Millom School

Termly Newsletter

July 2017

A message from Mr Savidge

We finished the year with great sadness over the deaths of Skye Mitchell from Year 13 and

Caitlin Huddleston who left the school two years ago. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the

families and friends of the girls and we are hoping that the injured former student, who is in

hospital, recovers well. My statement about the girls is included in this newsletter.

One of our Millom School values is that we are “A strong community of student and adult

learners that is based on mutual respect, empathy and personal integrity”. I am incredibly proud

of the way that staff and students have supported each other this week with the news of the

tragic event. They have written many heartfelt comments in the books of condolence for both

girls.

The school have had support from the Local Authority this week, however should any students

need support with bereavement during the summer holiday, either they or their parents can

contact:

Child Bereavement UK: National helpline: 08000288840/Cumbria Team: 01539628311

Child Bereavement UK also have an app which students and parents can download.

Once again, this newsletter is full of examples of students making the most of their time at Millom

School. As the year draws to a close, I would like to thank the staff for all their hard work and

dedication in educating the students and providing them with a huge array of other experiences.

As always the end of the year means that some staff are leaving us. This year we say goodbye

to:

Gary Hartley: Gary has worked at the school for 9 years. His dedication and commitment to the

school has been exemplary. He came to the school to improve literacy but his biggest impact

has been in the area of safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. Staff have come to rely on his

depth of knowledge, experience and sound judgement. He is to be congratulated as he moves

on to take up the position of Headteacher of Kirkby Stephen Grammar School and we wish him

well in his new post.

Front Page– A message from Mr Savidge

Page 1—A message from Mr Savidge and the Governors

Page 2—Skye and Caitlin

Page 3 and 4—Prom

Page 5—Running for Cumbria Schools and Year 7 Girls Netball

Page 6—Ulverston Music Festival

Page 7—Coast to Coast

Page 8 and 9—Activities Week

Page 10 and 11—Summer Music Festival

Page 12 and 13—Information

Back Page—Reminders

Dave Bloor: Dave has had a long relationship with Millom School having first worked here in 2000

-2006. He has spent the last year teaching ICT. I thank Dave for his willingness to support the

students and his colleagues. We wish you all the best.

Mark Hunter: Mark has worked at the school for the last year as a teaching assistant. The

students he has supported have benefited from his calm approach in supporting them. Thank

you.

We also have a change in our Chair of Governors, as Colin Richards, who has been Chair for 19

years, has stepped down. I would like to thank him for this incredible commitment to the school

and for his support for me over the last two years. His depth of knowledge, experience and

passion for education and Millom School will not be lost as he continues to serve as a governor.

He has been replaced as Chair by Steve Newell who has been a governor at the school for 5

years.

This newsletter contains information about changes in the school in relation to mobile phone

policy and site security. There is also information about grade changes to GCSEs which come in

this summer and a reminder about our uniform policy to support you with buying new uniform

over the summer holiday.

I would like to finish by thanking parents for all their support during the course of the year. I wish

you all a good summer.

Matt Savidge

A message from Professor Colin Richards, Chair of Governors (1998-2017)

There’s a saying that all good things come to an end. In my case I’ve greatly enjoyed the many good things (and the challenges!) while I have been chair of governors at Millom School.

I have been privileged to work with four head teachers, each of whom has made an important contribution to the improvement of the school. I have been fortunate too to have the support of a large number of governors who have had the interests of the school at heart. So after nineteen good years I am stepping down as chair of governors, though I shall be staying on the governing body.

I believe that the new chair, Steve Newell, has much to offer and along with Matt Savidge will skilfully steer the school on the next stage of the school’s educational journey. I hope you all have a good summer.

A message from Mr Steve Newell, Chair of Governors

It is such a great honour to be asked to take up the position of Chair of Governors of Millom School, especially after such an illustrious term of office as Professor Colin Richards has had. They will be large shoes to fill!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Richards for all his services to the school “so far’” and I am very please to say he will be staying on the board of governors so we are not loosing his vast educational; experience and wise counsel from our school.

We look forward to the next school year ahead and even more success for our students in academic, sporting and all their other endeavours.

Have a great summer break!

Skye and Cailtin

This is a tragedy that has left us deeply shocked and saddened. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families and friends of Skye and Caitlin and also with the family of the young woman being treated in hospital, who we hope will recover. Skye was a vibrant and exciting personality with such huge potential in the world of the media. She represented exactly what we would want our young adults to be; motivated, responsible, outward-looking and committed. She was open to any opportunity that came her way, from STEM to Dream Placement to presiding over Presentations Evening. To all of these she gave her unique style. As a young person she was warm, compassionate and full of an effervescent charm which drew others to her. She was a loyal and trusted friend to those around her, as well as thoughtful and kind, even to those who did not know her personally. She worked hard and knew her future was going to be exceptionally bright. We will miss her enormously. Caitlin left the school two years ago. Staff have described her as a credit to her family and the school. She was engaging, courteous and graceful, softly spoken, yet quietly determined. She was blessed with a wonderful smile which was quick to emerge even during challenging times. A wonderful young woman and such a tragic loss. Millom is a close-knit community and we are coming together as a school to remember the girls. We have books of condolence in which staff and students will record their memories and thoughts about Skye and Caitlin and which we will pass onto the families. The Local Authority are supporting the school with counsellors who are available to talk to students and staff who feel that they need this support. This is a very difficult time for the school and the local community and it is at times such as this that the community needs to, and will, come together to support those affected. Millom School will do everything we can to help the community grieve for and, when ready, celebrate the lives of Skye and Caitlin

“Happy, confident and secure students will learn more and will achieve greater things”

Millom School Prom 2017

This years prom took place at the beautiful Abbey House Hotel in Barrow in Furness. Luckily

the weather stayed dry and we were able to get some great pictures of the students.

Both staff and students really enjoyed the occasion. The students were excited about seeing

their friends and celebrating their time at school together. All students had made a real effort

with their attire and it was nice to see lots of happy faces.

Once at the Abbey House Hotel the students were given time to relax and have a chat before

sitting down to their evening meal. After the meal students enjoyed a disco and a candy bar!

Jenna Carpenter a local photographer took some wonderful pictures both at school and at the Abbey House Hotel. Jenna made a very lovely comment about the event—"The Millom School Prom is always an excellent evening. Everyone has a smile on their face and looks brilliant. The atmosphere is great and its a pleasure to capture"

Congratulations to both Dylan on being crowned Prom King and Lucy on being crowned Prom

Queen, both students received a gift on behalf of the school.

From all the staff and students at Millom School, we wish the Year 11 students Good Luck in

their new ventures and all the best for the future.

“Happy, confident and secure students will learn more and will achieve greater things”

Millom School Prom 2017—Continued…

All photographs on this page were taken by Jenna Mitchell of Jenna Carpenter Photography

Millom School Salthouse Road Millom Cumbria LA18 5AB Tel: 01229 772300 Fax: 01229 772883 Website: www.millom.cumbria.sch.uk Email: genenquiries@millom.cumbria.sch.uk

Emily—Running for Cumbria Schools

Emily ran for Cumbria Schools in the North East on the weekend of 17 June 2017. Emily ran in

the Year 8 and Year 9 1500m race. Emily has done exceptionally well to get through to this

stage, especially with it being both year groups together. The weather was very warm but Emily

achieved a good time.

Well Done from everyone at Millom School Emily!

“Students who pursue their interests and talents will be happier, will have a sense of

purpose and will develop a love of learning for life”

Girls Year 7 Netball Team

The Year 7 Girls Netball team were involved in the Cumbria School Games Finals in Carlisle on

Wednesday 12 July, representing Copeland. Whilst the girls played some excellent netball we

didn’t manage to win any games. However, the girls had a great day out receiving a t-shirt and a

goodie bag and getting to rub shoulders with some TEAM GB Paralympic athletes: Simon

Lawson who completed the Marathon in Rio and Beth Lishman who is representing Team GB in

the upcoming Deaflympics in the women’s Hammer event. Lots of photos, selfies and

autographs!!The girls were also treated to a display by Jenna Downing, the world’s number one

female inline skater who jumped off a ramp over a number of student volunteers a number of

breath-taking times.

“Students who pursue their interests and talents will be happier, will have a sense of

purpose and will develop a love of learning for life”

A report from Tess—South Cumbria Music Festival

In March I competed in the South Cumbria Music Festival at the Coronation Hall in Ulverston. I was very pleased to win a bursary and some trophies. I played 2 cornet solos and a brass duet with Tash McQuire. This is the third year I have competed.

After this I was very pleased to be asked to play in a special children's concert as part of the Ulverston International Music Festival which took place in June, along with two other girls from Ulverston and Askam who had also won bursaries.

It was exciting because the main performer at the concert was Jess Gillam on her saxophone. Jess won the woodwind final of a BBC competition last year and this summer she is playing at the Albert Hall in London! Jess was amazing, she gave me some helpful tips about performing. I was very lucky to be accompanied on the piano by Anthony Hewitt who is a professional pianist and was given some lovely flowers at the end.

It was a really great day and I am very proud to say I have performed in a Jess Gillam concert!

Well Done from everyone at Millom School Tess!

“That to be successful in life all of us need to develop leadership and teamwork skills”

Coast to Coast Trip

On 10 July Mrs Johnston set off on the C2C with twelve students and the bike club volunteers. The group departed from Whitehaven on Monday morning with a 140mile journey ahead of them, finishing at Sunderland on Friday.

The group, in jerseys they had designed, set off looking like a professional team, riding in group formations and supporting one another. The ride took them over road and off-road terrain, climbing some of the highest points on UK cycle routes including Black Hill at 1998ft and Hartside at 1904ft altitude.

Students camped along the way, setting up their tents and equipment each evening. They stuck together on every climb and demonstrated excellent teamwork throughout. The group made it successfully to Sunderland on Friday afternoon where they dipped their wheels in the North Sea to mark the end of the trip.

Well done to everyone who took part and many thanks to the club volunteers for their time and

effort in running the trip.

“That to be successful in life all of us need to develop leadership and teamwork skills”

Activities Week

This year lots of exciting activities were organised for the students. We had a good variation of

different activities out of school or the students to take part in; Canoeing, a trip to the Chill

Factore, a trip to Hardknott and a visit to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. There were many other

activities that took part in school ; camp skills, NuGen project, an art project, an interior design

project, pony care and a computing challenge. Many of the activities that were held at school

were outdoor activities which the students really enjoyed. It was good to see students working

together in group activities and a good way of getting students involved in team building

activities.

The 3 days were a great success and both staff and students had great fun. What a fun filled,

fantastic end to a great year!

Millom School Salthouse Road Millom

Activities Week—Continued…

“That to improve all of us need to work hard, play hard and push our boundaries”

Summer Concert 2017

The community came together in Millom School’s Alexandra Hall on Thursday 6th July to hear

some fantastic performances from the Millom School students with instrumentalists and vocalists

from year 7 right through to year 13 showcasing their exceptional talents. All of the

performances were superb and highlighted the range of musical ability that we are fortunate to

have at this school. Performers were confident and perfectly polished, singing and playing a

huge variety of pieces to suit every musical taste. Wednesday Band kicked off the evening to a

great start performing a Bruno Mars medley (a very difficult piece!) and a rousing performance of

the Ghostbusters theme tune. This was followed by a beautiful rendition of Symphony (Clean

Bandit) by the Harmonics female vocal group. Tash and Tess, who excelled at the Ulverston

International Music Festival, then played a duet on their brass instruments. Mia played a piano

solo by The Script without sheet music and impressed us all with her skill and memory. There

were some incredibly impressive vocal performances from Preeya, Lakeisha, Jess, Ellie, Megan

and Enya. Megan also sang a Shawn Mendes song accompanied by Lizzie on the piano. Chloe

from Year 12 performed a song especially for Mr Hartley, who is leaving Millom School this

summer, by one of his favourite artists, Laura Marling. Mrs Lowdon swore that the song choice

of ‘Rambling Man’ was not deliberate!! Peter G closed the first half with a fantastic rap

performance of Shutdown by Skepta. The second half was opened with a cracking version of

Radioactive by the After School of Rock Minis who then raised the roof with Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on

a Prayer, for which they received a standing ovation. The After School of Rock Midis then

performed a song by Jet followed by the Arctic Monkeys and they showed us appropriate rock

swagger! The After School of Rock senior group closed the show performing a song by The

Kooks and Catfish and the Bottlemen and finally Peter G joined the group for a second

performance, performing the rap part to a medley arranged by Chloe. Millom School would

sincerely like to thank all staff and students involved in putting together this amazing concert,

which was enjoyed by all. Special thank yous go to Eve and Josie, our wonderful comperes for

the evening, all of the talented student performers and to Mrs Lowdon, Mrs Cullen and Mr

Lowdon for their supreme efforts in planning this concert, rehearsing with and performing with

the students.

“That to improve all of us need to work hard, play hard and push our boundaries”

Summer Concert 2017—Continued…

For Information

Site Security Mr Savidge wrote to parents in (May) regarding changes to site security. The first fence has now been completed and we would like to take this opportunity to thank Tornado Wire for donating the fence materials to the school. We are expecting the second phase of the fencing to be put in over the holidays. This involves a gate across the entrance to the staff car park and fencing and a gate from the Melvyn Bragg Studio to Ulpha building. Below we have tried to answer some of the questions you might have regarding site access from September. How do I access the school site? You are access the school site either on foot or car by the Salthouse Road entrance. You should follow signs to the visitors’ car park and park there. You would then follow the signs to Reception where you will need to press the buzzer on the door to gain entry to the building. All other doors will be locked. The students can continue to access the school site via the Station Hotel entrance upto 8.45 am. Any parents or visitors wanting to come on to the site at that time should use the Salthouse Road entrance. Students can also leave via the Station Hotel entrance at 3.00 pm. The gate will then locked at 3.10 pm. What do I do when I drop my children off/pick them up, in the car? You will access the school site through the Salthouse Road entrance and follow signs to the visitors’ car park. You should park on the left hand side before your children get out of the car. This is to keep cars away from the buses which pull in on the right hand side of the car park closest to the school building. What happens if there is an event after school hours such as a Parents’ Evening? Generally you will be expected to access the site from Salthouse Road entrance and use the visitors’ car park. At times where additional parking is needed, the gate to the staff car park will be left open, and once parked, visitors should follow the signs which tell them how to access the building. What if my child has swimming lessons/letting for the All Weather pitch? Additional instructions will be sent out as necessary when a booking is made with the school.

Changes to GCSE grades in English and maths Results this August will see the beginning of changes to GCSE grades. This will see GCSE grades change from A*-G to 1-9 with 9 being the highest grade. A 5 will be strong pass and a 4 will be a standard pass. The only GCSEs which change to the 1-9 this summer are English and maths. All other GCSEs this summer will award A*-G grades. For more information go to our website and select “Important Information for Parents/Students Regarding Exams”.

For Information

Mobile Phone Policy During the last half term we have consulted with the Student Leadership Council, the student body as a whole, staff and governors. As part of this consultation we reviewed mobile phone use in the school including access to social media during the school day due to recent improvements in mobile phone reception in Millom. In order to safeguard students and to ensure that mobile phones do not cause a distraction to students during the school day we have changed aspects of the Mobile Phone Policy. From September the new rules about mobile phones are: Students are still allowed to bring mobile phones into school so that they can contact

parents before 8.45 or after 3.00. Once on the school site students should switch their mobile phones off and keep them in

their bags. Students are not allowed to use their mobile phones during break or lunch time, or in

between lessons. Students are only allowed to use their mobile phones in lessons when instructed to do so

by a member of staff. If a parent needs to contact their child they should do so through the school office. If a child needs to contact their parent during the school day they should do so through the

school office.

Reminders

If your child is unwell and not able to attend school, please contact Reception before

9:30am on the first day of their absence and continue to keep the school informed with

updates should their absence continue. Please send a letter to school following your child’s

absence confirming the reason for them not being able to attend school.

In order for the school to authorise medical appointments please provide the school with a

copy of the appointment letter or card prior to the appointment if possible. Please note that

any optician or dental appointments should be made out of school hours.

Holidays should not be taken during term time. All requests for time out of school with

regards to holidays or exceptional circumstances should be put in writing addressed to Mr

MD Savidge, Headteacher.

Should you need to visit the school, as part of safeguarding and welfare we ask that you

use the main entrance to gain access to Reception, signposted as you enter the school

site.

All students should be wearing the correct uniform. Reminders with regards to uniform can

be found on the website under the ‘Community’ tab and then select the ‘Information—Non

Statutory’ tab. Uniform reminders for parent/carer(s) and students can also be found on

this page.

Term Dates for 2017-2018

Autumn Term 2017

Inset Days—Monday 4 September and Tuesday 5 September

Wednesday 6 September—Tuesday 19 December

Half Term: Monday 23 October—Friday 27 October

Spring Term 2017

Inset Day—Wednesday 3 January

Thursday 4 January—Thursday 29 March

Half Term: Monday 12 February—Friday 16 February

Summer Term 2017

Monday 16 April—Friday 20 July

Bank Holiday: Monday 7 May

Half Term: Monday 28 May—Friday 1 June

All the staff at Millom School hope our students have a very enjoyable summer holiday!

Millom School Salthouse Road Millom Cumbria LA18 5AB Tel: 01229 772300 Fax: 01229 772883 Website: www.millom.cumbria.sch.uk Email: genenquiries@millom.cumbria.sch.uk Follow us on twitter: @MillomSchool