Dear Parent/Carer,
It is a real pleasure to welcome all our pupils and families to the start of a new academic year. I hope that you have enjoyed the summer break and that our pupils are returning refreshed, enthusiastic and ready for another successful year of learning, dreaming and achieving.
We have already enjoyed a fantastic start to the new academic year, and there is much to celebrate.
We were incredibly proud to celebrate the record-breaking GCSE results achieved by our Class of 2026. An outstanding 74% of pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in both English and mathematics, with 87% achieving Grade 4 or above.
These results are a tremendous achievement for our pupils and reflect their hard work, determination and resilience, alongside the commitment of our staff and the support provided by families. We are delighted to see our pupils’ efforts rewarded and to celebrate another exceptional year at Sharples.
We have also been delighted to welcome our Year 7 pupils to Sharples through our week-long Summer School programme. This provided pupils with an opportunity to become familiar with our school, meet new friends and begin to develop the confidence and relationships that will help them to thrive.
Last week, our Year 7 pupils spent two further days getting to know the Sharples Way, our routines and expectations. They have made an excellent start and are now excited and ready to begin their lessons with confidence this week. We have been particularly impressed by the way they have embraced the opportunities and challenges of secondary school life.
We have also started the year with a very special visit from our German partner school. Our visitors will be staying with us throughout this week, experiencing lessons at Sharples and enjoying trips and activities in the evenings with their Sharples friends in Years 9 and 10.
International opportunities such as this are an important part of developing our pupils’ confidence, cultural understanding and wider experiences, and we are delighted to strengthen our partnership with our German colleagues and pupils.
Over the summer, we have continued to invest in our school environment and have made some exciting improvements to our facilities.
Our school library has undergone a complete refurbishment and is now a welcoming, modern space with comfortable, soft-furnished zones where pupils can relax and enjoy reading. We hope that the new library will become a much-loved part of school life and encourage even more of our pupils to discover the enjoyment and benefits of reading for pleasure.
We are also delighted that the Sharples Radio Station is now fully up and running. Pupils can enjoy a daily lunchtime broadcast featuring music requests, special shoutouts and much more. This is another fantastic opportunity for our pupils to develop their confidence, creativity and communication skills while contributing to the life of our school.
This week, we will also be introducing the Yondr Phone Pouch system.
In line with Department for Education expectations that schools should be mobile phone-free by default, every pupil will receive their own personal pouch. Pupils will receive a full briefing about the system through assemblies, including how and when the pouches should be used.
Parents and carers will receive a separate letter providing full details about the Yondr Phone Pouch system. We would encourage you to read this carefully and to support us in ensuring that the new arrangements are implemented successfully.
Our aim is to ensure that school remains a place where pupils can focus fully on their learning, develop positive relationships and engage with the people and opportunities around them without the distraction of mobile phones.
Our Open Evening will take place on Thursday 24 September, from 4.00pm to 7.00pm.
We are looking forward to welcoming prospective families to Sharples and showcasing all that our school has to offer. We would encourage as many of our pupils as possible to volunteer to support the evening and help us to demonstrate what makes Sharples such a special place to learn.
Please note that school will finish at 2.25pm on Thursday 24 September. The school buses have been rearranged to accommodate the early finish.
Friday 24 September is a staff Training Day and therefore a non-school day for pupils.
There is a great deal to look forward to this year. We want every pupil to have the opportunity to Learn, Dream and Achieve – to make progress in their learning, discover new interests, develop their talents and build the confidence and character they need to succeed.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. The strongest schools are built on strong partnerships between pupils, parents, staff and the wider community, and we look forward to working closely with you throughout the year.
We are excited about the opportunities that the new academic year will bring and look forward to another successful and memorable year at Sharples School.
Yours sincerely
Ms C Molyneux
Headteacher
