Click on the link below to download the pdf newsletter. • December 2009 • February 2010 • December 2010 • February 2011

HEADTEACHER SALARY
Following a request from a parent governor, we have decided to publish details of the salary of Mark Elms, Headteacher of Tidemill Academy. As an Academy, we are legally required to publish this and other financial information in our annual accounts at the end of the financial year.  By publishing this information ahead of our obligations we are acting in the conviction that the school is now and will continue to be, a transparent and open-minded establishment that provides an outstanding education for pupils from the local community.

The work referred to in the additional payment details column has resulted in considerable additional income for Tidemill Academy – more than £100,000 in 2010/11 and to date, more than £75,000 in 2011/12.  This additional income has been generated through Mr. Elms’ leadership work with nationally important educational bodies and initiatives.  The income has enabled the school to significantly enhance the provision of education for our pupils and for us to remain an outstanding school.
Keith Geary, Chair of Governors

PARENT TOURS
A number of parents have been asking when they will be able to see the new building and we are pleased to announce that tours have been scheduled for Friday 30th December at 2pm, 3pm, 4pm and 5pm.
Any parents/carers that would like to join the tour should contact the school office before the end of term or email businessmanager@tidemill.lewisham.sch.uk during the holidays. There will be spaces for 48 parents/carers at each of the times listed above to enable as many parents to see the new building before the children return in January as possible.

NEW SCHOOL UPDATES
We are pleased to inform you that, after many delays, the new school has finally been handed over so the fit out programme can commence. The builders are still on site completing snagging works but our furniture and equipment installs have now started. During December we will be installing furniture, a sensory room, computers and AV equipment, a voice amplification system in the classrooms, a new telephone system, playground equipment and a high specification sound and lighting system for the main hall. We will be closing early for Christmas so we can pack up the old school, move and set up in the new building and also get staff trained on the new equipment.

For further details regarding dates, activity and play scheme provisions click here.

TIDEMILL ACADEMY
We are delighted to announce that, after a long and extensive consultation, Tidemill Primary School has now become one of a select group of outstanding primary schools who have converted to become an Academy.
This has been a complex decision for the Governors who spent over a year considering the financial implications, assessing if there were any equality considerations and consulting with staff, parents, the local community and the local authority. After these robust deliberations, the Governing Body voted to make an application to convert to an academy in May 2011. TUPE and conversion work has been ongoing since this time and we were delighted to receive the notification from the Secretary of State at the end of August confirming a conversion date of 1st September 2011

Ten years ago, Tidemill was a school in special measures, failing local children. Over the last decade, our school has been on an incredible journey, achieving OFSTED "outstanding" status in 2008 and recognised by the former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families as one of Britain's top-performing primary schools. We are proud to provide a world-class education for children in one of the most deprived parts of London. The decision to become an Academy is the next step in this journey.

Tidemill will continue to provide a quality education for all children in Deptford and the local area. The school remains in the state sector and there are no plans to change its admissions criteria. Tidemill School will continue to play an active role in the local community, alongside our neighbouring schools and local partners, making sure that Deptford children have the best possible start in life."

Everybody Writes
Tidemill were interested in running an Everybody Writes Day to launch Everybody Writes in the school. The project was received very positively by children who enjoyed the ‘special’ nature of the day and were enthusiastic about the activities. Staff were also enthusiastic and commented that it had been worth the effort and an enjoyable day.