Message from the headteacher

Huge thanks to the testing team (mostly wonderful local volunteers) for getting through over a thousand tests Monday-Wednesday this week. These people were an absolute joy to work with and just so positive and intelligent that I kind of wished we had permanent testing sites so I could see them every day. Thanks as usual to the camp commandant Mrs Morgan, director of catch up (curriculum) who is to rotas what Mozart was to symphonies.

I forgot to take a picture of the testing site. Other things I’ve forgotten to take a picture of this week include a lemon curd madeleine made by Lily in Y8. It took a good few minutes of me asking questions about the delicious looking treats before she finally took the hint and offered me one. Unfortunately, before she had time to say, ‘don’t eat it straight away’ I had eaten it straightaway. The lemon curd inside was, I should think, about three times hotter than the centre of the sun. I said, ‘hoo-hah’ a lot but sustained only mild oral injuries. Still worth it: delicious.

Food tech is not the only lesson I dropped into. I also happened into a PE lesson where girls were learning how to place a penalty kick. I did take a picture of this but it has lots of faces on it and I don’t have time to check they are all GDPR cleared. However, I did take a picture in an event involving our sports leaders and cluster primary schools. I LOVE these events as it is brilliant to get to know the faces of children who might, if we play our cards right, become Highfields students at one point in the future.

I spent Thursday afternoon in a drama lesson looking at Midsummer Night’s Dream with Y8 (my Bottom was widely celebrated when I was once in a school production of this play) and variable resistance with Y10. You can get so caught up in HR and contracts and energy and the like as a headteacher: you have to get into lessons to remind yourself what it’s all about.

I note that four more secondary schools in our area have recently announced their intentions to join multi-academy trusts leaving only a small number in Derbyshire (three, I think) who have not yet done so. Joining EMET was never intended to be an instant panacea but it turns out that we are seeing some early benefits including £250K saved on our all weather pitch sink fund (saving us £25,000 per year), leaders and governors beginning to benefit from networks (including subject directors), a number of staff taking up free career and practice enhancing NPQ, some quick win capital projects including (hopefully) the renovation of Starkholmes courts and a range of long term plans including (definitely) an overhaul of security on our sites, a quality HR support package which has been welcomed by key support staff, a wellbeing package planned for all EMET employees and a proposal to protect Highfields from the recent spike in energy costs. So far have they been true to their word and have ensured that the running of Highfields is left to leaders and governors. I will update you as we go along…

And on top of all this I am typing this at 6pm in my office and it is (almost) still light. Spring is coming!!

So that’s us. How are you? However you are I hope you have a good weekend.

We are Highfields.

A Marsh Headteacher