Monday 17th November | Head of School Letter
I am delighted to share some outstanding news this week!
Celebrating the incredible achievements of our junior swimmers at the ESSA 67th Secondary Schools' Team Championships 2025-26, held on Saturday, November 15th, at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham. Having qualified from the regional finals, both of our junior teams, all either in Year 7 or Year 8, swam brilliantly, improving on their regional times whilst competing at the national level. The Mixed 200m Freestyle team (Cameron, Eleanor, Luke, and Lottie) performed exceptionally to become the sixth-fastest team in the country, and our Mixed 200m Medley team (Cameron, Luke, Lottie, and Sophie) also had a superb swim, earning the title of the eighth-fastest team in the country; incredible achievements for both teams. Huge thanks goes out to Mr. Curtis for accompanying the team (and for supporting them and our senior teams at the regional finals), and to Lottie’s mum, Hannah, for providing wonderful poolside support throughout the day on Saturday. We are immensely proud of all our swimmers, and we really appreciate the support all our parents provide to enable their young people to participate in opportunities and events like this one. What an experience for our youngest athletes, who clearly have many successful years of competition ahead! They will all be awarded Gold Thumbs Up for their success.
Triumph in the Regional Quadcopter Challenge!
We were delighted to host the Regional Final of the highly competitive RTX Quadcopter Challenge 2025 at TCS on 7th November. A number of our teams, including two fantastic all-girl teams, participated in the finals. We are thrilled to announce that one of our all-girl teams, ‘Saving Wings’ has been crowned Regional Champions! Team members Penny, Ava, Phoebe, Erin, and Emily stood out thanks to their brilliantly devised concept and exceptional presentation. Their drone is designed to help their local heroes, the wildlife charity Tiggywinkles. The team even visited Tiggywinkles during half term to consult with them directly on how a drone could best support their rescue work! This incredible achievement means that the winning team has made it through to the National Finals, on Tuesday 25th November, at the prestigious Honourable Artillery Company headquarters in London. This is a phenomenal opportunity for our students to showcase their innovation and engineering skills against the best in the country. We wish the team the very best of luck as they prepare for the competition! Thank you to Mr Clawson for supporting all the TCS teams in the competition. I look forward to sharing news of the national final in a couple weeks.
Winter Coats
There was incredibly heavy and persistent rain on Friday, and despite opening up extra indoor spaces so students didn't have to venture outside during break and lunch, a number of children were soaked simply moving between buildings during lesson transitions because they didn’t have a coat to wear. The school site is spread out, meaning students move frequently between different buildings throughout the day for their lessons. Because we are situated on an exposed hill, it’s also windy and cold in the winter. We completely understand that wearing a coat can be seen as not cool, and getting a young person to take a coat with them in the morning can be a real battle! With the weather getting significantly colder this coming week, we want to ensure that all students are dry, warm, and comfortable so they can focus on their learning. A wet and cold student is a distracted student. Please help us achieve this!
Independent Learning Update
Mrs Hooley, Assistant Headteacher for Teaching and Learning, has been finding out how teachers have found the implementation of the new Independent Learning (IL) policy. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. This school-wide framework has successfully created greater clarity and structure in how Independent Learning is set and managed, ensuring students are clear about the expectations.
Teachers report that the policy is already enabling them to:
- Gain a deeper understanding of student progress and knowledge gaps.
- Provide more targeted feedback to adapt future lessons.
- Reward student effort effectively.
The primary goal of this structured approach is to link IL directly to classroom outcomes, making these tasks more relevant and effective for every secondary student. This is vital as they develop the essential independent study skills required for long-term academic success. Thank you for the part you are playing from home as we continue to embed this important work. Please get in touch if you have any feedback or observations of the framework and the impact on your young person’s progress. You can find detailed information and support here: Independent Learning
Sparx: Celebrating Independent Learning Success
Our students continue to show great effort and commitment to their independent learning via Sparx Maths and Sparx Science.
In Maths:
- Students have now answered a total of 427,482 questions correctly.
- The overall time spent in Sparx sessions now totals 4,901 hours.
Congratulations to the following classes for their top performance this week: 8W/Ma3 achieved the Highest Overall Completion, and 7Y/Ma2 earned the Highest XP.
The best classes for independent learning hand-in across the key stages are:
- Year 7: 7W4 and 7Y2
- Year 8: 8Y1
- Year 9: 9Y1
- Year 10: 10 set 5
- Year 11: 11 set 6
In Science:
While Year 7 is performing well, overall completion rates for Science are slightly lower than we would like, particularly at KS4. Consistent independent learning is essential for embedding scientific knowledge. The top completion rates in each year group are:
- Year 7: 81%
- Year 8: 65%
- Year 9: 63%
- Year 10: 53%
- Year 11: 48%
The top five Science classes with the highest completion rates this week:
- 7Y/Sc1 (97%)
- 7W/Sc1 (91%)
- 7W/Sc2 (91%)
- 8Y/Sc1 (87%)
- 9WX/Sc1 (87%)
We are proud of the effort from all students working on Sparx Maths and Science, but we need your support regarding Science Independent Learning. Consistency is key for long-term success. Please take a moment this week to check in with your young person to ensure their required Science independent learning is fully completed, to support them in aspiring to succeed in their learning.
Assembly - Men's Mental Health Awareness Month
November is dedicated to raising awareness for Men's Mental Health, to emphasise the importance of open conversation and seeking support. This week, Mr. Brokenbrow will be leading assemblies across the school focusing on this theme. These sessions will explore the challenges men and boys face in discussing their mental health, stress the importance of emotional literacy, and highlight the support resources available both within the school and externally. We encourage all students to engage actively with these important assemblies and to remember that there is strength in vulnerability.
Classroom to Careers
Here’s the November edition of the Bucks Skills Hub Classroom to Careers newsletter: Classroom to Careers Nov 25
Sports Report Two Weeks of Incredible Action
What an outstanding fortnight for school sport! The success of our teams across all year groups is a true reflection of our commitment to Prepare, Aspire, Succeed. Our students demonstrated incredible skill, resilience, and sportsmanship, resulting in a stack of fantastic victories and thrilling performances against strong competition.
Week Commencing 3rd November – Drama and Dominance
This week was defined by an unforgettable basketball win and strong showings on the rugby pitch.
Basketball
Our teams delivered two massive victories. The Year 9 team started the week strongly with a friendly against Cedars, securing a convincing 42-24 win. The Year 11 team produced the game of the fortnight against John Colet, winning 44-41! The team fought back brilliantly from a 10-point deficit, tying the game 39-39 with a last-minute buzzer shot before taking the win in extra time. Harry was the well-deserved Player of the Match for his points scored in overtime.
Rugby
It was a high-scoring week against Buckingham. The Year 8 team fought hard for a narrow but exciting 45-40 win, and the Year 7 team delivered another great performance, showing excellent skill in an all-around strong team effort to beat Buckingham 30-10, with Harry named Player of the Match. The Year 9 team faced a close loss, falling 10-15 to Buckingham after a late try decided the match. Unfortunately, the Year 10 fixture against Buckingham was abandoned due to injury.
Netball
Our netball teams secured two excellent victories against AHS: the Year 9B team had a decisive 19-9 win (Player of the Match Emilia), and the Year 10B team won a close, tactical game, finishing 13-11 (Player of the Match Emily).
Football
The U18s Football team continued their winning streak, securing a solid 3-1 win against Waddesdon, with Flynn named Player of the Match.
Week Commencing 10th November - Resilience and Consistency The strong results continued into last week with success across multiple sports.
Netball
Our Year 11 team faced a strong John Colet side, losing 16-9, though Flo put in a superb effort to earn Player of the Match. The Year 8 A team secured a solid 12-9 win (Coaches' Player of the Match Imogen), while the Year 8 B team lost 9-3 (Coaches' Player of the Match Lottie).
Football: The Year 11 CC Football team achieved a dominant performance in the Bucks competition, leading to a convincing 9-3 victory. Our U14 Girls' Football team put in a hard fight against AVA, resulting in a 1-1 draw, Eden was Player of the Match.
Basketball
The Year 8 team delivered a commanding performance against Gilbert Inglefield Academy, securing a massive 30-2 win! Well done Year 8, what a result!
Table Tennis
Our Table Tennis team competed hard in their recent competition. While the overall team results didn't go their way, the team showed great spirit, and everyone seemed to have a tremendous time, with the girls particularly enjoying the competitive atmosphere! A special commendation goes to Harry for playing exceptionally well and being a standout performer on the day. This competitive experience is excellent preparation for future tournaments.
Congratulations to every student who represented the school in one of these teams.
Coming up this week there are football matches, a football tournament for the U13 girls, netball and rugby.
Join our Team!
We’re looking to add to our fantastic team of Assistant Teachers. Please share with friends, family and colleagues in case they know someone that would like to join us! Further information and details on how to apply are here: Join Our Team
All year groups - Our musicians are off to the Bucks Orchestra For All (BOFA) rehearsals in Aylesbury today, with Mrs Pinto
Year 13
The very best wishes and positivity for all Year 13 who are taking their November mock exams this week. You can do it!
Year 11
Year 11 Parents Evening is on Wednesday 19th November.
Year 7 and 8 Utilita Girls Cup is taking place in High Wycombe tomorrow (Tuesday).
Have a good week, whatever you’re doing and thank you as always for your ongoing support for our brilliant school.
Best wishes,
Louise Baldwin
Head of School