April 27th 2018

 Assemblies w/b 30th
Theme: Positive mental Health
Assemblies are led by Simon Wright
Thought for the Week
“A wise therapist taught me that anger is the emotion we snatch up to avoid less comfortable feelings – confusion, fear, sadness.”
“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.”

 

Dates for your diary

 7th May May Bank Holiday
14th May First GCSE Examinations

 Headteacher blog:

We thought parents may find it helpful to receive an update of the work completed by the Governing Body. 
 
At our full Governor meeting last week, the Governors received reports on a range of areas. These included an update on staffing and Uttoxeter Learning Trust. Governors then received one of the termly presentations from a Head of Department on current initiatives and interventions in their subject area. Following this, the plans for improving the building were discussed. Finally, the County Council catergorisation of schools was shared.  For 2017/2018, Thomas Alleyne’s High School has been judged to be a category 1 school. This is the highest category that any school can be placed in and is based on academic achievement, safeguarding and finance.
 
On a different note, we were thrilled to hear that one of our students, Max Hayes from Year 9, has reached the final of  ‘Young Blogger Awards’. Max is one of only ten finalists and has been invited to the awards presentation at Alexandra Palace in London on May 17th. Please consider voting for Max at https://www.footballbloggingawards.co.uk/about/vote-now-football-blogging-awards/ . It would be wonderful to see him win the competition! If you have never seen Max before then please take a look at what he achieved at Christmas! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZCsomwPo08  Whenever my husband and I watch Match Day with Max, we are well entertained.
We would also like to congratulate Maddie Andrews, Alex Ford, Abbie Hulbert, Ewan Lunn and Caitlin Palmer for their success in the Rotary Young Writer competition and our footballers for winning the Sentinel Shield semi-final. We look forward to seeing you in the finals!
Finally, we wish our ‘TAHS Olympic Readers Team’ luck in shadowing the Carnegie Book Award over the next 5 weeks. Their challenge is to read the 8 books which have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Book Award. See more at http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/carnegie-current-shortlist.php
 

6th form

 

It has been a busy week, lots going on which will have a long lasting impact on our community as well our students.  It is always a privilege for the school to support the local community and this week we know that we have done that.

Mrs Walton helped to make history this week by being involved with the Dedication Service of the new plaques at the local Uttoxeter War Memorial.  This is her account:

On Wednesday 25th April I had the pleasure of accompanying our Head Boy – Ryan Wiggins and Head Girl – Iona Barron to the Dedication Service being held at the Uttoxeter War Memorial.

Ryan and Iona were invited to read the poem Flanders Fields during the service.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

 We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

By John McCrae May 1915

The dedication service was being held to honour the memory of 46 servicemen whose names had been omitted from the original bronze memorial panels.

Also involved in the service was Year 13 student Karl Stanley.  He was playing as a member of Uttoxeter Brass Band and also played the Last Post.

Thomas Alleyne’s High School are proud to have been a part of this is dedication.

Mrs Walton – 6th Form Administrator

Living locally I know that there can be certain issues that we may discuss with family and work colleagues, as a sixth form we have taken positive steps to address one of those topics. Safer driving. By giving our Year 12 the opportunity to see the dangers of driving inconsiderately and driving at speed we hope to encourage to be more thoughtful when using the road and to think of others.

On Thursday 26th April Kevin Wilcox from Staffordshire County Council came in and gave a presentation to Year 12 students. This included talking about many issues relating to young drivers and passengers, focusing on the use of mobile phones in cars, the use of seatbelts, and peer pressure. The presentation also included a film which is a true story about Cassie Cowen.

Also on the theme of community Burton Albion Community trust gave a presentation to the Year 12 and 13 students to raise awareness of the celebrity football match that is taking place at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton on Sunday 29th April. To help promote the game they were able to bring James Argent, from The Only Way Is Essex, to talk to the students about the charity and to allow the students, if they want, to have a ‘selfie’ with him.  He Tweeted  about his visit to the school and posted a picture to the account. Photographs to follow.

Lastly I would like to promote the opportunity for two of our Year 12 students to be involved in an amazing opportunity to be enrolled on Rotary Youth Leadership Course.  The dates for the course are August 12th until August 17th, and it is being held near Stone. He course will challenge students physically as well as mentally in a variety of events testing their problem solving and communication skills. During the week long course you will receive a mentor from within the Rotary Club.  It can be used to towards the Duke of Edinburgh Award but it will also help you stand out on job and apprenticeship applications as well as UCAS applications.  If you child is interested could you please ask them to come and see Mrs Young to get further information. 

GCSE+

The latest round of GCSE+ continues for one more week,  All year 11 pupils attended 20 minutes intensive revision sessions during form time.  The core subjects are the main focus of the sessions this time around.  

Interventions

Please be reminded of the interventions available to pupils as listed below:

Pastoral Students of the Week

Harry Meredith-Wood for helping his fellow students.
Eve Bednall, Sarinder Kirkham, Alice Boothby, Eleanor McCarthy and Holly Chatfield for delivering excellent assemblies to middle school students about their transition in September.

 

German Speaking Exams

Good luck to all students taking their German speaking exams next week, revise hard!

Save the Date!
Tues 26th June 2018- Art department Exhibition

Please note that the Art Department Exhibition will be open to the public on Tuesday 26th June 5-7pm, and is a great chance to see a lot of the wonderful work that our students have produced. There is hours and hours of dedicated work in Art, Craft & Design, Photography from Year 9-year 13 on display and a chance to talk to some of the 6th form artists about their work.

beau

Please see the information below about 6 year old Beau. With many other organisations TAHS would like to support this charity on Friday 15th June.
Staff & students are invited to donate  £1 to wear silly socks for the day, with all funds going to the Beau’s Boots charity.

News from PE

Sentinel Cup Semi Final

On Tuesday Thomas Alleynes hosted Sir Stanley Matthews Academy from Blurton in the prestigious Sentinel Cup semi final. The competition is open to all schools in Staffordshire and South Cheshire and has featured a number of future professional footballers including Port Vales Nathan Smith and Ross Davidson. Stoke City’s Ryan Shotton and Oli Shenton, and Manchester Uniteds James Wilson to name a few.

Despite being underdogs Alleynes started strongly but squandered a number of chances. Kieran (Jessie) Coates managed to get his studs to a drive across the keeper to put us 1-0 up, playing up the famous slope. Alleynes were well on top but when Brad Cope went to ground to concede a penalty in what was his only error of an excellent performance the scores were back level. The pace of Alfie Bednall was then introduced from the bench and as he had done in the quarter finals he had an instant impact with a fantastic run and goal, scoring off the far post. In the second half Alleyne’s played the conditions to perfection- Harry Johnson who had limped off in the first half returned to score a magnificent hat trick and Bednall added his second. Final score 6-2. Team – Young, Cope, Minshall, Gregory, Hughes-Ratcliffe, Bussell, Wallis, Coates, Broome, Whitehead, Johnson, Brain, Bednall

The final will be next Thursday at Vale Park. Please keep an eye on our facebook page for ticket info.

See you at the game!

20180424_174308

Science News

Higher tier Chemistry students are invited to attend a ‘walking-talking mock exam’ on Thursday 3rd May at 3.05pm in Room 54 to watch how a teacher attempts examination questions.

This week’s Science Students of the Week selected by Mr Melland are:

Year 9

Josh Newbon and Sophie Whieldon

Year 10

Amy Latchford and Gregor Hayes

Year 11

Georgia Morris and Luke Whitehall

All students were selected for their excellent effort and attainment in the field of Physics

This week’s Animal Care Students of the Week selected by Mrs North are:

  • Lydia Heath for excellent practical work
  • Rowan Hall for detailed written work
  • Tish Fry and Grace Gadsby for an excellent start on their new coursework

Well done!

Art/Photography EXAMS

All the Art department exams for GCSE and A Levels start very soon, in accordance with the specification, ALL PREPARATION work students have been doing over the last few months MUST be submitted on the day their exam starts. 
A Level Art
Mon 30th April, Tues 1st May and Wed 2nd May.
Art GCSE
Mrs Robinson’s group- Tuesday 1st May and Wednesday 2nd May
Mrs Derby’s Group- Thurs 3rd May and Fri 4th May
A Level Photography-
From Tuesday 8th May- Tuesday 15th May inclusive.
Students will be advised on which days that they are doing exams. Check with art staff if not sure.
ART CLUB- Years 11 &13
Art Club is available to support students with their exam prep. Please check there is teacher supervision before staying after school.
It is vital evidence for the 4 assessment areas is shown in their submission. Each area is worth 25% the areas are the same for GCSE and A Level.
A01- research and develop ideas
A02- experimenting and selecting media
A03- recording ideas and drawing
A04- realising intentions (in exam)
Year 10 Art
We have been so impressed to see lots of year 10’s in at lunch/ after-school working on their coursework- keep this up.  The image shows one of the many fantastic pieces from 10C/Ar1.   More artwork can been seen on our instagram page tahs.art too.
Jazz

French Revision

GCSE French revision 10.00-12.00 Saturday 21st April room 23. GCSE French speaking exams 23rd-27th April room 26. Bonne chance!

School Council

The School Council meeting was held on Wednesday this week.  There was quite a lively and vibrant discussion about the credit system with lots of different views expressed, the students also discussed the insight homework system and made some clear suggestions for improvements.  Finally the students looked at what the school does to raise money for charity and a brief discussion was held about how the different houses could get more involved with raising money for good causes.

Next meeting we are looking for year 9 and/or year 10 students to take over the roles of leading the school council into the next academic year and moving on to even more success in leading events and changes to improve our school.

We must also thank Tom Page, Carys Barker and Emma Jo Gilbert for their hard work on leading the council this year and wish them all the very best for their GCSEs.

Careers

Don’t forget to check out the new careers page on tahsroundup.wordpress.com 

University tasters at Keele, a cracking website and information on Nursing & Midwifery at Burton.

Direct Page Link

Links

Follow the links to; School Website, Facebook, Twitter & our Online Shop

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April 20th 2018

 
Assemblies w/b 23rd April
Assemblies will be led by the respective Head of House on the celebration of student attendance and the achieving of credits
Thought for the Week
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.
George Bernard Shaw

 

Dates for your diary

 7th May May Bank Holiday
14th May First GCSE Examinations

 Headteacher blog:

We are thrilled that the school has been successful in securing two ‘Condition Improvement Grants’ which means that over the next 2 years, £2.5 million pounds will be invested in the school building.

The first bid is to improve heating across the school. The boilers and all associated pipework will be replaced over the next 12 months.

The second bid was for the replacement of our mobile blocks and the Sports Pavillion with a stand alone new block. This 2 year project will significantly improve the environment for students as the dilapidated buildings are replaced.

​These grants have been secured through​​ Mike Osborne-Town​’s​ work on academy conversion​,​ and Andy Storer and I​an​ Mirams​’​ develop​ment of​ the bids.​ My thanks to all of the team for their hard work.

Whilst we do not know exact numbers​,​ we are aware that in our county​,​ less than 30% of bids were successful.

On a connected but separate area, our campaign to address the essential repairs needed on the swimming pool continues. Approximately £125,000 of the funds received from the Condition Improvement Funds could be used for the school pool boilers. The estimate for repairs is £270,000​: therefore we continue to work with Andrew Griffiths MP, the LA, Staffordshire County council, local pool groups and the Borough Council to prevent closure.

It has been wonderful to see everyone back after Easter.

Year 11 are currently receiving additional tuition in English, Maths or MFL in the form of our GCSE+ programme.We have less than 20 days left before their first examination and want to ensure they are all ready for the papers they will be sitting. They have received their examination timetable and will be able to share this with you so that it can go on the family calendar/diary. Some days are particularly challenging as students have more than one exam in a day.

If you need advice or guidance in supporting their son or daughter with their revision, please contact your Head of House.

 

6th form

 

The sun has finally arrived in Uttoxeter and with this we need to remind our students about the uniform that we require all out students to wear. Smart work wear is require everyday. Our Year 12 and 13 students are seen as role models by our younger students so could we ask that this is adhered to. Skirts must be of an appropriate length and tops must be not be ‘bardot’ tops nor must they be ‘shoe string’ straps.

The beautiful weather of the last few days seems to make everything seem better, revision and exams included it seems when talking to my Year 12 and 13 students. I encourage all to continue to use their non-contacts correctly and to make use of time out of school. A delicate balance needs to be found to achieve ‘mindfulness’. A rich mix of family and friends time, a pinch of work and then a good helping of revision is what we recommend.

We are proud of each of students when they achieve a milestone such as passing their driving test. With this huge responsibility and with this in mind we have invited an outside organisation to come in to school and deliver a talk about safe driving. The aim is to make students aware of the risks of speeding and lack of concentration when they are behind the wheel. If we can provide them with the tools to make the right decisions then we have fulfilled a duty of care. It can be hard hitting and can stir memories and trigger reactions but we feel that we can not avoid the topic. Some extra details are below:

‘COW’ is for year 12 students and investigates many issues relating to young drivers and passengers, focussing on the use of mobile phones in cars, the use of seatbelts, and peer pressure. The resource includes the ‘Cow’ film, a true story re-enacted, with some scenes that some might find uncomfortable, although not too graphic. The total time for the resource is 1 hour.

​Students will be receiving a letter about this beginning next week.

The “COW” presentation is taking place for all Yr 12 students on Thursday 26th April at 10.00am.

To continue on theme of support, all Year 12 students now have access to Unifrog. This is a valuable tool when looking at Post-18 options. I recommend that you ask them to share the platform with you so that you can see the benefits when looking at universities and also apprenticeships.

www.unifrog.org

GCSE+

The latest round of GCSE+ started on Monday,  All year 11 pupils attended 20 minutes intensive revision sessions during form time.  The core subjects are the main focus of the sessions this time around.  GCSE+ runs until the 4th May.

Saturday Year 11 Revision Sessions.

French Saturday 21st April 10 – 12 in Room 23
RE Saturday 12th May 10 -12 and then 1 – 3 in 33B

 

Photography Competition

Well done to all the students who have entered work for the Uttoxeter Rotary Club Young Photographer of the Year competition which have now been submitted to be judged by an expert panel. The art department had a difficult job selecting the work for submission on the portfolios and a particular big thank you to Mr Robinson for uploading the images onto the Flickr website so we can share these with you.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/georgerobinsonwhite/albums

We are of course biased, but we think they have done a pretty good job! We will let you know if any of our students are successful later on in the year.

Save the Date!
Tues 26th June 2018- Art department Exhibition

Please note that the Art Department Exhibition will be open to the public on Tuesday 26th June 5-7pm, and is a great chance to see a lot of the wonderful work that our students have produced. There is hours and hours of dedicated work in Art, Craft & Design, Photography from Year 9-year 13 on display and a chance to talk to some of the 6th form artists about their work.

News from PE

Congratulations to Ben Simon and Gregor Hayes who have represented Staffordshire U15’s at Rugby Union. 
rugby.png
U16 Football- Sentinel Cup semi-final
Tuesday 24th April against Sir Stanley Matthews Academy. Ko and venue will be confirmed on school facebook page.
GCSE Practical moderation
This will take place on Thursday 26th April.  Football 9am, Netball 10am, Badminton 11.20am, Trampolining 12.20, Swimming 1.20.
Cheerleading

Last cheerleading session of the year done this week. The girls worked so hard and have really enjoyed learning new skills. I’m very proud of how hard everyone has worked in these sessions, well done to all. Now the summer sports start, rounders club begins on Tuesday after school for all year groups. Please come along.

Science News

Students are encouraged to attend our GCSE revision sessions which take place each week:

Biology on Wednesday lunchtime in Room 55

Chemistry on Friday at 3.05pm in Room 52

Physics on Wednesday at 3.05pm in Room 50

Higher tier Biology students are invited to attend a ‘walking-talking mock exam’ on Tuesday 24th April at 3.05pm in Room 54 to watch how a teacher attempts examination questions.

This week’s Science Students of the Week selected by Mrs Bracebridge are:

Year 9

Freya Hadgett, Isobel Watts and Tom Haines for excellent test results in Physics

Year 10

Euan Walsh and Shani Wright for consistently high effort and attainment in Physics

Year 11

Niamh Collins and Joe Haywood for their commitment and effort to their exam preparation

Well done!

Art/Photography EXAMS

All the Art department exams for GCSE and A Levels start very soon, in accordance with the specification, ALL PREPARATION work students have been doing over the last few months MUST be submitted on the day their exam starts. 
A Level Art
Mon 30th April, Tues 1st May and Wed 2nd May.
Art GCSE
Mrs Robinson’s group- Tuesday 1st May and Wednesday 2nd May
Mrs Derby’s Group- Thurs 3rd May and Fri 4th May
A Level Photography-
From Tuesday 8th May- Tuesday 15th May inclusive.
Students will be advised on which days that they are doing exams. Check with art staff if not sure.
ART CLUB- Years 11 &13
Art Club is available to support students with their exam prep. Please check there is teacher supervision before staying after school.
It is vital evidence for the 4 assessment areas is shown in their submission. Each area is worth 25% the areas are the same for GCSE and A Level.
A01- research and develop ideas
A02- experimenting and selecting media
A03- recording ideas and drawing
A04- realising intentions (in exam)

French Revision

GCSE French revision 10.00-12.00 Saturday 21st April room 23. GCSE French speaking exams 23rd-27th April room 26. Bonne chance!

Spring News on the Farm 

Spring has definitely arrived on the school farm with lambing in full progress as well as new arrivals in the rabbit pens.  Students have been learning about the care of new born lambs including tail docking and castration.

We are also very pleased to announce that our application to the Tesco Bags of Help scheme has been successful.  We will be competing against two other projects from 1st May until 30th June and if we receive the most blue counters we will get a grant of £4,000.  This will go towards enhancing our outdoor areas for the guinea pigs and rabbits as well as purchasing more small mammals, including rats, to help with the teaching of our new Animal Care course. If you are in Tesco during this period we would be very grateful for your support.

Careers

Don’t forget to check out the new careers page on tahsroundup.wordpress.com 

This week information on:

Trainee Quantity Surveyor position in Burton

Direct Page Link

Links

Follow the links to; School Website, Facebook, Twitter & our Online Shop

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