Last week I spoke to students about the Charters Way, which highlights the expectations we have as a school for how students approach their learning, as well as how they interact with others both in school and within the wider community. A key part of this is ensuring that students benefit from a broad range of opportunities beyond the classroom, helping to enrich their experience of school life.

This week we were fortunate to host two such opportunities: our annual Careers Fair and a talk from Peter Tatchell.

On Wednesday we welcomed around 30 organisations into school for our Careers Fair, giving students from Year 7 through to Year 13 the chance to explore different career pathways and speak directly with professionals from a wide range of sectors. Events like this form an important part of our careers programme, which also includes work experience, guest speakers, careers interviews and lessons within PDL. Together, these experiences help students develop a strong understanding of the opportunities available to them and support them in shaping their future aspirations.

A sincere thank you to all the organisations and members of the local community who gave their time to support the event. I would also like to extend particular thanks to Mrs Hicks, our Careers Lead, for her hard work in organising and coordinating such a successful occasion.

Earlier in the week our Year 12 students had the opportunity to hear from Peter Tatchell, who spoke about the idea of being a “changemaker” and the importance of getting involved to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Each year he shares his personal experiences of standing up for his beliefs and advocating for human rights. His talk was once again engaging and thought-provoking, drawing connections between current global issues and important moments from our more recent history.

The government has launched a consultation on young people's access to social media, AI chatbots and gaming platforms.  The consultation is open until 26^th May 2026.  Should you wish to take part in the consultation, the following link

The last week in relation to geopolitics has been very unsettling for many.  We know that we have families from many of the countries that have been impacted.  If your child is feeling unsettled because of these events, you may have family members in the region, for example. Please do let their Head of Year know so we can support them in school.

Check out this week's news stories by clicking on the images below

Fully Funded Fashion Enrichment Programme

Students Shine in the Show Racism the Red Card Competition

Celebrating One of our Own This International Women's Day!

Bank of England visit to Year 13 Economics Class

Be the Change You Want to See

Year 10 Inspired to Shape Their Future

From A Levels to the Army — and Beyond

 

AMAZING STAFF NEWS

Our incredible Mr Bennie is taking on the London Marathon this year to raise funds for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, helping ensure more young people can take part in this life-changing programme regardless of financial barriers.

This will be Mr Bennie’s first London Marathon, and 3rd World Marathon Major, following his run in Berlin last year, and he will also be running the Chicago Marathon later in 2026 – all in a special year as he celebrates his 50th birthday! He is hoping to raise £2,000, with donations helping to fund participation fees, essential kit and expedition costs for young people who might otherwise miss out on the DofE experience. If you are able to support Mr Bennie and this fantastic cause, please consider making a donation and helping him reach his target.

Take a look through our social media using the buttons below

A huge well done to all our Stars this week...

7	Eimal	Eimal is a lovely, helpful member of our form. He is always the first to help during tutor and PDL, offering to hand out books and help his peers. Eimal is a team player; he is reflective of our school values through his dedication to football club. Eimal has tried really hard this week to get more achievement points for the form. His attendance is increasing everyday and he is always a joy to be around.
8	Callum	Really mature and helpful during a medical emergency in L2L last week
9	Raffy	For always being a postivie role model to his peers. Raffy is a hard working dilgant student in all lessons. Well done
10	Chloe	A hard working and resilient student who always aims for excellence, quiet yet confident, held in high regard be her peers and teachers.
11	Oliver	Oliver has had a really good couple of weeks (before half-term and now!) and has tried really hard to prepare for his last set of PPEs.
11	Miley	For always doing the right thing and her focus in the morningn tutor session.
12	Elijah	For being pro-active in terms of volunteering for the year council and also organising his peer group with a view to setting up a Rugby Squad in the Sixth Form. Has shown Unity Respect and Excellence
13	Ben	Ben for demonstrating confidence, maturity, and leadership. Ben put himself forward to represent his tutor group at the student council meeting, showing great initiative and courage.

Here is a round-up of the fixtures from the past

Last Sunday, Year 10 student Bethany was selected and competed for Berkshire U15 Girls at the Regional Finals for Sports Hall.

Due to her age this is the last time she can compete in this, but has been selected each year for the past 5 years to represent the team. Bethany competed in 4 events, the last one being the 4 x 2 Lap Relay where they won Gold.

Berkshire U15 Girls came 4th out of nine counties for overall team points.  a nice way to end this chapter!  Well done Bethany!

SAVE THE DATE!

THANK YOU SELCO

A huge thank you to our friends at Selco Slough for donating sleepers & topsoil for our alternative provision, the Sowers & Growers Garden. This company's generosity will enable our students to create raised beds to grow summer vegetables Thank you Selco for making a difference.

GEMS WORKSHOP

GEMS are excited to announce that their next workshop is live and ready to book.   Empowering Calm Hosted by The Autism Group:

Understanding and responding to distressed behaviour in autistic young people with the aims being;

To understand physical responses to anxiety, distress and overwhelm.

To explore what this might look like and think about who is challenging who!

To learn some strategies to try to help.

Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/empowering-calm-tickets-1541216543169?aff=oddtdtcreator

This course is for parents and carers of children who have or are suspected to have autism. 

www.gems4health.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gems4Health

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gems4health_/

 

Our Upcoming Opportunities page is constantly updated with new and exciting Careers opportunities.

 

BE PREPARED
EVERY DAY STUDENTS WILL NEED TO BRING...

 

HOPE FOOD SHARE

The Hope Church food share takes place each Tuesday from 12pm-1pm. 

The items include mainly fresh food and bakery items donated from local supermarkets. The food is at the end of its shelf life (but still perfectly fine to eat!) and would otherwise just go to waste. Bring a bag to fill up, stop for a chat and a cup of tea (and cake!!) and warm up in the church. ALL welcome, no voucher/referral required.

Hope Church, Sunningdale, The Hope Centre, High Street Sunningdale, (next to Nag’s Head).

Please CLICK HERE for more details.

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