Kenilworth School Newsletter 7 January 2011

Dear All, Welcome back and Happy New Year.

This month many of our students will be sitting public examinations. It can be a very stressful time for them and I am sure that they will be supported by their families at home as we will do our best to support them in school. There are a few good websites which contain information on anxiety and stress management, and a summary of some techniques which may be useful to reduce anxiety can be found under the exam section of our school intranet. There are also a few good websites giving advice on this subject. 

If you wish to access one of these websites, I suggest www.brookes.ac.uk/student/services/health/exam.html. 

Our main priorities for this term are as follows;

· To ensure that all examination students are appropriately supported in preparation for their GCSE and AS/A levels after Easter

· To carry out an internal review of Teaching and Learning at KS3, including a review of PSHE at all key stages

· To improve our communications with the introduction of our new VLE (Virtual Learning Environment)

· To further develop our tracking of students’ progress

· To continue to develop greater consistency in the application of sanctions and rewards and embed our new House system

In addition to the above, we have started work on the construction of a security fence at Leyes Lane. This will ensure that we maximise security

for students, staff and visitors on site. Following the cycle of assemblies for year 9 pupils, we are now into the process of options for year 9 pupils in preparation for the 1419 pathways.

Our year 9 Options Evening was held on Thursday of this week and I hope that students and parents found it useful. Staff will of course be available to support students in the choices that they have to make for their GCSEs in the next few weeks. Foreign trips are always useful for broadening our students’ horizons and we are fortunate in that we are able to offer a wide range of visits to our students in each school year. Our Year 10 students who are currently in Italy on a skiing trip had a safe journey and initial feedback indicates that things are going well. We look forward to their safe return home and to hearing about their visit. At the end of this month, we also look forward to

our exchange students from Belgium arriving in Kenilworth for the first part of their exchange.

Thank you for your continued support. Yours sincerely,  H.H.S. Abbott Headteacher