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Hessle High School

Headteacher Blog

MR V GROAK

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On this page you will find weekly informative blogs. 

March 2025

Archive

  • WEEK 25 - Friday 21 March 2025

    Published 21/03/25

    It was five years ago this week that we closed the school at the start of the Covid pandemic.  

    Knowing that this milestone was on the horizon, I have gone back into my emails to get a sense of what that time was like for everyone associated with the school.  It was a strange experience to recall some of the decisions that we had to make and the impact that it had on us as a staff team. 

    One of my priorities at that time was to ensure that the school communicated clearly and frequently with our students, parents/carers and staff.  I spent many hours writing updates to be emailed to all our stakeholders.  For every one that I sent, I received dozens of replies, mostly just acknowledging the message and offering support for what we were doing.   Our entire school community had never felt closer and more in tune with each other. 

    What also comes through – as you will see – is the practicality and pragmatism of our decision making.  Whilst a global pandemic raged, we were meticulously organising work for students to do at home, sourcing laptops for students, organising meal vouchers for those on Free School Meals, scheduling staffing rotas, identifying children of ‘key workers’ and much else besides. We were supported by our Trust colleagues and other colleagues working in Public Health and the Local Authority who were regularly in touch and constantly on hand to help us.  Whilst the national response was often chaotic, at local level, our community was well served. 

    To give you a flavour of what we were doing at the time, let me share an email that I sent to parents in that fateful week before schools closed. 

    On Thursday 19 March 2020, I wrote: 

    Good morning parents/carers 

    I am sure by now you have all heard the news that schools across the country will close for the foreseeable future, after Friday afternoon.  There are some exceptions to this but, as yet, we do not have any further details from the Government.   

    Until the end of the week, The Hessle Academy remains open for all year groups and I urge you to send your child to school until then, unless they are ill or are part of a family that is self-isolating. 

    We will have a lot of information to share with you and your child in the coming days so please keep checking our website and any further emails that we send you. 

    This is unprecedented and the implications of this announcement will have a significant impact on all of us; parents, school staff but most of all, the young people.  This is not an extended holiday and we will continue to provide your child with regular school work and as much structure as we possibly can in the coming weeks.  I know that this will be an extremely difficult time for you and we will do everything that we can to support you.   

    Once we have further information from the Government around the key groups whose children will continue to come to school, I will contact you again.   

    In the meantime, take care, and thank you for your ongoing support. 

    On that same Thursday, we held an Assembly with our Year 11 students and had to pass on the news that they would not be sitting their GCSE exams and that they would be leaving school the very next day.  I still recall the emotion in the room (students and staff) at the enormity of what was happening.  

    The following day, we gave them the opportunity to sign each other’s shirts – a ritual that all students look forward to when they leave school.  I remember feeling desperately sorry for this group of students in particular and, the following week, I wrote them the following letter: 

    Last week was extremely difficult for everyone but the thing of which I am most proud as headteacher is that we managed to give all of our wonderful Year 11 students an appropriate send-off on Friday afternoon.  It was great to see you signing your shirts, taking photographs and sharing stories with the staff that have supported you along the way.  Thank you for sharing in those moments. 

    I reiterate my promise that you will have a prom.  We have not cancelled the date in June; however, if we have to do so, we will rearrange it to a time that enables as many of you as possible to come back and enjoy it.   

    In the meantime, keep yourselves safe and do everything that you can to support your families and those vulnerable people in your community.  If I could wish one final thing for you it is this: when you look back, in years to come, at the unprecedented events of 2020, be proud of yourself for how you behaved, how you responded and what you did to help others.  

    Take care and best wishes 

    Sadly, I never fulfilled that promise to give them a Prom.  By the time it became feasible, they had all moved on to pastures new.  Nevertheless, I believe that the Class of 2020 really did live up to my hopes for them and I know have gone on to great things. 

    Schools have not been the same since the pandemic.  Things have changed - in some ways for the better, in others not.  With five years travelled since the start of lockdown, I prefer to remember the positives and the way in which everyone supported each other will leave a lasting memory. 

    Enjoy the weekend and thank you for your support. 

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 24 - Friday 14 March 2025

    Published 14/03/25

    I have spent a good deal of time thinking about Parents Evenings in recent weeks.   

    The Spring term brings a succession of these, and we believe that this is the best time of the year for teachers to be feeding back progress to parents and carers.  It was a few years ago when we changed the title of these events to Progress evenings, firstly to make clear that academic progress is the key focus for the meetings, but also to recognise that not all students are supported in their schooling by their parents.  It may be step-parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts or carers.  That would be too long to fit on the booking form so, instead, we opted for Progress Evening. 

    Any of you that have attended these know that there are inherent logistical challenges with scheduling and sticking to appointments.  We – and you – do our very best to make it work and mostly it does.  The feedback is good, and you provide us with helpful ideas on how to continue to improve it. 

    If attendance is anything to go by, you certainly value them.  Last night's Year 10 event attracted 80% of the year group, up from 65% at the same time last year (Y9).  This shows a remarkable level of support for our teachers and is crucial to improving their chances of success in the summer of 2026.   

    At the same time, after starting the night at Hessle, I travelled over to Wolfreton for my own son’s Parents Evening.  Here I experienced the event from your perspective – hearing from teachers and asking questions about his effort and potential.   Afterwards my wife and I tried to instigate a conversation about it – with little success.  He had done well with only minor things for him to work on but, rather than tell him how to fix those things, we hoped he would have his own ideas.  He didn’t.  He’s fourteen now and has become monosyllabic unless he is talking about food or football!   We persevered and eventually got a promise to spend a bit more time looking at books and less time on his phone.  If any of that resonates with you - believe me - I empathise. 

    The attendance last night has been a continuation of a wider trend of engagement with our school, which manifests in parent events as well as student attendance, both of which continue to rise.  Current school attendance is now 2.3% ahead of last year at the same time and whole-school attendance now outstrips both the regional and national average.  This is crucial to achieving success for our students and we thank you for your support in driving this up.  Nationally, and at school level, we are still around 2% below pre-Covid levels and there remain genuine challenges for young people, families and schools but we will persevere and keep striving for our goal of 96% attendance across the school. 

    And so, after a chilly and wet week, we look forward to another dry spell coming up next week.  During the week, we will also be able to update you on our lunch plans which will change after Easter to enable Year 11 students to move to an early lunch period as they approach their exams. 

    In the meantime, enjoy the weekend and thanks again for your support.  

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 23 - Friday 7 March 2025

    Published 07/03/25

    It has been a splendid week.  Most weeks leading a school are a pleasure and a joy; but this week has been especially enjoyable. 

    The weather has helped but so has the general positivity of everyone in our school.  To give you a flavour of the privileges I have enjoyed this week: 

    On Monday, I addressed our Year 11 students in their assembly.  I spoke to them about the team that they have around them – teachers, leaders, pastoral staff.  Indeed every adult in the school is rooting for them as they enter the final eight weeks of schooling before their external exams begin.  I love speaking to groups of students in assemblies; I try not to do it too often so that – hopefully – when I do, the message sounds fresh and has meaning.  Our students are super-respectful in assemblies – we have total silence and perfect conduct.  One or two thanked me as they left.  That’s all I needed. 

    Later on Monday, I showed Mark Brown (our Trust Director of Education) around the school.  We visited a handful of lessons which happened to be some of our most creative subjects – we heard a year 10 student play the keyboard and watched a dance lesson.  Then we saw some students working on their photography portfolios.  All of them utterly absorbed in what they were doing and enjoying their chosen KS4 curriculum. 

    Break and lunch duties have been a pleasure this week with so many students enjoying socialising outdoors.  We have introduced a number of table games to our site, starting with some table football games. These have gone down a storm, with students loving the challenge of playing each other – and staff.  Miss Pinkney (HOY9) has shown herself to be quite an adept ‘striker’. 

    On Monday night, Mrs Groak and Miss Oddell returned from Barcelona where they had taken a groups of Sixth Form students on a weekend trip.  The feedback has been tremendous and – since I teach some of the students myself – I had the opportunity to ask them what they thought of the trip.  “Loved it”, they said, “we just want to go back there”.  You could see that – in a weekend – horizons had been expanded, life opportunities recalibrated. 

    On Tuesday, I visited Year 11 Maths lessons where students have received their mock exam papers back.  There were lots of happy students but also some disappointment.  Their teachers were skilfully managing both sets of emotions whilst presenting students with their bespoke plans for improvement.  Being a teacher of a Year 11 class at this time of the school year is akin to being a parent, delivering encouragement and support with a firm hand.   

    Elsewhere this week, I have met with three colleagues that have been seconded to our Senior Leadership Team for the year.  Already effective middle leaders, they have taken on the opportunity to develop themselves professionally by attending our meetings and bringing different perspectives and voices to our discussions.  This is something that we have done for four years at Hessle and it has definitely strengthened our overall leadership across the school as well as developing colleagues for their own progression.  Three people have moved on to other roles elsewhere in our Trust due, in part, to the experience of senior leadership.  Whilst we do not want to lose good people, I am pragmatic in knowing that we cannot hold onto everyone who is ambitious and would much rather help them on their way to success. 

    Finally, I have also dropped into rehearsals for our upcoming school production of Grease; this takes place between 18 and 21 March and will feature a cast and crew from right across the school, including students of all ages.  The students, and staff, have taken their rehearsals very seriously and are keen to put on a high quality production.  They always do and I am looking forward to seeing it later this Month. 

    And finally, on Thursday afternoon, we hosted our Year 9 Progress Evening and were delighted to have two hundred plus families in attendance.  This time marks the mid-point of a secondary school education and you can see the increasing educational maturity emerging in our young people.  It was great to see them and to chat to parents. 

    And then I left and went to the MKM stadium to watch Hull FC take on Leigh Leopards.  I was joined by Jim Nixon, Headteacher of Howden School, who had told me that he really wanted to see a Super League game in the flesh if I ever had a spare ticket.  What we witnessed was one of the most dramatic, and longest, games I’ve ever seen, which ultimately ended in a 22-22 draw.  It was full of controversy and action and, after Jim had left us, I stayed up late with my son watching the flashpoints and action on SKY.  Jim was very lucky to see such an epic game as his first taste of the sport and we were left proud of the effort of the Hull team.  It was also nice to see ex-Hessle students, Brad Fash and Jordan Lane, still regularly representing the club. 

    The weather forecast for the weekend is very pleasant so I wish you an enjoyable weekend and thank you for your support.  

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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