Dear Parents and Carers
I honestly cannot believe that we have already reached half term. It has been one of the fastest eight weeks I can remember, and what an incredible start to the academic year it has been. As I reflect on all that has been achieved since September, I am filled with immense pride in our students, staff and wider community.
Our Year 7 students are now fully embedded into school life and it feels as though they have always been part of the Boteler Family. They have settled exceptionally well, embracing our culture of High Expectations, High Aspirations and High Standards, and have made a fantastic start to their secondary school journey.
This week also saw our Halloween Disco take place, and what a tremendous success it was. It was wonderful to see so many students enjoying themselves, making memories with friends and demonstrating the positive spirit that makes Sir Thomas Boteler such a special place to learn and grow.
You will no doubt have seen the many sporting successes we have celebrated this term. I am incredibly proud of our sports teams and, indeed, every young person who represents our school in any capacity. Whether on the sports field, in competitions, performances, community events or leadership opportunities, our students continue to embody the very best of Boteler. You are all a credit to our school and should be immensely proud of your achievements. There have been so many wonderful accomplishments to celebrate already, many of which have been showcased on our social media channels.
The opportunities our students have experienced this half term have been exceptional. From visits to Manchester City, exploring the importance of languages in the world of business and sport, to geography fieldwork, university and college experiences, and a wide range of educational visits, our students have embraced every opportunity available to them. As I write this, many of our students are having an amazing experience in Naples on our Geography visit to Italy, broadening their horizons and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Alongside this, our 63 extra-curricular clubs and activities are now fully up and running. It is wonderful to see so many young people making the most of the opportunities available to them before school, at lunchtime and after school. Participation in enrichment activities not only develops talents and interests but also helps our students to grow in confidence, resilience and character.
This half term has also been accompanied by its fair share of coughs, colds and seasonal bugs. The break provides a valuable opportunity for us all to rest, recharge and refresh so that we can return ready for the next exciting chapter of the academic year.
Attendance and punctuality remain key priorities for us. Every lesson matters, every learning minute counts and every day in school gives young people the best possible chance of future success. We know that there can sometimes be barriers to attendance, and I want to reassure families that we are always here to help. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can provide support in any way.
I would also like to personally thank the many parents and carers who contacted me following my recent communication regarding appropriate behaviour towards staff. The messages of kindness, understanding and support that you shared for our team were overwhelming and deeply appreciated. Our staff work tirelessly every day to support young people, often going above and beyond, and your words meant a great deal to them. Thank you for standing alongside us and supporting the values of respect and kindness that are so important within our community.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone for supporting my Strictly St. Rocco’s fundraising challenge. Thanks to your incredible generosity, I have currently raised £4,590, and I would love to reach my target of £5,000 before I take to the dance floor on 13th December. Whether you have donated, shared information about the fundraiser, offered encouragement or simply cheered me on from afar, I am truly grateful. Every form of support is equally valued and appreciated. I can honestly say that I have felt so much love and encouragement from our community throughout this journey. The good news is that I have now learned the dance! The challenge now is putting in the performance and, hopefully, aiming for that glitter ball trophy. My main objective, however, remains staying upright in those Latin dance shoes, which is proving rather more challenging than I anticipated!
As we head into the break, I ask all of our students to enjoy their time with family and friends, but please do so safely. Continue to make positive choices, look after one another and remember the values that make you part of the Boteler Family.
Thank you for your continued support of our school and for everything you do to help our young people succeed.
Have a wonderful half term. I look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 2nd November at 8:20am, ready for another half term of achievement, ambition and success.
With very best wishes
Beverley Scott-Herron
Headteacher
As we approach half term, we would like to thank all our families for their continued support in maintaining our high standards and ensuring that our students take pride in their appearance and in being part of our school community.
Half term provides a welcome opportunity for everyone to recharge their batteries, enjoy a well-earned rest and return refreshed and ready for the next half term.
We would be grateful for your continued support in resolving any outstanding uniform issues over the break. In particular, we ask families who have reported damaged or lost school shoes to take this opportunity to ensure that these are replaced, so that students can return to school fully prepared and meeting our uniform expectations.
We would also like to remind families of our longstanding policy regarding jewellery and piercings. We do not permit earrings or nose piercings in school. With this in mind, please ensure that students do not have their ears or nose newly pierced over the half-term break, as they will be expected to comply with our school policy on their return.
Thank you once again for your ongoing support, cooperation and commitment to helping us maintain the high standards we expect of all our students. Working together, we can ensure that our school remains a place where students feel proud to belong and are ready to learn.
We wish all our families a restful and enjoyable half term break.
Warrington Online Safety Hub – Warrington Local Authority
Parent Workshop on Tuesday 17th November at 7pm
Warrington local authority are totally committed to the digital safety and wellbeing of their students. As part of this, we are running a workshop dedicated to helping parents understand the risks their children face in their online lives and the practical things parents can do to help.
Please join us for this hour-long workshop in which Ruth Noble, Digital Safeguarding Education Specialist at Smoothwall will provide you with lots of valuable insights and tools.
Including:
- Information on the latest apps and games your child may have access to.
- The harmful content your child may be exposed to.
- How you can help your child to safely navigate online risk.
- How to access our FREE Online Safety Hub with dedicated guidance for parents.
- An introduction to a parental app that allows you to control what your child sees online if they are at risk, plus other important features.
We hope to see you there – Webinar Registration – Zoom
Coram Family Lives Family Support
Coram Family Lives provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families. If you need to talk, they are there to listen. Visit www.coramfamilylives.org.uk for more information.
Flu Immunisations
School Aged Immunisation Service (SAIS) Flu Vaccination Visit – 05/11/2016
The School Aged Immunisation Service (SAIS) will be visiting our school on 05/11/2016 to offer the free flu vaccination to eligible pupils.
To ensure your child is included in the vaccination programme, please complete the consent form. It is important that all parents/carers complete the form, whether you wish your child to receive the vaccine or not, by selecting YES or NO consent.
CONSENT FORM HERE – https://www.manage-vaccinations-in-schools.nhs.uk/consents/R368O6K6lJ/flu/start
The consent period will close at midnight the day before the session, so please ensure your form is submitted before this deadline.
Why is the flu vaccine important?
Flu is not just a heavy cold. It can make children very unwell and may lead to serious complications. Vaccinating your child helps protect them from flu and also helps reduce the spread of the virus to others in the community, particularly those who are more vulnerable, such as grandparents, babies, and those with weakened immune systems. This wider protection is often referred to as herd immunity.
What does the vaccine involve?
For most children, the flu vaccine is given as a quick, painless nasal spray administered into the nose. An injection option is also available for children who cannot have the nasal spray or would prefer the injectable vaccine.
A team of experienced nurses will be in school on the vaccination day to administer the vaccines safely and support the children throughout the process.
If you have any questions about the flu vaccine, require further information, or need support completing the consent form, please do not hesitate to contact the SAIS team.
Telephone: 03333 583 397 option 7, Option 1
Email: Imms.W-CE@Intrahealth.co.uk
Thank you for your support in helping to keep our children, families, and communities healthy this winter.
Holiday Activities
Please click on the following link for half-term activities offered by ADDvanced Solutions! WARRINGTON Autumn 2026 – What’s On Guide
Essential Skills
Our school is dedicated to empowering every student with the academic knowledge and the 8 essential Skills Builder capabilities needed to thrive. We commit to teaching, practicing, and measuring these skills so that every student is an effective communicator, a creative problem-solver, a resilient self-manager, and a collaborative leader.
We’ve successfully secured the Skills Builder Gold Award. We are developing these essential skills with learners.
We’re excited to partner with Skills Builder and are now driving to becoming a Flagship school. We know that these skills really matter for our learners. They matter for many reasons: we know these skills relate to higher wage earnings, a stronger ability to adopt AI in the workplace and a greater sense of life satisfaction.
For information on these findings, take a look here – Insights
For more information on Essential skills please go to: Skills Builder – Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School
Building skills at home – support for parents and carers
Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School works with The Skills Builder Partnership to ensure every learner has opportunities to build eight essential skills to support them now and in the future.
There’s never been a more important time to be building these skills. Being confident in all eight essential skills can support your child’s social and wellbeing, their learning outcomes and their future employability. There are so many ways that you can support your child to build these skills at home, simply by talking, playing games and doing activities together.
Click here for a guide to the Essential Skills and how you can use them at home.
Boteler Enrichment Programme
Please find our Boteler Enrichment programme here: Enrichment Programme – Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School
If you are a council member, your meetings are at the following times:
- School Council: Thursday week 2 rm 6 Miss Porteous
- ECO Council: Thursday week 1 rm 30 – Miss Kenny
- Ethos Council: Thursday week 1 and 2 rm 27 Mrs Hoey
- International Council: Monday week 1 rm 4a Mr Leung
- LGBTQ+ Council: Week 1 Friday rm 26 Miss Roberts
- Wellbeing Council: Tuesday week 1 and 2 rm 4a Miss Giebka
- House Meetings – Check the BE Proqramme and with your HOH after the first House assembly
These are all at lunchtime. Ask the staff member if you need a lunch-pass.
Make sure you attend all meetings so you can represent the students of our school.
Year 7 Halloween Disco
We saw some super spooky outfits at our Year 7 Halloween Disco! Thank you to our Student Leadership Body and our Parents Supporting group for their amazing support.
Year 8 Parents’ Evening – Monday 9th November 2026
Information regarding the upcoming Year 8 Parents’ Evening has been sent out to parents & carers this week, via the Arbor app.
Please visit https://boteler.schoolcloud.co.uk and login with the following information to book your appointments.
Student’s First Name: «Forename»
Student’s Surname: «Surname»
Student’s Date of Birth: Drop down menu
If there are any worries, concerns, or questions then please do not hesitate to contact Mr Mason (smason@boteler.org.uk).
Meet our Head of Wellbeing
We are proud to introduce our Head of Wellbeing, who leads by example in promoting kindness, inclusion and positive mental health across our school community.
Hi everyone,
I’m Aiman Khan, and I’m excited to be taking on the role of Head of Wellbeing Ambassador this year. I’ve been a Wellbeing Ambassador since Year 8, so wellbeing has been an important part of my school life for quite some time. This year, I want to help make sure that everyone knows they don’t have to be going through something big to deserve to be heard.
Sometimes, simply knowing that someone is willing to listen can make a bigger difference than we realise. I’m really looking forward to working with students and staff, bringing new ideas to the school and seeing what we can achieve together this year.
MFL
On Monday 19th October, a group of 50 Year 8 and Year 9 students had the exciting opportunity to visit the Etihad Stadium for a Languages in Football trip.
Students began with an exclusive tour of the stadium before taking part in an interactive workshop in either French or Spanish. During the workshop, students explored the importance of language learning and how speaking another language can open up a much wider range of career opportunities in the future.
Representatives from Manchester City explained that the opportunities within the organisation extend far beyond working at the Etihad Stadium. With the City Football Group operating across the world, employees need a wide range of language skills to communicate and work effectively across different countries and cultures. Students discovered that career opportunities can span from the UK and Europe to South America and beyond.
To put their language skills into practice, students then worked together to create their own post-match football interviews. They had the opportunity to step into the roles of players and journalists before delivering their interviews in the stadium’s press area — a fantastic way to bring their language learning to life in a real-world setting.
It was an exciting and memorable experience that highlighted not only the importance of learning a language, but also the many doors that languages can open in the world of work.
Hospitality
Take a look at our Year 9 students’ fantastic fish tacos, a brand-new recipe inspired by Mrs Scott-Heron’s winning dish for the Food Teachers Centre!
Students developed essential culinary techniques, including knife skills, preparing and cooking fish, sauce making, using a mini food processor, temperature control and food presentation.
A key focus was food safety, including handling high-risk foods, preventing cross-contamination and maintaining excellent hygiene standards.
Fantastic, finished dishes showcasing creativity, practical skills and growing confidence in the kitchen!
#HospitalityAndCatering #Year9 #PracticalSkills #Hospitality
In Cooking Club, students have carved their own pumpkins. Their creations are amazing! Well done everyone!
Graphic Design
Architecture in Graphics
Year 9 Graphics students have been using SketchUp to design sustainable homes using recycled shipping containers.
Students have demonstrated excellent CAD skills, carefully considering layout, space, functionality and sustainability within their designs. They have also explored how shipping containers can be adapted into practical living spaces.
Next lesson, students will begin transforming their digital designs into physical scale models using card. This will involve accurately measuring, marking out, cutting and assembling materials, while considering scale, structural stability and architectural features such as windows, doors and internal layouts.
Some excellent examples of work from Eliza, Elsie, Lydia, Caitlyn, Riley and Jack, who have shown great creativity and attention to detail throughout the project.
Physical Education
Rowing Week 5
This week was spent in the gym as the weather did not allow us to go out onto the water.
The students were led through a technique session by Gill and Jen, which built on the foundation knowledge gained in Week 1. They were taught how technique on the rowing machine transfers to the boat and why it is important to get each stage correct. They also learned about the consequences of poor technique when they return to the water.
Each student took control of the stroke rate to lead the rest of the group, demonstrating the importance of rowing in time indoors as practice for when they are back on the water.
Jen talked the students through the monitor on the rowing machine and explained how they can track their pace to see whether they are on target over a specific distance. They looked at how fast they move up and down the slide, which is measured in strokes per minute. All students ranged between 23 and 25 strokes per minute, which is encouraging and should transfer well when they return to the water after half term. The monitor also allows them to track their split times while rowing.
The students were then given target stroke rates to demonstrate how they can use their power in different ways to alter their performance and pace.
To finish the session, students completed a three-minute time trial to begin gathering baseline data on the distance covered and the split times achieved.
Despite the weather keeping us indoors, the students approached the session with a really positive attitude and worked hard throughout. The time trial has given us a good starting point to measure progress moving forward, and it will be exciting to see how the skills developed in the gym transfer back onto the water after half term.
Drama Department
Coming Soon, Boteler StageCraft are proud to be rehearsing the next school production which will take place in December. Over 40 Students are involved either as Performers, Set Design and Stage Management. Make a note in your diaries. We will announce when tickets are going on sale. Many Thanks, Ms Armstrong.
Music Department
Boteler is a school that sings. We have three different clubs for young singers, each tailored to the wants and needs of teenage voices during their voice change.
- Boys Singing is for lads in years 7 to 9, and they rehearse on Tuesdays in week A and Mondays in week B during morning registration.
- Girls singing is for girls in years 7-9 and they rehearse on Mondays in week A and Tuesdays in week B.
- Vox One is the school’s elite choir, open to students in year 9, 10, and 11. They rehearse after school on Tuesdays, and lead the school through numerous high-profile events like inauguration, our carol service, and remembrance Sunday. They also regularly steal the show at our biannual ‘TCAT Performs’ concerts.
For more information, or to take part, please visit Mr McCombs in R4b. Students are rewarded with House Points for attending.
