HIGH SCHOOL HEAD BRIEFS PRIMARIES ON POST-16 PROGRESS
DROMORE High School head John Wilkinson has met with local primary school principals to spell out the high school's readiness for next year's introduction of post-16 education.
The high school, he said, was "in the game" and it was in it to allow young people to perform to the very best of their ability.
Pupils now embarking on Year-12 will be the first to have the opportunity to continue their studies at Dromore High, after Stormont Education Minister Caitriona Ruane finally gave the nod to the 'sixth-form' the school had long campaigned for.
At a breakfast briefing on Tuesday Mr. Wilkinson told contributory primaries the high school was indeed ready for post-16 provision and committed to as wide a range of A-level and vocational courses as possible.
The school, he said, had the teachers and the accommodation it needed to deliver a first-class post-16 curriculum, as well as a record of past excellence on which to build that curriculum into something equally impressive.
This year some 96 Dromore High School pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C and are now pursuing their education scattered among schools from Banbridge to Belfast.
Mr. Wilkinson said that in future he wanted to see as many such pupils as possible stay on to study at Dromore High.
Moreover, he said, the school would gladly speak to any young person having difficulty gaining admission to a course of choice, and measure their application against admissions criteria even now being finalised.
And beyond that, any pupil who wanted to switch schools, he said, could likewise apply for admission to Dromore High.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday's briefing, Mr. Wilkinson said, "I wanted to have an early meeting with our contributory primary schools, to discuss and outline the work we're doing and the progress and development of our post-16 plans so far, the scope of the courses, our links with colleges, and so on.
"It was to allow our primary school colleagues an insight into what we have been doing and what we are doing, so they can communicate that to their pupils' parents. "I wanted to say to them that we're fully committed to post-16 provision. This is not just about an A-level here and an A-level there;it's a complete suite of A-levels we're offering, along with other vocational courses.
"I want to provide as wide a post-16 curriculum as possible."
With a new uniform, adapted to identify the post-16 students, due to be finalised tomorrow, Mr. Wilkinson said Dromore High School was in a state of readiness now to deliver post-16 studies, but in the year ahead they would be strengthening and developing their plans to ensure the first of their sixth-form students would get a first-rate post-16 education.
"We can't wait for the opportunity to enable our young people to perform to the best of their ability," he said.
SCHOOL READY WITH STAFF AND ACCOMMODATION
'A NEW school doesn't make learning; it's relationships that make learning." So said Dromore High School principal John Wilkinson this week as he weighed a dream come true on the one hand against a dream yet unfulfilled on the other.
With the introduction of the high school's hard won post-16 education now just one year off, Mr. Wilkinson this week updated local primary schools on the readiness of their plans.
What he told them, in a nutshell, is that, save for the fine tuning, they're ready . . ready with everything from new uniforms to experienced staff, and, for any who may doubt it, ample accommodation.
It has been accepted for some time now that Dromore High School, in common with nearby Dromore Central Primary School, is in need of a new home.
Plans for just such a new school, plans amended to take into account the newly granted post-16 provision, remain in the pipeline, albeit a pipeline whose flow has been ultimately reduced to a trickle due to an ongoing funding crisis. But in the meantime, said Mr. Wilkinson, no-one need doubt the high school's ability to accommodate the freshly granted sixth-form it long dreamed of and campaigned for.
"We will make provision in our existing building," he said, "and the Southern (Education and Library) Board has supplied additional mobile provision.
"This is of course pending a newbuild, which is in the pipeline. We are in the waiting list with other schools, but a new school doesn't make learning; it's relationships that make learning."
Likewise, to those who might ask, 'to what extent do you have the staff to teach A-levels?', Mr. Wilkinson is clear.
"We had, among our existing staff, experience of teaching A-levels in a broad range of subjects," he said, "and this year I have employed new teachers to teach A-level while next year I will be employing further staff to deliver the post-16 curriculum."
Mr. Wilkinson is eager that in future as many pupils as possible will return to Dromore High to continue their studies after GCSE. Of the 96 who this year achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C, 18 have gone on to study at Banbridge Academy, eight to the Royal Belfast Academical Institute, eight to Hunterhouse College, 10 to Friends School, Lisburn, and so on - a scatter effect the Dromore High principal hopes to avoid in future.
Likewise he is keen to impress upon parents of primary school pupils that Dromore High is committed to its post-16 development, and to building that development on firm foundations.
"I hope our history of performance will signal to parents that Dromore High School is in the game, and in the game to allow young people to perform to the best of their ability," he said. "We have proven quality teaching, a supportive learning environment, in that we teach well and we support the children in their learning, a strong pastoral dimension, helping the children with any issues which may be affecting their learning, and we have dedicated career support.
"Simply put, we know the children, and therefore we can provide for them."
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Weather for Dromore
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
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Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
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