The Mayfield Way Christmas Newsletter December 2023

Principal's Welcome

Welcome to the Christmas edition of our newsletter which signals the close of a happy and successful term.

Our Mayfield students have really impressed us this term with their hard work, determination, and kindness. Our Christmas lunch and jumper day this week was a wonderful opportunity to come together as one Mayfield family and celebrate all we have achieved together this term. It was also a time for us to reflect and show kindness for those less fortunate than ourselves by donating an item to the food pantry, we were truly humbled and grateful for the large volume of donations that have been received.

Please take some time to read the newsletter and appreciate all the wonderful opportunities that have been made available to our Mayfield students. In the New Year we will have many more enrichment opportunities for your children to take part in.

Until then, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support for our school community and to wish you all a happy and safe Christmas along with my best wishes for 2024!

Claire Taylor, Principal

Year 7

We hope this newsletter finds you well, and we are thrilled to share some exciting updates about the incredible start our Year 7 students have had this school year.

Positive Points and Hot Chocolate Wednesdays: The positive energy and commitment of our Year 7 students continue to shine brightly as they accumulate positive points, reflecting their dedication to the school's core values of being Kind, Proud, and Determined. To celebrate their outstanding achievements, we have introduced the tradition of "Head of Year Hot Chocolate" on Wednesday afternoons for those who have earned exceptional positive points. It warms our hearts to witness the joy on their faces as they enjoy this special reward.

London Trip Highlights: Our recent trip to London was a resounding success, with 66 Year 7 students exploring the Natural History Museum and iconic landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, the London Eye, and Westminster Abbey. The students' exemplary behaviour and adherence to our core values made the trip memorable and showcased their kindness, pride, and determination.

Upcoming Adventure - Mayflower Theatre Pantomime: We are delighted to announce that the top 14 students in Year 7, based on their positive points and overall contribution, will be rewarded with a special trip next week. They will have the opportunity to visit the Southampton Mayflower Theatre to watch the enchanting pantomime "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." This promises to be a magical experience, and we believe our deserving students will thoroughly enjoy this festive and entertaining production.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the top 14 students, and we appreciate the effort and dedication they have shown. Our gratitude also goes to the entire Year 7 cohort for their positive contributions to our school community.

As we approach the holiday season, we look forward to more exciting adventures and achievements in the coming months. Thank you for your continued support, and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Wishing you and your families a joyful and restful holiday season.

Year 8

Year 8 have made a brilliant start to the new academic year and have settled well. As a year group we have really focussed on our behaviour towards each other and towards staff and each week the students are given a ‘weekly challenge’ and we are so proud of how they have embraced the challenges given. One of these challenges was during ‘Anti Bullying week’ when we introduced the year group to the idea of being ‘upstanders not bystanders’ and to support this, we asked them to wear odd socks for one day!

As a year group, whilst we are striving for an ethos of ‘kindness and care’ we are also striving for academic excellence, and we are very proud to say that Year 8 have accumulated over 9000 positive points already! Hayden (8Y) has already reached an incredible 555 positive points, Dimi (8Y) is on 527 positive points and James (8G) has reached 509 positive points so far. Whilst these three lovely gentlemen are our top three students in the year group (and deservedly so!) we have over 20 students who have already accumulated over 400 points this academic year!

We have also enjoyed success outside of the school environment. There are far too many to mention but I would like to draw attention to successes such as a brilliant performance from the boys’ rugby team at a recent local schools’ rugby tournament. We have recently had a group of students enjoying a day at the University of Southampton learning about student life.

Finally, we are delighted to have Miss Sullivan join us as part of our year group team this term. Many of you will know Miss Sullivan due to her role as our KS3 Administrator but I am very pleased to have her working alongside me to support and encourage our wonderful students going forward.

Year 9

Year 9 have had a very busy and successful Autumn term. As a year we have been awarded over 57000 Positive Points, averaging 316 points per student. Leading the way, we have Maggie 9I, Fearne 9Y and Layla 9Y with over 600 points each. A huge well done to these three students who consistently demonstrate their determination to succeed. 9I have been the leading tutor group being awarded 10348 Positive Points. Several students have demonstrated a massive change in their attitude, effort, and behaviour over the course of this term, well done for showing resilience and putting in the effort to make the change.

Many Year 9 students have taken advantage of extra-curricular activities and represented Oasis Mayfield for our sports teams. We have had the Army and Navy in working with students developing their problem solving, cooperation and communication skills. A group of students has been taking part in a marginal gains programme designed to help students achieve their full potential. All students took part in the BBC careers roadshow and HSBC money skills sessions provided for them to develop valuable life skills. We have an ever-growing team of student leaders and it would be nice to see even more of the year group taking advantage of this opportunity to take an active role in our school community.

It is a good time to reflect on the amazing progress we have made as a group together and to look forward to the New Year with the desire to do even better.

Year 10

It has been a very strong start to Year 10, with pupils getting their first term of their GCSE’s started and underway. Since starting the school in September, I have been really impressed with how welcoming all the students have been and how keen they have been to make a good first impression.

We have had a big push this half term on punctuality to school and to lessons and I am pleased to report that there has been a significant improvement for the majority of students. As we approach the most crucial part of their school journey, being organised and punctual to lessons will be essential in the build up to Year 11 and their exams. Can you please continue to encourage our Year 10 cohort to dress smart and be proud of their uniform as we strive to be the role models in the school.

During the term, we have had some enrichment highlights including the Btec Sport trip to Calshot and a visit from BBC bitesize workshop on careers. The Year 10 boys football team remain unbeaten after four epic games so far this season. We have also seen some great individual examples of our students working to their maximum including: (Top 5 points scorers) Scarlett 10B, Lalena 10G, Josh 10B, Ellie 10G and Rafael 10B. In addition, we have seen significant improvement in the following students, including their conduct and effort: Cameron 10Y, Taylor 10Y, Freya 10B and Liana 10Y. All have demonstrated the qualities required for maximising their potential, through hard work, commitment, and dedication in their lessons and home learning this term. Keep it going 😊

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our AHOY, Mrs Lauren Godwin. After seven years at the school and three and half years with the year group, Mrs Godwin is starting the next chapter of her life. We would like to wish her the very best for her new adventure.

I look forward to meeting you all over the coming months and please say hello on the forthcoming parents evening on Thursday 8th February. I would like to personally wish you all an amazing Christmas break and I look forward to seeing all the pupils back ready for learning in 2024.

Year 11

It has been a busy term so far for Year 11 having sat their first set of mock examinations this year, which were completed successfully and with a level of maturity that was to be congratulated. The way they have approached the exams has been commendable and if they continue in this way then I am sure that this will contribute significantly to their future academic success. There was a clear ethos of dedication, responsibility, and a strong work ethic. I hope this positive mindset continues into the remaining weeks ahead which can only lead to their further success. Mr Pearce and I continue to promote the importance of attending school each day and punctuality to lessons so that maximum learning time can be gained. I know there were a lot of happy students upon receiving their first set of results, who had put in the necessary hard work and therefore gained the positive outcome. For some, it gave them a chance to reflect and think about the areas they now need to focus on to make incremental progress in February, when they will be sitting the second set.

Congratulations to the Year 11 boys’ football team who Mr Hardyman reports that having gone 1-0 down early in their only game of the season so far, they then battled hard against a strong St George’s side managing to level the game at 1-1 going into halftime. The second half saw Mayfield have a flurry of chances but they unable to convert and making matters worse then went on to concede a goal at the other end meaning they were 2-1 down. The team didn’t let this phase them, they regrouped and continued to push looking for an equaliser, after some great build up play, they found their opportunity and found the back of the levelling the game at 2-2 with around 15 minutes left to play.

The team manager made some tactical changes and substitutions which had an instant impact with Spencer Allan heading in from a corner to put Mayfield up 3-2 going into the final 10 minutes. St Georges applied a lot of pressure in the dying minutes of the game but with some brilliant saves from Ben Tucker, Mayfield held on to secure a hard-fought win. Final score St Georges 2 – 3 Mayfield.

Prom has now been confirmed at the Hilton Ageas Bowl on 28th June 2024. The prom committee are thinking of different fund-raising events that can then be used to lower the current ticket price and pay for decorations. Lacey Sillence and Amelia Pearce took part in the Christmas Fayre on 25th November, selling handmade jewellery and other craft items. They managed to raise over £130 as a start to the fundraising, so a big thank you and congratulations for their efforts and enterprise.

On 5th December, Year 11 experienced their Humanutopia Day – Who am I? This comprised of three sessions that got students to reflect on their past, consider how their present could be different depending on if each person behaved differently and finally, the day ended with the young people imagining who they could be in the future, discussing dreams, hopes, goals and ambitions. As the day finished every student committed to making three positive changes to improve their futures.

The first term of the year has been an incredibly positive one in the English department. We've seen some amazing creativity, some incredible reading and some extremely high-quality analytical writing. Our journey began with Greek Myths and Antigone in year 7 and years 8, 9, 10 have been studying Shakespeare. Our year 11s have now finished their English Literature course and I'm sure all are looking forward to a well-earned Christmas break. From all the team in English, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Mr Hall

Year 7

Beginning our exploration of the origins of more modern storytelling, our students have dived into Greek Mythology and begun to explore how heroes and villains are portrayed. We've seen some highly engaged learners who are driven to contribute and explore. The hard-hitting story of Antigone left the students impressed by Antigone's defiance, bravery and honour. Sometimes these attributes are not always rewarded! Looking ahead, we'll be exploring the Scandinavian tale of Abrahamic Allusions to continue our foundational journey of powerful storytelling.

Year 8

We have begun the year with a comprehensive study of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The students have relished the opportunity to act out scenes from the play as well as beginning to develop their understanding of the patriarchy and conventions of the tragic hero. For many, we now understand why this tale of these "two star-cross'd lovers" is not a romance but an overwhelming tragedy. The team have been impressed with the engagement and participation of the year group and we hope this begins a lifelong passion for theatre and for Shakespeare.

Year 9

The study of a more intense Tragedy, Othello, has been enjoyed by Year 9. They've learned that even the most brave and honourable hero can be corrupted by jealousy, envy and by the machinations of those who crave power for themselves. This story has taught us of how we can allow our judgement to be blinded by our emotions and the devastating consequences this can lead to. Our students have worked tirelessly to engage with this brilliant text and we look forward to our next topic of the Harlem Renaissance poetry after Christmas.

Year 10

Having begun Key Stage 4 with a study of Macbeth, our students have built on their prior knowledge of the conventions of tragedy. Their exploration of the paradoxical "fair and foul" world Macbeth inhabits shows us that if we transgress God's Divine Order, we risk destabilising everything we understand to be true. Through the careful tracking of the characters' descents into madness, the students are preparing for their first GCSE style assessment in the new year. We couldn't have asked for a stronger start from our next generation at Mayfield.

Year 11

Things got very real for our new year 11 students with their Mock examinations and results this term. In addition to this, we have completed the English Literature course and the students have enjoyed the study of the "Power and Conflict" cluster of poetry. We have action plans in place to build on our successes and are looking forward to the next series of mocks to see how we have improved. We were also able to welcome the Quantum theatre for a festive production of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol". Not only was this a real treat, but also gave our students a timely reminder of motifs, symbolism and famous quotations that will be crucial for their mocks on the text in the new year. We're extremely optimistic about this year group and hope they can continue this excellent start.

Maths

In Mathematics, our students have been hard at work through their learning journeys.

At KS3, Year 7 have now been introduced to algebra, one of the oldest branches of Mathematics. Year 8 have been looking at sequences, equations, inequalities, and straight-line graphs. Year 9 have been studying proportion, standard form, and algebraic manipulation.

KS4 students continue their learning journeys with their GCSE course. Year 11 have just completed their November mock examinations and are reflecting on their performances along with moving on to complete the curriculum.

In January, all students in Year 7 to 10 will be completing their mid-year assessments. This is an opportunity for everyone, to pause, and reflect on their learning while at the same time showing how well their learning has been going on so far. It will give everyone the opportunity to take stock of what needs to be done to continue moving forward.

This year, we are offering some of our Year 11s an additional qualification in AQA Certificate Level 2 Further Mathematics with the brief below, as provided by Mr Paszkowski who is delivering the course this year. The further maths level 2 course is a great way for aspiring mathematicians to broaden their view of what maths can look like as well as learn interesting new maths concepts and methods. It features a large overlap between content in GCSE maths but extends it further as well as introducing concepts which are a fantastic way to establish a strong foundation for A-level maths or further maths.

Some year 11 students have commented on the course and their comments are below:

"Further maths is the best and I would rather do it for 48 hours consecutively than have my weekend." - Farhan

"Further maths is the best and I would rather do it for 48 hours consecutively than have my weekend." – Jacob

It has been a very busy and successful term in the science department with our new Year 7 students settling into Mayfield and completing lots of exciting practical’s using the Bunsen burners which are always a hit to find out the boiling points of different substances.

As a department we have been extremely impressed with the way that our students have come back and shown real maturity to their studies. Year 10 and Year 11 have performed remarkably well in both their end of topic tests and GCSE Mock exams, which is encouraging.

We have been short staffed over the past term but wanted to thank Mrs Hearst for everything she have done to support the students with their learning during the Autumn term. Whilst Mrs Hearst will be leaving us for pastures new, we are very fortunate to welcome Miss Asse back into Mayfield from her sabbatical and we will also have a new member of the team join us in January. Mr Wilkins appointment will bring us back up to full capacity and we hope to be able to offer a STEM related science club next term.

Year 7

In Year 7, students have been learning ‘What are substances and what gives them their properties?’ before starting to look at ‘What is a chemical change?’. This introduces them to chemistry by looking at particles and states of matter then introducing chemical reactions. Just before the Christmas break students start their first unit of biology ‘Cells- the unit of life’ where they define what makes something alive then investigate animal and plant cells.

Year 8

In Year 8, students have been looking into different areas of physics. Starting with answering ‘Where are we in space?’ where students learn about the solar system and what causes days, seasons, and years on Earth. They have then learnt about ‘Moving with Force’, including what causes movement and how we describe speed and acceleration before extending their knowledge of light that they gained in year 7 by investigating how images are made.

Year 9

In Year 9 students have been developing upon the chemistry they learnt in Year 8. Firstly, by studying chemistry fundamentals such as different laboratory techniques and a deeper dive into the structure of atoms and the periodic table with a focus on specific groups that need to be known for their GCSEs. Students go on to develop their chemistry by investigating how atoms can be bonded together in different ways before looking in depth at specific chemical reactions and completing their first required practical which can be examined on their GCSE papers.

Year 10

Year 10 students have been taking their understanding of different kinds of specialised cells and bringing this together to understand how these cells work together to form the tissues and organs that make up their human bodies. With a specific focus on the respiratory and circulatory systems and how these work together to provide all the body’s cells with the nutrients that they need. Alongside this they are looking into what can go wrong, such as with coronary heart disease. After studying the human body students move onto plant

biology with a focus on ecosystems and ecology techniques to begin with, before investigating plant cells and processes.

Triple science students have gone deeper into human and plant biology. They have studied the human brain and eye as well as looking into the structure of DNA that codes for all of these systems and how it leads to the body building proteins. They have developed their knowledge of ecosystems by looking at how energy moves through them, and the importance of decomposers and decay leading to new life in germination.

Year 11

In year 11, students have worked hard in their spring mock exams, and we enjoyed celebrating their successes with parents at parents evening. These were Paper 1’s in which students have been working towards while at Mayfield. This has been the focus of Year 11 studies this year with them being given time for revision as well time to go through their assessments and look for areas of improvement. All students have now been provided with a personalised learning checklist of things they need to focus their revision on, over the next few weeks.

Before students went into the exam period, they have been looking at Humans and the Environment. This unit looks through theories of the Earths early atmosphere and how it has changed up until now, we look at theories and effects surrounding global warming and climate change and about what we can do to try and stop it.

After looking at the chemistry of the atmosphere students move onto looking at biology and classification. They then study the evidence for the theory of evolution through natural selection.

Future events

Over the Christmas break Year 7-10 will need to actively start revising for Mid-Year assessments which will be in the early part of next term. Revision resources will be shared with students to support with their learning before the end of term.

Year 11 will need to start thinking about revision for their next set of mocks which happen to be in February from the 5th until the 29th and all students will be sitting the Paper 2 exams. Information will be shared with students shortly.

The week of the 8th – 17th March will the National Science Festival. We will have the pleasure of Eddie Henbury, a STEM Ambassador over two days showing students in Key stage 3 some exciting experiments. He speaks to students about how fossil fuels are used at Fawley Oil Refinery and how they try to make them as “friendly” as possible.

The Science department would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, enjoy your festive break.

The Science department

KS3

Year 7 have been focusing on getting to grips with their iPads and how to get the most out of them.

Year 8 have been exploring making their own games in Scratch as they delve into the world of programming.

Year 9 have been looking at how computers interpret using binary and have begun exploring more programming constructs.

Some Year 7 and 8 students attended a unique event on Friday 1st December for Solent coding day. They got the opportunity to create their own games in the block-based programming website in a competitive way.

KS4

Year 10 have been challenged and understanding the complexities of the GCSE curriculum. They have also been exploring the interactive use of Turing lab, a unique approach to understanding programming:

Year 11 have been working very hard during and after their mocks and should be very proud of their hard work. They got to experience a theory paper for the first time to better understand the GCSE exam style as they prepare for their final exams.

Year 7

Year 7 have begun exploring the world of food nutrition and preparation. The students have been introduced to food hygiene and safety and have learnt basic knife skills and some basic food science through cooking and preparing sandwiches, quesadillas, breakfast items and making bread. Students will continue to develop their knowledge of food science, cooking methods and the 12 key skills.

Year 8

Year 8 have continued their journey into food and have begun to explore more complex food science and cooking methods. The students have built upon their bread making skills and created pizza’s, they have explored making both rough puff and shortcrust pastry and have learnt about the food safety and hygiene surrounding the preparation of raw chicken. Students will be continuing to build their knowledge around preparing raw meats and create burgers/koftas and spaghetti/cottage pie.

Year 9

Year 9 students have continued their learning journey and building upon the skills and experiences of year 7 and 8 and putting their knowledge and skills into practice through creating pizza and pasta from raw ingredients and learning how to make risotto and arancini. The students will be moving on to prepare tortillas from raw ingredients and making quesadillas, spring rolls and samosas and curry.

Year 10

Year 10 students have been exploring food science and cooking methods in a much greater level of detail learning about nutrients, macro nutrients and their role in food and the human body. The students have been learning how to portion whole chickens and have also explored presentation of food by decorating tea cakes and exploring how they present their food on plates. Students will continue to explore nutrients and their roles and put this knowledge into practice by cooking and preparing various dishes.

Year 11

Year 11 students have begun working on their non exam assessments (NEA) and have completed a written mock exam. The students have completed NEA 1 and their exploration of the roles of ingredients within biscuits and are moving on to start working on NEA2. NEA2 involves students planning, testing, and refining dishes inspired by celebrations from around the world.

Year 7

This term saw Year 7's introduction to Geography here at Mayfield. In September, students studied a unit of work called "Geography of the UK and Beyond". This covered the basics of human and physical Geography in the UK, and also allowed students to study continents, oceans, and countries around the globe. This has allowed our Year 7s to gain a level playing field in terms of Geographical understanding, and we saw particularly excellent work from Jasper C., Rhys M., and Gina H.

During the second half-term, students have been studying Economic and Social Development, and have learned about why different countries have different levels of development and how this can be solved.

Year 8

Our Year 8s this year have continued with their Key Stage 3 Geography studies by firstly looking at Population and Urbanisation and, more recently, Cold Environments.

During our first half-term, students studied how and why urban areas grow over time. Using case studies (such as Southampton in the UK, and Mumbai in India), students were introduced to the challenges of urban growth, and the solutions being created. Adam S performed particularly well during this unit.

Rather fittingly for the time of year, students have recently studied Cold Environments. Looking at Antarctica, students learned about one of the world's last untouched wildernesses, and also studied the challenges it faces in a changing world. Students also looked at a case study closer to home in the north-west of England: the Lake District. Students learned how this area was carved and eroded by glaciers during our last ice age, and the landforms this created.

Year 9

Our Year 9s have worked tremendously hard this half-term, and have been exposed to multiple different case studies from around the world. Not only have we seen great academic success, but a real passion for Geography from all of our Year 9 classes.

During the first half-term, students studied Interconnectedness: a unique unit of work that teaches students how events in one area of the world can have an impact in far away places. Through studying prior volcanic eruptions and pandemics, we would like to congratulate Donis A, David B, Leland H, Joshua O, and Breanna S for their amazing work this term. Well done!

Year 10

Year 10s have started their GCSE Geography studies this year looking at one Human Geography topic (Urban Issues and Challenges) and one Physical Geography topic (Coasts). Similarly to our Year 11s, this has involved students studying two contrasting cities: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and Southampton in the UK.

Although Year 10s have had no formal tests as of yet, we would like to formally thank them for their hard work and dedication this term. We have noticed how many students have returned to Mayfield after the summer with a marked improvement in maturity and dedication to their learning, and this is noticed and appreciated by Mr Lambert and Mr Graham each and every day. Looking forward, we are excited to take our Year 10s on their coast fieldtrip closer to summer.

Year 11

Our Year 11s have worked tremendously hard in the classroom this term. In September, students studied Urban Issues and Challenges. Studying both Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, and Southampton, in the UK, students learned about the challenges caused by rapid urban growth, and the solutions to these challenges. After this was assessed in the final mock exams, Mrs Hills and Mr Graham would like to congratulate Amelia P, Jono C, Ruby D., Evie L, and Kara W for their mock exam success.

We are now currently nearing the end of teaching content, finishing with the Challenge of Resource Management. After Christmas, we will begin final preparations for exams and also complete our final piece of fieldwork within the local area.

Key Stage 3 has been off to a great start in 2023. Year 7 began the year in 1000, exploring the city of Constantinople before discovering the Islamic Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, learning of the depth, complexity and richness of their culture, science, and religion, as well as its links to Christianity in Europe with Conques. They followed this by then focusing on the Normans and the truckload of trouble they introduced in 1066! Year 8 have been on a tour of the early modern world, starting with learning of the mighty Mughal empire of India and its epic dynasty, before moving on to the discovery of new worlds with Southampton’s very own Mayflower. Year 9s have been looking at the impact of the British Empire, from the abolition of the Slave Trade to the industrial revolution, before debating how different historians judge the legacy of the empire itself.

In KS4, Year 10s have begun their GCSE experience with a breadth study of the history of migration and its impact on British culture and society, from the Vikings raiding Lindisfarne in 793, to accepting the fleeing French Huguenots in the 16th Century, to the Irish navvies building Britain’s railroads during the industrial revolution. Year 11 have been dissecting their depth study of the rise of Nazi Germany. Starting with the German recovery of 1919, they witnessed the highs of Weimar’s golden years to the lows of the Great depression, before studying Hitler’s meteoric rise to becoming Führer of Germany.

Year 7 have been learning about being upstanders, human rights and getting involved in change. They have engaged so well in these topics, and we had some really interesting discussions on prejudice, discrimination and how to be an upstander, not a bystander in relation to anti-bullying week. I am sure our young people will be leading the way, following our 9 habits and will be getting involved in community change, they have also had visitors in from HSBC and Yellow door in addition to their usual lessons and feedback, as always, has been excellent. Well done Year 7. Mrs Brown, Ms. Langford and Mr. Wilson have really enjoyed teaching you the Identity curriculum this term.

Year 8 have been learning about the criminal justice system in the UK along with visits from Gamcare, looking at the dangers and raising awareness of the dangers of gambling and HSBC who have delivered sessions to all of Year 8 on finances. Ms. Langford and Year 8 will be accepting an award on behalf of Mayfield from HSBC on Wednesday 13th December for their excellent efforts and engagement with these sessions. There has been some excellent feedback from HSBC staff and students and their engagement with all their Identity lessons has been exemplary. This shows that we are embedding the 9 habits and Mayfield way - well done Ms. Langford and team year 8!

Year 9 have been studying finances and have had visits from both HSBC and Gamcare to reinforce what they have been learning with their ID teachers. They have also been looking at post-16 options and were fortunate enough to have visitors from Solent University to reinforce this. Ms. Baxendale & Miss Benfold have thoroughly enjoyed teaching year 9 this term and have praised the engagement of students.

Year 10 have been learning about looking after their mental health and the difference between healthy and healthy relationships which has been supplemented by sessions from the STAR project looking at how to identify unhealthy relationships. This has been well received and has raised some extremely thought provoking, as well as sensitive discussions. Students have been praised for their maturity and sensitivity during these sessions. They have also had a whole year group session with HSBC as part of our financial education offer from HSBC.

Year 11 have had had their final RSE unit during their time at Mayfield and this has overall, been well received and supplemented by our visiting speakers from yellow door, covering the sensitive topics of coercive control and domestic violence. Our students have dealt with this maturely and this had led to some in depth discussions and greater understanding of the issues in our wider society.

Student Leadership

Student Leadership at Mayfield is at the forefront of everything we do and strive to achieve. Our amazing team of student leaders have been working so hard this term to move forward in a range of areas.

We have Lacey S in Year 11 & Isabelle W, in Year 10, leading our dedicated team of student leaders preparing for the Christmas dinner whole school celebrations, organising decorations, table layout and leading the way to ensure that the whole school Christmas dinner is a success.

We have Aysha A in Year 10 leading on the school of sanctuary award.

Our Year 9 student leaders have been working with Mr Cooper and Mrs Robinson from the NHS on healthy lifestyles and our Year 8 student leaders have been working with Ms. Langford, Mrs Brown and Mrs Slevin and Mrs Watkinson from the Solent NHS dental health team preparing resources on oral health to encourage our young people to improve their dental health. Our Year 7s will be working with Mrs Brown and the Year 7 team on both road and water safety in the Spring term.

We have also launched the Mayfield badge making club and our student leaders have excelled in their roles and our amazing team, led by our expect badge makers, Jermaine, Jesse, Teegan and Teegan have been making badges for whole school events as well as our 9 habits awards. They have made Dance Live badges for Miss Barker and her team of superstar dancers and are currently making badges for both staff and students for our end of half term 9 habits awards. Well done team, Mrs Brown is so proud of you and how much effort you are making with this!

Student voice and tutor programme

Our Year 10 student focus group have been working on the dangers of vaping with Mrs Godwin and Mrs Bagust from LifeLab. They engaged well and shared some great opinions and ideas which have been fed back into LifeLab resources, our OCL pilot curriculum along with being shared with the PSHE association. Well done year 10.

Our regular Voting voice sessions this term have gathered significant data for the Academy. As part of the tutor programme, we have looked at Anti-bullying week, Mental health awareness week, School of Sanctuary, International Peace Day and Black History month. This has enabled us to gather student voice, data and opinions and gauge the knowledge and understanding, our Mayfield student have of these key events and topics.

Our Year 8 and 10 students have had the opportunity to participate in the BeeWell programme which is a research study looking at the wellbeing and happiness of young people across Hampshire. They were offered the opportunity to take a short survey and the data will be analysed and used as part of a national study. The aim of the survey is to create the conditions for young people to thrive, by listening to their voices, acting for change, and celebrating the wellbeing of young people.

Congratulations to 7O, 8V, 9B & 10B and their tutors for being the winners of our Autumn term Tutor Challenge! Prizes will be given to tutors for their tutor groups.

Assemblies

We have had a full assembly programme this half term. Solent University have delivered assemblies to all year groups, and we were fortunate for them to invite Kelly Simm, Olympic athlete, to speak to our Year 7s which was extremely well received and, as always, our students gave them our best Mayfield welcome. Mr King looked at the past and future of technology with our students and this gave us all a great insight into the world of technology. We have looked at Anti-bullying week and our heads of year led assemblies on this topic & this linked in extremely well with the Identity curriculum. We had Mr Woodman delivering Christmas assemblies on Christmas dinner and Christmas jumper day and we are very much looking forward to our celebration assembly on the last day of term.

Bonjour!

What a busy term it has been!

Well done to Year 11 for working hard during their mock exams in the listening, reading, and writing exams. Good luck as they start to learn all their questions for the speaking exams, which start mid-January. Little and often is the key to French revision, so I recommend Year 11 go on a language learning site for about 20 minutes every day! You might even enjoy yourself! Bonne chance!

Year 10 have worked hard this year and completed the topic of Mobile Technology and are nearly finished the topic of Healthy Living. They have taken the huge step into GCSE learning and are making good progress.

Year 9 completed the topic of Travel and Holidays and are now learning about how to describe their area in French, as well as learning about places around the world where French is spoken, such as Haiti.

Year 8 have been learning about how to describe their house and local area and are now talking about their hobbies and pastimes, including finding out about some sports that are played in France, such as pétanque! They have also been learning about Madagascar, an African country where they speak French, and realising it is not just a film.

In Year 7, the groups have been starting their journey of learning French and have been navigating classrooms where the teacher speaks to them in French! They have been learning all the classroom instructions in French, learning how to greet people and ask them how they are, and are now moving on to talking about their families.

Well done to everybody for your hard work throughout the year.

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année à tous !

Bonnes Vacances!

The Dance & Drama BTEC students have been working hard to complete their component 2 assessment. All students have been developing skills and techniques during rehearsals. The Drama students have been working on their acting and learning their lines to complete their final performance of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Dance Students have also been working towards their final performance, each group have specialised in a specific repertoire based on their preferred style of dance. I would like to say a massive shout out to the following students, Annabelle P, Megan R, Summer G, Thomas W and Gemma C.

Dance Live!

The Dance Live group have been working hard to create their final performance for the event. I am proud of what the students have achieved. I would like to say a massive well done to all performers and designers. Please continue to keep up the hard work and looking forwards to our final performance in January. I would like to say a massive thank you to the choreographers: Amy H, Holly B, Eva A, Daisy A & Ryan. Mr King has been working hard to create the LED Screen for the Dance Live performance, Well done to All boys that have been creating the design elements of the performance.

Year 11 Music students have been studying another of their set works – Star Wars. Year 11 students have also continued attending their weekly instrumental lessons where they are currently practising for the performing coursework unit. Well done to all year 11 students who have been working hard in music.

The KS3 groups have been working on the following units this Autunm term.

Year 7’s – Keyboard skills

Year 8’s – Film Music

Year 9’s – Making the Band

We had several students volunteer to support with open evening, this was an amazing experience and lovely to watch all the talented music students within the academy.

Well done to all students that are attending Keyboard club on Mondays after school.

We have had a brilliant turn out to extra-curricular this term, thank you to anyone that has attended, and we will continue to give opportunity for students to get involved. hope you all have a lovely Christmas.

Why does the school care so much about my child’s attendance?

Post-pandemic schools across the country have seen a slow increase in consistent attendance to school. This is a worrying trend that schools and the government are keen to tackle and ensure that all children have a consistent education. Being in school is important to your child’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. Evidence shows that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A Level results. This research from the government also found that pupils who performed better both at the end of primary and secondary school missed fewer days than those who didn’t perform as well. The data also shows that in 2019, primary school children in Key Stage 2 who didn’t achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths missed on average four more days per school year than those whose performance exceeded the expected standard.

Similarly, in the same year, secondary school pupils who didn’t achieve grade 9 to 4 in English and maths missed on 10 more days on average over the key stage than those who achieved grade 9 to 5 in both English and maths.

In part then, attendance is crucial to ensuring that your child meets the expected levels of progress for them, and they are able to transition into the next phase of their education or training as smoothly as possible without the need for resits or taking transition qualifications.

Not only is attainment important, but it is important to ensuring that your child is developing their social and emotional literacy through interactions with their friends, school peers and other adults around them. These opportunities are much more limited in the home or when their peers are at school.

As a school, we are able to safeguard your child pastorally too and highlight any concerns quickly and point your child and you in the right direction of support and advice if required.

We also run a number of activities and opportunities such as our career focus days, trips and other events which support your child’s development and understanding of the wider world.

What are the risks of missing a day of school?

Every moment in school counts, and days missed add up quickly. For example, a child in Year 10 who is absent for three days over a half term could miss 15 lessons in total.

The higher a pupil’s attendance, the more they are likely to learn, and the better they are likely to perform in exams and formal assessments.

Data from 2019 shows that 84% of Key Stage 2 pupils who had 100% attendance achieved the expected standard, compared to 40% of pupils who were persistently absent across the key stage.

What if my child needs to miss school?

Parents and carers have a legal duty to ensure your child gets a full time-education. There are only a small number of circumstances where missing a school day is permitted. Your child must attend every day that the school is open, unless:

• Your child is too ill to attend. Please see guidance here on when a child is deemed too unwell for school: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
• You have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your child to be absent on a specific day due to exceptional circumstances.
• Your child cannot go to school on a specific day because they are observing a religious event.
• Your local authority is responsible for arranging your child’s transport to school and it’s not available or has not been provided yet.
• Your child does not have a permanent address and you are required to travel for work. This exception only applies if your child attends their usual school or another school where you are staying as often as possible. This must be 200 half days or more a year if they are aged 6 or older.

Please note that these are the only circumstances where schools can permit your child to be absent. These would be considered authorised absences but still count as time away from school over the course of the academic year.

What does the school do to support attendance?

Currently there are a range of measures that we have implemented to ensure the attendance of your child.

We send automated texts when we have an absent child, we send letters when a child’s attendance reaches a threshold or meets a pattern of absence. We ask tutors to have conversations with all of their tutees when they are off to check that they are healthy and well and ready to be learning.

We run rewards for tutor groups with the highest attendance each week with winning tutor groups receiving sweets, half-termly rewards of chocolate and cake and the opportunity for a raffle ticket each week for 100% attendance with the chance to win a mountain bike, hair straighteners or air pods.

During the Autumn term there have been several off-site opportunities for our students, many of which have been mentioned by above. Some of the highlights so far include.

Wet Wheels – A fantastic day for a selected group of students to improve their confidence and team building skills. During the day the students crewed and drove a power boat from Hamble to the Isle of Wight.

University of Southampton – As mentioned previously, we have had a couple of trips to the University this year. Our Year 11s have attending to support their Post 16 plans, while the Year 8’s had a session on raising aspirations, to support students future planning with University as a viable option. During both days they experienced ‘a day in the life of a student’.

Calshot – As part of the BTEC course our Year 10 students travelled to Calshot Activity Centre for a day of adventurous activity. During their session they were able to experience Skiing, on the indoor ski slope, Climbing, on the renowned climbing wall, and practice their cycling skills on the indoor velodrome.

Red Spider – The first of our reward trips, selected students were invited to the indoor climbing centre in Fareham, Students were invited based on the number of reward points they had collected over the first half term. Students had a great time practicing their skill on the different walls, but for some the highlight was the castle as the end of the session.

London – Two coach loads of our Year 7 students travelled to London for a day of Capitol Culture. The first stop was the world-famous Natural History Museum where the highlight was exploring the dinosaur exhibition. They then travelled across London by foot on a guided tour of Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, Westminster Abby, Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye. It was very long day, but one that will hopefully have lasting memories.

Oasis Community Learning Student Leadership Residential

Six student leaders from the Oasis academies in Southampton joined others from around the country for the first Student Leadership Residential. Held at the Pioneer Centre in Kidderminster, they took part in a full leadership course designed to allow them to grow and develop their leadership skills, with training, workshops, project planning and the opportunity to spend time with senior leaders within Oasis.

The residential was led by Andrew Smyth, Jon Needham and Kat Simmonds with input from other Oasis leaders including the founder Steve Chalke, and supported by staff from the Oasis academies and community teams.

Karen Dawkins and Paul Woodman accompanied the Southampton students and said;

"We were very impressed with how well our students bonded with each other and with those from other academies around the country. They were enthusiastic in the sessions and thoroughly enjoyed their time learning about leadership in this environment."

Sahar from Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill said;

"The residential was honestly the best time l have had in ages. Meeting everyone from different Oasis academies and seeing what differences we have as a school and a community was amazing, and obviously meeting Steve Chalke was the best part. It was great getting to know the story of how Oasis was created to where it is now internationally, and learning the different values we need to become a great leader."

Rifat from Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill said;

"This residential was an eye-opening experience, that allowed us to understand what real leadership looked and felt like. It allowed us to express ourselves through our leadership, creating areas where we found we did well and areas we could improve. Overall, this residential was a fun journey filled with laughter, excitement, and knowledge, which allowed us to come out of our comfort zones and work with new people."

Louisa from Oasis Academy Sholing said;

"It was amazing to hear Steve Chalk’s stories on how Oasis was founded and how cats saved Oasis Enfield!"

Jake from Oasis Academy Sholing said;

"Getting to talk to students from other academies around the country was really interesting. I learnt a lot about leadership and the evenings were great fun – I won an inflatable unicorn!"

Rosina from Oasis Academy Mayfield said;

"This residential was a really enjoyable experience, which showed us how to be a great leader and overcome the barriers that may be in your way. It allowed us to express ourselves and come out of our comfort zone, such as public speaking and working with new faces who helped recognise our strengths and also the things we may need to improve on. We learnt the way Oasis was created and how it has developed since then. Over the trip, many of us formed good friendships which created a positive atmosphere. Overall, it was a fun journey filled with laughter and knowledge."

Correy from Oasis Academy Mayfield​​​​​​​ said;

"I really enjoyed the residential, the staff were lovely and encouraging, the food was amazing and meeting all the people behind Oasis, such as Steve Chalke, was incredible and inspiring. I enjoyed the time we had to ask questions to the "panel" and the activities in the evening. The trip was so much fun and i would definitely go again."

Regional Director, Joanna Lawton praised the students saying,

"I’m very proud of the way our students collaborated and participated in this leadership training. They have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills during this residential program. Their achievements reflect the high standards of excellence that define our academies. I look forward to seeing the continued impact of their leadership in the academy environment and beyond."

We have many trips planned over the coming months, some of which are listed below.

Last Day of Term - Friday 15th December

INSET Day - Tuesday 2nd January

First Day of the New Term - Wednesday 3rd January