Tutor Time Curriculum

This term, our tutor time curriculum has focused on important and thought-provoking topics, including prejudice, discrimination, racism in sport, hate crime, and celebrating differences. Students have also developed their digital literacy skills and engaged in self-reflection activities in looking at their performances in our second round of assessments in March. In addition, they have been carefully considering their options choices as they prepare for the next stage of their education.

At the start of the term we welcomed two guests from Warwickshire Police, who delivered assemblies on community safety.   This initiative forms part of our wider PSHE programme as we continue to hear about knife crime and community conflict. Some useful links were also shared during the assembly to support students.

World Book Day – 6 March

We had a fantastic time celebrating World Book Day on 6th March. It was wonderful to see so many students engaging in reading activities, sharing their favourite books, and embracing the joy of literature. Thank you to everyone who took part and helped make the day a success and a special mention to 9MR01 who won the competition for identifying images of famous books!

Inspiring Assemblies

This term, we were privileged to have two significant assemblies. Mrs Farrell delivered an insightful session on Neurodiversity, helping students to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of different ways of thinking and learning. Mrs Foy also led an important assembly on the options process, guiding students through the key decisions they will be making as they move towards their GCSEs.

Race for Life

On 21 March, our students showed incredible determination and community spirit by taking part in the Race for Life. This fantastic event raised an impressive amount of money for charity, and we are so proud of everyone who participated. A huge thank you to all who contributed and supported this worthy cause!

Exciting Trip to Mumbai

A group of our Year 9 students had the incredible opportunity to visit our partner school in Mumbai during March for five days.

This was a truly memorable experience, allowing students to immerse themselves in a different culture, build new friendships, and gain valuable global perspectives.

They returned with wonderful stories and memories that will stay with them for a lifetime.

 

World of Work Careers Event Monday - 24 March .

At their World or Work Careers Event on March 24, Year 9 students had an opportunity to meet Sergeant Paul Cary from the Army. They looked at the main role of the Army, the different routes you can take to secure a job with them, and the range of different roles there are. 

Subject and Options Evening – 31 March

Thank you to all the parents and carers who attended our Subject and Options Evening on 31st March. It was wonderful to see so many of you there, engaging in discussions about your child’s future studies. The evening was a great success, providing valuable information to help students make informed choices for the years ahead. 

Sports News

We are really proud of and impressed with the hard work and commitment of our Year 9 sports teams who have been competing both regionally and nationally this term. 
Year 9 Basketball Team - After travelling across the midlands on a regular basis to play other schools, the team made the journey to Bromsgrove to face South Bromsgrove School in the last 16 of the Dynamik National schools competition. It was the third game of the knock out stages of the competition after successfully qualifying from the group stage.  South Bromsgrove went into the game as the Worcester County Champions, but with NLS hoping to continue their success after beating the Hereford county champions in the last round.  NLS played superbly, in a shorter timed game and left with the 26 point win.  Theteam then made the 3 ½ hr journey to the South coast to face Bohunt School in Worthing.  Despite both teams regularly scoring 100 points, a combination of excellent defence and two nervous teams playing with a place as one of the final  four teams in the country.  In the end, the home court advantage proved enough for Bohunt to pull away in the final minute to secure a 51 – 44 win.  Disappointing for NLS, but the boys should be extremely proud to have progressed so far in only their second season as a team.

Year 9 Netball – Our team recently played Finham Park at home and played fantastic Netball throughout the 40 minutes. The girls worked the ball down the court well, with excellent shooting displayed and great turnovers from defence. Well done all!

The Year 9 Football team visited Myton recently hoping to keep their recent good form going. In a tough game, NLS quality got them in front through Blake M      before Myton put them under severe pressure. But, excellent defending and good goal keeping from Reuben C preserved their clean sheet before goals from Jonah P and Danel Z left them with an impressive 3–0 win.  A brilliant win for NLS to take us into their District Cup final against Stratford. The boys started well taking the lead before Stratford levelled before half-time.  The second half remained very even and finished  at 1 – 1, which meant a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out which went to sudden death. Amazingly, it went on until the 11th penalty for each team, but sadly it was Stratford who finally proved victorious. A huge congratulations though to all the boys for a tremendous game and represnsting NLS so well.  

Rewards

Our Year 9 students have been brilliant this term in their lessons and their teachers have been rewarding them accordingly.  We celebrated their success in our end of term celebration assembly.  The tables below show which students received which certificates. All recipients should be extremely proud of their excellent efforts and high levels of engagement across this past term!

Students with the most Reward Points this half term  

Students with Most Reward Points in each College

Achievement (Most amount of progress made in Term 2)

Most Valuable Contribution to Tutor Group

The 30 students who have accumulated the most reward points were invited to our Spring Rewards Event on Monday 7 April and enjoyed freshly baked cupcakes together. 

Looking Ahead to the Summer Term

We are excited about the opportunities that the Summer Term will bring. A particular highlight will be the Alton Towers reward trip, which promises to be a fantastic way to celebrate students’ hard work and achievements.

Next half term is only four weeks long, which gives us all a great opportunity to push for 100% attendance! In this spirit, on Friday 23 May we will be holding a Celebration Event for the Tutor Group with the highest attendance next half term. The highest attending Tutor Group from each year group will be invited down with their Form Tutor to celebrate with some pizza. We know how much attendance matters in school and we are looking forward to seeing which Tutor Groups will come out on top! Please do encourage your child to give their very best attendance next half term, it has a huge positive impact on their progress in school.

We will also start the new term with a charity event - Sport your Support  - during the week beginning 28 April when students will have the opportunity to swap their usual PE top for a sports top of their choice! Whether it’s a football, rugby, cricket, or basketball top, they can take part by donating £1, with all proceeds going to Prostate Cancer UK. Donations can also be made through ParentPay.  Join us in supporting a great cause while showing off your favourite sports team!

As we enter the final term of Year 9, and of Key Stage 3, our students are preparing for a pivotal moment in their education – the transition to GCSE courses in September. This marks the beginning of an important new chapter, and we are committed to ensuring they feel ready and supported every step of the way.

Thank you for your continued support, and we wish you all a restful and enjoyable break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for a successful Summer Term!

Alan Boyes
Year 9 Lead