Uxbridge High School
Spring term 2022 newsletter
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Welcome to this half term's newsletter. It is a pleasure to report on the growing number of special events and activities as we gradually recover from Covid restrictions.
Following my recent announcement to step down as principal at the end of this academic year, I am delighted to inform parents that the governing body has appointed Ms Louisa Seymour as my successor from 1st September.
Ms Seymour was selected following a rigorous process that involved many applicants. Ms Seymour's appointment marks a significant milestone for the school and I know she will build on all that we are so proud of at UHS.
I am sure that you will join me in offering her warm congratulations as she prepares to take up post in September.
MESSAGE FROM MS SEYMOUR, PRINCIPAL DESIGNATE
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new principal of Uxbridge High School. Commencing in September 2022, it will be a great privilege to lead the school and it is my intention to ensure that all students are provided with the best opportunities.
I joined UHS in 2015 and have been determined and committed to creating an environment where all can thrive. I am relishing the opportunity to now lead a school which you are proud to send your child to. The teachers and leaders are here to provide excellence in all that happens in school every day. This starts when they are met on the school gate or welcomed into breakfast club or are read to during tutor time and continues into all lessons and beyond. We nurture their ambition right through the school until they are committed to their own aspiration and have the independence to apply to university, work as an apprentice, or excel in a unique field of their choice. I plan to lead a school where every endeavour and every aspiration is valued and celebrated. As the new principal in September, I will ensure our teachers deliver lessons which give students the knowledge and skills they need to be successful, but also create experiences that build character, positivity and happiness.
Towards the end of this summer, I will be in contact to outline in more detail our plans for next year.
PREPARING FOR EXAMINATIONS
Parents of year 11 and 13 students will be aware of the recent media announcement regarding the return of formal end of course GCSE and A-level examinations this summer. The details of this announcement are complex with adaptations and different rules and conditions for individual subjects. In order for staff to assess and plan for these changes, school will close early on Thursday 17th March. Students will be released from 2pm. If any parent would like the school to offer special supervision for their child on this afternoon, please contact the school office.
Over the next few weeks, we will be spending time reassuring and supporting all students who are now beginning final preparations for examinations. I am confident that they will all be ready and prepared to perform at their best in the summer.
PARENTS' SURVEY
The newsletter showcases the work of the school and helps us communicate with parents. We appreciate your support and would also like to give you regular opportunities to provide us with feedback. Your views are important to us and help us to continue to improve and offer the best experience for all students. We would appreciate it if you took time to complete this short survey before Wednesday 23rd February - https://tinyurl.com/2p9xsar9
COVID VACCINATIONS
You will be aware that the NHS will again be using the school as a base to deliver Covid vaccinations to students on Friday 25th February. They will vaccinate students with first doses, as well as second doses to those who have already received the first. Further information can be found in the letter that was emailed home on 25th January, which you can also read on our website. If you would like your child to receive their first or second dose, you will need to complete and return the consent form to the school by the end of today (Friday 11th February). Please note that any child aged 12 or over who has had Covid in the 12 weeks preceding 25th February should not have the vaccine until 12 weeks later. Please inform the school if you have consented and your child tests positive.
The NHS has also asked us to pass on information about other sites across North West London who will administer the vaccine to those aged 12 and above. Please click here for details of these sites as well as links to information about the vaccine.
SIXTH FORM UNIVERSITY PLACEMENTS - MR CHURCHILL
We were delighted to see this lovely photo of former UHS students, Arian, Holly and Thomas at their matriculation ceremony at Oxford University.
We are also pleased to report that our year 13s have all now completed and submitted their UCAS applications and offers are coming in thick and fast. We were so proud to learn that our head boy, Callum Matthew-Lee, has received an offer to read mathematics at Cambridge next year. Many of our students have been busy with admissions interviews for places at Imperial, UCL and LSE.
TRIP TO OXFORD UNIVERSITY - MRS LE-GALL
Students from years 10 and 12 visited St Anne's College at Oxford this term. They had the opportunity to tour the campus, see other colleges, walk around Oxford to take in the sights and have a Q&A with current students. Whilst on our visit with year 12, the students met up with ex-student Thomas Dingwall, who left UHS in 2021 to attend Exeter College at Oxford University. Year 10 also visited many Bodleian libraries and the local historian museum.
UHS SCIENCE FAIR 2022 - MRS KAUR
The science fair will take place during the British Science Week from 14th to 18th March. We are super excited and keen to get the students involved across all year groups. Students will have two months to prepare an independent project on the topic assigned to their year group. As long as they can link it to the assigned topic, they really can make ANYTHING they want to. The aim is to encourage a 3D model that is interactive and has the WOW-factor. As a minimum, students should at least create a quality poster. All models and posters will be displayed in school over Science Week and students will have time to visit the fair and judge the projects.
Themes given to each year group to help inspire ideas and encompass the national theme for this year 'Innovating for the Future and Growth' are:
Year 7 - Space
Year 8 - Space or Human Life
Year 9 - Energy
Year 10 - Electricity or Virus
Completed projects should be submitted on Friday 11th March to Ms Szulc. Each participant will be awarded a certificate and there are fantastic prizes up for grabs for the top three entries from each year group. Further details of the themes and examples can be found on Teams and Show My Homework.
WINTER SHOWCASE - MR DAWSON AND MR PLAYFORD
Our recent winter music showcase was a tremendous success for music in our curriculum and heralded another milestone in the recovery of music in the life of UHS.
An enthusiastic audience enjoyed a fantastic show of musical performances from years 7 to 13 with bands, groups and soloists, supported by a student-run technical team. Despite the significant logistical challenges, we experienced some 'personal best' singing and playing from students, whose growing confidence and joy in the power of music to unite and inspire us was projected and celebrated with thunderous rounds of applause! We are truly proud of all the young musicians involved. Since the event, the Orsino building has grown further as a hub for students to gather and express themselves in music, and we are delighted to see their musical progress!
BREAKFAST CLUB
The school has joined the National School Breakfast Programme, offering a free breakfast to all students. This is a programme run by Family Action but funded by the DfE to support schools in providing students with a healthy breakfast to give them the best start to the school day. All food supplied by the NSBP fully complies with the government's School Food Standards. Students can choose to have a bagel or cereal. The club has proved to be very popular so far and will continue until at least next year.
VISIT BY SECURITY DOG - MRS PATRICK
As a school, we welcome the support of our local police through our dedicated Safer Schools' officers and we continue to work with them to emphasise the importance of personal safety with all our students. In support of this, we welcomed the police security dogs back onto the school site on Monday 17th January.
NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK - MRS LE-GALL
The whole school took part in National Apprenticeship Week from 7th to 13th February by virtually joining a week's worth of national employers including Sodexho, Balfour Beatty, Legrand and Network Rail to learn about apprenticeships and the careers they offer.
CAREERS FAIR - MRS LE-GALL
As we return to some normality, we are very happy to announce that, once again, we are opening our doors to over 30 employers and educational institutes on Tuesday 22nd February for years 9, 10, 11 and sixth form to attend the UHS careers fair. We also have four alumni students returning to talk to the students about their experiences while they were at UHS and after they left. During March we have many events and information sessions relating to careers and further and higher education for all year groups.
MATHS CHALLENGE - MISS CHAVDA
On 2nd and 3rd February, students from years 9 and 10 participated in the UKMT Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. The problems on the challenge are designed to make students think and reason mathematically, as well as encourage precision of thought and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.
YOUR LIFE, YOU CHOOSE - MR PALMER
Year 8 will be taking part in 'Your Life, You Choose' workshops on Monday 21st February. The programme aims to deter young people from crime, raise awareness of the consequences of their choices and empower them to make better decisions and keep themselves safe. Done through a full day of a series of workshops and assemblies, it includes visitors from the Metropolitan Police, Safer Schools, the police youth engagement team, the prison service and the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation.
SIXTH FORM ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY TRIP - MRS GOODMAN
This week, sixth form art and photography students travelled into central London to visit the Tate Modern, Borough Market and The Photographers' Gallery. Students were given free roam of the iconic Bankside art gallery to discover artists and artworks that might interest and inspire them. Mentioned favourites included Yinka Shonibare's 'The British Library' installation and Gustav Metzger's artworks of social commentary.
Borough Market was explored for lunch during a period of sunshine, followed by a lovely walk over London Bridge.
The afternoon involved a visit to The Photographers' Gallery on Ramillies Street. This compact gallery provided a snapshot into the medium and history of photography, with a particular highlight being the street photography and cinematography of American, Helen Levitt.
Overall, it was a fantastic outing with students able to view artworks in person, which is an invaluable experience for their A-level journey.
SPRING TERM SUBJECT AWARD WINNERS
Well done to all students who have won subject awards so far this term. Keep up the good work!
Geography - Zach, Najeeb, Sahaana, Sai, Rebecca, Yoyo, Jay, Adrees, Luke, Shoaib, Imogen, Harilakshmi, Theo, Megan, Adam and Gosia
Health and social care - Georgie, Lili, Cate and Leo
History - Sindhuja, Dianne, Lacey, Gabriel, Niamh, Ailish, Yusra, Taybah, Patryk, Kerryanne, Rafaela, Saira, Khameel and Taniya
PRINCIPAL'S COMMENDATIONS
At the end of every term, we ask staff to nominate one student who they believe deserves our prestigious Principal's Commendation award. This award is given to six students per term, one per year group, and celebrates those students who have gone above and beyond in a particular subject and/or shown remarkable effort and attitude in their studies. Students are awarded with a commendation badge, book, bookmark and certificate. Congratulations to the following students who won an award at the end of the autumn term:
Lola (Y7) - For making an exceptional contribution to English this term and for her consistent effort, punctuality and incredible politeness.
Liam (Y8) - For being such a hard-working student. Liam always gets on with the work and is very keen on participating.
Claudia (Y9) - For her continued effort in giving back to the school as a prefect and mental health ambassador. Claudia is always helpful and respectful and cares about her form and year group and wants to ensure their voices are heard.
Tara (Y10) - For consistently focusing, contributing excellent ideas and being a really hard-working member of her English class. Tara has also made excellent progress in science this year.
Daniela (Y11) - For consistently going above and beyond in all areas of education. Daniela works ridiculously hard in lessons, always participating and putting 100% effort in. Daniela has been revising hard for her PPEs and has supported her peers to revise too. She is a vice house captain and has been instrumental in trying to plan events to enrich the school curriculum. Daniela is also a mental health ambassador and has been working hard on raising the profile of mental health. She has also asked to join the prom committee to ensure Y11 students have the best send off. There is nothing Daniela can't or won't do for her studies, the school and her peers.
Keira (Y13) - For being professional at all times throughout the Y6 summer school, despite having some challenges and situations to deal with. She was organised, friendly and patient with everyone around her and is a great asset to the sixth form student leadership team. Keira has also shown persistent hard work, in and out of the classroom. She has developed fine critical thinking and independence skills that have allowed her to progress in social sciences. She has faced the subject with great ambition and has continuously displayed the features of a model student since the start of the course.
WATER BOTTLES
A reminder that no fizzy, sugary or energy drinks should be brought onto the school site and we recommend all students carry a water bottle with them each day. Bottles can be refilled at our no-touch water machines.
Sixth formers are able to purchase reusable coffee cups on our website should they wish.
ADVICE ON KEEPING YOURSELF SAFE - SAFER SCHOOLS' TEAM
Our safer schools' team has asked us to pass on the following safety advice to parents and students:
- Travel home straight from school
- Avoid travelling alone
- Avoid areas where there are rumours of suspected violence or trouble
In the unfortunate event that someone is a victim, they should stay calm and call 999 as soon as possible.
www.fearless.org is a website that young people can use to report crime. It is linked with Crimestoppers so the same principles of being able to report incidents anonymously apply.
www.police.uk/streetsafe is a website that members of the public can use to report areas they feel unsafe in. The safer schools' team would welcome parents to report areas where children feel unsafe on their way home from school.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE SPRING TERM
Friday 25th February - Covid vaccinations
Thursday 10th March - Y9 parents' evening
Thursday 17th March, 2pm - Early dismissal for students
Thursday 31st March - Y11 parents' evening
Friday 1st April - End of spring term
TWITTER & INSTAGRAM
Please feel free to browse our Twitter and Instagram accounts for up-to-date information and updates on the variety of activities taking place at Uxbridge High School. Our Twitter accounts are @UxbridgeHighSch, @UHSPrincipal, @UHS_VAPA, @UHSPE, @DT_UHS, @HistoryUhs and @MflUhs. Our Instagram account can be found here.
Please note that our accounts are public and you can browse them at any time without having to sign up for an account.