Dear Parents, Guardians and Friends

 

 I want to start this week’s blog with celebration. Congratulations to Weavers who won The Holt House cup for this year. After the results being revealed during our end of term assemblies by our House prefects, Weavers also had a delicious BBQ to celebrate their achievements in numerous House competitions leading them to win the cup. It was a close run, and well done to everyone from all Houses for their participation in House events over the last year. Participating in these events is a way of trying new things, meeting new people and getting involved in school life. Congratulations again to Weavers, and the competition for the next House cup begins..

As we are into the second week of the summer term, many of our students are thinking about some important upcoming events. Thank you to our Year 7,8 and 9 parents who attend the information evening last week. Mrs Connor, Mrs Priddy and Miss Izod gave lots of top tips on how to start preparing for the Key Stage 3 assessments. Starting good habits early is the most important way to reduce stress, increase productivity and the effectiveness of revision. Some key messages from the evening are to make sure to break down revision into small chunks, to have regular breaks and to have a clear plan of what needs to be completed during a revision session. These techniques will mean that students are prepared for the assessments and exams that will follow throughout their school career. Thank you to Mrs Connor, Mrs Priddy, Miss Izod and Mrs Martin for organising the evening.

Moving from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5, Year 12 are also looking ahead to their future plans. Year 12 took part in a personal statement workshop before the end of term. Jane Marshall who is an admissions tutor for Imperial College London, spoke to our students about what makes a good personal statement and how they can achieve this. They then took part in a workshop where they discussed articles and books relevant to their chosen degrees which inspired them and why. They then presented this back to the whole year group, and I can certainly say I learnt a lot about such a wide variety of subjects and topics. It was impressive to hear the depth of knowledge and interest that our students have for the subjects they would like to go on to study. It is an exciting time for Year 12 who are making choices about their post 18 options and for our students who are deciding to go down the path of university, they now have all the tools to be able to write a successful personal statement.

Also, in support of NSPCC number day, the maths prefects organised a treasure hunt around the maths departments last Friday. Students had to hunt around the maths department for clues, then decode the numbers to letters, and find the message. Students from across the school took part. Congratulations to the winners, Simran and Emily in 8H. The event was very enjoyable, thank you to the maths prefects, Mrs Baker and the maths department for organising the event and raising money for the NSPCC.

Well done to all our Year 11 and Year 13 students who are currently working with determination and dedication in preparation for their GCSEs, A-Levels and CTECs throughout this term. Keep going- all the hard work will pay off!

 And finally, Eid Mubarak to all of our students, families and members of The Holt community.

Miss Ward

Assistant Headteacher

Head of Sixth Form