NewsletterMay 2024

Dear Parents, Carers and Students, 

Our exam season is well underway and our year 11 students have been phenomenal in their approach. It is a nerve-wracking time for all involved but it has been amazing to see the support our students have given each other during this crucial time. I would like to thank all staff involved with the preparation of additional booster sessions, before and after school, and for parents and carers support getting students here earlier in the morning.  I am hopeful we will see the reward on results day on August 22nd. 

We are pleased to announce that we are oversubscribed for all year groups now and we have our Year 7 intake joining us for our transition days on 26th and 27th June. We have 150 students who will be taking part in a variety of lessons and we look forward to our older students demonstrating and role modelling The Suthers Way!

It has been lovely to experience the warmer weather which we have all been waiting for.  We are unashamedly proud of our high expectations of school uniform. After May half term, we see the return of our summer uniform where students can  choose to wear tailored grey shorts (Bermuda Grey Standard Fit Eco Shorts sold on Uniform Shop), black socks and black shoes. In addition, we introduced clip on ties in September 2022. All students in year 7-9 were bought a clip on tie by the school and were issued these in form time. Some students have reverted to their old tie which is no longer part of our uniform and can no longer be purchased. We will be asking all students to attend school in September in their compulsory clip on tie and we would like your support as parents and carers to remind them of this as soon as possible. If they can wear this sooner, it would be much appreciated. Clip on ties can be purchased from our online Uniform Shop. If a student persistently refuses to wear the correct uniform we will inform parents and carers and add this to ParentPay to purchase the correct item or ask for your support to bring the item into school. 

If the weather gets too warm, we will update you of any changes to uniform. Students must wear their blazer to school unless otherwise informed. As temperatures increase, we may announce a non blazer day if necessary. Students can always remove their blazers once in lessons if they do feel too warm. Students are reminded that their uniform should be correct as they enter the side gate when they arrive and leave school site. A reminder that mobile phones and ear pods should also be secured in their bags until they have left the school grounds. 

It is important students stay hydrated and therefore we ask for them to bring a refillable water bottle with them so they can top up with water during break and lunch time. Sun cream is also advisable for students to stay safe in the sunshine if they choose to spend their unstructured times outdoors. 

The car park is becoming increasingly more difficult for Blue Badge holders to pick up, drop off or park. Please could I kindly ask for your support to remain outside of the school grounds to collect/drop off your child. We have buses which need to turn inside the school yard and it is a challenge to pick up on time when so many cars are stationary in the car park. Next year, as the school intake is increasing, we will see more pressure on the traffic outside of school so if you could arrange for your child to be collected at a pick up point away from the school grounds it would be helpful to all. 

We say  goodbye to Mrs Yates who has supported our Year 11 students and our English department since September; we wish you the best of luck in your new job. Our students gave her an amazing send off. 

We welcome back both Mrs Brown and Mrs Brinded from maternity leave.

I wish you all a very enjoyable half term and we look forward to seeing all students return at 8.25am on Monday 3rd June. 

Best wishes, 

Nic

To keep up to date with all events happening in the Sixth half term of 2023/24 please click this Link 

The Attendance Support Team

We have a dedicated team of staff at The Suthers School who work on attendance; Mr Buckberry, Assistant Headteacher, works closely with our attendance officer ( Mrs West), the pastoral team and when appropriate, Nottinghamshire Attendance services to scrutinise our attendance data daily, weekly and half termly.

As you would expect, we have very high standards and are committed to all our pupils making maximum progress.  Our attendance staff are always happy to offer advice and support to students and families on effective strategies for maximising attendance.  If you would like more details, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Persistent absence is when a student's overall absence equates to 10% or more of their possible sessions. This means that if your child’s attendance is 90% or below then they are classed as persistently absent. Extremely persistent absence is where your child’s attendance falls to 50% or below. This will result in support from both Suthers and the local authority.
 
What can families do to help?

It is important that you inform us of any medical or emotional issues that may be affecting your child’s attendance to enable us to offer the appropriate support. If you suspect that your child is experiencing any problems or issues at school that may be affecting their attendance, please make contact with us as soon as possible either via email or contact the school on 01636 957690. This will alert us to any problems and help us to work with you towards resolving any issues. It is important that your child understands that you are working with the school to ensure that there are no barriers to learning and that you do not condone absence. It is important that you endorse the school’s rules on punctuality, attendance and dress code with your children. Late arrival to school will result in your child being set a detention. Please ensure that your child is dressed to learn, has the correct equipment for the day ahead and follows the school rules regarding appearance and makeup.
IT IS VITAL THAT YOU KEEP US INFORMED IF YOUR CONTACT DETAILS CHANGE.
 
Student's responsibility

• Aim for 100% attendance.
• Follow the dress code set by The Suthers School
• Be punctual to all lessons.
• Be equipped and ready to learn.
• Visit the toilets at break time and lunchtime.
• In case of lateness, report to reception to sign in and provide a note from home with an explanation for the late arrival to school.
   

As we dive deeper into the academic year, it's an opportune moment to extend warm wishes to our Year 11 Geographers embarking on their GCSE journey. Your hard work and dedication have brought you to this milestone, and we commend your efforts. A special thank you to Ms. Humber for her unwavering support and guidance to our Year 11 geographers. To the rest of our Year 11 cohort, we wish you all the best as you embark on this academic adventure. Remember, your tenacity, curiosity and hard work will pave the way for success.

Let's take a glimpse into the geographical explorations happening across our school community:

Year 10: Having completed their Urban Issues and Challenges unit, our Year 10 Geographers are now turning their attention to all things coastal. From coastal erosion to management strategies, this unit promises to deepen their understanding of the dynamic coastal environments. Additionally, we're excited to announce a Year 10 Geography Fieldtrip in July to Skegness! This hands-on experience will allow students to witness coastal processes firsthand and apply classroom learning in a real-world context. Stay tuned for further details!

Year 9: Year 9 Geographers have embarked on an exciting Human Rights unit, where they'll explore the intersection of human rights and current global geographical issues. A heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Adams for her collaboration in co-planning this thought-provoking unit.

Year 8: Our Year 8 Geographers are immersed in the Living World unit, delving into the intricate ecosystems and biodiversity that make our planet thrive. From tropical rainforests to deserts, they're unraveling the wonders of Earth's living systems.

Year 7: Meanwhile, our Year 7 Geographers are journeying into the realm of Weather & Climate.

Focusing on how the atmospheric circulation model impacts global climates, they're uncovering the mechanisms behind weather patterns and atmospheric phenomena.  

As educators, we're thrilled to witness the curiosity and enthusiasm with which our students approach these geographical inquiries. Together, we're nurturing a community of passionate learners eager to explore the world around them.

Keep up the excellent work, Geographers! Let's continue to embrace the wonders of geography and unravel the mysteries of our planet.

Our Y7 Netball team had their England Netball Tournament in April. It was hosted at Toot Hill School and was attended by over 10 schools from in and around Nottingham. The girls played 6 games all together and our first game was against a strong Nottingham High School team. The game ended in a loss, but they performed extremely well. They gained many interceptions throughout the match and managed to score goals too, against a very defensive High School team. We then went on to play the likes of Toot Hill, Joseph Whittaker, Colonel Frank Seeley and Newark Academy. We managed to win against Joseph Whittaker and take a draw against Carlton Le Willows. The girls improved in every match and ended the tournament in 4th place!

The Year 9 Netball Team had a friendly against Newark Academy at the start of May. Newark Academy performed strongly and got a lot of interceptions, which led them to goal. Due to illness on the day, we only took 7 students, which meant the girls had to work hard throughout all four quarters, they came off very red faced! The match ended in a loss for our Year 9’s; they have come away with lots of things to work on, in training, and we look forward to matches next year, as Netball season has ended. Training will still be running, to ensure we keep up all the hard work.

During our PE lessons this term, each year group has had a chance to try new sports, and also go back and revisit sports they may haven’t had much time on. Students played sports like Lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee, Tennis, and went back to sports like Netball and Football to develop and enhance their skills further. After May half term, we start our Rounders and Athletics topics, trying out activities like High Jump, Shot Put, Long Jump, 100m and Javelin.

The Art Department are currently planning and creating a display on famous stolen artwork. If anyone would like to donate A4/3 frames it would be hugely appreciated.

Huge congratulations to all students that have received art certificates and prizes this half term! Students have been working so hard in class and we want to continue to reward these efforts as well as their incredible homework. As a department we will continue with this next term.

Just a quick reminder, The Art challenges HT6 is for all year groups ( students need to complete 3 out of the 6 in the year), click here for what they have been doing so far .

On a dull day in April, our determined Suthers Duke of Edinburgh bronze candidates arrived in Walesby forest not really knowing what to expect. They quickly got organised and set off on a walk into open country led by professional expedition staff from Karos. Six hours later, all staff were proud of them all making it back to camp in good spirits and ready to build camp and cook a meal. The Karos expedition staff call us "Dream Team, Dream School" and this latest cohort had definitely lived up to it on day 1. Then around 3am the deluge began, almost everyone was woken by the rain which did not stop until afternoon. Our students showed mountains of resilience and tenacity as they battled through breakfast and breaking camp in torrential rain, then cheerfully prepared to walk for another six hours carrying all the wet kit. Sadly, we had to call off the walk around three quarters of the way as it had changed from a walk to a wade across flooded footpaths. With health and safety always foremost, the expedition leaders declared the weekend a great success and sent everyone home for a McDonalds and a hot shower.

On the 11th and 12th of May, our amazing year 9 Duke of Edinburgh students undertook 12km walks on both the Saturday and Sunday for their qualifying expedition. The weather was lovely and warm for this one. Spirits were high when they arrived at the finish with an ice cream van ready to great them. The cohort of students have surpassed all expectations, and our provider, Karos, had nothing but praise for their conduct and determination. The Suthers DofE staff are beyond proud as yet again TeamSuthers showed TORCH values throughout the weekend. Well done all who took part.

Mr Sykes-Wood had the pleasure of being invited to Buckingham Palace, on Monday 13th May, for a Duke of Edinburgh garden party, celebrating the centre managers and Gold Award achievers. He accompanied other centre managers from Magnus and Newark Academy to make this a day to remember. Another amazing opportunity that the Duke of Edinburgh scheme offers participants and volunteers.

Performing Arts Newsletter

SUMMER SHOWCASE 2024

We are well underway with rehearsing for the next Summer Showcase after an amazing turnout at auditions. Students auditioned songs, dances, instrumental pieces and extracts from plays and we were astounded by the quality of the talents on display. Tickets will be on sale soon- JULY 4TH 6PM- keep the date in the diary! for further information please click here 

GCSE YEAR 10 DRAMA

Year 10 Drama students study Blood Brothers for their written component. We were lucky enough to see the 2024 touring company at Leicester Curve. Year 10 students represented the school so well, members of the public even commented on their wonderful mature behavior. Seeing live performance only deepens their knowledge and understanding, but also brings to life the work we study.

LAMDA

Our exams are now in their third term. We have had two examination periods take place and are 

extremely proud of our students and their results. Every one of our students have passed their exam and we are getting an 85% pass rate of ‘Distinction’ level, which is amazing. The students are buzzing!

LAMDA stands for London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and besides being one of the foremost Drama schools in the world, it is also the most respected and long-standing examination board, delivering examinations in Speech and Drama.

The exams can be taken in The Speaking of Verse and Prose, Reading for Performance, Speaking in Public, Acting, Shakespeare and Mime.  These are accredited exams which are worth UCAS points in the higher grades of 6, 7 and 8. UCAS points count towards being accepted onto a university or college course.

Speaking in public is the number one adult fear. Master this as a young person and the world is your oyster. Communicating is what drives the world and those who can communicate well will thrive in any career. Working on a LAMDA syllabus develops confidence too and all these are life skills that are transferable into school and later into a career.

Most students have no aspirations to be actual actors, but some are wanting to be prepared for Drama school auditions, some job interviews or presentations and the majority for their own sense of achievement.

Drama Club

Key Stage 3 Drama club Wednesdays after school has started with a bang! At full capacity, Year 7 and 8 have been getting to know each other, taking part in fun games, whilst thinking about what their next mini original production will be. Christina Riley, from Studio 29, has been overwhelmed by The Suthers students’ energy and commitment so far. We can’t wait to see what they will produce!

Instrument Lessons and Ensembles

Over the past year we have had a positive increase in the number of students undertaking instrumental and singing lessons at The Suthers School and we now have a range of instrumentalists developing their skills in both pop and classical traditions. Many of our performers have gone on to achieve highly in graded exams including piano, drums, guitar, saxophone, clarinet, and flute and have performed in our various concerts, shows, and showcases.  

Watch this space for our next phase in developing our music provision over the coming weeks which will see the formation of The Suthers Collective Orchestra.  

If you are interested in your child learning an instrument, please see the Music page on our website.

We are now half way through the public exam period and the Year 11's are showing tremendous resilience and strength, 

We will also be holding some booster sessions during the half term, please see attached timetable for May Half Term. 

If your child is interested in playing Netball, please click this link for further information