Dear Families,
As we approach the final fortnight of this term, I wanted to write to you to update you again on the successes seen across the school so far this year, along with arrangements for the final days of the term.
Earlier this week, I was delighted to see the relaunch of our student newspaper, The Preston Press. This has been a huge piece of work, overseen by Mrs Hopwood and Miss Prentice, with a team of 25 students writing a wide range of articles. The first edition features interviews with local MP Adam Dance, Adam Burgan, a Director at the Octagon Theatre, as well as reviews of a wide range of local days out and some special product reviews. It really is worth a read (although I have real concerns over their choice of cover photo!) and is available to view here.
We have continued to provide an exciting range of opportunities for our students. Last week saw Mrs Veryard oversee the DofE launch, a brilliant opportunity for our students in Year 10. Students also took part in a Public Speaking Competition last Wednesday with Mr Baker Webber, staying in school until 8pm to compete against other schools online. This week, Year 11 students visited Strode College to explore post 16 opportunities, while today the Preston Press team visited Yeovil College for some photography workshops. We have also seen significant sporting success, with today alone, three Preston School students qualifying to run cross country at a county level.
My previous letter spoke at length about improvements in behaviour and attendance this year, which both continue to beat the national average. While colds and flu have hit attendance slightly this week, we continue to see students consistently attend school 1.2% above the national average.
Wednesday, 10th December, sees our joint Carol Service with Preston Primary School. I would encourage families to join us in St John’s Church, for a 6.30pm start. We have around 50 young people taking part in this event, including our Choir, as well as others assisting on a technical front.
At the start of the year, I set three clear priorities for the school. One of these focused around our enrichment and rewards for students. As we approach the end of a long term, we have been working hard to ensure we effectively reward those students consistently ‘doing the right thing’. Across the final two days of the term, Thursday 18th and Friday 19th December, we will be running our Zero Club and High Five activities. These are for students who have received fewer than five behaviour points across the school year. At present, we have an amazing 359 students who remain on zero behaviour points and will qualify for the Zero Club, with 287 others qualifying for the High Five club. To see nearly 650 of our 1002 students remain on fewer than five behaviour points is a brilliant reflection on our students.
I have previously teased some four-legged friends who will be joining us on Friday 19th December as part of our rewards for students. Sadly, the local reindeer are busy preparing for the 24th, but we will be visited by some local alpacas who will be meeting the High Five and Zero Club students on the final day of term, as pictured.
We are also looking to make our Christmas lunch this year a more communal event, and as such, Period 4 on Friday 19th will become an extended lunch break for all students. This will allow each year group dedicated time to enjoy a full Christmas meal together. The closing date for our Christmas lunch sign-up has been extended to 7am, this Monday, 8thDecember, to allow as many students as possible to sign up. Students entitled to Free School Means will receive a meal free of charge but still need to sign up for a meal by the deadline. Payments and Free School Meals sign up are both done through the Arbor Pay app.
Period 5 will see students in their tutor groups before we head off into the Christmas break. Many groups have ‘Secret Santa’ initiatives planned for the last day, as well as a themed tutor quiz.
Finally, Friday 19th will also be a non-uniform day for all students to help celebrate the successes seen across the school this term. We are officially calling this a ‘Christmas Jumper Day’ and I would encourage all students to partake, although I fear that my jumper this year may take some beating!
Christmas of course can be a difficult time for a number of families. Our staff have been donating items over the last month, towards our now traditional Christmas hampers for the local community. These hampers provide essential items, as well as some sweet treats and children’s gifts, for our most in-need families. I am grateful to all of the staff who have donated items, as well as a number of local businesses who have provided gifts towards this brilliant cause.
This has felt a long term, with around 40% of the school year falling into the first term this year. I am hugely grateful for the support that we have received from our families, the positive emails I have been sent, and of course the positive comments on social media about the exiting initiatives we have been sharing. I hope each of you has a safe, relaxing and enjoyable Christmas break. I look forward to a positive final two weeks of term, before welcoming students back on Tuesday 6th January.
Matt Doble