Year 9 students have continued to make fantastic impressions on the teaching staff at Samuel Whitbread over the last 2 weeks. It is brilliant to see so many students showing our school values each and every day. It is also great to see and hear that so many Year 9 students are joining the afterschool clubs and attending the extra-curricular activities.

I would like to highlight some updates to our behaviour policy and lesson routines regarding lateness to lessons and homework. If a students is between 1 and 5 minutes late to their lesson they will be issued with an B2 lunchtime detention, if a student is then late to a lesson beyond 5 minutes they will receive a B3 after school detention. To improve punctuality to lessons we would like to remind students to use the 5 minute changeover period to use the toilet, re-fill their water bottles or collect lesson resources from their locker. In regard to homework any student who fails to complete and submit their homework will receive a B3 afterschool detention where they will be required to complete the homework and complete any further homework in that time.

We have the Meet the tutor Evening and Year 9 Options evening in November which will give all parents and guardians the opportunity to discuss your son/daughters progress so far at Samuel Whitbread with their tutor and to discuss with subject department their GCSE courses and suitability for Year 9 students.

As our Year 10 students continue to settle into their GCSE options, please take the time to discuss how your child is finding the content and the increased workload. We know that year 10 brings a higher level of expectation academically and are keen to support as much as we can. If you have any concerns or feedback, please contact your child's tutor in the first instance.

As the weather turns significantly colder, a reminder that students are not permitted to wear hoodies on school site. Students must wear their blazer, they also have the option of wearing a black, non-branded, jumper.

Our Year 10 sports teams have demonstrated fantastic teamwork and dedication this half term! It was a pleasure to watch some of the recent rugby fixtures - not only to see the athletic prowess, but also to witness the incredible team spirit and comradery the teams displayed. A fine example for us all!

Well done, Year 10. 

Year 12 students have settled into their first half term with us at Samuel Whitbread. We have been really impressed with their attendance and attitude to learning. Many of them gave up their own time to help at the Year 8 Open Evenings and we are immensely grateful for how well they represented the school. 

They all should have selected an enrichment option (sports academy, further maths, EPQ, MOOCs, Teachers for Tomorrow amongst others) and there are other ways to get involved such as peer mentoring and subject ambassadors. Any questions about enrichment can be directed to Mrs Jackman. 

Successful bursary application letters should be arriving soon, for payments to arrive in bank accounts during half term. Any queries about bursary can be directed to Miss Collins.

On the 12^th October all Sixth Form students will be attending a session during the day about wellbeing and resilience-building, which will hopefully give them some useful skills to help manage their studies and workload.

Our Year 13s have begun their UCAS application process.

So far we have sent three applications, however we are ready for a busy period to have all applications sent off by Christmas. There’s a presentation from the Year 13 Information Evening on the website, should you want to check the application process. An important step is for the students to book their appointments, they can book through Miss Collins. The appointment will be with either myself, Mr Huckle or Mrs Hoad. Students will need to have finished their personal statements and paid for their UCAS. We will then check with the students in the meeting that everything is correct, before it goes to UCAS.

We are also collecting information from the students about their next step. We will look to provide extra support and guidance to students who are considering Apprenticeships and alternative routes to work.

On 12th October, all Sixth Form students will be attending a session in the Theatre with BLOOM, an organisation offering a session on managing workload. We feel this would benefit all students at such a crucial time. Students will be shared a specific session time during registration next week and will need to be prepared with pens and pads as there will be some work to complete.