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Headteachers Letter 17 June 2022

Dear Parents and Carers

We are now approaching the final leg of the GCSE and A level examination season and wish those students one final surge of energy and drive in the coming days. They are very nearly there!

Art & Design Display (see the PDF download)

The superb artwork of our year 13 students is currently on display so that the moderation process could take place on Wednesday. As you can see from these stunning examples, our students possess incredible talent and produce work that is highly original, expressive and technically challenging. Mrs Corley, head of art & design writes:

“We are so proud of the year 13 art students and the hard work and dedication they showed with their artwork. The students created a stunning body of work, despite additional challenges throughout their course of lockdowns and the pandemic. The quality of work this year is a testament to their tenacity and we wish them all well on their next adventures.”

Mrs Corley, Mrs Dunn and I would also like to congratulate Beth Simpson, for being the worthy recipient of The Arts Society Cotswolds (TASC) annual bursary. Beth will be presented with a bursary in September from TASC to go towards her studies in further education in the arts.

Matilda the Musical

The response to the launch of sign-ups and auditions for Matilda has been fantastic. You may wish to pencil the evenings of Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 November 2022 in your diaries for the evening performances of this wonderful musical that will have a huge cast, with plenty of singing, dancing and acting. At the start of the next academic year, Mrs Du Crôs, Head of Performing Arts, will write to families and set out the exciting programme for 2022/23 with Matilda being just one part of that mosaic.

Trips and Visits 2022/23

I trust that you have received and read Mrs Thomas’ letter on school trips and visits yesterday. I hope you will agree that things are finally returning to normal and with a few extras as well. I am very grateful to Mrs Thomas for setting the likely opportunities out so early, so that families may plan ahead. From trips to European battlefields, markets, mountains, homes and galleries, to UK sports, field trips and campsites, we are both really excited to share those plans with you this week.

 COVID Reminders

Please be aware that we do not ask or expect risks to be taken in terms of sending students into school with COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19. If your child tests positive or they experience symptoms, then they must remain at home and not return to school until three full days have passed and they feel better. For example, if your son or daughter tests positive or feels unwell on a Thursday, they ought to remain home on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, before returning to school on the Monday.

Curriculum Roadmaps

In recent weeks, I have made reference to the immense work that we have undertaken behind the scenes this year to review and refine our curriculum across years 7 to 13. Not only are we enjoying the challenge of how we ensure that children learn and remember more and more, but we have also thought very carefully about how we ensure the entire curriculum experience is united by common messages and themes – rather than twenty different conflicting, repetitive, or separate stories from different subjects.

Our website already contains information on the content of every single subject, but we are preparing to relaunch this information in September, so that students and families have a better understanding of both the curriculum content in every subject and their core intent – what is the core purpose of that subject’s curriculum?

In order to give you an idea, here is the ‘curriculum intent’ for one of our highest performing subjects – geography [see the image in the PDF download].

“In geography, we take a balanced look at human and physical geography, developing curiosity for the natural and human world we live in. Through the key stages and topics we study, students explore and build their understanding of the world by looking at concepts such as processes, formations, places, interdependence, impacts and sustainability at different scales. We look at the changes in the world they see, the consequences and how we manage and respond, with the aim to challenge perceptions and build compassion, so that students learn how humans are solving and will continue to solve the greatest challenges facing humanity today and in the centuries to come.”

Note the reference to our values and the desire to instil hope and belief into the hearts and minds of our students.  In addition, the accompanying visual provides an insight into how this information will be presented in classrooms with our students and on our website for you: visual, attractive, engaging and exciting. We shall return to these roadmaps in September with a wider launch across all subjects.

Careers Talks In Lessons

Starting wb 27 June, students in years 7 to 9 will be hearing all about the links between each subject and the careers that connect the two. It is often said that most of the jobs that our children will do as adults have yet to be invented. I am not sure if that is true but am certain we are constantly surprised by the countless career paths that now exist or our alumni enter!

Teachers will be talking about how their subject links to an array of careers. It is so clear to everyone that when a child has a goal that inspires them, they are much more likely to demonstrate resilience, determination and make those little sacrifices along the way that lead to success. Returning to our oldest students, many are working hours because their eyes are firmly fixed on the next goal. There is time to rest soon, but right now, the time is to press on and work hard.

If you feel that your son or daughter would benefit from an early careers interview with either Mrs Knowles or Mr Parker then please do email Mr Parker to make an appointment. It could be the key to inspire them today in order to secure the future they seek.

And finally…

I hope the weather lasts a little longer into the weekend than forecast and that you have some nice plans ahead.

Yours faithfully
Barry Doherty
Headteacher

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