The Bradley Stoke Journal

Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS) has been classed as “outstanding” by Ofsted inspectors, who visited the school three weeks ago.

The inspectors’ report praises the high standard of leadership and teaching at the school and says that pupils’ achievements are above average:

This is an outstanding school. Its real strength lies in its inclusive and welcoming ethos. The headteacher has provided the school with outstanding leadership and he is well supported by a skilful and effective leadership team.

Together they have created a clear vision for the school which is shared by all staff.

They have been successful in establishing the school at the heart of the community and ensuring that students of all abilities and from all backgrounds are happy and achieve well.

Writing in the school newsletter, headteacher Dave Baker (pictured right) tells parents and carers:

This [report] is a credit to you, your sons and daughters and the school’s staff and governors and I hope that you will be pleased with what you read.

Asked for further comment by The Journal, Mr Baker showed no signs of resting on his laurels:

We are obviously delighted and relieved that the inspection outcome was so positive but we are also clear that there is still much work to do so we will be formulating an action plan based on the areas for development and the areas judged as good rather than outstanding.

It is, however, a great achievement to have been judged as outstanding overall and my thanks go to staff, students, parents/carers, governors and our community partners for their support in ensuring that this was possible.

Opened in September 2005, BSCS is described by the inspectors as an average sized secondary school. The school’s only previous Ofsted report, issued in 2006 (when there were pupils in years 7 and 8 only) rated the school “good”.

Of our neighbouring secondary schools,  The Ridings High School, Winterbourne (now Winterbourne International Academy) was rated “good” in 2006, while Filton High School and Patchway Community College were rated “satisfactory” in 2006 and 2009 respectively.

A post-16 centre (sixth form) is currently under construction at BSCS. Building work is expected to be completed by May 2010, so that the first cohort of BSCS students can begin their post-16 education at the site in September 2010.

More information and related links:

• BSCS Ofsted report, November 2009 [PDF]
• BSCS Ofsted report, October 2006 [PDF]
• Schools in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

Conservative candidate Ernie Brown has been declared the winner of yesterday’s by-election in the Meadowbank parish ward of Bradley Stoke.

Mr Brown gained 31 more votes than his only rival, Liberal Democrat Sachin Singhal.

The result leaves the political composition of Bradley Stoke Town Council unchanged, with the Conservatives having twelve seats against the the Liberal Democrats’ two  (one further seat being occupied by an Independent).

Full result of the Meadowbank by-election 2009:

• Ernie Brown (Conservative) 206 votes
• Sachin Singhal (Liberal Democrat) 175 votes

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has opened a public consultation on plans for a major new road transport scheme that will link Bradley Stoke with Bristol city centre.

The scheme, known as the North Fringe to Hengrove Package, includes provision of bus rapid transit services, the construction of a new link road between Stoke Gifford and the A4174 Avon Ring Road (close to junction 1 of the M32 at Hambrook) and a new Park & Ride facility beside the M32 (close to the Coldharbour Lane bridge).

“In principle” funding of £168 million was approved by the government in July and the next step will be the submission of a Major Scheme Business Case to the Department for Transport (DfT) by March 2010. If the scheme is approved, implementation could start in 2013/2014 – according to the West of England Partnership (WoEP), which is fronting the bid on behalf of SGC and Bristol City Council.

Rapid transport is described as a fast, frequent and reliable public transport service provided by buses running, where possible, on traffic-free routes – sometimes on and sometimes off existing roads. Journey times will be reduced by requiring tickets  to be purchased prior to boarding and giving buses priority over other road users at traffic lights.

The long-awaited Stoke Gifford Transport Link, which will combine a bus rapid transit route with a regular road, is intended to relieve the current congestion around Bristol Parkway station. The route will start from Great Stoke Way in Stoke Gifford, running initially behind houses in Kings Drive.  A new bridge will be constructed to carry the link over the Bristol to London railway line, east of Bristol Parkway station.

Maps included in the consultation documents show the bus rapid transit route starting on the Aztec West Business Park and then following the full length of Bradley Stoke Way before using the new Stoke Gifford Transport Link to reach the Avon Ring Road. Buses will then head for the University of the West of England (UWE) campus on Coldharbour Lane before joining the M32 at the new Park & Ride.

Proposed stops along Bradley Stoke Way include Woodlands Lane, Patchway Brook Roundabout, the Willow Brook Centre, Webbs Wood Roundabout and Baileys Court Roundabout.

SGC is staging a number of unstaffed public exhibitions to allow residents to learn more about the proposals. Local venues are:

• From Monday 30th November to Friday 4th December at the Aztec West Centre
• From Monday 30th November to Monday 7th December at the Willow Brook Centre

A staffed exhibition is also being staged at Bradley Stoke Library on Saturday 5th December, from 9am to 12 noon.

The consultation period runs until Friday 8th January 2010.

Related links:

• North Fringe to Hengrove Package consultation (SGC)
• North Fridge Rapid Transit (The Journal)
• North Fringe to Hengrove Package (WoEP)

A poetry and photography competition is to be run in conjunction with an event that celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD)  in South Gloucestershire.

Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP), which organises the annual IWD event at Bradley Stoke Community School, says:

We want to hear from you about one woman who has influenced your life; your mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, teacher, wife, daughter or even an historical figure, etc – a woman who has loved you, inspired you, supported you, believed in you, someone you love, a woman you know who has made a difference in your life.

The competition is open to men and women aged eleven and over, who are residents of South Gloucestershire.

Entries, which may be a photograph OR a poem OR both, must be received by Saturday 9th January 2010. Winners will be announced at the IWD event on Thursday 11th March 2010.

More information and entry form: International Women’s Day 2010 (SBCP)

Local party activists have been busy campaigning for the Meadowbank by-election, which takes place on Thursday this week (26th November).

Liberal Democrat candidate Sachin Singhal attended last week’s meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council, where he made use of the “questions from the public” session to confront Councillors with a query about healthcare provision in the town.

According to Mr Singhal, over 200 pregnant women in Bradley Stoke are having to travel to Filton or Patchway for treatment and advice after facilities at Bradley Stoke Surgery were withdrawn earlier this year, pending re-development of the site.

Council Chair Mark Forsyth replied that there was nothing the Town Council could do about the matter, adding that the surgery was waiting to receive planning permission from South Gloucestershire Council for its proposed expansion. He was then hastily corrected by some of his fellow councillors, who advised him that permission had already been granted – over twelve months ago.

The only constructive comment came from Cllr Brian Hopkinson, who suggested that patients could use the services of Four Towns Community Transport.

The Lib Dems have also distributed a second edition of their ‘Focus’ leaflet combined with a ‘Community Survey’ form in which they ask for residents’ views on a number of topics including traffic and transport, the location of the Town Council offices, anti-social behaviour and crime.

The Conservatives, whose candidate is Ernie Brown, have not (as far as we know) delivered any further leaflets. Agent Paul Smith did however provide a statement to The Journal which highlights achievements and plans of the current Conservative administration:

We are spending just under £6k on the lower football pitch at the Jubilee Centre (used mainly by BSYFC) to improve drainage in wet weather and reduce the number of cancelled matches during the winter months. BSYFC had hoped to obtain grants from various third parties but when these were not forthcoming we agreed to fund the full cost of the work.

We are replacing the maintenance man’s Piaggio as the old one died. The red three wheeler has been a regular sight on the roads in Bradley Stoke for many years, however it has been breaking down with increased regularity and repairs are no longer an economical solution. Council agreed at their meeting this month that a replacement should be purchased and the new black Piaggio will arrive shortly.

After last year’s freeze in the precept, to help residents through the recession, BSTC have implemented a modest 1.79% increase in the 2010/11 precept (amounting to just £2 on band D). The extra money raised will pay for the ongoing improvements to services introduced by Conservatives such as the dedicated MCO, extra part-time police officer, Brook way Youth club and many many more.

Approximately 2,250 people living in the Meadowbank parish ward are entitled to vote in Thursday’s election. Polling takes place at the Church of Christ the King, Mautravers Close, between 7am and 10pm.

Related links:

• Lib Dem Leaflet (21st November) [PDF, 381KB]
• Lib Dem Survey (21st November) [PDF, 316KB]