End of Term - Phew!!

It seems like it has been a very long term, but a highly successful one.

BJPS finished the year with a poetry themed writing week.  With the support of The Link (PTA) we brought in a poet to offer workshops to every class culminating in a final assembly with every class performing either a poem they had learned or a poem they had written.

You will also have now received a copy of the new BJPS Homework Policy.  We are taking a leap of faith moving homework from compulsory to optional.  We are also changing the nature of the homework so that it focuses on core skills and less on research. We know that not all will like this approach as we also know that homework will continue to divide the parents as a whole.

On the  BJPS website you will see a copy of the latest school newsletter.  It would be great if everyone took the chance to read this and share the many things that we can celebrate.

Going into 2016 schools will start to feel the financial pinch. Cash value school funding has been guaranteed but staffing costs continue to rise as pension contributions increase and our support staff are now to be offered the Living Wage as a minimum.  Schools across the country are also being encouraged to consider moving to Academy status as this is soon to be expected to be the norm.

Balanced against this are the ever increasing numbers for both schools.  LJFS now has 53 pupils, double its July 2015 roll.  Admission applications for 2016 suggest that it will have its first full intake in 2016. BJPS now sees cohorts of 40+ becoming the norm and this will have to be reflected further in our structure as we move towards a natural 1.5 form of entry.

 LJFS is consulting on its revised admissions policy for 2017 and will be sharing this in a meeting with the Year 5 parents.  The only significant change is that we will no longer prioritise all the cluster schools. Instead Brodetsky, Alwoodley and Allerton C of E schools will have priority over other schools.  The full draft policy is available on the LJFS website and feedback on it is sought.

Brodetsky also has its admissions policy open for consultation.  This should happen every 7 years as a minimum. There are no significant changes to the policy.

2016 also brings changes to how Year 6 and Year 2 are assessed as they move over to assessment without levels.  This was already in place for all other year groups. We do not yet know what the SATs will be like but will ensure that all our pupils are well prepared for it.

Finally we have, at last, commissioned new signage for the campus that reflects the very complex usage.  These signs should be in place for the start of the next term.  I suspect that the chosen colour will be contentious as it reflects none of the colours used by LJFS, BJPS and The Zone.  This was a deliberate choice so that no-one of the organisations is seen to dominate the identity of the campus.  I will wait for the feedback to see how contentious the colour is.

The most important thing now is for everyone to have a relaxing holiday and then to return in January for another frenetic term of high activity. I look forward to seeing all the pupils and students back in school ready to work hard.