Harlington Upper School

Headteacher Goswell End Road, Harlington, Beds LU5 6NX Helen Harris Tel: 01525 755100 Fax: 01525 755101

HARLINGTON UPPER SCHOOL WEEKLY UPDATE – 25th September 2020 New information is presented in blue font.

WHOLE SCHOOL INFORMATION

Dear Parents and Carers We have had another busy week here at Harlington Upper School but once again have much to celebrate. Our students continue to make us proud and are engaging really well with their learning in the classroom. It is more important than ever this year that homework routines are re-established, and all parental support with that will be very gratefully received. I want to say a huge thank you to all parents and carers who completed our feedback survey; it really does help us to understand the parental perspective. I was delighted to read the many positive comments and helpful suggestions. We will collate the responses in more detail and feedback to you but the key messages that came through are that the vast majority of parents and carers feel their children/wards are really well taught and that the school is excellent at looking after students’ well- being. In terms of areas for improvement, a significant number of parents and carers would like uniform and behaviour improved further and our staff body are already working on this and will keep you posted on developments. I am keen to work closely with parents and carers to continue our journey of school improvement and will be in touch again soon with some suggestions of other ways parents and carers can get involved. One way you could get involved is by becoming a Harlington Governor. The governors have extended the deadline for parents and carers to apply to become part of the governing body at Harlington Upper School. Our governors are an essential part of the leadership structure and I hope that you will consider whether you are able to give a little time to supporting the successful running of the school. Later in this week’s newsletter you will find a letter from our wonderful senior students. They are a really impressive group of young leaders and I know you will join me in wishing them well this year in this important school role.

I always describe schools as learning communities, and it is not just the students who are learning. Teachers are also lifelong learners, and this is a concept I am keen to promote. Education does not end at eighteen and many members of staff engage in further qualifications and educational research alongside their in-school roles. I am delighted to share with you that Ryan Craze, one of our amazing History teachers, has had some of his research published in a prestigious educational publication. You can find the link here. https://impact.chartered.college/article/peering-into-the-black-box-of- achievement/ This is a fabulous example of how our teachers are continuously looking for ways to improve the service we provide.

I want to finish this week with saying again how impressed I am with the way Year 9 have transitioned from Middle School. They are already proving to be a fantastic cohort of students and we are really excited to see how they progress. Well done Year 9, keep up the good work.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Helen Harris

website: www.harlington.org e-mail: [email protected]

Part of The Pyramid Schools Trust, a company limited by guarantee, registered in and Wales, company number 7668955. Registered office Harlington Upper School, Goswell End Road, Harlington, , LU5 6NX Dear Parents and Carers

We are writing to you as the Head Boy/Head Girl Team to welcome you to the Harlington Upper School community.

We are positive that your child/ward will thrive while at Harlington and we would like to reassure you that we are here to help and assist with all areas of school life. As the school’s senior students, we are responsible for representing the school, speaking at events, running student leadership/councils and relaying students’ suggestions to the school’s governors.

We would like to introduce ourselves to you individually:

Head Boy - Jamal McKenzie I have been a member at this school since Year 9 and have spent these last few years of my life growing, adapting, and improving here. This school has been with me and supported my progression as a person, allowing me to look at my larger than life aspirations and know that I will be able to achieve them. Using my position, I will do all I can to help create connections within this school; To make it somewhere every single student can be proud knowing that they have and will be supported, so they too can look at their dreams with confidence. I know personally that times can be tough, and I truly hope that I will become someone you can look to for advice and support.

Head Girl - Harriet Ball I have studied here since Year 9 and I am beyond thankful for the experiences and opportunities I have had here. Harlington has accelerated my personal growth and allowed me to become the confident person I am today. I am extremely honoured to represent my school in the position of Head Girl this year and really hope to make a difference within the Harlington community. Personally, I think an important aspect of school is who you surround yourself with and how we treat one another as students. Therefore, it is my plan to spend time giving talks to all years, to express the importance of mutual respect and kindness within a year group. I believe It is imperative that we, as students, begin to take responsibility for the feelings of others within the school. It is also my wish to push opportunities to help students gain access to Higher Education. I have had all the help I could ever wish for at Harlington and I am passionate about being able to pass that on. I really look forward to engaging with you and your family and, I welcome you to the school I am so proud to be a part of.

Deputy Head Boy - Amaad Mehmood Being a student at Harlington Upper School, I can say it has moulded me into a better person, allowing me to excel in my studies and become much more confident. The position of Deputy Head Boy enables me to have more responsibility and have a greater role in the school community to influence students and make differences. I feel diversity has the ability to be an important aspect in the school. Despite the circumstances we are facing, I would like to dedicate this year to celebrating different cultures in the school. I think it is very important for Year 9 to grasp the concept of diversity, and the opportunities we have within the school. I hope Year 9 students have had a splendid start to the year and look forward to hearing your feedback very soon.

Deputy Head girl- Abi Lacey Despite only joining Harlington at the beginning of Year 12, I can truly vouch for its welcoming and inclusive nature. As Deputy Head Girl, our team truly hopes to not only replicate this, but also strengthen the feeling of community which makes Harlington so unique. Although times are uncertain, I'm incredibly excited to create new opportunities so your child/ward can grow and flourish here! I hope that your child/ward has had an amazing (although unusual) beginning to their time here (in Y9), and I cannot wait to see what this year brings.

We as a team feel that it is extremely important to uphold lines of communication between parents/carers and their young people to allow the community to thrive. We welcome you to get in contact with us if you or your child/ward have any questions or issues about any aspect of school life.

Please find our team email below: [email protected]

Yours sincerely

Jamal, Harriet, Abi and Amaad

Bedfordshire Police: Important communication regarding recent social media reports – Please click on either of these links for this information https://www.facebook.com/bedspolice/photos/a.220396996310/10158225886396311/?typ e=3 or https://twitter.com/bedspolice/status/1309171772441460738?s=20

Anti-Social Behaviour - Bedfordshire Police have asked us to include a short paragraph following some anti-social behaviour being reported in the local area. A number of reports have been received from local residents concerning young people committing criminal damage and continually knocking on doors and running away.

As I am sure you can appreciate our emergency services are very busy at the moment and we would ask you to have a conversation with your child/ward about responsibilities and being a good citizen.

We work in partnership with the force’s School Liaison Team and as soon as current restrictions allow, we will be inviting them in to speak to all students around this issue as part of their ongoing education programme.

Design and Technology Department - Please can students from Design and Technology GCSE and A Level 2019 – 2020 and 2018-2019, collect their practical work and folders within the next two weeks. To arrange collection please ring 01525 755100 to book an appointment with Mr Boniface. If not collected, their work will be recycled. [email protected]

Student Emails – All students new to the school should have been given their email address by their Form Tutor. If students are having issues with their email login, all teachers have the ability to reset passwords, so please ask your child/ward to speak one of their class teachers or Form Tutor.

Letter for parents about COVID-19 symptoms

Public Health England have produced a letter for schools to distribute to parents which explains when a person requires a coronavirus test and what the symptoms of coronavirus are. The Department would be grateful if you could share and circulate this letter amongst parents at your school.

The intention of the letter is to help prevent children being taken out of school unnecessarily and answer some of the questions parents may have around testing.

You can view the letter here. https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/UKDFE/2020/09/23/file_attachments/1553140/23rd% 20September%20-%20PHE%20letter%20to%20parents%20and%20guardians.pdf

Instrumental/Vocal Lessons Update - We are planning to re-introduce face to face lessons week beginning 5th October, where teachers will be coming into school to deliver 1:1 lessons. Thank you to those who have replied to express the wish to start these lessons. If you are yet to do this, please email [email protected] as I need to collate this information prior to teaching resuming. Further details regarding the protocol of lessons will be sent in a future email.

A detailed information sheet will be sent. There has been a delay in new students being enrolled at Inspiring Music although they assure me that this will be resolved as soon as possible. I would be very grateful if you could please email me directly if you are still waiting to hear from a teacher (through Inspiring Music or HUS) and I will be able to follow up on your behalf. A number of Year 9 students who may not have completed the Instrumental Lesson Request Form, sent with the New Starter Pack, have shown an interest in learning an instrument/singing. Please could I request that you speak with your child/ward and if you are interested in receiving further information, email directly with permission to pass on your contact details to the teacher, so that they can discuss the options in greater detail. [email protected]

YEAR 9

Maths Assessment - Students in Year 9 will have an in-class Maths Assessment week beginning 5th October. Students should prepare for the assessment by revising using their exercise books, MathsWatch (log in: school email address, password: tangent), Dr Frost Maths (log in: school email address, password: set by student) or other Maths related websites. The topics are as follows: • Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication/Division of Whole Numbers and Decimals. • Negative Numbers. • Order of Operations. • Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication of Proper Fractions. • Non-calculator find percentage of amount. • Area and Perimeter of Rectangles, Parallelograms, Triangles and Trapezia. • Collecting Terms, Expanding Brackets and Factorising Brackets. • Substitution of numbers into formulae. • Linear Equations (middle school topic). • Averages from a list (middle school topic). [email protected]

YEAR 11

Maths Assessment - Students in Year 11 will have an in-class Maths Assessment week beginning 5th October. Students should prepare for the Assessment by revising using their exercise books, MathsWatch (log in: school email address, password: tangent), Dr Frost Maths (log in: school email address, password: set by student) or other Maths related websites. The topics are as follows: Set 4,5,6: Money Calculations, Percentages, Fractions, Primes, HCF/LCM, Standard Form, Simplifying Algebra, Expanding and Factorising, Solving Equations, Area and Perimeter, Angles, Data Representation, Averages, Probability.

Set 1,2,3: Recurring Decimals, Surds, Scatter Graphs and Cumulative Frequency, Linear and Quadratic Equations and Graphs, Money Calculations, Percentages, Standard Form, Area and Perimeter, Angles, Probability. [email protected]

SIXTH FORM

Sixth Form Bursary - Did you know that a Bursary Scheme operates in the Sixth Form? There are various levels of the Bursary – please take a look and see if you are eligible to apply. The closing date for Bursary applications is 5th October 2020. Application Forms and guidance are available from Mrs Brandham in the Sixth Form Office, by emailing [email protected] or telephoning 01525 751282. They can also be downloaded from the school website http://www.harlington.org/financial-and-other-support. [email protected]

OTHER INFORMATION

Updated Policies – The following policies have been reviewed and can be found with our other policies on the school website: http://www.harlington.org/Policies-and-Guidance

Policy Statement on Provider Access Assessment Monitoring and Reporting CEIAG Policy

Bedfordshire Music Trust Courses – For performance opportunities and more information about these courses, please visit https://fbym.org.uk/forms/holiday-course-remission.pdf?1407

We currently have the following vacancies:

Governance of Harlington Upper School - Welcome back to the new academic year. Amongst all the other changes that have taken place since the carefree days of pre-lockdown, it may have passed you by that the school has now joined the Pyramid Schools Trust, a Multi- Trust (MAT) run by the pyramid for the pyramid. Founding members comprise HUS, Arnold, Parkfields, and Ramsey Manor and we hope very much to attract the remaining lower schools to join us over the next couple of years with the aim of making the pyramid a stronger and an even more successful group of schools.

Top level governance is in the hands of the MAT Board of Trustees which includes some governors from the founding schools. However, the Trust Board has delegated significant powers to each school’s Local Governing Body and we are now seeking new parent governors for this body. In particular, we wish to attract those with skills and experience in safeguarding, finance and HR and those with a working knowledge of the management of change, risk and/or compliance would be very welcome.

If anyone would like to know more about school governance in general or plans for the Pyramid Schools Trust, I would be very happy to talk to you. In the first instance please contact me on [email protected].

This link http://www.harlington.org/our-school/vacancies will take to you an application form. We plan to hold the election for Parent Governors at the end of this month and the deadline for applications is Friday 2nd October.

Richard Holland, HUS Governing Body

Vacancy at Parkfields Middle School – Due to maternity leave, Parkfields are looking to recruit an ambitious teacher to work mainly with Year 5 and also across the school, to start in November 2020. Applications from NQTs and experienced teachers are welcomed. For further information and to apply, please visit www.parkfieldsschool.co.uk

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Wednesday 7th October 2020 Virtual New Intake Open Evening Thursday 22nd October 2020 Virtual Y11 Parents’ Evening