Headteacher’s letter 6.9.24

6^th September 2024

Dear families,

Welcome to the New Academic Year

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. As we embark on a new academic year at Stepney All Saints School, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all our students, parents, and guardians. We are excited to continue our journey together, striving for excellence and ensuring the best possible educational experience for all our students.

I am incredibly honoured to lead Stepney All Saints School, serving as the fifth head teacher in its history since its inception as the Sir John Cass Foundation and Redcoat School in 1966. Over the past 7 years, I have held the position of senior deputy headteacher, focusing on progress and achievement in both KS4 and KS5. Having grown up in East London, not far from here, to Ghanaian parents, education was always a top priority in my family. This upbringing instilled in me a strong belief in the value of learning. My ethos is centred around striving for excellence at all times. Collaboration among students, staff, and parents is crucial to ensuring each student reaches their full potential. It’s not just about achieving top grades, but about each student achieving their personal best.

You are becoming part of a remarkable school known for its outstanding academic achievements. Once more, we have excelled at KS5, achieving our highest-ever results in A-level and BTEC nationals, enabling our students to secure placements in top universities across the nation. Our GCSE results continue to rank among the finest in the borough and within the top 5% nationwide, with a progress score of +0.75 and over 42% attaining grades 9-7 in English and Maths. This is a truly exceptional accomplishment by both our dedicated staff and talented students.

GCSE / A level / BTEC Results

The summer holidays brought excellent examination results for Year 11 and 13 students at Stepney All Saints. Students, families and staff deserve credit for all the hard work, support and effort that went into ensuring students completed their courses successfully.

Special congratulations go to the students listed below who have all achieved outstanding results:

Our community

I must address a matter that has been a concern for many. As you may be aware, recent far-right protests across the country, have sparked a range of emotions and reactions among our students. We recognise the potential impact such events can have on young minds, especially in terms of their emotional well-being and understanding of the world around them.

To support our students during this time, we will be dedicating time in our PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic) curriculum to explore these issues. This will provide a safe and supportive environment for students to express their thoughts and feelings about the protests, helping them to make sense of the situation. Our goal is to empower them with the tools to navigate such challenges with resilience and understanding.

Adherence to the School Behaviour Policy

At Stepney All saints, we strive to be an Anti-Racist School.  In light of recent events, it is crucial that we maintain a strong sense of community and respect within our school. We ask for your support in ensuring that all students adhere to our school’s behaviour policy. It is vital that our students understand the importance of respectful and responsible behaviour, both within school grounds and in the wider community.

Our behaviour policy is designed to foster a positive and inclusive environment where every student feels safe and valued. We encourage open dialogue between students, staff, and parents, and we are here to work with you to ensure that any concerns or issues are addressed promptly and effectively.

Uniform and Equipment

Our uniform is to be worn with pride and consequently we have high expectations. The full details of items to be worn are clearly listed on the school website – www.stepneyallsaints.school/for-parents/school-rules-and-information/uniformequipment-list/ and can be found in the student online planners. There is no room for personal interpretation as the list of acceptable items is clear.

All students must wear the full and correct uniform for school, school occasions and PE lessons. We will check the uniform of all students on the gate and at tutor time. Students who come to school dressed incorrectly may, if there is no adequate reason, be sent home to change or parents contacted to bring in the correct items. In addition, all items of uniform, especially blazers and coats should be labelled with the student’s name.

Students should be equipped with what they need in all lessons. In their school bag, they should have black or blue ballpoint pens, pencils, a rubber and a ruler. It is useful for students to have equipment such as highlighter and glue sticks also. Laptops must be charged and in addition students must have the mini-whiteboard provided by the school. This equipment allows staff to get the most out of our students and failure to be fully equipped slows down learning in lessons.

I would also like to point out that water fountains are available for students to use, however students will need to bring a reusable and labelled drinking bottle to fill up from the fountains. The water fountains should be used for filling up water bottles only. Students should not drink directly from the fountains.

Finally, ID cards are issued to every student and must be worn at all times. ID cards will be used when paying for meals. If the ID card is lost, students will need to pay a replacement fee.

Enrichment / Extra-curricular activities

All students at Stepney All Saints must take part in enrichment activities during the course of the academic year. Education is about more than grades. Taking part in enrichment allows young people to develop their character, confidence and vital skills for the future. It is important to recognise that employers and universities frequently give preference to those who can demonstrate that they have acquired the key employability skills that participation in enrichment activities develop. Consequently, showing that you have regularly taken part in enrichment activities can give you an edge over others.

Students will shortly be signing up for activities which will start in the coming two weeks. Please ensure that your child participates in what is on offer as well as the further opportunities that will arise across the year including trips and residentials. 

Attendance

We kindly ask for your continued support in ensuring the highest levels of attendance at school. This is crucial for the ongoing success of our students and ensuring that they achieve their fullest potential. Students should always report to school as we have a medical coordinator who can support – colds and headaches are not a reason to be absent. However, in the event of an absence a call must be made to 0207 790 6712 and select option 1. The line also has a voicemail service to allow parents to leave messages outside of school hours.

Mobile phones

I would like to remind you that Stepney All Saints School operates a gate-to-gate mobile phone policy.  This means that students are not permitted to use mobile phones or any other portable electronic devices such as headphones or speakers for any purpose during the school day unless directed to do so by a member of staff according to our ICT Acceptable Use Policy.

Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must turn them off and stow them away in their bags until the end of the day. Only when they are exiting the gates at the end of school may they retrieve their phones for use. This policy also applies to the Sixth Form. Students who are unable to follow the school policy will have their mobile devices confiscated. Items can be collected from reception on Wednesdays from 3pm by a parent or guardian

Key Events for this Academic Year

The full set of term dates for next academic year are available on our website, www.stepneyallsaints.school/our-school/term-dates-school-hours/. Parents should note that there is a two-week half term break in October.

Important Information Documents

There are several useful and important policies and documents we would like to draw your attention to, in particular the Safeguarding Policy (click HERE). In addition, important documents and letters sent home to parents can be found under the ‘for parents’ section on the school website.

I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage you all to follow the Stepney All Saints social media accounts which provide regular updates and useful information. These can be found @StepneyAS on X, Instagram and Facebook.

In our bid to go paperless, we aim to communicate with parents primarily via email and phone calls. It is your responsibility as parents/carers to ensure that the school has the correct contact information so that we can communicate with you efficiently.

Looking Ahead

As we move forward, I am confident that together we can create an environment where our students not only achieve academic success but also grow as compassionate, thoughtful, and engaged individuals. We are committed to supporting each and every student, helping them to reach their full potential.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. We are here to support you and your child every step of the way. The school email address is info@stepneyallsaints.school.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Let’s make this academic year another positive and successful one.

Warm regards,

Benjamin Siaw

Headteacher, Stepney All Saints School