February 15th 2019

February 15, 2019 / hadfieldj / Leave a comment

Dates for your diary

15/2/19 School breaks up for half term

25/2/19 School reopens

06/03/2019 Parent and Student Revision Evening with Tim Benton, author of ‘Brain Box’ https://www.independentthinking.co.uk/associates/tim-benton/ (Useful for any parent or child interested in techniques for revision.)

14/03/2019 Year 10 Parents Evening

Headteacher blog:

Stars of the week this week included ice-skaters, rugby players and house leaders. It was a pleasure to meet the nominated students today to learn a little more about their individual ambitions.

We hope to have a busy half term on site, with the pavilion being demolished to make way for our new build. When we went to look at the current building there is no doubt that our students deserve a better facility and we are looking forward to bringing these plans to life. Please remind your sons and daughters to be mindful that we will have contractors on site and they must stay out of any fenced off areas.

Finally, a message to Year 11 and 13. This half term is important for you to rest and re-charge alongside this you will also want to schedule in times for revision in order to prepare for your final examinations. It is always shocking how quickly these exams come round. Year 9 – the options process is now open but if you have any difficulty please don’t worry just contact us on our return.

I hope everyone has a lovely break and look forward to seeing you back on 25th February.

I would like to draw your attention to our behaviour and attendance policy, we require all students to have at least 96% attendance and ask all students that they adhere to our school behaviour policy. We have made the decision to send letters home to students who are not in school to explain the negative impact that this is having on their education.

All Sixth Form students are aware of where they can and cannot study during their non-contacts and what they should be doing during those times. The library is only for quiet study and it should be respected.

The Sutton Trust School deadline: 28^th of February 5pm for applicants.

All Year 12 students have been given information on their personal statements, slides have been sent to students and staff on Insight so that you can have discussions at home.

Year 9 Pupil Premium Meet and Greet afternoon 12th February.

Thank you to all the parents and staff who attended last Tuesday afternoon. It was an excellent opportunity to meet with parents and to discuss how best to support their child in the coming months. Tutors were introduced to parents and resources were shared. We look forward to the next meeting which will be held in the second half of summer term.

Puzzle of the Month

Murder on the River

The solution for February and the murder on the river was; the stream was running at 2mph and the boat at 3.

For March the adventures of Ian and Chris continue and this month they are off on a coach trip:

Ian and Chris decided to run a coach trip to Windermere. Charges were –

All the way and back £15 and children half price.

For an extra payment of £13.25 (£11 for children) there was an extra additional attraction of a trip on a steamer to Bowness.

Chris said ‘ I have taken exactly £2000

One – quarter of the bookings for the steamer had been adults.

1. How many tickets did they sell for the steamer

2. How many adults and children went to Windermere

Answers and solutions to Mr. Askey

Post 16 Digital Success

As part of their 6th Form 7 extended work, post 16 BTEC ICT students have been working towards their Digital Enterprise Award, endorsed by the Duke of York.

Congratulations to Jamie who is the first ever student from Thomas Alleyne’s to receive his Bronze Award certificate.

The first of many…

dav

sdr

Intervention Timetable

The latest timetable for interventions and revision in linked below. Make sure you make the most of the opportunities that are presented to you.

Interven TTFeb19

Ski Trip Easter 2019

Diary date for all those skiing at Easter.

Final parents evening is Wednesday 6th March, 6pm.

Please ensure you bring your child’s passport with at least 6 months validity and a valid EHIC card. Order your EHIC here…..

https://www.nhs.uk/…/apply-for-a-free-ehic-european-health…/

As it stands we are planning for the status quo to maintain post Brexit day at the end of March. Thus the need for you all to still have a valid EHIC card, should we leave with a deal then these will still be valid. I have been in constant consultation with Interski and should we crash out with no deal the insurance policy already in place covers all participants on the trip for medical expenses.

English Support

Summary of Year 9 English Study

From February half term, Year 9 classes will be working on completing their GCSE Speaking and Language presentations and will be either beginning, or continuing, their study of ‘The Sign of Four’, which is s set text for the GCSE English Literature examination. The purpose of this is to introduce pupils to the plot, characters and themes of the novel, in preparation for more detailed study in Years 10 and 11.

Resources: ‘The Sign of Four’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Available from the school online shop, at a discounted cost of £1.50

Also see the GCSE Pod resources.

Summary of Year 10 English Study

From February half term, Year 10 classes will be completing their study of non-fiction writing from the Victorian Era and the present, or commencing study of J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’, which is the set text for the GCSE English Literature examination. The purpose of this is to introduce pupils to the plot, characters and themes of the play, in preparation for more detailed study in Years 10 and 11.

Resources: Copies will be provided by the school from after February half term, although you are welcome to acquire a copy for your child to use if you wish to.

Revision guides will be added to the English School shop from after half term.

Also see the GCSE Pod resources.

Summary of Year 11 English Study

From February half term, Year 11 classes will be revising all units in the lead up to the examinations. After school classes are in full swing and we encourage all students to attend.

See GCSE Pod resources to support revision.

Additional revision guides will be added to the English School shop from after half term.

On Tuesday 5th March, from 6.30pm until 7.30pm, Mr Hulme will be delivering a presentation to parents about the content and structure of the two English GCSE examinations, GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature. The presentation will also include advice on how to help pupils best prepare for these examination. The presentation will take place in the school theatre. All are welcome.

Parking outside school when dropping off students

A polite request that all parents dropping off children pull in to the marked bay area, and not to stop on the double yellow lines outside of school. This puts children crossing the road there at risk.

Thank you for your co-operation.

JCQ Exam Contingency Period – Wednesday 26^th June 2019

Please see clarification on the notice previously issued – this was initially misinterpreted by many as ‘one day’. On the basis of this, JCQ have now issued clarification that there is to be a ‘contingency period’ ending on Wednesday 26^th June.

The Joint Council for Qualifications have decided that they need the option to postpone an exam/s in the event of a national incident, and to rearrange for a later date to allow all students a fair and equal chance. . This means that all exam candidates must be available to sit exams from the date of their first exam until Wednesday 26 June 2019.

Parents Evening to help support your son/daughter with revision

6th March 6.00pm. Tim Benton

It is with great delight that once again we have been able to secure the services of Tim Benton. Tim is a motivational speaker who delivers strategies to help young people go about learning, revising and more in an effective, purposeful and brain-friendly way, Tim has been regularly used by the school over a number of years and holds the philosophy “Whether you’re ten years old or ten years teaching, I want you to live at your best.” Through his disarming manner, his casual and entertaining style and his inarguable logic, Tim helps all those he works with – young and old – revaluate what they do, why they do it and whether they should be doing something else entirely.

Tim will be working with all year 11 pupils on revision techniques and strategies in the day and will run a workshop for parents in the evening. Please come along at 6.00pm on 6th March, to gain valuable insights into how you can best support your son or daughter as they approach their public exams.

Fairtrade Fortnight

Fairtrade Fortnight takes place from 25 February to 10 March. The There will be many events during Fairtrade Fortnight to highlight the importance of Fairtrade as a way of supporting poorer people in the developing world. These will include:

Fairtrade Coffee Morning 27 February Friends Meeting House: This will take place at the Quaker Meeting House, 39 Carter Street on Wednesday 27th February and will run from 10.30 to 12.00. Fairtrade drinks and cakes will be served. All proceeds will go to charity.

Mayor’s FT coffee morning 8 March 10-12 noon – Uttoxeter Town Hall

Information Stalls at Tesco (25 February) and Waitrose (29 February)

Both Tesco and Waitrose will be running Spot the Fairtrade logo children’s competitions

There will be Fairtrade displays throughout Fairtrade Fortnight at Uttoxeter Library, the Town Hall and St Mary’s Parish Church

The Lenten Lunches. These will take place 12-2 pm at the United Reformed Church – Fridays in Lent from 8 March onwards offering FT refreshments.”

News from PE

Rowing

On Sunday 10th February the Punchard sisters entered the JIRR trials at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham on behalf of Trent Rowing Club, Burton on Trent in the double sculls event. They both had really good times but Isabel was selected to represent the East Midlands at Peterborough in April as part of a Junior 15 quad with Nottingham Union rowing club. They have both been invited to join a training camp at Nottingham on 2nd and 3rd of March, Eleanor as a reserve in J16.

U16 House Football winners Elkes.

Year 11

1st Elkes

2nd Whitmore

3rd Torrance

4th Orme

Year 10

Torrance 2 Orme 1

Whitmore 3 v Elkes 0

3rd/4th place play off Elkes 0 v Orme 1

Final – Whitmore 2 v Torrance 0

Year 9

Torrance v Orme Orme win on pens

Whitmore v Elkes Elkes win on pens

Final Elkes 5 – Orme 1

3rd 4th Torrance 2 – Whitmore 1

U16 Football

Great performance by our U16 boys reaching the county cup final with a 3 – 1 win over Codsall. Played on a new artificial surface and at one of the county’s biggest football academies Alleynes made a great start taking the lead through Archie McNair and then were soon 2-0 up through captain Frankie Bussell who hit a half volley as sweet as a nut from 25 yards.

A mistake at the back allowed Codsall back into the game and the match evened out. A second half header from Lewis Dawson from a Thornton cross sewed the game up and allowed the victory songs to be sung.

Man of the Match – Ethan Archer

Next Match – Thursday 28th Feb Home v Endon (League and cup semi final double header)

Science

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

Year 9

Wren Tilbrook and Rebecca Wooliscroft for excellent effort and consistent attainment in Science.

Sam Archer for excellent effort and enthusiasm in Science.

Year 10

Sam Cope, Max Hayes and Tazmin Jones for consistent excellence in Science throughout the year

Year 11

Emma Allen, Dan Hensman, Aaron Gwynne and Shani Wright for consistent excellent work and high achievement this year.

This week’s Animal Care Students of the Week selected by Mr Gilson are:

Year 10

Felicity Burgess and Isabel Smith for consistently good effort and positive attitude.

Year 11

Rachel Spence and Morgan Perry for care and attention to their course work.

Well done!

MFL Revision

French revision Monday 18th February 10.00-12.00

Respect Spring Term 2

The in school respect programme followed every Friday registration moves onto the following topics from 1st March:

Year 9: Diversity

Year 10: Teenage Pregnancy

Year 11: Financial Capability

Advice From Childline

https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/sexting/

Free for Safer Internet Day

TikTok: child-safety factsheet for parents

https://resources.thekeysupport.com/hubfs/Booklets/TikTok-parent-factsheet-Safeguarding-Training-Centre-The-Key.pdf?utm_campaign=Safeguarding%20Training%20Centre%20-%20Spring%202019&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9NLD4Y2XTUqF1ZmCfX3ZhybyyUX7l_ccl1I6zRDyj93IDCQQA4J209YtKjckMAKfa7QJiEEdPibUkSD8GaYd_qxG4n9A&_hsmi=69569762&utm_content=69569762&utm_source=hs_email&hsCtaTracking=d98f2fc2-5a8b-44b7-96f6-36da72ac49b1%7C7f6c1d08-2e31-4487-9fa6-549db1133266

Several local schools are contributing to fundraising for the family affected by the fire in Stafford last week. Should any student or parent/carer wish to make a donation then this can be passed to form tutors and we will share this with Staffordshire fire service.

Links

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

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. If there are any changes you would like to see please let us know.

February 8th 2019

February 9, 2019February 10, 2019 / hadfieldj / Leave a comment

Dates for your diary

14/2/19 Year 9 Parents Evening

15/2/19 School breaks up for half term

25/2/19 School reopens

14/03/2019 Year 10 Parents Evening

Headteacher blog:

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Future Intentions evening this week. Year 9 are now deciding their options preferences. As we explained on the evening, we encourage the vast majority of students to follow the EBacc route, as recommended by the Department for Education. This route means Year 9 students will need to select either Geography or History and French as 2 of their choices. We will endeavour to allocate students as many of their higher preferences a possible, but we cannot guarantee they will be offered all of their first four choices. If anyone needs any further support please speak to your form tutors.

On Friday of this week, I met with all our East Staffordshire Sports Scholarship winners. Their commitment to their individual sports was impressive. A number of the winners regularly complete over 15 hours of training a week alongside completing their studies in school. We wish them all well in their future competitions and look forward to hearing about their successes.

Next week we have Year 9 parents evening. If you have any problems booking appointments please contact your Head of House. We are keen to meet as many families as possible on the evening.

Finally, I wanted to draw your attention to a number of changes which will be happening on the school site over the coming months. Over half term, the area surrounding the pavilion will be removed from use, so that we can commence our rebuild. We will talking to students about how they can move safely around the site as a number of entrances and exits will be altered. Please reiterate to them that they must stay well away from the building site. We are excited at the improvements that these new facilities will offer and are looking to re-open our pool after Easter.

Fire Alarm Activation

We have recently experienced a malicious activation of our fire alarm at lunchtime. The fire brigade was alerted and we fully evacuated the school.

Clearly, this false alarm caused significant inconvenience and disruption to students, staff, and visitors. It compromised everyone’s safety in school and presents a significant risk to the local community because the emergency services are not available to attend genuine emergencies whilst they are at the school. The Fire Brigade will prioritise the school over other emergency call-outs. We are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the incidents. The police will be involved because malicious call-out of the Fire Brigade is a crime. The police will speak to a number of students who were near the site of the alarm and will continue to support our investigations.

The penalty for a student caught maliciously setting off the school fire alarm is permanent exclusion. The penalty for conspiring to have the alarm sounded is exclusion for a fixed period or permanent exclusion.

Senior staff will speak to students in assemblies. Students will be informed about the seriousness of setting off the fire alarm and the very serious consequences of being caught doing so. Students will be reminded to treat any sounding of the fire alarm as a potential emergency and to follow fire evacuation procedures promptly and sensibly.

Obviously, we are very disappointed that one or more of our students has chosen to behave in this inconsiderate and irresponsible way. I am pleased to be able to tell you, however, that students have responded very patiently and sensibly to the evacuation.

Please would you support us by talking to your son or daughter to reinforce our message that they must treat any sounding of the alarm seriously and follow the evacuation procedure promptly. If your son or daughter has any information that might help us identify the culprit/s, I would be grateful if you would let us know in order to prevent any further disruption and risk to the local community.

As part of our commitment to Year 12 and Year 13 we organised for NHS professionals to come in and talk to our students regarding attitudes to healthy relationships. We received some lovely feedback form the nurses who stated that our students were extremely polite and a pleasure to talk to, they also agreed to return to the school to host similar events in the future as part of our ongoing commitment to student wellbeing. These small, yet meaningful talks, help to build a positive ethos around our community commitment. I spoke to a few students after the event and they felt the information they heard about what is and what is not a healthy relationship resonated with them and I know that this led to deeper conversations in school and at home.

This week Mrs Dodd led an informative talk on Oxbridge, this was to inform those that are interested in applying to either Oxford or Cambridge about the process and the level of detail that needs to be placed within their personal statement. As part of the commitment to these students, we also hold mock interviews nearer the time.

It is clear that not all students are using Unifrog to its full potential; it is a great resource that we provide. It helps with planning for the future, it allows them to start putting together a personal statement which they will need for apprenticeships, university and work. It allows them to look into universities now, look at apprenticeships and careers. It really is a ‘one stop shop’ for all their post 18 needs.

Three of our Year 12 students arranged to speak to the Denstone Tuesday Club, they ‘transported them to Laos and Vietnam’ as they explained their adventure. Alex Bennett, Tom Page and Elliot Williams really did make a good impression. ‘Maturity’ and ‘confidence’ were used to describe them and they really did enjoy hearing about their World Challenge experience. As a result of this we have received a donation from the Denstone Tuesday Club for our forever charity, Dougie Mac.

Year 9 Future Intentions

Thank you to those parents and carers who came to the Yr9 Option Talk and Future Intentions evening on Thursday. We hope that Yr9 students have a better understanding of the option subjects that are available to them and how the process works. If your child has misplaced their Future Intentions booklet or needs a copy because they were absent, tutors have spare copies or see Mr Washbourne. Yr9 Parents Evening on Thursday 14th February will be an ideal time to talk to subject teachers about your child’s option subjects. The option form on Insight will then go live on Friday 15th February. Yr9 students will need to ensure that they have access to Insight in order to complete the form.

Puzzle of the Month January 2019

Murder on the River

Ian and Chris took a boat trip on the canal. They left from the Star pub. Ian started the motor and they set off gently up-stream. Some minutes later as they passed under a bridge Chris shouted ‘Ian, there is a hand in the water! It’s a dead body, Ian laughed ‘It is only an old glove.’ They continued up-stream. After 15 minutes Ian turned the boat round and made for the Star. They shot under the bridge and then it did not take long to travel the remaining mile to the Star. As they arrived they saw floating midstream the same old glove which they had just overtaken.

Ian kept the boat engine at the same speed all the time. But what was the speed of the current?

Solutions to Mr Askey

Year 11 Geography Revision.

This week’s knowledge organiser is focused upon the Living World. This topic involves understanding how ecosystems work at both a small and large scale. The large scale examples that we have studied are Tropical Rainforests and Hot Deserts. Students will need to know where these ecosystems are, why they are there, what the climate is like, how humans/plants/animals have adapted to these ecosystems and how we can manage them for the future. An example question for this topic would be “Choose one of the following environments: hot deserts or tropical rainforest. To what extent is your chosen environment at risk from human activity?” This would be a 9 mark question in which students would have to explain the challenges in these environments and then justify how successful we are at managing these challenges.

Intervention Timetable

The latest timetable for interventions and revision in linked below. Make sure you make the most of the opportunities that are presented to you.

Interven TTFeb19

Year 9 Pupil Premium Meet and Greet afternoon 12th February.

On Tuesday afternoon we look forward to meeting year 9 parents over a cup of tea and a biscuit. The afternoon gives parents and 1:1 tutoring staff the opportunity to meet each other, provide resources and find ways in which we can best support their son or daughter in the coming months. If you haven’t returned your reply slip please do so asap, we look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 12th February.

GCSE +

The intense revision programme moves into its final week of this first session. Pupils have benefited from spending time with specialist subject staff supporting them with their revision and exam technique.

Parents Evening to help support your son/daughter with revision

6th March 6.00pm. Tim Benton

Year 9 Parents Evening Thursday 14th February from 4.00pm.

This is an excellent opportunity for parents to meet the teaching staff and discuss their child’s progress before deciding what the best GCSE options are for their son or daughter. This is often a very busy evening so please ensure that you have made the appointments you need and if there are any concerns regarding the process or attendance please contact your respective Head of House. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday 14th February.

Science

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

Year 9

Katie Large and Rebecca Wooliscroft for excellent assessment scores throughout Module One.

Year 10

Jessie Dickens and Nico Ball for consistently good scores in Biology assessments.

Year 11

Alexander Griffiths and Leyton Tyers for a positive approach to revision.

Well done!

Book Club

Book club starts on Monday at lunch in the library. Students from all years are welcome!

News from PE

Netball Results

Year 9 team endured the wintery conditions on the outside court at Robert Sutton. The game was played in a good spirit with TAHS dominant in both possession and scoring. The defensive duties were covered by Lucy Calladine, Abi Garland & Evie Robins who saw little of the ball but looked to support the attacking play. Zoe Carr, Teegan Berry & Jess Perry showed good composure to keep feeding the ball to our shooters Halle Young and Holly Dickens who were challenged to shoot from distance. Alleyne’s romped to a 29-5 victory, with Holly being named Girl of the Game.

Our Year 10 team enjoyed the luxury of the indoor court at Robert Sutton. The game was yet again an exciting and competitive game to watch and umpire. The first quarter was an even contest with Alleyne’s taking a narrow 9-5 lead into the break. Eve Bednall and Amelia Hadgett made some great tips and interceptions to stop the high ball going into the GA and GS. Jess Banner, Frankie Tooth, Holly Chatfield and Alice Boothby worked tirelessly to create space and keep the ball moving at a high pace. Anna Adams and Freya Hadgett again had a high success rate with their shooting. The work rate of the team saw TAHS extend the lead over the remaining three quarters to win 25-12, with Eve voted as Girl of the game.

House Netball and Boys House Football Thursday 14th February

The next round of house matches are next week.

Thursday 14th Feb

Year 9 period 4

Year 10 period 3

Year 11 period 5

County Cross Country

Congratulations to Leighton Thomas who came 5th in the county cross country last weekend, representing East Staffordshire.

House Basketball

The boys house basketball competitions took place last week with good participation and high levels of performance particularly in year 11 where Torrance put together some great plays.

Results- Year 9 1st Whitmore, 2nd Orme, 3rd Elkes, 4th Torrance

Year 10 1st Orme, 2nd Torrance, 3rd Whitmore, 4th Elkes

Year 11 1st Torrance, 2nd Elkes, 3rd Whitmore

Football Update

Our Year 11 football team have an exciting month coming up-

They are due to play in the County Cup Semi-Final away to Codsall, The semi-Final of the Moorlands Cup at home to Endon, The semi-final of the league play offs also at home to Endon and the 2nd round of the Sentinel Cup at home to Stone-Alleynes.

History

Year 12 will be having big exams on both sides of the course next week. You can support revision this weekend by asking students to show you revision work completed as part of their 6th Form 7 activities and testing their subject knowledge by looking through their Purple Progress Books.

MFL Interventions

Foundation Tuesday after school room 102

Aiming for a 9 Tuesday after school room 23

Higher French intervention Friday after school room 10

Half term French intervention – Monday 18th February 10.00 – 12.00 in room 10

Key vocabulary and structures to include in writing questions and general conversation speaking in past present and future tense.

Congratulations!!!

Huge congratulations to Joel Grout and Gregor Hayes for representing their county in the U16 rugby squad. Both play for Stone Rugby Club, and Joel is in his third year of the youth program with Leicester Tigers. It’s a great achievement for them both, and we’re looking forward to see the part the sport has to play in their futures.

Maths

All year groups will be having an assessment in maths lessons this week.

Year 9 – calculator paper

set 1 and 2 – percentages, perimeter and area, coordinates and linear graphs, real life graphs

set 3 and 4 – sequences, percentages, perimeter and area

Year 10 – calculator paper

set 1 and 2 – surds, recurring decimals, quadratic sequences, upper and lower bounds, Pythagoras’ Theorem, trigonometry, simultaneuos equations

set 3, 4 and 5 – congruence and similarity, trigonometry, perimeter and area

Year 11

Students will sit a past paper over 2 lessons – this will be a calculator paper

An excellent way to revise for these assessments is to use Mathswatch

www.vle.mathswatch.com

username: your school login with @tahs at the end eg smithjohn04@tahs

password: triangle

Equipment needed for all assessments: black pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, scientific calculator

Children’s Mental Health Week

4-10 February 2019

https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/

Advice from childline on sexting

https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/sexting/

Free for Safer Internet Day

TikTok: child-safety factsheet for parents

Links

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

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. If there are any changes you would like to see please let us know.

February 1st 2019

February 3, 2019February 3, 2019 / hadfieldj / Leave a comment

Dates for your diary

7/2/19 Careers & Preferences Evening

All year groups are welcome to join us for our annual Careers Fair – this will be held in the Sports Hall. A great opportunity to speak to prospective colleges, employers, apprenticeships, universities.

14/2/19 Year 9 Parents Evening

15/2/19 School breaks up for half term

Headteacher blog:

Over the last few weeks, our swimming pool has gradually been stripped back. Boilers and air handling units have been replaced and we are beginning to see the difference that the refurbishment will make. We have a little more funding to secure, but once that is received, our plan is to reopen the pool at Easter. It is fantastic that, due to the efforts of the community and the financial backing of Sport England and other sponsors, this resource has been saved for our community. It guarantees that in the future, more children from Uttoxeter and our local community will have the life skill of being able to swim.

It is always a privilege to work with our site team manager, Mr Mirams and our Business Manager, Mr Storer to improve the environment for our young people. As sport is a personal passion of mine, this development is particularly important to me. We plan to hold our opening ceremony in May when we will be saying thanks to those of you who donated to our Crowdfunding appeal by passing over your rewards.

There was a particularly exciting moment this week: we met with Ken Hardy, founder of Lane 1 Swim School, who will become a partner of the school offering swim lessons for children in the area. Plans are for Lane 1 to offer swim lessons 6 days a week. Interested? See this link http://lane1coaching.com/swim-school/swim-school-info-video/

On Friday, I held an assembly for our sixth form students following their trial examinations. My congratulations to the 25% of the year group who have met or exceeded their targets. I shared with the year group the attendance data from 2017 when they completed their GCSEs. The correlation between high attendance and their GCSE results was evident to all. Equally evident was the negative impact of low attendance on GCSE results. Currently, some of our sixth form students are not attending all lessons or the intervention classes the staff are offering for them. We are concerned that many have ambitious applications for University places and apprenticeships which they risk not securing unless there is significant improvement in their results. We would appreciate, any conversations you can have with your sons and daughters to impress on them the importance of simply turning up to lessons alongside having a comprehensive revision schedule. Some students have registered in the morning and then not attended their lesson. The next few weeks will be tough, but it will all be worth it, if they secure the places they desire at university, on apprenticeships or in work. Please contact Mrs Dodd if you have any questions regarding post 16. Every lesson and every study hour counts in these final days. We want them to leave us securing their dream.

Thank you to all that attended the Y12 parents’ evening, it was a very successful evening with 89% of students being represented by parents and carers. Some of the feedback given to us told us that a number of students are feeling under pressure in the move from GCSE to A level. This is not uncommon. We have tasked all our Year 12 and Year 13 form tutors to play this clip in form next week. We thought you would like to see it and maybe discuss it with your child.

https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/school-college-and-work/school-college/exam-stress/

There are 2 more clips on the same site; one is about social pressures at exam time and the other is about how to spot signs you are getting stressed. Both are worth a watch.

Ill Child Procedure During the School Day

A polite remind for everyone please that students must report any illness during the school day to a member of staff. We will always ensure that our students are cared for and see by a member of the first aid team.

Parents & carers will contacted should your child be too unwell to remain in school.

Please can we ask for your support with these protocols to avoid students contacting parents directly themselves.

Puzzle of the Month January 2019

Murder on the River

Ian kept the boat engine at the same speed all the time. But what was the speed of the current?

Solutions to Mr Askey

GCSE+ 28th January – 15th February.

This week saw the yr11 complete the first week of GCSE+. This is an intensive revision programme held for 20 minutes every morning. Pupils work on a subject with a specialist teacher on revision and exam techniques, giving them an extra 100 minutes revision a week. GCSE + will continue until half term and will be revisited towards the end of March.

Intervention Timetable

The latest timetable for interventions and revision in linked below. Make sure you make the most of the opportunities that are presented to you.

Interven TTJan19

Science

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

Year 9

Tom Keeling and Halle Young for improved effort in Science.

Year 10

Jed Brunt and Jess Lyons for improved test scores in Chemistry.

Year 11

Alex Griffiths and Ben Collier for fantastic scores in the Chemistry trial exam.

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

Year 10

Scarlett Simister and Jess Carrington Smith for excellent work on their Animal Handling course work.

Year 11

Eboney Robertson and George Mothershaw for excellent work on their Animal Behaviour course work.

Well done!

Geography Revision

We started our Friday after school revision sessions last week and it was great to 17 pupils there.

These will be running every Friday 3:10 – 4pm in 6a and 6b. All students welcome to attend.

In order to help students get prepared for the GCSE Geography exams, attached is a Knowledge Organiser for the Natural Hazards topic. This will be the first section of Paper 1 and will look at the topics of Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tropical Storms and Climate Change. There is a lot of information on these so I would recommend that students download a copy and make any notes/changes they want to to help them understand it. The following link will also take you to the section of GCSEPod that is relevant. Also thank you to all of those students that are attending the revision session on a Friday afternoon, we hope your finding them useful.

https://members.gcsepod.com/shared/podcasts#6003/6016/8320

News from PE

Year 9 Netball Match

30/01/2019

The year 9 netball team played a match against Paulet on Wednesday after school. They all played fabulously with great teamwork and high morale. They won the game 26-11 which is a great score line. The girls managed to double their points from the first half in the second half, which shows great dedication and perseverance. Congratulation to Halle Young who was voted Girl of the Game by the opposing team.

We have two fixtures next week with both the Year 9 and U16 teams playing Robert Sutton and Paget on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Good luck ladies.

Girls House Football

Massive well done to all the houses that came out and represented their houses in house football, the conditions were not ideal but all the girls that attended played with spirit and commitment.

Year 9

In the year 9 competition there was a lot of excitement and very close matches, with goals coming from Ava Shenton, Holly Dickens and Mia Bevan. The competition eventually ended in a nail biting penalty shootout between Orme and Torrance. With some expert goal keeping from Zoe Carr, Orme ended up on top.
1 st : Orme
2 nd : Torrance
3 rd : Whitmore
4 th : Elkes

Year 10

In year 10 there were some very high scoring matches, with goals from Eve Bednall, Freya Hadgett, Harriet Bebbington, Alice Boothby and Shona McIntyre it was all to play for. However, in the end Whitmore came out on top, with a good win over Torrance.
1 st : Whitmore
2 nd : Torrance
3 rd : Elkes
4 th : Orme

Year 11

In the year 11 competition it came down to a battle between Elkes and Orme, which eventually left the decision to the fact that earlier on in the tournament Elkes had beaten Orme 1-0 meaning Elkes house took home the victory. Goals came from Eloise Gadsby and Jemima Pope.
1 st : Elkes
2 nd : Orme

3 rd : Torrance
4 th : Whitmore

Year 9 Future Intentions

Dear Year 9 Students and Parents/Carers,

Please find attached a copy of the plan for Future Intentions Week which starts on Monday 4th February to Friday 8th February. The purpose of this week is to provide guidance on completing the options process and to give students a taste of the subjects that we offer that they have not previously experienced. These subjects include Child Development, Animal Care, Health and Social Care and Business Studies.

Students in H Population will be off timetable for lesson 1 and students in U Population will be off timetable during lesson 2. Their normal timetable will take place for the rest of the day.

I have also attached a copy of the Option Preference List to help with choosing your option subjects.

I would also like to remind you that on Thursday 7th February there will be an information talk in the Theatre about the options process. This will be delivered by Mrs Rudge at 6.15pm and then repeated at 7.00pm. At the same time as this, there will also be ours careers fair in the Sports Hall from 6.00pm to 8.00pm. This hugely successful and popular event has over 50 employers, universities, colleges and apprenticeship providers to help make the right decisions regarding their future and options.

If you have any queries or questions regarding this please do not hesitate to contact school and I look forward to seeing you on Thursday night.

Regards

Mr Washbourne

Future intentions 2019 Student

Options Parent Presentation 2019 010219

MFL Interventions

GCSE French intervention

Friday after school room 10 higher

Friday lunchtime room 10 foundation

Tuesday after school room 23 aiming for a 9

Links

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

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. If there are any changes you would like to see please let us know.

Dates for your diary

Headteacher blog:

Year 9 Pupil Premium Meet and Greet afternoon 12th February.

Puzzle of the Month

Post 16 Digital Success

Intervention Timetable

Ski Trip Easter 2019

English Support

Summary of Year 9 English Study

Summary of Year 10 English Study

Summary of Year 11 English Study

Parking outside school when dropping off students

JCQ Exam Contingency Period – Wednesday 26th June 2019

Parents Evening to help support your son/daughter with revision

6th March 6.00pm. Tim Benton

Fairtrade Fortnight

News from PE

Science

MFL Revision

Respect Spring Term 2

Advice From Childline

Free for Safer Internet Day

Links

Dates for your diary

Headteacher blog:

Fire Alarm Activation

Year 9 Future Intentions

Puzzle of the Month January 2019

Year 11 Geography Revision.

Intervention Timetable

Year 9 Pupil Premium Meet and Greet afternoon 12th February.

GCSE +

Parents Evening to help support your son/daughter with revision

6th March 6.00pm. Tim Benton

Year 9 Parents Evening Thursday 14th February from 4.00pm.

Science

Book Club

News from PE

History

MFL Interventions

Congratulations!!!

Maths

Children’s Mental Health Week

Advice from childline on sexting

Free for Safer Internet Day

Links

Dates for your diary

Headteacher blog:

Ill Child Procedure During the School Day

Puzzle of the Month January 2019

GCSE+ 28th January – 15th February.

Intervention Timetable

Science

Geography Revision

News from PE

Year 9 Future Intentions

MFL Interventions

Links

JCQ Exam Contingency Period – Wednesday 26^th June 2019