Thank you to everyone who joined us for Open Evening 2025 this month. It was fantastic to welcome so many prospective families into our school and to share what makes Little Heath such a vibrant place to learn.

We are hugely grateful to all the staff and students who gave up their time to present the best our school has to offer. Both our Sixth Form Ambassadors, SSLT and student representatives from all year groups did us proud, and we received so many compliments about how amazing they were and how proud they were of their school.

A perfect example of this is our Year 8 students who spoke during the welcome talk. You can hear from them on our video from the evening via this link – go to 10m 53s to see the students talking about their experiences of joining Little Heath last year: Introduction to LHS - Talk from Open Evening 2025

This month, we hosted our inaugural whole-school Celebration Evening—an inspiring event that brought together students, families, and staff to recognise achievement across Years 8 to 13.

Over 100 students were honoured with awards for academic excellence, sporting success, inclusion, environmental leadership, and Head of Year recognition. It was a joyful evening that reflected the diversity and spirit of our school community, with a fantastic turnout from parents and carers.

The event marked a new tradition of celebrating the values and contributions that make our school such a vibrant and supportive place to learn and grow. Congratulations again to all of our award winners!

Due to university term dates, we look forward to inviting our Year 13 students back in December to recognise their achievements and celebrate their academic successes. 

Our theme for the Environmental Art competition in this year's Newbury Show Education Tent, was inspired by ‘Tree Dressing’. Tree Dressing is celebrated in different cultures all over the world. It’s a tradition that brings people closer to trees and highlights the important role they play in our lives. It’s also a great way of showing gratitude for all the benefits trees provide. As our oak tree is the emblem of our school, we wanted to celebrate it and the importance it holds for both our school and the environment.

We are delighted to have received a 'Highly Commended' award for our entry. Well done to all the students in Year 8, Year 11 and Sixth Form who worked on the project.

Change to Senior Leadership

From this term, we are delighted to announce that Assistant Headteacher, Mr Rayner, has taken on responsibility for leading the Key Stage 3 team.

Mr Rayner is committed to ensuring that students make a strong and confident start to their secondary education. He is dedicated to supporting their academic progress, personal development, and wellbeing.

Hear from him below for an introduction to the year:

Year 7

Year 7 have made a marvellous start on their new learning journey here at Little Heath School. They all look immaculate in their LHS uniform with red badges, and as parents, you should all feel so proud of them, as they step up to ‘big school’. They have all quickly got used to moving from lesson to lesson and have now become familiar with the layout of the school – well done them!

They all negotiated their CAT tests the other week, sitting in one of our larger examination venues for a number of hours, which is no mean feat. The next time they will sit in these examination venues will be for PPE/Mock exams in Year 10 and Year 11, and then for their final GCSE examinations in the summer of 2030. How scary is that!

Mrs Jessop, as Head of Year 7, is very impressed with how the year group has settled so quickly after being Head of Year 11 last year. This week, Mrs Jessop was able to celebrate the success of her old Year 11 group at our first whole school celebration evening. In Mrs Jessop’s words ‘It was a lovely evening. And a good way to celebrate all-year groups together.’  This time next year, we’ll be celebrating Year 7 at this event.

Looking ahead to the rest of this term, there is the Year 7 Parents’ Information Evening on Tuesday 7 October, with the main event being a presentation in The Main Hall from 5:30-6:15pm. More information will be sent out about this next week, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Year 8

Mrs Apsey, as Head of Year 8, has been ever so positive about how her Year 7s from last year have returned in Year 8, and their final year of Key Stage 3. They are starting to mature beautifully into young teenagers. Again, they all looked beautifully presented in their uniform, and a real credit to you as parents. Thank you.

The main focus for this year will be a graduation programme, as they work to close Year 8 and Key Stage 3 effectively, so they are Key Stage 4 ready. Part of this programme will be about challenging themselves and what they can do to give something back. More information about all of this will be sent home.

A key milestone for Year 8 after Christmas will be our option process, where pupils will be asked to select option choices. Obviously, this is a key step before they enter Key Stage 4, so all pupils should try to get the most from every subject they are currently studying if this is one of the subjects they do select for an option at GCSE.

Mrs Apsey was also part of our whole school celebration evening on Monday as she celebrated the successes from last year for Year 7, and in her own words "I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating our students and their achievements, and hearing the uplifting words that our staff had to say about them. A vital part of our role is recognising the students who consistently work above and beyond, but openly doing this with their parents was such a joy too". If you were present at the evening on Monday, I do hope you enjoyed it. Next year, Mrs Apsey will be celebrating the successes from Year 8, so all pupils should try to impress all their teachers.

For both year groups, I would encourage each pupil to embrace the extracurricular activities which are on offer – there are lots. Could they try something new this year?

If I can also set both Year 7 and Year 8 a challenge for this first term.

• Which Tutor Group can get the most House Points in each year group?
• Which boy and girl can get the most House Points in each year group?

Can they push themselves each and every day to try to get House Points, as there will be prizes to be won!

Mr Rayner
Assistant Headteacher KS3

Change to Senior Leadership

We are pleased to share a change in leadership for Key Stage 4 this year. From this term, Assistant Headteacher, Mrs Rayner, has taken on the role of leading the team for KS4. Mrs Rayner brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the needs of our students at this important stage of their education. She is committed to supporting students in achieving their very best, while also preparing them for life beyond Little Heath.

Great Start to the Year

Well done to all our KS4 students who have started the term so well. We were thrilled to honour so many of their achievements both in and outside school at the Student Celebration Evening earlier this month.

For our Year 9 students, they will be embarking on their GCSE journey, focussing on their chosen subjects this year. We look forward to many of our Year 9 guardians joining us on Tuesday 30 September for the Information Evening, with workshops to support all aspects of school life and mental health.

Year 10 will need to lay the foundations before their final GCSE year. As last year's Year 11 have shown, hard work pays off when it comes to GCSE results! However, they have some exciting trips to look forward to, such at Battlefields, and some excellent careers opportunities to embrace and help prepare for their next steps.

We will be working as a team to support Year 11 in their final GCSE year, starting the term off with sessions to help them, and you, with revision, coursework, exam stress and wellbeing. We have Time to Talk in to speak with them, and we hope to see many of you at the Information Evening on Tuesday 30 September. We have a number of really worthwhile workshops, and a chance to raise questions and discuss any concerns with the KS4 team.

GCSE Results Success

We are thrilled to celebrate our best set of GCSE outcomes for many years. An impressive 80% of students secured Grade 4 or above in both English and Maths, well above the national average figure. Success at Grade 5+ was also very strong, with our boys seeing a 15% improvement on the previous year. At the highest end, our more able students raised the bar with an astonishing 100 Grade 9s. Overall, 18 different subjects improved on the previous year's results, demonstrating the commitment of teachers and support staff across the school. We were especially proud to see the attainment gap narrowing for disadvantaged students, reflecting our commitment to excellence for all, and a school improvement priority. These exceptional results are testament to the hard work and dedication of the cohort of students, supported by excellent teaching and a comprehensive intervention programme. This should give our current Year 11s confidence that they too can reach, or even exceed, these heights!

Mrs Rayner
Assistant Headteacher KS4

KS5 Update: A Fantastic Start to the Year

As the new academic year begins, our Sixth Form students have already made a strong impression with their dedication, achievements, and positive attitude.

Year 13 PPEs

Year 13 students recently completed their PPEs, demonstrating maturity and focus as they prepare for their final A Level assessments. These mock exams are a vital part of their journey, providing valuable insights into their progress and helping shape targeted support in the months ahead. Well done to all students for approaching these with such commitment.

Year 12: A Positive Start

Year 12 students have made an excellent transition into Sixth Form life. Their enthusiasm for learning, participation in enrichment opportunities, and willingness to embrace new challenges are commendable. We are excited to see how they continue to grow academically and personally throughout the year.

Celebrating KS5 Successes

At this term’s Student Celebration Evening, KS5 students were recognised for their hard work, leadership, and contribution to school life. From outstanding academic achievements to exceptional community involvement, our Sixth Formers continue to set a brilliant example. Congratulations to all award recipients—you have made our school community proud.

A Level Results: Outstanding Achievements

This summer's A Level results were a true testament to the perseverance and talent of our students and staff. Many students achieved top grades, securing places at leading universities, apprenticeships, and employment opportunities. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and wish them every success as they take their next steps beyond school.

You can read more about our A Level success this summer in the news article linked below.

Mr Jessop
Head of Sixth Form

ATRIUM HEALTH CLUB
Youth Fitness Classes

At The Atrium Health Club, we run a range of youth fitness classes for ages 11–16, designed to help young people build confidence, strength, and enjoyment in moving their bodies. We would love for you to share this with your students and families through your school newsletter.

Our weekly classes include:

• Youth Spin – cycle-based fitness to energising music
• Youth Dance Fit – fun, dance-inspired workouts
• Youth Circuit – full-body training for strength and stamina
• Youth Lift – safe and supervised weight training and functional movement

The first class is completely free to try. After that, juniors can continue with either:

• £10 per class (drop-in)
• £29 per month (unlimited classes)

Junior members (ages 11–13) can also access our gym when accompanied by an adult (18+).

We’d be delighted if you could feature this opportunity for your students, encouraging them to discover the benefits of regular exercise in a safe, supportive environment.

For bookings or more information:
📧 emily.carey@theatriumhealthclub.co.uk 
📞 01189424130
🌐 www.theatriumhealthclub.co.uk

Thank you for helping us support young people in building healthy, active lifestyles.

CRICKET ACADEMIES
Performance Sports Group

Performance Sports Group have run successful Cricket Academies for boys and girls for many years at various venues around Berkshire and South Oxfordshire. We are now excited to announce plans to expand our Academy Programme into West Berkshire, using the facilities at Theale Green School (RG7 5DA) as a venue.

JUNIOR ACADEMY (6 -10 YEAR OLDS)
Our Junior Cricket Academy is perfect for beginners (as well as more experienced new players) looking to move onto hard ball cricket. We introduce and enhance the fundamental skills of batting, bowling, fielding, wicket keeping and game play.

SENIOR ACADEMY (11 – 15 YEAR OLDS)
Our Senior Cricket Academy helps take the experienced player’s game to a new level, through a blend of 1-2-1 coaching, masterclasses, small group activities and pressure training.

Our new West Berkshire Cricket Academy will be led by Peter Higginbottom, who is an ECB Level 3 Cricket Coach, supported by ECB Level 2 coaches who will at times lead on the evening, directed by Peter's session planning.

Theale Green school has availability in the Sports Hall on Sunday evenings from Sunday 2nd November 2025, so we are proposing the following session times:

6.15pm-7.30pm Junior Academy & 7.30pm-8.45pm Senior Academy

Academy Sessions will run on the following Sundays: 2/11, 9/11, 16/11, 23/11, 30/11, 7/12 and 14/12. The cost of the course will be £105 for a 7-week block.

In addition to the above, we will run a FREE taster session on Sunday 19th October for all interested parties who complete this form, with no-obligation to sign up for the 7 weeks. If the Academy is successful, we will look to continue it in the Spring Term 2026.

We would be very grateful if you could complete the form below, and interested parties will be emailed directly with the booking link for the free taster session and further information when the programme has been set up on our website, following your feedback.

Complete the Expression of Interest Form here: https://forms.office.com/e/RVUWkYz5bR