Dear parents and carers, 

To start on a personal note, it is great to be able to be at Hessle full time to continue the school’s improvement journey. It’s great to be back.  

At the end of last term, I wrote about the importance of exercise books and that they would be a focus, not only now but throughout my tenure. This week I have dropped into a number of lessons to look at the quality of work our students are completing and I am pleased to say that the picture is a very positive one. There were some exceptional examples where I saw work that was nothing short of exemplary. On the few occasions where books were not quite as I would want, the teacher was aware and was addressing it with the student. As previously mentioned, we will also be providing support for those students who may find it challenging. On Thursday after school, all teaching staff were involved in looking at different exercise books to see good practice and get ideas. It was a valuable exercise.    

At various times of the day, though usually at the end of social time, I like to hold the door open for students to come into the building and I have to say that I continue to be impressed by how respectful and courteous our students are on a day-to-day basis. I find myself saying “you’re welcome” repeatedly as almost all of them say “thank you” as they pass by. In addition, conversations with students in the dining hall are a real pleasure with some students still going out of their way to come and speak to me. It is this level of courtesy that will get them far and what’s more, it comes across very natural so my thanks to you as parents for instilling these values in them. You should be very proud.     

Finally, I would like to emphasise the importance of your child being at school. Attendance drops considerably on Fridays and that is a real concern as it means 20% of the week is being missed by too many students. It is especially the case for those who are in year 10 and year 11 with exams either very close or on the horizon. My thanks to the vast majority of parents who send their child into school every day, as your child will benefit from it for the rest of their lives.   

Have a great weekend. 

Mr Nixon

Headteacher

Dear parents and carers,  

On Tuesday I attended my first Hessle High School and Sixth Form Local Governing Body meeting. Governors play an important role in schools as they bring a local context to the Trust as well as provide support and challenge. In my own experience, a crucial aspect of their role is their visits to school, so it was good to read and hear their feedback on what they saw in school, and the meetings they attended. Governors were sent a copy of the presentation I did a few weeks ago and as senior leaders, we went through our plans whilst highlighting how we had already changed how we quality assure the work that takes place in school.  

It has already been mentioned to teaching staff, so I thought it would be useful to highlight the importance I place on exercise books. They are the window to the student’s attitude to their learning. From January when we return, it will be a major focus both in the standard of presentation and the quality of work students produce so I would ask for your support as parents and carers in this. For some students, it will literally be drawing a line under the previous work, as we know they can produce a much higher standard of work and for others, it will be celebrating the work they are currently doing. Some students will need support, but we should be ambitious for every student at Hessle High School.  

Again, I have absolutely loved my two days at the school and whilst I will be sad to leave Howden, I am also really looking forward to the 06 January when I am in Hessle full time.  

Have a great weekend.    

Mr Nixon

Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Although I am in school for just a couple of days, a lot of work is covered during that time. One of my favourite moments is social time and chatting with students in the dining hall. It continues to impress me how welcoming everyone is – if I am honest, that has not always been the case when I go into schools so is not to be taken for granted. The students are easy to chat with and often come up to me for a conversation. Movement around the school is calm and purposeful, as is line ups in the morning for Key Stage 3. 

On Monday I had the pleasure of being involved in a review of the Arts Department alongside a visit to a year 7 lesson. After school, I did a presentation to staff about the way forward for the school and will be doing the same to Governors on Tuesday 09 December as well. I do realise that my comments in this forum are usually quite brief at present, but this is because much of my time is getting to know the school in increasing detail as whilst I have plans, they need to be a good fit for Hessle. 

I am looking forward to being in again on Monday and Tuesday. Have a great weekend. 

Mr Nixon

Headteacher

Dear Parents and carers, 

I have had another couple of good days at Hessle. For information, although I am currently only in school Mondays and Tuesdays, I am in contact with colleagues throughout the week. Again, Mark Brown has been in to support the school. 

On Monday I was involved in some drop ins looking at maths lessons. I was impressed with the level of engagement of students, and the staff student relationships. Students came across as being eager to learn and were happy to show me their exercise books. The dedication of staff is visible.  

The weather was wet on both days, yet the atmosphere was calm and purposeful. I made sure that I visited every classroom in the main building to see the learning that was taking place. I will repeat that the students have been incredibly welcoming and willing to engage; it has been a real pleasure to talk with them and get to know them.  

It is necessary to have various meetings at this stage to build up my knowledge and understanding of the school, though my instinct is always to go out and see the school in action. That is the best part of the job. 

Mr Nixon

Headteacher

Firstly, let me bring you up to date on the work that is going on to support the transition to the new Headteacher.  I am in regular communication with Jim Nixon to ensure that he has a full rounded picture of the school, before he takes over after half-term.  He is also in regular contact with the rest of the senior leadership team (SLT).  These conversations will continue of course.  The fact that Mr Nixon currently works in our Trust and knows the school and its leaders well is a great advantage and will help to make the transition a smooth one. 

*** 

When I first entered the teaching profession, I had no ambition to be a leader, let alone a Headteacher.  In fact, I only considered it a possibility when I was essentially offered the job back in 2018, whilst sitting in the very office I am writing this from now.  It was Sarah Young who had the faith in me to make that offer and I am glad she did. 

Being the Headteacher of such a fantastic school and being able to steer it through some good and bad times has been the greatest privilege of my career.  Every time I stand in front of the staff, the parents or the students, I know how fortunate I am.  When I walk the corridors, drop into lessons, chat with students and colleagues, it is a joy and there has never been a day when I haven’t been glad to drive through the gates and come to do my job. 

I am most proud of three things. 

Firstly, the way we handled the pandemic.  Within 12 months of taking over the school, we were making plans to shut it, when the Covid pandemic hit in early 2020.  Those months, which turned into years, were surreal and we found ourselves in completely uncharted territory.   I never expected to be sitting in Public Health England meetings, opening up a testing centre, delivering food parcels to the community, creating pop-up canteens, painting dots on the playground two metres apart.  Just as those painted spots have now faded into the concrete, so have many of the memories.  But they are easily stirred when I start to think about them again. 

When we began to manage that situation, I made two things clear to my staff.  We were going to look after our people first and foremost.  And we were going to trust our staff to make the right decisions for themselves and their own families.  Some staff wanted to be in school, others were terrified to do so.  Both views were okay.  I am proud of how we handled that period, which made us stronger as a community. 

The second thing of which I am proud is that Hessle High School is a place where people are pleased to work.  There is low staff turnover and, despite the inevitable niggles, the overwhelming majority would choose to work nowhere else.  When people leave, they tend to do so for developmental, or personal, reasons.  Working in schools is hard and it has always been my hope that I might be able to make our school a place where it is not quite so hard, and where people feel supported and proud to work.  I hope I have done that. 

Finally, for the past seven years, we have been consistently over-subscribed.  Our Open Evening is packed and the feedback we get from you is overwhelmingly positive.  Parents and carers want their children to attend our school and believe that they are safe, happy and thriving here.  We don’t always get it right, but I like to think that we are honest when we get things wrong and seek to put it right.  The faith that you, as parents, have repeatedly shown in my staff is the single thing that I am most proud of.   

All of that will continue and I wish you, and your families all the very best for the future. 

Thank you as always for your support.  

Mr Groak

Headteacher

Week five and it has begun. The sniffle. The cough. The lengthening cover list. 

After six weeks summer break, school staff almost bounce into school at the start of September (well, most do).  That injection of energy and enthusiasm carries us all the way through September and, if we are lucky, almost to half term.  But the challenge arrives with the bugs and the illness.  And this week, it has landed. 

Whilst attendance (staff and students) remains high, and higher even than last year at the same time, it is noticeable that individuals are struggling.  In meetings, those staff carrying bugs sit themselves at the end of the room, away from others.  And around school, the students who are similarly under the weather, can be seen sniffling and doing their best to get through the day. 

We have a culture of resilience in our school – one of our core values.  We know that the best route through illness is sometimes to take total rest and be absent from school or work, we also know that this is not always required.  We try to teach students to do their best to stay active, to stay in school and to take maximum rest on an evening.  In most cases, it works, and we thank all of you for your support in building this sense of responsibility and resilience in our young people. 

This week, I have been spending lots of time in Year 10 lessons and have been particularly pleased with how students are engaging with their new GCSE subjects.  I often say that I would love to be able to study our curriculum – it has so many great topics and themes and provides opportunities to develop wonderful skills.  This was seen in the lessons I visited this week, including History lessons where students were fascinated by the civil rights topics; in Food Technology lessons where they were exploring food contamination and in Resistant Materials classes where students were as happy learning about the properties of different manufacturing materials as they were carrying out practical activities.  I can confidently say that our Year 10 cohort are one of the most motivated I have seen for many years and will surely go on to achieve great things in the future. 

***  

For parents of students in Year 11, please be aware of the upcoming Open Evenings for our Consortium Sixth Form offer.  Next Thursday (9 October), Wolfreton School hold their event, followed by our own at Hessle on Tuesday 14 October.  For those interested in studying at our Sixth Form College, I would strongly recommend that you visit both campuses so that the full breadth of our subjects and facilities can be appreciated.  As a student at the Consortium Sixth Form, you have access to resources on both sites so they really are worth a visit.   

For more information, please visit The Consortium Sixth Form College - Curriculum. 

Thank you for your support as ever and have a nice weekend.

Mr Groak

Headteacher