22/3/2018 Year 10 Parents Evening

29/3/2018 End of Term

16/4/2018 School Reopens

 Headteacher blog:

BBC School Report Day.

BTEC Results Day

Over 100 students in school got the results from their January BTEC exams this week.  Students in years 10-13 achieved results in Applied Science, Children’s Play, Learning & Development, Health & Social Care, ICT and Sport.  A particular well done Shannon Davies in year 10, who scored the highest mark in the school on her Children’s Play, Learning & Development exam beating year 11 students who also took this paper. In all subjects our students did really well and this is a step closer to some excellent BTEC results again this summer.

 

News from PE

Year 9 Futsal County Final

Science News

Bake Sale

TO RAISE FUNDS TO SUPPORT FORMER PUPIL

WILL ROOBOTTOM

WHO HAS BEEN CHOSEN TO REPRESENT

ENGLAND LIONS FOR INDOOR CRICKET

IN SRI LANKA.

MONDAY 19 MARCH

OUTSIDE THEATRE

BREAKTIME

CAKES 50P – £1

 Art News

Careers

Links

22/3/2018 Year 10 Parents Evening

 Headteacher blog:

Year 10 Future Intentions Day

Year 10 experienced their first Future Intentions day on Monday. Despite the remnants of the previous weeks weather, speakers from the business community along with the Armed Forces and a big yellow bus all gathered at school where students took part in activities designed to develop their skills when looking at and deciding on future career paths. Activities included team-building, engaging with employers and further education providers as well as challenges on the apprenticeship bus. The day finished with past students sharing their journeys from GCSE to apprenticeships and degrees.

School Council

The school council are busy this term working on ways we can improve our school. The school council meeting on the 26th February saw students going to Uttoxeter town hall to meet Town Mayor Alison Trenery and Borough Councilllor Sue Mcgarry. Students learnt about local democracy and held their meeting in the council rooms where they were able to discuss issues that concerned the town regarding young people. They discussed the need for shops and market stalls for young people, the need for a shelter or space for young people to meet in the town centre, issues of poor behaviour by young people and policing, school and service buses and a range of holiday activities for teenagers. School councillors have also been busy preparing for assembly next week which they are delivering on the theme of picking up litter.

 

News from PE

On Tuesday Year 9 Boys are in the Futsal county finals at Fenton Manor- qualifying team are,

Freddie Whitehead, John Ball, Harry Van Hoek, Callum Stockbridge, Tommy Mangon, Jed Brunt, Sam Cope, George Beech, George Twigge

Uttoxeter Bulls Basketball Club – Are running an Easter Camp

W

HAT? Junior & senior basketball camp 

AGES? 9-15 and 16+ 

WHEN? 31st Mar – 2nd Apr

WHERE? Uttoxeter Leisure Center 

TIME? 11am-3pm

HOW MUCH? £25 PP or £10 per day

www.uttoxeterbullsbasketball.com

Science News

Tim Benton Addresses Pupil & Parents

Up Coming Parents Evenings

Your Staffordshire Card

We have received the following information regarding Your Staffordshire Cards:….

From the 1st April 2018 there will be a change in the bus fare charges for holders of  Your Staffordshire Card bus passes, which some pupils use to travel to and from school on local bus services at a set lower fare.

 From the 1^st April 2018 the fare for the under 16 Your Staffordshire Card holders is increasing to £1.30 in line with the fare for the 16 to 20 card holders.

 Please could you advertise this increase in bus fares on your school web sites etc. Where possible there have already been e-mails sent to card holder applicants and the bus companies have been informed. Further information and details of how to obtain or renew a card can be found on the web-site  yourstaffordshirecard.info  

 Please direct any queries from card holders and parents to the web site not to school transport.

Careers

Links

7/3/2018 Tim Benton Motivational Speaker

22/3/2018 Year 10 Parents Evening

 Headteacher blog:

Having had 2 days when we had unforeseen closure we are impressed by the fact that many students have chosen to work independently.

It is always difficult to gauge how engaged students are with their independent work, in fact the only real measure we have are the numbers of GCSE podcasts they stream. 

We are therefore reassured that GCSEpod have notified us that Thomas Alleyne’s students have been working very hard and that over the last few days have streamed more pods than any subscribing school  in the country. For this reason we have been moved into the Grand Finals.

We have also been impressed that a number of students have popped into school during the 2 days to collect work which they wanted to continue with at home. 

We look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday and hope that students will use some time at the weekend to access the materials which have been sent to them by their teachers via insight. We are conscious of compensating for valuable missed time. 

GCSEpod usage over the school closure period:

 

Year 10 Future Intentions Day 2018:

This week sees the start of National Careers week and National Apprenticeship week and here at Thomas Alleyne’s we are engaging our year 10’s in a Future Intentions day on Monday as part of our CEIAG provision. The day will see our students tackling team-building challenges, attending employability skills workshops and catching up with ex-pupils in their journeys into the world of work. In addition, all students at our school will have the opportunity at break time to visit a purpose built roadshow bus where they can access information and seek guidance on all aspects of apprenticeships. 

For more information about the activities our year 10 students will be undertaking please click here:.

For more information about national careers week, please visit the following link:http://nationalcareersweek.com

There are also a number of careers events running over the next few weeks, which may be of interest to our students. Keele and Cambridge universities are holding events for students wishing to experience life at a university in a short residential plus sessions in History, Economics and Medicine. There are also events at local colleges including taster sessions at Derby and an Apprenticeship Information evening.  Please see the links in the careers section for details. 

Respect Programme

The themes for this half-term now moves onto more thought-provoking topics from PSHE.

Year 9 will be studying Diversity, looking into:

What is Diversity?
The History of Diversity in the UK
How Different Are We
How has Diversity Shaped Britain?

Year 10 will be studying Teenage Pregnancy, looking into:
Social Issue of Teenage Pregnancy
Student Perceptions
Exploring Social Issues
Myths
Year 11 will be studying Alcohol, looking into:
Short and Long-Term Consequences
Links Between Alcohol and Mental Health
Binge Drinking
If you have any thoughts or questions about these themes, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s form tutor or respective Head of House.

Year 11 Photographs

Anyone that has made a purchase for an individual student photograph should receive their order over the next few weeks. Please be patient as the orders do arrive into school sporadically, but it will be passed onto your child as soon as it is received. If you do not receive your order, or an update on it’s status, please contact the school directly.

We have also received sample order forms for the Year 11 Group Photograph that also took place before half-term. These are available to collect from Reception or from your child’s form tutor, and again we have a deadline of Friday 9th March to have orders submitted to the school to avoid postage and packaging charges (£4). There are many fantastic products available from Tempest on these order forms and also online. If you wish to ask any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Hawthorne (Head of Torrance House).

 

Year 9 Options and Parents Evening

Options Presentation

Catch-up Work

Please can students make sure that they check insight as staff will have set catch up work due to the fact that the poor weather has meant that the school has been closed.  In addition all students in Years 9 to 11 have been set a task in which they are asked to access GCSE Pods covering the areas which they would have been taught on Thursday and Friday.

Tim Benton Motivational Speaker

GCSE+

 Online Safety Advice

Advice for parents and carers in starting conversations about on line safety can be found here…..
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers/have-conversation?utm_content=buffera1e0e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Interventions

The latest interventions timetable is under the link below:

Interven TT Feb18

News from PE

Science News

School Report Day

Your Staffordshire Card

We have received the following information regarding Your Staffordshire Cards:….

From the 1st April 2018 there will be a change in the bus fare charges for holders of  Your Staffordshire Card bus passes, which some pupils use to travel to and from school on local bus services at a set lower fare.

 From the 1^st April 2018 the fare for the under 16 Your Staffordshire Card holders is increasing to £1.30 in line with the fare for the 16 to 20 card holders.

 Please could you advertise this increase in bus fares on your school web sites etc. Where possible there have already been e-mails sent to card holder applicants and the bus companies have been informed. Further information and details of how to obtain or renew a card can be found on the web-site  yourstaffordshirecard.info  

 Please direct any queries from card holders and parents to the web site not to school transport.

Careers

Links

26/2/2018 School Reopens 8.40

27/2/2018 Year 9 Parents Evening

1/3/2018 Tim Benton Motivational Speaker

22/3/2018 Year 10 Parents Evening

 Headteacher blog:

We have counted, checked and verified and the votes are now in!  Students in Year 12 who have had the most number of votes from students and staff have been asked to apply in writing to Mrs Dodd for the prestigious role of Senior Prefect. All students on the list must see Mrs Walton to collect their application letter. It is a lovely task to post the list of names but we are very aware of those that would have loved an opportunity to apply for the role of Senior Prefect but were unable to secure enough votes and therefore may feel dejected. I would encourage those students to speak to a member of the Sixth Form Team upon their return after half term.

Last night we saw a tremendous turn out at the Careers Fair, and it was so nice to be asked such a varied range of questions. To speak to so many that I teach in Year 9 and to answer their questions about entry requirements for the Sixth Form and what A Levels we recommend for their career choices was a pleasure.  If there are any more questions that you would like answering then please email the Team at Sixthform@tahs.org.uk.

Letters have been sent out to prospective Year 12 students from our current Year 11 cohort.  On the letter, there will be a date, time and location for the interview. We are looking forward to meeting all of these students but also welcome the opportunity to meet their parents/carers.  It is recommended that parents do attend, as there may be some questions that you may want answering. If for some reason you are not able to attend on the time and date given then please let us know as soon as possible so that we can reschedule the meeting.

With my Year 13 group this afternoon we have worked out that they have ten weeks and four teaching days left. I recommended that they ensure over the next couple of weeks that all their subject content is transferred in to revision materials. The sooner the students complete this the longer they have to learn and remember. A student who has learnt the content inside out and back to front is a student that will feel confident when walking in to an exam venue. A student who is disorganised and has not spent the correct amount of time learning their content may feel apprehensive and therefore not perform as well as they could in the exam.  It seems logical to advise at this point that if any student needs support with managing their time in and out of school then they need to speak to their subject teachers as well as the Sixth Form Team.

Year 9 Options

Year 9 students are now able to complete their option choices via Insight. The diagram below shows how to complete this. If students have difficulties accessing the options form or the options information that has been sent to them via Insight over half term, just let your tutor know when you return. Thank you to those students who have already completed their choices but if you are unsure of what to choose there is no rush to complete the form as the deadline for completion is Wednesday 28^th February. It is important to think carefully about the options that are open to you so please read through the options booklet and use the Fast Tomato website (https://www.fasttomato.com/) to help you make an informed decision.

Options Presentation

Careers Fayre

The annual Thomas Alleyne’s Careers Fair took place on Thursday 15^th February. There were over 40 different stands representing a variety of employers, colleges, universities and school departments present. Students and parents were able to get advice and guidance regarding A Level, BTEC and GCSE subjects and what career opportunities are open to them.  We would like to thank all of the organisations involved and Mrs Lyons for her fantastic organisation. We’re looking forward to next years already!

 

Tim Benton Motivational Speaker

“I want you to live at your best”

Thursday 1st March, 6.00pm at Thomas Alleyne’s

For the fourth consecutive year we are fortunate to have Tim to come talk to year 11 pupils and parents.

Tim has the knack of challenging you to be better than you were before but without you really noticing. Through his disarming manner, his casual and entertaining style and his inarguable logic, he 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.

Parents who have been to his talks always head home buzzing with ideas that are not only helpful in dealing with their children but also very relevant to their own careers and personal development.

Come on Thursday 1st March 6.00pm in the Theatre in order to support your child over the next few months in order for them to achieve their full potential.

Dates for Holiday Revision

These are the dates so far for your child to attend revision.  There will be more to come .

Interventions

The latest interventions timetable is under the link below:

Interven TT Feb18

News from PE

Another great cheerleading session happened on Wednesday with the students learning a new dance routine and new stunts. Feel free to come along to the sessions, it’s not too late.

Girls Handball

Science News

Year 11 Computing Revision Schedual

Year 9 Parents Evening

Mr Sabin is unable to attend the year 9 parents evening on 27th February, from 5:30 onwards. However he will be available for appointments between 3 and 5:30. If anyone would like to make an appointment with Mr Sabin before 4pm, please email him directly at sabin@tahs.org.uk, and he will make a booking. Thank you and sorry for any inconvenience.

GCSE+

English Interventions

Please see the link below for full details of the English revision sessions available for year 11 students.

English Interventions

Careers

Links

Headteacher blog:

You will see later in our newsletter the advert for our Careers Evening next Thursday. 

There are not many times when 50 potential employers come together to share careers information and guidance – in Uttoxeter, we believe it only happens once a year and that is at Mrs Lyon’s inspirational Career’s Fair. 

We want to support our young people in finding the right route, and so we urge everyone to join us for the evening. Please don’t worry if you can only drop in for half an hour. Year 10 will then have a Careers Day on March 5th where they will get to develop their CV and interview skills. 

Year 11 mocks results day went well, and we are now holding revision sessions for our Year 11 students introducing them to the wonderful free app: https://getrevising.co.uk 

They are also well underway with their GCSEplus sessions. Please continue to encourage all your sons and daughters to access at least 10 GCSEpods a week to reinforce their learning in class. We know it makes a difference. 

Finally a note from me to my English class. I thoroughly enjoyed working with you on writing performance poetry this week, and look forward to seeing what you produce over the weekend. We looked at the work of the performance poet Sarah Kay, and as a parent myself, I thought some readers may be interested in her work. It is just a couple of minutes long!

https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter

 If poetry isn’t your thing then look out for Year 9 Max Hayes’ sports report below!

Year 11 Photographs – Wednesday 7th February

On Wednesday, all of Year 11 had a group photograph to mark their third year at Thomas Alleyne’s. Details on how to purchase this photograph along with the various packages available by Tempest will be provided when it becomes available. Each student have also received a sample individual photograph together with an order form, these photographs always prove incredibly popular to celebrate a student’s time in Year 11. In order to qualify for free postage and packaging to the school, please ensure that orders are made either online or via the order form and handed into main reception by Friday 16th February at 3.05pm. Any orders received after this date will require a charge of £4 delivery. All the Year 11 students took these order forms home immediately after having their photograph. We will expect the delivery of any photographs ordered to arrive in school sporadically over the next two months. If you have any queries about this, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Hawthorne (Head of Torrance House).

 

 

It was an excellent turn out to Year 12 Parents Evening last night with 83% attendance.  As a teacher of Year 12 and Deputy Head of Sixth Form it is also rewarding to answer questions, posed by parents, about Post 18 options.  All Year 12 students will be participating in an annual event next term where they will be able to find out about their options Post 18. There will be opportunities for parents to come in and ask questions at an event in the evening. We hope that many parents are able to attend, as this will enable you to support your child at home.  I would also like to thank you also to those parents who sent their apologies for Parents Evening and requested feedback.

Sometimes there is an event or a situation that arises where we feel, as a school, that we must highlight and celebrate the achievements of students that go the ‘extra mile’.  We are very proud of all our Sixth Formers but wanted to share with you a Good Samaritan story concerning one of our Year 12 students.  Last Friday, 2nd February Hannah, Jeffers was on her way back to school after her work experience at St Joseph’s when an eldery gentleman who was walking along the pavement fell and banged his head on the road. This was a shock for Hannah to see but she stopped and gave assistance along with another member of the public. Hannah stayed with the gentleman and held his and hand and talked to him to keep him calm until the ambulance arrived.

The member of public was so touched by the fact the Hannah stopped and stayed with him that she has brought Hannah a voucher as a thank you for her kindness. After the gentleman was taken away in the ambulance Hannah came back in to school.

This ‘golden moments’ show me that we truly are a community school and that we all want to give back to our local community, whether it is through charity work or this single act of kindness.

The assembly this week was focused on social media and the important role that it plays in our everyday lives. We highlighted the importance of using it safely and to ensure that all students think about what they are typing and what images they are sending. We would like to urge all students to use social media positively, to start a twitter debate about a point of interest that they may feel passionate about and to link it to their studies. As parents and adults, we may know less about the social media platforms that they use but we should also keep channels of communication open about the dangers, worries and concerns linked to social media but also to see it for what it can be which is a direct link to future employers or university courses.

All Year 11 students who have applied to the Sixth Form will be receiving their interview letters next week informing them of the date and time of their interview. We urge parents to attend this interview as it helps to answer many questions that you may have about the process and the Sixth Form in general. 

Year 9 Options

The Year 9 Options process has begun!

A reminder of the series of information events designed to inform parents and students of the subjects available to them at GCSE and A Level and how the options process works.

These events include:

• Year 9 Future Intentions and Careers Evening is on Thursday 15th February at 6pm in the Sports Hall with option talks in the Theatre starting at 6.15pm and 7pm. This is fantastic event has a range of subjects, universities, colleges and employers to help students make the right decisions regarding their future and is open to all students in TAHS and the Middle Schools.
• Year 9 parents evening is on Tuesday 27th February starting at 4pm.

Year 9 students will receive a letter next week detailing these events. We understand that this is a very important set of decisions that you and your child need to make and if you have any queries regarding these events please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Health & Social Care Taster Sessions

Students in year 9 have had a great time this week in the Social and Health Studies department learning all about the courses they can choose to take in years 10 and 11.  Students looked at Health and Social Care and looked at local services and different types of development.  They looked at life events and health issues in the U.K.  Whilst in Children’s Play, Learning and Development students explored how children learn and the different types of development that children by playing with Lego blocks with students producing some fabulous 10 minute Lego models. If students would like any more information about these courses they are welcome to come to room 63 at break or lunch. We look forward to working with you next year. 

Staff Training

Tim Benton Motivational Speaker

“I want you to live at your best”

Thursday 1st March, 6.00pm at Thomas Alleyne’s

For the fourth consecutive year we are fortunate to have Tim to come talk to year 11 pupils and parents.

Tim has the knack of challenging you to be better than you were before but without you really noticing. Through his disarming manner, his casual and entertaining style and his inarguable logic, he 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.

Parents who have been to his talks always head home buzzing with ideas that are not only helpful in dealing with their children but also very relevant to their own careers and personal development.

Come on Thursday 1st March 6.00pm in the Theatre in order to support your child over the next few months in order for them to achieve their full potential.

Dates for Holiday Revision

These are the dates so far for your child to attend revision.  There will be more to come .

Interventions

The latest interventions timetable is under the link below:

Interven TT Feb18

News from PE

Science News

Year 11 ICT & Computing Support

Year 9 Parents Evening

Mr Sabin is unable to attend the year 9 parents evening on 27th February, from 5:30 onwards. However he will be available for appointments between 3 and 5:30. If anyone would like to make an appointment with Mr Sabin before 4pm, please email him directly at sabin@tahs.org.uk, and he will make a booking. Thank you and sorry for any inconvenience.

Social Media.

 Origami Club

Cross curricular Origami this week.  Many frogs of differing sizes were made and raced but​ some students felt paper was an inferior material for the bounce and that card would be better.  Interestingly the card gave too strong a bounce so determining the position to create an “optimal spring” became the new task.  Well done to the students.  Hearts next week in time for Valentines Day.

Careers

What better way to say ‘I Love you’ than with cake!!!!

As part of the 6^th Form’s commitment to raising money for the Douglas Macmillan Hospice, 13B will be having a Valentine’s Bake Sale. This will be held on Wednesday 14^th February at break time and lunchtime. There will be stalls outside the theatre as well as in the 6^th Form common room.

There will be a vast array of delicious cakes homemade by members of the form. Buy one for yourself, or for that special someone in your life!!!

Updated Policies

Links

Year 12 Parents Evening is on Thursday 8^th February from 4pm until 7pm.  Please use Insight to make appointments to see your child’s subject teachers. If you would like an appointment with any of the Sixth Form Team then please email Mrs Walton at sixthform@tahs.org.uk.  This is a perfect time to ask questions about Post 18 choices as well as what you can do to support your child’s learning at home. 

We encourage that all students use their non-contact time with subject teachers effectively; we are actively talking to students on a daily basis to ensure that they are choosing to be part of a positive learning environment and actively seek further work, wider reading and super-curricular activities.  We promote a professional environment towards learning and therefore request that all students adhere to the Sixth Form uniform policy.  This is a smart dark suit and blouse for the ladies and a smart dark suite, shirt and tie for the gentlemen. We have noticed that some students are choosing to come to school without suit jackets, most of these have been spoken to today and have been informed that a jacket will be required from Monday.  Generally the majority of our students do conform with our uniform regulations and we hope with some gentle persuasion those who have fallen in to poor habits will be back on track from Monday.

As there are a lot of sickness bugs at TAHS could we please ask that you let the Sixth Form Team know first thing in the morning if your child is unable to attend school. Sixthform@tahs.org.uk.  This helps us to keep on top of attendance and saves you, as the parent, receiving a text from the school asking you to confirm a reason for absence.

Year 9 Options

The Year 9 Options process has begun!

A reminder of the series of information events designed to inform parents and students of the subjects available to them at GCSE and A Level and how the options process works.

These events include:

• Future Intentions week beginning Monday 5th February till Friday 9th January.
• Year 9 Future Intentions and Careers Evening is on Thursday 15th February at 6pm in the Sports Hall with option talks in the Theatre starting at 6.15pm and 7pm. This is fantastic event has a range of subjects, universities, colleges and employers to help students make the right decisions regarding their future and is open to all students in TAHS and the Middle Schools.
• Year 9 parents evening is on Tuesday 27th February starting at 4pm.

Year 9 students will receive a letter next week detailing these events. We understand that this is a very important set of decisions that you and your child need to make and if you have any queries regarding these events please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Year 9 Student in National Cyclist Event

Tim Benton Motivational Speaker

“I want you to live at your best”

Thursday 1st March, 6.00pm at Thomas Alleyne’s

For the fourth consecutive year we are fortunate to have Tim to come talk to year 11 pupils and parents.

Tim has the knack of challenging you to be better than you were before but without you really noticing. Through his disarming manner, his casual and entertaining style and his inarguable logic, he 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.

Parents who have been to his talks always head home buzzing with ideas that are not only helpful in dealing with their children but also very relevant to their own careers and personal development.

Come on Thursday 1st March 6.00pm in the Theatre in order to support your child over the next few months in order for them to achieve their full potential.

Dates for Holiday Revision

These are the dates so far for your child to attend revision.  There will be more to come .

News from PE

Cheerleading

House Football Results

Year 9- 

Dear staff and students

STOKE-ON-TRENT FOODBANK DONATION

On behalf of Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous donation. We will use your donation of £50.00 to help to feed the hungry in Stoke-on-Trent. 

Please know that your continued support and participation in this important work serves as a great encouragement to all of the volunteers of the foodbank.

You have made a difference in many people’s lives.

Thank you,

Yours Sincerely

David Gisborne

On Behalf of the Stoke-on-Trent foodbank

Year 11 ICT & Computing Support

Health and Social Care

Health and Social Care students in the Sixth Form continue to make a difference in our local community on their weekly work experience placements. The students are in a range of health and care settings from special needs schools to day care centres to the Royal Stoke hospital. The students have to compete an assignment about the skills they develop and how these will help them in their future careers. Below is Rosie Pettitt who is loving her time at Cheeky Monkeys Nursery.

RE News

This week a brand new free app has been released for all RE students and teachers. Brilliantly timed for year 11 students, you can build this into your revision plan for RE.
Any issues with the download please see Mrs Catterall in room 40 on Wednesday lunch times.

See links below to access/download the REdefinitions site/app

Website
 re-definitions.org.uk
iTunes itunes.apple.com/gb/app/re-defi…
Android play.google.com/store/apps/det…

 Origami Club

Thank you to everyone that came to Origami club this week.  We made a family of swans (with a few butterflies for those who missed last week).  Next week we will be making jumping frogs and having a race!

Careers

 Links

So the Year 13 deadline for UCAS has been and gone, we are very proud of every student who as applied to further their education at University. We have a number of students that have applied for Higher Level Apprenticeships; we hope they are as successful in their applications. Earn while you learn is a great way to move forward with education. Post-18 Apprenticeships are supported by universities and offer another pathway to the same goal, achieving knowledge and excellence in a specific area.  Unifrog is a great ‘one stop platform’ where they can find out information on Apprenticeships, I recommend that all take a look. If you would like any further information on this platform then please email the Sixth Form Team on sixthform@tahs.org.uk.

All mock exams have now been completed and feedback is being given students on how they can improve on their performance.  One of the main issues is still lack of revision, it is so important that they find a way of revising that works for them and they have started a revision plan, which will take them up to their exams. Please encourage them to revise at home and to make use of their non-contact lessons as school. We would encourage all student to speak to their subject teachers and ask about ways to revise and types of revision.  In history, students have been pointed towards documentaries that are specific to a topic they have been learning.  They have been asked to watch the documentary as part a homework task and to complete research from an area that caught their focus, that research has then been emailed to the subject teacher, collated and the teacher will then pass back all research to the class as a ‘pack of knowledge’. This will then help secure their knowledge on this area. Students have fed back that this has helped them have a deeper understanding of the topic.   Finding ways to revise individually or as group can only benefit them, purchasing subject specific revision guides, making flashcards, or producing their own revision guide with quiz questions, which can be used both at home and at school will support their learning further. I would recommend that parents and carers ask to see revision notes to ensure that time is being used effectively at home.

If Year 12 students are planning on attending University Open Days can you ensure that a confirmation email is shown to their form tutor or shown to Mrs Walton so that we can code the register accordingly, it saves us sending unnecessary text messages home. Could we also ask that if your child is absent due to ill health or a pre-arranged medical appointment that the Sixth Form Office is contacted in the morning to make us aware, sixthform@tahs.org.uk.

Year 9 Options

The Year 9 Options process will begin next week on Thursday 1st February. This will begin a series of information events designed to inform parents and students of the subjects available to them at GCSE and A Level and how the options process works.

These events include:

• A Future Intentions assembly is on Thursday 1st February.
• Future Intentions week beginning Monday 5th February till Friday 9th January.
• Year 9 Future Intentions and Careers Evening is on Thursday 15th February at 6pm in the Sports Hall with option talks in the Theatre starting at 6.15pm and 7pm. This is fantastic event has a range of subjects, universities, colleges and employers to help students make the right decisions regarding their future and is open to all students in TAHS and the Middle Schools.
• Year 9 parents evening is on Tuesday 27th February starting at 4pm.

Year 9 students will receive a letter next week detailing these events. We understand that this is a very important set of decisions that you and your child need to make and if you have any queries regarding these events please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Battlefields Tour

Mrs Fisher and two 6th Formers will taking part in the First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme on Friday 2nd February to Monday 5th February. This is the second year that TAHS has taken part in this national programme which is funded by government to commemorate the First World War. They will be travelling with students and teachers from 14 other schools to the battlefields of the Ypres Salient (Belgium) and The Somme (France).

Tim Benton Motivational Speaker

“I want you to live at your best”

Thursday 1st March, 6.00pm at Thomas Alleyne’s

For the fourth consecutive year we are fortunate to have Tim to come talk to year 11 pupils and parents.

Tim has the knack of challenging you to be better than you were before but without you really noticing. Through his disarming manner, his casual and entertaining style and his inarguable logic, he 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.

Parents who have been to his talks always head home buzzing with ideas that are not only helpful in dealing with their children but also very relevant to their own careers and personal development.

Come on Thursday 1st March 6.00pm in the Theatre in order to support your child over the next few months in order for them to achieve their full potential.

Dates for Holiday Revision

These are the dates so far for your child to attend revision.  There will be more to come .

News from PE

Girls House Football

House Basketball Results

Cheerleading

This week was the first cheerleading session and 28 students attended. They all worked incredibly hard and achieved so much within only 1 hour. Next week we will still be accepting new members in preparation for a competition in March. Well done to everyone that came, I’m excited to see what you can all achieve.

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDER 16 GIRLS BADMINTON

Congratulations to Scarlett Simister, Alice Radley, Sophie Lomas and Emily Barton in becoming runners up in the county championships held at Clayton Sports Centre.

The girls were part of a ten team county tournament and narrowly lost 3 rubbers to 2 to Clayton High School. In the groups stages both single players and doubles teams were very difficult to beat. The team beat 5 school 4 – 1 and the final school in their group 5 – 0. such a dominant performance put the girls in the semi final against Biddulph High school. once again they played some excellent badminton and dominated Biddulph 5- 0. This set up an exciting final against Clayton. Scarlett lost her singles game in a hard fought battle, to a player 2 years her senior 21 -11, in the next game Sophie and Alice got Alleyne’s back on winning ways with a 21 – 11 win. Alice unfortunately lot in the singles match. The next match would be a very tense affair with Clayton needing to win to become Champions. Scarlett and Emily came back from 10 -1 down to tie at 17 all. Unfortunately Clayton were too strong in the final stages and won 21 -17, winning the championship outright. Not to be out done Alic and Sophie finished the day off on a positive by winning the last rubber 21 -6. Well done girls a great days work.

School Council

Another successful meeting was run by the student council this week. The students invited Mrs Lister, the canteen manager, to answer questions on the sources of food in school, the costs, vegetarian and vegan options and queueing for food. Mr Brunt was also given a grilling about the year 9 options process and the students came up with some ideas for improving this process. The amount of litter around school was a big issue and the school council are going to lead an assembly to encourage other students to dispose of their litter in the right way.

If you would like to get involved with the student council please see your tutor and discuss with your form rep any issues that you would like the council to look at.

Year 11 ICT & Computing Support

Art GCSE Exam Preparations

Year 11 students are getting well on the way to preparing for their project in response to ONE of the themes given by the exam board this year. It’s great to see some of our students making a strong start with moodboards full of inspiration images, concertina research sheets and considering how to respond through drawings/photographs etc.

Help for research/ inspiration can be found on the art department Pinterest Boards.
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/tahsart/

ART CLUB is available WED, THURS and FRIDAYS til 5pm- make use of it to help you.
Timeplans are available as homework links on INSIGHT

A level Art & Photography Coursework Deadlines

Our students have been very busy finalising their personal Investigations for the coursework submission deadline on Monday 29th January

The Art, Craft & Design Students have until 31st January to submit their Personal Investigation coursework.

Exam papers for A Level are released to students on February 1st, and then the process of choosing a theme and responding to it will begin again.

Keep going Y13- nearly there!

Y9 ART

We have Lots of great students in year 9

Eve B and Sam B from 9U1 have been particularly industrious working on their Bridget Riley and Aboriginal Art ‘merge’ pages.
Well done

Year 10 Artists

Just sharing some lovely work from a few of our talented members of year 10 Art

Rowan H, Annie W, Sophie B-E

Can’t wait til they get started on these designs! Watch out for more art updates.

Piglets

School born and bread piglets are now ready for sale.

Any inquiries please contact the school farm via the main school switchboard.

Origami Club

Thank you to all that came to Origami Club.

We made butterflies in many colours, they look fantastic!

Remember, Tuesday lunchtime in Room 104.​

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Assemblies wb 22nd January

Assemblies will be on the theme of ‘Freedom of Speech’ and led by Mrs Lindsay

Thought for the week

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.

Evelyn Beatrice Hall

UCAS Deadline for the 2018 cycle passed on Monday 15th January at 6.00 pm .

Some Statistics…

· 97 full University Applications have been sent off by the Sixth Form Team since September of which;

· 92 are current Year 13 students have applied to University – 75% of the cohort.

· 50/92 students have at least one choice from a Russell group University (some have all five choices) – 54% of the cohort.

· 9 Oxbridge Applications, 7 Oxbridge Interviews and 2 secured conditional offers – Lowri Spear (Oxford) and Trudy Yates (Cambridge).

· 1 Medicine, 1 Dentistry and 1 Veterinary application – all have secured interviews.

Year 12 Parents Evening

Thursday 8th February
4.00pm – 7.00pm

Students have been given letters today to being home.
Appointment booking goes live on Insight from Monday 22nd January

TAHS in the News

Please have a look at this fantastic article in the Burton Mail:

https://www.burtonmail.co.uk/news/local-news/terry-terrapin-ethel-gecko-gertrude-1072421

Date for the Diary Thursday 1st March 6.00pm

We are delighted to confirm that Tim Benton, motivational speaker and mentor has agreed to come and work with year eleven pupils and parents. More details to follow.

Student Council

Origami Club

 Year 13 Art & Photography Mock Exams in Full Swing

Students studying Art, Craft & Design or Photography in year 13 have been preparing for their 15 hour controlled conditions exam in May, with a trail (mock exam) over this week and next week.

Students have worked in exam conditions over 3 full days. -see the images below for some of the exciting work in progress from our dedicated students.

Art & Photography Year 13 coursework will be submitted and the end of the month and their Exam units start from February onward. For students to be successful in this subject, it is important all the assessment objectives are met in sufficient depth.

Effective use of your time is essential, remember art staff and spaces to work in the art department are always available during your non-contact times as well as after school Art Club on Wed, Thurs and Fri until 5pm.

Year 11 Art GCSE Exam Preparation

All students should now have their art exam papers (released from the exam board from January) and will be choosing one of the themes to respond to. To help students, we have lesson time plans, resources as well reminder notes from the parents/student meeting on 9th January which is shared via INSIGHT.

We do understand students have other subjects mock exams at the moment, but please feel free to talk to your art teacher for just 5 mins at lunch or after school at Art Club if you have missed lessons so that they are clear you have a great idea to get started on. It’s great to see lots of students getting a start with their mood-boards and research concertinas after discussing ideas with staff- There has been such exciting ideas

The art department Pinterest boards are being added to daily to help inspire you- https://www.pinterest.co.uk/tahsart/

Only 14 weeks (including 3 weeks of holidays) left from 22nd January……..

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Thought for the Week

All Year 13 students are in the middle of their mock exams and it is inspiring to see so many of them working independently or as small groups revising and working through past papers. If your child is in need of any need of support, whether it is skills or knowledge, please direct them to their subject teacher to ask for advice.  Preparation is needed in the run up to the exam and the good habits that are being formed now should continue it to the upcoming months.

We don’t recommend that revision stops, we hope that all Year 13 students will continue to revise, act upon feedback given by teaching staff and strive to surpass the grades that are achieved in these mocks.  The phrase ‘super-curricular’ will not be new to our students within the Sixth Form. It could be reading an article that has been published with a ground-breaking discovery, it could be a new historical view point that could be useful or listening to a podcast by a scientist. All ways in which a student can improve their knowledge is encouraged and can only compliment their revision. 

The national UCAS deadline is 15^th January at 6pm; there are still a few students who are last minute applicants who must ensure that all aspects of their application are completed before they come to school on Monday. This will give their assigned member of the Sixth Form Team the opportunity to check through it, and if needed send it back to be altered.

Mock Examinations January 2018

This week was the first full week of mock examinations, and also the first external examinations for some.

Well done to our students for your excellent attitudes towards these first exams. It is great to see so many of you showing commitment towards revision and a determination to keep this going. Thank you to parents and carers for all you are doing at home to support your son or daughter.

For many of our students, this will be the first taste of what is to come in the summer. You may have felt a mixture of emotions after a examination. Well done for working as hard as you can with revision and please remember that we can help you keep this going with support and motivation. Do see one of your teachers if you need help getting started.

Wishing you every success for next week.

Be prepared, be very prepared GCSE + is coming.

News from PE

House Matches
The next round of house matches are coming up. List of dates and captains are attached.

Upcoming fixtures

Boys House Basketball Mon 22nd Jan Yr9 P3, Y10 P2, Yr11 P5 – Teams minimum 5 players max squad 12.

Girls House Football Mon 22nd Jan Yr9 P3, Yr10&11 P2

Boys House Football Yr11 Wed 31st Jan P5, Yr9 Thu 1st Feb P1, Yr10 Thu 1st Feb P2

Girls House Netball Yr11 Wed 31st Jan P5, Yr Yr9 Thu 1st Feb P1, Yr10 Thu 1st Feb P2

House Badminton & Table Tennis- Friday 16th Feb P1. Badminton min 4,max 5 players/ boys or girls. Table Tennis min 4,max 5 players/ boys or girls (cant play both)

Extra Curricular

Monday 15/1/18- is East Staffordshire Cross Country- See attached team list.
Tuesday 16/1/18- U14 Basketball county cup H v St John Fisher- See attached team list
Thursday 18/1/18- U14 Boys Futsal at John Port- See attached team list

Thursday- Trampolining Club

Trampolining Club has now started. It is running on Thursdays after school until 4.15. It is suitable for all abilities and may lead towards competitions held later this year. Normal PE kit is to be worn but black sports leggings may also be worn. Any questions please speak to Mrs Fletcher.

Burton and District Table Tennis

On Thursday, 12 players attended the Burton and District tournament held at Robert Sutton.  A number of schools from across the area competed in a sixteen table competition.  The standard was very high with a large number of county players in attendance..  The players played in a league structure with the top two moving into the next round.  Congratulations to Alfie Bednal who was the only Alleyne’s player to get into the quarter finals. Unfortunately he lost in a close fought game, to Robert Sutton.  Well done to all those who attended.

House Match Captains 2018

Teams 12th Jan

Science Students of the Week

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

Year 9
Harriet Bebbington and Haydn Fisher for performing well in the B1 end of module test.

Year 10
Gregor Hayes and Lottie Cooper for contributions during chemistry lessons.

Year 11
Lorna Hill and Emily Barton for hard work and commitment in chemistry lessons.

This week’s Environmental Land Based Science Students of the Week selected by Mrs North are:
Ellie Cope and Beatrice Egerton for working hard to complete their course work.

This week’s Animal Care Students of the Week also selected by Mrs North are:
Alicia Lyon and Lucy Greatrex for all their help with the new calves.

Well done!

Teaching School Information Evening

17/1/18 6.00pm -7.00pm

Thomas Alleyne’s High School has applied to become a Teaching School. A Teaching School works with others to provide high-quality training and development to new and experienced school staff. Teaching Schools are part of the government’s plan to give schools a central role in raising standards by developing a self-improving and sustainable school-led system.

We would like to offer parents and carers the chance to hear about our plans and the opportunities that Teaching School status will bring, should we be successful in our application. Therefore, we are holding a Teaching School Information Evening taking place from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm on 17/1/18. We would be pleased if you could join us.

Student Council

  Girls in Maths

On Wednesday this week myself and Mrs Ingram were fortunate enough to be able to take 15 year 9 and 10 girls to Keele university for a “Girls in Maths” event. It was run by the further maths support programme to encourage girls to continue with their education in maths, science and engineering subjects. We watched the film “Hidden Figures” about three African American women in the 1960s and their roles in the space programme. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

There were some guest speakers, ladies that were successful in engineering careers and they spoke about their journey and how maths had played a role in their careers.
We also had a design project, to build a structure to hold a tennis ball off the table. We were all successful and fortunate that the rules weren’t too specific!

On a personal note it was a pleasure to take the girls out, as always they were incredibly well behaved and a credit to the school. Many thanks girls for a lovely day. Mrs Payne

ART YEAR 11 GCSE EXAM PAPERS RELEASED!

On Tuesday 9th January we welcomed a packed room full of Year 11 students and their parents/guardians to a presentation aimed at supporting the start of their GCSE Art Exam unit.

Exam papers were given out in brown envelopes and the students will be choosing ONE of the themes to work on over the following four months before the 10 hours controlled conditions exam is held in early May- just 16 weeks (including holidays) or 32 lessons away!

We looked at good examples from previous years, and looked at common pitfalls to avoid. Mrs Derby and Mr Robinson emphasised the support available and will help advice students as they complete their work.

We were very much impressed by the level of interest in this meeting and that our art students make a good start to their exam unit worth 40% of the overall grade. The majority of the exam marks; 75% from the Assessment Objectives relating to A01) research and development A02) experimentation A03) recording eg. drawing and photography, are from the ‘preparation’ work BEFORE the remaining 25% is gained from A04) ‘realising intentions’ from 10hours in May.

Any questions please contact the art department via the school office.

ART GCSE EXAM DATES

All the preparation work completed during January, February, March and April will be submitted on the first day of your Art 10hours controlled conditions exam.

Mr Robinsons 11C group- Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd May 2018
Mrs Derbys 11D group- Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th May 2018

YEAR 13 ART & PHOTOGRAPHY TRIAL EXAMS

Year 13 Art students will be starting their 15hour trial exams over 3 days between next Monday 15th January and Thursday 26th January.

Due to the number of clashes with other exams or university interviews, students should please check with their art teachers as to which day they are undertaking their exams.

Farm News

As part of Waitrose ‘Community Matters’ scheme, Uttoxeter Community Farm at Thomas Alleynes High School were presented with a cheque for £600. We would like to thank all those shoppers who supported us by choosing our project for their green tokens.  Since September we have started offering a new course on the farm and students are now able to choose to study for a BTEC level 2 award in Animal Care as one of their option subjects.  This qualification provides hands on experience of a wide range of livestock and companion animals for students who wish to pursue careers in veterinary medicine, animal care and farming as well as those who just love animals and want to learn more about caring for them.

We are currently in the process of redeveloping the site and have been working closely with Carillion Tarmac partnership and other local businesses to build new pens and improve existing ones. The money from Waitrose will be used to repair fencing around one of our outside poultry areas as well as replace our old wooden hen houses with more suitable plastic ones.  We can then increase our flock of laying hens and improve our profits from egg sales. We are always keen to expand the range of animals on the farm and have recently added two corn snakes and a tarantula to our collection which includes geckos, bearded dragons, turtles, hens, ducks, geese, sheep, pigs, cows, guinea pigs and rabbits. Uttoxeter Community Farm continues to go from strength to strength thanks to the hard work, support and enthusiasm of the students and local community.

IMVU

Please be aware of this app

It’s a social media app that is currently circulating amongst children and young people.

It is called ‘IMVU’ and allows you to create an avatar and speak to strangers. It also pinpoints your location.

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Thought for the Week

This week has been a short teaching week but I am still so impressed by the commitment of our 6th Formers. On Wednesday we had our annual Light Up Uttoxeter Conference which was held at Uttoxeter Racecourse. As always our 6th Formers shone. Our Head Girl and Head Boy, Iona and Ryan opened the Conference alongside Tom. All three were well spoken, confident and were complimented by many. All of the 6th Formers that were in attendance were also working hard when they were supporting staff. At break and lunchtime many staff from other schools approached us and stated that they were shocked to see all of them has brought revision materials to the conference and were revising. We were not shocked as we know this group of students very well and this is typical behaviour from them. All the hard work they put in now will pay off and allow them to access the next stage of their journey, whether it is employment, apprenticeships or university. So far 73 of our Year 13 students have applied to university with all them being able to boast that they have received at least one offer.

On Thursday evening, the Sixth Form common room was transformed into a celebration function room. Every year we invite last year’s Year 13 back to celebrate their journey through TAHS and the next steps that they have taken. The amount of students that turned up to the event was overwhelming. At least 50 students returned to hear Mrs Dodd talk fondly of their time within the 6th Forms, awards were presented and certificates given out. The staff in attendance were happy to see their past students at to discuss their experiences of employment, apprenticeships and university. Mrs Walton ensured that photos were taken so that we could share the event to all those who read round up.

15th January is the closing date for UCAS applications so if you are aware that your son or daughter is still yet to complete it then please urge them to complete it over the weekend.

The closing date for applications to attend the Sixth Form is Friday 5th January.

Children’s Play, Learning and Development

Year 10 and year 11 students studying Children’s Play, Learning and Development:

On Wednesday 10th January please go to the canteen at 12.20 (period 4) for lunch.

You can bring your own lunch or cold snacks/ sandwiches will be available to buy (hot food will not be served).

Please stay in the canteen until 12.50 when you line up for your exam which starts at 1 O’ clock.

Good Luck!

Catering Price Increases

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