Mr Atkinson's Friday Update 09.06.2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope you are well and for those with children undertaking exams (both real and mocks) I hope all is ok at home during what can be a stressful time. Please remember to reach out for support from the pastoral staff or their subject teachers if needed.

Please see below for further updates for this half term.

Pastoral Teams

As we enter the final half term there are some changes that will be occurring with the pastoral support in school, please see below for further details:

On Monday 19th June, the year groups will be 'moving up' which for some will bring change as pastoral teams change. Please see below for the year team links from this point:

Current Y7 - pastoral7@bingleygrammar.org

Miss Clough - Head of Year

Mr Ali - Assistant Head of Year

Current Y8 - pastoral8@bingleygrammar.org

Mrs Fountain - Head of Year

Ms Blagg - Assistant Head of Year

Current Y9 - pastoral9@bingleygrammar.org

Mr Nathan Bridge - Head of Year

Mrs Faunch - Assistant Head of Year

Current Y10 - pastoral10@bingleygrammar.org

Mr Nigel Bridge - Head of Year

Mr Todd - Assistant Head of Year (Maternity Cover for Mrs Qayyum)

For those students where year teams are changing we are currently completing handovers, however, for some we will be ensuring that you will be continuing with the same pastoral support for a little longer. This will allow Mrs Roberts and Miss Mulcock to begin welcoming our new Y6 students whose transition days will be in early July. For Y11 Mr Bridge will still be on hand for them if needed. Students will be officially informed on Tuesday 13th June.

Day of Culture - Tuesday 27th June

Under the guidance of Mr Riley, our student ministers and their supporters are currently planning for our first day of culture. It is a day when we will celebrate the many different cultures here at Bingley Grammar School with stalls in N6/or outside if weather permitting. This will allow them to talk to others about their 'culture'... so far we have stalls linked to The Arts/Religion/Identity/Sports/Book Genres, with more still to be confirmed. The day will also be a non uniform day and we hope that many students will dress to celebrate and represent their culture. More details will follow in the coming weeks.

Well Done Wednesdays

I continue to meet with students who consistently do it well each Wednesday. As part of this they receive an early lunch pass for that Friday. This week it was the turn of the Y8 football finalists. It was a privilege to be at the final before half term and even though they lost, the teamwork, camaraderie and ultimately fair play shown by the team shone through. I was immensely proud of them before, during and after the game. Thank you to Mr Wilson who coached the team to this point.

'When I grow up'

The school musical is the current highlight of my week, with rehearsals on a Tuesday after school being full of life and enthusiasm. With only 4 weeks to go it is all coming together nicely and I cannot wait for the all day Saturday rehearsal in a few weeks. Coming into a school on a Saturday reflects the dedication of this cast to create something amazing and I hope as many people come to see the production as possible. Thank you to Mrs Oliver who has been leading this since Mrs Davidson went on maternity leave and also Lilly Chuck in Y13 who is running rehearsals alongside her final A Level exams. For me personally the Arts is so important and it has been great to have so many students involved in this extra curricular opportunity.

And Finally...

Please can I ask that if your daughter or son does not have the correct uniform you write a supporting note/or email to the year team and the form tutor on the day this happens and how long you think it may be for. This helps us also offer support where needed with uniform. Also with regards to uniform we have said to students that blazers do not need to be worn if they are too hot, however, we ask they are still brought to school and that nothing else replaces the blazer such as a coat or gillet.

Thank you for reading.