March 2025

Dear Parent / Carer

As we recently passed the five-year anniversary of the first Covid lock down, there have been recent reports in the news of the pandemic’s impact, the economic fallout and the continuing effect of its legacy on our lives. I am sure that we all have very different and vivid memories of what was undoubtedly an extraordinary time; it is important to remember, share and not forget these times and experiences.

Like the vast majority of Netflix sub-scribers, I have recently been avidly watching Adolescence, which, I am sure others will agree, is a harrowing insight into the lives of teenagers who are bombarded with all sorts of inappropriate content and online interactions. These influences distort both their perception of appropriate and normal relationships and how to respond to conflict and challenge. The programme is a stark reminder of the insidious harm that can be caused by spending time unsupervised online. I would actively encourage you to talk to your children about what they are accessing online and putting in clear safety filtering processes.

In school it has been a really busy time, we have had creative writing competitions, World Book Day, a book Fair, The Great Big Dance Off, County Dance competitions, Charlie’s Angels, A large number of Robotics competitions, numerous sporting fixtures, a netball tour and a silver D of E practice expedition.

Mr Cove sent out a letter this week that highlighted the importance of student attendance in school and the direct link between “good” attendance and attainment. It is vitally important that students are in school, on time and following the uniform policy.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a restful and enjoyable break.

Warmest regards

Chris Price

Headteacher, The John Warner School

Year 8 Drama

Year 8 have been learning about devising in drama and have been creating their own stereotype characters based on a school setting. For home learning they were tasked with creating a set design based on a classroom.

Miss Brenton would like to thank all the students for their hard work during the set design home learning, more of these designs will feature on social media soon.

Year 7 Geography

I would like to take a moment to recognise and applaud the outstanding efforts of 7A1 students, Abel, Isabelle, Ron and Trilyna in completing the Geography home learning task.

They were asked to create a model of the Earth's structure, illustrating the four layers of the Earth, and have all demonstrated exceptional skill and creativity in their work.

The attention to detail and commitment to accurately representing the Earth's layers—crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core—was impressive. The models were not only visually striking but also showcased a strong understanding of the geographical concepts involved.

Congratulations on your hard work and dedication to this task. Your achievement is a testament to your academic ability and enthusiasm for learning. Keep up the excellent work!

English Library Lesson Creative Writing and Inter-House Competition for World Book Day

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The Great Big Dance Off

On Monday 10 March, Years 10 and 11 dance students competed in ‘The Great Big Dance Off’. A competition against other local schools at, The Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage. 40 schools entered across both KS3 and KS4/5 age diversion. The girls did an exceptional job performing to a live audience. They were professional, dedicated and were incredible to watch on stage.

County Dance Association

On Thursday 13 March, Years 10 and 13 dance students were invited to perform at St Albans Arena, as part of the County Dance Association- ‘Big 40’ celebration. They performed at both the matinee and evening show, with a break at Pizza Express in between each show to celebrate their hard work!

The girls performed a beautiful lyrical dance as a dedication to Frank Sinatra. It was lovely seeing these two year groups perform and work together. You can watch the full performance on the schools dance Instagram account jws_dance.

Charlie's Angels

On Monday 31 March. The sixth form dancers put on a showcase as part of their BTEC assessments to Years 9, 10 and 11.

The storyline was creative and fun to watch, with many nods to the 90’s and early 2000 with music choices, costumes and even a cassette player! The girls did an excellent job, organising this and put on a very professional final showcase.

Families First Support

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Sixth Form News

Head Team Applications

We are currently accepting Head Team applications from Year 12 students for 2025/26. Applicants must write a letter to Miss Wood-Thompson explaining why they think they would be suitable and what they could bring to the role. This is an opportunity for you to stand out from the crowd and be part of positive change at the school, driving student voice.

The Student Finance Application Window is now open for all Year 13 UCAS Applicants looking to study at University in September 2025. You can apply here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance. If you do not complete this you will need to pay for your tuition fees and living costs yourself without any support.

Apprenticeship Opportunity - Mercedes Benz Careers Evening - Hertford

Hertford Mercedes Benz are hosting a careers evening on Wednesday 9 April 6pm-8pm for a range of opportunities they have in the company (Please see attachment) Students need to sign up to attend the evening by emailing: earlycareers@group1auto.com but get in quick! https://careers.mercedes-benz.co.uk/early-careers

Robotics - End of Term Update

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Valentine's Day Fundraiser

Valentine’s Day was a perfect opportunity to spread love and raise money for a great cause. Students and staff came together to take part in a range of fun activities, from enjoying Krispy Kreme doughnuts at break to testing their luck in the “Guess How Many Love Hearts in a Jar” challenge and the ever-popular tombola. A staff raffle also added to the excitement.

Altogether, an impressive £360 was raised. The top tombola prize went to Tia, a Year 8 student, who said, “I was so amazed that I won the top prize, but most of all I was happy that the money was going to such a great cause.”

A Truly Scrumptious
World Book Day 2025

It was another exciting World Book Day as the students from the Carnegie Reading Group set off to deliver World Book Day tokens to form groups, while other students took part in various competitions organised for the occasion.

This year’s book-themed door competition featured some incredible entries, with the top four forms ranked as follows:

1st place: 9S1, 2nd place: 11H1, 3rd place: 7A1, 4th place: 9A2

Then, in the words of Ian Fleming—‘Truly Scrumptious’—the Carnegie Readers celebrated with World Book Day cupcakes while discussing their latest reads with Jill. They also eagerly anticipated the upcoming announcement of the ‘Yoto Carnegie Medal’ shortlist. Once the list is revealed, it will be all systems go as they begin reading, reviewing, and ultimately deciding which book they believe deserves the top spot in June.

This year, staff also joined in the festivities with a literary-themed cake competition. After much deliberation, our star baker was Miss Curaba, who impressed everyone with her ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ cake, complete with a dazzling Golden Ticket. In true ‘Great British Bake-Off’ style, she was awarded the coveted Star Baker apron.

Book Fair

The Book Fair was another great success, with £802.60 worth of books and stationery sold—earning us £401.30 in commission! We’re already excited to spend that on new books for the library.

We were amazed not just by the number of books sold, but by the enthusiasm it sparked among our students. The excitement was contagious, creating a real buzz throughout the day. The work carried out in the library is all about encouraging and motivating students to read, ultimately helping them succeed.

We’ve already booked our next Book Fair for the same time next year, coinciding with World Book Day—which means every student will receive a free token to redeem at the fair!

Reading Matters

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Sports Round Up

Girls PGL Netball Weekend

30 girls travelled to the PGL centre in Liddington for a weekend of netball and outdoor activities. All teams played in an age group tournament and then had the chance to complete a number of adventurous activities such as axe throwing, climbing, abseiling, high swing and the zip line.

All of the JWS teams played really well in their tournaments, the Year 8 girls finished 6th/14 the Year 10/11 girls finished 4th/14 while the Year 7 girls made it all the way to finals eventually losing 4-3. The Year 9 girls were unbeaten all weekend and came away as champions.

The weekend was a huge success and we will definitely be going back with our teams next year!

Year 13 Kayaking

The Year 13 students spent a day taking part in a kayaking experience and assessment for their level 3 Sport Science course. The students worked really hard and all of the group successfully passed this element of the course.

Year 11 Indoor Futsal

The Year 11 girls represented the district in the county finals of the U16 indoor futsal. The girls finished 6th overall and were awarded the 'School values' trophy for their sportsmanship, attitude and behaviour. Miss Wood-Thompson commented that the girls played really well and demonstrated some excellent skills.

Cricket Leadership Day

This half term we had 40 students from Years 7 to 10 take part in a cricket leadership day run by the Chance to Shine cricket charity. The students learnt how to lead mini cricket games, score and officiate. They will all have the chance to practice their leadership skills in the summer when they lead at a number of primary school cricket events.

Mrs Tweddell's Mental Health and Wellbeing Update

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Thank yous

A parent thank you from the book fair.

Thank you for making sure my son doesn’t purchase anything above his age group and for letting me know. I appreciate that some books may not be suitable, but The Hunger Games is one of my favourites, so it will be nice to go on the journey together. It’s nice to know that children can’t access some things without parental permission—if only this were the case with social media!