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Hessle High School

Headteacher Blog

MR J NIXON

 

Welcome On this page you will find weekly informative blogs. 

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Archive

  • WEEK 29 - Friday 15 May 2026

    Published 15/05/26

    Dear Parents and carers,  

    Head Students have put together a video about our new school council structure to show during Tutor time next week. I believe that students should have a voice in the school and whilst I get to hear views and opinions when I am chatting informally or meeting them for lunch, a larger and more formal structure than we have had previously is required. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, there will be a number of different councils so please encourage your child to engage with the process and put their name forward. It will be a real opportunity for them to develop leadership skills whilst improving our school. I have been impressed with the Sixth Form since the day I started and I can honestly say that the quality of our Head Students is the best I have experienced. They have decided what the different councils will be responsible for and they will be chairing the meetings then reporting back to myself and Mr Jarman. I am also launching staff working parties so that we get a more rounded view of the school and greater input into our development plan.  

    Students are enjoying using the field and I am pleased to say that both the younger students and years 10 and 11 stay in their zones and appreciate the chance to run around, whilst others sit and chat. We have had a number of guests in school this week who have commented on the buzz and great atmosphere during social time.  

    Congratulations to our year 7 rugby team who have made it to 2 different finals this week. We are through to the East Riding Cup final after beating Cottingham on Monday 40-10 in the semi-final. The final will be against Beverley Grammar. We are also through to the Yorkshire Shield final after beating Beckfoot Thornton school from Bradford 26-6 in the semi-final. We are yet to find out who our opposition will be in the final. 

     

    The Portia Charity day was a great success with lots of different events taking place throughout the day and at social time. The Bake Sale was a particular success. I am pleased to announce that they have raised £1,300 for homelessness, a very worthy cause indeed. 

    Lately, attendance has dropped so I would like to just emphasise again the importance of sending your child into school and the stress it causes when they miss a day or two as they have to try and catch up. I recently met a former student of a school I once work in, and he told me he was resitting his maths GCSE. It was great to speak to him, but he did say how much he regretted missing so many maths lessons. My thanks to the vast majority of you who send their child to school every day.     

    From after half-term, I am introducing an SLT surgery (Senior Leadership Team) on Wednesdays after school. This is for parents and carers who feel that a complaint or issue already raised has not been dealt with quickly enough. The member of staff available will be based on a rota but also on the actual area of concern that has been raised. Whilst the plan is to launch it after half term, if urgent then please see the link below to make an appointment. The link will be on all future Friday communications.   

    Hessle High School SLT Surgery  – Fill in form 

    Enjoy the weekend 

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 28 - Friday 8 May 2026

    Published 08/05/26

    Dear Parents and carers, 

    On Thursday we held the first meeting with the new Head Students. They will be doing a whole school assembly on Teams to go through the new plans for student voice which will result in them having a far greater influence in Hessle. More information will come out later this term but in short, there will be a number of different councils focusing on a specific area each led by one of our 8 Head Students. The Head Students, all Sixth Form, are a very impressive group.  

    We have reviewed the fire drill procedures following our recent practice. It went well but there are always tweaks to me made to make the process even better. Although such drills are common, they are important. I have had experience of an actual fire in a school and the drill the students went through was immaculate and reassuring. That is why it is taken so seriously.  

    This weekend we have a number of students out on the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh qualifier trip, so I hope they have an enjoyable and successful expedition. Continuing the success themes, our school came top of the Trust Year 11 English revision sessions last week, with 8 students being in the top 30 and 3 in the top 10. And even better, one of our students was at number 1. Tomorrow, yes Saturday, we have 110 students coming into school for additional English sessions ready for the exam on Monday.  

    In the summer, it is great to see the field full of students enjoying the space, playing sport, or sitting around chatting. Our onsite facilities are marvellous yet easily taken for granted so good to see them being used so much.  

    Just a heads up that this Tuesday is the Portia House Charity Day. 

    Finally, a few days ago, I came across a gentleman (around 7am) who was walking his dog towards the school gates, wondering if the Old House (Tranby) was still there. He was a former student, so we had a chat and I told him that we were looking to start a former student group for the school’s centenary year. It did bring home to me the important role schools play in our lives, even long after we have left.  

    Enjoy the weekend 

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 27 - Friday 1 May 2026

    Published 01/05/26

    Dear parents and carers, 

    As we move into the summer, which is always a blessing in schools as students can be outside at social time, the weather may occasionally be deemed hot enough for us to announce some adaptions to the uniform for that day. You will be aware that all schools in the trust have the same uniform policy so when it comes to decisions on adaptions, headteachers contact each other with a view to maintaining consistency. We will let you know should the situation arise.  

    On Monday I met with the Heads of House and Head Students (6th Formers) to discuss how student voice will look from September. I have mentioned before how we appointed 8 Head Students, all of whom are incredibly strong, and impressively they have already put together a framework for how it will look. I will share it with you once it has all been agreed.  

    It was a lovely day yesterday for the Ariel Charity Day “The Big Wellbeing Challenge” and from what I saw, the students enjoyed it. I recognised the games they were playing and took part in one of them, but I wisely declined the offer to do the “limbo” challenge. The stone painting was a popular activity too.  

    We have worked incredibly hard with year 11 not only during school time but holidays, weekends, and evenings. The year group has been really committed, and they will benefit from it. It is getting serious now; the exams begin. My thanks to you as parents and carers for everything you have done for them and are doing so that they will be successful.  

    Starting on 13 May 2026, we will be introducing SLT Surgeries, giving you, as parents and carers, the opportunity to speak to a member of the SLT team regarding anything that you would like us to address. Further information to follow. 

    I would like to finish by highlighting how courteous our students are daily. It is further highlighted by visitors all the time when I say that it is a real pleasure to have a conversation with them. I chatted with some year 7 and 8 students this week - I often just sit with groups in the dining hall or get invited to join a group at an outside table - and they tell me about their day and ask me about mine. Another example was at the beginning of the week when students were getting off the bus in the morning and unprompted, they all thanked the driver. It made my day.  

    Enjoy the long weekend. 

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 26 - Friday 24 April 2026

    Published 24/04/26

    Dear Parents and carers, 

    This Wednesday saw the success of the Year 8 Ambition Day. The purpose of the day is to ensure that students continue to think about their future and set themselves aspirational goals. Companies including Cranswick and Siemens provided insight into future possibilities. Our strong connections with the Humber Outreach Programme, part of the UniConnect programme, were also on site to deliver impartial advice and guidance about higher and further education. Thank you to everyone involved in organising and supporting the event. 

    The summer term with lighter evenings and drier weather always brings a welcome dimension to social time in schools across the country and ours is no different. I’m pleased to see that our indoor clubs continue to thrive and what is always fantastic to see is a packed field with students sitting chatting or running around playing various games. Our students self-regulate very well, by which I mean although we have plenty of staff out on duty, the students have their areas and behave well. When asked to come in at the end of break or lunch, they do so as a matter of course. It is the same when moving around the school as we have over 1200 students moving in one building. Visitors always comment on how well they do this and the visitors are right. I am incredibly proud of them.  

    We had Mark Brown (Executive Director of Education) and Susanne Kukuc (Headteacher of Wolfreton) in school on Wednesday and Thursday respectively both of whom had a very positive experience when going into lessons. Many of the lessons we saw were year 7 and 8, all of which were impressive. We have a lot of work to do to improve the school, and that will always be the case because you never stop wanting to improve, but the potential here is huge.  

    We have been holding Move afternoons for students who have 100% attendance which has gone down really well. Not only do they get that reward, but they will also get the ultimate reward of doing very well in their exams. No doubt you are very proud if your child has 100% attendance and we are too. It is a great achievement. 

    This week there have been exams in Art, photography, and French speaking. I was able to see some of the artwork students produced in their exam, and it was fantastic. It was a subject I struggled in at school – though school was very different then with little support or empathy – so I admire those who produce excellent artwork. I also spoke to some students before their photography exam and French listening and they came across as confident. 

    At line ups in the morning, it is good to see years 7 and 8 looking smart in their unform and getting themselves ready for the day. Morning line ups were one of the positives that came out of Covid for schools as they help with the year group identity and ensure a calm entrance to school.  

    Finally, with additional monies having come in, the actual final amount we raised on non-uniform day was £829.59.  

    Have a great weekend. 

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 25 - Friday 17 April 2026

    Published 17/04/26

    Dear Parents and carers, 

    Firstly, I would like to congratulate year 7 who are doing exceptionally well in attendance and were recently the top of the trust year group league. Their attendance throughout the year has been excellent. Attendance for year 11 and year 10 has been positive overall as well. Attending school regularly, and by that, I mean 95% or more, will have a significant impact on a child’s future life and the opposite, under 90%, has huge negative implications. We know ourselves what it is like when you return to work after a period of time. It is stressful.  

    We raised just under £400 on the non-uniform day on last day of term. It was a fantastic day with good behaviour and a lovely atmosphere, so it was all the more pleasing to have raised a good sum of money for different causes.  

    I continue to be impressed by the number of year 11 students attending additional sessions. The Easter revision was exceptionally well attended over both weeks and the turn out after school this week has been excellent. One example is that there were 120 students in the hall on Wednesday doing English. Absolutely brilliant.  

    On Tuesday I visited Penshurst to speak to the year 5 and year 6 students. I went into lessons and spoke briefly to them about life at Hessle High School including what our expectations are, and how we are looking forward to them joining us this September or September 2027. They were very courteous and paid attention when I addressed them. It was a short but very enjoyable experience. 

    Finally on Wednesday and Thursday, I was involved in the interviews for Sixth Form Head Students. Eight candidates were interviewed and all were very different. The one thing they had in common however was an exceptional commitment to the school and a very high standard of academic work – including students doing 4 A levels. In addition, the leadership roles they are currently involved were exemplary, as was their level of maturity. Indeed, such was the standard that we took the unusual step of appointing them all. Congratulation to Nicholas, Eirin, Ranim, Sanga, Seren, Esther, William and Nimra. 

    Have a great weekend. 

    Mr Nixon 

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 24 - Friday 27 March 2026

    Published 27/03/26

    Dear parents and carers,

    It has been a very busy week with lots of events taking place including the Subject Fair for Year 10, Prison Me No Way for Year 9, Year 11 Drop Down Day, Sixth Form Taster events and Non-Uniform Day for all students and staff today. The day also included events such as a cake sale. What has impressed me is not only how students conducted themselves but how lessons continued as normal.

    On Monday I enjoyed the company of the maths department at to talk about school and how we can continue to improve. Such informal conversations are often really valuable. That evening there was a meeting of the Local Governing Body, some of whom reported back on the various Governor visits that have taken place. On Monday I met with potential Head Students in groups, just for an informal conversation, to try and put them at ease for the interviews first week back. There have been lots of other events taking place including lunchtime clubs and after school sessions. Of course, we also had a very successful Year 10 parents’ evening last night.

    Although we are officially closed over the Easter break, over 80% of Year 11 students have signed up for revisions sessions, so school is still going to be busy. In addition, the ski trip to Austria left earlier today.

    I have thoroughly enjoyed my first term here and am grateful for the welcome I have received from staff, students, and parents. We have achieved a great deal in 11 weeks, and I am already looking forward to all the students returning on Monday 13 April.

    Meanwhile have a fantastic Easter break and thank you again for your support this term. It has been really appreciated.

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 23 - Friday 20 March 2026

    Published 20/03/26

    Dear parents and carers, 

    On Wednesday I was at the school production of “School of Rock.” It was good to see so many people there enjoying the show and the students giving 100% on stage. Having watched some of the rehearsals, I can vouch for the amount of time, effort and stress that went into the production, so it was great to see it go so well. It is really entertaining with some great songs so if you haven’t got a ticket, then tonight is your last chance. It is well worth the effort.  

    On Thursday morning we had three Headteachers in school doing drop ins to lessons. They were Mr Kerby (Cottingham) Mrs Tester (Howden) and Mrs Davies (Oakfield). Next week we are spending some time in their schools. It is one of the many great benefits of being in The Consortium Academy Trust. Headteachers work collaboratively, sharing ideas and whilst that may be in meetings, there is nothing better than going into lessons of another school then discussing what has been seen. All commented, like many do, about how calm the school is and how mature our students are when in conversation with an adult.  

    Next week there are a lot of different events going on including non-uniform day on Friday 27th. Just to reiterate that the guideline for clothing is for it to be appropriate. From what I have experienced so far, I would be very surprised if this did not happen but just in case, in the event of a student wearing inappropriate clothing, they will go into The Ark and parents will be contacted to bring different clothing to school. Other events will also be taking place including a bake sale, the usual wide range of lunchtime activities and in tutor time, students will be asked to guess the teacher from old photographs of them. As I have said, it is my way of thanking them and the staff for being so welcoming and giving me their support.  

    Next week also sees two Sixth Form-related events taking place. On Tuesday, Yr 11 students offered a place to study with us will be visiting the Wolfreton campus to try out subjects they have selected to study there. On Wednesday, all of Yr 10 will have the opportunity to visit a Sixth Form Subject Fair in the Hall to find out from current students about over 30 different subjects available to them at the Consortium Sixth Form, as well as visiting Tranby House to see the facilities on offer. 

     Have a great weekend.  

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 22 - Friday 13 March 2026

    Published 13/03/26

    Dear parents and carers, 

    Next week you will receive a letter from our student leaders about Friday 27 March, which is the last day of term. It will give details about what we will be doing for Red Nose Day (which is the week before) including non-uniform. Student leaders managed to persuade me, and I see it as a personal thank you to all our students who have been so welcoming since I arrived.  

    I briefly sat in one of the rehearsals for School of Rock Musical, so if you haven’t already bought your tickets then I would strongly recommend that you do so now. The show dates are:   

    • Tuesday 17 March 
    • Wednesday 18 March 
    • Thursday 19 March 
    • Friday 20 March 

    It starts at 7pm with a runtime of around 2 hours and a 20-minute interval. Tickets are £7 each and all proceeds cover the cost of running the production. There have been numerous rehearsals - I believe over 90 hours worth - plus all the time students spend at home learning their lines and the music. It will be brilliant.  

    Year 11 parents’ evening was a great success so thank you to all of those who turned up. It is such an important time now, being a matter of a few weeks from the exams. The difference between grade boundaries is 1% so every bit of extra work could be the difference between a grade.  

    On Tuesday I sat with the Technology department at lunchtime talking about the school, the changes that have been made and school improvement in general. Friday saw the same thing but this time with a group of Year 10 students. I find these chats very enlightening as they are informal, so everyone feels able to speak their mind, and that has certainly been the case so far.  

    Finally, the location of my new office, right in the centre of the school, has made such a difference. It now means that students drop in to see me, especially after school, as do staff at various times during the day. One example is on Wednesday evening after year 11 revisions when 3 students just came in and started chatting, so we sat down at the table and talked about how school was going for them. What a great way to end the day. 

    I hope you have a good weekend 

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 21 - Friday 6 March 2026

    Published 06/03/26

    Dear parents and carers, 

    Lunchtime clubs continue to be a success with quite a range being very popular including table tennis - which is new - scrabble and chess. It is a real pleasure to see so many students engaged over social time. Alongside indoor activities, a large number play football and other activities outside. Some just sit and chat and enjoy the atmosphere. Aside from different classrooms and the canteen, we also use the hall, the activity studio, and the sports hall, allowing students to eat their food when taking part in clubs.  

    A few days ago, a student commented that I smile a lot and she was right. I am thoroughly enjoying the role and see it as an incredible privilege. I also appreciate the support I am getting from staff, governors and yourselves as parents and carers. If things do not go as planned, we are keen to work out solutions with you, either through a phone call or a face-to-face meeting, and do so in a timely fashion. As always, we ask that conversations are done in a respectful manner as we are all in the same team.  

    My thanks to all the year 9 parents who attended parents’ evening on Thursday evening. It was a busy evening with lots of praise going round. At present we have a group of 43 students on our French trip. They left early Thursday and return Sunday around 7.30pm.  

    We have had some instances of parents contacting their child by text during the school day - my thanks to most of you who don’t. To the few, it puts your child in a very difficult situation and interrupts their day, sometimes making their day much worse. It is also likely to lead to a sanction so please do not, for the benefit of your child.  

    On Wednesday I had lunch with a group of year 11 students, chatting about school and life in general. It was such a pleasure to be with them, lots of laughter and humour plus some ideas about how we can continue to improve the school. The time went very quickly and left me so grateful to be here.  

    Have a great weekend 

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 20 - Friday 13 February 2026

    Published 23/02/26

    Dear Parents and carers, 

    My first full half term has gone quickly which to my mind, is always a good sign. I thought it might be useful to highlight some of the changes that have been introduced so far.  

    We have been trialling our planned changes to social time and as a result of the support from students and staff, and the changes we have made to the canteen, we will be going ahead with one break and lunchtime on our return. This will mean there will be around 20 different clubs and activities running at lunchtimes which is something we have not been able to provide for some time now. There will be additional areas for students to use during social time as well, including the hall which is right next to the canteen. In addition, activities will be taking place in various rooms in the school including the activity studio and when the weather is poor, we will also be using the sports hall. Amongst a number of other changes that have taken place, Head and Deputy Heads of Year now have their own offices which enables them to have confidential conversations with students and to be focused on their own year group. For year 9, there will be less restrictions on choice of subjects going into year 10. The various initiatives that are being introduced are to enhance the quality of education your child receives.  

    My thanks to Governors for their time on Tuesday evening where they heard presentations from the leaders of maths and languages. Thursday saw a very successful sixth form parents’ evening where the level of discussions and advice was as high as I have experienced for some time. My thanks to those of you who came along, and to the staff for their time, not only on the evening itself but the preparation as well.  

    Have a great half-term and look forward to seeing everyone back in school on Monday 23 February.  

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 19 - Friday 6 February 2026

    Published 06/02/26

    Dear Parents and carers, 

    Thank you to all the parents and carers of year 7 students who came to the parents’ evening last night. Once again it was a very busy evening with lots of smiling faces and a real buzz. At every event we ask for parents and carers to complete a short questionnaire so that we can get feedback on what’s going well and where we can improve. Thank you to those parents who completed the questionnaire and your feedback which was very positive. 

    Personally, I think one of the great pleasures in life is sitting down at a table with family or friends, eating a meal, and having a conversation. Our mobile phone policy has contributed to this experience as previously in schools, students would be on their phones throughout social time. Next week in assemblies, we will be reiterating the view that social time is to enjoy the company of those around you, in a calm and pleasant environment. Next week, year 9 students are joining years, 7, 8 and 11 in early break and lunchtime and we are opening the hall as an additional eating area at the same time. We also restructured the queuing system on Monday, and I was impressed by how quickly students got used to it so my thanks to them for being so supportive. 

    The year 11 and year 10 mock exams have gone well. With year 11 there is now a real sense of urgency as we enter the last weeks of their GCSE years. We altered how we get students ready for going into exams with them now meeting in the hall as a year group for a short pep talk before walking to the sports hall. What this means is students will go through exactly the same process each exam so they have a clear routine every single time. Routine is important in preparing for exams so every little thing we can do to keep it the same helps.  

    The polling stations were open this week for students to step up and vote in the East Riding Youth Parliamentary elections. Nine of the candidates were our own students, who did their own lobbying before the polling stations opened. It was great to hear students discussing the options, and some very strong views on some of the manifesto messages. Nearly 300 ballot papers have been collected, with some tutor groups smashing the turnout percentage at nearly 50%!!!!! We now need to wait till March before the results are announced, but good luck to all candidates

    Have a great weekend 

    Mr Nixon 

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 18 - Friday 30 January 2026

    Published 30/01/26

    Dear Parents and carers, 

    Firstly, a huge congratulations to Eli Ashbridge and Ewan White, both of whom received offer letters from Cambridge University this week. Ewan has been offered a place to study Maths, and Eli Computer Science. It is an incredible achievement to reach the offer stage. For Computer Science, less than 10% of applicants nationally are offered a place. This continues to build on our success from last year, when all four medical school applicants received places, and Joseph Pegg secured a place to study Law at Oxford. We realise that this is at the offer stage, but it does reflect how impressed I have been by the Sixth Form since joining Hessle. Crucially, our students are achieving because of the excellent support of their parents and carers.  

    Year 10 mock exams have gone well so far with students taking them very seriously. Thursday was a busy day with Lizann Lowson (CEO) and Amanda Bridgeman (Head of People Services) visiting the school and walking around seeing lessons and chatting with students. We also had year 11 mock interviews taking place both Thursday and Friday then next week sees the start of Year 11 mock exams, a crucial period for them. If your child is in year 11 then please encourage them to revise.  

    I continue to be impressed by our students who are such great company. Thank you for your support as parents and carers.  

    Mr Nixon

    Headteacher

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