Dear parents and carers,
I hope you are having an enjoyable and safe summer break. As we begin the final week of the holiday I thought families would appreciate some key updates linked to the start of term.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming back all our students, including those joining us for the first time in Year 7 and Year 12. Our arrangements for the start of term are very straightforward with all students returning on Tuesday 6 September following the staff training day on Monday 5 September. However, students who are not in Year 7 and Post 16 will arrive slightly later to allow staff to welcome students new to the school. The details are below:
- Year 7 arrive for 8.45am and go straight to the main hall
- Year 12 and Year 13 arrive for 8.45am and and go to their form room (information for this is provided below)
- Year 8, Year 9, Year 10, Year 11 arrive for 10.05am and go to their form room (information is provided below)
The morning will consist of form time activities (for example issuing planners, timetables and discussing expectations) and a short assembly with myself and Mr Green-Harding, before subject lessons start for all students at 11.15am. School will finish at 3.15pm for all students.
We ask that all parents/carers ensure their child knows their form room. This can be found on the attached document below ‘Pastoral Team 2022 to 2023’.
We hope that this is a helpful document and one that illustrates our ongoing commitment to pastoral care of the highest quality. It includes:
- Information about each year group (Head of Year, Assistant Heads of Year and Form Tutors) as well as some of what students can expect from the AHS Journey in each year group.
- Information about our wider pastoral team that is in place to support students.
- Information about who to contact if you have a concern you would like to discuss.
The document also outlines some of the key things that underpin effective partnership working. We are extremely grateful for the excellent support we receive from families which is essential to our ongoing success. I would reiterate the importance of these conversations being courteous and respectful at all times. On Tuesday 6 September every student will be issued with a copy of the ‘School Agreement’ and we ask that parents/carers discuss this with their child and that the last page is signed by both student and parents/carers and returned to school ASAP.
A copy of the school day is included below. It is slightly amended from last year with all students finishing school at 3.15pm.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all students who received their examination results over the last two weeks. Students approached these examinations with dedication and determination and should be extremely proud of what they have achieved as individuals. We very much appreciate the support from families over the last two years. We have spent the last two weeks, and will continue to do so this week, ensuring that all students are able to make the appropriate next steps after Year 11, 12 and 13. Whilst collectively students have achieved extremely well, we are also in a position where we can guarantee that any student in Year 11 who wants to stay at AHS can do so and will be supported onto the most appropriate courses for their progression.
Whilst results days are first and foremost about individual young people and their achievements I am delighted to say that the overall results for the school remain outstanding and I would like to thank all our staff for the part they have played in this. Results at both Post 16 and GCSE are higher than results prior to COVID, well above national averages, with students at AHS continuing to excel. A particular achievement at Post 16 was the 43.7% of all A Level grades either A or A* and almost 80% of all A Level grades at A* to B. At GCSE our indicative progress score suggests that we will surpass the figure in 2019 which placed our results in the top 4% nationally. As we reflect on these individual and collective achievements it is clear that these would not have been possible without the entire school community working together to overcome the challenges presented over the last two years. Thank you.
As we look forward to the start of term I would remind families of our uniform expectations and thank you in advance for your ongoing support in this area. We wrote to all families prior to the summer break explaining both our commitment to poverty proofing our uniform and also our high expectations for all students to wear the appropriate uniform. Details around school uniform can be found via the link below:
https://archbishopholgates.
A reminder to parents about both our pre-loved uniform shop and the school Unity Fund. The pre-loved uniform shop can be accessed via the link below and if families require support from the Unity Fund please email either gstainsby@ahs.pmat.academy or krobinson@ahs.pmat.academy for more information:
https://app.uniformd.co.uk/items/172
Finally, I would like to remind families about the additional leadership capacity we have in place for September 2022. I wrote before summer to explain that Mr Green-Harding will take on the new Head of School role to support me with the day-to-day running of the school. Whilst I will retain the overall leadership of the school, Mr Green-Harding is likely to be the first point of contact for day-to-day matters relating to the student experience. I am pleased to say that families will hear from both of us each week with Mr Green-Harding producing the parent bulletin for the start of the week and I will continue to have responsibility for the weekly Newsletter which is usually sent on a Thursday. In a school of over 1800 young people this additional capacity will ensure that we continue to support all families and provide all our students with the excellent education they deserve.