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As we reach the midpoint of the academic year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the incredible experiences our students have had recently. These opportunities not only enhance their learning but also broaden their horizons, helping them grow in confidence and ambition.

 

Our Year 10 and Year 11 students had the adventure of a lifetime on their recent trip to New York City. Exploring one of the world’s most dynamic cities gave them a real sense of cultural diversity, history, and opportunity—experiences that will stay with them for years to come.

Meanwhile, our Year 9 and 10 Media Studies students took their learning beyond the classroom with a visit to Disneyland Paris for the Media Live conference. Engaging with industry professionals and seeing real-world applications of their studies gave them valuable insights into the ever-evolving media landscape.

Looking ahead, we have just launched our Year 9 Options process—an exciting stage in our students’ journey as they start shaping their future studies. Next week, we look forward to welcoming parents into school at our Consultation Evening to support these important decisions.

 

This year, we are also introducing a new initiative for the 2025 Options process, thanks to an excellent student-led idea from one of our students. Current Year 10 students will showcase their work and share their experiences with Year 9 students and their families, giving a real, first-hand insight into what studying different subjects is like. We believe this peer-to-peer approach will help students make more informed choices about their next steps.

All of these experiences highlight our commitment to providing an education that is rich, varied, and student-focused. I continue to be incredibly proud of the way our students embrace new challenges and the dedication of our staff in making these opportunities possible.

As always, I want to thank our parents and guardians for your ongoing support. Your involvement makes a real difference, and together, we are shaping a school community that inspires curiosity, ambition, and success.

I look forward to all that is still to come in the months ahead.

I wish you all a restful weekend,
Mrs Dawn German

Assembly
This week’s thought for the week was:
‘the robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief’ - Othello.

 

This week’s assembly, led by Miss Priestman, dealt with the issue of schadenfreude (vindictive delight) and why taking pleasure in another’s downfall is a particularly awful emotion.  It was linked with envy which is one of the 7 Deadly Sins of the Catholic Church and there was an explanation as to why envy is poisonous.

What are the options when feeling envy?  Students were urged to halt the feelings before they start off a chain of events, over which they may not have control.

Keeping Our School Site Safe – A Gentle Reminder
We’d like to remind parents and carers that for the safety of our students and staff, access to the school site is restricted during the school day. Students should enter via the pedestrian gate, and parents will not be permitted to drive onto the site unless their child has a serious injury requiring crutches or other mobility support.

We understand that dropping off your child after a medical appointment can sometimes be tricky, but we kindly ask for your support in following this policy. Our staff must prioritise site security, and we appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe environment for everyone. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Knife Related Crime

Unfortunately, there has been a steady rise in knife-related crimes being reported over the last few years across the country. Alongside, our in-school safeguarding procedures, personal development lessons, and working closely with Hampshire police we try to ensure that our young people are aware of possible dangers and have the skills to keep themselves safe. It is also important that parents are aware of potential dangers so below are some resources that you may find useful:

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.

Ways Forward - National Careers Week Special

Next week is National Careers Week (NCW) - an annual celebration that encourages schools to bring together students, teachers, local employers and advisers through careers events and activities.

At Harrow Way we have lots of exciting events planned! Look out for the following:

There's lots more in Ways Forward this week including guides for parents and carers, and a special NCW virtual careers fair.

Here is a great creative writing competition, titled Grim Tales, from the team at Young Writers. The link is a YouTube video. Students only have to write 100 words and can be in with a chance to win an iPad Mini, cash prizes and have their work published in a book. Harrow Way students have had success with these competitions previously.

Next week we are supporting  National Careers Week as well as running a variety of activities for World Book Day.

Overdue loan numbers are too high again so we are looking to be reunited with these next week before, in some cases,  asking for reimbursement/replacement. Thanks for your support.

Netball
The Key Stage 3 netball teams have had a busy week with 5 fixtures taking place - and all avoiding the rain!

On Tuesday a mixed Year 7 & 8 team played a friendly match against Rookwood. We were much the stronger team throughout with a victorious scoreline of 16 goals to 3. However, it was still a very good learning experience, with the girls having to adapt playing with new teammates and in different positions. 
Player of the Match - Laila. Coaches Player - Ruby C.

Harrow Way 7A 5,  Testbourne 7A 8
The Year 7 Team should be proud of their performance in their recent match against Testbourne. What a wonderful example of great Teamwork and positive play throughout the match. Everyone approached the game with enthusiasm and energy. Alani and Holly  showed true determination in the defensive circle with some wonderful interceptions. The centre court and attacking players chased every ball.
Player of the match was Riya - Coaches player Natalie.  

Harrow Way Year 7B v Testbourne Year 7B
The team is really starting to gel nicely together now with a settled squad. Jess slotted into the absent GA position really well, working well with Hollie to create plenty of shooting opportunities. When they slowed the game down, the passing was wonderful, moving the ball up the court with ease.
Final score was HW 7 - 2 TB, which gives them 3 wins from 3 so far this season.
Player of the match - Jess. Coaches Player - Hollie S.

Harrow Way Year 8A v Testbourne Year 8A
A great start to the term for these girls, who won their match against Testbourne on Tuesday. They started off with a strong first quarter scoring 7 goals to Testbournes 0. Laila was moving beautifully around the court making some fantastic interceptions getting the ball down to Ruby S and Sophie. They continued their winning streak throughout the game becoming more and more confident. Ivy and Lexi worked hard to keep the ball up our end and were successful throughout. The game finished 18-4 to Harrow Way. Players of the Match went to Nicole and Ruby S. The Coach's Player went to Laila. 

Harrow Way Year 8B v Testbourne Year 8B (friendly)
A friendly game for the 8B team this week, however, that did not stop it from being a competitive one! The girls started well with 2 goals in the first quarter, Ruby C making some excellent shots. Lily was an excellent WA, working well with our centre, Erica to get the ball to our shooting end. Willow and Seren kept Testbourne on their toes, working hard to stop them scoring, which was successful. The game finished with Harrow Way winning 6-1. Player of the Match went to Erica. The Coaches Player was Lily. 

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.

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.

Holiday Activities and Food Programme - Easter 2025

Bookings will be available in early March, but eligible parents / carers are encouraged to register their children for HAF to receive their booking code. Registration can be done by providing very simple information at the following weblink: 

Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) registration

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