Secondary School - September 2019

See you on Wednesday!

I am sure you will all – parents, students and colleagues – agree with me that the first two weeks of school have flown by. Now that school is in full swing, I hope that those of you who left their electronic devices aside during the summer months have resumed the habit of checking our communication channels, such as Facebook. There, you will have seen over the past few weeks profiles of some of our exceptional students who received the fabulous results that they had worked towards. Almost a third of all the IGCSE grades at NAISAK were A* and A grades! There are too many individual success stories to tell in this article, but as a cohort, the overall total of A*-C grades including English and Mathematics has increased by four in 12 months. As much as it is electrifying to celebrate our students’ achievements, we must not forget to value what really matters: the attitude behind those outcomes. Such results were obtained through months and years of conscientious work, paired with an unfailing determination to accept responsibility for their efforts and ambitions.

As mentioned in last week’s e-Newsletter, attendance to school is crucial to support our young learners’ chances to succeed. Being part of a learning community brings a holistic dimension to a young person’s learning experience, which enriches their personal, social, physical and academic developments to an extent that no other context can match. It is our expectation that all our students aim for a 100% attendance. We understand, however, that there are circumstances that may, at times, keep your children away from school. This is why our whole-school Attendance Policy sets the bar at 85% of attendance over one academic year, below which students will be asked to repeat the year in order to bridge the gaps in their learning, created by their absence. An attendance of 85% is far below the 95% expectation in the United Kingdom, and still allows a total of 27 days of absence, which equate to almost six weeks of learning missed, or a whole half-term! Put in such terms, I believe we can work together to support one another and ensure all your children attend their classes, all day, every day.

The uniform is another way to show dedication to the school community you have chosen to belong to. In line with our Positive Education perspective, wearing the NAISAK-branded uniform offers all our learners the opportunity to feel and show that they ‘belong’ to a learning community that is supportive and ambitious. For us, NAISAK staff, seeing our students in their full school uniform, and PE kit when appropriate, allows us to remain focused on our priorities: your child’s wellbeing and holistic learning. As such, I would like to refer you to an email sent last week about acceptable alternatives until the NAISAK-branded PE kit is available in all sizes.

I started this article with a reminder to resume your connection to our communication channels. I hope you have saved the date of Wednesday 11 September to come to school and attend our ‘Meet The Tutor’ event. It will start at 14:00 in the gym and will carry on with a session with your child’s Form Tutor, in their Form classroom. The session will be the opportunity for you to establish a relationship with a member of staff who plays a critical part in your child’s school life in Secondary School: the Form Tutor. The Form Tutor is your first port of call when you want to discuss your child’s experience at school, so it is essential that you and he/she get to know each other. Meeting your child’s Form Tutor is about discussing settling in at school, routines and expectations. Please note that it is not the platform to discuss individuals’ academic performance, though. The ‘Meet The Tutor’ event will draw to a close at 15:30.

I have already seen many of you at the gate in the morning and in the afternoon, and I am looking forward to seeing more of you on Wednesday.

Ms Lydie Gonzalès
Head of Secondary School