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Students at Tong High School have been taking part in an innovative new project entitled ‘Britain in a Box’ to celebrate diversity and multiculturalism between schools in Bradford.

The project gave Year 7 students the opportunity to decide what Britain means to them when they were set the challenge of filling boxes with items that they feel represents Great Britain best. By bringing together geography, history and religious education, the project encouraged pupils to use their knowledge and creativity, as well as working in collaboration with their classmates.

The project’s finale brought together over 50 students from Tong High School, Dixons City Academy, Thornton Grammar and Titus Salt schools to a celebration held in Tong’s ‘Love to Learn’ Centre.

A winner was then selected from the finalists in each school, after students gave final film presentations about what they’d chosen for the boxes. The project offered a platform for creativity and individualism between students competing, and proved to be a fascinating day for students and teachers alike.

Tong Head Teacher, Stephen Curran, added: “This is a new project for Tong and has been really effective in bringing students together to share ideas of what makes Britain great for them.

 “In addition, students have formed bonds and connections with their peers from other schools, strengthening relations outside of school in a positive and creative way. This project is a real example of schools working together to raise the profile of independent learning and continue our work to generate pride in the local community and further into Great Britain.”

All parents, staff and students are currently being asked to complete our Kirkland Rowell perception surveys.  Each survey is confidential to the individual and these will be opened by the independent company and results collated. 

Thank you to all of you who have already completed the survey.  We really value your feedback and appreciate the time it has taken to complete.

The majority of student surveys have now been completed.

All staff have been asked to submit their completed survey into school reception by Friday 24^thMay.

We are now asking all parents to please complete the parental survey before Friday 7^thJune.  Once completed, your child can bring these into school to be handed into their DSPL or at the Student Support Office. 

If your parental survey is handed in before Friday 7^thJune, your son and/or daughter will be entered into a prize draw – please be aware that we will not open any envelopes and confidentiality is preserved at all times.

Please be honest, open and accurate with your responses as they are valuable to us becoming an outstanding school.

Once again many thanks.  

Bradford’s Tong High School yesterday (16/5/13) hosted one of this year’s nationwide Love Music Hate Racism events. Under the banner, ‘Using the Energy of Music to Celebrate Diversity’, the evening gig made the most of the school’s huge atrium area with all Tong High School staff, students and their families invited to attend.

Leading the evening was local girl band,Voxe, featuring ex-Tong student, Lauren Evans, who have been friends since their teenage years. After getting through to the X-Factor Boot Camp, the girls are now enjoying writing their own music, choreographing routines and styling themselves. Last year, their determination paid off as they won Best Original Song at the Live and Unsigned regional finals and had the opportunity to perform at the final, at London’s O2 Arena.

Joining Voxe on stage was Phaze2, another local band. The trio has a fast growing support base in the UK urban scene and performs remixes of its underground releases at some of the country’s most prestigious venues. 

And alongside the two headlines acts was an impressive line-up of talented Tong High School students, including a graffiti artist and DJs, throughout the evening. Tong High School Sixth Form student, Olivia Sewell, has co-managed production of this large event as part of her BTEC subsidiary diploma in Music Performance – and also performed on the night.

Head teacher, Steve Curran, said: “At Tong High School we are proud of our diverse community and were delighted to host an evening to remember for all our students and their families.”

Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) was set up in 2002. Its website states how music 'unites us and gives us strength, and offers a vibrant celebration of our multicultural and multiracial society. Racism seeks only to divide and weaken us.'

To see more pictures from the evening please visit https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTongHighSchool

Last month, Mrs Rani-Sabir and Tong High School beauty therapy students delivered mini treatments for parents at ‘The Parents and Friends Association Ladies Night’ at Hill Top C of E Primary School.
 
Tong High School Students; Ticiana Szalkova, Demi-Leigh Yates, Saysha Rehman, Vicky Phillips and Vicky Denton provided facials, manicures and pedicures for parents. They treated over 10 parents in 20 minute slots over a period of 2 hours and 15 minutes.
 
Debbie Johnston, Parental Involvement Worker from Hill Top C of E Primary School said; “First impressions do count, and when the girls arrived they were all extremely smart, (all wore the same uniform which looked good and inspired confidence) and they were extremely polite and personable.  All of the girls arrived with time to check the resources and the layout of the treatment room.”
 
Clients fed back to the organiser of the event that all of the girls were pleasant and personable and put them at ease. They found the treatment sessions relaxing and were happy with the results.  Debbie Johnston continues; “I took time out of my organising role to have a manicure and loved it! I felt I was in competent hands and enjoyed the pleasant conversation which was instigated by the student –she completely put me at my ease and the results were highly professional.”
 
The event raised about £500 towards new outdoor equipment for Hill Top children. With treatments costing £5 each, the Tong High School team made a significant contribution.
 
The Parents and Friends Association of Hill Top C of E Primary School are extremely grateful for the support given.  
 
Debbie Johnston says; “I would have no hesitation in recommending the treatments of these students to people I know. I am certainly going to attend treatment sessions by the girls at Tong High School whenever possible.”

Tong High School will be inspected by Ofsted on 01 and 02 May 2013. 

Please click here to view letter from Ofsted to Parent/Carer.

If you are a registered parent or carer of ap upil at the school (including pupils on sick leave or who are temporarily excluded), you can tell Ofsted your views about the school by completing Ofsted's online survey, Parent View, at: http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk

Tong High School to launch Alumni for past students. Tong High School is calling on all past students to get in touch and share their memories as it prepares to launch its Alumni.

Since opening in September 1964 under the leadership of Headmaster Mr J Reynish, Tong High School, or Tong Comprehensive as it was known then, has seen thousands of students pass through its doors.

Now almost 50 years later Tong High School wants to reconnect with its alumni. As well as networking, the Alumni will offer an opportunity for past students to reunite and share their aspirational success stories, whilst inspiring existing school students.

In 1965 the first School Magazine ‘Tongward’ (named by then student Janet Rhodes in a school competition) Headmaster, Mr J Reynish wrote: ‘“Beware Beginnings? Let us remember instead that: Mighty things from small beginnings grow”.

The school hopes the Alumni will be representative of students from 1964 onwards, such as first students through the door; Alison Gomersal, Olga O’Brien, Barry Whitfield, Kenneth Parker and Jean Webster all named in the 1965 school magazine. 

The school’s alumni also includes a number of well-known names such as; Curry King Shabir Hussain Chief Executive and Owner of Akbar’s, Lauren Evans from UK girl group Voxe, Aston Villa Midfielder Fabian Delph, International Choreographer Nicola Yellop famous for her Spellbound routine on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, Bradford Bulls forward John Bateman, Umar Zahoorstar of BBC documentary Moon and Stars,  Actor Aqid Khan who made his screen debut in the 2010 film West Is West and the school’s most famous alumni Zayn Malik from global boy band, One Direction.

Tong High School Head teacher, Mr Steve Curran says; “As a school we’ve always encouraged every single one of our students to reach their full potential and recognise that their time at Tong High School is only the beginning of that journey.

“Tong High School believes in the power of partnership; working together to create long lasting relationships with the local community, primary schools, local businesses and organisations.  We are hopeful that past students will join our Tong High School Alumni, bringing together individuals who would like to play a part in the different phases of education - drawing on their extensive experience and expertise to help create the region’s leading learning environment.”

Did you go to Tong Comprehensive or Tong High School?  If so, please send your name, the year you left school, contact details and a little bit of information you feel would be relevant to office@ths.bradford.sch.uk with subject title ‘Alumni’.  For more information about the Tong High School Alumni please visit http://www.tongschool.co.uk/alumni.htm  or call 01274 681455.

Once the names and details of past students have been collated, the school hopes to launch its Alumni in the Summer and will thereafter host networking and CPD opportunities.

Six leaders from all corners of the Commonwealth visited Tong High School as part of the Commonwealth Study Conference 2013 on behalf of HRH Duke of Edinburgh – to address ‘The Power of Global Networks.’ Guests were greeted by Stephen Curran (Head teacher), Trude Feiweles (Associate Head teacher) and Tong High School students, representative of all year groups. 

The visit commenced with a presentation by Stephen Curran, Headteacher which was followed by an opportunity to collectively explore the power of partnerships, student opportunities and aspirational goals. 

Tong High School was approached by Common Purpose to host this study event, looking at how a traditional high school in Bradford is working differently to link itself more closely to its community and local employers.

Commonwealth Leaders; Dave Neita (Director, Elect, UK), Ryan Kubik (Chief Financial Officer, Canadian Oil Sands Ltd, Canada), Raj Gilda (Co-founder, Lend-A-Hand, India), Nemata Majets-Walker (Founder and Executive Director, The 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone), Rishi Kapoor (Integration Programe Head, BA, UK) and Ruth Ashford (Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean, Faculty of Business and Law, Manchester) visited Tong High School on Tuesday 19^thMarch. 

Guests had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the life of Tong High School, experiencing the school’s PRIDE values and commitment to maximise the academic achievement of all students, which is matched by the drive to provide students with the cutting edge experience that will help them stand out when they enter the job market.  

Stephen Curran, Head teacher;“We are delighted that Tong High School has been recognised by the commonwealth leaders as a forward thinking school.  Both staff and students had the opportunity to discuss exciting initiatives, such as the Tong Trust, which is boosting academic outcomes and greatly enhancing employment opportunities for all students.  We will make sure that we take advantage of all the many offers of partnership that this visit presented us with.”

During lunch guests, students and staff had the opportunity to gather in the Love to Learn centre to network and continue discussions. During this time staff and students enjoyed a poem recital by Dave Neitawho is regarded as the People's Lawyer and the People's Poet. Guests were also invited to sample lollipop cakes from the Tong High School student enterprise group, which were extremely well received!

The visited culminated with a carousel tour of the school and the opportunity to sample some lessons.

The Commonwealth Study Conference 2013 brings together a diverse group of senior people who are change makers in their own countries.  

CSCLeaders is delivered by a partnership between HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conferences (UK Fund) and Common Purpose, the international leadership organisation operating in 18 countries which has been giving people the inspiration, skills and connections to become better leaders both at work and in society since 1989.

The Italian Rugby League Team has chosen Tong High School as their home training ground for the 2013  Rugby League World Cup.

During the tournament, players including Anthony Laffranchi, Craig Gower and Anthony Minichiello - who according to the Rugby League World Cup 2013 website are “the ones to watch” - will be practising at the Tong High School facilities, also training site for the Bradford Bulls.

The Rugby League World Cup 2013 team has been assembled to ensure that this autumn’s tournament is the greatest international spectacle the sport has ever seen.

On Tuesday 12th March the 2013 the team and the famous Rugby League World Cup Trophy visited Tong High School as part of its tour around the UK in the build-up to the eagerly awaited event.  This was then be followed by a coaching session with a selected group of mixed aged Tong High School students, delivered by the Bradford Bulls Foundation including Bradford Bulls Players.

Steve Curran, Head teacher at Tong High School, said: “At Tong High School we have seen first-hand the important role sport can play in school life. Sport can help to enhance school values, raise standards of achievement which be vital to students’ development.  We are delighted that Tong High School facilities will be used as a training ground by the Italian Rugby League Teams during the Rugby League World cup event this autumn and it will create a real ‘buzz’ in the city in the run up to this event.”

The tournament’s Opening Ceremony will be at the Millennium Stadium on 26th October and The Final will be played at Old Trafford on 30th November. Matches will be played across the length and breadth of the UK, Ireland and France.  

From Monday 25^th February, we are changing the timetable for all students. Each day will now begin with a 30 minute tutorial lesson from 8.15am-8.45am.  This lesson will be delivered by your child’s tutor and will enable the tutor to be the first point of contact for your child each day. This will go a long way to further strengthening the excellent student-tutor relationships which exist at Tong and allow your child to have a consistent start to each day.

The tutor will have an overview of your child’s progress and behaviour and so will be able to positively comment on any successes straight away as well as remind students of our PRIDE values. Tutors will also be able to address any attendance issues immediately as well as receive any correspondence from home in your child’s planner. As well as planner checks, tutors will be able to ensure that all children are in full uniform and equipped and ready to learn on a daily basis.

As always, we fully appreciate your continued support in helping your child to make progress and as such, we expect every child to arrive at school on time, with full equipment and in full uniform.

If you would like to discuss the change then please do not hesitate to contact your child’s year office.  As well as changes to the school day, there have been some movement of staff and rooms/offices - please click here to view a document which outlines the year groups, tutor groups and rooms. 

We have had concerns about malicious activity via social networking sites, in particular with regards to Facebook.  Local police officers have been informed.

To clarify, our official Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/OfficialTongHighSchool ‘Official Tong High School’.

Along with West Yorkshire Police, we are now urging all of you to report these unofficial sites as they are damaging to our community.

Please log your complaint direct with Facebook;

• Access the page or profile and then click on the 'wheel' icon next to ‘Message’ and scroll down to 'Report/Block'
• The click on the option 'Submit a report' and then ‘report account’ followed by Confirm
• Then tick the box which states ‘this timeline is full of inappropriate content’
• Tick ‘submit a report’ and ‘press continue’

If you have any concerns please don’t hesitate to contact the school on 01274 681455 or e-mail office@ths.bradford.sch.uk

Part of the House of Lords’ Peers in schools outreach programme, Professor the Lord Patel of Bradford visited Tong High School today (Friday 7 December), to encourage students to engage more with the political and parliamentary process.

Lord Patel met with over 40 Tong High School students to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords. This was followed by a question and answer session on various aspects of the parliamentary process and life at Westminster in general.

Professor Lord Patel of Bradford has advised the UK government on its national strategy for the prevention of terrorism with a particular focus on the need to broaden and deepen engagement of local communities.  In his role as an advisor to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government he has brought his experience of community engagement as a researcher and practitioner to the issue of extremist radicalisation and vulnerability to supporting or participating in terrorism.

Trude Feiweles, Associate Headteacher at Tong High School said; “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to interact with someone who knows the parliamentary system inside out.  As part of Lord Patel’s visit, we also heard about his role as leading advocate of community engagement models in the UK for addressing a wide range of issues and link this to the work which the school undertakes around cohesion and diversity.”

This visit was arranged through the Lord Speaker’s “Peers in Schools” programme, which has been running across the UK since 2007 and has so far involved around 50,000 young people.  This continuing outreach programme sends members of the House of Lords into schools and colleges across the country to give talks in support of the citizenship curriculum.  For further information, see the Lord Speaker’s web page at www.parliament.uk/lordspeaker .

Prior to Lord Patel’s visit, Tong High School has been working in partnership with Rewind, discussing anti-racism, extremism and community cohesion - exposing the myths that have been created around issues of ‘Race’ and ‘Racism’ using factual and practical evidence.  This will be followed up after Lord Patel’s visit.

Students from Tong High School in Bradford will join young people from across the UK on Monday 12 November, 2012 as they take part in the annual Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall.

Organised by Music for Youth, in partnership with Bradford Music and Arts Service, the project will see 19 Tong High School students join their colleagues from across the region as they travel to the capital and perform in a showcase of the UK’s most creative young musicians.

The school’s Taiko drummers and singers are part of a composition entitled ‘Vivendi Sounds Bradford Massed Ensemble’ which is being performed by 800 students from the Bradford area and features a wide range of musical styles from orchestral to rock. Year 9 student, Anushka John, will be dancing with a group of 12 students from leading West Yorkshire arts organisation, Kala Sangam; the only south Asian arts company to showcase south Asian dance as part of the music ensemble.

Tong High School Headteacher Steve Curran said: “It’s fantastic that our students have the opportunity to perform at this world class venue and I’m sure it will be a lifelong memory for all those taking part.

“As a school, we specialise in sports and performing arts, with both disciplines allowing our students to continuously push the boundaries of achievement. These are also great vehicles to bring together students from a diverse range of backgrounds; celebrating our school’s diversity and creating an impressive end result.”

Taking place at The Royal Albert Hall between 12-14 November the Schools Prom is a national event which features performances from over 3,000 inspirational young musicians. Find out more at www.mfy.org.uk

Saturday 15th September was our Open Day; between 10-1pm over 350 people came to see the superb facilities at our school. We met with young people and their families to show, explain and talk to them about the range of excellent courses which are on offer at Tong High School.

The day was full of exciting activities and opportunities to see the school in action and our restaurant was open all day providing light refreshments. 

 

 

 

 

At 12:30pm we officially opened our brand new vocational Construction Centre which offers pupils a learning experience like no other. The innovative learning centre will add an extra dimension to our BTEC courses, giving pupils the chance to learn outside the classroom and hone their skills in a ‘real-life’ construction environment.

Created in partnership with leading building and civil engineering company, Moortown Construction, Rex Procter and Partners, Pitts Wilson Electrical and NG Bailey, the converted former caretakers house is part of the school’s ‘Classroom in Construction’ scheme which offers a direct route to employment for students choosing to pursue a career in the industry.

The centre was opened by Jonathan Milnes, Assistant HSEQ Manager at Moortown Construction, alongside Tong High School Headteacher, Steve Curran at a ceremony which took place during the school’s open day.

Picture Comment: Top Row (L-R): Gary Wreford (THS), Steve Curran (THS), Jonathan Milnes (Moortown Construction), Justin Millard (THS), Matthew Whittington (Pitts Wilson) and Laura Hancock (Pitts Wilson)  Bottom Row (L-R): THS Students; James Rothery, Liam Pemberton and Awais Yousaf
 

Tong High School Leads Region’s First Live Twitter Q&A Between Pupils and West Yorkshire Police

Pupils at Tong High School are helping to shape the future of Neighbourhood Policing in Bradford by taking part in the region’s first live Twitter ‘Question and Answer’ between police and students.

The session, which will take place on Friday May 18th from 11 – 12pm, will see a panel of six pupils from the school ‘tweet’ questions about policing in their area over the social networking forum, to West Yorkshire Police Sergeant Brian Watson.

It is hoped the experience will provide Police with valuable information on the issues faced by young people living in the area and help to build a stronger relationship with younger citizens. The students’ feedback will inform future policing initiatives in the region.

The group of students taking part, aged between13 and 18 will ask questions ranging from general queries about how to report a crime, to dealing with noisy neighbours or cyber bullying to specific questions about policing in their neighbourhood.

Steve Curran, Headteacher at Tong High School said: "It is fantastic to have Tong High School students involved in the Region’s very first live Twitter Q&A between pupils and police. The Q&A will give pupils a valuable opportunity to ask any burning questions they may have about policing in their local area and talk to police directly about the issues that affect them. As a multi-cultural co-educational school with 1,600 pupils from a wide variety of backgrounds, we represent a cross section of the wider Bradford community and are therefore in a good position to support this police initiative."

The Twitter Q&A is part of a range of initiatives run by West Yorkshire Police to reach out to young people. One of these schemes is the i12 summer project which is aimed at the 11-18 age group and offers young people a fantastic opportunity to make a positive impact on their communities, learn new life skills and increase confidence.

Young people are asked to get together and think of an idea for a project which will address a concern or problem in their local community and improve where they live.

Sergeant Brian Watson of the Tong and Wyke Neighbourhood Policing Team said:

"We are always looking for innovative ways to engage with young people within our communities.

"The Bradford South Division was the pilot area for West Yorkshire Police in the development of social media and saw the introduction of Facebook and Twitter sites for each of its Neighbourhood Policing Teams.

"Using these online platforms, we have looked at new methods of interaction in order to forge closer links with residents, including You Tube videos from Bradford’s Safer Schools Officers.

"The views of young people are extremely important to us and we know Twitter is a medium which many use on a daily basis. We are therefore looking forward to discussing the issues which matter most to students and hearing their ideas that will ultimately mould policing in the area they live."

Tong High School is a multi-cultural co-educational school for 11-19 year olds which serves a wide area of south east Bradford with 1,600 pupils.  The school was again named among the country’s 100 most-improved schools for the second year running and received personal congratulations by Schools Minister Nick Gibb because of its progress in English and maths GCSE results based on grades A* to C between 2008 and 2011.

Follow the live Twitter Q&A on Friday May 18th 11 – 12pm @Tong_HighSchool @BfdSouthNPT3 #tongandwyke

Students from Tong High School Visit School in Uganda

Global citizenship is on the curriculum at Tong High School in Bradford as students return from a week at the Masaka Secondary School in Uganda.

The initiative forms part of the ‘Connecting Classrooms’ scheme in which students and teachers visited the school to improve cultural awareness and develop global awareness.

The model has been developed to connect teachers with students in other countries and develop connections between secondary and primary schools in the UK.  As part of the scheme Tong High School has connected with schools in Uganda and Nigeria. 

Year 12 students Asad Khan, Aqib Khan and Connor Clancy supported the delivery of lessons in classrooms with up to 90 children and managed cricket and football training.  The students also led three one hour sessions on A-level revision techniques with their counterparts.

Teachers Mr Hickling and Miss Holden from Humanities joined Mr Beresford, who taught a class of 66 using innovative teaching techniques including students pretending to be particles on the first morning.  On the journey from Entebbe to Masaka the group crossed the Equator and had one foot in each hemisphere. 

Student Asad Khan said: “The experience has been a real eye opener.  I was so grateful for the opportunity to visit the school in Uganda and to be selected from all the pupils at Tong.  Before the visit I had already decided I would like to be a teacher.  This is definitely something I am going to –pursue now.  The school in Uganda was so welcoming and has offered me the opportunity to go back and take part in further teaching to support my development.  I am going to ensure I maintain the links with the school and do everything I can to help them and fundraise so they can send students over to Tong High School.”

Jim Beresford, Deputy Head Teacher, said: “I am enormously proud of the students involved in this initiative for the commitment they have shown to this scheme.  Global citizenship is very important in this increasingly small world we live in. 

"This is an important scheme as it supports the global citizenship curriculum.  Asad, Aqib and Connor are already planning fundraising initiatives to ensure we continue these interesting and important connections."

Tong High School is a multi-cultural co-educational school for 11-19 year olds which serves a wide area of south east Bradford with 1,600 pupils.  The school was one of 105 secondary schools across the country to recently receive personal congratulations by Schools Minister Nick Gibb because of its progress in English and maths GCSE results based on grades A* to C between 2008 and 2011. Follow the school on Twitter at @Tong_HighSchool.