Headteacher's Newsletter

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas break and I'd like to wish you all a very happy New Year. I'm sure, like me, many of you have already failed in your New Year resolution to be healthier and exercise more but as CS Lewis says, “You can't go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

Firstly I'd like to congratulate our Year 11 and 13 students who completed their PPE examinations just before the end of term. Their attitude to their revision and during the exams was very positive, and I hope they individually received the grades they hoped for. For those who did not, they still have plenty of time to get their heads down and focus; although time will run out quickly and they must use the PPE's as a springboard to future success.

As you know, before the end of term the school received a visit from Ofsted. I'm sure you are desperate to know the outcome but I'm afraid we are still waiting for the final report to be published. This should be completed in the next few weeks and I would certainly hope to have the report to you by the end of January at the latest. This is however dependant on Ofsted timelines rather than the schools.

It's been lovely once again to see all of our students achievements outside of school, thank you to all of the parents and carers who send them in, I love seeing how well they are doing beyond the school gates.

As always I hope you find the information in this newsletter useful.

Daniel Leonard

Headteacher

Just a quick reminder that students are only permitted to wear plain black, navy blue and dark grey coats. Please do not send your children into school with other colour coats as they will not be allowed to wear them.

Hoodies are not coats and will be confiscated, whether they are zipped or not.

Following numerous emails there continues to be a small number of students who do not have an appropriate length of skirt or are not wearing it at the required length. If students continue to wear skirts that are not on their knee, parents will be contacted and ultimately those students will be isolated from lessons. A number of students are now in trousers because they have been unable to wear their skirts appropriately, thank you to our parents who have supported this. Please ensure your child has the right length of skirt. We have been giving some leeway to Year 11 students if their skirt is an acceptable length but they are still not permitted to roll their skirts up.

We will be introducing a new system this term in school for students who do not follow the school rules regarding make up, false nails and eyelashes and jewellery. If a student is found to be wearing jewellery that is not permitted, as set out in our Behaviour Policy, they will be collected by the pastoral team and the items will be confiscated. The rules will be the same for jewellery as they are for phones, i.e. students can collect on the first occasion at the end of the day, but parents will have to collect from them on.

Students will be required to remove excessive make up, nail varnish or false nails, piercings, false eyelashes etc and if they do not, they will not be permitted to go to lessons.

The school's policy regarding this is attached and our expectations are set out on page 10 of the policy. If a parent decides to allow their child to have false nails or a nose piercing for example, in the knowledge they are not permitted in school, they do so knowing their child will not be able to attend lessons until they are removed. This is not a new rule, just another reminder.

Following the consultation it has been agreed that students in Years 7-11 will be able to wear a grey polo shirt in the Summer Term Only instead of a shirt and tie or blouse and a blazer. This will start from this April. The polo shirt must be purchased from one of our outfitters, either Carolinas or Forest Casuals and the price will start from £9. If students decide to wear a polo that is not from the outfitters then they will be placed in isolation.

Another reminder that staff at West Hatch can set a sanction as long as it is proportionate, reasonable and procedurally fair. This does not mean, do students and parents agree that it was fair, but was the procedure fair – did the teacher follow the correct steps, for example given a chance, choice then consequence; did they put the homework on Show My Homework etc. If a member of staff did not follow procedure, then it is possible a detention may be withdrawn. However, please note that for some extreme behaviours staff would not be expected to give students warnings.

Should you have a query about a detention:

• The school will not accept phone calls regarding detentions.
• Should parents wish to query a detention with a teacher the query must be put in writing via an email to the admin email (admin@westhatch.net) or the Department via the ‘contact us’ website link. Heads of Department will respond to parents stating whether the detention was considered to be proportionate, reasonable and procedurally fair after investigating a parents concern. Parents will not receive detailed feedback regarding this decision.

• We can only move a detention for a medical appointment if proof of the appointment is provided.

We had a wonderful end to the Autumn Term, full of Christmas cheer. Our young musicians kept the school entertained each morning outside the main hall, our Year 7 students and tutors attended St Pauls Church for a special service supported by our fabulous Choir, Readers and Music Department; and our families and staff gave generously to help us create Christmas parcels for those in need.

Just before Christmas our students wrote Christmas cards and created gift boxes for the residents at Belmont Lodge. I received the most heartfelt thank you from Dawn Harrison, the Activities Manager who write the following:

I can't express how magical Christmas will be this year for our residents, especially those who have no loved ones. Your thoughtful gestures have brought so much joy and warmth to their hearts. The smiles on their faces as they opened their presents on Christmas Day will be priceless. It truly will make their day and filled their hearts with love and happiness.

Your kindness has not only made a difference in their lives but also in the lives of our dedicated staff members. They were deeply touched by your thoughtfulness and it has given them renewed energy and motivation to continue providing the best care possible.

Once again, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all the students who participated in this wonderful act of kindness. Your generosity has made a significant impact on the lives of our residents, and for that, we are forever grateful.

Our Performing Arts Department and students once again showed their talents last term, putting on a wonderful Frozen Musical which was enjoyed by many, including the residents of Belmont Lodge, who received a special viewing. A huge congratulations to everyone involved in organising and performing in the show, it really was a wonderful performance.

Last term some of our Year 9 students put together musical compositions to celebrate Christmas. Please click on the links below if you would like to listen to some of the final pieces.

https://youtu.be/W9yOhKKIYno

When the first snow falls - written by Raisa and Helen (youtube.com)

Each term staff and students are asked to nominate young people for a Jack Petchey Award. The nominations are for students who have gone the extra mile, overcome adversity, and represented the school with aplomb. Below you will see a photograph of the three winners from last term, Sarah Barzoi (Yr.8) Dilyan Dermendzhiev (Yr.12) and Leart Bojaj (Yr.9),who will all be invited to the Jack Petchey Awards evening later this year. Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you for the contribution you make to our community.

Please click on the attachment below for more information if you are interested in teacher training in Essex.

Last term a group of our Year 10 Art pupils travelled to the Victoria and Albert Museum to collect and investigate inspiration for their theme, ‘Textures’. Visiting galleries and museums are vital for a deeper exploration and understanding of culture within art and design. Melisa Bridgland was one of the students that attended and she gave the following account of her experience:

‘ It was absolutely wonderful I loved every bit of the travel, getting on the train with my friends and showing off art works, getting into the museum; the displays were phenomenal. The best part in my opinion would be the jewellery collection, looking at all the history and beautiful glow of the gems and by the end of the trip my little sketch book was nearly full. I took lots of photography and made many sketches and honestly it was a wonderful experience I wish we had more time there I will definitely go again."

Pictures below of Melisa’s photography and drawings from the V&A Kneeling Angel Figure ca. 1525-1542 ( carved)

Parent Events

Year 13 Parents Evening - Thursday 11th January - online appointments

Year 11 Parents Evening - Thursday 18th January - online appointments

Love Lounge - 15th February (tickets will be on parentpay)

School Closures

February half term - Monday 19th to 23rd February 2024

Early finish on Wednesday 6th March for PPE Marking

Term Dates for 2024-25 are now on the website. Click the link to access these.

Term Dates - West Hatch High School