1 November 2019

‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.’

Half term gives you a chance to catch your breath. To attempt to catch the last two weeks in detail would mean that you would end up with more of a dissertation than a blog. As individuals, as a team and as an organisation we covered a lot of ground in the last two weeks.

I was out of school recently working with the ADHD Foundation, a NHS based charity that supports schools, children and parents across the country. The parent workshop I observed was really powerful and had me resolved to bring the group to work with us over in Crewe. If you are a parent of a child with ADHD the work with the foundation

The Drop Down day was another resounding success as you will see if you visit our twitter page. Highlight - well there were many but as predicted Humanutopia was incredibly impressive. Tears in the atrium during the morning. Whatever they did it has left a powerful impression on students and staff!

Student success continues - Well done Alfie In Year 7. In the top 40 cross country runners in the whole of Cheshire after last weeks race. Top man. Great support for our Primary partners from students in Year 8 as part of Singfest, great literacy work from Zane in Year 7, and excitement is building as we begin to work on our Green energy project with Bentley and our Tech teachers – more to come on this soon.

A good couple weeks for recruitment. English, Geography and Science all have new recruits for September. Subject specialists at the start of their careers bring fresh perspectives and energy to the school, all of which benefits the student experience. Exciting times. We’ll introduce them to you in the summer edition of Outlook.

Year 8 Progress Evening last Wednesday night was a resounding success. This evening sees momentum building towards choices for GCSE and it is always great to observe the positive interactions between staff, students and families. Some fantastic feedback about our teachers came my way on the evening and over the following day via various emails. This is powerful and puts a positive energy into the building. Teachers are human. Feedback from families reminds all of us that the commitment we make to our community is appreciated and is making a difference. This gives the whole staff team a lift. Thanks to all those people who gave us such kind and genuine words.

One thing raised with me on the evening separate to academic achievement was road safety. Student leaders will be following up on communications that I have had with Cheshire East to improve safety around our driveway, particularly at the end of the day. In the meantime, please drive and park carefully if you are picking up at the end of the day and hopefully soon we will get some much needed action to make outside our school safer for pedestrians and road users.

Today (Friday) sees end of term reward activities across the school and a 50 student Year trip to Liverpool University. The messages here: if you work hard every day to improve yourself and you contribute positively, then there is a reward that lifts you above your peers. In terms of the university trip - if you choose to look towards higher education you will see that it can be a gateway to a much wider world. The students love and value both these different experiences. Just ask the bubble footballers - who doesn’t love rolling around in a bubble.

Several people have spoken to me following the release of The Oaks Academy OFSTED Report and subsequent report in the paper this week. We work closely with staff at the school and often collaborate on a variety of support work. I have a huge respect for Mrs Hooley and her team and know that behind the headlines the school has achieved much success. I’ve been in many meetings with Mrs Hooley and I respect her passion and determination in trying to get the best possible education for children at The Oaks. We fully support all students and staff at the school.

Have a great break - we’ll be open all next week for our Year 11 students so I’m sure I will see some of you in school working hard.

Mr Fraser


The Learning Partnership