Gallery

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

CEO Blog – Destinations Champions

CEO Blog – Destinations Champions

  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...

CEO Blog – 24.11.23

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

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

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

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...

Hi, everyone…

As usual, it’s been an incredibly busy time in all our schools and organisations.

As well as working alongside Oldham, Tameside and Rochdale, I’ve also been involved in a number of national meetings linked to the pending SEND Green Paper.

There seems little doubt that the system requires significant reforms to make it better fit for purpose.

From a Trust perspective, we’ve noticed significant demand in all of our schools. Mid-year admissions have never been so high and applications for places for the new academic year are at an all time high too.

Obviously, we have some plans that will help support our communities, but they may not come to fruition for a couple of years. I’m particularly thinking about our new schools in Tameside and Rochdale. It’s imperative that we also manage the here and now!!

Our children and young people are going through our schools today, tomorrow and next week. They deserve the very best offer.

For the last couple of weeks, I have worked alongside the team at Schools Week to explore the issue of overcrowding in special schools across the country. Here’s a link to the article:

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/special-schools-bursting-at-seams-but-dfe-doesnt-collect-the-data/ 

From what I understand, one of the main pillars of the pending green paper will be the proposal for more young people (with additional needs) to be supported within mainstream schools.

I’m comfortable with this as ‘a proposal’ but moving this to a reality will be a huge challenge.

In many mainstream schools we’ll have to deal with quite a list. Here’s a few:

Culture

Vision and Values

The curriculum

The workforce (including training and development)

Buildings and the estate

External qualifications

The accountability framework – particularly Ofsted

All of the above is ‘doable’ but we’ve got to have space and time to understand the complex issues and then plan accordingly.

If we were working in a different sector each of these areas listed above would have Change Management professionals assigned.

If we are serious, as a country, of really working through these issues, we’ll need to give time, people and finances to do the work properly.

The bottom line, for me, is whatever the next few years give us we mustn’t lose the momentum we have gained. We have to make sure the achievements of children and young people are up front and central. Preparation for Adulthood has to be the driver – people with additional needs being fully engaged in our communities.

Creating Meaningful Futures.

Developing an improved offer for all children must be at the forefront of our thinking.

A truly inclusive system must ensure all partners sign up to a change agenda. We have to value everyone.

It’s going to be an eventful couple of years!

Graham

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