I hope everyone has had an enjoyable weekend.
Please find attached the latest weekly Student Well-Being Newsletter. I hope that families find some of the information and ideas useful.
WB. 4th May Wellbeing Newsletter 12 – Google Docs
Before I left on Friday night it was great to see rehearsals continuing for the School Show. As you would expect from AHS, staff are working hard to offer as many extra-curricular opportunities as possible for students to engage with. This is an important and valuable part of school life and it would be good to see even more young people take advantage of these opportunities.
As a school we are proud of the quality of pastoral care and support we offer and this provision has been more important than ever over the last twelve months, especially during periods of lockdown. Over time we have invested significant resource to ensure we have the capacity to know and support each young person as an individual. I am pleased to inform parents that in response to the impact of the pandemic on student wellbeing we have now made a further very significant financial investment in expanding our pastoral team. We have appointed Assistant Heads of Year (with large time allowances) to work alongside each Head of Year, meaning that rather than groups of 300 students we will have school leaders overseeing 150 students each, reminiscent of when we had year groups of 162. We have also introduced a new role of Intensive Support Worker to supplement the work of our Pastoral Support Workers that we have for each year group, have employed a school counsellor to work with specific students and have increased the capacity within the Safeguarding and Attendance teams within school. We have also made the decision that members of the Senior Leadership Team will continue to have specific day to day responsibilities for year groups. The additional pastoral staff for each year group will also provide extra capacity to benefit all students’ personal development and ensure all students are supported to engage with a wider range of extra-curricular opportunities, leadership opportunities in each year group and the unique opportunities of the AHS Journey. As Headteacher I firmly believe that prioritising in this area at this time is the very best way to support students and their families
Paired Reading
This week saw the very welcome return of our Paired Reading scheme. This is a peer tutoring programme which supports and encourages the regular tutoring of year 7 and 8 students by older students in the school in a Covid secure way. This effective, evidence- based method of helping younger students with their reading has been a successful part of our Reading Ready journey for many years. I have been delighted with the response from our year 7 and 8 students who have enthusiastically engaged with the scheme and shown a very mature attitude throughout the sessions. A huge thank you to our Post 16 Student Leaders for their participation, I look forward to reporting on the progress of the scheme as it continues throughout the remainder of the term. Well done to all involved! If your child is in year 7 or 8 and you feel would benefit from the scheme, please contact Mrs Short to discuss further. eshort@ahs.pmat.academy
Head of Year Awards
| Year 8 | Kornel Kotlarski | 8NAm | For his kind, friendly and positive manner, and his considered participation in form time. Well done! Mr Arthur |
| Austin Currie | 8Pl | For a really impressive start to AHS, with some very thoughtful contributions to the Form Time Act of Collective Worship and the News. Well done! Mr Arthur. | |
| Year 9 | Kate Newton | 9BMo | For being an excellent student and for her hard work on the Whispering house project. Well done! Mr Avery |
| Ben Pomfrett | 9Hu | For being an excellent student and for his hard work on the Whispering house project. Well done! Mr Avery | |
| Year 10 | Faith Burrows | 10IMa | For supporting the school values and ensuring the physical environment is cared for. Miss Turvey |
| Freddie Boardman | 10LBr | For living the school values into being in support of a friend. Miss Turvey | |
| Imogen Bradbury | 10IMa | For excellent work in PE especially in cricket. Miss Turvey | |
| Year 11 | Katie Richardson | 11Ap | Katie is consistently conscientious and hard working and is always always polite. Well done Katie – Mrs Avey |
| Mia Rank | 11DCl | Mia has an exceptional attitude to school life and makes the most of everyday. Well done Mia – Mrs Avey | |
| Year 12 | Millie Stevens | 12HGa | For doing really well across the board, working hard and living by the AHS values. Miss Cox |
| Hannah Townson & Maddy Hatch | 12HGa/ 12Os | For excellent enthusiasm and work so far with the transition planning. Miss Cox | |
| Year 13 | Siobhan Osman | 13Sl | For continued high levels of effort and academic excellence – well done! Mr Charlton |
| Adrian Muir | 13Sl | For being really proactive in his revision and preparation for assessments next week. Keep going! Mr Charlton |
Head of Year Updates
Miss Kincell and Year 7
It has been a lovely week in school, the clubs are really starting to get up and running and we are already starting to see what a positive impact thai is having. I was thrilled to see the photography club running around after school with their cameras all excited.
Another wonderful development this week has been the beginning of paired reading. Our Year 7s have been partnered with sixth formers to take part in paired socially distanced reading, this activity boosts confidence in both reading and overall general self esteem and I look forward to seeing more smiling face next week. Please see an example below:
We have introduced another lovely opportunity this week, ‘Lunch time of Calm’, and wow does it sound appealing! We held our first Lunchtime of Calm on Thursday. Students were invited to sit in a calming atmosphere with lava lamps and soft background music. Activities included reading, colouring pages and drawing books. There was also a selection of self-help books to hand such as The Teenage Guide to stress, and 100 Ways to Quit Worrying. A good quote from this book is,While you’re worrying about what they’re thinking, they’re worrying about what you’re thinking. So stop!
Students were also offered booklets to take away, and cards small enough to fit in a pencil case with tips on wellbeing. They could select one or more for free.
The event brought new students into the library who not only joined in, but also borrowed books. Everyone said that they enjoyed the Lunchtime of Calm so much that they would like one every Thursday! Please see some of our zen students below enjoying some space in the day.
Library reminders:
We have received books this week that were over a year overdue. This is completely understandable as lots were borrowed before the school closed due to covid. Please don’t be nervous about bringing back a late return, you are not in trouble, we will be delighted to see both the book and you!
I hope you all have a wonderful Bank Holiday. Some historians believe that May Day was a holiday celebrated by the Romans to herald the start of spring, and we have continued to celebrate May Day even though the Romans left our shores years ago. Many of us are fascinated with Romans, mainly due to the fact that they have a deep history with York. Stonegate and Petergate in the town centre still run along the same routes as they did two millennia ago. Two routes walked by Romans and then by you!
Why not try reading a new genre this week? We have some great books on our Historical Fiction Shelf. Try The Roman Mysteries series and discover what it was like to live in ancient Rome. Call into the library and ask me if you need help finding the section. You can listen to a short extract from one of the books, and read a free sample of another by opening this link. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Vesuvius-Book-Roman-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B004JHY6P0
Don’t forget to complete a quiz for any books you have read. You can access Accelerated Reader quickly by using the following link https://ukhosted83.renlearn.co.uk/1893564
York libraries are now open for browsing and borrowing. Those with reading café’s such as Tang Hall library will also be offering a table service for refreshments outside.
Well done to our Students of the Week this week:
7Cm: Natalie Bowler
7Cy: Evie Hawksby
7CAd: Joshua Adams
7Bl: Megan Boddy
7Hf: Aden Smith and Oliver McKeegan
7Hv: Kian Cooper
7Gr: Alex Grist
7Cmp: Kayden Readhead
7Mr: Blaine Wright Smith
7Nth: Ruby Overhill-Cossu
7Wno: Oliver Meakin
Well done to our Gold Award Students this week:
1. Alex Sinaga-Jones: Well done for excellent punctuality this week and started to have improved organisation.
2. Hattie Newton: Well done for your distinction on your drum exam, excellent result. Keep it up.
I hope you all have a lovely bank holiday weekend and we look forward to seeing you all happy and refreshed on Monday.
Mr Arthur and Year 8
I hope that the students and families of those in Year 8 are reading this email in good health and high spirits. The May Bank Holiday should help to provide a little extra respite, and we can all take advantage of the opening up of the country. I have certainly found myself savouring the little things that I used to take for granted – and with the next stage of freedoms that will be granted from 17th May, we have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. For the time being, I hope that Year 8 continue to enjoy their time being back in school, and that they are making the most of the ‘Opportunities’ they have laid before them.
I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the issue of attendance. Attendance at school is crucial to the success of students. 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 95% attendance, this means that they are attending school less than the average child across the country.
As a school, we fully understand that there are appointments that cannot be moved, or emergencies that mean a child may have to take some time off school. However, wherever possible, please can non-emergency appointments be made outside of school time, or ensure that students return to school in the afternoon if their appointment is in the morning (or vice versa). With regards to illness, the message that has been given to students is that if they are feeling unwell, the question they should be asking themselves is not “Do I want to come into school?” Of course, if you’re feeling unwell the answer will be no! However, what they should be asking is, “Can I be in school?” In this instance, the answer is almost always “Yes”. We do have the Intervention Room for students that are feeling unwell, but we would very much appreciate your support in ensure your child is in school as much as possible to give them the best chance of success in the future.
Further to this, punctuality is also a key contributor to the success of students . It is important that students are sat in their form rooms ready to start the day before 8:45. This means that students must ensure they arrive on school site well before then – form rooms will be open from 8:30 for them to ‘drift in’ on a morning, and there are wellbeing resources available for when they arrive. This will also ensure that any important messages that are relayed to students during morning Tutor Time are given to all of the students. Furthermore, it is also vitally important that students arrive to lessons on time. Studies have shown that re-capping on old content through low-stakes testing is crucial to consolidating their learning. The first few minutes of a lesson is where most re-caps take place. It is therefore vitally important that students arrive to lessons promptly and ready to learn to ensure they maximise the input that is given to them by teachers across all subjects.
Congratulations to the winners of the Head of Year Award this week – they are…
| Kornel Kotlarski | 8NAm | For his kind, friendly and positive manner, and his considered participation in form time. Well done! Mr Arthur |
| Austin Currie | 8Pl | For a really impressive start to AHS, with some very thoughtful contributions to the Form Time Act of Collective Worship and the News. Well done! Mr Arthur. |
Well done – a £5 Amazon Gift Card will be on its way as soon as possible!
Thank You for taking the time to read this bulletin. If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 8, please contact me on aarthur@ahs.pmat.academy, or Mr Deamer (PSW For Year 8) on rdeamer@ahs.pmat.academy
Mr Avery and Year 9
What a difference a year makes. When I stop and reflect on the challenges the students of Year 9 have overcome in the last twelve months, it makes me feel very proud to be their Head of Year. I have been very keen to stress to the students the need to adopt a ‘growth mindset’ as they enter the twilight of Year 9, in preparation for their GCSE courses in Year 10. I feel it is important to build a belief among the students that it is never too late to improve in a skill or a particular subject, if they only persevere and remain resilient. James Joyce once wrote “mistakes are the portals of discovery” and given the circumstances of the last twelve months it would be understandable if some of the students had lost a little bit of drive and positivity, so I want them to reflect on the opportunities that still lie before them.
Since returning to school, we have continued to focus on ‘understanding ourselves and others’ which is the key part of the journey into Year 9. In Acts of Collective Worship, we have studied a variety of different topics that reflect the problems that unfortunately still exist in society. We focussed on what constitutes Sexual Harassment and the consequences of the tragic case of Sarah Everard. We have also looked at the institutional racism that became apparent in the case of Stephen Lawrence, and how we still need to be aware and take action against this form of racism in today’s society. We have also shined a spotlight on the problem of bullying and investigated the different roles people play when bullying takes place. Throughout this, the students have demonstrated maturity beyond their years, and really seemed to take on board the important role they have in making our school community and society more tolerant. As Maya Angelou said “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”. The students have been consistently reminded that if they experience or witness any discriminatory behaviour in school, that they must report it immediately to a trusted adult.
There is certainly a wealth of opportunities within our school – in sport, the arts and academically. Please encourage your child to, for instance, have a close look at the extra-curricular timetable and take part wherever they can. We now have a full programme of sport running for Year 9, including Netball, Football, Basketball, Rounders and Fitness club in our brand-new gym. Keeping fit and active is an excellent way to remain positive and look after wellbeing, and I encourage students In Year 9 to embrace this opportunity.
If you have any issues regarding your child in Year 9 that you wish for me to be aware of, please do get in contact with me at navery@ahs.pmat.academy
Miss Turvey and Year 10
Dear Parents and Careers, last week in our weekly Act of Collective Worship I focussed on a passage in Philippians 2: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others”. And this week we have a number of our Y10 community who are, via track and trace, isolating and therefore “not looking to their own interests, but to the interest of others” and I want to thank them for that; it is frustrating and we empathise, but without their altruism society will not be able to unlock post lockdown as it is.
I also reflected on the idea that when running a marathon, sometimes when the end is in sight we metaphorically “hit the wall” and feel as if we cannot take another step; the end of this covid year is in sight and I urged your sons and daughters to dig deep, engage their resilience and to continue being responsible by socially distancing, washing hands, only meeting outside and wearing masks.
I am hoping that your young person has given you the parents evening letter and that you are managing to book appointments. If there are any problems please do contact school 01904 411341 or reception@ahs.pmat.academy. If you have any queries about the Y10 examination timetable, printed in last weeks’ newsletter, or any issues, then again, please contact the school. Students will be given their own copy of the timetable and a booklet of information Exam etiquette and the legal ramifications of certain actions which they will bring home to you next week. The Y10 reports will be given to your child on Tuesday; hopefully they will hand them to you and you won’t have to go rooting around in the bottom of their bag to find them! We will post out this information to those who are currently isolating.
Please remember that the pastoral team are here to support, help and do contact us for any critiques or positive feedback. Take care, Miss T.
Mrs Avey and Y11
We hope you all had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend, despite some disappointing weather.
You will be well aware that this week is the last week before the internal assessments begin. These assessments will be the last pieces of evidence, which along with other examples of students’ work, will be used to inform an holistic Teacher Assessed Grade for each student. As such, we look forward to good attendance and continued focus so that all our students are best prepared to do themselves justice. If any of our students need any additional emotional support – we are well aware that they may be ‘stressing’ although we continue to stress that these assessments are not the only determiner of their final grades, then we encourage them to come and chat with us and talk through any worries. The year 11 team and form tutors are all looking to help and support.
A number of our students took part in Speaking and Listening moderating last week and were superb. They appeared confident – perhaps despite probably inner fear- and produced talks of a high standard. Well done to all who took part.
In our Acts of Collective Worship over the last few weeks we have been exploring the theme of Tolerance and Equality through presentations on the Bullying Policy; bullying or banter; racism – via recognising and explaining Stephen Lawrence day ( April 22nd) and this week we will address sexual harassment.
Finally, plans are well underway, working very closely with the Sixth Form team, to develop our transition offer for Year 11, post-half term. This will start on 7th June and will include A Level and BTEC taster sessions, remote provision for those that want it, sports enrichment open to the whole year group and careers advice and guidance, including workshops on employability skills, support with CV writing and job applications and help for those who still want to apply for Sixth Form, college or apprenticeships. We are really pleased with the offer we have developed and look forward to sharing more details with parents and students in the coming weeks.
Miss DeLashley and Post 16
Thank you! Another great week in the Sixth Form. The students really are a pleasure to work alongside. Lots of hard work and they are always an example for the rest of the student body to follow. Please pass on our gratitude.
Year 13 Assessments
They have begun! A reminder of the timetable for the rest of the assessments. Any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
| Note | Tues 4th | Weds 5th | Thurs 6th | Fri 7th | |
| 08:50 start | Each exam is 90 mins Don’t go to registration Be on Black Square for 08:45 | History | Music Biology | Chemistry Media | Psychology |
| 11:10 start | Each exam is 90 mins Be on Black Square for 11:00 Can access lunch from Y11 Hatch following their exam Be at Period 4 by 13:00 | Politics Physics Geography 1hr | Maths | English Lang Further Maths | French |
Year 12 Shout Outs
| Who… | Where… | Why… | By… |
| Josh Robinson | Eng Lit | Amazing progress on your most recent Tess essay and some very insightful ideas in class – well done! | Miss Chambers |
| Mabel Carrington | Eng Lit | Fantastic progress shown in your recent assessment on Tess with some impressive perceptive ideas – well done! | Miss Chambers |
| Peter Macfarlane, Connor Gillies | A level Maths | A pleasing Mock result. Well done. | Miss Bhodgal |
| Paris Coop/ Daisy Taylor/Emily Dilger/Aime Rochester | Textiles | For working hard and meeting deadlines in Textiles | Linda Harvey |
| Marta Garafolo | German | Well done for having such a fantastic attitude to learning at all times! | Miss Dixon |
| Hannah Townsend | Sociology | Well done on dropping one mark across your whole mock exam! Absolutely incredible. | Mr Young |
| Gaurie Sunil | Psychology | You are doing a fantastic job in Psych. Really good effort and very hard-working. Well done 🙂 | Mr Young |
| Ellie Willcox | German | For hard work and dedication to the subject of German | Richard Gibson |
| Ewan Wilkie | Engineering | Excellent work in Engineering this half term – really good work supporting other pupils in class! | Miss Lawrenson |
| Caitlin Harrison, Jemma Blanchard, Abbie kilvington and Izzy Wright | Tutor Group | Just always brilliant in form-time. On-time, mature, helpful and fun!! | Mr Lever |
| 12c | History | Well done year 12’s on your superb performance in your Civil War Mocks. It has been incredibly impressive to see how far you have come. Talk About League will continue… | Miss Daswani |
| Evin Blundell, Sean Mawhood, Gabby Moore, Shalom Ogbemudia, Rai Suyork, Millie Stevens, Gaurie Sunil, Jess Turton, Izzy Wright | Psychology | Outstanding performance in their Psychology Mock Exam | Mr Skelton |
| Elin Alias, Aidan Clarke, Maddy Hatch, Jennifer Norman, Emma Walton, Livi Wiggins, Tilly Moss-Wilson | Psychology | Outstanding performance in the Psychology Mock Exam | Mr Skelton |
| Milly Stevens | Year 12 leadership Enrichment | Milly Stevens for embodying the school values and her positivity and excellent engagement in Year 12 leadership Enrichment | Mrs Robertson |
| Jemma Blanchard | H&Sc | Absolute legend, helping peers | Mrs De Lashley |
| 12D | Psychology | Being AMAZING and reminding me why I LOVE TEACHING! | Mrs De Lashley |
Mr Charlton says…
Y13 Assessments
Good luck to you all in your Yr13 Assessments which started on Friday 30th April and run next week. Please continue to work hard and prepare for this with rigour.
Y13 Transition
Our Yr13 Transition offer has been launched this week. Please use the leaflet handed out in Form Time and the Google Form in our Google Classroom to highlight which you are interested in. This is a fantastic opportunity to experience some of the out of classroom experiences you have missed throughout your time in Sixth Form.
Y13 Non-University Progression Plans
Those students not planning on attending university please see the most recent post in our Yr13 Google Classroom on current apprenticeship vacancies. We continue to offer careers interviews for any student who would like one and can arrange mock interviews for those requiring interview practice for an apprenticeship or employment.
UCAS update on offers
We currently have 110 students who have submitted UCAS Applications with almost 50% receiving offers from Oxbridge or Russell Group Universities. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard back from all your providers yet, some are being slow sending out their offers this year.
Year 13 Shout Outs
| Who… | Where… | Why… | By… |
| Friday 30th Exam | RE, Eng Lit, Soc & German | Exemplary conduct. Perfect punctuality and a really positive attitude going in. Thank you for making an excellent start! | Mrs De Lashley |
| Siobhan Osman | German | Well done for your consistent hard work and determination in German- it will pay off! | Miss Dixon |
| all of 13B Textiles | Textiles | Working well during lockdown and being supportive of each other, a delight to teach. | Linda Harvey |
| Yr 13 BTEC Sport | BTEC Sport | Congratulations on completing your practical interview sessions this week. Fantastic organisation and delivery from everyone. | Mrs Beard |
| 13Sl | Form | For brightening up my day each morning! | Mr Skelton |
Collective Worship
This week in our Form Tutor Collective Worship we are looking at the topic of friendships and bullying and the responsibility we all share to look out for one another.
Monday – “Our value to God is more than anything else this world can offer.” – Crystal McDowell
Tuesday – “God sees us with the eyes of a Father. He sees our defects, errors and blemishes. But He also sees our value.” – Max Lucado, American author and church pastor
Wednesday – “Too many people overvalue what they are not, and undervalue what they are.” – Malcolm Forbes, 20th C. American entrepreneur and multi-millionaire
Thursday – “You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done – but simply because you are.” – Anonymous
Friday – “Man does not see what God sees, for people see what is visible, but God sees the heart.” – The first book of Samuel 16:7, the Bible
Andrew Daly
Headteacher – Archbishop Holgate’s School
CEO – Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust and Teaching School Hub