Dear Parents,
We were delighted with the number of families who were represented at the Parent & Governor Coffee morning. The turnout from both schools was heartening to see and certainly was great evidence of how the community will be at the forefront of our achievements as a Federation.
Understandably many parents were unable to make the meeting due to family or work commitments. Please find below the notes from the discussion to keep you informed about how we are progressing:
Welcome
Gill Gordon (Chris Kent was absent due to unforeseen circumstances) welcomed parents to the first joint meeting. Gill described how positive the feeling had been about the Federation during the recent Ofsted Inspection and how good it was to see so many parents in the hall for the meeting.
Meetings would continue to alternate between Mead & Broadford.
Purpose of the meetings was for Governors to talk to parents about plans, progress so far and to hear their thoughts on how the schools were doing.
Vision & Values update
Mr Drakes - Executive Headteacher - provided an update on the Values expected of Parents, Staff & Pupils. This had also been covered at the recent Parent Forum meetings at both schools. There were some key facts about the RM3 postcode and how the deprivation could be a limiting factor for pupils if the quality of education wasn’t world class
- Pupils from a poor background and 4x more likely to be poor themselves when older
- 9 in 10 people in a low paid job are still in that job after 8 years
- Those who are unable to read by the age of 10 will earn 20% less than their peers
- The life expectancy gap between RM3 & RM14 is 7 years
Clear imperative for Broadford & Mead staff to work hard to ensure all pupils get the very best possible education.
Key is being able to read well - so our vision specifically refers to the need for pupils to be able to read by the age of 6.
Feedback from Ofsted & LA about Federation
The Ofsted report referred to the strength of the relationship between the two schools and how it had been a powerful agent for change and improvement:
- Staff morale is high. Teachers told inspectors that they were excited about the new federation. Senior leaders have set a clear vision and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.
The local authority has supported the school well on its journey of improvement prior to the federation with Broadford Primary School. The school is an active member of a network of schools.
- There is a strong collaborative approach to planning as teachers have the opportunity to share good practice with other teachers from Broadford Primary School
Over the next few months we expect to see a formal change of structure that will better reflect the shared leadership between the two schools and the collaborative teaching.
Update on buildings work @ Mead
Parents were shown images of the near completed EYFS learning area: tree houses, nature gardens, tunnels, water play and construction area. It is anticipated that the remaining equipment (music feature and sound systems) will be in place by the end of the term. Parents will then be invited to have a look at the new area and see the impact it is having on the children’s learning.
Broadford parents were reassured that there will be continued investment, but much of the focus was inside: new flooring, updated screens for teachers, new ICT network, new PCs. This was due to the lack of clarity about exactly would be included in the new build project.
Update on expansion @ Broadford
The plans were due to be completed soon. They will be available for parents to view at the next Parents Forum in the Spring Term. We expect construction to begin in Feb/Mar of 2017 with completion by Dec/Jan 2018
Launch of Teaching School
Mr Drakes informed parents that Broadford had now been accredited as a National Teaching School. This would mean that we would be able to have our own ITT programs to train teachers, provide CPD for our staff and work as an agent for the LA. It also drew in much needed funding to the schools so that we can support our extended leadership team and retain key staff.
Questions & Feedback
There weren’t any questions from parents
We look forward to seeing you next term, when the coffee morning will be held at Mead Primary.
Yours faithfully
Gill Gordon
Chris Kent
Co-chairs of Governor
