Newsletter Friday 18 September 2026

It has been wonderful to welcome all of our students back to school for the start of the new academic year. From the moment students returned, there has been a real sense of positivity, purpose and enthusiasm across the school. The excellent start we have seen reflects our core values of Enjoy, Learn, Succeed, which are already evident in the way students are approaching school life.

As always, welcoming our new Year 7 students has been a particular highlight. They have settled in brilliantly and are already making a fantastic impression. Equally, it has been great to see every year group stepping up and embracing the opportunities and responsibilities that come with moving on to the next stage of their education. In particular, our Year 11 students have returned with a strong sense of focus and determination, setting a positive example for the rest of the school. Our Sixth Form students have also made an excellent start to the year and are really enjoying the new dedicated space that has been created for them, giving them an environment that supports both independent study and a strong sense of community.

The positive start has been reflected in classrooms and around the site, with Golden Tickets already flowing in recognition of students demonstrating our values and making excellent choices. As a staff team, we genuinely believe this has been one of the strongest starts to an academic year for some time. The attitude of students, their engagement in lessons and the overall feel around the school have been extremely encouraging.

As you will read below, beyond the classroom, students have already enjoyed a range of exciting opportunities. We have successfully completed our Year 7 and Year 9 team-building activities, helping students develop confidence, strengthen friendships and build a sense of belonging. More activities are planned over the coming weeks. We have also enjoyed a fantastic start to our sporting calendar, including an impressive victory for our Year 10 football team.

Looking ahead, we are excited to welcome prospective students and families to our Open Evening on Thursday  24 September from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. It is always a wonderful opportunity to showcase our school and celebrate the achievements of our students and staff.

If the first few weeks are anything to go by, we are in for a fantastic year ahead. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

It has been a brilliant start to the year for Year 7. Students are arriving fully equipped and ready to give their best in each lesson. The high level of effort students are putting into their learning is not going unnoticed, with the students having already filled several buckets full of Golden Tickets. One student in particular is leading the way, with 42 Golden Tickets earned so far, an average of more than three a day!

Half of the year group recently went to Nell Bank in Ilkley, with the other half going this coming Monday. The day provided an opportunity for students to work as a team and solve problems across four different challenges. There was a lot of learning and enjoyment had by all. The students represented themselves and school proudly and received regular praise from the staff and local community. Some pictures of what the students were doing on the day can be found below, along with our first Golden Ticket draw of the year in assembly. Finally, a real strength of the first week of school was having over 97% attendance in the year group, the highest in school. It is so important to ensure all students are in all the time to develop the foundational skills and knowledge which will be applied over the course of this year.  To support students with their attendance, there are a range of attendance rewards for students to work towards to keep their attendance as high as possible, please keep encouraging your children to come in as much as possible.

Year 8 have had a wonderful start to the year. We have demonstrated that we follow our school values of Enjoy, Learn and Succeed and it is great to see we have continued from Year 7 our high standards that we set.

Our year group have nominated our Student council representatives for each form. It is a great achievement, and I can wait to see how they help to change our school for the better.

We have had a great start to the school year with high attendance and perfect uniform consistent across the year group.  Students have settled in to school life quickly and are showing an increased pride in belonging to the year group and school as a whole.  It is an absolute pleasure to witness you child grow in confidence and maturity and wanting to do well in lessons.  On Friday 18^th September all Year 9 students have taken part in ‘Wise-up’ Team Building event.

We had a really strong start to year10 with an attendance figure well above 90% and the majority of pupils in uniform with equipment ready to be successful every single day.   Over 12,600 positive awards were given out in the first week with a 95% ratio positive to negatives which is a great indicator of how focused pupils are.  Students have settled into their new tutor groups and have worked on attendance, PSHA and English intervention in these tutor periods.  Pupils have also been busy voting for school tutor representatives for the leadership team.

We will be having an apprentice themed day on 25 September with a company called WiseUp: Apprentice Themed Activity Day | WiseUp Team Building  The day will involve pupils developing their business, time management and budgeting skills.   

Just using this opportunity to remind you that pupils need to be in the school yard at 0815 for a prompt 0818 start with their equipment so they can maximise their learning in lesson time. 

The Year 10 Team remained the same: 

Ms Humpherson Associate Assistant Head (AAHT)of Year 10)

Ms Farrar Head of Year (HOY)

Ms Rashid Assistant Head of Year (AHOY). 

We are looking forward to working with your child this year. Any issues at all please get in touch using the main reception phone number.

A great start to the year for the Year 11s. Behaviour has been fantastic across the year group and we have had so many positive records on ClassCharts as a result. Routines in the year group have now been embedded with students engaging in additional Maths support during tutor time on Thursday and Friday. We have been electing student leaders in each tutor group to represent the school with our student leadership team. Giving students the opportunity to develop key skills and showcase their leadership to support the school community.

As always, we strive for the highest of attendance in our school and with Year 11 we have no exception. Students are celebrated regularly for continued excellent attendance, and we are having constructive conversations with students and families that are needing our support to engage and attend school to achieve all the success we expect at Beckfoot Oakbank.

We are pleased to welcome Mr Bentham to our Year 11 team as the new Associate Assistant Headteacher for Year 11. After two weeks of embedded routines for all (not just students!) we are now ready to reach our goals for a very important year of attainment at Beckfoot Oakbank. As always, we are looking forward to working with you all to give our students the best career and life following Year 11.

It has been a fantastic start to the school year for our new Year 12 students as they settle into their new purposely designed sixth form area, build new friendships and begin their studies in Sixth Form.

Our Year 13 students have also hit the ground running and have been straight into a hive of activity. Alongside continuing with their courses and preparing for their final year of study, they have been engaging in UCAS and university application workshops, as well as apprenticeship guidance sessions, helping them to take the next steps towards their future destinations.

We were also delighted to welcome Year 13 parents and carers to our recent Parent Engagement Evening. The event provided valuable information and guidance to support students through this important year, including pathways into apprenticeships and higher education, the UCAS application process, student finance, key assessment dates, attendance and punctuality expectations, academic support available in Sixth Form, parental support strategies and the educational technology resources students can access throughout the year. The evening was a great opportunity to work in partnership with families to ensure students are well supported as they progress towards their next steps.

To keep up to date with Sixth Form news, student opportunities, events and successes throughout the year, follow our journey on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakbankSixthForm. We look forward to sharing our students’ achievements and experiences with you as the year progresses.

Since returning at the start of September, our CTMC students have made a positive start to the new academic year. The James Project has been delivering valuable sessions on healthy relationships, helping students to develop important life skills and build positive connections with others. We are also pleased to welcome back our TFTF mentor, Reece, who has resumed delivering supportive and engaging sessions with our CTMC groups. In Year 11, students have nearly completed their reading of A Christmas Carol in preparation for their English Literature GCSE, demonstrating excellent commitment to their studies. A gentle reminder for students to bring a refillable water bottle to school each day to help them stay hydrated. Finally, we would like to thank parents and carers for their continued support in ensuring students arrive at school in the correct uniform and ready to learn.

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