Middle Years 

Fantastic Start To the Year

The start to Term One has been positive and smooth. I was impressed with the way all students conducted themselves in the first week, and teachers commented on the calm tone in myPEC. I would like to congratulate our Year 7 students, who took the first week in their stride. Year 8 students have started well and are settling into their new classes. I have said to many students that they need to “listen more and talk less”, as it is vital to get the learning culture right at the start of the year. The classroom is for focused learning, rather than talking and socialising.

Over the summer break I reflected on myPEC and read some interesting books on a range of subjects. As I reflected, I realised there are lots of important areas to focus on, educating young people is complex and multifaceted.

In her book, Wellbeing Revolution, Stephanie Turvey suggests that one of the core questions we need to address is “What type of young people are we developing and how are we working with families in this process?”. We need to develop a well-rounded approach to learning. Turvey says that students need to develop:

• Academic and practical skills, focusing on literacy, numeracy and creativity.
• Emotional and social intelligence skills and tools. Build mental and social competencies which will serve them well through adulthood. This is explicitly taught through the Positive Education Programme.
• Building character qualities, such as kindness, compassion and empathy.
• Develop robust lifestyle habits, study habits, eating and sleeping habits. This includes an understanding of the impact of diet on wellbeing.

We are holding the Year Seven Information Session on Wednesday, 12 February, 5-6:30pm in myPEC and all families are invited to attend. We will start the evening by talking about transition and the early weeks of secondary school, and there will be a short meet and greet activity with mentors at 5.45pm. Students are expected to attend with parents and they need to wear school uniform.

Year 7 Initiatives Day: Students received information this week on their Initiatives Day, scheduled for Monday 17th February (Week 4). Students will complete a series of challenges at myPEC and are asked to wear casual clothes and bring hats. Families need to make sure their child is signed into Care Monkey to allow us access to medical information and consent for this activity. New families will receive an email to activate their account.

Mrs Julia Winter Cooke

Head of Middle Years