Headteacher Update

Dear parents and carers,

I hope all families have had a safe and restful half term break.
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday morning for what we hope will be another enjoyable and productive seven weeks of school. As we begin the new half term there are a couple of key messages I’d like to share with families:

Face coverings – The arrangements that were in place before half term will continue for at least the first week of the new half term (we will review these on Friday and let parents know of any changes). This means that all students will need a face covering with them on Monday and will be required to wear these when moving through corridors and when they are in busy communal spaces. Whether or not a young person chooses to wear a face covering in lessons will continue to remain optional, with those who want to wear a face covering supported to do so.

Uniform – As we begin the new half term I appreciate the support of families in ensuring that all students are wearing the correct school uniform and have the necessary equipment they need for school. Key areas for us all to focus on collectively are as follows:

• Students are able to wear the AHS Hoodie in lessons given the colder weather and the need to continue to prioritise ventilation. However they must have their AHS jumper and tie on under these and wearing any other type of hoodie is not permitted.
• Students can only wear one pair of plain stud earrings and no other jewellery. We will be explaining to young people on Tuesday that any inappropriate jewellery will be confiscated and given back at the end of the day. Nail varnish of any kind is not permitted in school. If a student refuses to hand over their jewellery they will be sanctioned appropriately.
• Students need to wear appropriate trousers/skirts and shoes for school. Families will remember that we made the choice two years ago not to move to branded trousers/skirts because of the cost pressures this would bring. As such families are free to purchase uniform from many different providers but this must be appropriate school wear.
• Students need to have their planner and full equipment with them each and every day for school.

As ever I very much appreciate the ongoing support from families in this endeavour.

Of course if any family is struggling to provide the necessary school uniform please do not hesitate to be in touch with the school. This is exactly why the school has a Unity Fund specifically designed to provide confidential support for families who need it. If this is the case please do not hesitate to confidentially contact either:

krobinson@ahs.pmat.academy
gstainsby@ahs.pmat.academy

As I write this bulletin we have still not received our Ofsted Report. As soon as we do we will share this with families.

Wellbeing Newsletter
Is attached as usual. I hope you find this useful.

Head of Year Updates
Year 7 – Miss Kincell, Miss Powell and Miss Cooper
We hope you have had a lovely break and are all ready for another half term in Year 7. This half term will start to include some of the exciting elements of Journey In, including Bewerley Park and enrichment lessons for those staying in school, as well as a Christmas treat and a Christmas party.

This week will be the Year 7 newsletter, please read the newsletter to find out all about what Year 7 will be studying this half term.

A polite reminder about masks, in line with governmental guidance, we are now asking student to wear masks in busy areas of schools, such as the corrdiors and indoor social areas- except when eating. We know this is new to Year 7, so please do ask us any questions and we will support students in adapting to this.

Well done to our Students of the Week:
ANn: Lucas Allitt – For being supportive towards other students in swimming. Well done for a fantastic first half term.
ASu: Ben Buzasi – for settling into form so well and making a great effort
Bl: Maisie Waites – For a great report and being a super student.
Cy: Teddy Fowler – for having a great football match for the school team
Gr: Graville, Emily -Amazing organisation, attitude and approach to school, well done.
Hf: Laurie Fisher – for making an excellent start to year 7.
Hv: Ismay Ambler- Superb initial progress report
MLn: Charlie Taylor – Thanks for always helping with resources in form!
MPe: Isabel Weyman – For always putting her hand up to answer questions in form time.
Mr: Ben Gilbertson for a great success in cross country!
SMf: Thikra Alshammari – For being very attentive, considerate and hard-working.

Well done to our Head of Year Awards this week:
Paige Saye – Well done for always being polite, kind and an excellent member of the school community.
Eddie Eastaugh – Well done for developing resilience and independence.

Library Newsletter:
Well folks, we made it! Half term is finally here!

We’ve had a splendid time in the library this half term, and we get busier and busier as more of you discover what a great place it is to be. Just to recap some of the activities we have taken part in so far are, bookmark making, celebrated Roald Dahl’s birthday and National Poetry Day, a lunchtime of calm every week, reviewed books, two writing competitions and loaned out hundreds of books. We’ve had a recruitment drive and employed library monitors who started their training this week. All fabulous goings on!

York Book Award
We are very lucky to have been invited to take part in a new book award for York and surrounding schools. In this first year they are concentrating on Y7. We can nominate the title of our favourite book/books up until the end of November. If you have read anything spectacular recently, please call into the library and let me know what it is, and I will pass on all your recommendations. It will be interesting to see what other schools are reading and if our list is similar. We may even get some ideas about what to purchase next for the library, and other schools might look at our list and discover something new for themselves.

The short list will be announced in December, giving you time to look at the list and read something from it. The voting deadline is on March 1st followed by an Award Evening at St Peter’s School on March 25th.

Book Requests
If any of you have a clear out over half term, remember that we are always looking for book donations. At this time of year, we will accept anything from books for young children to adult non-fiction. We of course love it when you bring things in that we can book into the library for other students to enjoy, but we also need book donations for the school Christmas Fayre. The date for the Christmas Fayre is Friday 3rd December. Our book stalls are always super popular so any donations will be gratefully received.

Please Return Your Books
Nothing much left to say other than have a fantastic half term. Please return your library books when you come back and if you have a tidy up in your room and come across a very overdue book, don’t worry about bringing it back. You know what I always say…. I will be delighted to see both you and the book! Enjoy yourselves. Let me know if you managed to do any of the activities listed above, and don’t forget to have a think about what you might want to nominate for the York Book Award. We hope you have a lovely break and please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any support.

Year 8 – Mrs Avey, Mrs Mennell and Mr Handley
Halloween may have officially been celebrated last night, however, year 8 began their fun earlier as 8Ap chose this topic for their form’s assembly to the rest of the year group – successfully delivered the last Friday of last half term. This was the first form assembly of a two year programme and the bar was set very high. Well done to 8Ap. We look forward to 8Ob this half term. We hope everyone has had a restful and enjoyable break and are coming back refreshed and ready to make the most of the opportunities on offer. A new extra curricular programme will be published and we strongly encourage all our students to join at least one club. The library is a great place to spend a break or lunchtime, where not just reading but various other quiet activities are facilitated. As each student must have a reading book- for the first 5 minutes at the start of each lesson and for pm registration on a Monday- then visiting the library, if a new book is needed, will ensure all our students are properly and fully resourced and ready for this exciting half term.

Year 9 – Mr Arthur, Mr Deamer and Mrs Deacon
I very much hope everyone has had a wonderful, relaxing half-term. We are very much looking forward to welcoming back Year 9 students into school; hopefully feeling revitalised and reinvigorated after a relaxing break!

In these initial weeks of the half-term, there will very much be a feeling of ‘back to basics’. As a team, we talk to students in Year 9 a lot about ‘focussing on the fundamentals’ to ensure that we can be successful in school. This includes…
– Turning up to school every day – ‘Every day matters’ and attendance needs to be as high as possible
– Arriving to school and lessons on time – punctuality if important because important people are punctual!
– Behaving and working hard in lessons
– Having the correct uniform every day
– Making sure homework is completed on time and to a good standard

We are here as a team to ensure students are successful at AHS in all the areas outlined above. If there is anything we can do, such as getting students to homework club, supporting students with their attendance or sorting issues regarding uniform, then please do contact the Year 9 team using the details at the bottom of this bulletin.

In the final week of half-term, the Act of Collective Worship for Year 9 students focussed on ‘resilience’, and centred around the exploits of the teenage tennis sensation, Emma Raducanu. Her recent achievements include ending Britain’s 44 year wait for a women’s Grand Slam singles champion, being the youngest Briton to win a Grand Slam title, and being the first woman to win the US Open without dropping a set since the great Serena Williams in 2014. All of this has been achieved by Raducanu at the tender age of just 18! However, whilst this is what she has become famous for in recent times, we must not forget the situation for Raducanu earlier in the summer at Wimbledon. Having played so well throughout the tournament, Emma was forced to withdraw with stomach problems and breathing difficulties. This could very well have been her defining moment, and we may have never heard her name mentioned in tennis circles ever again. However, she was able bounce back from this setback, dust herself off and go again to achieve all the amazing things she did at the US Open. This is an excellent example of resilience that students in Year 9 can certainly learn from – however, we also emphasised that the AHS Journey the students follow is not one that is travelled alone. Yes, we have to seek solutions and push through when times are tough, but we must also seek support when we need it. This can come from family, friends, or the vast array of staff within school who are happy to help support students; whether it be academically or with any pastoral issues that they might be having.

Thank you for taking the time to read this parent bulletin. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 9, then please do get in touch by emailing aarthur@ahs.pmat.academy (head of Year), mdeacon@ahs.pmat.academy (Assistant Head of Year) and/or rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy (Pastoral Support Worker); or alternatively, you can call Main School Reception and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you.

Year 10 – Mr Avery, Miss Johnstone and Miss Montagu
I hope the students have had a well deserved rest over half term and are raring to go for another few weeks of hard work before Christmas. I hope the students in Year 10 have enjoyed seeing family and friends this week and made the most of their time off. I was very proud of the students hard work and achievements last term, and I am full of optimism that this will continue as we approach an important part of the academic year. Over the coming weeks, the message to students in Year 10 will be about resilience and responsibility, a key part of their school journey and reminder that this is the time the hard work really begins toward the all important GCSE examinations in Year 11. I know this message will be taken very seriously by our students, whose determination to succeed has been a constant in a very turbulent twelve months. With this in mind, I thought I would take the opportunity to remind parents and students of our key expectations, in order for the students to hit the ground running on their return.

We expect the students to:

1) Arrive at school in good time and be in registration by 8:45am.
2) Continue to wash hands regularly and wear facemasks outside of lessons.
3) To be in full school uniform.
4) To arrive to lessons in good time.
5) To work hard and remain in a positive mindset toward their studies.

By doing these very simple but important things, the students will have a successful return to school. On the rare occasion that students consistently fail to meet these expectations, there will be consequences in line with the school behaviour policy. In the most extreme cases, parents will be asked to attend a meeting with myself to discuss the conduct of their child.

This half term presents a real opportunity for the students to shine and to make the most out of the opportunities that school presents them. I know many students will have been working hard to secure a work experience placement over the half term, and I have been delighted with the amount of confirmed placements we have had so far. If your child is yet to do this, please keep supporting and encouraging them, as the deadline of the 10th January will come around very quickly. Our first assembly of the half term will be focusing around the idea of achievement in our year group. We have contributions from form tutors about some of the many successes our students achieve both in and outside of school. I really hope this inspires our students to carry on achieving the great things they are doing on a regular basis.

As always, if there are any concerns or questions you may have, please feel free to contact any member of the Year 10 pastoral team and we will be happy to help in any way we can.

Year 11 – Miss Turvey, Miss Reader and Miss Chambers
I hope you have had a good half term and that your sons and daughters are rested, recuperated and ready for the half term ahead; it is a busy one.

On Tuesday 2nd November we have the AHS Sixth Form Open Evening from 6pm and it would be great to see as many of you as possible; this is a chance for you to discuss BTEC and A Level courses and see the opportunities offered post GCSE at Archbishops. Some of you will have been to the York College Open Evenings and may be thinking of going to other secondary school open evenings over the next couple of weeks and it is always useful to have a comparison. Mrs Tipping, our Examinations Officer, will also be available during the evening if you have any questions regarding the GCSE examinations and I will be available if you have any pastoral concerns which you want to discuss.

GCSE Mock Examinations begin on Monday 29th November and will take two weeks to complete; there are 20 school days between the start of term and the start of the examination period. Revision is therefore the main priority. You can help.
Top ten tips for parents: revision. (from the Good Schools Guide)

Exams are undoubtedly nerve-racking for children and their parents. A certain amount of “stress” is perfectly normal. However, every single child can prepare effectively and you can help.

1. Encourage your child to make a revision timetable – and stick to it.
2. Make sure your child has a quiet space to work, with no distractions.
3. Help to find the method of learning and retaining information that works best for them. It could be reading and making notes, using flash cards or Post-it notes, looking at video clips, playing back recordings of their own voice, mind mapping or perhaps a mixture of these.
4. Check the exam specifications. All exam boards publish these, along with practice papers and mark schemes too.
5. Search out revision apps and online resources – such as BBC Bitesize – to clarify areas your child feels less confident about. Teenagers sometimes concentrate on their best subjects and leave their weaker ones till the end but it is a good idea to tackle weak areas early on.
6. Be around as much as possible. You don’t have to be at their side 24/7 but children like parents taking an interest in their revision (but not taking over).
7. Keep the kitchen cupboard stocked with delicious food. When the going gets tough children really appreciate a cup of tea, a plate of biscuits or their favourite meal.
8. Encourage them to break revision into manageable chunks and to take regular breaks in between revision sessions. It’s far more effective to do 30 minutes of successful revision – rather than plough on for hours on end and not get anywhere. This is backed up by research by academics at the University of Sheffield who found that learning is more effective when spread out over stretches of time.
9. Exercise, fresh air, healthy food and lots of sleep are crucial.
10. Most important of all, help your child to keep everything in perspective. Remind them that the better they prepare and the more confident they feel in their subject knowledge the less stressed they will feel when the exams start. Solid revision now will make their June exams easier and less stressful. And by the end of June the exams will be over and it will be the start of the long summer holidays.

Other events in the coming week are the flu jabs which take place on Monday 1st November; it is the season of sickness and covid is still with us, so I would like to politely remind you that masks are to be worn in school in all public areas such as the corridors and inside social space, hands need to be sanitised and/or washed regularly and if you feel your child has symptoms please use the lateral flow tests which school has provided for you.

As ever, if you would like a conversation with any of the pastoral team via phone 01904 411341, by email reception@ahs.pmat.academy or face to face then please do get in contact. Miss Turvey, Miss Chambers and Mrs Reeder.

Post 16 – Mrs De Lashley, Miss Walton, Miss Balmer and Miss Cox

Welcome back!
We hope you had a restful half-term break where you managed to enjoy each other’s company in the lovely crisp autumnal weather. We saw an incredibly busy half-term prior to the break where we welcomed the wonderful new Y12 and started Post-18 applications with Y13. We met Y11 on our IAG Day and started Post-16 planning.

Sixth Form Open Evening Tuesday 2nd November
We urge students to attend Open Evening on Tuesday 2nd November to visit departments and speak to subject staff and current Sixth Form students to find out more about post-16 subject choices. There will be opportunity to listen to a talk from Mr Daly and Mrs De Lashley throughout the evening between 6-8pm. Each student will have a 1-2-1 Pathway Meeting in November with a member of the Senior Leadership Team to discuss progression plans and suitable Post-16 plans. Any questions, please do get in touch fde.lashley@ahs.pmat.academy

Year 13 Mocks
A Level mocks commence Monday 8th November and BTEC in-class assessments commence Monday 15th November. We have entered a period of revision and there is an expectation that Y13 are very busy at home preparing for these important assessments. Personalised intervention will be devised and communicated following these assessments.

Sixth Form Open Evening Support
We ask that you support our encouragement of our current Sixth Formers in supporting the event to ensure that visitors are able to gain first-hand advice/guidance from existing students.

Sixth Form Sleep Rough – Friday 3rd December
Our annual event will be taking place soon to help us raise money for Carecent and raise awareness of homelessness. It is a very popular event. Letters are going home this week providing full details.

Shout Outs

Collective Worship
This week our Form Tutor Collective Worship focusses on Parliament Week and this years theme of “Small Actions – Big Changes”. Politics is not only about political parties, politicians and the government. Politics in action looks like everyday people, in everyday communities, making a change.

Monday – ‘Act as if what you do makes a difference- it does.’ – William James, American philosopher and psychologist
Tuesday – ‘Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.’ – Anne Frank
Wednesday – ‘In a gentle way, you can shake the world’ – Mahatma Ghandi
Thursday – ‘I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples’ – Mother Theresa
Friday – ‘You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.’ – Jane Goodall, accomplished primatologists and environmentalist

The Wellbeing Newsletter Issue 30