Rossett News Update - 9 September 2022
Welcome back to all of our parents, carers and students to the new academic year 2022/23. A very warm welcome to Rossett to the parents/carers of our new Year 7 students. We hope you enjoy our weekly newsletter which is sent to all parents every Friday afternoon that keeps you up-to-date with what is happening at Rossett and showcases some of the many achievements of our students, staff and community.
Her Majesty The Queen
Buckingham Palace formally announced the death of Her Majesty The Queen yesterday evening.
The sudden nature of the announcement, following as it did photographs of the Queen carrying out her state duties with both outgoing and incoming Conservative Prime Ministers this week, has come as palpable shock. We all knew, intellectually, that this day would come, but the rapidity of the news bulletins yesterday afternoon allowed little time for the country to move from concern to grieving.
We have now entered a period of national mourning that will continue until the end of the State Funeral. All schools will shortly be receiving further formal guidance from the DfE providing advice on the period of national mourning following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The DfE have confirmed that schools should remain open today.
Once the details of the state funeral are concluded and the DfE has updated their information to schools, I will write to you as parents/carers to confirm the date of any school closure. There will be a planned programme of remembrance next week in school assemblies; condolences will be sent from the school; and there will be some changes to the school calendar. Our pastoral teams are ready to support students who are affected by the news.
Congratulations to all of our students in Year 11 and Year 13 celebrating GCSE and A Level results.
We are delighted to celebrate the 'remarkable' achievement of all of our Year 11 and Year 13 students after two years of Covid disruption. Our recent results were not just about the high achievers but also the many, many individual success stories that were not all measured in academic outcomes. At GCSE Rossett School's results are significantly higher than national average at all key attainment measures, including at grades 7+.
Our A level and BTEC students once again have achieved excellent results that have enabled them to go on to universities, colleges, apprenticeships, and the wider world of work. The resilience that these students have shown throughout the last two years since the cancellation of their GCSEs has been remarkable. They are all exceptional, inspiring, and talented young people and we could not be more proud of them and we were particularly pleased to see parents and students of GCSE, A level and BTECs physically in school this year to congratulate them personally on their achievements.
Year Team Changes
Year Group |
Director of Learning |
Ext |
Support Officer |
Ext |
| 7 | Mrs Grimshaw |
332 |
Mrs Guillard | 342 |
| 8 | Mr Bainbridge |
250 |
Miss Dean | 264 |
| 9 | Mr Fell |
224 |
Miss Dean | 264 |
| 10 | Miss Mooney |
312 |
Miss Ali Yosef | 248 |
| 11 |
228 |
Miss Ali Yosef | 248 | |
| Head of Sixth Form | Mr R Keyworth |
242 |
Miss Higgins | 361 |
|
Assistant Head of Sixth Form |
Mr Durbin |
225 |
New Teaching Staff
This term we welcome a number of new teaching staff to Rossett:
Mathematics: Miss C Foxton
Mathematics: Mrs C Diamond
Science: Ms G Haythorne
Science: Mr M Inglis
Art: Miss R Kidd
Business: Ms A Nathan-Geary
Sports Studies: Mrs K Roberts
MFL: Mr M Shuttleworth
Pastoral and Teaching Assistants:
Ms J Guillard (Transition Support Officer: Year 7)
Miss M Dean (Learning Support Officer: Year 8 & 9)
Miss F Ali Yosef (Learning Support Officer: Year 10 & 11)
Mrs K Ula (Teaching Assistant)
Please see above for contact details for the pastoral teams.
Changes to the School Day
We have moved to a single breaktime (11.05am) and a single lunchtime (1.25pm-2.10pm) . The formal school day finishes at 3.10pm (with the exception of Year 7 - for the first week only - who will finish at 3.05pm and escorted to buses/exits by teaching staff.)
|
8:45am |
Start of the School Day |
|
8:50am – 9:05am |
Form Period / Year Group Assembly |
|
9:05am – 10:05am |
Period 1 |
|
10:05am – 11:05am |
Period 2 |
|
11:05am – 11:25am |
Break |
|
11:25am – 12:25pm |
Period 3 |
|
12:25pm – 1:25pm |
Period 4 |
|
1:25pm – 2:10pm |
Lunchtime |
|
2:10pm – 3:10pm |
Period 5 |
|
3:10pm |
End of the School Day |
From 3.15pm onwards - extra-curricular clubs take place - see below.
Rossett Basics
We have been impressed with the majority of students who have returned from the summer break wearing their uniform with pride and fully-equipped allowing them to be focussed on learning from day one. The pastoral team have emphasised to the students during assembly and Form Time the importance of being in school every day with the correct equipment, uniform and learning behaviours.
Thank you for your support in ensuring this. For the minority of students who have yet to meet uniform expectations, we will be making contact with home to work together with families to achieve consistency across all year groups. Please check the school website to make sure that your child is meeting the school's uniform expectations. Ensuring all students are adhering to school expectations will continue to be one of the main priorities of the pastoral team.
A reminder to all parents/carers that 'tube' skirts are not school uniform and hemlines that are too short to maintain modesty should be replaced by Monday of next week.
Sponsored Walk 2022 - Friday 23 September
We are delighted that our biennial sponsored walk is taking place on Friday 23 September. This walk has been a popular event in the school calendar for over twenty years. Students will begin the 20km walk from school heading via roads and footpaths to Norwood Village Hall and back. The route will be extensively marshalled and the walkers are supervised to ensure the venture takes place as safely as possible.
This is a whole school event and the aim of the day is to have a great community experience whilst raising money for both the school and our chosen charities. It is our intention that all students will benefit from the money raised which will be used to enhance learning facilities. A letter with further information and consent form link will be emailed to all parents/carers today.
Rossett School Open Day and Parents' Information Evening 2022
Rossett will be welcoming the parents of Year 5 and 6 pupils to listen to a presentation from the Headteacher about all that Rossett has to offer. This will take place on Thursday 29 September (6.30pm-8.30pm). Parents will have the opportunity to visit the Learning Resource Centre to speak to faculties about the curriculum we offer as well as being able to find out about admissions, transport and much more.
This is followed by our Open Day on Saturday 1 October (9.30am-12 noon) when parents and children are invited to meet our students and teachers and see the school in action. A number of exciting activities take place throughout the morning. There are other 'open' opportunities available to see the school at work. Further details of how to book a visit will be available at each of these events.
LRC News from Mr Asker
I hope you had a wonderful summer and I wish all of you all the very best for the new academic year ahead.
It has been a pleasure to see so many students in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) this week and clearly a huge amount of reading has been enjoyed during the holiday.
May I offer a particularly warm welcome to our new Year 7 students (and any other new student!) and I look forward to welcoming them into the LRC soon for a formal introduction to the LRC and what it offers. I have met some of them briefly and hands were up everywhere when I asked who had read over the holiday. It made my day!
Please make your child aware that we have invested in lots of new books over the summer including The HeartStopper comic book series by Alice Oseman and The Sweet Tooth comic book series by Jeff Lemire. We have a huge 'Five Nights at Freddy’s' fan base in the school so we have bought ALL of the books from this series. I have also replenished our ever popular Lord of the Rings books by JRR Tolkien, Murder Most Unladylike books by Robin Stevens, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney and the Maze Runner books by James Dashner. Finally for the Stranger Things fan base at Rossett the LRC now offers all the comic books from this franchise, but alas no Kate Bush CDs yet!
As ever, please do encourage your child (from any year group) to pop into the LRC to browse and there will be a warm welcome for them all.
As the term starts there is a good opportunity to think again about tips and ideas to help your child to enjoy reading for pleasure; I will offer some thoughts and strategies in upcoming newsletters.
Extra-Curricular Programme - Autumn Term
Rossett School is very proud of its extra-curricular programme for students, which enhances the curriculum and provides extra learning opportunities for all. There are a number of opportunities for your child to take part in extra-curricular activities after school, here at Rossett. Please see below for our Sports programme which commences next week - please encourage your child to get involved . A full schedule of activities will be published shortly.
The late bus to Leeds runs Wednesday to Friday and students need to sign up for this using the QR code which can be found in Reception
Lunch Menu
Rossett School PTA request for donated uniform
As the new academic year starts we would appreciate any donations of school uniform for the PTA shop. We accept Rossett School logo uniform including ties, blazers and PE kit. These donated items are cleaned and offered again to those who need uniform for a growing child or children.
Please send your preloved uniform to school reception to allow us to find it a new home. If you would like to join the PTA or find out more information please email aphelps@rossettschool.co.uk
Many Thanks
The PTA committee.
What's happening this term...
Friday 23 September
- Sponsored walk - whole school
Monday 26 September - Wednesday 28 September
- A Level Geography field trip to Holderness Coast
Thursday 29 September
- Year 6 Parents' Information Evening
Friday 30 September
- Training Day - no students in school
Saturday 1 October
- Open Day 9.30am - 12noon
H Woodcock
Headteacher
