THERFIELD NEWS Issue No.61 December 1998

All of us here at Therfield wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas and best wishes for a really good New Year. My thanks for all the help and support so generously given over this last term. Parental contributions to the School Fund totalled £5874 which, in part, is going to support the large numbers of Merits being gained. I was especially grateful for all your support at the time of our Ofsted Inspection. The Ofsted Report has been changed in our favour - details of which are attached to this letter.

Sadly we say farewell to Mr Peter Marshallsay who has been appointed to be Head of Physical Education at Ashcombe School. He has been an excellent teacher and made a huge contribution, not only to PE lessons but to the wide range of extra-curricular sport of which Therfield is so proud. He will be replaced by Mr Keith Batchelor, a former Therfield student who holds a First Class Degree in Sports Science from Exeter University.

We welcome back from maternity leave Mrs Jo Leeming our Head of Geography following the safe arrival of Nathan, a brother for Daniel. Miss Langford has made an excellent job of standing in for her, and is now heading off to do some extensive travelling in South America.

SEPTEMBER INTAKE - I am delighted to be able to report that Therfield is more popular than ever with parents. I have just been informed that we have 270 applicants requesting a first choice here for September. (We can admit 228 and first choices last year were 245). My thanks to all of you who recommended us to friends and neighbours.

CYCLING - New rules come into operation from the beginning of the new term. All pupils must have a permit to bring their bicycles onto the school site. To get a permit they must agree to wear a helmet and display a number plate, which we will provide free. Failure to have a number plate and a helmet will mean students will have to take their bicycles home. The purpose of this change is to try to improve the safety of cyclists, as those riding dangerously can now be more easily identified.

MUSIC - I am so grateful to Mr Pratt, Miss Jarvis and Mrs Junge for the enormous amount of work that has gone into school music over the last few weeks. Over 100 youngsters performed at the Albert Hall, there have been guest appearances and carol concerts to take part in, culminating with Monday's beautiful service at the SeeAbility Chapel. My thanks also to the pupils who give up so much of their free time and to the many parents who ferry them around. It is much appreciated.

WELCOME TO THE SIXTH FORM - On Wednesday January 13th we hold our Sixth Form Open Evening which gives parents and would-be students the opportunity to see what we have to offer. A gratifyingly high percentage of Year 11 pupils continue into the Sixth Form and increasingly we are getting a number of students from elsewhere who are seeking a change of establishment for their Post-16 education. Parents of Year 11 pupils should receive information about this evening but if you have friends or neighbours who are looking for Sixth Form places - the evening starts at 7 pm and everyone is welcome to attend.

PRESENTATION EVENING takes place on Friday, 8th January when we celebrate the successes of our students in external examinations and also their contributions to the life of the school. Guest of Honour this year is the High Sheriff of Surrey, Richard Stilgoe, well known as a songwriter and entertainer and also as a supporter of many good causes.

ST GEORGE'S YOUTH TEAM - We continue to maintain our link with youth workers from the church in Ashtead. Adam Prior will be running uni-hoc sessions for junior students on the Astroturf for some lunchtimes, starting in the New Year.

NEXT TERM - Begins normal time on Tuesday, 5th January and it will be WEEK 1 on the timetable. We have heard from the bus company of a change in time for the 516 service - it will now leave Box Hill five minutes earlier at 7.50 am. The afternoon bus will be at Kingston Road at approximately 3.50.

May I remind you that on Tuesdays, January 19th and 26th, school will finish at 3.05 pm to make way for Academic Tutoring as Parents' Evenings (Year 10 on 20th and Year 12 on 27th) are to be held on Wednesday of those weeks.

REPLY FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE - The Chairman of Governors, Mr John Hickey, has received a reply from Mr David Blunkett to his invitation to visit the school. While regretting that he is unable to accept the invitation, the Secretary of State says "I was pleased to hear about the standards of achievement at Therfield and of the outcome of the school's recent Ofsted inspection. I am always pleased to celebrate and acknowledge the excellent work being done in schools such as yours, thanks to the commitment of governors, the efforts of dedicated teachers and the enthusiasm of their pupils. Please pass on my congratulations to Therfield".

MATHS CHALLENGE - Staff were pleased when no less than 25 Sixth Formers volunteered to take part in the National Senior Maths Challenge and delighted when nearly half of those who took part gained certificates. This was a tremendous achievement as they were competing against students from some of the best schools in the country and only the top few are awarded certificates.

Congratulations then to Bronze Award winners - Laurence Matthews, Richard Lock, Michael Green, Adebisi Ogunnaike, Jennifer Williams; Silver - Mona Wooding, Karen Trickey, Mark Tibbetts, Robert Hicks and Gold Philip Haines. Philip also won the 'Best in School Certificate' and goes on to take part in the first round of the British Mathematical Olympiad in January. This is quite an accolade as it is the first of three rounds to select six students to form a National Team.

LOST PROPERTY - Could parents please make it a New Year resolution to mark or label all property. We get so much being handed in to the office that the space needed to accommodate it is ridiculous. We can, therefore, only keep it for one term. The rack outside the PE department has 71 assorted and very muddy boots and trainers waiting to be claimed and the cupboard in the main office has 11 good quality winter jackets which have been brought in in the last two weeks.

FREE BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS -Mrs Burnham, the School Librarian, hopes that you will be keeping your eyes open for the tokens which will be appearing on Walkers Crisps packets and other items from January 1999 in a 'free books for schools' promotion to celebrate the National Year of Reading. Tokens will also be appearing in newspapers and we hope that, as usual, Therfield parents will thriftily collect the tokens and so help add to our library resources.

EXCHANGE PLACES - There are still a few vacancies left on the German and French Exchanges for Year 9 and 10 pupils. The French students will be in Leatherhead in May and the Therfield students travel to Vertou in June. German students are here in March. Therfield students make the return visit to Bergisch-Gladbach in May. The cost of both visits is £280 which includes all travel and excursions. Further information and application forms are available from Miss Perrett (French) or Miss Buckell (German). An Exchange is one of the best ways to boost language skills and we do urge all Year 9/10 pupils to take part if at all possible; if over-subscribed, priority will be given to Year 10 pupils.

CHARITY CHEQUE - The impressive total of £1800 was raised last year through a series of charity events run by Juniper House and handed over to a representative for Leukaemia Research.

PSYCHOLOGY EXTRA - Two groups of Year 12 Psychology students added to their school studies by attending an Updates Conference on the subject at Westminster Hall, London earlier this month. For some the trickiest part of the day was finding the venue! but all agreed it was worthwhile. They attended lectures by many eminent speakers, the best known of whom was Claire Rayner, writer, broadcaster and 'agony aunt'. However, the lecture which made the must lasting impression was one on hypnosis.

CLOTHES SHOW LIVE - Another very successful trip to the Clothes Show Live at Birmingham took place on 5th December. GCSE Textiles students found the college displays inspirational and one Year 10 student was invited by two modelling agents to allow her photograph to go forward for possible selection for modelling assignments! Nearly everyone came back loaded down with bargains except, as always Mrs Gale and Mrs Shannon, who were easily out shopped by the students.

NEIGHBOURLY CONSIDERATION - A resident of Cleeve Road asks parents who collect / pick up children from the side entrance please to not pull over onto the narrow grass strip near the alley way. It is getting churned up and very muddy.

HOLOCAUST EDUCATION - We like to encourage pupils to think of the wider world around them and Year 9 pupils found plenty to discuss after taking part in a two day Holocaust Education Special. For the second year in succession, Mrs Trude Levi, a survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, was invited to the school to talk about and answer questions on her experiences. An exhibition by the Beth Shalom organisation provided plenty of background information and parents were invited to an evening meeting. Pupils were impressed with the chance of hearing about events at first hand, were keen to ask questions and found much to write and think about afterwards.

NEWS FROM THE FRIENDS - The highly successful and popular Christmas Fair raised over £2000 and this, added to the £1600 profit from November's Craft Fair, means a splendid few weeks of fund -raising. The money goes to provide 'extras' at the school and already the Friends have an extensive 'shopping list' on which to spend the money.

Dates to look forward to include - a Fashion Show at the school on 21st January, Jumble Sale on 6th February, Rhythm & Blues Soul Evening on 27th February and a Silent Auction on 13th March. Fuller details are contained in the Friends' Newsletters.

YEAR 11 BALL - This year's students believed in arriving in style for their Ball last Friday - at least three stretch limos and a vintage Rolls could be seen coming through the main gates. Dress could best be described as elegant and formal and everyone had a great time. A lot of imagination and flair for design plus plenty of hard work transformed the Main Hall into a welcoming venue and students - plus some energetic members of staff - danced the time away.

SCHOOL COUNCIL - Traditionally, the Headteacher allows the School Council to decide how a percentage of School Fund money should be spent. Past years have voted for tennis racquets, basketball posts, picnic benches and tape recorders. This year £500 was there to be spent and tutor groups sent in 21 suggestions, ranging from hair dryers in the changing rooms, new carpet in the Drama Hall to paying for a footbridge over the stream on the cross country course! A close vote saw the money going towards new team kits in the PE department.

CROSS COUNTRY - Having reached the all-England final of the TSB Cross Country Cup, the girls intermediate team found the going rough at Redditch in Worcestershire. Not only was the terrain challenging but the recent wet weather meant the going was very difficult. Most of the team had competed at this national level as juniors last year and found the competition at intermediate level particularly taxing. Emily Parker was the first Therfield runner home in 31st place and the team combined to finish 17th out of 24.

They were one of the youngest teams in the group and so are looking forward to qualifying again next year and moving up the field! We are grateful for the generous sponsorship of Mother's Pride who supplied sweatshirts and athletic tops and Puma who provided the team with running shoes.

FACING A CHALLENGE - Good luck to Mr Marshallsay and a group of Sixth Formers who plan to take part in the Tough Guy Challenge next month.

PARTY TIME - The traditional Sixth Form Christmas Party for local senior citizens took place on Tuesday and was, as usual, well received - both guests and hosts enjoyed it. The GNVQ students were heavily involved in the early planning and had some support on the day from fellow Sixth Formers.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
JAN.
Tues. 5th Return to School. Week 1 on timetable
Fri. 8th Presentation Evening 7.30 pm
Mon 11th Y13 Modular & Mock Exams (until 20th)
Wed. 13th Sixth Form Open Evening 7.00 pm
Tues. 19th School finishes 3.05 pm (Academic Tutoring)
Wed. 20th Y10 Parents' Evening
Thurs. 21st Friends' Fashion Show
Tues. 26th School finishes 3.05 pm (Academic Tutoring)
Wed. 27th Y12 Parents' Evening FEB.
Wed. 3rd Y9 & 10 Options Evening

Ofsted Action Plan
This plan derives from the Inspection of the school carried out in early September 1998. It seeks to address each of the key issues identified and will be integrated into the School Development Plan for 1999/2000 and succeeding years.

1) Key Issues relating to Information Technology

a) To refine the present ICT development plans to include detailed targets in relation to:
1. Provision of hardware and systems for curriculum, monitoring and assessment and administration.
2. Courses and Schemes of Work to be offered. 3. Subject success and attainment Targets.
4. Assessment and recording procedures.
This to be in place by Easter 1999 with clear success criteria attached.

b) To review the management of ICT by:
Review of the organisation of ICT in the school to include provision of extra technician support, if appropriate.
Organisational Review to be completed by September 1999 and acted on as soon as possible thereafter.

c) To set up by the end of November 1998 an ICT working group which will have a representative of each faculty to:
a) Monitor and advise on the implementation of the ICT Development plan.
b) Plan the use of ICT by each faculty or subject department - clearly identifying which elements of NC ICT provision will be taught and assessed.
c) Identify and advise on the provision of ICT in-service training.
This group to report to Senior Management Team and Governors on a quarterly basis.

2) Accommodation

Progress here is dependent upon extensive funding via the Local Education Authority. An initial meeting is scheduled for 8th December 1998.

The School will negotiate on:
a) The provision of a Performing Arts block.
b) The extension of Technology facilities into the existing Art area.
c) The provision of further infra-structure by way of playgrounds, dining facilities, movement routes.

If possible, a joint development with Mole Valley District Council to place a community theatre on the site, will be agreed. This would be linked to the Performing Arts facility and would provide extra assembly space.

Outcomes and timings are entirely dependent upon bodies outside the School.

3) Religious Education
1) All pupils in Key Stage 4 will have an RE course by September 1999 and all will be offered the half-course exam in Religious Studies.
2) Religious Education will be met for post 16 students by the provision of three day courses, when students will come off timetable. These courses will cover ethical, moral and religious issues facing our society now. This will be in addition to the Religious Education elements of the General Studies course. These courses will be provided from September 1999.

4) Register Marking
All staff have already been reminded of the requirements. To monitor this:
a) The school Education Welfare Officer will be asked to carry out spot checks and inform the Headteacher of any failure to comply.
b) Heads of Year will be asked to monitor registers formally once per term and report back to the Senior Management Team. This to begin from January 1999.

Letter from Mr Reddin to parents December 1998

Dear Parent

Please find below an amendment sheet to Therfield's Ofsted Summary Report, together with a copy of the Action Plan which we are required to submit to Ofsted within 40 working days of the Inspection.

At the time the original report was written, the Registered Inspector was required to list some subject departments which were not quite as good as others, even though by national standards they were judged very good. Subsequent guidance has made it clear that in such circumstances the table could be left empty.

As our Registered Inspector considered all of our departments to be very good a revised table has now been issued.

Yours sincerely
TJ Reddin
Headteacher