I am delighted to have been asked to contribute regular articles to the Epping Forest Guardian, as the Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar.
The Ongar part of my constituency covers part of West Essex, and contains some of the most beautiful and friendly villages in my constituency.
Many of the secondary school age children in this area attend The Ongar Academy, a school which still feels very new but is actually celebrating the tenth anniversary of the school in its current form this year.
I recently visited The Ongar Academy to meet its headteacher, Jonathan Sands, and Chair of Governors, Brian Payne to catch up with how the school is doing in its tenth year.
Mr Sands has been in post for just over a year and I was very impressed by his grip on and vision for the school. I am looking forward to working with him for what I hope will be a long time to come.
With just under 500 students attending The Ongar Academy, it is possible for staff to have a good knowledge of each and every pupil. Mr Sands told me all staff positions are filled, and there is a low turnover of staff, so confidence and team happiness is high.
I was also very impressed with Mr Sands decision to bring in a system of rewarding good behaviour, rather than punishing poor behaviour. If you remember your books and pen for a lesson, you get points. If you forget them, you miss out on those points. And at The Ongar Academy, points mean prizes. For the younger years this might be a badge, for the Year 11s a certain number of points need to be achieved if they want to go to the end of school Prom.
There’s still work to be done, but there was a positive feeling within the school which felt good, and I am looking forward to seeing The Ongar Academy thrive in the coming years.
