JDeamer

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)

Dear parents and carers,

I hope this message finds you all well. Last week, our Year 11 students commenced their formal GCSE examinations, and I am pleased to inform you that their exam conduct has been nothing short of exemplary. Their commitment and dedication in preparing for these crucial examinations is commendable. As we enter the final week before the half term break, it is important to acknowledge the number of key examinations scheduled for all students. As ever, we will continue to provide them with the necessary support during this period.

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.

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.

We extend a warm welcome back to our Year 10 students who have just returned from their work experience visits. We are eager to hear more about their experiences and the fantastic placements they have had the opportunity to enjoy. It is worth noting that we have received numerous messages from external organisations praising our students for their outstanding conduct, excellent manners, and enthusiasm. This recognition is a testament to their exemplary behaviour, and we commend them for representing our school so admirably.

On Monday, we will be conducting an assembly specifically for our Year 10 students. During this assembly, I, along with Mr. Williams (Deputy Head – Curriculum), will provide guidance on the remainder of their KS4 academic journey. We will discuss various opportunities outside the classroom that students should engage in. Additionally, we will emphasise 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.

HPV Vaccines Monday 5th June:
The School Aged Immunization service (SAIS) will be in school again Monday 5th June for all the students that did not have a HPV vaccine on the 18th May. PLEASE NOTE: you must consent online or your child will not get a vaccine!

Scan the QR code below, or head to:
https://www.hdftsais.co.uk/

Rewards Update – Amazon Vouchers on ClassCharts
As a principle in our rewards system, we want to try and foster a sense that ‘being good is a reward in itself’, and not to focus too heavily on material rewards. The initial part of the rewards system therefore focuses on ‘recognition’ of achievements. As part of this, we have instituted a system this year using ClassCharts whereby students receive a Letter from Mr Green-Harding (Head of School) and a personalised certificate as they receive a certain number of merits. The thresholds for this are as follows…

• Bronze Award: 100 merits
• Silver Award: 200 merit
• Gold Award: 300 merits
• Platinum Award: 450 merits
• Special Commendation: 550 merits

However, we recognise that tangible rewards do act as an incentive for students and whilst we don’t want them to be the primary focus of the merits system, we do want to incorporate them into our rewards for the most outstanding students that work hard and live our school’s Christian values into being consistently.

We have now implemented a system of purchasing vouchers for those students who perform exceptionally in terms of merits, beyond the certificate and letter recognition I have outlined above. We do however have to consider this in the contexts of ever-tightening school budgets in the current climate.

We have now implemented a progressing Amazon Voucher System that students can purchase using their merits – they can either cash them in early or keep saving until they reach a higher total. However, there will be a limited number of each voucher available. The system will be…

750 merits – £5 Amazon Voucher (100 available until the end of the year)
1,250 merits – £10 Amazon Voucher (50 available until the end of the year)
1,750 merits – £15 Amazon Voucher (25 available until the end of the year)

We hope this goes some way to recognising the exceptional performance of the eligible students over a prolonged period of time, and that we are appreciative of them consistently living the school values into being and “Living life to the full” in the spirit of John 10:10.

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.

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

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.

REMINDER Y13 Leavers’ Key Dates:

• Prom – Friday 23rd June Hilton, York
• A Level Results – Thursday 17th August (invites sent last week)

REMINDER A Level Exam Timetable

Please find below the next two weeks of exams leading up to and following the May half-term break. The rest of the timetable will follow each week. Students have individual timetables also.

• Students to arrive 15mins before the exam start time
• All students to go to the 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 Tests

Y12 Upcoming dates

• A Level Mock Exams – wc 3rd July
• Y12 Enrichment Week (off timetable) – wc 10th July
• Y12 Work Experience (not in school) – wc 17th July

A message from the Year 11 pastoral team

This week has seen the beginning of the GCSE examinations and I have been really proud of the start the students have made. There has been a feeling of real optimism (and relief) that the exams have finally begun, and so far, the conduct of the students has been exemplary. I would like to thank parents for your continued support in getting students into school on time and for making sure they have the correct uniform and equipment to complete the exams.

Whilst not in exams, students have been benefiting from the bespoke revision sessions the school has put on for them prior to their next exam. We have managed to cover specialist teachers in every subject, so students can have a last minute revision session with their class teacher. Again, I have been very proud of the way the students have approached these sessions, making full use of the support on offer to them.

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.

As you are aware, there is a half term break in the middle of the exam period and just as there was in Easter, revision sessions will be run by certain subjects to aid students before their exams begin again after the week’s holiday. Please look out for emails or letters home regarding these sessions and thank you for your support in getting your child to attend. This will be really beneficial for them and could have a significant impact on their grade.

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 week Year 10 have had with work experience, the full year group always shines when they have additional opportunities and they certainly did last week. I just want to start by saying I am beyond proud of all our young people on work experience, I have had many an email or phone call with glowing reports on how outstanding students have been, the students I saw myself on visits were doing a cracking job and I know a few students have been offered opportunities in the future like apprenticeships, that is down to their hard work, well done Year 10, they should be proud of themselves.

I am certainly looking forward to welcoming them back in the building this week to heap on the praise of their success but also start on mock preparation.
Families will be receiving a letter this week 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 will change and students will be learning revision techniques with their form tutor and receiving a booklet which tells them everything they need to revise. They will also be writing a revision timetable for half term to bring home – please ask your young person about this and check you all are aware and agree on the plan.
• Mock revision in lessons will begin for two weeks after half term.
• Mocks start 19th June for two weeks.

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 are also putting 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 £5 Amazon voucher and our top 30 students will get an additional reward in school! 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

Another great week for Year 9 in the penultimate week of term. This week we had a fantastic act of collective worship by 9JDl looking at the coronation of King Charles III. As aspects of the coronation were talked about and every member of the form who participated in this, be it designing the powerpoint, posters of participating should be very proud of themselves.

Mr Bainbridge took our Year 9 Boys football team to Selby for the cup semi final. “Unfortunately our Y9 boys lost to Selby 5-3 in the county cup semi finals after being 1-3 up at half time!

The students put in a great performance but I was delighted when the referee commented at the end of the game to say how brilliant our students were and how they had an amazing attitude. They showed great sportsmanship and exemplary manners when they were talking to the referee. It is excellent to hear how well they have represented the school and the year group, despite the loss. Well done.

In a change to Friday’s collective worship, Mr Williams talked to the year group about the upcoming assessment period. Booklets were handed out in Maths this week that are full of information about when and how this will happen. Form tutors will also be giving dedicated time in form to look at revision strategies with their form and to help them learn how to revise.

As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in contact with the year team.

A message from the Year 8 pastoral team

Time seems to be flying by as we enter the final week of what has been a very calm and productive half term with Year 8. We have reached the stage of the year where, looking back, it is plain to see how much our students have grown and matured as they enter their teenage years. We feel very proud of how far they have come.

This week is an important one for Year 8 as it is Assessment week. Assessment week offers a valuable opportunity for teachers to check student progress which will be shared in an end of year report next half term so that parents can review their child’s academic progress. The tool of assessment helps students to understand the importance of working hard to perform well and we begin to expose students to important rubrics and skills for revision and navigating exam periods such as they will encounter in KS4. This helps to ‘normalise’ and build confidence around exams. However, we also try to strike a delicate balance to ensure that we have age-appropriate expectations of Year 8 and also avoid causing any unnecessary anxiety for students. The Year 8 team have held preemptive check-ins with any students who we feel might be daunted by assessment week, and we have set a tone of down-playing the pressure and encouraging everyone to just do their best. For Year 8 students, there is no expectation to complete any extra revision outside of school and routine homework is enough to consolidate any revision needed. If you have any concerns about your child this week, please advise the Year 8 team so we can support.

We have the Y8 Rewards disco on Thursday of this week which is taking place in the Main Hall and Spiritual Garden from 5pm – 6:30pm. Students will need to arrive via reception to sign in and all students are required to be signed up via Parent Pay. Thank you very much for donating an optional £2 on Parent Pay to help us to cover the costs of the event. The event is non-uniform with a theme of ’90s/neon’ which students are welcome to embrace; the Year 8 team have purchased glow sticks and neon stickers for every child so nobody feels left out! Mobile phones will be permitted, however staff will be policing the sensible use of these. There is still time to sign up so please complete the relevant consent form on Parent Pay to advise school of your child’s attendance, dietary requirements and photo permissions if your child would like to come along. Hopefully, we are anticipating some lovely sunny weather in school this week; we would therefore encourage parents to ensure your child has a water bottle with them to stay hydrated, possibly a sun hat, and maybe even some sun cream!

Thank you for your continued support. The Year 8 team are on hand throughout the school day to support students and address any concerns. We try to encourage students to seek us out before school, break, lunch or after school if they have an issue they would like to discuss. If you have any queries or concerns about your child in Year 8, please call school reception to speak to someone in the Year 8 team, or you can email reception@ahs.pmat.academy.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team

It has been lovely to have year 7s in for a full week after our Bank Holidays and to see them enjoy the end of their assessments. We are extremely proud of how hard they all worked. We have been enjoying using our lunchtime equipment in the sunshine this week and it is now really starting to feel like summer.

This week, our assembly focused on Deaf Awareness week and we learnt about how to appropriately interact with those who have hearing impairments. Students engaged brilliantly and had the opportunity to learn some sign language.

We are always so impressed by the conduct of year 7 but we would like to take this opportunity to remind students and and parents of our 5 fundamentals, coming to school fully prepares with the correct equipment and uniform each day; arriving on time to school and lessons; speaking kindly and appropriately to staff and peers; trying our hardest in lessons; and caring for our school and the people in it. Being in the year 7 team makes us proud every day, it is great to see our students living our school values, joining in and doing the 5 fundamentals each day.

As always, thank you for your continued support. If you need anything please do not hesitate to contact the year team via main school reception.

Well Done to our Heads of Years Award Hannah Wray and Phoebe Rankin who have raised money for local charity Lollipop and have been learning British Sign Language, well done – we are very proud of you!

Well Done to our Students of the Week this Week:

7ASU – Safeea Lalowski-Cumberland – for excellent presenting of the news this week!
7CMM – Leona Koay- for smashing it week after week, bringing in loads of merits for 7CMm. Well done!
7PI – Grace Rennison – for being calm and sensible in form over the last couple of weeks
7HV – Ethan Day- For helping out with the ITT visitors and for being a positive role model, well done!
7MPE – Taha Kilic – For wowing us all with a very deep and meaningful quote in form time discussion.
7CST – Henry Taylor-For always being kind in form and having great ideas and opinions to share during form time activities. Well done Henry!
7MLN – Edward Wilson – for being a trustworthy and caring member of the form, thank you!
7BL – Aleksander Kurt – for always taking part in form discussions in a mature and sensible way. I hope to see this continue. Well done!
7JHE – Lucia Nicolle – for believing in herself
7CY – Frances Lilley for taking part in the school cricket tournament
7ZBL – Abudie Hajj-Qasseem – for being on time to school every day last week! Well done and keep it up!

Word of the week

The word of the week for week commencing 22 May is:

Validity
The quality of being logically or factually sound
“One might question the validity of our data”

Collective Worship

Theme
This week our form tutor collective worship is inspired by the life of 14th century Christian mystic, Julian of Norwich. We will consider how her understanding of an immensely loving God might influence our thinking today. Our daily quotes are all on the theme of trust.

Quotes

Monday:
“Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,
Trust Him when thy strength is small,
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Seems the hardest thing of all.”
Anonymous

Tuesday:
“There are always uncertainties ahead, but there is always one certainty – God’s will is good.”
Vernon Paterson , American Christian writer

Wednesday:
“Keep praying, but be thankful that God’s answers are wiser than your prayers!”
William Culbertson, American Christian leader

Thursday:
“God will never, never, never let us down if we have faith and put our trust in Him. He will always look after us. So we must cleave (stick close) to Jesus. Our whole life must simply be woven into Jesus.”
Mother Teresa, Roman Catholic nun

Friday:
“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
Corrie Ten Boom, Dutch Christian who helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust

Dear parents and carers,

I hope that this bulletin finds you and your families well. As we begin this week, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past few weeks and highlight some of the exciting events and activities that have taken place in our school community.

First and foremost, I am delighted to say that we are finally able to have a full week in school with our students. We are pleased to have a more typical working week and we are really keen to make the most of our time with all students.

Last week was particularly eventful for our school community. It was great to be able to welcome families of Year 10 students as part of the Progress evening that took place on Wednesday. The evening was productive and enjoyable as our Year 10 teachers discussed the progress and next steps for each student. This was an especially important evening as our Year 10 students are half way through their GCSE journey and are beginning the process of preparing for their mock exams. The students are doing well in all aspects of their school life and it was a great way to be able to share this with families.

Our Year 13 students had their leavers celebration on Thursday ahead of their A Level stand down that took place on Friday. It was great to be able to celebrate and thank the students for their achievements throughout their time at Archbishop Holgate’s School. The students have demonstrated themselves to be excellent role models for the younger students in our school community and are a superb cohort of young people. Our Year 13 students have contributed so much to our school community over the last year and we thank them for making our school a special place to be part of. We wish them all the best of luck for their upcoming examinations that commence later this week.

This week, our Year 11 students also start their formal GCSE examinations. We wish them the very best of luck and we are incredibly proud of them. Their hard work and commitment in preparing for these examinations has really shone through. We have a number of key examinations taking place for all students this week and we are making sure that they are well supported during this time. We would welcome any Year 11 student to the early breakfast that takes place each morning in the Courtyard cafe at 8:15am. Students can have a drink and something to eat prior to their examinations and the room is staffed by the year team and senior colleagues who are on hand to help support and offer reassurance to any student.

The Year 11 exam week has been carefully mapped to include taught subject-specific revision sessions ahead of key examinations. Each day, form tutors will ensure that all students are aware of when and where their examinations take place, the taught subject-specific revision sessions taking place during the school day and the time of their break and lunch. If you have any questions regarding your child’s examinations then please feel free to contact the year team who will be delighted to help.

This week is also a busy time for students in Year 8 who have their in-class assessment weeks taking place. Students have been preparing for these assessments during lessons recently. It is great to see how committed the students have been ahead of these assessments as it will hold them in good stead for the future. Towards the end of the week our Year 8 students have their pizza and disco rewards evening which will be a great way to mark the end of the assessments.

Our Year 10 students are out of school as they take part in their work experience visits. There are some fantastic placements that have been organised for our students. We hope that they find this opportunity both enjoyable and incredibly rewarding as they gain skills and understanding of potential career sectors.

I want to thank you all for your continued support and commitment to our school community. We are proud of all our students and we are committed to providing them with the best possible learning environment.

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.

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

Farewell to Y13
Year 13 stood-down from A Level study on Friday and are ready for the upcoming examinations. They will only come into school for pre-arranged support or for their exams. We were delighted to host a little celebration with them on Thursday and the farewell messages from staff can be found on the Year 13 Google Classroom.

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.

REMINDER Y13 Leavers’ Key Dates:

• Prom – Friday 23rd June Hilton, York
• A Level Results – Thursday 17th August (invites sent last week)

REMINDER A Level Exam Timetable
Please find below the first two weeks of exams leading up to the May half-term break. The rest of the timetable will follow each week. Students have individual timetables also.

• 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

Competitive Admissions Tests

Competitive Admissions refer to applications for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, or any course of study at the University of Oxford or Cambridge. The competitive nature of these applications is due to the level of academic ability required to be made an offer, alongside other measures. As part of the admissions process students may be required to take admissions tests as part of the application process. This is an independent process where students should study independently alongside their A Level study. We do advise on the process and host paper-based exams, but we are also offering a small amount of tuition to help guide students with their independent approach to preparing for these exams. We are only able to offer tuition for BMAT, MAT and UCAT this year. If applicable your son/daughter has been guided by Dr King and Mr Charlton on which tests they are required to take.

The tuition will be conducted remotely in small groups of a maximum of four students. The tuition will be held during the school day under supervision. The tutors have been recruited via Bespoke Tuition.

Please complete your reply slip by Monday 15th May to confirm you are happy for your son/daughter to participate in the tuition. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

A message from the Year 11 pastoral team

I hope the students of year 11 are having a productive weekend, getting the last minute revision done before the exams kick off next week. Despite the obvious nerves, the mood around school has been really calm, and I have been very proud of the hard work that has been on display. The week finished with a special Year 11 assembly on Friday, where students were reminded of the plans for the week and the expectations we have during the exam period. Mr Daly made an appearance to wish the students the very best of luck, and to praise them for their work toward the exams in recent weeks.

Parents should have received a letter with the arrangements for the school day while students are not in exams. The Year 11 students are timetabled so they can attend revision sessions with their subject teachers the day before their next exam, therefore it is expected students remain in school when they are not in their exams. This time with the teacher immediately before their next exam is invaluable, and has made a very positive impact on students’ grades in the past. Students have also been given their exam timetables which list their full exams including dates and times. As parents, if you have not received either document please let the year team know and we will rectify this.

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 ).

As always, thank you for the support in ensuring your child’s success in the coming weeks. Please do not hesitate in contacting the year team if we can support you further in any way.

A message from the Year 10 pastoral team

I am delighted to be able to begin by saying that year 10 have had a fantastic week once again! An important event this week was the Year 10 progress evening. It was so amazing to hear such positive messages going home to parents, but for me it was really special to see the positive relationships that our lovely young people in year 10 have with their teachers. Well done Year 10!

This week, year 10 pupils were awarded 12062 merits. This is a little lower than normal, however we have had a four day week, which will have had a big impact. When we return to school on a five day week, year 10 will be challenged with a target of hitting 4500 merits in one week!

Well done to 10KMd for the highest attendance for last week

Our top 5 forms for merits for last week:
1st – 10RDn – 285
2nd – 10KGn – 256
3rd – 10MHe – 132
4th – 10ABt – 129
5th – 10Ha – 116

Our top 5 students for merits for last week:
1st – Lexi Gray-Richardson (10RDn) – 24
2nd – Mathew Tse (10KGn) – 20
2nd – Noah Maude (10KGn) – 20
2nd – Joe Coyle (10ABt) – 20
3rd – Milli Hood (10KGn) – 20
3rd – Sharanyo Mazumdar (10Ha) – 20

The pupils who have won the Head of Year Award this week are Sharanyo Mazumdar and Benedict Barrington for their amazing return to school! Congratulations to both of you!

As parents will be aware, our year 10 students will begin their work experience placements on Monday 15th May. This is a valuable opportunity for them to gain insight into the working world and develop new skills. We hope that by immersing themselves in various industries, they will gain a better understanding of what career paths they may wish to pursue. The members of the year team are encouraging our students to approach this experience with an open mind, enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. They will be required to apply themselves creatively, think critically and demonstrate initiative towards achieving their goals. We’re confident that these skills will prove invaluable not only during their week-long placements, but also in their future careers. Ultimately, we want our students to enjoy themselves, make new connections and develop new interests along the way. Thank you for your support in this endeavour.

Students who did not secure a placement will be expected to attend school as normal and we are excited to welcome them into school at 8:45 on Monday morning as usual! Their form room this week will be En11.

Correct uniform is becoming a key focus of the year team when pupils return from work experience. I would like to thank all the students and families who adhere to the uniform policy and also thank the students and families who are working with us to help rectify and issues. It is much appreciated! I would like to highlight a few things to provide some clarity in this area:

• All students should have the AHS blue jumper every day. They may remove it if they choose to.
• Skirts should be plain black, knee length skirts. Tights should be black or natural in colour.
• Heavy make up is not allowed.
• Nail varnish is not allowed. Gel, acrylic and false nails are also not allowed.
• False eyelashes are not allowed.

If you need any help with this or require further information, please contact the year team.

If you have any queries regarding your young person in Year 10, then please do get in touch by emailing myself (cmcpaul@ahs.pmat.academy), Miss Deacon (mdeacon@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 – Mr McPaul

A message from the Year 9 pastoral team

Another fantastic week for Year 9 after the coronation. We are delighted to report that Year 9 has had an excellent week! Their behaviour has been brilliant and the standard of their uniform has been excellent.

After the coronation this weekend the students have also been looking at the Coronation of King Charles III in form time collective worship and in the news and we are looking forward to collective worship next week that has been prepared by 9JDl. They again will be looking at the coronation, but from a different viewpoint. Next week will also see a collective worship lead by the deaf awareness group which should be excellent.

We understand the importance of school attendance for the academic and social development of our students. Regular attendance helps to ensure that students are able to keep up with their studies, build relationships with their peers, and develop a sense of responsibility.

We encourage you to make sure your child attends school regularly. If there is ever an issue that prevents your child from attending school, please contact us so we can work together to find a solution. It is important that if your child is not well enough to be in school, that we know and we can offer as much support as possible on return to school.

Thank you for your continued support. As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the year team.

A message from the Year 8 pastoral team

It has been lovely to see our year 8s back in school after the bank holiday. We hope you and your families enjoyed the long weekend whether you chose to mark the King’s coronation or not.

We are looking forward to two full, undisrupted weeks until the May half term holiday where students can get back into proper routines and hard work. As part of this, we remind parents and students alike the importance of our school’s five fundamentals: coming to school fully prepares with the correct equipment and uniform each day; arriving on time to school and lessons; speaking kindly and appropriately to staff and peers; trying our hardest in lessons; and caring for our school and the people in it. These five core principles underpin everything we do at the school to ensure the best outcomes for our students.

We have a busy final week coming up. The final week before half-term will be year 8 assessment week. Students have been spoken to in assembly about how they will be prepared in lessons and some tips on how they could revise at home. At this point in the school journey, we are not expecting students to be doing lots of revision at home but the purpose of the assessment revision booklets students have been given is to get them into good habits of looking at any key material and considering it ahead of their exams. There was also a section in the assembly about how to look after their own mental wellbeing during exams and some of the pages in the assessment booklets do refer to this as well. Please do get in touch with us if you think your child is struggling with any of this.

In this final week, we also look forward to our long awaited year 8 only reward treat of the pizza and disco party. This will take place on Thursday 18th and will run from 5pm-6.30pm and students will need to make their own way to and from the disco. This will take place in the school gym. The theme as voted by the students is 90’s neon – if your child wishes to wear some clothing or accessories in line with this then they are welcome to, however we are not encouraging the buying of new items to reduce our environmental impact. We apologise that there was a mistake with the ParentPay permission this week – please can you ensure (if you haven’t already since the students got this message in form time) that you go back on ParentPay and click the permissions for your child to be allowed to the event. If you have kindly donated the £2 to the event, this will have gone through, but the permission may not have done. We apologise for this inconvenience. We really look forward to seeing all our year 8 students there!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the school who will put you in touch with our team.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team

We are so impressed with the resilience and determination of the year group this week during their assessments. They have worked hard and supported each other along the way. They have learnt and shown valuable skills that will support them throughout all of their assessments and exams during their school career. On Thursday we had an exciting assembly, listening to some Y11 speakers who talked to us about what they were passionate about and in the chapel our students learned about endurance. Students discussed how endurance was important particularly during their assessments and it was fantastic to hear them share such great ideas. A few reminders for the summer term, please ensure students have a red jumper with them every day as well as all of their equipment, including planners and reading books. If you have any concerns please don’t hesitate to contact the year 7 team via main school reception.

This week we had some Primary School Trainee teachers visiting Year 7 to learn about transition. A huge thank you to the students who supported this. We are very proud of you and how you represented the year group and school. Well done and thank you to:

Ethan Day
Charlie rose
Oliver Gray
Morgan Smith
Dora Escombe
Aurelia Smy
Iris Oswald
Anna Davies
Eve Bate

Well Done to our Heads of Year Awards:
Safeea Lalowski-Cumberland 7ASU – For working hard, amazing attendance and great resilience. Well Done!
Rebecca Wood 7BL – For always working hard, trying her best and for living our school values every day. Well Done!

Well Done to our Students of the Week this Week:
7ASU – Lily Lobley – for being well organised all week!
7CMM – Isla Hudson – for being so friendly, approachable, and participative in form.
7PI – Sam Hussan – an improved effort in form time this week
7HV – Evie Rycraft – Always enthusiastic to share her thoughts and take part in form time activities, well done!
7MPE – Anna Davies – For helping out with the ITT visitors and being a really good ambassador for the school.
7CST – Aurelia Smy – For always being smiley and friendly and being amazing with the ITT training teacher day. Well done Aurelia!
7MLN – Leela Lamb – for persevering and working hard. Well Done!
7JHE – Edward Freeman – for a strong answer in form time when put on the spot!
7BL – Imogen Hall – for being a delightful member of the form who always follows the school values and is always willing to take part in form discussions. Well done! Keep it up.
7ZBL – Oliver Eaton – for being well-organised this week – keep it up!
7CY – Elvis Callum – for being a positive role model for others in form and always doing the right thing!

Word of the week

The word of the week for week commencing 15 May is:

Desultory

Adjective: lacking a plan or purpose.

The team continued to operate in a desultory fashion.

Collective Worship

Theme
Our form tutor collective worship this week is entitled Ascension. It explores the Feast of Ascension and how we can look forward to future plans. The quotes this week include biblical verses and thoughts about this Christian celebration.

Quotes
Monday – “Out of compassion for us… he ascended alone; we also ascend because we are in him by grace.” – St Augustine

Tuesday – “After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” – The book of Acts ch1:v3, The Bible

Wednesday – “At his ascension our Lord entered heaven, and he keeps the door open for humanity to enter.” – Oswald Chambers, Scottish evangelist

Thursday – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – The book of Jeremiah ch29:v11, The Bible

Friday – “When in doubt, take the next step .” – Regina Brett, American writer

Dear parents and carers,

I hope that you had a safe and enjoyable bank holiday weekend.

With just a week before the GCSE and A Level written examinations take place, our Year 11 and 13 students are working incredibly hard to ensure that they are fully prepared. It is important that the students continue to make use of the support that is on offer both academically and pastorally in the lead up to the exam season. We recognise that this can be a pressured time and so our staff are committed to making sure that every student is especially supported within this time. If families have any queries linked to the examination period then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Year team who will be happy to help.

Last week our Year 9 students were out of school on Friday as part of their final Art Award cultural trip. Students enjoyed trips to the Media Museum in Bradford, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield and the Royal Armouries in Leeds. The trips are a part of the curriculum enrichment available in Year 9 that has been built into the Silver Arts Award.

This week we look forward to welcoming families of Year 10 students as part of the Progress evening that will take place on Wednesday 10 May. This evening is a great opportunity to talk to teachers to find out more about your child’s progress in each subject area. This is especially important as our Year 10 students are half way through their GCSE journey.

Our Year 13 students have their leavers celebration on Thursday 11 May ahead of the A Level stand down on Friday 12 May. We look forward to welcoming families to this event to celebrate and thank them for their achievements throughout their time at Archbishop Holgate’s School. The students have demonstrated themselves to be excellent role models for the younger students in our school community. Our Year 13 students have contributed so much to our school community over the last year and we thank them for making our school a special place to be part of.

Pre-loved Uniform

As we near the end of the academic year, we wanted to appeal once again for any high quality, pre-loved uniform parents may be able to donate to the school. The shop continues to be very popular, and we are welcoming of any items of uniform that are no longer needed or have been outgrown. Please could any donations be dropped off in the main school reception.

Should you wish to access the pre-loved uniform shop, please find further information and a link on our school website.

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.

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

REMINDER Y13 Leavers’ Key Dates:

• Leavers’ Celebration Service – Thursday 11th May (6:30-7:30pm in the Main Hall)
• A Level Stand-down – Friday 12th May (from PM registration)
• Prom – Friday 23rd June Hilton, York
• A Level Results – Thursday 17th August (invites sent this week)

A Level Exam Timetable

Please find below the first two weeks of exams leading up to the May half-term break. The rest of the timetable will follow each week. Students have individual timetables also.

• 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

A message from the Year 11 pastoral team

It’s been another busy week for Year 11 as we put the final preparations in place before their exams begin on the 15th May. The students each received their GCSE timetable this week, which gives them the exact date and time for each of their exams. Please keep this somewhere safe, as the exams will come thick and fast once we begin on the 15th. Please also contact the year team if this document is lost or damaged and we can issue a replacement.

It was brilliant to hand put the Year 11 yearbooks and hoodies this week. I know the students were excited to receive them and it has been really nice to see them signing each other’s books with advice, well wishes and support. Some of the pictures from over the years brought a smile to their faces, not least the pictures of the staff from when we were younger! I keep trying to explain to the students that the 80s was not a good fashion decade for anyone, but I don’t think they believe me!

The students have begun to go through the exam plans for week one with their form tutors this week, and this will be repeated again next week. This will inform the students which exams will take place each day and the revision sessions they need to be in if they are not in exams. Attendance at both morning and afternoon registration will be absolutely vital in the coming weeks to ensure students are fully informed for the day. Students have also been spending time revising during form, with the support of their form tutors. Finally, students will receive an assembly from myself and Miss McDermott (Deputy Head) on Friday afternoon, to offer further advice and guidance to students (including wellbeing strategies), as well as a reminder of exam expectations.

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 ).

I hope our students in Year 11 have a well earned break over the bank holiday weekend, and I look forward to seeing them all on Tuesday in school.

A message from the Year 10 pastoral team

Year 10 are still being consistently excellent across the school. I’ve had a number of members of staff say to me they are always the best at break and lunch times when I’m in the hall, which is great to hear. I continue to be impressed with their efforts with uniform, working hard in lessons and excellent behaviour throughout whether it be break or lunchtime, moving between lessons or in class it has been excellent.

Just a reminder that parents evening is this week, Wednesday the 10th May from 3:45 -7:15pm. Students were given a parents evening letter in form time, so please check with your young person they have received this so they can make appointments on your behalf. If you have any concerns you’ve not received this, please get in touch. We are also contacting parents whose children have said you cannot attend to confirm either way.

Another reminder that work experience is now next week. Students who have not sorted placements will be placed in school, please check with your young person. Everyone else who has a placement was given another letter with guidance this week for what to do to reconfirm their place and check requirements such as what to wear and time to arrive etc. Again please can you check with your young person they’ve received this and they are following it to confirm their placement, it is imperative they do this to stop any last minute surprises. Any concerns please get in touch.

Unfortunately I have noticed that the years groups attendance has dropped. We have a number of students who are consistently excellent with 100% attendance, well done to them. 10EWh got the highest attendance last week, well done! But I just wanted to highlight especially in the run up to mocks how important attendance is. Recent studies have shown that absence from school has a significant impact on the success of students, and can have a long-term impact through to their GCSEs. In one of these studies, it has shown that of those students that have 100% attendance, 79% of them achieve 5+ good GCSEs. At 95%, this figure falls to 69%. At 90%, this falls even further to 53%, and by 85% attendance, this figure for success becomes 36%. When considering that 5% attendance is around 7 days absence, it really is crucial that students are in school every single day. To put this into further context, if your child has lower than 96% attendance, this means that they are attending school less than the average child across the country. During mock and exam season if students miss an exam they are unable to resit it and therefore get 0, this can therefore impact results significantly, therefore it is crucial Year 10 are in these good habits now for mocks and next year.

Furthermore, a number of parents have contacted me about mocks, they start the 19th June for two weeks. Students will be given guidance on what to revise and taught revision skills in school which we will start to action in a few weeks. Once received we do expect students to revise at home and prepare well for their exams. We know students will do well and it is a great opportunity to showcase their knowledge.

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

Again another fantastic, yet short, week for Year 9. We would like to reiterate just how well they have come back from Easter and how they have been coping with the disruption to their week they have been experiencing. Uniform has been excellent and their general behaviour around school has been great.

Friday saw the third and final Cultural Visit taking place this year. Each student has had the chance to visit the Media Museum in Bradford, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield and the Royal Armouries in Leeds throughout the course of this year.

9Lp, 9KCe, 9NTh and 9WNo visited the Royal Armouries. Whilst there they had the chance to visit all four areas of the museum. Students learnt about various periods of warfare, weapons and armour through history, from historical warfare such as Vikings, Anglo Saxons through to the mediaeval period, the weapons used in hunting, oriental weapons and armour, and the armour and weapons used in jousting tournaments.

9Ap, 9CBe and 9ECe visited the National Science and Media Museum. Whilst there students were able to think like a Scientist in Wonderlab, learn about the history of photography in the Kodiak gallery and learn about animation. Students also had a chance to experience the 60 ft tall IMAX cinema learning about the importance of water to African wildlife.

9Cr, 9DBs, 9Ev and 9JDl visited the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and battled against the inclement weather conditions. The students had a chance to experience works by Damien Hirst, Robert Indiana, Alex Clegg and Annie Montgomerie amongst many others.

All trips were a great success and behaviour was excellent throughout.

As ever, if there are ever any questions please do not hesitate to get in contact with the year team.

A message from the Year 8 pastoral team

We hope that all of our students and their families enjoyed the long bank holiday weekend last week, and are looking forward to another longer weekend with some warm weather.

On Friday, students had a slight change to their routine by taking part in an afternoon assembly to make up for our missed Tuesday slot. This was led by Mr Williams (Deputy Head) to introduce Year 8 Assessment Week, which will be taking place in the week commencing May 22nd. Assessment week is a longstanding feature of our school calendar which involves subjects syncing their end of year assessments to assess and review students’ progress over the year. On the one hand, this helps students to understand the importance of working hard to perform well and we begin to expose students to important rubrics and skills for revision and navigating exam periods such as they will encounter in KS4. On the other hand, we also try to strike a delicate balance to ensure that we have age-appropriate expectations of Year 8 and also avoid causing any unnecessary anxiety for students. The Year 8 team will be holding preemptive check-ins with any students who we feel might be daunted by assessment week, and the tone we will take will be very much light-hearted and aiming to put students at ease. For Year 8 students, there is no expectation to complete any extra revision outside of school and routine homework will be enough to consolidate any revision needed. The resounding message from us is that assessment week is in place to normalise the process of being examined, to help us to build confidence and resilience around exam periods, and that ultimately all anyone can ask is that you try your best when the time comes. If you have any concerns about how your child will navigate this, please advise the Year 8 team and we will be happy to support.

On Thursday 25th May, we have the Year 8 Rewards disco taking place. This will be 5pm – 6:30pm in the Main Hall and Spiritual Garden; students will need to arrive via reception. We hope this will offer a well-deserved opportunity to celebrate Year 8’s achievements and something to look forward to for the end of assessment week. Our Year 8 students have raised a respectable £276 of funds to go towards a takeaway pizza tea, snacks and drinks for this event. I am sure you will appreciate that, with over 300 students in our year group, this does still leave us a little short. As such, if you are able to contribute an optional £2 donation on Parent Pay to help cover the cost of the event, this would be very much appreciated. A staff member has kindly offered to DJ the event and Year 8 students have voted for a ’90s/neon’ theme at the event which should make for really good fun! Mobile phones will be permitted, however staff will be policing the sensible use of these. If your child would like to attend the disco, please complete the relevant consent form on Parent Pay to advise school of your child’s attendance, dietary requirements and photo permissions.

Thank you for your continued support. The Year 8 team are on hand throughout the school day to support students and address any concerns. We try to encourage students to seek us out before school, break, lunch or after school if they have an issue they would like to discuss. If you have any queries or concerns about your child in Year 8, please call school reception to speak to someone in the Year 8 team, or you can email reception@ahs.pmat.academy.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team

We hope you had a lovely bank holiday weekend and that our students had a chance to get some rest before assessment week. We spoke to year 7 about wellbeing and self-care in assembly last week and how this is particularly important when there could be periods of stress. The Year 7 team will be available this week if students need any extra support or are feeling worried and need some reassurance. We mentioned the importance of looking after yourself physically and emotionally. Below are some useful websites to look at, including our school wellbeing site and some free apps to download:

AHS Wellbeing Website – https://sites.google.com/archbishopholgates.org/4steps2wellbeing/home

https://www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk/Page/20029

Calm app

BlueIce app

Calm Harm app

Catch it app

Well done to our Students of the Week
ASu – Arlo Gane – For leading The News very well this week
CMm – Aaron Gleghorn for excellent progress in his lessons (particularly in maths) Well done!
Hv – Ruqiaya Imran – For having a positive attitude to learning, well done!
Pi – Ala Cheung – continued high effort levels in all areas.
MPe – Louie Stannard – For looking out for others in the form class and being a fantabulous member of MPe
CSt – Charlotte Brannan- For getting involved in all the school sports teams and doing really well in them. It’s great to see you involved in the teams Charlotte, Well done!
MLn – Joshua Mansfield – For your growing resilience and maturity in school. Well done Josh!
JHe – Florence Michallat – for resilience and perseverance
Bl -David Gobl – for being a delightful member of the form who always takes part in class discussions, giving mature and sensible suggestions. Well done. Keep it up.
ZBl – Iris Oswald – for her contributions to class discussions, especially during the News.
Cy – Soraya Clifton Masters for joining in with the sign of the day

Word of the week

The word of the week for week commencing 8 May is:

Resonance
Noun: the power to evoke enduring images, memories and emotions.
The quality in a sound of being deep and full.
The concepts lose their emotional resonance.

Collective Worship

Theme
Our form tutor collective worship this week is entitled Coronation Reflections. It explores some of the symbolism of the coronation and how it might encourage us to ask questions of ourselves. Our quotes are all by King Charles III.

Quotes

Tuesday – “The future of mankind can be assured only if we rediscover ways in which to live as a part of nature, not apart from her.” – King Charles III

Wednesday – “A nation’s wealth and strength can be found…. in the values that it embodies: mutual respect, diversity, tolerance, fairness and friendship.” – King Charles III

Thursday – “Just as mankind had the power to push the world to the brink so, too, do we have the power to bring it back into balance.” – King Charles III

Friday – “I believe passionately that everyone has a particular God-given ability.” – King Charles III

Dear parents and carers,

I hope that you had a safe and enjoyable bank holiday weekend. It’s been a slightly disjointed time in school at the moment with the bank holidays alongside the disruption of the planned NEU industrial action. That said, we are making the most of the time in school with our students. Year 11 and 13 continue to work hard in the preparation for their written examinations that start the week commencing 15 May. Meanwhile our GCSE Art, Textiles and MFL students are already busy completing their practical GCSE examinations or GCSE speaking tests. On Wednesday we welcomed our Year 11 students and their families as part of our revision skills evening. It was great to see so many of you there and we hope that you found the event useful. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the Year 11 team.

We also managed to fit the following into the shortened week – a Year 12 Protective Service Army residential visit and a Year 7 visit to the urban farm at SPARK which is a project centred around positive social change. Students visited the aeroponic urban farm which is run in association with the University of York. We also welcomed families into school as part of our EAL afternoon tea event which was brilliant!

A few photographs from the EAL afternoon tea event

The Year 7 urban farm trip

We have been working with the University of York this year taking part in the Leaders for Change Programme which provides opportunities for young people from across Yorkshire secondary schools to get involved in research, debates and activities all relating to the FixOurFood Project. As part of this project a group of students will be involved in different events throughout the year; the first one of these was a trip to Grow It York at Spark in York.

Grow It York is an aeroponic vertical farm bringing cutting edge urban farming to the centre of York for the first time. The farm grows micro herbs and greens some of which are used by the food traders and local restaurants in the area and their General Store for members of the local community.

Students and staff had a wonderful time learning about the work of the farm and getting to try some of the herbs that they are growing. We were then treated to pizza for lunch topped with fresh basil grown on site.

This week our preparations for the summer exam season continue as does the GCSE Art, Textiles and MFL speaking exams. Our Year 9 students are out of school on Friday as part of their final Art Award cultural trip. Finally, we will start next week on Tuesday 9 May after the bank holiday following the coronation of King Charles III.

Pre-loved Uniform

As we near the end of the academic year, we wanted to appeal once again for any high quality, pre-loved uniform parents may be able to donate to the school. The shop continues to be very popular, and we are welcoming of any items of uniform that are no longer needed or have been outgrown. Please could any donations be dropped off in the main school reception.

Should you wish to access the pre-loved uniform shop, please find further information and a link on our school website.

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.

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

Y13 Support:
Please continue to support us in encouraging students to attend P6 in the final weeks to stand-down

REMINDER Y13 Leavers’ Key Dates:

• Leavers’ Celebration Service – Thursday 11th May (6:30-7:30pm in the Main Hall)
• A Level Stand-down – Friday 12th May
• Prom – Friday 23rd June Hilton, York
• A Level Results – Thursday 17th August

A message from the Year 11 pastoral team

It has been a busy but successful week for Year 11, who are making some excellent strides toward their exams in a few weeks time.
Firstly it was great to see so many parents at the revision evening on Wednesday, and many students who attend independently. I hope you found the evening useful, and I am sure the students will make the most of the revision resources they received and the information that was given to them. We plan to continue revision work with all the students who could not attend the evening next week. If you have any questions following the evening please feel free to contact a member of the Year 11 team.

I have been so impressed with the students who took part in practical examinations this week. The students in PE moderation on Thursday were excellent and a credit to our school. I know the students who were not selected for moderation really stepped up in training with the students in order to bring the best performances out of them. I think this is an excellent example of the school values on display in our year group. I have also been really pleased to see the students in Textiles and Art work so hard in the first few hours of their practical exam. The work that has been put toward this by the staff and students has been excellent, and I know they will continue to work hard on this on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Finally, this week has seen the MFL speaking exams take place. The students have been really calm and impressive in their approach to these exams, and I know the MFL teachers are very proud of them.

The students in Year 11 were exemplary in their conduct and hard work on Thursday, and it was so good to see the vast majority of students in attendance. Please be aware that the practical exams will continue on Tuesday next week, even though it is a strike day.

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. All year 11s will be given a free ‘Leaver’s Book’ and those who have ordered a ‘Leavers Hoodie’, will be receiving it in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for keeping up with the payments on ParentPay and if you need support, contact our Finance Team (swillsden@ahs.pmat.academy ).

I hope our students in Year 11 have a well earned break over the bank holiday weekend, and I look forward to seeing them all on Tuesday in school.

A message from the Year 10 pastoral team

Year 10 have done a fantastic job settling into the summer term. It has been lovely to welcome them back and I’ve been impressed with their efforts with uniform, working hard in lessons and excellent behaviour throughout whether it be break or lunchtime, moving between lessons or in class it has been excellent.

Just a reminder that parents evening is next week, the 10th May from 3:45 -7:15pm. Students were given a parents evening letter in form time, so please check with your young person they have received this so they can make appointments on your behalf. If you have any concerns you’ve not received this, please get in touch.

Another reminder that work experience is now two weeks away. Students who have not secured placements will be placed by school or contacting home to arrange, potentially staying in school, please check with your young person. Everyone else who has a placement was given another letter with guidance this week for what to do to reconfirm their place and check requirements such as what to wear and time to arrive etc. Again please can you check with your young person they’ve received this and they are following it to confirm their placement. Any concerns please get in touch.

As families are aware we are having a refocus on school uniform which is a key part of our Archbishop Holgate’s School community. Students must also ensure they maintain high standards with regards to footwear, jewellery, nails, 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 uniform expectations of the school so please get in touch if you have any concerns.

Furthermore, a number of parents have contacted me about mocks, they start the 19th June for two weeks. Students will be given guidance on what to revise and taught revision skills in school which we will start to action over the next few weeks. Once received we do expect students to revise at home and prepare well for their exams. We know students will do well and it is a great opportunity to showcase their knowledge.

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

An absolutely fantastic week from all of Year 9. We would like to thank all of you for working so hard, having such high standards of uniform, and behaving brilliantly. The start of our collective worship saw Mr Daly and Mr Green-Harding take the time to tell the year group just how well they have come back from Easter and that they have made an excellent start to the summer term.

Our act of collective worship this week looked at the case of Stephen Lawrence and the institutionalised racism within the police force. This was an important message to the year group of being kind to each other. For standing up for each other if someone will not do so for themselves. To not be a bystander and let people get away with discriminatory language and behaviour. As a school we cannot stop this unless we know about it, so if there are ever any instances of this then we would like it reported, either in person, or by the ReportIT form on the school website.

On Friday the 5th of May, all of Year 9 will be out of school taking part in the third and final round of the series of Cultural Visits. Students will be going on these trips as they are linked to the arts award that they have begun studying for this year. Each student will get the chance to visit the Media Museum in Bradford, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield and the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

• Students will be wearing school uniform, but you can wear trainers/comfortable footwear
• They need to bring a packed lunch with you – lunch will be provided for students who are Free School Meals)
• Please remember a pen as students will be expected to complete tasks throughout the day.
• Remember to bring any medication/inhalers with you on the day
• Students will arrive to school at the normal time, and go to AM Reg as normal
• After AM Reg (8:55am), students will head to the Main Hall and sit down in a designated area depending on which trip you’re on.

Friday will see 9Lp, 9KCe, 9NTh and 9WNo visit the Royal Armouries. 9Ap, 9CBe and 9ECe will be visiting the Media Museum, and 9Cr, 9DBs, 9Ev and 9JDl will be visiting the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The bus lists will be shared with students and we are expecting students to be back in school by 3pm to be able to make their normal way home.

As ever, if there are ever any questions please do not hesitate to get in contact with the year team.

A message from the Year 8 pastoral team

We have had another fantastic week in year 8 this week: students have continued to uphold our high expectations of behaviour and effort as well as settling back into routines of the school day. The forthcoming week will prove to be a slightly strange one with the bank holiday and the strike day but we are looking forward to seeing our students back in school on Wednesday and working hard for the short time they are in school that week.

We have lots of exciting opportunities upcoming – most importantly our year 8 rewards disco. Details are in year 8’s longer segment in the newsletter this week as well as a letter that should have gone home with your child this week. Students have since decided on the theme of ’90s neon’ and we are looking to make some decorations in school in the upcoming weeks. The disco will be non-uniform although if students would like to wear some neon items they already have in their wardrobe then they are welcome to. We have a staff member who has kindly volunteered their time to be our disco DJ. Students: get your song requests ready…

The summer schedule for lunchtime and after school clubs are now out; a copy of this can be found on our school website. Please encourage your child to have a look and get involved in something. These clubs are of a fantastic quality and kindly run by members of staff giving up their free time. They are an excellent way for your child to learn a new skill or meet some new friends.

Finally, as the weather begins to heat up, we encourage your child to bring in one or two water bottles to fill up at breaks or lunchtimes to keep them hydrated throughout the school day. It would be a good idea to label your child’s water bottle with their name and form.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do get in touch with the school reception who will pass on the message to our team.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team

We have had another great week in Year 7 and students have been working hard in their lessons to prepare for their upcoming assessments. Whilst we know students will want to prepare for their assessment at home too, please know there is no expectation for them to do this as they will be recapping lessons in school. The assessment week is an important part of Year 7 and helps to prepare students for exams in the future, building resilience and helping them to understand expectations of assessment time.

Well done to all students who are doing so brilliantly during days they are not in school due to strikes. It is great to see everyone in the Google Classroom and proactively doing work. However, if students cannot access work or do not complete it there will be no sanction in school.

If you need any support or have any queries regarding your child in year 7 please do not hesitate to contact the Year 7 Team through main school reception.

Well Done to our Head of Year Awards this Week:
Verity Kerans 7MPE – For working hard every day and living our school values. Well Done!
Charlotte Crowe 7CMM – for having a great week and building resilience. Well Done!

Well Done to our students of the Week:
7ASU – Harry Lynn – for being an excellent presenter of The News.
7CMM – Charlotte Crowe- For being so helpful this week for the Year 7 team.
7PI – Ryan Pang for being a great advocate of the school on our school trip.
7HV – Monia Katesh -For being top quizzer, well done!
7MPE – Jasper Garnett – Your contributions during form discussions are always great. Thanks for putting a smile on all our faces.
7CST – Jacob Oakes- For your contributions to the form time discussions especially the news this week when it was about aeroplanes. Well Done Jacob!
7MLN – Elsa Martin – for your organisation, which has improved so much, and for always being so polite and helpful in form!
7JHE – Morgan Smith – for always participating in form. Well Done!
7BL – Paige Outterson- for being organised with equipment and homework. I hope it continues into the summer term.
7ZBL – George Grant – for being a positive role model for others across the school
7CY – Masie Smith for always being so organised and helpful and contributing positively in form time.

Word of the week

The word of the week for week commencing 1 May is:

Plausible
Adjective: seeming reasonable or probable
It seems plausible that one or two things may happen.

Collective Worship

Theme
Our form tutor collective worship this week is entitled The Servant King. It explores ideas about what model of leadership Jesus offers and how this links to the coming coronation. Our quotes are all on the theme of servant leadership.

Quotes
Monday – “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” – The Bible, the letter to the Philippians ch2:v4

Tuesday – “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian leader and civil rights campaigner

Wednesday – “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires but in his integrity and in his ability to affect those around him positively.” – Bob Marley, Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter.

Thursday – “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian leader and independence campaigner

Friday – “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” ― Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian leader and civil rights campaigner

Dear parents and carers,

The week commencing 1 May is a little more disrupted due to the Bank Holiday Monday and the planned Industrial Action taking place on Tuesday 2 May. On Tuesday, the school will only be open for vulnerable and EHCP students, and for those students in Year 11 and Year 13. All other students will return to school on Wednesday the 3 May. We continue to appreciate your support in this disrupted time.

The details for the Industrial Action can be found below:

The school will only be open for Vulnerable and EHCP students, and for those students in Year 11 and Year 13. Year 12 students will be at home accessing live lessons via Google Classroom. Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students will be at home and will have work to complete on Google Classroom. Further detailed information for each year group is provided below:

Year 11 students

Year 11 students will follow their timetable as normal, this includes arriving promptly for morning registration in full school uniform. Lessons unaffected by the industrial action will be taught by the student’s usual teacher and where possible in their normal timetabled room. In the case that a student’s teacher is absent due to the industrial action lessons will be covered.

It is important that students in Year 11 bring private revision resources with them to school.
Food and refreshments will be available to purchase in the main hall at break and lunchtimes.

Year 13 students

Year 13 students will follow their timetable as normal, this includes arriving promptly for morning registration. Lessons unaffected by the industrial action will be taught by the student’s usual teacher and where possible in their normal timetabled room. In the case that a student’s teacher is absent due to industrial action they will be given the option to carry out independent revision in the Sixth Form library or the Sixth Form study area. Students have also the option to leave site during these times as long as they follow the normal signing in/out procedures.

It is important that students in Year 13 bring private revision resources with them to school.
Food and refreshments will be available to purchase in the main hall at break and lunchtimes.

Vulnerable and EHCP students on site

Vulnerable and EHCP students who are accessing education on site should arrive promptly for morning registration in full school uniform. On arrival, they will be guided into the main hall for morning registration. After students have been registered they will be taken to computer rooms to access their online learning. Students meeting this criteria will be contacted by school in advance of the industrial action.

Food and refreshments will be available to purchase in the Main hall at break and lunchtimes.

Students in Year 12

Students in Year 12 will work from home, but will follow the lesson timings for their normal timetable. At the start of each lesson they should log into their subject Google Classroom to access ‘live’ teaching from their teachers who are not taking part in the industrial action. If their teacher is not present then they will need to complete independent work or work that has been set in advance by their teachers.

Students in Years 7-10

Students in Years 7-10 will work from home and have access to resources through their Google Classroom. Students should first log in to their subject Google Classroom. If their teacher is not on strike there will be work posted and their teacher will be there to support them with completion. If there is no work in a student’s subject Google Classroom, they can log into their year group classroom which will contain resources students may wish to access. Students in Years 7-10 will follow the lesson timings for their usual school day.

Additional information

Children in receipt of free school meals who will not be in school on Tuesday 2 May will be able to collect a packed lunch during the morning. We will contact families by text message to ask if lunch is required. Please respond to this message if you would like a lunch to be made for your child.

Buses will run as normal.

I hope that you have a safe and enjoyable bank holiday.

Dear parents and carers,

It was a pleasure to welcome students back last week after the Easter break. The students have returned very positively to school and I have especially enjoyed talking to students as part of the year group assemblies, which focussed on expectations and opportunities. As ever, I would encourage students to become involved in the extracurricular activities available to them and really make the most of their time in school. To see the full range of opportunities that are available to students please click here.

We have another busy week ahead of us which includes our Year 11 and 13 students working hard to make sure that they are fully prepared for their written examinations which start in just three weeks. The majority of students have impressed so far with their mature attitude and positive work ethic, all students will need to continue to work hard in lessons and to spend time fully preparing for these examinations outside of school. We also have the GCSE MFL speaking tests, GCSE PE moderation and the GCSE Art and Textiles exams taking place this week. As a reminder, we have invited Year 11 students and their families into school on Wednesday evening (5:00pm- 7:00pm) to offer further support for revision ahead of the examination season. We look forward to seeing those families during the evening, which is always a very positive and helpful event.

This week is a little more disrupted due to the planned Industrial Action taking place on Thursday 27 April, the details for which can be found below:

The school will only be open for Vulnerable and EHCP students, and for those students in Year 11 and Year 13. Year 12 students will be at home accessing live lessons via Google Classroom. Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students will be at home and will have work to complete on Google Classroom. Further detailed information for each year group is provided below:

Year 11 students
Year 11 students will follow their timetable as normal, this includes arriving promptly for morning registration in full school uniform. Lessons unaffected by the industrial action will be taught by the student’s usual teacher and where possible in their normal timetabled room. In the case that a student’s teacher is absent due to the industrial action they will take part in one or more of the following sessions which will be staffed by the Senior Leadership Team:

• English revision
• History revision
• Geography revision
• Independent revision (all students will need to bring revision materials)

It is important that students in Year 11 bring private revision resources with them to school. Food and refreshments will be available to purchase in the main hall at break and lunchtimes.

Year 13 students
Year 13 students will follow their timetable as normal, this includes arriving promptly for morning registration. Lessons unaffected by the industrial action will be taught by the student’s usual teacher and where possible in their normal timetabled room. In the case that a student’s teacher is absent due to industrial action they will be given the option to carry out independent revision in the Sixth Form library or the Sixth Form study area. Students have also the option to leave site during these times as long as they follow the normal signing in/out procedures.

It is important that students in Year 13 bring private revision resources with them to school. Food and refreshments will be available to purchase in the main hall at break and lunchtimes.

Vulnerable and EHCP students on site
Vulnerable and EHCP students who are accessing education on site should arrive promptly for morning registration in full school uniform. On arrival, they will be guided into the main hall for morning registration. After students have been registered they will be taken to computer rooms to access their online learning. Students meeting this criteria will be contacted by school in advance of the industrial action.

Food and refreshments will be available to purchase in the Main hall at break and lunchtimes.

Students in Year 12
Students in Year 12 will work from home, but will follow the lesson timings for their normal timetable. At the start of each lesson they should log into their subject Google Classroom to access ‘live’ teaching from their teachers who are not taking part in the industrial action. If their teacher is not present then they will need to complete independent work or work that has been set in advance by their teachers.

Students in Years 7-10
Students in Years 7-10 will work from home and have access to resources through their Google Classroom. Students should first log in to their subject Google Classroom. If their teacher is not on strike there will be work posted and their teacher will be there to support them with completion. If there is no work in a student’s subject Google Classroom, they can log into their year group classroom which will contain resources students may wish to access. Students in Years 7-10 will follow the lesson timings for their usual school day.

Additional information
Please note, these arrangements are the same for the industrial action taking place on Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May.

Children in receipt of free school meals who will not be in school on Thursday 27 April will be able to collect a packed lunch at the end of the day on Wednesday. Packed lunch will be available in school on Tuesday 2 May for collection. We will contact families by text message to ask if lunch is required. Please respond to this message if you would like a lunch to be made for your child.

Buses will run as normal.

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.

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

Y13 A Level Mock Results:
For those students posing the most concern regarding meeting future Post-18 plans and meeting potential, we will be arranging parental meetings to discuss support plans in the lead up to stand-down.

Y13 Support:
Please continue to support us in encouraging students to attend P6 in the final weeks to stand-down.

REMINDER Y13 Leavers’ Key Dates:

• Leavers’ Celebration Service – Thursday 11th May (6:30-7:30pm in the Main Hall)
• A Level Stand-down – Friday 12th May
• Prom – Friday 23rd June Hilton, York

A message from the Year 11 pastoral team

It was lovely to see the Y11s rested and energised after the Easter break – they have made an excellent return. This week we started with an assembly in the hall on the importance of exam conduct, revision and standards. As previously reiterated, we are now in the final stretch before the students sit their GCSE exams, which commence on the week beginning 15th May. Every minute counts, therefore attendance and hard work is key. We’ve also had some excellent BTEC results that came through this week, and are proud of every student who has worked hard and achieved the grade that they deserve.

To further support your child with their revision, we are delighted to invite you to our revision skills evening on Wednesday 26th April, 5:00pm- 7:00pm. There will be information for parents and students about support with the summer exams. Featuring: Revision strategies and advice Effective time management, Wellbeing ideas and support, Healthy eating, sleep and exercise during exams, Presentations about the English, Maths and Science exams, Exam resources and revision resources. There will also be stalls for History, Geography, RE, French, German, Spanish. We hope to see you there!

Additionally, P6 and study rooms are running as normal this half term, please see the table to find out the subjects and days for the P6 sessions. All students are welcome at these sessions, and we had an excellent turn out last week. As previously mentioned, every minute counts and any extra input is invaluable for success in the Summer.

In addition to our P6 sessions, it is just as vital that students complete revision at home. In order to support your child further, you may wish to assist them with finding past papers, purchasing a revision guide or looking at what general revision materials are available for that subject. Please find in the table the exam board for each subject:

The link below provides you access to each exam board specification and useful revision resources.
https://me-qr.com/mobile/pdf/11911640

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. All year 11s will be given a free ‘Leaver’s Book’ and those who have ordered a ‘Leavers Hoodie’, will be receiving it in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for keeping up with the payments on ParentPay and if you need support, contact our Finance Team (swillsden@ahs.pmat.academy).

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Y11 Team.

A message from the Year 10 pastoral team

I am delighted to be able to begin by saying that Year 10 has had a fantastic week coming back after the Easter break. It’s been brilliant going into class rooms and witnessing high quality learning taking place due to students raising their own standards. Well done Year 10!

Well done to 10Di for the highest attendance for last week
Our top 5 forms for merits for last week:
1st – 10KGn – 313
2nd – 10ABt – 281
3rd – 10Ha – 256
4th – 10Di – 229
5th – 10EWr – 203

Our top 5 students for merits for last week:
1st – Harry Speak (10ABt) – 27
1st – Michael Wong (10KGn) – 27
1st – Phin Whitehead (10ABt) – 27
2nd – Bailey Sargent (10ABt) – 23
2nd – Milli Hood (10KGn) – 23
2nd – Rapha Martin-Smith (10Ha) – 23
2nd – Michael Ellison (10Ha) -23

The pupils who have won the Head of Year Award this week are Miles Hall and Brooklyn Baker for their amazing return to school! Congratulations to both of you!

Correct uniform is becoming a key focus this term. I would like to thank all the students and families who adhere to the uniform policy and also thank the students and families who are working with us to help rectify any issues. It is much appreciated! I would like to highlight a few things to provide some clarity in this area:

• All students should have the AHS blue jumper every day. They may remove it if they choose to.
• Skirts should be plain black, knee length skirts. Skinny, bodycon or elasticated material skirts are not allowed. Tights should be black or natural in colour.
• Heavy make up is not allowed.
• Nail varnish is not allowed. Gel, acrylic and false nails are also not allowed.
• False eyelashes are not allowed.

If you need any help with this or require further information, please contact the year team.

I just wanted to remind parents of some key dates for Year 10:

• Next report home – the end of March
• Year 10 Progress Evening – Wednesday 10 May
• Year 10 mocks exams – start Monday 19 June
• Final Year 10 report with mock results – sent home Monday 17 July

If you have any queries regarding your young person in Year 10, then please do get in touch by emailing myself (cmcpaul@ahs.pmat.academy), Miss Deacon (mdeacon@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 – Mr McPaul

A message from the Year 9 pastoral team

It has been absolutely fantastic to see all of our Year 9’s back at school after what was a hopefully restful Easter break. Whilst this might be the final term of the year, there is also lots to look forward to, the final cultural trip to either the Media and Science museum in Bradford, the Royal Armouries in Leeds, or the Yorkshire sculpture park in Wakefield. There will also be assessment week and revision leading up to it to be navigated, and as always, the fantastic day that is Sports Day.

We are having a big focus on students being in the correct school uniform, challenging those who are not. A reminder that from this half term, AHS hoodies will not be able to be worn in lessons, and we expect every student to have a school jumper with them, every day, even if it is not being worn and is kept in their school bag. We also expect students to be wearing a tie and correct school shoes. This is also a useful time to remind you that long false nail and painted nails are not part of our uniform policy and students will be supported to remove these if they arrive to school with them We will continue to remind students of this, and we once again, very much appreciate the support we have had from parents with uniform as a whole. 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.

As a reminder attendance and punctuality will be a big focus for the rest of this year and we are hoping to build on the strong attendance shown by the year group throughout the year so far (We are currently the year group with the second best attendance in school). We have been doing well this year so far, but it would be nice to see an increase of attendance as a whole across the year group and of course we expect students to be on time to lessons as much as possible.
We would like to say thankyou to students for an excellent start back to school life after their Easter holidays and we hope that the standards that they have set for themselves will continue throughout the rest of the year.

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

A message from the Year 8 pastoral team

Last week has been a fantastic one with Year 8 as we welcomed them back from the Easter holiday – they have exceeded all of our expectations in their return to Assembly, lessons and social times. It is clear many students have benefitted from a long break and we hope all of our families enjoyed a safe and restful holiday.

We are thrilled to have Mrs Reeder (Assistant Head of Year) back with us full time from the start of this term whose exemplary pastoral care makes a difference to so many individuals in our year group. A huge thank you to Mrs Calvert who did a fantastic job of supporting Year 8 in the interim; she is returning to her duties as a specialist Support Assistant, but will remain a friendly and familiar face to students around school.

The Summer term for us is often one of the best and we are already enjoying the warmer weather and more ‘settled’ feeling that being two terms in brings with it. This half term should be a good one as we also look forward to our Year 8 Rewards disco – this will be held on Thursday 25th May from 5pm-6:30pm in school. A letter with more details will follow this week and, at present, all Year 8s are warmly invited. Our students have been fundraising throughout the year for this through in-school activities and have managed to raise a respectable £276 which will help go towards pizza, snacks and potentially a DJ for the event.

After May half term, things become even more exciting for Year 8 with Sports Day, Enrichment Week, Flamingo Land and/or the Year 8 Languages Trips all to look forward to.

Following the Easter holiday, we have turned our attention back to resetting expectations around uniform/equipment. The vast majority of our Year 8 students meet all school expectations perfectly and it is important we support those who don’t to ensure they are prepared for the school day. Our school uniform is important to create an inclusive environment for all students, and dressing professionally in uniform also has a tangible correlation with students’ attitude towards learning. As such, we appreciate your support in ensuring your child in Year 8 is wearing appropriate trousers, shoes and a tie. Students should not wear jewellery except for a single set of plain gold/silver, studded earrings and a single nose stud. We also ask that every student has a school jumper with them in school. Students need a school bag every day to contain their books, pencil case with pen/pencil/ruler, a reading book and their planner to record homework. Thank you very much for your help in ensuring your child is dressed and equipped for school.
As the weather warms up, we would also advise students have a water bottle with them at all times. There are multiple stations around school where students can fill this up at break and lunch time.

Thank you for your continued support. The Year 8 team are on hand throughout the school day to support students and address any concerns. We try to encourage students to seek us out before school, break, lunch or after school if they have an issue they would like to discuss. If you have any queries or concerns about your child in Year 8, please call school reception to speak to someone in the Year 8 team, or you can email reception@ahs.pmat.academy.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team

We have had a lovely first week back with Year 7. They have settled back into routine really well and there has been some great work in lessons. We have a very exciting and busy half term coming up. Year 7 will have their assessment week between the 8th May and 12th May. They will receive a booklet which outlines how this will work next week.

This week we also spoke about our School Community and the different responsibilities this involves. We had a reminder about our five fundamental rules that we should always follow.

1. We come to school fully prepared, dressed in the correct uniform with our bag and equipment
2. We arrive on time to school each day and go directly to each and every lesson
3. We speak kindly and appropriately to everyone, following reasonable instructions from all members of staff – we do not say no, why or walk away
4. We engage and try our best in all our lessons
5. We care for our school and the people in it, following the hands off policy at all times

We have had a particular focus in form times on our first rule. Students need their tie and jumper with them every day. Please let the year 7 team know if you have any issues or need any support with this.

Well done to our Students of the Week
7ASu – Archie Grant-Pipes – for always being polite and cheery and managing your sore legs on a morning very well!
7CMm – Adam Fowler- For a really positive return to school after some time off. Good to have you back!
7Pi – Molly I’Anson – always contributing positively in form time. Keep it up!
7Hv – Roshna Mustafa – For your superb commitment to extra curricular football
7MPe – Charlie Dixon – For consistently working hard and being a superb member of 7MPe
7CSt – Frieda Smee-Brown- For always being polite and smiley in form and always getting involved in form time discussions. Well done Frieda!
7MLn – Sam Godson – For always being polite, kind and hard-working. Well done for a another brilliant start of term!
7JHe – Lucy Stimson – for being endlessly polite!
7Bl – Kai Belder- for an excellent spring term. I hope the summer term is just as good. Keep working hard.
7ZBl – Jake Robinson – for a fantastic start to the summer term – well done!
7Cy – Alice Merrit for always living out the school values. You have had a fantastic year so far well done.

Word of the week

The word of the week for week commencing 24 April is:

fluctuate
verb: rise and fall irregularly in number or amount
“Trade with other countries tends to fluctuate from year to year.”

Collective Worship

Theme
Our form tutor collective worship this week is entitled Make a Connection. It encourages us to consider how technology can both enable us to stay connected, but can also be a barrier to true and meaningful interaction as well. Our daily quotes are on the theme of the power of Words.

Quotes
Monday – “I promise you that on the day of judgement, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken.” – Jesus Christ, Quoted in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12 verse 36

Tuesday – “Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.” – Pearl Strachan, 1930’s British politician

Wednesday – “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.” – Plato, Philosopher and mathematician, in 1st century BC Greece

Thursday – “May the words of our mouths and the thoughts of our hearts be now and always acceptable in the sight of God.” – The Bible, from Psalm 19, Old Testament

Friday – “Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” – Buddha, Born Prince Siddhārtha Gautama in 563BC. Founder of the Buddhist religion.

Dear parents and carers,

I hope that you have had a safe and happy break over the Easter period. Staff at Archbishop’s are very much looking forward to welcoming your child/children back to begin the new term. As a reminder, all students will be returning back to school on Monday 17 April. Students will need to arrive in full school uniform ready for their morning registration which starts at 8:45am.

This half term is especially important for students in Year 13 and Year 11 who start their summer examinations in May. Students in both of these year groups should be encouraged to attend the additional after school taught P6 revision sessions run by subject teachers. Historically, these sessions have been a good way in helping students to gain confidence, skills and subject knowledge to help supplement their own independent revision.

Students in Year 10->13 who study vocational qualifications will continue their BTEC assessments this half term. Students will need to continue to work hard in lessons and to spend time fully preparing for these examinations outside of school.

Whilst there is a particular focus on academic achievement this half term, 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.

On Monday, Mr Daly and myself will speak to Year 7 to 10 to highlight the opportunities that are available to students at Archbishop Holgate’s School. The extra-curricular activities are a great way to live into being the words of John 10:10: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” As part of the Year group assemblies we will also reiterate the importance of these conversations being courteous and respectful at all times. We are extremely grateful for the excellent support we receive from families which is essential to our ongoing success.

Prior to the Easter break, I felt it important to outline our expectations around uniform ahead of the start of the Summer term. As a school we are committed to ensuring all of our students have opportunities to flourish and thrive during their time with us. We are a successful school where high standards are at the heart of everything we do. A key part of these expectations is our commitment to ensuring all students attend school in the correct uniform every day.

As a reminder, there will be a renewed focus on uniform standards at Archbishop Holgate’s School in the 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 uniform.
• Leggings, jeans, short skirts and bodycon skirts do not meet the school’s uniform standards. Any student wearing these items will be asked to change into uniform provided by school.
• 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 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.
• Now that the weather is getting warmer there is no need for students to wear AHS hoodies in lessons. As such, AHS hoodies in lessons will no longer be permitted.

Ties

• Students who attend school without a tie will be lent one at 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.

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

Sixth Form Expectation Reminders:
We have a busy and meaningful term ahead and it is a good time to remind students and their families of our expectations that encourage focus by eliminating the distraction of avoidable interventions.

• Students need to be in morning registration by 8:45 am each morning
• Absence and appointments should be reported by parents/guardians with notice
• Mobile phones are not permitted to be out during timetabled lessons or outside of Sixth Form social areas
• Lanyards must be worn at all times whilst on site. If there are spares at home these must be returned as these are costly.

Y13 A Level Mock Results:
For those students posing the most concern regarding meeting future Post-18 plans and meeting potential, we will be arranging parental meetings to discuss support plans in the lead up to stand-down.

Y13 Support:
Please continue to support us in encouraging students to attend P6 in the final weeks to stand-down.

REMINDER Y13 Leavers’ Key Dates:

• (amended since letter sent home Friday 10th Feb) Leavers’ Celebration Service – Thursday 11th May (6:30-7:30pm in the Main Hall)
• (amended since letter sent home Friday 10th Feb) A Level Stand-down – Friday 12th May
• Prom – Friday 23rd June Hilton, York

A message from the Year 11 pastoral team

I hope the students in year 11 have had a lovely Easter break and are raring to go for a very important half term. As you will be aware, the students have four weeks back in lessons before their GCSE exams begin on Monday 15th May. I know many of them have begun to work hard on their independent revision over the Easter break and some have attended revision sessions put on by their subject teachers where it has been available to them. I know the students will make the very most of the precious time they have remaining to them before the start of their exams, by focussing on consistent attendance in school, taking full advantage of the P6 sessions on offer and continuing their independent revision at home.

It was lovely to see so many parents at the progress evening in the last week of term. I know some very important messages were given to students and really useful information shared with parents in hope to best support your child in the build up to the exams. Should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Year 11 team or the class teacher. I know many parents were asking about when the students will be receiving their individual exam timetables, this information will be going out in the first week back after the Easter holidays.

To further support your child with their revision, we are delighted to invite you to our revision skills evening on Wednesday 26th April, 5:00pm- 7:00pm. There will be information for parents and students about support with the summer exams. Featuring: Revision strategies and advice Effective time management, Wellbeing ideas and support, Healthy eating, sleep and exercise during exams, Presentations about the English, Maths and Science exams, Exam resources and revision resources . There will also be stalls for History, Geography, RE, French, German, Spanish. We hope to see you there!

To support your child with the preparation for their GCSE exams, I am pleased to announce that Period 6 will be up and running again after the Easter break. Please see the table to find out the day of the session. All students are welcome at these sessions. And I highly recommend your child take full advantage of the additional support on offer. Period 6 in previous years, has been one of the reasons for significant student progress in the run up to their GCSEs. Following February half term, Period 6 will also be offered in other subject areas. We currently have the Y11 rewards package, which allows the students to qualify for rewards based on their Period 6 attendance. This ranges from stationary packs toward their exams to £10 high street vouchers.

Supporting your child’s revision will be key to their success this summer. As we approach the summer exam season, your child will be provided with a range of specialist revision materials from their class teacher. Students will also spend time in form groups learning how to revise, with a series of sessions on how to prepare for exams effectively. This will include: how to create a revision timetable, how to make flashcards, how to create mind maps and how to effectively make notes to aid recall, amongst other things. However, in order to support your child further, you may wish to know more about the exam specification and useful revision resources that you can purchase for your child. Please find in the table the exam board for each subject:

The QR code below provides you access to each exam board specification and useful revision resources.

As always, if you have any queries or concerns, do not hesitate to contact the Year 11 team.

A message from the Year 10 pastoral team

Another half term begins at Archbishop Holgate’s School, and I’m looking forward to welcoming Year 10 back after our break. I love the Easter break as it really gives me time to reflect on the year we’ve had and think about new beginnings. I am a typical Geography teacher that I love to go on walks and see the new wildlife emerging, I take joy in seeing lambs in the field which I have made sure I have done but my favourite returning wildlife is the puffins at Bempton Cliffs! My Year 10 Geographers will have to endure seeing pictures I proudly show them when we return!

On this point though I highlighted in our last Act of Collective Worship before the break that every new term is a fresh start and a new beginning for our young people which it truly is, I would always encourage families to highlight this and discuss together at home, talking positively about the term ahead.

Key dates to be aware of moving forward:

• Year 10 Parents Evening – Wednesday 10 May
• Work Experience – Monday 15th May – Friday 19th May – this should now
• Year 10 Mock Exam Period – start Monday 19 June (two weeks)
• Final Year 10 Report with Mock Results – Monday 17 July

I also just wanted to highlight the upcoming mocks – these are a chance for us as a school to understand where our young people are, what they are achieving in and how we can best support moving forward to be successful in Year 11. However it is also an opportunity for our young people to show off their knowledge and achievements and I would encourage families to discuss how important they are at home, this will be the first time students have experiences a formal exam setting in the hall and it is certainly a step up, we will of course prepare them in form time, and Acts of Collective Worship as well as in class but I would encourage families closer to the time to think about revision timetables and planning.

Now onto the celebrations of last half term:

Our top 5 forms for merits for the half term:

1st – 10RDn – 2214
2nd – 10KGn – 2159
3rd – 10ABt – 1975
4th -10MHe – 1585
5th – 10SLa – 1262

Our top 5 students for merits for the half term:

1st – Lucas Brannan 10RDn 163
2nd – Dylan Parsons 10RDn 147
3rd – Ronnie Thompson 10KGn 141
4th – Sharanyo Mazumdar 10RDn 129
5th – Michael Wong 10KGn 126

From some parent feedback I have also decided to do most improved, so from Christmas to Feb Half Term compared to Feb Half Term to Easter, here are the top 5 most improved:

1st – Lucas Brannan
2nd – Dylan Parsons
3rd – Kai Reed
4th – Kelly-Anne O’Gormley
5th – Faith Khumalo

The year group as a whole got a staggering 16,125 in just one half term!

Can I just say a massive well done to these individuals they consistently live the school values and are dedicated hard working lovely young people. Worth shouting out only one of these were in the top 5 last half term – well done to Ronnie, but shows it is anyone’s game if our young people work hard, for example Lucas & Dylan improved so much they were in the top 5, well done! I am also proud of the whole year group and the consistently positive attitude they have, that is 16,125 staff have actively praised our young people, what an achievement.

We will continue to be consistent as always as a Year Team and I will be speaking to students in our 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. Students must also ensure they maintain high standards with regards to footwear, jewellery, nails, 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 uniform expectations of the school so please get in touch if you have any concerns.

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

Welcome back to all Year 9, we hope you have had a restful and relaxing Easter holiday and have recharged your batteries by spending time with friends and family. We are looking forward to the final term of the school year and the hopeful improvement in the weather.

This final term has many things to look forward to for the year group. There will be the final rotation of the cultural visits to the Royal Armouries, Bradford Science and Media Museum and Yorkshire Sculpture park. The excellent enrichment week in the final school week of the year, and also the end of year assessments that will be taking place.

As a reminder attendance will be a big focus for the rest of this year and we are hoping to build on the strong attendance shown by the year group throughout the year so far. We have been doing well this year so far, but it would be nice to see an increase of attendance as a whole across the year group. A big shout out to 9 CBe who have been the only form group this year to have 100% attendance for a week, this is an excellent achievement and we would like to replicate this as much as possible going forward.

We will also continue to focus on wearing the correct uniform in school, challenging those who are not. A reminder that from this half term, AHS hoodies will not be able to be worn in lessons so a school jumper is a must. One of the main issues we have faced is alternate jumpers and hoodies being worn instead of school jumpers in the school buildings. We will continue to remind students of this, and we once again, very much appreciate the support we have had from parents with uniform as a whole. 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.

Again, we hope that you have had a restful Easter break and we are looking forward to seeing you back in school. 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 are really looking forward to welcoming our year 8 students back to school tomorrow for the final term of the year! We hope you and your families have had a restful break and been enjoying the lighter nights and (slightly!) better weather.

As we said in the previous bulletin, towards the end of term we were seeing some uniform issues creeping in but we are hoping that these have all been resolved over the Easter break. We are still expecting some wet weather so please do send your child to school with a suitable waterproof coat. Now that we are entering Spring term, the AHS hoodies will no longer be permitted to be worn in lesson times but students can still wear these between lessons. We ask parents to support us in ensuring your child is set up each day in the correct uniform to prevent issues arising during the school day. If your student is not in the correct uniform, it is reasonable for us to ask that we provide them with the correct uniform to borrow from the school until they can get sorted with their own items of clothing.

Since the school moved to Class Chart, we have seen the phasing out of teachers writing detentions and codes in planners. However, it is still crucial that your child takes care of their planner and brings it to school every day (form tutors will ask to see this on desks every AM and PM registration) as it contains their timetable and is the place to record homeworks. Again, we ask that parents please support their child in ensuring this is packed in school bags the night before.

We had a lovely end to term with students wrapping up units of work in many of their subjects. We also had 8RGi conduct their Act of Collective Worship on the final Tuesday before Easter. They decided to look at York’s historical connections with chocolate. Many students in the form spoke of family members who have worked at Rowntrees or Terry’s over the years which was a lovely touch. Thank you to Mr Gibson for organising the students with this and to the students themselves who spoke so eloquently in their assembly.

Finally, we are looking forward to another busy term filled with hard work as well as more opportunities for students to get involved with including our long awaited and postponed pizza and disco party.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do get in touch.

A message from the Year 7 pastoral team

We are very excited to welcome all of our year 7 students back to school after the Easter Break for the summer term.

It is hard to believe that we are now in our final term in Year 7. The students have shown how much they have grown in resilience and independence so far this year and it is fantastic to see them as such valued members of our school community who are enthusiastic in all aspects of school life. We are looking forward to all the exciting opportunities that the summer term has to offer and some warmer weather for our social times!

It was brilliant to see so many of our students “Joining In” last term in lots of different ways. Well done to all of our students who attended clubs such as trampolining, badminton, science club and many more. The Year Team also had the pleasure of distributing a large volume of certificates to year 7 before Easter which celebrated all of their achievements in extracurricular sporting activities and our accelerated reading challenge.

Further to this, a number of our students successfully completed their Rookie Lifeguard Training with Mrs Beard. They learnt skills needed to be confident in water, valuable survival rescue and sport skills and learning about water safety. This is a fantastic achievement, well done to all those who worked extremely hard to complete this!

We have some key reminders as we enter our final term to ensure we keep our standards high as a year group. Please remember all of your students’ positive notes and behavioural incidents are logged on ClassCharts. These include detentions. If your child has an after school detention they will receive a day’s notice and are expected to attend first time unless there are exceptional circumstances. School shoes should not be branded in Year 7 and we ask that students wear smart trousers, not leggings or jeans.

As always, if you need anything please do not hesitate to contact the year team using the email reception@ahs.pmat.academy and ask for the Year 7 Team.

Well Done to our Head of Year awards (last week before Easter Break):

Edward Freeman 7JHE – for working hard all of the time and living our school values every day – Well Done!
Maisie Wreglesworth 7HV – for working hard all of the time and living our school values every day – Well Done!

Well Done to our Students of the Week (last week before Easter Break):

7ASU – Arlo Gane – for leading the Desert Island game in AM reg – well done!
7CMM – Leona Koay – for setting such a great example every day for the rest of form, and for being a Millionaire Reader. Well done!
7PI – Grace Buch – for always being polite and hardworking in every lesson. Well done Grace!
7HV – Charlie Stringer -For your participation in the backstage crew as part of the school show. Well done!
7MPE – Leonardo Holland – For getting involved and being dependable in the school football team. Well Done.
7CST – Skyla Gatneby – For getting involved with the girls rugby and football teams, it’s great to see you getting involved. Well done!
7MLN – Della Collins and Abbie Preece – For your participation in the school show. You were great, we’re so proud of you!
7JHE – Selene Matusiak – for kind and compassionate friendship
7BL – Starla Sanderson – always following the school values and working really hard in all areas. Well done. Keep it up!
7ZBL – Johann Morgenroth – for doing the right thing to ensure our school remains a safe and pleasant environment for students to thrive
7CY – Phoebe Burgess, Maple Hawkins and Frances Lilley for your fantastic contributions to the school show, well done!

Word of the week

The word of the week for week commencing 17 April is:

Reinvigorate:

verb: give new energy or strength to

We are fully committed to reinvigorating the economy of the area.

Collective Worship

Theme
Our form tutor collective worship is entitled ‘April Showers Bring Forth May Flowers’. It looks at how there can be positive rewards after a time of struggle. Our daily quotes are all on the theme of Patience.

Quotes
Monday – “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” Aristotle, ancient Greek philosopher 4th C. BC
Tuesday – “Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” Dr Samuel Johnson, 18th century English writer
Wednesday – “Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.” Saadi Shirazi, 13th century Muslim poet
Thursday – “Patience is not the ability to wait, but how you act while you are waiting.” Joyce Meyer, Christian author and speaker
Friday – “Patience is the companion of wisdom.” St Augustine, 4th century Bishop and Christian thinker