Week 30 – 12 May 2023
It’s Good to Be Back
It has been great to be back at YHS even for part of the time. It is strange but when you have had an enforced absence you appreciate the things that you take for granted normally. The genuine good wishes and warm welcomes I have had from students, staff and parents have been fantastic. At what can be a stressful time of the year it has been great to see so many smiles on the students faces when i have spoken to them. One of the benefits of being away has been the chance to step back and look at where we are as a school.
One of the key areas that I want to refresh is our approach to behaviour. Like all schools post pandemic we have seen an increase in defiant behaviour from a small minority of our students. Walking round (hopping round!) school there is no change in the excellent behaviour of the majority. The first part of the refresh has been the behaviour surveys that we have asked staff students and you as parents to complete. Thank you to the 132 parents who have completed the survey. Many of your answers were thoughtful and considered. I went through the responses in detail yesterday and look forward to feeding back to you on this subject.
What has not changed is that this has been a busy week, apologies to Year 7 parents as I was unable to attend the parents’ evening. As everyone predicted, I rushed back and tried to do too much too soon!
Good Luck Year 11 in the run up to your GCSEs
Have a lovely weekend.
Rod Sims
Year 11 GCSE Exams
Year 11 exams start on Monday next week. We are so proud of our pupils and would like to wish them every success in the coming exams. As we said in our assembly last week; finish strong!
Dutch Exchange
This week we welcomed 25 students from Wateringse Veld College in the Netherlands. Our Y9 students were a credit to the school and were so welcoming to our guests. They learned about young people from a different culture as well as making some brilliant friendships. On Tuesday we did getting to know you workshops, Wednesday we took all the students to Sutton Bank to see the best view in England and finally we did work in school on the main issues young people are facing before having a fun farewell at bowling.
We look forward to visiting the Netherlands in the future to cement the link between our 2 schools. Well done to all students involved!
A message from Mrs Crotty
I have now finished my second week as Head of Ignis House! I am very grateful for the warm welcome pupils have given me, with so many of them coming to introduce themselves and helping me find my way around. I’m so glad I’ve joined York High and look forward to meeting more pupils and parents over the coming weeks. If you need to contact me about your child, my email address is e.crotty@yorkhigh.southbank.academy
Allstar World Dance Championships
In our Week 27 update, we told you about two Year 9 students, Bethany Scurr and Darcy Calvert, who, along with their dance team Elegance, were flying out to Orlando Florida to take part in the World Dance Championships. Bethany and Darcy have since returned, placing 3rd in the world, bringing home the bronze! Amazing job, well done Bethany, Darcy and Team Elegance!
RAS Achievers – Geography
Well done to this weeks’ RAS Achievers, nominated by our Geography department.
Eshaa, Nancey and Imogen, well done!
Ugandan Story
On Wednesday Y8 pupils were treated to a fascinating assembly and workshop on the refugees who fled Uganda in 1972
They discovered stories of those who escaped Amin’s regime 50+ years ago and settled in York through an emotive, engaging and award-nominated exhibition which was commissioned by Uganda50 York and produced by Navrang Arts.
Religious Studies
Pupils in Year 9 have enjoyed participating in workshops with our visitors from York YOYO Trust, a Christian Charity that works with schools to provide education about Christian beliefs and teachings. In the sessions, pupils were exploring ideas about life after death and learning first hand about what Christians believe about Heaven & Hell, the Afterlife and Judgement Day. Pupils also had the opportunity to ask questions about what Christianity teaches. Our visitors were impressed with the engagement and participation within the sessions. Well Done Year 9!
