Interesting News Article today

The BBC has a great article today about how peer mentoring in young children can greatly help increase reading levels and maths ability, one of the many aspects that is naturally present in a Montessori classroom where older children, or children who have already learnt how to do something, teach their peers. This happens in all subjects, not just maths and reading, and at Parkfield New School this will be commonplace, not just in the primary years, but with our House system encompassing Years 7-11 in the secondary years, older students will also be given this opportunity in their individual learning time, which will take part every afternoon.

You can read the BBC article here.

Guidance on LA Admissions

It is only a matter of weeks until we find out if we have the go ahead from the Department for Education to open. Many of you have been asking us about admissions, particularly now the Local Authority's admissions process has opened.

We have issued a guidance sheet for all parents, particularly those who have a child entering into Reception, Year 7 (Bournemouth) or Year 8 (Poole), or who have a child transferring from Infants to Junior School in 2012 with regards to Local Authority admissions and applying to Parkfield New School for a school place. 

We recommend that you read this as it is important that you apply for school places for your child via the LA, and also to Parkfield once our applications process opens. You will not find a reference to Parkfield New School in the LA list of schools. This is because we have not had the final green light from the DfE.

The guidance sheet can be found on our website here..

If you are looking to transfer your child to Parkfield New School from their existing school outside of the normal transfer years, there is also information on this guidance sheet which will be relevant to your application to Parkfield, although this will be reissued to you once our admissions window opens in November.

We will be in touch in the coming weeks with the outcome of our application. 

Less than a month to go

There is less than a month to go until we find out if Parkfield New School has been given the go ahead to open in September 2012. Watch this space for more information.

Toby Welstead, Donna Goult and Jo Galloway outside the DfE offices after our meeting.