Headteacher Update
February 2023
This week the senior leadership team have been in contact with some of the parents of Year 9 and Year 11 following the recent surveys. The phone calls have been overwhelmingly positive with some welcome ideas on how we can adapt our practice. A common theme in the survey results and in some calls was that parents were not always sure what their child is studying and the progress that they are making. One parent made the suggestion that I signpost parents to our website through these updates to relevant sections, so the following link will take you to our curriculum pages which provide an overview of what students study in each subject in Key stage 3 and 4. To improve this further, I have requested that Curriculum Leaders incorporate their scheme of work overviews into their website pages so you will know what your child is studying at different points in the year. These will be updated over the next few weeks.
With regard to student progress, we do report to parents three times every year as well as each year group having a parents’ consultation evening. We time data reports so that they align with exam windows, assessments and the Year 9 options process, so not all year groups will receive information at the same time. You can watch two vlogs on data and reporting here. These vlogs are found in a new section on our website called Support for your child, which can be found in the parent tab; we will be populating this with more vlogs and other information over the coming months so that it is a simple way to access a lot of the information you might need.
Another parent shared that they did not always know when key events were taking place throughout the year, for example exams and options. Again, we do have that information on our website in the calendar section, although a quick check this week shows that not all the information from our school calendar has pulled through; this has now been resolved. The calendar can be found in the News and Events section of the website, please click here to view the calendar.
The Year 9 options process started in January with internal processes to provide us with an indication of which subjects are likely to be popular so that we can start to build option blocks. Now this is complete, Mrs Clay, has written to Year 9 parents (link below) explaining the process, which includes a link to make an appointment with a senior member of staff to discuss the options your child may wish to choose. You can also find details about the process and all the subjects on the options pages of our website.
Thank you to all of you who completed the survey and gave us some time to discuss issues in more detail. The feedback has been very useful and we will respond to parents of Year 7 and 8 students who completed the survey in the next couple of weeks.
Finally, alongside the governing body, I have been investigating the benefits of academisation and joining a multi academy trust for the past 18 months. During this time we have looked at various models and options, including remaining as we currently are, which is a Foundation School. Prior to Christmas I reported to governors on the outcome of these investigations and as a result we will shortly be in a position to share more details with you. Next week I will be informing staff of our plans including details of the consultation process, following this I will meet with governors again on 14th February, after which I will provide more details to you. No final decision has been made and there is an enormous amount of work to do, including consultations with parents, but this promises to be a hugely exciting and promising period in the history of John Spence.
I hope you all have a good weekend
Best wishes
Jonathan