Message from the Head Head the Teacher from Message Isherwood Miss of the next year. rooms ready for the demands refurbish, renovate and repair across the country to builders move in to schools education. leaveStaff and ‘primary’ part of their completion of andSATs the likewise celebrate the GCSE exams; the Year 6s compulsory education and Year 11s celebrate endthe of generally to have some fun. the house/car/garden and family, catch up with jobs on recover, see friends and holiday as a time to relax, forward to longthe summer Staff andlearners look is always a strange time. The end of the academicyear Newsletter Summer Welcome to our 2017 2015

Three

2017 NEWSLETTER SUMMER

Towers

”I’m bored!” parents dread are uttered is until those words that children and see how longit spend more time with For parents itis chancea to with pride at what we have look back at the pastterm This newsletter allows us to school willlike. be of wondering what new the new staffit is that trepidation curriculum changes and for gettingto grips with yet more days; for staffit is about was known in my school the move to ‘big’ school itas interlinked; for Year 6 isit apprenticeships and alljobs college places, GCSE resultsin August with to take hold: for 11sYear it is when new things startingare However, itis also time the

— meantime, happy holidays! the back page. In the September term dates are on those of you returningin GCSE results are out. For of you on August 24th when I look forward to seeing some support. trustees for your ongoing families, governors and you to our learners, staff, Towers community.Thank community challengingyet positive thisvibrant, diverse, I remain proudto be part of on next term. continue to do andimprove standard for what mustwe all achieved and sets the —the Three

Rowan Learning Trust

Three Towers is part of a multi-academy trust called the Rowan Learning Trust (RLT). We are featuring details of the Trustees in our newsletters so you know who they are and what they do. Previous newsletters can be viewed at www.ttapa.net or you can visit the trust website for details of other trustees at www.rowanlearningtrust.com

Margaret Woodhouse was Director of Education and Early Years for Trafford Council until her retirement in 2012. She is currently the Operational Director of By Schools for Schools (BSfS), a not for profit company led by Headteachers, representing Greater Manchester school leaders and supporting the development of school-to- school support across Greater Manchester. It is a single point of contact for Local Authorities and schools and holds the data base for all Teaching Schools, National and Local leaders of Education and National Leaders of Governance in the Greater Manchester area.

Margaret is also the Joint Lead for the Yorkshire and Humberside Pathfinder initiative- a collaborative project supporting schools across the 15 Local Authorities, working together on their journey to “good”

Margaret chairs the Fostering Panel for Trafford Council. She is Chair of Governors at Manchester Academy and serves on the governing body of her local primary school.

Anthony Ball is a C-level financial professional and Chartered Accountant. He has 19 years of experience spanning financial services roles within the City of London and Europe. His responsibilities are centred in the Global Investment Banking arena and recently within PE investor strategies and start-up SME’s.

Anthony has sat on several Boards and has significant Corporate Governance and Regulatory experience.

Prior to his role in the City, Anthony was a Regular British Army Officer. More recently he served with the Grenadier Guards in Afghanistan.

He is married with 2 children and is a keen amateur cyclist and runner. KS1 Literacy

We have been focussing on using our very own writing steps, punctuation, exciting story openers and describing words to create stories. We received a letter from a scary monster who wanted us to write back to him! He sent clues to us and we went exploring in the woodland. We found the story of The Gruffalo and used ‘Talk for Writing’ to learn some of it. After making a story mountain together, we created our very own story maps to make our own versions of The Gruffalo story. We even came up with some more exciting and descriptive sentences to make our stories more dramatic!

KS1 Maths

This term we have been focussing on number bonds, place value and using what we know to add and subtract. We have done lots of physical maths activities such as addition bowling, passenger doubling using cars and addition and subtraction with natural materials in the nature garden. We have done lots of problem solving and investigating ways of making 10 and 20 and have worked hard to solve missing number problems using lots of different methods and resources to help us. We have also been challenging ourselves independently using our maths challenge board. KS1 Emotional Literacy

Cooking In cooking we have been learning about healthy eating, we learned that the recommended amount of fruit we should be eating has now changed and that we now need to eat 7 portions of fruit or veg every day. We tasted lots of different fruits to see what we liked best then designed our own fruit kebabs. We enjoyed eating the kebabs in choose time. Art In art we talked about different textures, we spent time in the garden area where we collected items such as leaves and bark. We then created some pictures by rubbing crayons on paper that had different textures under it. We made different mini beasts using clay and some very hungry caterpillars using different textures such as stones, glitter, pipe cleaners and sand. To finish our hungry caterpillar theme we then made some butterflies by threading ribbons pipe, cleaners and wool through butterfly shaped card this method created symmetrical butterflies that look great on our display wall.

KS1 Trips

Key Stage 1 class were lucky enough to earn a reward trip to Run and Jump! We had great fun playing on the slides and in the ball pool together and everyone had an amazing time. KS2 Literacy

Summer term always brings more opportunities to take literacy outside of the classroom, especially with our topic habitats! During the term learners get to explore different habitats and produce pieces of non- fiction writing around their favourite animals. Learners began this term with a trip to Blue Planet Aquarium to explore all the underwater habitats. They got to discover all the different habitats that can be found underwater including the amazing and beautiful Coral Reef. Many of the learners enjoyed this habitat the most as it reminded them of Finding Dory. After discovering the Coral Reef learners were encouraged to find out and write about their favourite animal. First they gathered research and then wrote stunning reports about what they had found out. We also looked at habitats closer to our school - we explored the new outdoor classroom and found many different habitats, we also created butterfly and frog habitats. We also went to local woodland and was extremely shocked to see the amount of damage that people do to our local environment. Learners felt so strongly about this they decided to write letters to the council. As the weather got warmer into our second half term we welcomed some guests to our classroom- 5 tiny caterpillars! We watched them grow and shared their lifecycle with Key Stage 1. We watched in fascination as they grew and grew then finally made their cocoons. We all waited in awe until one day the learners came into school and we had 5 beautiful butterflies! We finally released them into the habitats we had made earlier in the year. From this learners made their own Very Hungry Caterpillar books and wrote some excellent care sheets for our caterpillars. As we say goodbye to our habitat topic learners and staff are looking forward to September and our topic of Fairy tales. KS2 Literacy

In English sessions some of our learners have written articles telling everyone about our new outdoor learning area!

“The outdoor classroom has attractive flowers that shimmer. People always get a great view of the garden in the sunlight. The bees that visit our garden habitat are interesting to watch, as they collect their pollen. The pond is full of breath-taking sights such as our new tadpoles. Have a quiet moment at our pond and reflect on your day. It will make you wonder for hours. Sit in the shade of the grassy square underneath our most fascinating tree. Study the beautiful squirrels and the way they move whilst resting amongst the music of the birds…” By Zakai

“The pond is good to explore and learn about frogs. The outdoor is good to spot cats and foxes. Teachers are sometimes terrorised by squirrels! Underneath the big, shady tree is the perfect place to have a picnic. The new outdoor classroom is beautiful and full of animals and habitats like flowers, ponds, rocks and trees.” By Llaytton

“Our outdoor literacy garden is very fun, especially in very warm weather. Soon we will have an outdoor chill zone in our garden! Our key stage 1 class are probably going to love it when it’s finished! To complete our outdoor garden we need to keep the path clear and trim back the brambles and nettles to make it safe for everyone to enjoy!” By Troy KS2 Maths

In Maths learners have been completing lots of outdoor work within our Friday’s Big Maths lessons as the weather has started to be much warmer. This term has involved lots of problem solving activities to help us develop our reasoning skills. The learners were given a problem, that on the playground we wanted lots of different shapes with the perimeter of 500cm. Using a metre stick the learners found lots of different ways we could do this and drew them using chalk. They then checked what the total was by using the column method and then they practiced their calculator skills to see if the total of the lengths added up to 500cm. The learners have been trying to make around the centre look more colourful for themselves, staff and visitors by planting seeds in our recycled plant pots made out of old tyres. The learners first bought the seeds; next they planted them into small tubs and finally transferring them into the tyres. This involved lots of areas of Maths such as money to buy them, knowing the months of the years to plant the seeds, capacity for the amount of water and length to know how deep to plant them and how far apart. Since transferring the seeds into the tyres the learners have been keeping a record of how quickly the plants are growing and are measuring the progress. The learners have also been thinking about how much water our plants need to survive especially during the hot weather. They estimated how much water different containers could hold and read scales on different cylinders and jugs. Not only have we been planting the seeds to make the centre more welcoming but we have also been collecting litter around the school grounds. We collected the litter and recorded the information into a tally chart by deciding on what material it is. We then created bar graphs from our tally charts to compare the different litter. KS2 Cooking

Learners in primary have been looking at Healthy Eating. We have discussed how many portions of fruit and vegetables should be eaten daily and how much one portion is. All learners can now prepare fruit and vegetables safely.

KS2 Eco

The theme for Eco week this term has been school grounds. The learners used different equipment and tools to help maintain, improve and tidy up the outdoor garden environment. KS2 Science

In Science learners have been studying Life Cycles this half term. They thoroughly enjoyed identifying what stage the Frogs were in at the new pond at the KS2 site.

The learners could see the change over the weeks from Frog spawn to Tadpoles to Froglets one week, then adult Frogs the next. They made a tally chart of how many frogs they found.

KS2 P.E.

This term in PE the learners have been focussing on working as part of a team to achieve an end goal. Each learner has been given the opportunity to improve on their social, emotional and also their practical skills. KS2 Outdoor Ed

This term in Outdoor Education we have been concentrating on Gardening, Archery and Team building activities. All the learners enjoyed every activity that was on offer each week with every learner achieving their own targets. Gardening was a huge success with the learners and they in turn helped maintain the newly built pond area. Outdoor Education has been a massive success with helping the learners manage and control their own social and emotional needs that they can use in other areas of school. KS2 Brathay Residential

This term the learners had an opportunity to earn a place on the residential trip to Brathay Lodge. The learners took part in a variety of activities all with the focus to encourage teamwork and self-esteem. From the very start the learners worked as a team with all of them helping one another achieve their own personal goals that they had set at the start. KS2 Art

Learners got involved in some imaginative process art, using watercolours and inks. Fantastic abstract pieces were created which were further developed in the last half term, deconstructing the art work to then create a large scale group art piece.

They also used sticky back plastic to create entrapment art. The results are stunning!

In our last session learners created large scale pieces of collaborative art using wax crayons, watercolour paint and lots of imagination! The results are amazing. Some of the learners also had the opportunity to contribute to a group piece of art, decorating lollypop sticks with unique patterns. KS3 Art

A group of KS3 learner’s took part in the LGBT competition, designing T-shirt designs for this year’s Wigan Pride, which was a huge success in it’s first year in 2016. As you can see, there are some very vibrant designs!

Please look out for the winning design created by our very own learner Tia for this year's annual Wigan Pride! T-shirts will be available to buy during Wigan Pride on August 12th.

The event this year is going to get a huge amount of press, Sir Ian McKellan is attending and it is also celebrating 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK.

Tia will have her photo and winning design featured in the Wigan Post hopefully next week. https://www.wiganpride.com KS3 Art

KS3 were tasked with designing new postcard designs, which we use to send out to learners to acknowledge and promote good behaviour, progress and learning.

Miss Isherwood and Mr Halford have chosen the winning designs but we have to wait until September to announce them. KS3 Science

During the Summer term KS3 have been looking into the workings of the human body. Learners have been looking at how cells are used to build tissues, tissues are used to form organs and how organs work together in organ systems. They have examined their own cheek cells under a microscope as well as dissecting a heart to learn about the circulatory system. Learners also learnt how to conduct chemical tests to work out what food group(s) a food item contains.

KS3 Science Trip to Formby Beach

Learners went to Formby Beach for their Science curriculum trip where they observed different habitats and went in search of sand dune wild life: Sand lizards, Common lizards, Great crested Newt and toadlets of the Natterjack Toad in the dune pools. Some learners enjoyed making a shelter in the woods and spotting squirrels. A few learners enjoyed walking along the beach finding different types of shells whilst trying to find Prehistoric footprints exposed by tidal erosion. KS3 Theme Week

The theme this year was Art and Design and Collaboration. Learners got creative producing lots and lots of work!

In ICT based sessions learners worked as a team to create pixel art. Learners had to decide as a group which colours they needed and which sections they would work on first. They needed to update each other regularly on which part they were working on and which colour they were using. As you can see, the amazing finished results reveal the work put in by everyone! Learners also had the opportunity to create their own individual art works inspired by the artist Jim Dine.

Mrs Robert’s classes were all about designing unique jigsaw templates which will form a large piece of art.

KS3 Theme Week

Learners were shown how to create unusual art work using foil and string, the results are stunning.

Over in art learners were busy creating Keith Haring inspired art work based on themselves! Learners also had the opportunity to work collaboratively on some large scale art works using wax relief. These will form a triptych and be printed onto aluminium so that they can be displayed outside.

During form time tutors worked with learners to design and create form group coats of arms. Theme Week BBQ

Professional Chef John is a regular visitor to KS3 enrichment sessions so was invited to work with learners from both KS3 and KS4 preparing a whole School BBQ on Tuesday the 4th July.

It was a very successful day; the atmosphere was brilliant and the rain just about held off although we did have a gazebo up just in case!

A big thank you to Miss Cooke for being in charge of the BBQ KS3 Attendance Improvement Initiative

Three Towers has joined forces with Dogs Country Club in a bid to boost attendance. Brandon is the first learner to be given the opportunity to have dog training classes as an incentive, over the last few weeks Brandon and his Mum have been attending classes outside school with Martina Miraldoli Chief Training Instructor at Dogs Country Club. There has been a marked improvement in his attendance since the scheme started. Dogs Country Club have also said that in the future they could possibly run a Young Handlers course, for Three Towers.

KS3/4 Lego Group

This half term has seen the beginning of “Lego Club”. This has been very exciting as we have improved our social skills by working together and improving our communication. We have also undertaken some exciting challenges like creating Blackpool Landmarks and creating the best super hero. The learners also created their own posters for Lego Club! KS3/KS4 Floristry

FLORISTRY ENRICHMENT.

Is about

“TAKING TIME TO…..” Our school is a busy place and as each Friday comes around very quickly, we all need to take some time. Time to think, time to watch, time to breathe in, unwind, and look at what is going on around us. Fridays enrich us all is many ways just by taking the time to……..be. Taking time to make an A group of our learners have been relaxing and creating old picnic table new again some stunning designs with simple things…an old watering can with flowers and foliage. Old watering cans are transformed as are little felt bags along with outlandish hanging baskets that won’t perish. Even at Christmas time Razije had her own shop selling pots at Tesco (less expensive than theirs I might add!) Over the year they have helped a number of charities by selling their designs to staff and supporting the “Caring for Carers” event at St Peter’s Pavilion by creating some designs to be sold by them to raise money. Each week Tia taking time to smell the learners are given a task to complete and they learn a roses new skill as individuals and as part of a group. They have become a team and take care of each other, simply because they “took the time to…….” I am proud to be part of the floristry group and a huge thanks to Hazel for bringing her expertise and artistry.

Taking time to get a thumbs up from Elle

Taking time to choose the correct blooms.

Taking time to achieve KS3/4 English

KS3 English During the academic year KS3 have been working on different styles of writing, the Gothic genre, a Novel, a play script, poetry and advertisements. We try to include all types of learning styles with our curriculum so learners can develop in a variety of skills. We have worked hard on reading, writing, speaking, listening, and practical skills. The learners have responded really well to novels such as Firestarter, Holes and Woman in Black. They all enjoyed reading Our Day Out and planned some fantastic trips using practical skills. During theme week the learners in English used their creative skills to design and make set designs for Our Day Out, hotels for their writing to persuade and inform and objects for their advertisements.

KS4 English This year for our KS4 has been a massive change with the introduction of the new GCSE English and English Literature. The learners have had to tackle Romeo and Juliet, Sign of Four, Inspector Calls, fifteen set poems on Power and Conflict and a plethora of unseen poems-it’s been difficult to say the least! The pure grit and determination shown by the learners this year has astounded the English Department. This has been the most testing year in terms of what examination boards now expect from teenagers in their exams and I’m proud to say that staff, parents and most importantly learners all pulled together to ensure that they were ready for the exams. Good luck to all our leavers. We will miss you. KS4 GCSE Art

Learners have worked extremely hard to complete their coursework. Here is juat a small selection of the art work. There will be an exhibition of more of it in The Grand Arcade during the first two weeks in October—drop by and have a look if you can. KS4 NCFE Art

This is our first year delivering the Art and Design NCFE level 1 and level 2 course, learner’s have produced some excellent pieces of work!

Three Towers will again be exhibiting a selection of art work from KS2, KS3 and KS4 at the Grand Arcade in Wigan in October running from 2/10/17 – 15/10/17. KS4 Maths

We finally got to the end of the year and what a year it has been! The New Maths GCSE was probably difficult as we thought it would be but as always our learners stepped up to the challenge and saw the highest attendance figure for GCSE Maths at Three Towers at 95%. We await our results which we are feeling positive about as our learners worked extremely hard this term to prepare themselves for the challenge of these exams. Another highlight of our year is that 97% of our learners this year will be leaving with at least one Maths qualification which is a massive achievement and we are proud of every single one of them. In class this term specifically in themed week learners were looking at optical illusions and trying to create our own optical illusions using straight lines, curves and colours. The learners and staff really enjoyed this work and the display is amazing.

KS4 Blackpool Trip

June 19 was the date that Year 11 had their leavers’ celebration trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The weather was hot and sunny and set us up for a fantastic day in the park. First stop for some Valhalla where for those had spent their mornings making sure makeup and hair was perfect (including Miss Murphy) looked like drowned rats coming off. We managed to get on lots of the rides including The Big One, Revolution, Fusion Ice blast and not forgetting Nickelodeon Land where Sponge Bob Square Pants was spotted. A quick was had for lunch where we munched on Chicken boxes and hot dogs followed by ice creams and donuts. Miss Morris lost her donuts to the giant seagulls and one learner taking a bite had hers stolen as she was about to eat it.

All in all it was a fantastic day for both learners and staff and it was a lovely end to their at Three Towers for our Year 11s. A recentAlumni Story

Tamara was a learner with us last year and has spent the last year at Wigan and Leigh College studying Art as well as resitting her English GCSE. Tamara is enjoying college and is gaining in both academic and life skills every day. Three Towers are extremely proud of how far Tamara has come and what she has achieved – Well done Tamara!

This is what Tamara wrote about her college life: “When I left Three Towers, going to college was a big step. It meant seeing more people and experiencing new things and with having anxiety I was very nervous. On my first day at college I was very shy, I remember my very first lesson was in ceramics and I took an instant like to it!

At college I also learnt tons of new techniques in drawing, designing and even sewing. I have created many pieces, using many different medias and for each project I did I had a final piece in textiles ceramics, graphic design and fine art.

I get along great with my tutors and I have defiantly gotten more confidence in myself. I speak up more now which allows me to speak about my ideas on the different projects I do. The last project was on sea life, which were all the pieces featured in my area of the exhibition show.

It has been a great year that has flown by but I am very proud of what I have achieved and it just goes to show that if you put in the effort you can bring out the best of your abilities. “ eLearning eLearning – It’s not just all about computers!

Many people thing that eLearning is just all about computers but its really so much more than that!

Yes, learners are expected to work on computers some of the time but there are so many other parts to it!

ELearners have to register by logging onto their computers – in much the same way as other learners might go into their form room to register. Learners then have their own individual timetables which they follow with specific daily activities.

These activities might include online lessons where by learners and teachers take part in interactive ‘skype’ type sessions, or learners may be expected to complete tasks set independently by subject specialists either online or on paper.

ELearners might also have one to one sessions with teachers from the centre to focus on areas that they may have been struggling with or to celebrate success.

Moving forward, eLearners will also be able to access more centre based sessions including Art, PE, Cooking and Gardening.

ELearners can also access work experience or other vocational options according to their individual needs.

Here are some quotes from our eLearners....

“What I like about eLearning is that it is good because you can talk to the teacher when you’re stuck.”

“It’s good that there’s a timetable so that you know what are doing”

“You can work at your own pace”

“You don’t get distracted by others” ECDL Qualifications

At the end of June a number of our year 11 learners completed the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL). This is a valuable qualification and shows that the learner can use Word, PowerPoint and Excel packages competently. We went to Hawkley Hall High School, another member of the Rowan Learning Trust, to complete the course under the direction of Mrs Knowles and Mrs Jones from Hawkley’s ICT faculty. The course was very intense, requiring a lot of commitment and perseverance to ensure that all tasks are completed correctly to gain maximum marks. The learners came from all parts of the KS4 provision and worked well together to complete the course to the highest levels. Seven of the learners achieved a Distinction * which is equivalent to a Grade A* at GCSE and two others achieved a Distinction – equivalent to a Grade A at GCSE. One learner, Penny, said at the start – I hate computers! but by the end came out and said that she had really enjoyed working through the course. Well done learners on your fabulous achievement and thank you to all the staff who helped and supported them through it Anderton Centre Residential

The young people from 11M celebrated the end of their exams with a return trip to the Anderton Centre near Horwich. Having really enjoyed themselves during their October 2016 visit, 11M made the group decision to return to the centre as a reward for all their hard work. The weather was perfect; everyone spent the whole two days smiling and laughing. Each young person challenged themselves both physically and mentally and really supported each other during the activities. All showed empathy, caring, strength of character, a great sense of humour and what amazing young people they have all grown into. Anderton Centre Residential 11M Leaver’s Meal

After a successful trip to The Anderton Centre, 11M settled down to a lovely celebration meal with TTAPA staff. There was lots of laughter, tears, hugs, silly jokes, book signing and lots of good wishes for the future. The young people looked amazing as well…

Staff Bake Off Competition

Staff at our Hindley site took part in a ‘bake off’ style baking competition—the theme was “exams”. As you can see from the pictures the entries were brilliant. The cakes were judged on design, taste and texture by Miss Isherwood and professional chef John Murray. The competition was very strong and after much deliberation, and tasting the judges chose Mrs A Scott’s cake. A big thank you to everyone who took part, here’s to next years competition. Our Year in Pictures Our Year in Pictures Safeguarding

Summer Safety

Summer holidays are usually about warm weather, free time to spend with friends, the repeated drawl of teenagers groaning “I’m bored” as flustered parents are pushed to the limits. Sadly, however we often see news reports of youngster whose lives have been lost in accidents concerning water and bar-be-ques. I am sharing details of a great website put together by Manchester Fire Brigade. Whilst some of the site is dedicated to local information and things to do in the holidays, there is lots of good advice for all of us on:

Barbecue Safety Countryside Safety Water Safety Fire Safety Two videos: Setting deliberate fires, and Water Safety

Website: www.safe4summer.com

eSafety: SnapMaps

Another week, another app raising a safeguarding concern. Last week SnapChat, used regularly by many children and young people, launched a new feature. SnapMaps allows users to see the location of their contacts. This feature allows others to accurately pinpoint where you are. There are three possible privacy settings:

 Ghost mode, where only you can see your position;

 My Friends mode, where any contact can see your location; and

 Select Friends mode, just those who you choose can see you

ChildNet have posted a thorough explanation of SnapMaps and how to ensure users stay safe. Well worth a read to share with anyone you know who uses the app.

Although I know many parents don't use these apps on as regular a basis as their children, if we are to protect children, we need to have at least a working knowledge of the risks and uses of such apps.

Website: www.ChildNet.com

Please visit www.ttapa.net for further information about Safeguarding and to read our Child Protection Procedures. New GCSE grading system

GCSEs in England are changing.

The Department for Education (DfE) have revised the GCSE qualifications in England to make them more demanding so young people have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in 21st century Britain, and to match those of their peers in high-performing education systems elsewhere in the world. The new, more challenging GCSEs will help young people develop the skills that employers have said they need.

DfE have launched a new GCSE webpage which provides information for students, parents, employers and those who work in education. It explains:

 Why the GCSEs are changing

 When they are changing

 Why the grading scale is changing and how the new grades align with the A* to G scale

 The difference between a ‘standard’ and a ‘strong’ pass

What this means for students, schools, parents, employers and others who work in education.

You can access the new webpage at: https://newgcses.campaign.gov.uk/

The new webpage links to GCSE factsheets for parents and for employers, further and higher education providers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-new-grading-scale-factsheets

From August 2017, the new qualifications will start to be awarded with number grades, rather than letters. The new grading scale runs from 9 to 1 instead of A* to G, with 9 the highest grade. Not all GCSEs are changing at once – English language, English literature and Maths are changing first, with students sitting these exams this summer. By 2020, all GCSEs in England will be reformed and graded using numbers instead of letters. The new scale is intended to recognise more clearly the achievements of high-attaining students. Changing from letters to numbers will also allow anyone – for example an employer – to see easily whether a student has taken a new, more challenging GCSE, or an old GCSE.

The old and new GCSE grading scales do not directly compare but, as the diagram below shows, there are three points where they align:

The bottom of grade 7 is aligned with the bottom of grade A; the bottom of grade 4 is aligned with the bottom of grade C; and the bottom of grade 1 is aligned with the bottom of grade G

The Department for Education will recognise grade 4 – broadly the equivalent of the bottom two thirds of a current grade C – as a “standard pass”. This is the minimum level that students need to reach in English and Maths: otherwise they will need to continue to study these subjects as part of their post-16 education. There is no re-take requirement for other subjects.

The Department will recognise a GCSE grade 5 or above as a “strong pass”. The proportion of students achieving at least a grade 5 in English and Maths will be one of the headline performance measures for schools, reflecting our ambition to raise standards in schools. This is in line with the expectations of top performing education systems around the world.

The new qualifications have been designed to ensure young people have the knowledge and skills they need and meet the needs of employers, universities and colleges, who will continue to set the GCSE grades they require for employment or further study.

Staffing News

Congratulations to Mr Heyes (and of course Mrs Heyes) who welcomed their first child just over two weeks ago. Baby Olivia made her first visit to Three Towers yesterday. Mr Heyes looks exhausted. Congratulations and good wishes to Miss Senior who is getting married at the end of July and to Miss McHale who is getting married in August. We are saying “Goodbye & Good Luck” to a number of colleagues who are moving on to other things:

 Miss Joanne Cooke has secured a promotion and will be joining the Senior Leadership Team at St Marys’ High School in Astley.  Mrs Angela Doughty has also secured a promotion and is moving to another school in the Rowan Learning Trust—Kirkby High School. She is going to be Lead Practitioner of Science from September.  Mr Matthew Lynch will be joining Mrs Doughty at Kirkby for the next academic year. He has been seconded to set up a Key Stage 3 Nurture & Intervention Centre for the school.  Mrs Pam Drew has decided to retire to enjoy more time with her family. We wish them all great success in the new ventures. There have been some new appointments as well. We welcome Ms Donna Roby as a new KS3 teaching assistant who replaces Mr Meadows who has been appointed as a cover supervisor. He is joined in that role by new appointee Mr Adam Garnett. A full staff list for 2017-18 will be uploaded on our website when the new school term begins. Mr Martin Beeley (1958—2017)

It is with great sadness that we must also inform you of the death of our colleague and friend, Mr Martin Beeley, who died suddenly on Wednesday 12th July. Many learners from the Hindley site will know Martin as the “taxi man” as he organized the transport for those learners who need to travel to school by taxi. To Year 11, as our exams officer, he ensured that their entries, coursework, and exams all ran smoothly. He also ensured that results were ready for learners on the August results day. Previously Martin had worked for ACE, part of Wigan’s Pupil Referral Service which eventually evolved into Three Towers. Martin was greatly respected by all his colleagues and by our learners for his friendly and unassuming approach. He was always first to offer help and support; was quick to smile and had a very dry sense of humour. His deep voice answering the phone “Good morning, Three Towers. Martin speaking….” is irreplaceable. We will miss him. Useful Information

Free School Meals and Pupil Premium 2017-2018 Term Dates We have subscribed to a checking service offered by Wigan Council which checks if children are entitled to Half Term 1 free school meals whether they take it up or not. Term starts Wednesday 6th September Although Three Towers does not charge any learner Whelley Term ends Thursday 19th October for their school meal, it is important that every learner entitled to a free school meal is identified Hindley term ends Friday 20th October because the school receives additional Pupil Half Term 2 Premium funding which can be used to provide Term starts Monday 30th October further support and/or resources for our learners. Term ends Friday 22nd December 12.30pm The Pupil Premium is paid to schools according to Half Term 3 the number of pupils who have been: Term starts Monday 8th January  Registered as eligible for free school meals at Term ends Friday 16th February any point in the last 6 years  Been in care for 6 months or longer Half Term 4  One of their parents is serving in the regular Term starts Monday 26th February armed forces Term ends Thursday 29th March 12.30pm  One of their parents served in the regular Half Term 5 armed forces in the last 3 years Term starts Monday 16th April  One of their parents died while serving in the armed forces and the pupil is in receipt of a Term ends Friday 25th May pension under the Armed Forces Compensation Bank Holiday Monday 7th May School closed Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pensions Scheme Half Term 6 (WPS) Term starts Monday 4th June In the 2015 to 2016 financial year, schools received £935 for each eligible secondary-aged pupil and Term ends Friday 20th July 12.30pm £1,320 for each primary-aged pupil. The service premium is designed to support children with parents serving in the regular British armed forces. INSET Days In the financial year 2015 to 2016, schools received Whole school: £300 for each eligible pupil. Monday 4th September (staff in) This is a considerable amount of additional funding Tuesday 5th September (staff in) which as school’s budgets tighten can and does make a difference to our learners. Primary only: Please visit the school website to download the Friday 20th October (staff out) application form and return it in confidence to the Secondary only: school office. The application form can be found in section. Friday 8th December (staff out)

Are you a parent? Have you heard of Parent View? Parent View is an online questionnaire for you to give your views about this school at any time of the year. At the time of an Ofsted inspection, parents are also invited to give inspectors their views using Parent View. It’s easy. It’s quick. It’s time to log on. Use the link below. parentview.ofsted.gov.uk