Fascinating objects found during St George’s Hall refurbishment

Some fascinating objects have been found during the refurbishment of St George’s Hall in Bradford.

Workers carrying out the £8.5 million refurbishment of the Grade II listed building have found several interesting objects tucked away including a handbill from 1871 promoting a programme of Saturday Night Entertainment, which was printed by J Clegg Printer by Steam Power, Infirmary Street, Bradford.

The programme for the evening included Madam Tonnelier performing songs in character from the Grand Duchess, as well as a line-up of music and sketches including Irish and Scottish songs and stories by Mr and Mrs Forster O’Neill accompanied on the piano by their daughter Flora.

An account of the same performance by the Forster family can be found in the newspaper The Waterford News, from Friday 5 June 1868, when they appeared at the Assembly Rooms, City Hall.

The article says “Mr and Mrs J.F. O’Neill, the justly celebrated delineators of Irish character in its true form, accompanied by their young and interesting daughter, Miss Flora O’Neill, an accomplished pianist, have been nightly drawing fashionable and crowded audiences to the Assembly Room, City Hall, to see them in their famed and laughter-creating comic and musical entertainment.”

The article goes on to say that Mr O’Neill, “as an Irish comedian, is, perhaps, unrivalled, certainly not excelled, at the present day” and a performance given by Mrs O’Neill “is one of the best Irish delineations we have ever seen” and “her song, “My Love Dan,” is hit off in such a true Irish nature that the house each night is in raptures and, as a matter of course, it has to be repeated.”

Workers have also found the front page of the Daily Express newspaper from 10 January 1928. The front page contains an article about plans to build a barrage in the wake of the Great Flood of London, which had taken place only a few days earlier, on 7 January 1928. The flood claimed 14 lives and left thousands of Londoners homeless.

Other items found when the old seats were removed from the Dress Circle, include a wrapper from a Cadbury’s Flake when they only cost 6d, an old Galaxy Milk Chocolate wrapper and several cigarette packets, including a Black Cat Cigarettes tin lid possibly from the 1930’s, a Wild Woodbine cigarette packet, an Ogden’s Robin cigarette packet and Craven A cigarette packet.

There were also two concert tickets one for a Bradford Subscription Concert and one for the 31st Annual Speech Night for The Priestman School held at the venue on Wednesday 14 March 1956, with Ernest Cummins giving a speech and Mrs Cummins presenting the prizes.

The items found will form part of the permanent archive display held by Bradford Theatres.

St George’s Hall which is located in Bradford city centre is currently undergoing major refurbishment which has been made possible by funding from Bradford Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The refurbishment of St George’s Hall, one of the oldest remaining concert halls in the UK, will ensure that this heritage building is maintained and brought up to standard as a top class venue adding to the fantastic cultural offer in Bradford.

Coun Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Culture, said: “These are fascinating finds that give us a glimpse into the history of this wonderful venue and the types of entertainment that was popular at the time. It’s amazing to think that the theatre was only 18 years old when the handbill was dropped between the seats in the rear gallery.

“Work on St George’s Hall is progressing well and I’m sure once complete will secure the building for future generations of audiences.”

For information on the progress of the refurbishment of St George’s Hall visit www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

Follow Bradford Theatres on Twitter: @BradfordTheatre

 

 

 

Bradford headteacher puts city’s education on the world stage at major Chinese conference

A headteacher from a Bradford primary school has helped to put the city on the global education map as she appeared as a keynote speaker at a major education conference held in China.

Gill Edge, co- headteacher of Killinghall Primary School, was invited by the Chinese National Institute of Education Sciences to speak at their fourth China Future Schools Conference.

She spoke about how technology is used to assess, support and improve teaching at her school in Bradford, which has recently been rated as Good by Ofsted inspectors.

She told the conference in China how software is used to provide feedback and assessment to her staff to help with their professional development and to raise standards at the school.

The conference was attended by more than 1,000 delegates from across China and other international speakers who were attending as members of the Future School Laboratory.

Membership is based on meeting entry criteria and then being regularly re-assessed and only the best performing schools in China qualify. The Future School Laboratory was established by the Chinese Government to identify how to improve curriculum, learning spaces, educational technology and assessment. Its role is to support the government in its decision making and provide practical solutions for schools in China.
Gill gave her perspective as head of Killinghall Primary to demonstrate how the effective use of education technology in the UK has helped to identify strengths and weaknesses in the teaching in school and how working together with her staff they have been able to make rapid improvements.
She said: “It was a massive event and I was talking to an audience of more than 1,000 people. I was very proud to represent Bradford as I feel we are often not recognised for the excellent work that goes on in our schools across the district.

“There are currently no established teaching standards in China. I was able to explain how teaching standards are used nationally in the UK and how supporting and challenging teachers through appraisal has improved the quality of teaching and learning in our schools.”

She also took part in a roundtable discussion with leading educators from Finland, Hong Kong and China to discuss individualised learning and how it was implemented in each of their countries. She said that “individualised learning is well developed in Bradford where education is about the whole child – we aim to build resilience and empathy as well as ensuring children are competent in basic skills. Being ready for the world of work and prepared for future employment we may not yet be able to imagine is our aim.”

She was accompanied at the conference by James de Bass, chief executive officer and founder of Educate, the UK company that produces the Standards Tracker software which Killinghall Primary School use.

Parents reminded to apply for primary school place

Parents and carers of children in Bradford who are set to start primary school in September this year are being reminded to ensure they apply for a school place before the deadline.

People whose children were born between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014 have until midnight on Monday 15 January to submit an application for their child’s primary school place.

Bradford Council has written to all parents whose children are on their database with information on how to apply online. However, parents do not need anything from the Local Authority to register their child and apply online at www.bradford.gov.uk/admissions

Parents and carers can log onto the online system, register their details and make their child’s application. They will not require any further information to apply online but may need to send the local authority address proof of address or additional information if they have recently moved house.

Applying online is safe and makes the application quicker and easier. All parents who applied online will be emailed about their child’s place on the National Offer Day on April 16.

To make the application process as simple as possible and give parents and carers the best chance of sending their child to a preferred school, Bradford Council suggests five key steps to take:

1. Make sure you check the criteria that your preferred schools set for admissions. You can do this by visiting each schools website or reading the Guide for Parents, available online at www.bradford.gov.uk/admissions

2. Read the guidelines set out in the Applying for Primary School booklet sent to parents in November 2017.

3. Complete the on-line application form using all five preferences and fill in any required Supplementary Information Forms, by the deadline.

4. Make sure that you submit your application before the end of January 15 2018.

5. Only submit one application – do not apply online from multiple email addresses.

Coun Imran Khan Executive Member for Education, Skills and Culture, said: “Starting primary school is a big step for every family. We make the application process as simple as it can be. The easiest way of applying is to do so online.

“To give your child the best chance of getting a place at a school you have chosen we strongly recommend parents choose five preferences. If you only apply for one school, you will only be considered for that school and will be wasting the opportunity to be considered for any others if that one does not have a place available.

“Its also important that parents read the admissions policies of the schools they are applying for so that they understand their child’s chances of getting a place there. We do our best to accommodate all applications but parents should not assume they will definitely be given one of their five preferences.”

Parents who do not have an email address and are unable to apply online can contact Bradford Council’s Admissions Team on 01274 439200. If parents have an email address but are experiencing issues, they can contact the team to make an online application at Margaret McMillan Tower with an officer.

If parents and carers have any queries, they can visit the Council’s website: www.bradford.gov.uk/admissions or contact the Admissions Team in the following ways:

• Email primaryadmissions@bradford.gov.uk
• Call the School Admissions Team on 01274 439200

 

Comedian Adrian Edmondson goes back to school at Thackley Primary

Young bookworms at Thackley Primary School will now be able to curl up with a book in their new state-of-the-art library.

Bradford-born comedian Adrian Edmondson went back to school last week to officially open their new state-of-the-art library which is set of encourage a love of reading. 

Adrian lived on Highfield Road as a child before achieving fame as a comedy actor, winner of BBC’s MasterChef and is currently playing the role of Malvolio in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Twelfth Night.  He has recently written a very well received children’s book called ‘Tilly and the Time Machine’ which children in KS2 have been reading.

The library, which has the capacity for 3000 books, is three times bigger than the previous library and is now fully accessible to all as it is situated on the ground floor.

Head of School, Annette Patterson said:  “We hope our new school library will become the heart of Thackley Primary School.  It will absolutely improve the children’s learning experiences and we really can’t wait for it to be finally open!

“A well-stocked, well-designed and well-used library will have a lasting affect on generations of children at the school. It will help us to foster a love of reading in all of our children which we know is so vital.”

The new school library will be open during and after school and will be appointing new junior librarians to look after the library and their all-new, broad selection of books.

During his visit to Thackley Primary School he read the children excerpts from his book, Tilly and the Time Machine – released earlier this year, posed for photos, answered questions from pupils and signed books for children, staff and parents.  

He had also brought a number of his favourite children’s books to present to the library.  

Thanks to questions from the school’s inquisitive reading club, the group found out that Mr Edmondson would travel back to the days of Lord Nelson if had a time machine, that he is a fan of TV comedy The Windsors and that he has a pet Whippet.  

His next book will be released in January and it is about a boy who becomes friends with a talking Shetland Pony.

Bradford Council’s Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Education, Employment and Skills, Coun Imran Khan said:

“Congratulations to the staff, pupils, parents and carers at Thackley Primary School who have worked together to make the new library possible and encourage a love for reading.  I am sure all the children will embrace the new area and it will become the heart of the school and full of bookworms.”

Follow Thackley Primary School: @ThackleyPrimary and Ade Edmondson: @AdrianEdmondson

Bradford cares

A new campaign – commissioned by the Safer and Stronger Communities Partnership and led by local charities – has launched to raise awareness and support for local organisations that help those who are rough sleeping and begging across the Bradford District.

Known as #BradfordCares, the initiative makes it straightforward and convenient to give money, items and time to local charities through a new website – www.streetsupport.net/Bradford

The website acts as an online hub where people can find information about all the services available in Bradford, adverts for volunteers and items needed, as well as locally relevant articles that inform people of issues surrounding homelessness in Bradford.

For anyone wishing to find out more and discuss issues surrounding homelessness in Bradford, an information stall promoting the campaign and engaging people with what local organisations are doing to help will be at Bradford Interchange (7.30am – 10.30am) and Bradford Broadway (3pm – 6pm) on Thursday 21 December.

Visit streetsupport.net/bradford to find out how you can help people who rough sleep and beg.

Follow the campaign on social media with #BradfordCares

Feedback your ideas to help improve the initiative for future campaigns; www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZRBWWXL

 

Free First Aid Awareness Training

Could you benefit from attending an informative event where you can receive free First Aid Awareness Training? Why not come to the Community Family Fun Day at the Carlisle Business Centre, Carlisle Road, BD8 8BD, on Saturday 2 December from 11am to 2.30pm.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service and NEESIE are running this partnership event, and the Ambulance Service, with their Recruitment and Apprenticeship Team, will be delivering the free First Aid Awareness Training to all.

Free lunch and a first come first served creche facility will allow mums and dads to sit back, relax and learn vital life skills!

 

Bradford bus tours take trainee teachers into secondary schools

Teacher training students will be taken on bus tours of secondary schools in the Bradford district as part of a major recruitment campaign. Bradford Council organises the tours to give people who are training to be teachers an insight into how rewarding working in the district’s schools can be. The bus tours have already been a major success helping to recruit more than 200 talented teachers into Bradford’s primary schools since they were first launched two years ago. Now tours of the district’s secondary schools have been organised for the first time. These tours are taking place this month taking students from Leeds Trinity University to schools across the district to give them an insight into teaching in Bradford and applying for jobs. These will be followed by a series of bus tours to primary schools. Bradford Council’s bus tours allow the authority to work with teaching training providers to promote the district as a destination for teachers. Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s executive member for education, employment and skills said: “Our bus tours have already had a big impact helping us to attract 200 new teachers to work in our primary schools. Now we are extending this work to secondary schools in the district. “We know that when people see the work that our schools do first-hand they want to be involved. We hope the teacher training students who take part are inspired by what they see. Bradford’s secondary schools are already achieving some amazing results – having been the fourth most improved area in the country for the progress pupils are making at GCSE. We hope more talented teachers taking part in the latest round of bus tours will join us to help improve the district’s results further.” Ed Podesta Leeds Trinity University’s Group Academic lead  – Post Graduate Initial Teacher Education said: “We’re delighted to be working with Bradford Council on this exciting and important initiative, which we see as part of our mission that all children in the region are taught by knowledgeable, committed, and effective teachers.  We work with fantastic school partners in Bradford, and welcome the opportunity for all our trainees to see the great teaching that happens in schools in the district.” The bus tours are part of an important campaign to boost teacher recruitment in the district. Bradford Council has invested £660,000 in teacher recruitment over three years. The bus tours have taken hundreds of teacher training students around schools in Bradford. The tours are followed by a Journey to Your First Teaching Post workshop where candidates are given advice about applying for jobs, writing personal statements and preparing for their job interviews. The newly qualified teachers are then invited to apply to a talent bank which has been set up by Bradford Council to allow the district’s schools to find the best candidates for their vacancies. The talent bank is the first of its kind in the country. It has allowed the Council to use local expertise to match newly qualified teachers to suitable jobs which they can then apply for. A major online teaching recruitment campaign, Bradford for Teaching, has also been launched this month to attract more teachers to the district. Inspirational teachers from across the district have also been chosen to be Bradford for Teaching Ambassadors. They will be using Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to share stories about their work and the impact teachers in Bradford can have. A website, www.bradfordteaching.org, has been created giving people information about job and training opportunities in Bradford schools. Coun Khan added: “We are getting the message out there that Bradford is the place to be for ambitious and talented teachers who want to make a difference to young people’s lives.”

Bradford launches campaign to find teachers who can make a difference

The Bradford for Teaching campaign is the latest step being taken in Bradford to boost teacher recruitment and retention.

A new website has been created, www.bradfordteaching.org  which allows people to find out more about the opportunities to train and work in Bradford’s schools.

There will also be a major social media campaign through Facebook, Twitter and You Tube.

Ten inspirational teachers and school leaders from the district have been chosen to be Bradford for Teaching Ambassadors. They will share their stories on social media about the impact their work is having  in order to help promote Bradford to teachers outside the district.

The new campaign follows on from the success of the Bradford bus tours which the council has organised to bring teacher training students into the district’ schools to see their work for themselves.

The Bradford for Teaching ambassadors have been chosen from schools across the district to champion Bradford and the rewards of teaching here.

One of those ambassadors is Luke Sparkes, the executive principal of Dixons Trinity Academy.

He said: “Bradford is an exceptional community: diverse, ambitious and culturally rich; it is a city which deserves teachers who are truly values driven and want to make a difference.  There is a strong current of educational innovation in Bradford with two secondary schools placing in the top 30 nationally for progress in summer 2017.

Ambassador Aamir Hassan, an assistant faculty leader and English teacher at Beckfoot School in Bingley said: “Teaching in Bradford is rewarding, extraordinary and what I live to do. I am inspired everyday by the students and we all learn from one another. Working with young people is an enriching experience and I wouldn’t want that experience anywhere else- Bradford is truly the place to be for teaching.”

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “Bradford for Teaching is a vitally important campaign for the district.

“We are determined to provide the best possible education for all our young people. We know that the quality of our teachers is vital in turning this ambition into a reality. Bradford is a vibrant and diverse district.

“Our schools offer a variety of different opportunities and challenges, with the chance to work in different settings from urban and inner city schools to those serving rural communities. But we are all united by a shared commitment to ensure our young people achieve their potential. I hope the Bradford for Teaching campaign will inspire more teachers to join us on this journey.”

The campaign will involve a partnership of schools across the Bradford district. It is being funded by Bradford Council and co-ordinated by the Northern Lights Teaching School Alliance.

Bradford already leads the way in innovative work to recruit and retain the best teachers.

Bradford Council committed to investing £660,000 on teacher recruitment over a three year period. Since then the authority has run the highly successful bus tours taking teacher training students into Bradford schools to see the work they do for themselves.

It has also set up a Talent Bank which is used by school leaders to fill their vacancies with the best suited candidates. This has helped to recruit around 200 new teachers to Bradford schools over the past two years.

Now partners in Bradford are keen to build on this success with a campaign which celebrates and promotes the district more widely as a place where teachers at any stage of their career can make a difference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hzbby2JMqM&feature=youtu.be

Literacy campaign in Bradford gets £197,000 funding boost

Bradford has received a funding boost to improve literacy standards across the district. Below is a press release from the National Literacy Trust which works with the Council to raise standards.

National Literacy Trust press release below:

“A literacy campaign from the National Literacy Trust and Bradford City Council has received a new £197,000 funding grant from the Morrisons Foundation, a charity set up by the supermarket, to boost literacy levels in Bradford.

The funding will be used to deliver literacy activity in Bradford for a year. Launched as the Bradford Literacy Campaign, the initiative has been active in the city since 2012.

Over the past five years, 30 local partners have supported literacy in Bradford and the National Literacy Trust has worked with over 200 schools in the area. Key successes include the Our Stories poetry project, which was launched to engage pupils with low literacy, especially boys. Over the course of the programme, the percentage of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected level in writing increased from 46% to 92%, while their self-esteem and confidence also increased significantly.

Neonatal work has also been a key success for the campaign. Working with Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, neonatal charity Bliss and Boots Opticians, the campaign gave out 500 story packs to parents of premature babies. The packs included books for parents to read to their babies and tips and information on how communication can help development.

As it moves into a new phase, the campaign will be rebranded as Bradford Stories. The new name celebrates the rich heritage of Bradford and highlights the importance of families, young people and different communities in the city sharing stories with one another.

Over the next year, the Bradford Stories campaign will focus on addressing literacy issues facing families in Bradford, including engaging dads and male carers in their children’s learning and getting families reading with their children every day. The campaign will also highlight the benefits of bilingualism, and launch new initiatives targeting local schools and volunteers from the local community.

To celebrate the new funding and campaign name, Bradford Stories is calling on all Bradford residents to snap a photo of their favourite place to share stories in the city, and post the picture on social media using the hashtag #BradfordStories. The best pictures will win prizes including book tokens.

Imran Hafeez, Manager of the Bradford Stories campaign, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been awarded this funding from the Morrisons Foundation to continue our work to raise literacy levels in Bradford. Since launching the campaign, we’ve delivered lots of inspiring projects and achieved great results, but there is still more to be done to ensure every child in Bradford has the literacy skills they need to succeed. Our partnership work has been crucial to the success of the campaign to date – with this new funding we can expand this work further and reach more people across Bradford than ever!”

The Morrisons Foundation was set up by Morrisons supermarkets in 2015 and awards grants for charity projects which help to improve people’s lives. Since launching over £15 million has been donated to hundreds of charities across England, Scotland and Wales.

David Scott, Morrisons Foundation Trustee, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the National Literacy Trust’s work in Bradford as we know what an important difference this can make for families from across the city.”

To find out more about the Bradford Stories campaign, visit bradfordstories.org.uk.

 

Have you completed your Secondary School Application?

Parents of children who will start secondary school in 2018 are being reminded that the deadline for them to apply for a school place is the end of today.

Children who were born between September 1, 2006 and August 31, 2007 will be due to start secondary school in September 2018.

Parents should have already received information about making an application for secondary school from their child’s current primary school. Anyone who does not have this should contact Bradford Council’s admissions team.

Bradford Council’s online system allows people to view and amend their application at anytime until the closing date. People will receive an automated email acknowledging that their application has been received.

Only one application maybe submitted for a child but parents can choose up to five secondary schools in that application.

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “Moving up to secondary school is a big step in every child’s life.

“It is important that applications are made on time to give people the best chance of getting into one of their chosen schools.”

To make your application or find out more information please visit: www.bradford.gov.uk/admissions