Message from the Head of School

We have made further progress this term on improving the climate for learning across the school as we continue to raise standards. This is a key part of our School Quality Improvement Plan: Strand 3 – ‘Establish an effective climate for learning to enable all learners to make rapid progress’.

Our new ‘Ready to Learn’ system focuses on ensuring all pupils can make maximum progress in disruption free classrooms. Pupils have responded extremely well so far to the three clear expectations for all pupils: Be responsible by arriving on time and fully equipped; Be respectful by listening and speaking politely; Be resilient by remaining on task and working hard.

Praise is at the heart of our ‘Ready to Learn’ system and we recognise pupils for living and breathing our values: Acceptance, Respect, Honesty, Determination, Equality, Excellence, Friendship, Aspiration, Resilience and Responsibility. It is testament to our young people that we have already awarded an astonishing 28000 praise points this term including over 270 Praise Postcards. This is a reflection on the wonderful young people we work with day in, day out.

Our Pupil Behaviour Policy has been updated to incorporate ‘Ready to Learn’. Should you have any questions about the updated policy, please contact Hayden Southon, Deputy Headteacher.

Class Charts: From September we are introducing Class Charts, a new homework and Ready to Learn recording platform that will replace Show My Homework and the Parent Portal. It is an intuitive system which can be accessed via the web or an app to allow parents/carers to easily access important information about their child all in one place. Full details will be issued during the first week of the new term. We will also provide hands-on assistance at the Parent/Carer Information evenings throughout September (see dates below)

Our new House structure was launched this week, creating a real buzz across the school. The passion and ‘family’ atmosphere in the launch assemblies showed us a glimpse of what is to come in 2018/19. We are very excited with our new structure and many pupils are talking about which position they are going to apply for within their house. Please discuss this with your son/daughter. Application details are in their email inbox.

2017/18 has been another great year for St Katherine’s. We look forward to celebrating with our young people in August.

Wishing everyone a restful summer break.

Mr Humphreys

Celebration of Student Achievement

At the end of every school year we recognise the effort, progress and performance of students in the Celebration of Achievement awards.  The awards recognise:

• Attendance Awards celebrating students with 99-100% attendance
• Faculty Achievement Awards recognising student effort and achievement in Faculty subjects
• The Tutee Award for students who have contributed to and enhanced their tutor group
• The Head of Year Award for students who have made an outstanding commitment and contribution to their year group
• The Community Award for students who have enhanced our school community
• The Head of School Award for students who have made outstanding personal progress during the year.

Full details of the recipients of this year’s awards are in the links below.

Mr  Humphreys and the recipients of this year’s Head of School Award:
left to right: Elise Caddick (Yr 10), Evie Dexter (Yr 8), Pearl Westerberg (Yr 7) and Leeban Mahamad (Yr 9)

Parent/Carer information evenings – September 2018

We are holding a series of parent/carer information evenings in September (All 7-8pm in the dining hall) to provide you with information on how to best support your child/children to be successful at school.

In particular we will cover:

• Attendance information, advice and guidance
• Ready to Learn system update and how to use Class Charts
• Preparing your child to be successful

The four House evenings will give you the opportunity to meet your child’s new Head of House and hear how they plan to help them thrive as part of their new House community.

We are also running an evening for parents/carers of pupils in Years 12/13.

For parents/carers with a child/children in Year 11 we are holding a ‘Preparing 2 Perform’ evening led by Mr Francis-Black which will provide information on how to support your child as they prepare for their GCSE exams next summer.  The evening will include some useful revision techniques so please come along!

See the meeting dates below, we look forward to seeing you:

• 5 September: Year 7 Parent Information Evening
• 6 September: Stephenson House information evening
• 10 September: Turing House information evening
• 11 September: Yousafzai House information evening
• 12 September: Pankhurst House information evening
• 13 September: Post-16 Parent Information evening
• 24 September:  Year 11 Preparing 2 Perform Evening

Student pen ‘Half Full’ musical to promote inclusion and acceptance

In the late June, a sold out Wickham Theatre in Clifton was the venue for the first public performance of ‘Half Full’,  the student-led LGBT+ musical, written by year 10 students Will Want and Wren Talbot-Ponsonby.

The musical, which follows the blossoming relationship between Obelisk (played by Rosa Thomson) and Erin (Stephanie Thomasset) over the course of a detention, was at once genuinely touching and hilarious, whilst conveying a potent, inclusive message.

Having performed Half Full to fellow students in school last year, months of hard work came to fruition at the Wickham, as friends, parents and the general public were bowled over by this exceptional project. Huge thanks are due to Bristol University and Bristol Old Vic for helping to make the show a reality, but the credit really must fall to the remarkable talent of these young people, who truly shone.

Mr Davies, Teacher of English

Attendance update

Attendance at St. Katherine’s continue to improve with the percentage of pupils who are absent from school reducing by 1% between Term 4 and Term 6.  

Many congratulations to the 40 pupils who have the accolade of being in school EVERYDAY during 2017/2018:

• Year 7: Matthew Brennan, Adam Britton, Lewis Bubb, Danielle Cameron,  Jamie Fielden, Finley Green, Dylan Hewett, Eugene Lietzau, Benjamin Maclean, Mia Melias,  Macy Napierski, Natashan Palmer-Woods, Matthew Parsons, Lyra Savy, Ruby Walsh Luke Welsby

• Year 8: Jay Anderson. Ethan Bose, Ty Bristol, Ben Cook, Richard McCalman, Benjamin Mortlock, Liam Osborne, Issy Prime, Max Stevens, Finch Talbot-Ponsonbly, Joseph Williams

• Year 9:  Louie Dun, Tom Evans, Amelya Hobbs, Harley Langford-Davis, Liam Tyler

• Year 10: Alexander Bennett, George Fry, Patryk Lietzau, Priscilla Lumoso, Felix McGovern, Niamh Metelko-Jones, Anna Pope, Annie Wren Talbot-Ponsonby

And a special mention to the pupils who have been in school EVERYDAY for the last 2 years:

• Year 8:  Nann Gyimah-Sarpong, Jessica Sharpe, Joel Wardingley
• Year 10: Jonathan Britton, Mike McCalman, William Want

From September 2018 we are launching our new attendance phases system – Sol Attendance. More details will be shared with parents/carers at the Parent Information Evenings in September 2018.

Insight into Philosophy Club

Twenty-five students were challenged to debate key philosophical questions as part of our Insight into Philosophy club run in conjunction with Bristol University.  Led by Post-Graduate student Tina Williams, the programme covered several ancient and modern philosophical thought experiments including the  ‘The Ship of Theseus’, which led to interesting questions about personal identity and the ‘Positive Experience Machine’, which asks us if we would wear a headset that gave us permanent happiness.

Throughout the programme the students debated and consider a number of questions about identity, happiness and freedom & responsibility  including: ‘Am I the same person as when I was a baby?’ ‘Can anything ever stay the same?’ ‘Is real happiness more valuable?’   ‘What is happiness?’ ‘Is it right that our freedom be limited so that we behave better?’  ‘What’s more important: freedom or the greater good?’ ‘How could we organise society to make it fair for all?’  ‘Do we always choose what we think will be best for ourselves?’

The level of student discussion was exceptional and it was heartening to see young people discussing philosophy in such a passionate way.   The programme culminated in a philosophy lecture and graduation at Bristol University where the efforts and contribution of St Katherine’s students were praised.

The club was oversubscribed so we’ll be running it again next year with a brand new set of problems.

Mr Murdoch, Head of Philosophy and Belief.

Term 6 news round-up

Here’s a quick round up of more student successes and the Paris and Madrid trips 

PE and Sport News

In our warmest summer term for a long time students have been busier than ever making the most of the weather and the sporting opportunities on offer to them.  Here are some highlights, full details to follow in the PE and Sport Newsletter:

• We held our biggest Sports Week yet with more than 450 students involved in a week long programme of sport.
• Saturn claimed the Sports Day title and the House Sport title for the final time under our current house structure – their second consecutive victorious year.
• Our Year 8 girls were crowned North Somerset Rounders Champions and went to the School Games Finals at Bath to represent the area.
• Year 10 leaders have been busy hosting two primary school athletics competitions for more than 300 local children – this group of leaders are one of our best cohorts yet!
• Ashya, Finley and Jazper represented North Somerset at the Avon Outdoor Athletics Championships earlier this year running and jumping brilliantly.
• At the start of term we held held our sixth annual Sports Awards Evening that celebrated 42 of our best sporting students
• As if that wasn’t enough girls and boys have also been busy in cricket, rounders, basketball and athletics action throughout the term

Mr Cook, Head of PE

Key Dates for Summer Holidays and Term 1

keep in touch

There isn’t enough space here to showcase the huge variety of student experiences and achievements this term. Keep up to date by visiting the ‘News and Events’ section on the school website, check the school Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @stkathsschool.