Newsletters

Dear parents and carers,

We are drawing towards the end of term and the Christmas spirit is beginning to grow.  At present, the Yr8 students remain at home today due to the challenges of various seasonal illnesses that are at levels higher than usual across the whole local area.  However, we must reflect on a full and successful term where so much has been done by students and staff.

We started the term with our Years 13 and 11 students attending their period 6 sessions with staff supporting them to prepare for their mocks that they have just sat.  The attendance was amazing, at around 98%. In the first week, we had a range of students compete in the Area cross-country trials. This launched a number of sporting events that ran over the term, from the usual regular practices and fixtures, to activities including officiating for the primary football league, leading and delivering Year 4 PE master classes and our girls competing in the county football competition.  I would like to thank the PE faculty for continuing to run all these activities with two staff members absent due to injuries requiring surgery!  The active opportunities did not stop there this term, with students starting their Ten Tors training where they are hoping to be members of teams competing in the 35, 45 or 55 mile races next year.  

The cultural capital opportunities have been wonderful for our students, such as our Yr9s living through history experiencing life in World War 1 trenches, some of our higher ability Yr10 maths students participating in an enrichment session with students from four other schools hosted here at JoG.  It was lovely to see our Yr7s and 8s watching a fantastic theatre performance of Dickins' Christmas Carol, meanwhile some Yr13s have been on a visit to Warwick University and other 6^th form artists have participated in an oil painting workshop delivered by a professional artist.  

It is also pleasing that we are supporting our students to shape some of their ideas for future career pathways.  We have started to draw our Yr9 students' attention to their options coming up. We have run a session with the army for those students in Year 9 & 10 who have expressed an interest in this vocation and some of our 6^th form law students have recently visited the Bristol courts.  

Phew! So much has been highlighted and so much more has occurred, both students and staff need a well-earned rest.  I would, therefore, like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and hope 2024 will be a year of opportunity and success for us all.  Enjoy the festive break with all your loved ones, and we will look forward to greeting students back at school on Friday 5^th January at 08:35 for registration.

Season's greetings,

Girls football season:

The Y9 and 10 girls kicked the season off with a convincing 7-2 win at St Laurence, before returning to play a much stronger Year 10 and 11 team who beat us 6-3 despite Ella G's brilliant hat trick.

We had a number of fixtures, including Years 7 to 11 against some very strong teams, especially Wyvern St Edmund's from Salisbury, St John's in Marlborough and Frome College, each of these schools featuring academy players.

The girls were brilliant in these games and effort levels, and the quality of football played remained high at all times. Well done to all the girls who have been to training and played in matches, and thank you to Megan in Year 12 for coaching at girls' football club.

JOG Rugby Season Summary

A mixed bag for rugby this year at JOG. Lots of games were interrupted due to weather conditions, unfortunately, but most importantly to say, when given the opportunity, our year 8 and 9 rugby teams have filled us with pride. They have taken to the sport, for many of which, it is not their first sport, and thrown themselves into it!

Often, we have played at schools with many more dedicated rugby players, but every time, the JOG boys stood up to the test. Matches against St L and St Augustine’s were very competitive throughout! Big carries and crunching tackles were a feature of both year 8 and year 9 teams, which was awesome to see!

Let’s keep this going next year and encourage our peers to join the team. The boys who have not played rugby before have proved that, with a few weeks of training, you can have a real impact on games vs other schools!

Mr Smith and Mr Walker could not be prouder of the boys that decided to pull on the JOG rugby shirt, put their bodies on the line and ultimately get stuck in with their mates to represent the school. Well Done all!

Notable mentions have to go to Timo Stillwell Yr 7 playing up into the Yr 8 team and to Ruby Ashford and Emily Macklin day for leading in girls rugby and offering 1 to 1 coaching with girls who came along to training, brilliant!

A HUGE thank you to all 20 Year 7 pupils who submitted entries for the Ovid in the West Country competition and for making it such an exciting year for creativity.

We had Lego models, paintings, incredible woodwork, collages, narratives and models – all depicting moments from Ovid’s classical Greek tales. We were thrilled with every entry. Wow! The ideas were superb, and the effort that so many pupils went to was deeply touching and appreciated. 

Mr Rhodes and Miss Bruton had a really tough time deciding who to send through to the final – but after much agonising, Ella Cullis with her beautiful painting of the Minotaur (with accompanying plan and narrative); Nusrat Rahman with her superb clay pot and Jakub Buksa with his very cool chocolatey Minotaur cake were invited to Bristol University for the final.

This took place last Wednesday with over 15 schools taking part across the region. Whilst our three did not win the overall competition, the Bristol judges had many nice things to say about each of our entrants. They were delighted, however, to announce that Ella Cullis was the overall winner for John of Gaunt.

Well done Ella!

Announcing the winner of our student prize goes to Sam Howes for his excellent Cerberus mask. 

Dear Parents and Carers,

The Year 10 team and I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate Year 10 students for their fantastic start to their GCSE courses, showing resilience and determination with their new subject challenges. Additionally, we would like to recognise all the students who have embraced our new school ethos of Positivity, Kindness and Belonging. Many of you will have either received a telephone call or a card recognising your child’s commitment to these. Through membership of our Orchestra, Musical production, Ten Tours and Poppy Collections, over the last two terms.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and we look to seeing all of Year 10 in 2024.

Kind regards

Mrs Scott, Mrs Addecott and Mrs Taylor

JOG donate 42 special Festive Food Parcels to Storehouse 

Tutor groups at John of Gaunt School have created 42 'JOG Festive Food parcels' containing a set list of 15 essential and nice-to-have items. As ready-to-go parcels, the aim is to help Storehouse swiftly give out each pair of bags to people visiting the food bank over the busy Christmas period. 

As well as supporting local people, the aim of the appeal is to promote the school's values of kindness, positivity and belonging. 

Mrs Eagle, the Charity Lead at the school, said: "We are thrilled with the support shown by our students and their families in our Christmas appeal.  Our 42 pairs of bags contain 15 key items that range from hot chocolate to hot dogs. There was real festive spirit in the air today as we collected everything in and packed it up ready for delivery on Friday. We also have 8 additional bags brimming with other kind donations to deliver to this important local charity. Thank you to all the students and staff 'elves' that helped in Thursday's major operation and to all those who have given over the last week!"

Family and Community Learning Referrers’ FAQ and How To Guide

Who are we, and what do we do?

Family and Community Learning (FaCL) offer adults a range of single-session and short courses taught online or at venues across Wiltshire. Our courses are designed to enable adults to build confidence, gain new skills, reconnect with learning and take their next steps to further learning, volunteering or employment.

Our courses cover a variety of topics including:

Wellbeing and confidence building

Skills for adults - English, ESOL, maths, IT, work-related skills

Family skills - helping your child with learning and emotional wellbeing

Independent living skills for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Information about our courses can be found here: What's On? - Work Wiltshire

Who do we work with?

Our courses are funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Courses are no cost to learners who are 19+ and resident in the UK/EU for 3+ years* and live in Wiltshire, and?if they can meet any one of these criteria:?

Less than 5 GCSEs grades A-C ? In receipt of benefits

Military family

Family with SEN child

Are unemployed?and seeking employment

*Adults with certain types of immigration status and their family members are also eligible to join our courses.

If you are unsure about eligibility, or if the person you are referring to has any questions, please contact us for more information and support: Call us: 01225 770478

Email: Familyandcommunitylearning@wiltshire.gov.uk

Website: www.workwiltshire.co.uk/family-and-community-learning/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Wiltsfamilylearning/

Making a Referral

FaCL accepts referrals from organisations working with adults as well as self-referrals. We ask that when referring someone you ensure they understand our service and have given their permission for their data to be used for the purposes of enrolling on their course.

Apply by dates

Referrals must be made at least 8–10 days before the course starts to ensure enough time for online learners to attend an induction to show them around our learning platform, and to allow for any additional support learners may need. Please check the ‘apply by’ date for the course the learner is interested in joining.

Steps to refer a learner onto a course

1. Explain FaCL’s service and check that the course content and course dates and times are suitable for the learner. Family and Community Learning - Work Wiltshire

2. Check the course start date. Enrolments close 8–10 days before the course starts. For online courses, learners will join an induction session first to be shown around our learning platform.

3. Complete the enrolment form on our website with the learner: https://workwiltshire.co.uk/enrolment/

4. Email us at familyandcommunitylearning@wiltshire.gov.uk to let us know the enrolment has been completed.

Further support

If the learner preferred, we can contact them to complete the enrolment form over the phone. In this case, please support the learner by completing our Expression of Interest form: https://workwiltshire.co.uk/signup/

If the learner needs support to access an online course, we can offer a short-term loan of a Chromebook. We are also working in partnership with libraries who are setting up learning pods for online learning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is it like to learn online?

Before joining one of our online courses, learners will join an online induction session. The induction will show learners around our learning platform and help them to feel confident learning online.

There will be a short survey to fill in before the first online class. This will help the tutor to find out the learner’s starting points and discover how best they can support the learner with their learning and help them to move towards their goals.

Learners join their tutor and their class online. They learn together and take part in practical group activities, all in a relaxed and friendly environment. There will be some activities to do at home after the session to help learners practise their skills.

Do learners have to put their camera or microphone on?

We understand that people are learning online in different circumstances. Being able to see learners does help your tutor to know if learners understand or if they need more help. If learners can’t put their camera on in their first session, we would encourage them to try to set a goal to put their camera on when they can. Learners who are not able to talk via the microphone can respond to their tutor and fellow learners via the chat box, so that their tutor can check that they understand and can respond to any questions.

Can learners join an online class if their children are home with them?

Many of our learners are parents or have caring responsibilities. Online learning is designed to be flexible and to help to remove some of the barriers or traditional learning, so learners can join our online courses if they have their children with them. They may like to blur their background on screen, or use the camera off or mute buttons when they need.

Is there help for learners to get online?

Learners may be able to borrow one of our Chromebooks for a short-term loan while learning online. We are also working with libraries to use their learning pods for online learning. Libraries also have free Wi-Fi and can help learners to log on to their own devices. Our online inductions help learners to use our learning platform with confidence. We also offer IT courses to help learners to develop their IT skills.

What support do learners get?

Our tutors are experienced in supporting adult learners with a range of barriers to learning and will help them to build their confidence with learning.

Learners will also receive help to work towards their goals, plus information, advice and guidance about their next steps.

How much do courses cost?

Our courses are funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Courses are no cost to learners who are 19+ and resident in UK/EU for 3+years* and live in Wiltshire, and?if they can tick any one of these criteria:?

Less than 5 GCSEs grades A-C

In receipt of benefits ? Military family?

Family with SEN child?

Are unemployed?and seeking employment

*Adults with certain types of immigration status and their family members are also eligible to join our courses.

12 Angry Men- but 10 Happy Students! - Year 12 Law Trip to the Theatre Royal in Bath

A jury has murder on their minds and a life in their hands as they decide the fate of a young delinquent accused of killing his father. But what appears to be an open and shut case soon becomes a huge dilemma, as prejudices and preconceived ideas about the accused, the trial, and each other turn the tables every which way, until the nail-biting climax…

Last week year 12 lawyers, accompanied by Ms Davison, Mrs Mason and Mr Francis, travelled to Bath to watch this amazing play at the Theatre Royal. After some shopping and a bite to eat, the students enjoyed watching the play, direct from a record-beating season in the West End, London. Starring Patrick Duffy, you may remember him as the ”Man from Atlantis”, and Bobby Ewing in “Dallas”. The play gave students an insight into the jury system and how a trial operates.

They have followed this up with a trip to Bath Magistrates Court this week.

Thank you to the students for their impeccable behaviour and enthusiasm - they were a credit to themselves and the school.

Ms Davison

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel De Souza, has launched The Big Ambition survey to understand what children want ahead of the next General Election. Students can use this link or QR code to access the survey, which will only take 5–10 minutes, so they can have their say: https://childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/thebigambition

Dear Parent/Guardian,

 Year 8 HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccination

 Your Year 8 child is now due their HPV vaccine, which will be delivered by the School Aged Immunisation Team at your child’s school in the new year.

 The HPV vaccine is offered to all boys and girls in Year 8 (aged 12/13 years) because the evidence is clear that the HPV vaccine helps protect both boys and girls from HPV-related cancers. More than 280 million doses of the HPV vaccine have been given worldwide, including 120 million doses in the US and over 10 million in the UK.

 The HPV vaccine used in the NHS vaccination schedule is Gardasil 9 and protects against 9 of the types of HPV which can cause cancer and genital warts for most people with just one dose.

Full details of the vaccination product used, including full contents, can be accessed at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/7330/smpc#gref

To consent for your child to receive the vaccination, or to decline, please click on the link below:

 https://schoolimms.hcrgcaregroup.com/hpv/2023/wilts

You can also use this link to find out further information about the vaccination before you provide your response.

If you have any difficulties completing the consent, please contact our Immunisation Team on 0300 247 0082 or email vcl.immunisations@nhs.net for support.   

Please respond as soon as possible. 

Once completed, you will receive an automated email with a reference number as confirmation.  Please check your junk/spam box if not in your in-box and contact the team if it is not received.

Thank you

School Aged Immunisation Team

School Age Immunisation Team 

HCRG Care Group

t: 0300 247 0082 (Monday – Friday, 9am - 4.30pm) 

e: vcl.immunisations@nhs.net