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Hope Valley College

Headteacher's update

Published on 17/01/25

Dear Parents and Carers

This week has felt like a much more usual week for us in school and that has meant getting back to our core purpose of education. All students have received feedback on where they are at through ATL and MLO grades. This information will be shared with parents via email and is also available on the Arbor app. Year 11 are now at the point where revision is the word they are hearing a lot in school, as they approach mock exams. 

Today we welcomed Duncan Wilson, the CEO of Historic England into school. He brought with him 2 apprentices to talk to Year 9 and other selected students about careers within this sector as well as the benefit and value of apprenticeships.  his is part of our on-going careers programme to help our young people to make informed choices about their future and also to understand the expectations of the world of work. We will have more employers coming in to school over the coming months to talk to different year groups about different work sectors.

A reminder that school starts at 8.55am and students are expected to be in school before this time, ready to start their learning when the bell goes. We are aware that delays to bus journeys are outside our control. If you bring your young person to school, please make every effort to ensure they arrive on time. Please also remember to use the car park when dropping off or collecting students. The bus bay at the front of school should be kept clear for buses. Students with bus passes for travel should make sure that they have their passes available to present to the driver on all journeys.

If your young person is ill and unable to attend school, please contact our attendance team by phone or email (attendance@hopevalley.chorustrust.org). If a student is absent and we have not received notification from you, we will now contact you via email in the first instance. 

What’s going on in school:

  • All past, present and potential contributors to student magazine HaVoC were invited to a celebration in the library to mark the recent release of Issue 5 and to say a big thank you to editors-in-chief Ruby, Flo and Ben for all their hard work. Work will start on Issue 6 next week and new contributors are always welcome to submit items such as articles, creative writing, artwork and photography. If you're interested in getting involved, see Mrs Mummery in the library, or come to HaVoC meetings on Wednesday lunchtimes from 1pm.

  • Y10 GCSE drama students have officially started 40% of their course this week. They are in groups devising a performance where they are in charge of everything from the script to the lighting! Miss Starbuck is really impressed with the passion and maturity the class has already shown towards this topic, and we cannot wait to see them perform in the summer term. 
  • Brothers Danny (Y10) and Johnny (Y8) made the most of the snowy conditions last week with a spot of ice climbing before school! This was their first time using ice axes and crampons to complete a route here in the Hope Valley. After a 5am start, they were up and down in time for their first lesson at school! Great effort boys!

Y11 Mock Exams

Mock exams for Y11 students will run from Monday 3 February to Friday 7 February. Please see the link to the timetable below.  Students will be handed their statement of entry nearer the time. Exams - Hope Valley College (chorustrust.org)

Y9 Subject Evening – Thursday 30 January

The Y9 Subject Evening will take place on Thursday 30 January. This is an opportunity for parents and carers to discuss their young person’s progress with subject teachers. Bookings will open at 5pm on Tuesday 21 January 2025. The following booking link will be active from this time: https://hopevalley.schoolcloud.co.uk/.

GCSE Art and Textile coursework

A reminder to all GCSE Art and Textiles students that their coursework accounting for 60% of their overall qualification is now due in. More information has been sent via Arbor to parents and carers of students concerned.

Y10 English Literature

All students in year 10 will sit an on online assessment during their English lesson as follows: 

  • Tuesday 28 January - P2 - ICT2 10 Shelley (Mrs Foster’s class)
  • Friday 31 January - P2 - ICT1 10 Woolf (Miss Norman’s class)
  • Friday 31 January - P5 - ICT1 Bronte (Mrs Hale’s class) and ICT2 Wordsworth (Ms Worrall’s class)

They will have a maximum of 50 minutes to complete 50 multiple choice questions on A Christmas Carol which cover narrative, methods, context and key terminology. They will need to revise and are advised to use their knowledge organiser, exercise book and materials on Teams  (English Lit -  General - Class Materials -  A Christmas Carol). 

Job Vacancy

We are currently recruiting for Exam Invigilators to join our team. For more information, please see our website: Vacancies - Hope Valley College

Dates for Your Diary

Thursday 30 January – Y9 Subject Evening

Tuesday 11 February – Y10 Subject Evening

Friday 14 February – break for half term

Monday 24 February – INSET day – school closed to students

Thursday 6 March – Y9 Options Evening

Wednesday 19 March – CRY screening for Y11 and Y10

Monday 31 March – Thursday 3 April – Music Trip to Paris

Friday 4 April – break for Easter

Thank you for reading our communication. Here are some helpful email addresses, should you need to contact us:

Kind regards

Debbie Petts

Headteacher, Hope Valley College
T: 01433 620555

 

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