Our Sixth Form Geographers are staying in Slapton Ley this week to undertake fieldwork to support their IAs and NEAs. Over the week they will be studying the coastal geography looking at both the management and processes in clear evidence in the area as well as investigating farming practices in a local woodland. They also visit Totnes, one of the first Transition Towns to examine the changes and differences in that urban area looking at how it has changed over time.

All students in Years 7-11 have had an assembly this week from Mrs Wootton, Designated Safeguarding Lead. The assembly has been delivered in two parts, the first part being a virtual assembly about fraud and online scams, and the second being a face-face assembly where Mrs Wootton talked about how risky behaviour online could put you in danger, or in trouble with the police.

We have a positive relationship with Essex Police, and in particular, with PC Burgess, the Children and Young Person's Officer for the Brentwood area. PC Burgess and his colleagues have visited the school on a number of occasions in the last few weeks, sometimes for crime prevention and education purposes, but also to deal with online behaviour which is potentially criminal.

The root of many problems seems to be mobile phones. Despite the fact that mobile phones are not to be seen, heard or used in school, we are still dealing with a number of issues which start on phones in the evenings and at weekends, when children are not in our care. These problems inevitably spill over into school.

Mrs Wootton talked to students about the type of issues that could potentially involve the police, and this includes messages which are threatening and/or abusive, messages which contain hate speech and messages which discuss illegal things, such as vapes, drugs or weapons.

We have reminded students that we have a right to search their phones if we believe there is data on the phone which could cause harm, affect the safe running of the school, or be linked to a potential crime. If we think the latter may be true, we will hand the phone to the police.

We do not want to search phones, and we will not do so unless we are given cause to.

When we do look at phones, we are significantly worried about the number of students who communicate with absolute strangers. One app of particular concern is Discord. The app is notorious for being harmful to children, and we do not believe that there is anything positive about this app. Parents can read more about Discord here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/online-safety-blog/should-i-let-my-child-use-discord/

Additionally, we are also concerned that students do not have their privacy setting set to highest possible option. This includes things like 'quick add' on Snapchat. When talking about this in assembly, Mrs Wootton likened this to leaving your front door open overnight and letting complete strangers wander into their homes. They wouldn't do this, so why would you allow total strangers to come into the personal space of their phones?

This week's assemblies were planned prior to the incident in Sheffield this week, where a 15-year-old boy was tragically killed in his school playground. The messages that students have heard this week could not be more timely.

Sometimes students try to argue that the message they send are 'just a joke' or claim that they 'didn't really mean it'. Unfortunately, we cannot assume this, and we have to treat every message of this nature as if it were a potential threat. Being a teenager is not an excuse; when young people act like this, they have to be accountable for their actions. Our hope with this week's assembly, and the wraparound work which will happen in school, is that we prevent future issues and keep all young people safe.

In light of what has happened in the school in Sheffield this week we would recommend Idris Elba's BBC documentary, Idris Elba: Our Knife Crime Crisis, as recommended viewing to help frame conversations with your children about the dangers of knives.

新年快乐 and Happy New Year! This year is the Year of the Snake (蛇).

As we continue our Chinese New Year celebrations, we had the amazing Jesse Edbrooke from the Bristol-based band Transition ( 前進樂團) visit the school. He led a two-hour song-writing workshop with Year 10 MEP students, who ended up writing chorus' and verses of their own songs in Chinese. Afterwards, he put on a mini-concert for all Year 7 students which included some Chinese trivia, and teaching them a few words in Chinese.

Our CLEC teacher Miss Zi took Chinese out of Anglo and into local primary schools where she introduced Year 5 and 6 students to the many Chinese festivals and how we celebrate them, as well as crafting Chinese Red Envelopes (红包) to give as gifts, recounting the story of how the animals ended up on the Chinese Zodiac, before finishing with watching firework videos from China.

Facilitators from the Confucius Institute of Goldsmiths College arrived to take our students through two traditional tasks; Beijing Opera Mask making, and a Tea Ceremony. Students enjoyed every aspect; creating some fascinating masks and taking turns to serve tea to their classmates in a practice spanning hundreds of years.

Here is to a happy and prosperous Year of the Snake to all. As the proverb goes, "灵蛇出洞，好运亨通" - as the snake emerges, good luck prospers!

As a school, we are proud of our Mandarin Excellence Programme and often focus on the Mandarin speaking world, however, this year, we wanted to spotlight our Cantonese speaking student population.

We currently have 33 Cantonese speakers in our school. In our video this month, we meet 2 of our Year 7 Cantonese speakers, who share what they love about their culture and language.

Safer Internet Day UK 2025 is on Tuesday, 11th February, and this year’s theme is:

"Too Good to Be True, Keeping Yourself and Others Safe from Online Scams."

Across the UK, students, teachers, and parents will come together to learn how to spot and stop online scams. With cybercriminals becoming smarter, it’s more important than ever to think before you click!

Why Does Safer Internet Day Matter to You?

If you’re online whether gaming, scrolling through TikTok, buying something, or chatting with friends, you could be a target for scams. Scammers don’t just go after adults; they trick students too with fake giveaways, phishing links, and dodgy online deals. Have you ever seen an ad that seemed too good to be true? That’s exactly what this year’s Safer Internet Day is about, learning to spot the red flags and protect yourself.

Common Online Scams that could affect you!

🕵️‍♂️ Phishing Scams – Fake emails or DMs pretending to be from Snapchat, TikTok, or a bank, asking for personal details.

🎁 Fake Giveaways & Freebies – “Win a PS5!” or “Claim your free Robux!” Scammers create fake competitions to steal login details.

💳 Online Shopping Scams – Ever found brand new AirPods for £20? If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is!

🎮 Gaming Scams – Scammers offer free skins, V-Bucks, or FIFA points, but they just want your account details.

How to Stay Safe Online:

🔹 Think Before You Click – Don’t trust random links in DMs, texts, or emails.
🔹 Verify Before Trusting – Check if a website or seller is legitimate before buying anything.
🔹 Use Strong Passwords & Two Factor Authentication – This makes it harder for scammers to hack your accounts.
🔹 Be Sceptical – If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is.
🔹 Report & Warn Others – If you see or suspect it might be a scam, tell a responsible adult.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Schools Associate Programme with the Royal Shakespeare Company. This exciting partnership marks our commitment to offering our students enriching, creative experiences that inspire their love of theatre and literature.

The programme kicked off with an exclusive opportunity for students to view a private streaming of the RSC's celebrated production of A Midsummer Night's Dream starring Matthew Baynton as Bottom! This streaming service has allowed access to a colourful production of one of Shakespeare's most well-known comedies which students have the chance to study in Key Stage 3.

But that’s not all! As part of the programme’s launch, an exciting interform Shakespeare Quiz Competition took place, bringing the school’s forms together as they showcased their knowledge of the Bard’s works, ranging from his iconic plays to his life and legacy. The quiz was written by our wonderful Shakespeare ambassadors, who were involved in the programme last year, Aryan and Matteo. They have also designed a creative writing competition based around the play we will be working on this year, King Lear! Watch this space for some exciting and imaginative works from the winner.

Our first session begins next Friday and is open to all Year 8s - hopefully the wonderful performances from the RSC in their classroom will make them catch the Shakespeare bug!

Congratulations to the candidates who have made it this far in this very competitive election process. The next stage is a meeting with Mrs Gee to talk through their manifestos. Mrs Gee has met with some of the candidates and said "It was a huge pleasure and privilege to meet the future student leaders of our school. They all spoke with great pride about their school, illustrating how our international education has touched their lives, how grateful they have been for this unique experience and how they now want to give something back and work to further improve our school, leaving a clear legacy for future generations."

Your child is invited to participate in our annual charity International themed non-uniform day to be held on FRIDAY 7th March 2025. All the monies collected will support Action Against Hunger, which is our chosen international charity that was voted for by our students this academic year. This event is being run by our Sixth Form Charities and International CAS teams, and therefore we ask for a contribution of £1 which can be paid before or on the day, through ParentPay.

The theme means that we would like your child to come to school either in a national dress outfit of their choice, or wear certain colours to represent a flag of a country.

We remind you that our school is a place of work for people of a wide range of ages. Sensitivity needs to be shown in everyone’s choice of clothing. Nothing should be worn that can give a reasonable person any cause for embarrassment or offence, therefore we ask that your child to ensure their choice of clothing and footwear is appropriate for school for example no ripped jeans, cropped tops or high heeled shoes are allowed. If you child has PE that day, please ensure they bring their normal kit.

Our Digital Champions' workshops have been incredibly popular with our local community with numbers increasing with each session. Not only does this venture benefit the community by sharing technical knowledge but has also allowed the students to develop crucial communication and interpersonal skills.

Below is some feedback from local residents about the help they received from AES students;

• One lady said she now better understood loading photos on Instagram
• Another received help organising photos into albums and sending email to family in America. She said she plans to come back next time with her iPhone!
• One gentleman managed to delete a ‘mystery icon’ that appeared on Excel, without losing any data from his spreadsheet
• Another was provided with a replacement for his ailing laptop and got it set up

A representative from the Ingatestone & Fryerning Community Association said that “The Community Association is very pleased to host these sessions. They provide great opportunities for local residents to get more from their IT and social media as well forging welcome links between the community and the students from the Anglo European School.”

Now available from AESA for £18 each! These are £25 online and £35 at the door if bought direct from Adventure Island. Contact Kate on 07833 248014 for tickets and to arrange collection from Ingatestone or the school.

Friday 28th February 2025: 7.00pm - 10.00pm

This event is for adults and children who are 16 years and above and will take place at Anglo European School in the main hall. You can bring your own drinks and snacks, if you wish, and bring some change for the Raffle and games.

Your ticket can include a freshly prepared Indian Buffet provided by SATT Caterers (£18 with food or £12 without). Book your place below and please share the QR code with your friends.

Year 11 won their Mid Essex Cup game 45-22. Stand out performances from Elia, Jem and Koro. Well done Team!

19th January to 1st February: Lower Sixth work experience students at AES from Frankfurt

19th January to 15th March: Year 10 long term exchange students visit Frankfurt

27th January to 7th February: Year 11 Course Counselling

Monday 3rd February: Chinese Band "Transition" visit including workshops for Year 10 and Year 7 performance

10th to 28th February: Year 9 Course Counselling

Tuesday 11th February: Lower Sixth Cambridge University Visit

17th to 21st February: HALF TERM

Wednesday 26th February: Year 9 Brilliant Club Graduation @University of Cambridge

Thursday 27th February: Year 10 Parents' Evening (virtual)

Friday 28th February: AESA Quiz Evening

2nd March to 22nd March: Year 10 Long Term Exchange to Biarritz

3rd March: L6 Model UN Felsted

3rd - 7th March: Charities Week

4th March: Virtual Parental Meetings for L6 China, Years 8/9 Cadiz, Year 9 Girona

4th March: Sixth Form History Essay Competition

7th March: International Day

4th March to 26th March: Year 10 Long Term Exchange to Cadiz

Key Dates for each Year Group can be found https://www.aesessex.co.uk/home/parents/key-dates-and-term-dates/ and here for Sixth Form https://www.aesessex.co.uk/sixth-form/student-and-parents-information/key-dates-and-term-dates/

Monday 10th February: Year 11 GIrls' Football @Great Baddow / Year 11 Boys' Football @Shenfield

Wednesday 12th February: Year 7 Boys' Football v CVHS @AES / Year 11 Netball @SJP / Years 7-11 Kurling @Basildon Sporting Village / Years 7/8 Netball @SJP

Monday 24th February: Year 8 Basketball @Shenfield

Wednesday 26th February: Year 8 Netball @Shenfield / Year 9 Boys Football @GBHS

Thursday 27th February: Year 8 Girls Football @CCHS/ Year 10 Netball @CCHS/Year 9 Girls Football @Sandon

Monday 3rd March: Year 7A Netball @Brentwood School/ Year 9 Boys Football @AES/ Year 9 Rugby @Hallmead

Tuesday 4th March: Year 7B Netball @AES

Wednesday 5th March: Year 11 Netball @AES / Year 9 Girls Football @AES

Please note fixtures are organised by all schools so can be subject to change and last minute cancellations - the PE staff will keep those involved in fixtures up to date with information.

Term Dates 2024-2026 - https://www.aesessex.co.uk/assets/Documents/Attachments/Term-dates-2024-2026-1.pdf

Finance - finance@aesessex.co.uk

Admissions - admissions@aesessex.co.uk

Visits - visits@aesessex.co.uk

Attendance - use Edulink

Email: enquiries@aesessex.co.uk
Website: aesessex.co.uk
Location: Anglo European School, CM4 0DJ, Willow Green, Ingatestone, UK
Phone: 01277 354018