Dear HP families,

As we approach the final day of term, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support and to reflect on the past week and year. It has been an incredibly exciting and busy final week, with students across all year groups engaging in a wide range of enriching experiences as part of Activities Week. Tomorrow marks the final day of the year, when we will also celebrate our students who have maintained excellent attendance with our HP Hero Day. Students will leave at 1:05pm on Friday 18th July and HP will then close for the summer break, with the exception of the exam result days.

This week has truly showcased the best of HP and I am so grateful to our dedicated staff who have worked hard to make it all happen. A huge thank you must go to Mrs Sharples for her meticulous organisation of Activities Week and to every member of staff who has supported trips, visits and experiences for our students.

Year 7 students have been braving the heights at the Tree Tops High Ropes course at Adventure Bristol, showing real courage. Year 8 and Year 9 students had a great day out at South Cerney Lakes, enjoying activities on and off the water. Year 10 headed to Weston-super-Mare, where they took part in beach games, had a picnic and spent time on the pier. Meanwhile, our Year 12 students have been out on work experience, gaining valuable insight into the world of work and making a strong start to their preparation for life after HP. Alongside these activities, a group of our Year 7 and 8 students have had an enriching time on the Paris trip. They explored the city, practised their French and experienced the culture and history of one of Europe’s most iconic capitals. 

Tomorrow, we look forward to HP Hero Day – our way of recognising and rewarding those students who have achieved at least 95% attendance this year. These students will enjoy a funfair on-site during the day. We know that strong attendance is key to long-term success and while we are pleased that our whole school attendance has improved this year, there is still more work to do. Thank you for all that you do to support attendance and we hope to see even more HP Heroes next year.

As we close out the year, we also say goodbye and thank you to staff who are moving on to new roles, sectors and chapters in their lives. Ms Wilkinson, Ms Hunt, Ms Riley and Ms Lloyd are all leaving us to pursue new opportunities and we are grateful for their contribution to the Science, Art, English and Maths departments respectively. Mrs Baker, our Behaviour Improvement Officer, will be joining Gloucester Academy and we are delighted she will remain within the Greenshaw family of schools. Mrs Clark, our Lead Attendance Officer, is moving to a different sector and leaves behind a strong legacy, having helped lay the foundations of the expanded attendance team. Mr Davies and Mrs Tinklin are both relocating to take up teaching posts in other parts of the country as their families pursue new opportunities. And finally, Mr and Mrs Lockett, who between them have given 41 years of service to HP, are retiring. Their contribution to careers, exams, SEND, the library and English over the years has been incredible and they have made a real difference to thousands of students. We thank our colleagues for their dedication and wish them the very best for what comes next.

As we look ahead to September, please note the arrangements for the start of term. On Wednesday 3rd September, only Year 7, Year 11 and Year 12 students will be in school. Year 7 and Year 11 should arrive between 8:15am and 8:30am via the bottom playground [Y7] and top gate [Y11] respectively. Year 12 should arrive between 11:00am and 11:15am via Reception. All other year groups will return on Thursday 4th September. Years 8, 9 and 10 should arrive before 8:30am via the bottom playground and Year 13 should arrive before 8:30am via Reception.

Please also take a moment to review the term dates for 2025–26, which include some adjusted timings – these are available on our website here: https://www.hphigh.co.uk/term-dates. You can also check key dates and events on our online calendar: https://www.hphigh.co.uk/school-calendar.

To stay up to date with all communications and key information, we strongly encourage all families to download the MCAS app. If you do not use the app, please remember to regularly check the MCAS website: https://www.mychildatschool.com/.

This has been an academic year touched by immense sadness at times and I could not be prouder of the way our community has supported one another. Despite these challenges, we have continued to make strong progress. Behind the scenes, we have made a number of crucial strategic system improvements which will have a direct impact on the quality of experience for students from September onwards. One of the most exciting developments is the upcoming launch of HP Enrichment – a programme we believe has the potential to be groundbreaking within the comprehensive school sector.

I also want to take this opportunity to recognise the efforts of our Year 11 and Year 13 students. They approached their exams with maturity and commitment and I know many of them are now looking forward to the next stage of their journeys. We are open for A Level Results Day on Thursday 14th August from 8am and for GCSE Results Day on Thursday 21st August from 9am. We wish all of our students the very best as they prepare to receive their results.

Thank you again for all of your support this year.

I wish you all a lovely summer,

Mr Hudson
Headteacher