Dear Parent/Carer
I hope this email finds you and your family well? As we approach the half term break, I wanted to get in touch to pass on some recent updates and celebrate what has been a really successful half term in school:
Year 11 and 13 Exams
Year 11 and 13 students have made a really good start to the first weeks of the exam period. It is a real challenge for them but their resilience and positive attitudes in the organised study sessions and exam rooms have been brilliant. I know there is still a long way to go, with lots of hard work left to do, but it has been a great start.
Good luck to the students with their half term revision and remaining exams. Please remember that the Year 11 and Year 13 teams are here if parents or students need anything during this period.
Year 10 Work Experience
All students in Year 10 completed a full week of work experience across many employment sectors last week. We have received very positive feedback from employers about the process with lots of comments received on social media about the brilliant attitudes of our students.
I want to thank all the local employers for supporting us with such a huge undertaking and our fantastic Careers team in school for organising all the placements.
Please follow the link to our careers newsletter for more information: https://www.southcraven.org/careers-hub-news/20153.html
Apex Collaborative Trust
We have continued to work closely with our partner schools in the Trust and are now preparing the calendar for next year’s collaboration opportunities.
There will be events for both staff and students to get involved in and chances to learn from each other’s schools from September. We look forward to the positive impact this will bring.
Standards
The half term has been another real success - effort levels in class, behaviour during social times and punctuality to lessons have all been excellent. Our key statistics are so positive with 520,887 merits awarded for outstanding work and only 33,450 behaviour sanctions since September.
Please ensure that you have signed up to the ClassCharts parent app to see your child’s merits and behaviour record as well as picking up important information about fixtures, in-house events, and to give consent for trips. The ClassCharts Parent app can be downloaded from the app store on Apple or Android, or you can login online at https://www.classcharts.com/parent/login. For login/password/registration problems, please contact ITSupport@southcraven.org with your name, your child’s name and your child’s Date of Birth.
Our uniform policy for the 2026/2027 academic year will be published during the final term.
Please note that we have made some subtle changes, and from next year, we will be taking a firmer stance on non-compliance. We encourage all families to read the policy carefully and support the school by ensuring students arrive fully prepared for the school day.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
It has been a little while since I last shared an update regarding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at South Craven, so I wanted to provide a brief overview of some of the work that has been taking place across school, as well as invite any suggestions for further areas we could continue to develop.
- We have introduced more prominent signage for our visitors disabled parking bays across the school site.
- We have submitted our final application for the RED Award accreditation, which recognises and celebrates the work schools undertake in relation to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
- Members of our Equality and Diversity student leadership group have delivered presentations in Year 7, 8 and 9 assemblies, focusing on what equality, diversity and inclusion mean, and how we can celebrate both our own individuality and the differences of others. The group have also created artwork which is now proudly displayed near the Year 8 office. In addition, they recently took part in a training day with the organisation “Be What You See”, where they learned about the importance of being active bystanders.
- We have updated our alumni pages and continue to encourage former students from a wide range of backgrounds to share their experiences and journeys after leaving South Craven. If you are an ex-student of South Craven, please do get in touch.
- School policies and our curriculum have been reviewed and updated to ensure Equality, Diversity and Inclusion remain a clear focus throughout our practice.
- Our Personal Development (“Life Skills”) programme continues to provide education linked to protected characteristics, alongside topics such as online safety, careers education and British values.
- Our student-led newsletter has featured articles celebrating the work of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group, as well as recognising a range of cultural events and celebrations such as Random Acts of Kindness day and Ramadan.
- During Enrichment Week, we will be hosting a “Day of Culture” event where students will have the opportunity to take part in activities including Bhangra/Bollywood dancing, Chinese paper cutting, Indian henna, Japanese origami and West African drumming.
- We have welcomed a diverse range of guest speakers into school to work with students through assemblies, small group sessions and lessons on a variety of important topics.
Your views are vital in helping us create an environment where every student can thrive. If you would like to contribute or offer feedback, please contact Mrs Crowther: c.crowther@southcraven.org
Year 10 Mocks
Year 10 will have their first set of mock examinations in June. Students will be sitting exams, under examination conditions, for every GCSE subject they are entered for. This will be an invaluable experience for them to not only receive quality feedback from teachers but also to understand the process for their external examinations for the summer of 2027. Students will receive their individual mock timetables after half term. Students will be exploring how to revise actively in coaching and lesson time and how to effectively utilise our Learn to Learn strategies in this process.
We encourage our Year 10 students to use our ‘Learn to Learn’ strategies to revise effectively and we will be directing them to the ‘Learn to Learn’ area of our website which can be found here: https://sites.google.com/southcraven.org/learntolearn/home
Fidgets in School
We would like to clarify expectations around the use of fidget aids in school. Students should only bring and use a fidget aid if this has been agreed with Mrs Lowrie (Head of Learning Support) and is part of their provision. Where a fidget aid is appropriate, it must be: small, discreet and silent
Fidget aids are intended to support focus. If a fidget aid becomes distracting to the student or to others, it is not considered the right tool and may need to be withdrawn.
Attendance – “Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow”
Thank you for your support ensuring your child attends school every day. Our attendance as a school continues to be slightly lower than usual and we will continue to remind students that attending every day matters so much for their long-term success in school.
Please can we also remind you that to report your child’s (in Years 7 – 11) absence, please telephone 01535 632 861 and select option 1. Please note that this is now the only way parents / carers can report a student absence.
When calling, please clearly state the following information:
- Your parental responsibility
- Your child’s full name
- Your child’s coaching group
- The reason for your child’s absence.
Uniform Donation Scheme
We plan to run our uniform donation scheme and uniform sale again this year. We have been overwhelmed with the support we have had for this scheme over the last few years. Hundreds of families have benefited, so we’re really looking forward to running it again this year. We will again be holding the store early in the summer holidays, giving you more time to know what items you may still need to buy. Our uniform store will be open on Weds 5th August in the Sixth Form Centre, from 9.30am-1.30pm.
We will begin accepting donations of pre-loved uniform from Thursday 18th June between 8.00am and 4.00pm. There will be a table in the front entrance of reception for all items to be placed. Please could you make sure all donations are in bags.
Once we close for summer, donations can be dropped off in donation bins outside of school (near the roundabout) from Monday 20th July. The bins will be outside Monday-Friday (8.00am-4.00pm), before being taken in and emptied at the end of each day. Once again, please could you ensure that all donations are in bags.
Full details have been sent to all parents by Mrs Taylor.
This is South Craven. This is Me.
As well as our many thriving sport teams, numerous after school and lunchtime revision sessions and activity clubs, we have also offered the following:
- Year 7 visit to South Craven Community Library
- Members of Wellbeing Club giving out gifts to students
- A group of Year 7 students winning Biology prize at Inter-Alliance STEM Competition
- Year 10 visit to Leeds Trinity University
- Performing Arts workshops from West End professional Chloé Pole
- Airedale Hospital Community Charity visiting Year 7 students to present a charity cheque for their Smarties Challenge
- Year 13 Graduation ceremony and Prom to celebrate the achievements of the students over the last 7 years.
- Visit from Theatre in Education company 'Sound Proof Box' to present a performance about healthy relationships to Years 7, 8 and 9
- Visit from David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, to speak to our Year 13 students
- Harrogate and Craven Athletics event at South Craven, where over 400 students across 9 schools competed in track and field Athletic events. Students who achieved top 3 places have got through to compete in the Harrogate and Craven finals.
Next Half Term
School closes today at 3:05pm and reopens to all students on Monday 1 June. Next half term will be very busy as always with various events to look forward to including:
- Wednesday 3 June – Year 12 students visit to Leeds Beckett University to get a feel for university life;
- Thursday 11 June – Year 12 mock exams start;
- Monday 15 June – SPM reports issued to students in Years 7, 8 and 9
- Wednesday 17 June - Year 12 UCAS discovery visit to meet representatives from UK Universities;
- Wednesday 17 June – Year 10 mock exams start;
- Friday 19 June – Year 11 Prom at The Craiglands Hotel, Ilkley;
- Wednesday 24 June – Sixth Form Preparation morning for students who are currently in Year 11;
- Thursday 25 June – Intake Open Evening for September 2027 (Current Year 5 students); Please note that there is an early closure of 2pm on this day
- Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 June – Year 6 Days;
- Wednesday 1 July – Sports Presentation Evening;
- Thursday 2 July – Dance Xplosion;
- Friday 3 July – Staff Training Day. School closed to all students;
- Tuesday 7 July – Key Stage 3 Rewards afternoon;
- Wednesday 8 July – Band Showcase;
- Monday 6 July – Year 5 Day;
- Friday 10 July – Year 7 Summer Fayre;
- Monday 13 July – Start of Enrichment Week, where all students participate in a week of exciting, organised activities and events. Year 12 will be on work experience. More details will be shared in due course.
Finally...
As always, I want to thank parents for their strong support of the school, and I hope you have a great half term week. Please can we ask that you take the time to complete the parental survey that has been recently sent out to give us your opinion on key aspects of school life. All of your feedback is useful.
All the best,
Martyn Hill
Headteacher
