“Every Student Thriving”

Headteacher's Welcome

As spring arrives, it brings a sense of renewal and fresh beginnings. It is the season of growth and opportunity. The longer days and blooming flowers remind us of the growth and progress we strive for in education. This season also marks an important time for students as they prepare for upcoming exams. I encourage everyone to stay focused, work hard, and approach their studies with confidence. Every gain in knowledge is an investment in the future; like planting a seed that will grow and flourish. The caveat being that the seed must be nurtured. Knowledge also needs to be nurtured through revision, application and practise. The very act of nurturing knowledge builds character as, in the modern world, it requires resilience, determination and perseverance to focus on making the stuff we need to learn for our future stick in the mind. As water is to the seed so character is to knowledge.

Mobile Phone Policy - 'no see, no hear' from gate to gate.

At John Colet we have a 'no see, no hear' policy from gate to gate for mobile phones while students are on school site. In a community of over 1000 people it would be disruptive to learning for phones to be used by students. Insisting that a parent or carer collects the phone acts as a deterrent to phones being used.

During school hours, should you need to contact your child please telephone the School Office and we will get a message to them. Alternatively if a student needs to contact their parent/carer they should go to the Student Support office or School Office where they can request to ring home.

Unfortunately, at times parents try to contact students directly which causes their phone to go off during lessons - this results in the student having their phone confiscated as per our school policy and it will be a parent/carer that will have to pick the mobile phone up from the School Office. If you are unable to collect the phone please arrange for a family member, or responsible adult to collect it on your behalf. Students will not be able to pick up their phone themselves under any circumstance. A number of students have raised the issue of having to use their phone to pay for transport home. If this is the case the student needs to come and speak to the School Office. We will arrange for a loan which will need to be reimbursed the next day.

Punctuality Matters

We are seeing an increasing number of students arriving late to school each day. Students arriving late will receive a C1, escalating to a C3 if they are late twice in a week. The simple way to avoid these sanctions is to arrive on time, and I hope these tips which address the most common reasons for absence will be helpful -

'The traffic was bad' - we know that several roads in the local area can be busy in the morning, especially with roadworks and the disruption caused by HS2. Please allow extra time for your journey. Apps such as Waze and Google Maps can be helpful in planning your journey or identifying alternative routes.
'The traffic on Wharf Road was very slow' - we know this road is very congested during busy periods. It would be helpful if you could avoid parking in this area to allow traffic to flow more easily, or consider dropping students off a little further away so they can walk without you having to approach the school grounds.
'I had to drop my sibling at school' - students should not be responsible for taking their siblings to school. Please make alternative arrangements for your other children to be taken to school
'My alarm didn't go off/I slept in' - please support your child with their morning routine, including ensuring they have an adequate alarm or are woken in the morning. We don't encourage students to have their phones in their bedrooms overnight, so an alternative alarm would be useful
'I couldn't find my PE kit/book/bag' - please support your child by ensuring they pack their bag the evening before school and are prepared for the day ahead
'My laptop wasn't charged' - please support your child by ensuring they charge their devices the evening before
'My uniform/PE kit was in the wash and I had to wait for it to be ready' - please support your child by ensuring their uniform and PE kit is ready the evening before
'My Mum was on a work call/we were waiting in for the plumber/Dad went to work with the keys so we left late' - we understand that it isn't always easy to juggle work and family life but ask that you prioritise ensuring your child arrives at school on time and prepared for the day ahead
'I was staying at my Mum's/Dad's/Nan's/friend's house and it is a long drive' - please ensure whoever is bringing your child to school allows plenty of time for their journey
'The dog ran off when we opened the door/I was playing with my pet and lost track of time' - please ensure time spent with pets doesn't cause lateness to school, we are sure that this will be something to look forward to in the evenings
'We came back from holiday/a weekend away/a day out late last night and I am tired today' - please ensure you allow plenty of time to return from family adventures to allow your child to prepare for school and be able to attend on time the following day
'I lost track of time' - please support your child to establish a clear routine for the morning to enable them to leave the house on time
'I didn't know I was late' - for clarity, students are expected to be on site at 8.27am and in form time for registration at 8.30am. Those students arriving between 8.30am and 9.00am will be marked as 'L - late'. In line with the DfE legislation we cannot keep our registers open after 9.00am, and students arriving late after this time will be marked as 'U - late after the registers have closed'. This is classed as an absence code and will affect their attendance figure at school so it is imperative all students arrive before 9.00am

We know that arriving at school on time and attending activities during form time will allow your child to have the best possible start to their day and thank you for your support.

With kind regards

Di Bull and Natalie Preece, the Attendance Team

In Loving Memory of Riley: Our school's Therapy dog

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Riley, our beloved Pets as Therapy dog.

Riley joined our school community just over a year ago as part of the Pets as Therapy program. During his time with us, he helped provide emotional support and bring a sense of calm to those in need. His gentle nature and unwavering patience made him an invaluable part of our school environment. For many students, he was a source of comfort during difficult days.

We are so grateful for the memories and the lasting impact Riley and his owner Janine has left on our school.

Rest in peace, Riley. You will forever be a part of our school family.

STEM Day

At the start of this term our KS4 and KS5 Design and Technology students took on a challenge unlike anything they had faced before. The Design and Technology department's new slogan this year is "Designing a better future for everyone" and they definitely got the students thinking about this. The students worked in teams of 4-5 to research, design and make a prototype to assist a wheelchair user in carrying an object. Students spent the day coming up with a wide range of solutions and testing them on a range of obstacles designed to mimic everyday problems that a wheelchair user would face. At the end of the day students gathered to test the range of unique designs that had been thought up by the students. Some groups easily navigated the course with their cups of water, while others certainly made a splash. During the event we were very fortunate to be joined by Chris from Wheelchair Basketball England, who talked to the students about his story, the problems he and other wheelchair users face and the importance of social design. Chris is currently training to once again take on the London Marathon, with the challenge the students faced being one that he has faced before when he previously tackled the London Marathon. At the end of the day there can only be one winner. After much judging and deliberation, Group 7 were crowned the winners for a unique design that fared well on the assault course, whilst also being adaptable and accessible for a range of wheelchair designs. Well done Group 7 and all who took part!

Vehicles on school grounds

Remember that vehicles should not be driven onto campus unless you are authorised to do so by the school office. Please park and walk. Unauthorised drivers are increasing the risk of accident by significantly adding to the volume of traffic.

If authorised to do so, parents should drop-off directly in front of reception. Please do not use the parking bays for drop-off. The car-park directly in front of school is for staff vehicles only.

Please also be reminded that vehicle engines should be switched off when dropping off, or waiting for students to come out of school. Idling causes air pollution which is harmful to the school community.

Year 9 girls

Well done to the Year 9 girls who secured a 17-5 win against Waddesdon B team! Some great netball was played and a huge well done to the two year 8s who stepped up to play.

Year 10 boys

Some of the Year 10 boys took part in a handball tournament. Despite this being their first experience of competitive handball, and coming up against some strong opponents,the Colet team should be proud of their efforts! The whole team improved throughout the competition, hopefully there will be more handball fixtures in the future for the boys.

Year 11 Netball team

The Year 11 netball team continued their winning streak against Waddesdon. Winning 32-3!

Person of the match - Natasha Bradley

Year 9/10 boys basketball team

The Year 9/10 boys basketball team came up against a very strong Mandeville side. Despite losing the game, Colet can be pleased with how they improved with each quarter. The whole team showed excellent resilience to play right up until the end!

Football is back! After a well rested break, JCS had their first game back with a friendly against Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School. A well contested game saw JCS come out on top building some great momentum.

Having won their opening 2 league games of the season, the year 11 boys football team were looking to make it 3 wins on the bounce against a strong Lord Williams side. Taking the lead early, Colet dominated the game. The second half saw Lord Williams have much more of the ball and their possession paid off as they scored 2 late goals to take a point. The year 11s have many more fixtures where they can hopefully get back to their winning ways!

Year 11 boys Basketball team

The Year 11 boys basketball team beat St Michaels 39-16. A close first quarter saw JCS establish a small lead. JCS built on this to play some very good basketball,passing the ball and creating scoring opportunities.

Message regarding parking at Wendover Memorial Hall car park

Good morning,

We are writing to request your assistance in supporting the John Colet students and families to understand that the Memorial Hall car park is not suitable as a drop off or pick up zone or a pathway. There is clear signage indicating that it is a private car park. However, it would seem that, if they are not actually parking, people think it’s ok to swing in to drop off/pick up.

The Pre-school uses the car park between 7.30am until 3.30pm with children being picked up and dropped off in between those times. We have had several incidents involving near misses and regular abuse when people are asked not to use the private car park.

The Memorial Hall Car Park is not a drop off or pick up zone or a safe pathway to the school campus.

This also applies to the Wendover Doctors surgery car park.

Donate

Movember

Every year for the duration of November Mr Brand takes part in Movember. Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November. This is to raise awareness of Men's Health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men's suicide. As he has a beard all year around he dyes his beard bright colours, this year the colour was decided by his form group. Mr Brand is very pleased to announce that he has raised a total of £284.83 this year.

Read up

Learn More

Find out

Current Job Vacancies - with flexible working patterns

Do you know of any one who would like to join the John Colet School. We have vacancies for, a Student Support Officer, Cover Supervisor and Learning Support Assistant.

Full Job Descriptions are available on the John Colet School website.

Before

School Garden

Over several years groups of students have been working through the RHS School Garden Awards and we recently found out that, after submitting our evidence, we have achieved Level 5, the highest RHS School Garden award. Work continues with our garden, planning what to plant in Spring, weeding our wildflower area and planning to grow more pollinator patches around the school site.

After

Gardening Club

Careers update

EKFB came into school in January to work with a group of our year 9 students and set them the challenge of designing a tunnel structure using straws and tape.

Our Year 7 students were invited to name one of the tunnel boring machines for EKFB and the winning vote was Hannah Cockcroft. Eight students who won the poster competition will be able to visit the site and see Hannah the TBM before it starts work on the new tunnel.

Six of our year 12 students are taking part in the EKFB Carbon Heroes competition, working with experts to provide a carbon reducing solution to a real business issue. The team will be competing against other local schools, have to pitch their idea to business leaders and will hopefully be successful at the award ceremony in April.

Several students visited the health suite at the Aylesbury campus Bucks College Group to find out more about the wide range of careers in Oral Health. The students got a chance to practice taking a teeth impression and view the interactive display.

We have had several external visitors come and speak with our students. Bucks Skills came into the Year 9 assembly to talk about apprenticeships. We launched the Step into NHS competition with a talk by the school engagement team at Bucks NHS Trust about all the different roles within the NHS.

In this half term we also held our annual careers fair in which all students were invited to attend. There were 27 exhibitors from colleges, universities and employers with students getting the opportunity to talk about post 16 and post 18 options.

If students enjoyed the careers fair there are two more opportunities locally to meet a wider group of organisations. The Bucks Skill Show is taking place on Wednesday 5th March at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium from 4pm-8pm with over 120 exhibitors. The event is free to attend but you will need to book tickets:

https://bucksskillshub.org/news/bucks-skills-show-2025

We have also been invited to the Misbourne School’s career fair taking place on 27th March 6pm-8pm. Parking will be very busy so visitors have been advised to park in Buryfield and Link Road car parks. Thank you to Mrs Hill, Careers Leader at the Misbourne, for inviting our students.

Work Experience

We still have students in Year 10 and Year 12 that are still trying to find a work experience placement. If you are able to offer a placement please email wex@johncolet.co.uk. The dates for work experience are 23rd-27th June.

Rewards and Consequences

Year 7

From what I can work out from our shiny new MIS system, 7J have maintained their lead with 907 points, closely followed by 7C with 886. In third position we have 7T with 832, then 7Z with 706. Followed by, but still getting on respectably, are 7G with 683 and 7A with 657.

The students are now well and truly settled into our routines here at John Colet School, and are demonstrating our Classroom Fundamentals excellently. Long may it continue into the new Half Term, where we might also start to see a break in this relentless cold!

In other news, I was lucky enough to be able to watch ‘1001 Arabian Nights’ by Top Hats in Halton, starring several of our students! Mia in 7Z was great, as were Rhianna, Molly, Owen, Hope, Bella and Isla in other years.

Year 8
Year 8 – Keeping Up the Momentum!

Year 8, you continue to impress! Your total R-Points have soared to an outstanding 18706, proving that you are not only excelling in your work but also demonstrating our core values: Ready, Respectful, and Responsible. A huge well done to all of you. Your efforts are truly making a difference!

We’re also incredibly proud to share that Year 8 currently has the best attendance in the school, a fantastic achievement! Not only that, but your attendance stands out on a national level, showing just how committed you are to your education. Keep it up!

It’s also been great to see so many of you engaging in opportunities beyond the classroom. A special mention goes to those who represented the school on the 10 Downing Street trip, where you showed exceptional maturity and curiosity. Experiences like these help to broaden your horizons, and we encourage you to keep making the most of all the opportunities that come your way!

Options Selection – A Key Milestone

As you continue to strive for excellence, it’s also time to start thinking about your GCSE options. This is an important step in your journey, but remember. You are not alone in making these choices. We encourage students and parents to have conversations about their interests and aspirations, and to reach out if support is needed. Choices can be changed if necessary, so this is all about exploring what feels right for you.

Let's continue to build on this incredible momentum, Year 8. Keep aiming high, supporting each other, and showing what makes this year group stand out. Who knows? With your dedication and teamwork, we might just claim that top spot in R-Points next time!

Keep up the fantastic work. We’re so proud of you!

Year 9

As the dark and miserable weather continues outside, it is good to know that Year 9 are continuing to make positive in - roads into their GCSE courses. This positive attitude has resulted in 9C leading the way with 323 R points, being chased by 9J hot on their heels.

Some students have been involved in the start of the Duke of Edinburgh award. Whilst others have been involved in the Strong course offered by WYC. What is always wonderful is how the year group take on these extra challenges. Well done and keep going!

Year 10

Well done Year 10 for all your hard work this half term. With the internal exams pending there has been a real shift in attitude which is brilliant to see keep it up!

Well done to the following for achieving the most recognition points Tamicar (10TB), Jack G (10J) and David B (10TB). An impressive show of your commitment and dedication to your studies.

Special mention to 10TB who earned an impressive 629 R points this term.

Well done Year 10 - you’ve done yourself proud!

Year 11

As we are getting up to halfway through Year 11’s final full term in school, they are still working hard to earn reward points.

11JA are taking the lead this half term with a collective 292 points, with 11G closely behind them with 287.

A huge well done to Lora, 11JA and Madison, 11Z who have received the most R points this half term, closely followed by Ben, 11T and Josh 11G.

It’s the final push year 11! Keep going

Year 12 and 13

With A level and BTEC final exams looming for Year 13, it is great to see them really focusing on their own learning and prioritising revision. 13C lead the way this half term with R points - well done to them!

In Year 12, 12B lead the way this half term with R points. Keep working hard, volunteering your time in the community and the wider school and being the brilliant role models that you are! It is pleasing to see the fantastic work sixth form students do as peer mentors and a real joy to see these helpful and positive conversations taking place in the mornings over a hotly contested round of Uno!

Future Focus programme

I wanted to congratulate our Year 9 students who have shown such a positive attitude and successfully started the Year 9 Academic Mentoring programme. The identified students have had the opportunity to work closely with Mr Brand and Mrs Davis in small groups. The focus has been on 3 main areas: small group support to improve outcomes in assessments, the development of skills and tools to achieve academic success and setting achievable short term goals which are reviewed after each session. We will continue to monitor their progress as they move into Year 10.

Pub Quiz for Parents or over 18s

On Friday 21st March, we will be holding a PUB QUIZ to raise funds for the Performing Arts production budget. Get a team together and come along to test out the grey matter!

- Fully licensed bar.

- £10 entry per person, all profit goes to the production budget.

- Max team size 6, but you can have multiple teams.

- MEGA RAFFLE!

- No under 18s.

- Limited space, sign up at the link below.

- CASH ONLY!

Tooled Up

If you haven’t signed up to ‘tooled up’ yet I urge you to. We subscribe to a library of resources for parents designed to boost children’s resilience, self-esteem and mental health to help them thrive throughout their educational journey and beyond.

Go to www.tooledupeducation.com/register.
Fill in your name, email address and chosen password.
Add your unique school PIN. Our PIN is JCS2206

If you already have an account, simply log in here using your email address and password. If you forget your details, use the reset password function to reset your account.

If you ever need assistance, contact the Tooled Up team, who will be happy to help: support@tooledupeducation.com.

Once you are logged in, click on the Resources button in the top left corner to discover the vast library of evidence-based support at your fingertips

One-pot smoky pancetta pasta

Ingredients

Strawberry Pop-Tart Blondies

Free School Meals

If your circumstances have changed recently and you think you are eligible for free school meals please get in touch via pupilpremium@johncolet.co.uk and we can complete a simple check for you.

Lost Property

We have numerous items of unnamed lost property including coats, shoes, trainers, water bottles and food tech containers/equipment. If you are missing any items, please ask your child to visit Student Welfare Officer's office. All unclaimed items will be donated to charity at the end of term.

Please can I ask that your child's name is put on everything. Thank you.

This is a quick and easy way to help with fundraising for
John Colet School.

Report abuse