DOCSLIB.ORG

Parents' Newsletter: Issue 2 2019-2020

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Parents' Newsletter: Issue 2 2019-2020 Parents’ Newsletter: Issue 2 2019-2020 Welcome to this, our second newsletter of the academic year. Mock Examinations Over the last few weeks, our Y11s have suspended their end of term festive celebrations to focus on their ‘mock’ GCSE examinations. With the number of examinations now numbering over 30 for most students, the mock examinations form an ever more important part of our overall preparation. I am always impressed by how seriously students take their exams and how much they want to succeed. Our ‘mock’ results day will be on Tuesday January 7th 2020 when all of Year 11 will receive their results, just as they will in August. I would like to thank all staff, on behalf of Year 11, for preparing their students to face the exams with such confidence and to everyone at home who has supported with revision. I would also like to thank our younger students for their consideration during the exam season in respecting those taking examinations and enabling a calm and peaceful atmosphere to prevail! As I write this, our Year 10 students are taking their mock examination for the short course RE exam after which, we can truly look forward to the Christmas break. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in the Thomas Keble Community, a very happy Christmas and I look forward to seeing all of our students back in school, on Monday January 6th 2020. Communication with staff It has become noticeable in recent months, that the number of parents who prefer to use email to communicate with staff has grown hugely. Whilst we will always try to respond to these emails in a timely manner, it is increasingly difficult to do so within the same day. This is due to the other commitments that tutors and pastoral leads have with regards their teaching. From January, all emails received will be logged and the sender will receive an automatic response stating that their email has been received and we will endeavour to respond within 3 – 4 working days. The automatic receipt will also list the telephone number that should be used to contact our pastoral hub for urgent matters. As a reminder: Our reception is open between 8:00am and 4:30pm every day. Our contact number is 01452 770301 / Option 2 for the Pastoral Hub. This will enable one of our pastoral team to speak with you and arrange for a response from the most suitable staff member. If you wish to see a member of staff, please telephone to book an appointment by using the number above. Please note, same day appointments are not always possible. 1 Year 11 Parents: Keep Saturday 25th January free! Following the very successful Family Revision Morning last year, we will be repeating the event on Saturday 25th January from 9:00am until noon, by which time Year 11 students will have received their mock exam results. There will be a series of workshops aimed at kick-starting the revision process in preparation for the summer exams with a focus on: preparing a revision timetable; active revision approaches; managing stress. Letters will be issued in the early part of term 3 and we hope to see as many families as possible at the event. Keeping Children Safe Online With Christmas holidays fast approaching, we have a few websites that parents may find helpful in supporting their children’s safety online. Use the hyperlinks below to access. The first is from the Think You Know organisation that has some good advice on the INTERNET and its use in our homes and to support many of the toys and games that our young people enjoy. The second is by the Parent Zone: Seasonal Netiquette: 5 new parenting rules for screen time and tech when families gather Student Support When a professional, family member or member of the public is concerned about a child or young person’s welfare or safety, they may report a “safeguarding concern” and this information will come to the MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) so it can be looked at. For early help and advice on a range of child and family issues, contact the Family Information Service on 0800 5420202 / www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org. Or if you are concerned about a child or young person and want to speak to someone, contact the Children’s Helpdesk on 01452 426565, and give as much information as you can. The school nurse, Vicky Stephens, also runs a drop-in service on Tuesdays at Thomas Keble School. Students can be referred, or request an appointment; to call or text the school nurse, please ring 07507 333 351. There are many sources of advice and information on our website. Please click here to view the Student Support page. 2 Staffing updates At Christmas, we bid farewell to Mr Burn, who has been a member of our Science faculty for over 16 years. As well as Science, Mr Burn has been a strong supporter of our extra- curricular PE clubs, coaching numerous teams in football and supporting various activities outside of school time, not to mention his work on House Competitions and the wonderful ‘Egg Bungee’ races! We wish Mr Burn our very best wishes in his retirement. We will be sorry to bid farewell this term to Ms Kerslake, who has been a member of staff at Thomas Keble for over 5 years. Ms Kerslake has been a member of the Maths Department, serving as the 2nd in Faculty and has also taught computing. We wish her well in her new adventures. Thomas Keble Trust Board The Board of Trustees has been augmented by the appointment of three new Trustees this term; Miss Kim Marney, Parent Trustee, and two new Co-Opted Trustees, Mrs Susan Brobyn and Mr Colin Mander. The Board is delighted to welcome them to Thomas Keble and looks forward to working with them and drawing on their expertise. We’d like to thank all the Members and Trustees who give so generously of their own time to support the school to help our students to aspire to achieve more than they ever thought possible. The Thomas Keble GRIT Awards If you have visited the school reception recently, you will have noticed our GRIT awards display in the foyer. Each time we report to parents, students are given an effort grade 1-4 for each subject and those with the best and most improved average effort scores are recognised in the display. On a day-to-day basis, students will have their excellent effort and achievement recognised by the awarding of House Points which are recorded on their ‘Be More Yeti’ cards. Excellent Effort at TK means being committed to getting the most out of all learning opportunities available. It is what all Thomas Keble students should aim for. A student making excellent effort: Actively participates in the lesson at all times, and is fully engaged Actively seeks feedback on how to improve the quality of their work Shows great resilience and perseveres with all challenges, even when they are difficult Manages their time and work efficiently and is highly self-disciplined Students who have completed one or more Yeti cards have been entered for a prize draw – well done to all those have completed cards so far. I would also like to congratulate the following students who are among the first to appear on our GRIT Awards roll of honour display this year. Exceptional Effort Most Improved Effort Year 11 Annabel Brodersen / Rosie Lightfoot Owen Taylor-Leach / Archie Greenway Year 10 Tabitha Milne / Toby Henderson George Hurst / Mollie Marsh Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 GRIT Award winners will be announced shortly after Christmas and I look forward to celebrating these achievements with you in our next edition. 3 Parental Donations Parents will be aware that education funding is under ever-increasing pressure. Whilst we have been notified that some additional funding will be forthcoming, we will not receive this until September 2020 at the earliest and it seems increasingly likely that the increases will not be sufficient to afford the things that enhance the educational provision for your children. Once again, we need to ask parents to support us with some of the activities that make Thomas Keble the high achieving and successful school that it is. This includes the extensive PE programmes we currently support at County, District and National level and the arts programmes we offer via our productions and concerts. We are also looking to replace some of the more expensive items of equipment that ensure our students can learn in the most effective way. Donations received last year have already made a significant difference. We have been able to buy visualisers that enable teachers and students to easily share work and discuss its merits so others can learn from the process; we have ordered 2 new cookers; 2 new sewing machines and a number of other items. However, as always, we could easily use more funding for such purposes. Parents can make a donation online. The school’s banks details are as follows: Visualisers Bank: HSBC help with Sort code: 40-34-01 sharing good work! Account No: 01419242 Account name: Thomas Keble School Please include a reference ‘Parental Donation’ and email [email protected] to advise who the donation is from. In addition, parents can opt to make a donation via the school parent gateway app. Details of how to use this are in our first newsletter of the year, available as a download from our website: www.thomaskeble.gloucs.sch.uk Whilst we are very reluctant to ask for such donations, they will be used to ensure we continue to compete at the highest levels nationally.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • England LEA/School Code School Name Town 330/6092 Abbey
    England LEA/School Code School Name Town 330/6092 Abbey College Birmingham 873/4603 Abbey College, Ramsey Ramsey 865/4000 Abbeyfield School Chippenham 803/4000 Abbeywood Community School Bristol 860/4500 Abbot Beyne School Burton-on-Trent 312/5409 Abbotsfield School Uxbridge 894/6906 Abraham Darby Academy Telford 202/4285 Acland Burghley School London 931/8004 Activate Learning Oxford 307/4035 Acton High School London 919/4029 Adeyfield School Hemel Hempstead 825/6015 Akeley Wood Senior School Buckingham 935/4059 Alde Valley School Leiston 919/6003 Aldenham School Borehamwood 891/4117 Alderman White School and Language College Nottingham 307/6905 Alec Reed Academy Northolt 830/4001 Alfreton Grange Arts College Alfreton 823/6905 All Saints Academy Dunstable Dunstable 916/6905 All Saints' Academy, Cheltenham Cheltenham 340/4615 All Saints Catholic High School Knowsley 341/4421 Alsop High School Technology & Applied Learning Specialist College Liverpool 358/4024 Altrincham College of Arts Altrincham 868/4506 Altwood CofE Secondary School Maidenhead 825/4095 Amersham School Amersham 380/6907 Appleton Academy Bradford 330/4804 Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School Birmingham 810/6905 Archbishop Sentamu Academy Hull 208/5403 Archbishop Tenison's School London 916/4032 Archway School Stroud 845/4003 ARK William Parker Academy Hastings 371/4021 Armthorpe Academy Doncaster 885/4008 Arrow Vale RSA Academy Redditch 937/5401 Ash Green School Coventry 371/4000 Ash Hill Academy Doncaster 891/4009 Ashfield Comprehensive School Nottingham 801/4030 Ashton
    [Show full text]
  • Secondary School and Academy Admissions
    Secondary School and Academy Admissions INFORMATION BOOKLET 2021/2022 For children born between 1st September 2009 and 31st August 2010 Page 1 Schools Information Admission number and previous applications This is the total number of pupils that the school can admit into Year 7. We have also included the total number of pupils in the school so you can gauge its size. You’ll see how oversubscribed a school is by how many parents had named a school as one of their five preferences on their application form and how many of these had placed it as their first preference. Catchment area Some comprehensive schools have a catchment area consisting of parishes, district or county boundaries. Some schools will give priority for admission to those children living within their catchment area. If you live in Gloucestershire and are over 3 miles from your child’s catchment school they may be entitled to school transport provided by the Local Authority. Oversubscription criteria If a school receives more preferences than places available, the admission authority will place all children in the order in which they could be considered for a place. This will strictly follow the priority order of their oversubscription criteria. Please follow the below link to find the statistics for how many pupils were allocated under the admissions criteria for each school - https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-admissions-scheme-criteria- and-protocol/allocation-day-statistics-for-gloucestershire-schools/. We can’t guarantee your child will be offered one of their preferred schools, but they will have a stronger chance if they meet higher priorities in the criteria.
    [Show full text]
  • Outreach Residential Activities
    Outreach Residential Activities 2017/18 2017/18 RESIDENTIAL ACTIVITY REPORT: 16 DECEMBER 2018 University of Gloucestershire Widening Participation and Outreach - Data & Evaluation Officer, Partnerships Manager 1 Residential Report Outreach and Widening Participation Team, University of Gloucestershire Each year, the Outreach team organises and delivers two separate Residential Events for Year 10 and Year 12 students with the intention of providing an intensive experience on a university campus. The residential activities aim to build higher education (HE) knowledge to enable young people to make an informed decision about their future. Students are provided with an opportunity to learn more about the subjects that are available and the processes required to apply for HE. It is hoped that students will increase their self-confidence in their ability to attend higher education and develop a sense of belonging at university, as well as reduce barriers to participate in higher education. Both residentials take place over a four day period, with the first day allowing time and space for students to settle in and socialise with each other and the summer school staff. Student Ambassadors live residentially for the duration of each summer school, supporting the running of the events and providing their own insights into university life and their routes to higher education. Students who attend the Year 10 residential take part in a wider range of academic taster sessions while Year 12 students choose a subject strand to follow. This is so that they can try a range of courses within an Academic School to provide more insight into which course they might choose to study in the future.
    [Show full text]
  • Cheltenham Borough Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council Final Assessment Report November 2016
    CHELTENHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL AND TEWKESBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL FINAL ASSESSMENT REPORT NOVEMBER 2016 QUALITY, INTEGRITY, PROFESSIONALISM Knight, Kavanagh & Page Ltd Company No: 9145032 (England) MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS Registered Office: 1 -2 Frecheville Court, off Knowsley Street, Bury BL9 0UF T: 0161 764 7040 E: [email protected] www.kkp.co.uk CHELTENHAM AND TEWKESBURY COUNCILS BUILT LEISURE AND SPORTS ASSESSMENT REPORT CONTENTS SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 SECTION 2: BACKGROUND ........................................................................................... 4 SECTION 3: INDOOR SPORTS FACILITIES ASSESSMENT APPROACH ................... 16 SECTION 4: SPORTS HALLS ........................................................................................ 18 SECTION 5: SWIMMING POOLS ................................................................................... 38 SECTION 6: HEALTH AND FITNESS SUITES ............................................................... 53 SECTION 7: SQUASH COURTS .................................................................................... 62 SECTION 8: INDOOR BOWLS ....................................................................................... 68 SECTION 9: INDOOR TENNIS COURTS ....................................................................... 72 SECTION 10: ATHLETICS ............................................................................................. 75 SECTION 11: COMMUNITY FACILITIES ......................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Secondary School and Academy Admissions
    Secondary School and Academy Admissions GUIDANCE BOOKLET 2021/2022 For children born between 1st September 2009 and 31st August 2010 Also includes information regarding:- Transfer from Middle to High Schools University Technical Colleges WELCOME This booklet will help guide you through the process of applying for a school/academy place in Gloucestershire. This booklet is only for parents and carers of children living in Gloucestershire – if you do not live in Gloucestershire you must apply to your home local authority, even if requesting a place in a Gloucestershire School. CONTENTS September 2021 Intake - Key dates Page 3 Step 1 - Do your homework Page 4 Step 2 - Choose your preferred Pages 5 – 6 schools/academies Step 3 - Grammar school registration Pages 7 – 8 Step 4 - Apply for a school/academy place Page 8 – 9 Step 5 - Responding to the school offer Page 9 – 11 Step 6 - Request an appeal Page 11 – 12 Additional information Pages 12 – 14 FAQ’s Pages 14 – 19 Jargon made simple Pages 19 – 22 Useful contacts Pages 22 -24 Neighbouring LA’s Pages 24 – 25 A-Z of schools/academies in Gloucestershire Pages 26 Page 2 KEY DATES 2021/2022 Entry to Secondary School/Academy In Gloucestershire, nearly all children transfer from primary school/academy at the age of 11 when they are in Year 6. There can be exceptional circumstances - for example, when children transfer to secondary school earlier or one year later, but this would involve detailed discussions and agreement with parents or carers and relevant primary and preferred secondary schools/academies. Entry from Middle to High School The neighbouring county of Worcestershire offers a 3 tier system where children transfer from Low to Middle School in Year 5 to Year 6 and Middle to High School in Year 8 to Year 9.
    [Show full text]
  • Use of Contextual Data at the University of Warwick Please Use
    Use of contextual data at the University of Warwick Please use the table below to check whether your school meets the eligibility criteria for a contextual offer. For more information about our contextual offer please visit our website or contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team. School Name School Postcode School Performance Free School Meals 'Y' indicates a school which meets the 'Y' indicates a school which meets the Free School Meal criteria. Schools are listed in alphabetical order. school performance citeria. 'N/A' indicates a school for which the data is not available. 6th Form at Swakeleys UB10 0EJ N Y Abbey College, Ramsey PE26 1DG Y N Abbey Court Community Special School ME2 3SP N Y Abbey Grange Church of England Academy LS16 5EA Y N Abbey Hill School and Performing Arts College ST2 8LG Y Y Abbey Hill School and Technology College, Stockton TS19 8BU Y Y Abbey School, Faversham ME13 8RZ Y Y Abbeyfield School, Northampton NN4 8BU Y Y Abbeywood Community School BS34 8SF Y N Abbot Beyne School and Arts College, Burton Upon Trent DE15 0JL Y Y Abbot's Lea School, Liverpool L25 6EE Y Y Abbotsfield School UB10 0EX Y N Abbotsfield School, Uxbridge UB10 0EX Y N School Name School Postcode School Performance Free School Meals Abbs Cross School and Arts College RM12 4YQ Y N Abbs Cross School, Hornchurch RM12 4YB Y N Abingdon And Witney College OX14 1GG Y NA Abraham Darby Academy TF7 5HX Y Y Abraham Guest Academy WN5 0DQ Y Y Abraham Moss High School, Manchester M8 5UF Y Y Academy 360 SR4 9BA Y Y Accrington Academy BB5 4FF Y Y Acklam Grange
    [Show full text]
  • Implementing the English Baccalaureate Government Consultation Response
    Implementing the English Baccalaureate Government consultation response July 2017 Contents Foreword from the Secretary of State for Education 4 Introduction 6 Definition of the English Baccalaureate 6 Summary of responses received and the government’s response 8 Summary of the government response 8 Question analysis 11 Question 1: What factors do you consider should be taken into account in making decisions about which pupils should not be entered for the EBacc? 11 Government response 11 Question 2: Is there any other information that should be made available about schools’ performance in the EBacc? 13 Government response 13 Question 3: How should this policy apply to university technical colleges (UTCs), studio schools and further education colleges teaching key stage 4 pupils? 15 Government response 16 Question 4: What challenges have schools experienced in teacher recruitment to EBacc subjects? 17 Question 5: What strategies have schools found useful in attracting and retaining staff in these subjects? 17 Question 8: What additional central strategies would schools like to see in place for recruiting and training teachers in EBacc subjects? 17 Government response to questions 4, 5 and 8 18 Question 6: What approaches do schools intend to take to manage challenges relating to the teaching of EBacc subjects? 19 Question 7: Other than teacher recruitment, what other issues will schools need to consider when planning for increasing the number of pupils taking the EBacc? 20 Government response to questions 6 and 7 20 Question 9: Do you think that any of the proposals have the potential to have an impact, positive or negative, on specific pupils, in particular those with ‘relevant protected characteristics’? (The relevant protected characteristics are disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation).
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2006–07
    Bristol ChemLabS A Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Annual Report 2006–07 Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. The Genesis of Bristol ChemLabS 3 3. Teaching and Learning 5 4. Capital Projects 9 5. Outreach 10 6. Dissemination and Publicity 12 7. Evaluation and Research 13 8. Sponsorship and Commercial Activities 15 9. Finance 17 Appendix 1: ChemLabS Boards and Working Parties 18 Appendix 2: Level 1 and 2 Experiment Titles 20 and Skills Sets Appendix 3: Tables of Bristol ChemLabS Events, Activities and Publications 1. Introduction Bristol ChemLabS will have been operational for two years on 31st March 2007 and it is one of the roles of the annual meeting of the Advisory Board to receive the Annual Report. HEFCE require an interim report after two years from all CETLs (due by 31st July 2007), and the Annual Report this year is therefore presented in the form of a draft version of the HEFCE Report required in four months time. The final Report to HEFCE will be in the form of a glossy which will contain several photographs and some short sections from other authors; these are not included here. 2. The Genesis of Bristol ChemLabS The Bidding Process In early 2004, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) announced an invitation for departments or consortia of departments in higher education institutions (HEIs) to bid for funds to become a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). In April of that year, the School of Chemistry (SoC) through the University of Bristol (UoB) submitted a bid to the Stage 1 process, the primary focus of which was to become a CETL in the teaching and learning of practical, laboratory-based chemistry for undergraduates.
    [Show full text]
  • Financial Notice to Improve Thomas Keble School
    Education and Skills Funding Agency Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BT Tel: 0370 000 2288 ESFA-enquiry-form 8 January 2019 Mr Steve Ponting Thomas Keble School, Eastcombe, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 7DY Company Number: 07698037 Dear Mr Ponting Financial notice to improve: Thomas Keble School I am writing to you in your capacity as the Chair of Thomas Keble School (“the Trust”). As you know, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has been monitoring the Trust’s progress towards setting a balanced budget and producing a realistic and accurate plan for recovery following the warning letter sent to the Trust on 15 February 2018. I recognise the cooperation and extensive discussions that have taken place between the Trust and officials. However, my concerns remain in relation to the weak financial position and financial management at the Trust. On 9 July 2018 the Head of Region – South West also wrote to the Trust’s Accounting Officer highlighting the concerns we have for Thomas Keble School and its current financial management and governance. In this letter, the ESFA confirmed that if the Trust was unable to produce a plan for recovery, or required further recoverable deficit funding to prevent it from running out of cash, then a financial notice to improve would be issued. The trust has failed to set balanced budgets for 2017/18 and 2018/19 in breach of the Academies Financial Handbook (AFH). Paragraph 2.3.1 of the AFH clearly states: The board of trustees must approve a balanced budget … for the financial year to 31 August, which can draw on unspent funds brought forward from previous years.
    [Show full text]
  • Parents' Newsletter: Issue 3 2018-2019 April 2019
    Parents’ Newsletter: Issue 3 2018-2019 April 2019 Welcome to the third newsletter of this academic year. Year 11: GCSE Preparation For our Year 11 students, attention has turned to the completion of controlled assessments and the final revision preparation for the terminal exams. On January 19th, we held our annual Family Revision morning, attended by over 120 people with Mr Patrick, Mrs Rossiter, Mr South and Mr Woodcock on hand to offer advice for the final push towards exams. My thanks also to our PTA volunteers who served up hot drinks and pastries to keep everyone going. The Easter break presents a very welcome chance to put those revision plans into action. We have been very impressed by how focused Y11 have been as they face the challenges ahead with confidence and commitment. For those parents who would welcome some advice and guidance to support their child in the coming weeks, I recommend you visit our website which has comprehensive advice and guidance from each subject area for the final weeks. Notice for all parents: Making appointments I would like to take this opportunity to remind all parents that we have a protocol for booking appointments to see staff during school time. We have recently seen an increase in the number of parents presenting at reception and asking to see a member of staff immediately. This often occurs during extremely busy times at the beginning or end of the school day. Can I remind all parents that all staff, including Senior Pastoral Leads and all members of the Senior Management Team, have teaching commitments during the school day and are often involved in meetings that have already been booked into the diary.
    [Show full text]
  • People Achieveto
    ® inspiring young people achieveto Annual Review 2014-2015 Including the Annual Report and Financial Statements THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD Contents Overview .................................................................... 3 Thank you to all our supporters .................................. 4 Our Licensed Organisation partners ............................ 6 Chairman’s Report .................................................... 10 Our strategic objectives ............................................ 12 Supporting DofE delivery .......................................... 13 Extending the reach .................................................. 13 Driving achievement ................................................. 13 Fuelling growth ......................................................... 15 Financial performance .............................................. 16 Funding the DofE ...................................................... 18 Trustees’ commitment .............................................. 19 Thank you ................................................................ 19 Independent Auditors’ Report ................................... 20 Statutory accounts ................................................... 22 Appendices .............................................................. 42 Trustees .................................................................... 49 The Trustees present their report and the financial statements of the Royal Charter Corporation for the year ended 31 March 2015. In preparing this report the
    [Show full text]
  • Archway News Issue No 23
    www.archwayschool.net Archway News Issue No 23 July 2016 July 2016 Dear Parents / Carers It is my pleasure to send you our end of term Newsletter highlighting some of the activities in which students have been involved. We enjoyed tremendous performances on the field last week in Sports Day and look forward to our Summer Concert and Art Exhibition this week, and Sports Awards Evening next week. We celebrated with Year 11 at their Prom at Cattle Country last week and are looking forward to the Sixth Form Prom at Stonehouse Court Hotel later this week. Next week also sees Year 10 out on work experience—we are grateful to those who have assisted in offering them placements. Archway has a long history of success stories; we are very proud of the achievements of former students who have gone on to make many contributions to their communities and to society. We would like to share their successes with current students and establish a ‘Celebrating Archway’ Facebook page. If you have details of where former students are now and how they are doing, we would be grateful if you would let Elaine Coley, Head of Key Stage 4, know. She can be contacted via email: [email protected] The end of the year is often a time when we say goodbye and good luck to staff who are leaving us. Mr Hill leaves us to become Head of Faculty at Gordano School, Mrs Bolton takes up a promotion at Gloucester Academy, Miss Williams moves to an academy in Arrow Vale, and Mr Donegan is relocating to Northern Ireland.
    [Show full text]