Year 10 returned from work experience on Monday with stories of the world of work. Some talked of being offered jobs, and some were very clear about the work they would need to do at school to secure jobs in a changeable future. Many thanks to all those who were involved in the processes of helping students find placements, and ensuring they had positive experiences. We very much value our relationships in the community, and appreciate the assistance we receive with this.
Our debaters followed up their trip to the Houses of Parliament with a visit to another prestigious London venue. The London School of Economics hosted the Debate Mate Cup this week, and our students did very well in debates against competitors significantly older than them. Debating is an excellent way of building confidence, and allows students to use this in a range of ways in school life.
One of these ways is through our Student Voice developments. Focus groups in each year group are asked to feed back to the Senior Leadership Team on many aspects of school life. They have already given useful ideas about further improving lunches, revision and examination procedures, as well as the process of choosing GCSE subjects. The ideas discussed by students have been reviewed by the Senior Leadership Team, and the next stage will involve them being invited to a Senior Leadership Team meeting to talk through their views further and to hear the changes which will be implemented as a result of their work.
We are also keen to hear ideas from our parent community. At the end of September we held our first ‘Proud to Belong: Parents Forum’ event in the newly refurbished Grand Hall. All parents were invited to attend, and were asked to submit questions in advance. By submitting questions and topics for discussion in advance we ensured the most appropriate colleagues were available to lead the discussion, and group topics together. The Parents Forum is designed to enable us to answer any general questions parents may have, so that we can work together even more effectively for the benefit of our students.
Feedback from this event was unanimously positive, so I am
pleased to hold a second event in the same format, on Wednesday 22nd
April from 4.00-5.00pm. Students will be bringing a letter home that will give you the opportunity to submit a question and let me know you plan to attend.
There has been a range of highlights over the last term, and I hope you have enjoyed reading about them in this blog. I wish you all a restful and enjoyable Spring break.