You can now find out all about the after school and lunchtime clubs around the school by following the link below;

• Click to download the Clubs and Activities Booklet 2015-2016

Saltash.net was delighted to receive news at the start of the new school year that it had been awarded the Silver Sports Mark in recognition of its reputation for high quality sports provision and extensive range of extra-curricular activities.

Head of PE, Rob Hawkins, and School Sports Coordinator, Michelle Cooke, submitted the Sports Mark bid which gave details of all the different sports on offer at the school, as well as the number of students engaged in extra-curricular clubs and activities.

Saltash.net runs a number of schemes to nurture and develop sporting talents, including a full ‘High Performance’ (Gifted and Talented programme) as well as an extensive Sports Leaders initiative.

saltash.net community school would like to thank all prospective parents and pupils who attended its annual Open Evenings, held on Wednesday 30^th September and Thursday 1^st October. Both evenings were packed to capacity with visitors able to enjoy a wide range of student led activities across the school.

Welcoming everyone to the school was a group of singers from the recent key stage 2 and 3 production of ‘Peter Pan’ who sang ‘You can Fly’, a song which very much reflects the school’s ‘Believe and Achieve’ motto. Also adding their own words of welcome were Head Students, Georgina Curtis and Paul Gerry, Head of Year 7 and Transition, Grant Taylor, and Headteacher, Isobel Bryce.

After the introductions and welcomes in the school’s main hall, student ambassadors led tours of the site where a whole host of interactive activities awaited everyone in the different curriculum areas.

For anyone who would like to visit the school during the day, appointments can be made by contacting Karen Crook. Please email kcrook@saltashcloud.net or contact reception on 01752 843715. The school’s prospectus is available here. Hard copies can also be provided and are obtainable from the school’s main reception.

Good evening! Welcome to saltash.net community school. My name is Paul Gerry and I am, at present, one of the head students at this school. I have attended this school since the age of 11 having transferred from Burraton Primary school. I have so far obtained both GCSEs and an A Level here, as I was given the opportunity to take my Maths A Level early and I gained an A* in that subject at the end of last year. Now 17 years old, I am currently completing my final year here, studying for three more A Levels in Further Maths, Physics and Computing. I am hoping that come next year I will obtain more high grades enabling me to take up a place at the University of Plymouth to study for a degree in Mathematics with Education.

One of the things which saltash.net does particularly well is encourage and develop our leadership strengths. As well as studying for my own A Levels, I am also a part time tutor teaching mathematics to mainly year 13 students (including our other head student!) and even though I have finished my maths A Level, I am still attending maths lessons in my free periods and helping out on a voluntary basis in the Maths department (doing my best to annoy the maths teachers, especially our Head of Department, Mr Hawthorne, along the way!)

Seriously, when I achieved my A* in A Level maths in the year just gone by, I was extremely happy as it’s what I had strived for throughout the year – and I did work really hard! However, the A* could not have been achieved without the great teaching and the help and support that the school provides to ensure students can attain the grades they want, and need, for future career success.

In addition to academic help and support, saltash.net also does all that it can to give us a vast range of enrichment opportunities.  For many years now, we have had termly theme days for all year groups. On these occasions, the typical school timetable is collapsed, and the day has a creative theme designed to develop us not just academically, but also in many other skills and aspects which may be beneficial later in life. Another thing the school organises very successfully is an annual academic review day where students have their say in what they feel they are doing right in school, and also what could be improved to make their learning even more productive.

Our school’s commitment to student voice was seen especially well in the recent mock election. Students from across all year groups, including year 7, put themselves forward as parliamentary candidates, delivering their manifestos in a series of assemblies. It was a tightly fought election, but, in the end, year 11 student, Alex Ferguson, was elected, representing the Supreme Chancellor of Bin Squirrels, aka the Monster Raving Looney Party! Alex, now in Year 12, will sit on the school council, along with all of the other year representatives and ourselves, as Chairs of the Council. We will do all that we can this year to ensure the school continues to improve and take on board the ideas from the student body.

I really hope you enjoy the rest of the open evening. Please feel free to speak to us – the head student team – if you have any questions that you would like to have answered. We will be pleased to assist. Thank you very much!

–Paul Gerry Head Boy 2015

Good evening. My name’s Georgina Curtis and I’m currently Head Girl at saltash.net. I came to this school at the age of 11 having transferred from Brunel primary. At the moment I’m in my last year of school, in the school’s Sixth Form, where I’m studying Maths, English Language, and Media Studies A Levels. I’m hoping to go on and study Film and Television Production at university next year.

saltash.net has helped me to explore my passion for film and I’ve been given so many opportunities, such as recently being offered the chance to film the school’s 50^th anniversary celebrations and make a short video out of the footage. I am very proud that this film is currently on the school’s website and was used in our final whole school assembly at the end of the summer term.

saltash.net can offer students of all abilities so many things: there are a lot of people here tonight- but I think there is definitely still something the school can offer to meet everyone’s needs. If you’re sporty we have a huge range of sports clubs including rugby, football, netball, hockey, basketball, table tennis, volleyball, and recently we even had a team of Year 9s take part in the Arena Water Sports Festival, which included sailing, surfing and rowing.

We also have the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s award and Ten Tors schemes. If you’re not too keen on the sporty hobbies we have STEM club- a club based on science and maths- where you can do some really interesting experiments, or if you’re musical saltash.net offers music lessons and clubs. Recently, some students from saltash.net went on a trip to Truro and performed in the Sounds from the Hub Concert in the Hall for Cornwall. The school also puts on productions every year- they are absolutely fantastic! You can audition for them and get on stage to perform, or – if you don’t have a musical bone in your body, like me – you can become involved with the technical side of the productions or go and see them to show your support!

The school also has a fantastic range of technology available for you to use to support and enrich your learning; you’ll get access to the laptops, iPads, iPods, cameras, and netbooks on a very regular basis.

saltash.net provides such a lively, welcoming, and enriching atmosphere to be in, and really focuses on its students, what they like, and what’s best for them. You’ll get support from the friends you’ll make, your teachers, your form tutors, your head of year, and everyone around you.

It’s so great to see so many people and potential students here today- we can’t wait to show you around the school, to help show you why we love it here so much. Thank you for listening!

–Georgina Curtis Head Girl 2015

September saw two major fundraising events take place at saltash.net.

In response to the refugee crisis in Europe, students and staff came together to raise money for the Cornish based charity ShelterBox. In addition to a non-uniform day held on Friday 11^th September, Year 7 student, Oliver Crawford, organised a lunchtime fundraiser in the school’s Sports Hall. He and other members of his tutor group (7RB) raised £38 from a series of fun sporting challenges which, when added to the non-uniform day monies, as well as generous contributions from 6^th Formers and staff, brought the grand total to £729.54, enough to purchase at least one complete ShelterBox.

In addition to the fundraising for a global concern, staff and students were also mindful of the needs of those closer to home. On Friday 25^th September, a cake sale took place during morning break in support of the world’s biggest coffee morning for Macmillan Cancer Care. An incredible £168.48 was raised in just 20 minutes.

Thanks are expressed to everyone who helped to support these events.

You can now find out all about the Curriculum Enrichment Week activities for 2016 by clicking on the title of this notice and then clicking on the link

2016 CEW

Many people from the community of Saltash and its surroundings gathered at Kimberley Stadium on the evening of Friday 9th October to witness the annual staff versus parents football match.

Organised as a Friends of saltash.net fundraiser, this year’s event raised a superb £1,000 for school funds, thanks to high takings on the gate, alongside a range of refreshments served by students and parents.

In a tightly fought match, the teachers ended up the victors, defeating their opponents by 3-2.
It was a great result all round, reflecting the commitment and energy of all involved.

saltash.net community school students last week visited the Big Careers Show at the Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge to explore their future career ideas and learn more about the opportunities available.

The group of year 11 and year 13 students, all of whom will be making important decisions about their studies or employment for next year, had the opportunity to talk with employers, to collect information and prospectuses, and to try ‘have a go’ activities that included a climbing wall, professional cookery and construction tasks.

The trip was organised by Mr Killeya, Head of Sixth Form, with support from the school’s personal development programme and from pupil premium funding.
Mr Killeya, said, “A lot of our students have already decided on their plans for next year, whether that is to enter the Sixth Form, go on to University or take up an Apprenticeship, and that’s great. It’s also important to our ethos, though, that all students, from 11-18, have the careers support and guidance that they need, and that those who are still deciding get the appropriate extra input like this careers show.”
Picture: Travis, Dan and Joe, looking to climb the career ladder.

saltash.net has partnered with the Kernow (Cornish for Cornwall) Teaching School Alliance for the delivery of School Direct for the academic year 2016 to 2017. We will be offering places to candidates in a range of disciplines such as Maths, Chemistry and Physics. The Kernow Teaching School Alliance was designated in 2014, and is an alliance of schools and colleges across the coastal & rural county of Cornwall. The breadth and depth of experience of our partners spans all educational phases and sectors, from Nursery to Post 16 and Higher Education. If you would like to work with us to help to ‘grow our next generation’ then we  look forward to hearing from you. To find out more please follow the link the Kernow Teaching School Alliance website or email Miss Katie Boothman through kboothman@saltashcloud.net

Click below to register for the Train to Teach event at Barnstaple on the 19th November

• http://www.eventbrite.com/e/train-to-teach-barnstaple-devon-tickets-19077268624

Three teams from saltash.net excelled themselves recently in a show jumping competition held near Truro on Sunday 18th October. The students taking part were Briony Evans, Ellie Robinson, Max Frost, Abi Baker, Amy Flanagan, Flo Wickham, Abi Cox, Demelza Morris, Evie Baker, Katie Flanagan and Macy Simpson.
For the competition, the students had to jump a course with heights of 70cm and 80cm before progressing to a cross country course of open ditches and water. Out of the 26 teams participating, saltash.net’s students came 1st, 5th and 6th with Evie Baker 2nd individually, Katie Flanagan 3rd and Abi Cox 6th.
The students received much positive feedback from the organiser of the event who said, ‘The saltash.net students were very well presented and turned out and so well mannered. I look forward to seeing them again.” Parent, and coordinator of the teams, Mrs Tracey Baker, added, “Of note was the team spirit in evidence, especially with the support they gave each other which is commendable given their age differences.’
Congratulations go to all participants – a fantastic achievement!

Saltash Multi Academy Regional Trust (SMART) is looking to appoint a Personnel Director, who also carries out the duties of a governor, to join their Trust Board and Chair the Personnel Committee.  This committee meets on average once a term and meetings are attended by the Multi Academy Trust’s Personnel Manager.

SMART currently consists of 2 schools – saltash.net and Landulph – with a staff of 200.  We are looking for someone who has a general understanding of current employment legislation.

The role of a governor is to contribute to the work of the Governing Board in ensuring high standards of achievement for all children and young people in the school by:

• Setting the school’s vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

The completed application form should be returned to the Clerk, Debbie Stoneman by email to debbiestoneman@trailerland.co.uk or post at ‘Flerswell’, Trehunist, Liskeard PL14 3SD by Saturday 14^th November 2015.  All applicants will be contacted in due course.  The Chair of the Trust Board, Kate Waghorn can be contacted through the Clerk.

• NGA – What Governors Do
• Personnel Director Specification
• Governor Application Form

Year 11 Parents’ Surgery – Thursday 26 November 2015
4.00 pm – 6.30 pm

The Year 11 Parents’ Surgery is on Thursday 26 November 2015 and you are warmly invited to join us to discuss your child’s progress.  This is an important time in the academic life of your child and the evening provides the perfect opportunity for you to find out exactly what needs to be done as you and the school work together to enable your child to maximise their potential.

Preparing for the Parents’ Surgery

There are a couple of things which you can do before you attend the Parents’ Surgery which will help you to get the most out of the evening:

1. Look at the Progress Tracker which came home this week along with Progress Tracker 4 from

Year 10.  Progress Tracker is designed to give you an overview of your child’s performance against their potential as well as the level of effort in each of their subjects.  It is issued three times a year in Year 11 to enable you to follow your child’s progress across the year.

2. Please look through your child’s work and planner – you can do this together over the next few weeks and discuss how they feel they are progressing. Subject teachers will have written specific comments on how your child can improve in exercise books, on their work and/or planners.  This will happen at key milestones in their learning rather than on every piece of work.  Although it will vary from subject to subject, on average there will be at least one key comment for every 6 lessons.

Making appointments

Go to: http://www.parents-booking.co.uk/saltash

to see which appointments are available and select ones that are convenient for you.

You will need:

• Your child’s legal first name and surname
• Your child’s date of birth
• Your child’s tutor group name

Troubleshooting Tips – Read before Booking! 

• Only parents/guardians that we have recorded as having parental responsibility can gain access and it is essential that your name title is as we have recorded in the school’s database.  For most failed access, it is usually one of these two issues.  Let us know if you have difficulties logging in and we can correct this for you.

• Your child’s date of birth has to be entered in exactly the right format e.g. using two digits for the month and four digits for the year of birth – 12/09/2009.

• Where it says ‘child’s register class’, you need to put in the tutor code, such as 11PA and not the teacher’s name.

• The email address you enter is only to get a confirmation of your appointment. If the system is saying it does not recognise you, it will not be the email address that is the problem as the system does not hold your email address; try the tips above.

• Further help is also available via the school’s website where a PowerPoint help document is available.

If you are unable to book, please email parentsurgery@saltash.net or call the school and a member of staff will help you.  We believe that this system will give parents much better control over their appointments and we hope that you will find it simple to use.

We are looking forward to seeing you on the evening and as usual there will be staff and student helpers on hand to assist you if you require any help.

Yours sincerely
Linda Griffin
Deputy Headteacher

Students from Landulph Primary school joined Year 7 and Year 9 from saltash.net for a morning of Cross Country competitions on Monday 19th October. Organised by the PE department at saltash.net, assisted by the excellent Sports’ Leaders, the competition saw inter tutor group challenges as well as individual winners.
Leading the way for Year 7 girls were: Maisie Godfrey in 1st place, Abby Shapland in 2nd place and Katie Flanagan in 3rd place, whilst for the boys, Henry Curtis came in first, with Seth Maunder second and Leighton Poolman third. Impressively, Charlie Bennett from Landulph school’s Year 5 class, came 6th out of the 116 boy competitors.
For the year 9s, results were: Jade Parker in 1st place, Lily Davies in 2nd place and Erin Hannay in 3rd place, whilst for the boys, Henry Bunning came in first with Scott Gregory second and Rhen Debeuc third.
The overall tutor team winners were 7GR and 9TD
Speaking at the end of the competition, Mr Hawkins, Head of PE, said, ‘Cross country is one of those events that people always remember from their school days. Today’s competition was no exception. Saltash students and our future students from Landulph did amazingly well, pushing themselves, competing and supporting each other. The amount of smiling faces that crossed the finish line at the end of the race, was great to see and confirmed that memories of this cross country would be largely positive … I hope! Well done to all those who ran and a special thanks to our Year 10 sports leaders who marshalled the course and supported the runners along the way.’

Saltash.net was thrilled to welcome back the Pearl of Africa Children’s Choir from Uganda for their third visit to the school on Monday 2nd November.
Enrichment opportunities for students and staff at saltash.net included singing, drumming and dance workshops, handmade crafts classes, and a superb evening concert. In return, the school donated Science and ICT equipment to support the learning of the children when they return to Africa after their tour of the UK, as well as all proceeds from the sale of the African goods and donations for the evening concert.
Headteacher, Mrs Bryce, said, ‘We hosted the choir for a week back in 2011 and made some lifelong friends. It was brilliant to meet up again with a few of the original choir members who came to us and to hear that they were doing well with their studies and progressing to university in Kampala. The mutual benefits of our links with the choir is what being a true international school is all about.’
Thomas Hollyman, a Year 7 student, added, “It was great meeting the children from the choir. Some of them were really young but very entertaining! I attended a drumming workshop and enjoyed it very much. I hope they come back next year.’

Year 12 and 13 Parents’ Surgery – Wednesday 2 December 2015
4.00 pm – 6.30 pm

The Year 12 and 13 Parents’ Surgery is on Wednesday 2 December 2015 and you are warmly invited to join us to discuss your child’s progress. This is an important time in the academic life of your child and the evening provides the perfect opportunity for you to find out exactly what needs to be done as you and the school work together to enable your child to maximise their potential.

Preparing for the Parents’ Surgery

There are a couple of things which you can do before you attend the Parents’ Surgery which will help you to get the most out of the evening:

1. Look at the Progress Tracker from this term. Progress Tracker is designed to give you an overview of your child’s performance against their potential as well as the level of effort and attendance in each of their subjects. It is issued three times a year in Year 12 and Year 13 to enable you to follow your child’s progress across the year.

2. Please look through your child’s work and planner – you can do this together over the next few weeks and discuss how they feel they are progressing. Subject teachers will have written specific comments on how your child can improve in exercise books, on their work and/or planners. This will happen at key milestones in their learning rather than on every piece of work. Although it will vary from subject to subject, on average there will be at least one key comment for every 6 lessons.

Making appointments

Go to: http://www.parents-booking.co.uk/saltash

to see which appointments are available and select ones that are convenient for you.

You will need:

• Your child’s legal first name and surname
• Your child’s date of birth
• Your child’s tutor group name

Troubleshooting Tips –  Read before Booking!  

• Only parents/guardians that we have recorded as having parental responsibility can gain access and it is essential that your name title is as we have recorded in the school’s database.  For most failed access, it is usually one of these two issues.  Let us know if you have difficulties logging in and we can correct this for you.

• Your child’s date of birth has to be entered in exactly the right format e.g. using two digits for the month and four digits for the year of birth –  12/09/2009

• Where it says ‘child’s register class’, you need to put in the tutor code, such as 12GN and not the teacher’s name.

• The email address you enter is only to get a confirmation of your appointment. If the system is saying it does not recognise you, it will not be the email address that is the problem as the system does not hold your email address; try the tips above.

If you are unable to book, please email parentsurgery@saltash.net or call the school and a member of staff will help you.  We believe that this system will give parents much better control over their appointments and we hope that you will find it simple to use.

We are looking forward to seeing you on the evening and as usual there will be staff and student helpers on hand to assist you if you require any help.

Yours sincerely
Linda Griffin
Deputy Headteacher

The Computer Science department was privileged to host Dr Martin Stoelen from Plymouth University’s Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems as he provided expert consultation for Year 13 in their A2 Computer Science coursework. Dr Stoelen was working at NASA developing robotics for space exploration prior to taking his post at the university, and he and his cross-disciplinary team will be hosting the A Level students at the Robotics lab in the new year. Head of Computing Mr Reith states ‘We are very fortunate to be collaborating with Dr Stoelen and the Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems – this will provide an unparalleled level of expert support for our A Level students and I very much look forward to developing this partnership in the future’.

Students from across the Saltash Multi Academy Regional Trust (SMART) took part in an exciting action packed Theme Day on Tuesday 13th October.

Landulph Primary school’s Year 6 children joined all 238 students now in Year 7 at saltash.net for a challenging Dragon’s Den learning experience. Working in groups, the students had to come up with a design for a new healthy snack or drink and then present their ideas to the ‘Dragons’ (members of the senior leadership team at saltash.net), explaining the merits of their product and the benefits of investment. The winning teams were: Landulph (of course!) who demonstrated high levels of confidence when speaking in front of 300 people in saltash.net’s main hall, and the team from tutor group 7LS whose product of ‘Passion Punch’ was deemed to be the most innovative and well researched.

For Year 8, there was the start of a very exciting initiative called, ‘Building a safer community – together’. Head of Year, Mr Matt Oakes, managed to secure £10,000 of Big Lottery funding earlier this year, to support the life skills of saltash.net’s students. It is a collaborative project between saltash.net, the China Fleet, Mount Edgcumbe, Survival Wisdom, K3 Youth Club and Street Factory Studios.

The project will involve Year 8 students working with rangers from Mount Edgecumbe, building the school’s very first outdoor learning environment as well as a Junior Ranger scheme in Mount Edgcumbe estate. Some of the students will also work with specialist coaches working on skills in boxing at K3, street dance alongside Street Factory and mixed sports at the China Fleet Club.

Year 9 were able to make the most of the beautiful Autumn weather, venturing off site to a range of venues in a Maths related practical activity, whilst for Year 10 there was a thought provoking Personal, Social and Health education day arranged, looking at issues such as Alcohol and Drug abuse and Teen violence.
Year 11 represented saltash.net extremely well at the town’s China Fleet club, embarking upon a day long study and revision skills seminar in readiness for their GCSE exams later in the school year.

For Year 12, there was an opportunity to participate in the annual ‘You’re Hired’ competition, run by local businesses and employers. The whole year group did their school proud and there were celebrations at the end of the day for the following students who successfully progressed to the next round of the competition:

James Clifford
Jade Moore
Abigail Medland
Kieran Marley
Elliott Wearne-Gould

Finally, for Year 13, there was also an emphasis on the development of organisational and study skills necessary not just for the final year of their school careers but also as they progress on to university, apprenticeships or future employment.

Five ex-students from saltash.net community school have volunteered their time to share their careers experiences with current year 12s to help them with their own experiences.

Four of the ex-students returned to the school in person to speak to students last week. Three of them – Rev Counter who works at the Cabinet Office, Mike Badham of Cisco Systems, and Darren Chapple of the RAF and England Boxing – left the school in the 1980s and were able to share the valuable insights they have gleaned from their diverse and varied careers. In addition Mike’s daughter Emily, who left in 2015 and currently works for Tempus Leisure before taking up a place at Bath Spa University in September 2016, shared her experiences of being a recent leaver, highlighting the value of work experience and research to current students only a little younger than her.

Ruth Nelson, who works in Paris for Louis Vuitton, will be Skyping students from France in a forthcoming assembly to share her own experiences of working abroad.

The event was organised in conjunction with the Future First programme, which works to send ex-students into schools to help guide and encourage the next generation into developing and achieving their own career aims.

Head of Sixth Form, Adam Killeya, who organised the talk said, “It was fantastic to have such a range of experiences for the students to learn from. All of our guests gave immensely helpful insights into what has helped them succeed, emphasising the importance of both following your dreams and being prepared to grasp different and exciting opportunities as they come up.”

After less than half a term at saltash.net Year 7 opened up the school doors to their curious families, as once again Bring Your Grown-Up To School day took place, this year on Thursday 15th October.

Just a matter of weeks before, the students were super-brave Year 6s, waving fond goodbyes to their familiar primary schools, setting out on their transition to secondary school. The trepidation was huge: what about getting lost? Or making new friends? Or meeting new teachers?

But WOW!!!! It was with confidence and enthusiasm that just a few weeks later Year 7 welcomed mums, dads, grans and cousins to join them for a school day. An extended Integrated Learning challenge was set to the students and their grown-ups, for an exciting window into saltash.net school life.

“Bring Your Grown-Up To School Day is all about building links between home and school, and welcoming parents and carers into their children’s school lives,” explained Grant Taylor, Head of Year 7 and Transition. “There is sometimes a perception that secondary schools are a bit of a closed book to parents and carers, but here at saltash.net we like to encourage interaction between school and home.”

Feedback from the grown-ups shows that they seem to agree. “We have loved being a part of our son’s Bring Your Grown-Up To School day and being able to be a part of what he does here,” said one family, and added, “Loved it! Thank you.” One grandparent commented that it was “nice to bring everyone together, both from in and outside of the school,” and a mum said that it was “interesting to get a feel for what it is like to be a pupil in this school”. She went on to say how much she “enjoyed sharing the morning with my daughter and seeing how she fits in.”

Alongside the more traditional subjects like English, Maths and Science saltash.net Year 7s enjoy Integrated Learning as one of their lessons. This is all about the “SECRET” skills of Self-management, Effective participation, Creative thinking, being a Reflective learner, an independent Enquirer and an effective Team worker. Groups of parents and students working alongside each other were presented with a potential hero for Cornwall – such well-known (and somewhat less well-known) names like novelist Daphne du Maurier, the Eden Project’s Tim Smit, master mariner Captain Bligh, Bishop Trelawny, the last native Cornish-speaker Dolly Pentreath, and the crew of the Penlee Lifeboat disaster. Dad’s iPhone, the .net library, student 1:2:1 Project laptops and colourful resource banks were drawn on in equal combinations as teams worked out how they could convince the stern judge (in actuality Mrs Griffin, Deputy Head Teacher, who looks forward to Bring Your Grown-Up To School day each year as one of her firm favourites in the school calendar!) that their candidate should win. “I learned lots about Cornish Heroes,” commented one parent. “I hadn’t expected that!”

By the end of the morning, after the oversized bits of cardboard, coloured tissue paper, paint and glue had all met their creative ends (“sorry about the paint on the table!” apologised one dad) we were once again treated to the fantastic outcomes of collaborative team work and creative approaches. Mums, dads and grandparents bravely joined in with the presentations, and all were more eye-catching and inventive than ever this year. But it was the dad with a guitar who swung the judging with his accompaniment of the Bishop Trelawny group’s rendition of Song of the Western Men – it was enough to raise the hairs on the back of the neck! A true moment of Cornish Pride.

And pride was something of a theme on that day, too, it turns out. Our Year 7s were proud to show off their new school and new learning styles to their parents; parents were delighted with how confidently their children have settled into secondary education; and the Year 7 Pastoral team at saltash.net – well they couldn’t be more proud of their fantastic Year 7s! Well done Year 7. And well done their Grown-Ups!

saltash.net is proud to be able to report that its students and staff honoured the annual theme of Remembrance during the month of November in a number of positive ways.

During the week preceding Remembrance Sunday, Assistant Headteacher, Ms Kate Littledyke, led assemblies for students in Years 7-11, setting the context for the commemorative events, reminding our school community why we remember and why it is important to reflect not just on all those who have lost their lives for our freedom today, but also to remember current personnel in the armed services, some of whom have family members at saltash.net.

Helping also to raise awareness of the Acts of Remembrance was the annual sale of poppies in aid of the Royal British Legion. In addition, Year 9 student, Alexandra Hole, took the time to make some beautiful hand-made poppies to sell to raise funds for the ‘Help for Heroes’ organisation.

On Saturday 7th November, a representative group of students from saltash.net and the local area, attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, with Scott Clowes from Year 12, bearing one of the Festival’s Standards.

Remembrance Sunday itself saw many of saltash.net’s students taking part in the Saltash Town memorial parades, whilst up on the wilds of Dartmoor, the intrepid Ten Tors team took time out from their training to honour the two minute silence at 11.00am.

Finally, on Armistice Day itself, the 11th of November, the whole school community united in a silence at the 11th hour to mark the anniversary of the end of the First World War and to show solidarity for all Services Families within the school community.

Assistant Headteacher, Mr Pete Bond, who coordinates work with the Help for Heroes organisation said, “This year in particular it has been really special to share this event with other ‘HMS Heroes’ Primary Schools here in Saltash. We coordinated messages, written on wooden crosses, which were sent to London to be displayed for all to read.”