Message from the Headteacher
Dear families,
We hope that you enjoyed a well-deserved break with your family and
friends after an 8-week half-term!
We welcomed our new Year 7 students to our wonderful school. They all looked very smart! It was equally lovely to see all other students return after their summer holidays, 100% in school uniform and eager to begin their new academic year.
As you will be aware, at Beckfoot Upper Heaton, we talk a lot about values and habits. It was my pleasure to welcome to school Mufti Wajid from the Victor Street Masjid, Imam Aleem from Haworth Road Mosque and Dr Joshi, MBE (Deputy Lieutenant, Bradford) who spoke to our staff and students about human values and habits. It was important for our students to appreciate that our school is very much part of our community and values are just as important in our lives outside of school.
We, therefore, prepare our students for adulthood by ensuring they understand what we mean by our school sentence, ‘the school taught students to act with integrity and kindness and they went on to demonstrate excellence in their chosen field; it was a place where all belonged’. Therefore, we model our five 100% habits:
- Perfect uniform
- Equipment for learning
- On task
- Polite response
- Punctuality and attendance
While most students attend their lessons on time and engage with the very important ‘Do Now’ activity in the first 10 minutes of the lessons, there is a small number of students who arrive after the late bell. This means that lessons are disrupted, and they miss out on important knowledge retrieval work.
From Monday 11th November, any students who arrive to lessons after the late bell (without a note in their planner from staff) or internally truant, will receive a 90-minute after school detention on the same day. You will be informed via Class Charts.
This change will not impact on 97% of our students, and I want to thank them for taking their education seriously. Last week, many students received certificates and recognition for their hard work and attendance. You can monitor through Class Charts the daily positive recognitions students receive from their teachers.
Good luck to all Year 11 students in their first mock exams starting on Monday 4th November, and to our Year 10 students who also have assessments.
Thank you if you have not requested a family holiday abroad during term time. Any gaps in learning will affect how your child performs in their examinations. We appreciate that air fares are cheaper during term-time, but we cannot put a price on a child’s education.
Thank you for all your support, it is very much appreciated. We are all working extremely hard to ensure that no child is left behind.
Yours sincerely, Mr B K Dey
What’s been happening in school?
Year 7 Trip to Nell Bank
This visit is part of the year 7 transition programme, giving our students an opportunity to take part in team building exercises and develop friendships.
Nell Bank offers a programme designed to deliver important social and educational outcomes filled with action-packed learning and fun.
PE has started with a bang
Students in PE have been enjoying an array of extra-curricular activities this academic year, with student numbers continually growing.
On a Monday Mr Ahmed’s intra-form football tournaments have been popular amongst the boys. This has so far added to the elements of competition and fun already enjoyed by students in school. Other opportunities in dodgeball, football and badminton clubs are also growing in numbers. Students are using these opportunities to lead healthy active lifestyles, increase their skill level and to simply enjoy being active.
Students this week have embraced our Outdoor Adventurous Activities curriculum where students have been involved in orienteering sessions in PE curriculum time. Students have demonstrated using their map reading skills to find clues around the school grounds, in order to solve puzzles. Orienteering relies on good communication skills, problem solving, leadership and teamwork in order to succeed (we have seen plenty of this all week). Student feedback has been very positive so there will be more to come.
Students can join any of these clubs by picking up a permission slip from the school office.
Visit from Dr Joshi MBE
Dr Joshi MBE (Deputy Lieutenant, Bradford), visited Beckfoot Upper Heaton to speak to our staff and students about human values and habits. It was important for out students to appreciate that our school is very much part of our community and values are just as important in our lives outside of school.
Harvest food collection
We’d like to offer a huge thank you to those who donated food items for the Harvest food collection. These are some of the items that were donated. The items have been donated to the Khidma Community Kitchen at the Milan Centre. Thank you for supporting our community.
What’s coming up at Beckfoot Upper Heaton?
Year 10 Parent Consultation Evening – Wednesday, 4th December 4pm-6pm
We are delighted to inform you that our Year 10 parent consultation evening will take place on Wednesday 4th December from 4pm-6pm.
There will also be an opportunity to consult with our careers guidance representative at this evening. We very much look forward to meeting with all parents and carers.
Should over 70% of our families attend this evening, there will be a prize draw to win one of four £50 supermarket shopping vouchers! All families will be issued with a free raffle ticket upon arrival.
No appointment is necessary, as parents will be seen on a first-come-first serviced basis.
We hope to see all families for this final, and very important, consultation evening, so that we can continue to work together to support your child.
Arts Winter Showcase – Thursday 19th December 3:30pm-4:30pm
Just before we break up for Christmas, we will be holding Beckfoot Upper Heaton’s first ever Arts Winter Showcase.
Everyone is invited to join us in a celebration of students’ talent and enjoy a variety of performances, drama, music and singing.
Dates for your diary
- Thursday 28th November 2024 – School closed (Staff Training Day)
- Friday 29th November 2024 – School closed (Staff Training Day
- Wednesday 4th December 2024 – Year 10 Parent Consultation Evening
- Thursday 19th December 2024 – Arts Winter Showcase
- Friday 20th December 2024 – School closes for Christmas
- Monday 6th January 2025 – School reopens for the Spring Term
