Welcome back.

It has been wonderful to welcome all our learners back to school following the half-term break. There has been a real sense of positivity around the school, and it has been great to see our learners reconnecting with their friends, engaging in lessons and settling back into their routines. We are looking forward to another busy and successful half-term.

Attendance Matters – 35 Days, 35 Opportunities!

As shared in our previous parent bulletin, attendance will be a key focus for us this half-term, and we are delighted to be launching our 35/35 Day Attendance Challenge for all learners in Years 7–13.

We want to emphasise that good attendance is about so much more than academic achievement, although we know that being in school every day gives learners the very best chance of making strong progress and achieving their potential.

Attendance is also about belonging. Being in school regularly helps learners feel connected to our school community, develop and maintain friendships, build positive relationships with staff and grow in confidence. Every day provides opportunities to share experiences, take part in school life and develop the skills that will support them both now and in the future.

When learners miss school, they miss more than just lessons. They can miss important moments with friends, opportunities to build relationships and experiences that help them feel part of our school community. We want every learner to feel that they belong, that they are valued and that their presence matters.

Our 35/35 Day Attendance Challenge is a positive way of recognising and celebrating excellent attendance. Learners who successfully complete the challenge will be entered into a raffle to win a range of fantastic prizes.

We would really appreciate your continued support in encouraging your child to attend school every day that they are able to, arrive on time and make the most of the opportunities available to them. We also recognise that there are times when absence is unavoidable and that some families face additional challenges with attendance. Please do contact us if you need support; we are always happy to work together to help learners attend school regularly.

New School Building – An Update including arrangements for September 2027. 

It is hard to believe that Kier, our building contractors, have now been on site for a full year!  During this time, they have made tremendous progress, and as you can see from the photographs below, our new school building is really beginning to take shape.  I went for a tour of the inside in the week before half-term and you can really see it all taking shape. 

At present, we remain on schedule to move into the new building during the middle of the summer holidays. While there is still a considerable amount of work to complete, our planning for the move is progressing well.

Subject to the building work remaining on schedule, our proposed arrangements for the start of the new academic year are as follows:

• Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd September 2027: Staff will return to school to complete the final preparations and ensure that the new building is ready to welcome learners.

• Friday 3rd September: Learners in Years 7, 11 and 12 will return to school.

• Monday 6th September: All remaining year groups will return to school.

This staggered start will allow us to support learners as they settle into their new surroundings giving them time to become familiar with the building, understand the new routines and feel confident navigating their new school.

We also recognise that moving into a completely new building is a significant change for our learners. To help make the transition as smooth and positive as possible, we will be familiarising all learners with the new school before the end of this academic year, so that they have a clear understanding of what to expect when they return in September.

Please be assured that these arrangements are provisional at this stage and depend on the building work continuing to progress as planned. I will confirm the arrangements with parents and carers as soon as I am in a position to do so.

This is an incredibly exciting time for our school community and I will continue to share updates with you as we approach this move. 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. I hope all our learners have a positive, enjoyable and successful half-term.