Head of Year Letters

11To the parents/carers of the fabulous Year 11s. As we draw to the end of the first term back, we can all agree there have been struggles and stresses. However, there has also been some undeniable determination and resilience shown from our Year 11s, particularly during the mock exams. As well as this, our Year 11s continue to demonstrate their strength, kindness, and fantastic sense of humour no matter what they are faced with.

Now the festive season is finally upon us, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support through this school term. It is the perfect time to reflect on the past year, our many achievements, and the moments we wish we could have dealt with differently. Most importantly, we can set new goals to reach for and think about how we can change things for the better. A New Year, a fresh start. Bring on 2022!

I personally would like to thank the parents/carers and the Year 11s for making my new role as Pastoral Manager so easy to settle in to. You’re all amazing! Stay safe and enjoy the holidays, I look forward to seeing you in January.

I would like to add my thanks to Miss Parrish for all her efforts in supporting our families and students during the school day. I couldn’t have asked for more from anyone and have been astounded by how quickly and effectively she has built relationships with our community and her understanding of the systems within which we operate. I very much appreciate her hard work and the support she has offered to our students.

I would also like to extend my best wishes to all of our community and celebrate the resilience of our amazing Year 11s in the face of the effects of the pandemic at such an important time in their journey at Dorothy Stringer School. The kindness, maturity, intelligence and thoughtfulness of our year group has been so obvious in how welcome and appreciated they have made Miss Parrish and myself feel as we have developed the pastoral support which is in place for them this year. There has been a lot of change and our students continue to shine in the face of the challenges which they face. They conducted themselves with admirable effort during the mocks, with an excellent attitude and high levels of maturity and respect. With a growth mindset and a can-do attitude anything is possible.

I would also like to thank Mr Furini, whose kindness, support and easy sense of humour is so important to the year team and I know our year 11s appreciate him greatly. There is also a wonderful extended team supporting our year 11s, from the counselling team to the attendance office, SLT to the canteen staff and all their teachers and support staff; and we are grateful for all of them.

The team supporting our students, of course, starts with their first point of contact every day and we are so lucky to have the brilliant team of tutors who go so far above and beyond and do so much on a daily basis for all of our students. Their input and work is so invaluable for the mental wellbeing of our year 11s, and also Miss Parrish’s and my own.

With very best wishes for the festive holidays and gratitude for your efforts in 2021. I am looking forward to seeing the achievements and successes of our year as the rest of Year 11 reaches completion.

10Dear Year 10 Parents, Carers and Students,

Well, we made it to the Christmas Break.

The last term has felt long and tiring, but the resilience of the year group makes us incredibly proud!

A huge thank you to you for all your help and support along the way!

This term has seen some real highs: the return for a few weeks of in person assemblies, sporting fixtures both home and away, and rehearsals for the school play and carol service. As we walk round the school during lesson time, Year 10 continue to show engagement and dedication to their studies, showing that they really are a super year group!

We hope you all have a really restful festive break and we look forward to seeing Year 10 back on Wednesday 5th January. Please ensure that you check the school communication with timings for the day.

Stay safe,