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

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

It was great to see so many parents and family members in attendance for our Year 7 Progress Evening this week.  It is no secret that we have had some technical issues with our booking systems this term which we hope has not caused too much inconvenience.  We have learned lots from each event and hope that these are resolved as we approach the Year 9 Progress Evening after half term (March 6).  As ever your patience is appreciated, as is your support. 

Year 9 Information (Options) Evening is also on the horizon (February 25th).  On that evening (starting at 6pm), you will hear a presentation from school leaders outlining the options pathways available to students in Year 9 as well as having the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.  This event is part of the transition process for Year 9 which steers them towards Key Stage 4 and their GCSE studies.  We would love to see as many parents/carers as possible at this event, as well as the Progress Evening which follows.  Your support at this stage in your child’s education is imperative. 

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Many thanks to those of you that have already completed the Edusurvey which was sent out last week.  This is a set of standardised questions that are being sent out to parents/carers across our trust and which will inform strategic planning.  If you haven’t yet completed it, please do so here 

And, on the subject of feedback, thank you to those of you that have completed our own Parent survey, which is sent out around the time of each and every Progress Evening.  This information is then transferred into the Ofsted Parent View site which enables anyone to view the responses given either via the school or directly onto the site.  It can be found here.  Last year, we had 613 responses logged – lots of which came around the time of our Ofsted visit.  This year, we currently have 48 which is growing all the time.  I am delighted that 96% of respondents would recommend our school to another parent. This is great testament to the work we do and we appreciate the support you give us. 

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Next week, myself and the family are spending some time in Berlin.  This is a city that I have visited several times and have a fascination with.  For this break, we faced a choice between somewhere further south with a chance of some sunshine (my wife’s choice) or Berlin, which will be cold and has a tendency towards bleak.  Nevertheless, my son is studying the Cold War and is intrigued by the story of the Berlin Wall.  My daughter, meanwhile, is hoping to see some stars on the red carpet as it is the annual Berlin Film Festival whilst we are there.  So, the timing seemed ideal for a trip to Germany.  And it is cheap at this time of the year, which helps! 

As well as the history and culture, my son and I have also bagged tickets to see Hertha Berlin playing at the Olympiastadion, home of the 1936 Olympics, with all that entails.  It should be a fascinating trip.  The only problem being how to get all our cold weather clothes into a Ryanair-compliant 10kg suitcase! 

Aside from that, I am looking forward to some relaxation and a chance to catch up on some reading.  I have a stack of books which I am trying to wade through but never really find the time to do so and am guilty of buying more books than I ever read.  School holidays give me some of that time and I intend to use it next week. 

I hope that you enjoy the weekend and that half term enables you to spend more time together as a family.  Thanks as ever for your support.   

Mr Groak

Headteacher

“It’s a bit like being on The Apprentice, sir.  You know that episode where they get destroyed by an interviewer from Hell!  Well maybe it wasn’t quite that bad,” so said one of our Year 11 students yesterday when I asked him how his ‘mock’ interview had gone.   

The Year 11 Mock Interview Day has been a feature of our calendar for as long as I have worked at Hessle. and it has always proved popular and daunting in equal measure.  This year, we spread it over two days with students coming out of their lessons to be interviewed and then to receive feedback.  This slimmed down model helped us to keep the school fully open for all other year groups, which is the main difference to previous years. 

Thanks to the support and participation of 40+ employers from 30+ business organisations who all volunteered their time over the past two days, we were able to give 230 students a genuine interview experience.  Of these, 48 of them were appointed to the ‘jobs’ which ranged from physiotherapist to teacher to RAF mechanic. 

The experience is terrific for the young people who further realise what the real world is about and the importance of having a narrative by which to promote your skills and attributes to employers. 

My thanks to all the volunteers as well as the staff that organised it, but particularly to the students who, as ever, never fail to impress with their maturity and singular determination to rise to the occasion. 

***  

As I have written before in this blog, next week is our lunch trial whereby we will be adding an additional year group to our early lunch to explore how we can manage the extra demand on the canteen and social space.  The trial will last a week and, whilst we are confident that we can support all students, there may be some teething problems at the start (it is a trial, after all).  We will ensure that all students have plenty of time to get their food and to eat it but please bear with us.  The long-term goal is a better lunch experience for all students. 

***  

There are some aspects of school life that always raise a smile and yet are so everyday that they can often be overlooked.  Last term, I was asked to judge the Year 7 Cell Making competition in Science which involved examining dozens and dozens of pieces of student work to determine which one was most creative but also showed the best degree of learning about cells. I was delighted to choose Beth Mullen’s piece of work which was a vivid red orb showing a cross section of a cell – very impressive and the result of hours of hard work. 

This term, I have seen students coming and going to school carrying models of castles that they have made.  This is an activity that Year 7 students do in History and forms part of their homework programme whilst seeking to answer the Big Question of 'How did William keep control of England after he became King?’ 

It is great to see students proudly carrying in their models (some of them almost bigger than they are, but all of them showing evidence of many hours of planning and design).  It always puts a smile on my face to see it – just an unsung activity that engages students in deep learning. 

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This weekend, for the first time in a long time, my wife and I are getting away for the weekend with a trip to Oulton Hall near Rothwell.  The children will be at home with Grandma, although my son will be at the Hull City game tomorrow afternoon, playing football on Sunday morning and starts cricket nets on Sunday afternoon.   

I also hope to start running again after barely getting outside for the past four weeks due to the weather and an irritating cold that I haven’t been able to shake.  As February begins, I’ve convinced myself now it is Spring and so I shall look forward to a run in the sun in the morning (I can but hope). 

Have a lovely weekend and thank you for your support. 

Mr Groak

Headteacher

There was an image circulating on social media last week showing the price of staying at a Lodge in Wolburn Forest Center Parcs in February for a family of four. 

For the week commencing 10th February, it cost £429.  For the week commencing 24 Febuary, it cost £599.  For the week in between it cost £1449.  Guess which week is half term? 

What we are seeing here is price discrimination, more often called ‘dynamic pricing’ or ‘surge pricing’ where prices rise (or fall) to meet an increase (or fall) in demand.  It is the law of supply and demand, as taught to me by my economics lecturer at Leeds Poly in the 1980s.  Whilst the higher prices during school holidays always catch the headlines, the corresponding way of looking at the same picture is that the prices outside of holidays are lower than they would otherwise be.  The market equilibirum price is somewhere in between the two but the nature of the product (family holiday) and the irregular demand means that this demand has to be rationed in some way, hence the price rises during school holidays. 

There is no solution other than some form of price capping by the Government who would never engage into such a potentially hazardous market intervention.  Price discrimination happens in all markets every day, from concert ticket pricing to the wide range of different versions of similar products that you find on your supermarket shelves.  

I do not quite share the view of one headteacher that I once met who said, “It’s tough.  If you want to have kids, you need to cough up more for your holidays,” but I do believe firmly that the right place for children to be is in school.  It is hard enough for young people to maintain high levels of attendance just accounting for the daily illnesses that occur but to make this harder by taking children out of school for days and weeks for a holiday does risk the development of youngsters as well as their academic progress.  My flexibility in allowing term time holidays is extremely limited to very unique circumstances and this is set out in law.  This is sadly one of those situations in life that we just have to live with but please also consider how the same issue affects teachers who – for their entire career, whether they have children or not – always face much higher travel and holiday costs by virtue of their profession. 

***  

This week we have invited our Year 11 students into early morning revision club held in the canteen.  From 8.15 students can get free tea and toast and have a period of time where they can get their revision books out and do an extra 15-20 minutes of work before the school day starts.  From next week we will also be introducing revision classes in place of the tutor period for three days per week.  We are pleased to see so many of our older students now taking these opportunities and taking personal responsibility for their upcoming examination preparation.   

***  

Thank you as ever for your support.  Have a lovely weekend. 

Mr Groak

Headteacher

A fifteen week school term is tough and I am always impressed by the resilience shown by our students, and staff, to navigate this period of time. This morning, Mrs Todd and Mr Riches led celebration events for the students in Years 8 and 7 respectively that had completed the term with 100% attendance and no behaviour points. They were given a hot chocolate drink and a breakfast waffle. But mostly, they were pleased to be recognised for their achievement which was well deserved.

Attendance to school inevitably dips as we reach December but I am delighted that we are still tracking at 2.5% higher than the same period last year. Thank you for your support with this. Our attendance team are increasingly proactive in reaching out to families where attendance is lower than we need it to be and again I thank those of you that have collaborated with Mr Chapman and Mrs Kibart to improve your child's attendance. It really does matter, every day.

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There are a number of different opinions regarding the core purpose of a school - a place for social development, a place to acquire qualifications or a place to acquire specialist skills. Undoubtedly, schools are a place for preparing students for the next stage of their education. This is even a separate and important element of the Ofsted school inspection framework.

At Hessle, we take this part of our work very seriously and recognise that each and every one of our students has their own unique set of ambitions and potentials and that it is our job to help them on their way, whilst also seeking to challenge their ambitions and make sure they are aspirational.

The Gatsby Benchmarks is a framework by which schools and colleges evaluate the work they do in relation to careers education and features eight individual benchmarks which include careers advice appointments, opportunities to visit workplaces, the sharing of labour market information and more besides.

The goal is that schools will secure a 100% score on each of these, which demonstrates an exemplary careers programme. Some of these benchmarks have been fully secured at Hessle for some time. Benchmark 6 (workplace visits) has always been the weak point as it is for most schools, due to the difficulty of taking large groups of students out of school to visit businesses,

Last summer, we introduced a work experience placement for our Year 10 students, which managed to secure a workplace visit for 74% of our students and significantly improved our Benchmark 6 score. All eight of our benchmarks are now well above the national average which should come as great news to parents/carers who want their children to benefit from expert careers guidance.

The next steps in our careers work comes in the form of our Aiming Higher programme which is designed to challenge students to raise their aspirations and, for most students, to ensure that by the age of 18 they are 'university ready'. Having the choice to go to university is one that I want for all of our students. Not everyone will want to do this and there are some high quality degree apprenticeships that are now fantastic alternatives. But we want everyone to have the choice.

But our careers programme actually begins in Year 7 with 'All About Me' day, follows on in Year 8 with 'Ambition Day' and really accelerates through Year 9 and into Key Stage 4 with careers weeks in each of Years 10 and 11. Our careers programme helps us to deliver on our school mission - "Everyone can achieve the extraordinary", which we firmly believe in.

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With increasing numbers of students on roll and with attendance increasing steadily post-Covid, this year has seen the highest number of students ever on our Heads Lane site. This is great for the school community but brings its own challenges, not least of which the arrangements for the safe arrival and departure of our students.

For those of you that do not visit the school each day, the front of school is an incredibly busy place and features a main entrance that welcomes pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and six school buses. We rely on the safety conscious behaviour of all road and footpath users to ensure that everyone stays safe and I thank everyone who uses this space for their cooperation. This takes a large staff presence to mitigate the risk of accident and this works for us.

If you do use the school site, please always adhere to the 5 MPH speed limit which is a key element of our risk assessment. Please also be considerate and use only the spaces in the Visitors Car Park and not the priority spaces in front of reception. These are reserved for blue badge holders only, of which we have a large number who need these spaces.

New markings are in place this week and we will also be installing a speed limiter on the road as vehicles enter the school site. More than anything, your cooperation and understanding keeps the site safe. Thank You.

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We continue to insist that students are prepared for their learning. In order to do this, we need all students to ensure that they bring a school bag to school. This should ideally be a two handle backpack which can be carried comfortably over both shoulders. Other bags are currently permitted but a backpack is always preferable. The bag allows students to carry the following equipment:

• School planner - this is a compulsory element of school equipment and allows us to communicate with home, as well as record positive stamps for student conduct
• Pencil case - this should include pens, pencils, ruler and other equipment
• Water bottle - which can be filled at any of our water stations around school
• Outdoor wear- the bag should also be big enough to store an outdoor coat, scarf or hat as we do not have lockers in school

Having a bag to school improves student organisation and independence. Through 2025, we will be working with all students to ensure that these minimum expectations are met. Thank you for your support

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The Groak family will be on the road on Monday, along with the 2 million other vehicles that are estimated to be travelling for Christmas. Eventually, we will be in Surrey to spend Christmas with my in-laws, including the first Christmas for my children with their new baby cousin. I am heading back on Boxing Day (after the traditional non-league football match, Walton & Hersham v Bracknell). This will allow me to spend some time with my parents before my wife and kids head north next Saturday. On Sunday, we're braving the North Sea for a quick dash to Rotterdam to break up the holiday and then it will be feet up with nice food for New Year. Busy, but full of quality time with family with time to relax in between.

However you are planning to spend the holiday, on behalf of all the staff at Hessle High School, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

And thank you for your support in 2024.

Mr Groak

Headteacher