I would like to ask for your support in achieving a once in a life time experience. I have been selected by the Army Cadet force to represent the county on an amazing trip to Gibraltar for two weeks in April. During this trip I will learn new military skills like FIBUA (Fighting In Built Up Areas) which would consist of shooting and fighting through the well known tunnels of Gibraltar, getting a taste of a military experience in a foreign country, taking part in sporting events for the county, teaching cadets of Gibraltar our way of doing cadet activities and gaining an experience that will change my life.

I have been selected for this trip because I have shown persistent dedication to the Army Cadet Force, attending every detachment night, caring for cadets throughout the county, because of this I have successfully progressed to the rank of Sergeant. The trip to Gibraltar is what all my hard work has been for and this is the opportunity I have been given which I cannot miss. I sadly have to leave the Cadets on the 28th of September due to turning 18 so I am gripping every opportunity I get with both hands and making the most of any situation to try and achieve everything possible before I sadly hand in my uniform.

Due to the Ministry of Defence cutting cadet funding it has been made apparent that the Army Cadet Force cannot afford to send Cadets on this trip that they once thought they could so instead of cancelling this amazing opportunity, we have decided to do things the proper Cadet way and put in a little extra hard work to raise the money ourselves and with the support of our generous peers. The trip costs £600 each however, through grants from bigger companies we have managed to take this cost down to £400. Every penny helps and I would be more than grateful for any contribution you have to help us raise this money. This trip to Gibraltar may be a Cadet trip where I will learn new skills, gain new strengths and achieve goals, but it is a trip that I will never forget and it will shape me to be a better, stronger, more kind and caring version of myself.

Thank you.

Jessie, Post 16 Student

This is the GoFundMe page I have created:
GoFundMe – Army Cadet Force Excercise Rookes Rock, Gibraltar

Well done to all Year 11 Hospitality and Catering students in their assessed practicals and a huge thank you for the support of parents and carers in the providing of ingredients.

Mrs Wainwright and Mrs Wood are extremely proud of the talent shown.

College are looking to recruit two Parent Governors and it was lovely to see so many parents interested in becoming a Governor at the Year 8 Preferencing Evening. The role of Parent Governor is offered to the whole parent body. If you would like to know more about this important role, please see the information below or contact the Clerk to the Governors, Mrs Germain, on jgermain@minsthorpe.cc.

The deadline for expressing an interest is Friday 15th March 2019, at 9am and this can be registered by emailing Mrs Germain or completing a form in College Reception. We look forward to hearing from you.

You may be aware that the media is reporting stories currently about young people being targeted on social media. While these stories are not nice to read, much of what is being reported is historical, and the media is using that to raise the profile of the story.

Below is an advice sheet, and we ask parents that they encourage their children not to talk about it. If they are targeted, follow our normal eSafety advice and save the conversations as evidence and report to the police by dialling 101.

You will be aware from our College Code of Conduct of the following expectations in terms of jewellery, mobile phones and other electronic devices:

"Watches are permitted. Students may wear a watch and one small silver, gold or diamante coloured stud earring worn in each earlobe. All other items of jewellery will be confiscated and can be collected from the Finance Office at the end of the College day."

"Mobile phones, MP3 players, iPods or any other electronic equipment are not allowed to be used in College. We are not insured for loss or damage to valuable personal items. Usage will result in confiscation.

As soon as students come on site, mobile phones must be switched off and put away."

As stated in the Student Planner, "They (mobile phones) may be used to support learning during lessons only with staff permission."

We are pleased that the vast majority of students meet their responsibilities and ‘Behave the Minsthorpe Way’ day in and day out.

Unfortunately, a small number of students choose not to meet these clear responsibilities on repeated occasions. For this reason, we would like to make you aware of the following changes, which will take effect after the February half term holiday:

• The first occasion when a student’s jewellery/mobile phone is confiscated, it will be kept securely in the Finance Office and may be collected by the student at the end of the day. Students will be expected to show their planner as identification.
• The second (or future) occasion when a student’s jewellery/mobile phone is confiscated, it will be taken to the Finance Office and must be collected by a parent/carer (who needs to be a contact on our records – in order to protect your child’s item. A text will be sent to alert you.

Students will be made aware of this change for repeat offenders in assembly this week. I thank you in anticipation of your support and ask that you discuss the importance of ‘Behaving the Minsthorpe Way’ with your child.

Yours sincerely

R. Henshaw
Principal

Minsthorpe has been recognised for its outstanding careers programme this week. The college has been awarded the prestigious National Careers Quality Standard.

The Quality in Careers Standard is awarded to schools who can demonstrate the importance that they place on their Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance programme.

The college went through an examination of extensive evidence that was provided by the Careers Leader and other key staff, an assessment visit was also undertaken where Mrs Ellis (C & K Careers) interviewed some of the schools staff, students and a parent.

The National Careers strategy strongly recommends schools work towards the Quality in Careers Standard and Minsthorpe have done this whilst working towards the 8 Gatsby benchmarks, from our assessment we showed that we currently fully meet 6 of the Benchmarks and are well on our way to achieve all 8.

Mrs Ellis commented in her conclusion: "Minsthorpe Community College has a strategic approach to CEIAG and it is very evident that it is embedded throughout college, it is prioritised and a whole college approach is fostered."

The assessment process highlighted these particular strengths of the school’s CEIAG provision:

• Leadership and management are strong with excellent support and strategic overview. The Career Leader is to be commended on his strategies particularly to pull together tracking of CEIAG interventions and NEET.
• The Careers Strategic Plan provides a very clear overview and is effectively used to review and evaluate provision.
• The involvement of the link CEIAG Governor is excellent.
• The website is very comprehensive and includes detailed evaluation and feedback analysis which includes NEET figures and destinations data, student feedback on options, mock interviews and post 16 student feedback.
• The relationship with the external Careers Adviser is good and the CEIAG delivered throughout college is impartial.
• Employer engagement is strong with a wide range of opportunities for pupils to have meaningful encounters with employers.
• STEM activity is very good with a range of activities to raise aspirations and awareness.
• The college is very good at meeting the needs of all students through the taught programme and well-timed quality interventions with pupils. Excellent tracking enables gaps to be identified and acted on.
• The college fully meets 6 of the 8 benchmarks and is well on the way to meeting the remaining 2 benchmarks.

"I am delighted that Minsthorpe has received this award" said the proud Principal, Ray Henshaw. "We are among the first schools in the country to be granted the new Standard and it reflects how important we believe careers education to be at the College. CEIAG is placed at the heart of all we do because our mission is to give high quality advice to our young people so that they can make informed choices that will enable them to progress and make a success of their lives."

The College wants to stress the necessity for parents to be extra vigilant in relation to online safety and ensure that your child is safe online.

Unfortunately, we are seeing an increase in young people being targeted by sexual predators online – predators who request images and videos of an explicit nature. This then inevitably leads to blackmail and the potential grooming of your child. Please stress to your child that it is not normal for a complete stranger to ask them for indecent images and that it is incredibly hard to undo the damage that will result if they respond and send such images to anybody – whether they are strangers or known to them. As a community we have to show empathy for the victims of such crimes but the important thing is for young people not to become victims in the first place.

If the College becomes aware of such an incident you will be informed alongside a report made to the police. Significant emotional harm is caused to the young person involved and we need to ensure that you as parents are able to reduce the risks to your child.

Please ensure that you are monitoring the activity of your child via the internet and mobile phone – for example delete any contacts on social media who are not known to you or your child. Many young people have accepted friend requests from people they have never had contact with in the real world. Please speak about this with your child and reinforce the online safety messages given regularly in College.

Equally remind your child that if they receive any inappropriate images they must report it to the police or CEOP, and ensure that they do not share this with anyone else or risk prosecution themselves. If they receive such images please remind them that, if they share them, they are further hurting people who have been hurt enough already and that they need to see these victims as people and not as images.

The College website includes many useful guides and documents that will support you in setting up privacy functions as well as links to key organisations that can help.

West Yorkshire Police also offer this advice to parents:

Surfing the internet can be an educational and fun family activity. Here’s a few tips for safer use of the internet:

• Check the advice on the Get Safe Online website.
• Check the advice on our Online Guides Pages.
• Place the computer in a central area of your home where you can monitor it frequently. Get your children used to involvement early. Ask what they’re looking at and finding, or who they’re visiting.
• Establish age-appropriate ground rules, including time limits, acceptable areas to access and reasonable penalties – such as denying internet access – if the rules are broken.
• Use blocking and filtering programs available as software or online. They will enable you to monitor or limit your children’s net access. Ask your Internet Service Provider for advice, and see below for details about the Internet Watch Foundation.
• Warn your children frequently about the dangers of the internet, just as you warn them about the dangers of drugs, talking to strangers etc.
• Explain the importance of keeping personal information a secret – real names, home address, phone number, sports clubs etc.
• Tell your children never to respond to an angry, obscene or threatening message. Remind them to call you or another trusted adult if they come across something that makes them feel uncomfortable. Let them know that its not their fault if they receive bad messages.
• Be on the alert for signs of trouble:
  • Overuse of the computer, especially at night.
  • Bad or explicit language – your child learned it from somewhere, perhaps online.
  • Obsession with violent fantasy games.
  • Unexplained long distance numbers on your phone bill. Your child could be in contact with a stranger.
• Online friends; if you child makes online friends with another local child and asks if they can meet in person, first talk to the child’s parents. Set up a meeting with the other child and parent, make it at a public place and accompany your child.
• Report inappropriate online activities. Contact the police immediately if an adult (or a person you suspect to be posing as an adult) tries to set up a meeting with your child. This could be a very dangerous situation.
• Child Pornography. Report any online child pornography to your Internet Service Provider and to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The IWF is funded by Internet service providers and takes reports from the public about child and grossly indecent adult pornography. They pass on information to the police about sites where criminal offences are taking place. Their website is www.iwf.org.uk
• Worried parents can also contact the IWF website for advice about how to set up "net nannies" to ensure their children aren’t viewing unsuitable sites.
• Thinuknow have a resource – Play Like Share This three-episode animated series and accompanying resource pack aims to help eight to ten year olds learn how to stay safe from sexual abuse, exploitation and other risks they might encounter online such as sharing content.

Protect yourself and your equipment, purchase or download good virus protection software to safeguard your computer. Choose a password with a minimum of six characters – short passwords are easy for hackers to crack.

Further Information:
Offensive Posts On Social Media
How Much Screen Time Is Too Much?

In February 1969 Minsthorpe Community College was officially opened by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

To celebrate this 50 year anniversary we are hosting a series of special events involving students, parents, staff and the community.

These include:

College has set up a Facebook page and invite the community to share memories of their time at Minsthorpe. There will also be a pin board and cards in College Reception and at Parents’ Evenings to enable messages to be written and shared.

Student assemblies will celebrate the 50 year theme and all students and staff will receive a commemorative pen.

Happy 50th Birthday Minsthorpe!

Our school has joined the government’s National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), which is being delivered by the charities Family Action and Magic Breakfast.

As a NSBP School we are pleased to offer a healthy school breakfast, available to all, and enjoy the benefits that brings, with children settled and ready to learn at the start of the day.

This service will be available from Monday 21st January 2019 in the Key Stage 3 dining area 8.00am – 8.30am. Bagels and cereals will be available in the first instance.

27/07/1990 – 15/01/2010