Thursday 28th April 2011

The first thing I did when I arrived at school on Tuesday morning was to visit the site and look around the progress. Most notable was the exterior of the build where the rendering is covering the front of the building and this makes it look more impressive and stylish. I spoke to the project manager this morning and we are now beginning to plan the colour scheme for the walls / blinds and carpets. He informed me that the yellow / blue windows will soon be redesigned as well. He is very happy with the progress of the build and says we are still on schedule for a July completion. This is great news.

On the inside the contractors have been continuing to plaster the walls and put up the frames for the doorways. With the under heating now in place the inside is beginning to look more completed and is no longer a skeleton or shell. I also saw the contractors working on the lift and there are plans afoot for the ICT connections we will need for our students.

Daily progress continues. The timetable is now written for next year and students here are very excited by the prospect of next year - as we all are. With the weather so lovely it really is a good time of year and everyone seems very positive and calm.

To all Year 11 students and my future Sixth Formers - good luck with revision over this long weekend. Keep up the good work and remember it will be worth it!!

Staff visit the building for the first time!

This morning, Cooper school staff visited the building for the first time. I will leave it to the staff to give their impressions of the Sixth Form building after seeing it for the first time: 'It is exciting and modern' - Miss Patchett 'Fabulous' - Mrs Devereaux 'Amazing' - Mrs Brown ''It is corporate and will make the students grown-up' - Mrs Roberts-Ablett 'Inspirational' - Mrs Greer 'Fantastic. Really nice building.' - Mrs. Brown 'Lush' - Mrs Roberts-Ablett 'It's such a fantastic place to spend time. Our students will be the envy of other students.' 'Cooper students will love it' - Miss Box 'Much better than the staff room' 'Can we have teacher training sessions in there?' 'Can the staff use the facilities?' 'I'm jealous. They are so lucky. Our sixth form wasn't like this!' 'Stunning' - Mrs Eggleston 'It's like the tardis' - Mr Chambers 'I want to see it in action' - Mrs Whiffen 'It is deceptively large' - Mrs Howells

Year 12 Induction - July

I have spent this week organising the details of the 2 day Induction programme in July. I am aiming to make this a dynamic, interactive event where all the students can begin to integrate together as well as find out about their chosen subjects by experiencing lessons. It should be a busy two days of challenge and enjoyment as well as good fun. I will write to my prospective Year 12 students after Easter with the full details of the programme of the days with more information about what to expect. But, to summarise : Wednesday 20th July 2011 TEAM BUILDING event with formal presentations For this formal and important day, students will need to dress in smart / formal clothing as there will be presentations at the end of the day. The press will also be on site. Thursday 21st July 2011 Post 16 course / departmental day This is for students to experience the 'start' of their studies. All students will be given important information about the courses they have chosen as well as experience a 'taster' lesson for each. On this day, all students will be able to wear smart-casual clothing. These days will really set the tone of what to expect next year and I look forward to welcoming you all to the start of your Post 16 studies.