Dear HP families,

It has been another exciting week at HP, filled with creativity, sporting achievements, and career exploration.

On Wednesday, a group of our students visited the Music Works to begin writing and recording a song for the G15 ensemble. The G15 is a collaboration between all 12 secondary schools in Gloucester city, along with The Milestone School, Gloucestershire College, and the Pupil Referral Service. This partnership allows our students to work with others across the city, and we’re excited to see how the project develops. We look forward to sharing the finished piece with you once it is complete. Additionally, planning is underway for our first-ever HP Concert, which will take place later in the year—more details to come!

Year 9 Drama lessons have also been impressive this week. Students have been exploring “Gestus,” a Brechtian technique that encourages actors to portray a particular attitude or moment, rather than focusing purely on emotion. It’s been a pleasure to observe the creativity and focus in these lessons. We recently shared a video on our Instagram page showcasing a whole-class exercise that involved students acting as spectators at a football match—first celebrating a win, then reacting to a loss. I encourage you to take a look.

Thursday brought us great sporting news, as six of our Year 11 rugby players—David, Oliver, Ammar, Efosa, Alfie, and Davion—competed in the Gloucester District Schools Tournament in Cheltenham. The team performed brilliantly, with two draws and a notable win against Cheltenham. We are proud of their accomplishments and look forward to hearing if they will be selected for the County team. Well done to all involved!

This success followed a hard-fought victory by our Senior Rugby XV against Pate’s on Wednesday. Additionally, our Year 10 rugby team had a promising start to the season with a competitive match against Severn Vale, showcasing excellent skill and determination. It’s been a fantastic week for rugby at HP.

We’ve also been busy with Careers events this week. Year 7 students enjoyed a presentation from Hartpury University, while Year 8 students heard from SGS Stroud College. Year 9 had an introduction to the GROWS program and completed a destination survey, while Year 10 students participated in post-16 workshops. Twenty of our Year 10 students also began their “Mapping My Future” sessions, which will help guide them in planning for their futures.

Finally, I want to reiterate our focus on attendance, which remains our number one priority this year. The HP Hero Club will officially launch during the week of Monday 21st October. Students with 95% or higher attendance will be inducted, receive a commemorative badge, and become eligible for special rewards in Term 2. Please continue to monitor your child’s attendance on MCAS and contact their Head of Year if you have any concerns.

I wish you all a lovely weekend,

Mr Hudson
Headteacher