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IMPORTANT INFORMATION For the New School Year

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE SPRING TERM 2014

The term will begin

MONDAY 6TH JANUARY 2014

Students should arrive at 11.00am

Years 7, 8, 9 & 10 to register in their Form Rooms Year 11 to register in the Main Hall

Sixth Form to register in the 6th Form Resource centre From Tuesday 7th January all students must arrive at school at the normal start time of

8.30 a.m.

SCHOOL TERM AND HOLIDAY DATES FOR

SPRING AND SUMMER TERMS 2014

Spring Term 2014

Monday 6th January – Friday 4th April 2014

Half term Monday 17th – Friday 21st February 2014

Good Friday: 18th April 2014 Easter Monday: 21st April 2014

Summer Term 2014

Tuesday 22nd April – Friday 18th July 2014

Bank Holiday Monday 5th May 2014

Half term Monday 26th – Friday 30th May 2014

TOTAL STUDENT DAYS 2013-14

194 student days

(Please note that all dates listed may be subject to change)

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YEAR 10

CELEBRATION AFTERNOON

July 2013

We ended the Summer Term of 2013 with our annual

Year Celebration Afternoons which are always well attended by Councillors and other dignitaries. Year 10

celebration afternoon were proud to welcome the

Mayor of Bexley, Cllr Sharon Massey.

ERITH SCHOOL PRESENTATION

EVENING 2013

Erith School held its annual presentation evening to celebrate the success of their Year

11 and 6th Form students of 2013. Erith

enjoyed their best results to date with 100% pass rate for A Levels and 84% pass rate for

five A*- C grades in GCSE’s. A capacity audience saw certificates and prizes

presented by Steve Brown (Captain of the

Paralympics GB Wheelchair Rugby Team 2012) on what was an immensely enjoyable evening.

Steve’s very moving and inspirational speech was greeted with a standing ovation! Amongst

the dignitaries was The Worshipful Mayor of

Bexley, Sharon Massey, who tweeted, “congratulations to all the students on their

exam results, inspirational speech from Steve Brown”.

Steve Brown added his comments on Twitter, “had a real fun time at Erith School presentation

Evening. It is a fab school with fab students’

thank you for making me so welcome”. Mr Brian Lloyd, Headteacher, added “I am

extremely proud of the many young people who have succeeded at the school, and wish them

well on the next stage of their lives”.

Congratulations also go to their newly appointed Head Girl, Megan Kelleher, and Head Boy, Roy

(Olamide) Fagbemigun, for their excellent debut speeches.

YEAR 11 WORK EXPERIENCE

SEPTEMBER 2013

Year on Year, we pride ourselves with successful Work

Experience for our Year 11 Students and 2013 was no

exception with almost every

Year 11 student having secured a placement. The event

culminated, as always, with a

certificate presentation assembly with our School

Governors.

Rotary Club Christmas Walks – Special Mention

JAE GORING – 11 BEECH Jae has been on the Rotary Club Christmas charity walk every year, without fail, since he started at Erith School in Year 7. Not only has Jae attended the walk every year he attends every evening that Erith are involved - come rain or shine! Jae said he likes going every year because he enjoys helping the Rotary Club raise money for good causes and having fun with his friends on the walks.

Well done Jae and thank you for all your efforts!

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

2013

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ERITH SCHOOL’S HEAD BOY CHOSEN AS FLAG BEARER

AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE

Roy (Olamide) Fagbemigun was chosen by UNICEF to be the flag bearer for

Zambia at the ceremony to mark the official start of the Commonwealth Games baton relay.

HRH Queen Elizabeth was presented with the baton by Sir Chris Hoy; she

placed a special message inside which will be revealed at the start of the games in less than 270 days. The baton will visit all 70 competing

commonwealth nations before the games commence in Scotland in 2014. Olmadie said “I was filled with overwhelming emotions standing still like a

statue and having the Queen of England just metres away from me. This

made me think I would like to meet her again”.

WELL DONE

Elleanor Cole 8 Rowan

Elleanor is a member of Erith

District Swimming Club’s Synchronized Swimming Team.

She attends training at the club three times a week. In 2012

Elleanor was Erith District

Swimming Club’s Synchronized swimmer of the year. In

November of this year, Elleanor achieved fourth place in the

Kent Synchronized Swimming

competition.

WELL DONE

Samantha Rushbrook 8 Rowan

Samantha won the Under 13

Hammer throw in the Summer which means she is the best

hammer thrower in Kent and has broken the Kent Under 13

record. Samantha managed to

throw the hammer a distance of over 24 metres and she is

currently ranked 3rd in the country for the Under 13’s.

WELL DONE

Georgia Hunt 10 Pine

Georgia is a member of the

Waterfront Gymnastics club in Woolwich and has been taking

part in gymnastics for 10 years. Recently, Georgia came first in

Floor and Vault in a Gymnastic

Competition that was held at Thomas Tallis Secondary

School.

CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION

Well done to

Courtney Duggan Ishara

Herath Chloe Waters Tyler

Hayes Corinne

Masheder Skye King Karna

Mitchell-Charles Holly Francis and Amy King who achieved Highly commended for their entries

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

2013

Congratulations also go to Karna Michell-Charles Year 8 for the Christmas badge design

CONGRATULATIONS TO This year’s winner Jake Pavey Year 8

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PORT LYMPNE 200 GORRILLAS PROJECT

‘FRAN’S VOYAGE’

PROJECT

POPPY APPEAL 2013

Together with Mufti Day and the

One Mile Challenge

Erith School students raised

£880.00

Erith School Students on Mufti

Day Raised

£800.00

During Poppy week which

culminated in a very moving and memorable

Remembrance Day Service Erith School students raised

£470.64

TOTAL OF

£2150.64

The ATC Erith Cadets (majority of whom are Erith Students which include a small number of

Bexleyheath Cadets raised £913.41 for the Poppy Appeal 2013.

ROTARY CHRISTMAS WALKS

Every year around 30 boys and girls, together with the Headteacher and the Deputy Headteachers and other staff, wrap up very warm

and walk the local area on three evenings at the end of the Autumn

Term. Collections are made on behalf of the Rotary Club for local voluntary groups and Special Schools and this year will be no

different. It is always a pleasure to see so many local families coming out to donate money and show the little ones Santa in his new sleigh

LOVE IN A BOX

Each year, Erith School students generously make a Christmas gift box for children in other countries. We donate these boxes to the charity Love in a Box, which is part of the Mustard Seed Relief Mission based in Eastbourne. Our boxes are collected and taken back to the depot to be sorted and taken by lorries across Europe. In total Love in a Box sends on average 50,000 boxes each year from Schools, churches, other organisations and individuals and each one is individually received by a child. This is a wonderful activity and students at Erith School enjoy making a box for a child elsewhere in the world. Students work collectively in tutor groups or at home to make these generous boxes. As we collect them, we display the boxes in reception to show off the kindness and generosity of Erith Students.

ERITH STUDENTS SUPPORT FOR

CHARITIES 2013

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MOON ROCK FROM NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM –

Valuable samples of moon rock and soil that were brought back to Earth by NASA's Apollo astronauts were loaned, to Erith School by the

Natural History Museum in September. The samples were collected

during NASA's manned space missions to the Moon in the1960s and 1970’s. NASA decided to use a small proportion of the rock and soil to

develop the teaching of lunar and planetary sciences. Students at Erith School were the lucky beneficiaries of this scheme.

In addition, the Natural History Museum also gave the school a loan

of equally important meteorite samples. Samples included rock that had been blasted off the surface of Mars before landing on Earth as

well as space debris that been floating in space for more years than the Earth has been in existence! The collection was used as resource to enhance the teaching of GCSE

Physics and P16 Science course taught at the school

YEAR 10 AT HALL PLACE

Yr10 - Went on a primary research trip to Hall Place on Friday 27th Sept. Students sketched and painted

while in the grounds and glasshouses at hall place. They were carrying out primary research for their Unit 1 - Introduction to specialist pathways in their BTEC Level 2 Art & Design (Fashion Textiles) course

WHOLE YEAR 8 CROSS CURRICULAR LESSON

ALL Year 8s went to the Main Hall for an exciting Cross Curricular Lesson on Science and Sound. Students learnt

how sound can involve a number of different subjects in

this interactive whole year group lesson. This lesson also links in with their recent visit to the Horniman museum.

Mr Gates (Head of Science) conducted the experiments.

OCTOBER 2013

SEPTEMBER 2013

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SIR BOB KERSLAKE VISITS ERITH SCHOOL

Erith School’s 6th Form students recently welcomed Sir Bob

Kerslake, Head of the Home Civil Service and Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government. Sir Bob,

along with colleagues, Zach Johnstone and Kelly Dunlea, spoke to students about the work of the Civil Service, the varied careers

available within the service and how young people can join – for

example, as graduate programmers or apprentices. At the end of the talk a question and answer session was held with

students asking lots of probing questions, from “What kind of degree do you need to join the Civil Service?” to “Are you friends

with the Queen?” One student commented: “I feel inspired to join

the Civil Service and want to learn more about how to go about it

…I did not realise that they were responsible for so much; it sounds like a very interesting job”.

BOWLES WEEKEND

14 boys and 6 girls from Years 8 & 9

went on a residential

weekend to the Bowles Outdoor

Activity Centre and took part in a range

of activities which included: Rock

Climbing, Bouldering, High Ropes, Zip Wire,

Skiing, Team Building, Problem Solving and Kayaking. All the students had a great time and

thoroughly enjoyed the residential experience; particularly having to make their own beds and

clean up after meals! All of these students will

now be firm candidates for PE GCSE courses in the future and they will hopefully take up some of

the new activities they have discovered

YEAR 13 – CREATIVE ARTS – DRAMA

The Year 13s created a play

called

'Sunnyside' which focused

on the issues faced for

individuals in a children's

home. It was a

deep hard hitting piece with excellent professionalism. They also performed a dance

entitled 'Spanner in the works', which focused on going against the status quo of what one would

expect from an 'ordinary' dance. It was a piece

which focused on precision and sharp movements and the group were able to execute this with an

assured confidence which Year 13 brings

SHAKESPEARE SCHOOLS FESTIVAL

Taking part in the Shakespeare schools festival 2013 has been a truly enjoyable experience. It

has enabled me and those who participated to enjoy exploring a Shakespeare play in a way that

develops our dramatic skills, helps us to

understand Shakespearian language and overall have fun with new found friends. Our school was

given the play “Richard III”. Weekly rehearsals were conducted in a way that encouraged all

actors to enjoy themselves whilst learning

different techniques and really working as a team to produce the best overall performance possible.

The ensemble element to our piece helped towards this perfectly. It allowed all actors to

work together which also brought everyone closer together as a group; I found this to be a

brilliant contribution to the enjoyment I

experience whilst rehearsing. Not only did the actors help each other out but the teachers and

6th formers were a great help in directing and assisting individuals with building the characters.

On the day, the opportunity to experience technical and dress rehearsals at the Mick Jagger Centre in

Dartford was a very exciting experience which really encouraged the actors to give their all in their

performance; they did exactly that! The months of

hard work and rehearsals all came together to produce what I would describe as a very professional

and well-presented performance. Nothing can beat the feeling you experience when performing in front

of an audience especially your friends and family.

I personally feel extremely proud our Erith School

Shakespeare team’s achievement and I am grateful to have been a part of experiencing

it alongside everyone who was involved.

Charlie Hughes Year 11 Spruce

OCTOBER 2013

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BOOKBUZZ

Bookbuzz run by Booktrust is

a national reading

program aimed

at encouraging reading for

pleasure, independent choice and a whole school reading and

writing culture.

Erith School contributes 50% of the cost of the books and Booktrust the remaining 50%, making it

100% free for the students; this is Erith School Library’s seventh year of co-ordinating the scheme.

Each student in Year 7 chooses from a list of 13

carefully selected titles and of the 360 books ordered this year, the most popular was ‘Soldier Dog’ by Sam

Angus, followed closely by ‘My Best Friend and Other Enemies’ by Catherine Wilkins.

YEAR 10 COLCHESTER ZOO

Students were given a talk

about running the zoo as a

Business. Areas

covered in the talk included the

daily cost of running a zoo,

where the revenue comes from, how it’s spent,

who their target customers are, effective advertising and various job roles within the zoo.

Students were all given a work booklet to complete and had the opportunity to ask

questions in order to complete it. All the

information given assisted students to complete the unit of work entitled ‘Enterprise in the

Business World’. After the talk students were given the opportunity to look around the zoo.

BRUSSELS AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

On the trip to Brussels, we visited various landmarks including the Atomium, Mannekin Pis and Grand Place. We

went to a chocolate factory and learnt about how

chocolate was made. We also used French to order food and buy from the shops.

This was an educational trip and it helped me improve my

confidence in French and improve the quality of my spoken French. I learnt a few new phrases.

I enjoyed crafting the chocolate and staying in the hotel. I enjoyed making the chocolate it taught me

something new and it was very enjoyable learning

about the development of chocolate. It was good that we got to make the chocolate ourselves.

HORNIMAN MUSEUM

Year 10 Art Students made sketches from the museum’s collection of

masks and natural world objects and animals which helped to build ideas

for their animal masks. They acquired valuable skills in observational drawing and had an opportunity to see interesting and unique objects

and artefacts close up. The level of engagement that the students had shown resulted in a

higher standard of drawing and artwork.

NOVEMBER 2013

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YR10 FOCUS DAY - BTEC ART & DESIGN

Students painted acrylic canvases

based on the

theme 'Flowers, plants and

leaves'. This work was part of their

unit 1 assignment

brief - Introduction to

Specialist Pathways in Art and Design. Students are working to a commercial design brief which asks

them 'To produce a painted/ textiles canvas which could be used to decorate the coffee shop at Hall

Place' Students had a great day, they have all

developed fantastic outcomes which over the coming weeks will be embellished with hand embroidery and

bead work.

BTEC FOCUS DAY – HOSPITALITY

On Tuesday 19 November

2013 we had our first ever

BTEC Focus

day for Hospitality.

We worked in pairs to

prepare and cook a two course meal of a starter and main, starter and desert or main and desert.

If we wanted to use meat we had to use two

different type’s e.g. chicken soup to start then beef in a shepherd’s pie for main course.

It was a very enjoyable day and we developed new skills to help us in the future with our

practical lessons.

MEDICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS VISIT UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH

As part of the School’s association with the University of Greenwich a group of Year 13 BTEC Medical Science

students have been working at the University’s Medical Skills Laboratory this term.

Students following the Level 3 BTEC Applied Science course specialising in Medical Science have to complete

a medical investigation. This involves students acting as

a healthcare professional going through the process of dealing with a patient suffering from a medical

condition. Students are assessed not only on their competency at completing the investigation but also on their bedside manner.

The University offers a range of Biomedical Science courses as well as courses in Nursing, Midwifery and

Ambulance Paramedic courses. With ever increasing employment opportunities in medicine the University is expanding their undergraduate intake in these fields.

YEAR 10 AT THE LONDON BRIDGE

EXPERIENCE

The students found this

trip helpful because it gave them an insight

into how a tourist attraction promotes

itself and its USP

(unique selling point). They had a work

booklet to complete and this will be

followed up at school in future lessons. This will

help the students improve and develop the skills necessary for their controlled assessment later in

the year. The students really enjoyed the experience and talked about it all the way back to

school on the train. They learnt things they weren’t expecting to, such as how London Bridge itself has

developed over the centuries

ANTI-BULLYING WEEK

The Silence is a female fronted four piece rock

band. Besides their music, they put across a message about bullying and cyber-bullying. Their

mix of vocal and verbal sent a strong message to the students who seem to relate well to this type of

delivery. The concert was timed to coincide with

the end of anti-bullying week. This is their second appearance at Erith and we hope to see them

again around the same time next year.

NOVEMBER 2013

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DR WHO EVENT

Dr Who celebrates 50 years in the making and this was an ideal opportunity to involve students in an exciting and imaginative game that would help

them to learn more about teamwork and strategy as well as share, probability and game theory. Players needed to think tactically and decide

when it was best to attack and when to cooperate. I think they learnt

teamwork is very often the best strategy – even for a Dalek! The boys who took part really enjoyed the event and got really excited as

the game reached its climax. Even teams who were eliminated well before the end were keen to stay on and see how it turned out. It was good to see

them thinking carefully about whether to play aggressively or to cooperate

with the other players

THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE

During the course of 2 weeks there was a book sale in the library –

all the books sold for half price. I purchased “The Hunger Games” trilogy, “The Moon and More” by Sarah Dessen and “Soulmates”

because I was intrigued by the covers and I have always been fascinated and besotted with “The Hunger Games” after watching

the movie. Furthermore, from previous experience, I have learned that the book is always better than the movie.

Martha Ehikioya, 9 Pine

ANOTHER AMAZING PERFORMANCE AT BLUEWATER

On 13th December, Erith School Choir sang for an hour performing a selection of well known Christmas

songs and carols inside John Lewis at the Bluewater Shopping Centre. 25 students participated and were even joined by an ex-choir member who has left Erith to attend college. There was a great response from

all who heard them and we were supported by a number of family members who came to listen. This year's comments regarding our singing were the best so far:

"I wish you were singing here all day"

"We could hear your singing 3 floors below"

"Your choir brought a tear to my eye"

Well done to all those who took part

DECEMBER 2013

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SPRING TERM 2014 - ‘THE BASICS’

The School Handbook which includes the school rules and procedures can be accessed via our website:

www.erith.kent.sch.uk

UNIFORM STANDARDS

I am pleased to note that the majority of Students continue to maintain good uniform

standards and I appreciate the support that you as parents give to the school ethos. During the Spring Term, we are bound to suffer some cold and wet weather. Please

make sure that uniform standards are maintained, footwear in particular.

.

A reminder of what some of the School Rules say

(full version is published in Contact Book)

FOOTWEAR

Shoes must not cover the ankle bone, canvas shoes or suede boots are not permitted

SCHOOL COAT Only a plain navy blue or black top coat, raincoat or anorak allowed—no logos, badges, emblems,

designs etc.

No hoodies.

Denim, fur, simulated fur, leather, simulated leather, plastic or suede coats are not allowed –

these will be confiscated.

ACCESSORIES Plain or dark patterned traditional scarves, hats and gloves are permitted. Hats however are not to be

worn in and around school buildings.

Football scarves are not allowed

No Caps

Friends and family may want to buy watches and jewellery for Christmas presents. Please remember if

your son or daughter plans to wear their gifts to school: watches should be reasonably sized with a plain strap, earrings are one small plain stud per ear (in the lobe) and of course bracelets and

necklaces are not permitted. No finger rings. No stud or ring through nose. No body piercing.

School bags need to be strong and large enough to carry A4 books and folders, equipment and PE kit. They

need to be plain, not brightly coloured and not fashion styles. I do not want parents and carers wasting

money on inappropriate bags which will be confiscated. The simplest choice is still a plain back-pack style.

HAIRCUTS Please make sure that any special Christmas hairdos which do not match the school rules are only

temporary so that we do not have to waste time at the start of term sorting them out

OUR UNIFORM SUPPLIERS ARE:

Boffins ** 37 Pickford Lane, Bexleyheath, DA7 4QU Matthews (Outfitters) Limited 33 Upper Wickham Lane, Welling, DA16 3AD

** Boffins, are currently the sole supplier of the PE Kit, New Ties and Cardigans.

WANTED – SCHOOL UNIFORMS

HAS YOUR CHILD GROWN OUT OF HIS/HER SCHOOL UNIFORM OR IS HE/SHE LEAVING SCHOOL THIS YEAR? WOULD YOU PLEASE DONATE UNWANTED ITEMS TO OUR NEARLY-NEW UNIFORM STORE?

WE PARTICULARLY NEED BLAZERS AND TIES FOR BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS Please contact Mrs. Joyce Webb at the school address or just send the items into school.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND GENEROSITY

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PROCEDURES FOR SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS

Please remember that, in the event of severe weather, regular and up to date information

will be made available to Parents and Carers

via: the Erith School website at

www.erith.kent.sch.uk

the School Twitter account

@erith_school Parent text messages

the OpenCheck service, which can

now be accessed in the following ways:

o on-line at https://opencheck.atomwide.com o by phone on Tel 020 8408 7508,

(Erith School code: 3034022) o by mobile phone –

just download the USO-ParentLink mobile app to

access OpenCheck via Apple iPhone™ or Google Android™ smartphones.

Please be aware that using the mobile app may incur data charges from your network provider.

LOST PROPERTY Parents are reminded that lost property is retained for a period of four weeks only, and then disposed of. Students may make enquiries during break or lunchtimes or before and after school

about lost property at the School Nurse’s office- BUT NOT DURING LESSON TIME!

As there are over 2000 students in the school, unless items are named, it is unlikely that your child will be reunited with their lost items.

PLEASE REMEMBER – SCHOOL POLICY IS:

NO MOBILE PHONES

Students have been informed of the Governors’ Policy in assemblies and parents have been

informed in Newsletters, for many years. Across the country lessons have been disrupted by telephones going off; intruders have been apprehended on site that have been called to the school to cause

trouble; Students have rung each other in lessons; photographs have been taken to use on internet

websites; telephones have been stolen, damaged and for some, large, unauthorised bills have been run up. They have been used to glorify both pain and violence and of course are used in serious bullying cases.

PLEASE BE AWARE CYBER-BULLYING IS A CRIME

Students indulging in this will face serious consequences

MOBILE TELEPHONES ARE BANNED AT ERITH SCHOOL

CONFISCATED ITEMS INCLUDING MOBILE TELEPHONES ARE ONLY RETURNED TO

PARENTS BY APPOINTMENT AFTER AT LEAST ONE SCHOOL DAY.

Students must understand that this delay in returning the confiscated item is a punishment. Please contact the Deputy Headteacher, in the first instance to arrange collection. Should a mobile telephone be brought into school

a second time, it will be confiscated and may not be returned until the end of term.

Where a student needs to be contacted urgently, in an emergency, by a parent, the School Switchboard (on 01322 348231) will take a message. Where a student needs to contact home in an emergency, they can go

through the Year Office.

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NO SMOKING – SCHOOL POLICY

WE WILL TAKE ACTION AGAINST ANYONE CAUGHT SMOKING INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OUR SCHOOL,

WHILST WEARING SCHOOL UNIFORM

There is now a sequence of sanctions in place for those students who break the No Smoking rule.

Persistent flouting of school rules will result in exclusion

STUDENT ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL

Parents are reminded that we have a DEDICATED TELEPHONE LINE FOR THE REPORTING

OF THE FIRST DAY OF STUDENT ABSENCE.

01322 339642

This is an answer-phone service only. Please do not use this number for leaving any other messages

or general enquiries.

Please bear in mind that any time lost through absence will affect a student’s progress in

school. Absence should only be a last resort for illness, approved medical appointments or for compassionate reasons discussed with the Head of Year.

Any request for holiday in term time will not be granted.

It will be recorded as unauthorised and will be subject to a £60 fine from the

local authority

CALLING ALL PARENTS!

If your child has any spare football boots, astroturf trainers, shin pads, goalkeeping

gloves, socks etc that they do not use and are going to be thrown away, please could

you bag them up and give them to your child to bring to the PE department. It would

be much appreciated and very helpful to those students who represent the school

REQUEST FROM THE PE FACULTY

PLEASE REMEMBER………

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Congratulations to the following Top Girl and Top Boy from each Form group

for the Autumn Term2013-2014

ASH BEECH CEDAR ELM

Year 7 Benjamin Hooton Kyle Bodycomb Ellie Baxter Lewis Read

Madaline Higgins Ella Barham Ella Barham Chloe Fisher

Year 8 Tafadzwa Motsi Liam Kuch Aaron Beckett Trey Richards

Ishara Herath Kira Reeve Sabrina Hajdari Chenise Nibi

Year 9 Terrence Anthony-Omorodion Joseph Polson Joe Beezer Ricky Dean

Kayleigh Acourt Toni Evers Sadie Brown Mollie Fishwick

HOLLY LARCH MAPLE OAK PINE

Year 7 Thomas Cheeseman Kai Bishop Samson Awosope George Amos Nathan Clark

Hakima Onileere Giorgiana Hughes Charlotte Delatouche Ria McGuiness Kausarat Jaiyesimi

Year 8 Christopher Smith George Brocklehurst Toby Kember-Hollands Karna Mitchell-Charles

Eliza Lawrence Lacie Johnson Charlotte Born Bethany Hall

Year 9 Jamie Wenham Siddiq Ayinde-Usman

Bill Brooks Ramilka Perera

Leah Saunders Chantelle Anderson Teigan Osborne Paige Iveson

ROWAN

SPRUCE TEAK WILLOW

Year 7 Jack Costello Oluwadamilohun Adebambo Cain Lawrence Charles Newnham

Chichi Okoronkwo Autumn Adams Gyanee Bhogun-Scott Lily Hambly & Kayleigh Povey-Garman

Year 8 William Higgott Ben Radenhurst Jack Meagher Blake Proctor

Melanie Stephens Lia Simon-Chamberlain Katie Jeffries Elliemay Humphreys

Year 9 Ben Osborne Ameen Ahnien Caleb Adegbola Matas Petkevicius

Brigita Kudzminskaite Ketlin Berberi Leyla Zerouali-Amari Paris Phipps

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A Message from the Chair of Governors;

Mr David Friend.

When I was writing to you this time last year we had already had our first fall of snow of the

winter. Not so this year and long may that continue; Perhaps a couple of flakes on Christmas

Day. But where has the year gone? So much can happen in 12 months that it is difficult to

keep up. We started off the year with Julie Turner as Head teacher, and just think she has

now enjoyed a full term in retirement. Brian Lloyd has completed his first term as Head and

even in that short time the school has been moving forward rapidly.

I have to confess he was thrown in at the deep end with the proposal to build a primary

school on the site. There is no doubt that there will be a need for extra primary school

places in the next eighteen months especially in the north of the borough. We feel that it is

the future for secondary schools and primary schools to share facilities and work together.

As we have the land it seems an appropriate way forward to build a primary school on our

site. At the moment we have completed our consultations which broadly were in favour of an

all through school of five to eighteen year olds. Governors see the school as an integral part

of the existing school with students sharing many facilities. Parents I have spoken to like

the idea of having their children starting and finishing their primary and secondary education

on the same site and not having to traipse round secondary schools making their choice as

they have been this term.

Although still in the planning stage things are moving forward with the idea that the

completion date, fingers crossed, will be September 2015. We are working very closely with

Barnhurst school on this project. I will keep you updated on the progress.

Keep your eye on our web-site as there will be a meeting of Parents Forum early in the New

Year. All parents are welcome. All we ask is that you let us know you are coming so that

everyone can be accommodated.

I would take this opportunity to thank you for supporting the school and wish you all a Very

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

David Friend

Chair of Governors