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We are proud of our school’s reputation in our local, and wider, community. We provide a high quality, comprehensive educational experience for all of our students and ensure that each individual’s academic potential is fulfilled. We value their individuality and the contribution they make to the community. Our students are an asset and are at the heart of everything that we do.
Hedingham is a very caring, supportive and ordered environment that allows us to have high expectations of achievement and excellence. Our students are encouraged to work hard, study independently and to take pride in their achievements and the values of their school.
We aim to broaden the horizons of our students and to personalise their learning. We are committed to utilising the latest technologies and learning and teaching strategies so that our students are skilled and confident citizens prepared for the opportunities and challenge of an increasingly complex world.
Much of our success is due to a high level of parental confidence and trust established over the years. 
As you know, the severe weather conditions at the beginning of this term saw the school closed for a few days. I can assure you that the decision to shut was not taken lightly. There are a number of factors to take into consideration, the main one being the health and safety of the students and staff. It is an extremely difficult decision to make. This does not happen very often and your support on these rare occasions is very much appreciated.
The exam season has started once again as Year 11, 12 and 13 students begin the build up to May/June with ‘mocks’. The Year 11 practice examinations ran very efficiently and our students responded very well indeed given the difficult conditions. I would like to congratulate them and to thank Jane Woolley and her team for working so hard to ensure everything was a success. We now have a very good opportunity to analyse the data and utilise it to move our students on to examination success in the summer.
Year 8 PSHE Day on ‘Body and Soul’ was a successful day where our students learned more about Healthy Lifestyles, First Aid, Sex Education to name but a few.
Year 9 Face to Face with Enterprise was really exceptional. This is an excellent opportunity for students to experience what happens in the world of work and to gain an understanding and awareness of business. It is also an event which is fairly unique to us. They worked very hard throughout the day and gained enormously from utilizing a variety of skills within their team.
Students are also very good at organising events. Their response to the Haiti disaster was excellent. Every student, with the support of parents, made a contribution to our non-uniform day on Friday 5 February and the Sixth Form students organised a ‘Hats for Haiti’ event, where they wore a variety of wonderful hats in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours. To date over £1,200 has been raised which is a significant sum. Congratulations to them!
The Braintree Male Voice Choir visited Hedingham on Friday 5 February and performed a number of pieces from their working repertoire in the Drama Studio at lunchtime. This was an excellent event, great entertainment, and the Hedingham Whole School Choir was invited to join them in singing ‘Rhythm of Life’. My thanks to Katie Wood for organising this.
Our Dance Shows are proving very popular and I am pleased that the shows on Wednesday and Thursday evenings of the last week of term were very well attended. The shows consisted of a number of dance pieces that had been choreographed by Hedingham students with the support of Miss Jardine. The students’ performance was excellent and very professional. They were two thoroughly enjoyable nights.
Hedingham School continues to be a very positive community which always focuses on ensuring our students work towards realising their potential. The school ethos is very positive and standards at Hedingham School remain high. I remain as optimistic as ever about the future of Hedingham School.
John Panayi
Headteacher
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