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Posted on: September 15th 2023

Headteacher Update 15.09.23

Alaric govan sml pic

 

Week 3: ‘I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.’- Michael Jordan

One of my favourite documentaries is ‘The Last Dance’, which focuses on the successful Chicago Bulls’ basketball team of the 1990s. I think I've watched it four times. In assemblies this week, I've seen the Heads of Year all use inspirational quotes to motivate their year groups. Mr Sleep, Head of Year 10, used a different Michael Jordan quote this week about how many shots he missed (over 900), how many games he lost (almost 300) and how many game-winning shots he missed (26). It’s not about failing; it’s about how we respond to these disappointments. It's a key message that all of us in schools need to heed.

We are making a big push on attendance this year. In all of the assemblies this week, Heads of Year have stressed the importance of being in school as much as possible and of being on time. As a school, we are looking to achieve at least 95% attendance, which is where it was before the pandemic. Since then, attendance has dropped at the school, in the local area, and nationally. Whilst 90% attendance sounds good (if I scored 90% in a test I would be very pleased), it actually means that a student is missing one day a fortnight- almost 20 days in total each year. Over five years, it means that a student has missed half a year of schooling! This is why we are making such a big deal of it.

There is a lot of research that shows students with high attendance do better in their exams and end up earning more money in their careers. I conducted some analysis of the GCSE results and compared them to attendance- almost without exception, students with high attendance did very well; students with low attendance struggled.

In school, Years 7, 12 and 13 all have attendance of 95% or better; the other four year groups have attendance between 90-92%. This does need to improve. Obviously, children (and adults) will be unwell from time to time, but we do encourage students to come in if they are just feeling a little under the weather. Often, people do feel better throughout the day and benefit from being in the classroom.

Please support the school in trying to instil a culture of attending regularly and on being on time. It will benefit your children in the short and long-term.

Last night, the turnout for our Year 11 Parents’ Information Evening was staggering, with the Sports Hall almost full. It was great to see the support from parents and carers, as well as the Year 11s themselves who came back into school after a hard day of learning. In lessons this week, I am again seeing motivated students in a range of lessons. In a Year 9 History lesson today, students worked with a range of historical sources to explore the incident that led to the start of World War 1; in a Year 11 French lesson yesterday, I sat there absorbed as the teacher led a high-level discussion on language and grammar. The willingness of the students to engage with this challenging work was really inspiring. 

Outside of the classroom, we have ninety students who have signed up for the whole-school production Legally Blonde- twenty five of these are helping with technical support so I’m excited already imagining what this production will look like. On Wednesday, Year 11s visited the National Art Gallery in London as part of their Textiles course. Thirty students today, across a range of year groups, took part in an online TKAT summit working to create a charter for acceptable behaviour and to create a supportive environment. All of these events (as well as the many others that take place each day) help to create a closer school community. Hopefully, your child is already taking advantage of the opportunities offered to them. If not, do encourage them to join a club or get involved somehow.

And next week, PE fixtures begin. I’m looking forward to hearing about our successes in a range of different sports, and hopefully being able to watch a few of the home fixtures. 

Have a good weekend everyone!

 

 

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