Principal’s Weekly Post – Week 19

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been another productive and purposeful week here at York High School.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to our Year 11 students for their exceptional engagement over the last week. Specifically, their focus during the “Walking Talking Mock” and the subsequent English mock paper which was exemplary. These assessments are vital milestones. We are looking forward to analysing the results so that we can tailor our teaching and offer the specific, individualised support each student needs to succeed in the coming months.

We are also very excited to introduce our Passport to Prom initiative for Year 11 students. Prom is an invitation to celebrate the time students have spent with us at school. It is something that is earned through hard work, commitment, and dedication to learning. In order to be eligible for a prom invitation, students must successfully complete their Passport to Prom. Importantly, every student has the opportunity to reset, regardless of how their journey has been so far. From Monday 2 February, we will officially launch the Passport to Prom initiative, giving all Year 11 students a fresh start.

All Year 11 students have been made aware of this initiative yesterday. We ask for your support in encouraging your child to give 100%, attend school consistently, arrive on time, and engage fully with their learning and exam preparation over the coming weeks.

To ensure you stay fully informed about your child’s daily life at school, we ask all parents and carers to download the ClassCharts Parent App. This platform is our primary tool for sharing real-time information, including:

• Live Timetables: See exactly where your child should be throughout the day.
• Attendance Tracking: Monitor current attendance percentages.
• Behaviour & Achievement: View rewards, teacher comments, and any detention notices.

If you do not already have your unique log-in code, please email d.becton@yorkhigh.elt.org.uk to request your credentials.

Finally, I would like to thank all of our staff, students, and families for contributing to another incredibly positive week. It is the collective effort of our entire community that makes York High such a supportive environment for our young people.

I wish you all a restful and enjoyable weekend.

Warmly,

Gavin Kumar
Principal

Excellence Every Day

What a start we have had to 2026! So many students have been given an Excellence Every Day Award by staff, with some students picking up multiple awards this month.

RAS Achievers

Well done to this week’s RAS Achievers, Grace, Anitah, William and Arabella, nominated by our Science department.

Lost property

We have a large collection of lost property items, including coats, jumpers, bags, and much more.

In the hope of reuniting these items with their owners we are setting everything up at the back of the main hall, where students (and parents) can pop in and look through it.

The Lost Property Pop-Up will be open from 3:00pm on Wednesday 28 January until 3:30pm on Wednesday 4 February.

Anything not collected will be donated to local charities and aid groups on Thursday 5 February, so please do drop in and help these lost items find their way home!

Apprenticeship vacancies

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.

Year 8 Trip 1 to Liverpool

Across Thursday and Friday this week, the first Liverpool trip took palce for Year 8 pupils. Before arriving in Liverpool, we visited the Jewish Museum in Manchester, where students showed fantastic recall of autumn term learning in RS about the Jewish faith.

We then headed to Anfield for a stadium tour, before Pizza Hut and bowling at Hollywood Bowl.

Today, we’ve been on the Mersey River ferry, followed by a trip to the Beatles Museum. It has been a very culturally rich experience, and we’re looking forward to repeating it for trip two next week.

Parent Carer Forum York

To find out more about events and support available from the Parent Carer Forum, please take a look at their latest newsletter here. 

Explore Labs

Teens who like to experiment, design and create can join ‘Explore Labs’ for a series of hands-on workshops. Further information can be found here.

Community Cupboard

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.