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This week has been a particularly difficult one for our school community as we said goodbye to Ryan, one of our Year 11 students. Alongside his family and friends, I attended his funeral yesterday with his Head of Year, tutor, and a group of our Year 11 students. It was a deeply moving service, reflecting the love and fondness so many had for him.

 

We recognise that this loss continues to affect our students and staff, and we have support in place for anyone who needs it. My thoughts remain with Ryan’s family — his mother, sister Nicola, and brother Mikey in particular — during this incredibly painful time. Thank you for your continued support too.

Last year’s parent survey highlighted a need for reports that provide a clearer picture of your child’s academic progress. Your constructive suggestions have been instrumental in shaping our new approach. In response, we are launching an enhanced Key Stage 3 reporting system that goes beyond effort and attitude grades to offer more meaningful insights.

Over the past year, we have worked closely with other schools, Curriculum Leaders, and governors to develop a consistent, accurate, and useful approach. A priority for us was creating a system that could be used consistently across all curriculum areas, so parents receive clear and coherent information regardless of subject. Our teachers have worked collaboratively to refine how we monitor progress, making certain that the information reflects the individual journey of every student.

The updated reports will now provide a more detailed and holistic view of your child’s learning journey, focusing on both learning behaviours and subject knowledge. This approach will also support meaningful conversations about your child’s development and next steps at Parent consultation evenings.

Reports will be shared three times a year via the My Child at School (MCAS) app. A detailed letter outlining the changes will be sent next week. If you haven’t yet downloaded the app or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

We are proud of the work that has gone into creating this new system and hope you find it as beneficial as we believe it will be. We appreciate your feedback and partnership in shaping our school’s future.

 

We will shortly be sharing the next parent survey and look forward to hearing your views. Your feedback continues to play a vital role in shaping the future of our school, and we encourage everyone to take part when the survey is released.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend,
Mrs Dawn German

Assembly

This week's assemblies have been focused on Holocaust memorial. 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau, it is more important than ever that we continue to remember. As King Charles said at the memorial service this week “As the numbers of Holocaust survivors regrettably diminishes with passage of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests far heavier on our shoulders, and on those of generations as yet unborn.” The worrying  rise in Holocaust denial and distortion was discussed, with students being asked to consider carefully where their information comes from.

 

National Archive Trip - Year 9
A select group of Year 9's ventured into the National Archives on Thursday where they discovered that the value of our historical documents is priceless, although the sum of £20 million was mentioned for one letter alone! With 14 million boxes of documents we didn't have time to do more than skim the surface. Students used 500 year old letters and parchments to discover what kind of Queen Elizabeth I was. We learnt about the most unusual document that the archive holds. It's over 200 years old and is largely responsible for the need to build the Records Office in the first instance. If you want to know more, ask one of our lovely Year 9 students, or our site manager Andy, who was fascinated most by this bit of history. The students were a credit to the school, with the staff at the Archives going out of their way to congratulate them for their engagement, politeness and curiosity. Well done to everyone who came, and thank you to Andy and Katie Thomas for helping the trip run smoothly.

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.

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.

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.

Year 10 work experience - those interested in becoming a barber might like the details of a local barber who can currently take a student from Harrow Way for work experience. There are lots of other opportunities you could consider if this option doesn't appeal, see the 'work experience contact list' for further details.

This week we include lots of information about apprenticeships; employers and other organisations are gearing up to bring you even more information ready for National Apprenticeship Week which is taking place from 10th-16th February.

Basingstoke College of Technology's Apprenticeship Recruitment Fair is one of the first events of the year that students need to take notice of. It is taking place on 3rd February and is open to students in both Year 10 and Year 11.  See inside for more details and to see the list of employers attending; make sure you register if you're planning on visiting the fair.

This week you can also find out about labour market information in different job sectors, how to become an arborist and those interested in a law career might like to go to a virtual LawCareers.Net master class.  There's also an online course that you can take to find out more about T Levels.

January was certainly busy - we did all the things we planned and, thanks to some late finishes, help from our Site Team and from a Student Librarian, we also completed a reorganisation of fiction and began work on our new Book Nook. The Book Nook has soft seating, cushions, plants and fairy lights - we will share a photo once it's completed. It will be used for quiet reading on a first come, first served basis with the theme Read, Relax, Repeat. The classroom area will continue to be available for all the other things we offer such as clubs, chess, cards, board games, arts and crafts.

February brings LGBTQ+ History Month which supports our Representations objective as well as a variety of Valentine themed reading promotions. Many students have already asked that we repeat our Blind Date With A Book promotion so this will definitely be taking place!  On the 11th, we will be raising awareness of Safer Internet Day and International Women in Science Day.

Year 7 and 8 Basketball
The Year 7 and Year 8 Basketball teams attended the district competition on Thursday, hosted by Danebury School. It was a well attended event with numerous teams entered from Harrow Way, Rookwood, Wellington, Danebury and Testbourne. The competition evolved as it progressed due to schools having to leave at certain times however our Harrow Way Year 8 team 1 considered themselves as Champions due to drawing one game and winning the rest of their games.  

An impressive display of basketball from all three of our teams.  The Year 7’s battled well against some big lads in Year 8 and held their own.  The Year 8 team 2 worked well together to continue to put pressure on their opponents and turn defence into offense. However, the Year 8 team 1 put in a shift and dominated most teams they played.  Albie drove well into the basketball and utilised his lay up skills well to keep the scoreboard ticking over, supported by the rest of his team. Well played boys! 

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 December newsletter HERE.

Andover RFC U13’s - We are looking to recruit enthusiastic players to our U13 team (School Year 8). Training is held on Wednesdays and Sundays at the Goodship Ground.

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.

Being a parent has never been easy. There are no manuals for it, and previous generations may not be able to provide the insight you're looking for. The family unit is more dispersed than ever, with some families existing hundreds of miles from what may be called a 'core unit'. The rapid pace of societal change in the UK rapidly outstrips the knowledge of the immediate past. The result is that many parents may find themselves lost in a maelstrom of contradictory advice. For adults, time has never been more compacted. Family Lives has produced a series of online parenting courses, to make this challenge a little easier. If interested please follow this link.

Family Lives offers a confidential and free* helpline service for families in England and Wales (previously known as Parentline). They can be contacted on 0808 800 2222 for emotional support, information, advice and guidance on any aspect of parenting and family life. Their website is also a rich source of useful support and advice.

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