December 2009

Dear Parents & Guardians,

  

Once again the festive season is upon us and it is time to reflect over a term which, as this letter reflects, has been full of challenge, adventure and enterprise.  I have been particularly pleased with the student response to our new Academic Accountability Programme and also the involvement by parents.  I believe we are one of very few Schools in the country which reports on student development on a three to four weekly basis.  I am sure that as this system matures it will provide students, parents and teachers with the vital up to date accurate information that is required for everyone to have a full understanding as to how a student is progressing in individual subjects.

 

I would like to thank parents for their initial thoughts and feedback and in the latest round of reports parents in Years 7 to 9 will see the slight adjustment made to include the "working at/working towards" grade.  Changes such as this are possible within the reporting system and are indicative as to how well the School and parents are liaising to ensure everyone has the information they value.  Parents should contact the relevant Head of Year if they have any further suggestions as to how we might enhance the new system. 

  

I am very pleased to report on the variety and expanding nature of the activities our young people are involved in, many of which are detailed below.

  

Music

This has been a very busy half term for the Music Department preparing for the Remembrance Service, Speech Day and our Advent Service of Light.  The musical performances were all of an excellent standard and congratulations go the students that took part with thanks to all the staff who contributed by way of organisation and participation.   

 

Football Report by Mr Taylor - 1^st XI Coach

We have had a very positive start to the season - our results have been impressive and we have played some very good football.  Throughout the team we have gifted and talented players and this has made it easy for the squad to bond together and form a tough unit which relies upon each other to perform well and succeed.

 

I feel that many of our squad are more than capable of playing at a higher level and I am delighted that some have chosen to do this in their own time, representing many different clubs in leagues around the area during the evenings and at weekends.

 

Ruben Bover (Year 13) has been on trial at Kidderminster Harriers. They are very impressed with him and have asked him to represent them at U18 level.  This is a fantastic achievement and once his International Clearance has been approved by FIFA he will be playing regularly for Kidderminster.   We have also received confirmation that Ruben has been selected to play for the County squad.

 

I am delighted to report that Eddie Walsh (Year 13) has also been accepted to attend training with Kidderminster which he will start immediately.  Eddie is also involved with "Brazil Soccer Skills".  He has been chosen to play for the UK National Squad and from what I have seen he has an enormous amount of potential.

  

Swimming - Headline News

The Royal Wolverhampton School are City Champions in Junior Boys', Senior Boys', Junior Girls' and Senior Girls' categories.  Congratulations to everyone involved.

 

The Royal hosted the Senior Boys' City Swimming Gala that took place recently and our Team was made up of:  Piotr Kummer, Ben Standish, Joe Stanford, Luke Eccleston and Kieran Smith.  The results were as follows:

 

50m. Freestyle	1st Joe Stanford
50m. Backstroke	1st Kieran Smith
50m. Breaststroke	1st Luke Eccleston
50m. Butterfly	1st Joe Stanford
25m. Freestyle	2nd Piotr Kummer
25m. Backstroke	1st Ben Standish
25m. Breaststroke	1st Luke Eccleston
25m. Butterfly	1st Joe Stanford
4x 25m Freestyle Relay	1st The Royal - Team: L. Eccleston /  J. Stanford /  P.Kummer / B. Standish
4 x 25m Medley Relay	1st The Royal - Team: K. Smith / L. Eccleston / J. Stanford /  B. Standish
Overall Winner	1st The Royal (2nd Tettenhall College, 3rd Wolverhampton Grammar School)

 

We also hosted the Junior Boys' City Swimming Championships.  Our Team was made up of:  Taylor Whitchurch, Connor Green, Toby Robinson, Jack Worth and Lee Partridge.  The results were as follows:

 

50m. Freestyle	3rd Jack Worth
50m. Backcrawl	1st Tony Robinson
50m. Breaststroke	2nd Taylor Whitchurch
50m. Butterfly	1st Taylor Whitchurch
25m. Freestyle	5th Lee Partridge
25m. Backcrawl	2nd Connor Green
25m. Breaststroke	1st Tony Robinson
25m. Butterfly	2nd Jack Worth
4x 25m Freestyle Relay	1st The Royal
4 x 25m Medley Relay	1st The Royal
Overall Result	1st The Royal - 50 points / 2nd Wolverhampton Grammar - 45 points 3rd Tettenhall College - 42 points / 4th St Edmunds - 29 points 5th Smestow - 24 points / 6th Wednesfield - 19 points

 

Girls City Swimming Gala

The 4^th Annual Girls City Swimming Gala took place in October 2009. The Royal fielded two strong teams in each age group (Under 13 and Over 13).  Team spirit was high and rightly so. The results were fantastic!

 

Under 13

67 Year 7 and Year 8 swimmers from across the City took part in the event.

 

A TEAM	B TEAM
Sandy Boparan (Individual Silver medal)              Serena Chauhan (15th overall winning her 2 races)   Alice Dearing (Individual Gold medal)                              Natasha Holland (Individual Gold medal)                          Penny Whittingham (6th overall winning her 3 races) TEAM: GOLD	Eysia Beddoe-Purchase (7th) Zoe Simcox (13th) Katia Isychos (8th) Elizabeth Chung Georgia Shepherd Alice Sterling Lydia Jevon TEAM: 5th
Over 13 7 very strong teams took part in the gala. The majority of the Year 9 to 13 girls were club swimmers or better and competition was fierce. This was the first time we had ever fielded two teams in this age category.
A TEAM	B TEAM
Robyn Spicer (Individual Silver medal) Chloe Richards (2nd in her only race) Sophie Long (Individual Silver medal) Jodie Hawksworth (Individual Gold medal) Georgia Cragg (Individual Gold medal)                            TEAM: GOLD	Natasha Spicer Abbie Aulton-Moore Amy Evans Georgina Edwards TEAM: 6th

 

Well done to ALL the swimmers. You should be exceptionally proud of your achievements. You were a credit to yourselves and the School.

 

Dance & Drama

In the last week of term the School held two excellent events, the first being the 10th Annual City Dance Festival.  The Royal organises and hosts this event every year for secondary Schools within Wolverhampton.  This year nine Schools took part with students ranging from Years 7 to 13.  Our own dancers opened up the show with a "through the ages" piece. The ten minute performance took inspiration from the 50's, 60's' 70's, 80's and today.  We also had solo performances from Erin Madden and Amy Evans.  Finally a Year 9 trio, made up of Amy Evans, Keeley Townsend and Georgina Edwards, were joined for a guest appearance by a very brave James Harrison!  Well done to everyone that took part.

  

Our annual Dance and Drama Performing Arts Show took place in the school theatre on the same evening. Thank you to those who came along to support the event.  It was a very enjoyable evening of entertainment and a special thank you must go to Jo Evans (Dance Choreography) and Ashleigh Adams (Drama) for all their hard work with the students.

 

Merit Awards - Senior School

Since my last letter in October Merit Awards have been awarded as follows:

 

Year 7: Gold	Mandeep Rayat, Sherpal Sokhi, Laura Rich
Silver:	Mandeep Rayat, Sherpal Sokhi, Elizabeth Chung, Levi Gibbons, Laura Rich, Nayha Aulakh, Maria Akram
Bronze:	Arunjit Kandola, Michael Beards
Year 8: Bronze:	Sarah Akram, Hannah Hill, Eloisa Payne, Goergia Shepherd, Sandy Boparan, Zoe Simcox, Elysia Beddoe-Purchase, Lydia Jevon, James Carey
Year 9: Bronze:	Samantha Simpson, Keeley Townsend, Georgina Edwards, Chloe Richards, Amy Evans, Stewart Hartshorne, Katie Wyatt, Gabryella Brown, Abigail Aulton-Moore, Aarunjit Gill

 

End of Autumn Term Awards 2009 - Senior School

There are over 250 awards and I am delighted that the standard of work being exhibited by award winners is ever improving.  Congratulations to all awardees.  A full list of the awards will be posted on the website.

  

Marine Society & Sea Cadets

William Pearce (Year 10) was invited to attend a course on the training ship "Royalist" for a week during November which was offered by The Marine Society & Sea Cadets with whom William has been involved for the last three years.  This was a marvelous opportunity for William to experience time on a working ship. 

  

Mentoring Certificates

The following sixth form students have received Mentoring Certificates for successfully supporting younger Junior School children during this term.  They have shown skills of organisation, communication, responsibility and the ability to work alongside teaching staff in a professional capacity.  Congratulations to:  Claire Douglas, Tracy Ha, Alisa Le and Anna Pokorna.

  

Examination Preparation

Although Christmas is almost upon us and the New Year not far away many of our students will be preparing for examinations in January.  For students in Years 10 to 13 there will also be formal examinations in May and June.  I would like everyone to understand that I consider all holiday periods to be vital exam preparation time and I consider them to be ‘study leave'.  I would suggest that students create a manageable work/revision programme for themselves such that they are utilising between two to three hours a day dedicated to preparation.

 

Revision starts here - Revision starts now - Good preparation will result in success

  

  

  

  

Staff Changes

Mrs Barbara Bee will be retiring from teaching as of the end of this term - she has been a Teacher of English & Drama at The Royal since September 2001.  I am sure there are many Old Royals, parents of Old Royals, present students of the School and their parents and guardians who wish to join with me in wishing her every success for the future.  During her time with us Mrs Bee has been an outstanding professional whose enthusiasm for her subject has been passed on to her students.  In recent years her work within the Sixth Form and most recently her role as Head of Sixth Form has benefitted our students significantly. 

 

I am delighted to inform you that Miss Cerys Cadwallader will be taking over the role of Head of Sixth Form as of January 2010 and am confident that the enthusiasm she will bring to the role will offer a seamless transfer of service to our existing Sixth Form students.   Parents wishing to contact Miss Cadwallader about matters pertaining to any aspect of the Sixth Form, university choices and course options should contact Miss Cadwallader using e-mail address:  cca@royal.wolverhampton.sch.uk .

 

I am pleased to inform you that Mrs Andrea O'Grady will be joining us in January as a Teacher of English to take on Mrs Bee's timetable.

 

On the boarding front, Mrs Ruth Ingerfield-Lapsley will take maternity leave during the Spring Term 2010 and her role as Head of Rogers House will be covered by Mr Graham Beckett.  Mr Beckett has many years of boarding experience and I am confident will be able to offer a high quality of care in the boarding house.  Parents wishing to contact Mr Beckett can do so using e-mail:   gwb@royal.wolverhampton.sch.uk

 

January also sees a change over for our GAP students - we say thank you and goodbye to Grace McKenzie- McHarg who has worked very hard during her time with us.  We wish her every success for the future and we welcome our new GAP student from Australia, Bronte Norris.

 

Overseas Travel Arrangements

Once again there were a number of overseas students who left early before the end of term.  I cannot stress enough how important it is for students to make full use of the teaching time and as such please would parents only book travel arrangements to fit in with the official term dates which are posted on the website.

 

Calendar

The calendar for next term will be posted on the School website and can be downloaded.  Each student will be given a copy to bring home at the start of next term.

 

Founder's Day - Saturday 27^th March 2010 - 11.00 am

Of the many significant dates that are published in the calendar one of the most important next term is Founder's Day which is on Saturday, 27^th March 11 am.  It is extremely important that all Parents and Guardians appreciate that as a School we expect all Senior School students to attend this event.    

 

Prompt Payment Discount/postal delays

We would like to remind you that it is essential that the Fees Administrator, (fees@royal.wolverhampton.sch.uk) is informed of any changes to the email address that you require your bill to be sent to.

 

Bills are despatched at least 4 weeks before the "Prompt Payment Discount" due dates. The respective dates are: Spring bills 20^th December, Summer bills 15^th April and Autumn bills 20^th August. If you wish to take advantage of this discount and have not received your bill you should contact the Fees Administrator to obtain the sum due to ensure that you are able to make payment prior to the discount payment date.

 

We would encourage parents to make payment directly into the School's bank account, quoting your pupil reference or student's name. Discounts will not be allowed against payments received after the allotted date.

Barclays Bank Plc, PO Box No. 5, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DS

Sort Code 20-97-90, Account Number 00850934,

IBAN GB49BARC20979000850934, Swift B/C BARCGB22

 

 

 

 

New Fee Structure September 2010 - Years 7, 8 & 9

The School's Board of Governors has decided that from September 2010 there will be a reduction in the School fees for Years 7, 8 and 9.  The following fees will apply.

 

Day Students                            Reduced from £3,870 to £3,150 per term with the prompt payment discount this will be reduced to £2,950 per term

Weekly Boarding Students         Reduced from £6,865 to £5,700 per term with the prompt payment discount this will be reduced to £5,500 per term

Full Boarding Students               Reduced from £7,695 to £5,975 per term with the prompt payment discount this will be reduced to £5,775 per term

 

With the exception of means tested bursary awards and foundation pupil status, all other scholarships and awards and the 10% loyalty bonus that is awarded as Junior School students move to Senior School will apply to the new fee structure.

 

New Initiative at The Royal

As you may be aware the School is always looking to develop new and exciting initiatives which will promote the service we provide and enhance our status both locally and in a regional context.

 

Another new initiative that has recently been approved by the School's Board of Governors is, subject to Ofsted and Charity Commission approval, the establishment of a ‘Baby Unit' at The Royal School, opening in September 2010.

 

The unit itself will be housed in the area presently occupied by a section of the Nursery and some of the Nursery provision will be relocated on the floor above. The move will necessitate some relocation of groups within the immediate area of Junior School and we are confident that the new provisions made for all sections of the School will result, in the long run, in enhanced accommodation and opportunities for all.

 

The School will be redeveloping classrooms in Junior School which are presently underused and redesigning other areas to make them more effective. The School will also be embarking on a two phase change to the second floor of the School which will see the erection of an additional external covered corridor to enable individual access to classrooms that presently have ‘shared' access. The latter work is likely to take place within phase 2 of the plan with work planned to be finished by September 2011.

 

The above assumes that any of the alterations to Junior School would be subject to planning approval to a Listed Building in a Conservation Area.

 

Drug Awareness

The School ran its annual Drug Awareness Day on Friday 6^th November.  This was advertised in my half-term letter in October.  I would like to remind parents that the day was open to everyone associated with the School and parents were invited to information sessions which took place at the end of the afternoon.  If parents feel that this time was not convenient and would prefer an alternative time please let us know so we plan accordingly.  Whilst it is unfortunate that we have to devote time to educating our students about the many pitfalls and temptations of an aspect of our modern society, the day does offer a significant insight into the extremely complex world of legal and illegal drug taking.

 

Parents may have read or may be aware that one of the many developments within the world of substance misuse is that of the so called "legal highs".  I would like to draw your attention to one substance in particular which has come to my attention via the national press and radio, the substance known as "Methadrone".  It can be obtained legally, usually on-line and delivered to a private address.  I would urge parents to research this new substance on-line so they are aware both of its existence and its devastating potential. 

 

Japanese Exchange

Mr Walker is planning an exchange visit to Japan in October 2010 over the half-term period plus a few days either side - exact dates to be confirmed.  This would be open to students in Year 10 and above.  If your son/daughter is interested in taking part please let Mr Walker know as soon as possible - cjw@royal.wolverhampton.sch.uk.  If a day student takes part then they would be expected to host a Japanese student on their return visit to the UK which will be in March 2011.  

 

Fund raising

I am very proud of the way our young people take it upon themselves to support various charities and this half of term the following organisations have benefitted.    

• Our theme for Children in Need was "Yellow & Spotty" and students and staff in Junior and Senior Schools raised a total of £331.
• For Breast Cancer Awareness Day the Sixth Form raised £400 with a theme of "Wear something Pink".
• The proceeds from the Giant Easter Egg Raffle and the collection plates from Junior School and Senior School Harvest Festivals came to £400 and this was presented to The Children's Society.     

 

Junior School Sponsored Read

I am delighted to report that the sponsored read that was held during the October half-term raised over £1,130 which will go to Compton and Mary Stevens Hospices.  Many thanks to those who supported our Junior School students in this venture. 

 

Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal

Miss Kyle and the Volunteer Group organised the Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal this term and 17 boxes were sent off yesterday to The Samaritans Purse Organisation for distribution around the world.  Thank you to all the students and parents who contributed items.  The appeal was so successful that it will be repeated next year.

 

Monetary Awards for A & A* Examination Success at GCSE & A Level

For this award to be seen in its most appropriate context, as of November 2010 it will only be presented as a result of attendance at the respective Speech Day for which the award applies.  Failure to attend Speech Day to collect such a prize will result in this aspect of a student's award being withdrawn.

 

Whilst there are challenges ahead for both staff and students I trust you will all enjoy a well deserved Christmas break.  The theme for the end of term Assembly was to think of others at this time of the year.  Although we appear to be consumed by issues such as the credit crunch, it is very important that everyone associated with a School such as ours considers those who are less fortunate than themselves and I have been delighted with the many initiatives that have led us to support deserving causes this term. 

 

I am sure students at the School will continue to uphold the traditions and values of support and giving to others in the coming months.

 

I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

S M Bailey

 

S M Bailey

Headmaster