Weekly email – 26 June 2026

A message from Mrs Rothenburg

A huge thank you to Mel Page from the Richard Shephard Music Foundation, who came into school earlier this week to deliver a choral workshop. The students thoroughly enjoyed it.

We’ve really enjoyed welcoming a number of Year 6 students into school this week as part of our enhanced transition programme. It has been great to get to know some of our new students better. We’re now looking forward to the last of our transition events next week – Moving to Millthorpe event 3 takes place on Monday and our full Year 6 Transition Day on Wednesday.

Yesterday, a large group of our students took part in Excel Learning Trust’s annual ArtsFest extravaganza, Sounds from the West End, at the University of York. The show, which was hosted by York’s Ian Donaghy, showcased music, song and dance from the Trust’s six schools, and was an absolute hit. Well done to everyone involved.

As the weather is set to cool down next week, we will return to normal school uniform from Monday.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend, stay safe in the warm weather. We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday for an ‘A’ Week.

Kavina Rothenburg
Principal

Dates for your diary

• Monday 29 June – Moving to Millthorpe – event 3
• Wednesday 1 July – Year 6 Transition Day
• Wednesday 8 July – Sports 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 – Creative
Conversation starters

• Design Technology: Students are in their final rotation of the year continuing to learn a wide range of new skills and how to work with a variety of different materials all around the theme of sustainability. When they return in Year 8, they will complete the same rotation (but not in the same order) with much more challenging skills all based on the theme of culture.
• Fine Art: Year 7 are enjoying the Pop Art inspired ‘Art & Issues – Endangered Animals’ project. Students copied an Andy Warhol animal screen print using a monoprint technique and mixed media to add layers of colour. Personal research for homework has led to students selecting their favourite endangered animal as a starting point for a colourful personal mixed media study. Talking about endangered animals and looking at Andy Warhol’s animal-themed screen prints with your child would help to extend their learning.

Year 8 – English
Conversation starters
Year 8 have continued their study of our Conflict Unit by broadening their scope to an exploration of Dystopian narratives. They are looking at the common tropes of the genre and dipping into both classic and modern Dystopian texts to broaden their knowledge. This will lead up to their final assessment of the year: the writing and delivering of a speech they have composed in the voice of their own imaginary Dystopian dictator!

Year 9 – Maths
Conversation starters
Students are working on a statistics unit where they will need to complete a number of different calculations and graphs. What are the advantages or disadvantages of using the mean, median, mode or range for different pieces of data? How can statistics be presented in a way that might skew or give bias to the data? How can you be alert to this possibility?

Year 10 – Science
Conversation starters
In lessons, students have been revising for their Year 10 PPEs – they have now completed their Biology and Chemistry PPEs and we are busy marking them. Students have their Physics PPE on Tuesday 30 June. The Physics Exam covers all of Paper 1: Physics topics 1-4: Energy; Electricity; Particle Model of Matter; and Atomic Structure. After the PPEs we will start to cover Paper 2 content in lessons. In addition, once we have marked all of the Year 10 exams, students will have dedicated time in lessons to receive feedback, reflect on their areas of improvement and complete work on our “Every Mark Matters” strategy to identify their areas of strength and areas of development.

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.

Summer Concert

This year’s Summer Concert is on Thursday 16 July at 6.00pm. It promises to be a fun showcase of some of our students’ fabulous work.

Tickets are available on ParentPay priced at £5 for adults and £3 for under 16s. We’d love to see you there!

York and District Athletics Finals

A massive congratulations to all the students who qualified for and competed at the York and District Athletics Finals which took place on Tuesday at York University.

It is a massive achievement for students to qualify for the finals as this means they are one of the top eight athletes for their discipline in York and the surrounding areas. It was a great day out and fantastic to see students showing resilience and determination to do well in their events, even on an extremely hot day!

Congratulations to the following students who placed at the finals, meaning that they finished either first, second or third in their group:

• Esme L – 1st in 300m
• Georgia C – 3rd in 200m
• Immy B – 1st in the Javelin and 2nd in 100m
• Imogen B – 2nd in 80m Hurdles
• Isabella RK – 2nd in the Javelin
• Marianne Lowson – 1st in 1500m
• Noah S – 3rd in 1500m
• Rosa B – 3rd in Long Jump
• Rosie D – 2nd in 800m
• Sylvie B – 2nd in the Javelin
• Will S – 2nd in 200m
• William B – 2nd in 1500m
• Year 9 girls relay team finished 2nd

Congratulations also to the following students who broke a school record or set a new record:

• Esme L – broke the 300m record by 18.39 seconds!
• Immy B – Javelin record broken by 5m
• Imogen B – No record previously set in 80m Hurdles
• Marianne L – broke the 1500m record by 12 seconds
• Rosa B – broke the Long Jump record by 29cm
• Rosie D – broke the 800m record by 3 seconds
• Sylvie B – Javelin record broken by 1m
• Year 9 girls relay team – broke the record by 4.66 seconds

More congratulations to Esme!

Huge congratulations to Esme L in Year 8 who has been selected to represent North Yorkshire at the 151st English Schools Track & Field Athletics Championships on 10 and 11 July in Birmingham. Esme is one of just 40 students to be selected from all the schools in North Yorkshire, and will be representing North Yorkshire (and Millthorpe) in the 200m.

We are all incredibly proud of Esme and wish her the very best of luck.

Year 7 Geography trip to Bolton Abbey

As a reminder, on Friday 3 July the Year 7 Geography Department trip to Bolton Abbey Trip will take place. We are meeting on the Knavesmire next to the Hamilton Panthers Pavilion at 8.40am.

Please ensure that your child brings a packed lunch, water bottle and a pencil. Pupils who receive free school meals will have a packed lunch provided on the day. Your child needs to wear appropriate, sensible, non-uniform clothing for the weather eg hat or coat and suncream if needed, as well as sensible shoes (eg trainers) for walking.

If your child requires medication such as inhalers, EpiPens, travel sickness or hay fever medication, please ensure that they bring it with them on the day.

Finally, we expect to be back between 3.30-4.00pm when we will dismiss your child from the Knavesmire.

Any questions, please contact the School Office.

Miss Steers, Head of Geography

Charity Day – Friday 10 July

After a week of voting, the Student Leaders are excited to announce that the charity chosen by Millthorpe for this year’s Charity Day is: York Mind. They are a fantastic local mental health charity that focuses on challenging discrimination and supporting people with mental health challenges.

A reminder that students should bring some cash to donate towards which member of staff they want to see gunged. The Student Leaders will also be selling ice lollies on Wednesday 8 July, during lunchtime on Sports Day to raise money, and a bake sale on Charity Day.

Raffle
A reminder that donations are needed please! Thanks to those who have already sent in their colour-themed items. As a reminder, 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 any time until Friday 3 July and placed in the boxes outside the staff room/main office. 

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Year 9 interform competition – History

The challenge we set our Year 9s was to build and label an accurate trench system out of play dough. Teams had just ten minutes to reproduce as close a representation of a trench and dug out as they could.

Teams worked well together and Mrs Bowland and Mrs Cooper were really impressed with how well students threw themselves into the task. Picking a winner was not an easy decision!

First place went to 9MNI represented by Ariana K, Imogen C and Tenzin N. The judges said “We loved the detail included on this trench system. The parapet was clearly visible, the barbed wire was coiled like it would have been and the sandbags support the tops and side of the trench. It was a neat effort. Not bad for ten minutes work. Well done!”

Second place went to 9ERH/LMU’s team of Leo GS, George K, George L and Flynn S. The judges’ comments were “This was a very close second. We loved the neatness of the model, which is like the picture that the government wanted us to believe the trenches looked like. The sandbags and the barbed wire work well here, plus your use of the cocktail sticks as trench supports was genius. Well done.”

Maisie M, Muhammad K, Nik S and Elvan L from 9JBU came in third, with judges saying “We loved the clean lines of this trench and the way the team had mixed the dough to create a marbling effect for the ground. The sandbags are clearly organised and ready to absorb bomb blasts. The petrified tree is a nice touch. It just needed labels to move it higher up the rankings. Well done!”

First, second and third place entries are shown below from left to right.

The other three entries were also very good (pictured below)!

• 9EMD: Jacob B, Elijah L, Kaitlyn S and Stan R – “Loads of work has gone into this, the labels are good and the thought that has gone into the colour scheme is clever. I think it is a realistic model of a trench system that has just been hit by an artillery bombardment, blowing up the dug out. Good effort!”
• 9JWR: Seth F, Harry N, Renson H and Jimmy G – “This was a lovely effort. You can clearly see the barbed wire and trench supports. We loved the soldier that you placed in the trench. Well done.”
• 9ALO: Immy B, Marianne L, Jacob L and Seth R – “The basics of the trench system and dug out were here and visible. The model definitely gives you the impression that a heavy bombardment has just taken place and the dug out has taken a direct hit. Well done for visually representing the colour of war!”

Well done everyone!

Junior UKMT success

After initial success in the UKMT junior competition, two of our excellent mathematicians were recently invited to take part in the follow-on round. This is reserved for the top 3-4% of participants in this national competition so is a fantastic achievement.

Sam W in Year 8 and Benjamin F in Year 7 completed the further paper with Benjamin going on to achieve a Bronze Certificate.

Here’s a sample question from the competition – how would you do?

REACH: Opening Doors exhibition

Congratulations to all the Key Stage 3 students who completed the REACH: Opening Doors’ workshops earlier this term.

The REACH: Opening Doors exhibition will take place on Sunday 5 July, 12.00pm-2.00pm at Acomb Methodist Church as part of AcombFest.

Refreshments will be available but unfortunately, parking will not be available at the church.

There will be many other events taking place at the venue around the time of the exhibition as part of AcombFest. Attendees at the exhibition are welcome and encouraged to take part in all there is to offer at the church.

You can see the AcombFest website here, which has more information.

Flamingo Land and Yorkshire Wildlife Park trips

A reminder that full payment for the trips to FlamingoLand and Yorkshire Wildlife Park must be made in full by Friday 3 July, so that we can confirm numbers with the venues.

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.

If you have any concerns about meeting the cost of the trip or any other queries, please contact the school. We are unable to offer any payment extensions unless you have contacted us.

Important information from North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service

The team at North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service have asked us to share two important letters this week:

• The first letter is for the attention of school leavers and focuses on advice about how to be safe with your friends during the extended summer break.
• The second letter, for all families, reiterates the advice shared by Miss Boyd in recent assemblies about how to stay safe around water.

Please do have a read and share the information with your child(ren).

Job of the Week – Barista

Baristas work in hospitality and specialise in preparing and serving coffee, although in most businesses they will also be responsible for serving cold drinks and sometimes food items. There’s no set qualifications that will guarantee entry to the role but work experience is usually key.

Watch this video for more information about becoming a Barista.

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.

Wednesday was National Writing Day, so we wanted to bring you this talk from former bookseller and young adult author Morgan H Owen. In ‘Writing Fantasy: Gladiator, Goddess’, Morgan chats about writing techniques and the incredible stories that inspired her series Gladiator, Goddess. Morgan shines a light onto her insightful research into the lives of queer Romans and real-life female gladiators and speaks about how video games like The Sims and sandbox games are effective worldbuilding tools, as well as sharing writing tips to inspire budding authors.

Just click the image below to view.

 

SEND Central

SEND CENTRAL is York’s Family Hub that specialises in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) where families can seek advice and information about what’s available in York when they have children and young people (age from 0 to 25) who have additional needs.

Please take a look at the SEND Central website for details of events and sessions taking place over the final few weeks of the summer term.

Key sessions that are happening in the first few weeks of July are as follows:

Friday 3 July 10.00-11.00am: Elective Home Education Information Session
Thinking about Elective Home Education (EHE)? Join our group session to learn more about what it involves. Led by the Local Authority Attendance Lead and Elective Home Education Officer, this session will explain the EHE process, explore wider attendance considerations and give you a chance to ask questions. This session is ideal if you’re considering EHE or would simply like to find out more.

Monday 6 July 12.00-1.00pm: Employment Opportunities Broker session for 16-25 year olds with SEND
Our Employment and Opportunities Broker, Holly, will be available to support young people aged 16+ and their families. If you’re not currently in education, employment or training, this is a great opportunity to explore your next steps into employment, learn about training and learning opportunities, get advice and support tailored to you. Drop in to find out how Holly can help you get started.

Wednesday 8 July 10.00-11.30am: Understanding Emotional Regulation
A workshop for parents and carers to explore emotional regulation. This will be an opportunity to consider our emotions, introduce the window of tolerance and explore strategies and ideas of how to help regulate emotions for your children and young people.

Friday 10 July 11.00am-12.00pm: An Information Session about Post-16 Education and Employment Pathways
The City of York Council Skills Team will offer an information session on support and pathways that may be available for young people Post-16 in York. The session will include information about the Specialist Learning and Employment Advisor Team (SLEAT) and the support they might be able to offer, as well as information about Post-16 employment pathways such as Supported Internships.

Wednesday 15 July 10.00-11.30am: Understanding Self Esteem
A workshop for parents and carers to explore self-esteem. This workshop will explore what self-esteem is, how this differs to self-confidence, and the factors that impact high or low self-esteem and what strategies and skills can help to boost self-esteem.

Parent Carer Forum York

To find out more about events and support available from the Parent Carer Forum, please take a look at their latest newsletter here.

Young Archaeologist Club

A Young Archaeologist Club for 8-16-year-olds starts on Saturday 11 July.

Further information, including details of memberships, dates, timings and the location of our sessions can be found on the YAC 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.