Dear Secondary School Community,
Among the business of school life and the excitement of the upcoming holiday, I hope this bulletin finds you all in good health and high spirits. As we strive for continuous improvement, I wanted to take a moment to highlight the recent and upcoming Parent Focus Groups.
First and foremost, may I express sincere gratitude to all the parents who have participated in these invaluable sessions thus far. Your insights, suggestions, and perspectives have been instrumental in shaping our school's policies and practices, ultimately benefiting our students.
We are truly excited to connect with you and listen to your valuable feedback. Your voices are crucial in our efforts to create an environment that fosters educational excellence and creates a place to belong for every child in our care.
Once all the focus groups have been completed, we will analyse the data collected and communicate the outcomes and action plans back to the parent community.
Your participation in the Parent Focus Groups is a testament to the strong partnership between parents and the school. Together, we can create an even more enriching and supportive environment for our students.
Thank you for your continued support, and we eagerly look forward to the remaining Parent Focus Groups.
Yours Sincerely,
Chris Newman
Head of Secondary
It has been an assured, and confident start from our Year 11 students into this academic year. During the summer holidays, many students rightly took a break from their studies for a period of time, in order to refresh and prepare themselves for the stamina that is needed to prepare for an academically demanding 12 months coming up. But, what was lovely to see and hear about was that many started to actively prepare for Year 11 by creating resources that would utilise their time effectively this year, including: Revision timetables, plans for extra-curricular activities and study materials to help with their success. This shows great forward planning, and highlights so many of the great qualities that they possess- Thinking ahead and aiming for the best.
During our well-being lessons this year, during August and the first half of September, the focus was on creating an organised structure that linked with both their in-school studies and their extra commitments outside of school- and most importantly, their downtime! We have moved to using an Outlook calendar that connects their timetabled lessons with upcoming assignments and deadlines, allowing for better preparation. During the last 2-3 weeks and as the term is now in full swing, we have shifted attention to emotional stability, decision making, and uncertainty as they will have this week made their IB options, a huge next step in their lives.
Last week, all of Year 11s took part in the IB options evening, where they had the chance to speak to subject teachers to reaffirm their six IB option choices for the Year 12-13 programme. Attendance was excellent which was just as I expected, and earlier this week they all would have made their choices. Some wonderful discussions took place, many questions were asked and our well-being lessons, in conjunction with the options evening, have hopefully reduced any feelings of uncertainty and ill-preparedness.
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Later this month, all of Year 11 will be going to Đảo Quan Lạn, in Quảng Ninh province. Recently I had the chance to go and visit, and explore this remote island, and take part in all of the activities that have been organised for our students- Hiking, bicycle rides around the island, and beach games are some of the afternoon activities we have planned. We are also building in some conservation work, looking to build shelters on one of the beaches on the island in the hope that turtles will eventually come back to the island for the first time in years. Alongside this, I am working with the science department to organise some data collection opportunities, as there are a variety of land uses on the island for which to collect data from, which is great practice for their studies- There are rocky pools, mudflats, beaches, forests and urban settlements where they will be diving right in to collect data in groups.
I am really proud to be in my third year leading this wonderful group of young people. They are super passionate and committed to being their best, and the Year 11 tutor team and I are delighted to be able to support them at such a crucial time in their lives and education. Thank you to all parents and families for your utmost support, in providing stable foundations and spaces for relaxation and study at home. I wish you all a wonderful holiday.
Liam Wright
Head of Year 11
This week, Year 8s have been continuing in their reading of Private Peaceful by Micheal Morpurgo – a powerful tale of a young soldier in World War 2, who reflects on his childhood and how it shaped him before the war. This week, we reached a crucial point in the narrative, when the relationships between the main character (Tommo), his brother (Charlie), and their best friend (Molly) begin to change, as the characters reach a new chapter in their lives.
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Year 8s have been practicing their analytical skills, using clear topic sentences and analysing quotations from the text to support their points. It has been brilliant to see the students gaining independence in finding evidence from the text!
We are all keen to find out what will happen next in Private Peaceful... Will Tommo and Charlie’s care for each other survive the changes that are coming? Can Tommo forgive Molly for leaving him behind? All will be revealed when we continue reading after half term!
Kate Bilton
English Teacher
With students from over 30 nationalities, the festival was a colourful and immersive experience, offering a glimpse into different cultures through various forms of music, dance, and cuisine.
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