Dear Parents/Carers

Strike Day - Tuesday 2nd May

Just a reminder school is open for Years 11 and 13 only on Tuesday 2nd May all other Year Groups will have learning posted into google classrooms in the morning.

We are open as normal on Wednesday 3rd May and we look forward to seeing all students then,

Kind regards

School Office

Dear Parents/Carers

Strike Day - Thursday 27th April

Just a reminder school is open for Years 11 and 13 only tomorrow (Thursday 27th April) all other Year Groups will have learning posted into google classrooms in the morning.

We are open as normal on Friday 28th April and we look forward to seeing all students then,

Kind regards

School Office

Dear Year 13 Students, Parents/Carers

Subject: Summer Term Information

We hope you all had a lovely Easter break. Well done to those students who came in for extra sessions and to all those who worked diligently at home. We are now in the final stages of your school career and every moment counts in ensuring that you are able to achieve the best possible outcomes at the end of this year.

Please see below for some important updates regarding Year 13:

From next Tuesday, 2nd May, all year 13 students will only be required to attend their timetabled lessons (this includes extra period 6 and lunchtime sessions if required by a teacher).

From Tuesday 2nd May, Year 13 do not have to attend Registered study sessions, Tuesday tutor, Wednesday assembly, Enrichment or PSHE sessions.

Students are expected to use this time effectively and for study purposes. All Year 13 students are very welcome to be in school to use the Sixth Form areas to study during the school day if they wish to do so and we hope they do!

Students are reminded of the importance of attending every lesson - your teachers will be revising with you right up until the exam and the expectation is that all lessons are attended as normal. We are currently in the process of organising extra revision sessions prior to each exam and we will share these times with you asap.

As normal, students will still need to email us to notify us of their attendance, medical appointments during their lessons and are reminded to sign in and out of the building and to wear their lanyards at all times.

Important announcement for students who drive to and from school:

For students who drive and use the school car park, the back gates on Coningsby entrance are now closed between the hours of 8:30am and 3:05pm, along with the pedestrian gate, therefore access during these times is via Rectory lane only.

To exit during these times - Please drive up to the White line, so the sensors can detect your car and the gate will open automatically, please wait until the gates are fully open before driving out - even on those on scooters/motorbikes

Please be reminded to park in a marked-out bay - there is plenty of parking for Sixth Form by the Coningsby entrance, see map attached for guidance on this, and to drive at 5 mph.

Important safety announcement for all students:

A reminder if you are leaving the site during the day on foot, the back of the school is completely locked - you must leave by the front pedestrian gates. Please do not walk through the automatic gate area - this is for cars only and you risk an accident if you do so. Also, do not use the intercom for access on foot either side of the gate, as again you should not be walking in the road area.

Year 13 are a wonderful cohort and we are incredibly proud of all that they have already achieved. We would like to wish all our Year 13 students the best of luck with their upcoming exams and deadlines and remind them that if they have any concerns or queries that they should not hesitate to contact us at any time.

Kind regards

The Sixth Form Team

Dear Year 11

Post-16 Options

I hope you are having a good start to the term so far.  I know there has been a lot of activity regarding your Post-16 options, so I wanted to take this opportunity to reiterate the important points that you need to know to secure your next steps. This is the perfect time to triple check everything.

What are your Post-16 options?

Post-16 options are:

• Full-time education (e.g. School, College or Sixth form College)
• Apprenticeship
• Part-time education or training - as well as being employed, self-employed or volunteering for 20 hours or more a week

What do you need to understand about your Post-16 option Application?

Typically, you will have been offered a ‘conditional offer’ this means that you have a place IF you meet the minimum grade requirements for that course. You now have your most recent PPE results, so these should give you a good indication if you are likely to achieve those grades. You have also had the Easter holidays to revise and lots of support sessions from your teachers to help you improve. You need to be realistic, and ensure you have secured the correct level course for your grades.

What do you do if your PPE grades don’t match the Post-16 course minimum entry requirements?

I always encourage students to have a plan A, B and sometimes even a plan C! It is better to have options and choices for all eventualities. If you have booked a Level 3 Diploma course, but having seen your recent PPE results are now a little unsure or nervous about meeting the grade requirements, then please ensure you have also applied for a Level 2 course. Telephone the course provider to arrange this. Please remember students can come to Mrs Allum’s office to use the telephone to call College on a Monday and a Thursday.

Have you replied to the course provider to confirm your conditional offer?

I met with Bracknell & Wokingham and also Reading College, who advised me that there are MANY students who have not replied to confirm their ‘conditional offer’ even though they have still attended the ‘Meet the Teacher’ event. The email was sent from Activate Learning Admissions (AL) and it was titled ‘Your application with Activate Learning.’ The email asks you to ‘reply to this email to let us know you are happy to accept the offer and any conditions.’ PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAILS TO ENSURE YOU HAVE DONE THIS. Please ask your parent/carer or Mrs Allum if you need help. At this stage, you want to accept all your conditional and non-conditional offers - this means you are keeping your options open. On the GCSE results day, you then decide which offer you want to accept, as then you will then be aware of your actual final grades. 

What to do if you have missed the College ‘Meet the Teacher’ event and want to rearrange?

If you have missed the ‘Meet the Teacher’ event, then just find the initial email and click the button that says ‘reschedule’ and you will be able to book another.

What if you have applied to Brakenhale Sixth Form?

If you have had your interview then you will have had an email offering you a conditional offer based on you meeting the entry requirements. Students who have not had their interviews will be having them during lunchtimes this week and will then receive their offer letter. On results day, the Sixth Form team will be in school to have discussions with you about your results and enrol you into the Sixth Form if you have met the entry requirements. If you have not met the entry requirements then please seek out a member of the team so that we can support you.

What do I need to do on GCSE results day (Thursday 24th August 2023)

You may have more than one application, so consider your results and the requirement grades for the courses you have applied to. Make your decision on your first choice. Get your first choice application ACCEPTED, before you decline the other courses - it is so important you do it this way round!

You MUST enrol on your preferred course on the actual day of the GCSE results - make that it is the first thing you do after receiving the results. It MAY be on a first come first served basis, so don’t waste time in doing this!  For most course providers correspondence will be sent by email, telling you what to do. After that day, all courses are opening up, so any spaces left will be offered to others.

Bursaries

• Bursaries are available from many course providers for certain circumstances, please investigate once you are enrolled.

Myth busters!

• Telling a course provider that they are your first choice does not guarantee you a place.
• Having a ‘conditional offer’ does not mean you have a place unless you meet the minimum requirement grades.

At this stage it is important that you:

• Have accepted your ‘conditional offers’ with the provider
• Have a course/s with entry requirements that are similar to your expected GCSE grades
• Understand that on GCSE results day that you need to enrol with the course provider

If you need further Careers Advice what are my options?

• Email the Brakenhale Careers Lead, Mrs Allum kallum@brakenhale.co.uk to organise a meeting.
• There is also a Government National Careers Service helpline
  National Careers Service
  Telephone: 0800 100 900
  Text messages: 07766 413 219
  Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm
  Saturday, 10am to 5pm
  You can also arrange for a National Careers Service adviser to call you - this will not cost you anything

Please note there is another Open Event at Bracknell & Wokingham College on Wednesday 10th May at 4.30-7.30pm.

If you are leaving Brakenhale School after Year 11, then ensure your next course provider has your personal email address for future communication.

If you are leaving Brakenhale School at the end of Year 11, then please note during the Summer Term your Brakenhale email address will become void - please can you ensure you give your next course provider ie. College, your personal email address as soon as convenient, so as not to miss any important enrolment information over these essential upcoming weeks and months.

Wishing you all a smooth term ahead.

Kind regards

Mrs H Whitaker Flower - Deputy Headteacher
Ms A Manlay - Head of Brakenhale Sixth Form
Mrs K Allum - Careers Lead

Dear Parents/Carers and Students

Summer Exams

As written GCE, BTEC and GCSE are fast approaching we thought it would be a good opportunity to remind everyone of the contingency dates, this is in the event that exams may need to be rescheduled.

The dates that have been set aside as the contingency days are Thursday 8th June and Thursday 15th June 2023 (afternoons only), and Wednesday 28th June 2023 (all day). This means that all exam candidates must be available to sit exams from the date of their first exam up to and including Wednesday 28th June 2023.

We have also enclosed a copy of the timetable. Please note all JCQ Rules and Regulations can be found on the School website.

Kind regards

The Exams Team

Dear Parents/Carers

UK Emergency Alerts Service

On Sunday 23rd April 2023, there will be a national test of the UK Emergency Alerts service. Emergency Alerts is a UK government service to warn the public if there is danger to life nearby. In an emergency, your mobile phone or tablet will receive an alert with advice about how to stay safe.

Please note that the scheduled test alert on Sunday 23rd April could risk detection of a hidden phone or device held by anyone experiencing domestic abuse. If you hold such a phone or device you may wish to take mitigating actions, for example turning off your phone or digital device, changing settings or opting out of emergency alerts.

For more details visit About Emergency Alerts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Refuge has also created a useful video with further guidance and details on changing settings on both Apple and Android devices: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=I2MBcHwmiy8

Kind regards

School Office

Dear Parents/Carers

Home / School communication

There will be occasions when you feel it is necessary to contact the school, via email, in order to support your child(ren). We know that you would appreciate a prompt response to your email.

In order to streamline our communication systems between home and school, we are introducing one, central email inbox. This is to be used for all issues, queries and concerns that are pastoral in nature. For example, if you want more information about an upcoming event; you want to liaise with the relevant member of staff to support your child(ren); you want a member of staff to look into a school-related issue. Moving ahead, please send emails directly to:

Pastoral@brakenhale.co.uk

This email should be used instead of sending an email directly to a tutor, Head of Year, classroom teacher or a member of the Senior Leadership Team. This email inbox will be managed by our Curriculum Support Manager who will promptly direct your email to the relevant member of staff. This will reduce the likelihood of an email being sent to the wrong member of staff, which will ultimately delay the length of time it takes for you to receive a response. This also removes the need for parents/carers to consider who they need to direct a pastoral query to and makes this process simple for all parents.

You should expect an email response within 48 hours, during the working week. We would kindly ask that you patiently wait for this time to pass before sending any further emails. This inbox will be managed between the working hours of 8am-5pm Monday to Friday during term time.

Please note that any emails sent directly to staff members may lead to this email being forwarded over to the Pastoral inbox, which may cause a delay in receiving a response.

For clarity, please see the relevant email addresses that should be used for various queries:

Pastoral @brakenhale.co.uk	Attendance @brakenhale.co.uk	Safeguarding @brakenhale.co.uk	Please use SEN Contact Form here.
- Uniform, Homework and Tools for Learning - Pastoral concerns - Lesson progress	- Absence - Lateness - Medical Appointments	- Safeguarding concerns	- SEN questions and concerns

Kind regards

Mr P McKane, Assistant Headteacher