Dear Parents and Carers,

You may have seen recent media coverage regarding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and its use in educational settings. RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete; because it is weaker than regular concrete, concerns have been raised about its long-term durability. Department for Education (DfE) has recently changed its guidance to education settings on the management of RAAC to take a more precautionary approach and as a result areas in affected spaces will be vacated.

We wanted to inform you that we are not affected by this decision as we do not have RAAC in any of our buildings, and therefore they will continue to function as normal. We understand that parents may want to understand more about the support to educational settings to manage RAAC safely. You can read more through the article published by the DfE on the Education Hub.

I hope that this offers reassurance.

Yours sincerely,

Joanna Crewe
Headteacher
Chaucer School

Students and staff at Tapton School Academy Trust celebrate GCSE success.

Students at Bradfield, Chaucer, Forge Valley and Tapton secondary schools received their GCSE grades today and celebrated their results alongside friends and teachers.

We will be introducing a House system which will impact all students and staff at Chaucer school. The letter and the leaflet below will outline some of the changes and how they will affect you and your child.

In many schools, work experience relies on young people arranging their work experience placement with family or friends. But what about those with no suitable connections?

Work experience has been shown to increase future earnings and reduce the risk of being NEET (not in education or employment), so students without connections miss out on the actual experience as well as the longer-term benefits. We’re trying to help raise our students’ aspirations and confidence and improve their future chances by sourcing some placements in Sheffield.

Can you help? If you can’t host placements yourself, do you know anyone that can? Could you share this with your network (please!)?

If you can help, please email sbrown@chaucer.sheffield.sch.uk

Please see information from the Department for Education about new T Level qualifications and why they may be a great choice for your child after their GCSEs. T Levels are at the forefront of technical education – and are a key pillar on the ladder of opportunity for young people, a framework which outlines how a skills system operates to support people from all backgrounds to reach to the top rung: well-paid, secure and sustainable employment.

We’ve been trying in school this year to make rewards as visible as possible for yourselves and for students. Reward boards have gone up in classrooms this week as a prompt for all to be recognised in the classroom for showing the school values of respect, responsibility and kindness.

Please see the letter below for more information.

Does your child or young person have a special educational need or disability?

Sheffield City Council has a website with information about support and services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities aged 0–25 years. This is known as the 'Local offer'. It is part of a website call the Sheffield Directory, which also covers services for adults, children and families.

A reminder to all parents, carers and students school is closed on Friday 30th June 2023 for Staff Training. For more details on term dates please visit https://www.chaucer.sheffield.sch.uk/term-dates

Year 10 students have got an upcoming assessment for the Speaking and Listening element of their English Language GCSE. It's an exciting challenge that allows students to share their passions, build confidence and develop key skills! 

On Tuesday 13^th of June a group of our year 7 students visited the University of Sheffield to take part in the Sir Harry Kroto Day. The day is a celebration of the Nobel prize winning work of Sir Harry Kroto and his discovery of Buckminster Fullerene which was given the nick name “Bucky Ball” due to its structure. The students took part in workshop activities in the morning learning about the scientific scale from the gigantic gigametres to opposite extreme of nanometres. They built their own Bucky Balls and explored the unique geometry of this amazing molecule.

In the afternoon the students got their lab coats, goggles and gloves on to take part in some experiments to explore the chemistry of different molecules in the teaching laboratories in the Dainton Building. Students made their own bath bombs, explored the slippery and stretchy world of slime and watched various demonstrations including elephant’s toothpaste and the wonders of liquid nitrogen.

The students were impeccably behaved and were an absolute credit to themselves and the school. I was proud to be able to accompany them and share their experience. I hope that they had as much fun as I did and consider the opportunities that life at university can provide.

Well done doesn’t seem quite enough to congratulate them on their participation in the event! I am immensely proud of their conduct and engagement in the day, and it really did remind me of the reasons I chose to be a teacher. Thank you, year 7!

Dr Aitken

Tapton School Academy Trust - Online Safety Newsletter for June.

We are excited to be working with Chaucer School this year to offer an unforgettable summer experience for students in year 11. 

The NCS programme offers young people, aged 15-17, a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something meaningful, as well as a chance to develop skills and take on new challenges that will set them up for adult life.

New for 2023 your year 11 will have the chance to choose from 3 unforgettable experiences and have a range of dates available for you to choose from;

Live It, Boss It, or Change It!

Please see the letter below for information regarding attendance.