PRINCIPAL's BLOG - 4th november 2022

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Another great start to another half-term

It has been a pleasure welcoming the students back this week and lovely to hear them discussing and sharing what they got up to during the half-term break. I will be sharing our proposed calendar for next academic year shortly after the Christmas holiday as we intend to maintain the 2-week October half-term next academic year too.

There are many things to look forward to during this half-term, both in and out of school. Year 11 Mock Exams start on 21st November. It was a pleasure to see so many of our Y11 parents at the Y11 Parent Information Evening yesterday and it was a great opportunity to share the great progress that has been made during the first half-term and set the scene for what is to coming in the next few weeks. We are excited to share the outcomes from these exams with Y11 parents at our next Parents Evening on 5th January. Let's also not forget the World Cup which starts at the end of the month. I look forward to the excitement this competition will bring and the opportunity to potentially come together as a school to watch and support the array of nations represented within our community.

If you did not receive the letter I sent at the end of last half-term regarding guidance from West Midlands Police about how to keep your son safe through the darker nights and during the firework season, please see a copy of it by clicking here. It is important that you talk to your son about staying safe on his way home from school, taking the quickest route home and not to loiter in the parks or woods in the area, and where possible encourage your son to walk with friends rather than alone.

ATTENDANCE

I am pleased to share the attendance figures from half-term 1 with you. Please see below:

TOP ATTENDING YEAR GROUP: YEAR 7

The National Average attendance rate pre pandemic was 94.8%. Therefore, it is always very pleasing when we report our current attendance rate to be above this figure. As you can see from the information above, the attendance rate from half-term 1 was 95%.

There is always more that can be done with attendance and the Pastoral team in school will constantly and consistently follow-up with absenteeism. I am sure that Y8 and Y10 parents will note that both year groups where below the National Average and will want to support our aspirations to be firmly above the 94.8% in half-term 2.

All parents should be reminded that if your son's attendance falls below 90%, our Education Welfare Officer and Senior Head of Year will be contacting you to insist on an urgent plan to rectify this. Attendance below 90% is classed as persistent absence. Persistent absence has a significant impact on your son's ability to make sustained and rapid progress in his learning and will have an detrimental impact on his opportunities in his GCSE exams and opportunities beyond his educational experience at Lordswood Boys' School.

As always, should you have any further questions or need to get in touch with us, you can find the contact details for all staff by clicking here.


Are Parents Eligible for Tax-Free Childcare?

Working parents or carers can get up to £500 every three months (up to £2,000 a year per child) or if their child has a disability, they can get up to £1,000 every three months (up to £4,000 a year per child) to help with the costs of childcare.

Parents can use the money to pay for before and after school clubs, holiday clubs and play schemes as well as Nursery, Childminder or Nanny fees.

Most schools in Birmingham are already signed up for Tax-Free Childcare, but you can check by following this link: Government Guidance - Sign-up to tax-free childcare

information about Tax-Free Childcare.

Parents who have signed up for Tax-Free Childcare would be able to locate their childcare provider on the system in approximately two working days and can then pay the provider direct from their Tax-Free Childcare account.

Sport fixtures and training schedules for week beginning 7th November 2022

Monday 7th of November

  • Year 8 Fixture at Home v Shenley Academy - Kick Off - 4:00pm.


Tuesday 8th of November

  • Year 10/11 Handball Tournament at Bournville School - Return Time - 6:15pm.


Wednesday 9th of November

  • Year 9 Football Fixture Away at Colmers School - Return Time - 6:00pm.


Thursday 10th of November

  • Year 11 Football Fixture at Home v Wheelers Lane - Kick Off - 4:00pm.

  • Year 8 Basketball Fixture at Home v Camphill Boys - Expected finish time 5:00pm


Friday 11th of November

  • Year 8 Basketball Fixture at Home v University of Birmingham School - Expected finish time 5:00pm



No Year 7 Football Training due to the Year 9 Fixture on Wednesday.

No Year 8 Basketball Training on Thursday due to the Year 8 Fixture.

If you have any questions relating to the details above, please use the contact details below:

Parent/Carer survey

Thank you to those parents who have completed the first parent survey of the year. I would be very grateful for any parents that have not yet completed the survey to do so by clicking here. When following up with individual questions, the senior team have also been asking for parents that are interested in joining our Local Parent Forum Committee to make an expression of interest. If you would like to hear more about this opportunity, please get in contact with me via email. It is lovely to have already received many expressions of interest from the parent community.

The findings from the survey can be seen below:

On Friday 11th November we will be holding our annual Remembrance service in school. I look forward to sharing some of the details from this event with you next week but for now, you can see the schedule for our service below. Any parents that would like to attend the service are welcome to do so. Please email me using the address below to notify me that you are attending the service. You can see our previous Remembrance videos by clicking here.

As always, please call us on 0121 464 2837, leaving a message if lines are busy, and we will support you.


You can always contact me directly this week at: l.williams@lordswoodboys.co.uk


Have a good weekend and I look forward to updating you with events in school next week.


Mr L Williams,


Principal,


Lordswood Boys' School.

Lordswood Boys' School • Hagley Road • Harborne • Birmingham • B17 8BJ

Tel:0121 464 2837

Email: enquiry@lordswoodboys.co.uk

For paper copies of any of the information on this website please refer to our publication scheme