October Half Term Newsletter
Posted 25th October 2024
Here we are, at the end of another packed half term!
During the summer holidays
Over the summer our Year 11s received their GCSE and BTEC results. There were so many success stories, and the majority of our students went on to their first choice of college, 6th form or Post 16 apprenticeships.
Also during the summer holidays, some of our students joined our Summer Camp - they tried out lots of new sports, as well as drumming, DJ-ing, film making, circus skills, first aid and planted vegetables and flowers. They also enjoyed trips to Tropical World, West Leeds Activity Centre and Lotherton Hall where we adopted a penguin named Kelvin!
Back to school
In the first week of September, we held ‘Excellence Week’. This included a Careers Fair where students from Year 5 to Year 11 had the opportunity to speak to local businesses and find out more about what they offer, and which careers they may wish to pursue in the future.
Our Year 10 and Year 11 students were also given the opportunity of some formal interview practice from external volunteers, including members of our Local Governing Board, senior colleagues from across our Trust, and other community representatives. Whilst this is always a very daunting experience, it is one that our students embraced and gained so much from.
In September we welcomed our new Reception children and their families to TLA. The children have all settled in incredibly well and are enjoying all the new experiences on offer! One of these experiences was the ‘Dough Disco’ event for parents and carers of our Reception children on 7th October; this enabled everyone to have some great family fun whilst developing their fine motor skills!
The annual PGL residential took place in September to Newby Wiske Hall. Our courageous Year 10 students tried all kinds of new activities, and even Mr Nolan overcame some of his fears to join in!
Some of our other Y10 students embarked on their Duke of Edinburgh Award assessed expedition – we are so proud of their determination, and they all very much enjoyed the adventure!
Our Year 6s completed their Bikeability Training at the end of September, showing incredible resilience in the rather damp conditions and all provided wonderful support to their classmates who were not so confident. They have learnt such a great life skill and, not only are they now safer in the community and on the road, they are also being more physically active and supporting the environment by learning these skills. Well done to you all!
New roles in school
We have launched Primary Playground Buddies in recent weeks following some outstanding letters of application. Playground Buddies have been taking their role very seriously and using our new Buddy Benches to support all pupils during social times. It has been wonderful to see our students supporting each other in this way!
In October, we voted for our new Student Principals and Deputy Student Principals in the Secondary phase. The competition was fierce, and every staff member and student vote counted! Primary House Captain elections have also taken place. The discussions, speeches and team spirit was fantastic to see during all of these elections.
Planning ahead
Open Evening attendance in September was higher than ever as we welcomed our potential new September 2025 Reception and Year 7 cohorts to TLA.
Post 16 visits have continued this academic year to support our Year 11 students with decision making about their future. This half term we have visited Notre Dame for a tour of their campus and have lots more visits upcoming, including visits to Temple Moor High School Sixth Form, Leeds Building College and Leeds Beckett University.
Our new MotorSportUK programme has started this term - they are working with a group of our Year 9 students to increase participation and diversity in motorsport through a tailored STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) programme. As part of this, they get to experience a race day where they will try karting and they will also complete a pit stop challenge, learn about sustainability in motorsport racing and meet people from different job roles across the industry.
We launched the Business Project with People Plus on 16th October. They will be running Year 9 assemblies and students may apply to take part and have the opportunity to learn how to write their own business plans and be their own boss!
Amber, TLA’s reading dog, has been back in school this half term, continuing to be a wonderful support to our reluctant readers. Everyone looks forward to her visit every week!
Our Leeds Utd after school club opened to 30 pupils this half term and, as you would expect from our children, they have demonstrated a fantastic attitude; it has been such a great start to the programme!
Earlier in October, some of our Year 9s visited John Charles Centre for Sport to attend the Leeds School Games Sport Leadership Day. They learnt about leadership and participated in different sporting activities such as Kin-Ball. If you want to learn a little more about Kin-Ball, click here.
Both our Primary and Secondary football teams have taken part in inter-school football competitions; they have all been battling really hard, representing the school excellently and never
giving up. We are so proud of every one of you!
On 10th October we recognised World Mental Health Day by wearing something yellow. This was followed up by a visit to our school from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service who came into school on 16th October for ‘Restart a Heart’ day which was a great opportunity for over 200 of our students to learn CPR and ask the Ambulance Service lots of very interesting and important questions.
Barcelona trip
Last week, a group of Year 10s and 11s, accompanied by TLA staff, set off to Barcelona on our first ever residential involving a flight! A wonderful time was had by all, visiting chocolate and science museums, an art gallery, La Sagrada Familia and Barcelona Cathedral.
Even though the Nou Camp stadium is under construction they managed to visit the world famous Barcelona ground. They also travelled extensively on the Barcelona metro and experienced the sights and smells of the markets as well as a trip to the famous Las Ramblas.
Pumpkin painting took place yesterday with some incredible creations by our talented students, and prizes awarded for the best designs!
A fantastic start
We are delighted to have had a fantastic start for attendance in this half term. Thank you so much to all the students and families for attending regularly and on time. This makes a significant difference to their learning experiences and access to enrichment opportunities.
During next half term, illnesses can start to spread, which we understand may affect your child’s attendance. At school we will be encouraging regular hand washing and hygiene to prevent the spread of coughs and colds. Please also see the advice below from the NHS about when to send your child to school. Although a day off here and there may seem harmless, we have likened it to missing a few episodes of your favourite TV show - it can make it really difficult to understand what is going on. Also remember that your child attending school regularly and on time goes towards rewards and incentives.
Please let us know if you need any support with your child’s attendance; we are here to help. Attendance matters – Attend Every Day at TLA.
We look forward to welcoming all children back to school on Monday 4th November, and in the meantime please have a wonderful half term break.
