A wonderful week of celebrating the students’ achievements has certainly been a welcome antidote to the wet weather this summer. Seeing the students enjoy their well-earned prizes, reward and awards is real joy and has been the rainbow after the rain.
So many students have embodied the school’s values of ‘We care, we respect, we achieve’. My days have started on such a positive note this week by awarding certificates in Celebration Assemblies, recognising those who have shown achievement and those who have shown effort. I’m always humbled to see the creativity, artistic flair, sporting prowess, design skills, musicianship, leadership and erudition that our students demonstrate and their tutors take such pride in their tutees’ successes.
Our students have truly shown that they care raising almost £25,000 for charities local, national and international! All of the Year 9 students have had the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award; so many of them have shown true compassion through volunteering and giving to others to make our communities a better place. I’m always delighted to see the confidence our youngsters gain through taking on responsibility and developing their leadership skills through the many pathways that are open to them. Never a week goes by without some group of Mountbatten students offering their time and imparting their expertise to our younger students or pupils from our family of primary schools. Truly heart-warming!
My sincere thanks go to all the parents and carers who instil the sense of respect into their children. It’s tough being the parent of a teenager: setting boundaries, nurturing a love of learning, encouraging participation in extra-curricular activities and being brave enough to saying no to their pleas – not an easy task. But take heart in that these efforts pay dividends; at the end of this year, the average number of demerits for a student in the school is 4 and that the average number of detentions is 0. Being your child’s parent – and not their friend – is the key to a child’s success and positive wellbeing. It also inculcates those values of care, respect and achievement.
Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your support and working in partnership to enable our children, paraphrasing Gandhi, ‘to be the change that they wish to see in the world’.
I wish you all a restful and relaxing summer break when it arrives next week.
Click here to see what's on next week (and in September):
Monday 22 July
Nothing advised
Tuesday 23 July Last Day of Term - Students dismissed at 12.30pm, buses depart by 12.40am
Wednesday 24 July
Summer Break
Thursday 25 July
Summer Break
Friday 26 July
Summer Break
Looking Ahead...
Monday 2 September: INSET Day Tuesday 3 September: Year 7 only, 10.00am - 3.10pm Wednesday 4 September: All students return to school at 8.35am
Pre-loved Uniform Sale - 1 August
We are holding our annual Pre-Loved Uniform Sale on Thursday 1 August at 10.00am in the New Founder's Room. This will be the only sale of the summer.
Items will be priced as below:
£3.00 per blazer (limited to one per child)
All other items will be £1.00 per item with the following limits:
2 skirts/trousers per student
1 complete PE Kit per student
This will be a cash-only event.
Congratulations - Dance World Cup Finals
Many congratulations to Evie W 8LHK/EPK who qualified to represent England at the Dance World Cup finals. The competition was held in Prague at the start of July and Evie and her team contributed to England becoming the overall winners! Many congratulations to Evie, a fantastic achievement and experience.
Congratulations...
Congratulations to Charlotte H in 7JAD for coming runner-up in the annual Barton Peveril Art competition. This is quite an accolade as the college receives hundreds of entries for this prestigious competition from local schools.
Charlotte's piece 'Introspective' has been created from expert photography of her father and collaged into a new form. Her winning work, as well as other pieces accepted to the exhibition by Mountbatten students, can be seen in Barton's digital exhibition on their website, or by clicking the button below.
Congratulations to the following students for levelling up on Sparx Maths!
Level 2
Indiana F 7LAD/AGN
Jack G 7TAS
Riley B 8EGY
Emily S 8EGY
George H 8LHK/EPK
Crystal D 9JFR
Level 3
Jehan W 7TAS
Jasmine B 8ADY
Lucas R 8AWS
Hattie H 8CBN
Sampson B 8DDY
Kane K 8DDY
Freya L 8LHK/EPK
Theo R 8LHK/EPK
Archie B 8MJS/JHR
Elise W 8MJS/JHR
Jack E 9JBY
Eunice T 9RGY/JGO
Archie C 9RMN
Freya W 10AOR
Oscar C 10BHT/CFT
Millie L 10JLR/MSD
Millie C 10KRL/DCR
Libby G 10NWS/AWY
Geography Department
Geography Stars
Erin M 7JSL
Kacey R 8MJS/JHR
Theo R 8LHK/EPK
Lizzie R 9LJS
Martha P 9OWS
Rowan S 10AOR
Music Department
ABRSM Piano
Isla N 9JFR has passed ABRSM Piano Grade 2 with Distinction.
ABRSM Signing for Musical Theatre Exams
The following students have passed ABRSM Singing for Musical Theatre exams –
Lizzie T 7MAZ - Grade 2 with Merit
Anabelle B 8CEE - Grade 2 with Merit
Leo W 7MRA - Grade 2
Charlotte H 7JAD - Grade 2 with Distinction
Ella M 10JLR/MSD - Grade 4 with Merit
Oskar W 10JLR/MSD - Grade 4 with Merit
Hampshire Music Service Timpani
Charlie M 10HCS has achieved Hampshire Music Service Stage 4 Timpani.
Swanage Jazz Festival
Congratulations to the Mountbatten Big Band for their superb performance at the Swanage Jazz Festival last Sunday. The players performed to great acclaim, and it was a fitting farewell to our Year 11s who have given so much to the band. We look forward to returning next year. Well done, everyone!
Junior Choir Performance
Congratulations to the Junior Choir for their wonderful performance in front of all of the staff during briefing on Thursday this week. It was a joyous performance, and gave the staff a real boost as we head towards the end of term.
Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh Expedition
Congratulations to the Year 9 students who completed their DofE expedition last week, especially those who have now completed their Bronze Award.
Special thanks to Mr Whalvin for running the training and organising the expedition as well as Mrs Peacock, Mr Oliver, Mrs Maiden, Mr Oakley and Mrs Haydock for camping out and assisting those groups who found themselves temporarily, navigationally challenged!
It has been another busy year for the Careers Department and we are pleased to have been able to offer such a large range of events and opportunities for our students. Some of the highlights include:
130+ careers lessons delivered during tutor time
250+ students attended the Year 10 college taster days
400+ careers interviews conducted
Apprenticeship assemblies
College assemblies
Employer assemblies
University assemblies
Work Experience for Year 10 students
Large range of employer encounters
Year 8/9 Girls in Engineering trip
Year 9 trip to Southampton and Solent University
Year 9/10 Inspire STEM at the National Oceanography Centre
Today saw the departure of our final international exchange group for 2023-2024. Over the course of the year, Mountbatten Buddies have hosted over 100 guests from China and Brazil and have truly embodied the Mountbatten Standard, representing the school to an excellent standard.
Thank you to everyone in our school community for creating such a welcoming environment for our guests.
Visiting Author - Chris Bradford
Year 7 were lucky enough to be joined by Chris Bradford, award-winning children's writer of the Bodyguard, Young Samurai and Ninja series. Chris talked to the students about his martial arts training and demonstrated his Samurai skills before signing books for them. We have all of Chris Bradford's action-packed books available in the school library. Don't forget your summer reading!
The Day Online Newspaper
Did you know that your young person has unlimited access to a student-friendly, balanced news publication through the student portal called The Day!
Here is a QR code for easy access.
They can read The Day at home whenever they wish. To keep your young people entertained all summer, they have prepared a summer reading challenge that will take them on a journey around the world, from the comfort of their own home!
Log into The Day every day between 22 July and 30 August to read the newly published article, discover the clues, get your passport stamped and be in with the chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher! The passport can be printed off very easily from the website.
Encourage your young person to take part in ‘Around the world in 30 days’ and keep them interested in reading over the holidays - who knows they may also win the £100 voucher!
Click on the tabs below to find out what each year group is exploring in RSHE this term!
Year 7
Students have been discussing what a diverse society looks like and what the protected characteristics of the equalities act are. This has led to identifying and challenging stereotypes and what discrimination is. Students are also exploring what prejudice and bias looks like within the media and how they can research and find their own facts. Students are also identifying who their role models are and what influences they have upon them, as well as how to manage peer pressure.
Year 8
Students have been busy identifying what constitutes a healthy relationship and discussing how to form positive and healthy new friendships. This moves onto exploring their online activity and behaviours with the aim to reduce online risks and develop their digital resilience. Students also explore the importance of human rights and responsibilities within society, the school environment and the workplace and how to challenge discrimination.
Year 9
Students have been identifying how relationships can change and evolve. This has also included considering loss. Family dynamics and marriage are explored and Year 9 revisit what constitutes a positive relationship. Contraception and the risk of sexually transmitted infections is shared with the students.
Year 10
Students have been reflecting on their work experience placements by sharing their experiences and feedback with one another. They have also been completing their work books and evidence in preparation for their entry to the Prince’s Trust World of Work certification. They will then move on to considering role models and aspirations before revisiting online safety.
Year 11
Students complete their RSHE program this half-term ahead of their exams but have spent some time reflecting on their RSHE journey throughout their time at Mountbatten from Year 7 to Year 11. They have discussed some sensitive topics around pregnancy, miscarriage and abortion with maturity. Positive relationships and consent have been explored and developed from their work in Year 10. We hope that our RSHE curriculum will help our students stay healthy and happy during and long after their exams.
Should your child wish to seek support related to any of these topics or about anything else that is worrying them, please advise them to speak to their form tutor in the first instance or request some support from our Student Support Team by completing the Student Support form on the student area of the school website.
We have our reporting system 'TootToot', where students can report anonymously or with their name.
Personal Best Education is delivering the Hampshire Teen Project free for children eligible for free school meals throughout the Summer.
In a change to their normal approach, Hampshire County Council now require all children accessing benefit-related free school meal (FSM) support to be registered with the council ahead of booking and attending schemes. The link to register for this can be found here.
Monday 29 July - Thursday 22 August, 10.00am - 3.00pm.
A hot lunch and healthy snacks are provided for each young person in attendance.
Places will be awarded on a 'first come, first served' basis.
Pre-loved Uniform Sale - 1 August
Congratulations...
Alex S G 8ADY
Erin M 7JSL
