Welcome to my first parent / carer bulletin of the 2025-26 academic year.
This week started with me having the pleasure of delivering assemblies to all the learners in the school. It was wonderful to see them all back and ready to learn. We used the assembly to remind the learners of our mission – 'Learning to Shape the Future', and our values. We concluded the assembly by focussing on some people who previously attended the school and shared their current success stories. I hope it proved the point that they too can go on and achieve great things.
In my last letter to you, I did say I would share some more information about the results.
Exam Success 2025
This summer, learners at Upton-by-Chester High School celebrated another year of excellent exam results. At A Level, over a quarter of all grades were A*-A and well over half were A*-B, with many learners progressing to top universities, competitive courses, and high-quality apprenticeships. Standout successes included several learners achieving multiple A*s, alongside many others making exceptional progress.
Our Year 11s also impressed with outstanding GCSE and vocational results, showing remarkable resilience after starting secondary school during the pandemic. Many achieved a string of top grades and will now continue their journey in our thriving Sixth Form.
We are incredibly proud of all our learners for their commitment, hard work, and achievements, and thank staff, parents, and carers for their vital support.
Events
As you will see from the calendar link below, there are a significant number of events happening during this half-term. The information evenings, in particular, are an opportunity for us to share with you the key things that will be happening in each year group. If you can attend, we look forward to seeing you at these important events.
Uniform
It has been great to see the learners return in their full uniform. We appreciate your support in this important aspect of making sure that learners are ready for their learning in school. If you do need any support with getting unform at any point during the year please do contact the school via the Pastoral Support Manager for the Year Group or Head of Year. We are looking to maintain the excellent standards that have been set at the start of this term.
Sparks Maths
This year we have introduced Sparks Maths. This is an online platform which will support your child in their maths learning. We will be monitoring the use of this really closely as we know, when used well, it can really accelerate the process of young people. You will have received an email about Sparks Maths earlier this week. If you have not received this or need any support please contact your child's maths teacher or contact the school via the admin@uptonhigh.co.uk email address.
Upgraded Information Communication Technology System
During the summer holiday, the school upgraded its ICT system in anticipation of moving into the new building. We decided that making this move now would mean that there would be fewer changes all at the same time when we move into our new building, hopefully in Summer 2027. Unfortunately, there have been some unexpected challenges and these have impacted on a range of systems in school, including emails. If you have sent an email to school, and it is beyond the 48 hours that we would normally respond can I firstly apologise and ask that you resend the message to us.
That is all for this week. I hope you have a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing all the learners returning on Monday morning.
With very best wishes,
Mr L Cummins
