Dear Parents and Carers
This term certainly seems to be flying by!
The exam season has started positively and the young people have approached this with the maturity we would expect. The next two weeks are particularly packed and I am sure you will join me in encouraging sleep, healthy eating and exercise in the outdoors to balance the hours many of our young people will be spending in exam rooms. Thank you for your ongoing support at this challenging time.
Our VE Day commemorations yesterday went well and many of our young people were involved in events beyond Hardenhuish, representing the various Chippenham Cadets at events in London and in the Chippenham Town Hall commemorations.
Our end of term Activities Day trips will be launched in the near future and we encourage as many young people as possible to engage in these end of year celebrations of all they have achieved.
Enjoy the sunshine this weekend!
Lisa Percy
Headteacher
News Items
Focus on: Culture Week
Culture Week is a celebration of the rich diversity that shapes our world. By exploring different traditions, beliefs, languages, music, and ways of life, students are encouraged to appreciate the value of cultural identity and inclusion. Culture Week inspires curiosity, builds empathy, and helps young people see the world through a broader, more respectful lens. Through activities, performances, and shared experiences, we aim to foster a sense of belonging and global awareness in every student.
Hardenhuish has been successful in a bid for a grant from the Chippenham Borough Lands Charity to help support our Mental Health provision. The grant will be used to help to fund our counselling service, to make sure that as many children as possible are able to access this vital provision. We are very grateful to CBLC for their continued support.
Year 12 Parliament Visit
This year’s annual visit to Parliament was a delight as we not only went on one of the warmest days of the year so far, but we were able to not only get into the House of Lords Chamber but see Commons in action and visit two decisions being made in the Supreme Court! It is always a delight to take students to see democracy in action and this year was no exception. Our day began with a question-and-answer session with Sarah Gibson, the MP for Chippenham, followed by a tour of Parliament, which ended in time for the opening of the House of Commons. We managed to get into the public gallery to see a debate surrounding attacks on Yemen and then another on social policy in the UK. Students were particularly excited to hold the Green Paper for the vote on removing the last hereditary peers from the House of Lords, something that we have discussed in class.
There was an added treat for Mr Arkinstall, who managed to spot the “One and Only” (pun intended) Chesney Hawkes coming from the Commons direction. It always goes to prove that anyone can be in Parliament when you go.
We finished our tour with a quick exploration of the Supreme Court, learning about the way it functions and how trials work, which was followed by the ability to see a Commonwealth land dispute being decided upon in Court 3 and a high-profile divorce case in Court 1.
It hopefully will inspire students to see how anyone can become an MP or look into working for Parliament in another guise.
Trip to Blakehill Farm
Year 7 pupils enjoyed a trip to Blake Hill Farm this week. This was hosted by staff who work for the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.
Blakehill Farm was once an airfield during the second world war and many aircraft took off from here as part of the D Day landings. It was extra special to visit on VE day. It is now the UK’s largest grassland restoration project and one of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s largest reserves.
During the trip the pupils took part in a nature hunt and had a tour of the farm site to meet the farmer and learn about some of the equipment they use to care for the land and the cattle and careers in agriculture. They also enjoyed feeding the cows and met 2 recently born calves. A big thanks to our hosts. The pupils had a great day, and it was wonderful to see them enjoying the reserve.
Football
Congratulations to Year 9 pupil Blake Green who, as assistant coach, has managed to support the Wiltshire U8s football team to qualify for the Nationals.
We wish the team every success for the upcoming games.