The weekly newsletter for the Holyport College family
Open Mornings
We were absolutely delighted to welcome so many people to our whole school open morning this week. With over 150 families in attendance, the morning went very smoothly with the excellent ability and willingness to help from our Year 8, Year 9s, Sixth Form and Prefects.
Our next Open Evening is next week for Sixth Form only. If you are in Year 11 and haven’t registered your place yet, please do so clicking this link asap: https://bit.ly/4o1phse
10th October 2025
SOCIETY (ACS)
Black History Month at Holyport College
This October, Holyport College is proud to celebrate the strength, creativity, and enduring contributions of Black British communities. Inspired by this year’ s national Black History Month theme “Standing Firm in Pride and Power” our programme has been a meaningful reflection of identity, heritage, and unity.
Celebrations began on a vibrant note last Friday, as Afrobeat music filled the quad - joyful and energetic - setting the tone for the month. Students from the African Caribbean Society (ACS) led an inspiring assembly, honouring influential Black figures and recognising the profound ways Black individuals have shaped British society across healthcare, education, sport, the arts, fashion, music, and public life.
The assembly also explored the significance of names and the cultural meaning woven into Black hair traditions. A number of students took to the stage to showcase a variety of hairstyles, each one reflecting identity, heritage, and pride.
Earlier this week, students from across the school community took part in two lively drumming workshops. One of the sessions featured a special collaboration between ACS and Harmonex, offering a celebration of rhythm, unity, and cultural expression. These moments captured the vibrant spirit of Carnival and echoed the powerful heartbeat of Black traditions.
10th October 2025
THE AFRICAN CARIBBEAN SOCIETY (ACS)
From music and fashion to names and hair, Black History Month invites us all to reflect on the rich cultural narratives that shape who we are.
Together, these experiences sparked pride, deepened understanding, and brought our school community together in bold and joyful celebration.
What did the Black History Month celebration mean to us?
"Black History Month reminds me that strength runs in our roots, and every step we take forward honours those who walked before us." Gabriella (Year 13)
“It was really powerful to share the stories of Black British athletes and key figures that many people have forgotten. I also loved hearing Afrobeats in the quad it made the day feel lively and helped celebrate different black cultures.” Qadirah (Year 12)
“Black History Month helps me appreciate the rich culture and contributions of Black people. It shows how diverse our history really is.” Mercy (Year 10)
“Presenting at assembly gave me the chance to share and learn stories I hadn’t heard in regular lessons. It made me appreciate different backgrounds even more.” Elizabeth (Year 10)
“Black History Month is not only about celebrating the past — it is about inspiring our students to recognise themselves as part of a proud legacy and to stand confidently in their own identity.” R. Matovu VbF
10th October 2025
FROM THE ART DEPARTMENT DIXIT
We were fortunate to have a ceramicist come in to work with our wonderful students during the last academic year to produce these outstanding clay ‘Distorted Faces’ vases. We are thankful to Windsor Girls for helping us to fire these beautiful pots - whilst we await a potential kiln ourselves! We have worked hard to stain the pots to create a striking effect!
You can catch a glimpse of these in Reception, where we have a small exhibition on show for our students (to feel proud of themselves), parents and visitors to the College to see.
We look forward to hosting the workshop with Vernon (ceramicist) again this year!
10th October 2025
FROM THE ART DEPARTMENT
A small reminder to students who wish to take part in Inktober this year!
Students during tutor time are working as a collective to draw their prompts with all drawings contributing to the end of year House championships.
If students would like to participate individually then a reminder to get your submission in by the deadline in November!
10th October 2025
FROM THE MUSIC DEPT
From Class to Coliseum: An Inspiring trip to the Opera
GCSE and A-Level Music students were treated to an exceptional educational experience on Monday: attending the dress rehearsal of English National Opera's production of Bizet's Carmen at the historic London Coliseum. This was a vital opportunity for the students to engage directly with one of the most famous and significant works in the operatic repertoire.
Hearing ENO's full orchestra, chorus and soloists bring the score to life, particularly the famous "Habanera" and "Toreador Song," provided crucial realworld context for analysing musical structure, vocal demands, and orchestration, which is directly relevant to both music courses.
The visit was topped off by a completely unique backstage tour led by one of our own singing teachers, Ms Warshaw, who is a professional member of the ENO Chorus. Ms Warshaw generously gave students exclusive, unrestricted access to the working areas of the theatre, including the main stage and orchestra pit. Her personal insight highlighted the immense technical precision, dedication, and logistical coordination required to stage a production of this scale, making the entire trip a deeply inspiring and unforgettable experience for all students involved.
10th October 2025
FROM THE PE DEPARTMENT DIXIT
Huge congratulations to Fred in Year 10, who was part of the gold medal-winning U15 England team at the Touch Rugby tournament held in July at the Atlantic Youth Cup in Limerick, Ireland.
Fred has now been selected for the England camp for the second consecutive year and will be joining the U18 squad.
FRED
10th October 2025
FROM THE PE DEPARTMENT DIXIT
Our senior hockey team had a ➔ fantastic game against Shiplake on Wednesday. A very close game with some of our Year 11 students playing their first fixture. Unfortunately lost 3 -2 in the last minutes but a fantastic game.
Our Year 9 girls went to their Berkshire Schools hockey tournament on Monday. The girls faced some strong teams and managed to hold their own throughout the games. They continued to improve throughout the day and we had some outstanding individual efforts. Big shout out to Marla, Juliet and Ruby for their impressive defensive efforts.
Our senior rugby team had a great game against LVS this week. After a very even game the opposition managed to win by just 3 points. Fantastic fixture, well done to all those who played.
10th October 2025
FROM THE SIXTH FORM DIXIT
Student Leadership Team’s Weekly
Inter-House Competition
This week’s House Games featured a long jump! Students had to jump as far as they could to achieve the most points for their house. While some lost their footing slightly, everyone demonstrated amazing athletic ability and showed determination for their house! It was great to see involvement from all years across the school and great teamwork with some students jumping together. Each week we see an increase in participation across all the lower school years, continually building our Holyport community!
Written by: Brunel
10th October 2025
FROM THE MFL DEPARTMENT DIXIT
Linguists of the week!
Each week the MFL & Classics Department will be choosing ‘Linguists of the Week’! Congratulations to the following students for a great week!
Year 7
Holly G - Excellent start of the year in Spanish, participating a lot and making excellent contributions to the class.
Tad R - Wrote an excellent paragraph as an extension work in Spanish using a lot of different vocabulary learned in class as well as using your own knowledge, well done!
Arian K - Put a lot of effort in a poster in Spanish and completed the prep before it was due. Well done!
Year 9
Isobel - Great start to French at Holyport.
Ally - Great start to French at Holyport, outstanding marks in vocab tests.
Jude L - Fantastic work in Spanish lessons
Year 10
Sofiia S - Excellent work in French, always completing extension tasks and challenging yourself especially in the speaking. Really good progress made so far, keep up with the good work!
Niamh O - Really good progress made in French, focusing a lot in lessons and asking for extra work you can complete to improve your grammar. Well done!
Talal C - Great start to Y10 Spanish
Amira SB - Outstanding accuracy in Latin - well done.
Year 11
Martha H - Brilliant start to Year 11 Spanish.
Year 12
Darcey H - Achieved an A* in your first grammar test of the year in French. That is excellent, well done!
Bahiyah N - Top work on your Spanish fact file.
Year 13
Daisy P - Great work on the imperfect subjunctive tense.
10th October 2025
FROM THE LOCAL AUTHORITY DIXIT
Child Employment
Getting a part-time job is often an important part of a young person’ s life, teaching them vital life skills, and providing their first step on the road to financial security and independence.
There are regulations in place to make sure children seeking work are safe and protected. The regulations ensure that the child is not working outside the legal hours, they are not doing any types of work that are prohibited, and that the school is fully aware of what they are doing. This way, we can all work together to ensure that our children are safe, that they are working legally, and that their school work does not suffer. This link explains the laws surrounding Child Employment.
The most important thing to remember, is that it is a legal requirement that any child from the age of 13 up to statutory school leaving age needs a work permit if they would like to get a part time job, regardless of where they are working. It is down to the employer to initiate the permit process, but unfortunately some employers may need a reminder. It is therefore important that parents are aware, so they can prompt the workplace to apply, get the ball rolling, or contact me for advice, if necessary.
I am happy to chat to parents or pupils over any aspects of this process.
I am the Child Employment Officer and my email address for any information, advice, and the issue of work permits is: susan.harris@achievingforchildren.org.uk
10th October 2025
FROM THE COMMUNITY DIXIT
FROM THE COMMUNITY DIXIT
10th October 2025
10th October 2025
FROM THE CALENDAR DIXIT
Some Dates for Your Diaries
Wednesday 15th October Sixth Form Open Evening (early finish at 2.15pm)
Friday 17th October end of half term
Monday 3rd November Inset day, boarders return at 7pm
From the Refectory
Next week will be menu week 1. You can view all the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus here:
A reminder that the College day will finish early at 2.15pm next Wednesday 15th October due to Sixth Form Open Evening. Buses will depart shortly after this and boarders will return to Houses.
Co-Curricular
Next week students in Years 7-11 will have the opportunity to change their cocurricular choices for after half term. The information on the activities available is here. Please remember that for very popular activities we have to create a half termly rota as to which year/house has priority.
Maidenhead Drama Guild are performing Robin Hood at Norden Farm this Christmas and are looking for two girls 16-18 to play roles. The Director is Simon Kelly. Contact details can be found on their website: https://www.maidenheaddrama.org.uk/
