News

Our Year 12 BTEC Sports Students displayed an impressive example of student leadership and community engagement at the multi-skills sports festival, which saw approximately 100 primary school pupils taking part in an action-packed afternoon.

The preparation for this event required careful planning from the student leaders, with the help of the Sporting Young Ambassadors. The leaders were responsible for the operations on the day, including welcoming the guest pupils, leading warm-up exercises and managing various sports stations. The activities included relay races, obstacle courses, penalty shoot-outs, bowling and cricket skills; all quite challenging, however scaled to suit the age range of the pupils. The Year 12 students did a fantastic job at explaining activities clearly and keeping everyone's enthusiasm high throughout the afternoon.

Mrs Roberts, Teacher of PE, said 'the group of students have worked incredibly hard to ensure that the event ran smoothly for the primary school pupils. Not only did they make it a huge success, it was also a valuable learning experience for them and I am proud to have witnessed them show our schools core values of perseverance, integrity, kindness and respect. Their interactions with the primary pupils were positive and encouraging which helped create a supportive environment for all.' 

To finish the event, the Year 12 students presented the primary pupils with a certificate, which they had designed themselves, for their participation and achievements. 

Well done to everyone involved. 

I just wanted to make you aware that we have opened for the recruitment of our Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA).

This is a fully-funded degree apprenticeship, gaining a Degree in Professional Policing. The starting salary is £29,907. 

Applicants need to be 17.5 years old on applying and must be in their final year of study. 

Qualification requirements:

You can apply if you:

•    Hold a level 2 in Maths and English (grade C/4 or above) at the time of applying.

Plus:
•    Hold 2 A levels or a level 3 that is equivalent qualification in any subject or are in your last year of study.
•    Or are a current serving PCSO, who has completed your professional development plan, passed your probationary period, served 12 months in post and you are up to date with all mandatory training at the time of submitting your application.
•    Or are a current serving Special Constable who has attained independent patrol status at the time of application, who is consistently completing sixteen hours per month and is up to date with all mandatory training.
•    Or are a current serving NIO, who has attained a PIP1 qualification, passed your probationary period, served 12 months in post and you are up to date with all mandatory training at the time of submitting your application.
•    You must also be 17 years old and over on the date of submitting your application and 18 years old on appointment.

For more information, please follow this link: Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship :: Derbyshire Constabulary Jobs

Candidates must attend a mandatory webinar and once attended, the application link will be provided. The webinar will discuss the training, role, university process, shifts and application process. 

Calling any local businesses, who want to connect with educators to explore how your business can support & inspire the next generation. You'll get the opportunity to share expertise, offer real world insight and collaborate with schools to offer high quality experiences of the workplace ?

Event Details: The Business Breakfast: Stoke and Staffordshire Careers Hub
Tuesday 5th August | 08:30am-11am | Uttoxeter Racecourse
(Please note, this event is for Businesses only)

Link below to book tickets & for more information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/connecting-business-to-education-business-breakfast-event-tickets-1374232308829?aff=oddtdtcreator

This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide highlights the unseen risks this poses to children’s mental health, sense of safety, and social behaviours. With insights from a leading expert, it offers practical ways for parents and educators to respond with empathy and support – not punishment or panic.

Around 70% of teenagers say they’ve seen real-life violence on social media in the past year. Violent content online isn’t just something young people are occasionally stumbling across – in many cases, it’s becoming a routine part of their digital world. From fights and stabbings to toxic ideologies, disturbing videos are often just a click away on social media or group chats.

This week Nancy in Year 9 had been nominated for ‘Hot Chocolate with the Head’ for displaying one of the school’s core values; kindness.

Nancy had volunteered to play the piano at the recent Year 9 Celebration Assembly to an audience of over 200 people in the Main Hall, showing resilience and courage. Her rendition on the grand piano impressed teachers and peers, creating an atmosphere that elevated the assembly. Her willingness to volunteer is the epitome of how kindness can be displayed within our school community. 

Miss Bale, Head of Year 9, made the nomination and said ‘Nancy captivated us with her incredible talent on the piano. The assembly, designed to recognise outstanding students within the year group, became even more meaningful with Nancy's musical contribution. It was a delight to hear her play. This experience not only showcased her piano skills but also helped her personal growth and confidence.’

Well done Nancy, we look forward to enjoying more of your musical contributions at future events!

From Monday 19 May 2025 any students travelling from Lichfield or Fradley must use the L.A Travel 12A service.

The 12B service will no longer serve these locations.

For the most up to date timetables, please visit: bustimes.app.staffordshire.gov.uk/display.aspx?Route=12A&Sup=0&Ver=2&Line=4012A&RN=12A

Important information for parents/students about 'Experience of the Workplace' 2025.

For current Year 9 pupils who will be going into Year 10.

Here is updated information for the Pre-Exam Briefings. 

Study leave and exams are round the corner for our Year 13s so to celebrate their dedication and hard-work our Sixth Form Team wanted to treat them to some delicious ice-cream. Mr Brackstone, Head of Year 13, said 'we are incredibly proud of the Year 13 cohort and are confident in their abilities as they strive for personal excellence during their exams. We hope you enjoyed your treat this afternoon.' 

Mr Hulley was thrilled to announce that the Year 7 football team won the district cup final on Thursday evening this week, taking an incredible lead of 4-1 against Robert Sutton. Well done to our scorers; Sahaan V, Carter T (x2), Clay T.

Mr Hulley said ‘learning from the disappointment of losing the County Cup semi-final, the players excelling in the District Cup final showed what a classy side they are. After getting an early 3 goal head start we saw a second half fight back from Robert Sutton but had enough quality to lead the game and come out as 4-1 winners. I have been lucky enough to select from an incredibly talented pool of players and am so proud of each of every pupil that has made themself available for selection. A big thank you to all players that have worn the roses this year and hopefully more silverware to come next year!’

Mr Markwell, Head of Year said ‘as Head of Year I am delighted to congratulate our amazing squad on their cup final win. We were aware from visiting our local primary schools this time last year that we had some fantastic players joining JTHS; but to be successful you need to play as a team and show perseverance to come back from setbacks. We look forward to celebrating the win in assembly and we hope that many of the team will go on to excel in different sports through the summer term. Thank you to for support that you provide as parents to encourage our team to excel, we really appreciate it.’

Mental Health Awareness Week this year takes place from Monday 12th – Sunday 18th May 2025. The week aims to shine a light on the importance of everyone’s mental health and signpost those who need support.

Our pastoral team work incredibly hard to ensure that pupil’s mental health is a priority and strategies are seamlessly woven into the everyday culture of the school. Their collaborative work within the school community meant that earlier this year, JTHS were awarded with The Wellbeing Award for Schools - read more here.

For any further support and advice, please contact your child's form tutor in the first instance or visit our website:

• Lower School Student Support
• Upper School Student Support
• Sixth Form Student Support 

Staff will also be given cards to hand out throughout the week to other staff members, who have gone above and beyond in supporting their mental health on a day-to-day basis. The initiative, spearheaded by the JTMAT, is to celebrate the power and importance of community.

 To find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, visit this link:

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 - Mental Health UK

Burton and District U16 boys school football cup winners

Written by Harry Drayton Year 11, Assistant Manager.

In recognition of the 80th anniversary of VE Day on Thursday 8th May, pupils & staff observed a 2 minute silence.

Pupils were also shown a video of the day of the celebration 80 years ago, plus the announcement by Winston Churchill.

Here is the video: V E Day in London - 1945

Many thanks to all our pupils for showing our core value of 'respect' during this time. 

Following our recent communication about uniform and the hot weather (removal of ties and blazers), we will be reverting back to usual uniform standards from Tuesday 6th May. 

Uniform (Y7-Y11 & Sixth Form) - John Taylor High School

This will be reviewed again should we experience warm weather.

Thank you for your support

Miss Crutchley

Due to many of our nominees busy with study leave, they couldn’t join 'Hot Chocolate with the Head' today. However, Mr Blanchenot was delighted to read about how these pupils had set a positive tone for what promises to be a great term ahead.

Paige D, Anja P and Evelyn P were nominated by Miss Platts for their incredible performance at The Lichfield Schools Speaking Competition where they debated alongside eight other local schools. Miss Platts said ‘The standard of competition was extremely high, with all students delivering polished, persuasive speeches. The pupils spoke confidently in front of a distinguished panel of judges. Our students did exceptionally well and overall provided a thought-provoking and inspiring speech. Well done.’

The next nominations were Patricia P, Sydnie S, Iarla H, Avi O, Viktoria T for their contribution at the recent Community Afternoon Tea. The pupils went above and beyond to ensure the local visitors were well looked after by serving cake, refreshments and being a friendly face for a chat. A special mention goes to Avi and Viktoria for their outstanding piano performances. Both pianists created a wonderful atmosphere and many of the visitors were blown away with their skill and talent.

The final pupils to receive recognition were Ruby D and Olivia B for their dedication and enthusiasm which Mrs Berry was delighted to nominate them for.

Well done to everyone!

• KS3: "I can take on a role in a group and help the team to succeed."
• KS4: "I can take on different roles in a group depending on what the team needs, and help the team to succeed."

• What makes someone a good team player?
• Can you describe a time you worked well with others recently?
• What do you find challenging about teamwork, and how do you handle it?
• If someone in your group isn’t contributing, what would you do?