“The good quality of leadership throughout the school is driving the development of teaching and learning…”
Ofsted Inspection Nov 2007
Impressed by excellent schools
(published in The West Sussex County Times - Friday 6th March 2009)
I made a number of home visits to meet with constituents on Friday but the day was otherwise dominated by schools.
First stop was Tanbridge House School. I had been invited to speak to their Year 8s about my trip to Rwanda.
I haven't given the presentation to such a large group before but was delighted that they were so interested in the events surrounding the genocide of 1994 and also my experiences of teaching English to Rwandan primary school teachers.
I was also impressed with the wide range of probing questions that I was asked during the Q&A sessions - nothing better to keep me on my toes!
Next was a visit to The Weald, Billingshurst. This time for a long chat with the new headteacher, Mr Woodman.
He's been in post for about six weeks and it was great to hear about his plans and ideas. It's also interesting to hear the views of someone who is relatively new to the Horsham area, about our local education system.
Leaving the school, I was struck by how impressive the management teams are at both Tanbridge House and The Weald and also that both schools felt vibrant and full of energy. To add to this, I was very pleased to hear that the headteachers of all our local secondary schools have begun working together on shared projects and strategies.
Francis Maude
MP for Horsham