Headteacher’s News Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been another busy, successful and eventful half term as the contents of this newsletter outlines.

I am very pleased to inform you that we have received a record number of applications for Year 7 places in September 2018 and we are delighted by the support and confidence shown by our local community.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents and carers for their support during the recent adverse weather conditions. I never take the decision lightly to close the school, but the exceptional weather

at the end of February and beginning of March created both very difficult commuting conditions for students and staff, and a very treacherous site.

Please remember the best way to keep updated with all the latest news is through our twitter account (@bromfordsschool) and website (www.bromfords.essex.sch.uk).

Martin Coulson Headteacher

The Bromfords School and Sixth Form College NEWSLETTER

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Life Time Achievement Award The Bromfords School and Sixth Form College celebrated the news that Brian Pratt was winner of a Life Time Achievement Award at the Essex Teaching Award ceremony recently held in Chelmsford.

Brian was nominated for his untiring service to the school and its students. Brian is not only an excellent teacher but also a highly respected member of staff. Apart from the various leadership roles Brian has undertaken, he has also been a key asset in the classroom with his unswerving commitment to the thousands of students he has taught over his 29 years of teaching at Bromfords.

Since joining the school in April 1989 Brian has inspired, cajoled, carried and dragged countless students to meet and exceed their full potential. The impact Brian has had on student outcomes is immeasurable. Brian is not only respected by our current students but also by parents and ex-students, who come back to the school year after year to see him and always talk so fondly of him.

Martin Coulson, Headteacher said “Brian has been a real asset to the community of Wickford and beyond for many years and we are all very proud of the recognition he so greatly deserves.”

School Dates For Your Diary Wednesday 28th March 2018

Parent Voice 6.30pm Easter Half Term

Students finish on: Wednesday 28th March 2018 at 2.50pm

Students return on: Monday 16th April 2018 at 8.30am

May Half Term Students finish on:

Friday 25th May 2018 at 2.50pm Students return on:

Monday 4th June 2018 at 8.30am

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Student Council Conference Approximately 70 students across Wickford infant, primary and secondary schools, were involved in the Student Council Conference on Wednesday 24th January. There were a mixture of ages and schools involved in the day which took place at the Wickford CLC. Students worked together discussing the importance of a School Student Council, debating skills including how School Councils could work together to create projects across all schools in the Wickford community.

The session was led by Terry Flitman (Head of Wickford Junior School), Adam

Farrugia, Head of Student Council at Beauchamps and Abbie Cullen, Head of Student Leadership and Participation at The Bromfords School and Sixth Form College. It was an outstanding day with all the students engaging in every activity, including ideas for community wide projects to impact on our most vulnerable residents. Also, Heather Wood (Intergenerational Worker) and Community Police were in attendance to work collaboratively in discussions on how projects can be pushed forward.

The day proved a real success with Councillor David Harrison, the Mayor of Basildon leading a student ‘question and answer session’, giving students an insight into his role as Mayor and potential career opportunities within politics.

Years 9 and 10 visit Houses of Parliament On Monday 5th February a selection of Year 9 and 10 students visited the historic Houses of Parliament, accompanied by Headteacher Martin Coulson and Student Participation Co-ordinator Abbie Cullen. The day offered an opportunity to tour the House of Lords and the House of Commons and for students to gain an understanding of the main functions of parliament; legislation, representation, scrutiny and formation of government. Students really embraced the experience and took the opportunity to ask the RH Mark Francois, MP for Wickford and Rayleigh, questions while in the grand Westminster Hall.

Their day proved a real success and students gained an insight into the importance of parliament, how democracy works and how it relates to them.

Jack Petchy Award – January 2018 Rinoa (Year 7) visits the ASC Provision voluntarily on a daily basis at break and lunch times and consistently shows empathy when other students are distressed. Rinoa is a caring, considerate member of the student community and goes above and beyond to make her peers feel happy.

Rinoa has chosen to donate her money to the Art Department.

DON’T FORGET!

Year 10 Parents’ Consultation Evening Thursday 19th April 2018

4.00pm to 7.00pm

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Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award Congratulations to our first group of students who completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. They all had to undertake at least six months of activity in their spare time as well as completing an overnight expedition, which shows a great deal of commitment and dedication.

If you have started, but not yet finished your DofE, and need some help uploading the evidence, please see Mr Marshall or Miss Philpott.

Students speak about the Holocaust Ten Year 9 students, Lauren, Emily, Jennifer, Katie, Sasha, Katelin, Jamie, Luke, Jacob and Ben have been working on their Dora Love Project since September. Dora Love was a Jewish survivor of Stutthof concentration camp, who died in October 2011, she spent her life speaking up against hatred and ensuring people remembered the importance of the Holocaust. The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day 2018 was ‘The Power of Words’.

The Year 9 students created a lesson focusing on this theme and visited Grange Primary School to deliver this lesson to 90 of their Year 5 and 6 students. Further to this, they created and delivered assemblies during Holocaust Memorial Week to Bromfords’ students in Year 7 to Year 11. They also represented the school at the University of Essex Dora Love Presentation Evening on Wednesday 24th

January.

I am very proud of the maturity shown by these Year 9 students who have learnt so much about the Holocaust but also about public speaking over the course of their project. Well Done!

Mrs K Barlow Teacher of History

Students with Frank Bright, a Holocaust survivor

DON’T FORGET!

Year 7 Parents’ Consultation Evening Thursday 3rd May 2018

4.00pm to 7.00pm

Happening History Company ‘The Happening History’ company visited The Bromfords School and Sixth Form College to present a trip back in time to our Year 10 and 11 students. The day offered an insight into the consequences of illness during World War 1. Students learnt about diseases that the conditions in the trenches caused and the medical support that was available during this period. They learnt how the gas mask was developed during the war and how crucial this piece of equipment was to everyday survival. Original artefacts connected with medicine during World War 1 were displayed, such as amputation kits, surgical instruments and a demonstration on how operations such as plastic surgery took place.

Miss Barlow, organiser of the day, said “the experience gave the students the opportunity to get ‘hands-on’ with history that a textbook cannot provide”.

The Bromfords School and Sixth Form College

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The Bromfords School and Sixth Form Gymnastic Team The gymnastics squad has had a busy month with two competitions within weeks of each other. The first was the Basildon and Billericay District Gymnastics Competition, I am pleased to say the squad performed extremely well. I would like to congratulate the Under 14 squad who came 3rd and both the Under 19 girls and Under 19 boys squad who are again District Champions!

Training continued as a few weeks later students took part in the East Regional Schools Competition, there were over 30 different schools who entered and the competition was fierce. The whole squad performed well. I am very proud of all of their amazing performances, coming 10th and 12th respectively in their age categories.

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to

you all (especially the Under 19’s) for being so well organised and supporting one another, I look forward to working with you all again next year. Mrs R Clout Year 7 - Year Leader

Free English and Maths Courses There is still time to enrol on a free English or Maths course with ACL, get a qualification by the summer and then enrol onto a GCSE starting in September.

If you want to improve your Maths and English skills, ACL Essex offers free courses from beginners to GCSE. You can learn in the classroom at one of our centres, or online. If you need a confidence boost with speaking, reading and writing, or perhaps with numbers and calculations then please get in touch.

Call 0345 603 7635 or visit www.aclessex.com/english-maths-contact-us-form/

High 5 Course During January and February, another High 5 course ran at The Bromfords School and Sixth Form College. This time the initiative, aimed at introducing Year 5 students to a range of secondary school subjects, saw twelve students from across the Wickford Primary schools working with staff and students from the Mathematics Department led by Mr Wilson. The students studied problem solving with a focus on Cryptography. The final session saw students creating their own messages and their family members trying to decipher them.

According to Mr Wilson, all the Year 5 students possessed “excellent mathematical skills and a high degree of resilience when dealing with the more challenging codes.” The Summer term will see more High 5 sessions beginning with an Introduction to Literature studies.

Mrs G Power Primary Liaison

DON’T FORGET!

Year 11 Celebration Evening Thursday 10th May 2018

6.00pm to 9.00pm Invitation letters to follow