As we approach the end of Term 1, I am sure you will have
noticed the difference in your child since they left primary
school in July. Each week, the pupils in Year 7 continue to
make excellent progress both inside the classroom and in
our extensive extra curricular provision. It has been a real
pleasure watching their confidence grow and they certainly
feel part of the school community. The PTFA disco really
embodied this and thank you for your support here. We
raised £1,215.
We finish this term with our Mass of Induction on Thursday
24th October, 18:30 start. This evening is very special as
your child will receive a blessing on their journey through St
Richard’s. The PTFA will provide refreshments afterwards
and you will have the opportunity to meet your child’s new
friends and their parents. The sign up form is here.
In my weekly pastoral emails I have mentioned our uniform/
appearance policy. I ask parents/carers to familiarise
themselves with page 22 in the school handbook regarding
haircuts, to avoid any issues at the start of Term 2. In this
week's message to parents, I highlighted social media and
in particular, large group chats and the time of night pupils
are messaging each other. To keep your child safe, I strongly
advise you to check what they are doing online and when.
At the end of the first week back you will receive your child’s
Settling-in report. This will be shared via EduLink. Our first
Parents Consultation Evening is on 28th November. I will
share information via my pastoral emails regarding how to
book appointments closer to the time.
Next term in PSHEe, pupils will be exploring the following
themes: Challenging extremism, revision skills, on-line
safety, personal hygiene and vaping.
Pastoral Reports
Year 8
Year 7
Page 2
Newsletter 2 - October 2024
Mr Bligh
Pastoral Leader Year 7
mrblighj@strichardscc.com
As always, I like to share achievements in our newsletter and I want to congratulate Joana on
Mrs Murphy, Pastoral Leader Year 8, mrsmurphyj@strichardscc.com
Year 8 pupils have got off to a fantastic start; they are
cheerful, enthusiastic and are making an effort to get involved
in school life. Many of the children have joined clubs already,
and I hope those who have yet to do so will make the effort
soon, as extra-curricular involvement helps you to make the
most out of school life. The memories we make are often
outside of the classroom, at sports matches, on trips and with
friends doing the things we love.
Year 7 and 8 Disco:
As this is my first year at St Richard’s, I had the pleasure
of attending the Year 7 and 8 disco for the first time, and
what a joy it was! Everyone seemed to have a brilliant
time, and behaviour was mostly excellent throughout the
evening. The children seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, and
they were wonderful at helping to clear up at the end and
walking sensibly to the seafront to meet parents and carers.
I understand there were quite a few sleepovers that night
too, so well done to all those who had to deal with late night
sugar crashes! A huge thank you to the PTFA for helping to
organise this event, as well as to the Year 10 pupils who DJ’d
and helped to chaperone all evening.
Homework and organisation:
The homework expectations in Year 8 are high, with around
45 minutes of homework set per subject once or twice a
week. When pupils begin to find things difÏcult, good habits
will help them to cope with the demands of homework and
extracurricular activities. Please encourage your children to
create good study habits now by providing them space to
work, sticking to particular homework times in the evening,
and removing distractions such as phones, tablets and
computers. Good habits are invaluable for long term success
and help to foster an attitude of independence, but children
need constant support in maintaining them. Homework is
important for helping children to learn independent study
skills and will support them later on in their exams and work
in the future. As such, homework is tracked and a lack of
completion does result in detentions.
Sports and Extra-curricular Clubs:
I was so excited to hear about the Year 8 boys’ football team
tryouts, and would like to personally congratulate the 16
boys who now make up our competitive squad: Ruairi, Adam,
Luke, Harry, Dylan, Samuel, Henry, Samuel, Sebastian,
Alston, Matei, Fawwaz, Harvey, Oscar, Noah and Jozef. Well
done to everyone who took part in this process - whether you
made the team or not, I am impressed with the hard work
and dedication shown throughout this period. Good luck with
your future matches!
Please take time to ensure that pupils are making the most
of the array of extra-curricular activities, clubs and sports that
are on offer. Encourage your children to check the activities
board in the main corridor and give something new a go!