Dear Parents/Carers
End of term – Empty Lockers
As we reach the end of term, please remind students it is a great time to empty their lockers.
Kind regards
School Office

Dear Parents/Carers

Year 9 Meningococcal ACWY & Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio Booster immunisations
All young people in Year 9 are due to receive their 3in1 (tetanus/diphtheria/polio) booster alongside the Meningococcal ACWY vaccination.
We will be visiting your child’s school Brakenhale on 19 January 2023. Please complete the electronic consent form (one for each child) via Vaccination Consent (berkshireimmunisations.co.uk) and insert your schools unique code: BK142577
This form should be submitted by 9am 24 working hours before your session to ensure your child receives their vaccinations. If you experience any problems accessing the form, please telephone 0300 365 0077 and the team will be happy to help you. If you decide you do not want to vaccinate your child, please select no consent, giving the reason. This will help us plan and improve the service.
If you have any queries or have difficulty accessing the form, please contact us on 0300 365 0077 or email us at centralschoolimms@berkshire.nhs.uk and we will be happy to help.

Outstanding School Leaver Boosters
Please see attached information regarding outstanding boosters for Years 10/11.
We will be visiting your child’s school Brakenhale on 19 January 2023. Please complete the electronic consent form (one for each child) via Vaccination Consent (berkshireimmunisations.co.uk) and insert your schools unique code: BK142577 This form should be submitted by 9am 24 working hours before your session to ensure your child receives their vaccinations.
Consent Form
If you experience any problems accessing the form, please telephone 0300 365 0077 and the team will be happy to help you. If you decide you do not want to vaccinate your child, please select no consent, giving the reason. This will help us plan and improve the service.

Kind regards
The Berkshire School Aged Immunisation Team

Dear Year 11 Students, Parents/Carers,
Sixth Form Taster Day: Friday 6th January
Our Sixth Form Taster Day is taking place on Friday 6th January. All students in year 11 have been invited to attend and have already selected 4 subjects to try out during the day. Students will also take part in some team building and a study session with the Sixth Form Student Leadership Team.
Students will follow the normal timings of the school day but will be invited to wear Sixth Form Dress Code (please see the attached flyer for further details).
Phones can only be used at break and lunchtime in the Sixth Form Study Area. If they are used or seen outside of this area during the course of the day then the normal sanctions will apply.
Students will receive individual timetables on Thursday 5th January prior to the Taster Day.
This is an excellent opportunity to see what our Sixth Form has to offer and for students to have real experience of Level 3 qualifications prior to confirming their subject choices.
A reminder that the deadline for Sixth Form applications is: Monday 16th January
Have a wonderful Christmas.
Ms Manlay

Dear Parents/Carers
Christmas Lunch
If your child has booked Christmas Lunch for Wednesday 14th December, their tutor will hand out their tickets during AM Registration that day. If for any reason your child has booked and does not receive their ticket, please make them aware that they must see a member of the canteen staff or visit main reception, who will ensure that they receive their meal.
If your child is not having a Christmas lunch, usual break food will be available, together with sandwiches and paninis served from the hatch at lunch time.
Kind regards
School Office

Dear Students, Parents/Carers,
As the weather gets colder please be reminded of the expectations regarding Sixth Form Dress Code.
Students will always in the first instance be politely reminded to adhere to our dress code for the following day. Should students need to be repeatedly reminded then we will have to ask that they go home to change.
Sportswear for Sixth Form is only permitted on a Wednesday in line with enrichment. Otherwise, the only students who should be in sportswear are students who take the following practical subjects:
CTEC Sport
BTEC Dance
BTEC Drama
BTEC Music
As a school based Sixth Form where we expect full school uniform in Year 7-11 and professional dress for the adults, it is important for our Sixth Form to also dress in a manner appropriate for a formal setting.
Please see the attached poster for further clarification and we thank you all for your support.
Kind Regards
The Sixth Form Team

Dear Parents/Carers
End of Term
We would like to advise of our end of term arrangements for Friday 16th December. Break time will be as normal 10:50am -11:20am, students will be dismissed at 12:15pm.
Kind regards
School Office

Dear Parents/Carers
Christmas Jumper Day 2022
We are delighted to be supporting the Save the Children Charity by taking part in Christmas Jumper Day on Thursday 8th December. Donations can be made via ParentPay or alternatively a donation of an item for the Foodbank can be bought into Main Reception.
https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/christmas-jumper-day/about
Christmas jumpers must be appropriate for school and can replace school jumpers, blazers and ties on this day, all other uniform items must remain as usual. If your child chooses not to wear a Christmas jumper, then they will need to be in full school uniform.
Kind regards
School Office

Dear Parents/Carers
Christmas Charity
We are pleased to advise you of our Christmas Charity event, which your child(ren) may have already told you about over the weekend as this was shared with them during tutor time on Friday.
Gift giving has been a tradition, possibly as old as humanity itself with the main aim of maintaining friendly relationships and building trust between groups.
Giving in the run up to Christmas is important especially to give to those that have less than us. People in our community will struggle this winter to heat their homes, feed their families and even to provide presents for Christmas Day. We as a school would like to support as many families as we can by bringing in donations for the Bracknell Foodbank.
It is a really simple idea. With a standard Advent calendar, you open a window or door each day during the first 24 days of December. Though traditionally you would just see a picture behind that window or receive a chocolate, this year we would like you to give and not receive by building our donations to the food bank from chocolate and biscuits to tinned fruit and long-life milk. A reverse Advent calendar switches it so that rather than taking something each day, you put something in (a gift).
Important point – students do not have to bring donations every day, they can bring a selection in various days or lots in one go or none at all. All donations should be placed in the box under the Christmas tree by the Conference Room and Medical. The great thing is that you can give as much or as little as you like!
Thank you in advance of your support.
Kind regards
Mrs H Whitaker Flower, Deputy Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers
2022 Christmas Card Competition
I would like to thank all the students who entered this year’s Christmas Card competition. We were overwhelmed with the amount of entries this year and I was thoroughly impressed with the high standard of artwork and effort the students had put into the cards.
The decision on the winners was certainly a difficult choice however, I am pleased to announce that this year we have four winners:
Rohita Y10
Kye Y8
Isobel Y7
Chloe Y11
All of the cards have been displayed in the reception area for everyone to enjoy in the coming days up until the end of term.
Congratulations once again to everyone who took part in the competition!
Kind regards
Mr B Tailor, Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers
Strep A (Group A Streptococcus)
Further to recent news coverage, we would like to share with you the attached fact sheet which outlines the signs and symptoms of the Strep A infection which has been on the increase with school aged children.
Kind regards
School Office

Fact sheet for schools and parents about Group A Streptococcus
(GAS)/Scarlet Fever.
What is Group A Streptococcus?
Group A Streptococcus or Streptococcus pyogenes is a bacterium that can be found in the throat and on the skin. People may carry it and have no symptoms of illness or may develop infection.
How is it spread?
Group A Streptococcus survives in throats and on skin for long enough to allow easy spread between people through sneezing and skin contact. People who are currently carrying the bacteria in the throat or on the skin may have symptoms of illness or they may have no symptoms and feel fine. In both cases, these bacteria can be passed on to others.
What kinds of illnesses are caused by Group A Streptococcus?
Most Group A Streptococcus illnesses are relatively mild, with symptoms including a sore throat (“strep throat”), scarlet fever or a skin infection such as impetigo.
However, on rare occasions, these bacteria can cause other severe and sometimes life-threatening diseases.
Although scarlet fever is usually a mild illness, it should be treated with antibiotics to minimise the risk of complications and reduce the spread to others.
The symptoms of scarlet fever include a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. This is followed by a fine red rash which typically first appears on the chest and stomach, rapidly spreading to other parts of the body. On more darkly pigmented skin, the scarlet rash may be harder to spot, but it will still feel like ‘sandpaper’. The face can be flushed red but pale around the mouth.
Children who have had chickenpox or influenza (‘flu) recently are more likely to develop more serious infection during an outbreak of scarlet fever and so parents should remain vigilant for symptoms such as a persistent high fever, cellulitis (skin infection) and arthritis (joint pain and swelling). If you are concerned for any reason please seek medical assistance immediately.
What is invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) disease?
Although rare, invasive Group A Streptococcus disease may occur when bacteria get into parts of the body where bacteria are not usually found. These infections are called invasive Group A Streptococcal disease and can be very serious and even life-threatening.
What are the symptoms of invasive Group A Streptococcal disease?
The most important thing to be aware of are the early signs and symptoms of invasive Group A Streptococcal disease. These are:
 High Fever
 Severe muscle aches
 Localised muscle tenderness
 Redness at the site of a wound
What should I do if my child becomes unwell?
If your child becomes unwell contact your GP practice. Alternatively, you can call NHS111 and you should also call NHS111 if your surgery is closed.
If my child is unwell, should they stay off school?
If your child becomes unwell with these symptoms you should contact your GP practice or call NHS111 (which operates a 24/7 service) to seek advice. If your child is unwell they should stay off school until they are better.
What else can I do to prevent my child from becoming unwell?
Because Group A Streptococcal disease is spread through coughing, sneezing and skin contact, its’s important to have good hand hygiene and catch coughs and sneezes in tissues and throw these away. If you are unwell, stay at home and seek medical advice. This will all help limit the spread of other infections, which are common this time of year.

Dear Student, Parents/Carers,
Please find below the arrangements for the last day of term: Friday 16th December
· Periods 1 and 2 and break – as normal and following your privilege pass
· End of Break – all students go to their Tutor Bases
· Period 3 Registers will be taken (following your privilege pass – Bronze and Silver students will be expected to attend and Gold students are very welcome)
· 11.30am – Virtual Assembly
· 12.15pm – All students will be dismissed
Students will return to school on Wednesday 4th January 2023.
Kind Regards
The Sixth Form Team

Year 12 Only – Study Day – Friday 6th January
We would like to inform you that on Friday 6th January, Year 12 students will be given a Study Day. Timetabled lessons for this day will post work on their respective Google classrooms and this work should be completed at home. Students should also use this time to catch up on respective work and revise their Term One content before moving on to the next, more challenging phase in their learning.
Should you wish to come into school on Friday 6th January then please let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in Study – Year 12 lessons however will not be running.
All Year 12 students will be required to be back in school as normal on Monday 9th January dependent on their privilege pass.

As you are aware the Brakenhale Sixth Form Taster Day is on Friday 6th January. Students made their subject selections on Tuesday 29th December during Turbo Tutor.
We are aware that not all students will stay on at Sixth Form but we are asking that all Year 11 students attend so that you are able to experience the Sixth Form first hand and then make informed decisions about your next steps.
Further information about the day will be sent out very soon.
Kind regards,
Ms Manlay, Head of Sixth Form/Assistant Headtecher

Dear Sixth Form Students, Parents/Carers,
Sixth Form attendance expectations reminders
We are noticing a rise in the number of students who are informing us they will be missing some of their school day due to medical appointments, often with little notice.
Whilst we appreciate being informed and realise that some appointments can be hard to arrange, we are seeing an increased number of these on a daily basis.
Our overall goal in the Sixth form is to prepare our students for real life, whether this is employment, an apprenticeship or studying at University. In a professional setting some of the notifications we receive would not be acceptable given the short time frame of notice provided.
We do request that, wherever possible, appointments are to be made outside of the school day; most students can be finished by lunchtime if they don’t have a lesson period 5.
We are currently monitoring this and we may need to request evidence for those who seem to be having frequent appointments/missed school sessions so we can then put in any support that may be required.
We would like to remind students that our expectations for attendance are as follows:
If you are going to be late to school, even by a couple of minutes, please email sixthform@brakenhale.co.uk. We will make a note of this on our system.
If you are late and we have not received a reason, this will result in a 30 minute detention to be held in the Sixth Form area with a member of the Sixth Form Team at 3pm on the same day.
If you are not well enough to attend assembly, tutor, or make it into school for a P1/P2 lesson, this is an indication that you should not be in a learning environment and we ask you to therefore stay at home to rest and recover.
Please email sixthform@brakenhale.co.uk with the reason for your absence and keep us updated daily until your return to school.
If you are feeling unwell and need to leave the school site, please speak to a member of staff or a member of the Sixth Form Team. This will then be recorded on our system, so we know your whereabouts.
If you do have to leave suddenly please email sixthform@brakenhale.co.uk to inform us.
We aim to encourage the students to be getting into good routines now, so that later in life these habits are already formed.
We thank you for your support
The Sixth Form Team

Privilege Pass Requirements
GOLD: Required to be in timetabled lessons, 1 tutor session a week and assembly each week. Allowed to leave site at both break and lunch.
SILVER: Required to be in timetabled lessons, Period 3 and 4, 1 tutor session a week and assembly each week. Allowed to leave site at both break and lunch.
BRONZE: Required to be periods 1-4 may leave after period 4 if there is no timetabled lesson, tutor sessions each day, assembly each week. Allowed to leave site at both break and lunch.
Reminder to be using sign in/out system every time you arrive and leave site.
Please also be wearing lanyards around site with your privilege pass visual.