Home - School Blog

20/01/2012

School Term Dates 2012-13 (Provisional)

Click here for term dates 2012-13... 3 Teacher Training Days to be added.

Posted at 13:29 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

28/11/2011

School Closure – Wednesday 30th November 2011

We are sorry to inform parents that it will be necessary to close the school for students on Wednesday 30th November 2011. School will be open for some staff.

We have taken this decision reluctantly, but the Health and Safety of students is the most important thing.

School will open as normal on Thursday 1st December 2011.

We hope that this dispute is resolved at a national level to avoid any further disruption to students, schools and parents.

Thank you for your continued support.

Posted at 14:43 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

15/11/2011

Ofsted Feedback

Our Ofsted report was published today, and covers the years 2008-11, and most of their data was from 2010. Here are the highlights about the school in 2011:

Students report that they feel very safe and the very large majority strongly agree that they learn a lot in lessons, teachers are interested in their views and the school cares about them and helps them prepare for the future. Students are courteous and polite to adults and each other. Their behaviour is good. The high quality and warmth of relationships throughout the school establish an effective climate for learning and create an optimistic environment.

As one student speaking for many said “You couldn’t ask for more dedicated teachers. They put in lots of extra time after school and are really quick at replying to emails. This helped to keep me on target when I was going through a difficult patch”.

All students are supported and cared for well. Care, guidance and support provided by school staff have a positive impact on their well-being and personal development. Good support for students with physical disabilities and complex medical needs enhances their mobility and self-confidence. All students, regardless of their ability or difficulty are fully included in school life. A strong sense of respect exists between staff and students.

In 2011, the proportion of students achieving five or more GCSE or equivalent, including English and Mathematics, rose considerably. The attainment of students in the sixth form also improved. There is no gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment. Students throughout the school are currently on track to achieve their targets. Improvements in the quality of teaching over the last year are enabling students to make satisfactory or better progress in lessons. Data analysis systems have been considerably enhanced and are used well to track the incremental improvement in the quality of teaching and students’ progress. The majority of lessons are good, and some are outstanding.

There is a spacious feel, orderly layout and sense of calm in the new building. Students are very clear that the location of the gym right at the heart of the school and the wide range of sports-related activities help them to adopt healthy lifestyles. The many open-plan areas and easy access to staff promotes independent learning well and encourages students to actively seek help and advice.

Staff have high aspirations and ambitions for the school and the students. Teaching and support staff are very positive about their work and keen to improve. Already there is improving provision and outcomes for students. There is a strong focus on securing improvements in teaching.

The school will be taking Ofsted’s advice to focus on key priorities. The Governing Body and our partners are committed to ensuring our excellent progress in 2011 will continue in the future.

The link to the Ofsted report can be found on the home page of this website.

Posted at 08:53 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

05/10/2011

A Message from the Governors

A warm Welcome.

It always gives me great pleasure when asked if I would like to say a few words to students and the schools wider community.

I would like to take this opportunity to firstly welcome back all our existing students and staff and to offer my warmest of welcomes to all our new students in years 9, 11 and 12 starting their educational journeys with us here at Monkseaton High School.

I would also like to publicly welcome the new staff members that are joining us and wish them well in their own career developments.

It gives me great pleasure to look at the results achieved last year, with a smile, and a huge congratulations to everyone that took assessments last year, and I will also offer my thanks to all the staff who assisted the students in such achievements, however not one to look backwards I have great excitement to see what will be achieved through the dedication and hard work of everyone, students and staff at Monkseaton this year.

I hope to see you through my many visits to the school, and as always welcome any questions or feedback that you have about the School or the way in which it is governed to myself or any of the Governors, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Here’s to a fantastic year Monkseaton!

All the best

Paul Hughes

Chair of Governors.

Posted at 17:49 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

25/08/2011

Year 11 Results 2011

Congratulations to all our students who completed examinations this year

This year we have achieved the best ever set of results - and made the greatest level of improvement in a single academic year since the school opened in 1972. These achievements have only been made possible due to the hard work, effort and commitment of students and the support and commitment of parents, carers and staff across the school.

GCSE Success:

86% 5GCSEs A*-C (Up 19%)

52 % A*-C 5 GCSEs with both English &Maths (Up 18%)

65% A*-C English (Up 20%)

63% A*- C Maths (Up 19%)

82% achieved 2 A*-C in Science (Up 31%)

89% achieved 1 A*-C in ICT (Up 34%)

… A quarter of our students achieved at least 1 A*/A

Finally, we’re really proud that 99% of all students achieved 5 GCSE or equivalent grades.

As well as students in year 11, 12 and 13 students have achieved grades in examination subjects in all years.

Year 9

98% of all Year 9 students achieved two GCSE equivalent grades in Media, many with A or A* grades

To share in this success in 2012/13 you should consider attending our Sixth Form Enrolment Day on Friday 26th August 2011 from 9.00 – 15.00.

Or contact the school on: 0191 2979700 or e-mail sixthform@monkseaton.org.uk to arrange a personal interview.

Posted at 09:26 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

18/08/2011

Excellence for all: Make it Monkseaton High

More than just a Sixth Form.... We welcome all committed students. We are determined to inspire and motivate our students to achieve excellence. Our curriculum ensures they achieve a wide range of opportunities as well as acquiring key employability and life skills.

2010 – 10% of students achieved A* grades at A2, the 2^nd best result in the LA.

2011 – 14% of students achieved an A* or equivalent grade

2011- 10% of students have completed an undergraduate qualification.

2011- A 10% improvement in every grade from 2009/10

We encourage students of all abilities to study at our Sixth Form, and not just those from Monkseaton High. We have a welcoming ethos which has encouraged a growing number of students from other local schools to continue their post 16 journey with us. With the raising of the school leaving age we envisage continued provision of places for our current Year 11 as well as hoping to include many more students from the surrounding areas. It is our aim to give all the opportunity to succeed.

We provide a wide-ranging Post 16 curriculum which allows for the engagement of an academically mixed cohort. For the more able students our courses encompass the traditional AS and A2 subject range as well as BTEC, with a significant number aspiring to Higher Education courses at 18. We aim to extend and challenge our more able students through our Open University partnership, with 15-20% of the cohort (26 students in 2011) accessing undergraduate study while still at Sixth Form. Our work based training programme with the Open University has opened the door to Higher Education for a number of people who have worked in the ICT, Science and English Departments as technicians and assistants. Their time spent working and training at Monkseaton has allowed them to access degree level courses and to go on to work for multinational companies, such as Apple. This has brought our provision in line with the current demands of an ever changing employment market.

This focus on employability of our students and our belief in personalising the curriculum has led to a broadened vocational offer. High quality qualifications such as our range of BTEC Level 3 courses allow many students to gain an insight into the applicability of the skills and knowledge they need in the workplace. The success rate of these students in 2011 was high and largely down to a dedicated teaching staff. Building upon this range of qualifications the Football Academy allows students with specific sporting talents to study alongside our Sixth Form at BTEC and A-Level. The Academy delivers a wide range of courses and is perhaps the major draw for students from outside Monkseaton High. It has been responsible for attracting a significant proportion of Sixth Formers from outside our usual catchment area, with successes and excellent results across the board. New links with local clubs have been made through the academy allowing a student to take up an apprenticeship with Blyth Spartans FC.

This diversity of provision and dedication from all staff ensure an extensive range of pathways to success for all.

Posted at 14:26 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

17/07/2011

A message from Mrs Bower regarding fund raising

Monday 18 July is is Olympic Day in school, students will be out of uniform, and hopefully will be feeling generous. There will be a bucket collection – donating is voluntary, students should drop money in the buckets which will be around school. £1s are a nice amount but all donations are welcome.

I have lived in East Africa, and I know how friendly and caring the local people are. The famine they are suffering is going to cause great sadness and suffering, it will really help if Monkseaton High can contribute to the relief programme.

Thursday 21 July, the last day of term, will be a non-uniform day to raise money for SANDS UK. Support for this charity was requested by Stephanie Douglas in year 10.

SANDS UK stands for the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity. It supports anyone affected by the death of a baby and promotes research to reduce the loss of babies’ lives’. Stephanie’s family lost a baby at one month old. She was Steph’s sister, born before Steph, so Steph did not know her.

Stephanie is organizing the collection with her friends, and will really appreciate donations. If students wish to come to school out of uniform, please can they donate £1 during morning registration.

Mrs Bower

Posted at 22:36 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

15/07/2011

Innovation Unit Publication featuring Monkseaton

If you want to see the whole publication, Click here

Posted at 14:18 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

29/06/2011

Thursday 30 June - Message from Paul Kelley

I am sorry I have to inform you that it will be necessary to close the school for students in Years 10 and 11 on Thursday 30th June 2011. School will be open as usual for Sixth Form, however the lessons scheduled on the timetable with staff not in school will be cancelled and the students will be expected to work independently. This is due to the number of staff taking action. I have taken this decision reluctantly, but the Health and Safety of students is the most important thing.

School will open as normal on Friday 1st July 2011.

I personally hope that this dispute is resolved at a national level to avoid any further disruption to students, schools and parents.

Thank you for your continued support.

Posted at 16:55 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

28/06/2011

Parent Dashboard

Welcome to the new ‘Parent Dashboard’

It has been over two years since we launched our Parents’ Site and we have been making some major usability and visual updates and to the site. This has meant it has been offline for a while (a bit longer than anticipated) but we do hope the updates are worth the wait.

Our aim is to allow parents to access all the information about their children which will help them to support their learning at home. We want to promote two-way communication between home and school using technology. We aim to achieve a highly positive relationship with all parents and carers. We will continue to encourage all parents to become heavily involved in decision-making on key matters through well-established consultation procedures. In the past year many parents and students have continued to help us develop our use of technology to improve communication and parental engagement and we will continue to seek your help here.

Online Parent Access to information.

Website

We continue to develop the school website (www.monkseaton.org.uk) and it is regularly updated so Parents can find out about school events and news, through the “Dear Parent” blog, which highlights current information about activities in school. Parents are also kept up-to-date about whole school achievements, research and case studies on the website.

Parent Dashboard (Secure Site for Parents and Students)

Most Parents have already got a username and password to securely access the Parent Dashboard via the website (click the ‘login’ tab). If you do not have a username or password or have forgotten it then you can request this information on the login page. The new student dashboard will be launched over the next few weeks and will show almost exactly the same information.

The information you can access includes timetables, attendance, punctuality, achievements and calendars. There are also interactive tools which allow you to give us feedback and make suggestions about the site. You can also directly contact any member of staff using the ‘Contact a Teacher’ web part. In September we aim to further develop the information available with the addition of your child’s assessment data. This will allow you to see their targets grades at any point in the year.

We hope to continue to send the majority of information by email as much as possible, with at least a half termly email newsletter. If emails are inconvenient for you then please let us know and we will make arrangements to send updates on paper via your child.

We will continue to provide you with the opportunity to meet your child’s teachers; at the consultation day on 19 October 2011 and at the annual parents’ evening during the year and you will still receive your child’s annual report on paper.

Please log in to the new Parent dashboard and see the changes. We would be really grateful if you could complete the ‘give us feedback’ section to let us know what you think of the site.

Posted at 09:46 by Simon Thompson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1 - 10

School Blog