Dear Parents
As we come to the end of another short but eventful half-term at William Howard School, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the achievements and progress made by our students. Despite the short nature of this term, there has been a considerable amount of dedication and hard work demonstrated by all our students and staff.
Our Year 13 students have recently completed a set of mock exams, marking a significant milestone as they prepare for their summer exams. Their commitment to their studies and their determination to excel are commendable, and I have no doubt that they will continue to work diligently towards their goals.
Similarly, our Year 11 students have shown exemplary focus and resolve throughout this half-term as they prepare for their final mock exams. Their dedication to their studies is truly inspiring, and I am confident that they will approach their exams with the same level of determination and dedication.
At William Howard, we firmly believe that education extends far beyond the confines of the classroom. Our students have had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities and competitions, including the recent Maths Challenge and the Rotary Young Chef Competition. These experiences not only enrich their learning but also help them develop valuable skills and confidence outside of the academic spectrum.
As we look ahead to the final week of this term, I am excited for what will undoubtedly be an exceptional whole school performance of “Little Shop of Horrors.” This promises to be a highlight of the term, showcasing the talent and creativity of our students.
Working in a school environment is always exciting and inspiring, and I am grateful to be part of such a vibrant community. With over 1,350 students, nearly 200 staff members, and our dedicated parent body, each day brings new challenges and opportunities for growth. Together, we continue to raise expectations, drive standards, and support our students to achieve their full potential.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your participation in the recent parental survey, which is invaluable, and we will carefully analyse and act upon the feedback received in due course. I am heartened by the many positive comments we have received and the insightful suggestions for further improvement.
In closing, I want to thank you once again for your ongoing support and partnership. Together, we can ensure that every student at William Howard School continues to be the best they can be.
I wish all students and parents a happy half-term break.
Kath Pigdon, Headteacher
The Start of the School Day
Please be aware our buses are expected to drop students off from 8.30am in the morning. We have staff on duty from 8.25am and therefore it is not possible to safely allow students access to the school building before this time. We work tirelessly with our bus companies to adhere to this expectation and ensure students are not arriving at school before we have staff in situ. I appreciate at times the situation is not ideal, but we must ensure safe supervision of our students on school site. The main doors open between 8.20am and 8.25am. In extreme weather we always endeavour to open the doors earlier.
The Use of Mobile Phones
Since September most of our students have adhered to the mobile phone expectations in school. As you may be aware, in October the DFE suggested we would receive new guidance on potential new rules around mobile phones and I will update you in due course. I politely remind all parents communication with students during lesson time should be avoided at all costs. We advise all parents to check their child’s phone regularly and reinforce safe and appropriate use of social media.
Attendance
There is no doubting that there has been much illness in the student body over the past few months. Since the middle of November, we have seen a very inconsistent picture with attendance. As a school we continue to remain around the current national average for attendance, however, we are below pre-pandemic attendance levels. Cumbria Education Trust are the leaders across Cumbria and have developed a very robust attendance strategy which we are benefiting from immensely. We will be strengthening the strategy further following the half-term break to ensure we continue to drive student attendance back to pre-pandemic levels. As we know, to achieve academic excellence students must attend.
Holidays During Term Time
A polite reminder that I am unable to authorise holidays during term time. There must be exceptional circumstances for leave to be granted during term time, and family holidays are not classed as such. Student attendance continues to improve at William Howard, and we continue to work hard with all our families to improve it further.
Travel Time and Toilets
As you will be aware, we are introducing travel time between certain lessons during the school day. The five-minute travel time is designed to maximise the learning time of every lesson. During travel time, students are not permitted to visit toilets as this will lead to lateness and we do not have staff supervising toilets at this time. If students need the toilet during a lesson, the same process applies as before, whereby students ask their teacher. Mrs O’Connor is working with a wide variety of students to ensure all students feel comfortable and able to access the toilets in school whenever they need.
Homework Reminder
Students’ homework should be visible on the Edulink App. We continue to refine and develop our homework provision and we are starting to see a positive change in our student body. Our Year 11 students have benefited from a new weekly overview system supported by Form Tutors, and we endeavour to refine this for our current Year 10 students. The system asks parents to support students to complete all homework during the week and sign this off at the end. Thank you for your continued support with this.
The school homework expectation is as follows:
- KS3 – English, Maths and Science set weekly. All other subjects at least bi-weekly.
- KS4 and KS5 – All subjects weekly except for core PE and PD. Year 11 homework overview sent weekly to all parents and students.
Standards Cards
Every day the majority of our students continually make positive choices in school in terms of their behaviour. As you are aware, we acknowledge the continued hard work and efforts shown by students continually through house points, Learner of the Lesson and special recognition awards, to mention a few. However, we would like to trial a new system within the pastoral teams where students are rewarded for ‘just doing the right thing’ when they are on the corridors and during social time. Students will be recognised for demonstrating any of the nine positive behaviours, each linked to our three values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience. This might be holding a door open for someone else, removing a coat without being asked, using good manners etc. After half term, each student will be issued a Standards Card by their House Tutor – it is expected that students have these with them at all times; they have been designed to fit in their blazer pocket for ease. When a member of staff witnesses a student demonstrating a positive behaviour (outside lesson time), they will ask for the student’s card, sign it and state the reason it has been awarded. Once a student has a full card signed by teachers, their form tutor will award them 10 house points and issue a new card.
School Uniform
As we move into the second half of the academic year a reminder of our school uniform policy and our partnership with the Cumbria Cerebral Palsy shop in Brampton (located at 40 Front Street), who sell second hand uniform and accept donations. The majority of our students look exceptional.
Our high standards in terms of uniform and equipment continue to remain a focus, we are committed to our students and genuinely believe that they deserve nothing short of the best. Our pursuit to create a community of ‘powerful learners’ continues to be a priority and we can only achieve and maintain these high standards with your continued support. As part of our continued Standards Drive in school, our pastoral teams will be working with students in their house forms and parents to ensure that the highest standard of uniform is maintained.
When buying uniform, please check our uniform policy on our website to ensure items are acceptable, or contact us if reassurance is needed: https://www.williamhoward.cumbria.sch.uk/parents-info/uniform/
Student Equipment
Alongside uniform, we expect all students to arrive to school with a school bag, pencil case (pen, pencil and ruler as a minimum) and planner at the very least. Without this, a student is putting up their first hurdle to making progress. By taking pride in equipment, they take pride in the work they do.
Being equipped and prepared to learn is essential for an effective start to the new school day. Establishing a routine the night before, where students pack their bag to include their planner, pencil case, appropriate books, and PE kit if necessary, not only teaches good organisational skills but also makes the morning routine a little easier. We are developing the concept of a powerful learner at William Howard, and this starts with the highest standards of uniform and being prepared for learning. We appreciate your help in ensuring your child attends school properly equipped for their learning.
Edulink
A reminder of our parent and student app which is used to support parents with current homework, reports, achievements, attendance and timetables. Since the app was introduced, we have received a positive response from our parent and student body. If you need help regarding the app, please do not hesitate to contact the main reception.
Active Travel and Bikeability
We have been fortunate to receive Bikeability Training once again from Cyclewise. Students will benefit hugely from this training and hopefully it will inspire them to ride their bikes more. Alongside this, we are asking students if they would ride to school if we were to provide a new secure bike shed. We are currently in discussions with Active Cumbria to explore how we can encourage more active travel within our school community.
Democracy in Action
Students are being given an opportunity to have their say on what matters to them in the national Make Your Mark (MYM) young people’s ballot, taking place from 29th January to 8th March. During PD lessons this week and after half term, our students can visit the ballot box and vote for the issues they would like the newly elected Members of Youth Parliament to focus on.
Members of Youth Parliament are elected every 2 years from across the UK. Once elected, they meet with MPs and local councillors, organise events, run campaigns, make speeches, hold debates, and ensure the views of young people in their local area are listened to by decision makers. They work on three campaigns throughout their two year term; these campaigns are decided through Make Your Mark.
William Howard School Prefects
Our Sixth Form Student Leadership Team has been strengthened by the selection of 25 new Sixth Form Prefects taking our Sixth Form Student Leadership Team to over 30 students. Prefects will support with various aspects of school life from media and sport to academia. We hope our younger students will recognise the valuable contribution our prefects will make and aspire to become a William Howard School Prefect in the future.
Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance
We are committed to providing high quality careers information advice and guidance to our students and their parents. There is a designated parents page on our website to find out more about our provision, Careers (Parents) – William Howard School. If you would like to speak to our Careers Lead about any IAG related questions you have please email thill@williamhoward.cumbria.sch.uk.
Some of our students are entering the workplace this year with part-time work. Please read the information from Cumberland Council on child employment and work permits Access and Inclusion – Child Employment | Cumberland Council
It is National Apprenticeship Week – to find out more about apprenticeships and T Levels please download the 2024 parents’ guide on the government webpage Resources for parents and guardians (apprenticeships.gov.uk)
House Collection
Thank you for all your support for Eden House’s collection of toys and games for Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw. The trolley in reception is overflowing and Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw would like to pass on their thanks to our school community.
Friends of William Howard School
You will have seen the information sent from Mrs Hill, who has recently formed the Friends of William Howard School. This is like a PTA in a primary school and will undoubtedly be a valuable addition to our school community. I was heartened to read a comment on our parental survey suggesting this as something we could introduce, demonstrating the appetite in our parent body to get involved. Thank you in advance to our parents who come forward to participate.
Brampton Youth Partnership
We are committed to supporting our students not just in school but also within the local community. There are currently two Brampton Youth Worker vacancies which will support the youth provision in Brampton going forward. As a school we will support the ongoing work within the local community for all our students to benefit.
Working with our Primary Schools
We very much value the working relationship between ourselves and our local primary schools. Our primary cluster meetings happen each term to ensure a joined-up approach to important aspects of schooling for all young people in our local area. We are currently exploring ways to support our primary schools with resources and facilities to enhance their provision. We endeavour to have a more joined up approach to attendance and ensure attending school daily is the social norm in our area. Our aim is to get to know our students much earlier in their school journey to ensure the best possible support as they make their transition to secondary school. We also look forward to our Maths and English teachers working in partnership to ensure levels of challenge continue to be increased and reviewed as students move from primary to secondary school.
School Calendar
Upcoming events include:
| Wednesday, 7th to Friday, 9th February | School Production of “Little Shop of Horrors” |
| Monday, 12th to Friday, 16th February | Half Term Holiday |
| Monday, 19th Feb to Tuesday, 5th March | Year 11 Mock Exams |
| Wednesday, 21st February | Year 7 Parents Evening |
| Saturday, 24th – Wednesday, 28th February | Media Live! & Business Live! – Y12 trip to Disneyland Paris |
| Monday, 11th March | Year 9 Options IAG Morning |
| Wednesday, 13th March | Year 9 Progress and Options Evening |
| Thursday, 21st March | DADA Showcase Performance |
| Saturday, 23rd to Tuesday, 26th March | D of E Gold Award Qualifier Expedition in North Yorkshire |
| Wednesday, 27th March to Tues, 2nd April | Performing Arts Trip to Malaga, Spain |
| Thursday, 28th March | End of Spring Term |
| Sunday, 7th April to Friday, 12th April | Easter Multi Sports Tournament, Holland |
