News@Kimberley
Founded 1925
A record of the life of the school,
its duties and pleasure, its work and play;
a chronicle of endeavour
and achievement
July 2016 Issue 48#
Head’s Lines
No complacency here,
Sir Michael
Sir Michael Wilshaw, the head of Ofsted, has publicly
branded schools across the Midlands as “distinctly
second division” and points to “a culture of
complacency.” In the uneasy relationship between
schools and our inspectorate, Ofsted, it is difficult
to be candid without sounding defensive. However,
unlike Sir Michael, I am immersed in this world daily.
I spend hours around our school, in classrooms,
talking to students and staff ,and I visit other schools
in the area. I see highly committed, well trained and
compassionate colleagues working extremely hard
(and sadly, sometimes to breaking point) to deliver
the very best they can for our children.
At The Kimberley School we run additional lessons
after school, revision sessions at lunchtimes, open
the school in the holidays, have developed a highly
effective reading scheme, deliver additional literacy
sessions, are developing projects across EMET
schools to bring further opportunities, are using new
technology to track homework and are even running
detentions for people who persistently refuse to tuck
their shirts in! The list, of course, goes on. Does this
sound complacent? I don’t believe so. My point is
that in schools across the region, professionals are
working extremely hard for our young people and,
unlike Sir Michael, I hope parents recognise that.
The pace of change in the educational world is rapid
and today we find ourselves seeking solutions to
issues which Ofsted and the Government hadn’t
thought of yesterday. At The Kimberley School we
have always been pro-active and responsive. As a
result, I firmly believe the school remains fully prepared
and capable of delivering the opportunities our
students deserve. We constantly refine our systems
and evaluate our performance. Our predictions
suggest that Ofsted, with their data driven obsession
with exam results, will not be disappointed with the
summer outcomes. We deliver students with the skills
for apprenticeships, the workplace, university courses,
Oxbridge, Medical Schools and Law Courses. No
students looking for progression to their next step
after school are left stranded. Does this sound like the
second division?
Our school goes into the next academic year with a full
team having recruited a number of new faces, all of
whom are highly qualified and show great enthusiasm
for the school. Sir Michael Wilshaw should note that
teacher recruitment is currently very challenging.
Sadly, the pressures of maintaining the standards we
all strive for have a detrimental effect on the image
of this amazing job and fewer people seem keen to
join the profession. Our success in maintaining a full
complement of staff is a reflection of a school in which
good people want to work. Crucially, our new recruits
include an excellent Headteacher who just can’t wait
to get started. Andrew George is an experienced Head
with a keen interest in this school and a strong desire
to take it forward for the benefit of our community.
For me, it has been a pleasure to work as the
Headteacher of this fantastic school. I have seen it
evolve over the past nine years and it has been a
real team effort. I thank parents, students, Governors
and colleagues for your unstinting support in bringing
this about. Although we have not always been judged
as we believe we should, we have never been
complacent. The school qualities which really matter
are not all easy to measure. They include kindness,
care, safety, happiness, manners, place in the
community, commitment to our students and their
preparedness for the world beyond school. When
taken as a whole, I believe it would be hard to find a
school in the county to match us.
Once again, I thank you for your support and also for
the many kind words of encouragement over the years.
I wish the school and all associated with it every
success and happiness in the future.
Chris Teal - Headteacher
Newdigate Street • Kimberley • Nottingham • NG16 2NJ • 0115 938 7000
[email protected] • www.kimberleyschool.co.uk
East Midlands
Education Trust