Page 34 - link magazine

34 The Link Magazine • May 1999
Open day at Peatmoor School
Parents planning to send their children to the new Peatmoor School
in September have the chance to tour the building on Saturday 8 May.
Headteacher Terri Peacock, right, Mrs Peacock. "People interested
For all your
some of her staff and school gover- in seeing the community facilities
PC Upgrades nors will be conducting visits at 15 built into the school are also wel-
Phone For A Free Quote minute intervals between 9.30am come to visit, but all children must
and 11.15am. be accompanied."
(01793) 485750
"It's very exciting to be able to For information about Peat-
Anytime show off the school to parents and moor School, call Mrs Peacock on
Prices include home delivery children well before it opens," said 463124.
and installation
Abbey Meads head to meet parents
Marilyn Brown, headteacher of Abbey Meads community primary
school will be available to meet prospective parents at the Haydon
Visit our website at:
htt Wick parish council offices on 18 May and 15 June. She can also be
contacted on 463160.
Will it be built in time?
pDOW1AR In September up to 300 eleven year olds expect to start year 7 at
Greendown School. But there may be no where for them to go.
NURSERY & PRE-PREP An 11 classroom extension, in- Chairman of governors Andrew
cluding a new music block and Basson commented, "I have been
Individual Care sports changing rooms, has been assured by the Chief Education Of-
Individual learning at agreed by Swindon Borough ficer that the new classrooms will be
Prior Park Preparatory School Council - but construction has not ready for the September intake to
even started. ensure Greendown can cope with
Cricklade, Wiltshire A budget of £850,000 had been the rising student roll, which is a
agreed, but quotes for erecting the result of its popularity."
For children aged 6 months to 7 years (out of scho
semi-permanent flat roof buildings Even with the new extension,
and holiday provision 7.45am - 6.30pm)
have come in at £900,000. The Ofsted inspectors who visited the
Please contact Shelagh Hanbury B.Ed (Hons) council's education committee has school earlier in the year are ex-
Rajvindar Kular B.A (Hons) ^'I had to call upon the policy and pected to criticise the limited
resources committee for an extra amount of accommodation.
TELEPHONE (01793) 752600 £340,000 to cover the costs and The school will be expected to
ensure that the school has enough cater for 1,300 students by Sep-
for furniture and books. tember 2001.

( CHINESE MEAL Books boost for schools
Every school in Swindon has received an extra £2,000 to spend on
books as part of the Government's drive to raise literacy standards.
Schools have until the end of Local schools are delighted.
July to spend the windfall grant, Toothill School headteacher Rich-
Take Away and Home Delivery which tops up the £1,000 granted ard Jackson said, "it's good to have
in 1998. the money to build up our range of
AUTHENTIC PEKING, SZECHUAN, CANTONESE, Councillor Jo Garton, chair of books and support the work we're
VEGETARIAN AND ORIENTAL CUISINE Swindon's education committee, doing in the literacy hour."
commented, "the Goverrnment However, heads point out that,
has set some ambitious targets for although it sounds a lot, £2,000
LEAs to achieve. Working in part- does not go very far. In a 14 class
nership with our schools on lit- school, it would buy six or seven
eracy and initiatives such as the large books per class.
National Year of Reading will con- • Ariotof reading broke out across
tribute to realising these targets. the town on 23 April when Swin-
Books are expensive and schools don Borough Council launched Get
can never have enough of them. Swindon Reading. Footballers,pi-
Introducing books to children at lots, policeman, poets, personali-
school gives them an insight into ties and politicians spread out to
the joy they can derive from read- schools to promote all things good
ing for the rest of their lives." about books and reading.

Schools struggle to keep up with IT
Telephone 01793 849388 Schools throughout Swindon are struggling to keep up with IT
demands whilst receiving only minimal funding to do so.
116 High Street, Wootton Bassett Computers are now a fact of life and, quite rightly, the government
Open 6 days a week: 5.00pm - 11.30pm has been placing great emphasis on their use in schools. But, asks
headteacher Keith Burke of Shaw Ridge School, "if companies can't
Closed on Mondays • Open Bank Holiday Mondays
keep up with IT developments, what can schools do?
"Like most schools, we have a wide range of computers; many are
incompatible with each other. Where is our technical support coming
from? And is this really what parents should be raising money for -
basic equipment, required as part of the core curriculum?"