Letter form the Headteacher
(December 2009)
|
Dear Parent or Carer, As we approach the Christmas holiday, it is time to reflect on what has been achieved this term at Whitefield School and to preview 2010. As the days start to get longer after 21st December, Spring term approaches and the long dark days of November and December slip behind; there are reasons to be cheerful and positive about what lies ahead.
Best ever exam results.. However, before we move on, it is important to review this year’s achievements. In September we published our best ever exam results; over 62% of our Year 11 students achieved at least 5A*-C at GCSE.
University of choice... This success was mirrored in the sixth form -100% of students in Year 13 went on to their university of choice. All of this is a reflection of our commitment to ensure that the young people who come to Whitefield leave with their life chances enhanced. Students who left this summer have gone on to study a wide range of subjects at university including Medicine, Law, Psychology and Sport.
Some of these young people are first generation university students for their families, who should be rightly proud of what they have achieved.
Growing Sixth Form... With so many of our students being successful at GCSE, we look forward to an even bigger sixth form next year. Currently, with 218 members, we have one of Barnet’s largest sixth forms; into which we attract significant numbers of students from other schools. Additionally, we regularly welcome back many students who leave us at the end of Year 11, when they discover that they miss the level of support and guidance they received here at Whitefield. |
Individual successes... In our continual drive to encourage students to aspire to greater success, we have students in both Year 10 and 11 already studying for AS Maths having passed their GCSE a year, or in some cases, even two years early; they are an example to all of us of what can be achieved with sufficient determination and aptitude.
Year 7s on course for record...
Our new Year 7 students have settled in and are a credit to themselves and you,
their parents or carers. Their prior attainment suggests that by the time they
reach Year 11 they should be our most academically successful year group ever,
so that really is an accolade for them to strive for. Year 11 students are feeling the pressure that this year always brings. It seems incredible that there are effectively only 90 school days or so until their GCSE exams are upon them. I have been amazed at the number of them who turn up on a Saturday morning for further English or Mathematics lessons; such a turn out speaks volumes about the motivation of both our students and our teachers. |
GCSE Mathematics and English exams taken early... Most students have already taken their GCSE Mathematics and English exams in November of this year, this will hopefully put them in an advantageous position in the summer. Either they will have achieved the grade that they wanted at GCSE in Math and English and be happy with it; in which case they can concentrate on their other options or they have the advantage of learning from their mistakes and re-sitting the exams in June of 2010. It is worth noting that these students have been under pressure since September and along with the marvellous staff who have supported them all term, deserve to have a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas holiday.
Primary School links...
We are building stronger links with local primary schools. In addition to the
well established Sports festivals that we already host, we are now hosting
Science lessons for children from five local schools. Our staff and students
have done outreach work in Art, Music and literacy at Claremont and All Saints
schools and we have hosted Food Technology classes for both Primary and
Mapledown students. As you can see, the pace at Whitefield is quite unrelenting! Danny Crates, British Gold medallist... Amidst all the hard work there have been moments of pleasure. I am all too aware that school should be a place that young people enjoy coming to; a place here they feel safe and where, despite all the hard work, they can have fun. To this end we have had a Prize Giving evening with the guest speaker Danny Crates, a British Gold medallist in the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. He was an incredibly motivating speaker and the 200 people who listened to him before receiving their awards and exam certificates, were inspired by his |
stories. Despite
losing an arm in a car crash at the tender age of 21, he played
Rugby at a very high level and went on to represent his country
in the Paralympics in Beijing; winning the gold medal for the
800m.
The past week has seen students washing cars, selling cakes and sweets and
persuading me that it was a good idea to allow them to have a non-uniform day to
raise money for our annual OAPs Christmas Party. I have been most impressed with
the enthusiasm and organisation of so many of our students. The amount of money
that they have raised so far has been remarkable – well done to everyone
involved.
The thing which will stick in my mind for some time to come was non-uniform day.
My experience at previous schools has taught me that such days can become rather
chaotic and I came in to work fearing the worst. However, I am delighted to tell
you that the day was a great success! Lots of students wore their national dress
and they looked fantastic! The atmosphere was cheerful and there were lots of
happy and smiling faces – but I have discovered that there usually are at
Whitefield School! |