Dear families

Welcome back. It has been wonderful to have the children in school. Thank you for your attention to their uniform and equipment: we are very pleased with the way they have returned.

We are also delighted to introduce new members of our teaching staff to you:

• Mr Busuttil - Teacher of Maths
• Mr Facey - Teacher of French
• Mr Headley - Head of Year 9 and Teacher of PE
• Ms Johnson - Head of English
• Mr Keh - Teacher of RE
• Mr Nasir - Second in Charge of Maths
• Ms Pain - Teacher of Art

Despite a wet, stormy week, it has been full of smiles and learning. Our Year 7 cohort have been fantastic. They have immersed themselves in Orchard Park life, been brilliant in their lessons and are extremely polite. They have collected lots of Character points this week too. My thanks to Dave and Deneria in Year 8 and Daniela in Year 9 who have been exceptionally helpful. Many teachers have commented on the warm welcome they have given our new students. Year 7 families will be invited to meet their child’s form tutor on September 22nd at 5.00pm. Mrs Ruby will be in touch shortly. 

Our CharacterEd club offer begins next week. Please discuss it with your child and encourage them to join as many as possible. All students in Years 7 to 10 are expected to attend at least one club a week. They are free, provide a great way to meet other students, help young people to develop skills in other areas and have fun. The full list can be found here.

Information on the school day, routines in lessons and our behaviour policy are available on the website. We have condensed the headlines of this into a Parent Guide which we hope you will find informative (and concise). 

The week has been marked by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Today, students spent time with their tutor reflecting on her life and service. We are working with the local authority to commemorate her reign and will provide details of this soon. 

Ms C. Moran, Headteacher