A warm welcome back to all parents and what a wonderful start to the year after so much uncertainty during the last few months. Thank you to so many parents who have voiced their support for our start of term arrangements. We were keen to see the return of Tutor Groups and this has already been fantastically well received by staff and students - it has been wonderful to return to some familiar routines.
Year 7 have settled in well and more Year 11 students than ever have aspired to study A-Levels at The Lakes School Sixth Form which is fantastic news.
Teaching Children to Climb their own Mountains
The Lakes School has always been well known for the high aspirations we hold for all of our students. The kind of person you become matters as much as what you achieve and, each year, we enjoy that wonderful feeling when Lakes School students set off on new adventures at the end of Year 11 and Year 13.
There can be no more fitting mission for everyone associated with The Lakes School than to teach children to climb their own mountains and we are excited to launch this as the foundation for all that we do at the school.
Governors have strong aspirations for all students
The governing body of The Lakes School have been instrumental in shaping the great school that we know today and they were warmly recognised by Ofsted in 2019 as putting pupils, 'at the heart of what they do,' and for taking decisions with 'integrity' and 'with the long goal in mind.' During the summer term, the governing body developed a vision for the school and we are pleased to share this with you below - a vision which provides a great umbrella under which all of our students can learn to climb their own mountains.
Who can I go to for help?
The poster below is displayed in many areas around school and reminds students of the importance of speaking to someone if they need help. We always encourage our students to speak to their parents about any concerns they may have and we also encourage students to care for each other by passing on concerns to a member of staff if they are worried about another student. This level of care and thoughtfulness is the fabric of our school which is vital to the strong partnership we have with parents.
Our Digital Prospectus
We are pleased to share our digital prospectus which captures important messages about our work to inspire, challenge and empower all of our students. We work hard to encourage all of our students to be aspirational in their thinking and to aim high with their ambitions. Click the link below to view our prospectus.
Change to Term Dates
The Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee in May 2022 and this means that there will be a change to the Bank Holiday arrangements during the May half term in 2022 which includes the addition of an extra day of holiday. As this extra Bank Holiday falls during the May half term, Cumbria County Council, along with other local authorities, have been required to shorten the school year by 1 day, therefore reducing the school year from 190 days to 189 days so that all sectors of society are able to benefit from the addition Bank Holiday.
CCC have now issued their revised term dates. The autumn term will now end at 3.10pm on Thursday 16th December 2021 and not on Friday 17th as originally published. The Lakes School is required to make this change to our published term dates which you can access on our website via the link below. The calendar on our website also sets out the dates for our key events this year which we hope will see the return of parents evenings, open evening and options evenings for Year 9 students and Year 11 students wanting to return to Sixth Form.
Exams 2022
Whilst we don't yet have the full details about the arrangements for GCSE and A-Level examinations for 2022, we expect to see a return to normal examinations in some form. Our message to all students over the last two years has been that all of your work counts and it is important to work hard right from the beginning of the year, just in case the school has to submit evidence to support the grades awarded by your teachers. We will be reinforcing this message at school as we are sure you will be at home. Once we receive confirmation about the examinations arrangements for 2022 we will be sure to share it with you.
Covid-19 Vaccinations for Children
In recent weeks, there has been much talk in the news about the possibility of Covid-19 vaccinations being given to children. There have also been headlines stating that permission would not be required from parents. Such headlines would naturally be quite alarming for parents and we would like to reassure all members of The Lakes School community about our position.
Recently, the JCVI have concluded that they cannot endorse the widespread vaccination of children between the ages of 12-15. It remains the case that clinically vulnerable children are able to access two doses of the Pfizer vaccination. It is of course possible that this position might change and also that schools would be approached to facilitate the roll out of vaccinations for children.
We would like to reassure all parents that we will always seek your informed consent before your child is given any vaccination on the school site - just as we always have for other vaccination programmes. The situation might change quickly in the next few days and weeks; we will be in touch as we receive further information.
Here are our sports clubs for this half term
Windermere Hockey Club: Richard Belk Arena
The Astro turf at The Lakes School was renamed over the summer break in honour of the service and commitment of a long serving and dedicated member of Windermere Hockey Club. Richard Belk has been recognised by the club and you can see the brand new sign below along with training session details for the 2021-2022 season.
We wish Richard and Windermere Hockey Club continued success this season.
Are your details up to date?
This is a great time of year to let us know if you have moved house or changed a phone number or email address. You can do this easily through the Arbor App and Arbor Parent Portal. Alternatively, you can email admin@lakes.cumbria.sch.uk or you can call reception with your new details and we will change them in our system.
Wishing you a gentle start to the new school year from everyone at The Lakes School.