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As a school, we are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our students, which is why we take part in the BeeWell programme. This recent initiative, co-created with young people, surveys the key factors that influence wellbeing in secondary schools across Hampshire (including the Isle of Wight) and Manchester. The survey runs annually, gathering insights from tens of thousands of students, with the aim of driving meaningful, positive change in schools.

The survey explores various aspects of wellbeing, including life satisfaction, self-esteem, optimism about the future, stress and coping, emotions, and body image. Last year, while we were pleased to see that our students' general wellbeing and positive attitudes were in line with their peers, the results also highlighted an area for development: our students reported lower self-esteem compared to others.

We took this finding seriously and used tools provided by BeeWell to explore the reasons behind it. The data suggested that some of our students felt they weren’t good enough, had lower aspirations than their peers, and believed their future was predetermined. We knew this was something we could – and should – address.

 

Over the past year, we have embedded a strong focus on aspiration throughout our curriculum, assemblies, and wider school opportunities. We want all our students to feel confident in their abilities, to recognise that their achievements are valuable, and to believe that they can compete on a national stage.

One year on, the latest BeeWell results have been released – and they show significant progress. Our students' self-esteem has risen dramatically and is now in line with their peers. This is a fantastic achievement. In addition, the survey found that our students report higher than average levels of school support, meaning they feel more supported by adults at school than students in other settings. This is something we are particularly proud of, as it reflects the strong relationships we build with our young people and our commitment to their wellbeing.

There is always more to do, and we remain committed to fostering a school culture where every student feels valued, supported, and ambitious about their future. 

Our commitment to raising aspirations goes beyond the classroom, and this week, I had the pleasure of celebrating another fantastic group of students who are leading by example. I hosted Rewards Breakfasts for our Year 8 and Year 9 Sports Leaders, who have worked hard alongside our School Sport Coordinator, Ms Parker, to support primary school sporting events such as cross country and indoor athletics.

As we enjoyed breakfast together, the students spoke with pride about being selected for this role and reflected on the skills they have developed—patience, organisation, and leadership among them. It was a pleasure to spend time with them, hear how much they have grown through this experience and thank them for their service. Their enthusiasm and commitment are a reminder of the positive impact young people can have when given the opportunity to step up and shine.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend,
Mrs Dawn German

Road Safety

Mrs German wrote to parents yesterday as we have been made aware of a dangerous TikTok challenge where young people attempt to trigger roadside speedometers by running at speed. Alarmingly, a member of the public reported that some of our Year 9 students were seen running in the middle of Charlton Road yesterday to try and set off the speedometer. Charlton Road is a busy area, and given the recent tragedy we have all experienced, I am deeply concerned about the risk of another avoidable accident.

Additionally, we have received another report of a child, wearing AirPods and listening to music, stepping into the road without looking, resulting in a near miss with a car.

Please remind your child about the dangers of reckless behaviour near roads and the importance of being fully aware of their surroundings when travelling to and from school.

"Show the Love" Charity Day – Friday, 14th February
Our Student Council has proposed a “Show the Love” Day on Valentines Day, Friday, 14th February, to raise funds for the Air Ambulance. This charity holds particular significance for our school community, as the Air Ambulance played a vital role in responding to the tragic accident before Christmas.

On this day, students may wear hoodies and trainers instead of their blazer and school shoes in exchange for a £1 donation. Contributions will be collected during morning registration, and all funds raised will go directly to supporting the incredible work of the Air Ambulance service.

This is a meaningful way for our students to come together in support of an organisation that has helped our community in difficult times. We hope to see as many students as possible taking part.

Year 10 Careers Event - Tuesday 11th February
We've recently been made aware of a really useful online event for Year 10 students and parents, coming up this Tuesday at 6.30pm:

My Great First Job's next FREE Career Webinar is all about FINDING WORK EXPERIENCE!  To find out more and book your place, please follow the link below:
How to find a great work experience placement.

Important Reminder - Reporting student absence       
This is a reminder that if your child is absent from school, please ensure that you report the absence to us via the absence line or absence form. We aim to send the absent notification via the school app if your child is not present in school, and we have not been notified by 11am.

 

Additionally, we would like to remind you that you have access to the MCAS app, where you can view your child’s attendance records and marks.

If you have concerns about your child possibly absconding from school, whether due to mental health reasons or any other factors, please be assured that you can monitor their attendance and wellbeing through the MCAS app. If you have any concerns, we kindly ask that you notify the school as soon as possible.

 

Year 11 Parents - GCSE Summer 2025 Timetable
You can now access your child's GCSE timetable for Summer 2025 via the Bromcom My Child at School MCAS App by clicking on the Exam icon on the left.

MCAS - My Child at School
If you’re experiencing any difficulties accessing the app, please don’t hesitate to contact Mr. Townsend at school.
 
A gentle reminder: if you have any questions or concerns about the information displayed on the app, please reach out to your child’s tutor directly.

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

Next week is National Apprenticeship Week and so we've dedicated the next edition of Ways Forward to apprenticeships! Maybe you're not sure what an apprenticeship is in Britain nowadays and we have included a special page for parents and carers with lots of useful information to help you guide your young person through the process of finding and applying for apprenticeships if this is the right pathway for them after school.

There is an Apprenticeship Arcade's suite of games and for those interested in apprenticeships in engineering there is information about SETA's Engineering Apprenticeship Recruitment Fair. For Year 11s currently applying for apprenticeships, there's a new local vacancy for an Apprentice Engineer that you could apply for now.

Unifrog are running a virtual Apprenticeship Fair on 12th February that some of you might want to go to and if students are considering doing a higher level or degree apprenticeship after college or sixth-form there is information to help you decide if this is the right route for you.

In response to student requests, we have again put in place some of the most popular Valentine's themed activities we've previously run. A couple of photos below.

Last week, our NatterReads group had the chance to listen to the author Ash Bond via a live link during lunchtime.

We were delighted that the author Tom Palmer was able to send a message to the six year 7 Reading Groups who are enjoying his book Ghost Stadium. He has also sent us a video diary of the process he worked through during a 12 month period when writing a book that is included in this year's World Book Day free book offer.

Talking of World Book Day - it's on the 6th March and tutor groups have started work on their book dressed/decorated doors. Judging will take place on March 5th and a trophy and treats will be presented to the winning tutor group. We will be giving out lots of vouchers so that students can secure their free books!

We have been raising awareness of Children's Mental Health by supporting Place2Be's focus week and we also had a small display in recognition of LGBTQ+ History Month.

Year 8 Rugby v Winton
(written by Ethan Brown and Monty Reid)
Harrow Way Year 8 rugby team faced Winton on the 5th of February. Harrow Way won 8-1, Ethan Brown as Captain  leading them onto the rugby pitch scoring the first try. Some of the try scorers being Arthur Faye with 2 tries, Ethan Brown with 1, the newest member of the team, Max Scowen with 2, Archie Rae with 1 penalty try, Lucas Owen with 2 tries.

It was a great win but we still have a lot of areas of our game to work on. A big well done to Jonathan Gomes for his first competitive rugby game. Although they did have many yellow cards, Winton played decent for their first time touching a rugby ball this year.

Netball
Year 7B 5 - 1 JH D
It’s two wins from two for the 7B team now with another good performance which saw them leading from the first quarter. Although the goals are not yet flowing, the team were certainly dominant, having the majority of possession throughout the game.
Player of the Match - Scarlett, Coaches Player of the Match  - Heidi.

Year 8B 15 - 0 JHD
The 8B team kicked off their season in some style with a 15-0 win against John Hanson D. Lily and Erica were playing their first game for the school, but any nerves soon disappeared as the girls racked up a 6-0 lead by the end of the first quarter thanks to some excellent shooting by Ruby and great support play from Pops. Willow, Ivana and Lily had little to do in defence, but stayed focussed to prevent any shooting opportunities in the times that John Hanson had possession. Seren played their first game since returning from injury and did a great job in a number of positions. A great first win - onwards and upwards for the rest of the season!
Player of the Match - Ruby. Coaches Player of the Match - Erica

Lateness 
If your child is late to school, please write a note in their planner or call the school with the reason for lateness, to prevent unnecessary sanctions being set. The sanction will be a same-day lunchtime detention for all Years.  Failure to attend this detention will result in an after-school detention and further sanction will be applied for persistent lateness. Thank you for your support with this, it is very much appreciated.

Website Medical Page
We have an updated Medical Page for parents on our website.  Parents can access forms to keep us updated on all things medical for their child, such as:

Prescription Medication

Returning to school on crutches or with an injury

School inhaler

School Autoinjector

Updating medical information  

Students Feeling Unwell in School
Please remind your child not to contact home in the first instance if they feel unwell. They should go to the school nurse, who will then contact home if necessary. If you send your child into school knowing that they are under the weather, we feel you have made the decision that they are well enough for school and we will stand by that decision unless their condition deteriorates.

School Nursing Team
The school nursing visited recently, they highlighted how parents can support their child's well-being through the teenage years, here are some useful websites and services that they shared with us:

Hampshire Healthier Families

Sleep Charity

Back to Basics - Hampshire CAMHS

Young Minds - Parents' A-Z Mental Health Guide

Community
If you are looking for a new venue for your club/organisation Harrow Way Community School offers fantastic facilities at competitive prices. To view what we can offer please visit our lettings website. We now have a Facebook page. You can find it here or by searching for Harrowwaycommunity

Aluminium Recycling
We have teamed up with Magpie Community Recycling on East Portway Industrial Estate. This local service supports people with learning and physical disabilities and has provided us with a bin so we can collect foil, drink cans and aluminium food trays. There is a collection bin in our Main Reception for the aluminium to be deposited. Please send in any aluminium products you have - this will be collected by Magpie Community Recycling every 2 weeks. Thank you for all your support.

Lost Property
Is your child missing a water bottle, coat, blazer or their shoes??!  Please get them to check at student reception as we have several of each item waiting to be reunited with their owners.

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

This will be the home of PTA news, raffle and event details so please sign up, check out what we are up to and if you have any thoughts, feedback or if you are interested in helping out in any way please get in touch!

The HWCS Parent Teacher Association continues to look at future fund-raising and enrichment opportunities to benefit students and would love to hear from you if you have ideas or experience to share. You can email us here for information or to express an interest. In order to continue, we do need volunteers so hope to hear from you. 

Andover Athletic Club
You can find our February newsletter HERE.

Family First Magazine
New Issue out now. Click here to view.

The Solihull Approach 
Free online courses for ALL parents, parents-to-be, carers, grandparents and teens living in Hampshire. Plus courses for professionals working with children.

Copyright © 2024, Harrow Way Community School, All rights reserved.

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