Dear Parents and Students
As the first term of the new academic year draws to a close, I am pleased to be able to write to you all through the Focus Newsletter. Although I have not been able to be around in school very often, I have kept in close touch with everything that is going on, and I have been delighted to hear how well everyone has been working and the positive attitude our students are showing towards their school and their learning. This was always going to be an exciting year for the School - our first year as a Specialist Business and Enterprise College, and the first year of our new vertical tutor group and House system. It has been an inspiration to me to hear how our staff and students are responding to these new initiatives, and working so well together.
At the recent meeting of the Governing Body, Mr Ian Donald was elected as Chair of Governors and Mrs Alison Williams as Vice-Chair. I would like to congratulate both of these Governors on their appointment to these positions of responsibility, and to take the opportunity to thank Mr James Murray and Mr Bryan Cope for their loyal service as Chair and Vice-Chair of Governors for the last few years.
Our new staff and students have all settled in well to the school. We have made two further appointments to the staff. Our new School Business Manager is Mrs Helen Simmonds. She is currently at Channel School in Folkestone, and will be taking up her appointment with us in the New Year. Mrs Linda Clarke has taken up her position as Administrative Assistant to the Business and Enterprise College.
Our Open Evening was a tremendous success, and a clear example of how impressive Team DGSB is when it is working together. Our prefects, student guides, helpers and speakers made a key contribution to the evening and were the subject of many positive comments from visiting pupils and parents. They showed a clear pride in their school, and their enthusiasm and confidence provided an excellent role model for our future pupils.
Opportunities for trips and visits for our students are increasing all the time, and I was pleased to hear how successful the Year 8 and 9 trip to Paris had been. Once again, our staff and students worked together to ensure that everyone enjoyed the experience and gained a great deal from it. Our students were a credit to their school.
We continue to be committed to improving our communication with parents. I hope many of you are taking the opportunity to attend our Information Evenings for parents. The 6th form and Year 10 evenings have already taken place, and seemed to be well received by those who attended. I would encourage you to take advantage of these events to find out as much as you can about what is happening for your son this academic year. In addition, please make a note of the Parents' Evening and Academic Review Day dates which are set out in your son's Planner. If you have any concerns about your son's progress in the meantime, please contact his form tutor in the first instance.
I would like to reserve my final thanks to Mr Pullen, Mrs Buckley, Mr Ralph, Mrs Barham and the rest of the staff who are working hard in my absence to ensure that the school runs smoothly and continues to provide the high quality learning experience your son deserves. Surely the sign of a good team is when the Headteacher has to stand aside for a while, and nobody notices the difference! I pay tribute to the staff and students who have made this possible. However, I am very much looking forward to being in the thick of things again!
