Derbyshire school Barrow Hill Academy at the heart of community as they prepare for busy Christmas period

Rebecca Vodden-Page is headteacher at Barrow Hill Academy, which was recently reported as one of the most deprived areas in the county. The school, which is part of the Cavendish Learning Trust, raised £850 by hosting a Christmas Fayre and will host Christmas carols for the community on Thursday, December 16 where pupils from the school will play the viola.

Mrs Vodden-Page said: “We have formed really good relationships with our families and it was lovely to see so many of them at our Christmas Fayre after the pandemic restrictions.

“Christmas is a magical time for children but, we also know that for their families, it can also be one of worry and stress.”To help ease the worry, Barrow Hill are working with charity Magic Breakfast to ensure that every child who attends the school will have a breakfast over the festive period, when the school is shut. They are also signposting families to the Derbyshire County Council website, where they can apply to receive £64 per household as part of their Household Support Fund.

Continuing that community feel, Barrow Hill Academy are very hands-on with the refurbishment of the Barrow Hill Memorial Hall, which is one of the 11 projects chosen to receive funding from the £25.2m Staveley Town Deal.

“We are all very excited about the refurbishment of Barrow Hill Memorial Hall, which will create a modern hub where residents can access support services and socialise together. Phase One is for a sports hall that we will be able to take our children to.“Our school is proud to support our community,” added Mrs Vodden-Page, “We take great pride in the fact that we have good relationships and have looked at how we involve parents to develop their child’s education.”

As a result of these strong relationships and early intervention, thanks to the help of a well-established and committed staff team, the percentage of pupils passing their phonics screening has increased from 23% in 2019, to a 70% pass rate in 2022.

The early intervention of leaders at the school, particularly with regards to identifying pupils with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) was praised during its most recent Ofsted inspection, whilst inspectors were also pleased as to how quickly children settle into the early years, and learn to share independently.

Mrs Vodden-Page added: “The dedication from our staff is amazing, they always go above and beyond. We have Sophie Cooper, who is a specialist in Early Year, and Tonicha Kershaw who is passionate about children accessing phonics.

“Our staff always go above and beyond; teacher Matthew Szadura runs a local amateur dramatics group and so he is adding extra sparkle to our Christmas play this year. We know the areas in which we need to improve as a school, finalising our curriculum and focusing improving attendance and behaviour. We are passionate about working collaboratively and work closely with the other schools within our Trust and across Derbyshire and beyond.”