It was an absolute pleasure to welcome so many of our learners, families, staff, governors and guests to The Storyhouse this week for our Annual Awards Evening. It really was a wonderful occasion and one of those evenings that reminds us just how much there is to be proud of at Upton-by-Chester High School.

Throughout the evening, we celebrated not only academic achievement, but also progress, effort, and commitment. It was particularly special to recognise young people who have made an exceptional contribution to our school and who demonstrate our values of Community, Ambition, Resilience, Diligence and Inclusion in the way they approach school life each day.

The evening also gave us an opportunity to reflect on what has been an exceptional year for our school. In the summer, we celebrated some of the strongest GCSE results in our school’s history, alongside excellent A-Level and vocational outcomes. This September, we also welcomed 288 new Year 7 learners and more than 225 learners into Year 12 – our largest Sixth Form intake ever. These successes are a real testament to the hard work of our learners, the dedication of our staff and the tremendous support of our parents and carers.

With our new school rapidly taking shape alongside us, this is also a particularly exciting time in Upton-by-Chester High Schools history. As I said on the evening, however, buildings don’t make great schools – people do. What makes our school special is our young people, our staff, our families, our relationships, our expectations and the ambition we share for every learner.

I would like to offer my congratulations once again to every learner who received an award. I hope they are enormously proud of what they have achieved, and that the evening encourages them to keep aiming high, showing resilience and making the very most of the opportunities ahead of them. It was a privilege to celebrate their achievements with them and their families.

Next week is another busy and important one at Upton. On Monday 21 September at 5.30pm, we will be welcoming our Year 11 parents and carers into school for our Year 11 Parent/Carer Information Evening. During the school day, Year 11 learners will take part in a session focused on how to prepare effectively for their examinations, and the evening will build on this by sharing important information with parents and carers about the year ahead and how, together, we can best support our young people through this crucial stage of their education.

We are also looking forward to our Open Evening next week, when we expect to welcome many prospective learners and their families to Upton as they consider their choice of secondary school for September 2027. Open Evening is always a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase our school, but, more importantly, for families to meet our learners and staff, experience the atmosphere of Upton and get a real sense of what it means to be part of our school community. I am very much looking forward to welcoming everyone and, as always, I know our learners will be fantastic ambassadors for our school.