What a fantastic and full week it has been for Crew Brunel! As we reach the end of this half term, it’s been a brilliant opportunity to reflect on our progress, celebrate achievements and recognise the effort that everyone has put in over the past few weeks.

We started the week by welcoming Crew Sinfield to join us. It was great to collaborate and begin the week together, strengthening relationships across crews. As always, we focused on our Crew fundamentals — checking in with one another, setting intentions for the week ahead and making sure everyone felt prepared and supported. These sessions are such an important part of our routine. They allow us to reflect, reset and ensure we are holding ourselves accountable to our goals. Starting the week with clear focus and positive energy really sets the tone for everything that follows.

Tuesday was a practical day as we tackled lost property! This task not only helped organise the school but also counted towards Duke of Edinburgh volunteering skills. Students worked together to sort and catalogue the few items, developing responsibility and community service — showing how even everyday tasks can build valuable skills.

On Wednesday, we continued exploring our current Wise Wednesday topic. These sessions always encourage thoughtful conversation and deeper thinking. Students demonstrated maturity in their discussions, listening respectfully to different viewpoints and building on each other’s ideas. Wise Wednesday is an important space for developing character, reflection and critical thinking — and this week was no exception. It’s great to see how much confidence has grown across the crew when contributing to discussions.

Thursday was all about recognition. We reviewed praises and conducts, taking time to acknowledge the effort and positive contributions made across the half term. A huge congratulations to Rowena, who achieved an incredible 33 praises this half term! This is a fantastic accomplishment and reflects consistent hard work, positive attitude and commitment to Crew values. It was brilliant to celebrate not just the numbers, but the behaviours and effort behind them. The praise leaderboard is a reminder that small, positive actions every day really do add up.

We ended the half term with a Community Meeting, celebrating the amazing work students have produced. A special mention goes to our Year 11 students who have worked incredibly hard during their mock exams. The resilience, preparation and focus they have shown has been impressive.

We are also extremely proud of the students who passed their Passage Presentations this week. A massive well done to: Liam, Brooke, Fin, Rowena and Roan. Their presentations were a true reflection of their hard work and preparation. Thanks to their success, we continue to maintain our 100% pass rate, which is something we are incredibly proud of as a Crew. We now only have a few presentations left after February half term, and we are really looking forward to seeing those final students step up and shine.

On Wednesday and Thursday morning before Crew time, we also held a Valentine’s themed bake sale to raise money for our chosen charity, Coral Reef Alliance. Thanks to the generosity of students and staff, we raised a whopping £90! This is a fantastic achievement and will go towards supporting important work to protect coral reefs around the world. A huge thank you to everyone who baked, donated and bought something — your support really made a difference!

As we close this half term, I want to say how proud I am of the effort, growth and resilience shown by everyone in Crew Brunel. It has been a busy term, but the progress made, both academically and personally, has been clear to see. I hope everyone has a well-deserved, restful break. Take the time to recharge, reset and return refreshed and ready for the new half term ahead.

See you all soon, Crew Brunel — keep striving, keep supporting one another, and keep being brilliant! 

Miss Mitchell

This week in Crew Brunel has been a great mix of rest, reflection, and preparation as we move closer to an important milestone in our learning.

We started the week with a staff day, which meant students had a long weekend. This was a brilliant opportunity for everyone to take a well-earned break, recharge, and catch up on any work that had been missed or not yet completed. It was great to see students returning refreshed and ready to learn.

As the week continued, we focused heavily on our Passage presentations, as this is our final week of preparation before presenting next week. Students have been working hard to refine their ideas, improve their structure, and make sure their presentations are clear, confident, and purposeful. The progress made has been fantastic, and we are really looking forward to seeing the final outcomes next week.

One of the highlights of the week was teaming up with Year 10 for a peer critique session. Year 10 students acted as our “experts” since they completed this process last year, and their feedback was incredibly valuable. It was brilliant to see older students supporting and guiding our Year 9s — a great example of teamwork, leadership, and our school community working together.

We ended the week with a whole school community meeting, celebrating and highlighting the excellent work being done by students across the school. It was a positive way to finish the week and a reminder of the high standards and ambition shared by everyone.

A huge well done to David, our standout student this week. David earned Spanish Star of the Week and was also placed in the top 3 Year 9 students across the trust for completing Tassomai tasks in his own time. An amazing achievement that shows dedication and excellent learning habits — well done, David!

Another strong week for Crew Brunel — keep it up everyone, and let’s finish our presentation prep strongly!

Miss Mitchell

This week marked our first week back after the Christmas break, and Crew Brunel returned with a real sense of fresh beginnings and renewed focus. While it’s always an adjustment coming back after the holidays, it’s been a positive and productive start to the new year.

We kicked off the week with a whole school community meeting, giving everyone the opportunity to reset expectations. This session focused on revisiting our shared norms and non-negotiables, helping to re-establish routines and remind us of the standards we hold ourselves to as a school community.

Back in crew time, we continued our Passage work. Students spent time thinking carefully about who they would like to be present at their Passage presentations and why. This encouraged reflection and helped students consider the importance of audience and support as they prepare to showcase their learning and growth.

Midweek, we started our new Wise Wednesday case study work. Students were placed into new groups, giving them the opportunity to work with different peers, share ideas, and build new collaborative skills. The fresh groups brought new energy and perspectives to the case study discussions.

We also spent time looking through portfolios, focusing on selecting pieces of work to highlight in Passage presentations. Students checked that their work was in the correct order and reflected on which pieces best represented their progress and achievements so far.

To finish the week, we came together once again for a whole school community meeting. This final gathering was a chance to celebrate successes, including reviewing the praise leaderboard and the attendance league. Crew Brunel had a particular reason to celebrate, finishing top for Year 9 attendance with an impressive 97%.

Overall, it’s been a strong first week back. Everyone is understandably tired, but it’s the result of a week filled with focus, reflection, and a positive start to the term ahead.

Miss Mitchell

This week in Crew Brunel, we kicked things off in true festive style with our Crew Christmas party. Everyone arrived ready for a cheerful check-in, sharing positive moments and holiday spirit while enjoying some very Christmassy treats. The room was full of smiles, laughter, and seasonal cheer — a wonderful way to start the week.

After celebrating together, we shifted our focus to learning by revisiting the final reflective section of our Passage presentations. Crew members thoughtfully considered their journeys, recognising their progress, challenges, and achievements. 

One of the week’s highlights followed soon after — Secret Santa! Gifts were exchanged with excitement and gratitude, and it was lovely to see how thoughtful everyone had been. Every gift was received with appreciation, reinforcing the kindness and respect that defines Crew Brunel.

Crew Brunel raised both money and awareness for the Coral Reef Alliance by hosting a successful bake sale for students. The event featured a variety of delicious homemade treats that attracted many buyers and encouraged generous donations. Through this bake sale, Crew Brunel not only supported an important environmental cause but also helped educate students about the importance of protecting coral reefs, raising a total of £68!

As the term drew to a close, we completed our final HoWLS assessment. Crew members reflected honestly on how they have improved this term and identified clear goals for the new year. Time was also spent ensuring our passage presentations had a set of slides to go along side our scripts, highlighting key pieces of work.

We finished the week by coming together for a whole-school community meeting, where we reflected on the many positives of the term. As part of this, we also celebrated our Crew Champions of the Term. A special congratulations went to Chloe, who was named Crew Champion for Crew Brunel. Chloe was selected for her consistent demonstration of XP character traits. Her resilience, positivity, and commitment are a true credit to herself and an inspiration to others. Another shoutout goes to Matilda for being one of just 10 XP students randomly selected for achieving 100% attendance, earning her an Amazon gift voucher. It was a proud moment to recognise collective achievements, resilience, and growth across the school.

Overall, it has been a meaningful and memorable week for Crew Brunel — full of celebration, reflection, and gratitude. We’re heading into the break feeling proud of how far we’ve come and excited for the opportunities the new year will bring!

Happy holidays to everyone — we hope you all have a restful and well-deserved break.

Miss Mitchell