Views on what their dream would be
- Do you think that QEHS and HMS should merge and change their age range to 11 – 18?
- What is your dream?
To have children continue to be nurtured within the middle school system and continue to have access to specialist teachers for subjects like music, art, pe and technology.
Less pressure to make subject choices for HS / GCSEs so quickly. First class facilities for all of our children regardless of the "system" they are in.
A plan for the future in which our rural communities are not robbed of the chance for children to learn close to where they live, in small thriving schools. A plan which truly puts the welfare of our children first.
My nightmare is that our children are shipped off at a young age to a large bland education factory, for a ‘one size fits all, sink or swim’ experience and that this comes to pass because those in power were not brave enough to stand up for us.
We dearly want an outcome that sees CMS’s future secure for generations to come. It is a beacon of teaching excellence and we should be lauding Mrs Kennedy and her staff, not placing it under threat.
Current SEND provision without the Lea is hardly substantial for schools at present. Early intervention is lacking. A secure future for my child's education! Where the individual is at the centre of the schools ethos, not money!
Please don’t close our schools, we have one of the best education systems in this country and I’m proud to say my children attend Corbridge Middle School, as are they.
A system which offers the benefits of three-tier education (caring community, a real focus on what's best for the distinct age-groups, relatively small schools, schools rooted in localities, resisting the false allure of 'economies of scale'), whether in its current form or some other. And political / educational leadership which is willing to face down immediate financial or bureaucratic crises in order to take a child-centred view of the problem.
My dream is for my children to grow up in our rural community and progress through the three-tiered school system. I hope the schools they attend will be adequately funded and continue to deliver outstanding results. I hope the council and other bodies responsible for decisions that impact our education system will be consistent, will protect our schools, our way of life, our communities and think of the long term before making any disruptive decisions to benefit their bottom line. My broader dream is that education and healthcare will cease to be party political
Better facilities, especially for the high school. More opportunities and better conditions for the school.
Good facilities. Less fixation on data. More opportunities for children with learning difficulties. A school within a local community.
To keep the local rural schools open in order to maintain close communities across the wide expanse that is west Northumberland. These schools provide so much more than an education to children. They span communities of all age ranges, provide spaces for community events, allow residents to gather. Closing so many as proposed in the 'consultation document' (sounds like a done deal to me), would decimate rural communities. Young families would not settle there as there is no community to join, no education for their children. There's been no detailed thought into any of these closures, some are C of E schools and their funding is guaranteed in the near future. How has this consultation even come about?! I haven't heard one voice in support of it.
Facilities in many cases are not ideal. I'd love to see an investment in the environments, where needed, to create the right spaces for teachers and children to get the very most out of the educational opportunities. I'd like to see children given more opportunities to get out of the classroom and explore the world around them. I'd like to see everyone given the right opportunities to find a path through education that suits them - not everyone is academically minded and we need to ensure everyone has the chance to discover their own potential. I'd like to see less of an administrative burden placed on teachers and governors so that a real focus can go on the quality of educational experience.
We need to improve the physical structure of schools, without compromising quality of education. I would like to see the three tier system continued, for there to be School counsellors spending time
in all schools and supporting vulnerable students and their families. I believe this would improve overall results as it would let teachers focus on what they do best!!
I would like to see a high school that maintains a larger percentage of its student’s post-16!
My dream is for West Northumberland to be brave and bold, to strike out and recognise that we can be different...because we are successful! To expand its educational offer so that all
Children can find a setting where they thrive...be it a mainstream class, special school, or somewhere in between! Let’s Lead ...not follow!
That all children get to reach their potential be unique not a number
A school system that people talk about with passion, enthusiasm and pride many, many years after they've left. A system that genuinely inspires and caters for pupils on an individual basis, not as a mass-processing plant. A system that is designed to that meet the genuine needs of children at every stage of their development and strengthens the fantastic local communities and plays a powerful and active role in community life.
For the government/council to recognize that schools like Corbridge Middle are providing an exceptional level of education for our children and provide a nurturing environment I. Which they can thrive.
We would like the 13-18 age range to stay at QEHS but there is a desperate need for better facilities, the building is decrepit and in dire need of repair. Our children have had excellent provision at Corbridge Middle and they deserve this to continue at high school.
To have a local school as near as possible to me for my children at an age they can cope with.
Love the three tier system! It has the potential to be fantastic but it just needs 'tweaking'. Hexham middle lost its drive when David Watson left and it was left without a Headteacher - head of school hasn't worked. My children loved there time there but the cracks were becoming clear. Needs someone with a good understanding of that age range who has a clear educational vision to drive it forward. It has some great staff, great kids and could be great again. Invest money in building and its own Headteacher.
That ALL children can be educated where they live until they choose otherwise, i.e., not being forced to travel out of the area because they are not academic enough
To see fully inclusive schools where all children have equal opportunities to grow and become the adults they deserve to be.
Our dream is for the three tier system to continue so our grandchildren and their children can benefit from the wonderful educational/personal experience this model has to offer.
To send my children to a school where they are filled with wonderment and awe each and every day.
To ensure that they embrace a life-long love of education and learning.
To inspire this generation of children and prepare them for the future.
Money invested into what we have already to make it a better education system. More provision for 16+.
Diversity of choice - not 'one size fits all'
Keep the system but need better facilities especially at the QEHS. All middle schools are run together- academy?
Keep rural village life alive with village schools and make all middle schools as good as CMS is reputed to be! It seems to meet the needs of its pupils.
Three tier all the way. Education for our children based on what THEY need rather than because of a business plan.
I would like to see the High School work closely with the current system - they put themselves out on a limb and do not integrate in the same way the middle and first schools do.
Investment in buildings. For NCC to look at the bigger picture and see how their decisions will impact the children for many, many years to come. To not be so short-sighted as to think that two-tier will solve their problems. Lack of investment in many schools lies at the root of these issues. Do not let our first and middle schools be held responsible for NCC failings. Northumberland is not like any other community - you cannot apply a 'one size fits all approach!'
More central government understanding of the needs and priorities of sparsely populated counties like Northumberland. An improved education would be one that has the needs of children, parents and community at its heart, not money and cost saving.
For my children to feel happy, engaged, motivated during their learning years, and to be given every opportunity and inspiration to follow their dreams
I want my child to not just do well at school, but to enjoy his school years and feel supported, valued and safe whilst he is being educated. In my view this can only happen in schools that are well-staffed, properly funded, not too large, and where the focus is on the WHOLE child and not just their results.
That my child can progress through the three tier system to an excellent high school that is still achieving great results by the time she gets there (she is currently in reception).
I would like the buildings at QeHs to be improved, that the number of subjects on offer increase and they offer all children the opportunity to take the A levels they wish rather than cherry picking the best.
I find it appalling that the local authority is prepared to put at risk the future of so many children and the rural communities in which they live, in order to achieve some short term financial gains and the veneer of rationalisation.
Less pressure to make subject choices for HS / GCSEs so quickly. First class facilities for all of our children regardless of the "system" they are in.
A plan for the future in which our rural communities are not robbed of the chance for children to learn close to where they live, in small thriving schools. A plan which truly puts the welfare of our children first.
My nightmare is that our children are shipped off at a young age to a large bland education factory, for a ‘one size fits all, sink or swim’ experience and that this comes to pass because those in power were not brave enough to stand up for us.
We dearly want an outcome that sees CMS’s future secure for generations to come. It is a beacon of teaching excellence and we should be lauding Mrs Kennedy and her staff, not placing it under threat.
Current SEND provision without the Lea is hardly substantial for schools at present. Early intervention is lacking. A secure future for my child's education! Where the individual is at the centre of the schools ethos, not money!
Please don’t close our schools, we have one of the best education systems in this country and I’m proud to say my children attend Corbridge Middle School, as are they.
A system which offers the benefits of three-tier education (caring community, a real focus on what's best for the distinct age-groups, relatively small schools, schools rooted in localities, resisting the false allure of 'economies of scale'), whether in its current form or some other. And political / educational leadership which is willing to face down immediate financial or bureaucratic crises in order to take a child-centred view of the problem.
My dream is for my children to grow up in our rural community and progress through the three-tiered school system. I hope the schools they attend will be adequately funded and continue to deliver outstanding results. I hope the council and other bodies responsible for decisions that impact our education system will be consistent, will protect our schools, our way of life, our communities and think of the long term before making any disruptive decisions to benefit their bottom line. My broader dream is that education and healthcare will cease to be party political
Better facilities, especially for the high school. More opportunities and better conditions for the school.
Good facilities. Less fixation on data. More opportunities for children with learning difficulties. A school within a local community.
To keep the local rural schools open in order to maintain close communities across the wide expanse that is west Northumberland. These schools provide so much more than an education to children. They span communities of all age ranges, provide spaces for community events, allow residents to gather. Closing so many as proposed in the 'consultation document' (sounds like a done deal to me), would decimate rural communities. Young families would not settle there as there is no community to join, no education for their children. There's been no detailed thought into any of these closures, some are C of E schools and their funding is guaranteed in the near future. How has this consultation even come about?! I haven't heard one voice in support of it.
Facilities in many cases are not ideal. I'd love to see an investment in the environments, where needed, to create the right spaces for teachers and children to get the very most out of the educational opportunities. I'd like to see children given more opportunities to get out of the classroom and explore the world around them. I'd like to see everyone given the right opportunities to find a path through education that suits them - not everyone is academically minded and we need to ensure everyone has the chance to discover their own potential. I'd like to see less of an administrative burden placed on teachers and governors so that a real focus can go on the quality of educational experience.
We need to improve the physical structure of schools, without compromising quality of education. I would like to see the three tier system continued, for there to be School counsellors spending time
in all schools and supporting vulnerable students and their families. I believe this would improve overall results as it would let teachers focus on what they do best!!
I would like to see a high school that maintains a larger percentage of its student’s post-16!
My dream is for West Northumberland to be brave and bold, to strike out and recognise that we can be different...because we are successful! To expand its educational offer so that all
Children can find a setting where they thrive...be it a mainstream class, special school, or somewhere in between! Let’s Lead ...not follow!
That all children get to reach their potential be unique not a number
A school system that people talk about with passion, enthusiasm and pride many, many years after they've left. A system that genuinely inspires and caters for pupils on an individual basis, not as a mass-processing plant. A system that is designed to that meet the genuine needs of children at every stage of their development and strengthens the fantastic local communities and plays a powerful and active role in community life.
For the government/council to recognize that schools like Corbridge Middle are providing an exceptional level of education for our children and provide a nurturing environment I. Which they can thrive.
We would like the 13-18 age range to stay at QEHS but there is a desperate need for better facilities, the building is decrepit and in dire need of repair. Our children have had excellent provision at Corbridge Middle and they deserve this to continue at high school.
To have a local school as near as possible to me for my children at an age they can cope with.
Love the three tier system! It has the potential to be fantastic but it just needs 'tweaking'. Hexham middle lost its drive when David Watson left and it was left without a Headteacher - head of school hasn't worked. My children loved there time there but the cracks were becoming clear. Needs someone with a good understanding of that age range who has a clear educational vision to drive it forward. It has some great staff, great kids and could be great again. Invest money in building and its own Headteacher.
That ALL children can be educated where they live until they choose otherwise, i.e., not being forced to travel out of the area because they are not academic enough
To see fully inclusive schools where all children have equal opportunities to grow and become the adults they deserve to be.
Our dream is for the three tier system to continue so our grandchildren and their children can benefit from the wonderful educational/personal experience this model has to offer.
To send my children to a school where they are filled with wonderment and awe each and every day.
To ensure that they embrace a life-long love of education and learning.
To inspire this generation of children and prepare them for the future.
Money invested into what we have already to make it a better education system. More provision for 16+.
Diversity of choice - not 'one size fits all'
Keep the system but need better facilities especially at the QEHS. All middle schools are run together- academy?
Keep rural village life alive with village schools and make all middle schools as good as CMS is reputed to be! It seems to meet the needs of its pupils.
Three tier all the way. Education for our children based on what THEY need rather than because of a business plan.
I would like to see the High School work closely with the current system - they put themselves out on a limb and do not integrate in the same way the middle and first schools do.
Investment in buildings. For NCC to look at the bigger picture and see how their decisions will impact the children for many, many years to come. To not be so short-sighted as to think that two-tier will solve their problems. Lack of investment in many schools lies at the root of these issues. Do not let our first and middle schools be held responsible for NCC failings. Northumberland is not like any other community - you cannot apply a 'one size fits all approach!'
More central government understanding of the needs and priorities of sparsely populated counties like Northumberland. An improved education would be one that has the needs of children, parents and community at its heart, not money and cost saving.
For my children to feel happy, engaged, motivated during their learning years, and to be given every opportunity and inspiration to follow their dreams
I want my child to not just do well at school, but to enjoy his school years and feel supported, valued and safe whilst he is being educated. In my view this can only happen in schools that are well-staffed, properly funded, not too large, and where the focus is on the WHOLE child and not just their results.
That my child can progress through the three tier system to an excellent high school that is still achieving great results by the time she gets there (she is currently in reception).
I would like the buildings at QeHs to be improved, that the number of subjects on offer increase and they offer all children the opportunity to take the A levels they wish rather than cherry picking the best.
I find it appalling that the local authority is prepared to put at risk the future of so many children and the rural communities in which they live, in order to achieve some short term financial gains and the veneer of rationalisation.
