20th July 2023

Year 9 to 10 Moving Up

Moving up letter – Year 9 to Year 10

Dear Parent/Carer, 

Year 9 have now chosen their options and an exciting two years lay ahead for them.

Our expectations remain high and as such, I wanted to write to you to outline what students can expect when they are in Year 10. As students transition into their GCSE studies it will be a challenging but enjoyable period of their education.  As they have selected their options and are able to follow a pathway more suited to what they enjoy and can see a career in we expect that their commitment to their studies both in a out of school should increase.  Whilst the goal of years 10 and 11 is for students to achieve the higher grades they can so that they have the best choices for post 16, we will also commit to helping students to develop their resilience, grit, determination and ability to be independent learners as coursework demands and additional preparation for assessments can make a huge difference in a student’s grade at the end. Year 10 is a step up and we will do everything we can to support and inspire your child to make that step.  If you have questions or issues about your child and their education in Year 10 please contact me so we are all ready for their next steps.

Of course, we maintain the same standards for uniform moving in to Year 10. A reminder of the uniform policy is contained below. Can I ask that you pay particular attention to the information related to piercings, jewellery and trainers. 

The health and safety of your child is our priority in Physical Education (PE). To ensure that all children can safely participate in physical activity and sport, nose piercings of any type are prohibited. As their parent/ guardian or carer if you decide to allow your child to have a nose piercing the healing time is 6 weeks. Therefore, your child will not be able to participate in their Core PE lesson for the during of this time whilst the stud is unable to be removed.  

Consequently, your child will be placed in isolation for the duration of their PE lesson and will also receive a 1-hour head of school detention each week for 6 weeks.   Following the healing period, if your child refuses to remove the piercing for their PE lesson, they will be placed in isolation for the duration of their PE lesson and in addition, will also receive a 2 hour after school detention that week. These sanctions will continue until the nose piercing is removed.  

Students can only wear one single pair of studs in their ears.  

Students should not wear trainers to school. I know that it can be tricky to buy school shoes sometimes as shops do sell shoes which claim to be school shoes, but are actually trainers. For ease to ensure the policy is followed, we do not allow any sport brand shoes (even if the shop does classify them as school shoes).  

As has been the case previously, we expect all students to bring a pen, pencil and ruler to school and will continue running our equipment shop each morning for those who forget. We would now like to make sure that all students bring a pencil case to school each day, as well as a bag which is large enough to fit an A4 folder inside.   

Dates for your diary:

Final day of term – Friday 21st July 2023

First day back – Tuesday 5th September 8.40am

Parents evening – Thursday 25th January 2024

I wish you a happy, healthy summer and look forward to welcoming your child back in September 2023. 

Yours sincerely

Mr Kirkby

Head of Year