Ballyclare High School Summer Newsletter 2018
Farewell Jen
Encouraging life long learning, in a caring, creative community Ballyclare High School: Summer Newsletter 2018
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Principal’s Message Summer holidays are just a few days away and it feels like only yesterday when we were all at this stage last year! After another lively and productive term, we can all look forward to a few weeks to rejuvenate. The fabulous weather during the month of May certainly fuelled an air of accomplishment and productivity and heralded the reward of a summer of freedom ahead for all those sitting GCSE and A level examinations. The achievements and accolades secured by our pupils serve to inspire and humble us again as we reflect on their talents and celebrate. Year 14s graduate from our ranks leaving behind a fine reputation of commitment and maturity, and indeed a myriad of rewards for their investment across all aspects of life here at their alma mater. I send them all our very sincerest best wishes and encourage them to take great confidence from the regard in which they are held. To those few in Year 12 who have chosen not to return to A level study in September, I also offer our good wishes. They too have grown into well-rounded individuals with a lot of talent to share. A review of progress made with our School Development Plan is very pleasing. I commend, in particular, work of departments and pastoral teams, and indeed the explicit focus on the combined work of those two leadership groups, that has already served to deepen pupil support in this first year of the plan. Staff contribution to the cocurricular activities remains fully dedicated during what has been an onerous year in the world of education; I am indebted for what they all give so willingly for our children. This year we say goodbye to Mr David Campbell, Head of English, who embarks upon a career break in Michigan, USA. After over twenty years of a fulsome and dedicated service, we thank him for his commitment to pupils and staff, rugby teams, debating and public speaking, and all sorts of other creative ventures. We wish him and his family every blessing on their new adventure! Mrs Thompson also leaves us to return to primary teaching after an instrumental year with us in the PE department; we thank her for all she has contributed so willingly and professionally. Finally, we celebrate the legacy of a remarkable woman, and mark the end of an era, as Mrs Jennifer Jenkins, Senior Executive Officer, retires. Jen’s influence permeates all aspects of school life, far beyond the role specified in her job description. Her behaviour epitomises all that is rich and good, and the pastoral support she provides for us all is, above all else, priceless. Love from us all special lady. Warmest regards,
Dr Michelle Rainey Principal
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Youth Bands in Concert at Ulster Hall
Wind Band Outdoor Performances The Wind Band enjoyed performing at many outside venues during the summer term. They were invited to Ballyclare May Fair and Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park in June.
Oh What a Night!! Our Wind Band and Flute Ensemble performed in the Ulster Hall on Tuesday 12th June 2018 with the Rio Americano High School Band from Sacramento, California. An amazing day was had by all, getting to work with musicians of this calibre. Our pupils were fantastic ambassadors for the school and played at their best in such a wonderful venue. They also heard first hand what we have to aim for. This first concert of its kind introduced us to the delights of the Jazz Band and Concert Band of Rio Americano High School from Sacramento, California during this, their very first Irish visit. Thanks to all who supported us in any way and attended the concert but especially to all our musicians who’ve put in a huge year’s work and have made so much progress in that time. They make our job a pleasure every day. Time for a rest and to recharge the batteries over the summer. priced at £5 each.
A message of thanks to Ballyclare High School from the University of Oxford – MYRIAD research team We would like to pass on our thanks to all the staff and pupils at Ballyclare High School from the MYRIAD project at the University of Oxford. The team has been visiting your school to collect data from some of your pupils as part of the research and we have been delighted by the welcome we have received by your staff and pupils. Your pupils have shown such respect and maturity during our sessions, but not only that, their politeness, opening doors, helping us get to rooms etc has been exemplary. You have given our team a wonderful experience of what a friendly, caring environment a school can be. You can be very proud of them all.
Ballyclare High is once again at the forefront of research for the benefit of its pupils. We are involved with MYRIAD . This is a national research project funded by the Wellcome Trust and carried out by the institutions above. We are investigating how schools prepare young people to improve resilience and manage their emotional health. We will be collecting data from thousands of pupils across the UK. It will hopefully help to answer questions in this important area for young people and improve their ability to flourish and deal with the ups and downs of life. You can read more about it at the link below:
Congratulations to our Year 10 team who came runner up in the NI finals of the STEMQUEST competition at Titanic Belfast recently. They were narrowly beaten in the final round but impressed the judges with their knowledge and love of STEM. Well done!
1st Again!
MYRIAD is a national research project funded by the Wellcome Trust and carried out by the institutions above. We are investigating how schools prepare young people to improve resilience and manage their emotional health. We will be collecting data from thousands of pupils across the UK. It will hopefully help to answer questions in this important area for young people and their ability to flourish and deal with the ups and downs of life. You can read more about it at the link below: www.myriadproject.org
A huge thank you must go to Ms Nikki Craig whose commitment and enthusiasm has made it possible for us to work with you. It has been really heart-warming to have been in classes with your pupils. We sincerely hope this is the start of a close working relationship with the University of Oxford for the duration of the research and we hope our links will be of benefit to your lovely school. We look forward to returning for the next data collection and will now be in close contact with your dedicated MYRIAD research lead in school to plan our next steps for the research and to foster ongoing links with your school. Liz Lord
Schools Liaison, MYRIAD Project, University of Oxford
Ballyclare High School have secured the Online Safety Mark for the second time – a first for any post-primary school in Northern Ireland.
www.myriadproject.org
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SKI TRIP 2019 This year’s ski trip took us to Andorra for the first time. We were based in the capital, Andorra la Vella, known as the ‘Kingdom of Snow’. Here there are a wide range of tree lined slopes to suit all abilities of skiers. Lessons ran from 9am to 11am and from 1pm to 3pm. Our pupils made great progress and by the end of the week the beginners were able to tackle most of the slopes. Evening activities included a quiz night, bingo, karaoke/disco, bowling and a visit to the capital’s exclusive spa.
Where? Pinzolo, Italy When? 13th Feb - 20th Feb
This was a very successful trip. Our pupils were a credit to themselves and the school and were complimented on numerous occasions for their behaviour. This is a great experience for our pupils and one that they will always treasure. These are just a few of their comments:
‘‘Overall I had a brilliant week and it was an amazing experience that I would love to do again’’
‘‘I really got to know some of the others in my year group and in other year groups that I wouldn’t usually speak to.’’
‘‘I got a chance to get to know some of my teachers better and that was nice.’’
Junior Scripture Union Castlewellan Castle 13-15th April
We travelled down to Castlewellen for a weekend of fun and fellowship with fifty-five pupils and seven teachers and as usual, there was a battle between the first and third years for the back of the bus!! Over the weekend we did various activities including orienteering, the OAP party, a trip into Newcastle and four talks led by various teachers. In our discussion time during the talks, the third year girls got a chance to lead small groups of pupils from other years which was a great experience for us. All in all, it was a wonderful SU weekend that we will never forget. We enjoyed all the activities, great company and empowering talks. We not only became closer to our friends, but also closer to God.
Finally, what better way to sum up the weekend than in the words of our Junior Scripture Union members: “It was a really good experience and great fun” Joy Duncan “I really enjoyed the talks and the great outdoors space. I also thought the activities were good fun” Emma Watson “I liked the games night” Luke Mcllwrath By Lydia McAleer (10L) and Bethany Beasant (10A)
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AMOUNT RAISED On Wednesday 2nd May over 900 pupils and staff joined in the second colour run at Hollinger Park. After having the opportunity to purchase lunch at our Snack Zone in the playground the pupils made their way up to the rugby pitches. Miss Abbott, Miss McKinty and Mr Milliken performed a vibrant warm up routine and then under a cloud of colour the pupils ran 3km to help raise funds for the school. The weather was kind to us except for a heavy hail shower but the positive effect of this was to make the paint look even more impressive. It was a fun day and many parents also came out in support. Overall around £3750 was raised to support school projects. So a big thank you to all who took part.
£7770
Thirty members of staff and friends participated in the Belfast Marathon this year to raise money for MacMillan Cancer and the Oddballs foundation. To support two worthy charities and stand beside our colleague James Corry. Thank you to all who ran, helped and donated.
McKinney MicroGrant Award Mrs L Smith, our Special Educational Needs Coordinator, has been announced as the fourth winner of the McKinney Microgrant Award. This scheme is designed to encourage and promote innovative use of ICT at grassroots classroom level that will have a positive impact on the pupils’ learning. Mrs Smith applied to use the microgrant to purchase a scanner pen, which will enable pupils with an identified special educational need with their note taking and/or revision. The award is sponsored by former Head of RE and ICT Strategy Leader Edgar McKinney.
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OOPS......
He did it again! Once again, our very talented pupil Alex Corr helped to host Cool FM Cash For Kids Day (Friday 1st June). Alex has recently returned to school after finishing treatment for cancer. However, this isn’t the first time he showed cancer who is boss – it is in fact the third time! As one of our parents described him, Alex is ‘inspirational’ – his positivity shines through and as one of the front office staff commented ‘he’s like a breath of fresh air’. Alex is working hard in school getting ready for the transition from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4 in September and with a school trip to Barcelona planned for June 2019 he can’t wait for the start of the new academic year.
Junior Hockey Tour Glasgow In March of this year, a group of 50 girls in Year 9 and 10 boarded the Stena Line ferry to make their way to sunny Glasgow. After countless renditions of ‘This is me’ from the Greatest Showman the girls arrived safely in Glasgow and settled into the Ibis hotel in the city centre. The girls travelled to Wellington College in Ayr to play a tournament against their U13 and U14 teams. After a generous lunch provided by Wellington the U14 girls soared to an 8-0 victory and the U13 secured a 3-1 victory after a very competitive game. The highlight of the day was playing a mixed game and seeing Sally Robinson playing up front!
Schools Analyst Competition
AS level Chemistry students, Lucy Sproule, Callum Blair and Eoin Metcalfe, won the Northern Ireland final of the Royal Society of Chemistry Schools’ Analyst Competition. We are especially grateful to Frances Weldon and various members of staff at Almac for their advice and support in demonstrating several analytical techniques, such as HPLC. They progressed as Northern Ireland representatives to the UK final of this competition. Congratulations again to these three pupils who were placed third in the national final of the Royal Society of Chemistry Schools’ Analyst Competition at Bangor University, Wales on 20th June. This is a remarkable achievement for our pupils who successfully competed against the top schools in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
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Convention
Wednesday 24th January 2018 saw our 9th annual Careers Convention in conjunction with Ballyclare Secondary School, with Ballyclare High School hosting this event. This unique evening was open to all of our Year 10, Year 12 and Year 13 pupils, together with their parents.
The aim of the event was to afford pupils the opportunity to attend talks from a variety of professionals, as well as visit displays and exhibitions offering information on a wide selection of routes to future study, employment and success.
INSPIRE WOMEN’S CONFERENCE On 6th March a group of Year 12 and 13 girls attended the INSPIRE conference at Titanic where they were encouraged to work together to help each other aspire to do great things in the world. Speakers included Denise Watson (freelance sports journalist and broadcaster), Judith Owens (CEO of TBL international), Dr Niamh Shaw (Engineer, scientist and performer) and Mel Wiggins MBE (charity founder). The girls worked with a mentor on the day to talk through their own aspirations and how fear of failure can prevent them from becoming the person they want to be. They came away from the conference built up and encouraged that they can make a difference and we look forward to seeing them develop this further in school.
Pupils Selected as Members of the Supercell AntiBullying Youth Board
Hundreds of young people from across the UK applied to be part of the Supercell Anti-Bullying Youth Board and Amber and David, two of our Childnet Digital Leaders, have been selected to be two of the ten who will form the 2018-19 panel. As part of the Supercell Youth Board, Amber and David will have the opportunity to be a voice for their peers and speak on a national level regarding anti-bullying issues in the online setting. In this role, they will represent Ballyclare High School and the Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying Programme. They travelled to Helsinki to launch the project and will meet in London regularly to design an online safety curriculum that will be globally applicable.
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Ulster Schools’ Table Ben Woodside Making a Splash for Tennis Champions We are delighted to report that Ireland Ballyclare High’s table tennis teams Congratulations to Ben Woodside (Year 10) who competed for Swim Ireland in his first International competition in Luxembourg. He competed in the youth category and achieved 3 bronze medals in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke.
Pupils competing in Barcelona Cup
have triumphed once again. Our U15 boys’ team won the Ulster Schools’ Championships; a great achievement considering this is now their third consecutive title. Our girls also won the U19 category. This qualified both teams to attend the All Ireland Championships in Dublin where they finished in 3rd place.
U15 Boys Team: Conor Dargan, Sebastian Kidd, Max Gannon, Peter Baird, Alex Darrah, Caleb Crawford
Ulster Schools’ Tennis Champions The Senior Boys' Tennis Team have won the Ulster Schools’ Trophy for the first time in the history of the school. The team, Sam Dyson, Ross Herron, Adam McKeown and Harry McBride played Dalriada in a pulsating final with the Ballyclare team emerging winners by virtue of 4-2 in matches. At the end of the singles round Ballyclare High School were 3-1 up in the fixture with only the doubles matches to play. Having lost the first doubles match it was down to Adam and Harry to get a win to secure the trophy and after a superb performance from the pair in the second doubles game, they won 10-0 and the Ulster Schools’ Trophy takes its place in the Ballyclare High School trophy cabinet for the first time. The boys have progressed significantly in the past 3 years with their hard work and it is a fine way to finish their school tennis careers.
Jack Patterson and Bobby Higgins were recently selected to play for Greenisland F.C 2005’s team to compete in the Barcelona Cup. The team travelled to Barcelona to compete against teams from Brazil, Belgium, Scotland and France. U19 Girls Team: Jessica Baird, Victoria Irwin, Saffy Cockcroft, Megan Tumelty, Holly Tumelty, Emily Skillen.
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1stXI Ulster Schools' Plate Success Ballyclare High Cricket resoundingly beat RBAI 2ndXI in the final of the Ulster Schools’ Plate competition. The first ever schools’ plate win with the final held at Hollinger Park. Ballyclare were 25 overs for 92 runs with a loss of 9 wickets. RBAI replied with 57 runs. U12XI had two super wins over Coleraine Grammar and Limavady Grammar in the U12 NEBSSA tournament.
CRICKET
The U14XI had a close match against Bangor Grammar in the semi-final of their Ulster Schools' Plate narrowly losing. U13XI lost to Campbell College in the U13 Ulster Plate final on Wed 27th June. Prior to this final both the U13s and the U14s were away for 2 full days of cricket playing against Coleraine Grammar and Limavady Grammar in their annual North Coast cricket tour.
The School’s Board of Governors have kindly agreed to purchase a memorial bench to note the passing of colleague, vice principal and cricketer Trevor Martin, along with the John Thompson memorial bench (former pupil and 1stXI cricket captain who passed away recently and brother of current Head of Cricket, Mr S Thompson). Both will be installed at Hollinger Park within the next couple of weeks.
A first ever cricket fund raising dinner was initiated by parents, Hillary Wightman and Christine Darrah. The Hog Roast Event held at the Old Ballyclarians’ Pavillion at the Rugby Club was a success with over one hundred parents and children attending a super night that also involved musical entertainment.
1st XI Ulster Schools’ Plate Winners
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Summer Honours
Summer Honours at Ballyclare High School took place on Tuesday 12th June. The Sports Games and Cultural committee awarded a total of 16 Honours Blazers for gaining Ulster or Irish titles or selection to an Ulster or Irish Team in Chemistry, Music, Athletics Cricket and Hockey. 59 junior, intermediate and senior honours pockets across sports, music and science were also awarded.
The House competition has been playing out across the year with the welcome addition of a Literacy competition to join those which ran this year in athletics, badminton, hockey, rugby and the time trial. The overall winners on this occasion were Dixon.
Sport’s most prestigious awards were presented at this Assembly wth the Most Outstanding Girl in Sport being awarded to Rebecca McCullough for hockey and athletics and the Most Outstanding Boy to Josh Young for rugby and athletics. The Lowe Globe for International representation was awarded to Gemma Ferguson for selection to the Irish U18 Hockey Team.
Aspiration was the theme of this assembly and certainly the achievements of our young people and staff lived up to this worthy theme. ‘Be the best version of you.’ We would also wish to thank our parents who are so supportive of all the work undertaken.
Congratulations to Kathryn Coombs and Katie McCullough who have been selected to represent the Ulster Schools' Athletics Team for the Interprovincial Championships.
Congratulations to Megan Cochrane and Niamh Hogan on their selection to represent the Ulster U16 Hockey Squad.
Also, congratulations go to Molly Dougan, Vice Captain, Laura Chestnutt and Katie Stewart, who were selected to represent the Ulster U18 Hockey Squad.
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ATHLETICS NEWS The competition season started in glorious sunshine at the Mary Peters track where lots of our pupils experienced their first ever competition of this style v Grosvenor and Methody.
District C Championships
Only one week later we were into District competition with the top 3 athletes winning through to the Ulster Finals. What a miserable day and a competition that ran really badly behind for the last Nebssa Heats and part of the morning sessions which meant the afternoon events Finals were hugely affected. A total of 29 Soon followed the Nebssa athletes in a range of events and 5 Heats and we had a successful relay teams qualified for the Ulster competition with 73 athletes and Finals. 7 relay teams winning through to the finals – our highest number ever. At Nebssa Finals Day we were successful both as individuals and in the overall team competitions. The boys won the U15 Team competition and were runners up in the Overall Best Boys’ School. The girls followed suit with the U13 Girls becoming runners up in their section and the U14, U15 and U16 all winning their age groups. This meant the girls became overall champions.
Ulster Schools’ Athletics Championships The sun shone throughout yet another long day for the Ulster Schools’ Championships. The competition was fierce and our athletes worked extremely hard with a wonderful array of personal bests set and sacrifices made. Athletes collected 3 Ulster titles; Josh Young again winning the discus title and adding a bronze to this in the shot; Katie McCullough is also again Ulster Champion in the javelin and Melissa Millar winning her first title in the discus with a fourth place in the shot too. Issy McGrugan had to overcome injury but still won a silver in the glamour event, 100ms. Kathryn Coombs won silver in the discus and bronze in the shot with all medallists in the shot beating the previous record. Peter Gillespie won bronze in the triple jump as did Rebecca McCullough in the discus.
Nebssa Overall Team Champions 2018
Nebssa Overall Team Runners up 2018 Ballyclare High School: Summer Newsletter 2018
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BEST KEPT SCHOOL AWARD
Our school has won ‘The Best Kept School Award’ (PostPrimary: North Eastern Area) for the fourth time in the last five years. There has been much effort put into developing the school grounds; the caretaking staff took particular care in ensuring our school grounds were kept in pristine condition. Furthermore, the pupils and staff involved in the Eco Club ensured many environmental projects were carried out. The planting of many vegetables in the allotment in the Millennium Garden was a key element of the Eco Club’s involvement. The refurbishment of a Link Garden and creation of a new Sixth Form Garden involved many students helping to improve the appearance of our school grounds. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our hardworking pupils, building supervisors, teachers and other staff who have been involved in achieving this award.
However, appearance is not solely what this award is based on, it takes into account eco-friendly factors such as biodiversity, recycling, and saving electricity. Our school’s many bat boxes, bird feeders, and variety of plants (including the Wild Garden) help encourage many different animals and insects to live here, increasing biodiversity which is key in helping the environment and prevent some of our favourite creatures from declining. Our school has many bottle recycling bins and compost bins which help us to reduce waste. Our school is using energy saving lights and solar panels which help us to reduce our consumption of electricity. The greenhouse is also an important element of this award and we would like to thank Mrs Mairs and other staff for revitalising this space which is now in such good condition. Written by Anna Craig and Jamie Young, Eco Club leaders
Recognition from the Rotary Club of Newtownabbey Congratulations to Imogen Forbes who has received recognition from the Rotary Club of Newtownabbey for her exemplary conduct and unselfish service during her time at Ballyclare High School.
SPONSORSHIP Huge thanks to GreenThumb and Mr Harry Gaston for his generous sponsorship towards the school.
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The End of an Era! When the school bell sounds to mark the end of the summer term in Ballyclare High School, it will also herald the end of an era, with the retirement of Mrs Jennifer Jenkins MBE. Jen, Senior Executive Officer at Ballyclare High School, is one of life’s special people. Working at the school since the age of 16, when she started as an office junior, she has touched the lives of quite literally thousands of people in the local community and beyond. The support, love and kindness she affords to all is immeasurable. Jennifer is the school memory. Her ability to recall significant landmarks in the history of the school and in the lives of its personnel is legendary. Jen embodies the school motto ‘industria et probitate’ (‘hard work and decency’) in her daily interaction with pupils, staff, parents, visitors, colleagues and friends. All have been supported, encouraged and nurtured by her endless capacity to empathise and give without desire for return. Much of the mutual respect, support, friendliness and encouragement which characterise Ballyclare High originates from the general office from Jennifer and her team. The fondness with which her office colleagues and friends speak of her testifies to her compassionate leadership – ‘Jen would never ask us to complete a task that she would not do herself.’ Jen’s influence permeates all aspects of school life, far beyond the role specified in her job description. The organisational, motivational and leadership skills which are integral to her current role are important but it is the extent of her contribution to the life of Ballyclare High School and its wider community over 40 years of dedicated service for which she is universally acknowledged, valued and treasured. While attentive to the changing expectations of the wider community which the school serves, Jen has always remained mindful of the importance of upholding the traditions on which the school was founded and which have been sustained for over 100 years. The core values of the school align perfectly with her own personal values, such as respect, caring and perseverance. She has always wanted the school to act with care and concern and for those in authority whom she served to show understanding and compassion to those who needed them. Former pupils pay fulsome tribute to Jen’s profound influence on their lives. Examples include pupils with poor attendance recalling Jen’s early morning phone calls to make sure they get to school on time and previously disaffected children who have fond memories of Jen taking time to explain to them why rules and regulations are necessary to ensure that order and respect are upheld. Many whose experience of school life coincided with challenging circumstances in their personal lives attest to Jen’s limitless kindness and immeasurable compassion, often expressed in the smallest but most uplifting of ways. The current Principal, Dr Michelle Rainey, echoes the sentiments of the three previous Headmasters under whom Jen served, Mr Cecil Millar, Mr Robert Fitzpatrick and Mr David Knox, when she says: ‘I just don’t know how she does all she does, continuously giving, ever positive. Her behaviour epitomises all that is rich and good and the pastoral support she provides for us all, above all else, is priceless. Her modesty and patience is humbling. School is like a big family and Jen is just adored by our pupils and staff.”
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ways YOU can help our School
SPONSORSHIP of Arts and Sports Our current sponsors include: • Browns Coffee - School Production. • Hagans and Smile - rugby • McDonalds, John McCollum and Ricky Greer Cars - hockey.
EXPERTISE Coming into school to help with careers interviews or guidance.
BE INFORMATIVE
Let us know about opportunities out there which may be of benefit to our pupils – grants, bursary and trips.
GET INVOLVED
• Join our vibrant PTAFA. Information is published on our website re meetings. • Alternatively contact Mr Leckey or Mrs Craig.
EX-PUPILS
• sign up to Alma Mater to keep up to date with all the news.
SUPPORTING PUPILS
• via transport/equipment. • Register of drivers with D1 who can take teams/groups to competitions. • Local Ballyclare Flute Band provision of instruments through joint project.
PRACTICAL SKILLS
coming into school to aid in a practical way-painting/coaching/photos/video of productions/events.
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The Moment of Truth The results of this year’s public examinations will be issued for A level on the 16th August, with interviews commencing at 10am. GCSE outcomes will be available from 8.30am on the 23rd August. All pupils need to complete paperwork in the gym from 9am.
The New Academic Year The new academic year will commence on the 29th August for Year 13, 30th August for Year 11, 31st August for Year 8, and the 3rd September for Years 8-14.
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