BRINE LEAS’ BULLETIN EASTER EDITION 2018 Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers
originally proposed last year. Despite this, the school will have to make further cuts. I have Happy Easter to everyone. I hope all students have benchmarked our spending against that of other a wonderful break. schools and we are already pretty frugal. The school is also full to bursting. Congratulations go to the Basketball team who have just scooped the Cheshire School Games As an Academy we need to set a balanced budget award. Congratulations also go to the Choir who and as there are no longer any significant reserves, have got through to the finals of the Love Music there will some changes in school that will impact Trust competition and will perform at the Lyceum on on the curriculum. Students at BLS come from Wednesday, and the Year 9 netball team who are different constituencies and I will contact the local now the South Cheshire school champions. MP’s with our business case and ask for comments. Gold Standard
Many of you will already know about the dramatic rescue off the coast of Anglesey involving Joe Rowlands (Year 9) over the February half term holiday. Joe was instrumental in saving his dad’s life after a kayaking accident and we are all extremely proud of his quick actions that day.
School Fund A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to school fund this year.
Brine Leas Trust has set up a Lottery. This is a chance to win big cash prizes as well as a number of spot prizes and will be launched at the end of April. I have just registered and it took about 3 minutes. If you are financially able to do so, please Congratulations to Isaac Leydon (Year 7) who do register to take part in the lottery and support the recently took part in the Year 7 Inter-Counties Brine Leas Trust in raising funds to support the Cross Country competition at Ellesmere Port, school. The web address is https:// coming in 6th overall individually and helped www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/lottery/school/brinethe Cheshire team win the competition. leas-school/supporter. Last year the funds raised went into the new Food Technology rooms and we Congratulations to all the BLS students that were able to attract another £64,000 by putting recently represented Cheshire in the North some of our own capital into the project. West regional sports hall final last weekend: George Spain (Year 9), Oliver Atkinson (Year This year the target is to fund the all new 8), Drew Bradley (Year 8), Isaac Leydon (Year amphitheatre. The current amphitheatre is due to be 7) and Andrew Salmon (Year 7). Both the U15 built on later this year; currently this is still subject to and U13 teams came in 2nd place – well done. the funding from the LA being confirmed, the school carrying out a period of consultation and the Funding agreement of the Regional Schools Commissioner . The Trust intends to help to fund an even bigger The school has received its budget for next year. and better amphitheatre adjacent to the school This will lead to us having to make more cuts, on canteen. In purchasing a lottery ticket, you give top of last year’s job losses. According to ASCL yourself chance of winning £25000 as well as (one of the teaching unions) over a fifth of knowing that for every £1 ticket you buy that 40p maintained schools will be setting a deficit budget will go directly to the school. You don’t have to be this year. an immediate part of the school community to take part in the lottery, so do try and persuade a few I fully recognise that the government has put more friends and family to buy a ticket if they ae in a funding into education, and the new National financial position to do so. If you simply want to set Funding Formula is more generous than that up a direct debit to the Trust then this is possible.
Please contact the school to find out how that can be done. Money is spent by the Trust to enhance the education of children at Brine Leas School. You should have received information on the lottery via a separate email as well.
minimum number to go to justify having staff and security on site. Maybe lots intend to pay at the door but we will never know. If you have some ideas about what children would like the PSCA to put on please let us know (email psca@brineleas.co.uk).
Trip to China Consultation on New Build I visited China recently as part of a team inspecting an international school. All monies earned go straight into the school budget. As part of the visit I also went to another international school with over 14000 students on the campus, many of whom were boarders. A fifteen minute ride on a golf buggy did not get me around all of the campus! We are hoping that Year 10 will host around twenty students in June and they will pay towards the cost of their accommodation whilst over here. The Final Countdown There is a fair amount of revision going on over Easter for Year 11 and 13’s so do check out the website for details. Good luck to everyone concerned.
We will shortly go to consultation on phase 1 of the building programme. Technically this is not an expansion as it will just give us sufficient space to cater for the students on roll. You will receive the document by e mail. There is also an opportunity to come into school and comment/ask questions if you so wish. A summary of the plans:
A two storey six classroom extension will be built onto D block.
Four existing classrooms will be converted into two laboratories
To ensure that there is access to a maths room on the ground floor an existing English classroom will be converted into a specialist Maths room.
Staffing Update Miss Bates, Head of Modern Foreign Languages, who started at Brine Leas as a newly qualified teacher, leaves the school to take up a new position after Easter. I wish to thank her for all the effort she has put into her teaching at the school and wish her every success with her new venture.
Two exiting toilet blocks will be remodelled and extended to give additional capacity. The existing outdoor large seated area will be re-sited and landscaped.
Jazz and Blues
As ever, BLS has a few folks in the Jazz and Blues Festival. You can see Jim Kirkpatrick at the Crown Hotel on Easter Monday. Callum Wright is performing in numerous venues over the weekend, Wayne and the Hairy Peaches (with Mr Barker and Mrs O’Donnell guesting) will be at the Bowling Green on Good Friday at 9pm and the Studio at 5pm on Easter Sunday. School Disco Maybe the school disco has had its day? We have had to cancel a few recently as we do need a
Building work can commence as soon as the necessary permissions have been given.
Mr A Cliffe Headteacher