20 December 2024 - Letter to Parents

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope that you have had a great week. We are at the end of a very long term, and I want to take the time to thank you for your support every day. It is great to work in partnership with you so that we can provide the very best care for our students. This week saw our Rewards Trip to the cinema, alongside rewards assemblies for every year group. I signed so many House Points certificates that my hand was aching! What a privilege it is to see so many students doing the right things and living our Orchard values of open-mindedness, respect, creativity and curiosity, healthiness, ambition, responsibility and determination.

Key Dates 

Year 11 Exams Prep Information Evening – Wednesday 26th March 6.15 – 7.45pm

Parent Subject Consultation Evenings 

The dates for these through the year are as follows: 

Year 7 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 3rd April 3.30 – 7pm 

Year 9 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 6th March 3.30 – 7pm 

Year 11 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 13th February 3.30 – 7pm 

Please also note the following date: 

Year 9 Options Evening – Thursday 27th February 5 – 7pm 

To help parents and children decide together which options subjects/GCSEs they might choose to take over the next two years in school.

Year 11 Mocks Update

It has been a fantastic fortnight of mock exams – with English, Maths, Science, Humanities and options subjects all sitting exams. Attendance, engagement, and focus has been superb. In the new year, mocks resume for the first fortnight. Students will sit English Language on Tuesday morning, History and / or Geography on Wednesday morning, Maths on Thursday morning with Music Thursday afternoon, and Drama and Sports Science on Friday morning. Guidance on how to revise has been emailed through by Mr Fish a week ago for parents to support your children in their revision.

Attendance

Congratulations to the following tutor groups for having the best attendance in each year group this week!

7A1, 8W2, 9W2, 10B1, 11D2

Friday 6th attendance winners were:

7A2, 7B2, 8W2, 9B2, 10A1, 11B2, 11D2

Year 7 – Overall best attending year group

Avalon- Overall best attending Houses

Please remember that students return to school on Monday 6th January at the normal time.

Staffing - SEND

Just a little reminder that Ms Alderson will be our new SENDCo from 1st January 2025, alongside Mr Scott-Mullen, our new Deputy SENDCo. Thank you to those parents and carers who came to their coffee morning or online events. Both Ms Alderson and Mr Scott-Mullen are very experienced leaders of inclusion, and I know they will take our provision for students with SEND from strength to strength. They will continue to be supported by Mrs Moore as Higher Level Teaching Assistant, too.

Uniform Reminder

Our uniform code aims to:

Help students feel equal to others and not left out

Encourage students to wear their uniform with pride

Create a sense of belonging to the school community through a common dress code

Enable students to feel that they are a valued member of the school community irrespective of ethnicity, gender, religion or socio-economic background.

Most of our students wear the correct uniform to school every day. There have been occasions recently though where students have come to school wearing incorrect uniform such as leggings, nose piercings or white socks and some have been arriving without blazers. If these errors are not rectified after supportive discussion with the year teams, the school will follow the school behaviour policy. This will be a focus after half term, so please do ensure that you remind your child of the correct uniform for the first Monday back.

Please remember that we have a Hardship Fund to support you with expensive items as necessary – contact your child’s Pastoral Manager if this is the case. Please also check with your child that they understand what correct uniform looks like here: Orchard School - Uniform (orchardschoolbristol.co.uk)

Uniform Shop Update

The Stoke Gifford Monkhouse store is now closed. And the new shop will open in Kingswood in the New Year.

You can still order any required uniform from the website www.monkhouse.com Remember that until it opens all deliveries are free when ordering online using FREEDELSTOKEG and fittings and expert advice can be sought from the Bedminster branch.

Information on Measles

Please find attached information from the UK Health Security Agency regarding an increase in measles in the Bristol area.

Safeguarding in the Holidays

School is closed to all staff throughout the school holidays and staff will not see e-mails or messages, so therefore if support is needed for young people in the break, please use these services:

- 999 in an emergency

- 101 for non-urgent contact with emergency services

- 111 for non-urgent health matters

- Call the Samaritans – 116123

- Off the Record (www.otrbristol.org.uk) - mental health services

- Brook (www.brook.org.uk) - sexual health services

- Call ‘Mind’ on 03001233393 – mental health charity

- Call Childline on 08001111

Whisper reports will be picked up by staff on the return to school after the 2-week holiday and should not be used for any urgent safeguarding matters nor to resolve community matters – please contact the appropriate service as above and keep us informed of any issues when school re-opens to pupils on 6th January 2025.

Community Events

The Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing group begins in January at Ebenezer Church.

6 weeks starting on Thursday 16th January 2025.

10.45am - 12.30pm (including free lunch)

Explore and invest in your mental and emotional wellbeing. Join for 6 weeks looking at themes of honesty, anxiety, depression, shame, self-acceptance.

For more details and to sign up for a free space - www.ebe.org.uk/wellbeinggroup

Finally, I wish you a safe, happy and restful break. We look forward to seeing all students on return to school at 8.20am on 6th January 2025.

Kind regards,

Mel Sweet, Headteacher