December 2010 - Video update

I would like to direct all readers of this blog to the new video update which was completed this week : once again using the expertise of Mr McCarey. Standing on site (fully protected) on the same spot as the first video, highlighted the progress that has been made in the building development. The first video was made on a grassy knoll which is now under the entrance to the sixth form building. It is 6 months since then and the building is really taking shape. I look forward to creating the next installment.

This week, Mr Baxter and myself delivered a presentation to the 'BicesterVision' partnership in order to highlight to the community the vision we have for Post 16 Education. It was also really interesting to begin to consider the ways that future Sixth Formers at this school can have a higher profile and voice in the significant future plans and development of Bicester.

With more snow forecast I continue to be impressed by the building efforts and progress of James Batty and his team. It will be interesting to see what will have developed by the start of the new term in January.

2011 will the a significant year for this school and an opportunity to offer students diversity and choice in Post 16 education. It is a privilege and an honour to be part of this and I look forward to 2011 with excitment and enthusias.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Week 14 - Roof, snow, ice & walls!

The inclement freezing weather has not in any way stopped the advance of the building. The walls are going up on the ground floor and the roof is going on. Sealing the building will be a signifcant step towards completion. Mr Batty has offered to do a tour of the site next week for any interested parties. This will take place on WEDNESDAY 15th DECEMBER at 10.15 am. If anybody would like to participate could I please ask you to email me at the school to book a place.

I will also be creating a video link / update of the build next week with Mr McCarey. It will be 6 months since we made the initial video and a signifcant change has happened since then! I hope to have this on the blog before Christmas.

The Head teacher and myself have been invited to give a presentation to 'Bicester Vision' on our plans & aspirations for our post 16 provision in the area and we are looking forward to that.

Applications continue to arrive and I would urge all prospective students to abide by the deadline of January 28th 2011 - as these applications will be given priority.

Week 13 - First tour of the site

This week has been most notable as it was the first time I was taken on site and given a guided tour of the build. Mr James Batty escorted me around the premises and down the corridors on the first and ground floors. I was struck by the size of the building as it is much bigger than I had realised. The cafeteria / social area is twice the size I had expected and will become an extremely popular part of the Post 16 centre. I have already had discussions for the provision of catering needs for Sixth Form students and plans are underway for this. The two floors will also provide excellent classrooms for sixth form lessons as they are very spacious and will allow us to create modern, flexbible learning environments for our future students.

I have also had a number of volunteers who have come forward to be part of the furniture choosing committee. Seeing the students enthusiasm and interest has been a joy for me this week. I have stood at classroom windows with Year 11 pointing out to them where rooms will be and we have all been struck by the realisation that this time next year we will be in there and fully established.

Applications continue to arrive and I am planning the interview day for prospective students. This will take place in early February 2011 and will involve all students having a 10 minute interview with a member of the SLT. Full details of this interview will be sent out to applicants on February 1st 2011.

Week 12 - Year 11's needed to select furniture!!

This week has been significant in the build as the walls are being put in place and yesterday the window spaces were evident on the ground floor overlooking the astro turf. To see these appearing, made the shell/ skeleton of the building really look to be taking on its final shape and looking like the building it will become. We have also had more press interest and interviews to chart the buildings remarkable progress.

We continue our discussions and research into the furnishings of the Sixth Form block. We want to have a range of flexible learning options for the sixth form and also we aim to ensure the place looks modern and appealing. The Headteacher has suggested that we can offer to take some Year 11 students to select some furniture for the Sixth Form common room and study areas. I would like to request that any Year 11's who would like to be part of the selection committee should register their interest with me asap as there will only be limited spaces for this.

The PATHWAYS ADVICE evening will be held on WEDNESDAY 12th JANUARY 2011, 6-7 pm in the L2L centre. Connexions will be in attendance and this will be a 'drop in ' session to offer individual advice / guidance.

Week 11- the walls start to arrive.

I have had more questions about the pathways / options and a request for guidance on students choosing their options for next year. Choosing the right courses is an individual 1:1 discussion and I would like to reiterate that I am more than happy to speak to students and discuss their future plans and amibitions and help guide in making appropriate choices. Students can book appointments with me during the school day and I am also available after school if parents would like to attend this meeting.

I will also plan to run an information evening / session in early January so that prospective students and their parents can 'drop in' for further clarification /guidance. I will also arrange for Connexions to be in attendance. More details to follow in due course.

The building continues apace. The plant room blockwork is completed and the metal stud work walling is being created. The first floor structure is also in place and I heard this morning that the roof is being delivered today. The masterly organisation of this building project never ceases to amaze me and I am now able to see where my office will be. I am also looking at the options for furniture for the flexible learning spaces that we will have in the sixth form centre. In addition the facilities department is planning for the signs that will be over the entrance to the block and also around the site. Another week passes - and we move another step towards the opening.

Week 10 - applications arrive!

Following the Open Evening it was a delight to start to receive applications from prospective students and to be able start to plan the timetable and KS5 options. Every week brings a new development and takes us a step closer to the opening.

It is also good to see that we have had so many hits on the blog and that it is now starting to be used to communicate and publicise important information, questions and comments. It is very important that prospective students and parents are able to have ands use this forum as it can be accessed easily and readily. I will continue to use the blog to keep everybody up to date with developments and progress.

The building work continues to be on schedule for an early July completion. I meet regularly with Mr James Batty, the Project Manager, whose oversight and determination with the build is impressive. Every day I see from my classroom the building taking shape and it is wonderful to see this evolution.

I am also currently canvassing Year 11 students about the preferred design for the KS5 student planner which I will be finalising soon. These details are significant in that they mark clarity and purpose.

The pathways

Just to confirm, there is some flexibility in the Pathways - so Please do put your preferred options / choices and these will be collated. I would suggest you let me know as soon as possible as it will be easier to facilitate the earlier we know. However, I do need to state that late applications will not have the flexibility.

Week 9 - The Open evening

The Sixth Form Open evening last night was another significant landmark in the creation of the Sixth Form. It was my 15th Sixth Form Open evening but it was the one that I have been most excited about as it will ensure an educational opportunity for many students that is forward thinking, innovative and needed.

The evening was a resounding success as it was extremely well attended by students from all over Oxfordshire as well as from our own school. The start of the evening heralded queues of prospective students and their parents waiting to come in and the atmosphere in the sports hall was fantastic. It was a joy to be part of a school that is so enthused by the future plans we have for the sixth form and all the subjects were inundated, and at times overwhelmed, with lines of interested students.

The presentation in the performance hall was, quite simply, packed. We had to bring in scores of extra chairs to accommodate everybody and the reception by the audience was wonderful. It was also a joy to see parents, students and staff exploring potential courses together and beginning to make some important decisions about the future.

The build continues apace. The high levels of wind made it unsafe to have tours of the building but the floodlit building work was stunning. The ground and first floor are nearly completed and the 2 staircases are impressive to behold. Each week the progress is evidenced and takes us closer to the completion and fruition of over 5 years of planning.

Week 7 - reflections on Term 1.

Term one is now complete and it is a good opportunity to reflect on the progress that has been made. When I arrived in September, everything was still at the planning stage. However, over the past 7 weeks we have finalised the curriculum with 4 pathways to cater for as many needs and interests as possible. The prospectus is written - it includes an overview of all the courses on offer and also a seperate prospectus about the facilities and opportunities we are offering Post 16 learners. The Open evening is planned and should be a fantastic launch for the opening of the Sixth Form next academic year. The advertisements in the press look great and have already generated interest from outside the school. Mr McCarey is also making a film of our vision for the sixth form which will be shown on the Open evening.

This is a very good school with so much on offer for students and with a great future ahead for all of us. Yesterday Mr McCarey was working on the sixth form film and we had Year 11 students, out of uniform and in lessons. It was a glimpse of the future - to see pupils transforming into young adult students and beginning to take on the challenges of Post 16 learning. I feel honoured and privileged to be part of the growth and development of this school and feel excited by the opportunties we are going to be able to offer the students.

week 6 - Brickwork & Pathways

This week the build has focussed on the brickwork or courses as it is called in the trade - Mr Batty keeps me informed of the key terminology! This is now surrounding the building and each day more and more is evidenced. Looking back over the site photographs really shows how much progress is made on a daily basis.

Yesterday I received the finalised version of the Post 16 Prospectus. This was a momentous occasion as I have spent so much of the past weeks writing, organising, clarifying and confirming the contents. This now reflects and meets the needs and requirements of our students and will provide an exciting range of courses. The Pathways designer, Mr Paul Bradbury has created a very stylish and modern prospectus which outlines all the courses and enrichment opportunities which will be available. This was then sent to the printers for publication.

The arrangements for the Open evening are now finalised and departments are working hard to create stands with information and detail on Post 16 learning opportunities. This is a very exiciting time for the school. Each week we have another course laid and take another step forward

Week 5...the brick work commences

The striking feature of the build this week has been the laying of the bricks on the west elevation of the site. By Friday afternoon the brickwork was already 4 / 5 layers deep and beginning to fill out the gaps between the steel girders. Students in the school are now asking me questions about what it will be like inside and they can see how impressive the size of the building is going to be.

The really good news is that on Sixth Form open evening on Thursday 4th November, 6.30 pm - 8 pm, the site Manager has confirmed that he will be able to give tours inside the build. By then the ground floor will be completed and work will have commenced on the first floor. This will provide a great opportunity for prospective students and their parents to see the extent of the facilities that will be on offer. Combined with the architect's drawings of the build, this will have a significant impact in terms of showcasing what will be on offer next academic year. I have also started to plan for (& buy!) the furnishings for the student social area. Smart, modern, comfortable and colourful to fit the light, airy nature of this environment.

Week 4 - The frame of the building is in place

The builders, led by the ever-efficient James Batty, have worked a small miracle this week. The steel frame for the Sixth Form centre is in place and can give us all a real idea of the size of the building, its shape and its impact on the landscape. It looks fantastic!

The two cranes have looked like a couple of dinosaurs framed gracefully against the sky. We have had a visit from a local primary school recently to see the work in action. It was lovely to see their amazed, up-turned faces watching the dextrity of the machines at work.

In terms of the academic preparation - After consulting the staff and students I have changed the option blocks / subjects to meet their requests and needs. Feedback on these changes has been very supportive so the right decisions have been made. Also, I have now finalised the prospectus and sent it to the designer and printer to work their magic. It will be ready for the Open Evening on Thursday 4th November.

And so another week goes by and the building increases and plans are becoming finalised and the long awaited sixth form is taking shape!

Week 3 - The building structure arrives!

Seeing the massive crane towering over the site at the back of the school this week has made this one of the highlights of the week. Huge steel girders are currently laying on the ground ready to be craned into place to form the skeleton of the building. As I left school this evening there were 2 cranes framed against the darkening evening sky looking very impressive. I know when the structure goes up then it will really start to take shape and the students will have the evidence of their own eyes to prove that it is happening!!

The pathways for the curriculum have now been agreed and have taken into account student requests and needs. The prospectus will go to print within the next week and I look forward to handing out the finished version at the Sixth Form Open evening on Thursday 4th November. The students at the school are asking me increasingly more questions about the plans for next year .... I think for all of us it is becoming a reality and there is more excitement about the opportunities we will be able to offer. In the student survey I conducted last week, one student commented about his positive feelings about the Sixth Form by saying that he 'wanted to be part of something new' - sums up what so many of us are feeling!!

Week 2

Week Two...

... and the foundations of the new sixth form building are nearly completed. We have organised some year 11 students to take regular / weekly photographs of the build until it is finished. I will then create a short film from these photographs so that we will have an 'instant' building appearing on site! I think that will look amazing as a record of the historic event of the opening of the Sixth Form. The site Manager, Mr James Batty, is working hard overseeing the work and is very clearly running a tight and efficient project. The sight of the wealth of machinery on the premises has been very interesting.

Year 11 students are currently completing 'intentions' forms for me so that I can ensure, as far as possible, that we are offering the right courses for the students. There seems to be a great deal of interest in a potential dress code for the sixth form - this should be agreed with students and staff and I anticipate that it will be acceptable to all of us! ... it will certainly not be a uniform!

The builders have started!

It has been very exciting to come into the school this week and see the builders on site. The field has now gone and the deep trenches in the ground for the pipe work are clearly visible. The contractors have established themselves on site and the machinery is extensive. Every day more progress is evidenced and it is amazing to think that this time next year we will be having the official opening of the sixth form. Seeing the work happening is making it feel real for the first time. I have put the architect's plans on my office notice board and these sketches are now becoming a reality. It is a delight to see the centre beginning to take shape. I am also working on the prospectus and planning for the Sixth Form Open evening in November. Regular photographs of the site's progress will be uploaded as this will become a detailed record of the events this year. With the students now back in school I can involve them more fully in the events and plans. The future is beginning to take shape.

DAY ONE - THE BEGINNING!

Friday 2nd July 2010 - my first day on the job and a day I have been looking forward to for 2 months! I feel very honoured to be here and to begin to take on the challenges of this exciting opportunity. I have thought a lot about what I want this Sixth Form to offer the school and the students and it feels really good to be here and begin to put all my plans into place. I have had the opportunity to meet staff and students more fully and become more familiar with finding my way around the school. I have also begun to design the new prospectus and start to plan with staff for the new Post 16 curriculum opportunities that I aim to offer all students from September 2011. Variety of courses, superb facilities excellent enrichment opportunities and guidance on UCAS are just some of my aims. For me it all begins today. Wonderful.

Important Sixth Form Update from David Dunne (chair of governors)

Over the past few weeks, there have been a number of rumours in the local media about Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) considering cancelling the project for building a 6th Form Block at our school. Hopefully, those rumours will have been dispelled by the clear and unequivocal statement issued by Councillor Michael Waine recently. Please use the link below to download the latest newsletter outlining the progress we have made:
Newsletter June 2010