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.

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

High Park School receives Autism Accreditation

High Park School is the first school or organisation in Bradford to be awarded Autism Accreditation by the National Autistic Society.

The National Autistic Society is the UK’s leading charity for people on the autism spectrum and their families.

The award was given in recognition of the school’s good autism practice.   Autism Accreditation is an autism-specific quality assurance programme. It was set up in 1992 to improve the support available to autistic people in organisations throughout the UK and across the world, including local authorities, NHS trusts, education authorities, local autism societies and private companies.

To gain accreditation, organisations have to meet a standard of excellence and follow a framework for continuous self-examination and development. Over 500 organisations are now accredited.  The National Autistic Society’s Autism Accreditation programme was launched over 20 years ago and sets extremely high standards, which the school has worked incredibly hard to meet.

Being autistic means you feel, hear and see things in a different, often more intense, way to others and may struggle in certain social situations. More than 1 in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and it will affect each one of them slightly differently – some go onto successful careers while others need intensive support to go about their daily lives.

Find out more about Autism Accreditation on The National Autistic Society website: http://www. autism.org.uk/accreditation

Principal, Ann Andrew, is pictured with one of the students who is holding the award.

Thackley Primary School’s ‘Save a Heart Day’ campaign welcomes installation of lifesaving Defibrillator

Thackley Primary School has welcomed the arrival of a new life-saving piece of equipment.

Staff at the school received training to use the automated external defibrillator from Yorkshire Ambulance Service last week.

Head of School, Annette Patterson said:

“We are delighted to launch our school and local community defibrillator. This was paid for through our ‘Save a Heart Day’ fundraising event organised and led by the school.

“We recognised the importance of having a defibrillator in school and were driven to succeed in raising enough money to make it happen. We are thrilled and incredibly proud of our achievements.”

The school was also assisted by donations from the local community and businesses and was keen to get a defibrillator on their premises as they understand how important it is to provide early defibrillation when a person suffers a cardiac arrest.

The defibrillator works to restore the heart rhythm if a person goes into cardiac arrest and the earlier a defibrillator is used the better the chance of survival.

Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s Strategic Director for Children’s Services said:

“Congratulations to both the staff and pupils and parents and carers at Thackley Primary School who helped to organise and raise funds for this wonderful, life-saving Defibrillator.”

“Not only will the school benefit from having a defibrillator, but also people in the local community and we hope it will save lives.”

Using Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) alone provides a five per cent chance of survival but early use of the defibrillator as well increases the chance of survival to over 50 per cent.

The machine could provide lifesaving care for people throughout Thackley and Idle.

Pictured: Headteacher, Trevor Patterson, Head of School, Annette Patterson, Teacher, Kate Bainbridge and Linda Milsom from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Follow Thackley Primary School on Twitter: @ThackleyPrimary

Partnership is the secret to success for group of inner-city Bradford schools

A partnership of neighbouring Bradford schools say joining forces is helping to drive up standards for the thousands of pupils across their postcode area. The BD3 Achievement 4 All consists of ten primary schools, a special school, a secondary school and two children’s centres.All of the primary schools which have been inspected by Ofsted in the group have now been rated as being good .And the school leaders in the partnership say they are committed to driving further improvements with a major focus on improving pupils’ reading in key stage two as they reach the end of primary school. The BD3 schools work together on a range of areas including reading, science, moderating each other’s marking and work, supporting newly qualified teachers and developing early years teaching. For the past two years the partnership has been chaired by former Bradford headteacher Sara Rawnsley. She said: “There is a deep commitment to work together for the benefit of everyone in the partnership. “There are academies and council maintained schools, we have children’s centres, primaries, a special school and a secondary but everyone is open to working together and sharing what we do to drive improvement.” The schools in BD3 Achievement 4 All are Peel Park Primary, Westminster CE Primary, Barkerend Primary, Byron Primary, Lapage Primary, Dixons Marchbank Primary, Killinghall Primary, Thornbury Primary, St Mary’s and St Peter’s Roman Catholic Primary, Feversham Primary, Delius Special School, Carlton Bolling College, Barkerend Children’s Centre and Mortimer House Children’s Centre.Peel Park Primary School, in Undercliffe, is one of the latest schools in the area to celebrate Ofsted success after it moved from Requires Improvement to Good in the inspection report published in May which praises all areas of its work.Byron Primary and Dixons Marchbank Primary also enjoyed success with good Ofsted reports this year while  Lapage Primary, St Mary’s & St Peter’s Roman Catholic Primary, Feversham Primary and Delius Special School are all rated as good as well. Peel Park Headteacher Lloyd Mason Edwards said: “BD3 schools have worked in partnership for a long time but in recent years there has been a real focus on improving teaching and learning and improving attainment. “There is a shared ethos across our schools and everyone is open to sharing what we do. I do think a lot of our success is down to the partnership. It has helped to improve our teaching and learning. We work together in lots of different areas. “We have worked on professional development of our staff, special educational needs teaching and working on support for pupils who are new to English.”Gill Edge, the headteacher at Killinghall Primary School said another benefit of the partnership had been the way in which it allowed schools to to support new teachers starting their careers. “Sara Rawnsley who chairs the partnership has developed school courses for newly qualified teachers and recently qualified teachers to support them in their first years in the job. This makes a real difference for the schools as it has meant we are retaining more of the teachers who start their careers in BD3. Retaining and developing teachers allows schools to develop a stable and established workforce which makes a real difference for us.” Mrs Rawnsley added: “The courses provide mentoring and support to teachers starting their careers and it helps to improve their resilience and their ability to develop their practice. The partnership has meant that each year NQTs are part of a network of teachers who are starting together across BD3 schools. They are not on their own and feel a part of something bigger. “By coming together with a shared focus for raising standards all of the schools and settings in our BD3 partnership are having a real impact on the lives of our young people.” Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “This shows what can be achieved when schools work in partnership. We know that across the Bradford district our school staff share the same passion and commitment to achieving the best outcomes for our young people. “The BD3 Achievement 4 All partnership shows what can be achieved and as both executive member for education and as a local ward councillor I look forward to their future successes.”

Trailblazing girls’ cricket team launches academy for younger players

A video about their training academy can be found

A Bradford school’s girls’ cricket team who were crowned Yorkshire champions in their first year together have now launched their own academy to help younger pupils to follow in their footsteps.

The girls’ cricket team at Carlton Bolling, in Bradford, have been on a rollercoaster ride since coming together just three years ago.

In their first tournament the newly formed team won seven out of seven matches against some of the best school sides in Yorkshire to be crowned county champions and they have not looked back.

They have now won three Yorkshire titles, have just been crowned North of England champions and have also been recognised with a string of awards for their achievements.

Last week the team won four out of four matches in a regional competition, beating Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and Northumberland sides, to emerge as North of England Champions. Their next stop will be Lord’s for the National Finals in September.

Now the team of players who achieved this stunning success on the field are looking to pass on what they have learned to new generations of pupils at the school in Undercliffe.

Each week the under 15s team, led by the school’s PE teacher Zaheer Jaffary, host a training session for younger pupils at the school who are trying the sport for the first time.

Around 20 pupils are now learning to play the sport each week.

One of the original team members Zainab Goreja said they had started an academy to ensure that girls’ cricket can continue to grow at the school.

She said: “I definitely hope that the success of the team carries on because this is our legacy. We have started this academy, we have so many girls who are coming through and so many talents who are here. At the end of the day this is what we have started and when we leave next year we want this team to carry on. I hope the new players do well, carry on this legacy and hopefully it can keep on growing because we are going to change so many social barriers.”

The success of the Carlton Bolling girls’ cricket team has seen them receive many accolades in recent months. In November last year they traveled to Lord’s to receive a national Chance to Shine Special Recognition Award for their work supporting grassroots cricket which they were given by England cricketer Jason Roy.

The team have also won the student sport award category at this year’s Bradford Sports Awards and Mr Jaffary was named Secondary School Teacher of the Year award at the Bradford and District Teaching awards.

Vice-Captain of the team, Zainab Goreja, was recently presented with the 2017 International Rising Star award in London for her contribution to sport; in acknowledgement of her dedication and commitment to women’s cricket, and Captain Jasmin Akter was nominated for a 2017 Yorkshire Women of Achievement Award.

However for Mr Jaffary one of the team’s biggest achievements has been overcoming cultural barriers which saw many families express concerns about their daughters taking part in the sport.

He said: “It is something we have come up against, there has been some reluctance from families for their daughters to stay behind after school to play cricket. However we hope that our community can see what these girls have achieved together. What they have been able to bring to the team and what being a part of this team has done for them. It is brilliant that our girls’ cricket team are now carrying out coaching themselves at our academy.

“We want their success to inspire the younger pupils to follow their example. The future of the team relies upon the academy the girls have set up for future cricketers. The girls are extremely dedicated in sharing their story with others to help them see all that can be achieved through perseverance and dedication.”

Carlton Bolling College’s Headteacher Adrian Kneeshaw said: “The success of the girls’ cricket team has been inspirational for everyone at the school. At Carlton Bolling we recognise the important role sport can have in giving our pupils self-confidence and in showing them the rewards of hard work and of dedicating yourself to being the best you can be. This helps students on the sports field and in the classroom and I hope our cricket academy will inspire many more of our students to take up cricket and give it their all.”

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “The success of the girls’ cricket team at Carlton Bolling College is a story which we can all take inspiration from. They have achieved so much in such a short space of time.

“It is a great credit to the players involved that they are now committed to helping younger pupils at the school to follow in their footsteps.

“We know that participating in sport can be very rewarding for young people and have a positive effect on the rest of their education.”
Notes to editors

Follow Carlton Bolling on Twitter: @CarltonBolling

Phoebe’s hitting the right notes

A Bradford pupil is celebrating her success in gaining a place at the largest specialist music school in the UK and the only one in the North of England.

Phoebe Mallinson, 11, a pupil at Cullingworth and a member of Bradford Council’s Delius School, will be joining the prestigious Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester in September.  Phoebe follows her sister, Freya, who has been a pupil at the school in Manchester since 2014.

Phoebe has been playing the cornet for two years and recently moved onto flugel horn in the last year. She is part of the Bradford Music Education Hub’s Bradford Youth Brass Band, BD1 Brass Band, Yorkshire Youth Band and the National Children’s brass band of Great Britain. She also plays trumpet in the Bradford Youth Orchestra who toured in Italy last year.

Her favourite performance was coming second at the national brass band championships in Cheltenham in 2016.

Phoebe’s mum, Colette, said:  “We will really miss Phoebe when she starts at Chetham’s in September but this is a chance of a lifetime, and we are delighted that she will have the same opportunity as Freya, her older sister.

“Bradford Council’s Music & Arts Service has made a huge difference in Phoebe’s playing especially Delius school which is a monthly school where Phoebe gained the skills for composition and other performance skills.”

Felicity French, Assistant Head of Bradford Council’s Music & Arts Service, said:  “We are delighted that Phoebe, another pupil of the Delius School and one of the district’s schools, has gained a place at this prestigious establishment.

“The Delius School was set up by the Music & Arts Service.  It meets once a month on a Sunday morning and offers the most talented young musicians in primary schools, across the district, the chance to develop their skills in all areas of music, while discovering exciting new activities.  At the monthly classes, students take part in workshops which enrich their musical experience.”

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills, said:  “This is yet another example of the talented pupils we have in our district.  It is a real achievement for Phoebe and I would like to congratulate her on her success and wish her the very best on her learning journey.”

 

Fagley Primary flying high with outstanding Ofsted success

Staff and pupils at Fagley Primary School are celebrating being rated as outstanding in all areas by Ofsted.

In a glowing report the Bradford school was given the top inspection rating for the effectiveness of its leadership and management; the quality of its teaching and learning; pupils’ results; the personal development, behaviour and welfare of the children and for its early year years provision.

The report has been welcomed by the whole school community.

Head teacher Chris Parfitt said: “The report reflects the school ‘just as it is’ with sound statements reflecting the dedication and commitment of school staff and governors who are absolutely marvellous in their exceptional practice to enable every child to succeed and do their very best at school, at home and in the community, now and in the future”.

A group of Year 6 children read the report with a school governor and made the following comments:

“The report is fantastic – full of lovely comments about our school. The headteacher Mrs Parfitt, is a determined headteacher and she won’t stop until all children have achieved their standards. In her vision all pupils are stars in their own way”.

Inspectors said the headteacher’s vision that every pupil will make outstanding progress and aspire to be the best has helped to secure rapid improvements in the teaching and learning at Fagley Primary School.

The progress pupils make in reading, writing and maths by the end of their time in primary school is significantly above the national average.

Ofsted highlighted the exceptional curriculum which they say engages pupils very effectively. As a result, pupils at Fagley Primary thoroughly enjoy their education. The report also praises senior leaders for their work and governors who are said to be passionate in both their support for the school and their challenge of its leaders.
Inspectors say new staff are well supported in their roles and the quality of teaching is continuously improving.

Pupils and their families are cared for exceptionally well. Parents speak highly of the school and the support they receive from staff.

Ofsted said there are excellent relationships throughout school and behaviour is impeccable. Pupils are praised for respecting each other’s differences and work and play together harmoniously.

Judith Kirk, Bradford Council’s deputy director for education employment and skills said: “This Ofsted report is extremely positive about all aspects of school life at Fagley Primary School. Inspectors not only rate the education the school provides as outstanding but are also full of praise for the support and input of governors and parents and of the work and attitude of the pupils themselves. Everyone connected to the school deserves great credit.”

Head teacher Chris Parfitt said: “The report reflects the school ‘just as it is’ with sound statements reflecting the dedication and commitment of school staff and governors who are absolutely marvellous in their exceptional practice to enable every child to succeed and do their very best at school, at home and in the community, now and in the future”.

Titus Salt School pupils’ progress is sustained for six years

Pupils at Titus Salt School are priding themselves on sustained progress for the last six years.

The school in Baildon also has no students who have become NEET (Not in Education, Employment and Training), which means that every pupil in Year 11 or in the sixth form has a placement in education or employment/training when leaving school.

Zero percentage of NEET students is one indicator of how well a school prepares its pupils for further learning, work and training.

All pupils have progressed to a high quality destination, with the number of students going to a Russell Group University doubling the national average figure in 2016.

Each Titus Salt School pupil has a personalised programme of careers education, advice and guidance including opportunities for work experience, studying local enterprises as part of coursework and case studies and partnership work with employers to develop their skills, qualities and talents e.g. interview practice with Laing O’Rourke, CV building and drafting personal statements with University of Newcastle.

The school works with Prospects to ensure pupils receive impartial and high quality careers advice.  Recent developments include sponsorship from Costain plc to extend our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) provision and also the involvement of Leeds Ahead who support the delivery of enterprise education and skills.

Picture show students Matthew Mackereth-Hamilton and Hetty Pickles

Inspectors praise Bradford District’s ‘very effective’ joint working arrangements for keeping its children safe

Inspectors have praised organisations across the Bradford District, including Bradford Council, the police, probation and health services for the way in which they work together to protect children living with domestic abuse.

The independent inspection, published on the GOV.UK website, made a special note of the fact that all of the agencies in Bradford have high aspirations for Bradford children and that leaders and managers are delivering ‘very effective’ services and ‘getting the basics right’.

Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, the Leader of Bradford Council, said: “The recognition in this report from four national inspectorates, including Ofsted, that Bradford has high aspirations for its children is very positive news for our district and something for which we should all be very proud. We will build on this work but we must remain vigilant when it comes to protecting Bradford’s children.”

Inspectors looked at how organisations work together to respond to abuse and neglect across the Bradford District. It included a special focus on how organisations respond to children living with domestic abuse.

The report found that:

• Across partners there is commitment to continual improvement to offer a wide range of high quality services to meet the diverse needs of children and families.
• Both the lead member and the Chief Executive of Bradford Council are very well informed about the diverse needs of children in Bradford and the quality of services to children in need of help and protection.
• Children and parents who experience domestic abuse have access to a wide range of services to meet differing needs.
• Leadership within children’s social care is effective and senior managers are creating a healthy environment in Bradford for effective social work to flourish.
• The Strategic Director of Children’s Services is focused on ‘getting the basics right’ in social work practice but also in innovating and using external sources of funding and expertise to drive new developments and approaches to providing effective support to children and young people.
• There are very effective multi-agency arrangements within the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).
• Social workers are well supported to enable them to work effectively with families. Caseloads are manageable and workers receive regular supervision.

Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s strategic director of children’s services, said: “This was a very thorough examination of part of our district’s safeguarding service which recognises the innovative work we are developing for children and parents. We know there is still much more to do, but this report shows that we are ‘getting the basics right’ and going in the right direction.”

Councillor Val Slater, Bradford Council’s deputy leader and portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, said: “The inspectors recognise the challenges that our different agencies face and the robust measures we are putting in place to tackle them. We can never be complacent about safeguarding, but this thorough inspection recognises the good work we are doing.”

Damien Miller, West Yorkshire Police’s superintendent for safeguarding partnerships, said: “We welcome the inspection report and are pleased that our partnership work to protect children living with domestic abuse has been recognised positively. We are pleased that the inspection has seen the hard work, which is resulting in our timely and effective responses to tackle domestic abuse, as well as our prompt and effective information sharing.”

Nancy O’Neill, director of collaboration for the district’s clinical commissioning groups, said: “We are pleased that the report recognises the many examples where effective partnership work in Bradford has resulted in timely and good quality support to local children and their families, ultimately reducing the risk of harm.  We look forward to developing the partnership, using the findings of the inspection to further improve our support to children and young people living with domestic violence.”

The detailed joint inspection was carried out by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, HMI Constabulary and HMI Probation between 27 February and 3 March 2017 with the final report published on 21 April 2017.