It has been lovely to spend time with our two parent governors, Ursula Chetty and Sarah Steiner. We’ve toured the school together, observing routines, interventions and lessons in actions. Following on from our parent survey, we will be working with Ursula and Sarah and the Friends of Orchard Park (our PTA) to set up a parent group, primarily to help us improve our academic reporting processes for parents. Thank you to all the parents who completed the survey: your feedback was lovely to read, and the suggestions have been very helpful.

Thank you to Ms Coupland for taking a group of Year 10 students to St Dunstan’s to experience A Level taster lessons (including dissecting animal eyes in biology!). The Masterclass Programme enables our students to experience sixth form learning and helps prepare them to make their post-16 choices, including those who will be on our Scholarship Pathway.

Year 7 students have moved on to the next recipe in their food and nutrition lessons. They really enjoyed making their own pizzas and were praised by Ms Goodwin for their excellent focus and speedy tidying up!

Our students attended a rugby tournament at The Stoop, home of the Harlequins. They delivered a highly successful performance, demonstrating impressive teamwork and resilience to secure two wins, two losses, and a draw against competitive opposition. Standout efforts from Dylan, Jay, and Shay drove the squad forward, making it a proud and brilliant experience for the entire team.

Next week, we will be recognising Mental Health Awareness Week across the school. Students will take part in assemblies focused on mental health and the importance of looking after ourselves and others. We will also be highlighting the fantastic support available through our STAR building, as well as reminding students of simple strategies to support their mental health: staying connected, speaking to trusted adults, maintaining routines and taking time to recharge. We will ‘Wear It Green Day’ on Thursday: students and staff are invited to wear a small green accessory such as green socks, hairbands, ribbons or badges alongside their full school uniform. The colour green represents hope, strength and support, and by taking part we hope to continue building a culture where everyone feels able to speak openly and seek help.

Reminders:

Year 9 parents’ evening takes place on Thursday 14th May from 4-.00pm to 7.00pm.
The Options form on Google Classroom needs to be submitted by Friday 15th May.

Ms C Moran, Headteacher