Newsletter December 2007

HEADTEACHER'S MESSAGE 

Dear Parents 

We are almost at the end of our calendar year.  This school year got off on an extremely high note with our very encouraging Key Stage 3 and GCSE results which we celebrated at our recent KS4 Celebration of Success evening. Then we were inspected by Ofsted on 17th and 18th September 2007. Their report, which hopefully you have read now, gave us a grading of good across all categories. This is the second highest possible grading from Ofsted and highlights the improvements made by the school over the last two years since we were taken out of special measures. I feel that the report accurately reflects the team work that now exists at Castledown and would like to personally thank all the students, their parents, the Governors, staff at the school and members of the wider community for the part they have played in helping us achieve such a high standard. 

Following recent consultation meetings about the Academy, proposals are now well advanced and by the time you receive this newsletter I hope many of you will have attended the consultation evening on 29th November 2007 at 7pm. The anticipated start date for the Academy is still September 2009, with the new buildings hopefully being opened in 2010. Castledown School has been given the opportunity to contribute to discussions and the development of the Academy. I am able to confirm that all Castledown Students will automatically transfer to the new Academy and that we are focusing on ensuring that the young people of this community continue to enjoy high standards of teaching and learning during the transition period. A robust admissions policy will be implemented, ensuring that places are secured for local students. This is a very exciting period for the school, but as ever we will not lose sight of our focus on teaching and learning. Whilst our results have been outstanding, there is always room for further improvement. 

May I wish you all a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and remind you that school begins for staff and students on Monday 7 January 2008. 

Yours sincerely      

John Pender    Headteacher