MessagefromtheHeadteacher
Normally I write this bit for the newsletter late on Thursday evening but last night I went with a bunch of students to see Life of Pi at the Lyceum so I’m writing this extremely early on Friday morning. I’m not a morning person…I’ve no idea how cockerels do it.
Highfields, some twenty years after every other school in England apparently, now has some basic security to stop strangers just wandering onto site. Students and staff have pretty much got used to this already but there is the odd wrinkle. Some year 8 students managed to kick their ball out of bounds on Wednesday lunchtime. I headed off to find the nearest gate to retrieve the football from the other side of a fence. ‘Don’t bother, sir’, they shouted, ‘we’ve got it’. Then, as if they had practised it for weeks, three of them of slightly different sizes assembled a modern-day totem pole in front of the fence. The bottom lad put his fingers through holes in the fence and put them either side of the ball. He handed it carefully upwards to the next boy, who did the same. The ball made its way upwards and they swapped places when they ran out of fingers. The ball was just about to be tipped over the fence when they dropped it and had to start again. By this time a large handful of peers had gathered as spectators. It just really made me giggle. When the ball eventually flipped over the top and back into bounds there was a large round of applause and the game continued. Ingenuity in action.
As I have written about before, we visit each others’ classrooms at Highfields. Last year we completed 686 learning walks (there were hundreds of other visits in addition- these were just the documented ones) to celebrate good teacher practice. We have renewed confidence at the moment because of our students’ very strong results in the summer but we are never complacent. Each year we have key ideas to focus on in our classroom workthis year a key one is ‘Project Articulate’. This project hopes to further develop students’ oracy, nurturing them to be able to speak fluently about their lives, work and feelings. I am someone who is relatively good at talking in the workplace but finds it much more difficult to present my feelings within the context of a relationship (hence my life story). We all have different strengths in different settings, don’t we? Our aim is to give students the skills they need to verbally frame their ideas and thoughts effectively whether that be in an interview, in a job or on a date (we don’t actually teach this explicitly of course…).
In lessons this week I asked some year 7 students to use their oracy to explain what they were up to in geography. A couple of students were able to outline effectively the gist of the lesson which was to explore weather disasters
against the backdrop of climate change. A pretty serious lesson to start the year given recent events in Libya…
Anyway…I must get myself together and head off to a meeting in Nottingham. I can’t stand being out of school but sometimes it’s necessary and I hope today proves to be a fruitful use of my time.
Whatever you are up to I hope you have a pleasant weekend. We are (in need of a strong coffee but still very much) Highfields.
A Marsh
Openeveningforfuturestudents
Hear from students and staff, visit classrooms and see demonstrations. Parking will be limited so we encourage walking or car sharing where possible.
The following week our leadership team are offering after school tours of our Starkholmes site. To book use the QR code below:
HighfieldsonFacebook
Highfields school now have a Facebook page. Follow us for another way of receiving updates.
Informationforparents
Action for Children have put together some advice for parents about vaping. It can be found here:
I’m worried about my child vaping - Support for Parents from Action For Children
SportsLeadersNews
The 2023/24 programme kicks off with leaders in Year 8 -11 training for a Tag Rugby officials event on Tuesday 19 September followed by some Yer 10/11 leaders going to Holmebrook Valley
Park on Thursday 21 September to help Active Derbyshire lead some Primary pupils (this event got postponed in July due to a torrential downpour!). Soon after the Highfields cluster events get going with the Primary Mini Soccer tournament @ Cavendish Fields for Key Stage 2.
We are very proud of our Highfields Sports Leadership academy and the successes that have been achieved over 24 years and we look forward to continuing that success this academic year.
SchoolCrossing–ChesterfieldRoad
There is a vacancy for a school crossing patrol person on Chesterfield Road near our Lumsdale site.
We urge students to be extra vigilant in the meantime.
Keydates&Calendar
2023-24 academic year
Term 1: 4 September 2023 to 27 October 2023
Term 2: 6 November 2023 to 22 December
2023
Term 3: 8 January 2024 to 16 February 2024
Term 4: 26 February 2024 to 28 March 2024
Term 5: 15 April 2024 to 24 May 2024
Term 6: 3 June 2024 to 23 July 2024
2023-24 parent consultation evenings
Y10/11 Top 5 Secrets to Success
Y13 parents evening (4-7pm)
Y12 parents evening (4-7pm)
Y9 options / parents evening (4-7pm)
Y11 parents evening (4-7pm) virtual
Y8 parents evening (4-7pm) virtual
Y10 parents evening (4-7pm) virtual
Y7 parents evening (4-7pm) virtual
INSET days (no students in school)
Monday 4 September 2023, Friday 27 October 2023
Monday 4 December 2023, Friday 22 December 2023
Friday 5 July 2024
28 September 2023 6-8pm Wheeldon Hall
Tuesday 21 November 2023, 4-7pm (sixth form area)
Tuesday 5 December 2023, 4-7pm (sixth form area)
Tuesday 16 January 2024, 4-7pm (Wheeldon Hall/Sports Hall)
Tuesday 30 January 2024, 4-7pm (via School Cloud)
Tuesday 13 February 2024, 4-7pm (via School Cloud)
Tuesday 5 March 2024, 4-7pm (via School Cloud)
Tuesday 19 March 2024, 4-7pm (via School Cloud)
2023-24 provisional school events (tbc - further details will be issued prior to each event)
Year 6 Open Evening
Sports Leaders Awards Evening
Vocal Recital
Sixth Form Open Evening
Y13 Certificates Evening
Y9 Christmas Disco
Evening of Theatre
Higher Education Evening
Wednesday 20 September 2023, 6pm, Wheeldon Hall (Lumsdale)
Tuesday 26 September 2023
Thursday 26 October 2023, 7pm, P1
Thursday 16 November 2023 6pm
Tuesday 21 November 2023 1.30pm - 6pm
Tuesday 19 December 2023 7pm
Thursday 14 December 2023
Wednesday 24 & Thursday 25 January 2024
Thursday 13 June 2024
Thursday 27 June 2024 Y10
Y13 Prom
Wednesday 10 to Saturday 13 July 2024
Careers
Fair
Experience
School Musical
Exam sessions Y11 Mock Exams 27 November – 8 December 2023 Y13 Mock Exams 11 – 15 December 2023 Y11 & Y13 Mock Exams 26 February – 8 March 2024 Y10 Mock Exams 29 April – 3 May 2024 External Exam Season Commences 9 May 2023 2024 exam results days: A Level exam results: 15 August 2023 tbc GCSE exam results: 22 August 2023 tbc
Work
Week Monday 1 – Friday 5 July 2025
