Category: More News

Saturday 2 December 2006
BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE ? CHRISTMAS CAROL.
An opportunity to brush up on current or old signing skills in a fun and relaxing day by signing a
Christmas carol in a group. Cost

OXFORDSHIRE’S GCSE pass rate has risen and the number of pupils achieving five good GCSEs, including English and maths, has risen according to provisional figures released today.

56.4 per cent of the county?s pupils achieved five or more A*-C passes at GCSE, an increase of two percentage points on last year and broadly in line with the national average for state schools (57%).

The figures, including English and maths, also show improvement with 47.3 per cent making the grade, compared with 43.8 per cent nationally.

Most Oxfordshire schools have made real progress under data analysis produced by the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) that the county uses, among others, to measure performance.

This shows how individual pupils should perform by taking their prior attainment into account together with factors such as gender, ethnicity, special educational needs, entitlement to free school meals, month of birth and progress.

Initial FFT data show the overwhelming majority of secondary schools did better or as well as expected on the 5+A*-C including English and maths measure.

The provisional A-level results also show an improvement with the average point score per entry at 78.9 up from 77.1 in 2005. The average point score per student rose from 257 to 264 (these figures include further education colleges as well as Oxfordshire state schools)

The county council?s Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement, Councillor Michael Waine, said: ?The overall picture is very promising and I am delighted that together our schools have improved on last year?s performance. This is a reflection of all the hard work of students, teaching staff and the whole school community.
?We are keen to build on this still further which is one of the reasons why we are placing a strong focus on Fischer Family Trust data which gives a real insight into the progress pupils are making from one year to the next.?

THE county council?s Chief Executive will be visiting Chinnor and Towersey on tomorrow, Friday, October 20, as part of a series of visits she will be making across Oxfordshire.
Joanna Simons will join the member for Thame and Chinnor, Cllr David Wilmshurst, for a tour of two local schools and Chinnor Library, and for a discussion session with local representatives.

The tour begins at 9:45am with a visit to Mill Lane Primary School and the Jack and Jill Pre School.

The Chief Executive?s next stop will be St Andrews C of E Primary School from 10:15am and includes a visit to the Autism Resource Base attached to the school which provides support for children with autism aged 5-11 years.

The visit includes a tour of Chinnor Library from 11:15am and rounds off with a discussion about local issues with key members of Chinnor and Towersey parish councils.

Joanna Simons said: ?I?m looking forward to the visit and, in particular, finding out more about the issues that really matter to people in the local area.?

NB As Chief Executive, Joanna is head of the paid service (i.e the council’s workforce) and is responsible to the council for carrying out its work. She is the principal link between councillors and staff, and chairs the council’s management team.

FOLLOWING a recent public meeting, at which Thame and Chinnor Friends of the Earth urged Boris Johnson to support a Climate Change Bill, the MP has written to the the group.
Thame and Chinnor FOE have achieved the aim of the National Body – ‘The Big Ask’ – to persuade their local MP to ask for a Climate Change Bill to be included in the next Queen’s Speech, which outlines the government’s legislative plans for the coming Parliament.
In his letter to Thame & Chinnor Friends of the Earth, Boris says that he has now written to Tony Blair urging him to put a climate change bill in the Queen’s speech.

A climate change bill, which could see regular targets put in place to cut UK carbon dioxide emissions, is apparently being considered by the government.

NB Sustainable Wallingford has arranged for ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ to be shown at the Corn Exchange on Sunday 5th and Monday 6th Nov, starting at 7.30. It should finish about 9.15 and will be followed by a discussion for those interested (Sunday night only). Normal cinema admission ticket prices of

OXFORDSHIRE firefighters have launched a hard-hitting campaign to keep 365 more people alive in the county over the next 10 years.
365 Alive is a 10-year strategy from the Fire and Rescue Service which focuses on preventing road accidents and fires before they happen. It aims to achieve the following by 2016:
365 more people alive,

ACORDING to a childrens’ charity, thousands of pounds are available to the parents or guardians of sick or disabled children who need to buy vital equipment.
The childrens’ charity, BDF Newlife, can fund anything from special needs car seats to motorized wheelchairs, or even sensory equipment.
The charity is now urging parents in Oxfordshire to make the most of the money because no one from the county as applied for cash since the scheme was launched two years ago.

To find out if you can benefit, log on to: Link

A 4ft high ice sculpture of the Prime Minister’s head encased around a first edition, was unveiled on Tuesday, to launch a book about climate change.
The SCC’s, (Stop Climate Chaos coalition) book `I Count: Your step-by-step guide to climate bliss’, will be available in all major bookshops from Thursday, October 19.

SCC also publicised an ‘I Count’ mass public event at London’s Trafalgar Square on Saturday, November 4, on the eve of global climate change talks in Nairobi when thousands are expected to turn out and `be counted’.

SCC is a growing coalition on climate change, bringing together environment and development organisations, unions, faith, community and women’s groups. Members include Friends of the Earth, RSPB, Greenpeace, WWF, Oxfam, Tearfund, Christian Aid, the Women’s Institute and UNISON.

I Count is designed to inspire personal and political action and counter the view that climate change is too big a problem to fix. The campaign has already gained support, from leading environmentalists to global poverty campaigners.

“I Count because the world is facing its greatest man-made threat ever – climate change. Urgent action is needed – by individuals and most of all governments. Without political will, action on the scale required will not be possible.” Sir David Attenborough

“I Count because I care about the millions of people living in poor countries that will be hit first and worst by climate change”. Annie Lennox

The I Count pocket sized book, published by Penguin, outlines 16 essential steps that take you from The Power of Off and Rejecting the Ridiculous, to the Magic of Sharing. It provides practical and entertaining guidance on how people can reduce their personal carbon dioxide emissions, and encourages them to place pressure on politicians to take action too. The book costs

Thomley Activity Centre – Listings for 3rd October, to 23rd December, 2006.
o Wednesday to Friday ? school term time ? Open to special schools and mainstream schools who include students with additional learning needs. Activities can be tailor-made to compliment school projects.

o Saturday 14th October ? Family day – Open to children with disabilities and their families and friends to enjoy our soft play room, music room, craft room, play rooms, swings, roundabout, aerial zip wire etc.

o 20th October – 28th October ? School Holidays (not open Sunday or Monday) holiday activities for children with disabilities, their families and friends. Friday 27th October is our Community Day when we are open to all. Fancy dress Halloween party on Saturday 28th October (open to all) including party games, apple bobbing, pumpkin carving etc. Many more exciting activities planned all week, please ring for a holiday planner.

o Saturday 4th November ? Community Day – Open to children with and without disabilities and their families to enjoy our soft play room, music room, craft room, play rooms, swings, roundabout, aerial zip wire etc.

o Tuesday 7th November ? 16+ Day ? Open to adults with disabilites and their carers to come and make new friends in a relaxing rural environment, be creative, chill out in the sensory room and garden, or just have a chat and a cup of tea?

o Saturday 11th November ? Family day – Open to children with disabilities and their families and friends to enjoy our soft play room, music room, craft room, play rooms, swings, roundabout, aerial zip wire etc.

o Tuesday 14th November ? Pre-school Play day ? Open to toddlers with and without disabilities and their parents/carers to enjoy our soft play room, music room, craft room, play rooms, swings and roundabouts. ?Tic Toc? singing, dancing and games workshop 11am ? 12pm

o Saturday 18th November ? Family day – Open to children with disabilities and their families and friends to enjoy our soft play room, music room, craft room, play rooms, swings, roundabout, aerial zip wire etc.

o Tuesday 21st November ? Saturday 25th November ? THE CENTRE IS CLOSED FOR ESSENTIAL SITE MAINTENANCE?

BARLEY Hill school’s PTA Ball, at the Spread Eagle Hotel in Thame, was a huge success, raising over

FAMILY Learning Week in Oxfordshire has grown this year from to three (7 ? 29 October), giving families across the county even more opportunities to discover something new together.
Between October 7 and 29 there will be events, drop-ins and courses that will take place in schools, libraries, museums and galleries, as well as family, garden and sports centres. Puppet-making, recycled art, story time, Egyptian fun and science with chocolate are just a few of the events on offer. Family Learning Weeks in Oxfordshire are part of a national campaign run every year by the Campaign for Learning.
For further information, visit the Oxfordshire County Council website: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk, or ring the national information line on 0800 100 900.