I AM exceptionally proud and privileged to be the new Headteacher of The Hurst School.
I am ambitious for the school to continue on its improvement journey by providing high standards of Teaching and Learning with a curriculum which supports every young person to be ready for their future. The vision of The Hurst School is to prepare and inspire our students for a rapidly changing world by developing confidence, resilience and independence alongside a love of learning.
Students aim for success today and will be equipped for tomorrow.
The school enjoys a countryside setting just 10 miles north west of Basingstoke. It makes the best of its large site and green surroundings. It has a strong ethos and is driven by its values of ambition, commitment, respect, excellence and community.
I am pleased to say that it was rated Good by Ofsted in March 2019 and remains solidly so, although we have aspirations to improve even further.
I am committed to maintaining and developing a safe and happy school to support children to thrive and enjoy their education; pastoral care is a real strength of the school.
At The Hurst School, our tutor groups are organised using a year group model, where tutor time is spent in groups of students from the same year.
Each school year has a Head of Year who will stay with them throughout their time at secondary school. We believe this system allows a dedicated focus on the journey of our students from Year 7 through to Year 11, following a roadmap which will build aspiration and purpose at each stage of our students’ growth through the school.
A strong programme across assemblies and tutor time enable students to build respect, resilience and skills that will be crucial in their later life.
It is more important than ever, since Covid, that children are supported to cope with the transition to school and the necessary changes.
Change is a normal part of life and can provide opportunities for children and young people to develop their resilience but no doubt the Covid pandemic has impacted on that for many young people.
If a child struggles with transition it can have a negative impact on their wellbeing and academic achievement.
At the Hurst we take every child’s wellbeing very seriously. We have a Wellbeing centre where specialist staff are always ready to support children and work with parents to ensure the best possible care.
I look for the highest standards from staff and students within school. Respect is a key value that must underpin that everything we do. Teachers cannot teach and pupils cannot learn if the environment is not conducive, so we set high expectations to respect the rules in order to create the optimum learning atmosphere.
However, we don’t just look at the academic progress; we believe in developing all aspects of a child’s skillset helping them to become resilient, well rounded and confident young people.
Our personal learning programme, alongside opportunities to get involved in extra-curricular activities such as sports, music, drama and trips create an environment to inspire and develop students beyond the classroom.
Working with the wider community we pride ourselves on the friendliness of the school and the close relationships between staff, students and parents.
We are also building closer links with our feeder schools to support children transitioning to The Hurst School and similarly with the post-16 colleges to support our students in their future pathways.
I hope that our new website at www.thehurst.school provides you with any further information that you are looking for.
Please take some time to consider The Hurst School and visit our school for Open Evening on September 30, 2021, to see the exciting changes and ambitious future we have for your child.
