Dear Parents and Carers
I hope you are well.
You will all have received the information regarding how we will be practicing a Lockdown on Monday. The students have been fully briefed so please have another look at the PowerPoint which has been distributed, so you can ensure you are fully in the loop of what is happening. Please click here to view the document. If there are any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me: bscott-herron@boteler.org.uk
As you will have seen on our social media pages there has been so much to celebrate. The Duke of Edinburgh groups have been participating in their expeditions, and we are very proud of them for all they have achieved.
We had our Student Leadership Body interviews last week and I am delighted to say that I have been able to appoint to all the roles. There was a superb field, and some very difficult decisions had to be made. I was overwhelmed by the level of commitment shown right from the students’ letters of application to the interview process.
We had 12 students who were Confirmed last week at Latchford St. James Church. I had the pleasure of attending the service and we are so proud of these young people for confirming their commitment to God and their faith.
Our Ambassadors have been incredibly busy, as we had Year 6 students in last week and this week it has been our Year 5 Taster days. We have had students in from many Primary schools and our Ambassadors have done a fantastic job of leading the Year 5 students and acting as mentors and buddies where appropriate. It is a real privilege to see them put all their training into practice in these situations. We have some amazing young people who are destined for great things in the future.
We have also had a lot of Sporting success this week. On Tuesday we had our Sports Awards Evening, which was held at Warrington Wolves. This was an appropriate venue as we were recognising our top athletes and sports people. Our guest speaker was Jack Philips, who is currently Head of Sports Science and Analysis at Wigan Warriors. He was a real inspiration and shared with us his journey from player to top analyst. It was so nice to be able to celebrate with the young people and recognise everything they have accomplished. Our Year 7 Rugby Team also won the Warrington Schools Rugby League Final in a nail-biting match, coming from 12-0 down to win 18-12. They demonstrated resilience and determination throughout. Our Sport Events culminated in an amazing Sports Day on Thursday where the sun and students shone in equal measure, followed by our Staff V Students Temi Abimbola Memorial Match. It was wonderful as always, to welcome Temi’s amazing family to watch with us. It is a real privilege to remember Temi in this way as he loved to play. His spirit was there with us all and was especially felt on the pitch. The staff however were victorious in a 2-1 win. It was a superb game and we hope we did Temi proud.
The uniform and standards drive has been excellent, and the students have adapted well to the new entrance and updated systems. Skirt length needs to be addressed, and I am hopeful that in September, when new skirts have been purchased that this will improve. It is unreasonable, due to children growing, to expect this to be actioned so close to the end of the term. Please support us with this continued drive for excellence as if we work in partnership, as it is much more effective. Just a reminder that no piercings are allowed, so if the young people want to get one, I suggest they do this on the 23rd July, so that they will be able to take them out come September.
I cannot believe we are nearly at the end of term and another academic year. We still have an actioned packed week and two days, and we need to remain focussed on having a positive balance of reward and learning.
Thank you for your continued support; it is very much appreciated.
Have a lovely weekend in the sunshine and take care.
Beverley Scott-Herron
Headteacher
Mobile Phones – A Date for your Diary – Thursday 17th July
As you will be aware, as a school we will be making changes to our mobile phone policy from September, namely through the use of the Phone Locker mobile phone pouch for each student. We will be holding an information evening regarding how this will work on Thursday 17th July.
Please see the following link with further details and to confirm attendance. https://forms.office.com/e/a6dnRdQ3z7
Rewards Trips
Further to the previous messages, we would like to confirm that only students who have paid via iPay or via the FSM voucher system have secured a place on the trip. Some parents had initially declared interest but have not then secured their child’s place via payment and parental consent via the Microsoft Forms link that had been sent out. If you feel this applies to you, please contact your child’s Head of Year.
To confirm:
Mr Mason will be the trip lead for the Chester Zoo trip.
Mr Davies will be the trip lead for the Blackpool trip.
Mr Leonard will be the trip lead for The Trafford Centre trip.
You should have now received all of the communication regarding the trip from the trip leads.
We are really looking forward to the day, and for those not attending the trips, they have plenty to look forward to here at school with lots of fun activities planned.
Holiday Activities and Food Programme
Warrington Borough Council are excited to announce that bookings for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme are now open! Places can be reserved by visiting www.warrington.gov.uk/haf.
A variety of engaging activities are available for school-aged children (ages 4–16), including dance, multi-sports, skating, arts, and enrichment days. Additional programmes tailored specifically for older children will be added soon.
Eligible children can book up to 16 sessions throughout the summer holidays. The HAF programme is primarily for children who receive benefit-related free school meals. However, a limited number of places are available for families under social care, Early Help and those that have an EHCP. These places will be allocated on a case-by-case basis.
For further details, please contact us at haf@warrington.gov.uk.
TCAT Challenge Award Presentation Evening
40 Year 8 students have been awarded the TCAT challenge award this week in recognition of their commitment and achievement in developing key skills across intellectual, moral, community and personal areas. They were invited to an awards ceremony at Priestley College which was a great event. Well done to all award holders. We can’t wait to see how you develop those skills earned in Year 9.
Year 5 Taster Days
Year 8 Ambassadors have been amazing this week working alongside Year 5 students from our feeder primary schools. They have supported them on their taster days and the feedback from the students and the teachers has been incredible. They have all been a credit to our school and have used their 8 essential skills, such as leadership and problem solving throughout.
Alderman Bolton School Play
It has been great to have Year 6 Alderman Bolton in school this week rehearsing for their end of year show. We look forward to welcoming them next week for their Sports Day.
Uniform 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.
In addition to PE kit, we are welcoming donations of the following items of uniform.
-skirts
-bags
-blazers
-ties
–barely worn school shoes
These can be left in the box outside the main reception.
Please can we ask that any donated items be clean.
Shaping the Future – We Want Your Input
As we look ahead to next year’s Parent Forum calendar, we want to hear from you. This year, many of our forum topics were chosen directly based on parent feedback and it made a huge difference to attendance, relevance and engagement.
We believe parents are our partners in education and we want next year’s events to reflect what matters most to you. Whether it’s support with curriculum, wellbeing, digital safety, or something else entirely, your voice helps shape the experience for all families in our school community.
Please complete the form below to select the topics you would like to see and share your ideas.
https://forms.office.com/e/sQs3dLYBvJ
How to replace negative thought patterns with curiosity and open-mindedness
How do negative thought patterns affect us?
It’s natural to have negative thoughts sometimes. But if you get stuck in a pattern of negative thinking, it can harm your mental health and self-esteem.
Your thoughts, feelings and behaviours are connected, so how you think also affects how you feel and behave. That’s why learning how to think in healthier ways can make a big difference to your overall wellbeing.
Changing thought patterns begins with being open-minded about the things you previously assumed to be true about yourself. Practicing curiosity can help us re-imagine how we see ourselves, and the world, and open us up to new opportunities, challenges, and perspectives.
- Self-criticism and negative self-talk can damage our self-esteem: We may believe we’re not capable or worthy and feel less confident.
- Negative thinking can make us feel anxious and stressed: Too much stress can harm our emotional and physical health.4
- Avoidance can stop us from reaching our potential: Avoiding challenges and not trying new things can stop us from following our dreams.
Recognise negative thoughts
What we think is not always based on reality. Our experiences and emotions can lead us to make untrue or unrealistic conclusions about ourselves, others and the world.
Learning to recognise these “cognitive distortions” can help us avoid slipping back into these patterns.
Some examples of cognitive distortions include:
- All-or-nothing thinking: “If I make one mistake, I’m a complete failure”
- Overgeneralisation:“I always fail”
- Mental filter or only paying attention to the negative: “Nothing good ever happens”
- Jumping to conclusions without evidence: “I know they hate me”
- Emotional reasoning: “I feel like no one likes me so it must be true”
- “Should” statements: “I should always get perfect grades”
For tips on how to change negative thought patterns click the link: How to replace negative thought patterns with curiosity and open-mindedness | Mental Health Foundation
Scholastic Book Fair – Friday 11th to Wednesday 16th July
We are delighted to inform you that we will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair in the school library from Friday, 11th July until Wednesday, 16th July.
The fair will contain a wide range of books, including many recently published titles, which are especially suitable for students across all year groups. Many of the books will be on offer at discounted prices.
Students in Year 7 – 9 will have the opportunity to visit the book fair during English lessons. Please see reverse to see when your child will visit the book fair. Further, we encourage parents and carers to attend the book fair along with your child on Friday, 11th, Monday, 14th and Tuesday, 15th July between 15:00 – 16:30. Please complete the form to confirm your attendance: https://forms.office.com/e/sL36rmgaWj
Books can be purchased directly from the fair using cash, card or QR payment. Where titles sell out, orders can be placed for books including any that are discounted. All purchases or orders for books must be paid for at the fair.
Please be aware that all purchases from the book fair will be from Scholastic and not Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School. Therefore, iPay cannot be used to pay for items at this event. Should you wish to use your child’s Free School Meals voucher, please contact the relevant Head of Year who will confirm this.
I hope that you will be able to support your child if they wish to purchase a book and that you find the service of value and that it helps your child to further develop their reading skills and love of reading.
Geography Department
Liverpool Fieldwork
As part of the AQA GCSE course our Year 10 Geographers took part in an exciting field trip to Liverpool last week to investigate urban regeneration within the city centre. Students explored key areas of Liverpool that have experienced improvements, including the Albert Dock and Liverpool 1. They showed confidence and brilliant teamwork when conducting environmental quality surveys, land use surveys and questionnaires throughout the day to investigate whether the project had been a success.
Students were fantastic ambassadors for Sir Thomas Boteler and we are very proud at how well everyone represented themselves and our school!
GCSE Geography Bay of Naples Trip – 2026
The Geography Department are happy to inform parents that the amount of interest shown for the proposed Bay of Naples trip has been sufficient enough for us to move to the next stage of planning. The visit will be during October 2026 and will give students both practical experiences of the topics covered in GCSE Geography and the cultural/social experience of visiting Italy.
The trip is open to currents Year 9 students who have chosen to take Geography or Travel and Tourism for their options. Letters have been handed out to students and in order to reserve a place both the permission slip must be received and a non-refundable deposit of £70 must be paid through iPay by the 17th July 2025, with the total cost being £935.
For more information please see letter given to students or contact Mrs Leatherbarrow if you have any questions regarding payment (cleatherbarrow@boteler.org.uk).
Silver Duke of Edinburgh
Congratulations to all of our Year 10 students who completed their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Qualifying expedition last week. They spent three days and two nights hiking and camping around Bakewell in the Peak District. Students had to cope with some challenging weather conditions (thankfully no tents blew away!) so we are extra proud of how they coped and conducted themselves. Many thanks to all staff who have assisted with expeditions this year as without their support they would be unable to run!
Both Bronze and Silver candidates still have some time to complete the other sections of the Award (physical activity, skill and volunteering) before they are eligible to receive their certificates – which shows how much dedication our students have put in over the last few months. If your child has borrowed any school equipment (rucksacks, waterproofs, sleeping bags or roll mats) please ensure they are returned to school before the summer holidays.
For any students who might be interested in taking part in either of the Awards, Miss Barnes ( Duke of Edinburgh Co-Ordinator) will be holding assemblies and information sessions in the new school year for Years 9 and 10.
Food Technology
We are officially Guinness World Record Breakers!
On 1st July 2025, Mrs Callaway, Miss Stringer and 17 Year 9 students joined thousands nationwide for Jamie Oliver’s Guinness World Record attempt — and we smashed it!
At 11am, we tuned in via Zoom for a live cook-along hosted by Jamie Oliver’s Cookery School. Together, we crafted fresh pasta and a vibrant tomato sauce, all from scratch.
The final numbers were 10,515 cooks, across 6 continents and 42 countries. Together, we officially set the record for the largest multi-venue cookery lesson ever held!
What an achievement and an unforgettable challenge! Well done everyone!
