Dear Parents and Carers
Thank you for all of your support during what has been a busy and at times particularly challenging year.
Please see below a document (please click on the wording ‘September Comms’ to open the document) which outlines several things that will be changing for September including a significant change to our catering provision, our responses to Martyn’s and Benedict’s Laws, the tightening up of our mobile phone policy as directed by the change in law, changes to our assessment cycle and reminders about uniform. Please take the time to read this. Further details will be shared when we get back but we wanted to ensure that you had the key information ahead of the end of term.
Last weekend we had an Open Day to welcome visitors from the Hardenhuish community into school. This event brought to a close our celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Hardenhuish School. Our visitors were treated to tours of the main house and school grounds, a display of Hardenhuish memorabilia, performances from our talented pupils, the flying of our new Hardenhuish flag, unveiling of our new weathervane and much more! It was a joy to hear many of our alumni reminiscing so warmly about their school days spent at Hardenhuish. We hope that pupils, staff, and the wider school community have enjoyed celebrating our 50th anniversary with us. There is still time to donate to our Hardenhuish50 fundraising by using this link or on Arbor.
On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending Civic Sunday with Mrs Auld where I was delighted to watch Year 11 student Anisia Rusu receive a Chippenham Town Council Civic Award for her superb volunteering at the RISE Trust. We were also thrilled to accept a Civic Award recognising the work of our wonderful School Parliament and to be able to thank the wider Chippenham Community for all of their help and support. It was wonderful to be part of this special community event.
A big thank you to RHS Badminton who have generously donated some of the plants from their recent Flower Show. We are looking forward to planting these to enhance our site even more.
I would like to publicly thank those staff who are leaving us this summer and wish them well with their new adventures.
I look forward to seeing many of you at results days in the summer and celebrating the many successes.
Have a wonderful summer break and I look forward to welcoming our community back in the new academic year with new Year 7 and 12 on 2 September and all other year groups on 3 September.
Lisa Percy
Headteacher
News Items
Attendance Incentive Success – Term 6
We are delighted to celebrate the success of our Term 6 Attendance Incentive, which recognised students who have either improved their attendance from Term 5 to Term 6 or maintained an excellent attendance rate of 97% or higher across both terms.
The response from students has been fantastic, with hundreds of young people demonstrating commitment, resilience and a positive attitude towards attending school every day.
Attendance Improvement Awards
The following numbers of students improved their attendance during Term 6:
- Year 7: 86 students
- Year 8: 87 students
- Year 9: 122 students
- Year 10: 87 students
97%+ Attendance Awards
The following students maintained an outstanding attendance rate of 97% or higher in both Terms 5 and 6:
- Year 7: 70 students
- Year 8: 70 students
- Year 9: 50 students
- Year 10: 65 students
These figures represent a tremendous achievement and reflect the dedication of our students, the support of families, and the hard work of staff in promoting excellent attendance.
A massive well done to all students who earned recognition through this incentive. Every day in school matters, and it is fantastic to see so many students making attendance a priority.
Keep up the great work, and look out for our next attendance incentives launching in September!
Year 7 Fun Maths Roadshow
In their maths lessons on Wednesday 8th July all Year 7 students took part in the annual Hardenhuish Fun Maths Roadshow. The Roadshow is a collection of problem-solving activities, with a range of challenge and types of puzzles and problems. The session was a great success, and we saw many young people enjoying a different aspect and style of mathematics. Students were very positive about the experience, and here is a quote from one participant
I think it was really interesting, because the questions were quite challenging, and it had a sense of competing, which made me do more questions. Overall, it was a really fun event, and I enjoyed it!
Charlie, Year 7
We look forward to running the Roadshow again next year!
The Maths Department
Back in March, a select number of students from Years 7–13 took part in the Raspberry Pi Coding Challenge following their success in the UK Bebras competition in November. Candidates were faced with a variety of problem-solving and coding challenges and were able to choose a difficulty level based on their confidence, ranging from ‘Novice’ to ‘Trailblazer’.
All winners will receive a copy of the GCHQ Puzzle Book either before the end of term or early next year.
Well done to our winners, and also to everyone who took part. The ICT & Computer Science Department looks forward to running more competitions next year to promote both Computer Science and STEM at Hardenhuish School.
If you would like to learn more about the Coding Challenge, or even try some of the tasks yourself, you can find more information on the competition website below:
Tim Phillips
Curriculum Leader for ICT & Computer Science
Year 10 Visit to Bath Abbey and Bath Mosque
On Thursday 9 July, the PSRE Department took 41 Year 10 GCSE students on an educational visit to Bath Abbey and Bath Mosque. The trip provided a valuable opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of Christianity and Islam as part of their GCSE studies.
During guided tours of both places of worship, students explored key features of each building and learned about their significance in religious practice. They also had the opportunity to speak with members of both faith communities, asking thoughtful questions and gaining first-hand insights into beliefs, traditions and worship.
The visit was an enriching experience that brought classroom learning to life and helped students develop a greater appreciation of religious diversity within the local community.
Area Rounders
The Year 7 girls represented the school brilliantly at their Area Rounders tournament this term. The girls started off in their first games getting used to ‘tournament’ rounders and the pace that it is played at; however, they quickly found their rhythm and grew in confidence with each game. Their performances showcased some excellent batting, with well-placed hits that made full use of the space on the pitch, alongside strong, organised fielding that led to some impressive catches and run outs. The team demonstrated great teamwork, resilience, and a positive attitude throughout the tournament. Hardenhuish Green team finished the tournament with 3 wins and 1 loss, and the Hardenhuish Gold team finished with 1 win and 3 losses. Finishing in a respectable 2nd and 4th place overall, the girls should be proud of their efforts and how they progressed across the competition.
The Year 8 girls represented the school brilliantly at their Area Rounders tournament this term. Unfortunately, only one other team attended, but the girls made the most of the opportunity and enjoyed a series of competitive matches. A real highlight of the afternoon was the team’s batting. The girls hit the ball confidently and found space well, creating lots of scoring opportunities and putting the opposition under pressure. Their batting improved with every game and was a key strength throughout the tournament. The girls also showed fantastic team spirit, supporting and encouraging each other from start to finish. Their positive attitude, teamwork, and determination helped them stay competitive in every match. The team finished the tournament with 2 wins and 2 losses. They should be very proud of their efforts and the way they represented Hardenhuish with excellent sportsmanship and teamwork throughout the day.