Dear Parents, Guardians and Friends,
This week’s blog begins with an ending. On Monday evening, we celebrated the Sixth Form Leavers’ Party – a truly special occasion marking the end of a significant chapter for our amazing Year 13 students. For most of them, it’s been seven years at The Holt, and after the intense final six weeks of exams, they finally had the chance to let their hair down and enjoy themselves. They looked fantastic and hit the dance floor at 8.00pm – many didn’t leave it until 11.00! It was wonderful to see them relaxing and having fun after such a demanding revision period. Now, they enter a well-earned summer break before receiving their results in August. We wish them all the very best for the future – we are so proud of them.
This is always a hectic but exciting time of year. Last week, 150 Year 10 geography students visited Hurst Castle Spit as part of their GCSE fieldwork. Over two days, they collected primary data for the physical geography component of their course. The weather was on our side, and students enjoyed learning about the spit’s formation from Mr Marrison. They also measured beach profiles, studied longshore drift, and – perhaps most importantly – collected pebble samples for analysis in their write-up lessons. A big thank you to the geography team for organising such a valuable trip.
Meanwhile, the English department ran a fascinating masterclass titled “Are You Destroying the English Language?” It was a popular and thought-provoking session exploring how the way we speak is evolving, particularly under the influence of social media and youth culture. The debate that followed was full of strong arguments and insightful ideas – a big well done to all involved.
We were absolutely thrilled to learn last week that The Holt is now officially the South West of England Junior Athletics Champions! Mrs White writes: “After qualifying at the Berkshire Athletics round a few weeks ago, Miss Stanborough and I took the junior girls’ athletics team to the South West Regional Finals on Wednesday. We are so proud to announce that the girls won the regional competition, competing against eight other schools from across the region. It was an incredible achievement, with many of our athletes achieving personal bests on the day. The team has shown such dedication in the build-up to the event, and their hard work truly paid off. Well done, girls!”
Congratulations to everyone who took part – what a brilliant accomplishment!
Another highlight of the week was our annual Sports Personality of the Year event, hosted by the PE department. It was a fantastic evening celebrating the dedication, talent, and achievements of our student athletes. We were honoured to welcome back ex-student Lottie Clarke as our guest speaker and presenter. Lottie delivered an inspiring speech that resonated deeply with students, especially when she closed with the quote:
“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become, and the hours of practice, and the coaches who have pushed you, is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back, so play for her.”
A huge thank you to Lottie for returning to support our event, and to the many students, parents and staff who joined us to celebrate what has been an incredible year of sport at The Holt. Special congratulations go to all our award winners: Chelin, Lola, Matilda, Maya, Sophie and Sophie for Effort and Achievement; Katie and Sophie for Contribution to School Sport; Angio and Izzy for Sport in the Community; and Miriam for the Fair Play Award. Our Team of the Year honours went to the U13 football team and the Year 10 netball team. Finally, we were proud to announce Maya as KS3 Sports Personality of the Year and Jodie as KS4 Sports Personality of the Year. A heartfelt thank you to the PE department for organising such a memorable evening.
And finally, to end this blog with a beginning – today we welcomed the Year 6 pupils who will be joining us as Year 7s in September. It was their first step on the exciting journey that will eventually lead them to Year 13 and beyond. As always, they arrived promptly – some full of enthusiasm and others a little more nervous. Throughout the day, they met their form tutors, took part in a range of lessons and activities, and spent lunchtime chatting and making new friends out on the lawn.
We hope they left feeling reassured and excited about what lies ahead. The next seven years will pass in the blink of an eye – before they know it, they’ll be dancing the night away at their own leavers’ party!
Yvonne Smith Assistant Headteacher