Dear Parents and Carers
It has been a delight to welcome Baroness Neville-Rolfe today who has come to talk to our young people about her role in the House of Lords and her career. We are very grateful to her for coming to share her knowledge and experiences.
Year 8 have done a fantastic job in getting through their first set of formal exams and have shown real resilience and maturity. I look forward to them having the opportunity to reflect on these over the next week and a half with the “I can, I am” bus which is coming in to provide them with this space and opportunity.
KS4 Options evening last night was a fantastic opportunity for our Year 9 young people and their parents to explore and discuss their options for GCSE ahead of the deadline for submitting their forms. If you are making these decisions and would like any further support, please do not hesitate to contact the Year 9 Office in the first instance for support and guidance.
Year 11 are currently having meetings to discuss their next steps beyond the end of this academic year. Thank you to Mrs Silverton for facilitating these and helping to guide and advise our wonderful young people and make sure that they have plans in place.
With all of these activities taking place regarding careers and future plans, if you are willing to help us with our delivery of careers education in any way, we are always grateful. Perhaps your employer could bring a stand to our upcoming careers fair or you could come in and talk to our young people about your role and how you got into it. It is always lovely to welcome parents in to support us with this vital work of guiding our young people for their future success.
Have a good weekend.
Lisa Percy
Headteacher
News Items
Focus On… Sports Leaders
Whilst all pupils are encouraged to take on leadership roles within their PE lessons we are pleased to offer a wider range of leadership roles as well.
Year 8 Sports Ambassadors – pupils complete a training session at the start of the year and support the PE department. This year we have approximately 80 Sports Ambassadors!
Year 9 Sports Leaders – pupils opt to complete a level 1 leadership qualification during curriculum time. This will involve them learning about leadership skills and planning and leading sessions for their peers. They also look at the Youth Sport Trust Ambassador programme.
Year 12 Sports Leaders – students can choose to complete a Level 3 Sports Leaders qualification which results in UCAS points.
The Chippenham Sports Partnership is made up of a member of staff from Hardenhuish, Abbeyfield and Sheldon who run primary events ranging from Super Hero multi skills events to Rainbow Runs or Easter Egg hunts! All of the leadership roles may be asked to support at these events to develop communication, organisational and teamwork skills. It is always lovely to observe young leaders develop their confidence which can lead to improved self-esteem and to see the way that our more experienced leaders support and nurture the younger ones who are starting their own leadership journey. So far this year over 130 leaders from Hardenhuish have supported at events.
We always receive lovely comments from visiting staff about the enthusiasm and energy shown by all of our leaders. We are incredibly proud of what they have achieved as a team and for the sporting experiences they provide to many local primary pupils. They really do make a difference!
The first week of the Zero Club ended with hundred of pupils getting their membership, with zero behaviour points, zero conduct points and zero lates to school or lessons.
A big congratulations to them all – they will have had an email to celebrate their progress and may have even won a queue jump prize for the canteen!
Who has continued to build their streak this week? All will be revealed soon – and for anyone who didn’t manage to get in last week, hopefully this week has given them another chance to show the positive habits and consistency we are aiming for, and they can get their first week’s membership!
Reflexologist Visit
This week year 11 Health and Social Care students enjoyed a visit from Tracey Andreson, who is a Reflexologist. This gave them the opportunity to learn about Reflexology and how this type of therapy can benefit people physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially. This helped the students with their research for their final coursework task. They also had the chance to practice some simple techniques to help them manage any stress they may experience in the lead up to exams. Thanks so much for your time, Tracey, the students found this so helpful and lots of fun!
U13s Girls Cricket vs St Mary’s
In a thrilling one‑innings contest, our team fell just 5 runs short in what proved to be a brilliant match from start to finish. Fielding first, the team showed real quality with sharp catching and disciplined bowling; the bowlers all taking wickets at key moments and keeping the opposition under pressure throughout. Standout catches drew cheers from the sidelines and helped restrict the scoring. Chasing a competitive total, the team worked well together trying to rotate the strike and keeping the scoreboard moving. With great teamwork and determination, the game went right down to the final few balls. Despite a late push, we finished just short and although we missed out by a small margin, it was a fantastic performance full of effort, spirit, and teamwork, and an exciting match for everyone watching. Player of the match was awarded to Lucy P with an excellent batting display and accurate bowling!
U16 Netball v Sheldon
On Tuesday 20th we had a friendly Varsity netball match against Sheldon. Our Year 10 and 11s played some excellent netball and showed versatility by moving around the different positions. The defence were strong and managed to get lots of interceptions, reading the game well. Our midcourt players moved the ball up the court effectively with the shooters scoring 11 goals between them. Player of the match went to Livvy for her commitment to getting possession, and her determination to win the ball throughout the whole game. Whilst the final score didn’t go our way, I am really proud of the girls’ resilience and teamwork.
Vacancies – Hardenhuish School