News from BEST October 2009
The co-location project design/planning stage is now complete and we have submitted documents to CBLA for planning permission. The drawings are available here - 3D colour views and Proposed Drawings. Also you can view the proposed location of this building within the Samuel Whitbread site. A news update is available here.
Further work has been done on our five strands of development. There was a presentation made in October 2009 to the BEST Board of Trustees of the BEST development plan. A PDF version of this presentation is available here. We would like to involve as many people as we can in the detailed development of these plans, if you are a member of staff, a parent, a student, live in the community or represent a community organisation contact us at best@swcc.beds.sch.uk
Partnered with the Cooperative College, BEST is now embarking on a campaign to recruit members. The structure of the trust allows all members of our community to join BEST in one of five constituencies, staff, parents, students, community and community organisations. Members of our trust are then eligible to represent their constituency on one of the three regional forums, which are based around the catchments of the three middle schools. Forum members are then eligible to be elected onto the Board of Trustees, making BEST a truly democratic organisation.
Take a look at our vision, mission and action plan statements and if you are interested in developing and improving the education of over 6000 children and young people who live and go to school in the Samuel Whitbread catchment, contact us for further details on best@swcc.beds.sch.uk
We have a number of competitions running at the moment. BEST photography, BEST Film and BEST Poetry around the theme of "Community", as well as a school based project themed, "Sustainable Energy and Transport". We have three prizes of £50 (in tokens) for each of the winners in each of the three competitions as well as £450 for the winners’ schools to start their own photography, film or media club. Each school in the pyramid can apply to BEST for at least £100 to help finance their pupils’ entries to the "Sustainable Energy and Transport" projects (view the poster). Details of the Photography, Film and Poetry competitions can be found by clicking on each topic..
The projects, photographs, films and poems will be displayed and performed at the BEST Festival which will take place at SWCC during the week of 12th to 16th July 2010. We are inviting all schools to bring their work and performances to the festival. So, if you have a school drama piece, artwork, curriculum display or any other exhibition or performance that you would like to take to a bigger audience contact us at best@swcc.beds.sch.uk, let us know what you would like to do and we will find a time and space for your children to display or perform their work.
Full details can be found in the latest BEST Newsletter.
BEST Consultancy
The Chief Executive Officer, Ian F Kite, and Company Secretary, Cathy Bailey, have taken the schools in the Samuel Whitbread College pyramid through acquisition and developed a 21st Century School concept and made it a reality. Ten schools now belong to BEST and more are due to join. BEST is a multi-school cooperative trust and its structure is perfectly suited to rural catchments but will also enable the groups of schools to fully engage with their community in urban settings.
BEST Webshop
We are investigating the possibilities of a web-based shop for BEST schools uniform, stationary and equipment. Parents would log onto the BEST Website and follow the BESTWebshop link to the shop. Items would then be chosen and paid for by credit or debit card and delivered to the purchaser’s home.
BEST Capital Projects
BEST and its partners offer a complete design and build service. Making low carbon communities happen, reducing the carbon foot print for local authority, school and other public buildings.
