In this newsletter:
- Have your say! – newsletter feedback
- Message from our Principal
- Golden Ticket winners
- Careers
- Pokemon Cup
- Azores in full swing
- Flag Football Champions
- Year 11 Sixth Form Application update
- Year 11 into 12 induction day
- Year 12 Food Exams
NEW! Uniformd Website – Coming Soon!
We know how costly it can be to replace lost items, so we’re trialling a new system called Uniformd to help reunite belongings with their owners. Over Easter, you’ll receive an email with a link to view photos of lost property items, making it easier to identify anything that belongs to you or your child.
More information coming soon!
Have your say about your newsletter!
We would like to gather your feedback so we can better understand your views and continue to tailor the newsletter to meet the needs of all families. We are always looking to improve our communication to ensure parents and carers feel well-informed about what is happening each week, as well as having key information shared with plenty of notice.
Message from our Principal
While it is the last week of term, Year 11 and will be in school next week attending all the year 11 and 13 Revision sessions that are on, run by a range of teachers. If you haven’t signed up yet, please do – it’s not too late! We also provide a quiet study space as well as teacher led sessions, if your child wishes to come and work in a quiet space at school, and keep that routine going.
I wish everyone a restful Easter break, and look forward to seeing students back in school on Monday 13th April.
What happened this week
Golden Ticket Winners!
Congratulations to:
- Iris
- Fathima
- Laksha
- Huzaifah
- Oliver
- Sam
- Finley
- Maddy
- Oliver
Golden tickets are given out by teachers one per lesson and additional tickets for achievement throughout the school day. Support staff can also award golden tickets! Students then put these into a letterbox and at the end of the term winners are picked out and are awarded a £20 amazon voucher!
Careers update
This term, we have had a busy and exciting careers programme:
- Our annual Careers and Aspirations Fair was a great success, welcoming a wide range of local and national businesses, as well as further education (FE) and higher education (HE) providers.
- Year 11 students have been supported to secure places at their chosen sixth forms and colleges for next year.
- The Unifrog careers platform has been launched and is now being used by students in Years 10–13, with plans to roll it out to Years 7–9 next term.
- Yr9 Make Your Mark, an event hosted by Urban & Civic introduced young women to the wide range of career opportunities available in development, the built environment, property, construction, and related industries
- Work experience for Years 10 and 12 has been launched this term to parents and students, giving them the opportunity to start exploring placements.
Looking ahead to some exciting opportunities for students:
- Year 10 Careers Guidance Meetings – Students in Year 10 will take part in one-to-one careers guidance meetings to help them start thinking about post-16 options.
- Mock Interviews for Year 10 – Wednesday 29 April – Students will have the chance to practise interview skills, build confidence, and receive valuable feedback from professionals.
- Year 10 Work Experience – 1 week from 29 June – 3 July
- Year 12 Work Experience – 1 week from 6 – 10 July
CALLING ALL LOCAL BUSINESSES!!
We are seeking volunteers from local businesses, parents and the wider community to support these events, either by conducting mock interviews or offering work experience placements. Your support makes a real difference to our students as they develop skills and explore career pathways. If you are able to help please do let me know helen.parks@astreastivo.org.
Note from the Attendance Team
As the lighter mornings are now upon us, we are pleased to see so many students arriving on time and in the correct uniform. As a reminder, and in accordance with our Attendance Policy, students are expected to be in school by 8.30am every day. As a school, our Attendance figures are improving in comparison to other schools.
We can only do this with the ongoing support of our parents and students. If you child is unable to attend school please notify the Attendance Team via email attendance@astreastivo.org by 8.30am each day of your child’s absence. Student absences are monitored daily – we are happy to support parents with any queries you may have. We can be contacted on attendance@astreastivo.org
ESFA South East Regional Finals – Primary Pokémon Cup
What an incredible two days at the English Schools’ Football Association South East Regional Finals! We were proud to have our girls playing a key role in supporting this fantastic event, which welcomed over 30 primary schools from across the South East, competing in the small schools, girls’, and boys’ regional finals.
Our students truly rose to the occasion, gaining hands-on experience in leading a major sporting event. They helped with:
- Preparing medals
- Acting as ball girls
- Managing scorecards
- Handing out programmes
- Welcoming players, staff, and parents
- Timing matches
- Starting games with the air horn
Their enthusiasm, responsibility, and teamwork did not go unnoticed. Event organisers praised them as a huge help and a real asset throughout the competition.
We are incredibly proud of the way they represented our school, well done to all involved!
Geography trip to the Azores
Day one in the Azores was spent visiting the volcano observatory, exploring the beautiful botanic gardens, relaxing in the thermal baths, and taking in the breathtaking views from Miradouro do Pico do Ferro viewpoint.
On day two, the group enjoyed an unforgettable whale watching experience, where dolphins and even orcas were spotted, a very rare and exciting sighting. The day also included a volcano hike and continued to offer spectacular views across the islands.
Flag Football Champions
WE ARE YEAR 7 & 8 DISTRICT CHAMPIONS AND YEAR 9 & 10 COME 2nd!!!
What an incredible achievement for all year groups involved!
Year 11 Sixth Form Application update
It was a pleasure for the sixth form team to complete guidance meetings with all Year 11 students who have made an application to join our sixth form.
Final meetings are currently taking place with external candidates. Following this, on the first week back after the Easter break (wk beg 13th April) we will confirm courses. A very small number of courses are at risk of not running due to the number and preference of students who chose them. Those students who this may effect were made aware of this during their guidance meeting.
Year 11 into 12 induction day- September 2026
We have made a slight amendment to the year 11 into 12 induction, to ensure that it is even more efficient and to help students start lessons a little earlier.
The new Year 12 students will be required to attend on Wednesday 2nd September at 1pm to sign on to subjects. Once this short process is complete, students will be able to return home. This then allows timetables to be created, so that students can start lessons the following day.
Best wishes.
Year 12 food exams
Year 12 food science and nutrition pupils completed their 3.5hour practical exam this week, with great success. They have been working hard this term to trial recipes, nutritionally analyse dishes and choose their final 3 dishes plus accompaniments to fulfill the requirements for the exam brief. They have worked amazingly hard on their menu choice and showed an array of advanced preparation, cooking and presentation skills. Including filleting fish, chicken butchery, fresh stocks and sauces, parfaits, caramel shards, Italian creams and more! Whilst we can’t share final exam photos just yet, here are a few of ‘work in progress’ ones!
