Our Ref: DK/jh/gltr/Nov 24    

6th November 2024

Dear Parent/Carer

I hope you and your family are well, and you all had a pleasant half-term including those who were celebrating Diwali and Bandi Chorr Divas. This November update letter provides more information on:

• Autumn Mock Exams for Years 11 and 13 / Academic Profiles and Subject Parents’ Evenings
• How we can maintain momentum from a strong start to the year
• What’s on the website? Information on what we teach in the Curriculum section
• Community support - Introducing Holyhead’s annual Food Drive and our first Clothing Drive
• Advance notice of what the communications would be around any winter weather related closures

Year 11/13 Autumn Mock Exams and Academic Profiles / Subject Parents’ Evenings
November is a crucial month in terms of assessment for Year 11 and 13 students who will be taking their first set of Mock Exams this year as we build towards the external exams in the summer. The Mocks will take place over the first two weeks of the half-term and will provide vital information for teachers and students on areas for development and focus in the weeks and months ahead in advance of the GCSE/Level 3 exams in May and June 2025.

Year 11 parents/carers will be sent their child’s Academic Profile in December before an important opportunity for parents/carers to meet with teachers on the Y11 Subject Parents’ Evening which will take place on Thursday 23rd January from 4-7pm. 

Year 13 parents/carers will be sent their child’s Academic Profile in December with the opportunity to meet subject teachers to discuss progress on the Parents’ Evening on Thursday 19th December from 4-6pm.

Supporting students with homework and attendance
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 being 2% above national average. It is vital that we continue to strive for excellence in all aspects of school life, with a strong commitment to ensuring that learning is both undisturbed and highly productive as well as making the most of the opportunities to build on the knowledge gained in lessons through completing regular homework. To support students in doing this we now have a Homework Club operating from the Library and this runs 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 the facilities available if they need to.

As mentioned above, attendance at school has been another very positive feature from the start of the year. The impact of strong attendance helps support children to make more progress with their learning alongside their social development, a key reason why we have made it a major school improvement priority this year, and also why your continued support is highly valued.

What’s on the website for you? Curriculum information
One of the most important parts of the school website for parents is the Curriculum section which helps to show what topics students will be taught in each subject from Y7 all the way through to Y13. If you are keen to find out more about what your child is learning then please take a look for yourselves using the link here. 

From the Curriculum overview page you can find out the subjects we offer at Key Stage 3 from Y7-9, at GCSE for Y10-11 and in the Sixth Form, as well as the aims and intent of the curriculum at Holyhead. You will also be able to click on the links for each of the Faculties where you can find more specific information about what is taught to each year group in all of our subject areas. We have redesigned the section to provide you with information in a more user-friendly way so we hope this will help you to get what you want and need to support your child from home.

Community support: Holyhead’s Food and Clothing Drive
I wanted to take the opportunity to draw your attention to the charitable community work that is being led in school by Miss Khatun. This work has been highlighted in the assemblies this week that have focused on how one of our key character attributes, empathy along with a humanitarian approach can help to make a better world for all.

Firstly, we will continue our annual food drive to support those in need within our local community where we kindly request non-perishable food items and toiletries. Your generous contributions will make a significant difference in helping those less fortunate in our community. Please ensure donations are brought in by Wednesday 18th December and these can be left at the school reception or students can deliver them to Miss Khatun or Miss Fox-Roberts in their classrooms.

Secondly, we will be organising a brand new clothes and shoes drive to assist refugees and asylum seekers. We would also greatly appreciate it if possible for families to donate any pre-loved but unwanted clothing, including shoes, as long as they are in good condition. We will be grateful to receive clothes and shoes ranging from baby sizes to adult. Please ensure that the items are washed before being brought in by Friday 20th December.

A little can go a long way, so please don’t think that small donations are not good enough. We genuinely value and appreciate any and all donations and contributions that you can make and know that they will help make a real difference.

Operation Sceptre - West Midlands Police’s Knife Crime Awareness Campaign
I also wanted to make you aware of another letter that will be sent out at the start of next week across the city to coincide with Operation Sceptre which is West Midlands Police’s Knife Crime Awareness Campaign running from Monday 11th - Friday 15th November. This is another joint letter from West Mids Police and schools across the city and seeks to provide information for parents/carers on what signs to look out for and how to discuss issues around knife crime with children. We will be sending this out to you on Monday 11th November.

Key upcoming events/dates coming up in November and December

• School is closed to students on Friday 22nd November as it is a Central Region Schools Trust CPD day
• Year 13 Subject Parents’ Evening will be held on Thursday 19th December from 4-6pm.
• Students will break up for the Christmas holidays at 12 noon on Friday 20th December

Thank you for reading this letter and I again wish you and your families well over the coming month. If you read further onto p3 you will find advanced information on how we would make decisions and communicate them around any severe weather during the winter 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