Hello Uxbridge High School community, welcome to this week’s vlog. This week’s vlog was a special one, with staff dressed as book characters to celebrate World Book Day across the school. Alongside this, we also reflected on an important Year 8 event and highlighted a wonderful initiative organised by our Sixth Form students.

Year 8: Your Life, You Choose

Yesterday, all Year 8 students took part in our annual “Your Life, You Choose” event. This programme brings together a number of external agencies to help students understand the importance of making safe and informed decisions as they grow into young adults.

Throughout the day students attended workshops delivered by professionals, including the police, ambulance service and other local organisations. These sessions covered important topics such as knife crime, child-on-child abuse, grooming and the legal concept of joint enterprise. Whilst some of the discussions are intentionally hard hitting, they are designed to help students understand real world risks and make responsible choices.

Our Year 8 students represented the school exceptionally well, engaging maturely and respectfully throughout the day. Parents are encouraged to speak with their children about the event and the key messages shared.

Ramadan and Sixth Form Iftar Event

Many members of our school community are currently observing Ramadan, a significant time of reflection and fasting.

This week, our Sixth Form students organised a special Iftar event in school to bring members of the community together as the fast is broken in the evening. The initiative was led entirely by students and reflects the inclusive culture we are proud to promote at Uxbridge High School. We would like to thank our Sixth Form students for their efforts in organising such a meaningful event.

Celebrating World Book Day

Today we celebrated World Book Day, with staff across the school dressing up as characters from their favourite books. While the costumes brought plenty of fun, the day also highlighted the importance of reading and encouraging students to develop a love of books.

We filmed part of this week’s vlog in a Year 11 English lesson where students are studying A Christmas Carol as part of their GCSE English Literature course. Lessons like this demonstrate how strong reading skills underpin students’ success across the curriculum.

During assemblies this week students explored the wider benefits of reading. Research shows that reading can reduce stress, improve concentration and support wellbeing. Encouraging young people to read regularly, both in school and at home, remains an important part of helping them succeed academically and personally.

Looking Ahead

It has been a busy and engaging week at Uxbridge High School, with students demonstrating maturity, curiosity and enthusiasm across a range of activities.

As always, thank you to parents and carers for your continued support. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and look forward to sharing more updates in next week’s vlog.