Some things that I just had to share
I rarely blog in consecutive weeks but I really want to share with you some of the amazing and inspiring things happening in school this week.
To begin, our Year 9 students had a curriculum drop down day to experience the Prison Me No Way roadshow. Throughout the day the year group were involved in workshops and talks about the dangers of crime, alcohol and drug use, rail safety, aggression and so much more. They got the opportunity to hear from serving prisoners and spend time in a mock prison cell. There was so much more to really engage our students and they were superb in their approach throughout the day. Their curiosity and willingness to empathise was a feature all day and they were really challenged to think about the choices they make and will have to make as they get older. 
It was a wonderful day summed up as follows by Jack, "Sir, it was Interesting, valuable, engaging, insightful and enjoyable.’ Equally as important the PMNW staff had the following to say about our school and students: "The students here are a credit to the school, they have been fantastic all day" and "This is the best school that we have worked in since last year".
I love these days and the intended impact they have and I am grateful to the pastoral team for making it happen.
I sometimes feel I don’t talk enough about the importance of progress in learning and the journey towards the ultimate assessments that are GCSE and A Level exams. In recent years we have seen a small number of our students who have struggled with the thought of exams and also the idea of doing them in a big sportshall surrounded by a couple of hundred others. We have given real thought to how we should manage that of course but also to how we should be better preparing our students lower down the school. Last year we decided to give all students the experience of sitting at least one end of year exam in the sportshall and we did similarly this week. I have to say it has been a great decision on the whole. Our students in Years 7 to 9 were incredible this week. They presented as ambitious and mature young people who valued the experience and wanted to do well in their end of year tests. That is so great because it is about having pride in yourself and your determination to be the best you can no matter what that might look like.
Our Year 10 students completed all their core exams in the sports hall too, demonstrating our desire to really broaden their experience in preparation for next year. They too were magnificent all week and we have repeatedly told them so. School matters, education matters and being the best version of yourself at all times matters. Our students are demonstrating that they understand that more so than ever before and I am really proud of them and grateful to them for the way in which they continue to work alongside us every day.
In sporting news Ayaan in Year 9 had some great news recently. He is a wonderful young man who loves sport and is totally committed to cricket especially. He has recently been selected for the West Yorkshire 14 county squad and that follows on from his involvement at this level last year. He will play more and more for his club at adult level this summer such is his talent and speed of progress in the game. We are very proud of him and wish him every success for the season ahead.
Our Year 11 football team, who have been a great bunch of lads over the past five years, have finished their sporting journey at Beckfoot as Bradford School’s U16 football champions. They played their final game as a group this week in the final winning the game an astonishing 11 – 0. They are as thrilled as are we and it has been lovely talking to them about their achievement and memories all week.
Finally, on the sporting front, I want to share with you the news that our table cricket team travelled to the Yorkshire Indoor cricket centre this week and came away as Yorkshire champions for a second year running. They were ecstatic! They work so hard each week to prepare for such opportunities and they are so focussed on enjoying themselves and doing their best. They travel to Lords, the home of cricket, in a few weeks and we are excited to see if they can go one better this year. Again, we are so proud of them and the staff that make these things happen for our students.
In Sixth Form news we have been inundated with applications for places in our Sixth Form for September. We have had about 350 so far and have concluded the interview process for our own students just recently. As you would expect they have been really great. Since our return from the Easter break, we have been busy interviewing external candidates and they too have been really impressive young people who really want to continue their learning at Beckfoot from September. I love our Sixth Form and I really appreciate the impact those young people have on our school in terms of being role models and leaders in our school. We are making huge progress at Post 16 and our personal development offer is now considered second to none. We have had more students than ever involved in NHS Post 16 programmes for medicine etc. and so much more going on to prepare them to be successful and decent young people beyond Beckfoot. It is an exciting time for us and we are far from being finished just yet!
In music I would like to remind you that our Senior Concert is on next Thursday with just a few tickets remaining. The Senior Concert is a highlight of our Creative Arts calendar and promises to be a wonderful evening.
Finally, I want to say a heartfelt thanks for all the kind messages that you have shared with me this week. The HT award was a lovely surprise and one I was proud to receive. To me though it is much more because it represents our school and our community. It represents our staff and students whom I have the privilege to work alongside every day. I know we are not perfect and we make lots of mistakes. But I also know we are trying really hard in an ever challenging sector to be the best version of ourselves possible. To do that requires good people doing good things. That is what makes Beckfoot a very special place and I just wanted to say thanks.
Take care.
Simon Wade, Headteacher
