In order to provide all our children with the very best education we need the full support of all our parents and students. We ask that you to work in partnership with us. When we work as a team, we can truly work in the very best interests of your child. A positive partnership underpins a child’s success and we value the relationship we have with our parents and place a huge amount of importance upon it. Our partnership is richest when we nurture the growth of the individual, providing a setting where a child can learn, feel happy and secure and where the lines of communication between us are open. Growing up in today’s world is a challenge for our children. Our partnership will provide them with the boundaries, guidance and support that will enable them to flourish in a caring and safe environment.
The aim of our School Charter is to demonstrate how we can be most effective in this relationship as the children journey through seven years of education at SJB. It outlines what you can expect from us and in return what we expect from parents, students, staff, Governors and visitors.
All parents and students are expected to subscribe to this charter.
The Student SJB 10 was devised by the students and is made up of ten learning behaviours they felt are important to encourage, recognise and reward:
Positive attitude
Prepared to learn
Respect yourself and others
Try your best, don’t give up
Participate fully
Think for yourself, be independent
Challenge yourself, take risks
Support others to succeed
Learning from mistakes, aspire to improve
Creative and curious
At SJB we recognise and reward students’ effort and attitude to learning through nominations. Parents and students receive push notifications from Edulink when their child is awarded a nomination. All nominations are worth 5 house points.
When the students have earned enough nominations in any one of the Student SJB 10 they will either be awarded a ‘STAR Badge’ to wear with pride on their blazer (Yr 7-11) or given a stamp on their ‘Free Hot Drink Card’ (Yr 12-13). At the end of the year any students who have achieved all ten are recognised in our Award Ceremony.
Homework
It is widely recognised that homework makes an important contribution to students’ progress. At SJB, it is felt that work completed at home is an essential part of school work. When homework is used properly, it extends the challenge open to the students and ensures that teaching time is used to maximum effect. It also prepares students gradually for the more independent demands of study as they mature. Equally, we believe it is important that all students have time in their day to ‘play’ and spend time participating in extra-curricular activities. For this reason, our homework gradually increases from 50 minutes per night in Year 7 to around 1.5 hours per night in Year 11 and 2-3 hours per day in the Sixth Form.
In Year 7 and 8 there is a blend of ‘subject’ homework as well as the development of literacy and numeracy skills; every night students will complete 30 minutes of ‘subject’ homework as well as a further 20-30 minutes of homework focused on the development of literacy and numeracy skills as we believe these are fundamentally important in being able to access learning across the curriculum. From Year 9 onwards there is a greater ‘subject’ focus. Further to this, each half term, there will be a minimum of one homework aimed at improving vocabulary and one aimed at improving your child’s reading and comprehension skills.
We set homework for the following reasons:
It encourages students to develop the skills, confidence, and self-motivation needed to study effectively on their own.
It consolidates and reinforces knowledge and skills being developed at school.
It extends school learning (for example, through additional reading).
It sustains the involvement of parents in the management of students’ learning and keeps them in touch with what is happening in the classroom.
It helps students to develop their time-management and organisational skills.
It enables students to better manage the increasing demands placed on them as they get older and become young adults.
Homework timetables will be published in September.
Enrichment opportunities
Coming soon.
Houses
Stand by for an exciting announcement!
Students
Careers
Lenten Fundraising
During Lent, we are encouraged by the church to mark this time by doing certain things; prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These practices help us walk closer to Jesus by talking with Him, simplifying our lives and giving generously. They prepare us for commemorating His death on Good Friday and celebrating His Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Giving is something at which our SJB community is very good, demonstrated by the incredible response to our Christmas campaign and now we are launching our Lenten charity collections.
We will be fundraising for, locally, The Lighthouse Project, nationally, The Samaritans and internationally, the charity, Compassion. The 6th form is supporting the Lenten movement of SiLENT by the charity Million Minutes.
As we are not in school at least initially, the monies raised will come through individual students getting sponsorship for challenges which can be selected from a wide choice, some of which are options for the whole family! These are being promoted in form time and listed on the sponsor form. If you can, do take the opportunity to watch the promo video!
The 6th form is devising their own projects and sponsorship.
Getting involved and playing a part is the most important thing. We would kindly ask that families collect their sponsorship and donate it via the Scopay item that has been added to your Scopay account (6th Form Lent donations or Yrs 7-11 Lent donations which has been set at £zero and should be changed to equal the amount you wish to donate). There will be no comparison of sponsorship amounts as we realise this is a difficult time for many families.
This year, more than ever, those we collect for need our help. Times are hard and many charities are struggling and so are extra grateful for our help.
With grateful thanks for all your support and contributions to these ventures.
