I am so proud of our school
What a week! It has been a bit of a whirlwind for lots of reasons ranging from Proms to Prizes and Exams to Reports.
Our students
I want to begin with some wonderful news about our students. Hamish in Year 8 and Jonah in Year 9 have been selected to travel to Peru next year as part of the West Yorkshire Scouts. The group will be spending most of their time walking some of the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu and also visiting the Amazon rainforest. They will also be spending some time doing community work in a school. Both lads are now heavily involved in fund raising for their trip and excited about the adventure that lies ahead. Hamish also dropped into the conversation that he has been selected to represent West Yorkshire as part of their U13 Hockey squad for the season ahead. Well done to both lads.
Oliver in Year 9 came to see me to let me know that following a successful trial with Stockport County FC, he has signed a two and a half year contract with the club that will see him represent them until he is 16 years old. He is determined to work as hard as possible in order to secure an additional two year scholarship with the club as he pursues his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He is a great lad who has all the attributes to do well. I am excited to hear how he progresses over the coming months and years and wish him every success and happiness.
Josh, also in Year 9, is a regular in my blogs. Last weekend he travelled to London having been invited to take part in the Junior London Marathon as a para athlete. British Athletics looked after his travel and accommodation such is his talent and he headed south to just enjoy the experience or so he told me. Anyway, he won!! He finished first taking home the prize for U17 men’s ambulant winner. He shared photos of himself with Joe Wicks and was also given sports kit as well as the trophy. We are immensely proud of Josh and the lad he is.
Exams - GCSE and A Level
It is incredible just how quickly the exams seem to come around each year. The fact that Easter was so late this time meant that we seemed to jump straight into them on returning from the Easter break. We have had practical exams in Fine Art, Graphics, Photography and Textiles. We have also had speaking and listening exams in German and French. The feedback from our amazing invigilation team and exams officer has been wonderfully positive about our students, their efforts and determination to succeed. In a matter of days the full exam season will begin and we are determined to look after each and every student as they embark on over 6 weeks of exams that will conclude towards the end of June. We are blessed at Beckfoot with incredible young people and I wish them every success over the coming weeks. They deserve to have a good life and doing their best will help I have no doubt.
Prom
Both Year 11 and Year 13 have now had their respective Prom nights at the Mercure Bankfield hotel and both have been wonderful occasions. These evenings are one of the highlights of our year and represent an almost rite of passage for those that attend. The arrivals were spectacular especially last night at the Year 11 event. We had sports cars, classic cars, luxury cars, a fire engine and a convoy of mobility scooters! We had awards, dancing, chatting and a coming together of incredibly special young people to mark their time at Beckfoot. They looked stunning and made memories that will last a lifetime. Last night especially we had more parents then ever attend the arrival and I want to thank them for adding to something that was already very special. I felt proud of them all and a little humbled by how amazing they were and always will be.
This morning they will arrive to complete the end of their pre exams celebrations with both year groups travelling to Flamingoland to spend the day together, have some fun and a break from the pressures of exams, lessons and revision. The weather has been kind to us and I hope they have a great day. They deserve it.
Ofsted
Finally, I was proud to share with you all the result of our Ofsted visit in March. We were waiting for a long time for them to come and when they did we felt we were ready. The three day process was tough and they thoroughly examined every aspect of our work and provision in the time they were with us. They spoke to over 400 students all in all to glean their views about their school as well as spending time in and out of lessons to get a feel for our school, our community and of course our students. They also heard from almost 300 parents and carers who shared their views with the inspection team via Parent View for which I am very grateful.
To retain our Outstanding judgement is wonderful for all associated with our school, especially against the Ofsted framework that we are judged against. It is the most challenging I have known in over 30 years in education.
I am proud that our students attend a great school. I am proud that our staff can work in a great school and I am proud that we are a strong option for families in this part of Bradford. Outstanding, for me, does not mean perfect. It means we get so much right and are deeply concerned about people (that meant a lot to me), their futures and their welfare.
We have already begun to consider our next steps through our Strategic Vision and our next two year school improvement plan. I am always more than a little terrified that we will stand still and I cannot allow that to happen. We want to be better for all of our stakeholders and long may that continue.
Enjoy the bank holiday weekend and the weather and thank you, as always, for everything.
Simon Wade, Headteacher
