Dear Parent / Carer,
END OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS – Friday, 22 December will be a non-uniform day for students, there is no charge for this. Students will be dismissed from school at 12.30pm and the school buses will be available at this earlier time. There will be an extended canteen service available at break time for all students. Those entitled to the Free School Meal allowance will be able to access it at break time.
The Autumn Term of 2023 has been extremely busy but very rewarding for both staff and students. We have focused firmly on routines and expectations, and, as always, the school motto, ‘Learn. Dream. Achieve.’ lies at the heart of everything we do. Everyone involved with Sharples is incredibly proud that we have won the Pearson National Teaching Gold Award for ‘Secondary School of the Year – Making a Difference’. It is a very high-profile and fitting acknowledgment of our fantastic school.
We have celebrated the publication of our 2023 results which are our best ever and which showcase, once again, our determination to maximise the progress of every child in our care. Our Progress 8 score is +0.82 which places us in the top 3% of schools nationally. Behind the results there are many individual success stories and it is extremely rewarding to see our school leavers embarking on ambitious Post 16 Pathways.
In addition to our excellent classroom provision, we work hard to ensure that our students have access to high quality enrichment activities. This term our Duke of Edinburgh Programme has once again got off to a flying start with record numbers of students signing up for both the Bronze and Silver Awards. Our Year 7 have now experienced an extensive range of lunchtime clubs and are working towards the completion of their Sharples Baccalaureate. A group of Year 11 students have enjoyed visiting Pompeii in Italy, the trip supported their studies in both Latin and Geography. We also celebrated our second annual Diversity Day and raised almost £2000 for Oxfam.
One of this term’s highlights was Open Evening, which was incredibly well attended and resulted in fantastic feedback from many of the visiting families. Our current students played a huge part in ensuring that the event was successful through their roles as Subject Ambassadors and Tour Guides, I was incredibly proud of them all. As a result of this event and our extensive transition programme we are very pleased to report that this year we have received almost 800 applications for places at Sharples. Once again, Sharples is significantly oversubscribed.
As we move towards the start of the new term, I want to remind you that we have high standards in relation to appearance at Sharples and the full uniform policy can be accessed on the school website. To maintain our high standards, I would like to remind you that, school trousers should be black, formal and full length. Jeggings, leggings or jean style trousers are not acceptable. In addition, socks should be plain black or white, trainer socks are not allowed. For further details, please refer to our website – https://www.sharplesschool.co.uk/policies/
As we are now in the midst of winter with frequent inclement weather, it is important to note that your child will be outside at some points during the school day. It is therefore recommended that your child has a warm coat and an umbrella with them every day.
On a final note, I hope that you all enjoy a well-earned Christmas break and I look forward to welcoming our students back to school ready for a prompt start to registration at 8.45am on Monday, 8 January 2023.
Yours faithfully
Ms A Webster
Headteacher
