Message from the headteacher

I teach PSE (Personal Social Emotional type learning) to Y8 on Wednesday afternoon. This week was ‘consent’ and ‘are you ready for sex?’ You might think that these topics would be awkward for a 52 year old headteacher to explore with a bunch of 12 and 13 year olds. And they are a bit. Definitely at the outset it is a bit ‘#awks’ as Scarlett pointed out but after a while it gets quite interesting. I mean how DOES one obtain consent (as one definitely should) at the end of a date to move in for a kiss? Do you present them with a typed consent form as one, quite bureaucratic, student suggested? Or do you just move gently towards them and see what happens? Or do you say, “may I kiss you?” and hope for the best?

And if you DO initiate a kiss what are the signs that they may not be enjoying it? Kiera suggested a slap in the face might be a fairly good indicator and it was hard to argue with that. Others suggested that if a person slowly backs away until they are sitting alone in the back of a minicab that might also be quite a clear sign of a lack of interest.

Amid the humour and discussion I tried really hard to get students to understand the importance of consent and consensual behaviour with their peers. Almost every year that I have been a senior leader in schools there has been a case involving, at its inception, a lack of understanding around consent. Often this leads to trauma and upset for a whole range of people. Anyway…next week we’re on STIs so that should make them think twice about starting anything in the first place.

If you ever get a meal cooked for you by one of our students you may have our food teachers to thank. Recently we have been deep diving into their work and the work of the design technology team. It was wonderful to see how design and technology go about their business and varied is their curriculum. It brings me back to my bugbear around a child saying, as they do from time to time, ‘I hate school’. I always respond to the question by asking, ‘which bit?’. I mean, the curriculum is so varied and Highfields students work with around 15 teachers each week…surely from the study of history, to making a lasagne, to making art, to learning about electronics (see image from Y10 this week), to discussing first kisses, to learning how to sword fight (Y8 fencing this week)…surely SOMETHING has got to interest you? On the other hand I am very annoying so perhaps all it would take is the sight of me when they get off the bus each morning to drive them into a frenzy of negativity.

Mrs Cruise turned up dressed as royalty this morning (see image). At first I thought she had finally lost her mind but then she reminded me it is Children in Need day today. We do not like to moan at Highfields but the fact that, even despite Covid continuing to compromise our staffing levels, Mrs Cruise and others are prepared to put on fun activities such as there for students make me humbled and proud.

We are an inclusive type of school as regards PE but the competitive side of me is still thrilled that Highfields footballers beat my former school Dronfield Henry Fanshawe last night 2-0. We are most definitely Highfields!

Have a good weekend… A Marsh Headteacher