Head of School Update
It’s been a wonderfully busy and uplifting couple of weeks here at school, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights that have made me incredibly proud of our students and staff.
One of the most rewarding aspects of recent days has been the strength of student voice across the school. We’ve been actively listening to our students, and it’s been heartening to hear how positively they speak about their experiences and the improvements they’ve noticed in school life. Their feedback is not only insightful but also a powerful reminder of why we do what we do.
I had the pleasure of spending time with a fantastic group of Year 8 to Year 10 students who have been instrumental in gathering student voice. You’ll see us pictured together – they’ve been brilliant ambassadors, especially during our recent Open Evening. Their enthusiasm, honesty, and pride in their school shone through as they spoke with prospective families and visitors. As a small thank you, they joined me for a special Head of School breakfast – a well deserved treat!
Also featured are our incredible Sixth Form students, who continue to lead by example. Their recent charity bake sale was a huge success, raising funds for a cause close to their hearts. Their initiative, teamwork, and generosity are a testament to the values we hold dear as a school community.
Eight of our amazing students attended the Bingley’s Cross Country on Wednesday 24 September. All showed great resilience and determination. Well done, we are very proud!
As we move forward I’m excited to build on this momentum. Thank you to everyone – students, staff, and families – for your continued support and commitment. Together, we are creating a school we can all be proud of.
Year Group News
Year 7 News
Year 7 have been amazing once again with their attendance and their attitude to learning. I am regularly stopped to be told how well-mannered and hard working the students are. Students have started to do practicals in science lessons, and they were remarkable in their attitude. Learn, Enjoy and Succeed is seen every day by the students of Year 7.
Year 8 News
We have had a busy couple of weeks during which time your children have acted as excellent ambassadors for the school, demonstrating what they are capable of at our recent open evening, acting as guides to year 6 students and their parents and showcasing the subjects they love and are passionate about. Frequently overheard that night were comments about how polite, articulate and kind the children were to the sometimes nervous younger children and more than one parent remarked how nice it was to see such confident children who clearly enjoyed being part of our school.
There have been a number of opportunities for the students to shine with external visitors over the last few weeks, and the year group have risen to the challenge talking with increased confidence and purpose about our school. If your child was one of the many who volunteered for such activities, please know we are incredibly proud of their contribution to the school and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing them to take part.
In day-to-day news the students make me proud every morning when they are ready for line-up at 8.20 am with perfect uniform, a school bag and the equipment they need to have a strong start to their day. Last week the year group achieved 2235 recognitions of Learning Habit 3 – On task in lesson, an average of 9 for each child in our year group. To support this focus on a strong start to the school day please do not hesitate to use the New to Me uniform service should you need to, more details of which can be found in the Useful Information section of this newsletter.
In addition to our learning habit 3 awards, we would like to congratulate the recent Golden Ticket Voucher Winners:
- Lucie C
- Dexter B
- Isla H
- Marcie V
- Eli K
- Archie M
We hope you have fun spending your rewards!
Finally, our first assessment point is rapidly approaching, and homework is a key element of the children showing their new knowledge. You can keep track of their homework using the class charts homework calendar. If you need an access code, please call the school and our admin team can support you logging on to class charts.
Year 9 News
Amazingly, 5 of our students (Lily G, Lexi W, Divine A, Freya D and Rosie D) were selected to attend the Bradford Schools Netball trials Tuesday night at Beckfoot School. We are incredibly proud of all 5 girls who played brilliantly and even stepped in to participate in additional games with older age groups.
We are very excited to let you know that ALL 5 have been selected out of over 70 students across all the schools in Bradford to be a part of the U14 development team! This means that they will be representing Beckfoot Oakbank and playing regularly at county level.
We have had assemblies on social media use and learnt to THINK before we send messages online.
It’s been really great to see Y9’s effort bringing a script to life in Drama lessons exploring ‘Mugged’ by Andrew Payne that raises awareness of knife crime.
The Year 9 pupils who attended the BBC Spoken Word event on Friday 22 Sep were an absolute joy to teach and represented the school with pride according to the organisers. The pupils all worked exceedingly hard on their poems and performances during the day, executing them with passion and conviction. The organisers also commended on how impressive and powerful their poems were. They arrived early and got chance on the Lord Mayor’s Chair which made their day!
New extracurricular groups have started which would more year 9s to start attending. It’s a great way to make new friends and to develop skills that you wouldn’t normally get to practice in lessons. Please speak to anyone in the Year 9 Team if you want more information about these.
Year 11 News
Key upcoming dates for Year 11:
- Mock Exams: Monday 20th – Friday 24th October
- Reports Sent Home: Tuesday 25th November
- Parents’ Evening & Sixth Form Open Evening: Thursday 11th December
- Sixth Form Open Evening: Thursday 11th December
The year is going quickly for Year 11 students and they have continued to make an excellent start to the year. To date, there has been over 5000 Golden Tickets and LH3’s being handed out to students a week, recognising how hard everyone is working. This week was also positively marked by some students gaining their first qualification of the year, with students who attended the Yorkshire Building Society Day in the summer term collecting their certificates.
As we move into October, mock exams are approaching (starting 20th October). There will be P6 classes on for students to help support in their preparation, as well as the preparation we know students will be doing at home. Often the most successful revision methods are starting revision early and doing a little bit at a time, opposed to trying to cram it all in a week before the exams start. This is also a good way to manage stress levels and reduce the feeling of having too much to do. Start preparing those revision timetables Year 11, if you have not started yet. To finish this week’s blog, we would like to share a model piece of work from one of our Year 11 Art students. It really shows how hard work and dedication can lead to excellent results. Well done Year 11 and keep up the hard work.
CTMC
This week at CTMC has been full of energy and enthusiasm for learning. Our students have warmly welcomed visitors to the building, showing openness and honesty that made all staff incredibly proud.
Excitement is building as students begin planning their entries for the upcoming Pumpkin Painting competition, all while maintaining a strong focus on success in their lessons. We’ve seen fantastic engagement through big writes, hands-on experiments, and inspiring talks from guest speakers including representatives from the Bradford Hate Crime Alliance and our TFTF Mentor, Mohsan.
Attendance continues to improve, and students are thriving, fully engaged and achieving across every lesson. The dedication and positivity on display have made this a truly rewarding week for everyone involved.
Useful information for parents
General Enquiries: [email protected]
Attendance Team for reporting absences and medical appointments contact: [email protected]
Parent Forum Dates for 25/26
The Parent Forum is the perfect space for open conversation and positive change. Your input and perspective are incredibly valuable as we work together to support our school community.
If you are interested in attending these meetings, please email Mrs Carol Rodwell (Executive PA to the Head) at [email protected]
Please find below the dates for 2025/2026, all meetings are on Wednesdays 6pm to 7pm:
- 01 October 2025
- 19 November 2025
- 21January 2026
- 11 March 2026
- 13 May 2026
- 01 July 2026
New to Me
Our discreet New to Me uniform service provides good quality second hand, clean uniform to our families to ensure students can wear perfect uniform to meet one of their learning habits. To access this inclusive and discreet service, please email [email protected] stating your child’s name, year group and your contact details.
Some useful links
Safeguarding https://parentzone.org.uk/article/whatsapp
Bradford Parenting Cygnet Service
This programme is designed for parents and carers of children and young people aged 5-18 with an autistic spectrum condition.
This is a core Cygnet programme which is delivered over six, two and a half – three-hour sessions which sequentially work towards behaviour management and covers several topics.
Bradford Parenting Cygnet Service | Barnardo’s (barnardos.org.uk)
01274 513300
Child Autism UK
Child Autism UK helps children with autism achieve their potential. We provide services to enable children to overcome difficulties with communication, learning and life skills and give families the techniques and strategies to cope with autism through the use of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).
Support, advice and services for children with autism – Child Autism UK – releasing potential
Help line:01344 882248
ADHD UK
Providing emotional and informational support for people with ADHD and their carers via telephone, email, social media and support groups.
Creative Support – Bradford
Providing person-centred services for people with a learning disability, autism and mental health needs.
Janssen with me
Advice on ADHD for teenagers and parents. Home | Janssen With Me UK
