Parent webinars

Following the success of our Parent Webinar series, launched in 2020 during the pandemic, we hosted three events this half-term, covering a variety of topics.

Laura Kleiser, Head of Learning Development and Lead SENDCo, hosted a session on the topic of “A parent’s guide to supporting study skills”. This webinar provided parents with the tools and techniques to support their child in adopting positive and effective study skills. Taking control of studying will benefit pupils not only now, but as lifelong learners.

This was followed by Pete Guille, Head of Third Form, welcoming parents of our newest pupils to learn more about the school and meet each other.

At the other end of the school journey, Middle Sixth Parents were invited by Dr Josh Bradbury, Head of Sixth Form, to learn more about the UCAS university admissions process.

The sessions were interactive: packed full of practical tips, reassuring advice and plenty of time for Q&As. If you would like to view the Study Skills or Third Form webinar, please click the images. For personalised

New option for parents to share their contact details

Following requests from a number of parents and with the support of the PTA, we will publish our first directory of parents’ contact details after the half-term break. This will be available on the Parent Portal under the School Information -> Documents & Files link.

Parents have to explicitly opt-in to sharing their details and which elements they are happy to share (e.g. mobile number, email, etc.). By default and in line with data protection laws, we have to consider that no one has consented to their details being shared unless they opt-in.

To opt-in, please log in to the Parent Portal and select from the top menu Interactive -> Electronic Forms -> then click the ‘Open’ button on the form called ‘Sharing Contact Details with other parents’. You can use this form again if you want to change your preferences at any time.

Anglican Confirmations

We are planning to organise Anglican Confirmation classes for pupils, to be led by the Reverend Lewis Pearson, with a view to holding a Confirmation Service after Easter 2023. A schedule for classes will be published in due course, once we have an idea of the numbers of pupils who wish to take part. If your child you would be interested in undertaking this next stage of their spiritual journey, please email Chris Barnes, Deputy Head (Pastoral).

Girls Rugby team in historic first matches

Our trailblazing Girls Rugby team took part in a Rugby 7s festival at Bishop Wordsworth’s Grammar School. This is the first time in the school’s history that we have fielded a girls’ contact rugby team, and the occasion was well supported with the Head, Director of Sport and rugby coaches in attendance.

Despite facing teams who have played together for much longer, our girls were outstanding throughout. They showed excellent skill and game awareness, with bravery and determination levels that were a sight to behold!

With a festival format, the focus was on enjoyment of the game and building links, rather than competing for a trophy. Nevertheless, we’re proud to say the team scored 11 tries over their three matches and recorded two wins.

It was fantastic to see so many girls enjoying their rugby and we plan to host our own regional tournament soon.

Fantastic start to football

It has been a fantastic season so far on the football pitch. The first XI have enjoyed excellent victories over Kings Bruton, Downside, Stonar and Champion Academy. They have played some very attractive football along the way and have scored 27 goals so far. They have had a couple of losses but have learned from these experiences and bounced back well.

They are an excellent group to work with, as they train extremely hard and put new skills into practice. The team is young, with about eight players still in the Fifth Form, which bodes very well for the future.

The juniors have also started well. The squad has been growing and this is allowing us to play more fixtures. They had a very narrow loss to a strong Sherborne side earlier in the term. There are some very exciting players who we look forward to seeing progress in the coming months.

Sailors compete in national team event

For the first time, our Sailing Team entered the renowned Eric Twiname Championships at Farmoor in Oxfordshire. Racing against youth squad teams and top-level club teams they gained valuable race experience in a team format that they are less used to. It was two days of intense 10-15 minute racing, with 175 races held on Day 1 and 160 on Day 2.

Milton Abbey worked hard and organised themselves to get on and off the water on time, never missing a start sequence. Unfortunately, we were knocked out before the semi-finals, but did win our first race in this format. The team were on the water for 13 hours in total over the two days, showing incredible resilience, determination and teamwork.

Girls Hockey team working hard and coming together as a team

The Girls Senior Hockey team has improved tremendously over this half term. It’s a relatively young side, many new to playing together with new students joining the school this year, combining our strongest players from ages 16 to 18.

The girls have worked hard in training, developing the formation and tactics; such as the attacking press, how to get out of defensive 16-yard hit-outs, as well as patterns of play to work our way up the pitch and into the attack.

We have had several fixtures already and after the half-term break we will take on Clayesmore, Bryanston and Leweston, where we hope to show how our hard work off the field will improve our performance in games.

The season will finish with the ultimate fixture: the annual match against the staff team!

Kobi signs to Exeter City FC academy

Massive congratulations are due to Third Form pupil Kobi C, who was assessed at Exeter City Football Club. Following the trial, he was immediately offered a place in the club’s academy squad and is pictured here signing a contract with Chim Chinnah, their Head of Academy Recruitment.

A royal audience for Maria

Fourth Former Maria S had an audience with the King of Spain after writing a fabulous speech for a national competition responding to the question “What is a King for You?”

Maria memorised her speech, and performed it in front of the King of Spain and more than 100 people at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid. She did incredibly well, overcoming her nerves to speak clearly for the audience, ensuring she looked at them and maintained eye contact with His Majesty throughout.

She was delighted to be applauded and congratulated by the King, who commended her speech on several occasions.

Pupils plan future menus

The Food Committee was held in the last week of half term, giving a group of pupils the opportunity to air their views (and those gathered from peers) and share suggestions for future menus with Tracey Edwards, Head of Operations, and Pete Wateridge, Holroyd Howe’s Regional Development Chef.

It was a really positive meeting. The pupils shared thoughtful comments and useful ideas that will help steer the new menus launched straight after the half term break. A further Food Committee is planned towards the end of the term to review the new menu, and to offer further opportunities for more pupils to share their ideas and feedback to help shape all aspects of school catering.

UNICEF Rights pledge

We have recently signed up to be a UNICEF Rights Respecting School and our pupils - led by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee - have begun the process of earning our accreditation.

Over 1.6 million children in the UK go to a Rights Respecting School and nearly 5,000 schools up and down the country are working through The Award.

This initiative places heavy emphasis on pupil voice and we are confident our pupils will grow and develop through the wide range of opportunities The Award offers. They are already showing commitment to learning about their rights and how to exercise them and feel valued, we look forward to feeding back on this initiative.