Weekly email – 17 October 2025

A message from Mrs Rothenburg

Congratulations also go to the Year 11 students who were nominated by subject colleagues for going above and beyond so far this term. On Tuesday, they joined Mrs Cook, the Year 11 Progress Leader, and me for a special Principal’s Breakfast. Well done to Raphael Nield, Josie Langer, Lucy Pendleton, Amelia Richardson, Jacob Mellows, Abigail Cuthbert, Leo Manville, Elsie Kay and Leila Bull – keep up the great work!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. We’ll be back in school on Monday for the last few days of this half term and a ‘B’ Week.

Kavina Rothenburg
Principal

Dates for your diary

• Wednesday 22 October: School closes for half-term break
• Monday 3 November: School reopens after half-term break
• Wednesday 5 November: YOLO Year 9 Workshop to support PD
• Tuesday 11 November: Remembrance Day
• Wednesday 19 November: Year 8 Progress Evening

What is my child learning at the moment?

Please see below to find out what your child has been learning about in recent lessons in order to have productive discussions about their education:

Year 7 – Performance
Conversation starters

• Drama: Students are reading the play ‘The Demon Headmaster’ by Adrian Flynn and exploring how actors use the Acting Tools to present different characters on stage – please do ask them for a demonstration!
• Music: Students are exploring the elements of music through singing songs from different cultures and applying changes of the musical elements to them. Ask your child to sing Babethandaza to you.
• PE: Students have moved onto their second activity and have been developing their skills in badminton, gymnastics, netball and football. Students will be moving onto activity three after half term.

Year 8 – Creative
Conversation starters

• Design Technology: Students are learning about cultures and how culture can influence design. Graphics students have been researching the work of Poppy Karabo to inspire them to create a record sleeve influenced by different cultures. Product Design students are making a pinball machine inspired by the theme of Day of the Dead. Engineering students are studying a new curriculum focused on prototyping and Food students are cooking up a storm of recipes from around the world and learning about staple foods from different climates.
• Art: Students have developed their recording skills learning how to draw key Celtic Art motifs, triquetras, knots and zoomorphic animals. They have used metacognition to explore alternative methods of drawing the same motif. Our next step is to learn about the Book of Kells (when, where, how and by whom it was made). Students will learn about the sources of coloured pigments before exploring coloured inks. Researching natural sources of colour and finding out about the Book of Kells would be a good way to support your child’s learning in Art.

Year 9 – English
Conversation starters
Year 9 are continuing their exploration of literature of Crime and Detection, their first unit of the year, and have been studying some of Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, as well as a classic Sherlock Holmes story. Ask your child what Mary Maloney does with a leg of lamb – it’s very clever! As the unit progresses, we will be moving on to look at non-fiction writing about crime and comparing the punishment of criminal behaviours between the Victorian period and our own.

Year 10 – Maths
Conversation starters
If you go abroad on holiday you will need to exchange currency – investigate how much of five different currencies you would get for £100. Can you draw a proportion graph to represent your exchanges? If you spend half your money, then change the remainder back into pounds, why do you not get £50?

Year 11 – Science
Conversation starters
Triple Science students are studying Biology Unit 5 Homeostasis and Response, C6 The Rate and Extent of Chemical Change and P5 Forces. Next week they will be completing three separate Standard Assessment Pieces (SAPs) on these three topics. Can they explain how the iris reflex works and explain how the eye can focus on near and far objects? Can they explain Le Chatelier’s Principle and explain and predict how changes in concentration, temperature and pressure affect the position of equilibrium. Can they describe the motion of an object that is being acted on by balanced forces?

Combined Science students have also been studying Biology Unit 5 Homeostasis and Response, Chemistry Unit 6 The Rate and Extent of Chemical Change and Physics Unit 5 Forces. Next week they will be completing their Standard Assessment Piece (SAP) on these three topics. Can they name contact and non-contact forces? Can they describe how temperature, surface area, pressure and concentration affect rate of reaction? Can they describe the sequence of events in the automatic control systems that keep conditions in our bodies constant?

All Year 11 Combined Science students have weekly homework set on Sparx Science – next week this is due on Wednesday 22 October at 9am.

All Year 11 Science lessons for both Triple and Combined Science are uploaded to the respective Google classrooms.

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 will be learning over the academic year.

Author MG Leonard visits Millthorpe

On Wednesday we welcomed in author, MG Leonard, who has written many popular children books where each story focuses on a specific period in history.

MG Leonard gave a wonderful and engaging talk to our Year 7 students about her books and how reading for pleasure helps to engage the mind and allow children’s imagination to run free. She also told us how she is a frequent visitor to York, in particular the Jorvik Centre, where she gets some of the inspiration for her books.

The Year 7s were able to purchase a copy of her books, which she also signed and wrote personal messages to each student.

Thank you very much MG Leonard for giving up your time and coming into Millthorpe School – we would love to welcome you back again in the future!

Millthorpe Remembers – 2025 Edition

As we approach 11 November, Mrs Price, Ms Longbottom, Mr Ferguson and Mr Baybutt are turning their attention to marking Remembrance Day and this year, we are hoping it will be the most special yet.

How can you help?
Led by Mrs Price, we are planning to create a sea of poppies along the main drive into school. In order to do this, we need donations of clean plastic bottles. These need to be water or soft drink bottles (please rinse them first) but not milk bottles. After half term, Mrs Price will offer students the chance to make and paint a poppy and then plant it along the main drive in the build up to Remembrance Day. Rather than adding any water or soft drink bottles to your usual recycling bins at home, please send them into school with your child, from Monday, where they can place them in clearly labelled recycling bins in the dining hall.

We hope that our display will look something like this:

In the lead up to Remembrance Day, Mr Ferguson will lead assemblies for all students so that they understand the purpose of remembrance and ensuring that we never forget.

On 11 November, supported by Ms Longbottom, several students will sound The Last Post at various points around school as our community falls silent to remember those who have been affected by, and continue to be affected by war and conflict.

We have a special guest visiting Millthorpe School on this day but we want to keep this under wraps for now!

Thank you for any support and donations of plastic bottles that you are able to offer.

Hello Yellow – World Mental Health Day

Thank you once again to everyone who donated to Hello Yellow on World Mental Health Day. We broke the £400 barrier, raising £411 which will go to the amazing charity, Young Minds.

Interactive theatre tackles vaping and smoking

On Tuesday, we welcomed Performance in Education, a Theatre in Education company who delivered a fabulous play called Hooked! which looks at the consequences of vaping and smoking through the eyes of three school children Lewis, Maz, and Tasha. This was followed by an interactive workshop with the cast to embed the learning that had taken place.

The three stories we heard focussed on what is contained in counterfeit cigarettes, the health consequences of vaping and smoking and the law around buying and selling cigarettes, including the age restrictions relating to it. Students were also provided with information as to where they can access support should they need it.

Huge thanks to Performance in Education for such a great session.

Year 9 – YOLO play and workshop

After half term, we are welcoming a Theatre in Education company into school to deliver a play and workshop to our Year 9 students. As their performance will address risky behaviour, if you have any concerns or questions please contact Mrs Cooper, Year 9 Pastoral Lead, via the school office.

A summary of the play and workshop content is below:

Sophie lives with her father (a soldier) and her stepmother. She’s locked in her bedroom with her father outside the door as they try to discuss the activity and motivations of the weekend just passed. Sophie has just returned from hospital, where she found herself after a bad reaction to legal high drugs at a party, and Dad wants to know “why?!”

Daniel is in a meeting with a school counsellor. This is a readmission meeting after he has been found to have supplied the drugs to Sophie at the party.

YOLO explores how these young people react to pressures around them, pressures to do things and pressures not to. It’s hard fitting in when nobody really knows what we are supposed to be doing or saying. Looking at many risk-taking activities, YOLO explores the pressure we feel to do things. Why? Because, “You Only Live Once”…

YOLO is designed to allow the audiences to actively, honestly and directly address and discuss topics, in the play and workshop, including alcohol, legal highs, sexting, online bullying, sexual health (including STIs), teenage pregnancy and online safety, not to mention teen vs parent relationship.

7MTU smash music quiz in interform challenge

Congratulations to 7MTU on winning their second Interform Challenge!

Last week, students represented their form in our Music Quiz hosted by Ms Longbottom. Miss McCartney was thoroughly entertained and impressed with how many students stood up in front of their peers and sang for points! It is clear to see we have A LOT of musical talent in the year group. Well done to all the participants.

Roll on next week’s Science Interform Challenge hosted by Mr Ferguson – we can’t wait to see you!

Restart a Heart

Yesterday we welcomed in five colleagues from the medical profession who kindly volunteered their time to deliver the Restart a Heart programme. During the day they taught all our Year 7s how to do CPR and potentially be able to save a life if they found themselves in a situation where someone’s heart had stopped beating.

All students listened carefully to Julia who introduced the sessions and were able to apply their skills well to the ‘Pillow Partners’ used for teaching. Julia works in clinical admin but stressed the importance that everyone should be trained for CPR, regardless of what department they worked in. We were also joined by third year nursing students from the University of York, Millie and Millie, and Fiona who is a Community First Responder. Fiona is a volunteer who the ambulance service can call out into her local area to offer immediate support before the ambulance arrives. We were also delighted to welcome back an alumna, Hedda, who left Millthorpe 10 years ago. Hedda now works as a dispatcher in York’s Ambulance Control room.

A huge thank you to all our volunteers who were so generous with their time, and helped support the learning of such a vital skill.

NYBEP and Nestlé visit focuses on the hospitality industry

Earlier this week we welcomed NYBEP (North Yorkshire Business and Enterprise Partnership) into school, who, in conjunction with Nestlé, came into school to deliver a session on Careers in Hospitality.

The aims of the session were to build important skills like teamwork, resilience, and communication and explore what employers are looking for – it’s all about the skills – develop problem-solving negotiation skills and voice your opinion and be creative, work under pressure and be unique.

Students learnt about apprenticeships, vocational courses and T Levels and were then introduced to ten reasons why they might choose hospitality as a career. The professionals from Nestlé also talked about their journey, how they came to be in their jobs, and what they enjoyed best about them.

Using the new building development on Coney Street as their muse, students were given the brief that their venue did not have enough footfall through the door and wasn’t making enough money. The students had to remarket and promote their brand, deal with customer complaints, hire staff and rewrite job descriptions.

A huge thank you to Sam and Sharon from NYBEP and their colleagues from Nestlé who came along to support.

Year 7 footballers start the season with a win!

Our Year 7 boys’ football team started the season on Monday with a convincing 7-0 win against North Allerton School in the North Yorkshire County Cup. A hugely impressive display from the boys who have shown great teamwork and determination. Man of the Match was Elliot S who bossed the midfield, scored and set up lots of chances for his team mates.

Keep up the good work everyone!

Enrichment – netball and girls football

After half term, (w/c 3 November), Year 9/10 and 11 netball is moving to a Tuesday (due to the need for an indoor space after half term) and Year 9/10 and 11 girls football is moving to Monday night after school.

STEM Learning’s Philip Purkis inspires young scientists

Students have been fully immersing themselves in Science Enrichment this term, and the highlight so far has definitely been the inspiring visit from guest speaker, Philip Purkis of STEM Learning.

Philip joined us recently to talk to our budding scientists and show them electrical equipment such as motors and engines. The students were excited and interested to see some ‘mystery objects’ and learn what everyday objects they were a part of.

Huge thanks to Peter for giving up his time and sharing his vast knowledge with our students.

Sparx Science homework

The last Sparx Science homework of this half-term is due on Wednesday 22 October at 9am. As always, our expectation is 100% completion by the deadline. We want to support all students by ensuring they complete work away from the classroom – helping them develop independence, build study skills and to help students take control of their learning. This is a change from our usual Thursday 9am deadline due to school closing for October half-term on Wednesday. We want to be fair to all students by communicating this change to you.

The following Sparx Science homework is due after October half-term on Thursday 6 November at 9am. This assignment will go live to all students at their respective lunchtime on Wednesday 22 October. We want all students and their families to have a restful half-term and there is no expectation to complete this work during the holiday. However, we want to maintain the momentum we have with Sparx Science by returning to our normal Thursday deadline following the half-term break.

SEN and Safeguarding news from Excel Learning Trust

Every half term, Sue Wight, Director of SEN and Safeguarding at Excel Learning Trust circulates tips and advice regarding SEN and safeguarding to parents/carers.

This half term’s SEN and Safeguarding newsletter can be found here.

Job of the Week – Sustainability Consultant

Sustainability Consultants help businesses and organisations to become more socially and environmentally responsible, working with them to understand their environmental impact and how to reduce their carbon footprint. Although most people in this role have a degree it is not essential. Skills and experience are highly valued and it is likely you will take on an entry level role before becoming a consultant.

Watch this video for more information about becoming a Sustainability Consultant.

Futures for All – inspirational talks

Futures for All (previously Speakers for Schools) is an incredible social mobility charity which empowers state-educated young people by opening doors to life-changing opportunities. In addition to their work experience programme, Futures for All also regularly broadcast live inspirational talks which are recorded and then hosted on their website.

With our recent focus on leadership and to mark Black History Month, this week we wanted to share this talk from Brandie Deignan, Chief Executive Officer, Pier Health Group and Former Managing Director, Marco Pierre White Restaurants, called Breaking Barriers in Business: Black History Month.

Brandie Deignan has smashed glass ceilings and carved out a career at the top of business and industry. In this session, she shares her journey, the lessons she’s learned about leadership and reflects on Black History Month and why it’s more important now than ever before. This talk is perfect for anyone curious about leadership, career choices, and making their mark in the world of work.

Just click the image below to view.

Year 11 Taster Days

Taster Days for Year 11 students take place on 13 and 15 January. All information about Taster Days is now available on Google Classroom and on every school and college website. Every college and school with a sixth form have now released their dates. Students MUST book on to the Taster Days before the deadlines (each school has a slightly different deadline) as they will not take late applications.

If you do not book onto a Taster Day, students must come into school on those days. Any queries, please email Miss Watts.

Post-16 open events

All Saints Sixth Form
All Saints Open Evening is Wednesday 19 November. You will need to prebook a talk with the Headteacher: https://allsaintsyork.npcat.org.uk/sixth-form/sixth-form-admissions/

Fulford School Sixth Form
Fulford School’s Sixth Form Open Evening is Thursday 20 November, 6.00 – 8.00pm

To book your place, please use the link: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/fulford-school

Askham Bryan College 
Askham Bryan College has a series of open events throughout this term.

• Saturday 18 October – Open Morning
• Tuesday 21 October – Foundation Learning Taster Event
• Saturday 29 November – Open Morning
• Tuesday 16 December – Foundation Taster Event

For more information, have a look at their website.

Huntington School Sixth Form
Huntington School’s Open Evening is Tuesday 11 November 2025. Register via this link.

Joseph Rowntree School Sixth Form
Joseph Rowntree School is on Tuesday 18 November 2025.

York College
York College is hosting a number of Open Events during the 2025-26 academic year, as follows:

• Saturday 8 November 2025, 10.00am – 12.30pm
• Thursday 20 November 2025, 5.30pm – 8.00pm
• Thursday 12 February 2026, 5.30pm – 8.00pm
• Wednesday 29 April 2026, 5.30pm – 7.30pm

For more information, please visit the York College website.

Applications now open at York College

Applications are now open for courses starting in September 2026 at York College.

If Year 11 students know what they would like to apply for, they can apply now. If, however, they are still a little unsure of their choice of courses, they should attend one of the forthcoming Open Events and/or one of the January Taster Days before submitting an application.

Students can have one ‘live’ application with York College. If they apply, and then would like to change their choice/s, they can do this by emailing the York College Admission team at info@yorkcollege.ac.uk

For more information, including FAQs and step by step guidance on how to apply, please visit the York College Apply page.

Intermediate Certificate in Classical Greek

The Intermediate Certificate in Classical Greek (ICCG) is a qualification, designed to give motivated Year 11 and Year 12 students, the chance to study Classical Greek. Equivalent to the former “half GCSEs,” this is a rare and prestigious opportunity!

The course will take place on Tuesday afternoons from 4.15-5.45pm, beginning on 4 November at St Peter’s School, and costs £100.

Full information can be found in the attached letter.

Apprenticeship vacancies

York College is currently advertising a number of apprenticeship vacancies which can be seen on the attached pdf. Each vacancy has a hyperlink to the Apprenticeship Service website, where you will find full job details and where you can submit your application.

A note on closing dates: vacancies often close earlier than the stated date, so if you are interested, please make sure you apply as soon as you can.

You can also read the attached guidance on how to write a strong application to ensure the best chance of success.

Other apprenticeships are available and can be accessed through the Careers section of your child’s Google Classroom.

York St John Communities Centre Services

Please see details below of drop-in sessions which are free to children, young people and their families:

Groups and Drop-ins

Breastfeeding Group
Treasure Chest aims to provide new families a chance to talk with peer supporters as well as other families who are breastfeeding or combination feeding.

• Duration: 10:30am to 12pm
• Location: York St John University’s Chapel on Campus
• Fee: FREE
• Dates: Every Tuesday
• Further information: www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/communities-centre/drop-in-sessions/#Breastfeeding

Bereavement Support Group
A free online support group for people who are bereaved or experiencing grief.

• Facilitated by: York St John Communities Centre
• Duration: 4:30pm-6:00pm
• Location: Online
• Fee: FREE
• Dates: Every Tuesday for 10 weeks, commencing 28 October 2025
• Further information: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/communities-centre/bereavement-services/#BereavementSupportGroup
• Self-referral: https://yorksj.solvefit.co.uk/csr/

Bereavement Café
Come along to one of our cafés for bereaved people, to help you understand what you are going through.

• Facilitated by: York St John Communities Centre
• Duration: 1:00pm-3:00pm
• Location: York St John University Campus
• Fee: FREE
• Dates: Wednesday 12 November 2025 | Wednesday 10 December 2025
• Further information: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/communities-centre/bereavement-services/#BereavementCafe

Children and Young People

Community Language School
The Community Language School caters to the language learning needs of children aged 6 to 13 years from migrant, multilingual families as well as those for whom English is currently the only language in use.

• Duration: classes are run on Saturday afternoons for 1 to 2 hours.
• Location: York St John University Campus
• Fee: FREE
• Dates: The school year typically runs from September to May with breaks from December to January, and March to April.
• Further information: www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/communities-centre/community-language-school/
• Referral: www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/communities-centre/community-language-school/enrol-your-child/
• Volunteering: www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/communities-centre/community-language-school/apply-to-volunteer/

Creative Literacies Hub
A free service which welcomes parents, carers, and their children, who would like to learn effective ways of approaching reading and creative writing. We have two programmes you can attend: Supporting Reading at Home, and Creative Writing Together.

• Duration: Doors open from 3.30pm but sessions will start nearer to 4.00pm to allow for the school run. Sessions end at 5.00pm, and both programmes last for 6 weeks.
• Location: York St John Communities Centre
• Fee: FREE
• Dates: Creative Writing Together – Tuesdays on 7 October, 14 October, 21 October, 4 November, 11 November, and 18 November.
• Further information: www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/communities-centre/children-and-young-people/#Creative-Literacies-Hub
• Referral: https://yorksj.solvefit.co.uk/csr/

Donate a coat to help someone survive this winter

With temperatures plummeting across the channel, Care4Calais has launched an urgent appeal this autumn for donations of warm/waterproof coats for refugees fleeing conflict and sleeping rough on the streets.

A large collection box is now in reception until 7 November.

If you have any spare or outgrown mens/unisex winter jackets that you no longer use, hoodies or cuffed joggers, they will be gratefully received.

Your clothing donations will be collected by Care4Calais’s volunteers and distributed before winter.

No spare coats to give? You can also donate on the Care4Calais website.

Online support for students and parents

We wanted to remind you about our online support app called Padlet, which is a directory of support available for students and parents.

Padlet signposts the user to a range of websites and resources, providing support and advice relating to mental health, exam stress, online safety, self care, managing emotions, young carers, family support and more.

You can visit the Padlets by scanning the QR codes or clicking the links below.

Visit the Parent Padlet
Visit the Student Padlet

Safeguarding

If you have significant concerns for the welfare of a child, in addition to being able to contact Mr Beever, Miss Gater or your child’s Progress Leader during school hours by emailing safeguarding@millthorpe.elt.org.uk, you may wish to make direct contact with 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. In a mental health emergency, please call York CAMHS Crisis Team on 08000516171.