TERM 6 VALUE:

Truth

Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

We hope you found our recent Progress Reviews valuable. These meetings are an important part of our commitment to supporting each student’s academic journey. They offer a meaningful opportunity to reflect on achievements so far and to make thoughtful plans for future progress.

We’re proud to share that St Brendan’s has once again been reaccredited as a College of Sanctuary. This is a wonderful affirmation of our Catholic ethos and our commitment to being a safe and welcoming place for all, especially those who have fled danger in their own countries. As a College of Sanctuary, we actively support our students, staff, and wider community to understand the experiences of those seeking refuge, and to extend a warm welcome to everyone as equal, valued members of our community.

There are two further days of industrial action that have been proposed for next week—on Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th June. We hope these strikes do not go ahead, but if they do, some teaching staff may choose to participate. This will not affect all lessons, but we do anticipate some disruption to the timetable. We will update parents nearer the time next week.

Students have been advised to check directly with their individual teachers to confirm whether their lessons will be running. The College will remain open for all students. Staff who are not taking part in the action will continue to teach, and support sessions will run as normal. If a student has been told that a lesson is running, they are expected to attend as usual, and registers will be taken. For any scheduled lessons that are not taking place, supervised independent study spaces will be made available. Catering facilities will remain fully operational, and students who are entitled to free meals will continue to have access to these throughout the day.

Marian Curran

Principal

We have updated the information included in the Unreported Absence Notification Emails. The email will now include the overall attendance for the subject, the total number of lessons attended (year to date), the total number of lesson that have taken place (year to date) and the date the lesson was last attended.

We have made these changes to help provide more information to Parents/Guardians when these emails are sent. If you would like to provide feedback on the Unreported Absence Notification Emails please email attendance@stbrn.ac.uk.

JCQ have shared the following information for students:

While we like to share our experiences online, when it comes to exams and other assessments, we have to be careful.

• Sharing ideas online can be helpful when you’re studying or revising.
• However, sharing certain information (see information on the right) can break the rules and could affect your results.
• If you’re not sure what you can and can’t discuss online, check with your teacher.
• If you receive exam content on social media, you must tell your teacher.
• Don’t be caught out by scammers selling fake exam papers.

As mentioned in previous bulletins, our new lanyard policy is now in effect. All students are expected to wear their lanyards at all times while on site. This helps us to maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone. If a student forgets or loses their lanyard, they must go to Reception to get a temporary one for the day, after that, students will be charged. Thank you for your continued support in helping us keep the College a safe and welcoming place for all.

For many of our Year 13 students you will have completed some non-examination work as part of your course, typically known as coursework.

As per JCQ guidelines we must inform you of the process to review marks once they have been published should you wish to. It is very unusual for a student to do this as often, having spoken to their teacher, the marks awarded are understood. However, there is a process should you need it. All of the details of the policy and process, including deadlines for marks release and review/appeal dates, can be found by clicking here.

We would like to remind all students that only enrolled students of St Brendan’s are permitted on the College premises. Bringing friends or anyone who is not a student of St Brendan’s onto the site is strictly prohibited. By doing so, you compromise the safety of our College community, which we take very seriously.

Please be aware that if you are found to have brought an unauthorised individual onto College grounds, this will result in an immediate suspension. We encourage all students to respect this rule and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of everyone at St Brendan’s.