Dear all,

Despite lockdown, we've had a busy week, with Sixth Form Interviews taking place. Over the last five days the Sixth Form Team have conducted over 150 interviews - more than twice the number of applications we had at this point, and I'm incredibly excited by the promise of a bigger cohort next year!

Talking to staff and students this week, it's really struck me that a lot of people are finding this lockdown quite a bit harder than last time. I've definitely felt that: maybe it's the weather; maybe it's that the novelty value has worn of. Whatever it is, I think it's more important than ever for students to stay positive and connected.

One of the ways we can do this is through Fun Friday. We set a challenge for students every Friday and everyone who takes part earns House Points. I'm delighted that this week, we had 272 entries - nearly as many as all the other Greenshaw Schools put together! You can view these, as well as find out about this week's challenge below. A heads up: parents with messy children will be particularly interested in the challenge for next week!

It's also been great seeing so many students online for live tutor time (Years 7-10). Please do encourage your children to join in and contribute - it makes for a positive start to the day. It's also been great to see Year 11-13 doing so well with their live lessons as they continue to prepare for their exams. I will be writing to Year 11 and 13 students and parents separately regarding this. 

Finally, I'm delighted to tell you that we'll be launching  our own weekly TV show, Good Morning Holmleigh Park, next week. With one twenty minute competition a week, we hope it will be a fun way for families to keep up to speed with what's going on at school. The first episode will be released on Monday morning and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you! You can see a trailer, along with lots of great photos of recent student work on our Instagram Feed. 

Have a great weekend,

Mr Farmbrough