Principal’s February 2019 newsletter

I hope all our students are continuing to enjoy life at Greenhead and making good progress in their studies.  This online newsletter aims to highlight recent College successes and provide information on some upcoming events.

Reunion and Awards Evening

Our annual Reunion and Awards Evening took place on Thursday, 20 December in the splendid surroundings of The John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield.  It was wonderful to meet so many returning students, celebrate their academic achievements and hear how well they are getting on at university, in their apprenticeship or employment. 

Our guest of honour was Katie Mallinson, a former student of the College and now one of our governors, who gave an inspirational talk to guests about the importance of having a goal and aiming high.  There was also a performance by Mud Mask, winners of our recent Battle of the Bands Competition. 

Extended Project Qualification

The Extended Project Qualification is a vitally important part of College life, enabling students to develop independent research skills which complement their A Level studies.  Our annual EPQ Poster Showcase took place on Tuesday, 15 January and was attended by students, parents and carers, staff, and governors.  The standard of work was as high as ever and students spoke passionately and eloquently about their projects.

FE College Achievement Award

The College has been shortlisted for the FE College Achievement Award with its recent Carol for Yorkshire Project. The national awards are run by the Creative Learning Guild and the winner will be announced on Friday, 8 March.  Carol for Yorkshire was a recent project run by the College’s Music department in partnership with Musica Kirklees, where students from across the local area were invited to enter a competition to compose their very own Christmas Carol.

Oxbridge Success

45 students have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge universities – a record number for Greenhead. The College consistently sends more students to these universities than any school or college in the region.  I am absolutely thrilled to see so many of our students obtain these offers.  These young people have worked incredibly hard and have been fully supported by our staff in College who work tirelessly to raise students’ aspirations.

Whilst it is right that we celebrate this magnificent achievement, I should also stress that we value students’ progression to a wide range of destinations.  The College makes it a priority to raise all students’ aspirations, opening the door to top universities, advanced modern apprenticeships and employment.

Education Performance Tables

The College has also been celebrating its remarkable position in the latest Department for Education Performance Tables, published on Thursday, 24 January.  These include data showing ‘value added’, which indicates student progress made since GCSE, high grades achieved in key academic subjects and the average A Level result achieved by students.

In all three categories, local schools and colleges achieved some outstanding results, reflecting the high standard of post-16 provision in the region.  The Huddersfield Examiner (29 January 2019) stated “Greenhead College is the best performing school or college in Huddersfield in this year’s A Levels.”  In fact, Greenhead is the best performing Sixth Form College in Yorkshire and one of the top sixth forms in the country, according to these latest measures.

For further information on how Greenhead College performs compared to other local schools and colleges, please click here.

British Education Awards

We are also thrilled that we were a winner for the second year in a row at the British Education Awards, held on Thursday, 31 January. Shaun Marshall, who left Greenhead in summer 2018 with 4 A*s, was the very deserving winner of the A Level (England Zone 1) category.

Upcoming Events

There are a number of College events taking place in this half of the term:

Our annual Options@18 Fair takes place on Thursday, 7 February, from 4.00-6.00pm in the Main Hall.  This is always a very busy event, with lots of universities, employers offering higher level opportunities and apprenticeships, and gap year providers attending.  All students and parents and carers are welcome to attend. 

LGBT History Month takes place this February. Whilst we will be celebrating all month, on Friday, 15 February we will be holding Rainbow Day. There will be all sorts going on throughout the day, including a talk from Stonewell Ambassador Matthew Bugg, a stall from the Proud Terriers from Huddersfield Town FC, rainbow face painting and music in the main hall, so come along in your brightest clothes!

Mock exams for A2 students begin on Monday, 25 February.  Our Examinations Manager recently gave a very useful presentation to A2 students which provided information on our Exam ApEx system.  A2 students are advised to log onto this to see the dates, times and seating arrangements for their forthcoming mock exams.  Information on the formal, summer exams is also shown via this system.  The PowerPoint slides are on Moodle in the A2 Tutorial section for any student who was unable to attend the assembly.

We are very busy currently interviewing applicants from non-partner high schools for September 2019 entry.  After half-term we will be interviewing students from our twelve partner schools.  A reminder that the deadline for all applications is Friday, 8 February 2019.  We have been hugely impressed with the quality of our future students and hearing about their ambitions and goals.  It is still not too late to apply and we would love to hear from you. 

College Information

Could I remind all students to check their emails on a daily basis to ensure they are up-to-date with key messages concerning life in College.  Students may find it useful to refer to their Student Planner and to check the Student Calendar in the Key Dates section of the website, which lists upcoming events, such as assemblies, and important deadlines.  Parents and carers may find this calendar useful as well.  There is also a Parents’ Information section on the website which provides information on topics including student bursaries, the College day and progress monitoring.

Term Dates

A reminder that we will close for half-term after lessons finish on Friday, 15 February, and return on Monday, 25 February.   

Support Available

Finally, could I remind students and their parents and carers that support is always available.  Our staff, including teachers, personal tutors, the learning support and careers teams, College counsellors, and the senior team, are here to help with any matter of concern. Our doors are always open.   

Best wishes,

Simon Lett

Principal