There’s an expression in professional golf – ‘Moving Day’. It refers to the third day of a four day long tournament, where players aim to make a move up the leaderboard and leave themselves well set for the final round. Many of them don’t want to actually be in the lead on the eve of the final day, maybe as only 35% of leaders go on to win the overall event, but they do want to make the most of moving day and be right in with a shot of victory.

For students with real exams this summer, whether in Year 9 or Year 11, the Easter break is the equivalent of ‘moving day’. There’s a two week break in which students can gain some real ground in terms of their preparation for the final tests, and in doing so they can give themselves the best possible chance of a higher grade.

Now, very occasionally, some parents tell me that their children shouldn’t have to work at home. ‘That’s school’s job‘, they say. Sadly, whether that should or should not be the case, the fact is that not completing independent work will without doubt hold students back when it comes to final grades. This is why:

1. The English examination system is based on the principle that there are only a certain number of grades to go around. For example only around 60% of learners can achieve a grade 4 or higher in English or Maths, just as only a certain amount of students can get any of the grades in any subject. There are slight variances each year, but it is not possible for all 600,000 or so young people each year to get a grade 4, 5 or whatever. But…that does not mean that all MHS students couldn’t get a good grade. Of course they can, but bluntly speaking they have to outperform students in other schools to obtain the grade. We already massively outperform the national averages, so our students are in a great position, but the final piece of the puzzle is down to them.
2. Because of the way grades are limited, students up and down the country put in extra effort outside of class. That’s just a fact, and if our students want to be sure of success they they need to do the same.

Many of our students are already in great learning habits, and a sensible approach to work over Easter can really help. We recommend that students DO take a break, perhaps for the whole of the actual Easter weekend, but that they see the rest of the two weeks as a golden opportunity to reinforce their learning and get ahead of the game. The exams start almost immediately after the break, so doing some work now will really pay off.

All subject teams have put together revision checklists, there are loads of resources on our school learning hub and via satchel one, and the internet is full of high quality help. All that students need is a positive approach to work and a little push/support/bribes from home and they’ll be away.

I hope everyone has a great break when it comes, and thanks for all your support this term,

Joe Barker

I’ve been very lucky over the past 12 years to get an annual invitation to the Marple Scouts and Guides Gang Show. For the uninitiated, a Gang Show is a variety performance featuring a wide range of acts put on by a local scouting movement. At one time there were shows pretty much everywhere across the country, but the tradition has been dying out bit by bit. Thanks to the enormous hard work and dedication of many many people, the Marple Gang Show is going strong and has now reached it’s 60th year. This year’s edition took place at the Carver theatre over around 10 days, with 12 performances in total. I watched it once and was felt tired to just seeing how much energy the cast put in, so hats off to them for another great show. Of course I was very proud to see the cast absolutely stacked with MHS students present and past, working alongside the scout and guide leaders who took to the stage beside them. I had a great time, one of my favourite events of the year!

Today was also the day that we share a lovely message with our Year 11 cohort. I won’t go into details as we keep it quiet amongst younger students so that they get the full benefit when it is their turn. But to all the parents, carers and staff who helped us make the assembly work – thank you.

For many parts of the country the Easter break starts today, but not for MHS and most Stockport schools which continue on for one more week. However, there are a range of offers for families available in the local area from this weekend. We wanted to make sure as many families as possible have seen them, just in case they make life a tiny bit easier.

Have a great weekend,

Joe Barker