Year 11 students have once again had a really positive half-term. They are managing the challenges and pressures of upcoming exams extremely well but also continue to engage really positively with all aspects of school life.

Alongside their ongoing academic curriculum, all year 11 students have been exposed to a range of information this half-term, to support their general wellbeing and to support them in becoming positive and influential members of society when they leave NLS.  Tutor sessions have focused on relationships and sex education, more specifically peer on peer bullying and harassment, which is unfortunately quite a pertinent topic at the moment in society. Students have been informed about identifying different kinds of abusive behaviours, but also recognising how and where they could seek further support if they were ever a victim. There was a specific focus on managing themselves safely online which has relevancy now more than ever for all young people.

In addition to more focused activities in tutor time, Year 11, alongside all other year groups, have completed their second round of student voice this half-term. All students have had the opportunity to feedback on a number of topic areas including:

• How we could make rewards more relevant to students in their year groups (please see information linked to amazon voucher below)
• How students feel supported in their specific subject interventions running in tutor time on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
• How students have found using Go4Schools since its introduction at the start of this academic year.
• Specific activities students would like to complete as part of the build up to the Prom, as well as the evening itself (see information on Passport to the Prom below)

Upon reading this update, students should have completed their third and final Mock window with assessments in English, Maths, and Science. Students have again approached these exams in a really positive manner and feedback received should stand them in good stead for their final push towards the real thing in the summer. Individual feedback from all their subject areas will be given at the final year 11 parents' evening of the year due to take place on Monday 14 March. Bookings can be made in the usual way, but if you are unsure, please contact your child’s learning mentor in the first instance. Students are beginning to enter the home straight in terms of exam preparation and revision plans should now be in place for all students. This is going to be supported by the after school revision programme, details of which were shared by Mr Atkins last week. Engagement with these activities is going to be monitored by our passport to the prom initiative, please see previous communication for additional details. To further reward positive engagement in lessons over the half-term Mr Foxon and Mr Atkins have given out £200 worth of Amazon vouchers to students over the last 2 weeks of the half-term.

Looking forward to next half-term and beyond, there are some really exciting opportunities on the horizon with the end goal hopefully coming into view for all students in Year 11. Further support and development around post 16 opportunities is going to be provided over coming weeks, including the opportunity to complete some Mock interviews to support students in future job applications.

The Y11 year group photo will also be taking place on Monday 28 February during P1.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents and carers again for their ongoing support with Year 11 students as students approach their final weeks and months at NLS. All the efforts and endeavours will be rewarded in the end, I hope everyone has an enjoyable half-term.

Mr Foxon

The students in the Art Department have been so busy this term producing amazing artwork and getting involved in some charitable projects. Find out about their achievements below.

YEAR 7s HAVE MADE THEIR MARK!

What can I say? Year 7 students have had an exceptional term and are continuing to shine. They are going from strength to strength, each developing and employing the CORE ethos of the school. 

As a cohort of students, they are definitely establishing themselves as a superb year group, displaying fantastic attributes on a regular basis. It is so pleasing to witness the majority of students being supportive, honest, having integrity, never giving up and most importantly, displaying enthusiasm. As a year group we have accumulated the lowest number of behavioural consequences. Proving that we are fully aware of staff expectations during lesson time and social time. This corroborates the fact that we have the highest reward points collectively as a year group. Year 7 are not only demonstrating a positive work ethic on a daily basis, they are also being proactive in ensuring they seize many of the opportunities to contribute positively during lesson time. It has been a privilege to walk around the school and witness so many year 7s participating in the plethora of extra-curricular activities NLS has on offer.

I am so very proud of the students in year 7. It is important that as their Year Leader, I am helping them to feel happy at school as well as ensuring that they have high aspirations. I have such a fantastic calibre of students within my year group who are motivated, charismatic and superb leaders. They epitomise the character and culture of the school.  I can confidently say that year 7s are most certainly firmly placed on the ‘NLS map’.

Antibullying Competitions

This half-term we have held a series of tutor group competitions centred around ‘anti bullying. Our students were requested to create and write a poem and design a logo deterring students to bully. We had some superb entries, making it considerably difficult to choose a winner. Students were provided with some guidance following an assembly on Monday 15 November. I have to say that we have an incredibly supportive and kind year group. I feel the majority of students in year 7 have an understanding of how kindness is more important today than it has ever been. The isolation of the last year has underlined how little acts of consideration can break down barriers and brighten the lives of the people around us. I would like to share some of the entries with you:

You can clearly see how distinctive, appropriate, practical, graphic and simple in form they are.

The entries that have made it into the final were created by:

• Noah Thompson and Will Keeshan.
• Isabel Hurst and Katy James.
• Olivia Lloyd.

The winning design logo will be recreated by our Marketing Team and displayed on a t-shirt.  

We also launched a creative writing competition, in which students could produce a song, a poem, a rap or simply a some form of text. Sebastian P had the confidence to perform his rap in a year 7 assembly in from of the entire year group as well as Ms Jones, our Deputy Head Teacher. I was bowled over by his spirit and courage. He is a credit to our year group.

The winning poem was written by 7BW02:

Bullying is not ok, it makes people want to hide away.

You may think bullying is cool, but you’re acting like a real fool.

We are going to fight it together, always and forever.

So don’t do it, put an end to it.

Even if you’re feeling small, stand up to bullies and be kind to all.

Always think before you speak, so your words don’t make others feel weak.

Don’t think bullying will bring you success, being kind is real progress.

It’s anti-bullying week so do a good deed, by standing together and helping those in need.

Never be afraid to report a bully, at NLS you will be supported fully.

Year 7 Eco-Leaders

I am so pleased to announce that we have now assigned a leadership role to the following year 7s. The students listed below are our Eco-Leaders. As part of their role, they will be requested to lead assemblies to promote the club and share their accomplishments and projects. They will be creating an advert to be shared across other tutor groups. This will be promoted in tutor time. They will organise specific events and activities within tutor groups to ‘score points’. Each Friday the team will come together to assess their progress.  

No surprise….year 7 continue to reign at the top of the year group reward points leader board

I don’t think we can celebrate the positive rewards, students in year 7 have achieved, without acknowledging the consequences that have also been accumulated. When reviewing the data, a significant number of these consequences are related to punctuality and home learning. Can I ask for some of you to support me in ensuring that your child leaves home with enough time to arrive to school at 8.30am.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that as parents / carers you all have access to Go4Schools. This app will allow you to view the home learning your child has received and the date it is due. If your child is struggling to complete a particular piece of work, they should have been provided with enough time to speak to their teacher in order to gain a better understanding. If they do need some additional support, our school library is open until 5pm each day (apart from Friday). Here they will have access to books, a computer but importantly a Teaching Assistant is there to help. This is a fantastic resource that will allow your child to complete their home learning in a calm and supportive learning environment.   

Top 12 Students with the highest reward points

The battle for first place between Will K and Lucy M has been ongoing since the start of term. However, Will has managed to hold the title for the past 3 weeks, which is a real accomplishment. This terms top 12 students are listed below. These students been relentless in demonstrating their dedication and commitment to all aspects of school life. Well done!

Attendance

I want to take this opportunity to applaud and acknowledge those 54 year 7 students that have managed to attend school each day since the beginning of term. Obviously the odds were most certainly against them considering we’re in the midst of a pandemic. However, I think they deserve some recognition for either having an incredible immune system or simply being resilient and persevering. I completely understand that many of our students have had to self-isolate, however it was fantastic to witness the majority of these year 7s still accessing their lessons remotely. It has been a difficult term for some students who have been plagued by repeated illnesses. Let’s hope 2022 brings us all good health and happiness.

Remembrance Day 

I gave all year 7 students the task of designing a poppy out of card and including a message of gratitude to all those people that have sacrificed their lives in WW1, WW2, the Falklands War, the Gulf War and conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The year group produced some lovely poppies with very heartfelt messages. With all of the poppies I received, we decided to make a wreath that will be displayed by our school memorial.

Celebrating Christmas at NLS

This year our year 7 students donned their favourite and snazziest Christmas jumper in aid of Save the Children. It was fantastic to see so many year 7 students taking part for such an amazing cause. Each student contributed £1. This money will go towards supporting children in poverty ensuring they are equipped with medicine, an education and a balanced diet. The students should feel proud of themselves that they have made a difference to another child’s life.

Parents' Evening

I am really excited to announce we are aiming (if at all possible) for the Year 7 parents' evening to happen face to face on school site. We are continuing to follow national guidelines on events in school, and this will be moved to a virtual event in the same time slot if we are advised to do so. In order to facilitate an on-site event the following measures will be in place:

• Everyone attending the subject evening MUST wear a face covering unless medically exempt.
• All visitors need to complete a lateral flow test before coming into school.
• Teachers will be spread out into a variety of rooms, clustered by subject to ensure rooms are not overcrowded. In order to facilitate appointments in a variety of rooms, the system will build in travelling time for you to move from one room to another.
• Social distancing measures will be in place, and hand sanitiser available throughout school.

All bookings for subject evening will be done via SchoolCloud, where you can select which subject staff you would like to have a discussion with. Appointments can be made from Thursday 6 January at 4pm and will close on Monday 17 January at 9am. I look forward to seeing you then.

Message to Parents and Carers

I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support this academic term. I hope that you feel your child has been given the guidance and support to achieve, but more importantly to enjoy school life. I look forward to catching up with you all at the various school events next term. Have a fantastic Christmas and I look forward to seeing the return of your child on 5 January 2022.

Kind regards,

Mr Royle

Head of Year 7

As we reach the end of another eventful half-term, it is the perfect opportunity to reflect on and celebrate all the achievements of Year 9 students. It has been fantastic to hear and see how well students have adapted to the demands of their GCSE subjects; the recent data reports will have provided students with an insight to the progress they are already making. In tutor time sessions following the data reports, students were tasked with analysing their own progress (together with their attendance, reward points, attitude to learning and consequences) and setting themselves an academic or personal target to meet next half-term.

In our end of term Celebration Assembly, a number of Year 9 students received certificates to acknowledge their achievements and successes from throughout the Autumn Term. Certificates were awarded across three categories to the top 2 students in each college:

• Achievement (progress against targets)
• Attainment (highest average points scored)
• Most Reward Points

The tables below show which students received which certificates. All recipients should be really proud of their efforts and high levels of engagement across this past term – a really successful start to Year 9!

Student Leadership

Following their appointment in September, the Year 9 Marketing Leaders and Year 9 Charity and Community Leaders have been utilising their creative and fundraising skills in recent weeks. The Marketing Leaders have been busy judging tutor noticeboards around the school, promoting events such as “NLS Does X Factor” and organising and distributing college pins for students to attach to their blazers to represent their college with pride. With Christmas just around the corner, Marketing Leaders have been preparing for the festivities by creating the first-ever NLS Christmas ecard. Well done to Freya D, Jakub S and Lola R for their brilliant designs!

The Charity and Community Leaders have also been working hard by supporting the “NLS Does X Factor” event by selling nearly 300 tickets, which raised £786.21 for Children in Need. £174.67 was also raised by our students as Leaders sold Remembrance Day poppies.

Lastly, the Charity and Community Leaders collected £359.11 as students donated money for the Save the Children charity by replacing their school blazer  with a festive Christmas Jumper. A big thank you to our Year 9 Marketing and Charity and Community Leaders for their fantastic work and commitment over this last term. 

Finally, this half-term has seen the start of a school Litter Picking initiative. 

Charity and Community Leaders have recruited volunteers from Year 7 tutor groups to litter pick during tutor time in an attempt to keep our school site free from litter.

Tutor Time

During our tutor time sessions this half-term, Year 9 students have covered a range of important topics and events. In October, students completed research and expanded their knowledge of UK Black Icons as part of Black History Month. As a part of our International School status, students spent a week learning about what is happening in Syria, how it is affecting young people and wrote letters. Students also celebrated Anti-Bullying Week in November with activities based around ‘One Kind Word’ and by wearing odd socks to school to promote individuality, tolerance and acceptance. Students also received an informative assembly around the dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping.

In the build up to Christmas, a Christmas Hamper Appeal was launched, where each Year 9 tutor group created a Christmas hamper to be donated within the local community. The hamper could be donated to an elderly neighbour, a local care home or to a family who may benefit from extra provisions to allow them to enjoy the festive period.

Message to Parents and Carers

As the first term comes to an end, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support so far this academic year. Like you, I want the very best for your children and working together is the key to achieving this. As we enter the winter season, I ask for your continued support with high standards of uniform; please ensure that your child is not wearing items such as hoodies or non-branded NLS jumpers to school because they will be asked to remove them. Student attendance and punctuality will continue to be a key focus as, along with uniform, these World Class Basics really do have an impact on student achievement. Finally, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I look forward to seeing you all at the Year 9 Parents’ Evening on Monday 10 January 2022.

Mr Butler

Head of Year 9

Firstly, I would like to say a huge well done to all the Year 11 students for making it through to the end of a long, challenging but ultimately successful term.  Over the last 14 weeks, we have observed a growing maturity in the year group that should enable all students to make the most of their final year together. Whilst exams in the summer are at the forefront of a lot of activities in school this term, it is important that students make the most of their last year and all aspects of school life at NLS. Hopefully, the next two weeks offer the students the opportunity to have a well-earned break and rest and recharge.

Mock Exams

The two individual Mock periods this term have proved very successful and the students have coped admirably with the pressures and expectations required for this. It is important to remember that these exams are designed to support progress and prepare students for the real exams in the summer. It is important, therefore that students reflect on feedback given around areas of improvement, but also maintain confidence and motivation to continue their development in each individual subject area. All Year 11s will have a final English and Maths Mock week at the beginning of February prior to the start of the GCSE exam window in the summer term.

Student Success

During the last week of term, there has been a big focus on celebrating student successes over the Autumn term. At the time of writing, the plan is for end of term celebration assemblies to go ahead as usual to identify and regard outstanding behaviours demonstrated across the term. With this in mind, I would like to mention a number of students who have really stood out within the Year group over recent weeks, with the top 10 identified in each category:

In addition, all students with 100% attendance have received individual recognition (absences linked to Covid isolations do not impact on figures for year to date). Appreciating the challenges and unavoidable absences that unfortunately continue to impact on student learning, high attendance remains a key factor in student success within school and an area that will continue to be promoted. Alongside attendance, the importance of maintaining high standards of punctuality and presentation remain a key focus for the Spring term. Not only does this support our drive for high standards in school but provides students with key life skills for whichever post 16 environment they advance to.

Tutor Time Curriculum

The Year 11 tutor time curriculum continues to combine focused pastoral support with opportunities to fill in gaps in learning in prioritised subject areas. Students have been working on a fortnightly timetable, allowing them opportunities to discuss current affairs, develop their understanding of basic finances, and gain some opportunities to explore future career pathways. In addition, we have trialed the idea of a ‘Wellbeing Friday’ every second Friday to allow a release from the academic pressures of the year but also upskill students in their ability to recognise, manage and cope with anxieties in and out of school. In addition, it has been fantastic to see a high number of Year 11 students engage positively with the mentoring program which runs every Wednesday in school. The support and advice given to younger students has been wonderful to see and it has been fantastic to see our school community thriving again after all the restrictions of the last two years.

Passport to Prom

Looking ahead to next term, there are some exciting opportunities on the horizon. Notably, the passport to the prom is going to be shared with students during the first half term after Christmas. This is designed to reward students for positive learning behaviours, specifically engagement in after school revision sessions, in the lead up to Prom once all exams have been completed.

Whilst the summer may seem a long time away, it does come round quickly and we know students like to start planning for the prom early. Linked to this please find attached a prom outfit catalogue which contains donated and brand new items for all students to have for free.  For further details please contact nholt@northleamington.co.uk

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff and parents/carers involved in the support of Year 11 students this term. I hope everyone has an enjoyable festive period and gets the opportunities to find time to spend time with their loved ones over Christmas. Best wishes for a safe and happy two weeks and we look forward to welcoming Year 11 back in 2022.

Mr Foxon

Head of Year 11