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Hessle High School

Head of Year 10 Blog

MR M RICHES

I am very proud to be the Head of Year 10.

If you wish to contact me, please email HOY10@hessleacademy.com

January 2024

Archive

  • WEEK 18 - Friday 26 January 2024

    Published 26/01/24

    I’ve always been a big believer in systems and routines. You can have the best intentions and work incredibly hard but without the structures to support your efforts, your chances of success will be limited. Schools are an excellent case in support of this and we are always working to develop systems to help us create the most of our time and resources. To those on the outside, it might not be immediately clear why we do things in the way we have decided but I hope that by explaining a little about the design of two key areas of our school day, it might help you to gain a better understanding of the “why” in relation to some of our systems and routines. 

    The Line-Up 

    The first part of our school day and a chance to ensure the day gets off to a successful start. Students arrive at school and all attend a designated area before being met by their form tutor. This initial meeting provides the opportunity for students to speak with their tutors and other staff about any concerns they have as well as simply having a conversation with them about their day/weekend/interests. They then line-up in alphabetical order and the tutor checks uniform and jewellery, providing students with an opportunity to rectify any issues before they enter the building. By providing this opportunity, the intention is to reduce the need to issue any consequences during the school day. This process has been designed specifically to ensure initial checks take place before we enter the tutor room and allows us to maximise time spent delivering our tutor programme in lessons. It also means that if we have an assembly or other activity planned, tutors can lead their forms directly to those areas rather than all having to come from different areas of the school.  

    Lunch/Break Times 

    We operate a split break and lunch system in order to manage the number of students around the building. For Year 10, they have break at 9.55-10.15 and lunch takes place between 12.15-12.50. All students use the one-way system to leave the building, before either visiting the Snack-Shack outside or re-entering via the doors to the canteen to queue up for food in a calm and orderly manner. Students can then either leave the building or remain inside, seated at one of the tables in the canteen. As I’m sure you’ll understand, this process needs to run as a well-oiled machine in order to serve the number of students we work with and staff are strategically positioned to ensure students are where they need to be and are safe. Due to the splitting of lunch and break across year groups, it means that when one group of students is on break/lunch, the other year groups are still in lessons. To minimise disruption to learning, students are not permitted to use the corridors around the building during this time (other than the canteen and the designated toilets at the end of the ground floor corridors). At the end of break, students then enter the building through their designated entrances and make their way to lessons, following the one-way system. 

    There are of course many other systems and routines in operation and the vast majority of students follow them every day without issue. Where they choose not to do this, the relevant sanctions are used. Hopefully, after reading about the logic behind these structures you understand a little bit more about why this is necessary and how our systems and procedures support your children outside of lesson time. 

    Around the classrooms 

    During the last week, I’ve spent quite a lot of time in and out of Year 10 lessons, gaining a deeper understanding about the work students are completing. This week alone, I have witnessed: 

    Music – Students working on their own compositions inspired by “Killer Queen” by Queen.  

    Maths – Work on Venn diagrams and set notation, including intersection and union. 

    Science – Some of our classes receiving feedback on recent tests and working on how to improve their answers in the future. 

    English – Classes preparing for their upcoming English Language mock exam. 

    Textiles – Students planning their designs for their practical pieces. 

    It’s been a real pleasure to witness the scope of knowledge and skills being acquired by our learners over the course of the week and I would encourage you to ask them about some of these lessons and the work they’ve been completing recently. 

    Work experience 

    Finally, a reminder about work experience deadlines: Friday 23rd February is the deadline for placement forms to be returned to the school. If you have any questions or need any additional support, please contact Miss Lawes prior to this date. 

    Mr Riches

    Head of Year 10

    Mrs Lacey

    Assistant Head of Year 10

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  • WEEK 16 - Friday 12 January 2024

    Published 12/01/24

    Aiming High 

    Firstly, welcome back. The run-up to the Christmas break was a long and tiring one for everyone involved so I hope that you were able to find an opportunity to relax and spend some time with those closest to you. As we often do at this time of the year, we now look to the future and, in Year 10, we do so with an eye on Year 11 and next year’s examinations. 

    In our assembly this week, Mrs Meir spoke to the year group about their target grades for the end of Year 11 and our ambition for all students to maximise their potential. The target setting process provides each student with personalised target grades across the range of subjects of subjects they study. These targets are ambitious but, importantly, attainable. They will require work but are within the capabilities of every individual if they attend and engage during the remainder of Year 10 and Year 11. 

    We often have conversations with students about fulfilling their potential, particularly in relation to exam grades. Too often these conversations include students’ desire to follow the “path of least resistance” whereby they are happy to achieve the minimum they need to move to the next step. As a school, we work to challenge this thought process and to encourage students to aim higher. This makes a difference for a number of reasons. Firstly, a higher grade can open the door to courses and careers you may want to follow or maybe haven’t even considered yet (and, according to DfE research, higher lifetime earnings). The greater the range of academic success, the more options you have to choose from when you move on to the next step. Furthermore, not only do you achieve a higher grade but by aiming high, you will acquire a greater wealth of knowledge and master a wider range of skills. Ultimately, this is the purpose of an academic education: to be able to know and do more than we otherwise would. This is why simply settling for the minimum is never enough when the opportunity to achieve so much more is in front of us.  

    Of course, academic achievement on its own is not our only goal - without the personal and social skills required to succeed it will only take you so far. With this in mind, we continue to promote and develop a rounded sense of character through our Bridge programme and the pastoral support available within the school, equipping students with the skills they need to reach their aspirations. 

    Careers update 

    As you’ll be aware, this year has seen the return of the work experience programme for Year 10 and over 80% of parental consent forms were returned to school before the Christmas deadline. The next stage of this process is to secure placements and return the completed placement forms to school. The deadline for completion of this is Friday 26th February which then allows the relevant visits and checks to be completed. If you are struggling to find a suitable placement or have any questions about the process, please contact Miss Lawes for additional support and guidance. 

    We have also recently started the initial round of Careers Guidance Interviews with Year 10 students, conducted by our external advisor Graeme Peart. These initial interviews will then be followed in Year 11 with additional support to help students identify suitable pathways for their post-16 education and beyond, as we continue to raise aspirations. 

    Well done 

    Finally, a huge “Well done” to students in 10cd/En4 for how well you are currently working. After I dropped into your lesson earlier this week, Mr Burnett visited me to sing your praises. He couldn’t speak highly enough of the attitudes and atmosphere in your lessons and how much he enjoys teaching the class. Keep up the good work.  

    Mr Riches

    Head of Year 10

    Mrs Lacey

    Assistant Head of Year 10

    Read More
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