Principal’s Weekly Post – Week 27

As we reach the end of the Spring Term, I want to take a moment to reflect on the past few months and express my sincere gratitude. It has been a busy and productive term, filled with hard work, achievements, and memorable moments.

Firstly, I want to thank you, our parents and carers, for your continued support and collaboration. Your involvement in your children’s education is invaluable, and we truly appreciate your partnership. Whether it’s attending parent evenings, supporting school events or simply encouraging your children at home, your contributions make a real difference.

Secondly, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated staff. Their commitment, passion and tireless efforts are the driving force behind our school’s success. They consistently go above and beyond to provide our students with a rich and engaging learning experience.

And, of course, a huge thank you to our wonderful students. Their enthusiasm, resilience, and positive attitudes make our school a vibrant and inspiring place to be. We are incredibly proud of their achievements, both inside and outside the classroom.

We were delighted to receive a generous donation of Easter eggs from York Cares this week. This kind gesture brought smiles to many faces, and we are very grateful for their support in making this Easter a little more special for our students.

Finally, a gentle reminder to please submit your parental voice feedback via the following link: Parent Survey – March 2025. Your feedback is important to us and helps us to continually improve our school.

We wish you all a restful and enjoyable Easter break. We look forward to welcoming the students back on Tuesday 22 April 2025.

Thank you again for your ongoing support.

Gavin Kumar
Principal

Grease 2025

Grease is most definitely ‘the word’ this week at York High School. Not only have our students done a full day of technical rehearsals, a day of dress rehearsals and three evening performances this week, they have also done two matinee performances for over 240 students from Hob Moor, Westfield and Carr Junior Schools.

The energy, enthusiasm and commitment all our students have shown is admirable and we are incredibly proud that they belong at York High.

We hope that our cast and crew have a very well-deserved rest over the Easter holidays. We will communicate details of a cast and crew video evening to watch the recording of their performance after the holidays.

Theatre Trip

On 27 March, Mrs Lawson and Mrs Jackson accompanied some of our Drama students to York Theatre Royal to watch a fantastic performance of ‘North By Northwest’. This was an invaluable trip to see a professional performance to shape their discussion of live theatre in lessons.

Pilot Theatre Collaborative partnership

The Performing Arts Department has been working closely with Pilot Theatre this year to bid for funding to support our students through a collaborative partnership. As part of this, our Year 10 Drama students visited York Theatre Royal on Monday 31 March. They had a stage and backstage tour of the whole theatre which give useful context to some of the content in lessons. They then had a talk from the original set designer for ‘Noughts and Crosses’, which was invaluable in terms of answering their set text question about set design. They finished the morning with a workshop from Pilot Theatre’s Oli O’Shea, who helped our students reimagine freeze frames from ‘Noughts and Crosses’ in different stage types to link closely with the expectations of the GCSE syllabus.

Our students were a credit to the school and found the morning incredibly useful. Thank you to Mrs Lawson for taking our students.

Drama Club

As part of the funding partnership mentioned above, we are very excited to offer a Drama Club after Easter on Thursdays after school until 5.00pm. Students will be working with Mrs Lancaster and Carolyn Bradley to put together a performance of the play ‘Bright. Young. Things.’ which they will perform at the end of the summer term. Regular attendance is compulsory and it is open to any student in Years 7-10.

The Big Science Day Out!

We were delighted to welcome Year 5 students from across the Excel Learning Ttust primary schools on Tuesday for the YHS Big Science Day Out! We had a fantastic day watching and participating in some very exciting experiments. Thank you to everyone who helped make the day a success!

Excel Trust Samba Band

We are very excited to be preparing our Trust Samba Band in preparation for the York Pride Parade on Saturday 7 June and we would like to invite any interested pupils from our Trust, from Year 4 upwards, to join us. Any interested percussion players do not need experience of drumming and will learn how to play the samba rhythms in our rehearsals.

A generous donation by Pavers Foundation means we are able to purchase more instruments, and this year we will be adding a brass / wind section.

If your child would like to attend they will need to be available for the parade on 7 June and for weekly rehearsals in the lead up. The rehearsals will be at Knavesmire Primary School in the school hall on Thursdays 5-6pm from 24 April to 5 June (six sessions) with Mrs Hardy, music teacher at Knavesmire. Any brass or wind players are very welcome and will need to be able to play at a minimum of Grade 3 level. Further information on the Pride Parade will be sent to you next half term.

If your child wishes to join us, please complete this form by 9.00am Thursday 24 April.

Clare Hardy – Music Lead, Knavesmire Primary School

Excellence Every Day

Our Excellence Every Day rewards this week go to Paisley, Bryony, Tillie-Mae, Louie, Harley, Tiana, Jan, William and Lucy.

Well done everyone!

Motor Trades 2025 – Event at York College

Thursday 8 May 2025:  5.30-9.00pm

For any students in Years 9 – 11 who are interested in a career in the motor industry, York College is holding the above event where students can discover how the industry is developing, speak to motor vehicle specialists and find out about training opportunities.

Further information can be found here.

A Mind of their Own – free course places now available!

This four-week course explores ways to better support our children and teens with their emotional wellbeing.

The video and discussion-based sessions consider ways to help build resilience, encourage positive thinking, manage strong emotions (with a focus on dealing with anxiety), build body confidence and create a sense of belonging. The course provides evidence-based content and ideas for discussion. There will be a chance to chat and share with other parents, which can be a great way to feel supported and learn helpful tips.

100% of course participants say that family life has improved for the better as a result of this course!

“The whole course was invaluable. It had very useful content delivered in a relatable way.”

“I have a better understanding of how to help my children. I feel equipped with great tools and knowledge”

“I also picked up top tips for my own wellbeing”

To sign up for your FREE place, click here.

The course is free, although any donations towards the running of this course are a great help towards the work of our small charity.

Well done Year 11s!

We’ve shared examples across the term of activities in Year 11 form time to support mental health and wellbeing in the approach to the exam period.

Today, to congratulate Year 11 for their wonderful effort across the Spring Term, we had breakfast in the canteen, where students were asked to say something they were proud of about themselves.

Keep it up, Year 11!

Inaugural Excel Staff Recognition Awards

Next term, Excel Learning Trust will hold its Inaugural Staff Recognition Awards 2025 celebrating the incredible individuals who make the Trust community thrive.

These awards provide a way for the Trust to express its gratitude for the tireless effort, hard work, dedication and passion that members of its community bring to the table. There will be awards for support staff, teaching staff, leaders and volunteers, who will be recognised for the amazing impact they make and for ensuring that our children experience educational excellence every day.

One very special award is the ‘Excelling Through Parent or Community Recognition’. Awarded for those who build strong relationships outside of the Trust and for making sure that our school is not just a place for children but a hub of support and connection, this is parent or community nominated. We’ve already received a large number of nominations in this category, but if you’d like to nominate someone from Millthorpe or any of the other Trust schools, just complete this short nomination form by Monday 14 April 2025. 

The award winners will be announced at a celebratory event on 10 July 2025.

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.

The YHS Way

Next week’s focus: Routines and Habits – Strong Start