Dear students, parents, carers and staff,
As always, the first half term is a very busy time for all schools. We proudly welcome potential new families at our Open Evenings for Year 7 and Year 12, students and staff coming together to highlight all the positives about being part of the Bentley Wood community.
The Careers fair was a huge success, with all students able to spend time to talk to our professionals who came to visit us. Two of these professionals were Bentley Wood students themselves not so long ago. This year we held our first English Symposium with 60 Year 13 students from across the collegiate schools joining us for the morning. It was academically stimulating and challenging for everyone involved.
I enjoyed listening to some Year 9 students who had created amazing reusable energy projects in science. They could articulate really well how the energy was generated, captured and then able to be used. Glee Club goes from strength to strength, performing again at the Black History Month Celebrations at Harrow Arts centre in Hatch End.
Our Year 7 students have settled very well and I am so pleased to see how many of them have already caught the enrichment bug and are fully involved in Oliver rehearsals, choir, sports and science clubs.
As you are aware we are adjusting our approach to managing mobile phones on the school site. We want to instil even better habits with our students, their mobile phone and their social media use. We strongly believe separation from phones whilst on the school site benefits everyone and we thank you in supporting us in firmly establishing these boundaries with all students. We are also piloting with some of the older students and staff replacing smart phones with simple ‘brick phones’. We are gathering reflections over their ‘smart phone free time.’
Our 1 to 1 device initiative has been launched with Years 7, 9 and 12. Staff and students are enjoying their new routines and broader learning opportunities this enables them.
Enjoy your half term break! The school is open Monday to Thursday for Year 11 and 6th Form revision classes only.
Kindest regards,
Naseema Akbar Headteacher
