Dear HP families,

I hope all of our families had a good Easter. It has been great to welcome students back into school this week. All of 9Y visited Berkeley Castle yesterday as part of our commitment to ensure every KS3 student experiences a trip this year, with Year 7 having already visited We The Curious in Bristol and Year 8 the Cotswold Farm Park.

It is crucial that all HP students can write fluently to communicate their thinking and ideas. This week’s Fluent Writing update focuses on Year 10 Purple Zone. Purple Zone ensures students regularly practise independent thinking when writing, which is a key GCSE skill. Writing without support requires students to retrieve knowledge, organise ideas and make their own decisions. This builds fluency, accuracy and stamina, and exposes gaps in understanding that supported work can sometimes hide. The purple pen creates a clear routine and visual distinction. It signals independent work, makes it easy to monitor in books, and reinforces the importance of this time as a key part of the learning cycle. From September this will be an integral part of every Year 10 and Year 11 lesson.

Proposed Changes to Homework
We are currently considering some changes to Homework that we want to make you aware of at the consultation stage:

• ^{Students will have until 8am to complete their online homework on the day it is due.}
• ^{Any student who does not complete this will be set a Prep for that day.}
• ^{Students will attend Prep that evening and complete the missing homework before 4pm. This ensures a consistent focus on the completion of each piece of online homework that consolidates learning from lessons.}
• ^{Students set Prep for missed homework will be able to leave as soon as they have completed the work.}
• ^{Any student in Prep for incorrect uniform or lateness will remain until 4pm}

Any feedback on these proposed changes can be emailed to k.barrett@hphigh.co.uk. Families will be contacted when final decisions are made.

Character Kitemark
We are delighted to announce that HP has been re-awarded the Character Kitemark, recognising the continued strength of our work in developing character across the school. Inspectors highlighted how our values of Work Hard, Take Responsibility and Be Kind are consistently lived out and seen across all aspects of school life. They also recognised the impact of our enrichment programme, through which every student takes part in at least one extracurricular activity each week, ensuring enrichment is a normal and expected part of the HP experience for all our students.

Musical Instruments
If your child has ever wanted to play a musical instrument but is unsure which to choose, Gloucestershire Music is hosting a Try an Instrument Day at Archway School, Stroud between 10am and 12pm on Saturday 25th April. The event is free and students will be able to try flute, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, oboe, cello, trumpet, cornet, baritone and percussion with expert guidance. To attend, please register at gloucestershiremusic.paritor.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and select Try an Instrument Day 25th April 2026. Any questions can be sent to r.greenow@hphigh.co.uk.

I wish you all a lovely weekend,

Mr Hudson
Headteacher