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YEAR
8
It is our aim to promote the School
Mission Statement which is “Every pupil has the right to learn and
every teacher has the right to teach”, put into practice school
policies, advance the School Improvement Plan and enable pupils within
our care to move to the next stage of their education as fully prepared
as possible.
Year
8 is a very important year for the pupils of Robert Bruce as it marks the
end of their time in middle school and the transition to upper school and
their future careers. It is also a time for independence and for taking
responsibility. There are many good opportunities to develop
pupil’s potential in a number of areas. It is also a time to
celebrate success. Past pupils remember their final year with affection
and often return to Robert Bruce to express their gratitude and even
return to help with school productions.
Year
8 is made up of 6 classes averaging 24 pupils per class, with 6 form
tutors and Assistant Headteacher, moving up from Year 7 with their
pupils and 2 additional teachers attached to the year group. Mr Simmons
the Year Team Leader also moves up with his year group to provide
pastoral care to the pupils and lead his team of teachers.
During
the summer term the students will be taking QCA tests which will help to
determine levels and sets in upper school. They will also be having
interviews with upper schools and in some cases additional
testing/levelling for their chosen school.
Traditionally
a Head Boy and Head Girl were elected by the Year 8 pupils. Last year
pupils were given the opportunity to apply in writing to become a prefect, each applicant was then interviewed by
members of staff and the Year Team Leader. The new prefects were then
offered the opportunity to then apply to become Head Boy or Head Girl,
this time Mr Short, the Headmaster, was a member of the interview panel.
The Head Girl for this year is Maxine
Houston and the Head Boy is Karan Sahonta. Their duties include showing around
prospective pupils and parents, speaking to an audience of new parents at
Open Evening and acting as role models for the younger pupils. The 14 prefects,
who proudly wear their badges, are see sitting
at the front of each full school assembly. They are in charge of corridor
discipline at lunchtimes and many other jobs within the school.
Within their school house, Romans,
Britons, Saxons and Danes, the Year 8 pupils are also given an
opportunity to lead with the selection of 2 House Captains and 2 Sports Captains.
Although this is a decision undertaken by the Heads of House it does
involve most teachers in the decision based on Attitude, Conduct and
Effort. This years House Captains and Sports Captains are
Danes: House Captains Adele Bleakley and Spenser Hall
Sports Captains Millie
Scott and Thomas Kitchen
Romans: House Captains Kirsty Parker and Sachin
Mall
Sports Captains Alisha
Powell and Ryan Odell
Britons: House Captains Ashmina Paul and
Connor Field
Sports Captains Sophie
Rinaldi and Kate Scott
Saxons: House Captains Francesca Knaggs and
Harry Gardener
Sports Captains Aminah
Beckhoum and Travis Charles
Last
year the Year 8 pupils were given the opportunity to travel into Europe on two residential school
trips. The first to Normandy in France where the pupils stayed in a
chateaux, visited the Bayeux Tapestry at Bayeux, a local school, a chocolate factory and an apple
farm. One of their missions was to go to the market in the local village
and purchase food, in French, to enable them to prepare a lunch for the
group.
Outside
the chateaux
At
the apple farm
The
other trip was a visit to Löf in Germany, visiting Cologne, where they sampled the
chocolate at the Lindt Chocolate Factory, Coblenz and a day at Phantasia Land a famous German theme park.
 
The
end of year trip for the forthcoming year has yet to be decided but a fun
day out is certainly planned as a farewell to the pupils.
At
the beginning of the autumn term the auditions for the pantomime are held
and rehearsals begin to ensure the show is ready to start the Christmas
season. This years panto Jack and the Beanstalk
was a huge success performing over 3 nights and to a sell out crowd on
the last night.
 
The
end of the year is always sad for the leavers, who have many fond
memories of their time at Robert Bruce, but each year we stage an event
which our former pupils always remember. They don their new outfits to
attend the Year 8 Prom which is a celebration of their successes and a
chance to reflect on time well spent at Robert Bruce School.
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