A reminder to parents and students that this Friday is a non-uniform day, in support of Breast Cancer Care and Hope. If wishing to dress in non-uniform, we request a voluntary donation that will go towards this cause.
Badges for breast cancer awareness are on sale around the school, and there will also be a cake sale in the main hall at break time so students may wish to bring in money for this.
saltash.net community school would like to thank all prospective parents and pupils who attended its annual Open Evenings, held on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th 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 saltash.net was a performance from cast members of the upcoming production of ‘Billy Elliot’, who sang ‘Electricity’.
After the performance, Bronwen Hall, alongside fellow Head Student Rosie Thompson, offered their words of welcome to those in attendance, as did 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.
Bronwen Hall speech
Welcome to the saltash.net open evening. My name is Bronwen Hall, and I’m currently one of the head students here. I’m here to talk about my experience at saltash.net, and to give a brief insight as to why our school is such an amazing place to study.
I joined this school in year 7, and since then I’ve been able to do so much. As well as obtaining thirteen GCSEs and four AS Levels, I’ve also been able to take part in things such as the maths challenge, student-organised concerts and school shows. Now, of course, most schools run these things. But how many people can say that in secondary school they worked on building their own website and running projects with people over in Australia?
This was something I got to do in year 7, 8 and 9. I wouldn’t exactly say there are many schools that run that. The reason I got an opportunity to do these things was because of the amazing teachers here. They put so much time and effort into helping students make the most out of their education, going above and beyond the call of duty. Their day doesn’t just end at 3.
Take last year for example; my drama teacher stayed in school with us until 8pm helping us improve our exam piece. He had no obligation to do that, no obligation to stay that late. But he still did, and not once did he complain about it. Thanks to his dedication, I came out with an A in AS Level Theatre Studies this summer, which wasn’t something I would have predicted. The teaching here is outstanding, and I’m sure no-one would challenge me on that.
And if that isn’t proof enough that we have the best teachers going, then maybe this is. Mr Hawthorne, Head of Maths here, won a National Teaching Award last year. And he’s not the first of our teachers to have won. He was named the National Teaching Awards’ Regional Winner for the Outstanding Use of Technology in Education. This is an amazing achievement, and represents the high quality of teaching in our school. Mr Wieprecht, another maths teacher here, also won the same award in 2014. We’ve also had many teachers make it as finalists in the National Teaching Awards.
As I mentioned previously, I’ve also been able to take part in concerts and shows whilst I’ve been here. Music and drama are very important to me and can be an escape from your typical lesson set up. Our school shows manage to get better and better each year. This year is ‘Billy Elliot’, and although I’m not taking part this time, I can’t wait to watch it.
So that’s our school. Thanks to community here, I’ve had an amazing experience at school. I hope to complete my A Levels in Geography, Maths and Theatre Studies this year with the grades to go to Exeter University and study Geography. That’s something I don’t think I would have achieved at any other school.
I hope you all have a wonderful evening. If you have any questions then please don’t be afraid to ask myself, any of the head student team or the teachers and we will try to answer your questions the best we can. Thank you!
Rosie Thompson speech
Good evening. My name is Rosie and I am the other head student for this year. I am going to be talking about the experiences of my school life at saltash.net and some of the extracurricular opportunities available at our school. My journey began as a shy and timid 11 year old who obtained the last available place for that year’s intake. Armed with a school map and a friendly mentor, my first day at school felt like I had walked hundreds of miles, covering all the areas, yet I still had no idea where I was. But really quickly I adapted to the hustle and bustle of ‘big school’ and looked forward to coming here every day.
School is, I’ll be honest, hard work, but FUN. It is the stepping stone into the “real world” and the beginning of your adult life. At Saltash, we are provided with all the tools necessary to progress and succeed. The teachers and support staff provide a wealth of experience and knowledge across a wide range of subjects. This, coupled with a passion and real empathy towards all students, creates a caring and structured environment. I am proof that this is a recipe for success, set four in year 7 for science, yet gained GCSE A grades in this subject.
To complement the hard work, school life offers a range of after school clubs, sporting opportunities, including sports leadership courses, and both breakfast and homework clubs.
There are also a number of theme days, which all students are particularly fond of. All timetables are stopped for the day, whilst everyone takes part in the creative themes that are designed to give us a chance to use our imagination and other skills. I also really looked forward to our annual sports day, which keeps getting bigger and better each year. The Olympics come to Cornwall once a year, saltash.net style.
Now that shy and timid 11 year old is 18, studying for her A-Levels and stood here talking to you. I can’t believe where the past 7 years have gone, time really does fly when you’re having fun.
Information about our Curriculum Enrichment Week activities for 2017 is now available.
Download the Curriculum Enrichment Week booklet, including booking form, here.
The first Theme Day of the 2016-17 academic year took place on Tuesday 11 October, full of action packed events that offered something for every student.
Our Year 7s went on ‘a grand day out’, with half visiting Dartmoor and the others visiting Okehampton or Restormel Castle. Students who visited Burraton Reservoir on Dartmoor explored the landscape, taking part in first-hand field, a jaunt over Leather Tor, and studied in the moorland environment, and all the flora and fauna which live on the moors.
Year 8s experienced a number of different activities, based around the themes of ‘Healthy Lifestyles’ or ‘Try something new!’. Students played Handball on the All Weather Pitch, gave trampolining a go in the Sports Hall and took part in a non-contact martial arts practice organised by Swashbuckling UK. Students also took part in Art, Creative Writing and Music sessions designed to help them explore their creative sides.
Qui a tué Kenny/Who killed Kenny? This was the question that half of Year 9 had to answer, as they enjoyed a day devoted to using their language skills to solve a murder mystery which embroiled the whole Language department team.
The fatal crime followed a delicious continental breakfast in the canteen, causing students to begin the search for the criminal. QR codes around the school provided clues as to the suspects and despite her best efforts, Madame Le Blanc (who bore a striking resemblance to Miss Yvinec) was forced to admit her guilt after being rumbled by students.
The rest of Year 9 took part in an interactive trip to Woodlands, where they solved a number of mathematical challenges around the site, as well as enjoyed the rides and entertainment on offer.
Year 10 took part in a day of open discussion about serious issues that can affect student’s health and wellbeing. Issues raised included sexual health, dealing with stress alcohol abuse and the dangers of sexting.
All students from Year 11 visited Plymouth University, experiencing a day of taster sessions in different subject areas and exploring what the university has to offer.
Year 12 students competed in the annual ‘You’re Hired!’ competition, which last year was won overall by saltash.net student Kieran Marley. Representatives from KPMG led the day of challenges, and huge congratulations go to the students listed below who progressed to the next round of the competition:
Alex Swabey
Keith Harrison
Lauren Blatter
Jaz Morris
Josh Tennant
Finally, Year 13s engaged in an important debate, with groups of students representing countries in a mock United Nations meeting. Countries had to debate and vote on a proposed resolution concerning Climate Change: ‘We resolve that all countries in the world should cut C02 emissions by 50% by 2050.’
Students researched and developed a position on the matter, before presenting in front of their fellow nations. Nations eventually agreed to amend the resolution, adopting the position that the United States and China should reduce their emissions by 60%, whereas other nations should reduce it by a much lower figure of 1%!
Director of Creativity at saltash.net, Amy Feldwick, hailed the success of the day.
She said: “Theme Day gave all year groups an opportunity to do something different. Trips to the Okehampton and Restormel Castles, Dartmoor and Woodlands were a great success. Back in school we had some fantastic external practitioners work with our Year 8 and 10 students. Thanks go to staff and students for engaging so brilliantly in such a wide variety of tasks.”
View the Clubs and Activities Booklet 2016-2017 below, or download here.
clubs-activities-booklet-2016-2017
A reminder to students who completed their GCSEs at saltash.net in 2016 – your GCSE Presentation Evening takes place on Thursday 17th November 2016, at 7pm.
If you wish to attend, please inform Reception at school as soon as possible and no later than Friday 11 November.
For the first time since its introduction, the saltash.net Sports Personality award has been presented to two students – Emily Hollister and Emily Sweet – for their excellent achievements in sport. Head of PE, Rob Hawkins, could not separate the two students and their sporting accomplishments, deciding that the Pip Miller Memorial Award, donated by […]
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You can download our Winter Term edition of Community News by clicking on the link below. saltash.net Winter Newsletter
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St. Stephen’s Church once again hosted the annual saltash.net Year 7 Christmas Carol Concert on the last day of the Autumn Term, Friday 16th December. The service was full to capacity with members of the school community. Organised by the school’s Performing Arts department, the concert ensured that all at saltash.net really got into the Christmas spirit. Those in attendance sang […]
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New Year’s Honours and New Year’s Resolutions A week ago the Queen announced her New Year’s Honours list; people recognised for their “extraordinary achievements and service”. Well, if I was the Queen I would definitely have given a medal to Isobel Bryce, who, as Headteacher, gave such great service to saltash.net, allowing the young people […]
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saltash.net students were among children from all six schools who will join the SMART Academies Trust who came together at Looe Community Academy this week, to work on the new SMART Trust website. Event organisers Amelia (Year 11 from saltash.net), Mia (Year 9 from Looe) and James (Year 9 from Liskeard), kicked off the event […]
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Students from saltash.net’s feeder primaries visited the school last week for a day of sporting entertainment and competition. The event was run for ARENA by Jenny Nash (ARENA/saltash.net) and Michelle Cooke (saltash.net) with help on the day from Nigel Evans (Tamar Trotters), Julie Ponting (ARENA), Dan Budd (saltash.net) and Sheila Newman (Tamar Trotters), with equipment […]
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