Some Good News

It's really nice to bring some good news as opposed to the low level grumbling I often seem to find myself writing. Today we heard that the school has been shortlisted in two PfS Excellence in BSF Awards categories: Best Refurbished School and Most Inspirational OutsideSpace. In addition, Jestico and Whiles (our architects) has been shortlisted for Best Client Design Advisor for their work in Newham.

Looking back over my blog I think I have been consistently high in my praise for Jestico & Whiles, so obviously think the nominations are well deserved. The winners are announced on November 12th, so fingers crossed for them and also, I guess, us.

If you are interested in looking around our award nominated facilities, we are holding a Drop-in event on 20 October between 4.30 and 6pm (last tour at 5.30), so come along for a guided tour, a cup of tea and a flapjack. Anyone is welcome.

In other news, things are settling down after the chaos at the beginning of the term, and plans are already beginning for the third and final decant next May/June. I suspect decants must be like childbirth with memories of the pain diminishing as time goes by. Many of the problems we faced with ICT and facilities are now under control, and the focus at present is establishing how services will run on an ongoing basis. FM has had about 5 months to establish itself (though much still needs to be resolved on contractual division of duties), but the ICT service really feels as if everything has just been thrown up in the air and we're waiting to see how the bits land. If nothing else it has made me:

a) realise I neither knew nor cared about toners, cables, bulbs, white-board pens etc. I now need to know lots about them and am climbing a steep slope of learning.
b) appreciate how much we took for granted.

Hmm. That's beginning to sound like low-level grumbling. I'll stop now.