Principals Weekly Update
This Week’s Vlog: Learning, Belonging and Excellence in Practice
Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s vlog.
We’re filming today in a Year 8 Design and Technology lesson, and DT is one of the key themes. The other two themes are a recent peer review that took place in school and our assembly themes and how these support the wider personal development of our young people.
Design and Technology in Action
Behind me, our Year 8 students are working through the design stage of one of their DT projects. They’ve just had a clear demonstration from their teacher, Mr Buckley, and are now moving from planning into the practical stage. Students are cutting their designs from card, before transferring them onto wood.
What makes DT so powerful is the balance between creativity and structure. Lessons begin with a clear do now, followed by guided practice where the teacher models each step, and then independent work where students apply what they’ve learned. The result is a physical product that students can take real pride in.
Peer Review and Quality of Teaching
This week, we welcomed a group of headteachers, deputy headteachers and an Ofsted inspector into school as part of a peer review. The purpose of this visit was to look closely at our lessons, identify what we are doing well and support us in thinking about the next steps in our school improvement journey.
Over two days, the team visited around 50 lessons across every year group, from Year 7 through to Year 13. This was a deliberate decision, as learning in the classroom is at the heart of everything we do. The review focused particularly on how students engage with the do now, how this supports learning and memory, and how knowledge builds across the curriculum.
If your child mentioned visitors in school this week, this is what they were referring to. The feedback we received was extremely positive. The team were especially impressed by our students: their behaviour, their positive attitudes to learning, and the confidence with which they contribute in lessons. Please do pass on my thanks to your children for representing Uxbridge High School so well.
Assemblies and Personal Development
The final theme for this week is our assembly programme. Each week, students take part in assemblies linked to a specific theme, supported by personal development activities during tutor time. These themes are often connected to national or international events and always link back to our PRIDE values.
This week’s assembly was delivered by Mr Morgan and focused on LGBTQ+ History Month. Assemblies like this give students the opportunity to explore identity, belonging and respect. When young people feel safe to be themselves, that is when real belonging happens, and when they are able to thrive, be creative and aspire to be the very best versions of themselves.
Celebrating identity, diversity and contribution helps students understand both history and the world around them, while reinforcing a simple but powerful message: everyone belongs here. One of our visitors even commented on the fantastic atmosphere in the Year 8 assembly this week, which is a real credit to our students.
Looking Ahead
I’d really encourage parents to continue talking to their children at home about the assembly themes, as we truly believe they make a meaningful difference.
As always, thank you for your continued support. Have a lovely weekend, and I’ll see you same time, same place next week.