Please see this week's newsletter from our Principal, Mr Harvey:
Dear parents and carers,
I hope you have had a good week.
This week we held our Open Evening, where we welcomed a record number of visitors to our school. I am extremely proud of the way our student helpers and staff represented the school and allowed us to show the public the strengths of our community. I have received a number of emails from visitors citing how polite, respectful and confident our student tour guides were, as well as fielding a large number of application questions from parents and carers currently out of catchment. This was a strong indicator that we are heading in the right direction, towards our journey to excellence. We look forward to welcoming more visitors for our open mornings next week.
By now you will have received, or about to receive our attendance letter with an update on your sons or daughters current attendance. A reminder that attendance is our number one priority as a school, with an expectation of 96% as a minimum. At GCSE, students who have attendance of over 96% statistically achieve an average grade nationally of 4.6. At 90%, this falls significantly to an expected grade of 2.69. Whilst a day off every few weeks can seem a minor part of the bigger picture, these days can significantly affect future prospects. I thank you for your continued support, and please let our pastoral teams know if there is anything we can do to support.
Next week I will be sending out a parent survey to support our vision to become the best school in Sussex. I would appreciate your honest feedback as to where we can develop as a school, as well as ideas on how you as parents and carers can support this journey. In addition, we will be releasing dates for the initial coffee and cake mornings, so please keep an eye out for this correspondence.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Kind Regards,
Mr Harvey
Post 16 Careers Event Year 10 and 11
Our Post 16 event takes place in the hall on 28 September from 6-7pm. We will be hosting a wide range of colleges and learning providers, giving our students and parents the opportunity to meet them face to face. This exciting opportunity helps students make informed choices for their future learning and careers. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the evening.
PE Department
We have started both football and Netball which in general have been well attended, we have also started to have fixtures against other schools. Just a reminder that students do not have to sign up for clubs, they can just turn up and they will run up until 4.20pm.
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Monday: Year 7 & 8 Football / Year 9, 10 & 11 Netball
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Tuesday: Year 9, 10 & 11 Football
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Thursday: Year 7 & 8 Netball (moved from a Tuesday)
Fixtures: Fixtures against other schools have commenced, in which we may be required to drive students in the school minibus so can you all please fill out the following consent form to allow your child to take part (there was an issue with the form not taking external school email addresses but this should now be rectified)
PE Kit - Please ensure that you name all PE kits and write names on Inhalers. Kit has on the whole been very good on the whole for lessons.
Footwear- For Pe lessons students should have correct footwear for the activities. We have use of the 3G football pitch in which students have to have the correct footwear on. This is either football boots or astroturf trainers. If you do not want to buy individual footwear for all activities, we would recommend Astroturf trainers which you can wear on all surfaces. Please find link to a website which sells the trainers https://www.sportsdirect.com/football/football-boots/astro-turf-football-boots
Best Wishes, Mr Coulthard, Head of PE
Bus route details from September 2023
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Private service arranged by ESCC
Run by ESCC for students who do not have a public service bus and are within the school catchment area
If you are unsure always contact Schools Transport team at ESCC
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R17 – Blackboys - Easons Green – Selmeston – Ripe – Ringmer
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R18 – Oakleigh House - Hadlow Down – Maresfield – Barcombe – Ringmer
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Public Service Routes
Compass Travel -
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126 – Seaford – Alfriston
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125 – Alfriston – Berwick – Selmeston – Charleston Farmhouse - Firle – Glynde – Ringmer
The Big Lemon Bus Company
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318 – East Hoathly - Whitesmith – Muddles Green – Golden Cross - Laughton - Ringmer
Brighton & Hove Bus Company
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28 Regency Route - Eastbourne - Polegate - Hailsham - Hellingly - Horsebridge – Lower Dicker – Golden Cross – Laughton – Ringmer
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29A - Heathfield – Cross-in-Hand -Blackboys – Framfield – Uckfield
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29B – Uckfield – Halland - Ringmer Broyle Estate – Ringmer
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28 – Lewes – Ringmer
East Sussex County Council organises the contracts for all the school buses. If you wish to contact East Sussex County Council directly the
website for information is - https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/education-learning/schools
Free School Meals
Do you qualify for Free School Meals?
To make applications easier for parents/carers we have changed the way that you can apply for free school meals. Applications are now processed online via East Sussex County Council, the criteria for being able to apply and for the online application please see the details below.
Free school meals for children in Year 3 and older
Older children may get free school meals if their parents or carers get any of these benefits:
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Universal Credit - GOV.UK – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
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Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) - GOV.UK
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Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - GOV.UK
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Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 - GOV.UK
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The Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit -GOV.UK
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Child Tax Credit - GOV.UK, only, if your annual household income (assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) isn’t over £16,190
[Anyone who gets Working Tax Credit - GOV.UK, won’t get free meals regardless of income]
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Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Children will get free school meals if they meet the criteria and are in school both before and after lunchtime.
Children eligible for free school meals on or after 1 April 2018 will remain eligible until they finish the phase of schooling (primary or secondary) they’re in on 31 March 2023 even if your circumstances change.
Our Electronic Checking Service might be able to confirm entitlement. If not, you’ll need to show recent proof that you qualify. Meals cannot be given until eligibility is verified.
Apply online if your child goes to school in East Sussex.
Scholastic Book Fair
Reading for pleasure is transformative for students’ academic success and personal wellbeing. To help inspire and excite our students we are having a Scholastic book fair from 25th to 28th Sept.
This pop-up book shop will be taking place in the LRC during break and lunchtime all next week. Students will be able to choose from 200 books, from award -winners and new releases to beloved favourites and best sellers. These books have been selected by experts and prices start from £2.99
Every time you buy from the book fair you help make a difference by supporting literacy at our school. All sales made during the book fair will go towards the scholastic reward scheme and in return we will be given free books for the school library.
This payment link was emailed out earlier this week. You can also access it here https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/pay/1315311
We are asking parents to pay directly online once the students bring home their wish-lists. All orders must be placed online during the fair (Mon 25th -Thurs 28th)- and ordered books will be available for collection from the LRC.
Mrs Colbourne
Weekend Career Experience Opportunities for ages 12 to 18 – INVESTIN
INVESTIN have just published their autumn term career opportunities which are available in 15 cutting-edge industries. Students will learn directly from some of the world’s best professionals through a series of live, interactive simulations which provide tailor-made professional experiences to ages 12 to 18.
All programmes take place on Sundays, with dates available from November to January. Students can choose to attend in person at UCL in London or live online.
Online places get booked up quickly so if your son/daughter is interested in one of the events, their advice is to book early. To view the events and register, please follow this link: INVESTIN
#WakeUpWednesday: What Parents & Carers Need to Know about WhatsApp
Please follow this link to access an online safety guide which is an updated examination of WhatsApp – the globally popular messaging platform which contains both old and new hazards for young users - Online guide
INVESTIN – Weekend Programmes in STEM Careers
INVESTIN are running programmes in 10 STEM and medical science careers this term, available in-person in London or live online.
Students can expect to participate in interactive simulations and masterclasses led by industry professionals working in the field, with highlights including:
Medicine: Practise stitching up a wound
Engineering: Design the mission to take humans to Mars
Psychology: Carry out a clinical psychology assessment
Computer Science: Design your own web application
Download a PDF here https://docsend.com/view/53g9v62euqtveqcj?mc_cid=e55f3e18b5&mc_eid=4b59777597
Ages 15-18
Architecture - 5th November 2023
Medicine - 5th November 2023
Entrepreneurship - 5th November 2023
Dentistry - 12th November 2023
Engineering - 12th November 2023
Computer Science - 12th November 2023
Investment Banking - 19th November 2023
Psychology - 19th November 2023
Veterinary Science - 26th November 2023
Forensic Science - 26th November 2023
Safeguarding
New Film Highlighting Child Exploitation - NSCP
This week Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) has released a short film aimed at raising awareness of child criminal exploitation. Frequently executed through the intentional grooming of children for sexual or criminal purposes, the issue is of increasing concern across the UK. No doubt aided by the constantly evolving technological landscape. This film is both highly impactful and filled with information on how to better spot, children involved in these situations. If you have any concerns regarding this article and video, please contact Sussex Police. Please follow the link below to find out more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpgqEyRGggA
Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Campaign - IWF
In 2022, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) recorded 199,363 cases of self-generated explicit images. This was a 6% rise from 2021. It is likely that this will increase, as a proliferation in social media apps and websites, alongside the increasing sophistication in telephonic cameras is making underage individuals more vulnerable than ever to deception and grooming. The foundation has unveiled a campaign backed by the UK government and tech partners such as Microsoft, TikTok and Snapchat aims to raise awareness about the dangers of self-generated imagery. To find out more please follow the link below: