Edgbarrow School Issue no. 64 - July 2012 www.edgbarrow.bracknell-forest.sch.uk From the Headteacher Head Boy and Head Girl Team done a fantastic job for the children and we wish her every I would like to take this opportunity to thank a most success in the future. outstanding Head Boy and Head Girl team for their hard Miss Lewis, Drama Department joined us at the work and commitment this year. Our Head Boy and Head beginning of the academic year also on maternity cover and Girl, Robert Tolcher and Emily Rathge and our Deputy Head has not only completed her NQT year with us but also team of Liam Farrar, Ella Freeman, Jess Lehmani and Beth helped to produce the ‘We Will Rock You’ concert, the Yeatman have been fantastic and we wish them every lower school production of ‘James & the Giant Peach’ as success for the future. well as offering lots of trips and visits to the theatre. Many thanks and best wishes to Miss Lewis.. Congratulations to David Goswell and Laura Jenkinson on Miss Depaty also joined us at the beginning of the their appointment as Head Boy and Head Girl and further academic year to teach Languages. Many congratulations to congratulations to our Deputy Head team of Dominic her for passing her NQT year as she becomes a qualified Naylor, Louisa Britton, Emma London and Laura Raymen. teacher and our very best wishes for the future. Miss Sagher, a Performing Arts Technician, who has Welcome Back spent the year with us supporting the Music and Drama Welcome back from maternity leave to Mrs Blazer, Head of Departments and is leaving us to complete her PhD. We Drama, Mrs Dobbs, English and Mrs Petri, Head of wish her every success. Languages, who are all returning for September. It will be Mr Woods, an LSA for the last year, has accepted an fantastic to have all three colleagues back within the team. offer of a teacher training placement with Windsor and Maidenhead for September. We are absolutely delighted Name changes for Mr Woods who will be a fantastic teacher. We would like to congratulate Ms Burden, who got married Mr Sandy, an LSA also for the last year, leaving us to during this past year and will return in September as Mrs start a primary teacher PGCE course at Reading University. Hartley. Miss Patten returns as Mrs Crane. As an ex student and now soon to be an ex colleague, we This year you will notice that a number of our LSA Support wish him every success. Staff are leaving us after only a year. Although this is sad for Mr Forbes was also part of the LSA team who us it is fantastic for them as so many of our colleagues have joined us last September and we are delighted to report that used this year to gain experience of teaching and working in he is also starting a Graduate Teaching Programme in a school in order to secure places on PGCE or GTP courses. September. During the year Mr Forbes also took on some Not only have we been delighted to give these colleagues teaching of Government and Politics in which he did a great this opportunity but I know that the school and students job and we are very grateful. have benefited hugely from their contribution to extra Mr Sutton joined us part way through the Autumn curricular activities across the school. So many thanks for all Term and he has also gained a place on a Graduate Training the time and effort they have given students during the year. Programme and therefore will be leaving us to join his new school in September. Thank you and Goodbye to…... Mr Santino joined our Maths Department some Mrs Nash is an LSA who joined us in March 2012 on three years ago and he is leaving us to become the Head of a temporary contract. Maths at Homefield Prep School in Sutton. Our sincere Mr Anderson joined us as an LSA in January 2012 on thanks to Mr Santino for all that he has done for Edgbarrow a temporary contract and is leaving to start a GTP in English School. He will be remembered for the quality of his maths at SWELTEC and we wish him well. teaching, for his excellent support of the school and finally Miss McNaughton joined our Languages his superb singing at a number of our events. Our very best Department in October 2011 for a maternity cover and has wishes as he moves on in his career. 1 Mrs Richards our Clerk to the Governors has Mrs Straker has had real impact on colleagues and the recently left us after four years in post. She has been a most students she has taught. Mrs Straker has been part of the outstanding Clerk to the Governors and will be sorely English team that across the years has developed into the missed, but she leaves us with our heartfelt thanks and our most outstanding department and she should be justly very best wishes as she pursues other interests. proud of the role that she has played within the team. Ms Spencer became our Head of Performing Arts in September 2008 and has done a fantastic job in developing As for the support she has offered the SEN Department, the music curriculum across the school. If you have been at there will be a large number of individual students who will any of our recent music concerts I am sure you could not not only have gained confidence from Mrs Straker’s direct have failed to be impressed with the quality and variety of teaching and support but will have found school a happier performances from a large number of our students. It’s place to be through the personal support she has offered. been an absolute pleasure to see this aspect of school life Our sincere thanks to Mrs Straker for everything she has develop. Our sincere thanks to Ms Spencer as she leaves us done for the students and the school across her eighteen to start her own business. years and our very best wishes to her for a long and happy Mr Moist also joined the school some four years ago retirement. as a teacher of Maths and he leaves us this term to take up a post of responsibility at The Piggott School. Mr Moist has Mrs Beattie joined Edgbarrow School in September been a fantastic member of the Maths Department and a 1988 in the World Studies Department and in July 1993 great teacher for our students, and it has been a pleasure to became a Head of Year. She quickly became the see his teaching career develop. We are so pleased to see cornerstone of the pastoral system within Edgbarrow that he has gained promotion to a new school and we wish School. Her experience and excellent judgement, helped to him every success as he takes up this new post in guide the school to the judgement of Outstanding for September. He has an open invitation to return to pastoral care and guidance. Students have thoroughly Edgbarrow School at any time to play with the staff band. enjoyed her teaching and staff have relied on her Mrs Hawkins joined us as Second in PE some five knowledge, wise counsel and good will. We have lost count years ago. During this time she has shared in the leadership of the number of trips and visits that this lady has organised of the department and really helped us to develop girls’ and run over the 24 years. I suspect that thousands of participation, clubs and teams as well as initiating the students will have gained the opportunity to travel, both in updating of our PE uniform. Mrs Hawkins is an outstanding this country and abroad, because of Mrs Beattie’s teacher who is just as effective out on the playing fields as in willingness to give of her free time across weekends and the classroom. With a young family, she has decided to take holidays. Students remember trips and visits far more than a break from teaching in schools and will be starting up her lessons and therefore I am pleased to say that thousands of own business. We wish her every success for the future. children will always be thankful and grateful to Mrs Beattie. Mr Smith joined the Design Technology Department six years ago and we are delighted for him as he In fact every school should have a Mrs Beattie and this has recently been appointed to join The Halliford School in school will miss her tremendously. She has given her heart Shepperton as Head of Design Technology. Mr Smith has and soul to Edgbarrow School and should be very proud of been an excellent teacher and he has given his heart and soul her contribution and all that she has achieved within her to not only the department and students but also to the life teaching career and we wish her health and happiness in her of the school, joining in dance shows and EdgeFactor retirement. evenings. There will be many GCSE and A Level students Painting and Gardening who I am sure will be very grateful to Mr Smith for all the Once again my thanks go to the PTA and members of the hours that he has put in across evening and holidays in order Governing Body who continue to support our rolling for them to complete coursework and secure to grades. programme of decorating and gardening within the school.