Dear Families,
I hope this update finds you in good health. We have a few updates below about next week and Easter arrangements alongside some updates about the wider aspects of our school community.
Positivity Week
Next week will be the Second Positivity week of this year. During our positivity weeks students get to try out new and varied activities to develop or perfect new skills. The theme is High Expectations and there will be a different activity each day for students to take on and test themselves. Due to popular demand, the Tug of War will return for students to test their collective strength at lunchtime. This was a favourite amongst our student body last time with some surprising results. Friday will see a medley of all the activities, with a prize for each year group. You have to be in it to win it!!
Vacancies
We have some support staff vacancies at present to add to our capacity within school. Current roles include Administrative Assistant/Receptionist, Specialist Teaching Assistant ( All Training Provided) and Teaching and Learning Cover Supervisor. If you or someone you know would be interested in joining our team in a support professional role, please take a look at the links and contact school for further information.
Sporting Update
Our Year 11 football team were involved in another tournament this week at John Port, this has served as valuable preparation ahead of the upcoming County Cup semi-final.
As part of their Btec Level 3 course, students attended the driving range at Morley Hayes Golf Club. Here, they recorded a video analysis of their golf swing – some of which were described as ‘very interesting.‘ They will use this footage for their next assignment back in school to analyse their performance.
A number of our students from years 7-11 performed at the Brewhouse dance show in Burton on Wednesday Evening. The dance show was made up of secondary schools and dance schools from all across Derbyshire. The dancers took the chance to experience performing on a stage with professional lighting and sound and they did an incredible job, really showcasing the talent that we have amongst our student community. Their dance piece was in the style of Afro beats and they performed this style with the sass and emotion that it needs. Adele Francesca who choreographed the piece for us expressed how well the pupils had done and she would like to thank them for their commitment.
Careers Update
This week, the job of the week is an epidemiologist. You can view the video about the role here.
On Tuesday, the school went through an assessment process for our Quality in Careers Standard award. This is the national quality award for careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) in secondary schools. The process took an in depth look at all aspects of our careers work at school and the main evidence was taken by talking to groups of our students from Years 7-13. We are delighted to inform you that we passed and have maintained our award. The assessor provided some fantastic feedback about our careers work across the school and was particularly impressed by the students. She described our students as: ‘articulate, critical thinkers and with high aspirations’ and said the school was ‘leading the way in careers education.’ We will receive the full report in about two weeks and will share more details with you then.
Next Wednesday, ten students from Years 11-13 will be travelling to London and taking part in an exciting residential based at the investment bank Goldman Sachs. The residential will provide the students with a unique opportunity to learn about the diversity of opportunities in the city, build their confidence and skills, and increase their career aspirations. We look forward to telling you more about this following the trip.
Next Thursday, twelve Year 10 students will be taking part in a preparation day with DHL before attending a week long residential with the Outward Bound Trust in May. This will focus on a range of employability skills but in particular team building and problem solving. Again, we look forward to telling you more about the residential later in May.
Finally, please do take a look at our Careers section of the school website and. In particular, our ‘Careers Programme Overview’ which provides an outline of the careers activity covered in each key stage from 3-5.
End of Term Arrangements
Next week is the last week of term with students breaking up for Easter on Friday the 8th at the normal time of 3.05. School will remain closed (with the exception of the Easter Revision Sessions) until students return on Monday the 25th April. All years will return at the normal time of 8.40 on that day.
Easter Revision Sessions
We are running a selection of revision sessions over Easter for students in Years 11 and 13. Students have been given information about the dates and timings of these sessions in school or at the Year 11 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday night. The revision sessions form a key part of our additional support for students in examination years and will serve our young people well in the run up to the summer schedule. With around 20 school days remaining until the exam season starts it is important that students take these opportunities to spend time with subject experts focussing on how to maximise the chances of securing the grades they are capable of.
That’s all for this week. Wishing you a relaxing weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal
