One of the great joys of school life is seeing students discover the power of a good book. Reading isn’t just an academic exercise. It opens doors, builds empathy, expands vocabulary, and deepens young people’s understanding of the world around them. Research consistently shows that students who read regularly achieve more highly across the curriculum, not just in English but also in subjects such as science and maths. Reading is fun, relaxing and transformative… what’s not to love?

At Marple Hall School, we’ve long believed that World Book Day should be about stories themselves. As highlighted in at least one previous blog over the years, instead of asking staff to dress up, we dedicate time in the day to reading a short story aloud in class. This time saw each English lessons for years 7-9 covering ‘The Lottery’ whilst older classes discussed the benefits of reading. Alongside this, students are invited to take part in quizzes and competitions that celebrate reading in a fun and engaging way. The competitions are still open, as is the challenge to take part in the ‘Readathon’ where money can be raised for a great cause (and for MHS too) all through the power of reading. Check out the links below for all the information you might need and more.

As always, the most important partnership is between school and home. A few minutes of reading each day can spark conversations, strengthen wellbeing and help every young person achieve, belong and thrive. Remember if you are a parent, carer, grandparent or anyone else with a responsibility for a student, and you want help encouraging that young person to read, you might find some suggestions in the links below. If not, and you would like more help, please get in touch!

World Book day newsletter link

Recommended reading link

,https://readathon.my.salesforce-sites.com/sponsor

Happy reading!

Best wishes

Joe Barker

Every week I’m reminded how powerful our school values are. Not just for students, but for all of us who make up the Marple Hall community. The Marple Hall Spirit isn’t a set of rules; it’s a way of thinking and behaving that helps young people and adults alike thrive.

Determination

Life rarely moves in straight lines. Whether you’re a Year 7 working out a new subject or a member of staff tackling a busy term, determination is what carries us through. It’s the quiet, steady belief that effort pays off. When students see adults persevering, or when adults see students giving things a go despite setbacks, it strengthens the culture we’re all part of.

Honesty

Honesty builds trust, and trust is what turns a school into a community. For students, this means owning mistakes and being open when things aren’t going well. For adults, it means modelling that same courage: saying when we got it wrong, when we’re learning, and when we can do better. Honesty is doing what is right, not what is easy.

Readiness

Being ready is about showing up prepared, willing and focused. Students show readiness in the way they approach lessons; staff show it in the calm, consistent routines that make learning possible. Whatever our age, readiness shows respect for ourselves and for others.

Respect

Respect is the thread that holds everything together. It’s seen in the small things like listening, helping, thanking, understanding, and in bigger ones, like accepting differences and treating everyone with kindness. Respect shown by adults is mirrored by students, and vice versa. It’s a value we shape together. In these uncertain times the world would be a better place with more mutual respect.

Spark

Every member of our school brings something unique. Spark is the curiosity, creativity or enthusiasm that makes our community vibrant. It’s the moment a student asks a brilliant question, or a colleague introduces a new idea that transforms a lesson or a day – like our wonderful Elements students visiting Romiley Primary School yesterday to support younger children with their reading. Spark reminds us that learning is joyful, whatever our age.

The Marple Hall Spirit isn’t something students grow out of or staff grow into, it’s shared. It’s what makes this school special, and what helps every one of us take the next step with confidence and pride.

Have a great weekend,

Joe Barker

Welcome back to MHS after half term, I hope you all had a good week. We kicked off the new half term with the annual Dance Show, a wonderful reminder of what our students can achieve when talent, hard work and joy come together. Every performer on stage brought energy, commitment and a real sense of teamwork – students from our school, those from other schools and even some MHS Alumni too. These events don’t just happen, of course, and I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to Miss Griffies and her brilliant team. Their dedication, creativity and countless hours behind the scenes gave our young people a platform to express themselves and feel proud, and that matters enormously.

Looking ahead, next week marks the start of the Year 10 trial exams. For many students this will be their first taste of the pressure and rhythm of a formal exam season, and I know that can feel daunting. But I also know how capable they are, with the vast majority of them having already tasted success in Year 9. My message to Year 10 is simple: take a breath, do your best, and trust what you’ve learned. We believe in you, and we’re right behind you.

Finally, a little word about the Year 11 Trial exam season which concluded before the break. In assembly on Friday we explained to the students that they shouldn’t expect their exam papers to be handed back immediately in every subject. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE that the students are keen to know how they did and what they need to do to improve – it says a lot about them and the school – but some subjects take longer to mark than others. It’s great to see students in Maths and other subjects getting papers back pretty much straight away, but as a full signed up member of the ‘takes-ages-to-mark’ gang like History, English and others, I’d appeal to students to just be a little patient!

Have a great weekend,

Joe Barker

As we reach the end of a busy and purposeful half term, I wanted to take a moment to look back on the past few weeks. Our Year 11 students deserve particular praise. Their approach to the recent trial exams has been outstanding: calm, focused and mature. Seeing the students in action it was clear just how seriously they are taking this important stage of their school journey, and staff have been genuinely impressed with their determination. Massive thanks too to all my colleagues who will be dedicating hours of time, often over the coming break, marking and preparing to give high quality feedback to students when we return.

Likewise, a huge well done to our Year 9 linguists, who tackled their own assessments with real positivity. Languages can be a challenge, but the effort and ambition shown by so many students has been a real highlight of the term. As ever, none of this happens in isolation. My thanks go to parents and carers for the encouragement, patience and support you provide at home. It makes an enormous difference which we never take it for granted.

Finally, because no half‑term would be complete without at least one setback, our brand new toilet block in the brand new Oakwood building enjoyed a magnificent two‑hour opening on Thursday… before an unexpected water issue forced an abrupt closure. A textbook case of “so near and yet so far”… but we’ll get there!

Have a restful break,

Joe Barker

Like many of you, I’ve been following the national conversation about mobile phones in schools with interest. The topic has been everywhere in the news lately. The Department for Education has tightened its guidance, making it clearer than ever that schools are expected to be “phone‑free environments by default”, and Ofsted will now look closely at how effectively mobile phone policies are enforced during every inspection. At the same time, the House of Lords has gone even further, voting in favour of a statutory nationwide ban on smartphones in schools as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Apparently this isn’t likely to happen yet but it’s a sign of the direction of travel.

As an interested observer, I can see both sides of the debate. Phones bring obvious risks in terms of distraction, wellbeing and exposure to inappropriate content. On the other hand, parents quite reasonably like the reassurance of their children having a way to contact them on the journey to and from school, and much of life (including some learning tools) are on phones.

That’s why I remain pleased with our own sensible approach. We moved early on this, probably 8 or more years ago now. We trust students to bring their phones into school if they wish, but we operate one very simple rule: we don’t see them, and we don’t hear them. It works because we don’t make exceptions. It keeps the school calm. And it promotes responsible behaviour without adding unnecessary layers of enforcement or complication. I am not daft, I know that some students break the rules in ways we don’t see, but seeing a phone in general circulation is rare at MHS.

I want to add a special thank you to our parents for backing this approach, especially when it’s inconvenient for you. Whether it’s resisting the temptation to message your child during the day, understanding why we ask an adult to collect confiscated phones or reminding you children (again!) to keep their phone switched off, your support genuinely makes a difference.

Whatever national changes come next we’ll respond sensibly and calmly, as we always do, with the wellbeing and learning of our students front and centre.

Have a great weekend,

Joe Barker

Motivating young people to prepare for exams and assessments can be a challenge. After all, if done properly then revision is hard work – if it’s easy, then you’re probably not doing it right and are most likely wasting your time. At MHS we have greatly increased our support and guidance on how to prepare for exams over the years, and in the last 18 months in particular we have really focussed on what we believe are a small number of highly effective revision techniques. These apply just as well for students in Year 7 and they do to those in Year 11, and they are habits that can support in every single lesson.

We call them the Marple Hall School ‘High Five’ – five strategies that successful students use to win at exams.

We also know that parents are carers are very keen indeed to support their loved ones with revision, but often don’t know what their child should be doing and therefore aren’t sure how to help. Well, Mrs Lawton has fixed that issue with one of her famous videos. If you are a parent or carer who wants to know how to support in the run up to any exams – and Year Ten have internal EBACC exams coming up, by the way – then watching this video might be the best 20 minutes you could spend. Have a look at the video via this link: Exams – Marple Hall School

Have a great weekend,

Joe

Advance notice that the last week before half term marks Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, an annual reminder of something that should matter to us every single day: how our young people feel, how they cope, and how we as a community support them to grow. At Marple Hall, this sits right at the heart of the Marple Hall Spirit. Kindness, respect, and the belief that every student deserves an equal chance to thrive aren’t just words – they shape what we do to help our students feel safe, valued and ready to take on the world.

We have a couple of specific events planned to support the aims of the week, one for students and one for families, both on Wednesday 4th Feb. I wanted to give you all ample notice, hence this early blog. Please see the posters below. It would be great to see lots of people coming along and learning more about how to look after themselves, their loved ones and their friends. Huge thanks to the wellbeing team for putting on the festivals, amongst all the other great work that they do.

Finally, I want to say how fantastic it was to welcome so many Year 9 students and their parents and carers into school last night for Options Evening. The excitement, thoughtful conversations and genuine interest in future pathways were brilliant to see. Thank you to everyone who came – your support really does matter.

Have a great weekend,

Joe Barker

Yesterday we had the pleasure of welcoming Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, to Marple Hall School. It’s not every day that someone in such a prominent public role walks through our doors, and our students certainly made the most of the opportunity. Around 100 of our student leaders gathered in the hall, ready with an impressive array of questions that showed just how engaged and thoughtful they are about the world around them.

No topic was off limits. Transport links, house prices, climate change, school funding, the voting age – and several more besides – all featured in what quickly became a lively and wide‑ranging discussion. To his credit, Andy took every question in good humour, responding openly and clearly even when the students really pushed him. It was wonderful to see young people holding a politician to account with such confidence and maturity.

As a state school we are, of course, strictly non‑political. We don’t take sides and we don’t promote parties or personalities. What we do believe in, though, is giving students first‑hand experiences that help them understand the world they’re growing up in. Yesterday was a perfect example of that in action.

Huge thanks to Andy and his team, to Mrs Wilson for setting up the event, and to the student leaders for hosting the debate and asking the questions. Here’s a quick photo of Andy with our Head Boy and Head Girl.

Have a great weekend,

Joe Barker

It has been a real pleasure to welcome students and colleagues back to school this week. The start of a new term always brings a sense of renewed purpose, and it has been wonderful to see our community return with energy, kindness and a clear focus on the weeks ahead.

The weather has certainly tested us. Cold weather, snow, ice and dark mornings have made getting out of the house a little harder than usual. Yet, despite this, our students and staff have arrived each day ready to learn, supporting one another and approaching school life with positivity. That resilience and determination says a great deal about who we are as a school.

The term ahead is full of opportunity. There is much to be proud of and much still to achieve. I would like to offer particular encouragement to our Year 11 students. With parents’ evening next week and trial examinations beginning on Monday 19th January, this is an important and busy period. These moments are not about pressure, but about preparation, reflection and belief. We are proud of all our students, especially the Class of 2026, and we will support you every step of the way.

Stay warm and safe,

Joe Barker