18th March 2024
It was lovely to see parents for our spring Parent Forum. Mr Rogers took the parents on a tour of the school to show the new classrooms and also the progress of the build for the new block. In a rare treat, the sun was still shining when we took parents outside!
Mr Rogers shared with parents the progress that the school has made since the start of the academic year. In particular, he talked through the importance of high expectations and strong routines and the positive difference that this was making in the school. It was lovely to receive the feedback from parents that their children had noticed a difference in how calm and positive the school was feeling. Parents also fed back that they were pleased with the return to face to face parents’ evenings and both the school and parents feel that this is definitely the model moving forward.
We shared information on our recent appointments and we are particularly pleased that further staff will be joining the DT/food department in September. We have welcomed many visitors into the school in the past few months and it was great to be able to share with parents the feedback from these visits, and the positive learning atmosphere that was identified throughout. We were pleased to share the work that we are doing with the MAT’s Senior School Improvement Partner, Craig Follett, particularly around curriculum and reading.
Parents asked questions regarding Year 11’s final preparations ahead of their GCSEs and the Year 11 prom. We are very grateful that a group of parents would like to support with the prom to help make this a fantastic event for our Year 11 students. We also welcomed questions regarding practicals in Year 9 science, as well as the potential for a cross country running club. It was great to hear interest in the school’s cricket club and we will look to start this up again in the summer term. Finally, we were pleased to share in the success of the students at the recent school production and we are already on countdown to next year’s show!
We are looking forward to welcoming parents at our next Parent Forum in the summer term.
20TH NOVEMBER 2023
Mr Rogers welcomed parents to the first forum of the academic year. We began with a tour of the new classrooms so that we were able to show parents the new facilities that our students (and staff!) are enjoying.
Mr Rogers gave an update on the progress of the school since the start of the academic year. This includes embedding of the new behaviour routines, which have resulted in a calmer and happier school environment. Over 80,000 positive points have been awarded on Satchel so far this year, which is a testament to the hard work of the students. Points are rewarded based upon our values of kindness, ambition and responsibility.
Parents raised questions regarding the uniform policy. Mr Rogers explained that the current standard would be maintained and praised the students for wearing the smart Treviglas uniform with pride. A question was asked regarding the possibility of the canteen opening before school and Mr Rogers shared plans of the possibility of toast being available as students enter the gates to ensure that all students have had breakfast before they begin their learning.
We are very much looking forward to Activities Week in the summer term. Mr Rogers shared some of the activities that will be on offer and a brochure will be coming out to parents shortly. Mr Rogers also shared plans about the refurbishment, including the ways in which we are going to be improving the school library.
Following parental feedback, the forums will be continuing face to face once per term. However, Mr Rogers and Mrs Drake reminded parents to please contact us if they have any questions before the next meeting.
Mr Rogers welcomed parents to the first forum of the academic year. We began with a tour of the new classrooms so that we were able to show parents the new facilities that our students (and staff!) are enjoying.
Mr Rogers gave an update on the progress of the school since the start of the academic year. This includes embedding of the new behaviour routines, which have resulted in a calmer and happier school environment. Over 80,000 positive points have been awarded on Satchel so far this year, which is a testament to the hard work of the students. Points are rewarded based upon our values of kindness, ambition and responsibility.
Parents raised questions regarding the uniform policy. Mr Rogers explained that the current standard would be maintained and praised the students for wearing the smart Treviglas uniform with pride. A question was asked regarding the possibility of the canteen opening before school and Mr Rogers shared plans of the possibility of toast being available as students enter the gates to ensure that all students have had breakfast before they begin their learning.
We are very much looking forward to Activities Week in the summer term. Mr Rogers shared some of the activities that will be on offer and a brochure will be coming out to parents shortly. Mr Rogers also shared plans about the refurbishment, including the ways in which we are going to be improving the school library.
Following parental feedback, the forums will be continuing face to face once per term. However, Mr Rogers and Mrs Drake reminded parents to please contact us if they have any questions before the next meeting.
9TH FEBRUARY 2023
On Thursday, we welcomed parents to our first Parent Forum of 2023. Following parental feedback, we alternate our half-termly forums between online and in person meetings to enable parents with different commitments to attend.
Mrs Dunleavy was excited to share the progress of the refurbishment work with parents. Several parents raised questions regarding the availability of covered outdoor areas, to include covered outdoor seating, and Mrs Dunleavy will continue to explore possibilities in relation to this. We believe that it is very important that students get fresh air at break time and lunch time and we continue to encourage students to go outside to get fresh air (as long as the Cornish weather allows!).
As part of the discussions on the refurbishment, parents asked questions about the toilets. The toilets continue to be a focus for the school’s Leadership Team and we welcome the continued feedback from parents and students so that we can continue to improve the toilets for our students.
We were pleased to be able to discuss our curriculum with parents, and the current learning cycles which are available on the website at https://treviglas.net/The-curriculum. We enjoyed an engaging discussion about the rationale for aspects of our curriculum and we continue to use student voice to support the evaluation of our learning cycles.
Some of our parents joining us were parents of Year 9 students. Parents fed back that, whilst they found the individual subject appointments useful in being able to discuss the progress of their child, they would have appreciated a face to face evening to find out about the options process in general. We were grateful to parents for this feedback and will look to put this in place for the next academic year. We will also write to all Year 9 parents to give further information about the options process for this academic year.
Finally, parents commented on the improved communication through the school’s social media account and they enjoyed the opportunities to be able to share in the many highlights and successes of the school.
We look forward to seeing parents at the next forum in March.
12TH DECEMBER 2022
Despite the ice and the cold, it was wonderful to welcome our parents to the school for the final Parent Forum of 2022. Due to the planned refurbishment starting in January 2023, we held the Forum in Room 7 and were able to share with parents the planned start to the works and the improvements to the school building so that the standard of the school building matches the quality of the learning going on inside of it.
The discussion began with information regarding lunchtime and the importance that we place on students being able to get fresh air outside. We shared our rationale for students not leaving lessons to go to the toilet (unless, of course, there is a medical reason why they must do so). As a Leadership Team, we have had a particular focus upon the toilets in December and will continue to do so in the new year so that these are places that reflect the cultures and high standards of Treviglas.
Questions came from parents regarding the current vacancies within the school, particularly in maths and Health and Social Care. We discussed the current national challenges regarding recruitment, which are particularly acute in Cornwall, and we continue to advertise these positions. Learning Leaders are monitoring the lessons from supply teachers particularly closely.
The behaviour system was discussed, and we were delighted to share our rewards programme with parents. We celebrated the top 50 students in each year group who achieved the most achievement points over the term with a silent disco. All of the students had a great time! Over the coming week, we are looking forward to a range of events to celebrate Christmas and the end of term, including the Year 7 disco, Winter Festival and Rock Mime.
Thank you to all of the parents who attended the forum and we look forward to seeing you again in the New Year.
5TH OCTOBER 2022
We were delighted that parents of our new Year 7 students were able to join us for the first Parent Forum of the academic year, joining our parents from across our older year groups, many of whom have been involved in our Parent Forum for many years. Our thanks go to our parents who run the parent page on Facebook as they were able to pass on further questions from parents who were unable to join us on the evening.
Mrs Dunleavy began the Forum by sharing successes from the start of the term. We have been very impressed with the way that students have returned to school after the summer holidays, particularly the dedication that they have shown to their learning in lessons. Despite only being at the school for a few weeks, our Year 7 students have settled in brilliantly and have been an absolute credit to the school, speaking with confidence and maturity to visitors at our open events.
We recognise that there have been some glitches with our online systems at the beginning of the academic year, particularly School Gateway, Satchel and our phone lines. Mrs Dunleavy explained the reasons for this, and our actions to rectify this as quickly as possible, and staff are working closely with individual families where students are still struggling to use the Satchel App. We are pleased to be able to use Satchel to inform parents of the achievement points that students receive during their school day and Mrs Dunleavy shared with parents how we will be further embedding this within the school in the coming weeks.
Parents in Year 11 raised questions about the Year 11 prom and also about the student prefects. Mrs Vittle, Head of Year 11, will be organising the prom for summer 2023, and there were good suggestions from parents about how we can capture photos of this event. Mr Tamlyn is also looking to extend the applications for school prefects and will be informing students of how they can apply in the coming weeks. We are also looking forward to our award ceremony for the Year 11 students who have recently left us so that we can celebrate the excellent successes in their recent GCSEs.
Some parents raised questions about the school canteen. Over the last year, there have been substantial changes to the food served in the canteen and students have enjoyed the varied choice and the theme days. There were some specific questions regarding dietary requirements and Mrs Dunleavy will follow this up separately.
The school continues to value the comments and feedback from parents and there was an excellent discussion regarding uniform. The vast majority of students have returned to school looking extremely smart and those students not following the uniform policy are being supported. Mrs Dunleavy shared with parents the rationale behind our uniform standards and we are delighted that the vast majority of students are wearing their uniform with pride.
PARENT FORUM – 23RD MAY 2022
We were delighted to hold our first in-person Parent Forum following the pandemic, where we could share with parents our current areas of focus and answer specific questions. The forum opened with discussions about the excellent conduct of Year 11 students in their GCSE exams so far and parents fed back that they were pleased with the additional support that students had been given through after school intervention sessions.
The forum also discussed the canteen menu and the choices available for students. Students thoroughly enjoyed the recent theme day and we are looking forward to the next event!
Continuing on from the Parent Forum in spring, Mrs Dunleavy shared Treviglas' behaviour curriculum and opened conversations regarding the process for rewards and sanctions to support Treviglas to be a place where all students enjoy achieving their best. Excellent suggestions were given about the possibility of buddying younger and older students together when the new Year 7 cohort join us in September and this suggestion will be taken to the Head of Year team.
Once again, we continue to be very grateful to our parents who run the Treviglas Parents Facebook page and we were pleased that parents could raise questions on this platform, which were brought to the meeting. The next Parent Forum will be held virtually towards the end of the summer term.
PARENT FORUM – 31ST JANUARY 2022
The first Parent Forum of the New Year focused upon behaviour. Mrs Dunleavy shared the Behaviour Curriculum with parents, explaining the intent, implementation and impact of this curriculum. This presentation had been shared with Trustees in the previous week and so Mrs Dunleavy was also pleased to share, with parents, the feedback from this.
Whilst this Behaviour Curriculum is not a change to the school’s behaviour policy, the aim is that we are very explicit with all students so that they are supported to make excellent choices to ensure that they enjoy achieving their best whilst at Treviglas.
Each Monday, Mrs Dunleavy delivers a whole school assembly and, this term, the assemblies have been focused upon the Behaviour Curriculum. All students are supported through clarity of messages and expectations, which are then further discussed as part of the tutor time. This assembly is also a wonderful opportunity to share students’ successes, such as the recent sporting achievements and performances at the Hall for Cornwall! This Behaviour Curriculum supports our ongoing work surrounding the Treviglas cultures and cornerstones and we are delighted that students have so successfully embraced this.
PARENT FORUM – 14TH DECEMBER 2021
The final Parent Forum of 2021 was an open forum in which parents were invited to ask questions to Mrs Dunleavy. We continue to be grateful to the work of the administrators of the Parent Facebook page as they compiled the questions in advance to ensure that all parents were able to be represented.
The first question came from a parent asking why only two students were allowed to go to the toilet at one time during breaktime. Mrs Dunleavy explained that it was important that students were either getting fresh air outside or sitting inside to eat their lunch to ensure that groups of students were not congregating in toilets. However, all students are allowed to go to the toilets during breaktimes but this might be with only one other person and not in a large group. Mrs Dunleavy also informed parents that we have recently opened the gym for the Year 7 and 8 students to use so that they have an area to go to eat their lunch, just with the younger students. This would also increase the seating capacity in the hall for the other year groups.
We are delighted that families are already talking about the Year 9 options process and Mrs Dunleavy reminded parents of the date of the Year 9 options evening in January, as well as the support being delivered through tutor time. All students follow a careers programme, which is published on our school website, and Mrs Dunleavy talked through some of the highlights of the programme this term. There were some questions regarding Year 10 work experience and the support for finding places was also discussed.
We are delighted that students are enjoying the Christmas celebrations at Treviglas and we are particularly looking forward to Rock Mime at the end of the week. As we approach the end of the term, we want to, once again, thank all of our parents who are involved in Parent Forum and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
PARENT FORUM - 28TH SEPTEMBER 2021
Michelle Dunleavy welcomed parents to the first Parent Forum of the academic year, including a warm welcome to parents of Year 7 students, who were joining us for the first time. The forum has been developed over time to be a highly supportive group but a group that also issues supportive challenges to the school and we are grateful for the time that parents give to be part of this forum.
We recently had a visit from Justine Hocking, our School Improvement Partner and also Kate Evans-Hughes, the Service Director of Education at the local authority. These visits were both highly positive and the external voices reassure us that we never get complacent in our improvement journey. We are looking forward to the Trustee visit and Mrs Hocking’s return visit in October.
Mrs Dunleavy responded to questions from parents. This included a question regarding the school canteen, which is run by Chartwells. Mrs Dunleavy recognised that the staffing shortage had had a knock-on effect on the length of queues and she was able to report that Chartwells are addressing this through staff recruitment.
Some parents reported a difficult with accessing Show My Homework through the mobile phone app. Parents were asked to speak to their son/daughter’s form tutor so that they could access support with this. Some parents also reported that there was an issue with the speed of the internet in the 6th form block and Mrs Dunleavy is in the process of looking into how this can be resolved.
All year groups have made an excellent start to the new academic year. However, we recognise that students in Years 11 and 13 may be feeling anxious regarding the disruption to their learning due to the coronavirus pandemic. We are proud of the way that our students engaged in the remote learning programme during wider school closure and teachers of Year 11 and 13 will be sharing the learning journeys with their students more explicitly so that they can feel confident in their preparation for their examinations at the end of the academic year.
PARENT FORUM - 20TH JULY 2021
Parents and carers were invited to the last Parent Forum of the year in which Mrs Dunleavy gave details about the start of the Autumn term and changes for the next academic year. We would like, once again, to pass on our thanks to the parents who run the parents’ Facebook page so that parents who were unable to attend the forum were able to pass the questions to the parental volunteers.
Mrs Dunleavy began by discussing the end of term reports that would be coming out later in the week. This report would also include a letter to explain how we are measuring students’ progress. Mrs Dunleavy shared plans for the next academic year and explained that we would continue to work with our School Improvement Partner, Justine Hocking, as well as working closely with colleagues across the trust to continue to build upon the improvements this year.
The school’s focus upon reading would continue to be built upon and Mrs Dunleavy spoke about the diagnostic process of Accelerated Reader to support all students in developing their reading. We will be encouraging all students to read at home for at least 20 minutes every day. We have also recently purchased new tutor reading books and we are looking forward to sharing these with students in September.
Parents asked questions about the start of term. Mrs Dunleavy explained that Years 7, 11, 12 and 13 students would begin the term on Tuesday 7th September with Years 8, 9 and 10 joining them on the Wednesday to enable the on-site lateral flow testing to take place. Due to the ongoing situation with the pandemic, the Year 11 and 13 results days would take place remotely and results will be emailed to students’ email addresses. Members of the Senior Leadership Team would be on-site during the results days in order to answer any questions that students might have.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our parents and carers for their continued support. We are looking forward to welcoming parents to our next Parental Forum in the new academic year.
PARENT FORUM - MONDAY 10TH MAY
We were, once again, delighted to welcome parents to our virtual Parent Forum. The forum was an ‘open’ forum and Mrs Dunleavy invited questions from parents about any aspect of their son/daughters’ experiences at Treviglas. We are very grateful that two of the parents have taken an active role in the parent Facebook account that has been set up by Treviglas parents for Treviglas parents and so further parents were able to forward questions, even if they were not able to attend the meeting themselves.
The first question raised was in regard to the toilet facilities, in particular for students in Years 8, 9 and 10. Mrs Dunleavy shared the plans for the refurbishment but also the actions that are being planned ahead of the refurbishment for these toilets.
Parents of students in Year 11 asked questions about the assessments currently taking place that will inform the awarding of Teacher Assessed Grades. Mrs Dunleavy shared with all parents the process for the Year 11 assessments and details of assessments for particular subjects will be communicated on Show My Homework. Mrs Dunleavy also shared with parents how proud the school is with the way in which Year 11 students, in particular, are working.
The forum also raised questions about the progression from Year 11 to Post 16 at Treviglas and the courses on offer to students as part of the sixth form. Mrs Dunleavy discussed the progression route of the curriculum and personal development intent and the work that teachers and Heads of Department are doing to support students in recognising that their learning at Treviglas is part of a 7 year journey from Year 7 to Year 13. As part of our mapping of the Personal Development intent at Treviglas, there will also be minimum cultural entitlements for our students. We are looking forward to sharing further details of this with our parents at the next Parent Forum.
Our next Parent Forum will be held in the second half of the summer term.
PARENT FORUM - THURSDAY 25TH FEBRUARY
Mrs Dunleavy and Mrs Drake were delighted to welcome parents to our first virtual Parent Forum of 2021. Following the recent government announcement about the reopening of schools to all students, Mrs Dunleavy held this Parent Forum as an opportunity to talk to parents about the plans for wider reopening and to answer any questions that parents might have.
Parents asked questions regarding the Lateral Flow Tests, and Mrs Dunleavy spoke through the testing process. She explained that, following the first three tests in school, students would be completing tests at home twice per week. Mrs Dunleavy went through key points from the risk assessment, which can be found on the school website, explaining to parents that all of the measures put in place before Christmas would continue, in addition to the use of Lateral Flow Tests and the wearing of masks in classrooms. Mrs Dunleavy will be sending out a letter with full details of the reopening to parents in the week beginning 1st March.
The Parent Forum was also an opportunity for parents to feed back about the Distance Learning Programme and parents shared some particular highlights with us. We were also able to discuss the National Tutoring Programme for Year 10 students and parents were also able to share individual experiences of this with the group.
We are looking forward to holding our next Parent Forum in the summer term.
PARENT FORUM - MONDAY 14TH DECEMBER
We were pleased to welcome parents virtually to our last Parent Forum of 2020. Mrs Dunleavy was delighted to feed back the reports from the recent visit by our School Improvement Partner and monitoring visit by Trutees and Chris Challis, CEO of the Roseland Multi Academy Trust, as part of the Trust MAT Improvement Plan day.
Mrs Dunleavy also shared recent student voice and discussed the progress of Year 11 students, following our recent analysis of the mock results. She was pleased to report the progress that Year 11 students were making across the school. There was also a discussion upon the new KS3 curriculum and Mrs Dunleavy encouraged parents to look at the curriculum intent for each of the subjects, which is available on the website.
Parents asked questions about the return to school after Christmas and the return of further practical elements in the curriculum. Mrs Dunleavy explained that the school was constantly looking to balance decisions regarding the curriculum and would continue to review and update the risk assessment following DfE guidance.
Parents had also recently received their child’s Autumn term report. For KS3 students, this report was in a different format to previous years to reflect the changes that we have made to the assessment of key concepts in each of our learning cycles. Parents gave positive feedback and suggestions, which Mrs Dunleavy was very pleased to receive and act upon, to support the reporting process and communication with families.
PARENT FORUM – 5TH OCTOBER 2020
On Monday 5th October, we held our first Parent Forum of the academic year. It was lovely to welcome Year 7 parents to this forum where Mrs Dunleavy was able to update parents and respond to questions about the current situation in school and future plans.
Covid Update
The forum was updated on the current Covid arrangements in school. Mrs Dunleavy was delighted to share the school’s attendance with parents, highlighting that attendance was higher than the national average. Mrs Dunleavy passed on her thanks to all parents for their support at this time. She went on to say that students have adapted extremely well to the situation, wearing their face masks well around school and following sanitising routines. Students are in a clear seating plan for every lesson and these are stored centrally to help easily identify where students have been in prolonged contact with one another.
Results and Curriculum
Mrs Dunleavy shared an overview of the 19/20 results with the forum. She was pleased to report the improvements seen in the results and to announce the new curriculum that has been implemented since the beginning of term. The curriculum will be published online, allowing all parents the opportunity to look at what their children are learning and to open up conversations about learning at home.
Refurbishment Plans
Further to information given to parents in the summer term, the forum was updated on the refurbishment plans and the securing of £8.4 million to improve and uplift the school. The building work will include the refurbishment of existing rooms as well as the building of a new wing. Everyone was really pleased to hear about this next phase of development.
The next Parent Forum will take place on Monday 14th December from 5.30-6.30pm. This meeting will be held online but we will continue to review this for future meeting, taking public health guidance into account.
PARENT FORUM – 8TH JULY 2020
On Wednesday 8th July, we held another parent forum online. Mrs Dunleavy was able to update the forum and respond to some questions about current and future plans.
Refurbishment plans
The forum was updated on the plans for refurbishment at Treviglas Academy. The exciting news that we have secured the funding of £8.4 million to improve and uplift the school, is now followed by more detailed plans for phases of work. The improvement works are scheduled to begin in October 2020 with the first phase improving the indoor gym and two of our design technology rooms and facilities. The work will then be ongoing in further phases to replace temporary classrooms and fully refurbish a number of rooms.
Plans for re-opening the school in September
An outline of the plan for the students’ return was shared. Mrs Dunleavy was able to inform parents about our intentions to deliver our ambitious new curriculum with minimised risk and maximum engagement. Parents gave their feedback and ideas as part of the discussion. The arrangements for the start of the new academic year will be shared with you all in a letter before the end of term.
Parents asked about how students will know what to do and where to go on their first day in September. The team at Treviglas will ensure that students have their timetables via email or post (which will include rooms and tutor rooms) before the start of term.
Parent forum in the autumn term
The next parental forum will take place on Monday 5th October from 5.30-6.30pm. Dates for the subsequent parent forums will be released in September. The meetings may need to continue ‘online’ depending on the public health guidance. We will let you know as soon as we can.
Thank you to everyone who has joined our parent forum meetings this year.
PARENT FORUM – 17th June 2020
On Wednesday 17th June at 5pm, Mrs Dunleavy and Mrs Maule held a parent forum online with a group of parents. It was a good chance to get some feedback, from the parental perspective, on distance learning and any improvements that can be made or advice that could be given.
The following positive feedback points were made:
Students are happy with the fact that Show my Homework allows them to set their own plans for the week in terms of what they do when. They can prioritise and if they work hard, make free time for themselves to pursue interests
The daily email contact and occasional telephone conversations are a great way to ‘spur students on’ with the learning at home. Families have really appreciated the level of contact with school and a specific ‘tutor’ throughout closure
Feedback on work is not always given in detail, but praise texts have been sent and again, these are a really good encouragement. Some teachers have sent handwritten cards or chocolate bars too – a great boost and it lets the children know they are supported
Very pleased overall with the provision they have received. Staff are doing a brilliant job
The following questions/points were raised and our response is below:
How can we motivate a teenager when the work does not require submission? Some parents would prefer all work to require being submitted even if the teacher was not going to feedback about it. Others liked the way it is being done currently.
We will make sure that expectations are clear on SMHW and that students are given the option to send work or progress updates if they would like. Some of the tasks that have not required submission have been assessed by a test online at the end of the work. The quiz score is effectively giving feedback on how well the student has retained and retrieved the learning.
Some students have struggled to get engaged with theoretical work from subjects that are usually highly practical in the learning – drama, music and art, design technology for instance.
We know that this learning is very different to a practical drama lesson, or time in a DT workshop. We hope that the theory work will aid understanding, but do understand why it is more difficult when students are used to practical tasks and sociable group work. We will try to find ways of getting the balance right – even with the current limitations. Look out for our ‘Summer Showcase’ music performances online on the 18th and 25th June and our year 10 drama students performing Shakespeare online!
Mathswatch can lead to frustration because multiple choice questions cannot be revisited. The percentage expectation can sometimes dishearten learners if they know they aren’t going to get there because they have got a question wrong.
We advise everyone to use the help videos on mathswatch when you can, as these will help to explain a method. Mrs Penrose has also got her own YOUTUBE maths channel and website www.mrspenrosemaths.com
There is a lot of choice of mediums to use for science- Kerboodle, Seneca and Tassomai. It is quite difficult for students to decide which one to do – almost as if they are a bit overwhelmed by the options. It would be better if the task was also described on Show my Homework
We will ask science teachers to guide students towards the most suitable resource for the task being completed or topic being covered when they set tasks on SMHW.
The work being set is working really well, but sometimes it is the element of the class teacher they 'know' doing an explanation which is missing...
We are looking at our current technology to enhance explanations. For example, staff are looking to add audio explanations to their Power Point presentation where it would enhance the learning and help to introduce any tricky concepts.
Can the school facilitate opportunities for social interactions between students?
This is challenging to achieve for the school under current restrictions but we will look to find ways for more students to be in school and see each other as soon as this is possible.
The next Parent Forum will be held later in the autumn term.
PARENT FORUM - 20TH JULY 2021
Parents and carers were invited to the last Parent Forum of the year in which Mrs Dunleavy gave details about the start of the Autumn term and changes for the next academic year. We would like, once again, to pass on our thanks to the parents who run the parents’ Facebook page so that parents who were unable to attend the forum were able to pass the questions to the parental volunteers.
Mrs Dunleavy began by discussing the end of term reports that would be coming out later in the week. This report would also include a letter to explain how we are measuring students’ progress. Mrs Dunleavy shared plans for the next academic year and explained that we would continue to work with our School Improvement Partner, Justine Hocking, as well as working closely with colleagues across the trust to continue to build upon the improvements this year.
The school’s focus upon reading would continue to be built upon and Mrs Dunleavy spoke about the diagnostic process of Accelerated Reader to support all students in developing their reading. We will be encouraging all students to read at home for at least 20 minutes every day. We have also recently purchased new tutor reading books and we are looking forward to sharing these with students in September.
Parents asked questions about the start of term. Mrs Dunleavy explained that Years 7, 11, 12 and 13 students would begin the term on Tuesday 7th September with Years 8, 9 and 10 joining them on the Wednesday to enable the on-site lateral flow testing to take place. Due to the ongoing situation with the pandemic, the Year 11 and 13 results days would take place remotely and results will be emailed to students’ email addresses. Members of the Senior Leadership Team would be on-site during the results days in order to answer any questions that students might have.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our parents and carers for their continued support. We are looking forward to welcoming parents to our next Parental Forum in the new academic year.
PARENT FORUM - MONDAY 10TH MAY
We were, once again, delighted to welcome parents to our virtual Parent Forum. The forum was an ‘open’ forum and Mrs Dunleavy invited questions from parents about any aspect of their son/daughters’ experiences at Treviglas. We are very grateful that two of the parents have taken an active role in the parent Facebook account that has been set up by Treviglas parents for Treviglas parents and so further parents were able to forward questions, even if they were not able to attend the meeting themselves.
The first question raised was in regard to the toilet facilities, in particular for students in Years 8, 9 and 10. Mrs Dunleavy shared the plans for the refurbishment but also the actions that are being planned ahead of the refurbishment for these toilets.
Parents of students in Year 11 asked questions about the assessments currently taking place that will inform the awarding of Teacher Assessed Grades. Mrs Dunleavy shared with all parents the process for the Year 11 assessments and details of assessments for particular subjects will be communicated on Show My Homework. Mrs Dunleavy also shared with parents how proud the school is with the way in which Year 11 students, in particular, are working.
The forum also raised questions about the progression from Year 11 to Post 16 at Treviglas and the courses on offer to students as part of the sixth form. Mrs Dunleavy discussed the progression route of the curriculum and personal development intent and the work that teachers and Heads of Department are doing to support students in recognising that their learning at Treviglas is part of a 7 year journey from Year 7 to Year 13. As part of our mapping of the Personal Development intent at Treviglas, there will also be minimum cultural entitlements for our students. We are looking forward to sharing further details of this with our parents at the next Parent Forum.
Our next Parent Forum will be held in the second half of the summer term.
PARENT FORUM - THURSDAY 25TH FEBRUARY
Mrs Dunleavy and Mrs Drake were delighted to welcome parents to our first virtual Parent Forum of 2021. Following the recent government announcement about the reopening of schools to all students, Mrs Dunleavy held this Parent Forum as an opportunity to talk to parents about the plans for wider reopening and to answer any questions that parents might have.
Parents asked questions regarding the Lateral Flow Tests, and Mrs Dunleavy spoke through the testing process. She explained that, following the first three tests in school, students would be completing tests at home twice per week. Mrs Dunleavy went through key points from the risk assessment, which can be found on the school website, explaining to parents that all of the measures put in place before Christmas would continue, in addition to the use of Lateral Flow Tests and the wearing of masks in classrooms. Mrs Dunleavy will be sending out a letter with full details of the reopening to parents in the week beginning 1st March.
The Parent Forum was also an opportunity for parents to feed back about the Distance Learning Programme and parents shared some particular highlights with us. We were also able to discuss the National Tutoring Programme for Year 10 students and parents were also able to share individual experiences of this with the group.
We are looking forward to holding our next Parent Forum in the summer term.
PARENT FORUM - MONDAY 14TH DECEMBER
We were pleased to welcome parents virtually to our last Parent Forum of 2020. Mrs Dunleavy was delighted to feed back the reports from the recent visit by our School Improvement Partner and monitoring visit by Trutees and Chris Challis, CEO of the Roseland Multi Academy Trust, as part of the Trust MAT Improvement Plan day.
Mrs Dunleavy also shared recent student voice and discussed the progress of Year 11 students, following our recent analysis of the mock results. She was pleased to report the progress that Year 11 students were making across the school. There was also a discussion upon the new KS3 curriculum and Mrs Dunleavy encouraged parents to look at the curriculum intent for each of the subjects, which is available on the website.
Parents asked questions about the return to school after Christmas and the return of further practical elements in the curriculum. Mrs Dunleavy explained that the school was constantly looking to balance decisions regarding the curriculum and would continue to review and update the risk assessment following DfE guidance.
Parents had also recently received their child’s Autumn term report. For KS3 students, this report was in a different format to previous years to reflect the changes that we have made to the assessment of key concepts in each of our learning cycles. Parents gave positive feedback and suggestions, which Mrs Dunleavy was very pleased to receive and act upon, to support the reporting process and communication with families.
PARENT FORUM – 5TH OCTOBER 2020
On Monday 5th October, we held our first Parent Forum of the academic year. It was lovely to welcome Year 7 parents to this forum where Mrs Dunleavy was able to update parents and respond to questions about the current situation in school and future plans.
Covid Update
The forum was updated on the current Covid arrangements in school. Mrs Dunleavy was delighted to share the school’s attendance with parents, highlighting that attendance was higher than the national average. Mrs Dunleavy passed on her thanks to all parents for their support at this time. She went on to say that students have adapted extremely well to the situation, wearing their face masks well around school and following sanitising routines. Students are in a clear seating plan for every lesson and these are stored centrally to help easily identify where students have been in prolonged contact with one another.
Results and Curriculum
Mrs Dunleavy shared an overview of the 19/20 results with the forum. She was pleased to report the improvements seen in the results and to announce the new curriculum that has been implemented since the beginning of term. The curriculum will be published online, allowing all parents the opportunity to look at what their children are learning and to open up conversations about learning at home.
Refurbishment Plans
Further to information given to parents in the summer term, the forum was updated on the refurbishment plans and the securing of £8.4 million to improve and uplift the school. The building work will include the refurbishment of existing rooms as well as the building of a new wing. Everyone was really pleased to hear about this next phase of development.
The next Parent Forum will take place on Monday 14th December from 5.30-6.30pm. This meeting will be held online but we will continue to review this for future meeting, taking public health guidance into account.
PARENT FORUM – 8TH JULY 2020
On Wednesday 8th July, we held another parent forum online. Mrs Dunleavy was able to update the forum and respond to some questions about current and future plans.
Refurbishment plans
The forum was updated on the plans for refurbishment at Treviglas Academy. The exciting news that we have secured the funding of £8.4 million to improve and uplift the school, is now followed by more detailed plans for phases of work. The improvement works are scheduled to begin in October 2020 with the first phase improving the indoor gym and two of our design technology rooms and facilities. The work will then be ongoing in further phases to replace temporary classrooms and fully refurbish a number of rooms.
Plans for re-opening the school in September
An outline of the plan for the students’ return was shared. Mrs Dunleavy was able to inform parents about our intentions to deliver our ambitious new curriculum with minimised risk and maximum engagement. Parents gave their feedback and ideas as part of the discussion. The arrangements for the start of the new academic year will be shared with you all in a letter before the end of term.
Parents asked about how students will know what to do and where to go on their first day in September. The team at Treviglas will ensure that students have their timetables via email or post (which will include rooms and tutor rooms) before the start of term.
Parent forum in the autumn term
The next parental forum will take place on Monday 5th October from 5.30-6.30pm. Dates for the subsequent parent forums will be released in September. The meetings may need to continue ‘online’ depending on the public health guidance. We will let you know as soon as we can.
Thank you to everyone who has joined our parent forum meetings this year.
PARENT FORUM – 17th June 2020
On Wednesday 17th June at 5pm, Mrs Dunleavy and Mrs Maule held a parent forum online with a group of parents. It was a good chance to get some feedback, from the parental perspective, on distance learning and any improvements that can be made or advice that could be given.
The following positive feedback points were made:
Students are happy with the fact that Show my Homework allows them to set their own plans for the week in terms of what they do when. They can prioritise and if they work hard, make free time for themselves to pursue interests
The daily email contact and occasional telephone conversations are a great way to ‘spur students on’ with the learning at home. Families have really appreciated the level of contact with school and a specific ‘tutor’ throughout closure
Feedback on work is not always given in detail, but praise texts have been sent and again, these are a really good encouragement. Some teachers have sent handwritten cards or chocolate bars too – a great boost and it lets the children know they are supported
Very pleased overall with the provision they have received. Staff are doing a brilliant job
The following questions/points were raised and our response is below:
How can we motivate a teenager when the work does not require submission? Some parents would prefer all work to require being submitted even if the teacher was not going to feedback about it. Others liked the way it is being done currently.
We will make sure that expectations are clear on SMHW and that students are given the option to send work or progress updates if they would like. Some of the tasks that have not required submission have been assessed by a test online at the end of the work. The quiz score is effectively giving feedback on how well the student has retained and retrieved the learning.
Some students have struggled to get engaged with theoretical work from subjects that are usually highly practical in the learning – drama, music and art, design technology for instance.
We know that this learning is very different to a practical drama lesson, or time in a DT workshop. We hope that the theory work will aid understanding, but do understand why it is more difficult when students are used to practical tasks and sociable group work. We will try to find ways of getting the balance right – even with the current limitations. Look out for our ‘Summer Showcase’ music performances online on the 18th and 25th June and our year 10 drama students performing Shakespeare online!
Mathswatch can lead to frustration because multiple choice questions cannot be revisited. The percentage expectation can sometimes dishearten learners if they know they aren’t going to get there because they have got a question wrong.
We advise everyone to use the help videos on mathswatch when you can, as these will help to explain a method. Mrs Penrose has also got her own YOUTUBE maths channel and website www.mrspenrosemaths.com
There is a lot of choice of mediums to use for science- Kerboodle, Seneca and Tassomai. It is quite difficult for students to decide which one to do – almost as if they are a bit overwhelmed by the options. It would be better if the task was also described on Show my Homework
We will ask science teachers to guide students towards the most suitable resource for the task being completed or topic being covered when they set tasks on SMHW.
The work being set is working really well, but sometimes it is the element of the class teacher they 'know' doing an explanation which is missing...
We are looking at our current technology to enhance explanations. For example, staff are looking to add audio explanations to their Power Point presentation where it would enhance the learning and help to introduce any tricky concepts.
Can the school facilitate opportunities for social interactions between students?
This is challenging to achieve for the school under current restrictions but we will look to find ways for more students to be in school and see each other as soon as this is possible.