We continue to emphasise the importance of good attendance and how this impacts on attainment and access to opportunities.

Attendance

We are introducing ‘3 week-streaks’ after half term to recognise and reward good attendance; students who attend every day, for 3 weeks in a row within a term will earn a reward and they can achieve up to 2 ‘streaks’ each term. We will adapt this for students who cannot achieve this due to extenuating circumstances and those who have alternative timetables. This is part of the further work we are doing to emphasise the importance of good attendance as we continue to work to improve our overall attendance which is still below the national average of 91.7%

Toilet Visits

We have increasing numbers of young people asking to go to the toilet during lessons and while we will always look to accommodate these requests, it does have an impact on teaching and learning within the classroom. As a result, we will record in student planners when students have a visit to the toilet. This will help us to look at whether students need further support. We would be grateful if you could regularly check the student planner as well. Students who have toilet passes for medical issues will continue to be able to use them in the usual way.

Peter Miles - Former Colleague

As a school community we were saddened to learn of the passing of our former colleague Peter Miles. Peter joined Hope Valley College in 1970 and was part of the English department, where he became Head of English before leaving the school in the early 1990s. Peter was passionate about education and about Hope Valley College and he continued to be a supporter of the work that we did, especially through music and drama where he could regularly be seen attending our productions in support of his daughter Hannah Watson (former head of music) and his grandchildren. He was an inspirational and encouraging teacher, who threw himself into all aspects of school life, from commentary at the annual Sports Day, to frequently lending his theatrical expertise to school productions. Most notable of these were working alongside Caroline Small and Paul Barker on Denis the Musical, and co-writing Paradise Park.

What’s going on in school:

• Donations from our recent non-uniform day totalled £250. Thank you to everyone who donated. Monies will be shared between our chosen school charities.
• This week assemblies focused on green careers and jobs in sustainability. Year 9 were treated to an extra assembly with an employer encounter from Gripple. They learned about advanced manufacturing, apprenticeships and graduation schemes. Thank you to Gripple, we look forward to welcoming them back to our careers fair next term.
  
• We are delighted by the Poetry by Heart performances this week by our Year 8 students. The grand final is on Monday so please congratulate your young person if they made it through and encourage them to rehearse.
• Members of our equestrian team competed in their first event last weekend. Sophie Year 9 and Eliza Year 7 both completed 2 clear rounds and have qualified for the next event at Hickstead. There are a number of riders who have registered and/or completed the consent form but have not yet paid. We would be grateful if you could complete the payment as soon as possible, as we cannot register you until this is done. Please contact Ms Wain-Hobson if you would like to join the NSEA communication group. The next event is on 16th March – grassroots showjumping at Beaver Hall in Staffordshire.
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Hope Valley College’s new website has been launched

Road Closure

Derbyshire County Council have shared information regarding a road closure with us: The B6001 Grindleford to Hathersage road will be closed to all traffic, pedestrians and cyclists from Monday, 3 March for a major four week repair programme. The repairs are part of a three year project, which started last spring, to rebuild 100 metres of the 100 year old retaining wall to prevent the road collapsing down the steep bank. A signed diversion route will be in place using the B6001, B6521 and A6187. Full details are available on One Network.

The Hulley’s 257 Service will follow the official diversion route and hope to accommodate the diversion within the existing timetable. Derbyshire County Council will monitor this and will make alternative arrangements if there are any issues. The 048 Grindleford service will not be affected by this closure.

Job Vacancies

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Science Technician here at HVC. Please see our vacancies page for more information.

Our colleagues at Hutchison’s catering are looking for a catering assistant for Bradwell Junior School. Please see our vacancies page for more information.

Nut Allergies

A reminder that nuts should not be brought into school. Please refrain from including items that may contain nuts in packed lunches or snacks. Could we also ask you to be vigilant with cosmetic products that may also contain nuts. We have a number of students in school who suffer from nut allergies. Thank you in advance.

Dates for Your Diary

• Thursday 6 March – Y9 Options Evening
• Tuesday 11 March – Disney Choir Trip meeting for parents and carers (4.30pm)
• 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
• Tuesday 22 April – Back to school
• Saturday 26 April – HVAFF
• Monday 5 May – Bank Holiday – school closed
• Wednesday 7 May – Hope Valley Pathways Open Evening
• Thursday 8 May – Y8 Subject Evening

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

• attendance@hopevalley.chorustrust.org to report a child’s absence
• enquiries@hopevalley.chorustrust.org for general enquiries
• pastoral@hopevalley.chorustrust.org for any issue with a child’s wellbeing
• headteacher@hopevalley.chorustrust.org to contact the Headteacher
• safeguarding@hopevalley.chorustrust.org to report safeguarding concerns. If a child or any young person is in imminent danger, then please report this to the police.
• ptfahv@hopevalley.chorustrust.org to contact the PTFA

Kind regards