Dear all,

We have been incredibly impressed with our exam year group students this week as they commenced their exams. Their focus, optimism and collective determination to do their best has been very evident and we are proud of all of them for the very positive start they have made. As Mr Farmbrough wrote last week, we rewrite the Year 11 and Year 13 timetables on an almost daily basis, so that we're not just running our usual timetable, but personalising each student's timetable so that they have the right lessons at the right time. This is a huge commitment for us, but one that we know our students will see the benefit of when they pick up their exam results in August. Please continue to encourage your children to take advantage of our morning warm ups before every Year 11 and Year 13 exam - last minute booster classes starting at 08:00 on the day of each exam, with a free breakfast included.

The implementation of a successful exam season also requires our non-exam year groups to help support our collective efforts. This might be through quiet transitions as they move past exam rooms to get to their next lesson or having a room change to accommodate an exam warm-up. Being a part of the process in this way shows them the importance of their later years in the school, which is obviously a very useful awareness for them to have.

Since the Easter holidays we have changed our parental communications from Edulink to the My Child At School [MCAS] app. MCAS allows you to report absences and view key information like your child's timetable and attendance. We will use the app for most communication and alerts.To get set-up on the MCAS app you need to visit https://www.hphigh.co.uk/mcas which has all the relevant information. The MCAS app will grow in features and capability over time as we fully integrate it with all of our processes within school. Some important features to be aware of are being able to see your child’s overall attendance, morning & afternoon registration marks and any logged behaviour incidents, including the reason why. In the future we will be adding the ability to see lesson-by-lesson attendance and logged positive rewards. If you haven’t already done so, please download the app using the link above.

Finally, one of our Year 12 students, Amelia, was invited to a private screening of the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at St Margaret’s Church in London. She was part of a group of volunteers from across the world and forty other St John Ambulance Cadets. After the screening, her group were the first to see the procession go past. She has told us it was an amazing experience as she was surrounded by hundreds of young people that share her passion for service. On the following Monday, Amelia had the honour of saying a prayer at Gloucester Cathedral to recognise communities that dedicate service to others. This was to an audience that included HRH Princess Anne, the Lord Lieutenant for Gloucestershire and Lady Jane Walker, whose volunteering was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II. Many congratulations, Amelia!

I wish you all a lovely weekend,

Mr Hudson
Head of School