Borden Grammar School Parent Portal

Dear Parent or Guardian,

It’s been wonderful this half term to have the school back to ‘near normality’, with students moving around the school between lessons, clubs, fixtures, music lessons, table tennis and year group assemblies. Our ‘Aim Higher’ club has gone from strength to strength this term under the guidance of Miss Irinoye, with a large number of hugely inspired Year 6 students visiting us weekly from local primary schools. Our open evening saw students from Years 7, 8 and 12 taking tours for potential future 7s and as I write this I can hear the tones of the school orchestra practising. Honestly, for the first time since I have been Borden’s Headteacher, it has felt like a school should do.

That said, we have to be aware that we aren't ‘out of the woods’ yet. Whilst we have had relatively small numbers of Covid cases amongst our students, the national figures reference a worrying 1 in 10 secondary school students testing positive for Covid. We are certainly starting to see more cases, and it is therefore important that we work together to keep each other safe. We will continue to remind students to sanitise as they move around the building, we will continue to keep doors and windows open and to risk assess any fixtures, clubs, trips and assemblies in light of any cases of which we are made aware. There are a few things you can do to help,
1.   Please continue to make sure your child tests at least twice weekly and any time they have a cold or similar symptoms which are not clearly Covid related (clearly, Covid symptoms mean they should be isolating anyway). All staff and students may continue to wear masks if they wish, and I would certainly encourage them to do so in crowded spaces.
2.   Please supply your child with a warm coat, hat and gloves as we move into winter. This is not only because classrooms may become cold, but also because we will only bring students inside in a “wet break” in more severe weather conditions. We have opened the main hall where students can eat this year, but this becomes rather crowded if everyone uses it, and we are still reflecting on how our experiment with a split lunch is going this year.
3.   Please use the NHS test and trace support line if you are unsure. Schools are no longer responsible for ‘Test and Trace’ and we similarly take NHS guidance. However, this doesn’t mean that we won’t take local action as a school if we think there is a risk, particularly since we experienced the ‘lag factor’ that exists with a centralised system before Christmas when the Kent variant started in Swale.
We have a contingency plan should Covid cases rise resulting in Borden being placed in a ‘contingency framework’, which involves a reintroduction of many of the measures we had previously. Fingers crossed this won’t be needed.

We have also done a great deal of work this term supporting our students in thinking about mental health, meta cognition and reflecting on how we treat each other. Our Key Stage 3 students experienced outside speakers presenting on the issues surrounding social media and how to do it safely. Our Year 11s had a slightly quirky experience with an outside speaker even singing about mental health, whilst others have had talks from Prevent strategy speakers. Assemblies and tutor sessions have also been thinking about how we learn, particularly with regard to the tendency for boys to be ‘outcome’ rather than ‘performance’ focused in their work i.e. they care more about being a success than improving and sometimes ‘self sabotage’ rather than risk getting it wrong. We all need to be aware of this and reinforce ‘small steps’ and effort to offset this natural inclination. Finally, we continue to discuss our Borden values, most recently as a part of celebrating Black History Month. This has ranged from playing groundbreaking music before tutor time to healthy discussions surrounding marginalisation and eradicating racism. All of these things are not necessarily about learning subjects such as maths, history or geography, but are so crucial in terms of the broader development of our students into healthy adults.

I have also personally witnessed our students doing some magnificent things this term. For instance, we had six really brave Year 7 speakers who stood on the stage and quizzed each other as part of the presentation on opening evening in front of around 500 people. A parent actually turned to me at one point and said “You must be very proud”; and I was. I have personally taken part in being a guest at a party with an imaginary friend during Key stage 3 drama club and have joined in with the improvising rock band practice on Friday after school. You can also hear the sound of our newly formed orchestra rehearsing “Skyfall” of an evening and I hope we will hear much more from these in the future. Football fixtures abound and our students are progressing well through a number of local competitions. We ran our first full school council session this term, with over 25 student representatives discussing matters ranging from littering and bin placement, to our choice of which charities to support, to how we can revitalise the Borden house system. I must admit that, as I sat there listening to Year 7s debate with Year 13 students, discussing the best course of action for the school in the distant future, I felt extremely humbled by the decent and mature young adults we are helping create.

As I said in my open evening speech, our key aim is to educate our young people to do a better job with our future than current generations have managed. From what I have seen this term, I am very reassured that we are making this difference.

Please note Monday 1 November is a Staff Development Day. I wish your child a restful and safe half term, and look forward to seeing them back with us on Tuesday 2 November.

Ashley Tomlin
Headteacher

Heads of Years look back over the Term

It’s hard to believe that the Year 7 have completed a term with us already and have achieved so much! Form times have been centred around well-being activities and discussion, with the forms all having a session with Mrs Gilman our wellbeing lead about resilience. We have also been fortunate enough to have a talk from our local youth engagement officer from Kent Police, Ian Henderson, who talked to the boys about their social media lives, helping them to make safer choices. For the most part the boys have settled incredibly well into the Borden community, but I would always emphasise to them and to yourselves that it’s okay not to feel okay. In fact, it is quite normal to feel overwhelmed at this huge change in their lives. Do ask your children about the support which is available to them at school (a good test to see if they have been listening!) and always know that you may contact the school if you have any concerns yourselves.
Finally, I could not write this entry without mentioning the sensational job the boys did on open evening, speaking with pride about their school and impressing Year 6 and their parents with their knowledge of what it’s really like to be a Borden Grammar student. It was one of my absolute highlights of the year so far. Thank you to each and every one of them. Of course, it brings to light the unfortunate fact that you yourselves have not experienced this face to face open evening event and many of you will not even have set foot inside the Borden Grammar School doors! Please be assured that we are in discussions about how we can ensure you get an opportunity to visit us before the year is out.
Your children really have earned themselves a fantastic break and I look forward to welcoming them back after half term.

Mrs J Frost Head of Year 7

Year 8 have settled well into our new form routines and have coped well with the need to be organised for the day ahead. Form captains, Vice captains and school councillors have been elected following presentations to their classmates. Our first form assembly, led by 8CH took place this term and other forms will follow their lead in Term 2. Baseline assessments were completed by all students in the computer room and the students followed exam regulations perfectly. School council representatives attended their first meeting with the Sixth Form to put forward ideas and discuss improvements to the school. Looking ahead to Term 2, Year 8 need to make sure they maintain their high standards of attendance and punctuality. Break and lunchtimes will continue to be spent outside, so remember to bring coats. If audit grades were unexpectedly low or highlight problems with homework or behaviour in class, students should expect to be having conversations with Form tutors and Mrs Edwards to remedy these problems. Now that Year 8 are settled into their new classrooms and routines, it would be wonderful to see more students getting involved in an extra-curricular club each week.

Mrs A Edwards Head of Year 8

Year 9 have made an excellent start to the year, and I am pleased to say that I have seen excellent progress and effort from students in the lessons I have visited. After they return from their half term break, the focus for Year 9 will be on preparing for their options exams; the first step towards choosing their GCSE options subjects. These exams will take place from the 6th - 10th December. Please note that English, Maths and Science will be examined later in the year (June) as these are compulsory GCSE subjects.

It is really important that students prepare well for these exams and after half term we will be looking at effective ways to plan and revise. In two years, these students will be preparing for their GCSE exams, so this is a very useful practice run to test revision techniques and strategies ahead of this. I would encourage students and parents to have conversations about revision timetables, revision cards and study guides that might be useful. We will also look at all of these aspects in school after half term.

Miss A Phillips Head of Year 9

This term Year 10 have begun to explore a range of revision techniques available to them throughout their GCSE level studies. Each week, tutors have worked with pupils to show them differing techniques and give time to practice each using the content they have studied since September. There is a presentation available on the school website https://www.bordengrammar.kent.sch.uk/learning/ks4 of key information to pupils and parents about the required attitudes, behaviours and strategies in order to maximise the potential of the year group. Pupils have also been lucky enough to benefit from the visit of an external speaker, who told his fascinating account of belonging to an extremist political group and how he has worked to respond to his negative choices as a youngster.

Mr J Weller Head of Year 10

Year 11 have worked hard during term 1 ahead of their forthcoming mock exams which take place at the beginning of term 2. In form time they have begun to make plans towards the exams, setting out revision timetables and learning techniques to improve their studies. The year group also attended a parents evening and took part in a show where mental health was discussed

Mr B Finch Head of Year 11

Year 12 have made an excellent start to the new school year and had a very positive first term as Sixth form students. They have settled into their A level studies and seem at home in the Sixth form work room already. Our Year 12 students have been proactive in their enrichment time this term, with a large number of students researching and beginning to plan their extended project qualifications. Many have asked teachers to help in lower school lessons and some have started additional online courses to boost their applications for their future education and careers. Planning is also underway for the Year 12 RAG week in term 2, in which we hope to raise lots of money for charity. Overall, an exceptional start from our students!

Miss Andrews-Lucas Head of Year 12

Year 13 have settled back in to school routine well. Many students, apart from studying, have been using their time to research career opportunities and to begin applications to universities and apprenticeships.

Mr Whiting Head of Year 13