New Academy schools in Watford
Posted by Claire Ward, MP for Watford, at 19:55, Wed 23 September 2009:
The summer holidays are now a fading memory and the next big focus is Christmas. Sorry to mention the C word but you could hardly miss it on the high street. Shops have been recruiting thousands of new staff – much welcomed as we climb out of recession. The shelves are rapidly filling up with potential Christmas presents. It won’t be long before we start to hear the Christmas carols on the radio and then we will know it really is just around the corner.
But in the bit in between summer holidays and Christmas, something quite special took place in Watford. Not the U turn by the Mayor to keep Watford Indoor Market (though that was quite something). Actually it was the opening of two new Academies serving Watford – Francis Combe Academy and the Bushey Hall Academy. You might not think that is very special but for the pupils at those schools and thousands of children at primary school in Watford, it will make an amazing difference.
Over the period of nearly 13 years that I have been the MP, the annual round of secondary school transfer has been a trauma for many parents and pupils. When I first became MP, there were 2 schools that parents would fight tooth and nail not to send their child to – Westfield and Francis Combe. The other schools were and remain of such high standard that the gulf between the schools was even greater. Westfield school was the first to pull itself out of problems, taking community and technology college status. Under a dynamic head teacher it soon became the number one choice of many parents for their child. Its exam results have continued to improve and it is a genuine success story.
That was great news for those who attended Westfield but it put even greater pressure on Francis Combe and latterly Bushey Hall. We all knew that the situation could not continue and it was greatly welcomed when these schools became part of the Government’s drive for Academies. These work with outside sponsors, sometimes another successful school, or a business or in the case of Francis Combe, West Herts College and the University of Hertfordshire. Their funding and operation are different from a school traditionally run by the local county council.
I went to visit Francis Combe Academy on its first day of lessons in September. The smart new uniforms were a credit to the pupils and the Academy. Over the next two years the school will be transformed with new classrooms and facilities, replacing most of the outdated buildings. This summer’s exam results have already exceeded expectations and the numbers of children through the door in September has also risen over the year. By the time you read this, I hope that I will have had the chance to visit Bushey Hall Academy too.
So the reason why I am telling you this now is because in the run up to Christmas, parents will already be looking at potential schools for their child to move to in September 2010. I am immensely proud of our schools and in my time as MP I have seen them all transform – new classrooms, new maths and IT blocks, new language centres and sports centres. Above all improved exam results and a better quality of education for all our children. For September 2010 no parent should feel that there is a school that they can’t consider. All our schools are different but in their own way all are excellent. I wish Francis Combe Academy and Bushey Hall Academy the very best in their new status.
Claire Ward MP
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