Secondary Parents' Bulletin 12.02.26
- avantifields
- Feb 12
- 7 min read
Head of Secondary's Message
I would like to begin by thanking all parents and carers for your continued support throughout what has been a very busy and productive half term. Your partnership with the school plays a vital role in helping our students thrive.
We are delighted with the excellent participation and outcomes from the Intermediate Maths Challenge. Many of our students achieved fantastic results, demonstrating resilience, problem-solving skills, and a real enthusiasm for mathematical thinking. We are proud of all students who took part in this national competition.
Year 8 students took part in knife crime awareness workshops this week, which were both informative and impactful. These sessions provided students with important guidance around personal safety, decision-making, and the wider consequences of knife crime, and were delivered in a way that was age-appropriate and meaningful.
As part of National Careers Week, students also benefited from a series of assemblies and talks that explored the wide range of routes available beyond school. These sessions highlighted the many pathways into further education and future careers, including apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, and traditional A level routes. Students found these opportunities highly informative and valued the chance to broaden their understanding of the options available to them.
As we approach the half term break, we wish all families a restful and enjoyable holiday. We look forward to welcoming students back for another half term filled with learning, competitions, and enriching opportunities.
Warm regards
Ms N Kholia
Calendar Updates
Friday 13th February: School INSET day. School closed to students (ONLY Y11 GCSE Art students required to attend).
Monday 16th February – Friday 20th February: Half Term break
Monday 23rd February: Start of Spring Term 2
Monday 23rd February: Ramadan begins
Tuesday 24th February: Y9 Virtual Parents’ Consultation Evening (14:00 – 19:00 online) Secondary School Early Finish at 12:50
Friday 27th February: HPV Vaccination (Y8 – Y11)
Friday 27th February: Y9 Option form deadline
Department / Students Updates
Gate Timings
We would like to share our updated gate opening and closing times for the secondary phase. Thank you in advance for taking a moment to read through them.
Secondary start of day (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri): 07:20 – 08:25
Secondary start of day (Wed): 08:45 – 09:10
Secondary end of day: 15:20 – 15:35
End of secondary detention: 15:50 – 16:05
For any clubs or detentions that finish at 16:30, please use the park and stride route, as only the pedestrian gate will be open at that time. This helps us keep the site safe and calm for all our students at the end of the day.
Thank you for your continued support.
Art Mock Exam: Friday 13th February 09:00 – 15:00
All GCSE Art students will be completing their 5-hours Art mock Exam on Friday 13th February. This mock exam is part of the students’ exam project and will also prepare students for the 10-hour exam that will take place over 2 days in March (23rd and 27th March).
STEM Day at De Montfort University
Thirty of our Year 9 students had the exciting opportunity to attend a STEM Discovery Day at De Montfort University on 4th February. The day was packed with hands-on laboratory experiments, giving students a real taste of university-level science. They also gained valuable insights into student life, exploring the wide range of career paths available in STEM fields, as well as learning about course funding options such as loans and bursaries. A highlight of the visit was seeing some of the innovative work produced by current university students and touring the on-campus accommodation to experience what life as a university student is really like.
Apprenticeship Assemblies and Workshops
On Tuesday 10th February, Avanti Fields students had the privilege of whole school assemblies and workshops about apprenticeships. This was well received by all students across all year groups. We are grateful to the East Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network for providing inspirational presenters who raised the aspirations of our students. We also had local Counsellor Stephen Bonham, a retired history teacher who gave valuable advice to our Year 11 students. Thank you to Raj Sangar and Hardeep Sembi for their hard work in organising this event for our students.
Intermediate Maths challenge
Below are the results from the Intermediate Maths Challenge that some of our students participated in last month. The challenge consisted of 25 problem solving questions that students had an hour to answer as many questions as accurately as they could. Congratulations to all of the students that participated in this years’ challenge.
A special mention to Swapnil, Rahil and Parth who have made it onto the next round and will have another hour-long challenge with even more challenging problems. For the first time ever at Avanti Fields School, we have Manush who has made it through to the Maclaurin Mathematical Olympiad which is the highest level of challenge. Well done again to all individuals who sat the Intermediate Maths Challenge. Ms Vaghela
Year 8 Bletchley Park Trip
Our Year 8s had a wonderful time visiting this historic site. Their behaviour was exemplary and this was noted by staff at Bletchley Park. All students engaged whole heartedly in the code breaking workshop and learning about the importance of Mathematics during the World War. They saw numerous exhibitions and were given a guided tour around the site. Our students were fortunate enough to use a real enigma machine; it was truly an amazing experience. Mrs Parekh
School Podcast : Seeds of Wisdom Episode 1
Seeds of Wisdom is a new school podcast exploring spirituality, purpose and meaning through thoughtful conversations with members of our staff. Each episode invites listeners into reflective dialogue about the values, experiences and beliefs that shape our community and support the holistic development of our students. It has been created, recorded and produced by members of our School Council’s Spirituality Committee.
Workshops by Leicester City Youth Service
As part of the PSHE curriculum, Year 11 will be attending a workshop delivered by the Youth Service. The workshops are aimed to educate young people on the laws and effects of knife crime and to develop knowledge and safety. Subjects covered will include joint enterprise and the impact on victims, families and the wider society. We are very excited to welcome the Youth Workers into Avanti Fields and hope that the students find the workshops interact and informative.
The workshops will form part of the usual daily timetable and will not affect start time, break, lunch or home time. Each tutor group will attend 1 x 55-minute session. Workshops are designed to be age appropriate and tailored to each year group.
Workshops and an assembly are also scheduled for other year groups as listed below, and reminders will be sent in due course.
Tuesday 10th March - Assembly for Year 11
Thursday 12th March - Workshops for Year 9
Wednesday 15th April - Workshops for Year 7
HPV Vaccination
The School Aged Immunisation Service from Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust plan to deliver vaccinations at our school for the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for young people (starting from school year 8)
on Friday 27th February 2026. Parents will receive an email directly from the NHS with further information.
UKulele Club
We are excited to announce that a new Ukulele Group will be running after school every Wednesday from 3:30pm to 4:30pm starting 25th of February.
The sessions will be delivered by Euan from JAM, who already teaches Drums, Bass, Electric Guitar, and Acoustic Guitar here at Avanti Fields. This is a fantastic opportunity for pupils to explore a new instrument in a fun, supportive environment.
Key Information:
Day/Time: Wednesdays 3:30–4:30pm
Cost: £12 for entire Spring Term 2 via Arbor
Places: Limited to 20 pupils
Instruments: No need to purchase a ukulele – pupils can use school instruments
Spaces will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sign up for the club will be open via Arbor from Friday 13th February 11am - Friday 20th February 16:00 (via Arbor)
We look forward to welcoming pupils to this exciting new music opportunity.
Parents and Carers resources for Spring Term
Please see link below to register for the live parents and carers webinars and access resources:
Bitesize video link
'Bitesize' 15-minute videos about common mental health difficulties in adolescence: anxiety and low mood.
SENDIASS Information :
Please find enclosed our leaflet for parents and carers of young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs or disabilities.
PTFA Events
PTFA Annual General Meeting
Saturday 28th February 2026 at 5pm - 6.30pm.
For further information please refer to PTFA AGM Election Notification letter 2026 below:
PTFA Presents: A Gujarati Comedy Natak
“Wife Happy Toh Life Happy”
PTFA is proud to bring you another hilarious Gujarati comedy Natak that will have you laughing from start to finish!
5-star reviews in India Performed by a talented cast travelling from India. A fun, family-friendly play with a meaningful message
Date: 28th February 2026 Time: 7:30 PM prompt start
Community External Events
Bhajan Jam
Bhajan Jam Leicester is happening on Sunday 8th March and in less than 2 weeks since we started selling tickets we are at 60% sold. Inspired by the global Bhajan Jamming movement, we're creating what we hope will be Leicester's Largest Bhajan Jam, bringing devotion, live music and community together in a modern, immersive way.
Join us for an afternoon of collective singing, shared energy and timeless Bhajans celebrating tradition in a fresh, vibrant way that everyone can enjoy.
Funds from the event will be donated to 'Go Dharmic Charity & Avanti Fields School'
Bhajan Jam London was on Sunday 8th February and performed to a sell out 2,000 attendees, to get a taste of what to expect in Leicester, have at look at these highlights:-
As you are part of the Avanti Fields and Krishna Avanti School Community we would love to see you all there to share in the energy, devotion & love as we chant and sing Bhajans together.
Book Tickets using the link below:
Book early to avoid disappointment as we expect to sell out soon.
Sunday 8th March 2026
Prajapati Hall, Leicester'
Bhavik Haria
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