Election of Parent Trustee to the Board of Trustees

The school has received six nominations for the vacancy for a Parent Trustee and it will therefore be necessary to hold a ballot. To reduce the environmental impact of printing over 2,000 ballot slips, we are using an electronic voting system for this ballot.

Parents/carers will receive an email containing information about the candidates, details of how to vote and a randomly generated voter number for use on the voting form. 

If you cannot vote electronically or do not wish to vote electronically, you can print a paper version of the voting form and submit this. If you are unable to print the form and require a copy, please contact admin@hgs.herts.sch.uk

The ballot will close at 11.30am on Friday 3 November 2023.  No votes will be accepted after this date and time. The result will be announced as soon as possible after this.

Free School Meals - vouchers for half-term

Hertfordshire County Council will be providing a supermarket voucher for each child entitled to benefits-related Free School Meals to cover the October half-term holiday period.

Eligible families will be emailed a digital supermarket voucher to the value of £15 for each child on 16 October, which you must redeem within 3 months (the expiry date will be included in the email that you receive from noreply@edenred.co.uk).

You can choose to receive a digital voucher to spend at one of the following supermarkets:
• ALDI
• Asda
• Marks and Spencer
• McColl’s
• Morrisons
• Sainsbury’s
• Tesco
• Waitrose

Please note that the voucher works like a gift card and so doesn't have to be spent in one go.

Contact HertsHelp for general advice and practical support – call 0300 123 4044, email info@hertshelp.net or visit www.hertshelp.net.

Celebrating diversity

We have put together a Diversity Calendar and a display board to reflect dates and occasions that hold meaning for different members of our school community, and help raise awareness of these for everyone.  

For October, the History department have prepared lots of activities for Black History Month, and Mrs Batchelor and Mrs Foster have launched a creative competition to tie in with the National Poetry Day theme of 'Refuge'. Students will be helping to update the board each month with their own creations too, so watch this space! 

Talk The Talk communication workshops

Talk The Talk is a charity that helps young people develop skills and confidence in oral communication. We were very pleased to be joined once again by their expert coaches, who came to deliver workshops for our Year 13s this week. They covered interview techniques, such as selling yourself and citing examples from your experience to demonstrate the qualities you can offer. All very engaging stuff that students can apply in real-life situations as well.

Herts Parent Carer Involvement exists to represent the views of the parents and carers of children and young people with SEND in Hertfordshire.

They are an independent parent-led organisation who work alongside Hertfordshire health, education and social care services, to help improve services and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Their 2023 annual survey is now live, to find out more about what families in Hertfordshire are experiencing. They want to know what works and what doesn’t, so that they can concentrate on the areas that matter most to local families. The survey is open until 15 October 2023.

Last year’s survey helped secure an additional £5m investment into the statutory SEND service and was also used during the Ofsted / CQC Area SEND inspection.

The more families who fill out the survey from different stages of the system the more powerful their voice - you don't need to have an EHCP or a formal diagnosis yet to take part.

Monthly virtual work experience days
for students interested in careers within the NHS

Suitable for Years 10 - 13

Next session: Sunday 5 November 

This is a rolling programme with applications open throughout this academic year.

Careers covered include:

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 observe healthcare professionals as they interact with the patients and each other, and will have an opportunity to ask questions.

This will help students make an informed career decision as well as learn about how healthcare professionals work together as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Each session is completely different, and students will be able to build on their knowledge of NHS careers as they see different patient cases and professionals work in a variety of settings, from the hospital to the community.

Students will also receive certificates as evidence of participation in the programme. The fee is £10 per session to cover administrative costs.

Find out more and register

At the Fashion Retail Academy, we have a wide range of fashion-focused courses, including Fashion Buying, Data Analytics, Fashion Business and Digital Marketing.
We work with more than 140 brands to ensure that our graduates have the skills needed by the industry. Our brand partners also provide work placements, projects, talks, and workshops.

Find out more about upcoming open days

Graduate Careers Live
Catch up on last week's live broadcast 

For Year 13 students applying for university or degree apprenticeships, and their parents/carers

Highlights from the 90-minute programme include:

• analysis of the universities and degree courses that are most likely to lead to a well-paid job after graduation

• an interview with Zoe Thomas, author of The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide, on how to use the latest league tables when applying for university

• the outlook for today’s university leavers and an assessment of the current graduate job market

• an in-depth introduction to degree apprenticeships, the debt-free alternative to university

• specially commissioned films about graduate careers in law and engineering degree apprenticeships

• a countdown of The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers and an interview with this year's number 1 graduate employer

• an exclusive guide to student finance and how to pay for university

• useful tips and guidance from current university students

The programme is presented by Martin Birchall, editor of The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, and Levi Jouavel, journalist & presenter on BBC Three and a former BBC apprentice.

It was produced by High Fliers Research in association with the Department for Education, with the support of AWE, BDO, Deutsche Bank, Dyson, Lloyds Banking Group, NHS, PwC, Rolls-Royce, Royal Navy, and Slaughter and May.

Opportunities Of The Week

Here are some exciting apprenticeship opportunities:

Digital Marketing Assistant Apprentice at Autokitchen UK Limited in Rickmansworth: As a Digital Marketing Assistant Apprentice, you'll provide customer support for Autokitchen's software users whilst supporting the sales team in generating leads via telephone and engaging email content. You will also maintain company websites and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to track and monitor campaign performance.

Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship: As a Level 3 Business Administration Apprentice, you’ll step into a realm where creativity and strategy collide, working alongside the Office and Marketing Manager.

HM Government Communications Centre - national security engineering

Apprenticeship opportunities in Milton Keynes:

University of Newcastle Open Day

Solent University, Southampton 

Features include 'The Fire Service'; 'What would you tell your 15-year-old self?'; 'Eight unusual courses to study'; and 'Engineering - a great career'.  There is also an article on Studying Esports, where there are now a lot of opportunities for young people.

In-person Interview Preparation Day

Thursday 26 October, 11:00 - 15:00 at Gonville and Caius College

For Year 13 students attending state schools in Hertfordshire and Norfolk who have applied to Cambridge. Students should sign up in advance, with further details and a sign-up link being sent out to schools in W/C 9 October.
 

Applicant Webinar Series

6 September – 23 November

A series of webinars addressing all stages of the application process, with a specific session for parents/supporters as well.  Find out more and book at https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applicant-webinars

The Cambridge Higher Aspirations Scheme (CHAS)

             This is aimed at highly able Year 12 students attending state schools                         considering Cambridge/highly selective universities.

             At the heart of the scheme is the opportunity to experience Cambridge-                   style supervisions.

Applications to the CHAS programme are now open, and we encourage all interested students to attend. The scheme consists of six supervisions from January-March 2024, summer application sessions and a selective residential during summer. The scheme is free, and the only eligibility requirement is that the student attends a state school in one of our Link Areas.

             For more information on the scheme, visit: Cambridge Higher Aspirations

            Sign up to the scheme
         

Mental health support for
Hertfordshire's young people