Dear Parent/Carer,

I am writing to remind you all of the half term holiday – we finish this Friday at the usual time for one week and are back in at the usual time on Monday 6^th June.

As always we will be using the opportunity of a “new start” to reinforce our expectations around uniform, punctuality and behaviours, so do please make sure that the students are equipped for the summer term properly, in full uniform and equipped for school. They can now wear their summer polo shirts in place of shirt and tie, but they must still have their blazer and there is no longer any allowance for hoodies, coats, non-uniform jumpers or trainers. Leggings and joggers in place of trousers are not acceptable and make-up should be so minimal that it is not noticeable. I am very aware that the last two years have meant we have had to make adjustments – but these are no longer necessary and therefore there is no excuse. Next year the expectations around this will increase again, so this is a good window for us to help the students to get this right and attend school in the right way and in the right frame of mind. They often ask me why uniform matters – the answer is because it shows us you are part of Kingsway, and wearing it properly is respectful. Not doing so is disrespectful and – while we are always glad to try to make things easier when times dictate it, we are past that point now, and we will start to issue detentions/catch-ups for students who do not follow the uniform expectations more rigorously.

Secondly, we are starting to re-design our school day for next year now that we can remove the final aspects of pandemic management from some of our structures. This means that all students will sit summer exams this will be used to inform setting and groupings for next year – it is important that they take these exams seriously and prepare for them well. Our school day will also be extended slightly next year which means that they will need to here a little earlier in the morning and will be finishing a little later in the afternoon  - I will send more details of this out after half term, but for now, I think making sure they are here on time on our current timetable will help. We are very aware that the bubble model has meant we have been less disrupted through the key phases of the pandemic than we could have been – but it also condensed our day somewhat and from September we want to be able to run fuller lunchtime provision with additional clubs, extra tuition again and so on.

Finally for today and I want to thank you for your incredible support as we have tackled the risk of vaping for our young people; the feedback I have had from you has been so positive and we can see the impact of us all working together on this in the massive reduction in vaping generally amongst KPHS students – and also in the many conversations I have had with young people about exactly what the risks are and why we don’t want them involved. I know you have discussed my letters to you with your children and I appreciate this enormously as it teaches them that the adults are working together to keep them healthy and safe and means that we can give a consistent message. Being a parent is the single toughest job there is because it means constantly having to set boundaries and rules for young people in a world that is forever changing – keeping up with it all is absolutely exhausting I know – but this community has been fantastic in its response to this current risk; we will keep up our focus of course and remain vigilant but thank you for helping us make this difference already. Next on the list – social media (!) – one for me to return to after half term!

For now – do enjoy the holiday together when it comes, and send them back to us afterwards fully kitted out and ready to make the most of the summer (which will include the inaugural Kingsway Park Sports Fest on 25^th June – more details to follow – Sports day, Y10 work experience, Y11 Prom – etc etc!))

Yours faithfully

Mrs J Langley

Headteacher