Dear all,

We've had another busy week at Holmleigh Park.

I wanted first to mention the Year 7 and 8 Paris Trip, which we launched earlier this week. We were delighted to see that students were so excited, with all 95 spaces selling out within two days. We are currently in discussions with the tour company about increasing the size of the trip, and we will of course keep parents up to date.

Second, we've had a number of successful fixtures this week - including a very good win for the Year 9 boys' rugby team in the County Cup against Dene Magna, a battling performance in tough conditions from our cross country team, and an excellent result for our Mathematicians, finishing third overall in the GLT Maths contest.

Exams have continued for Year 11 (who are nearing the end of their mocks) and Year 13 (who still have plenty to go!). We've been very impressed by how well students are doing, and the early indications are very encouraging for the year ahead. 

We have also completed our annual student survey, and my leadership team and I have been looking at the results. We were very pleased to see that for the fourth year in a row, students have grown more positive about our school, and particularly their learning. We'll be talking to students more in the coming weeks about all the positives from the survey, but more importantly about what the survey tells us we need to focus on next as a school community.

Finally, and speaking of community, today we marked Armistice Day, with an Act of Remembrance. I talked in assembly about both the immense hardship and suffering caused by war, but also the heroic sacrifices made by generations before us, so that we can enjoy some of the freedoms we do today. It was a particularly poignant remembrance day, however, as we can no longer say that Europe has remained free of major conflict since World War 2, and our thoughts were very much with those affected by the war in Ukraine. As always, I was immensely proud of the solemn dignity our students showed - with 1,336 students all on the playground, you could have heard a pin drop at any time. 

I hope you and your families have a lovely weekend,

With best wishes,

Mr Farmbrough

Headteacher