Our Busiest Term Ever! - March 2014
We have had an incredibly busy term to date, with a record number of students on roll –
there is a buzz of positivity in the air which is great to be part of.
Craft Workshops
Just before the half term holiday we had a crafting day. A local business ‘Ditzy Daydreams’ came in
for a felting workshop. Diane, one of our assistants provided us with a spinning and weaving
workshop, bringing in her own spinning wheel and weaving equipment. We began the process of
weaving our own school rug – please feel free to contribute to it if you visit us. Another one of our
assistants, Joy held a carding workshop showing students how she uses various techniques to make
superb cards. Christine had a cake decorating class taking place throughout the morning which was
a hit with all taking part. From this experience we realised how valuable this could be for students
Art and Design portfolios and so we have found time to build this into our curriculum. Visit the
gallery for snaps of the day.
Genetics Awareness Day.
Our first date on the calendar for Science was genetics awareness day. Milly Bullars, Fiona’s
daughter has cystic fibrosis. She came into school to show students her treatment regime and help
students understand not only cystic fibrosis but genetic conditions. Her visit was extremely powerful
and the feedback we received incredible. More incredible is the fact that Milly is only seven years
old. She wanted to explain why she came into school: ‘Hi, I’m Milly and I’ve been here to talk about
cystic fibrosis (cf) I brought in my treatments and told the class about my disease. I told them how
my cf affects my daily routine. Everyone was very interested and asked lots of good questions. I
enjoyed answering them and reading about my cf in science books.’ Pictures of Milly are in our
gallery. Since her visit Milly has become unwell and is now receiving treatment from Sheffield
Children’s Hospital – we all wish her a speedy recovery.
Trips,, Visits and Challenges.
On Friday our Harlequin challenge begins. Ray Nolan, Managing Director of Harlequin Office
Furniture Specialists is giving his time to promote business and enterprise in our school and the
opportunity for our young people to rise to a challenge. The challenge will take place over a 4 week
period, with the final being held on the last day of term, Friday 4th. The plans, although top secret,
look exciting.
Also during the week beginning the 31st March we have Stuart Bontoft, a STEM ambassador coming
to school to engage our students in engineering challenges. The STEM ambassador programme is
funded by the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation and seeks to excite and inspire
students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Fiona, our Science teacher, will be
promoting practical science during that week showing how exciting Science can be. We’re looking
forward to a fresh and innovative approach towards the STEM subjects and hope our young people
are inspired by this opportunity.
Team Matters.
Team learning has been really positive with learning taking place from the moment students enter
the building. Statistics show that 98.7% of our students are on task and engaged in purposeful
learning as soon as they enter the building. The 1.3% that are not engaged are quickly re- directed
when supported. All learning activities in a morning are centred on PLTS activities (Personal
Learning and Thinking Targets.)
Building Matters
We now have all security measures in place in our new building ensuring that staff and student
safety is paramount. A multi CCTV system will also be in place very shortly around the whole site.
Rewards Matters.
Students are worked hard towards their rewards last half term. The winners were:
The Individual Award – Lucy
The Team Award – Christine
The Headteachers Award – Amy
We are now underway with the Easter race – Good luck everybody !!!
Attendance Matters.
Whilst we know that there are some very genuine reasons for our young people to be absent from
school we do promote 100% attendance from all of our students. We are able to address any issues
through a variety of different channels – we have a family life coach available every Friday (for
individuals and families) and we are available throughout the week to discuss anything that can be a
barrier to attending school. Please contact us through the contacts page, telephone, Facebook or e –
mail if you would like to benefit from this service.
Student Matters.
We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate John on his outstanding work as an Anti-Bullying
Ambassador being selected to meet Richard Branson and Ellie Goulding on March 7th – Well done
John, you have come such a long way and we’re proud of you. Year 11’s are busy preparing their
applications for college which we are also able to offer support and guidance in as many ways as
possible – from filling out forms, to providing references and performing mock interviews. Please
advise us if we can do anything more to support our young people in their transition to further
education.
Thank-you to parents, staff, schools and other providers in our collaborative approach – Together
Towards a Bright Future.
Sarnia Palin, Deputy Headteacher.