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I continue to be inspired by the many ways our students demonstrate pride in their school. This was captured perfectly this week by the overwhelming response from our Year 10 students applying to become prefects next year. I have received an incredible 65 letters of application — a number that speaks volumes about our students’ character and their desire to play an active role in shaping our community.

Having had the privilege of reading these letters, I cannot overstate how impressed I have been. Students wrote about wanting to contribute positively to school life, support younger peers, and be part of something meaningful. Many of the applications were thoughtful, honest and remarkably mature, reflecting the values we strive to nurture every day.

I was delighted to visit assembly today to thank Year 10 for their enthusiasm and to celebrate the courage it takes to put yourself forward. The process itself is an important learning experience, particularly during Careers Month, as students develop the skills to craft a strong letter of application and present themselves professionally — skills that will serve them well far beyond their time at school.

The next stage of the process will include group interviews followed by a formal interview, and I have no doubt that selecting the final team will be both a joy and a challenge given the exceptional standard we have already seen. Whatever the outcome, these applications reassure me that the future of our school is in very safe hands.

Just as our students are eager to help shape the future of our school, the voice of our parents and carers plays an equally important role in guiding our journey forward. Thank you to the many parents and carers who have already taken the time to complete our Parent and Carer Survey sent earlier this week. I am grateful for the responses we have received so far. Your views matter to me because they help us to remain outward-looking and responsive, ensuring that our school continues to grow in ways that best support our students and families.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to respond, I encourage you to do so. We are particularly keen to understand what you value most about our school so that we can protect and build upon the things we are getting right. We also welcome constructive feedback that will help us shape our next steps and continue to improve. You can view the survey here.

Much of what parents tell us they value most about our school is rooted in the daily work of our staff and the opportunities they create for our students. Recently, Mrs Newport was invited to serve as a keynote speaker for a partner organisation, PREPT that supported our catering students in the Autumn term. This was a wonderful and well-deserved acknowledgement of the innovative partnership between their business and our school.

Through partnerships with industry professionals, local businesses, and prestigious venues such as Lainston House, our students are gaining invaluable first-hand insight into the world of work. This week alone, we have also welcomed a guest speaker in Cyber Security as part of our focus on careers education. Experiences such as these help bring learning to life and support our young people in making informed choices about their futures. I am enormously proud of the dedication, expertise, and ambition our staff show in opening these doors for the students we serve.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend.
Mrs Dawn German

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

Assembly
Most assemblies this week focused on National Safer Internet day (10th February). The theme this year is the potential pitfalls of AI. Students were encouraged to think critically about the content that they are seeing online as well as being made aware of the bias inherent in lots of AI tools. Year 9s had a separate assembly from a Cyber Security expert who spoke about things that he had accomplished in his careers and how students could make use of their existing skills.

Bletchley Park Visit
Year 7 and 8 had a very successful visit to Bletchley Park on Friday 30th January. Bletchley Park, as many people now know, was the home of British codebreaking during World War 2 and students had a fascinating time exploring the various exhibits and tributes. All students had a full guided tour of the grounds and a 1 hour D-Day themed codebreaking training lesson.

The students invited were members of our Computer Science Gold Programme and have all shown an aptitude for Computing already in the time that they’ve been at Harrow Way. Ahead of the visit, students were invited to watch the film; ‘The Imitation Game’ which features the codebreaking in WW2 very heavily.

Throughout the day the students had opportunities to self explore and discover the historic huts and blocks of the codebreakers. A quick stop at the shop allowed them to pick up souvenirs (and perhaps a few puzzle books) to remember the day.The groups took part in a guided tour which brought the cold bricks and mortar to life with stories of the thousands of men and women who worked in total secrecy. We all had a “I to I: D-Day" Session: The educational centerpiece of the trip was an interactive session focusing on the critical role Bletchley played in the D-Day landings. This hands-on experience likely gave them a real sense of the high-stakes pressure the codebreakers faced and we got our hands on the technology of Enigma and actually saw a real one in front of our eyes.

The staff at Bletchley Park commented on how polite, interested and engaged the students were and they all had a lovely time. Even the coach journeys ran unexpectedly smoothly! Mr Carter and the other accompanying staff were very impressed with the students and plan to incorporate some of the decryption skills into lessons in the future.

Unauthorised Parking - Charlton Hill Surgery
We would like to remind parents and carers that Charlton Hill Surgery is not a public car park and is reserved exclusively for patients attending the surgery.

Year 7 & 8 Valentine’s Disco - 12th February 2026
Students in Years 7 and 8 are invited to a Valentines Disco taking place on Thursday 12th February 2026. Spaces are still available. The cost of a ticket is £2.50 per child, payable via your child's Scopay account. Please complete this form to confirm your child's attendance at the disco. 

Inclement Weather – Important Message Regarding Footwear

With the current inclement weather, we kindly ask that students come to school wearing sensible, weather-appropriate footwear to help keep them safe, warm and comfortable throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the school is not able to provide spare footwear or dry socks, so pupils who arrive with wet feet may need to remain in the same footwear during the school day. Thank you for your support in helping us keep everyone as comfortable as possible during this wet weather.

Unlock Andover
There will be an ‘Unlock Andover’ event at the Chantry Centre, Andover on Saturday 4th Feb 12:00 – 15:00hrs.

This is for the young people of Andover to show them what activities there are in the town but also to divert them away from anti-social behaviour.  Police, Community Wardens, Willow Team, Yellow Brick Road and other agencies are attending and we will have some great activities for the young people such as self-defence classes and of course free snacks!

1986 School Leavers’ Reunion – Help Us Spread the Word!
A reunion is being organised for former pupils who left our school in 1986, marking 40 years since they moved on.

The reunion will take place on Saturday 13th June 2026. While this may not apply to many current parents directly, you may know a grandparent, family member, neighbour or friend who would love to attend.

If so, please ask them to contact the school, and we will be happy to put them in touch with the reunion organisers. We’d love to help ensure no one misses out on this special celebration.

Students Feeling Unwell in School
Students should not contact home directly if they feel unwell. They must report to the Medical Room (Student Reception), where staff will assess them and contact parents/carers if necessary.

If you choose to send your child to school while they are feeling under the weather, we will assume that you have determined they are well enough to attend, and we will uphold that decision unless their condition deteriorates during the day. In the first instance, appropriate medication will be offered in line with school procedures. Should this not improve their condition, a call home will be made. Further medical information and the student welfare policy can be viewed on our website.

Year 11 February Pre-Public Examinations (PPEs)
It is important to highlight the importance of attendance, particularly during this examination period.  These examinations, and the expert feedback they 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.

A copy of the timetable for the PPE examinations is below:

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

Harrow Way's Careers Month has begun and we have lots of exciting events coming up! See inside for more details. This week's Ways Forward edition has a big focus on apprenticeships as next week is National Apprenticeship Week.  We highlight new local apprenticeship vacancies, two apprenticeship fairs, and a STEM apprenticeship webinar.

There's an exciting competition for anyone interested in sports journalism - the Young Sports Journalist of the Year competition - and for students in Year 11 thinking ahead to University there is information about the London School of Economics' online insight day in March.

Next week, each year 7 and 8 tutor group will be given World Book Day vouchers for free books ( from a selection of 6 ) - redeemable at Waterstones and The Works. Other students wanting a voucher can come to the LRC Library - on a first come, first served basis. In previous years, vouchers have been wasted or unwanted so we now order less.

It is LGBTQ+ History Month so we have had a relevant display.

For Valentines Day, we have a new Romantasy book display - a mix of romance and fantasy which is really taking off nationally!  Also, our debate, inspired by a First news article,   Is Valentine's Day a waste of time and money ? For a bit of fun, students have been telling us which book characters they would date, friendzone and avoid. The Book Crush display gives readers an opportunity to tell us about their favourite book. There's been a good buzz around these activities. They represent a low-stakes way to try to engage students with reading and with booktalk.

Year 9 Rugby vs Winton
The Year 9 rugby team put in a gritty performance against Winton in extremely tough conditions, battling wind and rain from start to finish. Winton were strong in attack and made the most of their opportunities, consistently finding gaps in defence and applying sustained pressure.

Despite the conditions and a determined opposition, our boys showed great resilience and work rate, refusing to back down and competing right to the final whistle. In a familiar finish, Seb W crossed for a try in the dying seconds — a late moment that’s becoming something of a tradition — but it took nothing away from the effort and commitment shown throughout the match.

A hard-fought game that highlighted the team’s determination and willingness to fight for each other, even when the odds — and the weather — were stacked against them. Final score HW 15 - WIN 43

U16 HEAT Boys vs Stonehenge Warriors
Last week the HEAT U16 Boys took part in their first ever match away against Stonehenge Warriors. Stonehenge had previously been coached by Mr Carter so he was aware of the talented players we faced. We took a whole squad of 16 players to experience a school basketball match for the first time.

The first quarter was a messy affair with both teams struggling to score but power forward Eddie Stafford and super guard Lucas Selvey kept us in contention. After the break we changed the line up to include some younger players such as our new signing Josh Noyes to give us a faster transition from back to frontcourt. The HEAT began to dominate play with some great jumpshots, layups and play meaning that at half time we were 1 point ahead! Great play from Eddie Stafford, Chipoya Masawa, Taylyn Weatherhead and Lucas Selvey!

However, the 3rd quarter started badly for HEAT with a lot of steals and points lost to a more confident Warriors team (and home crowd) meaning we had an urgent timeout called. Our strongest team came back but then a full court press from Warriors coupled with fitness issues and a lack of experience from the HEAT began to tell. We struggled to get our star players working together plus the ball out of our half and by the end of the 4th quarter we were 12 points down.

The writing was on the wall and Mr Carter decided to then allow other members of the team some time in the game and use the 4th quarter for experience purposes. All of the squad did their best and I am so proud of each of them. In the end we lost 46 to 28.

This is our first outing as a new team that have no match experience but I was so proud of the HEAT. The kit looked amazing and in the 1st and 2nd quarter we played some good basketball. We learn more from our setbacks and as the great Michael Jordan said “I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games... I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed”

We have more games coming up to grow as a team and improve aspects of our game to become more competitive. 

Year 8 Netball - 8A vs John Hanson B
A superb first game for the 8A team saw the team dominate throughout.

With the scores a close 4-2 in our favour at the end of the first quarter, Harrow Way dominated the second two quarters with some excellent team play and fine shooting from Izzy and Darcie, stretching to a ten point lead with a quarter to go.

The team tired a little in the final quarter but dug deep, with Alani and Holly in defence preventing many clear shooting opportunities.

Final score - Harrow Way 20 - 7 John Hanson B
Player of the Match - Riya. Coaches Player of the Match - Izzy.

Bath Netball Trip

Last Friday Mrs Winnett, Mr Briggs and Miss Holton took members of the Netball Club to the annual trip to watch Team Bath Netball play in the NXT Gen League.

This time they were facing Nottingham Forest.

It was a close affair throughout the game with neither team ever leading by more than 5 goals. The recent introduction of the 5 minute ‘Super Shot’ during the last 5 minutes of each quarter gave the teams an opportunity to score 2 points per successful shot and this certainly added to the excitement.

As the clock ticked down to zero the scores were even and the crowd were unaware as to why the game continued. Play continued and Nottingham Forest finally opened up a 3 point lead,ending the game, resulting in a narrow defeat to team Bath.

Such a shame after an exciting game, but the girls did manage to collect plenty of autographs and photos of the players.

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