December 2025 Update letter
Our Ref: DK/jh/gltr/dec 25
4th December 2025
Dear Parent/Carer
I hope you and your family are well and you find December’s update letter of help to you. The focus of the final monthly update letter of 2025 is on:
- Key dates and events – December 2025/January 2026
- A personal update on my own circumstances
- The upcoming Parents’ Evenings and delayed start for Staff CPD in December
- Key details on the end of the Autumn term/start of the Spring term in January 2026
- Charity work and cultural celebrations in the final weeks of term along with information, support and advice on the cost of living from Birmingham City Council and Sandwell Council.
Key dates and events for your calendar – December 2025/January 2026
- Thursday 4th December: Y11 Subject Parents’ Evening 4-7pm
- Tuesday 9th December: Staff CPD - Delayed start for students (Gates open at 10am for a 10.25am start)
- Tuesday 9th December: Maths Mastermind finals from 3.45pm in the Library
- Thursday 11th December: Y13 Subject Parents’ Evening 4-6pm
- Friday 19th December: End of Autumn Term
- Heritage Clothing/Christmas Jumper day
- Students to be dismissed at 12 noon
- Monday 5th January: Staff CPD Day – school is closed to students
- Tuesday 6th January: Spring term for students starts at 11.30am
- Wednesday 21st January: Staff CPD - Delayed start for students (Gates open at 10am for a 10.25am start)
- Thursday 22nd January: Y7 Subject Parents’ Evening 4-7pm
A personal update
I wanted to take the opportunity to inform you as to my own circumstances and how this impacts on the day-to-day management of the school. During the October half-term holidays, my 7-year-old son was admitted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and underwent extensive surgery to remove a brain tumour. He will require significant ongoing treatment and being there for him now and in the weeks ahead must be my key priority. As a result, Mrs Reddy and Mrs Banger have taken on the day-to-day running of the school, supported by the Senior Leadership Team and Mr Ian Mellor, the CRST Director of Education and a very experienced Headteacher himself. I remain in day-to-day contact, and am keen to return to work as soon as we feel it is appropriate for my son, but I wanted to be transparent in letting you know that now is not the right time. The school is in the safest of hands whilst I support my son through the next stage of his treatment.
Upcoming Parents’ Evenings - December
Parents/carers of students in Y11/13 will be receiving their child’s first set of Academic Profiles before the Christmas holidays with those for students in Y7/8/10 being sent out in January. The key dates to look out for with Parents’ Evenings this side of Christmas are below:
- There is a Year 11 Subject Parents’ Evening on Thursday 4th December from 4-7pm.
- Year 13 Subject Parents’ Evening - Thursday 11th December from 4-6pm
Parents/carers will be able to book their appointments for these evenings with subject teachers from this week via Arbor as normal, and we look forward to continuing to work together to best support your child through this highly important year in their education.
Changes to normal arrangements: Delayed start on Tuesday 9th December - Staff CPD
As previously communicated earlier in the year, there are five delayed starts through the school year due to Teaching & Learning CPD sessions for the Embedding Formative Assessment programme, addressing areas for improvement that were from the Ofsted Report. There is a balance with the remaining sessions being after school.
The second of these delayed starts is on Tuesday 9th December. As on all of these occasions, students should arrive from 10:10am for a Period 2 start with all students being on site for 10.25am. Breakfast Club will run as normal for students on site from 10:10am.
End of Autumn term / Start of Spring term arrangements
We break up for the holidays on Friday 19th December at 12 noon. Students will attend Periods 1 and 2 as normal and those students who are eligible for Free School Meals will be able to collect lunch before leaving on the day.
Students will be returning to school after the holidays on Tuesday 6th January for an 11:30am start as teaching staff will be holding the Year 7/8/10 Curriculum Review meetings in the morning before the return of the students.
Cost of living support and guidance
As we do at this time of year where finances can often come under additional strain, we wanted to highlight the information that is available from Birmingham City Council and Sandwell Council. Both of our local authority websites provide links to advice and support on a range of topics including Benefits and Money Advice, Energy Efficiency and Food Support amongst others.
For families living in Birmingham, please check out the Cost of Living Support section of the Birmingham City Council website that also includes the Help In Brum leaflet (this is available in 11 different languages on the website) which provides links to specific agencies and charities that provide practical support. For families living in our neighbouring area of Sandwell, please see the Supporting Sandwell section of the council’s website for further information.
Cultural celebrations and Charity Week: Monday 15th to Friday 19th December
The final couple of weeks of the term as always will see a range of activities designed to provide students with the opportunity to work together to support a number of charities, causes and the wider community with our annual theme of ‘Kindness and Community’. It is also a time of celebrating the achievements of students in our end of term Awards Assemblies, and the talent within the school through performance opportunities.
Holyhead’s annual Food Drive is once again being led by Miss Khatun, this time in association with Brushstrokes Community Project. We are asking for donations of any items of non-perishable food or drink as well as hygiene products and toiletries, if staff, families and students wish to and can. Donations can be made at the school reception or to Miss Khatun and the collection will end on Wednesday 17th December with all proceeds going directly to the Brushstrokes Community Project. If it is more convenient to make a financial contribution to support this cause, you can do so via the Go Fund Me page that has been set up by Miss Khatun and donations can be made until Friday 12th December.
The school’s Charity Committee will also be working to raise money alongside the other CRST schools again this year for our nominated charity which is Birmingham Children's Hospital, with a target of raising £20,000 together. This is an exceptionally important cause which I now have first-hand experience of. The amazing work that Birmingham Children’s Hospital does (they treat 90,000 children every year and do an amazing job in supporting families at what is often the most difficult period in their lives), deserves every bit of support we can give to them as a school community.
Other events running through the week from Monday 15th - Friday 19th December:
- Food - The traditional Christmas Meal will be served during lunch on Wednesday 17th December.
- Music - We will be having staff and student volunteers singing Christmas carols during break time, and we will release the annual Holyhead Christmas Single which this year has a 1980s theme. We will also be hosting the first ever Holyhead X-Factor finals which will take place on Friday 19th December following on from a round of auditions in early December.
- Dress code - Heritage related items (national colours/dress/flags/cultural clothing) / Christmas jumpers are optional for students and staff to wear on Friday 19th December. There will be no leisurewear items (jeans/hoodies/caps/tracksuits) accepted as heritage clothing, so these must not be worn to school. Students who do not wish to, or cannot attend in heritage clothing or Christmas jumpers should attend in normal school uniform.
I thank you again for your time in reading this letter and ask you to look out for the Autumn Term Pulse Magazine and the Holyhead Christmas Single for 2025 which will be released to you at the end of term via Arbor and the school’s social media platforms.
In the meantime please allow me on behalf of everyone at Holyhead to wish you and your families well, and good health and fortune over the next few weeks. We wish a very Merry Christmas to all who will be celebrating and a Happy New Year to everyone!
Yours faithfully,
Mr D Knox
Principal





