Noadswood News

Events coming up   18th May                             English Revision for Year 11 GCSE students 20th May                             Vaccinations in school 21st May                      Vaccinations in school

Message from the Leadership Team

Dear Noadswood families, Firstly, we would like to congratulate our Class of 2026 students, who are now well underway with their examinations for the maturity and really positive conduct they have shown throughout this demanding period to date. They have approached each day with determination and composure. Exams can often feel overwhelming at the outset, and it is often said that getting started is the hardest part. However, once that first step has been taken, confidence begins to grow. We would like to remind all our students that they are not facing this challenge alone. We all remain fully committed to supporting them every step of the way and we encourage students to continue asking for help, guidance and reassurance whenever needed. In that spirit - It is wonderful to have over 70 students joining us for our May revision day- Mrs Rollett will email individual timetables and details to families next week. I also know that something many Year 11s and families have appreciated is when Mrs Fry, our super Team Leader for Science, reminds the students, when she gets in touch, of how important taking breathers is. I really, really agree. The breathers will honestly be every bit as important as the time spent revising. I have loved catching up with a lot of Year 11s when I am on lunch duty each day, to hear they’re proud of themselves for ticking off the exams, for making sure they’ve written as much as they can for each type of question, and for being so determined to stick with it, go a day at a time and do all they can each day with a terrific sense of purpose. No one can ask anyone more than that. We would also like to extend our thanks to our Year 8 families who joined us for this week’s Progress Evening. It was wonderful to see so many parents and carers in attendance, engaging with staff. Your continued support and partnership are greatly appreciated. As ever, I have three highlights from my week here to share with you – there could be lots more, as always. The first is getting together with most of the Pi Day Competition winners, discussing with them all their inspirations for their cakes, both in terms of recipes and the maths. I was sorry – once again – that I had been in a meeting when others were judging these beautiful cakes. Thanks again to all the bakers and to Mr Rhodes for organising such a fab event each year. You will read more about this event below. Secondly, it’s been a privilege to be in lessons in Music and Drama in Key Stage 3 this week. Students’ problem-solving skills when grappling with the online composing platform and playing blues chords on the keyboard – properly! - were great to see when working with Mr Watkins and Mr Burton.  And Miss Costa’s group were engaging so well with how sound and costume and stagecraft were creating certain vibes in the National Theatre film they’re studying. Thank you, everyone. Staying with the performing arts, it was lovely to watch ‘Matilda’ at the Mayflower with the cast, crew and staff from our recent production of ‘Oliver’ on Tuesday evening. Our very own Trunchbull, from two years ago when we put on ‘Matilda’ here was in the audience so we could catch up with an old friend, too. But this is Part B of my second highlight. My third highlight was welcoming two fellow Headteachers plus another couple of colleagues to Noadswood yesterday, as part of Hampshire’s Inclusion Spaces project. I was lucky enough to visit one of their schools earlier in the week, and they enjoyed, very much, on their reciprocal visit exploring our Flexible Learning Programme, our Learning Reset base, our Resource Provision, Redwood, and some lessons, seeing inclusive practice in our mainstream classrooms. Huge thanks to them for coming and sharing their work with us so readily, too. We can definitely make better progress together than in silos. And my thanks to all the colleagues who welcomed them so warmly. Thank you, as always sincerely meant, for your support, partnership and challenge this week. Hope you stay dry in this rather changeable front we’re having and that everyone has a decent weekend. Best wishes, Kathryn Marshall and the Noadswood Leadership Team

Dame Rachel de Souza is the current national Children’s Commissioner, whose role it is to promote and protect the rights of all children. She is keen we do all we can to ensure all of our children complete her new survey, The Big Future. Young people can complete the survey themselves or be supported by an adult to do so – you can see how it all works when you click the link above. The deadline is in October 2026. We will issue reminders regularly, via Arbor and in our newsletters, and we will also run some assemblies on the survey and its aims in September, as we encourage our students to see their lives as purposeful as citizens with a voice and with the potential for great impact in this world. We are plugging it now, though,  so we can maybe catch some Year 11s before they leave us, so that their voices are heard.

WELL-BEING GUIDANCE

As we all know, exams can be a nerve-racking experience for young people, especially when pressure and expectations start to mount. This guide offers practical, easy to implement strategies to help reduce anxiety and set pupils up for success – from morning routines to emotional reassurance. These tips provide a valuable toolkit to support students on exam days.