We hope everyone has enjoyed a restful half‑term break, despite the rather unpredictable weather. As we return to school, there is a great deal taking place over the coming weeks, and we would like to highlight a few key events and priorities.
Our Year 11 students are now fully engaged in their mock examinations, an important opportunity for them to demonstrate their progress, identify areas for development, and build confidence ahead of the summer exam season. We are incredibly proud of the maturity and focus they have shown so far. It is important that parents and carers read the reminders shared in the Mock Exam letter sent before half term, as well as the information included in this week’s newsletter, to ensure students are fully prepared and supported throughout the mock period.
We are also looking forward to welcoming families to our Parent Forum on Inclusion, a valuable space for open discussion and collaborative thinking. Your feedback plays an essential role in shaping our ongoing work to ensure every student feels supported, represented, and able to thrive.
In addition, Year 9 Parents’ Evening is approaching on Thursday, providing an important opportunity for families to meet with subject teachers and discuss progress. Please do ensure that you have made appointments using this link: https://hamblecollege.schoolcloud.co.uk/
Finally, we would like to remind all families of the vital importance of strong attendance and punctuality. Being in school every day, and on time, helps students maintain routines, stay connected to learning, and achieve their very best. Thank you for your continued support in reinforcing these expectations.
Double Reward Points Day on Monday 23 February. All points, all year groups and every category will be doubled.
Next week is WEEK 2
Events w/b Monday 23 February
Year 11 Mock Exams take place all week – See timetable below.
Tuesday 24 February
Parent Forum – Inclusion – Conference Room at 6pm. Sign up here: Parent Forum 2025-2026 – Fill in form
No Year 11 Afterschool intervention during the Mock Exams
Thursday 26 February
Year 9 Parents’/Carers’ Evening
No Year 11 Afterschool intervention during the Mock Exams
Future Dates
Year 11 Mock Exams Continue
Tuesday 3 March – Year 9 PSHCRE Day
Thursday 5 March – World Book Day
Letters
Please read the letters sent home and available on our letters page: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/letters-to-parents/
Our latest newsletter is available to download here: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/THS-Newsletter-2025-2026-Issue-3-web.pdf
Theme of the Week: Building Progress, the House System and the Power of Kindness
We have a busy and positive week ahead at The Hamble School. Our upcoming assembly and tutor sessions are designed to keep students informed about our evolving school site and to celebrate the incredible community spirit we’ve seen throughout the term.
This week’s assembly will focus on two key areas of school life: our environment and our House system.
- Building Work Updates: We know the students have been curious about the changes around the site. We will be providing a formal update on the building work progress, highlighting how these improvements will enhance the learning environment for everyone.
- The House Championship: The competition is heating up! We will be revealing the current leaderboards for our Houses. It’s still all to play for as we look ahead to the exciting events planned for the remainder of the term.
- Sports & Esports Results: We are thrilled to announce the winners of two very different but equally competitive events:
- The Mario Kart Competition
- The House Badminton Tournament
Congratulations to all the students who participated and earned valuable points for their teams!
Personal Development: Building a Kinder Community
In our tutor sessions, the focus shifts to Personal Development, with a theme centred on Kindness.
We will be discussing how “Random Acts of Kindness” can transform a school environment and our local community. This isn’t just about being polite; it’s about:
- Looking out for one another: Noticing when a peer might need a boost.
- Building a better community: Understanding that our individual actions contribute to the collective atmosphere of the school.
- Positive challenge: Learning how to kindly challenge each other to do better, work harder, and be the best versions of ourselves.
How You Can Help at Home
To support this week’s theme, you might want to ask your child:
- Which House is currently leading the points tally?
- What is one “random act of kindness” they witnessed or performed today?
- What do they think of the new building changes they’ve seen so far?
Thank you for your continued support in making The Hamble School a place where students strive for excellence and treat one another with respect.
Parent Knowledge Booster: Attendance
Good school attendance is one of the most powerful predictors of a young person’s future success. When students attend regularly, they access consistent learning, build strong relationships with trusted adults, and develop the routines and resilience needed for later life. High attendance is closely linked to stronger academic achievement, improved wellbeing, and significantly better life chances—students who attend school consistently are more likely to achieve good qualifications, secure apprenticeships or employment, and lead confident, independent lives. From a safeguarding perspective, being in school every day ensures students are seen, supported and protected. Simply put: every day in school increases opportunity, safety and future success, while absence can create gaps in learning, reduce confidence and increase vulnerability.
This Spring Term 1, our Attendance Challenge helped reinforce these vital messages while celebrating hard work and improvement across the school. Thank you to everyone who promoted the challenge and encouraged students to be in school, on time, every day.
A special well done to 7.1 and 9.1, who broke into the top three tutor groups—an excellent achievement demonstrating real commitment and teamwork.
Top Tutor Groups – Spring Term 1 Results
Year 7
- Pre‑challenge: 7.5, 7.7, 7.8
- Post‑challenge: 7.5, 7.1, 7.7
Year 8
- Pre‑challenge: 8.2, 8.6, 8.3
- Post‑challenge: 8.3, 8.6, 8.2
Year 9
- Pre‑challenge: 9.9, 9.7, 9.8
- Post‑challenge: 9.8, 9.7, 9.1
Year 10
- Pre‑ and post‑challenge: 10.1, 10.3, 10.6
Year 11
- Pre‑challenge: 11.6, 11.3, 11.8
- Post‑challenge: 11.3, 11.8, 11.6
These results show how quickly improvements can be made when students and tutor groups work together with attendance as a shared priority.
Looking Ahead – Spring Term 2 Challenge
In Spring Term 2, the focus will shift to the tutor group that makes the biggest improvement from Spring 1 to Spring 2. This gives every group—regardless of where they started—a real chance to shine. Every extra day in school strengthens learning, safety and future opportunities.
Why Attendance Matters
- Daily attendance keeps students safe, ensuring regular contact with adults who can support and protect them.
- Students with strong attendance achieve more, gaining qualifications that open doors to future pathways.
- Good attendance increases life chances, improving access to further study, apprenticeships and employment.
- Absences create barriers, including lost learning, reduced confidence and increased vulnerability.
- Being in school builds resilience and routine, helping students develop the skills needed for adult life.
Student Leadership
At The Hamble School, our commitment to ‘Achieving Excellence Together’ extends beyond the classroom. We believe that student voice is an integral part of our school being able to truly thrive.
On Monday 23 February, we are proud to be holding the interviews for our Student Governor Link positions. Following a large number of high-quality applications, shortlisted candidates from Years 7 through 10 will meet with Mr. Andrews (Assistant Headteacher), Miss Cambridge (Headteacher) and members of our Board of Governors.
Each candidate has been tasked with a rigorous “120-Second Pitch,” presenting a strategic solution to a challenge facing their specific year group. This role is not just about sharing opinions; it is about developing leadership, understanding school governance, and acting as a professional bridge between the student body and our leadership team.
We have been incredibly impressed by the maturity and community-mindedness shown by all applicants. Whether successful in this specific round or not, every student who applied has demonstrated the bravery and ambition we value at Hamble.
We look forward to announcing our new Student Governor Links in next week’s update.
Parent Forum
We would like to warmly invite you to this week’s Parent Forum, where the focus will be on Inclusion, led by Mr Dudegon (Assistant Headteacher and Senior SENDCo).
This session will be an opportunity to learn more about how our school supports every young person to feel included, understood, and able to thrive. Parents will also have the chance to ask questions, share experiences, and contribute to ongoing developments in our inclusive practice.
📅 Date: Tuesday 24 February 2026
🕒 Time: 6pm
📍 Venue: Conference Room
We encourage all Parents/ Carers to join us—your insights and partnership play a vital role in shaping our school community.
We look forward to seeing you there. Sign up here: Parent Forum 2025-2026 – Fill in form
World Book Day 2026
The literacy and communication skills of our students are vitally important. We are constantly striving to improve the literacy standards of our students, so that they are able to access all areas of the curriculum and are able to successfully interact with those around them. In order to promote these essential skills in our school, this year as part of our World Book Day celebrations, on Thursday 5 March, we would like to invite students to dress up as a character from a book. Our whole school theme this year will be ‘Harry Potter’ which students are welcome to join in with, however, they are welcome to dress up as any character from a book that they choose. There will be competitions held in school and certificates awarded for the best costumes.
If students are not in fancy dress, usual school uniform rules will apply.
We hope this will be an enjoyable day that will engage students with the fun and pleasure of reading.
School Nurse Referral
Our school nurse is available for student referrals.
They can offer:
- One off appointments for advice and information on most areas of physical and mental health such as emotional wellbeing, relationships, sexual health, periods, puberty and healthy lifestyles.
- Up to four sessions of ongoing work on emotional wellbeing or healthy lifestyles.
What they can’t offer:
- Advice or ongoing work for medical conditions which are already well managed and supported by specialists.
- Self-harm or more serious mental health concerns which would be better suited to MHST/CAMHS/EYC
If you would like to refer your child to the school nurse, please complete the form: School Nurse clinic referral – Fill in form
Uniform Standards
This weekend is a great opportunity to check that your child’s uniform is ready for the return to school and the run‑up to Easter. Taking a moment now to ensure everything fits correctly and meets our standards helps students feel confident, prepared and ready to learn. Recently, we have noticed a number of students choosing to wear their school skirt rolled at the waist, which shortens the length and does not meet uniform expectations. As a reminder, skirts should be on the knee at all times. Students who regularly breach uniform standards may be directed to wear trousers instead, in line with our behaviour and uniform expectations. Maintaining high standards of uniform is an important part of creating a calm, safe and respectful learning environment for everyone.
If you require any support with uniform—whether that includes accessing particular items, replacing worn‑out pieces or discussing options—please use the following form so we can offer appropriate help:
Request for Uniform Support: https://forms.office.com/e/YEPRzbG8pT
You can also find the full details of our expectations here:
School Uniform Policy: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/uniform/
Mobile Phones and Smart Watches
Mobile phones and smart watches are not permitted in school, as they can cause significant distractions to learning and create safeguarding concerns. All mobile devices must remain switched off and kept in students’ bags throughout the school day. If a student has their phone or smart watch out in school, it will be confiscated in line with our behaviour policy. Repeated confiscations may result in the student being required to hand in their device at the start of each school day for a fixed period of time.
To help us maintain a calm and focused learning environment, we kindly ask that parents and carers do not contact their children directly via mobile phones during lesson time. If you need to get a message to your child, please call the school office or email general@thehambleschool.co.uk and we will ensure the information reaches them promptly. Working together in this way helps us minimise disruption, uphold safeguarding expectations, and ensure all students remain fully engaged in their learning.
Tutor Changes
There will be a small number of tutor changes after half term. As Mr Taylor has now taken on the role of Assistant Progress Leader for Year 11, he will continue to tutor 9.7 from Wednesday to Friday, while Mrs Mount will be their tutor on Monday and Tuesday.
We are also creating two new tutor groups in Year 11 to allow for more targeted intervention and support. Mrs Loveridge will take 11.10, and Mr Leonard‑Rendell and Ms Ingram will jointly tutor 11.11.
If your child has been moved into one of these new groups, you will receive a notification with full details.
Year 11 Mock Exams
A huge well‑done to all the selected Year 11 students who came into school today for their English and Maths Masterclass. Your commitment, positive attitude and determination to strengthen your exam preparation were fantastic to see, and you should be incredibly proud of the effort you put in. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the staff who planned and delivered the sessions—their time, expertise and dedication make a real difference to student confidence and progress. Thank you to everyone involved for making the day such a success.
Our Year 11 students continue their written Mock Exams this week. This is a valuable chance to practise the full exam experience, refine revision habits and identify next steps before the summer series.
Why Mock Exams Matter
Mock exams help students build the skills they need for success: time management, memory and recall, critical thinking, communication, problem‑solving, organisation, planning and resilience. They also mirror the real GCSE experience, so everyone knows exactly what to expect and we can resolve any access‑arrangement logistics in advance.
Mock Exam Timetable & Line‑Up: What to Expect
- Check the Mock Exam Timetable (shared with students and through email) – A copy can be found here: https://www.thehambleschool.co.uk/examination-information/
- Know your seating before you line up (row and seat number).
- Bags go into the exam container on the shelf that matches the first letter of your surname.
- Once you leave the container, you are in exam conditions and must be silent.
- Line up by your seat/row for the Main Hall or, if you’re in the Skills Centre, line up to the left of the exam line‑up area. Silence is non‑negotiable.
Equipment
- Clear pencil case with the essentials – two black pens are a must.
- Ensure you have a calculator for the Maths calculator exam and some other exams such as Science and Geography.
- No watches of any kind; empty pockets.
- Phones must be in bags, not pockets.
- Water in a clear, label‑free bottle is allowed.
In the Exam Room
- Stay silent from line‑up all the way to your seat and while instructions are given. Start when told; timings are displayed in the room.
- At the end, follow the Exams Officer’s instructions; papers will be collected before you leave.
- You may speak only after you exit the hall and have collected your bag.
Rules You Must Follow
- Rules are set by the awarding bodies/JCQ.
- Malpractice (e.g., writing on hands/arms/desks) can lead to disqualification.
- Keep pockets empty, no heads on desks.
- Disruption is treated seriously and will be sanctioned.
Who’s Here to Help
Your support network includes Mrs Emmett‑Callaghan (Progress Leader), Mr Wood (Y11 SLT link), tutors, subject teachers, support staff, parents/carers and peers. Please ask us if you have any questions.
Revision: Make It Count
- Find out what you need to know – Use the information handed out at Parents’ Evening, ask your teachers, check Class Charts, and use the revision lists/ guides.
- Plan quiet, focused sessions and practise different revision techniques (e.g., self‑quizzing, past‑paper questions, flashcards, timed practice).
- Use the Mock Exam Timetable to build a day‑by‑day plan that balances subjects and includes breaks.
Final Word
You’ve got this. Give each paper an honest effort, follow the rules, and walk out of every exam knowing you’ve done your best. Good luck.
Rewards Update
- The qualification threshold at the end of Week 20 was 1025 points.
- By the end of Week 21, students needed 1076 points, with the updated final target for Easter now set at 1282 points.
- Positives and negatives both count towards totals.
- Tutors will receive the list of students who qualify in the first week after the Easter break, but you can see if you are on rack by going on Class Charts.
- There will be Double Reward points days and weeks throughout Spring Term 2.
- In years 7-10 83% of students are ‘on track’ for the end of year rewards trips.
- In year 11 80% of students are on track for prom. Th Invigilators will be awarding points over the next two weeks so that students do not miss out when they are in their exams.
