Dates for your diary
Headteacher blog:
Year 13 students will all have had their mock papers back with grades and how to improve in readiness for their next wave of testing from subject teachers. I would encourage an open conversation at home to see if they have they a revision plan or if they need to amend their revision plan. I would also suggest that they go through the specification and see which topic areas are their weakest and which questions they have struggled with. Encourage them to seek the answers within their text books, class notes and use of the internet, ask them to speak to their subject teacher about skills needed for certain questions and encourage them to practise writing in timed conditions.
For those in Year 13 that have applied to university I encourage them to look at their grades and the courses they have applied for, compare them to their mock results, do they look on track to achieve these grades? I am hoping that the students see their UCAS application as a motivational tool to encourage them to work hard to achieve the entry requirements needed for their favourite university and course. We will support all students within school to help them achieve their goals but we reiterate that there needs to be a large amount of revision completed outside of school.
Students in Year 13 that are looking at apprenticeships, start looking now. Logon to apprenticeship websites, use Unifrog and see what opportunities are there waiting. Last year I spent a considerable amount of time talking about the benefits of undertaking an apprenticeship in comparison to applying to university. It is personal preference but I would certainly recommend that all students in both Years 12 and 13 look at apprenticeships as an option for Post 18.
Elevate Training
This week Elevate came in again to do their final session with our students called ‘Ace your Exams’. They looked at giving yourself adequate time to prepare for exams and gave three steps to prepare:
– Finish notes
– Memorise
– Practise Papers
They also explained how to make the most of practise papers which is particularly useful for Y11 having just had their mock results.
Once you have completed a past paper, look at where marks have been lost and then ask teachers for specific advice on how to improve to gain more marks in these areas next time. They also talked about learning from others around you, for example finding a friend who did well on a paper/question and looking at their answers to understand what they gained their marks for to try and replicate this yourelf.
Please have a look at the student portal on the elevate website where you can download resources to support your child with their study. The website link and password is as follows:
https://ukstudent.elevateeducation.com/
Password – rondo
Bad Weather Procedures
As the forecast is getting, how shall we say, a bit fresher! We thought it prudent to remind you of the bad weather procedures in place. Please see the full procedure in place under this link:
Schools Shepherding Competition
Taking up their lunch times practising for it they have been very dedicated and eager to compete. They each had a specific activity to carry out on the chosen lambs: foot trimming, dagging, drenching and condition scoring.
Unfortunately we didn’t get placed but they all had a fantastic time!
A special mention went out to Chloe Yates who the judge thought was outstanding in her specific activity of drenching the sheep and had top knowledge.

Maths
A good way to revise for GCSE Maths is to do some maths every day.
Go to https://corbettmaths.com/5-a-day/gcse/ where you will find 5 maths questions for everyday of the year. You will need to select which level of questions you answer:
Numeracy – broadly designed for students aiming for Grades 1, 2 and 3.
Foundation – broadly designed for students aiming for Grades 3 and 4.
Foundation Plus – broadly designed for students aiming for Grades 4, 5 and 6.
Higher – broadly designed for students aiming for Grades 6 and 7.
Higher Plus – broadly designed for students aiming for Grades 8 and 9.
You can either print out the questions or just get them on your phone and use a pen and paper. The answers are also available so you can mark your own work.
If you are unsure about any of the questions then ask your maths teacher for some help.
If you are studying A-level maths then there is also a Core 1 5-a-day to practise lots of the pure maths covered in Year 12.
https://corbettmaths.com/5-a-day/core1/
Science
This week’s Science Students of the Week selected by Mr Melland are:
Year 9
Tyler Benton and Lilly May Udale for excellent effort in Physics.
Year 10
Jess Peach and Victoria Morut for excellent effort in the end of unit test.
Year 11
Amy Latchford and Cem Coban for achieving very pleasing marks in the mock exams and beginning good revision habits.
Well done!

Thank you to those parents who completed the Parent View survey last week, your responses are appreciated. If you would like to complete the questionnaire, it is available by following the link below. Parent View allows you to feedback on your child’s experiences at Thomas Alleyne’s High School. The questionnaire has 12 questions and is used by the school to identify what we are doing well and what we need to work on. Parents and carers will need to register on the website in order to complete the questionnaire. If parents or carers have any queries or questions regarding the questionnaire, please do not hesitate to contact us.
https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/
RE Revision
Learn About Lambing
VET SKILLS
We are all going to the zoo…..
Computer Science Revision
As the exams are getting closer by the minute it is the ideal time to ‘refresh’ the in school learning at home. Watch a YouTube Video, listen to a GCSE Pod, play a Kahoot quiz – this should be in addition to the homework already set. Repetition is the key!
The ICT & Computing department are building a small website that will bring all of the links together to enable this to happen. This is a work in progress and the pages will be added as we cover the topics in class. So far the pages are in-place to get us to half term….
History
On Thursday 24th January Mrs Young arranged for one of her Year 10 groups to have the opportunity to listen to a survivor of the Holocaust. This is always an empowering moment as it enables and allows students to hear a first-hand account of what it was like and to relive the memories of a survivor.
About Harry Spiro BEM and Robert Rinder
Harry and Robert share a unique connection; Robert’s grandfather Morris Malenicky was also a Holocaust survivor from the same town as Harry, Piotrkow, in Poland. After the Holocaust, Morris and Harry come over to the UK as part of a group of child survivors and became good friends.
Robert went on a life-changing experience when he took part in BBC One’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, which saw him follow the story of his grandfather, visiting Piotrkow and learning about the fate of his extended family. The episode was watched by 8 million people and featured Harry and Robert reflecting on the arrival of The Boys to the UK.
The Boys
The first survivors to be admitted to the UK after the Holocaust were a group of child survivors under a special scheme agreed by the Home Office in the summer of 1945. This was in response to a proposal from Jewish philanthropists and aid agencies. Permission was given for up to 1,000 children up to the age of 16 to come to Britain on a temporary basis, with plans for them to subsequently re-emigrate, although this stipulation was soon changed to a restriction that they could not enter employment without Home Office consent. In reality, only 732 children were brought to the UK under the scheme, partly as a result of the difficulties in finding willing survivors and partly because of the financial difficulties of the Jewish agencies supporting them.
‘The Boys’, is the nickname given to these child survivors (although their number included around 80 girls). After their initial stay in Windermere or other reception sites, the majority moved to London where they formed a close-knit group centred around the Primrose Jewish Youth Club, which they founded in Belsize Park north London in 1946. This group then attracted other young survivors who had come to Britain under the Distressed Relatives Scheme. Although the Primrose Club was forced to close in 1949, when it lost its lease, the companionship and support its members offered to each other, shaped by their shared experiences, led to the formation of lifelong bonds which assisted them as they established new lives in Britain. In 1963, at the initiative of Sir Ben Helfgott, The Boys formed the ’45 Aid Society to raise money for charitable causes. The strong relationships between them have been passed through the generations, with The Boys’ children and grandchildren now taking a prominent role in the society’s activities as a striking example of the enduring power of friendship and solidarity.
Business Studies
MFL Interventions
PE
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