Week 2 (9-13 September 2024)

Welcome from the Co-Headteachers

Driving the importance of personal and social development

This week, the school is truly in full flow with a vibrancy and energy within classrooms, around the corridors and across all outdoor “active play” areas. After school, a range of enrichment clubs are already up and running (see more below), helping our students develop leadership skills and strengthen their wider friendship circles. Our outstanding Year assemblies have been driving the importance of personal and social development, in particular ensuring that students display tolerance and empathy towards each other.

Furthermore, in our daily Study Support sessions, we have continued to drive the promotion of: 

• positive wellbeing and mental health 
• reading for pleasure 
• personal organisation.

On the latter, please conduct regular checks that your son/ward is always in possession of a fiction reading book; this book should be secured safely within their school bag. 

As ever, this newsletter contains important information about our other traditions and values as so please do read it in full.

Sleep Routines

Protecting students’ wellbeing and mental health

As the school year begins, students need to establish strong and robust routines. Equally, it is important that parents/carers try to do the same with sleep patterns at home. Sleep is an essential requirement for people to effectively carry out our daily activities. It is hugely important for the protection of our wellbeing and mental health as well as self-esteem. Sleep helps with learning and the formation of long-term memories – not getting enough sleep or enough high-quality sleep can lead to problems focusing on tasks and thinking clearly. To support your son/ward, please review our checklist as well as NHS guidance.

_{Photo by Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush on Pexels.com.}

Subject of the Week – Design Technology

Learn about one of our most in-demand subjects

Design and Technology (DT) is the subject where students have a chance to make things. They are all shown how to safely use familiar hand tools; they will also have the opportunity to use more heavy engineering equipment, such as milling machines, pillar drills and centre lathes; and they will all have a chance to make something using our cutting-edge manufacturing equipment, like laser cutters, 3D printers and CNC routers.

Key Stage 3

Students begin learning DT at Key Stage 3, allowing students to develop a love of designing and making products for use in their surroundings. The curriculum is intentionally technical and is tailored to the study of engineering. We give them the confidence to independently make their own solutions to various design contexts – creating a love of problem solving to produce the engineers of the future. For example, Year 7 are introduced to the safe use of soldering irons to allow them to develop the necessary skills needed to make an electronic touch sensor. Year 8 are building on these skills by applying them to a programmable electronic system as they develop a musical night light product, and Year 9 are starting to investigate mechanisms.

Key Stage 4

Key Stage 4 students can take either a GCSE or vocational course in engineering. Just this week, Year 10 have been introduced to SolidWorks CAD software to increase the complexity of their computer designs. Our Year 11s continue to develop their own independent projects. They will also be engaging in a variety of revision and learning activities, combined with lots of low-stakes testing, to prepare them for their forthcoming GCSE examinations.

Key Stage 5

Year 12 students are looking forward to developing their love of engineering after being very successful at GCSE. They will be joining our year 13s on a vocational trip to Russell Finex to see how a modern engineering company helps provide jobs and skills to the local community. They will also be joining our vocational engineers on an engineering skills visit to Thorpe Park in October to highlight the variety of career opportunities in the engineering sector. Year 13 are fully engaged in the development of their final A level design projects.

Extra-Curricular

We also look forward to offering students the opportunity to engage in a variety of clubs to help develop their enthusiasm for making products. Keep an eye out for a woodworking club, a food technology club and an Arduino club, which will be running at various times throughout the year on Thursday afternoons.

Coming Up!

Key upcoming events

You can access the entire calendar via this link.

Progress & Partnership Day

An early date for the diary!

During Progress & Partnership Day (Friday 18 October), normal lessons will be suspended for all year groups. Each student, accompanied by their parent(s)/carer(s), will have a ten-minute interview with a member of staff. Full details will be sent to parents/carers soon.

Open Evening Arrangements

Changes to the school day later in September

A letter was sent out earlier today about changes to the school day for our Open Evening. To reiterate:

• On Wednesday 25 September, school will finish early at 1.10pm.
• On Thursday 26 September, school will start late at 10.45am.

Some students will be invited to help on the evening – they will receive separate communications next week. We know that our students do a brilliant job of promoting our school to new parents/carers.

Active Play

Promoting physical activity for all!

Levels of physical activity at breaktime and lunchtime are incredibly high as students run, jump and chase each other around the outdoor school site. Supervised playful football, basketball, table tennis and cricket also take place. We really value the importance of playful, largely rule-free activity where young people escape the rigours and routines of the classroom.