Headteacher Update

November 2023

Firstly, a huge well done to Year 10 students Maisie and Lily who were the two successful candidates in the China 2023 Student Ambassador programme. Over 20 Year 10 students applied and 8 were shortlisted for interview where they gave presentations on the cultural differences between the UK and China. The standard was really high and all should be proud of their achievements, but only two places were available. Maisie and Lily will be jetting off to China in March to visit a range of schools and colleges to explain to hundreds of Chinese students what it is like to live in the UK with the focus on the students coming here to study in the future. In June or July we are expecting a group of Chinese students to visit John Spence where we will share with them what school is like in the UK as well as showing them what is so great about our region.

It has been a busy few weeks since half term with lots of opportunities both inside and outside of school. Some highlights included our Year 10 attending Careers Live, music students performing in front of Sting at the Exchange in North Shields followed by performances at the Whitley Bay Playhouse, Year 8 girls attending an EmPower Cyber event designed to inspire girls into the world of cyber careers and our Year 10 & 11 drama students went to the Peoples Theatre to see A Christmas Carol. So much happens every week, which you can follow on Twitter @JohnSpenceCHS.

The first set of data has been collected for Year 11 following their snapshot exams and we look forward to welcoming parents to the Year 11 parents evening next Tuesday to share details about progress. We have an enormous amount of intervention on offer and students are expected to attend sessions in their preparation for exams. Intervention is also carefully targeted and students are selected so that we can help them with any gaps in their knowledge. In particular, please can I ask you to reinforce with your child that morning intervention during form time is fundamental to the support we are offering and that they should be in school, on time so that they can take advantage of these sessions.

Finally, being a parent I know that sometimes we need to tackle difficult conversations with our children, sometimes to make sure we can keep them safe. In the last few weeks several parents have commented on the fact that this can be really hard and as a result the conversation is something that can end up being put off. These conversations can feel awkward, but they are a necessity and whilst your child might cringe a bit, they will be thankful for the advice you are able to give them. The NSPCC provides some useful tips and resources to help with these conversations and more widely have materials for parents that will support you in helping to keep your child safe; the site is also a fantastic resource to help alleviate any worries and signpost support if it is needed.

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/talking-about-difficult-topics/

I hope you all have a good weekend, wrap up warm as it appears that autumn has caught up with us!

Best wishes

Jonathan