I have spent much of this week reflecting on parental engagement with schools. I am aware that this is dangerous territory on which a Headteacher might choose to encroach in a blog read almost exclusively by parents and carers but, nevertheless, here goes.... 

Firstly, we are delighted that, so far, our attendance is higher than last year. We’re not back to pre-Covid levels yet but its going in the right direction. Across the country, attendance to schools – particularly Secondary schools – has been painfully slow to return to pre-Pandemic levels and while there might not appear to be much difference between 92% and 96%, the impact on schools and students of those missing students is significant. For example, a school that previously had 4% absence would have probably have a small team of people who dealt with those absences. With 8% absence, their workload has doubled, as has the impact on teaching staff of helping students to catch up when they return. Socially, it becomes difficult for even more students to return to school after absence and that can lead to peer falling out. In short, attendance has been stubbornly reluctant to improve and it causes a huge headache.  

There is no single cause for this, but researchers now believe that the ‘social contract’ that meant that parents and carers did everything they could to get their child into school has broken down. A recent report by Public First captured the size of the problem and also quoted a number of parents expressing their reasons for not sending their children to school; comments such as ‘Life’s too short’ and ‘I don’t really care anymore’ speak to a wider culture of hopelessness amongst some in our communities which may have its roots in the pandemic but has been exacerbated by the sense of economic decline. 

As frustrating as this is, it is hard to be too critical of parents with these views because everyone’s reality is their own and each one of us are affected differently by the pandemic/cost of living crisis. What we need is a plan to turn this around and although the Government have set up a number of working parties and taskforces, there is no significant funding for schools to support the families that need it. This year we will have an additional funding stream called the Covid Recovery Premium which for us is around £100,000 or, to put it another way, approximately 0.8% of our total school budget. This is useful money but goes nowhere near covering the staff and resources needed to deal with the attendance, behaviour, emotional and academic support needed by schools in the years following the pandemic. And so we do our best with what we’ve got. 

On Wednesday, we held our Year 11 Information Evening for parents, students and other family members. My senior team and I explained to those present about the plans and support that we have in store for Year 11 students this year. It was great to see everyone there and lovely to talk to so many people afterwards about their hopes for their child this year and beyond. It was a shame that only 25% of the year group’s parents managed to attend and, as leaders, we have discussed how we can better communicate to you (if you’re someone that couldn’t attend) in the coming months. There is so much support available from experienced and dedicated staff and we want to help you to help your child to succeed this year. We have put the presentation online and it can be found here, and we are also looking to produce a fortnightly Learning Bulletin which captures the key information on mock exams, revision etc. If you do struggle to engage with us in school or have ideas of how we can better reach more people, please let me know.  

Finally, it has been another enjoyable week in school. he behaviour routines are beginning to settle in, and students are responding positively to the increasing rewards and recognition on offer. We have had several visitors to our school this week and they have all commented on the good behaviour and courteous manners of the students and the calm environment. And once again, uniform continues to make me very proud indeed. Thank you for your support with this. 

Next week is one of my favourite of the school year. Thursday’s Open Evening is the night when we open our doors to what has become hundreds and hundreds of families who are considering choosing Hessle High School for their child. The staff all stay behind to put on great demonstrations in their subject areas but I don’t see very much of that because I have the best job of all; I get to talk to parents in the Main Hall and tell them how proud I am of our school community and why I feel our school, staff and students is very special indeed. 

If you, or someone you know, has a child in Year 5 or 6, please pass on the message and it would be great to see even more in our school on Thursday. And also please note that our Post-16 Open Evening is also coming up in a few weeks (17 October) - an opportunity for students in Year at Hessle (or elsewhere) to come and have a look at what we have to offer. 

And so to the weekend. I am hoping for some dry weather so that my son and I can play golf on Saturday morning. He asked me to take him for the first time just before the end of the summer break. He loved it so much that we played again a few days later. He reckons after three or four more rounds he will be beating me; personally I don’t think it will take that long, but it is an enjoyable four hours of just him and me, talking and enjoying something together. I can’t wait. 

Have a lovely weekend and thank you for your support. 

Mr Groak

Headteacher

“I will not complain about the heat. I will not complain about the heat.” 

As I write this in a non-air conditioned, south-facing office with the temperature nudging twenty-six degrees, I am tempted to long for cooler months when our working environment is much more comfortable. But then, I am reminded that this may be the last long period of hot weather that we may see again until next June and I am determined to make every minute of it so – once this blog is written – I shall be heading home to sit in the garden until the sun goes down. 

The final days of summer always generate mixed emotions in me. I look back at what we have done as a family; where we have been, the fun we have had and the memories we have planted in our children that will hopefully last a lifetime.  There was a song from long ago, whose title I can’t recall, which told of the beachwear we wear as children. At the end of every summer, we pack it away until the next year; but, because our children grow so quickly, we don’t realise at the time that they will probably never wear it again. A metaphor for every year of our life as it skips by.   

Summer’s end always generates those kind of melancholy feelings and makes me determined to wring every minute out of each summer, especially as our children grow up so quickly. 

Our students and staff have certainly tried to do that this week. I cannot recall a happier and more optimistic start to the new term at Hessle High School. As I have reported many times, we continue to grow and we now have almost 1400 students on roll here, along with 184 staff. There have never been more children and adults on our site since the school opened in 1948 and the new arrivals – students and staff – have really brought new energy and enthusiasm to the place. 

Your children will, I’m sure, have reported to you some of the changes we have made to our behaviour procedures, making our expectations crystal clear in a relentlessly consistent way. We have also made our sanctions ladder shorter and brisker, reducing the number of chances that students previously had to change their behaviour. This is a challenge for them but one that they have risen to very well so far, thanks to the clear messages and expectations that have been given by our staff.   

A special mention for our Year 7 students and a big ‘thank you’ to their parents/carers and wider family members who have supported us in making their first week such a successful one. They have looked fantastic, and they have been a credit to you all in terms of their manners and conduct around the school. We are really pleased to have them, and you, as part of our school community. 

You will have heard the news about the problems experienced by some schools with RAAC. I wrote to all parents earlier in the week confirming that, following inspections by the Local Authority a few years ago, we do not have any RAAC in our school buildings so thankfully that is not a concern for us. As a school that benefited from a rebuild in 2014-16, we are very fortunate not to face some of the challenges that other school leaders do with their school sites, although there are several colleagues within our Trust for whom school building maintenance is a daily concern. Thankfully, working as a Trust, we can alleviate some of those pressures, but I hope that this latest example of Government neglect of state education might lead to increased investment across the school estate nationally. Once again, I was reminded of the words of Sam Seaborn, a character from one of my favourite TV shows, The West Wing, when he said; 

“Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don’t need little changes, we need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. Competition for the best teachers should be fierce; they should be making six figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens...” 

Here, here, to that.  

Finally, a reminder that our Open Evening for parents of children in Years 5 and 6 is coming up on the 28 September. If you have family or friends that are considering sending their children to Hessle High School and/or have not previously visited the site, please let them know and we will be starting our promotion of this event shortly. 

Have a lovely weekend in the sunshine. 

Mr Groak

Headteacher

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