From the Head of Secondary 11.02.2023
Toilet Bowls, Cisterns, and all things Eco
A few years ago we updated the school washrooms and gave them all a new lease of life, much to the delight of our students. We have been regularly reminded of that event by the sight of the long line of the old toilets which had been wrenched out of their previous homes and neatly laid out at the side of the school field. Those of us who spotted them every now and again thought ‘seems a shame to discard them, but also they really need to be repurposed, or thrown away’. Well, thanks to the Eco-Warriors and Ms McPherson, we are going to see these old essentials being completely transformed and given a new purpose in life.
The Eco-Warriors were out in force this week tackling the job of giving the toilet bowls and cisterns a new lease of life, the first stage being a jolly good clean, using plenty of elbow grease. Read on to find out more about the plans for this refurbishment, as well as other projects that this very active team are working on.
Well done to the Eco-Warriors!
Communication and Community
On Wednesday this week we held our first face-to-face ‘Drop-off and Drop-in’ for a while. This event was well attended by parents from Primary and Secondary, and the topic under discussion was ‘Reporting and Assessment’. It can be confusing at times for parents to fully understand the reports which they receive from school and without that understanding, there can be misconceptions. Ms Hitchen spoke about the skills-based Primary curriculum and how the students were assessed through time. One important aspect to keep in mind is that not all children develop at the same pace across the board, so parents must never feel that their child is ‘behind’ in any particular skill aspect. I gave some basic facts about the assessment and reporting schedule in Secondary. This included information on how we track students’ progress across time, how we record the results of their assessments and how we can easily identify any anomalies, including ‘dips’ in progress in any subject. Tracking meetings are held approximately every three weeks and teachers share strategies and decisions are made about how to support any student who may be struggling. Formal reports are published at the ends of terms, with some variation for our Year 11, 12 and 13 students. As well as grades [A, B, C, D etc] we report on aspects such as class contribution and attitude to study, and each teacher writes a comprehensive comment on each individual student.
We saw ‘reporting’ in a broader sense on Wednesday afternoon when we welcome our Year 11 parents into school to participate in student / parent / teacher meetings. This was extremely well attended, and I would like to thank all parents who were there at this vitally important event. Year 11 are at a crucial stage in their educational journey, with mocks just behind them and the real exams coming up in May / June, and at the same time this group are making important decisions about their A Level choices, ready for starting Year 12 in August.
As a school we are always available to meet with parents and we do endeavour to keep the lines of communication open; I would like to reiterate that I would be delighted to meet with any parent to discuss any matter pertaining to school and their child’s educational journey!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs Margaret Renshaw
Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary
