April 2019 www.carres.uk Useful Dates: Foreword by Mr Law, Headteacher Saturday 27 April - Monday 29 April Silver DofE Practice Expedition You may be aware from recent media coverage that schools are becoming increasingly concerned about Week Commencing 29 April Year 12 Internal Exams reductions in funding, and the schools in the Robert Carre Trust are no exception. The formation of the Thursday 2 - Friday 3 May Trust in 2015 provided some really helpful economies Bronze DofE Practice Expedition 2 of scale, but nonetheless the finances of the Trust, Wednesday 8 May like those of all schools up and down the country, are ESFA National Under 16 Final being placed under great strain. For this reason I am Saturday 11 May contacting all parents to promote a new cross-Trust DofE Drop in Clinic 2 initiative which is being introduced to ensure we Wednesday 22 May continue to provide a first class service to all students Year 10 History Trip to Lincoln in both our schools. Friday 24 May School Sports Day End of Term 5 The Robert Carre Gift is a programme that asks parents and friends of the school to consider making a Monday 3 June Start of Term 6 small regular contribution towards projects in school to provide our young people with the best learning Tuesday 11 June resources possible. In the short term the fund will be Year 8 Black Country Museum Trip used to plan a programme of IT asset replacement; something teachers at the schools cite high on their Inside this issue: list of learning resource priorities. In the future the Page 3: Election of School Parent fund will aim to provide other facilities or equipment Governor for students to use. We would hope that each family feels it could make a contribution to the school; for Page 4: Year 12 Work Experience example if you gift aid £10 per month we can claim Page 7: ARTiculation back the tax you have paid, so the school will Page 8: Wellbeing Award receive £12.50 for every £10 you give. This Page 10: Fundraising covenanting system protects your confidentiality. We Page 12: World Book Day recognise that some parents will be unable to help us in this way; however, please remember that every Page 13: Duke of Edinburgh Award penny helps. Page 23: Extra-Curricular Sports Page 25: The Old Carrensians’ Association Page 29: Robert Carre Trust Gift Form 1 You will be aware that whilst the amount of money coming into schools from government has remained below the rate of inflation, the amount going out on expenditure due to government imposed changes has risen. This affects all schools and academies alike, both primary and secondary. To mitigate the reduced funding and the increasing costs, we have continued consistently to take a number of actions at both schools to manage our income to provide the best outcomes for the students and this is continually reported when our results are compared with our peers across the country. This careful and prudent financial approach has been maintained as the two schools have continued to work closely together. Over the past few years both schools in the Trust have continued to improve their premises and the benefits of academy status have seen refurbishment at both sites which has ensured that students continue to receive a high quality education. We have maintained staffing levels to ensure that the quality of education is not diminished. Our students are able to access facilities that other schools locally don’t have: a 3G pitch, industry standard Graphic Art software or a recently designed and refurbished Food Technology room, for example. We always recruit the best teachers available and never simply the cheapest ones. We have also been able to increase the choice and breadth of the curriculum, especially at post-16, due to the expansion of the Sleaford Joint Sixth Form. In matters that affect the quality of experience for our young people we are just not prepared to compromise, and nor should we. If you feel that you could contribute to the Robert Carre Gift please complete the form attached at the end of the Newsletter with your bank details and return to Carre’s Grammar School. Paper copies can be collected from the school office or emailed electronically upon request. Please help us to enrich your child’s school days. They have only one opportunity in school and they deserve the best we can provide. Your contribution could make a huge difference. Thank you. N M Law 2 April 2019 Dear Parent/Carer Carre’s Grammar School Parent Governor Election You will have received a letter by email inviting you to nominate yourself for the position of Parent Governor, to take Mrs Slesser’s place on the CGS Local Governing Body, now that the Robert Carre Trust Board has appointed her to the role of Community Governor. Parent Governors play an important part, along with the other members of the Local Governing Body and the Board, in supporting the school and ensuring that the students get the best education possible. Governance experience is welcome, but not essential as training is available. More information about school governance is available on www.nga.org.uk. If you would like a replacement copy of the letter please email [email protected] as soon as possible. Nomination papers can be posted to school marked for the attention of the Clerk to the Trust, who is also the Returning Officer, delivered by hand or emailed to [email protected]. The closing date is 12 noon on Friday 3 May. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully Debbie Scott Mrs D Scott Clerk to the Robert Carre Trust 3 Year 12 Work Experience Students in Year 12 are expected to undertake one week of work experience in July. This is invaluable in bringing realism to thinking about the world of work and is increasingly looked upon by employers and university admissions as evidence of maturity and motivation. This year, work experience takes place between 15 – 19 July and placements are self-find. All students have attended an information session about work experience and have been given a form to complete with details of their proposed placement – these should have been returned by Friday 29 March. Examples of placements so far this year are: Interflora, University of Lincoln, BE Design, Quarrington Veterinary Surgery, Trapdoor Theatre Academy, Anglian Water, Office of Dr Caroline Johnson – London, Mediterraneo Holidays – Spain, Zhong Giuo Liaoning – China, Lincolnshire Music Service, Lincolnshire Police Mr Scholefield Teacher of Technology and Work Experience Co-ordinator * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Senior Prefect team 2019-2020 Joseph Enright Head Boy Phoebe Sykes Head Girl Alex Whitaker Deputy Head Boy Alice Wesley Deputy Head Girl Oliver Garland Head of Student Council Amelia Spicer Sixth Form Student Council Lead Jonathan Parrish Sixth Form Ambassador 4 Magistrates’ Mock Trial Competition Year 9 students from Carre’s Grammar School competed in the local heat of the Magistrates’ Mock Trial competition. Unfortunately they weren’t successful in securing a place in the next round however we were very proud of their efforts. Mrs Millband and Mrs Carpenter Teachers of English 5 Year 12 - Physics On 1 March, a group of Year 12 physicists attended the Cambridge Physics Experience. We were given a tour of Girton College and shown all the available facilities for students, including the amazing indoor pool! The person showing us around was a first-year undergraduate student, so it was helpful to have advice and information from someone who’s currently studying there. After that, we went to the Cavendish Laboratory where we had a talk about higher education and the Russell Group, as well as a talk about studying physics at Cambridge specifically. It was very informative and we were encouraged to ask questions so everyone came away with valuable new knowledge. In the afternoon, we were introduced to circular motion and we were set some unfamiliar questions on the topic to test our problem-solving skills. I found it really fun to try and work through the different types of problems because it challenged us to think more logically and work together in pairs. Then we did a practical involving a pendulum and used our results to calculate acceleration due to gravity, and it was really interesting to see the type of experiments that undergraduates get to do. After we had done our experiments, we gathered around while Dr Martin introduced us to gyroscopic precession and its use in satellites; I even got to help out with the demonstrations! Overall, it was a very unique opportunity and it was really valuable to get a glimpse into undergraduate life at Cambridge. We all enjoyed the experience and we’re looking forward to new opportunities like this one! Written by Yasmin Bettles 6 ARTiculation The winner of the ARTiculation Prize 2019 was announced at Clare College, University of Cambridge on Friday 1 March by Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the V & A Museum. ARTiculation is an internationally acclaimed initiative which champions students, aged between 16 – 19 regardless of background and experience, providing a platform on which students can develop their confidence and ability to express their opinions, thoughts and ideas through public speaking. ARTiculation’s ethos of looking, thinking and speaking underpins all of ARTiculation’s initiatives and allows students to flourish through public speaking about art. Each student is invited to deliver a ten minute presentation to an interested audience about a work of art, artefact or architecture of their choice. Oliver Garland, Etienne Giudicelli and Ruby Williams took part in a hotly contested school heat earlier in January at the NCCD, with Oliver going forward to the regional final at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich in February.