Dear parents and carers,

I hope you have had a good week. 

This week we celebrated World Book Week with an array of activities. The highlight was World Book Day, and I was delighted to see so much effort in bringing characters to life with some excellent outfits! We gave out a number of golden tickets to students that had gone above and beyond in their hard work, politeness and manners, or simply contributing positively to our community. The atmosphere was fantastic throughout the school, and yet another reminder of why we are 'Proud to be Ringmer'.

I am pleased to report that once again, applications for our Year 7 cohort have reached record levels for places. This is always a positive representation as to the reputation of the school so we are delighted that there continues to be such positive interest in Ringmer. 

Next week, our Year 11’s will be having a mock ‘results-giving’ assembly as they now start moving towards their final exams. We are delighted with their progress this year, and they continue to work hard to ensure they fulfil their potential. We have worked hard on ensuring our career provision is developing throughout the school, and it was great to see all of our Year 8 students take part in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) career workshops, which we hope will give them some inspiration for the future. There are some further careers resources for all year groups further down in this newsletter.

Finally, please find a link below for our Spring Survey. As always, your feedback is very important to us and how we move the school forward. We are clear that there is always room for improvement and that the best schools never stand still, so all feedback is welcome, and we do read through every response. 

https://participate.schoolsurveys.com/Jup4ShigDho7jQyV

Have a great weekend

Mr Harvey

Principal
 

Art Department - Exciting Art Workshop & Upcoming Display!

Last week, our students completed their first workshop with myself and Mrs. Colbourne, our Artist in Residence. They have been exploring fluid and gestural landscape art, embracing abstract techniques with enthusiasm.

Having the opportunity to work alongside Mrs. Colbourne, a professional painter, has been an inspiring experience. She has shared her artistic process and brought in her own work, allowing students to see first-hand what a career in art can look like. This workshop has not only encouraged creativity but also provided valuable insight into the possibilities of professional art careers.

We’re incredibly proud of the students' openness to this expressive style, and we can’t wait to see what else they create! Their artwork, along with pieces by Mrs. Colbourne, will be displayed in reception to show the school and visitors how proud we are of their work. A final image of their work will be included in our newsletter before we break up for Easter.

This workshop is just one of many ways we’re helping students explore the world of art beyond the classroom—who knows, we may have some future professional artists in our midst!

Please keep an eye out for future clubs.

Ms Hook, Head of Art




 

Saturday's Groundforce morning has been postponed to a future date, TBC!

National Careers Week 

1. STEM career workshops -year 8

All of our year 8 students took part in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workshop on Thursday 27th February. These workshops were delivered in school by Everfi https://everfiteachers.co.uk/ and sponsored by Gatwick. 

The workshops focused on STEM careers and real-world learning. All students were given the opportunity to take part in a 50-minute workshop where they used interactive case studies to learn how to do things such as design and manufacture trainers, write algorithms for online streaming and create a new computer game. The students were really engaged in the sessions, and they can continue to access the programme. Once the students have completed the course, they will receive a certificate which can be used in the future on their CV’s. 

2. National careers week resources 

To mark National Careers Week, please find the link to The Parent’s Guide to help parents and carers with clear, unbiased advice on post-school options, study and exam revision, and wellbeing. This guide supports young people in talking about their futures.

https://nationalcareersweek.com/ncw25pg/  

Find out more at www.nationalcareersweek.com

3. Prospective Medic Event at Uckfield College on 13 March 2025 from 5pm to 8pm

Mrs Colbourne Careers Lead 

LOST PROPERTY

Many coats and water bottles remain unclaimed - see photos.

We are unable to return found items without names.

PLEASE NAME ALL SCHOOL ITEMS!

Note: Reception has very little lost PE kit as this is most likely still in the changing rooms or gym.

ESCC Consultation on the Post-16 Transport Policy Statement for the 2025-26 academic

The ESCC Post 16 transport policy statement is intended to inform young people in years 11, 12 and 13 and their parents about what transport arrangements and financial support are available to them. We welcome any comments on the draft Transport Policy Statement. 

All the information can be found on the Council’s consultation hub where comments can be left until 28 March 2025.

Ringmer's first Repair Cafe

Ringmer's first Repair Café will be running on the last Saturday in April ie: 26 April 2025 from 10am to 12.30 in the Ringmer Parish Council Offices, Old School Close, Ringmer, BN8 5Ra. In the future on every last weekend of the month IE: 31 May, 28 June. 26 July, 30 August etc. The repair café is a group of volunteers who can fix your broken things to avoid them going in the bin and you having to buy a new one and have a cuppa  and some cake .

Ringmer Repair Cafe have asked us to advertise the event and see if any students would be interested in volunteering in the cafe for the session. 

Voluntary roles such as this provide valuable experience for young people and are excellent for their CV's to demonstrate experience when looking for future employment. Please contact Mrs Colbourne at  ringmerrepaircafe@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer (and if you have anything broken the volunteers may be able to fix it!)

A GUIDE to the Ringmer Repair Café

You are invited to bring ONE item that you can carry, in need of repair, for our volunteers to check/repair/provide advice……

• Electrical objects

• IT items

• Clothing (not alterations) and fabric items

• Broken mechanical objects

• Ceramic advice

• Wooden items

• Gardening tools for sharpening

NOT……… white goods, microwaves, items completely in pieces!

The Ringmer Repair Café volunteers do their best to make your items re-usable. This will save you the cost of a new item, and save the planet from the CO2 emissions involved in manufacture, transportation, use of precious resources and waste disposal.

DONATIONS WILL BE MUCH APPRECIATED – CASH or CARD

There are homemade and Fair-Trade refreshments served while you wait. (Under 16s to be accompanied by an adult please). Parking is available.     ringmerrepaircafe@gmail.com 

Smartphone-Free Schools

Following our Open Evening in September 2024, Ringmer Parents and Carers Smartphone Free group attended our event to promote smartphone-free schools.  Several prospective parents and carers joined a whatsapp group for people wanting to delay smartphones for their children. The QR code for Parents and Carers Smartphone Free Facebook is as follows: 

To note:

• Students do not require a smartphone to attend Kings Academy.

• There are alternatives to smartphones to keep in contact with your child, including tracking, that negates the risks posed by smartphones.

• Their child will not be alone in not having a smartphone

Smartphone Free Childhood charity has now also created "Smartphone Free Schools" (Smartphone Free Schools), a community of educational professionals who are starting to see the benefits of being involved in the conversation and changing policies.