Weekly Information - Friday 24th May 2024

What a great to finish the end of term by celebrating our pupils’ achievements with Hot Chocolate with the Head. There were a lovely variety of stories this week and it was great to see personal excellence being displayed in abundance.

The first group of students who shared their story was Felicity (Y8), Alexander (Y8), Maisie (Y8), Juppnie (Y8), Suhavi (Y8) and Ella (Y8) who had been nominated by Mrs Craddock for taking part in the ‘Poetry by Heart’ competition, at extra-curricular lunchtime club.

The ‘Poetry by Heart’ competition is a national speaking competition for schools and colleges in England whereby pupils have to select a poem to perform and video. The winner of the competition is then able to perform this at the famous Globe Theatre. Whilst our pupils didn’t get through to this round, both Mrs Craddock & Mrs Cochrane were extremely proud of their efforts and how wonderfully they had represented the school. The group talked about which poems they each chose to perform. The genres included ‘romantic, friendships, beauty, descriptive, and fantasy.’ It became apparent that whilst the genres were diverse, there was a profound theme of thoughtfulness across all the poems. The pupils said they thoroughly enjoyed the process and despite not getting through, it was a fantastic opportunity to be involved in. Well done to you all!

Next to talk to the group was Amelie (Y9), who has been nominated by Mrs Findon for her lovely act of kindness. Amelie explained that she wanted to show her gratitude to her form tutor Mrs Findon for being a great role model to her and her peers. Amelie, who loves to crochet, decided that she would create an Earth for Mrs Findon as she is a Geography teacher. Mrs Findon was very grateful for Amelie’s kindness and in return wanted to give her the recognition at Hot Chocolate with the Head. Mrs Cochrane explained that it was wonderful to see that Amelie has demonstrated one of the schools core values.

Lastly, Nathaniel’s (Y11) nomination was for his phenomenal achievement in gaining just over 1000 positive merits. Mrs Cochrane was delighted for Nathaniel who is an integral part of the school community and lives out the school’s ethos each and every day. Mrs Cochrane said Nathaniel is a great role model to other students and very much deserves his ‘Headteacher’s Commendation’. Well done Nathaniel, your positive attitude and politness is something that we can all aspire to be like.

Well done to everyone. Mrs Cochrane found it an absolute pleasure to spend this time with you and celebrate the achievements. If you would like to nominate a student for Hot Chocolate with the Head, please email [email protected].

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

On Tuesday 14^th May, Mrs Poole and seven John Taylor High School students joined pupils from across the JTMAT at The Lichfield Garrick, for the JTMAT Subject Excellence Drama Competition.

Miss Maymand, from The Chase Terrace Academy, led the ‘Stars in the Spotlight’ drama project and said ‘the aim of the project was to write and rehearse a 2 minute monologue inspired by the JTMAT values; Passion, Curiosity, Courage, Tenacity, Resilience, Collegiality. It was important for them to showcase their work and for us to collectively celebrate and share excellent performance work from across all Key Stages within our MAT family.’

During the performances there were a lot of excitement and apprehension as each school got to watch each other perform. It was a great experience and learning opportunity for our pupils to be part of the process. Congratulations to all those involved and a special mention to Adiel who was KS3 overall winner.

We’d like to say a huge well done to Emilia, Jessica, Adiel, Holly, Jeffrey, JJ and Anya who represented John Taylor High School. You should all be really proud of the way you have all displayed a high level of personal excellence.

On Tuesday 21^st May, our Y12 Computer Science BTEC group were joined by Crimson, a Microsoft consultancy and IT recruitment company based in Birmingham to find out about Apprenticeships within the IT industry. Crimson work with well-known clients across a diverse number of sectors offering innovative IT consultancy & recruitment services. They have also recently been included in the Top 50 companies to work for in the Midlands.

The session was led by Chris O’Brien, Head of Customer Engagement and Jo Griffiths, People Development Manager, who covered areas such as the IT industry, personal development, culture, transferable skills, experience and much more. Both Chris & Jo spoke passionately about their experience in the IT industry which left our pupils feeling extremely inspired.

As part of the session Chris & Jo listed a number of roles available on the Crimson Apprenticeship. These included Business Analysts, Data Analysts, Software Developers, Software Testers, Recruitment, Sales & Finance. It was great for our students to see that their skillsets and interests within IT could be applied to different areas of the business.

Another key focus of the session was all about equipping the students with CV writing knowledge. Jo said that Crimson take on 10 Apprentices each year, however receive over 400 applications. The pair talked about what makes you different, what are your passions, do you have a growth mindset, are you emotionally intelligent and what transferable experience do you have. It was clear to the pupils at this point the importance of having a strong CV that has been carefully thought out. Chris also gave some insightful interview hints and tips and highlighted how every touchpoint with the company counts. From that first email, to a phone call and the way they greet the receptionist on arrival, every interaction within the company is important when making an impression.

Mrs Bostock, Vocational Lead of ICT at John Taylor organised the session and said ‘the talk this afternoon has been invaluable for our pupils. Now that their exams have finished and we come to the end of our subject coursework, there couldn’t have been a better time for Chris & Jo to come and give our students a true insight into life in the IT industry. Talking about apprenticeships gave our students a different perspective from the traditional University routes which I know really appealed to some of them. I’d like to say thank you to both Chris & Jo for their advice on CV writing, interviewing and how our pupils present themselves, like our students said ‘it was an extremely helpful session.’

Well done to all those involved and thank you to all the students for their input and focus throughout the session.

For more information about Apprenticeships at Crimson, please click here: Microsoft IT Apprenticeships Birmingham (crimson.co.uk) 

Many thanks to our Year 7 & 8 parents who took the time to share their thoughts in a number of areas across the school.

You can read the full reports here on the website: Parent View Feedback - John Taylor High School (schoolzineplus.co.uk) 

The Mosley Academy in Anslow have kindly asked for any Year 11 & 13 students to join them on Friday 21st June, at 1.15pm-3.15pm, to help at their school Sports Day. Duties will be varied and students must be able to make their own travel arrangements. 

For more information or to register your interest, please email [email protected]

Premed Projects have some free work experience courses coming up for students who are interested in exploring careers in medicine and healthcare. They are suitable for students aged 14-18 and all students receive a certificate for their portfolios for taking part. 

• On Sunday May 26^th  there is a free online course for students, all about Psychiatry work experience. If students are interested in careers in healthcare, it’s a fun way to learn more about healthcare professions and have some of your questions answered by doctors about applying to medical school. Students can enrol on the free session here: www.premedprojects.co.uk/free 

• Monday 3^rd June a free online session hosted by our doctors, where we cover a real life hospital case. A patient is experiencing symptoms and with your help we will diagnose and treat the patient. An interactive work experience session where students can get involved in diagnosing patients with our doctors and other students. Students can again enrol on the free session here: www.premedprojects.co.uk/free 

Also, Premed have some in person courses this July and August for students, ranging from 1 day hospital work experiences to 1 and 2 week courses too, you can see all the details here 

We have an exciting opportunity to share with you! We have an interactive virtual session on 18-20^th June 2024 that is from 9.30am-3.30pm with Oli Morris and special guests from UK Music. 

• If you have an interest in music and want to find out more about the industry
• Get hands on experience as well as an opportunity to immerse yourself in the industry
• This opportunity will help you learn more about careers in the spotlight and behind the scenes. 

Click here to apply 

We also have a Virtual Parent Event on June 25^th at 6.30-7.30 pm where you can hear more from creative professionals in industries such as film, music, visual effects and the career pathways available  click here to book.

The Royal Signals are at the forefront of everything that the Army does, in conflict and in peace. Whether fighting to set up complex computer and radio networks under fire or enabling communications for humanitarian missions, soldiers are dynamic, flexible and able to use their initiative to meet any challenge. They ensure the Army's lines of communication are working effectively and free from security breaches.

Join our webinar in June to find out more

Join our webinar on 18th June at 3.30pm to learn more about the range of apprenticeship opportunities available within the Royal Signals and to hear from inspiring Soldiers about their career journey, what their apprenticeships involve and why they chose an apprenticeship with the Army.

Work Experience Opportunities with 

Young Professionals

FAO Careers & Head of Y11/S4, 6th Form (S5/6)

Work Experience Opportunities:  

Get into Engineering Work Experience Evening with Mott MacDonald:

• Thursday 30th May, 5pm - 7:30pm, Reading Town Hall 
• Open to all students in Y11, 12 &13 looking to get into Engineering and STEM related careers 
• Mott MacDonald are one of the world’s largest engineering and construction companies operating in over 150 countries employing 18,000+people 
• Application Link and more information on this opportunity is here—-> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/37WN9D9

PwC Summer Work Experience 

• Taking place at the end of July the PwC Summer Work Experience has reopened for applications for Y11 and Y12 students 
• Application deadline is Friday 24th May and will not re open after this date 
• PwC are one of the big 4 specialising in Business, Accounting, Technology and Consulting 
• Application Link and more on this opportunity is here —-> https://pwcukcareers.com/3HtCqqv

University of Law Business Virtual Work Experience 

• Wednesday 29th May, 10am - 3:30pm, taking place on Zoom 
• The university of Law’s Business School will be running interactive workshops and mock lectures on all things business, marketing and ESG 
• Open to all students in Y10,Y11,12 &13 looking to get into Business careers 
• UBS and KPMG will also be joining this event to share insights to the corporate world as well as taking students through business simulations
• Application Link and more information on this opportunity is here —-> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ULawBusinessVWEX

All students will receive certificates which can be used on LinkedIn, job and any further education applications.

If you are considering going to university to study Art and Design - Tom will be at the exhibition on Thursday 13^th June (6.00pm until 8.00pm) and would be very happy to talk to you about his experiences.  

As a little background, Tom is from Burton.   He studied A level art at Paget High School, and then did a 2 year foundation degree at Burton college before going on to University at Aberystwyth, where he got his Degree and also his Masters.

He took part in Sky Landscape Artist of the Year in 2017 - which he won.  His prize was a £10,000 commission to paint the view from Noel Coward’s home in Jamaica.  This was then unveiled at Drury Lane Theatre in London.

Since then Tom has taken a teacher training degree and works part-time as Artist in Residence at Repton school, which allows him time to continue to paint in his studio.  He also does workshops across the UK, and also overseas.

The Burton Series is something he has wanted to do for a while - and it covers many areas of the town - some of which have changed dramatically over the last few years. 

Canopius are offering two fantastic Apprenticeship opportunities within IT and Data. 

Year 13 Students must apply to only one opportunity, I have provided the links to read more about the role and apply below: 

IT Apprenticeship: https://link.sanctuarygraduates.co.uk/gLuI

Data Apprenticeship: https://link.sanctuarygraduates.co.uk/UH7Z

Canopius have expressed a preference for students who have a C or above in GCSE Maths and English, and have 120 UCAS points, but this is flexible and not a requirement, as they are more interested in the skillset of the student themselves and whether they would be a great fit at their company. Both opportunities are based in Manchester.

Sanctuary Graduates always support candidates through the process to ensure they are putting their best quality application forward. The link I provided above is a unique link so that we can see the students that apply as a result of this and offer support throughout the application process.

We have a school crossing patrol vacancy for the Main Street/Dunstall Road crossing point, this would be a job share with the current patrol, the times and days to be discussed with applicant. 

More details can be found here: School Crossing Patrol (Burton, Uttoxeter and Tamworth) | No Expiry Date | Jobs and careers with Staffordshire County Council

Or call Caroline Pegg on 07773 791 502 

Dear Parent/Carer,

I am delighted to inform you that John Taylor High School has signed up for a new initiative to support families and schools called Six4Schools introduced by the Birmingham Bears.

What is Six4Schools?

Six4Schools is an initiative by Birmingham Bears which offers adult tickets starting at £13 (normally £25) for their T20 matches this summer when using a discount code unique to the school. U5s are always free and 5-15 year olds £5.

Our school will benefit because for every adult ticket sold, the school will receive £6 back. As an example, if we sell 200 adult tickets, we will receive £1200! This is meant to be used to reinvest in the education of the pupils (for e.g., for: computer equipment, playground equipment, or cricket coaching sessions).

It’s a great opportunity for the school and hopefully a chance for you to enjoy the incredible T20 atmosphere at Edgbaston this summer.

To purchase your tickets, follow the instructions below:

1. visit: Tickets.Edgbaston.com

2. At the top of the page enter this promotional code: JTHS24

3. Select the Birmingham Bears fixture you would like to attend this summer (please note the discount only applies to Saturday 8 June and Sunday 14 July fixtures). If you did not enter the promotional code before this can also be done here on the right-hand side of the page.

4. Select the stand in which you would like to purchase your tickets. U16s must be accompanied by an adult and for every 1 adult ticket sold, 5 U16 tickets may be selected.

5. Make your payment using your credit/debit card

You will receive your tickets via email.

It would be fantastic to see as many parents as possible take advantage of this offer to head to Edgbaston this summer to watch some exciting cricket and in the process help us win the interactive board!

Yours Sincerely,

Miss Dean