
Posted 14th February 2025
Beckfoot students are shining more brightly than ever
Since my last blog there has been so much going on at Beckfoot, most of which is being driven by the young people we are privileged to serve every day. I also have some really lovely news to share with you all at the end.
Mock exams
To begin, I want to congratulate our GCSE and A Level students who have been magnificent throughout the mock exam period this week and last. In years gone by these exams were often feared by students because they felt that they had to know and remember everything they had been taught in the previous two years. They sometimes lost sight of the real reason behind doing them and I have been determined to change that in recent times. The truth is that the mock exams are part of a wider strategy to build confidence in our young people from Year 7 upwards. We want them to be familiar with the exam venues, the process for entering and leaving those venues, what to expect from the invigilators, how to manage their time and how to navigate the various different papers across the range of subjects they are studying. I also want them to be a little excited about the learning that will come from the mocks because their teachers will help them to identify and address gaps in knowledge in readiness for the real thing in the summer. Staff will often tailor their teaching and intervention strategies based on the learning from the mocks and use that learning to provide the right support for all of them in the weeks ahead. I hope they know that; I’m sure they do. For now though I just want to thank them for being wonderful to work with and for giving each challenge everything they had.
Trips and visits
As you know, we are deeply committed to broadening the horizons of all our students and have been so in my time at Beckfoot. I am determined for each student to be aware of the opportunities that will exist for them locally, regionally, nationally and beyond. You may remember that last year our school came runners up the NHS at the National Career’s Awards for our pre - 16 provision meaning that we are providing the best careers information, advice and guidance in the country (the NHS are not a school!) and we have been driven ever since to figure out how we can be even better. Our plan is a Year 7 up strategy with bespoke provisions in place for all year groups. That is in addition to the many other opportunities that come our way because of the links and relationships our team have fostered over the years. An example of that is the number of trips that have taken place this month alone including a Year 10 Immersion Day visit to the Yorkshire Building Society for Year 10 students. Students will take part in the following activities across the day. This is the first one of a number of planned visits and was a great experience for our students. The day consisted of:
- A tour of the business
- What Employers Want workshop
- Problem Solving workshop
- Great Customer Service workshop
- Introduction to the Job Market workshop
- A Careers Panel
It was a great day and our students loved it. Thank you to the Careers team and Mr. Wheeler for making this possible.
New Balance and Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace and England)
14 of our Sixth Form students were given the opportunity to visit the New Balance headquarters in Warrington last week. The opportunity came about as a result of some work Ms. Holmes did last year with an organisation called Revolution Hive. They have a strong relationship with the Eze Foundation and its leader, Ikechi Eza, whose mission is to empower young people by providing them with invaluable opportunities and experiences in the working world. As part of the day they met football boot designers, kit designers and sports management teams. The students were tasked with creating their own designs throughout the day and then present them to the group and the experts from New Balance. Our student were incredible and the feedback from New Balance and the Eze Foundation is some of the best I have ever read.
Here are a few pictures from the day and a few of the prizes won by our students including the prototype football boots to be worn by Ebe Eze when he next plays in the Premier League!
Sporting Success
I love to share the success of our students and this week is no different. Will in Year 11 has been doing the most incredible things in both Rugby Union and League. I have shared in previous blogs that Will is signed with the Bradford Bulls scholarship programme and he excels in that form of the game. He is also an incredibly talented Rugby Union player and in recent weeks has been training with the Yorkshire Foundation at West Park, Leeds - one of 3 centres spread across the county. Following a trial type game played in Doncaster recently Will was offered a place in the central squad and will be getting the chance to play against Sale, Newcastle, Leicester and Harlequins in March and April as well playing in the RFU National Festival. He is a fantastic young man and has all the attributes to make his way in the game. We wish him the absolute best in the coming months.
Also in Year 11, Charlie continues to astound us with his cricketing exploits. Just this week he told me that he has been selected to play for the England u21 Indoor Cricket Team to play in an international tournament against the UAE men's team and the England over 35s. This is all leading up to another World Cup in October that he is hoping to be a part of. Charlie, like Will, is a very humble young man but he knows what he wants to achieve in the game and has the mindset to make things happen through determination and hard work. We are so proud of him and excited to hear how he progresses this year as he works towards that World Cup spot in the autumn.
First Give – Our Year 8 Charitable focus
Yesterday, after months of planning and fund raising, our Year 8 students took part in the First Give final. First Give is a charity we have been working with for a number of years now and their programme for schools is designed to ignite a spark of social conscience in young people. Each tutor group chose a charity to work with, raise money for and represent at the final. All nine tutor groups presented about their work in recent months, the work of their chosen charity and their learning throughout the programme. We were joined by Geoff Winnard and Eve Haskins form both Bradford and Bingley council as well as Kirsty Dwyer, my Cluster Business Manager, who acted as judges alongside myself and Mr. Midgley.
The quality of the presentations was the best I have ever known in all the years we have been involved. They were so well informed, passionate and incredibly aware of the issues being faced locally and nationally in terms of such things as Food Poverty, Homelessness, Mental Health, the work of Children’s Hospices, the Housing Crisis and so much more. I want them to be socially and morally responsible. I want them to be aware of what is happening around them in their city, their country and the world and I want them to make a difference whenever and wherever they can. Yesterday they shone brightly as they stood and presented for us. In the end it was tutor group 802, represent the charity Forget me Not, who took the £1000 prize to hand over to them. It is always a special event but yesterday we were all moved by our students desire to be heard and to make a difference. Thank you to the judges, to the first give charity, to Ms. Sears and Mr. Mehmood and to our wonderful young people for making us immensely proud yesterday. Well done.
Mental Health Week
Last week was National Mental Health Week and there was loads happening across school. We held assemblies for all year groups led by staff and students, we had daily affirmations for our staff and students, we had games, bale sales, visits from mental health professionals, input from our partners Place2Be and the Mental Health Support team, raffles, Oracy sessions and letters from our Sixth Form students to their younger selves along with so much more including a visit from PWC and local care homes who visited us for drinks, cakes, painting, bingo and a chat with our Sixth Form students. Beckfoot is recognised nationally for the amount of work we do around mental health for our students. For the past four years we have paid for the equivalent of 8 days of Mental Health Support for our students each week. Four days from Place2Be and 4 days from the Mental Health Support Team (MHST). In addition, we have mental health champions and a tutor programme designed to share the message that it is ok not to be ok. We have two huge displays in our atrium dedicated to mental wellbeing and all our lessons are now planned to reduce the cognitive load placed on students each day. The health and wellbeing of our community is so important and we are getting lots right. If we had the financial resource to do more that would be a priority for our students, staff and families. I am incredibly grateful to Mrs. Denham, Mrs. Wintersgill and so many more for making this happen.
Young Musician of the Year
On Wednesday evening I had the privilege of attending this year’s Young Musician of the Year final. Over 20 acts from Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 made it through the heats to be able to perform for a packed audience on the night and what a show it was. In the solo category we had vocalists, guitarists, brass and woodwind players, drummers, a banjo and even a xylophone! There was also a category for groups and ensembles as well as special performances from our Groove Tubes and Soul Bands. I loved everything about the evening. I loved the incredible range of talent, the culture and buzz that was tangible throughout the evening, the friendship and support between students and the relationships with staff who, like me, just beamed with pride all evening.
The winners on the night were:
- Most improved (voted for by Music Teachers): Martha A
- Players player (voted for by students): Milton S
- Key stage 3 audience vote winner: Jimmy L
- Key stage 4/5 audience vote winner: Olivia B
- Key stage 3 ensemble winners: Ella D and Violet W
- Key stage 4/5 ensemble winners: Edie A, Lorenzo C, Elan D and Johnny R
- Key stage 3 solo runner up: Louie E
- Key stage 3 solo winner: Jimmy L
- Key stage 4/5 solo runner up: Lorenzo C
- Key stage 4/5 winner: Olivia B
- Young musician of the year 2025: Olivia B
In the end, it was Olivia in Year 11 who won the title of Beckfoot Young Musician of the Year 2025 for her performance of the French hit Voila sung by Barbara Pravi at the Eurovision in 2021. It is a beautiful song performed brilliantly on the evening and worthy of any venue anywhere in my opinion. A huge thank you to the creative arts team specifically, Mr. Lee, Mr. Stimpson, Mr. Ratahi and their team of peri staff who do such amazing work with our students year on year. What we saw on Wednesday evening is not normal. Most schools do not do what we do nor do they have the talent in abundance that we have. Beckfoot is unique for what we do across the Creative Arts disciplines and that will always be important to me whilst I am leading this school.
Finally……..
We found out this week that Beckfoot has been shortlisted as one of three schools in the city for the Telegraph and Argus Education Awards 2025 in the category Secondary School of the Year. Five years ago we began a journey to create a truly remarkable school with a desire and determination to put students first. Our trajectory over those years has been wonderful with so much to celebrate. However, we remain focussed on being better every day and doing all we can to succeed in the face of the most challenging circumstances I have ever known in my 30 years. We are not perfect and I say that all the time. I love this school and our community of students, staff and families. I am proud of what we are doing and the plans we have to be even better and I am so thrilled that our students attend a school that the majority feel is a good place to learn, to grow and to thrive.
Take care and thank you.
Simon Wade, Headteacher