Community Newsletter
Spring Term (1st Half) 2024
In this issue:
- Head’s Message
- Dates to Remember
- Pastoral Messages
- Resources for Families
- Year 11 Consolidation
- Year 11 Celebration
- Dynamic Progress Report
- Classcharts
- Systems Update
- Year 11 Maths & English Revision Residential
- Westminster Abbey Trip
- Saturday School - Brilliant Club
- World Challenge
- Literacy
- Numeracy
- UKMT IMC Results
- Careers
- Nurture Trip to Panto
- Linguist of the Month
- Anti Bullying
- 100th Best School for Sport
- Havering Senior School Sports Team of the Year
- The 100 Club
Documents attached:
- PE Newsletter
- School Visits
- Your Slice of Safeguarding
HEAD TEACHER’S MESSAGE
Dear Parents/Carers,
I start by once again thanking you for your ongoing support. This newsletter marks the halfway point in the year and I am sure you will share my sentiments when I say that time is flying. As I write, our Year 11 students have emerged from the first round of Pre Public Exams (PPEs) , have reflected on what went well and how they can improve and are now busy preparing, and will continue to do so over the break, for their second round of PPEs at the end of February. These students and their families will acknowledge more than most how unforgiving time can be. We will work with Year 11 for those upcoming exams and look forward to supporting them with the real ones later in the summer term.
As well as these newsletters, you will have noticed that we share a lot of pastoral information and we do our best to signpost families to useful information around both national and local issues. Without wishing to alarm people, we are aware that there are often unsavoury issues in both the local and national arena, along with other issues such as social media which as parents can cause us all concern. I, along with Mr Ward and the rest of us at RCS urge our families to engage with the material shared so that we are all better informed and prepared. Recently, Mr Ward shared details of a Trust safeguarding session which will be hosted at The Royal Liberty School for boys. Please try and attend that event as I’m sure you will find it useful. Please be assured that we will continue to share key messages and advice with students in school.
As ever, this time of year is marked by our school production and this time around we were treated to the wonderful performance of Matilda. The highlight is watching students from across all year groups working together for months to produce a showcase event which can be enjoyed by all. The PA Team, assisted by several other members of staff do an amazing job to bring it all together and then once again, given this opportunity, it is the students who really blew us away. The magic of the school production is how so many individuals work together to make it so great. As you know, it is the practical subjects which often provide opportunities for our families to visit the school. It is lovely for us to be able to welcome those who attend.
The halfway point is a perfect opportunity to review how things are going for students, to consider their performance so far this year and to plan for what is remaining. I would like to take this opportunity to share a little insight into my overarching thoughts on each year group.
Please be reminded of our expectations around uniform. We have high expectations of all and thank you for your support with this. Here is an early reminder to parents of those in Year 10. From the time of our Flying Start, after May half term, students in current Year 10 are invited to adopt the uniform code of Year 11. A reminder of the code can be accessed from this link. Essentially, the changes for all students, both boys and girls as they enter Year 11 is that they are expected to wear the Year 11 tie, which also, in turn means a change from blue blouses to white collared shirts for the girls.
You may have heard a lot in the news recently about teacher shortages, the recruitment and retention crisis and the effect it is having on schools. Here at Redden Court, we are happy to report that we are fully staffed and boast a very talented and committed workforce. However, as we look to develop our curriculum, grow our team and replace staff from beyond September 2024, we acknowledge that the recruitment of high quality staff will be as tough as ever. We have been proactive in our response to this so far and are currently already advertising for a couple of roles for September in the hope that going early gives us better options . We are also pursuing our own venture of training new teachers which you may have seen on our social media platforms, more details of which can be found on our website. On this matter, I write to share with you that we are also interested to know of those in our parent/family community who may fall into one of the following categories:
If any of these are true of you (or someone close to you) then we would like you to join our database by completing this 1 minute google form. This can be in both the primary or secondary sector.
It may be of interest to learn that teacher training bursaries are as high as they have been so there has never been a better time to pursue it as detailed in the image below:
We are also really keen to connect with Ex-Redden Court students through our alumni so please share this link with those you may be in contact with. We would love some of our ex-students to return as part of our team.
If the response to this is positive, we may repeat the exercise looking for expertise of individuals who may be interested in pursuing voluntary or paid employment with us in the future.
Please be assured that our response to teacher shortages has always been proactive and will continue to be so to ensure that our staff team continues to deliver an excellent standard of education to our students.
Thank you to the Friends of Redden Court (FORC) who continue to provide us with much needed financial support. Thank you also to those who have supported fundraising events, donated funds and who make a monthly donation. This support has been crucial to us over recent years and the students really do benefit from it. There is a growing number of families wishing to sponsor sports teams, events and The 100 Club. We really appreciate this and if there are others wishing to be involved then please contact cmorris@reddencourtcloud.co.uk for more information.
I was delighted to recently attend the Havering Sports Council's Annual Presentation evening in which we were up for two awards. It was wonderful to see Harry H in Year 11, recognised in the Sportsperson of the Year category. Harry eventually came runner up but that in itself is a real accolade for a student who is not only a terrific sportsman, but a lovely young man. The highlight of the evening was watching our Year 9 football boys crowned as Havering Team of the Year for their pursuit in becoming national champions back in May last year. Mr Hughes, Mr Keeley and I were all beaming with pride on the evening. It was also lovely to see TT, Lotty and Lala also in attendance as they were crowned Primary School Team of the Year for their endeavours with Gidea Park primary when they were in Year 6. The commitment and sacrifice that it takes to support a passion at this level is known by many but experienced by few.
I am so proud of the offer but also appreciate the role of our families behind the scenes who support in making this possible. I will let you read about the other amazing successes in sport, including our inclusion in the Top 100 schools nationally in our PE Newsletter.
All that remains is for me to wish you all an enjoyable break. It has been a long half term so I hope you all find time to relax a little and recharge. I know that the Year 11s have a bit of work to do over the holiday but should there be other eager learners wishing to tick over then please be reminded that there is a wealth of tasks and resources available on our distance learning page on our website. It is a fantastic resource which students can access should they wish to. You will also notice that we have done a lot of work on our website to make it look better and more user friendly. We hope it delivers.
When we return after the break we have lots to look forward to. You will note that the time until the Easter holiday is just 5 weeks. During that time we look forward to hosting a day visit from some Japanese student in March, to the installation of our video wall in the New Hall in April, our second Personal Development Day and the completion and handover of our new MFL block at the end of term. We really cannot wait for these. Later in the year, amongst many other things we will also welcome Chinese students who will spend an extended period of time with us.
I sign off with the news that Ex-RCS Deputy Headteacher Mrs L Sexton has been appointed as Deputy CEO of the Trust. Mrs Sexton played a crucial role in school improvement during her time with us and will bring enthusiasm, drive and efficiency to that role. We look forward to working with her in that capacity.
Redden Court School is a wonderful environment to work and learn in. I thank you for the role that you have played in that, each day spent leading the school is my privilege.
I hope this newsletter is an enjoyable read and an informative look back at school life over this last half term.
Kind regards,
Mr A Henry
Head Teacher
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS 2023/2024
Students do not attend school on these days:
SDD1 - Monday, 4th September 2023
SDD2 - Tuesday, 5th September 2023
SDD3 - Wednesday, 11th October 2023
SDD4 - Thursday, 30th November 2023
SDD5 - Friday, 3rd May 2024
2023/2024 HOLIDAY DATES:
Autumn Half Term:
23rd October to 27th October 2023
Christmas:
20th December 2023 to 3rd January 2024
Spring Half Term:
19th February 2023 to 23rd February 2024
Easter:
29th March 2024 to 12th April 2024
May Bank Holiday:
6th May 2024
Summer Half Term:
27th May 2024 to 31st May 2024
Last Day of Summer Term:
24th July 2024
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS 2024/2025
Students do not attend school on these days:
SDD1 - Monday, 2nd September 2024
SDD2 - Tuesday, 3rd September 2024
SDD3 - Friday, 18th October 2024
SDD4 - Monday, 21st July 2025
SDD5 - Tuesday, 22nd July 2025
2024/2025 HOLIDAY DATES:
Autumn Half Term:
28th October to 1st November 2023
Christmas:
23rd December 2024 to 3rd January 2025
Spring Half Term:
17th February 2025 to 21st February 2025
Easter:
7th April 2025 to 21st April 2025
May Bank Holiday:
5th May 2025
Summer Half Term:
26th May 2025 to 30th May 2025
Last Day of Summer Term:
18th July 2025
DATES TO REMEMBER
26th February to 18th March: Early Lunch Timetable - Lunch 12:30pm to 1pm
27th February, 10am to 11am: Year 10 Social Enterprise Students Mentoring Session
28th February, 10am to 5.15pm: Year 10 and 11 GCSE Drama Theatre Trip
3rd March, 4.30pm to 7.45pm: Rescheduled Romford Raiders Ice Hockey Trip
5th March, 5.15pm: Local Committee Meeting
6th March, 6pm to 7pm: Parent Safeguarding Evening at Royal Liberty School
7th March: Year 9 Careers within Parliament Assembly
9th March, 9am to 12pm: Year 5 and 6 Saturday School
13th March, 10.30am to 12.30pm: Year 9 Frantic Assembly Workshop
13th March, 1pm to 3pm: Year 10 Frantic Assembly Workshop
18th March: Year 8 Assembly delivered by National Rail
18th March: Tutor2U GCSE Geography Exam Booster Trip
22nd to 24th March: PE Rugby and Netball Tour, Bath
26th March: Students visiting from Japan
27th March: Personal Development Day 2:
- Year 7 Spanish Theatre Workshop
- Year 8 Trip to Thorpe Park
- Year 9 Trip to London Art Gallery
- Year 10 Humanities Trip to London
- Year 11 Future Ready Event
28th March: Last day before Easter Holidays -
students finish 12pm
Parents Evening Dates:
Exam Dates:
Year 11 (face to face) | 7th December 2023 |
Year 9 (face to face) | 1st February 2024 |
Year 10 (face to face) | 7th March 2024 |
Year 7 (face to face) | 2nd May 2024 |
Year 8 (virtual) | 6th June 2024 |
Year 11 PPE2 | 26th February to 18th March 2024 |
Year 11 Food Practical Exams | 18th March 2024 (Blue Pathway) 20th March 2024 21st March 2024 |
Year 11 French Speaking Exams | 19th March 2024 20th March 2024 21st March 2024 |
Year 11 C2 Drama Exam | 21st March 2024 |
Year 11 Formal Exams | 9th May to 21st June 2024 |
Year 10 | 24th June to 12th July 2024 |
PASTORAL MESSAGES
Uniform
Thank you for your support with all matters relating to uniform over the academic year. Often, especially when we approach the end of a term/half term, students can begin to wear items which are not part of our code.
With that in mind, please can I remind families of the uniform code which is available on our website. There are a few items which are not part of our uniform that seem to be growing amongst a minority of students e.g. heavy makeup, eyelashes, hoodies, necklaces, incorrect earrings, white socks and jewellery. This can lead to a conflict in the morning as students are being asked by members of staff to remove items which they would otherwise like to keep on. This is not the best way to start a day and some students are getting themselves into a position where they are isolated over something that is otherwise easily fixed.
Please could I ask for you to double check your child does not leave for school wearing incorrect items.
This new half term will bring an increased focus on those not in uniform.
There will be a full school uniform check on the first day back and those with incorrect items will be asked to go home to correct themselves before returning to school.
Second Hand Uniform
At school we operate a second hand uniform cupboard. This resource is really valuable to us as an organisation. The recent economic climate has meant that we have given out a lot more than we have received and now the stock is really low. We would be very grateful if, over the holiday period, you might decide to donate any old uniform that gets replaced. We are especially low on second hand girls shoes and any items of any gender that are a larger size.
Amendment to Reflections
Thank you to all parents for their support with Reflections at school. This sanction has proved to be really effective in helping our young people make the right choices around site. Student have had 2 chances to sit their Reflection, once on the same day and a second on the following day. Thereafter they upscale to SLT detentions. From the new half term a student who sits their Reflection on the first day (Reflection 1) will be able to leave the hall early. The students who sit it on their second day (Reflection 2) will sit the sanction for 40 minutes. Therefore:
Trust Safeguarding Event
Happy New Year to you all! This is a follow up message from the letter we sent in November where we invited you all to the first ever Success for All Educational Trust Safeguarding Evening for Parents and Carers. All the schools in our Trust have an excellent Safeguarding offer and now is the right time to bring all of our expertise together in one space to benefit all of our families.
The details are:
Date: Wednesday, 6th March
Time: 1800-1900
Location: The Royal Liberty School
The evening will consist of an overall introduction together in the Main Hall before breaking off into sessions. There will be a number of sessions to choose from in the evening and these are outlined on the booking form . These will be bespoke to our community and aim to upskill families in the most pertinent safeguarding areas. Each session will be 45 minutes long and this includes 15 minutes at the end for Q+A so that you may ask any questions in follow up. You are welcome to come as a family or with a guest/s and you do not have to attend the same sessions if you wanted to split up to go to two etc.
Please use the following link to book onto a session:
We hope to see many of you there for the evening.
CANCER
The recent news about King Charles has brought cancer into focus through the news. Our school counselor has contributed to many online articles to help parents talk to their kids about this topic. Her article is below:
What does cancer mean:
How we talk about cancer to our kids will depend on their age and understanding. For very young children keeping the conversation brief and using simple language will be best. Something like “Mummy (or daddy) has a disease called cancer” Then go on to explain in simple language or by using pictures, dolls or soft toys if needed as a prop to help explain where in your body the cancer is and also the impact of the treatment such as hair loss. Young children will likely be more focused on the symptoms and side effects that they can see. Let them know if you will be in hospital or away from home and also how it might impact their usual routine.
With young children a simple explanation around how the good cells within our bodies become outnumbered by bad cells and this can make us sick and cause a tumour or lump in our body called cancer. It’s really important to emphasise that cancer is not contagious and that it’s something that happens within the body, and no one has done anything to cause it happening and it’s no one’s fault.
When talking to older children about cancer the starting point would be to ask them what they already know about cancer, and what is their understanding of it. This will allow a natural conversation to flow from where their understanding is at the present time. Secondary school children will have studied cells and have a basic knowledge of this so you can build upon this in your conversation and explanation of good
and bad cells but build upon it to talk about how these can create tumours.
If you are the person who has cancer and are telling a child then choose an appropriate time to have the conversation with no distractions. This will allow you to take the time to answer any questions the child has and to comfort them. Choose if you would like anyone else to be with during the conversation such as a close friend or relative, who can provide support for you and your child.
Be mindful of signs that your child has had enough and draw the conversation to a close and return to it later. Don't be surprised if the conversation is short and your child returns to an activity such as playing. Allow them time to process the information and reassure them they can ask questions any time they need.
Common questions children may ask:
Firstly it’s important to answer just the questions that they ask so that you can stay with their individual concerns or worries.
Will you die?
Most parents dread this question. Parents are unsure of how to respond and worried about their children’s reactions. Consider saying something like “People do sometimes die from cancer, but lots of people don’t. I’m not dying. I am going to see the best doctors, have surgery/take strong medicine to remove the cancer, and I’ll be checked by the doctors”
Can I catch it? Reassuring them that cancer is not contagious.
Why did this happen? Referring back to the part of the conversation around what cancer is and how it develops will be useful to help them understand that it’s no one’s fault.
Who will take care of me if you die? Again reassuring your child that you are not dying but changes in routine may happen to accommodate hospital visits while you are being treated may happen.
Use a worry box
Using a worry box can a useful tool to allow your child to voice all of their worries and concerns. This can be as simple as you sitting down with your child and allowing them to write down or draw everything they are worrying about and feeling. These drawings and notes will then go into a box and stay there as long as they remain a worry for your child.
Using a worry box allows your child an avenue to voice their feelings and emotions and not keep them inside. It allows then to name and process their feelings in a safe and contained way. And once the worry is no longer a worry they can remove it from the box.
What if you choose not to tell your children you have cancer?
Ideally, talk to your children as soon as possible after diagnosis but if you choose not to tell your child you have cancer, then be prepared that they may find out another way. They may overhear conversations or be told by a someone else . They might notice you are unwell or see changes to your appearance and routines. It’s useful to plan for such things as children will worry and can become anxious and upset leading to further stress for them.
Be honest about why you choose not to tell them, it may be you didn’t want to worry them or didn’t know how to tell them. If they ask you outright it will be best not to lie to them but if you can’t have the conversation then ask a trusted friend or relative to be involved.
Talking about cancer is never easy especially if it is you that has the diagnosis. Allow that you may get upset or angry and ensure you have support for yourself. It’s ok to cry and get upset in front of your child as this will show them that it’s ok to show your emotions and keep the dialogue between the two of going. Check in with them regularly or return to the worry box to ensure their feelings are validated.
THE SUCCESS FOR ALL EDUCATIONAL TRUST ONLINE SAFETY NEWSLETTER
RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES
Child Sexual Abuse Research Report - Internet Watch Foundation
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has recently published their findings from an investigation, undertaken alongside Anglia Ruskin University's Policing Institute. Funded by the Home Office the consequent report on this issue, sought to aid parents and children in understanding their behaviour in relation to self-generated images. One of the report's key findings was that young people often don't know how to react, to requests for indecent images from online actors. The report is highly relevant to the always-online environment in which young people find themselves today. To find the report please follow the link below:
https://www.iwf.org.uk/about-us/why-we-exist/our-research/talk-trust-empower/
Nexus Fostering based in Hornchurch, is a local fostering agency supporting and training foster carers to help and care for local children that are unable to live with their birth families. Unfortunately, the number of children being taken into care in Essex, Northeast London and South London, is increasing so the need for Foster Carers is as urgent as ever and we’re looking for local people like you to become foster carers. By providing a loving and stable home environment, you can support the increasing number of children and young people in the local area who cannot live in their family homes. Not all children require long-term care. We also need foster carers for short-term placements, respite care, and to provide temporary homes to support young parents and their babies. So, if you have a spare room and are ready to change lives, please give us a call on 01452491980 or email Bridget Fletcher on bridgetf@nexusfostering.co.uk.
Family Information Services Directory
The Family Information Service Directory (FIS) is a resources guide aimed at children, young people, adults and families/carers in the Havering area. It provides information on the various local services, organisations, support and activities. To access the FIS directory please click on the link below:
https://familyserviceshub.havering.gov.uk/kb5/havering/directory/family.page?familychannel=0
YEAR 11 CONSOLIDATION
We are now approaching the business end of Year 11, with just under 11 weeks left until the formal GCSEs start. Our PPE2s (Pre-Public Exams) start straight after half term and last for around 4 weeks, plus we have some formal controlled assessments also taking place during this time that will contribute towards the final grades. The schedule below has been shared with all Year 11 students as well as a personalised version on the subjects they are studying. From Monday 26th February to Friday 15th March, we will operate an early lunch timetable and enhancements will be paused to allow students to focus on their PPE revision timetable.
We continue to support our students with:
+ Extra Interventions of an additional 5 hours per fortnight within 3 or more different subject areas on the timetable.
+ Extensive Enhancement Programme with 15 time slots per fortnight, before school, after school and during lunch times, with all subjects running at least one.
+ Half Term Enhancements running over 3 days or more, in a range of subjects
+ Y11 Exclusive Study Club every lunch time in F1
+ Y11 Homework Club run by the LP team with personalised support
+ Virtual Learning Environments such as Google Classroom, Seneca, GCSE Pod, Sparx (Maths), Active Learn (MFL), and KayScience
FINAL COUNTDOWN
11 WEEKS [ 8 sCHOOL WEEKS ] LEFT
GCSEs START: 2ND MAY fINAL EXAM: 26TH jUNE
Revision Guidance
Remember all of the techniques we have covered in assemblies and lessons:
Working Environment: tidy study space, remove phone and distractions
Learning Cycle: Learn -> Revise -> Test
Choose: condense notes, mind maps, flow charts, flash cards, knowledge organisers
Memory: blurting, chunking, storytelling, retrieval
Practice: exam timed conditions, read command words carefully, structure your answers.
Healthy Habits: eat and sleep well, find the right balance of revision and downtime, do not panic
YEAR 11 CELEBRATION
Attitude to Learning
most ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Good’
Current Progress
most ‘Above’ and ‘On Track’s
Progress 8
progress from KS2 -> KS4
Attainment 8
current grade performance
We are thrilled to see so many students accessing the online learning environments we have invested in for them and attending the study club that takes place every lunch time in F1 exclusively for Year 11. Here are some students who are recognised for their outstanding engagement into these opportunities so far.
Our Year 11 students are working hard to give themselves the best possible chance of success and a bright future. We are seeing an outstanding attitude to learning from many students and we wanted to recognise the achievements of some of our highest performers at this moment in time. They will be entered into a prize draw for some amazon vouchers taking place after half term and there are many students who are close to the Top 15 rank leagues.
F1 Y11 Study Club
CONGRATULATIONS
DPR DYNAMIC PROGRESS REPORT
New Mobile App
DPR recently created a parent login option and they released a new web app, which will give parents easy and quick access to their child’s DPR. Watch this video and check your email for further guidance on how to access this:
Key features at a glance:
Termly Academic Reports
At the end of each full term, a new report will be published on the DPR for you to access. This snapshot will be able to show progression towards KOs over time and is often produced more regularly, including some half terms or after some key assessments.
Within the report you will find some guidance, current progress and ATL scores, DPR judgements and key assessment results or grades if applicable.
Live Access and Progress Updates
We highly recommend logging into the DPR website (dpr.education) for live updates on judgements throughout the year. Students login with their school google account by clicking on the google button. Parents/carers can use the unique login credentials as detailed in the report to access and we will send reminders of these details out again.
Use the analytics tool to clearly see progression (and sometimes regression) in each subject as shown on the right.
dpr.education
CLASS CHARTS
Homework
Track homework tasks that are due, submitted or not submitted. Use this to form discussions around home learning.
Behaviour
Get a breakdown of behaviour over a period of time, check weekly trends and see the activity log for more details of positive comments and possible sanctions, including detentions, as well as the new on-report cards.
Announcements
Look out for announcements from staff. These may be addressed to students and parents or sometimes just students. They may be reminders or information about upcoming events, such as updates on enhancements.
Timetable
You can check your child’s timetable, and they can too. This can also be a good starting point for discussions about learning at home.
Attendance
You can check your child’s attendance over a given period of time.
Since launching Class Charts last year at Redden Court, it has quickly become one of our most popular systems with staff, students and parents/carers.
You can log into the website classcharts.com (above) but we recommend downloading the dedicated parent or pupil app if you have not already. We will send a reminder out of login details and instructions to help you with this.
Systems Update
SENECA
At the end of the 2022/23 academic year we made the decision to invest in SENECA premium and to cease our contract with SAM Learning. Both are interactive online learning apps with resources for a wide range of courses across KS3 and KS4 subjects but we found usage of SAM Learning was low amongst students and staff, whilst there were a number of staff already using SENECA. Since signing up to this system it has been incredibly popular and has already had a great impact on student progress. One of our Year 11 students has spent over 40 hours of study time on SENECA and managed to achieve the 2nd highest average grades across all subjects in the PPE’s in the whole year group. SENECA uses AI to mark questions and can show teachers exactly how long students have spent on work as well as providing instant feedback to students and staff which makes it an incredibly effective tools.
GCSEPod
GCSEPod usage continues to be very strong and it has been proven over the last few years that the top GCSEPod users are amongst the top performers for attainment and progress and it is having a real impact at GCSE level. We just announced to our staff that GCSEPod have just added a new KS3 add on for our core subjects - English, Maths, Science and History (Geography to be released soon). We are hoping that introducing systems at KS3 level will have a further positive impact on progress at GCSE and get students in the habit of using systems to assist learning.
Mr D. Pendred
Director of Technology
Big Technology Raffle
Prior to Christmas we held the ‘Big Technology Raffle’ to raise money for technology within the school. We made around £1,400.00 which can now be invested into new specialist technology to help all faculties in the school. Some of the money this year will go towards a drone for the PE Faculty and a specialist online learning tool for Science (Kay Science).
Technology raffle winners: Harry J, Suzi C (not pictured), Liam B, Gabriella J,Lucy J, Henry S, Jack G and Lily D.
Using or EdTech budget we have been able to invest in some really exciting technology for the school. last year this included 3D printers for the Technology Faculty, programmable coding kits for the Digital Faculty and our most exciting purchase was a set of VR headsets, which will be a bookable resource for all subjects. These kits arrived at the start of this term and we are currently setting these up and trialling these with small groups before releasing to the whole school. These kits will make learning more interactive and exciting for our students and will create a unique and memorable experience.
YEAR 11 MATHS AND ENGLISH REVISION RESIDENTIAL
Across the weekend of the 9th and 10th of February, invited Year 11 students attended the revision residential at Grosvenor Hall in Ashford. Students completed classroom sessions in Maths and English on both days led by Redden Court staff. They also took part in activities such as laser tag, zip wire and giant swing. The Students were superb and totally embraced the opportunity to work outside of school and build some positivity going into the PPE2 exams. Thanks to Miss O’Mahoney, Mr Carter and Miss Lovett for helping to make it a productive and enjoyable experience for all.
Mr G King
Head of Maths Faculty
YEAR 10 RELIGIOUS STUDIES VISIT TO WESTMINSTER ABBEY
On the 18th December the Year 10 Religious Studies class visited Westminster Abbey as part of our new GCSE course. We had a tour of the Abbey, including access to private areas, such as the shrine of St Edward the Confessor and areas of the upper abbey. The students had an amazing time and were able to experience elements of their Christianity course in person, which also gaining valuable information needed for their GCSE.
Miss J Cummings
Teacher of History
YEAR 5 - SATURDAY SCHOOL - BRILLIANT CLUB
On Saturday 27th January, Year 5 HPA students from our local primary schools joined us for the first Redden Court Brilliant Club. Students received lessons in English, Maths and Science and also some PE sessions. Students had a great time enhancing their knowledge in these areas through fun and engaging lessons. The next Brilliant Club session is on Saturday 9th March and students will be receiving lessons in History, Geography and Digital IT.
It's great to see students from our local community engaging with our Brilliant Club and hopefully this will encourage them to join Redden Court in the not too distant future.
Mr T Hughes
Director of Sports and Student Achievement
WORLD CHALLENGE
The days are getting closer and we're getting more excited. Students have received their kit list and vaccination recommendations and have started their bi-weekly club with Mr Fox. This club is an opportunity for the team to understand cultural norms and what is expected of them while we are in Morocco. At the time of writing this we are 150 days away from departure, and every half term when we get to this point of writing an update, I don't know where the days are going!
Miss A Munns
Head of Girls Physical Education and Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator
As we begin the new year we are looking back on a successful half term of literacy at Redden Court School. This term the library has focussed on continuing to grow and offer exciting schemes and opportunities for students.
Book Club Podcast:
A group of students who form the Redden Court School Book Club have taken on the challenge of producing their own podcasts where they review books of their choice. The first two of these podcasts have now been posted on the Redden Court Library website which can be accessed through the RM Unify tab. Episode one of the podcast takes on the Harry Potter Series with Liam, Caitlin, Amelia and Lilly discussing the many differences between the book and the movie. The next podcast features Megan, Evie, Miley, Isla and Joyci discussing the highs and lows of the award-winning LGBTQ+ graphic novel series, Heartstopper. The literacy team are all really proud of these students for all the hard work they have put into this project and we look forward to the remaining podcasts being posted in the future.
A request to parents/carers:
Do you have pre-loved books or newspapers that you could donate to our classrooms? We are a diverse community and we think that our reading material should reflect our plethora of voices. These can be given to the library.
To remind all users, our library is open Tuesday-Friday (at lunch one and two) and after school until 4pm. There are also various clubs on offer - some of which are located in the library for students to access before school, lunchtime and after school. If students are interested in becoming library ambassadors and helping to run the library and update the library’s displays the ambassadors meet every Thursday after school.
The library website remains a space for all students to peruse, reserve, and even request new books for the library. They can keep up-to-date with current competitions, author spotlights and reading advice. To access the system, please visit: uk.accessit.online/rdd00 - students will be asked to log in via RM Unify.
Thank you for your continued support with our mission to improve literacy. We hope everybody has had a successful first term of school and has an enjoyable Christmas.
Mr C Hutchings
Literacy Coordinator
SPARX Maths
Sparx Maths has been integrated into all year groups and we are seeing incredible engagement with the program. We hope that this continues and even strengthens as the year progresses. Currently in first place, with an overall 100% completion rate in homework, across the year group, is Year 7 with a huge 96% of the cohort completing 100% of their homework on a weekly basis. They are followed closely with Year 8 and 9 scoring an impressive 94% each. These figures are really amazing to see and we hope that you keep up the hard work into the spring and summer term.
Mathematician of the Month
Congratulations to the following students who have been awarded Mathematicians of the Month for December and January respectively.
December:
Tobi O - ACHIEVE AND ACCOMPLISH
Tomisin O - SHARE AND SUPPORT
Fenton T - PURSUE AND PERSIST
Rhys S - INNOVATE AND INSPIRE
Christopher A - REFLECT AND REFINE
Jessica Pheby - ENGAGE AND EXCEL
January:
Sissy C - ACHIEVE AND ACCOMPLISH
Meredith F - SHARE AND SUPPORT
Fran H - PURSUE AND PERSIST
George L - INNOVATE AND INSPIRE
Baljit P - REFLECT AND REFINE
Jake M - ENGAGE AND EXCEL
Well done to all of you. It is exciting to see such a range of abilities and year groups represented across the Maths Faculty. Keep up the hard work!!
Maths Twitter
As always, it would be great to see as many of you (students and adults) follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with what's happening in the Maths Faculty at Redden Court. The Twitter handle is @RCS_Maths.
Please find below some useful websites to help with numeracy at home.
Mr M Cosgrove
Numeracy Coordinator
UKMT IMC RESULTS
The Mathematics Faculty are proud to announce the following award winners for the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge that took place on the 31st January. 180 students entered this year and 68 achieved awards. This is an excellent achievement and shows outstanding problem solving skills and application of Mathematics learnt in lessons.
BEST AWARDS | |
Joseph C | Best in Year 9 |
Harvey B | Best in Year 10 |
Frazer H | Best in Year 11 |
Frazer H | Best in School |
SILVER WINNERS | |
Lucien B | Year 11 |
Lucy L | Year 11 |
Chelsea P | Year 11 |
Alex L | Year 11 |
Chris P | Year 11 |
Alexandrina C | Year 11 |
James JA | Year 11 |
Jan L | Year 11 |
Iyndhu A | Year 11 |
Samuel H | Year 11 |
Lexi F | Year 10 |
Tyler W | Year 10 |
William A | Year 10 |
Noah D | Year 10 |
Demilade O | Year 10 |
Audrey P | Year 10 |
Joseph C | Year 9 |
GOLD WINNERS | |
Frazer H | Year 11 |
James B | Year 11 |
Harvey B | Year 10 |
GOLD WINNERS
BRONZE WINNERS | |
Adam M | Year 9 |
Ben H | Year 9 |
Luke W | Year 9 |
Teddy T | Year 9 |
Aidan AB | Year 9 |
Aidan S | Year 9 |
Caitlin C | Year 9 |
Liam B | Year 9 |
Gurleen D | Year 9 |
BRONZE WINNERS | |
Charlie M | Year 10 |
Daniel J | Year 10 |
Jake W | Year 10 |
Charlotte K | Year 10 |
Eliana T | Year 10 |
Casey RV | Year 10 |
Victoria T | Year 10 |
Erin D | Year 10 |
Nicky H | Year 10 |
Luca O | Year 10 |
William H | Year 10 |
Ella M | Year 10 |
Nick H | Year 10 |
Henry S | Year 10 |
Tiger R | Year 10 |
Jake L | Year 10 |
Katie D | Year 10 |
Paul S | Year 10 |
Luke B | Year 10 |
BRONZE WINNERS | |
Daniel W | Year 11 |
Ryan J | Year 11 |
Mia P | Year 11 |
Garva P | Year 11 |
Lilly R | Year 11 |
Kerry K | Year 11 |
Anastasia J | Year 11 |
Amber P | Year 11 |
Sylvia H | Year 11 |
Lisa W | Year 11 |
Kush P | Year 11 |
Jack S | Year 11 |
Jamie S | Year 11 |
Jack P | Year 11 |
Teddy J | Year 11 |
Amelia H | Year 11 |
Lenny O’S | Year 11 |
Razina M | Year 11 |
Karim I | Year 11 |
Daisy S | Year 11 |
CAREERS
This half term has been a busy one so far with National Apprenticeship Week offering a wide variety of opportunities to our students. It is really important to us as a school that we provide our students with a plethora of information and guidance on their post-16 options so that when they are making decisions about their future, they are well-informed to make the right choice for them. I know some students would have utilised the opportunities afforded to them during National Apprenticeship Week, and I really hope they found them useful. The next half term will see us really push Year 10 students to organise and finalise their Work Experience. Many students have now either secured their placement or have at least had a verbal agreement confirmed. Please continue to remind your child they are to organise their own placement and fill out the Placements form on Unifrog.
Finally, this half term has seen some additional assemblies delivered by guest speakers. We had a representative from the British Army talk to Year 10 about the wide range of careers available, from Veterinary Nurse to Logistics Coordinator. We also had a guest speaker, Colette Lyons (our school's Enterprise Advisor) talk to Year 9 about a career in Human Resources. However, Colette's main message was an inspirational one of grabbing every opportunity that is thrown at you with both hands.
Mrs K Bones
Subject Leader of Geography and Careers
NURTURE TRIP TO PANTO
In December our Nurture classes attended a "Special Performance" of the Pantomime "Dick Whittingham". Everyone (including the adults) had a fabulous experience at this interactive show. We look forward to repeating this experience next year!
Mrs D Nicholls
Teacher of SEN
The MFL Faculty would like to acknowledge the following students for their hard work and engagement in French.
Year 7
Millie Barmer
Callum Millard-Jennings
Year 8
Libby Fearne
Matvejs Ursa
Year 9
Amani Ghani
Aidan Stack
Year 10
Eva Bishop
Arturo Torrealba
Year 11
Simona Shukla
Jake Burns
ANTI BULLYING
During the last term we launched a competition for Years 7 and 8 to create a poster to promote our Anti-Bullying message.
It was great to see so many involved in this and for students to want to be part of spreading this important message.
I am happy to announce the winner and runners up as follows:
Winner- Belle kirby
2nd Place- Fatima Nabil
3rd Place- Lola Prescott
The winning poster is being displayed on our screens around the school for everyone to see.
Mrs V Barclay
Head of Year 11 and Anti Bullying Coordinator
100TH BEST SCHOOL FOR SPORT IN THE WHOLE OF THE UK
The prestigious honour was revealed in the latest annual ranking of the top 200 sporting schools across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland by School Sport Magazine. The scale of the achievement covers sporting success in 2023.
Reaching the top 100 puts you in the top 3% of the country’s state or independent sporting schools while the top 200 puts you in the top 5%.
Schools usually have to reach the later stages of at least two, three or four national competitions to make the list. They cover up to 20 different sports and more than 120 different competitions. More weighting is given to success in a range of sports rather than single sports and those sports with more schools competing.
Mr Hughes, Director of Sport at Redden Court School stated, "We are absolutely delighted with the news which emphasises our school's place among the UK's sporting schools elite. It's an amazing achievement and recognises the hard work and achievements of our students, parents and teachers."
REDDEN COURT SCHOOL ARE CROWNED ‘HAVERING SENIOR SCHOOL SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR'
The Redden Court under-13 football team have been crowned 'Havering Senior School Sports Team of the Year'. In 2023 the team won the prestigious ESFA National Schools Cup at the Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion FC and also the Havering Cup. They played 24 games in 2023, winning 23 and losing just one — and that was on penalties. Their win ratio in 2023 was 95.8 percent, with 86 goals and only conceding 16.
Mr T Hughes
Director of Sports and Student Achievement
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