As we approach the end of this academic year, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made and to look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Year 9 is a pivotal year in your child’s educational journey and am immensely proud of how our students have demonstrated resilience, responsibility, and commitment to their studies. This year has been full of challenges and accomplishments. Our students have shown incredible growth both academically and personally. They have developed important skills and built strong relationships with their peers and teachers. These experiences have prepared them well for the important decisions they have made and for embarking on their GCSE journey in September.

As a school we have worked incredibly hard to embed routines and habits for our Year 9s.  They are polite, respectful, enthusiastic and eager to get involved in all aspects of school life. The level of leadership witnessed this year demonstrates their capabilities and excites me for what is to come. We will continue to work arduously to ensure all students continue to feel happy and safe in school, especially as they proceed with their first year of GCSEs. We will create opportunities that will instil confidence allowing them to believe that they can achieve anything. Our Tutors have been superb supporting students.

Sports Day

Year 9s participated brilliantly in an incredibly competitively and enjoyable sports day. Year 9 Leaders worked tirelessly to ensure that each student was signed up to an event and that they were prompt when arriving. I want to take this opportunity to commend our Sports Leaders for doing an incredible job of organising and assisting throughout the day. I am proud of the teamwork and support individuals displayed for their College and the Year group.

Their motivation was inspiring, with determination to persevere and try for a winning spot. It was definitely a highlight of the year and it will have been a memorable day for all students in each College. Bring on next year’s Sports Day. Please see the Year 9 totals below.

Celebration Evening

It was a real delight to present a number of Year 9 students with a range of awards at the recent Celebration Awards Evening. All staff were asked to identify and nominate students for their outstanding contributions in the classroom and to the wider school community.

It was a privilege to present to the nominees and announce the overall outstanding contribution awards. A selection of photographs from the evening are available on the website here

Rewards

Year 9s have had the HIGHEST REWARD POINTS since the beginning of Year 7! It’s fantastic to see students have been receiving a significant number of reward points for following reasons:

• Working Well
• Leadership 
• Progress
• Resilience
• Perseverance
• Independence
• Excellent Home learning
• Acts of Kindness
• Reasoning
• Outstanding contributions

Its so impressive that we managed to surpass last year’s total by 14275 reward points. This is unheard of and yet we manage to shatter that ‘glass ceiling’ every year!

Top 10 students from each College

Top 10 students with the highest reward points this half term

Top 10 students with the highest reward points this half term                        Top 3 students with the highest reward points this year 

Highest Achievement – Students who are working above their target grades in the highest number of subjects

Outstanding students in each tutor group

Summer Rewards Event

On Monday 15 July the 50 Year 9 students who had achieved the highest number of Reward Points were invited to the Summer Rewards Celebration Event in recognition. The students really enjoyed the range of inflatables in this fun celebration! A massive well done to those students invited.

Leadership

Year 9 Charity and Community Leaders

The Year 9 Charity and Community Leaders have been fundamental in the developing links between the school and the local wider community. They have played a leading role in the organisation and management of charity fundraising and have chaired planning meetings for charity and community activities. They have been a credit to not only NLS but the wider community.

Year 10 Leadership Opportunities

As we move into Year 10 there are student leadership opportunities in Sports and Careers and I was delighted to receive so many student applications eager to represent their College.  Thank you to all students who applied, the standard of applications were excellent and it was very difficult to decide.  Supported by our Tutors, we are delighted to announce our Year 10 student leaders; congratulations to you all!

Tutor Curriculum

During Tutor time this term students have enjoyed the opportunity to learn, lead and contribute to in each of the PSHE curriculum themes around Self Esteem, Greif and Loss and Healthy Lifestyles

We are hoping that the information shared has helped your child stay healthy, safe and prepared for life and work.

Careers in Year 9 – Opening Doors
Our careers team are excited to share with you the career-focused activities that have been a part of our school's career education program for Year 9. Our vision is to support students in making informed choices about their futures and to provide them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the world of work.

Year 9 continue to develop their awareness of the world of careers through their Tutor Time and PHSE curriculum. Some of the careers based learning they have discovered are:

• Identifying transferable skills, abilities and interests (Grow through life.)
• Different types of employment and career pathways (Explore possibilities.)
• How careers information can support their GCSE choices.
• Employment rights and responsibilities (Balance life and work.)
• Interview skills (Explore possibilities.)
• Inequality at work (Balance life and work.)

Year 9 have also had an opportunity to learn in depth more about how different Post 16 options can open doors in a range of different types of careers through:

• A Post 16 careers event that developed their understanding of Apprenticeships and T Levels hosted by an external provider from one of our local colleges.
• Their subject curricula where subject teachers have shared information and real-life stories of a range of careers and routes to those careers that link to their subject.

We very much value parent/carer feedback on our careers provision and would be grateful if you would complete a short survey  here as soon as possible.  This will help inform us of our provision and shape working towards National Quality in Careers Award  

What to look forward to next year

Students have much to look forward to as they move into Year 10 as they start their GCSE subjects and the option subjects they have chosen. We will be providing support throughout the year as they work toward sitting their first GCSE exams with RE next summer. We also have three trip opportunities for students, able to join, to New York, Iceland and the Battlefields. For those students engaged with the Duke of Edinburgh Award there is the opportunity to start their Silver Award.

Parents and Carers

I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support this year. I hope you feel your child has been given the guidance and support to achieve, but more importantly, to enjoy school life. I look forward to catching up with you all at the various school events next year. Have a fantastic summer.

Kind regards,
Mr Royle
Year 9 Lead