Weekly Information - Thursday 14th December 2023

The following students celebrated their achievements with Mrs Cochrane this week, congratulations to them all! 

Hot Chocolate with the Head - 8.12.23

Mrs Cochrane had the pleasure of speaking with four talented Year 7 students, Amy, Ralph, Jack and Tyler, who have been nominated by Mr Clarke for a hot chocolate with Mrs Cochrane.

The pupils were rightly nominated for their fantastic contribution in the Geography Subject Excellence programme organised by the John Taylor Multi Academy Trust. Whilst they enjoyed their hot chocolates, Mrs Cochrane presented each pupil with a Participator Award certificate which they received with a lot of pride.

The project, ‘To Build or Not To Build’, involved the students recommending and planning out where to situate new housing estates within the local area and presenting their ideas. Mr Clarke said ‘all the entries were very good, very intelligent and well presented, showing excellent geographical knowledge’.

The pupils began by explaining to Mrs Cochrane what factors they needed to consider such as river location, local amenities, landforms and flood management strategies. All four of the pupils spoke extremely passionately about their project. Tyler added that he was so engrossed in the project that time ran away and he ended up staying up later than usual.

It was great to also hear the Y7 pupils talking about how well they’ve settled into life at John Taylor High School during their first term. Tyler explained how fantastic he found the facilities and resources in the library whilst Ralph talked about how the scale & size of the school excited him meaning there was lots of opportunity and things to explore.  Amy shared that she would like to follow a career in Marine Biology and loved all the facilities and equipment available in the science labs. Jack talked about how much he enjoys lessons as the teachers make them interesting and fun.

Mrs Cochrane finished the session by saying how proud they should be of themselves and gave them a final thank you for representing the school in the Geography Subject Excellence programme. A big thank you and well done to all involved.

If you’d like to nominate a student who has demonstrated one of our core values or has gone above and beyond in both their school or home life, please contact [email protected].

Our Christmas dinner will be served on Weds 20th Dec for Year's 7-11 and on Thurs 21st Dec for Year's 12&13 in the Canteen. The price for the Christmas dinner menu is £2.83. 

On Wednesday 6^th December 30 local primary pupils were invited to a dance workshop led by our Dance Club ambassadors, who had choreographed some routines to teach the children.

As the primary school pupils watched the ambassadors demonstrate the routines, it was clear to see that the children were keen to get involved and learn the moves themselves. There was so much enthusiasm and energy when the music started, which was Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.

Miss Senior stopped the group to talk about the importance of their formation and their spatial awareness which the children listened and adapted to perfectly.

Thank you to our talented ambassadors who spent the time to choreograph the dance and teach it to the primary school pupils, you were fantastic and Miss Senior was very proud.

Here’s a shout out to each of our Dance Ambassadors; Year 7 – Olivia and Isabella, Year 8 – Jessica, Year 9 – Ava, Kaitlin, Jessica, Charlotte, Lois, Lily and Isabelle, Year 10 – Masaireh, Tilly, Natalia and Maja.

SAVE THE DATE!

Wednesday 21st February from 6pm. 

We will be hosting our Year 11 Supporting Success evening for parents on Wednesday 21st February. More details will be shared after the Christmas break, but please do save the date!

You will be aware, from the calendar, that Year 13 have trial exams between the 9^th-19^th January (incl). A level students will only need to attend when they have an examination. If they would prefer to come into school to revise, they will be able to use the LRC or Sixth Form Study Room in L1a/b. However, it is essential that they use the Sign in/out system, using the iPads in the Sixth Form reception, so that we have accurate records of who is on the school site for evacuation and safeguarding purposes. When on the school site, students are expected to adhere to the dress code and wear their lanyards. They should not leave the school site unless they have signed out. Students will be expected to return to school on a full-time basis on Monday 22^nd January.

Students studying a vocational course (BTEC/CTEC) are expected to attend their lessons as normal. They will need to sign in using the iPads as soon as they arrive on the school site and wait in the Sixth Form room until their period 1 lesson. They do not need to go to their form room for registration.

If vocational students have a trial exam in an A Level subject or an external exam, they may take the day before the exam as study leave. It is important that they e-mail their subject teachers and Miss Spurrier to let them know that they will not be attending the lessons on that day.

The Trial and External Exam timetable can be viewed below. External exams are in red font. Please remind your son/daughter that they MUST have their lanyard ready to present as they enter the exam hall as proof of identity.

As we begin to see the weather turning colder, please can we ask you to ensure students are dressed appropriately for the weather and you are aware and support the following points from the Uniform Policy and Guidance:

• Students are encouraged to wear a coat during the cold weather - the school jacket/blazer must be worn underneath coats when in school and coats should not act as a replacement to the school jacket/blazer.
• As the evenings become darker much sooner please consider how visible coats are when students are walking home/alighting buses. 
• Students are welcome to wear smart boots rather than shoes during Autumn 2 and Spring 1 half terms (Oct-Feb) but these must be worn under school trousers and not with the school skirt. 
• Jumpers worn under the school jacket/blazer should be knitted, V neck grey. Any other style of jumper is not permitted.

We are extremely proud of our school uniform and the sense of belonging it gives to our student community. Thank you for your ongoing support. 

The JTHS Uniform Policy and Procedure is available on the school website:

https://jths.co.uk/uniform-y7-11-

We are getting in touch to let you know about an exciting opportunity for your students interested in studying medicine and dentistry. Applications for our free, online, and national King’s College London Medicine and Dentistry Lecture Series 2024 are now open!

This programme is for students across the UK in Year 11, 12, and 13, who have only attended non-selective state schools since age 11 and are interested in becoming a doctor or dentist.

Please circulate this opportunity to students who you think will be interested.

For over three years this online programme has supported students in accessing the hyper-competitive medical and dental degrees by acting as a hub of support for their questions and queries. Over the course of the lecture programme students will hear from a variety of speakers to help them make the best application to medicine or dentistry possible! Last year’s lectures included the following:

• Medical and dental specialities: paediatrics, prosthodontics, renal transplant, maxillofacial and many more!
• Q&A’s each week with current medical and dental students.
• Support for the application process: UCAT, personal statements, and interviews.
• September Q&A with key admissions colleagues in the school of medicine at KCL, UCL, St George’s, Queen Mary, and Imperial.
• A session on other careers in healthcare with six professionals currently working and teaching in the sector (nursing, dietetics, clinical science, etc.)

Lectures will be held on Wednesday evenings at 6-7.15pm. Our first lecture will be on Wednesday 14^th February.

For more information and to apply, students should follow this link. The deadline to apply is Monday 15^th January 2023.

Finally, here is what some students had to say from last year’s programme:

• Student from Tower Hamlets: This lecture series has established the pros and cons to medicine and dentistry, but it has also communicated how to overcome these cons in an articulate manner. I feel much more educated in the fields of medicine and dentistry as before watching this series, I was always presented the sugar-coated perspective of these fields, which can create a false interpretation of what medicine and dentistry actually entails. I now know exactly what I want to study (and what to avoid) which is super helpful as it has eliminated all the feeling of indecision and hesitation that I had!
• Student from Leicester: It has really been effective into giving me an insight into dentistry and medicine, what they entail and also allowed me to really dig deeper and gain more information about different topics within the jobs and allowed me to learn a range of new information much of which I could also include in my personal statement.
• Student from Bexley: Through hearing about the experiences of various students and professionals, this lecture series has confirmed that I truly want to study medicine. Although the application process can be quite daunting, the lecture series has helped me gain a better understanding of how to write a good personal statement, do well in the UCAT, and be prepared for interviews. As well as this, moderators were always more than willing to provide us with advice and information on various topics and parts of the application process.
• Student from Milton Keynes: Attending the lecture series was instrumental in confirming my decision to pursue dentistry. The talks given by dental students shed light on their academic achievements in secondary school, their perspective on dentistry as a fulfilling profession, and they emphasized how the importance of patient satisfaction is a valuable aspect of the dental field.
• Student from Bedfordshire: I’ve always wanted to work in the medical field to help people but did not know what it involved or required. The lecture series has taught me how huge the medical field really is and how different yet important all fields are. It has also opened a door for me to also go and study dentistry in the future also. The lecture series has cemented my aspirations to go and work in the medical field as it is so interesting and rewarding.

application form can be found here.

Accounting. A career for everyone.

A career in accountancy can take you places. To industries that excite you and countries that you love. Because finance is everywhere. 

Accountancy opens the door to a wide range of opportunities, both inside and outside of finance. It is open to anyone, anywhere, from any walk of life - students don’t need to excel at maths to become an accountant. 

As the world’s most forward-thinking accountancy body ACCA provides the opportunities and tools needed to be become a successful finance and business professional. 

With ACCA, students can develop the skills and knowledge they need to secure their first job and help build the career they are dreaming of whatever route taken.  

Qualifications available include: 

The 16–19 Discretinary Bursary Fund is a government-provided, means-tested fund available to support students who have difficulty in meeting costs relating to their studies. To qualify, you must be under 19 years of age on 31st August in the academic year in which you start your programme of study, and you will be expected to provide evidence of personal and/or financial hardship. Each case will be assessed individually, however, usually this would be based on a household income of £27,000 or less, plus any benefits you are in receipt of at this point in time.  

For further information, please see the guidance and application form using the following link John Taylor High School (jths.co.uk).

If you have queries please do not hesitate to get in touch [email protected]

Thank you

The Sixth Form Team