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Posted on: October 6th 2023

Headteacher Update 06.10.23

Alaric govan sml picWeek 6: ‘Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings’- Jane Austen

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve updated you on what is happening at the school, so this will be a bumper edition I’m afraid. And far from a succession of busy nothings, these past few weeks (like all weeks at Chichester High School) have been filled with busy somethings.

Over the past two weeks, we have run our Open Evening and Open Mornings, to showcase everything that we are doing at Chichester High School. The attendance at our Open Evening, despite some torrential rain, was incredible with our Sports Hall at capacity for the parent talks. What really struck me about the evening was the number of students who willingly gave up their time to help show prospective parents/carers all of the good work that takes place at the school. I received a number of incredibly positive emails and comments reaffirming that our children are the best ambassadors and advert for what we are trying to do here. Similarly, the two Open Mornings (one last Thursday and the other one yesterday) have been very positive, with over one hundred families walking around the school and seeing it in action.

We have also run a series of Information Evenings for parents in Years 10, 11 and the sixth form. All of these have been very well-attended and I’m really grateful to all the parents/carers (and a good number of students themselves) who took the time to come back into school on a midweek evening. There are a lot of factors that go into student success in GCSEs/ BTECs and A’ levels - good attendance, a positive attitude in lessons, a commitment to complete work to the best of their ability, resilience to understand that success is often built on some failure - but the home/school relationship is key. Students almost always do better when home and school work together, and the last few weeks have been a perfect example of how committed our community is. Thank you - it always means a lot to myself and the staff when these events are as well-attended as they have been this year.

Alex WThe Arts are really important to me and my vision for the school. I am a firm believer in giving children opportunities to watch live drama, visit an Art gallery, or take part in a production. These are opportunities that children do not always have in their own lives. Yesterday, Chichester High School students had the amazing opportunity to listen to an inspiring talk by author Alex Wheatle MBE and then have copies of their books signed. Students have been reading 'Cane Warriors' as part of their programme of study in the Library and Alex was very much able to bring his writing, his journey to publication and his own story to life in vivid and captivating detail. Particularly poignant was the polarising idea of him as a young man in a prison with a bucket for a toilet, compared to the successful author who received an MBE from The Queen in 2008.  Visiting us as part of Chichester Bookfest,  and his first school visit in nearly a year following a spell of illness, Alex captivated students with the true story of his difficult upbringing both as a child of the care system in the early 70's, his involvement in the Brixton Race Riots resulting in a spell in Wormwood Scrubs Prison, and the engagement he found with reading whilst an inmate there. He spoke passionately about how reading created so many opportunities for him that he felt would otherwise not have been easy to access based on the attitudes towards black youths at the time. He also referenced the Steve Mcqueen produced 'Small Axe - Alex Wheatle' production for the BBC which many students expressed enthusiasm to watch over the weekend! Last night, students in Key Stage 4 travelled to Worthing to watch a production of ‘Metamorphosis’- again, their behaviour was praised by the members of staff who accompanied them.

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Sport is also an important part of school life. Although some fixtures have unfortunately been postponed because of poor weather this term, most have taken place. This week, the Year 11 football team beat Felpham 2-1, our Year 11 girls’ netball team won two of their four fixtures, and the Year 9 boys’ rugby team were successful against Felpham and The Regis. Winning is important - it would be wrong to say otherwise - but competing to the best of your ability and demonstrating sportsmanship is more important. A couple of weeks ago, the PE team made a point of praising the Year 8 boys’ rugby team. Their conduct, especially after a child from another school was injured, was exemplary and I think that’s why activities like this are so important in the life of a school.

Silver and Bronze DofE 03.10.23On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of handing out certificates to students who had successfully completed their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Silver Certificates. The Duke of Edinburgh scheme really builds resilience, problem-solving, and endurance over a period of time. All of the students I met on Tuesday had planned and then completed long hikes across the New Forest and the South Downs. These walks require map-reading skills and, as they have to carry their tents and kit with them, also provide a considerable physical challenge. We are really lucky to live in a part of the world that has easy access to these areas of natural beauty and I would recommend the Duke of Edinburgh programme. If your child is interested, do persuade them to talk to Mr Tidy or Miss Gault, both of whom give up so much of their time to run these activities.

Finally, the Year 11s have been sitting their silver PPEs, the first set of mock examinations scheduled for this year. These are earlier than usual, to give staff and students (and parents/carers) more time to act once the results are published. These exams have been well-attended and, as I would expect, the behaviour has been excellent. No one (or at least very few) students enjoy practice exams, but they do help prepare them for the real thing in May/June. They also provide valuable feedback on strengths and areas for development.

It is going to be exceptionally warm over the next two days, so I hope everyone is able to get out and enjoy it.

Have a good weekend.

Alaric Govan
Headteacher

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