Events Coming Up
5th May Bank Holiday
6th May INSET DAY
6th May Health & Social Care Exam
8th May GCSE Exams start
12th May Parliament Trip
14th May Year 8 Progress Evening
19th May Walk to school week
Message from the Leadership Team
Dear Noadswood families,
Highlights of this hot old week for me have included visiting Year 7 Design and Technology lessons: great work in food, textiles and those famous (round here) Year 7 mobile phone holders looked terrific, too. I loved watching the students who were in turn, watching in awe as their designs, done by them using IT, appeared, as if by magic, on their carefully self-cut wooden plinths. I was also privileged to see some great flat pack design work and to hear a rap encouraging healthy eating habits.
My thanks to all the students and the D and T team!
From there, I had an equal privilege to meet Y9s Jess, Gloria and Ciaran with Mrs Preston to take a look at their books and to hear first-hand from them what works well in lessons, what their proudest of, what they find tough and how best we can support them, all polished off with a meeting with the Learning Support Assistants giving me their take on the cross-school experience supporting our young people. Professional and insightful students and colleagues - lucky me.
My choir were in fab voice, with our first practice of this term. We belted out Stand by Me and Rewrite the Stars. We are excited to have a couple of adventures to practise for – more to follow in the near future.
I was equally privileged, honestly, to be part of a meeting between Year 11’s Head Students’ Team and the newly appointed Year 10 squad on Wednesday. The way they coordinated handover of all their projects, some that have already been embedded and others that need finishing off and implementing could leave plenty of pretty experienced adults behind. I would like to thank the outgoing Head Students, Harrison, Mia, Danny, Niamh and Grace, along with Dayshaun and Livi, plus all the Senior Prefects and Prefects for their leadership and support this year. I will miss them and have learnt a great deal. We will see their ‘nearly done’ projects through and not let their successes fizzle out.
We’d also like to thank Mrs Groom for the brilliant opportunity for our Year 11 Historians to visit Longford Castle. We are the only school currently allowed to visit this particular establishment, with fascinating and relevant history for the students, which is a real credit to us.
As you know, we love sharing achievements of our students outside school as well as in and so this week, it’s a big three cheers for Maretta Cooper, who represented her region in a Cadets competition over the weekend and secured an outstanding second place in the shot put, with an impressive throw of 5.85 metres. What an achievement – well done, Maretta! She’s a multitalented one, as you may have heard her sing some smashing solos in our school concerts and I love having her in my choir.
As you know, this weekend is a further bank holiday weekend, followed by an INSET day on Tuesday 6th May. As we’ve mentioned before, if your child has an exam that day, they will come into school for their exam and leave afterwards.
We wish everyone a happy and enjoyable long weekend together.
Best wishes,
Kathryn Marshall and the Noadswood Leadership Team
Year 7 Kindness Pledge
During our last 'Kindness Week' Year 7 students were asked to make a kindness pledge. These are now displayed on the Plaza for students to access.
The attached photos show the pledges in situ on a glorious sunny morning.
It's already been so nice to see students reading them. We hope that as many of our students take time to think about the importance of 'being nice' and what they can do as an 'Act of Kindness' to others.
Year 8 News
We are pleased to announce that applications for our Junior Prefect applications are now open. We encourage all interested students to apply- it has been a genuine joy to see how many students have come to collect an application form from my office over the last two days! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop leadership skills and take on a more active role in our school community. Application forms have been shared with students, and the deadline is Monday 20th May.
As we move into the warmer months, I would like to remind families of our expectations regarding school uniform and appearance. While we understand the desire to stay cool in hot weather, students are still expected to remain smart and presentable. PE kit is not permitted to be worn.
In addition, I would like to reinforce our no acrylic nails or jewellery policy. For safety and to maintain a professional learning environment, students must not wear acrylic nails or excessive jewellery to school. A single pair of small stud earrings is permitted, but all other jewellery should be left at home. Please do look at the website if you have any questions regarding uniform/jewellery. Uniform and Equipment | Noadswood school
Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain high standards and a positive learning environment for all students.
Miss Ebblewhite – Year 8 Year Leader
Awesome Alumni
• Since leaving Noadswood, I have got older, travelled a little, started a family, and now spend most days wondering why I’m so tired and everything hurts as I slowly creep towards 40. Career wise I’ve been a Police Officer for the last 15 years. I joined Hampshire Police in 2009 before transferring to Devon & Cornwall Police 2017, and I’m currently a Patrol Inspector based out of Exeter.
• I successfully passed selection and training for Armed Response and spent 9 years as an Armed Response Vehicle (ARV) Sergeant prior to my promotion to Patrol Inspector. My highlight as an ARV Sergeant was the G7 leaders summit held in Cornwall in 2021, where I worked alongside the American Secret Service, and got to explore The President’s Motorcade and Air Force One.
• Noadswood provided a safe space for me growing up, and was somewhere that I could feel a sense of normality outside of a turbulent home. I witnessed a lot of domestic violence at home, but the school and the friends that I made there provided me with stability when I needed it the most and helped guide me through an otherwise difficult time in my life. If you’re experiencing anything similar at home, I can assure you that you’re not alone, and I’d encourage you to speak to your teachers and safeguarding leads. Adverse Childhood Experiences don’t have to define you and may even positively influence the people you’ll become and the career paths you choose, so please utilise the support around you.