- 8/1/2013 School restarts for all students
- 8/1/2013 GCE/GCSE start.
- 14/1/2013 Year 7 Progress Review starts.
- 17/1/2013 Year 13 Parents Forum.
- 18/1/2013 Year 11 Mock results day.
A great deal has been achieved within school behind the scenes this term, so I thought it would be useful to highlight some of these along with some new initiatives taking place next term.
We have embedded a strong and effective Appraisal system throughout the school which is tightly linked to the school improvement plan. Staff have been very positive and viewed the scheme as being central to continuing our intensive work on teaching and learning.
House Leaders now meet fortnightly with a member of the Senior Leadership Team to go through an analysis of progress against targets and strategies for the coming fortnight. This has provided a vehicle for rapid and sustained improvement.
Although there is always work to do, the new behaviour policy is now embedded with House Leaders taking responsibility for attitudes to learning (as this impacts on progress). They are based with their Deputy House Leader and supported by the Pastoral Manager, dealing with welfare issues. In addition, staff meet briefly every Monday morning to share ideas on teaching and learning; this has proved invaluable.
In January, all students and teaching staff will be reading for ten minutes four times a week during tutor time (the 5th day being assembly). No teaching staff will be exempt from this, including me as Headteacher. In addition we will be responding to matters raised either at parents' forum or from the parent questionnaires; this will be via a "you said & we did" section on the website. We will be advertising a communications post soon after Christmas alongside a post to develop alternative curriculum programmes including the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.
All of this is just a taster of the work that has occurred or will be taking place at CNS.
I wish you all a fantastic Christmas!
Jim Nixon
