Weekly Information - Friday 1st March 2024

The following students celebrated their achievements with Mrs Cochrane this week, congratulations to them all! 

This morning Mrs Cochrane had the pleasure of enjoying a hot chocolate with William (Y7) and Liam (Y7) who have become our 18^th and 19^th Accelerated Reader word millionaires of the year, and Florence (Y9), Fleurella (Y11), Hannah (Y10) and Beatrice (Y9) who have qualified for the prestigious Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Liam began and told the group how his favourite genre is adventure and spy books and is therefore thoroughly enjoying the Alex Rider series. William is currently enjoying Spaceboy by David Walliams, an action-packed and funny novel which is really gripping him. Both of the pupils are looking forward to the World Book Day activities which takes place on Thursday 7^th March, led by Mrs. Collier in the LRC. Mrs Cochrane is extremely proud of both William and Liam and hopes their passion for reading continues throughout their time at John Taylor and beyond. Well done to both of you!

Next Mrs Cochrane and the group enjoyed hearing from our John Taylor Equestrian team, led by Mrs Brackstone, who joined the group to celebrate with a hot chocolate. Mrs Brackstone explained how the team, out of 18 other schools, won the qualifiers and will be competing in the Royal Windsor Horse Show which is a phenomenal achievement.

On the day of the qualifiers, the student’s were filled with anticipation as they walked the course and saw what challenges were ahead of them. The team explained that the arena was impressive which only fuelled their excitement. Mrs Brackstone commented 'that the improvement in the girls from last year when they missed out on qualification was noticeable. The girls have worked really hard on their show jumping skills  and partnership with their ponies and their hard work definitely paid off.' 

Once the competition had finished, Beatrice explained how it was an anxious wait until they announced the winners via an app. The team were ecstatic to find out they had qualified and are thrilled to be taking on 25 other schools from the across the UK at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. Mrs Cochrane was so proud of the team who had exceeded all expectations and wishes them the best of luck for the next round.

Well done to all our nominees this week. We hope you enjoyed celebrating with Mrs Cochrane and enjoyed your hot chocolate and chocolate goodies.

If you’d like to make a nomination, please email [email protected].

Year 7 Lichfield Cathedral Trip

Over a period of 4 days, 240 Year 7 pupils enjoyed a trip to the iconic Lichfield Cathedral as part of their RS studies. Lichfield Cathedral serves a population of over 2 million people – the fifth largest diocese in the country and still a top spot for attracting a variety of visitors from across the UK.

The awe-stricken student’s embraced the ambience and atmosphere of the Cathedral as they began their tour. It was a real pleasure to see the group engage and take part in all of the activities. On the tour the students learnt more about the impressive architecture, explored the many different areas of the building, and talked about spirituality & the history of the Cathedral.

A real highlight for the student’s was getting to try on some items of clothing that the Bishop wears during his practices. The group were extremely enthusiastic to take part whilst also being respectful of the items – well done Year 7!

Thank you to Rebekah (Y7) for her lovely write-up below:

Lichfield cathedral. A spiritual adventure of wonders and awe.

The students of John Taylor High school (Y7) took part in a workshop at the reflective place of Lichfield Cathedral. Lichfield Cathedral is a peaceful place for pilgrimage dating back to medieval times, during the Anglo-Saxon period. The gothic architecture is another reason people visit and to see Saint Chad and his grave.

During the tour, the students learnt about the importance of the Cathedral and how it was built during different periods of time and restored after the civil war in the 19th century.

The tour guide taught the students how Saint Chad had spread the word of God to turn people to Christianity through baptism. He signalled towards a glass stained panel which recreates The good Samaritan who had hope and resilience which ties into their motto which is 'In servi Deo et laetare' which means ‘Serve God and be joyful’.

The pupils learnt the anecdote of how Saint Theodore told Saint Chad that he should go on horseback for his preaching’s, but instead Saint Chad said that he would rather go on foot so he could look the people in the eye rather than look down upon them.

The Students of John Taylor High School thought it was a really interesting and enjoyable trip and was very informative.

By Rebekah - 7C7

On Tuesday 27^th February we had the pleasure of welcoming Alisdair Bowie, Principal Engineer at Horiba Mira, a global provider of automative engineering and well-known for developing test circuits for Top Gear.

Alisdair joined our Year 13 BTEC IT students to deliver a presentation on data analysis which was an invaluable insight for the group as they take on their Data Modelling Unit this term.

Alisdair covered topics such as sample data, analysis, conclusions, context, challenges and limitations. He also highlighted the importance of being prepared to change your rationale and approach when working with data as it can be very easy to be misled. These snippets of advice were extremely useful for our students who were all highly engaged in his presentation.

There were some great discussions between the students which provoked some brilliant questions for Alisdair to answer. It was clear that Alisdair had a passion for auto-motive engineering which really inspired the group. His real-life scenarios and details of projects he has managed gave our students an insight into life as an engineer.

We’d like to thank Mrs Bostock from our Computer Science team for organising the talk and well done to our Year 13 students who asked some brilliant questions. We hope Alisdair inspired our students and gave some useful tips for when they are approaching their Data Modelling unit.

Road Safety Talk

We had the pleasure of hearing from Paul Cope, Road Safety Education Officer from the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership; an initiative run by the local council, Highways England, the Police and the Fire service which aims to reduce road casualties.

Paul’s impactful presentation to our 6^th form students, highlighted the importance of driving safely and the implications of making bad decisions when operating a vehicle. With a number of our pupils recently passing their driving tests, it was an extremely thought-provoking session which created discussion and questions amongst the students.

Paul covered topics such as; speed awareness, wearing a seat-belt, road conditions, stopping distance and using mobile phones, alcohol or drugs behind the wheel. The group were also shown a variety of real-life scenario videos with some staggering statistics which helped reinforce the message Paul was highlighting. He also empowered the students to speak up and find the courage if they ever feel unsafe in a car if they are the passenger.

Paul finished by saying ‘it is the best thing being able to drive and we should all be able to reach our destinations safely. It is a privilege to drive, not a right’. Thank you to Paul for his insight and to all our student’s for their impeccable attention and engagement during the presentation.

To find out more about what Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership promote road safety, visit their website here: Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership – Reducing road casualties in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (staffssaferroads.co.uk)

World Book Day - Thursday 7th March

We have a variety of exciting events happening to celebrate World Book Day on Thursday 7th March.

Please read all the details here: John Taylor High School eNewsletter (jths.co.uk)

We are pleased to release the latest installment in our revision series, Geog to Success. Students should follow the link on Go4Schools and watch this weeks video about Coastal Management strategies. Students will then be completing a Geog Your Memory starter in class, followed by an exam question homework. If there are any issues then students should contact their class teacher. 

Tutor2u have produced student workbooks for each topic area, and they are a fantastic resource to support you with your learning in A Level Sociology.

In addition to the course textbook for Year One of this course, I have placed the details of each workbook linked to your Year 12 topic areas on ParentPay.  They are £5.95 each and can be purchased through the school at any time.  I would highly recommend purchasing these workbooks as they will be very useful for organising your revision notes and give useful tips for answering the different types of exam questions.

Thanks,

Miss Broderick

Last chance for your year 12 students to apply for the Nottingham Summer School 2024 where they will: 

• experience life at a leading university 
• try out a range of course options related to their interests 
• develop focus and motivation for the remainder of their post-16 studies 
• access advice through the UCAS process 
• earn a contextual offer (up to 2 grades lower) and a bursary (£1000 per year) for study at Nottingham! 

 Applications close at midday, 7^th March 2024.   

We would particularly encourage applications for the following academic streams which are currently under-subscribed (and less competition for places):  

Chemistry 

Environmental Sciences  

Geography 

Historical Studies 

Literature, Language and Culture 

Philosophy, Theology and Ethics  

Please do share this information with your year 12 students as soon as possible. They can find further information about the summer school and apply online at www.nottingham.ac.uk/suttontrust.   I have also attached a digital leaflet that might be useful in promoting the scheme. 

Are you aged 18 and under? Are you a singer, actor, musician, dancer, performer or artist/ media student? Do you live in East Satffordshire or South Derbyshire. 

Are you studying at Grade 5 level or above taking your subject for your GCSE or A Levels?

You can apply for a fiancial contribution to support your progression in your studies .

APPLY ONLINE Burton Arts Bursary Award Scheme – Burton Competitive Music Festival (burtonmusicfestival.com) 

As you are likely aware, the UCAT is a crucial component of the medical school admissions process, and half the battle is knowing where to start.

We want to support you and your students the best we can through this process, which is why I strongly recommend attending the upcoming virtual UCAT Conference on Sunday 3rd March, 11am - 2pm. These conferences are led by expert Chief Mentors who specialise in UCAT exam preparation. During the conference, we'll equip you with everything you need to approach the exam with confidence.

Sign up for our FREE UCAT conference on Sunday 3rd March here:
https://airtable.com/apppUzIPHCCss5TVr/shrFhrt8Q6y9uc4YV

During this session, we will cover:
- An Introduction to UCAT
- Different sections of the UCAT: Example questions and how to answer them
- Common mistakes and pitfalls
- Ways of improving/practising speed reading and decision making elements
- When to book in your UCAT exams

To find out more about the UCAT exam, please visit our complete UCAT guide here:
https://medicmentor.org/complete-guide-to-ucat/ for more information.

Among the most crucial conferences we offer are the Get Into Medicine and Get Into Dentistry events, ideal for students aspiring to pursue careers in medicine or dentistry.

If you believe there are more students who haven't yet taken advantage of the free virtual LIVE Get Into conferences, I kindly ask you to share the details with them. Simply forward the following information to your students and colleagues:

For aspiring Doctors: FREE LIVE VIRTUAL Get Into Medicine conference dates:
Sunday 25th February, 9:30am - 3:30pm
Saturday 2nd March, 9:30am - 3:30pm
Sunday 3rd March, 9:30am - 3:30pm

For aspiring Dentists: FREE LIVE VIRTUAL Get Into Dentistry conference dates:
Saturday 24th February, 9:30am - 3:30pm

Students and parents can register for free at this link:
Medicine: https://medicmentor.org/get-into-medicine-university-conference/
Dentistry: https://dental-mentor.org/get-into-dentistry-university-conference/

All aspiring doctors and dentists in years 10-12 / S3-S5 / NI11-13 are invited to register.

These conferences offer tailored advice for medicine and dentistry, covering a range of crucial topics including:
- Tactically choosing universities
- Personal statements
- UCAT
- Medical & Dental school interview skills
- Medical Leadership Programmes
- Awards Programmes
- Extracurricular activities
- Work experience
- Building a CV
- Applying for scholarships

Medical Registration Link: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shry7MZYtt3MGPjvO
Dental Registration Link: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shrBuiR7SBAcC19kE

The 16–19 Discretinary Bursary Fund is a government-provided, means-tested fund available to support students who have difficulty in meeting costs relating to their studies. To qualify, you must be under 19 years of age on 31st August in the academic year in which you start your programme of study, and you will be expected to provide evidence of personal and/or financial hardship. Each case will be assessed individually, however, usually this would be based on a household income of £27,000 or less, plus any benefits you are in receipt of at this point in time.  

For further information, please see the guidance and application form using the following link John Taylor High School (jths.co.uk).

If you have queries please do not hesitate to get in touch [email protected]

Thank you

The Sixth Form Team