r e t t e l ews

Summer Term - 2015

n o t l r a Ch

N l o o h Sc

ool ry Sch a im r tham othill P with D se: Mr L Tris ip h s r Ph a tne In par Secondary f o Head

Dear all,

In this issue…

SciTech Winners

Welcome to our final Newsletter of the academic year. Today we will be celebrating in school the many achievements of all those within our community, at our ‘Charlton Celebrates’ assembly. The time is used to reflect on the past year, acknowledging achievements of so many and to consider our aspirations for the year ahead. We are tremendously proud of the young people at Charlton, who make such a difference to their community on a day to day basis; looking back at the work completed in school, with the success of groups and individuals this emphasises our positive ethos and togetherness in responding to any challenge. In contact with parents over recent weeks, we have been overwhelmed by support that has been given. There is a true desire from all to move into the new academic year to build on the solid strengths of the school, while working hard to progress in key areas as we approach the move to our new building. It is a tremendously exciting time and we look forward to working with you to ensure that Charlton remains the very special place it is.

Charlton P.E Tweets Art Competition

At this time of year, as always we say goodbye to staff who are either moving onto promoted positions, or moving into retirement. We wish all these staff the very best for the future, knowing that they have all made a real difference to our community. A special mention to Mrs Ayers who leaves us, following 20 years of service to the school; Mr Johnson who joined the school in 2005 and has contributed so much towards the Performing Arts department; and finally the legend that is Mr Tanner who retires having arrived at Charlton in 1991. I would like to thank staff, parents, Governors, partners who work with the school and most importantly the students for all of their hard work over the past year. I wish you a restful summer. As always, be safe and we look forward to seeing you on Monday 7th September!

Mr L Tristham - Head of Secondary Phase

Autumn Term starts Monday 7th September 2015

FREE SPIRIT ART COMPETITON The aim of the Free Spirit Memorial Appeal is to raise the money to site a life-sized bronze statue of a horse at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Staffordshire. This tribute to the horse will celebrate their unfaltering service to mankind, whether in conflict and in the workplace as well as in sport, rehabilitation and education. The NMA is the UK’s dedicated centre of remembrance and this is the only memorial the NMA has granted to an animal in its own right. It has been reserved a special location and will form a lasting tribute so visitors can reflect on the bond between man and horse and the sacrifices made during the Great Wars. For the memorial itself, the celebrated animal (equine) sculptor Georgie Welch has produced a bronze Marquette of Free Spirit. In September 2014 ‘Free Spirit’ launched their ‘Image of a Horse’ fund raising art competition into primary and secondary schools across the UK. Students in Years 7-9 at Charlton were invited to enter. 

From our entries three Year 9 students were chosen as highly commended. Their work was framed and has been exhibited at various events.

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The organisers recently visited Charlton school to present students with their work and also rosettes for those who took part.

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A local resident Lydia Smith (90) also attended to present the organisers with a cheque for undertaking a 750m (50 length) sponsored swim. Totalling £700. The Shropshire Star also attended to report on our success.

O R A N E D N ART - JO We are having the amazing portrait artist Jon Denaro coming into work with our Year 10’s next Wednesday 15th July and Thursday 16th July. He is going to do a 2 day workshop with them in colour to produce large scale portraits. This is a wonderful opportunity for the students to work alongside a very established artist and be able to learn from his skills and techniques and use this in their GCSE coursework.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP This term has seen lots of students taking part in leadership inside and outside of school. We have had students from Year 7-9 help run the cricket festival and finals at Wellington Cricket club with great success. Our Year 9 girls have organised the Key Stage 1 Virtual Multi Skills Competition with our linked primary school. This involved the students going out to the primary schools and doing four different activities with Year 1/2 students. At the end all the results were put together and the winners were Apley Wood with St Lawrence taking 2 nd and Dothill came 3rd. Year 8 students ran the Year 3/4 Mini Olympics at the Telford Tennis Centre with different primary schools from around Telford & Wrekin taking part in various activities. It was a very successful event and the leaders did a fantastic job. Some Year 8 students went over to Apley Wood to help out with the Year 3&4 and the Year 5&6 Sport Days. Year 10 GCSE PE students ran the Primary Cluster Athletics Festival at Charlton with Year 3&4 students. The festival involved the primary students going around four different activities and finishing with a relay. The winners were Apley Wood and Dothill came 2nd.

S R E D N U O R Y R A M PRI AY D T N E M A N R U O T We hosted the Primary Rounders competition here at Charlton School on Monday 15 th June with 18 schools taking part and 19 teams entered. It was a very busy day of games taking place on 6 pitches and all students played so well. On the day some of our Year 9 students helped with the event and did a fantastic job. Well done and thank you to all schools who took part and congratulations to Apley Wood who came 1 st and St Peters & St Pauls who came 2nd.

GCSE EXAM RESULTS DAY THURSDAY, 20TH AUGUST 2015 GCSE exam results will be available for collection by students on Thursday 20th August from 10.00am –11.30am in the main school hall. These have to be signed for by the student. Candidates not able to collect their own results should either provide a stamped addressed envelope to Mrs Sammons, Exam Manager, or complete a ‘Third Party Collection Form’ available from the Student Services office, before the end of the summer term. This form will enable a mature family member with identification to collect results on their behalf. School will only be open for collection of results between these times, after that, results can be collected from school reception between Monday 7th September and Friday 11th September 2015 during school hours. Any current student not collecting results in August will receive them in Tutor Time on the first day back in September. If you require further information please contact Mrs Sammons, Exam Manager, at the school: [email protected]

BOLOUGNE-SUR-MER, FRANCE On Friday 22nd May2015, 27 Year 8 students arose with the early birds to embark on their weekend to Bolougne-sur-Mer, France. During their trip, they visited a snail farm and tasted the local delicacy; experienced the art of making pain au chocolat and croissants; watched a sweet making process and sampled the delights; explored the local history at the musée and had a whale of a time (excuse the pun!) at Nausicaá, the best sea life centre in Europe! Additionally, the students got to sample French food, including lush cream cakes which is a tradition in France to eat on Sunday mornings and not forgetting the wonderful ice cream that we ate whilst sat on the beach! It was an action packed, fun filled weekend that the students thoroughly enjoyed… as did the teachers. Here’s to next year!

RE GCSE All students in Year 10 apart from those on the Travel To Learn programme took their RE GCSE in May. Good luck to everyone when the results come out in August! All students in Year 9 took a mock GCSE paper in June, to help prepare them for the future. The results also give staff a more robust picture of where students are at, and will be used to target intervention where it’s most needed from September.

SMSC The school continues to promote the Spiritual Moral Social and Cultural development of all students through assemblies, lessons and special events. We have most recently all taken part in the national minutes silence for the victims of the Sousse beach shootings.

REMINDER ABOUT FOOD AND DRINK BROUGHT INTO SCHOOL DRINKING WATER The National Nutritional Standards for Healthy School Lunches recommend that drinking water should be available to all pupils, everyday, and free of charge. The school agrees with this recommendation and provides a free supply of drinking water via machines in the canteen. Students are encouraged to have water available during lesson time in individual bottles for which they are responsible. Fizzy drinks and cans are not permitted in school and will be confiscated if seen. The canteen does sell school approved flavoured sparkling spring water.

PACKED LUNCHES Packed lunches prepared by the school caterers adhere to the National Nutritional Standards for Healthy School Lunches. The school encourages parents and carers to provide children with packed lunches that complement these standards. This is achieved by promoting healthy packed lunch options using the principles of the ‘eatwell plate’. Packed lunches brought in from home should contain healthy options wherever possible in order to support students’ learning and development. Fizzy drinks and cans are not permitted in school and will be confiscated if seen.

SCITECH Charlton SciTech students recently took part in the Bill Bryson Prize run by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Students were asked to create a presentation about ‘Chance’. Our students successfully reached the final shortlist of 25 from over 500 entries and went down to Burlington House in London to receive their prizes. Their project discussed the chance of finding an hospitable planet using the Drake equation. The students really enjoyed the experience and all met Bill Bryson, getting their books personalised by him.

Congratulations SciTech!!

Microsoft Training at Charlton The ICT department at Charlton would like to offer training, available for all parents/grandparents. The course is an accredited course with Microsoft working towards gaining a Microsoft qualification in a variety of packages to suit the individual needs. The course would be delivered over ten-fifteen weeks and there would be a 1 hour online exam at the end. The course can cover the following packages:- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, SharePoint, OneNote, Office 365. If you are interested please could you contact Ann Stephens at Charlton, The sessions are held on Tuesday evenings 3.15pm 4.30pm at Charlton School. The sessions will start after October half-term. Email: [email protected] or telephone 01952 386800

ICT REVISION GUIDES Revision guides for Edexcel GCSE ICT and AQA GCSE will be available for students to buy priced at £2 each, from their ICT teacher starting in September. They will be very useful for revision for mocks in December.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Academic Year 2015 / 2016 AUTUMN TERM 2015 PD Day 1 Term Starts PD Day 2 Half Term Term Ends

Friday 4th September Monday 7th September Friday 16th October Monday 26th October - Friday 30th October Friday 18th December

SPRING TERM 2016 PD Day 3 Term Starts Half Term Term Ends

Monday 4th January Tuesday 5th January Monday 15th February to Friday 19th February Thursday 24th March

SUMMER TERM 2016 Term Starts May Day PD Day 4 Half Term Term Ends PD Day 5

Monday 11th April Monday 2nd May Friday 27th May Monday 30th May to Friday 3rd June Friday 22nd July Monday 25th July

Individual Healthcare Plans and Medication It is school policy that any student who brings prescription medication into school has to leave it with Reception. Mrs Edwards will ensure that the correct dosage is administered and the medication is kept securely throughout the day. However, we do need parents/carers to complete a Parental Agreement form. These are available from Reception or from September you can download a copy from the School Website. For students who have long term health issues or who have had an accident the school will set up an Individual Healthcare Plan. This will involve a meeting with Parents/Carers to discuss the condition/ illness, talk about medication and what the school can do to make life easier for the student. If your child requires a Health Care Plan putting in place please get in touch with Mrs Edwards [email protected] in Student Reception. It may be only a short term issue that needs assistance but we would not wish to see students struggle or be uncomfortable throughout the day. If you would like a copy of the Medication in School Policy please contact Miss H Smith in Student Services. [email protected]

Reminder of School Policy on Uniform Charlton has tremendous pride in all of our students and values commitment to their school. We are delighted by the comments received from visitors to our school who always talk about the mature nature of our students and how committed they are to working with staff to move the school forward. As a school, we passionately believe that the students’ appearance supports this very positive ethos and says a lot about how young people feel about school. Below is our uniform list. We feel that the uniform supports students in school and allows the focus to be on developing their learning in comfortable clothing.

School tie.

The school tie incorporates the House Colours. (Sycamore – Red Stripes, Willow – Green Stripes, Birch – Yellow Stripes, Elm – Purple Stripes and Hawthorn – Blue Stripes).

Pale blue shirt. Years 7 - 10 Navy V-neck sweatshirt with School crest (no other logos acceptable) Year 11 only Maroon V-neck pullover Technology apron (separate for food and workshop activities) Plain out-door coat (no leather or denim). Blue/ black. School scarf in House colours - optional BOYS:  Plain black trousers (not jeans).  Navy/grey socks  Black plain shoes – no coloured decoration or canvas type shoe.  Pale blue aertex shirt*  Navy blue PE shorts *  Reversible red/red with blue stripe rugby shirt.  Navy blue sports socks (winter).  White sports socks (summer and indoor).  PE school sweatshirt.  Navy blue jogging bottoms.  Training shoes - predominantly white (NOT boots) indoor and outdoor.  Soccer boots.  Shin pads. * Available with school logo from school supplier

GIRLS:  Navy tailored trousers (not jeans or skinny trousers) or Navy skirt (Trutex back vent style only)  Navy or white socks OR thick black tights.  Black flat walking shoes. No slingback, clog type shoes or canvas type shoe – Max. heel height 4cms. Max Sole 2cms.  Pale blue aertex shirt *  Navy blue PE shorts *  Navy blue sports socks (winter).  White sports socks (summer and indoor).  PE school sweatshirt.  Navy blue jogging bottoms.  Training shoes - predominantly white (NOT boots) indoor and outdoor.  Soccer or hockey boots.  Shin pads.  Girls with long hair must provide suitable hair bands.

 Trainers may not be worn in School at anytime. They should not be worn to and from School. A Doctor’s Note is required for the wearing of trainers for medical reasons. Please Note:- Students not participating in active P.E. lessons are still required to bring their P.E. kit with them to school. Alternative arrangements will be made for these students. Towels are required for showering - Please note that aerosol cans are not allowed on the premises, this means roll-on deodorants must be used instead of the spray variety.

ALL ARTICLES OF CLOTHING SHOULD BE CLEARLY NAMED

We would also like to outline the following issues related to uniform: Students not participating in active P.E. lessons are still required to bring their P.E. kit with them to school. Alternative arrangements will be made for these students. Towels are required for showering - Please note that aerosol cans are not allowed on the premises, this means roll-on deodorants must be used instead of the spray variety. 1.

Students should not replace items of uniform with other fashion accessories, i.e. sweaters with hoodies, etc. Hoodies should not be worn in school with the exception of those used within the curriculum—i.e. Dance hoodies or School hoodies with the school logo.

2.

Students with specific religious requirement regarding school uniform should agree details with their Pastoral Manager according to individual circumstances. Freedom to manifest a religion or belief does not mean the right to do so at any time, place or in any particular manner. We are clear that the needs of safety, security and effective teaching and learning are paramount. Examples of religious requirement might include the following – Muslim Head Scarf (dark blue or black), Sikh Kara, Jewish Kippah, Hindu Bindi.

3.

Students should take pride in their uniform and wear it correctly. Coats should be removed on entry to all classrooms or assembly halls. Coats and other items should not be worn as a replacement of the school jumper. Students should take all items of school uniform with them at all times.

4.

Shoes should be plain black and logo free. Black trainers are not permitted. However, shoes with Velcro fastenings are allowed. Canvas type footwear is not permitted. As a school we do not feel that this type of footwear is appropriate, as during the winter months students’ feet become wet and uncomfortable through the day. This has resulted in a number of cases where students have had to contact parents to bring alternative footwear into school.

5.

Only one design of skirt is approved. It is the navy Trutex Back Vent skirt which is available from Baker and Son. The hem of the skirt must not be more than 2 inches above the knee.

6.

For all students jewellery is not permitted. This reduces the possibility of loss and upset caused as a result of this. It is also to support Health and Safety in a range of areas. New piercings should be administered at the start of the summer holidays to allow time to heal. We do not allow new piercings covered with plasters.

7.

Cosmetics other than a discreet amount or mascara or foundation for girls should not be worn.

8.

Nail varnish and nail extensions are not allowed in school. Students are involved in many activities and again, nail extensions can cause injury.

9.

Excessive hairstyles, hair extensions, shaved patterns, panels or lines, non-normal hair colour and false eyelashes are not permitted.

10.

Any student whose appearance represents an extreme of fashion, as defined by the Head, will be deemed to have isolated themselves from the school until their appearance is suitable.

11.

Breaches of uniform may constitute: (examples only) Incorrect footwear, Non regulation skirt or trousers, Shaved patterns in hairstyle, Jewellery, New piercings, Non normal hair colour, bracelets or charity bands. For such breaches students will be deemed to have isolated themselves from the school until their appearance is deemed acceptable. For repeated instances the School Exclusion Policy may then be applied.

12.

Temporary breaches of uniform must be supported by a parental signed note. The note must also be countersigned by the student’s Pastoral Manager. Under normal circumstances we will allow 24 hours to rectify the situation. This will count as a first instance. For a second instance in each half term students will be deemed to have isolated themselves from school until their appearance is compliant. For repeated instances the School Exclusion Policy may then be applied. If the Pastoral Manager does not sign their permission, a student may be placed at Dothill Compass Point, on SLT corridor or in another suitable location for isolation depending on room availability. Possible reasons for not authorising permission may be as follows; forged note, deliberate attempt to deceive or violate the rules. There may be other reasons that will apply depending on particular circumstances.

We thank you for your support in ensuring a consistent approach, which will hopefully support all children.