Welcome to the newsletter for this week.

You may have seen in the media about the industrial action being taken by the NEU over the coming months. We will be sending you a letter on Monday, sharing details of how we will be managing these days.

This week and next week, has seen and will see a variety of experiences being offered outside of the classroom, from a Marine Engineering Stem workshop for Year 7 to Strings instrumental taster sessions as well as our usual extra-curricular offer. I also enjoyed watching a fantastic Rubik’s cube competition this week between five students. The winning time was an amazing 33 seconds. Truly impressive!

The Careers page on our website provides not only useful information about our Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) programme but also has a ‘Careers News’ section which reviews the many activities and events that the team arrange as well as advertising careers related information, open days and opportunities. The page can be found here. The more the students are aware of the opportunities open to them when they leave school, the more it may help engage them with their learning now.

Next week sees the start of assemblies being delivered to Year 9 regarding the Pathways process and the subjects that may be available to them to study at GCSE level in Year 10 and Year 11. It is important that students and parents/carers engage in the whole process as the decisions they make now, will potentially help them secure further education or employment opportunities in the future. There will be a Year 9 Parents’ Evening, followed by a Pathways Evening. Details will be shared with you in more detail soon.

Year 11 parents/carers will be receiving notification of Parents’ Evening next week, please ensure that you book appointments to speak to subject teachers at this very important time in their academic year.

I hope you have a good weekend.

Welcome to the newsletter for this week.

Year 11 have had their trial exams this week and I can say I am very proud of how they have managed themselves. They have approached them with maturity and their behaviour during them has been commendable. From a logistical point of view, they know exactly what to expect in the summer now and the routines they have been in this week will just be repeated in each and every exam. Their teachers will be going through their papers with them and revisiting any areas where there are gaps in their learning, but they will not be sharing their grades in lessons. We will be holding a trial results day so that students receive their grades in the way that they will in the summer. We have found this has more of an impact and helps the students see easily how they are progressing overall.

Our extra-curricular offer at lunchtime and after school is very popular, with a wide range of opportunities available. It is important that students do take part in some activities outside of the classroom, as more of a personal interest. We are here not only to teach the students the curriculum but also to help them to become rounded individuals. Sharing interests is really important and clubs encourage students who would not necessarily usually work together, to do so. If your child does not take part in any of these, please have a look at our social media sites for details and talk to them about joining one.

Online safety is really important for everyone but especially important for our young people. There are many many resources available online, and we have a page of our website dedicated to digital safety, as well as another page for safeguarding children in general. Please take a look and look at the linked resources available as it may help you support your child and help them to be as safe as possible.

Thank you for your support in encouraging your children to be on time to school, it is appreciated. Attendance at school every day, in every lesson for every student is vital.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2023. I hope that everyone managed to enjoy an element of the festive period.

Year 11 students have their trial exams next week. Yesterday they had an assembly covering exam logistics and protocols. It was a re-cap of information they are already aware of including making sure mobile phones and watches are switched off and in their bags, water bottles are clear and do not have any labels, their pockets are empty and they remain in silence throughout their exam from the time they walk in the door to the time they leave. These are the most very basic of expectations but must be adhered to. We have a duty to report malpractice, and we will, in order to ensure the integrity of our centres. There are a significant number of exams staff on hand to support students through this, as well as their pastoral leads, we just need to make sure that they prepare appropriately and make every mark count, not losing any through an avoidable mistake. Morning exams start at 9am, students need to be lined up by 8.45am, please ensure your children are on time to school. If you have any concerns, please contact your child’s tutor or Head of Year in the first instance.

I delivered assemblies to other year groups this week about the ‘Success’ element of our ASPIRE core values. This asked, what is success and how do you get it? I explained that success can be achieved following five principles, ABCDE. Attendance – ‘You should be here every single day. This is the MOST important thing you can do to be successful’, Behaviour – ‘You control this. You decide how you act and all the decisions you make. NO ONE else makes these decisions’. Classwork – ‘This is why you are here so you need to put in the maximum effort to get the best results’. Dress Code – ‘We have a simple uniform – stick to it each and every day’. Expectations – ‘I believe in you, your teachers believe in you – you need to have the highest expectations possible if you want to be successful’. Please reinforce these messages with your children.

This term will be important for our Year 9 students as we will be starting to explore the Keystage 4 Pathways process with them.

Thank you to all of our students who returned to school in full uniform and prepared to learn, it has been great to see smart, enthusiastic, happy faces this week.

I hope you have a good weekend.

Thank you for your support over this last half term. The best way for students to succeed is for the school and parents to work in partnership, delivering the same consistent message about behaviour for learning expectations as well as life aspirations. We do appreciate your support with these messages.

We have had a week celebrating successes and talents. This culminated in the Federation Christmas Concert at St John’s Church in Newport last night. This event was a shining example of what can be achieved when students and staff are dedicated towards a cause. The students were a credit to us as a Federation as well as themselves and I was very proud to be in the audience watching them perform to such a high standard. Thank you to all of the students who took part in this and the staff who have supported them. It is beginning to feel alot like Christmas…

Year 11 students now only have four school days before the start of their trial exams. Attendance in school and in lessons is absolutely essential. This is one of the biggest factors that can affect the grade that a student achieves in the summer. Students need to use the next two weeks to relax, enjoy some other activities but it is also advisable to plan in some revision time to ensure that they give themselves the best opportunity w/c 9 January. Timetables have now been shared with students and parents so that students can plan their revision timetable for that week appropriately.

If you celebrate Christmas, then I wish you a Happy Christmas, and to everyone, I wish you an enjoyable break (if you get one) and peaceful new year.

I would like to start this week by celebrating our fantastic students and staff. I had the privilege of watching the federative production of ‘Wendy and Peter’ in the Theatre on Wednesday evening. It was the culmination of hours and hours of rehearsal and dedication and this shone through. We have some budding stars of the future, both in the acting department and musical support. I would like to say how proud I was to be Executive Headteacher and a huge thank you to the students and staff for their hard work. This goes for those on stage as well as those behind the scenes. I look forward to the next one! (no pressure Creative Arts Faculty!).

It is now only two school weeks until the Year 11 trial exams. Please can you support us by encouraging your children to use the two week break to relax but also to timetable in some revision too. It is important that these routines continue. I will cover in the newsletter after the break some procedural and logistical pieces of information. We want every student to get every mark they deserve and not have this ruined by breaking exam protocols, as this is an avoidable mistake. 

Next week we have our Federative Christmas Concert at St John’s Church in Newport on Thursday, starting at 7.00 pm. There are other activities taking place such as Christmas Lunch on Wednesday, a Santa Dash on Friday as well as festive mufti. Details of all of these events are available on our social media platforms.

As a reminder, although we are embracing and enjoying some festive activities, we will be teaching up to the end of the day on Friday 16 December, so it will be a normal 3.10 pm finish. We return on Tuesday 3 January, and students need to ensure that they are in full uniform on time and ready to learn.  

I hope you have a good weekend.

Year 11 are another week closer to their trial exams and therefore another week closer to the real exams in the Summer. Attendance in school and in lessons has a direct correlation to the outcomes for the students. It is essential that all Year 11 students attend every lesson, every day. I can not emphasise this enough. We do, and will with even more earnest, follow up on any student who is not in school and therefore not giving themselves the best opportunity of success. For the vast majority of students, they understand this and do this every day, day in, day out.

A final reminder that we have our Federative Production of Wendy and Peter on Wednesday 7 December and Thursday 8 December at 7.00 pm, in Medina Theatre. Please support our amazing students and staff by coming and seeing the culmination of hours and hours of practice and dedication. Tickets can be purchased from Medina Theatre. Our Creative Arts faculty have numerous events at this time of year which the students have worked very hard to rehearse for. We had a very successful event at Osborne House this week and we have the Christmas Concert, at St Johns Church in Newport on Thursday 15 December at 7.00 pm.

Flu immunisations are taking place for students in Years 7 – 9 on Wednesday 7 December.  If you haven’t already completed the consent form, here is the link to the letter and the consent form.  Without this, your child will be unable to receive the immunisation – which is a nasal spray rather than an injection.  

Our social media platforms provide a wide range of information throughout the week, every week, from links to our Safeguarding and Digital Safeguarding pages on our website, upcoming activities, such as our Santa Dash fun run on Friday 16 December, details of exciting competitions and a plethora of good news stories and reviews. Links to our accounts can be found at the end of the newsletter email. I encourage you to follow them. Our website also has useful information on how to keep up to date with your child’s achievement points, behaviour points and attendance on our new Arbor Parent portal. 

As a reminder, the last day of term is Friday 16 December. This will be a normal full school day, finishing at 3.10 pm. We come back to school on Tuesday 3 January (with Year 11 trial exams starting on Monday 9 January!). 

I hope you have a good weekend

Our post 16 provision, The Island VI Form, opened its doors to Year 11 students from across the Island today, providing an opportunity for the young people to have a selection of ‘Taster’ lessons from the wide variety of subjects that we have on offer. It was very well attended and the students appeared to enjoy the wealth of experiences that they were able to take part in. It is important that students have the chance to see why they are working and revising hard. This will have given many students a new drive to ensure they give themselves the best opportunities for the future, by working hard to achieve their potential in their exams in the summer. The trial exams which are w/c 9 January are another week closer, so please support your child by making sure they are making the most of every lesson and learning opportunity. Revision session information will be shared during next week.

Next Wednesday we will be welcoming a couple of our Governors into school. They will be talking to students at break and/or lunchtime to gain an understanding of how they feel about their learning, their progress and their school experiences. They will be seeking the views of parents/carers over the coming weeks.

Our students who were involved in the ‘Student Takeover’ last Saturday at Independent Arts in Newport had a fantastically successful day. The gallery was buzzing all day with visitors taking part in activities and viewing the exhibition. Thank you to everyone who made this such a success.

Please see our website for useful information on how to keep up to date with your child’s achievement points, behaviour points and attendance on our new parent portal.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Thank you to all of the students and parents/carers who attended our Federated Careers Information Evening on Tuesday evening. It was an important event as it highlighted the wide range of opportunities available to students after they finish Year 11. For any students who were unable to attend, the information booklets will be distributed for their perusal. For any students who need some advice and guidance around post 16 options, please contact our Careers team.

Our post 16 provision, The Island VI Form is currently arranging the taster day, on Friday, 25 November, giving students opportunities to spend a day on the VI Form site, experiencing subject tasters. This will be an exciting opportunity for them to get the first feeling of how they will be treated if they decide to follow this route. Year 11 will be sitting trial exams, w/c 9 January, so it is important that students are already revising and in good routines.

Tomorrow, Independent Arts in Newport are allowing a ‘Student Takeover’ event, between 10 am – 4 pm. Students from across the Federation will be taking on roles such as managers, creative practitioners, meeters and greeters and fundraisers. All details have been designed by our students, including publicity, window displays, workshop ideas and music. Please pop in if you are able.

As shared last week, tickets for our Federative production of Wendy and Peter Pan are on sale, so if you have not already done so, please support our young people by buying tickets for one of the performances on Wednesday 7, December or Thursday, 8 December. Tickets can be bought online through Medina Theatre.

Please ensure that students keep up their good routines of arriving on time, in full school uniform with equipment ready to learn and a good attitude to learning. This needs to be maintained throughout the year, day in day out, week in week out.

I hope you have a good weekend.

I would like to start by saying how proud I am of all of our students and staff for the respect they displayed during the two minutes silence at 11am today, observing Armistice Day.
‘At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month – we will remember them.’
The marking of this, is a whole school act of respect that is becoming a significant event in our school calendar. Similar events are held at our other two federation sites. A full write up will be shared next week.

On Tuesday 15 November we have a Federated Careers event being held in the Theatre, including exhibition stands in the Sports Hall. The presentation starts at 5.45 pm, the doors will open at 5.30 pm. It is an important event as it will raise awareness of the range of options that students have following their GCSE exams in the summer. Information will also be shared about revision techniques and exam preparation routines.

Rehearsals for our Federative production of Wendy and Peter Pan are well underway. The students and staff are showing great dedication to making this a fantastic event. Tickets will be going on sale shortly, so please support our young people by buying tickets for one of the performances on Wednesday 7 December or Thursday 8 December. Tickets can be bought online here.

As the weather starts to get colder, please do remember that we do have school jumpers available to buy which can be worn under blazers. Coats can obviously be worn to school but are not allowed to be worn in the buildings. Please support us by discouraging your child(ren) to bring hoodies to school, they are not allowed to be worn and if they are, will be confiscated.

Please do follow us on our social media platforms as there are many events and activities coming up this half term. Links can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.

I hope you have a good weekend.

Welcome to the first newsletter of this half term.

I would like to start by saying that we had a very successful VI Form Open Evening at our dedicated post 16 site yesterday evening. Thank you to all students and parents/carers who attended. We hope you found it useful having an opportunity to talk to the wide selection of subject staff and our amazing students, as well as enjoying a look around our ever improving building and facilities. If you were unable to attend then please have a look at our website which has the prospectus available to view, and the application form to download. We also have subject related videos available for you to watch with messages from our staff. If you would like to arrange a tour of the site or have any queries at all, please contact us at viform@iwef.org.uk.

I led assemblies on one of our core values, Equality, this week. I covered topics such as protected characteristics, unfairness/injustice, discrimination and prejudice. This is an important area and it is vital that all of our young people understand these terms and behaviours so that they become informed rounded young adults.

Next week we will be acknowledging the two minute silence at 11.00 on Friday 11 November. We will update you about this in the newsletter next week.

Although Year 11 trial exams and the summer exams may seem an eternity away, they are not. Year 11 students need to be ensuring that they are giving themselves every opportunity to learn as much as possible in lessons and then complete their homework and further independent learning at home. The message to Year 11 is that they are in control of their futures, their results will be a reflection of their efforts. There is still a good amount of time to make any changes to their approach to their learning. There is a Year 11 Careers Evening on Tuesday, 15 November. It will be an important evening, full of information about next steps and what is needed to get there.

Many of our students enjoyed a Trip to the Mayflower Theatre yesterday to watch ‘An Inspector Calls’. We hope that they all enjoyed it and found it useful as another way to interpret their English text.

I hope you have a good weekend.