In support of the Every Child matters - Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, the Teenage Pregnancy Board established a pilot condom card (C-card) scheme in Devon. One of the chosen pilot areas is Tiverton and the school has been asked to participate in this pilot scheme. C-card schemes have been running successfully in other areas of the country for many years, and the Devon scheme has close links with Somerset, Torbay and Plymouth.
C-card schemes are a confidential service that provides free condoms, sexual health advice and support to young people. The most successful c-card schemes have increased condom distribution amongst target groups, reduced unplanned teenage pregnancy and the incidents of sexually transmitted diseases.
The scheme enables professionals who are already working with young people to provide support, advice and where necessary condom distribution. C-card schemes provide a safe space for young people to talk about their concerns and act as a referral point to the full range of contraception and sexual health services.
Young people can only register onto the C-card scheme through a comprehensive registration process with a fully trained, skilled professional, such as the school nurse. Appropriate staff within the school have been trained to act as distributers.
If you wish to discuss this further please contact me at the school.
The Ambassador Team have recently been given a separate section on the website.
Below the Community, in the "Students" section is a new and exciting area entitled "Ambassadors". This section of the site is designed to keep all students (and staff) up-to-date with the work of the Ambassador Team and to involve students in projects. The site is new so please be patient if there are faults but please do visit and see what you can get involved with!
As part of this new transparency project, each member of the Ambassador Team has his or her own group on the Community. These are to share ideas and plans with students but also for the students to share their own ideas or concerns with the Team.
The site will also be used to communicate with students about issues like transformation, and to generally raise key issues and ideas with the students.
As an Ambassador Team, we hope this site can help the students to become more of a team, working together to achieve their goals.
Should a student be injured at school the First Aid staff will provide initial care and if required, access medical treatment, informing Parents / Carers of their actions.
If your son / daughter is unwell, please do not send them to school in the hope that they will feel better. Anyone suffering from vomiting should remain at home, returning to school when they have not vomited for 24 hours and have eaten.
We all have to be particularly careful to avoid the possibility of spreading disease and infection during the winter months.
The recent autumn concert raised over £400 for the music department, which will go towards portable LED lights and electric-acoustic guitars. The concert was a great success, with the newly refurbished hall packed to the brim.
There was a range of music, with the first half consisting of many classical pieces, acoustic sets and soloists. The first performance of the night was a preview of the up-coming production of Oliver, which is due to take to the stage from December 8th. The special guests of the evening came all the way from Oxelosund in Sweden to perform a variety of jazz pieces, which were a great success. In the second half of the evening, the music got heavier as bands took the stage, and rock school performed a variety of hits, ranging from Lady Gaga to Bon Jovi.
The evening w as compared and the audience were entertained by members of the Ambassador Team and lighting and effects were produced by the BTEC production crew. All in all, the evening was a great success, and we look forward to seeing you all at our next music event.
Following on from the success of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month it’s now the men’s turn.
As I’m sure will become more obvious as the month goes on, a number of staff (male!) are growing a moustache this year for Movember. They have decided to put down their razors for one month (November) and help raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer. A number of female staff have pledged to support them. Hopefully you will help out as well.
What many people don’t appreciate is that one man dies every hour of prostate cancer in the UK, more than 35,000 men will be diagnosed this year and that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. Facts like these have convinced staff that they should get involved and they are hoping that you will support them.
• Write a cheque payable to ‘The Prostate Cancer Charity - Movember’, referencing our Registration Number (10258) and mailing it to: Movember - The Prostate Cancer Charity, First Floor, Cambridge House, Cambridge Grove, London, W6 0LE.
or you can pick up a donation form from reception.
Movember is now in its third year here in the UK and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside The Prostate Cancer Charity. Check out further details at: http://uk.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.