The English department welcomes back all pupils and we
hope that everyone had a wonderful summer holiday. We
would firstly like to congratulate our former Year 11 pupils
on a fantastic set of GCSE results. We are so very proud of
their hard work and effort and were pleased to see so many
smiling faces on results day. Well deserved, Year 11.
We hope that all returning pupils have had a well deserved
rest over the summer and are ready to engage in a range
of exciting opportunities such as trips, visiting authors,
competitions and much more. We have a Year 11 trip
planned for November 14th to Eastbourne to see “An
Inspector Calls”. We hope all pupils will enjoy the show.
If your child has not read much over the holidays, then why
not take a look on the school reading list website here where
you will find a wide variety of genres and texts for all ages
and abilities to engage your child with their reading. Pupils
should be bringing a personal reading book with them to
school every day.
We are excited to welcome our new Year 7 pupils to the
school. We hope that they will find their English lessons
engaging and enjoyable. Year 7 pupils have been tested for
their reading age in September and reading interventions will
commence soon.
Our new Year 11 cohort should be ready to work hard with
mocks fast approaching. Year 11s will continue to revise
Paper 1 Language and Paper 2 Literature: Blood Brothers/
An Inspector Calls, Power and Conflict Poetry and Unseen
Poetry.
Thursday after school revision sessions have started with
pupils revising poetry quotations to support them in their
mock exams. We look forward to excellent results from our
current Year 11 cohort.
Page 7
Newsletter 2 - October 2024
SEND
(Special Educational Needs
and Disabilities)
Year 11 mock examinations
Year 11 mock exams are currently underway, and some pupils
have access arrangements to support them during this time.
The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) have recently
updated their advice to parents, which we have summarised
here for your information. Pupils with a learning difÏculty such
as dyslexia or a diagnosis such as autism, do not necessarily
qualify for access arrangements unless it impacts on their
capacity to take exams. Please contact Mrs Britt if you have
any questions: mrsbrittk@strichardscc.com. All the Learning
Support team would like to wish all Year 11s the very best of
luck and to remember to revise and rest in equal measure!
SEND Lunch Clubs
Our indoor lunchtime club is available every day in AICT, with
TAs supervising. Pupils can bring their lunch along and come
to chat, play board games/card games and have time out in a
quieter lunchtime space with their friends.
SEN Magazine
The new Sep-Oct 2024 issue of the free online publication,
SEN Magazine, can be found here. This includes articles on
topics such as living with anxiety, touch-typing, metacognition
for pupils with dyslexia, and the pros and cons of securing an
Autism Spectrum diagnosis.
Year 12 Prize Evening
We look forward to welcoming former pupils who received
SEND support to our prize evening on Thursday, 14th
November. The whole SEND team would love to see as
many of our former Year 11s as possible, to congratulate
them on their wonderful achievements in person. Please
remember to email Mrs Butcher at mrsbutcherr@
strichardscc.com to confirm your attendance.
Parental Parentship Group
I would like to encourage parents/carers of pupils with
SEND to consider joining the school’s Parental Partnership
Group. Representation at all levels, including this group
which will meet during the school year, will help to ensure
the views of those with SEND are always considered.
Please contact Mr Barber’s PA if you are interesting in
joining this group: pa@strichardscc.com.
Mr Smith and all in the Learning Support department
After-school homework clubs
Prep Club is a supervised space for all pupils to complete their
homework, open every day (including a shorter session on a
Friday). Prep Club Plus is supported by two TAs and a space
where pupils who would like extra help with their homework
can receive direct support with their work. This is every
Monday-Thursday. Please click here to view the timetable.
Upcoming events:
•
SEND drop-in Wednesday, 13th November,
3:20pm-4:20pm (Library) – all are welcome,
please advise Mr Smith if you would like to attend:
mrsmithi@strichardscc.com
•
Year 7 settling-in Parents’ Evening: Thursday,
28th November – please make appointments with
Mr Smith
•
Year 11 Parents’ Evening: Tuesday, 10th
December – please book appointments with Mr
Smith/Mrs Di Mascio
English
Miss Rowland
Subject Leader for English
With very best wishes for the term ahead.