Dear Parents and Carers
I hope you are well. I find it difficult comprehend just how quickly the weeks seem to pass at the moment. However, every week I find is exciting and successful in its own way from The Addams Family launch to having Year 12 students with us on Work Experience.
The Year 11 students are very focussed as the GCSE examinations have begun. I have written to them all explaining how proud I am of them and wishing them all the very best. The next 6 weeks are intense, and we just want them to know we are there every step of the way to help and support in any way we can.
The weather has been glorious this week but if I am honest, I wish it would stay at 16 degrees, light sunshine with a slight breeze and then I would not get into ‘uniformgate’ with my lovely students. The adaptations they want me to make when there is a hint of heat does make me smile. Clearly the ice lollies we provide for them at lunchtime were just not enough. They have, however, been superb and I am sure they think I go around with a thermometer checking for that optimum temperature of when the blazers can be removed etc. Staff get equally excited as they have the same rules with their jackets. In the decision-making process I do just apply common sense. Everyone knows that high standards are important, and we do maintain those with adaptations when necessary. In all seriousness, I just want you to know that I will make sensible decisions when it is hot and look after all my young people appropriately, whilst maintaining our high standards. Please just ensure your child is well hydrated and brings sun cream if they wish to go outside. I am delighted to say that the weather has cooled, so business returns to normal.
Please could I ask you to remind your child that if they have lunch with us in school that they make sure they come to purchase it before 13.50. Now that The Orangery is open the queues are reduced, and I can get (as I am on the queue) all the young people served by 13.35 at the latest. I am finding that some of our young people are not keeping an eye on the clock and are busy playing football for example, and then want to come and get lunch when the bell has gone. There may be a genuine forgetfulness as they are busy, but in my experience I just think it is ‘perfectly timed’. They need to have had their lunch by the bell and it is up to them to manage their time effectively as they must not be late to lessons.
I am in the process of looking to make our uniform as cost effective and robust as possible and I am currently speaking to other suppliers. Therefore, there may be a change to the school skirt in its design (it is subtle, but it is different) and therefore please can you just refrain from purchasing one for next year, just at the moment, until I can confirm this. I do not want you to spend money on a new skirt, for me then to inform you that it is the wrong one and that it has changed. I will keep you updated on progress as I know you like to be organised for September. Thank you for your patience with this as I just want the best for you all as I know that uniforms are a huge cost for parents/carers.
Once again, can I thank you for all your support. As always, if there is anything you want to speak with me about, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please enjoy the bank holiday weekend and stay safe.
Beverley Scott-Herron
Headteacher
As we approach the start of the GCSE exams, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration. As you will be aware, the GCSE exams begin on Friday 2nd May and last for six weeks. Mr Koltan met with the Year 11 students on Monday 28th April to talk them through what will be happening in terms of lessons and exams over the coming weeks. Form Tutors are further reinforcing this information during registration.
Normal timetabled lessons will continue to run until all exams in a subject have been completed. Where possible, students will have a one-hour revision session either the day before, or the morning before sitting a GCSE exam. These revision sessions are compulsory and are highly beneficial to how your child performs in their exams. Students must attend all revision sessions in full school uniform and bring the correct equipment.
Where students have sat the final exam in a subject, they will still attend a lesson for supervised study where they can revise for their other subjects. Students must be prepared and bring revision materials with them to these sessions. Appropriate materials may be revision cards, past exam papers, mark schemes, model answers and note paper or subject exercise books. Students need to be active in these sessions and not simply reading notes. As I have said to Year 11, time now should be spent on practicing answering questions a number of times. This will help them in recognising what a question requires, initiating their response with a correct answer that gains the marks available on the exam.
Click here to view the Exam Revision timetable.
Please familiarise yourself with the timetable so you know when revision sessions are taking place. Form Tutors will be displaying the timetable for the week ahead during registration each morning. Period 6 sessions will also be continuing for subjects that are still to be examined.
On Friday 13th June, all students will be sitting their Science exam at 09.00. Following this exam and break time, a Science Revision session will be held for all students during period 3 in preparation for the Science exam on Monday morning. Students who study subjects still to be examined in GCSE DT, Music or Spanish are to remain in school for revision session during period 4. If students do not study these subjects, they are free to leave school after the Period 3 Science revision lesson.
The last main exam that all students sit is the Science exam on Monday 16th June at 09.00. Only students still to sit remaining exams in GCSE DT, Music or Spanish are required to attend revision lessons as scheduled on the Exam Revision Timetable.
Rewards Trip – July 2025
As we approach the end of the academic year, we are pleased to share our plans for the End of Year Rewards Trips, which are scheduled to take place on Monday 21st July 2025. These trips are designed to recognise and reward students who have demonstrated consistently positive conduct and maintained good attendance throughout the year. Please click here to for more details. Please note that payments can only be made via iPay; we do not accept cash.
iPay
The iPayimpact online payment system gives parents a more convenient and flexible way to make payments online. By making cashless payments online, you know that your money has reached the school safely. You can view your account statement and payment history and check when payments need to be made. Parents can access the school canteen’s menu online and see which meal your child chose at lunchtime. Please note: we are a cashless school and as such, you must use the iPay system. Instructions can be found here: iPayImpact Online Payments. If you have any issues accessing the system, please contact info@boteler.org.uk.
Trip payment reminders
The Year 7 Residential to Tyn-y-Felin should have been paid in full by 23rd April – outstanding amounts must be paid via iPay asap.
The Poland Residential must be paid in full by 2nd May 2025.
As part of their Post 16 curriculum Year 7 students participated in a ‘jobs of the future’ workshop with Higher Horizons in association with Keele university. Please explore this further at home: http://www.higherhorizons.co.uk/ask
Year 12 Work Experience
This week we welcomed back our Alumni on their Year 12 Work Experience. The 5 students experienced time in school as a member of staff and used their transferable skills over the two days. Staff were delighted at their work ethic and skill level to support our students. It was interesting listening to their year 12 journey and what they are thinking of doing next.
Reminder: Parent Forum – Supporting Student Mental Health
Thursday 22nd May | 18:00 – 19:00 | Main Hall
We’re pleased to remind you that our next Parent Forum will take place on Thursday 22nd May, focusing on an important topic: Student Mental Health. This event will explore how we can work together to support young people’s emotional wellbeing, manage stress, and build resilience both in and out of school.
Parents who attend will leave with strategies to support their child’s mental health and a better understanding of the challenges young people face in today’s world.
The Power of Parental Engagement
Research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) shows that parental engagement is one of the most effective ways to improve student outcomes. On average, students make +4 months of additional progress over a year when parents are actively involved in their education.
Some simple but powerful strategies include:
- Regular conversations about school – Ask your child what they’re learning and how they feel about it.
- Encouraging routines – Support good habits like consistent homework times and healthy sleep.
- Using school platforms – Engage with tools like Arbor and SAM Learning to track progress and offer support at home.
- Attending events – Whether it’s a Parent Forum or a Parents’ Evening, these events give valuable insights into how you can help.
- By attending our Parent Forums and staying connected, you’re playing a crucial role in your child’s educational journey.
We look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday 22nd May.
This week as part of Collective Worship, students are looking at examples of historical leaders who show compassion, considering the feelings of others and showing care in times of need. Our scripture for this week is from Colossians 3:12:
“clothe yourself with compassion and kindness.”
This reminds us to live our lives with kindness and compassion. When St. Paul says to ‘clothe yourself’ this ancient phrase meant to dress in your best outfit; showing that this is not an instruction to simply be kind but a teaching that in order to present at your best- you should always be compassionate to others.
Spiritual Pause: How can we show more compassion? Do we consider the feelings of others, even those we do not know? How can we show kindness and love to our neighbour? Thinking of our reactions to others, do we consider their views or meet them with judgement. This week, let us consider ‘what would Jesus do’ to guide us in our actions.
Baptism and Confirmation: We have the opportunity to partake in these special events if you haven’t already done so. Students who may have missed their confirmation or wish to be baptised 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.
Our school is working towards gaining the Wellbeing Award.
The Wellbeing Award for Schools is a programme that recognises schools for their commitment to promoting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing for all members of their community, including students, staff, parents, and governors. It’s a collaboration between the National Children’s Bureau and Optimus Education.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Key aspects of the Wellbeing Award for Schools:
- Focus: The award focuses on creating a culture where mental health and wellbeing are valued and prioritized.
- Whole-school approach: It involves the entire school community, not just a select few.
- Evidence-based framework: The program uses an evidence-based approach to guide schools in promoting wellbeing.
- Benefits: The award can help schools prepare and equip themselves to promote emotional wellbeing and positive mental health.
- Recognition: It celebrates schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to the wellbeing of their students and staff.
It is important that we gain parental/carer voice in our journey and ask that you take some time to please fill out the evaluation form on how you feel school support students mental health and wellbeing. Please follow the link to access the form: https://forms.office.com/e/p7KA9mxYr7
Performance – The Addams Family Sign Up!
We had a very exciting lunchtime in the Drama Studio on Wednesday 30th April, as students came to sign up to take part in our upcoming performance of The Addams Family – the Musical! Cast announcement and rehearsals will be announced soon. The performances will take place in school in October 2025. Enjoy the video below for a sneak peek of our future cast!
Hospitality and Catering
Mrs Callaway organised a visit to local American Gastro Pub, The Eagle and Spaceman this week for Year 11 Hospitality & Catering students. Students had the chance to explore front-of-house and kitchen operations in a real working environment. Staff explained how they manage food safety, hygiene and stock control. We observed table service, order taking, and how the kitchen communicated with front-of-house. Students also enjoyed a delicious meal. This was fully funded by our Hospitality Extra Curricular Fund donated by Edit Development. The Eagle and Spaceman also own the venues Cafe at the End of the Universe and Dark Side of the Spoon in Warrington Market. Thank you Eagle & Spaceman for hosting our visit. A truly valuable experience for our revision and upcoming final exam.
Sport News
New Sport and Performance extra-curricular timetable for half-term 5 and 6
Here is our new Sport and Performance extra-curricular which will run from Monday 5th May up until the end of the school Summer term.
We have some new clubs on offer. Mrs Stockton is running a Girl’s Fitness Club on a Tuesday after school, which will involve using different methods of training to stay active. Mr Mason is starting to run football club again on a Thursday after school, but this has a later start date of Thursday 15th May. All of the Performance clubs are still running as usual, as well as the Year 10 Sport Intervention on a Wednesday after school. Please speak to the correct member of staff if you need any more information about any of our clubs.
Sport results
Year 8 boy’s football 0-6 St Gregory’s HS
Year 8 boy’s rugby played in the Warrington Wolves development league and came away with 2 wins out of 3 games. With not many students ever playing competitive Rugby League we saw organisation in both attack and defence and bravery to make tackles against more experienced players.
Science
Year 7 students have been having lots of fun in Science Club this week. They made balloon rockets and released in our state-of-the-art testing facility. Well done to Joe, who managed to make a rocket that flew all the way across the room!
Please see the message below from Premier Estates regarding children on Edgeworth Park.
