GOVERNORS' ANNUAL REPORT TO PARENTS,
SEPTEMBER 2005 TO AUGUST 2006
CONTENTS
Section
1 Introduction
2 Resolutions
from previous meeting
3 Date
of parents’ meeting
4 The
governing body
5 Parent
governor elections
6 School
security
7 School
Development Plan
8 Pupils
with disabilities
9 Special
Education needs
10 OFSTED
Inspection
11
Destinations of Students
12
Professional Development
13 Rates
of absence
14 Financial
statement
15 National
curriculum tests (SATs): results 2006 and targets for 2007 16 A/AS results
17 GCSE
results
18 A'
level subject performance table
19 AS
level subject performance table
20 GCSE
subject performance table
21
A’ level and GCSE results graphs
22
Curriculum in 2006-07
23 Curriculum
complaints procedure
1. INTRODUCTION
The
Education Act of 1986, updated by DfEE Circular 11/96, requires the Governors
of the school to prepare an annual report and present it to. This report covers
the year from the start of the Autumn Term, 2005 to the end of the Summer Term,
2006. A meeting to discuss the Report will be held if 15 or more parents
request one.
2. RESOLUTIONS FROM PREVIOUS PARENTS' MEETING
There
were no resolutions from the 2005 meeting.
3. DATE OF PARENTS’ MEETING
A date
will be set for a Parents’ Meeting to discuss the Report if 15 or more parents
request such a meeting. The date will be notified to all parents.
4. THE
GOVERNING BODY 2004/2005
The Governing Body consists
of 22 Governors, made up from seven elected Parent Governors, two elected
Teacher Governors, one elected Staff Governor, the Headmaster, one LEA
Governors, five Partnership Governors and five Co-opted Governors. The dates
shown in brackets indicates the end of each governor’s term of office.
PARENT GOVERNORS
Mrs. C. Bishop, 4 Acre
Close, Edenfield, Ramsbottom, Bury, BL0 0JY Tel: 825198 (28.9.2008)
Mr. S. Bradshaw, 23 Billington Avenue, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, BB4 8UW Tel: 211808
(28.9.2008)
Mr. N. Lester, 19 Lower Cribden Avenue, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, BB4 6EW Tel: 227409 (31.8.2007)
Mrs. A. Lythgoe, 46 Alden Road, Helmshore, Rossendale, BB4 4AQ Tel: 212497 (28.9.2008)
Mrs. G. Seaton, 157 Cherry Crescent, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, BB4 7BJ Tel: 831308 (31.8.2007)
Mr. P. Terry, The Croft, Cowpe Road, Waterfoot, Rossendale, BB4 7DQ Tel: 214106 (31.8.2007)
Mrs. S. Woods, 52 Royds Street, Accrington, BB5 2HU Tel: 01254 381548 (31.8.2007)
TEACHER GOVERNORS
Mr. K. M. Grehan, c/o BRGS
(3.11.2008)
Mrs. K. Boswell c/o BRGS
(31.08.2009)
STAFF GOVERNOR
Miss E. Gauntlett, c/o BRGS
(31.8.2007)
PARTNERSHIP GOVERNORS
Mrs. M. Abbott, 72 Booth Road, Waterfoot , Rossendale, BB4 9BQ (Parent) (31.8.2007)
Mr. D. Heap, 108 Haslingden Old Road, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, BB4 8SA Tel: 229248 (Finance Director and former BRGS pupil)
(31.8.2007)
Mrs. S. Henry, 3 Rhuddlan
Close, Haslingden, Rossendale, BB4 6TF Tel: 226945 (Solicitor) (31.8.2007)
Mr. D. S. King, 22 Pendleton Avenue, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, BB4 8UX Tel: 218703 (31.8.2007)
Mrs. P. H. Skilling, 7 Melia
Close, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, BB4 6RQ Tel: 217622 (Retired Teacher and former BRGS pupil) (31.8.2007)
CO-OPTED GOVERNORS
Mr. D. Cain, 6 Edge Lane, Higher Cloughfold, Rossendale, BB4 7SS Tel: 225054
(N.H.S. Chief Executive Officer) (31.8.2007)
Mr. N. Cormack, O.B.E., Chairman,
Greenwood & Coope Ltd., Brookhouse Mill, Greenmount, Bury, Lancs, BL8 4HR
Tel: 01204 882241 (Former BRGS pupil) (31.8.2007)
Mr. K. Harwood, Springhill
Cottage, Higher Cloughfold, Rossendale, BB4 7SR Tel: 217045
(Company Director and former BRGS pupil) (31.8.2007)
Mr.
G. Moylan, 4 Shepherds Green, Water, Rossendale, BB4 9PB Tel: 224127
(Project Manager) (31.8.2007)
Mr. B. Lynch, High Croft, Stopper Lane, Rimington, Clitheroe, BB7 4EJ (former BRGS pupil) (23.11.2008)
HEADMASTER
Mr. M. J. Morris, c/o BRGS.
LEA GOVERNORS
One vacancy (as at 01.09.06)
5. PARENT
GOVERNORS ELECTIONS
The next election of parent governors is scheduled for
September 2007. All parents of pupils on roll at that time will receive details
via ‘pupil post’.
7. SCHOOL
DEVELOPMENT PLAN REPORT 2005/06
Curriculum
and Human Resources
The
GCSE options system was reviewed and the following decisions were made for
September 2006: it was not possible to offer Technology (Systems and Control)
because of continued illness of the teacher; separate sciences will be offered
from September 2006, this being possible because of the changes to the National
Curriculum Science scheme of work; it was concluded that it was not possible to
allow students to study both Art and Music but this will be looked at again for
September 2007; the half GCSE in Citizenship will be offered as an
extra-curricular class.
During
2005/6, 40 pupils studied AS level Critical Thinking and in year 12 AS levels
were offered in: Health and Social Care, Applied ICT and Applied Science. A2
level work was also taught for the first time in year 13 in Critical Thinking,
Dance and ICT (AVCE). For September 2006 it was decided to offer Human Biology
and Law to year 12 students. Work
continued to implement the issues raised by the last Ofsted Inspection: PSHCE
time will be increased in year 8 to two hours per fortnight. This will complete the expansion of PSHCE at
Key Stage 3 as it was only 3 hours at the time of the inspection and will
become 5 hours per fortnight.
Pupils
continue to evaluate their own work and the role of the departments in
monitoring and evaluating their departments was enhanced further with greater
work on their monitoring of teaching and learning styles. All statutory targets were met and the
absence rate of 4.0% was improved to 3.6%.
Unauthorised absence remains negligible (0.2%) and is largely caused by
pupils being taken on unauthorised family holidays in term time. Because of
technical difficulties, all pupils and students have not been given their own
e-mail address but they do have remote access to their own folder of work. Intensive work continued throughout the year
to increase the variety of teaching and learning in all subjects. INSET was held to show staff many new
approaches and a core group of staff acted as change agents to facilitate the
programme. This work will continue next
year.
A
more collaborative approach to the arts began in 2005/6 with the productions of
a Sondheim concert and “Second to Last in the Sack Race”. This collaboration is
planned to increase further in 2006/7.
Further
work continued to enhance the performance management system. Teachers now have to establish three targets
of specified kinds to be met during the year and there is a continual programme
of lesson inspection and reviews held internally. However, the plan to extend
performance management of the non-teaching staff had to be postponed to 2006/7
because of a long illness by one of the key staff members involved.
More
frequent meetings of Heads of Department were held in order to involve middle
managers more in strategic planning, the sharing of good practice and
implementing change throughout the school.
The whole staffing structure was also reviewed and changed to meet the
requirements of the new national TLR criteria.
Finance and Physical Resources
Fundraising
for the Sports Hall continued and the building itself was opened, a major asset
for the school. The focus now moved to
the planning of a new performing arts building but, unfortunately, planning
permission for it was refused. Further work on this will be continued in
2006/7. It is recognised by the LEA that
BRGS is in desperate need of new accommodation not to allow the school to
expand further, but to reduce the overcrowding and to allow the remodelling of
the present buildings as many of the small classrooms inhibit the use of
appropriate teaching and learning methods.
However, the opening of the Sports Hall has made the old gym redundant
and plans were made to covert it into sixth form accommodation, another urgent
need in the school. The work should be
completed by September 2007.
Various
small projects were carried out to improve the fabric and effectiveness of the
building: several rooms were
redecorated, solar film and curtains or blinds were fitted in many rooms and
better seating was provided for staff in the computer room to reduce the risk
of RSI. Cycle racks were installed and
work has started on a plan to reduce C02 emissions, these being two aspects of
the eco-schools strategy. A new pond
was made in the grounds by students and work continued on the woodland garden
which is used by year 7 pupils.
Philosophy and Ethos
A
new audit system was put into place for all years 7 to 11. Good things they have done (merits) are
recorded as well as misdemeanours and the record builds up a complete picture
of how well pupils are developing in terms of effort, responsibility and
maturity. It is being intensively used
by the Heads of Year. Further support
for pupils is being given by sixth form students being paired up with younger
pupils needing help in their learning in particular subjects and in other
matters. Pupils have been heavily
involved in the eco-school project in many ways already referred to and it is intended
to extend their activities to creating a school travel plan, further C02
reduction, waste management and other matters in 2006/7.
BRGS
continued to take an active part in the Virtual School Rossendale, an
organisation created by all the secondary schools in the valley to provide
better teaching for pupils who are unable to attend school for various reasons
such as illness or poor conduct.
The
new government regulations about healthy eating have meant that important
changes have been made to the menus in the dining room. All chocolate vending machines have been
removed and the soft drinks machines now sell only bottled water and fresh
juice. Free water dispensers have been
installed around the school where pupils can fill up their own bottles. A concerted effort to tighten up on the
wearing of school uniform caused a marked improvement in the dress of pupils in
years 7 to 11 and consultations were held with the Lower Sixth to introduce a
dress code in September 2006. The BRGS
site is a totally non-smoking campus.
Sixth form students have been heavily involved in designing recreation
and study facilities for their new common room and facilities in the old gym
and lower common room. Students applying for highly competitive courses such as
Oxbridge, Medicine, Veterinary Science and Law have been given extra support.
The work of departments in reviewing and advising all sixth form students has
also been helped by the design of the computer software to record students’ A
level exam module results and to link them to their typical grades.
Technology College Developments
New
developments in the Technology College programme were mainly centred around the continuing
programme to introduce varied teaching and learning styles in lessons. Pupils whose achievements are well below their
typical grades have been assigned mentors and the whole mentoring system for
KS3 and 4 pupils has been enhanced. In
the community element, websites were designed for various local charities and
primary schools and this was combined with training for the relevant staff in
the use of their websites. Maths Science
ICT and Technology staff taught classes of year 5 pupils in seven local primary
schools and helped to construct schemes of work in the areas of need identified
by the primary schools. Technology also
provided INSET throughout the year for year 9 teaching in a local secondary
school.
Community
work in collaboration with local churches also continued to increase the ICT
skills of local people. It was decided
to introduce a bigger and more comprehensive evening class programme from
September 2006 so plans were made for 15 different classes and some were also
provided by the Lancashire Adult Education Service. Numbers were sufficient in September to permit
some of these classes to go ahead in the areas of Art, Website Design, GCSE
Maths and Accountancy. From 2013 all
schools will have to offer vocational courses called special diplomas and some
of them should be available from September 2008. BRGS took on the responsibility to lead the
planning in Rossendale of the ICT special diploma for all levels of ability
from sub GCSE to A Level standard. Intensive work on this will begin in autumn
2006. The school will also take an
active part in the planning of the special diplomas in Health and Social Care
and Creative and Media Studies.
8. PUPILS WITH
DISABILITIES
Pupils with disabilities who wish to sit the
entrance examination are given individual consideration in the form of time or
an amanuensis. Advice as to the appropriateness of this is taken from the
primary school.
We have arrangements in place to meet the needs of
one of our students who is physically disabled and those rendered temporarily
disabled because of accident, surgical intervention, etc. Wherever possible, we
aim to integrate pupils with disabilities fully into both curricular and
extra-curricular activities. Outreach teachers come into school to advise.
Accessibility plan: we have worked with the Local
Authority to access grants to increase disabled access – none available this
year. The policy is to meet with them on an annual basis.
9. SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
All children with special
educational needs are identified and assessed as early as possible and as
quickly as is consistent with thoroughness, following the principles and
practice of the Code of Practice. Initial concern is expressed to form tutors
and the Head of Year. Provision is then overseen by the SEN Coordinator. By the
end of the 2005/06 year, eight students were on the register, one of whom was
statemented:
Physical Disability: School Action: 1 student
SPLD: School Action: 5 students
Behavioural: School Action: 2 students
10. OFSTED INSPECTION
The last OFSTED inspection was
conducted in March 2003. The Key Issues were:
1.
To increase the opportunities for pupils to
reflect upon, talk about and make their own assessment of their work.
2.
To increase the role of heads of subject in
monitoring and evaluating the performance of their departments.
3.
To increase the time allocated to PSHE and
citizenship on the timetable.
Progress
made: see development plan report
Key
Issues 1 and 2 –
11. DESTINATIONS OF
STUDENTS 2004/2005
The table below shows the
destinations of students at the end of the 2004/05 school year, the most recent
year for which complete statistics are available. The ages refer to the age of
the students on 31st August 2004.
|
|
Aged 15
|
Aged 16
|
Aged 17
|
|
Total number in the age group in
January
|
148
|
270
|
214
|
|
Continuing in full time education:
|
|
|
|
|
at BRGS
|
89%
|
96%
|
4%
|
|
At another school or college of FE
|
7%
|
3%
|
0
|
|
at a university or college of HE
|
0
|
0
|
67%
|
|
Employment
|
1%
|
0%
|
6%
|
|
Youth Training
|
0%
|
0
|
0
|
|
Other * (including ‘not known’)
|
3%
|
3%
|
23%
|
* Most students in the “Other” are doing voluntary
work for one year before going to university.
12. PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT 2005/2006
Teaching staff attended 5 INSET days.
These days were devoted to a range of issues. Some school issues were dealt with in staff
meetings which normally occupy the first hour of each day. Time was allocated to Heads of Department and
Heads of Year to meet as groups themselves and with their own teachers.
Sixteen
staff were given training on how to become an effective team leader. This was done on-site with a visiting
trainer.
External
courses were attended where there was a clearly identified departmental need
for such training. This was delivered by
a range of reputable commercial companies and by examination boards.
The single
most notable event was the training given to the whole staff by Martin Kirk,
following the amalgamation of a series of spreadsheets which had originally
been developed by Dr Edwards, into what is now known as “Sixth Sense”. This is software which is a very effective
academic tracking system for students in years 12 and 13.
13. RATES OF AUTHORISED AND
UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE 2005/06
(a) Number of pupils of compulsory school age on roll for at
least one session: 759
(b) Percentage of half days (sessions) missed through
authorised absence: 3.6 %
(c)
Percentage of pupil sessions missed through unauthorised absence: 0.2%
14.
