This is a lengthy letter which I am sending to all concerned with the education of our pupils here at Stainburn. As part of our annual planning cycle we are constantly evaluating the effectiveness of what we do and looking for ways to do things better. During the last few weeks we have been reviewing many aspects of our practice and you may have heard from your sons and daughters that we have carried out a huge number of lesson observations this term. We have come up with a number of key issues that we need to address and to improve. Some of these are teaching and leadership issues, some are pupil attitude issues and others relate to parental support for what we are trying to do.

As you know, all schools in Britain are held to account by the OfSTED inspection framework which currently categorises schools as Outstanding, Good, Satisfactory or Inadequate. At our last inspection in September 2010 we were judged as ‘Satisfactory’. Next academic year, however, the ‘Satisfactory’ category will be replaced by ‘Need to improve’. In other words, ‘Satisfactory’ is not good enough. In order to prepare for the next real OfSTED inspection the Leadership team and Governors of Stainburn have decided to commission a full scale ‘health check’ to see how we shape up against the new OfSTED criteria. A team of four visitors will be in school on the 30th and 31st of May to look at the Teaching and Learning, the Behaviour and Safety of pupils, the Achievement of pupils and the Leadership and Management of the school. Led by a Registered Inspector from OfSTED, the team will include a Local Authority senior officer and two colleagues from a school recently judged ‘outstanding’. This visit is timed to coincide with a number of significant changes that we are planning for Stainburn in order to improve the quality of what we do and, most importantly, get better outcomes for our pupils.

At recent parents’ evenings questionnaires have been completed by all who attended. The vast majority of returns are very supportive but the themes that score least well relate to homework, information about pupil progress and the influence of a small but significant minority who disrupt learning through their poor behaviour and attitude. Some of what you will read below relate to these issues. We are listening to and acting upon constructive comments from parents and pupils. Plans for improvement need to be done through a supportive partnership of parents, pupils and school staff.

The recurring issue of marking and homework have featured high on the agenda. With immediate effect and in all subject areas we will be introducing a ‘yellow sticker’ system to ensure that work is not only marked to a high standard, but that the marking gives pupils a clear indication of how to improve to reach their target levels. Pupils all have access to their personal SPT (Student Progress Tracker) here at school and the yellow stickers can be read in conjunction with that. The SPT is regularly updated so that all pupils should know their current performance and future target levels. The stickers will reflect the attitude towards the work as well as whether it’s on, below or above target. In addition there will be praise for good work and clear targets set which your children will be expected to act upon.

The format of the stickers may change as we evolve best practice but you can expect to see more and more of these being used in your children’s books in the coming months. Of course, all pupils should be receiving and completing homework each evening. One of our priorities is to ensure that all pupils receive appropriate homework, building up to 2-3 hours per night for those approaching the end of their GCSE courses. I would question the commitment of those pupils who come to school each day without a bag, a planner, any books and the necessary equipment. Please encourage them to put this right. Within school we shall be checking that appropriate homework and class work is set and marked. This is part of a wider campaign to ensure that, as teachers, our responsibility for academic standards is unambiguous.

The issue of school access and security has been an increasing concern to us as we have a duty of care to safeguard the interests of pupils. The path that runs through the grounds and the numerous access doors make it far too open to the general public and so we have installed gates at the rear of the site (on the Ashfield path) and to the front adjoining the boiler house. There will therefore be no through way during the operational hours of the school with both gates locked from 8.40 to 3.15. This also serves as a reminder that school starts at 8.40 am. At the moment we have too many pupils arriving late and this must cease. It does not help that some parents appear to condone this by dropping pupils off at all times. Please help us to improve punctuality – our pupils certainly won’t get away with this in the real world of work! After some initial concerns, the restricted access at the end of the school day has made the front yard and approach road much safer for pupils and we thank parents for the continued cooperation with this continuing arrangement. All entrance doors to the site have been put on to a card only entry system so that unwelcome visitors cannot simply walk in to school. Again, this is for the safety of all.

I believe that the attitude and behaviour of the vast majority of pupils in this school is good and that they are a credit to their families. Most of them are chatty, friendly, honest and caring. Where we do have a problem, however, is that a minority are uninterested in their education and use up an unacceptable amount of the time and resources that should be there for the benefit of all. I would estimate that five per cent of pupils are taking up eighty per cent of the time of our pastoral leaders and their teams. I am telling these pupils to mend their ways or they will be leaving Stainburn altogether. Our most serious sanction should be that of exclusion, whether it be fixed term or permanent. Whilst nearly all wish to avoid the permanent variety, too many have started to view fixed term exclusion as simply a day or two off school. In September, therefore, we shall be establishing a Seclusion Centre in school which will drastically reduce the number of fixed term exclusions. Pupils in the Seclusion Centre will find it not to their liking and they will have to address their behavioural issues before resuming access to their normal school timetable, facilities and social time with their friends.

Whilst I am very happy to acknowledge the positive approach of most pupils to their peers and other adults, I cannot enthuse about the majority in terms of appearance. Many flout the rules relating to ties and blazers, sport inappropriate footwear and jewellery and take little pride in the way in which they present themselves. All are in uniform of sorts but wear it neither smartly nor consistently. We shall be issuing clip on ties, paid for by the school, to all pupils who wear ties and we shall insist on them being worn properly, with the top button fastened. I enclose a copy of the existing uniform and appearance list for your reference. Similarly, in common with most other institutions, the (ab)use of mobile phones continues to be a growing problem and we may well be looking at our policy relating to them during the next six months.

None of these changes, in isolation, provide a solution to all of our challenges. Taken together and applied consistently, however, I believe that they will provide a real impetus in making our school a better, safer and more fulfilling place for all concerned. We are very much looking for your support in these matters and would welcome any written response to the matters highlighted here.

Best wishes

Chris McGrath
Headteacher

Post TA review – PCD 4A (Grade 9) £24646 pro rata

Required for September 2012 a suitably qualified and experienced colleague to co-ordinate the provision within our new Seclusion Area.  This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for a forward thinking, organised, patient and creative person.

This post is designed to further enhance our existing successful approach and ethos towards student achieving their full potential.

Stainburn School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Criminal Records Bureau.

Application forms available from Mrs Burleigh PA to Headteacher Tel: 01900 325 252 joanne@stainburn.cumbria.sch.uk or school website www.stainburn.cumbria.sch.uk

Closing date: Friday 25 May 2012
Interviews: w/c Monday 11 June 2012

School Application Form (doc)
School Application Form Guidance Notes(pdf)
Stainburn Prospectus (pdf)
Job Description – Seclusion Area Co-ordinator (pdf)
Person Specification (pdf)

The competition was held at West Lakes Academy on Tuesday the 13^th Dec and involved a variety of rounds involving practical skills, scientific knowledge, measurement skills and data interpretation.  The Stainburn team of Sam Y11 (team captain), Daniel Y10 and Jack Y9 and Ryan Y9 were coached and trained by Mr Allan.  Mr Allan stated that, “I’m very proud of the performance of our pupils.  We knew we had the team to be successful we just had to sharpen our approach to the competition.”

So why was this year different from the other “Top of the Bench” annual competitions? “We worked well as a team and put in strong study and practice time after school.  The team showed strong yet flexible intelligence and had the correct attitude for success.  We wanted to win the competition not just take part”.  Stainburn pupils will seek to improve on this performance in next year’s competition. The competition was won be St Bees.

Stainburn Radio entered a 4 minute podcast featuring interviews with local MP Tony Cunningham and local Councillor  Michael Heaslip. The podcast came runner-up and won the school £150 which will be reinvested in to the radio Station.

The competition, which received almost 40 entries from young people around Cumbria, was judged by two local journalists – Jonathan Lee, the editor and publishing director of the North West Evening Mail, and Samantha Parker, a reporter for ITV Border – as well as Reverend Lindsay Gray of Churches Together in Cumbria, a Partnership member.

Reverend Lindsay Gray said: “It was great to see the entries from the young people from around Cumbria. The standard of some of the entries was very good and it is great to see that they have really taken the time to learn more about the issues related to this important process.”

The competition, which challenged young people aged 18 or under to produce a news report, was organised to encourage young people around Cumbria to learn about the issues surrounding the Government’s search to find a suitable site for an underground repository for higher activity waste in West Cumbria.

Listen to the podcast here:

http://www.stainburnradio.co.uk/2012/03/29/listen-again-mrws-competition-podcast/

The torch relay will be celebrated by schools and community groups who are planning to give six torchbearers a rousing welcome. The Workington leg of the nationwide torch relay will begin at the roundabout, near the former Northside Bridge, at 1pm.

It will be carried through the town centre via Church Street, Falcon Street, Station Road, Oxford Street, Jane Street and Washington Street to Stainburn School before heading back to Harrington Road.

At Stainburn School and Science College the torchbearers and support teams will stop for lunch.

Chris McGrath, headteacher, said the school would be holding a number of events to celebrate the Olympics and hoped to have the opportunity for a small number of students to have their picture taken with the torch.

He said: “We are looking at involving as many people as we can in the school.

“We are very pleased  and  honoured it is coming, as sport has a very high profile at the school.”

Read More here: http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/other/olympic-torch-to-start-by-northside-bridge-1.937028?referrerPath=home/2.1681

Check the BBC News Report page to keep up to date with news day and listen to our final report.

He sent his personal congratulations to the most improved secondary schools in England, ones that have seen their pass rates improve every year since 2008. Those who have received letters have seen the most sustained progress in the percentage of pupils leaving school with at least five A*-C grades or equivalent at GCSE including English and maths between 2008 and 2011. Stainburn’s headline pass rate has increased from 30 per cent in 2008 to 57 per cent in last summer’s exams.

The letters have been sent following the recent publication of validated data from last summer’s exam results.

Read More on the News and Star Website: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/cumbrian-school-is-hailed-by-government-minister-1.931226?referrerPath=home/2.1962

Earlier this week the Connecting Cumbria Partnership Board took place at Nelson Thomlinson School, Wigton, giving school children the opportunity to present their views with regard to current broadband services in Cumbria and their aspirations for the future in terms of how they believe an improved service will improve the opportunities and services available to them.

Year 9 pupils from Nelson Thomlinson School, Wigton and Year 11 pupils from Stainburn School, Workington participated in presentations to the Partnership Board meeting. They shared how they see Superfast Broadband improving the lives of people, looking at how Cumbrians can improve business,  industry,  tourism  and educational opportunities.

Read more here

“We never usually actively visit schools outside the centre so this is a first for us at CERN and it’s something we hope to roll out after today.

“I’m hoping to banish the stereotypes of physicists and open the students’ minds to what can be achieved.”

Read more on the Times and Star website: http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/education/visit-is-an-experiment-for-cern-1.930396?referrerPath=news