A brilliant day of culture

At the end of last week, our Sixth Form students filled the school hall with an evening event full of dance, music, fashion shows and food we called ‘Culture Day’. National dress from around the world was worn, as an array of musical and dance performances celebrated the wide range of backgrounds and cultures we have in our school. It was a brilliant affirmation of our students celebrating their heritage in a shared way, led and coordinated by the students themselves. It was moving to see staff and students support, encourage and cheer each other on. A massive thank you to all the staff and students who came to the evening and supported the students. 

Assessments in Years 7, 8 and 9

This week has seen the exam hall set out in readiness for the GCSE and A Level exams and students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have sat assessments in English and maths. These are not ‘high stakes’ tests, but ones we use to check the overall progress of our students over the last few terms. That is why we have not asked students to revise for them, as the English paper, for example, tested spelling and comprehension skills rather than any recent literature they have studied. We will consider our students’ results and how we best teach them individually, but we do not use them for any grouping decisions into next school year. 

Students of the week

Congratulations goes to our stars of the week listed below for maintaining their commitment, focus and sense of drive. Well done to everyone!

Year 7	Year 8	Year 9	Year 10	Year 11	Sixth Form
Muhammed	Vivien	Jiewei	Aidan	Lola	Sarangan / Nirushan

Uniform reminder

Generally, our students look very smart, and I am proud of how they represent themselves and the wider school. I would like to remind families that tights or socks are permitted, but not socks over tights. Our uniform expectations are listed on the school website here. Please note this has not changed as I am aware of pressure on family budgets and there are no plans for any future changes either.

Cake sale fundraiser for Oxfam

I am not sure how much I should be celebrating the sale of high sugar and high fat products, but we did raise over £500 for Oxfam’s Emergency Appeal earlier this week. The appeal enables the supply of food, water and medical items to people caught up in conflicts and disaster around the world. Even after the cakes had run out, what was particularly striking was how students continued to donate money, a signal of their care for others less fortunate than us. We are considering whether we run a repeat event – as it was so popular – but will leave a gap to ensure that balanced diets are maintained. While doughnuts are enjoyable, as a healthy school we need to make them occasional.

I hope you all have a restful weekend, and enjoy the extra day from work for those of you having the bank holiday Monday.

Wishing you all the best.

Mr N House, Headteacher