Dear Parents, Guardians and Friends,
Last week began with a surprise appearance from winter. Snow fell briefly, just long enough for students to get excited and for staff to wonder if break duty would require skis! The snow didn’t stay for long, much to the student’s disappointment! Our purple Koala looked rather unimpressed by the weather.
Friday was non-uniform day, and our students were brilliant in bringing in prizes for the Christmas tombola. We received hundreds of goodies, everything from chocolates and games to pamper sets ……all ready for the hugely popular tombola stall at our upcoming Christmas Fayre. Keep an eye on our Instagram for more updates from our purple Koala mascot! #What shall we call him?
Thursday evening saw one of the biggest events of our school year: the Sixth Form Open Evening. We were delighted to welcome hundreds of prospective students and their families. It was especially wonderful to see so many of our current students helping throughout the event. They represented the school brilliantly and spoke passionately about why The Holt Sixth Form is such a great place to study A Levels; from the supportive staff and high expectations to excellent pastoral care, leadership opportunities, private study spaces, the bespoke Sixth Form Centre… and yes, even
Costa!
A huge thank you to Rose, Binta, Mia, Hannah, Advait and Ashwin who spoke during the main presentation and shared their personal Sixth Form experiences. Every subject area was supported by student ambassadors who answered questions and explained why they chose their subjects, offering genuine insights only they could provide.
The next steps for Year 11 include SLT interviews and the taster day, which will take place on Friday. Here is the link to the Sixth Form website for more details: https://www.holtsixth.co.uk/
Year 10 students also had the chance to think about their futures during a careers event on Friday morning. They listened to guest speakers sharing their career journeys and experiences………and there was plenty of fun competition as students raced to complete their careers bingo cards!
Thank you to Miss Johnson for organising this – she said ‘ This week in Careers, we welcomed Elizabeth Coarse, our Careers Enterprise Adviser from The Berkshire Careers Hub, along with guest speakers Laura Biddulph (a retrained and qualified accountant), Nick Judd (Editorial Director & Owner Envee Media) and Elien Baylis (a local businesswoman). They delivered our Year 10 Careers Panel Discussion, where they shared their personal career journeys and reflected on how the career you may envision in Year 10 can change as you develop new skills and encounter new experience; a concept we refer to as ‘Squiggly Careers’. Our speakers also discussed how AI is reshaping the world of work, encouraging students to stay adaptable, curious and open to new opportunities as they develop their own career pathways.
It was a pleasure to welcome Elizabeth and our guest speakers to offer our Year 10 students an engaging panel discussion. The students asked thought-provoking questions and demonstrated The Holt core values.’
We will also be hosting another Career Life Stories event for our Year 8 students in February. We are particularly keen to hear from speakers who did not follow a university route and have experienced ‘squiggly careers’. If you are interested in sharing your career journey, please contact Miss Johnson at careers@holt.wokingham.sch.uk.
One of the most thoughtful questions asked was:
“Are you doing now what you thought you would be doing when you were in Year 10?” Only one out of the three speakers said yes — a great reminder that career paths are rarely straight lines!
Constance, a Year 10 student took part in the Wellington College Future Founders programme last year. She shares her thoughts here: “The Wellington Future Founder’s program aims to encourage entrepreneurship in the youth, and I’m glad I had the chance to participate.
We’d initially been given £20 seed funding in March to start our own businesses. At first, it felt like I wasn’t making much progress with a niche target market from selling merchandise. Thinking about my interest in communication & education, wouldn’t tutoring be a great outlet? I chose to pivot instead.
My confidence in salesmanship and interacting with others has grown exponentially. I’ve also learned about the necessity of adaptability in business and the value of risk-taking. Even though I’ve found a purposeful business, I don’t think I’ll stop experimenting any time soon. With the needs of students constantly evolving, I hope to continue supporting the community! As my time with the program comes to an end in January, I’d also like to thank the staff at Wellington College for giving me the opportunity and Miss Harris for introducing it.’
We held our first ever SEN Parents’ Evening on Wednesday, and we were really pleased with how well attended it was. The evening included a presentation from our SENDCo, Mrs Griffiths, followed by talks from four former students, three of whom left the school some time ago. They spoke warmly and sincerely about the support they received here and how it helped shape the paths they are now following.
As we head towards the final weeks of term, there is plenty still to come. The Christmas Fayre preparations are well underway, Sixth Form applications are beginning, and our purple Koala seems determined to make more appearances whether we ask him to or not! The school community is moving into the festive season with energy and good humour. We look forward to seeing what the next few weeks bring.
Yvonne Smith
Assistant Headteacher