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Monday 2nd November | Head of School Letter

Welcome back; I hope you had an enjoyable and restful half-term. Following a busy September and October, that momentum continues into an equally dynamic second half of the Autumn term. Ahead of us lie the Year 13 mock examinations, our Sixth Form Open Evening, Science trips across several year groups, our annual Celebration of Achievement Evening, Parents' Evenings, and our eagerly anticipated school production of Oliver!, leading into December’s festive celebrations. 

I would also like to send our warmest wishes to our Hindu and Sikh families celebrating Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas next weekend. May this festival of lights bring peace, warmth, and prosperity to your homes. Have a wonderful celebration!

Sparx Parent Challenge of the Week: Check the Screen!

Our challenge to parents and carers this week is simple: ask your young person to log on and show you their Sparx Maths and Sparx Science work on screen. Our students continue to undertake substantial independent study time, logging 453 hours of Maths and 267 hours of Science the week before half-term (19th–25th October) to bring our yearly totals to an impressive 3435 and 2189 hours respectively. However, we are keen to see our overall completion rates improve. Across that week, Maths reached a 55% completion rate (583 of 1055 students, with 151 not starting before the deadline), while Science reached 65% (679 of 1051 students, with 191 unstarted). Taking two minutes to sit alongside your child, check their Sparx dashboard, and talk to them about their progress makes a massive difference in building positive study habits - thank you for your support in helping to get those completion rates rising!

Sparx

Sparx Science Update

Year 10 and Year 11 both improved their completion rates. Year 7: 79% | Year 8: 78% | Year 9: 68% | Year 10: 68% | Year 11: 42%

Top Classes:

  1. 8w/Sc1 (94%)
  2. 10WA/Bi (90%)
  3. 8y/Sc1 (89%)
  4. 9wx/Sc1 (87%)
  5. 7w/Sc4 & 7y/Sc4 (85%)

Top Students (XP): 1. Rose (10420), 2. Gracie (3181), 3. Daisy (2556)

Supporting Careers & Future Pathways Conversations at Home

Whether your child is in Key Stage 3 exploring their options, preparing for post-16 pathways (A-Levels, T-Levels, Vocational Courses, Apprenticeships, or Supported Internships), or considering post-18 destinations, we want to ensure you have the best possible resources to guide them.

Parent & Carer Survey Your feedback helps us tailor our support and equip you for these important conversations at home.

FSQ

Student Action: Future Skills Questionnaire (FSQ)

We are also asking all students to complete the Future Skills Questionnaire (FSQ).

  • What is it? A quick 15-minute survey measuring students' career knowledge and essential workplace skills.
  • Why it matters: Results allow us to identify students who need extra guidance, refine our school careers programme, and encourage students to reflect on their personal goals.
  • Action Required: The questionnaire link has been emailed directly to your child's school email address (sender: donotreplyfsq@careersandenterprise.co.uk). Please encourage your child to check their inbox and complete it this week.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our young people’s aspirations and future success!

Buckinghamshire Council: Education Places Sufficiency Strategy 2027–2032.

Buckinghamshire Council is currently inviting feedback from parents, carers, and young people on its draft Education Places Sufficiency Strategy 2027–2032, which outlines how the local authority plans to ensure that education, childcare, post-16 provision, and SEND capacity keep pace with county growth and provide the right school places at the right time over the next five years. Given how vital future school and post-16 capacity is for our community, we strongly encourage our families to review the draft plans and share their views. Draft documents and a short online survey are accessible here: Education places sufficiency strategy, or you can submit feedback via email: educationconsultation@buckinghamshire.gov.uk before 11:59pm on Sunday 13th December.

Safeguarding Newsletter

The October 2026 Safeguarding Newsletter is now available to read online. This month’s issue contains information and resources to help keep our students safe both at home and online. Highlights include:

  • Talking Teens Parenting Course: Details on a new, highly recommended course designed to help parents navigate the challenges of raising teenagers.
  • WhatsApp Parental Controls: Practical advice and step-by-step guidance on setting up appropriate boundaries and privacy settings on the app.
  • Online Harm Investigation: Key takeaways and discussion points following a recent Sky News investigation into the risks young people face online.

Safeguarding Newsletter

Sports Round-Up

It was a fantastic week of competitive fixtures across football and netball, featuring standout individual performances and great team spirit. 

  • Year 8A Boys Football (National Cup): The Year 8A team secured a thrilling 5–3 victory against Guilsborough (Northants) to advance in the National Cup. Standout performances from Leo and Callum for exceptional work on the pitch.
  • Year 8B Boys Football: The Year 8B squad delivered a commanding performance in their friendly against John Colet, clinical in front of goal to finish with an impressive 10–1 win. Standout players were Reggie and Jack.
  • Year 7 A & B Netball: Both Year 7 squads took to the court for their first official matches as a team against John Colet. While both sides fell short on the final scoreline, the girls showed fantastic determination, teamwork, and resilience throughout. Congratulations to Freya and Connie, Players of the Match!
  • U16 Girls Football: The U16 girls put in a confident display against Denbigh, with a well-deserved 3–1 win with goals from Amaya, Hattie, and Olivia. Player of the Match honours went to Georgia and Olivia for their outstanding contributions.

INSET Date

A reminder that Friday 27th November is an INSET day. No students are expected to attend school; transport will not be running on this day. 

INSET

Events this week

Mr Henry will be taking the assemblies this week.

GCSE Maths Resit exams

We wish the very best of luck to our Year 12 students taking their GCSE Maths resits this week. With many universities now requiring a minimum of a Grade 5, regardless of the degree course applied for, those who achieved a Grade 4 in the summer have been working remarkably hard this term to make that step up. We are proud of their commitment and wish them every success! 

Monday 2nd November

  • Year 7 Assembly
  • Year 9 Netball Tournament (Away at AHS)

Tuesday 3rd November

  • Year 8 Assembly
  • Sixth Form Assembly
  • Year 8 Netball Tournament (Away at AHS)

Wednesday 4th November

  • Year 9 Assembly
  • U18 Football vs Royal Latin (TCS)
  • U13 Rugby vs Royal Latin (TCS)
  • Futures Information Evening 6pm-8pm (Hall)

Thursday 5th November

  • Year 10 Assembly
  • Year 11 Mock Results Day: Period 2 
  • Year 9 Rugby vs Buckingham (Away)
  • Year 7 Basketball vs Sir Thomas Fremantle (Away)
  • Year 12 Parents' Evening: 4 – 7pm (Virtual)

Friday 6th November

  • Year 11 Assembly
  • Quadcopter Regional Final (Years 8 & 9): All day (TCS)

Have a super week, and thank you for your ongoing support.

Best wishes, 

Louise Baldwin

Head of School

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