“Every Student Thriving”
“Every Student Thriving”
As we enter the final and often busiest stretch of the academic year we are currently supporting our Year 11 and Year 13 students as they sit their public examinations. It is a very intense period with many students sitting upwards of twenty examinations. They have worked with immense dedication, and we wish them the absolute best of luck—their hard work deserves to be rewarded.
Looking forward, the coming weeks are packed with opportunities that showcase the vibrant spirit of John Colet. From sports day, Enrichment Week and arts showcases to trips and transition days for our rising Year 7s, there will be a wonderful energy around the school.
Let’s look forward to a successful, sunny, and memorable final half- term. (Hopefully with a little more warmth and sunshine!)
Take care - Ian Brierly
From June 1st we will be trialing not using uniform cards to record uniform infringements. Instead infringements will be recorded as a C1 on Arbor. 3 x C1s will automatically mean that a C3 is issued.
A reminder of uniform expectations; Skirts should not be rolled up. Shirts should be tucked in. Blazers should be worn in lessons and to and from lessons. Regulation jumpers can be worn under blazers, but not instead of. Ties must be worn. Trainers are prohibited except on PE days. Regulation PE kit can be worn only on PE days. The full uniform policy can be found here.
Jewellery (except a watch) is not permitted; One small, single stud in each ear is permitted; the stud must be worn in the lower part of the earlobe and should be removed for PE; students wearing studs in their ears other than in their lobes will be expected to remove them. Other visible body piercings are not permitted and students are expected to remove them. A small clear retainer can be worn for nose piercings. Jewellery is the responsibility of the owner and is worn at the owner’s own risk. Jewellery (and other non regulation items) will be confiscated, an email sent home and will need to be collected from the school office by a parent, guardian or another adult on your behalf.
If there are religious or cultural reasons for wearing an item of jewellery then permission must be sought from the Head of Year.
Please note that any jewellery that is not collected will be disposed of at the end of the school year.
We know that some mornings are easier than others. Between lost football boots, last-minute packed lunches, and the occasional "I’m just too tired," getting out of the door can feel like a marathon. However, consistent attendance is one of the biggest predictors of a child’s success—not just academically, but socially and emotionally too. When students are in school, they feel connected, confident, and part of the school community.
Here are a few practical ways you can support your child in making it to the classroom every day:
Children thrive on predictability. A calm morning usually starts the night before.
Prep Together: Lay out clothes, pack bags, complete homework and check the weather and route planning apps before bed.
The Sleep Factor: Aim for a consistent bedtime. A well-rested child is much more resilient when the alarm goes off.
Screen-Free Mornings: Keeping tablets and TVs off until everyone is ready can prevent "digital distractions" that slow down the exit.
Sometimes children resist school because they feel anxious or disconnected.
Focus on the Positives: Ask about their favourite part of the day, their friends, or an upcoming club they enjoy.
Validate Feelings: If they say they don't want to go, try saying: "I hear you, it's hard to leave home sometimes. But I know you’re going to do great things today."
Keep Home low key: On days when your child is too unwell for school, keep the environment quiet and low-tech. If staying home is too much fun, the motivation to return to school can dip.
It can be hard to tell if a child is truly unwell or just feeling under the weather.
The Golden Rule: If they have a fever, are vomiting, or have a contagious illness, they should stay home.
The Grey Area: If it’s a minor sniffle or a bit of tiredness, encourage them to come in. Staff are available to support them during the day, and we will contact you should your child need to be collected. Often, once they see their friends, those minor ailments are forgotten!
It is unusual for a children to be too ill for school on a regular basis. If your child is frequently missing school due to illness, you should make an appointment to see the GP as soon as possible.
Make sure family activities, holidays and days out are taken during the school holidays. This ensures your child is clear that they are expected to attend school every day.
If your child is struggling to attend school regularly, or if there are circumstances at home making attendance difficult, please reach out to us. We would much rather work with you on a plan early than see your child miss out on valuable learning.
We look forward to seeing everyone in school!
Di and Natalie, The Attendance Team
From September 2025 mobiles phones policy update: This is an area of interesting contention. Last year we moved to a ‘gate to gate’ system. The students responded to this incredibly well. Nearly all major issues were reduced. Next year we will go one step further and require that phones are off and in bags as well. Young people need to learn to be disciplined and the vast majority of our students are excellent. I therefore feel that those students who are self-disciplined should be acknowledged and respected as they will follow the rules. It is now about ensuring the very small percentage of students who are left learn to ‘switch off and bag up’.
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 to ask them to contact home on the students behalf.
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.
Reminder that Homework club which runs everyday after school until 3:50pm
John Colet School is committed to bringing unique learning opportunities to our students and we are pleased to introduce a new, free reading service providing digital books, audiobooks, 'comic genre' graphic novels and magazines through Sora, the student reading app.
Why Sora?
The collection of titles in Sora is an extension of our physical library, only it’s in an app with 24/7 access to ebooks and audiobooks. It’s convenient for students to check out titles at home, on the weekends or during school breaks with no worry about misplacing a book or running up late fees – these digital titles automatically return at the end of the lending period!
Sora can help students of all ages read more and improve comprehension. Struggling or reluctant readers, second language learners, and gifted readers can all benefit from this service.
· Enrich vocabulary and improve comprehension and pronunciation
· Introduce students to books above their reading level
· Teach critical listening
· Help busy young people find time to read
· Incentivise reading with fun avatars and achievements
· Allow easy access to Buckinghamshire Libraries collection, too!
(in the Sora menu select: +Add a library)
How does it work?
From the Library tile, click on the Sora app. Find our school and students can login with their school Google account. Alternatively, download the free Sora app from the Apple App story, Google Play Store and enjoy anytime, anywhere on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Whether a student’s interest lies in classics for required reading, or the latest popular juvenile or young adult fiction, they can find it all in Sora!
We started off the term with a lot of excitement with the school production auditions which were well attended. The cast have been attending lunch time rehearsals and the music team to learn the songs and after school rehearsals to prepare the scenes.
The final performances will be 29th and 30th September but we will also be performing 2 musical numbers in the Summer Showcase on 16th July.
This week we had our first rehearsal with the band and the cast together and it was great to see the two sides of the production together, the songs were sounding great!
Last half term we also had the house competition to find a poster design to promote the production. This was won by Erin Blake in 7C and you can see their brilliant design below.
Look out for the poster around school, tickets will be available to purchase soon via ParentPay.
We also had a former student come back to us in March to lead a workshop with our year 9 Drama student. This was focused on immersive story telling, imagery and semiotics linked to characters. It was great to see the students attempting and getting involved in some really challenging work which involved some abstract ideas which encouraged them to create some sophisticated work.
Piera did her GCSE Drama in 2021 and then completed her A Levels at Tring Park School which was followed by a Diploma course at University of Arts, London and now she’s studying Theatre Design at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. It was great to catch up with her and see how our students have pursued a subject they were passionate about.
Year 9 Drama GCSE classes are preparing their Theatre in Education performances with a clear message that they want their year 7 audiences to learn. Year 7 classes have already been organised to come and be their audiences on 8th and 9th June. Good luck year 9!
The KS3 Drama Clubs are busy creating their performances for the summer showcase. Year 7 are making an adaptation of The Hobbit and Years 8+9 are creating a performance entitle “The Great Summer Staycation”. It’s always exciting to see how these student-led performances turn out. Keep an eye out for the email to parents will ticket information, performance date TBC.
Notices:
Some classes will be moved to different rooms over the next month or so as the Lecture Theatre is being used for GCSE and A Level exams. Please check Arbour for room moves.
The year 11 written was one of the first, 8th May, and has now been done. Huge congratulations to yr 11 Drama students who have now completed their whole GCSE!
Year 10 will be completing with performance NEA on Wednesday 20th May at 5pm. Year 9 Drama Students have been invited to be their audience. Good Luck year 10!
There will be a break in production rehearsals around LC3 assessments. There will be a rehearsal on 2nd June and 6th July but none between then.
The school will no longer be calling home to ask that forgotten school equipment such as their PE kit, Chromebook, homework etc be dropped into school. Students who contact home without permission will receive a consequence. Sanctions will be given for forgotten items. Please disseminate to your child/children. Certain exceptions will be made.
Aylesbury Youth Town Council (AYTC) are in the process of organising an exciting event for young people, which I was hoping you would be able to assist with.
The ‘Future Voices’ event is a wonderful opportunity for young people to meet in a safe space, to share their thoughts and ideas on how their local community could be improved, with a view to make local change happen.
The session will take place on Saturday 30 May between 12-3pm in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall – Refreshments will be provided!
We would be incredibly grateful if you could share this event within your school, whether that be putting the poster in your school newsletter or on noticeboards, or sending the event details to the students directly. Anything you can do to help promote this worthwhile project would be hugely appreciated.
If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you so much for your support towards this event and AYTC.
As we are into the last term of Year 7, it is really lovely to reflect on our achievements as a year group.
As it stands the R point leaderboard is as follows:
7Z - 8826 R points!
7G - 8480 R points
7A - 8318 R points
7C - 7942 R points
7J - 7674 R points
7T - 6679 R points
Time for 7T to see if they can chase those R points and move up the leaderboard before the end of term!
Year 7 have had yet another half term full of amazing achievements; sporting events, house competitions and more.
A special shout out yet again to Hazel K and Ava D who both remain the top two R points this year! They are also in the top 15 for the entire school alongside Chloe G and Charlie B - well done to all of you, what an impressive league to be in.
I look forward to seeing what the final half term brings us, letting us celebrate Year 7 at Awards Evening and also getting to experience their first Enrichment week.
A further 6,264 R-Points have been awarded to our Year 8 students since the last newsletter, which is great to see.
Year 8 are nothing if not consistent with their R-Points - the rankings are, once again, the same! HOWEVER - as of today, there is only ONE R-POINT between 8C and 8Z!
8C - 7628
8Z - 7627
8T - 6546
8G - 6167
8A - 5985
8J - 5600
A quick shoutout to those who have received the highest number of R-Points this term: Ahmed A, Jack B, Zac BJ, Lily J, Jake B and Bradley W! Well done to you.
Another shout out for attendance - we still have some students who have managed to maintain 100% attendance for the year! Amazing job to Dominic A, Jake B, Ben B, Jack B, Charlie H, Jacob H, Max M, Mia M, Isabelle P, Emerae T and Bradley W!! Fantastic show of resilience and commitment to learning - well done.
Roll on the lovely weather, and the final half term of Year 8!
As we reach the May half-term, it is brilliant to reflect on how much you have achieved in such a short space of time. Since the Easter break, the focus across the year group as you navigate your GCSE content has been fantastic. You are showing the maturity and drive needed to set yourselves up for an incredibly successful Year 10.
A massive congratulations to our top Attitude to Learning (ATL) students who have consistently gone above and beyond this term. Your dedication to being Ready, Respectful, and Responsible is exemplary. A huge well done to Sophie E, Victor A, Adah B, Norah J, Thomas A, Sammy A, Adam B, Oscar G, Ellie G, Emilia J, Milan R, Isabella S, and Elise T.
We also want to give a special shoutout to our most improved students this half-term. Taking ownership of your progress and turning things up a gear takes real dedication, and your hard work has truly paid off. Outstanding progress has been made by Jasmine R, Ella A, Zac D, Peter C, Poppy F, Amelia F, and Harry M.
Whether you are using this time to rest, enjoy the sunshine, or spend time with friends and family, we hope you have a safe and refreshing break. Let’s recharge over the holiday and return with the same high standards for the final stretch of the academic year.
Have a fantastic half-term, Year 9!
Celebrating Year 10 Achievements!
Well done to Year 10 for all the fantastic accomplishments recently! A big shout-out to everyone who completed the Frazzled course with Wendover Youth Centre, to those who have represented the school in sports, and to the students who enjoyed the school trip to Somerville College in Oxford.
As the half term wraps up, it’s exciting to see 10T leading the Reward Points leaderboard once again, with 10G and 10A hot on their heels. Well done to everyone who’s contributing— there’s still plenty of time for other forms to climb to the top!
Special congratulations go to the top female students in Reward Points: Jessica G, Molly F, and Faith M, with Alice Cclosing in fast. Leading the boys are Radley H, Dylan N, and Jaydan T, with Ishak H also making a strong push. Keep up the amazing effort!
A quick reminder about school uniform: most students are doing a great job, but we’ve noticed a few small things like extra piercings, missing ties, or shorter skirts. Please check the school website to make sure everyone stays on track—thank you for helping us all look and feel our best!
As we prepare to say farewell to our Year 11 students, we are delighted to celebrate the pupils who have achieved the highest Recognition (R) Points across the year. Their commitment, resilience, leadership and positive contribution to school life have set an excellent example for others. This final Recognition Newsletter marks a fitting tribute to a fantastic year group as they prepare for their next steps beyond school.
Special congratulations to our Top 15 students for their outstanding achievements, led by Florence J (11C) with 294 R Points, closely followed by Alfred P-B (11C) and Taís de L (11G). We are incredibly proud of all students recognised for consistently demonstrating our school values throughout their time with us.
Congratulations also to the Year 11 forms for their collective success in the R Points rankings:
1st – 11C (5076 points)
2nd – 11G (4512 points)
3rd – 11J (4260 points)
4th – 11TB (4194 points)
5th – 11A (4065 points)
6th – 11Z (3930 points)
7th – 11TA (3376 points)
We thank all Year 11 students and families for their support over the years and wish our leavers every success and happiness in the future.
Well done to the following year 13 students who received the top number of R points for the year:
Ollie D 114
Shayen P 110
Joely B 108.
Year to date 13B received the most R points (1127), followed by 13A (964) and 13C (863).
Year 12 have recently completed their mock exams, well done to them on their hard work and dedication in preparing for these.
The R point leaderboard shows 12GJ at the top with 1628 R points being awarded, followed by 12TZ with 1475 and 12AC with 1401.
In the individual competition there is just 1 point in it for the top spot, with Millie K leading the way with 183 closely followed by Ben D with 182, next in line is Aimee F with 153.
Well done!
We said goodbye to our team leader, Ollie D, this half term! I hope you join us in wishing Ollie lots of luck for his upcoming Year 13 exams and for his future as he leaves John Colet School. The Robotics club has diversified this half term, and now we have games designers and digital artists. The Robotics club has been building passion projects recently - we have had an automated Iron Man mask in the making, a Pokemon card distributor, an audacious attempt to make a Duck Hunt game using sensors and a rather ridiculous attempt to make a series of gears that could launch a wheel ...
As mentioned before, Code Ninjas will be joining John Colet again this year for Enrichment week - Year 7s will have the exciting chance to build a complete computer game and learn some of the fundamentals to get them started on the lifelong skill of coding.
It has been an incredibly busy half term, packed with guest speakers, university visits, and employer trips designed to inspire our students.
Our Year 12 Business Studies students attended the Business, Economics, and Enterprise Festival at the University of Buckingham. They threw themselves into interactive lectures and did a fantastic job competing against other schools.
A group of Year 9 students visited Buckinghamshire New University for a "Futures Day." They toured the campus, took part in interactive activities, and chatted with current undergraduates to get a real taste of university life.
A small group of Year 10 students spent the day at Somerville College, Oxford. After a tour exploring the college’s rich history, they met with Oxford students and tackled complex topics in a challenging academic workshop, impressing everyone with their thoughtful answers.
Our Year 10 Timber Tech students visited the renowned furniture manufacturer Ercol to spark inspiration for their design projects. As always, the Ercol team was incredibly welcoming, giving our students an up-close look at the entire production process.
We were delighted to welcome back Emma from the Mason Foundation to deliver the Propel Programme to some of our SEND students. They worked incredibly hard across a series of short workshops (and thoroughly enjoyed the bonus biscuits and sweets!).
Year 10 and 12 students braced the minibus journey up to the NEC in Birmingham for MACH 26. It was a fantastic opportunity to see cutting-edge technology and future innovations, participate in industry workshops, and network directly with major employers.
We welcomed the RAF for an inspiring talk. Students learned about the diverse career roles, entry pathways, and unique opportunities available within the service.
We have activities and guest speakers already arranged for this year but we always like to hear from people outside of our school community. If you would like to come and speak to our students or know someone who would please email tsinacore@johncolet.co.uk. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who has completed an apprenticeship or can talk about roles in construction, law, plumbing and heating, marketing and finance.
A group of students from our gardening club and eco committee recently visited Lindengate to take part in a number of activities including helping plant up sunflowers and take part in a bug count. We experienced 4 seasons in one day but this did not dampen the group’s enthusiasm, this was helped by the hot chocolate and biscuits. We also received a donation of plants for our annual fundraising plant sale.
If you are planning a summer makeover for your garden and have a spare parasol and/or base that needs a new home we are looking for parasols to provide some shade for the sixth form area, thank you.
Two Year 7/8 dodgeball teams travelled to Aylesbury Vale Academy to take part in a friendly tournament. After an intense match, 3 Colet players found themselves still in,with Arjun taking the last man standing crown.
The Year 7 B football team took to the pitch for the final time this season in a friendly fixture against Amersham B team. The team included some players making their first appearance for the side, and with the sun out, it promised to be a good game. JCS unfortunately lost 1-0.
The Year 9 dodgeball teams also travelled to Aylesbury Vale Academy. Their hard work paid off in a closely fought tournament, with one Colet team finishing joint 3rd whilst the other Colet team came out as the winners, losing just 1 of their 8 games.
The Year 9s showed their great leadership skills at the Primary World Cup Cricket Day event. With over 200 enthusiastic children participating, the leaders delivered clear,fun and engaging mini games. Every individual received fantastic praise and feedback so well done to all and have represented JCS amazingly.
Students from Wendover Junior Football Club are celebrating an outstanding achievement after their Under 15s team secured two major trophies in just two weekends, lifting both the County Cup and the League Cup.
The team’s success is made even more special by the strong representation of our Year 10 students, who have played a key role throughout the season. Their dedication, teamwork and resilience have been evident in these back-to-back victories. This is a fantastic accomplishment for everyone involved, and a moment of real pride for both the club and our school community. Congratulations to all players and coaches on an incredible achievement!
A huge well done and thank you to everyone who took part in the Staff vs Year 11 netball game and to all who came along to support both teams. Congratulations to the JCS staff team securing a 23-13 victory. Despite the result, we want to give a heartfelt farewell to our year 11 players. It's been an absolute pleasure having you represent netball at JCS and we wish you all the very best!
The John Colet U13 cricket team made good use of the lovely weather, kicking off their season with a league game away vs Aylesbury Grammar School. Some impressive catches in the field as well as some good wicket keeping from Sam which gave the team something to be pleased with as they look forward to the season ahead.
The U15 girl’s cricket team took part in 1 round of the Knight/Stokes Cup today, playing their first competitive hardball game for the school. The team came up against Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School, with the game being played at Ascott House.
On Wednesday 13th May, a group of Year 7 students attended the Buckinghamshire Schools BMX and Skateboarding event at Aston Clinton Park. The students arrived feeling both nervous and excited for the afternoon ahead, eager to develop new skills and take on fresh challenges.We are extremely proud of everyone who attended, as their behaviour, determination, and resilience throughout the event were outstanding. By the end of the afternoon, the Year 7s left with huge smiles, confidence, and impressive new abilities, including performing tricks on skateboards and riding BMX bikes using two hands, one hand, or even none at all!
Two students one in Year 9 and one in Year 11 competed at the World Cheerleading Championships early May in the USA.
They and their team Chaos qualified in the semi-finals on Sunday to compete in the finals on Monday 4th May and I am so proud to say that they and their team finished 6th in the World in their age and division. For their 1st time qualifying and competing for ‘Worlds’ this is an exceptional achievement and goes to show that sheer hard work, passion and dedication pays off.
Over the past year, our Year 11 prefects have been working towards a prestigious award that recognises their character and leadership. This programme is built on the Kouzes and Posner Exemplary Leadership Model (2003), and offers a range of opportunities for students to discover, develop and strengthen their leadership potential.
Through activities designed to help them model the way, inspire others, and lead with integrity, our prefects have demonstrated real commitment and growth.
We are especially proud to congratulate the only three prefects to successfully complete the Accomplished Leader Colours Award this year. Their dedication and achievement truly set them apart.
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.
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
In Buckinghamshire, there is a wealth of support available for families within our community for a wide range of needs. Sometimes, it can be tricky knowing where to turn and what is available. The Family Centre Plus has a welcome desk where young people, families and parents can drop in and talk to someone between 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. Families will be supported to know what supports and services are available to help them with their needs as they emerge. The Family Centre is also contactable on 01296 383 293.
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.
We have accumulated numerous items of unnamed lost property including coats, shoes, trainers, water bottles and school uniform etc. If you are missing any items, please ask your child to visit the school office, before or after school, or during break or lunch. All unclaimed items will be donated to charity at the end of each term.
Please name all items as this ensures that we can get them back to their rightful owner. Thank you.