Dear Parents/Carers, Students,

Re: Easter Holiday Information and return to school 

We return to school on Tuesday 18th April at 8:35am - All P16 students are expected to be in school as normal, regardless of their Privilege pass.

During the Easter Break revision sessions are running for Year 13 in some subjects - the subject teachers will have communicated this with you separately. If you have been invited in then please do your best to attend.

Quiet study sessions will also be running at school Monday-Thursday each week from 10-2pm. These sessions will be held in the canteen. Due to lots of contractors being on site to carry out works, students will not be allowed access to any other part of the school. Passes will be deactivated for this period so please sign in and out using the paper registers in the main reception.

Year 13 students will of course want to utilise this time effectively to revise but we would ask that all students take some time to rest and recuperate so that they are ready to jump into the Summer term.

We look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday 18th April.

Have a lovely break. 

Kind regards

Sixth Form Team

Dear Parents/Carers

Year 12 Virtual Parents’ Evening - Thursday 4^th May 2023

We would like to invite you to the Year 12 Parents’ Evening on Thursday 4^th May 2023 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Appointments will be held by video call.

Families are requested to use our automated online booking system to make appointments. This allows you the flexibility to book times directly with your child’s teachers.

Please click on the link below to book your appointments:

Appointments will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, therefore it is in the interests of both yourself and your child to ensure your appointment is booked as soon as possible. Appointments will be available to book until the end of the day on Tuesday 2^nd May 2023.

We would request that only one set of appointments are booked per student. In order to ensure the smooth running of this event, we would strongly advise that when you receive confirmation of your appointment, you click on the ‘click here’ link to check that the browser you are using is compatible. If your browser is not compatible, please cancel your appointments and let us know so we can contact you by alternative means.

You can give one other Parent/Carer access to join your video appointments in respect of each student linked to you that is involved in the conference. You can grant this access at the time of booking, or later if required.

Please note, appointment times are strictly adhered to by the booking system and will cut off when the appointment time is over. A clock will display on screen showing how long is left until the end of the appointment.

If you do not have access to the internet, have problems using this booking system or require any further assistance, please contact the school office as soon as possible on 01344 423041.

Kind regards

Miss Loj, Head of Year 12

Dear Parents/Carers

E-cigarettes and vaping information

Please see attached information from the local authority regarding the use of e-cigarettes by young people and how to support your child if you know or suspect that they are using them.

Kind regards

School Office

Good morning Year 11s

Year 11 Easter Revision Support

We hope that you are looking forward to the well-deserved break at Easter and have it pertinent in your mind at all times that we have just 23 days left until the summer exams commence. 

We know that many of you have already been invited to Easter sessions by individual teachers which will focus on targeted intervention. We thank these teachers for putting on extra sessions over their holidays, and we sincerely hope that you make every effort to attend to get as much support from your teachers as possible. In addition, we understand that for many, sitting down to revise at home can be challenging. Sometimes a change of scene is important.  Sometimes it is better to separate work from home life.  At other times the distractions at home can be a barrier to quality revision time. Therefore, as we have done in previous years, we are opening up the school over the holidays to create a University library-style revision area in the canteen for all year 11s. 

The dates are: 3rd-6th and 11th-13th April - 10:00 – 14:00 daily

You are all invited to come every day in casual clothes with your revision materials, a bottle of water and your tools for learning. A member of the senior leadership team will be on hand.  We will be providing a small snack, flashcards, and other revision materials available for you to make use of. Please arrive on time as you will not be allowed to enter and wander the site on your own but the focus being on revision and learning in a quiet space.

We hope that you take up this offer. We ask that you sign your child up on this google form in order to be able to welcome the correct numbers each day. Of course, every single hour that is attended will result in a Prom Point as we near the time of this exciting reward. 

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Best wishes

Mrs R Lister, Assistant Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers

Year 7 Virtual Parents’ Evening - Thursday 20^th April 2023

We would like to invite you to the Year 7 Parents’ Evening on Thursday 20^th April 2023 from 4pm to 7pm. Appointments will be held by video call.

Families are requested to use our automated online booking system to make appointments. This allows you the flexibility to book times directly with your child’s teachers.

Please click on the link below to book your appointments:

Appointments will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, therefore it is in the interests of both yourself and your child to ensure your appointment is booked as soon as possible. Appointments will be available to book until the end of the day on Tuesday 18^th April 2023.

We would request that only one set of appointments are booked per student. In order to ensure the smooth running of this event, we would strongly advise that when you receive confirmation of your appointment, you click on the ‘click here’ link to check that the browser you are using is compatible. If your browser is not compatible, please cancel your appointments and let us know so we can contact you by alternative means.

You can give one other Parent/Carer access to join your video appointments in respect of each student linked to you that is involved in the conference. You can grant this access at the time of booking, or later if required.

Please note, appointment times are strictly adhered to by the booking system and will cut off when the appointment time is over. A clock will display on screen showing how long is left until the end of the appointment.

If you do not have access to the internet, have problems using this booking system or require any further assistance, please contact the school office as soon as possible on 01344 423041.

Kind regards

Miss Wilson, Head of Year 7

Dear Parents/Carers

The Life Skills Company

On Thursday of last week, Year 11s had an excellent return workshop from The Life Skills Company where students were reminded of the ‘System of Success’ which they first saw in October.

A few salient points for you to support your child with are as follows:

• Pick 3 or 4 revision strategies which work for you, see the poster attached and refer to your workshop booklet
• For every topic you want to revise, create a revision product, check that you know that you know it and file it into a folder.
• With 60 calendar days until the first external exam, you should commit to at least one revision product per day on average in order to reach Monday 15^th May. This would give you 60 topics revised. Some students felt that they could commit to more than this and so they should have a number in mind to work with.
• If you create a revision product, please share it with your class teacher who will award you a Prom Point
• School will be open over the Easter break to provide a calm haven for revision, further details to follow after assembly on Friday 24^th March.

A reminder that on this Thursday 23^rd March, instead of Core PE lesson, students will be in an Exam Stress Workshop. We hope that they will find this equally useful over the course of the final 25 school days before exams commence.

Best wishes for a lovely week ahead.

Mrs R Lister, Assistant Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers

Y8 / Y9 HPV Dose 1, Dose 2

The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination is part of the NHS school-based immunisation programme in the UK. In line with government recommendations the programme now includes all boys and girls in Year 8 and Year 9.

Please see the attached letter from the School Immunisations Team.

Kind regards,

School Office

Dear Parents/Carers

Friday 17^th March 2023

Following the two days of national strike action, we would like to remind families that school will be open on Friday 17^th March as usual. All students are expected to be in school as the gates open at 08.20. I appreciate the inconvenience the last two days may have caused but we are looking forward to seeing all students back tomorrow (Friday). We know that great attendance is linked with great outcomes. Year 9 and 10 are involved in a 'Drop Down Day' where they will be focused on enterprise and careers-related activities. This includes having over 20 external visitors in school, from a range of sectors, and the plan looks exciting! Year 12 are also involved in a 'Drop Down Day' with a focus on sex, relationship and health.

Looking forward to seeing all students tomorrow!

Kind regards

Mr B Tailor, Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers

Year 9 Choices Evening: Thursday 23^rd March 2023 – 17:30-19:00

We hope that you will be able to attend the Choices Evening on Thursday 23^rd March. The evening will commence at 17:30, there will be two presentations, the first starting at 17:40 (X half of the year group) and repeating again at 18:20 (Y half of the year group) in the main hall.

The presentation will provide you with information about the pathways, the process of making choices and key information on our curriculum together with the core subjects.

We are pleased to share with you the Year 9 Choices Booklet which you can view by clicking on the link below:

https://brakenhale.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/TEMPLATE-Year-9-Choices-Booklet-2023-25.docx.pdf

You should choose subject options from the EBACC Pathway / EBACC Optional Pathway / Open Pathway. Each student has been assigned a pathway which is best suited to support their success at Key Stage 4 based on prior attainment and recent assessment results. If you have any questions about the pathways then please do discuss with us on the Choices Evening.

X half of Y9 (B|R|A|K)	Y half of Y9 (E|N|H)
17:40 - Main hall presentation starts	17:30 Subject Fayre
18:00 – Subject Fayre	18:20 Main hall presentation starts

During the evening, each subject will have a representative available to discuss the courses we offer at Key Stage 4 – they will be available in the school canteen until 19:00. Please visit and ask questions to help decide the best combination of subjects.

Students should make their choices using an electronic platform called ‘SIMS Options Online’. Students and parents will receive an email on Friday 17th March from ‘noreply@sims.co.uk’ with a personal invite code to register on the platform. Please be mindful that some email systems will move the email into a ‘junk’ or ‘spam’ folder. Parents are required to register to authorise their child’s selection, please click on the link below to view the guide on how to register.

https://brakenhale.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Parent-App-Lite-Getting-Started-Guide.pdf

Once registered, the ‘SIMS Options Online’ platform can be accessed to select the choices via www.sims-options.co.uk. If you have previously registered with the ‘SIMS Parent App’ then you will be able to use the same login details for the ‘SIMS Options Online’ platform. The deadline for making subject choices is Friday 31^st March 2023.

A website, displaying all of the pathways and option subjects is available at https://sites.google.com/brakenhale.co.uk/ks4options/home The site contains subject information such as number of exams, coursework requirements and why students may wish take that particular subject. The site also contains contact details of all subject leaders should you have any further questions and will include a copy of the presentation from the Choices Evening for those families unable to attend.

Please note that if you will be joining us for the Choices Evening, parking on-site is very limited.

Kind regards

Mr A George, Associate Assistant Headteacher

Dear Students, Parents/Carers,

This Friday, 17th March is Drop Down Day for our Year 12 students, therefore Year 13 students will be placed on Gold privilege passes for the day and will only need to be in for their lessons.  The Sixth Form study room will be out of use for much of the day and therefore Year 13 students can study at home during their registered study. If students need a space to work in school then we will accommodate them.

Year 12 students will have another opportunity to engage in the school wide Drop Down Day. The theme of the day for the year group is Relationships, Sex, and Health Education. The topics covered have been purposefully selected and are meant to deliver information which is relevant to pupils' lives at the moment and that are applicable in real-world experiences. This is meant to be an enriching experience and forms part of students' PSHE programme. As such, attendance is mandatory. All pupils will be expected to be present at 8:40am for tutor time, regardless of their privilege pass level. Dismissal for the year group will take place at lunchtime. 

We are really looking forward to our second drop down day of the academic year.

Kind Regards

The Sixth Form Team 

Dear Students

Please be reminded that the school remains open to yourselves during the industrial strike action, Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March.

All students will be on a gold privilege pass for these two days, meaning that you only have to be in for the lessons that are taking place on those days. You do NOT need to be in tutor time Wednesday 15th March or Thursday 16th March.

A list of lessons that are taking place will be emailed to you each morning.

You are also required to be in for the Enrichment session, tomorrow afternoon to complete the Oxwell Survey - this is a whole school initiative and all students need to take part. It will last 25-35 minutes and you can leave once it is completed.

School will be open again as normal on Friday 17th March, with your normal privilege pass back in place. A reminder that Year 12 will be taking part in 'Drop Down Day' and will be dismissed at lunchtime.

Kind Regards

The Sixth Form Team

Good evening Year 11

Year 11 Pre-Public Exams

Massive congratulations on completing an excellent final practice of Pre-Public Exams (PPEs) over the past fortnight. Each of you have aimed high and worked exceptionally hard, with focus and resilience. We know that students have taken responsibility with revision and dedication which will result in significant academic progress for our students.

As always with this year group, the feedback from external invigilators is that our students have behaved in an exemplary manner, and have adhered to the JCQ regulations at all times. Well done and thank you.

Results of various exam papers will be given back via class teachers over the next few weeks. You will receive your full set of official PPE results in the week commencing 27^th March. Teachers will then be using precision plans to fill gaps in knowledge and secure a robust revision plan for the rest of the academic year, right up until the day of each subject's final exam.

To further support students and their ongoing efforts in preparation for the summer exams, we are putting on the following sessions. We hope that, together with subject-specific feedback from teachers, these sessions will bring about even more positive progress: 

• Thursday 16th March: The Life Skills Company Workshop (X-side p1; Y-side p3)
• Thursday 23rd March: Ms Burden Exam Stress Workshop (y side p1; x side p4)

Finally, a few reminders for next week:

• Turbo Tutor will resume on Monday 13^th March, students are expected in their tutor bases before 08:30.
• Study Prep will also resume from Monday 13^th March, and students will be released at 15:40 Monday to Thursday. 
• After school tuition will also resume in the Sixth Form Centre from Monday 16:00 -17:00, with double Prom Points awarded.
• There are national strikes on Wednesday 15^th and Thursday 16^th during which time there will be full days of provision for Year 11s. For Study Prep on these two days, students will be invited to stay on site and work with subject specialist staff until 15:40, as well as supervised provision in the LRC.

Best wishes for a well-deserved restful weekend.

Kind regards

Mrs R Lister, Assistant Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers

National Industrial Action

I hope this finds you well. Please find below details of our provision for the upcoming two days of national industrial action, as I had previously shared. 

The national industrial action (strike) is taking place across the country over two days: Wednesday 15th March and Thursday 16th March.

Similar to the previous strike day, I have made the decision that our school will remain open for the following year groups: Year 11, 12 and 13 only.  For Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 (all other year groups), work will be uploaded on the Google Classrooms for the two days.

If you are a critical worker and would like your child(ren) to come into school, please inform us by emailing mainreception@brakenhale.co.uk  by 15.00 on Tuesday 14th March. This provision is also available for students with additional needs. Furthermore, if you will have difficulty with childcare for the days, please let us know. Please do this by 15.00 on Tuesday 14th March too.

I understand that, once again, this will be an inconvenience for families. There was some indication that talks with the government would have halted these two days of industrial actions but it seems this has not materialised. I have made the decision based on the most up to date risk assessment and protecting the health and safety of our students is my first priority.  My decision takes into account the number of teaching staff potentially taking strike action.

 As before, I want to thank you for your understanding and for making alternative arrangements for your child(ren). This is not an ideal situation but one, I hope, is resolved by our government in the near future.

Kind regards

Mr B Tailor, Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers

Special Menu - Tuesday 14th March - Pi Day

Kind regards

School Office

Dear Parents/Carers

School Uniform Changes - Department for Education

As you may be aware new, legislation has been implemented by the Department for Education to reduce the cost of school uniform to make it affordable for all.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-to-drive-down-cost-of-school-uniform-for-families

At Brakenhale, we have carefully considered the guidance and have made a decision to refine our uniform from September 2023.  It has been agreed that the five-compulsory branded (logo) items will be:

• School blazer
• School tie
• School bag
• School skirt
• PE polo shirt

We will continue to use The Direct Clothing Company as suppliers of our uniform. All other currently branded (logo) items will still be available to be purchased should you wish to, however they are not compulsory.

Please find attached our uniform and equipment guidance.

We would also like to confirm that the school sweatshirt will be removed from our uniform and after Easter 2024.  We request that students no longer wear this item in school from this time.

Kind regards

Mr B Tailor, Headteacher

Morning

SCHOOL IS OPEN AS USUAL TODAY - please ensure students take care walking in and wear appropriate footwear for the weather.

Kind regards

School Office

Dear Parents/Carers

School Canteen Meal Deal

As we are all aware, the cost of living increases impacts many aspects of our daily lives. This includes the purchases of ingredients and foods from the supermarkets. Over the last few months, we have been monitoring this in terms of our catering and canteen offer. As a result, we would like to give advance notice that due to these increased costs from our suppliers, with effect from September 2023, the cost of our meal deal will increase to £2.75. This is a 15p increase from the present meal deal of £2.60 The meal deal includes a mail meal and a drink or a pudding.

In addition to this, there will be some increases to some of our other items. However, we will endeavour to keep these increases to a minimum and update you accordingly.

Kind regards

School Office

Dear Parents/Carers

Global Young Journalist Awards

Please see attached information on the Global Young Journalist Awards which we encourage all students to enter.

Kind regards

Mrs D Lewis, English Department

Dear Parents/Carers

National Careers Week

Brakenhale School will be celebrating National Careers Week, 6th -10th March 2023. 

During our Careers week, we will have lots on offer for the students: our LRC will be housing a Careers area where students will have access to informative careers literature, fun quizzes and crosswords. There will be a National Virtual Careers Fair online (ncw2023.co.uk) and a National Careers Week TV Channel (ncwtv.co.uk).  We will also have a Career focused Assembly. 

In light of this we would like to share this downloadable Careers eBook for parents/carers. It is a great insight, and can help structure conversations at home about post 16 (year old) options. To access the guide, you just need to sign up to the Success at School mailing list. You can do this by clicking on this link: Success at School Parents and Carers Guide      

What you will see from the guide: 

This year’s Parents’ Guide will be our second edition, and has a skills specific theme. This guide has been designed to help parents support their children in making informed decisions about their future, and develop the correct skills to help them succeed. Parents will benefit from content on topics including:

• Pathways into work, including T-levels, apprenticeships and university
• The importance of employability skills 
• The value of work experience placements
• Student finance and choosing student accommodation
• Careers advice dos and don’ts
• 24-day “skills workout” exercises to complete at home, designed to help young people actively develop eight key employability skills
• PLUS interviews and guest content from organisations including PwC, University of Bath, Sky, Institute of Student Employers, Staffordshire University and many more

Kind regards

Mrs K Allum, Careers Lead 

Dear Parents/Carers

Bracknell Forest School Sport Partnership

I am delighted to offer you this FREE opportunity to get active and use our local leisure facilities.

We work closely with the Bracknell Forest School Sport partnership and the local leisure centre.  As part of the 'adopt a school programme' Bracknell Leisure Centre have invited us to take part in this free initiative whereby students, parents and teachers of Brakenhale can have free use of the leisure facilities for not just 1, but 2 months!

The months agreed are March 2023 and July 2023. The sign-up sheet for July will be sent out later in the year!

All you need to do is print the sign-up form attached to this email, fill it out and take it to the leisure centre, please also take this email to prove that you are a member of Brakenhale school and they will sign you up for FREE centre use in March.

This is a fantastic way of getting some well-deserved well-being time with a work-out or exercise class, or similar. 

Many thanks and I look forward to hearing how you get on in March!

Kind regards

Mr M Potter, Head of PE

Dear Parents/Carers

Year 11 Uniform

Since returning from half term we have noticed in an increase in the number of uniform infringements being logged and observed by members of staff.  

High standards of uniform are a key part of school culture and we expect our students to wear their uniforms with pride. It is essential for all of our students to see each other in the same light and part of the same community working together; for our younger students to see a small number of Year 11s 'flouting' some uniform expectations is not right, or fair - we must all present the same.  We must be exemplifying our value of “Taking Responsibility” here.

Below is a list of the common uniform infringements we have noticed recently with a number of our Year 11 students:

• fake eyelashes
• piercings that are not just in the lower lobe 
• fake nails and nail polish
• bracelets
• decorative / fluffy socks over tights
• hoodies
• jogging bottoms/shorts under trousers
• wearing more than one plain ring
• wearing trainers instead of school shoes

Please can we ask for your support and ask you to discuss the uniform policy with your child.  Please ensure that they are adhering to the school uniform policy. You must spend some time, over the weekend, ensuring that your children have the correct school uniform and that any adornments or make up/nails are in-line with our expectations. This would be highly appreciated.

From Monday students with any infringements will be issued with an after-school detention if they do not meet these expectations - in line with all year groups for clarity, consistency and parity. Some students have been spoken to already this week to pre-warn them.  This will continue tomorrow.  They then have the weekend to correct this.  We all know very well that young people expect to be treated fairly and equally so this aspect of school is important - students are to take personal responsibility for their appearance to ensure it is correct.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Year 11 team. 

Kind regards

Mr Hilton and the Year 11 team

Dear Parents/Carers

Strike Day

Further to the Headteacher's update sent on 25th February, we would like to remind you that the second national and local industrial action (strike) is taking place across the country  tomorrow Thursday 2nd March 2023.

We will remain open for the following year groups: Year 11, 12 and 13 only.  For Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 (all other year groups), work will be uploaded on the Google Classrooms for the day. This will be available from 09.00 on Thursday.

Kind regards

School Office