Hello again
We have been back for over a month now and our year groups are settling into the challenges of the new school year. I am delighted to be able to report that I am receiving excellent feedback about our Year 7 pupils and how well they have adapted to the demands of secondary school life. It is also pleasing to note that Year 12 have returned in healthy numbers and are making the big leap from Key Stage 4 to Key Stage 5. Individual timetables have now settled and the vast majority of our pupils and students are studying their first choice options. This is, of course, an important time for Year 13 students who are intending to go on to Higher Education as UCAS deadlines will be upon them very quickly. My advice is to get the applications completed as soon as possible to allow them to focus fully on their studies. I wish each and every one of them the very best with this endeavour.
It has been a lively start to the year in which we have enjoyed two Awards Evenings. The Sports Awards evening was extremely well-attended and a proud night for pupils, parents and the school. Many thanks to my colleagues in the PE department for organising such an enjoyable evening. The Key Stage 4 and 5 Awards Evening was equally enjoyable. Our guest speaker, the sports journalist Frances Donovan, did an excellent job with her inspirational presentation and good-humoured individualised issuing of the awards. Congratulations to all pupils and students – past and present – for the hard work which contributed to the success they enjoyed. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be able to share the evening with them.
We have also welcomed Year 6 pupils from our partner primaries into the school in recent weeks. They have enjoyed activities such as Bake Off, Drama, PE and Science all linked by a theme of Healthy Living. The pupils have been an absolute credit to their families, their primaries and themselves. In a similar vein it was lovely to see so many prospective parents and pupils attend our Open Evening. I hope that we were able to address any questions that may have emerged in your minds as part of your consideration over which secondary school your child will attend. I hope, most of all, that you all enjoyed your visit to our school. Please feel free to remain in touch with any further queries or observations you may wish to make.
There is so much more happening around the school at the moment: mock exams and revision classes for Year 11 pupils preparing for November exams; rehearsals for the Shakespeare in Schools Festival (November 8th in The Coliseum); auditions for Bugsy Malone; multiple sports fixtures; Welsh club and so much more including, at all times, our absolute commitment to high quality teaching and learning.
After the October half-term I will be introducing monthly drop-in sessions in which I will be available for a few hours in the evening to meet parents who have concerns or wish to share their thoughts with me. These will run on the first term time Wednesday of each month and will last from 4 pm to 6 pm. No appointment will be needed.
I mentioned in my previous blog that I would share any updated information I have received regarding our exam results in light of the national and local picture. Provisional data shows that we have improved our results at the Level 1 threshold, in Maths and with pupils who attained 5A*-A. These outcomes have bucked the national trend. We have also performed extremely well in terms of A Level outcomes. Where we have experienced small dips in performance indicators they have been – in nearly all cases - to a lesser degree than those experienced across Wales, RCT and the Central South Consortium. There were huge changes this year in GCSE English and Maths and in how schools were measured which have clearly had a national impact. The whole educational establishment in Wales is still learning the lessons from this summer’s results and I am confident that we have in place the provision required to adapt to these and other changes.