A Letter to Parents & Carers
June 3rd 2026
Dear Parents and Carers,
We hope that you have had a restful and enjoyable half-term break.
As promised, we are writing to update you on the changes that will be made at Haydon Bridge High School. Over the past five weeks since taking up post, we have spent a significant amount of time speaking with staff and students, listening carefully to their views, and identifying key areas for improvement. We are now moving into the next phase of our work, where we begin to plan and implement changes from now through to the start of the new academic year.
One of the first visible developments will be the launch of our new school website over the coming weeks. We are very much looking forward to sharing this with you and hope you will enjoy seeing the happy, smiling faces of our students as they showcase the very best aspects of our school community.
As part of our work, we asked staff to capture the true essence of Haydon Bridge High School. Combined with the valuable feedback received from parents during our recent meeting, we are proud to introduce our new strapline:
“Small Enough to Care, Big Enough to Make a Difference.”
We believe this reflects both our strong sense of community and our ambition for every student.
We would also like to update you on our progress with Ofsted. We have already had our first monitoring call and have been informed to expect a visit before the summer break. We are working extremely hard to move the school out of special measures as quickly as possible; however, we are mindful that this will require a sustained and collective effort from our entire school community.
In the coming weeks, we waill be calling on our students, staff and parents to demonstrate to Ofsted that we are united in our commitment to making Haydon Bridge High School a great school. Your continued support is vital, and we value the role you play in this journey.
We are also pleased to share that we will be holding a parents’ social evening towards the end of this half-term. This will be an opportunity to come together informally, strengthen our community links, and share further details about our plans. We very much hope you will be able to join us, and further details will follow shortly.
For now, please take note of the changes outlined below:
A strengthened pastoral structure
We are currently in the process of advertising for three new Directors of Learning, covering Years 7 and 8, Years 9 and 10, and Years 11 and Sixth Form. Each Director of Learning will be a member of the teaching staff and will have overall responsibility for student progress, as well as pastoral care and wellbeing within their year groups.
Working alongside each Director of Learning, we will also appoint a Student Manager, who will be a non-teaching member of staff. Their role will be to provide dedicated pastoral support and work in close partnership with the Director of Learning to ensure that every student receives the care, guidance and support they need.
We are confident that this strengthened pastoral structure, built on strong professional partnerships, will significantly enhance the support available to all our students and parents. Full contact details will be shared with you once these appointments have been made.
Changes to the structure of the school day
We will be changing the structure of the school day from September. The school will move to a one-week timetable, consisting of five 60-minute lessons each day, providing a total of 25 lessons per week and ensuring a consistent and focused learning experience across all subjects.
Breaktime and lunchtime will remain unchanged, maintaining opportunities for students to rest, socialise, attend clubs and recharge.
Tutor time will take place at the start of the day, allowing staff to better support students in preparing for learning. Following an enlightening session with the student parliament, there was a strong appetite for this change, and we are pleased to be responding to student voice.
Please note that the start and finish times of the school day will remain unchanged. Full details of the new timings can be found on our new website.
Curriculum developments at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5
We will also be introducing a number of important curriculum changes to ensure the best possible outcomes for all students.
At Key Stage 3, Years 7 and 8 will follow the same curriculum allocation in terms of time and subjects but remain in their respective year groups. Students will be set by academic ability to ensure appropriate support and challenge. Where students require additional support in core skills, they will receive an extra hour each of English and Maths per week, replacing one hour of French and one hour of humanities. We believe strongly that improving literacy and numeracy enables greater access to the wider curriculum and equips students with essential life skills.
In Year 9, we will introduce a new and exciting Character Curriculum, which will take place for three hours each week. Students will choose three options from a wide variety of subjects, offering enriching, engaging and unique learning experiences. This programme is designed to raise ambitions, ignite passions and encourage high expectations. Students currently in Year 8 will receive more information through assemblies very soon—please do take the time to discuss these choices at home and support them in making well-informed decisions.
At Key Stage 4, we have taken the decision to de-couple Years 10 and 11, as we believe this will lead to stronger long-term outcomes. Students currently in Year 9 will study three option subjects in Year 10, each allocated three hours per week. Following the national increase in GCSE challenge, many schools have moved to this model to allow students sufficient time to embed and consolidate knowledge across a full two-year course.
For current Year 10 students, who have already studied two option subjects, they will now focus on one option subject for six hours per week. We have also increased curriculum time for English, Maths and Science, ensuring students are fully supported to achieve strong outcomes. All students will still leave with at least eight GCSE qualifications.
At Key Stage 5, we continue to work closely with our students to deliver a strong, ambitious and financially viable curriculum for those choosing to remain in the Sixth Form. We are also looking to establish a student leadership team, including the appointment of Head Students, who will serve as ambassadors for the school and role models for younger students.
Throughout this term, we will be working hard to finish the academic year strongly while also preparing thoroughly for the year ahead. We are committed to keeping you informed and will endeavour to update you every step of the way as these changes take shape.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to the school. If you would like to discuss any of the changes outlined above in more detail, please feel free to get in touch.
Yours sincerely
Kath Pigdon – Executive Headteacher
Richard O’Connor – Head of School