Simon Bale All-through School Newsletter Autumn Term
19.10.2018
Message from the Headteacher You may have noticed some slight changes with our newsletters as we move forward to understanding what it means to be an all-through school. All-through schools are still slightly unique organisations in the state sector in England, with less than 200 currently, compared to over 25,000 primary and secondary schools. Middle schools are in many areas on the decline; usually as in North Hertfordshire (which incidentally is the only area left in Hertfordshire which has retained its middle school structure) children from Year 5-8 attend and then move on to an Upper School. Bedfordshire was traditionally a strong promoter of middle schools but once again many have converted into primary and secondary. All-through schools, however are on the rise and indeed I have received two requests this past fortnight for professionals to visit, from as far afield as Birmingham and Southampton. Indeed I am not even sure how they heard about Simon Balle! With schools grouping together for both financial and educational reasons, more and more schools are working across phase and this creates opportunities to plan certain aspects in an all through context. It makes good sense for teachers to plan assessment and curriculum with the child at the centre, moving through the various ages and stages, to avoid repetition, create challenge and ensure skill progression. I do not believe that this is the same as an all through experience but one equally commendable.
Inside this issue:
Y7 and Y8 News
P2
Y9 and Y10 News
P3
Y11 and Sixth Form
P4
Attendance and PSA
P5
Dates for your diary
P6
Finance Updates
P7
House Points Update
P8
Epipen Update from DfE
P9
Traffic Disruption- P10 Mangrove Road
So, back to the newsletter. We will be sending you news every two weeks, with a common message and note from myself, as Head Teacher. Each newsletter will contain relevant news and information for parents of children attending the phase, but both can be accessed online so they can be read by all members of the community, including relatives away from Hertford. We of course welcome feedback on this, but we trust that you will understand that this is in itself another way to ensure that the community is one. At our recent Expectations Evenings we have been explaining to parents the importance of teaching and developing “memory” in our children as the new more rigorous examination systems are placing great emphasis upon this, alongside key skills. When some of us were children, in those days without modern technology, we simply had to recall so many things- addresses, telephone numbers, spellings, read road maps etc. Do you recall such games as “Kim’s game” where you had to remember items on a tray, or the delight in playing pairs or recalling word patterns. Technology has made us all lazy but more importantly is robbing our young people of key life skills. As we approach the winter months, longer evenings and colder days, why not look out those old games and activities. Re-introduce them to your children and see that they actually enjoy such things. Word searches, chess, crosswords, Sudoku and puzzles all help to foster resilience and build stamina. Heads and tails, card games and board games all develop memory. In addition:- if you have any old board games, card games and puzzles in cupboards or in your lofts which are no longer of use, we would really like to have them in school to use with all of our students ( any age) during lunchtimes and wet breaks. Please hand them in at the office. Thank you too for all of those many parents who have brought in books for our library. They are greatly appreciated.
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Year 7 News Year 7 students have been working hard in the past two weeks to increase their house points, which has been highly successful, now reaching 2320. Student organisation has significantly improved, uniform is smart at all times and punctuality is very good. We need to ensure Year 7 maintain these high standards, and continue in their polite and positive manner. We are leading on the attendance statistics and I would like to see this continue, and to increase even more. Clubs are now an integral part of the students week, and it is great to see them taking part in so many activities. We will continue to encourage all students to take up these opportunities. In assembly this week, we focused on aspirations and being the person you want to be. At Simon Balle we encourage our students to make their own decisions, develop as a person and to not always follow the crowd. We discussed the life of Dynamo, how he never gave up on his dream to be a magician and how this was achieved through hard work, determination and not letting anything or anyone stand in his way. The students left feeling inspired and motivated. ‘Student of the week’ certificates are awarded each week in assembly for a student that has gone above and beyond that week and are selected by the form tutors. A big well done to the students below for the past two weeks. These students have had certificates and house points given. 7A 7B 7L 7M Rosie Lovell Ruby Gaigher Oliver Harrison Mikko Palmer Jessica Smith Katie Ansell Hanga Farago Alby Welch
7N Alfie Moy Molly Guildea
7R Emilia Davies Olivia Brand
Year 8 News I have chatted to a fair few Year 8 students this week and I feel that more of the year group could take advantage of the amazing amount of clubs and societies on offer here at Simon Balle, especially now the weather is taking a turn. Please do visit our website and have a look at what is on offer and have a chat to your children to see if they feel they would benefit from what we have available to them. I feel that being part of a club can give an individual a sense of belonging, it can give them a sense of responsibility and commitment, it can give them a focus, it can enhance relationships with both staff and other students, it gives them a chance to integrate with other year groups and other students who they would not usually socialise with. It can increase their well being, increase fitness (in some cases) and generally make our students fee like they are part of the Simon Balle community. I will certainly be encouraging them all to join at least one club per term, I would love you to encourage them too. They of course earn positive house points for participating as well; what is there to lose? http://www.simonballe.herts.sch.uk/clubs-and-societies/
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Year 9 News The year group now have a new internal rewards system, having moved from Year 8 Super Student to Year 9 Student of the Month, as nominated by form tutors. Well done to the first winners, who have made an excellent start to Year 9: Alex Harley Alexandra Davis Astrid Arbon Chris Dean Eleanor Jablonowska Katherine Worsley Emma Worsley Evie Titheradge Jay Collins Presley Lilly Niina Palmer Year 9 have had several assemblies on the importance of education and making the most of opportunities. To this end, the expectation is that all students will attend at least one extra-curricular club in order to become involved in the wider life of the school and develop a range of personal skills. The list of activities available can be found below http://www.simonballe.herts.sch.uk/clubs-and-societies/
Year 10 News This first half term has been a roaring success for the Year 10s and we marked this in our Celebration assembly this week. Attendance is up and we are now the second best-performing year group in the secondary school and, with so many students on 100%, we had to draw names at random for our rewards. The winners were Emma Boyd, Gracie Collins, Scarlett Smith, Alex Welch and Casey Farrell. We did the same for those with 100% punctuality and the winners were Tyler Buxcey, Jack Emsley, Louis Cimino, Caitlin Houghton and Ella Wren. We are also the best year group for behaviour points with Aimee Ball leading the way with an impressive 44 points but she is followed closely by Issy Rosser, Skye Giles, Charles O'Neill, Gracie Collins and Roberto Hollis. Whilst this band of students are setting the tone it is clear that the whole year group are engaged and striving to perform in line with our expectations of GCSE students. I am looking forward to seeing more of the same next half term. Form Awards: 10A - Abi Howard-Palmer & Harry Palmer 10B - Maria Owsianik & Harry Crystall 10L - Eloise Brown & James Walton 10M - Ewan Cattermole & Una Trujkic 10N - Kathryn Rollins & Alex Welch 10R - Charles O' Neil & Niamh Ennis
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Year 11 News Since that start of October Year 11 academic intervention has moved up to the next level. Students have been engaging in a variety of support sessions to ensure that they have all the tools to be as successful as possible in the mock exams. The vast majority of students have taken it upon themselves to attend department run revision sessions before school, at lunch or after school. Further to this over 20 students are currently being tutored by our Year 13 students and 45 students have completed 6 workshop sessions on effective revision habits. Year 11 are also continuing to stretch themselves with extra curricula activities representing the school in netball, football, rugby, cross country and at musical events. It has also been a delight to see a group of Year 11 boys give up their lunch time every Wednesday, to be a reading buddy to an enthusiastic reader in Year 3. Congratulations to the following students of the week, who have all made an excellent start to Year 11. Reiss Allington, Adam Standen, Joseph Smith, Lucy Martin (September student of the month), Alec Neate, Harry Blake and Hannah White.
Sixth Form News The main focal point for Year 13s during this time of year is centred on their next steps. Our early applications for Oxbridge and medical routes have been sent through UCAS and the rest of the year group are tweaking their personal statements or researching their chosen pathway in more depth. There is a belief among young people that they need to go to university to get a well-paid job. However, one route that is becoming increasingly popular is apprenticeships, with many employers now offering young people a route straight into work. Apprenticeships still suffer from a negative perception despite many employers offering training, qualifications and a paid salary alongside experience. Whilst preparing students for university applications we are actively encouraging our young people to learn about alternative routes into work and make informed decisions on their future. Our students have recently had the opportunity to attend apprenticeship presentations with GSK, interact with live careers broadcasts with Coca-Cola, visit the University of Hertfordshire to gain an insight into careers within the Health and Social Care industry and hear about gap year experiences available in the UK and beyond. Many students have continued to attend university open days and career exhibitions such as UCAS Create, the UK University and Apprenticeship Fair at the Emirates Stadium and the What Career? Live event at the Olympia, London. Students interested in gaining an apprenticeship are encouraged to attend Skills London 2018 on 23rd and 24th November at the Excel Centre, Docklands. We hope access to all the options helps students choose the right pathway into employment for them.
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Attendance Over the last two weeks we have had excellent attendance: Y7
97.44%
Y8:
96.54%
Y9:
96.31%
Y10:
97.16%
Y11:
96.99%
Y12
95.45%
Y13
95%
I would to thank parents/carers for your support this term. It has been a great start to the term attendance wise and students are really showing their resilience in getting into school even when they are not feeling 100%. In Year 7-11 over 600 students are still on 100% attendance this term and the primary attendance figures are once again very high. As mentioned at the expectation evenings of various year groups this term, the link between excellent attendance and high levels of attainment is crucial. First wave teaching can not be replaced. We shared with you the statistics of our recent Year 11 students, which showed a direct correlation for the students who did not make the expected progress and their attendance being below 95%. Thank you for your continued support and remember attendance matters, every day counts.
PSA News Our AGM meeting will be held on Monday October 22nd in the Larch Centre Hall, 7pm for 7:30pm start. Although a formality, we are required to fulfil our legal responsibilities as a registered charity this is a great opportunity to hear about all the fantastic work that YOUR PSA has done in the last year. It's really important that we have as many parents as possible attending because at this meeting we vote on committee members. The number of attendants impacts on the number of committee members that we can have - so if you are able to come along you would be welcomed with a glass of wine and some nibbles! Please remember, being part of the PSA is not all about meetings and folding raffle tickets - it's also about exploring new ideas that will deliver funds to your school and about how YOU can make a difference to the school community. Thank you for all your support - We look forward to seeing you! PSA Website Do have a look at our website to find out a bit more about us, what events we have been involved with and what events are coming up that we hope you would like to be involved with. New parents (and those who haven't registered with us yet) please click the link below to register with us. https://www.pta-events.co.uk/simonballepsa/index.cfm?event=How%20to%20use%20our% 20new%20website#.W8hRQfZFwps
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PUBLIC EXAMS – IMPORTANT NOTICE The summer 2019 exams may seem like a long way off at the moment, however time will pass very quickly and we need to share important information with you to avoid any possible issues next summer. For the summer exam season of 2019 the examination awarding bodies have arranged a ‘contingency’ exam day which will be WEDNESDAY 26TH JUNE 2019. The inclusion of this day means that all exam candidates must be available to sit exams from the date of their first exam up to and including the 26th June. The awarding bodies have made this decision following the tragic events of summer 2017, namely the Manchester attack and the Grenfell Tower fire. The Joint Council for Qualifications has decided that they need the option to postpone an exam across the country in the event of an incident and then rearrange to allow all students a fair and equal chance. Holidays or other commitments for Y11, Y12 and Y13 students should therefore not be booked until AFTER Wednesday 26th June 2019. We hope this advanced notice helps you with your planning for next summer Exams office
Dates for your diary Monday 22nd—Thursday 25th October - Y13 Geography Trip Monday 22nd October - PSA AGM Week beginning 29th October - Half Term Tuesday 6th November- Y8 Volcano Day - Larch Centre Parents Evening
Thursday 6th December - Larch Open Evening Wednesday 12th December - Y9 Parents Evening Wednesday 19th December - Carol Service 7pm Thursday 20th December - Carol Service -Christmas Lunch
Tuesday 13th November - Autumn Concert
Friday 21st December—End of Term (Early finish, more details to follow)
Wednesday 14th November - Y8 Parents Evening
Monday 7th January - Term Starts
Wednesday 14th - Friday 16th - Y12 Geography Trip
Thursday 17th January - Year 11 Parents Evening
Friday 16th November - Non-uniform Day (Children in Need)
Monday 4th February—Y7 Trip to Bletchley Park
Monday 19th November —Larch Open Morning Wednesday 21st November - Y8 Girls HPV injections - 6th Form Open Evening
Tuesday 12th February - Y10 Parents and Students exam prep talk Wednesday 13th February - Y13 Parents Evening
Friday 23rd November - Occasional Day 1
Friday 15th February - INSET: School closed for students
Monday 26th November - Occasional Day 2
Monday 18th– Friday 22nd February - Half Term
Friday 30th November - Larch Open Morning Saturday 1st December - Frost Fair Thursday 6th December - Larch Open Evening
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Swimming Pool Refurbishment Over the summer holidays our swimming pool went through a huge transformation and our swimmers are now enjoying the benefits of having a better quality provision at the school. Since July we have had major works in the pool which have involved replacing all the pipework, plant and machinery, pool liner, floors, changing rooms and doors. The majority of this work (totalling £424,000) was paid for by a successful bid to the Department for Education, as well as contributions from the PSA and our own school funds. The pool is used by many in the local community and will continue to benefit our students for many years to come.
Biometric Dinner Money System Reminder We recently emailed parents with information about the new dinner money system that will be in use from Monday 5th November onwards. The new system uses biometric information from student’s fingerprints to identify them when they pay for school meal items. From 5th November students will not be able to pay for food using cash, instead, they will use their fingerprint (or PIN number if we don’t have their consent for biometrics) to link to their dinner money account. This will still be linked to Parent Pay so you can still see your child’s balance online and top up as usual. If your child does have cash, they will be able to top their account up at a cash-loader located in the canteen using either their fingerprint or PIN number to identify them. There is more information about the system and about the importance of consent on our website here: http://www.simonballe.herts.sch.uk/biometric-information/ If you have not already done so, please do take the time to let us know if you consent for your child to be included in the new system by completing this online form. You can use this form to let us know if you would prefer a PIN number for your child. We will be registering students next week on Monday 22nd October so please do complete the online form as soon as you can.
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Online Fundraising Don’t forget that you can help raise funds for Simon Balle All-through School PSA whenever you shop online over the Christmas period. Use the links below to register and shop with over 3,300 big name retailers including Amazon, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, and Booking.com – and when you shop, you’ll raise a free donation for us every time. It’s that easy! https://www.giveasyoulive.com https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk
House competition update This year’s house competition has started with a bang! Whilst reigning champions Rib have started strongly, it is last year’s underdogs, Beane, that have found themselves on top of the league table this half term. Congratulations to them! It has been great to see so many of our students contributing positively to their house totals with lots of points being awarded to those helping celebrate our school community at open morning and yet more given out to those who partook in our week of European languages competitions and events. Our Larch centre students have also been busy accruing house points with fantastic effort levels in lesson and some excellent class work. Two students went one step further by earning themselves a Blue Peter badge which they enjoyed showing to Mrs Saunders. This year, for the first time, our sixth form house ambassadors will be leading our house assemblies which we are very excited about. These students have been working hard to prepare what they are going to present and we wish them luck as they embark on this new venture. Next half term we will be publishing our list of house events so please do keep an eye out for that. A big well done again to all of our students for such a positive start back to the house competition. With five more half terms to go, the title really could still go to any of our houses.
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Following the information issued last week, the supply issue affecting EpiPen and EpiPen Junior is expected to continue for the remainder of 2018. The guidance from children’s allergy experts is now subject to the following updates:
During this period of reduced supply, 300mcg of adrenaline can be prescribed to children weighing 25kg or above, even where the pen might state 30kg or above; and In the event of anaphylaxis during this shortage period, if a child has no in-date pen, an out-of-date pen can be used. Using an out-of-date pen might give a lower dose of adrenaline but it is better to use an out-of-date pen than wait for an ambulance to arrive. Schools should note the guidance in the letter (attached below) from NHS allergy experts, which is being issued by GPs to those affected and includes the updated advice. We recommend schools also pass on this letter (in confidence) to parents/guardians of young people who carry an EpiPen Junior or alternative adrenaline auto-injector. Letter from GPs - Junior EpiPen shortage.pdf
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION TRAFFIC DISRUPTION Thames Water are carrying out some essential sewer repairs in Mangrove Road. They will be digging a large hole right outside the school ‘IN’ gate in order to carry out the work which will start on Saturday 20th October and is due to be completed by Wednesday 24th October (weather permitting). At the same time BT will be installing a new box and cabling outside the school and digging up the road between our entrance and exit gates. This is going to lead to disruption entering and leaving the school site for staff, parents and students. In order to ensure the safety of our site users please note the following –
The exit from the car park will be closed
All traffic will enter and exit from the current ‘IN’ gate
There will be no left turn up Mangrove Road
There will be no temporary traffic light to help with traffic flow
Pedestrians will NOT be allowed to use the ‘IN’ gate – all pedestrians will use the path next to the 6th form building
The gate will be manned by staff to direct pedestrians and traffic
As a result of the above we would encourage you to not to drive to school next week in order to keep traffic disruption to a minimum. Where possible use the park and stride next to the fire station using the 6th form path on site. Fortunately we should only be affected for three days but the timing of these works is not ideal and we will be raising this with Hertfordshire County Council. Thank you for your co-operation in advance.