Newsletter

This has been an incredibly busy term with students not only engaging in curriculum activity but also in a variety of enrichment activities. I am pleased to inform you of the success of our teams both in sport and robotics with our VEX Robotics team achieving a place in the National finals in a few weeks’ time.

The year has continued to move at pace, and we are very close to the point where our students will undertake external examinations for both GCSE, A level and BTEC qualifications. These will be the first external summer examinations following the two years of COVID disruption. I am very pleased with the way that students are approaching these. It is naturally a nerve-wracking time for students, and I would encourage all of them to seek support from home and school if they are feeling anxious.

We have been undertaking a number of ‘student voice’ activities during this term and it has been invaluable to us to hear student views of the school both positive and where students would like to see further development take place. As we move out of the period of COVID disruption it is essential that we build our school community and raise expectations for achievement, attendance and behaviour.   A number of initiatives have taken place during this half term to improve pupil behaviour and attendance. I am pleased to say that the overwhelming majority of students have welcomed these and responded positively to them. Where we identify issues with behaviour or attendance the pastoral team will be in contact with parents to discuss these in order to work together to gain improvement. I would welcome your support as we move the school forward following the disruption caused by COVID and look forward to meeting you at parents’ evenings and other events over the coming months.

We had a wonderful time on the 3rd March celebrating reading.  We enjoyed our annual tradition of seeing staff and sixth formers dress up in their favourite book characters.  Our Year 7 Library Champs were responsible throughout the day for awarding certificates to the best dressed.  This year, departments took it to another level, with the English Department dressing up under the theme of 'horror', the office team came as 'Pirates of Penzance', and there were some wonderful individual efforts including a strikingly convincing Gandalf and the main character from David Walliams' 'the boy in the dress'.  The whole school community was tasked with identifying as many characters as they could during the course of the day.  Winners were:

Individual First Prize: Mustafa Ali (Y9)

Team Prize: Anastasia, Niamh, Evie, Precious, Hafsa and Ellie (Y10)

Runners-up Individuals: Oscar Stone-Bodinar (Y8), Natalie Wojick (Y9)

Runners-up Teams: Chloe, Melody, Viktorija, Aleksander, Xavier and Madison (Y7), Tahlia Ibrahim and Javeria Choudhary (Y7)

 

The Food Tech Team 'Caught Reading'

  Staff 'Caught Reading' at the Park Run

As part of their A level studies, Year 13 explore literature from the First World War.  We were delighted to take our first post-COVID theatre trip to the Nottingham Playhouse to see 'Private Peaceful'.  It was a powerful production full of emotional force and incredible action, rounded off with a Q&A session with the actors.  We hope this will be the first of many more theatre trips as restrictions relax.

 

Students have voted for their Sports Council Representatives.  We hope that this Council will play an important role in taking sport forward at NUAST.  Council members are:

Year 7: 
Utku Ulusoy
Melody Cummings 

Year 8: 
Monzir Hassan 
Nagla Ali 

Year 9: 
Fadi Ahmed 
Nazar Ilieva 

Year 10: 
Precious Chijiogu Chijiogu 
Jack Bailey 

Congratulations to all!
 

 

FIXTURE INFO:

- 18 fixtures attended this term

- 152 students attended a fixture this term 

FIXTURE RESULTS BELOW – WEEK ENDING 04/03/21

Monday – Miss Watson took the year 8/9 Girls’ futsal team to Harvey Hadden. The girls came 2nd and walked away with silver medals 

Monday – Mr Powell took the GCSE boys to Djanogly for joint moderation. The team played 4, drew 3 and lost 1.

Wednesday – Miss Kinsey took the Boys’ and Girls’ Year 7 athletics team to Harvey Hadden to play in the Shield Final. The Girls’ team came 2nd winning silver medals and the Boys’ team came 4th narrowly missing bronze!!!!

Thursday – Miss Watson took the Year 8/9 Girls’ football team to Emmanuel for a friendly. This was the first time the girls had ever played an 11 aside!!! Unfortunately, we lost 6-1

 

The Read Ahead Scheme has 6 reading challenges, beginning at Bronze and ending in Kryptonite.  Every Year 7 student was given a Bronze Read Ahead card in January, and we now have some students who are already on Gold!  These students' names will be announced after the Easter break.  If you are a parent or carer of a Year 7 student, please do support their reading habits by asking to see and sign their Read Ahead card.