Dear Families,
We hope you all had a lovely half term break. It is great to see all students back in school, looking smart and working hard in lessons. Students will soon be completing their first round of assessments, with data being shared with families before the end of term. This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their learning, and it gives the school the information it needs to see how well each student is doing in lessons and what we need to do next to support them and push them forwards. Year 11 students will be completing their assessments under controlled conditions, similar to how they will sit their exams in the summer. Those completing BTEC courses will have already completed a significant part of their course during Year 10, and will continue to prepare for their final component assessment.
Attendance
Our attendance challenge this half term is a festive Battle of the Bands. Students are placed into one of four bands based on their attendance:
- Christmas Number 1
- Top 10
- Top 40
- Warming Up
Each time a student climbs up a band, they earn an entry into a prize draw, and for every two full weeks spent at Christmas Number 1, students earn a bonus entry. The form group with the most climbs in each year group will win a festive treat, and the student with the most improved attendance percentage in each form will also win a reward. We want all students to have the opportunity to be rewarded, whatever their attendance starting point, and we look forward to celebrating everyone’s success on the final day of term. Don’t forget that the final day of term is now a full day, and you have to be in it to win it!
STEM Award Success
We would like to congratulate our students and staff on their success at the Overt STEM Awards this week. The team won an award in the Education for Sustainable STEM Futures category, which recognises the hard work of the students and our Eco Leader, Ms Wiles. Not only did they win an award, they also came second in the STEM Team category, narrowly losing out to a Formula 1 team’s STEM outreach work! Well done to everyone involved!
Careers Interviews
Year 11 careers interviews started this week. Each Year 11 student will have an individual 40 minute appointment with Ms Bird, our in-school Careers Adviser. This gives students the opportunity to discuss their future aspirations and receive independent advice and guidance on their options and next steps post-16. Ms Bird will continue to share reminders with form tutors each day, so students know when to attend their appointment.
Remembrance Service
On Wednesday 11th November, the whole school will gather, along with members of the Royal British Legion and veterans, to pay our respects to our servicemen and women. We will hold a minute’s silence for all those who have served, and continue to serve, our country in conflicts around the world. We will think about those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live the lives we do. It is also an opportunity for us to reflect on the powerful messages shared in assembly by Lynne from the Royal British Legion, to whom we are extremely grateful.
Many students have asked if they can wear their cadet or service uniform and, as always, we are more than happy for them to do so on Wednesday.
We hope you all have a lovely weekend, and if you are attending a firework event, please look after yourselves and stay safe.
We look forward to seeing all students on Monday, ready for line up at 8:25am.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. J. Firth
Principal
