As always, this half term has been a busy one for us at The Garibaldi School. Our year 11 and 13 students are now in full swing now with the GCSE and A level examinations. We are immensely proud of all there efforts and look forward to sharing with them in their successes in the summer. As you will see from this newsletter, there have been lots of events, activities, competitions and triumphs for students and groups of young people which we look forward to sharing with you. Over the next half term, we will be sending you our annual Edurio Parental Survey to ascertain your views on our current provision and that we can use for strategic planning into the next academic year. This alongside feedback provided by you at all of our events and parents evenings really does contribute to making the school better for our students and the community.
Thank you to parents for attending our parental engagement evenings this year. We now see higher numbers attending this than in previous years which is fantastic. Also, well done to those parents who have enrolled on the free AIM Level two courses. We hope you find these really useful and will look to continue to provide these into the next academic year.
I hope you all have a really lovely bank holiday weekend and I look forward to welcoming students back on Monday 3rd June at the usual time.
James Aldred
Head Teacher
After a very long planning process and many staff involvement in getting the first year 7 camp off the start line the trip went ahead on Monday 25th April. Over 120 students went to PGL at Caythorpe to take part in various outdoor adventurous activities including high wire courses, Jacobs ladder and 3G swing. The purpose and focus of the trip was to allow students to develop their teambuilding skills and character development, which works alongside the current focus and curriculum within the school. All students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and hopefully this trip will continue on for future years.
On Friday 27th April some of our year 9 students travelled to the University of Sheffield for their Brilliant Club Graduation to celebrate their hard work and commitment. Over the last half term fourteen students have been chosen to take part in The Brilliant Club’s Scholars Programme where they have worked with a PhD researcher to experience university-style learning. It has helped our students to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to secure a place at a competitive university and succeed when they get there.
The final graduation event was spectacular and students represented Garibaldi with pride. During the morning session the students had a tour of the University Campus led by University Students and Q&A sessions to further enhance their knowledge and understanding of university courses and university life. In the afternoon our students took to the stage to receive their prestigious award. A further shout out to Samuel Cullen and Sienna Hayward who had the confidence to stand up in front of hundreds of staff and students and deliver a speech about their Brilliant Club experience.
All our amazing year 9 students who graduated from The Brilliant Club Scholars Programme:
Kelsey-Leigh Carden
Isla-Jaye Catton
Samuel Cullen
Jenson Davidson
Caleb Dixon
Esther Egberongbe
Annabel Emmerson
Sienna Hayward
Jaycee Hobson
Mya Revill
Declan Simpson
Oliver Vincent
Tobi Wan
Isabella Wilson
A big congratulations goes out to all students involved – we are extremely proud of you!
On Monday 24th June 2024 four Year 8 students will be taking part in a film makers project set up by the trust. They will experience a training day with a BBC cameraman to learn the tricks of the trade and how to use an iphone to take professional interviews and video clips. Their project will then be to take as many videos/interviews/projects within the school that will be used at a NOVA trust presentation evening. Good luck to the four students for your up and coming challenge!
Students in both Year 11 and 13 took part in a ‘Mock Results’ assembly at the start of Half Term 4. This was a really important and useful point of reflection to assist students in gearing up for their final exam period and results days. It was an opportunity to gauge progress so far and to identify how to use the remaining weeks before the Summer exams to maximise performance.
During March 2024 Year 11’s finished their third and final round of mock exams and Year 13’s their second round of mock exams and their conduct throughout the exam period was fantastic. We know that during this final year it can be challenging for students but we are so proud of how hard they have been working and the seriousness with which they have taken the mock exam process.
Year 11 students have received specific guidance about research informed approaches to revision to help ensure that time is spent on activities that will have most impact. Students have been encouraged to use flash cards in conjunction with spaced practice and the Leitner method to support retention and recall of knowledge and understanding. Parents and carers of Year 11 students were invited into school on Wednesday 17th of April to find out how they could support their children in these approaches. Feedback was positive and we hope to see the positive impact of this approach in the summer results.
The final exam period has now officially started in school and we are almost half way through what is a very intense and important 5-6 weeks of exams and revision. We continue to support our students in every way possible including providing breakfast every morning during this time for all students.
During the Pre-exam assembly, our Year 11 students were presented with a gift…The Exam Survival Kit !
This Kit is more than just a collection of items; it's a tangible expression of care and encouragement for students facing their exams. The idea behind the kit is to provide a comforting gesture that empowers students to navigate the exam period with confidence and resilience.’
Students in current Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 are being offered the chance to be part of a once in a lifetime expedition for 4 weeks to Borneo in the summer of 2025 being run by Camps International.
Assemblies were run for all those year groups and a subsequent information evening for parents to attend with students to gain more information about the trip.
Camps International are award winning global leaders in ethical and sustainable school expeditions. They offer fully supported school expeditions, to industry leading safety standards, across Africa, Asia and Latin America, providing an authentic cultural experience for every travelling student.
The students will experience the magic of scuba diving, learn about orangutan conservation and work hand in hand with Bornean communities on projects that help improve lives. They will journey from the white-sand beaches of picture-perfect Mantanani island, to the lush green landscapes of Sabah – a beautiful region in Malaysian Borneo. Get up close to colourful marine life and incredible orangutans, enjoying the abundance of biodiversity whilst learning about sustainable conservation.
They will play a vital part in environmental and community projects before taking on the challenge of learning to scuba dive on a PADI Open Water Dive Course. This incredible expedition to Borneo is jam-packed with adventure and impact.
This fully supported expedition will provide our students with a unique opportunity to live alongside rural communities, broadening their perspective on the world. It will allow students to push boundaries and step outside of their comfort zone, embarking on a personal development journey. It will enable them to reach and exceed their academic and personal potential, develop valuable life skills and gain key extra-curricular experience highly regarded by universities and employers. All students are encouraged to fundraise the cost, teaching them important life skills such as money management, problem solving and event planning.
Students from year 7 had the opportunity to visit Southwell Racecourse and discover the maths involved in racing. There were many opportunities throughout the day for exploring Maths in a practical way. From weights and measurements and the handicapping system, to the geometry in the construction of fences, to the art and symmetry used in jockeys’ silks, to the science of jockey nutrition. They learnt about job opportunities in the racing industry too.
The students enjoyed interacting and receiving talks from various jockeys (one came 5th in the Grand National) and using the VR headsets to re-enact being a jockey!
Students were exemplary throughout and engaged in all activities.
On Monday 29th April, we held our annual Careers Fair. Over 400 visitors took advantage of the opportunity to speak with a wide range of employers, including Nottinghamshire Police, Mansfield District Council, Experian, the RAF, and ASMECH Systems. Overall, students and parents/carers enjoyed the event and were grateful to ask some useful questions about different career pathways on offer. In our feedback survey, parents/carers commented on how the event was really impactful and gave students a chance to ask questions about their futures.
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Drum and guitar lessons are available in school this year with lots of students already taking advantage of the heavily subsidised lesson prices.
Guitar lessons take place on Monday mornings with Mr Goodwin and drum lessons on a Tuesday with Mr Ellis. The cost of the lessons are £50 for a full term which is to be paid in advance. This includes a minimum of 10 lessons all 20 minutes in duration during lesson time subject to training/INSET days. The times are on rotation so the same subject is not missed each week.
If students are interested in finding out more, please see Miss Biggs in Music 1 at break or lunchtimes who will be happy to give you further information.
The attached letter may provide more information at this stage.
As part of their CTEC Sport Course 6th form students planned and organised a variety of sporting and not sporting activities to raise money for Comic Relief and the local Lashes Foundation charity. Over the duration of the week back in March, the 6th form students put on various cake sales, football shoot out challenges and a darts competition to name but a few from the list below.
Of course the main event again this year was the staff football match which again brought in the crowds and was a huge success. Some staff got a little heated at times and the pressure certainly got to them! A few questionable decisions were made but generally a fair and fun game. Overall the students raised £854.42 which will be split between the two organisations. Well done to everyone involved!
Staff Stocks
Staff Football Match
Pull Up Challenge
Hold Challenge
Darts Tournament
Penalty Shootout
Guess the sweets in the jar
Bake Sale
Whole School Non Uniform Day
If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of a student, please do make contact with the school.
You will be able to speak with any member of staff in school, your concerns may be referred onto the Designated Safeguarding Leads in school. Details of our Designated Safeguarding Leads are on the above poster which is available to students all over school.
Students can speak with any member of staff in school, including (but not limited to) their mentor, pastoral manager or teachers
For further information on support that is available both in and out of school, please refer to
We have lots of events happening over the recent weeks:-
Year 11 & 13 Information Evening - 17th April 2024
Year 7 Parents Evening - 24th April 2024
Careers Fair - 29th April 2024
Year 8 Parents Evening - 8th May 2024
Parent Engagement Evening - Focus: Reading - 5th June 2024
It was fantastic to see so many parents and carers at these events, it is a great opportunity for parents/carers to speak directly to staff in each subject area and receive information and talk through progress to date and what is in place for the coming months. The events were hugely successful which made for busy and productive evenings as always. Though we appreciate that not all parents may have been able to make theses evening we would encourage you to get in touch if you have any questions or would like further information on your child’s progress or to discuss any concerns and thank you all for your continued support.
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Parent Engagement Evening Focus: Reading - 5th June 2024
Meet the Mentor Evening - 12th June 2024
Year 11 Prom - 26th June 2024
Year 11 Alton Towers Trip - 28th June 2024
Year 6 Information Evening - 1st July 2024
Whole School Sports Day - 4th July 2024
Awards Evening - 18th July 2024
Break up for Summer - 25th July 2024 (last day in school)
The Garibaldi School
Train to teach with the Nottinghamshire Torch SCITT