A message from Ms Greenhalgh
I am thrilled to announce that this week we received official notification that we have become the first school in the city to receive the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM). Following a lengthy process of self-evaluation, feedback and a formal two-day assessment visit from inspectors, we have not only been awarded the IQM but has also been named as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for inclusion. This is testament to the hard work colleagues put into ensuring our inclusion practices are exemplary – thank you to you all and to the SBMAT Central Services Team for their support. You can read more about the award here or in this term’s Millthorpe Messenger which will be published tomorrow.
Our Key Stage 3 students have taken part in a Trust-wide rugby challenge this week, raising awareness and funds for OSCAR’s Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity. You can read more about this below. Thank you to everyone who took part and donated to this fantastic cause.
Wishing you all a lovely Easter break. I look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday 8 April for a ‘B’ Week.
With best wishes,
Gemma Greenhalgh
Headteacher
Welcome to the Easter edition of Sensations – South Bank Multi Academy Trust’s termly newsletter
As the term draws to a close, we wanted to share some of the fantastic events, trips, collaborations and projects which have taken place in our schools and across the Trust over the last few months. The newsletter really does only scratch the surface, but we hope it gives you a flavour of what makes our schools such wonderful places to learn and work.
You can see Sensations here – enjoy the read!
I hope you have a great Easter break; we look forward to welcoming everyone back in April.
With best wishes
Mark Hassack
CEO, SBMAT
What is my child learning at the moment?
Please see below to find out what your child has been learning about recently in order to have productive discussions about their education:
Year 7 – Faculty: Science
Conversation starter
Students are either learning about rocks, reproduction or energy. Students studying rocks – can they name examples of igneous or metamorphic rocks? Students studying energy – can they name the eight stores of energy? Reproduction is always a topic that elicits lots of great questions – can students give two changes that occur in both genders during puberty? Can students describe what fertilisation is?
Year 8 – Faculty: English
Conversation starter
Students are starting to come to the end of their set text, October, October, and will soon be preparing for their literature assessment. Ask your child about Victorian mudlarks and the dreadful conditions they had to endure, and about the pitiful character in our class reader known only as Thames Tom.
Year 9 – Faculty: Performance
Conversation starters
- Drama: Scripted Drama – ‘Noughts and Crosses’, Dominic Cooke. Who was Bertolt Brecht, what is Epic Theatre and how is this style reflected in ‘Noughts and Crosses’? How is dramatic tension built at the end of Act One and how could the event explored be safely and creatively presented on stage? What is Capital Punishment and how and why does it exist in the world of ‘Noughts and Crosses’?
- PE: Boys are currently in a block of either handball or basketball and girls are in a block of dance or rugby.
- Music: The Music Industry – How Reggae music impacted change in the music industry.
Year 10 – Faculty: Global
Conversation starters
- Computing: We’ve started the topics on Paper 2: Computational Thinking & Algorithms. We’ve also been doing programming.
- German: We are describing how we and other people live.
- French: We are describing holidays and learning useful phrases for travelling such as eating out at a restaurant and organising trips.
Year 11 – Faculty: Maths
Conversation starter
Mixed revision: explain a question you found tricky in lessons this week:
- What topic was it?
- What information was included in the question?
- What did you need to find next?
- Did you show your workings?
- How did you have to leave your answer?
- How will you make sure you get this type of question right next time?
We hope that you will find this information useful when talking to your child about their learning.
We hope that you will find this information useful when talking to your child about their learning.
Additionally, you might want to take a look at the curriculum section of our website which has lots more information about what your child is, has, or will be learning over the academic year.
‘Toulouse and Beyond’ rugby challenge
This week, students in Key Stage 3 have been doing some rugby passing and kicking in their PE lessons as part of an initiative to raise money for Oscar’s Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity. We did this as part of a Trust-wide initiative in recognition of Cain North, an ex-pupil of Carr Junior and York High School who unfortunately has a brain tumour. Cain and his family have benefitted from the work OSCAR’s does and now he wants to raise awareness and funds for the charity. He has been working with Headteacher of York High School, Rod Sims, the latest of which is the ‘Toulouse and Beyond’ rugby challenge.
York City Knights are due to play in Toulouse on 31 March, so Mr Sims had the idea of all the children across the Trust joining together to pass or kick a rugby ball the same distance as they would have to travel to play the fixture, a mere 1467km! The students donated £1 and were allowed to wear their favourite sports tops during the challenge. In Mr Boothman’s classes passed the rugby ball between a group of three 100 times across the Sports Hall equating to 1.5km per group. Some groups kept going with one particular trio passing the ball 238 times across the hall.
Well done to the Millthorpe students who got behind this great cause. Anyone wishing to donate can do so here. We’ll give you an update on distance travelled and money raised next term!
SEN and Safeguarding newsletter for parents/carers
Please take a look at this SEN and Safeguarding newsletter from South Bank Multi Academy Trust.
Taster session for parents/carers of children with additional needs
In conjunction with Family Matters York, SBMAT are offering a taster session, ‘Time Out for Parents: Parenting Children with additional needs’. The session, which is for parents/carers with children with additional needs at any of the Trust schools, will take place on Tuesday 7 May at Scarcroft Primary School.
Further information can be found in the flyer below. To book a place, visit https://bit.ly/3TscNfl or scan the QR code.
Operation Endeavour
Operation Endeavour is a joint operation between City of York Children’s Services and North Yorkshire Police to safeguard children and young people at risk of harm from going missing.
Please take a look at this letter which explains more about Operation Endeavour and how school staff are involved.
Support for parents/carers from the Specialist Teaching Team for autism support
Please see the attached flyer for details of the support available to parents/carers in the summer term through the City of York Council’s Specialist Teaching Team for autism support.
SEND Universal Offer for parents/carers
You can find out more about the City of York Council’s SEND Universal Offer for parents/carers during 2024 here.
York’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme
York’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme offers fun activities for keeping active, being creative and trying something new over the Easter, summer and winter school holidays.
Children and young people in receipt of benefits-related free school meals can receive up to eight sessions activities during the Easter holidays. Each day will include: a healthy meal selection ranging from sports, drama creative workshops, nature activities, much more.
For further information about what is available and how to book, please click here.
Job of the week – Journalist
If you love using the written or spoken word, a job as a journalist might be for you. It’s their job to keep us up to date with the latest information by researching, investigating and presenting the information to us either in the written form (via online or print newspapers and magazines), or verbally such as on the radio, television or by podcast.
For more information on becoming a journalist you can watch this video.
YIK’s Parent Carer Forum
To find out more about events and support available from the YIK Parent Carer Forum, please take a look at their latest newsletter here.
#WakeUpWednesday – Top tips for encouraging open conversations at home
Children can often be guarded about their emotions or any difficulties they’re experiencing. This reticence can extend to chats with their parents, staff in school and indeed any trusted adult.
It’s incredibly important, of course, for young people to have someone to confide in when they’re confused, upset or unsure of themselves – and to know that they can do so without fear of being judged or punished. This week, the #WakeUpWednesday guide from National Online Safety explores how to encourage open and honest discussions with children, empowering them to open up if they need help. Please take a look.
Hollywood Bowl Easter offers
Please see below for a 50% off code for Hollywood Bowl and Puttstars York, for bookings between 9:00 – 11:00am from 25 March – 7 April 2024. Simply use the code EGG50 at checkout of your booking to receive 50% off.
Safeguarding
If you have significant concerns for the welfare of a child, in addition to being able to contact Mrs Cole, Mrs Cooper or Mr Beever during school hours by emailing safeguarding@millthorpe.southbank.academy, you may wish to make direct contact with the York MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) on T: 01904 551900, option 3. They operate an out-of-hours service so concerns can be raised with them at any time.
;
