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9 Sheldon Standard

SHELDON SCHOOL’S NEWSLETTER

A Great Start from Year 7Having shown great enthusiasm during Turnaround Week, Year 7 continued to show a positive attitude towards joining Sheldon School throughout their first full week. Despite some nerves and anxiousness, the students have thrown themselves into their next chapter of school. From visiting tutor groups, teaching Year 7 lessons, and walking around the school site, it has been great to see smiles on faces, friendships forging, and school life being enjoyed. I have been particularly impressed by the way in which students are presenting themselves in their uniforms and conducting themselves around the school site. Long may it continue!

As we approach the end of the students’ second week, we look forward to the impending camping trip to Cranham in Gloucestershire. Led by Mr Douglas, the trip offers an opportunity for students to get to know one another better, whilst completing a number of fun activities, including an assault course, problem solving and orienteering. With campfire entertainment provided by the tutor groups in the evening, it should be a fantastic few days. Thank you to colleagues, prefects and sixth formers who will be accompanying the trip. Keep your fingers crossed for sunshine, Year 7, and well done for a great start!

Miss Owen, Head of Year 7

Music ResultsArthur Williams Grade 6 Jazz Sax (Merit)Annabelle Dickie Grade 5 FluteJosh Rushowski Grade 3 SaxophoneAnnabel Candy Grade 6 Flute

Superb results, many congratulations! - Mr FoskerJoseph Brickell Trinity Piano Grade 8 - PASS WITH DISTINCTIONJames Harriman ABRSM Piano Grade 7 - PASS WITH DISTINCTIONOlivia Gabriel Trinity Piano Grade 6 - PASSArthur Kitching Trinity Piano Grade 6 - PASS WITH MERITAbby Rucker Trinity Piano Grade 4 - PASS WITH DISTINCTIONAlex Sutton Trinity Piano Grade 4 - PASS WITH DISTINCTIONHannah Cuthbert Trinity Piano Grade 4 - PASS WITH DISTINCTIONAlicia Kitanik Trinity Piano Grade 3 - PASS WITH DISTINCTIONConnie Felgate Trinity Piano Grade 1 - PASS WITH DISTINCTION

Amazing results, many Congratulations - Mrs JohnsonLuke Hazeltine ABSRM Violin Grade 8 - PASS WITH DISTINCTIONJenny Stables Trinity Violin Grade 4 - PASS WITH MERIT

Super results - Well done - Mrs TysonOver the summer holidays Millie Pearce Year 10, took the Intermediate Trinity Performance Exam for Classical Guitar and passed with a distinction.

Well done Millie!!

Vacancies for Parent GovernorsThere are vacancies for two Parent Governors on Sheldon's Board of Governors, and we would like to invite parents, foster parents and guardians to put their names forward. We would particularly welcome nominations from candidates with experience in accountancy or budget management.

If you wish to stand for election you will need to complete a nomination form. The form and information on becoming a School Governor is on the Sheldon website under Information - Governors.

Completed forms should be returned to school reception addressed to the Clerk to the Governors, or emailed to jhawtin@sheldonschool.co.uk, by midday on Friday 27th September. If there are more than two nominations there will be an election by secret ballot.

If you would like to find out more the Chair of Governors, Megan Jones, (chairofgovernors@sheldonschool.co.uk) would be happy to discuss this with you .

Harry, Joel, Caitlin and Eloise from Year 7 finding their way around the school

Get your Standard by email. Contact Terry Fediw at tfediw@sheldonschool.co.uk and a copy will be sent to you each time the Standard is issued. Items for possible inclusion should also be sent to the same email address

HEAD-ITORIAL

Public Exams - Contingency PlanningSummer 2020

Please note that students sitting public exams next summer are required to be available up to and including Wednesday 24 June 2020.This date is set nationally by all the exam boards and is put in place in case of a local or national emergency.For information the first date for GCSEs and GCEs on the common timetable is Monday 11 May 2020. The dates for the final exams on the common timetable are Thursday 18 June 2020 for GCSE and Tuesday 23 June 2020 for GCE. Individual candidate exam timetables will be issued prior to the Easter holiday. In the meantime exam boards have published final timetables on their websites, or visit the Exams Office with queries.

Two weeks back already; it doesn’t seem possible. It has been a very good start here, following a busy and successful summer. On the GCSE front, you will have seen some excellent headline figures on the back of some great individual performances, a number of whom are detailed on the website. At A Level, this was in many ways our best year for some time: percentages of A*-C were at the previously good levels we have been used to, but the value-added figure has now come in and shows us comfortably in the top 20% in the country. Three students progressing to Oxford and Cambridge helps, but it was the results of students at all levels generally coming in above target that has helped secure such a positive showing, for which we are delighted. Also over the summer period there was considerable development on the site, including newly refurbished toilets and the finishing touches to the Library by way of new furniture. You will recall our concerted efforts last year, supported by a large number of parents, and it is very pleasing to see this now come to fruition; the space is a truly fantastic place to work. But that is all behind us and we are now setting our sights on the year to come. For the Year 7s, who have also made an excellent first impression, Camp awaits – and in the next few weeks there is a great deal going on covering all year groups. It is good to have a long summer holiday and recharge the batteries, but it is always good to come back and I look forward to 2019/20 being even better than all the years that have gone before.

Neil Spurdell, Headteacher

New Accommodation for the Pupil Support Team!!This term we saw the Pupil Support Team move into new accommodation in what was E9, the class room next door to their previous office. The new room is much larger and can accomodate the pupil support workers and the many other staff that use the office to support the team. The new office also has extra desk space and a meeting area for team meetings. The old office is now a small study area fully equipped with IT equipment and quality work spaces for students to work in. We have introduced a phone creche where students leave their phones if they are using the study area. The Pupil Support team have settled in and are delighted with the extra desk space and have had many visitors coming along to admire their new working environment.

Mrs Saunders (PSW) chatting to a pupil with school dog Archie listening in!

Year 12 Enjoy a Day of Team BuildingOn Tuesday 3 September Sheldon Sixth Form welcomed the new Year 12s. Students from Italy, Switzerland and Germany joined those from Sheldon and other schools in the area and they took part in team building activities to get to know the people in

their new tutor groups. Communication, co-operation and problem solving skills were tested and developed.When they were not taking part in the team building activities they were introduced to two key strands of our Tutor Programme –

Employability Skills and Well-Being. These two sessions introduced students to support that is available to them in the Sixth Form and got them discussing issues around these integral elements of their Sixth Form experience.Mr Spiers, Head of Sixth

Form