Thank you to all the Parents/ Carers who came into school last week. We had an excellent Parent Forum meeting on Monday, the Year 10 Achieving Excellence Evening on Wednesday and our Leading Parent Partnership Award verification on Thursday. We know that both the Parents/ Carers and students recognise the significant improvements across all aspects of the school since the last Ofsted in 2022 and it is wonderful to hear your positive feedback.
We are pleased to announce that we were successful in obtaining the Leading Parent Partnership Award. This is a nationally recognised award which demonstrates the importance of all stakeholders (students, Parents/ Carers and staff) working together to ensure students achieve the very best outcomes, make excellent progress, improve their attendance/ punctuality and their behaviour. We will provide detailed feedback from the award verifier once the report has been received, however, in the feedback sessions the verifier made the following comments:
‘There is a relentless approach to change and improvement’
‘The Leadership of the school shows energy and drive’
‘The school has been on an incredible improvement journey and there is a clear shift and culture change’
‘Improvements in communication have been fundamental to this change and Parents/ Carers state that the school has built trust and confidence’
Overall, she stated that she was ‘blown away with the positivity amongst all stakeholders and the relentless drive to all work together to ensure the school moves forward at pace’.
This week we came together as a school community to remember those who lost their lives for our freedom. All students took part in assemblies which were delivered by the History department and observed a 2 minutes silence at 11am. Outside the Skills Centre we invited those students dressed in organisation uniforms to join the Student Leadership Team for a wreath laying ceremony. Matilda and Ethan delivered readings, Patrick played the Last Post and Becky and Raff laid a wreath on behalf of the whole community. Our Key Stage 3 students also produced an amazing Remembrance Art Installation in the style of artist, illustrator and writer @supermundane (also known as Rob Lowe).
On Wednesday some of our students visited Maritime and Transport Careers Programme event. The students were brilliant and had very mature conversations with employers. Thank you to Parents/ Carers for their wonderful feedback – We are so pleased that everyone enjoyed the event.
On Friday we raised money for Children in Need with a variety of different activities taking place in the hall at break and lunchtime. All were well supported and we will shared our fundraising total with you next week.
Next week is WEEK 1
Question of the Week
Please select your answer in the form below, all fields marked * are required and to help prevent SPAM this form is protected by Google reCaptcha v3.
Each week we will ask parents/ carers a question in the Weekly Message – This will either be about a topic we are focussing on or an aspect of our school improvement plan. We would appreciate it if everyone answers it when reading the Weekly Message.
Events w/b 18 November
w/b 18 November – Year 11 exams continue
Future Dates
Monday 25 November – INSED Day – The school is closed to students.
w/b 26 November – Year 10 Review Assessments
w/b 26 November – Year 11 catch up exams
26 November – Year 11 Music ensemble recording day
27 November – Year 10 Coopervision visit (selected students)
Letters
You can find all letters sent home over the week here – https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/letters-to-parents/
The canteen menus can be found here: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/food-and-drink/
Please check your child’s Attendance regularly on Class Charts. A reminder that we also expect Parents/ Carers to look at Class Charts daily so that they can discuss rewards/ behaviour and Homework with their children. If you have any problem accessing Class Charts, please email classcharts@thehambleschool.co.uk
Theme of the Week – Student Leadership
This week students in Years 7-10 will focus on Student Leadership in assembly and the Personal Development sessions during tutor time. At The Hamble School we offer students the opportunity to get involved in many aspects of Student Leadership:
- Prefects
- School Council
- Eco Ambassadors
- Cyber Ambassadors
- Wellbeing Ambassadors
- Anti-Bullying Ambassadors
- House Captains
- Sports Captains.
We recognise that student leadership and student voice is important for the individual child and the school community. Research suggests that students involved in leadership are more likely to take ownership of their own learning and take the initiative in their education. They will also provide peer support, act as mentors and role models for other students and support each other through school. This helps to provide students with important skills such as interpersonal skills, problem-solving, work ethic and teamwork and also helps to create a more positive and inclusive school culture where all stakeholders work together for the benefit of children.
This week in Year 7, 8 and 9 assemblies, Mr Wallace will be launching the Student Leadership Award. This is a new award starting for Key Stage 3 students at The Hamble School which recognises all the wider curriculum activities students get involved in both at school and in the community. There are three stages to the award and over the next few months and years students will have the opportunity to reflect and add to their awards. The aims of the award is for students to show a commitment over a period of time and get involved in new activities.
In tutor time students will be given a booklet which shows all the activities they need to complete to get the award. They will then record the evidence and get this signed off by their tutor. There are three sections to the award:
- Developing myself – This recognises commitment, organisation/ planning, communication and accountability.
- Contributing to my community – This recognises students acting as role models, helping others and understanding my community.
- Working with others – Team work, presentation and reflection.
Once students have achieved the award there will be presented with a certificate, which can be used as part of college and further education applications as well as a custom pin badge to wear on their blazer.
This week in Personal Development time Year 10 will focus on the transferable skills required by further education providers and employers.
There is no one, defined list of transferable work skills. Different employers, work sectors, websites will often have slightly different lists. However, there are a group of key skills that are requested most or all of the time. These include (in no particular order):
- Communication skills: This includes both written and verbal communication. Employers are looking for workers who can communicate to customers, either face to face, on the telephone or via electronic means.
- Team work: Most jobs at some point require their employees to work as part of a team. It is important to be able to either give or act upon instructions and play to your strengths!
- IT skills: Virtually all jobs use some form of IT including social media such as sending emails or writing reports or documents. Some jobs use it more than others.
- Numeracy: Most employers will request and value numeracy skills.
- Time management: Being able to prove that you can manage your time and be punctual is something employers appreciate. The company may be relying on an employer to beat work at a specific time.
- Organisation skills: Being organised and deciding what task is the most important, to do first. You have a whole range of duties to do and you may need to prioritise them by being organised.
- Problem Solving: Being able to think through, analyse a problem and then decide on a solution can be a really important work skill in many jobs.
- Adaptable and flexible: Being able to change from one task to another, depending on what is most important on that day or week.
- Work under pressure: There may be times, for example in a retail shop or in a hospital when things may become really busy. During these times, employees may be working under pressure.
- Showing initiative: To have good ideas and not always having to wait for instructions.
- Resilience: This is about staying positive and not giving up until the job is completed!
Year 10 students have the opportunity to demonstrate all of these by taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. If your son/ daughter would like to get involved in this award, please speak to Mr Bradshaw or contact him via general@thehambleschool.co.uk
Don’t forget to also check out our Careers pages on our website: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/careers/
This Week at the Dinner Table…
- What activities have you been involved in this week at school outside of lessons?
- When have you demonstrated team work?
- When have you demonstrated support for the community?
- Which skills do you think are your strengths?
- Which skills do you think you need to work on?
Target Setting
Over the next few weeks Year 10, 9 and 8 will be using their Progress Reports to set SMART targets and goals. These will be recorded in the Student Planner – Please do have a look and discuss with your child.
Some students will be issued with an Individual Progress Plan (IPP) following the publication of data reports. This is a supportive plan which will involve Parents/ Carers and works with students to ensure they achieve their very best and make excellent progress. If you child has been identified for an IPP your Progress Leader or Assistant Progress Leader will be in touch to arrange a meeting.
CyberFirst Girls
CyberFirst Girls Competition opens on Monday 18 November for 10 days and we are delighted that over 20 Year 8 girls will be taking part. This is a fantastic opportunity for the girls to represent the school in our first year entering the competition. They will also practise key skills including teamwork and problem-solving.
Coping with exam stress
The Year 11 students have been brilliant in their first week of Mock Exams. However, we wanted to share some tips to help with exam stress.
There are lots of techniques to help with exam stress this week we will focus on two:
Square breathing:
How to do square breathing
Square breathing involves four equal parts, making it both easy to remember and simple to practice anywhere to relieve daily stress.
Here’s how it works:
- Begin by slowly exhaling all of your air out.
- Then, gently inhale through your nose to a slow count of 4.
- Hold at the top of the breath for a count of 4.
- Then gently exhale through your mouth for a count of 4.
- At the bottom of the breath, pause and hold for the count of 4.
Mindful colouring:
Mindful colouring provides numerous benefits for people of all ages and can be a very effective way of coping with stress. Along with providing a much-needed break and the chance to relax and refocus, it can help lift your mood, decrease anxiety and stress.
Above all remember not to stress about exams. Focus on what you can do. You might feel like other people are smashing it, revising more than you, or just not stressing out as much. But we’re all different and that’s okay. Remember, your friends are coping with exam stress too. They might be just as on edge as you.
Please ask any member of staff for help, we are all here for you.
Travelling to and from school safely
As the clocks go back and the nights draw in, it is important for students to know how to travel to/ from school safely in the dark.
We know as student leave school they are keen to use their mobile phones, whether they are talking to friends or listening to music, they can be distracted. As a result, they are less aware of dangers in their surroundings such as other people or traffic. The dark conditions increase the risk of danger. If your child wears headphones, encourage them to opt for the ear bud types and ideally only use one side to they are still aware of their surroundings.
If your child walks to or from school on their own, encourage them to take the safest and best-lit routes and to avoid dark shortcuts. Please ensure they are aware of basic road sense such as using crossings and ensuring they walk on the road facing the oncoming traffic. The Highway Code states that “If there is no pavement, keep to the right-hand side of the road so that you can see oncoming traffic. Electric cars are quiet, so you may not hear them coming”.
It is essential for cyclists or scooter users to stay visible when riding at night. Please ensure they have lights and reflective clothing
Anti-Bullying Ambassadors
The Anti-Bullying Ambassadors are a group of hard-working students that are committed to supporting other students to feel safe in school. They volunteer in their own time to help run a weekly drop-in clinic at the Student Hub on Wednesday lunch times and students can go and talk to the ambassadors if they have any questions.
The annual Anti-Bullying Week (11 to 15 November) provided an opportunity for the ambassadors to further raise awareness of issues facing young people and share their ideas on how to tackle these concerns. They presented an assembly to every year group, and produced the resources to use in the corresponding tutor personal development sessions. This year’s theme was respect. The ambassadors had a wealth of ideas, and planned a range of activities including quizzes and interactive activities to help convey the important message of practising and promoting respect.
In January the Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador Training Programme is being hosted by The Hamble School, and the ambassadors will be attending to be trained in supporting students and providing preventative solutions. We are so proud of the hard work the ambassadors do, as well as the leadership and outstanding commitment these students show. They are a credit to the school community.
Student Wellbeing Ambassadors
The NHS Mental Health Support Team (MHST) in school have recently trained 15 of our Year 10 students who are now our Student Wellbeing Ambassadors. The ambassadors play an important role in our wider wellbeing and mental health support plan.
The programme aims to create peer support at school so that other young people can share their difficulties and help each other. The ambassadors will be a link person between students and school staff and will listen their peers and sharing concerns with school staff. The ambassadors will also be able to signpost students to services or offer resources.
This is a great opportunity for our ambassadors to highlight their caring and supportive nature and will also provide invaluable support to the wider school community.
Our Student Wellbeing Ambassadors can be found in the Student Hub every Friday lunchtime. They will also be supporting Breakfast Club each morning before school.
Rewards
The students listed below achieved the most reward points this week – Well done to you!
- Year 7 – Jake S 7-4
- Year 8 –Toby C 8-7
- Year 9 – Eva P 9-9
- Year 10 – Oliver F10-2
- Year 11 – Matilda D 11-2
Support
If you or your child would like support with wellbeing, please check out the links of our website: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/student-wellbeing-support/
