MARCH 2004
HEADTEACHER'S INTRODUCTION
The latest of our newsletters has a very important addition. We have
received the Ofsted report, following their visit in early February.
As required by law, I am circulating the summary of that report to the
parents/carers of students at Priesthorpe School.
A full copy of the report is available but as it runs to 57 pages I
hope the summary will suffice.
Parents will note the word 'satisfactory' appears a number
of times. Satisfactory in Ofsted terms means 'sound, typical and acceptable'.
It really means at the national norm. There is much that is positive
to celebrate and the areas which need addressing will be tackled in
our next development plans after Easter. Could I thank those parents
who returned the parental questionnaire prior to the inspection. That
summary is attached to the report. Your support, which is clearly shown
in your returns, is
much appreciated.
I have been invited to London to celebrate our achievements at GCSE. The Specialist Schools Trust, to which all schools with a specialisation are affiliated, have a special award ceremony for schools who have made rapid progress. To 'qualify' you have to have improved by 10% over a 3-year period. In 2000 36% of our cohort achieved 5 or more A* to C grades; in 2003 49% gained that mark; a 13% rise.
A reminder note about access to our site: We are still a building site and access from the Ring Road is very difficult. Parents can drop their children off and collect them from the Rockwoods. It is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that we respect the neighbours and ensure that we do not inconvenience them. We must use a one-way system.
WOULD
PARENTS WHO COLLECT CHILDREN FROM THE ROCKWOODS PLEASE CONSIDER OUR
NEIGHBOURS. WE MUST NOT BLOCK DRIVES AND WE MUST ALLOW EMERGENCY SERVICES
ACCESS TO THE AREA. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT THIS MESSAGE IS TAKEN ON BOARD,
EVEN IF IT MEANS THAT YOU PARK FURTHER AWAY FROM SCHOOL. A ONE-WAY SYSTEM
IS ESSENTIAL. PLEASE APPROACH THE SCHOOL FROM THE LEFT AND GO AROUND
THE CUL-DE-SAC TO LEAVE.
I will be asking senior staff to ensure that this is enforced.
Are there any parents who could help invigilate our exams? We are looking
for parents who may be free during the school day to help with the massive
programme of exam supervision which starts in late May. We would pay
£7.90 per hour for those who could support the teachers in this
important process. If you wish to apply, please drop a line to Mrs Hardaker,
our Examinations Secretary.
Could I remind parents that Friday 2nd April is a no-school-uniform day and that we return after Easter on Monday 19th April.
I hope you enjoy our latest newsletter and, as always, please get in touch if there are matters you want to raise with the school. Have a splendid Easter!
Clive Pickles
Headteacher
MATHS
Maths Fun Week will take place on the last week of next half term, 24th
- 28th May. There will be lots of mathematical activities happening
in different subjects. Countdown competitions, Maths trails, puzzles,
booklets, video clips and quizzes are just some of the events you can
expect.
We entered 10 Year 10 students for the National Maths Challenge. 2 students gained a Bronze Certificate.
We took 27 year 11 students on an Aim Higher Conference at Headingley Stadium. This was to improve their chances of getting a C at GCSE. It was an enjoyable and hopefully successful day!
We have recently appointed a new Maths teacher who will start teaching here in September. Miss O'Regan will be responsible for Numeracy here at Priesthorpe.
FROM BOLLYWOOD TO PRIESTHORPE
Culture Club began again just after Christmas and has been very popular.
After an impromptu showing of songs from the movie 'Mohabbatein' during
one lunchtime, there has been a growing demand for something similar.
Well, it's here!
During the next term there will be some Bollywood movie shows taking
place over a few lunchtimes. There will be a large screen complete with
subtitles in English for all to enjoy. Watch out for movies like 'Andaaz'
and 'Kal Ho Na Ho'. Times and dates will appear in the Daily Bulletin.
See Mr Saimbhi if you can't wait and maybe even suggest some other movies
to him!
FIT TYPES
Mr Hardaker and Mr Byrne are both running in the London Marathon; Mr
Hardaker for St Gemma's Hospice, Leeds and Mr Byrne for the British
Heart Foundation. Any sponsorship would be gratefully received!
ICT
All year 9 are taking a short course in GCSE ICT. A written examination
is being taken on Wednesday 19th May at 9.00am, completed in years 10
and 11 by work for their portfolios.
WORLD MIND GAMES
Pupils from Priesthorpe are competing in the qualifying rounds of the
World Mind Olympics. A series of quizzes and intelligence tests are
being taken by volunteer pupils from Priesthorpe and other schools.
The top 500 in the country go on to the finals held in Manchester in
July.
GEOGRAPHY
KS3
Year 7 are currently preparing to stand in front of the cameras for
their TV weather forecasts. As part of their work on local industry,
Year 8 classes have been out to visit the site of Green Flag Business
Park while Year 9 have been planning their ideal European holiday -
they have produced some super work!
GCSE
Year 10 are completing the first part of their coursework on tropical
rain forests and should be looking forward to their residential field
trip to the North York Moors at the start of Year 11. Year 11 geographers
- remember to use the GCSE revision session - every Friday after school
in Room 22.
POST 16
Year 12 students have just returned from a 2-day fieldwork visit to
North Yorkshire. As well as getting a little bit wet they have collected
some super data and are now busy producing their environmental investigations.
BUSINESS
'Cloud 9 Products' - our Young Enterprise Company - took part in the
White Rose Trade Fair in March. They have been selling gifts for Easter
and Mothers Day.
'Fuzion' have also been successful in the setting up of a school shop selling basic school equipment as well as other items, all at competitive prices, so there are no more excuses for coming to lessons without a pen or pencil - just visit the shop at break times!
HSBC are hoping to open a school bank after Easter, with Year 10 Business students and Mr Gibbons as clerks. Interviews for these important positions take place shortly. Once staff have been trained the bank will be open one day a week. So why not open an account and start saving for that important occasion? For every account opened HSBC will donate £1 to the school. So get saving!
Disney Trip
Year 12 Business students went from 8-10th February; it was very enjoyable.
They learnt a lot about how the park is run and in particular the marketing
strategies employed by the company.
Year 10
Year 10 Business have completed a Unit Award on Human Resources in conjunction
with Green Flag. They have completed an assessment task, recommending
the best way for Green Flag to recruit its staff and also been involved
in a Trade Union activity, involving a lot of heated discussions.
Year 10/11 Managing Director Enterprise Award
Easter prizes will be awarded to those lucky people whose names are
drawn from the hat before Easter.
At the end of the year the top 6 will be interviewed by HSBC and the
best MD will be awarded the Business Enterprise Award trophy.