Millom School

Termly Newsletter Autumn 2019

A message from Mr Savidge A message from the Chair of Christmas and New Year is a time to look back and Governors reflect on what a wonderful term we have had at As this newsletter illustrates, our Millom School. There were two events in particular Millom School students have had a which gave us the chance to celebrate together. very busy term – not just on their The first of these was Presentations Evening which school work but on the wide variety marked the achievements of our students and was a of extra activities the staff of the great reminder of how fantastic our students are. school provide. We are a community Richard Leafe, our guest speaker, presented the school and are proud of its prizes and gave an inspirational speech about his community “feel”- never more so role as Chief Executive of the Lake District National that at the most recent Presentations Park Authority. The second event was the Evening and Christmas Concert at Christmas Concert which showcased the talent of Holy Trinity. As governors, we want our students in their musical and drama to thank the staff, parents and other performances. Thank you to all those of you who members of the local community for came and supported our young people at these the support the school receives but events. also to acknowledge the essential This newsletter is a celebration of some of the key contribution of the students to events that have taken place for our students which making the school a special place. would not have been possible without the support of You all deserve a very enjoyable the staff. I thank them for their tireless hard work. Christmas. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Mock Interviews Year 11 have experienced what it’s like to have a job interview, when 25 employers from 14 different local businesses came into school to support us with our careers event. The students certainly looked the part and had made huge efforts with their professional dress. Employers provided feedback that we had a well organised event and a very comprehensive process, which was helping and assisting with individual’s futures. Students were asked to complete a job application form as part of the process and employers gave feedback on the form including the personal statement, dress, body language, communication skills and the quality of answers to typical interview questions. Some of the questions were quite challenging and our students did really well with their responses. Many employers commented that students were very well prepared and engaged throughout.  “Well prepared, polite, informed and genuinely interested”  “An absolute delight to visit Millom School”  “The students are a real credit to the school”  “The students we met were really great”  “Some really strong and impressive performances especially on presentation, eye contact and body language”  “It’s great to see students looking so smart and enthusiastic”  “You can tell there’s been a lot of effort put into the personal statements” Millom School would like to thank our employers for taking the time out of their busy schedules to support us with this event. We, and the pupils, valued the feedback highly and pupils are now in the process of evaluating their performance to prepare for real interviews with apprenticeship-providers, colleges and sixth forms. We are proud of our students and also want to say a massive well done to our Year 11s!

Year 10 Discover Uni day at the University of Cumbria 29 Year 10s attended the University of Cumbria for the day on Tuesday 26 November to explore HE options further as part of the schools careers provision. On the day students were able to look in depth at what you can study at university, had a campus tour and even took part in a criminology masterclass. The day was really interesting and hopefully students feel inspired to go on to University, when they are able to.

Careers Trip

31 students from Years 10/11 took part in the Beyond 16 Careers Convention at Workington. Pupils were able to engage with a wide range of employers, education and training providers from Copeland and Allerdale and ask questions about the progression pathways, talking to representatives from Sellafield, Gen 2, Morgan Sindall, University of Cumbria, UCLAN, Newton Rigg, Myerscough, Lakes College and Kaefer, to name but a few. Funding gratefully received from the Cumbria Collaborative Outreach Programme allowed us to make this trip free of charge to our students. Careers events like this are really important when students are making choices about their futures, which is why we recommend that students attend as many as possible and talk to a wide range of employers and training providers to investigate the huge range of career opportunities available in Cumbria and beyond! The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition is a national competition for young people to showcase their impressive science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) projects and to reward and recognise their achievements.

The regional heat for this competition took place at The Big Bang North West 2019 and the judges were overwhelmed by the incredible & inspiring ideas that entrants brought to the fore. Pupils from Millom School won The North West Young Engineer of the Year Award and the Award for Communication with their project - Autism friendly Sensory Unit. We wish them luck in the National Finals at The Big Bang Fair in Birmingham in March 2020 .

The Little Big Bang

Millom School STEM Hub held their annual ‘Little Big Bang’ at Millom School in November. The event is for primary school pupils and is the culmination of a 10 week STEM project where pupils work in teams to research, design and make. This year’s project was to design a rocket powered car to be propelled down a runway course. Points are awarded at each stage of the event by a team of judges from a variety of engi- neering backgrounds. The pupils are supported in school by STEM Am- bassadors from Sellafield who volunteer their time. Everyone had a great day including the Ambassadors who saw their efforts come to fruition. All the schools produced fantastic projects displaying team- work, communication skills and development work. It is hoped by taking part in these projects the pupils will study STEM subjects and possibly take on a STEM career. Student Leadership Council This term the SLC have been working on two projects. We are really keen to raise the profile of recycling within school and we are currently looking at ways in which we as a school can do more. In the next term you will hopefully see recycling bins appear around school so that single use plastics and used paper can be put to good use. We are also in the process of planning a charity event to raise money for Diabetes UK. We have a number of students in school who have diabetes, so thought it would be a good idea to take the opportunity to not only raise money for the charity, but to also raise awareness of diabetes. More information about this event will be with tutors after the Christmas break. In October we welcomed our new members who had won the Year 7 election. Hannah, Harry, Tahlia, Alfie, Elijah and Ellis are doing a great job so far on the SLC and are keen to make a difference within the school community. More updates on what we are working on can be found on the SLC noticeboard in the link corridor near the Alex Hall.

Fundraising Since December 2018 we have raised £2330.30 for good causes: * Music Concert and fundraising activities for Motor Neurone Disease Association £1739.30 * Non-uniform day for Comic Relief Red Nose Day £430 * Year 7 Black Combe Walk for Duddon & Furness Mountain Rescue Team £161 Thank you everyone!

Remembrance Assemblies

This year the emphasis of the assemblies focused on the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, commemorating the veterans and their sacrifices. There were atmospheric musical solo performances from Lindsay and Thomas and the school brass band. Delta and Maria read an emotional account from a soldier who landed on the beaches on D-Day. The assemblies were very thought provoking and reflective.

Eskdale Project 14 students worked with the Lake District National Park Authority to create a series of cleft oak steps in the Stanley Ghyll waterfall area of Eskdale. The steep path was becoming eroded and slippery when wet. The work of Millom School students has created a better access path for walkers descending from the waterfall. They worked alongside park rangers to clear the area, restore parts of the path, cut and then set steps into the path. Mrs Vance has been back to survey the area and reports that they've bedded in nicely! Millom School is leading the way in a new initiative being rolled out across the County. We were the first school to take part in the project ‘Poverty-proofing the school day’. The aim of the project is to identify barriers to opportunities for students, particularly focusing issues where finances can prevent full enjoyment of school.

Students were trained to carry out the research to gain the most insightful feedback; asking nearly all students about a range of issues, to then report their findings.

This is a long term project, with initial feedback starting discussions about things that could help make school more accessible for all.

The student surveys provided insight to student feelings on day to day school life. It was pleasing to hear that students reported finding staff ‘approachable’ and feeling of having ‘positive relationships’ between staff and students. It was partic- ularly reassuring to hear that students had clear ideas on how to respond in cases of bullying, feeding back that ‘bullying always has consequences. It’s dealt with quickly. Speak to teacher and they’ll sort it.’

School governors and staff are taking the findings from the audit seriously. Future updates will highlight some of the chang- es that are a result of listening to the views of our students.

Mrs Johnston’s class supporting Oxfam’s Goat Aid September 2019

As part of their GCSE Geography curriculum, year 11 students have been studying Ethiopia. This study involves learning about an aid project based in the Country and evaluating its success. Goat Aid is a project run by Oxfam and World Vision, to improve the lives of poor families in Low Income Countries. During the course of this study, the year 11 class were impressed at the ongoing positive impacts from simply providing a goat to a family.

Following their study, the class decided that they wanted to look into purchasing a goat to send to Ethiopia. They discovered that the Oxfam website has a page dedicated to purchasing items such as chickens, water and goats, and began raising funds to purchase a goat. In September the class had donated enough money to be able to buy a goat. The class were delighted to receive a card, showing our purchase and thanking us for the goat.

Heart Start Training at Millom Fire Station

Our Year 10/11 CoPE students attended Heart- start training at Millom Fire Station provided completely free of charge by Cumbria Fire and Rescue. All students learned general First Aid, CPR and how to use an AED (automated exter- nal defibrillator). Hopefully, they will never need to use their new skills - but they are now well-equipped just in case they ever do! The visit was extremely beneficial, with excel- lent participation from all students. Huge thanks to Mike for volunteering his time, knowledge and skills and Millom Fire Sta- tion for this fantastic opportunity. Congratulations to Year 8 Rugby Team winning the Furness Schools Rugby Final at Craven Park Year 8 Football team winners of the Furness Schools 7-a-side competition. The team didn’t concede a goal in winning the competition. Well Done!

Year 7 Rugby team who played Dowdales in the Furness Schools Final at Craven Park

A great 4th Well Done to place finish, all the Millom running team at the against girls Furness a year older. Schools Well Done! Cross Country

First place in Junior girls Another victory!

Y10 Photography students had the fantastic opportunity to take part in a workshop with local photographer (and ex-Millom School pupil) Mike Sewell. They learnt how to capture the split second when a water balloon exploded. On the weekend of 18th October we had two groups of eager students set off to attempt their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award Expedition. The Silver DofE Award is usually undertaken by students who have taken their bronze award and have a general experience of camp-craft, navigation and cooking. The Silver Expedition section involves longer time spent in the wilderness therefore necessitating more skills and knowledge. Blessed by glorious autumnal weather, the students began their weekend with a briefing with their assessor at the drop off point near Skelwith Bridge, and soon began to make progress towards their destination, Coniston Hall Campsite. Both groups enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine as they continued their journey, focusing on their expedition aims, as well as utilizing skills such as teamwork, communication and navigation. They progressed up past Tarn Hows and Yewtree Tarn and finally dropped down into Coniston in good spirits ready to set up camp for the evening and prepare their evening meals. Saturday morning saw a chilly and foggy start to the day, but this was soon burned off by the sunshine. Both groups prepared breakfast, took down their tents and prepared to head out for the day. Staff were very impressed with the condition which the students left the campsite and the way they conducted themselves. The students then proceeded over Walna Scar towards the Duddon Valley and towards their campsite for the night. Once set up for the night, students again prepared and cooked their evening meals. A cold night saw students wake and make use of the hot showers on site before they set off on their final leg which would take them over the Dunnerdale Fells and then down into Broughton Mills and finally to their finish at Broughton Square. Both groups managed to arrive in on time, by the end finishing just 10 minutes apart - a terrific achievement. Their final act was a debriefing from their assessor who was more than happy to pass both groups, praising them on their efforts and encouraging them to reflect on a job well done! In September, 20 intrepid Year 9s and Mr Eaton spent a week enjoying the outdoors around Ullswater. The weather was warm and sunny and they hiked, rowed, camped and cooked their own meals. They returned home exhausted with a bag full of smelly washing but having had a brilliant time. Mr Eaton said it had been a pleasure watching their teamwork skills develop. They even got up close to the local wildlife.

Hardknott Forest Planting Trees Learning in the great outdoors gives kids a great opportunity to thrive. The kids of Millom School were keen, Forestry England had donated hundreds of hazel saplings and John Hodgson, the project officer of Hardknott Forest was ready to supervise and inspire the children to get grubby with clearing, weeding and planting.

The Alpkit Foundation just needed to oil the wheels by funding the transport to get the kids from A to B. Restoring Hardknott Forest is an exciting project to restore one of the largest conifer plantations in the Lake District to native woodland – mainly oak, birch, bogs and open ground. It’s an historic opportunity to create the largest semi-natural woodland in the Lake District; linking Hardknott For- est with the existing Duddon Valley Woodlands that snake down the valley and all the way to the coast. Millom School Presentation Evening 2019

Parents, pupils and special guests filled the school’s Alexandra Hall on Thursday 05 December 2019 for a star- studded evening. The backdrop to the stage sparkled and the silver of the trophies glistened but the pupils were the real stars of the evening. Millom School honoured it’s outstanding young people with a host of prizes – there were awards and certificates for pupils achieving some of the best A-Level and GCSE results in the school’s history, but as Headteacher Matt Savidge pointed out in his review of the school year, education at Millom School is about so much more than academic achievement. There were Governor Awards and Special Awards not only for outstanding achievement in all subject areas but also for tenacity, effort, resilience, work ethic, teamwork and charity work/volunteering. The evening was compered by Elliot and Olivia in Y13.

The Guest Speaker for the evening was Mr Richard Leafe, Chief Executive of the Lake District National Park. After briefly outlining his progression from comprehensive school to managing one of the most stunning landscapes in the world, he went on to inspire pupils to work hard, follow their dreams Molly, Lillymay and Kieran, Y9 Trophy winners and remember their roots. He praised Millom School pupils for their achievements, determination, diversity and their volunteering work in the Lake District National Park, particularly laying new steps at Eskdale and it gave him great pleasure to present Awards to such a Richard Leafe with Benn, Year 12, Geography Award deserving group of young adults. Winner

Music and Drama are other subjects at which Millom Pupils excel. During the evening the audience was treated to an outstanding, haunting flute performance of Ashokan Farewell (Jay Ungar) by Lindsey in Y13 and a stunning, spine-tingling vocal/piano rendition of Somewhere Only We know (Keane) by Freya in Y9. The evening was rounded off in style with an accomplished performance by Preeya in Y10, singing Queen’s The Show Must Go On. There were prizes and awards for music and drama achievements both in and out of school, including participating in Cumbria County Orchestra and Choir. Lindsey Y13 playing Ashokan Farewell on the Flute Millom School Presentation Evening 2019 (cont.)

Richard Leafe with Duke of Edinburgh Award Winners

DofE - Ruth Ramsden from the Duke of Edinburgh Award was amazed at the number of Millom School Pupils achieving their Bronze and Silver Awards – she commended them on their efforts so far and Ruth Ramsden, Duke of Edinburgh inspired them to use the experiences and skills learnt in future Award, presenting Alex Year 10 with interviews for job and University applications. his Silver Certificate

Sport - Millom School is proud to produce some outstanding sportsmen and women - there were awards for County Cricket winners, County Athletic Bronze and Gold winners and National Rugby League Quarter Finalists. There were also awards for gymnasts who competed at County level and went on to undertake voluntary coaching and judging and for Cricket, Cross-Country and Rugby Union County Representatives. Dru in Year 10 received an award for representing Great Britain in the Commonwealth Youth Archery Squad.

STEM – Millom School invests a lot of time and effort in STEM subjects, in school, during after-school clubs and runs successful events for local primary schools. Kath Walley of the Barrow and District Association of Engineers congratulated not only the winner of the 2019 BDAE STEM prize, but also the Winners of the Big Bang North West Young Engineer of the Year Regional Finals. Richard Leafe , Chief Executive Lake District National Park, with Kieran, Year 9, Kieran, Year 12 and Thomas, Year 13, winners of the BDAE STEM Award

And finally, well done to Sam in Year 8, awarded The Skye Mitchell Award for building and inspiring confidence in others and demonstrating exceptional peer relationships.

ParentPay—our new online payment service We are pleased to announce that we will shortly be accepting payments online for items such as dinner money, school trips and uniform. Using a secure website called ParentPay you will be able to pay online using your credit/debit card or continue to make cash payments at Pay- Point stores. ParentPay will be our preferred method of making payments to school.

What are the benefits to parents & pupils? What are the benefits to our school?

 ParentPay is easy-to-use and will  You can help us reduce workloads for offer you the freedom to make online all staff as no more counting cash, payments whenever and wherever chasing debt and stop cash collection you like, 24/7 services  The technology used is of the highest  Creates more time to lend to internet security available ensuring educational support and the smooth that your money will reach school safely – offering you peace of mind running of the school  Improves school security  Payments can be made by credit/ debit card or also through PayPoint  Using ParentPay also ensures that all financial transactions are safe and  Full payment histories, balance alerts and statements are available to you secure - helping us to remove costs securely online at anytime associated with us having to manage cash securely on the school premises  The more parents that use ParentPay, the greater the benefit is to our school.

How to get started with ParentPay? We will send you your account activation details. Once you receive these:

 Visit www.parentpay.com

 Enter your Activation username and password in the Account Login section of the homepage NB - These are for on-time use only, please choose your own username and password for future access during the activation process

 Provide all the necessary information and choose your new username and password for your account - registering your email address will en- able us to send you receipts and reminders.

 Once activation is complete you can go straight to Items for payment, select which item(s) you want to add to your basket and proceed to complete your payment

If you have any questions, please contact the school finance office. For more information, visit www.parentpay.com/parents/ Mobile Phone Policy Reminder Using mobile devices To protect our pupils from cyber bullying and minimise disruption to lessons by use of mobile devices, the school has a strict policy. Mobile phones and other electronic devices as outlined above are not permitted to be used or held in any part of the school site during the school day. Pupils are not permitted to wear headphones connected to personal devices whilst in school. However, the school recognises the role mobile phones play in assisting parents and pupils with arranging lifts after school and monitoring pupil safety. Parents are therefore able to allow pupils to bring a phone to school under the following conditions:

Conditions of use – Before, during and after the school day The device is switched off at all times whilst in school including all breaks and between lessons. The device is kept out of sight in a bag at all times including all breaks and between lessons. The device is brought into school at the risk of the parent and pupil, the school accepts no responsibility for the security of these items, or damage during the school day and has no insurance cover for devices of this type being brought into school by pupils. Parents and pupils must ensure that files stored on these devices do not contain violent, degrading or offensive images. The transmission of some images/information can be a criminal offence and will be dealt with as such by the school. Cyber bullying is completely unacceptable, and will be followed up by the school as serious misbehaviour.

Conditions of use – 6th Form students The use of mobile device is permitted by Year 12 and Year 13 pupils within the limits of the 6th form common room. This exception does not extend to any other part of the school. Students may be invited to use their mobile devices within a lesson or activity, if directed by staff to aid their learning. The school will take all reasonable steps to ensure that no student is disadvantaged in this situation should they not have the stated equipment.

Consequences of failing to follow the rules above Pupils who repeatedly fail to comply with the guidance above will face a more rapid escalation of sanction. A pupil found holding or using a mobile device on the school site will have the phone confiscated until the end of the day. The mobile device will be held at Reception and recorded as a confiscated item. The school office will record the confiscation on the school information management system. A pupil refusing to hand over a mobile device will be failing to follow a reasonable request from a member of staff and will face a higher sanction. Pupils who repeatedly fail to comply with the guidance above will face a more rapid escalation of sanction. The following sanctions will apply following more than one confiscation within a school year; 2 offences – 15 minute Tutor Detention 3 offences – Afterschool detention 4 offences – Isolation with Form Tutor 5 offences – Isolation with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. More than 5 offences – Higher sanctions, ranging up to exclusion from school. Parental support would be sought in addition to the above sanctions. Where isolation or exclusion from school is to be considered as a sanction, the school will take steps to notify home of the sanction being applied. Please note that the Mobile Phone Policy can also been found on the school website. School Uniform/Rules Reminder We are keen to help students develop a sense of pride in their own appearance as a preparation for future careers. We also believe the uniform gives a sense of belonging and identity. It gives students the opportunity to demonstrate loyalty and cooperation with the school as a community. Uniform Suppliers School uniform and sports kits are available from two outfitters: Fergusons, Wellington Street, Millom Identity, Unit 2, Business Park, Peter Green Way, Barrow in Furness Millom School Uniform Is:  Plain black trousers or knee-length skirt (no tube or tight skirts). Trousers should not be leggings or jeans. Trousers should not be tight around a students calf or ankle. Trousers should be long enough to meet their shoes and socks should cover the ankle (no trainer socks).  Millom School polo shirt with school crest.  Millom School sweatshirt (round/crew necked) with school crest (no other jersey or sweat- shirt is allowed to be worn in school). This item is compulsory for Autumn and Spring terms. In the Summer term students do not need to wear their school jumper around school, however, if the weather is cool they must wear their school jumper over their polo shirt not a hooded top or jacket. These should only be worn over the school jumper, outside of the school buildings.  Plain black, white, or dark green socks or tights (no trainer socks).  It is recommended that all items of uniform are marked with the students name.  For Health and Safety reasons jewellery is restricted to one pair of plain, flat studs, one earring per lobe and one plain flat ring and one watch.  Coloured nail varnish and false nails are not allowed in school. Nails must be kept short for Health and Safety reasons especially for lessons like Technology and PE. Footwear;  Durable smart black shoes or boots for school, may be worn. Please note that no training shoes, casual leisure shoes, skate shoes or thin soled slip on shoes for girls (dolly shoes). Millom School PE Kit Is: For all students;

 Black shorts*.

 Green indoor sports top (short sleeves)*.

 Green outdoor sports top (long sleeves)*.

 Green football socks

 Football boots

 Trainers or gym shoes

 Towel

 Shin pads Optional items;

 Black tracksuit* * denotes items with school crest Reminders

 If your child is unwell and not able to attend school, please contact Reception before 9:30am on the first day of their absence and continue to keep the school informed with updates should their absence continue. Please send a letter to school following your child’s absence confirming the reason for them not being able to attend school.

 In order for the school to authorise medical appointments please provide the school with a copy of the appointment letter or card prior to the appointment if possible. Please note that any optician or dental appointments should be made out of school hours. Please note that it may not be possible for a member of staff to collect your child from their lesson if they have forgotten about their appointment.

 Holidays should not be taken during term time. All requests for time out of school with regards to holidays or exceptional circumstances should be put in writing addressed to Mr MD Savidge, Headteacher.

 All students should be wearing the correct uniform. Reminders with regards to uniform/hair and jewellery can be found on the website under the ‘Community’ tab and then select the ‘Information—Non Statutory’ tab. Uniform reminders for parent/carer(s) and students can also be found in this newsletter

 Please label all your child's uniform and PE kit. It is easier for us to identify this if it is left in school. We will inform your child of named lost uniform or PE Kit via the student bulletin, this can then be collected from Reception.

 Lunch money left for your child in Reception will have to be collected by your child. If your child reports to Reception because they have forgotten their lunch money they will be asked to see the Finance Office staff. Trip money must be given to the Finance Office by your child, only in an emergency will Reception staff accept this. Messages for students will also only be passed on in an emergency.

 Polite reminder

Now that the school’s fences are in place and operational, all visitors should access the school site through the main entrance on Salthouse Road, and report to Reception. The Station Hotel gate is locked at 3:15pm, and there is no access for students or those accessing the school site for extra curricular activities after this time. Please respect our neighbours by following these instructions.

Millom School Salthouse Road Millom Cumbria LA18 5AB

Tel: 01229 772300 Fax: 01229 772883

Website: www.millom.cumbria.sch.uk

Email: [email protected] Twitter:@MillomSchool