The school day timings will be changed to accommodate the exam season until Friday 16th June. Arrangements for this are as follows:
Timings
Lesson
9am-10.15am
Period 1
10.15am-10.35am
Break
10.35am-11.50am
Period 2
11.50am-12.35pm
Lunch
12.35pm-13.50pm
Period 3
13.50-3.05pm
Period 4
Year 11 leavers hoodies (optional)
If you wish to purchase a year 11 leavers hoodie for £21.95 please click on the following link. The deadline to purchase a hoodie is the 1st June 2023.
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Presentation at Buckingham Palace
We were very lucky to receive invitations to a garden party for Gold recipients at Buckingham Palace last week. It was a great honour to be invited to see over 2000 candidates be celebrated for their achievements, and it was a little mind-blowing to realise that this was the culmination of a week of such events.
One of our own Gold candidates, Patrick North, was there to celebrate his award, and another of our Golds, Tom Page, had been down earlier in the week.
There were speeches from Prince Edward, celebrating his recent promotion to Duke of Edinburgh, the footballer Jill Scott, and a young man who had recently triumphed over adversity to achieve his Gold. The Duke toured the grounds to greet candidates and to ask about their experiences.
A number of celebrities including Charlie Boorman, Katherine Kelly and John Simpson were also in attendance and gave speeches at satellite stages around the garden.
We were all able to enjoy the peace and serenity of the garden in the midst of all the London noise and the weather decided to hold off for us too.
The whole experience was wonderful and a fitting reward for the years of hard work that the Gold candidates had put in to achieve their Gold awards.
Staffordshire Fire & Safety
This community safety flash focuses on how to contact emergency services for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. A fire safety advice booklet has been included and a link to a fire safety video with sign language is included in the 999 BSL attachment.
Staffordshire Fire & Rescue offer support and guidance through our Community Advice Team Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm either on 0800 0241 999 or communityadviceteam@staffordshire.fire.gov
Please see below information on apprenticeships, careers, courses and degrees.
DLA Piper
DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world.
We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed.
Our entrepreneurial and supportive culture promotes bold, ambitious thinking and a warm, empathetic approach. Trusting, collaborative relationships with clients and each other is at the heart of everything we do.
As an apprentice at DLA Piper you will have wide ranging support throughout your studies to ensure you feel valued, welcomed and supported at all times.
Current opportunity:
Project Manager Apprenticeship
We are hiring Project Manager Apprentices to join our DLA Piper Service Delivery team based in the Leeds Office. This innovative and growing team focuses on delivering efficiency gains, tech solutions and process improvement to enhance our client offering and increase competitiveness. The team also work directly with clients to design bespoke solutions for their organisations and in-house teams.
As an Apprentice within this team, you will get the opportunity to complete four, 9 to 12 month long rotations in a number of departments while you study towards a Level 6 Project Manager Apprenticeship, which takes four years to complete. After the four years you will become a Project Management professional with a recognised qualification (BSc in Project Management) and accreditation from a certification body.
Did you know that an apprenticeship could be your ticket to a high-skilled job in a world-leading engineering company straight out of education? And what’s more, you’ll get paid a wage and gain qualifications without having to take on any student debt.
Read on to find out about the different types of engineering apprenticeships and how you can apply.
What is an engineering apprenticeship?
As an apprentice, you will gain the knowledge and skills for your role on the job. You’ll spend most of your time in the office, lab, factory or field, where you will be trained up by experienced colleagues. Depending on your apprenticeship level, you will also study with a training provider, in college or at university, working towards a qualification which will support you in your day-to-day role.
There are three main types of apprenticeships: intermediate, advanced and higher/degree apprenticeships. Each apprenticeship will provide different qualifications.
Curious about the different types of apprenticeships? Have a read of this article!
The different types of engineering apprenticeships
Engineering has several different career pathways. The 5 main types of engineering apprenticeships are:
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Manufacturing Engineering
Civil Engineering
Environmental Technology Engineering Have a look at this video to learn more about the 5 main types of engineering apprenticeships
3. What skills do I need to apply for an engineering apprenticeship?
Every engineering apprenticeship is different so make sure to read the job description carefully to find out about what skills are required. As a guide, here are a selection of the skills and qualities you would need: • Able to work as part of a team. • Dedicated, conscientious, and reliable. • Practical and hands-on. • A genuine interest in engineering. • Hardworking. • Able to communicate complex information. • Able to think technically and analytically. • Happy to work in an industrial environment. • Organised. • Good at managing your time. Here are some articles about skills.
4. So what engineering apprenticeships are available?
Engineering apprenticeships at Volkswagen – Click to Apply
Experience hands-on learning while being mentored by industry experts. You will train at our world class training facilities and work with the very latest automotive technology and amazing vehicles.
Location: Nationwide Deadline: 26 May 2023 Latest opportunities: Become a Vehicle Parts Assistant, work in Mechanical or Technical Engineering, all while gaining a professional qualification.
Engineering Apprenticeships at Jaguar Land Rover – Click to Apply
Jaguar Land Rover are the pioneers creating the next generation of outstanding vehicles. They are looking for hard-working individuals to make driving more sustainable, their business more environmentally aware and their services more desirable for our customers
Location: Nationwide Deadline: 26 May 2023 Latest opportunities: Vehicle Sales, Parts Manufacturing, Customer Service and Engineering Technician.
After completing their GCSE (or equivalent) qualifications there are a variety of options available to students. Have your students considered a Jaguar Land Rover retailer apprenticeship?
The Jaguar Land Rover retailer apprenticeship programme are recruiting for over 150 apprenticeship vacancies this year. We are looking for Service Technician, Customer Service Advisor, Parts Advisor and Sales Executive apprentices to become part of our team across the UK.
Below are some of the top benefits of a Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Apprenticeship: • Earn while you learn without racking up debt • Gain work experience from day 1 of your apprenticeship • Receive nationally recognised qualifications • Brand certification from one of the UK’s prestigious car brands • Develop life skills and technical knowledge to succeed • On the job training with support provided throughout the learner journey • Meet new people and take part in new experiences • The first step towards a rewarding career in the automotive industry Jaguar Land Rover have ambitious growth plans and recognise the importance in identifying talented individuals to become the next generation of professional retailer employees.
This is the second year of South Staffs Water’s Young Innovators’ Panel – an exciting opportunity for sixth formers to get involved in the running of one of the largest businesses in our region. Students will gain valuable work experience, working closely with senior executives at South Staffs Water to bring their views as young adults into the company’s decision-making process for the future.
We’re hand-picking 24 individuals from the students that apply to join the board, which will allow their voices to be heard at executive level and provide a unique opportunity for them to kickstart a career in the world of business. They must live in the South Staffs Water region to take part, and applications will be chosen based on suitability and to ensure a diverse panel of students representing all schools in the area. Blue Marble is an independent market research agency facilitating this project. We abide by the Market Research Society code of conduct, which means that personal details of applicants will be protected during the project, and then destroyed afterwards in a GDPR compliant manner.
How will your sixth formers benefit? They will have real influence on the decisions made by senior management as well as: • see inside the workings of a major business • meet other like-minded sixth formers from around the region • get a formal reference for use in UCAS or apprenticeship applications • get a £100 reward for taking part.
What’s involved? The Young Innovators’ Panel will attend board meetings on two occasions, Tuesday 27th June and Wednesday 19th July at South Staffs Water’s headquarters in Walsall. The meetings will start at 10am so applicants need to be able to get to Walsall for this time. We will reimburse individuals for all travel expenses to board meetings. The meetings will finish at approximately 4pm and will include a mix of briefings from senior executives about the business and the challenges it faces, and facilitated problem-solving exercises. The Young Innovators’ Panel will work in teams to come up with a teaching resource suitable for KS3 (11-13 year olds), which will form part of South Staffs Water’s armoury of tools to deliver water efficiency education to schools across the region. Between the two board meetings, members will prepare team presentations on their teaching resource which will be judged by a panel of senior executives.
Who should apply? We would expect sixth formers to be one or more of the following: • Someone who enjoys getting their point across: taking an active part in class discussions and debates and problem-solving. • a good team player: a good listener as well as a good talker, and interested in collaboration! • The Panel is relevant to students of all subjects, for example Geographers reflecting on water efficiency and the challenges of water resources, Business students looking to develop their awareness of business plans and decision making, and Performing Arts students focusing on presentation and delivery.
We are looking for sixth formers from all social backgrounds: this really is an opportunity for anyone who is interested.
Supporting your school or college South Staffs Water will be publicising the work of the panel to local media and we would like your school/college to be part of this exciting venture. We are contacting all sixth forms and colleges in the region, and would encourage you to publicise the initiative to your sixth formers so they have the opportunity to get involved. As part of this research initiative school contact details will be shared with South Staffs Water to be used for schools outreach, and stored by them and Blue Marble until 30th April 2025. After this date, both organisations will need to either gain reconsent to store the data or destroy it. If, during the period of data storage you would like your contact details to be destroyed please contact evie@bluemarbleresearch.co.uk
How to apply You can apply by following this link: https://forms.office.com/e/rBxFZEHJjc The application form is quick and easy and should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. The closing date for applications is 26th May 2023. You will be informed of the result of your application by the 17th June. Those that are not selected will still have an opportunity to share their views with South Staffs Water. Once the panel has concluded we will be disseminating surveys to participating schools. Participants can opt into a prize draw on completing the survey, with the chance of winning a £100 Love2Shop voucher as a thank-you for taking part.
Need to know more? If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Evie Fleck directly: evie@bluemarbleresearch.co.uk or call 07732901572
Sunderland University
Come experience all that Sunderland has to offer and discover how we can help you get to where you’re meant to be at our next Undergraduate Open Day!
Saturday 10 June 2023 10am – 3:30pm
On the day you’ll have the opportunity to: • Explore our campus, student services and professions-facing facilities • Take a tour of our university-managed student accommodation • Attend an array of talks and speak to our expert staff about your study and career options • Chat to our current students and discover what student-life is really like • Learn about Student Finance and the financial support available This is your chance to explore our vibrant, ever-changing student-city, award winning beaches and promenades, and discover why we’ve been ranked as a Top 50 UK University (Guardian University Guide 2023)! Don’t miss out – Book your place today!
Undergraduate Open Day. Saturday 10 June, 10am – 3:30pm. Come Here. Get Somewhere.
Here to help with travel expenses. With the cost of living increasing, we fully understand how expensive travel can be right now. So, to help you with expenses, we’re offering a travel reimbursement for our Undergraduate Open Day, Saturday 10 June 2023. If you’re travelling 20+ miles, you could claim up to £100! Check out our website here to learn more about this offer and find out how much you could be entitled to.
Lincoln University
We still have a limited number of places available on some of our ‘Be Inspired’ days. These days give your students the chance to get a feel of a subject area, whilst understanding how other degree subjects link to that subject following a common theme on the day. We are looking for a maximum of 15 students per session from your school or college. Each day runs from 10am until 2:30pm.
13 June – Creative Arts (Drama and Technical Theatre) 21 June – Design (Photography, Fashion, Creative Advertising, Product Design) 21 June – History and Heritage (Conservation, Philosophy, English and History) 22 June – Astrophysics 28 June – Criminal Justice (Criminology, Law, Forensic Science and Forensic Psychology) 12 July- World in Crisis Day (Social Policy, International Relations, Politics and Sociology)
To find out more information and book on a specific day, please open the link here. If you require any more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at goliver@lincoln.ac.uk
Unifrog
HelpMeUnifrog: Got any new ideas for revision techniques? Need some fresh resources to get your students revising? Our Know-how library series has lots!
On the student side of Unifrog, you’ll find a series of revision guides – most with videos – to give your students a boost in preparing for their exams.
They’ll learn about techniques like memory journeys, teaching someone else, and the Pomodoro method.
Browse them here (remember to sign in as a student first) Read, Watch, Listen: Study playlists for your students A YouTube channel to share with students who prefer to revise to music
Taken from Unifrog’s Read, Watch, Listen tool, these ‘Study Session playlists’ feature relaxing electronic tracks and hip-hop beats to get your students in a relaxed place to study.
Listen here (remember to sign in as a student first) Feel good: Why we worry all the time and how to cope ‘There are two ways to mitigate risk: to try to remove all risk from the world, or to work on one’s attitude to risk’
This straight-talking video from the School of Life shows how past experience shapes the worries we have now – and how these responses might not be useful any more.
It’ll get you thinking about how often we worry and all the things that add to that load, and help you start to respond in the here-and-now.
Good Luck to all of our Year 13’s as they start their study leave! Wishing you all the best in your exams – we will miss you
TAP w/c 5th June 2023
Y12 Thomas Character – self fulfilled, one community
Mon: Watch this talk from gap year provider Project Trust delivered at a different school (start from 2 mins in) to get students thinking about gap years as an option. It’s 30 mins long so you won’t get chance to watch the whole thing. You could also quickly look at the Project Trust website and show students some of the geographical areas they could visit. Project Trust will also be in school during Future Intentions Week to inspire students and answer their questions. Gap Year Talk with Project Trust – YouTube
8th June is the UCAS deadline to accept firm choices. Students should also ensure that they have their accommodation if needed and student finance in place. For students who have rejected courses, they should ensure that their student finance application reflects their current needs as Student Finance England may not have up to date records where university choices have changed.
Data Collection Sheet
Any students who haven’t returned their data collection sheet, please can you drop it into the Sixth form office.
Sixth Form Finance
The school has been allocated a Discretional Bursary Fund (DBF) which students are able bid into throughout the academic year providing they meet the financial criteria set by the school and outlined in our DBF policy.
For the academic year 2022-2023 students are eligible for funding of up to £400 if their parental income is below £27,000 (proof required) or if they were designated as pupil premium. If a student is a looked after child (LAC) they may be entitled to up to £1,200 of financial support. Students must use this funding to support their Post-16 education. For example, Sixth Form uniform, transport costs to and from school, textbooks, revision guides, course materials, IT equipment (up to £150), educational visits, UCAS application Fee, University entrance tests etc.
More detailed information will be available in the DBF booklet which students can be obtain from Mrs Walton in the Sixth Form office or by emailing sixthform@tahs.org.uk
Year 12 Lockers
We are offering a limited number of lockers to Year 12 students on a first come, first served, basis. There is a £5 refundable deposit payable via Parent Pay.
Please can students bring a copy of their Parent Pay receipt to the Sixth Form Office where they will be issued with their key.
Refunds will be issued via Parent Pay when the key is returned. This must be before the end of Year 13 whilst still on roll.
The combined athletics championships took place on Friday. We took a male and female Year 9 team to compete in five athletics events: shot putt, high jump, long jump, sprint hurdles and the 800m.
Scores were awarded for the times recorded in the track events and distances covered in the field events to create an individual score and leaderboard. Also a team score was calculated.
In the boys competition we finished 5th as a team – Jack finished 7th with 1226 pts, Will in 14th with 1039 points, Liam in 18th with 942pts and Archie in 20th with 870 pts
The girls finished in 6th place in the team competition. Millie finished 12th with 1305pts, Susie 17th with 1171 pts, Anna 20th with 1114 pts and Cara 24th with 1001pts.
Rounders
The year 9 team had their first competitive games at a tournament held at Deferrers. Attendance at rounders club has been really high and amongst the players there are a high number who know the rules and tactical elements of the game.
The first game saw a nervous and rusty performance in the field which left us with too many rounders to chase whilst batting, losing 7 -4 to Deferres B. The next game was much improved, although a defeat by one rounder to Deferrers A we were in the game in both innings.
Our final game against John Taylor saw an all over complete performance with more rounders being scored in our batting innings and some slick fielding.
Team – Abi P, Susie, Anna, Claudia, Abi B, Grace, Cerys, Lucy and Elli
New lunchtime catering provider from 1st September 2023
We are excited to announce that our School catering provider will be Edwards and Ward from September 2023. As part of the move to the new provider, parents are being asked let them know if their child requires a special diet due to a diagnosed allergy, intolerance or medical condition – please see further details on the attached flyer. Please note the deadline for the special diets registration form is 30th June 2023.
A huge shoutout to 9HD, where 78% of students committed to their vocabulary this week – they’re leading the way!
For May, it’s looking really close. Katarzyna T is still leading, with 144 points, but not too far behind her are Dylan R, Jacob H, Megan R, and Maria-Grace S… There are 19 students who could steal 2nd and 3rd places just by meeting their 20 point targets, and many more who could overtake by earning just a few more bonus points. Little and often is the way.
Remember, the expectation is that all Year 9 students earn 20 points each week during term time.
Work of the Week
Three of Mrs Hunt’s Year 11 students made the most of a quiet lesson to really explore the structure of a Power and Conflict point – and they went big! Well done to Macie, Krishan and Rhys for your brilliant ideas: fingers crossed you get to use them in the exam this week!
Year 11: Revision after half term
We continue to be proud of Year 11 as they enter this phase of the exams: pre exam ‘breakfast’ sessions have seen 50+ students, and after school sessions are nearing the one hundred mark across the various rooms, so well done!
After half term, we will offer shorter, more focused skills sessions, as follows:
Tuesday: Paper 2, Question 5 (Miss Cann, A6)
Wednesday: Paper 2, Question 2 (Miss Cameron, A6)
Thursday: Paper 2, Question 4 (Mrs Bell, A8)
Friday: Paper 2, Question 3 (Mrs Hunt, A15)
Year 10:Exam Preparation
Year 10 students should look on Talaxy to find some useful “10 day revision” activities for Romeo and Juliet and Anthology Poetry, ahead of their summer exams. These sheets are designed to take 20 minutes or so each, and there are 10 for each topic area. Great for half term!
We met to discuss which book we should vote for to win this year’s Yoto Carnegie Medal – the popular choice was ‘NEEDLE’ by Patrick Lawrence.
Here is some blurb about the book which might encourage you to try reading this too!
‘Quick-tempered yet big-hearted, Charlene is a passionate knitter and a loyal sister. This concise yet punchy novella follows the challenges Charlene experiences as a black teenager in foster care. Things in her life begin to unravel when the special blanket she has been knitting for her little sister gets deliberately destroyed, entangling Charlene within the overwhelming world of the justice system.
An extremely powerful story that has you empathising and rooting for a complex main character from the outset. Readers are offered a painfully real glimpse into the teenage mind, exploring the microaggressions, racial-stereotyping and institutional racism that can be faced by black teenagers.’
Each member of the group now has the chance to place their own individual vote on the Carnegie website. Closing date is June 6th.
Thank you to all participants. We will not meet as a club again but you and any other keen readers in years 9 and 10 are welcome to come and borrow other books in the shortlist to read next half term. Mrs Baldwin
Congratulations to Lucy Lowther who has earned a place at the prestigious Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) to study Musical Theatre. At Thomas Alleyne’s, Lucy has contributed so much to Drama and performing arts and is also our Head Girl. Her first role for us here was as Ariel in The Tempest and in 2022 she played the starring role of Sandy in our fantastic production, Grease (pictured).
I am so proud of all of our A Level Drama students and wish them well with their exams and subsequent journeys into further education and work, Mrs Mood, Head of Drama.
Thomas Alleyne's high school 