Going Vertical!

Categories: Principal's Blog

Well, nobody can ever say that life at Lodge Park is dull!  We've just celebrated what I think is one of the best Prom nights I have ever attended with Year 11, formally launched ourselves as a Co-operative School, been in the papers and on the radio about the new Academies Bill, had our fingerprints taken ready for cashless catering and students and their tutors have marked the end of year groups as we embark on our new House system with mixed aged tutor groups on Monday 5th July.

 

Writing that all down it sounds a lot but it doesn't even begin the capture the bustle and energy about the college this June, what a month!

 

The Prom (photos online here) deserves a write-up of its own.  I started the evening thinking I'd be able to use Twitter (we are @lodgeparktc) but if you look at the page you'll find that my efforts were a little pathetic as within minutes of starting the atmosphere on the night just took over.  What a great bunch of students!  

 

Our launch as a Co-Op is very much at the early stages as the legal part gets completed, and a big theme in the year ahead will be signing up our 'members' (and yes, everyone will have their Co-op number) from staff, students, parents and the community, and with our governors setting to work on involving them in the development of our college.  The signs for opportunities to work with the national network of 280+ Co-operative schools are very promising - we're in touch with one overseas as well.

 

I wasn't expecting to be called by the press about Academies as from our point of view it isn't such a big deal.  We heard the announcements from the Department for Education and of course we signed up to ask for more information because it might turn out to be a good opportunity for us.  The truth is that as a Co-operative Trust we know the direction we're going in, and if Academy status helps with that, and on the way secured for us some freedoms that will help us deliver a better education for our students, and more funding than at present we will consider it.  That said, it isn't as simple as signing a piece of paper and getting a cheque - there are a lot of implications and some do involve risk, so it will need looking at very carefully.

 

The machines at college that allow people to 'charge' their cashless catering account are working now (I must admit that I was quite proud when I'd added £2 to mine for tomorrow - there will be a chance for a few days to still pay the old-fashioned way, but I do need to set an example!), and a lot of students had already used the machines well before me.  Many staff and parents prefer to pay over the web through ParentPay. 

 

We expect that the arrangements for cashless catering and for a staggered lunch break next year (there is still time for parents to read about and respond to the proposal) will mean a lot less queuing, more time to eat and more people able to have lunch at college.

 

Finally Vertical Tutor Groups.  This is again something that merits another article of its own later in the week when I can report back how it is going.  Suffice it to say that Monday morning will be a special day at college as tutors meet their new groups and get to know that.  I know that many have been in touch with parents last week to introduce themselves and the four Heads of Student Progress and House Managers  have had a number of meetings to manage a smooth handover.  Kudos to Parker House who have already shown their highly competitive nature by getting the first House noticeboard up a week ahead of the others - it will be interesting to see how Rumbelow, Brady and Dickson Houses respond.