Headteacher End Of Year Letter
As we approach the end of what has been a great year for the school, I wanted to say well done to all the students and staff who have made this possible but also a heartfelt thank you to you as parents for your ongoing support and for the encouragement and help that you give to your children to help them to succeed at school. Working together like this allows us to make the school even better so that every student can be successful and well prepared for life beyond School.
We are immensely proud of our Year 11 students in how they prepared for their exams and, like them, we are looking forward to celebrating their results on the 22nd of August. Throughout the exam period, the barbecue and the year 11 prom they showed just how far they had come as a year group, and we couldn’t be more proud of how they are now leaving us ready for college, apprenticeships or work.
This has been a busy term with lots of students participating in Sports Day, PD days, the Year 7 Caen trip, Year 8 camp, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and many other clubs and trips. Over the next year we are looking to further grow the number of clubs and trips so that all students can access more of these vital opportunities that should be part of a rich and engaging education.
Unfortunately, we are saying goodbye to some staff who are moving onto other adventures; Miss Hall and Mr Rayappan are leaving after having joined us last year and supporting students with their Maths learning. Mr Rigby (Science) and Miss Quinn (MFL) are leaving us having taught here for 2 years. Miss Vowles is leaving us after 3 years teaching in Maths. Mr McIntosh from our premises team is leaving us after 3 years (as he is deservedly retiring). Mr Plaza is leaving us after 4 years teaching in Science and he will be much missed from his Head of House role. Finally, Mr Brown is leaving us after 10 years teaching in PE so that he can pursue a different career. This will be the first time Mr Brown has really left the school since he was 11 years old. He joined us as a student in September 2003 and over his 10 years teaching with us, he has made a massive contribution to many students, and I am sure he will be most fondly remembered by all the students who have enjoyed Year 8 camp experiences which he has led superbly for many years. To all these staff I’d like to say a massive thank you for their contribution and their commitment over the time they have been here and the difference they have made to young people’s futures.
Looking forward to next year:
- Year 7 and Year 11 students return to school on Tuesday 3rd September
- Years 8, 9 and 10 students will return to school on Wednesday 4th September
As we are preparing for next year we have used the student surveys, school council and parents’ surveys to help us prioritise the areas we want to improve on. These are all included in our school improvement plan.
What can you do?
Behaviour across the school has improved significantly this year but this will always be an area that we are focusing on to help make learning and classrooms feel as safe as possible for all students and a priority for us is the smooth running of lessons. To support this, one way you can really help is by ensuring that your child has the correct equipment for school every day so that this is not affecting your child’s progress or slowing down the learning of others. Before the end of term you will receive a letter so that you have details of uniform expectations and also the equipment that all students should have with them every day.
As I said at the start, what makes this the great school that it is, is our 1210 amazing students, over a hundred committed staff and a great many more supportive parents. Nothing that we achieve would be possible without all of us working together with a common goal of providing an excellent education for every student so that every student can feel success.
I hope you will manage to have a great summer break and get to spend some time relaxing with family and friends.