It is no secret that I am proud to lead a school which, whilst having high academic expectations of students, encourages and supports the development of the whole child. Extracurricular activities give young people opportunities to find deeper connections with others and a strong sense of belonging. Being part of smaller communities within a large school community really matters. I’ve mentioned the football teams a lot recently and there’s been even more major success for the U15 girls this week…but that’s for a future blog!

I am a firm believer that extracurricular participation helps to build confidence and self-esteem, developing social skills whilst teaching teenagers how to manage their time well. This is what connects people, brings them together and creates a sense of pride and belonging.

I am therefore delighted to announce that MHS is beginning to prepare for our next school show and can reveal that the chosen performance is …”Sister Act The Musical!” 

Initial auditions for this iconic musical will be held over 2 days. 3^rd June for the ensemble and the 4^th June for the principal roles. Auditions on both days will be after school until around 5pm. Audition packs can be collected from the Drama department but will also be uploaded to Satchel One so students can access this at home over half term.

Parents and carers – we need your help. Do you have a child who may be interested? Are they unsure if they have the confidence? Is it something they’ve thought about previously but never had the courage to go for? Please encourage them! I don’t know of any student who has been involved in a school show and then regretted it but I do know of some who never gave it a go – that’s where the regrets lie.

We have so many fantastic young people and whether your teen could be a sassy Deloris, a sarcastic Mother Superior, a self-professed ladies’ man like Joey , a nervous Eddie or one of the ensemble, we hope you will encourage them to come along and audition. School shows are a highlight for our community each year.  I am truly grateful to the Creative Arts Faculty who put so much blood, sweat and tears into developing our young people and making sure they create memories which will last a lifetime.

Have a great half term,

Joe Barker

I’m mentioned a couple of time recently about the fantastic success of two of our football teams this year. Firstly, the Yr11 boys team had a stellar final season for the school winning the Stockport Schools League as well as coming close runners up in the Greater Manchester School Cup. The boys played brilliantly all year and thoroughly deserved their success, and have inspired many younger players coming through behind them.

Whilst the boy’s season is over (and their exams are now in full swing), the U15 girls team is powering on. The team, made up of girls in Years 9 and 10, are still in three major competitions. Details are below in case anyone wants to go along and support.

Monday 19th May – Stockport League Final

Venue: Edgeley Park

Opposition: Cheadle Hulme School

Kick-off: 4pm

Stadium arrival: 3.15pm

Spectators Admission: £5 adults / £3 U18s (probably cash only!)

Thursday 22nd May – Greater Manchester Cup Final

Venue: Lower Broughton Playing Fields, Salford

Opposition: Crompton House School

Kick-off: 3.45

Spectators Admission: £2 adults / £1 concessions (cash only)

And then, as if that isn’t impressive enough…today (Thursday 15th May), the girls won their quarter final game in the English Schools FA Cup. Having beaten Comberton Village College the girls are into the last four of this national competition. Amazing!!

Well done to Ellie, Ellie, Madison, Katie, Izzie, Isla, Daisy, Felicitee, Penny, Lucy, Connie, Poppy-Jo, Freya, Phoebe, Amy and Daisy…and to coach Stretton too!

Best wishes,

Joe Barker

Now that the exam window has opened in earnest and more and more Year 11 students (and soon some Year 9s too) are getting their first taste of the real thing, I thought I would share a few tips for parents and carers on how to best support the students. This isn’t about how to revise, more about what I have learned over the years of supporting students and families navigate this stressful time. I’m at pains to say that this is advice we share with staff too – as adults we can all say the wrong thing where teenagers are concerned!

1. Approach every exam in a positive frame of mind. Ideally we want all students walking into that exam room confident that they can give it a good try, even if as an adult you think they haven’t done enough prep work. Try to keep that to yourself and instead build them up before the exams.
2. Remind students that the exam boards train their markers to be generous with the marks. They are not trying to penalise or catch people out, and so everyone has a chance as long as they give the exam a go.
3. Building on that, the only way to guarantee zero marks is to not write anything. Here’s a secret…across the country LOADS of students leave questions totally blank. Therefore even the shortest of answers can give a student a boost compared to those who write nothing, even just one line for an long answer in English.
4. This is especially important given that tens of thousands of students miss out on the next grade up by 1 mark, sometimes out of 300 marks in total. One mark! Not leaving questions blank but also going back and checking answers is a great habit to get into. That one mark gained could tip the scales.
5. Sleep and food. Teenagers don’t generally function at their best in the morning, but the mean adults in charge have decided that many exams start before 9am. Gentle encouragement to get a decent nights sleep and eat a proper breakfast can work wonders.
6. If there is a disaster in the morning and a student will be late, try not to worry and just get in touch with the school. There are some things that can be done to support the student, all is not lost. Equally if a student is genuinely too ill to attend the exam then make sure you let us know asap and we can talk you through the process. Exams cannot be rearranged, but special consideration can be requested. Please keep any medical evidence that you may have in case we need to see it.
7. If nothing else, avoid the after exam debrief. This is the hardest of all my tips, and something that I constantly remind my colleagues about. It is natural after an exam for students to want to compare answers and see how everyone else did. This is a terrible idea and almost always leaves people feeling bad. There is always something that they discover they got wrong, leading to negativity. As hard as is it, try to avoid the ‘how did it go’ question until ALL the exams are over, and instead focus on what is next and what support they need from you to be ready for it.

Finally, don’t panic. The exams are stressful but students adapt remarkably well. They will quickly get into the swing of it, find their rhythm and take it in their stride. If you feel that there is something more seriously the matter then of course let us know, but in general please be confident that your young people will do the right things. Many students come into their own during the exam window, and it is a privilege to support them as they do so.

Best wishes and good luck all,

Joe Barker

A warm/hot welcome back to the new school term. I hope that everyone had a good Easter break and is ready for the short term ahead. It’s shorter, but all the same ‘summer term’ events will be taking place so it will just feel busier than usual!

It’s at this time that the focus is very much on our examination year groups, Year 9 but of course predominantly Year 11. I’m hoping that students made the most of the Easter break to both recharge but also reinforce their learning, and that they are ready for a final push before the written exams start in just over a week. On Wednesday this week we had the annual Year 11 photograph, where 300+ teenagers and staff pile on to an impossibly small temporary stand ready for probably the biggest group pic of their lives. The class of 2025 were exemplary in their conduct during the photograph, receiving great praise indeed from professional photographer David in the process.

Speaking of being exemplary, we are hitting a rich vein of form at the moment with the school football teams. The U15 girls are having a stellar season under Mr Stretton’s leadership with a Semi final in the Greater Manchester cup, a final in the Stockport League and amazingly a quarter final of the nation-wide English Schools FA Cup to come. I’ll update you on their progress in due course. Not only that, but the Year 11 boys team are still in the hunt for the Greater Manchester cup themselves, playing the semi final later today. Whatever happens they will finish the year with silverware, having beaten Laurus Cheadle Hulme to win the Stockport League earlier this week. The lads played brilliantly and with a wonderful attitude, testament to themselves, their families and the hard work of Mr White, Mr Southern and Mr Opoku before them. Well done Matt, Dylan, Thom, Ben, Michael, Alfie, Alfie, Rio, Charlie, Noah, Alfie, Isaac, Ed, Harvey, Eddie and Year 10 student Fin.

Great achievements all round and fingers crossed for more.

Best wishes and enjoy the long weekend,

Joe Barker