Noadswood Termly News April 2025

After 16 dedicated years at Noadswood School, we also bid a very fond farewell to Mrs. Craddock, a highly valued member of our Learning Support team. Mrs. Craddock has been an incredible asset, working closely with the Maths and Science departments and delivering countless interventions to support students with their maths skills. Over the years, she has made a lasting impact on the lives of hundreds of students. Though we will miss her in her current role, we are delighted that she will continue to be part of our community as an invigilator. We wish her all the very best in this new chapter of her life!

We would also like to wish year 11 the very best of luck with their exams, knowing that the Easter break is the last break before many will start their main exams series. You’ll note that Tuesday 22nd April is an INSET day: if your child has any sort of exam that day, their exam will still happen as normal.

To end the message from us, we wish everyone a happy Easter, a happy Spring break, and a good two and a bit weeks of rest, recuperation, fun... however you need this break to be, that’s how we hope it will be for you – if you need us during the holidays, please use info@noadswood.hants.sch.uk marking your mail URGENT. Now enjoy the words and highlights from the rest of the school.

Best wishes,

Kathryn Marshall and the Noadswood Leadership Team

Summer Uniform – Trial of adjusted expectations

As mentioned in Mr Rowling’s previous email, we are launching a pilot scheme to trial a slight adjustment to our summer uniform expectations. This trial will allow students some flexibility in what they wear on their upper half, if they would like it, while maintaining our overall uniform standards.

When students return from the Easter holidays, the following changes will apply:

Blazers and jumpers will be optional.

Ties will be optional.

Students may undo the top 1-2 buttons of their shirts, but no more.

There is no change to what students wear on their lower half and there are no other adjustments to any other rules re jewellery or appearance. They must continue to wear:

Trousers, tailored shorts (no sports-style shorts), or skirts.

Skirts must be no shorter than the very tip of the fingers when arms are hanging naturally by the sides.

Please note that this is a trial, and there is no guarantee that these adjustments will become a permanent feature of our uniform policy. If students do not follow these expectations appropriately, the school may reconsider and revert to the standard uniform rules.

From September, our autumn and winter uniform requirements will resume as normal, meaning blazers, jumpers, and ties will once again be mandatory.

We appreciate your support in ensuring students continue to present themselves smartly and appropriately during this trial period.

Bikeability Courses

We have 30 students signed up to take part in the Level 2 and Level 3 Bikeability course during the May Half term on Tuesday 27th and Friday 30th. If your child has not yet completed the Level 2 course, or did complete it in primary school and would like to complete the Level 3 course, there are still spaces on the dates mentioned. If these dates are not suitable to you, Bikeability will be coming back on Monday 28th July and Wednesday 27th August. Bikeability can loan students the use of a bike and helmet so that they can complete either of these courses.

Please click on the link below if you would like your child to take part:

https://forms.office.com/e/em52dr67pe

Pastoral News – Year 7

As we come to the end of a fantastic term, it’s wonderful to look back on the many achievements and memorable moments from our Year 7 students.

In January Year 7 Students took part in Personal Learning Review (PLR’s) and had the opportunity to meet with their tutors to reflect on their December school reports and talk about their plans and goals for the term ahead. It was great to see some mature conversations and ambitious plans and a nice opportunity for tutors to sit and talk to their tutees in much smaller groups.

Our Year 7 students have been busy with numerous PE fixtures taking place this term. We have had Year 7 boys joining the U14 basketball team which has been great to see, especially as they are two years younger than most of their opponents. The boys' football team have delivered some outstanding performances this term with a good win against local rivals Applemore and it was especially pleasing to see over 20 boys participating in the recent match against NFA. The Year 7 girls' football team also continues to excel, again with some great win and with fixtures running right up to the end of the term. Well done to all our players!

A special mention to the eight Year 7 Students who participated in the Build a Book Day alongside author Stewart Ross. Their creativity and dedication shone through as they worked together to produce a fantastic story. Miss Walker was incredibly proud of their efforts and the encouragement they showed to the Junior School Students who also joined for the event.

Mr. Rhodes’ Pi Bake Off competition was a resounding success, with thirty-one entries from across the school. Year 7 students showcased their creativity and baking skills, taking four out of the top five winning spots. Congratulations to all participants on this fantastic achievement, they all tasted delicious!

This term’s Gym and Dance Show was a spectacular event with many Years 7 students taking to the stage. Their hard work and enthusiasm were evident in every performance. A particular highlight was the delightful Despicable Me-themed performance, featuring our very own Gru and Minions!

As the term comes to a close and the sunshine begins to return, we wish all our Year 7 families a restful and enjoyable Easter break. We look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for the exciting opportunities of the Summer Term.

Happy Easter!

Pastoral News – Year 8

Dear Parents,

As we approach the end of this term, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all the wonderful achievements and efforts that have taken place within our Year 8 community.

Firstly, I am incredibly proud of the sense of teamwork and collaboration that continues to thrive among our Year 8 students. I try to pop into as many lessons as possible throughout the week, to see the learning that is happening, to see our students shine and celebrate successes with them. They have worked hard to create a positive and supportive environment where everyone can feel included and valued. It’s inspiring to see them come together, not only as classmates but as friends who encourage one another to do their very best.

I’d also like to congratulate all the students who were involved in the recent Gym and Dance Show- what an amazing event that was! Their dedication and hard work were evident in every performance, and they should be extremely proud of the incredible display of talent and creativity. The show was a true testament to the passion and effort they put into their rehearsals.

Our sporting teams have also had an exceptional season, with the Year 8 football teams showing outstanding skill, determination, and teamwork on the pitch. Their achievements are a direct reflection of their commitment and hard work, and we couldn’t be prouder of their success.

I want to give special recognition to those students who bravely auditioned for the school production and Easter concert. Taking the step to perform in front of others is no small feat, and their courage and enthusiasm deserve to be celebrated. We look forward to seeing them shine in these upcoming events!

Finally, I’m excited to let you know that I will soon be sharing the plans for our Activities Week in July. This will be an excellent opportunity for the students to participate in a variety of fun and enriching experiences, and I'm looking forward to revealing all the exciting activities we have lined up.

Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to seeing all that our Year 8 students will achieve as we finish the term strong and move into the summer months.

Laura Ebblewhite Year 8 Year Leader

Di Lavetiviti, Assistant Year Leader

Pastoral News – Year 9

As we move further into the academic year, there’s plenty to celebrate from this term. A big thank you to all students and families for engaging in the GCSE options process. The selection period is now complete, and we are reviewing the student’s choices. As we also review staffing for next year, details of what courses your child will be studying will be issued later next half term. Our recent Progress Evening was a great success, providing valuable insights into student achievements and areas for development. Thank you for attending and supporting your child’s journey. If you have any follow-up questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to subject teachers via Class Charts.

Mrs Lavetiviti and I were blown away by the talent and dedication in the recent Gym and Dance show. It was a fantastic showcase of skill, creativity, and teamwork. Well done to all participants and a big thank you to the PE department staff who made it such a memorable event! Congratulations to both our boys and girls Year 9 football teams, some challenging games but also some brilliant results this term. Good luck for the end of the season.

During the Personal Learning Review with the tutors around February half term, tutors all really enjoyed the opportunity to chat to their tutees and find out more both about their school life and extra-curricular interests. Well done to William on achieving a merit in grade 5 guitar, to Beau on her recent 2nd place in the Junior class at Crufts and to so many of the year group sharing about their local football, rugby results and dance show performances. It really is wonderful to hear all about the Year 9 interests.

Wishing you all a lovely Easter break.

Miss K Rawlinson

Pastoral News – Year 10

As we reach the end of another busy and successful term, I am delighted to share some of the fantastic experiences our Year 10 students have taken part in. It has been a term filled with enriching educational trips, exciting opportunities, and plenty of hard work.

An early highlight of the term was the History of Medicine Trip, where students explored the fascinating evolution of medical practices, deepening their understanding of how historical breakthroughs have shaped modern healthcare. The visit provided an invaluable perspective, helping students bring their classroom learning to life.

Another exceptional learning experience was the trip to the Esso Refinery, which offered a unique insight into the world of engineering, science, and energy production. Seeing how the refinery operates on such a vast scale was a truly eye-opening experience, sparking interest in potential future careers in STEM fields.

Creativity was also in full swing during our Build a Book Day! Year 10 students supported Year 5 Students in showcasing their storytelling talents, crafting wonderful books that demonstrated not only their writing skills but also their ability to collaborate and think outside the box. The enthusiasm and effort put into this day were truly commendable. It was noted by teachers how great the Year 10 were, and our visiting author let us know that they were the best group of Year 10s we’d ever had! Congratulations to Milly W, Emmanuella S, Willow T, Caleb H, Holly W, Mya H, Annabel L, Elena M, Tremaine R-S, Annabel T, and Brooke B.

A truly stand out and memorable event was the trip to Iceland, 40 students experienced the awe-inspiring landscapes of geysers, glaciers, and waterfalls and the Blue Lagoon. The adventure was a great success, providing wonderful opportunity to witness the awe-inspiring locations in action. The excitement doesn’t stop there, as preparations are well underway for our upcoming summer trip to Rwanda. This promises to be an incredible cultural and educational experience, and I know the students are eagerly anticipating this journey.

Year 10 have once again proved their sporting pedigree. This time in Golf. Congratulations to Jackson P, Harry P, and Jimmy J for participating in the Hampshire Team golf competition.

If you fancy a bit of art in the landscape, please keep your eyes peeled for Issy P’s fantastic dinosaur sculpture in the Jurassic at Furzy trail. Isolde is the only Student exhibiting amongst the number of local artists!

I would also like to extend my congratulations to all those who participated in the Gym and Dance Show. It was lovely to see so many Year 10 involved and such positive feedback from so many staff. The dedication and talent displayed were outstanding, and it was wonderful to see students expressing themselves through movement and performance. Well-done to everyone involved!

Looking ahead, students are gearing up for work experience with the last few students working hard to gain a placement. This is an important step in their personal and professional development and a fantastic opportunity for them to explore potential career paths and gain valuable insights into the world of work and life beyond school.

Finally, I have been impressed with the enthusiasm shown by so many in applying for Prefect roles and am looking forward to reading all the applications. It is always inspiring to see so many students keen to take on leadership responsibilities and contribute to the school community. Best of luck to all applicants!

Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you all have a restful and enjoyable break.

Best wishes,

Stuart Wilkinson, Year 10 Year Leader

Louise Fitzgerald, Assistant Year Leader

Pastoral News – Year 11

Year 11 Mock Exams: Reflection, Revision, and Preparing for GCSEs

This term has seen the Year 11s preparing for their GCSEs with two rounds of mocks in January and March.

With these mock exams now complete, students have gained valuable insights into their strengths and areas for improvement. Mocks provide a realistic experience of the final GCSEs, helping to refine exam techniques and revision strategies. Now is the time to build on these lessons and focus on the weeks ahead.

Year 11 will now be reflecting on these Mock exams, reviewing their results, understanding where improvements are needed, and acting on teacher feedback to help fine-tune their approaches to revision.

It has been great to see so many students taking advantage of the after-school revision opportunities, these are highly beneficial and help students bridge any gaps and boost their confidence.

It wasn’t all about exams this term, we had an assembly from Your Sports about the project that is replacing the National Citizen Scheme, Luke from the organisation spoke about the Youth Impact Project for 15-17 year olds. He showed students the sort of activities they could get involved with as part of the project. More information can be found here:

REDWOOD

We have 19 new members of Redwood.... 2 Frogs and 17 tadpoles! Meet Mango and Pedro, who are African Bull Frogs. After just 2 nights of settling in, they laid eggs! They have now developed into tadpoles and the pupils are enjoying watching them grow. Thank you very much to Mrs. Sullivan who arranged this for us and donated the Frogs and tanks.

The pupils have paid their first visit to their newly acquired allotment in Hythe, which will be an extension to the vegetable garden already established at Redwood. This year we are hoping to produce a bumper crop of fruit and vegetables that will be used in cooking and life skills interventions. The garden in the new building is now taking shape and we will soon have a Forest school area and sensory garden to enjoy along with some warmer weather.

Our pupils have been busy in the Redwood kitchen producing lots of tasty treats and wholesome meals on a budget. Tasting Fridays are always a positive end to the week when the pupils sample the produce that other students have made.

With the warmer weather, the pupils are enjoying outdoor activities. We have been getting a lot of exercise playing basketball and using the trampoline.

The pupils are continuing to create their own music on logic pro and have even been teaching the support staff how to use it.

Our pupils have been thriving this half term and showing a lot of empathy, kindness and resilience. We are always very proud of the lovely young people we have here.

SUBJECT NEWS

MFL

Visit from our German partner school

On Monday 17th of March we welcomed 37 Students and 4 members of staff from our German partner school, the Christian von Mannlich-Gymnasium, in Homburg, in the Saarland region. Thanks to our Librarian, Mrs Eldridge, and Miss McEntee we were able to base ourselves in the Library and next door classroom.

After a bit of a delayed arrival, the German Students and our year 8 Germanists were soon talking freely to one another. Some of our Students requested to stay into their breaktime to continue their conversations, whilst other Students studying German joined them. Mrs Marshall also came and spoke to our visitors, which they enjoyed.

After break Mrs Sullivan's year 8 German group took the Students and staff on a tour of the school and did an amazing job of showing them round, talking to them and answering any questions they had.

Following on from the tour, our year 9 Germanists spent time asking questions in German and listening to authentic German answers on the topics of school and free time. The German Students posed questions on these topics in English with our Students answering in English. It was great to see and hear the interactions.

We had some more of our Germanists pop in to see the German Students at lunchtime. Our fantastic canteen prepared a variety of sandwiches and cake which our German visitors thoroughly enjoyed.

In the afternoon, Mrs Sullivan did a presentation to the German Students and staff about Noadswood and school life, and the Students got to try some traditional English snacks, which went down very well. The canteen also did us proud by preparing cream teas, which were enjoyed by all.

Before long it was time for our visitors to depart. They had thoroughly enjoyed their day and were very grateful for the experience.

The MFL Department would like to say a massive thank you to all the staff and Students involved in the day.

SCIENCE

Y10 Students are studying Forces in physics this term. This week they were set a challenge to build the tallest tower possible using 25 paper straws and 50cm of tape. We drew inspiration from famous structures around the world and talked about career opportunities in civil engineering. The competition was won by Jack Manning (pictured) and Dylan Armstrong, who completed their tower using a lattice structure, creating triangles to distribute forces and brace the structure. Well done Y10!

This term year 8 have been studying the physics of waves, and this week we were learning about lenses and how the eye works. Year 8 carefully carried out an eyeball dissection and were able to identify the lens, cornea, retina and optic nerve. Here are Dan M and Callum W enjoying their discoveries!

Maths

March arrived and that can only mean one thing in the maths department – Pi Day and the Pi Bake Off!

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159. This remarkable number has an infinite number of decimals with no repeating pattern, which is hard to get your head around. In fact, Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point.

On Monday following Pi Day we celebrated by baking cakes and pies with mathematical symbols and numbers representing pi. We were once more delighted at the entries; the students put so much heart and soul into them. It was a hard task to sample all these delicious cakes and determine winners!

First Place - James F

Second Place - Ava B

Third Place - Holly W

Fourth Place - Rosie-May

Fifth Place - Lottie C

GEOGRAPHY

This term saw the launch of the Geography departments after school enrichment club. Miss Stanley has had a small group of year 7s and 8s take part after school on a Tuesday in T28. They have been solving puzzles, playing geography themed games and entering competitions. This club is open to all year 7s and 8s. It would be lovely to see more geography enthusiasts come along.

HISTORY

Secondary Subject Specific Good Practice Visit & History Matters

The history department were delighted to welcome Sarah Herrity the History Secondary HIAS Inspector to Noadswood when she requested a visit to look at good practice within the History Department. Ms. Herrity spent a day with us completing an in-depth examination of the History we teach, our processes and speaking to students to gain their opinions on the department, and the learning taking place. Her 12-page report can be seen as a PDF link on the Noadswood Website. However, a summary of her observations was as follows:

In summary,

The department identified the key to success at Key Stage 3 as:

• a shared vision and policies including a consistent knowledge of what good history teaching looks like

• building disciplinary knowledge through the second order concepts

• high expectations encouraging and supporting hard thinking and rich reading. Students appreciate being given grown up texts. In student voice, children describe history as hard, but they enjoy it

• enriching the history curriculum with visitors including historians, writers of historical fiction, trips including the history festival which has raised the profile of history in school and relevance of the subject

• a strong focus on literacy: putting terms into context, try using it in a sentence, scaffolding writing

• strong systems: meaningful homework, pre-resourced cover lessons, regular knowledge retrieval

• strong culture around passion for learning and knowledge building

• subject specific based training.

The adviser would add that experience subject leadership, working with a stable, passionate group of strong specialist history teacher in shared physical spaces (such as the history corridor of neighbouring classrooms and a shared history office), with the support of effective school leadership has led to a Key Stage 3 history curriculum where children can thrive and build strong foundations for future learning in history.

Sarah Herrity

Teaching and Learning Adviser (Secondary History), HIAS

Media Studies

Year 11 have been focusing on Component 2 revision. We have been looking at sitcoms and music videos and discussing how technological advancements have changed the ways audiences view these products. With coursework complete, the exam prep will continue until the exams begin.

Year 10 have also been looking at sitcoms, but they've also been immersed into the world of video games. While studying video games, we have had some brilliant discussions around violence in the media, regulation and the influences that we have around us.

ART

The art department has been a vibrancy of creativity this term. Students have been exploring new topics and techniques.

Year 7 have been inspired by and are looking at the celebration of Day of the Dead. Students are infusing artwork with skull motifs, marigold flowers and looking at the traditions that are celebrated in this festival.

Year 8 have been exploring the artist David Hockney and students have been looking at his use of colour and painting techniques to help inspire them in their own landscape paintings.

Year 9 have excitedly started looking at photography and have been distorting portrait images by manipulating them and drawing on top of them.

Year 10 continue to develop and work hard on their BTEC and GCSE art coursework. GCSE fine art have been working on design ideas for their own landscape paintings. GCSE photography have been working on portraiture. Year 10 BTEC Students have been working very well on their final pieces during their immersion day.

Year 11 Btec Students have been working exceptionally hard on their exam. They have created some lovely 3D sculptures and stencils on their theme animals.

Just a reminder that the Btec art exam will be on Monday 28th, Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th April.

GCSE Fine Art, Photography and Textile Design have continued to work hard on their exam prep work and we are nearing the last part of their exam where they will have two days to complete a final piece. We look forward to seeing what they create.

Izzy in year 10 has been busy painting the dinosaur head for Furzey gardens which will form part of their Jurassic trail, alongside other local artists! Well done Izzy we cannot wait to see your design brought to life at Furzey Gardens. Here’s a sneak peak of what’s to come!

Jurassic at Furzey will on this summer. Please do take a look on their website for more information.

Well done to all students on their efforts and artwork this term. On behalf of the art department, we wish Student’s and families a very happy Easter.

PE

This half term we have had fantastic football fixtures for boys and girls. Creating an environment where young athletes can develop their skills, enjoy competition, and grow in confidence. By ensuring well-organised weekly fixtures against other schools across the New Forest, these games have a lasting and positive impact on young Students here at Noadswood.

Our year 7 and u14 girls teams are both unbeaten in the New Forest Schools league, the year boys have lost once and are scheduled to win the league or come second depending on the outcome of their final game. All other year groups are also enjoying successful campaigns and there is certainly a buzz about the PE department every day!

Mrs Smith and Mrs Martin plus other colleagues have once again excelled themselves with the Gym and Dance Show. Over 100 Students performed pieces for the show over 2 nights and there were some very tired Students around school at the end of that week! Well done to all involved. Below are some shots from the dress rehearsal

The Noadswood PE champions have been smashing the volunteering once again! 3 Students from year 10 attending the Tag Rugby festival at Orchard and with fantastic spirit and candour throughout. Mr Ramsey was delighted with Annie M, Lewis G and Leon R! We have also had year 10 qualified referee's taking the year 7 football matches to expand their refereeing experience. Well done to Jack M and Dan R for approaching this with diligence and vigor. It’s certainly expanded our Pe capacity!

After Easter everyone switches to Athletics so it will be fantastic to see as many Students out on the field enjoying all the athletic events on Tuesday and Thursday after school!

Music

We're heading towards a really busy time in team Music, with the Springtime concert looming, as well as our wonderful school production in June. Beauty and the Beast Jr. is going to be absolutely incredible, and we're so excited to continue working on rehearsals towards show week!

Mrs Rees ran a trip to see Hamilton on 1st April - we're hoping it gives us lots of inspiration for concert pieces and showed our Students the amazing world of live theatre.

This week we had our concert, It was Mrs Rees' last concert at Noadswood. It was an absolute corker!

We have had some real success in our current topics; year 9 are really enjoying working on writing their own songs, year 7's protest songs are sounding incredibly powerful, and year 8's advert music is really fun to listen to.

We hope you have a lovely break!

Mrs L Rees

Subject Leader for Music

English

- Build a Book Event

Our annual Build a Book event took place on the 5th of March this year. We welcomed Year 5 students from our feeder schools: Orchard Juniors, Marchwood Juniors, Hythe Primary and Waterside Primary to work alongside published author, Stewart Ross.

In this exciting writing workshop, students worked together, alongside Noadswood students in Year 7 and Year 10, to create their own book. Throughout the many years that this event has been running, the finished product (‘Death on Gelto Island’) is by far the darkest we have had! Everyone had a wonderful day working on this joint story and prizes were awarded for their writing and ideas. The finished product arrived this week and each of the writers has received their very own copy. We also have copies for students to enjoy available in the school Library.

CAREERS

It has been a very busy and exciting half term for Careers. Year 10 students participated in mock interviews based on the cover letters and CVs that they had written. We received some wonderful feedback from the interviewers who came in to interview the students. Here is a small selection of their comments about how the students did:

"Answered questions with confidence, knowledge and understanding"

"Good knowledge of the job applied for"

"Good range of experiences and personal qualities"

"A delight to interview"

We hope that students found the experience insightful and beneficial in developing their interviewing skills before their college interviews next year.

Year 10 students have also recently heard from Barton Peveril College who came in to deliver an assembly. The college spoke to the year group about what they can expect of college life, the various courses that they could study, as well as extra-curricular activities that they could become involved with. Considering post 16 education pathways is incredibly important for year 10 students to begin thinking about. There are also college open events coming up later in the year. We strongly. encourage students to begin researching colleges, and attending open events, before they begin sending in applications next academic year.

We also held this year’s brilliant Careers Day for all students in years 7-11. Students came off timetable for the whole day to participate in activities that explore jobs and careers, linking them to subject areas they study in school. This year, lots of speakers from the community joined us to deliver talks and workshops to students about their careers. We had speakers from a law firm, The Institute of Technology, a medical emergency department, a speaker with a career in linguistics. We were also lucky to be joined by the brilliant Ele Fountain who spoke to students about being an author. Students engaged brilliantly as they discovered what career pathways may lie ahead for them when they enter the working world.

During careers day, a group of 30 year 10 students also attended a trip to Brockenhurst College. The students took part in various Careers linked activities as well as experiencing taster sessions from various subject areas. The students were able to see the campus and engage with college staff about what it is like to be a college student. It was a fantastic opportunity that the students thoroughly enjoyed. We’d like to thank Brockenhurst College for offering this opportunity to the students.

Former student, Tom Weeks, who is now a senior trainer and paramedic with the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, recently visited to speak to students in Years 9 and 10 who have an interest in healthcare careers. Tom spoke about his time at school and stressed the importance of getting good GCSE grades by the end of Year 11. The students were fully engaged with Tom and were able to ask him relevant questions throughout the session. It is always so good to hear from Noadswood alumni about their successes and achievements since leaving school.