Dear Parents, Carers and Families,
Some of you as parents and carers but also local residents joined us this week to look at the plans for the rebuild project. I have articulated some of what follows at various points, but I felt this week it would be appropriate to talk about how the new school building reflects our values as an organisation.
Those of you who have seen the plans will already know that the learning resource centre, or library, has been deliberately placed next to the main entrance to the school with large windows reaching up from the ground to the section of lighter stone cladding. We want everyone who comes to the school to have a strong sense that reading and learning are crucial to what we do, that they should see this school as a beacon of learning in this part of the city. We also feel that the outside of the building and the central courtyard have been designed to give the school a college or university campus feel, helping the school to be a place that speaks of high aspirations for all. We’re fortunate that the school is surrounded by large amounts of land and lower down than the nearest local housing which should be shielded from the building by the existing tree line, meaning we can embrace this design in a way that we hope won’t clash with the nearby homes.
Inside the building, you can also see some of our values reflected in the design. The 6th Form area has been placed in the heart of the school, with light windows along the main corridor on the first floor. We want all our students to be able to see the 6th Form and think that this is a place they can aspire to join, if it’s right for them. Next to the 6th Form is our SEND base, currently called the Achievement Centre. We wanted this to also be central to the school as much as possible; we can’t as a school say we’re inclusive and then ask that some of our most vulnerable students be based on the fringes of the community. These students should be able to see their future here in our 6th Form as much as anyone else and, on a slightly more practical level, it was felt that the 6th Form were more likely to provide a calming influence for those young people who can find parts of school life overwhelming at times.
One of the other key elements that reflects how we see the school is that on the ground floor of the planned building will be where students will access their PE, Art, Music, Drama and Technology lessons. This is deliberate, as we want this school to be a place that celebrates creativity and students discovering their passions. Some young people arrive with us certain about what they want to become, but many don’t, and this is normal. We want their education to not only prepare them for the adult world and give them the grades that provide them with options in the future, but we also want them to be exposed to an education that isn’t just focused on “get these grades to get a job” and instead encompasses things like “learn how to paint so that you can you appreciate the beauty of the world in front of you” or “learn how to paint as it’s therapeutic and good for your mental health”.
There are a thousand and one other ways why learning to paint, to draw, to sculpt, are worth doing, just like there are a thousand and one ways why you should try drama, try music, try sport and everything else this school has to offer. It may be that students instantly discover their passion; it may be something they return to later in life, but the aim shouldn’t change – this is a school built on helping students discover their passions and we hope the new building will in part reflect these values and aspirations. I’ve stated that a school is a community, it’s the people within that community that make it what it is, and I firmly believe this, but the rebuild will hopefully provide us with the opportunity to have that community in a home that matches our ambition.
You can still see more detailed plans for the building here at this link: Plans for FSD
Many thanks for your continued support of the school; I hope you all have a good weekend.
Michael Wright
Headteacher
Training Update
Staff met within their departments this week to continue their work around meeting the needs of learners with ADHD in their specific contexts. As always, it's important to note that for many of these young people there isn’t just one thing that they need support with and as one parent wrote to me about earlier in the year, there are tremendous variances in how ADHD presents.
Behaviour in the Corridors
All students and staff have the right to move around the school in both comfort and with a sense of safety. Like all large schools, this can be challenging when over 1,000 students are moving simultaneously from one part of the school to another, but fortunately most of our students get this right most of the time. However, we’ll be speaking to all of our students over the coming week about the importance of moving sensibly around the school, especially at busy times. Many thanks for your support with this message.
Student Council Charity Fundraising
The Student Council has been working on plans to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. These include:
- Selling refreshments at the Frambition Showcase (Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th April)
- Year 7 charity football competition - Monday 7th April 3.15pm–4.45pm (£2 per player on Parentpay)
- Year 8 charity football competition – Tuesday 8th April 3.15pm–4.45pm (£2 per player on Parentpay)
- Non-uniform Day in school - Friday 11th April (£1 per student on Parentpay)
- Fram Bingo – Friday 11th April Period 5 in the main hall (£3 per student on Parentpay but limited to 160 from Year 7–Year 9)
Thanks to students and parents/carers in advance for their support of these initiatives. These will be on Parentpay from Monday 31st March.
Adolescence
We know a lot of parents and carers may be talking about the Netflix series called Adolescence, which follows a troubled 13-year-old boy. There have been a lot of conversations around the serious mental and emotional health issues that young teenagers are faced with today.
Although this series focuses on fictional events, it very much reflects real life trends and worries that we are seeing nationally and sadly reading about a bit too often in the news.
One thing that stands out for me after watching this series, is that every adult in a young person’s life has a role to play, to offer support and signpost them to any support where possible. Our day-to-day interactions are paramount to the young people we work with.
There were notably a few key themes throughout this series, which links in with a recent report by The Children’s Society.
This recent report shows that a concerning mix of pressures such as exam stress, social media, appearance and image worries, poverty at home and relationship issues are driving children’s well-being to record lows.
A recent Good Childhood Report by The Children’s Society revealed that:
- In the UK, 15-year-olds now have the lowest average life satisfaction in Europe.
- One in ten children (ages 10-17) report low mood and overall wellbeing.
- Nearly one third of 15-year-old girls report low feelings regarding life satisfaction.
In line with this, I have attached this link to an article about toxic masculinity that I feel might be a useful read to parents and carers to highlight where toxic masculinity comes from and how we can break it.
Toxic Masculinity In Childhood | The Children's Society
Careers
Over the last week, students have taken part in two careers inspiration events. Thanks to the Smallpeice Trust and RAF charitable foundation, 60 Year 8 students spent a day designing and prototyping space landers, solving the problem of how to land safely on a newly discovered planet without damaging their rover. Another 60 Year 7 students took part in the Year 7 Future Business Magnates competition with Business Durham and This Is Creative Enterprise, coming up with creative solutions to everyday problems, and learning the steps it takes to bring a product to market. We certainly have many budding entrepreneurs in Year 7, with ideas ranging from self-tying shoelaces and flippable backpacks to an inflatable games arena and a zero-waste toothpaste gun! Both winning teams were worthy winners with their well devised and carefully designed solutions, but we are most proud of how all our students approached their challenges with a positive attitude and developed their skills in teamwork, communication, creativity and problem solving.
Mrs Moss, Careers Advisor
Support during the Exam Period
Most young people have some anxieties around sitting any level of test or exam. With upcoming GCSE’s, we know our students may be feeling the pressure of exam preparation and revision.
It is important that we support them during this time to ensure they don’t become over-anxious or stressed.
We have highlighted some links below that may help students and also provide some guidance for parents and carers to support your child through the exam period.
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/blog/exam-self-care/
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/professional/resources/stress-bucket-activity/
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/professional/resources/mindfulness-activities/
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/media/0ithgjwh/butterfly-of-balance.pdf
Mrs Osborne, Designated Safeguarding Lead