THERFIELD NEWS Issue 91 26th September 2001

Dear Parent,

Therfield is already a good school. Its many strengths ­ including the quality of its teachers and the high level of achievement of its students - have been recognised by many over recent years. This is a tribute to those working in, and associated with, the school and in particular to my predecessor, Mr Terry Reddin. My task is to work with you and the governors, staff and students of the school, to shape a good school into one that is even better.

This year's summer examination results, which in many areas have either equalled or broken our current school records, provide an exciting challenge for all of us. At GCSE, over 68% of students achieved five A*-C grades and of the total grades awarded to the students of the school, 26% were at A* or A. This is an outstanding measure of the success of our most able students.

In particular, I am delighted to mention Emily Parker and Nicholas Reeves who were placed in the top five for their GCSE subjects: Nicholas in Science out of 35,198 candidates and Emily in PE, out of 13,671. It is also a significant marker of individual achievement that of the total number of students eligible to sit the GCSE examination, nearly 96% achieved five A*-G grades.

At AS level, the results were extremely encouraging and bode well for next year, whilst at A level, 75% of students achieved A­C grades and over 98% achieved A-Es. Our average points score - of over 21 - was a school record.

Taken together, these results place us as one of the highest achieving state schools in Surrey. My congratulations to all of you who played a part in this success.

It is fitting at this point to mention two notable instances of staff achievement. One of our Maths teachers, Miss Stefanie Pears, has been recognised as a Leading Maths teacher by the LEA and Mrs Rita Chambers, Head of the Language Unit, was a finalist in the recently held Local Heroes Awards.

Within this newsletter, there are two sections that I would particularly like to draw attention to in that they lie at the heart of the success of Therfield School. First, the section on Clubs and Extra-Curricular Activities, which I believe play such an important part in the overall education of our students. Please encourage your child to join in these as much as possible.

Second, the newsletter from our Friends of Therfield. The partnership with parents is something that I value enormously and the Friends are one important aspect of that partnership. So please endeavour to get involved, either as a member of the committee or by attending the events that the Friends have organised on our behalf.

Our school's vision is "To be the best" and one of my tasks over the next few months is to review our school's aims in the light of that vision. There will be four areas of focus.
The first will be a review of learning and the creation of a culture in which learning can flourish.
Second, how we can continue to effectively promote, measure and celebrate success in its many forms.
The third area will concentrate on how we involve all of those connected with the school in its future development.
And finally, I will want to explore how we create an ethos that supports and promotes the dignity of the individual.

It is my intention to have these revised aims in place for the start of 2002 having consulted, in the meantime, widely with parents.

Although I am only a few weeks into my new headship, I have already had the opportunity to address a number of meetings of parents and to speak to students in their assemblies. Some of your children may also have relayed to you conversations that we have had around the school.

To those Year 7s who asked me, on the first few days of term, where N4 or E7 were, I apologise for my uncertainty. We were both learning to find our way around!

There will be others with whom I have discussed school uniform. Over the coming weeks, students will become aware of the importance that I attach to a smart uniform that is properly worn: above all else, I believe that it conveys important messages about the pride that we have in ourselves and our school. Can I ask, therefore, that you emphasise this message at home?

I have also spent some time looking at student planners. These, I believe, provide a valuable resource for monitoring your youngster's progress in school, for identifying when things are going wrong and celebrating when things are going right. Please continue to keep an eye on your child's planner and notify us if there are any concerns.

On Friday, 14th September at 11 am, our school observed a one minute silence for the victims of the United States' terrorist outrage. It is difficult to put into words how moving that occasion was and with what dignity and respect it was treated by our students.

Finally, can I say how much I am looking forward to working with you in the future to provide the very best education for your child at Therfield School.

GA Tuck

Rhine Valley Visit

At the end of last term, Year 7 enjoyed a languages trip to Germany and managed to pack in a multitude of activities. On this five day residential trip, they visited Koblenz town, had a guided tour of a medieval castle, went swimming in Koblenz's beautiful outdoor baths and then, as a highlight, had a day out to Rüdesheim, with its vineyards, cable car and boat trip back to Boppard.

A pleasant follow up to the visit came in a letter from the coach driver who accompanied the group. He wrote to compliment the school on the 'excellent behaviour of the children and fantastic attitude of the teachers - a real credit to Therfield'.

A similar visit will take place for Year 7s next July, with the headquarters being at Boppard. The MFL Department is also running German and French Exchanges for Years 9 and 10 - more details from Miss Buckell.

This is open to all years and gives the opportunity to learn Spanish with lessons after school every Wednesday, starting at 3.45 pm.