Dear Parents/Carers
I hope this letter finds you and your families well; a summer update for you as we approach the start of a new academic year.
Year 11 collected their GCSE results in school last Thursday. Attainment for the school was up for the third year in a row, which is pleasing. It was lovely to see so many smiley faces on Results Day, with students receiving the results they needed to enrol on the post-16 pathway of their choosing. As always, those students that attended school regularly, worked hard in and outside of school, and grabbed the many opportunities we provide for students outside of the classroom, did exceptionally well. A number of students received all grade 9s and 8s, a very impressive feat indeed.
We wish all of our students well and only ask that they stay in contact with the school to share the many successes I know they will go on to have. Once Kelmscott always Kelmscott.
A reminder now about the importance of good attendance and punctuality which, put simply, cannot be underestimated. Please ensure that students leave for school in plenty of time to ensure they arrive at school before 8.40am. As you know, we take a tough approach if students are late; any student who arrives after 8.40am will have a one-hour detention that afternoon.
A polite and respectful reminder to not miss school due to term-time holidays, translating for a family member at an external appointment, or other such absences. We know that students who attend Kelmscott, each and every day, perform exceptionally well in their GCSE exams. Your ongoing support with this is much appreciated.
As I always do at this time of year, I would like to remind families about our stance on two very important issues:
1.) Weapons, if students are found in possession of a weapon on site, or found to have been in possession of a weapon on their way to or from school, it is likely that they would be permanently excluded from Kelmscott.
2.) Drugs, if students are found in possession of drugs on site, or found to have been in possession of drugs on their way to or from school, it is likely that they would be permanently excluded from Kelmscott.
The safeguarding of our school community will always be my number one priority.
A reminder too that electric scooters are not to be used by students to travel to or from school. They are illegal and carry significant danger, due to the speed that can be reached on such scooters. Please ensure any bikes used to cycle to school are serviced and roadworthy; helmets should be worn at all times, of course.
Hopefully, you are already organised ensuring that your child has the correct uniform for the new school year. Please check the website carefully to ensure the uniform is compliant. I would like to remind you about the small changes we have made to students’ uniform for this academic year:
All new student coats must be plain black or navy blue, no large printing or logos please. If your child still has a coat that fits them that is not plain black/blue, they will be permitted to wear their old coat until such time that it is replaced. Hoodies or tracksuit tops are no longer permitted.
Baseball caps must be plain black or navy blue
Headscarves should be navy blue only please
All other uniform expectations remain the same. Making sure that the uniform fits well is vital, to ensure that the top button of the shirt can be done up and the shirt tucked in etc. Avoiding fashionable alternatives, particularly with trousers is important too. Socks should be black and a smart pair of shoes, no trainers please. Belts should be worn to ensure that trousers remain on the waist.
In terms of jewellery, students are permitted to wear one pair of small silver or gold studs (one in each ear) no diamond/gemstones should be worn in school. Students may also wear one small plain discreet ring and watch. Nose stud, one small plain silver or gold stud is allowed, otherwise there must be no other facial jewellery, or piercings. This is the only jewellery permitted and the school is entitled to confiscate any unsuitable jewellery. No acrylic, or long nails please as this impacts on students’ ability to engage and participate fully in PE, technology and many other areas.
A reminder too about equipment. Students are checked each morning to ensure we have ‘disruption free learning’, this equipment includes, black pen, red pen, pencil, ruler, journal and lanyard. As we have no bells in school, students are responsible for ensuring they arrive at lessons on time, with this in mind, a watch is very useful as phones, and other smart devices are not permitted and must not be used or seen.
Each year we have an annual motto, this year it is, “excellence is not a habit but an act” an Aristotle quote. I am looking forward to working with students and families to achieve excellence in all that we do, both individually and collectively as a community.
As you are already aware, we are introducing a new app, Edulink, to replace MyEd, in the coming months. Edulink provides all the functionality of MyEd and a lot more, as well as additional functionality for learners and staff. Over the summer you will have received a form requesting an up-to-date valid email address, which we require to create logins for all users. Thank you to those who have already completed this form, if you have not yet completed it please do so in the next week. This will allow us to begin the roll out for Edulink across the autumn term, on-boarding parents ready for a full launch in January 2025. Until then, to facilitate a smooth transition, we will continue to use MyEd for all school communications, and during the roll out of Edulink both apps will function for everything else, including the school calendar, timetables, and behaviour and reward points. Please ensure you have MyEd downloaded and connected to your child.
Note for new Year 7 parents/carers; students should connect in the MyEd app by Tuesday 3rd September (provided you have downloaded the app at least 24 hours beforehand), and you will receive a form requesting an email address for your Edulink login by the end of the first week of term.
We welcome Year 7 students to school on Tuesday 3rd September through the main school entrance. School starts at 8.40am prompt, but I would recommend that all students arrive no later than 8.30am just in case. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our talented new cohort.
Years 8-11 begin back on Wednesday 4th September, again school starts at 8.40am prompt, but I would recommend that all students arrive no later than 8.30am just in case. Years 8 and 10 should arrive at the red gate, Years 9 and 11 through the blue gate.
A couple of dates for your diary in the first half term:
Thursday 26th September 2024 – 10.40am start following Open Evening the previous evening
The half term holiday has been extended again, following the disaggregation of two Inset days. As a result, half term two does not begin until Wednesday 30th October 2024; something for us all to look forward to.
I am very much looking forward to the start of the new school year and welcoming our wonderful students back. Of course there will be obstacles ahead, but I know we will work together to ensure that our community continues to grow and excel. Please do not hesitate to reach out, if you have any questions or queries, I look forward to seeing you at school events in the near future.
Here's to another exciting and successful year ahead.
With every good wish.
Mr Sam Jones
Headteacher
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