July 2008

Dear Parents

As ever a few matters to draw to your attention at the end of what has been a very busy and productive year. Could I please invite you to read through the letter and action any matters that are of relevance to you.

New classrooms: I am delighted to be able to tell you that with the arrival of the new term we will have six new classrooms replacing the ‘Green Block’ and the two classrooms at the end of the garden area adjacent to the ‘Green Block’. Though the classrooms being demolished have served well as teaching rooms (and, after all, it is the good teaching and learning which goes on in the rooms which is the most important factor) they were not exactly aesthetically pleasing (!) and were certainly well past their ‘sell-by dates’. The construction schedule is tight but we hope to have all the rooms up and running towards the beginning of term.

Clothing labels: The misplacement or loss of clothing is a problem which affects some pupils from time to time (some more than others!). It is always much easier to return belongings to their rightful owner when the items are clearly labelled with the pupil’s name. Could I therefore please urge you to ensure that all garments are clearly labelled for the beginning of term.

Mr Rob Buckeridge is our Media Co-ordinator and is always looking for interesting stories relating to the school and/or our pupils to take to the press and other media. If you scan the local papers you will know that we are keeping a regular profile which is beneficial not only in terms of flagging up our pupils’ achievements but also as a means of promoting the school. If you have anything which you feel may be of interest relating to your child (though not necessarily relating directly to the school, including pictures) do please contact Mr Buckeridge and he will do his best to get the information published.

Use of black pens: Parents of children who have sat public examinations may already be aware that the examination boards now insist on candidates using black ink in examinations: this for all written papers not just for multiple answer sheets. [Nowadays some scripts are scanned and so for greater clarity they insist on black ink]. In view of this, and in order to prepare all our pupils for this eventuality, we shall in future require them to use black pens in all school examinations. In view of this you may prefer, if you are buying new pens/cartridges for the new academic year, to buy black pens/ink for all school work i.e. not just examinations. Furthermore, I must also advise you that the boards do not allow candidates to use gel pens (it seems the ink can fade in the scanning process), so please bear this in mind when you are making your purchases.

Deadline dates: One area of school life we shall be focusing on next year is that of pupils meeting all deadline dates for the submission of work, be that homework or coursework. For some pupils this is not a problem, but for others they are lax and put themselves under unnecessary pressure when deadline dates come and go and work is not competed: when this relates to public examinations it can have very serious consequences. Pupils are all issued with log books, which are given to help them organise their work, and are also given advice as to how best plan their work. As one way to encourage pupils to work to set deadlines, right from the start of Year 5, pupils will no longer be able to attain a ‘1’ for effort if, during the course of a half-term, they have failed on one or more occasion to hand work in on time (without a compelling reason for so doing). Of course, if they are persistent offenders in this regard, it will be reflected further in their effort grade. By introducing this change we trust pupils will be provided with an additional incentive to work to the deadline dates they are given. Furthermore, such good working practices will be instilled in them from the time they join the Senior School so that, by the time they reach the Upper School, when coursework for public examinations has to be submitted, working to the appropriate deadline dates will hopefully be routine.

Oswestry Show: Every year the school has a stand at the Oswestry Show and this year will be no exception. If you are going to the show do feel free to drop in; you will be most welcome.

Prepcare: Parents of pupils in the Senior School may not already be aware that the school has entered into a partnership with a nursery provider called Prepcare, who will be taking over the running of our nursery provision. It will be situated in what is currently known as the ‘resi’ (at Bellan): the new nursery will be called ‘Oswestry School Prepcare’ and will commence this September. It is a very exciting development, providing a much asked for service to the parents of younger children. Full day care will now be provided each week day from 0800-1800 and every day of the year except Bank Holidays. You may wish to bring the news of this to families you know who may be interested in this extended service. Anyone wishing to find out more about Prepcare should, for the time being, telephone either 01691 653453 or 01691 681104.

Saturday school in 2008-2009: May I remind you that there are three compulsory Saturday mornings for pupils in the next academic year. The specific dates are: October 4th (Open Morning) November 29th (Founder’s Day) and July 4th (Speech Day). These are all significant dates in the life of the school, are counted as normal school days and, as such, we expect all pupils to be present.

In closing may I wish you all a very happy summer. For those of you having time off, or going away on holiday, I trust you will have a very relaxing, safe and enjoyable time.

Yours sincerely

Paul Stockdale