A message from Mrs Rothenburg
I hope you have enjoyed your week as much as we have here! It really does feel like our Year 7 students have always been part of Millthorpe – they have settled in so well. It is particularly gratifying to see them already demonstrating our values of Fairness, Hard Work and Ambition both during lessons and social time. Thank you also to our older students who have taken the time to help the younger students when they need it.
We have had a hugely positive start to the academic year with students coming back to school after the summer break with such positive attitudes and really committing to their learning. Now the school day timings have changed, students seem to be enjoying their social time more, with many of them telling me it seems much longer due to the shorter queues particularly at lunchtime. There is a real buzz around the school and we are so proud of our staff and students already.
Our enrichment programme is in full swing at the end of each school day, with large numbers of students taking full advantage of the variety of opportunities on offer. If your child is not participating, please do ask them to take another look at what is available – there really is something for everyone.
This week, we held our first ever Year 7 interform challenge which saw students battle it out at dodgeball. The winning form will be announced in assembly next week and on ClassCharts. Look out for the next challenge which will take place during our next ‘B’ Week (w/c 22 September).
You may remember that our wonderful Student Leaders held a raffle as part of their Charity Day in the summer term, to raise money for more drinking water fountains in school. Thanks to all those who bought tickets or donated, we have been able to put the money raised towards the installation of two new water fountains in our canteen which should be in place by October half term.
Thank you to everyone who came along to our Year 7 SEND Information Evening on Tuesday – the SEND Team enjoyed meeting so many parents and carers. If anyone has any queries, please do reach out to the team who will be happy to help. They can be contacted by email: send@millthorpe.elt.org.uk.
Next week as part of our Careers programme, we are looking forward to welcoming Caroline Hampshire, Training and Engagement Officer at Flamingo Land, into school to talk to students in Year 7 and 8. Caroline will be launching a small work experience project which the students will be completing at Flamingo Land. Not only is this really valuable for our students, it’s also great timing ahead of most of our students going on our school trip to Flamingo Land on 24 September.
Finally, congratulations to those students who enjoyed the first Principal’s Breakfast of the year with me in the autumn sunshine this morning, including Alice, Amelia, Jacob and Ruari.
I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. We’ll be back in school on Monday for an ‘A’ Week.
With best wishes,
Kavina Rothenburg
Principal
Dates for your diary
- Monday 15 – Friday 19 September: Year 11 Aspirations Week
- Wednesday 24 September: Whole school trip to Flamingo Land or Yorkshire Wildlife Park
- Thursday 25 September: Year 11 Afternoon Tea and Revision Tips event
- Tuesday 7 October: Open Evening for Year 5/6 pupils and their families. School will close early, at 1.45pm on this day – please see below.
- Wednesday 22 October: School closes for half-term break
- Monday 3 November: School reopens after half-term 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 – English
Conversation starter
Year 7 have begun their theme-based Unit on Childhood, and will be studying a variety of classic and modern texts of different genres linked to this theme over the course of the term. You could ask them about some of the reflection work they have done in opening lessons about the meaning of childhood, and to describe some of the different childhoods that are experienced around the world.
Year 8 – Maths
Conversation starter
Students have begun their geometry topic with work on circles. Can you draw a circle and label it with these five key words: radius, diameter, circumference, chord and tangent? Mathematicians have been working with Pi for over 4000 years, how do we use it today?
Year 9 – Science
Conversation starter
Classes are studying a variety of topics in Block 1: Motion and Pressure, Reactions of Metals and Earth’s Atmosphere. Students who are studying Motion and Pressure – you can ask, how do we calculate speed?
Students studying Reactions of Metals can be asked if they remember the signs of a chemical reaction? And how can we show that hydrogen has been made in a chemical reaction?
Students studying Earth’s Atmosphere can be asked what caused the early atmosphere to form? What gases did this release? What happened to the water vapour? What did the carbon dioxide do?
All Year 9 students have been set their first weekly Science homework to complete on Sparx Science – this is due on Thursday 18 September by 9am. Year 9 Sparx Science homework is due every Thursday at 9.00am.
Year 10 – Global
Conversation starters
- Computing: We have started with Python programming. We will look at inputs, variables, outputs and selection over the next two weeks.
- French: We are starting our new topic of ‘free time’, talking about life online, and our hobbies. Can your child talk about what they do in their free time, using three tenses?
- German: We are starting our new topic of ‘school’, talking about our subjects and timetable. Can your child talk about their life at school in German?
Year 11 – Humanities
Conversation starters
- History: How did medieval beliefs about the causes of the Black Death differ from the actual causes? What unusual cures or treatments did the desperate people of England try and why? What similarities are there between the Black Death 1348-1350 and the Covid-19 pandemic?
- Geography: What flood management strategies are used in York? How do they work and reduce the risk of floods?
- Ethics: We are learning about Christian attitudes towards animal rights and then will be moving on to attitudes towards abortion.
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.
Year 11 Aspirations Week
Next week, 15-19 September, is Year 11 Aspirations Week. During the week, members of the Senior Leadership Team will be meeting with every student in Year 11 for reflection and goal setting.
This is a great way to start the year and an opportunity to find out what more we can do to support our Year 11 students throughout their final year with us.
Year 11 Afternoon Tea and Revision Tips event
On Thursday 25 September we will be hosting our Afternoon Tea and Revision Tips event for Year 11 students and their families.
Full information, including details of time slots and how to register, can be found in Mrs Armitage’s letter.
We look forward to welcoming you and working together to ensure the best outcomes for your child in their upcoming GCSE exams.
Year 7 Enrichment – Class Charts
A reminder that all information about enrichment activities for students in Year 7 will now be shared via Class Charts, as with other year groups. This includes when and where the activities are taking place and attendance on each day they have a club.
Open Evening
Our annual open evening is always a lot of fun, giving families the chance to see our community in action and to understand our culture and ethos, and experience the characteristic warmth that makes Millthorpe School so distinctive.
This year’s event will be held on Tuesday 7 October 2025, from 5.30–8.00pm. There’s no need to book, just come along on the evening – all welcome.
Further information can be found here.
Early closure – 7 October
Please note that we will be closing school one hour early, at 1.45pm, on Tuesday 7 October to allow staff to prepare for the Year 6 Open Evening. There will be no enrichment activities on this day.
School meals
We’re delighted to be working with Aspens, our catering partner specialising in school food, who offer a range of snacks and meals in the school canteen.
Please take a look at the menu to get a flavour of what is on offer.
If your child has any dietary needs, you can complete an Alternative Menu Form (Allergy & Lifestyle Notification and Medical Diet Request).
Sparx Science
The Science department is using Sparx as an online platform for homework this year for all Year 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 Combined Science Students.
Sparx Science provides a personalised weekly homework, tailored to a student’s attainment level and classwork. Homework will be based on topics that students have recently studied to help consolidate their learning. Homework is personalised in order to be challenging yet achievable for every student. Over time, Sparx learns a student’s ability and adjusts the number of questions and their difficulty.
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.
Sparx Science went live to all students on Monday 8 September and the first homework is due on Thursday 18 September by 9.00am. From 18 September your child’s homework will be set on Thursday and due on the following Thursday at 9.00am every week.
To access Sparx Science:
1) Visit https://sparxscience.com and click Log in
2) Choose Millthorpe School
3) You can login using your Google account: yourname@millthorpe.elt.org.uk or you can use your Sparx username/password login – your username is firstnamelastname
Follow us on social media
To keep up to date with all our news, announcements and student successes, please follow us on social media. You can choose from Twitter/X, Facebook or Instagram.
If your child(ren) has done something you, or they, are proud of, perhaps raised money for charity, achieved sporting success, starred in a show, shown kindness to others or something else, please let us know. Just email news@millthorpe.elt.org.uk with a few details and ideally a photo or two, and we can shout about them in our newsletter and on social media.
Fantasy Football
For those who play FPL (Fantasy Premier League), make sure you have added yourself to the Millthorpe mini-leagues for the 2025-26 season.
The Millthorpe Masters mini-league is open to any current Millthorpe student or staff member. The code for this year is: q5htsx
If you were previously in the Millthorpe Alumni group, you should have already been added. For those wishing to join a league competing with current and former students and staff, the code is: dkszoa
There is also an FPL mini-league for those who attend FPL enrichment with Mr Sloan on a Friday in PC2. The code has been shared with the group and on their Google Classroom.
Who will walk away with the trophy and honour of calling themselves Millthorpe champion for 2026?
Exciting Opportunity: Become a Committee Member for Inspire Alternative Provision
Are you passionate about supporting vulnerable young people and making a difference in their education? Excel Learning Trust’s alternative provision, Inspire Academy, is looking for dedicated and committed individuals to join its first-ever academy committee (a sub-committee of the trust board).
Further details about this opportunity and how to apply, can be found here.
Ella and Esther are off to see the Wizard!
Year 10 students Ella Croft and Esther de la Pena are performing in Wizard of Oz at the Grand Opera House from 12-20 September.
Job of the Week – Nuclear Engineer
Nuclear engineers are responsible for designing, building and running nuclear power stations. This could be in the form of designing completely new systems or looking to improve existing systems. They can specialise in areas such as health and safety, project management, quality assurance and reactor operations. You will almost certainly need a degree in a related subject and relevant work experience would be useful as this is a very competitive field.
Watch this video for more information about becoming a Nuclear engineer.
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.
Each week, as part of our careers and aspiration-raising programme, we will feature one of their talks.
Earlier this week it was International Literacy Day, so our featured talk this week is from author, Bali Rai. Bali is a leading voice in UK teen and children’s fiction, writing over fifty books since 2001, and winning multiple awards. Born in Leicester, his writing is inspired by his working-class, multicultural background. Bali is an advocate for reading for pleasure and has worked closely with organisations including The Reading Agency, BookTrust, The National Literacy Trust and Empathy Lab UK. He also featured on BBC1’s Rebel Writers and is an ambassador/patron for several high-profile literacy and arts projects such as Listening Books and Reading Ahead.
Just click the image below to view.
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.
Parents/carers who are new to SEND may particularly benefit from the PCF’s Parent Carer Signposting event which takes place online on the first Wednesday of every month, from 6.30-8.00pm. Please email Mary for the meeting link: connect@pcfyork.co.uk
York College Open Events 2025-26
York College is hosting a number of Open Events during the 2025-26 academic year, as follows:
- Tuesday 7 October 2025, 5.30pm – 8.00pm
- 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.
York College – places still available for enrolment in September 2025
York College is still taking applications for this academic year, so if any students who left Millthorpe in the summer are still looking at their post-16 options, York College may be able to help.
Further information can be found on the York College website or by emailing info@yorkcollege.ac.uk.
Careers opportunities
Urban Wild Youth Group
Urban Wild Youth Group works with young people to make a positive difference to the St Nick’s reserve.
They will be running six-week blocks of outdoor youth provision, with the current block set to start next week and the following block to begin in November. Each week will focus on a different activity, based on outdoor skills such as bushcraft, heritage skills, conservation, all in a supported environment, with the aim of engaging youth to make a positive difference to the reserve as well as benefit from the therapeutic benefits of being out in nature and working together. The programme aims to help young people develop life skills, build confidence and improve wellbeing.
Places are offered to young people aged 11- 16, by referral, so if you/your child are interested, please contact us.
Further information about Urban Wild is available here.
#WakeUpWednesday – Conspiracy theories
Is the truth really out there? Not when it comes to conspiracy theories, now firmly recognised as safeguarding risks posing potential harm to children in the latest update to ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ – unfortunately, young people may struggle to tell fact from fiction, especially online.
This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide explains how conspiracies can affect children’s mental health, critical thinking, and even make them vulnerable to radicalisation.
With tips on safe conversations, spotting red flags, and promoting reliable sources, this guide from The National College helps parents and carers to support young minds in thinking clearly and confidently about the world around them.
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.
