headteacher s half-termly newsletter · 2017. 10. 30. · headteacher’s half-termly newsletter...

HEADTEACHER’S HALF-TERMLY NEWSLETTER

ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE BY BELONGING TOGETHER & CHALLENGING MIND-SETS

December 2015

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the final newsletter of 2015! It has been an incredibly busy but successful year at Colmers with our Year 11 and 13 leavers departing with such good grades and futures, but also getting to know our new Year 7s and the energy they bring to our school. It is astonishing to think that many of the staff returned to school 18 or 19 weeks ago when those A Level and GCSE results came out and that we are already in the 15th week of this really important term. My colleagues and your children are really looking forward to a bit of a rest and break for a few weeks but we look forward to seeing all the students again on Tuesday 5th January 2016, normal time!

Until then, may you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas holiday (please see message below) and on behalf of us all at Colmers, we wish you a happy and successful 2016.

Best wishes, Mr Barry Doherty (Headteacher)

The New Scorecard Introduced – One In A Thousand and Seventy Three… All of our students, from Year 7 through to Year 13, have been working towards their first personal scorecard. Each student knows what they need to do to win a bronze, silver or gold medal in each of the ten events: attendance, punctuality, attitudes to learning and homework, extra-curricular engagement, uniform, equipment, community involvement, reading and House Points. You will note that every child, regardless of their ability, has the potential to beat every other child in the school – and to get a higher score each time.

You should already know your son or daughter’s personal score. Their scorecard, certificate and a letter from me was given to your child on Wednesday. Each student could have got a score as low as zero or as high as 100. Unless your child is one of the three students who managed to get 100 points, then he or she can do better next term by looking at where they only picked up bronze or silver medals and how to turn those into gold.

There were three students who managed to reach the astonishing heights of 100 points. They have shown that they possess all of the right attitudes and behaviours that will virtually guarantee success in their academic and wider life. As I have explained, getting 100 points isn’t a reflection of their academic ability, it is a reflection of their character – something much more valuable.

Below, you can see the names of the three students who came top of our first scorecard competition. Their final rank had to come down to how many House Points they had accumulated and so each one of them can be extremely proud indeed!

1st Bethanie

Harris Year 11KT (Wolf)

100 Points

+ 70 House Points

Their achievements… All three students ought to be extremely proud of the following:

97.0% attendance or higher since September. Never been late to school. Five or more Level 1 Attitudes to Learning Five or more Level 1 Attitudes to Homework. Consistently attends at least one school club. Their uniform is always perfect. They are always equipped for all lessons. They have been involved in four or more community events. They have read eight or more books since September They have been awarded at least 51 House Points since

September.

2nd Abbie

Martin Year 8NB (Dolphin)

100 Points

+ 58 House Points

3rd Greg

Maglione Year 10MM (Wolf)

100 Points

+ 51 House Points

Congratulations to… Wolf House! Our new House Competition runs throughout the year but is divided into autumn, spring and summer competitions. I am delighted to share with you the outcome of the first term competition as follows…



Road Safety – please support us as we seek to saves lives… We have noticed a worrying rise in the number of your children who are crossing the Bristol Road dangerously. Despite the crossings in place, children have been seen crossing the road at various points and placing their lives at risk. This was raised with the students in an assembly two weeks ago and students warned that if we see such behaviour on the way to school, or going home, we shall be issuing a sanction and making contact with you so that we can work together to avoid a tragedy.

The Ghost of Christmas Past: Attendance – our Achilles Heel is back Achilles was the Ancient Greek here who was unbeaten and unconquerable until his weakness became known and was exploited. For Achilles it was the tendon in his heel and when Paris or Apollo’s arrow finally hit that weak spot, Achilles was felled and his end followed. A dramatic story, but the metaphor remains an apt way of looking at attendance at Colmers.

We know that parents can quickly become anxious when the issue of their attendance is raised because it can seem like a judgment or attack on your child and your parenting. Nevertheless, compared to similar schools, our attendance simply is not good enough. In order to improve our attendance we need all 1073 students to improve their attendance and ensure that their attendance is at least 95.0%, if not 97.0% or higher. We are the sum of our parts after all. If your son or daughter’s attendance falls below 95% (equal to a day off every month) he or she will be required to complete catch up lessons after school to ensure they do not fall behind.

Homework Diaries – Back to the Future In September we introduced the use of mobile phones in school. One reason this decision was made was to enable pupils to utilise their mobile devices to record their homework. Many pupils grasped the challenge and have been successfully using their devices as an organisational tool. However, we acknowledge that some of our pupils have found this change to be quite daunting. Therefore, from January, the school will be providing each pupil with a diary, in which they will be expected to record their homework.

Mock Exams – how much work did your son or daughter do? Congratulations to those Years 11, 12 and 13 students who have recently completed their mock GCSE and A Level examinations. We know this is a challenging time for students and brings out the survival instinct in everyone. On Wednesday 13th January 2016 the Mock GCSE and A- Level results will be released to all students in those year groups, ahead of a full parents evening with all subjects that afternoon and evening. If either you or your son / daughter feel they need more help to be successful then please do not delay in seeking a conversation with myself, a senior teacher or Mr Bennett or Mr Charlett.

Parent Governors – do you wish to serve your community? We currently have two Parent Governor vacancies on the Governing Body here at Colmers School. Experience of school governance is not needed and full training is provided. All you need is an interest in education and a desire to support the community. If you feel that this role is something you would be interested in please contact Mrs Shortland, Clerk to the Governing Body, on 453 1778 who will be pleased to give you further information.

If It Snows – STAY CALM AND DON’T GET YOUR HOPES UP… You will be aware that in the event of snow disruption or closure we shall inform all families by: (1) Group Call text message, (2) our web site, (3) via local radio and (4) via the School’s Twitter accounts: @ColmersSchool and @ColmersParents.

Our website remains the most accurate and instant source of information. In the event of snowfall it is possible that the school will open one hour later at 9.45am, giving time for staff to arrive safely and for the entire site to be cleared and assessed. Students who arrive earlier would be able to wait in the canteen.



ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

The Ghost of Christmas Present: League Tables and RAISEonline – Looking Outwards to Improve Inwards In the last newsletter I outlined the significant achievements of our GCSE and A Levels students and celebrated superb successes and improvements across the school. The highlights were:

100% pass rate (Grades A* to E) at A Level – 30% of all grades were As and Bs 57% of our students left with five or more GCSEs that include English and Mathematics – up by 11%! A* to C grades in English Language rose from 58% to 68% and in Literature hit 66% A* to C grades in Maths rose from 59% to 68% A* to C grades in both Core and Additional Science rose sharply from 42% to 54% - our best ever performance! A* to C performance in Biology and Physics was also excellent (93% and 95%) A*/A performance in all Biology, Chemistry and Physics was at least good (39%, 24% and 26% respectively) Out of a total of 1,693 GCSE entries, 249 were A* or A grades (15%) – double the number in 2014! A* to B grades were achieved in 705 of those 1,693 entries (42%) – again, double the 2014 figure in 2014!

The publication of the national league tables of schools and the release of a document that helps schools benchmark their own performance against all and similar schools (known as RAISEonline) reinforces the knowledge that during this very volatile period in education we are not simply surviving but thriving. This comes down to harder and harder work amongst students and of course the dedication of my colleagues of whom I could not ask much more… Our highest ever parental engagement in the recent Monitoring Meeting (92%+) also indicates that we are all raising standards together and long may this bond continue!

BELONGING TOGETHER

Parent and Carer Survey – results collated and now the hard work begins… We hope that all parents and carers know that we eagerly seek your views on what we do well and what we could do better. We know that we are not a perfect organisation but we know we will try harder for longer than anyone else to get things right and learn from the past. With this spirit in mind, this full survey was carried out at the recent Monitoring Meetings and the results appear below. Mr Boardman (Assistant Headteacher) will be in touch with families in the New Year to share with you the action plan that has arisen from our feedback and how we intend to get these great numbers even better this time next year!

Statement Strongly Agreed

Agreed Disagreed

1. My child feels safe at this school 131 86 9

2. The school makes sure my child is well looked after 134 82 6

3. Communications with the school are valuable 154 67 1

4. Communications with the school are positive 130 78 11

5. My child is making good progress at this school 119 89 8

6. My child is taught well at this school 118 112 2

7. I feel part of my child's education 87 128 19

8. The school encourages my child to have a healthy lifestyle 74 146 12

9. The school makes sure that my child is prepared for the future 96 131 8

10. The school meets my child's particular needs 99 126 10

11. There is a good standard of behaviour at this school 75 136 20

12. The school’s links with the community have increased 54 123 23

13. Colmers has a positive reputation in the community 87 140 10

14. The school responds well to my concerns 109 105 19

15. The school helps my child to develop skills… 117 109 7

16. The school deals with any case of bullying effectively 90 108 23

17. I understand Colmers’ values and beliefs 111 116 8

18) The school is led and managed effectively 107 116 12

19) I would recommend this school to another parent/carer 130 88 11



CHALLENGING MIND-SETS

The Ghost of Christmas Future: Healthy Eating & Drinking – do you know what your children are buying? We hope that you are aware that students are not permitted to take fizzy drinks into school. This is particularly true of energy drinks, like Lucozade. We all know that sugared drinks and energy drinks contains dangerous amounts of sugar and / or caffeine that leads to hyper-active behaviours and increased levels of anxiety amongst some students.

Following a spate of students bringing 1 litre bottles of the factory-made liquid into school, we began stepping up our local monitoring of what students are actually purchasing and bringing into school. We are pleased to report a sudden end to these unhealthy purchases. However, a number of us who took it in turns to be in Morrison’s to ensure students were not buying products that are not allowed (for health reasons) in school, we were surprised and even shocked at what they are buying with their pocket money, or perhaps the money that are supposed to be spending on their lunch…

The most popular items are below, with one odd one out… At this point in time we are not proposing to prohibit the purchase of these products. We’d rather educate your children to discourage these purchases and illustrate the long term effects on their health and well-being instead. But we may come back to this in time.

Pipes of Pringles

= 900 calories

200g bags of Doritos

= 1000 calories

and ½ teaspoon of salt

215g bags of Haribo Starmix

= 25 teaspoons of

sugar and 680 calories

200g pots of Jelly Beans

= 30 teaspoons of


Limitless Council Pop

= Free and no

added sugar, salt or fat

1 litre of Lucozade

= 22 teaspoons of


Don’t forget, you can view all of the purchases ever made by your children on-line or request a print-out. We urge you to have a conversation about their intake choices to ensure their long term health and habits are heading in the right direction.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY…

Friday 18th December – final day of the autumn term. End at 2pm Tuesday 5th January 2016 – first day of the Spring Term Wednesday 13th January – Subject Consultations – Years 11, 12 and 13 only Thursday 28th January 2016 – Annual Prize Evening Friday 12th February - last day of term before half term Monday 22nd February 2016 - First day of the new half term Sunday 20th to Wednesday 23rd March: Visit to Poland: Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Oscar

Schindler Museum Thursday 24th March - break up for Easter Monday 11th April - return from the Easter break. Normal times Wednesday 20th April - Monitoring Meetings, 2PM TO 7PM

headteacher s half-termly newsletter · 2017. 10. 30. · headteacher’s half-termly newsletter...

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