Headteacher Update

Dear parents and carers,

I hope all families have had a safe and restful weekend. Over the last week it has been good to share with families the positive position that Y11 students are currently in. We look forward to working in partnership over the coming months to support students to do their very best in the summer exams.

Face Coverings
Following the government announcement last week face coverings are no longer compulsory in classrooms. As you know these were introduced in classrooms at the start of the spring term as a temporary measure and we are pleased that this is no longer necessary in lessons. This decision comes in response to national infection data showing the prevalence of COVID-19 to be on a downward trajectory but we will of course keep the situation under review. Students are of course welcome to continue wearing a face covering in lessons if this is something that helps them to feel more comfortable. As ever, thank you for the ongoing support.

Head of Year Awards

Head of Year Updates
Year 7 – Miss Kincell, Miss Powell and Miss Cooper
As promised we had very exciting visitors in assembly this week- Mr Lever presenting Bright Sparks and Billy form Bikeability, introducing Level 3. Students will receive the opportunity to sign up for Bikeability this week, sessions will begin very soon and we are really excited.

A Huge well done to our Bright Sparks Challenge Winners: Karthikeya Pulakanam. Allen Alex, Isabella Bauman, Libby Ogram. We were so impressed with the ingenuity and originality of your work. Keep up the excellent effort, we are looking forward to joining you for breakfast with Mr Daly- what an honour and can’t wait to hear about what you purchase with your amazon vouchers. A reminder, the next set of Bright Spark Challenges are available on Google Classroom and are available to all.

Well done to our Students of the Week:
ANn: Logan Clarke – Fantastic contributions and engagement in form time activities. Well done!
ASu: Manon McNulty – for always being helpful at the start of the day.
Bl: Harley Cookson – well done for your improved attendance.
Cy: Daffa Muhammad For being more organised with your planner
Gr: Bryanna Martyn – Thank you Bryanna for always being so polite and kind, we really appreciate it.
Hf: Phoebe Simpson – for always being positive and cheerful ; an excellent team player
Hv: Jayden Howcroft- For living out our school values each day and for being a polite
MLn: Logan Crosby – For always being polite, helpful and kind.
MPe: Ava Attwood – For just getting on with things and keeping on going. Well done.
Mr: Alex Lines for being such a good listener and excellent contributor in form.
SMf: Katie Bushnell – For her positive attitude, focus and effort in all lessons – living our school values!

Well done to our Head of Year Awards:
Macie Gray – for being an excellent student and living our school values. Well Done!
Layton Drake – For being an excellent friend to all. Well Done!

Library Newsletter:
Well, no one could have failed to see the full moon this week. It was the first full moon of 2022, representing the start of a new year and signalling a fresh start. Some cultures see this as the end of their year, but still look forward to a fresh start after the moon has waned. The most common name for this full moon is Wolf Moon. It is a common theory that wolves howl at the moon, but it could be that they are communicating with each other, and also signalling hunger after the long, dark, cold months.

The Wolf Wilder – The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell (Quiz 229402. Level 4.5. Colour Purple) is set in the snowy forests of Russia, and is written by a Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-winning author. It tells the tale of a girl and her mother who teach wolves to fend for themselves against hostile humans, and sends a powerful message about fighting for what you love. You can read the start of the book by opening the following link. It is also available from the Y7 library. https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Wolf_Wilder/-0jCBwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

My Brother the Werewolf – My Brother the Werewolf (Quiz 224255. Level 4.2. Colour Purple) Available from Y7 library. To their classmates, Daniel and Justin are identical twin brothers. But in fact, they
couldn’t be more different. On their thirteenth birthday, one is destined to turn into a werewolf . . .! This full moon is going to change everything.
The light of the full moon bathed the yard in silver light. Dad said, “Ready buddy?” This was really happening! “Dad” said Justin, “what does it actually feel like? Well, your teeth will tingle, you’ll grow claws, your sense of smell and hearing will be heightened, your hair will grow. It’s incredible.”

Global Belly Laugh Day – Global Belly Laugh Day is celebrated on January 24th each year. As the name suggests, the primary focus of this day is to create as much laughter as possible. There’s nothing that shows your happiness more than a belly laugh no matter what language you speak. To celebrate this date, please send me your favourite funny joke. I will print out any that you send, and we will have a vote to find the funniest joke. We have been thinking about this already this week and have started a list, but I know there will be more out there.

The Happy News
We are very lucky to be given copies of The Happy News. We tend to display them more prominently during our Lunchtime of Calm on a Thursday, but of course you can read them at any time. So much news nowadays is all doom and gloom, which can make us forget about all the good things that are going on. The Happy News finds stories that can lift our spirits, and informs us about fantastic people doing fantastic things. Click on the link below for a taste of what the paper is all about. There is a feature on everyday heroes, do you know a hero, or maybe you are one? Can you think of someone who could be described as an everyday hero? It could be a member of your family, someone in the school community or even your best friend.

Year 8 – Mrs Avey, Mrs Mennell and Mr Handley
We are pleased to say that Year 8 have continued to have a successful week and continue to show us that they are a compassionate and supportive year group.

In our whole year group Act of Collective Worship this week we had a guest speaker from York Council to talk about the Bike Ability programme. Many of our students have taken part in this at Primary School and this is an excellent opportunity for students to develop their cycling skills and knowledge of road safety even further by taking part in Bike Ability Level 3. Letters about this with more information and application forms will be handed out in form time next week.

Answers to some frequently asked questions include:
How much does it cost? – It is already fully funded so it free of charge.
Do I need to wear a helmet? – This is the choice of the consenting parent or guardian.
Can I use a BMX? – BMX bikes are not designed for use on the road so are not allowed.
Do I need to have completed Level 2? – This it is not essential – all Year 8 students can take part.
If you would like more information please see the website below:

https://www.bikeability.org.uk/

In form time this week students looked at the next part of our five responsibilities – manners. Manners are an important part of any community and it is certainly something that we expect of our Year 8 students. We see excellent manners on a daily basis from our Year 8s but this was an important reminder to students about the importance of good manners.

As mentioned in the last bulletin, school students took part in their third from time PSHCE session this week. This was about recognising and managing their emotions which is important in students regulating and supporting their own wellbeing During our walks around each form group the students were actively engaged and there was lots of positive discussion taking place. This is excellent and shows pupils taking an interest in the topics and demonstrates their maturity as a year group.

As well as out PSHCE session this week brought the introduction of the Year 8 Ambassadors Club. Students were encouraged to think about what they can do to recognise how their own emotions and then were supported with strategies that can be used to help if when they feel low or anxious. Students can also use this to support others as well. It was great to see so many students involved in this and eager to embark on the mission of supporting the wellbeing of themselves and the year group as a whole. We will update more on this when future sessions take place.

Finally, we wanted to remind parents/guardians that Year 8 reports will be given out in form time for students to bring home on Monday 24th January. They will be posted home for any students not present on the day. Following this Year 8 Parents Evening is on Wednesday 9th February with more details about this out shortly.

As ever, thank you for your continued support. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please do contact school reception to get in touch with Mrs Avey (Head of Year 8), Mr Handley (Assistant Head of Year 8) or Mrs Mennell (Year 8 Pastoral Support Worker).

Year 9 – Mr Arthur, Mr Deamer and Mrs Deacon
Greetings to you all – I hope this Year 9 Parent Bulletin Item finds you all safe and well. It gives the Year 9 Pastoral Team great pleasure to update you on some of the key things pertinent to the year group as we reach the half-way point of this first half-term back at AHS.

Arts Award Cultural Experience Trips
On 2nd December 2021, as part of the Year 9 Arts Award course, students took part in the first of a series of exciting Cultural Experiences. As I have mentioned previously, Year 9 is an important transition year within school and we firmly believe it is important that every child has the opportunity to explore their personal development and deepen their cultural experiences. These trips are an opportunity for students to not only review a local arts exhibition as part of the Silver Arts Award, but help students to progress on their AHS Journey, with the focus for Year 9 being on ‘Understanding yourself and others’.

The locations for these three trips are…

• Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield
• The National Science and Media Museum, Bradford
• The Royal Armouries, Leeds

The second rotation of these trips will take place on Thursday 17th February. As before, all students in Year 9 will be out of school for the day. This is a mandatory visit as part of the student’s Silver Arts Award Qualification. The visits are therefore paid for by the school, and students will need to wear their school uniform. Students will arrive at school as normal on the morning of their trip, and we will ensure that students return to AHS in time for the end of the school day so they can continue their usual arrangements for getting home.

Letters will be going out soon. Please ensure your child returns the medical form attached to this letter to main school reception ASAP. If you have any questions, please do contact me on aarthur@ahs.pmat.academy.

Focussing on the Fundamentals
I also want to highlight again our whole school focus on ‘fundamental’ standards – I very much want Year 9 to be the trailblazers in the school for driving these standards forward. As students earnt at the very beginning of the term, there is a big focus on the ”Rights and Responsibilities’ of AHS Students – ‘Rights’ in terms of what students can expect from the school, and ‘Responsibilities’ in terms of what students need to be doing as part of the AHS community. At AHS, students can expect to receive; excellent, high quality lessons; a broad extra-curricular programme; a safe, welcoming environment; individual care for each student and the capacity and opportunity to go onto their next steps. As a school we work very hard to ensure our provision is outstanding, and our recent Ofsted inspection certainly supports this. Young people have a right to a top quality education, and we will always strive to improve our offer to ensure students at AHS receive the best quality education and care possible.

Whilst students certainly have a right to a top quality education, they also have ‘Responsibilities’ as part of our school community. When considering this, I was reminded of the immortal words of US President John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” We wish to develop students that are active citizens within the larger community – who consider the community as a whole and not just their own individual interests. This is why we are focussing also on the key ‘fundamentals’ that students should be following during their time at AHS (none of which will be a surprise to anyone!). These fundamental standards are that…

1. We turn up on time to school and to every lesson
2. We speak kindly and appropriately to people
3. We wear the correct uniform
4. We work hard to meet the deadlines we are given
5. We care for our school and the people in it

The first two of these that I wish to bring to your attention at the start of this new term are turning up on time, and wearing the correct uniform – these are basic standards within school that the vast majority of students meet consistently. If a student struggles with either of these, as a pastoral team we can of course offer support. However, students must ensure they are compliant, and follow staff instructions to follow a reasonable request in making sure they meet these most basic of standards. So far this half-term, Year 9’s uniform has been excellent, and I really want to see this continue as we progress throughout the rest of the year.

Cultural Roadmap – Manners
Each week, students in Year 9 have had delivered to them a session called ‘Cultural Roadmap’. These resources are designed to broaden the student’s cultural horizons and build their ‘cultural capital’. Here are some examples of the Cultural Roadmap sessions we have had so far this year…

• The Twelve Labours of Hercules
• Hidden meaning in the Wizard of Oz
• The Legend of King Arthur
• The History of Ida Wells (Black History Month)
• The importance of the Magna Carta
• What is Biological Mimicry?

This half-term, with our big focus on the ‘Fundamental’ standards of school, we are suspending the Cultural Roadmap programme and exploring in more detail the key areas we are focusing on, including…

• Why is it important to be punctual?
• Why do we wear a school uniform?
• Why are manners important?
• Why is it important to have deference to authority?
• How many of you would pick up that bottle?

This is something we hope that Year 9 find very informative and enriching on their stage of the AHS Journey: ‘Understanding yourself and others’. This week, students will be considering the history of ‘manners’, and why they are important in our civilised society, as well as how manners promoted harmony in our AHS community.

Thank you for taking the time to read this Parent Bulletin item. 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.

Year 10 – Mr Avery, Miss Johstone and Miss Montagu
Well done Yr 10 for continuing to work hard in lessons! In this update we’ll look at an exciting opportunity coming up, new guidance on face coverings and congratulate this week’s winners of HoY awards.

Anne Frank exhibition: Prior to Covid, our school used to host an annual exhibition about Anne Frank’s life. During WW2, Anne, with her family, hid from the Nazis in an attic in Amsterdam for two years. Then they were betrayed, discovered and taken to a concentration camp. Anne, her sister, and her mother all died. Anne kept a diary until they were arrested. After the war, her father (who was taken to a different camp and survived) published it on her behalf. The book is STILL a worldwide bestseller. It tells the story of a young girl who dreamed of freedom and a life where people didn’t discriminate against her because of her (Jewish) religion. This year, we are able to host the exhibition for the first time in two years and Mrs Lambert is looking for Yr10 volunteers to act as guides to Yr7 during P1, 3 or 5. You will have a day’s training with the Anne Frank Trust and will miss 1-2 lessons over a two week period (just before HT), while you are touring Yr7 around the exhibition.

Feedback from students who have previously taken part has always been brilliant! All of them talked about how it improved their confidence, gave them a greater insight into Anne’s experiences and Hitler’s dreadful ‘Final Solution’. Don’t hesitate to speak to Mrs Lambert or your form tutor if you are interested.

Face coverings These are no longer recommended in classrooms and teaching spaces for staff and pupils. They were introduced in classrooms at the start of the spring term as a temporary measure. However we will continue to ask pupils to wear them in communal areas and corridors.

HoY awards: Congratulations to Mo Boudjema and Sofia Micheli for excellent reports and always working hard. Well done!

Should you have any concerns please feel free to contact the Yr 10 team.

Year 11 – Miss Turvey, Miss Reeder and Miss Chambers
We have had a very busy but productive week in Year 11 following Parents Evening and Mock Results. Thank you for your engagement and support with these events; we hope that you found Wednesday Evening helpful and insightful. If you were unable to attend Parents Evening, your child’s teachers may choose to contact home if they have important information to communicate. For a number of reasons, there was an uncharacteristically longer list of students and parents than we would like who were unable to attend, and teachers may not have the capacity to contact everyone. However, if you would like to seek feedback, please contact the Year 11 team who will be able to facilitate this for you.

In addition to the events last week, several of our students have had an even busier week than most preparing for exams. Miss Gavin would like to give a big shout out to her Health and Social care students this week for attending Period 6 and working hard on revision. An enormous well done to: Kayleigh Gledhill, Gracie Poulton, Brooke Brandon, Sophie Dobson, Molly May Stephenson, Ruby Rhodes, Katie Haigh, Freya Soppelsa, Riley Blythe, Fatmanur Han, Rebekah Inneh, Kaitlyn Archer, Izabel Burton

Details on exams taking place, as well as support sessions available, are below:

There are also a few more important dates that will be relevant for all. Students will be sitting their next round of mocks in the week commencing February 14th; this is the week before half term. These will only take place for English, Maths and Science. There will also be a second and final Parents Evening taking place on March 30th to review your child’s progress since the Christmas mocks and to discuss plans of support in place for their final months of Year 11. The final day for Year 11 will be Friday 24th June, after which students will leave for their extended summer holiday. Period 6 sessions for all subjects will resume AFTER February half term at which point we will re-publish the Period 6 timetable.

As we enter the ‘endgame’ of Year 11, we would urge parents to keep in mind the importance of their child being in school. The remaining lesson time available is crucial for revision and time missed will have a direct and negative impact on GCSE outcomes. We greatly appreciate your support to ensure your child in Year 11 attends school every day unless they are severely ill or have tested positive for Covid, which will result in them self-isolating for a minimum of 5 days. If this occurs and your child is well enough to work from home, they should access their lesson work via Google classroom. Students have been reminded of the importance of attending lessons in assembly, and students should not be out of their lessons unless they have a valid reason and a blue permission slip from a teacher. Please can you be vigilant in ensuring you do not book holidays during term time until your child has left Year 11. Thank you.

After what was a busy and intense last week, this week we are hoping to re-instil a sense of calm and routine. Teachers will continue to give ‘shout outs’ for excellent performance, students can continue to work towards 300 merits and 100% attendance for a free prom ticket, and Form tutors will continue to select ‘Student of the Week’. We look forward to another week of excellent behaviour, organisation and punctuality from our Year 11 students.

Thank you for your continued support. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 11, please do contact school reception to get in touch with Miss Turvey (Head of Year 11), Miss Chambers (Assistant Head of Year 11) or Mrs Reeder (Year 11 Pastoral Support Worker).

Post 16 – Mrs De Lashley, Mrs Walton, Miss Balmer and Mr Charlton
Y13 Lunchtime and Period 6 sessions – Y13 subject support continues. Students should be attending any session that is available for the subjects they study. Some subjects are spending time in the Sixth Form Library getting into good study habits when they do not have a subject session to attend. Should you have any Year 13 queries please do not hesitate to get in touch with Mr Charlton mcharlton@ahs.pmat.academy or Mrs De Lashley fde.lashley@ahs.pmat.academy

Smoking – Please be reminded of the below communication sent home this week regarding a recent trend in electronic cigarettes. We are seeing an increasing number of students using electronic cigarettes, far more than we have ever seen smoking cigarettes prior to this more recent trend.

As always, we maintain a no smoking site which includes using electronic cigarettes. We have had a number of incidents recently where Sixth Form students have been caught vaping on site and thus had their electronic cigarettes confiscated and sanctions issued. This is disappointing as Sixth Formers are expected to be examples to follow. The fire alarm has also been triggered by a Sixth Former using their vaping device in the toilets, leading to whole school disruption including a public exam.

We are also concerned about the health risks associated with vaping since the number of ‘smokers’ seems to have increased with the popularity and availability of electronic cigarettes. I wanted to write home to inform you of our growing concerns and to remind families that we treat vaping in the same way as smoking and thus expect electronic cigarettes to only ever be on show out of the site of the school building, this includes beyond Badger Hill shops. We appreciate your support and cooperation on this matter.

Y12 Mock Exams
Y12 were exemplary last week in their conduct, and we look forward to seeing how they have performed and putting the necessary support in place for those that need it. It is the first opportunity to really look at previous progression plans and ensure that students have made the right foundation to continue their desired path. Parents Evening is on Wednesday 16th March.

BTEC External Assessments
External BTEC assessments will continue to over the next two weeks. Below is this week’s timetable. Students must be prompt and have the required equipment/notes with them.

Shoutouts

Collective Worship
This week the theme of our Form Tutor Collective Worship is entitled Fight the Fear. This looks at the incident when Jesus calms a storm and Peter almost sinks beneath the waves. It looks at how we might fight our fears and this is echoed in the daily bible quotes.

Monday – “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.” ~ The Bible, The Gospel of John 14:27
Tuesday – “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” ~ The Bible, the book of Psalms 56:3
Wednesday – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ The Bible, the book of Joshua 1:9
Thursday – “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ The Bible, The Gospel of Matthew 6:34
Friday – “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” ~ The Bible, the book of Psalms 46:1

The Wellbeing Newsletter Issue 40