Dear all,

As we reach the end of a very busy half term, I'd like to start by paying tribute to Year 11 and 13. They have been absolutely magnificent, and even as I write this on Friday afternoon, attendance remains very high and students are working exceptionally hard. I know many of our staff have been hugely impressed by how eager and engaged both year groups have remained throughout the last few weeks. We have revision sessions going on over half term, and of course it's important students keep revising - but it's important they get lots of rest too, so that they come back ready for the final stretch.  

I also want to congratulate our Year 12 Young Enterprise Team, who competed in the South West Regional Finals this week. They won the award for resilience for the manner in which they've overcome setbacks, and were also interviewed by BBC Gloucestershire; you can listen to them here from 1:21:40 onwards. Our cadets have also been out and about learning field craft this week - as always you can find all of the photos and news on our Instagram. 

Amendment to School Day

The Department for Education have set an expectation, that from September 2023, schools will have a minimum week of 32.5 hours, which equates to six and a half hours each day.

Our school day at Holmleigh Park is currently 6 hours and 25 minutes (or longer for Year 11 and 13), and therefore five minutes short of expectations. This is because we have a relatively short lunch break (our teaching hours are actually above average). 

We therefore intend to extend students' lunch break by 5 minutes, which means that, from September, the school day will run from 08:30 until 15:00. Period 6s will now run until 16:00. 

We have taken this decision in consultation with local primary schools, so we hope this will not cause any inconvenience to parents or carers. We will be liaising with Stagecoach too so that bus schedules can be amended accordingly. If you have any concerns or questions, please email [email protected] 

I hope that you and your family have a very enjoyable half term.

Best wishes,

Mr Farmbrough

Headteacher