We say goodbye to a number of brilliant employees and volunteers of the school next Tuesday. Not least, Peter Bason MBE, who is stepping down as Chair of the NSB Trust after 30 years of remarkable service to both NSB and NS where he has been nothing short of transformational with his input. Thankfully Peter, will still continue to support the Trust Board with his expertise going forward. We also have a number of staff either retiring or moving area / school and we wish all of them the very best of luck and health in their futures. These include some particularly long serving members of staff who we greatly thank for their fantastic work with NSB students: Mrs Inwood (Inclusion - start date 1997), Mr Druker (Music - 2015), Mr Loughney (Science-1989), Mr Livingstone (Maths - 1996), Mrs Daniels (Science - 2005) and Mrs Hibberd (MFL - 2019). There is also a semi-goodbye to Mrs Rodger, Mr Bradbury (Art) and Mrs Prats who are moving across to NS from September but will stay as very much part of the NSB Trust family.

It's been an incredible week for all things Music and Expressive Arts, with Metalworks excelling at the National Music for Youth Concert last Sunday, which followed our tremendous  Musical, 'Oliver' which played out over Friday and Saturday. Everything about 'Oliver' was immense with a superbly rich array and depth of talent across the cast, supported by fabulous music and an astonishing set - there is no need to go to the West End with performances of this calibre at The Cripps!

The Cripps Theatre also played host on Tuesday to a brilliant Sports Awards Evening where a host of cups, medals and ties were given out to celebrate national / international honours as well as all round NSB sporting excellence. Many congratulations to Harry Painter for winning Junior Sportsman of the Year, Hugh Shields for carrying off the coveted Senior Sportsman of the Year Trophy and to Emily Gates for winning the inaugural Sports Woman of the Year title.

 

It's been quite a week for Hugh who, alongside his fellow NSB and England U18 teammate Jack Lewis, has been spending his work experience at the Northampton Saints where the pair of them managed to fit in a session with the First Team Squad! Work Experience as a whole for Year 12 has been a huge success this week as Mrs Rickaby-Collins reports:

This week, Y12 have been out on a week's worth of work experience. We have seen some fantastic placements across a variety of industries (and countries!). We have students in France and Colombia, to name but a few locations! Multi-national companies like Siemens, Yusen Logistics, Deutsche Bank and Barclaycard have all supported students; as well as local SMEs like Hut3, TC Group and Cottons Accountants. The NHS has supported a huge number of students across multiple disciplines, as has Northants Police. For those students who worked with us in school this week they have undertaken experiences with John Lewis Partnership, Channel 4 and taken part in employer interview panels. Stand out highlight of reports so far has to be a student being offered a Degree Apprenticeship (after only 5 days of working with the international brand)!

Huge thank you to Mr Greene, Mr Blanch and Mrs Tilley for all of their support this week.

We are immensely proud of how hard our students worked both in and out of school to develop their understanding of the workplace and their employability and the staff can't wait to hear all about it when they return to school on Monday.

 

Four of our most talented Year 12 debating students took part in the National Youth Parliament Finals for four days in Liverpool. Ms Morrison reports:

The following Year 12 students were nothing short of superb over the past four days at the National Youth Parliament Finals in Liverpool:

The event was intense- schedules every day until 10pm- and the standard was exceptional.  As Edward said, "We were good but everyone was good." As usual, mainly private schools took part but we held our own and some. The results of the event will be announced this week and then a handful of students from the 100 delegates will be invited to the international event. Stop - Press moment - we have just heard that Donnacha has been selected which is an astounding achievement given the strength of competition - he will represent the EYPUK in Croatia in September!!! To read the full write up, click here.

Last week, 37 Year 12 students completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition in the breathtaking yet challenging landscape of Snowdonia National Park. The expedition part of this top-ranking award is incredibly tough to complete successfully - Mrs O'Neil has sent this report on how well the students fared: 

Setting out from the iconic YHA Pen-y-Pass at the foot of Snowdon, the students undertook a four-day expedition, carrying everything they needed on their backs as they navigated some of the UK's most rugged terrain. Their route took them over Glyder Fach, a dramatic, rocky peak rising to 994 metres and Moel Siabod, a remote and majestic summit offering sweeping views of the Snowdon horseshoe. These mountains are demanding climbs in their own right, and completing them as part of a longer expedition speaks to the physical and mental strength of the group.

But more than the physical challenge, what truly defined the week was the spirit of the students. From battling steep inclines and long days in the heat to enduring swarms of midges at the campsites, they were tested at every stage. And yet, through it all, what shone through was their unshakable support for one another. Whether it was sharing out kit, offering encouragement on tough climbs, or keeping morale high around the camp site, the students displayed genuine companionship, empathy, and teamwork.

This was not just an individual achievement, it was a team effort in every sense. The way they looked after each other, celebrated each other's strengths, and carried on together when the going got tough showed the very best of what the DofE Award is about.

Mrs Rutherford and I are incredibly proud of them. This expedition was more than a test of endurance,  it was a celebration of resilience, character, and friendship. These students have not only earned their Gold Awards, but also lifelong memories and friendships built in the heart of the mountains.

Last week also saw the NTTP trainees successfully graduating to become qualified teachers! 22 trainees from across a range of subjects will now enter the teaching profession, with many working in local partnership schools. The cohort have worked incredibly hard to learn new skills and hone their teaching craft and are all excited to embark on the next stage of their careers. After an afternoon of celebrations and congratulations, the cohort was ready to begin the life-changing journey of being a professional teacher. 

If you, or someone you know, is interested in training to teach, please visit our website: www.nttp.co.uk or social media pages by searching NTTP. 

The school sailed through a rigorous Mental Health and Wellbeing Audit this week. Mrs Greenaway reports: 

St Andrew’s College, part of St Andrew's Healthcare, has developed the Lightbulb Mental Wellness Programme for Schools.  It is designed to help schools create a whole school approach to improving the wellbeing of their pupils and staff.

On Wednesday 16^th July, The Lightbulb came  to NSB to undertake an audit of our mental health provision and to experience our wellbeing approach and ethos. It was a pleasure to welcome Stephen and Ian who spent their time here asking a myriad of questions to a variety of staff involved in Mental Health and wellbeing as well as across all areas of the school covering Inclusion, SEMH provision, safeguarding, attendance, behaviour and attitudes as well as PSHE and PD, our extensive extra-curricular programme, House system and Student Wellbeing Ambassadors. The most important aspect of all was the students; Student Voice was at the forefront and there were 3 student panels, one from each key stage who answered a whole host of questions about school life at NSB so confidently and there was also a tour lead by Charlie Reed and Ollie Church highlighting how NSB's wellbeing ethos is seen in practice around the school. We know how vitally important it is to create and continually promote a whole school culture where mental health is openly talked about and where community, respect, kindness and compassion are key aspects of school life, where we learn how to keep mentally and physically  healthy, how to support others as well as ourselves and to be able to identify helpful strategies to overcome problems whilst encouraging resilience, signposting support and reducing any stigma around mental health. This is why it was so important to be a part of a programme like this. A huge thank you to the students and to the staff involved on the day and every day! We won't have the written report for a while but we are very proud to say that NSB was awarded The Lightbulb's Certificate of Mental Health Excellence. 

 

There have been a number of tremendous individual student achievements recently, including Year 8 student - Jake Dell who represented Great Britain  in Portugal for the 1/8th Off-Road Model Car European Championship on one of the toughest tracks in the world. Jake performed brilliantly and came top of the U13 contestants as well as placing very highly in the overall field which was full of adult professional drivers. Three very talented students in Year 9 have been offered incredible opportunities to support their development, with the only downside being that the opportunities will take them away from NSB next year so that they can pursue their dreams. Evan Fallon will be joining the world famous Brit School from September after successfully gaining only one of two places from a field of over 500 applicants, which is a sensational achievement for a student who is already attracting notable professional sector appreciation of his prodigious talent. Harry Painter and Rubens Nebatumbu will be chasing Premiership starts by joining Leicester City Academy full time in the new academic year - both boys having served NSB football with distinction over the past three years as part of the most successful year group team in NSB history.

 

Many congratulations to the Year 12 students who have been awarded the following student Leadership Team posts for next year after a ferociously competitive round of interviews:

 

Ellie Watling - Head Girl

Aadya Dave - Deputy Head Girl

Erin Searing - Deputy Head Girl

Charlie Townsend - Head Boy

Angus MacGregor - Deputy Head Boy

Stanley Rees -  Deputy Head Boy

 

 

Finally, the very best of luck to our KS4 Dance Team who are competing in the National Finals in Sadler's Wells, London next weekend as one of only two representatives from the Midlands, which is a phenomenal achievement and great credit to the students as well as both Miss Clintons and Mrs Italiano-Drew who have supported / trained them so well. Best wishes too to our Rugby squad who on Sunday will be on their way to tour South Africa with a magical itinerary against some of the biggest school names in the country together with some incredible cultural capital development opportunities.  At the same time, three of the squad - Hugh Shields, Aiden Reid and Jack Lewis will separately be travelling to South Africa to play for the England U18s against a number of international sides, including the Springboks!

 

Thank you to all parents and carers for your wonderful support of the school this year and I hope all connected to NSB have a fantastic summer break!

 

Richard Bernard

Headteacher