Lesley Kirby's CB Presentation

Below are Lesley Kirby's notes from last nights meeting. It was extremely informative and we are very grateful to her for the time she put in for us.

TEACHING

• ·      Context: comprehensive school; attainment on entry, especially in upper school, very mixed
• ·      66% of teachers are good and outstanding
• ·      Results in other schools will be better because they begin at a higher level in Y7
• ·      2 ASTs and 2 more will start when they finish
• ·      Proactive and vigorous approach to raising the bar for all
• ·      Support and coaching for ‘satisfactory’ to move them up
• ·      SLT and Faculty Directors have been trained in Ofsted observation; numerous external verifications of our judgments
• ·      Teachers undergo a very wide range of training

CURRICULUM & EXTRA CURRICULAM

• ·      Streaming on entry (SATs and CATs)
• ·      KS3: broad and balanced
• ·      KS4: 3 routes: Route 10+ and 9+ taken by 92% of students
• ·      Separate humanities for all and separate sciences for abler; options which are not in KS3 are business, sociology, psychology; plus classical civilisation for G & T
• ·      ICT projects eg internet rangers, Dragons’ Den, all children do ICT OCR Y10 (95% pass rate), some do GCSE
• ·      Wide-ranging and creative G and T programme for ablest
• ·      Period 6
• ·      Support through LAF for those needing to reach higher levels
• ·      Numerous extra curricular opportunities, particularly sport, DoE, art, drama, music
• ·      Ebac - encouraged
• ·      6^th form – discussions under way. Collegiate model being discussed by all LBRUT HTs – we have decided we will all work together (statement of moral purpose being drawn up)
• ·      Skills developed through eg public speaking, courses like Wider Key Skills, DoE, participation in national and local projects, prefects and their training, ambassadors
• ·      Some single sex teaching has taken place
• ·      Latin: a pilot, one pd pw for Year 7 at the moment. Working with the (reputedly) best organisation in England, Cambridge Latin course and have agreement for some support from St Paul’s
• ·      Lot of sports opportunities and lots of inter school competitions

LEADERSHIP

·      Leadership team to be expanded to include two of our finest teachers who will have, among others, responsibility for Y 7 and teaching and learning. Strong team, to be revitalised by new-comers

• ·      AW joining through our sponsorship of his programme of Tomorrow’s Heads
• ·      DF and LK in contact weekly: advice, support, challenge. AET have been in very regularly this first year and seem satisfied with progress made.
• ·      Leadership planning: currently a very detailed one year plan and a broader brush plan up to 2015. Aim is to be good with outstanding in 3 years. Greensward Academy, the first AET academy, is outstanding
• ·      Very strong, committed and intelligent GB
• ·      Behaviour – clear improvements in school, school not afraid to exclude permanently or extended fixed term. Students clear they know this will happen if they misbehave. We also, though, promote the carrot approach eg Vivos

BUILDING

• ·      Yr 7 refurb due to finish Sept 2011
• ·      Discussions planned for £10mill next week
• ·      New ICT facilities being developed – staff use ICT across the curriculum

COMMUNITY

• ·      Police presence at most schools including those with buses
• ·      Police in schools part of London-wide initiative to get dialogue between Met and young people
• ·      We only have PCSOs – there to ensure students get home safely and for no other reason. They attend where there are large numbers of people
• ·      Continue close work with quindrat HTs and our primaries
• ·      Numbers for Y7 change all the time – about 1/3 are local, but greatly increased number from Barnes. This year’s cohort very able – very different from all current years