May Half Term Newsletter Summer 2023 New Bridge Group May Half Term Newsletter - Summer 2023 Please take a look at the New Bridge Group and Multi Academy Trust Half Term Newsletter, for a brief update on what's been going on this past half term! ...
Gallery
Our gallery shows a selection of photographs from across our Academy.
One of our own, flying the flag…
One of our own, flying the flag... This week, one of our Executive Directors, Shirley Woods Gallagher, had a piece published about preparing autistic students for the world of work. You can read it here:...
CEO’s Blog (5th May 2023)
CEO's Blog (5th May 2023) Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great week. This week, I wanted to talk about something that I believe has been one of the best parts of my job as a Multi Academy Trust CEO, and that is meeting the young people in our schools. It is...
CEO’s Blog – 28th April 2023
CEO's Blog - 28th April 2023 Happy Friday, everyone. I wanted to focus my blog this week, on sharing a message from our Chair of Trustees, Steve Williams, about the exciting news that we have appointed a new CEO for the New Bridge Group and New Bridge...
Thank you, Jenny Dunne
Thank you, Jenny Dunne Hi everyone, I wanted to take a moment this week, to express my gratitude for the incredible contributions Jenny Dunne has made during her time here with New Bridge. As you may have heard, Jenny has accepted a new position as the...
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