4th January 2016
Dear parent,
I hope you have had a lovely Christmas and happy New Year. There are a number of events and
key pieces of information that I wanted to share with you on the first day back.
Staffing Changes
There have been some staff changes for the Spring Term. Ms Hall, Head of English, has
relocated to Scotland to be close to her family and Mrs Petrie has taken over as Head of English.
Mrs Hickerton (Head of Drama) and Mrs Jackson (Head of DT) have started their maternity
leave and their responsibilities are being covered by Miss Sampson (who will be Head of Music
and Drama) and Mr Hansen for DT. Mr Cox (English), after a period of illness, has decided to
leave his post. Miss Luff is joining us to teach English from the Beacon School in Banstead.
Miss McCann-Wood (Science) is moving to Farnborough 6th Form College, and Dr Wood
(Science) is returning from maternity leave. Mrs Petrie's responsibilities as Head of Upper 6th
have been taken on by Mr Townend (and she will take over his tutor group), supported by Mrs
Sanderson.
There are a number of tutor changes as a result:
7YS: Miss Luff is taking over from Mr Cox
8XW: Mr Rayne is taking over from Miss McCann-Wood
9XS: Dr Wood is taking over from Mrs Jackson
L6th: Mr Marshman is taking over from Ms Hall
Similarly, there are a number of timetable changes. Where there have been changes to when
particular subjects are being taught, pupils will be informed in registration, and will be told about
changes of teachers in the lessons. Please contact Mr Panting on
panting.chris@ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk if you have any questions about the teacher changes.
Arkwright Scholarship
As mentioned in my letter before Christmas, applications are now open for the 2016 round of the
Arkwright scholarship. This external award gives industry mentoring and financial support to 6th
form students who are keen on a career in engineering related settings and studying Maths at A
level. Any Year 11 students interested should visit www.arkwirght.org.uk for more
information and email Mr Rayne (rayne.jeremy@ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk) if you wish to register
your interest in the application process. The closing date for applications for the next academic
year is January 15th 2016. Two students from the current Lower 6th were successful in last year’s
process. Not only did this award receive a substantial financial payment for the 6th formers, but
it also opens up opportunities of degree sponsorship, work experience and long term career
prospects. I would strongly urge any interested Year 11 students to investigate the scholarship.
6th form assessments
Mr Robinson has written a letter outlining the 6th form assessment process which will be taking
place over the next few weeks. The Upper 6th assessments are from 14th -19th January. The
Lower 6th assessments are from the 4th – 9th February. Please contact Mr Robinson if you have
questions about the process.
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9-Feb-16
Year 10 Information Evening on the new GCSEs in Maths & English - 12th January
Pupils in Year 10 are studying for the new GCSEs in Maths and English, which they will take in
June 2017 and receive a 9-1 grade (replacing the existing A*-G grading). We have written to
parents of pupils in Year 10 explaining the new exams and the grading system, and will be
holding an Information Evening on Tuesday 12th January at 7pm to give more information and to
answer questions.
Into the Upper School Evening - 21st January
The Into the Upper School Evening will take place on 21st January. This event is for parents and
students of anyone currently in Year 9. The event offers students the opportunity to find out
about the option process and speak to staff about the nature of the subjects that can be opted for,
with Year 9 Parents' Evenings following to discuss the progress of pupils with their subject
teachers. (Pupils in in V band teaching group: Tues 26th Jan; W band: Thurs 4th Feb). We will
also explain the new GCSE grading system (with 9-1 grading). Virtually all subjects in
September 2016 will adopt this grading system. A more detailed invitation will be sent out in the
coming week for the evening.
Yours sincerely
D.J. Blow
Headteacher
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