Gallery

Our gallery shows a selection of photographs from across our Academy.

CEO’s Blog – 24th March 2023

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...

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...

Hi everyone, what an amazing day!

It started at the Apple retail store in Austin, Texas. The shop leader gave us an amazing understanding of Apple’s vision and strategy.

I noted a number of the key points:

  • Apple aim to ‘leave the world a better place’
  • People are at the heart of their business
  • Their mission statement constantly evolves to remain relevant
  • Teamwork is essential

Their new stores are designed to inspire (interestingly not necessarily to sell) and are set out as if they are streets/avenues. I have attached a number of pictures that helped encapsulate the session..

We then moved on to our first school where we saw ‘one-to-one’ in action. ‘One-to-one’ basically means that all children and staff are given a device (an iPad/MacBook).

I saw an amazing group of 6 year olds designing a game and filming the instructions using video player. I also saw in action a number of different apps including Seesaw, Flipgrid, Showbie, iMotion and ChatterPix.

I saw an amazing ‘stand’ that attaches to the iPads that allows them to be used almost ‘hands free’.

Interestingly, the school had a director of ICT/Innovation and technicians who worked alongside the classroom staff and pupils. This allowed everyone to learn together in real time.

We then moved to a middle school where we met with their student council. They told us about some of the challenges ‘one-to-one’ had brought. These included firewall issues, agreements when using the tablets at home, cases and the fact that usually the young people were more competent than many of the staff! Asked about their favourite applications, they came up with a list that included Google Classroom, Google Docs, Notability, Quizlet and ThatQuiz – I may have got the spelling wrong on some of those!

One of their main concerns was the fact that a few teachers, when the ‘one-to-one’ programme was initially rolled out, allowed the children to use iPads as a reward at the end of lessons etc. The children felt that this gave the wrong message in that technology should be used to enhance the learning experiences rather than used in a more passive way. A really mature position.

We then visited the high school where they blew me away with their use of technology in the Arts. The way they combined visual technology with performance was inspirational – I will try and upload a film clip when I return. I was also mightily impressed with how they combined enterprise, retail and technology. I thought of our UnITe team.

All the schools suggested that they had faced a number of challenges and obstacles. These included ensuring families were also supported with their learning, staff training and development and bandwidth connectivity.

All in all, a really productive day – I can’t wait to introduce some of the learning on to our schools. ‘One-to-one’ here we come??

Graham

You can find the latest from Graham’s visit here

Location

New Bridge Multi Academy Trust
Roman Road
Hollinwood
Oldham
OL8 3PH

School Hours

M-F: 8am – 4pm
Weekends: Closed

Phone & Email

0161 870 9386

info@newbridgegroup.org