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Headteacher Blog

MR V GROAK

Welcome

On this page you will find weekly informative blogs. 

Page 1

  • WEEK 25 - Friday 21 March 2025

    Published 21/03/25

    It was five years ago this week that we closed the school at the start of the Covid pandemic.  

    Knowing that this milestone was on the horizon, I have gone back into my emails to get a sense of what that time was like for everyone associated with the school.  It was a strange experience to recall some of the decisions that we had to make and the impact that it had on us as a staff team. 

    One of my priorities at that time was to ensure that the school communicated clearly and frequently with our students, parents/carers and staff.  I spent many hours writing updates to be emailed to all our stakeholders.  For every one that I sent, I received dozens of replies, mostly just acknowledging the message and offering support for what we were doing.   Our entire school community had never felt closer and more in tune with each other. 

    What also comes through – as you will see – is the practicality and pragmatism of our decision making.  Whilst a global pandemic raged, we were meticulously organising work for students to do at home, sourcing laptops for students, organising meal vouchers for those on Free School Meals, scheduling staffing rotas, identifying children of ‘key workers’ and much else besides. We were supported by our Trust colleagues and other colleagues working in Public Health and the Local Authority who were regularly in touch and constantly on hand to help us.  Whilst the national response was often chaotic, at local level, our community was well served. 

    To give you a flavour of what we were doing at the time, let me share an email that I sent to parents in that fateful week before schools closed. 

    On Thursday 19 March 2020, I wrote: 

    Good morning parents/carers 

    I am sure by now you have all heard the news that schools across the country will close for the foreseeable future, after Friday afternoon.  There are some exceptions to this but, as yet, we do not have any further details from the Government.   

    Until the end of the week, The Hessle Academy remains open for all year groups and I urge you to send your child to school until then, unless they are ill or are part of a family that is self-isolating. 

    We will have a lot of information to share with you and your child in the coming days so please keep checking our website and any further emails that we send you. 

    This is unprecedented and the implications of this announcement will have a significant impact on all of us; parents, school staff but most of all, the young people.  This is not an extended holiday and we will continue to provide your child with regular school work and as much structure as we possibly can in the coming weeks.  I know that this will be an extremely difficult time for you and we will do everything that we can to support you.   

    Once we have further information from the Government around the key groups whose children will continue to come to school, I will contact you again.   

    In the meantime, take care, and thank you for your ongoing support. 

    On that same Thursday, we held an Assembly with our Year 11 students and had to pass on the news that they would not be sitting their GCSE exams and that they would be leaving school the very next day.  I still recall the emotion in the room (students and staff) at the enormity of what was happening.  

    The following day, we gave them the opportunity to sign each other’s shirts – a ritual that all students look forward to when they leave school.  I remember feeling desperately sorry for this group of students in particular and, the following week, I wrote them the following letter: 

    Last week was extremely difficult for everyone but the thing of which I am most proud as headteacher is that we managed to give all of our wonderful Year 11 students an appropriate send-off on Friday afternoon.  It was great to see you signing your shirts, taking photographs and sharing stories with the staff that have supported you along the way.  Thank you for sharing in those moments. 

    I reiterate my promise that you will have a prom.  We have not cancelled the date in June; however, if we have to do so, we will rearrange it to a time that enables as many of you as possible to come back and enjoy it.   

    In the meantime, keep yourselves safe and do everything that you can to support your families and those vulnerable people in your community.  If I could wish one final thing for you it is this: when you look back, in years to come, at the unprecedented events of 2020, be proud of yourself for how you behaved, how you responded and what you did to help others.  

    Take care and best wishes 

    Sadly, I never fulfilled that promise to give them a Prom.  By the time it became feasible, they had all moved on to pastures new.  Nevertheless, I believe that the Class of 2020 really did live up to my hopes for them and I know have gone on to great things. 

    Schools have not been the same since the pandemic.  Things have changed - in some ways for the better, in others not.  With five years travelled since the start of lockdown, I prefer to remember the positives and the way in which everyone supported each other will leave a lasting memory. 

    Enjoy the weekend and thank you for your support. 

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 24 - Friday 14 March 2025

    Published 14/03/25

    I have spent a good deal of time thinking about Parents Evenings in recent weeks.   

    The Spring term brings a succession of these, and we believe that this is the best time of the year for teachers to be feeding back progress to parents and carers.  It was a few years ago when we changed the title of these events to Progress evenings, firstly to make clear that academic progress is the key focus for the meetings, but also to recognise that not all students are supported in their schooling by their parents.  It may be step-parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts or carers.  That would be too long to fit on the booking form so, instead, we opted for Progress Evening. 

    Any of you that have attended these know that there are inherent logistical challenges with scheduling and sticking to appointments.  We – and you – do our very best to make it work and mostly it does.  The feedback is good, and you provide us with helpful ideas on how to continue to improve it. 

    If attendance is anything to go by, you certainly value them.  Last night's Year 10 event attracted 80% of the year group, up from 65% at the same time last year (Y9).  This shows a remarkable level of support for our teachers and is crucial to improving their chances of success in the summer of 2026.   

    At the same time, after starting the night at Hessle, I travelled over to Wolfreton for my own son’s Parents Evening.  Here I experienced the event from your perspective – hearing from teachers and asking questions about his effort and potential.   Afterwards my wife and I tried to instigate a conversation about it – with little success.  He had done well with only minor things for him to work on but, rather than tell him how to fix those things, we hoped he would have his own ideas.  He didn’t.  He’s fourteen now and has become monosyllabic unless he is talking about food or football!   We persevered and eventually got a promise to spend a bit more time looking at books and less time on his phone.  If any of that resonates with you - believe me - I empathise. 

    The attendance last night has been a continuation of a wider trend of engagement with our school, which manifests in parent events as well as student attendance, both of which continue to rise.  Current school attendance is now 2.3% ahead of last year at the same time and whole-school attendance now outstrips both the regional and national average.  This is crucial to achieving success for our students and we thank you for your support in driving this up.  Nationally, and at school level, we are still around 2% below pre-Covid levels and there remain genuine challenges for young people, families and schools but we will persevere and keep striving for our goal of 96% attendance across the school. 

    And so, after a chilly and wet week, we look forward to another dry spell coming up next week.  During the week, we will also be able to update you on our lunch plans which will change after Easter to enable Year 11 students to move to an early lunch period as they approach their exams. 

    In the meantime, enjoy the weekend and thanks again for your support.  

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 23 - Friday 7 March 2025

    Published 07/03/25

    It has been a splendid week.  Most weeks leading a school are a pleasure and a joy; but this week has been especially enjoyable. 

    The weather has helped but so has the general positivity of everyone in our school.  To give you a flavour of the privileges I have enjoyed this week: 

    On Monday, I addressed our Year 11 students in their assembly.  I spoke to them about the team that they have around them – teachers, leaders, pastoral staff.  Indeed every adult in the school is rooting for them as they enter the final eight weeks of schooling before their external exams begin.  I love speaking to groups of students in assemblies; I try not to do it too often so that – hopefully – when I do, the message sounds fresh and has meaning.  Our students are super-respectful in assemblies – we have total silence and perfect conduct.  One or two thanked me as they left.  That’s all I needed. 

    Later on Monday, I showed Mark Brown (our Trust Director of Education) around the school.  We visited a handful of lessons which happened to be some of our most creative subjects – we heard a year 10 student play the keyboard and watched a dance lesson.  Then we saw some students working on their photography portfolios.  All of them utterly absorbed in what they were doing and enjoying their chosen KS4 curriculum. 

    Break and lunch duties have been a pleasure this week with so many students enjoying socialising outdoors.  We have introduced a number of table games to our site, starting with some table football games. These have gone down a storm, with students loving the challenge of playing each other – and staff.  Miss Pinkney (HOY9) has shown herself to be quite an adept ‘striker’. 

    On Monday night, Mrs Groak and Miss Oddell returned from Barcelona where they had taken a groups of Sixth Form students on a weekend trip.  The feedback has been tremendous and – since I teach some of the students myself – I had the opportunity to ask them what they thought of the trip.  “Loved it”, they said, “we just want to go back there”.  You could see that – in a weekend – horizons had been expanded, life opportunities recalibrated. 

    On Tuesday, I visited Year 11 Maths lessons where students have received their mock exam papers back.  There were lots of happy students but also some disappointment.  Their teachers were skilfully managing both sets of emotions whilst presenting students with their bespoke plans for improvement.  Being a teacher of a Year 11 class at this time of the school year is akin to being a parent, delivering encouragement and support with a firm hand.   

    Elsewhere this week, I have met with three colleagues that have been seconded to our Senior Leadership Team for the year.  Already effective middle leaders, they have taken on the opportunity to develop themselves professionally by attending our meetings and bringing different perspectives and voices to our discussions.  This is something that we have done for four years at Hessle and it has definitely strengthened our overall leadership across the school as well as developing colleagues for their own progression.  Three people have moved on to other roles elsewhere in our Trust due, in part, to the experience of senior leadership.  Whilst we do not want to lose good people, I am pragmatic in knowing that we cannot hold onto everyone who is ambitious and would much rather help them on their way to success. 

    Finally, I have also dropped into rehearsals for our upcoming school production of Grease; this takes place between 18 and 21 March and will feature a cast and crew from right across the school, including students of all ages.  The students, and staff, have taken their rehearsals very seriously and are keen to put on a high quality production.  They always do and I am looking forward to seeing it later this Month. 

    And finally, on Thursday afternoon, we hosted our Year 9 Progress Evening and were delighted to have two hundred plus families in attendance.  This time marks the mid-point of a secondary school education and you can see the increasing educational maturity emerging in our young people.  It was great to see them and to chat to parents. 

    And then I left and went to the MKM stadium to watch Hull FC take on Leigh Leopards.  I was joined by Jim Nixon, Headteacher of Howden School, who had told me that he really wanted to see a Super League game in the flesh if I ever had a spare ticket.  What we witnessed was one of the most dramatic, and longest, games I’ve ever seen, which ultimately ended in a 22-22 draw.  It was full of controversy and action and, after Jim had left us, I stayed up late with my son watching the flashpoints and action on SKY.  Jim was very lucky to see such an epic game as his first taste of the sport and we were left proud of the effort of the Hull team.  It was also nice to see ex-Hessle students, Brad Fash and Jordan Lane, still regularly representing the club. 

    The weather forecast for the weekend is very pleasant so I wish you an enjoyable weekend and thank you for your support.  

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 22 - Friday 28 February 2025

    Published 28/02/25

    It was the writer and football fan, Nick Hornby, who wrote that ‘the natural state of the football fan is bitter disappointment’.  And it was the comedian Jack Dee who admitted that his own ‘natural state’ was grumpy. 

    Others, with maybe more intellectual insight than those two, have agreed that the natural state of the human mind is to be dissatisfied or, at best, to be as happy as the human condition allows us to be. 

    As I get older, I do find myself more inclined to be grumpy, like most people of my age and generation, I guess.  But I have also identified a trait which may be more in tune with my job role, that of being ‘restlessly dissatisfied’.  I run a terrific school, with marvellous people working in it, fantastic students and great parents.  And yet, it is never enough. 

    As I walk the school site, I always come across something that isn’t quite as it should be - a student who isn’t where they’re meant to be, a display that has become tatty or unsightly, a poster on a wall with a spelling mistake.  I carry my phone with me (it ought to be a note pad) and will quickly note it down, or take a picture of it, so I can address it later.  As I do this, I sometimes wonder whether other people notice what I have seen.  I ask them but invariably they haven’t - they’re simply too busy, or they’re doing something else and don’t have the luxury that I have perhaps to walk the site without singular purpose, with my head up.  Basically, looking for things that aren’t as they should be. 

    The challenge for me – in grumpy middle age – is not to overreact to what I have seen.  I must put right whatever the problem is and try, as far as we can, to prevent it from happening again.  But not to blame, not to show too much dissatisfaction.  My leadership philosophy has always been to communicate my expectations, based on our Trust and school values and vision, and then to empower my staff to deliver to the best of their ability.  This carries an inherent risk that they will make mistakes.  But the pay off in terms of their motivation and creativity and discretionary effort is more than worth it.  Which is why, when mistakes are made, I mustn’t overreact or attach too much blame. 

    But it does getter harder as I get older.  Being aware of it, I suppose, is part of the remedy.  As is having other senior leaders who will point it out when I get things wrong, as they do.  

    ***  

    This week we have been putting our finishing touches to the Third Edition of The Eagle, which will be emailed to you shortly.  Reading these before they go out definitely moves the dial in the positive direction on the ‘grumpometer’.  Seeing the range of activities that our students are engaged in, across sports, arts, charity work, as well as in their classrooms, fills me with pride.  Whilst we send out The Eagle edition which corresponds with the year group your child is in, you can read all five of them on our website.  It will give you a strong sense of the full breadth of activity taking place in our school. 

    Thank you also to everyone that has completed the Edurio Parent Survey.  This is still open until the 10 March and can be found here if you have not yet completed it. 

    ***  

    There are now just 38 school days until our Year 11 students sit down in the hall for their first external GCSE exam.  They have acquitted themselves admirably this year, especially during recent mock exam weeks, which they have mostly taken in their stride. 

    There is a huge amount of activity taking place to support our Year 11 student, with lots of information being communicated to them, and home.  To help organise this, next week we are launching a dedicated area on our website which will enable students and parents/carers to find things such as exam timetables, revision schedules, tips on studying at home and so on.  We will share more information with you next week on this. 

    ***  

    On the subject of Nick Hornby’s ‘bitter disappointment’, Hull FC have begun their season in typical fashion – a good win which promises hope, followed by crushing defeat.   By the time you read this, they may well be back in action again on Friday night against Huddersfield.  My son and I will be watching on TV, prepared for whatever happens, knowing that the downsides, just make the upsides even better.  Just like life really. 

    However you are spending the weekend, I hope you can spend some time outdoors enjoying the spring sunshine.  Thank you for your support. 

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 21 - Friday 14 February 2025

    Published 14/02/25

    It was great to see so many parents and family members in attendance for our Year 7 Progress Evening this week.  It is no secret that we have had some technical issues with our booking systems this term which we hope has not caused too much inconvenience.  We have learned lots from each event and hope that these are resolved as we approach the Year 9 Progress Evening after half term (March 6).  As ever your patience is appreciated, as is your support. 

    Year 9 Information (Options) Evening is also on the horizon (February 25th).  On that evening (starting at 6pm), you will hear a presentation from school leaders outlining the options pathways available to students in Year 9 as well as having the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.  This event is part of the transition process for Year 9 which steers them towards Key Stage 4 and their GCSE studies.  We would love to see as many parents/carers as possible at this event, as well as the Progress Evening which follows.  Your support at this stage in your child’s education is imperative. 

    ***  

    Many thanks to those of you that have already completed the Edusurvey which was sent out last week.  This is a set of standardised questions that are being sent out to parents/carers across our trust and which will inform strategic planning.  If you haven’t yet completed it, please do so here 

    And, on the subject of feedback, thank you to those of you that have completed our own Parent survey, which is sent out around the time of each and every Progress Evening.  This information is then transferred into the Ofsted Parent View site which enables anyone to view the responses given either via the school or directly onto the site.  It can be found here.  Last year, we had 613 responses logged – lots of which came around the time of our Ofsted visit.  This year, we currently have 48 which is growing all the time.  I am delighted that 96% of respondents would recommend our school to another parent. This is great testament to the work we do and we appreciate the support you give us. 

    **** 

    Next week, myself and the family are spending some time in Berlin.  This is a city that I have visited several times and have a fascination with.  For this break, we faced a choice between somewhere further south with a chance of some sunshine (my wife’s choice) or Berlin, which will be cold and has a tendency towards bleak.  Nevertheless, my son is studying the Cold War and is intrigued by the story of the Berlin Wall.  My daughter, meanwhile, is hoping to see some stars on the red carpet as it is the annual Berlin Film Festival whilst we are there.  So, the timing seemed ideal for a trip to Germany.  And it is cheap at this time of the year, which helps! 

    As well as the history and culture, my son and I have also bagged tickets to see Hertha Berlin playing at the Olympiastadion, home of the 1936 Olympics, with all that entails.  It should be a fascinating trip.  The only problem being how to get all our cold weather clothes into a Ryanair-compliant 10kg suitcase! 

    Aside from that, I am looking forward to some relaxation and a chance to catch up on some reading.  I have a stack of books which I am trying to wade through but never really find the time to do so and am guilty of buying more books than I ever read.  School holidays give me some of that time and I intend to use it next week. 

    I hope that you enjoy the weekend and that half term enables you to spend more time together as a family.  Thanks as ever for your support.   

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 20 - Friday 7 February 2025

    Published 07/02/25

    You would think it would be impossible to make Ofsted's system for reporting on schools any worse than the single phrase judgement system. And yet, according to Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of ASCL, that is precisely what they have done. The proposed report cards, he said, were “worse than single-word judgements”. 

    These were introduced on Monday at the start of a twelve-week consultation period which, in theory, should lead to them being used in inspections from November. This is a timeframe which is extremely short and has already led to whistleblowers from within Ofsted reporting that the whole process has been too quick and lacking proper scrutiny.  Alongside the report card is a proposed monitoring system, the detail of which I have read three times, and still don't quite understand.  

    Schools will be placed in ‘special measures’ if any area (except leadership) or safeguarding is a concern, and leadership is also a concern. Those schools will get six monitoring inspections over 24 months. A school will ‘require significant improvement’ if any area (except leadership) or safeguarding is a concern, but leadership is not. These schools will get five over 18 months. Clear?  

    It remains to be seen how 'high stakes' this becomes and what the consequences will be if a school gets an 'attention needed' judgement. That will depend on the perception of parents, local media and the rest of the system as to how they respond and whether schools will also get support from inspectors before, during and after each inspection. We can only hope that this will not be the 'cliff edge' judgement that has led to such perverse incentives in our schools for the past few decades.  

    The consultation is open now and runs until end of April.  It is open to parents to please consider taking part.   

    ***  

    This week’s lunch trial has been a qualified success.  Successful in the sense that the plans we had in place were effective; but this was qualified by the fact that it didn’t rain or snow! 

    When choosing early February to run a trial, we anticipated that we would get some wet weather which would enable us to see how our plans would cope with high numbers of students wanting to remain indoors.  That didn’t happen and, for most of the week, students have preferred to socialise outside once they had grabbed their food.  Nevertheless, the queues were managed well, adapted space was used well and, as ever, our students coped admirably with the change.  We will have another attempt at trialling this further later in the term. 

    On Monday, Year 11 students begin their last round of Mock Exams before the real ones take place in the summer.  The importance of mocks cannot be overstated.  They are useful for teachers in determining what a student still needs to work on and can also influence the tier of entry that a student goes.  For students, they have a big influence on confidence, good or bad.  We urge all students, and families, to treat these as if they were the real thing and prepare accordingly, which means getting plenty of sleep and exercise, but also doing independent revision at home, as well as in school.  This ‘balanced’ approach is always more effective than relying on revision sessions with teachers, or last-minute cramming.  If there is still any doubt about the pitfalls of ‘cramming’ then please look up the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve to see what I mean. 

    ***  

    I always think (optimistically) that February half term marks the beginning of the end of winter and the start of Spring.  That may not be meteorologically correct but it often feels that way as nights grow longer and the chances of snow and slush recede.  Tomorrow the rugby league season starts and we are just one week from half term.  I hope you have nice plans over the next couple of weeks to spend more time outdoors and with family over the half term break. 

    It has been another calm and purposeful week at school and we know that cannot happen without your support so thank you.  And have a lovely weekend. 

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 19 - Friday 31 January 2025

    Published 31/01/25

    “It’s a bit like being on The Apprentice, sir.  You know that episode where they get destroyed by an interviewer from Hell!  Well maybe it wasn’t quite that bad,” so said one of our Year 11 students yesterday when I asked him how his ‘mock’ interview had gone.   

    The Year 11 Mock Interview Day has been a feature of our calendar for as long as I have worked at Hessle. and it has always proved popular and daunting in equal measure.  This year, we spread it over two days with students coming out of their lessons to be interviewed and then to receive feedback.  This slimmed down model helped us to keep the school fully open for all other year groups, which is the main difference to previous years. 

    Thanks to the support and participation of 40+ employers from 30+ business organisations who all volunteered their time over the past two days, we were able to give 230 students a genuine interview experience.  Of these, 48 of them were appointed to the ‘jobs’ which ranged from physiotherapist to teacher to RAF mechanic. 

    The experience is terrific for the young people who further realise what the real world is about and the importance of having a narrative by which to promote your skills and attributes to employers. 

    My thanks to all the volunteers as well as the staff that organised it, but particularly to the students who, as ever, never fail to impress with their maturity and singular determination to rise to the occasion. 

    ***  

    As I have written before in this blog, next week is our lunch trial whereby we will be adding an additional year group to our early lunch to explore how we can manage the extra demand on the canteen and social space.  The trial will last a week and, whilst we are confident that we can support all students, there may be some teething problems at the start (it is a trial, after all).  We will ensure that all students have plenty of time to get their food and to eat it but please bear with us.  The long-term goal is a better lunch experience for all students. 

    ***  

    There are some aspects of school life that always raise a smile and yet are so everyday that they can often be overlooked.  Last term, I was asked to judge the Year 7 Cell Making competition in Science which involved examining dozens and dozens of pieces of student work to determine which one was most creative but also showed the best degree of learning about cells. I was delighted to choose Beth Mullen’s piece of work which was a vivid red orb showing a cross section of a cell – very impressive and the result of hours of hard work. 

    This term, I have seen students coming and going to school carrying models of castles that they have made.  This is an activity that Year 7 students do in History and forms part of their homework programme whilst seeking to answer the Big Question of 'How did William keep control of England after he became King?’ 

    It is great to see students proudly carrying in their models (some of them almost bigger than they are, but all of them showing evidence of many hours of planning and design).  It always puts a smile on my face to see it – just an unsung activity that engages students in deep learning. 

    ***  

    This weekend, for the first time in a long time, my wife and I are getting away for the weekend with a trip to Oulton Hall near Rothwell.  The children will be at home with Grandma, although my son will be at the Hull City game tomorrow afternoon, playing football on Sunday morning and starts cricket nets on Sunday afternoon.   

    I also hope to start running again after barely getting outside for the past four weeks due to the weather and an irritating cold that I haven’t been able to shake.  As February begins, I’ve convinced myself now it is Spring and so I shall look forward to a run in the sun in the morning (I can but hope). 

    Have a lovely weekend and thank you for your support. 

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 18 - Friday 24 January 2025

    Published 24/01/25

    The True Cost of Education 

    School leaders’ and teachers’ unions have for years talked about the lack of funding directed to schools.  So, in 2018, the Government challenged the Headteachers’ Union, ASCL, to come up with a figure which would represent what schools actually need to do their job to the standard we might all expect.   

    ASCL took that challenge and produced a report ‘The True Cost of Education’ which was published in March 2019.  The report concluded that primary and secondary schools in England required £40.2 billion of funding in 2019-20.  In that year, they had actually been allocated £34.5 billion. 

    ASCL calculated the figure by working out how many teachers and support staff were needed to support the number of pupils in the system that year.  They based this on all staff having sufficient preparation time, leaders having time to quality assure provision, a maximum secondary class size of 30, a broad and diverse curriculum and all students being taught by a qualified teacher. 

    That £5.7 billion gap represented underfunding of 16.5%.   In simple terms, in 2019, it meant that each and every student was being short-change by around £800.  And that was before Covid and the impact this had on children’s health, wellbeing, behaviour and attendance which has probably made that gap even greater. 

    For a school the size of Hessle High, this represents around a million pounds of ‘lost’ funding.  Just to give a sense of the difference that could make, with one million pounds, we could: 

    • Employ around 15-20 extra teachers (taking all employer costs into account) which would reduce class sizes significantly, or 
    • Employ around 30 teaching assistants to provide more targeted support, or 
    • Equip every student with a digital learning device and equip a raft of rooms with upgraded ICT  
    • Provide all students with an overseas educational visit (and a domestic one) each year or 
    • Much else besides..... 

    Most people have little interest in Government Bonds and Gilt Yields.  However, since 2021 following Liz Truss’ budget and recently since the Rachel Reeves budget, these have increased.  Which essentially means the Government has to pay more interest on the money it borrows.  The extra cost of borrowing money has more than wiped out the £5.7bn that could have been given to schools.   

    Children’s education isn’t just essential to their lives, it is crucial to all our futures, especially when we are ‘going for growth’ in our economy.  And yet, we still have not made the argument that schools need to be funded fully.  In 2010, 5.7% of our GDP was spent on education; it is now only 4.1%.   

    The public, and media, seldom talk about a crisis in schools, or that education is broken, in the same way that we talk about the situation in the NHS.  I’m not sure why that is the case; maybe we are too good at ‘making do’ with what we’ve got?  

    *** 

    Another reminder that we will be trialing a potential new lunch format during the w/c 3 February.  In the longer term, it is our desire to have all students taking break and lunch at the same time.  For the most up to date information, please see the letter attached here

    ***  

    As we approach the fifteenth week of January, I would like to praise all of our students for how they have conducted themselves during some cold, wet and windy weather.  Attendance continues to rise and behaviour is improving even more, term on term.  Your support with this is invaluable and greatly appreciated.  Thank you. 

    ***  

    Weather permitting, tonight I am driving to Sheffield to see Hull City.  My son is a passholder at Hull City and goes to the games with his friends.  They are all too young to go to an away game on their own, so it falls to the parents to take turns to take them on roadtrips.  Tonight it is my turn.  The last time I stepped foot in the Bramall Lane ground was in 1988 to see Bruce Springsteen on his Tunnel of Love tour.  I suspect much has changed since then and I will not be hearing the music I love but instead the many chants sung by the City fans, most of which my son knows by heart and sings all over the house.  I’m looking forward to it.  It is the passing of the sporting baton from one generation to the next. 

    Meanwhile, my wife and daughter have invited my mum over for a ‘Girls’ Night’, which I’m told involves Prosecco, Cheesecake, a Bridget Jones film and a pedicure.  I’m definitely glad I’m going to Sheffield. 

    Have a lovely weekend and thank you as always for your support.  

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 17 - Friday 17 January 2025

    Published 17/01/25

    There was an image circulating on social media last week showing the price of staying at a Lodge in Wolburn Forest Center Parcs in February for a family of four. 

    For the week commencing 10th February, it cost £429.  For the week commencing 24 Febuary, it cost £599.  For the week in between it cost £1449.  Guess which week is half term? 

    What we are seeing here is price discrimination, more often called ‘dynamic pricing’ or ‘surge pricing’ where prices rise (or fall) to meet an increase (or fall) in demand.  It is the law of supply and demand, as taught to me by my economics lecturer at Leeds Poly in the 1980s.  Whilst the higher prices during school holidays always catch the headlines, the corresponding way of looking at the same picture is that the prices outside of holidays are lower than they would otherwise be.  The market equilibirum price is somewhere in between the two but the nature of the product (family holiday) and the irregular demand means that this demand has to be rationed in some way, hence the price rises during school holidays. 

    There is no solution other than some form of price capping by the Government who would never engage into such a potentially hazardous market intervention.  Price discrimination happens in all markets every day, from concert ticket pricing to the wide range of different versions of similar products that you find on your supermarket shelves.  

    I do not quite share the view of one headteacher that I once met who said, “It’s tough.  If you want to have kids, you need to cough up more for your holidays,” but I do believe firmly that the right place for children to be is in school.  It is hard enough for young people to maintain high levels of attendance just accounting for the daily illnesses that occur but to make this harder by taking children out of school for days and weeks for a holiday does risk the development of youngsters as well as their academic progress.  My flexibility in allowing term time holidays is extremely limited to very unique circumstances and this is set out in law.  This is sadly one of those situations in life that we just have to live with but please also consider how the same issue affects teachers who – for their entire career, whether they have children or not – always face much higher travel and holiday costs by virtue of their profession. 

    ***  

    This week we have invited our Year 11 students into early morning revision club held in the canteen.  From 8.15 students can get free tea and toast and have a period of time where they can get their revision books out and do an extra 15-20 minutes of work before the school day starts.  From next week we will also be introducing revision classes in place of the tutor period for three days per week.  We are pleased to see so many of our older students now taking these opportunities and taking personal responsibility for their upcoming examination preparation.   

    ***  

    Thank you as ever for your support.  Have a lovely weekend. 

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 16 - Friday 10 January 2025

    Published 13/01/25

    Firstly, let me take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Happy New Year and a healthy and prosperous 2025. 

    It has been a decidedly chilly first week of the new term and, whilst it took a few hours for the school to warm up on Monday, it reminded me just how bad it used to be before our new school was built.  I remember the old site when it would be either sub zero for months in the winter and tropical for the same time in the summer.  There would be about two weeks in April and two weeks in October when the temperature in the buildings was ‘just right’. 

    I appreciate that it isn’t easy for students in these conditions.  Unlike primary schools and in most modern schools, students are not provided with lockers or ‘pegs’ on which to store their outdoor wear or bags and they have to cope with carrying them with them each day.  Lockers were not built into our school design and there simply is not the space to install them in the current building design.  Nor do students have a base room where they could safely leave their bags, coats and equipment as all rooms are used constantly throughout the day.  I wish it were different or had money to change this but neither is possible. 

    As a result, we ask students to bring outdoor wear to keep warm and ask that they bring a bag in which to store it during the day.  Where this becomes wet, we are soon to give them a suitable plastic bag to put their coat into which can then go into their school bag.  In cold weather such as this week, we are also allowing students to keep their outerwear on when in the canteen as they come and go from here during lunch.  I have to say that students cope very well with this in general and we have few problems with these measures in place.   

    Next week, the temperature ticks up a little so we will not have ‘cold weather’ day in place and students will be expected to remove outer wear in the canteen at unstructured times.   

    Thank you for your ongoing support with uniform standards which remain exceptionally high. 

    ***  

    A new year is always a great opportunity for a fresh start.  I spoke to all our students in successive assemblies on Monday and praised their resilience for being in school, on time, on such a dreadful cold and wet morning.  I also praised their attendance which, at that point, was 100% for the year!  Maintaining high levels of attendance through the winter is not easy for young people; nevertheless, the benefits of being in school, socially and academically, are proven beyond doubt so we continue to celebrate high levels of attendance and the resilience shown by our students. 

    ***  

    Last night we held our latest Parent First event which focused on how parents can support Year 11 students with their studies in English.  We had over 60 families present who heard tips and advice from Mr Burnett, Mr Kay and Head of Department, Mrs O’Loughlin.  Between them they have decades of experience of preparing students for success in their exams and I am delighted that they willing to give up their evening to share it with parents and students.  I hope that those in attendance found it useful.  Watch this space for more information on these events for other subjects and year groups. 

    ***  

    Finally, it is a quiet weekend in the Groak household over the next few days as we rest and recuperate after the first week of term. Thankfully, the weather is improving slightly and the winter sunshine always invites me to put on my running shoes and get out for some exercise.  Whatever you may be doing, stay warm and safe and thank you for your ongoing support. 

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 15 - Friday 20 December 2024

    Published 20/12/24

    A fifteen week school term is tough and I am always impressed by the resilience shown by our students, and staff, to navigate this period of time. This morning, Mrs Todd and Mr Riches led celebration events for the students in Years 8 and 7 respectively that had completed the term with 100% attendance and no behaviour points. They were given a hot chocolate drink and a breakfast waffle. But mostly, they were pleased to be recognised for their achievement which was well deserved.

    Attendance to school inevitably dips as we reach December but I am delighted that we are still tracking at 2.5% higher than the same period last year. Thank you for your support with this. Our attendance team are increasingly proactive in reaching out to families where attendance is lower than we need it to be and again I thank those of you that have collaborated with Mr Chapman and Mrs Kibart to improve your child's attendance. It really does matter, every day.

    ***

    There are a number of different opinions regarding the core purpose of a school - a place for social development, a place to acquire qualifications or a place to acquire specialist skills. Undoubtedly, schools are a place for preparing students for the next stage of their education. This is even a separate and important element of the Ofsted school inspection framework.

    At Hessle, we take this part of our work very seriously and recognise that each and every one of our students has their own unique set of ambitions and potentials and that it is our job to help them on their way, whilst also seeking to challenge their ambitions and make sure they are aspirational.

    The Gatsby Benchmarks is a framework by which schools and colleges evaluate the work they do in relation to careers education and features eight individual benchmarks which include careers advice appointments, opportunities to visit workplaces, the sharing of labour market information and more besides.

    The goal is that schools will secure a 100% score on each of these, which demonstrates an exemplary careers programme. Some of these benchmarks have been fully secured at Hessle for some time. Benchmark 6 (workplace visits) has always been the weak point as it is for most schools, due to the difficulty of taking large groups of students out of school to visit businesses,

    Last summer, we introduced a work experience placement for our Year 10 students, which managed to secure a workplace visit for 74% of our students and significantly improved our Benchmark 6 score. All eight of our benchmarks are now well above the national average which should come as great news to parents/carers who want their children to benefit from expert careers guidance.

    The next steps in our careers work comes in the form of our Aiming Higher programme which is designed to challenge students to raise their aspirations and, for most students, to ensure that by the age of 18 they are 'university ready'. Having the choice to go to university is one that I want for all of our students. Not everyone will want to do this and there are some high quality degree apprenticeships that are now fantastic alternatives. But we want everyone to have the choice.

    But our careers programme actually begins in Year 7 with 'All About Me' day, follows on in Year 8 with 'Ambition Day' and really accelerates through Year 9 and into Key Stage 4 with careers weeks in each of Years 10 and 11. Our careers programme helps us to deliver on our school mission - "Everyone can achieve the extraordinary", which we firmly believe in.

    ***

    With increasing numbers of students on roll and with attendance increasing steadily post-Covid, this year has seen the highest number of students ever on our Heads Lane site. This is great for the school community but brings its own challenges, not least of which the arrangements for the safe arrival and departure of our students.

    For those of you that do not visit the school each day, the front of school is an incredibly busy place and features a main entrance that welcomes pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and six school buses. We rely on the safety conscious behaviour of all road and footpath users to ensure that everyone stays safe and I thank everyone who uses this space for their cooperation. This takes a large staff presence to mitigate the risk of accident and this works for us.

    If you do use the school site, please always adhere to the 5 MPH speed limit which is a key element of our risk assessment. Please also be considerate and use only the spaces in the Visitors Car Park and not the priority spaces in front of reception. These are reserved for blue badge holders only, of which we have a large number who need these spaces.

    New markings are in place this week and we will also be installing a speed limiter on the road as vehicles enter the school site. More than anything, your cooperation and understanding keeps the site safe. Thank You.

    ***

    We continue to insist that students are prepared for their learning. In order to do this, we need all students to ensure that they bring a school bag to school. This should ideally be a two handle backpack which can be carried comfortably over both shoulders. Other bags are currently permitted but a backpack is always preferable. The bag allows students to carry the following equipment:

    • School planner - this is a compulsory element of school equipment and allows us to communicate with home, as well as record positive stamps for student conduct
    • Pencil case - this should include pens, pencils, ruler and other equipment
    • Water bottle - which can be filled at any of our water stations around school
    • Outdoor wear- the bag should also be big enough to store an outdoor coat, scarf or hat as we do not have lockers in school

    Having a bag to school improves student organisation and independence. Through 2025, we will be working with all students to ensure that these minimum expectations are met. Thank you for your support

    ***

    The Groak family will be on the road on Monday, along with the 2 million other vehicles that are estimated to be travelling for Christmas. Eventually, we will be in Surrey to spend Christmas with my in-laws, including the first Christmas for my children with their new baby cousin. I am heading back on Boxing Day (after the traditional non-league football match, Walton & Hersham v Bracknell). This will allow me to spend some time with my parents before my wife and kids head north next Saturday. On Sunday, we're braving the North Sea for a quick dash to Rotterdam to break up the holiday and then it will be feet up with nice food for New Year. Busy, but full of quality time with family with time to relax in between.

    However you are planning to spend the holiday, on behalf of all the staff at Hessle High School, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

    And thank you for your support in 2024.

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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  • WEEK 14 - Friday 13 December 2024

    Published 13/12/24

    At the start of this half-term, I deleted Twitter/X from my iPhone.  As much as I enjoyed scrolling through news clips and opinions, I had found myself trapped in a time vortex that usually ended an hour after I had sat down with a me feeling stressed or frowning for no apparent reason.  The ability of smart phones to make us addicted to angst is a modern phenomenon which afflicts us all.  Since deleting it, my screen time is down 30% and I have managed to find much more time for reading.  A book. 

    Hypocritically, I also get frustrated when I find my son lounging on the sofa, Sky Sports on the TV, mobile phone in hand, an iPad on his lap.  “What you doing?” I’ll ask him.  “Nowt,” he’ll reply.  “Then get up and do you homework/empty the bins/dishwasher etc,” I’ll snap in frustration. 

    Smart phones are insidious objects.   In a generation, they have crawled into every corner of our lives so that now we now can’t live without them.  Just last night alone, I used my phone to time my run, listen to a Podcast, check my work emails, pay a bill, check the football scores, read the news, engage in some banter with my mates on WhatsApp, do some Christmas shopping and text my mum.  The productivity achieved from my phone is incredible.  And yet, I could spend as long as it took me to do those things, doom scrawling through X in search of a momentary dopamine hit.  And I’m a middle-aged man who learned how to live and function as an adult before smart phones existed.  Pity the child who knows nothing else.  

    Which is why, this year, we further tightened our policies on mobile phones in schools.  We have now joined the 56% of schools in England that do not allow mobile phones to be used at all during the school day, even at breaks and lunchtimes.  This is up from 39% in 2018 and the trend is only going in one direction.  Some schools have gone as far as physically removing phones from students when they arrive on site on the basis that the presence of a phone in a student’s pocket or bag is a stress creator (there is lots of research to support this). 

    I have to say that, since we tweaked this policy, the response from the students has been superb.  They quickly adapted to it and universally comply with it; there are now only a handful of occasions each week where a student uses their phone and has it removed from them.  More importantly, incidents of peer disputes arising from mobile phone use in school have disappeared.  There were never many to begin with, and we still have to content with the regular out-of-school social media disputes which then spill into school, usually on a Monday morning.  If you were to walk into our school canteen at lunchtime, you would find hundreds of young people and teenagers sitting and chatting, sometimes playing Uno or another card game, and just enjoying each other’s company.  In person.  It is great to see. 

    ***  

    This week, we sent out the first issues of The Eagle – our new year-group school newsletter.  If you missed it, they can be found here.  This will be sent to you each half term with the next one due before February half term to provide you with an update of the curriculum that your child is studying as well as the wide range of extra curricular events taking place. 

    ***  

    It has been a tough few weeks in school with lots of students and some staff absent through illness.  I have managed to dodge the germs for now but I can feel the tiredness.  The only people that can understand how tired a teacher is in the week before Xmas is another teacher.  And so, this being the final weekend before the Xmas break begins, we are opting for a relatively quiet weekend in the Groak household, starting with a Christmas movie tonight, some gentle shopping tomorrow and an early morning trip to Bridlington on Sunday to see my son play football.  If the weather holds, we may even go for a bracing beach walk before heading home for another lazy Sunday afternoon.  In between times, I will catch up with my parents and plan the time we will spend together over Christmas.  It still sounds busy when I write these words but it will feel relaxing. 

    Enjoy your weekend and thank you for your support.  

    Mr Groak

    Headteacher

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