Adverse Weather Warning – 4 – 5 February 2012

You will be aware that current Met Office weather warnings indicate some possible snow disruption in our region this coming Saturday night/Sunday morning. Clearly we hope that any disruption will not run into Monday or any of the next working week.

Obviously, should we have any specific issues caused by this weather, our usual Adverse Weather arrangements (detailed in the News section of our website:- Adverse Weather Arrangements : School blog : News – Nunthorpe School) will be actioned.

Should we need to either close our school or open late at any point, our School Closure page on our Virtual Learning Environment (‘Moodle’) contains plenty of appropriate and up to date curriculum work for all students at all levels and in all subjects.

Please access this page via our website homepage. It is our expectation that work will be completed by students, at home during any enforced period of school closure.

Clearly, we will do our utmost, as ever to avoid the utter inconvenience of any closure.

My very best wishes to you all.

Yours sincerely,

Debbie Clinton
Headteacher

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  Adverse Weather Update – February 2012

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We have recently experienced issues with our email system. These issues are now resolved. Please accept our apologies if you were unable to contact the school between Friday 20 – Monday 23 inclusive.

I am writing to you to give you more information on Nunthorpe’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Moodle. I am sure many of you have seen your child accessing work through Moodle at home and also want to know more about what it is and how it can be used.

Moodle is primarily a Learning platform on our school website, which is an online area where students can access work, extend their learning and take part in a wide range of learning activities. All students have a unique login to Moodle which allows them to access the different courses created by their teachers. Within these courses they will find their homework and links to lesson resources and other websites. By accessing Moodle with your child you will be able to find out what he/she is doing in certain lessons and also be able to help keep track of any homework.

Moodle is also used as a method of communication with you as parents. If you follow the Moodle link on the Nunthorpe Homepage (www.nunthorpe.co.uk) you will find that there is a parents’ section. By clicking on the parent icon you can access links to the different faculties and houses. Over the coming year, pages will be updated with information about the faculties and houses and the different activities offered. There is also a ‘Showcase’ area where you will find examples of outstanding work and events which have been held at Nunthorpe.

If we have to close due to adverse weather during the winter months we will use Moodle as a communication tool. Students will be able to access work and resources to ensure their learning continues, even when they are unable to come into school.

I hope that this gives you a small insight into what Moodle is about, and the potential which can be achieved. If you have any questions or problems with Moodle then please do not hesitate to contact me, either by email (tday@nunthorpe.co.uk) or on the school phone 01642 310561 extension: 160.

Yours sincerely,

Thomas Day
Director of VLE

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  Virtual Learning Environment – January 2012

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In October 2011, you will recall that after a meeting of the Full Governing Body it was agreed that we would apply for Academy Status with effect from 1 September 2012.

As part of this process, it was confirmed that we would hold a series of consultation Open Forums for our students, their parents and our staff.

An initial meeting has already been held with our staff with a further Open Forum meeting to be held later this month. We are therefore now pleased to confirm that the Parental Open Forum Meeting will be held as follows:

• Date: Thursday 5 January 2012
• Venue: Main Hall
• Time: 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm

We hope that as many of you as possible are able to attend this meeting which will, in the usual Nunthorpe format, be held in a ‘Question and Answer’ style.

We hope to see a good attendance at the meeting, where we will be able to outline the benefits of Academy Status for students, parents and staff.

Yours sincerely,

Debbie Clinton
Headteacher

We write to you at the end of our busy Autumn term packed full of activities. Please visit our website (www.nunthorpe.co.uk) to check out the very wide range of opportunities for all our learners and please do encourage your child to get even more involved with making Nunthorpe the special place we know it to be.

Our new Spring Term begins at 8:30 am on Tuesday 3 January 2012. Please note our school will be closed to students on Friday 10 February 2012, for staff training, an important part of our work that keeps us up to date with the latest educational developments – national and international.

You will be aware that a full version of our School Calendar – always fully up to date – is live on our website at all times. Please do check this regularly so that you don’t miss any important events for you and your child. As ever, our Spring term contains a number of very important evening functions for parents and carers and these are all identified on both our Calendar and our website blog.

In the meantime, our Governors, staff and I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful, successful new year – a holiday for us all to enjoy some important time with our families.

Yours sincerely,

Debbie Clinton
Headteacher

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  End of Term Letter – December 2011

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We write to you as we see the approach of winter and possible adverse weather in the immediate future.

The decision to either delay our start to the working day or to close our school is always a very difficult one to make, and we always make it with considerable reluctance. We all find the inconvenience of any closure/delayed start to be annoying I am sure – as a school leader I find it incredibly inconvenient on every occasion it is necessary. However we will continue to make our closure decisions with the best interests of our students and staff at the centre of all that we do.

We obviously consult the Meteorological Office regional and local weather forecasts and use that information to make a closure decision by 1:00 pm on the preceding day. We need to make this decision by then to ensure that our school can operate normally (e.g. with catering services fully equipped with planned deliveries etc.) We also consult other local secondary schools similarly.

Any school is a very different place to manage in snowy/icy weather. Aside from all of the obvious health and safety issues for students and staff, stopping 1,450 young people in the 11-16 part of our school from the (understandable) temptations of snowballing – especially to and from school – is always of concern to us and should not be under-estimated by any of us.

We have used the delayed start arrangement with some success in the past and we will use it this coming winter as our first preference in adverse weather. Without the flexibility that a delayed opening gives us, we really do have to manage all sorts of very difficult factors. The majority of our staff travel some distance each day, and you will perhaps recall that those travelling from areas such as Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, parts of North Yorkshire and Darlington were held up in the many traffic problems of last winter.

Without a full or nearly full complement of staff, we simply cannot guarantee either the safety of all of our students nor the quality of their learning in such circumstances. We do only have a very limited number of large indoor spaces which can hold large numbers of students. Ensuring our customary high standards of teaching and learning when short of teachers is very difficult indeed.
As we are sure you can understand, one really cannot ‘win’ in such difficult weather situations, and one can only take decisions in the light of the information available at any specific time.
Obviously, as any poor weather begins, we will continue to open fully whenever we can. Do please consult the BBC Local website and/or to tune in to BBC Radio Tees – the latter tend to give 15 minute updates on the ¼ hour. We will also always post a message on our own website homepage by 6 am of the relevant day – if not the night before in the majority of cases. 
Fingers firmly crossed, and prayers pleadingly issued, for a better winter this year!

Our very best wishes to you and your families. Keep warm; stay safe.

Yours sincerely,

Debbie Clinton
Headteacher

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  Adverse Weather – December 2011

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Due to the Strike Action on Wednesday 30 November 2011, students did not participate within their current cycle of enrichment options.

The current enrichment cycle, Cycle 2, is due to end on Wednesday 7 December 2011, and Cycle 3 is due to start on Wednesday 14 December 2011. It has been decided that Cycle 2 will now finish on Wednesday 14 December 2011 – therefore students will receive the full 6 weeks of their enrichment options. This will not affect any payments for the options that students are in. If any payments are still outstanding for Cycles 1 & 2 please forward payment immediately.

The remaining enrichment Cycle Dates will be as follows:

• Cycle 3: Wednesday 4 January 2012 – Wednesday 8 February 2012.
• Cycle 4: Wednesday 22 February 2012 – Wednesday 28 March 2012.
• Cycle 5: Wednesday 18 April 2012 – Wednesday 23 May 2012.
• Cycle 6: Wednesday 30 May 2012 – Wednesday 11 July 2012.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me via telephone or via kdeen@nunthorpe.co.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Karen Deen
Senior Strategic Leader & Director of Extended School

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  Opt4 Changes – December 2011

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A vacancy has arisen for a parent governor on the governing body of your child’s school. Parents or guardians 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. If you would like to speak to one of the existing parent governors about the role, Laura will be able to ask someone to contact you for a chat. She will also send you a nomination form by post or e-mail. Your nomination needs the backing of two other parents/guardians 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 9 DECEMBER 2011.

If there is more than one applicant a ballot will be organised in January 2012 and all parents will be sent a ballot paper. If only one person applies, they 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 01642 444333.

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  Parent Governor Letter – November 2011

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We are writing to you on behalf of the students at Nunthorpe sixth form, this is in relation to the issues with traffic congestion and parking issues in the visitor/drop off car parking area.

Firstly, we feel we must make it clear that we appreciate that in some instances it is a necessity for parents to use the top car park, as they wish to witness their child’s safe entry into the school amongst other outlying circumstances. However, as we’re sure you are aware the large amount of parents who enter the car park on a daily basis is causing significant traffic disruption.

Secondly, it is a frequent occurrence that when cars are attempting to enter and exit the car park at the same time, an immovable circle of traffic is formed as the cars halt the traffic flow on both sides of the road, not allowing the other to exit, thus stopping them getting in. Such congestion leads to many children being increasing late to school and presents numerous health and safety issues for children attempting to cross the car park coming to and from school. Furthermore, many cars using the car park feel it is acceptable to double park. There are a limited amount of designated parking bays and any car that is parking outside of these not only restricts the access of cars travelling through the car park, but traps other drivers in. If drivers are to leave their car, the other driver may not be able to access their car, causing inconvenience to them. It may also lead to damages made to cars, if cars trying to get through do not have enough room or cars trying to leave the car park damage cars in non-car parking spaces, in the process of trying to leave.

All of this not only creates a health and safety risk for the school children using this car park, it is also a very threatening environment for new drivers who attend the sixth form. As the sixth form grows, so will the amount of pupils driving there. There are a very limited amount of car parking spaces in the sixth form car park, pupils then must use the top car park, but cannot do so as parents stopping to drop their children off fill the bays. This results in such students having to park on residential roads, while they are at sixth form which may affect traffic throughout the day. Additionally, a selected number of drivers using the car park adopt an aggressive manner towards new drivers, who may be overwhelmed by the difficulties faced with using the car park. This may result in mistakes, leading to an accident, threatening the health and safety of all drivers and children in the car park.

To ease such problems we would ask if it is possible if parents using the car park could take the aforementioned points into consideration and if possible make concessions to avoid using the car park, thus reducing congestion and threats to health and safety. For example, to park temporarily in an appropriate place close to the school and making use of the road safety officer present, to help with the child’s safe crossing of the road, this in fact is much safer then the child venturing through the car park.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this letter and we hope we can reach an amicable resolution.

Yours faithfully

Elliot Holmes; Lauren Beeforth; Thomas Phillips; Cameron Brown; Katie Sharkey; Lucinda Thompson; Danah Khabass; Josef Lythe; Joe Harris; Katie Toner; Nigel Singleton; Rosie Larkin; Fran Atkinson; Elizabeth Simpson; Emma Simpson; Chris McArdle; Libby Brammer; Emma Bolland; Daniel Green;
Jess Lowe; Sarah Khabbass; James Parkin; Katie Toner; Lauren Beach; Jess Doyle; Alex Bennett.
TSFE Student Council

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  Student Council – Traffic congestion and parking issues – November 2011

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BIE London Trip Information

See the two attached documents regarding the BIE London Visit.

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  Pre-Departure Guide

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  Departure Guide

Young Americans World Tour

We are thrilled to announce that Nunthorpe School has managed to secure a place as part of the Young Americans World Tour. A group of approximately 45 young people between the ages of 15 and 22 will arrive in Nunthorpe on March 20th 2012 to lead a 3 day workshop for Nunthorpe School Students and a number of students from our Primary Partner Schools. At the end of the 3 day workshop we will be delighted to present the final performance on Thursday 22nd March 2012 at 7pm to showcase the work done during the 3 days.

Having visited other schools in the Authority who have invited the Young Americans to work with their students, I have witnessed, firsthand, the quality of the production they are able to present. The experience for each young person had a profound impact on his/her life and the tears of joy at the end of the performance gave testament to this. I invite all students to apply for a place on this “once in a lifetime opportunity”.

Please contact me by email via rsmith@nunthorpe.co.uk should you have any queries about the workshop or the availability of places. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students, the school and our community and I would encourage everyone to get involved either by being part of the workshop or by coming to enjoy the performance on the Thursday evening.

Please click on the link below to get a taste of the quality of the workshop experience.

Rachel Smith
Assistant Headteacher Learning & Standards

Admissions Policy 2013 – 2014

The Admission Policy for 2013 – 2014 has gone out for consultation with all the necessary parties.

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  Admissions Policy for 2013 – 2014

Young Writers’ 2011 Creative Writing Competition

Congratulations to twelve students who successfully entered the Young Writers 2011 Creative Writing Competition and now have their work printed in a book entitled Mini Sagas – Creative Capers.

These creative writing pieces show an impressive level of creativity and imagination and provide an absorbing look into the eager minds of our future authors. The book is now available in the Learning Resource Centre.

Sport Department Extracurricular Timetable

• Extracurricular activities provided by the Sport Department have been announced for the upcoming Spring Term. This can be accessed by clicking on the following link: Sport : Subjects : Our School – Nunthorpe School

Do you want to contact a member of staff? The staff email contact list has been updated.

• Visit this link: Staff Contact Information : Parents – Nunthorpe School

If you have any queries, or questions – please don’t hesitate to email admin@nunthorpe.co.uk and our staff will be able to assist you.

Check back soon for further updates.