Issue 411 October 2018 50p Top School Mop Fun! marches on School welcomes new Head after excellent exam results It was back to school for everyone in September – with Chipping Norton School staff and students celebrating excellent A level and GCSE results. Hard work, by everyone at our (now rated ‘good’) community comprehensive school, is paying off. And some more positive news saw a large Year 7 intake of 180 plus nearly 90 joined the growing sixth form – rated ‘outstanding’ in the recent Ofsted inspection. New Head Barry Doherty has taken over from Simon Duffy, and is getting to know both Chippy’s school and town. In a full first interview he tells the News about his positive first impressions, his focus on building ‘character’ in the students, and making sure there is ‘no time wasted’ in everyone’s important school years. Lots more on page 2 – including details of Open Evenings for anyone interested. News & Features in this issue: • Local Plan ready to fend off speculators • Town Council to help fund HGV ban • Consultation next for 20 mph limits • Doggy paddle rules at The Lido • Chippy’s first Jobs Fair • Stage romances lead to Panto Babies • Date for Town Hall disco • When Romans roamed in Chipping Norton Plus all the usual Arts, Sports, Clubs, Schools & September sunshine brings out the Letters – Readers respond to Town Centre issues crowds at Chippy’s traditional Mop Fair LOCAL NEWS Top School – a new year and new Head Chipping Norton School, the Town’s thriving community comprehensive, was back in action for a new year and the News Team’s Keith Ruddle went to meet new Head Teacher Barry Doherty Arriving for a fresh challenge skills, it is critical that students in the early We met Barry in his office in only the years (Key Stage 3) make the best use of second week of his new Headship – looking their time at the School. One of Barry’s relaxed and full of positive ideas about his constant themes is ‘not a moment wasted’ new school. He comes to Chippy after 7 for both students and staff. For students years as successful head of Colmers School this means fewer distractions and every & Sixth Form College – a city minute of every day being purposeful and comprehensive in a challenging part of meaningful. Barry believes poor behaviour Birmingham. But he knows our area – having and under achievement are symptoms of previously been deputy head and acting important underlying issues, and wants to head at Chenderit comprehensive near ensure parents and staff are working Banbury, and he’s lived over 13 years near together to address the cause and not the Stratford upon Avon with his wife and three symptoms. He also thinks teachers’ time children – all at local schools. He told us 7 needs to be more flexible with a greater years in a first headship was ‘about right’– so proportion of their available time invested he saw Chipping Norton as a terrific fresh in how they plan lessons and challenge, a community comprehensive with learning,using past assessment to inform great potential in a growing town. future planning. First impressions – ‘confident and focused’ Finding ‘character’ and balance On his first visit Barry clearly picked up positive vibes at Barry believes strongly in developing students’ ‘character’ and Chippy School – ‘a sense of wellbeing, warm, purposeful, and leadership attributes – starting at Chippy ‘with knowing what focused’. He was shown round by students and met many our pupils are really like’. This influences where he spends his more, and was particularly taken with their ‘confidence, own time. He still teaches history – with a ‘passion’ for his articulateness, willingness to talk and ask questions’. Barry is own subject which he wants every teacher to have about also getting to know his large team of staff, and finding out theirs. He is also co-running a tutor group, and wants to get their views on future priorities. The School has gone through to know all the faces in the School. One ‘to do’ is to get to a number of recent challenges – including a difficult period meet more people in the Town, to see how the School with Ofsted, but is now rated ‘good’ with an ‘outstanding’ sixth connects with its local community. All this sounds like hard form. The Town seems to have kept faith with the School – the work, but throughout our meeting, Barry kept coming back to new Year 7 intake of 180 this year is high, and nearly 90 joined his personal philosophy of finding time away from work, with the sixth form, including intake from Banbury, Bloxham and family in particular, including carving out time for family and social events – so trips to the pantomime, Chippy Mop and elsewhere. Barry says this is viable but would like to see at Christmas shopping could be on the agenda this term! For his least 100 -110 in both sixth form years to make it even better. time at school, Barry wants to be judged by seeing the Several challenges ahead School’s ‘happiness and safety’ strengthened – together with Barry, whilst still in ‘listening and learning’ mode, was ready its deep affection for learning and, of course, ‘no time wasted’. to tell us some key themes to work on – many in line with Potential new parents & students can learn more at an open evening national education challenges. First, with both GCSEs and A on 4 October, and a sixth form open evening on 15 November – see levels getting tougher, more focused on knowledge as well as p29 for details. More at www.chipping-norton.oxon.sch.uk Students excel at GCSEs After very good A level results, Chippy students celebrated excellent GCSE results, with a quarter hitting top grades (9-7 or A-A*), beating the national average again. 75% hit grades 9-4 – more than the 71% national average. Retiring Headteacher Simon Duffy said, ‘Following outstanding results last year, we are delighted with the 2018 GCSE results – in line with our aspirational targets. Although the new 9-1 grades make comparison difficult, we know progress is very strong. The overall 9-4 % is very good as is the proportion of top grades (9-7). Thanks to both students and staff for all their hard work.’ Some exceptional subject results included Geography where 50% achieved grades 9-7 and almost 90% grades 9-4, placing these results in the top 5% nationally. In Maths, over a third achieved top grades 9-7 and in the top 5% nationally. In English 76% had grades 9-4 (national average 70.2%). In History, 40% achieved top grades 9-7. 22% of the whole cohort celebrated five or more 9-7 (A*-A) grades. Especially high performing students include Thomas Alarcon, Reuben Beck, Alexander Blackmore Sly, Maddy Fisher, Megan Hayes, Oscar Hlustik, Retu Rafiq, Harry Smart, Jacy Taylor and Felix Wigzell between them achieving an amazing 61 top Grades 8 and 9. 2 LOCAL NEWS Town centre – where next? Brexit: People’s Vote? Last month’s News raised several issues about the future of The summer saw national opinion polls register an increase in the Town Centre – with shops closing and commercial support to give the public another say on Brexit, once any final buildings standing empty or being proposed for conversion to residential use. This month’s edition has several responses from readers with suggestions for action. See letters pages. September also saw the first ‘Jobs Fair’ in the Town Hall organised by Experience Chipping Norton. A number of local employers were there but with low unemployment, there are likely to be many more employers, both those already here and those thinking of coming here, who will be interested in finding talent locally. Chipping Norton must continue to attract new employers, with new kinds of skilled jobs. So, ECN – who hope to hold another jobs fair next March – will no doubt be spreading the word that we have a great place to set up a thriving local business in our ‘working Cotswold town’ – deal is revealed. Local campaigners are pictured on Chipping which of course is also a great place to live. Norton Town Hall steps on 22 September, supporting the national movement for a People’s Vote and getting a petition Thanks for buying those cakes! signed. One of the organisers Diana Hughes told the News that A big thank you from Chipping Norton’s Cancer Research many people were concerned about the Brexit process and UK’s fundraising team to everyone who visited the CRUK that People’s Vote supporters will be joining a ‘March for the Future’ in London on 20 October (details www.Peoples- vote.uk/March). UKIP’s County Chairman Jim Stanley, heard about this and wrote to the News saying, ‘Surely we had the People’s Vote 2 years ago? David Cameron told us that the decision we made set our nation’s position for generations.’ He said this call for what was effectively a second referendum was ‘an attempt by the Remain side to overturn the result’. But he is willing to join an open local debate on the issues. (See UKIP Corner p27). This month Chippy households have also been sent official reminders by West Oxfordshire to check whether everyone eligible over 18 is registered to vote. Each voter is now responsible for ensuring they are on the register – it does not happened automatically, and being omitted can affect Cake Stall at the Co-op on 8 September. The News Team things like your personal credit scores. If you think you are called by and found an enthusiastic team of volunteers in the not registered to vote, visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.