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It has been a very positive second week of term. Our Year 10 students have begun their mock examinations; an important opportunity for them to experience formal exam conditions and understand the expectations set out by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). These assessments allow students to demonstrate their learning and, crucially, identify the areas they need to develop further. I have been impressed with their conduct and attitude so far.

This week has also prompted me to reflect on what a privilege it is to be a headteacher. Each day, I have the opportunity to visit lessons, see excellent teaching and learning in action, work closely with my senior team to drive our school improvement priorities, and -most importantly - speak with the wonderful young people in our care.

This week, we also appointed a new English teacher, which is always an exciting process. I firmly believe that interviews are a two-way experience: while we seek the very best candidate, we are equally keen to demonstrate what makes our school a special place to work. Candidates spoke highly of their experience, noting our students’ exemplary conduct, the warmth and friendliness of our staff, and the genuine care shown for both staff and student wellbeing. I am incredibly proud of the culture we have built at Harrow Way.

Professional development remains a key priority for us. Staff need to feel valued for their daily contribution, while also having meaningful opportunities to refine and develop their practice. Our development programme is carefully designed to focus on depth rather than overload, ensuring that improvements are sustainable and impactful. This year, our work has centred on Checking for Understanding, Behaviour for Learning and Adaptive Teaching, ensuring that lessons meet the needs of all learners. This approach, often referred to as Ordinarily Available Provision. This was highly commended by a Local Authority Inspector last term.

To support this programme, we have chosen to group some of our INSET days. For example, in October we scheduled two days together before half term. We hope this provides some practical support for families, particularly where travel arrangements may be affected by term dates. At the same time, I recognise the ongoing frustration many families feel about the high cost of holidays during school breaks.

However, regular attendance at school remains essential. Quite simply, if a student misses a day, they miss learning—and this can quickly lead to gaps that are difficult to close. This is particularly true for our Year 10 and Year 11 students, who are seeing for themselves how quickly gaps can emerge when learning is missed. Thank you, as always, for your continued support in ensuring your child attends school every day so they can make the most of the opportunities available to them.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend.
Mrs Dawn German

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

Assembly
This week, Mr Cole, looked at the idea of the responsibility of the individual within a group in assemblies this week. Taking inspiration from sport, we explored how self-sacrifice and discipline more often lead to collective success over individuals chasing personal aims. We related this back to our responsibility within school to play our part in helping our "groups" (class groups, year groups and friendship groups) all be our best by acting for each other and not just for ourselves. 

Changes to School Uniform

Please see Mrs German’s letter to parents and carers sent on Monday about School Uniform Changes - September 2026.

Year 9 Learn about Space
On Thursday, 25 year 9 students visited Andover College for an event exploring career opportunities around the topic of 'space'. 

Alongside talks about satellites and telescopes from representatives from Portsmouth University and Chilbolton Observatory, the students also got to work with the RAL Space team from Chilbolton to find and track satellites.

Construction Work Begins on our New Modular Building
We were pleased to welcome contractors back on site on Monday, with work now underway to prepare the ground for our new modular building. We anticipate its arrival before half term. Harris fencing has been installed to ensure the area is fully secure and inaccessible to students. While this has meant closing one entrance to the field, safety must always come first. Students are delighted, however, that they can still enjoy playing basketball at break and lunchtime.

GCSE Contingency Day 2026
The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has set aside Wednesday 24th June as the GCSE Contingency Day 2026. This means that pupils need to be available up until this day to sit an examination even if their timetabled examinations finish sooner. The reason for this day "is to reschedule exams if a national incident or widespread disruption prevents them from taking place as planned, ensuring all students have a fair chance". If a pupil is unable to attend this date "they will be considered absent and will not receive a grade for that component". We therefore strongly advise that you do not make any plans to go on holiday until after this date.

Prom Information, Year Book & Leavers Hoodies
Please see this linked letter from Mrs Woodhead, regarding information on purchasing Prom tickets and the sale of leavers' books and hoodies.

PE Kit Donation

Harrow  Way Community School is thrilled to be supporting the “10@10 or 2.5@5”.

Get ready to light up the night and make a difference! Whether you're up for a late-night challenge or looking for a fun, family-friendly experience, there's something for everyone in this year's event.

NEW for 2026: 2.5@5 Family & Friends Challenge. Starts at 5:00pm. A relaxed and inclusive option for all ages and abilities.

Location: Harrow Way Community School, Andover (SP10 3RH).
Date: Saturday 20th June 2026.
Start Time: 10:00pm for 10@10 or 5pm for 2.5@5.

Parents of secondary age children in mainstream school and children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) can now apply for School Transport for the 2026/27 academic year. Applications for primary age children in mainstream school will open on 16 April.

Application deadlines
You can check whether your child or young person is eligible for transport on the School Transport webpages. If you believe they meet the criteria, and you need help getting them to school, you must apply on time to make sure your application is reviewed before September. The deadlines are:

If your child already receives School Transport, you don't need to do anything unless your circumstances have changed. If you have moved home or school location, you will need to reapply for transport. Visit the website for full details including how to apply

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

This week we list details of several interesting webinars including Army Careers: Women in Rugby, Understanding T Levels, Uncovering unexpected apprenticeships, and a series of University of Oxford webinars.

Our Labour Market Information (LMI) section is all about higher and degree apprenticeships; Also, Unifrog will shortly be holding an online Global University Fair which should be interesting for those interested in studying at university abroad in the future.

Finally, Peter Symonds College is running two open evenings aimed at Year 10 students on 1st and 2nd July 2026. They will also be running additional events in September and October.

We marked Earth Day this week with books and quizzes for House points and to support reading for enquiry.

From next week, students enrolled in the bespoke Year 7 Reading For Success intervention programme, run by the Learning Resource Centre, will complete their online reading assessment to measure progress from last year. All students have been fully briefed for this.

Spring Reading promotions are underway - photo of just one of these below.

We now have  'community'  jigsaws which LRC and Library users can contribute to as and when they are in at break, lunch and after school. A particularly keen group has already completed one and are on the next. The teamwork, problem solving and visual processing skills are evident to see so this initiative is a winner!

PE Extra Curricular Timetable for Summer Term 2026

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

For local community events and information, please click the button below:

The Andover Roundtable in conjunction with the Musical Theatre Company is hosting a murder mystery evening to raise funds for their charities.

A crime is brewing in Andover... and we need your help to solve it.  

 The Andover Musical Theatre Company and Andover Round Table invite you to an unforgettable night of intrigue: Jazz and Jeopardy. While you hunt for clues and interrogate the suspects, enjoy a full evening of entertainment including:

Planning a night out with friends? Group bookings are more than welcome—it’s the perfect way to test your teamwork and see who can catch the killer!

Best of all, you’ll be supporting local arts and community projects. All proceeds go directly to our two registered charities Andover Musical Theatre Company & Andover Round Table.

THE DETAILS:
When: Saturday 13th June, 7:00 PM.
Where: Keystone Hall, Andover, SP10 1EP.
Tickets: £37.50 per person

READY TO SOLVE THE CASE? Secure your tickets here:
https://buytickets.at/andoverroundtable237/2102350

Questions? Contact us at: andover@roundtable.org.uk. Registered Charities: 1143762 & 1058023

Copyright © 2025, Harrow Way Community School, All rights reserved.

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