27
December 2019 Holcombe Newsletter Aspire & Achieve Together
December 2019
Holcombe Newsletter
Aspire & Achieve Together
CONTENTS Message from the Director of Education 1
Holcombe Grammar School Welcomes New Principal 2
School Captains’ Team 3
Thinking Accreditation 3
ABCD Term 1 Winner 3
Senior Maths Competition 4
Work Experience Success 4
Remembrance Day 5
Sixth Form Mock Election 5
Sailing Trip 6
Duke of Edinburgh Expedition 7
Sea Cadet Summer 8
Sea Cadet Residential Trip 9
Japan Trip 11
Macbeth Trip 12
Knife Angel 12
Mastery, Endeavour and Thinking Cyber Discovery Group 13
Year 7 Thinking Skills 13
Open Morning Prize Draw Winner 13
Aspirations Day 14
Public Speaking Success 14
Operation Christmas Child Warehouse Trip 15
Children in Need Fundraising 16
Day of the Dead Competition 16
Sports 17
Holcombe Library Grand Opening 18
Community Event 19
Space Chase Reading Challenge 19
Christmas Carol Concert 20
12 Tins of Christmas 20
Christmas Card Competition Winners 20
Poetry Live! 21
Archie’s Boxing 22
Charlie’s Crime Writing Club 22
Holcombe Association 22
Clubs 23
Term Dates 24
Key Dates 25
A warm welcome to our final newsletter of 2019, packed full of reports
outlining the successes and triumphs of our Holcombe community over the
past two terms.
In keeping with the festive season, we have much to celebrate and be
thankful for as we reflect on recent events. Gaining accreditation from the
University of Exeter as a nationally accredited Thinking School was a great
achievement for us, and testament to the skills and talents of our teachers in
delivering an effective cognitive education for our students. Thanks goes to
Ms Tanti who led on this initiative for Holcombe with Miss Cook. I was also
delighted to support the launch of our Holcombe library. This is a fantastic
resource centre for our students, and indicative of our continual drive to
promote and support their reading and research skills. These are critical skills
for their future success, and I thank Mr Still and Mr Claessens for their
energy and dedication in overseeing the creation and successful daily operation of the library. On a personal
level, I greatly enjoyed reading the third stave of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” to assembled students in the
library last week, whilst wearing a Scrooge-esque top hat, courtesy of Mr Still!
Our students here at Holcombe continue to make us proud, both by their own achievements and their
wonderful community spirit. As is now traditional, Miss Martin led the Shoebox appeal as part of Operation
Christmas Child, and we were delighted to deliver an amazing 269 shoeboxes to the Tonbridge depot. In
addition, and for the second year running, Holcombe topped the Trust by one of our very own students,
Orlando Sarkodie in Year 7, winning the annual Thinking Schools Academy Trust Christmas card
competition. Congratulations to Orlando. I would also like to commend and thank Daniel Marks, Thea Baker
and the School Captains’ Team, as they come to the end of their term of office. They have made an excellent
contribution to our community and I have greatly enjoyed my termly Leadership Lunches with them, where
we have discussed student council agendas and their ongoing work in supporting school development. I wish
them, and all of our Year 11 and Year 13 students, every success as they enter the revision period for next
year’s public examinations.
Thus, as we enter a new decade, we enter into an exciting new era for our senior leadership team. Mr Preston is
officially joining us as Principal from January, but has spent much time with us in the past term meeting staff
and students and preparing for this role. I look forward to continuing to work alongside him as he leads our
school forward. I am also delighted to announce the secondment of Miss Martin as Assistant Head of School
for Personal Development, Behaviour and Welfare. A thank you and farewell to Mr Day, who will now return
to his substantive role at Rochester Grammar School. We have been grateful for his interim leadership of the
school, alongside Mrs Villalta, who will continue to support Holcombe in her role as Head of Staffing and
Operations for the Chatham Hub of Thinking Schools Academy Trust.
Finally, a thank you on behalf of the staff and students to all our parents, carers and families for your continued
support of our school.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
HGS Newsletter
Ms M Gage
Director of Education
Page 1
Holcombe Grammar School Welcomes New Principal
Mr Preston will be joining Holcombe Grammar School as its new
Principal from January. Mr Preston is an exceptional school leader, with
more than 12 years’ leadership experience.
Mr Preston, born and raised in Kent, has worked in schools in the county
throughout his career and is currently Deputy Headteacher at Thomas
Aveling School in Rochester, where he has led on school improvement
and raising standards, and played an important role in the school being
rated Good by Ofsted. Prior to his current role at Thomas Aveling School,
Mr Preston served as an Assistant Head at Hayes School in Bromley and
was an Assistant Head of Year at Cator Park School in Beckenham.
Mandy Gage will continue supporting both Holcombe Grammar School and the Victory Academy
also in Chatham, in her role as Director of Education, Chatham Hub, for Thinking Schools Academy
Trust.
Message from Mr Preston
It is my pleasure to introduce myself as the new Principal of Holcombe Grammar School from January 2020.
Since being appointed in September, I have enjoyed getting to know the school and the Thinking Schools Academy Trust through a series of visits and meetings with staff and students. It was also a
real pleasure to attend the Carol Concert last week to see some superb performances from our choir and musicians.
I have taught in Kent schools for over twenty years and led in Senior Leadership Teams for the past
twelve years, in two different schools. As a parent of two secondary age children myself, I know very well the importance of children being happy at school and being supported and encouraged to become their best selves. I will work closely with everyone at, and associated with, Holcombe to ensure that
all students continue to have every opportunity to excel both academically and socially.
I really look forward to meeting you all in the new year and working with all staff, students, governors and parents to continue to build on the wide array of strengths and achievements of Holcombe as we
move into a new decade. In the meantime, I offer my very best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year to you all.
Page 2
School Captains’ Team and Prefects 2019
A big thank you to last year’s School Captains’ Team and
Prefects. They have done a brilliant job assisting at school events, assemblies, Parent Consultation Evenings and more.
New Captains are being appointed and we will introduce the new team next year.
Captains’ Team
ABCD Term 1 Winner
Congratulations to Miss Green, Office Apprentice/Admin
Assistant at Holcombe Grammar School, who has been
announced as joint ABCD Winner this term. ABCD Winners
are chosen across the Thinking Schools Academy Trust to
recognise outstanding contributions from Trust staff. Miss
Green was nominated because ‘since joining she always goes
above and beyond in her duties; she ensures the students feel
comfortable when coming into the office to ask questions and
ask for support. She is a dedicated member of the office team
and is always willing to help and support in the multitude of
tasks within the Main School Office. She has doubled as our receptionist, communicating with staff
and parents, manned reprographics and is a constant support with the admissions of our students.
Ellie has exceeded all expectations of the role of an apprentice and is a valued member of our team.’
She was presented with her certificate and prize by our Chief Executive Officer, Mr Stuart Gardner.
Page 3
Thinking Accreditation
Holcombe Grammar School is proud to announce that
we have been accredited by the University of Exeter as a
‘Thinking School.’ This status means Holcombe is
among schools striving to teach students to be creative
and independent thinkers. This is a status we will hold
until September 2022. In their report, as part of the
accreditation process, the University of Exeter’s
Graduate School of Education praised the leadership team and wider teaching staff for “actively
seeking opportunities to continuously drive improvements in learning and teaching” and “creating a
positive learning culture.”
Head Boy Daniel Marks
Head Girl Thea Baker
Deputy Head Boy Elliot Odom
Deputy Head Girl Bethany Franqueira
Head Prefect Martin May
Sports Captain Caitlyn Ehrich
Captains’ Team Hanna Roob and Harry Osborne
SIXTH FORM NEWS Page 4
Senior Maths Competition
Key Dates
Monday 6th January: Staff Development Day
W/C 6th January: Year 12 Prelims
W/C 27th January and 3rd February: Year 11 Prelims
Thursday 6th February: Year 9 Parent Consultation Evening 4:30pm-6:30pm
Several Year 12 and Year 13 students were involved in the Senior Maths competition on Thursday 7th November, which is an individual national competition lasting 90 minutes, where 19 students gained
awards ranging from Gold to Bronze. This is a fantastic achievement! The test called upon students' inherent problem solving and reasoning skills. Students also needed to recall and apply a high level of
mathematical knowledge. Johannes Sadler, who achieved Gold, will now proceed to a further round. We wish him the best of luck and will keep Holcombe parents up to date.
Work Experience Success
Year 13 student Daniel Belsey recently completed a week’s work experience in Councillor Vince
Maple’s office at Gun Wharf, Chatham. Cllr Maple is the Councillor for Chatham Central, Medway Labour Spokesperson for Business Support and Leader of the Labour and Co-operative Group.
After Daniel’s successful week, Mr Maple wrote a letter to our Director of Education Ms Gage,
informing her how impressed he had been with Daniel’s work. He spoke highly of how Daniel was ‘enthusiastic, polite and hardworking and engaged with the variety of tasks he undertook.’ Mr Maple
described how Daniel had attended meetings with him in which he had taken a genuine interest and had ‘performed brilliantly’ when participating in local community radio alongside him. Ms Gage
thanked Mr Maple for taking the time to write to us with this encouraging feedback. Ms Gage was delighted to hear about Daniel and has since met with Daniel to personally thank and congratulate him.
Daniel commented about his week in the working world: ‘During work experience with Vince Maple at the Medway Labour and Co-operative Group, I enjoyed a range of activities from local TV and
radio interviews to important meetings with government and shadow cabinet ministers. An insightful week of experience was helped by the warmth I was welcomed with by Councillor Maple and his colleagues within the group. I cannot speak highly enough of the experience and people I met. I would
one-hundred per cent recommend this opportunity to younger students, as it is both enjoyable and enlightening.’
We would like to thank Daniel for displaying such a positive attitude, fully engaging with the tasks and challenges presented to him and proving himself as a fantastic role model to our younger students as well as to his peers. We hope other students undertaking work experience, particularly our Year 10s
who will be going on work experience in February 2020, will take inspiration from Daniel.
Remembrance Day
On Monday 11th November Holcombe students were able to
wear uniforms for the scouts, cadets, and other groups, as a
mark of respect to our
fallen heroes. We were
proud to see many
students in uniform,
standing in support
and respect of our
Armed Forces. A
Remembrance Assembly was held and a two minute silence
was observed by the whole school at 11am.
Meanwhile, thirty Cadets from the Medway Victory Sea
Cadets joined former servicemen and women alongside
current members of the Armed Forces in marking
Remembrance
Sunday, marching
through Chatham
High Street up to the
memorial service at
Fort Pitt Hill. The Officer in Charge commended the Cadets
for their presentation and confidence.
Page 5
Sixth Form Mock Election
Holcombe got into the spirit of the General Election with our own
Holcombe Mock Election taking place within School. Our School Captains’
team organised and held a debate on Friday 6th December in the run up to
the Mock Election. Daniel Marks represented Labour, Elliott Odom
represented the Liberal Democrats, Thea Baker represented the
Conservatives and Martin May represented the Green Party. The debate
was chaired by School Captain George Atzev. During the debate, the
Captains were put under pressure, having to present to their audience their
key policies and encourage their student voters to vote for them.
It was great to see that the debate was attended by over
forty students, who took an active part in the discussion;
after the Party Leaders summarised their policies, the
audience were given the opportunity to ask them questions
about their policies. It was inspiring to see questions being
asked that showed students have been taking an interest in
and engaging with current affairs. To persuade voters to
vote in their favour, our School Captains needed to have
researched the party they were representing thoroughly to
be able to answer questions on the spot. They also needed
to display strong public speaking skills.
Sailing Trip
September saw Holcombe and Victory students spending a week sailing
the ‘Faramir.’ Our students travelled from Chatham to Portsmouth in a
trip organised by the charity Cirdan Sailing
Trust, which helps young people experience
life at sea and build skills. This venture
allowed them to develop skills including
problem-solving, taking responsibility,
teamwork and communicating.
The trip allowed our students, who were in different year groups, to
socialise and work together to raise funds for the trip and then sail the
ship. This brought them
out of their comfort
zones. Our students
took responsibility in
organising and running various fundraising activities
before they set sail, including a raffle, tombola, a tag
day and a couple of cake/sweets and popcorn sales.
Recently they undertook a sponsored walk where
they successfully completed ten thousand steps per
day for one
week. One
of our
students, Matthew in Year 8, raised a brilliant £166.60 from
his sponsors.
On the ship, our students enjoyed being given new
opportunities, which included learning to sail, navigate and
to cook for themselves. They were also responsible for the
running, cleanliness and order of the vessel. The Faramir
docked at Yarmouth and Grain on its way to Portsmouth,
allowing the boys some
time on land for sight-
seeing. One of our boys expressed that his favourite part of the trip
was ‘sailing under the stars’ while other students said they loved
the views they saw at sea.
Page 6
Duke of Edinburgh Expedition
The Duke of Edinburgh Expedition took place in September and
was a huge success. Students and staff were lucky with the weather and all participants were enthusiastic.
The expedition started on
Friday evening, which was extremely busy with
pupils arriving, setting up tents and cooking dinner on Trangias. Pupils were excited
about the adventures ahead of them and for the chance to show the assessors their skills and knowledge.
Saturday was a successful day for the majority of our
groups. The walks were long and there were a few moments where students lost their way, but staff were
incredibly proud of them all for reaching Wormshill. Students displayed perseverance and problem-solving skills, despite mishaps of broken bags and heavy loads.
The next day, the groups set off early after a good night’s sleep and hearty breakfast. All groups managed to get back to Bexon
Lane, with seven of the nine groups passing the expedition qualification. The remaining two groups completed a short walk at a later date to enable them to pass.
The students now need to ensure the rest of their work for DofE is completed and signed off, in order to receive their hard-
earned certificates and hopefully move on to the Silver Award.
Mr Bridges, DofE Coordinator, is proud of all our students and would
like to extend his gratitude to the staff who assisted in organising and supporting the weekend. Holcombe would also like to thank parents
and carers for their continuing support.
Holcombe Grammar School is providing the opportunity for current Year 9 students to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award
in 2020. As well as being a fun opportunity for students to build on skills, work as a team and help within the community, the Award is also highly regarded by higher education establishments and
employers.
Page 7
Sea Cadet Summer
A brilliant summer was had by the Medway Victory Sea Cadets. The cadets
spent the summer boating, mostly at the Royal Docks Boating Station, gaining
great experience on the water, as well as achieving qualifications. The
qualifications cadets achieved were Rowing: Taster, Competent Crew and
Supervised Coxswain; Sailing: RYA Stage 1 Stage 2; Paddlesport: Start,
Discover and Explore awards; Windsurfing: RYA Stage 1 and level 2;
Powerboating: RYA Level 1 and level 2.
Many cadets have enjoyed staying on HMS Cavalier at
Chatham Dockyard, earning their Naval acquaint and also
Marine Engineering. Others travelled to HMS Temeraire in
Portsmouth and spent a week gaining their Physical Training
Instructor Basic Specialisation – an amazing achievement for
cadets so young.
Walking days took us all around different parts of Kent with
some more Adventurous Training weekends trying the cadets’ hands at archery, rock climbing,
bushcraft and mountain biking. Cadets also entered the District First Aid Competition. Cadet First
Class Gurskis came second in the District! Cadets entered the District Cadet Skills Challenge
competition as well. The cadets have made great memories and experiences and are looking forward
to another year of learning, competitions, action and adventure whilst welcoming all of their new
recruits.
Medway Victory Sea Cadets was set up in 2018. The unit is
available to all students at The Victory Academy and
Holcombe Grammar School. At present, we have both Year 7
and Year 8 students attending, who are now learning and
experiencing the Sea Cadet Corps and all that it offers. The unit
aims to give young people an experience that will help them
grow into the individuals they want to be in a safe and friendly
environment. Through various activities and adventures, the
cadets learn teamwork, loyalty, self-confidence, commitment,
self-discipline and honesty. Activities include sailing, canoeing,
rowing, archery, shooting, camping and adventurous training
including expedition training. Drill, armed drill and piping, seamanship, drumming, marching band,
first aid, engineering, catering and stewarding are all learned, which can lead to a BTEC qualification
equivalent to five GCSEs.
Cadets are expected to regularly attend the unit on Mondays 17:45 – 20:15 at The Victory Academy
in smart, tidy uniform and to respect all the volunteer staff whilst attending and learning. Many
external courses are available to cadets and promotion through the ranks to become a Petty Officer
Cadet.
To find out more about the Sea Cadet Corps, search 'Medway Victory Sea Cadet Unit' on Facebook
or contact [email protected], or contact Mrs Villalta at Holcombe Grammar School.
Page 8
Sea Cadet Residential Trip
Medway Victory Sea Cadets, which comprises Year 7, 8 and 9
pupils from Holcombe Grammar School and The Victory
Academy, spent a fantastic October half term at HMS Raleigh
in Torpoint, Cornwall. HMS Raleigh is the Royal Navy’s new
entry training establishment.
The Cadets set off early on Friday 18th October, at 4:45am,
arriving in time to participate in sporting activities just before
dinner. Mealtimes were held in the ‘Mess’, which was about
750m away, up a hill, and cadets had to be in uniform and had
to march to and from all meals. A tannoy woke up the cadets at 6am every morning and inspections
took place of cleaning stations twice a day.
The Cadets visited Mount Edgcumbe House and Country Park and completed a question and answer
orienteering course which enabled them to learn about the country
park as well as local history; they learned about air raids in the area
in World War II intended to close down the port and
shipyard. Cadets did physical training and played sports in the
evening. They also had a presentation regarding the Duke of
Edinburgh Award.
Later, the Cadets went coasteering around Rame Head, which
included swimming into caves and jumping off of ever higher
perches into the swell. It was cold and rough, but also exciting and empowering. In the evening they
were joined by other cadets from all over the country who were there to attend various national
courses. Everyone worked to get their uniforms ready for inspection and ensure a high shine was
noticeable on their boots.
On Monday (which was the start of the official course) Cadets completed an assault course and had
to march all the way back from the course
soaking wet. They did themselves proud,
remaining positive and determined. In the
afternoon they visited the Phase 1 New
Entry Training facilities to see how training
is carried out after joining the Royal Navy as
a rating, followed by a guided tour of the
Submarine School, where they were able to
view Tomahawk Cruise missiles.
The next day cadets had a tour of Plymouth
Harbour. They had the opportunity to steer the ship and listen to an explanation on the Royal Navy
ships. In the afternoon they went tenpin bowling in Plymouth, then played a game of rounders.
Page 9
Cadets were given the opportunity to study ‘damage control’ where they
had to fill in holes in the side of a compartment to
stop water pouring in. They then had the
opportunity to practice firefighting and learned to
put out fires using foam fire extinguishers and fire
hoses. In the evening, Cadet PTIs ran the PT and
sport session in the sports complex on site. It was
great practice for the PTIs, and provided an
interesting activity for all the cadets. Cadets worked
through the sea survival course on Thursday, which
involved having to jump into a swimming pool with
a self-inflating life jacket, then climb into a life raft. This was challenging but rewarding, requiring
them to take risks, be brave and learn their own strengths. Then Cadets went indoor rock climbing.
Friday morning saw the cadets woken early (5:45am) as
they had to be packed and ready by 6:30 for the journey
home. The course was very demanding with many exciting
new experiences but lots of fun too.
Holcombe Grammar School’s Cadet French said: ‘The
week away to HMS Raleigh in Cornwall was excellent! I
had a great time & look forward to the next trip away.
Whilst there we did coasteering (jumping off cliffs and
swimming in the sea), an assault course, a harbour tour,
tenpin bowling, firefighting, Clip ‘n’ Climb and damage
control (simulating being on a sinking ship!). We also got a taste of Navy life as we slept in a mess
deck, were woken very early and had to march to meals in full cadet uniform! It was a jam-packed
week, was very tiring, but lots of fun!’
Cadet Park said: ‘Up nice and early at 4.30 to begin the seven hour journey to Cornwall. After
catching up on some well needed sleep, we arrived at Raleigh to do some exercise to wake us up, then
a film night to end a long day. The next day, a march to
breakfast woke us up, then we set off to Mount Edgcumbe.
It was a very good experience which involved lots of
walking and was very interesting. The next day was one of
my favourite days of the week: coasteering. It was an action-
packed, challenging adventure I will most likely never do
again, I am very proud of what I accomplished. Then came
the soggiest day of all – the assault course. It was high, wet,
muddy and exhausting. I am proud that I got through it and
will probably never do something quite so muddy again.
The soggy march back was also quite an experience. The
next day we went out for a tour of the harbour, where we got to drive a boat! Later we got to relax
and go bowling, which was just to have some fun. Wednesday was my favourite day: firefighting and
damage control at the Triumph Squadron. The HMS Chaos was an experience I can relate to, and it
was challenging but fun. Finally, on Thursday we did our sea survival training which was very
exhausting but fun, and we finished our last day at Raleigh with Clip ‘n’ Climb, which was really
good!’
Page 10
Page 11
Japan Trip
Students from Holcombe
Grammar School and
Rochester Grammar School
arrived safely in Japan on
Saturday 19th October.
The group spent Sunday at
the Samukawa Shinto
Shrine. On Monday they
headed to Yokosuka, where they visited the Will
Adams memorial, where a
presentation was
conducted at the
shrine followed by a trip
to the harbour to see the Mikasa Memorial Ship. The day ended with a trip to
Kamakura for some shopping and a visit to the shinto shrine in the centre of
the city, the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū.
Tuesday was all about being caught in the rain of a
tropical storm whilst exploring Enoshima and the Sea
Candle Lighthouse. The group experienced
a tram journey to the Kamakura Buddhist Shrine and
the Kamakura Hasedera temple, then back to
Hiratsuka for dinner.
Wednesday saw our students visit the popular tourist
attraction the Tokyo Tower, a tower inspired by the
Eiffel Tower, and the second tallest structure in
Japan, standing at 333 metres. Our students enjoyed warm weather all day –
24 degrees – and bright sunshine. They headed back to Kobe via the bullet
train. The highlight of the day for Mrs Obee was visiting a shiba inu cafe.
The group were busy on Thursday. It was an
early start as they headed to Himeji Castle in
the morning, before some light shopping, then
back to Kobe to ride the cable car to the top for
some wet and cloudy views. Finally, Friday was
spent experiencing school life in Japan at the
Hyōgo Prefectural Kobe High School, and were
treated to views over the city and towards
Osaka. The group sighted Mount Fuji on their
travel to Odawara, which had previously been hidden by clouds and rain.
Students arrived safely back in London. We hope they enjoyed this unforgettable trip.
Page 12
Macbeth Trip
‘Something wicked this way comes!’ (Macbeth Act 4)
October saw students from Year 11 and the Holcombe English
Department visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. The group
participated in a guided tour, with the opportunity to engage in a
Macbeth workshop conducted by the theatre company. This was a very
humbling experience, to see where and how Shakespeare's works are
presented and to be coached on the various theatrical interpretations of
Macbeth. Pupils explored the play in this new context, with a particular
focus on poetic verse and dramatic performance.
After touring the grounds of
the theatre, pupils were
granted access to the Globe's rehearsal studios to explore
a variety of scenes they have studied at Holcombe.
Between workshops, the group had the pleasure of
enjoying lunch on the bankside of the Thames,
overlooking London's many landmarks including St
Paul's Cathedral and of course, Shakespeare's Globe
Theatre itself.
Knife Angel
Our Year 10s and Year 11s visited the Knife Angel sculpture at Rochester Cathedral on the 9th and 10th September. The Knife Angel
is the National Monument against Violence and Aggression, which was on display at Rochester Cathedral until the end of September. The sculpture is made up of 100,000 knives that had been handed into 43
police stations across the UK and then blunted, sterilised and worked at the British Ironwork Centre, alongside artist Alfie Bradley, to form
this powerful twenty foot sculpture.
Our students were moved by the sculpture, as well as the statistics about knife crime and real stories, alongside photos of victims, that
were presented to them in the crypt of the Cathedral. Our students wrote down their insights into seeing the sculpture and after
consideration some of our students chose to sign a book at the Cathedral, pledging not to carry a knife.
Mastery, Endeavour and Thinking Cyber Discovery Group
Miss Lee is thrilled to report that 100% of the students in her MET Cyber Discovery Group, which takes place after school on Wednesdays, have completed Stage One of the programme and
can now progress onto Stage Two. A brilliant achievement from Alfie, Archie, Craig, Edwin, Hathem, Joseph, Joshua, Kacper,
Ryan and Theodor.
Cyber Discovery is a free Government-run programme aimed at helping students aged 13-18 develop cyber security skills. At Stage One participants underwent a series of interactive challenges
where they needed to crack codes and problem-solve. At this stage around 40% of the cohort for this year’s intake were cut from the programme, so our students should be very proud of themselves for
sailing through to the next level, achieving either thirteen marks or a full fourteen marks out of fourteen! There are four stages in total and if they progress another two stages, they may be invited to
the Cyber Security Conference in the summer, a residential camp where they will meet industry experts. Holcombe is proud of our future Cyber Security heroes.
Page 13
Open Morning Prize Draw Winner
Well done Robert from St Mary’s Island School, winner of our Open Morning Prize Draw!
Robert joined many other Year 5 and 6 students
across local schools who attended our Open Morning on Saturday 12th October. After visiting
various areas of the school and collecting stamps on his card, he submitted his card into the prize draw. His name was selected at random and he was invited
back to Holcombe on the 22nd November to receive his prize! Robert was greeted and congratulated by
Mr Gardner, our Chief Executive Officer, and
Mr Day, our Interim Head of School.
Year 7 Thinking Skills
On Thursday 19th September Year 7 tutors spent a day with their form groups studying the
Thinking Skills that form the basis of Holcombe’s approach to teaching and learning.
Students and teachers investigated the value of using the Q-matrix to ask high level questions
and De Bono’s Thinking Hats to be more productive, focused and mindfully involved. Students explored the eight Thinking Maps
which are visual tools that help organise knowledge for problem solving, decision
making and processing of information. They then spent time studying the Thinker’s Keys,
which develop critical and creative thinking, and most importantly analysed the Holcombe Habits to be applied daily.
More information about the tools can be found on the school website here:
https://www.holcombegrammar.org.uk/about/what-is-athinking-school/
Aspirations Day
On Friday 1st November, Holcombe was pleased to welcome Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford,
who delivered a speech to our Sixth Formers at our annual Aspirations Day. After Tracey Crouch’s speech, Year 12
continued their learning with sessions on Unifrog, a website designed to support students in the next steps and
decision making. An additional speaker specialising in learning and performance helped students to look at different ways to revise and learn.
Johannes Sadler, Year 13 explains: ‘Tracey Crouch MP visited Holcombe on the morning of our “Aspirations Day” and spoke on the twin themes of, first,
her career in politics, and secondly, how she manages her work/life balance. She explained her decision to resign as Minister for Sport over the issue of fixed-odds betting terminals, and her choice not to accept another position as a government Minister, as it would have put too much strain on her
when combined with the responsibility of bringing up her son. The talk was interesting for anyone contemplating a career in politics, but also touched on how personal and professional choices affect
one’s life. The section of the morning which I found most valuable, however, was when the discussion turned to questions which we had prepared. It was my first experience of local politics, and
the schemes which Tracey Crouch mentioned drew my attention to some of the issues which are tackled by local government. As many of us have recently turned 18, or will soon be of voting age, this was a good opportunity to think about our beliefs and the extent to which they are reflected by the
behaviours of politicians in Medway and Westminster. The MP faced questions about the leader of the Conservative Party and its opponents in the lead up to the imminent general election.
Whether one was convinced by Tracey Crouch’s responses or not, the morning made this listener, at
least, appreciate that the outcome of elections has a tangible impact on the local community, and that it is important for us to cast our votes. We were grateful to Tracey Crouch for her time and
engagement.'
Public Speaking Success
Holcombe Grammar School was represented at the Medway Rotary
International Club 'Youth Speaks' Public Speaking Competition on
Friday 22nd November by two students. Benjamin Button, Year 10,
spoke about the impact of sport and Samuel Hall, Year 8, spoke about
anxiety. There was an array of talented speakers on show from most
of the Medway schools in both the Under 14 category and the 14-17
group.
Benjamin Button was highly commended for his fluent speech about sport in the older category.
Meanwhile, Samuel Hall delighted the judges and audience with his polished speaking performance
about anxiety. Samuel was announced as the Under 14 winner. Samuel displayed skilled use of tone,
emphasis and gravitas at the lectern to triumph. Samuel will now move onto a Kent final in February
2020. Speaking about his success, Samuel commented “although the nerves were killing me I am
delighted my speech went so well.” He added “I have discovered if you keep practising and trying
hard you will achieve your goal.” Samuel's rehearsal sessions paid dividends. He honed his speech
down to ensure clarity and dramatic feeling was evident in the final presentation. We wish Samuel
every success in the next round.
Page 14
Operation Christmas Child Warehouse Trip
Last month selected students joined Miss Martin in dropping off the shoeboxes donated to Holcombe
at the Operation Christmas Child Warehouse in Tonbridge.
Miss Martin invited along the students who had been helping
her organise the shoeboxes donated to the Office as a thank
you for their hard work in preparing the boxes. These
students have dedicated a lot of time to the charity appeal –
Thea Baker and George Atzev in particular were Operation
Christmas Child heroes, spending a free period loading up
the minibus with
the boxes ready for
the trip!
At the Warehouse, students listened to a presentation about
the appeal, which provided them with more information
about these shoeboxes. These are collected in the millions
every year to help children in over 100 countries. Our
students learned about the relief work Samaritan’s Purse,
which runs the Operation Christmas Child Appeal,
supports. Students toured the warehouse, seeing how the
shoeboxes are carefully checked by volunteers in case of
inappropriate items, taped up, repaired if broken and packed up ready to be sent off. Students then
had a real treat – they were invited to join the volunteers in sorting the boxes. Students chose their
desired roles (pre-inspector, inspector, taper,
and packer) and began assisting. Miss Martin
and Miss Best were thrilled all students got
stuck in straight away. They did a fantastic job
and were praised by the volunteers.
While at the Warehouse, our shoebox
donations were counted and we were thrilled to
hear we had donated 269 shoeboxes this year –
a phenomenal number and an increase on the
110 we received last year. The 269 shoeboxes
included donations from local schools,
community groups, families and members of
the public. We have also been informed that in
addition to the shoeboxes, we
were able to make a donation to the charity of £310.62.
This was Holcombe Grammar School’s fifth year supporting the appeal and we
were proud to be joining hundreds of other schools in giving small gifts of joy this
Christmas to children in need around the world.
Page 15
Children in Need Fundraising
Holcombe staff and students were busy selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts at break and lunch
times on the 15th and 16th November to raise money for Children in Need. Well done to our
Fundraising Champions Year 7, who raised the most money thanks to their brilliant idea of holding an auction between the form groups! Students put together
collections of money and the form group with the highest total won the Year 7 doughnuts.
7Conquest raised £14.28
7Shannon raised £29.44
7Barfleur raised £53.17
7Guardian raised £55.49
and the winners were 7Hawkins who raised an incredible £71.66!
Money donated to this event was £443.13,
with an incredible £224.04 raised by Year 7 alone.
We were proud to be raising money for this important cause.
Day of the Dead Competition
Mrs Ortega-Izquierdo handed out prizes for her Day of the Dead Competition on Thursday 14th
November. Students were challenged to create an altar for a famous deceased Hispanic person for El
Día de los Muertos, held on 1st and 2nd November. Students got creative, using a variety of materials. They also had to research and learn as the altars
needed to include the traditional items of El Día de los Muertos altar and
any others they felt appropriate. We were proud to see so many entries to
the competition, all of them well-researched, colourful and unique.
All participants were treated to a small
celebration and staff members were invited to see the intricate work created. The altars had been
placed on display around the classroom. All students received certificates but prizes went to the winners.
Well done to Zachary Watson won first place
and Jaden Edusei and Isaac Turner who came second and third place respectively.
Page 16
Page 17
Medway Schools Cross Country
Some of our students were
involved in the annual
Medway Schools Cross
Country Competition in
October. Oliver Webb placed
first in the Year 7 race, Oliver
Curd placed first in the Year
11 race and Isaac Thomas
came first in the Year 12/13
race, while Alex Donnelly
came fifth. Isaac (pictured)
has been participating since he was in Year 8 and is
delighted to have come first this year.
Holcombe Versus Victory
The Year 7 football match between Holcombe
Grammar School and the Victory Academy took
place at Holcombe on the 15th October. The game
finished with a 5 -1 victory for Holcombe. Goals
were scored by Mo Sanusi, Keane Cheeseman and
Joshua Carter - Joshua scored a hatrick. The league
fixtures now take a break until Term 4 but at the
halfway stage of the league the Year 7 team are top
of the league, having won all of their games. Among
the players to have played the most games are
Alistair Turner, Harley Diaper, Keane Cheeseman
and Max Lynch. Well done Year 7.
Inter-House Football Competitions Results
Year 10
Y EAR 7
Y EAR 8
Y EAR 9
Played Won Drawn Lost Goals
scored Points Position
Conquest 4 0 0 4 2 4 5th
Guardian 4 3 0 1 10 10 2nd
Shannon 4 4 0 0 9 12 1st
Hawkins 4 2 0 2 9 8 3rd
Barfleur 4 1 0 3 6 6 4th
Played Won Drawn Lost Goals
scored Points Position
Conquest 4 3 1 0 7 11 1st
Guardian 4 2 0 2 6 8 3rd
Shannon 4 2 1 1 6 9 2nd
Barfleur 4 0 0 2 6 8 3rd
Hawkins 4 0 0 4 1 4 5th
Played Won Drawn Lost Goals
Scored Points Position
Conquest 4 0 0 4 1 4 5th
Guardian 4 1 0 3 3 6 4th
Shannon 4 3 0 1 6 10 2nd
Barfleur 4 2 0 2 4 8 3rd
Hawkins 4 4 0 0 7 12 1st
Played Won Drawn Lost Goals
scored Points Position
Conquest 6 4 1 1 9 15 1st
Guardian 6 1 3 2 3 11 3rd
Shannon 6 0 2 4 2 8 4th
Barfleur 6 3 2 1 9 14 2nd
Inter-House Football Competitions
Inter-House Football Competitions were held on the
week commencing 18th November. Some great
performances and team spirit on display. We were
proud to see all form groups putting forward full
teams to participate. Please see the results on the
right.
Page 18
Holcombe Library Grand Opening
Holcombe Grammar School’s new library was officially opened by acclaimed author Tom Palmer on 2nd December 2019. Staff,
students and parents were invited to watch as Tom Palmer cut the ribbon and opened a world of
imagination and possibilities for our students.
During the Grand Opening, Mr Still interviewed Mr Palmer about his life and works, which
included Mr Palmer’s struggle to publish Armistice Runner as it had a female protagonist. Mr Palmer spoke
of how proud he was to be part of the push which included more female characters in books about sport. His books D-Day Dog and Armistice Runner were available to
purchase at the event, which Mr Palmer signed, answering questions as he did so.
Before the book-signing, Mr Still recounted the process of creating the new Library, which has relied on donations of books, materials and furniture from
the public. Within its first week of re-opening, thirty books had been borrowed! He thanked all of those involved in the process, in particular commending the
team of Year 12 students who have been keeping the library running since its opening, booking out resources
and assisting students to make good reading choices. Mr Still also commended the Year 7s, who have had their
library induction and have been avidly reading since. Mr Still explained that students who read for pleasure will
eventually read to further their learning; he encouraged all students to take the
opportunity to explore and see the wide range of books on offer, which include non-fiction titles and graphic novels. The Library will continue to expand as we
head into the new year.
We would like to thank Tom Palmer for taking the time to open Holcombe Library and Mr Still and
Mr Claessens for all of their work in creating this inspiring space for our students. We hope the
Library will become the hub of student activity at Holcombe.
Sixth Form Football
Selected Sixth Formers participated in a match against Highworth Grammar School on Wednesday 6th November. Holcombe won the
match with a 2-1 finish. Holcombe remains unbeaten in the season so far and are currently in
second place! Well done Sixth Form.
Medway School Games Badminton
Selected Holcombe students participated in the Medway School Games Badminton
competition at Medway Park on
Thursday 14th November. Both the
Key Stage 3 and 4 'B' teams finished in a very respectable 5th place out of 10 overall,
whilst both the Key Stage 3 and 4 'A' teams won their respective competitions and have
qualified to represent Medway at the Kent school games final in February!
Page 19
Community Event
Holcombe Grammar School’s Head of School, Mrs Villalta, was a guest speaker at a community
event held by the Association of the Bulgarian Community in Medway in September. The
Association’s Saturday School, teaching Bulgarian language, culture and dancing to students aged
four and above and language and dancing courses for adults, reopened for another year. The school
has been running for nearly a decade; this year the school welcomed around 150 children registering
as students with their families in this annual event held at the Thomas Aveling School, Rochester.
Mrs Villalta was invited to speak at the event by the school’s Headteacher and provided insightful
information to the students, speaking to them about the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, informing
them of upcoming open events at Holcombe Grammar School, Rochester Grammar School and the
Victory Academy. Mrs Villalta also advised the community about the grammar school process, the
Medway and Kent Tests and how to register for these tests. The Association of the Bulgarian
Community also welcomed guest speaker, Bobby Mahay from the Kent Police, who spoke to
students and parents about bullying, hate crime and the role of the police in supporting communities.
The Association are thankful to Mrs Villalta for her time, words and support. Holcombe is proud to
be connecting with local communities.
Space Chase Reading Challenge
Year 7 students took part in the Space Chase Reading
Challenge run by local county libraries over the summer.
This free challenge required participants to read six library
books or more over the summer break, collect stickers and
add them to their ‘space mission’ folder, then return to their
library. Participants who successfully completed the
challenge were given certificates. Year 7 students participated
in the Space Chase as part of their summer homework.
Holcombe is proud students engaged with the challenge,
successfully reading six books or more and achieving their
well-earned certificates.
Year 7 were inducted to the Holcombe Library in October and have been given postcards to log their
reading and help them develop their reading interests. Students are also encouraged to read during
form times.
Christmas Carol Concert
Holcombe Grammar School’s annual Christmas Carol Concert was held
Tuesday 10th December at St Stephen’s Church, Chatham. Parents, carers,
students and staff were invited to watch festive performances by Holcombe
students, led by Mr Zwanzig, Head of Music. They were also able to join in with
the festivities by joining the HGS Year 7
Choir in singing classic Christmas carols.
The Choir, made up of volunteers from
Year 7, brought smiles to faces with their
upbeat performance of ‘Go Tell it on the
Mountain.’ Energetic performances were given throughout the
concert by the Holcombe Jazz Band and Brass Band and the
audience were treated to a powerful performance of ‘I’m
Dreaming of a White Christmas’ by Jack Douglas, Year 11. Leo Willard, Anthony Osalusi, Sylvester
Sunkwa-Mills and Matthew Johnson gave confident readings of bible verses between the music. A big
well done and thank you to all performers. We would like to thank Mr Zwanzig for organising the
evening, which brought the community together and filled us with festive cheer. We would also like
to thank the Holcombe Association for providing refreshments, and Mr Gardner, our Chief Executive
Officer, for his words and best wishes at the close of the evening.
Page 20
12 Tins of Christmas
Christmas
can be an
expensive
time for
everybody, but for those on a tight budget the
added expenses of winter fuel bills as well as
Christmas can plunge many into crisis, leading to
difficult choices. Holcombe Grammar were proud
to support the Family Food Bank’s 12 Tins of
Christmas appeal. Staff, students, parents and
carers have been kindly donating tins of food to
the cause via the School Office and form tutors.
We would like to thank those who have donated
to this important cause.
Christmas Card Competition Winners
Congratulations to our 2019
Christmas Card Competition
Winners, Orlando Sarkodie,
Year 7, (pictured right) and
Luca
Simeone,
Year 8
(left).
Orlando
was one
of the winners of the Thinking
School Academy’s Trust
annual competition, where
students from schools across
the Trust are invited to create a design for a
Christmas card. The winning designs are printed
as the annual TSAT
Christmas Card and sent to
members of the community.
Luca, meanwhile, won the
Holcombe Competition.
Orlando’s card (left)
contains a heart-warming
Christmas scene, which is
linked with Holcombe teaching, as the present the
child opens is a thinking key.
Poetry Live!
Year 11 and selected Year 12 were given the opportunity to watch
Poetry Live! at the Apollo Theatre, London. This annual event
invites GCSE students from across the country to watch and listen
to the poets they have been studying. Poet Laureate and Oxford
Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage
and former Poet Laureate Carol
Ann Duffy joined famed poets
Gillian Clarke, Daljit Nagra, Imtiaz
Dharker, Grace Nichols and John
Agard in reading a selection of their poems. The poets then discussed
themes and ideas in their works and answered questions from the
audience, which included questions about their careers and what
inspires them. Hearing these poems
being read aloud and discussed by the poets themselves allowed
students to enhance their understanding,
which will aid them in their GCSE studies. A
range of poems were read, not only those in
the Anthology; this broadened our students’
understanding of the wider works written by
these poets, thus allowing them to develop an
appreciation for their collections as a whole.
Students received useful booklets containing the poems being read as well as
poems by Seamus Heaney and Alfred Tennyson. Many students took the
opportunity to take notes, which was great to see.
Tasneem Quddus, one of the winners of this year’s Simon Powell Poetry Prize, read one of her
poems. The Simon Powell Poetry Prize invites students, who have attended a Poetry Live event, to
submit a poem of no more than 25 lines. The full details were in the handouts given to the
students. We hope hearing this young writer read her own work
will have provided inspiration to our students and we hope to see
Holcombe students participating in
next year’s competition. AQA English
chief examiner Tony Childs gave an
examiner session,
which gave the students an insight
into the upcoming exams from an
examiner’s perspective. He provided
useful information about how to
approach the unseen poem that will appear in their exams.
Students particularly enjoyed John Agard’s performance. His unique style,
which incorporates singing as well as teachings of culture and history, was
received with huge applause. One student commented ‘is this a poem?’ –
the day certainly widened our students’ ideas as to what constitutes a
poem, with Simon Armitage reading a poem resembling song lyrics and Grace Nichols reading a rap.
We hope students took away valuable information from the trip and we wish them the best of luck
with their studies.
Page 21
Holcombe Association
The Holcombe Association is the Parent and Teacher Association (PTA) of Holcombe Grammar School. The Association has been going for many years and
is one of only a few secondary PTAs in the Country. It is a registered charity and although was set up to support the school, the association has its own governing document and must follow the rules of the Charity Commission. It is the aim of
the Holcombe Association to raise funds to provide equipment, services and materials for
the school not covered by the school’s budget, but would be used to support and enrich the learning of the students at HGS. The
Holcombe Association is made up of a number of committee members; Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer who are
responsible for the running of the
Association. These are all volunteer parents of students. A Board of Trustees is responsible for
overseeing the running of the association. There is a group of parents who also volunteer to help
run and support the School at events. Every parent, carer and staff member is
automatically a member of the Holcombe Association and as such are welcome to our
monthly meetings. Even if you can only offer an hour or two a year to help at events, we would
love to hear from you! Please contact [email protected] or [email protected].
Page 22
Archie’s Boxing
Archie Webb, Year 8, travelled to Cambridge in
November to attend a boxing
competition. Archie represented his club
‘Kent Gloves’ and he won his bout! We will keep you
updated with his successes.
Charlie’s Crime Writing Club
We would like to commend Charlie Read, Year 7, who diligently runs a crime writing club every
Thursday lunchtime in the library. Charlie says: ‘I set up this lunchtime club in the newly opened
library every Thursday. At Crime Writers we take pleasure in writing all manner of wondrous novels
and stories. I began this phenomenal club because I was inspired by my English teacher and have a great passion for reading. We would love to have even
more people join us on Thursdays to open their minds to the glorious world of literature. Come
along and have a go, if your pencil is sharp enough.’ Holcombe is proud of Charlie for showing initiative
in setting up this weekly club and for displaying confidence and determination in overseeing it and encouraging others to share in his passion.
Page 23
Clubs Term 3
We also have the Medway Victory Sea Cadets Unit. Cadets are expected to regularly attend
the unit on Mondays 18:45-21:15pm at The Victory Academy in smart, tidy uniform. If you
would like to find out more about the Sea Cadet Corps, search 'Medway Victory Sea Cadet
Unit' on Facebook or contact [email protected], or contact Mrs Villalta within
BEFORE SCHOOL
AFTER SCHOOL
MONDAY
GYM
BASKETBALL
BADMINTON
LUNCHTIME: SUPPORT GROUP H14
LUNCHTIME: MET M13
LUNCHTIME: GRAPHIC NOVEL CLUB B12
LUNCHTIME: FRENCH CLUB WEEK A IN S16
/ WEEK B IN S14
LUNCHTIME: HOL-TONES VOCAL GROUP
TABLE TENNIS (ALL YEARS)
SEA CADETS 18:45-21:15pm Victory Academy
TUESDAY
GYM
BASKETBALL
BADMINTON
LUNCHTIME: BOOK THIEVES B12
LUNCHTIME: SPANISH AND FRENCH FILM-
CLUB S16
LUNCHTIME: YEAR 7 BAND IN MUSIC
RUGBY (YEAR 7 AND 8)
BASKETBALL (YEAR 9 AND 10)
HOMEWORK CLUB H20
WEDNESDAY
GYM
BASKETBALL
BADMINTON
LUNCHTIME: MFL HOMEWORK CLUB S16
LUNCHTIME: CHESS CLUB M10
LUNCHTIME: RIDDLE CLUB IN M10
LIVE SOUND CLUB IN MUSIC
1ST XI FOOTBALL FIXTURES
HANDBALL (YEAR 7 AND 8)
HOMEWORK CLUB H20
THURSDAY
GYM
BASKETBALL
BADMINTON
LUNCHTIME: YUGIOH CLUB H11
LUNCHTIME: CREATIVE WRITING CLUB IN
THE LIBRARY
LUNCHTIME: YEAR 8 BAND IN MUSIC
BADMINTON (YEAR 7-10)
HOMEWORK CLUB H20
FRIDAY
LUNCHTIME: BRASS BAND IN MUSIC
LUNCHTIME: DEBATE CLUB B12
GYM (ALL YEARS)
FOOTBALL TRAINING
GCSE PE PRACTICAL SUPPORT
RHYTHM AND BLUES BAND IN MUSIC
TERM DATES FOR 2019/2020
Page 24
Teaching in Medway
Teaching is one of the most rewarding and enriching professions as you are transforming the life chances of children and
young people and helping them to carve out their pathways and future successes. Making a difference to so many pupils
on a day to day basis and over the years is truly special. If you are interested in a career in teaching or know of anyone
who would be, we are running a recruitment event at The Victory Academy, Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, ME4 5JB on
Tuesday 21st January 2020 from 5-7pm. For more information, please contact our HR team on 0333 360 2050
or [email protected]. At this event, we will be able to share with you any employment opportunities in our
schools and talk to you about our new very exciting venture, our very own School Centred Initial Teacher Training
(SCITT) branch of our Trust which we will be launching in September 2020. Our SCITT provides aspiring teachers with
an exciting opportunity to train directly in our schools and there are various government bursaries available to support
graduates through the training year. We are currently recruiting for our SCITT and have had much interest already from
undergraduates in their final year of their degrees.
September 2019 to July 2020
Christmas
Break
Thursday 19th December 2019: School closed in lieu of Open Day
Friday 20th December 2019 to Friday 3rd January 2020
Monday 6th January 2020: Staff Development Day
Term 3 Start Tuesday 7th January 2020
Finish Friday 14th February 2020
February Break Monday 17th February 2020 to Friday 21st February 2020
Term 4 Start Monday 24th February 2020
Finish Friday 3rd April 2020
Good Friday Friday 10th April 2020
Easter Monday Monday 13th April 2020
Spring Break Monday 6th April 2020 to Friday 17th April 2020
Term 5 Start Monday 20th April 2020
Finish Friday 22nd May 2020
Early May Bank Holiday Friday 8th May 2020 (instead of Monday 4th)
May Break Monday 25th May to Friday 29th May 2020
Term 6 Start Monday 1st June 2020
Finish Friday 17th July 2020
Monday 20th July 2020: Staff Development Day
Tuesday 21st July 2020: Staff Development Day
The newsletter can be downloaded from the HGS website.
KEY DATES FOR 2019/2020
Page 25
The newsletter can be downloaded from the HGS website.
January
Monday 6th January Staff Development Day
W/C 6th January Year 12 Prelims
W/C 27th January and 3rd February
Year 11 Prelims
February
Thursday 6th February Year 9 Parent Consultation Evening 4:30pm – 6:30pm
W/C 10th February Year 13 Prelims
Thursday 13th February Year 12 Parent Consultation Evening 4:30pm-6:30pm
W/C 24th February Year 13 Prelims
March
Thursday 19th March Year 8 Parent Consultation and Options Evening
April
Thursday 23rd April Year 10 Parent Consultation Evening 4:30pm – 6:30pm
May
Friday 8th May Early May Bank Holiday (instead of Monday 4th)
June
W/C 15th June Year 10 Prelims
W/C 22nd June Year 12 Prelims
Thursday 25th June Year 7 Parent Consultation Evening 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Tuesday 30th June Year 12 Induction
July
Wednesday 1st July Year 12 Induction
Thursday 2nd July Year 6 Taster Day and Evening for Parents Year 12 Work Experience Week
Tuesday 14th July Founders’ Day
Wednesday 15th July Sports Day
Friday 17th July End of Term
Merry Christmas from all of us at Holcombe.
We return on Tuesday 7th January. This will be Week B.
