Dear parents and carers
I wanted to write today about the reaction to Getting Back To BASICS. If you remember I wrote to you at the start of the year saying that we would be reinforcing the firm foundations upon which this school has been built and ensuring that our children are ready to learn and preparing them for the future.
We’ve had an incredible reaction and I know that our parents have been instrumental in supporting us and making sure that we’ve started in the strongest way possible. You’ve taken such an active interest I felt it was right to update you with progress.
Be on time
Attend every day
Smartly dressed
Instructions followed
Come equipped
Show respect
There is much to celebrate. In the main we have fewer students turning up late in the morning and they are much more punctual to lessons. Our attendance at Forge has always been good but despite Covid and sickness, we continue to have very high attendance. Students are looking smart and taking lots of pride in their appearance and environment. We are seeing students come equipped and being more prepared to learn and we are seeing less disruption in class, respect is being shown and instruction followed.
This isn’t to say that we don’t have a number of students at the end of each day in detention. This number is rapidly decreasing as students are finding that there are consequences to being late and not following instructions. Our restorative conversations are going well and we hope that you have seen more commitment to achievement points.
There are a number of areas where we could do better. Litter is still an issue on site and is something we will continue to tackle. We have students leading on this now and we are incredibly proud of the work they are doing as part of an eco-award. It’s also worth noting that students should be in form at 0840, arriving on site at 0835. Let’s encourage students to give themselves plenty of time to get to their classroom each morning and start the day in the best way possible.
We have had a small number of students turn up with notes to excuse them from PE but no kit. Students have always been asked to bring their kit as well as their note. We treat any student with an injury/illness as having an additional need and try to include them in the lesson by giving them coaching/umpiring/scoring responsibilities. This can be done from a seated position if necessary. We would ask that you encourage students to bring PE kits in, along with any note explaining why participation may be limited.
Homework has been raised and it is clear that there is a lack of consistency across subjects. We are developing homework guidance in consultation with staff and students and will make that available this term. Setting clear expectations is really important and we’ll get this right.
Thank you for your support. We are stronger together and our young people really benefit from an approach where we are all working to ensure they have the brilliant future they deserve. We will continue to embed our BASICS with students and continue to listen to feedback and ensure we remain flexible to meet moving needs. If you have any questions or concerns, please email [email protected].
Yours faithfully,
Dr Lisa Mason
Principal
Ormiston Forge Academy