Woodthorpe school gets this one wrong

Walking bus

Walking bus

The media are reporting that Woodthorpe school is trying to charge parents whose children use the “walking bus”  to get to and from the school.

Given the amount of money being spent to encourage children to walk (rather than be driven on the “school run) this seems a shortsighted policy.

Walking is healthier and minimises the, sometimes chaotic, parking problems which occur around many school entrances. 

If the school can’t bear the organisational costs of the project then the York Council would be wise to intervene.

The Council is spending a lot of money on low profile videos and surveys aimed at encouraging walking and cycling. The money might be better spent supporting initiatives like the walking bus.

The Councils advice on setting up and running a walking bus can be downloaded by clicking here

New Executive Headteacher for both Joseph Rowntree and Canon Lee Schools

The governing bodies of Joseph Rowntree School and Canon Lee School have agreed to appoint Richard Crane as the new Executive Headteacher of both schools, as it is a requirement for all schools to have a permanent substantive Headteacher.

Current Acting Headteacher Frances Johnston will continue to play a vital role as Associate Headteacher in the leadership of Canon Lee School.
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Clifton Without Junior School to be demolished

A meeting which will take place in January will be asked by officials to authorise the demolition of the old Clifton Without Junior School which is currently unused.
Clifton Without Junior School

Clifton Without Junior School

A preliminary report says, the building, which is on the site of Canon Lee School, has been unused by the school for over a year due to the school no longer needing the space and the accelerating costs of maintaining the site.

It is a Children’s Services Education and Skills (CSES) asset that has condition issues that are a cause for concern. Inclement weather exacerbates this deterioration.

The building is also a security risk because it is unoccupied.

The Executive Member will be asked for their approval to demolish the Clifton Without Junior building apart from two storage areas used by Canon Lee School.

New building for Carr Infant School underway

Carr infant

Work to extend and improve City of York Council’s Carr Infant School has started.

Following a successful application to the government’s Priority School Building Programme, the Education Funding Agency (EFA) is starting work on new school for Nursery and Key Stage 1 children for which City of York Council is providing additional funding.

You can follow progress on the School’s Facebook site CLICK

The success of the school has meant that over time it has grown in popularity and the demand for places has increased from its existing capacity of 240. The new building will be two storeys high with a capacity for 270 KS1pupils from Reception to Year 2, with each year group having three classes.

During construction, the school will continue to operate as usual with minimal disruption from the building works which will be securely fenced to keep the children as safe as possible. The work is expected to complete during the summer of 2016 and the new school will open for September 2016.

 

York’s educational psychology expertise draws international attention

The reputation of City of York Council’s work in educational psychology has drawn government specialists from Hong Kong to visit the city this week to share in and learn from its practice.

Representatives from the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, researched Educational Psychology Services (EPS) which are run by UK local authorities.

Impressed with the planning, vision and standards of York’s Educational Psychology Service, the government team asked to meet with lead officers, school Special Education Needs Coordination Officers (SENCOs) and visit a school setting, to see first-hand how the service supports schools catering for children’s diverse needs.
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York still above average in education achievements

A Council report,  being considered next week, confirms that the City’s education system is continuing to  achieve above average performance results.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Exam results at both GCSE and advance level stages show an improvement over the previous year.

OFSTED inspections reveal that, as of 9th October 2015, 89% of York secondary schools are rated “good or outstanding”, 88% of primaries are “good or outstanding” and 100% of our special schools are “good or outstanding”.

This means that overall, of the 64 schools in the city, 89% are good or outstanding.

At most education stages the difference in achievement  between less well off pupils (entitled to pupil premium) and others, has either narrowed or remained constant, although the gap widened in mathematics at Key Stage 2

Detailed performance graphs can be found by clicking here

Deadline for Secondary School applications nears

York HighWith all open days for York secondary schools now completed, parents are reminded that applications for secondary school places for September 2016 should be made before 31 October 2015.

Parents of children currently in Year 6 – the last year of primary school – should apply for a maximum of five schools and one preference should be the catchment school.

Applications can be made online at www.york.gov.uk/schooladmissions

All details and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at www.york.gov.uk/guideforparents. This guide, updated for 2016 admissions, contains information on school admissions and appeals processes as well as information on admissions statistics, oversubscription criteria and other information for parents and carers. Also online are details for service families and information on fair access.

Applicants will be advised of their allocated school on National Offer Day, 1 March 2016.

For more detailed information, please email: education@york.gov.uk or call 01904 551 554.

Eligible for up to £1,300 for your child to do even better at school?

School childrenEligible residents could have up to £1,300 spent on helping their school-age child to do even better for this and for the next six academic years if they apply before January 2016.

As the new terms starts, applying for free school meals could not only mean a daily hot lunch if the child wants one, but the Government will give £1,300 every year for each eligible pupil at primary schools and £965 per year per student at secondary schools.

With an estimated 400 children eligible in York but whose parents are not claiming, this could mean that up to £380,000 of Government funding is being missed out on by York pupils and their schools.

The Pupil Premium, as it is known, is paid to the child’s school and is used to help them do even better with their schoolwork. It could mean extra help with homework, uniform vouchers or buying extra books.

The Pupil Premium will be paid whether or not the pupil takes the free meals. If they prefer, they can choose to have them on certain days or even if they prefer to take a packed lunch every day. School meals provide a tasty and nutritious choice of hot or cold lunch every day.

Successful applications made before the school census in January 2016 will mean that the school will get this funding every year for the next six academic years, but applications can be made at any time throughout the school year. Parents or carers can apply through the school or online at www.york.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals.

While all children in school Reception and Years 1 and 2 currently receive free school meals, eligible parents and carers still need to apply for the Pupil Premium to be allocated to their child.

To qualify for free school meals, parents or carers must get one of the following income-related benefits:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Child Tax Credit combined with both a household income below £16,190, and not in receipt of any Working Tax Credit
  • Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit.

Contributions-based benefits, including contribution-related Job Seekers Allowanceare not qualifying benefits. Parents or carers who have just started to work less than 16 hours a week, or immediately after employment has ceased for a temporary four week ‘run-on’ period only may be eligible.

For more information, to check eligibility or to apply, please go to www.york.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals or contact School Services at West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA or call 01904 551554 or email education@york.gov.uk

Primary school applications open

Westfield school

Westfield school

Applications for City of York Council primary school places for September 2016 have opened at www.york.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

 

Parents and carers of children born between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012, are invited to apply for a place in the reception class at their chosen York state primary school.

All details and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at www.york.gov.uk/guideforparents. The guide, updated for 2016 admissions, contains information on school admissions and appeals processes as well as information on admissions statistics, oversubscription criteria and other information for parents and carers. Also online are details for service families and information on fair access.

School contact details are also available through this website, to help parents and carers to find out when any open days might be held or to arrange school visits.

A spokesman said: “We have enough places for all known primary school children in York. While the national deadline for applications is 15 January 2016 and seems a long way off, we would advise parents to consider and act on this important matter as soon as possible. They will be told which school their child has a place at on 18 April 2016.”

For more detailed information, please email: education@york.gov.uk or call 01904 551 554.

 

York High head criticises GCSE exam system

York HighCall for inquiry into English Language marks

In a comment to local media York High School in Acomb head teacher David Ellis said  had mixed emotions when he looked at the 2015 GCSE results this morning.

He was delighted for pupils Edward Bagnall and Owen Gibson who achieved five and four A* grades respectively but was very disappointed with some other aspects of the results.

Mr Ellis said: “As always our young people supported by the staff at York High have worked incredibly hard, and young people, often with significant barriers to overcome have made huge progress and we are very proud of them.”

He added: “Whilst we are delighted with the outcomes for some of our students it is clear that many of our young people around the crucial grade C border have been punished by the changes to the exam system that are currently taking place.”

Mr Ellis was particularly concerned about English. He said: “It is clear that something has gone seriously wrong with the system when the grades in English Language have fallen significantly whilst at the same time English Literature results have improved dramatically. The same pupils with the same teachers have radically different outcomes in these two similar subjects. This will have significant implications for the young people concerned and for our school”

Mr Ellis explained that York High will be seeking to have the English Language papers remarked as the grades allocated to students were well below those expected even though in other subjects students had achieved in line with expectations. “It is clear to us that something has gone wrong with the examination system either as a result of poor marking and or major changes in the grade boundaries.

“The next few days will be very anxious ones for pupils, their parents and for staff at our school. This cannot be right and it is an issue that is being identified by schools across the country and we will be working with them to ensure we get a fair deal for our students”

York High school also suffered a decline in exam success last year