Charters Community Blueprint: 2020 Vision We are really proud of our school and the achievements of our students and dedica on of our staff. Since Charters was founded in 1958 with just under 400 students, we’ve grown to become the largest school in the area with 1,700 pupils and 250 staff. In the next year or two we expect to be formally asked to grow. We take our responsibility to our community very seriously and we think there is no be er me to reach out and share our ideas on how we would like to become more of a community hub for personal growth and wellbeing. Our school mo o of Unity, Respect, Excellence drives all of our choices, and it is with this in mind, we hosted a Charters School Community Vision Evening to share our thoughts and ideas. We invited many local community representa ves and parents who worked hard to tease out the priori es and discuss what ma ers most to the community. At one point, par cipants all agreed it would be wonderful to build a new Charters School, to provide a fresh learning environment and resolve the issues of parking and through traffic! Within these pages, you will learn more about what was said and what our priori es are over the short, medium and longer term. We welcome your feedback. You can do this by wri ng to the Co-Headteachers at Charters School by emailing g.reidsmith@chartersschool.org.uk Richard Pilgrim and Martyn Parker, Co‐Headteachers
Maths and Science Accommoda on One of the challenges we face with con nuing pressure on budgets, is availability of capital infrastructure. This means that it is increasingly difficult to replace dilapidated buildings with an environment which inspires children to want to learn simply because money is harder to come by for these projects. According to Government thinktanks, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathema cs (STEM) are considered to be the most important drivers to our future economy. The academic results for our students are some of the best in the country. However, independent audits of our school buildings show that we are already two science laboratories short of what they would consider to be a basic provision. This is really concerning as it means it will limit our capacity to expand. Addi onally the Mathema cs Faculty is housed in temporary buildings nearing the end of their life. Therefore, we are in talks with the community elected representa ves to iden fy how we can fund addi onal accommoda on needs should the school expand, balanced against exis ng requirements to improve our learning environment. Simon Dudley, Leader of the Council at Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is suppor ng our development and has pledged to us “the necessary budget to both undertake the necessary maths block work at Charters but also invest in state of the art leisure facili es”.
Charters Community Mul sport Facility Par cipants agreed very strongly that the addi on of a mul -sports facility located at Charters would be a fantas c addi on to the community and not only for spor ng purposes. The addi onal space would provide the much needed room to host examina ons at Charters, which the school is currently lacking. With increasing poli cal emphasis being placed on end of course examina ons rather than course work or modular assessment, the school urgently requires more and be er examina on space. The design of the mul sports facility will allow this. The approximate cost of this building is in the region of £3 million. Currently we have planning permission for a building the size of three indoor tennis courts. Local representa ves comment that the addi on of a pool would be very welcome. This is s ll in discussion as it would change the footprint of the school. The Local Authority has drawn up dra plans which would allow the exis ng recrea on centre facili es to be open to the public during the day. This is condi onal on the Mul sports Facility being built.
Safe Cycling Charters has a real passion to encourage more children and staff to cycle to school in a safe environment. There is no easy or cost-effec ve solu on to achieve this due to the essen al modifica on necessary to exis ng roads. A team within Charters has iden fied a possible route for a cycleway linking the school with Sunninghill. RBWM’s manifesto commitment states that three new cycle paths will be developed by April 2017 possibly including Sunninghill via Lynwood. This will require further explora on and discussion as it impacts private land. At a recent RBWM Cabinet mee ng, Simon Dudley requested that a report be brought to Cabinet to address the issues of speed in the area and pedestrian and cycle access which is encouraging . The school already has a popular bikeability programme and has invested in cycle shelters as there is a growing number of enthusiasts who are cycling to school. Cycling to school is an important part of our school transport plan, par cularly should the school grow in numbers. Cycling will not only alleviate traffic conges on but if we can build the cycleway but it will also help our students to maintain healthy lifestyles.
Onsite Crèche The recruitment and reten on of great staff is crucial for our long term success. Many teachers arrive at Charters before 7.30 am because they are travelling in from outside the Borough. An onsite crèche facility would alleviate the difficul es our teachers face and make the school more a rac ve to teachers with young children who are considering applying to teach at Charters. Having their younger children onsite is a real benefit to teachers and students, as it provides a be er worklife balance. There are local examples of facili es used for mul ple purposes. For example a sports pavilion with changing facili es may be used as a crèche during the day but reverts to its original use in the evening, weekends and during holiday me and this works very well. Funding is available for sports ini a ves so it’s an interes ng considera on.
We are fortunate in having so many interested community representa ves and parents. Since 1958, tens of thousands of students have le Charters excelling in all manner of professions. This is what we strive to do best – look at each student as an individual and help them to succeed in whatever they decide to pursue. However, funding is less available to schools like Charters. No ma er we are an outstanding school and are considered by the Government to be one of the most efficiently run in the country, we are struggling to con nue to offer the broad range of subjects we have in the past and the extracurricular opportuni es students have come to regard as standard. Our main focus will con nue to be effec ve student learning, to make sure that we give them every chance to shine. Our four priori es interlink to underpin this. We need to provide be er buildings to facilitate enriching environments in which to learn. We want to recruit and support the best teachers and associate staff. As the school grows we recognise there is a greater need to provide facili es which will benefit the school and the wider community. We welcome conversa ons with anyone who believes they can help support or contribute to this vision through to 2020. It’s an exci ng, yet challenging me for Charters School. We’re up for it. Join us to secure it. Charters School Charters Road Sunningdale Ascot Berkshire SL5 9QY Tel: 01344 624 826 Email: charters@chartersschool.org.uk Web: www.chartersschool.org.uk
To find out more about the ways in which you can support our school please visit our website page: www.chartersschool.org.uk/Support-Us