A challenging week filled with meetings, discussion and head scratching. As the funding cuts take hold, finding answers as to how to maintain high quality education, uphold academic standards, ensure student and staff welfare is improved and cut costs to ensure financial stability, is becoming harder and harder. So this week I have embarked on some ‘blue sky’ thinking on ways to improve our school.
Student council are urging us to become far more environmentally aware. They are lobbying hard for ‘zero plastic’ and I fully support this idea. One sensible idea is to increase our use of recycling bins and I have spent a few hours sourcing suitable bins and systems. I am pursuing alternative charitable funding to support a garden and ‘buddy bench’ to improve the outside facilities, especially important as Spring is on the way.
The Governors are also developing an idea to utilize talent and expertise in our community, for the benefit of our school community. We are planning to launch a ‘ Friends of …’ organisation that maybe be able to offer time and skills in a wide range of areas including, helping prepare cooking and art materials, being a volunteer reading coach, or add to our growing list of lunchtime clubs. More details will follow, but if anyone is interested in volunteering even an hour a week to help out in school, we would love to hear from you.
I am also planning changes to our policy of mobile technology in school. It comes as no surprise, after my initial efforts 2 years ago, that mobile phone use is still an issue for schools. The current system of handing in at the beginning of a lesson, works to some extent. However, what is becoming an emerging issue is the amount of social time being used for the latest craze of Coin Master and the like. Some students are so addicted that they are getting to the door of a lesson saying ‘hang on a minute I need to finish this level..’! This has got to be addressed and I am formulating a new policy that will be rolled out in the second half of summer term. The last parents survey showed 73% of parents want phones to be allowed into school , but 63% agreed they should be locked away for the whole day. We are working on a solution.
Finally, I am about to propose some changes to the Governing Body about uniform. It is time for a radical update and fresh look, which will be smart and practical. I will consult parents and students widely before any decisions are made.
