Letters to parents
Dear Parents/Carers
We are rapidly approaching the end of the academic year and the school term will end on Friday 19 July at 12.30pm. Meals will be available at lunchtime as usual and kitchen staff will also make these available at break, to ensure students do not miss out. Pupils entitled to a free school meal will be able to get them in the normal way. If your child is unable to go home at lunchtime, please contact reception and let us know and we will make sure that he/she is supervised in school until 3:00pm.
I am allowing the pupils a non-uniform day on the last day in recognition of their hard work throughout the year with a request for donations towards our charity work.
The dates when the summer exam results will be available are as follows:
GCE, A, AS, L3 BTec & other L3 qualifications
Thursday 15 August from 9.00am in the Theatre
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GCSE, L2 BTec & other L2 qualifications
Thursday 22 August from 10.00am in the Theatre
There will be a number of very significant changes that will be in place from the start of the new term in September so I want to give you plenty of notice.
By law we are required to extend our school day from September, so, the timings of the new school day are attached in a format that you can keep. It is important to note that registration is now lesson 1 and will contain vital learning for students so it is essential that they are on time and in school by 8:45am.
We are also required by law, to close our morning register at 9:15am; this means that any student arriving after 9:15am will be marked as absent and this will count towards their unauthorised absence total. Students arriving after 9:15am will not be permitted to disturb lessons that are in progress and will be taught in a separate classroom. It is more important than ever before that students are in school on time every day at 8:45am.
Attendance remains a huge priority and it is really important that children are in school every day; there is very strong evidence that attendance below 95% has a serious impact on progress and exam results.
Across the Multi Academy Trust, all schools are required to insist on excellent standards of uniform; this means that students should be wearing a white shirt, plain black trousers or skirt and plain black shoes or trainers. If the trainer option is chosen, they must not have any colour on them at all. Students will also be required to wear either the Lyng Hall jumper and/or the Lyng Hall blazer. All students must wear their college tie. A tie will be given to the year seven students on day 1 when they are assigned to their college.
Sixth form students should wear smart/casual clothes as though they were going to work in an office for example. We will be very strict about uniform so please make sure that students arrive on the first day in the correct uniform or they risk being sent home to change.
We will be making a number of changes during the summer:
- A new sports hall is being built which will have a sports area, weights room and fitness suite.
- A new suite of sixth form classrooms giving them their own area accessed by swipe.
- New rooms for Y9, Y10 and Y11 foundation
- 3 new computer rooms with new very high spec equipment
- A new dance/drama room
- A new music room
- A new SEN classroom
All these changes will continue to enhance the facilities we have available for the students.
We now have the largest group of children in the West Midlands who are studying Mandarin. As you read this, we have a group of children spending 10 days in Shanghai. Mandarin is an important global language and being able to speak it gives students a significant advantage when applying for jobs or university placements. We are still confirming places for our year 7 Mandarin class. If you have not yet expressed an interest in your child studying this subject please e mail jwallace@lynghallschool.co.uk and we will add them to the class if there are still spaces.
We have a number of new wider experience classes next year, including robotics and 3D printing. We also hope to be introducing additional vocational courses for some students such as construction.
Next year is looking like an even better year at the school. Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to seeing your child(ren) in the new academic year.
The first day of school for Year 7 and Year 12 is Wednesday 4th September at 8:45am
For the rest of the school, it is Thursday 5th September at 8:45am
Best wishes
Paul Green
Headteacher
