Withernsea High School

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.”

Year 10 students were recognised for their academic achievement, dedication and exemplary conduct during a Celebration Assembly, held this week in the school hall.

The whole year group attended the event alongside subject representatives and senior leaders to celebrate the outstanding effort, commitment and positive contribution demonstrated by students throughout the year.

Each subject department nominated students whose achievement, perseverance and attitude towards learning had stood out over the course of the academic year, with an overall Subject Award winner selected in every curriculum area.

Alongside these academic honours, School Values Awards were presented to students who consistently exemplify the school's core values of being Ambitious, Respectful, Responsible and Kind, recognising the positive impact they have through their character, actions and contribution to the wider school community.

The celebration reflected the school's commitment to recognising not only academic success, but also the qualities and behaviours that underpin future achievement. As Year 10 students move beyond the halfway point of their GCSE studies, the assembly provided an opportunity to acknowledge the qualities that will support them through the year ahead.

Andrea Monaghan, Head of Personal Development, said: “The assembly was a positive and uplifting way to conclude the school year for Year 10. Reaching this stage of their GCSE journey is a significant milestone, and it was important to recognise the commitment, conduct and learning habits that will help our students succeed.

“What made the event especially memorable was the genuine support students showed for one another. Seeing the hall filled with applause and encouragement, and watching students beam with pride as their achievements were recognised, created a wonderful atmosphere and demonstrated the strength of our school community.”

Mark Crofts, Headteacher, added: “This assembly gave us the opportunity to reflect not only on individual success, but also on everything this year group has achieved collectively. There is a great deal to be proud of.

“When our students entered Year 10 last September, they were taking an important step into their GCSE journey. Over the past year they have grown in confidence, maturity and determination, and have put themselves in a strong position for the challenges and opportunities that Year 11 will bring.

“While this celebration marks the successful completion of Year 10, it also gives us every reason to look ahead with confidence. I see a year group with enormous potential, and I believe they can become one of the most ambitious Year 11 cohorts we have seen for some time. Throughout the year they have demonstrated our school values of ambition, respect, responsibility and kindness, not only in their learning but in the way they support one another and act as positive role models for younger students.”

Reflecting on the response of the students during the celebration assembly, Mr Crofts said: “One of the most rewarding moments of the assembly was seeing students' reactions as they were recognised. Many were genuinely surprised to be acknowledged, but what stood out most was the warmth and enthusiasm with which they celebrated each other's success. By the end of the assembly there was a real sense of shared pride in everything this year group has achieved together.

“While our award winners have truly exemplified our school values and demonstrated exceptional commitment, I was equally struck by the sheer number of students who received nominations. That reflects the strength of the year group as a whole. My message to every student was that everyone has something to be proud of. By recognising the qualities celebrated in others, they should also recognise those same strengths in themselves and carry that confidence forward into Year 11."

The winners of this year's Door to Draw attendance reward incentive will be announced tomorrow, Friday 17th July. 

The live draw will take place at 9.00am and will be broadcast to every tutor group during tutor time, giving students across the school the opportunity to watch the winners being revealed.

Door to Draw rewards students for maintaining outstanding attendance throughout the academic year. Every week that a student achieves 100 per cent attendance, they receive a raffle ticket, earning one entry into the end-of-year draw.

A wide range of prizes will be awarded, including a £100 shopping voucher, a £50 shopping voucher, three £25 Amazon vouchers, a signed Hull FC rugby ball, two Amazon Alexas, and a selection of sporting equipment, including dart boards and rugby balls.

Students are reminded that they must be in school tomorrow to qualify for the final draw.

Good luck to all students who earned entries into this year's Door to Draw prize draw!