November Blog

Winter has arrived; our wet and windy October appears to have been replaced by a colder but still windy November. The autumn turned to winter as it does every year, but this year has felt different due to Covid-19. What life looks like at home and in school is very different but our commitment to keeping things as ‘normal’ as possible remains steadfast.

I was delighted to present the effort and achievement awards to the students in year group assemblies last week. Every year it gets harder for the staff to narrow down and select a handful of students for recognition, when so many are working hard and achieving so well. Well done to all the winners, and for those who didn’t receive anything this year, keep working hard regardless so you can be proud of yourself.

Remembrance Day was as important as ever this year but not being able to get together did make it feel odd. We instead celebrated and remembered via an online assembly. The school, as always, laid a wreath at the memorial in the village - in particular stopping to remember our former student James Grigg, who was killed in Afghanistan.

As I write this blog, year 11 are just finishing the last few days of their mock examinations. They have coped well with yet another change to their routine and, whilst there may well be some disappointment with some of the outcomes, the mock exams are part of the learning curve in preparing for the final exams next year. We know with continued hard work, plenty of revision and a positive attitude they will do well.

Year 11 should have their parents’ evening on 9^th December but, like with other year groups, this will take a different format this year. Further details have been sent to parents via the students.

I am very grateful to Mrs Seeman who organised out first ever virtual school council meeting (VOSH). Year 9, 10 & 11 met online and have made plans to include year 7 & 8 in the next council meeting. They had good points to raise and we are already starting to action some of their suggestions.

The 15^th December sees year 7 receive their flu vaccinations. This is the first year that secondary school pupils have been included in the national flu vaccination schedule and, considering the current pandemic, it would appear very important to take this up.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has also allowed criminals additional means to try and scam us all. This is a reminder that the 'Black Friday' period sees the highest number of emails flying across the ether than at any other time of year. The means that not only are there millions of legitimate emails, but the scammers also send out their flurries too. We are all vulnerable, but children, perhaps teenagers especially might be 'secretly' buying presents online for the first time. If you would like additional information about online security please visit: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/information-for/individuals-families

Stay safe and keep following the rules.

Mrs Millar