Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you have all enjoyed the shorter week.
Exams have now started, and it has been lovely to see pupils supporting each other at break and lunchtime, quizzing one another with flashcards and sharing quick revision tips. Our Maximising Achievement programme is in full swing for Year 11, the turn out yesterday for English revision was fabulous. Our Year 13 teachers are also on hand for any last-minute questions or revision sessions students may need.
We’ve also welcomed a number of external visitors into school this half term, and they have all commented on the warm, positive relationships between staff and pupils, as well as how respectful our young people are. We are very proud of the way pupils represent our school community.
In school, behaviour continues to be very strong. However, the local town council has made us aware of a small number of incidents involving young people in the community outside school hours. If your child is out with friends, please do help us by knowing where they are and reminding them to be considerate, respecting their surroundings and the local residents. Thank you for your support with this.
Thank you to everyone who attended our presentations on phone pouches. We’ve really appreciated the thoughtful questions and were pleased to hear such positive feedback. A few parents and carers raised concerns about our initial proposal to confiscate phones overnight if a pupil intentionally tried to circumvent the policy, and we want to reassure you that, having listened, we have removed this from the policy.
As we shared at the presentations, with growing national concern about phone use and the impact of social media on young people, moving to a total ban during the school day is a sensible step. The best way to make it successful is by working together, school and home, to set clear expectations and support pupils in making healthy choices.
This week we have also launched the Head Student application process, and we’re excited to see pupils put themselves forward for these leadership roles. Looking ahead, we will be placing an even stronger focus on wellbeing next year, with our Head Students taking an active role in shaping and championing this work across the school. We will share more information with you over the coming weeks.
Today marks the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough, who is an inspiration to us all. Over several decades, he has helped generations to understand and appreciate the natural world through landmark programmes such as Life on Earth, combining scientific accuracy with storytelling that captures curiosity and wonder. More recently, he has used his platform to encourage all of us to take responsibility for protecting nature and wildlife for the future. To recognise all that he has done, Mr Meacock has created a mini documentary, The Alsagerian Safari, which has been shared with pupils today. Whilst we are unable to share it with you, please do ask your child about it. In humanities today our KS3 classes have been celebrating the 100th Birthday of Sir David Attenborough with a variety of activities that have run throughout the day including a 100-item challenge where students have been out and collected 100 natural items from the grounds to build a montage to Sir David. Photos will be posted on our social media. Our observant pupils may also have noticed staff embracing the challenge set to wear ‘animal themed’ clothing as part of the celebration as well. No photos of that will be posted on social media!
As always, thank you for your continued support and whatever your plans, have a lovely weekend.
“No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced” (Sir David Attenborough)
