Dear Parents and Carers, 

I hope you are well.

We have had another busy week and the Boteler Family has been a hive of activity.

We have had lots of success this week, academically and both on and off the Sports field as you will have seen from all the Social Media posts. All this positivity is just fantastic and it is sometimes a fulltime job keeping up with everything. I am so very proud of everything the young people are achieving at the moment and they never cease to amaze me.

We have just been inducting our new Ambassadors and Mrs Mawby set them on their first project this week supporting on the first of our Transition Taster Sessions.  We had nearly 140 students with us which is just incredible and the student’s organisation and support was superb to see. I have high hopes for these young people going forward.

Thank you so much for your interactions around the mobile phone proposals and thank you for the overwhelming support in regard to this initiative. The mobile phone email hotline has worked really well and I have responded personally to every communication I have received. Please feel free to contact me still if you wish (mobilephone@boteler.org.uk). Your voice is important and needs to be heard. Please could I ask again than rather than you speculating on the various WhatsApp groups you have please get in contact with me personally. I know you will all have opinions and views which you are entitled to, but it is better to have an answer straight form me rather than listening to hearsay. I will always be honest and transparent with you and most importantly listen.

The students have been super in engaging with us in mobile phone conversations. The vast majority think it is a really good idea and do not see any difference to the rule that is already in place. They also understand the impact on mental health and well-being that phones can have and that they are not needed within the school day. They like that the phones can be kept with them and that they can use them to and from school.

We are looking at a couple of companies who do the pouches to make sure we get the best deal and I will keep you posted. I just wanted to share our plans in advance. When we fully decide then we will launch this all properly. At the moment we are still making sure everything is thoroughly investigated and researched.

We are going to have a big standards reset in a week or so in preparation for us tightening up in a few areas come September; so we can ensure that we are aspiring for educational excellence in all aspects of school life. As we are a really successful school it can be hard to move up to the next level. If we are complacent then bad habits set in. The drive is around following the rules in place and ensuring we have absolute consistency in what we do, so that the students are clear and you are clear of the expectations. You are instrumental in all this as our partnership is crucial in making this work. All we ever want is for the students to be the best they can be and have the highest expectations of themselves and others, so they succeed in life.

Thank you for your continued support.

Beverley Scott-Herron
Headteacher

 

 

 

7BG and 7AC thrive at Tyn-Y-Felin

It was an absolute pleasure and privilege to lead the recent Year 7 residential trip to Tyn-Y-Felin. We are incredibly proud of each and every student who attended, with all students demonstrating maturity, enthusiasm and excellent behaviour throughout.

The feedback from the staff at Tyn-Y-Felin was overwhelmingly positive. It brought us great joy to watch the students grow in confidence and independence over the course of the trip. From life skills to social development, the experience allowed them to step outside of their comfort zones, make new friends, and simply enjoy being young people, free to play, explore and connect.

A particular highlight for many students were our walks to Silver Bay. Rockpooling, sand sculpture competitions and our spirited – if only somewhat successful – attempts at crabbing all added to the adventure. One truly unforgettable moment was the front row performance from the Red Arrows as they arrived and departed from RAF Valley – a surprise treat that will stay with us all for years to come.

The staff involved found the experience deeply rewarding, and we feel fortunate to have shared such wonderful memories with the students.

 

Date for the Diary – Annual Awards Evening

Further to a previous message, a reminder of the date for our Annual Awards. The evening will take place on Wednesday 16th July 2025 at Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School.

This special evening is one of the highlights of our school calendar, as we come together to celebrate the many achievements of our students over the course of the academic year. Awards will be presented to overall winners across a wide range of categories and subjects.

Invitations will be sent out shortly!

 

Ready for learning

As we approach the end of the academic year, we continue to maintain the same high standards and expectations as we would at any other time. The finish line may be in sight, but our commitment to learning remains strong.

Please support us by ensuring your child is fully prepared each day. This includes bringing a school bag, their ISP, and a fully stocked pencil case.

We have an exciting and rewarding end to the year planned, and it’s important that all students are ready to make the most of the opportunities ahead—prepared, focused, and ready to learn.

 

Rewards Trips Reminder

Thank you to those of you who have already made payments for the rewards trips. A reminder that the deadline for payment is Monday 30^th June and it is important to note that there are limited places on the trips based, with us operating a waiting list once the capacity has been reached. Once a visit has been paid for, via iPay, your child will not be permitted to swap to another visit.

In addition to making the payment via iPay, please can parents/carers ensure that they have completed the parental consent form, via this link – https://forms.office.com/e/dakLLQzzmC

 

Post 16 Evening

This week we welcomed Cronton and Riverside College, Priestley College and Warrington Vale Royal College to our Year 10 Careers learning Journey -Next Steps Event for our students and their parent/carers.

Students learnt about their option choices after they leave school and how the application process works. Kim Dickson from Careers Connect was also available for parent/carers to book appointments with and speak to. 

The event was supported by our Parents Supporting Boteler group.

To find out more about these colleges please go to their websites which can all be found on our website here: Post-16 and beyond – Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School

 

Post 16 option – Year 11

Apprenticeship opportunity for September

Mercedes-Benz looking are for enthusiastic individuals to work in our retailers as Customer Experience Specialist Apprentices and Retail Parts Advisor Apprentices.

They are looking for students who are:

• 16 years of age (or will be by September),
• Have achieved, or are predicted to achieve, grade 4 or above in English and Maths at GCSE and
• Have minimal work experience in customer services or retail environments

If you meet these requirements please visit the following website (https://mercedes-benztraining.co.uk/search)

 

Are you Interested in Reaseheath College?

Don’t miss our final Open Event of 2024/2025 – Saturday 14th June 
Yes, it’s the last one for HE and FE this academic year! These events are perfect for students and their families to explore our range of courses, tour our state-of-the-art facilities, and meet our passionate tutors and support staff! Here are the links to book: 

• College Open Event: College Course Open Event 14 June – Reaseheath College 
• University Centre Open Event: Open Days | University Centre Reaseheath | Cheshire | Degrees 

Welcome Days – for students starting in September 
Have you received an offer yet? We’re so excited to welcome you to campus! You will soon get an invite to your Welcome Day based on your course level: 

• Monday 30th June – Level 2/3 
• Friday 4th July – T Level 
• Wednesday 9th July – Level 1
• PLUS Every offer-holder gets access to our Applicant Hub packed with everything they need to prepare – from transport and accommodation to kit lists and student finance. 

For Students & Families – Wednesday 3rd July 

For students who want to attend with parents/guardians instead of with school, this is the perfect option!

They can find out more and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/year-10-experience-day-2025-tickets-1311488229599?aff=oddtdtcreator  

 

Summer Campus Tours – for Year 11s and Families 
Students missed our Open Day or Next Steps event? No worries! Our Year 11 Summer Campus Tours are a brilliant way to visit Reaseheath in a more relaxed setting. 

Students and parents can: 
Explore our beautiful campus (don’t miss the lake!) 
Learn more about courses 
Get answers to their questions 

Keep an eye on our website and socials for tour dates! 
 

Catch us out and about this summer! 

Come and say hello if you’re at any of these events: 

• Tuesday 17th – Wednesday18th June – Royal Cheshire County Show 
• Monday 21st – Thursday 24th July – Royal Welsh Show 
• Wednesday 30th July – Nantwich Show 

 

PE Kit Donations

Our PE department is welcoming donations of PE kit. If you have any items you can donate, please could they be dropped off at the PE department or brought to the main reception.

 

 

You’re invited to our 3rd birthday party! 🎂

Join us on Saturday 5 July for an action-packed day of celebrations at Warrington Youth Zone.

This is a free event, and is open for families to attend. Young people aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

From 12pm-3:30pm, there’ll be:

• Inflatables
• Face painting & glitter
• Live music
• Arts & crafts
• Hot food
• Stage performances
• + much more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parent Forums

This year, we successfully delivered a range of parent forums designed to support families in understanding and navigating key aspects of their child’s education. Most recently we delivered a session on Post – 16 Options which had a really strong turnout and feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Parents appreciated the guidance on college applications, apprenticeships and sixth form choices, as well as the opportunity to ask tailored questions about their child’s next steps.

Across all forums, we maintained a focus on relevance and engagement, with many topics directly shaped by your voice. This approach ensured that each session addressed current concerns and areas of interest, ranging from digital safety to curriculum understanding and student wellbeing.

Next Steps:

We are already planning for next year’s forum schedule and welcome further suggestions. If there are any additional topics you would like to see covered in future forums, please let Mr. S Mason know.

Together, we can continue to strengthen the partnership between school and home to best support our students’ success.

 

EAL Coffee Morning

We are very much looking forward to welcoming lots of Parents and Carers on Wednesday 25th June. If you haven’t already, please check your email, click on the link and reply to the invitation.

 

How to sleep better

HEAL: The four pillars of good sleep

There are four main things that affect the quality of our sleep:

-Health

-Environment

-Attitude

-Lifestyle

Good sleep doesn’t just mean lots of sleep: it means the right kind of sleep.

Sleep affects our ability to use language, maintain attention, understand what we are reading, and summarise what we are hearing; if we compromise on our sleep, we compromise on our performance, our mood, and our interpersonal relationships. Sleep has also been shown to protect the immune system. The amount that each of us needs is different. However, it’s recommended that a healthy adult should sleep, on average, between seven and nine hours a night.

The important thing is that you get good quality sleep. The following advice can help to HEAL your sleep problems.

Top tips from the sleep doctor

1. Don’t get caught napping!
   If you have trouble sleeping, you may feel tempted to catch up on sleep by taking naps. However, unless you’re feeling dangerously sleepy (while driving or operating machinery, for instance), this usually does more harm than good as it makes it more difficult to sleep at night. If you feel tired during the day, get up and take a walk around, get some fresh air, or do something challenging for a short while, like a crossword or a Sudoku.
2. If you’re not tired, get up
   If you’re finding it difficult to get to sleep, don’t just lie there worrying. Get up for a few minutes and get a drink (no sugar or caffeine, remember!), and go back to bed when you’re feeling a bit sleepier.
3. Set yourself a ‘get fit’ plan
   Eating healthily and getting regular exercise are great ways of helping yourself sleep better. However, plan your meals and exercise to avoid exercising or eating a big meal after mid-evening: doing either of these too close to your bedtime can stop you from sleeping.
4. Don’t stress it!
   Thinking about sleep too much or trying to force yourself to sleep will only keep you awake. Learning how to relax both your body and mind instead will help you to get to sleep much more easily.
5. Keep a sleep diary
   The amount of noise, light, and distractions, what and when you eat, and the temperature of your bedroom can affect how well you sleep. Keeping a sleep diary to make a note of what the conditions were when you went to bed the night before can be useful for letting you look back and see what has and what hasn’t worked for you. It also helps you to see how your sleep varies from night to night, and might help you note patterns in your sleeping.

Click the link for more information: How to sleep better | Mental Health Foundation

 

This week as part of Collective Worship, students have been exploring our Christian value of Friendship. We have discussed what it means to be a good friend and the benefit that friendships have on our lives. Our scripture for this week is from Ecclesiastes 4:9-10:

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each  other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help, But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”

This reminds us to live our lives supporting others and asking for help from our friends. It is easier to show care and kindness to the people we like, but how can we be a friend to everyone?

On Sunday 8^th June we supported five of our students in receiving the sacrament of Baptism at Christ Church. The ceremony was led by Reverend Icke and five students from Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School and two students from Latchford St. James were baptised, along with the support of their families. Our Worship Ambassadors were at the ceremony to read the scripture and prayers and Bea Fox (Year 10) wrote and read a reflection on the importance of the sacrament. It was a wonderful celebration and we are very proud of them all!

Spiritual Pause: How can we be a friend to others? How do we expect others to show friendship to us? If people we don’t know are friendly towards us, how do we respond to that; with acceptance or suspicion? Think about the impact of a kind word and a friendly smile and try and make a difference to someone else’s day.

Confirmation: We have the opportunity to partake in the sacrament of Confirmation if you haven’t already done so. Students who may have missed their confirmation or wish to be confirmed are invited to see Mrs Hoey in school as soon as possible to register their interest, with parental consent. If you have any questions please contact Mrs Hoey (ehoey@boteler.org.uk). 

Please keep up to date with our weekly prayer and scripture via social media.

 

Physical Education

Academy Sports+ News

The next Academy Sports+ experience for our young athletes is taking place on Friday 20th June 2025 at Liverpool John Moores University to explore further themes of Sport Science and top level performance.

Workshop 1: Sport Psychology

Workshop 2: Applying Sports Psychology techniques

Workshop 3: Press Conference with current Athletes

Workshop 4: Practical session instilling leadership and communication skills (Blind Football and Laser Run)

Letters will be handed out to students with a reply slip to hand back in to the PE office next week. Thank you for supporting our elite sport programme.

The official TCAT Academy Sports+ Awards Evening will be held at Priestley College on the 3rd July 5:30-6:30pm. All Academy Sports+ students plus Parents and Carers are invited. Invites have been sent out, please confirm number of tickets required to cburbidge@boteler.org.uk

In preparation for next year, applications for the Academy Sports+ programme will open soon. Does your child compete at national, regional or professional standard in any sport or dance discipline? If so, we want to hear from you! Applications are open for students from Year 8 to Year 11.

For more information please see the letter attached from Mr Burbidge here: Academy Sport+ Programme – Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School

 

Sports round up

Our Year 9 and 10 girl’s rugby team took part in a fixture on Thursday 5^th June against a strong Penketh HS side. The result didn’t go their way but the level of resilience and determination was admirable!

 

Our Year 7 boy’s went away to Edmund Arrowsmith HS in the NW Vase quarter-final. They came away with a 28-12 victory, meaning they have qualified for the semi-final. We are very proud of their efforts and success!

Our Year 9 boy’s rugby team participated in the Warrington High School 9’s competition at Padgate HS. They won the majority of their games meaning they progress through to the final of the Warrington High School 9’s competition held at the Asics Stadium, early July. Congratulation boys!

 

Year 5 and 6 QuadKids Athletics Event

On Tuesday, we had the pleasure of being invited to support and help lead the Year 5 and 6 QuadKids Athletics Event at Victoria Park, hosted by the School Sports Partnership.

This was the first event our student leaders had been invited to, and they were absolutely fantastic. They confidently took on a range of responsibilities, including timing, scoring, and guiding the primary pupils through various events. Throughout the day, they showed great leadership by motivating and encouraging the young athletes to do their best.

It was truly a privilege to be part of the event alongside them. They worked incredibly hard from start to finish, and the feedback from the primary school staff was overwhelmingly positive. Our leaders made both themselves and the school extremely proud.

Well done, leaders! I’m excited to see how you continue to grow and thrive in the years ahead – Mrs Hughes

 

National School Sports Week

As we have done for many years now, Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School are taking part in the National School Sports week, w/c Monday 16^th June. The week has the aim of promoting the power of PE, sport and play in building brighter futures and happier, healthier young people across the UK. Celebrating 30 years of empowering young people through sport, national children’s charity, the Youth Sport Trust is leading this week-long initiative that will bring together schools, national governing bodies of sport, families and communities to encourage young people across the UK to get active at school.

As part of the Youth Sport Trust efforts to encourage the adoption of 60 minutes a day of PE, sport, and play for every child, this year’s event is championing an Always Active approach, encouraging schools to embed physical activity into every part of the school day. By doing this, they hope to improve children’s experiences and attitudes toward physical activity and sport while helping them to achieve the UK’s Chief Medical Officers’ recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity each day, or 20 minutes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The PE department, with the help of several members of staff from other departments, have put together a plan for the week. Each lunchtime, there will be a selection of sports and activities for all students to take part in. We challenge all students to take part in an activity each lunchtime and complete the 60 minutes of activity per day. The activities will be held in the Ball Hall, the Gym, the school field and room 15. Simply turn up and take part. We advise for students to bring in their trainers every day as they will be required to take part in most of the activities on offer. If you require any more information, please speak to Mr Johnson.