News

Monday 25th March 2024

 

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Welcome to our newsletter for the eleventh, and final, week of the Spring Term 2024. It’s Week A and I have been leading our whole school assemblies on the theme of Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Ramdan - using this as an opportunity to celebrate the unity we have in our diverse school community.

Thank you to those families who attended the very successful Y7 Celebration Evening last Thursday - we look forward to an equally great Y8 event on Tuesday 23rd April. Also, it was great to see so many Y11 families for last Thursday’s Parents’ Evening - the final one before the summer exams which begin on 9th May.

As we approach the end of this short Spring Term, it is a good time to take stock and reflect on the achievements we have had as a school community. Our focus on enrichment has certainly borne fruit - with an extensive programme of trips and visits, both for the day and residential. Not forgetting, the over 40 clubs which run weekly and the extensive extra curricular sporting programme which runs every week. My thanks to staff for their hard work in facilitating the opportunities and students for their engagement!

School ends on Thursday 28th March at 12:30pm at the end of period 3. For Y11 and Y13 the forthcoming break from school must be used to maximum effect for revision and preparation for the summer exams - this time is precious and needs to be used widely. Our recommendation is that all students in these year groups should plan a revision timetable in advance and be completing at least five hours of revision a day during the holidays. Myself, Mr Bates (Deputy Headteacher) and Ms Vowles (Assistant Headteacher) will be speaking to these year groups specifically about this later this week.

The Summer Term begins on Monday 15th April at 8:40am and it will be Week A.

With best wishes for the week ahead and the Spring break.

Stephen Davis

 

Year 12 through to National Competition Final!

Kiwandeep Singh in Year 12 has made it through to the final of the prestigious Gresham College Oracy Competition and will present his chosen topic on Tuesday 26th March at Barnard's Inn Hall, London . The competition promotes the art of communicating complex information in a clear, concise and compelling way. Shortlisted candidates are invited to present in person in London and there are three awards for the best presentations (including prizes for the student and the school). To reach the final is an outstanding achievement - well done Kiwandeep and good luck for Tuesday!

 

Mobile phones

Following on from the recently issued DfE guidance on phones in the classroom, this week in assembly we have shared the following information with students. We have reminded students about our current policy, and outlined changes that take effect from Monday 15th April. 

Current policy

• Mobile phones will be confiscated if seen on site- they will be taken to student services and you can collect at the end of the day.

• If a phone is required as part of an investigation we can keep the mobile phone much longer.

• If we see a phone after 3.10pm we can keep the phone overnight. So please make sure you keep it out of sight.

If you need a timetable please get this printed from student services.

Changes from 15/04

• Mobile phones should always be switched off. Any phone that is switched on will be confiscated.

• “Aggravated phone use”: using a phone inappropriately related to a non-negotiable e.g. recording a fight, challenging the authority of staff, bullying students etc. This will result in your mobile phone being confiscated up to the end of half term.

• Mobile phones should not be used on school trips, unless students are explicitly allowed to by the treat leader for limited periods of time 

 

Safeguarding focus - Gaming and Gambling

 In recent years, the online gaming and gambling have become inextricably linked online - many online games can in effect be a front for gambling, which can then become a habit, and addiction for students - with disastrous effects for the financial and mental health of young people. The YGAM website offers a great overview of the issues presented, and practicable help, and it's a worth a read so that we can potentially help to identify students at risk. If you're worried that your child has indications of excessive time online and that this is impacting on their wellbeing, please follow the guidance in our e-safety guide about limiting and supervising your child’s time online.

 

Train to teach with us!

 Do you know anyone who is thinking of joining the best profession in the world and training to teach? Are you currently working with young people and considering taking the next step in your career? Are you looking for a way to train locally and give back to your own community while learning on the job?

 If so, consider training to teach with the London West Alliance ITT, in partnership with the University of Roehampton. We offer salaried and unsalaried training routes working in partner schools across the South West London area, in a wide range of secondary subjects. You will be offered high quality training, with a dedicated team of mentors and experts, and will achieve QTS and PGCE qualifications, propelling you on the first step to the rest of your teaching career.

 Applications for London West Alliance ITT are now open!

 If you’re interested, or you know anyone who may be, please visit our website for more information: https://www.lwaitt.org.uk or contact us on getintoteaching@lwaitt.org.uk