NewsletterFebruary 2025

Dear all,

As we reach the end of this half term, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the fantastic experiences we’ve shared on our Instagram and Twitter pages. We have held many events and our students have demonstrated 'The Suthers Way' and TORCH character strengths in their lessons and enrichment activities. If you haven't signed up yet to follow these accounts, please do at  https://www.twitter.com/SuthersSchool and https://www.instagram.com/thesuthersschool

Our dedicated teaching staff have engaged in continuous professional learning, focusing on enhancing teaching and learning practices. This commitment not only benefits our teachers but also enriches the educational experience for our students in the classroom. I am particularly proud of the positive feedback we’ve received from students about their experiences this term and the consistency they are recognising in lessons. Their voices are invaluable, and it is heartening to see how they embody The Suthers Way in their everyday actions and how proud they are to be part of our school community.

I am also excited to welcome Emily Higgs-Winn, our new Head of Science, who is working closely with our team to develop an innovative and engaging Science curriculum. Emily brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm, and I am confident that her contributions will further inspire our students.

Looking ahead, we will be celebrating 100% attendance in March, a fantastic achievement that reflects our students’ commitment to their education. I encourage you to keep an eye out for regular updates from our Attendance Officer, Vicky Gentry, as we work together to recognise and reward 'everyone attending every day'. There is a direct correlation between attendance to school and excellent achievement. The knowledge students are taught every day in each subject is significant to how they can apply it in their responses/examinations.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a restful and enjoyable time with family and friends over the half term break. All staff look forward to welcoming students back at 8:25 am, February 24th, ready for another exciting term ahead.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication.

Best wishes,

Nic

Make It Count in March!

We're excited to launch our "Make It Count in March" initiative! During March, we're celebrating and rewarding excellent attendance. Students who achieve 100% attendance during March will be entered into a prize draw to win a selection of exciting prizes. Let's make March a month of outstanding attendance!

Punctuality: On Time, Ready to Learn

A reminder that the side gate closes promptly at 08:25. Students arriving after this time will be marked as late and will be required to attend a 15-minute breaktime detention. Being on time ensures a smooth start to the day and minimises disruption to learning for everyone.

Minor Illnesses: When to Attend

We understand that students occasionally experience minor illnesses such as colds, headaches etc. In most cases, students with colds or other mild illnesses are well enough to attend school. If your child is feeling unwell but is generally okay, please send them to school. If medication is required, please provide it to the school with your written consent, and we will administer it as needed. Every minute counts towards their learning and progress.

Why Attendance Matters

Academic Achievement: Consistent attendance directly impacts academic performance. Students who attend regularly are more likely to keep up with their studies and achieve their full potential, at 4+ and 5+ in GCSE outcomes.

Social and Emotional Development: School is a place for students to develop social skills, build friendships, and learn how to interact with others.

Future Success: Good attendance habits established in secondary school can translate into success in further education, training, and employment.

Let's work together to ensure all students at The Suthers School have the opportunity to succeed. Thank you for your continued support in prioritising attendance.

NOVA Trust Attendance Mantra: “Everyone values Education and attends every day.”

Simon Buckberry

Assistant Headteacher

SENDCo

                                                              Great turn out for our Bike Marking Scheme     

Earlier this term, Mrs Redmond organised with our local police Beat Officers to come into school and offer their free Bike Marking service, registering them through the national cycle database, Bike Register. 

A total of 38 students took part and will now all benefit from the added security in case their bikes are ever stolen, making it easier for the police to recover them. As an added incentive, every child who took part was entered into a prize draw and 8 lucky winners received a heavy duty D lock worth £25 .. well done to Alan, Arlo, Jack, Kobi, Aiden, Zander, Harry and Pharrell. 

PC Emma Tower said on the morning ..... "what a great turn out, this is the most we've had from any of the local schools"

Car Park:

As we welcome our students back to school, I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the importance of safe travel—whether traveling by car; walking, cycling or taking the bus. With an increase in traffic around our school, it is essential that we work together to ensure the safety of our children and families.

We have observed an increase in traffic volume within the school car park during drop-off and pick-up times. This has raised significant health and safety concerns for our students, staff, and families. Therefore, we kindly ask that all parents and carers refrain from turning into the school car park during these busy periods.

Instead, we recommend dropping off your children as close to the school as possible, ideally before reaching the roundabout nearest to our building. This simple adjustment will help reduce congestion and ensure a safer environment for everyone.

Additionally, we would like to emphasise, once again, the importance of allowing Blue Badge holders access to the school car park. We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring the designated spaces are available for those who need them.

Marshall's notice - Bus transport:

For those students who take the bus, Marshalls have kindly requested that students wait patiently at the bus stops and take care particularly as buses pull up beside busy roads. Ensuring that students remain safe while waiting for their transport is a shared responsibility.

Safe Cycling to School

For those students who cycle to school, we kindly ask that they be courteous to pedestrians and allow them plenty of space on the paths. Recently, we have received reports of some students not adhering to proper cycling etiquette, particularly at the local service station. It’s vital that we remind our children to be respectful and follow cycling proficiency guidelines. Additionally, for their own safety, we strongly recommend that all cyclists wear helmets.

Safe Walking and Crossing Roads

For students who walk to school, please take a moment to discuss with them the importance of being vigilant while crossing the roads. Encourage them to use pedestrian crossings where available and to remain aware of their surroundings, especially with increased traffic.

We appreciate your support in reinforcing these messages with your children. By working together, we can create a safer environment for everyone in our school community.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to our students' safety.

Please click this Link for the Mock timetable for the Year 11.

Please click here to view the timetable for next terms Enrichment sessions 

PE News – February Half Term

We have had a busy month of fixtures in PE this half term, with Y7, Y9, Y10 and Y11 playing in the South Nottinghamshire Schools Football Cup.

Our Y7 boys had a tough game against Carlton Le Willows in the second round of the cup, unfortunately resulting in a loss and are now out of the cup. Our boys represented the school brilliantly, showed amazing levels of Tenacity by keeping going, even when the goals kept going in! A huge thank you to Mikey Clark and Thomas Holton in Y11 for helping ref and run the line for the boys!

Nottingham Forest Netball

This half-term we have had the privileged of Nottingham Forest Netball delivering our training sessions on 2 occasions. We had a coach and a player provide us with their knowledge and expertise, giving us lots of information to help improve our game.

Girls Football,

The girls did another sterling effort and won their match 5-1, proceeding through to the quarter finals. 

The first of our two Quarter finals will take place on the 4th March at home, which we are all very excited for!

Come on girls!!! 

Rock School Workshops

 We are excited to announce that we are now offering rock band workshops every Wednesday as part of our enrichment programme. Professional musician, Drew Moore has been working with our talented rock and pop musicians this term to develop their performance skills and rehearse a number of songs including classics such as Stand By Me, Seven Nation Army and Valerie. We are looking forward to hearing them showcase their songs at concerts later in the year,

The Suthers Collective Orchestra

Following their successful debut performances last Christmas, the Suthers Collective Orchestra have been busy rehearsing weekly in preparation for next term’s concerts. We are looking for new member to expand our numbers, so if you play an instrument and would like to try playing in an ensemble, please see Mr Case.

Suthers Voices Choir

We are delighted to have West End performer Alan Bradshaw working with us every Tuesday to lead our Suthers Voices Choir. Our students have been working on a variety of musical theatre songs and have particularly enjoyed working on ‘Heart of Stone’ and ‘Six’ – look out for performances later in the year!

DRAMA

Studio29 Suthers Drama club and started back up and it is great to see new faces this half term! There are a few spaces left- please see Mrs Parkin if you are interested. Every Wednesday after school- 2:45-3:45pm in the Drama Studio.

GCSE DRAMA EXAM

The Year 11 GCSE Drama class performed their final exam to a visiting examiner. This makes up 20% of their final grade. They did brilliantly and it was great to see their hard work paying off. Students performed extracts from ‘Teechers’, ‘The Chairs’, ‘Adult Child/Dead Child’, ‘Girls Like That’ and ‘Private Lives’. An eclectic mix of styles to really showcase their talent. Well done!

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS UPDATE

The cast and crew are still working tirelessly to make this an incredible show that is not to be missed. An extra rehearsal was scheduled in for Saturday 1st February and we worked incredibly hard throughout the day.

Tickets are now on sale at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-suthers-school

Our first Year 8 drop down day this year is on 18th March with a focus on Art, Photography, Science and Enterprise. As part of the day all students have the opportunity to take part in various workshop offered by subject specialists and the company Lush who specialize in the creation of bath products. The workshops planned, link to the knowledge they have learned in class and build upon previous, as well as enriching students with new skills and knowledge. We are asking for parents/careers for a donation of £5 to help contribute towards the cost of this workshop to allow us to provide sessions like this to students to explore various aspects and opportunities outside of the classroom.

We have a VR Experience/Exhibition event on the 27th February, 

The students have done an amazing job putting together a fundraising day in aid of Cancer Research UK. 

The Y10s have done a fantastic effort raising so much money for Cancer Research UK. Thank you all for the donations and support to make this day possible. 

A big well done and thanks to Jude, Otis, Harley, Cameron, Honor, Alfie, Oliver, Carter and George. A total of £929.48 has been raised, which is outstanding!

Please click here for the Active Leisure Half term Activities.

Please click here for FACE timetable 

Please see attached poster from the MHST Team

  As part of the lettings, Back in January we had the British national competition  take place here. It was a great success and the organisers love our school. 

Lions den ABC home shows have been successfully at the school. Next one is 23rd Feb from 1pm if you would like to come along and support.