Weekly email – 19 June 2026

A message from Mrs Rothenburg

This time of year is always bittersweet as we say goodbye to our Year 11 students. With their GCSE exams now complete it was time for our Year 11s to let their hair down and celebrate the end of an era. Last night’s Prom at York Racecourse was a spectacular affair, full of fun and dancing, and we hope today’s Leavers Assembly and Prom Breakfast completed their time at Millthorpe in style. Thank you to all our Year 11s for all the hard work, laughter and fun memories. Have an amazing summer and we’ll look forward to seeing you in August on Results Day.

Well done to our Year 10s who sat the first half of their PPEs this week. They have handled the exams with maturity, resilience and confidence. Keep up the hard work Year 10s and aim high – your efforts will reap rewards!

Thank you to those who took the time to acknowledge teachers and other school staff by sending a virtual card on National Thank a Teacher Day earlier this week. It meant a great deal to them to be appreciated in this way.

Next week we’re looking forward to our Year 9 Graduations. A very special day in the Millthorpe calendar, this marks a significant milestone for our students as they transition from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4. We’re also excited to see some of our students perform at Excel Learning Trust’s annual ArtsFest on Thursday 25 June. Good luck to everyone who is taking part.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend – enjoy the sunshine! We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday for a ‘B’ Week.

Kavina Rothenburg
Principal

Dates for your diary

• Wednesday 24 June: Year 9 Graduation
• Monday 29 June – Moving to Millthorpe – event 3
• Wednesday 1 July – Year 6 Transition Day
• Friday 17 July – School closes for summer break

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 ending the year by exploring scenes from William Shakespeare’s much-loved play ‘Romeo and Juliet’, focussing on Shakespeare’s use of language and presentation of a range of complex relationships. Please do use any of your own knowledge of the play to spark up a conversation around the topic!
• Music: Students are learning Fur Elise by Beethoven which involves stretched hand positions and sharps.
• PE: students are studying cricket, softball, tennis or rounders.

Year 8 – Creative
Conversation starters

• Design Technology: Students are in their final rotation of the year, learning a vast range of new skills and processes all based on the theme of culture.
• Fine Art: Year 8 are planning exciting personal responses for the Art & Science / Insect Art project. Students have had the opportunity to explore and experiment with media and techniques to make their own collage papers. They will shortly refine their craft skills and apply their colour theory knowledge to an insect collage. Looking out for and discussing current news articles about UK insects would support your child’s classroom-based learning about the importance of insects to our ecosystems and how environmental changes are impacting on insects.

Year 9 – English
Conversation starters
Students have been carrying on their study of the challenging class reader, ‘Of Mice and Men’. Set against the backdrop of the American Depression of the 1930s, it tackles some serious social issues that are sadly still very relevant today. You could ask your child about the ways in which some of the characters – such as Candy, Crooks, Curley’s wife and Lennie – are treated, and how they feel about the unfair and discriminatory behaviours they experience.

Year 10 – Maths
Conversation starters
Students are completing some challenging work on manipulating and solving equations.

• Can they explain how we tell if any equation is quadratic?
• What options do we have to solve a quadratic equation?
• Can they use their calculator effectively to help them achieve this?

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.

Attendance-linked events have positive impact

Yesterday we hosted another attendance-related event – Lollies & Lawn Games. The students who were eligible enjoyed time chatting with friends and playing games such as giant Connect Four, swing ball, frisbee and many more!

We are really pleased to say these events are proving an effective incentive for so many students. We track attendance very closely and it’s clearly more positive during the qualification window and on the day of the event. We are seeing more students more often. Thank you for your support in this area.

Parents/carers will be aware that we are running another attendance-linked event very soon – Beats Bingo. For this event we are using an external provider to inject fun and excitement into one hour of the students’ day. Due a change in the provider’s availability this event has been moved to Monday 29 June.

Similar qualifying criteria is in place to secure a seat at the bingo table. Come into school to pick up your dipper and dabber!

Criteria:

• 100% attendance during the qualifying window (11 May – 25 June)
  – Any absence must be supported by medical evidence (recorded as an M code).
  – Students with all present marks and M codes will qualify.
  – Please can parents contact their child’s Progress Leader if their child has historic / on going medical issues
• 95%+ attendance from September 2025 to the end of the qualifying window. These students will be automatically invited, regardless of any absence during the qualifying window.

Please be aware that Beats Bingo will have flashing lights and music. If this could trigger any medical conditions for your child, please alert the school prior to the event.

Carlton Lodge

This week, 80 of our intrepid Year 9s took part in an action-packed residential to Carlton Lodge.

Students took part in a host of fun and challenging activities, including high ropes, zip wire, kayaking raft building, problem solving, bushcraft and archery. There was even time for a mini olympics in the evening: Mr Collins’ and Mrs Cooper’s efforts at the dizzy relay were a sight to behold. The weather was (mainly) kind and we were super impressed with the courage and determination shown by all the students as they challenged themselves and overcame their fears.

Well done everyone and I hope you had a really enjoyable and memorable experience.

Year 9 feedback gathered

Over the past few weeks, our Year 9 students have had a short one-to-one meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

As part of our improvement agenda, we aim to meet every student in every year group over the course of each year. This gives our students the opportunity to give us their feedback and ensures that every child feels part of our community.

The themes below highlight some of the things that Year 9 students liked:

• The clubs which are available as part of enrichment.
• Lessons and in particular, the knowledge organisers provided by teachers.
• Good curriculum and a large choice of subjects to study at GCSE level.
• Teachers are understanding and have time to listen to the students.
• The school is inclusive and supportive.
• The school’s values and morals.
• The clear rules for arriving at and leaving lessons.
• Split breaks and lunches.

When asked for feedback on what we could improve, students told us they would like:

• More vegetarian options at lunchtime.
• More information on personal finance in Personal Development.
• Biking Club and more options for Craft Club.

Thank you to our Year 9s for their feedback – we will absolutely consider the above for September.

Charity Day – Friday 10 July

The Student Leaders are delighted to announce that Millthorpe’s Charity Day 2026 will take place on Friday 10 July. Students are currently voting on which of three local charities we will support this year: York Mind, York Music Hub or York Samaritans.

On the day, there will be a few exciting events taking place, including:

• Gunge the Teacher! From Monday 6 – Thursday 9 July, students are encouraged to bring in money to donate to vote for which brave teachers will face the slime. The teachers with the most money donated will be gunged in front of the whole school at lunchtime on Friday.
• Bake Sale: There will be a bake sale during break and lunch. The Student Leaders would welcome contributions of baking and sweet treats to be sold. Students will need to bring in some change if they want to purchase anything. All proceeds will go directly to the chosen charity.
• Raffle Draw: Donations needed please! After the success of our raffle last year, we are again running a school-wide raffle for colour-themed hampers, with the draw happening on Charity Day. The money from the raffle will go towards purchasing some outdoor equipment for students to use during break and lunch times.

To help make this raffle a success, we’re asking each year group to bring in donations that match the colour of their school tie:

• Year 7: Red
• Year 8: Blue
• Year 9: Purple
• Year 10: Green

Donations could include small gifts, sweets, toiletries, stationery, or other fun items in the relevant colour. The more donations we receive, the more brilliant prizes there will be to win!  Donations can be brought in from Monday and placed in the boxes outside the staff room/main office. The deadline for donations is Friday 3 July. Raffle tickets will go on sale at the end of next week – more details will be shared in next Friday’s email.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We’re so proud of our Student Leaders for organising such a fun day of giving.

Warm weather

The forecast for next week is (finally) for some warm, sunny weather. Please make sure your child is arriving at school prepared: a refillable water bottle is essential. You may also want to consider sun cream/block and a hat or cap, especially if they have PE or a sports club.

Uniform shorts

We’re pleased to let you know that uniform shorts are now in stock and available via the Keal Teamwear website.

Library books

We will be doing a stocktake in the library during the last three weeks of the term and we are keen to get all books back please. Students in Year 7 and 8 who have library lessons have been given a number of reminders to bring their books back to their last lesson. I would also like to take this opportunity to ask that people have a look around at home and see if there are any of our library books that may have fallen through the system and to bring them into the library. There will be a little reward for any lost or forgotten library books which are returned!

We do actively encourage students to take books out over the summer as reading for pleasure is a really good way to keep the cognitive faculties working, ready for the return to learning in September. Due to the stocktake, book borrowing for over the summer will only be available until Friday 26 June. Students can take more than the usual allotted number of books over the summer break.

Flamingo Land and Yorkshire Wildlife Park trip

A reminder that these exciting trips are taking place on 30 September 2026 and are available to all students. Please confirm your child’s place on ParentPay by selecting the appropriate payment option: ‘Pay full amount’ for Flamingo Land (£42 or £32 for Pupil Premium); or for Yorkshire Wildlife Park, ‘Choose payment amount’ and then add £24 (£14 for Pupil Premium students). Remember to click your consent as well.

Please pay in full by 3 July. If you need to spread the cost, you can add funds to the Parent Account at any time and then use this balance to pay in full once you have enough credit. We can’t accept part payments against the actual trip item. If you have any concerns about meeting the cost of the trip or any other queries, please contact the school.

An EGG-cellent time had by all at Mrs Price’s Interform Challenge!

Last week Mrs Price hosted our Year 7 Interform Design Challenge. Students worked together in their forms to utilise a range of design materials to avoid their eggs cracking when dropped from a height. We had a range of designs from parachutes to makeshift boxes. Students came together at the end to watch Mrs Price test their eggs by dropping them on the floor. Students were ‘shell shocked’ as we uncovered which ones had cracked and which ones had stayed in tact.

‘Shell-ebrating’ the win for this challenge were 7VGO for their ‘egg-squisite’ design, who received the ‘eggs-tra’ points for their unbreakable (we’re going to say it again…) EGGS!

Surprisingly, the mess was not too ‘egg-streme’ as the bell sounded on the final drop!

Take a look at some of our ‘shell-fies’ of our … EGGSTRAVAGANZA!

Frozen auditions – sign up now!

We’re really excited that our Christmas production this year will be Frozen Jr! To take part students will need to be available for rehearsals Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays after school through the Autumn Term and for the evening performances on 15, 16 and 17 December.

Auditions will take place, by appointment, throughout the day on Monday 6 July. Students have until Friday 26 June to sign up for an audition, after which allocated audition times will be published.

To sign up for an audition, students must complete this Google Form.

For the auditions, students must choose a song from Frozen Jr and prepare to sing a minimum of a verse and a chorus from this, to a backing track played through YouTube, to Mrs Sladen and Ms Longbottom in a ‘closed’ audition. There will be an opportunity in the audition to discuss whether or not you wish to be considered for a solo, group or ensemble performance and any specific roles you have in mind.

For further information please speak to Mrs Sladen.

Creative Writing Together

York St John University has approached Millthorpe with a new exciting and unique offer for a handful of our families. They are going to run a workshop where parent/carers and their child co-create a piece of creative writing from the other’s perspective. This process is designed to develop that all important skill of seeing the world or a particular issue from another person’s point of view. Being able to understand someone else’s viewpoint is clearly a really valuable interpersonal skill and one that is very much needed in a world with such polar extremes of opinion. The participants don’t have to have a particular level of written English, it’s open to every ability level. You just have to come along with an open mind!

The workshop will start in late September, take place during Millthorpe School’s Enrichment time (2.45-3.45pm) and run for eight weeks. At the moment Tuesday appears to be the best day, but will be confirmed nearer the time. Parents/carers therefore must be able to come into school at this time each week.

If you and your child are interested, please email Mr Beever directly who is acting as a contact point with the our university colleagues.

Rowan gets Team GB call up!

Everyone at Millthorpe School is incredibly proud of former student Rowan Whittaker, whose outstanding athletics achievements earned him a call-up to represent Team GB last weekend at the Mannheim International athletics event in the Mixed 4x400m Relay. Competing against high class European opposition, Rowan and his GB teammates produced a brilliant run to break their own National Record, crossing the line in an outstanding time of 3:22.53.

Rowan’s dedication, talent and hard work have seen him progress from competing as a Millthorpe student to performing on the international stage. Congratulations Rowan on this fantastic achievement – we wish you every success as you continue your sporting journey.

Rowan (second from right) pictured with his GB teammates.

You can read more here.

Job of the Week – Acoustician

Acousticians are responsible for measuring and controlling noise levels in the workplace and give employers advice to help them reduce noise levels within their organisation. They use sound-level meters and computer equipment to measure sound levels. Most people entering this career will need a degree, often Physics based with acoustics content or with a link to music technology.

Watch this video for more information about becoming an Acoustician.

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 -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.

As F1 season is well underway and with our trip to the home of the Atlassian Williams F1 Team fast approaching, this week we are bringing you this talk from Zoe Timbrell, Motorsport Partnerships & Marketing, Business Development & Operations.

If you love motorsport and are curious about careers beyond the driver’s seat, then ‘Turning Motorsport Passion into a Marketing Career’ is for you. Zoe talks about how a passion for racing can turn into an exciting career in marketing. She shares her journey into the fast-paced world of motorsport, explains how brands work with teams and events, and reveals the skills needed to succeed in sports marketing. It is perfect for students interested in business, creativity, and the high-energy world behind the races.

Just click the image below to view.

York ISSP opportunities

York ISSP is offering the following opportunities:

German GCSE: for those who will be in Years 9, 10 and 12 in September 2026. Read the letter.

Greek ICCG Course: for those who will be in Year 11 and 12 in September 2026. Read the letter.

The deadline for sign up is 3 July. 

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.

EMBRACE SUMMER – 3-8 August 2026

This summer, Education Together is running an international activity programme based at Bootham School. They have 44 young people joining them from Germany and are offering local students the chance to take part too. You can sign up for six days of adventure, right here in York, filled with fun, challenge, discovery and global connections.

This is open to anyone currently in Years 7 to 11 and costs just £45 for the full week. You can find the full information here and register here.

British Cycling Talent Identification Open Testing Day

British Cycling is running a series of Talent ID Open Testing Days this summer for young people aged 12–16, giving them the chance to try track cycling and potentially be identified for future development opportunities.

Further information can be found below or on Instagram.

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.