19th January 2024
HEADLINES
By James Saunders
PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT As we kick off 2024 the focus is now firmly on supporting our learners to achieve their very best this year. For C11’s, this term is the final furlong that will take them to their GCSE exams, whilst for C7’s they will be nearing the end of their first year at Honywood. Each cohort will have its own milestone to reach: C8 will be choosing their GCSE programme; C9 will be completing the first year of theirs; C10 will begin their first round of mocks.
their children with independent study and revision. Hopefully this will lead to some conversations with learners about whether their chosen method(s) of study are likely to be the most effective for them.
Having completed the learning reviews for our C7 and C8s, learners should now be focusing on the targets they have agreed. Next week we look forward to our C11 parents evening. This is a crucial time for parents to understand the specific actions that our learners need to take to enable them to be successful. Previous parents evenings have been well attended and have produced a real sense of energy in the hall as our teachers engage with families and learners. C11 teachers love talking to parents about how learners are doing and how best to support them. I look forward to seeing C11 families next week. Currently I do not teach any C11s but I wanted to be involved in supporting the night so have decided to run a 25 minute workshop for parents on study skills and revision and how best to support learners. To ensure I am as available as possible I shall repeat the workshop every 30 minutes for the duration of the evening starting at 4pm and finishing at 6:30pm (start time of last slot). Please come along for some advice and guidance and further support to ensure we are all working together as effectively as possible.
https://www.tes.com/news/what-every-teacherneeds-know-about-memory
LEARNING, MEMORY AND REVISION The most important thing when approaching assessment time is for all learners to utilise their independent study wisely to complement their learning in class and effectively revise. I have previously shared some useful resources around the school that I thought would be of wider interest. The following articles can help parents in understanding how to support
https://www.tes.com/news/gcses-how-makelearning-stick https://www.tes.com/news/are-you-getting-revisionall-wrong
TIKTOK AND ONLINE SAFETY We always advise families to exercise caution when allowing their children to engage with social media. Many issues that we have to deal with in school began outside of school and often originate from social media. This week I would like to draw your attention to TIkTok. What is it? A video-sharing app that’s huge with children and teenagers right now. You lip-sync to music or do comedy sketches, and can add effects to your videos. You can also gain followers (‘fans’) and watch other people’s videos. The age recommendation is 13 and above, but it’s easy for younger children to sign up too. What are the main things to watch out for? • Sexual lyrics and swearing in songs • Content about eating disorders (known as ‘proana’) and bullying content • ‘Challenges’ that users take part in that are potentially dangerous • Emojis that are seen as sexually suggestive, like the aubergine
Under-16s can’t send or receive private messages. But once users have made contact, like through comments on videos, they could still switch to another app like Snapchat to chat privately and swap images and videos. 7 steps to keep your child safe 1. Use family pairing (also known as family safety mode) This feature lets parents control some settings on their child’s account from their own phone (there’s more on which features below). You’ll need to download TikTok and link your account to your child’s. Once you’ve created a profile, go to your profile > tap the ‘…’ icon in the top right to open settings > Family Pairing > ‘Parent’. Follow the same steps on your child’s phone but choose ‘Teen’, then scan the QR code with your camera to link your accounts.
5. Restrict in-app purchases to block spending On iPhones, if you already have Screen Time turned on, go to Settings > Content and Privacy Restrictions > enter your passcode if asked > turn on Content and Privacy > tap iTunes and App Store Purchases > In-app Purchases > set to Don’t Allow. If you don’t already have Screen Time turned on, go to Settings > Screen Time > tap to turn it on > choose whether it’s your device or your child’s device > follow the steps to set up a passcode. Then just follow the steps above to block in-app purchases. On Android, open Play Store, tap on your profile icon in the top right > scroll to Settings > Authentication > Require Authentication for purchases > Select ‘For all purchases through Google Play on this device’. Keep an eye on your bank statements to check your child isn’t getting round the controls.
2. Keep account set to private and limit profile information Accounts for users aged 13 to 15 will be set to private by default. This means that only approved ‘followers’ can see your child’s videos.
6. Check settings on interactions like duets, direct messages and comments Duets are where users reply to one person’s video with another, and then share it all. The videos appear together, side by side. This feature has now been turned off for users under 16, and set to friends only by default for users aged 16 and over.
Even with a private account though, anyone can see your child’s profile information. Tell them not to share personal information publicly, like their full name or where they go to school. Plus, encourage your child to only accept ‘fan’ requests from people they know and trust.
Your child can also change settings for comments on their videos via the Privacy section, and for users aged 16 and over, change settings for who can send them direct messages and duet with them. If you have family pairing set up, you can do the same through the family pairing settings.
To check your child’s account is private, on their phone, simply go to your child’s profile > … > Privacy > check ‘Private Account’ is turned on. If you have family pairing set up, you check this using family pairing.
7. Make sure your child knows how to report content and users Filters aren’t perfect, so make sure your child knows how to report harmful or upsetting content or users. Make sure you both know the rules too – TikTok bans sexually explicit content, bullying, graphic content, “pro-anorexia” content, and hate speech.
3. Set age limits so your child doesn’t see inappropriate content You can do this through the family pairing settings. You can also use family pairing to turn off search on your child’s account.
To report a user, go to their profile > tap ‘…’ settings > Report > follow the steps in the app.
If you’re not using family pairing, on your child’s phone go to Settings > Digital wellbeing > Restricted mode > follow the steps in the app.
To delete a fan, your child should go to their own Profile > Followers > tap the 3-dot icon next to the follower they want to remove > tap ‘Remove this follower’
4. Consider setting a time limit on use TikTok can be hard to put down – help your child rein in their use with a time limit. You can do this through the family pairing settings, or on your child’s phone. Go to the Digital wellbeing section > Screen time management > follow the steps in the app.
To block users altogether, go to their profile > … > Block > follow the steps in the app. You report specific content through the video, comment or message itself. To report a message: open it, tap … > Report > follow the steps in the app. To report a video or comment: long press the comment > Report > follow the steps in the app.
ATTENDANCE A heartfelt congratulations to the 150 learners, spanning all age groups, who achieved 100% attendance for the Autumn Term. These dedicated individuals were entered into a prize draw, with notable winners receiving Young Driver's Experiences and Go Ape Vouchers. Special mention to: Young Driver's Experience Winners (C11 Only): Jack Hammond, Cerys Godrey, Aidan Holt, Amy Pellowe, Sam Richardson Go Ape Voucher Winner (C7-C10): Regan Hood Additionally, Alyssa Saunders won a prize for significantly increasing attendance by over 10% compared to the previous term, securing a voucher for a family meal at El Pulpo restaurant. Recognition goes to all learners with perfect attendance, even if not winning a prize, listed below. A massive thank you to Liam Teller, Sue from El Pulpo, and the generous donor of the Go Ape Voucher. Contributions towards enhancing the array of experiences and prizes for learners with outstanding attendance are always welcome; feel free to contact dscott@honywoodschool.com if you can contribute. ABASS Ameerah ADEDIRAN Ayo ADETUNJI Kathleen AITKEN Charlie BAKTAI Dominic BATES Amber BEARMAN Joshua BENSON Joseph BOUGHTWOOD Abi BULLUS Amelia BULLUS James BURKS Jake BURKS Scarlett BUSCOMBE Charlie BYERS Joseph CABLE Nate CHAPMAN Frank CIOBANU Lavinia COLLIER Rose COOK GORTON Will COURT Eloise COX Hayden CROFT Harvey DAVIES Lily DE BRUYN Katherine DELAMAIN Sam DENNY Millie EASTALL Oliver EDWARDS Callum EMERY Kieran ESTALL Freddie EYRE Ellis FISHER Charlie FLAHERTY-WEBB Kaebreyan FOSTER Alfie GARDINER Lola GBOYEGA-ADEOYE Eric GILLMAN Freya
GODFREY Amelia GODFREY Cerys GRAY Alex GROUNDS Edith HAGUE Lillyann HAGUE Roman HALLARD Harrison HAMMOND Jack HARDING Kai HARVEY Isabel HARVEY Louis HARVEY Thomas HARVEY William HINKIN Lucy HOLT Aidan HOOD Reagan HORE Sam HORVATH Kevin HRISTOVA Victoria HUTCHISON George JAGGER Toby JENKINSON Ryan JONES Ben JONES Emily KENDLE Finn KERRY Joshua KERRY Lily LANE Malachi LANE Nathaniel LEE James LONGSTAFF Faye LOTE Zachary MAKAMURE Liam MALEK Mohammed MALEK Soha MARSHALL Amelia MARTIN Ben MARTIN Keira MCKEOWN Isabelle
MCLEOD Mary SHARDLOW Olivia MCQUILLAN Gabriel SHAW Owen MEAD Sam SHINGLES Ruby MELVIN Micah SLINGSBY Toby MILLIKEN Joshua SMITH Ava MORGAN-BROOKS Summer SMITH Martha MOSS Dylan SMITH Tillianne MOXHAM Matilda SPENCER Emily NEWTON Zachary STOWERS Jemima NICHOLS Tommy SUCCAMORE Daniel OGUNDARE Deborah SUCCAMORE Nathan OJOWA Emmanuel SWAIN Julietta OVERY Callum SYKES Luc PELLOWE Amy TAYLOR SHORT Sofia PHOENIX-TODD Kerenza TAYLOR Daniel PRESTON Olivia TAYLOR Ryan PRITCHARD Charlotte TAYLOR Sammy PYNE Len THOROGOOD Zach RASSELL Frances TORBAS Zehra RAYMEN Lucy TUBBS Lillie RAYNER Fin UNDERHILL Thomas RICHARDSON Samuel WADE Leo RICHMOND Tommy WAGLAND Alfie ROBERTS Dylan WALBY Olivia ROBERTS Ellen WALFORD Clayton ROBINSON Zoe WATKINS Josh ROSS Alexander WATSON Molly ROSS Thomas WELLS Jessica ROWE-PHELPS Alfie WERNER Bzi SARGENT Zane WESTON Joe SAUNDERS Theo WHELE Hayden SAWYER Lucy WHITEHEAD Alexander SCHERER Dominic WILLOUGHBY Neive SCHERER Estelle WOOD Connor SCHWINGEN Evie WROBEL Kacper SCOTT Anya SCOTT Remi SEAMAN-CUDJOE Micah
You may be aware that Miss Ginn has been absent since before the Christmas break, and has not at this time returned to school. Unfortunately, in December Miss Ginn received a cancer diagnosis, which I am sure you can imagine has been an incredibly upsetting time for her and her family. The good news is that just before new year Miss Ginn had some results that confirmed that her cancer had not spread and therefore is treatable, and whilst there is a long road of treatment and recovery ahead, we look forward to seeing Miss Ginn back at Honywood in the future. We know hearing this news may have been incredibly upsetting for your child and yourself, and wanted you to be aware of the situation so that you will now understand why Miss Ginn has not been in school, or may not have been responding to emails. Should you have any queries relating to Art, please do contact Mrs Cole (Subject Leader for Art). If you should have any other queries relating to this, please do contact Mr Saunders directly, and of course should any learners require support please do let their learning group leader know. I'm sure you will all be thinking of Miss Ginn during this time, but please do be aware that she will be away from school and unable to respond to emails for the time being.
C7 District Football Honywood v Gosfield Team: Oscar Reece, Ronnie Bird, Oakley Parker, Freddie Helps, Ollie Eastall, Ollie Warwick (Capt.) Josh Kerry, Noah Everitt, Luca Swain, George Doyle, Rafe Gray, Ted Berry, Sid Gregory, Eric GboyegaAdeoye, Joe Cornell Honywood started the brightest but it was Gosfield who scored from good work by the opposing striker giving goalkeeper, Ronnie Bird, no chance to save. Honywood responded well and after some good approach work Ted Berry scored from a shot outside the box. Honywood took the lead after a well delivered corner which was driven home by Oakley Parker only to see Gosfield respond quickly when they scored after a mistake by the Honywood defence. Just before half time, Luca Swain made it 3-2 to Honywood when he latched on to a through pass and directed his shot past the advancing keeper. The second half saw both teams having chances to add to their score and it was Gosfield who equalised from the penalty spot to make the final score 3-3. Honywood’s next game is away to Alec Hunter on Wednesday the 20th of January.
Mr Walters PE
Getting involved in sporting activities – whether team-based or individual sports – is one of the best ways to improve a young person’s physical and mental well-being. Participation in sport and physical activity not only keeps children fit and healthy, but helps build their self-esteem and confidence, develop their social skills and motivate them to do well at school. Come along and join in!
Dates for the Diary Tues 23 Jan 2024
Ski Trip Parent Meeting 6pm
Thurs 25 Jan 2024
C11 Parent Evening 3.30 - 6.30
Mon 5 & Tues 6 Feb
C11 LGL Photos
Wed 7 Feb
C11 Geography Trip
Fri 9 Feb
C10 Careers Visit
Fri 16 Feb
C11 Whole Cohort Photo - 9am
Fri 16 Feb
Ski Trip departs
Mon 19 - 23 Feb
Half Term