CEO Blog - Destinations Champions I can't quite believe that we've made it to December already, but here we are, and the countdown to Christmas is well and truly underway! This week, I would like to point you all in the direction of our newest New Bridge...
Gallery
Our gallery shows a selection of photographs from across our Academy.
CEO Blog – 24.11.23
CEO Blog - 24.11.23 Happy Friday, everyone. I'm keeping it brief this week, but I wanted to give you an update on what's been going on behind the scenes at New Bridge... I met with the Directors at New Bridge Horizons, talking about the exciting partnerships we build...
CEO Blog – 17.11.23
CEO Blog - 17.11.23 This week has been another busy week for all of us at New Bridge, and I'm proud of our staff teams for pulling together and continuing to offer our students and young people the very best, even when it's already dark by the time most of them are...
CEO Blog – 10.11.23
CEO Blog - 10.11.23 This week, it has been good to see each of our sites commemorating Remembrance Day in their own way. The creativity and thought that our staff have put into these 'Remembrance' themed activities is brilliant, and testament to their ingenuity. It...
CEO Blog (3.11.23) – Welcome Back
CEO Blog (3.11.23) - Welcome Back To everyone who has just had half term, I want to say, 'welcome back', and that I hope you had the opportunity to spend some quality time with friends and family over the break. This first term is usually the toughest, and the October...
It’s been a strange old week. I’m never ill (touch wood) but this week I appear to have come down with a cold. This has caused much hilarity in the central office and all I’ve heard is ‘man flu’, ‘no sympathy’, ‘get some work done’ – it’s just like being at home!!
Earlier in the week I went over to Hawthorns School in Ashton. They are looking to join our Trust in the next couple of months and they will be a wonderful asset. We know the school well as we have had a number of their children join us over the years. They have a brilliant reputation in relation to their approach to teaching and learning, and their staff share our enthusiasm for transforming and modernising schools. Outstanding schools that get better has to be the way forward.
I have also been involved in planning for a meeting with the Department for Education. We are discussing a number of issues including:
- an update on national funding strategies
- special free schools – understanding the commissioning arrangements
- proposed timelines relating to the Rochford Review
- an update on EHCPs
- an update on Special Provision Fund (DfE allocation £215m) – best practice
At times the travelling to and from London can be a real pain with early morning starts and late night finishes. However, it does ensure that our schools are appraised of the very latest developments from government and allows us to influence some of the key issues of the day. It’s also interesting to collate the views from other school leaders across the country.
On to our own schools and provisions. We had a meeting on Tuesday to explore how we are going to respond to the growing number of young people we are supporting in our post 19 provisions. Both Horizons and Future Finders have expanded significantly over the last couple of years. The main challenge we face is that we now have a group of young people reaching their 25th birthdays. We were always hopeful that other provisions would pop up to support these groups as they move through young adulthood. Sadly Oldham hasn’t really seen any new organisations moving into the town so we are exploring what options are open to us. I am torn between ensuring that we keep a focus on children, young people and young adults and supporting families who are becoming increasingly anxious at the limited provision for young people after they leave New Bridge Horizons at 25. We need to open up a wider consultation. I’ll contact you with some dates.
Have a great weekend,
Graham
You can find all Graham’s previous blog entries here
Location
New Bridge Multi Academy Trust
Roman Road
Hollinwood
Oldham
OL8 3PH
School Hours
Weekends: Closed
Phone & Email
0161 870 9386
info@newbridgegroup.org