Important dates for your diary
- Start of the Summer Term for students: Tuesday 23rd April
- Half Term: Monday 27th May- Friday 31st May
- PD Day for staff - school closed to students on:
- Bank Holiday: Monday 6th May
- Year 10 Parents' Evening: Thursday 25th April
- Year 7 Parents' Evening: Thursday 27th June
- Activities Week: Monday 15th July- Friday 19th July
- Late buses - leave school at 4pm on most Thursdays starting:
Thursday 2nd May
Robert Rush - Chair of the Local Governing Body
I would like to take this opportunity to extend a formal and public welcome to Kristien Carrington, recently announced as Headteacher of Sir James Smith’s School.
Kristien was declared the successful candidate and his appointment confirmed to the role on 30th January following a gruelling two-day selection process. Many of you were part of the well-attended public presentations on the afternoon of the first day of interviews, where all three of the shortlisted candidates set out their views of how to make a school successful in the community. Those who were there will remember Kristien’s insightful presentation, with a bit of a history lesson and a dip into the Sir Jim’s archives, sharing his views of what a community school means and why it’s important to support our students to be community minded. The feedback sheets showed clearly how that vision resonated with so many of you.
As Chair of the Local Governing Body, on behalf of my governor colleagues, we congratulate Kristien on his successful appointment to the position. As a new academy school within the North Cornwall Learning Trust, Kristien and our leadership team’s work is already well underway, to guide Sir Jim’s forward through what continues to be interesting and challenging times. I am confident Kristien will rise to future challenges, most unknown as yet, but supported ably by the highly skilled, hardworking and devoted staff across all parts of the school.
Welcome, Mr Carrington, Headteacher!
Kristien Carrington - Headteacher
In nearly 60 years Sir James Smith’s School has had only four Headteachers. I am delighted and humbled to be writing this Headlines piece as its fifth. I’m going to take this opportunity to share two thoughts with you; where I believe we need to go as a school and how I believe we’re going to get there.
Sir James Smith’s was Cornwall’s first purpose built comprehensive school way back in 1962 when it opened its doors to the children of North Cornwall. As such it has always had the development of all children at its core. This is a principle I believe we need to hold dear. Where we go is where SJS has always looked to go, to the best provision possible for its pupils. The school and the North Cornwall Learning Trust is only serving a purpose if, after their time with us young people are able to make interesting choices as they move into adult life. These choices can only be made possible if our pupils are given the space, support and encouragement to grow into confident young people. Young people who are proud of their accomplishments, aware of their own ambitions and equipped with the means to achieve them.
To build on the success of recent years and make this ambition a reality I believe we need to do three things.
Firstly, we need to look after and learn from each other; school staff, parents/carers and pupils. Working in a school whether as a teacher or technician, support staff or site team is a privilege, but it can be an all-consuming one. As the parent of a teenager I know first-hand how all-consuming they can be outside of school. Ours will need to be a culture of mutual support and trust with the involvement of parents/carers and the local community at the heart of everything we do. Secondly, we will place equal weight on the academic and personal development of our pupils. This will not be a school with an outcome driven agenda. It won’t need to be. Where that same sense of mutual support and trust is extended by all to all children, helping those who’ve suffered adverse childhood experiences which can otherwise blight future chances, great outcomes will inevitably follow. That’s so long as we also keep in mind the third thing SJS is going to do. We’re going to be relentless in our pursuit of what works best. We are going to learn from each other here at SJS, across the NCLT and beyond because we need to know that what we’re doing is the best it can possibly be. There will be a drive and purpose to this. We won’t be side-tracked by the latest fad or trend. Together we will shape a vision around the principle of comprehensive excellence, agree the course and then hold steadfast to it.
Many thanks in advance for the hard work and hard times that will inevitably arise from these ambitions and for the support we are going to need to give to each other. Nothing worth doing is easy, and there’s nothing worthier than helping our young people grow into the very best they can be.
Attendance
Just a reminder about the procedure to follow if your child is absent:-
Parents/carers should phone the Attendance Officer, Lesley Grills, on the morning of absence on 01840 214150. There is an answer phone so please do leave a message if there is no answer. Alternatively they may email:
attendance@sirjamessmiths.cornwall.sch.uk
If your child is absent for more than one day, we would appreciate a quick call each morning informing us of this. This is for safeguarding reasons which we take seriously.
All students should aim to have 96% attendance or above. Home and school need to work together to ensure attendance is as high as possible because there is a strong link between good attendance and success in exams.
Summer 2019 Exams
Year 11 students have now been entered for their respective GCSE exams and will be receiving their individual exam timetables during tutor time in the last week of this term. Copies will also be emailed home with a covering letter from the Year Director. We have guidance and further information about exams on the Sir James Smith’s School website under Parents/Exams – please take some time to read this with your child. It is especially important to know the procedures to follow for illness or arriving late to an exam.
This year the Exam Boards have timetabled a ‘contingency date’ of Wednesday, 26th June. They advise students to be available to sit exams on this date in the event of a national or regional crisis preventing an exam from happening on its original timetabled date.
GCSE Results Day will be in the school hall, 9.30am to 12.00 noon on Thursday, 22nd August 2019. Members of staff will be on hand to deal with any queries. If a student wishes for someone else to collect their results, they must give written, signed permission and send this into the Exams Officer by 21st August. We cannot give results to anyone without the permission of the student, neither can we give out results verbally over the phone. Any uncollected results will be posted out that afternoon, second class, to the student’s primary address.
If you have any questions about the exams, please don’t hesitate to contact the Exams Officer (Susie Ballerstedt) or Year Director (Paul Boden).
Careers
Personal, Social, Education Visit to Duchy College
During this February Half Term, the Year 10 PSE group had an opportunity to take part in a Foundation Learning Taster day at Duchy College, Stoke Climsland.
The five students undertook a number of activities that are a part of the Foundation Course running at the college for Post 16 students.
Personal, Social, Education Trip to Lanteglos Church
On Monday 18th March all the PSE students were invited to go and see the restoration project of St Julitta’s Church at Lanteglos.
They were given a tour of the site and the conservation architect explained what they were doing and what they had found.
Amongst the finds were a piece of medieval ornately carved wood which still had the gilding on it.
The group also watched demonstrations of the skills involved with the project. The stone mason showed how he used old tools to carve the stone, the carpenter showed his skills using traditional tools.
All were impressed with the project and it gave the students something to think about for future careers.
Cornwall Skills Show
Year 10 had a fantastic opportunity to visit the Skills Show held at Wadebridge Showground on 19th March. It was organised and run by Cornwall Careers Hub. It had well over 100 local and national employers, FE colleges as well as Universities from the South West in attendance.
Students were free to wander around and encouraged to gather as much information about what careers/jobs are available throughout the local area. They also had an opportunity to make their own pizza, or wrap using Yarg cheese with nettles, with the Armed Forces and the Blue Light services. The event was attended by well over 3000 students from schools in both Devon and Cornwall and was a massive success and highly beneficial for our Year 10’s.
Finance
Get help with savings if you’re on a low income (Help to Save)
How it works
Help to Save is a type of savings account. It allows certain people entitled to Working Tax Credit or receiving Universal Credit to get a bonus of 50p for every £1 they save over 4 years.
You get bonuses at the end of the second and fourth years. They’re based on how much you’ve saved. You can save up to £50 each calendar month. Help to Save is backed by the government so all savings in the scheme are secure.
You can pay money into your Help to Save account by debit card, standing order or bank transfer. You do not have to pay money in every calendar month. You can pay in as many times as you like, but the most you can pay in each calendar month is £50.
After 4 years your Help to Save account will be closed. You will not be able to reopen it or open another Help to Save account. You’ll be able to keep the money from your account. You can only withdraw money from your Help to Save account to your bank account.
You can close your account at any time. If you close your account early you’ll miss your next bonus and you will not be able to open another one.
Free School Meals
Did you know…just registering your child for Free School Meals means that the School gets extra money for all our students? Register now to make sure we don’t miss out.
The Government is giving money to schools to help children from lower income families do their very best. This funding is called a ‘Pupil Premium’.
Sir James Smith’s School receives £935 for each child registered for Free School Meals.
With this money we could arrange one to one tuition, provide a range of intervention programmes and provide a wider range of enrichment activities. If you are registered for Free School Meals you could also receive subsidised Music lessons and Post-16 Bursary funding. There may well be a range of other benefits available.
Please register to make sure your child and others in their class don’t miss out.
How does it work?
- First, check if you qualify – it is not just if you are unemployed, so please look at the list below.
- Registering is really quick and easy – if you think you qualify complete the on-line form at www.cornwall.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-colleges/school-meals/.
- If you want your child to have a free, healthy meal at lunchtime that’s great – they will get the free meal (saving you more than £400 a year), extra benefits and the School gets £935.
- If you don’t want your child to have the school meals they can continue as normal – as long as you qualify and are registered, the School still gets £935 extra.
No one will know you have registered and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming. The Cashless Catering System will, on a daily basis, automatically allocate the appropriate accounts with the free meal amounts. Students with Free Meal Entitlements remain anonymous at all times as all account types are accessed in the exact same manner regardless as to whether paid for or not.
Do you qualify?
You can register your child for Free School Meals if you get any of these benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA-IR)
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
- Working tax credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working tax Credit.
Students can also register for Free School Meals if they get any of these benefits themselves.
Come and talk to us if you’re not sure.
How to Register
- Go to Cornwall Council website - www.cornwall.gov.uk
- Click onto Education and Learning
- Click onto Apply for Free School Meals
- Fill in Free School Meals Eligibility
- Submit form
If you do not have access to the internet at home, please contact us and we will arrange for you to use a School computer.
Uniform Ordering Process Changes
From Tuesday 23rd April you will order your Uniform/PE Kit direct from the supplier with delivery straight to your door as we no longer sell any uniform at the school. Please see the details below.
A detailed Parent Guide will be emailed out at the beginning of the Easter holidays.
First Aid
Managing Medicines
Our Managing Medicines Policy states that all parents/carers wishing their child to have medication in school, e.g. Paracetamol, Ibuprofen etc, must send in a letter of authority, together with the original box containing the medication required. Any medication from the GP must come in the original container with the correct dosage labelled as dispensed. Could we also remind you that under no circumstances should students carry their own pain killers with them.
If changes occur to your child's health, please could you let us know in writing so that we can keep our records up to date.
Physical Education
Key Stage 3 PE lessons have been very successful this term with students developing a range of skills across the sports of Dance, Table Tennis, First aid, Health and Fitness. Some of the highlights have been the well-rehearsed choreograph on show during Dance lessons and the incredible competition play in the Table Tennis arena.
The extra-curricular side have had a handful of fixtures this term. The school has fixture at various age groups with Budehaven and Launceston in both Hockey and Football. Extra-curricular clubs have continued weekly in Football, Hockey and Basketball. While during the first half of term there was an opportunity for student to use the local swimming pool for free. One of the highlights of the extra-curricular programme has been the girl’s active programme that has been developed in conjunction with Cornwall Sport Partnership, allowing Yr9 girls to devise their own activity programme and after school programme.
The PE department have also been supporting Sport England and were recently selected as one of two Cornish schools to take part in their national Active Lifestyle survey. The results of this survey will give the school a detailed report on young people’s activity patterns and help the department plan for the future. The school will also receive some new equipment form Sport England partners.
Greenpower 2019
The spring has brought the start of the 2019 Greenpower Racing season, preparations and new members have been busy already.
We have several new Year 7 members already allotted team positions from, wheels and brakes, batteries to drivers. Important jobs and skills are being passed down from older team members (some retiring to concentrate on Year 11 revision). Retro Rocket was worked hard to get the SJS team onto the podium at the International Final back in October. Some crash damage from a practice has started to be repaired by a team of year 7 and 8 pit crew members. A completely damaged wheel has been replaced and new racing tyre fitted as a backup for this season. Tom Davies has removed the old twist grip throttle as looking back through the data the car was faster without it. Not every development works, it's spotting the problem and fixing it which is so important in keeping Retro Rocket and the team in the running for podium finishes and more Trophies for the cabinet.
Last club the team were able to test the car, new Year 7's had their first go behind the wheel. Ethan Hambley and Lucas Finnerty, we are super pleased with their efforts, helping Tom to sort the electrics and get the car going again.
The team is really looking forward to the first races at Predannick where all new drivers will have the chance to race against the other South West teams. The team has the bashed bodywork to repair and some "Pit Stop" timed practices to run but things are looking good for the 2019 season.
The Old Bank
Working Together
Will Bacchus
Will and Rudi securing 3rd place in Young Kennel Club Under 24 ABC Agility, which Will was delighted with. Saturday was the Under 18 Jumping final, with Will and Rudi running last. They ran a lovely clear but were unsure if it was fast enough to win. Presentations a couple of hours later confirmed that the pair had won!
Cara Murray
What an amazing achievement for Cara Murray in year 8! Cara has utilised her camera skills and has taken a beautiful photo of a rose (close up). Her photo has been chosen for an exhibition at St Ives School of Art. This means that she is now in a competition which is open for online voting. If anyone wants to vote for her, this can be done on Instagram by following @porthmeor_youngartists.
Camel Trail Cycling Trip
The annual Year 8 Camel Trail cycle trip took place in mid-March. 97 students embarked on a day of cycling and sightseeing on the Wadebridge to Padstow route. It was quite a sight to see so many students pedal there way from Wadebridge towards the quarry. On arrival they were able to park up and enjoy some free time at the quarry and on the beach before pausing for a group photograph. The students then headed onwards to Padstow. On arrival they were able to park up and enjoy the town for an hour or so, spending their pocket money on pasties and ice cream. Following their saunter around the town it was back on the bikes and a straight ride back to Wadebridge. It was great seeing so many students enjoying a day of activity and the smiles on their faces as they returned to Wadebridge. The students were a real credit to the school with many members of the public commenting on their politeness, with all students having an enjoyable day.
Duke of Edinburgh
With record numbers of Bronze participants this year, we have successfully completed the expedition training and are looking forward to the expeditions in the summer term. The weather for the day walk was very windy, but we all survived, though some got a bit cold. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped.
Several of last year's students have completed their Bronze and Silver awards - congratulations! If your child is enrolled on DofE, please encourage them to complete their long-term volunteering, physical and skill sections and help them get assessor reports. Then they too will get an award, or at the least a certificate for each section they complete.
Year 9 International Women's Day
On 6th March, the female students of Year 9 got to have a whole day without the boys! Miss Jones gave them a history lesson on how International Women's day came about, this was then followed by a fun fitness session to show #ThisGirlCan!
The girls ventured on a Careers Speed Networking event, they were hosted by some prominent females within local businesses, where they asked about what it was like to be a female within their chosen careers.
These included;
• Mish Poynter Founder and Owner of Mish in Wadebridge
• Kate Teague Learning and Development at Get In Cornwall (NHS)
• Sophie Ashton Design Manager at Kier Construction
• Anna Williams Guest Experience Manager at Bedruthan Hotel and Spa
• Paula Hutchens from Cornwall Construction Training Group
• Bea Hawker and Abi Matthews from Dairy Crest at Davidstow
• Danika Hillson Technical Director at Kepak Group LTD
Prom 2019
Prom Quiz
Many thanks to everyone who joined in our fun evening on Friday 29th March to raise funds for our Year 11 Prom. Mr Brown entertained us as normal and we would like to thank him for organising the questions. Special thanks to Tintagel Brewery for making us very welcome and for the food served. Also to local businesses that donated prizes and in total we raised £700, which is fantastic!
Camelford Leisure Centre
Swimming Times
2019 to 2020
Weeks A & B
Credits:
Created with images by Kelli Tungay - "Back to School" • kvrkchowdari - "choose the right direction career direction direction" • 9355 - "money boxes savings united kingdom" • Bruno Nascimento - "untitled image" • Kelli Tungay - "Back to School" • ElasticComputeFarm - "library books knowledge"