Our Ref: DK/jh/gltr/Nov 25    

Wednesday 5th November 2025

Dear Parent/Carer

I hope you and your family are well, and you all had a pleasant half-term. This November update letter provides more information on:

• Key dates for the half-term ahead in November and December
• Standards and expectations reminders: Maintaining momentum from a strong start
• Autumn Assessments and Year 11/13 Subject Parents’ Evenings
• Anti-Bullying Week: What happens at Holyhead
• Page 3 = Notice of what the communications would be around any winter weather related closures

Key upcoming events/dates coming up in November and December

• Anti-Bullying Week will take place from Monday 10th - Friday 14th November, with Odd Socks Day being held in school to raise awareness on Monday 10th November.
• Year 10 Autumn Assessments take place in lessons from Monday 17th - Thursday 27th November.
• Year 7/8 Autumn Assessments take place in lessons from Monday 24th November - Friday 5th December.
• School is closed to students for a Central Region Schools Trust CPD day on Friday 28th November.
• There is a delayed start at 11.30am for all students on Thursday 4th December for the Y11/13 Curriculum Review morning that will inform plans ahead of the Spring Term Mocks in January/February. 
• Year 11 Subject Parents’ Evening will be held on Thursday 4th December from 4-7pm.
• Year 13 Subject Parents’ Evening will be held on Thursday 11th December from 4-6pm.
• Students will break up for the Christmas holidays at 12 noon on Friday 19th December.

New half-term - Same high expectations: Reminders on standards and website links
At the start of each half-term, it is vital to re-establish our expectations with students which we will be doing this week.  The first half-term was a very positive one with students demonstrating high standards of behaviour and attendance to school continues to be 2% above national average. Strong attendance supports children to make more progress with their learning alongside their social development, a key reason why we continue to make it a major school improvement priority this year, and also why your continued support is highly valued. More information on Attendance at Holyhead is available on the Parent Portal section of the website, but for ease the link is here.

Completing homework that is regularly set is also crucial to support improved knowledge of key information in subjects, and this also helps to build the right habits around revision in the lead up to assessments. Our website contains information on our approach to homework as well as more specific information about what each subject typically sets for homework - you can find that here. A reminder also that we do provide a supervised Homework Club operating from the Library from 8.15am in the morning before school as well as from 3.15 - 4.00pm in the afternoon for students that may benefit from access to a quiet place to study. Students can already arrive on site from 8.15am for the Breakfast Club so please encourage your child to arrive early and use this option if they need to.

Our winter uniform now kicks in from November, although in reality this is a very limited change with students having the option to wear a black V-neck jumper underneath their school blazer. It is important that this is worn alongside the blazer and not instead of, and this will be reiterated to students clearly. Whilst the weather will be colder in the coming weeks, a reminder that hoodies and balaclava hats which cover the whole head and face are not allowed and will continue to be confiscated if students bring them to school.

Assessment Update: Year 11/13 Subject Parents’ Evenings & Year group assessments
November is a crucial month in terms of assessment for Year 11 and 13 students following on from the Mocks at the end of October/start of November. These Mocks provide vital information for teachers and students on areas for development and focus in the weeks and months ahead in advance of the exams in May and June 2026.

Year 11 parents/carers will be able to meet with teachers on the Y11 Parents’ Evening which will take place on Thursday 4th December from 4-7pm. Year 13 parents/carers will have the same opportunity to discuss progress with teachers on the Parents’ Evening on Thursday 11th December from 4-6pm.

Students in Year 7/8/10 will all be preparing for, and completing their first set of subject assessments in November and these will help to identify specific knowledge and skills gaps students may have at this stage of the year. The specific assessment windows for each year group is below:

• Year 10 = Monday 17th - Thursday 27th November
• Year 7/8 = Monday 24th November - Friday 5th December

Anti-Bullying Week at Holyhead: Monday 10th - Friday 14th November
Our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors have been leading the assemblies this week to launch this year’s theme for Anti-Bullying Week which takes place across the nation w/b Monday 10th November.  This year’s national theme is The Power for Good, and focuses on the power and influence we have in our community, and how we can use that to make a positive difference in the fight against bullying. 

We will be encouraging students to take part in Odd Socks Day on Monday 10th November and throughout the week, students will be asked to take Holyhead’s Anti-Bullying Pledge to stand against bullying.  Students will also be encouraged to enter our school competition based on this year’s theme with the option to design their own Anti-Bullying poem or an Anti-Bullying poster.  

As we move into Anti-Bullying Week next week, we challenge each student to think about how they can use their Power for Good, whether it’s speaking up, being kind, or supporting a friend in need. Please help us to instil these messages which are closely linked to our values of Respect and Courage, as well as our CORE 4 character attribute of Empathy, seeking to understand and support others in times of need.

Thank you for reading this letter and I again wish you and your families well over the coming month. The final page of the letter will provide you with advance information on how we would make decisions and communicate them around any severe weather during the winter - we didn’t need to do this last year, so fingers crossed it is for information rather than action over the next few months!

Arrangements for emergency school closure due to extreme weather conditions

Whilst we are not currently anticipating any serious weather at the moment, the move into November means that schools across the country will be taking the opportunity of reminding parents/carers of the arrangements should the weather deteriorate in the winter months. Below is a summary of those at Holyhead and how we would approach decision making and communication in the event of severe weather.

In summary the school will always remain open unless conditions are extremely severe overnight or deteriorate rapidly during the day (e.g. heavy snowfall/extreme high winds).

The school will only close in the following circumstances:

1. If there is a central decision made to close by the Local Authority or Central Region Schools Trust
2. If the Principal and Governors decide to close the school due to deteriorating weather or unforeseen circumstances, for instance burst pipes or a heating failure.    

Communication around any closure
If the school has to close for Health and Safety reasons, more specific information about the details of the closure will be available on the school website  www.holyheadschool.org.uk and via our X account ‘@holyhead_school’.  We will also send messages via Arbor as long as our IT system is not affected.

Any decision to close before the start of the school day will be announced on local radio stations as early as possible.  The decision will also be published on our website and via social media through our X feed.  If the school has already opened for the day it may be necessary to send students home early.  It would be very helpful if you could make provisional arrangements in case this should happen and make sure that your child understands them.

The following radio stations will be alerted of school closure:
Free Radio 96.4FM (www.freeradio.co.uk)
BBC Radio WM 95.6FM (www.bbcwm.co.uk)
Heart FM 100.7FM (www.heart.co.uk)
Capital Radio 102.2FM (www.capitalfm.com/birmingham)

The school website home page would have a pop up black box which would contain any emergency announcements in the event that this would be needed in the future.

Thank you once again for your continued support.

Yours faithfully,

Mr D Knox
Principal