SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT:

GREEN FOR GO!

Getting Bohunt Horsham ready for opening in September has been a full time job since Georgette Ayling was appointed as Headteacher.

As well as making sure that the temporary building work is on schedule and recruiting a new team, Georgette has been in consultation with the DfE prior to our Ofsted Readiness to Open meeting. In the final meeting at Sanctuary Building in London Georgette was joined by Phil Avery and Rachael Jarrett from BET and Ray Morton from the Board of Trustees. The team faced a panel who had prepared a wide ranging list of rigorous questions about every aspect of the school, from Governance to Curriculum, to ascertain whether we were in a position to open our doors in September. The DfE had to be confident that Bohunt Horsham has everything in place to ensure we are in a position to deliver the highest standard of education, which schools across the Trust are known for, to our founding Year 7 pupils.

The DfE worked to a traffic light system and we were hoping we were going to be given the green light for all our preparations to open in September. Any red warnings would have given the DfE cause for concern and although we were confident that we were prepared for all eventualities, it was still a very tense time, waiting to hear the outcome of the meeting. When the results came in, there was just cause for celebration as we were given the green light across the board.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, Georgette and Phil also visited No 10 Downing Street for a Free Schools Reception, celebrating the 13th wave of Free Schools. The event offered a rare opportunity to be part of discussions at the heart of government. Damian Hinds, at the time the Secretary of State for Education, opened the proceedings, followed by a speech by the then Prime Minister Theresa May. It was a privilege to be invited to attend such a prestigious event, especially during such a heady political period and a very proud moment for both Bohunt Horsham and Bohunt Education Trust.

Bohunt Horsham opened its doors to its first cohort of Y7s on Thursday 5 September.