Weekly Newsletters

The message to Year 11 and Post16 students is that they attend all lessons up to the final  examination in that subject.   We operate a well-established policy of not having study leave for students as it is overall proven to be not the most effective strategy in helping them prepare for their examinations.

After the May half term (Monday 3 June) students will be in the situation where they will need to come into school on a part time basis as some of their examinations will have been completed but others will remain. Students will be asked to sign in and out of school at reception.

Every day and every lesson now counts so we expect a full attendance during this half term.

Bryan Erwin
Principal

Before Easter we had a little push to improve certain aspects that had started to slip. Having returned after Easter the standard of uniform in general has been quite positive. There are already a number of students proudly adopting the new school uniform. A very rough figure demonstrates that 97% of the school population are entering school with perfect uniform.

Where problems remain, the majority of these are either black trainers or Lycra skirts. Our uniform policy states that shoes must be:

• Traditional /formal style in leather or leather-style. 
• Heels must not exceed 5cm. 
• No canvas/trainer style shoes will be accepted. 
• No boots will be accepted

In terms of skirts it states:

• New students (September 2017 onwards) - school range skirt with logo (only available from Chroma Sports)
• Current students - Knee length traditional style skirt.
• Tight fitted skirt, lycra, with slits or zips are not acceptable

We fully appreciate that your children will point to other students that are not conforming. We are aware of the students that are not conforming and we assure you ‘all’ students are being challenged.

Importantly, from Monday 29 April we will be enforcing the school policy which states:

If a student arrives at school with the wrong clothing (including trainers), they will be isolated in the first instance. Parents and carers will be requested to bring the correct uniform into school. Alternatively, students may be sent home to change with parental permission. In this event, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and attendance action may be taken (please see the Attendance Policy).

We would really like to avoid this situation and, as mentioned previously, dealing with these minor uniform issues are a drain on resources and cause problems that we are very keen to avoid.

If there are any concerns or ways in which the school can support you further, please feel free to contact your Student Support Officer or Head of House/Year.

With regard to the new uniform, we are delighted that so many students are adopting the changes and meeting our expectations. However, we must stress that should students choose to adopt the new uniform then they will need to follow the guidance below. We believe the changes have already had a very positive impact. It is important to stress that we need students to help maintain our standards, through ensuring all aspects are followed. For example;  if they are wearing a shirt then a tie must also be worn and the shirt must be tucked in. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

Linked documents

The full uniform policy – here

The new uniform guidance - here

Mr D Whales
Vice Principal

The group have been working on various tasks over the past few months which have all contributed towards a final speech they had to write about a subject they are passionate about. During the morning at Allia, the students worked in small groups on a number of activities that helped them develop their presentation skills; all of which would prove useful when carrying out their speeches in the afternoon. All the students have worked extremely hard over the course of this project and performed their speeches with great confidence… well done!

Miss S Kingston
Careers / Post 16 Administrator

Year 11 students should be revising SMART using their PLCs, the Pixl Maths App and the multiple resources they have access to, including individualised booklets that have been printed after analysing their PPEs.  

Please also find attached week 9 and 10 of the 2019 extra questions that students can do at home with the support of parents, as mark schemes and examiners reports are also attached. These are now split into two types of questions, one designed for foundation students aiming for a 4 or 5 and the new one for higher tier students aiming for grades 6 to 9. 

Revision guides are still available in school at cost price, saving you more than 50% on the rrp. There are 3 books at £2.50 each and an answer book for £1. Please see your class teacher, Miss Harvey, or Mr Donnelly if you have paid for them through ParentPay. 

Students should have completed the revision resources they were given before Easter and need to bring their individual revision resources into school everyday. 

Maths academic catch up continues to run on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday for all years. As well as all Maths staff taking revision sessions, I am in 3u23 on each of these days primarily helping students with areas they are struggling with on the PiXL Maths app. 

Equipment may still be purchased using the school ParentPay system. Pencil cases with all essential equipment (pencil, ruler, rubber, sharpener, protractor and compass) are available for £3.00 and scientific calculators for £7.00 each.

Part 9 and 10 Questions/Answers

Mr L Donnelly
Maths

Themes ranged from PTSD, circle of life, to IVF and lock down.  Our GCSE and Year 12 students had to choreograph their own dance, costume, music, set, props and theme.  Such a pleasure to teach these students, watch their confidence grow and see their final pieces performed to a live audience.  Mr Erwin said “The performances were to an outstanding standard.” Mrs Gregg said “The students apply such dynamics and expressions.”  Well done to the following Dance Students and a special thank you to Ben Dearden for the professional sound and lights.

• Mollie Simpson Year 10
• Kayleigh Pell Year 10
• Matthew Rudd Year 11
• Caitlyn Harris Year 11
• Emily Knox Year 11
• Acasia Brinn Year 11
• Aimee Robbins Year 11
• Michaela Zigova Year 11
• Anastasija Bogdanova Year 11
• Holly Honeyman Year 11

Mrs J Purdy
Dance