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Over the past week, you may have seen coverage in the press following a letter from the Education Secretary to schools regarding mobile phone use. While this national focus is timely, it is not a new conversation for us.

Our mobile phone policy was carefully reviewed and updated last term, with changes introduced at the start of January. From the very first day, we have been so impressed by our students. It has been a pleasure to see them arriving at school chatting together calmly in the mornings and leaving sensibly at the end of the day. In lessons, students are focused, engaged and ready to learn. These changes reinforce our belief that clear, consistent boundaries support both learning and wellbeing.

This reflection is supported by our recent #BeeWell survey results. #BeeWell is a large-scale wellbeing programme across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, designed to help schools understand and improve young people’s wellbeing. One finding from our results is particularly concerning: our students report spending more time on social media each day than the average for their age group.

As adults, many of us recognise how difficult it can be to put our own phones down. For young people, the pressure to stay constantly connected can be overwhelming. This is not a challenge that will simply disappear, and it deserves ongoing attention with wellbeing firmly at the centre. As a school, we will continue to put policies in place that protect students and help them develop healthy habits. We are grateful, as always, for the partnership of parents and carers in reinforcing these messages at home.

Alongside this work, I am pleased to share some positive developments across our school site. Our contractors are now putting the finishing touches to our extensive improvement work, including refurbished boys’ and girls’ bathrooms, additional bathroom facilities in the gym corridor, and revamped gym changing rooms. When I took up my post as Headteacher, it was clear that access to suitable bathroom facilities was not where it needed to be. Improving and increasing access was essential for students’ dignity, comfort and wellbeing.

This work has taken time and persistence, including sustained lobbying of the local authority to secure the funding for this work. Although it has taken time, it is all the more satisfying to see the work completed. It has prompted me to reflect on some of the changes we have implemented as a school over recent years — many of them directly shaped by feedback from parents and carers.

These include improved site security, better whole-school communication systems, clearer reporting to parents, enhanced curriculum information on our website about learning and student progress, and the introduction of a fourth House to strengthen belonging and embed our values in daily school life.  Alongside this, we have been consulting with parents and carers on potential changes to our uniform and homework policies, ensuring that these reflect what families have told us matters most. This work is ongoing. We want our young people to leave us not only with strong qualifications, but also with the character and values to be good citizens.

None of this would be possible without the dedication and professionalism of our staff team, who work tirelessly to provide both support and challenge so that our students can thrive — not just in school, but in their future lives. I know that parents and carers value our high standards, because those standards help your children to succeed.

I am proud of how far we have come, but I am ambitious to do more. There is always more to improve. Next week, we will be sharing our annual parent/carer survey. Governors and I are keen to hear what you value most about our school, so that we continue to do it well, and where you feel our attention should be focused next. Your feedback has shaped real change before, and it will continue to do so.

I wish you all a restful weekend.
Mrs Dawn German

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

Assembly - House
This week's house assemblies centered on the powerful message: "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."

Each Head of House emphasised the vital importance of teamwork, both in our daily school life and during house competitions. The key takeaway? Showing up matters. Simply entering a house competition earns you 50 house points, which can make a considerable difference to your house's overall total and significantly boost your chances in the race for the Competition Cup.

New Competitions Announced:

Remember, every entry, every effort, and every point you contribute brings your house closer to victory. Together, we achieve so much more!

Get involved. Represent your house. Earn those points!

Are you aware of the “Local Offer”?
Hampshire has a dedicated website known as The Local Offer.

 Each Local authority publishes a guide to all its education, health, and social care services for children and young people (0-25) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in their area.

The website can be found here: connecttosupporthampshire.org.uk

The Local Offer aims to provide clear, accessible information for families and has been developed in partnership with parents and professionals. It covers a wide range of support, from early years through to preparation for adulthood.

The website acts as a useful directory to help families explore the support available locally, including schools, therapies, leisure activities and financial advice, and can be a helpful starting point when considering what provision may be appropriate.

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.

Year 11 February Pre-Public Examinations (PPEs) start next week
Congratulations to all Year 11 students who have completed their Art and Photography PP examinations. We have been extremely impressed by the mature attitude shown and the high-quality work produced.

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.

Year 11 also took part in an assembly this week to revisit the expectations for these examinations, including appropriate conduct and preparation. We are confident that this year group will approach the coming weeks with focus and responsibility, and we wish them every success. 

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

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

This week you can find out more about Higher and Degree Apprenticeships; exciting opportunities for students to look forward to after they've studied at college/sixth-form or taken an intermediate apprenticeship.  There's also an 'Understanding apprenticeships' webinar that parents/carers might like to attend.

For Year 10, we explain how to add your work experience placement to Unifrog.
For Years 10 & 11, we highlight a new Football Academy - Winchester City FC Football & Education Academy, which might interest some students. There are also local apprenticeship vacancies for year 11 students such as a Forklift Engineer apprenticeship vacancy with Linde Material Handling.

This week we have marked Holocaust Memorial Day with some fiction and information books.

In support of the work on promoting and recognising diversity in Harrow Way, we have created a display for the Language of the Month initiative and we also continue to work on the large World map showing where in the world staff and students were born and which languages staff and students speak. 

We are now actively promoting the World Book Day Best Book-Dressed Door competition for tutor groups - this has become a fixture in our year and we often have 20+ entries!  After half-term, we will be looking for the 10 year 8 students who are going to participate in the Hampshire Book Award. If your son or daughter is a reader or you would like them to be, this is a good opportunity to read the 4 shortlisted books in 4 months , to meet in school weekly to review them and to meet with other year 8's from across 41 Hampshire Secondary schools to vote for a winner.

Year 7 and 8 Cross Country
On Monday, our Year 7 and 8 Cross Country teams travelled to Testbourne to compete in the district competition. Thankfully, the rain stayed away, although the underfoot conditions were still soft. This did not deter our students, who produced an excellent set of performances throughout the day.

The Year 7 girls delivered a fantastic team effort, finishing 1st overall. Alicia placed an impressive 3rd, with Arabella and Lottie close behind in 7th and 8th respectively. The Year 7 boys’ race was extremely competitive at the front, making their achievement even more remarkable. An outstanding performance saw four runners finish in the top 10, with Hamzah and Sam claiming 1st and 2nd places,with Bobby and Ivo finishing 5th and 9th respectively; securing 1st overall for the team.

The Year 8 girls also performed strongly, with Izzy finishing 4th and Riya close behind in 5th, helping the team to a 3rd overall finish. In the final race of the day, the Year 8 boys showed great determination, with Zach retaining his title from Year 7 by leading from the start and finishing 1st. Jack and Jake followed with strong runs in 6th and 7th, resulting in a 2nd overall team finish.

It was a fantastic day of running for the HW teams. All students who finished in the top 10 have now qualified for the County competition later this term. Well done to all participants for their effort and commitment.

Year 7 Girls

Year 7 Boys

Year 8 Girls

Year 8 Boys

Year 10/11 Basingstoke Tournament
Our Year 10/11 girls had a successful visit to Basingstoke this week. It was a nice change to play some teams outside the district and face some new challenges. Our first game was a very unfortunate 1-0 loss against The Vyne. The girls came back in the second game with a 1-0 victory against Costello. Keeping up the momentum in the third game saw us at a stalemate with Hurst School, an excellent result against a quality team who would go on to win the tournament. The final game saw another goal from Harrow Way, making it a 1-0 final score against Everest Academy. An impressive performance all round. Well done girls!

The final standings are:

Year 7 Rugby V John Hanson
On Tuesday, the Year 7 rugby team hosted John Hanson in the first local derby of the season. Despite the incredibly damp conditions, the boys were fired up and ready to compete.

Reuben Brown led from the front as captain, forcing his way over the try line very early in the match to give HW a commanding start. Hamzah Kashifi soon began his scoring spree with some excellent individual running. Known for scoring tries for fun, Hamzah also delivered an outstanding defensive performance, making several crucial try-saving tackles to keep the scoreboard in HW’s favour.

The team went into half-time leading 3–1, after Hamzah added his second try and John Hanson managed to score just before the whistle. The second half saw sustained pressure from JH, but the boys defended superbly, denying them any clear scoring opportunities.

Hamzah then added two more tries (quickly becoming a habit!), before Faosiy Adeyefa eventually found the try line to round off the scoring and secure an impressive 6–1 victory for HW.

This was a performance to be incredibly proud of. The boys showed great determination, teamwork, and resilience, particularly in the second half, where they worked tirelessly as a unit to shut down JH and continued to grow as a rugby team.

Year 7 Netball
7A v John Hanson B - Harrow Way won 9-1
7B v John Hanson C - Harrow Way won 6-2
The Year 7 netball teams had a fantastic start to their season on Wednesday with two convincing victories over John Hanson teams.

Through the first quarter all girls were understandably quite nervous however both teams managed to etch out a narrow lead. Through the middle two quarters the girls really found their confidence and rhythm in their games. The passing became much more controlled and accurate, with the B team in particular putting together some excellent centre pass routines.

The defending became tighter with the defensive players making a number of interceptions and making sure they got to loose balls first. At the final whistle the girls were delighted to come away with their victories and are looking forward to their next game.

7A player of the match - Alicia, Coach’s player - Frances.
7B player of the match - Olivia, Coach’s player - Sienna.

The Best Job in the World
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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