Industrial Cadets Bronze Award

Our students are able to gain the prestigious Industrial Cadets Bronze award inspired by the Prince of Wales. There are a variety of virtual programmes and courses running this month and next which aim to educate young people about the variety of opportunities in the STEM economy and to enable them to make more informed choices about their future. The Industrial Cadets Bronze award is recognised by many industries and employers.

These are aimed at students in Years 9 and 10 who may have an interest in Technology, Science, Maths, Engineering or Design. Last year Kingsway students were one of the main groups participating in Greater Manchester which placed them in an ideal situation for college applications. Please see the attached flyer for further information.

#BeeWell

Last Autumn, The Kingsway School took part in the #BeeWell survey. The survey focussed on the wellbeing of secondary aged students across Greater Manchester and the outcomes plan to deliver positive change in all our communities. Last week we received a letter from Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, thanking us for all our work to support young people’s wellbeing and prepare them to lead our city-region in the years to come.

Prom

Last Friday, staff joined the Class of 2022 to celebrate in style the end of their time at Kingsway with a fabulous Prom at The Mere. It was just lovely to hold this event again, after a two year break. There were dinner jackets, kilts, dicky bows, sequins, silk and sparkles filling every corner of the room. I was so proud of our students who are all clearly growing into wonderful young adults, ready to take on the world ahead of them.

We crowned our Prom Queen (Emily G) and Prom King (Jean M) and recognised the contribution of the senior students and head students (Charlie L and Tanzeela C) by presenting them with a gift. Mrs Clarke, who was unable to make the event, shared a beautiful speech including the following quote:

The things that you think are disasters in your life and not the disasters really. Almost anything can be turned around; out of every ditch, there is a path, if you can only see it.

If you would like to purchase photos taken from the evening you can see a gallery on NakPhotography.

I truly hope that our young people have left Kingsway not only with the academic success they need for the future, but also the skills to be able to face whatever challenges and opportunities life throws at them. 

Goodbye and Good Luck!

Finally, as we bid farewell to the class of 2022, we also say goodbye to some staff who are leaving us this summer. Our best wishes and thanks go to Mrs Bradley, Miss Brennan, Mrs Glover, Mrs Mugg, Mrs Paisley, Miss Littler, Mr Soles, Mr Sarkissian and Mrs Wardle.

Dates for your diary

Here’s Mr Duffy’s report: 

“After a long wait to get the annual House competition up and running again after a three year break, this eagerly anticipated event proved to be a great success! It provided an excellent opportunity for our students to demonstrate the excellence, dedication and enjoyment they have for sport and also to show their support for all!

With a huge number of different students taking part in a variety of traditional athletic events, we had a great day celebrating athletics, competition and the hard work that students have demonstrated by competing for their House. We had lots of outstanding performances from students across all year groups and it was great to see so many different students involved in the day. With over 20 school records broken, the day was not only a huge success from a sporting point of view, but also gave students the opportunity to push themselves physically and mentally, show excellent courage and also enjoy being part of a whole school event.

Thank you to all of the students who represented their House and the school in such a positive way and who supported all other students throughout the day. The noise from cheering and celebrating the success of fellow students was excellent and the whole day was a positive and enjoyable experience for all involved.

A special mention must be made to Jess Lord who was one of the 19 students who broke a school record. Jess broke the Year 10 records in 100m, 200m, 800m and Long Jump, with times and distances that will be etched into Kingsway Sporting history books, hopefully for many years to come. Every race position counted towards the coveted Kingsway House Sports Shield and the results could not have been closer, with the winning House winning by only 3 points! The Kingsway House Sports Shield for 2022 is Lowry!

We look forward to Sports Day 2023, where the event will be bigger and better than ever before!”

Year 6 Induction Day

What a smashing day Year 6 had last week during their induction day. Over 270 eager students arrived to be greeted in the hall to have their first ever Kingsway assembly and to meet their form tutor and members of their form. Everyone was excited and had an amazing day sampling a range of lessons, bonding in their form groups and enjoying some relaxation at break times.

Later that evening, parents and carers came into school to meet their child’s form tutor and hear about the Kingsway life that their son or daughter will be looking forward to in September. They gained insight into what they had been doing throughout the day as well as valuable information so that their children can start positively in September. Parents also had the chance to meet their child’s form tutor, who will be the first point of contact for the next five years, and the families of other form members. It was a delight to be able to open our doors and welcome the families into the school. For parents who were unable to attend, copies of the presentations can be found here.

The Class of 2027 look like they will be a cracking cohort - I can’t wait to meet many of them at our Summer School at the end of August and meet the rest of them in September.

College Taster Days

On Tuesday 5th July, we took a small group of Year 10 students to Manchester College’s Taster Day. This was an afternoon session which showcased the variety of the courses on offer at this college. Students had an opportunity to select two workshops to attend, which ranged from Bricklaying to Animal Care to Hair and Beauty. This was just a snapshot of the college and although the Northenden campus is closing down, we hope it gave our students a flavour of college life at Manchester and the diversity of what can be studied post-16 on vocational courses.

Our Year 10 students continue with tasters days to other colleges this half term, including Xavarien and Loreto colleges, amongst others.

Year 7 Scholars

At the Kingsway School we pride ourselves in catering for students of all abilities. We run a scholars programme for our most able students to equip them with skills and talents to give them the ‘edge’, through an enhanced curriculum program.

Last week, the Year 7 scholars followed a level 1 Makaton Sign Language Course, which is a recognised qualification. Next year these students will visit local Primary schools and teach basic Makaton language skills to younger students in the community.

Same Day Reflection Update

Following on from the letter you will have received outlining this possible permanent change to our detention system, I want to update you on our same-day reflection trial, which we started last week.

By Friday, we were able to close over 95% of issues that had resulted in a C2 sanction, compared with the previous week, where too many detentions were being upscaled, meaning students and teachers were entering a new week without issues being resolved. We think this shows that students are behaving more appropriately in their lessons because they know with certainty that they will have to stay after school if they don’t.

Thank you to those of you who attended the drop-in sessions and those who have contacted us with comments or questions about the proposed changes. We thought it would be useful to share the feedback from these.

Weather Warning

It looks like we will be ending this term with a few days of sunshine and high temperatures. Please remind your child to bring a refillable water bottle into school and sun cream if needed. Also, we have noticed more students suffering from hay fever this summer. If hay fever affects your child, please consider giving them a non-drowsy antihistamine in the morning. We are also relaxing our uniform rules next week with ties and blazers optional to help students feel more comfortable. 

COVID Update

As I’m sure you are aware, we are experiencing another wave of COVID in the region. In school, we are seeing the number of staff and students absent with Covid begin to increase. The Government’s guidelines for schools have not changed and we are to use the same approach as with other respiratory diseases. Therefore, if your child feels too unwell to attend school then they should remain at home.

In the event of a child having a positive COVID test result, they should remain off school for 3 days, and avoid contact with other people. The notion of close contacts no longer exists. Therefore, you do not need to inform the school who they have been in contact with.

We will provide further information should this situation change.

Uniform

In case you are replacing items of uniform over the summer holidays, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you about our uniform policy. 

Uniform Policy

• Footwear: Plain, flat, below the ankle all black leather footwear only (including soles). Footwear should have no air pockets, different coloured laces or any additional decoration. It should not be a sports shoe.
• Trousers: Must be school approved tailored trousers – no jeans, canvas, chinos or corduroy allowed.
• Jewellery: No jewellery may be worn, this includes earrings and other piercings. Please note we do not allow plasters over new piercings – students will be asked to remove all piercings. Students can wear a watch; however Smart Watches are not permitted.
• Make-up: Students seen wearing makeup will be required to remove it. Nail varnish and false nails (including gels and acrylics) are not permitted, neither are false eyelashes.
• Outerwear: Students should wear a coat suitable for the climate. Hoodies are not permitted.
• Promotional Clothing: Clothing which promotes e.g. sports teams, political groups, etc is not permitted
• Haircuts: Extreme haircuts are not permissible, e.g. unnatural hair colour (including red) and shaved heads less than grade 2. As a Health and Safety measure, long hair should be tied back from the face during lessons where there is a potential Health and Safety risk, e.g. Food Technology, PE and Dance classes or during a science experiment.

Footwear

Only footwear that is all leather, black and has no air pockets will be allowed.  Any additional decoration needs to be removed. There are examples on the school website of footwear that is allowed.

I would also like to reinforce that ‘Hoodies’ are not allowed in school and are not a substitute for a coat or a school blazer. Students are permitted to wear hoodies to and from school but from 8:30am until they leave school at 3pm, the hoodies should be in their school bags and not seen. 

Finally, any false eyelashes or acrylic nails need to be removed before returning to school. Piercings are not permitted; even new ones so please do not allow your child to get a piercing towards the end of the holidays as they will be asked to remove them when they return. If you have any queries regarding uniform then please contact your child’s Pastoral Head of Year.

Message from Greater Manchester Police (GMP)

The police have been in touch to inform us that some young people have been trespassing at Moseley Old Hall (a listed Tudor house in Cheadle). They have asked the school to advise students that this building is unsafe as there are loose floorboards and that the property possibly contains asbestos. The police have stated that there is CCTV in the area and if any young people are found on the property they will take action.

Dates for your diary

Manchester Bee Monument

Last week the Manchester Bee Monument, which signifies the City’s intolerance of violence, visited the Kingsway School. The Bee has been constructed from thousands of knives and guns that have been handed in to Greater Manchester Police during the “Forever Amnesty”. 

The worker bee is an important symbol to the people of Manchester, signifying a city made by the workers and by the people. The bee represents the idea that together, we are stronger and can achieve incredible goals as a society.

The visit of the Manchester Bee Monument was one part of a series of events which have taken place with our students during the year. As part of our Life Skills curriculum, Key stage 3 students have received specialist training and education about knife awareness. As part of Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction partnership, Kingsway has been involved in a pilot to develop resources which will help students across the country. The aim is to enable our students to recognise the early signs of being lured into risky situations and how to successfully avoid these.

Our students were impressed with the monument and it initiated positive conversations amongst them. Earlier in the year, many had the opportunity to participate in a virtual reality experience concerning gangs. In a safe environment they were able to explore the ways in which young people can be manipulated and exploited. These experiences will hopefully help keep our youngsters safe and prevent them from being future victims. 

Our Detention System is Changing 

Last Friday, a communication was sent home to inform parents that from Monday 4th July our detention system will be changing (please see below). 

So that issues can be addressed immediately, and students supported in making the right choices, we will be introducing a Same Day Reflection Session. If, after two warnings in a lesson, a student continues to disrupt the learning of others they are set a detention. At present, in some cases, this detention may be some time in the future and students are unable to remember what went wrong or may forget they had a detention set. 

In order to support students to address an issue immediately, a Same Day Reflection will be scheduled from 3pm-3:20pm the same day a C2 or C3 is issued on Class Charts. This session is not a ‘telling off’. It is an opportunity for students to discuss what went wrong, what they could do differently and what support they would need in order to prevent the same behaviour from happening again.

Students will be informed during assemblies and in lessons this week about the new system. The support of parents/carers is vital to ensure that issues are dealt with swiftly. It is an expectation that if your child receives a same day reflection that they attend it the same day. We will not be cancelling or deferring corrections except in the most exceptional circumstances.

If you have any questions, staff will be available on Foxland Campus from 3:15pm to 4pm on Tuesday 28th June and Wednesday 29th June. Please feel free to drop in.

Twitter

You can follow us on Twitter, @kw_sch for the latest school news, student achievements, community updates and much more.

We also have several departmental accounts, including one for our PE Department. You can find and follow the PE account using the link below, for weekly updates of extra-curricular activities, school fixtures and results. They also update their feed with the amazing achievements and outstanding work that students have demonstrated both inside and outside of school.

Dates for your diary

On the back of the DofE expedition, we also received a certificate in recognition of the social value our students have made in their volunteering work, while working towards their DofE awards.

Whether it’s by giving back to their community, developing a passion for a particular cause, or learning a new skill through their volunteering activity, the Volunteering section of the award changes lives and has a positive impact on communities. Participants from The Kingsway School dedicated 676 hours to volunteering between April 2021 and March 2022, with a social value of £3123.12. This is an incredible achievement and we are super proud of our young people.

The Year 11 cohort are continuing to display stamina - they are around half way through their GCSE exams. We have over 50 different GCSE papers being sat this summer season, most students sitting around twenty different papers, each around 1hour 30mins. They have been facing these exams with incredible poise and professionalism. We are all very proud of them and look forward to celebrating their results with them later this summer.

Another group of students who displayed their academic prowess were the Year 9 public speaking competitors. Last week, 32 Year 9 students were selected by their English teachers to partake in the English department's prestigious annual Public Speaking Awards. This year's theme was 'If I ruled the world' and it was inspiring to see students tackle such challenging and diverse topics as climate change, economic inequality and mental health needs. In our eyes, all those who partook are winners and will be recognised in our end of year celebration assembly. However, the judging panel of Miss Dean (Head of English); Mr Sadler (Assistant Headteacher) and Mrs Lowe (Headteacher) selected Joud H. as the star speaker due to her original and humorously delivered take on the issues with elitism in education, and in unprecedented joint first place came two duos: Eliyah B. and Laiba C. who addressed the issue of poverty and Anna M. and Heidi W. who spoke about the impact of discrimination on young people. We congratulate all those who wrote, learned and delivered such epic and thought-provoking speeches.

We pride ourselves on the range of enrichment activities available to students after school and Mr Wood has now broadened this to both break times. From Monday 13th June 2022, students will be able to access some break time enrichment each day. Please encourage your child to attend one of the sessions below:

Just before half term our resourced centre students had a big charity car wash. The charity is called Toilet Twinning and we have received a certificate showing us the toilet we have been twinned with! Having a toilet named after us in Mozambique is a first for me - but the purpose is important. The charity aims to flush away poverty - one toilet at a time. Our donation has helped fund a project in a poor community that will enable families to build a basic toilet, have access to clean water and learn about hygiene – a vital combination that saves lives. Here’s our loo…

Scholes Park Railway Arch Project

On Thursday 9th June, Artist Eamonn Holmes came into school to launch the Scholes Park Railway Arch Project with our students. This is an exciting opportunity for our children to contribute to a community art project and work to a live brief. The finished artwork will be displayed under the railway arch near Scholes field. The launch was really well attended and students were excited to see work by a contemporary artist. Students will now research Gatley, its history, architecture and what it means to family and friends. From this they will then design and create their own artwork. We're so excited to see what they come up with! Watch this space for further developments.

Pre-loved uniform request

A reminder that if you are a Year 11 student, or just growing out of your uniform, and you do have any good condition,  pre-loved uniform we would be delighted to receive this to support students who arrive without a full kit. We welcome all aspects of the uniform including PE as long as it is in good, clean condition. Items can be dropped off at any of our reception areas.

Year 6 Transition

Thursday 26th May saw our final Year 6 Parent Workshop on literacy, delivered by our Head of Department, Ms Dean. Ms Dean spoke about the importance of reading and how it is at the core of all our subjects. She provided an overview of the English Learning Journey and introduced parents to our transition project, enabling students to arrive in September knowledgeable and excited about their learning in their English lessons. All Year 6 parents should have also received the latest letter which provided links to a number of online resources and information requests. 

These links included: 

• An electronic admissions form, which all parents must complete; 
• A student transition passport which your son or daughter can complete to provide us with some additional information; 
• A link to the Parent Pay shop to sign up and place the deposit for the Summer School which is taking place 22-29 August. Please can we encourage families to sign up for this as soon as possible so we can confirm numbers and the programme of events.; 
• The first Transition Newsletter for the Class of 2027;
• Finally our first ‘Go Big Be Awesome’ online transition workshop to accompany the booklet sent out in April.

A34 Corridor Improvements

We were delighted to receive confirmation of a £33.6million investment from the government to make significant improvements to the A34. Whilst there are plans to improve the junctions, roundabouts and a new cycle route, the biggest impact for The Kingsway School will be the replacement of the subway. We will of course keep you fully informed.

Finally, further to last week’s blog, the Chair of Governors and myself have produced a statement which you can read below:

As always, parents and carers are invited to contact the school directly to give feedback or share concerns.

Dates for your diary

Key Stage 3 Softball

Our Year 7s continue to take advantage of the many opportunities that Kingsway offer and last week this included ten of our Year 7's representing The Kingsway at their first ever Softball match. They played with great team spirit and pulled through to win the game 13-11. Well done to all the players: Nancy, Ayesha, Evie, Jess, Grace, Harry, Dexter, Charlie, Lewis and Haider.

Special mention goes to: Harry - for his great plays as shortstop and Grace - for her fantastic hitting and superb pitching. Lewis got a special award (INSPIRE) for his great support of his fellow teammates and also fantastic sportsmanship congratulating the other team when they made good plays.

The next Banksy?

The Kingsway School were delighted to be approached by Friends of Scholes Park to contribute to a piece of public artwork in Gatley, in collaboration with artist Eamonn Murphy. Having secured funding for the project the finished artwork will be on permanent display under the railway archway between Foxland Road and Scholes Park in Gatley. Students who are interested in contributing to this and working alongside the artist should attend the launch meeting in F1 on 9th June at 3.15pm with Mrs Bradbury-Cheetham and Mrs Dunn. 

It is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to an amazing piece of art, whilst improving your local environment and working to a live brief! We will keep you posted on the developments. 

Transition Programme

Time is flying by now and we approach our final parent workshop on Literacy which will take place on Thursday 26th May at 5.30pm on Foxland. Last week we had excellent attendance for our session on Wellbeing and Reducing Anxiety. During this session, Mrs Mann, our operational safeguarding lead and wellbeing coordinator, presented an overview of how parents can work with the school to prepare for transition. Mr James also talked about his role as cultural and behaviour mentor and Ms Nay had recorded a video with our anti-bullying ambassadors to talk about the support available to all students. Slides from the events can be found below.

‘On your bike’

Mr Naughton, a member of our site team, has been promoting bike safety and security on the student noticeboard. It has come to his attention that despite many reminders, about 50% of the bikes brought into school do not have a lock to secure them. Whilst we do have the pods and the secure bike sheds, unlocked bikes can be tempting to people when they see a chance and they are unattended.

Please can you remind your child that they should always ensure that their bike is securely locked. School is not liable for any theft or damage and it would be a shame if they found themselves having to walk home, minus an expensive bike!

Got what it takes to be an Olympic track sprinter?

For those who fancy themselves as the next Mark Cavendish or Bradley Wiggins, an opportunity has arisen for your son or daughter, if they were born in 2007 or 2008. British Cycling is looking for the next crop of talented track sprinters to take to the boards and continue our proud track record of international success at the Olympic Games, following in the footsteps of Sir Jason Kenny, Jack Carlin and Becky James.

If you enjoy sports that are fast and tactical and are currently under 16, why not try your hand at track sprinting? A new and exciting Talent ID initiative will be launching this summer in a bid to identify the sprinting potential of talented young athletes from across England, with those who are successful going on to join British Cycling’s Talent Development Programmes. It would be great if a future Olympian was a member of The Kingsway School. 

The special testing day will be held in Manchester on Saturday 2 July 2022.

Unwanted uniform

With Year 11 about to end their time at The Kingsway School, or if you are just having a clear out, now is the time to see if you have any good quality uniform donations. We are keen to replenish our stocks here at school and would really appreciate any uniform you can offer. Please make sure that it is in good condition and clean. We are looking for all items of the school or PE uniform. 

Items can be dropped at any of our reception areas and as always we thank you for your generosity and kindness.

Caterlink

Can we remind all parents and carers to ensure that ParentPay is fully topped up for students to be able to purchase food and refreshments.

This will be particularly helpful this week as there are special jubilee celebrations being put on by Caterlink on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week, including afternoon tea, all day English breakfast and fish and chip supper!

The Kingsway Association

Just a reminder that The Kingsway Association gratefully receives all donations, which are used to enrich the experiences of all our students. Each family is asked to contribute just £10 a term (regardless of the number of students attending the school). Previously this has been done through a Direct Debit scheme, but we are now able to request this through Parent Pay which you should see if you go to your child’s log in. In addition to this we also have a donations page that anyone can send donations to without being a registered user.

Dates for your diary