Headteacher's View
Though the school has been established for ten years now, each new year brings its new challenges, opportunities and possibilities. We look forward to moving on together with you over the coming year.
In September 2003 the law regarding schools inspection changed. OFSTED now have greater powers to inspect independent schools. This process is currently underway and CST member schools are sharing their experience. We have begun to review our practices in the areas where we will be inspected. Having visited the Christian School in Oxford, who recently had their inspection, and with whom we have strong links, we are encouraged that we have become a well-organised school over the last few years. Nevertheless, we shall review and sharpen our practices in the coming year. As well as reviewing our professional practices we are also reviewing our ethos and distinctives. We will return to and renew our original vision both prayerfully and creatively within our organisation of the school. We feel that a comprehensive review will strength our school and its mission to provide
Discipleship as part of a quality education
The focus of this year's Annual Partnership Meeting is the quality of our partnership between the home and the school. This was very much at the heart of our focus as a school when we started in 1993 with just 16 families. Ten years down the road we feel that society has continued to change and family life is under more and more pressure, our children often bearing the brunt of that pressure. The worst statistics that exist about our nation invariably apply to children and teenagers. We still believe that godly wisdom, revealed through Scripture and applied in our homes and to our children with the help of the Holy Spirit, continues to be the reason to be positive about nurturing our children in a disintegrating social climate. With this in mind, we as a leadership feel it is time to revisit some of our early aspirations as a school and review them with you, our current parents; some of you were teenagers when we first started as a school!
We detail for you how we have added to the teaching provision of the school over the past year and what we plan to do over the next year.
The life of the school is often best told by what happens in the lives of those involved. We hope that you will enjoy the testimonies and reports that give a flavour of the life of the school at present.
by Mr Moon
Chair of Governors Report
We trust that you have been encouraged and inspired by the work that is taking place here at Bradford Christian School. We have much to praise and thank God for in terms of His provision, His leading, His care and His patience with us.
We are very thankful to the many people that make this school work not only to Mr Moon and the staff but those people in the background who cover the school in prayer and contribute in unseen ways to the effective running of the school.
We as a governing body, together with the management team, are well aware of the challenges and opportunities that the school faces at this time as we develop and grow into a deeper understanding of what God has got for us.
We welcome the opportunity of working further with all parents especially those who are new to the school this year as we deliver the vision and mission that God has given us.
by Kevin McHugh, Chair of Governors
School Provision
Since we moved down to Bolton Woods we have increased in size by 25% on the previous numbers on the Idle site.
We hold very much to our founding ideals of providing a Bible based education and to work at providing responsible discipleship at the heart of the process of education.
However, the profile of parents wanting to place their children with the school has changed. We are receiving more applications from families who want to join us at secondary age. We are oversubscribed, therefore, in our older classes, and not quite so full in our Primary classes.
Starting this year, we have set students in Years 10 & 11 in Maths, Science and English.
The greater variety of mixed abilities now exist in classes all the way though the school. To this end we have steadily expanded our Learning Support Unit with the appointment of a full time co-ordinator in Mrs Paton, as well as more classroom support at Secondary in the form of Mrs Hewer.
The support team working with Mrs Paton now numbers seven teachers, including members of staff partly funded by the local education authority.
Mr Barton has made a great addition to our management team and is now in his second year as Head of Primary. His leadership and organisational abilities benefit the Primary department immensely and ensure that our development as a school is even and balanced.
Geography, after a break of a year has now been established again at Key Stage 3, through increased hours from Mr Bateman. Childcare continues to be developed through Mrs Hewer, who has taken sole responsibility for this subject at GCSE. History is now being taught entirely in Year 9 and at GCSE by Mrs March, who previously worked as Head of History at St Bedes. Mrs Bate has joined the school teaching Maths in Years 7 & 8 and assists Mr Harvey who teaches Maths to Years 9, 10 & 11 and who organises the teaching of Maths as Head of Department. Mr Harvey joins us from the Dixon City Technical College.
by Mr Moon
PTA
The aim of the PTA is to raise money for the Amadeus Foundation in Romania, which supports the poorest families. We send between £500 and £800 with the team that visits each year in July. The PTA raises money through bun sales, an auction, the annual spring fayre and the Primary 'Smartie Tubes'.
Over the years the PTA has also taken on a number of other roles including leading Praise and Worship evenings, organising tea and coffee at school meetings and organising a staff dinner.
If you are interested in helping to develop the work of the PTA in your school then please contact Suzanne Wells on Bfd. 815898. We are always looking for more committed helpers to support both the school and the work in Romania.
by Liz Mole, parent
The Bigger Picture
Bradford Christian School has always part of a bigger movement within the country in terms of Christian Education.
The school is a member of the Christian Schools Trust. I serve within this organisation on the Core Team of the National Leadership.
The CST provides Teacher Training. This summer Mr Barton and Mr Kershaw attended the Appointed and Anointed course (a week long residential course) and in February 2005 staff will have the opportunity to attend the National Conference.
The CST are also working towards Government funding for a Teacher Training College opening in September 2006.
The CST are still involved in a court case involving the right to use corporal discipline in schools. This case will be heard by the House of Lords on December 1st and 2nd. Five years ago, this case began as a single issue concerning corporal discipline. Over the past five years, the case has taken on a wider significance and is now a precedent case concerning parental and religious liberties.
The CST will continue with its Roadshows to promote Christian Education around the country. We know of five schools which have started (or are about to start) in the last two years.
The CST is publishing a book in the New Year on some of the faith stories behind the 60 or so Christian schools which have started in the last twenty-five years. Bradford Christian School will feature in this book... so watch this space.
by Mr Moon
Parents Prayer Group
We meet every Monday and Wednesday 9-10am in the conference room. We pray for any needs of the school, staff and pupils and the surrounding community.
Please feel free to join us in this necessary part of school life as you are able. If you've only got ten minutes we'd still love to see you.
If you have any issues that you would like lifting up in prayer feel free to enter them into the book in the staff room, call in or leave a message to be passed on to us.
by Judith & Jo, parents
Getting More Involved
We are seeking more parents to commit to sharing responsibility in key areas from assisting in classrooms, to cleaning and site maintenance, to helping with administration tasks. We really are only as strong and effective as our partnership between school and the home.
If you are able to be involved in any way or feel you have something to offer please speak to your child's teacher or the office.
by Mr Barton
Romanian Trip
It was my first trip with the school, but I had been before with my church, so I knew a few things already:
Romanian taxi drivers are insane; Romanian officials love red tape; Romanian timekeeping is "versatile". What I was not prepared for was how well our kids performed while over there.
We had to run a kids' club, which included games, quizzes, craft activities and Bible stories. We also paid visits to the local Gypsy Village, which was harrowing, open airs on the beachfront at night and took part in their church service. Activities included singing, circus skills, drama, movement, witnessing and preaching. The students were terrific - Mr Fawcett-Jones and I were able to let them run the kids club by themselves - they took turns doing the different activities and were organised, responsible and effective. They took the mission side of things very seriously and were a credit to the school. We also went swimming at 10.30pm fully clothed. We weren't sure of the value of the activity, but were told it was a tradition.
It was an amazing and humbling experience which left us with a sense of gratitude for what we have in this country, no matter how "hard-up" we may be, and a sense of being used by God to bring truth and love into these Romanian children's lives.
(Student reports from the Romania Trip)
by Mr Richardson
APPOINTED AND ANOINTED JULY 2004
Myself & Mr Barton spent five days at Regents Park Bible College, Nantwich, on this year's Appointed & Anointed training course for teachers in Christian schools, run by the Christian Schools Trust.
The course was packed full of information on why we teach God's word as truth and how to practically go about that in the classroom. We looked in detail at 'worldviews', contrasting the value system our children are fed by society, with its emphasis on the individual and rejection of an underlying structure to morality, against God's blueprint of how we were created to live. We examined how this view has come about, how it affects the children in our care, and how to counteract it.
There was also a good deal of 'application' teaching, covering curriculum planning from a Biblical foundation, the importance of prayer (ask God what he wants to teach the children, don't assume), lesson planning, differentiation & classroom management.
The course was both informative & practical, and gave an extended opportunity to meet with Christian teachers from other schools in the UK, Poland and Africa.
by Mr Kershaw
Results 2004
For the first year since using CAT tests we have been able to show progress made by students in their Key Stage 3 test then their GCSEs. This not only tells us how individual students have progressed to realise academic potential but also how we have progressed students as a teaching staff.
Year 9 End of KS3 SATS
| | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | Level 6 | Level 7 | Achieved predicted grade | Surpassed predicted grade |
| English | 0 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 95% | 52% |
| Maths | 1 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 100% | 47% |
| Science | 1 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 76% | 5% |
GCSE Subjects
| | U | G | F | E | D | C | B | A | A* | Achieved predicted grade | Surpassed predicted grade |
| English | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 79% | 21% |
| Literature | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 95% | 58% |
| Science | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 79% | 37% |
| Maths | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 84% | 16% |
| French | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 73% | 54% |
| Geography | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 100% | 58% |
| History | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 100% | 80% |
| Childcare | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 90% | 70% |
| RE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 100% | 50% |
| ICT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 100% | 86% |
| PE | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 90% | 30% |
| Art | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 80% | 0% |
74% of students achieved five passes at grade C to A*
Ex-pupils' testimonies
(These pupils are now working at Benton Park 6th Form College.)
BCS means a lot to me. I joined the school in Year 7, I came from a non-Christian school and I was worried at what my friends would say if I told them I was going to a Christian school, so I just said I was going to a better school. But now at my new 6th form I am able to tell my friends where I came from and that I am a Christian, this is because through BCS my confidence grew also so did my faith in God.
The school is a very special place, too hard too sum up in one paragraph there is so much to tell. God does some wonderful things in this school. God put some great people in my life here and provided some life changing experiences at BCS so much so that I didn't want to leave.
by Katie Thomson
It's only when you leave BCS that you appreciate it has something that other schools don't have.
The Christian perspective means it's not only your academic ability buts it's your individual achievements that really count.
There is a very good working relationship between the teachers and pupils. I enjoyed myself at the school and gained a lot from it especially meeting and working with other Christians
by Laura Booth
One of our ex-students also visited Romania this summer. Natalie Whytell tells us her experiences.
Before I went I was a bit optimistic as to what it would be like. I went because I wanted to see God's work in Romania but also to maybe learn what he wanted me to do after leaving school after my GCSEs.
After a couple of days we had done two holiday clubs and I could see that God was very much a part of the lives of the foundation leaders. The hardest part of the trip was visiting the Gypsy village. I promised myself I would not cry. But when a lady explained how she lived in one room with her neighbour and 4 children I couldn't hold back the tears. Going to Romania gave me a real boost to trust in God and to surrender fully to him and he will use you in whatever way he has planned.
Natalie is going to work in Paraguay with YWAM in the New Year. We pray that the Lord will bless her time there.
A Final Word
Bradford Christian School did not, and never had, attracted me until I had a strange encounter in my school transition at year 7. Following the usual school patterns, I went on to Guiseley Upper School but I had a shock. Crying, frightened, desperate to get out, I didn't even know why. I wasn't even a shy person. However, now I realise it was all part of God's plan to lead me where God would have me for my secondary education.
The first memories of the school are unforgettable. I would not trade them for anything. I just remember being desperate to get up in the morning, put on my uniform and get to school. They were some of the best days of my life. Never before had I been in a school which used a Bible as a text book or some worship songs in assembly or had a devotion to start the day. The students were just so loving, so different. They made me instantly feel part of the group, both in and out of school. I just knew this was home. There is no better place than in God's will.
All the time I was unaware that the school would change my life and set me off in a completely new direction. The teachers' input into my life was vital. I was to go through a moulding process; no longer would I listen to secular music or watch horror films amongst other things. I just thought I was at the school for education! Year 9 saw a turning point in my life. I committed myself to the Lord and was baptised as a result of God working through certain teachers in both my school and home life. I am certain that had I grown up at another school I wouldn't be where I am today; in Bible College, being grounded in the Word of God, had I not been given this desire from God at the school. Bradford Christian School is the place where God wanted me to begin to mature in Him.
I am particularly grateful to Mr. Moon and greatly admire his vision and purpose for the school. I know God will continue to do amazing works in the students' lives as I have seen evidence of this already. I praise God for a school that focuses on discipleship and a person's heart as well as giving a good education.
"We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18
by Mark Bateman
Mark left the school this July and is now at York Bible College.
Related pages: About The School
Author: Mr Moon
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