Bus tours hailed a success as hundreds of trainee teachers visit Bradford schools

Bus tours have taken hundreds of teacher training students around schools in Bradford this year as part of a successful project to attract the best people to work in the district’s classrooms.

The tours, organised by Bradford Council, give those training to be teachers an insight into what life is like in the district’s schools to get them to consider beginning their careers here.

The most recent bus tour took students who are training with the Bradford Birth to 19  School Centred Initial Teacher Training.  Four busses toured 12 schools around the Bradford district.

Tours have also taken place for students from Leeds Beckett and Leeds Trinity Universities and there is another planned next month for students from Bradford College. In total around 400 students will tour the district’s schools this academic year.

They have been organised as part of Bradford Council’s drive to recruit and retain the best teachers in the district. The authority is investing £660,000 over three years on work to help achieve this.

The bus 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.

Bradford Council’s Recruitment and Retention Strategy manager Sara Rawnsley said: “The first year of the bus tours and talent bank has been hugely successful.  It was launched in nursery and primary schools in its first year and is now being extended into secondary schools.

“The talent bank benefits both new teachers and schools. It provides teachers with preparation for their job interviews and gets them to think about the type of school they would like to work in and it has provided our schools with access to a pool of talented newly qualified teachers.

“But the talent bank is not just restricted to newly qualified teachers. I am keen to hear from experienced teachers, especially out of Bradford district, who would like the opportunity to come and work in our vibrant, diverse city – there is something for everyone here – from small rural schools to large inner city successful schools.

“The aim of our work is to get people who are thinking about going into teaching to think about Bradford and to see for themselves what life is like inside our schools. “We also want people in Bradford to think about teaching. We want to make sure that we recruit and retain the best teachers possible. We know this approach is working with 90 teachers starting their careers in the district this year after having come on our bus tours.”

Among those was Olivia Rawson, 21, from Wakefield, who has started working at Bowling Park Primary in Bradford, having visited it during a tour.

She said: “Had I never visited Bowling Park on the bus tour, I may have never applied. The bus tour gave me an opportunity to look at a variety of schools in an area that I would probably have never thought about. The wide range of schools we toured helped me to address any misconceptions about Bradford I may have had.”

“Before the bus tour my perception of Bradford was very uncertain. I was unsure of what to expect from schools in the Bradford area or if I would be suited to the challenge of working there. However, the environment schools create in the Bradford area and the inspirational work that goes on to build aspirations for each individual quickly met the challenge I was looking for in a school.

“I would definitely recommend teaching in Bradford. It has such a diverse culture and environment that brings along new challenges each day. The children in Bradford are brilliant as they want to and deserve to come to school. I believe that by working in Bradford, you can have a much bigger impact on the children as they deserve to have the opportunities to learn and enjoy school. I think many people may have the wrong perception on Bradford – it provides excellent opportunities for teachers, children and the whole community.”

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “It is great to see the success of our investment to attract more teachers to the district.

“Our work on teacher recruitment and retention has made a real difference to Bradford schools with 90 teachers in post thanks to the bus tours and talent bank. We know that teaching in Bradford schools can be very rewarding and we are keen to hear from newly qualified and experienced teachers who are up for the challenge of making a difference to the lives of children in our district.”

Two Bradford nursery schools celebrate being outstanding for 10 years

Staff at two nursery schools in Bradford are celebrating being given a top grade by Ofsted for the fourth inspection in a row – meaning they have been rated as outstanding for ten years.

Lilycroft Nursery School and Midland Road Nursery School have both been judged to be outstanding in new reports praising the quality of early years education they provide.

For both nursery schools it is the fourth consecutive time they have achieved this – having first been rated as outstanding back in 2007 in their first inspections after this top grade was created by Ofsted.

Ofsted inspectors praise Midland Road  for using its funding innovatively “through dance and outdoor play and teachers have woven the areas of learning skilfully into these session”.

The school employs a dance specialist and a  forest school specialist to deliver these sessions and was able to demonstrate the significant impact on children’s learning and progress.

Parents say the nursery school is “brilliant” and staff are “excellent at treating children as individuals, developing their interest and helping them to make progress.”

Headteacher Sharon Hogan said: “I was delighted that the inspector recognised that the staff team is a strength of the school. We have a great mixture of experienced and younger colleagues who together ensure that Midland Road not only continues to be outstanding after so many years but has also been able to grow and expand the work that it does.”

Lilycroft Nursery School is also given glowing praise in its new report published today. Inspectors say the school provides high quality teaching and provision for three and four-year-olds.

The report says Lilycroft staff have created “a safe, warm and exciting place for children to be. Parents say how excited their children are about coming to school.”

It adds: “Teachers plan effectively to offer open-ended activities which allow children to take their learning as far as they are able, and children have the confidence to do this.”

It also praises the school for working hard to involve parents in their child’s reading and supporting them to do this effectively. Inspectors say parents have valued this support and comment on how well their children are progressing, particularly with language development.

The two inspection reports mean that more than half of the nursery schools in the Bradford district are judged to be outstanding with the others all judged to be good.

Two other Bradford nursery schools have been rated as outstanding by Ofsted. Canterbury Nursery and Centre for Children and Families, was given this rating earlier this year and St Edmunds’s Nursery School and Children’s Centre was rated as outstanding at its inspection last year – for the third time in a row.

Anne-Marie Merifield, who is executive head at both Lilycroft and  St Edmund’s said: “Our successful Ofsted reports show the impact nursery schools can have. For us it shows the importance of having qualified teachers working with children to give them a good grounding so that they are able to make the most of school when  they start their formal education.”

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “These reports are a credit to everyone involved at Lilycroft and Midland Road Nursery Schools.  It is great to see that all of the nursery schools in the Bradford district are rated as good or outstanding giving us a great foundation to build upon.”

Newhall Park Primary’s joy at Ofsted success

Newhall Park Primary School, in Bierley, is thrilled at the recognition that its pupils receive a good education, according to its latest Ofsted report.

The school was judged to be good in all areas, which is a huge step forward from its previous judgement of Requires Improvement when last inspected in October 2014.

In a glowing report the inspectors found that both co-headteachers provide good leadership, staff morale is good and their “shared drive and vision ensures that pupils achieve well from their different starting points”.

“Pupils’ achievement has improved significantly since the last inspection.  The proportions of pupils reaching the expected standards in the Year 1 and 2 phonics checks have risen rapidly, and are above average.”

The report goes on to say that: “Senior leaders and subject leaders are very effective in regularly checking pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching, and in bringing about improvement.”

Inspectors said that parents are very positive about the school and are involved in their children’s learning from the start of their school lives, including receiving regular opportunities which allow them to learn alongside their children.

“The Governing Body is well informed of the school’s work and provides good levels of support and challenge.  Governors are committed and ambitious for the school.”

Co-headteachers at the school, Nicola Gatenby and Helen Scarth, said: “We are delighted with this latest report from Ofsted.  It is clear they see the school as we do.”

The Chairman of Governors, John Ruding said: “This has been a combined effort of everyone connected to our school community, particularly the inspirational leadership shown by our co-headteachers.  We are all extremely proud of these achievements.”

Councillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “This positive outcome is excellent news for all those at Newhall Park Primary and for the district.  Pupils, staff, parents, Governors and the wider community should be very proud that their hard work has paid dividends.”

Educate Positive – Issue 13

Welcome to the thirteenth edition of Educate Positive, a regular publication which highlights the educational excellence in education and across the district’s schools and settings.  In this edition we bring you news about Addingham Primary’s E Safety Award, Killinghall’s fantastic improvements to bring them above the national average, Steeton Primary’s international and e-twinning success and the Lord Mayor of Bradford at the Woolsack Debating Society.

Ambassadors Making A Difference

Thanks to a peer education project hosted by Bradford Council’s Diversity & Cohesion team for the last eight years, more than 200 students from eight of the district’s secondary schools are carrying out their duties as Anne Frank Ambassadors at the sixth Anne Frank + (You) Exhibition.  They have been guiding visitors around the Exhibition at Kala Sangam, St Peter’s House, throughout April and May sharing their knowledge of the project which tackles prejudice based on the life and experiences of the young Jewish diarist.

The Exhibition and training is supported by an educational workshop on the theme of Stand Up, Speak Out, Make a Difference (SUSOMAD).

This year the Diversity & Cohesion Service has developed the “Remembering Srebrenica” Exhibition which charts the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the event which led to the genocide of Bosnian Muslims.  Secondary pupils have used the Exhibition to explore the causes and consequences of genocide in Srebrenica, Rwanda and Darfur and to identify the potential impact of contemporary events.  The schools involved are:  Beckfoot Upper Heaton Academy, Bingley Grammar, Bradford Grammar, Dixons City Academy, Dixons Kings Academy, Eternal Light Academy, Laisterdyke Leadership Academy and Tong High School.

For further information about the Diversity & Cohesion Service and its projects please contact Alina Khan, T 01274 439384, Mobile 027582 103098.

Accreditation for Apprenticeship Scheme

Keighley College has now received accreditation from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (iMechE) for its Engineering Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme run through its Industrial Centre of Excellence.

This followed a strict audit by iMechE and means that the centre is one of a select group of training organisations whose students get free access to a range of support including:

• Supported access to the world’s largest engineering library sited at  Institute of Mechanical Engineers
• Bursaries and other financial support
• Opportunities to attend free engineering events and talks
• Newsletters featuring the latest developments in the sector

One of the key benefits to the College being approved by iMechE is that all students coming through the course will be able to fill in a short application form to become professionally registered as EngTech. This simple process can make all the difference to an engineer’s career with many major employers such as BAE, the MOD and Rolls Royce insisting that all staff are professionally registered and often using this as a criteria when filtering job applicants.

This will help our students stand out from the crowd and demonstrates the College’s continued commitment to the success of its apprentices and demonstrates the quality of our training provision to students and employers.

For further information please contact Chris Stott on 07825 058 223.

Addingham Primary School receives award for E-Safety

Pupils at Addingham Primary School have increased their understanding of e-safety and keeping safe on the internet.  They are the ninth school in the district to have achieved the 360 Degree Safe E-Safety Mark.

The pupils have a very good understanding of all the major issues regarding e-safety and know how to report any incident that they are concerned about.  The pupils came up with the idea of providing e-safety information sessions to parents at its school Christmas Fayre which was very well received.

The pupils, staff, Governors and the wider community are delighted with this accreditation as it gives recognition to the school’s commitment to safeguarding of both its pupils and staff.

For more information about the E-Safety Mark, please contact Steve Dale, in our Curriculum Innovation Team, T 01274 434825.

Killinghall Primary School celebrates excellent pupil progress figures

Excellent improvement at Killinghall Primary School is better than the national average when looking at the 2015 results, says headteacher, Gill Edge.

85% of the school’s children reached Level 4 or above in all subjects combined, compared to 80% nationally.  95% of the school’s children achieved expected levels or above in maths, 92% in reading and 87% in writing.

This is a great achievement for the school when many children come into school in nursery with well below age related expectations.  Only 3.6% of the children from last year’s Year 6 were at age related expectations when they first started school and this was only in writing; but by the end of Year 6, 87% of these children were at national average or above.

These results were a massive improvement on the previous year and the school is keen to stress that they are thanks in no small part to the families of the children. When parents value education and support the school by ensuring that their children attend and complete homework, results improve.  This specific group of children were very fortunate in the support they had from their parents and from some excellent and outstanding teaching across the years. This is testimony of how well children can achieve by everyone working together in partnership.

For further information please contact Gill Edge, Headteacher, T 01274 771166.

 

Steeton Primary School’s project wins award for its impact

Steeton Primary School has won a national ICT (the Early Years and Primary Impact) award for its “Christmas Truce” eTwinning Project which involved combining a variety of digital tools with eTwinning and using a history and current context.

Pupils in ten countries used a number of IT tools to communicate and collaborate with other schools across Europe.  This included a video conference call in commemoration of the Christmas Truce of 1914.  During this call, the children sang Silent Night together in all the languages of the project.  Through their work in the project, they also learned about World War I and shared their research.  They brought the work up to the present day by exchanging Christmas cards and ecards using the coding programme Scratch.  An e-book of the project has been made.

For more information please contact Diana Linford: diana.linford@steeton.bradford.sch.uk

Information on e-Twinning can be found at:  https://twinspace.etwinning.net/248/home

 

FAST Success at Parkwood Primary School

Twenty-seven families from Parkwood Primary School graduated after completing an eight week “FAST” (Families and School Together) programme.

FAST is a ground-breaking programme which has been developed to improve relationships, within families, between parents and schools, and also between parents themselves to build a stronger community.  The families graduated at a celebration event in March for the completion of their involvement in this pioneering new education scheme which is proven to help children achieve more in schools and dramatically improve their relationships with their families.

Each week approximately 150 people attended the session with over 200 graduating wearing “mortar boards” and gowns made by the children.

This initiative has taken relationships between schools and families to a whole new level. So many people have put so much energy and enthusiasm into this, including families, staff, governors and community partners. Children and families have looked forward to FAST every week and it has not disappointed, we have grown as a community as a result of this and would recommend it to any other school, which is happy to commit to it wholeheartedly.

For further information please contact Richard Ballantine, Headteacher, T 01535 603832.

 

Shirley Manor Primary Academy celebrates prestigious national science award

Pupils and staff at Shirley Manor Primary Academy are celebrating the outstanding science teaching which they have access to.

Science teacher, Judith Carnelley, has been chosen to receive one of the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) Awards which celebrate the outstanding teachers in primary science doing incredible work in inspiring children at schools across the country.

Judith is a Specialist Leader in Education (SLE) for the Bradford Birth to 19 Teaching Alliance and has had responsibility for planning and delivering the science teacher training modules for Initial Teacher Trainees in 2015 and 2016. This has involved four cohorts of trainees attending Shirley Manor for hands-on science training and active learning with pupils.

Teachers who win the award support colleagues in their own and other schools either locally, regionally or nationally to raise the profile of science.

In 2012, Judith led the school in achieving the Primary Science Quality Mark at Gold standard making them the first Bradford primary school to achieve this status.

For further information please contact Maureen Neill, Headteacher at Shirley Manor Primary, T 01274 679320.

 

Haworth Primary School Business Friends

A joint venture between Haworth Primary School and two local businesses has allowed a number of pupils to have access to Clever Touch Interactive Screens in their classrooms.

“The Business Friends of Haworth Primary School” project is being developed by Governors and teachers at the school so that local businesses can work in partnership with the school to help promote the school and strengthen business growth in the area.

Wydean Weaving and A1 Stairlifts have both donated the screens, and a further eight local businesses are expected to join the initiative who will be providing sponsorship and support in a number of different ways.

The new project was launched when local businesses were invited to an evening in school. During the evening the head boy and girl gave a presentation along with the headteacher and one of the Governors.  Invitees then went on a tour of the school to look at the provision and learn about the school’s values and ethos.  The values are based on “REACH” (Respect, Engage, Ambition, Care, Happiness) and “LOVE” (Living, Our Values Everyday).

A second evening in the Summer term is planned, where our current partners will be presenting the impact to other businesses to encourage further development of this.

Pictured are: Robin Wright (MD of Wydean weaving), John Brownless (School Governor) , Simon Harrison (MD A1 Stairlifts), Robert Dunne (A1 Stairlifts) and the pupils are our head girl and head boy; Minnie Waddington and Alex Lindsey.

 

Pupils debate at Cartwright Hall

Pupil Voice has been extremely strong this month due to the second Woolsack Debating Competition which took place at Cartwright Hall.

This involved seven teams from 16 primary schools taking part in the debating process which saw the two teams with the highest score going head-to-head for the final debate which was “The Olympic Games are a waste of public funding.”

The winning team, an alliance of pupils from Heaton St Barnaba’s, Rainbow and Saltaire Primary schools, was presented with the Winners’ Trophy by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Geoff Reid.  Before presenting the winning team Coun Reid, took a very small trophy out of his pocket and said that he had been given it as part of the winning team in a national Methodist debating competition 49 years ago.

He congratulated all the finalists on the quality of their arguments and the civilised nature of the debate as to whether or not the Olympics were a waste of public money. “But,” said the Lord Mayor, “what really impresses is me is that all these confident public speakers are from Bradford primary schools. I was a 21-year-old university student when I won my little trophy. I wouldn’t have dreamed of attempting anything like this when I was your age.”

Schools which took part in the debate were:

Whetley Primary Academy, Atlas Community, Green Lane, Dixons Manningham, Bowling Park, Ben Rhydding, Burley Oaks, Addingham, Eldwick, Crossflatts, Parkwood, Eastwood, Holycroft, Heaton St Barnaba’s, Saltaire primaries and Rainbow Primary Academy.

Take the opportunity to share your best practice and recent achievements – to submit an item for publication please contact 01274 434673 or email: FHCommunications@bradford.gov.uk

Bradford teacher wins national science award

A teacher at Shirley Manor Primary Academy in Wyke, Bradford has won a prestigious national science award.

Judith Carnelley has been chosen to receive one of the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) Awards for 2015.

The awards celebrate the outstanding teachers in primary science doing incredible work in inspiring children at schools across the country.

Judges said it is a major achievement by Judith, all the more so as they had considerable difficulty in choosing between the high-calibre nominations.

Judith is a Specialist Leader in Education (SLE) for the Bradford Birth to 19 Teaching Alliance and has had responsibility for planning and delivering the science teacher training modules for Initial Teacher Trainees in 2015 and 2016. This has involved four cohorts of trainees attending Shirley Manor for hands-on science training and active learning with pupils.

The awards were established in 2003 and they are presented during the Annual Primary Science Teacher College Conference, which this year takes place on 3-4 October in Bristol. This gives family, friends and colleagues the chance to join in the celebrations of these amazing teachers. A trustee from the PSTT will also visit Judith in school on another date to present the award.

Teachers who win the award support colleagues in their own and other schools either locally, regionally or nationally to raise the profile of science.

Maureen Neill, Headteacher at Shirley Manor Primary Academy, said: “Judith has worked at Shirley Manor Primary Academy (SMPA) since 2010 and has played a key part in our journey from Primary School to Primary Academy. She has embraced her role as Early Years Leader and Science Co-ordinator with great energy and enthusiasm.

“In 2012 Judith led our school to achieve the Primary Science Quality Mark at Gold standard; we were the first Bradford Primary school to achieve this. Judith is now working as a regional Science Hub Leader and trainer for the PSQM (Primary Science Quality Mark). She also works alongside colleagues in STEM to improve local learning and research opportunities for local students and young people.

“Judith works tirelessly to lead and further develop science within our school, across Bradford and the region. She trains teachers and student teachers and feedback from these sessions is consistently highly positive.”

Judith Carnelley said: “I am thrilled to have achieved this award. It is really nice to be recognised for all the science work I have done. Science is such an important part of the curriculum and I thoroughly enjoy my part in sharing my knowledge of science teaching and learning.”

Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s Strategic Director of Children’s Services, said: “Congratulations to Judith on receiving the prestigious Primary Science Teaching Trust Award, what a fantastic personal achievement.  This is in recognition of her outstanding contribution to development of science teaching and learning at Shirley Manor Primary Academy and in the wider community.”