Dear all,

We have had a good first week back at HP.

I want to start by thanking all of the teachers who have given up time recently to run two separate trips to France, involving nearly 100 students in total. Learning about other cultures is an incredibly part of education, as is studying a foreign language - which is why I've been so pleased to see so many Year 9 students select French as one of their options next year. With our MFL team now offering both Spanish and French, I hope that these numbers will continue to grow over the coming years.

We also celebrated World Book Day today, with teachers and students taking the time to discuss their favourite books. I had the chance to talk to some tutor groups about my favourite book - The Lord of the Rings - and about why it captivated my imagination as a child. As you will be aware, reading is something we hugely prioritise at Holmleigh Park - both through our guided reading of the Greenshaw Canon every morning, but also through DEAR time where the whole school pauses to stop and read at the end of every day. I'd encourage you to take the opportunity tonight to ask your children what book they're currently reading at school - and perhaps share some of your favourites too!

Finally, well done to Year 11 who began their final set of mock exams this week. Their conduct so far has been exemplary - both when sitting exams but also in the quantity of revision that many students have done to prepare for these mocks. I've also been delighted to see so many students choose to come in early each day for our early morning exam warm up sessions. As I reminded Year 11, we do mock exams for three reasons:

1. First, they are a chance for students and teachers to work out where they are, and what they need to focus on next

2. Second, it's a chance to interrupt the forgetting curve - the more students practise retrieving information, the easier they will be able to recall it at a later date

3. Third, it's a chance to practice for the summer - both in terms of exam technique, but also in terms of revising and preparing for exams.  

Year 13 will be up next, before we head into the final push towards the summer.

With all best wishes,

Mr Farmbrough

Headteacher