Newsletter – 7/3/2025

Lots of communications coming out to families at the moment, thank you for your patience and of course any queries or questions please contact school.

I want to focus this Newsletter to celebrate some amazing things that have been going on around school. As you can read below, we celebrated World Book Day this week resulting in years 7, 8, 9 completing a book in three days. The event was run by Sarah Philips in English and was well-received by students across the three days. Some staff also added extra amusement and enthusiasm to the day by dressing up for the occasion.

We have had a successful couple of weeks on the sporting field where our year 8 boys’ football team and year 10 boys’ football team both won in the quarterfinals this week; Year 8 won 6-3 and year 10 won 7-1! Well done boys, on to the semi-finals we march, we’ll keep you posted with the outcome of the fixture.

A well done to a delighted Alexia Zamba who has secured herself a placement with an architect company in Ilkley. Alexia is interested in architecture as a career and used her initiative to secure the placement, well done.

We took a group of year 8 and year 9 to Leeds University on Wednesday for a ‘Think and Go higher campus visit’, the aim of the visit was to build learner confidence through collaboration with peers and public speaking in a university setting. The students had a fantastic visit and also represented our school impeccably.

I hope you have found the move to Class Charts a seamless one, if you have not yet signed up to the app please do so. It is on the Class Charts app where you will be able to find the progress of your son/daughter throughout the school day. Any help you require with accessing the app please email [email protected].

• 11th March, 4:00-6:00pm – Meet the SLT Event (School)
• 19th March, 6:00-7:00pm – Parent Forum (Microsoft Teams)
• 20th March – Year 10 Parent’s Evening
• 7-16th March – British Science Week

Year 7 have taken part in World Book Day by reading ‘I am The Minotaur’ by Anthony McGowan during the past week. They have had different teachers reading chapters of the book during the day.

As always, Year 7 have worked hard to be the best versions of themselves, and the number of golden tickets and community awards is one of the highest in the school. Keep working hard Year 7.

This week we have absolutely loved World Book Day. We read the first three chapters of Northern Soul by Phil Earle in Morning Meeting and then read the rest of the book throughout the course of the day. We have had 3054 positive points as a year group this week and this means we are currently in the lead. We also had a fascinating assembly from Mr Whitfield-Barton who told us about successes in his career. He gave a valuable lesson to the students about stepping out of their comfort zones.

I have been so impressed by the hard work Year 8 have been putting in, both into their academic studies and the way they are conducting themselves around the building. A colleague told me that 47 of our students thanked her for holding the door open when they came into their Morning Meeting. It is great to see these good manners from our students.

Year 9 have positively engaged in World Book Day, reading an entire book through the day whilst also completing their normal lessons.

We would also like to take this opportunity to say a massive well done to Robson Hyde would after much hard work has been awarded his Gold Scout Award. We are all very proud of the achievements of our pupils both inside and outside of school.

This week, Year 10 students have earned a plenty of golden tickets! This is a true reflection of their hard work, commitment, and positive behaviour in class. Each Golden Ticket is a symbol of the effort students are putting into their learning and it’s wonderful to see so many being awarded.

Alongside the Golden Tickets, we’ve also seen an impressive number of Community Tickets. These tickets recognise those who contribute positively to the school community, whether through supporting others, taking part in extra-curricular activities, or helping around the school. The Year 10 students have really embraced these values, and it’s clear they are committed to making the school a better place for everyone.

The team is preparing for the year 10 parents evening which is on the 20th of March, you should receive your invitation to this essential event shortly. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet with your child’s teachers to find out how they have adapted to their GCSE subjects and ask any questions you may have.

This week we have seen the relaunch of Class Charts in school and it has been fantastic to see the positive points for Year 11 roll in. Huge congratulations to Summer B, Morgan B, and Poppy F-R who have all received 6 golden tickets this week, and Yusuf A who received 17 Learning Habit 3 Points this week. If you would like to see how your child has gotten on this week, please do download the Class Charts app and enter the code you were sent recently via letter. If you have any trouble logging on, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with the school.

As always, with such a short amount of time left before GCSE exams begin it is very important that students are attending period 6 sessions, revising regularly and are fully aware of the areas they need to improve. We will shortly be sending home the results of the recent year 11 mock exams to give you an up-to-date idea of your child’s progress.

In other news the Nurture Hospitality and Catering Class recently had their final practical assessment and whipped up some fantastic dishes which left the mouth-watering. Huge congratulations on your success!

The students have been busy giving the garden a bit of a makeover! They’ve been weeding, planting bulbs, and clearing up the area to make it look much better. On top of that, they’ve been out litter picking and making sure the space is tidy. Big shoutout to Isaa and Joe, who have really got stuck in and worked super hard, they’ve been absolute stars! It’s great to see everyone taking pride in their surroundings, and the place is already looking loads better.

We also had an amazing time celebrating World Book Day this week! Staff got into the spirit by rocking Mr. Men T-shirts, which gave the students a good laugh. It was brilliant to see everyone getting involved, talking about their favourite books, and just having a bit of fun with it. World Book Day is always a great excuse to celebrate reading, and this year was no different, plenty of smiles, laughter, and book chat all around!

We have held 3 of our 4 committee meetings this term linked to the themes below. There have been heated discussions around how the remarkable leaders can support and develop what happens in schools. We have over 50 remarkable leaders and they all play an active role in supporting the school.

• C1 – Character Development, charity and student rewards community
• C2 – Development of the extra curricular offer committee
• C3 – Sustainability and wider community/world issues
• C4 – Competitions and award events/public events committee

So far the following decisions have been made:

• Remarkable leader information boards around school – the team have asked we display the school’s timetable on each floor and have key events published
• The school newsletter is being developed and should be out soon with all latest news and events
  from the students
• Recycling machine project and sustainable energy – a team of remarkable leaders are researching smart technologies linked to generating energy (electricity) through pressure cells in the floor. They are also looking at a plastic recycling machine which dispenses tokens which can be sued as credit towards food at break and lunch.
• The remarkable leaders had a strong debate around what clothing or item they should were in school to be highlighted in the school community. In the end lanyards have been ordered and the student leaders will be wearing these throughout the day

These are some of the ideas which have been put forward by the team. More to follow.

This week students started to design their own dresses using newspaper and paper. The results are excellent, and the students really enjoyed creating their individual pieces. Well, done year 10!

The team have been giving out learning Habit 3s and golden tickets and this drive for celebrating students excellent work and effort will continue to be a focus into the coming half term.

We are excited to invite you to be part of our School Parent Forum! This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other parents/carers, share ideas, and collaborate with school staff to enhance our students’ experience and success.

Over the coming meetings we will be discussing and planning a school and community event, come and join us, your input will be welcomed.

Whether you have ideas to share, questions to ask, or simply want to stay more involved, the Parent Forum is the perfect space for open conversation and positive change. Your input and perspective are incredibly valuable as we work together to support our school community. The meetings are held at 6pm -7pm either face to face with light refreshments, or virtually, on the following dates:

• Wednesday 19th March
• Wednesday 30th April
• Wednesday 21st May
• Wednesday 18th June
• Wednesday 16th July

If you are able to help, then please email [email protected] for further information.

Polite reminder to parents/carers not to use the driveway from Oakworth Road for dropping off or collecting (before and after school) to ensure the safety of our students. Many thanks.