July 2016

Dear Parents and Carers,

Perhaps inevitably in the final edition of the school year, there is a lot of news and updates to provide parents, carers and families with so that we end this year successfully and begin next term smoothly. On behalf of the Governors and staff at Colmers, have a great summer break and see you all back on Wednesday 7th September 2016 – normal time for every student!

Best wishes, Mr Barry Doherty (Headteacher)

Farewells – to our Years 11 and 13 Leavers On Friday 10th June we held our special farewell assembly to the second cohort of A-Level students to wish them every success in their examination results and their university careers. Whilst we shall be seeing record numbers of Year 11 students back in our sixth form in September, we did say a final goodbye to some students in both their Leavers’ Assembly and the Prom on Thursday 30th June. It was the best Prom we can all remember and feel honoured to have spent time with such great young people. Sadly, no one arrived in a Ford Mustang this year, but we saw Harley-Davidsons, stretch-Hummers, Bentleys, E-Type Jaguars, an S-Line Audi A5 and a bouncing gold Cadillac (until it lost a little bit of suspension fluid). Tired and happy, they left in only slightly less flashy taxis and cars.

Thank you to Mr Bennett for organising and for Mrs Snell for her paparazzi-inspired arrival for every student and putting together the ‘Don’t Stop Me Now!” staff video. Should you find time you can watch this on YouTube…

Our New Senior Prefects – and a New Head Girl and Head Boy! No less important than the departures of staff (see below) are those of our senior prefects from 2015/16. Semra, Alex, Amy and Dan led a wonderful team of Senior Prefects and Prefects and rightly deserved their recent trip to Alton Towers. Whilst Semra and Alex were somewhat reluctant to let go of their status, we have now appointed our new Senior Prefects, who include the Head and Deputy Head Girl and Boy.

Congratulations are therefore deserved to the following students: Todd Green, Kirsty Malkin, Phoebe Parker, Lauryn Temple and Tyler Westwood. Each one successfully applied to be prefects and then had the courage to undertake a further interview and seek one of just eight Senior Prefect positions. Paige Asbury and Rafe Sullivan were appointed as our Deputy Head Girl and Boy. They will work closely with our new Head Girl and Head Boy; Danielle Murphy and Pravir Sohal. Congratulations to them all – we are almost as proud as their families!

Farewells – to colleagues… It is that time of year when we bid farewell to colleagues, who are either retiring, preparing for promotions or starting another adventure in their lives. In the last edition I mentioned the departures of Mrs Pavey, Miss Whipp and Mrs Clarkson and can now add the names of colleagues who have since moved on to pastures new: Mrs Tranter (Finance Officer), Mrs Finnegan (Cover Supervisor), Mr Wilkinson (Spanish) and Mrs Billington (Teaching Assistant). At the end of this term we shall also bid farewell to several staff who have been with us a short while: Mr Hindley, Mr Bibb, Mr Tulloch, Miss Woodhouse, Mrs Vince, Mrs Fletcher, Ms Hudd and Mrs Russell. I wish to thank these colleagues, particularly where they have joined us during maternity leaves or other temporary periods of transition for the school. Mrs Jackson, Mrs Rathbone and Mrs Powell are about to begin their retirement. Mr Gowar, Miss Corbett and Mrs Ajayi, along with Mrs Sorotos – who has been so instrumental in the successful opening of our new Sixth Form – will also be saying farewell on the last day of term.

To each of these colleagues, whether they have been here for decades or months, I wish to publically thank them for their contributions to the life and progress of this school.

Achieving Excellence by Belonging Together and Challenging Mind-sets

Headteacher’s Half Term Newsletter

And Welcomes – to students and new staff… On Thursday 23rd June we held our Sixth Form Induction Day and now look forward to our Sixth Form growing to well over 100 students. Students are welcome to apply right up until the start of September and join our vibrant and growing Sixth Form. Similarly, on Thursday 30th June and Friday 1st July, we welcomed our new Year 6 into Year 7 arrivals for a two-day induction. Again, wonderful kids about to join us and we wish them every happiness and success in their seven years at Colmers.

We are delighted to share news of our newest crew members and welcome Miss Byng (Psychology), Miss Garwood (Science), Mr Weston (Geography), Miss Wells (English), Miss Gauthier (French), Miss O’Grady (Science) and Miss Knowles (Maths). We are also delighted to inform you that Mr Hussain will be joining us on a permanent basis after his superb work in Computer Science this year.

Elsewhere, Mrs Finch and Mrs Wilcox have both been promoted to the position of Assistant Headteacher. Mr Queen is now the Assistant Head of Learning & Achievement for Year 7 (alongside Mrs Bennett) and Mrs Hewston was also promoted to the position of Subject Leader for Learning for Life.

Uniform – “IF IN DOUBT, PLEASE ASK…”

From September, permission for students to wear a black or dark grey skirt is removed. An official school-skirt is now available and will be the only skirt permitted to be worn. The skirt is of very high quality and will be available from Clive Mark (£18) and Marks and Spencer. If a student does not wish to wear the new school-skirt, for any reason, then the option to wear tailored school-trousers remains. Students interested in wearing the new school-skirt can, in the first year only, benefit from a major reduction in the cost of a skirt, if they approach their Head of Learning & Achievement.

As I outlined in my last newsletter, from September the new students into Year 7 will be required to wear a brand new sports-top. Students in the new Years 8 to 11 (current Years 7 to 10) will not be required to wear the new top. However, the old PE tops

will no longer be sold and therefore when your son or daughter needs to replace their sports top, he or she will be required to purchase the new version. Each top will cost as little as £13.00.

Please remember that a detailed breakdown of our uniform and equipment expectations is available on-line - or a paper copy can be sent to you if you wish. Also, the school continues to offer a fund to families struggling to pay for their children’s uniform. This support can be confidentially and easily given by emailing or calling me, Mrs Wilcox or your son or daughter’s Head of Learning & Achievement.

ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

From Grades to Levels – Changes Ahead… Parents and carers may be aware that the Government decided to gradually remove the traditional GCSE grades (A* to U) that were first awarded in 1988. They are set to be replaced by the numbers nine to one; with nine being the highest level of attainment. GCSEs in English and Maths will be the first to change and this means that are our current Year 10s will be the first cohort to receive English and Maths grades expressed in numbers, whilst the rest of their GCSE grades will still be those traditional letters. In time, all GCSE results will be expressed as numbers. Right now, schools have not been given clarity on how those numbers align to those old grades – we can assume that there isn’t a simple translation of the new numbers to the old grades. However, the table opposite may give you a very rough idea. Inevitably, these changes will affect our internal reporting systems to parents and carers and so, over time, all GCSE letter-grades will disappear and will be replaced by numbers. We will share more information about this during the next academic year.

Quality Award in Careers Education – First in the Country! We were delighted to be informed that on 1st July our school received the Prospects Quality Award for Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG). This kind of thing really matters because top quality CEIAG motivates and inspires young people to do even better at school and gives them a genuine sense of purpose and destiny in their lives. Adolescence and teenage years are often filled with uncertainties that a career plan can

help overcome. Thank you so much for the tireless work of Mrs Hanlon with her direct work with the students, but also her support for Mrs Hewston (Learning 4 Life), Heads of Learning & Achievement and Learning Tutors in the delivery of our CEIAG programmes in with your sons and daughters in their Learning for Life lessons.

New Old?

9 A*

8

7 A

6 B

5 C+

4 C-

3 D

Achieving Excellence by Belonging Together and Challenging Mind-sets

Headteacher’s Half Term Newsletter

BELONGING TOGETHER

Much Ado at Colmers – Marking the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s Exit

On Wednesday 20th July, the whole school will be involved in another cross curricular themed day – ‘Much Ado at Colmers’ – celebrating the life and works of William Shakespeare, 400 years after the Bard’s death. Over the course of the day each department will be sampling Elizabethan life, allowing students to appreciate the world of Shakespeare from an alternative perspective. Activities throughout the day include looking at the mythology and themes in Shakespeare’s text, creating costume and set designs, connecting ‘The Lion King’ to ‘Hamlet’ and sampling some Elizabethan sports, to name but a few! The lunch break will also see some street entertainment as well as the ‘menu’ having an Elizabethan twist! Keep your eye on social media and future newsletters for a breakdown of the day. My thanks goes to Mrs Hodgson who had led us through this exciting venture from the vision to the execution, so to speak!

Curriculum Enrichment – Trips, Visits and Residentials The intensity of the examination season usually fades in the middle of June and provide the time (and energy!) for colleagues to plan and lead a massive range of opportunities and activities for your children. On Friday 1st July, Miss Hanlon organised our Careers Days to Halesowen and Heart of Worcester colleges. We were thrilled to learn that both colleges were so praising of our students; their courtesy, interest and all-round good natured behaviour. Our current Year 10s are certainly a superb year group and it was lovely to hear that others agree.

At the time of this newsletter being typed and going to print, we are in the middle of the trips and residentials week, organised by Mr James (Assistant Head). Kicking off with a traditional Sports Day on Friday 15th July, students have been or will be visiting or participating in the Longbridge Art Project, Twycross Zoo, West Midlands Safari Park, Loudmouth Productions, Oxford, the Natural History Museum, Warwick races (!) and a talent show. Not to mention the residential to the beautiful mountains of North Wales, led by the intrepid Mr Strong. Mr Strong and other colleagues are undoubtedly a little tired and ready for a well-earned summer break but their determination to go that extra step or 117.6 hundred miles (to Snowdonia) for Colmers students is very, very heart-warming. Thank you to my colleagues!

A Night At The Musicals – Forget London’s West End!

Recently, Mrs Brereton and Mr Young organised acting and vocal auditions for a spectacular event at Colmers before Christmas. Dates and times are to be confirmed but you can begin looking forward to songs and scenes from the likes of The Sound of Music, Oliver, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Oliver, Bugsy Malone, Wicked, Grease and – yes, it’s true – Frozen.

We are not sure if a few songs from Frozen will make or break audience numbers but Let It Go was an impromptu school song last year and is likely to prove a big hit.

Achieving Excellence by Belonging Together and Challenging Mind-sets

Headteacher’s Half Term Newsletter

The Lickey Hills are alive…

CHALLENGING MIND-SETS

“May you live in interesting times” – Such as today?

In the past year so much has happened that has reminded young people that the world is ever-changing. Since January we have seen terror attacks on the streets of Europe and, as I type this newsletter over the final weekend before the holiday, I can see images of both the terrible scenes in Nice and the unusual turn of events in Turkey. Before that we had the European Union referendum, a resignation by a Prime Minister, followed by the appointment of another. Change, change, change.

What will a ‘Brexit’ mean for our country? Will our children’s futures be brighter because of that referendum result? How will the on-going crises in the Middle East unfold? How will the world fully recover from the recessions that have dogged countries all over the world since 2008? As students approach Sixth Form, these are the things they think about and worry about.

Of course, the world and the United Kingdom have faced far greater challenges than those we face today and came through those challenges even stronger and more self-assured.

At Colmers we emphasise the importance of our British values: democracy, the rule of law, individual freedoms and a mutual respect for tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs - and for those without faith. Whatever is going on around us, these are the values that we live by and do so in the knowledge that such values will ‘see us through’ the challenges we face every day.

But what has that got to do with your children? Because we know that the world is always changing and that we are preparing students for a world and a job market few of us would dare guess its shape, we place the skills of lifelong learning at the heart of what we do. We are not a faith school, we do not share a single spiritual identity or set of religious beliefs, but we do believe that every child is equal and deserves an equal opportunity to enjoy and prosper in this world. And that means we all will and must act accordingly.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY…

Final Day of the Summer Term - Friday 22nd July 2016 at 1pm A-Level Results Day – Thursday 18th August 2016 GCSE Results Day – Thursday 25th August 2016 First Day Back for All Students – Wednesday 7th September 2016 at 8.45am! School Photos (Years 7, 11 and 13) – Thursday 8th September Years 6 into 7 Open Evening – Thursday 22nd September Prize Evening – Thursday 29th September Sixth Form Open Evening – Thursday 13th October Half Term – Monday 24th to 28th October Year 11 Work Experience Week – Monday 14th to Friday 18th November INSET Day (School Closed to all students) – Friday 2nd December Monitoring Meetings - Wednesday 7th December Last Day of the Autumn Term (at 1pm) - Friday 16th December First Day of the Spring Term for ALL Students – Wednesday 4th January

DON’T FORGET… EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR 2016/17 IS AVAILABLE IN OUR

“HANDBOOK FOR PARENTS AND CARERS” – AVAILABLE ON THE HOME PAGE. INCLUDES

FULL TERM DATES, STAFF NAMES AND CONTACT DETAILS.

Achieving Excellence by Belonging Together and Challenging Mind-sets

Headteacher’s Half Term Newsletter