The Westgate School Weekly Newsletter

Year 6 Open Days Series 2024

This year, we have abandoned the traditional Open Evening, and it replaced with three weeks of Open Days where prospective parents can book a slot to visit us during the school day. I have never been a great supporter of Open Evenings because they can be rather staged and not show a school in its true light. Rather, if you believe in what you are doing, you should open your doors.

Albeit, we are at the very beginning of our journey of school improvement, and we are very proud of the work going on and feel it is important that prospective parents get the chance to see that.

Canteen Update

A New Marquee

You will be aware that we operate two dining spaces in light of the building issue that we have had with the main canteen.

1. The Multipurpose Hall (MPH) for Years 7, 9 and 11.
2. The Sixth Form Centre and Table Tennis Centre for Years 8 and 10.

Last week we purchased a 12m x 18m Marquee that will be erected this coming week on the field next to the Cadet building. We are going to allocate this as a dining area for Years 11, 12 and 13 only. This will give us more space in the MPH to cater for just Years 7 and 9 and therefore speed up queuing times.

Mathematics at Westgate

This term, students have been learning important mathematical skills and applying them to everyday, real-life situations. Here’s what each year group has been focusing on:

Year 7

Year 7 students have been learning about Numbers and Decimals, with a focus on Rounding. Students have been using these skills in everyday tasks like estimating prices while shopping and rounding numbers to help with budgeting.

Year 8

Year 8 have been focusing on HCF (Highest Common Factor), LCM (Lowest Common Multiple), Powers, and Indices. These skills help understanding repeated patterns in day-to-day life.

Year 9

Our Year 9's have been learning about Fractional Indices and Standard Form. They have been applying these concepts to real-life scenarios like reading large numbers and converting units in measurements.

Year 10

Year 10 students have been delving into Simplifying Algebra – Expanding and Factorising. These skills are useful for tasks such as calculating areas and solving problems that involve multiple steps.

Year 11

Our GCSE Year student are currently focusing on Advanced Algebra. They have been using algebra to solve multiple step problems.

Sixth Form

Our Year 12 and 13 A-Level students have been working on Pure Maths. These skills can be applied to mathematical modelling which helps to solve real-world problems such as working with speed and distance, and understanding more complex financial calculations.

Physical Education at Westgate

Here is what our students have been learning in PE and Sports recently:

Year 7

Year 7 students have been focusing on developing their core skills by completing their baseline assessments and have been applying knowledge in both netball and football. In PE lessons, they’ve been learning the importance of teamwork and positioning, with a strong focus on improving ball control and passing techniques. We encourage all Year 7s to join our lunchtime football and netball clubs to enhance these skills further.

Year 8

Despite recent challenging weather conditions, the Year 8 football team recently played a tough home match, losing 6-0. The team showed resilience and effort throughout the game despite the poor conditions. We are working hard in training to bounce back stronger for our next fixtures. A huge shoutout to the team for their perseverance.

Year 9

Year 9 students have been building their knowledge in GCSE PE and have adapted well with their practical badminton lessons.

Year 10

Our Year 10 students have been working hard to stay energised in preparation for a game which was unfortunately called off due to poor weather, however, this is not stopping them for continuing to push themselves.