A VISIT FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS

Students had a surprise today when the school received a surprise visit from Father Christmas!





May I take this opportunity to wish students and their families a very Happy Christmas
CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Well done to the PEPA for organising a wonderful Christmas Extravaganza on Wednesday which both staff and students thoroughly enjoyed.

Many parents attended the event and we have received very positive feedback such as -
‘I just wanted to say well done to everyone involved in the concert today. It can't have been easy for the students having to perform in front of the TV cameras as well as their peers, but I thought they did very well.
I was really impressed with how respectful the students in the audience were when the soloists were performing. It was brave to have adults and the school together but it was lovely to see the students supporting their friends’


Well done to everyone involved!


CHRISTMAS FAYRE

Well done to Year 7 students for organising a wonderful school fayre yesterday which was a pleasure to attend and was well supported by all.

I have been informed this morning that a total of £420 was raised by this event.


A fantastic well done to you all!

ACCELERATED READER

Key Stage 3 students all participate in the Accelerated Reader scheme to help improve their reading ages.  Each student reads a book and takes a quiz on it.   Students should aim to achieve 85% or higher in each quiz.  At last night’s Christmas Fayre a draw was held for the Year 7 students.  For each book a student achieved 100%, their name was written on a star.  The pot was full to the top, with many students achieving multiple stars.  The lucky winners of the selection boxes given out were:-  Josh Field, Michael Cash, Maddie Lewis, Ashley Land, Arian Askari, Charlie Atkinson, Ellie Kemp, April Witchard, Laura Evans, Ella Bush, Cobey Pope, Tyler Hoskins, Finley Nelmes. 

Very well done to all of you!!


We now start collecting stars for the Easter draw.  Students in Year 7 have collectively read an impressive 38 million words between them since the beginning of September.
FIRST TWO GOLD MILLIONAIRES


At the very end of Term 1 Samuel Kitson became the first Marlwood student ever to achieve a Gold Word Millionaire badge.  He was shortly followed by Caleb Jefferis at the beginning of Term 2.  Sam has achieved his badge by becoming a Word Millionaire for 4 consecutive years, starting when he was in Year 6.  Caleb is the current school record holder, having read 7,096,605 in a single year (2015).

Well Done!
INTERIM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE


Please follow the link below to read the December update from the IEC:-


TERM 2 NEWSLETTER


Please follow the link below to read the Term 2 Newsletter for Marlwood School:-

FRIENDS OF MARLWOOD


Please follow the link below to see the letter sent out to parents as an invite to the Friends of Marlwood AGM on Monday 8th January 2018: - 


STUDENT COUNCIL

The Student Council have been busy all day today working on their Christmas Compliments scheme.  This will ensure that every student and member of staff receives a compliment this Christmas.  They have been working tirelessly and are really becoming a strong group of student leaders and a force to be reckoned with - especially when you try to ‘help’ them eat their chocolate supply!


Well done to Student Council Members – I am very proud of you.


DRAMA ASSESSMENTS

Students from Year’s 9 and 10 have recently had to devise pieces as part of their Drama assessment.  Miss Ferguson Faculty Progress Leader for PEPA was amazed at the excellent work she saw from them on Monday.


Well done to all students involved!

TEENAGE CANCER TRUST

Please see a letter via the link below with regards to a recent visit from the Teenage Cancer Trust to Marlwood School.  The students found the presentations informative and compassionate on a sensitive subject. 


Thank you to the Teenage Cancer Trust for coming in to speak with our students.

UNIFORM


Please follow the link below for a letter from Mr Reed, Assistant Headteacher with regards for equipment required for students as well as a gentle reminder of uniform guidelines in case you are thinking of buying new items during the Christmas break.

YEAR 11 ENVELOPE MOMENT

Year 11 students gathered in the Hive on Monday to collect their Pre-Public Examination results.  These results will help students plan their next steps.



HOUSE COMPETITION

On Friday 8th December we saw the Hula Hoop House Competition.   Both Staff and students took part in a fiercely fought and close completion. The winner was Holt House.


Well Done Holt House!


MOCK INTERVIEWS

Today Marlwood welcomed 30 local businesses for Mock Interviews.  This was an opportunity for students to polish up their technique ready for employment or further training.

Thank you to all that attended to support our students – this is a valued event
MARLWOOD CHRISTMAS CONCERT


The PEPA Faculty will be holding their annual Christmas Concert on Wednesday 13 the December.  For more information please follow the link:-


FRIENDS OF MARLWOOD SCHOOL

Well done to the ‘Friends of Marlwood School’ for raising around £390 for the DART 3D printer on Saturday over a bacon roll!


END OF TERM 2

Please note that Marlwood will be closing at 12.20 pm on Friday 15th December for Christmas.  Buses have been arranged for this time.  Monday 18th December and Tuesday 2nd January are INSET Days and so school will be closed to students.


Please also note that Friday 15th December is a normal uniform day.
CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY!


On Wednesday 13th December students are allowed to wear a Christmas Jumper if they desire for a £1 donation to the Friends of Marlwood appeal to help the DART Faculty raise money for a 3D printer.  All other uniform must be worn.


CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Christmas Lunch will be served on Wednesday 13th December and will cost £2.00.  The usual array of food will also be available alongside the traditional roast lunch – all with a Christmas theme!


EXAMINATION CERTIFICATES


Examination Certificates from the Summer 2017 exams are now available for collection from Reception (opening hours 8.30am – 3.30pm, Monday to Friday).
ADMISSIONS POLICY 2019

CSET are in a consultation period (1st December 2017 – 12th January 2018) for their Admissions Policy for 2019.  This applies to all schools within CSET.


If you would like to see the policy and information on consultation please follow these links:-



CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS

On Thursday 30th November we held our annual Celebration of Success evening.  This is a chance for us to celebrate the success of our students in academic year 2016 – 2017.  We were joined in the Sports Hall by students, past and present, parents/carers and other family members where it gave me great pleasure to hand out over 230 awards to students.

Well done to all students I am extremely proud of you for your hard work to earn your award.
WHOLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

On Thursday 30th November I held a whole school assembly which gave me a chance to talk to all students about respect and the community.  It was also a chance to thank the vast majority of our students who contribute positively daily to the Marlwood community.


Well done to the vast majority!
THE WINTER WARMER HOUSE CHALLENGE  



The PEPA House Competition is being run by the Year 9/10 GCSE class.

They are collecting items for the Julian Shelter in Bristol who look after hundreds of homeless people over the winter. Points for Houses will be awarded per item. If you attach your name there will be a prize for most items bought in by an individual student!

There will be a box in your House office to put items in over the coming week. Please look at home and ask family and friends for:

•           Hats/gloves/scarves
•           Trainers
•           Coats
•           Jumpers
•           Sleeping bags/blankets
•           New socks
•           All to fit teens up to adults


Thank you for your help! 
FRIENDS OF MARLWOOD SCHOOL

Are you a parent, carer or grandparent of a child at Marlwood?  Would you like to get involved and support the school?

We are a small group of parents setting up a Friends of Marlwood School PTA. Our aim is to support the school through building a community of parents keen to spread the word about Marlwood as well as fundraising for specific projects.

Our inaugural project is to raise money for a 3D printer.  Our aim is to raise £5,000 to purchase and run a 3D printer for the DART (Design, Art & Technology) Faculty to support development of a creative curriculum and fantastic opportunities for the pupils.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

  •         Join the committee
  •          Become a Friend of Marlwood School and help out when you can
  •          Help with fundraising for the 3D Printer
  •         Offer corporate support – do you know a company who could sponsor the 3D printer project in any          way?
  •      Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/friendsofmarlwoodschool)

If you would like to offer your support, please email theschool@marlwood.net


The next meeting is at Marlwood on Monday 4 December at 5pm, please come along and find out more.


PLEASE JOIN US AND OFFER WHATEVER TIME AND HELP YOU CAN GIVE!



FANTASTIC NEWS

Students and staff raised a massive £851.98p last Friday for Children in Need.


Well done!


COUNTY CROSS COUNTRY

Marlwood students are today competing in the South Gloucestershire Cross Country Races at Blaise Castle organised for all schools by our own Mr Richards!

Race details for Marlwood are: -

Year 7 boys - 2nd place
Year 8/9 boys 3rd place 

Students in Year 7 achieved 5th, 7th, 8th and 10th places
Students in Year 9 achieved 1st, 2nd and 4th places
Students in Year 11 achieved 12th place place

Fantastic results - Well Done!




Cross Country Update from Mr Richards ……………… Well done to all the students that attended the South Gloucestershire Cross Country Event 2017 at Blaise Castle. In recent years the weather had been awful but this year, we couldn’t have asked for better. Marlwood School students showed the perseverance and resilience needed as there were some tough competitors in the races but all did a fantastic job.

Races were held in boys and girls events for Minors (Year 7), Juniors (Year 8 and 9), Inter (Year 10 and 11) and Seniors (Year 12 and 13). These went really efficiently and we actually finished ahead of schedule! We are just waiting on the final results. After the races were completed many of the competitors showed Marlwood’s ethos of “working together for excellence” and all pitched in to take down the course.

A massive thank you to Mrs Ferguson and Mr Humphries for becoming team managers at such short notice.


A final thank you to all the marshal’s, school staff and to Westbury Harriers running club for all your support in making this event run so smoothly.

Well done to all students and staff for supporting this event!
FARADAY CHALLENGE

On Tuesday, three teams from Marlwood and Castle participated in the Faraday Challenge. They had loads of fun planning, designing, making a prototype of Thorpe Park attractions and making presentations to show off their creations. Five teams out of six teams had scored above average (over 80 points out of 100) and only one Castle team had scored the highest on the leader board. Phil, the challenge presenter who had hosted this STEM day had judged the presentations and gave the correct amount of points to the team. The winning team had created a sky walk (glass pathway) and won a trophy and had the chance to go to Thorpe Park for finals and if they win (against 170 other schools) their attraction will be built at Thorpe Park.

Well Done to all students who took part and to Mr Williams for organising!
HOUSE COMPETITION (Friday 10th November)


This week the House Competition is being run by the Humanities faculty.  They have displayed 15 pictures around the faculty area of landmarks which students need to name and also name the town/country they can be found.  Entry sheets are available from the faculty and entries need to be back with Mr Helliker by Friday.  House Points and prizes are up for grabs!
HOUSE COMPETITION (Friday 3rd November)

Last Friday the House Competition was run by Kingsley House.  The competition was ‘Shoot the Hoop’ with students and staff both playing fiercely to try and gain the House points by getting as many balls through the basketball hoop in 1 minute.  The highest student score was Oliver Sheffield from Berkeley House who managed 13.  Staff also competed with Mr Haigh and Mr Williams both scoring 11.

Berkeley won the competition with Kingsley as runners up.



WELL DONE!

Well Done to Lucie Clark in Year 7 who on 24th October, shaved her head for charity. She has 'Braved the Shave' for Macmillan Cancer Support and the hair that she lost, has been donated to the Princess Charity Trust, a charity who use the donated hair to make wigs for children who have lost their own hair, usually through their cancer treatments.

Well Done Lucie, Marlwood are very proud of you


MISUNDERSTOOD

Year 11s were entertained through music and dance this morning by 'Misunderstood' on the important themes of cyberbullying, discrimination and British values. Some great audience participation too!

Key message - be happy in your own skin!




CATERING AT MARLWOOD SCHOOL

CSET are currently undertaking a review of the quality of provision provided by Aspens, our external catering contractors. As part of this, we would be very keen to receive feedback from both parents/carers and students. So can I encourage you and your sons/daughters to use either or both of the links below to complete a survey, which should take no more than 5 mins to complete. Please complete this as soon as possible

Parent Survey 


Student Survey 
DATES FOR THE DIARY ………!

Please be reminded that Marlwood will be closing at 12.20 pm on Friday 15th December for the Christmas holidays.


Monday 18th December and Tuesday 2nd January 2018 are Inset Days and so the school will be closed to students.
PRE-PUBLIC EXAMS


Year 11 and students currently taking a 1 Year GCSE subject will be taking Pre-Public Exams starting on Monday 20th November through to Friday 24th November.  Please encourage study at home, links to aid revision are available on the school website and other materials are available from teachers.


BBC CHILDREN IN NEED


As in previous years, Marlwood will be supporting BBC Children in Need on Friday 17th November 2017.  Students are allowed the privilege of coming to school in casual clothes for a £1 donation to the charity.  There will also be a tuck shop available on the day.


PARENT CONSULTATION 1


Please be reminded that Parent Consultation 1 will be taking place on Thursday, 9th November.  This is an opportunity for students and parents to discuss progress and achievement with their tutor.  School will close at 11.30 am on this day and buses have been arranged accordingly.
SECURITY AT MARLWOOD SCHOOL


Please note that as Marlwood is an open site, gates have been erected to close some of the access points.  Students are being shown a power point in assembly this week to explain how the new system will work.  Parents can also view the power point via the link below: -

ATTENDANCE NEWS

Congratulations to Year 7 girls – in the penultimate week of last term, every girl in Year 7 attended every session of every day – giving an attendance record of 100% for the whole week.  This is the first time this has happened – a superb achievement!


Congratulations to the 211 students across Years 7-11 who achieved 100% attendance in Term 1 – an excellent achievement. This constitutes 43% of the school population!
SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING


Please be reminded that Sixth Form Open Evening will be taking place this Thursday, 2nd November 2017 at the Gloucester Road site.
WELL DONE!

I am pleased to announce that students at Marlwood School earnt 7627 praise points last term

Term 2 is another 7 week term, let’s try and make it at least 8,000!


Well done to all students for earning them and staff for logging them!
WELCOME BACK!

Welcome back to Term 2, which is already shaping up to be another busy term.


Please keep up with day to day news and events on Twitter.

                                                         @marlwoodschool

GCSE RESULTS 2017

Students at Marlwood School are celebrating the highest results in the school’s history.
We are delighted with the individual performance of a large number of our students. 

With the new grading systems in English and Maths it is difficult to make comparisons to previous years, however it is pleasing to see that 74% of the cohort have achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in these two subjects.  We have also seen students achieving grade 9s which are the very highest level possible in these subjects.  This is the best set of data we have seen at the school and we are absolutely delighted both for the individual students and staff.  Outcomes for students are improving and we are confident that they will continue to do so because of the increasing focus staff and students have on high quality learning.  We look forward to seeing the continuing improvement in grades for further generations of students at Marlwood School.


These results are a reflection of the hard work the students have devoted to their study and the support and dedication of Marlwood School Staff.  We would like to extend our congratulations to them all and the families who have supported them.  

Well Done!
A-LEVEL EXCELLENCE AT CASTLE AND MARLWOOD SIXTH FORM

The students in the joint Sixth Form at Castle and Marlwood schools have enjoyed great success in their A-levels this summer. Almost 80% of the entries achieved at least a C grade, and over 30% of the entries obtained an A or A* grade.

In total, over 40 students obtained A grades in at least 2 of their 3 A-levels2 A grades.

Louise Davies, Head of the joint Sixth Form said: -

“We are delighted with these results and the fantastic achievements of all our students. It’s not just about those with the very highest grades – we’re equally delighted for all those who have worked so hard, and met their individual targets at all levels of ability. As a result of this work, there are over 130 young people from our joint Sixth Form now preparing to head off to universities across the UK, and others heading into exciting apprenticeship and training opportunities.

This was the first year of revised national A-levels in some subjects, which were undoubtedly harder and which caused much uncertainty for teachers and students when we didn’t know what the new exams and standards would look like. It’s a testimony to the hard work put in by everyone at Castle and Marlwood that the results have been maintained at their consistently high levels even with these changes.”

We would like to thank all the teachers and parents for their support of these students. We have all enjoyed working with them, and wish them well as they move on to their exciting futures.


Well done
UPDATE FROM PERU – 10TH AUGUST 2017

Peru 2017

Final blog ………… just on the coach to return to Marlwood. Flight went really smoothly. All still in good spirits after one of the experiences of our lives. Had lots of ups, a few downs and many a funny story to tell.


Mr Richards signing out
PERU 2017 – UPDATE FROM TUESDAY 8TH AUGUST


We are now enjoying our last few days in Peru. We went sand boarding and dune buggying last night in an oasis which was awesome. Travel to Lima today before we start to head home. The trip has flown by...
Peru 2017 – Update from 28th July 2017

We have finished our time in the Sacred Valley. We were rewarded with a meal at the Presidents house. Stone cooked lamb and potatoes. Lovely!

Machu Picchu was extraordinary. Got up at 4am to be there for sun rise. Amazing place to go to. Unforgettable!

Chilling back in Cusco before we depart for the Amazon via an overnight bus. We are all  excited for the river boat tour.


Peru 2017 – Update from 30th July 2017

In Madre de Dios preparing for the trip to the jungle.  Leave tomorrow morning.  Another exciting stage of the journey coming up.
HOUSE CHAMPIONS

The House Championship reached its conclusion this week with the whole school attending a special assembly in the Sports Hall on Thursday, 20th July.

A presentation showed highlights of the multiple games and competitions which were held across the year, and each House cheered as the winners of the individual competitions were recapped.

Finally, when all points from all competitions and achievements had been reckoned up it was time to reveal the winners.

4th place went to Witton, 3rd to Berkeley (last year's winners) and 2nd to Holt which means the winners of the House Championship 2016-17 are KINGSLEY.

Well done to all members of Kingsley House.

All students and tutors in Kingsley House - accompanied by all students with 100% attendance and the top ten students with the highest Praise points - made their way in convoy to Air Hop at Cribbs Causeway before returning to Marlwood for an ice cream, in time for the buses home.

The House Championship trophy accompanied the students for the afternoon and the photo shows House Progress Leader of Kingsley, Miss Bullock, proudly displaying it, with its yellow ribbons, on their return.

The House Championship Assembly is always a special day in the calendar and the atmosphere as the results were made known was spirited and good natured - indeed electric!

Roll of Honour
2016-17: Kingsley
2015-16: Berkeley

2014-15: Kingsley


STAYING SAFE DURING THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS

South Gloucestershire Safeguarding Board have made available to us information with regard to keeping children safe during the summer holidays.  It details an awareness campaign for schools with secondary age children, and for their parents/carers, ahead of the summer holiday.  The last page gives advice for parents/carers on possible signs of CSE (Child Sexual Exploitation).

This information is being shared by House Progress Leaders in end of term assemblies this week via a more student-friendly Powerpoint.


We hope you find this guidance helpful and that it contributes to all members of our school community staying safe during the summer holiday.


UPDATE ON TUTOR INFORMATION


Please follow the links below for a letter outlining the changes to the Tutor Teams for next year and an updated list of tutors: -


END OF TERM LETTER


Please follow the link below for my end of term update:

ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL


We cannot emphasise enough how important attendance is for all students.  High Attendance allows them to achieve their full potential.  Please see information via the links below with regard to attendance which has been emailed home today and is also available on the school website.



YEAR 7 MORFA BAY TRIP

Last week Year 7 students went to Morfa Bay in Wales for their 3 day residential trip, the weather was kind and it would seem that a great time was had by all!


Feedback from staff, students and parents has been very positive – one parent emailed the school saying – ‘Thank you so much for giving Year 7 such a fantastic time at Morfa Bay. Our son, enjoyed every minute of it. The activities were brilliant fun, the assault course was 'epic' and he really enjoyed getting to know the Year group better and making some new friends.  Thank you for helping to create some memories which will stay with the children forever’.
Update from Peru 2017 Team below: -

We have Spent a lovely day in Lima. Then travelled to the amazing city of Cusco 3,300 metres above sea level.

Fantastic views from the hostel in Cusco.

Met the project organsiers yesterday. We now know what we are doing and have been thanked for the invaluable help.

The team leaders so far of Jonny Morris, Harry Smale and Alex Stagg have all done an excellent job.


Berry Lewis and Harriet Foulner doing a great job as our Spanish translators.
Ready to Learn Update

As we approach the end of term I thought it appropriate to share some feedback about this development at the school.

We have hosted visits from staff who have similar systems at their schools, carried out student voice work with different groups of students at Marlwood and convened meetings of a staff steering group who have launched and monitored this system.

The main outcomes of the Ready to Learn review are:
·         Numbers referred to the room have steadily declined to single figures on most days
·         Low level disruption is no longer a feature of any lessons observed
·         Staff are consistently implementing Ready to Learn protocols
·         The rules regarding warnings will be slightly adjusted and clarified at the start of Term 1
·         Students welcome the positive impact of Ready to Learn on their progress in the classroom
·         Students referred to the room recognise that the class they have left is better able to work and make progress because they have been taken out.

Additional provision from September:

The Ready to Learn room should have six computers installed and networked plus the facility to offer private coaching to those who are having issues relating to settling to learning in the room.


We remain committed to the work of Ready to Learn and thank staff, students and parents for their support since its introduction.