As we have finished Block 7, we have worked ever so hard as a community to transition back into school and resume our routines back into the premises. Our students have simply been fantastic.
In the last week of the block, we have spent time to thank staff and students for the work they have done during these last few months. Their time and dedication into making sure that everyone has returned safely to the school has been incredible. The way students have returned seamlessly to the classrooms and engaged with their studies has been remarkable. It has been personally fantastic to see the happy and positive interactions between the teachers and students since the premises have reopened.
Our students thoroughly enjoyed the International Day dress down event, which was another great opportunity to celebrate and recognise internationalism as a community, as we represent over 40 different nationalities here at BISL. We saw some very interesting international costumes, dresses and a celebration of colour and ideas. It was a great day to enable students to express themselves and to encourage further thought and insight into internationalism. Next year, we have planned a two-day event which will incorporate a food fair, presentations and guest speakers, available for students, teachers and parents to attend.
During this summer, we have further plans to deep clean all areas around school, polish our wooden floors and also our entire school building will have all glass surfaces and windows cleaned. This makes a huge difference to our space and we enjoy having a fresh, sparkling and hygienic learning environment to enjoy. We will continue the development of the woodland area, extending the space, tidying the ground and making sure that this is safe for our students to use. The construction work on the new building has been delayed this term but we are thrilled that now during the last six weeks it has restarted. As you have probably seen, the work has continued on the steel structure and the preparation of the ground floor and basement areas. We are very excited about this project, it shows a great step forward for us as a school and paints a positive future with our facilities improving each year.
Following on from our recent eLearning Survey (sent out on 12th June), we now have your parent feedback to share. The personal comments you added to praise staff have all been shared with them. This was a delightful process, I was very pleased to send teachers the individual sentences and words of praise you had written.
Our areas of strength were:
- EAL and literacy activities
- Form time and contact with teachers
- Daily activities for students to complete
Areas to improve:
- More teaching time
- More comments on assignments
- Canvas used consistently across subjects
76% of parents felt the communication was clear from the school during remote learning.
71% of parents felt the communication was frequent from the school during remote learning.
81% felt the school was easy to contact during remote learning.
Thank you to all parents who completed the survey, your contribution and feedback is very important to us.
Finally, thank you to all parents for the role you have played during the lockdown period over these past two months. The PTA's support throughout this time has been invaluable. The transition back to school has been excellent and the support shown by the parents during this difficult time is very much appreciated and valued. Following health guidance from the ministry not only protects individuals, but also helps families and the broader community to stay safe. We often say safety is our priority, this is essential as we care and think about the health and welfare of everyone connected with the school. It has been a magnificent team effort and one that we can all be proud of. Thank you.
Hope you have wonderful summer.
We would like to say a huge thank you to these members of staff for their continued contribution to school life, who are now moving on to pastures new: Mr Alex Griffin, Mr Andrew Austin, Mr Igor Ljubin, Mr John Newsham, Ms Katie O'Hara, and Ms Megan Maddison. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours.
Ahead of the new academic year, we are delighted to introduce our incoming members of staff. Find out more about each of them here.
Previous Updates from the Principal
- Friday 25th June – Updates to Safety Guidance
- Friday 19th June – Outstanding PTE and PTM results
- Friday 12th June – New Staff Profiles and welcome letters
- Friday 5th June – Updates to Safety Guidance
- Friday 29th May – Transition back
- Friday 22nd May – First week back
- Friday 15th May – BISL Reopening Procedure Guidance.
- Friday 8th May – Reopening Guidance.
- Friday 1st May – Using Canvas and E-Safety.
- Friday 24th April – Successes and Challenges of Online Learning.
- Friday 17th April – The FAQs, current processes and the looking ahead for our school.
- Friday 10th April – The Five Improvement Areas created during the block break after the first two weeks of Online Learning.
- Monday 30th March – The Block Break Plan for the 2 Week Evaluation and Key Communication from the School.
- Friday 13th March – Frequently Asked Questions.