Message From The Head - More in Rough Notes

Download a PDF file of Rough Notes HERE

The format of Rough Notes has been a subject of huge discussion lately and it was hoped that the decision to produce magazine quality hard copies for a small fee would enable us to offer something really quite unique. However, in order to cover our costs, we needed a substantial number of parents who were willing to sign up to the scheme and I am sorry to report that only 28 did so! I must confess to being really surprised by this: with 1066 students on roll I thought we stood a fighting chance of gathering enough support to make the project viable. As it stands, we have to face reality and move to plan B. So, a huge thank you to those of you who did sign up - a refund will shortly be on its way.

So, plan B. We will continue to produce Rough Notes as an electronic magazine which can be downloaded as a pdf file but we hope to move quickly to a more interactive format that will allow us to include multiple photographs, embed video and add links to websites and other information. Again, the intention will be to produce something both informative and visually engaging.

This is, of course, in keeping with our commitment to a move towards paperless communication. We have now assembled a comprehensive list of email addresses and plan from now on to send the vast majority of letters home by email. If you don’t have an email address of your own we will send the information to your son or daughter’s email address so that they can print off copies of information and bring them home for you. This is in effect no different from the old fashioned ‘pupil post’ system and far more likely actually to get home to you. So, if you have yet to let the school have an up-to-date email address, please do so as a matter of urgency otherwise you may miss out on important information.

Alongside the development of ParentMail, we are continuing to enhance our use of electronic communication. The new Wisepay system has now settled down after a few teething problems and is being used very successfully by the vast majority of parents. Cashless catering is also in full flow and working very efficiently now. The huge advantage of these new systems is that there is no longer a need for students to bring cash into school and, as a result, there has been a dramatic decline in the number of lost or ‘stolen’ money incidents.

The school website continues to go from strength to strength and is now the key source for information about the school. It is updated as regularly as we can manage it and there are plans to make it even more accessible in the future. A really exciting new development is the PE department’s blog where you will be able to read about all sorts of things happening in the department and access reports or watch videos of fixtures shortly after they have happened. A link is available on the school website if you are interested.

In curriculum terms, the use of ICT has been improving steadily over the past few years. Like most schools, we use an electronic registration system, which has helped us improve attendance and ensure punctuality to lessons, and we are soon to introduce an exciting new rewards system for students in all years, so watch this space.

In addition, staff are using new technologies to enhance learning across the school in many different ways. Many teachers now use Moodle, our VLE (Virtual Learning Environment), to communicate with students and create online schemes of work. Some departments have their own sophisticated online packages – the MyMaths website is a good example - and virtually everyone uses ICT in lessons when it helps to improve the way students learn.

With new technology, the problem for schools is always money: it is very costly to set up efficient and effective computer suites and, because technology develops so rapidly, it is often difficult to keep up. We do our best, however, and I am delighted to report that we will soon be installing a new network of Apple Macs to replace the over worked and very tired machines in A3, as well as two suites of replacement PCs for B6 and A1.

Woodroffe prides itself on its traditional values but we also like to keep up with the world our students inhabit and we must remember that the technology which seems like magic to many of us is just part of the furniture to them. As long as the aim is to improve learning, we will continue to embrace whatever technology comes along.

Dr R P Steward