Year 8 have once again had a busy and productive half term and it is a pleasure to be able to share all of that with you.

Tutor Time Curriculum

In Tutor Time, this half term began with the students having the opportunity to reflect on their Data 2 reports and set themselves sensible, attainable goals for the remainder of the year. We have then gone on to conclude this half term reflecting on the fact that exam season has opened for the older year groups – this has been a great chance to think about how far year 8 have come already at North Leamington School, and what the rest of the journey has in store.  Elsewhere in Tutor Time, the team of form tutors has been delivering PSHE content on Crime and Gang Culture. These sessions have focused on knife crime, grooming and substance misuse, and form a vital part of educating the students about the wider world. Additionally, students have heard the feedback from student voice, following on from the Student Cabinet meeting of last term.

In the next half term, form tutors will continue to deliver PSHE, focusing on Mental and Physical Wellbeing. There will also be sessions on Pride Month and Digital Literacy.

NLS College Cup

We are excited to announce that this half term has seen the launch of our brand-new inaugural College Cup competition

All of Year and 8 and the rest of school have had the NLS College Cup introduced to them through  through tutor time and assemblies. The College Cup is simply the most prestigious College competition in school because it encompasses all of the College events and scoring systems that we run in school. The College Cup is designed to celebrate and reward positive contribution, teamwork, and our CORE values across a wide range of areas including rewards, attendance, punctuality, charity events, competitions, Sports Day, Maths Bees, and much more.

Students have fed back to us that they want to feel more involved in their Colleges, and now the College Cup gives them the perfect opportunity to do so.  With so many ways to contribute, every student can play a part — the big question is: which College win the very first College Cup?

Year 10 have had an incredibly productive and positive half term. Following the Easter break, students returned to school with a strong sense of purpose and enthusiasm. The recent History trip was a real highlight and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who took part. A huge thank you and congratulations to everyone involved in making it such a success.

Back in school, students reached an important milestone in their GCSE journey by sitting their first formal GCSE examinations in Religious Education on 12 and 20 May. This marked a significant step in Key Stage 4 and the maturity shown by Year 10 throughout the process has been exceptional.

In the lead-up to the exams, students demonstrated excellent commitment to revision and preparation. Their resilience, organisation and determination were clear to see, and they approached the experience with a very positive mindset. On the day of the examinations themselves, students conducted themselves calmly and maturely, showing real focus and professionalism throughout.

We are extremely proud of the way Year 10 have embraced this challenge so far. Their attitude and work ethic have highlighted exactly what they are capable of achieving when they fully apply themselves. We very much hope that their efforts will be reflected in really strong outcomes

I hope you are well and are looking forward to this Whitsun break! This term was of course marked by the onset of Exam Season and the start of our goodbyes to the outgoing Year 13…

Year 13 Leavers’ Day

On Friday 8 May, our year 13 students celebrated their last formal day here at North Leamington School Sixth Form as they start their study leave. With a now-established fancy dress theme of famous characters, we celebrated all the things our students have achieved during their time with us and all the many wonderful plans they have going forward. The Sixth Form Team set something of a standard dressing as the friendship group from The Wizard of Oz – though hopefully no-one feels that they lack brains, courage and a heart.

Final lessons saw a range of lovely initiatives: for example, Politics students created cakes with a subject-related theme.

This year has been flying by and all of a sudden Year 8 have finished their fifth full term at North Leamington School. Year 8 should be very proud of all they have achieved, and it has been a pleasure to see them grow through the term, and indeed through the year.

As we reach the end of the Spring Term, I want to take a moment to express how incredibly proud I am of Year 10. This half term has been eventful, demanding, and filled with successes. From mock exams to our crucial Parents' Evening, our students have continued to demonstrate our school's CORE values in every aspect of school life. Their resilience, commitment, and positive attitude have been a real highlight of this term.

This term has been full of memorable whole-school events. We celebrated Red Nose Day with a bake sale, raising funds for vital charities – so many wonderful cakes were made and shared; well done to all!

We also held a highly engaging ‘Chat and Learn’ session on World Epilepsy Day on 26 March, which was very well attended. Additionally, from 16 to 27 March, we celebrated Autism Awareness, exploring the importance of neurodiversity and understanding that everyone’s brain works differently. These events have not only educated our students but have also helped foster a caring and inclusive school community.

Our Celebration for World Book Day was a huge success, with staff going all out to bring stories to life—especially favourites like Treasure Island and The Hunger Games—creating a truly exciting and memorable experience for our students!

The release of Data 2 has provided us with an insightful overview of our students' progress, and I am delighted to report that a significant number of Year 10 students are exceeding their target grades. This is a testament to their work ethic, maturity, and commitment to their subjects. Year 10 continues to be a year group with high aspirations, determined to reach their future destinations. Their dedication to academic success is truly commendable, and I encourage all students to maintain this momentum as we move forward. 

We celebrated with the 30 students in Year 10 with the most reward point at our Reward Event on Monday when we marked their amazing achievements with freshly baked cupcakes—huge congratulations to each of them!

I hope you are well and are looking forward to this Easter break and the promise of some Spring weather! This term was especially short but there has been much to celebrate none-the-less…

Tier 1-3– Year 12 Students

We were really proud of how students in Year 12 responded to the support in place as we introduced them to our Tier 1-3 support system last term. We also appreciated the parental support and recognition that this is about help rather than hindrance and wanting the best for your children. With the emphasis very much on support (the academic and pastoral as well as the subject-specific and the more holistic), it’s been heartening to see students recognising this and being so actively involved in taking a lead on their learning and future successes. With Data 2 and Mock Results in, whether students are supported as a Tier 1, 2 or 3 student has been reviewed and suitable communications with students and parents had. Please recall the below…

The majority of students are working terrifically well – as individuals and collaboratively. Our aim is to ensure that every student experiences success and have as many choices as possible in the future.

Charity and Community

We were really pleased to receive recognition from the Salvation Army for our recent fundraising efforts – see below. We dovetail with the main school on charity and community events but complement this with some Sixth Form-specific initiatives.

This fundraising was a direct result of excellent student leadership initiative and the quiz and sports-event (based on College lines) which was so well-organised and so-well received by Year 12 and Year 13 alike.

March 16 saw our Culture Day and this proved to be another community success – with students representing a range of the different heritages which help make our Sixth Form a diverse and vibrant place. In particular, students shared their culinary heritage with others and raised nearly £100 in to the bargain - with UNICEF the beneficiaries of Student Leadership efforts.

We are also so pleased with the number of students who are involved in the Gold DoE programme. As you know from previous, this involves all sorts of developmental opportunities and some 40 Year 12 have this week headed off on their Gold Training Expedition. We will update with pictures and a write-up on their return.

Finally, we were pleased to be a part of the school’s commitment to charity in the recent Red Nose Day events. It was lovely to see so many so actively involved in what has become over the years a huge national dedication to helping some of the most needful.