Weekly Parent BulletinWeek of 5 May (Week A)

Dear Parents and Carers, 

What a very, very busy week. 

• On Tuesday we held a very highly attended Year 8 Parent-Teacher Meetings event. It was fantastic to hear how accommodating our teachers were when parents/carers did not have an appointment with them. Thank you to all those families that could attend. 
• A visit from  Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, for a large number of our student leaders (see below). 
• Football, cricket and basketball success (see below). 
• Over 100 applications for our Transition Ambassadors role. 
• To end the week, we had 105 Year 7, 8 and 9 students running a mini London Marathon of 2 miles round the school field. 

I could not be more proud of all our community's achievements this week. The level of student engagement in such extracurricular and enrichment opportunities is breathtaking. 

We wish all our Year 11s and 13s well in their final week of preparation for GCSE and A Level exams. All staff are so very proud of how they are working and the huge courage and resilience that they are demonstrating. 

I hope you enjoy reading the below notices and you find them informative. 

Yours faithfully, 

Dr J Simpson

• Tue 6 May - Year 11 and 13 School Photos
• Thu 8 May - Formal GCSE and A-Level Exams begin
• Wed 14 May - GCSE Drama Year 10 War Horse Theatre visit (1-4:30pm)
• Tue 20 - Thu 22May - Year 10 Work Experience 

Are You a Young Carer aged 5 – 17?

• Do you look after your siblings?
• Do you take care of the household bills or budget?
• Do you clean, cook and look after the house?
• Do you offer emotional support to someone at home?
• Do you help wash or dress a loved one?
• Do you give medicines to someone at home?

The Young Carers Notts Service is there to support you. Click Here for

Free and confidential support for Young Carers in Nottinghamshire and the City of Nottingham

Young Carers Notts helps Young Carers aged 5-17 to take a break and get information, advice and support.

They can offer:

• 1:1 Support
• Young Carer Support Groups
• Carers Assessments
• Young Carer ID Cards
• Young Carer Travel Cards
• Emergency Support Planning
• Holiday Activities
• Residential Breaks
• Socialise with Young Carers
• Have lots of fun

Get in touch to find out more

Website: www.youngcarersnotts.co.uk

Email: youngcarers@tuvida.org

Tel: 01158 248824

WhatsApp: 07860 957 660

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A PARENT GUIDE WITH MORE INFORMATION

Our student leaders had a talk from peace activists Hamze and Magen on Monday 28th April. The talks were focused on developing student understanding of the situation in Palestine and Israel as well helping the students develop their ideas about challenging misinformation in the media and conflict resolution. Students were able to hear first hand accounts of Hamze and Magen's experiences growing up in the area and ask lots of questions. It was a real privilege to have them visit us.

Mrs B Inglis and Mrs S Wilken

On a beautifully sunny Friday 2 May, 110 NFS students (nearly one third of Years 7, 8 and 9!) participated in the Mini London Marathon. The goal was to run 2 miles around the school field (17 laps!). 

Each and every student gave it all they had on the track and achieved their goal in style. 

We had numerous staff running and supporting, sixth form students doing an amazing job of marshaling and coordinating the aid station and many more students cheering the participants on. 

The NFS community organised the whole event in little over 24 hours and raised £90 for the World Wide Fund for Nature charity in the process. Every student received a certificate for participating and we will soon have a school trophy sent to us. Let's hope we also win the chance for Joe Wicks to now come into NFS and run some PE sessions. 

I enjoyed running every kilometer with our students, who showed HUGE courage, ambition and resilience throughout. I really do feel blessed to work at this wonderful school. 

Mr Tomasevic 

NFS delivered an outstanding performance at the Trent Bridge school cricket tournaments. The U13 team were crowned champions, securing victories over East Leake, Ellis Guilford, Manor, Brunt’s, and South Wolds. 

The U15 team also impressed, finishing runners-up after strong wins against Djanogly, Ellis Guilford (twice), and Bramcote, before narrowly losing to Joseph Whitaker in the final. A proud day for NFS cricket!

Mr Goddard

NFS emerged victorious in a hard-fought school football tournament, showcasing resilience, teamwork, and moments of individual brilliance across two unforgettable matches.

The opening game against Bluecoat Trent was a tense affair. Trent took the lead with a composed finish, holding strong until the final moments when NFS struck a dramatic last-minute equaliser to level the game 1-1. With penalties deciding the outcome, NFS held their nerve and triumphed in the shootout, booking their place in the final.

A well-deserved trophy for a brilliant NFS side.

The year 8 basketball team made it through to the Semi-Finals of the Jr. NBA East Midlands league with a win yesterday afternoon. The game finished:

• Priory Ruskin Academy (Grantham) - 20
• Nottingham Free School - 22

• Nottingham City Council is currently developing a SEND and Alternative Provision Outcomes Strategy for 2025-2028.
• They are starting this work by consulting with children and young people and their parents and carers across the city to gauge their views as to what outcomes are important to them in their life.
• NCC would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete this survey. We will be following this up with an online event to share the outcome of the survey and the City Councils next steps. The closing date is 9 May for responses.
•  https://forms.office.com/e/80UT0NmJce

• We have had huge interest for this student leadership role. 
• We have had over 100 applications from year 7, 8, 9 which is phenomenal! 
• We will now be reviewing the applications next week and inviting students to an interview

1. A reminder that hair should be of natural colour.  If you are unsure please contact your child's tutor or Head of Year who will provide further guidance.
2. If your child wears a skirt, please can you check that they are near knee length.  A lot of our students have grown and therefore, you may receive a phone call to discuss purchasing a new skirt.
3. A massive congratulations to year 9 who have received 1224 positives so far this term.  An excellent achievement showing our REACH values in every lesson.

Thank you for the continued support with your child attending every day.  It has been a fantastic start to the summer term with 96% of our students attending every day. We are holding weekly competitions for the best tutor set in each year group.  The tutor sets who won last week are:

• 7P: 99% ​
• 8C: 95% ​
• 9C: 95.9%​
• 10P: 97%

Well done!

 

If you are struggling to manage the amount of time your child is spending on their phone or iPad, here a few tips to try this weekend:

1. Family agreement that there are no phones in bedrooms.  All use of devices in public places in the house.
2. Reduce screen time by using apple controls in screen time or google family link to set timers. 
3. Reduce notifications by turning off the notifications for the app.
4. Family agreement on what activities to do when phones are not allowed.
5. Be clear on the why you are putting these in place.

Please click on the link to explore further guidance to control their screen time:

https://saferinternet.org.uk/online-issue/screen-time