Read all about the latest news and activities happening, and reasons to celebrate our school in the below Headteacher's blog.

• Celebrating Our Stronger Together Work: A National Invitation

  Mon 20 Oct 2025

  I am very pleased to share some exciting news that reflects the strength of our school community and, in particular, the incredibly positive relationships we have built with you - our parents and carers.

   

  Mr Sherrard and I were invited by the Department for Education (DfE) to speak at their RISE Conference: Raising Attainment. This regional event brought together school leaders from across Yorkshire and the Humber, focusing on practical strategies to raise attainment in secondary schools.

  We were selected to contribute to the conference due to our strong and effective approach to parental engagement. The DfE has recognised the great work taking place in our school to involve families in their children’s education and believed our experience would be valuable to other school leaders across the region.

   

  This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our school, but more importantly, it was a chance to say a huge thank you to you - our parents and carers. Your ongoing support, whether through attending events, communicating with the staff team, or supporting learning at home, plays a vital role in helping our young people to succeed.

   

  We know that when schools and families work closely together, outcomes for young people improve significantly. Being asked to speak at this national event was not only a recognition of the work of our brilliant staff team, but a reflection of the strong partnership we have with you.

  The conference took place on Monday 13 October 2025 at The Royal Armouries in Leeds, and we thoroughly enjoyed representing our school community there. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

   

  Aman Singh Kang

  

• High-Quality Careers Education and Guidance

  Mon 13 Oct 2025

  At UBHS, we are proud to offer outstanding careers provision, achieving 100% across the Gatsby Benchmarks - a standard met by only 17% of schools nationally.

   

  Our track record of excellent GCSE outcomes is underpinned by a broad, rich, and creative curriculum that promotes academic success. However, we are a school that offers far more than just academic achievement. We are deeply committed to supporting our learners in developing essential life and employability skills, broadening their horizons, and equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to succeed both beyond our school gates and in their future careers.

   

  Our dedicated Careers Team closely monitors current employment trends and skills shortages within the UK labour market. In response, we proactively embed opportunities within the curriculum to develop the skills most valued by employers, ensuring our learners are well-prepared to meet the needs of the modern workforce.

   

  Every learner has access to personalised one-to-one guidance with our Careers Adviser, who helps them map out individual career pathways and take clear steps towards their goals. This tailored support is complemented by a wide range of careers education opportunities, including:

   

  • Integration of essential skills across lessons
  • Our Skills Builder programme during tutor time
  • Mock interviews
  • Work experience placements
  • Strong partnerships with employers and higher education institutions

   

  We are incredibly proud to be recognised as a leading school for careers education. We currently have 0% NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training), meaning 100% of our learners successfully progressed to their next destination - whether that be college, sixth form, training, or employment. Nationally, the average NEET rate stands at around 5%, making our achievement particularly notable.

   

  Our commitment to excellence is further recognised by our achievement of the Quality in Careers Standard - a national award which reflects the high standard of support we provide to our learners as they prepare for a successful and fulfilling future.

   

  Aman Singh Kang

  

• Learners Safety - Modeshift Stars Gold Award

  Mon 06 Oct 2025

  UBHS is the UK Secondary School of the year for the Modeshift STARS Education Scheme, we have Gold status which means we actively promote safe and sustainable travel, including walking and cycling to/from school. We encourage all learners to travel actively to maintain their fitness and health. This approach also plays a vital role in reducing traffic congestion around the school during peak times: 8:00–8:30 am and 3:00–3:30 pm. By choosing to walk or cycle, we collectively lessen the volume of traffic and the associated strain on our local roads.

   

  We greatly appreciate your continued support in reinforcing this agenda by encouraging your child to walk or cycle to school whenever feasible.

   

  Guidance for Drivers: Safety and Consideration
  For families who need to drive, we ask for your full cooperation in ensuring the safety of our children and maintaining a respectful relationship with our neighbours:

   

  A few reminders:
  Please remind your children to be particularly vigilant on the roads, especially as the evenings draw in. They should always look both ways before crossing and utilise bright or reflective clothing when walking or cycling to enhance their visibility.

   

  When dropping off or collecting your child, please do not block residents' driveways or park illegally (e.g., on double yellow lines or on the zigzag markings outside the school entrance). These measures are in place for safety and to respect our community.

  If driving is unavoidable, we strongly recommend considering parking slightly away from the school site. By parking a few streets away and walking the final short distance, you significantly ease congestion directly outside the school gates, making the environment much safer for all our children.

   

  It is also crucial that parents/carers don’t come up the school drive each morning to drop their child off as this causes unnecessary problems for staff and visitors to access the school site.  

  Thank you for your ongoing commitment to making the UBHS community a safer and more considerate environment for everyone.

   

  Aman Singh Kang