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This week has been one of pride and reflection.

Year 11 have been undertaking their first practice exams in Core subjects (English, Maths, and Science). Their conduct has been exemplary, and they have approached these exams seriously – which bodes well for the summer. Of course, these weeks are just practice: an opportunity to experience sitting in an exam hall under strict conditions and tackling unfamiliar questions. I’m sure we can all recall at least one exam paper that left us stumped! These practice exams help our students not only prepare academically but also develop resilience, showing that perseverance makes the biggest difference.

As you may have seen on our Social Media pages, our school was represented at the Remembrance Day parade on Sunday. Many of our young people took part, either in the parade itself or watching from the roadside. It was a privilege to accompany our Head Prefects, Nela and SJ, who rose to the occasion beautifully. Having laid the wreath at the foot of the memorial, the students remarked on what an honour it was to be part of this important event – I was bursting with pride.

On Tuesday, it was wonderful to see so many students wearing uniforms from Guides, Scouts, Young Leaders, and various Cadet groups in Andover. A number of them joined me at the front of school for our Act of Remembrance, led by the Student Leadership team, who read poems and the Burma Kohima Exhortation:

"When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For your tomorrow, we gave our today"

This captures perfectly the importance of these occasions, and our students delivered it with great respect. Following the two-minute silence, our very own piper, Mr Briggs, concluded the short ceremony in full Scottish attire, adding enormously to the occasion. He was also at the parade on Sunday.

I’ve also spent some time this week reviewing responses from the recent Student Survey and the Parent Mobile Phone Survey. I’m very grateful to everyone who has shared their views – your feedback helps shape our policies and plans. The Mobile Phone Survey closes today, so there is still time to share your thoughts (link). Working in partnership with you is essential, and I am committed not just to listening but to acting on your feedback.

A clear example of this is the recent changes to our Key Stage 3 reports, which are being released today. These reports give guidance on your child’s effort, attitude to learning, and, for Years 8 and 9, an indication of progress. Following feedback from parents last year, we’ve refined our reporting system: End Points have been added to the Curriculum pages on our website so you can track your child’s learning journey. The bands show what your child can do now and what they need to do next to improve. There will be an opportunity to discuss the reports with your child’s tutor at our Consultation Evening in December, but please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions beforehand.

Finally, in the spirit of feedback, we recognise the need to review and update our Homework Policy. We will be inviting volunteers to talk with us about this soon – please keep an eye out for further details via email.

I wish you all a restful weekend.
Mrs Dawn German

All key dates for 2025-26 are also available on the website.

Assembly
Assemblies this week spoke about anti-bullying week. As a nationally recognised week championed by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, the theme this year is "Power for Good". Students were reminded of the power of their words and actions and how they have the ability to affect the world around them. Students were urged to continue to use their power in positive ways all around the school.

Christmas Lunch 2025
We’re excited to celebrate the festive season with our annual School Christmas Lunch!

To sign up for the Year 7 Christmas Lunch follow this LINK

To sign up for the Year 8 Christmas Lunch follow this LINK

To sign up for Years 9, 10 &  11 Christmas Lunch follow this LINK.

DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IS FRIDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 2025.

KS3 Progress Reports
The first Progress Review cycle for Key Stage 3 has been completed and I am pleased to inform you that this report is now available on the My Child at School (MCAS) App. Following parent feedback about the accessibility of these reports last year, the report is a PDF document that can be viewed or downloaded. You will find it in the 'Reports' (not the 'Assessment') area of MCAS.

The letter from Mr Townsend, can be found HERE

Public Consultations
Transport and Post-16 Transport Policy Consultation

Resource Provision at Harrow Way School - Final Stages

Ways Forward - our weekly newsletter for Careers, Apprenticeship, College, Work and Work Experience.

This week we're promoting opportunities for students to explore a career as a technical author, an opportunity with Stemettes for women and non-binary people to find out more about a career in entrepreneurship, and you can also find out more about careers with Dunelm, including apprenticeships.

Ambitious About Autism has an opportunity for students to join their Ambitious Youth Network, and they are also promoting a useful Transition to Employment Toolkit.  

Those interested in creating a more sustainable future and related careers might like to apply for the Sustainable You(th) Challenge. Finally, there's an exciting opportunity with QinetiQ for students interested in STEM careers.

This week we have been working in partnership with our Citizenship Curriculum Lead to promote the election of our representative to the Hampshire Youth Parliament run by Hampshire County Council. This opportunity is open to Years 7, 8 and 9 as it is a 2 year role. Next week, there will be assemblies and interested students can find out more from the LRC. Our existing post holder will run some drop in information sessions. Once candidates have submitted their nomination form and promoted their application within school, students will be invited to come to the LRC to vote for their choice. This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to have a voice in Hampshire through their democratically elected representative.

We have marked Anti-Bullying week with books, information and sources of help. This week is promoted by the UK  Anti-Bullying Alliance.

We are always looking at ways to engage students with reading and this month's project has been to rebrand our Quick Reads as Small But Mighty. For students who perceive themselves as time poor or less able or lacking the perceived stamina to read a traditional novel or long-form information text, these reads are a great alternative. There are fiction titles across all genres as well as dyslexia friendly print and information titles.

Rugby
Year 9 v Winton
On a blustery Tuesday afternoon, the Year 9 boys travelled to Winton for what proved to be an exciting encounter. To say we got off to a rough start would be an understatement — two quick tries from Winton saw us fall behind 10–0 within the opening minutes. However, the boys showed great determination, working hard to plug the defensive gaps and regain some composure. Despite moments of strong attacking play, two further breakaway tries meant we went into half-time trailing 20–0.

After a firm half-time team talk, the boys regrouped and focused on getting the basics right. The defensive line began to communicate more effectively, and there was far better support at the breakdown. Romanye King opened our scoring with a well-earned try, followed by a brilliant individual effort from Ethan Brown to bring the score back to 20–10.

Winton responded with another try to extend their lead, but our confidence was growing. Improved passing and support play created space for Arthur Faye, who thrives when given room to run. Arthur crossed the line twice in quick succession to close the gap to 25–20 with only a few minutes remaining.

In the closing stages, new squad member Seb Wierucki showed great pace down the wing, making a surging run that put us in an excellent attacking position. From a quick penalty, Ethan linked beautifully with Romanye once again, finishing the move to level the game at 25–25.

A truly fair result — both teams displayed impressive attacking flair and will take away valuable lessons in defensive organisation.

Year 7 Rugby v Wellington
The Year 7 boys’ rugby team made their debut on Thursday evening as they hosted Wellington. Thanks to the excellent turnout at training, we were able to field two teams, ensuring that every player enjoyed equal time on the pitch.

Team 1 opened the match and faced a tough introduction, conceding two early tries. However, they quickly settled into the game, and both Oscar Sobucinski and Hamzah Kashifi showed great pace and awareness to score their first tries for Harrow Way. After an exciting first ten minutes, the score was level at 10–10. Team 2 then took to the field and, like their teammates, were given an immediate reminder of the importance of strong tackling, conceding twice in quick succession. After several powerful runs, Sam Chewins finally broke through the defence to score in the corner, taking us into halftime at 15–20.

Team 1 returned for the next ten-minute period, with Seb Graham-Smith, Reuben Brown and Faosiy Adefeya all crossing the try line to continue the momentum. Heading into the final stage with Team 2, we held a narrow 30–25 lead. Wellington dominated possession for most of the last quarter, and although our defence worked tirelessly, they managed to level the score at 30–30. Team 2 showed tremendous heart to hold firm in the closing moments and secure a well-deserved draw.

For many of the boys, this was their first experience playing rugby, and they performed brilliantly. There is plenty to build on, but an impressive number of positives to take forward.

A big thank you to our Assistant Referees, Monty Reid and Ethan Brown, for their vigilance and integrity throughout the match, and to Taylyn Weatherhead for keeping the teams organised and ready on the sidelines.

Year 10 Football v Testbourne
Testbourne 0 - 11 Harrow Way
An emphatic win on Thursday for our Year 10 footballers away at Testbourne.The deadlock was broken early, when a corner was swung in from Piotr Osuch, and was headed home by Mo Barahmeh from six yards.

The lead was soon doubled, when a run down the left from Piotr ended with a great cross into the box, finding Alfie Kinghorn to tuck the ball home with a nice volley. Alfie doubled his tally soon after, following some nice play down the right hand side by Mo who found Alfie with the cutback, who placed the ball nicely into the far corner. Alfie then completed his hattrick, with a lovely solo goal, taking on two defenders and slotting home to make it 4-0. It was soon 5-0, when a cross from Leighton Reardon found Cohen Joyner at the far post, who needed a couple of efforts to strike the ball home. The half time whistle went, and the boys were looking comfortable, playing some lovely football along the way.

After the break, Cohen got his second of the game, taking the ball round the keeper, albeit accidentally, and poking home into an open net. Now that the game was settled, everyone was trying to get their name onto the scoresheet, and shots were coming in from all angles. Liam Silva struck the ball nicely from outside the box to find the top corner to make it 7-0, and Alan Elzanowski also got on the scoresheet, scoring directly from a corner to make it eight. Cohen completed his hattrick with a nice finish after a smooth bit of play in the midfield, and Alan made it double figures for the day with another nice strike from outside the box. The last goal was the pick of the bunch though, when Dougie Bain drove through midfield and with the last kick of the game, fired the ball into the top right corner to claim his first goal (I think) for Harrow Way. Overall, an assured performance from the boys, with everyone getting involved and playing well. Our Year 10’s host The Clere’s Year 11’s next week, which should be an exciting game.

Netball Year 11 - Harrow Way 19 - John Hanson 27
The Year 11 team put in a determined and spirited performance in their latest netball fixture, despite falling to a 19–27 defeat. From the first whistle, the girls showed real grit and teamwork, matching their opponents with strong attacking passages and impressive movement through the court.

Their attacking combinations were a highlight, with quick passing and well-timed drives creating some excellent scoring opportunities. The shooters worked hard under pressure, converting whenever they could against a tight and well-organised defence.

Defensively, Year 11 battled relentlessly, but the opposition’s attacking unit proved difficult to break down and ultimately made the difference on the scoreboard. Despite this, the girls never dropped their heads and continued to push until the final minute.

While the result didn’t go their way, the team can be proud of their effort, cohesion, and resilience. With the teamwork displayed today, they are undoubtedly on the right track for future success. Player of the match - Aimee.

Netball- Year 9 - Harrow Way 4 - John Hanson 14
The Year 9 girls faced a challenging fixture this week, falling 14–4 in a match where they showed flashes of quality but couldn’t quite get the ball into the net. Although the team worked hard throughout, they struggled to break down the opposition’s strong, well-disciplined defence, which limited their scoring opportunities.

There were encouraging moments of play, with some sharp interceptions and quick transitions that demonstrated the team’s potential. However, the overall flow wasn’t there today, and it proved difficult for the girls to build consistent attacking momentum.

Despite the result, the team showed commitment and kept fighting until the final whistle. With continued practice and growing confidence, they will no doubt develop greater fluidity and cohesion in the games ahead. Player(s) of the Match- Laila and Skyla.

Check out the latest news, fundraising initiatives and upcoming events from the PTA here - harrowwaypta.charityhive.co.uk

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Harrow Way Community School,
Harrow Way,
Andover,
Hampshire.
SP10 3RH