Carcroft School

Last term we launched our new logo, however, we had a couple of queries from parents regarding the process and how we achieved the result in which we did. I shared with parents that I would ask the Graphic Designer whom we worked alongside to provide a little more insight into the design process, in order to clarify how we reached our final design as he has a much better understanding of this than I do, this is outlined below. I hope that this helps to further clarify the process for any parents who did have any queries.

Account from Ricky Elderkin, Graphic Designer at XP Trust.

The creation of the new logo was very much a professional, real world process and experience that we wanted to share with and include, as much as possible within the construct of the brief, everyone at Carcroft School.

After the participating students had drawn up their ideas, they chose a shortlist of five designs and handed them over to XP Trust Comms Crew to begin refining, developing and bringing to fruition.

It was extremely clear, from the concepts submitted, that there was a strong emphasis on community and unity, and what it means to be Crew, along with pride in both the regional and local industrial history that has shaped Carcroft. 

Assets like the mining wheel and tools, and the pervasive use of rainbow colours, a defining characteristic of the pandemic response, and, coincidentally, the brand colours of XP Trust, were very present in the work. It spoke to us and gave us a clear conceptual angle to get behind, explore and develop.

With all the schools in the Trust working towards cleaner, simpler, more-synergised brand solutions, the miners wheel designs that the students submitted had immediate resonance, in terms of satisfying that criteria and being a potent, practical and universally-recognisable symbol.

By rotating the conventional, semi-circular representations of a miners wheel through 90 degrees to make the ‘C’ shape, and then colouring the spokes from single colour (red, black or white depending on application) up through the XP Trust rainbow colour spectrum, a simple, vibrant logo emerged that represents unity, positivity, progression and development within the school, the community and its legacy. 

The concepts developed by XPT Comms were critiqued by the participating students and Expedition leads at each stage of submission. Their input/feedback informed the next phase of developments until we arrived at a final, chosen concept.

As I shared before the half term break, I, along with the other leaders really love the final design, in particular, I love the way in which it symbolises ‘Carcroft’, ‘Crew’ and ‘community’ all in one which was what we hoped to achieve as this was something that came through from the children’s designs.

We understand that we are not always going to be able to please everyone with something such as this, but I do hope that parents can see that we have tried to involve the children in the full process, in order to further develop their understanding of how this works in a real life context. In addition, hopefully, parents can see that the Graphic Designer has tried to capture all aspects of the children’s work whilst also making it work for the XP Suite of Logos too.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ricky, the Graphic Designer for taking the time to provide further detail regarding how the process works in order to provide parents with a little more clarity around the whole process.

I do hope that for those parents who voiced that they could not necessarily see the children’s work in the final design, that you can now possibly see that the children’s voice was very much at the heart of the whole process.

I can’t wait to see the new logo above our school doors when we open in September, as well as seeing the children in their red uniform with the logo on for those that choose to do so.

Thank you again for your continued support,

Miss Laing

Headteacher

Last term , the pupils of Carcroft started to work on a new logo design ready for when we academise and join the XP Trust. As I shared previously, I felt that this was a really good time for us to have a ‘rebrand’ and as part of the rebrand, create a new logo which is representative of our school and community as the pupils perceive it today.

Unfortunately, our academisation date has now been pushed back due to some complications around land and boundary fencing, so we will no longer convert on the 1st June 2021 as hoped. This is nothing to worry about, it just means that we will convert either next month or in September, but everything is very much underway.

With this in mind, we have decided that we would still love to reveal our new logo with our community, as we know many of you are starting to organise uniforms for September and we wanted to share this with our school community beforehand.

The work has been driven by the pupils of Carcroft and then a Graphic Designer from the trust used the children’s work and their voice to create something that will stand out from the crowd, whilst really ensuring that the community of Carcroft sits right at the heart of our logo.

Click here to view our very special reveal video…. https://youtu.be/s7P1inLTzFE

We really love our new image and hope you love it too….

Miss Laing

Headteacher

We are fast approaching the end of this half term and I shared earlier in the year that I was expecting my first baby so I would be going on maternity leave later in the year. The weeks have flown by and I will soon be starting my maternity leave, therefore, I just wanted to update parents with plans for leadership cover during my absence.

My last day will be Friday 18th June which will allow me to have a couple of days rest (hopefully) before my due date which is Monday 21st June; I will have two weeks back in school after the half term break.

I am so incredibly proud of how far we have come as a school this year despite the challenges faced by C-19 and I am confident that the leadership team, along with the Executive Team from the XP Trust will continue to drive the school forward, to be the best we can be for our pupils.

You may, or may not be aware, but during the Summer Term last year, ahead of September, we created a new Senior Leadership Team structure, following our Ofsted Monitoring Inspection, whereby the inspector acknowledged that the school had faced significant staffing turbulence including some instability in terms of leadership due to maternity leaves during the previous 12 months.

Therefore, it was my goal to create a leadership structure that would provide the capacity required in order to rapidly improve the school, and would even allow for this to happen if a member of the Senior Team was to go on maternity leave.

The additional capacity in terms of leadership this year has supported me as Headteacher to accelerate progress made within the school and will now also provide the stability in which the school needs whilst I am on maternity leave.

From September, the Carcroft Senior Leadership Team will be as follows:

Mrs Lythe- Business Manager (Business/Admin)

Miss Whitehead- Head of EYFS 1 and 2 (EYFS)

Mr Longley- Head of Year 1 and 2 (KS1)

Mr Tucker- Head of Year 3 and 4 (Lower KS2)

Mrs Fox- Head of Year 5 and 6 (Upper KS2)

This fabulous team of people have supported me this year and understand the way in which our school works and fully understand how to best meet the needs of our pupils and our families. We would not have made the amazing progress in which we have this year without them.

This academic year, parents and carers have already made contact with their Head of Key Stage/Phase Leader when they have had any problems and rarely have I been needed to get involved, as leaders have been able to effectively deal with any problems without my support.

In 2021/2022 and beyond, this is a model in which we would love to develop further, whereby Parents and Carers work with their Child’s Class Teacher to resolve anything in the first instance but then make contact with the Head of Key Stage if they are still not satisfied.

I am confident that Leaders will work with you to resolve the issue, however, there will be an additional layer of leadership whilst I am on maternity leave to support in case of any problems which is kindly being provided by the XP Trust.

Mr Butler, Executive Headteacher from the XP Trust will oversee the school during my maternity leave, spending approximately 50% of his week at the site and managing remotely for the remaining 50%. He will mainly support the Heads of Key Stage in order to further develop as leaders, who will in turn, in theory run their own mini school within a school- a model in which we have been developing together this year. Mr Butler has already worked with the leaders at Carcroft and already has a good understanding of the way in which the school works, as we have based much of our improvement work upon the XP model this academic year, so in terms of transition, it should be nice and smooth.

I know that together, Mr Butler and the Senior Team will do a fabulous job in terms of moving our school forward during my 9 months of leave and I will never be too far away.

I am sure that I will see many of you during the Summer Term because all being well we are hoping to be able to host some of our annual summer events and I would love to attend, albeit with baby in tow.

Finally, I will also be attending the Y6 Prom and Leavers event during the last week, in order to wish them farewell and the best of luck for the future.

So, in case I do not get the chance to do so, I would like to thank parents for being absolutely amazing this academic year, it’s been such a difficult year for everyone; leading a school during a pandemic has been far from easy, but with your help and support, we have done amazing and achieved such great things.

Have a lovely half term break when we get there.

Regards,

Miss Laing

Headteacher