Welcome from our students

What our students have to say about Hawarden High School

Here we have some video clips from students sharing their experiences of Hawarden High School.

Student accounts of Hawarden High School

Students in different year groups tell you about life at Hawarden High School and how they found settling in.

I remember very clearly two years ago when I was panicking and stressing about coming to High school. You are full of lots of different emotions: you don’t know whether to feel anxious, excited, or upset about leaving your Primary School behind. However, all the memories you’ve made these past few years won’t disappear, but they will stay with you for the rest of your life.

My biggest fear was homework. I was constantly hearing that I was going to be shocked with the amount of homework that I was going to be set. I can now confirm after two years in high school, that you do get a lot more homework set than you’re used to, but if you’re anything like me, you will get through it all even if you have an after school activity on every night. You soon learn to cope with everything and life at High school just becomes the new normal. Teachers understand that this is all new to you and they are always there for you, so never be afraid to talk to them if you are feeling overwhelmed, or stressed the amount of work.

Another fear of mine, was getting lost. The school seemed so huge whenever I had been there before, that I was almost expecting myself to get lost, at least once. The good news is, there is a map in your planner. This means that you might just get around the school a bit quicker. I know it might seem a little od at first, because none of the older years use one, but within a few weeks, you won’t need to either.

One thing that also bothered me, was the thought of being late for lessons. If you don’t know where a classroom is, ask for help. Most student and teachers would be happy to help, all you have to do is ask!

Overall, all I can really advise you to do is, enjoy yourself, make lots of new friends, experience new things, try the food in the canteen (it’s so much better than any of the food in Primary), and just be yourself. Enjoy every minute you have at Hawarden high, because time flies by and sooner than you think, you will be moving on from Hawarden, just as you are now from your Primary school.

Tamsin P Year 9

When I started at Hawarden High School I knew nobody. I was the only person from my school to go there and I’m not going to tell you that the first day was the best and that I found my friendship group and I was sorted for the rest of school. That would be a complete lie. I didn’t have it together on my first day. Nobody did. We were all trying to figure out who we would sit by and if we had the same timetable and form teacher as our primary school best friends. We were all making sure we didn’t lose our school supplies and trying to get to know people. It was scary. Really scary. The year 11s and the 6th formers seemed terrifying and the school seemed huge. I got lost at least 8 times and 3 of those resulted in being late for class. Did it matter? No. You might think that being late on you first day will result in an instant detention but it doesn’t. The teachers don’t want to give you detention. They want to help you, trust me.

Anyway, I spent my first high school lunch break eating with a bunch of Year 8s who I mistook for year 7s. Afterwards I found out and they didn’t care so I didn’t. After finishing my food I went and sat in the library. It sounds much worse than it was. I met some really nice people in the library including one of my close friends now.

The rest of the week primary school friends tend to stay together. Then, the drama starts. The next 2 or 3 weeks are spent finding your friendship group which can change a lot before you find ‘your people’. It sounds cliché but it’s true. I changed groups loads and then I found my friend group who I can relate to. We bonded over games of UNO and conversations about TV, films, family and primary school experiences.

Remember the following things and you’ll be fine:

· Nobody has a clue what’s happening on the first day. Try your best and everything will work itself out.

· Being lost and late is ok. Explain what happened to your teacher and it will be fine.

· If you want to find friends quickly, join a club you enjoy and if you like books, go to the library.

· Most of the older kids are nice. If you’re really lost or stuck, ask one of them.

· All of the kids and teachers have had a first day and all know the struggle. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

· You might not meet your forever friends on the first day and that’s fine.

Think about these things and you’ll be ok. I promise, everything will be fine.

Izabelle H Year 8

Emma J Year 9

Very soon you will be coming up to Hawarden High School, you may be excited or maybe nervous. I'm here to tell you there is no need to be nervous. When I moved up to HHS I was nervous about finding my way around, having all my equipment and I was very stressed about getting loads of homework. Finding your way around isn't as hard as it seems, you will have a little map, and hundreds of students willing to help you find your class, so please don't be shy just ask us we don't bite I promise! The equipment problem I easily solved by making sure I always had all my stationary in my pencil case and it never left. You will also get told to pack your bag the night before a lot - it's definitely worth it. Homework, it seems a bit daunting but in reality you are not going to get loads, most likely you will get 1-3 pieces a week, I know I did in year seven, and if you completely forgot, just tell the teacher and they will understand they won't shout at you. Year seven isn't all about the work though. Year seven is about getting used to high-school, making friends and having fun. My advice on making friends would to simply be go and talk to some new people - you never know they could be your new best friends! One way I made friends with one of my friends is that I sat next to her in a lesson and talked to her (only when we allowed to talk of course) and asked her if she wanted to sit with me at break. In year seven you get to go down to the Dell for an afternoon, there are educational trips and they aren't boring as you may think, they are really fun and exciting, there's also sports day, it's nothing like primary school sports day it's so much better, there are more activities, and the house spirit is so amazing it’s really one of the best days of the school year even if you don’t like sports! If you have any problems or worries student support are there to help, and I've been there a few times myself, and they are always willing to help you in any way they can. When I was in year seven student support didn't exist, but I knew I could always talk to my form tutor. Your form tutor won't mind you going to talk to them or ask for help - they are there to help your journey through HHS and so are your teachers and fellow pupils!

I have so many good memories about HHS it's hard to pick one but something that I really enjoyed was a STEM workshop. In my team was me and 4 others in my year, none of which I had worked with before but as soon as we got started we all instantly got on well and worked together to build our product. Some of these other students I didn't even know who they were but we all got on well and had an amazing experience (we even won the challenge!) , it really proved to me that anything can be achieved with team work and that you have friends everywhere at Hawarden High School you just don't know it yet.

Rose F Year 10

On my first day of High School, I was quite nervous of meeting new people, new teachers and most of all, the size of the school. Within the first two weeks, I had remembered the map of the school, made friends with many new people and joined 2 after school clubs. High School is always going to be scary at first, but if you try your hardest at your work and have fun as much as possible, High School will become your second home very quickly.

Esme P, Year 9