Welcome to this week's newsletter
This week saw performances from a number of our students in our annual showcase event. Students were given the opportunity to share their talents in music and the arts with the audience, and they flourished. Not only were their performances a delight to watch and a demonstration of the wealth of their talents, but it was also an opportunity to witness their bravery and resilience to get up on stage and perform in front of an audience.
Next week sees our exam season well and truly kick off. Please note the changes to the timings of lessons to accommodate for the exams (details can be found later on in this newsletter). It also means that other students need to be mindful when transitioning around the site that exams are taking place. We wish all students sitting exams all the very best.
The repairs to the gas main are in full swing. Thank you to all our families and visitors who have been so accommodating in navigating their way around our school site. We are hopeful that the repairs will be completed by the end of June/beginning of July.
Enjoy the weekend.
Lee Towers, Head of School
Year 11 geography trip
On Thursday 4 May, Year 11 geography students went to a very sunny Hunstanton to support their studies and one of their exam papers by learning about coastal processes, management and communities.
While they were there, they used different fieldwork techniques to study the beach morphology (shape of the beach), sediment characteristics (to find out how much longshore drift had been happening) and management surveys (to find out how effective the groynes and sea walls were in protecting the town). Perhaps most importantly, students enjoyed fish and chips and an ice-cream on the beach!
We can't wait to take the Year 10 Geography students next year!
Mr Andrews and Mr Rowe
Word of the Week
Each week, the English department focuses on encouraging students to use one ambitious word – it is displayed in classrooms and discussed during teaching. It would be great if adults at home could try to encourage the use of this word too. You could try to fit into a conversation or even question your young person on the meaning. It will be fantastic for the students to see us all working together to help improve their language. Thank you for your support.
The Word of the Week for 9-12 May is opulent.
Year 11 prom tickets
Please can parents/carers check their child's WisePay account and settle any outstanding debts. Prom tickets cannot be issued if there is any money outstanding.
Year 7 Consultation Evening
Our Year 7 Parent/Carer Consultation Evening will take place on Thursday 25 May as a face-to-face event in school. Bookings for meetings with teaching staff must be made using the Arbor app or online portal by following the link to the Consultation Evening on the dashboard. You will be able to start making the appointments at 8:00am on Monday 15 May and the system will close to new appointments at 12pm on Wednesday 24 May.
If you have not already done so, the simplest way to register is to sign into the parent portal - please visit https://login.arbor.sc/ and select 'Forgotten password'. You will then be sent an email containing further instructions. Once you have registered, you can download the app from Google Play or the App Store and log in with your details.
Year 10 and 12 trial examinations
During the weeks beginning 19 and 26 June, students in Year 10 and Year 12 will be carrying out a programme of trial examinations. They will sit at least one examination under examination board conditions in all subjects where a terminal exam forms part of the assessment process.
Trial examinations are an important part of the learning process as they allow students to experience the intensity of an examination period and answer the types of question they will encounter in the real examination under the same conditions. They are also a useful tool by which students, teachers and parents/carers can judge the effectiveness of the learning process.
We request your support in the run up to these trial examinations to ensure that students are revising and preparing properly. This is vital if they are to gain full benefit from the experience. It is also very important that students are present at school during this time. We will endeavour to provide an opportunity for students to sit these trial examinations at a later date if they are absent, but it will not have the same value as the intensity of the examination period cannot be replicated on an individual basis.
Most of these trial examinations will take during normal lesson times, but there will be some examinations which take place in the sports hall. This will allow students to experience the same exam conditions they will encounter next summer and we will write to students and parents/carers nearer the time with a detailed examination timetable.
Year 11 exam timetable
We will be sharing an overview of the following week's exam timetable both in the newsletter and on social media throughout the exam season. Students are to attend their normal lessons unless there is an exam (colour coded as orange) or booster session (colour coded as blue) for their subjects.
Extra-curricular timetable
Northampton Film Festival
Northampton Film Festival is taking place between 22 May and 4 June, and includes free educational events around the county as well as screenings of local young people’s work and critically-acclaimed work from established filmmakers. The full programme can be seen via https://northamptonfilmfestival.eventive.org
Here are some of the events taking place during half term that may be of interest:
- Daventry filmmaking challenge: Tuesday 30 May, 11am-4pm, for young people 10-18yrs - details
- Northants Creative Industry Expo taster: Friday 2 June 12-3pm, the event aims to give people more access to the creative industries and career information - details
- Film Industry Day: Saturday 3 June, 12-3pm, Wellingborough Library, talks by film industry professionals accompanied by screenings of their work - details
- Script to Screen workshop day: Sunday 4 June, 11am-3pm, Weston Favell, for young people 14-25yrs - details