Dear Parents and Carers,
As we reach the end of the first term, I want to take a moment to express a massive thank you to our entire school community. This has been a truly special year for York High School. Our collective success is a testament to the dedication of our students, the unwavering commitment of our staff, and the incredible support from our parents and carers.
We understand that the holidays can sometimes bring extra pressure to families and I would like to remind all families about our Community Cupboard. This resource is open to anyone within our school community who may need a little extra support with food or household essentials. To make a confidential request, please reach out to us at: reception@yorkhigh.elt.org.uk.
I hope that all of our families have a peaceful and restful break. I encourage everyone to take this time to switch off, recharge, and enjoy quality time with loved ones.
Please do have a look at the seasonal video below from Excel Learning Trust’s staff and students – you may recognise a few people!
Warmly,
Gavin Kumar
Principal
Friday 19 December
School closes for Christmas break
Monday 5 January 2026
School closed for Training Day
Tuesday 6 January
School reopens for Spring term
Wednesday 11 February
School closes for half-term break
Monday 23 February
School reopens after half-term break
As the term draws to a close, we wanted to share some fabulous news items with you to update you on what has been happening across the Trust over the last couple of months and in the lead up to Christmas.
You can read the newsletter here.
I hope you and your families have a wonderful Christmas and all good wishes for the New Year.
Kind regards
Mark Hassack
CEO, Excel Learning Trust
Last Thursday we staged our third Festive Showcase. It celebrated talent within our school with ensembles such as the Singing Group, the YHS Dancers and Swing Dance group alongside soloists from across the year groups and a preview of our next musical ‘Annie’.
As ever, we finished in style with the staff panto which saw Mr Kiernan, Miss Linsey, Mrs Fletcher, Miss Clements and Mrs Lancaster take on ‘Aladdin’. Of course, our staff panto wouldn’t be complete without the return of Assistant Principal Mr Hardy as the Fairy Godfather. His costumes get more elaborate each year!
Thank you to everyone that took part in the raffle at the Festive Showcase – your support helps us provide more opportunities in the Arts for our students.
Mrs Lancaster and Miss Linsey oversaw the draw, and contacted the winners this week. Congratulations to everyone that won a prize!
It has been my absolute pleasure to work at York High School and I have loved every minute of the last six years. Tilly has loved the cuddles and treats! I move on to the next chapter with many wonderful memories of our students who have made me smile every single day. A huge thank you to parents and the wider community for your unwavering support. It has been a privilege to work with you and your children.
Wishing everyone the very best for the future.
On Monday, 13 of our Singing Group went to Ebor Nursing Home to sing our Festive Showcase repertoire and spread some festive cheer. Two of our students volunteer at the nursing home as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award and helped to arrange the visit.
The residents really appreciated the afternoon entertainment and enjoyed talking to our students before and after the performance.
This week, Year 11 enjoyed an immersive day visiting both York Minster and Bradford Grand Mosque, which helped them to see the ways in which religions are lived by their faith adherents. It was great to have a tour, learn about the religious places of worship and speak with the people that use them in their lives, and will help broaden students’ understanding as they prepare for their GCSE exam in the summer.
Last Tuesday, the Year 10 GCSE Music class visited the Physics, Engineering and Technology Department at the University of York for a day of workshops on Music Technology. We looked at binaural sound, creating our own synthesised instruments, coding music using MATLAB and looking at acoustics.
We are pleased to be able to share that we have once again been able to gift our Year 7 students a new book to welcome them to York High and celebrate reading.
It has become an annual event for us to support our Year 7 students with their reading journey, and this year’s selection of books is a mix of Graphic Novels, Short Stories and more traditional novels.
Miss Linsey arranged for the books to be handed out during the last tutor session of 2025 in brightly coloured bags, perfect for popping under the tree until Christmas Eve, so that they can partake in Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic tradition of giving and receiving books on Christmas Eve.
We hope they all enjoy their new book and have a wonderful time reading them over the festive break.
We would like to invite all parents of Year 8 students attending the Liverpool Trips in the Spring Term to a parent meeting on Wednesday 7 January 2026 at 6pm. This will confirm the itinerary and answer any questions you may have.
We have a bumper celebration for our Excellence Every Day Awards as we get ready for the Festive Break. Our students have been busy producing some amazing work over the last few weeks, with some picking up multiple awards!
Mr Kumar & Mr Hardy have really enjoyed speaking to students about their achievements.
Congratulations to Gracie, Izzy, Myles, Isla C, Hannah, Josh, Evie, Scarlett, Nybol, George, Lewis, Maisie, Sophie B, Zara, Ava, Jan, Billy, Annie, Ben, Isla M, Daniel, Joe, Lily, Jules, Ella F, Rowan, Bella, Ursula, Lucy, Sophie G, Ella G, Emmie and Tiana.
A fantastic achievement for all of them!
We are still looking for local businesses, employers, educators, and others to attend our whole-school careers fair on 12 January 2026.
For more information, please contact Vicky Bettney on v.bettney@yorkhigh.elt.org.uk
If you would be interested in supporting mock interviews for Year 11 pupils on Friday 23 January, we would love to welcome you into school. Please contact Vicky Bettney on v.bettney@yorkhigh.elt.org.uk
We have confirmed to parents and carers the enrichment activities their child has signed up for, starting in January 2026. For anyone who had not yet signed up before the deadline, we have created a new opportunity on this form.
Every half term, Sue Wight, Director of SEN and Safeguarding at Excel Learning Trust circulates tips and advice regarding SEN and safeguarding to parents/carers.
This half term’s SEN and Safeguarding newsletter can be found here.
York College is currently advertising a number of apprenticeship vacancies which can be seen on the attached pdf. Each vacancy has a hyperlink to the Apprenticeship Service website, where you will find full job details and where you can submit your application.
A note on closing dates: vacancies often close earlier than the stated date, so if you are interested, please make sure you apply as soon as you can.
You can also read the attached guidance on how to write a strong application to ensure the best chance of success.
Our school is committed to helping those in need through our community cupboard, ensuring that every student and family has access to essential food/household items. Donations are always welcome and greatly appreciated, as they help us continue to support the local community.
If you or someone you know needs any support, please contact Aimee a.stewart@yorkhigh.elt.org.uk or Emma e.masterman@yorkhigh.elt.org.uk, or pop into main reception.
All requests will be handled with care and confidentiality.
This is the official York High School (UK) Facebook Page - LIKE this page to stay up to date
✨ What a fabulous first week back! ✨
It has been fantastic to welcome our students back and see them looking so smart, settled and eager to learn. 📚👏
There has been such a positive atmosphere around school, and it’s been brilliant to see our students embracing the start of a new academic year with enthusiasm and pride.
A huge thank you to our incredible staff for making the first week such a success. 💙
We’ve got a great year ahead of us — this is going to be a brilliant one! 🌟
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🎉GCSE Results Day 2026🎉
We have come to the end of our social media coverage for Results Day 2026.
A massive well done to all our Year 11 students.
Whatever your results were we know you all worked really hard to get where you are, and have all show tremendous resilience over the past 5 years.
The staff at York High School are extremely proud of all of you!
We know that you are all capable of amazing things, whatever the future holds for you.
Congratulations to the Class of 2026
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🎉GCSE Results Day 2026🎉
French
A historic day for the French department with record breaking results!
Over 82% of students achieved at least a grade 4 and nearly 30% achieved a Grade 7 or above!
A special congratulations to Lucy P, Ethan R, Isobel S who all achieved Grade 9’s. Lucy S, Thomas W, Robyn K and Evie B for achieving a Grade 8.
The French department would like to say a special congratulations to Paisley T-C for the huge amounts of effort she demonstrated throughout her French studies. You should be very proud of the results you achieved!
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