Message from the Headteacher 

Industrial action

Please find below the letter that was sent to all parents / carers regarding the forthcoming industrial action.

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Further to my letter last week, I am writing to confirm the arrangements for students on the first day of industrial action, Wednesday 1 February 2023.  The arrangements for the subsequent days of planned action (1 March, 15 March and 16 March) will be published in advance of those dates.

The strike is about the level of funding schools receive, and terms and conditions. The argument is not with our school but we will be affected by the strike. A significant number of our teaching staff are members of the NEU and, since members are not required to notify the school in advance of their intentions, I have had to conduct a risk assessment on the safety of the school being open to all our students when it is unclear how many teaching staff will be in school on 1 February.

In discussions within our senior team, we have determined that we may not have sufficient staff available to safely manage our full roll of nearly 1400 students.   We have taken the decision to prioritise students in Years 11, 12 and 13 for this first day of action.  All students in Years 11,12 and 13 should attend school as normal on Wednesday 1 February.  There may be periods of the day when their normal teacher is not available and independent working will be expected (Year 11 will be supervised). Students should bring their laptops or other devices (Years 12 & 13) and Chromebooks (Year 11) to school, fully charged.

Students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 should stay at home and undertake remote learning, following their normal timetable. Work will be set on Google Classroom by teachers who are not on strike with ‘live lessons’ via Google Meet being utilised, as appropriate.  All students will be required to log on to their Google Classroom for each timetabled lesson.  If, after 10 minutes, no work has been set or the teacher is not available, then students are required to undertake independent learning for that subject.  Should this be the case, students are advised to review prior learning and make use of websites such as Educake, MyMaths, Dr Frost, BBC Bitesize, Seneca and YouTube to support their work.

We will make provision available in school for students in Years 7-10 with SEND or who are vulnerable. There will be supervision by our Learning Support team, and students will undertake the same remote learning as their peers, but supported by the Learning Support assistants. We will have limited capacity and, in some cases, we will approach families directly to suggest attendance, or you may request a place by emailing admin@hgs.herts.sch.uk.

Children entitled to Free School Meals who are in school will be able to have lunch as usual from the school canteen. For those who are at home, we will be making arrangements for a packed lunch to be available and we will write to the families in question directly with more details.

I know that making alternative arrangements for your children will be difficult for some parents. That is why we are giving as much notice as possible and running as many classes as we safely can. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you in advance for your support at this time.

Yours faithfully,

James Crowther, Headteacher

Exam invigilators needed

We are currently looking for flexible, well-organised individuals to join our team of Examination Invigilators, to work on a casual basis for public (GCSE / A Level) exams and school mock exams.

Public exams take place from May until the end of June, and mock exams take place in November, December and January.

The key focus of this position is to invigilate students and ensure that guidelines and regulations are followed.

Successful candidates will be confident and caring, with good interpersonal skills.

Experience is not essential as full training will be given, but flexibility in hours will be required.

Please contact exams@hgs.herts.sch.uk to apply or for more information.

The deadline is Friday 10 February 2023.

Home-school transport consultation

Hertfordshire County Council are consulting on their home-school transport policies. They are seeking feedback from schools, parents and other stakeholders.

The proposals include:

• A policy to clarify the role of passenger assistants on contracted transport
• An amended policy for transport for 19-25 year-olds
• Amending the charging structure for 16-18 year-olds
• Removing the 16+ railcard

They are also seeking views on:

• Personal Travel Budgets
• Transport for those on Part-Time Timetables
• Spare seats on vehicles to special schools in Hertfordshire

Full details and an online response form are available at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/transportconsultation

The consultation will run between 24 January and 26 March 2023.

Parent workshop

Please note that this workshop has been moved from its original date of 1 February to Wednesday 8 February.

Drug Awareness Parental Workshop - Wed 8 Feb, 6 - 8pm

Sports Leaders 

This week we were hosts to SportsHall Primary, an indoor athletics festival for local primary schools packed with fun field and track events. Our Sports Leaders did a brilliant job helping to run the event, being supportive and sharing a few tips - thanks for being such great sports ambassadors for the school!

Competition time!

Get into Medicine conference

Saturday 28 January, 10am - 3pm
Sunday 29 January, 10am - 3pm

The event will cover 

• Tactically choosing universities
• Personal statements
• Medical school interview skills
• Medical Leadership Programmes
• Medical Awards Programmes
• Extracurricular activities that medical school love
• Work experience
• Building a medical CV
• Applying for scholarships to study Medicine

There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions. 

Applying to medicine is as much about working tactically as it is about working hard. With the right support and guidance, it does not need to be an overwhelmingly confusing process. 

Register

ITV 'First Step' live online career challenge
Monday 30 January, 4.30 

Who should be the main sponsor of Britain’s Got Talent in 2023?

Register

ITV 'Next Step' live online career challenge
Tuesday 31 January, 5.00

ITVX – Ads or no ads, that is the question!

Register

ITV live online career panel 
Thursday 2 February, 6.30
Students and parents are invited to discover more about career and placement opportunities in data.

National Apprenticeship Week - virtual introductions to apprenticeships 

Sessions are running throughout National Apprenticeship Week (6 - 12 February). They need to be signed up for, with some taking place during the school day and some afterwards. Find out more at:  https://nationalapprenticeshipweek.co.uk/events/

From Sunday 5 February

Years 10 - 13

£10 per session

Registration for the NHS Allied Healthcare Work Experience Programme is now open.  

Suitable for students considering the following careers:

Nursing
Midwifery
Paramedicine
Physiotherapy
Occupational Therapy
Dietetics
Radiography
Prosthetics and Orthotics
Speech and Language Therapy
Pharmacy

During the work experience day, students will follow two patients from their initial presentation to recovery. They will gain a unique insight into how patients interact with a variety of healthcare professionals and what it’s like to work in an NHS multidisciplinary team.

Students can register individually at any time throughout the five-month programme using the link below. 

Computacenter Hatfield Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship Open Evening
Tuesday 31 January, 5.45 - 8pm 

Free

Find out about Computacenter's apprenticeships, network with their current apprentices and get a glimpse of what the world of apprenticeships has to offer. 

Virtual ‘Ask the apprentice’ Session
Tuesday 7 February, 4.30 - 5.30pm 

Sign up

About Skills Gap

Skills Gap is a career accelerator that runs insightful workshops for young people aged 15-19 ­– because it’s never too soon to think about building your skills for a competitive edge in your future studies and career.

We're offering a range of intensive workshops this spring, all designed specifically for 15-19 year olds and delivered to small groups by experienced industry experts:

Careers in Hacking
Saturday 4 February 

Top-flight businesses and governments the world over are recruiting for a new elite force: a band of ethical hackers charged with protecting our most sensitive information and the infrastructure that powers our everyday living. Our online workshop is taught by Daniel Wilkinson, a Security Consultant at NCC Group. He gives a beginner’s guide to ethical hacking and the skills you’ll need to succeed, with practical experience of hacking your way into a vulnerable online storefront.

AI in Astrophysics
Saturday 4 February 

With new telescopes now powerful enough to see galaxies formed in the wake of the Big Bang, our online workshop introduces the AI helping scientists to interpret this data to identify stars and plot the shape of the universe. Taught by Joe Sims, an AI PhD student at Leeds University, you’ll step into the inspiring world of AI in astrophysics and get first-hand experience of using a neural network to classify stars.

AI in Engineering
Saturday 25 February 

Finding new and optimal ways of doing things is at the very core of engineering. Which makes it the perfect partner for AI and machine learning, from smart production lines to image-processing technology that allows machines to see. Our online workshop is led by civil engineer and data scientist Johan Hagstrom, who will introduce you to key AI algorithms and trends. You’ll also get hands-on experience with Python, being guided through a computer vision algorithm that can detect cars on the road – a peek into the world of self-driving vehicles.

AI in Finance
Saturday 25 February

The world of finance has been an early adopter of machine learning, from fraud detection to finance chat bots, yet it’s still just touching the surface of AI’s potential. Our workshop is led by Chelsea Murray, a data scientist at ING with a Masters in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence from the University of Cambridge. Chelsea will introduce you to the vast range of financial AI applications and give you practical experience training a machine learning algorithm to predict credit card fraud.

Coding for Game Design
Saturday 25 February

With one third of the world’s population already estimated to be gamers, the gaming industry offers one of the hottest career tickets today. Our online workshop gives you a unique insight into the latest trends, from multiplayer games to game streaming. Led by Josh Hills, a programmer on some of the world’s largest multiplayer games, including Runescape and Horizon, you’ll get first-hand experience of developing and enhancing a physics-based game prototype and discover the skills you’ll need to succeed.

Robotics in Space
Saturday 11 March

From exploring the surface of Mars to sizing up metallic asteroids, the race is on to unlock the mysteries of the universe and answer our planet’s biggest challenges. Taught online by robotics experts, this workshop gives a fascinating insight into today’s space industry. Take part in a hands-on exercise to design an autonomous robotic lander to explore Europa, and get career tips and advice to get ahead.

AI in Medicine
Saturday 11 March

Medicine is on the verge of an Artificial Intelligence revolution – from pioneering surgeries to algorithms that predict future health issues. Our workshop is delivered online by med-tech experts, and will introduce you to key AI trends in medicine, their influence on global healthcare, and the tech skills you need to get ahead. You’ll also take part in an exciting hands-on diagnostic exercise using AI modelling tools.

Amazing Apprenticeships have put together a really useful downloadable PDF with a comprehensive list of Higher and Degree level apprenticeships or a 2023 start. 

Mental health support for
Hertfordshire's young people