HGS Weekly Newsletter | Spring Term, Week 10 | Date: 20 March 2026

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B week
All Day
from 23 Feb and on Monday every 2 weeks until 28 Mar
23
March
Geography Trip to King's Cross (Y12)
All Day
24
March
Trip to UCAS Discovery Day Conference (Y12)
10:00am – 5:00pm
24
March
Trip to GSK Symposium (Y12)
12:30pm – 6:30pm
24
March
Classics Trip to Italy (Y10 - 13)
All Day
from 26 Mar until 31 Mar
26
March
Form Running
10:40am – 11:40am
26
March
Science Fair
5:00pm – 8:00pm
26
March
End of Term at 12:40
12:40pm – 3:30pm
27
March

 

REPORTING STUDENT ABSENCE

 

We have an online absence reporting form for all absences (whole day or part of the day). If you are unable to use the form you will need to email absence@hgs.herts.sch.uk with the student's name and tutor group, reason for absence and expected return date (if known). 

WEEKLY LUNCH MENU - Week 3

 

You can see our three-weekly menu here - we are on Week 3.

SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Photo of Headteacher Mr Crowther

Good afternoon,

It has been an amazing week in school with some fantastic events and experiences for our students. The week started with a trip to Bletchley Park for some of our Year 9 Mathematicians - always a great experience, and if you haven't been I thoroughly recommend it. There was also a trip to Sky Studios for our Year 12 Media students, where they gained some hands-on experience in TV production workshops. 

The arts have shone again this week with the House singing competition on Tuesday and Friday, and also with the absolutely amazing 'Live from the Hill' concert on Wednesday night - which was two hours jam-packed with entertainment and talent. Thank you to all of the staff and students involved in each of these opportunities and experiences.

Last weekend our students enjoyed great success at the national trampolining finals - well done and congratulations to all who competed. You can read more about this below.

On Thursday, our senior Mathematicians took part in the Intermediate Maths Olympiad and our GCSE PE students had their practical moderation day; I wish every student all the best for the outcomes of both of these. I know you will have done your best so there will be lots to celebrate and be proud of!

Today has a charity theme with a non-uniform day for Comic Relief and also our termly Food Drive. The Food Drive is an established event that gives so much back to our community - a big thank you to Mrs Reynolds, the team of students who helped and all the families who kindly made donations.

Next week is the final week of the Spring term and this will be marked with celebration assemblies and hopefully, weather permitting, the first Form Running of this academic year. Alongside these events, Year 12 will be attending a UCAS Discovery Day and the GSK symposium. On Tuesday evening, Year 13 Drama students have a practical exam - all the best and ‘break a leg’! On Wednesday we will see the culmination of lots of hard work and practice for Years 7 & 8 in the Gym Competition, and on Thursday night we have the Science Fair. Also on Thursday, the Classics trip to Italy departs - I wish them a safe and successful trip. So there is still lots more happening before we break up for Easter on Friday at 12.40. 

Finally, for all of our community that have been celebrating Ramadan - Eid Mubarak, I wish you many blessings for the year ahead.

Have a great weekend.

James Crowther, Headteacher

 

Thank you to all those who were able to
​​​​​donate to our Food Drive today!

We have unnamed items of lost property in the main school office waiting to be claimed before the end of term. If you are missing anything please come to have a look. All named items of lost property have been returned to owners. 

Meet Anouska, Amaya and Katie - together they are our new Head Girl Team for 2026-27!

Following presentations, hustings, shortlisting, and voting by students and staff, we are delighted to announce that these three candidates will be succeeding our current team of Milly, Farah and Fran from September. Many congratulations, and well done also to all the candidates who undertook the exacting election process. You should all be proud for putting yourselves forward!

Anouska Burford, Head Girl

Hi there, I'm Anouska - you probably know me as Noush - and I am very proud to be your Head Girl. I'm studying Biology, Psychology, French and an EPQ. I believe that all voices should be heard no matter how big or small, and though I cannot promise perfection, I can promise to listen to everyone's ideas, to represent our school as best as I can and put 100% effort into making this a great year together.

Amaya Abdul-Quddus, Deputy Head Girl

Hey everyone, my name’s Amaya and I started in September as an external student. My A Levels are English Literature, Psychology, History and an EPQ on Formula One. As Deputy Head Girl, I'm really excited to work alongside you all, supporting and inspiring each other to unlock our full potential and become the very best versions of ourselves.

Katie Ingram, Deputy Head Girl

Hi, I'm Katie, I'm studying Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and History for A Level, and I'm excited to serve as a Deputy Head Girl next year. I care about our school community and hope to help ensure that every student has the best possible experience at HGS, by making sure that everyone feels heard and included in decisions that affect their time at our school.

Our brilliant trampolinists brought back a haul of medals and trophies from the National Schools Trampolining Finals in Derby!

Two teams became national champions, one came 2nd and another came 4th. Individually, Mirelle came 3rd, Bonnie 2nd and Freya 1st place! All these performances are testament to our gymnasts' dedication and sustained hard work.

And our heartfelt thanks go to the HBS Revolutions coaches, especially Beckie and Ruby, for helping our students achieve these exceptional results.



Forty-eight of our Year 9 students went on a Maths trip to Bletchley Park, the country house that was the centre of Allied codebreaking during the Second World War.

Our students took part in a codes and ciphers workshop, had a guided tour to learn about the history and importance of the site, and had time to explore the museum for themselves.

Some of the day's highlights included touching an Enigma machine, seeing Alan Turing's office and hearing their own voices generated by AI. 

Thank you to Lottie, Clemie, Carly, Lauren and Isla, who came in from the cold to report on the experience with this fabulous poster! 

Well done to Zartasha in Year 7 and Yvie in Year 10, who won the Reading Buddies bookmark design competition and received these Easter egg prizes!

And well done Year 7 netballers, who won the district tournament last night!

Seeking Sports Guest Speaker: We're holding our annual Sports Awards on 9 July and are hoping to have a guest speaker who may be an inspiring role model for our young sportspeople.

The speaker would ideally be a current or ex-athlete/coach/official. Last year we were thrilled to be joined by Ellie Rattu, England netball player and London Mavericks captain (pictured here with our PE team!). If you may be able to help or could suggest a possible speaker (maybe even an HGS alumna?) please email admin@hgs.herts.sch.uk

It's time for the annual Ellie Swanton Pride of HGS Award - a means of recognising the amazing work that our Sixth Form students do, whether inside or outside school. The three categories for nominations are:

Charity: Someone who has been working to support a charity, through fundraising, volunteering or any other relevant activity.

Community: Someone who has given their time to support the local community or a local group. 

Selflessness: Someone who has given their time or efforts to help others; someone who can always be relied upon to give their time and energy in any situation.

Anyone can nominate a student - family, friends, teachers, co-workers - whether they know the student from school or outside school.

Nominations will close in the first half of the Summer term. The overall winner will be presented with the Ellie Swanton shield.

Submit your nomination here

  

NOTICEBOARD - LOCAL

NOTICEBOARD - WELLBEING & SEND

National SEND Reforms & Consultations

A series of documents summarising the Schools White Paper and SEND Consultation are available for parents and professionals on the Government website:
Every child achieving and thriving and SEND consultation supporting information 

Have Your Say

The consultation document explains the changes that are planned to be made and asks for comments from everyone with an interest. The changes aim to improve help and support for children and young people with SEND across the 0 to 25 years system.

The national consultation SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First is now open for responses: 
SEND reform: putting children and young people first - Department for Education - Citizen Space 

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ADD-vance Workshops

ADD-vance is a dedicated group of professionals, who also happen to be parents of autistic and/or ADHD children. Their mission is to support the families of neurodivergent children and the professionals involved in their care.

ADD-vance offers online workshops for parents and professionals, including:
• Understanding Anxiety
• Applying for an EHCP
• Supporting the transition to secondary school

Please follow the link to view available upcoming workshops:
ADD-vance Events - 15 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite

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SEND Local Offer

A central hub for SEND services, support, events, things to do and guidance in
Hertfordshire which can be filtered by location, date and age range:
SEND Local Offer | Hertfordshire County Council

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SEND Drop‐in for Parents & Carers

There is a SEND coffee morning being held on 17th March (Moss Bury School) and 16th June (Pear Tree School) both 10am – 12pm - this is a drop-in session with no booking required:
SEND Drop-in coffee morning, Stevenage | Hertfordshire County Council

There will be various support services in attendance such as ADDvance, Family Centre, Messy Minds and Step2Skills.

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Angels Autism & ADHD Support

Angels Autism & ADHD Support holds weekly online workshops (Tuesdays, 10am–
12pm, term time only).

Themes for March:

• 10/03/26 – SEN Support: OAP & EHCPs
• 17/03/26 – Reducing Meltdowns
• 24/03/26 – Supporting Sensory Needs

Find the term timetable here (to 28th March): Angels 2025 Programme Jan - April 2026


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Herts Hub is a new website that's intended to be a one-stop portal for Children and Young People's Mental Health Services, accessible to both parents and young people. Take a look at https://www.hertshub.co.uk/

Living with Anxiety

For 14 - 18-year-olds

This is an 8-week online group designed to help those who may be experiencing anxiety or finding it difficult to manage their emotions day to day. It's a friendly and supportive space where young people can:

  • Better understand their anxiety and what triggers it
  • Learn practical tools and coping strategies
  • Build confidence through shared experiences and guided activities

Each week, they will focus on a different theme, such as challenging anxious thoughts, managing social anxiety, and developing healthy coping habits. Participants also receive a workbook to help them reflect and practise between sessions.

Group Details:

⏰ Tuesdays at 7-8pm

🌐 Online via Zoom

Families can access the group by referral (parents, teachers or professionals can refer).

To Register:

Fill out their online referral form: Living With Anxiety - WithYouth

Or download the form and email it to: withyouth@hertfordshiremind.org

Or call: 0208 189 8400 to speak to one of their support workers directly if you have any questions. Alternatively, chat with them on their instant messaging between 2pm and 10pm every day by clicking the blue 'chat with us' button.

 

 

What is offered by
Services for Young People?

Hertfordshire Services for Young People deliver a range of youth work projects for young people aged 11-17 (up to 25 for care leavers and those with SEND), in young people’s centres and other community venues in all districts of Herts.

They are committed to giving young people high-quality opportunities to learn life skills and excel in their personal and social development. They also aim to address issues at the earliest opportunity to give young people the best chance to thrive, have a voice in their community, reach their potential and make a successful transition to adulthood.

Find out more

A partnership of local agencies, DSPL publishes a weekly round-up of courses, workshops and events related to young people's wellbeing and additional needs in the North Herts area. 

See all upcoming events

  •  Free confidential helpline on 0808 800 2222
  •  Email us for support at askus@familylives.org.uk
  •  Talk to us online via our Live Chat service
  • Online advice, peer support and information on all aspects of family life at www.familylives.org.uk
  •  Face-to-face support groups and workshops
  •  Find us on social media @FamilyLives @BullyingUK
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