Given the nature of this shorter week, it is surprising that we have packed so much in. After celebrating our students of the week there are two things I thought you would like to know about. 

Students of the week 

Congratulations to all those students listed below for maintaining their commitment, focus and sense of drive – well done to all.  

GL assessments 

Students in Years 7 to 9 have been sitting papers in English, maths and science this week. These are standardised assessments, created by a commercial assessment company, that return to us scores that compare our cohorts with others nationally. The reasons these assessments are set is to give us a sense of the relative progress of our student groups at mid points in their time at school. Too often there is an obsession with GCSE results and the attendant last minute panic that this can bring. While there is a place for hall-based formal examination, the majority of our student assessments in the lower years are completed in classrooms to ensure we are not causing unneeded worry for the students. In the case of GL assessments, these conditions are necessary for the validity of the data.

Attendance 

Many of you will be aware that school attendance has been lower than typical over the last school year. This has seen national average figures falling, since the return of students to school after the pandemic closures. At Greenshaw, I am really proud that our attendance is significantly above the national average, and also ahead of the London average (a higher figure than national). However, it is interesting to note that on the first day of what turned out to be a four day weekend for many students, this Wednesday our attendance was nearly at 95% – the same as pre-Covid times. I know we will need to continue supporting families and young people with keeping absences to an absolute minimum going forward but it was interesting to note how high attendance was after an enforced break last weekend.

In the meantime, I wish you all the best for the extended coronation bank holiday weekend. I hope you rest well and enjoy the break.

Mr N House, Headteacher