Year 11 Students have been had opportunities to say their final goodbyes over the last few weeks. Prom and the Leavers Assembly were huge successes and I hope all students involved enjoyed themselves. A few snapshots of students arriving at the prom and having the opportunity to sign each other’s shirts on their last day in school can be seen below. Student’s behaviour was exemplary throughout both events and really highlighted what a fantastic year group they are. We also had an opportunity to celebrate individual student successes at the whole school celebration evening towards the end of term. Well done to all students who received a nomination and subsequent award winners.

World Book Day
After many months of covid restrictions, we were finally able to put on some events to rejoice in all things English. The first was to celebrate World Book Day - a whole day dedicated to improving the lives of young people through reading and literacy. This comprised of a book swap bonanza which saw student trading books they had read, loved and were ready to pass on to another student to spread an appreciation of the written word. A huge thanks to those involved and the library for their support on the day.

LS Summer Reading Challenge!

Hello Year 7 and 8, 

Fancy a journey into the imagination over this summer?

We have the perfect challenge for you! This summer the English department are tasking you with reading books about the following: 

1. A story that is set in a fantastical world
2. A story about spies
3. A story about someone whose life is different from your own
4. A story that has been developed into a movie/television show
5. A book with a beautiful cover 
6. An autobiography or biography about a fascinating person. 

Prizes: 

• An R1 will be awarded to everyone who takes part. 
• An R2 will be awarded to everyone who completes over half of the challenge. 
• An R3 and a postcard home will be awarded to any student who completes the challenge. 

To enter: Your current English teacher will give you a sheet to fill in once you have completed each book. Hand this sheet in to your new English teacher in September. 

Here are some recommendations from the English Department:

Year 7

After their completion of the central text ‘A Monster Calls’ in our Relationships scheme, our Year 7 cohort headed into the theatre to watch the film adaptation, to further support their understanding of the plot and themes within the novel. Whilst there may not have been a dry eye in the room, with the film exploring heart-wrenching grief and loss, the story also sheds light on the importance of independent decision-making, dealing with difficult emotions and finding your voice – all of which are extremely important in our ever-changing, contemporary world.

Throughout this year, the English Department have embedded further opportunities to encourage our young people to ‘read for pleasure.’ In all of our Year 7 and Year 8 classes, we have implemented 15-minute independent reading sessions at the beginning of one English lesson per week, where students read a book that they themselves are interested in.  Whilst this has obvious benefits for students’ literacy skills, reading also significantly increases empathy, improves relationships with others and enhances one’s wellbeing throughout life. In light of this, we were thoroughly impressed by this book review of Weirdo’s War by Michael Coleman, completed within one of our reading groups!

Year 8

During the summer term, Year 8 have been studying Jason Reynolds’ ‘Long Way Down,’ a novel exploring themes of gang violence, revenge and morality, told through contemporary prose poetry. This text broke the literary boundaries many people associate with poetry and students were thoroughly engrossed with the story and stylistic choices the poet makes throughout the novel.

Earlier this year, the English Department launched a new writing initiative: the 200-word challenge! Once per fortnight, every student in KS3 partakes in a topical writing activity which is relevant to the learning that has been taking part in their classrooms. As part of a 200-word challenge, students were given the opportunity to create their own concrete poetry based on the text. Here is one of the fabulous pieces of work that was produced for this task:

Year 9

It has been an extremely exciting and successful term for our year 9 students, who kickstarted the summer in the theatre watching a theatre adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which has complemented their study of work in the English curriculum, as well as prepared them further for their GCSE study of Macbeth in Year 10 and 11.

The year group have also completed an element of their GCSE Language course this term – the spoken language endorsement. Students had to choose a topic they felt passionate about, plan and write a 5 minute speech to be delivered in front of their class. Topical issues discussed included the disparity of pay between genders, the unethical nature of animal testing, and even whether pineapple belongs on pizza! This is a tricky and particularly daunting element of the course for lots of students, however, it has been lovely to see so many students grow in confidence and discovering their independent interests. Please do commend our Year 9s on their great efforts!

Year 10

The end of the year calls for huge congratulations for this year group, as they have now completed all content for their English Literature GCSE. Over the past 18 months, these students have worked tirelessly, studying 1 prose text, 2 plays, 16 poems and an abundance of unseen poetry practice. During their progression exams, the cohort sat the longest and hardest Literature exam, which is fantastic practice for the real examinations this time next year.

The hard work does not stop there – due to COVID restrictions in the classroom, these students were unable to complete their speaking and listening endorsement last year, thus they have ended the year preparing and completing their speeches. Year 10 have worked extremely hard this year and regardless of COVID, have taken learning in their stride, and we are confident that this diligence and perseverance will contribute to their successes.

Year 12

Our English Literature A Level group went Welsh in June, climbing The Skirrid, a mountain just outside Abergavenny which inspired the poetry book ‘Skirrid Hill’ by Owen Sheers, which they are studying. Everyone made it to the top, although with little breath left, and enjoyed the spectacular views of Wales and England either side. Whether they discovered “the answers to every question (they) have never known”, as Sheers' proclaims, you’ll have to ask them.

The group also took part in an Academic Conference at The Cotswold School this term. The purpose of the trip was to enrich students’ experience of English by having the opportunity to hear professional subject knowledge talks and engage with students who work on complimentary texts. It gave them the opportunity to gain confidence presenting their work (NEA topic), which aligns perfectly with study in Further Education. The trip was a huge success and all students involved were a huge credit to the school and themselves.

Extra-Curricular

Sports clubs and fixtures against local schools are now complete for the summer term. Competitive fixtures have taken place in Cricket, Rounders, Athletics & Tennis– congratulations to all students who represented NLS so brilliantly.

Sports Day – Tuesday 12 July 2022

Sports Day is one day in the school year where we come together as a whole community through Sport. Every year, new stars emerge and remind us of what hard work and dedication can achieve.  All students play their part in accumulating college points in what is one of the highlights of the school calendar.

In the morning EVERY STUDENT in Y7-10 competed for their college in one of the following sports against their own year group for college points:

• Football (Mixed)
• Netball (Girls)
• Tennis (Mixed)
• Athletics (Mixed)
• Dodgeball (Mixed)
• Rounders (Mixed)

In the afternoon the WHOLE SCHOOL were out by the athletics track for a non-stop action packed afternoon, cheering their college on in 100m, 200m, Relays and Tug of War across all year groups.

Final Standings were as follows :

Congratulations to Mr Foxon and students in MANOR college who were this years Sports Day winners, claiming back-to-back success!!

Congratulations also to the following students who broke whole school records this year:

• Archie Lane Y8 800m - 2:20s, beating the previous record held by Jai Sispal by 7 seconds!
• Y8 Blackdown Boys 4x100m Relay - 56.56s, beating the previous record held by Park in 2018 of 57.03s.

Sports Personality of the Year

Congratulations to the following students who were named Sports Personality of the Year in their respected year groups. The students were presented with personalised glass trophies at Celebration Evening and their names will now appear on the prestigious boards in the PE foyer area, becoming a part of NLS history!

Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award

119 students across Years 9 & 10 signed up to undertake their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, with a fantastic 115 of those making it across the finish line by completing their qualifying expedition in the magnificent Cotswolds. We had expeditions out on weekend of Friday 8 & Saturday 9 July and Friday 15 and Saturday 16 July with routes starting in Broadway, Condicote, Sedgeberrow and Naunton - making their way to our campsite at Hayles Fruit Farm. During their expedition, our students' navigation and camp craft skills were kept under constant scrutiny by our qualified NLS DofE assessor team. There were of course one or two navigational mishaps along the way, but all groups across both weekends showed a good level of competency with all students successfully passing this element of their certificate. The energy, spirit and teamwork throughout both expeditions was a sight to behold and memories made on the expedition will last a lifetime.

To receive their bronze certificate our students will need to ensure evidence is uploaded to their eDofE account in the form of a completed assessor’s report card for each section. For troubleshooting and support with this process, please see the DofE Youtube channel or contact your DofE Leader. All units must be completed by 1 September.

Year 9 – Mr Schofield

Year 10 – Mr Beese

News regarding the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the 2022-23 academic year will be circulated in September.  Please see below a selection of photos from our expeditions

Under 13 Girls County Finals (Small Sided)

Congratulations to our U13 girls who qualified for and participated in the County finals small sided tournament. The finals were hosted at the fantastic Solihull Moors Damson Park Stadium, and featured the best female school football teams from across the Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull area. After a chastening defeat in their opening game vs Stratford upon Avon School, a side that made it all the way to the National U13 girls cup semi-finals this year – our girls turned on the fireworks, winning their next 4 matches to cruise into the semi-finals. The girls would play Tutor Grange Academy in the semi-finals, and having had the better of the game – girls would bow out on penalties after the game ended 0-0.

Mr Burt and Mr Beese

Science and International Schools Project

This half-term in Science, Year 8 students have been making board games to educate their peers about a range of issues relating to climate change including; Ozone depletion, Desertification, Deforestation, Loss of biodiversity, and Disposal of Plastics. Students had the opportunity to research their topic, design and create their board game, and then present/play their board game with their peers. We had some fantastic ideas and designs but a massive shout-out to Gabriel C (8MR01) who used a 3D printer to create a board game with individual, hexagonal pieces, representing different ecosystems, to model the effect of pollution on our environment – well done Gabriel!

The Big Bang Fair

The Big Bang Fair returned this year at the National Exhibition Centre and all year 8s had the opportunity to enrich their Science curriculum experiences through a number of talks, demonstrations, problem-solving tasks as well as careers advice.

The fair is the UK’s largest celebration of STEM (Science, technology, engineering and maths) for young people, with over 200 organisations across government, industry, education and the wider science and engineering communities.

A long, busy day but most importantly, it was of great benefit to our year 8s who felt that the experience allowed them to explore and discover the latest developments and opportunities in a collaborative way.

Year 7s continue to shine at NLS

I have now officially completed my ninth academic year as Binswood’s College Leader and more recently Year 7 Lead. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of it. The students this year have managed to develop their year ethos to a whole new level. They continue to be supportive, honest, display integrity, never giving up in the face of daily challenges and more importantly, they are enthusiastic. We have some fantastic students in year 7 that are already demonstrating the key attributes allowing them to be incredible life-long learners, however, my job is to ensure that I help to instil the confidence they need to believe that they can achieve anything.

I have had a superb set of Tutors this year, who have supported me and the students on their journey. They have continued to promote the school ethos through the VT curriculum as well as during structured learning conversations. It is for that reason that I believe they have a pivotal role in the outcome of our students’ attitude to learning levels, consequences, as well as their academic progress. 

I am extremely proud to inform you that year 7s currently have the highest number of reward points in the school, as well as either achieving higher or maintaining their ‘Attitude to Learning’ levels on average each term. It is with ease that I can confidently state that together we have achieved an incredible amount this year, ranging from displaying infallible commitment and dedication to the range of charity events that have taken place throughout the year. We have managed to exhibit tremendous team spirit in the tutor groups and celebration assemblies. It has recently been announced that year 7 will be working collectively to compete in this year’s Maths Bee, this will demonstrate their academic profile of the year group, but also their ability to work collaboratively as a team. There are a plethora of events that have occurred this year that have made me incredibly proud to be the Year 7 Leader. There are going to be some changes with regards to my team come September and I will inform you of those changes when I have had confirmation. It is the passion and determination of our students that allows me to believe that we are the leading year group at NLS.

Rewards

I am pleased to announce that Jason N has the highest reward points this half-term, accumulating a total of 62 points. Closely on Jason’s heals were Dan M and Evie P.  All of the students listed below have proceeded to show resilience, engagement, leadership, acts of kindness, creativity and have made outstanding contributions in lesson time.

This is a fantastic accomplishment for these particular students. I personally think that this shows how hardworking students and the number of potential leaders we have in our year 7 cohort. I couldn’t be more proud.

From the beginning of the year Will K has always been within the top 5 with regards to the reward points he has accumulated throughout the year. However, I am so pleased to announce that he has managed to achieve the highest reward points in the entire school. This is simply incredible.

I should also mention that collectively 7BW02 managed to be the Tutor Group with the most reward points in the entire school. What an achievement!

Year 7 Transition Leaders for 2022-2023

Following 72 applications for the role of Transition Leadership, I am pleased to announce that all students were awarded a position for this year. The aim of our latest pupil leadership role of Transition Leader, is to enable pupils to actively support and welcome our new Year 7 pupils in September 2022. Transition Leaders will help welcome and support pupils into our School, lead and plan specific activities throughout the year, and provide support alongside our other pupil and student leadership teams. Our Transition Leaders will be a source of help for students, become role models for all year groups, and represent our School accordingly. Congratulations to you all. Myself, Mrs McBride and Miss Fell look forward to working with you this term and the next academic year.

Well done to each and everyone of you!

Tutor Curriculum

This month we have been raising awareness as part of the National Teen Self Esteem month. Students have been presented with lots of information and advice. The year 7s came up with a list of what they could do to support their peers. Here are a few:

• Lead by example
• Avoid negative self-talk and criticism
• Ensure that as a peer you have open lines of communication – and if you don’t, get advice on how to create this
• Ensure you can be trusted
• Guide and advise your peers by encouraging their own decision-making within reasonable parameters
• Give each other space
• Listen and take an interest in your peer life

I am hoping that year 7s help and support each other, allowing them to be confident with who they are.

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

We have also started to prepare for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. This week students will have had a series of tutor sessions dedicated to the Queen’s 70 years of service. Many participated in the Great Jubilee Bake Off! We had some exceptional entries, which tasted just as good as they looked. It was always lovely to witness so many year 7s getting involved in the Bunting and Decoration Competition. I would like to think that I might be able to celebrate a 70 years span in teaching, however not quite sure that I’ll make it.

Parents and Carers

I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support so far this year. I hope that 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 term. Have a lovely break.

Kind regards,

Mr Royle

As we complete the penultimate term of the academic year, I continue to be impressed with the efforts and positive attitude Year 9 students display in and out of their lessons. We are now approaching our third data cycle where students will be completing assessments to demonstrate their progress; it has been extremely pleasing to observe and hear how well students are developing in their GCSE studies.

Tutor Time Curriculum

The focus of our Tutor Time sessions this half term has been “Health and Well-being: Body Confidence”, where Learning Mentors have supported Student Leaders in delivering sessions linking to topics such as Self-Esteem, Healthy Lifestyle and Cancer Prevention, and The Media and Airbrushing. Students have also received a session based around Railway Line Safety following the recent concerns raised by Network Rail that there was a high level of trespassing on the tracks by young people in Leamington Spa and Warwickshire. Our Year 8 International Schools Student Leaders also delivered an online assembly to our Year 9s to update us on the current state of the Ukrainian crisis and what we can continue to do to help. Once again, Learning Mentors have been really pleased with how well students have engaged and contributed to the Tutor Time sessions by displaying impressive levels of maturity and curiosity about these topics.

Finally, in the last week of half term, Learning Mentors delivered sessions based around The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee to celebrate and recognise the significant events in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and why Britain is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee. The term concluded with a Great Jubilee Bake Off which raised money for the Prince’s Trust, as well as a Bunting and Decoration Competition. A special mention to the Year 9 Charity and Community Leaders who also created fantastic bunting and decoration that has been placed around the school as a part of the celebrations.

Year 9 students who are members of the Eco Club also contributed to the celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by engaging in the ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee Initiative’.

Reward Points

I am pleased to report that Fred S and Lucas RL from 9MR02 are topping the Rewards Table this half term. This is a brilliant accomplishment and demonstrates that they have been consistent in their outstanding approach to learning. Working well in lessons, perseverance and independent learning, acts of kindness and student leadership are just a few of the reasons why they have managed to achieve so many points. Congratulations to Fred and Lucas, along with the below students, who have made the “Top 10” Year 9 students for reward points – excellent work!

Message to Parents and Carers

Despite this half-term being relatively short, it has been yet another successful one. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support this academic term, and I hope you feel your child continues to be supported and guided to achieve, but more importantly, to enjoy school life at NLS. Have a safe and happy half-term.

Mr Butler

Head of Year 9