Welcome to this week's newsletter
The first full week at school in January has seen the site working like a well-oiled machine. Students are working hard in lessons, and walking around the school is a positive experience. It is great to talk to students about how they are, how lessons are going, what is working well and what needs to be worked on. I had too many conversations about a particular football match this week, but even these were good humoured. I appreciate that students took time out of their day to remind me that my football team are not very good (currently).
The big evening of the week was Year 11 Consultation Evening. The feedback from staff and parents/carers I have spoken to is that they appreciated the opportunity to sit down with each other, to update each other on trial exams, and to set actions for improvement moving forward. The students I spoke to valued the handouts and overviews that staff provided. The aim is to make sure that our students have the best opportunity to succeed in their summer exams. KS4 outcomes provide choices for our students. The better their outcomes they have, the more choices are open to them in their future. Not every 16-year-old knows exactly what they want to do with the rest of their life. That is why keeping open as many doors as possible moving forward is so important. Great exam results in the summer = more choice to do what you want to do. As we get nearer to the summer exam season we will be adding layers of support for students, to help them achieve their best. This includes revision packs, mentoring, and additional support sessions, alongside more focus in timetabled lessons. There will be another round of trial exams in March, where we can reflect again and set new areas for improvement. The support for Year 11s is there - I look forward to them thriving.
For the rest of the school, students have fallen back into the regular way of working, which is great to see. The term is flying by already.
Have a very restful and relaxing weekend.
Adam Crawte, Interim Principal
School equipment
As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the learning experience for our students, we are introducing a new requirement for school. Starting Monday 3 February, each student will need to bring a whiteboard pen and mini-whiteboard as part of their daily stationery.
This new addition will support a more interactive and engaging classroom environment, allowing students to work more efficiently and participate in a greater variety of activities, including collaborative exercises, recall and revision, and drafting. Mini whiteboards also support staff to provide accurate feedback to enable all students to make progress.
As this is a new expectation we are introducing mid-year, we will be providing all students with a "Be Ready" stationery bag. Each bag will contain the following items:
- Whiteboard pen
- Mini whiteboard
- Pen
- Pencil
- Ruler
These A4-sized 'tuff bags' will also store their timetable, reading book and powerful words vocabulary book.
If your child needs to replace their "Be Ready" stationery bag, they will be available for purchase (with equipment as listed above) via ArborPay for £2.50. This will be available for collection from the LRC as soon as payment is made.
Music festival opportunity
The Wellingborough Rotary Club Music Festival is taking place at Wrenn School between 4-7 March, and they are looking for students to enter the event. The festival is for young people aged 6-18 years who reside or who are in full time education within a distance of around 10 miles from the centre of Wellingborough, and there are a number of solo and ensemble categories to enter in. Additionally, any entrant may be asked to perform at the Festival Concert being held at the Castle Theatre on Wednesday 12 March.
For full details and to apply, please visit their website. Please note that the closing date for entries is Saturday 8 February.
Careers events
Medical and dental careers
Students in Years 10-12 and their parents/carers are invited to a series of free medical and dental online conferences taking place over the next month. These events provide a unique opportunity to engage live with a practising doctor and dentist. They offer invaluable insights into their careers and equip you with a strong foundation to craft a compelling and successful application for medical or dental school. Attendees will also receive a certificate to enhance their university applications.
For full details and to register for a space, please follow the links below.
Apprenticeships webinar
Pay webinar series
Extra-curricular timetable
Please note the following notices in relation to PE clubs:
- We have decided to not run hockey club this term due to other commitments. We will review the timetable again after half term.
- There will be no KS5 badminton on Wednesday 22 January due to a sports hall athletics competition.
- There will be no KS3 rugby club on Thursday 23 January due to Year 13 Consultation Evening.
- There will be no girls football club on Thursday 23 January due to a girls futsal fixture.
- There will be no girls football club on Thursday 6 February due to a girls futsal fixture.
- There will be no clubs on Thursday 13 February due to Year 8 Consultation Evening.