Dear Families,
We close for the end of the summer term and the end of the school year on Friday 23rd July at midday and return to school in September on the dates as detailed below.
We have been extremely busy over the last few weeks as the Post 16, Year 11 and some Year 10 students have been taking their crucial GCSE and A Level exams. I feel they have done extremely well this year. Their attitude to the preparation and their commitment in the exams has been superb. We all wish them well when they receive their results in August. Please see the results days’ information below. I’d like to thank all parents/carers and families for the support that has been offered to our young people throughout this time. We look forward to August when I’m sure we shall be celebrating the best ever examination results for Tong High School.
As you know, I am retiring at the end of this academic year. I have been at Tong since 1994, first as a senior teacher, then Deputy Head working with David Platt and for the last eight years as Headteacher. It has been an honour to lead such a magnificent school. I have been incredibly lucky during my time here because I have worked with so many excellent professionals – teachers and associate staff. There have been many changes over the sixteen years I have been here, not least of course the move from the old sixties building to our new state-of-the-art facilities. We were very lucky to be in the first phase of the Building Schools for the Future in Bradford and although there have been some teething problems with the new school, we enjoy being in a brand new building and I know that the students respond positively to the very special learning environment.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank families, past and present for their support for the school and for our work over the last sixteen years. We have seen the school grow from a school where at 16, fewer than one in five young people left with decent qualifications, to a school where nearly two thirds of the students leave with more than five higher grade GCSEs or equivalent. Our sixth form has grown to more than 250 students and we are massively oversubscribed in Year 7. The school is incredibly successful. It also excels in sport and the arts and the school has a superb reputation for its Community Cohesion work within school and across the Bradford District. Our vertical tutoring and Investors in Pupils are seen by others as exemplar practices and visitors come from all over the North of England to learn from Tong High School staff.
Finally, I am very proud of our students, who have never let me down. Whenever we have been judged, either in school by inspectors and assessors, or by outsiders, I have always received outstanding feedback about our young people. They are proud of their school and proud of their achievements; they want the community to be proud of Tong; they know that they are given truly wonderful opportunities to achieve at Tong High School and they are genuinely grateful. I wish every single child and young person the very best for the future – they deserve it.
We would still like families to complete our Family Survey Summer 2010, if you have not already done so. This helps us to read and act upon your feedback about the provision at Tong High School. Please go to: www.surveymonkey.com/s/AM-Reports. There will also be a link on the school website called Family Survey Summer 2010, if you wish to respond there.
Just a reminder again, that also on our website you will see the Ceop (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) button. If parents and/or families access this website you will be able to see lots of information about e-safety. We recommend this to all our families.
Here are some important dates for your diary:
Results Days
A Level Results Thursday 19th August
GCSE Results Tuesday 24th August
Start Dates in September
Years 7 and 12 students Tuesday 7th September
All students Wednesday 8th September
With thanks for all your support over many years and farewell.
Yours sincerely,
L. M. O’Reilly (Mrs)
Headteacher
