Mr B Byfield - Managing Director of Personal Best Education
It’s been a fantastic start to the year at Personal Best Education and I’m excited to share some of the great opportunities coming up for students.
Our new Laser Tag provision is thriving, with the Personal Best Education team delivering action-packed events across our youth programmes, as well as in partner schools and colleges throughout the region.
We’re also venturing into the world of Virtual Reality! Our educational, vocational and leisure VR experiences are giving individuals and groups the chance to explore the future of learning, working and social interaction in immersive, cutting-edge environments.
Personal Best Education Parties continue to grow in popularity, offering parents and young people an exciting variety of options, from Inflatables and Multi-Sports to Gymnastics, Laser Tag and more.
Looking ahead to February half-term, we have two fantastic camps designed to keep children active and support parents during the school holidays:
Bushcraft Camp (18 – 20 February) – a brand-new three-day camp where children will learn an array of outdoor survival skills, shelter building, crafting and more.
Multi-Activity Camp (17 – 21 February) – a fun-filled mix of arts and crafts, multi-sports, inflatables, laser tag, cooking and baking.
Spaces are still available, so book now at personalbesteducation.com. Each day costs £30.00, and we accept childcare vouchers and the Tax-Free Childcare scheme.
I look forward to sharing more updates soon and welcoming children for an exciting February half-term!
Click here to see what's on next week:
Monday 10 February
Nothing advised
Tuesday 11 February
Nothing advised
Wednesday 12 February
Nothing advised
Thursday 13 February
Year 7 Parents' Evening (Online) 4.15pm - 7.15pm
Friday 14 February
Ski Trip departs, returning on 21 February
Half-Term: Monday 17 February – Friday 21 February
INSET Days for 2024/25
Monday 24 February 2025
Thursday 3 July 2025
Every effort is made to ensure these dates are accurate. There are occasions when circumstances beyond our control may result in changes.
Post Mock Café
To mark the end of the mock examination period, the Year 11 Prom Committee organised a wonderful 'Post Mock Café' last Friday afternoon! The event provided a perfect opportunity for students to unwind, celebrate their hard work, and connect with their peers after an intense examination period. Through their entrepreneurial spirit and teamwork, the committee raised an impressive £360.00 towards the upcoming Prom celebrations on July 2nd.
As we move forward, these mock examinations will provide valuable insights to help our students prepare for their final GCSE examinations this summer. We are incredibly proud of their commitment and the mature approach they have shown throughout this process.
Year 8 Mini-Options Evening, 27 February 2025
We are pleased to invite parents, carers and students to our Year 8 Mini Options Evening on Thursday 27 February 2025, in the Olympic Hall from 6.00pm to 7.00pm. The presentation will start promptly at 6.00pm, followed by an opportunity to speak with subject leaders. Please allow extra time for parking as the school site can become quite busy in the evenings.
Safer Internet Day - 11 February 2025
This year's Safer Internet Day is fast approaching on Tuesday 11 February. The goal of Safer Internet Day is to call on people across the world to work together to make the internet a safer and better place for all, but especially for young people. With technology constantly evolving, and our students using it more now than ever, both inside and outside of the classroom, it's vitally important that everyone knows how to keep themselves safe online. This is taught as part of the RSHE curriculum in all year groups aswell as within Computer Science.
This year, the message is around online scams and ensuring that everyone can spot the signs of a scam. Is the offer you're being made too good to be true? Is there a sense of urgency? Is a celebrity "endorsing" the product or contacting you directly? These are just some of the signs that what you see isn't necessarily real. You can report scams to ActionFraud online, or to the Police if you think you've fallen victim to one.
Whilst this is one day in the calendar that we feel it is important to recognise as a school, it is worth noting that education around being safe online and protecting ourselves from harm is fully integrated into the curriculum as above and reinforced throughout the year in assemblies and other forums. Further information about Safer Internet Day can be found here.
Maths Department
Maths Stars
Jameson R 7SGY
Jacob U 8JWS
Ellie M 8JAD
Poppy M 8DCR/ESY
Eva M 10RMN
Eleanor A 10RGY/SNN
Imogen L 11RCS
Sparx Maths Level Up
Congratulations to the following students for levelling up on Sparx Maths!
Giovanni C 7SCD - Level 15
Alex P 7SGY - Level 20
Noah B 8JAD - Level 25
Eiza U 8JWS - Level 30
Emma C 8MAZ - Level 30
Sophie C 10JGO/DDN - Level 40
Riley T 10JGO/DDN - Level 40
Harry C 10RLE - Level 45
Isla N W 9TLS - Level 45
Leah D 9CBN - Level 50
Isla P 9SDN/SWT - Level 50
Ethan R 9TLS - Level 50
Media Department
Media Stars
Brooke A 10RMN
Liam C 10IHS
Joelle M 10JGO/DDN
Harley G-B 10RMN
Tamsin P 10RLE
MFL Department
Mandarin Stars
Lucy M 7SGY
Finlay O 8ERL
Kira P 8TIS
Matthew H 9DDY
Natasha G 9CBN
Mathieu M 10JFR
Drama Department
Drama Stars
Emmie R 7TDN
Ryder S 7SGY
Evie A 7BPY
Maddie H 8JAD
James L 10LJS
Olivia B 11RCS
Science Department
Super Scientists
Katelyn C 7VTE
Bella R 7OWS
Darcey B 7VTE
Ivy D 7VTE
William S 7OWS
Stanley W 7VTE
James C 10JGO/DDN
Zunayrah R 10IHS
Elsa H 11HCS
Ella M 11JLR/MSD
History Department
History Stars
Emily W 7OWS
Thomas C 8LHG
Charlie M 8DCR/ESY
RE Department
RE Stars
Olivia B 7LAD/AGN
Aubree H 7OWS
Ava C 7OWS
Alice T 8JAD
Finlay O 8ERL
Amber S 9DDY
Dorina M 9DDY
Tilly P 10RLE
Jess T 10VGN
Ellie M 11JLR/MSD
Zina K 11MRT
Jessica H 11AWE/RAR
Music Department
Piano
Lana D 7VTE has achieved Piano Beginner Stage 1 with Distinction.
Percussion Academy Drum Kit Exam
Aston D 11BHT/CFT has passed the Percussion Academy Drum Kit Grade 6 Exam with Distinction.
Click the drop-down menus below to find out more about different careers opportunities coming up for our students.
Year 11 Peter Symonds College Interviews
The admission interviews are taking place in school during the week (10-14 February), students have received their interview schedule.
Year 11 Barton Peveril College Application Deadline
The application deadline is Friday 14 February, late applicants will be placed on a waiting list. Due to the college being oversubscribed it is unlikely that late applicants will be offered a place.
Year 7 - 11 Apprenticeship Assemblies
10 – 14 February is National Apprenticeship Week. To celebrate the event and make students aware of the many opportunities available to them, we have invited a range of speakers this week.
Year 7: Mr Rogers (ex-Mountbatten student) - former apprentice and now school IT Manager; Mr Wallace – current IT apprentice
Year 8: Mr Rogers (ex-Mountbatten student) - former apprentice and now school IT Manager (instead of Sparsholt College)
Year 9: South Hampshire College Group
Year 10: Claire Sutton, representing ASK (Apprenticeship Knowledge Support)
Year 11: Kiwi Education
National Apprenticeship Week
Employers around the country have organised a variety of information events, showcasing what they can offer to students. This flyer showcases a selection of relevant events. Further details can be found in the Careers Google Classroom.
This is a very rare and unique opportunity for students to hear from one of the largest accounting and professional services firms in the world. During the day students will cover careers in the three core service lines of consulting, audit and tax through hands on workshops and sector insight sessions. It’s something great to put on CVs and showcase their learnings across job applications and LinkedIn profiles. Tuesday 18 February, 10-3pm. Click here to register.
Year 10 & 11 Parent information Evening T Levels
These events are a fantastic opportunity for parents/carers, school staff, and students in years 10 and 11 to learn about T Levels. Please see flyer for more information.
RSHE lessons are back in full swing and taught each week, in tutor groups. Teachers use a range of oracy-based strategies, including a Philosophy for Children approach. This is where students are encouraged to think more deeply through critical, creative, collaborative and caring thinking skills. Below are links to more information regarding RSHE.
This half-term Year 7 will be exploring empathy, compassion and community by spending a few weeks discussing online influences, cyberbullying, bullying and how to promote anti-bullying by being an upstander and how to report concerns. How they perceive themselves based on online media pressures will follow on.
Year 8
This half-term Year 8 will be exploring healthy lifestyles and good physical health as well as how to maintain positive mental health and self-worth using healthy coping strategies and identifying what may be unhealthy responses. This leads on to discussing what a healthy relationship looks and feels and how to challenge unhealthy relationships.
Year 9
Year 9 will begin the New Year considering what supports healthy living and how to lead a healthy lifestyle. This also includes how to maintain positive mental health and self-worth when using social media. Students will consider how their own self perception and internet use may be linked and correlated. Students will participate in some basic first aid training looking at CPR and recovery position as well as the use of an AED.
Year 10
Year 10 will be kick-starting the term with a recap on changes during adolescence, healthy living and positive lifestyle choices. This then leads into exploring the impacts of drug and alcohol use. Students will consider their current understanding and perceptions of various substances, explore how to manage the risks associated with their use, how to keep themselves and others safe and where to seek advice and information in the future. The influences of gang culture and county lines will also be explored.
Year 11
Year 11 will start the term considering how to revise and prepare for examinations ahead of completing the mocks. They will then consider what it means to be on the organ donor register and what decisions they may want to make now or in the future. They will then go on to consider what their ambitions are for the future and reflect upon their recent mock results.
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.
Our message reporting system 'TootToot', can also be used to request support or report a concern.
Childline also offers a range of support and resources.
Part of the healthy living topics include discussing the need for good sleep habits. Support with teenage sleep can be found at Teen Sleep Hub, which is part of The Sleep Charity.
Jameson R 7SGY
Brooke A 10RMN
Lucy M 7SGY
Emmie R 7TDN
Katelyn C 7VTE
Emily W 7OWS
Olivia B 7LAD/AGN
