Weekly Newsletters

I want to end the academic year by thanking parents/carers for their support.  As you know, this is a vital ingredient in the success of our students and the school.  I wish to also thank all the staff for their hard work and effort.  I hope everyone has a restful and safe summer.
Please note that we start back on Wednesday 4 September. Students should arrive at 8.40am for an 8.45am start.
 
Uniform order deadline 
Please note that Chroma Sport wish to inform all parents/carers that the final order deadline, to secure the new uniform for the start of term, is 12 August.
We expect that all students in Years 7-11 are wearing a shirt and tie.  The blazer is optional.

Bryan Erwin
Principal

It only takes a minute to nominate and the more entries we receive, the more chances we have of winning. Please spread the word to grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends as well.

Please use the link below to nominate: https://www.nationalbooktokens.com/schools

The deadline for entries is 31/7/19. May I thank you in advance for your support.

Mrs H Boughton
Assistant Principal

We learned a lot about horses, their anatomy, care and management, but of course the best bit was the riding lesson. Fifteen of our students had never been on a horse before, so there were some understandable nerves. However, Lisa and her team made everyone feel at ease and before we knew it, everyone had progressed to the rising trot. It is quite a challenge to get the rhythm correct, but when you do, it feels wonderful. Lisa and her team praised each student and helped boost their confidence. It was fantastic to see their smiling faces and to hear wonderful comments, some of which are below;

“I loved it”

“I want to do it again”

“I wish we had longer”

“Thank you for helping me gain confidence again”

“Thank you for an amazing day”

“I also learned everything about a horse”

Mrs L Gregg
Progression Mentor

The play centred on themes of British values and culture, ranging from tea drinking and Brexit, to Morris dancing and Bill Shakespeare! It has been an absolute joy to watch our students bring this play to life and breathe energy and humour into their performance. On Wednesday 17 July the students performed the production to our Spanish students and they did a tremendous job. A huge thank you to Scott, from the Eastern Angles, for guiding, encouraging and developing our Drama students and a huge congratulations to all of our students involved. Well Done!

Mr A Billitt
Teacher of Drama

The Worry Box and Board has been very successful in providing an anonymous way to ask for help and for everyone to benefit from the answers displayed on the board.

We acquired access to the YMCA THRIVE App free for 6 months for 1000 students.

A number of our Post 16 students have been trained in delivering the STRESS LESS programme and the PEER EDUCATION programme to Year 7 through PSHE. Both of these help educate our young people to understand mental health, as well as suggest tools and strategies to help them cope with various situations and issues.

Fundraising has been fun throughout the year, we have sold a few hundred sweet cones as well as crafts, bakes and a very successful Easter raffle. Our ultimate aim is to provide a dedicated well-being zone for all students to access, but we have also used some of the money raised to purchase wood, which some of our students have proudly made into 2 much needed benches for our outside areas.

Free Boxercise, exercise and circuit sessions now run after school on Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30 – 4pm. Open to all years.

During Mental Health Awareness Week, we held a series of assemblies and events including Street Dance Workshops, introduction to Mindfulness and Smoothie tasting. We had live music from one of our Year 11 students, who also shared his inspiring journey, managing tough times to where he is now.

We held our first ever 'Time To Talk' staff event where tables were set out for tea, coffee and donated home bakes and questions such as “If you could time travel, which era would you choose and why”. The idea was to bring as many staff together as possible, take a break from the busy day and have a chat, work talk prohibited! Our students proudly served staff. The attendance was fantastic and feedback extremely positive, so this is definitely one to repeat next year.

These are just a few examples. Our commitment is ongoing and we look forward to September and the opportunities the new school year will bring.

Mrs. Gregg, Mrs. Patman, Mrs. Purdy and the Ken Stimpson Wellbeing Team.

Year 7 students have taken part in Marine Engineering Workshops in school. Possibly some future marine engineers in the making.  Year 8 students have made their choices for their GCSE subjects, they have all received one to one interviews with staff to help them make informed choices.  A number of Year 8 students who have chosen construction, were also invited to attend Plantworx UK Construction Fair, where they were allowed to drive diggers and operate virtual reality cranes.  

Yesterday a small number of Year 8 girls, who have been taking part in the Ab Agri mentoring programme, enjoyed a visit to Ab Agri in Peterborough. The theme of the day was "Women In Leadership" and workshops were delivered by female staff at Ab-Agri, including team leaders and senior managers. Many thanks to Claire at Ab-Agri and all the staff involved in a fantastic experience for our young people.  Ten year 8 students are also taking part this week in The Tall Ships Challenge, sponsored by Cross Keys Homes. This opportunity will build their resilience, whilst giving them the opportunity to work as a team.  

Year 9 and 10 girls recently visited Linton Village College, taking part in the "Women in Engineering Day", an inspirational day showcasing many different career opportunities open within the engineering world.  Year 10 students also had their one to one mock interviews given by our local business community. Thanks to Peterborough Skills Service and the many businesses (15 in total) who supported this event.  Students from across year groups 7 to 9 have also been taking part in the Jon Egging Trust, Blue Sky Inspire Programme. Workshops were delivered in school to promote and develop team building, resilience, communication and employability skills. The programme ended with a day at RAF Wittering, building rockets and doing a bomb disposal exercise. I am pleased to say our country is in safe hands in the future.  Many thanks to Nicola and all at RAF Wittering for a memorable day.

Last but not least, our Year 12 students are enjoying two weeks work experience, many have emailed in reports of fantastic opportunities so thank you to all the businesses who are giving our young people the opportunity to explore future careers. Businesses include Thomas Cook, RSA and TATA, to name but a few.

Our new Careers Education Information and Advice Programme is being finalised and will be available on our website in time for the new academic year.  

Mrs A Ayre
Careers