� �� ������� ������� � ���
����� �����������
������ ���� ���� �� �������� ��� �����
�� ��������� ��� �����������
��� �� ��� ���������� ����� ������
Brimsham Green School
Brimsham Green School nurtures the limitless potential of all learners, inspiring students and staff to excel.
“Students…make good progress… this is evident in thequalifications they achieve… they are ambitious andrespond enthusiastically to the school’s high expectations”
Brimsham Green SchoolBroad Lane,Yate, South Gloucestershire, BS37 7LB
Tel: 01454 868888 Fax: 01454 868880email: [email protected]
www.brimsham.com
• Well qualified, inspirational staff• Engaging & friendly students• Comprehensive support &development
• An exciting range of coursesin the Sixth Form
• Extensive range of study &sporting facilities
• Most popular school in locality
• Outstanding sporting achievement• Many UK & international travel& cultural opportunities
• Exemplary careers support &guidance
• Commitment to preparingstudents for life beyond school
www.brimsham.com
OpenEvening
Thursday 2ndOctober 2014HeadTeacher’s address at6.15pm & 6.50pm (doors open 6pm)
School tours available throughout September
INSPIRING ALLTO EXCEL
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
8 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 9Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
He was credited with improving the life chances of 6,000Bristol schoolchildren during his tenure as chief of the CabotLearning Federation academy chain. But now Sir David Carteris moving on to bigger things. MARC RATH reports.
Temple Quay where he is being sup-ported by a small team of admin-istrative staff. Within his remit ismonitoring the performance ofacademies and free schools in theSouth West, approving newacademies and free schools and en-couraging organisations to come for-ward as sponsors for schools. And therole is far from one which is “all talkand no trousers”, with major de-cisions being reserved for officialsWhitehall. Sir David explains that hewas attracted to the job because it“has teeth”.
He has the power to remove anacademy sponsor from a school if it isjudged to have been failing over aprolonged period. On a sliding scale,he can choose to make a “g entle”check on a underperforming school,issue a pre-warning notice or dole outa final warning in extreme cases.
Sir David said: “Ultimately, if theschool is still failing, it can be taken
away from its sponsor. I suppose youcould take it even further – if a schoold o e s n’t have a sponsor or one can’t befound we might say ‘Is this schoolv i abl e ? ’ Although I would talk to thesecretary of state if that were the
c a s e. ” And he says his new job isn’tabout persuasion – rather holdingindividuals and sponsors to accountand ‘telling them what to do to im-p rove ’.
He said: “These kids have only got
one chance of an education. I do havethe power and authority to makechanges if needed. I can also askOfsted to inspect a school if I wasworried about it.”
Explaining the role of the country’seight new regional schools commis-sioners covering different regions ofEngland, he said: “At the heart of it isthe recognition is that to run 5,000schools from Whitehall is very dif-ficult. If a school is getting into dif-ficulties, we wouldn’t allow chaos tooccur – we would want to get in thereand arrest the decline immediately.”
Sir David has vast experience inacademies having fronted the largestgroup of schools in the Bristol area,the Cabot Learning Federation.
Although a big advocate of theacademy system he has reservationsabout large national academy chainstaking on too many schools. And hehas promised to keep a close eye onsponsors from overseas runningschools in the UK. He has alreadyscheduled a trip to Ireland to take alook at the work of Educate TogetherTrust, which has just opened aprimary school in Redfield.
Of foreign sponsors, he said: “T heplan will be to look at some of theirschools in Ireland to get a betterinsight into how they work.
HOLDING SCHOOLS IN THE SOUTH
Academies are funded by the tax-payer and we want to know theyunderstand education and under-stand Bristol.”
Sir David said it would be a “goodthing” if all schools were academies
but said it was not within his remit todrive up numbers. He said: “My roleis about making sure academies per-form better than they do and ensurenew ones do really well. I believe inthe academy model – the reason I
have been able to turn around dif-ferent schools is by having the free-dom to take decisions for BristolBrunel Academy and Bristol Met. Ibelieve in the system but it’s got to besomething the head teacher wants.”
WEST TO ACCOUNT
IF there is one criticism whichcould never be levelled at SirDavid Carter it’s that he pos-sesses a lack of ambition. After11 years at the Cabot Learning
Federation in which he rose fromhead teacher to chief executive andplayed a major role in transformingthe fortunes of several failing Bristolschools, he’s now set his sights onwhat is arguably an even more size-able challenge.
From September 1, he has beenworking as the South West’s firstRegional Schools Commissioner.
Instead of having responsibility for11 academies in and around Bristol,he will now be held to account for theperformance of dozens of academiesand free schools in a patch extendingfrom Gloucestershire in the north toCornwall in the south. When hespoke to the Bristol Post earlier thismonth, he had just settled in to hisnew surroundings – an office in
SUCCESS STORY
� Bristol’s rise and rise in examperformance means the cityshould be held up as an‘absolute success story’, said SirDavid. He said: “In the early partof 2000s, it was at the bottom ofthe league table and Bristol hadaspirations to be one of the topEuropean cities, buteducationally it was one of theworst.
“It has maintained a strongrelationship with the localauthority - we wouldn’t havebeen able to create the CabotLearning Federation if we hadn’thad the support from Bristol CityCouncil to let us do what we did- they were never antagonistic.
“There are still areas where wehave a lot of work to do so wecan’t be complacent about it.”
‘WRENCH TO LEAVE ’
� It was a “w re n c h ” for SirDavid to leave the CabotLearning Federation - but hebelieves the chain can go fromstrength to strength. Thefederation has installed aninterim chief executive, SujataMcNab, a former financedirector, with a permanentreplacement set to be chosenby the end of October. Sir David,who oversaw more than 1,000staff at the federation, said: “Iwent to John Cabot Academywhen it was Cabot TechnologyCollege in 2003. It has been anamazing journey and I haveloved every minute of it. We hada big conference and there were1,000 people there at AshtonCourt – it was a lump in thethroat moment.” � Sir David Carter with Sir Michael
Wilshaw, Ofsted Chief Inspector
We are now open...
For September 2015 we will be admitting one class each ofReception, Year 2, Year 4 and Year 7.
To find out more, visit our website or call the school office.
0117 965 9150 :: www.steineracademybristol.org.uk
Enjoying childhoodLearning creativelyBuilding community
...on the beautiful St Matthias Campus in Fishponds
0117 941 3800 [email protected]
Maths and English everyday, more supportand more progress.
FOCUS AMBITION GROWTH AND VITALITYIN THE HEART OF BRISTOL
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
8 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 9Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
He was credited with improving the life chances of 6,000Bristol schoolchildren during his tenure as chief of the CabotLearning Federation academy chain. But now Sir David Carteris moving on to bigger things. MARC RATH reports.
Temple Quay where he is being sup-ported by a small team of admin-istrative staff. Within his remit ismonitoring the performance ofacademies and free schools in theSouth West, approving newacademies and free schools and en-couraging organisations to come for-ward as sponsors for schools. And therole is far from one which is “all talkand no trousers”, with major de-cisions being reserved for officialsWhitehall. Sir David explains that hewas attracted to the job because it“has teeth”.
He has the power to remove anacademy sponsor from a school if it isjudged to have been failing over aprolonged period. On a sliding scale,he can choose to make a “g entle”check on a underperforming school,issue a pre-warning notice or dole outa final warning in extreme cases.
Sir David said: “Ultimately, if theschool is still failing, it can be taken
away from its sponsor. I suppose youcould take it even further – if a schoold o e s n’t have a sponsor or one can’t befound we might say ‘Is this schoolv i abl e ? ’ Although I would talk to thesecretary of state if that were the
c a s e. ” And he says his new job isn’tabout persuasion – rather holdingindividuals and sponsors to accountand ‘telling them what to do to im-p rove ’.
He said: “These kids have only got
one chance of an education. I do havethe power and authority to makechanges if needed. I can also askOfsted to inspect a school if I wasworried about it.”
Explaining the role of the country’seight new regional schools commis-sioners covering different regions ofEngland, he said: “At the heart of it isthe recognition is that to run 5,000schools from Whitehall is very dif-ficult. If a school is getting into dif-ficulties, we wouldn’t allow chaos tooccur – we would want to get in thereand arrest the decline immediately.”
Sir David has vast experience inacademies having fronted the largestgroup of schools in the Bristol area,the Cabot Learning Federation.
Although a big advocate of theacademy system he has reservationsabout large national academy chainstaking on too many schools. And hehas promised to keep a close eye onsponsors from overseas runningschools in the UK. He has alreadyscheduled a trip to Ireland to take alook at the work of Educate TogetherTrust, which has just opened aprimary school in Redfield.
Of foreign sponsors, he said: “T heplan will be to look at some of theirschools in Ireland to get a betterinsight into how they work.
HOLDING SCHOOLS IN THE SOUTH
Academies are funded by the tax-payer and we want to know theyunderstand education and under-stand Bristol.”
Sir David said it would be a “goodthing” if all schools were academies
but said it was not within his remit todrive up numbers. He said: “My roleis about making sure academies per-form better than they do and ensurenew ones do really well. I believe inthe academy model – the reason I
have been able to turn around dif-ferent schools is by having the free-dom to take decisions for BristolBrunel Academy and Bristol Met. Ibelieve in the system but it’s got to besomething the head teacher wants.”
WEST TO ACCOUNT
IF there is one criticism whichcould never be levelled at SirDavid Carter it’s that he pos-sesses a lack of ambition. After11 years at the Cabot Learning
Federation in which he rose fromhead teacher to chief executive andplayed a major role in transformingthe fortunes of several failing Bristolschools, he’s now set his sights onwhat is arguably an even more size-able challenge.
From September 1, he has beenworking as the South West’s firstRegional Schools Commissioner.
Instead of having responsibility for11 academies in and around Bristol,he will now be held to account for theperformance of dozens of academiesand free schools in a patch extendingfrom Gloucestershire in the north toCornwall in the south. When hespoke to the Bristol Post earlier thismonth, he had just settled in to hisnew surroundings – an office in
SUCCESS STORY
� Bristol’s rise and rise in examperformance means the cityshould be held up as an‘absolute success story’, said SirDavid. He said: “In the early partof 2000s, it was at the bottom ofthe league table and Bristol hadaspirations to be one of the topEuropean cities, buteducationally it was one of theworst.
“It has maintained a strongrelationship with the localauthority - we wouldn’t havebeen able to create the CabotLearning Federation if we hadn’thad the support from Bristol CityCouncil to let us do what we did- they were never antagonistic.
“There are still areas where wehave a lot of work to do so wecan’t be complacent about it.”
‘WRENCH TO LEAVE ’
� It was a “w re n c h ” for SirDavid to leave the CabotLearning Federation - but hebelieves the chain can go fromstrength to strength. Thefederation has installed aninterim chief executive, SujataMcNab, a former financedirector, with a permanentreplacement set to be chosenby the end of October. Sir David,who oversaw more than 1,000staff at the federation, said: “Iwent to John Cabot Academywhen it was Cabot TechnologyCollege in 2003. It has been anamazing journey and I haveloved every minute of it. We hada big conference and there were1,000 people there at AshtonCourt – it was a lump in thethroat moment.” � Sir David Carter with Sir Michael
Wilshaw, Ofsted Chief Inspector
We are now open...
For September 2015 we will be admitting one class each ofReception, Year 2, Year 4 and Year 7.
To find out more, visit our website or call the school office.
0117 965 9150 :: www.steineracademybristol.org.uk
Enjoying childhoodLearning creativelyBuilding community
...on the beautiful St Matthias Campus in Fishponds
0117 941 3800 [email protected]
Maths and English everyday, more supportand more progress.
FOCUS AMBITION GROWTH AND VITALITYIN THE HEART OF BRISTOL
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
10 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 11Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
If teachers were asked to help their pupils understand Bris-tol’s culture, they’d probably be quick to suggest trips tomuseums, galleries or places of worship. But a new project isfocusing on history and heritage in more unlikely places,reports MARC RATH.
“We managed to find out wherethey lived and where they worked. Wehad that as a starting point and askedthe children to come up with ques-tions. We found they had differentsurnames but were engaged to bemarried. It was a story which hadbeen sitting there undiscovered.
“The project is about looking forstories from the streets around theschool and getting children out of theclassroom and looking at placesthey’ve seen before but in a new light,using research and historicals k i l l s. ”
In 2012 Bristol was selected as oneof first three areas in the UK to beinvolved in the Heritage Schools pro-ject, which will run in the city untilMarch next year. Funded by the De-partment of Education, the pro-gramme was developed in response toDarren Henley’s report to govern-ment on cultural education in Eng-land. It has been expanded to includeclusters of schools in eight regions
across England, with 150 schools in-vo l ve d .
The project is aimed at helpingchildren learn about and understandtheir local heritage and provideteachers with new and effective waysto use local heritage resources as partof the curriculum. The schools par-ticipating are using heritage to con-nect children to where they live,develop a sense of place and an un-
derstanding of how the story of wherethey live relates to the national con-text. According to English Heritage,learning about local heritage in-spires creativity, develops literacy, anawareness and appreciation of ar-chitecture and design, and encour-ages young people to value andprotect the heritage around them.
So far nine primaries and threesecondary schools in Bristol have
been involved. Another six will takepart this academic year, bringing thetotal to 18 before funding for theproject is due to dry up. Altogether,3,000 Bristol children have been in-vo l ve d .
The project has dovetailed with the100th anniversary of the start of theFirst World War, allowing schools tofind out how the conflict affectedtheir district of the city.
JUST around the corner from Vic-toria Park Primary School lies aneglected graveyard. Pupils hadseen it many times beforewithout taking much of an in-terest. But through a newEnglish Heritage project they
have learned to see it in a totally newlight. With the help of local heritageeducation manager Michael Gorelythe children examined gravestones inthe forgotten St John’s burial yardand discovered a young couple wholived in Bristol in the 19th centuryhad been buried there side by side inthe same plot marked by a singleh e a d s t o n e.
This caught the imagination of thepupils and led them to conduct somehistorical research on the tragic pair,Sarah Jane Seymour and Henry Lar-c o m b e.
“They drowned in Watchet and wefound newspaper accounts of whathad happened,” said former Bristolprimary school teacher Mr Gorely.
Three schools have createdfilms based on Bristolians whowere involved in the war.
Former Sefton Park PrimarySchool teacher Mr Gorely said:“Summerhill Academy in StGeorge has a plaque commem-orating former pupils killed inthe war - we traced two of themwho had been buried side by sidein Belgium.
“This suggested there was astory about best friends who hadenlisted together and died to-g ether.
“The children turned it into afilm which included a story ofthe boys – we found a public-ation which had a photo of one ofthem and traced a great nephewof his.
From what teachers and par-
UNEARTHING THE UNTOLD STORIES OF OUR HISTORYMr Gorely said: “The houses had
inside toilets and large gardens,unlike the housing elsewhere inthe city.
“It has been about giving pupilspride in their own area.”
The project has also reachedyounger pupils, with seven-year-olds reading the original handwrit-ing on census returns from the 19thcentury. Mr Gorely said: “T heywere interested in it and were ableto do it – it’s quite sophisticatedhistorical research.”
The project’s next big initiativewill be a First World War day for 10and 11-year-old pupils in partner-ship with Bristol’s sightseeingopen top buses and the council’smuseums and education service.
On the bus tour, children willvisit key sites during the conflictincluding Kingsweston House,where they were learn about itbeing used as a war hospital, andArnos Vale, where they will be toldabout soldiers from across theCommonwealth, and White CityExhibition, which was used as bar-r a ck s.
ents are saying, it has been theirmost memorable project of theye a r. ”
Another project has seen childrenlearning about the Southmead hous-ing estate, with experts from Bris-tol’s Architecture Centre explainingwhy it was built, how it was plannedand what housing conditions werelike elsewhere in Bristol at thet i m e.
THE SCHOOLS:
� Minerva Academy� Colston's Girls' School� Fishponds Academy� Bristol MetropolitanAcademy� Little Mead PrimaryAcademy� Victoria Park Primary� Millpond Primary� Summerhill Academy
� Avon Primary� Avonmouth CE VCPrimary� Frome Vale Academy� St Barnabas CEVCPrimary� St Patrick’s CatholicPrimary� Begbrook Primary� Hillcrest Primary� Elmfield School forDeaf Children
� Glenfrome Primary� West Town LaneAcademy� Horfield C of E Primary� Henbury Court PrimaryAcademy� Air Balloon Primary� Ashton ParkSecondary� Bannerman RoadCommunity Academy� Fonthill Primary
� Victoria Park Primary School pupils Lucas Hooker and Courtney Jenkinsengrossed in the heritage project; Right, Kings Weston House and ArnosVa l e
Sixth FormWednesday 8th October 6 - 8pm
Nailsea School
Tuesday 23 September6.30 pm
NailseaSchool.com
01275 852251
Mizzymead Road Nailsea BS48 2HN
OPEN DAYS25 September
Our Academy is an exciting place to learn and we take seriously the fact that ourstudents only get one chance at an excellent education.
We are bold in our ambition to provide all students with a first class education in astimulating environment and with 360 degrees of care, guidance and support.
Petherton Road, HengroveBristol BS14 9BUTel: 01275 894680www.oasisacademyjohnwilliams.org
Open Evening
Monday 29 September, 17:30 - 19:30
Open Mornings
Saturday 4 October, 10:00 - 12:00Monday 6 October - Friday 10 October, 09:30 - 11:00(open mornings by appointment only)
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
10 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 11Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
If teachers were asked to help their pupils understand Bris-tol’s culture, they’d probably be quick to suggest trips tomuseums, galleries or places of worship. But a new project isfocusing on history and heritage in more unlikely places,reports MARC RATH.
“We managed to find out wherethey lived and where they worked. Wehad that as a starting point and askedthe children to come up with ques-tions. We found they had differentsurnames but were engaged to bemarried. It was a story which hadbeen sitting there undiscovered.
“The project is about looking forstories from the streets around theschool and getting children out of theclassroom and looking at placesthey’ve seen before but in a new light,using research and historicals k i l l s. ”
In 2012 Bristol was selected as oneof first three areas in the UK to beinvolved in the Heritage Schools pro-ject, which will run in the city untilMarch next year. Funded by the De-partment of Education, the pro-gramme was developed in response toDarren Henley’s report to govern-ment on cultural education in Eng-land. It has been expanded to includeclusters of schools in eight regions
across England, with 150 schools in-vo l ve d .
The project is aimed at helpingchildren learn about and understandtheir local heritage and provideteachers with new and effective waysto use local heritage resources as partof the curriculum. The schools par-ticipating are using heritage to con-nect children to where they live,develop a sense of place and an un-
derstanding of how the story of wherethey live relates to the national con-text. According to English Heritage,learning about local heritage in-spires creativity, develops literacy, anawareness and appreciation of ar-chitecture and design, and encour-ages young people to value andprotect the heritage around them.
So far nine primaries and threesecondary schools in Bristol have
been involved. Another six will takepart this academic year, bringing thetotal to 18 before funding for theproject is due to dry up. Altogether,3,000 Bristol children have been in-vo l ve d .
The project has dovetailed with the100th anniversary of the start of theFirst World War, allowing schools tofind out how the conflict affectedtheir district of the city.
JUST around the corner from Vic-toria Park Primary School lies aneglected graveyard. Pupils hadseen it many times beforewithout taking much of an in-terest. But through a newEnglish Heritage project they
have learned to see it in a totally newlight. With the help of local heritageeducation manager Michael Gorelythe children examined gravestones inthe forgotten St John’s burial yardand discovered a young couple wholived in Bristol in the 19th centuryhad been buried there side by side inthe same plot marked by a singleh e a d s t o n e.
This caught the imagination of thepupils and led them to conduct somehistorical research on the tragic pair,Sarah Jane Seymour and Henry Lar-c o m b e.
“They drowned in Watchet and wefound newspaper accounts of whathad happened,” said former Bristolprimary school teacher Mr Gorely.
Three schools have createdfilms based on Bristolians whowere involved in the war.
Former Sefton Park PrimarySchool teacher Mr Gorely said:“Summerhill Academy in StGeorge has a plaque commem-orating former pupils killed inthe war - we traced two of themwho had been buried side by sidein Belgium.
“This suggested there was astory about best friends who hadenlisted together and died to-g ether.
“The children turned it into afilm which included a story ofthe boys – we found a public-ation which had a photo of one ofthem and traced a great nephewof his.
From what teachers and par-
UNEARTHING THE UNTOLD STORIES OF OUR HISTORYMr Gorely said: “The houses had
inside toilets and large gardens,unlike the housing elsewhere inthe city.
“It has been about giving pupilspride in their own area.”
The project has also reachedyounger pupils, with seven-year-olds reading the original handwrit-ing on census returns from the 19thcentury. Mr Gorely said: “T heywere interested in it and were ableto do it – it’s quite sophisticatedhistorical research.”
The project’s next big initiativewill be a First World War day for 10and 11-year-old pupils in partner-ship with Bristol’s sightseeingopen top buses and the council’smuseums and education service.
On the bus tour, children willvisit key sites during the conflictincluding Kingsweston House,where they were learn about itbeing used as a war hospital, andArnos Vale, where they will be toldabout soldiers from across theCommonwealth, and White CityExhibition, which was used as bar-r a ck s.
ents are saying, it has been theirmost memorable project of theye a r. ”
Another project has seen childrenlearning about the Southmead hous-ing estate, with experts from Bris-tol’s Architecture Centre explainingwhy it was built, how it was plannedand what housing conditions werelike elsewhere in Bristol at thet i m e.
THE SCHOOLS:
� Minerva Academy� Colston's Girls' School� Fishponds Academy� Bristol MetropolitanAcademy� Little Mead PrimaryAcademy� Victoria Park Primary� Millpond Primary� Summerhill Academy
� Avon Primary� Avonmouth CE VCPrimary� Frome Vale Academy� St Barnabas CEVCPrimary� St Patrick’s CatholicPrimary� Begbrook Primary� Hillcrest Primary� Elmfield School forDeaf Children
� Glenfrome Primary� West Town LaneAcademy� Horfield C of E Primary� Henbury Court PrimaryAcademy� Air Balloon Primary� Ashton ParkSecondary� Bannerman RoadCommunity Academy� Fonthill Primary
� Victoria Park Primary School pupils Lucas Hooker and Courtney Jenkinsengrossed in the heritage project; Right, Kings Weston House and ArnosVa l e
Sixth FormWednesday 8th October 6 - 8pm
Nailsea School
Tuesday 23 September6.30 pm
NailseaSchool.com
01275 852251
Mizzymead Road Nailsea BS48 2HN
OPEN DAYS25 September
Our Academy is an exciting place to learn and we take seriously the fact that ourstudents only get one chance at an excellent education.
We are bold in our ambition to provide all students with a first class education in astimulating environment and with 360 degrees of care, guidance and support.
Petherton Road, HengroveBristol BS14 9BUTel: 01275 894680www.oasisacademyjohnwilliams.org
Open Evening
Monday 29 September, 17:30 - 19:30
Open Mornings
Saturday 4 October, 10:00 - 12:00Monday 6 October - Friday 10 October, 09:30 - 11:00(open mornings by appointment only)
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
12 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 13Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
THEY allow both schools andstudents to set themselvesapart from the rest. Extra-curricular activities enableschools to entice pupils seek-
ing that something extra and givestudents a chance to differentiatethemselves from peers to help seal acollege or university place or a job.
They are being acknowledged as avital component to a well-roundededucation and more and more schoolsare becoming more outspoken aboutwhat they can offer above and beyondthe norm. And offering a wealth ofphysical and educational opportun-ities is no longer the preserve ofindependent schools; traditionallythe only institutions with financesstretching to cover trips, unrivalledsporting facilities and expert tuition.M e rch a n t s ’ Academy, in Withywood,offers a range of what it describes as“co-curricular activities”, and boaststhe only Army Cadet Force in thestate education system.
Students at Colston’s Girls’ S ch o o lare involved in a wealth of extra-cur-
ricular activities, including YoungEnterprise, Green Team, Envisionvolunteering, robotics, public speak-ing, Duke of Edinburgh Award,music, drama, charity events, andsports such as karate, dance and fit-ness classes.
At Fairfield High School in Hor-field there is an array of extra-cur-ricular activities available. Theco-curricular day does not finishuntil 5pm on some days and morethan half of students choose to staybehind to take part in dance, drama,music and sport. In the independentsector, Bristol Grammar Schoolprides itself on what it offers outsidethe classroom to allow students to tapinto their passions and interests.
It co-curricular devotes two after-noons each week to activities andgames. In the sixth form, one af-ternoon each week is devoted to anactivities programme when studentscan choose to tackle a Duke of Ed-inburgh Award or community vo-lunteering. The school offers anextensive sporting programme, withanother afternoon dedicated to in-dividual and team competition or re-creational health and fitness.
Earlier this year in his column inthe Bristol Post, the school’s head-master Rod MacKinnon said:
“Co-curricular provision is the es-sential complement to a rigorous aca-demic programme. Students forge apowerful relationship with theirteachers when they realise that theperson teaching them physics also
joins them on the netball court or on afield trip to CERN; or that their geo-graphy teacher is also in the audiencefor the school play or supporting theircharity fundraising efforts. Teachersand students alike benefit from see-
ing one another as whole people witha variety of interests.”
But Lisa Middle, secretary for theBristol division of the National Unionof Teachers, said many state schoolswere discovering they were strug-
gling to find time within the normalschool day to deliver a broad andbalanced curriculum. She said:“The government has narrowed thecurriculum and the demands of Ofs-ted make for a relentlessly tar-
get-driven culture.” M e rch a n t sAcademy Executive principal AnneBurrell said that although academicattainment was vital, it was equallyimportant to “open students’ eyes tothe amazing possibilities offered by
life beyond the academy gates.”“We want our students to leave the
academy as bright, optimisticpeople who have had some incred-ible experiences and challenges intheir time with us,” she said.
OPENING PUPILS’ EYES TO WHOLE NEW WORLDS OF POSSIBILITIESMarc RathEducation [email protected]
“We are serious about giving chil-dren the chance to try activities theynever thought they could do; tolearn new skills, to meet new peopleand to have experiences few otherschools in the country can offer.”
CASE STUDY: HENBURYSCHOOL
� HENBURY School altered itstimetable a year ago to ensure allstudents had the chance to take partin activities beyond the curriculum. Itcreated a “Lesson 6” from 3-4pm onthree days a week, which allows timefor catch-up sessions for those thatneed it and enrichment activities foreveryone else. Students must takeone option but many do morevoluntarily. Head teacher ClareBradford said that last year 60 percent of students in Year 11 did twoor more sessions and 15 per cent didt h re e .
“It is a good mix of study supportand enrichment,” she said. “We havefound this change to the timetablereally worthwhile, as it gives studentsso many opportunities to developthemselves and their interests.”
The provision ranges from sportsand performing arts to gardeningand origami. There are book, film,photography, art, embroidery andanimation clubs as well as cookery,science and exercise sessions.
CASE STUDY:MERCHANTS ’ ACADEMY
� MERCHANTS’ Academy in SouthBristol believes it offers the mostextensive enrichment programme inthe South West.
The activities are not an add-on butan integral part of the school week.The co-curricular programme thattakes place every Wednesdayafternoon from 2.30-4.30pm iscompulsory for all secondarystudents.
The youngsters can choose from amind-boggling range that includesbook and film clubs, animation,Warhammer, jewellery-making,philosophy, fishing and ‘all thingsBristol’ as well as sports, music andArmy Cadets. They can changeactivities each term.
� At Fairfield High School, there’s an array of extra-curricular activities available � Activities are an integral part of the school week at Merchants’ Academy
State education State education
OPEN MORNINGSFROM 23 SEPT TO 23 OCTPlease contact us to make an appointment.
WESTERLEIGH ROAD, DOWNENDSOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE BS16 6XATEL: 01454 862300 www.downend.com
An exciting and vibrantlearning communitywhere every youngperson is supported toachieve their very best.
DOWNENDSCHOOLOPEN EVENINGTHURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER5.45 – 8.00pm
MANGOTSFIELD SCHOOLSPECIALIST COLLEGE IN ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE
Rodway Hill, Mangotsfield, BS16 9LH
www.mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
Open Morning:Wednesday 17 September 20149:00am to 11:00am
COURAGE HONESTY LEARNING RESPECT
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
12 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 13Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
THEY allow both schools andstudents to set themselvesapart from the rest. Extra-curricular activities enableschools to entice pupils seek-
ing that something extra and givestudents a chance to differentiatethemselves from peers to help seal acollege or university place or a job.
They are being acknowledged as avital component to a well-roundededucation and more and more schoolsare becoming more outspoken aboutwhat they can offer above and beyondthe norm. And offering a wealth ofphysical and educational opportun-ities is no longer the preserve ofindependent schools; traditionallythe only institutions with financesstretching to cover trips, unrivalledsporting facilities and expert tuition.M e rch a n t s ’ Academy, in Withywood,offers a range of what it describes as“co-curricular activities”, and boaststhe only Army Cadet Force in thestate education system.
Students at Colston’s Girls’ S ch o o lare involved in a wealth of extra-cur-
ricular activities, including YoungEnterprise, Green Team, Envisionvolunteering, robotics, public speak-ing, Duke of Edinburgh Award,music, drama, charity events, andsports such as karate, dance and fit-ness classes.
At Fairfield High School in Hor-field there is an array of extra-cur-ricular activities available. Theco-curricular day does not finishuntil 5pm on some days and morethan half of students choose to staybehind to take part in dance, drama,music and sport. In the independentsector, Bristol Grammar Schoolprides itself on what it offers outsidethe classroom to allow students to tapinto their passions and interests.
It co-curricular devotes two after-noons each week to activities andgames. In the sixth form, one af-ternoon each week is devoted to anactivities programme when studentscan choose to tackle a Duke of Ed-inburgh Award or community vo-lunteering. The school offers anextensive sporting programme, withanother afternoon dedicated to in-dividual and team competition or re-creational health and fitness.
Earlier this year in his column inthe Bristol Post, the school’s head-master Rod MacKinnon said:
“Co-curricular provision is the es-sential complement to a rigorous aca-demic programme. Students forge apowerful relationship with theirteachers when they realise that theperson teaching them physics also
joins them on the netball court or on afield trip to CERN; or that their geo-graphy teacher is also in the audiencefor the school play or supporting theircharity fundraising efforts. Teachersand students alike benefit from see-
ing one another as whole people witha variety of interests.”
But Lisa Middle, secretary for theBristol division of the National Unionof Teachers, said many state schoolswere discovering they were strug-
gling to find time within the normalschool day to deliver a broad andbalanced curriculum. She said:“The government has narrowed thecurriculum and the demands of Ofs-ted make for a relentlessly tar-
get-driven culture.” M e rch a n t sAcademy Executive principal AnneBurrell said that although academicattainment was vital, it was equallyimportant to “open students’ eyes tothe amazing possibilities offered by
life beyond the academy gates.”“We want our students to leave the
academy as bright, optimisticpeople who have had some incred-ible experiences and challenges intheir time with us,” she said.
OPENING PUPILS’ EYES TO WHOLE NEW WORLDS OF POSSIBILITIESMarc RathEducation [email protected]
“We are serious about giving chil-dren the chance to try activities theynever thought they could do; tolearn new skills, to meet new peopleand to have experiences few otherschools in the country can offer.”
CASE STUDY: HENBURYSCHOOL
� HENBURY School altered itstimetable a year ago to ensure allstudents had the chance to take partin activities beyond the curriculum. Itcreated a “Lesson 6” from 3-4pm onthree days a week, which allows timefor catch-up sessions for those thatneed it and enrichment activities foreveryone else. Students must takeone option but many do morevoluntarily. Head teacher ClareBradford said that last year 60 percent of students in Year 11 did twoor more sessions and 15 per cent didt h re e .
“It is a good mix of study supportand enrichment,” she said. “We havefound this change to the timetablereally worthwhile, as it gives studentsso many opportunities to developthemselves and their interests.”
The provision ranges from sportsand performing arts to gardeningand origami. There are book, film,photography, art, embroidery andanimation clubs as well as cookery,science and exercise sessions.
CASE STUDY:MERCHANTS ’ ACADEMY
� MERCHANTS’ Academy in SouthBristol believes it offers the mostextensive enrichment programme inthe South West.
The activities are not an add-on butan integral part of the school week.The co-curricular programme thattakes place every Wednesdayafternoon from 2.30-4.30pm iscompulsory for all secondarystudents.
The youngsters can choose from amind-boggling range that includesbook and film clubs, animation,Warhammer, jewellery-making,philosophy, fishing and ‘all thingsBristol’ as well as sports, music andArmy Cadets. They can changeactivities each term.
� At Fairfield High School, there’s an array of extra-curricular activities available � Activities are an integral part of the school week at Merchants’ Academy
State education State education
OPEN MORNINGSFROM 23 SEPT TO 23 OCTPlease contact us to make an appointment.
WESTERLEIGH ROAD, DOWNENDSOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE BS16 6XATEL: 01454 862300 www.downend.com
An exciting and vibrantlearning communitywhere every youngperson is supported toachieve their very best.
DOWNENDSCHOOLOPEN EVENINGTHURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER5.45 – 8.00pm
MANGOTSFIELD SCHOOLSPECIALIST COLLEGE IN ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE
Rodway Hill, Mangotsfield, BS16 9LH
www.mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
Open Morning:Wednesday 17 September 20149:00am to 11:00am
COURAGE HONESTY LEARNING RESPECT
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
14 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 15Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
STATE SCHOOLS ARE DRIVING UPState education State education
STANDARDS ACROSS CITYAs the secondary school open evening season gets underway, LINDA TANNER looks at how secondary education haschanged over the past decade.
Secondary schooling is a big topicof conversation among parents in allcorners of Bristol, starting whentheir children are in nursery andcontinuing at parks, playdates, bar-becues and dinner parties. Thesedays, it is also conducted online andoften anonymously, making hearsayeven more damaging to the second-aries’ efforts to get their positive mes-sages out. It is true that when the11-year-olds donning their blazersand ties this month were born, stateeducation in Bristol was in a badplace. Exam results were among theworst in the country and the citycouncil came very close to having allits powers as a local education au-thority removed.
A fifth of children who left primaryschool were bussed out to secondaryschools in North Somerset, SouthGloucestershire and B&NES and an-other 20 per cent joined one of thecity’s high number of independent,fee-charging schools.
The rapid transformation that fol-lowed, involving fantastic new build-ings, academy conversions, newuniforms, and – most importantly -rising results, was beginning to bearfruit by 2009 with a reduction in“pupil drift” from all corners of thecity to neighbouring areas.
More children were coming in toBristol’s state schools too, followingthe conversion of former independ-ent schools Bristol Cathedral Schooland Colston’s Girls’ School toacademies. Increasing numbers ofparents put their faith in city schoolsas results continued to go up – withBristol’s provisional headline figureovertaking South Gloucestershire’sfor the first time this year. The citycouncil says that of the 2012 intake, atotal of 1,605 children went “c ro s sb o rd e r ” to schools outside Bristol. In2013, the figure was 1,592 and theauthority reckons that this year thenumber is 597. This is as yet un-confirmed because there is a lot ofchange between when places areoffered in March and the start of theschool year, but it does show a re-markably improving trend.
Nevertheless, the parental con-cerns remain – not least because fam-ilies look at the GCSE and A-level
performance of their local schoolsrather than the citywide figures.
So while this year all Bristol sec-ondaries were above the 40 per cent“floor target” – for the proportion ofstudents gaining at least five GCSE
A*-C grades, a number were belowthe national average, meaning thatmore than half of 16-year-olds in thoseschools were not achieving this min-imum standard. Schools, though, sayit is important to look wider than this
narrow measure and, especially, tolook at the advances made by youngpeople over five years. It is import-ant, too, to recognise that some Bris-tol schools do not have a trulycomprehensive intake, due in part to
aspirational families opting for in-dependent sector, neighbouring areaor faith-based education.
Parents also worry about Ofstedratings, especially if their closestsecondary is judged to “require im-
p rove m e n t ”. But it is self-evidentthat even an outstanding school willhave some weaknesses alongside itsconsiderable strengths, while alow-rated school will probably havesome areas of outstanding practice.
WE’VE got a great story totell – but so manypeople in our com-munity are just nothearing it. That was the
lament from a Bristol secondaryschool principal last week.
Half an hour later, in a coffee shop amile or so away, the story was cor-roborated. I overheard one mum sayto another about the school in ques-tion, “oh, X – avoid X like thepla gue.”
She did not appear to have anyevidence for her opinion of this orany other school, but thought shewould probably send her daughter toY “because there’s a bus that goesfrom the end of our road”.
I guessed that the child was as yetsome years off the move to “bigs ch o o l ” as the mother did not seem tohave the note of panic in her voicethat gets louder the closer that “trans-ition” – as it is now called – be-c o m e s.
PARENTS GETTING INVOLVED IN RUNNING AND SETTING UP SCHOOLS
NUMBERS GAME
� NINE Bristol schools were full inYear 7 at the start of this year,according to city council figures.
They include two secondariesthat a few years ago saw a verylow number of applications –Bristol Brunel Academy inSpeedwell and Oasis AcademyJohn Williams in Hengrove.
City Academy Bristol andBrislington Enterprise College aretwo of the schools that have seena fall in numbers recently.
But it is an ever-changingpicture. The council is still collatingthe number of starters in eachschool and has issued “7-dayletters” for children who have notarrived as expected.
At Fairfield High School, forexample, 180 places wereoriginally offered but many ofthose were to families who hadnever considered the school in thefirst place. School leaders weretold the actual total might benearer 80. By the end of thesummer term, following sustainedefforts to encourage people totake up places, 116 had accepted.On the first day 140 arrived, andthat number had swelled by five bythe end of the first week.
Many secondaries have scoresof surplus places at the moment,but in a couple of years’ time thatwill change, because of the risingnumbers of children comingthrough Bristol’s primary schools.
Alongside results and inspectionreports, parents make decisionsbased on local knowledge and per-ceptions – which brings us back tothe coffee shop mum. But reputa-tions often lag behind real changes,so a “ro u g h ” school might now be abeacon of good behaviour while aschool that is thought to be goodmight have seen standards slip.
And it would be wrong to rule out aschool where pupil numbers havedropped – several Bristol second-aries have been able to take advant-age of a smaller roll to give studentsmore individual attention, whichhas led to dramatic improvements inresults. So, as the open evenings forSeptember 2015 entrants get into fullswing, what should parents do?
The most important thing is tokeep an open mind and opt for theschool that is right for your child.D o n’t rule anywhere out. Go to theopen evening, listen to the headt e a ch e r ’s talk, but also take thechance to question students, teach-ers and current parents. Mostschools also arrange visits duringthe school day, which can give you atrue picture. Be realistic and workwith your child and the staff so yourchild can get the maximum benefit.
� AWARE that our children aremost likely to thrive at schoolwith good support from home,most of us do our best.
But there are some parentswhose involvement in theeducation of not only theirown but other people’schildren goes muchf u r t h e r.
In Bristol, this issometimesprompted byconcerns overschooling in the city.Karen Foster,pictured, fromWestbury-on-Trym, wasa founder member of BristolP a re n t s ’ Voice, the group that ledto the foundation of Bristol FreeSchool in Brentry in 2011. She is
now chair of governors and, fiveyears after the campaign began,her elder daughter has juststarted at BFS.
Mrs Foster said: “We wanted aschool within walking distance
that our children couldmove on to with their
friends from primaryschool. It is lovely towalk across the parkand see youngteenagers there. Thatdidn’t happen before.It makes all the hard
work worthwhile.”Jeremy Routledge
also wanted his childrento be able to walk to school
so he opted for the BrislingtonEnterprise College, where hiseldest in now in Year 11.
“I am a real believer insupporting your local school. Myson has had a happy time atBEC, with supportive staff andgood quality teaching. He hashad plenty of opportunities and Idon’t think a school choiceshould be just be about the examre s u l t s , ” he said.
Mr Routledge joined thegoverning body in the hope ofhelping to improve links betweenthe school and the community.
“It is so important for schoolsto get their communications right,with their existing parents andwith prospective parents andpeople in the community,” hesaid. Another group of parentsfounded Steiner Academy Bristol,which opened last week inFishponds.� The conversion of Colston’s Girls’ School to an academy has helped more
parents put their faith into state schools
www.bridgelearningcampus.org.uk
The Open Events are 9.15am to 10.45am on:
Thursday 18th & 25th SeptemberSaturday 20th SeptemberThursday 9th OctoberSaturday 11th October
Open Evening 6-8pm:
Thursday 2nd October
The Open Events are 9.15am to 10.45am on:
Thursday 18th & 25th September
Bridge Learning Campus, William Jessop WayHartcliffe, Bristol, BS13 0RL
T. 0117 353 4472E. [email protected]
Open Evening
Further details: 0117 353 5015 (8.30am-3.30pm weekdays)www.bccs.bristol.sch.uk
A non fee-payingAcademy for boys and girls
BRISTOL CATHEDRALCHOIR SCHOOL
For Year 7 entry in September 2015Thursday 18th September 20145.30pm – 8.00pm
Please note: our supplementary applicationform should be submitted to the School byWednesday 24th September 2014.• High academic standards from Bristol’s oldest school
• Specialisms in Music and Mathematics
• Application form & full details of how to apply on our website
Fairfield High School
Open EveningThursday 25th September 6.00 - 9.00pm
Open MorningsThursday 2nd, Friday 3rd, Tuesday 7th
& Wednesday 8th October9.15 - 10.30am
FairfieldHigh SchoolAchieving Excellence
Phone:0117 9527100 or Email: [email protected]
www.fairfield.bristol.sch.uk
With Outstanding Features
...a good school
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
14 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 15Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
STATE SCHOOLS ARE DRIVING UPState education State education
STANDARDS ACROSS CITYAs the secondary school open evening season gets underway, LINDA TANNER looks at how secondary education haschanged over the past decade.
Secondary schooling is a big topicof conversation among parents in allcorners of Bristol, starting whentheir children are in nursery andcontinuing at parks, playdates, bar-becues and dinner parties. Thesedays, it is also conducted online andoften anonymously, making hearsayeven more damaging to the second-aries’ efforts to get their positive mes-sages out. It is true that when the11-year-olds donning their blazersand ties this month were born, stateeducation in Bristol was in a badplace. Exam results were among theworst in the country and the citycouncil came very close to having allits powers as a local education au-thority removed.
A fifth of children who left primaryschool were bussed out to secondaryschools in North Somerset, SouthGloucestershire and B&NES and an-other 20 per cent joined one of thecity’s high number of independent,fee-charging schools.
The rapid transformation that fol-lowed, involving fantastic new build-ings, academy conversions, newuniforms, and – most importantly -rising results, was beginning to bearfruit by 2009 with a reduction in“pupil drift” from all corners of thecity to neighbouring areas.
More children were coming in toBristol’s state schools too, followingthe conversion of former independ-ent schools Bristol Cathedral Schooland Colston’s Girls’ School toacademies. Increasing numbers ofparents put their faith in city schoolsas results continued to go up – withBristol’s provisional headline figureovertaking South Gloucestershire’sfor the first time this year. The citycouncil says that of the 2012 intake, atotal of 1,605 children went “c ro s sb o rd e r ” to schools outside Bristol. In2013, the figure was 1,592 and theauthority reckons that this year thenumber is 597. This is as yet un-confirmed because there is a lot ofchange between when places areoffered in March and the start of theschool year, but it does show a re-markably improving trend.
Nevertheless, the parental con-cerns remain – not least because fam-ilies look at the GCSE and A-level
performance of their local schoolsrather than the citywide figures.
So while this year all Bristol sec-ondaries were above the 40 per cent“floor target” – for the proportion ofstudents gaining at least five GCSE
A*-C grades, a number were belowthe national average, meaning thatmore than half of 16-year-olds in thoseschools were not achieving this min-imum standard. Schools, though, sayit is important to look wider than this
narrow measure and, especially, tolook at the advances made by youngpeople over five years. It is import-ant, too, to recognise that some Bris-tol schools do not have a trulycomprehensive intake, due in part to
aspirational families opting for in-dependent sector, neighbouring areaor faith-based education.
Parents also worry about Ofstedratings, especially if their closestsecondary is judged to “require im-
p rove m e n t ”. But it is self-evidentthat even an outstanding school willhave some weaknesses alongside itsconsiderable strengths, while alow-rated school will probably havesome areas of outstanding practice.
WE’VE got a great story totell – but so manypeople in our com-munity are just nothearing it. That was the
lament from a Bristol secondaryschool principal last week.
Half an hour later, in a coffee shop amile or so away, the story was cor-roborated. I overheard one mum sayto another about the school in ques-tion, “oh, X – avoid X like thepla gue.”
She did not appear to have anyevidence for her opinion of this orany other school, but thought shewould probably send her daughter toY “because there’s a bus that goesfrom the end of our road”.
I guessed that the child was as yetsome years off the move to “bigs ch o o l ” as the mother did not seem tohave the note of panic in her voicethat gets louder the closer that “trans-ition” – as it is now called – be-c o m e s.
PARENTS GETTING INVOLVED IN RUNNING AND SETTING UP SCHOOLS
NUMBERS GAME
� NINE Bristol schools were full inYear 7 at the start of this year,according to city council figures.
They include two secondariesthat a few years ago saw a verylow number of applications –Bristol Brunel Academy inSpeedwell and Oasis AcademyJohn Williams in Hengrove.
City Academy Bristol andBrislington Enterprise College aretwo of the schools that have seena fall in numbers recently.
But it is an ever-changingpicture. The council is still collatingthe number of starters in eachschool and has issued “7-dayletters” for children who have notarrived as expected.
At Fairfield High School, forexample, 180 places wereoriginally offered but many ofthose were to families who hadnever considered the school in thefirst place. School leaders weretold the actual total might benearer 80. By the end of thesummer term, following sustainedefforts to encourage people totake up places, 116 had accepted.On the first day 140 arrived, andthat number had swelled by five bythe end of the first week.
Many secondaries have scoresof surplus places at the moment,but in a couple of years’ time thatwill change, because of the risingnumbers of children comingthrough Bristol’s primary schools.
Alongside results and inspectionreports, parents make decisionsbased on local knowledge and per-ceptions – which brings us back tothe coffee shop mum. But reputa-tions often lag behind real changes,so a “ro u g h ” school might now be abeacon of good behaviour while aschool that is thought to be goodmight have seen standards slip.
And it would be wrong to rule out aschool where pupil numbers havedropped – several Bristol second-aries have been able to take advant-age of a smaller roll to give studentsmore individual attention, whichhas led to dramatic improvements inresults. So, as the open evenings forSeptember 2015 entrants get into fullswing, what should parents do?
The most important thing is tokeep an open mind and opt for theschool that is right for your child.D o n’t rule anywhere out. Go to theopen evening, listen to the headt e a ch e r ’s talk, but also take thechance to question students, teach-ers and current parents. Mostschools also arrange visits duringthe school day, which can give you atrue picture. Be realistic and workwith your child and the staff so yourchild can get the maximum benefit.
� AWARE that our children aremost likely to thrive at schoolwith good support from home,most of us do our best.
But there are some parentswhose involvement in theeducation of not only theirown but other people’schildren goes muchf u r t h e r.
In Bristol, this issometimesprompted byconcerns overschooling in the city.Karen Foster,pictured, fromWestbury-on-Trym, wasa founder member of BristolP a re n t s ’ Voice, the group that ledto the foundation of Bristol FreeSchool in Brentry in 2011. She is
now chair of governors and, fiveyears after the campaign began,her elder daughter has juststarted at BFS.
Mrs Foster said: “We wanted aschool within walking distance
that our children couldmove on to with their
friends from primaryschool. It is lovely towalk across the parkand see youngteenagers there. Thatdidn’t happen before.It makes all the hard
work worthwhile.”Jeremy Routledge
also wanted his childrento be able to walk to school
so he opted for the BrislingtonEnterprise College, where hiseldest in now in Year 11.
“I am a real believer insupporting your local school. Myson has had a happy time atBEC, with supportive staff andgood quality teaching. He hashad plenty of opportunities and Idon’t think a school choiceshould be just be about the examre s u l t s , ” he said.
Mr Routledge joined thegoverning body in the hope ofhelping to improve links betweenthe school and the community.
“It is so important for schoolsto get their communications right,with their existing parents andwith prospective parents andpeople in the community,” hesaid. Another group of parentsfounded Steiner Academy Bristol,which opened last week inFishponds.� The conversion of Colston’s Girls’ School to an academy has helped more
parents put their faith into state schools
www.bridgelearningcampus.org.uk
The Open Events are 9.15am to 10.45am on:
Thursday 18th & 25th SeptemberSaturday 20th SeptemberThursday 9th OctoberSaturday 11th October
Open Evening 6-8pm:
Thursday 2nd October
The Open Events are 9.15am to 10.45am on:
Thursday 18th & 25th September
Bridge Learning Campus, William Jessop WayHartcliffe, Bristol, BS13 0RL
T. 0117 353 4472E. [email protected]
Open Evening
Further details: 0117 353 5015 (8.30am-3.30pm weekdays)www.bccs.bristol.sch.uk
A non fee-payingAcademy for boys and girls
BRISTOL CATHEDRALCHOIR SCHOOL
For Year 7 entry in September 2015Thursday 18th September 20145.30pm – 8.00pm
Please note: our supplementary applicationform should be submitted to the School byWednesday 24th September 2014.• High academic standards from Bristol’s oldest school
• Specialisms in Music and Mathematics
• Application form & full details of how to apply on our website
Fairfield High School
Open EveningThursday 25th September 6.00 - 9.00pm
Open MorningsThursday 2nd, Friday 3rd, Tuesday 7th
& Wednesday 8th October9.15 - 10.30am
FairfieldHigh SchoolAchieving Excellence
Phone:0117 9527100 or Email: [email protected]
www.fairfield.bristol.sch.uk
With Outstanding Features
...a good school
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
16 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 17Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
ONE of the most importantstages in a child’s life iswhen they start school forthe very first time. Anotheris the move to secondary
s ch o o l .Here in Bristol, we have a wide
variety of schools offering high-qual-ity education. That is what Ofsted sayin their latest figures. Over 80 percent of our primary and secondaryschools are now judged to be good orbetter – above the national average.
2014 has seen results improve evenfurther with the best ever ‘A’ l eve lresults for many and GCSE perform-ance having gone up for the tenthyear in a row.
Bristol is taking steps to improvethe quality of education even further.We are continuing to invest in strong,purposeful partnerships betweenschools, the local authority, academysponsors and a range of educationstakeholders to ensure that all ourschools are good or outstandingcentres of learning.
And despite the rapidly rising de-mand in Reception Year places – oneof the highest in the country – Bristol
has consistently managed to offerevery four-year-old a place, improv-ing the life chances of thousands ofchildren in the city by providing mod-ern, good quality school places with-in walking distance of their homes.
We have also launched the Learn-ing City.
What does Learning City mean? Itmeans the city’s leaders, both in edu-cation and business, working togeth-er to raise educational achievementeven further, so that every citizen hasaccess to a good education and is ableto acquire the skills they need to joinBristol’s world-class workforce.Learning City lies at the heart ofmaking this a reality, by engagingevery citizen and building on thefoundations of success.
We have high expectations of whatall young people can achieve. So weinvite you to take a closer look andattend the open events planned forparents across the city.
Bristol City Council’s admissionsmanager Mike Wheeler said: “E a chschool produces its own prospectusand has its own website, which areuseful sources of information. We
recommend you take a look at these,but also visit the schools you areinterested in to have a look round andmeet teachers and pupils in person.”
The most important thing to con-sider is how well parents think aparticular school will suit their child.
“With the mix of different types ofschool in Bristol the admissionspolicy could be different for each ofthe three schools listed as a pref-erence, so it’s really important peoplecheck advice carefully. They mayhave to complete an extra form to give
additional information required bythe school, as well as the Bristol CityCouncil common application form.”� To get in touch with the schoolsadmissions team [email protected] orcall 0117 903 7694.
Learning City Somany reasonsto celebrate
� 2014 has seen results improve even further in Bristol schools, with the best ever A-level results for many
Apply for a secondary schoolplace for the school year 2015–2016If your child was born between 1 September 2003and 31 August 2004 you need to applyfor a school place by 31 October 2013.
Applying online is easy andavailable 24 hours a day.You’ll receive immediate confirmation that yourapplication has been received and there’s no riskof your application getting lost in the post. You’llalso know by email as soon as the results are out.
To complete a paperapplication contactSchool Admissions:School admissions, PO Box 57,Bristol BS99 7EBe [email protected] 0117 903 7694
REMEM
BER THEDEADLINEAPPLY ONLINE
31October2014
www.bristol.gov.uk/schooladmissions
BD55
89
SGSCOLLEGEOPEN TO ALL!
For further detailsvisit www.sgscol.ac.ukor call 0117 931 2121
wide range of full and part time study programmes,including those starting September 2015.
Open Events 2014
• Saturday 4th October: 10am-1pm• Saturday 8th November: 10am-1pm• Wednesday 26th November: 5.30pm-8pm
• Speak with course specialists
• Meet with current learnersstudying at SGS Filton, WISEand Queens Road
• Try out activities relatingto your subject of interest
• Partake in a campus tour,plus much more
OPEN TO ALL!Join us at one of our upcoming Open Events and findout about South Gloucestershire & Stroud College’swide range of full and part time study programmes,including those starting September 2015.
• Saturday 4th October: 10am-1pm• Saturday 8th November: 10am-1pm• Wednesday 26th November: 5.30pm-8pm
• Speak with course specialists
For further detailsvisit www.sgscol.ac.uk
plus much more
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
16 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 17Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
State education State education
ONE of the most importantstages in a child’s life iswhen they start school forthe very first time. Anotheris the move to secondary
s ch o o l .Here in Bristol, we have a wide
variety of schools offering high-qual-ity education. That is what Ofsted sayin their latest figures. Over 80 percent of our primary and secondaryschools are now judged to be good orbetter – above the national average.
2014 has seen results improve evenfurther with the best ever ‘A’ l eve lresults for many and GCSE perform-ance having gone up for the tenthyear in a row.
Bristol is taking steps to improvethe quality of education even further.We are continuing to invest in strong,purposeful partnerships betweenschools, the local authority, academysponsors and a range of educationstakeholders to ensure that all ourschools are good or outstandingcentres of learning.
And despite the rapidly rising de-mand in Reception Year places – oneof the highest in the country – Bristol
has consistently managed to offerevery four-year-old a place, improv-ing the life chances of thousands ofchildren in the city by providing mod-ern, good quality school places with-in walking distance of their homes.
We have also launched the Learn-ing City.
What does Learning City mean? Itmeans the city’s leaders, both in edu-cation and business, working togeth-er to raise educational achievementeven further, so that every citizen hasaccess to a good education and is ableto acquire the skills they need to joinBristol’s world-class workforce.Learning City lies at the heart ofmaking this a reality, by engagingevery citizen and building on thefoundations of success.
We have high expectations of whatall young people can achieve. So weinvite you to take a closer look andattend the open events planned forparents across the city.
Bristol City Council’s admissionsmanager Mike Wheeler said: “E a chschool produces its own prospectusand has its own website, which areuseful sources of information. We
recommend you take a look at these,but also visit the schools you areinterested in to have a look round andmeet teachers and pupils in person.”
The most important thing to con-sider is how well parents think aparticular school will suit their child.
“With the mix of different types ofschool in Bristol the admissionspolicy could be different for each ofthe three schools listed as a pref-erence, so it’s really important peoplecheck advice carefully. They mayhave to complete an extra form to give
additional information required bythe school, as well as the Bristol CityCouncil common application form.”� To get in touch with the schoolsadmissions team [email protected] orcall 0117 903 7694.
Learning City Somany reasonsto celebrate
� 2014 has seen results improve even further in Bristol schools, with the best ever A-level results for many
Apply for a secondary schoolplace for the school year 2015–2016If your child was born between 1 September 2003and 31 August 2004 you need to applyfor a school place by 31 October 2013.
Applying online is easy andavailable 24 hours a day.You’ll receive immediate confirmation that yourapplication has been received and there’s no riskof your application getting lost in the post. You’llalso know by email as soon as the results are out.
To complete a paperapplication contactSchool Admissions:School admissions, PO Box 57,Bristol BS99 7EBe [email protected] 0117 903 7694
REMEM
BER THEDEADLINEAPPLY ONLINE
31October2014
www.bristol.gov.uk/schooladmissions
BD55
89
SGSCOLLEGEOPEN TO ALL!
For further detailsvisit www.sgscol.ac.ukor call 0117 931 2121
wide range of full and part time study programmes,including those starting September 2015.
Open Events 2014
• Saturday 4th October: 10am-1pm• Saturday 8th November: 10am-1pm• Wednesday 26th November: 5.30pm-8pm
• Speak with course specialists
• Meet with current learnersstudying at SGS Filton, WISEand Queens Road
• Try out activities relatingto your subject of interest
• Partake in a campus tour,plus much more
OPEN TO ALL!Join us at one of our upcoming Open Events and findout about South Gloucestershire & Stroud College’swide range of full and part time study programmes,including those starting September 2015.
• Saturday 4th October: 10am-1pm• Saturday 8th November: 10am-1pm• Wednesday 26th November: 5.30pm-8pm
• Speak with course specialists
For further detailsvisit www.sgscol.ac.uk
plus much more
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
18 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 19Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Headteacher William Roberts, Downend School:
Meet the heads Meet the heads
Supporting every pupilto achieve their best
I JOINED Downend as head-teacher three years ago, and havebeen building on the school’sstrengths to develop a learningcommunity where every young
person is supported to achieve theirvery best.
This summer Downend Schoolagain celebrated strong GCSE res-ults, sustaining the rapid improve-ment that has been seen over recentye a r s.
English and Maths results both im-proved, against the national trend,with just under 60% of studentsachieving the national benchmark of5 or more A*-C grades including Eng-lish and Maths.
The Downend Post-16 Centre re-corded the school’s best-ever resultsthis summer. A quarter of all gradesachieved the top grades A* to A, andhalf of all results were awardedgrades A* to B.
Downend School “has made rapidi m p rove m e n t s ” according to Ofsted
which helps students to improve theirperformance and their learning”.
Over the last two years DownendSchool has undergone substantial re-furbishment, including the openingof a new IT Hub, Inclusion Centre,Innovation Centre and Library.
The school has launched a newHouse system, and Downend studentsnow wear a smart new uniform in-cluding a blazer and house-colouredt i e.
Downend School’s open evening ison Thursday September 18 from5.45pm until 8pm.
The school is also holding openmornings daily from September 23 toOctober 23 (9am until 10.30am) whenthe Headteacher will personally showparents and students around theschool and answer any individualq u e s t i o n s.� Appointments for open morningscan be made by contacting LouiseWilliams at Downend School on01454 862300.
St Bernadette Catholic Sec-ondary School in Whit-church is an important partof my life and I feel priv-ileged to serve as its head-
t e a ch e r.At St Bernadette we pride
ourselves on being a vibrant faithcommunity and an ambitiouslearning community, where every-one is valued and has a part to play.Strong relationships, high expect-ations and making the most ofevery opportunity are key featuresof our school.
We have a clear learning codewhich states that every child hasthe right to learn, to be treatedwith respect and to experience suc-cess. I am delighted to say ourpupils embrace the many oppor-tunities provided, work hard anddo well. This August, 66 per cent ofpupils achieved five or moreA*-Cpasses with English and maths.This result is the best in the his-tory of the school and is testimonyto the hard work of students andstaff. As well as academic success,our pupils take part in manyextra-curricular activities and wesupport them to develop the manytalents they have. This year’s Com-monwealth Games saw one of ourstudents, Claudia Fragapane, winfour gold medals in gymnasticsand the whole school shared her
joy. At St Bernadette we believethat the experience of school buildsbelonging, success, self-esteem andan awareness of others. I am al-ways very proud of the way inwhich our young people demon-strate great kindness and respons-ibility towards others; their goodmanners and positive outlook arefrequently commented upon byvisitors. As a headteacher it isalways a joy to welcome new stu-dents to the school, to see themgrow and experience success; leav-ing us as confident, successfulyoung people. At St Bernadette wewelcome all those who seek a qual-ity, fully-rounded education withina caring, inclusive communitybased on Christian values and welook forward to welcoming you toour school.� For further details, call 0117377 2050.
Headteacher Basia McLaughlin, StBernadette Catholic Secondary School:
So proud of ourvibrant school
Ofsted report
Since his appointmentthe headteacher hassuccessfully built on thestrengths of the school,with an unrelenting focuson raising achievement.
“
inspectors who visited the school in2012 and concluded: “Since his ap-pointment the headteacher has suc-cessfully built on the strengths of theschool, with an unrelenting focus onraising achievement and providingimproved provision for all stu-dents”.
They found that our students“enjoy school and feel safe” andpraised “the guidance and assistance
Inspectors sing teachers’ p ra i ses
Basia McLaughlin
As a headteacher itis always a joy towelcome new studentsto the school, to seethem grow andexperience success.
“
ST Katherine’s School in HamGreen is a dynamic co-edu-cational secondary schoolfor young people aged 11-19ye a r s.
Our beautiful semi-rural locationoffers students a unique learningenvironment. The school is relat-ively small, included a successfulSixth Form, and benefits fromstrong transport links to Bristol.
We have a reputation for our val-ues, curriculum offer, outstandingpastoral care and extensive extra-
curricular opportunities.St Katherine’s is also a Centre of
Excellence for the Apprenticeshipin Professional Cookery and is theonly school in the country wherestudents run a fine dining restaur-ant.
Based in North Somerset, 70% ofstudents join us from Bristolprimary schools. Children settle inquickly thanks to our excellenttransition programme.
In our September 2013 Ofsted In-spection, the lead inspector com-
mented: “Student support and careis of a very high standard. There is areal sense of community and stu-dents take a pride in their school,shown by the high-quality displaysof work that permeate the schoole nv i ro n m e n t . . .
“Students are typically polite andcourteous around the school andthey feel safe.
“In the best lessons, teachersexude passion and their strong sub-ject knowledge guides studentsthrough challenging activities
where they explore concepts anddiscuss their thoughts and ideas.”
Our curriculum enables a broad,well-balanced education across allsubject areas, excelling in manyareas. We understand that studentswill need a variety of skills andknowledge in order to compete inthe global jobs market.
Our curriculum is structured inorder to maximise the futurechoices of students and to allowindividuals to develop as valuedmembers of society.
St Katherine’s School headteacher Christopher Sammons
State education State education
MONEY has been a mysteryfor generations and itseems we are not gettingany better at explainingit. A third of parents still
believe it is inappropriate to discussfamily finances with children, a sur-vey for the charity Home-Start re-ve a l s.
From this month, financial edu-cation is on the curriculum for sec-ondary schools in England, to betaught through maths and citizen-ship lessons. It is not compulsory foracademies and free schools, althoughmost are likely to teach it in someform, as there is widespread recog-nition that being money savvy is animportant skill for young people toa c q u i re.
The trouble is a lot of teachers don’tfeel confident in managing their ownfinances, let alone in giving soundand relevant advice to teenagers.
Jackie Matthews, who worked forNatWest for 25 years and has twoteenage daughters, says: “I’ve lostcount of the number of teachers whohave said to me: ‘You should see thestate of my bank account...’ T heyknow there are plenty of resources
around financial education, but theystruggle to find the time to teach it.”
It is for this reason that Jackie,from Hanham, has set up LibraLearning, a business working withschools to provide lessons on a rangeof banking, budgeting, saving andspending activities.
Her professional and personal ex-
perience has enabled her to developteaching materials that bring sub-jects such as tax and compound in-terest to life. She has created templatebank statements and pay slips as wellas interactive games and activities.
“One teacher told me she hadshown her class her own pay slip as itwas the only way she could explain
net and gross income to them. Sheshould not have had to do that,” Ja ck -ie says.
Yet it is clear that teenagers do needhelp to understand the terminologyand processes and grasp the realities.In a recent session with Jackie,school students estimated that bytheir mid-30s they would expect to be
earning £56,500 a year – twice theOffice of National Statistics averageof £28,600. A budgeting activity sawthe teenagers select a potential ca-reer and salary, allocate expenditureon various bills and work out whatthey would have left to spend eachmonth.
“Only one out of 50 remembered totake off the income tax,” says Jackie.The new curriculum also links publicand personal finance, so schools mustexplain how and why taxes are raisedand spent. “I ask students to putspending areas such as health, edu-cation and prisons, into order of pri-ority – and then tell them the actualorder. It leads to some interestingd i s c u s s i o n s. ”
Enterprise days are another pop-ular way Jackie has found to deliverfinancial education and help stu-dents develop skills for work and life,such as teamwork, communicationand confidence. One involves a com-petition to create a new restaurantconcept and another is based on plan-ning a wedding.
Marianne Saunders, from OasisAcademy John Williams, said:“These types of tasks always bringout the best in young people. It allowsthem to make links between whatthey learn in lessons and how it canbe applied in other ways.”� www.libralear ning.co.uk
Money wise Helping pupils grasp finances
� Jackie Matthews teaching students financial capability at Downend School Pic Dave Betts BRDB20140908A-008_C
Linda [email protected]
Openevening25 September 20146–8.30pm
The Castle SchoolPark Road, Thornbury,Bristol, BS35 1HT.
for more information call01454 862100www.thecastleschool.org.uk
270 places available inyear 7 for children fromSouth Gloucestershire,Gloucestershireand Bristol.
Personal toursWe also encourage you to visitour school during the workingday, when we will be happy
to give you a personal tour byappointment. You will be shownaround the school by students,and will have the opportunity to
speak personally with a memberof the school Leadership Team.Please call for more information.
Come and see what we haveto offer for students joiningYear 7 in 2015 and beyond...
SixthFormOpen
Evening6 November
from 6-8.30pm
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
18 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 19Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Headteacher William Roberts, Downend School:
Meet the heads Meet the heads
Supporting every pupilto achieve their best
I JOINED Downend as head-teacher three years ago, and havebeen building on the school’sstrengths to develop a learningcommunity where every young
person is supported to achieve theirvery best.
This summer Downend Schoolagain celebrated strong GCSE res-ults, sustaining the rapid improve-ment that has been seen over recentye a r s.
English and Maths results both im-proved, against the national trend,with just under 60% of studentsachieving the national benchmark of5 or more A*-C grades including Eng-lish and Maths.
The Downend Post-16 Centre re-corded the school’s best-ever resultsthis summer. A quarter of all gradesachieved the top grades A* to A, andhalf of all results were awardedgrades A* to B.
Downend School “has made rapidi m p rove m e n t s ” according to Ofsted
which helps students to improve theirperformance and their learning”.
Over the last two years DownendSchool has undergone substantial re-furbishment, including the openingof a new IT Hub, Inclusion Centre,Innovation Centre and Library.
The school has launched a newHouse system, and Downend studentsnow wear a smart new uniform in-cluding a blazer and house-colouredt i e.
Downend School’s open evening ison Thursday September 18 from5.45pm until 8pm.
The school is also holding openmornings daily from September 23 toOctober 23 (9am until 10.30am) whenthe Headteacher will personally showparents and students around theschool and answer any individualq u e s t i o n s.� Appointments for open morningscan be made by contacting LouiseWilliams at Downend School on01454 862300.
St Bernadette Catholic Sec-ondary School in Whit-church is an important partof my life and I feel priv-ileged to serve as its head-
t e a ch e r.At St Bernadette we pride
ourselves on being a vibrant faithcommunity and an ambitiouslearning community, where every-one is valued and has a part to play.Strong relationships, high expect-ations and making the most ofevery opportunity are key featuresof our school.
We have a clear learning codewhich states that every child hasthe right to learn, to be treatedwith respect and to experience suc-cess. I am delighted to say ourpupils embrace the many oppor-tunities provided, work hard anddo well. This August, 66 per cent ofpupils achieved five or moreA*-Cpasses with English and maths.This result is the best in the his-tory of the school and is testimonyto the hard work of students andstaff. As well as academic success,our pupils take part in manyextra-curricular activities and wesupport them to develop the manytalents they have. This year’s Com-monwealth Games saw one of ourstudents, Claudia Fragapane, winfour gold medals in gymnasticsand the whole school shared her
joy. At St Bernadette we believethat the experience of school buildsbelonging, success, self-esteem andan awareness of others. I am al-ways very proud of the way inwhich our young people demon-strate great kindness and respons-ibility towards others; their goodmanners and positive outlook arefrequently commented upon byvisitors. As a headteacher it isalways a joy to welcome new stu-dents to the school, to see themgrow and experience success; leav-ing us as confident, successfulyoung people. At St Bernadette wewelcome all those who seek a qual-ity, fully-rounded education withina caring, inclusive communitybased on Christian values and welook forward to welcoming you toour school.� For further details, call 0117377 2050.
Headteacher Basia McLaughlin, StBernadette Catholic Secondary School:
So proud of ourvibrant school
Ofsted report
Since his appointmentthe headteacher hassuccessfully built on thestrengths of the school,with an unrelenting focuson raising achievement.
“
inspectors who visited the school in2012 and concluded: “Since his ap-pointment the headteacher has suc-cessfully built on the strengths of theschool, with an unrelenting focus onraising achievement and providingimproved provision for all stu-dents”.
They found that our students“enjoy school and feel safe” andpraised “the guidance and assistance
Inspectors sing teachers’ p ra i ses
Basia McLaughlin
As a headteacher itis always a joy towelcome new studentsto the school, to seethem grow andexperience success.
“
ST Katherine’s School in HamGreen is a dynamic co-edu-cational secondary schoolfor young people aged 11-19ye a r s.
Our beautiful semi-rural locationoffers students a unique learningenvironment. The school is relat-ively small, included a successfulSixth Form, and benefits fromstrong transport links to Bristol.
We have a reputation for our val-ues, curriculum offer, outstandingpastoral care and extensive extra-
curricular opportunities.St Katherine’s is also a Centre of
Excellence for the Apprenticeshipin Professional Cookery and is theonly school in the country wherestudents run a fine dining restaur-ant.
Based in North Somerset, 70% ofstudents join us from Bristolprimary schools. Children settle inquickly thanks to our excellenttransition programme.
In our September 2013 Ofsted In-spection, the lead inspector com-
mented: “Student support and careis of a very high standard. There is areal sense of community and stu-dents take a pride in their school,shown by the high-quality displaysof work that permeate the schoole nv i ro n m e n t . . .
“Students are typically polite andcourteous around the school andthey feel safe.
“In the best lessons, teachersexude passion and their strong sub-ject knowledge guides studentsthrough challenging activities
where they explore concepts anddiscuss their thoughts and ideas.”
Our curriculum enables a broad,well-balanced education across allsubject areas, excelling in manyareas. We understand that studentswill need a variety of skills andknowledge in order to compete inthe global jobs market.
Our curriculum is structured inorder to maximise the futurechoices of students and to allowindividuals to develop as valuedmembers of society.
St Katherine’s School headteacher Christopher Sammons
State education State education
MONEY has been a mysteryfor generations and itseems we are not gettingany better at explainingit. A third of parents still
believe it is inappropriate to discussfamily finances with children, a sur-vey for the charity Home-Start re-ve a l s.
From this month, financial edu-cation is on the curriculum for sec-ondary schools in England, to betaught through maths and citizen-ship lessons. It is not compulsory foracademies and free schools, althoughmost are likely to teach it in someform, as there is widespread recog-nition that being money savvy is animportant skill for young people toa c q u i re.
The trouble is a lot of teachers don’tfeel confident in managing their ownfinances, let alone in giving soundand relevant advice to teenagers.
Jackie Matthews, who worked forNatWest for 25 years and has twoteenage daughters, says: “I’ve lostcount of the number of teachers whohave said to me: ‘You should see thestate of my bank account...’ T heyknow there are plenty of resources
around financial education, but theystruggle to find the time to teach it.”
It is for this reason that Jackie,from Hanham, has set up LibraLearning, a business working withschools to provide lessons on a rangeof banking, budgeting, saving andspending activities.
Her professional and personal ex-
perience has enabled her to developteaching materials that bring sub-jects such as tax and compound in-terest to life. She has created templatebank statements and pay slips as wellas interactive games and activities.
“One teacher told me she hadshown her class her own pay slip as itwas the only way she could explain
net and gross income to them. Sheshould not have had to do that,” Ja ck -ie says.
Yet it is clear that teenagers do needhelp to understand the terminologyand processes and grasp the realities.In a recent session with Jackie,school students estimated that bytheir mid-30s they would expect to be
earning £56,500 a year – twice theOffice of National Statistics averageof £28,600. A budgeting activity sawthe teenagers select a potential ca-reer and salary, allocate expenditureon various bills and work out whatthey would have left to spend eachmonth.
“Only one out of 50 remembered totake off the income tax,” says Jackie.The new curriculum also links publicand personal finance, so schools mustexplain how and why taxes are raisedand spent. “I ask students to putspending areas such as health, edu-cation and prisons, into order of pri-ority – and then tell them the actualorder. It leads to some interestingd i s c u s s i o n s. ”
Enterprise days are another pop-ular way Jackie has found to deliverfinancial education and help stu-dents develop skills for work and life,such as teamwork, communicationand confidence. One involves a com-petition to create a new restaurantconcept and another is based on plan-ning a wedding.
Marianne Saunders, from OasisAcademy John Williams, said:“These types of tasks always bringout the best in young people. It allowsthem to make links between whatthey learn in lessons and how it canbe applied in other ways.”� www.libralear ning.co.uk
Money wise Helping pupils grasp finances
� Jackie Matthews teaching students financial capability at Downend School Pic Dave Betts BRDB20140908A-008_C
Linda [email protected]
Openevening25 September 20146–8.30pm
The Castle SchoolPark Road, Thornbury,Bristol, BS35 1HT.
for more information call01454 862100www.thecastleschool.org.uk
270 places available inyear 7 for children fromSouth Gloucestershire,Gloucestershireand Bristol.
Personal toursWe also encourage you to visitour school during the workingday, when we will be happy
to give you a personal tour byappointment. You will be shownaround the school by students,and will have the opportunity to
speak personally with a memberof the school Leadership Team.Please call for more information.
Come and see what we haveto offer for students joiningYear 7 in 2015 and beyond...
SixthFormOpen
Evening6 November
from 6-8.30pm
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
20 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 21Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Meet the heads Meet the heads
ABBEYWOOD CommunitySchool and Bradley StokeCommunity School havebeen working together with-in The Olympus Academy
Trust (OAT) since January 2013,building on a partnership which hasbeen in place since 2011.
The exam results this summerdemonstrated that OAT’s aim to cre-ate consistency and share best prac-tice between its schools through ashared leadership structure contin-ues to pay dividends as it has been ayear of consolidation.
A-level results at Bradley Stokewere the best ever with some amazingindividual performances whilst Ab-b e y wo o d ’s outcomes enabled 100% ofstudents who wanted to progress touniversity to do so.
There was a clear benefit fromworking within the Concorde Part-nership with Patchway CommunityCollege and South Gloucestershireand Stroud College for sharedtimetable and courses at Key Stage 4and Post 16.
At GCSE, results in both schoolsmaintained the levels achieved lastyear despite concerns about volat-
ility in results both locally and na-tionally and that was gratifying. AtAbbeywood 58% of students achievedthe gold standard of at least 5 GCSEsincluding English and Maths atgrades A*-C and 82% achieving atleast 5 A*-C grades (compared with41% and 58% only 3 years ago).
Bradley Stoke has consolidated itsimproved results from last year with66% achieving at least 5 GCSEs in-cluding English and Maths at gradesA*-C and 91% achieving at least 5A*-C grades with 27% of studentsachieving at least 3 A and A* gradesand a significant increase in topgrades at Abbeywood. We are for-tunate to have strong governance atboth school and academy trust leveland there is a clear sense of purposeand ambition in both schools to im-prove the educational experiencesand outcomes for young people in thelocal area.
In the coming year, we will see thecompletion and opening of theprimary phase at Bradley Stoke Com-munity School (September 2015launch) and the potential of otherlocal primary partners joining OAT,all of which will be exciting.
Exciting times ahead foreducational partnership
Executive headteacher of the Olympus Academy Trust Dave Baker:
AT Bradley Stoke Com-munity School we continueto refine our approach toteaching and learning andcurriculum in order to
meet the needs and reflect the as-pirations of our students.
Our most recent Ofsted report(April 2013) highlighted the positiveapproach to learning that we fosterin our young people: “Students aremotivated by enthusiastic teacherswho have strong subject knowledgeand use a variety of teaching meth-ods and resources to help the stu-dents to learn and achieve well”,and we are constantly challengingourselves to ensure we know anddevelop each student as an indi-vidual: “Teachers know how welleach student is doing and provideadditional challenge when theythink students could do better.”
Behaviour in school is outstand-ing and this clearly contributes toboth the academic and social learn-ing that takes place in and out of theclassroom: “Students’ behaviour isoutstanding and they feel very safe.They have an excellent understand-ing of the school’s high expectationsof behaviour and students’ at t i t u d e sto others are first rate.” We areproud of the progress of all studentsin school and have an excellentreputation for outcomes for stu-dents with Special EducationalNeeds and disabilities which re-flects our commitment to being aninclusive school. We actively en-gage with parents/carers and en-deavour to achieve effective,supportive relationships which canbe built on through our open, fre-quent and honest communication.
We work hard to provide oppor-tunities for our students to be in-volved in community work, such as
charity fundraising (£10,000 lastyear), an enviable range of enrich-ment activities including sports,cultural and arts activities. We arekeen that they are fully engaged andequipped to think about and shapetheir own opinions about issuesaffecting local, national and globalcommunities: “Provision for stu-dents’ spiritual, moral, social andcultural development is outstand-ing and ensures that students de-velop into highly informed andreflective young people.” We alsoencourage our students to makesure their voice is heard, not only inlessons but in respect of widerschool matters; all this serves tohelp us promote their leadershipskills and to help them all achieve aclear understanding of themselvesas learners and active members oftheir community.
We strive to always make learn-ing fun and challenging and arededicated to developing studentswho are the embodiment of ourvision and values; independent,well-rounded, compassionate, toler-ant, creative and confident youngp e o p l e.
ABBEYWOOD CommunitySchool is thriving under itsmembership of the OlympusAcademy Trust. It is a vi-brant, exciting and safe
learning environment. Staff, stu-dents and governors are confidentthat the improvement, validated byOfsted monitoring visits, is sustain-able. Ofsted commented on “thedrive, vision and effective support” ofthe leadership as “central to the im-provements before and after academyc o nve r s i o n ”.
We have “raised the bar” with con-sistently high expectations about be-haviour, appearance and thedevelopment of successful learners.
Ofsted said: “Staff and studentsconfirm that the school is a calm andpurposeful community.” This hasbeen fundamental to the sustainedimprovement in GCSE and A levelresults for the second year running.
A significant number of studentsachieved more GCSE A* and A gradeswith 100% success in securing uni-versity places, employment or pres-tigious apprenticeships for post 16students. One of our Year 7 students,Joshua Tutin, achieved a grade A inGCSE Maths – a wonderful achieve-ment.
I am very proud of the school’sgrowing reputation for enabling stu-dents of all abilities to reach theirpotential.
Our talented and motivated staffprovide high quality learning exper-iences and a wide range of extra-cur-ricular activities. More than £8,000
was raised for charity during the lastacademic year, a testimony to theconsideration for others and gener-osity of our school community.
We have a very proactive Friends ofAbbeywood Community School or-ganisation, termly Parent Forummeetings and an Alumni Associ-ation, all making valuable contribu-tions to the development of thes ch o o l .
Outstanding teaching and learningwill take the school to the next level,ensuring our students developlife-long learning skills and havehigh aspirations for university and
employment. We have improved ourlinks with local businesses (partic-ularly through membership of Busi-ness in the Community) and prepareour students for life in a competitive,global economy.
Ofsted noted the progress: “T heculture of aspiration, greater expect-ation and participation by staff andstudents is firmly established.”
We are delighted that in 2014, weare full in Year 7 for the first time,which is a reflection of the level ofconfidence our community now hasin the school. That really gives ussomething to build on!.
Ofsted report
Students are motivatedby enthusiastic teacherswho have strong subjectknowledge and use avariety of teachingmethods and resourcesto help the students tolearn and achieve well.
“Always raising the barAssociate headteacher Abbeywood Community School Judith Mee:
School shinesin Ofsted report
Headteacher of Bradley Stoke CommunitySchool Jenny Sutton Kirby:
BRIMSHAM Green School isa vibrant and dynamic 11-19co-educational school, loc-ated on a large, beautifullylandscaped site in a
semi-rural location in Yate, SouthGloucestershire, with easy access toall transport links.
Our aspiration for all of our stu-dents is that they excel, achievingmore than they think they are cap-able of.
All staff are committed to this, andit is their dedication that makes thisaspiration possible.
Collectively, staff, parents and gov-ernors aim for us to inspire our stu-dents to be ambitious, independentand highly motivated. We aim toequip our students with the academicskills and the personal attributes tobe successful in whatever futurepathway they choose to pursue, andwith the desire to not just have ful-filling careers, but also contributepositively to the lives of othersaround them.
We are equally ambitious for allour learners; we are proud to cel-ebrate our differences and we re-cognise students’ i n d iv i d u a l
successes. Our Resource Baseprovides exceptional support for stu-dents with physical disabilities, en-abling access to a broad andstimulating curriculum. We promoteself-discipline, tolerance, respect andunderstanding of others, and, as aresult, our school community is har-monious and happy.
I have the privilege of leadingBrimsham Green School and I amboth confident and proud that wedeliver the right balance of support,inspiration, challenge and successfor all our students.
Kim Garland
Collectively, staff,parents and governorsaim for us to inspire ourstudents to beambitious, independentand highly motivated.
“
We aim to equipall of our pupilsfor success
Headteacher of Brimsham Green School KimGarland:
As the newly appointed head-teacher of The CastleSchool, I am thrilled to beleading a thriving, happylearning community dedic-
ated to providing a high quality,whole education in a caring en-v i ro n m e n t .
I’ve been a member of the seniorteam at the school for a number ofyears and am committed to ensurethat our students receive every op-portunity to be the best they can.
Students join our popular schoolfrom the town of Thornbury and a
wider catchment area beyond.As a large inclusive school, Castle
students benefit from a broad andbalanced curriculum, delivered by ateam of well-qualified and dedicatedteaching staff.
Individuals are set challengingacademic goals and develop a rangeof vital skills relevant to their futurelives, including effective communic-ation, independence and resilience.
I have a clear vision and ambitionto build on the success of the school.Our tradition for securing highlevels of achievement across all ages
and abilities equips our youngpeople with the foundation onwhich they can build future successin their chosen careers.
Our students have a positive at-titude and are well supported bytheir teachers and parents. Theschool also benefits greatly from theengagement of the wider com-munity it serves.
I look forward to welcoming pro-spective parents and students to theschool at our Open Evening onThursday, September 25, from 6pmto 8.30pm.
Headteacher of Castle School Peter Smart:
Thrilled to lead a happy,thriving community
Justin Vafadari, The Kingfisher School:
Ensuring students thrive
I AM pleased to be starting mynew role as the head teacher ofThe Kingfisher School, ahighly successful and happyschool in St Anne’s.
Our children come from a richvariety of backgrounds and aretaught to respect their own cultureand that of others. This begins withdevising our core values: respect,responsibility, resilience and curi-o s i t y.
Our curriculum is personalisedto children’s interests and connectschildren to the world around thembringing an equality of opportunitydespite differences. Whatever theneeds of the child or special in-terests they have, we aim to ensurethey thrive at the KingfisherSchool, supported by a team ofhard-working, talented and dedic-ated staff.
In partnership with parents andthe community, we seek to ensureall children:� receive an excellent and richeducation, achieving to the best oftheir ability� are happy, healthy, confident, in-dependent and motivated learners;� have a strong foundation of val-ues to use to make informed choicesin local and global community;� develop a love of learning and aremotivated by education
This inclusive school draws onthe rich heritage of the city of Bris-
tol as a learning resource, provid-ing children with the opportunityto learn through exploration, ex-perimentation and engaging instimulating and practical projects,which will take place within thecommunity as well as in thecl a s s ro o m .
We want the children here to havememorable experiences, build onwhat they know and can do andhelp them become confidentlife-long learners so they can shapetheir own future and learn to takecontrol of their own lives, to beindependent and aspirational cit-iz ens.� The Kingfisher School wasopened in 2013, as a primaryacademy and is part of the CGSTrust. Call 0117 377 3185 or visitwww.kingfisher.bristol.sch.uk formore information.
Justin Vafadari
We want the childrenhere to have memorableexperiences, build onwhat they know and cando and help thembecome confidentlife-long learners
“
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
20 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 21Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Meet the heads Meet the heads
ABBEYWOOD CommunitySchool and Bradley StokeCommunity School havebeen working together with-in The Olympus Academy
Trust (OAT) since January 2013,building on a partnership which hasbeen in place since 2011.
The exam results this summerdemonstrated that OAT’s aim to cre-ate consistency and share best prac-tice between its schools through ashared leadership structure contin-ues to pay dividends as it has been ayear of consolidation.
A-level results at Bradley Stokewere the best ever with some amazingindividual performances whilst Ab-b e y wo o d ’s outcomes enabled 100% ofstudents who wanted to progress touniversity to do so.
There was a clear benefit fromworking within the Concorde Part-nership with Patchway CommunityCollege and South Gloucestershireand Stroud College for sharedtimetable and courses at Key Stage 4and Post 16.
At GCSE, results in both schoolsmaintained the levels achieved lastyear despite concerns about volat-
ility in results both locally and na-tionally and that was gratifying. AtAbbeywood 58% of students achievedthe gold standard of at least 5 GCSEsincluding English and Maths atgrades A*-C and 82% achieving atleast 5 A*-C grades (compared with41% and 58% only 3 years ago).
Bradley Stoke has consolidated itsimproved results from last year with66% achieving at least 5 GCSEs in-cluding English and Maths at gradesA*-C and 91% achieving at least 5A*-C grades with 27% of studentsachieving at least 3 A and A* gradesand a significant increase in topgrades at Abbeywood. We are for-tunate to have strong governance atboth school and academy trust leveland there is a clear sense of purposeand ambition in both schools to im-prove the educational experiencesand outcomes for young people in thelocal area.
In the coming year, we will see thecompletion and opening of theprimary phase at Bradley Stoke Com-munity School (September 2015launch) and the potential of otherlocal primary partners joining OAT,all of which will be exciting.
Exciting times ahead foreducational partnership
Executive headteacher of the Olympus Academy Trust Dave Baker:
AT Bradley Stoke Com-munity School we continueto refine our approach toteaching and learning andcurriculum in order to
meet the needs and reflect the as-pirations of our students.
Our most recent Ofsted report(April 2013) highlighted the positiveapproach to learning that we fosterin our young people: “Students aremotivated by enthusiastic teacherswho have strong subject knowledgeand use a variety of teaching meth-ods and resources to help the stu-dents to learn and achieve well”,and we are constantly challengingourselves to ensure we know anddevelop each student as an indi-vidual: “Teachers know how welleach student is doing and provideadditional challenge when theythink students could do better.”
Behaviour in school is outstand-ing and this clearly contributes toboth the academic and social learn-ing that takes place in and out of theclassroom: “Students’ behaviour isoutstanding and they feel very safe.They have an excellent understand-ing of the school’s high expectationsof behaviour and students’ at t i t u d e sto others are first rate.” We areproud of the progress of all studentsin school and have an excellentreputation for outcomes for stu-dents with Special EducationalNeeds and disabilities which re-flects our commitment to being aninclusive school. We actively en-gage with parents/carers and en-deavour to achieve effective,supportive relationships which canbe built on through our open, fre-quent and honest communication.
We work hard to provide oppor-tunities for our students to be in-volved in community work, such as
charity fundraising (£10,000 lastyear), an enviable range of enrich-ment activities including sports,cultural and arts activities. We arekeen that they are fully engaged andequipped to think about and shapetheir own opinions about issuesaffecting local, national and globalcommunities: “Provision for stu-dents’ spiritual, moral, social andcultural development is outstand-ing and ensures that students de-velop into highly informed andreflective young people.” We alsoencourage our students to makesure their voice is heard, not only inlessons but in respect of widerschool matters; all this serves tohelp us promote their leadershipskills and to help them all achieve aclear understanding of themselvesas learners and active members oftheir community.
We strive to always make learn-ing fun and challenging and arededicated to developing studentswho are the embodiment of ourvision and values; independent,well-rounded, compassionate, toler-ant, creative and confident youngp e o p l e.
ABBEYWOOD CommunitySchool is thriving under itsmembership of the OlympusAcademy Trust. It is a vi-brant, exciting and safe
learning environment. Staff, stu-dents and governors are confidentthat the improvement, validated byOfsted monitoring visits, is sustain-able. Ofsted commented on “thedrive, vision and effective support” ofthe leadership as “central to the im-provements before and after academyc o nve r s i o n ”.
We have “raised the bar” with con-sistently high expectations about be-haviour, appearance and thedevelopment of successful learners.
Ofsted said: “Staff and studentsconfirm that the school is a calm andpurposeful community.” This hasbeen fundamental to the sustainedimprovement in GCSE and A levelresults for the second year running.
A significant number of studentsachieved more GCSE A* and A gradeswith 100% success in securing uni-versity places, employment or pres-tigious apprenticeships for post 16students. One of our Year 7 students,Joshua Tutin, achieved a grade A inGCSE Maths – a wonderful achieve-ment.
I am very proud of the school’sgrowing reputation for enabling stu-dents of all abilities to reach theirpotential.
Our talented and motivated staffprovide high quality learning exper-iences and a wide range of extra-cur-ricular activities. More than £8,000
was raised for charity during the lastacademic year, a testimony to theconsideration for others and gener-osity of our school community.
We have a very proactive Friends ofAbbeywood Community School or-ganisation, termly Parent Forummeetings and an Alumni Associ-ation, all making valuable contribu-tions to the development of thes ch o o l .
Outstanding teaching and learningwill take the school to the next level,ensuring our students developlife-long learning skills and havehigh aspirations for university and
employment. We have improved ourlinks with local businesses (partic-ularly through membership of Busi-ness in the Community) and prepareour students for life in a competitive,global economy.
Ofsted noted the progress: “T heculture of aspiration, greater expect-ation and participation by staff andstudents is firmly established.”
We are delighted that in 2014, weare full in Year 7 for the first time,which is a reflection of the level ofconfidence our community now hasin the school. That really gives ussomething to build on!.
Ofsted report
Students are motivatedby enthusiastic teacherswho have strong subjectknowledge and use avariety of teachingmethods and resourcesto help the students tolearn and achieve well.
“Always raising the barAssociate headteacher Abbeywood Community School Judith Mee:
School shinesin Ofsted report
Headteacher of Bradley Stoke CommunitySchool Jenny Sutton Kirby:
BRIMSHAM Green School isa vibrant and dynamic 11-19co-educational school, loc-ated on a large, beautifullylandscaped site in a
semi-rural location in Yate, SouthGloucestershire, with easy access toall transport links.
Our aspiration for all of our stu-dents is that they excel, achievingmore than they think they are cap-able of.
All staff are committed to this, andit is their dedication that makes thisaspiration possible.
Collectively, staff, parents and gov-ernors aim for us to inspire our stu-dents to be ambitious, independentand highly motivated. We aim toequip our students with the academicskills and the personal attributes tobe successful in whatever futurepathway they choose to pursue, andwith the desire to not just have ful-filling careers, but also contributepositively to the lives of othersaround them.
We are equally ambitious for allour learners; we are proud to cel-ebrate our differences and we re-cognise students’ i n d iv i d u a l
successes. Our Resource Baseprovides exceptional support for stu-dents with physical disabilities, en-abling access to a broad andstimulating curriculum. We promoteself-discipline, tolerance, respect andunderstanding of others, and, as aresult, our school community is har-monious and happy.
I have the privilege of leadingBrimsham Green School and I amboth confident and proud that wedeliver the right balance of support,inspiration, challenge and successfor all our students.
Kim Garland
Collectively, staff,parents and governorsaim for us to inspire ourstudents to beambitious, independentand highly motivated.
“
We aim to equipall of our pupilsfor success
Headteacher of Brimsham Green School KimGarland:
As the newly appointed head-teacher of The CastleSchool, I am thrilled to beleading a thriving, happylearning community dedic-
ated to providing a high quality,whole education in a caring en-v i ro n m e n t .
I’ve been a member of the seniorteam at the school for a number ofyears and am committed to ensurethat our students receive every op-portunity to be the best they can.
Students join our popular schoolfrom the town of Thornbury and a
wider catchment area beyond.As a large inclusive school, Castle
students benefit from a broad andbalanced curriculum, delivered by ateam of well-qualified and dedicatedteaching staff.
Individuals are set challengingacademic goals and develop a rangeof vital skills relevant to their futurelives, including effective communic-ation, independence and resilience.
I have a clear vision and ambitionto build on the success of the school.Our tradition for securing highlevels of achievement across all ages
and abilities equips our youngpeople with the foundation onwhich they can build future successin their chosen careers.
Our students have a positive at-titude and are well supported bytheir teachers and parents. Theschool also benefits greatly from theengagement of the wider com-munity it serves.
I look forward to welcoming pro-spective parents and students to theschool at our Open Evening onThursday, September 25, from 6pmto 8.30pm.
Headteacher of Castle School Peter Smart:
Thrilled to lead a happy,thriving community
Justin Vafadari, The Kingfisher School:
Ensuring students thrive
I AM pleased to be starting mynew role as the head teacher ofThe Kingfisher School, ahighly successful and happyschool in St Anne’s.
Our children come from a richvariety of backgrounds and aretaught to respect their own cultureand that of others. This begins withdevising our core values: respect,responsibility, resilience and curi-o s i t y.
Our curriculum is personalisedto children’s interests and connectschildren to the world around thembringing an equality of opportunitydespite differences. Whatever theneeds of the child or special in-terests they have, we aim to ensurethey thrive at the KingfisherSchool, supported by a team ofhard-working, talented and dedic-ated staff.
In partnership with parents andthe community, we seek to ensureall children:� receive an excellent and richeducation, achieving to the best oftheir ability� are happy, healthy, confident, in-dependent and motivated learners;� have a strong foundation of val-ues to use to make informed choicesin local and global community;� develop a love of learning and aremotivated by education
This inclusive school draws onthe rich heritage of the city of Bris-
tol as a learning resource, provid-ing children with the opportunityto learn through exploration, ex-perimentation and engaging instimulating and practical projects,which will take place within thecommunity as well as in thecl a s s ro o m .
We want the children here to havememorable experiences, build onwhat they know and can do andhelp them become confidentlife-long learners so they can shapetheir own future and learn to takecontrol of their own lives, to beindependent and aspirational cit-iz ens.� The Kingfisher School wasopened in 2013, as a primaryacademy and is part of the CGSTrust. Call 0117 377 3185 or visitwww.kingfisher.bristol.sch.uk formore information.
Justin Vafadari
We want the childrenhere to have memorableexperiences, build onwhat they know and cando and help thembecome confidentlife-long learners
“
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
22 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 23Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Strong reputationcontinues to grow
ON the back of our out-standing results in 2012and 2013, which saw us asthe most improved schoolin the country 2012, we are
building a reputation which isrichly deserved as being one of theleading academic institutions inBristol, recognised by the PrimeMinister David Cameron in his re-cent visit to the academy.
Our vision is “students with theconfidence and range of skills tostand as equals in any circle and forany opportunity”.
The students’ academic resultsare fundamental to this but we workjust as hard to ensure that our stu-dents are well rounded, confidentand carry a set of values which willhelp them succeed in any situ-at i o n .
We have excellent teachers, sup-ported by a fantastic team at Bright-stowe and I am proud of every one ofthem. They work as a team to ensure
that we maximise every minute stu-dents spend in lessons.
More than that though, we inspireour students to want success forthemselves and marry that with thedrive, perseverance and focusneeded to work independently.
We have a vibrant and successfulextra-curricular scene with ourSports Academies boasting im-pressive wins, especially in rowing,rugby and football. The music atBrightstowe is a feature of life andthe concerts and musicals we put onare enjoyed by all. Most of all,Brightstowe is an Academy whereevery child is known and under-stood. Our pioneering and outstand-ing base for Year 7 begins thatjourney and then our house systemwith highly qualified pastoral teamensure that no child is forgotten andour Inclusion team, led by a qual-ified educational psychologist en-sures we have world-classinterventions and support for those
Meet the heads Meet the heads
ALMOST six years ago I was hon-oured to be invited to join the teamat Oasis Academy John Williamsin Hengrove as vice-principal, andtoday I am exceptionally proud to
be serving my second year as principal.Since 2008 we have realised many im-
provements in our educational offer, andcontinue with determination and commit-ment on our journey to become the out-standing school our community deserves.
I am passionate about providing an ex-ceptional education for all young people,which successfully achieves the balancebetween excellent educational outcomes(exam results) and nurturing the devel-opment of the desirable character assets ofresilience, perseverance and integrity, all ofwhich are necessary for our children tothrive in learning and life.
I am acutely aware that the years yourchild spends at OAJW are likely to shapethe rest of their lives; a responsibility I donot take lightly.
At John Williams, every day, we strive tobe the best that we can be. The basicexpectations of staff and students alike aresummed up by our straightforward mantraof ‘Work Hard, Look Smart, Be Nice’.
We try to keep things as simple as pos-sible and communicate openly and hon-estly with you as parents and carers; we donot always get it right, but through constantreflection, review and feedback, my tal-ented, caring and committed staff teamwork tirelessly to continually improve theservice we provide so that our young peoplelove learning, establish friendships, growin confidence and, perhaps most import-antly, are happy at school.
I extend a warm welcome to you to visitour Academy during our Open Events, tomeet our wonderful young people and staffand to feel the atmosphere within our fant-astic building. Oasis Academy John Wil-liams truly is an inspirational and fun placeto learn and work!
Oasis Academy John Williams principal Victoria Boomer:
E a c h d ay we strive to be the best we can be
At John Williams, everyday, we strive to be thebest that we can be. Thebasic expectations of staffand students alike aresummed up by ourstraightforward mantra of‘Work Hard, Look Smart,Be Nice’.
“
Oasis Academy Brightstowe head teacher Matt Butler:
Seeing pupils achievemakes this a dream job
Nailsea School headteacher Chris Wade:
TEACHERS often say thatthey have “the best job inthe world”. Whilst I wouldnot presume to put our pro-fession above another in
terms of enjoyment, I have to saythat after a year as head teacher atNailsea School it has been an in-credible journey so far, and onethat has been for me the best job.
Seeing a group of students gradu-ally improve and then realise theycan achieve is wonderful. It is a
particularly special event to wit-ness when students in Years 11 and13 eventually collect their envel-opes in August and peek throughclosed fingers at the list of all im-portant letters. The relief, excite-ment and tears of joy really domake all the hard work worth it.
Across the board Nailsea Schoolmade huge progress last year, res-ults were up in a wide range ofsubjects; most importantly in Eng-lish and Maths, but more than that,
there is a growing sense of prideand optimism in the school.
Staff and students are happy andlessons are challenging and fun.The House competition (won lastyear by Griffin House) has begunalready with a newly appointedHead of Unicorn keen to make hisfirst year a successful one.
Our open evening is on Septem-ber 23 from 6pm. Why not comealong and experience a school thatis on the move?
St Bede’s principal Catherine Hughes:
What a wonderfulplace of learning
IF you are looking for a great edu-cation for your child within aChristian environment, you needlook no further than St Bede’sCatholic College. It is my privilege
to be principal of this wonderful placeof learning.
The secondary school a child attendsis likely to leave a lasting impression, itis therefore probably one of the mostimportant decisions parents willm a ke.
St Bede’s Catholic College is a won-derful place of learning with an ex-cellent culture and climate. Visitorscomment on a calm and industriousplace where children are stimulatedand challenged to develop their talentsand encouraged to strive for excel-l e n c e.
Achievement and effort are valuedand celebrated. Within and outside theclassroom numerous opportunitiesexist for pupils to unlock their talentsand develop self-worth, esteem, con-fidence and independence.
Children are enthusiastic about lifein college and embrace the many op-portunities to grow in faith and developreligious understanding. Spiritual andmoral development lies at the heart ofour work and is a major strength with-in this vibrant faith community, whereevery child is valued.
Young people are encouraged tostrive for excellence in every aspect oftheir work. We hold high expectationsof ourselves and all those who workwithin our community and these trans-late to the children in our care.
They are enabled from the earlystages to be active, enquiring, criticaland open minded thinkers, to be am-bitious for themselves and broadentheir horizons.
The college has a long-standing tra-dition of achieving academic success.The value of hard work is never un-derestimated. Inspirational and pas-sionate teaching will help childrenfulfil their potential and walk tall withc o n f i d e n c e.
Our examination results are hugelyimpressive and we make no apologiesfor saying results matter. As importantas they are however, education at StBede’s is about much more than resultsas you will discover when you visit thisvibrant community, where quality isf re e.
Excellent teaching, stimulating re-sources and high expectations enableall children to learn and make out-standing progress. Our teachers striveto promote a love of learning and in-tellectual curiosity. They are reflectivepractitioners and planning is informedby rigorous monitoring and assess-ment. Children of all backgrounds andabilities are set ambitious targets andsupported in achieving these.
The curriculum matches the needs,ambitions and interests of the childrenand prepares them well for furthers t u dy.
Within our new Sixth Form the cur-riculum is evolving to meet learners’needs. The co-curricular opportunitiesavailable are extensive, enriching thecollege experience and developingcharacter and resilience.
The well-being of the child is at theheart of our work and pastoral care isfundamental to our success. We try toensure there are no invisible childrenin our college and are ever mindful thatyoung people flourish when they arehappy, safe and learning. St Bede’s hasmuch to offer families as you will seewhen you visit.
MY first weeks as Principalof Steiner Academy Bris-tol have been full of chal-lenge and excitement. Ifeel very honoured to be
part of this amazing project and Ihope that we can fulfil the potential ofthis new school to change children’slives and to be a positive force ineducation for Bristol.
My role at Steiner Academy Bristolhas come at a significant point in myprofessional journey. I have beenworking in Bristol schools for manyyears, first at St George CommunityCollege then later as Assistant Prin-cipal at City Academy, Bristol.
More recently I have been Prin-cipal of the Education Other Than atSchool Service in South Gloucester-shire, managing Pupil Referral Unitsand other settings across the LocalAu t h o r i t y.
Throughout this I’ve dreamed ofcreating a new school, one whichvalues children’s individuality andcreative energy and which tries tomeet their emotional needs as well aschallenging their intellect. It is notsurprising then that over this time Ihave become increasingly interestedin Steiner education, which shares
that need it, including our workwith the award-winning group KidsC o m p a ny.
When asked to describe theAcademy recently, one student,
Robyn, chose the metaphor of a lionsaying that Brightstowe is fiercelyprotective of its young and theproudest animal in the kingdom. Ic o u l d n’t have put it better!
these values.When I heard that a group of
teachers and parents were creat-ing a Steiner Academy in Bristol itseemed like a dream come true!
We want to create a school that isnot just ‘outstanding’ in OFSTEDterms but which is a truly won-
derful place for children to learnand grow. We’re thrilled to have theopportunity to refurbish the beau-tiful St Matthias Campus in Fish-p o n d s.
Our new school will have all ofthe creative facilities that Steinerschools are renowned for; special-
ist spaces for woodwork, metal-work, sculpture theatre and art.We will also have superb sciencelaboratories and a state-of-the-artICT system to allow us to teachcomputer programming, 3ddesign, film editing and CNC ma-ch i n i n g .
The school is coming to life nowand from my window I can seeyounger children happily playingwhile our Year 7 group have anoutdoor learning lesson in anotherpart of the garden.
We have a lot of work ahead of usas the school grows but there isnowhere else I would rather bewo rk i n g .
This is a dream come true for usOur new school will
have all of the creativefacilities that Steinerschools are renownedfor; specialist spacesfor woodwork,metalwork, sculpturetheatre and art.
“
Principal of the Steiner Academy Bristol Angie Browne:
EPB-E01-S5
EPB-
E01-
S5
22 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 23Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.ukw w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Strong reputationcontinues to grow
ON the back of our out-standing results in 2012and 2013, which saw us asthe most improved schoolin the country 2012, we are
building a reputation which isrichly deserved as being one of theleading academic institutions inBristol, recognised by the PrimeMinister David Cameron in his re-cent visit to the academy.
Our vision is “students with theconfidence and range of skills tostand as equals in any circle and forany opportunity”.
The students’ academic resultsare fundamental to this but we workjust as hard to ensure that our stu-dents are well rounded, confidentand carry a set of values which willhelp them succeed in any situ-at i o n .
We have excellent teachers, sup-ported by a fantastic team at Bright-stowe and I am proud of every one ofthem. They work as a team to ensure
that we maximise every minute stu-dents spend in lessons.
More than that though, we inspireour students to want success forthemselves and marry that with thedrive, perseverance and focusneeded to work independently.
We have a vibrant and successfulextra-curricular scene with ourSports Academies boasting im-pressive wins, especially in rowing,rugby and football. The music atBrightstowe is a feature of life andthe concerts and musicals we put onare enjoyed by all. Most of all,Brightstowe is an Academy whereevery child is known and under-stood. Our pioneering and outstand-ing base for Year 7 begins thatjourney and then our house systemwith highly qualified pastoral teamensure that no child is forgotten andour Inclusion team, led by a qual-ified educational psychologist en-sures we have world-classinterventions and support for those
Meet the heads Meet the heads
ALMOST six years ago I was hon-oured to be invited to join the teamat Oasis Academy John Williamsin Hengrove as vice-principal, andtoday I am exceptionally proud to
be serving my second year as principal.Since 2008 we have realised many im-
provements in our educational offer, andcontinue with determination and commit-ment on our journey to become the out-standing school our community deserves.
I am passionate about providing an ex-ceptional education for all young people,which successfully achieves the balancebetween excellent educational outcomes(exam results) and nurturing the devel-opment of the desirable character assets ofresilience, perseverance and integrity, all ofwhich are necessary for our children tothrive in learning and life.
I am acutely aware that the years yourchild spends at OAJW are likely to shapethe rest of their lives; a responsibility I donot take lightly.
At John Williams, every day, we strive tobe the best that we can be. The basicexpectations of staff and students alike aresummed up by our straightforward mantraof ‘Work Hard, Look Smart, Be Nice’.
We try to keep things as simple as pos-sible and communicate openly and hon-estly with you as parents and carers; we donot always get it right, but through constantreflection, review and feedback, my tal-ented, caring and committed staff teamwork tirelessly to continually improve theservice we provide so that our young peoplelove learning, establish friendships, growin confidence and, perhaps most import-antly, are happy at school.
I extend a warm welcome to you to visitour Academy during our Open Events, tomeet our wonderful young people and staffand to feel the atmosphere within our fant-astic building. Oasis Academy John Wil-liams truly is an inspirational and fun placeto learn and work!
Oasis Academy John Williams principal Victoria Boomer:
E a c h d ay we strive to be the best we can be
At John Williams, everyday, we strive to be thebest that we can be. Thebasic expectations of staffand students alike aresummed up by ourstraightforward mantra of‘Work Hard, Look Smart,Be Nice’.
“
Oasis Academy Brightstowe head teacher Matt Butler:
Seeing pupils achievemakes this a dream job
Nailsea School headteacher Chris Wade:
TEACHERS often say thatthey have “the best job inthe world”. Whilst I wouldnot presume to put our pro-fession above another in
terms of enjoyment, I have to saythat after a year as head teacher atNailsea School it has been an in-credible journey so far, and onethat has been for me the best job.
Seeing a group of students gradu-ally improve and then realise theycan achieve is wonderful. It is a
particularly special event to wit-ness when students in Years 11 and13 eventually collect their envel-opes in August and peek throughclosed fingers at the list of all im-portant letters. The relief, excite-ment and tears of joy really domake all the hard work worth it.
Across the board Nailsea Schoolmade huge progress last year, res-ults were up in a wide range ofsubjects; most importantly in Eng-lish and Maths, but more than that,
there is a growing sense of prideand optimism in the school.
Staff and students are happy andlessons are challenging and fun.The House competition (won lastyear by Griffin House) has begunalready with a newly appointedHead of Unicorn keen to make hisfirst year a successful one.
Our open evening is on Septem-ber 23 from 6pm. Why not comealong and experience a school thatis on the move?
St Bede’s principal Catherine Hughes:
What a wonderfulplace of learning
IF you are looking for a great edu-cation for your child within aChristian environment, you needlook no further than St Bede’sCatholic College. It is my privilege
to be principal of this wonderful placeof learning.
The secondary school a child attendsis likely to leave a lasting impression, itis therefore probably one of the mostimportant decisions parents willm a ke.
St Bede’s Catholic College is a won-derful place of learning with an ex-cellent culture and climate. Visitorscomment on a calm and industriousplace where children are stimulatedand challenged to develop their talentsand encouraged to strive for excel-l e n c e.
Achievement and effort are valuedand celebrated. Within and outside theclassroom numerous opportunitiesexist for pupils to unlock their talentsand develop self-worth, esteem, con-fidence and independence.
Children are enthusiastic about lifein college and embrace the many op-portunities to grow in faith and developreligious understanding. Spiritual andmoral development lies at the heart ofour work and is a major strength with-in this vibrant faith community, whereevery child is valued.
Young people are encouraged tostrive for excellence in every aspect oftheir work. We hold high expectationsof ourselves and all those who workwithin our community and these trans-late to the children in our care.
They are enabled from the earlystages to be active, enquiring, criticaland open minded thinkers, to be am-bitious for themselves and broadentheir horizons.
The college has a long-standing tra-dition of achieving academic success.The value of hard work is never un-derestimated. Inspirational and pas-sionate teaching will help childrenfulfil their potential and walk tall withc o n f i d e n c e.
Our examination results are hugelyimpressive and we make no apologiesfor saying results matter. As importantas they are however, education at StBede’s is about much more than resultsas you will discover when you visit thisvibrant community, where quality isf re e.
Excellent teaching, stimulating re-sources and high expectations enableall children to learn and make out-standing progress. Our teachers striveto promote a love of learning and in-tellectual curiosity. They are reflectivepractitioners and planning is informedby rigorous monitoring and assess-ment. Children of all backgrounds andabilities are set ambitious targets andsupported in achieving these.
The curriculum matches the needs,ambitions and interests of the childrenand prepares them well for furthers t u dy.
Within our new Sixth Form the cur-riculum is evolving to meet learners’needs. The co-curricular opportunitiesavailable are extensive, enriching thecollege experience and developingcharacter and resilience.
The well-being of the child is at theheart of our work and pastoral care isfundamental to our success. We try toensure there are no invisible childrenin our college and are ever mindful thatyoung people flourish when they arehappy, safe and learning. St Bede’s hasmuch to offer families as you will seewhen you visit.
MY first weeks as Principalof Steiner Academy Bris-tol have been full of chal-lenge and excitement. Ifeel very honoured to be
part of this amazing project and Ihope that we can fulfil the potential ofthis new school to change children’slives and to be a positive force ineducation for Bristol.
My role at Steiner Academy Bristolhas come at a significant point in myprofessional journey. I have beenworking in Bristol schools for manyyears, first at St George CommunityCollege then later as Assistant Prin-cipal at City Academy, Bristol.
More recently I have been Prin-cipal of the Education Other Than atSchool Service in South Gloucester-shire, managing Pupil Referral Unitsand other settings across the LocalAu t h o r i t y.
Throughout this I’ve dreamed ofcreating a new school, one whichvalues children’s individuality andcreative energy and which tries tomeet their emotional needs as well aschallenging their intellect. It is notsurprising then that over this time Ihave become increasingly interestedin Steiner education, which shares
that need it, including our workwith the award-winning group KidsC o m p a ny.
When asked to describe theAcademy recently, one student,
Robyn, chose the metaphor of a lionsaying that Brightstowe is fiercelyprotective of its young and theproudest animal in the kingdom. Ic o u l d n’t have put it better!
these values.When I heard that a group of
teachers and parents were creat-ing a Steiner Academy in Bristol itseemed like a dream come true!
We want to create a school that isnot just ‘outstanding’ in OFSTEDterms but which is a truly won-
derful place for children to learnand grow. We’re thrilled to have theopportunity to refurbish the beau-tiful St Matthias Campus in Fish-p o n d s.
Our new school will have all ofthe creative facilities that Steinerschools are renowned for; special-
ist spaces for woodwork, metal-work, sculpture theatre and art.We will also have superb sciencelaboratories and a state-of-the-artICT system to allow us to teachcomputer programming, 3ddesign, film editing and CNC ma-ch i n i n g .
The school is coming to life nowand from my window I can seeyounger children happily playingwhile our Year 7 group have anoutdoor learning lesson in anotherpart of the garden.
We have a lot of work ahead of usas the school grows but there isnowhere else I would rather bewo rk i n g .
This is a dream come true for usOur new school will
have all of the creativefacilities that Steinerschools are renownedfor; specialist spacesfor woodwork,metalwork, sculpturetheatre and art.
“
Principal of the Steiner Academy Bristol Angie Browne:
EPB-
E01-
S5
24 25Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
HOUSE prices can be a good reasonfor parents to select an independentschool over a state one in Bristol,according to private schools in thec i t y.
They say that many could save themselvesthousands of pounds by choosing to educatetheir children privately rather than paying apremium for a home in what is considered tobe a “good catchment”.
A prime example of this is the catchmentarea for Redland Green School which is now aradius of approximately 1 km. The averageprice paid for a semi-detached house in Red-land is £595,626 compared with the averageprice for a semi in Bristol of £238,580.
The full cost of educating a child throughfive years at nearby Redland High comes in at£58,200, which according to a group of privateschools in the city means it is far cheaper tosend two children to an independent than tobuy a house in the catchment area of one of thebest performing state schools in Bristol.
Earlier this month, the Bristol Post revealedthat homebuyers were paying a premium ofup to £50,000 to live close to Redland Green,one of the most sought-after state secondaryschools in Bristol.
It followed the earlier revelation that a topEnglish state secondary school adds an av-erage of £21,000 to house prices.
Large family homes in the Redland Greencatchment area west of Gloucester Road cancost about £500,000, compared with £450,000for a similar-sized property to the east of thefamous shopping street.
Kate Moseley, a negotiator at Elephant es-tate agents in Gloucester Road, told the Postearlier this month: “We ’ve noticed propertiestend to go for a premium in catchment areas,and it’s quite a confined space.
“At the moment, we’ve got a large five-bedsemi-detached home on the east side ofGloucester Road on for £685,000 and a verysimilar property, with five bedrooms, in thecatchment area was recently on for £735,000and has just sold at above the asking price. It’s
a noticeable difference.“Secondary schools are the biggest driver of
prices for us. You have all the primary schoolson one side of Gloucester Road and in a fewyears time those families tend to move to theother side of Gloucester Road to go to RedlandG re e n .
“A few people are even getting fed up with it(inflated prices) and say they will look else-where. They know the school may not be asgood or might not be getting as good reviewsin two or three years time.
“Some go for their dream home instead orchoose to send their children to privates ch o o l . ”
Robert Pain, manager at Kendall Harperestate agents in Gloucester Road, said houseprices tend to be about 10 per cent higher forthose in the Redland Green catchment areacompared with like properties in Bishopstonwhich are not.
Last month it emerged that to live close toone of the top 30 state schools in England,parents pay an average premium of £21,000,with homes near good schools selling for£268,000 compared to the average nationalhouse price of £247,000, said Lloyds Bank,which based its figures on Land Registryd at a .
It named Beaconsfield high school in Buck-inghamshire, where 75 per cent of all students’grades in recent GCSEs were A or A*, as theschool that added most (£483,000) to localhouse prices.
Marc RathEducation [email protected]
House prices Independentschools could be better value
Estate agent Kate Mosely
Secondary schools are thebiggest driver of prices for us.You have all the primaryschools on one side ofGloucester Road and in a fewyears time those families tendto move to the other side ofGloucester Road to go toRedland Green.
“
� The average price paid for a semi-detached house near popular RedlandGreen School is £595,626 compared with the average price for a semi inBristol of £238,580. Inset, successful independent school Redland High
Independent education Independent education
Badminton School
Girls Full, weekly
and flexi
Whole School 450
3–18 Day £2,760–£5,810
Boarding £6,930–£11,010
Yes Available in the Junior School,
11+, 13+ and 16+.
‘A’ level
Junior 8.30am–
3.30/ 4.00pmSenior
8.35am–4.15/ 6.45pm
Available in the Junior and Senior
School
Minibus service from Chepstow area available, all facilities including sports and swimming are on-site.
GSA, IAPS and BSA affiliation.www.badmintonschool.co.uk or 0117 905 5200.
Open Evening: 7/10/14Open Mornings: 8/10/14 and
4/5/15
Bristol Grammar School
Co-ed No Infants 108Juniors 220Seniors 640Sixth Form
300
4–18 Infants and Juniors from
£2,325– Senior and Sixth Form
£4,365
Yes 11+, 13+, 14+ and
16+
‘A’ level
Rec–Year 6 8.30am–3.30pm
Year 7–U68.30am–3.50pm
7.45am(Year 3-U6), 8.00am (Rec–Year 2) –5.45pm (Rec–
Year 6) and 6.00pm (Year 7–U6)
Platinum Sing-up School. Extended Project Qualification. IGCSE and GCSE. Extensive sporting facilities including a climbing wall. Over 100 students take part in the bronze DofE. Fees include lunch for ages 4–16. Personalised cur-riculum from Year 9. Small classes. HMC and IAPS affiliation.
www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk or 0117 933 9885.
Infant and Junior School Open Morning: 17/9/14
Whole School Open Evening: 3/10/14
Open Morning: 13/11/14Sixth Form Open Evening: 5/11/14
Clifton High School
Co-ed Yes Whole School 500
3–18 £1,750 (Nursery School)– £4,270 (Senior School)
Yes From 11+
‘A’ level
8.45am–3.35pm (N–Y6)
8.40am–4.05pm
(Y7–Y13)
8.00am–6.00pm Beautiful grounds, on-site pool. Part owner of the Coombe Dingle Sports complex. Free direct debit
scheme. Extended Project Qualification. Holiday activities. Offer French and English curriculum (CNED).
Eco Schools Silver award.www.cliftonhigh.bristol.sch.uk or 0117 973 0201.
Senior Open Evening: 18/9/14School Open Morning: 11/10/14
Sixth Form Open Evening: 11/11/14
Nursery and Reception Open Morning: 20/3/15
Colston’s School
Co-ed No Whole School 754
3–18 Lower School from
£2,165– Upper School £3,890
Yes 8+, 11+, 13+ and
16+
‘A’ level
8.30am–4.00pm
After school clubs and supervision available until
5.30pm.
Thirty acres of green space within Bristol. All sports fields are on-site. Serves the city and South
Gloucestershire. School offers Combined Cadet Force and Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Taster days for
prospective pupils.www.colstons.bristol.sch.uk or 0117 965 5207.
Whole School Open Morning: 27/9/14
Sixth Form Information Evening: 9/10/14
Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital
Boys No Junior 100 Senior 570
7–18 Junior £2,765 Seniors £4,231
Yes 7+ 11+, 13+ and
16+
‘A’ level
8.40am–4.00pm
8.00am–6.00pm Offers Bristol’s only all boys’ Junior and Senior School education. QEH Infants are accommodated jointly at the
Redland High School site. Excellent sports facilities at Failand shared with Bristol City FC. IGCSE.
HMC and IAPS affiliation. www.qehbristol.co.uk or 0117 930 3040.
Senior Open Morning: 4/10/14Junior Open Mornings: 10/10/14 and 11/10/14
Sixth Form Information Evening: 13/10/14
Redland High School
Girls 3-18Boys 3-7
only
No Junior 150Senior 350
3–18 Junior £2,400Senior £3,880
Yes 11+, 13+ and 16+
‘A’ level
8.35am–3.55pm
7.45am–6.00pm Excellent sports facilities at our Golden Hill grounds. EPQ and Gifted and Talented Programme offered. GCSE and IGCSE. Bus services available. Redland High Infants
with QEH offers co-educational provision for pupils aged 3 – 7. GSA and IAPS affiliated.
www.redlandhigh.com or 0117 924 4404.
Visiting Mornings: 25/9/14 and 1/12/14
Open Morning: 18/10/14Sixth Form Information Evening:
5/11/14
Red Maids’ School
Girls No Junior 120Senior 500
7–18 Junior £2,780
Senior and Sixth Form
£4,090
Yes 11+, 13+ and 16+
‘A’ level
and IB Diploma
8.40am–4.05pm
7.45am–6.00pm Residential location, public and private bus services. 12-acre site with own facilities. Examinations and
curricular trips are included in the school fees. GSA and IAPS affiliation. GCSE and IGCSEs. EPQ. Gifted and
talented programme. www.redmaids.co.uk or 0117 962 2641.
Whole School: 9/10/14 and 8/11/14
Seniors 27/11/14 Juniors 11/2/14
Sidcot School
Co-ed Full, weekly
and flexi
Nursery 17 Junior 110 Senior 445 (175 board-
ers)
3–18 Day £2,320–£5,200
Boarding£7,800–£9,340
Yes 6+, 7+, 8+, 9+,
11+, 13+ and 16+
‘A’ level
and IB Diploma
8.30am–3.40pm
Junior8.00am–6.00pmSenior to 6.30pm
Sixth Form to 9.30pm
Quaker ethos encourages student to ‘live adventurously’. Beautiful rural location on the A38 easily accessed
from Bristol – school buses daily. Sporting facilities and Equestrian Centre on-site. CReSTeD, HMC and IAPS
www.sidcot.org.uk or 01934 483 102.
Open Mornings: 26/9/14, 23/1/2015 and 4/5/15Year 7 Taster Evening:
11/11/14
‘A’ leve
l/IB
Age ra
nge
Boarding
School
School d
ay
Co-ed/
boys/girls
Number
of pupils
Other
informati o
n
Visiti ng
events
Fees
(per term
)
(ability based)
Scholar
ships
Extended
day(m
eans-teste
d)
Financia
l
assista
nce
These schools offer a wide range of additional opportunities including competitive sport, DofE, Young Enterprise, clubs and societies, holiday activities to name but a few. For detailed information about what makes each school unique, please visit the school’s website or attend one of the many open events available.
Welcome to our guide to the thriving independent schools in and around Bristol
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
@RedMaidsSchool
/redmaidsschool
For more information please call:Senior School, Mrs Liz Bamber 0117 989 8252Junior School, Mrs Lynn McCabe 0117 962 9451Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol BS9
Visit usWhole School visiting eventsThursday 9 OctoberSaturday 8 November
redmaids.co.uk
Frien
dships
Adventure
Learning
Life changing
www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk
Open EveningFriday 3 October 20144.00pm–8.00pm
Whole School
For further details or torequest a prospectus, pleasecall Hollie Skerritt on0117 933 9885.
Sixth Form
Open EveningWednesday 5 November 20145.00pm–8.00pm
EPB-
E01-
S5
24 25Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014 w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
HOUSE prices can be a good reasonfor parents to select an independentschool over a state one in Bristol,according to private schools in thec i t y.
They say that many could save themselvesthousands of pounds by choosing to educatetheir children privately rather than paying apremium for a home in what is considered tobe a “good catchment”.
A prime example of this is the catchmentarea for Redland Green School which is now aradius of approximately 1 km. The averageprice paid for a semi-detached house in Red-land is £595,626 compared with the averageprice for a semi in Bristol of £238,580.
The full cost of educating a child throughfive years at nearby Redland High comes in at£58,200, which according to a group of privateschools in the city means it is far cheaper tosend two children to an independent than tobuy a house in the catchment area of one of thebest performing state schools in Bristol.
Earlier this month, the Bristol Post revealedthat homebuyers were paying a premium ofup to £50,000 to live close to Redland Green,one of the most sought-after state secondaryschools in Bristol.
It followed the earlier revelation that a topEnglish state secondary school adds an av-erage of £21,000 to house prices.
Large family homes in the Redland Greencatchment area west of Gloucester Road cancost about £500,000, compared with £450,000for a similar-sized property to the east of thefamous shopping street.
Kate Moseley, a negotiator at Elephant es-tate agents in Gloucester Road, told the Postearlier this month: “We ’ve noticed propertiestend to go for a premium in catchment areas,and it’s quite a confined space.
“At the moment, we’ve got a large five-bedsemi-detached home on the east side ofGloucester Road on for £685,000 and a verysimilar property, with five bedrooms, in thecatchment area was recently on for £735,000and has just sold at above the asking price. It’s
a noticeable difference.“Secondary schools are the biggest driver of
prices for us. You have all the primary schoolson one side of Gloucester Road and in a fewyears time those families tend to move to theother side of Gloucester Road to go to RedlandG re e n .
“A few people are even getting fed up with it(inflated prices) and say they will look else-where. They know the school may not be asgood or might not be getting as good reviewsin two or three years time.
“Some go for their dream home instead orchoose to send their children to privates ch o o l . ”
Robert Pain, manager at Kendall Harperestate agents in Gloucester Road, said houseprices tend to be about 10 per cent higher forthose in the Redland Green catchment areacompared with like properties in Bishopstonwhich are not.
Last month it emerged that to live close toone of the top 30 state schools in England,parents pay an average premium of £21,000,with homes near good schools selling for£268,000 compared to the average nationalhouse price of £247,000, said Lloyds Bank,which based its figures on Land Registryd at a .
It named Beaconsfield high school in Buck-inghamshire, where 75 per cent of all students’grades in recent GCSEs were A or A*, as theschool that added most (£483,000) to localhouse prices.
Marc RathEducation [email protected]
House prices Independentschools could be better value
Estate agent Kate Mosely
Secondary schools are thebiggest driver of prices for us.You have all the primaryschools on one side ofGloucester Road and in a fewyears time those families tendto move to the other side ofGloucester Road to go toRedland Green.
“
� The average price paid for a semi-detached house near popular RedlandGreen School is £595,626 compared with the average price for a semi inBristol of £238,580. Inset, successful independent school Redland High
Independent education Independent education
Badminton School
Girls Full, weekly
and flexi
Whole School 450
3–18 Day £2,760–£5,810
Boarding £6,930–£11,010
Yes Available in the Junior School,
11+, 13+ and 16+.
‘A’ level
Junior 8.30am–
3.30/ 4.00pmSenior
8.35am–4.15/ 6.45pm
Available in the Junior and Senior
School
Minibus service from Chepstow area available, all facilities including sports and swimming are on-site.
GSA, IAPS and BSA affiliation.www.badmintonschool.co.uk or 0117 905 5200.
Open Evening: 7/10/14Open Mornings: 8/10/14 and
4/5/15
Bristol Grammar School
Co-ed No Infants 108Juniors 220Seniors 640Sixth Form
300
4–18 Infants and Juniors from
£2,325– Senior and Sixth Form
£4,365
Yes 11+, 13+, 14+ and
16+
‘A’ level
Rec–Year 6 8.30am–3.30pm
Year 7–U68.30am–3.50pm
7.45am(Year 3-U6), 8.00am (Rec–Year 2) –5.45pm (Rec–
Year 6) and 6.00pm (Year 7–U6)
Platinum Sing-up School. Extended Project Qualification. IGCSE and GCSE. Extensive sporting facilities including a climbing wall. Over 100 students take part in the bronze DofE. Fees include lunch for ages 4–16. Personalised cur-riculum from Year 9. Small classes. HMC and IAPS affiliation.
www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk or 0117 933 9885.
Infant and Junior School Open Morning: 17/9/14
Whole School Open Evening: 3/10/14
Open Morning: 13/11/14Sixth Form Open Evening: 5/11/14
Clifton High School
Co-ed Yes Whole School 500
3–18 £1,750 (Nursery School)– £4,270 (Senior School)
Yes From 11+
‘A’ level
8.45am–3.35pm (N–Y6)
8.40am–4.05pm
(Y7–Y13)
8.00am–6.00pm Beautiful grounds, on-site pool. Part owner of the Coombe Dingle Sports complex. Free direct debit
scheme. Extended Project Qualification. Holiday activities. Offer French and English curriculum (CNED).
Eco Schools Silver award.www.cliftonhigh.bristol.sch.uk or 0117 973 0201.
Senior Open Evening: 18/9/14School Open Morning: 11/10/14
Sixth Form Open Evening: 11/11/14
Nursery and Reception Open Morning: 20/3/15
Colston’s School
Co-ed No Whole School 754
3–18 Lower School from
£2,165– Upper School £3,890
Yes 8+, 11+, 13+ and
16+
‘A’ level
8.30am–4.00pm
After school clubs and supervision available until
5.30pm.
Thirty acres of green space within Bristol. All sports fields are on-site. Serves the city and South
Gloucestershire. School offers Combined Cadet Force and Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Taster days for
prospective pupils.www.colstons.bristol.sch.uk or 0117 965 5207.
Whole School Open Morning: 27/9/14
Sixth Form Information Evening: 9/10/14
Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital
Boys No Junior 100 Senior 570
7–18 Junior £2,765 Seniors £4,231
Yes 7+ 11+, 13+ and
16+
‘A’ level
8.40am–4.00pm
8.00am–6.00pm Offers Bristol’s only all boys’ Junior and Senior School education. QEH Infants are accommodated jointly at the
Redland High School site. Excellent sports facilities at Failand shared with Bristol City FC. IGCSE.
HMC and IAPS affiliation. www.qehbristol.co.uk or 0117 930 3040.
Senior Open Morning: 4/10/14Junior Open Mornings: 10/10/14 and 11/10/14
Sixth Form Information Evening: 13/10/14
Redland High School
Girls 3-18Boys 3-7
only
No Junior 150Senior 350
3–18 Junior £2,400Senior £3,880
Yes 11+, 13+ and 16+
‘A’ level
8.35am–3.55pm
7.45am–6.00pm Excellent sports facilities at our Golden Hill grounds. EPQ and Gifted and Talented Programme offered. GCSE and IGCSE. Bus services available. Redland High Infants
with QEH offers co-educational provision for pupils aged 3 – 7. GSA and IAPS affiliated.
www.redlandhigh.com or 0117 924 4404.
Visiting Mornings: 25/9/14 and 1/12/14
Open Morning: 18/10/14Sixth Form Information Evening:
5/11/14
Red Maids’ School
Girls No Junior 120Senior 500
7–18 Junior £2,780
Senior and Sixth Form
£4,090
Yes 11+, 13+ and 16+
‘A’ level
and IB Diploma
8.40am–4.05pm
7.45am–6.00pm Residential location, public and private bus services. 12-acre site with own facilities. Examinations and
curricular trips are included in the school fees. GSA and IAPS affiliation. GCSE and IGCSEs. EPQ. Gifted and
talented programme. www.redmaids.co.uk or 0117 962 2641.
Whole School: 9/10/14 and 8/11/14
Seniors 27/11/14 Juniors 11/2/14
Sidcot School
Co-ed Full, weekly
and flexi
Nursery 17 Junior 110 Senior 445 (175 board-
ers)
3–18 Day £2,320–£5,200
Boarding£7,800–£9,340
Yes 6+, 7+, 8+, 9+,
11+, 13+ and 16+
‘A’ level
and IB Diploma
8.30am–3.40pm
Junior8.00am–6.00pmSenior to 6.30pm
Sixth Form to 9.30pm
Quaker ethos encourages student to ‘live adventurously’. Beautiful rural location on the A38 easily accessed
from Bristol – school buses daily. Sporting facilities and Equestrian Centre on-site. CReSTeD, HMC and IAPS
www.sidcot.org.uk or 01934 483 102.
Open Mornings: 26/9/14, 23/1/2015 and 4/5/15Year 7 Taster Evening:
11/11/14
‘A’ leve
l/IB
Age ra
nge
Boarding
School
School d
ay
Co-ed/
boys/girls
Number
of pupils
Other
informati o
n
Visiti ng
events
Fees
(per term
)
(ability based)
Scholar
ships
Extended
day(m
eans-teste
d)
Financia
l
assista
nce
These schools offer a wide range of additional opportunities including competitive sport, DofE, Young Enterprise, clubs and societies, holiday activities to name but a few. For detailed information about what makes each school unique, please visit the school’s website or attend one of the many open events available.
Welcome to our guide to the thriving independent schools in and around Bristol
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
@RedMaidsSchool
/redmaidsschool
For more information please call:Senior School, Mrs Liz Bamber 0117 989 8252Junior School, Mrs Lynn McCabe 0117 962 9451Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol BS9
Visit usWhole School visiting eventsThursday 9 OctoberSaturday 8 November
redmaids.co.uk
Frien
dships
Adventure
Learning
Life changing
www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk
Open EveningFriday 3 October 20144.00pm–8.00pm
Whole School
For further details or torequest a prospectus, pleasecall Hollie Skerritt on0117 933 9885.
Sixth Form
Open EveningWednesday 5 November 20145.00pm–8.00pm
26 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
27 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Independent education Independent education
BURSARY SCHEMES ARE HELPING TO REALISE FAMILIES’ DREAMS
ALL independent schools in Bristolhave a common goal – to widen ac-cess, extend the social diversity oftheir pupils and help change the livesof boys and girls for generations to
c o m e.Independent schooling, they say, should not
be seen as the exclusive preserve of thewealthy, and they all offer means-testedbursary schemes as well as academic, music,art and sports scholarships.
To achieve this, they all have fundraisingschemes working alongside individual found-ations often set up as the result of the gen-erosity of former pupils.
There are 2,500 independent schools in theUK, educating some 615,000 children. In Eng-land this represents about seven per cent ofthe school age population, lower in Scotlandand Wales.
Families who choose independent educa-tion are diverse in their outlook and interests,their religious and cultural backgrounds,their politics and their beliefs.
This diversity also stretches to financialcircumstances and the way in which familiesfund their child’s education.
Many do not have a high disposable incomeat their fingertips, yet have a firm belief thatan independent education is the best possiblestart they can provide for their son or daugh-t e r.
Over the last five years 75 girls have beenable to study at Redland High School as aresult of the school’s bursary scheme.
The Bursary Fund at Redland High alsoforms part of the school’s Annual GivingProgramme and is an extremely popular fundfor donations, particularly from former pu-pils. Last year about 40 per cent of all dona-tions through the Annual Giving Programmewere specifically donated to the BursaryFund.
As with the other independents, grant-mak-ing trusts such as the John James Foundationalso provide funds for Redland High’s bursarys ch e m e.
Independent schools in and around Bristolall have a distinctive personality and set ofvalues. For example, Sidcot School has aQuaker ethos of living simply and adven-turously, caring for the environment and eacho t h e r.
Every year Sidcot School provides bursar-
ies to over 70 children, the level of supportdepending on need, circumstance and abilityto pay.
Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital, which wasfounded in 1590 with John Carr’s legacy, ad-heres to its charitable vision, providing fin-ancial help to about 125 of the boys whoattend, either through bursaries or schol-arships, or a combination of both.
Emerson Sharp was able to take up a placein the sixth form at QEH from 2011 to 2013because the school raised the money tomatch-fund a 50 per cent scholarship providedby the Ogden Trust.
He said: “The teaching and support I re-ceived gave me the confidence to apply for andgain a place to read Geography at FitzwilliamCollege, Cambridge.
“Without the skills and encouragement ofmy teachers at QEH I could not have achievedthis ambition.”
At QEH there is an onward philanthropicprogramme, and the school aims to raise £1million in the next seven years for bursariesto help more pupils.
Every penny donated to the Colston’sFoundation supports bursaries at Colston’sS ch o o l .
This growing fund works alongside indi-vidual foundations set up as a result of thegenerosity of former pupils like the late RogerNewport and the late Kenneth Hilborne whowere to become major benefactors.
In May, as they approached the end of theirtime at Colston’s, three Year 13 students wroteto the trustees of the Newport Foundationexpressing their thanks for the bursaries theyhad received.
One said: “The generosity of the bursaryhas meant that not only did I complete mystudies at the school I joined in Year 7; it alsoenabled me to become the school’s head boy,an honour I shall always cherish.
“I feel truly honoured to have been giventhese opportunities and none of it would have
THE UK PICTURE
� The national picture onfinancial assistance withschool fees is bestillustrated by the annualcensus of the IndependentSchools Council.
The January 2014census shows that in 2013the ISC’s 1,257 schoolsthroughout the UK wereattended by 511,928pupils. The average rise infees from 2012 to 2013was 3.9 per cent, equallingthe lowest rise for almost20 years.
Fee assistancecontinued to grow, withISC schools providedassistance to 33.4 per centof pupils, amounting to£660 million during 2013.They focused theirassistance more on theprovision of bursaries thanon scholarships.
The value ofmeans-tested bursariesrose by 5.6 per cent, anincrease of almost £20million on the previousy e a r.
In summary, eight percent of pupils were onmeans-tested bursaries,and of these 41.9 per centhad more than half theirfees remitted.
been possible without your generosity and supportthroughout the years.”
At Red Maids’ School – whose history dates backto 1634 – the spirit of its founding father’s gen-erosity is still well in evidence today.
Isabel Tobias, Red Maids’ headmistress, ex-
plained: “The school’s foundation 380 years ago wasbased on creating opportunities for 40 poor womenand children.
“We have of course grown considerably sincethen but we provide a wide range of options forthose in need of financial assistance and at present
approximately a quarter of our students benefitfrom the school's endowment fund.
“During the recent tough times, this fund hasalso made it possible for us to enhance the amountof assistance to some families who have found therecession particularly hard.”
Marc RathEducation [email protected]
� Emerson Sharp was able to take up a place in the sixth form at QEH from 2011 to 2013 becausethe school raised the money to match-fund a 50 per cent scholarship provided by the Ogden Trust
A student’s letter of thanks
The generosity of the bursarymeant that not only did Icomplete my studies at theschool I joined in Year 7; it alsoenabled me to become theschool’s head boy, an honour Ishall always cherish.
“
� Redland High teachers celebrating this year’s exam successes. Over the last five years 75girls have been able to study at Redland High School as a result of the school’s bursaryscheme.
� Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital, which was founded in 1590 with John Carr’s legacy, adheres to its charitable vision, providing financial help to about 125 ofthe boys who attend
OpenMorningsSENIORS Saturday 4 October 2014
JUNIORS Friday 10 and Saturday 11 October
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS 7–18 FOUNDED 1590
Contact Mrs Carolyn Mathews0117 930 3068 www.qehbristol.co.uk
SixthFormEvening
MONDAY 13 OCTOBER
by appointment
Choosing your next schoolA school for the whole family
Whole School Open MorningSaturday September 27 (10am -1pm)
Sixth Form Information EveningThursday October 9 (7pm)
Taster Days during Autumn Term (8.15am-4pm)
Colston’s School, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1BJwww.colstons.bristol.sch.uk
Registered Charity No 1079552
Further information from Denise SollisTel 0117 965 [email protected]
Scholarships and bursaries available
Choosing your next school
Whole School Open Morning
IndependentCo-educationalAll age
26 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
27 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Independent education Independent education
BURSARY SCHEMES ARE HELPING TO REALISE FAMILIES’ DREAMS
ALL independent schools in Bristolhave a common goal – to widen ac-cess, extend the social diversity oftheir pupils and help change the livesof boys and girls for generations to
c o m e.Independent schooling, they say, should not
be seen as the exclusive preserve of thewealthy, and they all offer means-testedbursary schemes as well as academic, music,art and sports scholarships.
To achieve this, they all have fundraisingschemes working alongside individual found-ations often set up as the result of the gen-erosity of former pupils.
There are 2,500 independent schools in theUK, educating some 615,000 children. In Eng-land this represents about seven per cent ofthe school age population, lower in Scotlandand Wales.
Families who choose independent educa-tion are diverse in their outlook and interests,their religious and cultural backgrounds,their politics and their beliefs.
This diversity also stretches to financialcircumstances and the way in which familiesfund their child’s education.
Many do not have a high disposable incomeat their fingertips, yet have a firm belief thatan independent education is the best possiblestart they can provide for their son or daugh-t e r.
Over the last five years 75 girls have beenable to study at Redland High School as aresult of the school’s bursary scheme.
The Bursary Fund at Redland High alsoforms part of the school’s Annual GivingProgramme and is an extremely popular fundfor donations, particularly from former pu-pils. Last year about 40 per cent of all dona-tions through the Annual Giving Programmewere specifically donated to the BursaryFund.
As with the other independents, grant-mak-ing trusts such as the John James Foundationalso provide funds for Redland High’s bursarys ch e m e.
Independent schools in and around Bristolall have a distinctive personality and set ofvalues. For example, Sidcot School has aQuaker ethos of living simply and adven-turously, caring for the environment and eacho t h e r.
Every year Sidcot School provides bursar-
ies to over 70 children, the level of supportdepending on need, circumstance and abilityto pay.
Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital, which wasfounded in 1590 with John Carr’s legacy, ad-heres to its charitable vision, providing fin-ancial help to about 125 of the boys whoattend, either through bursaries or schol-arships, or a combination of both.
Emerson Sharp was able to take up a placein the sixth form at QEH from 2011 to 2013because the school raised the money tomatch-fund a 50 per cent scholarship providedby the Ogden Trust.
He said: “The teaching and support I re-ceived gave me the confidence to apply for andgain a place to read Geography at FitzwilliamCollege, Cambridge.
“Without the skills and encouragement ofmy teachers at QEH I could not have achievedthis ambition.”
At QEH there is an onward philanthropicprogramme, and the school aims to raise £1million in the next seven years for bursariesto help more pupils.
Every penny donated to the Colston’sFoundation supports bursaries at Colston’sS ch o o l .
This growing fund works alongside indi-vidual foundations set up as a result of thegenerosity of former pupils like the late RogerNewport and the late Kenneth Hilborne whowere to become major benefactors.
In May, as they approached the end of theirtime at Colston’s, three Year 13 students wroteto the trustees of the Newport Foundationexpressing their thanks for the bursaries theyhad received.
One said: “The generosity of the bursaryhas meant that not only did I complete mystudies at the school I joined in Year 7; it alsoenabled me to become the school’s head boy,an honour I shall always cherish.
“I feel truly honoured to have been giventhese opportunities and none of it would have
THE UK PICTURE
� The national picture onfinancial assistance withschool fees is bestillustrated by the annualcensus of the IndependentSchools Council.
The January 2014census shows that in 2013the ISC’s 1,257 schoolsthroughout the UK wereattended by 511,928pupils. The average rise infees from 2012 to 2013was 3.9 per cent, equallingthe lowest rise for almost20 years.
Fee assistancecontinued to grow, withISC schools providedassistance to 33.4 per centof pupils, amounting to£660 million during 2013.They focused theirassistance more on theprovision of bursaries thanon scholarships.
The value ofmeans-tested bursariesrose by 5.6 per cent, anincrease of almost £20million on the previousy e a r.
In summary, eight percent of pupils were onmeans-tested bursaries,and of these 41.9 per centhad more than half theirfees remitted.
been possible without your generosity and supportthroughout the years.”
At Red Maids’ School – whose history dates backto 1634 – the spirit of its founding father’s gen-erosity is still well in evidence today.
Isabel Tobias, Red Maids’ headmistress, ex-
plained: “The school’s foundation 380 years ago wasbased on creating opportunities for 40 poor womenand children.
“We have of course grown considerably sincethen but we provide a wide range of options forthose in need of financial assistance and at present
approximately a quarter of our students benefitfrom the school's endowment fund.
“During the recent tough times, this fund hasalso made it possible for us to enhance the amountof assistance to some families who have found therecession particularly hard.”
Marc RathEducation [email protected]
� Emerson Sharp was able to take up a place in the sixth form at QEH from 2011 to 2013 becausethe school raised the money to match-fund a 50 per cent scholarship provided by the Ogden Trust
A student’s letter of thanks
The generosity of the bursarymeant that not only did Icomplete my studies at theschool I joined in Year 7; it alsoenabled me to become theschool’s head boy, an honour Ishall always cherish.
“
� Redland High teachers celebrating this year’s exam successes. Over the last five years 75girls have been able to study at Redland High School as a result of the school’s bursaryscheme.
� Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital, which was founded in 1590 with John Carr’s legacy, adheres to its charitable vision, providing financial help to about 125 ofthe boys who attend
OpenMorningsSENIORS Saturday 4 October 2014
JUNIORS Friday 10 and Saturday 11 October
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS 7–18 FOUNDED 1590
Contact Mrs Carolyn Mathews0117 930 3068 www.qehbristol.co.uk
SixthFormEvening
MONDAY 13 OCTOBER
by appointment
Choosing your next schoolA school for the whole family
Whole School Open MorningSaturday September 27 (10am -1pm)
Sixth Form Information EveningThursday October 9 (7pm)
Taster Days during Autumn Term (8.15am-4pm)
Colston’s School, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1BJwww.colstons.bristol.sch.uk
Registered Charity No 1079552
Further information from Denise SollisTel 0117 965 [email protected]
Scholarships and bursaries available
Choosing your next school
Whole School Open Morning
IndependentCo-educationalAll age
28 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
29 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
EXPLORING THE STORIES OF TIDES AND RIVERS THAT SHAPED CITY
1. SEVERN UPThe Severn Estuary is at the mouth of fourmajor rivers: the Severn, Wye, Usk andAvon and other smaller rivers. It is twomiles wide at the old Severn bridge at Austand nine miles wide between Cardiff andWeston-super-Mare, where it opens into theBristol Channel, then eventually the At-lantic Ocean. The estuary has one of thehighest tidal ranges in the world — about 15m (49ft).
2. SABRINAThe Severn, Great Britain’s longestriver, has a prehistoric goddess,Sabrina, who, according tomyth, was a nymph whodrowned. As the river be-comes tidal, it takes on anassociation with the Celticgod Nodens, who is depic-ted riding the rest of theSevern Bore on as e a h o r s e.
3. SEVERN BOREThe estuary’s tidal range, nowthought to be the third highest inthe world, and its funnel shape meansthat during the highest tides water travelsrapidly upstream against the current, cre-ating a huge wave known at the SevernB o re.
4 SEVERN BARRAGEProposals to dam the estuary to harnesstidal power have been under considerationfor many decades. Studies in the 1970s and1980s suggested a barrage could create upto five per cent of the UK’s electricity. Morerecently, variations on the renewable en-ergy theme have been looked at but so farhave been ruled out because of the threat tow i l d l i f e.
5. MARINE HABITATThe Severn Estuary and Bristol Channelare home to an amazing range of fish,crustaceans and birds. The islands of SteepHolm, Flat Holm and Lundy, which aremostly uninhabited, are marine naturereserves and host a number of rare species,including some unique wildflowers andseaweed. The underlying geology of rock,gravel and sand, coupled with the tidalstreams, gives the water its brown colour.
6 LEISURE AND PLEASUREPleasure boats have operated in the
Bristol Channel since Victoriantimes and the tradition is con-
tinued by the Waverley, thelast ocean-going paddlesteamer, and the MV Bal-moral, although the latteris currently under repair.Beaches on the heritagecoasts on both sides of thechannel benefit from the
combination of an eastwind and the Atlantic swell,
making them a haven forsurfers. Swimming the channel
is tough, because the tidal flowsmake 11 miles equivalent to 22. The
first to swim from Penarth to Weston wasKathleen Thomas in 1927, in seven hoursand 20 minutes. The youngest and fastestwas Gary Carpenter, who completed thefeat in five hours 35 minutes in 2007.
7. TSUNAMI?Thousands of people drowned and homeswere swept away in a flood in 1607, withdevastation worst on the Welsh side. Thecause of the flood is disputed but researchpublished in 2002 showed some evidence ofa tsunami. A pamphlet at the time de-scribed it at “God’s warning to the people ofEngland by the great overflowing of thewaters or floods.”
WATER is never far from the head-lines in Bristol. Last winter, wewere all horrified by the floodsthat left communities in Som-erset marooned for months. This
summer, even while being amused by the IceBucket Challenge, we have endured torrentialdownpours and fears of the impact of hur-r i c a n e s.
This month you might well see a group ofpeople chalking a 32-mile wiggly line aroundthe city showing the areas that could flood inthe next few decades. The Bristol HighWa-terLine art project aims to raise awareness ofhow rising sea levels and increased extremerainfall episodes may put people’s homes andlivelihoods at risk.
Parts of Hotwells were saved from the de-luge in January thanks to a new four-footbarrier across the River Avon, which kept thespring tide at bay.
Next year is set to bring the biggest tides onthe river for many years, with the highestforecast for March and September.
As 2015 is also Bristol’s year as EuropeanGreen Capital, this is the perfect time forschools to help children learn about ourunique position as a city on the water.
The Bristol Initiative Trust, which is aim-ing to prepare for life in Bristol in 2050, wantsyoung people to understand how the citydeveloped as a result of the tides and how itmight change in future through natural forcesand human intervention.
The trust’s education director HughThomas has plans for a project that couldinspire hundreds of children and teenagers todiscover more about their heritage and aboutthe impact they can have on their envir-onment.
As part of the Learning Ships programme,Mr Thomas will recruit a crew of youngjournalists who will travel the eight miles ofthe river Avon to where it joins the Severnestuary and the Bristol Channel and invest-igate some of its stories.
The 16 to 18-year-olds will conduct inter-views and make reports to camera for a filmthat will go out to schools to inspire theirpupils in turn to learn more about their area,perhaps organising their own boat trips.
The theatre group Desperate Men will beinvolved in the project and will enact some ofthe stories of the river and the tides bothduring the filming and when the presentationis shown in schools.
“It will be a mockumentary, a mixture ofreality and of the myth, magic and charactersof the Avon and the Severn, ” said MrT homas.
“We plan to make it during March, whenBristol is expecting the highest tidal surgesfor three or four decades. It will then tourschools and public venues until October, gen-erating debate and gathering public opinionabout local and global issues relating to thetidal regions.”
The intention is for the film to feature inBristol 2015 events in September next year aspart of the Bristol Young People’s Festival ofI d e a s.
As with earlier phases of Learning Ships,and others run by Mr Thomas and the MyFuture My Choice organisation, an importantelement is that people who have an interest inthe river either through their work or theirhobbies accompany the young journalists onthe voyage. They may include Environment
Agency staff, energy experts, engineers, boat-men, and naturalists, who will be able to givetheir views on issues such as nuclear power,renewable energy, and tourism.
As well as providing the teenagers withevidence on which to base their conclusions,the professional volunteers will be role mod-els and help to raise aspirations for futurec a re e r s.
Cecilia Bradley and Lizzie Foley, from Pill,who took part in a Learning Ships voyage lastyear, said that although they lived near theAvon they had not known much about itb e fo re.
They enjoyed the opportunity to talk touniversity professors and students about mar-ine biology, wildlife, geography, history, en-gineering and other topics.
They discussed the possible changes thatclimate change might bring, by raising riverlevels, and to look at whether a barrage wouldbe good or bad for Bristol. They also con-sidered how the city could use the tides tomeet its 2050 emission targets.
Mr Thomas said: “Learning Ships enablesyoung people and adult volunteers to interactin an environment beyond the traditionalcl a s s ro o m .
“It will generate a cohort of young peoplewith a deeper understanding of their regionwho are fitter to support its future.”
The young journalists will be recruitedfrom colleges, school sixth-forms and post-16centres, during the autumn and will betrained before the river trip in March.
Mr Thomas is keen to hear from businessand industry experts who can support theproject with volunteers or funding.
SEVERN ESTUARY AND BRISTOL CHANNEL: 7 FACTS
From this month, schools are ex-pected to teach children moreabout the area in which they live.Bristol is fortunate to have incred-ible learning resources on its door-step, for geography and much more.
Hugh Thomas
Learning Ships enablesyoung people and adultvolunteers to interact in anenvironment beyond thetraditional classroom. It willgenerate a cohort of youngpeople with a deeperunderstanding of their region.
“
� Anna Wilson drawing a line around theCumberland Basin to show wherefloodwaters could reach as part of theHighwaterline Project
HIGHWATERLINE
� HIGHWATERLINE 2014 aimsto make more people in Bristolaware of flood risks and thepotential impact of the tides.
A sports-pitch markingmachine is being used to showthe areas that could be underwater in the future.
The arts and environmentalproject follows a similar one inMiami in 2007, four years beforeparts of the city were floodedfollowing Hurricane Sandy.
The idea is that as the line isbeing chalked in Bristol betweenSeptember 9 and 21, people willbecome engaged inconversations about flooding,and what can be done to preventand tackle it.
The aim is to learn from historyand from other communities whohave experienced floods, and todevelop resilience and exploreinnovative solutions anda p p ro a c h e s .
B r i s t o l . h i g h w a t e r l i n e . o rg
� Young people and industry experts exploring the rivers
Independent education Independent education
Aworld-classeducation in theheart of Bristol.
T: 0117 905 5271 • E: [email protected]@AcorntoOakBris • www.badmintonschool.co.uk
Open EveningTuesday 7th October
Open MorningWednesday 8th October 0117 933 9087
www.cliftonhigh.bristol.sch.uk
realising individual brilliance...
Come to Clifton High School’s open events
Senior School Open Evening Thursday September 18thWhole School Open Morning Saturday October 11th
28 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
29 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
EXPLORING THE STORIES OF TIDES AND RIVERS THAT SHAPED CITY
1. SEVERN UPThe Severn Estuary is at the mouth of fourmajor rivers: the Severn, Wye, Usk andAvon and other smaller rivers. It is twomiles wide at the old Severn bridge at Austand nine miles wide between Cardiff andWeston-super-Mare, where it opens into theBristol Channel, then eventually the At-lantic Ocean. The estuary has one of thehighest tidal ranges in the world — about 15m (49ft).
2. SABRINAThe Severn, Great Britain’s longestriver, has a prehistoric goddess,Sabrina, who, according tomyth, was a nymph whodrowned. As the river be-comes tidal, it takes on anassociation with the Celticgod Nodens, who is depic-ted riding the rest of theSevern Bore on as e a h o r s e.
3. SEVERN BOREThe estuary’s tidal range, nowthought to be the third highest inthe world, and its funnel shape meansthat during the highest tides water travelsrapidly upstream against the current, cre-ating a huge wave known at the SevernB o re.
4 SEVERN BARRAGEProposals to dam the estuary to harnesstidal power have been under considerationfor many decades. Studies in the 1970s and1980s suggested a barrage could create upto five per cent of the UK’s electricity. Morerecently, variations on the renewable en-ergy theme have been looked at but so farhave been ruled out because of the threat tow i l d l i f e.
5. MARINE HABITATThe Severn Estuary and Bristol Channelare home to an amazing range of fish,crustaceans and birds. The islands of SteepHolm, Flat Holm and Lundy, which aremostly uninhabited, are marine naturereserves and host a number of rare species,including some unique wildflowers andseaweed. The underlying geology of rock,gravel and sand, coupled with the tidalstreams, gives the water its brown colour.
6 LEISURE AND PLEASUREPleasure boats have operated in the
Bristol Channel since Victoriantimes and the tradition is con-
tinued by the Waverley, thelast ocean-going paddlesteamer, and the MV Bal-moral, although the latteris currently under repair.Beaches on the heritagecoasts on both sides of thechannel benefit from the
combination of an eastwind and the Atlantic swell,
making them a haven forsurfers. Swimming the channel
is tough, because the tidal flowsmake 11 miles equivalent to 22. The
first to swim from Penarth to Weston wasKathleen Thomas in 1927, in seven hoursand 20 minutes. The youngest and fastestwas Gary Carpenter, who completed thefeat in five hours 35 minutes in 2007.
7. TSUNAMI?Thousands of people drowned and homeswere swept away in a flood in 1607, withdevastation worst on the Welsh side. Thecause of the flood is disputed but researchpublished in 2002 showed some evidence ofa tsunami. A pamphlet at the time de-scribed it at “God’s warning to the people ofEngland by the great overflowing of thewaters or floods.”
WATER is never far from the head-lines in Bristol. Last winter, wewere all horrified by the floodsthat left communities in Som-erset marooned for months. This
summer, even while being amused by the IceBucket Challenge, we have endured torrentialdownpours and fears of the impact of hur-r i c a n e s.
This month you might well see a group ofpeople chalking a 32-mile wiggly line aroundthe city showing the areas that could flood inthe next few decades. The Bristol HighWa-terLine art project aims to raise awareness ofhow rising sea levels and increased extremerainfall episodes may put people’s homes andlivelihoods at risk.
Parts of Hotwells were saved from the de-luge in January thanks to a new four-footbarrier across the River Avon, which kept thespring tide at bay.
Next year is set to bring the biggest tides onthe river for many years, with the highestforecast for March and September.
As 2015 is also Bristol’s year as EuropeanGreen Capital, this is the perfect time forschools to help children learn about ourunique position as a city on the water.
The Bristol Initiative Trust, which is aim-ing to prepare for life in Bristol in 2050, wantsyoung people to understand how the citydeveloped as a result of the tides and how itmight change in future through natural forcesand human intervention.
The trust’s education director HughThomas has plans for a project that couldinspire hundreds of children and teenagers todiscover more about their heritage and aboutthe impact they can have on their envir-onment.
As part of the Learning Ships programme,Mr Thomas will recruit a crew of youngjournalists who will travel the eight miles ofthe river Avon to where it joins the Severnestuary and the Bristol Channel and invest-igate some of its stories.
The 16 to 18-year-olds will conduct inter-views and make reports to camera for a filmthat will go out to schools to inspire theirpupils in turn to learn more about their area,perhaps organising their own boat trips.
The theatre group Desperate Men will beinvolved in the project and will enact some ofthe stories of the river and the tides bothduring the filming and when the presentationis shown in schools.
“It will be a mockumentary, a mixture ofreality and of the myth, magic and charactersof the Avon and the Severn, ” said MrT homas.
“We plan to make it during March, whenBristol is expecting the highest tidal surgesfor three or four decades. It will then tourschools and public venues until October, gen-erating debate and gathering public opinionabout local and global issues relating to thetidal regions.”
The intention is for the film to feature inBristol 2015 events in September next year aspart of the Bristol Young People’s Festival ofI d e a s.
As with earlier phases of Learning Ships,and others run by Mr Thomas and the MyFuture My Choice organisation, an importantelement is that people who have an interest inthe river either through their work or theirhobbies accompany the young journalists onthe voyage. They may include Environment
Agency staff, energy experts, engineers, boat-men, and naturalists, who will be able to givetheir views on issues such as nuclear power,renewable energy, and tourism.
As well as providing the teenagers withevidence on which to base their conclusions,the professional volunteers will be role mod-els and help to raise aspirations for futurec a re e r s.
Cecilia Bradley and Lizzie Foley, from Pill,who took part in a Learning Ships voyage lastyear, said that although they lived near theAvon they had not known much about itb e fo re.
They enjoyed the opportunity to talk touniversity professors and students about mar-ine biology, wildlife, geography, history, en-gineering and other topics.
They discussed the possible changes thatclimate change might bring, by raising riverlevels, and to look at whether a barrage wouldbe good or bad for Bristol. They also con-sidered how the city could use the tides tomeet its 2050 emission targets.
Mr Thomas said: “Learning Ships enablesyoung people and adult volunteers to interactin an environment beyond the traditionalcl a s s ro o m .
“It will generate a cohort of young peoplewith a deeper understanding of their regionwho are fitter to support its future.”
The young journalists will be recruitedfrom colleges, school sixth-forms and post-16centres, during the autumn and will betrained before the river trip in March.
Mr Thomas is keen to hear from businessand industry experts who can support theproject with volunteers or funding.
SEVERN ESTUARY AND BRISTOL CHANNEL: 7 FACTS
From this month, schools are ex-pected to teach children moreabout the area in which they live.Bristol is fortunate to have incred-ible learning resources on its door-step, for geography and much more.
Hugh Thomas
Learning Ships enablesyoung people and adultvolunteers to interact in anenvironment beyond thetraditional classroom. It willgenerate a cohort of youngpeople with a deeperunderstanding of their region.
“
� Anna Wilson drawing a line around theCumberland Basin to show wherefloodwaters could reach as part of theHighwaterline Project
HIGHWATERLINE
� HIGHWATERLINE 2014 aimsto make more people in Bristolaware of flood risks and thepotential impact of the tides.
A sports-pitch markingmachine is being used to showthe areas that could be underwater in the future.
The arts and environmentalproject follows a similar one inMiami in 2007, four years beforeparts of the city were floodedfollowing Hurricane Sandy.
The idea is that as the line isbeing chalked in Bristol betweenSeptember 9 and 21, people willbecome engaged inconversations about flooding,and what can be done to preventand tackle it.
The aim is to learn from historyand from other communities whohave experienced floods, and todevelop resilience and exploreinnovative solutions anda p p ro a c h e s .
B r i s t o l . h i g h w a t e r l i n e . o rg
� Young people and industry experts exploring the rivers
Independent education Independent education
Aworld-classeducation in theheart of Bristol.
T: 0117 905 5271 • E: [email protected]@AcorntoOakBris • www.badmintonschool.co.uk
Open EveningTuesday 7th October
Open MorningWednesday 8th October 0117 933 9087
www.cliftonhigh.bristol.sch.uk
realising individual brilliance...
Come to Clifton High School’s open events
Senior School Open Evening Thursday September 18thWhole School Open Morning Saturday October 11th
30 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
31 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Meet the heads Meet the heads
CAROLINE Bateson BA MA,has a commitment to aca-demic excellence as well asinvolvement in every aspectof school life including pas-
toral care, extra-curricular activities,liaising with parents and strategicplanning.
She is an Independent Schools’ in-spector and an enthusiastic teacherwho is passionate about motivatinggirls in their learning; she teaches anA-Level class each year.
Redland High School caters for awide range of academic ability andCaroline Bateson thinks that theS ch o o l ’s undoubted proficiency insupporting all its pupils comes fromoutstanding teaching and having aschool which is large enough to makea considerable subject choice viablebut small enough for each individualpupil to be developed.
There is a myriad of extra-cur-ricular activity on offer and RedlandHigh encourages pupils to take partso that they can find their strengthsand develop the self-esteem so es-sential for effective learning.
The School enjoys a good relation-
Our school’s commitment to excellenceRedland High School for Girls head teacher Caroline Bateson:
ship with local boys’ school QEH,with many joint activities allowinggirls of all ages to work positively andconstructively with boys.
This summer A Level and GCSEresults were outstanding across thecurriculum, with girls excelling in awide range of subjects.
Sixth form provision is verystrong: students gain places at theirchosen university to study a widerange of subject including medicine,law and modern languages.
In these times of unprecedentedcompetition for good university
places, Redland High School has theexperience and commitment to guidestudents wisely and recent Depart-ment for Education statistics re-vealed that Redland High gets more ofits pupils to Russell Group Universit-ies than any other girls’ school inBristol.
Caroline Bateson believes that edu-cation involves going beyond theclassroom and she encourages thegirls to be busy and active at alllevels, through the House system,support for charity work and par-ticipating in the many school trips onof fer.
Mrs Bateson explains: “It makesthem more interesting people and bytaking pupils outside their comfortzone in a supported way, we encour-age them to grow into mature andresponsible adults, ready to go off touniversity with the confidence thatthey will thrive.”
� Visiting morning: Thursday,September 25, 9.30am, OpenMorning: Saturday, October 18, 9.15am. Website: www.redlandhigh.comTelephone: 0117 924 5796.
Caroline Bateson
We encourage pupilsto grow into mature andresponsible adults, readyto go off to universitywith the confidence thatthey will thrive.”
“
Redland High School for Girls Junior School headteacher Joe Eyles:
A strong senseof communitykey to all we do
JOE Eyles BEd has an energeticand motivational approach toleading Redland High JuniorSchool, having taught childrenacross the age range and withspecialist knowledge of manydifferent aspects of junior edu-
cation including pastoral care, nu-meracy, literacy, IT and physicale d u c at i o n .
As an Independent Schools TeamInspector, Mr Eyles also has in-depthexperience of best practice fromother schools. He is also a Governorof QEH.
The Junior School caters for girlsaged 3 – 11. The Early Years and KeyStage 1 provision, Redland High In-fants with QEH, is coeducational andthe school works closely with QEHb oy s ’ school to provide a seamlesstransition at age 7.
The size of Redland High JuniorSchool means that each child isknown extremely well and there is astrong sense of community.
Mr Eyles explains: “Some of ourgirls join aged three and continue atRedland High until they are 18.
“Others join the junior school forjust one or two years in readiness tomove into our senior school. We arecommitted to our pupils’ successfulprogress, right through to our senior
school – understanding their indi-vidual personalities, stretching themto achieve their very best, helpingthem to discover the joys of learningand instilling good habits of self-dis-cipline, integrity, courtesy and hon-esty. Through happiness and securitythe girls gain high self-esteem, en-abling them to become independentlear ners.”
There is a myriad of extra-cur-ricular activity on offer in the JuniorSchool and Mr Eyles firmly encour-ages each pupil to try at least one ofthem each term so that they can findtheir strengths and develop theself-esteem so essential for effectivelear ning.
The school also enjoys a good re-
Joy Eyles
We are committed toour pupils’ successfulprogress, understandingtheir personalities,stretching them toachieve their very best.
“
lationship with QEH, with manyjoint activities allowing girls of allages to work positively and construct-ively with boys.
Means-tested bursaries are avail-able for girls to enter Redland HighJunior School in Years 5 and 6.
Visiting Morning: Thursday,
September 25, 9.30am. Open morning:Saturday, October 18, 9.15 am. Web-site: www.redlandhigh.com Tele-phone: 0117 924 5796.
Independent education Independent education
Linda [email protected]
SPEAKING and listening might have beenaxed from the GCSE English curriculumbut the need for young people to be able tocommunicate verbally with confidencere m a i n s.
T hat’s why many students at schools andcolleges are keen to sign up for programmes thathelp develop these skills as well as other qual-ities young people will need for their workingl ive s.
Young Enterprise (YE), Envision, DebateMate, and Gabblers are among the best knownprojects in schools in the Bristol area.
Most of the focus is on 14 to 18-year-olds,although YE has programmes for children fromthe age of four. Its Tenner challenge, open toprimary and secondary aged students, have todevelop profits from a £10 loan investment, isreally taking off – Archie Kenway and LewisFrankcom, from Pucklechurch Primary inSouth Gloucestershire were national championsin the launch year, 2013.
YE’s flagship is its Company Programme, inwhich young people form companies to make,market and sell a range of products. It is popularwith both independent and state schools. Sev-enteen schools in Bristol and South Gloucester-shire took part last year as well as others inB&NES and North Somerset, and the numberwill be higher this year.
Last year, teams from Fairfield High School
(FHS) and Hanham High School (now HanhamWoods Academy) did particularly well in thecontest. Team Amaliso, from FHS, which pro-duced a Somali sauce, won the West of Englandarea title and the Diffusion team from Hanhamwere successful with their handmade candlesand tie-dye socks. Area organiser Caroline Tar-
Key skills Schemes nurturing young talent
Joel Oladapo
Envision taught me aboutgetting stuff done, basically. Itwas my first real experience ofplanning something, andsticking with it.”
“buck explained that each school is matchedwith a business adviser, who works with thestudents and their link teacher. Students takeon key roles, register their businesses, andtake part in two trade fairs to build skills suchas customer service, negotiation, teamworkand merchandising. Winners of competitionheats go through to an area final, followed bya regional, national and international final.
“It is a great way for young people to developt h e m s e l ve s, ” Ms Tarbuck said. “Young En-terprise want all young people to leave schoolhaving developed the skills, attitude and ex-perience employers are asking for – com-munication, teamworking, creativity,problem solving and resilience.”
Envision is operating its Community-Ap-prentice programme in ten Bristol areaschools this year, with the Mayor GeorgeFerguson, p i c t u re d , assuming the Lord Sugarrole. He will be supported by volunteers fromlocal companies such as Clarke Willmott andSimmons and Simmons, which will mentorthe teams.
Unlike “Sir Alan”, the mayor will not belooking for the team that can make mostprofit but the one that makes the best con-tribution to the local community.
The scheme, which started last year, en-ables young people to develop leadership andenterprise skills and make an impact bydeveloping, pitching and organising theirown projects. Regional managerGemma Timons said: “The ‘ap p re n -tices’ complete a series of challenges inorder to develop these skills but in-stead of making money as per thepopular TV show, they will be makinga difference.”
Joel Oladapo was part of ateam from Redland GreenSchool last year who or-ganised activities toraise awareness ofstreet safety amongyoung people.
He said: “E nv i s i o ntaught me about get-ting stuff done, ba-sically. It was myfirst real experi-ence of planningsomething, andsticking with it.”
Angel Capili was in-volved with a Bristolevent aimed at bringingpeople of different reli-gions together, to learnabout each other, andbreak down miscon-ceptions. “It felt amaz-
ing to see everyone come together. People saidthat they’d learned a lot. Religious stereotypesa re n’t going to stop overnight, but I knowwe ’ve planted a seed there. That makes me feelreally positive and proud,” he said.
Debate Mate is an educational charitythrough which university students go intoinner-city schools in Bristol and London toteach debating, with a national final in theHouse of Lords. It also has an internationalprogramme. Debate Mate, too, aims at de-veloping communication, teamwork,higher-order thinking, confidence and selfesteem. One teacher said: “Debate Mate giveschildren a clear sense of achievement and theyfeel empowered by their voice. They are heardand feel listened to, and they gain a sense ofthe power they will have in the future to
influence change.”Meanwhile, the Gabblers is something
of a Bristol institution. Started in 1987 byDavid Geddes, then general manager ofClifton Hotels, to enable young people tolearn how to speak clearly and effect-
ively at public appearances, the annualcontest is open to all first-year sixth
form students at school in andaround Bristol. The after-dinnerspeaking competition, now in its28th year, is organised by TheGabblers Club, a unique organ-isation, run by volunteers, andsponsored by The BristolHotel, Sounds Commercial andbusinessman John Laycock.
Schools, both independentand state-run, each select a par-ticipant who attends monthlydinners. Each student has tospeak for four minutes on agiven topic at three dinners outof six. All students then com-pete at the grand final in frontof The Lord Mayor of Bristol.
Three former Gabblers havegone to Harvard in recent yearsand believe their experience inthe competition helped them
win their places.
� Students from St Brendan's College, Redland Green School, St Mary Redcliffe School, Colston's Girls School and City Academy at theEnvision event at Clarke Willmott
Sidcot School is an independent day and boarding school set in gloriousSomerset countryside, for boys and girls aged 3 to 18.Charity number 296491
At Sidcot School we develop students’ natural curiosityand creativity. We educate them, rather than simply trainthem to pass tests, so that they can go out into the worldand live rewarding and adventurous lives.
Curious to know more? Come to our Open Morning andfind out what makes Sidcot different.
Friday 26 September 9am – noon
RSVP to Sidcot atsidcot.org.uk/contactor 01934 845236.
Scholarships andflexi-boarding available.
30 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
31 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Meet the heads Meet the heads
CAROLINE Bateson BA MA,has a commitment to aca-demic excellence as well asinvolvement in every aspectof school life including pas-
toral care, extra-curricular activities,liaising with parents and strategicplanning.
She is an Independent Schools’ in-spector and an enthusiastic teacherwho is passionate about motivatinggirls in their learning; she teaches anA-Level class each year.
Redland High School caters for awide range of academic ability andCaroline Bateson thinks that theS ch o o l ’s undoubted proficiency insupporting all its pupils comes fromoutstanding teaching and having aschool which is large enough to makea considerable subject choice viablebut small enough for each individualpupil to be developed.
There is a myriad of extra-cur-ricular activity on offer and RedlandHigh encourages pupils to take partso that they can find their strengthsand develop the self-esteem so es-sential for effective learning.
The School enjoys a good relation-
Our school’s commitment to excellenceRedland High School for Girls head teacher Caroline Bateson:
ship with local boys’ school QEH,with many joint activities allowinggirls of all ages to work positively andconstructively with boys.
This summer A Level and GCSEresults were outstanding across thecurriculum, with girls excelling in awide range of subjects.
Sixth form provision is verystrong: students gain places at theirchosen university to study a widerange of subject including medicine,law and modern languages.
In these times of unprecedentedcompetition for good university
places, Redland High School has theexperience and commitment to guidestudents wisely and recent Depart-ment for Education statistics re-vealed that Redland High gets more ofits pupils to Russell Group Universit-ies than any other girls’ school inBristol.
Caroline Bateson believes that edu-cation involves going beyond theclassroom and she encourages thegirls to be busy and active at alllevels, through the House system,support for charity work and par-ticipating in the many school trips onof fer.
Mrs Bateson explains: “It makesthem more interesting people and bytaking pupils outside their comfortzone in a supported way, we encour-age them to grow into mature andresponsible adults, ready to go off touniversity with the confidence thatthey will thrive.”
� Visiting morning: Thursday,September 25, 9.30am, OpenMorning: Saturday, October 18, 9.15am. Website: www.redlandhigh.comTelephone: 0117 924 5796.
Caroline Bateson
We encourage pupilsto grow into mature andresponsible adults, readyto go off to universitywith the confidence thatthey will thrive.”
“
Redland High School for Girls Junior School headteacher Joe Eyles:
A strong senseof communitykey to all we do
JOE Eyles BEd has an energeticand motivational approach toleading Redland High JuniorSchool, having taught childrenacross the age range and withspecialist knowledge of manydifferent aspects of junior edu-
cation including pastoral care, nu-meracy, literacy, IT and physicale d u c at i o n .
As an Independent Schools TeamInspector, Mr Eyles also has in-depthexperience of best practice fromother schools. He is also a Governorof QEH.
The Junior School caters for girlsaged 3 – 11. The Early Years and KeyStage 1 provision, Redland High In-fants with QEH, is coeducational andthe school works closely with QEHb oy s ’ school to provide a seamlesstransition at age 7.
The size of Redland High JuniorSchool means that each child isknown extremely well and there is astrong sense of community.
Mr Eyles explains: “Some of ourgirls join aged three and continue atRedland High until they are 18.
“Others join the junior school forjust one or two years in readiness tomove into our senior school. We arecommitted to our pupils’ successfulprogress, right through to our senior
school – understanding their indi-vidual personalities, stretching themto achieve their very best, helpingthem to discover the joys of learningand instilling good habits of self-dis-cipline, integrity, courtesy and hon-esty. Through happiness and securitythe girls gain high self-esteem, en-abling them to become independentlear ners.”
There is a myriad of extra-cur-ricular activity on offer in the JuniorSchool and Mr Eyles firmly encour-ages each pupil to try at least one ofthem each term so that they can findtheir strengths and develop theself-esteem so essential for effectivelear ning.
The school also enjoys a good re-
Joy Eyles
We are committed toour pupils’ successfulprogress, understandingtheir personalities,stretching them toachieve their very best.
“
lationship with QEH, with manyjoint activities allowing girls of allages to work positively and construct-ively with boys.
Means-tested bursaries are avail-able for girls to enter Redland HighJunior School in Years 5 and 6.
Visiting Morning: Thursday,
September 25, 9.30am. Open morning:Saturday, October 18, 9.15 am. Web-site: www.redlandhigh.com Tele-phone: 0117 924 5796.
Independent education Independent education
Linda [email protected]
SPEAKING and listening might have beenaxed from the GCSE English curriculumbut the need for young people to be able tocommunicate verbally with confidencere m a i n s.
T hat’s why many students at schools andcolleges are keen to sign up for programmes thathelp develop these skills as well as other qual-ities young people will need for their workingl ive s.
Young Enterprise (YE), Envision, DebateMate, and Gabblers are among the best knownprojects in schools in the Bristol area.
Most of the focus is on 14 to 18-year-olds,although YE has programmes for children fromthe age of four. Its Tenner challenge, open toprimary and secondary aged students, have todevelop profits from a £10 loan investment, isreally taking off – Archie Kenway and LewisFrankcom, from Pucklechurch Primary inSouth Gloucestershire were national championsin the launch year, 2013.
YE’s flagship is its Company Programme, inwhich young people form companies to make,market and sell a range of products. It is popularwith both independent and state schools. Sev-enteen schools in Bristol and South Gloucester-shire took part last year as well as others inB&NES and North Somerset, and the numberwill be higher this year.
Last year, teams from Fairfield High School
(FHS) and Hanham High School (now HanhamWoods Academy) did particularly well in thecontest. Team Amaliso, from FHS, which pro-duced a Somali sauce, won the West of Englandarea title and the Diffusion team from Hanhamwere successful with their handmade candlesand tie-dye socks. Area organiser Caroline Tar-
Key skills Schemes nurturing young talent
Joel Oladapo
Envision taught me aboutgetting stuff done, basically. Itwas my first real experience ofplanning something, andsticking with it.”
“buck explained that each school is matchedwith a business adviser, who works with thestudents and their link teacher. Students takeon key roles, register their businesses, andtake part in two trade fairs to build skills suchas customer service, negotiation, teamworkand merchandising. Winners of competitionheats go through to an area final, followed bya regional, national and international final.
“It is a great way for young people to developt h e m s e l ve s, ” Ms Tarbuck said. “Young En-terprise want all young people to leave schoolhaving developed the skills, attitude and ex-perience employers are asking for – com-munication, teamworking, creativity,problem solving and resilience.”
Envision is operating its Community-Ap-prentice programme in ten Bristol areaschools this year, with the Mayor GeorgeFerguson, p i c t u re d , assuming the Lord Sugarrole. He will be supported by volunteers fromlocal companies such as Clarke Willmott andSimmons and Simmons, which will mentorthe teams.
Unlike “Sir Alan”, the mayor will not belooking for the team that can make mostprofit but the one that makes the best con-tribution to the local community.
The scheme, which started last year, en-ables young people to develop leadership andenterprise skills and make an impact bydeveloping, pitching and organising theirown projects. Regional managerGemma Timons said: “The ‘ap p re n -tices’ complete a series of challenges inorder to develop these skills but in-stead of making money as per thepopular TV show, they will be makinga difference.”
Joel Oladapo was part of ateam from Redland GreenSchool last year who or-ganised activities toraise awareness ofstreet safety amongyoung people.
He said: “E nv i s i o ntaught me about get-ting stuff done, ba-sically. It was myfirst real experi-ence of planningsomething, andsticking with it.”
Angel Capili was in-volved with a Bristolevent aimed at bringingpeople of different reli-gions together, to learnabout each other, andbreak down miscon-ceptions. “It felt amaz-
ing to see everyone come together. People saidthat they’d learned a lot. Religious stereotypesa re n’t going to stop overnight, but I knowwe ’ve planted a seed there. That makes me feelreally positive and proud,” he said.
Debate Mate is an educational charitythrough which university students go intoinner-city schools in Bristol and London toteach debating, with a national final in theHouse of Lords. It also has an internationalprogramme. Debate Mate, too, aims at de-veloping communication, teamwork,higher-order thinking, confidence and selfesteem. One teacher said: “Debate Mate giveschildren a clear sense of achievement and theyfeel empowered by their voice. They are heardand feel listened to, and they gain a sense ofthe power they will have in the future to
influence change.”Meanwhile, the Gabblers is something
of a Bristol institution. Started in 1987 byDavid Geddes, then general manager ofClifton Hotels, to enable young people tolearn how to speak clearly and effect-
ively at public appearances, the annualcontest is open to all first-year sixth
form students at school in andaround Bristol. The after-dinnerspeaking competition, now in its28th year, is organised by TheGabblers Club, a unique organ-isation, run by volunteers, andsponsored by The BristolHotel, Sounds Commercial andbusinessman John Laycock.
Schools, both independentand state-run, each select a par-ticipant who attends monthlydinners. Each student has tospeak for four minutes on agiven topic at three dinners outof six. All students then com-pete at the grand final in frontof The Lord Mayor of Bristol.
Three former Gabblers havegone to Harvard in recent yearsand believe their experience inthe competition helped them
win their places.
� Students from St Brendan's College, Redland Green School, St Mary Redcliffe School, Colston's Girls School and City Academy at theEnvision event at Clarke Willmott
Sidcot School is an independent day and boarding school set in gloriousSomerset countryside, for boys and girls aged 3 to 18.Charity number 296491
At Sidcot School we develop students’ natural curiosityand creativity. We educate them, rather than simply trainthem to pass tests, so that they can go out into the worldand live rewarding and adventurous lives.
Curious to know more? Come to our Open Morning andfind out what makes Sidcot different.
Friday 26 September 9am – noon
RSVP to Sidcot atsidcot.org.uk/contactor 01934 845236.
Scholarships andflexi-boarding available.
32 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
33 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
THIS is a momentous time forme – I have been headteacherat The Red Maids’ Ju n i o rSchool for the past 29 yearsbut I will be retiring in
December and leaving a school that Iopened with so much pride in 1986.
I have so many wonderful memor-ies – of our pupils, staff and parentswho together make this such a spe-cial school.
Our aim is no different now to whatit has always been – to provide girlswith the best possible start to theireducation, to allow personalities andfriendships to blossom and to nur-ture their interests, energies and tal-e n t s.
We currently have space for up to120 Junior Red Maids starting fromYear Three. We are a close com-munity, where the girls are delib-erately organised in mixed agegroups for pastoral sessions to en-hance that quality, and we aim foreveryone to be involved ineve r y t h i n g .
Academic coursework is guided bythe National Curriculum and our KeyStage 2 English and mathematicsSAT results are consistently high butthe timetable includes plenty of art,sport, music, science, current affairs,Mandarin, history, geography,French, Latin and RE.
The Red Maids’ Junior School headteacher Gillian Rowcliffe:
Providing best possible start in education
Meet the heads Meet the heads
The importance of kindness to-wards others, good manners, respect-ing people’s property and theenvironment are important themesembedded in weekly discussions andgirls are rewarded for their contri-bu t i o n .
The extra-curricular programmeencourages all sorts of interests:climbing, caving, and kayaking areparticularly popular, as arebell-ringing, origami and tag rugby.
Musical groups and sports clubs,together with whole school dramaproductions are built into the JuniorRed Maids’ experience with the aimof turning out well-rounded, poisedand above all happy girls who makean impact wherever they go.
I do hope you will make a date tovisit us during the autumn. To do so,contact Mrs Lynn McCabe on 0117 9629451 or [email protected] o l . s ch . u k
AS a teacher and headmaster, Iam naturally interested inwhat the government of theday has to say about edu-c at i o n .
Primarily, I want to hear their vis-ion for what young people in ourcountry could and should achieve;and then I’m interested in the ways inwhich they will support those work-ing in education to deliver on thatvision.
What I don’t want politicians to bedoing is laying down in minute detailwhat should be going on in thecl a s s ro o m .
It seems to me that’s my job and thejob of the many talented colleagueswho teach alongside me.
When politicians start making an-nouncements about the changes theywould make to the syllabus for this orthat subject or the grade boundariesfor this or that exam, I can’t helpthinking that they are missing arather fundamental point about howone goes about achieving improve-ments in educational attainment.
Tinkering with technical detailssimply will not do it because, at itscore, education is about somethingmuch broader than that: it is aboutbuilding confidence in the ability ofyoung people to learn and equippingthem to navigate their way in thewo rl d .
At BGS, we want to see our stu-dents leaving the school feeling ex-cited about what the world has tooffer and ambitious for the role theywill play in it. That’s what employersand universities tell us they want tosee too.
Of course we take great pride anddelight in how they perform aca-demically in exams and courseworkbut we recognise that that perform-ance is founded in no small part onthe confidence they gain through, forexample, a rich programme of co-cur-ricular activity, horizon-broadeningtravel, involvement in charitablework and the strong pastoral supportoffered by our House system.
My staff undoubtedly work hard onthe detailed planning of imaginativecourses of study and spend time mon-
Headmaster of Bristol Grammar School Rod MacKinnon:
Confidence keyin the adventureof learning
Peter Huckle, headmaster of BGS Infants and Juniors:
A rich history – and an exciting future
Rod MacKinnon
At BGS, we want tosee our students leavingthe school feeling excitedabout what the world hasto offer and ambitious forthe role they will play in it.
“
itoring individual performance andadjusting provision accordingly.However, this work is always in theservice of a much broader, exciting
vision which underpins everythingwe do at BGS – namely to see ouryoung people embark on an adven-ture of learning which, we hope, will
continue throughout their lives.I hope you will take the opportunity
to come and see that adventure un-derway for yourselves.
BGS Infants and Juniors is aplace where we are rightlyproud of our history but, atthe same time, always look-ing to the future; where a
strong sense of continuity and sta-bility combines with an exciting de-sire for new approaches.
That feeling of history-in-the-mak-ing was particularly striking this au-tumn as the first pupils to join ourInfant School in January 2010 tooktheir places in the senior school.These young pioneers are now part ofthe story of our school and we’reproud to send them on their way tothe bright future we know liesahead.
One of the many benefits of anall-through school such as BGS, ofcourse, is that we will not lose touchwith them. Connections with olderstudents in the senior school are animportant way for our younger stu-dents to develop and we love, forexample, to welcome sixth formers tohelp with reading in the infantsschool or to encourage our Year 5singers to team up with those in Year
7 to form a choir.Similarly, although most of our
teaching and learning happens in thepurpose-designed surroundings ofour own buildings, we are alwayslooking for opportunities to make useof the facilities available across theschool campus – such as the sportshall and science labs – and to invite
teachers from the senior school staffto share their expertise with us inspecialist areas such as dance, art,games or food technology.
Thanks to the energy and initiativeof our excellent staff team there arealways new opportunities emerging.Whether it be performing on stage atthe Tobacco Factory as part of theShakespeare Schools Festival, com-peting in the English PrimaryS ch o o l s ’ Chess Association semi fi-nals hosted here at BGS, or joining astudent literary committee to organ-ise readings from visiting authors,life at BGS Infants and Juniorsprovides every chance to build a firmfoundation for a lifetime of learning.
When our students finally leave theBGS Sixth Form to make their way inthe world, and we sit alongside oneanother at the Leavers’ Dinner in theGreat Hall, I know it will be ex-periences like this in the infants andjunior school that we recall togetheras being so very formative for thecontinuing story of their learningadventure, wherever it may leadthem.
Peter Huckle
Thanks to the energyand initiative of ourexcellent staff team thereare always newopportunities emerging,whether it be performingon stage at the TobaccoFactory as part of theShakespeare SchoolsFestival or joining aliterary committee.
“Gillian Rowcliffe
I have so manywonderful memories – ofour pupils, staff andparents who togethermake this such a specialschool.
“
IF you are a parent looking forschool information, there is onekey point I want you to remem-ber about Red Maids’: our stu-dents are very happy and
fulfilled and they achieve the highestlevels of academic success year afterye a r.
They leave us to move on to the bestuniversities – commonly Oxford,Cambridge, UCL, Imperial College,Durham and Edinburgh, among oth-ers – to pursue their ambitions inmedicine, veterinary science, engin-eering, law and languages to namebut a few.
Red Maids’ consistently appears inthe Top 100 independent schoolsbased on our Sixth Form and GCSEre s u l t s.
Whichever way you look at it, RedMaids’ is a successful and specialeducational establishment and Iwould urge you to visit us.
Our students excel in the sciences,at languages and in the humanities.Music, drama and sport also play abig part in their lives.
Their curricular learning is sup-ported by exciting and challengingtrips and extra-curricular opportun-ities at home and overseas, such asour projects in Nepal and Cambodia,
and through participation in specialevents including the EdinburghFringe Festival, the Rotary compet-ition for Young Musicians and usingour own observatory.
We make use of mobile technologythrough iPads to create dynamic,stimulating and independent learn-ing and our links with many indus-tries and professions bring practicaland up-to-date learning directly intothe classroom.
Preparing pupilsfor the UK’sbest universities
Red Maids’ Senior School headmistress Isabel Tobias:
Isabel Tobias
Red Maids’consistently appears inthe Top 100 independentschools based on ourSixth Form and GCSEresults. Whichever wayyou look at it, RedMaids’ is a successfuland special educationalestablishment and I urgeyou to visit us.
“
As a girls-only schools, we max-imise the benefits of our single-sexenvironment by ensuring studentsare able to work in ways that best suitthem, enabling them to build strong
self-esteem, to take on a wide range ofleadership roles and to aspire to anyp ro f e s s i o n .
� Make a date to come and meet
us at one of our autumn visitingevents. For more information, pleasecontact our Admissions Registrar on0117 989 8252 ore _ b a m b e r @ re d m a i d s . b r i s t o l . s c h . u k
32 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
33 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
THIS is a momentous time forme – I have been headteacherat The Red Maids’ Ju n i o rSchool for the past 29 yearsbut I will be retiring in
December and leaving a school that Iopened with so much pride in 1986.
I have so many wonderful memor-ies – of our pupils, staff and parentswho together make this such a spe-cial school.
Our aim is no different now to whatit has always been – to provide girlswith the best possible start to theireducation, to allow personalities andfriendships to blossom and to nur-ture their interests, energies and tal-e n t s.
We currently have space for up to120 Junior Red Maids starting fromYear Three. We are a close com-munity, where the girls are delib-erately organised in mixed agegroups for pastoral sessions to en-hance that quality, and we aim foreveryone to be involved ineve r y t h i n g .
Academic coursework is guided bythe National Curriculum and our KeyStage 2 English and mathematicsSAT results are consistently high butthe timetable includes plenty of art,sport, music, science, current affairs,Mandarin, history, geography,French, Latin and RE.
The Red Maids’ Junior School headteacher Gillian Rowcliffe:
Providing best possible start in education
Meet the heads Meet the heads
The importance of kindness to-wards others, good manners, respect-ing people’s property and theenvironment are important themesembedded in weekly discussions andgirls are rewarded for their contri-bu t i o n .
The extra-curricular programmeencourages all sorts of interests:climbing, caving, and kayaking areparticularly popular, as arebell-ringing, origami and tag rugby.
Musical groups and sports clubs,together with whole school dramaproductions are built into the JuniorRed Maids’ experience with the aimof turning out well-rounded, poisedand above all happy girls who makean impact wherever they go.
I do hope you will make a date tovisit us during the autumn. To do so,contact Mrs Lynn McCabe on 0117 9629451 or [email protected] o l . s ch . u k
AS a teacher and headmaster, Iam naturally interested inwhat the government of theday has to say about edu-c at i o n .
Primarily, I want to hear their vis-ion for what young people in ourcountry could and should achieve;and then I’m interested in the ways inwhich they will support those work-ing in education to deliver on thatvision.
What I don’t want politicians to bedoing is laying down in minute detailwhat should be going on in thecl a s s ro o m .
It seems to me that’s my job and thejob of the many talented colleagueswho teach alongside me.
When politicians start making an-nouncements about the changes theywould make to the syllabus for this orthat subject or the grade boundariesfor this or that exam, I can’t helpthinking that they are missing arather fundamental point about howone goes about achieving improve-ments in educational attainment.
Tinkering with technical detailssimply will not do it because, at itscore, education is about somethingmuch broader than that: it is aboutbuilding confidence in the ability ofyoung people to learn and equippingthem to navigate their way in thewo rl d .
At BGS, we want to see our stu-dents leaving the school feeling ex-cited about what the world has tooffer and ambitious for the role theywill play in it. That’s what employersand universities tell us they want tosee too.
Of course we take great pride anddelight in how they perform aca-demically in exams and courseworkbut we recognise that that perform-ance is founded in no small part onthe confidence they gain through, forexample, a rich programme of co-cur-ricular activity, horizon-broadeningtravel, involvement in charitablework and the strong pastoral supportoffered by our House system.
My staff undoubtedly work hard onthe detailed planning of imaginativecourses of study and spend time mon-
Headmaster of Bristol Grammar School Rod MacKinnon:
Confidence keyin the adventureof learning
Peter Huckle, headmaster of BGS Infants and Juniors:
A rich history – and an exciting future
Rod MacKinnon
At BGS, we want tosee our students leavingthe school feeling excitedabout what the world hasto offer and ambitious forthe role they will play in it.
“
itoring individual performance andadjusting provision accordingly.However, this work is always in theservice of a much broader, exciting
vision which underpins everythingwe do at BGS – namely to see ouryoung people embark on an adven-ture of learning which, we hope, will
continue throughout their lives.I hope you will take the opportunity
to come and see that adventure un-derway for yourselves.
BGS Infants and Juniors is aplace where we are rightlyproud of our history but, atthe same time, always look-ing to the future; where a
strong sense of continuity and sta-bility combines with an exciting de-sire for new approaches.
That feeling of history-in-the-mak-ing was particularly striking this au-tumn as the first pupils to join ourInfant School in January 2010 tooktheir places in the senior school.These young pioneers are now part ofthe story of our school and we’reproud to send them on their way tothe bright future we know liesahead.
One of the many benefits of anall-through school such as BGS, ofcourse, is that we will not lose touchwith them. Connections with olderstudents in the senior school are animportant way for our younger stu-dents to develop and we love, forexample, to welcome sixth formers tohelp with reading in the infantsschool or to encourage our Year 5singers to team up with those in Year
7 to form a choir.Similarly, although most of our
teaching and learning happens in thepurpose-designed surroundings ofour own buildings, we are alwayslooking for opportunities to make useof the facilities available across theschool campus – such as the sportshall and science labs – and to invite
teachers from the senior school staffto share their expertise with us inspecialist areas such as dance, art,games or food technology.
Thanks to the energy and initiativeof our excellent staff team there arealways new opportunities emerging.Whether it be performing on stage atthe Tobacco Factory as part of theShakespeare Schools Festival, com-peting in the English PrimaryS ch o o l s ’ Chess Association semi fi-nals hosted here at BGS, or joining astudent literary committee to organ-ise readings from visiting authors,life at BGS Infants and Juniorsprovides every chance to build a firmfoundation for a lifetime of learning.
When our students finally leave theBGS Sixth Form to make their way inthe world, and we sit alongside oneanother at the Leavers’ Dinner in theGreat Hall, I know it will be ex-periences like this in the infants andjunior school that we recall togetheras being so very formative for thecontinuing story of their learningadventure, wherever it may leadthem.
Peter Huckle
Thanks to the energyand initiative of ourexcellent staff team thereare always newopportunities emerging,whether it be performingon stage at the TobaccoFactory as part of theShakespeare SchoolsFestival or joining aliterary committee.
“Gillian Rowcliffe
I have so manywonderful memories – ofour pupils, staff andparents who togethermake this such a specialschool.
“
IF you are a parent looking forschool information, there is onekey point I want you to remem-ber about Red Maids’: our stu-dents are very happy and
fulfilled and they achieve the highestlevels of academic success year afterye a r.
They leave us to move on to the bestuniversities – commonly Oxford,Cambridge, UCL, Imperial College,Durham and Edinburgh, among oth-ers – to pursue their ambitions inmedicine, veterinary science, engin-eering, law and languages to namebut a few.
Red Maids’ consistently appears inthe Top 100 independent schoolsbased on our Sixth Form and GCSEre s u l t s.
Whichever way you look at it, RedMaids’ is a successful and specialeducational establishment and Iwould urge you to visit us.
Our students excel in the sciences,at languages and in the humanities.Music, drama and sport also play abig part in their lives.
Their curricular learning is sup-ported by exciting and challengingtrips and extra-curricular opportun-ities at home and overseas, such asour projects in Nepal and Cambodia,
and through participation in specialevents including the EdinburghFringe Festival, the Rotary compet-ition for Young Musicians and usingour own observatory.
We make use of mobile technologythrough iPads to create dynamic,stimulating and independent learn-ing and our links with many indus-tries and professions bring practicaland up-to-date learning directly intothe classroom.
Preparing pupilsfor the UK’sbest universities
Red Maids’ Senior School headmistress Isabel Tobias:
Isabel Tobias
Red Maids’consistently appears inthe Top 100 independentschools based on ourSixth Form and GCSEresults. Whichever wayyou look at it, RedMaids’ is a successfuland special educationalestablishment and I urgeyou to visit us.
“
As a girls-only schools, we max-imise the benefits of our single-sexenvironment by ensuring studentsare able to work in ways that best suitthem, enabling them to build strong
self-esteem, to take on a wide range ofleadership roles and to aspire to anyp ro f e s s i o n .
� Make a date to come and meet
us at one of our autumn visitingevents. For more information, pleasecontact our Admissions Registrar on0117 989 8252 ore _ b a m b e r @ re d m a i d s . b r i s t o l . s c h . u k
34 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
35 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Meet the heads Meet the heads
Badminton School principal Rebecca Tear:
Wonderful to bepart of friendlya t m os p h e re
AT Badminton, the staff, bothacademic and pastoral aswell as all those in support-ing roles, work to inspireideas and develop curiosity
in the pupils.The aim, of course, is to facilitate
the girls’ access to the next step oftheir educational journey, but on theway, we hope that our holistic ap-proach broadens their thinking anddoes not simply “fill them up” withknowledg e.
There is also plenty of opportunityto actually do things rather than justthink about them; I love the way thegirls actively engage with their sub-ject material through research pro-jects and community work, ratherthan just gathering paper qualific-at i o n s.
In fact, one of the most frustratingaspects of my day is knowing thenumber of amazing things that aretaking place in school at any one timeand not being able to get to all ofthem!
B a d m i n t o n’s holistic approach, inwhich creative arts and sports areintegral to everyday life, means that,from the moment you walk throughthe gates, the busy, friendly atmo-sphere surrounds you in all that is
happening. It is wonderful to be a partof it and to capture the energy thatthe girls exude as they throw them-selves into all they do.
The broad range of activities en-sures that everyone can findsomething that interests or chal-lenges them and helps to developthem into the person they want to be.Other than being curious, out-ward-looking and confident, there isno “Badminton type”; each girl isunique!
I certainly feel privileged to be a
Rebecca Tear
There is also plenty ofopportunity to actuallydo things rather than justthink about them; I lovethe way the girls activelyengage with their subjectmaterial throughresearch projects andcommunity work, ratherthan just gathering paperqualifications.
“
part of the community here and amhugely proud of all that the girlsachieve, but the best part of my job
has to be sharing the laughter andsense of fun that will certainly eruptthrough whatever is going on at some
point every day!� For further details, visitw w w. b a d m i n t o n s c h o o l . c o . u k .
AS I enter my third year asHead of Colston’s LowerSchool, I am looking forwardvery much to welcoming par-ents and children to our open
morning on September 27.It’s actually eight years since my
wife, Karen, and I visited manyschools to decide which would bestmeet the broad academic and sport-ing ambitions of our own three chil-dren. At that time Colston’s stood outfrom the rest, and still does.
I am proud to say that Colston’scontinues to have a very special anddistinctive atmosphere. We encour-age our pupils to develop excellentmanners, self-motivation, tolerance,respect for others and a sense ofresponsibility. In return we find themopen, happy and courteous youngp e o p l e.
Small classes and a generous staff-ing ratio ensure that work is carefullyplanned to meet the needs of eachchild. Teachers have high expecta-tions, encouraging all children to per-form at their best.
The close bond that exists betweenC o l s t o n’s Lower School and parentsis often firmly established at nurseryand reception levels. The transitionto reception works well because thenursery is an integral part of theLower School.
Beyond reception, the curriculumgradually becomes more formal,providing children with strong basicskills and preparing them for KeyStage 2.
Before you know it, your son ordaughter will be enjoying a growingrange of academic subjects includinglanguages, design technology, ICT, art
Forest School activities.Before I embarked on my teaching
career in 2001 I held a number ofsenior management posts in businessand industry. I strongly believe thatthis background and experience helpto get the best out of people and helpour school understand its place in thebroader community. I and my col-leagues also understand the busyschedules of our parents, so we arepleased to offer pre and after-schoolclubs from 7.45am up to 5.30pm.� For more details, call 0117 9655297 or visitw w w. c o l s t o n s . b r i s t o l . s c h . u k .
Colston’s Lower School head teacher Stuart Smart:
C o l sto n ’s still stands outfrom the rest for me
ACROSS the independentschool community alleyes were on Dr AlisonNeill and Clifton HighSchool this summer as
this was a highly significant yearfor the school.
In 2008, Dr Neill became Head ofSchool and introduced far-reach-ing changes.
Not only did the school becomefully co-educational but it also ad-opted the pioneering DiamondModel of education.
The boys and girls who receivedtheir A-level and GCSE results thissummer were the first cohort ofpupils to be fully educated at Clif-ton High since these changes wereput in place.
The proof of the pudding, as theysay, is in the eating, and for DrAlison Neill and the Clifton HighSchool team the wait is finallyover and the results were excep-tional.
In this summer’s results 26% ofstudents achieved all A* or Agrades at A level with around 80%going to Russell Group Universit-i e s.
At GCSE, almost 30% of studentsachieved all A* or A grades. Al-though some of the changes DrNeill and her team put in placewere significant she has ensuredthat the school remains true to itscore beliefs and the focus on theindividual child coupled with out-standing pastoral care remain atthe heart of the school’s ap-p ro a ch .
Thanks to the leadership of DrNeill and her excellent team , thesense of community is incredibly
strong among Clifton High Schoolstaff, parents and governors.
Dr Neill said: “The young menand women, their parents, ourstaff and our governors haveshown trust and loyalty to CHS onour journey over the last sixye a r s.
“This summer’s results are test-ament to the hard work determ-ination and vision of us all.
“Not only have our studentsachieved an outstanding set ofqualifications but through ourunique approach to co-educationhave had learning and social ex-periences which give them distinctadvantages as they move into uni-versities and eventually into thebroader world of work wheremales and females interact andengage daily.”
THE best way to get to knowmyself and Colston’s Schoolwould be to come to the openmorning on September 27.You will find that Colston’s is
a vibrant, busy and diverse placewhere our happy students achieveexcellent things. Fully co-educationalthroughout its three-18 age range, thegirls and boys come from a widerange of backgrounds and with arange of experience and ability to theLower School (three-11) and theUpper School (11- 18).
Both are found on a glorious greensite in Stapleton, with access to ex-tensive playing fields, a theatre,sports hall, fitness centre and concertvenue, not forgetting our forestschool for the younger students.
In this atmosphere, Colstoniansachieve excellent results, but all weever ask is that individuals do thevery best they can in everything thatthey do and we celebrate theirachievements accordingly.
Another cause for celebration atC o l s t o n’s is our service to others. The
school motto “Go and do thou like-w i s e, ” which is taken from the par-able of The Good Samaritan, can beseen reflected in the activities andattitudes of the students.
It is also embodied by the Gov-erning body who, assisted by bothgenerous individual former pupilsand collectively by the Old Colsto-nian Society, administer an extensiveprogramme of bursaries which everyyear allows students, who would oth-erwise not be able to access a Col-s t o n’s education, the chance to enjoyall that we have to offer.
Beyond the open morning, I canrecommend our taster days whengirls and boys can join a Colston’sclass and experience the fullt i m e t abl e.
Very briefly about me: I was edu-cated at Rushcliffe ComprehensiveSchool in Nottingham, Oxford Uni-versity and then Cambridge. I havetaught in Bishop’s Stortford and Ed-inburgh, and have arrived at Col-s t o n’s having been Second Master atLancing College in Sussex. Sally and Ihave four boys who are now all atC o l s t o n’s.� For more details, call us on 0117965 5207 or visitw w w. c o l s t o n s . b r i s t o l . s c h . u k .
Ofsted report
Not only have ourstudents achieved anoutstanding set ofqualifications but throughour unique approach toco-education have hadlearning and socialexperiences which givethem distinct advantagesas they move intouniversities and eventuallyinto the broader world ofwork.
“
Colston’s School headteacher Jeremy McCullough:
Vibrant, busy and diverse
Dr Alison Neill, head of Clifton High School:
Diamond modelhelping ourpupils to shine
and music.Just as important, personal devel-
opment is central to the Colston’sexperience, and is secured through awide range of activities and oppor-tunities at the Lower School.
Our outstanding range of clubs andextra-curricular activities extend farbeyond the norm. Indeed they en-hance a rich and stimulating cur-riculum, giving each child theopportunity to develop individual tal-ents and skills.
Full use is made of 30 acres ofplaying fields including an area ofwoodland dedicated to our weekly
Bold school isnever afraid totry new things
Andrew Wood, Deputy Head, Clifton High School:
THIS September Clifton HighSchool welcomed new deputyhead Andrew Wood. An ex-perienced deputy head with akeen focus on academic ex-
cellence and life-long learning, MrWood is an outstanding teacher whowill be an invaluable member of theschool team.
Having spent the last few yearsteaching in Sydney, Australia, MrWood said: “I was attracted to CliftonHigh as it is a real success story. It hastransformed itself into an academ-ically strong co-educational schoolwhich has a real focus on academicexcellence balanced with outstand-ing pastoral care.
“As an organisation it has beenbold in its approach and is not afraidto try new things.”
Dr Alison Neill, Head of School,said: “We are fortunate to have such
an innovative, fresh thinking pro-fessional join our team.
“He has had incredible success inhis previous posts and we welcomehim to the Clifton High family.”
Clifton High educates girls andboys from 3-18 and as well as beingDeputy Head of the whole school, MrWood has specific responsibility forthe Nursery to Junior Schools.
One of his first tasks this autumnwas to open the doors and welcomechildren into the newly-refurbishedand expanded Nursery School.
As well as having a strong aca-demic focus Mr Wood is also a bio-logist and a keen sportsman. He playshockey, and has coached teams atcounty level.
At the weekends he can often befound in the gym, spending time withhis young family or cycling the roadsaround the South West.
34 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014
EPB-
E01-
S5
35 EPB-E01-S5
w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Meet the heads Meet the heads
Badminton School principal Rebecca Tear:
Wonderful to bepart of friendlya t m os p h e re
AT Badminton, the staff, bothacademic and pastoral aswell as all those in support-ing roles, work to inspireideas and develop curiosity
in the pupils.The aim, of course, is to facilitate
the girls’ access to the next step oftheir educational journey, but on theway, we hope that our holistic ap-proach broadens their thinking anddoes not simply “fill them up” withknowledg e.
There is also plenty of opportunityto actually do things rather than justthink about them; I love the way thegirls actively engage with their sub-ject material through research pro-jects and community work, ratherthan just gathering paper qualific-at i o n s.
In fact, one of the most frustratingaspects of my day is knowing thenumber of amazing things that aretaking place in school at any one timeand not being able to get to all ofthem!
B a d m i n t o n’s holistic approach, inwhich creative arts and sports areintegral to everyday life, means that,from the moment you walk throughthe gates, the busy, friendly atmo-sphere surrounds you in all that is
happening. It is wonderful to be a partof it and to capture the energy thatthe girls exude as they throw them-selves into all they do.
The broad range of activities en-sures that everyone can findsomething that interests or chal-lenges them and helps to developthem into the person they want to be.Other than being curious, out-ward-looking and confident, there isno “Badminton type”; each girl isunique!
I certainly feel privileged to be a
Rebecca Tear
There is also plenty ofopportunity to actuallydo things rather than justthink about them; I lovethe way the girls activelyengage with their subjectmaterial throughresearch projects andcommunity work, ratherthan just gathering paperqualifications.
“
part of the community here and amhugely proud of all that the girlsachieve, but the best part of my job
has to be sharing the laughter andsense of fun that will certainly eruptthrough whatever is going on at some
point every day!� For further details, visitw w w. b a d m i n t o n s c h o o l . c o . u k .
AS I enter my third year asHead of Colston’s LowerSchool, I am looking forwardvery much to welcoming par-ents and children to our open
morning on September 27.It’s actually eight years since my
wife, Karen, and I visited manyschools to decide which would bestmeet the broad academic and sport-ing ambitions of our own three chil-dren. At that time Colston’s stood outfrom the rest, and still does.
I am proud to say that Colston’scontinues to have a very special anddistinctive atmosphere. We encour-age our pupils to develop excellentmanners, self-motivation, tolerance,respect for others and a sense ofresponsibility. In return we find themopen, happy and courteous youngp e o p l e.
Small classes and a generous staff-ing ratio ensure that work is carefullyplanned to meet the needs of eachchild. Teachers have high expecta-tions, encouraging all children to per-form at their best.
The close bond that exists betweenC o l s t o n’s Lower School and parentsis often firmly established at nurseryand reception levels. The transitionto reception works well because thenursery is an integral part of theLower School.
Beyond reception, the curriculumgradually becomes more formal,providing children with strong basicskills and preparing them for KeyStage 2.
Before you know it, your son ordaughter will be enjoying a growingrange of academic subjects includinglanguages, design technology, ICT, art
Forest School activities.Before I embarked on my teaching
career in 2001 I held a number ofsenior management posts in businessand industry. I strongly believe thatthis background and experience helpto get the best out of people and helpour school understand its place in thebroader community. I and my col-leagues also understand the busyschedules of our parents, so we arepleased to offer pre and after-schoolclubs from 7.45am up to 5.30pm.� For more details, call 0117 9655297 or visitw w w. c o l s t o n s . b r i s t o l . s c h . u k .
Colston’s Lower School head teacher Stuart Smart:
C o l sto n ’s still stands outfrom the rest for me
ACROSS the independentschool community alleyes were on Dr AlisonNeill and Clifton HighSchool this summer as
this was a highly significant yearfor the school.
In 2008, Dr Neill became Head ofSchool and introduced far-reach-ing changes.
Not only did the school becomefully co-educational but it also ad-opted the pioneering DiamondModel of education.
The boys and girls who receivedtheir A-level and GCSE results thissummer were the first cohort ofpupils to be fully educated at Clif-ton High since these changes wereput in place.
The proof of the pudding, as theysay, is in the eating, and for DrAlison Neill and the Clifton HighSchool team the wait is finallyover and the results were excep-tional.
In this summer’s results 26% ofstudents achieved all A* or Agrades at A level with around 80%going to Russell Group Universit-i e s.
At GCSE, almost 30% of studentsachieved all A* or A grades. Al-though some of the changes DrNeill and her team put in placewere significant she has ensuredthat the school remains true to itscore beliefs and the focus on theindividual child coupled with out-standing pastoral care remain atthe heart of the school’s ap-p ro a ch .
Thanks to the leadership of DrNeill and her excellent team , thesense of community is incredibly
strong among Clifton High Schoolstaff, parents and governors.
Dr Neill said: “The young menand women, their parents, ourstaff and our governors haveshown trust and loyalty to CHS onour journey over the last sixye a r s.
“This summer’s results are test-ament to the hard work determ-ination and vision of us all.
“Not only have our studentsachieved an outstanding set ofqualifications but through ourunique approach to co-educationhave had learning and social ex-periences which give them distinctadvantages as they move into uni-versities and eventually into thebroader world of work wheremales and females interact andengage daily.”
THE best way to get to knowmyself and Colston’s Schoolwould be to come to the openmorning on September 27.You will find that Colston’s is
a vibrant, busy and diverse placewhere our happy students achieveexcellent things. Fully co-educationalthroughout its three-18 age range, thegirls and boys come from a widerange of backgrounds and with arange of experience and ability to theLower School (three-11) and theUpper School (11- 18).
Both are found on a glorious greensite in Stapleton, with access to ex-tensive playing fields, a theatre,sports hall, fitness centre and concertvenue, not forgetting our forestschool for the younger students.
In this atmosphere, Colstoniansachieve excellent results, but all weever ask is that individuals do thevery best they can in everything thatthey do and we celebrate theirachievements accordingly.
Another cause for celebration atC o l s t o n’s is our service to others. The
school motto “Go and do thou like-w i s e, ” which is taken from the par-able of The Good Samaritan, can beseen reflected in the activities andattitudes of the students.
It is also embodied by the Gov-erning body who, assisted by bothgenerous individual former pupilsand collectively by the Old Colsto-nian Society, administer an extensiveprogramme of bursaries which everyyear allows students, who would oth-erwise not be able to access a Col-s t o n’s education, the chance to enjoyall that we have to offer.
Beyond the open morning, I canrecommend our taster days whengirls and boys can join a Colston’sclass and experience the fullt i m e t abl e.
Very briefly about me: I was edu-cated at Rushcliffe ComprehensiveSchool in Nottingham, Oxford Uni-versity and then Cambridge. I havetaught in Bishop’s Stortford and Ed-inburgh, and have arrived at Col-s t o n’s having been Second Master atLancing College in Sussex. Sally and Ihave four boys who are now all atC o l s t o n’s.� For more details, call us on 0117965 5207 or visitw w w. c o l s t o n s . b r i s t o l . s c h . u k .
Ofsted report
Not only have ourstudents achieved anoutstanding set ofqualifications but throughour unique approach toco-education have hadlearning and socialexperiences which givethem distinct advantagesas they move intouniversities and eventuallyinto the broader world ofwork.
“
Colston’s School headteacher Jeremy McCullough:
Vibrant, busy and diverse
Dr Alison Neill, head of Clifton High School:
Diamond modelhelping ourpupils to shine
and music.Just as important, personal devel-
opment is central to the Colston’sexperience, and is secured through awide range of activities and oppor-tunities at the Lower School.
Our outstanding range of clubs andextra-curricular activities extend farbeyond the norm. Indeed they en-hance a rich and stimulating cur-riculum, giving each child theopportunity to develop individual tal-ents and skills.
Full use is made of 30 acres ofplaying fields including an area ofwoodland dedicated to our weekly
Bold school isnever afraid totry new things
Andrew Wood, Deputy Head, Clifton High School:
THIS September Clifton HighSchool welcomed new deputyhead Andrew Wood. An ex-perienced deputy head with akeen focus on academic ex-
cellence and life-long learning, MrWood is an outstanding teacher whowill be an invaluable member of theschool team.
Having spent the last few yearsteaching in Sydney, Australia, MrWood said: “I was attracted to CliftonHigh as it is a real success story. It hastransformed itself into an academ-ically strong co-educational schoolwhich has a real focus on academicexcellence balanced with outstand-ing pastoral care.
“As an organisation it has beenbold in its approach and is not afraidto try new things.”
Dr Alison Neill, Head of School,said: “We are fortunate to have such
an innovative, fresh thinking pro-fessional join our team.
“He has had incredible success inhis previous posts and we welcomehim to the Clifton High family.”
Clifton High educates girls andboys from 3-18 and as well as beingDeputy Head of the whole school, MrWood has specific responsibility forthe Nursery to Junior Schools.
One of his first tasks this autumnwas to open the doors and welcomechildren into the newly-refurbishedand expanded Nursery School.
As well as having a strong aca-demic focus Mr Wood is also a bio-logist and a keen sportsman. He playshockey, and has coached teams atcounty level.
At the weekends he can often befound in the gym, spending time withhis young family or cycling the roadsaround the South West.
EPB-
E01-
S5
36 Tu e s d a y, September 16, 2014w w w. bristolpost.co.uk
Meet the heads Meet the heads
QEH Junior School Headmas-ter, Martin Morris, says: “Al-though QEH only opened itsJunior School in 2007 wehave built an enviable repu-tation, remaining smallenough to guarantee a happy,
enriched educational experience forboys. “We incorporate the strong ethosand values of the 425-year-old SeniorSchool while retaining our own in-dividual identity.
“A key aim is to develop each boy’spersonal qualities, provide a soundfoundation for his future, and ensurethat every boy leaves recognising him-self as a lifelong learner. We are par-ticularly keen to break out from thetraditional idea of the four-walledclassroom, and make our ‘cl a s s ro o m ’the wider world.
“I believe that QEH Junior School isunique, with Brandon Hill and theoutstanding facilities of Bristol cul-ture and education right on its door-step: fostering a deep love of learningwhilst nurturing the interests and tal-ents of boys is readily achievable. InYears 4, 5 and 6 our teaching is sub-ject-based which prepares our fortyYear 6 boys to move on to QEH Seniors,secure in knowledge and understand-
ing of the complexities of the worldaround them.”
“Pastoral care and standards of aca-demic excellence are strong, andequally high standards in drama, sportand music mean a top-quality,well-rounded education for the boys. Inrecent years the swimming, rugby and
football teams have reached the na-tional finals in their respective sports,and this winter the school will beperforming at The Arnolfini as part ofthe Shakespeare Festival.
“The school has developed theunique ‘QE Award’ – a junior versionof the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.Boys engage in extra-curricular activ-ities including public performance,community work and physical recre-ation, as well as taking part in ex-peditions and camps.”
A new feature of QEH Juniors isthat, in conjunction with RedlandHigh School, boys can join RHS Infantsin readiness to join us later at Year 3.Mr Morris says: “This has alreadyproved popular with twice the anti-cipated number of boys signing up atRedland High School.”
The headmaster, Mr Martin Morris,invites prospective parents to visit, orcome to the Junior School open morn-ings on Friday 10 and Saturday 11October in the QEH Theatre.
For more information or a prospect-us visit www.qehbristol.co.uk, [email protected] or tele-phone Mrs Carolyn Matthews, Admis-sions Registrar, to arrange a visit on0117 930 3068.
Juniors quickly buildingup an enviable reputation
Martin Morris, headmaster of QEH Juniors, Bristol:
Proud schoolcelebrates its425th birthday
Stephen Holliday, head of QEH, Bristol:
STEPHEN Holliday, headmas-ter of QEH for 15 years, isjustifiably proud of his schooland its history. “QEH celeb-rates its 425th anniversary as
the ‘City School’ this year,” he says,“and is more thriving than ever, with670 boys aged 7 to 18.”
Along with being the top perform-ing day school in Bristol, QEH todayis firmly amongst leading academicschools nationally. Most boys go totheir first-choice of top universitiesor medical schools, including 10% toOxford and Cambridge.
Mr Holliday said: “Our record res-ults, year on year, are part of themuch greater package that we offer toboys in preparing them for highereducation and successful future ca-reers. We promote the importance ofgood values, we produce the youngmen with opinions, who know them-selves, who respect and help others.
“Boys leave QEH with not only thequalifications but the confidence tomeet the challenges of the worldahead. Exam success: that is aby-product of a school where building
confidence comes first.” In additionto academic scholarships, QEH offersscholarships in Sport and Music.Come and meet the headmaster onopen morning which, for seniors, ison Saturday, October 4, starting from9.30am. No appointment required.
There is also a Sixth Form openevening on Monday, October 13,Strictly by appointment. Entry is byassessment, usually at 7, 11, 13 or 16although occasionally vacanciesoccur in other year groups.� For more information visitwww.qehbristol.co.uk, [email protected] ortelephone Mrs Carolyn Matthews,Admissions Registrar, to arrange avisit on 0117 930 3068.
Boys leave QEH with notonly the qualifications butthe confidence to meet thechallenges of the worldahead.
“
Educa ion
Keep an eye out in
Advertising Features
Marc England 0117 934 [email protected]
For
www.bristolpost.co.uk/education
www.westerndailypress.co.uk/education
Lifelong Learning
Education Correspondent
Advertising and Features
0117 934 3637Marc Rath