Welcome to the weekly Newsletter for parents and carers of students attending John Hanson Community School.
Inspire - Care - Succeed
‘HEAD’ Lines
Clarity
Dear Parents/Carers
You will be aware via the media that updated national guidance has been issued regarding the use of face coverings in schools. However, and as I wrote regarding earlier in the week, this does not take in to account local circumstances.
In a week where we have seen a significant increase in cases at John Hanson (based on the number of positive cases last Friday), it would be irresponsible of me to remove the need for all students and staff to continue wearing face coverings.
I will also not be identifying a date by which this will happen, as I do not want the school community to be in a position where I have said we will remove the requirement to wear face coverings and yet positive cases are still high.
However, I will be continuing to review the data on a daily basis. There is no intention to mandate students and staff to wear face coverings for a day longer than we feel is necessary.
When this day eventually comes, the wearing of face coverings will become optional.
I hope this clarifies the current situation and why the decision to keep face coverings in place has been made.
Stay safe and well
Russell Stevens
Headteacher
CLICK HERE or on the image below to find out more about the Hampshire and
Isle of Wight Saliva Testing Programme
John Hanson Community School PSHE Day 3: 20th January 2022
Our third PSHE day of the year, and what a busy one! Our students had the opportunity to learn about themselves and others, the world and environment around them, difficult and topical issues, and how to prepare for their futures.
Year 7: A range of vital sessions for life both in and out of school
Tutor session on Parents in Prison: Shockingly, 310,000 children a year have a parent go to prison. Students widened their understanding of such a challenging situation and the best ways to support themselves or others. What to do in an unsafe situation: With the world we live in showing numerous potential threats and dangers we are unable to evade, our students looked at how to manage situations such as knife and terror attacks. All students learnt the guidance of ‘Run, Tell, Hide’ and how to protect themselves in such unpredictable and potentially lethal situations. Refugees: With over 26 million refugee’s worldwide year 7 discussed misconceptions we commonly see, hear and incorrectly understand about many refugees. By watching videos, looking at images and discussing vocabulary, year 7 will leave the classroom with both a clearer and wider understanding of those around us and how we can be supportive and kind. British Values: In this Year 7 session, students discussed what it means to be ‘British’. We explored the four British values – democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and for those without faith. Students worked together to decide what it meant to show ‘tolerance’ and celebrate our differences. Human Rights: In this session, students discussed the definition of human rights and the difference between want versus need. Students looked directly at the Human Rights Declaration and how certain instances do or do not affect our human rights. In the same way, students discussed how some people have their Human Rights unfairly taken and the results of this. Emotional Coaching: Students explored the external factors which impact their emotions. They began to learn how their responses matter, and how to successfully look after their emotional health. Mental Health: In this session, Year 7 learned about what we mean by the term 'mental health,' and that we all have mental health, whether positive or negative. They also learned about what negative coping methods looked like, and some positive methods that they could use instead to help them manage their emotions. They were also directed towards the wide range of services who specifically support mental health in young people.
Year 8: A day of topical and sometimes hard-hitting subjects, exploring our planet and how to take care of it for the future
David Attenborough documentary on Climate Change and understanding our planet: After one of the hottest years on record, Sir David Attenborough looks at the science of climate change and potential solutions to this global threat through a powerful documentary. Students had a worksheet of factual information to answer and select during this documentary viewing to cement the current state our planet is in and identify what we can do to turn things around. Climate Change – what the Government says: This Year 8 session looked at the Climate Change from a number of different points of view. This included the Governmental point of view, pressure groups and individual people. It concluded with all students writing a ‘Climate Change pledge’ outlining one change they will personally make. The Plastic Problem: Plastic – brilliant but horrifically damaging our eco-systems. Students learnt about the different types of plastic, biodegrading, and how to reduce our single-use plastic usage. Students successfully identified the key importance in the reduction of this consumption in order to be able to sustain and keep our beautiful eco-systems. Local Nature Reserves: How lucky we are! Students learnt about all the wonderful wildlife that are in our local nature reserves – who thought we had the Great Crested Newt. Through some scenarios, the students then learnt how to respect all uses of the parks from visitors, anglers, dog walkers and the many volunteers who upkeep the parks. Recycling: Reduce, reuse recycle! Putting the wrong things in the wrong bin costs HCC £1.2MIL every year! Year 8 discussed landfill, what we throw away and where it ends up, and how to be more mindful in what we do with our rubbish going forward. Recycling can be challenging – knowing what to put into what bins! – and so to help us within the John Hanson community we have launched a competition to design a poster to go into tutor rooms to make the students (and staff!) aware what can go into the recycle bins and not just paper. Grow your own: Vitamins, minerals, fruits and vegetables – the most important things we put into our bodies! In this session, students were able to understand and talk about the importance of healthy nutrients and where we can get them from in our diets. Similarly, students were able to see how easy it is to try and grow our own to promote healthy eating and absorbing goodness from superfoods!
Year 9: A collection of sessions to get students thinking about their futures and what paths they might take
Tutor session with Basingstoke College of Technology: BCOT launched our day; This session was focused on options and careers, giving year 9 students an insight into what college life might look like and what to look out for when choosing their career paths. The Options Process: Year 9 were introduced to the option process to allow them plenty of thinking time before they make their choices for the subjects they wish to study in Years 10 and 11. Students were made aware of how important it is to choose the subject for the right reasons and not to be influenced by friendship groups or favourite teachers. It is a big decision for them and one that must be considered very carefully. Life after John Hanson: During the Life After John Hanson session, students covered possible college courses, apprenticeships and careers that they could embark upon once they have finished their time at our school. Students spent time researching these different options and were supported in making informed decisions about their future. Choices with Winchester University: This activity gave students the opportunity to think about the pathways that they could take to certain career fields. Using real examples from Winchester University, students in year 9 investigated the different progression routes for a number of fictious examples before creating a profile of their own strengths and interests. They discovered entry requirements and investigated their own chosen fields through the UCAS website. The Buzz Test: Through discovering their own personality types, year 9 were able to discuss and explore why they do the things they do, their preferred way of doing things, how they make decisions and how they process and structure their lives. Students discussed how this can directly influence their chosen and preferred career paths and how they can use their personalities and preferences to their own advantage. Employment: Through discussion students explored different types and patterns of work, including employment, self-employment and voluntary work; that everyone has a different pathway through life, education and work and work pattern types such as, Zero hours contracts, Working from home (for part of the week), Working flexi-time, Shift working, Working while mobile and Job sharing. Life Skills: In this session, year 9 evaluated and discussed the importance of skills that enable us to effectively handle the demands and challenges of daily life. Through this session, students reviewed their strengths, interests, skills, qualities and values and learnt how to develop them; understand how to set realistic yet ambitious targets and goals; identified the skills and attributes that employers value; and explored how to manage emotions in relation to future employment Andover and Sparsholt College: Year 9 had a really fun and engaging session with Andover / Sparsholt Colleges. Students participated in guessing the courses from photos, from both colleges. Whilst students learnt Andover provide traditional A levels, they also told students about B Techs, Vocational courses, Apprenticeships and the new T levels.
At Sparsholt we looked at the huge campus and some of the more unusual courses such as Equine Studies, Horticulture and Outdoor Pursuits. To finish, they had to guess some of the animals – no one guessed a Racoon dog!!
Year 10: A range of challenging issues and themes to promote safety, maturity and awareness
Tutor session on Parents in Prison: Shockingly, 310,000 children a year have a parent go to prison. Students widened their understanding of such a challenging situation and the best ways to support themselves or others. Work Experience: Matt and Kayleigh from EBP South came in to school to speak to Year 10 students about the work experience process and system. This was a very informative session to get them to start thinking about what they would like to do for their work experience week in the next academic year (September 2022). Students were shown how to use the system and how to search and apply for placements. This is only the start of the process and more information will follow to parents/carers. Knife Crime: Students learnt about the prevalence of knife use in Britain, the dangers of carrying knives and the legalities around their purchase and possession. Most importantly they talked about the impact of knife use of the families of both those caught carrying a knife and those who had lost loved ones. Etiquette: Etiquette and good manners are aspects of our behaviour which help us make friends, avoid embarrassment and generally function well as a human being. Students looked at embarrassing examples of how not to conduct ourselves and had time to explore the importance of etiquette in general; appropriate ways to behave in school, how to manage ourselves in the workplace, and our manner of behaviour in general around family, friends and the public. British Values – Tolerance: In this Year 10 session, students discussed what it means to be ‘British’ and how we can apply this to our understanding and application of tolerance to those with different faiths, beliefs, traditions and cultures. Students worked together to decide what it meant to show ‘tolerance’ and celebrate our differences. Gender based violence: With the number of gender-based crimes in the UK rising year on year - happening to males too, but far more likely to happen to females – year 10 worked on their understanding and awareness of what these crimes could be and how to prevent, reduce and report them. As part of this session, students also discussed the importance of consent, how it applies to gender-based violence, what to do and who to tell. Honour based violence: Year 10 students studied the challenging topic of honour violence. They examined the different social beliefs that lead to honour violence across the world, coving the range of different spiritual and religious beliefs behind it. Students also gained an understanding of the range of support services available throughout the UK and abroad.
Year 11: A range of challenging issues and themes to promote safety, maturity and awareness for life in and after John Hanson
Is this Coercive Control: Abuse isn’t always physical. Coercive control is an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim. Through watching a documentary and having an open discussion, year 11 were able to explore the signs and patterns of coercive control and how to spot it in the hopes that they can be more aware for the future. Online Relationships: Year 11 students looked at the dangers of being able to hide behind a computer screen online and how our trust should not so easily be given to those we really do not know. Understanding the dangers of grooming and catfishing, we hope that year 11 will now be more aware and streetwise when using the internet. Condom demonstrations: Year 11 students had the chance to learn how to put on a condom safely and correctly. It is important that students have an awareness of sexual health and how to keep themselves safe and protected. Let's talk about it! Silly Cow: Students found out the impact of a road accident and consider the detrimental impact a lack of awareness and consideration for rules and laws can have on other people. As such, they also learnt about the rules for learning to drive to help them process how to prevent such tragic and possibly fatal incidents from happening. HIIT session: Fitness instructor Claire Buck put the Year 11s through their paces in a HIIT session as part of their PSHE programme. Claire spoke to the students about fitness opportunities post school-life to inform them of what’s on offer at leisure facilities to promote their health and wellbeing. Having a Child: The sensitive topic of fertility is covered in the session ‘Having a Child’ – this information giving session explores infertility causes such as endometriosis and poly-cystic ovaries, top tips on how to support someone through miscarriage or premature birth, as well as alternative options to pregnancy such as fostering and adoption.
Message from Chair, Board of Governors
Happy New Year! I hope that everyone was able to enjoy the festive break and is looking forward to what I hope will be the year that things finally start returning to ‘normal’.
That said, 2022 began with a lot of focus on how schools would respond to the prevalence of the Omicron variant. I understand that there is an expectation that exams will go ahead in the summer, albeit with some adjustments, and whilst some of the proposed changes have already been announced, more advice will follow on 7 February. At JHCS, I am aware that Year 11 students have sat real past GCSE papers, under exam conditions, to help prepare them for the summer. In addition, I know that staff at John Hanson are working hard to counteract the difficulties of the last couple of years and measures are being put in place to support students. In terms of our local response to Omicron, I was delighted to hear that JHCS managed the start of term Covid testing incredibly well with tests done before the beginning of term allowing for two days of on-line learning whilst results came back. I was very happy to hear that there were no cases of Covid reported at the start of term amongst pupils or staff.
In my last Newsletter entry, I mentioned that I was involved in some mock interviews with the students as part of a programme to help with their career progressions. Anna Hall is the Career Lead at JHCS, you can read more about careers support on the school’s website. The Governors are very aware that John Hanson is just one part of the life journey that our students are on and we are very keen that the school provides a springboard that will enable them to move on to reach their full potential. As Year 11 prepare for their GCSEs, things like the mock interviews are designed to help them consider and hone their future options, whether this is onwards to colleges and then University or straight in to employment. The key learning that I took from the mock interview session was the importance of Andover College to the future plans of those that I spoke to. We are very lucky to have the College on our doorstep, and even luckier to have one of the top colleges in the country a few miles down the road in Winchester. Following my experience at the interviews, I arranged a meeting with the Principal at Andover College to learn more about their ‘offer’ as I am keen to strengthen our link to them. Subsequently, I have invited a member of the College’s Senior Management Team to join our Board of Governors as I think this could be help support our students further.
The students that I spoke to expressed a broad range of career aspiration. It is a sign of my age, I suppose, that I found the several references to careers in ‘e-gaming’ surprising but I also heard of ambitions to study at Oxbridge, follow careers in the military (not surprising given Andover’s proud military heritage), and develop skills in hands on careers like hairdressing, mechanics and engineering. The key thing is there is no ‘one size fits all’, in fact one of the things that makes me proud to be associated with John Hanson is that the diversity of options for our student body. Another highlight from my time talking to the students was to hear their answers to a question on their biggest achievement to date, some were truly inspiring. By chance, I happen to speak to three young men who all played for the same football team and who all won the league and cup ‘double’ last season. Not only does this show sporting excellence in our community but it is also an example of the non-academic stuff that is always useful to have on a CV.
Like the students, the Governors have returned to their work in January with three sub-committee meetings taking place this month. Our next Full Governor’s Board will take place in February, I’ll give an update from that in my next Newsletter entry. I’m always happy to hear from any parent that might be interested in joining our Board, or to field any questions that anybody has about our work.
In the meantime, I wish you all the very best for what I hope will be an exciting and successful 2022. Bye for now.
Gary Benham | Chair, Board of Governors | John Hanson Community School, Floral Way, Andover, SP10 3RH| 07522 124299
Book Fair - LRC - 25th January 2022
Donation Thank you
Many thanks to the staff and pupils of John Hanson Community School for the very generous donation of 206 Kgs towards our Christmas appeal. We have attached a certificate that can be printed and placed in any appropriate areas across the school.
As you know, Christmas is always a busy time at the foodbank and during the last five weeks of 2021, 1180 children’s gift boxes alongside over 860 Christmas hampers have been distributed, meaning local families could celebrate Christmas, not just exist through it. Your contribution towards the gift boxes is very much appreciated.
The last few months have been difficult for many. The cut in universal credit coincided with increasing energy prices and colder weather, leaving people with tough decisions of whether they feed their families, heat their homes, or pay other bills. The rise in Covid cases will put even more strain on people struggling with financial insecurity as work hours can become unpredictable. Yours and your customers support means we can make sure no one in our community needs to go hungry.
Many thanks once again for your support
Best wishes
Jenny LeLean
Foodbank Manager
We are delighted to announce that John Hanson Community School has been awarded the E.A.L Excellence Silver Award from the Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS). The award has accredited our ongoing and consistent work with students who speak English as Additional Language and their families.
The framework has proved to be an invaluable tool which has enabled our school to ensure the provision we are offering is making the very best impact on all our EAL students and their families. There are officially, 117 students that attend our school that have a very diverse cultural and linguistic background. EMTAS has offered John Hanson vital support throughout this whole process, via e-mails, Teams meetings as well as several visits to the school.
This self-evaluation set of standards have helped our school monitor our practice, our provision and supported us to reflect other areas that might need improving. The EAL Excellence Silver award reflects our school vision and ethos to ‘Inspire, Care, Succeed’ and links perfectly with the work already being undertaken at our school since 2010 by Miss C Ferreira.
The areas that were assessed in order to achieve the award involved;
Leadership and Management
Pedagogy and Practice
Data, Assessment and Progress
Teaching and learning
Parental Engagement
We would like to thank all the students, staff and parents who contributed to this achievement.
As a school, we are thrilled to be the first secondary school in Hampshire to achieve this award! We will aim for Gold!
Miss Crissie Ferreira
EAL Co-ordinator
Russell Stevens - Headteacher, Crissie Ferreira EAL co-ordinator and Mrs Helen Smith the Excellence award validator, Specialist Teacher advisor, district Co-ordinator for Hart & Rushmoor and Operational Lead - Traveller Team EMTAS
Please encourage your son/daughter to use their SCHOOL EMAIL for work rather than their own private email. This is important for safeguarding and also some of our messages for students are being sent to school email addresses.
Unfortunately, the threat of malicious actors does not stop when you leave school. Many students use their personal devices to complete set work, which is a great cost-saving method and allows flexible working. However, there are risks associated with this. Unwittingly downloading malicious applications on personal devices can risk the integrity of your personal network and the school’s if, for example, log-in details are compromised.
Additionally, the growing network of digital resources available to students has increased connectivity and productivity. However, these applications also pose a risk to the user, a study by Propeller found that phishing campaigns targeted to Dropbox had a 13.6% click-through rate. Increasing student knowledge, sharing encrypted files and authenticating downloads will reduce the risk.
To protect yourself at home:
Use antivirus and internet security software at home
Keep family members and strangers away from work devices
Invest in a webcam cover
Be alert for scams
Please see the other useful links.
Think you know – Activity Packs relating to online safety Who’s watching yours? – 17% increase in children livestreaming since lockdown (Advice to help parents/carers minimise risk to children online) Mental health – How to look after your family’s mental health when stuck indoors Houseparty – Everything you need to know.
John Hanson Computing Department
Performing Arts
Our after school activities return as normal starting next week.
Instrumental Lessons
If your son/daughter would like to learn to play a musical instrument please contact Mike Adams - Head of Music and Drama for details. Email - mike.adams@jhanson.hants.sch.uk
Teachers from Hampshire Music Service visit the school and we can offer lessons in Piano, Woodwind, Brass, Guitar, and Percussion (Drumming).
We have added a page on the website of video How To Guides
