TAHS Weekly Newsletter. 

Sixth Form entry September 2022 – online application

All Year 11 students have been given access to a Year 11 Sixth Form Applications Team. This is to support them in making their Post 16 choices. Access to the online application form for Sixth Form entry September 2022 is available in this team or by clicking the following link:

Year 11 Sixth Form Application

Any questions please email Mrs Walton via sixthform@tahs.org.uk

TUTOR TIME ACTIVITIES W/C 8^th November 2021

Year 12

Year will be given a Which guide Higher & Degree Apprenticeships and be encouraged to search for these on Unifrog live database. This can be done during form time and Sixthform7.

Year 13

This week will be spending time with their academic tutors working on personal statements and UCAS applications ready for the TAHS internal deadline of Friday 17^th December 2021.

Poppies

From Monday 8^th November Senior Prefects will be visiting tutor groups across the school during form time selling poppies.

Assembly w/c 1^st November

Assemblies this week were led by Mrs Dodd on the theme of ‘Emotional well-being’.

Please see the November Action for Happiness poster.  This has been taken from the ‘Action for Happiness’ Organisation their website is as follows: www.actionforhappiness.org

All documents from the assembly have been sent out to all students via insight.

Welcome to Edition 141 of the Unifrog Gazette!

This week: 

Webinar series: The basics of interviews > Help your students secure an internship > Masterclasses at the University of Cumbria…
 

The basics of interviews

Help your students get prepared

This Teaching resource will equip your students with the knowledge to feel confident in their first interview, whether it’s for a job, apprenticeship or to study at university.

Topics include preparation tips, interview structures, and some common types of questions to expect.

> Find the resource here

Help your students secure an internship

This Know-how library guide will help your students understand the value of internships, and how to go about getting one.

It also encourages students to actively seek out internships by:

> taking advantage of their school or college’s careers service
> attending job fairs
> applying speculatively 

> Find it here

Masterclasses at the University of Cumbria

Designed for anyone thinking of going to university, Cumbria’s in-person and online masterclasses explore subjects from law to education, and literature to sciences.

Titles include:

> How does criminology help us understand violence against women and girls?
> Developing an approach to in-person auditions for acting
> Forensic science at your fingertips

> Sign up here

Uniform

In light of the weather becoming colder we are advising that students ensure they dress appropriately. Students are requested to wear their blazer, a black v-necked jumper (school logo is optional) however there should be no branded jumpers. We would like to remind students, parents and carers that hoodies are not compliant with our uniform policy. Any student wearing a hoodie will be asked to remove this. From Monday 15h November any student continuing to wear a hoodie on the school site will have this confiscated.

Students are also encouraged to wear a coat to school. In instances of extreme cold weather and where classrooms are being ventilated, we have advised class teachers to allow students to wear their coats in lessons on the grounds of health and safety.

Data Collection Sheets

Data collection sheets have been distributed to all students.  Many thanks to parents who have already returned sheets.  If you have yet to do so, please check/update and sign the sheet and return it to the school office as soon as possible.  This information helps us to safeguard your child and enables us to contact you in an emergency. 

We politely request two emergency contacts

Talaxy Launch

Insight has been upgraded to Talaxy, it is the same system but looks better, works better and is hosted on Amazon Servers, thus a much more stable and secure connection.

Students need to activate their account ready for November:

1. Go to tahs.talaxy.app
2. Click on Login – top right
3. Click on Sign in with Microsoft at the bottom of the sign in screen
4. Put in you school email username@tahs.net
5. Put in your school network password
6. Go to your Outlook email and click the conformation link

You are now in….

Parental logins will be sent out after half term.

Maths After-School Support Sessions

All Y11 students are invited to attend the maths after-school support sessions

Science News

This week Dr Squire captivated his Year 10 Biology classes with the ‘Screaming Jelly Baby’ demonstration!   The students have been studying how energy is released from food molecules – respiration in living cells releases energy from glucose molecules. 

The students watched the dramatic demonstration showing the release of energy from a single Jelly Baby as it burst into flames in a boiling tube containing strongly oxidising potassium chlorate.  The rapidly expanding gases produced a ‘screaming’ sound from the boiling tube!

Visit the Science Twitter to watch the full video!       Tweets by ScienceTAHS1

This week’s Science Students of the week are:

Mrs Hughes would like to nominate Susie C and Isabelle G in 10U1 for amazing results in their chemistry assessment.

Dr Squire would like to nominate Leon O in 10U2 and Chloe F in Year 11 for working tirelessly to catch up!  And also, Willow M for her enthusiasm and positive contribution in class.

Well done!

English Stars

After half term, the nights are drawing in and it is getting colder. However, the following students have brightened up the week for their English teachers this week. Well done to our students of the week, who are:

Year 9 Harry S (HS), Elisha T, Evie D, Evie B, Victoria S, Poppy W, Rowan S

Year 10 Laura G, Amber C, Kai H

Year 11 Isabella M, Alfie H, Casey H, Livvy E, Jack W, Dominic O, Abi R

Year 12 Katie U, Gabby S, Alyssa W, Freya S, Henry W, May C, Evie N

Year 13 Lizzie S, Katie G

MFL NEWS

Year 11 Revision

Higher Tier – Tuesdays 3:15 – 4:00 in room 11Foundation Tier – Thursday 3:15 – 4:00 in room 10 on the 11th, 18th and 25th November

All students also have access to many resources for independent revision, including ThisIsLanguage, Quizlet, Linguascope, and GCSEPod. All of them can help you with all 4 skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing). Ask your teacher if you need help logging in.

Grease Production News:

Monday 8/11 First rehearsal for musicians  3.15 to 4.15 in room 67Tuesday 9/11 Meeting for ALL students involved in Grease 3.15 to 4.15 in room 67. Rehearsal schedules will be given out.

Music Department News

Please see Mrs Todd as soon as possible if you wish to be involved in the Musical Theatre opportunity on November 16th, working with a West End cast member of ‘Wicked.’ Rehearsals for this will be on the music noticeboard. Please see Mrs Todd for a consent form to be involved. 

Christmas Concert 7th December

Please see Mrs Todd if you wish to perform in this years’ concert. Rehearsals will start next week.

Career of the week

This week the career is ‘Kennel Worker’ click on link to see the My Path video which tells you more – > JOB OF THE WEEK – EPISODE #11 – KENNEL WORKER – YouTube

Job title:	Kennel workers care for dogs and cats in kennels or catteries. In your day-to-day duties you might: prepare food and feed the animals keep animals clean and groom them exercise dogs in a yard or take them for walks clean out kennels and cages maintain cages, runs and kennel grounds look after elderly, ill or distressed animals answer telephone calls and greet visitors to the premises
How to become:	College You could take a college course, for example in Level 1 Certificate in Introduction to Animal Care or Level 2 Diploma in Animal Management You’ll usually need: 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course, 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course Apprenticeship You can do an intermediate apprenticeship as an animal care and welfare assistant. Entry requirements – There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship Volunteering Volunteering is a useful way to get experience and shows employers that you are enthusiastic and interested in working with animals. You can find out about opportunities for volunteering in your area from: Blue Cross RSPCA PDSA Dogs Trust Cats Protection
Skills required:	to be thorough and pay attention to detailthe ability to use your initiativeto be flexible and open to changepatience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situationsthe ability to work well with othersthe ability to accept criticism and work well under pressurecustomer service skillsexcellent verbal communication skillsto be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
What you’ll earn:	£12000 -£170000

              All information taken directly from Kennel worker | Explore careers | National Careers Service

Balfour Beatty Degree Apprenticeships – Early release to schools in Staffordshire

We have gone live with several Apprenticeship roles and have ringfenced some just to be shared with schools we wish to work with in our local areas of Staffordshire, to give the chance to apply for before going public onto our website, which will be approx. mid November 2021.

Balfour Beatty | Apply now for the Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship – Warrington – 2022 position (headstartapp.com)

Balfour Beatty | Apply now for the Degree Apprentice Quantity Surveyor – Warrington – 2022 position (headstartapp.com)

Balfour Beatty | Apply now for the Degree Apprentice Planner – Warrington – 2022 position (headstartapp.com)

Upcoming Opportunities

The national Apprenticeship SHow

The National Apprenticeship Show Central Highlights Apprenticeship opportunities and offers information from Central England and the Midland’s top employers and training providers

• You can register for the event on this link: The National Apprenticeship Show (vfairs.com). Registering will give you the opportunity to chat with exhibitors via text chat, watch online video content, as well as download useful resources. The event ‘goes live’ on 10th November 2021 between 11.00am and 6.00pm.
• It is recommended that you research exhibitors that you are interested in ahead of the event to ensure you’re prepared with any questions.
• Please also take a look through our Workshop Schedule. These sessions are either live or pre-recorded and run alongside a live Q&A session.
• The event is on-demand and available to access for 30 days after the event has taken place. This on-demand period will allow visitors to download information and view content.

RAF LIVE – WEDNESDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2021, 6PM – 9PM

We are pleased to invite you to our RAF Live event taking place on Wednesday 10 November from 6pm – 9pm.

I have attached details of our live and interactive event for you to distribute to your students and we very much look forward to meeting you during our broadcast.

You will need to register for this event prior to the start time, please use the link https://learnliveuk.com/partner/raf-careers/ on the attached poster to register. Thank you.

If you do have any questions, please feel free to contact me at AFCOGloucester-Outreach@mod.gov.uk.

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TAHS Weekly Newsletter. 

Sixth Form entry September 2022 – online application

All Year 11 students have been given access to a Year 11 Sixth Form Applications Team. This is to support them in making their Post 16 choices. Access to the online application form for Sixth Form entry September 2022 is available in this team or by clicking the following link:

Year 11 Sixth Form Application

Any questions please email Mrs Walton via sixthform@tahs.org.uk

TUTOR TIME ACTIVITIES W/C 18^th October 2021

Year 12

Is Uni right for you?  How do I know?  Students to watch some videos during form time to help them to prepare.

Year 13

How well do you use source material?  Read the ‘Bridging The Gap’ document complete the CAPS activity for something you have read recently.

Student reminder

Please can all Sixth Form students remember to use the sign in/out book outside the Sixth Form office when leaving or returning to school.

Can you help?

We are looking for students to get involved.  Could you be a Mental Health Ambassador for the school? Information about this can be found outside the Sixth Form office. If you are interested, please see Mrs Walton.

Operation Christmas Child

You may (or may not) be aware that 15th – 19th November is Samaritan’s Purse Operation.

Samaritan’s Purse Operation helps children around the world by collecting shoebox gifts ensuring that all children will receive something at Christmas.

We thought this might be a good challenge for form tutor groups to get involved in.  Next week we will be providing forms with a shoebox to pack your items in, along with an information leaflet and labels.  All you need to do is decide whether your shoebox is going to be for a girl or a boy and what age group, then fill it with age appropriate items like toys, hygiene items, pens, pencils etc.  The leaflet tells you what cannot be included.

If you can get your students to all bring in one item for your shoebox then we should be able to send some wonderful things to children less fortunate.

There will be a prize for the Sixth Form form with the best shoebox.

Fundraising Update

On Friday 8th October, the Sixth Form raised money for Young Minds UK by taking part in their #HelloYellow day. We raised £73.60! Thank you to everyone who took part or donated.

The Senior Prefect Team

Sixth Form Discretionary Bursary Fund (DBF)

Sixth Form bursary booklets are now available for collection from the Sixth Form office.

News from PE

Fantastic week of school sport with excellent levels of rugby and hockey played in lessons and great engagement in our after school badminton and fitness.

This week our year 9 netballers played their first competitive games at Deferrers ( see report and pics) and our U18 football team played a county cup game narrowly losing 2-1 away to John Taylor. (see team photo)

Next week is a really busy week in PE with Year 9 Boys footballers playing their first game on Monday at home to Blythe Bridge,  Year 9 Boys rugby players have their first match on Tuesday at home to John Taylor and our U18 boys rugby team travel to Walsall on Wednesday for a County Cup match.

BTEC Tech Award Sport, Activity & Fitness – We will be writing to parents with an assessment update over half term, but it is important all students upload their coaching videos to assignments on Teams before half term.

Netball

On Tuesday night the 6th Form team took on the Y11 school netball team in an internal fixture. The level of netball was really high, some beautiful plays and excellent goals were seen. The final score was 15 v 4 to the 6th form team, with the players of the game being Evie Waring and Jess Clay.

Thank you all for participating and it was great to see such good netball being played. 

The teams were; Evie W, Eve B, Jess B, Amelia H and Freya H, Jess Clay, Martha B, Keira F, Lucy O and Megan L. 

House Competition Latest

1 – Elkes: 58

1 – Torrance: 58

3 – Whitmore: 53

4 – Orme: 41

How do you get points for your house? 
Credits Earn credits to help your house win the credit award each week

Attendance Come to school every day to help your house win the Attendance award each Half Term (Triple Points!)

Upcoming House Competitions

Art Competitions – November

Swimming Gala – w.b 15^th November

Science News

Follow us on Twitter!

The Science Department Twitter account @ScienceTAHS1 carries information on all things happening within the Department – including a look at a physics investigation carried out by Year 9 and the pigs and turkeys enjoying their fresh bedding on the School Farm!

Follow the link below to find out what’s been happening this week!

Tweets by ScienceTAHS1

This Week’s Science Students of the Week

Year 9

Mrs North would like to nominate Sebastian G and Lewis A for an excellent result in their biology test.

Miss Thorley would like to nominate Spencer W in 9U2 for his excellent electromagnetism investigation, a photograph can be seen on TAHS Science Twitter account!

Mrs Lambert would like to say a big well done to all of 9U1 on excellent engagement in their recent practical activity in biology. We will be viewing our agar plates next week to see how much bacteria there was on our phone and keys! Photos to follow on the TAHS Science Twitter account!

Year 10

Mrs North would like to nominate Joe N, Tom L and Alex H for an excellent result in their chemistry test.

Well done!

Year 11 History

All groups will be having an examination on Paper 1 Medicine Through Time 18th  – 21st October. Students should be revising for this at home.

French

French speaking exams have been rearranged for Tuesday 19th October. Times have been sent home. Bonne Chance.

English Stars

The English department has seen lots of excellent work from students over the last week, as well as some outstanding effort. The following students particularly stood out as being deserving of praise. Well done to:

Year 9  Kai B, Ethan S, Adam R, Lola T, Billie O, Daisy C

Year 10 Alex E, Neve C, Aimee S, Aileen L

Year 11 Georgie S, Lewis M, Georgie F

Year 12 Joshua H, Katie U

Career of the week

This week the career is ‘IT Technician’ click on link to see the My Path video which tells you more – > JOB OF THE WEEK – EPISODE #09 – IT TECHNICIAN – YouTube

Job title:	IT Technician  – IT technical support staff diagnose and solve software and hardware problems for computer users. You could: take details from customers about their IT problems find and fix faults track work in progress and record issues and solutions update online knowledge banks service equipment like printers, projectors and IT networks set up new equipment and upgrade existing systems train people on new systems, face-to-face and online
How to become:	College You could take a college course in computing or IT support, like a: Level 2 Certificate in ICT Systems Support Level 3 Diploma in ICT Professional Competence T level in Digital Support Services Apprenticeship The following advanced apprenticeships may be relevant to this role: Level 3 Infrastructure technicianLevel 3 IT solutions technician Entry requirements You’ll usually need 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
Skills required:	the ability to work well with othersknowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and softwareanalytical thinking skillsknowledge of engineering science and technologyto be thorough and pay attention to detailcustomer service skillsexcellent verbal communication skillsto be flexible and open to changeto be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
What you’ll earn:	£16000 -£35000

              All information taken directly from IT support technician | Explore careers | National Careers Service

College open days and events  

I have attached links to colleges in the local area for students who may be considering this route. There are a number of open days coming up and details of these events can be found on the links below.

Events | NSCG – Newcastle & Stafford Colleges Group

Newcastle Open Events… | NSCG – Newcastle & Stafford Colleges Group

Events – Derby College (derby-college.ac.uk)

Open days (bsdc.ac.uk)

Open Events 2021/22 – Stoke-on-Trent College :Stoke-on-Trent College (stokecoll.ac.uk)

Course Open Event 16th October – Reaseheath College

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Assemblies for Next Week

Assemblies: w/b 11^th of October

The assembly this week will be led by Mr Parker to talk about the importance of turning up. 

Thought(s) for the Week 

“Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you’ve got to give it.”  -R.G. Risch

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin

Notable Days

11^th International Day of the Girl Child  International Day of the Girl Child | United Nations

1th National Coming Out Day Coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (stonewall.org.uk)

14^th International Sceptics day

17^th International Day for the Eradication of Poverty International Day for the Eradication of Poverty | United Nations

Sixth Form Open Evening.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday the 7th of October. It was a fantastic evening and we were delighted to share the many opportunities our Sixth Form offers.

We welcome sixth form applications from Thursday 14^th of October and the deadline for completion is the 14^th of January 2022. We will send information on how to complete the application including the personal statement directly to year 11 students.

If you were unable to attend the evening, or would like further information on the subjects we offer, please see the presentation from the evening here: Open Evening Presentation

and also a link to our Sixth form video here:  https://youtu.be/BPbQVxIElCA

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the sixth form team via sixthform@tahs.org.uk

TUTOR TIME ACTIVITIES W/C 11^th October 2021

Year 12

Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset?   Students each complete a mindset quiz.  Each student should have a strength and area for development at the end of the session, as well as more awareness about their learning styles. 

Year 13

Tutors will help students prepare for university and what they can expect with videos from Oxford Brookes, Galway and Bangor Universities.

Sixth Form Discretionary Bursary Fund (DBF)

Sixth Form bursary booklets are now available for collection from the Sixth Form office.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

We will be sending Christmas shoe boxes to the Operation Christmas Child charity and would like to gather as many as we can.  Form tutors will be collecting these from students in their registration groups between 15th – 19th November 2021.  Please give generously!  Remember there are some restricted items eg toothpaste, sweets, lotions and liquids.  A full list of what can be included is available on this link:  What Goes In My Shoebox (samaritans-purse.org.uk).  Thank you in advance.

Data Collection Sheets

Data collection sheets have now been distributed to all students.  Many thanks to parents who have already returned sheets.  If you have yet to do so, please check/update and sign the sheet and return it to the school office as soon as possible.  This information helps us to safeguard your child and enables us to contact you in an emergency.  We politely request two emergency contacts

News from PE

House hockey
All year groups participated in House Hockey on Wednesday. In these competitive matches the girls showcased the skills they have practised this term in PE lessons. 

Year 9 results1st Torrance and Whitmore 
3rd Elkes4th Orme 

Year 10 & 11 combined 1st Torrance 2nd Elkes 3rd Orme 4th Whitmore 

Netball Tuesday 12th October – Year 9 Netball tournament away at Deferrers

Wednesday – Year 10 House netball tournament 

House Rugby Results –

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

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

Year 11 1st Torrance, 2nd Elkes, 3rd Orme, 4th Whitmore

BTEC Tech Award Sport, Activity & Fitness – All students need to upload coaching videos to assignments on teams.

House Competition 2021 – 22

1 – Elkes: 44

2 – Whitmore: 37

3 – Torrance: 34

4 – Orme: 25

How do you get points for your house?

Credits

Earn credits to help your house win the credit award each week

Attendance

Come to school every day to help your house win the Attendance award each Half Term (Triple Points!)

House Competitions

House Football – Date TBC

House Netball – Date TBC

Art Competitions – Date TBC

Swimming Gala – 15^th November

Mental Health 

It is World Mental Health Day on Sunday 10th October. Students have watched a presentation during registration this week. This has highlighted support on offer in school. On Tuesday we will be joined by Natalie and Bridie from the Burton and Uttoxeter Mental Health in Schools team. They will have a stall in the canteen at lunchtime and they would like to speak to students who are keen to promote positive mental health and who are interested in becoming Mental Health ambassadors in school. 

Science News

Science Students of the Week

Mrs North would like to nominate Evie D and Rachel T (9H2A) – for fantastic homework about microscopes in Biology.

Mrs Hughes would like to nominate the following students from 10U1 – Logan C, Charlie F, Isabelle G, Calli H, Luke N, Bethan P and Ben P for their great performance in their recent chemistry assessment.

Mrs Hughes would also like to nominate the following students from 11H3 – Jack B, Emily G, Katy J, Grace S and Daisy T for a fantastic result in their science assessment.

Well done!

Calling All Aspiring Medics or Healthcare workers

There are still some spaces on the Autumn and early Winter virtual hospital work experience course – Ward Round Live. It’s a great way for students to get interactive work experience for their Medicine application, as well as taking on the role of a Doctor themselves.

Next available courses:

Name: Ward Round Live
Ages: 15+
Next Date: Saturday 16^th October 2021 & Sunday 7^th November 2021
Time: 10am – 4pm
Link:https://educationprojects.co.uk/medical-projects/ward-round-live/

If you are an aspiring medics or healthcare students then please follow the link

Geography

Year 11 revision sessions are running every Wednesday after-school till around 4pm with Miss Robinson in room 6a. The theme for this half term’s revision sessions are exam skills, with next week’s revision session on ‘how to answer 4 and 6 mark questions’. All students from each Y11 group are invited to attend these sessions!

Year 13 revision sessions are also running every Wednesday after-school with Mrs Goodwin in room 7. These sessions will provide you with a chance to discuss your progress with your NEA and also to work on knowledge and exam technique.

Yr9 Send Evening 

On Thursday the Send department are holding a  meeting for year 9 parents. The evening starts at 5pm in Keeling House on Thursday 14th October. It is an opportunity for parents of special needs pupils in year 9 to meet teaching assistants and to see how pupils are supported in their curriculum and social time.

We look forward to meeting you on Thursday.

English Stars

Well done to the following students, who have been nominated by your teachers for this week’s student of the week.

Year 9 Rachel T, Ellie Mae R, Lily H, Daisy C, Kieran C, Joshua W

Year 10 Maddie H, Aimee S, Lacey B, Maisie L, Harriet K, Lily O, Aileen L, Jack M, Megan W B

Year 11 Evie R, Bren P, Krishan K, Bailey L, Lucy M, Katie D, Edward T, Harriet E, Hannah Thomas L

Year 12 Yasmin L, Pjilippa B, Liliana KYear 13 Sadie B

Career of the week

This week the career is ‘Hotel Porter click on link to see the My Path video which tells you more – > JOB OF THE WEEK – EPISODE #08 – HOTEL PORTER – YouTube

Job title:	Hotel Porter Hotel Porters welcome guests, carry their luggage and answer their questions. On a typical day you could: welcome guests to the hotel and carry their luggage answer queries about the hotel and make reservations arrange taxis and book tickets run errands, such as picking up dry cleaning take messages give directions move furniture or equipment to set up rooms for events respond to safety and security issues
How to become:	College You can take a college course before you look for work, like: Level 1 Certificate in Introduction to the Hospitality Industry or customer service. You may need: 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course Apprenticeship You can start by doing a hospitality team member intermediate apprenticeship. Entry requirements You’ll usually need some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship Direct Application You can apply directly to employers if you’ve got some of the relevant skills and knowledge needed for this job. Experience in customer service will be helpful though not essential. Employers will be interested in your personal qualities and will expect you to be hardworking, honest and a reliable time-keeper.
Skills required:	customer service skills the ability to work on your own the ability to work well with others physical fitness and endurance excellent verbal communication skills active listening skills concentration skills the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
What you’ll earn:	£14000 -£19000

              All information taken directly from Hotel porter | Explore careers | National Careers Service

Careers interviews

All year 11s will be seen for careers interviews over the next two terms to enable them to make their plans for post 16.

Students will be collected from their lessons to attend and where possible will be contacted in advance.

All year 11s will be seen by either myself (Anna Featherstone) or Clare Atkinson – our advisor from Entrust.

If students would like to know more about what to expect in their appointment or look at how to prepare then please click on the link attached which will take you to a document in Microsoft teams. Alternatively, you will find the information on our school website under the careers tab.

Featherstone: What to expect in your careers appointment 

               Upcoming events and Opportunities

Free Careers Evenings for Teachers and Parents – Expert advice to enhance your students’ career potential

InvestIN runs a series of bespoke, free-of-charge events for parents and teachers specifically designed to help you enhance your students’ career potential. This term’s schedule includes sessions on how to break into medicine, learning leadership skills, launching a career to fight climate change and much more. If you are interested or want to register for any of the events then you can on this link Events for Parents | InvestIN

Succeeding in STEM – Discover how to kickstart your child’s career in STEM-related industries. Led by Ella Podmore, McLaren Engineer – Live online | 20th October 2021 | 7-8pm GMT

Spotlight Talks: Inspiring careers excellence – 13-14 October, 2021.

In partnership with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT

Spotlight talks brings together the UK’s leading employers and apprentices to inspire even more young people, from all walks of life to take up technical career routes and apprenticeships. The next Spotlight talks will focus on digital skills and careers. To register click on the link below. Registration | WorldSkills UK Events

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TAHS Weekly Newsletter. 

Assemblies for Next Week

Assemblies: w/b 4^th of October

The assembly this week will be led by Mr Melland to talk about World Space Week 

Thought(s) for the Week 

 “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” ― Isaac Asimov

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie

Year 11 Sixth Form Talk: 30th September 2021.

Mrs Dodd delivered a talk to all year 11 students during period 1 today. She discussed the many opportunities that the Sixth Form can provide after year 11, the array of subjects (both A-level and BTEC) available, and the application process for 2022 entry. During this talk she reminded students that they are required by law to stay in education and/or training until they are 18. All students were given a letter to bring home in relation to our forthcoming Sixth Form Open Evening, which will also be emailed out to all parent(s)/carer(s) of year 11 students.

Sixth Form Open Evening: 7th of October 2021.

We are delighted to be able to offer a face-to-face open evening this year, which is the first stage of our application process for 2022 entry. Post-16 education at Thomas Alleyne’s is highly regarded by both students and their families, and we have a proven track record of success in both A-Level and BTEC courses.  

The aim of the open evening is to support year 11 students in making informed decisions about their Post-16 education, and will comprise of a Sixth Form information session alongside a number of subject specific presentations. 

Evening Format:

• 6.00-6.30pm – Sixth Form Information Talk one in the theatre OR

• 6.20-6.30pm – Subject talk one

THEN:

• 6.40-6.50pm – Subject talk two

• 7.00-7.10pm – Subject talk three

• 7.20-7.30pm – Subject talk four

• 7.40-7.50pm – Subject talk five

• 8.00-8.10pm – Subject talk six

• 8.20-8.50pm – Second Sixth Form Talk two in the theatre OR

• 8.20-8.50pm Subject questions and answers.

The Sixth form information sessions will be led by myself, Mrs Dodd and our Head Boy and Girl, and will cover the Post-16 admissions process, examination results, student destinations alongside our expectations and opportunities.  

We strongly encourage our year 11 students to plan their evening in advance, as they will be able to attend up to six subject talks, which will  focus on the nature, demands and admission criteria for individual A-Level and BTEC courses.  Subject staff and current Post-16 students will be available throughout the evening to answer any questions. 

To help you plan your evening, and to keep our community as safe as possible, we would ask that you book tickets for the sessions and subject talks via the following link:

Please could tickets for the talks are booked in the name of the prospective year 12 student, and where possible they attend with one parent/carer.

Our current Sixth Form prospectus is available to view online now in the Sixth Form section of our school website, and our 2022 prospectus will be available on the open evening.

If you have any queries, or if you are unable to attend the evening, but would like to receive information about our Sixth Form, please email sixthform@tahs.org.uk

UCAS 2022 Entry:

The Sixth form team are pleased to share that that our first UCAS applications for 2022 entry have been sent off this week. If your child is in year 13 and is hoping to go to university in 2022 please encourage them to complete their personal statement and UCAS application as soon as possible. Year 13 have been provided with a wealth of resources to support them in this, and also have free access to our fantastic online destinations platform Unifrog. 

Please be aware of the following National deadlines for 2022 Entry:

Conservatoire music courses – 1st October 2021 6pm

Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary courses – 15th October 2021 6pm

All other university courses – 26th January 2022 6pm

For further information about UCAS or the application process please visit UCAS.com

TUTOR TIME ACTIVITIES W/C 4^th October 2021

Year 12

Plan out your ‘road map’ to help you reflect on what you want from Y12.  Or use the ‘goal setting’ worksheet to plan out careers and steps to getting there – courtesy of Unifrog.

Year 13

Log onto the Future Learn website and explore their moocs.  Sign up for one and continue this during your 6th form 7 enrichment sessions or tutor time on Wednesdays.  These will help your personal statements to really stand out!’

Sixth Form Volunteers Needed

We are looking for Sixth Form students to volunteer to help during our Prospective Sixth Form Open Evening taking place on Thursday 7^th October.  If you are interested in supporting the Sixth Form please pop your name on the sign sheets outside the Sixth Form office.

Sixth Form Discretionary Bursary Fund (DBF)

Sixth Form bursary booklets are now available for collection from the Sixth Form office.

All students in Years 11, 12 and 13 have been sent this link via their school email.  If they are interested in an apprenticeship they can register using the link.

Art & photography back on the road

Y12 Art and Photography Students went to Birmingham Library, City Centre and Galleries to make sketches and take photographs for their coursework development and experimentation.  The trip went really well, all students worked hard and were an excellent example for the school and conducted themselves safely and maturely.  Mr. Robinson-White, Mrs. Simmonds-Vaughan and Ms. Wood were delighted to spend the day supporting our wonderful Artists and Photographers. 

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Year 10 and Y11 Data Collection Sheets

Year 10 and Year 11 data collection sheets have been distributed to students this week. We thank all parents in advance for checking/completing these sheets and returning them to the school office as soon as possible. The information helps us to safeguard your child and contact you in an emergency. We politely request 2 emergency contacts. Please do advise the school office if any detail changes throughout the year including email addresses. 

News from PE

This Thursday evening saw our House Handball competition take place. The event was a mixed gender, multi year group competition – which saw some great skill and game play.

Final positions after 2 hours of match play saw Whitmore come out on top, Elkes 2nd, Torrance 3rd and Orme 4th.

Joel M was player of the tournament.  All players taking place earnt credits for their house as well as the competition points.

Preparations continue for Girls House Hockey and Boys House Rugby on Wednesday 6th October –

Year 11 P2, Year 9 P3, Year 10 P4.

Students wanting to play just need to register and go straight to changing rooms.

Fitness, Badminton and Girls Rugby continue to be well attended (see Pics)
Next week

Tue 5th Oct Year 9 Girls House Netball – 3.05-4.15

Wed 6th Oct Year 11 Girls House Netball – 3.05-4.15

Wed 6th Oct Girls House Hockey

Wed 6th Oct Boys House Rugby

Thu 7th Oct Boys House Football 3.05-4.15

Fri 8th Oct Badminton Club 3.05-4pm

Fri 8th Oct Girls Rugby 3.05-4pm

Fri 8th Oct Fitness Club 3.05-4pm 

Science News

This week’s Science Students of the Week

Mrs North would like to nominate Lewis A (9T2) and Jack A (9T2) for excellent contribution in Biology.

Mrs Lambert would like to nominate Alisha C and Krishan K (10H5) for excellent practical work in Biology.

Mr Melland would like to say a huge thank you to the Year 9 students who volunteered to help in the Science Department and made a massive contribution during the School’s Open Evening.

The students demonstrated the dissection of a sheep’s pluck (lungs, heart and liver), intrigued visitors with smiley-faced marshmallows in the vacuum chamber and produced an array of colours in the chemical flame tests!

Well done!

MFL Musings

Firstly, well done to everyone in 11C who completed their Trial Speaking Exam this week. We’re looking forward to 11D doing just as well in a couple of weeks time – final details to follow as soon as we can. 
It was also an eventful week as we had year 8 visiting us from the middle schools on Thursday evening. It was a great opportunity to meet everyone, tell them about what we do in year 9, and to get people trying Battleships, Sentences of Doom, and Quizlet. 

This week, we want to celebrate students who have demonstrated the core values of a THOMAS Character, so congratulations to:

MC for helping others in class 9HAKJ for tenacity in every lesson 9HLJH and IG for tenacity 10C

And of course, another huge well done to 11C for their speaking exams, and a thank you to year 12 for all of their support and hard work on open evening. 

Music News

Can all students who would like to have instrumental/vocal tuition in school please either collect a letter from me or return their parental consent slips if you have a letter. Please do this ASAP.
If you are unsure what time your lesson is please look at the music notice board in room 67 or see Mrs Todd. I will continue to remind pupils on SIMS for next week but then you will need to check the notice board.

Guitar lessons Monday 9am
Drum lessons Monday 11.40am
Woodwind lessons Thursday 9.30am
Violin, Vocal, Piano Thursday 10.30am
Brass lessons Friday 10.45am

GREASE Production

Please can ALL students who want to be in Grease and have not yet had a Dance Audition, ensure you attend the dance session on Tuesday 5th October after school in the theatre until 4.15. If you have already auditioned for dance you do not need to be there. You MUST attend if you want any part on stage and have not already auditioned for dance.

Grease drama auditions will take place on Wednesday 13th October. For more details then please see Mrs Todd or Mrs Mood.

PET XI Training YEAR 11 Positive Directions

Congratulations to the Yr11 pupils who completed their level IT training with PetXI this.  Throughout the week pupils developed their IT skills with external staff.  The course allowed them to build CV’s and career applications as well as build skills in using Office 365.  Well done to all pupils, the company were extremely complimentary about your approach and conduct during the week.

History

Year 11 pupils should be revising for their Paper 1 Medicine Through Time exam – this will be sat during the week beginning 18th October.

After school revision is Wednesday and Thursday each week.

English Stars

Congratulations to the following students who have impressed their English teachers this week.

Y9 Blake R, Matthew F, Harvey D, Elisha T, Landon F

Y10 Kieran S, Aimee S, Poppy B, Isobel H, Lauren N, Lily O, Harriet K, Milly S, Aileen L, Alex H, Billy T, Jack G

Y11 Jimmy K, Bertie I, Luke C, Joe Ho, Hannah C, Beth J, Bethan T, Joe Ha

Y12 Katie U, Will P, Tess SY13 Sadie B, Katie G, Sophie W, Lizzie S, Martha M, Robert F

Allies will return this week. If you would like to be involved, please come along from 8:00 on Monday morning to Room 23 or speak to Miss Cann or Mrs Attwood.

Latin club will start for sixth form students this week. Please come along to Room 21 at 3:30 on Thursday. For more information, contact cann@tahs.net

Maths- Year 9 ‘Star Starters’

Well done to all the following Y9 students who have made a fantastic start in maths

9H1: Nehir A, Matthew F, Harry O, Poppy W

9H2A: Lexi C, Evie D, Matthew L

9H2B: Isaac C, Landon, Louie R, Jess P

9H3: Ianthe R, Bayley W, Ava H, Scarlett C

9H4: Aimee M, Joseph H, Elena B

9U1: Spencer W, James D, Isabell D, Lily H

9U2: Blake R, Katie P, Daisy C, Daisy J

9U3: Elisha T, Tyler P, Sophia C

9U4: Larisa G, Ollie K, Lilly P, Matthew C

Career of the week

This week the career is ‘Games Tester’ click on link to see the My Path video which tells you more – > JOB OF THE WEEK – EPISODE #07 – GAMES TESTER – YouTube

Job title:	Computer games tester (Gamestester, quality assurance tester, video games tester) Computer games testers play computer games to check they work, and find and record problems or ‘bugs’.In this role you could:test different levels and versions of a gamefind the cause of faults and recommend improvementsenter each ‘bug report’ on a quality management systemcompare the game against other games on the marketcheck for spelling mistakes in the game, manuals and packagingreport copyright issues like the use of logoscheck a game’s accessibility optionswork under pressure and to deadlines
How to become:	University You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree course in; computing, games design, programming. You’ll usually need: 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree College You could take a college course, which may help you to get a job as a junior tester. Courses include: A level in Computing Level 3 Diploma in Creative Media T Level in Digital Production, Design and Development You may need:  4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and a creative subject Apprenticeship You could complete a software tester higher apprenticeship. This typically takes around 24 months to complete as a mix of learning on the job and study. You’ll usually need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship Direct Application You could contact games companies about part-time or short-term work experience opportunities. You’ll need good technical skills and an in-depth understanding of different game platforms and quality assurance processes.
Skills required:	maths knowledge for understanding programmingto be thorough and pay attention to detail for finding faults and ‘bugs’analytical thinking skills for software testingthe ability to use your initiativethe ability to come up with new ways of doing thingsexcellent verbal communication skillsa good memorycomplex problem-solving skills for fixing ‘bugs’to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
What you’ll earn:	£24,000 – £50,000

              All information taken directly from Firefighter | Explore careers | National Careers Service

Careers interviews

All year 11s will be seen for careers interviews over the next two terms to enable them to make their plans for post 16.

Students will be collected from their lessons to attend and where possible will be contacted in advance.

All year 11s will be seen by either myself (Anna Featherstone) or Clare Atkinson – our advisor from Entrust.

If students would like to know more about what to expect in their appointment or look at how to prepare then please click on the link attached which will take you to a document in Microsoft teams. Alternatively you will find the information on our school website under the careers tab.

Featherstone: What to expect in your careers appointment 

               Upcoming events and Opportunities

Free Careers Evenings for Teachers and Parents – Expert advice to enhance your students’ career potential

InvestIN runs a series of bespoke, free-of-charge events for parents and teachers specifically designed to help you enhance your students’ career potential. This term’s schedule includes sessions on how to break into medicine, learning leadership skills, launching a career to fight climate change and much more. If you are interested or want to register for any of the events then you can on this link Events for Parents | InvestIN

The Skills Surgery – Breaking into a career in medicine, dentistry and veterinary surgery. Led by Dr. Julian Pearce, Dermatology Registrar and Academic Fellow – Live online | 6th October 2021 | 7-8pm GMT

Succeeding in STEM – Discover how to kickstart your child’s career in STEM-related industries. Led by Ella Podmore, McLaren Engineer – Live online | 20th October 2021 | 7-8pm GMT

RAILWAY FUTURES CAREERS DAY

FOR SECONDARY AND SIXTH FORM/COLLEGE STUDENTS

13.15–14.55 Wednesday 6^th October

Students can explore the industry through a series of workshops, with professionals sharing stories about the exciting combination of innovation, engineering and technology in the railways. Students will discover how and why the future in rail is exciting and dynamic, and how to pursue a future in rail and STEM.

HOW TO TAKE PART

If you are interested in taking part then please contact Mrs Featherstone at featherstone@tahs.net and I will organise the opportunity for you.

Morgan Stanley – Step in Step up – An insight to Banking

Step In, Step Up:  An Insight to Banking is an introductory two-day programme designed for Year 12/13 female students. This programme comprises of divisional overviews, panel sessions and interactive workshops. Participants will also have the opportunity to network with employees at all stages of their careers. Meet our inspiring individuals and discover your passion for Finance.

The event will be held on the 26th & 27th October 2021.Applications close on the 26th September 2021.

Event address / venue details

London (Virtual / In our offices) to be confirmed closer to the time dependent on COVID-19. Register – Morgan Stanley Campus (tal.net)

Royal Air Force ‘Access All Areas’ Free Virtual Careers Event – Wednesday 6 October 2021 at 18:30 – 20:30.

The RAF is responsible for protecting the UK’s air and space capabilities, and Access All Areas is a fantastic opportunity to uncover an immersive, interactive 360° experience. With nine must-see locations and the opportunity to chat directly with RAF Recruitment Personnel, explore where the RAF could take you.

RAF Virtual Event Access All Areas Tickets, Wed 6 Oct 2021 at 18:30 | Eventbrite

Spotlight Talks: Inspiring careers excellence – 13-14 October, 2021.

In partnership with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT

Spotlight talks brings together the UK’s leading employers and apprentices to inspire even more young people, from all walks of life to take up technical career routes and apprenticeships. The next Spotlight talks will focus on digital skills and careers. To register click on the link below. Registration | WorldSkills UK Events

Staff Vacancies 

We are looking to recruit exam invigilators on a casual basis to increase the numbers of our current team. This highly flexible role will help to support the effective supervision and monitoring of internal and external exams. Supporting students during exams is both a rewarding and vital role. Please see the school website for full details:

http://www.thomasalleynes.uk/page/?title=Exam+Invigilators&pid=282

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