Newsletters

HGSS Newsletter - May 2025

Dear Parent or Carer,

Welcome to our end of half-term five newsletter.  I will keep it short by making three points:

1. It is great to see our GCSE and A-Level students working so hard for their exams, of which they are almost half-way through. They have conducted themselves really well and with their continued hard work we wish them all the best for the remaining exams and their results.  Year 10 will then have their turn in the June mocks.

2. There are lots of great experiences and successes our students have been exposed to.  Highlights include: the Duke of Edinburgh gold award winners and their amazing day at Buckingham Palace; our Robot Wars champions and personally, from me, it has been great to see our two head students continuously striving to be the best versions of themselves, having met together once a fortnight over this year.  You are amazing.

3. We will start our new mobile phone locker (pouch) system on Monday 2nd June, when students will be issued with their own pouch and will then lock their phone in it until the end of each day, whereby they will unlock at the gates as they leave.  We look forward to students seeing the benefit of this academically and socially over time.

Reminders

  • Students will need to have all the correct equipment with them - uniform and PE kit - for Monday 2 June.
  • Students need a water bottle which they can fill up at break and lunch.
  • Monday 2 June is the first day back for all students and staff.

I will finish with two quotes.

For all of those revising:

“The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it”

Chinese proverb

For everyone else who has the chance to lie in a riot of sunlight:

How should I not be glad to contemplate

the clouds clearing beyond the dormer window

and a high tide reflected on the ceiling?

There will be dying, there will be dying,

but there is no need to go into that.

The poems flow from the hand unbidden

and the hidden source is the watchful heart.

The sun rises in spite of everything

and the far cities are beautiful and bright.

I lie here in a riot of sunlight

watching the day break and the clouds flying.

Everything is going to be all right

By Derek Mahon

We wish everyone a great holiday.

Ed Hillyard 

Headteacher 

Message from the Head students:

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the teachers and staff at HGSS for their constant support, dedication, and encouragement throughout our final year in Sixth Form.

Their commitment has helped us grow not only academically but also personally, making this past year both meaningful and memorable.  With their guidance, we’ve had the opportunity to take part in a wide range of valuable experiences, including fun and engaging Easter and Christmas quizzes that were put on by our student leadership team, including our year 12 representatives, preparing them for leadership roles upon our departure.  An incredibly beneficial Easter School that significantly boosted our revision efforts across some A-Level subjects gave many students the ability to ask any questions so their time could be effectively used during the Easter holiday.  Many of us deepened our understanding of our subjects through real-world experiences, such as the Economics trip to the Bank of England, and we gained essential exam preparation through successful Tutor2u events for Psychology, Business, and Sociology.  Beyond academics, we participated in activities that strengthened our sense of community and character, such as completing Gold DofE as well as raising money for scoliosis awareness and taking part in enrichment sessions like the British Sign Language course.

None of this would have been possible without the support of the Sixth Form team, tutors, and subject teachers, and we are truly grateful for everything they have done to help us prepare for life beyond Sixth Form.

From Leela B and Harry C

Head students on behalf of Year 13

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“I completed my DofE after learning to walk again”

Please see the following BBC News Article- What an achievement for one of our Sixth Form Students

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2r5jmmg2xo.amp

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Another big thank you this month from the D&T department to Colin Waldock who has donated left over timber from work. The D&T department spends a huge amount of money on timber so this will save us money and reusing timber rather than purchasing new is also better for the environment.

Thank you!

Mrs Nicholls

Head of Design and Technology

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This Easter break, I had the most incredible experience of my life: a week dancing in the parade at Disneyland Paris!  It was my first time visiting Paris, and I got to do so many amazing things that I’ll never forget.

Every day at 3pm the parade would go through the streets of Disneyland, and I was one of the lucky dancers.  We had rehearsals in the mornings, practising all the cool moves to make sure everything was perfect.  I was a little nervous at first, but once I was with my group, I felt like a real Disney star. The music was so lively, and the crowd cheered for us as we danced through the streets.  It was like living in a dream! I had never been to Paris before, so I was super excited to see the Eiffel Tower as well!  It was so much taller than I imagined, and I couldn’t believe I was standing right there!   I can’t wait to go back someday and make even more memories.

Dara,  Year 8

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Goodbye 

This term we say goodbye to Mrs Sadler and we wish her all the very best for the future!

EXTRA CURRICULAR CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES

We run a range of additional experiences for our students to participate in, a taste of which is listed below.

If you wish to book your child onto one or more of these activities, please do so through the link to SchoolCloud:

Please visit https://holmergreensenior.parentseveningsystem.co.uk to book your extra curricular clubs.  Login with the following information:

Student’s First Name (preferred)

Student’s Surname  

Student’s Date of Birth

There are a broad range of activities on offer including:

Cricket, Athletics, Rounders, Tennis

Choir

Music Band A - if new, speak to Mr Spasevski first to know which band to join

Music Band B - if new, speak to Mr Spasevski first to know which band to join

Interventions for year 10

Stem Club

FTC Robot Club

History Society

Library/ Homework Club

Homework Club/SEN

Current Vacancies

HGSS is a wonderful place to work! Please click here to see our latest vacancies and please do share with anyone you know who you feel may be interested.

 

HGSS Trips – Summer 1

The Easter break saw two overseas residentials departing the UK shores, with our annual History and English Year 9 trip to Ypres and the Battlefields, and our ski trip to Val di Fiemme in Italy!  Both trips were extremely successful and enjoyed by all.  Our students were a credit to the school, and we thank all our teaching staff who dedicated their time to help run these trips.

We are now well on the way to organising next academic year’s residential trips, two of which have already been launched, with our annual Year 9 Ypres trip and a GCSE History trip to Berlin.  Watch out for our ski trip letter soon!

This half-term we have provided several amazing Sixth Form trips, such as two theatre trips: Death of a Salesman at the Wycombe Swan, and The Crucible at The Globe Theatre. Our Business and Social Science Departments have had the opportunity to visit The Bank of England and The Old Bailey in London, on two separate days.  Mrs Nicholls and her FTC Team had great success at the Robot Competition at Oxford High School and won - many congratulations! And lastly, many of our Year 9 students and GCSE Music groups attended a performance of Wicked at the Victoria Apollo Theatre.  All great opportunities and very enriching for our students.

 

Emma Carter

Trips Coordinator

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Traffic and Parking

Can we start by saying thank you to the huge majority of parents who do not drive down Parish Piece.  This has been very helpful in allowing students to exit more safely and to clear more quickly.  We would still encourage more students to walk, cycle, or catch the bus to build their independence. If you really do need to travel by car, please drop your child(ren) away from the school vicinity and allow them to walk. Please park safely, legally and respectfully at all times, particularly further than 10m away from any junction and not blocking the entry or exit to any bus stops. We are very keen to keep our students and other road users safe at all times.

SCHOOL UNIFORM CODE

click here

 

Please can we remind you of our School Uniform requirements. 

All information (including a link for name labels) can be found by following this link below:

School Uniform and Equipment

Attendance

Full attendance at school is really important to all students' progress. However, there are obviously times when a student may be unwell (for example). If your child is unable to attend school?please email attendance@holmer.org.uk or call the Attendance line (01494 719901) and leave a message. 

PARENTS' ASSOCIATION

Our Parents' Association works hard to raise funds for your children in school and to promote the school in the local community.

Please support them where possible and if you wish to become involved with the team, please contact office@holmer.org.uk

More information is available on the website:

Parents' Association

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD IS ILL OR HAS MEDICAL NEEDS

The school has Medical and Attendance Officers.  They are available during school hours to discuss matters relating to the health of your child.   It is essential that you notify them of any health problems that your child may have (e.g. medical details, particular problems or needs).  We can store spare EpiPen’s and diabetes monitors or any necessary prescribed medication.

If your child is taken ill or is involved in an accident during the day, he or she will be looked after in the Medical Room until we can contact a parent or carer.  Students should tell their teacher or report to the Medical Room if they feel unwell and not make direct contact with you by mobile phone.

If your child needs to take medication during the day, it should be clearly labelled with the child’s name and passed to the Medical Officer with a letter from the parent or carer.

LATE ARRIVAL AND ABSENCE

The school gates lock at 8:50am, so students must be on site by this time. Students should be at line up no later than 8:50am. If your child arrives after 8:50am they will be marked as late, and a sanction will be set.

If they arrive after 9:15am, they will be marked as an Unauthorised absence as student arrived after registration has closed. There will also be a sanction for this

Email the Attendance Officer if your child is absent or late

attendance@holmer.org.uk

When you know in advance that your son or daughter will have to miss school for any reason, we ask that you inform us in writing beforehand with at least 48 hours notice, if possible. However, we reiterate that it is important for your child to attend all lessons, every day.

If your child needs to attend an appointment, please try to arrange these in the school holidays or after school. When absence is due to illness, we ask that you contact Attendance as soon as possible on 01494 719901 or email attendance@holmer.org.uk.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ABSENCE DUE TO ILLNESS OR MEDICAL REASONS WILL BE RECORDED AS ABSENCE ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE AUTHORISED. Further information on attendance and medical concerns can be found here: Attendance

AUTHORISED AND UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE- Failure to notify the school of an absence will result in your child’s absence being classed as unauthorised which may result in the school referring to the Education Welfare Service. Only absences perceived by the school to be genuine will be classed as authorised. Holidays during term time will not be authorised. We will authorise one day for Eid celebrations.

At Holmer Green Senior School we expect an attendance of 96% or more for all students—Every Day Matters.

 

 

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FREE PORRIDGE AVAILABLE FOR ALL STUDENTS

IN THE DINING HALL EVERY MORNING FROM 8.15AM TO 8.45AM

Parents' Association

Please visit our Parents' Association page on the link below for information on how you can support the school.  Thank you

Parents' Association