Engagement Pathways Unit Award Scheme Update

On Engagement Pathways the pupils have had the opportunity to take part in the AQA Unit Award Scheme.  This is a flexible scheme where students receive certificates in recognition for completing short units of work or activity.

So far, pupils have completed units in cooking, fishing, boxing  and practical tasks in Morris House and the school allotment, to name but a few. This approach means  we can tailor achievements for the Engagement Pathway pupils directly to their interests and appropriate academic level.

Overall we have gained 57 certificates this year so far across the pupils engaging in the scheme since introducing it to our timetables and it has been really successful!

National Year of Reading 2026

 📚National year of Reading 📚

What is it?

In January the Department of Education announced that 2026 will be the National year of Reading, As a school we are taking part in this throughout 2026 and the theme for the year is 'Go all in'. It is a year to celebrate all different stories, authors and all things book related.

What does it mean for us? 

There will be a variety of book/story related events that happen in school throughout the year, from World Book day, themed days, story writing competions, Manga drawing in Art and lots of other cross- curricular activities. 

Why you should care?

If you are already a reader this is an exciting year to enjoy lots of new stories and continue to develop a love for stories.  If you don't like reading that is okay, but this year is a chance to try a variety of genres of new stories as well as experience different ways of hearing/telling them.

Annual Polygon Quiz

The Polygon Quiz Team did an amazing job at this years annual quiz to raise money for the Friends of The Polygon! Raising funds for this cause is crucial to the every day running of our school as it provides financial support for improving on site facilities, and activities that enhance our pupils education.

The Engagement Pathways team hosted, and kept the evening filled with fun! A big help from Miss Yates making sure the evening ran smoothly and Andrea & Arkash for preparing all the food.

The Raffle went down well and some prizes included a football used from a Premiership Saints game, vouchers for different venues around Southampton, and even some signed merchandise! Overall we raised over £1000!

Big well done to 'Polygon Old Skool*' for winning this year! What a great evening!

No Limits Visit: Exploring Drugs and Their Effects

This week, KS4 students took part in a No Limits workshop focused on drug awareness, health, and safety. The session encouraged open discussion, questions, and learning in a safe, non-judgemental environment.

Exploring the Drugs Box

Students explored the Drugs Box, which helps explain different classes of drugs and how they affect the body. A key focus was understanding the risks of illegal drugs, particularly how mixing drugs with alcohol can greatly increase the risk of serious harm.

Health, Safety, and the Law

The session also covered important health and legal information, including:

• Why it’s safe to be honest with healthcare workers about drug use
• The legal consequences of carrying, making, or supplying illegal drugs
• Short-term and long-term health effects of substances such as alcohol, nicotine, ketamine, and steroids
• The dangers of sharing needles and the risk of serious infections
• What to do in an emergency, including if someone passes out due to alcohol

• 

Interactive Kahoot Quiz

To check understanding, students took part in an interactive Kahoot quiz. Questions covered topics such as vaping, mixing substances, recognising risk, and knowing when and how to get help. The quiz encouraged engagement while reinforcing key safety messages.

Why Do People Use Substances?

An important part of the discussion explored why people may use drugs or substances. Students shared thoughtful ideas, including:

• Curiosity and peer pressure
• Social reasons or boredom
• Mental health and coping with stress
• Wanting to fit in or look a certain way
• Influence from social media or celebrities
• Performance enhancement
• Addiction or habit

This helped students understand that substance use often has complex reasons, and that support and education are essential.

The Winners! 

Key Takeaway

The No Limits Visit helped students build knowledge, ask questions, and develop skills to make safer, informed choices. The session reinforced the message that help is always available and that understanding the risks can protect both ourselves and others.

We thank the No Limits team for delivering another engaging and informative session.

Thank you Gerson, Sal and Emma!

Year 9/10 Careers Week Trip To Southampton Solent University

 Year 9 Employer Encounter to Southampton Solent University

On Monday 9th February, 4 pupils from Polygon visited Southampton Solent University to have a tour of the facilities as well as opportunities to ask 2 students questions about life as a student.

Zapora (aka Zippy) and Spencer, our 2 Student Guides for the trip, and the Solent Spark Building

The Q and A session with Geeta Upall, lead Student Co-Ordinator, Spencer and Zippy

The tour of the Art Department, work from the art students at Solent University

Some of the Art Department facilities

The Studio Make Up Department 

The Interior Design CAD Suite (Computer Aided Design)

The Bio-Medical Laboratory

The NHS Styled Mental Health Ward for Training Nurses

The Newly Opened Institute Of Technology with Robotic Arms

The Trip To The Media Lab

The Media Mac-Suite

The Photographic Department

The Live TV Studio with Green Screen 

The Media Department Loan Lab

The Solent University Gym

Solent University Sports Hall

With a massive thank you to the staff and students at Southampton Solent University, especially Geeta, Zippy and Spencer

The is the first of a few opportunities to visit Solent University over the next couple of years; we look forward to linking up with you again soon.

Fires, Food and Frogs at Forest School with the Engagement Pathway Boys!

Forest School sessions, run by Youth Options at Itchen Valley Country Park, allow pupils to learn new skills such as witling and fire building as well as an opportunity to engage in nature in new ways that they would have likely not experienced before. As well as the activities put on in the Youth Options private area, pupils are also given the opportunity to explore the park as a whole and learn about the wildlife and boscage that they are surrounded by.

Our boys also get to experience cooking outside, where they make and share a range of different foods. Due to being out in the wild, we sometimes stumble on some wildlife they normally wouldn't see on their day to day. 

Currently Learning - Engagement Pathways

As part of every pupil’s timetable on the Engagement Pathways, 1:1 academic sessions are offered in Maths and English. Pupils work towards their Functional Skills qualifications and, in Years 10 & 11, GCSEs. Functional Skills qualifications range from Entry Levels 1,2 and 3 (pre-GCSE) to Levels 1 and 2 (GCSE level). All pupils work towards individualised targets that allow them to make progress in small, personalised steps.

The progress that many of our pupils are making is excellent to see. In maths, some of the areas we have covered in the last half term are:

• Mental methods for multiplication and division
• 2d and 3d shapes

 

During English, each pupil reads a book – many are reading Liccle Bit. For our writing currently, many pupils are looking at identifying subject, verbs, adverbs and adjectives to help form sentences and use punctuation accurately. Crucial skills for their upcoming tests and exams.