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Headmaster's Blog
27th January

This term seems to be going by remarkably quickly. Even more so as this is such a busy and thriving school. As our pupil numbers have grown, you can really sense the vibrancy around the place. You may have noticed this simply from the number of emails we have sent out to you recently!

Adcote continues to enjoy the many activities and events that give our pupils such a variety of things to benefit from. Despite all the economic doom and gloom that seems to have begun 2012, I am pleased to report that the school is looking to the future with enthusiasm and confidence. There are quite a number of new initiatives in place and much has been achieved already. We have built a good academic momentum with a strong set of results last summer. The past fortnight has seen girls in Year 11 and the Sixth Form taking important
examinations. Well done to the girls and their teachers for all the hard work and effort they have so obviously put in. We wish them all every success!

As ever, at this time of year, the league tables are published and there is the usual jostling for pole position. Frustratingly for us, the league tables never show the real picture at Adcote. Almost half of our pupils in Y11 last year were not counted, as they were either over or under 16 years old when they took the GCSE exam. For example, the chronological age of girls from overseas rarely fits in the criteria that the Department of Education use when they draw up these tables. The Government has equally refused to recognise the iGCSE exam (which we have adopted) until this year. Within a small cohort this has a very significant effect.

The reality was that last year 81% of all grades at GCSE were awarded were A* - C, with 84% of candidates gaining a grade from A*-C at A level. We are rightly proud of our academic record. The all-round education we provide is about more than just good exam passes, which of course is crucial; but it is also about developing the skills and attitudes to produce confident and articulate young ladies, ready for the future. It is in this that we also do outstandingly well.

I hope you all received the text message from us in the recent trial. If you didn't then please do contact the school office, so that we can update your contact details. We will use this method of communication when whole school announcements need to be made, such as in the case of very bad weather.

 

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12th January 2012

Welcome back to a new school term and a very Happy New Year to you all! Adcote quickly sprang back into life after the holiday.The girls have returned eager and enthusiastic to get back into the routine of the school day. An especially warm welcome to the new girls who have joined us this term and I am sure they will be both successful and happy in their time with us. I would like to say a big thank you from all the staff for the lovely gifts we received at the end of last term, from some very generous parents. They are much appreciated by us all.

2012 promises to be very successful for the school and we are looking forward to the exciting term ahead. As a school we are looking to further develop our extra-curricular activity program and this term we will be hosting 'taster' sessions for some new activities, including fencing, Russian and Chinese clubs and English Speaking Board classes. We have also begun Jiu-Jitsu classes and look forward to our sailing activity beginning later in the year.

This year sees some important examinations looming for many of our senior pupils and the girls must work hard to really maximise their potential. For pupils, both internal and external, we will be holding our annual scholarship examinations later this term. Full details of the scholarships can be accessed electronically on our school website.

Throughout the school we are now using software for school information management called 'Engage'. This incoporates all aspects of our school administration: areas such as assessments, attendance, reports, timetable, curriculum and academic data. These are now all stored electronically and will really improve the efficiency of our administration. Most importantly 'Engage' will assist staff in further developing the tracking of pupil's progress as they move through the school. In the Bursary we also now use the online 'ParentPay' system which I hope you have found easy to use. We have also just introduced a new text-messaging service and we will be conducting another test of this next week. Please do contact the School Office if you didn't receive the text message sent on Friday 6th January.

We continue to be busy with visits from prospective parents and girls. We are holding an Open Morning on Saturday 28th January from 10am-2pm and a Reception taster day on Monday 30th January. I would again like to thank you the parents, who do such a marvellous job recommending the school to others.

Finally I would like to remind you that the new school blazer is now in stock at School Shop Direct. I am sure that those parents who have already purchased the blazer will agree that it looks very smart indeed. The blazer forms part of the compulsory uniform from September.

I look forward to seeing you throughout the term.

 
 
Thomas Franks Catering

thomas franks logo

Adcote is proud to be working in partnership with Thomas Franks. Thomas Franks is an independent contract caterer which has a passion for affordable, fresh, organic and fair trade food. They specialise in catering for independent schools.

www.thomasfranks.co.uk

For the latest lunch menus click here
 
5th January 2012

We are delighted to welcome Tara Cavenagh-Thornhill to the Boarding House staff. Tara has a great deal of experience of working with independent boarding schools, such as the Dragon School in Oxford and Ludgrove Preparatory School. I am sure that she will prove to be a valuable addition to our Boarding House team.

We are also joined at the beginning of term by three new Gap Students. Katie Russell is from Victoria, Australia and she has attended Galen Catholic College in Wangaratta. Bridget Dabbs is from Chiredzi, Zimbabwe and has attended Peterhouse School. They will both be with us for the usual year and join us from the summer in the southern hemisphere to an English winter! Carina Becker is from Germany and she will be with us until April. She is a graduate from Frankfurt University and her ambition is to go into teaching.

 
 
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I would like to say how much I value the staff's commitment and hard work. I would like to say thank you to all our staff for all their efforts over the course of the Autumn Term.

I would also like to thank the parents for their support of the school.

I wish everyone in the Adcote community a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

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