The Lenham School Newsletter

Term 6 - End of Year Edition

'there is just a vibe about this school'

Dear Parent/Carer,

As a team of teachers, leaders and support staff, we are always out and about talking to everyone in our school community. The quote that I have used as the header for this newsletter came from a gardener who has been on site this week, helping tear up some of the bushes and lay some new flower beds at the school. He really wanted to pull me aside and say how wonderful the atmosphere was at the school. Students and staff were chatting to him all day, and he said he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was “vibe” about The Lenham School. It brought such joy to my heart hearing someone from outside the school saying this, after only being here for a few hours. Our school is truly a very special community.

And, we are only just getting started. Over the summer, things will be changing a bit at The Lenham School as we continue to find the next gear.

Goodbyes

As always, there will be some staff moving on to new and exciting challenges. Mr Standen is moving on to return to focus on purely teaching Maths, Mr Reid is looking to take on a new challenge in a special school, Miss Harsley is returning to the north of England to spend time with her family and Mrs Killington is retiring to France. And of course, we all send our best wishes to Mr Ward, who is moving on to run his own PE Department. Mr Ward has served our school for 19 years, which is an amazing act of commitment. Earlier this week, we held a prizegiving ceremony where we started a new tradition of awarding trophies to those that have really made this school such a wonderful place. In honour of Mr Ward, one of those trophies will be forever called the Ward Award, and will be given to the top goal scorer across the school. We wish all of our leaving teachers well on their new adventures. We will miss them all!

Exciting Times

There are also a lot of other developments at the school. When you return in September, we are making some tweaks to help improve the school further for you. You will hear more about these details when you come back, but in order for us to do this, there are many people who will be working selflessly all summer. Firstly, we have started a programme of making the site more beautiful, especially with flowerbeds and recladding some of the old buildings. Secondly, we are completely renovating the art rooms to make sure our talented artists get the space they deserve. Thirdly, we are removing the L3 computer room that no one likes teaching and learning in, and making a new computer suite in the M Block for the children. Fourthly, we are making the Sixth Form area bigger and more bespoke. And finally, we are relaying our 3G pitch with a brand new surface, new goals and new flood lights. All in all, VIAT are investing about half a million pounds into The Lenham School to make it the place that your families deserve!

Thank You

I would like to end this newsletter by just saying thank you for all your support this year. It is an honour to have been welcomed so openly by everyone at The Lenham School. Becoming your Headteacher has been the best thing that I have ever done; my life at our school is full of joy, laughter and pride, each and every day.

Academia, Opportunity and Belonging. We are only getting started…

Mr Ferguson - Headteacher

welcome

The end of Term 6 brings to a close a busy school year and another great opportunity to reflect and celebrate all the amazing things that have happened this term.

Duke of Edinburgh expedition

Students in Years 9 and 10 who are completing their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award took part in their expedition at the end of Term 5. Miss Mason who co-ordinates the award has written the following report:

Day 1:

All the participants arrived at Kings Wood in the morning, all correctly equipped and with a strong team spirit! The weather was sunny with broken cloud; ideal for hiking and ready to set off on their planned route.

By afternoon participants had arrived at the campsite looking very happy with the first day. Tents were then set up by the teams in the style of little villages and following a brief rest spent time taking part in water fights and running races!

Early evening came and dinners were prepared on Trangia stoves with students also enjoying s’mores (a BBQ Marshmallow treat) cooked by the staff, an essential on any camping trip!

After dinner we all gathered round for the talent show hosted by the team Siggatons Barmy army; little did we know staff would be roped into it too. There was singing, skits, gymnastics, all sorts of fun and lots of laughs accompanied with hot chocolate as the sun went down.

All were zipped in by 10pm, giggling away and torches flashing like glow-worms inside the tents.

Day 2:

The next morning around 0700 after a night getting down to 6 degrees and not one complaint from being cold, the participants got up and dressed in a dewy field.

Gas canisters were handed out for breakfast and within minutes, wafts of bacon drifted across the camp site as breakfasts and lunches were being diligently prepared. Eager participants packed up their backpacks as tents were drying out in the sun.

With kit lists checked; trackers, packs, water, maps, first aid kits amongst the other group responsibilities, the participants were off for Day 2; a 15km hike west.

The campsite was left in perfect condition, not a scrap of litter, all credit to the diligence of the participants. They continued to show a real respect for their surroundings.

There were some eventful moments with the Mason's munchkins team helping with an emergency involving another school team; team morale hitting a low then rectifying to complete together; food, water and even clothes sharing was witnessed to make fellow team members happy, comfortable and able to complete their task.

Paces were adjusted to keep that bronze in sight. We had a minimum of navigational errors and where deviations did occur the teams were able to self-correct, another fantastic skill of trouble shooting whilst using a new skill.

It was a long day in perfect hiking conditions. Groups had a staggered finish between 1600-1830, all arriving safe, happy and healthy (bar a few blisters) in their teams. There were smiles of joy to complete alongside tears of pride. And of course, the pure relief to shed their heavy backpacks!

So much of what The Lenham School is all about was seen this weekend, growing resilience, generosity in teamwork, kindness to peers and politeness to strangers and respect for the natural environment.

All in all, it was a very successful expedition with many groups saying they are keen for silver next year.

Thank you to all the parents and carers for enabling the participants to get to the expedition prepared and kitted out. Well done to my staffing team Mr Richardson, Mrs Collins and for last minute volunteer Mrs Abdlki for generously giving their time with such enthusiasm and sense of fun!

Congratulations go to all DofE bronze expedition participants for passing the expedition!

Duke of Edinburgh Students did themselves proud!

Goodbye Year 11

Term 6 is always an emotional time as we say goodbye to our Year 11 cohort. They continued to work incredibly hard throughout the exam period and it was sad to say goodbye to them during their last day before celebrating the end of their exams at the Leavers' Prom held at Leeds Castle. Students looked amazing as they turned up in a range of vehicles (including a horse and carriage). They have been fantastic ambassadors for the school, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming those who will be joining our Sixth Form in September. For those who will be going onto somewhere new – we want you to know that we will never forget you.

Leeds Castle was a wonderful venue

Students really enjoyed the evening

We will miss you all

Work experience

Year 10 and 12 have had a very busy term! Firstly, they took part in their work experience week – each taking up a placement with a local employer. The feedback on their conduct was very positive and it has been great to catch up with students to find out what they did and how it has inspired them for their future careers. They have also completed their Pre-Public Mock Exams (PPEs) as they start to get ready for the rigours of next year.

Students like Jake got the opportunity to explore their career ambitions

Tommy Joe and Lowri celebrating the end of a busy exam week

Summer, Jemima and Grace were pleased to finish their Mock PPE Exams

Sporting Success

Our annual Sports Day was a great success this year. Competing in warm and sunny conditions, students put themselves to the test in front of their classmates. Students were also able to cool down by enjoying ice creams. Well done to all those who took part and to those who won a place on the podium. Some of our top athletes also took part in the VIAT Masterclass event where they competed against other schools in the VIAT Trust.

Well done to all our competitors

All students helped make Sports Day very special

Performing Arts

This year the school has really excelled in the realm of performing arts and the culmination of this was the school’s participation in the VIAT Summer Concert, held at Invicta Grammar School. Over 80 TLS students (from all year groups) participated where they took centre stage in performing with partner Primary and Secondary Schools. A special thanks to the Performing Arts Department and Mr Heaton (Trust Director of Music) for supporting our students to perform in such a special event.

The performances of TLS at the VIAT Concert was a standout moment for the school year

Excellence in Art

Art continues to excel at TLS, and this was evident during the Sixth Form and Year 11 Art Exhibitions held this term. A Level Art and GCSE Art and Graphics students had their masterpieces displayed as parents, governors and other visitors came to see their final pieces. With more artwork on display than ever before, a massive thank you to Ms Bull, Miss Denchfield and Mrs Martin for ensuring that students have been able to show off their talents.

Art this year has flourished

Year 7 Transition Week

We welcomed all our new Year 7 students during their Transition Week. Students got to know more about their new school, make new friends and experience what learning will look like for them as they move up to secondary school. They settled in quickly and celebrated a busy week by taking part in a Team Building Day. They were also given a copy of ‘Darwin’s Dragons’ by Lindsay Galvin to read over the summer as well as several Headteacher challenges that have been set by Mr Ferguson.

Our new Year 7s enjoyed their transition week

Our new students feeling 'belonging'

Trips

Trips continue to be a big part of the school with Year 7s spending the day at Wingham Wildlife Park to support what they have been learning in class about Ecology, students in Years 7 & 8 meeting bestselling author Lindsay Galvin to find out what inspired her to become an author and write about exciting adventures, and many Year 7s also went to Torquay for a weekend PGL residential. This year, we have taken students out for more trips than ever before and thank all the staff who organise, take part and support with the running of trips and visits.

Students had a fantastic time at Wingham Wildlife Park

And also enjoyed their weekend residential at PGL Torquay

General Election

To coincide with the General Election, TLS hosted its own Mock Election. This was the culmination of a whole week of learning about democracy – in which students found out how elections work, the different parties that were standing for election and what they stood for in their manifestos. The event was organised by members of the Sixth Form who made excellent Election Returning Officers.

The TLS Mock Election Returning Officer Lee explaining how voting works

Students got the chance to have their say

Diana Anti-Bullying Award

We were very proud to host two days of training for the Diana Anti-Bullying Award, a charity that runs events for both Primary and Secondary School children to help recognise and stop bullying. Students who attended the event are now inspired to go and support other students in the school as part of their role as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors.

Our Amazing 'Anti-Bullying' Ambassadors

TLS was very proud to host the training

What does Great Look Like?

In January, the school launched a new reward system – ‘What Does Great Look Like’ where students have been recognised for going above and beyond. Since then 13,587 points have been issued with more than 200 students receiving the first ‘Bronze Awards’ with five students receiving a ‘Silver Award’. More success was celebrated during the Prizegiving Assemblies held at the end of term. We look forward to celebrating even more success next year.

Celebrating success

Reading for Pleasure

Whilst we welcome the summer with open arms, we are also aware of the challenges and potential ‘slide’ that comes without 6 weeks of school routines. Supporting your child with a regular reading slot will not only encourage them to turn away from a screen and positively impact their mental wellbeing, it will also help them ‘slide’ into September ready to learn.

If you’re struggling to hook your young person into a book, don’t forget Kent Libraries offer free services and loans and are experts with the latest ‘must reads’. Kent Library Link

TLS Staff will be sharing their 'favourite' reads next term

kent Family hub

Kent Family Hubs offer support to children, young people and their families. They make it easier for you to get the services you need throughout your family journey - from newborns to 19-year-olds, or up to 25-year old's with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). Click on the following link to book: Kent Family Hub Booking

Our neighbour school Lenham Primary have let us know that they still have places for children joining Reception in September.

Have a Great Summer

We wish all our young people and families a happy and safe summer. The safeguarding team will be checking emails at points over the summer but if you find yourself in need of support or advice please visit our safeguarding page on our website:

https://www.thelenham.viat.org.uk/4308/safeguarding-where-to-go-for-help

Refer Kent

KCC have launched a new website that lists all the agencies you can refer into for support. These include services that would support with housing, debt, benefits, mental and physical health amongst many more.

Please find more information and a link to it below:

ReferKent is a safe, secure, and local online referral system that aims to mitigate the action of signposting. The system enables referrals to be made securely between advice agencies and their partners across Kent. ReferKent allows referring agencies to report on activity and outcomes. With this system local organisations can help residents through referrals, ensuring that residents are getting the support they need to alleviate their circumstances.

https://kentcountycouncil.refernet.co.uk/Public/index.aspx

How to Find Out More

Please feel free to join our Facebook Page The Lenham School | Maidstone | Facebook to keep up to date with all the exciting things that are happening both in and out of the classroom.

Second Hand Uniform

Details of how to access our second-hand uniform is available on our school website. With the continued rise in household costs, we hope this initiative can make a small difference by helping some of our families to access free uniform https://www.thelenham.viat.org.uk/1850/uniform.

We wish all our students a restful break and look forward to welcoming them back on Monday 2 September.

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Dates for the Diary

2 September Start of Term

4 September Year 10 and 11 Dance Trip to Marlowe

12 September Year 9 Drama Marlowe Trip to see 'Grease'

18 September Key Stage 4 Trip to see 'An Inspector Calls'

19 September Year 11 Information Evening

23 September Duke of Edinburgh Launch Night

26 September Year 11 Geography Field Trip to Stratford

1 - 2 October Year 6 Open Mornings

3 October Year 6 Open Evening

4 October Staff Development Day (School Closed)

8 - 10 October Year 6 Open Mornings

9 - 10 October Year 7 Meet the PDL

10 October Maidstone Literacy Festival

15-17 October Year 6 Open Mornings

16 October Year 8 Nausica Trip

18 October End of Term

The Lenham School Website