Withernsea High School

Students at Withernsea High School are now learning in classrooms powered by renewable electricity generated on site, following the completion of a major solar panel installation project that is expected to save the school tens of thousands of pounds each year. 

The school is among approximately 250 primary, secondary and college settings across England, and one of only four schools in the East Riding, selected to benefit from government-backed solar funding through Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean energy company.

Delivered in partnership with the Department for Education, the initiative has provided around £100,000 of investment to support the installation of rooftop solar panels, EV charging points and smart energy monitoring systems.

School Business Manager Sarah Crook said: “We were delighted to be selected for this investment in renewable infrastructure. At a time when school funding is more challenging than ever, this initiative is helping us to save money while driving something that is critically important for our children’s futures.

“As part of the scheme, smart energy management systems have allowed us to improve our energy efficiency, identifying an estimated saving of £19,000 per year on baseline usage. In addition, the solar panels could save us a further £24,000 per year on our energy bills.” 

As part of the investment package, the school has joined Energy Sparks, an online platform that supports the reduction of energy costs and carbon emissions through real-time data analysis and automated alerts. The system has already helped identify areas of energy wastage and provided actionable insights for staff.

“Energy Sparks has been incredibly valuable in helping us identify opportunities to reduce our out-of-hours energy use. As a result, we introduced a switch-off campaign ahead of school holidays, with all staff taking responsibility for ensuring devices in their areas are powered down. It has also increased awareness of the costs associated with running office fridges, encouraging staff to share appliances and switch them off at weekends and during holiday periods.”

Alongside the operational savings, the project is also supporting curriculum-linked sustainability education. Members of the school’s student-led Board for Change took part in an interactive workshop exploring energy data, efficiency and carbon reduction. 

Students used the Energy Sparks dashboard to analyse the school’s energy consumption and assess the financial and environmental impact of heat loss using thermal imaging. The session also highlighted the benefits of the new solar installation and encouraged students to consider how small behavioural changes can contribute to wider sustainability goals.

Leading the workshop was James Veness, in-school support consultant with Energy Sparks, who said: “It was fantastic to see students so engaged with understanding how energy is used across their school and exploring practical ways they can make a difference. 

“By analysing real energy data and using tools such as thermal imaging cameras, students were able to identify where improvements could be made and see first-hand how initiatives like solar energy can reduce both costs and carbon emissions. 

“Giving young people the opportunity to develop these skills and insights is incredibly important as we work towards a more sustainable, low-carbon future.”

Careers Leader Viki Foster highlighted how the project is also helping to connect sustainability learning with future pathways. 

“By connecting classroom learning with real-world data on energy use and sustainability, students are gaining a clearer understanding of net zero and its impact on both the environment and the economy. This work is helping to bring Labour Market Information to life, showing how emerging green careers are developing at pace, particularly here in the Humber region, which is at the forefront of net zero innovation with organisations such as Equinor. 

“Engaging with initiatives like Energy Sparks and leading on practical energy-saving activities, students are not only developing valuable skills and awareness but also beginning to see how their learning connects directly to future career pathways in a growing green economy.”

As part of the wider investment programme, the school has also installed two electric vehicle charging units, providing four charging sockets in the main car park. The chargers are intended primarily for staff and visitors during the school day, with discussions ongoing about potential community access outside school hours. 

Sarah Crook said: “The EV chargers will provide valuable support for staff and visitors, particularly given our geographically isolated location, while also offering the potential to become a useful resource for the wider local community outside of school hours.”

GCSE results will be available to collect from the Holderness Learning Centre (HLC) between 9.00am and 12.00 noon on Thursday, 20 August.

Students are expected to collect their own results. If they are unable to attend, they may nominate a relative or friend to collect their results on their behalf. Students must notify the school of their nominated person in advance, either by email using their verified school email account or by providing a signed letter. Anyone collecting results on behalf of a student will be required to show photographic ID.

A letter from Mrs Mackenzie containing full information about Results Day, including results collection, post-results services, examination certificates, OneDrive access and the support available, has now been published via the EduLink Noticeboard. A copy can also be downloaded from the 'Letters to Parents' page under the 'Parents' section of the school website.

We look forward to welcoming our Year 11 students on Thursday, 20th August.

During the final three days of the summer term, 50 Year 7 students travelled to PGL’s Dearne Valley activity centre for the school’s annual residential visit.

Now in its twelfth year, the residential included a range of outdoor and team-building activities, including kayaking, zip lining, climbing, archery and bushcraft, giving students opportunities to develop confidence, resilience, communication and teamwork outside the classroom.

The residential forms part of the school’s wider personal development programme, encouraging students to take on new challenges and build positive relationships with their peers.

Assistant Headteacher Matt Burnitt, who led the visit, said: “The Year 7 residential is always one of the highlights of the school year. It gives students the chance to step outside their comfort zones, challenge themselves and discover what they are capable of.

“Throughout the three days, students approached every activity with enthusiasm and determination. We saw countless examples of resilience, teamwork and encouragement, as well as new friendships developing through shared experiences.

“One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing the sense of community that grows over the course of the visit. Students support one another through every challenge, celebrate each other's achievements and return with greater confidence in themselves and those around them.

“I would also like to thank our students for the exemplary way they represented the school, our staff who gave up their time to make the trip possible, and everyone involved in organising another successful residential.”

The activity centre’s programmes are designed to be accessible to students of all abilities, enabling participants to develop practical skills and confidence through outdoor experiences.

A spokesperson for PGL said: “At PGL, we encourage children to escape from modern stresses and reconnect in the great outdoors. Having a break from digital distractions allows them to be present, live in the moment, make new friends and get the most from their outdoor adventure.”

Visit our brand-new online Art & Photography Gallery to explore a selection of our students' creative work.

The gallery will be updated throughout the coming academic year and beyond, showcasing artwork and photography from students across all year groups.

You can find it under the Students menu.

Direct link: https://www.withernseahigh.org.uk/students/art-gallery

Almost 100 students were recognised for excellent attendance at the end of the academic year as the school's Door to Draw reward scheme concluded with its annual prize draw.

Launched in October 2024, the initiative rewards students with a raffle ticket for every week they achieve 100% attendance. Each ticket provides an entry into the end-of-year draw, with students increasing their chances of winning by maintaining full attendance throughout the year.

The scheme forms part of the school's wider attendance strategy, alongside rewards for tutor groups and individual students, to encourage both short-term and long-term attendance goals.

Prizes included rugby balls, dart boards, toys and games, a family ticket to The Deep, cycle services, dining hall fast passes, Amazon vouchers, Game King vouchers, Amazon Alexa Echo Dots, Smyths Toys vouchers and a £100 One4all shopping voucher. Other prizes included a free fish and chip lunch with the headteacher, free school pudding passes for a term and vouchers for local eateries including Bengal Lancer, Dope Burger and Willows Holiday Park.

Businesses supporting the scheme through prize donations included Southgates Chartered Certified Accountants, Howdens Withernsea and Game King.

Lucy Hopper, Family Support Advisor, said: “We are incredibly grateful to our local businesses and community partners for their generous support of our Door to Draw attendance rewards programme. Their donations, alongside funding from the school's governing body, have enabled us to offer a fantastic range of prizes that recognise and celebrate students who demonstrate excellent commitment to attending school.

“Our attendance data shows a clear improvement since the scheme was introduced, with students responding positively to the incentives while also developing a greater understanding of the importance of attending school every day. These rewards are about far more than prizes - they help reinforce positive habits, encourage consistency and recognise the effort students make throughout the year.

“The continued support of local businesses makes a genuine difference. Every donated prize helps us motivate and reward more students, and we hope even more organisations will join us in supporting this important initiative in the future.”

Sixty Year 10 students visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park as part of an educational trip to support their studies in Art, Photography and Geography.

The visit gave Geography students the opportunity to learn about conservation, habitats and endangered species, while Art and Photography students took photographs and completed sketches to support their Non-Examined Assessment (NEA). The photographs and sketches collected during the visit will form the basis of students' Year 11 coursework, providing first-hand reference material for their final pieces.

Students explored the park in smaller groups, giving them the opportunity to prioritise the animals and exhibits they most wanted to see. Among the highlights were close encounters with giraffes and polar bears.

Amy Norris, Head of Design Technology, who organised the trip, said: “It was an absolutely boiling hot day, but we had lots of fun. We split into groups and let the students guide where they wanted to go because we knew we wouldn't have time to see everything. It worked really well. We were really lucky because when we were near the giraffes they came within a couple of metres of us while they were feeding, so we managed to get some really good selfies. We also saw the polar bears swimming in and out of the pools.”

Art and Photography students spent the day gathering reference photographs that will now be used as the basis for their Year 11 coursework. This year's extended project, which accounts for 60 per cent of the GCSE grade, focuses on natural forms, with students moving from floral studies to animals. During the project, students will create research pages before developing final pieces inspired by the images they captured at the park.

Amy added: “The photographs they've taken will be used for reference in their artwork. They'll create research pages based on what they saw at the wildlife park and then produce artworks inspired by those photographs. Some of them were already talking about ideas on the way home. Elizabeth got some amazing photographs of the leopard right up against the glass while it was yawning and she's already said she wants to make the leopard the main focus with floral backgrounds.”

Geography students also visited a range of habitats and biomes that feature in the GCSE curriculum, enabling them to see classroom learning in a real-world setting.

Sarah Harris, Head of Humanities, said: “We visited various biomes that we study as part of the national curriculum and the GCSE specification. We visited Amazonia and looked at rainforest species and the environments there. We looked at Arctic regions and we looked at hot deserts. It was really great for students to see the adaptations that we study in a real-life context.”

Year 10 students rounded off the school year by taking part in a range of specialist Design Technology (DT) workshops, giving them the opportunity to develop new skills, complete extended projects and showcase their creativity.

Activities taking place included the fourth annual Great Withernsea Bake Off, an engineering workshop where students designed and built coffee tables, and three art workshops focusing on mixed media, lino printing and 3D Mod Roc sculpture.

The workshops were designed to give students opportunities that are not possible within the time constraints of a normal lesson, while also supporting GCSE coursework for those studying Art and Photography.

Explaining the purpose behind the day, Head of Design Technology Amy Norris said: “The art workshops were designed to help boost students' Non-Examined Assessment (NEA) grades by allowing them to complete extended pieces of work that simply could not be achieved in a normal lesson. The sessions gave students the opportunity to experiment with different media, develop their ideas and produce finished pieces that will strengthen their portfolios for next year.”

Students working with 3D Mod Roc created sculptures of flowers and animals, with many choosing to take inspiration from the ocean, while the mixed media workshop encouraged experimentation by combining photographs with a variety of artistic techniques.
Meanwhile, students in the engineering workshop experienced the complete design-and-make process by producing their own coffee tables from start to finish before taking them home at the end of the day. 

Amy added: “The workshop gave students the chance to work more independently and experience the full design cycle in a single day. Being able to walk away with a finished product, rather than waiting several weeks to complete it through timetabled lessons, made the experience especially rewarding.

“The quality of the finished coffee tables really impressed everyone, and I was also delighted by the enthusiasm shown in the art workshops. Even students who were a little reluctant to spend the whole day in art ended up absolutely loving it by the end.”

A highlight of the day was the now annual Great Withernsea Bake Off, which saw eleven Year 10 students, alongside two members of staff, compete in both a technical challenge and a showstopper round.

The technical challenge tasked competitors with producing iced party ring biscuits, with Elizabeth R taking first place. Faye J finished second, while Lewis G claimed third.

For the showstopper challenge, participants created cakes inspired by books, with themes including Harry Potter, The Gruffalo, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Faye J was awarded the coveted Star Baker title after winning the showstopper challenge with her The Tale of Peter Rabbit themed cake and finishing a close second in the technical round.
Special recognition was also given to Lewis G for his The Gruffalo-inspired cake, while Daisy P was acknowledged for being helpful and supportive to all participants throughout the day.

Headteacher Mark Crofts and Head of Year Mel Marshall judged the competition, with the standard and variety of entries making their decision a difficult one.

The judges' decisions also prompted some good-natured reactions from participants, with Noah joking: “I believe the Bake Off was rigged against me, Riley and Lewis!” Riley added: “Mr Crofts eating Macca's cake took a lot of bravery - fair play to him!”

Reflecting on the success of the day, Amy Norris said: “The Bake Off continues to be one of the most popular events of the year and we had a huge audience for the final presentations, with students from the other workshops eager to come and watch. 

“The students were impeccably behaved throughout the day and fully embraced every challenge, demonstrating excellent teamwork and consideration for one another. It was lovely to see everyone supporting each other, and we had a steady stream of well-wishers popping in to offer encouragement while also trying to sneak off with a few biscuits!

“Congratulations to Faye and everyone who took part in another hugely successful Bake Off, and a special thank you to Miss Bircumshaw and Mrs Appleby for all of their hard work organising the event and preparing everything for the day.”