As we move towards the summer exam season, I want to reflect on the particular successes of Years 11 and 13. These year groups have managed their disrupted educational journey with great stoicism and resilience and are tackling their revision programmes with great determination. We are all very proud of them and wish them all the best for the next couple of months. 

Thursday’s annual Prize Giving allowed us to gather as students, staff and families to celebrate the successes of our students. Awards were presented for attitude, achievement and excellence in certain subjects, as well whole college awards for commitment to the spiritual life, charity, the college community and many other things. Our guest speaker, Mr Junior Saunders, delivered an engaging and inspirational speech to all in attendance.

Last Thursday saw the college host another very special event.  Usually students prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation through their parishes, but this year the college was able to offer a programme.  The successful group were all anointed by Bishop Declan at the mass at St Bede's. It was a moving occasion, as each student declared "I am ready and willing". 

I have also been immensely proud of the students in Bell Burnell living out their Catholic Social Teaching via their huge charity fundraising event. All students have been involved in some way and their commitment to St Peter's Hospice shows their understanding of the importance of the life and dignity of the human person.

God bless,

Rob King

Message from Mr King, 7th April 2022

Lent has proven a wonderful season for the college. The students have committed whole-heartedly to their charity work, raising money for Ukraine and beyond.

The increased opportunities to pray and reflect have been well received and our visiting priests were impressed with the respectful approach our students took to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It was wonderful to hear of the success of our KS4 retreats to Kintbury.

The creative arts have flourished this term through High School Musical, the Spring Art Exhibition and Concert and the KS5 Art trip to Cornwall. The engagement across all co-curricular activities continues to grow, especially in PE and the college sports teams go from strength to strength.

Thank you to all our students and staff for their hard work this term, it really is noticed and appreciated. Everyone deserves a well earned rest over the next fortnight, though I know Year 11 and 13 will have to work hard to manage the balance between rest and revision! 

I wish you and your families a joyful and peaceful Easter and I look forward to working with you all again next term.

God bless,

Rob King

Principal

Message from Mr King, 1st April 2022

Dear families,

As you may know, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, has recently set out the next steps for living with COVID-19 in England from Friday 1 April. 

Based on this guidance the new policy for students is below:

·         Students who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They should return to college when they no longer have a high temperature and they are well enough to attend.

·         Students with a positive COVID-19 test result should stay at home and avoid contact with other people for three days, which is when they are most infectious.

I understand that any change in processes and procedures around COVID-19 can cause uncertainty and anxiety for some of us. We will continue to do everything we can within the government framework to keep each other safe and hopefully the summer term will come with a natural reduction in cases. Thank you again for your support through this challenging period. 

Best wishes as always,

Rob King

Principal

Message from Mr King, Principal 25th March2022

The students and staff at St Bede's have continued to be shocked and horrified by the pictures and stories coming from the war in Ukraine. The impact on civilian life is unimaginable and the fact that ten million Ukrainians have had to flee their homes is sobering. I was so proud of the students on our Day for Ukraine last week when they accessorised their uniforms in blue and yellow in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. £900 was raised for the CAFOD's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. We pray that peace comes soon.  As well as looking outwards in the world, we continue to work to improve the feeling of acceptance and belonging for all members of our St Bede's community.

This month we began work towards the Anti-Racist School Award aimed at celebrating our successes but also identifying where we could improve in this area. The college has also this week adopted the Halo Code which means we champion the right of staff and students to embrace all Afro-hairstyles. St Bede's explicitly acknowledges that Afro-textured hair is an important part of our Black staff and students' racial, ethnic, cultural and religious identities, and requires specific styling for health and maintenance. We are only the second school in the city to do this. 

Staff absence due to COVID-19 has become very challenging over the last fortnight and we appreciate all your support as we work hard to maintain an excellent experience for all students. 

Best wishes,

Rob King

Principal

28th February 2022

Dear families,

Message from Mr King, Friday 11th February 2022

On Sunday, Her Majesty The Queen became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. Seventy years of serving her country is a hugely impressive feat and is to be commended. She has obviously seen much change over this period yet she has remained resolute and dedicated to her role as Head of State.

Her servant leadership is wholly in line with the Gospel values and supports our Work Hard message here at St. Bede's. We continue to talk about the reasons for working hard; to make the most of our God-given potential and then use these gifts and talents for the common good. The Queen is a great example of all of this.

Next week is the second round of COVID-19 vaccinations for students whose parents have given permission. This measure supports our continued work on mitigating the risks of the pandemic and I again thank the students, staff and families again for their support in keeping cases relatively low across the college.

Best wishes for a restful half-term next week and God bless,

Rob King

Principal

Message from Mr King, Friday 28th January 2022

This week marks half way through the college year and so it is a good time to take stock. The students have been fantastic, managing the disruption of isolations, mask wearing etc. so well and showing an impressive resilience in their commitment to their studies. I would like to commend my colleagues that work tirelessly to inspire and nurture our students and say another thank you to our families for their support of the college through a challenging few months.

One of my highlights of the year has been the return of many of our co-curricular activities. To name just a few: our sports clubs and teams have been very successful, the High School Musical rehearsals look and sound wonderful, the Eco Club is bursting at the seams with new members and the Duke of Edinburgh Award continues to go from strength to strength. Our culture of taking the opportunities life provides continues to be well developed in our students. 

As you will know the country has moved back to Plan A, meaning face coverings are not mandated in schools any more. This said, their wearing has been a successful part of our COVID-19 measures and we encourage all those that want to continue to wear them to do so. If we have an increase in cases over the next few weeks we may have to reintroduce their compulsory use. In order to continue to protect children and drivers, it is an expectation that face coverings are still to be worn on home/school transport services, despite no longer being required by law. We shall regularly review the situation with our transport provider and advise families accordingly in due course. 

To finish, I would like to join Pope Francis in offering our prayers for peace in the Ukraine/Russia crisis. We hope that tensions decrease and a diplomatic solution is found soon.

God bless,

Rob King

Principal 

Wednesday 19th January 2022

You may have seen that today the Prime Minister announced that from tomorrow, Thursday 20 January, face coverings will no longer be recommended in classrooms and teaching spaces for staff and students. As you know, they were introduced in classrooms at the start of Term 3 as a temporary measure. Face coverings will continue to be required in communal spaces such as corridors until Thursday 27th January when they will no longer be recommended. Any student or staff member may choose to continue to wear their face coverings beyond these dates if they feel more comfortable doing so.

The government's decision comes in response to national infection data showing the prevalence of COVID-19 to be on a downward trajectory. Whilst there are some groups where cases are likely to continue rising, the government has judged that it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally. There remains significant pressure on the NHS but hospital admissions have stabilised, and the number of patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU) remain low and are falling.

Many thanks for your support in implementing this policy over the last few weeks - I am sure it has made a difference in keeping cases at St Bede's relatively low.

Best wishes,
Mr R King
Principal