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We would like to wish everyone who is celebrating:
'Eid Mubarak!'

NEU Strike Day on Thursday 27th April.

On Thursday 27th April Year 11 and 13 students should attend school as normal and go to their tutor rooms for registration at 8.40. They will go to their usual classrooms throughout the day; lessons will go ahead where teachers are not striking and there will be revision activities set by teachers who are striking that students can work on independently whilst being supervised by SLT, cover or support staff. The canteen will be open as usual.

There will be no in-school lessons for students in Years 7-10 and 12. Teachers who are not striking will set work on Teams by 9.10am and be available to answer questions via Teams chat. If teachers are striking, no work will be set. Students will be able to read or complete work independently.

School will be open for vulnerable students and the children of critical workers, they should sign in at main reception. If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, you will be emailed about the arrangements for this day.

Thank you for your continued understanding. We will review these arrangements and communicate our plans for the strike day on Tuesday 2nd May in the bulletin next week.

SCGSG Spring Concert

We are pleased to announce our annual Spring Concert will be taking place on Thursday 27th April in the Sports Hall at 7pm. All tickets are priced £5.

Tickets are available now here, limited to 3 tickets per performer.

Proceeds will go to the DEC Appeal for Syria and Turkey Earthquake Relief.

Year 9 French Study Tour – July 2024

We have organised a PGL study visit to Château de Grande Romaine in France for Year 9 (current Year 8) students from Friday 12th July to Monday 15th July 2024 as part of the Year 9 Enrichment programme.

The cost of the trip will be £475.00. This includes three nights full-board accommodation, transport, insurance and the cost of all excursions, including the Eiffel Tower and a cruise on the river Seine. In order to secure a place on the trip, a deposit of £75.00 is required by Wednesday 26th April 2023.

For more information, please see the attached letter.

Issues regarding parking in the school community

The School continues to receive regular complaints in the wider area about parking on adjacent roads to the School site. This is a safety risk to our students and members of the local community, significantly disrupts the flow of traffic and damages the relations between the School and our neighbours.

This week we have received a complaint from a resident who lives on Braemar Road. They were not able to park their car on returning home one day this week. Their car has also been damaged as a result of the careless parking reported.

Please can parents ensure they are parking considerately and in compliance with the Highway Code. There are double yellow lines and zig-zag lines identifying areas where vehicles should not park or drop off passengers.

There are numerous car parks located within walking distance of the school site (Holland Road, Duke Street and Upper Holland Road are the closest) so please use these if possible. Your support in this matter is much appreciated.

Character Awards

Congratulations to the students who have been awarded Character Awards for the Spring term. It is fantastic to see so many students being rewarded for being Respectful, Positive and Resilient, Making good decisions, showing Integrity and enjoying their learning.

Delphinus Charity Day – Friday 28th April

Delphinus House are raising money for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. During next week, there will be an exciting whole school Cluedo Challenge game that will run throughout the week. Friday 28th April is a non-uniform day (please remind your daughter of the need to dress appropriately). There will also be stalls in the Sports Hall and a live performance from our very own school Rock Band!

Midlands Air Ambulance are also visiting school on Friday and will have a real cockpit from one of their helicopters on the field for students to see and understand just how much the funds raised will help. Students will need £1 for the non-uniform donation and some cash for the stalls on the day.

Notices from the Parents’ Association

Spring Concert 27th April
The concert will be going ahead next Thursday, and we are very much in need of more volunteers to help set up and serve drinks during the interval of the concert. Even if your daughter isn’t performing, we would really appreciate your help.

It’s only around 1 to 1.5 hours of your time that we need, but it would mean so much. Please contact us at our usual email address, pa@suttcold.bham.sch.uk or contact Rina on 07870 789157.

Pizza and Movie Night 5th May
Letters will be out soon for our upcoming movie night where the film selected is Minions: The Rise of Gru. As an additional option, the girls can pre-order Bubble Tea which we're confident will be a popular option judging by the sales at the Christmas Fair!

Next PA Meeting
Our next meeting is on Wednesday 26th April at 7pm via Microsoft Teams. If you would like to participate, please drop us an email and we will send you the link.

Instrumental / Singing Lessons 2023-24

If you would like your child to start/continue having instrumental or singing lessons from September 2023 please complete this form and submit by Friday 12th May.

Further questions may appear depending on the answers you give to help us plan our instrumental order with Services for Education - Music Service. (We will try to meet late applications but cannot guarantee places beyond this date)

For the 2023-24 academic year, parents are asked to contribute £360 towards the cost of lessons for a guaranteed minimum of 28 lessons in the academic year. School will require a non-refundable deposit of £80 to be paid before we can make the order for you. Details of how to make this payment will be given as you complete the form. There is financial support available for families in receipt of certain state benefits and/or who qualify for pupil premium funding. Please do not let the financial contribution act as a barrier for requesting instrument lessons for your daughter, e.g. instrument lessons for students who qualify for free school meals will be fully funded by school.

Students are limited to one instrument and it is with the understanding that if a parent wishes their child to have private lessons this would be instead of and not in addition to school instrument lessons. Lessons take place within the school day and times are rotated where possible to avoid the same timetabled lessons being missed each week. Students are taught mostly in pairs, matched by ability / experience. Students having instrumental lessons in school are expected to attend their lesson every week, practise regularly at home and support the school’s ensembles by attending rehearsals and participating in musical events.

Please note that lessons last for the full academic year (until July 2024); it is not possible to stop lessons part way through the year. If you have any questions, please contact Mr Collet, Head of Music.

Careers Fair - Thursday 6th July

On Thursday 6th July, we will be holding our Careers Fair in school where students have the opportunity to speak to employers and representatives from universities and other training institutions to discover more about a wide range of careers and opportunities.

If you or you know of anybody who would like to be involved in the event by representing a particular career or training provider at the event, please contact Mrs Lucas as soon as possible.

Youth Orchestra Opportunity in Sutton Coldfield

Apollo Academy is a Youth Orchestra for young people aged 11-22 who play at Grade Six or above and are very enthusiastic about music. This is a youth orchestra run by young people for young people. Section leaders are recruited and trained from within the cohort and even conducting will be something that the young people are encouraged to do. The Young Person's Voice will inform everything that is done.

Our expert staff will guide and train the young people as well as take responsibility for keeping them safe. The young leaders will have the opportunity to join Apollo's Young Performing Arts Leaders Training Programme which is completely free and includes lots of work experience opportunities. You can find out more about our projects and how they work by visiting our website.

We have applications to fund this project from September 2023 but in the meantime, we are offering an exciting orchestral project on Sunday 30th April and Monday 1st May from 10am to 4pm.

To register, you can speak to Mr Collet in school or use this link and fill out the Microsoft Form. If you have any questions, please email: info@apollouk.org

National Youth Orchestra – Applications open!

The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is inviting applications for its two programmes:

NYO Inspire is open to all students who can play an orchestra instrument at Grade 6 or above (no need to have taken the exam though). The courses are FREE and do not need an audition. Students from state schools are prioritised. Sign up by 31st July 2023 for free opportunities in 2024.
The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is one of the world’s foremost youth orchestras. The orchestra is for musicians playing orchestral instruments at Grade 8 and above (no need to have taken the exam though). Free auditions, feedback and further opportunities are given to every candidate. The deadline for applications is Monday 29th May 2023.

More information can be found at www.nyo.org.uk

Pause - Forward Thinking Birmingham

Need someone to talk to? Struggling to cope with feelings? Pause are here for you.

If you are under 25 and registered with a GP in Birmingham, you can receive support from Pause. We also provide support for parents and carers who are concerned about their child or young person’s wellbeing. If you are under 14 we require a parent/carer to complete the registration with you and support you to come to a session, however once you are here you can have space to speak on your own without your parent or carer.

For more information, please see the attached flyer.

E-Safety: Echo Chambers

Have you ever read something online that’s changed your perspective? Provided new information and made you look at an issue in a fresh light? Imagine if that kind of thing never happened: if everything you read on the internet just reinforced what you thought to begin with, and – what’s more – confirmed that pretty much everyone else out there in cyberspace felt the same way.

Welcome to the world of online echo chambers, where one particular school of thought is constantly repeated and never challenged. This lack of impartiality can be damaging if the opinion is an extreme one – especially for younger people who are generally more inclined to believe it.

This free online safety guide examines echo chambers – how they work; why they’re potentially harmful to impressionable young internet users; and what trusted adults need to know.

Letters to Parents

Recent Letters

Year 7 and 8 - Parents' Association Disco
Year 9 Robotics Club - Regional Finals Competition
Year 11 Blackpool Trip - July 2023
PGL France 2024 - Deposit Letter

Please click here to access all letters issued to parents/carers this term.

Staff Vacancies

Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Contract: Permanent, Full-time (Part-time expressions of interest considered)
Salary: Main pay range or Upper pay range + TLR 1A
Application Closing Date: 9.30 am on Tuesday 25^th April 2023
Interview: Friday 28^th April 2023
Start date: September 2023

For more information, please visit our website.

Dates for your Diary

More details of school events for each half term can be found on our website here.

Tuesday 25th April
- Year 8 Progress Evening

Thursday 27th April
- Sprint Music Concert

Monday 1st May
- Bank Holiday (school closed)

Monday 8th May
- Bank Holiday (school closed)

Tuesday 9th May
- Year 7 Progress Evening

Monday 22nd - Friday 26th May
- School Examination Week