This week we have published a new edition of The Eagle – our occasional year-group newsletter.  This has had an uneven start in terms of publication dates but next year will become a half-termly regular. 

The aim of this is to showcase the great work that is taking place in our school every day, and the successes and achievements of our students away from school.   

Our mission is that ‘everyone can achieve the extraordinary’ and we believe it to be true.  Each one of our young people is good at something or driven and motivated by something else.  It is our job to find this, to nurture and to celebrate this. 

If you haven’t yet, please make sure you read The Eagle Newsletters and take a glimpse if you can at all the year groups to gain a sense of what older or younger students might be studying or the experiences, they will have available to them. 

We want to showcase as much of our talent as we can so please encourage your child to let us know of any of their out-of-school successes (or tell us yourselves) and also ensure that you have given us permission (via the Arbor App) to use their images for publicity if you wish us to. 

Reading The Eagle this week, I found out about the number of students that are successful in dance, drama and The Arts away from school.  It is terrific that so many of our students are active in these areas and hope that our Performing Arts curriculum has helped to instil that passion within them. 

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Thank you all for your engagement with the changes to the uniform policy which is now in line with our Trust partner schools.  After the communication this week, I have also sent out further clarification in in the form of this letter.  The key to remember is that we always default to the highest standards.  If you are in any doubt about whether an item of uniform is appropriate, it is always best to assume that it won’t be!  And then contact the school to check. 

I know from my own children the pester power that children can yield, when they say, ‘but all my friends are doing it,’ or similar.  Invariably, this is not the case, so we urge you to keep in contact with the pastoral team and help us to maintain the highest standards of uniform and appearance at all times. 

I also wrote to you to highlight the changes to the pastoral leadership teams from September.  These have been kept to a minimum to allow for continuity but also to ensure that students in all year groups can benefit from the most appropriate levels of pastoral experience.  This information can be found here 

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And so to Anfield.  Tomorrow I am heading to Liverpool for my fourth and final Bruce Springsteen concert of this latest tour.  I’ve survived the barbs from colleagues and friends - “you’ve turned into a stalker now” - and am looking forward to one final magical show.  This may be the last time that Springsteen undertakes a full tour with The E Street Band so I will try to savour every minute of it and reflect on how fortunate I am to be able to see him still, 37 years after my first concert. 

We all have our passions.  After family, friends and Hessle High School, mine are Bruce Springsteen and Hull FC.  Whilst I am on the way to Liverpool, I will be listening to the Challenge Cup Final and cheering for a Warrington win over Hull KR.  I apologise how partisan that makes me but I just can’t help it.  I know that many of our staff and students will be going to London for the game this weekend and I wish them all well and a safe trip.   

*** 

The weather is a mixed bag this weekend but I hope you can find some sunshine and enjoy time with family and loved ones. 

Thank you for your ongoing support. 

Mr Groak

Head Teacher 

There was a time when secondary schools shut their doors to Year 11 students after Whit Week, sent them all onto study leave and just welcomed them back for exams. 

I sat my ‘O’ Levels in the mid-1980s and can remember what seemed like endless days sitting on a playing field in North Hull half-reading a textbook whilst dozens just like me tried to do the same.  Eventually, we’d give up and have a game of football.  It would have been June because there never used to be any exams in May. 

Nowadays, exams start in Mid-May and there is no such thing as ‘study leave’.  This week alone, there have been seven GCSE exams and they continue all the way up until late June for some students.  And students are legally obliged to stay in school until the exams end.  That’s fine because that is where we want them to be. 

Enormous effort goes into producing a school timetable.  We have 1380 students, around 90 teaching staff and 25 hours per week of teaching.  Putting that together so that all students get the right number of lessons in front of their specialist teachers is a complex operation.  The margin for ‘error’ is tiny - we use around 99.4% of our teaching capacity to make that work.   

And then, as Year 11s work their way through their exams, we reschedule their timetable on a weekly basis so that the subjects in which they have completed exams are replaced with lessons in the subjects that are still to come.  It takes many many hours of work for Mr Willson and his team.  But it means that students get maximum support from school staff right up until their final exam.  Whilst I was abandoned to that playing field and left to my own devices, now our students get an unbelievably good deal. 

The overwhelming majority appreciate it, as do their parents.   It is intensely frustrating when a small number of students (sadly supported by a few parents) decide not to cooperate with this and to demand that their child should be able to ‘pick and choose’ the sessions that they attend and, if there is something they don’t wish to do, that they should be able to go home.  Of course, we are not allowed to just let a student go home and so this has become an unnecessary distraction from our work. 

We simply do not have the time and capacity to deal with these requests and so will not allow it (see my letter sent yesterday).   

*** 

Sorry, frustrated rant over, and I thank the overwhelming majority of students and parents for their ongoing and enduring support of the work that our staff are doing to support the students. And thank you to those that sent messages of support which were shared with the students last week.  That landed really well with the Year 11 students, many of whom were left in tears as they read the ‘good luck’ messages from parents, grandparents and other family.   

And thank you to Mr Willson again, who was in school at 6am setting that up so that the students could benefit from your messages of support. 

Staff at the school are pulling out all the stops to give the students the absolute best chance of success.  Thank you for supporting them. 

Apologies that this blog leans so heavily towards Year 11 students and families but I hope that all parents will be reassured that we have great plans in place for when your child reaches the end of Key Stage 4. 

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In recent weeks, I have also been in regular contact with our newest intake of students who will join us in Year 7 in September.  I am delighted again that we will be full in Year 7 and sorry that we cannot take more students from the waiting list.  It is great credit not only to my staff, but also to you as parents, that our school remains so popular.  We do so, because of the work we all do as a school community to serve our young people, which includes the positive comments you share with each other and future, prospective parents.  Thank you. 

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Next week is a huge one for me.  On Tuesday, for the first time, I am taking one of my children to see a Bruce Springsteen concert.  My daughter, who is ten, is a big music fan but Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter are more her preference.  Nevertheless, she has been brought up with Bruce Springsteen music in our house and has grown to recognise, and enjoy, much of his music.   

At first she was not over-keen on going with me but gradually she has warmed to the idea of a late-night, Post SATs, we-can-get-McDonalds-on-the-way treat.  And when I showed her a clip of Bruce’s opening night of this latest tour on YouTube on Wednesday night, she said, ‘that’s pretty cool, dad’.  

I’m definitely not cool at a Springsteen gig.  I have already apologised to her for singing too loud, dancing too much and possibly even shedding a tear when I (hopefully) see her singing along too.   

That’s on Tuesday; I’ll let you know how it goes next week. 

In the meantime, have a terrific weekend and thank you all for your support. 

Mr Groak

Head  Teacher 

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change” - Charles Darwin 

Like everyone in any position of responsibility, I have frequently suffered from imposter syndrome.  I felt it when I first started teaching in my early thirties, and stood for the first time in front of a class of expectant students.  I have since experienced it at various stages in my life as I have taken on responsibility for leading staff meetings, holding assemblies and speaking to parents. 

As a Headteacher, I have become more confident in doing the above, but I don’t think I will ever feel fully comfortable when I find myself rubbing shoulders with other more experienced Headteachers and especially with uber-confident CEOs.  At a recent conference, I found myself in a group of leaders feeling particularly ill at ease until I realised that I was the only one without a knighthood!   

So, I occasionally wonder ‘how the hell did I get here?’.  Certainly, a great deal of good fortune.  I joined my first school, Waltham Tollbar, just as they were attaining specialist college status in Business & Enterprise.  This was perfect for a Business and Economics teacher and so I quickly became Head of Department with numerous courses and responsibilities under my remit.  I cringe at some of the clumsy mistakes I made as a new leader and so I soon learned to adapt the ways in which I handled and dealt with staff, parents and other leaders in the school.  

When I left to join Hessle, it coincided with the arrival of a new Headteacher, Sarah Young, who rebuilt the school, literally and figuratively.  Working with her, and other leaders, came at the perfect time for my career and, when others moved on, I was in the prime position to become the Head.  It sometimes feels like very good fortune but I am not too modest to recognise that I must have done something right to put myself in the right place to take advantage of the opportunities that have come my way. 

More than anything, on reflection, I feel that my ability to adapt to new settings and challenges has probably been most responsible for opening doors for me. 

I am nothing like the individual that started out teaching in 2001; I’ve learned how to conduct myself professionally in different audiences, when to speak, and when not to.   

As a leader, I’ve learned to adapt my leadership style so that I take the lead when I need to, but I also know when to support and facilitate the work of others when that is the right thing to do.  I used to get that balance wrong lots of times, but I’ve learned and adapted. 

School leadership throws up different challenges all the time.  Next year will be my twenty-fifth working in schools, and twenty-fourth as a leader of some description.  I don’t intend it to be my last, so I know that I need to continue to adapt to the changing nature of students, of parents and of staff in order to do the best job that I can.   

***  

This is the shortest term of the year, at just 23 school days, but it certainly seems to be the busiest.  A four-day week can be a blessing but often means that there is just less time in which to do a week’s work!  

Nevertheless, it has been a nice and calm week in school.  There have been multiple exams taking place in practical subjects and most days extended for Year 11 students who are staying after the normal school day to take advantage of revision being offered by their teachers.  During the day, the change to lunchtime has gone well and students in all year groups are taking advantage of the fine weather to enjoy the field and spend more time outside.  A number of trips have taken place and the staff meeting yesterday afternoon saw a real buzz and sense of purpose in the hall as I outlined where we are on our school improvement journey.   

All told, a positive week but I am looking forward to the weekend. 

It starts tonight when we celebrate our son’s birthday, continues into the weekend with some gardening and relaxing, before a night out tomorrow night with some colleagues, and the Hull v Wigan game on Sunday.  Throw in some time watching my son refereeing football matches (his latest way of spending 24/7 involved in sport) and a bit of running myself and the weekend is no slower than the weekdays. 

However you are choosing to spend your time, I wish you a nice weekend and thank you once again for your support. 

Mr Groak

Headteacher

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. 

***  

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