Dear Parents/Carers,
Ahead of the new school term which starts tomorrow, I wish to share some key information with you all.
I wish to begin by congratulating all learners who sat external examinations last summer. They have all had a very difficult few years and we are delighted that their dedication and hard work led to a superb examination performance.
The Summer 2022 Year 11 GCSE results were the best externally examined results that the school has ever had, with particularly outstanding achievements at Grades A* and A. These results have enabled learners to have real choices at this stage, with options to continue their studies at school, move onto college courses, gain apprenticeships or move into employment. We are also incredibly proud of the achievements of our sixth form learners who gained excellent results; Year 13 learners were to able to secure places at top universities studying subjects such as Law and Medicine and others to move on to training and employment.
I wish to thank all of our staff, our Governors and all parents/ carers for your support in helping our learners to succeed.
Academic Year 2022-23.
We are excited to be welcoming all learners back to school tomorrow and hope that they are looking forward to coming back, or for our Year 7 learners, starting with us.
We have the highest expectations of our learners and the examination results 2022 demonstrate what can be achieved through a concerted team effort. To further raise standards and maximise the opportunities for learning, we have made some changes to rules, routines and practices which I wish to share with you ahead of the start of the new term.
Uniform expectations
Our school uniform expectations are very clear and these are shared on our website (link here). We will be monitoring school uniform from tomorrow and our pastoral team will contact you if there are any uniform issues which need to be addressed. May I respectfully remind you that:-
- hoodies and leggings are not part of school uniform and we do not expect to see these being worn to school
- PE kit needs to be brought to school to change into, not worn to school
- we expect all learners to bring a bag to school.
*From Monday, any incorrect uniform will be logged on Classcharts and appropriate sanctions will be issued.
Behaviour expectations
It has been recognised nationally that the disruptions to learning caused by the pandemic have negatively impacted the behaviour of many learners. Consequently, we have revised our Positive Relationships Policy, which clarifies our expectations of behaviour in lessons and around school. All learners Years 7-11 will have assembly during Wednesday 7th September to share our expectations and to explain new routines and practices. There is a clear Learner Code of Conduct and clear Classroom rules.
*We will be practising these this week (Wednesday 7th – Friday 9th September) before fully implementing them from Monday 12th September and applying any appropriate sanctions.
Mobile phone ban (also applies to ear pods/ headphones/smartwatches)
In order to promote the wellbeing of all learners, mobile phones will be banned for learners Years 7-11. This ban begins and ends at the school gates and includes all parts of the school site and grounds. Mobile phones will not be permitted to be used at any point in the school day including:-
- breaktime
- lunchtime
- transitions between lessons
If you wish your child to bring a mobile phone to school for use to and from school, it must be switched off (not just on silent) and kept in a school bag at all times whilst on school premises. If your child is found to be using a mobile phone at any point during the school day it will be confiscated and appropriate sanctions will be issued – please see attachment linked below for information or click here:
We will be sharing this information with all learners (years 7-11) in assemblies tomorrow and explaining the sanctions.
*Learners will have the next few days to adjust to this new rule before we implement any sanctions from Monday 12th September.
Our priority as a school is to safeguard all members of the school community from cyber-bullying, inappropriate use of social media and inappropriate use of the internet and this ban is integral to this duty. We are aware that constant use of mobile phones can affect concentration, sleep and cause anxiety, all of which can negatively impact learning, which is our core business as a school.
School reception is the main and most appropriate point of contact for parents/carers. In the case of an emergency, should you need to contact your child, a message can be sent quickly to them. The use of school reception to pass on important messages also ensures that lessons are not being interrupted with learners responding to contact on mobile phones. I trust that we will have your support with this.
Arrival/ Learner entrances
Year 7 – for Wednesday 7th September, please make your way to main reception at the top of the stairs where you will be directed to the Upper Hall for assembly. For all other days the main entrance for Year 7 will be the Lower school entrance.
Lower School Entrance (Years 7&8) – Technology entrance
Middle School Entrance (Years 9 & 10) – Maths entrance by Room 101
Upper School Entrance (Years 11, 12 & 13) – Pupil Entrance to the left of reception
All learners in Years 7-11 will be given their timetables and a basic diary for homework planning and noting key dates/events.
Learners enrolling for Year 12 will need to report to the sixth form block from 8:45am (Surnames A-L 8:45 – 10:30, Surnames M-Z 10:45 – 12:30pm). Year 13 learners will register in the sixth form block between 1pm and 3pm.
Once again, I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school tomorrow and wish to thank you in anticipation of your support this year.
Yours sincerely
S J Evans
Headteacher