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 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.”

Education Covenant to be topic of next public forum

Bradford’s Education Covenant will be the topic at the district’s next Public Forum for Education. The Education Covenant is a district wide initiative focused on engaging the whole community to play a part in helping young people to succeed in life.  The Covenant is about keeping education a top priority to: •           Help schools and teachers raise standards. •           Support parents to get children ready for school, work and life. •           Work with businesses and colleges to boost career options. •           Champion the district’s unique art and culture. The forum will take place on Wednesday, 29 November 2017 from 4.30pm to 6.30pm in the Hockney Room, Margaret McMillan Tower, Princes Way, Bradford BD1 1NN. Speakers will include Leigh Taylor, Regional Director North East & Yorkshire Commercial Banking – Lloyds Bank. Leigh will explore how businesses can better support children and young people to help improve their educational outcomes and make successful transitions into work, and the business rationale for doing this work. Staff and children from a local primary school will talk about their involvement in the launch of the Inspiring Bradford event. Local magistrate, Gill Arnold, will talk about the work of the Bradford Community Champions. There will also be an update on how the Education Covenant is being put into practice and how businesses and parents can make a difference. The presentations will be followed by round table discussions and an opportunity to share your ideas with the panel and ask questions. The Public Forum for Education (PFE) is an open and free forum where everyone with an interest in education is welcome to come along and contribute. Coun Imran Khan, portfolio holder for education, employment and skills, said: “The idea behind the Education Covenant is to focus the efforts of everyone on how we can raise education standards. We want to bring together the whole community to support Bradford’s children: businesses, public services, parents, and communities, all have a role to play. Michael Jameson, strategic director of children’s service, said:  “We know just how hard schools work to improve the outcomes for our children and education attainment is improving in our district. But we have more to do and we believe the whole community needs to be involved in young people’s education. That is why the Education Covenant is so important, so I’d urge parents, young people, teachers and businesses to come along and find out how they can be involved.” To book your place, please email Public.Forum.for.Education@bradford.gov.uk or contact Heidi Hardy on 01274 434335.

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

 

 

Bradford City Runs invite children to join in!

Bradford City Runs on Sunday 29 October is Bradford’s annual festival of running with a unique choice of three distances: a 5km, a 10km and a half marathon along with a special kids’ mile run, all on closed roads in and around City Park in the city centre.

The one mile run for children, allows them to get involved before the adult races begin.

The race will use the same start and finish as the adults race, using Thornton Road and City Park.

Open to all children, children age 5 and under MUST be accompanied by an adult, whilst children age 6 and over MAY be accompanied by an adult.

The main route which was introduced last year, takes in parts of Little Germany and the Broadway Shopping Centre, as well as the University of Bradford, Bradford College, City Hall and the multi-award winning City Park.

Before the run Ajay L Mahajan, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Director of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit will be presented with a cheque for £7,000 which was raised by the event last year.

Bradford City Runs will once again raise money for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit, based at the University of Bradford. The unit was set up after the tragic Bradford City fire disaster thirty two years ago and continues to explore ground-breaking treatment techniques for burns sufferers.

Hundreds of people including many children and young people have already signed up to take part in this year’s Bradford City Runs, which is designed to welcome everyone from the Bradford district and beyond, no matter how fit and how fast!

The event, which is delivered in a partnership between Bradford Council and Bradford Athletics Network, is also being hugely supported by Bradford City football club and the Bradford Bulls as well as the University of Bradford, Bradford College, St Bede’s School (pupils will oversee the water station) and many of the RunBradford running groups, running clubs and hundreds of participants from across the district.

Mr Ajay L Mahajan, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Director of PSBRU, said: “We are delighted that the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU) at the University of Bradford has once again been chosen as the charity for this year’s Bradford City Runs. Last year, Su Shergill from our unit participated in the run and this year I am pleased to say that our new research fellow, Lucy Trevor will be taking part in it. I want to wish everyone taking part the best of luck whichever distance they’re running and thank them for their support, which is vital in helping us continue our work in the unit.”

For more information and to sign up to take part visit: www.bradfordcityruns.co.uk and follow @RunBradford on Twitter or Bradford City Runs on Facebook.

Lord Mayor launches Children’s Safety Initiative

A ground-breaking children’s safety initiative was launched at the weekend.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Abid Hussain, unveiled the scheme which involves three schools taking part in the Children’s Year of Safety, which has the support of a wide range of organisations and agencies.

The schools involved are Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary, Merlin Top Primary Academy and Laycock Primary.  Each term during the academic year they will cover different topics around safeguarding and safety.

It is hoped that if the scheme is a success, it will be rolled out to other parts of Keighley and the wider Bradford district.

Coun Abid Hussain said:  “When we work together we can give our children every chance to thrive and fulfil their potential – which is what every one of them deserves,” he said.

“The Children’s Year of Safety is a new idea and I am delighted that we in Keighley are leading the way on such an important piece of work.

“There’s an old saying, ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child’. It may be an old saying, but it’s as true now as it ever was and it means we are all responsible for keeping our children safe.

“The Children’s Year of Safety will make it clear what that actually means for everyone.”

The gala – staged by the Braithwaite and Guard House Partnership, which brings together a host of organisations and agencies – has been hailed a success and was attended by hundreds of people.

There was a lot going on, on the day and attractions included a fancy dress contest, cave bus, bouncy castle, games, team sports, face painting, under-fives messy play, crafts, food and stalls.

The police and fire service were there, Keighley Healthy Living was represented and White Rose Energy distributed information.

Mae Wilkinson, five, and Tia-Rose Curry, six, help the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Abid Hussain, brush-up on road safety at Braithwaite and Guard House Gala

Tim Peake’s spacecraft to land in Bradford

The spacecraft which transported Tim Peake, the UK’s first European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, to and from the International Space Station, will be landing at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford for public viewing from Wednesday, 27 September 2017.

The Soyuz TMA-19M capsule, complete with equipped interior and char marks on its outer body from its re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere, will displayed along with its 25m diameter parachute.

The display of the iconic craft will be accompanied by an inspiring and immersive range of activities, including the Space Descent VR experience, narrated by Tim Peake himself.  Space Descent VR uses Samsung Gear VR headsets to recreate the experience of travelling over the International Space Station (ISS) and the incredible 250-mile journey back down to earth inside the Soyuz TMA-19M.

The VR imagery has been created by the award-winning Alchemy VR studio for the Science Museum Group, and is experienced with the latest Samsung Gear VR headsets in a bespoke VR lounge inside the museum.

The museum’s October half-term activities (21 – 29 October) will also be dedicated to Tim Peake’s Principia mission, featuring out-of-this-world experiences such as astronaut-training, taking the helm at mission control and launching self-designed rockets. And the museum’s popular series of Lates events for adults returns on 28 September with an evening of interactive space-themed entertainment.

Museum director, Jo Quinton-Tulloch, said: “The Science Museum Group acquired the Soyuz TMA-19M capsule last year, and we’re the first venue to display it outside the capital. It’s hard to express how excited we are to be bringing it to Bradford. The Soyuz capsule represents one of history’s most incredible technological feats, and this is an unmissable opportunity for visitors young and old to see the craft that took Tim Peake all the way to the Space Station and back.”

Soyuz TMA-19M carried Peake and crewmates Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Kopra in ESA Expedition 46/47 to the ISS on 15 December 2015, returning on 18 June 2016. It was acquired last year by the Science Museum Group.

Commenting on the acquisition, ESA astronaut Tim Peake said: “You do become very attached to your spacecraft because it definitely does save your life. I’m absolutely delighted that my Soyuz spacecraft, the TMA-19M, is going to be returning here to the UK and may serve, hopefully, as inspiration for our next generation of scientists and engineers.”

Details of visiting arrangements and special events, including the Space Descent VR experience and half-term activities at the National Science and Media Museum will be announced at a later date.

Space Descent VR with Tim Peake and the presentation of Tim Peake’s spacecraft have been made possible with support from Samsung and the generous co-operation of Tim Peake and the European Space Agency.