National Youth Market

Young people from all over the UK are pitching up in Albert Square, Manchester, on Saturday, May 11 to trade on the country's first ever National Youth Market.

From 11am to 4pm, over 80 young people aged 11 to 21 will stand 44 stalls, punting their wares and 'flashing up their gear' for Manchester's shopping public.

Young traders will stand 24 stalls on the National Youth Market including eight of our own Year 10 students.

Daniel Boot, Rebecca Barley, Nicholas Headley, Charlie Thorn, Rebecca Suckling, Chloe Earl, Paige Jackson and Sarah - Jayne Bucknall will be running a stall selling sweets. Aldridge School is the only school in Walsall to qualify. We wish them good luck, you can follow their progress live on the @AldridgeSchool twitter feed.

Showcase of Performances

April saw two successful performances of “Showcase Performance” put on by the Drama Department to raise funds for Ben Sambrook’s Brain Tumour Charity. The Showcase was based on the theme of nature and the seasons, showing a range of performance techniques including acting, singing, dancing and musicians playing a range of instruments.

Over 100 drama pupils from KS3 and KS4 were involved, showcasing their many talents and their commitment to supporting Ben in his fight against this illness. Ben was initially diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour when he was seven and is still undergoing treatment to fight against this terrible condition.

We are delighted to announce that during April Aldridge School students have raised over £3,200 for charity including over £1000 for The Brain Tumour Charity.

You can still donate directly to Ben's fund within The Brain Tumour Charity by clicking here.

School celebrates glowing Ofsted report

Staff and students at Aldridge School are celebrating after inspectors gave them a glowing report, praising exam success and highlighting some outstanding teaching.

A report released on December 7th by Ofsted shows the school has jumped from a satisfactory judgement two years ago, to good in all of the four areas inspected.

It has been acknowledged as good in the achievement of pupils, the quality of teaching, the behaviour and safety of pupils and leadership and management.

And it has only been given one single objective to achieve in order to place it as an outstanding school.

The report said there has been a sharp increase in the proportion of students gaining five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and Maths. The proportion of students gaining the highest A* to A grades had also shown a significant improvement and standards are well above average.

Inspectors found that the teaching at the Tynings Lane school was good and that some was outstanding. They said teachers have a good subject knowledge and give good advice to students on how to improve their work.

Student behavior was appraised as good and inspectors noted pupils behave well around school, as well as in lessons.

“Students are polite and respectful and enjoy school and feel safe,” says the report, which adds, “students’ moral, social, spiritual and cultural understanding is good and they are provided with many musical and sporting opportunities.”

Leadership and management came in for praise with inspectors noting at all levels management was driving the school forward with clear direction and purpose.

And it says very effective leadership has led to significant improvements since the last inspection in many aspects of the sixth form’s work.

David Mountney, head teacher at the school, which became an academy this year, said they were all delighted with the inspectors’ findings.

He said: “It is very reassuring to know Ofsted has clearly recognised the significant changes and improvements we have made over the past two years.

“Staff and pupils are very proud of their school and I am particularly pleased that inspectors described it as ‘harmonious and orderly’, where students feel safe and where they are able to make good progress.”

Year 10 student Nikki Sehra, aged 15, said: “I love this school and I told the inspectors that I liked my lessons, especially food technology.”

Logan Pritchard, aged 12, who is in Year 8, added: “The effort that goes into this school is beyond comparison.”

GCSE Results Put Aldridge School Among The Top Performers

Record GCSE results at Aldridge School put the academy among the top 25 per cent of schools in the country.

Staff, students and parents were celebrating an 89 per cent A* to C pass rate up from 82 per cent last year. The school also saw a jump in its A* to C pass rate in English and Maths from 66 per cent last year to 73 per cent this year.

Among top performers celebrating their results today were 16-year-olds Olivier Sanga and Alissa Westley who each got 12 GCSEs at A and A*.

Sofia Somani and Harriet Green each got 11 GCSEs at A and A* and for 16-year-old Rohit Sohan his nine GCSEs at grade C and above exceeded all expectation.

David Mountney, Aldridge School Headteacher, said: “These are excellent results for the school which I am delighted to say is now performing in the top 25 per cent of schools in the country. As with our record A-level results last week, the GCSE results today once again demonstrate the school’s commitment to achieving excellence together.”

Of the 252 students who sat GCSEs at the school in a full range of subjects the school expects 140 to stay onto study A-levels at its sixth form, with others opting for college courses, apprenticeships and work.

Aldridge School Celebrates Record A-level Results

Students and staff at Aldridge School were celebrating record results with an A* haul and overall grades up on all previous years.

The school saw six students get A* results with star student Andrew Lloyd netting three A* in Chemistry, Biology and Maths. The 18-year-old from Aldridge is now off to study medicine at Leicester University.

Figures show 98 per cent of students achieved A* to E grades compared to 96 per cent last year at the school which starts the new term as an academy. Overall the school’s average UCAS points have also increased by 30 points from 732 to 762.

Of the 91 students, who have just left the school, 81 are going on to study at university bucking national figures released by the admissions service earlier this year saying university applications were down by 8.7 per cent.

Mr Mountney, Aldridge School Headteacher, said: “We take great pride in these excellent results and the progress they reflect. We are delighted for the students and their ever-supportive parents and we are also grateful for the hard work of all the staff involved. We now look forward to 2013 and our ambition to achieve the best for all our students continues with real confidence.”

Also celebrating today was Charlie Wrighton, who got three straight As in Maths, Physics and Classic and is the first in his family to go to university. The 18-year-old is now off to Bath University to study Physics.

And for John Gilbert the results are extra special. The 18-year-old almost didn’t get to sit his exams after becoming seriously ill in the run up. He was diagnosed with diabetes the night before he sat his first A levels. John got a B in Classic and two Cs in History and Maths.

Celebrating and set for success were three sixth form students, Chloe Law, Vanessa Lyne and Madeline Thorn, who each got four A grades at A/S Level in Biology, Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Economics.

Mr Mountney added: “These results bode very well for our students’ success next year if they continue to work hard. They also give a good indication that the school will continue to improve and that all students can achieve excellence together.”

Term Dates for 2012/13

Autumn 2012
Tue 4 Sept - Fri 19 Oct
Mon 29 Oct - Fri 21 Dec

Spring 2013

Mon 7 Jan - Fri 15 Feb
Mon 25 Feb - Thur 28 March

Summer 2013

Mon 15 April - Fri 24 May
Mon 3 June - Wed 24 July

Term Dates for 2013/14

Autumn Term 2013
Mon 2 Sept - Fri 25 Oct
Mon 4 Nov - Fri 20 Dec

Spring Term 2014
Mon 6 Jan - Fri 14 Feb
Mon 24 Feb - Fri 11 April

Summer Term 2014
Mon 28 April - Fri 23 May
Mon 2 June - Mon 21 July

Planned Absence

Attendance Matters

Regular school attendance is an important part of giving you the best possible start in life. Pupils who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams. Good attendance shows potential employers that you are reliable. Research suggests that pupils who attend school regularly could also be at less risk of getting involved in antisocial behavior or crime.  Below is a table showing how your percentage attendance equates to the amount of school time missed.

Every Minute Counts

If you arrive late to school everyday your learning begins to suffer.  Below is a graph showing how being late to school everyday over a school year adds up to lost learning time.

3

Days Lost