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Welcome

It is with real pleasure that I welcome you to the Wilnecote School. This is a school with a proud and rich history of serving the local community, and a real focus on an exciting future. I am committed to leading a school where no student is left behind, all are valued as individuals, but where we all commit to the highest standards of behaviour, punctuality, attendance and academic effort.

At the Wilnecote School you will find a committed and professional staff body who are dedicated to improving the life chances of every student. Whatever our role within the school, we all share the same ambition, high expectations and drive which we seek to embed in all of our students.

We are very proud of our broad and balanced curriculum which is well planned and sequenced and is supplemented by an extensive array of enrichment opportunities. Pupils benefit from exciting educational trips and an entitlement to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Our intent is to allow every student the opportunity to explore their talents, develop new ones and find their passion upon which to drive their learning.

Our teaching staff are passionate subject experts who pride themselves on delivering lessons of the highest quality, using their extensive subject knowledge, collaborative planning and utilising evidence informed teaching strategies. Staff development is at the centre of our drive to further improve student outcomes.

Our students are supported by a very talented pastoral team who are devoted to ensuring every young person is nurtured and has a trusted adult to talk to. Our recent move to a year group approach has accentuated the relationship between students and their Pastoral year team and form tutor. I am proud that our staff and students refer to the care, compassion and support at Wilnecote as that of being part of a family.

Our aim at Wilnecote is to instil in our students the confidence to dream big and smash through their own perceptions of their potential. Furthermore, to provide for them the highest quality of education that will establish the strongest foundations for a bright future. The development of a strong sense of self discipline and respect for others is essential to this journey.

I see it as an integral part of my role as Headteacher to ensure all our students make the most of their abilities and leave the Wilnecote School with the qualifications to access their ambitions and strength of character to fulfil them.

I invite you to visit us, talk to students and staff and see how we put these aims into practise.

Mr Foskett

Headteacher

Autumn Half-term letter

9th February

Dear Parent/Carer,

After the longest Winter term I have experienced, this half term has positively flown by.

It was a real privilege to watch our school show “Matilda” this week. I could not be more proud of our extremely talented students who made this a performance to remember. Both nights were sold out and our local Primary schools were treated to an additional two shows in the school day. I am very grateful to our very dedicated staff who gave up so much time to coordinate such brilliant performances. Please look out for snippets of the show on our social media profiles.

Towards the end of this half term, we also held our twelve-hour challenge for our Duke of Edinburgh Bronze group which was supported by our silver group. The challenge started at 8pm and the students remained up and active all night completing all manner of challenges including raft building in the swimming pool in the early hours. A “raising aspirations” trip also went to Oxford University and a GCSE Drama group went to see Stephen Berkoff’s Metamorphosis at the Coventry Belgrade Theatre.

At the start of this half term, we held a mock exam results day for our Year 11, where students experienced arriving at school to receive the results of their Pre public exams sat at the end of the previous term. This was followed with information and advice around next steps and target setting. We also held a well-attended Key stage 4 options evening for year 9 parents and students, where we launched our new Key stage 4 curriculum. Our Year 9 students have now made their option choices which starts the process of organising the shape of their year 10 curriculum and the start of their GCSE and vocational pathways.

In the half term to come we will be running a four-week “grade booster” programme for year 11, which will be followed by selected subject support in the first week of the Easter Holidays. Click here to view more. Year 10 will prepare for and sit their Year 10 examinations commencing on 11th March 2024. These will be used to assess progress this year. Click here to view the Year 10 PPe Timetable. We will also be preparing for the summer term launch of a communication app for parents, which will provide a one stop location for all of the school communication applications such as Go4schools and Parent Pay. This will include a new and improved application to track student rewards and VP points.

I remain very proud of our students’ attendance, positive behaviour and uniform. I am grateful for all of your parental support in maintaining these important standards that provide the foundations for success at School. Please continue to check our uniform policy before making purchases to replace any outgrown uniform and continue to let us know if there are issues that we can support you with. Click here to view our uniform page. Hopefully the weather will start to improve, and temperatures will start to rise so that more of our students are able to go outside at break and lunchtime. Please continue to encourage your child to bring a coat to school so that they can get some fresh air at social times. We wish to maintain a quiet and calm atmosphere in the building at these times, so those that wish to exert any excess energy will be asked to go outside.

Please can I ask all parents who drop and collect their children off by car to do so outside of the school perimeter and not drive onto site. The start and end of the day is extremely busy with nearly a thousand young people leaving the site. Such numbers require all of the available space, including the driveways and we wish to keep our young people safe as they arrive and leave. If you require special consideration to enter the site in your car because of either a temporary or more permanent access arrangement, then please contact the school for an “Onsite Car Permit” which should be displayed on entry and exit www.thewilnecoteschool.com/contact. By limiting traffic entering site at these times, we will make entering and exiting the site safer for our students.

I would like to wish you and your family an enjoyable half term.

Yours faithfully

Mr Foskett

Headteacher

End of Autumn Term letter 2023

18th December

Dear Parent/Carer,

I have really enjoyed my first term at the Wilnecote school. It has been fantastic getting to know the students, staff, parents and carers that make up this school community. As you will see from our Christmas edition of the Wilnecote Warbler, it has been a busy term with lots of events and celebrations.

We held our Awards Evening on 20th October welcoming over one hundred students and their families. Awards were given to students for academic achievement and effort within each subject area, as well as overall prizes for sporting prowess and academic excellence. It was lovely to welcome back members of our previous Year 11 who had excelled in their summer exams and thriving in their post 16 destinations.

Our Children in Need fundraising event raised over £900 for charity and included a student led “Staff Bushtucker Trial” which was held in the school hall for the entertainment of our students. There were some really revolting combinations of food concocted by our junior leadership team and other volunteers, which staff forced down in the name of charity. 

On Friday 15th December we merged our annual Christmas jumper day with our Christmas Food bank donation. I was delighted with the response from our students as not only did the Christmas jumpers give the school a really festive feel, but also over thirty-four bags of food were collected. Our donation will be with the foodbank in time for Christmas.

We will be holding rewards events on Wednesday 20th December, with students who have received the most VP points being rewarded with a cinematic experience during lesson time. This term, there have been over three hundred thousand VP points awarded by staff in recognition of their work in class. I have been so impressed with our students’ approach to their lessons and their determination over this term. During this term there have been fourteen Headteacher’s letters of commendation for some exceptional examples of students showing pride in their work, respectfulness, and kindness to others.

We have had some excellent feedback from students on our new catering providers with many students telling us that there has been a real improvement in the quality of food available. We do want our students to get some fresh air during break time and lunch time. We are limited in the amount of inside space, so please ensure that students have a warm coat to wear. Those choosing to stay inside must maintain a quiet and calm atmosphere at social times or they will be asked to go outside where they can let off steam.

Well done to our year 11’s who no doubt will be looking forward to the Christmas holidays after two weeks of mock exams. We are all very proud of their preparation and how they conducted themselves during these important assessments. These papers will provide a launching point for the final run into their summer exams. Teachers will be providing feedback on areas to develop and focusing on filing gaps in knowledge, exam technique and any misconceptions in the lessons to come. Year 11 students, led by our junior Leadership team, will be starting their fund-raising activities for their Year 11 Prom. In trying to cut down on the costs associated with school Proms we are seeking support from our community to make any funds raised go that little bit further. If you, or anyone you know, provides goods or services that could be donated or discounted for this event, please get in touch.

I would like to take this opportunity to update you on a number of developments that will be taking place in the new year.

School communication with parents is really important and in the interests of further improving this we will be establishing a new application that will provide a platform with one central login for parents to access the variety of applications such as Parent Pay and Go4schools. We hope to be launching this in the new year and after the initial set up this application should speed up your access to important information. In addition, we are aiming to replace the reward and behaviour module that is provided by Go4schools with one called Class charts. I will be writing to you in the new year concerning opportunities for student, parent and staff training so this transition is smooth.

The new year will see the start of significant investment in our facilities including the resurfacing of some of our tennis court areas and the redecoration of the Design and Technology facilities. We will also see the commencement of a rolling programme that will see the complete modernization and refurbishment of our specialist science classrooms over the next four years. It is hoped that at least two of these will be completed this academic year. We all welcome this investment as we strive to further improve the learning environment for our students.

We are also launching a half termly safeguarding update for parents. You will receive our safeguarding newsletter via your parent pay email address and we hope you find this communication useful in raising awareness and providing advice on a range of safeguarding topics.

I would like to thank you for your support in ensuring our uniform code is followed. We have had many visitors to our school over the term and all have commented on our student’s uniform. As the winter gets increasingly colder, we have seen an increase in students wearing jumpers under their blazers. Please remember that these must be black V-neck jumpers and not be round neck or of the sweatshirt variety. Jumpers are to be worn in addition to their blazer, not as a replacement.

School will close for the end of term at 12.30pm on Friday 22nd December. If you consent to your child leaving school at this time, then please complete the attached consent form by the close of school on Wednesday 20th December. Where no consent is given, students will remain on site until 3pm. PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO GIVE CONSENT

Finaly I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a happy new year.

Yours faithfully

Mr Foskett

Headteacher

Autumn Term 1

27th October

Dear Parent/Carer,

I have really enjoyed my first half term at Wilnecote and I am starting to appreciate what a great school this is and its importance within the local community. From the outset I shared with students and staff my core values that will provide the foundations for our school. I will constantly strive to ensure all are proud of our school, ambitious for every one of our students, whilst sharing respectful and kind relationships. I have been thoroughly impressed with our students’ start to the new academic year. In just the first eight weeks of school, students have earned nearly two hundred thousand VP rewards. There have been one hundred and sixty positive phone calls home made and the first eight headteacher commendations have been awarded. If you have not already, please log in to Go4Schools to keep up to date with how your child is doing. This can provide a stimulus to start conversations about how their day has gone.

The half term has been extremely busy with our Duke of Edinburgh Silver award students completing their expedition in September. I was especially proud of the students that supported our Open evening who confidently shared what they were demonstrating with visiting parents. Our new Junior Senior Leadership team played a crucial part in the success of this evening by acting as tour guides and have supported visits to local Primary schools. There have been live performances in assemblies with music concerts and some brilliant artwork from our key stage 3 students displayed in our library, based on the theme of Halloween. I continue to be in awe of the talents of our students, their creativity and confidence. Please read the latest edition for this half term of our “Wilnecote Warbler” for more details.

This half term I have focused on establishing the high expectations of behaviour which provide the strongest foundations for success at secondary school. I am grateful for the level of parental support I have received in ensuring our students take pride in their school uniform. I have been forthright in sharing my expectations of school uniform from the outset. Visitors to the school have noticed the difference this term and this has impacted on raised expectations across behaviour and attendance.

Compliance with school rules and good behaviour are underpinned with compliance of adopting the school uniform policy. I would much rather spend my time commending students on their hard work than give constant reminders of what is expected of all students to a limited few that are reluctant to comply. Throughout the last eight weeks we have reinforced our requirements and given many reminders to a small minority that continue wear trainers instead of shoes or wear very short skirts, roll their skirt up so it is worn short, or wear leggings instead of trousers with a pocket. We have been generous, allowing time for adaptations to be made and now expect all students to comply from the start of next half term. Those not meeting our uniform expectations will be offered suitable, clean replacements until they can provide their own. If you are in any doubt as to our uniform policy, please consult our website via the link below.

As the weather starts to become colder and wetter, I would be grateful if you could ensure your child has an outdoor coat and a bag large enough for it to be stored in during the day. Coats have to be taken off inside, but we want our students to make the most of the opportunities to get fresh air at break and lunch and arrive to school dry and ready to learn. You would be surprised by how many students on rainy days wear a coat and carry their blazer to school. School branded jumpers have risen in popularity, especially as the winter comes, but these should be an addition to their blazer, not a replacement.

I am really looking forward to the new half term. I want to ensure our school provides the very best education for your child and your support with the above will allow greater focus to be on our core purpose of teaching and learning and the progress your child is making. Next term we will start a review of our key stage 4 curriculum to evaluate if we can better meet the needs of our students and further promote academic success.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your children a fantastic half-term break.

Yours faithfully

Mr Foskett

Headteacher

Back to School Letter September 2023

1st September 2023

Dear Parent/carer,

It has been a very busy Summer at Wilnecote School with much work being completed on the site including cosmetic and structural improvements, some of which will spill over into the new term. I am grateful for the site team in their efforts to continually make the most of our school facilities. You will be reassured to know that Wilnecote is not one of the schools affected by defective concrete and our site is clear of RAAC. Well done to all of our year 11 students that collected their results this summer as they were rewarded for all of their hard work and resilience over their time at Wilnecote. There really is no compromise for high standards of effort and attendance when it comes to academic success. We wish them every success in their Post 16 pathways and hope they stay in touch with their school.

In the final weeks of the summer term, you will have received communication from the school and from me on the expectations for this coming new academic year. There has been no change to the uniform policy for several years, however towards the end of last year a minority of students moved away from these standards and tested the boundaries. To address this, and to give as much notice to parents/carers as possible, students whose uniform required attention were given letters at the end of the summer term. Please be mindful that many shops seem to suggest that black trainers are shoes; they are not. Similarly, we are insisting that skirts are no more than 6cm from the knee; short skirts are simply not allowed. Can I also ask that you are careful with skirt material? Stretchy and tight-fitting skirts ‘ride up’ and are not allowed. Please consult our website if you are unsure.

From the first day in September if a student arrives with inappropriate uniform, we will contact home and ask for a change to be brought to school. If this is not possible, the student will not socialise with others at social time; a supervised room and staffing has been allocated. The student will still have time for lunch and to go to the toilet. I would much rather conversations with our students and parents focus on learning, rather than correcting an expected standard of uniform. We want to be proud of our student’s appearance and really value your support in maintaining our high standards. The school has continually worked really hard to keep the cost of our uniform to a minimum. If the cost of uniform is a concern, please do contact the school via their Pastoral year officer. One final reminder students are expected to arrive to school with pens, pencils and ruler.

Have a great end to the summer and we look forward to welcoming year 7 on Wednesday 6th September at 9.20am and Year 8 to 11 on Thursday 7th September for an 8.30 start. There will be staff available to support students find their way to their tutor room on the first day.

Yours faithfully

Mr Foskett

Headteacher

Headteachers' End of Term Letter

14th July 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope this letter finds you well, as we fast approach the summer break. It has been a challenging term for both staff and students, as we have faced a larger than usual amount of supply staff in the building. This inevitably leads to a degree of instability in school for the students, but the majority have coped admirably and not let their standards drop – we thank them for this. I am very pleased to inform you, that despite a time of significant challenge when recruiting teachers, we are fully staffed from September, ensuring greater stability across the school as students are taught by subject experts in every department.

Last Day of Term Arrangements – Friday 21st July:

The last day of term will see students finish and break up for summer at 12:30pm – they are expected to attend in full school uniform. Periods 1 and 2 will see them in normal lessons, so needing to bring in appropriate equipment for any practical subjects they have. After break, students will go into their Tutor Groups for end of year celebration activities, including a house assembly.

Should your child be eligible for a free school meal and would like to collect one as they leave, please would you inform us of this by emailing us at office@wilnecotehighschool.org by the end of Monday, so our kitchen has time to order food as appropriate.

Changes to Tutor Groups from September 2023:

As a school, we have been reviewing our current system of vertical tutoring over the last few years, and how this approach impacts on students. Some of the areas we have discussed include:

  • Relationships between students in both their own and different year groups
  • Relationships students create with their Tutor
  • Our ability to deliver age appropriate and effective personal, social and emotional development (PHSE)
  • Our ability to deliver messages and assemblies that are pitched at the right level and relevant to students
  • Our ability to deliver pastoral support and intervention via one person who knows all students within the same year group

We do believe that delivering an appropriate experience for students with ages that range from eleven to sixteen, and who are at very different stages in their personal development and school careers, is increasingly challenging and prevents us from offering the bespoke experience we believe students deserve. We have included Mr Foskett (our new Headteacher) in these discussions and are all of the firm belief that now is the time to move away from vertical tutoring, instead, having a traditional year-group structure, that contains only students from each specific year group. To enable a smooth start after the summer, students will be told the name of their tutor and which group they will be in on the final day of term. They will also learn who their Year Group Pastoral Officer will be from September.

Whilst we know that some of you may be disappointed or worried by this decision, I hope that you will trust us when considering the reasons that support this decision. Logistically, changing this structure is a massive piece of work for staff, so we would not undertake this, unless confident that students will significantly benefit from this decision – this has to be our primary reason for this change.

September 2023 – Return to school:

Please be aware of the arrangements for students, when coming back in September:

  • Monday 4th September: Staff training day
  • Tuesday 5th September: Staff training day
  • Wednesday 6th September: School opens to Year 7 students only – to arrive for a 9:30am start, finishing at 3:00pm
  • Thursday 7th September: School opens to all students – to arrive on site by 8:25, and heading to their new Tutor for an 8:30am start, finishing at 3:00pm
 
Staff who are leaving us on Friday 21st July:

At this time of year, we sadly have to say goodbye to some of our staff who are moving on to new opportunities, for a variety of reasons. I would like to publicly thank Mrs. Dellicott (teacher of English), Mrs. James (teacher of ICT and Computing), Mr. Johnson (teacher of History), Miss. Smith (teacher of Art & DT) and belatedly, Miss. Matthews (Cover Supervisor and teacher of Drama and Music) for all of the work and time they have given to support the students who come to us every day. They will be dearly missed by students and staff, and we all wish them well in the next phase of their career.

The other person who will be leaving with a heavy heart at the end of this year is myself. Having started at the school as a Deputy Headteacher in September 2017, I have had the pleasure of coming to work each day and spending my time with an amazing group of young people, hopefully supporting many of them in some way during their journey through secondary school. They are the reason why I look forward to coming to work each morning and I will greatly miss the way that so many of them make my day a better one. I will also greatly miss the staff who have supported me from the moment I arrived, as well as many parents and carers I have gotten to know over the years and who have been incredibly good to me.

During the Autumn Term, I decided that it was time to take the step of trying to become a Headteacher, and I was fortunate enough to be appointed to a position in a different school during the Spring Term. By the time applications were due for the position of Headteacher at Wilnecote, I had already been appointed elsewhere. Whilst sad to be leaving, I am of the firm belief that a new voice at the top is often a welcome thing, as it is an opportunity to reset the way certain things are done and brings a fresh set of eyes to all that we do. Mr. Foskett is a fantastic appointment for the school, and the support he will receive from an outstanding Senior Leadership Team and staff body who know your children, will enable the school to keep moving forwards and provide your children with the very best opportunities to be successful.

With one week to go, there is still much to be done before we break for summer, but I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your children a safe and enjoyable summer break when it arrives, and all the best for the future.

Yours faithfully

Simon Adams
Interim Headteacher

Headteachers' letter

3rd July 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am pleased to be able to formally tell you that from September, Mr David Foskett will be the new Headteacher of The Wilnecote School. I had the pleasure of being involved in all parts of the interview process and am of the firm belief that Mr Foskett is exactly the right person to lead the school into the next phase of its development and is an outstanding appointment for the school and community. Over the last few weeks, Mr Foskett has regularly been meeting with myself, other members of the leadership team and also with members of the Governing Body, to gain a greater understanding of the school and to enable his involvement in the planning of certain developments for the coming year. He has also had the opportunity to begin to meet students, when out and about during break and lunchtime. I know that Mr Foskett will be writing to you all before the end of the school year to introduce himself and give you a flavour of who he is and what his priorities are for the school, when under his leadership from September.

I will also be writing to you before the end of the year, to inform you of any changes that we will be making in September, and to give you information about the last week of this term and the first week back in September.

A change to remind you of is that the timings of the school day are altering slightly from September 2023, in line with Government expectations. Mrs Hartle wrote to you in October, to inform you that following a consultation process, the school from September will end at 3:00pm. We have considered a range of issues when deciding how best to use the additional time, to enhance opportunities in teaching and learning as well as around wellbeing for both students and staff. We have decided that the timings across the day will be as follows

  • 8:30-9:30 – Period 1
  • 9:30-10:30 – Period 2
  • 10:30-10:55 – Break
  • 10:55-11:30 – Tutor Time (including PHSE)
  • 11:30-12:30 – Period 3
  • 12:30-13:00 – Lunch
  • 13:00-14:00 – Period 4
  • 14:00-15:00 – Period 5

Key things to note are:

  • An increase in Tutor Time to enable more effective PHSE provision and time to build a relationship with the Tutor
  • An increase in break time, to enable greater opportunity to purchase food, go to the toilet and gain some downtime from class
  • Lunchtime being at the same time for all students, so seeing no split lesson in the middle of the day, and increased opportunities to staff additional activities and provision for students during this time
  • Back-to-back periods at the start and end of the day, so enabling the opportunity for subjects to be paired as double periods, if felt appropriate, as this may be advantageous for some GCSE practical subjects

We look forward to the last three weeks being a busy and positive experience for all students, as there is still much to do if we are to ensure we finish the year in the right manner. Thank you for your continuing support, as it is through working as a team that we can help all the students to be successful.

Have a good week,

Yours faithfully

Simon Adams

Interim Headteacher