Well done to all of our students who have done so well in their exams. We received our final external set of exam results this week (iGCSE) and so can now give you a complete picture. Our students did extremely well with 93% being A*-C or equivalent and a phenomenal 51% being A*-A or equivalent. Our staff are delighted for you all and are incredibly proud of both your attainment and progress.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Owls Parent Association coffee morning today. Despite the damp weather, we had a good turn out and it was wonderful to see so many people take part. The Owls Parent Association has sent out information about the new Year Group Representatives and we are glad to see so many parents engaged in these networks.
Welcome to Jenn Spencer as Chair of Governors. We have been very lucky to have Jenn as a Board of Governors member for a number of years and are delighted that she will be taking up this new role.
Caro Drumm
Principal
Upcoming Events
(NB these may be subject to change)
Primary
Secondary
Week 3 28/08-01/09
-Wednesday 30/08: Swimming Parent Information session
-Tuesday 29/08:
Year 7 Meet the Mentor Meetings,
Year 7 and new Year 9 Parent Information Session (PIS).
-Thursday 31/08 World Scholars’ Cup team leaves for Bangkok. Good luck to all the students participating in WSC.
Week 4 04/09-08/09
House Captain elections
-Tuesday 05/09: Y8 Meet the Mentor Meetings
-Wednesday 06/09: Y11 Meet the Mentor Meetings
-Thursday 07/09:
Y12/13 Meet the Mentor Meetings
Year 12 PIS (adapting to A level study)
Year 13 PIS (university applications and moving on from Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ)
World Scholar's Cup team returns from Bangkok
Week 5 11/09-15/09
-Tuesday 12/09: Y9 Meet the Mentor Meetings
-Wednesday 13/09: Y10 Meet the Mentor Meetings and PIS (adapting to IGCSE study)
Week 6 18/09-22/09
Thursday 21/09: Expedition Parent information session
Wednesday 27/09: KS2 individual year group expedition (Times TBC)
Week 8 02/10-06/10
Poetry Week
-Thursday 05/10: National poetry day
Expedition Week
Week 9 09/10-13/10
-Friday 13/10: International Day and End of Term 1
-Monday 09/10: Y11 Reporting Point 1
-Tuesday 10/10: Y11 Parent Teacher conference
-Friday 13/10: International Day and End of Term 1
Primary News
Our young learners in Primary and Early Years have had another excellent week of learning.
KS1 and Early Years have begun their outdoor education programme and despite the weather making it impossible to visit our Forest School site over in Chobar, they have been using our school site to develop their skills outside the classroom.Ìý As part of this, Year 2 took their learning from English outside doing some role play of the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, bringing the feelings of Goldilocks and the Bear family to life!
In Early Years the children have been learning about emotions and describing their feelings. During outdoor learning, they made self portraits out of natural materials showing their emotions. Back in the classroom they used other materials to make their self portraits.
They also participated in our helicopter stories, where the children invented and told the stories to the teacher, then they acted them out with their friends.
In Key Stage 2 students have also been retelling stories, some of our Year 3 students shared their stories with Ms Drumm, who was very impressed with their use of inference to understand the emotions of characters. They had written wonderful sentences describing how the main character, Leon, felt at different times in the story – ‘Leon & the Place Between’.
We have continued with our ‘Brainwaves’ unit of work and have been busy preparing for the exit point this afternoon, where we are looking forward to sharing our learning with our families.
In Upper Key Stage 2, the children have been looking at how the brain works, how we learn and what makes a good learning environment. They have been busily working on different types of puzzles whilst they prepare for their exit point where they will ask their parents & carers to exercise their bodies and brains!
Secondary News
Excellent GCSE Results
Once again, we have been celebrating in the secondary section this week with some fantastic GCSE results. Overall, 51% of grades were A*- A , or equivalent and 93% were A*-C equivalent; statistics that place Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ above the UK independent school average. Some highlights include another set of excellent science results, with 45% of grades an 8 or 9 (A* equivalent) and eight of our students achieving double grade 9s. In Chinese and drama, a third of grades were A* too. Most importantly, students have made excellent progress towards their own personal goals, with the majority exceeding expected grades based on prior attainment and CAT data.
The importance of reading
Reading and literacy is an important focus for the secondary section this year. To launch the initiative secondary students attended an assembly led by Head of Faculty Mr Jamieson focused on our reading and literacy programmes in school. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ has invested in a new software that allows teachers and students to see specific insights into their reading levels, reading skills and most importantly their areas for development.
Students now have access to Accelerated Reader – a vast online system designed to track and reward students for their engagement in reading. All students have completed a benchmark reading test which provides valuable insights into their individual reading competency. This will be repeated termly to monitor progress and to ensure students are reading regularly and addressing their areas for growth.
Reading is an incredibly important part in the holistic development of young people that has huge impacts academically, personally and socially. At Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ we want to encourage all of our students to read, not only to support academic learning but also for their own pleasure, self-improvement and general knowledge. Students have been challenged to read for 20 minutes each evening to expose themselves to 2 million words each year! We have also invested in upgrading our physical library space over the summer to support students in their reading. The library is open to students from 7.45 am each day and students are encouraged to use the library before school during break and lunch and after school as well as any timetabled lessons in the library.
For parents who would like to know more about this and to see our updated library space we will be hosting a Parent Information Session later this term.
Year 9 PAWSÌý (Performing Arts Workshop)
This term Year 9s are focussing on Orff rhythmic patterns, and they are learning different rhythms to the William Tell Overture, whilst keeping in time. This is a team effort and all 42 students are learning the routine at the same, on tables that are in a column formation. Not only are the students performing complex rhythmic patterns, but are also passing their drum sticks and running to different spots around the table. This requires a great deal of coordination, focus and discipline which the students find challenging but also a lot of fun. They hope to perform this routine for parents later in the term
Year 11 Spotlight
Year 11 have made an excellent start to the new academic year and it has been great to welcome them back and hear about what they all got up to over the summer holidays. However, after a well earned break they are back into their lessons and demonstrating excellent commitment to their GCSE courses. It has also been lovely to hear about how well they have been getting on in different subjects from their teachers and below you can see some of the great things their teachers have said and what they have been up to over the last few weeks.
Ms Wong has said: ‘Although it has been a whole summer, Y11 Mandarin have progressed in their Mandarin speaking as they are definitely trying to use as much Mandarin as possible in our class. Recently the class took part in an in-class oral presentation on how school uniforms in the world can look different from each other. They used a range of vocabulary to describe in detail the different types of clothing items and colours worn by students. The ‘Mandarin class lunch’ has also just kicked off every Wednesday, their aim is to speak 100% Mandarin to boost their speaking skills while in a friendlier setting enjoying lunch together.’
Ms Bishop has been super impressed with her Year 11 Business class as they took part in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ’ “Business Brains” delving into Marketing Strategies and Corporate Scandals!
‘During this week’s lessons, the Year 11 IGCSE Business students have been honing their professional presentation skills to an impressive standard. All students worked in small teams to deliver professional business pitches.
The assignment entailed comprehensive research into the promotional mix of a selected business (of the students choice), coupled with an exploration of the techniques businesses employ for effective promotion.
Furthermore, students ventured into the realm of business scandals, examining how public relations teams adeptly navigate and rectify corporate predicaments, thereby reinstating eroded consumer trust. The presentations themselves were marked by diligent rehearsal, proficient use of ICT, and an unwavering dedication to professionalism. Remarkably, certain students have elevated the occasion by adorning themselves in formal attire, attending lessons ‘suited and booted!’ underscoring the gravity of their professional business pitches.
It is with great pride that I applaud each and every student for their professional business presentations. To underline this achievement, I am pleased to award a substantial five house points to each participant. Congratulations to all!’
This week in geography, Year 11 students have been learning about global atmospheric circulation. They have been using their knowledge of air pressure, conventional rainfall and insolation to better understand the location of global ecosystems. Ms Hall was very impressed with the accurate diagrams the class were able to produce and use them in their explanations of global atmospheric circulation.
Year 11 Drama students are currently working towards their first two practical exams in GCSE Drama. The Monologues are on the 27th September from 4.30 – 5.30pm in the Drama Studio and their Scripted Examination is on the 29th November from 4.30 – 5.30 in the Drama Studio.
Ms Mountjoy would like to welcome peers and other students in KS4 and KS5 who want to attend to support those doing their examination performances to come to the Drama Studio at the following times above.
Finally to end, Mr Pennington has put his Year 11 Triple scientists practical skills to the test by setting them the challenge of identifying a range of gases using the common gas tests for oxygen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
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Withdrawal Notice
Thank you to those parents who have confirmed that their child/children will be leaving Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ at the end of the term, i.e. Friday, 13th October 2023. Adequate notice is a requirement and avoids financial penalties for parents.Ìý It also allows us to refund your security deposits on time and helps us to plan ahead for the new term.
The deadline for providing the formal notice of the withdrawal of your child/children is Friday, 15th September 2023. The notice of withdrawal can be provided either by email or written letter to Ms. Manisha Bajracharya at the admission office.
After submitting the notice of withdrawal, parents will receive a clearance form to complete the withdrawal procedure nearer the end of Term 4. Please let Ms. Bajracharya in the admissions office know should you require any school documents/references to provide to the new school.
Late notice of withdrawal (or providing no notice) and failure to submit the form or return the school’s resources may fully or partially affect refunding the security deposit.