Hitchin Girls School:Hitchin Girls School
Hitchin Girls School:Hitchin Girls School
Hitchin Girls School:Hitchin Girls School
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<strong>Hitchin</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>’ <strong>School</strong><br />
The school is responsible for setting its own curriculum<br />
under Academy status. The Curriculum and Performance<br />
Committee has fully supported an increase in teaching time<br />
for GCSE subjects and a change from modular to linear<br />
teaching. A full review of the curriculum is taking place.<br />
The new Pavilion and tennis courts at Highbury Road are<br />
nearly complete and we are hoping to officially open the<br />
new building and courts early in October. This event will<br />
be combined with the re-opening of the Highbury House<br />
Music <strong>School</strong> following its refurbishment. This building was<br />
transferred to the school as part of the Academy settlement.<br />
The Asset Management Committee and all Governors<br />
decided that the old mobile classroom should be replaced<br />
as it is now not fit for purpose. Planning has been obtained<br />
for a new two storey building and contracts are being<br />
signed to commence this replacement during the coming<br />
summer break. We have been fortunate to obtain a grant<br />
of £40,000 from The Wolfson Foundation to complete the<br />
refurbishment of our Science laboratories.<br />
Financial management remains a major task in these days<br />
of austerity and reduced funding. Along with our Head<br />
and Financial Director the Finance Committee are able to<br />
keep a sensible balance between what the school needs<br />
and what it can afford. It is important that we maintain our<br />
Sixth Form numbers. We only have a very modest<br />
contingency planned for the next year or two.<br />
On behalf of the Governors I want to give grateful thanks to<br />
the Head, the Senior Leadership Team, Heads of Departments<br />
and House and all the staff for their magnificent contribution to<br />
the education and development of our students. This newsletter<br />
is full of the achievements of staff and students alike.<br />
Like every successful enterprise we see a healthy turnover<br />
of staff going to greater things whether professionally or<br />
personally. We lost our Deputy Head, Mrs. Donna Lodge,<br />
this year who was promoted to Principal of the new Studio<br />
<strong>School</strong> in Stevenage. We have been very fortunate in<br />
finding a new Deputy Head, James Crowther, who joins us<br />
in September from The Highfield <strong>School</strong>. We also<br />
welcomed two new Assistant Heads this term, Ruth Cooper<br />
and Richard Cave, who herald the change of focus on<br />
Teaching and Learning. Along with Assistant Head, Sally<br />
Mills and Director of Finance and Resources, Tony Hankin<br />
this makes a very able and very strong top team under the<br />
leadership of Frances Manning.<br />
At the end of this term we say farewell to our Assistant<br />
Head, Marie Mead, who is retiring. Marie has been<br />
serving this school for thirty nine years. This is a huge<br />
teaching lifetime of immense and incalculable value to so<br />
many students and colleagues. Amongst many other<br />
things, Governors will always remember her for the<br />
charismatic presentations of the year’s exam results. We<br />
wish her a long and happy retirement.<br />
The Governing Body welcomed three new Community<br />
Governors this year. They bring fresh skills and experience<br />
round the table. I would like to thank all our Governors for<br />
their energy, wisdom and good old fashioned common<br />
sense which they bring to bear in tackling the increasingly<br />
complex issues of Governance in this day and age.<br />
My final thanks go to the students themselves - you make us<br />
proud to be Governors.<br />
Colin Minton, Chairman of Governors<br />
AWARDS & PREFECTS<br />
Each year at the Founders’ Day assembly, a number of<br />
awards are presented to recognise achievement and<br />
service to the school. The following are congratulated on<br />
their awards:<br />
The Rand Award - presented for outstanding service to<br />
the school is awarded to Amy Saunders<br />
The Helen Porter Award for Biology is awarded to<br />
Stephanie Smith<br />
The Cathy Taplin Award for Art is awarded to<br />
Sophie Barks<br />
The Wendy Fitzgerald Award for English is awarded<br />
to Julia Speakman<br />
The Frank Ellis Award for Chemistry is awarded to<br />
Cassandra Kennedy<br />
The Beryl Wearmouth Award for Citizenship is<br />
awarded to Fiona Montgomery and Maria Verdeille<br />
The Anne Hendy Cup for Mathematics is a new award<br />
and is awarded to Sasha Gatselyuk<br />
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