Dear Parents/Carers,
The end of the summer term is always a very exciting time in school, as prom season marks our farewell to Year 11 and 13 students and we welcome Year 6 students into school on their Induction Days ahead of joining us as our new Year 7 cohort in September. June and July have seemed jam-packed with trips, visits to school and special events – far too many to mention individually here. Please do see our social media sites and our final newsletter of the year for more information and photographs of all the different events that have taken place this half-term.
To view our July newsletter click here
Summer Holiday Household Support Fund Payments
Cheshire West and Chester council are once again using some of the government’s Household Support funding to support students in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) to access food during the summer break. The council has approved an allocation of £15 per week per FSM recipient for the six-week school summer holiday. Tesco e-vouchers will be distributed in the usual manner to eligible families, including those with students in Years 11 and 13 – an initial £45 e-voucher on Saturday 20th July and a further £45 on Saturday 10th August.
Results Days
A reminder that Year 13 Results Day is on Thursday 15th August and Year 11 Results Day is on Thursday 22nd August. We are very much looking forward to joining our students in celebrating their successes on these days and students/parents should refer to separate correspondence already sent out for further information.
Diary Dates for 2024-25
A reminder that the new school year begins on Tuesday 3rd September for students in Years 7 and 12. Students in other year groups return on Wednesday 4th September.
Please see below some Autumn Term dates which will hopefully be of use/interest to parents:
Thursday 12th September – Year 12 Information Evening (in school)
Wednesday 18th September – Year 7 Photographs
Thursday 19th September – Year 11 and 13 Photographs
Thursday 19th September – Pastoral Evening (remote meetings with Form Tutors)
Wednesday 25th September – Year 13 Information Evening (remote)
Thursday 26th September – Year 6 Open Evening
Friday 27th September – Community Macmillan Coffee Morning (in school)
Thursday 3rd October – Year 11 Information Evening (in school)
Thursday 10th October – Sixth Form Open Evening
Monday 14th October – Year 7 Information Evening (in school)
Monday 21st October – Year 11 PPE1 Examinations begin (NB Finish Friday 8th November)
Wednesday 23rd October – Year 8 Information Evening (remote)
Friday 25th October – Finish for Half-Term
Monday 4th November – INSET Day
Tuesday 5th November – Students return to school
Tuesday 5th November – Year 13 PPE1 Examinations begin (NB Finish Friday 15th)
Monday 18th November – Start of (2-week) Year 7 and 8 Assessment Window
Thursday 21st November – Year 10 Information Evening (in school)
Thursday 28th November – Year 11 Parent Consultation Evening (in school)
Thursday 5th December – Year 13 Parent Consultation Evening (in school)
Friday 6th December – Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party (in school)
Friday 6th December – Year 7 Christmas Panto Trip
Monday 9th December – Year 9 Information Evening (remote)
Thursday 12th December – ‘Bound in Sound’ Christmas Concert at Chester Cathedral
Thursday 19th December – Annual Awards Evening & Year 13 Celebration Event
Friday 20th December – End of Term (NB 12.45pm Finish)
2025-26 Term Dates
Please see School Term dates and Holidays – Helsby High School for details of our recently-finalised term dates for the 2025-26 academic year.
New Build/Car Parking
We are very excited about the opening of our new English block, with our new classrooms currently on track to be ready for the start of the Autumn Term. Thank you for your co-operation with our parking restrictions since January – all being well, our Bus Park will be open again in September for parents’ use at the end of the school day.
Parental Engagement
As a school, our engagement with (current and prospective) parents and carers is very important to us and we are always looking for ways in which it can be enhanced or improved. Over the last 12 months, staff and governors have been reflecting on our work in this area and the following are some of the developments of note:
– Introduction of tours for Year 5 parents this month.
– Introduction of a termly community event in school to be led by students, starting with our Summer Afternoon Tea on 10th July.
– Hosting the vast majority of our Parent Consultation Evenings on site.
– Introducing on-site Information Evenings in the Autumn Term for parents in Years 7, 10, 11 and 12.
– Introducing new guidance for parents to support communication with school. Please see Contact Information – Helsby High School for details.
– Clarification of the process of raising concerns/complaints. Please see HHS-Complaints-Procedure-July-2024.pdf (helsbyhigh.org.uk).
– New seniorteam@helsbyhigh.org e-mail address for use from September when support addressing concerns is felt to be needed.
Chester Police Residents’ Survey
We have been asked to share the following link to a survey for residents (students and parents) by the Chester Local Policing Unit: Resident’s voice | Cheshire Constabulary
Staff Farewells
As always, the end of the summer term is a time of very mixed emotions in school as we sadly say goodbye to some current colleagues. I know that all parents would want to join me in thanking the following members of staff, who are moving on from Helsby at the end of this term, and wish them all the very best for the future:
– Thank you to Mr Lockley for all the support that he has provided in his IT Technician role as he moves on to an IT Manager role at Urenco, Capenhurst.
– Best wishes to Miss Trimmer as she moves on to teach PE at The County High School, Leftwich in September.
– Best wishes also to Miss Dolphin and to Mr Needham as they move on from the school after covering Mrs Ratcliffe’s and Mrs Little’s maternity leaves respectively.
– Thank you to Miss Riley for all her support of Year 7 this year and best wishes as she returns to a teaching role in Doha, Qatar next term.
– Best wishes to Miss Hughes who, after 3 years at Helsby, moves on to a Head of Geography role at The Kingsway School in Stockport at the end of this term.
– Best wishes to Miss Smith as she moves on to a position as Lead Practitioner at Dixons Fazakerley Academy in Liverpool.
– Best wishes also to Miss Williams, who, like Miss Smith, has also worked at Helsby since 2020. Miss Williams is moving on to an A-Level Teacher position at Sir John Deane’s College in Northwich.
– Best wishes to Mrs Little as she moves on to a teaching role at The Queen’s School in Chester
– Thank you to Miss Shute for all her work in the school since joining in 2019. Miss Shute is moving on to a role Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Northwich and we wish her all the very best for the future.
– Very best wishes to Mrs Dougherty, who moves on to the role of Head of Economics at Sir John Deane’s College at the end of this term. Mrs Dougherty has worked at the school for 10 years and in her roles as Deputy BCE Department Leader and, most recently, the school’s Careers Leader, she has impacted significantly on the lives on many students. In recent years, the school’s careers provision has become very highly-regarded as a result of Mrs Dougherty’s work and she will be missed by both students and colleagues.
– After 14 years at Helsby, Mr Wheeler is moving on at the end of this term to a SEND leadership role in the Falkland Islands. As Social Sciences Leader and also, for the last two years, SEND Deputy Department Leader, Mr Wheeler has made a very significant contribution to the life and work of the school and his support of students and colleagues alike will be very much missed. We wish him all the very best as he moves on to his new role many miles away.
– Finally, thank you to Mrs Wasson for her commitment and work in the school since joining Helsby in 2003, as both Mathematics teacher and Deputy Department Leader for many years. We wish Mrs Wasson well as she moves on to The Argoed School in Buckley, North Wales.
Thank you to all parents and carers for your on-going support this academic year, working in partnership with the school to support our students through another year of their vital secondary education. The start of the new school year is always a time of excitement and anticipation in schools, but before then there is a summer break to enjoy first. I hope that all of our students and families have a wonderful summer of rest, relaxation and time with families and friends. Have a lovely break and we’ll look forward to seeing our students in school again in September.
Best wishes,
Martin Hill
Headteacher