Over the last few weeks, we’ve had a number of activities to support students with their thoughts around possible futures as part of our CEIAG programme. Last week, Matt, Julia and JayJay from Ardent, a local company based near Roecliffe, visited Boroughbridge High School to deliver an assembly to the Year 9 students. They spoke about Ardent and the work the engineering company does, alongside sharing their own career journeys and the different routes that led them to their current roles.
The session offered useful insight as students begin to consider their GCSE choices and future pathways, and provided an opportunity to hear first-hand experiences from professionals working in a local business.
On Thursday, a group of our Year 11 students were welcomed by our federated partner King James’s School for a taster day so that they could experience a day in the life of a Sixth Form student. They had a great day.
In Forest School this week, Mr. Woodward reports, ‘Another cold week with biting winds but students warmed themselves with a new addition to our Forest School kit: Kelly Kettle storm kettles; these ingenious inventions make warming water and cooking outdoors in poor weather conditions easier, especially when dry tinder and fuel are hard to come by on a damp February afternoon!
In sporting news, Miss Robson reports, ‘Last Thursday we ventured over to Barlby High School for a friendly Year 8 netball fixture. I’m not sure what the girls enjoyed more, the game or the minibus karaoke. 9 players meant we had options allowing players to come on and make an impact on court. The first quarter was hotly contested with Barlby narrowly leading 5-4. We became a little unsettled with a few offside calls and a couple of ‘not received in the centre third’ when taking the centre pass. This was a result of making decisions under pressure, a feeling completely different to when we play in lessons and club. Having said that, the girls couldn’t have worked any harder. I was astonished at how well they caught hard passes being fired at them by their team. The final score was 15-8 to Barlby. This is the most we have ever scored in a game so credit does go to the shooters, India and Eliora, as well as the whole team. Well done, Rova, player of the match and Amelia, Barlby’s PE Teacher’s player of the match. Rematch incoming…’
Interestingly 190 students have taken part in extra-curricular activities this week – that’s almost 50%!
It was great to see Year 8 and Parents and Carers on Wednesday evening. There was a positive buzz in the Hall with students’ progress being discussed along with ways to make further improvements.
In assemblies this week, I’ve talked with students about our commitment to ensuring that all in our school community are ‘safe, happy and successful’ and how learning can support positive mental health. We made links to Mr. Woodward’s assembly on ‘Less screen time and more green time’ and looked at resources provided by Compass Phoenix on the benefits of learning. In the final part of assembly, I talked with students about mobile phones and the newly published Dfe guidance that states that ‘All school should be mobile-free environments by default’. We looked at our current ‘never seen, used or heard’ policy for Years 8-10 with Year 7 currently handing phones in at the beginning of the day. We then discussed the options moving forward to ensure that we comply with the new guidance. All students were asked to share their opinion and I’ve invited students to talk to me if they have any questions or want to share their views. I’m delighted that many of them already have and their feedback will help us to shape our new approach, the details of which we’ll share with you next week.
A message from Ms. Bauwens, our Exams Officer, ‘Year 9 exams start on Monday and run all week. Please could you make sure your child has all the equipment they need: a calculator, pens, pencils, a ruler and a rubber.
The next set of KS4 progress Exams run from Friday 6th to Friday 13th March. In order to help you understand the exam process and better support your young person through these and the Summer exams we will be running a Student Wellbeing & Exams Parents Information evening on Wednesday 25th February at 6pm. During the evening we will outline exam regulations, how pupils can prepare as well as providing practical guidance on how to help your child with stress management. We look forward to seeing you there.’
Have a lovely weekend!