Year 11 Support
It’s not long now until our Year 11 students start their GCSE exams. Find out all about the best way to support your child in this month’s edition! A word from MR YATES
I am delighted to welcome you to the very first edition of The Tottington Times. This newsletter aims to keep everyone in our school community connected and informed about the latest news, achievements, and upcoming events.
We hope you enjoy reading about the hard work and dedication of our students and staff, as well as the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Thank you for being part of our vibrant school community— together, we can continue to make Tottington a place where everyone can thrive. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support as we have made changes to aspects of school life, Welcome Groups, Year Groups etc. We have seen such a positive impact from these changes and we really do value your support.
Until next time!
David Yates Headteacher
Our Tottington Team...
Year 7
Mr Baron - Head of Year 7 ryan.baron@ths.set.org
Miss Harrison - Pastoral Manager stacey.harrison@ths.set.org
Year 8
Mrs McKay - Head of Year 8 olivia.mckay@ths.set.org
Miss Howard - Pastoral Manager chloe.howard@ths.set.org
Year 9
Mr Scholes - Head of Year 9 charlie.scholes@ths.set.org
Miss Dandy - Pastoral Manager sarah.dandy@ths.set.org
Year 10
Mrs Hesketh - Head of Year 10 rachel.hesketh@ths.set.org
Miss Price - Pastoral Manager gemma.price@ths.set.org
Year 11
Mrs Adams - Head of Year 11 krystina.adams@ths.set.org
Miss Martin - Pastoral Manager amy.martin@ths.set.org
SEND
Mr Ishtiaq - SENDCO aqib.ishtiaq@ths.set.org
The Tottington Way!
We have been continuing to drive forward in our pursuit of excellence, standards of uniform are significantly better. Thank you!
Please ensure your child has full and correct uniform on every day, please remind your child that they must wear school shoes not trainers and that blazers are compulsory and must be worn at all times. As we move to the summer months jumpers will need to be removed but blazers are not optional. If your child is warm then please ensure they don’t wear their jumper. If you need any support providing these items, please speak to your child’s head of year or pastoral manager. Click here for more details about uniform
Attendance Matters
Thank you for your support with the lates detentions and after school extended learning days, it is making a huge difference in reducing the amount of lost learning time. Please ensure we have the latest contact details for you - we will be continuing to send a text message to inform you if your child has an extended learning day. The doors close for a few seconds at 8:30 and then reopen to enable us to record lates Click here for more details about attendance. The Tottington Way is the best way!
Remember you should be in school for 8.25am Don’t be late!
Year
9 Guided Choices
Thank you for your patience over the past few weeks while I compiled your child’s choices. I want to update you so that you know where we are at and what will be happening next.
Since the submission of choices on Friday 14th March I have checked and followed up any students that have not completed their choices. At the same time, I have been looking at the feasibility of students’ choices in relation to number of classes, available staff, and combinations of subjects. As I am sure you can appreciate this is a lengthy process and has a number of moving parts that make it quite complex to ensure there is a good fit.
I am happy to report that it looks like the vast majority of students will study the subjects they have chosen in years 10 and 11. The process is, however, still on-going as there are still some students who haven’t made their choices. I am working with them and their families to support these choices being made as soon as possible.
Once I have all choices from all students, I will be able to send confirmation of your child’s choices to you. If you have any concerns, queries, or would like to know more about the Guided Choices process please do not hesitate to get in touch!
Mr Atkinson - john.atkinson@the.set.org
The Year 11 Countdown is on!
As Year 11 students approach their GCSE exams, it’s crucial to make the most of every opportunity to revise and improve.
To support your revision journey, we offer Year 11 After-School Intervention Sessions, designed to give extra guidance and focused revision time in subjects where you need it most. These sessions will help you strengthen key areas and clarify any confusing topics.
Remember, it’s the consistent hard work now that will pay off in your results. Stay focused, make use of all available resources, and give your best effort - you’ve got this!
Year 11 Exam and Revision Hub
Make sure you visit the Revision Hub, on our website. Here, you’ll find tips, study guides, past papers, and advice on how to manage your time effectively in these final weeks before the GCSEs. If you need any help, make sure you talk to a member of staff!
Tottington Transition
A big hello to all of the wonderful Year 6 students who have gained a place here at THS! Make sure you keep a look out for your ‘Golden Ticket’ in the post! We have a fantastic Transition programme planned to help make the transition from Primary to Secondary school as smooth as possible. Here are some key dates for your diary!
23rd June - New Year 7 Information Evening
24th June - Transition Day 1
25th June - Transition Day 2
We are also in the process of planning an event during the summer holidays - we will keep you posted!
Hellos and Goodbyes!
At Easter we will be saying good bye to 3 members of our Tottington Family, Mr Hill (Maths), Mrs Perrigo and Mrs Dumas. Mrs Perrigo has been at THS for 7 years and Mrs Dumas has been with us for a fantastic 18 years! We will miss you all very much and wish you all the very best for the future!
We will also be welcoming some new members to our THS family! Mr Pollock will be joining the Maths Department after Easter and Miss Johnson, Mrs Sanders and Miss Aspinall we be joining our English Department in September. We will also be welcoming Mrs Jaunbocus - Cooper as our new Deputy Head after the holidays We can’t wait to welcome you all to our community!
Hello from me!
A very warm hello from me – Mrs Jaunbocus-Cooper (pronounced “John-bow-cuss” – it’s Mauritian!)
I am absolutely delighted to be joining Tottington High after Easter as Deputy Headteacher, overseeing behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. I bring with me a wealth of experience, having worked in one of the highest- performing schools in the North West. I am a strong advocate of relational behaviour approaches—setting high standards while ensuring that strong, positive relationships are at the heart of everything we do. I am also deeply committed to trauma- and attachment-informed practice and have a real passion for equality, diversity, and inclusion. I can’t wait to become part of the Tottington High community and Shaw Education Trust.
Dates for your diary
Year 7 Parents’ Evening
Thursday 24th April 4.30 - 7.00pm
Red Cross First Aid Year 7
Friday 25th April
DWP World of Work Workshop Year 8
Thursday 1st May
DWP World of Work Workshop Year 7
Thursday 8th May
Tottington Primary SchoolWhitehead Gardens Project Student Leaders (Y7)
Thursday 8th May
Y10 Mock Results Evening, Thursday 8th May
Red Cross Emergency First Aid Workshop
Year 7
Thursday 15th May
Red Cross Emergency First Aid Workshop
Year 8
Friday 16th May
University of Manchester Year 9 Students
Thursday 12th June 9.30am-1.00pm
Red Cross Emergency First Aid Workshop
Year 9
Friday 20th June
Aberdovey Trip
Our students had a wonderful time on their trip to the Aberdovey Centre in Wales earlier on this month! 36 year 7/8 students got the chance to take part in a wide variety of activities including rock climbing and canoeing!
We’re excited to announce two fantastic ways you can help support our school farm and contribute to its growth – Easyfundraising and the our School Lottery!
Laurel Farm is a valuable resource that provides hands-on learning experiences and support. However, maintaining and expanding the farm requires ongoing funding, and that’s where you can help.
By shopping through Easyfundraising, you can raise funds for our school farm at no extra cost to you. Simply sign up, choose our school as your cause,
Blood Brothers
Support our farm!
and start shopping with over 4,000 retailers who will donate a percentage of your purchase to our farm.
Additionally, our School Lottery offers another fun way to support the farm. For just a small weekly contribution, you can enter the lottery for a chance to win cash prizes while helping raise funds for farm improvements, such as purchasing equipment, seeds, and materials for our students.
Every little bit helps, and together, we can ensure our farm continues to thrive and provide valuable learning opportunities for our students. Get involved today, and make a difference for our school farm! Sign up using the QR Code and links here.
Mr Tait & Mrs Entwistle took our Year 10 Drama students to watch Blood Brothers in Liverpool earlier on this month. What a great opportunity for them to experience.
Maths Masterclass
On Monday 14 year 11 pupils went to Salford University to take part in a Maths Masterclass along with Science and Computer Science pupils.
The pupils had a tour of campus and were told interesting facts about what happens as part of university life as well as learning about some famous people who had attended there.
Pupils took part in 2 sessions, Writing and Solving Equations and Pythagoras’ Theorem making great progress throughout the day.
Our pupils were polite, enthusiastic and keen to learn and it was a pleasure to be part of the day.
A fantastic day was had by all!
World Book Day
Staff and students had a wonderful day this year celebrating World Book Day! There were some amazing costumes! We can’t wait to make next year’s celebrations even bigger and better!
See it... hear it... lose it!
Remember student mobile phones should not be seen or heard during the school day. If seen or heard the phone will be kept by school for the day and returned to the student at 3pm. On the 3rd occasion in any half term, students and parents will need to sign a mobile phone contract and will need to hand their phone in to a member of staff at the start of each day and collect it again at the end of the day.
Please support!
Mrs Deakin is running the Manchester Marathon on Sunday 27th April, and is raising money for a charity called SANDS in memory of her niece. To donate or to find our more, please click this link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rachaeldeakin-1
Film Festival
We are so proud to be part of the Into Film Festival. The Into Film Festival is the largest free, annual, UK-wide celebration of film, providing memorable cinema experiences for children and young people.
It was a fantastic opportunity to promote and inspire reading alongside celebrating World Book Day. We went to see Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo which is a tale of courage, resilience and unexpected friendship.
We had a great time and already planning our next trip in November. Special thanks to Mrs
What does it mean to be Northern?
All Year 8 students are studying the cultural geography of Manchester, a topic which helps pupils understand more about their local area and the UK. Students will study the North/South divide; firstly, does it exist? How can we measure it? What makes the North different to the South of England?
Through their fieldwork the students will collect 10 short questionnaires, asking simple questions of adults who can share their views on the matter. They will then collate these results into tables and graphs and interpret the results they find. Finally, the students will come to conclusions on the overall hypotheses ‘What does it mean to be Northern’?
Join in our research by visiting our Facebook page!
Year 11 Easter School
In addition to after-school support, our Easter School Revision Program offers intensive, booster sessions during the holiday.
Your child is welcome to attend a mixture of morning and afternoon sessions to support them in their final preparation. Students will not need to wear uniforms but should attend ready to learn, bringing appropriate
Above is the schedule for the Easter School sessions – please keep an eye on our social media pages as more sessions might be offered as the weeks progress!
SEND Update
Our next edition of the Tottington Times will include extended article about everything SEND at THS. But for now, here’s a quick update about some the exciting developments we’ve got coming up over the next term.
One of the key priorities will be further strengthening inclusive classroom practice. Mr Ishtiaq will be working closely with staff to embed consistent, inclusive teaching strategies that support all learners and ensure that SEND students can thrive in every lesson.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue building on the strong foundations we’ve set this year — including the launch of our SEND Parent Forum, which will give you a real voice in shaping our provision.
We will be making classrooms even more inclusive, developing the PEEL Centre into a nurturing, empowering space for students who need it most and supporting the transition of SEND students from primary to secondary school — through primary school visits, transition EHCP reviews, and inclusive, well-supported transition days that help students feel confident and ready for the next step.
THS in the Community
MP Visits THS
Our school community was delighted to welcome Bury North MP, James Frith on Friday. James met with members of our student leadership team where he discussed his role as an MP, his vision for the young people of Bury as well as undertaking a question-and-answer session with students. James has also invited our students to visit him at Parliament in the near future.
Whitehead Gardens Project
We are delighted to be working on a community partnership project with Bury Rotary Club and Tottington Primary School to develop Whitehead Gardens in Tottington. THS students met with the project team along with staff and students from Tottington Primary School to discuss their ideas on Thursday. We will continue to update you with the progress of the community-based project.
THS students visit
Abbeywood
THS students visited Abbeywood Residential Care Home earlier on this month to take part in a range of enrichment activities with residents including dominoes, parachute games and dancing. We had a lovely afternoon and the residents enjoyed spending time with our students.
We have so many wonderful links to our fantastic community and we know working together we can achieve big things! We have been working with Councillor Yvonne Wright to help ensure that the new turf which has been laid next to the bus stop in Tottington is allowed time to ‘bed in’ and grow.
So, please keep off the grass whilst waiting for the 469 bus!
