As we enjoy the half-term break, I want to begin by offering my heartfelt thanks for the many kind messages of support I’ve received following the announcement of my departure from Meden School at the end of the summer term. Your words mean a great deal to me. Over the past six years, the support, encouragement, and trust shown by parents and carers has been instrumental in all we’ve achieved together as a school. It has truly been a privilege to serve this community.
This half-term has seen our students continue to rise to the challenges of school life with real determination and positivity. I’m incredibly proud to share that our students have earned a record number of Golden Tickets and house points this term—an achievement that truly reflects how hard they are working in lessons, their positive attitudes, and their commitment to our school values. It's fantastic to see such consistent effort and enthusiasm being recognised and celebrated.
Our Year 10 students have also made us proud during their work experience placements. The feedback we've received from employers has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the maturity, professionalism, and dedication shown by our students. They’ve been incredible ambassadors for Meden School, and it’s clear they’ve gained valuable insights and skills that will serve them well in the future.
Meanwhile, our Year 11 and Year 13 students continue to impress us with their focus and resilience during this exam season. The exams are going well, and we’re seeing the results of months of hard work and preparation. We’re incredibly proud of their efforts and the determination they’re showing each day.
A special shout-out must go to our Year 9 and 10 girls' football team, who represented us brilliantly in the Mansfield and Ashfield Schools Cup final at Mansfield Town. While the result didn’t go their way, their performance, teamwork, and commitment were outstanding. We’re very proud of each of them and grateful to Miss Clark for her excellent leadership and support.
As ever, thank you for your continued help and support throughout this term. I wish you and your families a restful and enjoyable half-term break.
Warm regards,
Jim Smith
Headteacher
Wrong result but proud as punch!
On Wednesday 21st of May, our Y9 &10 girls football team played in the final of the Mansfield & Ashfield town cup at the One Call Stadium v Ashfield school.
This was the first time in 8 years that a Meden team of any age group, has made it through to a final in this competition.
WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!
Changing in the home dressing room and getting to play on the first team pitch is a memory that I hope our girls will cherish! They looked amazing in their new Meden Football kit.
The girls' achievements should not be underestimated and everyone involved in the team is so proud of their effort, teamwork and sportsmanship in this, and all the previous games too.
Unfortunately the result did not go as we wanted, and the team tasted defeat against a very strong Ashfield team but we could not be prouder of the effort that our girls showed from minute 1-right up until the final whistle!
They were a credit to the school and we absolutely loved celebrating our well deserved goal!
The team will go again next year and we can't wait to see if they can make another final in years to come.
The squad
Huge thank you to Miss Clarke for all her effort, time and organisation of this team over the past year and providing these opportunities for our girls.
We would also like to say a big thank you to all the staff and parents/carers who came to support the girls- it is very much appreciated and meant a lot to our girls!
Year 10 Jude Stevenson achieved gold not once but twice at the WFC Open World Championships in Hungary recently.
Jude, who trains with the Neil Huntley’s Revolution Gym in Sutton, only began in the sport 2 years ago but has since proven himself to be a talented young fighter. He originally started the sport alongside his training with Mansfield Football Academy but once he began training, he realised he preferred combat sports and now focuses on this exclusively. He has never looked back and clearly possess natural abilities in the sport.
In Hungary he competed in the junior kickboxing contest at 57kg and won gold before going on to compete In Muay Thai at 57kg and also won gold! Due to his double success, he is now classed as 2x world champion at his weight in kickboxing and Muay Thai.
Jude was one of 17 fighters taken to Hungary for the championships by the club who as a collective came top with 18 gold, 4 silvers and 2 bronze medals. WOW!
They are now fundraising to be able to return to defend titles won at the WFC Open World Championships last year, so if you think you can help, please get in touch.
With ambitions to become a professional MMA fighter, I am sure this is not the last we have heard of Jude Stevenson.
Well done!
ATHLETICS COMPETITION
Some of our Meden Athletes took part in a track and field competition at Berry Hill track on Weds 7th May.
Students from all the Mansfield schools were represented and it was a very competitive event.
The Meden Squad consisted of:
Y11- Emma N
Y10- Leon H, Charlie S, Lizzie F, Ellie J, Erika P, Victory I
Y9- Indi T, Lucas L, Zara J
Y8- Scarlett P, Ava C and Will B.
All of our students attempted at least 2 events + most did a relay race too.
The top 2 students in each event qualify for another competition at county and regional level (should they choose to participate)
The students behaved really well, showed great sportsmanship and represented the school superbly!
Key results are shown below!
Y11- Emma - won both the 100m and 200m
Y10- Leon - won 1st in the discus,
Y10- Lizzie- won 1st in the discus,
Y10- Erika- won 2nd in the discus,
Victory- won 2nd in the shot putt
Well done to all students taking part, you were a real credit to yourselves, your family's and our school!
Meden School has been fortunate to be able to get involved in the Girls Believe Project.
Initially 40 of our Y9 girls were able to participate in an exciting STEM workshop, delivered by Equans, with the aim of promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) pathways to girls.
Equans is a multinational organisation. In the UK & Ireland, it is a provider of sustainable facilities management and regeneration, and cutting-edge energy and digital services. Currently fewer women than men choose to study STEM subjects which has led to a gender imbalance within the industries these fields represent, Keen to address this, Equans have sought to tackle possible reasons which may originate from a lack of encouragement, gender bias, and perceptions of a male-dominated built environment sector by creating such specialist programs to encourage more females in to the industry.
Once the workshop was completed the students were invited to complete an application form and took part in a short interview from which 15 successful candidates were offered the chance to visit the Equans site in Sheffield in July to experience a day of work experience.
This is a fantastic experience that gives our students an insight into employment in STEM industries at a time when they may be considering their pathways after they complete their GCSE studies. Alongside this, it has been a great opportunity for students involved to prepare and develop skills, that will be useful when applying for college courses, sixth form places and apprenticeships in the future.
For the successful students who will go on to spend a day experiencing the Equans site in Sheffield, it will allow them to gain firsthand knowledge of the industry which may help to inspire them to pursue a career in the industry.
A big thank you to Equans for the opportunity!
Members of our Crest Award club have been busy planning the renovation of our school pond as part of their sustainable ecosystem project. Some work has already been done to reline the pond and add some security grid and once an electric supply has been installed, they will be putting in a pump and some filtration.
The Crest Award is a nationally recognised scheme for student-led projects aimed at empowering young people to work like real scientists, technologists, engineers or mathematicians. There are several awards that a group can earn. Students pick a single project or series of challenges that will allow them to meet the criteria for their selected Award level. These projects can be around any STEM topic or theme. For our young people the goal is to create a thriving, self-sustaining habitat that supports local wildlife and serves as a learning tool for pupils across different year groups.
Each week the students have worked on their plan for the pond and during the last week of term they visited a local garden centre, the Mansfield Aquatic, Reptile and Pet Centre. to gain ideas on the kind of things they would need for the project. The staff were tremendously helpful & even donated some materials to put towards our project, which we were extremely grateful for.
When we return after half term students will be starting to install plants etc into the pond. If you have a pond at home and have any plants, supplies like bags, pots etc that you could donate, we would be very grateful!
Any contribution, no matter how small, would be greatly appreciated and would help us take meaningful steps towards our goal of promoting biodiversity and environmental responsibility. Contact Miss Holmes for more information
The last Friday of half term was a non-uniform day for year 7-9 to try and raise both awareness and some money to donate to the Alzheimers Society.
During tutor time, students had been shown a presentation to appreciate why helping to fund research was so important. Already so many families are affected by this awful and debilitating disease and it is hoped the money raised will help in some way to provide greater research and support for those affected.
On the morning, students and staff took part in a special memory walk and were invited to write personal messages to loved ones affected by the disease
Over the half term our little elves will count all the change donated and we will let you know what was raised.
Thank you so much for your continued support for charity which you give at every opportunity. Your kindness is appreciated!
Students in Y10 who have chosen to study Spanish as part of their GCSEs were offered the opportunity to travel to Madrid on a Spanish cultural tour.
The trip not only allowed students to sample the differences in Spanish culture, the different foods, the change in atmosphere and the beauty of the city, it also gave them the perfect opportunity to practice their Spanish speaking skills and understanding of the language, which is something you cannot teach in a classroom.
Setting off in the early hours of Sunday morning and flying from Manchester airport, the group headed to the cultural city of Madrid, where they stayed for 4 days and 3 nights.
After arriving in Madrid mid-morning, the group dropped off their luggage at the hostel before heading out to Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. After lunch they enjoyed a visit to the Museum of Illusions.
On Monday the group enjoyed breakfast before heading out to the Opera House.
After a brief visit it was time to catch the Metro then a short walk to the zoo where they spent the majority of the day.
Later the group headed back to the city centre where students had some free time to do some shopping; a great opportunity to practise their language skills and to speak to local shopkeepers in Spanish.
Evening meal was Spanish tapas, a true example of different Spanish cuisine.
Tuesday was an opportunity to tour the famous Bernabeu Stadium, home of Real Madrid football team.
Built in 1947, the stadium with its retractable roof, has a seating capacity of over 78,000 people and is truly spectacular.
After lunch it was time to catch the Metro back to Plaza de España where they enjoyed a guided tour around Palacio, the Royal Place of Madrid.
The Palace has witnessed centuries of Spanish history. and is one of the few official seats of a Head of State that is open to the public. Almost 2 million visitors come every year to discover its rooms. Full of stunning artwork and historical treasures, the Palacio was incredible.
After a buffet dinner, students then had the chance to visit Madrid city centre for some last-minute photographs and to really soak up the atmosphere before returning to the hostel.
The following day it was time to pack for their flight back to Manchester and home to their family.
The trip was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Thank you to Mrs Glassby for organising the trip.
All the photographs can be viewed on our website using the following link
We all know the importance of attendance!
Each half term, in addition to the students identified and rewarded for their Culture Code achievements, we also identify students who have consistently good attendance to take part in each of the end of term activities.
This half term, students enjoyed an afternoon of outside games and sports along with treats.
On top of this award we also launched our May Attendance Challenge, an initiative to try and encourage better attendance at a time when historically attendance to school declines; at the end of half term.
The May Attendance Challenge spanned the last 2 weeks of term - Monday 12th May to Friday 23rd May. All students attending school each day during this time was entered in to a live draw that took place at break time on the final Friday of term. Attendance was recorded via the tutor on a specially designed attendance passport.
Names were drawn and the students asked to spin the wheel to determine their prize.
Prizes this time were gift vouchers ranging from £10 to £50.... the atmosphere is buzzing with suspense.
Congratulations to the following students who received a prize for their attendance and who will be presented with their voucher after half term!
Chaise B - £50 voucher
Alex B - £20 voucher
Isabella F - £50 voucher
Olivia J - £10 voucher
Max J - £20 voucher
Kallise K - £20 voucher
Jacob P - £10 voucher
William P - £10 voucher
Conor S - £50 voucher
Mason W - £20 voucher
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go." – Dr Seuss
BIG READ
This term students in all year groups have taken part in their termly BIG READ. During the big read sessions students have had the opportunity to read and listen to staff read while they follow the text. They were then be given the opportunity, via the big read sessions to explore the big ideas in the text and learn more about what it can teach us about the world. This big read we read texts about gangs and knife crime in order to recognise the warning signs and challenge misconceptions.
Students read an extract from the novel Harry Potter to look at gangs that work together to positively contribute to society, plus a non-fiction extract from a boy named Kyle who shared his experience of being involved with a gang.
Did you know??????
Students have the opportunity at Meden to join some of our extra-curricular reading clubs. No sign up is required, they can come, relax with a good book and share their love for reading. However, these clubs are also a great opportunity to improve students reading and literacy standards.
Here is also a link to the National Literacy Trust website to helpful tips and information on how to improve reading skills https://literacytrust.org.uk/
LIBRARY
Lunch Clubs in the Library
After half-term, the library will reopen for lunch clubs. Please ask students to sign up for them in the library.
Lunch must be eaten before students arrive.
Early Bird Reading
After half-term, the library will be open from 8.15 in the morning for our early bird readers. Start your day in a calm, positive way by reading a few chapters of your book or log onto a computer with some headphones and listen to an audiobook. House points will be awarded to anyone who attends Early Bird Reading.
CAN YOU SUPPORT OUR LIBRARY & OUR STUDENTS??
Meden School
Train to teach with the Nottinghamshire Torch SCITT