Dear HP families,

It has been wonderful to welcome back all of our students this week after the Christmas break. The site has felt calm, purposeful and positive from the very first morning, and it has been a pleasure to see students returning ready to learn and reconnect with their peers and staff. I hope that all of your families had an enjoyable festive holiday, and I would like to wish a Happy New Year to you all for 2026.

Attendance this week has been fantastic. We have seen a 1.5% increase in attendance for this first week back after Christmas when compared with the same point last year. This is a significant achievement and reflects the continued commitment from families, students and staff to making good attendance the norm for everyone. Strong attendance is closely linked to strong outcomes, and it is encouraging to see this becoming increasingly embedded across HP.

This week also marked the start of the Year 11 mock examinations. Students have approached these with maturity, resilience and focus. Morning warm ups have been well attended and purposeful, and the conduct of students during the exams this week has been exemplary. Invigilators have commented positively on students' attitudes, calmness and excellent behaviour throughout. These mocks provide an important opportunity for students to practise exam routines and identify areas for further improvement as we move towards the summer.

I am also pleased to share that almost £700 was raised during HP Christmas Charity Week. This is a tremendous amount and reflects the generosity and community spirit of our students and families. Thank you to everyone who contributed, organised events or supported the week in any way.

Wednesday Enrichment has moved into Block 2, and it has been great to see both new clubs launching alongside our established favourites. We now have almost eighty clubs running every Wednesday afternoon, giving students a wide range of opportunities to explore interests beyond the classroom. This term our focus is on how enrichment supports the development of leadership and teamwork skills, which are vital for success in and beyond HP.

Please note that the Year 9 Parents and Options Evening originally scheduled for Thursday 26th February has been moved to Thursday 5th March due to a clash with the school production. Mr Park will be writing directly to Year 9 parents with further details.

Finally, we have entered the Royal Academy of Art Young Artist Summer Show. This is open to all students who wish to submit a piece of work, and we look forward to seeing the creativity this inspires.

I wish you all a lovely weekend,

Mr Hudson
Headteacher