The following students have been nominated for their achievements with Mr Blanchenot this week, congratulations to them all!

Lest We Forget…

Over the last week, there have been several acts of reflection happening across the school to show support for Remembrance Day. All students have attended a year group Remembrance Day assembly led by Mr Knight, Teacher of History. We would like to say a big 'thank you' to Mr Knight for providing such an engaging session - we have had some fantastic feedback from the students. The assembly focussed on the importance of Remembrance Day and why students should consider taking an active role in showing support. Mr Knight shared stories of service men and women and shared the wealth of history that Remembrance Day brings. Discussions and reflections continued during form registration time and many donated to support the Poppy Appeal with the sale of Poppies in school.

Here are the slides from the assembly: Remembrance_Assembly_2024.pdf

A student from KS3,4 & 5 were nominated by their Heads of Year to represent John Taylor High School, by attending a short service and laying a wreath at the War Memorial in Barton-Under-Needwood. Well done to Chloe, Tilly and Jacob who demonstrated our core value of ‘Respect’ in abundance. It was a very humbling moment for our students who all said it made them feel extremely proud to have been chosen. Chloe, Tilly & Jacob were also invited to join Mr. Blanchenot for a hot chocolate and some delicious pastries this morning before laying the wreath as a thank you!

Thank you to Mrs Forden who arranged the KS3 Remembrance Day ‘Poppy’ Art Competition. The brief was to design and make a piece of artwork in any medium in any scale based on the Poppy. Mrs Forden said ‘the poppy is a well-known and well-established symbol, one that carries a wealth of history and meaning with it. The talent was phenomenal and we were proud to display each entry in the school reception. Each entry is much deserving and will receive a certificate'. Well done to Nell for coming 1st, Rabia for coming 2nd and Freya for coming 3rd. 

We would like to say thank you to our school community who also paid their respects with silent reflection that took place at 11am on 11th November and to those students who wore proudly wore their forces uniform. Here are Adiel & Enfys in their Air Cadet Uniforms.

‘They gave their tomorrow for our today’

To make further donations, visit We're there for you- BBC Children in Need

The Geography Department were excited to once again launch the Year 7 Antarctica Day Flag Competition. To help celebrate Antarctica Day on 1^st December 2024, students were asked to help raise awareness of the threats facing Antarctica. In order to do this, students from around the world were given the chance to design a flag that will be taken by scientists to Antarctica! 

Well done to the winners from our School - Scarlett and Erin! Mrs Findon has submitted these designs to be taken to Antartica! Fingers Crossed these designs get chosen to have a photo with the scientists in Antartica! 

Scarlett

Erin

Thank you to Mrs Waller who organised a trip for English Literature Sixth Form students to watch Othello in Stratford, supported by Mrs Wagstaff. The students experienced the most fantastic performance and many said how they felt moved whilst they watched it.

Thank you to Abigail in Year 12 for sharing her experience below:

'On the evening of 7th November, the English Literature A –level students attended The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon to watch the RSC production of Othello.

The production offered a gripping display of violence, manipulation, and love; it was thoroughly engaging, cementing students’ understanding of characters and themes. Through the simplistic set and intricate costuming, we were taken along the deeply moving relationship of Othello and Desdemona, along with the Machiavellian performance of Iago, before building to the tragedy and climax of the second half. This poignant second half remained true to the Shakespearean text, leaving some students touched by the naturalistic choice of the performance.  It is not surprising many of us want to experience more performances like this, having been exposed to the culture of live theatre.

During next week, students will be tasked with some activities to complete on Go4Schools to promote and build their understanding of roles within UK Parliament.

'UK Parliament Week (UKPW) is an annual event, spreading the word about what Parliament is, what it does and how you can get involved. It’s a great way to find out new things about UK Parliament and get informed about your UK Parliament, take action and make an impact on the issues you care about.

Last year over 1.6 million people took part in every nation and region of the UK, and countries all over the world.'

Next week the teachers will be given a card with a role in parliament. It is then the students aim to find out which role they have been given and match that particular teacher with the role. Good luck everyone, we're looking forward to hearing your questions and seeing your conclusions!

To find out more about UK Parliament Week visit their website: Home | UK Parliament Week

Mrs Findon wanted to give praise to the Y7s who engaged well in a recent lesson about the local area. The students were required to pin point certain items on the map which enhanced their knowledge & skill of map reading. Well done to you all.

After the success of our indian themed menu last term, the Canteen will be providing a themed menu to enjoy each half-term.

The next one will be Chinese inspired on Thursday 21st November.

We still have some spaces for our upcoming Community Afternoon Tea where we welcome local elderly residents to enjoy an afternoon at the school. If you know anyone who would benefit from this, please see the details below.

We have had a message from Barton Parish Council informing us that Collinson Park is currently out of bounds and will remain so for the next couple of weeks. This is to complete some land drainage works and therefore the park is not safe for visitors. There is signage in place and appropriate safety tape.

Students should not visit the park until this work is completed.

Year 11 left the NEC feeling inspired on Tuesday 12th November after attending The National School & College Leaver Festival. 

NSCL Festival showcases all post-16 & post-18 opportunities for young people, including Apprenticeships, Further & Higher Education routes, entry level roles, as well as general employment & careers, offering visitors the chance to engage with over 100 of England’s top Employers, Colleges, Universities & Training Providers in a face-to-face, interactive & inspiring environment.

Thank you to all those involved in making the trip a great success! 

Dear Parents / Carers

JTMAT is continually trying to improve provision for all pupils in all its schools and, to support this, the views of all stakeholders are obviously vitally important, giving both the Trust and John Taylor High School useful information which we can use to inform our strategy and benefit all our pupils.

We would be grateful if you could take the time to complete this questionnaire https://survey.gl-assessment.co.uk/s/UVJVVE/  by Friday 22nd November.

Thank you in advance for your support with this request.

Kind regards,

Mr J Blanchenot

Best of Burton are a new voluntary group who are bringing events to the local area that provide opportunities for:

• The community to come together
• Local people to have positive events to look forward to
• Local businesses and groups working in the area to promote their products and services
• Attract new people into the area to help build local economy

 They will be running a Christmas Market on Sunday 8 December which will include:

FREE Santa’s Grotto – This will hopefully help families to enjoy festive magical moments which the costs of these can sometimes be significant placing the out of reach given the current cost of living

FREE Facepainting | Food Stalls | Bar | Hot drinks | Craft and Small Business Stalls

Performances from: A Storytelling Ballerina ( think Nutcracker), Laura Pyatt Performing Arts, Derby Hospitals Band, Student performances from local high schools

Staffordshire Young Poetry competition - The theme for poem entries is ‘Winter is Calling.’ 

You might be inspired by the change of seasons, what winter means to you, your favourite place to visit or things to do, whatever inspires you, send in your poem for a chance to win! 

Prizes include book vouchers for winners & runners up. The 3 winners will also be offered a poetry workshop with the competition judges; Staffordshire Young Poet Laureate & Staffordshire Poet Laureate. 

Winning categories are age 8-10, 11-13, 14-16 years. 

Your poem must be typed & sent in a WORD or PDF format, using a simple font & no longer than 30 lines in length.

Don’t forget to include your name, age & contact details! 

Send entries to: [email protected] by Friday 13th December 

This opportunity has been developed & led by the current Staffordshire Young Poet Laureate, Harry Fletcher in partnership with Staffordshire Libraries.

Kick-starting a career at Aldi

We’re on the hunt for hard-working, enthusiastic people to join #TeamAldi through our stores and warehouse Apprenticeships – and one of your students could be next to kickstart an amazing career with us! 

Stores Career Starter Apprenticeship 

• No qualifications or previous experience needed
• £253.20 per week starting salary (£260.10 in London) plus paid breaks
• 12-15 month programme
• Achieve a Level 2 Retailer qualification (equivalent to 5 GCSE passes)
• Chance to get Functional Skills qualifications in English and Maths 

Store Management Apprenticeship 

• Grade 4+ in GCSE English and Maths needed
• £253.20 per week starting salary (£260.10 in London) rising to £354.90 per week (£374.10 in London) plus paid breaks
• 3-year programme
• Achieve Level 2 Retailer and Level 3 Retail Team Leader qualifications (equivalent to 2 A-level passes)
• Ideal for students with big ambitions – fast track to a rewarding career in management 

Warehouse Career Starter Apprenticeship 

• No qualifications or previous experience needed
• £328.80 per week
• 12-15 month programme
• Achieve a Level 2 Supply Chain Warehouse Operative qualification (equivalent to 5 GCSE passes)
• Chance to get Functional Skills qualifications in English and Maths 

Meet Our Apprentices 

Apprentices are at the heart of everything we do - whether it’s serving customers, leading teams, or keeping things moving in the warehouse. They bring energy, personality, and a drive to succeed. Want to hear more? Check out their stories below:

Liam – Warehouse Career Starter Apprentice now future Section Leader

“Aldi has helped me by creating a clear structure for my Apprenticeship and Aldi career. I was a Deputy Manager at age 22 and now, I am in the Section Leader talent pool. This has built up my confidence, initiative and communication skills.”

Lauren – Store Management Apprentice now Assistant Store Manager

"Doing an Apprenticeship at Aldi is an amazing opportunity for someone who wants to progress and develop their way up within the company. I didn’t think 5 years ago I would be Assistant Manager by now. Aldi wants you to keep pushing and progressing and that’s the amazing thing about them, there isn’t really a limit where to stop."

Apprenticeships | Aldi Recruitment UK

Pupil Safety: As the clocks go back, many children will be travelling to or from school throughout the winter months in the dark. For this reason, it is important to for pupils to dress accordingly for these conditions – Be Bright Be Seen.

Please see the flyer below for details of the John Taylor MAT Exceptional Achievement Award. The deadline for nominations for this term's awards is Friday 29th November.

Please make yourself familiar with our School Calendar which includes key dates of Events, Parents Evenings, Trips, Reports, Exams, Holidays & Inset Days 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CALENDAR