20th October 2023

Weekly Letter 16.10.23

WC: 16/10/2023

Dear Parent/Carer,

This week at NUSA:

Our assemblies focused on our ‘House system’. Historically, our house system has really focused on sports events, however we wanted to roll it out across the school to develop a culture where everybody is committed to their house and want to be champions.

I apologise profusely for any issues caused by us having to close to Y7-9 today. We would only normally close as an absolute last resort, but unfortunately, due to the storm, areas of the school flooded meaning we had to section off large chunks of the school to ensure it was safe. We will be open as normal on Monday and will be having works completed to ensure that if we receive heavy rain like this, this doesn’t happen again.

We want to launch a new plan with Y11 to ensure that in their final days and weeks at NUSA, they are receiving as much support as possible. I will be writing to Y11 parents separately on Monday with details of this plan once it has been shared with students during an extra assembly on Monday morning.

We held out Sixth Form Open Evening last night and it was great to see so many parents/carer’s in attendance. We offer a wide variety of courses and I would encourage you to get in touch with Miss Strawson if you would like to enquire about a place in our wonderful Sixth Form – lstrawson@nusa.org.uk

Half term food vouchers:

Free School Meal Vouchers October Half term

Nottingham City are sending to us a voucher of £15 for each student, that is currently eligible for free school meals. This will cover October half term.

For all of those that received free school meal vouchers for the Summer 2023, you will receive another voucher for Huggg, to cover the break and will be sent to the same email address, you do not need to do anything else, relax. Completing the form again where you have received vouchers during Summer 2023, will cause a delay in receiving vouchers, as it impacts the vouchers being processed. So please refrain from doing this.

 

For those that are eligible, that did not receive vouchers, have had additional children join our school since the last vouchers were sent, or that have questions, please read the below.

 

Q&A

My child is not entitled to free school meals – should I complete the form anyway

No – the data is checked against that received from the local authority and your response will be deleted and reported.

I received vouchers for Summer 2023, from NUSA – should I still complete the form?

No, please do not apply again where you received vouchers for Summer 2023, you will automatically receive them for October 2023. Reapplying will cause a delay in receiving your voucher(s). Rest assured, where you received them for October, you will be included automatically for October. Unless you have a child now at NUSA, that has joined year 7 for example. In this scenario you should complete the form, but just for the child you need to add.

My child is eligible for Free School Meals, but I did not receive them from NUSA over Summer 2023, how do I receive them for October 2023?

Please click here and complete the form. Ensure you input all of your information carefully.

 

If I need to complete the form, when must I do this by?

Midnight on Monday 23rd October 2023

 

What is the value of the vouchers?

£15 per week, per eligible child.

 

I did not receive a voucher previously; can I receive my other vouchers now?

No, vouchers that were available for previous holidays have now expired. We only have vouchers relating to the upcoming break.

 

When will I receive the vouchers?

Vouchers will be issued before 4pm on Thursday 26th October 2023.

 

Consultation on NUSA Admissions Arrangements from September 2025:

We have made some proposed amendments to our admissions arrangements and you can view a copy of them by clicking here. If you have any comments on our proposed arrangements, please kindly complete the form available here. You are able to read and make comments on the proposal until Friday 1st December 2023.

Attendance:

I understand that most of Nottingham have a two-week holiday from today. However, we don’t and can’t wait to welcome your children next week.

For every week missed of school, students in KS3 lose out on:

250 minutes of English

200 minutes of Maths

200 minutes of Science

100 minutes of PE

100 minutes of Spanish

100 minutes of DT

100 minutes of History

100 minutes of Geography

50 minutes of Art

50 minutes of RE

50 minutes of PSHE

Plus, social time with their friends.

 

Revision guides:

If your child is currently studying for GCSE exams (year 10 or 11) and would like to purchase revision guides at a reduced cost, they can do so by completing the order form and taking it, along with the correct amount of money to Vera in A119. Order forms can be collected from tutors, Mrs Huskisson-Moore or Vera. Revision guides are available for a range of subjects including maths, English, Science, drama, Spanish, sport, history, geography, psychology and catering and are an invaluable tool to support students maximising their progress.  

Uniform reminder:

Girls should not be coming to school with long fake nails. They prevent them from being able to participate in PE and DT and this is not acceptable. Please ensure all long nails are removed.

SEND Drop ins:

We offer a number of ‘SEND drop ins’ throughout the year for parents/carers. These are open to any parent/carer who may want to discuss their child’s SEND needs further or parents/carers who have concerns that their children may have SEND needs that are yet to be diagnosed. If you wish to book an appointment in one of the slots below, please contact reception.

Wednesday SEND Drop in dates:

25/10/2023

08/11/2023

29/11/2023

Coming up at NUSA:

27/10/2023 - Final day of term. 3pm finish.

 

Safeguarding Corner:

This week, safeguarding corner provides you with information about the HAF offer from Nottingham City in October half term.