Parent Bulletin

Dear parents and carers,

It was fantastic to welcome our students back to school last Tuesday and we especially enjoyed offering a  warm welcome to all of the students who are new to our school community. Our Year 7 and Year 12 students are already settling in well to school life and we hope that they have enjoyed their first week.   We look forward to getting to know the students and working with them throughout their journey at Archbishop Holgate’s School. The students have returned exceptionally well to school and it has been great to see them being so positively engaged in lessons and during their form tutor programme. That said, I would strongly encourage students to get involved in the wider aspects of school life and look for the opportunities we offer beyond the classroom. The PE extracurricular timetable for Autumn half term 1 can be accessed here. Shortly, we will be sharing our full extracurricular timetable that includes a broader range of activities for students to access. We are lucky to have two school libraries with lots of activities and resources for students to enjoy – our school library newsletter offers more details about these opportunities and can be accessed here.

We are saddened by the sombre news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II last week. Our thoughts and prayers go to the Royal Family and everyone in our school communities as we process this news. The Church of England have produced a prayer which we would like to share with you:

Gracious God, we give thanks
for the life of your servant Queen Elizabeth,
for her faith and her dedication to duty.
Bless our nation as we mourn her death
and may her example continue to inspire us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

On Friday, we spent time with students and staff to reassure them and to reflect on the life and significance of Her Majesty the Queen. We started the day with a whole staff reflection and a time of prayer in morning registration time for students. At midday we participated in the national two-minute silence and this afternoon students viewed this morning’s dedicated BBC Newsround programme that explores this momentous event. Next week in Form Tutor Collective Worship we will continue to reflect on the Queen’s life and faith. During this period of national mourning there will be a small space set aside in both the School Chapel and Reception, which will contain a book for recording thoughts and reflections. As part of the mourning period, the school will cease any social media posts.

Students may find this period of mourning difficult and as such I would like to flag up two resources that offer advice to support children who are finding this difficult:

1. Winston’s wish
2. Thrive

I’d also like to reinforce that if students are struggling with this or anything else that they should speak to a member of their Year Team who they feel most comfortable to talk to. This could be their Form Tutor, one of the two Assistant Head of Year or Head of Year.

Since the letter that we sent to you on Friday we have received guidance from the government that Monday the 19th of September is to be a bank holiday as part of Her Majesty the Queen’s funeral arrangements. During this time, the school will be closed as directed by the government.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bank-holiday-announced-for-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-iis-state-funeral-on-monday-19-september

In the remainder of the bulletin this week you will find information from: the wellbeing team, each Year team, the Chaplaincy team alongside other key messages to be aware of.

Wellbeing
Health and wellbeing is an important part of life at Archbishop Holgate’s School, in order to read the wellbeing newsletter for this week – please click here.

Student Medication
We would encourage all students who require medication throughout the school day to keep this at main school reception. A form will need to be completed by a parent or guardian and is available by emailing reception@ahs.pmat.academy or by calling 01904 411341.

Head of Year Awards

Year team messages to parents and carers
Each week, the pastoral year teams will communicate any key messages, successes and upcoming dates to be aware of in this section of the parent bulletin.

A message from the Sixth Form pastoral team
We have had an excellent week in the Sixth Form welcoming back our Year 13 students and new Year 12 students. We also welcome students brand-new to the school, not just Sixth Form. Students have been exemplary in their conduct and have thrown themselves into their academic study. We look forward to the coming weeks whilst we get to know the cohort.

School Agreement
Please return your reply slips from the School Agreement your son/daughter received on Tuesday 6th September. Should you wish to speak to anyone concerning the content of the agreement please do get in touch with your son/daughters Head of Year. Martin Charlton Y13 mcharlton@ahs.pmat.academy Charlotte Williams Y12 cwilliams@ahs.pmat.academy

Year 12 Competitive Admissions

Those students that received 8x 8 or 9 GCSE grades will be targeted as Competitive Admissions applicants for September 2024. Competitive Admissions are those students applying for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science or any applications to Oxford or Cambridge. There will be students that do not meet the criteria stated that wish to apply for these areas, that is welcome, and they must make themselves known to Mr Charlton. Those that meet the criteria above will be spoken to this week.

Upcoming Key Dates:

• Staff Training Day Thurs 6th October
• Y11 IAG Day (no school for Sixth Form) Fri 14th October
• Y12 Form Tutor Evening Weds 16th November
• A message from the Year 11 pastoral team.

It’s been wonderful to see the students in Year 11 this week, and to hear about their experiences over the summer holidays. The students seemed well rested and very eager to get the term off to a positive start. Upon their return on Monday, the students received a short assembly from Mr Daly and Mr Green-Harding about the opportunities that this academic presents, and how they are in a very strong position to do well after such a successful Year 10. The Year 11 pastoral team have visited a number of Year 11 classes this week, and it has been excellent to see them settled and working hard. The team has also been informed by new teachers of Year 11 classes how impressed they have been with their attitude in the first lessons this week.

Already many of our students in Year 11 are starting to think about their future and post 16 opportunities. As part of their AHS journey, Year 11 will receive plenty of support regarding their ‘Next Steps’ across this academic year. The students will have the opportunity to take part in taster days for the sixth form and other providers in York, have speakers in assembly for information regarding apprenticeships (and other careers pathways) and the opportunity to attend a careers fair with local employers. By doing this I hope to give Year 11 a sense of purpose toward the academic pressures that will come in Year 11, as well as broaden their aspirations for the future.

Due to the importance of Year 11 and in order to support the students further, We are delighted to inform you we have extended the pastoral team even further this year. Mrs Johnstone will remain in the role supporting me as Assistant Head of Year, but we also welcome Miss Stocks and Mr Deamer into Assistant Head of Year roles to expand capacity in the team. Mr Deamer is a very experienced colleague who has worked with Year 11 in the past, supporting students to reach their full academic potential. He will play a specific role in supporting students with their attendance and helping students make the most of the opportunities on offer to them this year. Miss Stocks has joined us and will support students with their resilience and wellbeing as they reach difficult points throughout the year. Miss Stocks was an integral reason for the school being awarded the national wellbeing award last year, and I know her work will have a very positive impact on the students in our year group.

A big focus this year for the students in year 11 is attendance at school. Although we saw an improvement to attendance figures in Year 10, we encourage all students to attend school each day. It is clear that time away from school has a direct impact on their academic outcomes at GCSE, as the graphic below clearly shows. By raising the significance of absence on academic performance, we hope that it will encourage the students to attend school.

As always, should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child, please feel free to contact a member of the Year 11 pastoral team, and we will be happy to help in any way we can.

A message from the Year 10 pastoral team
Another year begins at Archbishop Holgate’s School, and it has been wonderful to welcome Year 10 back after a lovely six week summer break. Whilst many things will stay the same in this new school year, there will hopefully be some welcome differences that students will be able to take advantage of. In terms of key differences you may notice, we welcome Mr McPaul to the Year 10 Pastoral Team as Assistant Head of Year, he is very much looking forward to getting to know the year group, and supporting your children in any way he can. Mr McPaul joins myself (new to the Head of Year role) and Miss Clark (who joins the team permanently as our non-teaching Assistant Head of Year), who continues to do a sterling job for the year group. Students are welcome to come find us during the school day if they are having any issues that they want to raise with the pastoral team.

A further change this year is that students in Year 10 have progressed onto the next stage of the Archbishop Holgate’s School Journey. Last year, the focus in Year 9 was on ‘Knowing Ourselves and Others’, this year students will be asked to work towards the goal of ‘Responsibility & Resilience’. On the first day, students were each given an AHS Journey Passport, where they could record their favourite memories from last year, and then set themselves goals and aspirations for the rest of the year. These will be revisited throughout the year to see how students are making progress to achieving their AHS Journey Target. We aim to empower students to take ownership of their decisions and actions to set themselves in good stead for their futures.

It is in Year 10 that students really start to focus on their GCSEs, through learning new knowledge and developing new skills. Students will also be completing work experience, which will bring breadth and diversity to their curriculum as they work to learn exam skills and new knowledge as well as the opportunity for the Duke of Edinburgh award.

While some things this year have certainly changed, some things will remain consistent as always. We will be speaking to students in our first Act of Collective Worship on Tuesday about ensuring that we all get the fundamentals of school right in order to ensure we are all successful. This includes ensuring students maintain the highest standards of attendance and punctuality, as well as working hard in lessons and ensuring homework is completed to the best of their ability. Further to this, the school uniform is also a key part of our Archbishop Holgate’s School community. It was wonderful to see the Year 10 students arrive on Tuesday morning in excellent uniform. Students must also ensure they maintain high standards with regards to footwear, appropriate trousers and skirts, and that they are wearing an Archbishop Holgate’s School tie. We very much want to work with families to make sure that students meet the basic uniform expectations of the school.

Thank you for taking the time to read this first parent bulletin of the year – we as a pastoral team are very excited for the school year ahead, we know all our Year 10 students are fantastic young people and I cannot wait to see them on their journeys this year. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 10, then please do get in touch by emailing mdeacon@ahs.pmat.academy, or calling main school reception and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

A message from the Year 9 pastoral team
The Year 9 team would like to offer students a warm welcome back. We hope that families have had an enjoyable summer break and were able to spend some time with family and friends. We have been really looking forward to seeing the Year 9 students and we are looking forward to a fantastic year together.

We would like to take this opportunity to update you on the new structure of the Pastoral Team. Mrs Avey remains Head of Year, Mrs Mennell is now Assistant Head of Year to the year group, and replacing Mr Handley, Mr O’Brien is also Assistant Head of Year to the year group.

The first full term in school is always busy but we are looking forward to seeing Year 9 continue to be excellent ambassadors to the school and we are expecting the same high standards that were set by pupils in Year 8.

Attendance will be a big focus this year and we are hoping to build on the strong attendance shown by the year group last year. We will also continually be focusing on students wearing the correct uniform in school and challenging those who are not. We very much appreciate the support we have had from parents with this. If you have any questions or concerns about uniform, please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of the Year 9 team and we will be happy to help.

Year 9 is time to focus on the next steps of the AHS journey. Having reflected on Year 8 on the first day back in extended form time, we are encouraging students to think about the next step, to understand ourselves and others. We are hoping students will think about ways to be of service to others, without always thinking about the benefit to themselves, to help them grow as individuals. This will be revisited throughout the year.

For those wanting to get ahead with homework, or an extra helping hand, homework club will be starting on the 12th September and will be run by Mr Stabler. There will be an extra-curricular timetable on the school website in the coming days.

A message from the Year 8 pastoral team
As we embark on our new academic year, the Year 8 team would like to warmly welcome our new cohort who have made a fantastic impression this week. We hope that all our Year 8 families have had happy and restful summers and that students have thoroughly enjoyed their first week back in school.

As the new Year 8 team – Miss Chambers (Head of Year), Mrs Reeder and Miss Waines (Assistant Heads of Year) – it has been lovely to see students returning to school so excited and keen to get stuck into their lessons. We are fortunate to have an immensely strong and experienced team of Year 8 Form tutors this year who have begun building the supportive relationships that will last throughout the AHS journey. Unlike in Year 7, the Year 8 team will largely remain the same until students leave in Year 11, so the start of Year 8 really does mark a moment of lasting commitment as we care for your child throughout their time in school.

Our Year 8 journey is all about OPPORTUNITIES and, throughout the year, we pledge to do all we can to create these opportunities for our students to thrive and grow. During Year 8, we hope to see students pushing themselves to make the most of the fantastic opportunities in lessons, through rewards, involvement in assemblies, school trips, extra-curricular clubs and the Year 8 student council (which will begin later this half term). Our extra-curricular clubs will recommence next week and Form tutors will be strongly encouraging students to join a club. There will also be more information about the Flamingo Land Rewards trip (postponed from the summer term) in the coming weeks.

In the first weeks back, our priorities lie in ensuring every child feels happy, settled and supported in their new Forms and routines. As part of our duty of pastoral care, we will hold high expectations of our Year 8 students’ behaviour, attendance and uniform and we will be guiding every member of our year group to meet these high standards. Throughout Year 8, we will also support students to foster greater resilience and independence, which will serve them well in their developing relationships and as they take the next tentative steps towards being responsible members of a future society.

As with Year 7, students have a comprehensive pastoral support system in place for Year 8. Our Year 8 Head of Year office is based next to the Year 8 social area by the Courtyard café and our team is available before and after school and each break and lunchtime to hold conversations with students. We are on hand throughout your child’s school experience to support and we want to work closely with families to ensure the best outcomes for your child.

If parents have any queries or concerns, you should call school reception to speak to someone in the Year 8 team, or you can email Y8team@ahs.pmat.academy to contact Miss Chambers, Mrs Reeder and Miss Waines.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team
We have been so impressed with how excellent Year 7 behaviour has been this first week. From outstanding attendance, to being highlighted by the lunch staff as having the best manners in school – it is an absolute delight to be their Head of Year. In Assembly this week we spoke about our Journey through Archbishop Holgate’s School. In Year 7 we are right at the beginning of our Journey and J stands for ‘joining in’. Form time is a great opportunity to join in and make friends. Students are already getting to know each other and really engaging with our form time activities. Year 7 experience a variety of reading, cultural capital, News stories from around the world and collective worship. Form time is the ideal time for our form groups to bond, as our ‘sixth lesson of the day’ students can learn, give their opinions and share their views with each other.

Homework club will begin for Year 7 from Monday. It runs after School until 4pm on a Monday – Thursday evening. There is no need to sign up, students can attend as often as they like. Our extra curricular timetable will be available soon which will allow our students to join in with lots of new exciting clubs! Some of our Year 7s have already been to see the Year 7 Library. Students were queuing up at lunchtime to borrow books and take part in our Library activities which include, word searches, colouring in and quizzes!

A huge well done to our Head of Year Award students this week:

Riley Castle 7Pi – For a fantastic start to Year 7 and always being so polite to all teachers. Well done Riley!
Dora Escombe 7JHe – For a great start to year 7 and making a real effort to include all students. Well done Dora!

Also, well done to our Students of the Week this week:
7ASu Max Parker – for managing his first week at AHS so well.
7CMm Troy Dear- For excellent attitude in form and for being singled out by various teachers on how well he got on.
7Pi Ryan Pang – For achieving the most merits in form this week
7Hv Florence Kitney – For showing excellent leadership skills and compassion.
7MPe Isabella Ellisson – For having a superb first week and making a great start. Well done.
7CSt Leyla Traboulsi- For always being polite and saying good morning and good afternoon every form time.
7MLn Thandie-Lyra Rowell – for an excellent start to year 7 – well done!
7JHe Oscar East – for being exceptionally polite to everyone in our school community
7Bl David Gobl – Taking part in class discussions in a mature way and presenting good ideas.
7ZBl Oliver Duffil – For being brave and gaining developing your confidence in your first week of school!

Please get in touch if we can support your child further in any way.

Word of the week
The word of the week for week commencing 12 September is:

Inspire
Verb: to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially something creative.
His commitment inspired everyone around him.

School lottery
Please find below information about the school lottery should you be interested.

School agreement
I would like to draw your attention to the wording in the school agreement which states “pupils should follow all instructions from a member of staff the first time of asking, without question”. I would like to clarify that the wording relates to students following reasonable requests from colleagues that link directly to the school rules. An example of this would be ensuring that students follow the one way system when asked. Mr Daly explained this to students in the assemblies last week but it is important to reiterate this message.

Collective Worship
Theme
The theme for our form tutor collective worship is the life of HM Queen Elizabeth II, looking at what we can learn from her Christian faith and her example of Servant Leadership. Our daily quotes are all her thoughts on faith.

Quotes
Monday – “I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad… I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right… to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God!” – The Queen
Tuesday – “God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general (important though they are) – but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.” – The Queen
Wednesday – “For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.” – The Queen
Thursday – “The life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing.” – The Queen
Friday – “Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none… God’s love is for everyone. There is no one beyond its reach.” – The Queen