5th November 2021
HEADLINES
By James Saunders
WELCOME BACK Welcome back to the second half of the autumn term. In no time at all Christmas will be upon us. But in the meantime we have another six weeks of focused learning to get through. Our first week has been a busy one. C11s have wrapped up their mock assessments; our primary clubs have continued, the community immunisation team have visited to administer vaccines for those that had consented and the leadership team along with colleagues from the SEND team have spent the week visiting classrooms. I have enjoyed visiting lessons myself and have really enjoyed seeing what learners have accomplished over the first term. A highlight for me was hearing from a C8 learner about what he had been doing in Science. The thing that stood out was how articulate he was when explaining what he had learnt. He used his book to guide me through his explanations and I got a real sense of the journey he had been on over the past seven weeks. Learning is not always visible in the moment, it is the product of time and it was clear in the moment I had this week that over time this C8 learner had made excellent progress. As I just mentioned, we hosted the community immunisation team this week. I have previously shared my thoughts and feelings towards this and made it clear that medical expertise is not something I am blessed with and you deserve so much more than me taking my cue from Facebook or any other social media. With disinformation and polarised views everywhere it is hard to know what to do. Which is why we all have to step up and make our own decisions and do what is right for us. 2022 ENTRY We have now passed the deadline for parents to choose their next secondary school. I am really pleased to see that so many parents have demonstrated the faith and trust they have in the quality of education we offer at Honywood by choosing it for their children. Our aim will always be to maintain our personalised approach and our relationship model by treating each learner like an individual, by getting to know them, by supporting and coaching them on an individual level, by understanding who they are - their strengths and areas to improve, by providing them with support when they need it, and most importantly by helping them run their own race; not for the system, not for others but for themselves, so that they achieve their own personal
best. We are looking forward to beginning to plan to welcome our next cohort. THERE IS NO PLANET B A big thank you to the Geography team who have been incorporating the COP26 Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow into learning sessions. Today the whole of C7 took part in a live lesson from COP26 in the main hall and next week our KS3 and C9 Geographers will be learning about the event in their Geography lessons. Learners will be asked to make a pledge about their own habits that could lead to a better future for our climate. These pledges will be displayed in the Humanities Corridor on our new There’s No Planet B display board. We have been invited to enter an inter school competition producing some art work on the theme of Climate Change, we will launch this with the learners and administer the entries. COP26 in itself is interesting as nations have been trying to tackle our changing climate for decades, this is the 26th time they have met together to discuss our plans and actions since signing the Climate Change Treaty in 1994. How do learners feel about this? Why do they think leaders / adults seem so disinterested in our changing climate? If you want to know more here are some useful links: COP26: What is the Glasgow climate conference and why is it important? COP26: What is it and why is it happening in Glasgow in 2021? - CBBC Newsround Climate change: What is it and why is everyone talking about it? - CBBC Newsround 2050: what happens if we ignore the climate crisis The COP26 Climate Summit | Start Here | Climate Helping kids deal with climate anxiety MetLink Today at COP26... daily video bulletins for schools
C10 ASSESSMENTS MONDAY 8TH NOVEMBER Following on from the recent C11 mock examinations our C10 learners will be experiencing assessments in both English and Mathematics. These assessments will take place on Monday 8th November - 9.00am English a combined Language and Literature paper and at 1.30pm Mathematics. These will take place in the more formal setting of PE1 under examination conditions thus enabling learners to practice what it will be like in the summer of 2023 when they sit their final GCSE’s. C10 will again experience assessments within this more formal environment at the end of March over a three week window when they will sit further assessments in all of their subjects.
Liam Teller Having tried a couple of different Jobs upon leaving education I finally settled into a Career in Retail Management. I worked in the industry for 10 years, in which time I had a mixture of roles, from turning around failing Stores to Cluster Management and then on to a position of Business Manager in which I was responsible for the day to day running of the business. This included HR, Recruitment, Staff Development and Training, Procurement and managing P&L as well as diversifying the business.
Exam periods can be stressful and it’s normal to feel some nerves when you have an exam approaching. Indeed we can all remember a situation when we have felt high anxiety in our day to day lives. Thus developing skills and strategies for managing stress and anxiety is a key part of overcoming such challenges and developing the confidence that such challenging situations that may cause high levels of arousal can be mastered. Staying calm and not panicking is key to enable success not only now but during a future driving test or future post 16 examination. Exams are important, but they’re not worth affecting your health. Make sure you have time out from revision to do the things you enjoy - not only will this make you happier; it’ll make revising easier too.
Now that my stepson has joined Honywood as of this year I saw another chance to not only broaden my own knowledge further but also to give back to the community and have more of an input into his education.
Should learners be feeling anxious both families and learners can access additional support by clicking the ‘Wellbeing link’ on their iPad device and heading to the ‘Anxiety Low Mood Tab’ at the top of the page. A range of resources and strategies for managing anxiety are available here. Emailing their learning group leader or cohort leader and talking through their issues is also an option available which I strongly recommend to them should they ever be feeling anxious. WELCOME TO OUR NEW PARENT GOVERNORS It gives me great pleasure to introduce our two newest parent governors to Honywood. Parent governors are a vital part of leading a school and offer an important perspective to the decision making process. I have been a parent governor myself and found it a very rewarding experience. Please join me in welcoming Mike Goodman and Liam Teller to the Honywood governing body. They have both written short introductory bios to introduce themselves: Michael Goodman I’m a Professor in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, specialising in Cold War history. I have a strong interest in education and supporting children to realise their potential. My son has just started in Year 7 at Honywood; my daughter is in primary school in Braintree, where I’m also a parent governor. Outside of work and family life I am an Army Reservist, enjoy running and playing football, and following the trials and tribulations of West Ham.
Early in 2019 I decided that I fancied a change and wanted to use my existing skill set, whilst broadening my knowledge so I looked for a different industry that would also give me more time with my family. An opportunity then arose for me to retrain as a Driving Instructor. This has been an exciting challenge and is now a career which I love.
I am proud to have the opportunity to become a Governor at Honywood, and I hope to use my skills to help support the Leadership Team and staff at the school with its continued success. James Saunders Headteacher
Kitchen Equipment Appeal The Food Technology team would be really grateful for any donations of kitchen equipment and small kitchen appliances (in working order) that you may no longer have a use for, so that our learners can make a wider variety of dishes in their food practical sessions. We would appreciate any items, but would like any food processors/blenders, mini choppers/ blenders, pasta machines, and any items that are specific to Italian cuisine. Donations can be dropped into the school reception, or learners can bring them to the technology department. Many thanks.
Poppies will be available to purchase for a small donation throughout the school on the lead up to Remembrance Day. Please encourage your children to bring in some cash to purchase a poppy and wear it with pride.
Cohort 8 Duty Receptionists Zack Hamilton Lawrie Martin Sam Mead
Thank You!
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Dates for the Diary Monday 8th November Friday 12th November Monday 15th November Friday 19th November Monday 29th November Friday 3rd December Tuesday 7th December Thursday 9th December Friday 17th December Tuesday 4th January 2022 Wednesday 5th January Thursday 6th January
C10 Mock Exams Flu vaccinations Flu vaccinations (mop up) School photos (mop up) GCSE Music event online Non Learner Day (staff only in school) Expressive Arts Winter Concert C10 Leadership Workshop End of Term Non Learner Day Non Learner Day Learners return to school - Week B
Next week is Week B