Events Coming Up
JANUARY 15th Lullaby Cycle Event 15th Harry Potter trip 2 15th Salters Festival of Chemistry Part 1 15th Year 3 & 4 Gym Festival 16th Year 5 & 6 Gym Festival 20th GCSE PE Moderation Day 21st Year 11 Progress Event
Message from the Leadership Team
Dear Noadswood families, I wish you all a happy and safe 2026 ahead. It has been a pleasure to welcome all students back to school this term. The site has quickly returned to being full of energy, enthusiasm, a sense of fun and purposeful learning, and it has been wonderful to see students reconnecting with their friends and staff. We are also delighted to welcome back Miss Pidgley and Mrs Ayrton following their maternity leaves. We hope families will join us in wishing them a very warm return to Noadswood. In addition, we are pleased to welcome Mrs Pearce, Assistant Headteacher, who has joined us as the newest member of our leadership team. We are excited to have her expertise and experience supporting our school family. She becomes our new Designated Safeguarding Lead amongst plenty of other things, and she has whirled around this place this past week, getting to know sooo many of us all! Thank you to everyone who has made her welcome at what we know is a big moment of change in our team. This week, Year 11 students received their mock examination results. All the staff in the assembly during which they were issued were genuinely blown away by the seriousness and maturity with which they received and reflected with us about the results. It was my pleasure to tell Year 11 that from me in my assembly with them this morning: the progress as people that they have made in the four and nearly a half years I have known them is superb. So what next with these results? They are a snapshot of things when they were gained, and they are an important milestone, definitely not because they define final outcomes. Instead, they provide invaluable learning opportunities that there really is time to act on. Mock examinations help students understand the demands of GCSE assessments, identify strengths, and pinpoint areas that need further development. They also allow teachers to tailor support, intervention, and revision strategies more precisely in the months ahead. Educational research consistently shows that students who engage seriously with that feedback from mock examinations so very often make significant progress before their final exams. On average, students improve by one to two grades between mock results and final GCSE outcomes when they respond positively to feedback, refine revision techniques, and receive targeted support. The learning gained from reflecting on mock performance is often as important as the revision itself, honestly. So we all need to pull together and say to Year 11, believe in yourself and your ability to benefit from learning you can gain between the mocks and the summer exam series as much as we believe in you. Respond to the advice, revise and ask for help about the gaps the mocks have shown you. So much still to play for. Later this month, we will be hosting a Year 11 Subject Event, where families will have the opportunity to meet subject staff, discuss mock outcomes in more detail, and gain guidance on how best to support students in the lead-up to the summer examinations. We strongly encourage families to attend, as this partnership between home and school plays a crucial role at this point. Thank you, as always, for your continued support, partnership and challenge – we need them all. We look forward to a positive and productive term ahead together. Best wishes,Kathryn Marshall and the Noadswood School Leadership Team
Digital Detox
As you know, Mrs Bradshaw and Mr Abbott have sent you all a letter re our Digital Detox relaunch from February half term 2026. In the same week, we received a piece of work from the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel De Souza, reminding us all: ‘Supporting children’s safety is a shared responsibility between families, schools and wider society. For parents and carers, this responsibility has become increasingly complex as children’s lives are now deeply intertwined with the digital world. Many parents face difficult decisions about how to balance protecting children from online harm with enabling access to spaces that are now central to learning, socialising and play.’ In that spirit, she then asks us to share the link to the guide below, the aim being to help us all to balance the quite right vital access to a healthy digital life that all young people need with being able to make sure they are safe online and have a rich life away from tech and phones, too.
What I wish my parents or carers knew: A guide for parents on managing children’s digital lives.
Year 11 After School Revision
Our year 11 revision programme is back for the new year. Please find the link to our full programme: KS4 Revision Spring 2026.pdf This can also be found in the Communications area on our school website. We strongly encourage you to support your child in attending the after-school revision sessions. Regular attendance has proven to be extremely valuable in strengthening understanding, boosting confidence, and improving final exam success.
PLR
Just a reminder to Year 7 and 11 parents that their PLR fortnight starts on Monday 12th January, and runs until Friday 23rd January. During this fortnight students do not need to attend regular tutor time, unless they are meeting their tutor for their PLR, but all students are expected to be in school each day at 08:55 for registration. If for any reason your student needs to be in school at the normal time of 08:45, they can still go to their tutor room and use this as an opportunity to read.
Women's Saints/Portsmouth South Coast Derby
If you are interested in watching this match for free on Saturday 10th January at 5.30pm, please click on the link below. You are not limited to numbers, so feel free to take along as many friends or family members as you like.
Lullaby Cycle Event
This event was postponed in December due to the bad weather at the time. Noadswood is pleased to host this event where members of our community can come together and ride the streets while being clearly visible and to calming music. To find out more about the event and timings, please click on the link below: POSTPONED - Lullaby by Luke Jerram - Dibden Purlieu at Noadswood School event tickets from TicketSource Registration is from 5.30pm with all bikes setting off at 6.30pm to cycle the 7-mile route. All cyclists will return to the start at Noadswood School.
Awesome Alumni
Emma Williams
Class of 2001
I am co-principal of award winning dance school Shine Studios based in Holbury, winner of the Dance School of the Year Awards. We train many young people to develop both beautiful dance technique and also an unwavering love of dance. As a busy vocal coach I have also been able to pass on my knowledge to young performers, many of which have subsequently secured roles in touring UK musicals such as Les Miserables and Annie. The excellent academic tuition and extra-curricular opportunities at Noadswood both then (and now as I see this through our mutual students!) furnish young people with transferable life skills. For myself, this helped me to develop self-confidence and communication skills which are so valuable in both performing arts and other careers. Noadswood also gave me the opportunity to further my performing arts training early securing Grade A’s in GCSE Music in Year 9 and GCSE Drama in Year 10. It is wonderful to see this passion for performing arts continuing with the likes of school productions and dance galas.