Friday 24th May 2019

Dear Parents and Guardians

Mrs Amanda Ryan

Year 10 Mock Interviews

On Tuesday 4th June, all Year 10 pupils will take part in a mock interview session which has been organised through The EY Foundation. Pupils have been given a 60 minute appointment during which they will meet a number of employers from local businesses and will then have the chance to take part in a mock interview. The sessions are designed to give pupils positive and constructive feedback about how they can improve their interview technique in preparation for the college and training provider interviews that they will have in Year 11 and beyond. Pupils are asked to attend school on 4th June in appropriate interview clothing rather than their school uniform. In previous years, pupils have opted for smart trousers / shirts or blouses, suits or smart dresses. Make up and jewellery must be minimal. It is normal for pupils to feel apprehensive and nervous about the interviews but they will not be asked difficult questions and this experience is designed to be positive and to coach them through the interview process rather than put them under any pressure. Pupils will be completing a ‘warm up session’ with their form teachers, prior to the day. Good luck Year 10!

Mrs Jones

I can hardly believe we have reached the end of another half term here at Hillside. What a busy and exciting half term it has been. Year 11 have started their GCSE exams well, showing the hard work and determination needed. I know we all wish them the best of luck and I look forward to seeing lots of them in school next week for the revision sessions which are taking place. Year 10s also deserve a special mention as they have taken their formal examinations in their ‘Fast track’ option. Year 8 have been busy picking their GCSE options and have now all met a member of the senior staff to talk through their choices. Like I say what a busy and productive half term we have had.

I would ask everyone to read the ‘Attendance Special’ inside this week’s newsletter. Whilst we are seeing some improvements in terms of attendance we still have a long way to go. I would ask for everyone’s support in ensuring this remains a priority. We need our pupils to ‘Arrive on time, All the time’ to ensure they fulfil their academic potential and benefit from everything that is on offer for them here at Hillside. Could I also ask that you take the opportunity over the break to ensure your child has all their Essential 8 ready for the next half term. I would like to finish by wishing everyone a lovely half term and I look forward to welcoming all pupils back to school on Monday 3rd June at the usual time of 8.40am.

Well done Ebony for having

the fullest pencil case in the

school. Essential 8 is

essential for focused

learning. Make sure that

you are always fully

equipped.

Attendance Special

This half term the school has had a real emphasis on attendance and this will continue into the next half term. We have seen

some real improvements in terms of some individual improvements and the beginnings of some improvements whole school.

The table below shows the attendance of each year group (and the whole school) this half term in purple compared with last

half term in red. As you can see, whilst there have been some improvements, we still have a way to go to reach our school

target of 96% or be above the national average attendance of secondary aged pupils which is 95%.

Attendance for the second half of the Summer Term

We will expect all pupils to return to school on Monday 3rd June at 8.40 am. We are aware that some of the local primary

schools are still off for another week but we must stress that we have 1 week off and will expect all pupils to be in school

regardless of the fact they may have a younger sibling/s at home.

If your child is unable to attend school, you will need to ring the school office on 0151 525 2630 between 8.00-8.30am. Your call

will be received by one of our admin team who will discuss with you the reason for your child’s absence.

*Please be aware that dependent on the reason, and your child’s current attendance, there will be some challenge

as to why your child is not able to come to school.

Mrs Cross

Numeracy Ninjas of the week

Well done, keep up the great work!

Amy Langton 8DH Joseph Parkin 7SAC

Chloe Cunningham 7SAC Rebecca Jacobs 8DH

Top Attenders (Week Commencing (13.05.19)

7NF—99.5%

8JM—98.9%

9SW—98.9%

10HH—97.1%

11WW—100%

Each day at 9.30 am the pastoral team will meet and establish who is absent and the

reason why. Dependent again on the individual’s attendance, and the reason for

absence, the most likely outcome will be a member of the pastoral team visiting home of

pupils to discuss how we can get the young person back into school as quickly as possible.

We have an exciting half term to look forward to and we must stress that we expect

pupils to be in each day to maximise their potential. Over recent years we have noted

that as the summer term progresses some pupils feel that it is acceptable to take time off

as the weather warms up, or it comes near to the end of the term. This will not be

tolerated and we will continue to monitor and challenge every pupil absence, every single

day, from 3rd June to 19th July when school ends for the summer holidays.

To further support our attendance drive we will be inviting some parents to attend a

meeting in Bootle Town Hall in conjunction with the LA Education Welfare service. The purpose of this will be to offer any

additional support to pupils and their families whose attendance falls below the National Average.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our parents/ guardians and pupils who have made a significant effort to

improve their attendance this half term. Please keep this up for the last half of the Summer Term.

For those pupils who have achieved 100% this half term or 100% so far for the entire year please look out in the post for your

special postcard from Mrs Ryan.

If you require any support in terms of school attendance please contact: your child’s Progress Leader, Mrs Tattersall Attendance

Officer, Mr Marsh Attendance Officer, Joe Farrell, who is the Education Welfare Officer from Sefton LA and who works on behalf

of Hillside, or Mrs Cross, Assistant Vice Principal.

All future trips can now be paid for online using our online

payment service Parentpay.

If you have not yet activated your account, a reminder with your

activation code will be posted out next week.

Parentpay

Dates for the Diary

Start of term 3rd June 2019

Year 10 Mock Interviews 4th June 2019

Year 10 Work Experience 17th-21st June 2019

Year 6 Transition Day 27th June 2019

Hillside Community Evening 27th June 2019

Year 11 Prom 4th July 2019

Inset Day—(School closed to pupils) 5th July 2019

Festival of Sport 9th July 2019

Last day of term: 19th July 2019

Thought for the Week

International Visit On 9th May we were delighted to welcome a group of trainee teachers from Germany to our school. On previous days they had visited Birkenhead Sixth Form College and Edge Hill University so it was our turn to show them what an English secondary school looked like.

They say first impressions last and what an impression our visitors got as Emily, Sylvia, Yi Ning and Declan showed them around. They then had a number of talks about what made Hillside work so well before heading off into lessons. Thanks to Mrs Christian, Miss Martin, Mr Smith and Mrs Ford for being such inspirational hosts and to their pupils as well.

They met with the school council and Mrs Ryan, Mrs Daly, Mrs Wardale, Miss Parker, Mr Clarke and Mrs Jones and still managed to leave the school on time.

And after all that, what did they think about Hillside? Well, rather than me speaking for them, we got them to write down their own thoughts.

“I like the feeling, that nobody is left behind and that every pupil is looked after and all of their needs are met”

“Our visit to Hillside High School was a great experience. We felt very comfortable and welcomed and got lots of interesting information. Last, but not least : Your school uniform looks great.”

“Very impressive and a good, organised school, the pupils are very polite and well dressed”

Mr Bill