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Bramley Park Pupils Welcome Rachel Reeves MP

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Just before the Easter break, staff and students at Bramley Park Academy proudly showed Leeds West MP and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves around their recently rated outstanding school.

Bramley Park pupils were eager to meet Rachel and Bramley & Stanningley councillors Caroline Gruen, Tom Hinchcliffe and Kevin Ritchie. The visitors spent time in every key stage and learnt about the positive impact that Bramley’s 12 place specialist resource provision, LaunchPad, is having on pupils with Autism Spectrum Condition and communication needs.

Rachel spent time speaking with teachers and getting to know pupils, who made her day by revealing their favourite thing to do at school was maths!

Carrie Green, Executive Principal at Bramley Park Academy, said: “Bramley Park Academy has been on an incredible journey of improvement over the past few years. To go from special measures to outstanding in just five years is a phenomenal achievement. Pupils and staff alike are very proud of Bramley Park and they were thrilled to be able to showcase what a special place our school is to Rachel Reeves and the local councillors. It’s important to us to share our success story and show what’s possible with determination, ambition and a talented team which believes every child deserves the very best.”

Rachel Reeves MP, added: “It was wonderful to be shown around Bramley Park Academy and see how far it has come in recent years. From excellent teachers to engaged pupils, there is so much Bramley Park Academy can be proud of.”

Elements Primary School in Leeds celebrates its Ofsted report

Elements Primary School Rated ‘Good’ in First Ever Inspection

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Elements Primary School in Middleton, Leeds, which opened its doors to pupils in 2018 has been rated Good in all areas in its first Ofsted report.

In the report, released this week, inspectors praised the school for its high ambitions for pupils, its strong curriculum and its highly effective teaching of reading.

Inspectors reported that: “This is a school where leaders welcome and encourage pupils to be ‘world-changers’. Leaders want pupils to aim high. They have designed an ‘Elements’ curriculum to broaden pupils’ ambitions.” They also commended the leadership with comments such as: “Senior leaders and those responsible for governance speak with passion about the school. They act to improve the educational and wider experiences on offer for all pupils.

Early years provision was also singled out for praise with inspectors stating: “Leaders have planned the knowledge, skills and personal qualities that they want children to learn in the early years. Adults know their children well and adapt the curriculum to meet their needs…Leaders continue to enhance the learning environment.”

Carrie Green, Executive Principal at Elements, said: “Any Ofsted inspection is an anxious time for a school but when it is the very first one, it is a particularly nerve wracking experience. I’m delighted with the way the team handled it and showcased brilliantly the excellent work that they do every day here at Elements.

“Since opening in 2018, we have worked tirelessly to develop a rich and exciting curriculum, a nurturing and supportive environment, and to embed the school firmly in the local community. We are thrilled that the inspectors saw what a fantastic school Elements is and acknowledged the way the team are creating a whole new generation of ‘world changers’ in our little corner of Leeds. The report is testimony to the efforts and talents of the whole Elements family and I’m incredibly proud of them.”

Mark Wilson, CEO of Wellspring Academy Trust which sponsors Elements, added: “Creating a successful new school from scratch is no easy feat. This report is welcome recognition of the superb job Carrie and the team have done, which has built on the important groundwork laid by Carrie’s predecessor Sarah Horsbrough. I am extremely pleased that the inspectors have recognised the quality of education on offer at Elements, alongside the high ambitions for all pupils and warm, supportive ethos.”

Elements opened in temporary facilities in 2018 before its £6m purpose-built school site opened in 2020. Operating a staggered opening, the Middleton free school is now home to children from reception level to year 4, and will be open to pupils in all years from September 2025.

Oakhill Primary AcademyArdsleyBarnsley

Bridging Home and School in the Early Years

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By Katherine Heaton

‘Early Years’ is not only the foundation of children’s learning journeys but also of their parents/carers’ journey on how to support their child in the best way they can – academically, socially and emotionally. Working within the Early Years’ framework is your opportunity to influence that journey, fostering a solid home/school relationship, so that you can work together with parents in the best interests of the child.

As we all realise, each of the first experiences a parent has, is crucial (no pressure Early Years!) – from showcasing the school, to meeting the teacher, to home visits, to the handing over of a precious child into our care. Everything you do (some of which you do not even think about) starts that journey.

Following the barriers that Covid 19 restrictions put into place, we have cohorts of parents who have not had the chance to create these important links with school. Our job is to re-evaluate how we begin those links and reignite processes which were just part of school life pre-covid.

The purpose of this blog is to bring all that you know to the forefront of your minds. There has been, and still is, exemplar practise in our academy around ensuring that the home/school links are strong in Early Years and beyond. Below are some of my key thoughts which may reassure you, or make you revisit how we establish the home/school link in Early Years.

Parental Engagement

It is always good to know that what you are doing is backed by research!

“Parents being engaged with their children’s learning in the form of ‘at home good parenting’ has a significant positive effect on children’s achievement and adjustment even after all other factors shaping attainment have been taken out of the equation.” (Desforges, C., Abouchaar A., 2003)

“Parental engagement in early years education is consistently associated with children’s subsequent academic success. On average, parental engagement programmes evaluated to date have led to a positive impact of approximately four additional months’ progress over the course of a year.”(EEF)

Communication and Relationships

As you will all be well aware, communication and relationships are key! What can you do to improve communication?

It is helpful to review and reflect on what is already in place and then to decide if something needs to be changed or new ways of working introduced. You need to identify what forms of communication are working well and then establish what can be changed according to priorities in the setting.

For example: parents engaging in children’s learning, parents as volunteers, ensuring communication methods are inclusive and accessible for all children and families.

Active involvement in learning

Actively involving parents/ carers in supporting their children’s learning and development is a very successful way to achieve strong links. Be clear what you want to achieve – for the parents – for the child.  An outcome example for the child might be: improve phonics understanding.

Ideas are: Stay and Play, creative arts sessions, fun ways to engage, Christmas craft, have parents / carers in for sessions to watch and learn alongside, parent workshops.

Do check your local authority as they can have a lot to offer on active engagement.

Key principles and values that underpin effective engagement with parents.

Parents respond well to confident, well-informed practitioners, and need to feel that:

• They are not being judged or compared to others
• What they already do with their child is valued
• Their views are listened to (Gathering parental views
You said “ …..” We did “ …”
• They are treated as individuals, with unique circumstances
• Their knowledge of their child is respected and valued
• They know most about their own lives and the lives of their children

Technology’s Big Part to Play

We are very much in a digital world now in the Early Years the majority of settings use some form of online communication to record and share children learning. How can we move forward further with this? Are we using the best platforms that suit our early years parents? Is technology doing what we need it to?

In summary, take time to reflect your own practise the home school bridge is not always
easy but is always worth it. What is next for you and your setting?

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Getting transition right for SEN learners

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By Rob Burnett

Moving between primary and secondary (or any type of transition between schools) is an incredibly daunting experience for any learner. When you add to that experience additional needs, it can very quickly become a potential minefield of problems for some students.

Supporting students through this process can be extremely difficult. Often little is known about either where they are going, or where they have come from. Matching up support can be complicated if similar options aren’t available and relationships are yet to be built with the new setting. On top of all that, the support that has enveloped a student from reception to year 6 disappears overnight when they leave primary in year 6 and they fundamentally ‘start from scratch’ in year 7. Getting transition right for all learners is important, but getting it right for students with additional needs is absolutely vital. It can quite simply be the difference between positive and negative outcomes in life.

From my experience of working across key stages I have found that the most successful transitions start early. For some, this is as far back as the middle of KS2 (especially for those with Education, Health & Care Plans). Meetings with parents and the student themselves should serve as a key starter to kicking-off the transition process. As with all students with additional needs, placing them in the middle of the situation then building provision around them is often the best way of dealing with the situation. The future setting needs to quickly build a picture of ‘what already works’, and then integrate that within their own practice and their own offer.

To aid this, key relationships need to be built between settings who regularly transfer pupils (this could be KS2-KS3 or KS4 into further education or even a PRU into mainstream). Knowing what a student has experienced previously and piecing together how and if that support can continue is really important to the successful transfer of all students. Furthermore, this can help the extended transition program as schools can have more informal aspects to a transition process in visits, meetings or even holding intervention sessions in the new setting. As these relationships grow it can support students and their families having more information about potential school choices and ensuring they are in the right place.

Ultimately, there isn’t a ‘fix all’ for nailing the transition process and it takes a great deal of careful planning twinned with a huge amount of flexibility to ensure that the transfer of a student is ultimately successful. Ensuring that the needs of the student are at the heart of every decision made around their transition is always something that should be taking place. Puzzling together the jigsaw of support will then inevitably, almost naturally, occur.

I will be speaking in more depth about this and how Beacon Academy have worked to ensure this process is something that has been successful in my JosieTV session on 12th January.

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Communicolour Art Installation Inspires Grimsby Pupils

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School’s getting a whole lot brighter for pupils in Grimsby thanks to Communicolour, an innovative new project that brings together schools and leading artists.

Phoenix Park Academy is the latest school to benefit from an inspiring, bold Communicolour art installation. Designed by acclaimed Sheffield-based artist Marcus Method, a sculpture series is transforming the outdoor space at Phoenix Park with vibrant colour and pattern.

Communicolour is a groundbreaking new initiative from Wellspring Academy Trust and aims to create a world less grey for pupils and communities by converting forgotten grey spaces into riots of colour and contemporary design. Playgrounds, fences, sides of buildings and more in schools across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have been reimagined as canvases and now display striking and engaging art.

Mark Wilson, Chief Executive at Wellspring Academy Trust, explains: “Education is really about igniting the imaginations of children and young people. Our sense of space and the calibre of our surroundings plays a critical role in that. Through our Communicolour work, we are creating spaces that are inspiring and engaging, and introduce our pupils to the incredible benefits art can have on our wellbeing.

“We want our young people to be inspired by our Communicolour art projects and, crucially, to take away the confidence that they can make a positive contribution in the world. We want them to understand they can express themselves through creativity. We want them to see value in experimentation and play, to see the world as vibrant and joyful. We want our young people to enjoy their experience of school in every form.’’

Marcus Method, artist behind the design at Phoenix Park, added: “Using my designs to inspire and engage young people and introduce them to the benefits of art has been a real pleasure. The sculptures have been designed around the concept of ‘Flourishing,’ and represent change and growth. The first sculpture is very regimented and uniform, but as each one progresses, more shape, colour and dynamism is added. This journey represents the life of the young people in school – maybe unsure and shy at the start but flourishing over time through meeting new people and experiencing new things, and enriching their lives.”