Withernsea High School

Withernsea High School’s year 9 cohort benefited from the knowledge and experience of Adam Corbally, a former market trader turned property investor, workshop facilitator and part-time TV star, as he challenged them to explore their own business ideas. Students were tasked with creating a product or service designed to enhance quality of life and benefit their community and/or the environment. Ideas included life insurance provision for under 35s, the creation of a charity to supply revision guides for school pupils, and a clothing company specialising in the sale of rebranded and repurposed fashion. The winning application addressed the dietary management needs of users with medical conditions, such as food allergies and dementia. Key features included meal reminders, integrated shopping lists for easy ordering, and a barcode scanner to monitor purchases and minimise food waste. Adam Corbally, workshop facilitator, said: “It was my pleasure to visit Withernsea High again and deliver my enterprise challenge to students who were fantastic throughout. They understood the assignment and rose to the challenge, coming up with amazing ideas, working in teams and stepping out of their comfort zones to present their ideas to judges in front of the whole year group. “Every team had a brilliant idea and wanted to present to their peers. It was incredible to see the students grow their skills in teamwork, listening, creative thinking and public speaking as the day went on. There was some amazing work, a great atmosphere and positive attitudes all round. I can’t wait to come back.”  Viki Foster, school careers leader, added: “As always, it was lovely to welcome Adam back to the school – this time delivering an enterprise workshop alongside his trademark motivational speech. This was one of the most successful enterprise days that we’ve hosted, and the students absolutely shone. Any number of their ideas could have won and it’s great to know that we have some budding entrepreneurs in the school. “Opportunities such as these are crucial for developing essential employability skills which will stay with the students throughout their careers journey. I was particularly impressed by the sheer number of students willing to face their fears and stand up and present their ideas to their peers. I would like to thank Adam for delivering a great day.” Year 9 student, Alfie F, said: “I really enjoyed it. How Adam explained where he started, and how he got to where is now, was really interesting. He talked us through the bad bits as well as all the good bits and gave us an honest life story. Adam’s advice for presenting was really useful too. I liked the fact he explained how we could control our breathing to calm our nerves and taught us how to project our voices when presenting. I found the whole thing really inspirational.” Setting the scene ahead of the workshop, Adam shared his personal experience of making the wrong choices at a young age, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people and not being afraid to ask for help. After leaving school with no qualifications, he found himself on a downward trajectory that resulted in a short spell in a youth offenders’ institute. This became the catalyst needed to bring about positive change, resulting in a return to education and success as an independent greengrocer With a growing appetite for business and entrepreneurship, and a desire to push himself further, Adam applied for a place on series eight of BBC reality show The Apprentice. A successful application led to an 11-week stint on the programme before he was fired for poor presentation skills in the penultimate challenge of the contest. Leaving the show with rare praise from Lord Sugar, who requested that he ‘keep in touch’, Adam used his failure as an opportunity to better himself by practising his public speaking and presentation skills. This ultimately led to him becoming a member of the Professional Speaking Association and the creation of his own motivational speaking company in 2012. Since then, Adam has delivered enterprise workshops and his keynote aspirational speech to a variety of different business and educational establishments across the UK, reaching over 500,000 people – many of them secondary school and college students.   From market trader 01: Motivational speaker and former ‘Apprentice’ star, Adam Corbally, delivered a masterclass in enterprise for students at Withernsea High School. Adam is pictured with year 9 student, Noah T. [Photo Credit: Viki Foster]   SCHOOL WEBSITE ONLY   From market trader 02: Year 9 students Cole, Kale and Louis work on their business idea. [Photo Credit: Viki Foster]   From market trader 03: Awards were given for best presenter and best leader, with students who had stood out during the day also recognised.  [Photo Credit: Viki Foster]

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of students, parents/carers, and staff, the spring term ended with attendance sitting at 91.3 per cent – 2.8 per cent higher than the national average.

Beci Pindar, Deputy Headteacher, said: “Establishing good attendance habits for all of our students is really important and we work hard to promote the message that attendance matters. Our staff continue to work closely with students who may face barriers to attending school regularly, ensuring they receive the support they need. This is reinforced by communication with parents and carers about their child's attendance.

“We are incredibly proud of our students for their dedication and thank all parents and carers for their ongoing support. We are very aware of how families play a vital role in ensuring good attendance and we value this support. Simple steps that can be taken include encouraging a consistent morning routine to ensure punctuality and scheduling medical appointments outside of school hours whenever possible.”

Students demonstrating excellent or improved attendance continue to be recognised during celebration assemblies and rewarded as part of an attendance incentives programme. Termly competitions work alongside ad-hoc giveaways to maximise impact throughout the academic year - rewarding consistently strong attenders and encouraging improvement in others.

To date, prizes for individual students have ranged from school canteen ‘fast-passes’ to Hull FC tickets and Amazon gift vouchers. A popular end-of-term celebration event rewards top attending tutor groups with an opportunity to enjoy a complimentary breakfast buffet including fruits, pastries and a chocolate fountain.

This year’s attendance incentives programme will culminate in an end of year grand prize draw. Every week that a student achieves 100% attendance, they are issued with a raffle ticket for one entry into the draw. The more weeks they attend in full, the more entries they will have for a chance to win a range of prizes from iPads to AirPods and gaming tech

Harriet Elvidge, attendance officer, said: “To help promote strong attendance, the school’s governing body has allocated funding within a limited rewards budget to help celebrate those who demonstrate excellent or improved attendance. Our data shows a marked improvement thanks to these efforts, with students not only responding well to prize incentives but also recognising the true value and importance of attending school.

“A key element of this work involves nurturing the basic skills and behaviours that will not only serve students well during their time at school, but also in the world of work beyond. The importance of punctuality and attendance in both contexts cannot be underestimated.

“To support these efforts and ensure that we can maintain these impactful incentives, we would welcome involvement from local businesses who may be in a position to contribute towards our rewards programme. Donations of prizes to help incentivise and reward improved attendance would be much appreciated and well-received.”

For further information about rewards and incentives, or to discuss donation options, please contact Mrs H Elvidge on 01964 611523 or email elvidgeh@wscampus.net          

Guest speakers included Mr Crofts (Headteacher), Mr Burnitt (Assistant Headteacher), Mrs Monaghan (Head of Personal Development) and Mr Beattie (SENCO).

We were also delighted to welcome four representatives of the school’s Board for Change – a group of student ambassadors who take an active role in the life of the school, working collectively to help make significant changes for the benefit of their peers. Thank you to Lauren, Charles, Darcy and Bessie for sharing their thoughts with the audience and celebrating the school’s successes.

A reminder that we have a dedicated Year 6 Transition page which can be found here: https://www.withernseahigh.org.uk/year-6-transition   On there, you will find transition updates and copies of documents and information that have been shared with parents/carers throughout the process.

The latest upload is a copy of a handout, given to those who attended last week’s event. This contains an overview of the school, our expectations and who students can turn to for support.

This week (w/c 28^th April) sees the start of our primary school visits, where Miss Wiseman (Head of Year 7) and Mr Burnitt will meet pupils and staff.

If you have any questions about the Year 6 Transition process, here are some contacts which you may find useful:  

Head of Year 7 - Miss Z Wiseman - wisemanz@wscampus.net 

SENCO - Mr J Beattie - beattiej@wscampus.net 

Safeguarding / Child Protection - Mrs C Tomes - tomesc@wscampus.net

The group left Withernsea High School on Thursday morning for the journey down to Calais. They arrived safely in France later that night before heading to the hotel for a much-needed rest.

Yesterday, Friday 4th April, the dance students took to the stage at Disneyland Paris where they delivered a 20-minute showcase based on the theme of ‘hopes and dreams’ - a fitting theme for their first international performance! The group also enjoyed participation in a dance workshop, led by industry professionals.

Jamie Hughes, head of creative arts, said: “The dancers were all inspiring. I was beyond proud to be accompanying them as they performed their hearts out on an international stage. Their performance was a heartfelt and intense showcase based on their chosen theme of ‘hopes and dreams’. They rose to the challenge of performing at such a prestigious venue and it was evident that their months of hard work and rehearsals had paid off as they confidently took the stage."

While the dance students were wowing the crowds at Disneyland, the GCSE French students enjoyed a visit to the Montparnasse Tower and a walking tour of Paris. They also visited a food market where they were given an opportunity to sample authentic French cuisine and put their language skills to the test with local vendors.

Tracy Styche, head of languages, said: "The students really threw themselves into every opportunity to use their language skills. There was no holding back at the market, with many taking the opportunity to practise their French and then being justifiably proud of themselves when they succeeded. The chocolate shop was particularly popular! The students conducted themselves perfectly and were a credit to both themselves and the school.”

The groups will reunite on the final day to enjoy Disneyland's rides, attractions, and fireworks.

We hope everyone enjoys the remainder of their trip and has a safe journey home.

It features items relevant to students of all ages and stages of school - reflecting a busy and successful spring term.

Copies have been posted home to parents/carers and should arrive in the next couple of days. A digital version is also available to view/download on our website. Please go to the ‘NEWS’ section, then ‘MAGAZINE’.

Direct link: https://www.withernseahigh.org.uk/news/magazine

Initially launched as a newsletter to keep our school community connected during the Covid pandemic, WHS Connected is part of a wider vision to help celebrate success and recognise the hard work that takes place in school - both in lessons and through a broad spectrum of extra-curricular activities.

The magazine complements our existing promotional channels where good news is regularly shared:

Website: www.withernseahigh.org.uk 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withernseahighschool/

X (formerly Twitter); https://x.com/WithernseaHigh

Press: Holderness Gazette

Routines and rhythms

Date: Thursday, 10^th April. 

Time: 1.00pm - 3.00pm

This workshop covers: The importance of routines, boundaries, and sleep to support children’s social, emotional and mental health.

Aims and objectives: To build a greater understanding of why boundaries, routines and sleep support children’s emotional and behavioural development, and how to effectively use boundary-setting and routines to support children’s development.

DOWNLOAD: Please click here to download the ‘Routines and rhythms’ handbook

Behaviour as a form of communication

Date: Monday, 14^th April. 

Time: 1.00pm - 3.00pm

This workshop covers: How to recognise different types of behaviour to understand what your child may be communicating. How to respond to behavioural communication to decrease stress and increase safety.

Aims and objectives: To build a greater understanding of behavioural communication, the different types of behaviours children and young people display, and develop a tool kit to respond to their communication.

DOWNLOAD: Please click here to download the ‘Behaviour as a form of communication’ handbook

 

Understanding anxiety

Date: Wednesday, 16^th April. 

Time: 1.00pm - 3.00pm

This workshop covers: What anxiety is, how to recognise in in your child(ren) and how to support them.

Aims and objectives: To understand what anxiety is and how we might see it in our children and young people. To understand the role of the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response. To think about how anxiety is maintained and identify strategies to support young people who experiences anxiety.

DOWNLOAD: Please click here to download the ‘Understanding anxiety’ handbook

 

HOW TO ACCESS THE WORKSHOPS

The workshops will take place online on Microsoft Teams. 

For further information about a particular workshop, or to request a link for access, please contact the mental health team at hnf-tr.eymhst@nhs.net