Dear Parents and Carers,
Positive relationships are at the heart of all we do. Each individual in our community is infinitely precious; we are committed to doing all we can so that everyone achieves their personal best. It is our desire as teachers and leaders to develop character and instil values in students which supports them being the best version of themselves in and out of the classroom.
Community is so important to us; over the next few weeks we will be ‘getting to know’ various staff and student leaders via this newsletter. I trust you enjoy the opportunity to put faces to names and learn more about our vibrant community. We sincerely hope it will not be too long until we can welcome you all into the College and significantly increase our engagement with families and the community. Partnership with you is vital for each child’s future progression.
During lockdown we supported our community of over 1100 students in maintaining the daily teaching timetable and weekly calendar via a remote provision. We also provided laptop devices on loan to almost 600 students. In the future we may be able to broker a lease of a laptop for parents who wish to support their children’s education in this way. However, we urgently require feedback from the parent body, while this is still in your recent memory, about how remote learning can be done better should this be needed again. I would be grateful if you would take time to complete this remote learning survey as we consider ways of being able to give greater support in this area of provision.
I highlight this letter for the attention of parents of Year 8 students which outlines important information with regards the forthcoming options process.
We were delighted to welcome Grace College Governor Rich Grant as our assembly speaker on Monday. Rich leads St. George’s Church on Durham Road. I am pleased to highlight Food Corner, a community initiative run by the church. Food Corner is a weekly market that makes food affordable for everyone. It takes place in Hope House, St. George’s Church (opposite the Cenotaph), Thursday 2-4pm.
The past two weeks have seen us launch some new extra-curricular opportunities. One of these was the World Challenge expedition to Nepal in 2023. We are delighted to offer this outstanding personal development opportunity for students currently in Years 10 and 11. However, we want the whole College community to be aware of, and aspire, to participate in such an initiative. More details can be found via this week’s House Assembly. Further extra-curricular opportunities for students are coming soon in a plethora of disciplines.
Although we are enjoying being back together as a College community, I must stress the importance and the responsibility we all have to continue to do everything we can to protect against the coronavirus. This includes wearing face coverings (if applicable), regularly washing our hands and social distancing. It is also crucial that we continue to use the Lateral Flow Tests issued by school and ensure we are reporting the test results. Reporting your test result is as important as taking a test. Please do not hesitate to contact us should there be any questions regarding COVID testing. We will do everything we can to assist you.
Thank you for your continued support. We have, and continue, to achieve much – together!
Yours faithfully,
Mr M Hall
Principal