Dear Parent/Carer,
Welcome back to a new academic year! It has been wonderful to see our students return to school this week, and in assemblies we have shared with them the great news of the GCSE results for our departing Year 11. 62% of all students achieved a Grade 5 or above, and 82% achieved a Grade 4+ or above in English and maths. Their hard work was rewarded with these fantastic outcomes, and we hope that all students can aspire to rise to their own potential in the coming years.
It has been a busy start to the term, as we welcomed 250 new Year 7 students to receive their Sharples ties and join the family. The next two weeks will see Year 7 enjoy their “Freshers Fortnight”, with opportunities to sign up to our clubs and extra-curricular activities, and our legendary Freshers Disco on Friday 19th September 6-8pm. Tickets are £2 and can be bought from the Gold Ties at break and lunchtime.
Over the summer break we have made a number of improvements to the school site. Hill Cot House Reception has been completely remodelled to provide more privacy for parents when speaking to reception, the Year 7 bathrooms have been completely refurbished and all our stairs and landings have been resurfaced for everyone’s safety. In the coming weeks we are excited to be having a new school bell and tannoy system installed. This will incorporate the new Sharples Radio Station which will be broadcast by a team of students across the school at break and lunchtime.
This year we are continuing to improve our communication with parents and carers, with the aim of achieving the Leading Parent Partnership Award by the end of 2025-26. Our Parent Forum will be held once again each term so please watch out for the dates, and our growing PTA is a vital part of our school community, last year raising over £5000 to support our students. During our forum last year, parents provided lots of useful feedback on Home Learning at Sharples and as a result, we have moved to a clear timetable for all subjects and year groups in order to streamline the deadlines that students are required to meet. The schedule can be found on our school website: https://www.sharplesschool.co.uk/home-learning/
Finally, on Thursday 25th September, we open our doors to prospective families for our Open Evening 2025, and school will end at 14.25 on this day, although many students will be volunteering at the event. The school buses have been rearranged to take account of the early finish. Friday 26th September is a Training Day for staff and therefore a non-school day for students.
Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to working in partnership with you all once again this year.
Yours sincerely
Ms C Molyneux
Headteacher
