We know that many people locally are generously giving to the Crowd Funding site set up for Ben Crawford. Staff and students here wanted to add their donations to the fund and we ran a non-uniform day on Friday July 20th to raise money for Ben’s family. Big hearted staff, students and parents gave over £1,500 and all of the proceeds will go to the fund.

In addition every year at our annual Sports Awards Evening the Head of PE, Michael Mann, always runs a spirited auction of sporting items. Knowing that all of the proceeds of this year’s auction would also go to Ben’s fund, generous parents raised a further £475 that we will add to the proceeds of the non-uniform day.

We pride ourselves on being an extended family at Minsthorpe and, as with all families at a time of tragedy, we try to do what we can to help.

The document below contains the arrangements for students from Year 7 to 13 within the first week of the Autumn Term in September 2018.

Minsthorpe Community College has been shortlisted by the Careers & Enterprise Company for a £250,000 bid to introduce a programme of careers education that could benefit thousands of students across Yorkshire. The CEC is a company created by the government to inject new life into careers education and is currently setting up a number of Careers Hubs across the country. Minsthorpe is leading a consortium of 5 schools in a bid for money to fund a programme of Personal Guidance that will see every student in each school having at least one individual careers talk with a fully qualified Personal Guidance Professional who will advise and guide them on the many routes that are open to them – be that work with training, apprenticeships, further education or higher education.

"Just getting this far has been a gruelling experience and we have beaten off stiff competition to be shortlisted" said Ray Henshaw, the Principal of Minsthorpe. "We are absolutely committed to giving high quality careers advice and give it at the times when students most need it" added Ray. Minsthorpe prides itself on being there for students in Year 7 to help them get a general idea of where their career aspirations might lie and continue to work with each student in Year 8 as they make their GCSE choices. That support continues in Year 11 as students approach their next key transition point and every Year 13 student is given help and support as they decide what is next – university, apprenticeship or work.

"What is normal for us does not necessarily happen in other schools as education cuts have sometimes led to careers education becoming less of a priority" Ray explained. "If we are successful in this bid we will train 15 new Personal Guidance Professionals who will work with young people across the five partner schools and then each school will develop a further network of five extra schools each, training staff in those schools on how to give effective careers advice and guidance. Within two years we hope to have improved the advice that students get in at least thirty schools across West Yorkshire" said Ray "and then use the new Careers Hubs to show other schools the impact that this can have and how to do it themselves."

Ray has to present the idea to a Management Board from the CEC next Thursday and will need to show that the proposal is sustainable and offers good value for money.

All students in Year 7 to 10 will attend a Summer Safety Lesson on the morning of Friday 20th July.

We will be delivering our usual safety reminders but this year we have managed to secure 2 guest speakers from West Yorkshire Police.

Please be advised that they will be presenting information about Child Sexual Exploitation and the dangers of young people going missing. The content will be very hard hitting and real life case studies will be used to exemplify the risks to children.

During the input students will be monitored closely and in-school support will be given if needed. However, can we please ask that you speak with your child following the morning and ensure that any worries they may have can be discussed.

If you feel that your child will struggle to attend this input can you please contact the Head of Year as a matter of urgency.

Thanks,

Mrs Collins
Assistant Principal for Student Safety and Wellbeing

The arrangements for collecting results for GCSE, A Level and BTEC (Level 1, 2 & 3) courses are listed below:

GCE and Level 3 BTEC Results Day – Thursday 16th August 2018

Results will be available to collect as follows:

GCSE and Level 1/2 BTEC Results Day – Thursday 23rd August 2018

Results will be available to collect as follows:

If you are unable to collect you results you can have them:

Collected by another person

If you want a friend/family member to collect your results, the person must bring a signed letter of permission from you (including your full name and date of birth) and some form of self-identification (photo ID) with them.

Posted Out

If you require your results to be posted out, you must bring a stamped address envelope to the Exams Office.

Emailed

If you require your results to be emailed, please email crady@minsthorpe.cc (including your full name and date of birth)

Collection of Certificates

Presentation Evening will be held on Thursday 6th December 2018, where students will be presented with their qualification certificates.

If students are unable to attend the evening, then they can be collected from the Exams Office after this date by the student.

If students are unable to collect their certificates in person a family member/friend can collect on your behalf, a hand written note must be provided (including full name and date of birth) and ID shown by the person collecting certificates. Students must also ring the Exams Office in advance and inform us of the person collecting certificates. (This is the only way we are allowed to give certificates out for students that are unable to collect their own.)

You will all be aware of the tragic death of a former Minsthorpe student, Ben Crawford, whilst on holiday with friends in Ibiza. Ben was one of our own and we are saddened by his loss.

At Minsthorpe, we are an extended family and we do what all family members do at times like this – we help out. The College intends to have an extra non-uniform day on Friday July 20th and all of the proceeds raised from donations will go to Ben’s family. Whilst the normal donations fees will apply I know that the staff and students of Minsthorpe have big hearts and always stand up to be counted when the going gets tough and that, those who can afford to, will pay more than the minimum donation on this occasion knowing that his family will appreciate our thoughts and kindness.

The charge for all students attending College in non-uniform is £1.00 however students who want to contribute more are welcome to do so.

We must stress the following:

• No fancy dress
• No hats for students in Key Stage 3 and 4
• No extremes of fashion including clothing which has slogans/offensive writing or innuendo
• No excessively high heels
• No jewellery other than simple stud earrings
• No tops that expose the student’s midriff
• No inappropriate length shorts

Thank you once again for assisting your child and the College in supporting such worthy causes.

Mr D Lloyd
(Associate Assistant Principal)
On behalf of the College and the Student Council

Staff and students at Minsthorpe Community College have been devastated to learn of the death of our former student, Ben Crawford, whilst on holiday with friends in Ibiza. Our thoughts, condolences and love go out to his family and friends.

Ben was a lovely young man who touched the lives of all who knew him. He was a great sportsman and boxed at the College for 5 years. He was also an extraordinary rugby player and played for the College rugby team from Year 8 when we first discovered the huge talent that he had. He was always so tough, funny and a great lad and his scholarship at Castleford Tigers showed his character and the calibre of player he had become. The last match he played for the College was as part of the team that was victorious in the Yorkshire final.

Ben had an infectious personality and was always in high spirits, great to be around and loved to laugh, joke and have fun with his friends. Ben had a very large friendship group in which he will be dearly missed. Further to this, an even closer bond with his rugby mates, more so a brotherhood. Ben was a naturally talented athlete with a tough and strong exterior on the field. Off the field a caring lad who looked out for his family and loved spending time with his mates who shared the same interests in rugby, socialising and music.

He was thoughtful and kind and had a cheeky side that always made others smile. He was also full of fun and had a zest for life – we will never forget the time the year when he dressed up as Wonder Woman for Sports Day!

Ben was respectful, he always treated others well and was highly thought of by everyone that met him. He made a huge impact on his local community, many of whom will keenly feel his loss.

We have created spaces in the College today for staff and students who have been affected by the sad news to go and talk and, tomorrow, our KOOTH counsellor will also be available to listen and to talk.

No words are enough to express our sadness at the loss of such a young life, one that was so full of promise and potential.

Our annual Sports Day will be taking place on Friday 6th July. We would like to ask for your support in ensuring that your child comes prepared to get maximum enjoyment out of the day.

Guidance for students in Year 7, 8 and 9

• The start and finish times of the college day will remain the same
• Students should come to college in their Minsthorpe PE kit
• They should come prepared for all weather possibilities; bringing sun cream, a water bottle, a waterproof top, an umbrella, a towel and two spare kits
• Students should bring something in their P&A colour to change into for the afternoon

For the events in the afternoon, students in Years 7–9 are asked simply to wear a colour to match the rest of their P&A group. We do not encourage families to spend money on fancy dress outfits.

Guidance for students in Year 10

• The start and finish times of the college day will remain the same
• Students should come to college in their outfit for the day
• They should come prepared for all weather possibilities; bringing sun cream, a water bottle, a waterproof top, a towel and two spare outfits

Guidance for Post 16 students

• Friday 6th July is a study day for Post 16 students. If Post 16 students wish to study on site, they need to sign in and out at the Post 16 Study Centre

Many students in Year 7, 8, and 9 have expressed an interest in applying face paint and using hair spray in the afternoon, as have Year 10. If you do not wish your child to apply face paint and/or to use hairspray, please complete the slip on the letter below and return to his/her P&A mentor. Please ensure that if your child is intending to apply face paint that they are not allergic to it and that it is non-permanent. If you are not certain then please inform your child not to apply it.

Please can we ask for your support in ensuring that Year 10 outfits are appropriate and safe for physical activity in a college environment? Any student wishing to wear a morph suit as part of their fancy dress must wear a pair of shorts as well.

You are reminded that this is an event for students only. In the interests of safeguarding, parents/other adults will not be allowed to spectate. On a final note, we need to emphasise that Sports Day is normal day in terms of attendance and any unauthorised absence will be followed up in the usual manner. If your child does not wish to take part in sporting activities, please contact his/her Year Office as other arrangements can be made. We thank you for your support and look forward to another fantastic day.

Yours sincerely

Teacher trainees are celebrating their graduation as Newly Qualified Teachers at Minsthorpe Community College. The College is the hub school for the Yorkshire Three Counties Alliance SCITT (school-centred initial teacher training). The YCTA provides on-the-job training for post-graduates and Qualified Teacher Status for experienced Teaching Assistants who are already working in schools. The YCTA SCITT was judged as ‘good’ in its very first Ofsted inspection in January 2017 when inspectors praised both the quality of its teacher training programme and the support that teacher trainees get from their mentors and staff in their placement schools.

"We are proud of our role in developing excellent teachers for the education system" said Ray Henshaw, the Principal of Minsthorpe. "Now, more than ever, we need to be providing the next generation of teachers as the number of students in schools is set to soar over the next five years." The SCITT has a year-on-year record of only producing good and outstanding teachers and all secure employment at the end of their training. "This is a record that we are rightly proud of" said Ray, "and it is a testament to the excellent work that is being done by the staff in all of the YCTA SCITT partner schools who are placed all over Yorkshire."

If you are interested in training as a teacher, the YCTA SCITT is currently recruiting for September 2018. Go to the website for further information – ytcascitt.co.uk