10/3/23 Roundup – Sports (All year groups)

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Girls Rugby

International Women’s Day was celebrated with a rugby festival and pizza at Deferrers. Over 65 girls from Robert Sutton, John Taylor, Deferrers and TAHS braved the cold and snow. TAHS finished the competition undefeated. As always it was great to watch with the girls organising and coaching themselves through positions, rucks, scrums and lineouts, also encouraging each other during half-time and pre-match. 

Squad – Sadie, Elsie, Chloe, Heather, Keeley, Hannah, Lexie, Charlie, Lexie, Lizzie, Maddi and Niamh.

Thanks to Mark Tolley for the coaching, parents who have assisted with transport and to Deferrers for the best refreshments this season. 

Girls Cricket

Monday saw a trip out to Fenton Manor for our Under 15 cricket team. 

The tournament saw us win three games against John Taylor, Deferrers and Cheadle and defeats against Denstone A and Blythe Bridge. 

Bowling went really well with the majority of our players bowling legitimate deliveries and very few runs given away as extras. Zara, Erin, Abi, Scarlett, Dora and Beth all took wickets.  All of the players got to bat under competition pressure and we improved as the games went on. Susie and Scarlett opened the batting and both retired on 15 in some games. Chloe and Louie also scored lots of runs with good running and communication. All of the girls showed great athleticism in the field to take catches or stop the ball reaching the boundary. 

A really enjoyable day of cricket, we cannot wait for the summer tournaments. 

Squad – Dora, Erin, Beth, Louie, Chloe, Scarlett, Zaara, Susie and Abi

10/3/23 Roundup – English (all years)

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Talk the Talk

Year 10 students had an amazing opportunity last week to work with Talk the Talk. Back in Year 9, these students worked with the same company to build their individual presentation skills. This time, the focus was on group work and how to construct a formal argument, and deconstruct an opposing one! As with Y9, the trainers were impressed with many students’ rhetorical and debating skills, and as before, many of our students found their confidence increasing (even as they argued who should be thrown out of a hot air balloon). Well done to everyone involved, but particularly the students below. These were explicitly highlighted by the trainers for their engagement, enthusiasm or general awesomeness:

U1 – Oliver B, Alice M, Victoria S

H1 – Freya E, Tilly O, Matthew LB

U5 – Alfie B, Owen G

H5 – Maz H, Ryan F

U4 – Hollie-Rose B, Callum H (with also special singling out for Ellie S, Sophia C and Blake R)

H4 – Ebony F, Harley H, Max P, Roberts S, Josh W

U3 – Vlada P, Slava M

H4 – Rachel T, Aiden T, Alfie B

U2 – Heidi C, Connie C, Skye G, Zac A

H2 – Harry S, Austin S, Verity J, Chloe B

Bedrock

This week’s Bedrock shoutouts go to Orla B and Sarah L for showing the greatest improvement between pre- and post- learning tests. Well done!

World Book Day

We had a number of events going on in English to celebrate World Book Day. The entire school shared the story of “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl, enjoyed in four parts over lessons 1-4. Students enjoyed trying to predict what would happen, whilst teachers from all Departments enjoyed the novelty of reading a story aloud. 

Up in English, the Y10 Reading Champions created a ‘book blind date,’ where they all brought in one of their favourite books wrapped in plain paper, and held a book swap. We’ve all got something new to read in the run up to Easter, alongside the work we’re doing on Great Expectations (we’re up to Volume 2, Chapter 15, if you’re following along).

They say books are the doorways to imagination, so the English team have decorated their classroom doors. If you get chance, pop up to English and see which books we’ve chosen to celebrate – there’s a diverse range.

Remember too, the entire school can use the digital World Book Day tokens shared on Talaxy to get £1 off a book of your choice (or grab one of the £1 WBD special books if there are still stocks).

English Awards

Mrs Hunt was very excited to award the first English Awards during our World Book Day Celebrations. These are special badges awarded for contributions to English outside of the classroom, and the Year 10 Reading Champions were awarded their Bronze badges for their work on “The Honeys.”  

The more activities you are involved in, the more points you earn towards each award, as proven by Billie O who has earned their silver award for their work on Carnegie in Y9; being a Y10 Reading Champion; being involved in Latin club; and in newspaper club. Keep your eyes peeled for other opportunities to earn these very special badges.

Revision Sessions

Revision sessions take place in English, 3:15 – 4pm

Please remember to use GCSE Pod for revision.  See any of your teachers if you need help with your password.

10/3/23 Roundup – Sixth form

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Year 12 – UCAS Fair

Coach lists are up in the 6th Form common room for students to sign up to a coach for the trip. 

The UCAS fair in Derby is on Friday 17th March.  Students will travel by coach from school after morning registration.  Students will travel back to school in time for their usual home-time.  Any last-minute attendees, please contact the 6th Form office.

UCAS CONFIRMATION OF PLACES

Please can Y13 students check the progress of their UCAS applications on a regular basis.  There may be deadlines to confirm their places.  Confirmation must come directly from students, not TAHS staff.  Please contact the sixth form team with any queries.

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.

Uttoxeter Road Runners – volunteers needed – 30th April 2023

Uttoxeter Road Runners are looking for 6th formers or D of E students to assist with marshalling the junior road race on Sunday 30th April.

Scouts & Guides will be manning the water stations along all of the routes.

Please contact Mrs Walton or Mrs Griffiths if you would be interested in helping to marshal the race.

TAP for W/C 13th March 2023

Y12:  Thomas character – One Community

Mon: Watch this video about LGBQT issues in school.  How could you help?  What might you need to ask staff for – at TAHS, work or if you go to uni?    ‘Ask Me’: What LGBTQ Students Want Their Professors to Know – YouTube

Tue:  debate day

Wed:  wider reading and wellbeing

Thu:  future intentions planning

Fri:  assembly

Y13:  Thomas character – ambition, tenacity, self-fulfilled

Mon:  Revision time. Test a friend.

Tue:  debate day

Wed:  wider reading and wellbeing

Thu:  future intentions planning

Fri:  assembly

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

10/3/23 Roundup – Performing Arts – National Theatre (All year groups)

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It has been an amazing week for performing arts at Thomas Alleyne’s.

On Monday we welcomed Ascension Dance in partnership with The Brewhouse Theatre who a led contemporary dance workshop with our A Level Students.

The workshop was challenging both physically and creatively and has greatly inspired staff and students. 

Thursday we were thrilled to host The National Theatre who performed a new devised play entitled ‘Shut up, I’m dreaming’ which explored real life accounts of the challenges of being a young person as well as memories of one’s younger self and Mrs Mood even had a cameo role at the beginning!  The audience were made up of Drama, Music and English literature students from year 9 up to 13. A post performance Q and A took place which allowed the students to ask about performance skills and career progression in the arts.

The students asked some fantastic questions and thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Some of the student feedback is included below. 

‘I thought that it was really funny but emotional at the same time and powerful and has some really important messages that people needed to hear’.-y11

‘The show was INCREDIBLE the only word I would use is vibrant.  It helped to show individuality and it gave all the students who watched an opportunity to be pushed out of their comfort zone’-Y11

“ we believe that it really impacted our outlook on drama and love how it expressed relatable content”-year 9 

‘I really liked how diverse  and different it was and how there was the message that we shouldn’t crush others dreams just because its something we wouldn’t do’- y11

‘I think that this show was very inspirational. One of the main messages that I got was be who you want to be, not what society says you must be’ -Y9

‘I found the play chaotic energetic and very relatable, I like how it talks about Louis as a kid and shows modern day society’

-Y10

‘I thought the show was emotional and fantastic. I loved the message of hold your head high!’ -Maria-Grace.

 ‘A very inspirational and honestly quite relieving if you’ve been in a situation like that before, so you know you’re not alone. A beautiful performance’ – Caitlin

‘It was the best show I have seen in ages. It was entertaining and inspirational I can’t wait to do drama next year and I hope we can create pieces as inspirational as this’ -Matilda

7/3/23 Roundup – Revision Tips (all year groups)

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5 golden rules for revision

Hi there,

As end of year assessments get closer, how can you support pupils to revise for their exams? Spend one minute reading our five golden rules.

  1. Little and often
    Pupils should revise regularly in small chunks to reduce overload and maximise memory. 
  2. Mix it up
    Alternating topics for study will boost long-term memory.
  3. Minimise distractions
    Pupils who study without listening to music perform better in exams than those who do. Keep the learning environment focused.
  4. Encourage self-care
    Encourage pupils to get a good amount of sleep, eat breakfast and exercise. 
  5. Quizzing
    Retrieval practice leads to greater knowledge retention over time. You could set our unit quizzes for pupils to complete in-class or as homework. Use the results to identify areas they may be finding more challenging and help you pinpoint your class’ revision needs. 

Want some help preparing revision resources? We have thousands of adaptable teaching resources all completely free and searchable by topic and key stage. 

Find revision resources

6/3/23 Roundup – GCSE Pod (Years 9-11)

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Last weeks winners

As I’m sure you are aware from previous posts all students have access to this fantastic resource.  There are 1,000s of pods (videos) covering the whole range of subjects and exam boards offered at Thomas Alleynes.  Data has shown that students who make good use of these pods to review and revise work achieve significantly higher than predicted in their exams. If any student is struggling to log on to GCSE pod then they can access support in C3 with Mrs Hadfield any time.

Orme house were last weeks winners for students watching the most pods.

English Literature was the most popular subject with nearly double the amount of Pods watched… yes I’ve enquired to their secret.

Year 9 is the most active year group. Clearly not waiting around in preparing for their GCSEs.

Computer Science just edging in the lead for number of assignments handed in.

Biology really upping the challenge with by far the most questions answered.

Club – GCSE Podders

GCSE Podders is on a Monday lunchtime in C3 where students can have access to computers and headphones to support them in using GCSE Pod. They can also get help setting it up on a mobile device for access from home.

5/3/23 Roundup – Key messages & Term dates (all year groups)

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Year 11 Photographs

Dear Parents,

Year 11 Photographs –  A polite reminder that the closing date for free delivery back to school is Monday 13th March. Order through the Tempest website using your unique link or visit www.tempest-orders.co.uk . If you need any assistance in ordering your photos, feel free to contact Tempest on 01736 751555 (option 3).

Many thanks.

Year 10 Parents Evening

We look forward to welcoming the parents and carers of our year 10 students into School on Monday 13th March 2023. Booking opened up on Friday and were quite quickly filling up. Bookings will close on 6th March at 5pm to allow us to make preparations for the event.

If you have any problems at all in booking please do contact us as we have a team of people ready to help and would like to have as many parents & carers here as possible.

Consent Forms for Whole School Activities

Each year we need to update our full consent form where we ask you to indicate if you give permissions to school activities. 

Thank you to all Parents and Carers who have already done this.

If our records indicate that we have not received a completed Consent form we will have sent you a text message during the week commencing 13th February 2023.    If you received this text message and have not yet completed the Consent Form, we would be very grateful if you could complete the quick google form.  

Please tick the questions where you are providing consent and if you prefer not to give permission please leave that question blank (unticked). 

Please find the link below to google form: https://forms.gle/PAHTVya3TgWm3SV38 and click Submit once you have completed it. 

News from the last week

Other round up news this week that you may have missed:

During the break

School farm

Wednesday

English, House Competition and Computing

Thursday

Geography and Safeguarding

Friday

Health & Social care and Sports

Saturday

Sixth form and Future Intentions

TERM DATES  ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 – 2023

Term ends: Friday 31 March 

Holiday: Monday 3 April – Friday 14 April

Easter Sunday: Sunday 9 April

Summer Term 2023

Inset day: Monday 17th April

Term starts: Tuesday 18 April

May Day: Monday 1 May

Holiday: Monday 29 May – Friday 2 June

Term ends: Tuesday 25 July

Holiday: Wednesday 26 July – Friday 1 September

School Website

School Shop

 

4/3/23 Roundup – Future Intentions (Sixth form)

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Dear Parent / Carer,

Please see below information on apprenticeships, careers, courses and degrees.

World Book Day Career of the Week: Author

This World Book Day, get thinking about careers in the Media and Publishing sector

Do you love reading or writing? This Careers library profile will introduce you to the entry requirements, and skills needed to pursue a career as an author.

In the video, Abigail Tarttelin (writer of ‘Golden Boy’, one of School Library Journal’s best books of 2013) shares her career journey and what she thinks makes a successful author.

> Share it here (remember to sign in as a student first)

You can now access our free Army assembly

In case you missed it, our Army live assembly on 17th January, that was live streamed by thousands of viewers across the UK, is now available to watch for free whenever you want.

Centred around the theme of ‘Developing character for the future’, our panel of Junior Soldiers Coombes and Reid, Private Nash and LCoH Flanagan discussed the core skills they have learned at the Army Foundation College Harrogate and how their character has changed. They also busted some common Army myths and answered a range of interesting questions from the audience both online and in person.

How to access the assembly

The assembly is available to watch here

You can also still ask questions on the live chat feature

Why not try our assembly resource?

Would you like to hear from our Junior Soldier panel about their experiences in the Army?

WATCH NOW

Want to know more about Army careers?

Discover how you can gain an experience like no other for 16 & 17 year olds starting their careers in the British Army at AFC Harrogate.

An Army Office Scholarship Scheme can provide sponsorship through sixth form or university, before joining the Army in a leadership role.

The Army Officer Internship offers the chance for students aged 17 years 9 months and older to experience the role for 6 to 18-months before, during or after university. Gain unrivalled insight into the life of an Army Officer, with plenty of support from our team.

Check out our BASE (British Army Supporting Education) Facebook page to keep up to date with further educational news from us here

DISCOVER MORE

FUTURE INTENTIONS PLANNING – APPRENTICESHIPS

As part of our support to students and families during national careers week, please read this information pack from Amazing Apprenticeships if you would like to find out more about what apprenticeships are on offer, green apprenticeships, testimonials and SEND support.  https://assets.ctfassets.net/8kbr1n52z8s2/6fe8m89T9YAIS01PE0x0UI/0d4956034b03bc2f487ec5bad63305cf/Parent_Pack_December_2022.pdf

Barclaycard Life Skills

Explore free careers based lessons for 11-16 year olds Barclays LifeSkills, the free employability and financial capability programme, is here to support with career-focused resources to help students aged 11-16 find future employment success. The week provides a great opportunity to develop your skills, understanding and confidence around for your future career choice.

Register today

Making the most of your virtual work experience Use the LifeSkills interactive Virtual Work Experience tool to provide insight into the workplace. The tool is an interactive video where students can ask and answer questions; think of it as a first-person role-playing game.

You’ll meet many people from different digital agency departments in the video and learn more about what they do. By the end of the activity, you will be able to recognise the skills needed for the world of work, such as resilience and communication and recognise the range of roles and opportunities on offer across an organisation.

Find out more

In case you missed it, catch up on LifeSkills Unpacked, our week-long CPD event, where you can learn about how investing in young peoples’ core transferable skills can lead to their future success.

REAL ESTATE

Any students wishing to work in real estate, or who just want to find out if this area could be for them, should look at the Reading Real Estate Foundation, part of the Henley Business School at the University of Reading. 

There are summer schools, work experience, e-mentoring and bursaries available.  Please visit this site for more information:  Students | Henley Business School.

https://www.henley.ac.uk/research/academic-areas/real-estate-and-planning/rref/pathways-to-property/students

Unifrog Gazette!

Don’t miss the Unifrog event of the year: Next Steps Fair 2023

Get prepared for Unifrog’s Next Steps Fair on Wednesday 8 March, 16:30-19:00

Our Next Steps Fair is just around the corner! This is a rare chance for you to chat to top employers, universities, and apprenticeship providers all in one place. Featuring guest speaker Sophie Pender, who founded The 93% Club to unite working class students at university, the Fair will also:

– help you meet Gatsby Benchmarks 5 & 7
– help you engaging with National Careers Week (6-11 March)
– see post-school pathways that you might not have considered

> Download everything to get prepared here

Interview Stress

Stress can be a normal part of job seeking, more often than not, it’s the result of over-thinking a situation. This article is full of advice on how to prepare for an interview:

Read More >

4/3/23 Roundup – Sixth form

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Sixth Form entry September 2023 – online application

If you have missed the application deadline of 13th January, please get in touch with Mrs Walton via sixthform@tahs.org.uk ASAP.

UCAS CONFIRMATION OF PLACES

Please can Y13 students check the progress of their UCAS applications on a regular basis.  There may be deadlines to confirm their places.  Confirmation must come directly from students, not TAHS staff.  Please contact the sixth form team with any queries.

Year 12 – UCAS Fair

There will be a Year 12 trip to the UCAS fair in Derby on Friday 17th March.  Students will travel by coach from school in the morning, arriving at the fair in time for the 10.30am entrance.  Students will travel back to school in time for their usual home-time.  Please make the payment via Parent Pay.  Letters have been sent home.

Please note, letters/payments to be received by Friday 3rd March at the latest.

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.

Uttoxeter Road Runners – volunteers needed – 30th April 2023

Uttoxeter Road Runners are looking for 6th formers or D of E students to assist with marshalling the junior road race on Sunday 30th April.

Scouts & Guides will be manning the water stations along all of the routes.

Please contact Mrs Walton or Mrs Griffiths if you would be interested in helping to marshal the race.

TAP for W/C 6th March 2023

Y12:  Thomas Character – Happy and healthy

Mon:   Are you in a healthy relationship? Are you worried about a friend in a relationship but don’t know what to do? Watch these clips for information. Please talk to staff if there is anything that concerns you. Official film | Disrespect NoBody – Bing video, Tea and Consent – Bing video

Tue:  Play the Amazing Apprenticeships ‘match up’ game. Send your group’s best time through to Mrs Bell for a prize, competing against Y12 and Y13. Apprenticeship Halves (Educandy) – Amazing Apprenticeships

Wed:  Watch this Amazing Apprenticeships video (13 minutes) for information about types of apprenticeship and testimonials from those already working and training. The Apprenticeship Assembly Film – Amazing Apprenticeships

Thur:  Future intentions planning:  take a look at this website and start to book in for some university open days if this is your chosen route:  Opendays.com – university and college open days – home page.  Continue your search in your 6f7 sessions.  Also show students the type of things they should be considering e.g. entry requirements, course details, open days, scholarships etc such as on this example from Manchester Uni: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2023/00559/bsc-computer-science-with-industrial-experience/

Fri:  Assembly

Y13:  Thomas Character – Healthy and Happy

Mon:  Students receive a hand out of how to stay healthy at university (more information will be given during freshers’ weeks). Bright Knowledge

Tue: 

University budgeting. Try the UCAS student budgeting calculator during your study periods. The second link is a Student Finance calculator which will calculate your maintenance allowance but you will need to add parental income. Links have been added to the Y13 Team so students can access them.

Budget calculator | Undergraduate, Conservatoires | UCAS

Student finance calculator – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Wed:  Play the Amazing Apprenticeships ‘match up’ game. Send your group’s best time through to Mrs Bell for a prize, competing against Y12 and Y13. Apprenticeship Halves (Educandy) – Amazing Apprenticeships

Thur:  Watch this Amazing Apprenticeships video (13 minutes) for information about types of apprenticeship and testimonials from those already working and training. The Apprenticeship Assembly Film – Amazing Apprenticeships

Fri:  Assembly

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