Latest Update For Parents and Carers: Friday 14th March 2025 – Monday 26th May 2025

Wednesday 5th March 2025, marked the beginning of Lent.

Lent is a solemn Catholic and Christian religious observance during its liturgical year, which is a preparation for the most holy season of Easter. The observance of Lent symbolically represents the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptations, before beginning his public ministry. Catholics are called to abstinence, fasting and almsgiving (charity) during this most important period of spiritual preparation. At Holy Trinity, we will be observing Lent in a number of different ways. Holy Trinity will be collecting money to support CAFOD ‘World Gifts’   Lenten Appeal.  

We pray this special ‘Walk with Me Prayer during Lent’: 

Lord God, our light and our salvation,   

We praise you for your gifts of life and faith. 

We thank you for the desire that you have planted in our hearts, 

our yearning to see your face. 

Help us to meet you in prayer, 

to walk in your ways, 

and to speak to others of our joy 

and consolation in your presence. 

Give us faithfulness in this present life 

so that we may come to know 

and praise your beauty, 

with all our brothers and sisters, 

in the life to come. 

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. 

Amen 

We pray that the light of Christ’s ‘hope’ fills your hearts and that of all those you love, during this Lenten season.  

This year, our Lenten Journey coincides with the Special Jubilee Year of ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.  

Extract taken from ‘Walk with Me’ Lenten Book: 

 ‘Hope can seem in short supply. The world is beset with problems that can overpower and leave us feeling hopeless and helpless. We can feel uncertain about the future and experience a whole gamut of emotions. From trust to apprehension, from serenity to anxiety, from firm conviction to hesitation, doubt and even despair. We can tempted to be discouraged and cynical about the future as if nothing will make us happy. This Jubilee and period of Lent, can be an opportunity to be renewed in the virtue of hope. This virtue is based on the grace of God, not in our capacity to solve problems. Blessed are those who hope in the Lord’.  

Holy Trinity’s ‘pledge’ to be Pilgrims of Hope this year:  

At Holy Trinity, we will be ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ by being reflective and self-aware people who are considerate towards the needs of others. We will keep our doors ‘open’ to those who are most in need and continue to welcome young people and families of all faiths, ethnic groups and those seeking sanctuary in our school. During this year, our school will be providing additional support to the young, elderly and sick through acts of love and charity. We will endeavour to promote the ‘common good’ in our learning and example and strive for ‘distributive justice’ to be achieved at all levels. Through the example of Jesus Christ, we will be a ‘lighthouse’ of hope that guides, comforts and inspires the community of central Birmingham and beyond. Holy Trinity will ‘cultivate’ a climate of ‘hope’ through thought, word and action.   

At Holy Trinity we remain committed to the fulfilment of our school’s Mission Statement:  

 We are children of God 

 We are Christ-centred  

We are a conscious community 

We wish all of our Muslim pupils, families and community, a very blessed month of Ramadan. It is humbling too observe our faith-filled Muslim community fasting and dedicating additional time to prayer during this holy month. During this Holy time of Ramadan, we are reminded of the importance of empathy and compassion. Fasting not only teaches self-discipline but also deepens an understanding of struggles that are faced by the less fortunate. In keeping with annual tradition at Holy Trinity, we will be hosting a special Eid party towards the end of term! 

Curriculum Update: Mrs Henvey 

The past three months have been packed with fantastic learning experiences, achievements, and exciting events across the school! Year 11 prefects worked hard to create revision packs for their peers, ensuring everyone was well-prepared for their mock exams. Meanwhile, Year 10 Engineering students visited MAKE UK, exploring careers in manufacturing, and Year 9 took part in an inspiring architecture workshop with Open City, designing public spaces and houses. 

December also saw our St Teresa of Calcutta MAC Christmas Carol Concert, a truly beautiful and uplifting event showcasing the talents of our singers and readers. Year 7 received a book from their Secret Book Saint (thank you, Mrs Smith!), and Year 7 & 8 enjoyed a trip to the Odeon Cinema to watch Moana 2 as a reward for their hard work. We also launched Miss Ahmed’s ‘Student Spotlight Sessions’, where pupils planned and delivered their own lessons, building confidence and leadership skills. 

In January, Holy Trinity won our interschool debate competition, with students delivering outstanding speeches for and against social media. Year 9 Options Week was a great success, with assemblies, Unifrog sessions, taster lessons, and a parental talk in the Dance Studio. Well done to Year 9 for approaching the whole options process with such maturity—Mrs Henvey has now received 99% of forms back and can start to plan your timetable for next year! 

Later in the month, we marked Holocaust Memorial Day with live survivor broadcasts for Year 9, and Year 8 students took part in the Catholic Schools Maths Challenge at Bishop Challoner. 

February brought even more excitement. We hosted the ‘KS4 Catholic Public Speaking Competition’, where Mahnoor and Niyasha (Year 10) impressed with their confidence and passion. Year 8’s Spelling Bee was such a hit that Mr Morton is now organising one for Years 7 and 9. Year 9 had an action-packed week with trips to RAF Cosford and the Botanical Gardens, where they represented the school brilliantly. Recently, Year 9 and 10 took part in Positively You workshops, focusing on revision techniques to help them study more effectively. Students explored strategies to improve memory, concentration, and organisation—valuable skills as they prepare for their upcoming exams. 

 Later this month, we are excited to welcome back Round Midnight Drama Company, who will deliver Drama lessons to every pupil in Years 7, 8, and 9. This was a huge success last year and is an exciting step towards bringing more Drama back into our curriculum. We can’t wait to see our students get creative and develop their confidence on stage! 

 This week, Year 11 are gearing up for their ‘Academic Olympics’, where student teams will take on a staff team—tensions are running high, and we can’t wait to see the results! We are also starting to see the impact of GCSE POD with some pupils who use it regularly improving by two whole grades in the recent mocks 

 What an incredible few months it has been! A huge thank you to all students and staff for their enthusiasm, hard work, and dedication—we look forward to seeing what’s next! 

Holy Trinity Sports Update: 

 Girls football 

• KS3 Girls Football Team are into the second round of the Trevor Cup (they won at Heartlands 5 -1 in the first round) 

• KS3 Girls Football Team won the Autumn Football Tournament hosted by ‘Your School Games’! Brilliant! 

Girls Athletics 

• Year 7 & Year 8 girls showed great attitude, resilience and team spirit and have made it into the County Finals. Well done to all who took part.! 

Boys football 

Year 8 team results 

•   Year 8 boys beat Small Heath to make it 3 wins out of 3 with a 4-1 win! Superb! 

 Year 9 team results 

•   Won 1-0 against Yardley school 
• Won 2-1 against Waverley 
• Lost 4-2 against Moseley 

Year 10 team results 

• Year 10 are in the final of the Jeff Hall cup after a 10-0 win against Yardley. Amazing! 

Boys table tennis 

• Year 7 and 8 Table Tennis fixture against Cockshut ended 6-4 in favour of Cockshut but Holy Trinity team are currently in 2nd place in the league and have completed all of their fixtures. Superb! 

Holy Trinity remains committed to developing high levels of pupil literacy and oracy:  

World Book Day – Thursday 6th March 

We had an exciting and fun-filled World Book Day on Thursday 6th March! Students enjoyed a range of activities, including the Finders Keepers Book Hunt, Teacher Fancy Dress Scavenger Hunt, and Bookmark Making Competition. Throughout the day, we shared a story in five parts and took part in book-themed Do Now tasks across all subjects. Every student received a book token which could be exchanged for a free World Book Day book to take home. In the library, an artist created a stunning Harry Potter-themed mural, with the help of Hip Hop Healing students and Mr. Bennett. 

It was a wonderful day celebrating the joy of reading! We encourage you to continue fostering a love of books at home. A helpful guide for supporting your child’s reading is available on the school website under the Reading tab. There will be further opportunities to support our students with their reading for pleasure later this month, when all KS3 students will take part in a sponsored read: Ready, Steady, Read. More details on how to take part will be sent home shortly, as well as on our School Twitter page.  

Oracy Events in School  

Oracy continues to be a key focus at our school, and we are proud to share some exciting developments. On Thursday 13th February, we hosted the Catholic Partnership KS4 Public Speaking Competition, welcoming students from several Catholic schools across Birmingham. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their confidence and speaking skills. 

Our Debate Club students continue to excel, having recently won the MAC Debate against Archbishop Ilsley. Their hard work and dedication are truly paying off! 

Additionally, a number of Year 10 students participated in a ‘Speak Out Challenge’ workshop on Monday 17th March with an external provider from the Speakers Trust charity, further developing their public speaking and presentation skills. We’re excited to see how our students continue to grow in oracy and look forward to more achievements in the future! 

Teaching & Learning Update: Mrs Wall (Assistant Headteacher): 

 It’s been another fantastic term of learning at Holy Trinity. Pupils thrive in their lessons and are able to show their creative, practical and academic skills through a variety of learning tasks and exercises. We continue to stretch our pupils through questioning which challenges their thinking and resourcefulness actively embracing our pupil motto: ‘I am a Holy Trinity pupil and I can achieve anything.’ This has been seen in abundance in all year groups when we visit lessons. Well done to all pupils who continue to motivate themselves and others to be the best they can be. 

Pupil Progress & Extra-tuition update:  

Mrs Pritchard (Assistant Headteacher) & Mr Woolgar (Associate Assistant Headteacher): 

 Last half term, Year 11 successfully completed their mock exams. Throughout the process, we witnessed a hall brimming with students early each morning with a determination and ambition to perform to the best of their ability.  This was followed by a successful mock results morning, which provided students with an opportunity to experience the emotion of receiving and opening their GCSE results envelope, just as they will in the summer. We celebrated the effort of many students who have gone above and beyond and also celebrated  a record number of top grades, including many grade 9’s across the board which is phenomenal. It is evident that Year 11 are committed to their own success. Keep up the strong work ethic you have built in the coming weeks and months. 

Extra Tuition has seen excellent attendance so far. On average, we have had a 95% attendance across the first 4 weeks of the extra tuition programme since launching on 27th January. Pupils have been resilient and really dedicated to their studies. Continuing with this positive attitude alongside usual curriculum time, our Year 11 will be very successful this academic year, and this is exactly what they deserve! Well done to Year 11. I would like to thank Mrs Smith (Head of Year 11) for her continued support. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of staff for giving up their time after school, and for those who delivered tuition sessions during the February half term break. We had an average 80% attendance across the 3 days, which again is excellent and really pleasing to see. The extra tuition programme will continue as normal, and you can see any updates to the timetable on our school website.  

The Envision programme has gone very well so far. Our 12 wonderful Year 9 pupils didn’t win the Envision competition on Friday 24th January, but they came very close. They had some great feedback about their school project (which was supporting their peers through the Options process), and particularly about how they conducted themselves during their presentation. All our pupils have grown in confidence since the start of the programme, and we have seen them grow and develop so much in only 12 weeks. Pupils worked with each other improving skills such as teamwork and determination. They worked with mentors from Atkins Realis (an Engineering company in the city centre) and this provided an insight into the world of work and how to work in an office environment. Pupils stood up in front of lots of people in the final, probably for the first time in their lives, and spoke with confidence, eye contact and skill. All pupils reeled off the presentation with no notes in front of them. I am so pleased they enjoyed their journey, and I am so incredibly proud of what they have achieved.  

We have another 12 Envision programme pupils embarking on their social community project, which is its early phase. They will be working with mentors from Irwin Mitchell (Law firm) in the city centre to support with their project. What an exciting opportunity!!! Thank you to Mrs White for her continued support. 

Kings Trust (Mosaic) mentoring has commenced this academic year, and the 14 Y7 pupils have already gone through 4 mentoring sessions with their mentors. Our mentors this year are experienced in their field, including a police officer, and can bring a wealth of support and expertise to our Year 7’s. This mentoring is designed to develop more confidence and aspiration in our young people, and the feedback thus far has been excellent. They have 4 sessions to go and also a world of work opportunity that will happen on the 8th May. 

Elevate; a company that provide study skills, will be in school on Tuesday 11th March to work with 70 of our Y7 and 8 pupils. This is to give our pupils further down in the school to develop their study skills and revision techniques which will then support them in future exams.  

Mrs Daw (Deputy Headteacher): 

Safety and Pastoral Updates for parents and carers, March 2025 

Holy Trinity is a Safe school 

All children have the right to be safe inside and outside of school. At the heart of our school ethos are the core values of ‘Respect’ and ‘Equality’. Being made in God’s image we should ‘Learn to love and love to learn’ in order to be the best we can be and to affect positively the lives of others and society in general.  As a Rights Respecting Gold Award school, we continue to instil this daily in our work within school and the local community. We are creating the next generation of pupils who are leaders, who know right from wrong and are able to develop a clear sense of responsibility and morale purpose in their decisions and actions- those who can be the voice and hand of good and the voice of the voiceless. We work tireless to ensure that the principles of Catholic social teaching are at the heart of our daily work and Mission. We remind our parents and carers that if they have any concerns around the safety of their children in school to please contact either your child’s Head of Year or a member of the Designated Safeguarding Team (DSL team). 

https://www.holytrc.bham.sch.uk/key-information/safeguarding/ 

Holy Trinity is proud to be working towards receiving its ‘School Of Sanctuary Award’. A School of Sanctuary is a school that has received a Sanctuary Award from City of Sanctuary UK or a partner organisation in recognition of its good practice in fostering a culture of welcome, belonging and solidarity for those seeking safety.  As a school we help our students, staff and wider community learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary and the issues surrounding forced migration. As a school we are committed to creating a safe and inclusive culture of welcome that benefits everybody, including anyone in our community seeking sanctuary. We proudly share their values and activities with our local communities and work collaboratively to build our movement of welcome. We look forward to sharing more about our journey with you in the weeks and months ahead.  

Promoting positive mental health and wellbeing  

At Holy Trinity, we are a community in which all are respected, have a sense of belonging and feel safe, are able to talk openly with trusted adults and see good mental health as something to be valued and nurtured. If parents and carers are worried about their child’s mental health and wellbeing, we would always suggest a discussion with the family GP in the first instance. Additional information is available for parents and carers via the school website where useful signposting to support agencies (such as Kooth, School nurse virtual drop in, Pause) can be found. Pause in Birmingham also offer a drop in clinic available to parents and children over the break. Click on the link for further information- https://forwardthinkingbirmingham.nhs.uk/pause/. Additional support around positive mental health and wellbeing can be found on the following links, https://www.mind.org.uk/for-young-people/information-for-parents/ 

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/parenting-and-mental-health/ 

https://www.holytrc.bham.sch.uk/key-information/mental-health-and-wellbeing/ 

Early Help for families 

If anyone in your family needs more help from public services or community groups, they can contact voluntary sector local leads from the ten areas, which can then connect families to support across the city. 

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50224/birmingham_childrens_partnership/2218/from_birmingham_with_love/8 

Early Help teams can offer support and signposting around finance issues, parenting, housing, Domestic Abuse. You can also contact school and ask to speak with one of the DSL team who can signpost or make a referral. 

The link below for Family Lives has a range of online supports and signposts, which may also be of use. 

https://www.familylives.org.uk/ 

Early Help Parent toolkit 

https://lscpbirmingham.org.uk/children-families/parents-and-carers 

Developing and understanding risks of the online world. 

We continue to remind parents and carers of the importance of monitoring the digital usage of their children, including the internet and social media usage. On our school website, there are several resources to support parents and carers with understanding how they can keep their children safe in this digital age.  Additional info is available at the following link.  

https://www.holytrc.bham.sch.uk/key-information/e-safety/ 

It is important that all understand that online behaviour should always remain civil. There is never any excuse for any behaviour, which might be verbally threatening, abusive or intimidating.  All children have the right to be safe inside and outside of school. Key to this is to remind children and parents that no inappropriate or threatening images and or videos should be created and or shared online with others. Such matter and content crosses the threshold into criminal behaviour. If you are concerned that your child is sending or has received inappropriate messages, videos and or images do not hesitate to contact your child’s Head Of year the first instance. We will always seek to educate, support and to signpost. CEOP (Child Exploitation Online) offer some useful resources and signposts for parents including information and advice on keeping children safe and how to report incidents. See below for this useful link.  

https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/ 

Fake News and Social Media 

Over the coming weeks pupils across the school will be benefitting from additional inputs linked to Fake News and Social Media. In this climate it is often very challenging to navigate the digital world with significant amounts of fake news accessible to young people. It is always worth remembering to reinforce with your children the importance of not communicating with strangers and also reminding them that the world of digital media. Messaging and platforms remains largely unregulated. Parents should monitor carefully their child’s usage and regularly check through sites which are accessed. Support for parents which highlights how you may discuss this issue can be found at the link below. 

https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/ 

Food bank and support with food parcels. 

School is fortunate to have sourced regular donations of food and toiletries during term time delivered via an external company. School is also able to offer signposting and referrals into to Early Help and Support as part of Birmingham Children’s Trust. If you require support during the holidays, families can self-refer. Further information about a range of support is available at the following link,  

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1VmIZ7IW0-jFLkDUkLoChMfKdjpwS3I3w&ll=52.50593114939773%2C-1.874169176468341&z=11 

Tesco ‘Fruit for schools’ 

School has received a grant to allow fresh fruit for to pupils free of charge throughout the term. Pupils are able to access a range of fruit free of charge to be eaten on site throughout the day. We would like to thank Tesco for this award. As part of our campaign to ‘eat five a day’ and to encourage, young people to maintain a healthy diet this fresh fruit will allow our pupils to enjoy these benefits in and around school. We hope that our pupils are benefitting from and enjoyable this fruit and that it impacts on their health, wellbeing and progress in school. 

A reminder to remain safe in the community- Contextual safeguarding.
We ask our parents to remind their children to make sensible and safe choices during as the days become longer. We are aware that sometimes there may be risks posed by other children and or adults linked to violence, grooming and exploitation. If you have any concerns about your child’s safety when outside of school during the holidays, please contact local police (if a crime has been committed, 999 in an emergency and 101 to discuss none urgent incidents) Additional information around exploitation can be found at the link below. https://parents.actionforchildren.org.uk/feelings-behaviour/safety-wellbeing/child-exploitation/.  

Parents can also seek help from the Early Help support team: 

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50224/birmingham_childrens_partnership/2218/from_birmingham_with_love 

Parents can also contact Birmingham Children’s Trust,  

https://www.birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk/homepage/11/information_for_families_and_carers 

As you will be aware, the carrying of any offensive weapons and or bladed articles is a criminal offence. Schools works closely with WM police and partner school officers to ensure that out school is a safe learning environment. West Midland’s Police also provide valuable updates and information linked to youth violence and knife crime and this is the following link 

https://www.westmidlands.police.uk/police-forces/west-midlands-police/areas/campaigns/campaigns/lifeorknife/ 

Understanding Exploitation- A public Safety message to protect young peoples and ensure that parents/ carers are alert. 

Child exploitation is something you might hear a lot about on the news. It can be worrying for parents and carers to think about it. By understanding what child exploitation means, you can be more prepared to protect your child if you ever think they’re in danger. 

Exploitation is when someone takes advantage of a child for their own profit or gain. It can take different forms. 

https://parents.actionforchildren.org.uk/feelings-behaviour/safety-wellbeing/child-exploitation/ 

Child criminal exploitation 

When a child is manipulated or pressured to take part in criminal activity, including selling drugs. This is sometimes called county lines. Please see the link below for further information: 

https://parents.actionforchildren.org.uk/feelings-behaviour/safety-wellbeing/what-is-county-lines-drug-trafficking/ 

Child sexual exploitation- A type of sexual abuse where someone is coerced, manipulated or pressured into sexual activity online or offline. This might be in exchange for gifts, affection, money or social status. 

Both types of exploitation can be hard for a child to recognise and they may not understand that they are being coerced. They may think they are working or in a relationship. Or they might enjoy the attention and the feeling of belonging. The website below will give further information about how you can talk with your child and educate them in the most sensitive topics: 

https://parents.actionforchildren.org.uk/feelings-behaviour/safety-wellbeing/child-exploitation/ 

We provide this information for parents to be alert and signposted to expert information in order to support their children and to be alert to some of the risks which young people may face in society. Please contact your child’s Head of Year in the first instance if you have any concerns. 

Domestic Abuse 

If you or a family member are suffering Domestic Abuse please contact Women’s Aid https://bswaid.org/, Call 0808 800 0028- web chat is also available, Monday to Friday 10am-4pm by clicking onto the website. Further information and support is also available from Birmingham council,  

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50350/domestic_abuse/2983/help_for_friends_or_family_of_domestic_abuse_victims 

Support for males suffering from Domestic Abuse is at Respect, https://mensadviceline.org.uk/. Telephone, Freephone 08088018327 

In the instance of any imminent and or significant harm, police should always be contacted as an emergency using the 999 number.  

Safety in the community. Water safety  

As the weather improves, there are greater opportunities to access open water. Please find below a link to information about water safety from the Royal Life Saving Society.  

https://www.rlss.org.uk/pages/category/water-safety-information 

It is important that parents and carers familiarise themselves with the information shared here and that they make their children fully aware of the dangers of water.  

A reminder to all parents and carers that any form of trespassing on railways lines is illegal and clearly poses a significant risk to those who choose to do so. Network rail share useful safety tips for children and parents around general and specific rail safety and travel on their website- https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/safety-in-the-community/safety-education/. 

Supporting our Pupils during Ramadan.  

We are aware that many of our Muslim students are fasting. We would reassure parents and carers that the PE curriculum is modified to ensure that intense physical activity is not being expected of our students during this important time and that reasonable adjustment has been made in order to ensure that students who are fasting do not lose out on their entitlement to the PE curriculum. As a school, the health and safety of all students is a priority at all times and especially for our Year 11 students who will be sitting their GCSE examinations over the coming months.  

Info shared by Birmingham City Council: 

‘’While bringing many benefits, strict fasting throughout Ramadan is likely to impact on pupils’ overall well-being and their cognitive performance.  

It’s important to note that no child younger than ‘the age of puberty’ is obliged or expected to fast – there are, however, two views on this issue:  

1. The ‘biological maturity’ view holds that children should begin the practise of fasting at the age of 15 (i.e. the age of puberty)  

1. Under the ‘intellectual maturity’ view, children should begin fasting between the ages of 16 to 19 (i.e. the age of intellectual capacity).  

However, younger children (i.e. those at primary or secondary schools) may practise short periods of fasting to prepare them for adulthood.  

School staff need to recognise that unless there are genuine safeguarding concerns, they should not interfere with how young Muslim pupils observe Ramadan. That said, Islamic law does offer children the opportunity to delay or exempt themselves from fasting and late-night prayers if they believe it may adversely impact their performance at school, especially if they are facing the prospect of taking exams.’’ 

Medical interventions/ emergencies. 

In a medical emergency, should emergency medication or fluids need to be administered to any student, we will follow all guidance in line with duty of care to ensure that the safety of all students’ remains a priority at all times. We will endeavour to seek consent in all instances and in the event that this is unobtainable will always act in the best interests of the health of the child. School will always intervene to provide care for a pupil when there’s a risk to their health, welfare or safety. 

If you have any concerns with regards to any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact your son/ daughters Head of Year who can be reached via reception. Further information can be found on the school website. 

During Ramadan, young Muslims may also take part in prayer events, often held in mosques, which finish late at night. Prayer sessions should be kept short on school nights or, preferably, held on weekends when the impact of late nights or long prayer sessions on pupils could be better managed. 

Inclusion update from Mrs Sian (Assistant Headteacher SENCO): 

Our Drexel Centre community is ever growing as we welcomed all our new Year 7 this year, who have actively used the centre for support and emotional regulation. Drexel continues to be a safe haven for many! 

Family Learning continues to expand, as parents of new Year 7 joined us this year. It is a hub of community cohesion and a time to celebrate our strong relationships with our families and communities. We are forever grateful to the support, which our parents give us. 

We have expanded our provision further this year and are now able to offer some therapeutic sessions to specific students who have faced trauma in their lives. Places are limited but we hope to support as many students as we can over the next few months. 

Our agencies: CAT – Communication and Autism – EP – Educational Psychology – PSS – Pupil School Support – SPLC – Speech, Language and Communication are visiting school regularly and working with specific key students and parents. 

Having supported the needs of new and existing students this year by adding handrails around school where needed and painting all curbs yellow to support students’ movement around school, students with specific needs have felt at ease managing the school site. Having also extended the lighting around St Catherine’s to ensure the safety of all members of our community; this has helped us through the dark days of winter. 

We are an inclusive school and we have further building adjustments taking place over the summer, these will enhance our accessibility further. 

Thank you for your continued support 

Parent Voice on proposed changes to school uniform 

Thank you for your support and tremendous return of feedback for questionnaire on proposed change to school uniform. It was incredible to hear that over 300 different responses were returned within 3 days of the questionnaire going ‘live’! Your feedback has proven to be crucial as we have looked to decipher the merits to making a change to our uniform for September 2025. Whilst some feedback highlighted the advantages of making a change, there was a high volume of other feedback that passionately supported not making a change and upholding the highest standards of uniform established during these past 9 years. Based on your feedback, we feel that there isn’t enough compelling evidence to support making a change to school uniform at this time. This is something that we will keep under annual review and revisit again next academic year. For now, Holy Trinity’s school uniform will remain as it is. Thank you once again for your most valuable contribution to us making this final decision.  

A reminder of our High Standards and Expectations: 

A series of ‘Standards Checks’ over the course of this term has shown that standards are back to their highest level as they were in September 2023 when the school received ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted judgements for Behaviour and Attitudes and Personal Development. It is imperative that these highs standards are maintained throughout the year.  

Standards reminder: 

• Pupils must have a blazer, tie and shirts to be tucked in at all times. 

• Pupils must wear plain black footwear without any coloured logos/laces. 

• Pupils will no longer be permitted to arrive to school in their PE Kits, they will have access to specialist Sports Hall facilities for changing. 

• Pupils must have an appropriate pencil case containing essential items such as: 

• black/blue pen 

• green pen 

• pencil 

• ruler 

• rubber 

• Punctuality to form time and lessons must be excellent. 

• PE kit must be in line with our Uniform Policy, there should be no branding on kits as they must be plain. 

• Hoodies are not permitted to be worn, all coats/jackets must be worn on top of blazers. 

• Jackets/coats must be plain with no large branding, denim jackets and gilets are not permitted to be worn in School. 

• One small set of plain metal stud earrings are acceptable for all pupils but all other piercings and jewellery must be removed.  

• Hairstyles should be practical, clean and safe. Tramlines, or patterns shaved into hair or eyebrows is not permitted. Extreme hair colours are not permitted.  

• During the winter, it is essential that your child wears a suitable waterproof coat for school. As stated, hoodies are not permitted and should not be worn in place of a suitable outdoor coat. Balaclavas, ski masks, snoods and comparable items of clothing are not permitted. Items will be confiscated if they are seen in school. 

• Pupils must be highly organised ensuring homework and other tasks are completed on time when set by their teachers. 

• In line with our annual practice, this existing Uniform Policy, is to be reviewed with school stakeholders during the summer term in anticipation of next Academic Year. 

• Please access the full school uniform policy from the front page of this website. At Holy Trinity, we are committed to maintaining high standards and are open to changes that may support your child’s positive progress in school. 

Attendance and Punctuality Update from Ms Hodson (Senior Assistant Headteacher, Personal Development): 

Pupil Attendance and Punctuality: 

 We continue to thank you for your support in getting your children to school on time every day. 396 of our pupils have attendance of 96% or above. 82 of these pupils have attended every day since September. A big well done to these pupils for showing excellent resilience, grit and determination. A huge congratulations to Year 7 who are currently the best attending year group to date. Another well- deserved applause for Year 11 who are not far behind! It is important that all pupils attend school regularly to improve their chances of success. Good attendance is essential if pupils are to benefit from the outstanding provision, Holy Trinity has to offer. We need to work together to ensure that your child receives the best possible education. Good attendance is pivotal to this. 

It is never too late for your child to improve their attendance. Every week counts, no matter where they are on their attendance journey.Our ‘Improving attendance’ challenge has commenced for those pupils who are not attending as well as they could do and have attendance between 85% and 91%. Please look out for correspondence from Ms Hodson relating to this. 

A key reminder about punctuality to school 

 School starts at 8.30am. If your child is late, they will receive a late mark and L3 detention. If your child arrives after 9am they will be marked with the ‘U’ code and lose their AM mark. This will have a negative impact on their overall attendance. Please remind your child about the importance of attending school on time. Tutor time is an essential part of the school day where your child meets with their tutor for a positive start to the day. We also have a vibrant curriculum that runs through tutor time including valuable time for prayer and reflection. Arriving on time also builds good habits for future employment and career opportunities. 

Missing school results in your child missing out! Please continue to encourage them into school every day. If you have any concerns or need support or advice, please contact the attendance team. 

 Our Easter attendance draw will take place on Friday 11th April. All must attend a full week if they are in with a chance to win a £10 voucher. There will be 10 vouchers up for grabs!  

To celebrate ‘eggcellent’ attendance a further raffle will be held for those pupils who have improved from the Autumn to Spring term.  There will be lots of chocolate up for grabs! 

Our message to all pupils is that they must attend school to achieve and succeed!  All pupils should aim for at least 96% attendance if they are to have the best chance of making excellent progress, build positive relationships and develop lifelong skills setting them up for their future.  

A reminder of the impact to learning of missing time in school:  

Maintaining excellent attendance will put your child in the best position for achieving academic success in their GCSE exams. It is a statistical fact at Holy Trinity that our most successful pupils at the end of Year 11 are the pupils who have the very best attendance to school and don’t miss out on specialist teaching. Our intention is for each and every pupil to be in school and achieving a very high quality of education. Please visit the school website or contact the attendance team for more information.   

Pupil Rewards at Holy Trinity 

The rewards pyramid continues to thrive! Due to the overwhelming success of our rewards pyramid, we are continuing to challenge the students to work hard and give maximum effort to secure the exciting opportunities above. Already we have over 250 students on Level 1 achieving 100 BfLs!!! Keep encouraging your child to demonstrate positive and courteous behaviour; complete homework and give that extra effort and I am sure they will be enjoying a trip to the beach in summer 2025! 

Careers provision at Holy Trinity: 

In keeping with our commitment to provide students with outstanding careers guidance and tailored support when choosing their next steps after school, we will now be using Unifrog. 

Unifrog is the universal destinations platform, designed to support learners in making the most informed decisions about their futures, and has a range of tools that are suitable for all year groups. Each pupil has their own account where they can explore all the career and next step options available to them and find information on everything from managing their workload to writing a winning CV: 

Parents can also have your own Unifrog account. You’ll be able to research careers, attend webinars delivered by employers and universities to learn more about their opportunities, and compare pathways so you can support your child in making an informed decision about their next steps.  

You can sign up here: www.unifrog.org/code 

The sign up code you need is: HLTCparents 

For more information, go to www.unifrog.org or contact Miss Backhouse or your child’s Head of Year 

‘My Child At School’ 

 We invite you to regularly log into ‘My Child at School’ to monitor how your child is getting on at school. You will find out whether your child is completing homework, receiving any consequences or being awarded positive behaviour points. Pupil timetables, the school calendar and attendance records are also available. Please visit www.mychildatschool.com. The school ID is 11389. The school does not have access to your password information. You can request a new invitation code from home or if you have added an email address to the account you can click ‘forgotten login details’ and follow instructions that will email you the details. 

A regular reminder regarding car parking:  

 In a regular reminder, it is important to remember, that driving and parking near our Oakley Road entrance / exit point, continues to be highly problematic at drop off and collection times. This is something that we continue to work on with local residents & key stakeholders to improve. Recently, Mr Crehan (Headteacher) met with Local Councillor, Raqeeb Aziz, to discuss this issue alongside other wider community concerns. This meeting was a positive dialogue and it was clear that there is a shared commitment towards supporting improvements in the future. I encourage parents to continue being patient and understanding of this situation as we all endeavour to support one another as best as possible. Thank you.  

Some key dates / up and coming events in school 

For more details, please access the School Calendar via your ‘My Child at School’ account.  

The continued strong partnership between school and home, is at the foundation of the successes that we continue to celebrate. If for whatever reason you have any issues or concerns, please contact your child’s Form Tutor / Head of Year in the first instance. If at any point you require further support in resolving a particular situation, please escalate your concerns to a member of the Senior Leadership Team. As Headteacher, I always welcome dialogue with parents informally on the school gate, through a conversation on the telephone, an email dialogue or more formally in a request to meet with me in person. Please contact school Reception if you wish to speak with me. If at any point you are not satisfied with our school’s response, there are further channels available to parents in order to raise concerns.  Please contact school reception if you require any additional information and clarity regarding the process for raising formal complaints.   

‘At Holy Trinity, we want all pupils to leave with a love of all people as equals and an appreciation of the common good. We want all pupils to leave with a world of opportunities at their feet; for them to reach their fullest of potentials; to believe in themselves, and to achieve their wildest dreams’. 

Thank you for your continued support.  

Paper copies of this document are available from reception upon request.  

Mr Crehan 

Headteacher: Holy Trinity Catholic School  

Friday 14th March 2025