There is currently a vacancy for a parent governor on the governing body of your child’s school. Parents or carers of students attending the school (including the sixth form) are invited to apply. This includes any person who is not a parent of a child but who has parental responsibility for him/her or who has care of the child.

What do School Governors do?

Governors play an important part, in conjunction with the Head Teacher and staff in the running of the school. Becoming a Parent Governor would allow you to have input into the work of the school and bring a parent’s view to the discussions. The Governing Body:-

• Is accountable for the performance of the school.
• Appoints the Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher.
• Is involved in deciding on the aims, ethos and future direction of the school.
• Make decisions on the school’s budget and staffing.
• Is responsible for ensuring that the National Curriculum is taught.
• Determines policies on matters such as discipline, sex education and religious education.

Do I need to be an expert?

No, you don’t need to be an expert or have any special qualifications to become a School Governor, although you do need to be aged 18 or over. More importantly, we are looking for people who are enthusiastic, interested in the education of children, willing to learn and prepared to commit some time to the important, interesting and rewarding task of governing a school. The important thing to remember is that you would not be making decisions in isolation, but would be working as part of a team.

Would there be any training available?

There is an expectation that new governors will attend induction training and that they should also have an ongoing commitment to attend other development courses during their term of office. All training is paid for by the school. There will be no charge to individual governors. New governors are also provided with a welcome pack, including useful information and resources to assist them in their role.

How much time would I be expected to give?

Nunthorpe’s full governing body meets six times a year. There may sometimes be additional special meetings of the governing body and you will also be expected to be a member of at least one or two smaller committees that meet regularly. Governors are also encouraged to get to know the school in more informal ways and to occasionally visit during the school day. The average monthly commitment for a governor is estimated as 6-8 hours.

Who else is on the Governing Body?

There are 19 governors in total at Nunthorpe School, made up as follows:-

6 parent governors
3 governors appointed by the Local Authority.
3 staff governors (including the Head Teacher).
5 community governors (appointed by the governing body)
2 partnership governors (appointed by the governing body)

How long would my appointment last?

Your appointment would be for a period of four years. After that time, the nomination process takes place again and existing parent governors may apply for a further term of office if they are eligible. If a child of a Parent Governor leaves the school, the governor can complete the term of office, unless he/she chooses to resign.

So how do I become a Parent Governor?

If you want to become a Parent Governor, you should contact Laura Buckell at the school on 01642 310561. She will be able to send you a nomination form by post or e-mail. Your nomination needs the backing of two other parents/carers from different families.

YOUR SIGNED FORM SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE SCHOOL IN A SEALED ENVELOPE MARKED “NOMINATION OF PARENT GOVERNOR” NO LATER THAN FRIDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2010.

If there is more than one applicant a ballot will be held and all parents will be sent a ballot paper. If only one person applies, he/she will automatically be elected.

Disqualifications and Checks

There are certain circumstances, which would disqualify a person from becoming a governor. These are given in detail on the back of the nomination form and you should read these and sign the declaration, which also gives permission for us to check your details against the Independent Safeguarding Authority’s Children’s Barred List (the list of people barred from working with children and young people). The successful candidate will also be asked to complete an application form for an enhanced disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau.

Further details

If you have further queries, which have not been answered, please contact either the school or the School Governor Support Service on the telephone number shown above.

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  Parent Governor – September 2010

Nunthorpe attaches huge importance to parental engagement and already has a Parent Voice Group, and a Parent Steering Group. We are also well on the way to achieving the DFE (Department for Education) Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA). We provide parents with attainment information 6 times each academic year, and a full written report each year is given out at Parents’ Evening.

We are launching an exciting new development during the first term in September 2010 that is designed to improve communication between home and school and to help you monitor the progress of your child, thus helping their learning even more. All schools have a database in which student information is stored and this information is accessed through a Management Information System (MIS). We are going to give parental access to this information through a secure online web based Parental Portal called Nunthorpe Learning Gateway.

The Learning Gateway will allow access to this information over the internet. This will mean, over a secure account, using a user name and password that you can view information about your child. We hope this will mean you can check on your child’s progress as often as you want and always feel you are up to date with any issues surrounding your child at school.

Please click on the links to find out more:-

• Video link: http://www.expoclip.co.uk/capita/ (a commercial site showing an example of a school using Sims Learning Gateway);
• Timeline;
• Email to register interest learninggateway@nunthorpe.co.uk
  • Click on the link to email the school to register your interest. Please include your name, your child(ren’s) name and their Date(s) of Birth.  Please ensure you use the email address the school already has on record.
• More information about Nunthorpe’s Parent Portal (due Aug 2010);
• Online Training (due September 2010);
• Parent Introduction Training Session timetable (due September 2010).

Yours sincerely

Tim Duffill
Assistant Headteacher Digital Innovations

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  Letter to Parents – Portal / Learning Gateway

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Our students and staff are busy, today, celebrating a great set of GCSE results.
The main performance measure the government uses now for all secondary schools is that of 5x A*-C GCSE grades which must include GCSE English and GCSE Maths. Our results here are 67% – a record for our school and a spectacular 12% increase on our 2009 results. In 2009, the national average for this measure was 49.8%; we are thus very pleased indeed.

On the ‘old’ (no longer used in league tables) 5x A*- C GCSE measure which might or might not include English and Maths we achieved 78% – nearly matching our school record of 79%. However, because of significant problems with some examination board data this year (experienced in a large number of schools we gather) we believe that this figure may well increase to 81%; this would then beat our previous 79% record!

This tremendous record is only enhanced by the spectacular individual achievements of some of our Year 11 students: a huge number of our students achieved a set of straight GCSE A* and A grades in every GCSE qualification they took – the very top performers are Jake Anderson, Sarah Bircham, Chloe Hayes, Thomas Hayton, Philippa Hughes-Narborough, Nishita Lal, Josef Lythe, Ellie Nolan, Sophie Nolan, Heather Robinson and Stephen Robinson – but these students are merely the highlights of so many exceptional success stories.

It is clear that the hard work and commitment of our students and staff has, again, reaped dividends.
We are also elated that this follows our fantastic A Level results published last week.
Well done to all involved – we are so very proud and what a year!

Debbie Clinton
Headteacher

More images can be found here: GCSE Exam Results 2010 : Photo Gallery : Students – Nunthorpe School

The average points score per entry is a tremendous 228 points. Our A Level students achieved an A*-E pass rate of 100%; an A*-A pass rate of 36%; and an A*-B pass rate of 66%. In 2009, the national A*-E pass rate was 96-97% – we thus predict that we will be way above the national average when the 2010 A Level performance data is published later in the coming Autumn Term.

This tremendous record is only enhanced by the spectacular individual achievements of some of our Sixth Form students: Jack Cairns, Sara Longstaff, Scott Mitchell and Ayushma Tuladhar all achieved straight A* and A grades in every A Level qualification they took.

It is clear that the hard work and commitment of our students and staff has reaped dividends.

We are also elated that so many of our A Level students have, today, secured their first choice university place – given the national media coverage of the difficulties in securing university places this year, this is such good news to report.

This is such a tremendous first set of A Level results for our school.

Well done to all involved – we are so very proud!

Debbie Clinton
Headteacher

P.S. Our tremendous A Level results story is covered in this evening’s Middlesbrough Evening Gazette.

See more pictures in our Photo Gallery located here: A Level Results 2010 : Photo Gallery : Students – Nunthorpe School

Liam Reveley-Collins and Joe Morley have set up the business in Nunthorpe. The duo, who launched Pet Pals in March, currently look after nine pooches. The business started after dog-lover Liam, began walking a neighbours golden retriever called Alfie, and has blossomed from there.

The 12-year-old pupil at Nunthorpe Secondary School said: I love dogs theyre really friendly animals and you know where you are with them.

Liams mum, Alison said: It all started because Liam wanted a dog but Im not really a doggy person.

He waited until he was 10 then took matters into his own hands and started walking a neighbours dog.

From there he and his friend decided to set up their own business and started popping leaflets through peoples doors.

Alison and dad Peter have been so impressed with their sons care of other peoples pooches that they gave Liam his own dog, called Dina, in June.

Alison said: Im really proud of him. Hes shown how dedicated and mature he can be with dogs.

The money also motivates him, he likes putting it in the bank and watching it grow and hes bought himself an Xbox.

Liam and John offer short walks costing £1 and longer walks which cost £2. And the business-savvy lads have just expanded their business by starting to cut lawns.

Original Story Posted here on the Evening Gazette Website

Image credits to the Evening Gazette.

Pupils at Nunthorpe Secondary School, on Guisborough Road, have helped prepare the area for the Northumbria in Bloom competition.

As part of an enrichment programme, which takes place at the school, students in years seven to 10 have given Nunthorpe Station a total makeover.

Under the guidance of teachers Karen Gillett and Katie Greenwood, 18 students have made a gang of scarecrows to greet visitors to the station. The green-fingered pupils have also planted up tubs and hanging baskets as part of the 12-week programme.

Councillor Barbara Thompson, said: “For Nunthorpe, Northumbria in Bloom is not just about the judging but about improving the environment. The students have learnt about horticulture and nature as part of the programme. Not only has the environment been improved it’s been brilliant fun for the students.”

The results for the Northumbria in Bloom competition will be released in September.

Director of Extended School at Nunthorpe Secondary School, Karen Deen said: “When passengers pass the scarecrows they smile and laugh. I’m so proud of the pupils. It’s nice to see them take pride in their community.”

The enrichment programme at the school sees the time table collapse once a week and students are given options to choose, from studying extra GCSEs to rock climbing.

Original Story Posted here on the Evening Gazette Website

See More Pictures from our Opt4 lessons here

We write at the end of another super year for our school.

Our students and staff have achieved so very much and you will find that our very new website provides a snapshot of that great achievement. Do please log on and even contribute a thread to one of the many blogs currently live on our website! You will see our final ‘The Specialist’ newsletter of the academic year on the website too which makes a delightful read.

Sadly, for this year, we have decided to not go ahead with our ‘@ Nunthorpe’ magazine as one of a number of economy measures the school is engaged in. In these genuine times of austerity across the country, the school is also determined to make budget savings wherever we can without directly affecting our students and their education. We will continue to review our magazine arrangements over the next two school years.

As we break up for the Summer vacation, we thought it timely to remind you/update you with some important information for September.

2010-2011 Key Dates

Our 2010-2011 School Calendar has been live on our website for some weeks now. Please consult it carefully for all key dates for next year. Our Staff PD training days are itemised there in detail for you. Should you need a paper copy of our calendar, these are freely available to you through our Main Reception – just call the school’s Main Switchboard and ask Jane Gajda (Senior Receptionist) to send you a copy to your home address,

Start of Autumn Term 2010 Arrangements

You will notice from our 2010-2011 Calendar that we have, as usual, a ‘staggered’ beginning to the Autumn Term.

Friday, 3rd September 2010 is a normal school day for Years 7, 12 and 13/14 only;
Monday, 6th September 2010 is a normal school day for all Year groups – 7-13/14 inclusive.

School Uniform (11-16 students)

There are no changes to our uniform policy for 2010-2011. As usual, this is detailed in full on our website. Please, in particular, note the acceptable school shoes and acceptable school bags pages. We will, as ever, be checking uniform very carefully in September ensuring that we get off to another year of high standards of presentation and conduct for our students.

School Equipment

You will all know that it is our expectation that all students in Years 7-11 come to school each day equipped for learning. This means:

1. They are in perfect uniform – all day, every day
2. They have a fully equipped pencil case with them
3. They have an up to date Student Planner with them
4. They have all necessary books, files and equipment (e.g. SPORT kit) with them for each day.

These are basic expectations and they will be enforced rigidly again from 6th September 2010. Please do ensure that your son/daughter avoids any need for school sanctions by adhering to these expectations every single school day.

BSF (‘Building Schools for the Future’) – our new school!

There has been much in the national and local press about the cancellation of many BSF projects across England.

You will know that our BSF project, along with all projects in Redcar and Cleveland local authority, has been stopped with immediate effect. Obviously, this is a blow for all schools. I will write to parents during the Autumn Term with an update on our position when we know more. The government’s Comprehensive Spending Review in October will, we are confident, result in the securing of some, much smaller, capital amounts to at least do the urgent building work needed in parts of our campus.

New Car Park Arrangements with effect from 1st September 2010

As a popular and very large secondary school with an equally popular primary school as our neighbour, we have, for many years, suffered from inadequate amounts of car parking spaces for both schools. We do have no easy solution to this ongoing problem short of lifting up both schools and moving them to a different location!

Most unfortunately, since we remarked our main car park (one of our 3 car parks) during the summer of 2008 with clearly defined hatched areas and double yellow lines, it is quite apparent that unless we physically staff our main gate or manage the traffic then we constantly ‘battle’ with visitors using these areas for parking – thus congesting our car park and creating obstacles for emergency vehicles. We have also installed clamping signs as a deterrent – which visitors frequently choose to ignore.

For these reasons and the very obvious safety issues for primary and secondary school students and staff, both schools have jointly taken the decision to operate a permit controlled access barrier from 1 September 2010.

This will mean:

1. Access to our school’s 3 car parks and the smaller primary school car park will only be granted through the use of a pre-issued parking permit or via a new intercom system located on our main gate;
2. That the current visitors’ parking and drop off bays will remain as they are and will be strictly used for visitors parking and drop off only. These are obviously outside of the new barrier;
3. Whilst we will try to avoid clamping any unauthorized vehicles, the installation of our new barrier means we will now bring into full operation our clamping policy whenever necessary.

As a consequence of the new barrier installation, traffic will undoubtedly be extra heavy on Guisborough Road and we urge parents, carers and visitors alike to think about their journeys and to liaise with their children for the safest drop off and pick up points. Primary school parents in particular are urged to use the Walking Bus already in very successful operation from St. Mary’s Church car park.

We do apologise for any inconvenience caused whilst both schools ‘bed’ this system in, but we are sure you will appreciate that the safety of our students and staff must always come first.

Parents’ Consultation and Partnership

Our Parents Steering Group (‘PSG’) and Parents Voice Group (‘PVG’) have enjoyed a great first year of operation!

Details of the excellent work that both groups are currently engaged in can be found on our website. Both groups have already made a massive difference to the continued improvement of our school and they welcome new parents/carers members at any time. Further details can be found on our website and in our ‘Parents’ A to Z’ handbook – also on our website. Come and join in – you really can make your own special difference to our school!

Have a lovely summer break and enjoy some extra time with your sons and daughters.

We look forward to another great year from September 6 2010 at 8:30 am.

Our very best wishes.

Yours sincerely

Debbie Clinton
Headteacher

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  End of Term Letter – July 2010

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Dear Parent(s) / Carer(s),

The Parent Voice Group (PVG) will be holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on:

Date: Tuesday 7 September 2010

Time: 7pm

Venue: Nunthorpe School ELZ

This is an opportunity for all parents to come along and hear in more detail about the PVG, its membership and aims and objectives. It is also the occasion when the PVG Committee will be elected.

If you will be attending the AGM please can you contact me at school or via kdeen@nunthorpe.co.uk.

Yours sincerely

Karen Deen
Director of Extended School & Senior Strategic Leader

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  Annual Group Meeting – July 2010 Letter

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Danny Yates
Assistant Head Teacher – Key Stage 3 Learning & Standards and Specialist School Plan

We are writing to inform you of the procedures for collecting Examination results from the recent GCSE and module series. Each year group from Year 9 to Year 11 have different arrangements, so please read the following information carefully:

Year 11

Year 11 results will be available to collect from the Sixth Form Centre at our Nunthorpe site from 10.00 am onwards on Tuesday 24 August 2010. This will provide students with a record of grades achieved in each subject on Nunthorpe headed paper. A hard copy of the results will arrive at the school from the examination boards and will be available to collect from school reception on Thursday 26 August from 10.00 am until 12.00 noon. These may be required by some Colleges or Training Providers as “official” proof of Examination results.

Year 11 students requiring results to be posted home must provide us with signed written permission from their parents, and a stamped addressed envelope. This will then be sent out, as a priority on Tuesday.

Year 10

Year 10 results will be posted home via first class mail on Tuesday 24 August 2010 to arrive on Wednesday 25 August 2010. Very few students have full GCSE Examination results to receive, the vast majority having several module results instead. Normally we have waited until September to hand back module results but we want students to experience something of the nervous excitement of waiting for the envelope to appear!

Year 9

Some Year 9 students have completed modular examinations. Because of the small numbers involved we will give results to students on their return to school in September. Students should approach their teachers on their return to normal lessons to ask for their results.

If you have any queries regarding this or any other issue please do not hesitate to contact me at the school on 01642 310561 or email dpage@nunthorpe.co.uk

Yours sincerely

David Page
Assistant Headteacher KS4 Learning & Standards

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  Exam Information Letter – July 2010

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