Parent Bulletin

Dear parents and carers,

I hope that you and your family had a safe and enjoyable half term break. We are very much looking forward to welcoming all of our students back to school.

Towards the end of last half term, our Year 11 and 13 students commenced their formal examinations, and I am pleased to inform you that their exam conduct has been superb. Their commitment and dedication in preparing for these crucial examinations is commendable.

We would like to remind all Year 11 students that the early breakfast sessions in the Courtyard cafe at 8:15 am are still available. This allows students to have a drink and something to eat before their examinations. The year team and senior colleagues will be present in the room to offer support and reassurance to any student who may need it.

As we return from half term, it is important to acknowledge the number of key examinations scheduled for all students in this first week back. As ever, we will continue to provide them with the necessary support during this period. To ensure our students are well-prepared, this examination week has been carefully planned to include subject-specific revision sessions ahead of key exams. Form tutors will communicate the examination schedules, subject-specific revision sessions during the school day, and break and lunch times to all students on a daily basis. Should you have any questions or concerns about your child’s examinations, please do not hesitate to contact the year team, who will be more than happy to assist you.

On Wednesday evening, we welcome Year 10 families into school as part of the upcoming mock examination season. During this short presentation we will provide guidance on the remainder of the students KS4 academic journey and how best to support students in the lead up to examinations. There will be an emphasis on the importance of becoming exam-ready for next year. As part of their journey to success, we will highlight the significance of revision and its role in the upcoming Year 10 mock examinations, which serve as crucial benchmarks.

There is much for our students to look forward to in this final half term of the academic year. Whilst there is a continued focus on academics, this term lends itself to having a greater opportunity for all things extra-curricular. This busy but brilliant half term builds towards our whole school sports day, our rewards trips, our cultural visits within the UK, our international trips across Europe and our whole school enrichment week. We look forward to updating you on all of these activities closer to the time.

Linked to this, I would like to remind families to encourage their child/children to engage in the many extra-curricular activities available to them. It is important that students find a balance with their studies and taking part in the opportunities available to them will help with this.

Uniform

As a reminder, there will be a continued focus on uniform standards at Archbishop Holgate’s School in the final Summer term. Despite the vast majority of our students wearing the correct school uniform on a consistent basis, there are currently some students who are not meeting the standards stated in the school’s uniform policy. Therefore, we feel the need to re-iterate to our students and parents our expectations around wearing the correct school uniform and meeting the standards set by the school.

In order for there to be no confusion, I have reiterated the expectations of the school and the actions that will be taken should students not meet these standards.

As students return, there will be a renewed focus in the following areas:

• Trousers/Skirts
• Jewellery
• Makeup
• Trainers
• Hoodies
• Ties

Trousers/Skirts

• Trousers and skirts will remain unbranded due to our continued commitment to poverty proofing our uniform.
• Leggings, jeans, short skirts and bodycon skirts do not meet the school’s uniform standards.
• Trousers and skirts will be purchased by school to offer students the chance to change should they arrive to school wearing inappropriate uniform.

Jewellery

• Two plain studded earrings will be allowed, no more. A single plain nose stud will be allowed; however, this must not be in excess of 0.5mm.
• In the case of new piercings, students must wear a plastic temporary stud until they are able to wear the smaller nose stud.
• Jewellery will be confiscated on sight by any member of staff who sees the student wearing it. Students will no longer be allowed to ‘put away’ their Jewellery.
• Students can then collect their item of jewellery from the main reception at the end of the school day.
• Nose bars, nose rings and septum piercings are strictly prohibited.

Makeup

• Makeup is not allowed to be worn at school. This includes false eyelashes and painted nails.
• Students will be provided with makeup wipes to remove obvious signs of makeup. Students with painted or acrylic nails will be asked to remove them at reception.

Trainers

• School shoes need to be smart, black shoes with no obvious colouring, patterned designs or metallic bars on the shoes.
• The wearing of trainers is strictly prohibited in school.
• Students who wear the wrong type of shoe to school will be sent to reception to change their shoes.
• Upon return to reception, shoes will be thoroughly disinfected ready to be worn again.
• For the time being, branded school shoes will be allowed, however this will no longer be the case in September 2023, something we explained at the start of this year.

Hoodies

• Hoodies are not to be worn around school, or at break and lunchtime. A ‘Hoodie’ is classed as a hooded jumper or an item of clothing that resembles a jumper-like garment.
• The only exception to this is the AHS hoodie, which is allowed to be worn over the standard shirt, tie and Jumper. However, AHS hoodies worn in lessons are not permitted.

Ties

• Students who attend school without a tie will be lent one at the main reception. The students name will be taken and they will be expected to return the tie at the end of the school day.
• Parents of students who do not return ties will be contacted by school in order for the tie to be returned. Lost or damaged ties will be charged at a price of £7.
• Students will be able to purchase a tie at the price of £7 from reception at any time.

It is also essential that all students bring a school bag each day and have their planner with them. The planner is viewed as part of our school uniform.

Wearing the correct school uniform is a vital part of school life. Should students choose to refuse a reasonable request to change their school uniform, or comply with the standards set out above, they will of course be supported to make the right decision. However, should students still refuse to meet the uniform expectations set out by the school, they will work in our reflection room until they agree to change their uniform. Any student who refuses to work in reflection may risk an escalated sanction.

I hope the information clears up any confusion around the expectations of uniform, and we thank parents and carers in advance for your support in reaffirming standards in this area.

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

Welcome Back
We hope our students and their families had a restful and productive break in the glorious weather. Yet again, we introduce a busy half-term ahead with lots of focus on next steps and progression planning.

REMINDER A Level Exam Timetable
Please find below the next two weeks of exams. The rest of the timetable will follow each week.

• Students to arrive 15mins before the exam start time.
• All students to go to Black Square to check the seating plans and then go to their location.

Possible locations:

1. Sports Hall
2. Drama Studio
3. SFS
4. SF Library
5. SF Café

REMINDER Competitive Admissions Test Tuition

Y12 Upcoming dates

• Hull University Progression Trip – Wednesday 28th June
• Oxford University Visit – Wednesday 28th June
• Summer mocks – week commencing 3rd July
• Cambridge University Visit – date tbc (but will fall in week commencing 3rd July)
• Enrichment Week – week commencing 10th July
• UCAS Evening for Parents – Tuesday 11th July
• Work Experience – week commencing 17th July
• Mock and BTEC Results Day – Thursday 17th August

Congratulations to our Year 13 students

A massive thank you to all of our Year 13s that have hit the ground running with a tremendous opening few weeks to exams. It has been a source of great pride to see them all attending these exams with such positivity, hard work and focus. Saying goodbye at the leaver’s celebration was always going to be tough, but we are so pleased that they have taken the well wishes there and channelled them into an excellent spirit this exam season. Good luck to everyone sitting exams this week and beyond, and congratulations once more for making it through.

BTEC Stand-Down

For our Year 13 BTEC students that have not yet completed their coursework and been signed -off, they must attend school each day to their timetable BTEC lessons and when not in a timetabled lesson we have a planned study space for them to continue working on their coursework to meet our very tight deadlines before we submit final marks. Students that do not meet the deadline will not be able to claim their qualification this year. It is important that they continue to attend.

Year 13 Prom – Friday 23rd June

As a team, we are so pleased once again that you could all join us for the leaver’s celebration. Our next opportunity to celebrate is now Prom at the Hilton in York on Friday 23rd June. Thank you all for submitting your meal choices, voting in the prom awards, and returning your RSVPs so swiftly. We look forward to celebrating you all once again.

Year 13 Exit Interviews

Each year we take feedback from our Year 13 leavers to gauge trends in aspirations and to support us in implementing effective change. Our most recent survey revealed that our students are as ambitious as always and are on the whole striving for careers that lead to fulfilment and real change. Some of the biggest concerns our students have articulated are regarding climate change and independence. As such, we are keen to provide further opportunity for independent study in Year 12. We have also made changes to the study timetable for next year’s Year 12, and our current Year 12 are having a whole day during their Enrichment week, in workshops from an external organisation to improve study skills. We always welcome feedback and always strive to implement change if we feel it will enhance student experience and outcomes. Other feedback we received was to ensure that our signposting is as clear as possible. An example that we have since looked to improve the signposting of is the Mental Health support available to students. We have since produced a document to signpost where to seek Mental Health support in the Sixth form. Please see below.

A message from the Year 11 pastoral team

I hope the students of year 11 are having a well earned rest over the half term holiday, and I know for many the break could not come soon enough! The students have worked exceptionally hard in the first two weeks of exams, and have conducted themselves superbly, but I could certainly see a rest was unsurprisingly needed and I hope they are making the most of it. We return next week to exam week three, and there are some key exams taking place throughout the week. For example the students will complete English Language, Maths, History and Geography papers in the first week back, and I am sure the students will have prepared as thoroughly for these exams as they have the others. A huge thank you again to all of our parents, who have been so supportive over the exam period, From making sure the students arrive on time, to ensuring the students are in correct uniform and with the right equipment, your support has made our job of supporting the students on the day much easier.

I have also been delighted to see students taking full advantage of the revision session that have been on offer over the half term break. I think any opportunity the students have to complete revision in a controlled environment and with their class teacher is extremely useful and will make a difference to their grades this summer.

We have been delighted with the number of students who have been coming to the morning breakfast we have been providing. I think the students have been really pleased to have somewhere to go and revise, talk with friends or just have some quiet time before the exams begin for that day. I know the hot chocolate, toast and croissants have gone down really well with the students, and we will continue to run this throughout the exam period completely free of charge. If this is something you feel your child might benefit from then please let me know.

The Friday before we broke up for half term was a lovely day, with many of the students enjoying the opportunity to sign each other’s shirts and share the memories they have made during their time at school. I was delighted we were able to finish slightly earlier on Friday, and give the students this time on the school field with an ice cream in the sunshine. It was really well deserved after all the hard work they have shown toward their exams in recent weeks. The mood felt just right, and I was delighted to see the students conduct themselves with real maturity and enjoy the moment.

Last but not least, we are busy preparing to make Prom a wonderful experience and the Prom committee have made a decision on the theme ‘Under the Night Stars’. As a reminder, Prom will be taking place on Friday 30th June at York Racecourse. Students have indicated whether they will be attending or not and we will be making the final arrangements in the coming weeks. Thank you for keeping up with the payments on ParentPay and if you need support, contact our Finance Team (swillsden@ahs.pmat.academy).

A message from the Year 10 pastoral team

What a successful half term Year 10 have had, the stand out for me was definitely with work experience. It was so nice to see them back after work experience, I had so many of our young people come up to me and tell me they’d had a great week. Furthermore, they seemed to take being back in school in their stride, there were lots of examples of excellent work in classrooms.

I have to be clear that the focus of the school is very much shifting to Year 10 now Year 11 & Year 13s exams are well underway. The mocks are in close proximity and families will have received a letter I have written explaining the mock process, with the mock timetable attached, and steps put in place, I therefore won’t repeat myself but will highlight a few key elements:

• Form time structure has changed and students have been learning revision techniques with their form tutor and received a booklet which tells them everything they need to revise. This will continue after half term.
• Mock revision in lessons will begin for two weeks after half term.
• Mocks start 19th June for two weeks – 100% attendance is mandatory, if students miss an exam, just like the real ones, they cannot redo it. Conduct in the exams will be linked to the end of year reward trip.

I must highlight that this is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge and even just get a good understanding of how the exam process works. I must also emphasise that students are expected to independently revise at home, as well as homework. We have put on sessions afterschool and at lunchtime that our young people can utilise also – please encourage them to attend as we are also putting rewards in around this, 5 sessions in a week (at home or in school) equates to a reward and our top 30 students will get an additional reward in school! I have to shout out Lewis Gray who has literally attended every single one last week! An amazing commitment! These sessions continue next week when back in school.

I would encourage families to sit down with their young person, explain the importance of mock examinations, if they haven’t already, and make sure you are all aware of their independent revision plan to make sure they know what is expected and you can support them in keeping on track.

We also look forward to welcoming parents into school on Wednesday 7th June, 6:00pm- 6:30pm, for our Year 10 Mock Information evening. This evening will introduce parents to the revision strategies shared with the young people at school, provide guidance on how to support revision and give an overview of how the mock period will work.

If you do have any queries at all please do not hesitate to get in touch with myself or the year team.

Another element to be aware of for the mocks is students must be in full school uniform to be allowed in the exam hall and after a week out of them wearing an array of work attire can I just remind parents that students need to be in full school uniform, including the correct shoes, trousers and skirts along with ties and they need to have their school jumper with them, even if not wearing it when the weather is warmer. Any concerns around uniform please just let us know.

If you have any queries regarding your young person in Year 10, then please do get in touch by emailing myself (mdeacon@ahs.pmat.academy), Mr McPaul (cmcpaul@ahs.pmat.academy) and/or Mrs Robinson (jrobinson@ahs.pmat.academy) or calling main school reception and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you – Miss Deacon

A message from the Year 9 pastoral team

We would like to congratulate our Year 9 students for their outstanding efforts and achievements throughout this half term. Their hard work, dedication, and commitment to their studies have truly paid off.

As we approach the well-deserved holiday break, I encourage our students to take some time to rest, relax, and recharge their batteries. This holiday is an opportunity for them to reset, allowing them to return with renewed energy and focus for the final half term of the school year.

Looking ahead, I would like to remind both students and parents that Assessment Week is just around the corner. It is an important period that provides an opportunity for students to showcase their understanding and consolidate their learning. We will support our Year 9 students as they prepare for these assessments, encouraging them to review their notes, ask questions, and seek assistance whenever needed.

We would also like to thank you for your support and encouragement throughout this half term. Your involvement and commitment to your child’s education play a vital role in their success. Together, we can continue to nurture a positive and supportive learning environment.

Once again, congratulations to our Year 9 students on their remarkable achievements. I wish each and every one of them a restful and enjoyable holiday break.

As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the year team.

A message from the Year 8 pastoral team

We had a fantastic end to a busy half-term last week!

The week began with 8DTk presenting an Act of Collective Worship in our assembly slot on Tuesday. Each form is allowed to choose what they present on and 8DTk chose to look at gender roles through history and gender equality. It was lovely that the form group have collaborated on putting the presentation together and the majority of the form were brave and got up in front of the rest of the year to speak. Thanks also to Mr Tilbrook for coordinating it all – he should be very proud of his form!

Thursday night saw the long awaited pizza and disco party take place. We had a 90s and neon theme which resulted in some very colourful outfits! It was a real pleasure to have put this together for our year group and see them all enjoying themselves on the night. We had some 90s classics superbly mixed by our resident DJ Mr Thompson but also some disco favourites like the Macarena and the Conga. I have never seen so many pizzas in one room at one time but we managed to get through them all by the end of the evening! A big thank you goes to our students who have fundraised with the sponsored swimming sessions in Spring term and any parent contributions to the event nearer the time. It allowed us to have a fantastic evening and opportunity for us to come together as a year group to do something fun! Thank you also goes to the site team for helping us set the room and DJ equipment up, Mr Thompson for offering to DJ, our form tutors Ms Arksey, Mr Bryan, Mr Gibson, Ms Rogers, Mrs Dugdale and Mr Tilbrook as well as Miss Holmes and Ms Short for also coming along, helping out but also having a dance as well!

The final week of term was also assessment week for our year 8s. We are really pleased with how students responded to this with a mature and resilient attitude. For those students who have found this a tricky and stressful time, we are proud of how you have managed this. Now everyone can enjoy the half term holiday after having got this out of the way.

When we return to school we will continue to have a push on high standards of uniform and behaviour in school. We ask that parents support us with this an ensure their child returns to school with correct school uniform including a tie, top button done up and a jumper in their bag (we understand that the weather is now getting warmer and students can make the choice whether they wear this to school or not) and full equipment including a school bag, two pens, a pencil and a ruler.

Hopefully when we return for the final summer term the weather will be hot and sunny. Please ensure your child comes to school with several water bottles or a large enough water bottle for them to fill up at breaks and lunchtimes to keep themselves hydrated throughout the school day. It is also advisable for students to bring sunglasses, a sun hat and sunscreen to wear when they are outside.

As always, any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with reception who will pass your message on to the year team.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team

We are excited to welcome students back for their final half term in year 7. It is hard to believe that they have already been with us for a year. They have grown in resilience, shown independence and embraced our school Journey by Joining In.

We have many exciting things to look forward to in the summer, and can hopefully enjoy some warmer weather. At lunchtime it is lovely to see Year 7 using our equipment sensibly and having fun with their friends. Please can you ensure that your child has appropriate sun protection this term including suncream, a hat, and a water bottle.

This term we have our Year 7 Parents Evening on the 28th June. Students will receive appointment sheets for this and should make appointments with each of their teachers at a time suitable for the family. Further information will be sent shortly.

At the end of the term we will have our enrichment week full of exciting activities and a trip to flamingoland. If anyone has queries about this please do not hesitate to contact us.

Finally, thank you for your support so far this year with ensuring our Year 7 Students are following our 5 school fundamentals; wearing the correct uniform; arriving on time with all equipment; speaking kindly and caring for all members of the school community and engaging and trying our best in lessons. We will work with students for the final half term of the year to maintain these high standards. If you need support with uniform or equipment please let us know.

Well done to our Head of Year Awards from the last week of half term:

Mohammed Dana 7ZBL For working extremely hard in French and settling in brilliantly – well done!
Jo Sola Farrus 7MPE For working extremely hard in your subjects and settling in so well. Well Done!

Well done to our Students of the Week:

7ASU – Douglas Tasker – for being a very firm and fair news presenter.
7CMM – Lucas Ripley – for taking responsibility every morning for form-time mindfulness and wellbeing. Thank you!
7PI – Billy Tobin – excellent contributions to our daily Wordle game!
7HV – Florence Kitney – for having a beautifully organised planner, well done!
7MPE – Imogen Potter – For being a wonderful person and a fantastic member of 7MPe. Well done having an amazing first year at AHS.
7CST – Jennifer Abernethy – For always being polite in form and friendly to everyone around school. Well Done!
7MLN – Phoebe Wilson – For being a supportive friend and helping with a bike, and for being more settled in form this week.
7JHE – Lilly Thompson – for standing up for herself and demonstrating our school value of trust
7BL – Eve Bate – for being a perfect model student who lives school life to the full. Long may it continue!
7ZBL – Elsie Graham – for always being polite in form and talking to me in the mornings. She always works hard in lessons and aims to treat everyone with compassion. Well done!
7CY – Jak Walker – for improved organisation in form time, well done.

Word of the week

The word of the week for week commencing 5 June is:

Adjective: Voracious
Engaging in an activity with great eagerness or enthusiasm
“She’s a voracious reader”

Collective Worship

Theme
Our form tutor collective worship is entitled ‘Discover your gifts’. It looks at how the bible talks about our gifts coming from God and features two remarkable 21st C. individuals. Our daily quotes are all on the theme of Gifts.

Quotes
Monday:
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” – 1 Peter 4:10, The Bible

Tuesday:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” – James 1:7, The Bible

Wednesday:
“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” – 1 Corinthians 13:8, The Bible

Thursday:
“Girls from Compton don’t play tennis. They own it.” – Serena Williams (Nike campaign)

Friday:
“Nobody achieves anything great because they are happy and lazy.” – Alex Honnold (Free Solo Climber and conqueror of El Capitan)