Headteacher - Mr C Sampson

News from Thornton Grammar School – Spring Term 2012

This Spring Term has seen our students engaged in a full range of activities both in and beyond the classroom. Many of these have been community projects such as the re-opening of The Peace Museum in March. Our pupils were part of a group of ‘Bradford Peacemakers’, who, in the words of the Curator, ‘worked extremely hard preparing for the event and did an excellent job guiding guests around the museum, interpreting artefacts and exhibits and helping guests to use hand-held technology during the re-opening. Everyone…was impressed by the work of the pupils and their contribution was truly the highlight…Thornton Grammar School can be very proud of its Bradford Peacemakers’, which, of course, we all are.

The ‘Stand up, Speak Out, Make a Difference’ project has once again enabled our students to make a significant contribution towards improving awareness and understanding of human rights as a means of reducing racism. This year students are being trained by staff from the Diversity and Cohesion Service and the Anne Frank Trust UK to act as Ambassadors, working as peer educators to guide children and adults around the ‘Anne Frank + You’ Exhibition as well as delivering a number of short presentations on their work. On a similar theme, we have continued our involvement with the Holocaust Project with our Sixth Form students taking part in the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ initiative.

Our efforts to promote international and cultural understanding are further enhanced by our pupils’ participation in links with Peshawar and Bangladesh made through the British Council. The latest video conference with a stadium full of pupils in Bangladesh took place in March and was a huge success.

Our students are always keen to demonstrate their care for others in other ways, particularly in their organisation of and participation in charity events. In the Spring Term a number of these were held. On Valentine’s Day a dedicated team of pupils organised a range of activities to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, including the distribution of red roses! Later, another team took on the Marie Curie Daffodil Appeal, through which students contributed for the privilege of wearing an item of Yellow Clothing. This is to mention just two of a number of group and individual efforts, more of which are, of course, planned for later in the year, including ‘Help for Heroes’ and Oxfam’s ‘Water Week’.

A number of our Year 9 pupils have been involved in the ‘Common Purpose – Your Turn’ programme which has given them the opportunity to work with other young people to develop the inspiration, skills and connections to become young leaders in society. Activities over three days in March focused on Leadership, Power and Influence and Change: Making a Difference. The value of this can be gauged from the comment of one the participants: ‘…we had a great time and we learned a lot!’

Our BBC Schools Report team produced a wonderful piece of news journalism in March. The project required pupils to work together to research, plan, script, shoot and edit their own news item all in one day. Our students spent lots of time in January and February developing their skills and on the day they learned how to manage and solve problems that emerge when dealing with people from inside and outside school. Their work is now on the BBC School Report website and on the TGS website. Please have a look!

Students made further forays into the world of journalism when Sky Sports Rugby League commentator Brian Carney visited the school to pass on some reporting tips to a team of Year 9 boys who have been producing match reports after attending Bradford Bulls games and press conferences. The boys were inspired by hearing a professional sportsman talking about how important language skills are.’

Language skills are also at the heart of the Accelerated Reader scheme that has started this year in the school library. Year 7 students read books and then complete quizzes to test how well they have understood, with prizes being awarded. By mid-March this project has resulted in 471 books being read!

In the field of Drama twenty-five impeccably behaved Year 11 students were taken to an excellent production of ‘An Inspector Calls’ at the Alhambra Theatre in March, following a production in school at the beginning of the year. GCSE Drama students have completed their performances and have gained their highest marks yet. One play was based on Sleeping Beauty, one was set around a group of girls working in a cocktail bar and another group performed an extract form a play about the American Civil War. ‘A’ level students have also completed their Drama exams, with Year 12 choosing a play about a group of lonely 20-somethings and Year 13 creating a piece of theatre based on the women in the life of Hercules and Zeus. Year 10 students have performed some anti-bullying pieces to pupils in Year 7; they delivered a workshop and a theatre performance and helped the new starters to understand more about their social relationships. This was a huge success for all concerned.

Members of the newly formed History Club have had great fun exploring the Ancient Egyptians, making scenes of the time and canopic jars in which to preserve their vital organs for the afterlife! They plan to work with the Art department on a competition focusing on the Old Bell Chapel in the near future.

Year 9 and 10 students attended the Rotary Technology Tournament in March. They made a great contribution to the event and were a credit to the school; they will receive their Rotary International Certificates in due course. Continuing the technological theme, Year 12 students visited the ‘Escalate’ event at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (‘STEM’) Centre at Bradford University. They had surveyed TGS students about STEM and presented their findings to a prize winning standard.

As befits a leading Sports College, we are proud to report on the successes of our individuals and teams. Our Year 8 and Year 10 Rugby League teams are currently unbeaten without conceding a single point! Both year groups are on course to play in the finals at Odsal. Year 11 Sports Leaders are organising a School Tag Rugby Competition for our local Primary schools. Not only will this be fun for all concerned but will help to develop our future players. Many of our Sixth formers are also completing coaching and officiating qualifications in their chosen sports and using these to assist in lessons and after school clubs.

Our Year 7 footballers are unbeaten in the league and are on course to win Bradford Schools Division 1 and our basketball and netball teams are also doing really well. Particular mention should be made our swimmers who won the coveted mixed team relay at the Bingley Gala. We have waited for this shield for 9 long years and now at last it sits in our trophy cabinet! In the area of outdoor pursuits, 25 students have enrolled and are being trained for the invaluable Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Our new Rock Challenge Team is now taking shape, consisting of 83 dancers, 12 stage crew and 6 lighting, video and make-up artists. Led mainly by Year 12 pupils they will perform in the Yorkshire Heats at St George’s Hall in April and in the North of England Final in June at which we are sure they will qualify for the National Final at the end of the year.

All Year 10 students and many of their parents have been involved our very popular and effective ‘Maximise your Achievement’ day this term, to be followed up in Year 11. The techniques learned at this event, combined with the after school workshops and holiday schools provided by staff, really do help to boost examination performance.

Finally, it was my pleasure to attend and present prizes at the Year 11 Prom at the Midland Hotel recently. The students behaved impeccably, had a great time and looked fantastic. We wish them all the very best in their exams this summer.

Can I take this opportunity to thank not only our pupils for the enthusiasm they have shown this term, but also to the commitment and dedication of the staff at TGS who make these activities possible. They really do make school life special and memorable. Last but not least I would like to thank all parents for their continued support for their children and the school.

Chris Sampson

Headteacher

Dear Parent

Welcome to Thornton Grammar School.  We are proud to serve the local community as a Trust School and Specialist Sports, Science and Applied Learning College.

Your child’s experience at Thornton will be guided by the principles laid down in our mission statement: ‘Thornton Grammar School will be an inclusive, nurturing, community based and innovative learning environment with its Specialisms at its heart. We will promote achievement for everyone within a clear framework of traditional values, enabling all our pupils to become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. We are committed to excellence.’

Our continuing popularity is attributable not only to our strong academic record and our constant striving to meet the needs of all our students, but also to the disciplined environment in school which combines friendliness with formality and to our clear focus on high quality teaching and learning. These will continue to be central characteristics of our school.

We are proud of the excellent teaching facilities we have established at Thornton which will enhance the learning experience of your son or daughter, and of our outstanding sporting facilities which add strength to our links with the community. Our curriculum aims to broaden the experience and challenge the intellect of all students in order to prepare them for adult life.

My colleagues and I are committed to providing a high quality education in a school where respect for others is important and where students realise their true potential both academically and socially.

We recognise the importance to you and your children of selecting a well-ordered and high-achieving school.  Thornton Grammar School will not disappoint and we look forward to working with you to fully meet your demands and expectations of a rigorous and enjoyable secondary education.

I know your child will achieve their true potential and enjoy their time in our school.

Headteacher

Ofsted Monitoring Visit

Dear Parent

I write to inform you that the school recently received an Ofsted monitoring visit, the findings of which have now been discussed by the Governing Body. The visit was not a full Ofsted inspection resulting in a ‘grade’ for the school; its purpose was to review progress made in the areas identified for action in the last full Ofsted Inspection Report of May 2010.

We are pleased that Ofsted reported that since the establishment of a new leadership team in September 2010 that ‘the Headteacher and senior leaders have articulated a clear vision for improvement… in particular strengthening the role of middle leaders in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning’.  The inspectors further noted that this had resulted in improvements in teaching and learning since the last inspection and that speedy responses to reviews are indicative of the developing capacity of the school’s leadership.  They reported that the school has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and staff are working hard to address areas of concern.  The Inspectors also praised the planned programme of focused professional development through which the effective classroom practice, which they identified, is being shared across the school.

We acknowledge the Inspectors’ conclusion that, although many outcomes for students improved in 2011, it is too early to see the full effect of the changes that have been made and that the rate of progress needs to be quicker and more consistent.  We will continue to work hard to ensure that this happens so that we better meet the needs of our learners and secure positive outcomes for all.

I would like to thank those parents who have already expressed support for the changes that are being made to ensure that Thornton Grammar offers the best possible education for the children who are placed in our care.