.png)
Wednesday 7th December 2022
Today we held our annual school Christmas Lunch, where both students and staff had the opportunity to enjoy a delicious and nutritious roast dinner (with options available for different dietary needs). The catering team also made a wonderful chocolate festive cake for dessert.
Thank you to our amazing catering staff and all their hard work in preparing this wonderful meal for our school community today.
.png)
Kooth is an anonymous site which helps children and young people to feel safe and confident in exploring their concerns and seeking professional support.
Over the Christmas period our team are still here to support your young people. The website is open 24/7 so young people are still able to read the magazine, complete the activities, and talk to their peers and take part in our live forums. Everything stays the same other than our chat times.
.png)
On Thursday 15th December between 8:30am and 1:00pm, we will have a tutor review day for Years 7 to 10, when you will have the opportunity to meet with your son's tutor. You and your son will only need to attend the school for his appointment, full uniform should be worn.
Parents/Carers are now able to book appointments via School Cloud for this day. Please only book once.
To login to the site to book, view and attend your appointments, go to https://woolwichpoly.schoolcloud.co.uk/ and type in your details.
These must match the details we hold in our records. For parents, you can view the title, first name and surname fields we have on record for you via your MCAS profile (click the Data Collection Form link in MCAS then ‘View Your Personal Details’). Please note the exact spellings and punctuation must be used.
If any of these details are incorrect, please get in touch with the school office to request amendments.
Telephone: 020 8310 7000
We look forward to meeting with you on Thursday 15th December.
.png)
Dear parents/carers,
Group A strep cases – advice for parents
You may be aware from the media that the UK is seeing a high number of Group A strep cases this year. The bacteria usually cause a mild infection which can lead to sore (strep) throats, impetigo or scarlet fever, that can be easily treated with antibiotics.
Scarlet fever is usually a mild illness, but it is very infectious. Symptoms to look out for include a sore throat, headache, and fever, along with a fine, pinkish or red body rash with a sandpapery feel. On darker skin, the rash can be more difficult to detect visually but will have a sandpapery feel.
Contact NHS 111 or your GP if you suspect your child has scarlet fever, because early treatment of scarlet fever with antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of complications. If your child has scarlet fever, keep them at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others.
In very rare circumstances, these bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause serious illness – called invasive Group A strep (iGAS). This is still uncommon.
As a parent, if you feel that your child seems seriously unwell, you should trust your own judgement. Contact NHS 111 or your GP if:
Call 999 or go to A&E if:
Good hand and respiratory hygiene are important for stopping the spread of many bugs. By teaching your child how to wash their hands properly with soap for 20 seconds, using a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes, and keeping away from others when feeling unwell, they will be able to reduce the risk of picking up or spreading infections.
Guidance for professionals
Regards,
Mr T Lawrence
Head of School
.png)
On Thursday 1st December we took 32 of our Citizenship students (12x Year 10 and 20x Year 11) to the Royal Courts of Justice and the Old Bailey.
We took the Elizabeth Line to Farringdon and walked down to the Royal Courts of Justice for a guided tour of this and the Legal Quarter. It was linked perfectly to Edexcel Citizenship Theme C (Law & Justice) - our guide spoke about the differences between the types of courts, explained why judges wear wigs, used key terms such as mitigating factors and also informed us of contemporary issues within the justice system which students can use as A02 in their exams. For example, he informed us of how there are 70,000 cases in backlog waiting to be tried because of COVID-19 and after arrest, cases are meant to be tried 10-12 months after, however, at the moment it's averaging at 4-5 years.
Our guide was an ex-reporter and was able to tell us what trials were happening that day for students to choose from and got us access to a court of appeals. We saw the top judge in the country ruling on this - Jonathan from my tutor group thought they were acting, and it was all staged for them coming today - (I am yet to convince him otherwise!)
After a little walk down to the river to see Big Ben and the London Eye, the students had some dinner and sat on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral.
We then walked to the public galleries in the Old Bailey to watch several court cases. The students remarked that they never want to end up in court!
The students' behaviour in court and throughout the entire day was impeccable, and we should all be very proud of them.
Miss Briggs
.png)
Field work is a compulsory element of Geography A level. This week our Year 13 geographers spent the day investigating the effectiveness of coastal management on a stretch of the North Kent coast. They identified evidence of coastal process - erosion, transportation and deposition, as well as considering the impact of weathering. Students then recorded data for a beach profile and the terminal groyne. Once all data is collated they will graph the data and analyse their findings. Their next trip is in January 2023.
.png)
.png)
We will be celebrating Christmas Jumper Day in school on Friday 9th December 2022.
Students will be able to wear a Christmas Jumper as well as their normal uniform and donate £1 on the day.
All monies raised will be going to Save the Children.
.png)
On Thursday 24th November 2022 we welcomed staff, students and parents/carers into school for our Key Stage 4&5 Prize Giving to celebrate a very successful year.
A summary of this success can be captured in our 2022 results - our best ever results: 87% of our Year 11 students achieving passes in English and Maths, with 30% of all GCSE entries achieving grades 7-9; 90% of our Year 13 students have secured places at University, more than ever before to Oxbridge and Russell Group, whilst the majority of the remaining students have secured high-quality apprenticeships.
The purpose of Prize Giving is to pause and take note or a milestone in life. Each of the students that received commendations have their own unique stories of difficulty, hard work, set backs and triumph.
A huge thank you to our special guest speaker, Charles Alexis who awarded prizes and also spoke at the event. Charles Alexis is a software developer, entrepreneur and musician. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he left school with no formal qualifications. His tech career began at 17, when he developed an interest in coding and began many projects and created a number of businesses with his younger brother. As a result of his enthusiasm and fast learning, he became a sought-after developer and is now currently employed as a Senior Software Developer for an international marketing company. He is a regular motivational speaker and keynote speaker at schools & careers events.
Well done to our students who performed at the event. The two musical pieces 'Oh when the Saints' and 'Cave Man' were simply amazing. Well done to Jermira and Callum who performed the drama piece 'Two weeks with the Queen' by Morris Gleitzman. We are so privileged to have such talented students at our school.
Thank you to Mr Tom Lawrence our Head of School, Ms Sylvia Perrins our Chair of Trustees and Councillor Mr L Fletcher - The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich for awarding prizes at the event.
A wonderful evening had by all, another fantastic Prize Giving to celebrate our the achievements of our students. Thank you to everyone involved in the event and everyone who attended, your support is greatly appreciated.
.png)
Many of our students take part in the ASDAN programme, some taking it as one of their Key Stage 4 options where they complete the Personal Development Award. However, there are also numerous certificated courses which students achieve including First Aid, Animal Care, Sports and Fitness, Gardening, Roadwise as well as Level 1 Cycle Training and Level 1 Power Boat Licence.
Last year over 130 certificates were awarded to students in years 8-11.
.png)
GCE and GCSE Summer 2022 exam certificates are ready for collection.
Please email exams@woolwichpoly.co.uk to arrange a convenient time to collect.
.png)
