Dear parents and carers,

It has been an excellent first week at Holmleigh Park. I’ve enjoyed seeing students really embrace our new values:

They have been working hard in their lessons – especially Year 11, who are now attending period 6 every day. This extended school day means that they will have the best possible chance of success this summer. All of our students have started to get stuck in to their homework, and I am particularly pleased to be able to tell you that we have finished the week top of the country for the number of questions completed on Hegarty Maths!

I have also been struck by how kind our students have been. Many of our older students have gone out of their way to look out for the new Year 7s, and I have been made to feel very welcome. 

And finally, I have been very impressed by how our students have taken responsibility, with almost every single student being perfectly turned-out and equipped every day. Behaviour has been excellent; every lesson I visited this week was disruption free.

Highlights this week have included our first rugby match. The Year 9 boys lost narrowly to a strong Chosen Hill side, but the team showed great potential, and I’m looking forward to seeing our other teams in action too. Year 7 also had their first choir lesson. It was an absolute joy to watch over two hundred and twenty students singing together, and I’m looking forward to them performing to you later in the year.

I am very grateful to those of you who have already filled out our survey on communication. If you haven’t already, please do take a minute to give us your views here: https://forms.gle/tn89HxY52QNZEab18

Finally, I’m pleased to report that the Food Pods will be open on Monday. We hope to open the canteen too, and we will update you on this via text over the weekend. I am grateful for your patience with this, and I hope the free sandwiches we have offered to all students each day go some way to make up for the inconvenience caused.

I hope you have a very pleasant weekend,

Patrick Farmbrough

Headteacher