It has been an excellent week and we have enjoyed welcoming students back into lessons. They have been very focussed and engaged in learning. We are looking forward to seeing Parents/ Carers in school over the next few weeks for Curriculum Evenings. Details of these are outlined below.
Next week is WEEK 2
Question of the Week
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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 9 September
Monday 9 September – Year 7 Curriculum Evening – 5:30pm in the Main Hall. Please sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/i4epDgXHBG
Tuesday 10 September – Year 11 Curriculum Evening – 5:30pm in the Main Hall. Please sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/WMj0XT4J6s
Wednesday 11 September – Berlin Visit Information Evening – 5:30pm in the Main Hall.
Future Dates
Monday 16 September – Year 9 Curriculum Evening – 5:30pm in the Main Hall.
Tuesday 17 September – Year 10 Curriculum Evening – 5:30pm in the Main Hall.
Thursday 19 September – Open Evening – The school will close to students at 1pm to prepare for the evening.
Monday 23 September – Year 8 Curriculum Evening – 5:30pm in the Main Hall.
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
Theme of the Week – New Beginnings
Next week students will be listening to assemblies delivered by Miss Cambridge (Headteacher) reflecting on the Summer holiday, the start of a new academic year and the opportunity it brings to set resolutions and targets for the year. Miss Cambridge will also discuss the school motto ‘Achieving Excellence Together’ and what this means for students within the school.
Excellence takes many forms in school, both within the academic curriculum as well as wider opportunities. A new year is a chance for students to set an excellent first impression, consider what targets they want to set for the year and how to achieve them, it also enables students to push themselves to get involved in other aspects of school life such as student leadership and extra-curricular clubs.
In the tutor time personal development programme, students will be setting their targets for the year as well as exploring how this academic year will be different from last and how they can achieve excellence within everything they do.
This Week at the Dinner Table…
- What was your biggest achievement last year? How were you able to make that happen?
- What targets are you going to set yourself this year?
- Are there any subjects you want to particularly focus upon?
- Are there any new clubs in school that you want to try?
- Which student leadership roles are you planning to apply for?
Attendance
At The Hamble School, we believe that every child gets one chance to get the best education. If they are not in school, they are not learning. Every day counts. Regular attendance is essential in order for a child’s education to be successful. It is the responsibility of Parents/ Carers to ensure that their child attends school. We thank those Parents/ Carers that ensured that last year their child’s attendance was above 95%. Absence from school should only occur in the extreme of circumstances and holidays taken in term time will not be authorised.
Attendance below 95% can adversely impact the academic progress of your child and limit their social development as they have reduced access to activities that promote this. There is a direct correlation between excellent attendance and student outcomes. Evidence shows that those students with attendance above 95% make significantly positive progress. In addition, if your child is frequently absent he/she will not be able to take full advantage of the many activities and opportunities that are on offer at The Hamble School to help them grow into well-rounded young adults.
A polite reminder that Government guidelines state that the authorising of any absence from school is at the discretion of the individual setting and not an automatic right.
There remain a lot of absences for common coughs and colds. Please treat with some paracetamol/Calpol prior to the school day. A top-up can always be provided during the day by the School Matron, then if your child becomes worse after this, contact can be made with yourselves.
For long term or repeated illness, it may be necessary for us to request medical evidence advising that the student is unfit to attend. This is a key part of our safeguarding duties. Please note that the Education Act 1996 places the responsibility on Parents/ Carers to provide medical evidence when requested by the school. There is an ‘Information Sharing Consent Form’ available from GP practice where a parent can give consent for the GP to share information about their child.
Please see the following link for guidance from the NHS on when to keep students home unwell: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
As a school, we have a policy that when a student’s attendance is low, no reason is given for absence, or we are repeatedly told they are unwell without medical evidence, we will seek further clarification of these reasons. We may carry out home visits to do this. These could be conducted at any stage of an absence to help support a student coming back into school. Home visits may be arranged in advance or unannounced.
If you would like to discuss your child’s attendance in more detail please contact their tutor, Progress Leader or Mrs T Whittaker (Attendance & Family Support Manager) via general@thehambleschool.co.uk
Our Student Wellbeing page provides an extensive list of resources that may be useful in supporting you with some of the barriers to good attendance – please view this here
For additional guidance on general school attendance management, please visit the Hampshire County Council website here
Home-School Agreement
Each year, students at The Hamble School get a brand-new planner given to them by the school. Students will fill in their timetable in the back of the planner, however at the front, on pages 15 and 16, you will find the Home-School Agreement. The Home-School Agreement is an important starting point for the academic year as it demonstrates that all stakeholders (students, Parents/ Carers and the school) are working together for the same aim – to support students to achieve excellence. The Home-School Agreement is a set of statements indicating how students, Parents/ Carers and the school will support each other to ensure that students achieve the best possible outcomes. Please ensure that you and your child have signed pages 15 and 16 by Tuesday 10 September.
Year 11 Work Experience
Year 11 have the opportunity to participate in Work Experience from Wednesday 23 October to Friday 25 October. If your child still wants to take part they still have time to apply for their placements.
The deadline for selecting placements is Monday 23 September. This is to allow enough time for EBP to make all of the necessary checks required before the placements start.
Once the placements have been confirmed students will receive a letter of confirmation via their tutors, it will have the details of the employee for them to contact to arrange an interview. They will also be able to collect information on things like what time they will expected to arrive on their first day and what they will need to wear.
If students are arranging their own placements they need to ensure they have brought their forms back to school by Monday 23 September for processing. These need to be given to Mrs Turner. If you have any questions about Work Experience, please email general@thehambleschool.co.uk
Access Arrangements 2024-2025
The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) have released this year’s update to the access arrangements process and there are a lot of changes to the current system. This includes changes to access arrangement testing and how these tests are administered and recorded. The students affected by these changes are Year 10 and 11, as students are tested for a Form 8 at the end of Year 10 or start of Year 11. This testing is to ensure that their access arrangements can be transferred to Year 12 and their next educational establishment. The main changes are:
- More medical/ specialist evidence is required for a Form 9
- There have been more conditions added to Form 9 criteria under Communication and Interaction needs
- Private specialist reports can now be accepted for Form 9
- Rest breaks must now be stated as specific times (no greater than 30 minutes)
- Additional rules on alternative rooming
If you believe that you child may require access arrangements in their final examinations but they have not been entered for testing please email inclusion@thehambleschool.co.uk
In addition, there has been changes to the rules regarding moving access arrangements from school to college. These include:
- A Form 8 can be ‘rolled over’ to another school/ college BUT must include current evidence of need in class at the new level of education
- Form 8’s can be requested by the other school/ college directly to the SENDCo and cannot be distributed to individuals as a Form 8RF must accompany
- A Form 9 must be generated by the new setting, referencing existing medical evidence
- Evidence for all and any roll over access arrangements MUST meet this year’s evidence requirements. They cannot be rolled over if the rules have changed and original evidence is no longer sufficient.
If you have any questions or queries regarding any of the new rules, please contact us at inclusion@thehambleschool.co.uk
Further Education Information
Our Careers page of our website has been updated on our website here: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/careers/ This includes all college open events. We have received specific information about sign up for Richard Taunton below:
Richard Taunton Sixth Form College
Thursday 19 September 6pm – 8.00pm. Students and Parents/ Carers can book in advance via our website or this link: https://bit.ly/4ebhB1y
This is a great opportunity for students to take a look around the college, find out more about the courses we offer and to meet staff and students.
Berlin Visit 2024: 10 October – 12 October
The Parent/ Carer and student information evening from this trip will take place on Wednesday 11 September 5:30pm – 6:30pm in the Main Hall.
During this information evening we will be discussing the itinerary for our stay, our accommodation and providing details regarding coach travel and flight information.
Please could you bring your child’s passport with you to the information evening so we can check we have the correct information in preparation for this exciting trip.
We will also be asking you to double check the medical information we have for your child is accurate and up-to-date.
Smart Watches
Please be aware that if your child is wearing a smart watch to school it is expected to be on the mute setting and should only be used for telling the time. If a member of staff suspects that it is being used for any other purpose it will be confiscated in-line with our mobile phone policy
Double Lessons
Students have been enjoying extended lessons for selected subjects, doubling the traditional class time. This is a strategy we have implemented for GCSE. With extended time, teachers and students can delve deeper into complex topics leading to a better understanding and retention of material, enabling a more comprehensive coverage of topics. The new double lesson time will also allow more time for ‘Walking Talking Mocks’ and increase concentration and writing stamina. This week we have been collecting feedback from students and the comments have been overwhelmingly positive:
“I really like double lessons, in art we had more time to work on our project” (Yr 11)
“We have more learning time in double lessons” (Yr 10)
“I have found the lessons really useful to have with exam practice” (Yr 11)
Extra-Curricular Clubs
Our Extra-Curricular Clubs begin on Monday. Please refer to our programme on the website: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/extra-curricular-activities/
Year 11 Intervention
Year 11 have been sent personalised intervention timetables this afternoon. If you have not received one, please check your ‘junk’ email box. If you would like use to send this again, please email general@thehambleschool.co.uk
Please note that Year 11 intervention starts on Tuesday 10 September.
Celebrating Achievements
The students listed below achieved the most reward points this week – Well done to you!
- Year 7 – Luke N 7-6
- Year 8 – George K 8-9
- Year 9 – William W 9-8
- Year 10 – Bradley B 10-7
- Year 11 – Eleanor M 11-6
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/
We have recently added information about a number of free parent/ carer courses or events to this section of our website.
