Headteacher's update for parents/carers

Thursday 20^th May 2021

Dear Parent/Carers,

It is with great sadness we learn about the loss of innocent lives in Israel and Palestine. Our thoughts are with all those who have been made to feel unsafe in their homes and local communities.

As a school we stand against all forms of hate and we actively challenge antisemitism and anti-Muslim speech – it has no place in society and certainly not in our school. Our response must always be balanced, compassionate and educational.

We actively seek to provide a platform for our young people to better understand the history of the conflict, to correctly shape conversations and discussions. We will be working with an organisation, ‘Solutions not Sides’, who provide a non-partisan programme to support our students and staff, with the aim to promote critical thinking, open discussions and prepare for positive solution focused contributions.

BASE Competition Success

This week our Sixth Form BASE competition team received the good news that they were one of the twenty-four teams in the country to have made it through to the national final, which will take place virtually on 16^th June 2021.

BASE is a national business and accounting competition for 16-17 year olds run by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. They received a huge number of applicants this year and the standard of entries was particularly high. It is a fantastic achievement to reach the final and our team of students should be extremely proud of their hard work! Well done to Finn Morgan, Sam Foxell, Manus Belton and Samuel Gordon Boyle in Year 12 and good luck in the final.

INSET Days – Friday 28 May and Monday 7 June

Friday 28^th May will be a Moderation day for our staff, ensuring the centre assessed grades process is as rigorous as possible for our Year 11 and Year 13 students.

With changes to the curriculum model starting next academic year, it is important to allow our staff time to prepare for the changes. Therefore, Monday 7^th June will be an INSET day.

This means that for both dates, and work will be set on Microsoft Teams Assignments for students to complete. Students are to return to school on Tuesday 8 June 2021.

SNS in the New Era – Wednesday 19 May 6.00pm

Thank you to those parents who attended last night’s forum on SNS post pandemic, the forum presented key priorities for our school and was an opportunity for parents to have their input. A recording of the forum is in the Year Group Forum Folders. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, so please do email admin@sns.hackney.sch.uk

From September 2021, we are looking to strengthen our enrichment programme for our students. Please feel free to email Amar Bailey if you have any ideas, suggestions or recommendations. Ama.bai@sns.hackney.sch.uk. Thank you to parents who have already done so.

Forum for Parent/Carers of SEND Students – Monday 24 May at 6.00pm

We will be holding a parent/carer forum for parent/carers of students with SEND. This will also be an opportunity to meet with Ms Samara Sherratt, Head of Inclusion/SENCO. Please find a link to this meeting here.

Community Evening – Thursday 27 May 6.00 – 7.00pm

We would love to invite you to this year’s Community Evening, which is a chance to celebrate the varied work our students do to celebrate our whole diverse community. For those of you who have attended before, you will remember the vibrancy of our ‘street food’ corridor, and all the activities and performances which took place. This year we will have a virtual event, with performances from students showcasing their work.

You can find a link to the event here.

Year 10 Registration

From Tuesday 8 June 2021, Year 10 registration will return to the morning, starting at 8.35am. This means all Year 10 students will be expected to arrive to be in their tutor room by 8.35am, with registers closing at 8.40am, thereafter students will be marked in late. Excellent punctuality is key to be prepared for a day of learning. Please ensure your child is well equipped and prepared for the change when on the return.

Covid-19 Safety Protocols

Students should continue to conduct and register lateral flow tests on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. As always, if your child’s test has a positive result, please email admin@sns.hackney.sch.uk as soon as possible.

A reminder that test kits are available for households, please follow this link for more information and to order. Should your child require further home test kits, please email admin@sns.hackney.sch.uk.

Parent/Carer Forums and Key Dates

Year 11 Prom is scheduled to take place on Thursday 24 June, with Year 13 Prom on Friday 25 June. More details will follow shortly. Parent volunteers to help with both these events would be gratefully welcomed, please do email admin@sns.hackney.sch.uk

Please see below parent/carer Forums for this half term. These, along with other key dates, can also be found on the school website here.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend. Keep well.

With all good wishes,

Zehra Jaffer