From the Head of Secondary 27.05.2023
With just a few weeks remaining to the end of term, and time rushing by as it tends to do at busy times, planning is moving ahead for a wide range of activities and events.
Our Year 7 to 10 parents have received a letter earlier this week from Mr Colbeck outlining the arrangements for the exams, which will be taking place from the 8th to the 13th June. These are formal assessments and are good practice for the exams that all students will take, some sooner than others. For Year 10, it is a chance to consolidate all of the work they have covered this year, and to practice, in a suitable formal environment, for when they take their IGCSE levels next May / June.
By the time our students reach year 10 they will have undertaken formal exams once a year since Year 8. In Year 11 they take mock exams a few months before taking their actual exams, and this is repeated in Years 12 and 13 with mock exams taking place in March before the actual AS and A Levels in May / June. By repeated practice, students will become familiar not just with the format; they will become more accustomed with managing their stress levels in preparation for their ‘real’ exams.
This is all new for our Year 7 students, who have yet to take formal exams although they have of course undertaken many assessments in a range of formats. Nerves are to be expected. In the letter which Mr Colbeck sent out he also gave some advice for parents in how to support their children in the build-up to the exams, and during them.
The Eco Warriors are currently promoting a new initiative and in the assembly yesterday Ms McPherson talked about this. From 1st June we would like to see all students from Year 6 to 13 bringing in their own reusable containers should they wish to buy snacks and food from the canteen. This does not include pre-ordered meals, which already come packaged in reusable containers. It is said that it takes about three weeks to embed a new habit so let’s hope that with determination, in about a month’s time the canteen can totally stop providing paper bags etc. as they do now. Read on to find out more about this.
On Tuesday I met with Juah, Vice President of the Student Council. The group are keen to make some improvements to the school uniform and I am impressed with their ideas and the thought that they have put into them. These will be explored further with a small group getting together to consider the ideas in depth, with the aim of preparing a proposal on a number of items to be put forward to the school leadership.
This week we have seen students performing Random Acts of Kindness. Read on to find out more in Ms Colley’s account, with the spotlight on some really lovely things that students have been doing for each other!
Have a lovely weekend, and good luck to all our Fun Runners tomorrow morning!
Mrs Margaret Renshaw
Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary
