Term 6 2022
Dear all,
We have nearly reached the end of what has been another extraordinary year. I would like to thank you all for your support and encouragement over the year and, although it was not the year I was expecting, it has been an incredible privilege to work with so many amazing students, staff and community and a testament to their resilience and desire to succeed.
It is with a heavy heart that we enter into the final few days of my 5 years at the school and the end of my time as Headteacher of Barnwood Park. I am so pleased to have seen the Y11 students through, as they started as Y7s when I first joined the school. I have so many treasured memories from my time here, from school trips, to sporting fixtures, to lessons, to seeing the students grow and succeed, to being a part of the school’s development and growth. As I leave, Barnwood Park is now fully mixed, massively over-subscribed and has a strong reputation within our local community and across the county. Barnwood Park is a special place and I am proud to be leaving the school in a strong position both academically and organisationally. I will truly miss the Barnwood Park family and wish you all the very best for the future. I know that you will offer the ‘Barnwood Park welcome’ to the new Headteacher, Mrs Clinton and she will be lucky to have the same support and positivity that you have given to me.
Please find below a few things that I wish to share with you:
- As part of the school’s safeguarding procedures we are going to be trialling a change to the access points to the school site at drop off. In September the only open access points will be the pedestrian gate on St Lawrence Road and the side gate from the alleyway between York Road and the garages at the end of St Lawrence Road. We would still recommend parents using the Coney Hill Rugby club car park to drop children off, but then students should walk along Metz Way and the into St Lawrence Road. We will be reviewing this after two terms.
All points will be open as normal at the end of the school day.
- Uniform
Barnwood Park has a clear uniform policy, but I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents/carers of a couple of items covered by our uniform guidelines.
Facial piercings should not be worn to school at any time.
Earrings are permitted and student should wear no more than 2 in each ear lobe. Other earrings/piercings are not permitted.
False nails are not permitted. They can be a safety risk in lessons like PE and Design Technology and therefore must not be worn at any time.
Black shoes should be worn to school. However if trainers are worn they must be completely black with no logos or colours.
- Detentions
As part of our ongoing review of behaviour procedures we are making some slight changes to detentions. On the rare occasion that a student is removed from lesson for disruption a detention will be set on the same day. If a student is removed from the lesson before lunch, this detention will take place during their lunch break. If they are removed from lesson after lunch they will be expected to complete a 20-minute detention after school. Notification will continue to be sent via Satchel One.
Charity Totals
Our students have raised an incredible £3093.98 this year. I am humbled by their generosity and acts of kindness which links to our 3 Guiding Principles. The students should be very proud for the impact they make on their community and the wider world around them.
Awards Evening 2022
This year’s Awards Evening was again online (hopefully for the last time). Please follow the links to see the on-line presentations and may I congratulate all those that have been nominated and received awards. Please see further on in the newsletter for a list of names and their awards. They really are living up to my challenge of being the best version of themselves possible!
Click here for Year 7 video.
Click here for Year 8 video.
Click here for Year 9 video.
Click here for Year 10 video.
Click here for Year 11 video.
Attendance
152 students will receive certificates for 100% attendance in Term 5 & 6.
These students have been entered into a draw and one lucky student from each year group will receive a £10 voucher. The lucky winners are:
Y7 Lily Redding
Y8 Ivanislav Sotirov
Y9 Monty Goode
Y10 Alfie Smith
36 students will receive certificates for achieving 100% attendance for the whole school year! These students were entered into a draw to win a £50 voucher.
The winner is Gemma Lee!
The most improved attendance award for Term 5 & 6 vs Term 3 & 4. These students will receive a £10 voucher.
Trinity Manley with an improvement of 72.66%
Alfie Appleby with an improvement of 53.87%
Year 11 GCSE Results Day – Thursday 25 August.
We look forward to seeing our Year 11 leavers when they come to school to collect their GCSE results. Please note that from 09:00 all students are invited in to collect their GCSE results from the Sports Hall. Year 10 students are encouraged to arrive from 10:30. Parents/Carers are welcome to accompany students, but will be asked to wait on the tennis courts.
If you would prefer not to come to school to collect the results, then please email exams@barnwood-park.gloucs.sch.uk and we will make alternative arrangements.
New Year 7s
I hope our new Year 7 students and their parents enjoyed the induction days and induction evening held recently. Staff are very much looking forward to seeing them at Summer School on 23th and 24th August and all of them in September. They conducted themselves superbly and have started to get to grips with our routines and how to find their way around.
Lockers
As our numbers have increased, we no longer have the capacity to provide school lockers for all students. However, should your child still require one, it is possible to rent one for £5 per year. This will show as an item on your ScoPay account should you wish to purchase one.
Finally, I wish you all a relaxing and restful break and that the students continue to go from strength to strength and meet their potential and enjoy their journey.
Best wishes
Mr Albon
I would also like to share with you some useful links should you require them over the summer holidays:
For any concerns about a student you can inform the Safeguarding Team: concerns@barnwood-park.gloucs.sch.uk
If you have a concern about a child please contact the Children and Families Services Helpdesk on 01452 426565 (during office hours), but if you are concerned about the immediate safety of a child please contact the Police on 101 at any time.
Tic+ Chat
This service is for young people aged between 9 and 21 years old who need someone to talk to. It is funded by the county council and is commissioned jointly with Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group for the next 12 months. This is a challenging time for everyone. We’ve all experienced sudden changes in our routines and are living with uncertainty. For some young people, the pandemic may also worsen or trigger anxieties they were already struggling with.
We want to let them know they are not alone and make sure they can access the support they need. They can speak to the friendly Tic+ Chat team about anything which is troubling them. No problem is too big or too small – the team won’t judge.
No appointment is necessary and the service can be accessed by calling 0300 303 8080, or via online text chat at the Tic+ website: https://ticplus.org.uk/ between the hours of 5pm-9pm Sunday to Thursday
Young Gloucestershire Link Chat for Vulnerable Young People
Young Gloucestershire are offering to support vulnerable young people aged 16-25 with their mental health during this time. Trained mental health youth workers will be available daily who can support young people using a range of methods such as zoom, phone calls, mindfulness sessions, counselling support online fitness sessions, group gaps etc. The support will be tailored to individual need.
Referral criteria: This service is described as tier 2, it is open access but is targeted to young people who may be facing additional challenges in their lives.
How to access: 01452 501008 or email getinvolved@youngglos.org.uk
Safety Centre
For parents worried about social media use:
The Our Safety Centre hub is designed to provide you with information and advice that is easy to access and simple to understand. There is a section on “your first phone” and various safety settings looking at popular social media apps that young people may be using. This is useful if you are struggling with social media use in the home. Use the short videos and step-by-step prompt cards to ensure you have a safer online experience.
Access at https: http://oursafetycentre.co.uk/
Gloucester Helping Hands
A message for people that are on furlough or who have lost their job because of Covid –19.
Here at helping hands we want to support you.
We have food packages that can supplement your income contact us on
07725365179
07786510741
The food parcels are to support families in Gloucestershire. Having a 20% loss of income can be the difference between not paying the rent and buying food.
We want to ‘Help’ with the food bit so you can pay the bills. We know a lot of families have not had to ask for help before but these are not normal circumstances.
Please just let GHH know we will support you in confidence we are here to give a –helping hand– as we return to some sort of new normality.
@Gloucesterhelpinghands
gloshelpinghand@gmail.com