CEO's Blog - 24th March 2023 Our Organisation... The weeks are flying by and we're nearly at the end of the Spring term, so here's a snapshot of life at every one of our schools and settings. We're growing all the time, but our offer remains the best in special...
Gallery
Our gallery shows a selection of photographs from across our Academy.
CEO’s Blog – 17th March 2023 – ‘Thank You!’
CEO's Blog - 17th March 2023 'Thank You!' Well, if you've been following the updates on social media this week, you might just have noticed that almost 100 of our young people have been lucky enough to travel to Disneyland Paris. A trip that started on Monday...
CEO’s Blog (10th March 2023)
CEO's Blog (10th March 2023) It was International Women's Day this week, and it was great to see our schools and settings marking the occasion with their activities and learning opportunities. Of course, we shouldn't only celebrate our women and girls for just...
We are looking for our next CEO…
We are looking for our next CEO... It's probably been the worst kept secret for a while, but I'm writing my blog this week to let everyone know that we are actively looking for the next CEO of the New Bridge Multi Academy Group and MAT. After many years working as...
CEO’s Blog – Student Voice (24th February 2023)
CEO's Blog - Student Voice (24th February 2023) A few weeks ago, before the half term break, I said I would be reporting on how we listen to the Student Voice across our MAT and wider Group. Well, this week, I'm able to do just that, as some of our schools and...
Thankfully this week hasn’t been quite as hectic as last, although it has still been eventful.
On Monday I was asked to present to a group of Head Teachers from Yorkshire and Humberside. It was great to catch up with a number of colleagues, many of whom I used to work with. It was also interesting to hear from them, first hand, about some of the challenges that smaller special schools are experiencing. Many of them are facing the prospect of losing staff as a result of the financial pressures. This is having a knock-on effect in respect of their schools then struggling to meet the demands of both a revised curriculum and assessment model. As you can imagine, this can quickly lead to a cycle of decline!
One of the things that our Group has always been particularly good at is seeing the bigger picture and positioning ourselves accordingly. This has, in turn, meant that we can continue to recruit the best staff and provide our young people with a vibrant and relevant curriculum and extra-curricular offer. I truly believe that combining the three schools over 10 years ago and subsequently converting to a Multi Academy Trust has provided us with a stronger financial base to build our successes from.
As if schools have not had enough significant changes to constantly manage from central government, we found out yesterday that the Department for Education is conducting a High Needs Funding Reform consultation. They are inviting views on:
- the structure of a formula for funding local authorities to provide services for children and young people who attract high needs funding
- improvements to the distribution of this high needs funding to schools, colleges and other institutions
Our experience, unfortunately, is that these types of consultations often result in both ‘winners’ and ‘losers’. Reforms often equate to cuts and subsequently less funding. We will ensure the voice of our (Northern) children is put forward!
Some of you may have seen the Oldham Chronicle on Wednesday featuring a front page story about the proposed new special free school that Kingfisher School have applied to run. The new school, if it goes ahead, will offer places for another 140 children.
In one respect, the growth in numbers in the special school sector is testament to our collective achievements and the faith that our families have in our schools. However, it also challenges us to ensure we plan the provision for our next generation of children in Oldham.
Have a great weekend,
Graham
Location
New Bridge Multi Academy Trust
Roman Road
Hollinwood
Oldham
OL8 3PH
School Hours
Weekends: Closed
Phone & Email
0161 870 9386
info@newbridgegroup.org