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Happy New Year to all our families. It has been an exciting and highly successful first week back, and it has been wonderful to welcome our students into school so positively.

We were certainly surprised to wake up to snow and bitterly cold conditions on Monday morning. Even so, the start of a new year is an important opportunity for everyone to re-establish routines. Being back together in school helps provide structure, stability and a sense of normality for our young people, and the calm, purposeful start to the term has set a strong foundation for the weeks ahead. We are very much looking forward to building on this as the term progresses.

We have also successfully implemented our updated mobile phone policy this week. I am incredibly proud of how quickly and maturely our students have adapted to this change. It has been a joy to see students mingling, chatting and connecting with one another at the start of the school day — a much healthier and more positive start.

We are pleased to say that the girls’ bathroom in B Block has reopened following its refurbishment. The contractors have done a fantastic job, adding two additional cubicles and transforming the space into a much more pleasant environment. Work is now nearing completion on the A Block bathroom and the gym changing rooms. Unfortunately, this has been delayed slightly due to furniture delivery issues, but we anticipate that all work will be finished within the next couple of weeks.

I am very proud to announce that we are now officially a Simon Says Champion School. This strengthens the way we support children who are bereaved or experiencing loss and reflects our commitment to turning heartbreak into compassion, care and meaningful support. This important work grew from the tragic loss within our school community last year, and I would like to recognise the outstanding dedication of Mrs Meek, Assistant Year Leader, who coordinated the work to achieve this award. Mrs Meek also runs our bereavement group, providing invaluable support to students who have experienced loss.

I am also delighted to tell you that our school has achieved the Bronze Attachment Aware Schools Award. This recognises our continued work, led by my Deputy Headteacher, Mrs Woods, SENCO, Mrs Law and Assistant SENCo, Ms Chilcott, to create a nurturing, relationship-focused environment where every child feels safe, understood and ready to learn. Through this programme, staff are developing deeper insight into how children’s experiences shape their wellbeing and behaviour, allowing us to respond with empathy, consistency and care. This award marks an exciting step forward in our commitment to helping every child thrive.

Lastly, I am particularly pleased to share that our application to add a Resourced Provision (RP) to our site has been approved by Hampshire County Council, with opening planned for September 2026. This week, I met with the County Strategic Development Officer, Senior Building Surveyor and Landscape Architect to begin planning the redevelopment of C Block. Our Link provision will, of course, be retained. To compensate for the loss of two classrooms in C Block, the Local Authority will be providing a new modular building alongside the existing modular buildings at the back of the site. Planning will take time, with building work anticipated to begin after Easter. While the RP will support a small number of students, the improvements will benefit the whole school community.

Here’s to a successful and positive 2026 for us all.
Mrs Dawn German

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

Assembly
This week’s assemblies focused on the idea of January as a fresh start — not as a time to place pressure on ourselves to be better or to reinvent who we are completely, but as an opportunity to grow in small, positive ways. I encouraged students to reflect on the importance of doing things for enjoyment and personal fulfilment rather than comparison or competition.

Using the metaphor of geese flying in formation, we explored how communities thrive when individuals support one another, take turns leading, and look out for those who may be struggling.

The assembly linked closely to our school values, emphasising that kindness creates lift for others, respect recognises how our actions affect the wider community, integrity means being someone others can rely on, and aspiration is about choosing to grow together. 

The key message was that we achieve more — and feel happier — when we move forward as a supportive community.

Letter from Children's Commissioner
Please follow this LINK to read a letter from Dame Rachel de Souza the Children’s Commissioner

Year 11 February Pre-Public Examinations (PPEs)
Following on from the 'Core' Year 11 PPEs which students sat in November, all students will sit a full set of PPEs in February. These will take place between Thursday 29th January and Friday 13th February. A copy of the timetable for these examinations will be shared with both the students and their parents early next week. This will allow time for you to address any questions you have with the relevant class teacher during the 'Year 11 Parent and Carer Consultation Evening' on Thursday 15th January.

As a school we have been impressed how Year 11 students are continuing to display the maturity, focus, and engagement required to be as successful in their GCSEs. However, it is important to highlight the importance of their attendance, and in particular during this examination period. These examinations, and the expert feedback students will receive from their class teachers, is the final stage in ensuring pupils are as prepared as possible for their formal exams next summer. There is no doubt that students who fully engage with the PPEs will receive better outcomes in the summer. 

Year 11 After School Revision Opportunities
Starting next week departments will be offering a range of after school revision opportunities. These sessions have been planned to provide valuable opportunities to consolidate learning, revisit key topics, and address any gaps in understanding. The vast majority of the sessions are open to all students, however there will be a small number for which it will be an invitation based on a key focus. Curriculum leaders have, or will be, speaking to students about the specific details for their subjects. In addition, I know that in most cases letters have been, or will be also, sent to parents. Students who attend these sessions will be better prepared for their examinations in the summer. As such, we strongly encourage all students to attend every session that is available to them. The outlined plan for these sessions are:

As always we would like to thank parents for their continued support.

Letter from Mrs Crooks, Director of English
RE: English Revision Programme and Parents’ English Literature Walk Through

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

This week find out more about careers with Aldi, as an astronautical engineer and in medicine/dentistry. We highlight local apprenticeship vacancies with a summer 2026 start that Year 11 students can apply for now. You can also read about the proposed Armed Forces 'Gap Year' scheme.

Well done to Year 10 families that have got their work experience placements sorted. We advise that you do this as soon as possible if you haven’t got a placement already.

We are proud to be part of the Department For Education's National Year of Reading this year. A UK wide campaign to inspire more people to make reading a regular part of their lives. The approach is called Go All In.

Instead of asking people to find time to read, this approach brings reading to them by linking it to their hobbies/interest/passions so that reading isn't a separate world. The caption is Whatever you're into, read into it.  You can find out more here including a short video which will be shared in school.  The LRC routinely has always had a large number of reading initiatives throughout the year and around 11,000 resources, both physical and online, all of which are available free of charge. In light of the National Year of Reading, we will look to expand our repertoire of promotions, events and initiatives further as appropriate.

Extra-Curricular Sports Clubs

The Best Job in the World
We are proud to work closely with i2i Teaching Partnership to grow great teachers. If you would like to train to teach, please see their newsletter here.

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