Mr Atkinson's Friday Update 04.11.22

Dear Parents/Carers, 

This week has seen the first round of Yr11 mock exams and the students have applied themselves extremely well to this, with most having two exams each day in the Sports Hall and N6. Well done Yr11, this all bodes well for the rest of the year. Good luck to Yr12 and Yr13 who start their mock exams next week and of course, Yr7 with their first round of in-class tests. 

Elsewhere in school, we have also seen the clubs going from strength to strength with Mr Mott (Teacher of Geography) who runs the Debating Club setting up a link with Beckfoot School, so that students can practice against others. In addition, Finn (Yr12) and Eva and Erin (Yr10) have presented to Yr7 - Yr10 in our online assembly about 'Send My Friend to School'. Being part of this allowed Finn to attend the United Nations National Climate Change Conference when it was held in Glasgow. Erin and Eva also had the opportunity to attend the Houses of Parliament only for it to be scuttled by train strikes. If your child would like to be involved in the Send my Friend to School group, they meet in D9 every Monday with Ms Shah from 2.50 - 3.50pm. 

If you would like more details about clubs and personal development, please see the links below: 

https://www.bingleygrammar.org/students-learning/enrichment-personal-development-mats/

https://www.bingleygrammar.org/students/clubs-and-societies/

With reference to personal development, I look forward to seeing those Yr7 parents that have signed up for the personal development and well-being evening on Wednesday 7th November. Mrs Spicer (AHT) will be confirming the venue in due course. 

Next week we also have a busy week with Ms Mdlongwa (Teacher of Maths) leading an assembly to the whole school regarding Neurodiversity, something our student leadership team highlighted as an area to explore. Thank you to those students who have had an input into this. It has been amazing learning from yourselves and I am looking forward to the assemblies later in the month led by these students. For those parents/carers that would like to learn more about this please see the attached PDF presentation.  

In addition, next week Ms Shah (Teacher of RE) has organised author Sufiya Ahmed to present to Yr7 and Yr8: 

https://mbalit.co.uk/client/sufiya-ahmed/

This presentation will also tie into our Remembrance Day assembly on Friday where the school will come together to learn about our shared past and the significance of Remembrance Day before taking part in a silence together at 11am. 

Finally, next week Saud (Yr10) and Georgia (Yr10), two of our peer mentors, will be busy prepping for their assembly on body image and the impact that personal comments and social media have on this. Saud and Georgia will be working alongside Mrs Roberts (Head of Yr7) to perfect this and it will also coincide with National Anti-Bullying Week.  

I hope this week's update gives you a flavour of the opportunities that are available for your children at Bingley Grammar School. There is so much going on that complements the students' learning of subjects and I hope to see as many students as possible taking these opportunities. On this note, I would like to thank all the students for their continued hard work thus ensuring they Belong, Grow, Succeed at Bingley Grammar School. 

Matthew Atkinson - Deputy Headteacher/Designated Safeguarding Lead