Headteacher's letter - 10/02/23

Friday 10th February 2023

Dear Parent/Carer,

Headteacher’s Letter - Week 21

I would like to start this week’s letter by thanking you for your generous response to the call for donations and the contributions for non-uniform day. We have delivered a full-mini bus of clothing to local charities collecting for the relief efforts of the earthquake. Donations for non-uniform day raised over £1300 which will be donated to the Day-Mer Centre.

We have also established a support group for young people of Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot and Syrian heritage to give them a space to share concerns and for the school to understand how best to support them.

We understand many in the school community are affected by the scenes being shared which can be emotionally tiring. Should your child need support in the next week during half-term, please access resources such as Grief Encounter or Childline.

Teaching and Learning Update – Mr Sebastian Ventura, Assistant Headteacher

This term, teachers have been working on embedding Retrieval Practice techniques into the start of their lesson. In simple terms, this means quizzing students at the start in a variety of ways to recall previous learning they may have done the day before, week before, month before or sometimes even further back. Cognitive Science Research shows that we need to constantly revisit information or knowledge to “make it stick” if we go back to something repeatedly it interrupts the forgetting process.

Teachers have done some work on this as a staff body during the after school Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions on Friday, and looked at engaging ways we can encourage students to recall prior learning before starting any new content. Lead Practitioners have been dropping in to lessons to see this in action and monitor the impact on learning across all Year groups.

Year 11 and 13 Online Revision Resources

This year we have been trying to support Year 11 and 13 to learn how to revise more effectively. So far, every student has been given a booklet with over 20 techniques and strategies they can use, this was also followed with a drop-down day and assemblies. The next stage is to get students revising independently with your support. So, we have updated our website to now include a whole section dedicated to revision materials. There is wealth of information , resources and videos to help students gain skills in the right way to revise. Please have a look with your child using this link.

If you have any questions regarding this content please contact me via seb.ven@sns.hackney.sch.uk

Maths Homework Trial – Mr William Rayner, Head of Mathematics

After February half term, we will be trialling Sparx Homework for all of our Year 8 and Year 10 students. Sparx is a weekly, retrieval based online homework designed to be both challenging and achievable for all. We have mapped homework to our schemes of learning and questions generated will be adapted to each student as they complete their homework.

To support your child with their maths homework, and us with this trial please can you:

• Ensure that someone isn’t answering questions for them - if this happens then the system will give them work that isn’t appropriate which could in turn will take longer for them to complete.

• Make sure they are focused and not watching TV or using other devices at the same time.

• Encourage the student to talk to their maths teacher if they are worried.

Students have access to computers in homework club after school until 5pm each day if this is helpful.

Safer Internet Day – Parent/Carer Workshop – Tuesday 21st February 6.00pm – 7.30pm – Mr Michael Collins, Head of Safeguarding and Wellbeing
We will be hosting a bespoke Safer Internet Day on Tuesday 21st February. Throughout the day, each year group will have a 45-minute assembly delivered by Southwest Grid for Learning, a charity dedicated to empowering the safe and secure use of technology through innovative services, tools, content and policy, nationally and globally. You can find further information here.

This will be followed by an awareness raising workshop for Parent/Carers to provide information and practical advice on a broad range of online safety issues that may affect young people. Issues covered include online bullying, pornography, sexting, online gaming, relationships and managing online reputations. The session will be led by Gareth Cort, an online safety consultant, who will also signpost to sources of help and support and emphasise the importance of parents/carers playing an active, engaged and respectful role in supporting their children online. The workshop will take place in School Theatre from 6.00pm - 7.30pm. If you wish to attend the evening, please click this link.

This is an important event recognising that parenting is harder today in the age of social media and smart phones. We look forward to seeing you at the above event.

Sixth Form Music Concert – Tuesday 28th February 7.00pm – The Old Church – Ms Amy Foden, Head of Music

We are excited to announce our next music concert: the Sixth Form Concert at the Old Church (just across the road from Stoke Newington School), on Tuesday 28th February at 7pm. This will be a lovely evening of musical entertainment provided by our talented sixth formers as they showcase what they have been working on this year. Tickets are free and on the door and there will be complementary cake and wine available (donations to the department are welcome and encouraged!). Thanks and hope to see you there, any questions feel free to contact amy.fod@sns.hackney.sch.uk.

Free Student Breakfast Club from 7.40am – 8.20am– Ms Lois Gillie, Enrichment Officer

We have the opportunity to provide a free breakfast in school through the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP). This is funded by the Department for Education and delivered by Family Action to support schools in England to provide pupil with a healthy breakfast at the start of the school day. The Breakfast Club will run every morning from 7.40am – 8.20am, starting Tuesday 31st January in the Bluebird Café. Breakfast will include fruit, bagels and a variety of cereals. This is open to all students.

If you would like your child to attend, please fill out this form. For further information contact Lois Gillie, Enrichment Officer loi.gil@sns.hackney.sch.uk