MANGOTSFIELD SCHOOL BULLETIN
29th September 2015 Issue 1
Headteacher's News
Welcome Back
Since starting in post on 1st September, I am delighted by the positive start to the term from students and staff. There is a real commitment on the part of everyone to take the school forward. We are rightly being stringent with our expectations of dress and the students are wearing the uniform really well.
As Headteacher, I want to really embed the positive recent changes at Mangotsfield and set it on course ultimately to being Outstanding. Staff have embraced a new positivity as I have raised the bar. All have a shared understanding of our raised expectations.
This summer, 49% of our GCSE students achieved at least 5 A*-C grades including maths and English. Our A2 results were pleasing and some of our students achieved the highest grades and have gone on to study at some of the country’s best universities.
Individual successes:
David Baker 5A* - Natural Sciences - Cambridge University
Jack Williams 1A* 2A - Biochemistry - Imperial College London
Sam Pearce 1A* 2A - Gap Year
Kelly Dear A*AB - Psychology - Cardiff University
Abigail Bowden 2A 1C - Primary Education - UWE
Sophie Findley 2A 1B - Psychology - Exeter University
Mitchell Brain ABC - Geography - Swansea University
Tom Wareham ABC - Biology - Bristol University
There is no complacency about the results - it is a key strategic area of improvement. Assemblies have made clear to students that I expect the very best from them.
I have talked to them about PEARL, my ethos in a word:
Professionalism
Expectations
Aspirations
Relationships
Leadership
All these five ingredients are vital for a successful school and really important to address. It’s a message which we will all be reinforcing.
Mr Spence
Open Evening
We welcomed prospective parents to our Open Evening and were delighted by the 900+ attendees. It went extremely well and feedback was very positive. The activities were fun and engaging, and parents appreciated the aspirational ethos they heard. We are also undertaking a Review of many aspects of the Student Experience in October, which will have, as part of it, a parent questionnaire.
Colleagues and students have all commented that ‘it feels different’ so far. I know there is a lot of work to do but it is a job I am relishing, with the support of great colleagues and lovely students. Feel free to come and have a tour any time!
Finally, I would like to offer my very best wishes to all at Mangotsfield School this academic year and I look forward to celebrating again with our current Year 11s and Year 13s on their results days in summer 2016.
Mr Spence
New contact e-mail addresses
To ensure your emails get quickly to the right member of staff and to respond to parent feedback, we have created the following dedicated e-mail addresses:
exams@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
extracurricular@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
headofyear@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
learningsupport@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
parentvoice@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
studentabsence@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
sixthform@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
teaching@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk
E-mails to any of these accounts will be directed immediately to the department concerned who will reply via that e-mail address. If you know the name of the teacher you wish to contact, please add it to the subject line to ensure a prompt reply.
Thank you.
Student Safety
To ensure the safety of Mangotsfield students, parents may not drive onto the school site or drop off their children across the entrances to the school car parks. The only exception is to safely deliver those students with mobility difficulties or other special needs. There are designated disabled and visitor parking spaces in the main car park. Post 16 students do not have the use of on-site car parks.
Uniform
I would like to say a big thank you to all parents and students who have supported the new uniform initiative.
Although we have always been proud of how our students are presented, there was a feeling last year that certain uniform rules were being stretched to the limit.
After due notice to parents, better guidelines and improved monitoring was put in place to ensure that all students at Mangotsfield School were looking their best.
As usual our students and parents rose to the challenge and we now have a school with immaculate uniform. The monitoring will continue throughout the year.
Thank you again.
Miss Chard
Attendance Changes
Attendance matters - it has been proved that an attendance of below 95% will impact on students' GCSE grades and ultimately the amount they will earn in later life. We at Mangotsfield want all students to achieve their potential and they can only do this with good attendance. Students who are regularly absent do not only miss out on lesson content but become isolated from friends.
Punctuality Reminder - students will now be marked as Unauthorised Late if they do not go to morning tutor registration which finishes at 9.05 am. Ten of these Lates will result in the school requesting a penalty notice.
Holidays - no holidays will be authorised during term time. If you have an exceptional reason for your child being absent from school you should email Miss Chard directly.
96% Target - the school has set an aspirational target of 96% attendance this year. All students should aim for an attendance above 95%. If a student drops below this level, parents will be invited to a school meeting with staff and the education welfare officer.
Illness and Injuries - before keeping your child off school, please consider if this is the best course of action. It may be possible to send a child to school with a cold/headache with medication like paracetamol etc. The school allows students to self medicate in this way. The school can also use the Inclusion Base for students who would benefit from a quieter environment. If a child has an injury which means they cannot walk around school, the Base has chair lift access
Dentist/Doctor Appointments - where possible appointments should be booked out of school hours. If an appointment during the day is unavoidable then students should not take entire days off. We would expect a student to be absent for a maximum of two hours for any routine appointment and will not be authorising any absence lasting longer than this time.
Miss Chard
Lost Property
Items of lost property are sent to our Reception office. Please ensure that all uniform, kit and possessions are clearly marked with your child’s name so that, if an item is handed in, it can be reunited with its owner as soon as possible.
Adopted Children
Schools are now asked to include in the data return all children adopted from care and not just those who were adopted from care after 30th December 2005. All are now eligible to attract the pupil premium grant.
Parents will need to self-declare to schools that their children are adopted by showing the adoption order so we can add their names to the October 2015 Census. Please e-mail teaching@mangotsfieldschool.org.uk to arrange for the relevant documentation to be checked.
Miss Wooltorton
Leadership Pupil Premium Coordinator
L.R.C. Update
The L.R.C. has now added all new students to the library issue system. This means that our Year 7 students can now borrow books to support the Accelerated Reader programme. There will be more information sent out to parents in the near future regarding the support they can give their children with reading.
Book Amnesty
Could all parents/carers of students in Years 8—13 please keep an eye open for any Mangotsfield library books at home? A number of our students have overdue books. Anything found can be placed (anonymously) in the returns box in the L.R.C. bagstore.
Time4Reading
Mangotsfield School is taking part in the South Gloucestershire Time4Reading initiative. This involves promoting reading across all ages in our community. We are asking students to set up ’swap boxes’ in their tutor rooms, to exchange books. We already have a staff 'swap shelf' in the staffroom which is proving very popular.
We will shortly be displaying a 'Top 100 Books' poster in the LRC where students can cross off the books they have read during the past year. We will also have more promotional posters for books up around the school.
Accelerated Reader
Year 7 have all embarked on this term's Reading Challenge. Which tutor group will be the first to read 2 million words? Who will be our first Year 7 'Word Millionaire'? We will keep you updated over the next few months.
Mrs Wells
School Council
It was fantastic to chair the first Student Council meeting of the academic year. There was a great energy about the meeting as students across all year groups shared ideas about life at Mangotsfield. It was exciting to hear so many opinions and to see a group of students engaged about the future of their school.
The school council now has a Twitter account which will be used to share the work of the council and to involve as many members of the Mangotsfield community as possible. Many thanks to Ted Stargatt for setting this up. I am looking forward to a great year for the council. Please do follow us on Twitter, the address is @MangoSchCouncil
Miss Thayer
Chris Skidmore MP Visits Mangotsfield
Careers
At our school we believe that up-to-date and high-quality information is the key to students’ effective decision-making about the future. In order to give young people at the school an opportunity to obtain first-hand information directly from employers, universities, colleges and training providers, we are again this year supporting Ambitions - South Gloucestershire’s flagship careers event involving all the schools and academies in the area.
The AMBITIONS EVENING EVENT takes place at the University of the West of England Exhibition & Conference Centre on Tuesday 20th October from 4.30 to 8.00 pm and is open to all students and parents.
Past Ambitions events have been an invaluable opportunity for young people and parents to access the sort of information, advice and guidance that can prove crucial to making effective decisions about future courses and career directions.
PARENTS can make use of this unique opportunity to understand, at first hand, how the employment and education world is changing so that they can ensure their children are well prepared. Parents can also see what adult learning is available at regional Colleges and Universities.
POST 16 STUDENTS should visit Ambitions to get the latest information about university courses, Apprenticeship opportunities and company training schemes, as well as getting professional advice in the Ambitions Careers Guidance Centre.
YEAR 11 STUDENTS have a great opportunity to find out about the full range of Post 16 options in formal education and in work-based training so that they can make the best decisions - increasingly important given the competitive nature of many opportunities.
YEAR 10 STUDENTS will be planning ahead and considering options for the future - Ambitions is a great chance to look at everything that’s on offer, get advice and perhaps even discuss work experience opportunities.
STUDENTS IN YEARS 7, 8 & 9 can use Ambitions to improve awareness of different career paths and have a go at a variety of different skills activities.
More than 120 different local and national organisations are contributing to the Ambitions event - we do hope you will be able to take advantage of this fantastic and highly recommended opportunity.
Year 10 Work Experience Week
Year 10 Work Experience Week is 13th – 17th June 2016. This is an exciting opportunity for students to obtain experience in the workplace, build their skills and gain an employer reference for the future. Information, example application letter and advice for students are all available on the school network.
Miss Phillips is your contact at school. Apply early to secure placements.
Sports News
Congratulations to our Year 11 football team who recently beat Beechen Cliff School, Bath, by 4 goals to 2 in the first round of the National Cup. Particular mention must be made of Morgan Wager who scored a hat trick.
We will keep you updated on how they are getting on in our next issue.
Bristol Rovers Partnership
Summer School
A two week summer school was offered to over 60 children during the school holidays. The students took part in a range of activities that gave them a broad curriculum over the two weeks.
Activities included teambuilding, making tee-shirts, bush craft, drama games, graffiti workshop, climbing and circus skills, plus trips to Bristol Zoo, @Bristol and Avon Valley Country Farm. The students conducted themselves superbly over the 2 weeks and it was a great start to their life at Mangotsfield School.
Mr Hawkins
Freshers' Fair
Year 7 were welcomed to the various clubs and societies in school at their recent Freshers' Fair. From abseiling with the Climbing Club to zoo matters with Pet Club, there were a large number of activities to choose from including Table Tennis, Drama, Football, Netball, Rugby, Climbing, Greenpower (kit car), Chess, Warhammer, Pet Club and more. It was a perfect opportunity for our new students to try something new.
Music Notes
Congratulations to the following students who have passed music exams:
April Winter-Alsop 11.3 - Grade 4 Flute - passed with Distinction
Adele Skenderoff 9.5 - Grade 5 Flute - passed with Distinction
Freya Sage 10.8 - Grade 5 Flute - passed with Merit
Ms Borowski
World Challenge
Our World Challenge students were in action last weekend with their latest fundraiser. They washed cars for donations on Saturday 26th September at Kingswood Firestation, raising £200 towards their World Challenge target.
Mrs Griffin
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Tea with Mr Spence
For those of you who were unable to attend the last meeting, there will be another opportunity to have tea with Mr Spence on Monday 5th October at 4.30 pm. For catering purposes, please would you telephone the school to let us know that you would like to attend. Thank you.
Year 10 Health & Social Care Work Experience Week
Monday 12th to Friday 16th October. Further details available from Miss Phillips.
Year 7 Parent-Tutor Evening and Barbecue
Wednesday 14th October, 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Further details to follow.
End of Term
Wednesday 21st October is the last day of Term 1. School re-opens for students on Tuesday 3rd November (Week A). Please note that Monday 2nd November is an INSET Day.