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.

 

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.

Chewing gum campaign

Shoppers outside the Broadway shopping centre tomorrow (Thursday, 5 October) will see the launch of a new campaign to tackle the problem of chewing gum on pavements and roads. Bradford Council will align with a national campaign organised by the Chewing Gum Action Group to change behaviour and make people think twice before dropping their gum on the floor. Coun Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Culture and Sport, said: “Dropped chewing gum is a significant messy problem for Bradford. “It is very costly and time consuming to remove and the process of removing it can also damage the pavement or road.” Since mid-July, eight private enforcement officers have been patrolling the streets of Bradford and issuing Fixed Penalty Notices to people who drop litter, urinate and spit, as well as Dog Control Order offences. They have already fined people for discarding gum and the new campaign will explain that discarded chewing gum is litter. Following the city centre launch, the campaign will be rolled out to Shipley and the rest of the district. Coun Ferriby said: “This is a problem affecting every urban area. Bradford is no different than any other town or city. “Chewing gum is harder to remove than litter that can be swept up, and this campaign is intended to raise awareness to people that chewing gum is litter – once it goes down on to the pavement it stays there.” “It doesn’t look good, it’s sticky, it takes some removing and people may not realise that this type of littering is harder to remove.” She added: “The solution is to put it in a piece of tissue, put it your pocket or put it in the bin.” Council officers will be using posters, banners, lamppost stickers and other promotional material to try and raise awareness of the problem and to make people think about helping with the solution.

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.

Council seeking sponsor for new social, emotional and mental health free school

Bradford Council is looking for a sponsor to run a new special free school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

The new school is being created in Bradford after the council successfully bid with partners in the district and neighbouring councils for Education and Skills Funding Agency funding.

The free school will offer whole life services based around excellent education, family care and work-life support with space for 72 pupils and a 12 bed residential facility.
Bradford Council is now inviting applications to run the new school.  The council is hosting an event this week to share its vision with prospective sponsors.

Representatives from Social Care,  Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and neighbouring local education authorities will also be attending.

The event takes place at the Ernest Saville Room in City Hall from 10am to 1pm on Friday September 22.

Applications to run the new school can be submitted at any time before noon on November 24 this year.  The Council cannot grant a deadline extension. Any organisation wanting to submit a bid should register their interest first.

The new school is set to be built on the former Rhodesway playing fields site on Lower Grange, Bradford.

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s executive member  for education, employment and skills, said: “This new free school will play a key role in our provision for pupils with special educational needs.  We are looking for an organisation which can fulfill our vision for a school which provides  whole life services based around excellent education, family care and work-life support. We believe this school can make a real difference to the lives of young people who will benefit from this support.”

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.”

Free event – Cliffe Castle Garden Party

The will be free fun and frolics for all at Cliffe Castle park and Museum Garden Party on Sunday (July 30). The whole event will be buzzin’ with carnival rides, music, dancing and the Airedale Beekeepers observational bee hive. The event, organised by Bradford Council, the Cliffe Castle Park Conservation Group and Bluefruit Promotions will include take-away high tea and garden advice. It starts at 12noon and lasts until 6pm. Parking will be limited and visitors are asked to use public transport or town centre car parks. The £4.5 million on-going restoration of Keighley’s Cliffe Castle park, has been supported thanks to National Lottery players. The restoration of the park’s Victorian features first began in June 2016 when Bradford Council successfully bid £3.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Parks for People programme. Coun Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Culture, said: “We hope lots of people will come and have a great time at the museum and park. “Visitors can get an exciting look at how the work is going so far with work on lots of Victorian features already completed. “Cliffe Castle has been one of the district’s favourite destinations since it became a public park and museum more than 50 years ago. The HLF project will ensure it continues to be a delight for the coming years.”

Bradford SEND Conference is hailed a success

A major education conference held in Bradford focused on serving the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND) has been hailed as a big success.

More than 600 representatives from schools across the district attended the event, which was organised by Bradford Council.

The audience at Bradford City’s Northern Commercial Stadium at Valley Parade heard keynote speeches from a panel of experts from the sector.

The “Putting Children at the Centre” – Bradford SEND conference 2017 also allowed the council to set out its vision for the district where Bradford moves towards a sector-led self improving model of SEND provision where best practice is shared between schools.

The event was aimed at headteachers, SENCOs (special educational needs co-ordinators) and SEND governors of all schools in the district, parents, partner agencies as well as staff from the further education sector.

Welcoming delegates to the event Bradford Council’s Strategic Director for  Children’s Services Michael Jameson said he believed that working together schools, the local authority and parents all had the expertise to provide the best possible support and education for pupils with SEND.

Bradford Council has well-developed relationships with schools and believes that continued collaboration will help transform the way in which specialist provision and support for SEND pupils is delivered.

The audience then heard from three top national speakers in SEND education.

Jane Friswell, a former chief executive of the Nasen (National Association of Special Educational Needs) charity and director of SEND Consultancy, focused on why “Good practice for students with SEND is good practice for all.” 

She told the conference that she was very impressed with the “quality of ambition” she had seen from Bradford for SEND provision.

Jean Gross CBE spoke about how to support learners with SEND through quality first teaching and Simon Knight, from the London Leadership, talked about School Based SEND Review, a nationally recognised review tool for evaluating how well a school is meeting the needs of SEND children which is being rolled out across the Bradford District next term.

The event also included a market place which allowed the council to promote the additional services that are available to support pupils with SEND in schools.

Coun Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: “We are delighted with how this conference went. We have received so much positive feedback both from our schools and from the expert speakers who were kind enough to share their experience with us.

“Colleagues have told us that they were inspired by the speakers and that the event was a good opportunity to refresh their knowledge and learn new things. It gave people the chance to pick up on strategies to use in the classroom and the chance to network and share ideas with other colleagues.

“Bradford has a growing population and we know that there is a growing need for more specialist places in our schools. But what the conference shows is that there is a shared commitment from the council and schools to ensure that across the district the needs of these pupils can be met.”

St Matthew’s CE Primary pupils get taste of what the college has to offer

Year 6 pupils from St Matthew’s CE Primary, Bradford, were given a real taste of what’s on offer at Bradford College when they visited the campus.

Some 60 Year 6 pupils, 30 on each day, were given an extensive tour of the College on Thursday and Friday 13 and 14 July. They met with students who they had previously spent time with at school in November, 2016 and February this year. Known as College Ambassadors, they helped the pupils gain insights into a range a courses and careers, and into the general life of post-school study.

The pupils saw the engineering and technical workshops, science labs and library. From the top floor of the main building, they were able to see the Bradford cityscape. The day ended in a media studio where groups of pupils made a talk show video. They took on the roles of either hosts, guests, camera operators, sound engineers or directors. They are looking forward to seeing the short films.

Included in the tour was a visit to a hair salon, a boxing gym, and a statue of Sir Edward Appleton, who won a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1947 while working at the former Bradford Technical College, which later became Bradford College.

Last November students from the College answered questions from pupils about life as a student as part of a Year 6 Careers Week. The event was organised to encourage the pupils to have high aspirations and consider further and higher education once they leave secondary school.

A second session, called Your Future and Higher Education, was held at the school in February. It gave pupils an insight into studying Higher education and the students answered frequently asked questions about courses, entry requirements and the costs involved

The events were part of Bradford College’s Get Involved scheme which runs the College’s Further and Higher Education Progression Packages.

Picture shows pupil Aaqib Zaman on camera.

Rhyme Challenge award winners

 

Those who made exceptional contributions to Bradford Council Libraries’ annual Rhyme Challenge received awards at a special event this week. Over 3,500 families successfully completed this year’s challenge, ran by Bradford Libraries and Early Childhood Services at the council. It was put out to 300 childcare and library settings across the district. This year saw a 75 per cent increase in uptake. The Rhyme Challenge, which ran between September 2016 and March 2017, sets children under five and their families the task of learning five rhymes. They then receive a certificate for their hard work. Of those who took part in the challenge, 92 per cent of parents felt that it had increased their child’s speech and language development. Of the staff and volunteers who oversee the challenge in childcare, toddler groups and library settings, 100 per cent felt the challenge was beneficial to the families they work with. The awards ceremony recognised the collective efforts of individuals and groups in organising the challenge and those who have gone the extra mile. The Lord Mayor of Bradford Coun Abid Hussain presented the awards and guest speaker was Christina Gabbitas, poet/author and winner of the Yorkshire Women of Achievement Award 2016.  Children from Netherleigh & Rossefield School Nursery School sang and there was a rhyme time session with Dave Morrison from BHT Education & Training The award winners were: Bradford Libraries Rhyme Challenge Best Practice Individual Award Winner – Bridget Izod – Development Officer Support, Bradford Libraries Runner up – Lois Partington –Foundation Stage Manager, Netherleigh & Rossefield School Other nominations included: Jessika Osborne – Volunteer, Airedale & Wharfedale Children’s Centre Cluster Bradford Libraries Rhyme Challenge Best Practice Libraries Award Winner – Idle Library Runner up – Keighley Library Other nominations included: Bingley Library, City Library, Clayton Library, Eccleshill Library, Ilkley Library Bradford Libraries Rhyme Challenge Best Practice Toddler Group Award Winner – St Theresa’s Playgroup, Queensbury Runner up – Buttershaw Christian Family Centre Other nominations included: St Andrews See & Know Group and Wibsey Methodist Toddler Group Bradford Libraries Rhyme Challenge Best Practice Setting Award Winner – Fagley Primary School Runner up – Sandy Lane Pre-School Other nominations included: Al Hikmah School; BHT Early Education & Training; Copthorne Primary School; Greengates Primary School; Grove House Primary School Nursery; Highfield Pre-School; Lidget Green Primary School; Netherleigh & Rossefield Nursery School; Nightingales Day Nursery; Our Lady of Victories Primary School; St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School; Strong Close Nursery School; Wibsey Methodist Pre-School Bradford Libraries Rhyme Challenge Best Practice Children’s Centre Award Winner – South Bradford Children’s Centre Cluster Runner up – Airedale & Wharfedale Children’s Centre Cluster Other nominations included: Bradford West Children’s Centre Cluster and Lister Park Children’s Centre Cluster Contact Bradford Libraries on 01274 433684 for more information on the Rhyme Challenge or check out www.bradford.gov.uk/libraries