Blog Week Ending 16th January
Welcome back, and a very happy new year to you all! This term has started as we mean to continue, with renewed purpose, positivity and a host of new learning opportunities and initiatives.
Last night we held a celebration reunion event for last year’s GCSE students to collect their certificates and share news of their new courses, careers and adventures! It is incredibly rewarding for staff to see our students’ confidence grow and horizons broaden .. for both those who joined our WG6 and those who are pursuing opportunities elsewhere. Our current Year 11 students are focused on their studies and next step opportunities and engaging well with the programme of additional study and support sessions available to them.
Year 11 Exam Preparation & Support Sessions. We understand that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to exam preparation and revision. Our approach of a varied range of in-class learning, intervention sessions and subject clubs provide a comprehensive strategy to support every student in achieving their potential. The Exam Preparation and Intervention sessions imbed examination skills and revision techniques which work in conjunction with revision at home and in-school.
Any topic re-cap sessions in school do not replace student-led home revision (and independent study time); they supplement them. Intervention and re-capping forms part of our lesson plan and is a natural aspect of subject lessons to prepare students for their formal exams. We continue to encourage our students to revise in their own time, find methods that work for them and see intervention as an extension of their learning. Our current out of lesson Intervention sessions that are available for students are as below.
Two Year 11 support sessions after school on Tuesday included – Miss Morrison’s Biology session, which this week included targeted re-capping of selected topics based on students’ requirements. Ms Tantony’s Computer Science Y11 extra practice group focused on writing and predicting code for 2D Arrays.
Mrs Walker the Careers Leader at WGSB is finishing her next-steps support meetings with around 80 Year 11 students. We have talked about their next steps after GCSE’s such as A level subject choices, apprenticeships and future university or career pathways.
We use the Golden Decision-Making Triangle below to help guide our discussion – always going back to the CORE guidance to choose subjects they LOVE and that they are GOOD at and that ideally lead to their future pathway.
Students have been encouraged to review their Morrisby profile and career matches in their Morrisby Careers account and the notes from their Careers Guidance meetings in Year 10 and 11 are saved there. https://www.morrisby.com/. Mrs Walker will be at Year 11 parents’ evening if any students, parents or carers need any further advice.
If students from Year 11 needs support out of school hours or in the holidays they can contact this free government careers service by phone or online chat https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/
Mrs Cross’ GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition students are currently trialling their examination dishes. Students are carrying out a timed practical before then completing a full evaluation of the chosen dish, making modifications and improvements as required to maximise their grades. Students have chosen complex dishes requiring them to demonstrate a range of technical abilities.
Huge congratulations to the Year 9 F1 team who won their competition: fastest car, best engineered car and 1st overall in the recent Formula 1 in Schools Regional Competition at Canterbury Christ Church University. It was a brilliant (and very successful!) experience allowing the students to trial their cars and strategies in a competitive forum. The winnning team are;
Vidit G
Amauray N
Kevin F
Ethan A
Jeevan S
Mr Price’s Year 8 Design & Technology students have been working on their F1 in Schools topic. Students have been studying aerodynamic principles and using this knowledge in the production of their prototype F1 model cars. In the below photos students are refining their skills with flat files and glass paper on Styrofoam test blocks to create the most aerodynamic shape. Students have been inspired by the success of our Year 9 F1 team and are keen to replicate their success!
Introducing .. Miss Egemensoy who joins us as second in command, English Department with specific responsibility for KS3 curriculum. Miss Egemensoy joins us from St Thomas Moore Secondary School where she was deputy head of the English department.
“I am passionate about literature, the joy derived from reading and the benefits it brings to our own personal development, perspectives and motivations, as well as its ability to boast wellbeing! I am keen to work with our Librarian to help foster a lifelong ‘reading for pleasure’ habit in all our students. Additionally, I am committed to to supporting our students to excel in language, and to understand and recognise how language can sometimes be manipulated to blur fact with fiction – especially as we increasingly receive key news and information online and via social media platforms.”
“I have been made incredibly welcome by our students and staff and am thoroughly enjoying being part of this amazing, supportive and cohesive community”
Pictured below, Miss Egemensoy working with her Year 7 students as they explore the narrative of myths.
PTA Update: The PTA are busy planning some events for the spring term and updates will follow in a future Blog.
We are holding our doughnut and samosa sale on 14th February and boxes of doughnuts and samosas can be pre ordered on parentpay now.
PTA lottery and would like to congratulate the following winners:
September – Reuben B Year 10
October – Jacob D Year 8
November – Alex S Year 7
December – Kabir K Year 7
Forthcoming Dates;
Year 9 GCSE Options Evening & Duke of Edinburgh launch (in person) – 16 January 5-6.15pm
Year 11 Careers ‘next steps’ one-to-one interviews begin – 20 January
Year 11 Parents’ Evening (in person) – 21 January 4-7:30pm
Year 9 Vaccinations (and Y10&11 catch up)
Model Railway Club Trip – Saturday 25 January 10am-4pm
UCAS Deadline – 29 January
Intermediate Maths Challenge – 30 January
WG6 Geography Trip – 4 February
Ski Trip Parent/Carer briefing – 5 February 5.30pm
Year 9 Parents’ Evening – 6 February 4pm-7.30pm
PTA Doughnut & Samosa Sale at break – 14 February
Last Day of Term 3 – 14 February
WG6 New York Trip – 15 February – 20 February
First Day of Term 4 – Tuesday 25 February
Best wishes,
Stuart Harrington
Headteacher
