As we end a long and busy Autumn term, I would like to start by congratulating all our students, from EYFS to Year 13, for their hard work and dedication to their learning this term. Since September, we have had the opportunity to see and celebrate so many of our students’ achievements, with external visitors (for our QAR in November) also witnessing their fantastic attitudes to learning and the brilliant work the school is doing to help them achieve their very best.
As always, this could not be possible without the dedication of our fantastic staff who work tirelessly to ensure our young people are well supported and able to achieve their very best. I also take this opportunity to express my thanks to you, parents and carers, for your support and everything you are doing to ensure your child is set up and ready each day to do their best at school.
As we close 2023, we can reflect on fantastic assessment and exam results, brilliant destinations for our former Year 11 and Year 13 students, the remarkable growth and development of all our learners and the huge contribution so many of them make to the life of our school and wider community.
This year also saw the launch of our school shop. Having opened in April 2023, with the aim of reducing the cost to parents for uniform and make it a non-profit project, we have been overwhelmed by the response. Since April the data shows that there have been:
· 2898 orders placed and delivered
· 8701 individual items of clothing sold
· Cost saving example: we sell our secondary school blazers for half the price they used to cost under the previous supplier.
We are constantly reviewing our prices in comparison with other local schools, and we can confirm we are continuing to provide our families with the cheapest school uniform in the area. We are fully stocked for the rest of the academic year, and we have uniform orders in place for the next group of Year 7 students who will start in September 2024. We have a changing room so that students can try any items on. Secondary school student equipment is also available to buy from the shop from 8am onwards each day.
We have launched a pre-loved uniform section within the shop; these are items of uniform donated back to the school that are in good condition and, for a £1 charitable donation, are available during shop opening times to any families who would like them (all proceeds will go to the school’s nominated charity of the year). Equally, if you would like to donate any items, please bring them to the school receptions or directly to the shop, thank you.
We continue to work with our parent council to gather feedback to further develop this provision, however we trust that the efficiency of the service and accessibility to purchasing, as well as improved prices, is proving beneficial to parents. My thanks to Ms Maxwell-Jones (School Business Lead), Ms Green, Ms Carter and Ms Wake, as well as Ms Dodd and Ms Gavilett, our secondary reception team, for their support is setting up and running the SRS Shop.
Start of term arrangements – January 2024
We return to school on Monday 8th January at normal school times. On this first day we will spend time in the morning lesson reminding students of school ways of working and enabling students time to think about their goals for the new year and the term ahead. There are some things we ask you to do to ensure a smooth start to the term:
– ensure your child is in correct school uniform and footwear. Correct school shoes (not boots or trainers) must be worn. Uniform can be ordered online: https://www.srs-shop.co.uk/
– acrylic nails are not allowed in school – please ensure these are removed by 8th January
– for secondary students, please ensure they have a full set of equipment (see student planner for equipment list)
– please top up your child’s Parent Pay account for school lunches
– Please note the updates to our Behaviour policy applicable to secondary and Sixth Form students (as shared in last week’s newsletter), namely:
1. Relocation detentions will be sat on the same day as the relocation. This is in line with what other schools are doing, allows for more immediate consequences for poor behaviour in lesson and ensure every student can start the next school day afresh. In practice, most students have been doing this already and we are now just formalising this approach for consistency.
2. Students who are late to school before 9am will continue to receive a 30-minute detention on the same day. However, to discourage severe lateness we are now introducing an increased sanction of a 1-hour detention on the same day for students who arrive after 9am. As ever, students who have evidence of medical/dentistry appointments will not receive late detentions.
Parents will be notified of detentions as usual through the Edulink app. If you do not yet have the Edulink app or are having technical issues with it, then please contact office@sydneyrussellschool.com
A reminder that students who have multiple detentions due to be sat at the same time should seek the advice of their Head of Year in advance about what to prioritise. Students will not be kept after 4pm for detentions and any remaining detentions will continue to roll over to the next school day.
Exciting news for 2024!
We have the school production of Oliver to look forward to! Tickets will be on sale from January through Parent Pay for performances on 19th, 20th and 21st March 2024 at 7pm each evening. Book your tickets early to avoid disappointment!
You can find the full list of key dates for the term ahead at the end of this letter and on the website.
I know that, for many, this can be a difficult time of the year – particularly as we think of those who are no longer with us, or those whose health might be affecting them. I hope that, whatever the circumstances, you are able to benefit from some much-needed time for a change of pace, time with those close to you, and some relaxation ahead of the new year.
As ever, I hope not to have to disturb you during the holidays, but should there be any urgent update, this would be sent via Edulink, as well as updated on the website.
I wish you and your families a very merry Christmas, a relaxing holiday and every happiness for 2024.
Yours faithfully,
Clare Cross
Principal