What a superb start to the academic year it has been. As we finish our first half term of 2024/25 it is a great time for me to reflect on a personal level about what an absolute pleasure it has been to get to know our wonderful school community.
Highlights this half term have included our wonderful Open Evening, the Year 11 ‘A Slice of Advice’ evening, a visit from a racehorse and jockey, and meeting a group of parents this morning for coffee to talk about their experience of York High School to date (pictured below).
I would like to thank our students for the superb start to the academic year and I look forward to seeing you all after a well-deserved half-term break.
Have a great week!
Gavin Kumar
Principal
Thursday 24 October
School closes for half-term break at 3.10pm
Friday 25 October
Teacher Training Day – school closed to students
Wednesday 6 November & 13 November
Exam Stress Sessions for Year 11
On Tuesday 22 October, we welcomed Smashed to York High to perform a play and host a workshop about the dangers and impacts of underage drinking to our pupils in Year 7 and 8. All of our pupils engaged wonderfully, discussing the questions posed and displaying confidence in sharing their ideas. Well done!
If the play’s content has raised any concerns amongst young people, please encourage them to speak to their form tutor or Head of Year for support.
The last two weeks have seen YHS students get to spend time with 2 fantastic authors, and find out about their journeys in writing.
Thank you to Tesco Askham Bar!
Miss Woodward met up with Jo, Community Champion at Tesco, to collect a donation of washing detergent for our Community Cupboard. Donations such as this help us with our continued efforts to support the wider local community.
If you would like to donate to our Community Cupboard, we are always happy to accept donations of tins, jars and packet foods, hygiene products and other helpful items.
Donations can be dropped in to Main Reception during school hours, or you can contact reception@yorkhigh.elt.org.uk to discuss other options.
Our Community Cupboard is available to all – if you would like to request some help please get in touch with us via email reception@yorkhigh.elt.org.uk or call 01904 806600 – all requests are confidential and do not require a referral or voucher. (Please note that the Community Cupboard is not available during school holidays.)
Well done to all of this week’s Excellence Every Day reward winners: Thomas, Lucy, Kayla, LJ, Amelia, Max, Jamie, Ruby, Lucy, Lewis, Anitah, Adrian, Lydia, Emilee, Demi, Cristina and Lily.
We are excited to announce that on 28-29 April we will be providing Year 7 pupils with the opportunity to attend a residential visit to Carlton Lodge.
The cost of the visit is £135 and includes: six outdoor and adventurous activities, an overnight stay and all food provided.
To secure a place on this visit we are asking for a deposit of £35 to be paid before 11 November. This can be done through ParentPay or you can bring cash into main reception during school hours.
There are 100 places and they will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
This week is the first in our Careers Spotlight feature. Every week we will be placing a profession, qualification, organisation, event or useful advice in the spotlight.
This week in the spotlight, it’s T Levels.
T Levels are two-year courses taken after GCSEs and are equivalent to three A Levels.
These courses have been developed with employers so that students are prepared for entry into skilled employment or higher education.
T Levels offer students on-the-job experience through an industry placement of 45 days.
To find out more visit the T Levels website or speak to Mrs Callan, Careers Leader.
Last week, we shared news of our brilliant Year 8 Restart a Heart Day where every pupil in the year learned vital CPR skills as well as experiencing other medical knowledge.
We’re delighted to have been awarded the Bronze Award from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service for our commitment to CPD.
Our #YHSWay focus for this week is 'Routines and Habits – Litter' 🌟 🚯
Last week, 30 students took part in spray paint sessions with Art of Protest as part of an outreach initiative led by York City Council to inform a large mural that will be painted on the side of ‘Snips’ on Front Street in Acomb.
Students created their own piece of spray art, heard a presentation about types of mural art work and answered questionnaires about what they would like to see on the murals and benches, which are also due to receive a makeover.
We hope they enjoyed this unique opportunity to have a say on what happens in their own, wider community.
Each Wednesday during form time, our Year 11s now have a mental health focus giving them an opportunity to consider self-esteem, strategies to support mental health, and how we can still experience joy in the exam season.
The first session was a definite hit! #mentalhealth
📣 The Principal's Weekly Post is available now - please make sure you take a look to read an important letter from Mr Kumar and catch up on all the news from York High!
Have a great weekend everyone! 🤩
https://buff.ly/4jCGUwY
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