Weekly email – 3 July 2026

A message from Mrs Rothenburg

This week is always a special week in our calendar as we officially welcome our new Year 7 cohort to Milthorpe. Thanks to our extended transition programme, we already felt like we knew so many of them before they even arrived for their Transition Day on Wednesday. It was a fantastic day which ended with a disco organised by our Year 10 Student Leaders. Watching 200 Year 6 pupils dancing and having so much fun was a great moment for me and the staff, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back to Millthorpe in September.

A group of students took a trip to Wimbledon this week and what a wonderful time they had watching the tennis, enjoying the beautiful weather and mixing with celebrities! There was also chance to do a whistlestop tour of some of the London landmarks.

Our Year 7 Geographers enjoyed a wonderful day at Bolton Abbey today where they had first-hand experience of a rapidly changing upland river environment. As ever, thank you to all the staff who make these trips possible.

Our students have also had a number of careers talks this week focusing on the world on construction and engineering. Thank you so much to all our speakers for spending their valuable time with our students.

This morning, Mrs Pennington, Year 10 Progress Leader, and I had ice lollies with all the Year 10 students who have taken a GCSE a year early! It was lovely to see such a big group who have worked so hard to do this in their own time.

Next week we’re looking forward to our annual Sports Day, an opportunity for lots of collaboration, teambuilding and some healthy competition. We’re really excited that for the first time in several years, the whole school will have the chance to come together to watch and cheer on their friends. And who know, perhaps we will see more school records tumble?

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

Kavina Rothenburg
Principal

Dates for your diary

• Wednesday 8 July – Sports Day
• Friday 17 July – School closes for summer break
• Thursday 20 August – GCSE Results Day

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 – English
Conversation starters
Year 7 are continuing with their study of our amazing class reader, Dog, by celebrated author Andy Mulligan. As they follow the exciting and heartwarming adventures of its animal and human protagonists, students are getting the opportunity to learn about complex philosophical ideas – such as affluenza – and advanced writing techniques, such as stream-of-consciousness. Ask your child what they are enjoying most about Dog – and what they think will happen at the end!

Year 8 – Maths
Conversation starters
Students are finishing Year 8 maths with some work on inequalities. What is the same and what is different about these pairs of inequalities?

x > 4 and x > 4
x > 4 and x < 4

How would you represent them on a number line?

Year 9 – Science
Conversation starters
Year 9 have started their GCSE studies. Students are learning about Cells, Atomic Structure & Energy. Can students name the parts of an animal and plant cell? Can students draw and label the parts of an atom? Can students name eight energy stores?

All Year 9 students have weekly Science homework to complete on Sparx Science – this is due every Thursday at 9am! The next, and last Sparx Science homework of Year 9, is due on Thursday 9 July. All Year 9 GCSE Science homeworks are uploaded to the Year 9 Google Classroom.

Year 10 – Global
Conversation starters

• Computing: After finishing their PPE last week, students are focusing on their programming skills ready for starting Paper 2 topics in September.
• French and German: Students have completed their listening, reading and writing PPEs, so will now move to ‘Every Mark Matters’, analysing their papers, and working out exactly how they can get every single mark on the paper. We will then consolidate our grammar and vocabulary knowledge.

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.

Sports Day – 8 July 2026

We’re delighted to confirm that we will be holding our annual Sports Day on Thursday 8 July. Students will be encouraged to put themselves forward to represent their form in a range of athletics events (a maximum of two per person to encourage wider participation). Field and longer track events will take place during the day while other students are in lessons. Sprints and relays will be held during Period 5, and we’re pleased to confirm that, for the first time in several years, the whole school will have the chance to watch and cheer on their friends and form representatives for the last events of the day.

Any competitors should wear full PE kit and remember any medication/inhalers. Other students should wear full uniform as usual. A water bottle is essential for everyone and a hat and sunscreen should be considered given the forecast for warm weather.

We’re looking forward to a great opportunity for students to show their prowess and courage in taking part and for everyone to enjoy the occasion.

Rainbow Raffle – tickets now on sale

Tickets for our Rainbow Raffle, are now on sale on ParentPay, priced at £1 per ticket. All money raised will go towards the purchase of outdoor equipment which can be used by students at break and lunchtime. The draw will take place on Charity Day on 10 July.

Charity Day – 10 July

In the build up to Charity Day on Friday 10 July, from Monday through to Thursday next week, our Student Leaders and Form Reps will be in the canopy at lunchtime where students can donate money towards the member of staff they want to see gunged. The staff with the most money in their tins will be gunged on the hockey pitch on Friday lunchtime.

All money is going towards the students’ selected charity: York Mind.

The Student Leaders will also be selling ice lollies on Wednesday lunchtime as part of Sports Day and holding a bake sale on Friday lunchtime, all for Charity Day. Please make sure your child has cash if they want to make a purchase!

Book Swap – 9 July

Our next Book Swap event takes place on Thursday 9 July.

Please bring in any books you have that you no longer need and put them in the box outside the office/staff room.

Students are invited to come along on Thursday straight after school, outside the back of the Main Hall, to browse and swap books. There will also be a bake sale so please encourage your child to bring some spare change!

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!

Enrichment – Autumn Term

Our new enrichment offer for September will launch next week. You can take a look at the vast array of opportunities available on our website.

Enrichment activities will begin on Monday 21 September and we will ask students to make their choices before we break for the summer holidays.

GCSE results

GCSE results collection will take place on Thursday 20 August 2026, between 9.15-10.30am.

We are unable to give out results via telephone under any circumstances.

In exceptional circumstances students may request that their results are emailed to them.  This request must be made in writing, accompanied by the email address you wish the results to be sent to, before 9 July 2026.

Students can only collect their own results.

Exam results can be collected by another person on result day, as long as they can produce a handwritten letter of permission signed by the student. This letter must be brought to school on results day.

Please make school aware of any address changes between now and the end of term. Please also update us should your email or telephone numbers change.

Enquiries regarding results
When examination marks are issued, we may identify those students whose marks narrowly failed to reach the grade above. If this is the case we will contact you to discuss a review of marking. If the student wishes to apply for a review of marking and parent/carers consent to the fees payable, this can be applied for on production of an email of consent from the student. Details of fees will be given at the time.

The deadline for all requests for enquiries about results is 20 September 2026.

Certificates
Certificates will arrive in school towards the end of the autumn term. We will inform you when they arrive so you can come in to collect them. If you require another person to collect these for you, they will need a signed letter of permission from yourself (the student) and will need to bring photographic identification.

Contact
If you have any questions please email exams@millthorpe.elt.org.uk.

Whole School Trip – September 2026 – deadline extended

The deadline for payments for current Year 7-10 students to attend a trip to either Flamingo Land or Yorkshire Wildlife Park on 30 September has been extended for a week.

Year 9 Interform Challenge – Music Quiz

Our Year 9s enjoyed a fantastic music quiz this week, written and presented by Miss Longbottom. Contenders were faced with some old-style questions about music through the decades and we ended with a singing challenge. Students were shown a picture on the board and they then had to jump up and sing a song about the picture. This was definitely the most entertaining round!

Everyone performed brilliantly, but as always, there had to be a winning form:

• Gold winners: 9EMO – 19 points
• Silver winners: 9WRI – 18 points
  Bronze winners: 9ALO – 17 points
• 9ERH – 15 points
• 9MNI – 15 points
• 9JBU – 14 points

Kudos to 9EMO for knowing the names of all the Beatles and the chronological order of vinyl, cassette, CD, and to Albie, Jake and Seb for their enthusiastic singing!

Year 7 Interform Challenge – Creative writing with Dr Bates

In our latest challenge, participants got their heads together to continue a writing opener “I should have never opened the door, but the curiosity was too much to bear…’”

7GDU stood out and took home the win for their high level of suspense. Their reader, Miss McCartney, was disappointed to have been left on such a cliffhanger and equally impressed by the level of creativity produced in ten minutes. Brilliant teamwork 7GDU!

Up next for our last challenge of the academic year… Maths! See you there, mathematicians!

Congratulations to Imogen and Rosa!

Last weekend Rosa Boxall and Imogen Bind were part of a four-person team representing North Yorkshire Schools in the English Schools’ 38th North-East Combined Events Championships. In the junior girls category the event includes hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800m.

Competing against athletes from Durham, South Yorkshire, Northumberland and Humberside, the North Yorkshire team finished in second position. Imogen was third individually which secured her a place at the English Schools’ Athletic Association Combined Events Championships in Bedford in September. Last year at the national championships the team also included two Millthorpians (Juliette Macquin-Jones and Imogen Bind) and they secured a team bronze alongside Juliette’s individual bronze.

Imogen will next don her North Yorkshire vest on 10-11 July. Alongside Esme Lee she is one of only 40 students selected from schools across North Yorkshire and will be representing the county (and Millthorpe) at the 151st English Schools’ Track & Field Championships in Birmingham. She will compete in long jump. The team also includes ex-Millthorpians Rowan Whittaker (400m) and Imogen’s sister Zoe Bind (triple jump).

A huge well done to Imogen and Rosa – we are all very proud of you, and good luck to Imogen and Esme next weekend!

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.

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.

Job of the Week – Carpet Fitter

Carpet fitters are responsible for laying carpets in people’s houses and business premises, such as shops and offices. As a carpet fitter you need great attention to details, measuring spaces, cutting carpets and matching patterns where necessary. You would also need to learn how to use specialist tools to lay a range of carpets. Traineeships and apprenticeships linked to carpet fitting and flooring are usually the best ways to enter this career and you will need a good understanding of maths.

Watch this video for more information about becoming a Carpet Fitter.

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.

This week’s talk, ‘What’s New in Screen Industry Careers? Emerging Roles in Film, TV and Games’ is presented by Into Film and looks at how the screen industries are changing – from virtual production and games tech to the growing use of AI. You’ll hear from Rézi Walker, Operations Coordinator, Leverage Point Entertainment and Cayne McIver, QA Lead, Skyhook Games – people working in new and evolving roles in the screen and games. They talk honestly about what their jobs involve, the skills they use, how they got started, and how technology is shaping future careers.

Just click the image below to view.

The Island – opening for new referrals

The Island is a charity in York providing islands of space and time for children and young people, aged 8-18 years; building confidence, self-esteem and unlocking potential through positive mentoring relationships and unique programmes.

They will be opening for one-to-one mentoring referrals on Monday 13 July at 9am and welcome referrals from both professionals and family members of young people.

Capacity is normally reached within 60-90 minutes of opening the form. To give your referral the best chance of being considered, please complete and submit the form as soon as referrals open.

How to make a referral
At 9am on Monday 13 July, the referral form will become live on The Island’s website. You can read more about the referral process on their website. If you have any questions, please contact The Island team on enquiries@theislandyork.org or call 01904 628449.

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.

Free family support for parents and carers – September 2026

Family Matters York is running a number of courses in the autumn to support parents/carers and families:

• Time Out for Parents – Early Years
• Handling Anger in the Faamily
• Left to Their Own Devices
• Time Out for Parents – Children with Autism

They also offer relationship support and a ‘Time Out for Couples’ session.

To find out more about any of the above, scan the QR code below or visit the FMY website.

Free Creative Summer Workshops for Girls Aged 11-18 in Rowntree Park

Make Space York is running a series of free creative workshops for girls aged 11-18, led by professional artists and makers.

Designed with teenage girls in mind, these small-group sessions (maximum 12 participants) are a chance to try something new, meet other girls, get creative and spend time outdoors in a relaxed, welcoming environment.
Workshops include:

• Nature journaling
• Needle felting
• Collective art
• Creative mapping
• Mixed media art

Click her for more info and to book places.

York Mini and Junior Runs

Jane Tomlinson’s Run for All takes place on Sunday 2 August, and in addition to the York 10k, this year there will also be a Mini Run and Junior York Run.

The Mini Run is a 1.5km route around York Racecourse and is open to everyone aged between 3-8. Participants must run with a parent or guardian. The event starts at 12pm.

The Junior Run is a 2.5km route around the Knavesmire and is open to everyone aged between 9-14. Participants do not have to run with a parent or guardian. The event also starts at 12pm.

Further information can be found here.

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.