Newsletter, 22nd March 2024

Good afternoon,

I hope that you and your family are well. We are rapidly approaching the end of another long and busy term, and as ever there has been a lot happening in school, with much to celebrate!

University of Cambridge workshop

This Thursday, a group of year 9 and ten students had the fantastic opportunity to engage with Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge’s outreach programme. The students worked with a visiting post-graduate student and learnt about pathways into university, how to plan for university life and the career options and aspirations that a degree can offer.

The students were a credit to themselves and the school, and the staff delivering the session described them as ‘the most engaged, polite and thoughtful’ group they had worked with across the city. Many students stayed behind after the session had finished to ask a range of interesting questions and will have taken a lot away from the experience. Attention now turns to the other outreach projects available in different subject areas, and a potential visit to the university for next year’s Y11 cohort.

Magna and Get Up to Speed

On Wednesday, a group of Y10 students visited Magna for the annual Get Up to Speed event, where they were able to learn about and be inspired by a range of careers pathways in STEM sectors, meeting a variety of employers and educational institutions to consider their next steps after GCSEs and discover a wide range of opportunities for future study and employment.

Our Y9 students involved with Better Learners, Better Workers were also in attendance for the next part of their involvement with the ongoing careers programme, looking at how they could use their developing communication, teamwork, and leadership skills in a STEM context to be successful in the future.

Staff and student feedback from the events has been really positive, and we look forward to providing the same opportunities to current Y8 and Y9 students next year.

Rewards Trips

Students in Years 7 – 10 who have been invited on our next round of rewards trips have now received their invitations. Invitations have gone to those students with the best ATL scores and the most improved ATL scores on average across the last two ATL reports. Students have been invited to Hollywood Bowl in recognition of showing a consistently exceptional attitude!
 

Year 11 GCSE PE Moderation

On Wednesday our GCSE PE students were put through their paces in their GCSE Practical Moderation. A proportion of marks for GCSE PE are gained from practical performance across a range of sports. Our PE teachers grade students’ performance in these sports, and we are then visited by a moderator from the exam board who checks the grades our teachers assign are fair and accurate. Our moderator commented ‘the day was well-organised, and your team were extremely welcoming and put on some great sessions. Your students were well-mannered and brilliant.’

Sports Leaders: Tag Rugby

Our rugby field has been a hive of activity this afternoon as our Sports Leaders have welcomed children from our local primary schools to a tag rugby event. There was much excitement at lunch time as our students saw familiar staff and children from their old schools arriving for the event. The children I spoke to were having a fantastic time and were being expertly coached by our leaders.

Uniform Reminder

A reminder as we approach the Easter holidays that our expectations of student uniform have not changed. As we approach the summer months, we anticipate students attending school in shorts. Thank you for ensuring that shorts worn by students are plain black school shorts – not sports shorts. And please remember that trousers should be plain black school trousers, not leggings, jeggings or jeans, and that skirts should be plain black and of a professional length. We continue to provide spare uniform daily to any student who is not in full uniform, and we continue to hold a stock of high-quality pre-loved items that families may access.

With many thanks for your ongoing excellent support,

Joe Birkbeck

Head of Westfield School