Weekly Information - Thursday 9th June 2022
- All - National Schools Equestrian Association Competition JTHS Success!
- All - Race for Life at JTHS
- All - LGBT Pride Month
- All - Year 13 Art and Design Exhibition - Public View
- Y7-Y11-Leave of Absence
- Yr11 - Reminder of exam & pre-exam briefing arrangements
- School Uniform Policy and Guidance
- Streethay Primary School - Apprenticeship Opportunities
- Year 11, 12 & 13: Level 3 Apprenticeship at Nationwide Building Society, Burton-upon-Trent
- Work experience at CMS (Law)
- Year 12 Work Experience Placement Search
- Year 13: Degree Apprenticeship in Quantity Surveying Linked to Nottingham Trent University
In late 2019, JTHS Science teacher and ex-professional groom Cora Liechti, knowing that we had several keen riders at school, had the bright idea of putting together a National Schools Equestrian Association team. The NSEA is the recognised body for equestrianism in schools throughout the UK, providing inter-schools competitions for team and individual riders at state & independent schools as well as colleges of further education. Their aim is to promote and encourage the participation in and recognition of equestrian sport within schools in Great Britain. Students can compete in a variety of disciplines and can compete from grass roots all the way up to jumping 1m 20.
However, as it did with everything else, the pandemic put all pony- related plans on hold, and so the plans were scuppered.
Fast forward to February 2022, and things were finally back on track, and the John Taylor High School Equestrian Team finally competed in our very first competition.
We chose to compete in the Arena Eventing classes, which are a mix of cross country and show jumping fences within an arena, at Eland Lodge. Four John Taylor girls took part- Ysabel, Tab, Lottie and Fleur.
Most of the other teams competing were from independent and boarding schools who have a long history of equestrian competition, many of which even have their own equestrian facilities. Our aim for the day was to enjoy the fact that we were finally entering a competition, to demonstrate our school vision and values as we did so, and most importantly to have fun.
However, despite (or, more likely, because of this) our girls performed brilliantly, and finished the day with three rosettes, including one for Fleur who finished fifth overall in her class of over thirty riders. This was a massive achievement as it was the first time Fleur had ever competed in Arena Eventing!
Buoyed by their success, our girls decided to enter the NSEA Staffordshire Show Jumping County Qualifiers, and on Sunday 27th March we went up to Beaver Hall near Leek to try our luck.
First up in the 70cm class we had Mia on Jonathon, who didn’t have the best round, but Mia rode beautifully and made us hugely proud, as this was only her second ever competition. Lottie rode next, and delivered a fabulous round, taking 1st, which meant she was County Champion, and qualified for the National Championships at Hickstead in May!
The second class was the 80cm, and we entered a team and as individuals. The team comprised of Lottie, Bea and Jess, and Fleur rode as an individual. The winning streak continued, and Fleur came first in the individual, and the team won the team competition, meaning that again they were County Champions and qualified for the National Championships at Hickstead!
After the 80cm came the 90cm, and again we entered as a team and as individuals, and again we were hugely successful. Fleur, Bea and Jess entered as individuals and as a team, and Emily entered as an individual, which again we won!
Finally, we had Emily and Bea competing in the 1 metre class. Emily came 1st, and Bea 2nd, meaning Emily was County Champion and again qualified for the championships at Hickstead.
As you can imagine we were over the moon, and pretty stunned at our incredible success.
Knowing we were on our way to the National Finals, we appealed for a sponsor who could kit out our team in John Taylor colours in return for wearing their name with pride. Step forward Training Beat who very kindly bought base layers, hat silks and saddle pads so we could ride into battle looking every bit as good (if not better) than all the other teams competing.
The National Finals took place over three days at the beginning of half term on the hallowed ground of the All England Jumping Ground and home of the world famous Hickstead Derby at Hickstead in West Sussex. For those who aren't ‘horsey’, this was like being able to play at Wembley, such was the privilege of having qualified to ride there. Our girls competed against hundreds of other students, the majority of which were from private schools, many of whom brought huge horse lorries and even Range Rovers emblazoned with their school logos! However, our lovely school logo taped to the side of our van was more than enough for Team JT, and once again our girls rode beautifully.
Saturday was Arena Eventing Day, and the national final of the 80cm. Our team of Bea, Jess, Fleur and Lottie came 7th in the whole country, and as an individual Ysabel rode a foot-perfect round and came in at 24th nationally.
On Sunday we started show jumping. First to ride was Lottie as an individual in the 70cm class- and she won! This means she is reigning NSEA 70cm Show jumping National Champion!!
Next up was the 80cm team show jumping, and once again our team of Bea, Jess, Fleur and Lottie rode their hearts out, and this time came in at 9th nationally!
Finally, on Monday came the 90cm show jumping. After a nerve-wracking final, with very few clear rounds, our team of Bea, Fleur and Jess came in at 11th nationally. Fleur also competed as an individual in the 90cm and placed at an incredible 6th in the country!
As you can imagine we are incredibly proud of our girls. To have achieved such fantastic results on a national stage, against several hundred other competitors is incredible, particularly when you consider they are only in years 7-10. As well as this, though, they were the perfect ambassadors for our school vision and values in everything they did, from their riding, their sportsmanship to the other riders from other schools, and to their kindness and friendship to each other and others.
Finally, we must say a huge thank-you to the mums, dads and siblings who have given up so much time, money, and effort to help our team achieve so much. We truly could not have done it without your kindness, generosity, and support, and of course to our wonderful team manager- and the woman with the vision that started it all- Miss Liechti.
Mrs Bonnett (Assistant Team Manager)
We would like to offer our sincere thanks to Mr Gaz Hughes and his company ‘Training Beat’, who have very generously sponsored the Equine Team to enable them to have full team colours – saddle cloths, hat silks, and clothing all embroidered with the team name.
We are delighted to be holding our own Race for Life event on Sunday, 26th June!
Teachers, students, parents and the local community are invited to raise as much as money as possible for Cancer Research UK by running, walking or even dancing your way around a 3K route within the John Taylor High School grounds.
If you wish to take part and be sponsored for completing the 3k route, please download a sponsorship form - 2022 Sponsorship Form.pdf - to raise as much money as you can for Cancer Research.
You can also donate via the School’s Just Giving page https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/john-taylor-high-school .
Refreshments, music and support from St. John’s Ambulance will be available on the day.
June is LGBT Pride Month. It is celebrated annually and this year to mark the celebration we will be selling badges from Lower School Office, Upper School Office and Sixth Form Office. Badges will cost £1 and students can wear them on their blazers.
Money raised from the sale of badges will go towards the LRC who have been investing in a range of books and resources specifically focused on raising awareness and championing the LGBTIQ+ community.
Please join us in celebrating the wonderful talents of our Year 13 Artists during their Art Exhibition on Thuirsday June 16th.
5.30pm-7.30pm
Art rooms L19/L20
Looking forward to seeing you.
For all Leave of Absence requests please contact our Attendance Officer, Mrs Keeling.
Please note we will ask you to provide evidence for Leave of Absence requests, if these could be attached to the email when making your request, it will facilitate a timely response to your request.
Exams & Pre-exam briefings
Whilst the timetable for pre-exam briefings has already been shared, it can also be found on the link below as a reminder:
Attendance at these sessions is expected, it is not optional. We consider these sessions to be valuable final preparation for the exam led by subject specialists. They will contain important last minute revision on key topic areas as well as specific guidance linked to the upcoming exam. If students are unable to attend due to illness please inform the school via the regular attendance line as we need accurate registers for fire regulations.
Studying in school
If you have indicated that your son or daughter will be staying in school to revise when they do not have an exam or a briefing, we will be supervising these students in the LRC. They should report there to be registered at the start of the lesson and will be expected to stay in there until the end of the lesson. Again, attendance at these sessions will be expected if they have been requested, unless parents contact the school via the absence line.
Signing in and out
Students will be expected to attend relevant exams and pre-exam briefings. As such they will be registered for those by the invigilation team or their teacher. They will also be registered for self-study sessions in the LRC. If students are attending or leaving school for any other reason they must sign in or out at the data hub.
Uniform Policy and Guidance
Following the recent Government guidance on school uniforms and the parental consultation on our proposed changes, we would like to share the new John Taylor High School Uniform Policy and Guidance which starts with immediate effect.
As part of the changes, please note there has been an extension to the transition of the new uniform. From September 2022, it will be a requirement for all Year 7 and Year 8 students to wear the new school uniform and PE kit. The current Year 8, 9 and 10 may continue to wear the old school uniform and PE kit or a mixture of the old and new until the end of the academic year 2022/2023. From September 2023 all John Taylor High School students in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 will be required to wear the new school uniform and PE kit. If any new items of school uniform or PE Kit need to be purchased before this date, we would advise buying from the new selection to prevent any unnecessary repurchase from September 2023.
The school would like to thank those who have volunteered to support the second-hand sale of the new uniform and will be contacting them soon. Should you wish to express an interest in supporting this, please send an email to [email protected] for the attention of Ms Crutchley. Donations of used items of the new uniform and PE kit will be gratefully received.
We are still planning a collection of any old pieces of uniform to donate to charity at the end of this academic year. Further communication will be shared to confirm the dates when collections will be accepted. We are currently full to capacity so we will be unable to accept any more donations before future dates are shared.
Please see below for the new Uniform Policy and Guidance for current Year 7 students, new students from September 2022 and for all students from September 2023.
Please see below for the old Uniform Policy and Guidance for current Year 8,9 and 10 students, applicable until the end of the transition period. This uniform and PE Kit is will no longer be applicable from September 2023.
Please see below jobs advertised for Apprentices at our School in Streethay, Lichfield, commencing in September 2022, They are currently being advertised on WM Jobs if they would like to apply, or if they would like to come to school to have a look around they can call us to arrange on 01543 396180.
Following a successful launch last year, Nationwide Building Society are pleased to announce that they will be taking on another cohort of Retail Apprentices.
Their front-line colleagues are the face of Nationwide for their 15 million members. They have a vacancy in their Branch in Burton and they wanted to share this opportunity with you. You will be able to develop your career and earn whilst you learn.
You will have the opportunity to develop a career in a Nationwide branch network whilst helping to develop your community. Applications are now open and close on the 27th June.
Do you know any Year 12 students who are interested in a career in law and would like paid work experience?
Here at CMS, we believe that a career in law should be accessible to all. As the 6th largest law firm in the world, with 9 offices in the UK and 80 offices globally, we have the platform to make a real difference.
We are delighted to be launching CMS Connect for Year 12/S5 Students. CMS Connect is our work experience programme where up to 50 individuals will join CMS for paid work experience, mentoring and skills workshops.
The programme is for those from backgrounds which research shows are less likely to secure opportunities at prestigious firms/universities and are focused on improving access to our industry.
CMS Connect (formerly PRIME)
Our work experience programme is designed for school and college students who might think a career in law is out of reach.
We will show students what is possible, upskilling them on the available routes into the profession including apprenticeships AND the traditional university route.
During the two-year sustained programme of support, students will develop skills that all employers look out for, not just those in the legal profession. This happens through:
- Paid work experience (8 - 12 August 2022)
- Mentoring
- Application advice and guidance
Participation will certainly support them when making future applications to our Early Talent programmes – and other firms too.
We will be running CMS Connect in our London, Bristol, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen offices.
To find out more, check eligibility and apply, visit: www.cmsearlytalent.com/programmes/work-experience/
Applications open on 3 May 2022 and close 10 June.
If you would like any more information or would like to speak to a member of our team, please do get in touch at [email protected]
Ella Adlard
Early Talent Acquisition Advisor
Our current Year 12 students will be out on a work experience placement from 4th-8th July. This year we are experiencing a lack of suitable placements with many people still working from home. We are asking if there are any parents or family friends who may have the capability to offer a placement to one or more of our students. We are looking for Business (Admin, HR, Marketing etc), Pharmacy, Law/Solicitors, Medicine, Dentistry, Music Production, Theatre, Architecture, Engineering etc.
If you can help, please email [email protected] with contact details and area of work experience and we will endeavour to match the placement with a suitable student.
Many thanks
The Sixth Form Team