Highfields Newsletter Issue 32

Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Highfields School Newsletter Newsletter

2019-20

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Our newsletter aims to keep parents and carers up to date with key information during school closure due to Covid-19.

Our website (www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk) will be regularly updated with news and information and we will continue to email out any news to parents/carers.

Thank you for your continued support.

A Marsh Headteacher

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Contents: Message from the headteacher ....................................................................................... 4 Updates for Parents/Carers ............................................................................................. 5     

Year 10 assessments ...................................................................................................... 5 Year 12 Exams .............................................................................................................. 5 Reminder: Financial help from the ‘We Are Highfields Fund’ 2020 ..................................... 6 Food for Friends Partnership ........................................................................................... 6 Top tips on how to support your child with dyslexia and other SEND conditions … ............... 7

Shout Outs! ................................................................................................................. 11 Highfields Virtual Learning Studio .................................................................................. 18 Parents/carers of current year 6 students ...................................................................... 23      

Highfields morning assemblies ...................................................................................... 23 Year 6 Transition ......................................................................................................... 23 Reminder: return of electronic forms for year 7 admissions in September ........................ 24 Year 7 PowerPoints ...................................................................................................... 25 Year 7 student magazine .............................................................................................. 25 September 2020 – Transport to school for year 6 parents/carers ..................................... 25

Updates and Reminders for Students ............................................................................. 26   

Year 12 students - exams ............................................................................................. 26 Year 11 students – Chesterfield College, Y11 FAQs on sixth form entry............................. 27 Years 11 and 13 - qualifications and exams .................................................................... 28

Reminders for all students ............................................................................................ 29     

School to home communication..................................................................................... 29 Communication with teachers ....................................................................................... 29 Show My Homework online homework submission guidance ............................................ 29 Shout Outs .................................................................................................................. 29 Free Microsoft Office for Students ................................................................................. 29

Sports update and activities .......................................................................................... 30          

Sports Leaders UK: Learner of the Year 2020 ................................................................ 30 New Sports Leaders programmes – opportunity for all students ....................................... 30 Sports activity challenges: Weeks 1-4 ............................................................................ 31 ‘Chance to Shine’ cricket activities - Week 9 Brilliant Bowler II ......................................... 32 YST National School Sport Week at Home ...................................................................... 33 Three Yard Star Drill .................................................................................................... 33 Boccia England: Rainbow Cup virtual competition .......................................................... 34 Youth Sport Trust – physical activities............................................................................ 35 School Games Active Championships ............................................................................. 36 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award - #DofEWithADifference ...................................................... 37

Alternative activities to try during time at home ............................................................. 40     

Code breaking – Week 7............................................................................................... 40 Film Studies ................................................................................................................ 41 Speakers for Schools virtual talks .................................................................................. 41 UK-German Photography Competition – ‘Welcome to my World’....................................... 42 BBC Young Composer 2020 competition ........................................................................ 42

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter  

T-20 Challenge 2020 .................................................................................................... 43 Keeping Highfields reading: how to access free books ..................................................... 44

Learning at home ......................................................................................................... 45 Careers, College & Apprenticeship News ........................................................................ 49     

Resources ................................................................................................................... 49 Careers inspiration and advice from BBC Bitesize ............................................................ 49 Online careers programme for 11-18 year olds ............................................................... 49 Free Speakers for Schools Virtual Work Experience Programme for students ..................... 50 Chesterfield College ..................................................................................................... 50

Parents/carers – support and advice .............................................................................. 51                  

Help & Support information .......................................................................................... 51 Free School Meals National Voucher Scheme and Universal Credit .................................... 51 ‘We Are Highfields Fund’ 2020 ...................................................................................... 51 Highfields Emergency Childcare..................................................................................... 52 Derbyshire County Council Advice on COVID-19 for Parents/Carers .................................. 52 Public Health England................................................................................................... 53 COVID-19 Chesterfield Support Network ........................................................................ 53 NSPCC Coronavirus link ................................................................................................ 53 CAMHS resource .......................................................................................................... 53 Domestic abuse ........................................................................................................... 53 Online Safety ............................................................................................................... 53 Online Prescription Delivery .......................................................................................... 54 Food supplies .............................................................................................................. 54 Online Safety Advice from SV2 ...................................................................................... 54 10 top tips from the Highfields Cluster Family Support Team ........................................... 54 Helping children and young people to manage anxiety .................................................... 54 Useful contact numbers ................................................................................................ 55 Local support available ................................................................................................. 56

Highfields School Contact details ................................................................................... 67 Key Staff for 2019-20 ................................................................................................... 68 Highfields School Governing Board 2019-20 ................................................................... 69

Disclaimer: Highfields School is not responsible for the quality of products or organisations publicised through articles or advertisements in the school newsletter.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Message from the headteacher As you know we use assemblies to communicate informally. This space is now reserved for more formal updates.

We are a local authority school and are obliged to work within their direction. This afternoon, Friday, I have been written to by Derbyshire County Council (DCC) regarding arrangements after 1 June. I have discussed this letter with the Chair of Governors this afternoon and we have agreed that, in our context, our response to this letter means that from 1 June we will: 1. Continue to open for children of keyworkers and vulnerable children. Please contact Mr Hodkin mhodkin@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk if you would like your child to be considered but have not sent them so far. Government guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educationalprovision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educationalprovision 2. Meet face to face with individual students and families who we feel may need more support with online work starting with Y10 and 12. You can contact Miss Gresswell for Y10 students or Mr Flett for Y12 students if you would like to be considered for such a meeting which will be carried out by a senior leader.

Y10 – Miss Gresswell: ngresswell@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk Y12 - Mr Flett: mflett@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk 3. Work with Derbyshire to finalise our risk assessment and the many adaptations required in order to meet guidance and minimise risk.

4. Wait for discussion between unions and government to be resolved so that our staff can be clear on their eligibility to work.

5. Finalise planning regarding public transport and buses. Currently only students in Y10 with DCC bus passes are eligible to use school transport.

6. Develop and deliver training packages to enable staff to work safely on site.

7. Finalise plans to group students appropriately and provide meaningful teaching in a safe environment to larger groups of Y10 and 12.

8. Provide answers to the many questions which were asked by Y10 and 12 parents/carers in the recent survey.

We will re-evaluate our position daily and will next issue a formal update on Wednesday 3 June when we will share more details about our plans. Our senior team is working closely with a range of schools and our approach is broadly similar to other local secondary schools.

We are aware from survey responses that around 33% of Y10 and 40% of Y12 families were keen to have their children return to school, although we expect this number to change as we share more firm plans about arrangements. This survey also revealed a very wide range of viewpoints about the wisdom of re-opening school to larger numbers. Ultimately, the senior leadership team and governors will make decisions which are underpinned by student need and by the safety of students and staff.

It is unlikely that any course of action will please everyone, but Highfields is a strong community and we feel sure that together we will find a way to negotiate these challenging times.

We are Highfields.

A Marsh, Headteacher

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Updates for Parents/Carers Year 10 assessments As you are aware our planned Y10 exams at the end of April were postponed because of the current situation with COVID-19. In order to provide staff with an understanding of learning and progress during lockdown we have scheduled a Y10 assessment week starting on 15 June (third week back after half term).

Key information regarding Y10 assessment week:       



The assessments set will be 'low stakes' - designed to give students the opportunity to have a go at an exam paper rather than to cause any stress They will encourage revision and recap year 10 work already covered They will give teachers an idea of what students understand and where the gaps are The assessments will be set as a paper via Show My Homework (SMHW) as per the weekly timetable work in usual slots in week commencing 15 June instead of ordinary lessons (no other work will be set this week to allow students to focus solely on these assessments) Each assessment will be a maximum of a 90 minute paper Instructions and guidance will be provided on SMHW with each paper set We would encourage students to sit each assessment under exam conditions for the time indicated by the teacher who has set the paper - this will give students the closest experience of sitting a GCSE paper. However, we obviously can't supervise these conditions so if they wish to use their books and notes this is fine. As stated above the most important thing is that students have an experience of completing an exam paper.

Students may be set revision activities between now and then by their teachers and whilst students can also do some revision at half term if they wish to, please also encourage them to have a break and do other things during the holiday too.

This information has also been shared with year 10 students. Please discuss this with your son/daughter to ensure they are clear on the expectations. Your support during the assessment week in encouraging the students to stick to the timetable and to do their best would be greatly appreciated.

Please do not hesitate to contact Miss Hughes (Head of Y10) if you have any queries or concerns.

Thank you for your support.

Year 12 Exams Thank you to parents/carers who are supporting Y12 students to replicate as close to exam conditions as possible from home during this first week of virtual exams. The process has started well and the second week of the exams will take place after the May holiday, ending on Friday 5 June.

We are setting these exams to ensure we keep up momentum and motivation in learning; to help be prepared as best we can for next year; and also because completing the exams in year 12 is often the trigger for moving on in learning to the next parts of the A Level specifications – which we don’t want to delay.

Remember, if students have any problems or technical hiccups during this process, please email the subject teacher so they are aware.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Reminder: Financial help from the ‘We Are Highfields Fund’ 2020 We wanted to remind parents/carers of the We Are Highfields fund that has been set up to support Highfields families affected by the Covid-19 outbreak to get food and connectivity. Please pass these details on to anyone who may need help but does not access school emails or the newsletter.

Application forms for the We Are Highfields Fund can be requested from the finance office either by email (finance@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk); can be completed over the phone where you will be asked few simple questions to check eligibility (01629 832325); through your child’s year manager or the school website: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/WeAreHighfieldsApplication.docx.

This is a hardship grant and is considered on a case by case basis. This grant scheme will be paid out until funds are exhausted. To be eligible you must be a parent/carer of a students at Highfields School and have savings of less than £1,000 per person or £2,000 for a family or couple (including rolling bank balance).

Food for Friends Partnership

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter More top tips on how to support your child with dyslexia and other SEND conditions …

My Disability is my Superpower!

Last week we looked at the work of Margaret Malpas MBE who identified 10 factors for success in life.

1. Determination: Essential – the number 1 trait for ANYONE to be successful, whether they are dyslexic or not 2. Self-esteem: You don’t need a huge amount of this, but you do need some 3. Passion: having a passion about a hobby, a skill, a sport…

4. Niche: Finding a niche, particularly with employment 5. Atypical problem solving: this is often considered a strength of dyslexics 6. Creativity 7. Empathy 8. Verbal influencing 9. Having good coping strategies 10. Having support from others: this is critically important. For example, it can be a parent/carer, a teacher or a mentor at work.

The spotlight today is focusing on some role models that are considered by society as ‘successful in life’ and turned their disability into their superpower!

How many famous faces do you recognise?

Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 Driver

“Dyslexia doesn’t mean you’re not special; it doesn’t mean you can’t do great things; it just means your mind works slightly differently.”

Orlando Bloom, Award Winning Actor

Orlando was diagnosed at aged 7 with dyslexia. His mum gave him the support and guidance that he needed through challenging times.

“Dyslexia is like the challenge of climbing a mountain – but that can make you a winner in life.”

Jennifer Aniston – Award winning actor Whoopi Goldberg – Award winning actor, talk show host and

political commentator

Kiera Knightley – Diagnosed with dyslexia at age six.

Successful award winning actor

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Enterprises

“My teachers thought I was just lazy because back then; people didn’t understand as much about dyslexia as they do today. On one of my last days at school, the headmaster told me that I would either end up in prison or become a millionaire.”

Will Smith, Award Winning Actor

“The keys to life are running and reading. When you’re running, there’s a little person that talks to you and says, “Oh I’m tired. My lung’s about to pop. I’m so hurt.

There’s no way I can possibly continue.” You want to quit. If you learn how to defeat that person when you’re running. You will know how not to quit when things get hard in your life.”

Jeff Kinney, Children’s Author and Cartoonist

Diagnosed with ADHD, as a child and young adult he was often in trouble at school and at home. When asked if he had the choice, would he like to be rid of his ADHD, he commented, “Definitely not. I wouldn’t have been able to write the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series of books. It’s part of me. It’s who I am.” He drew cartoons as a way of coping with difficult situations as a child and he says that having ADHD helps him with his creative thinking.

Stephen Spielberg, legendary film producer and director

Being diagnosed with Dyslexia at age 60 was, “like the last puzzle part in a tremendous mystery that I’ve kept to myself all these years.”

Mollie King, member of The Saturdays Girl Band and now Radio 1 DJ

Up to the age of 10 years, Mollie thought, “I don’t know why I’m so stupid. That’s how I felt.”

Now, her advice to young people is:  Don’t be scared to ask for help  Learn ways to help yourself  Recognise your differences and celebrate them  I have an almost photographic memory for navigation which I do see as a Superpower  Know your strengths  There will be so many things that you will excel in  Go for your dreams  Don’t let anything stop you!

John Lennon, member of The Beatles, songwriter, musician

“You don’t need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are!”

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Ingvar Kamprad Founder of IKEA

“Making mistakes is the privilege of the active. It is always the mediocre people who are negative, who spend their time proving that they were not wrong.”

Steve Jobs Founder of Apple

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.”

Walt Disney, founder of the Walt Disney Empire

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Tom Cruise, award winning actor who enjoys doing his own stunts

“When I was about 7 years old, I had been labelled dyslexic. I’d try to concentrate on what I was reading, then I’d get to the end of the page and have very little memory of anything I’d read. I would go blank, feel anxious, nervous, bored, frustrated. I would get angry. My legs would actually hurt when I was studying. My head ached. All through school and well into my career, I felt like I had a secret.

When I’d go to a new school, I wouldn’t want the other kids to know about my learning disability, but then I’d be sent off to remedial reading.”

Lee Byrne, International Rugby Player with 47 caps for Wales

“At school I was terrified of being asked to read aloud in class as I have real problems with reading and paying attention when reading a whole sentence.

Audio books were great for me as well as trying to read autobiographies of sportsmen and women because I was really interested in them. I was at my happiest when playing rugby. It gave me discipline with diet, training and nutrition. And I needed to remember more than 50 different plays to the game when I can’t even remember my four digit pin number! I just stuck post-it notes up all around the house and focused for just 15 minute intervals and then had a short break.”

“If I wasn’t dyslexic, I don’t think I’d be as good at rugby, as my spatial awareness is my superpower” Jamie Oliver – Chef and government adviser on school meals

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Adelle Tracey, Great British athlete - middle distance running

“I was home schooled in Jamaica as a child so when I came to Britain I knew that I would be behind everyone else. But I was REALLY behind. I was diagnosed at 8 years of age with dyslexia and at 13 / 14 years for dyscalculia (difficulties with numbers). My mum also suffers from these two conditions so she couldn’t help me.”

I had an overwhelming feeling of anxiety in the classroom. I don’t know my times tables and I still can’t tell the time with an analogue clock but my disabilities have given me my work ethic and my resilience when things go wrong. They are the key to my success.”

Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize Winner for Physics in 1921

“Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution.”

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.

Imagination encircles the world.”

In all walks of life, you will find strong, determined people with disabilities, making a difference.

What will you do?

I will leave you in the capable hands of Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean…

Mrs Finney - SEND Teaching & Learning Coordinator Specialist Teacher

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Shout Outs!

Staff have been sending in messages to let school know about the good work students are producing while they are learning from home and we wanted to share these with you.

Drama Miss Bonsall would like to say well done to year 9s for their drama work, in particular to Hannah, Tilda, Niamh, Eve and Olivia for their amazing annotation of ‘I Wish I Was Our Sammy’ from Blood

Brothers.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Mathematicians of the week Each week I ask the Maths department to identify students they have been impressed with and each week the list gets longer! One family has three siblings that attend Highfields and all three have been identified separately by their maths teachers. How impressive is that! Is it you?

The maths department would like to say a huge 'well done' and 'thank you' to the students listed below - keep up your excellent hard work, it is very much appreciated.

Year 7: Esther (7JST), George (7MWE), Sienna (7JST), Pip (7CH), Oliver (7MB), Isabella (7MB), Esme (7KSW), Megan (7IR), Oliver (7IR), Sophie (7KSW), Nia (7IR), Anya (7KSW), Millie (7CH), Jake (7MWE), Jensen (7JST), Georgina (7JST), Tilly (7CH), Martha (7MWE), Olivia (7IR) and Caleb (7JST).

Year 8: Callum (8GD), Charlotte (8CC), Jamie (8CC), Jay (8HB), Zenn (8GD), Angelica (8CC), Dylan (8GD), Patrick (8ESW), Blane (8ESW), Georgia (8BL), Shannon (8LT), Harry (8CC), Liam (8CC), Maria (8ESW), Evie (8GD), Dylan (8GD), Abigail (8HB), Callum (8HB), Harrison (8GD), Evelyn (8GD), Leah (8GD), Rhys (8HB), Kyra (8CC), Emily (8GD) and Ben (8ESW).

Year 9: Harry (9RR), Roisin (9GH), Corben (9RR), Felix (9AM), Levi (9MJB), Henry (9AM), Emily (9MJB), Connor (9PD), Lizzy (9AM), Ellie (9AM), Lydia (9MJB), Dan (9PD), Callum (9MJB), Ben (9EB), Grace (9EB), Roma (9MJB), Eleanor (9AM), Jess (9PD), Jasmine (9PD), Jamie (9EB), Georgina (9AM), Mason (9EB), Lauren (9AM), Tilda (9MJB), Sam (9AM), Reuben (9AM), Oliver (9EB), Ellie (9AM), Ruby (9RR), Lucy (9GH), Micky (9GH), Connor (9GH), Dylan (9RR), Josh (9RR), Niamh (9RR), Maisy (9RR), India (9GH), Ashton (9EB) and Sophia (9PD).

Year 10: Elliott (10RNS), Holly (10LB), Madisyn (10RNS), Megan (10SA), Maisie (10LB), Will (10LB), Ben (10RNS), Georgia (10RNS), Polly (10KF), Courtney (10WS), Esther (10RNS), Freya (10AEB), Caitlin (10WS), Ruya (10WS), Hannah (10KF), Charlotte (10RNS), Teagan (10HC), Chloe (10SA), Nicholas (10SA), Cameron (10LB), Daniel (10KF), Paige (10WS), Abigail (10LB), Louise (10AEB), Emma (10RNS), Libby (10LB), Holly (10RNS), Emily (10LB), Jess (10RNS), Amy (10SA), Maisie (10HC), Evie (10AEB), Amber (10HC), Stephen (10HC), Molly (10AEB), Holly (10RNS), Jack (10HC), Ethan (10RNS), Oliver (10KF) and Josh (10SA).

Year 12: Angel (12HK), Charlotte (12CJW), Josie (12CJW), Isaac (12HK), Toby (12CJW), Ella (12CJW), Hannah (12SAS), George (12SAS), Maddie (12CJW), Flo (12HME) and Phoebe (12HME).

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Dance Mrs Hollinrake wanted to say a massive well done to the following year 9 dance students for constantly high standards of work! - Emily, Lauren, Megan, Sophia, Jasmine, Jessica, Emma, Georgia, Lydia and Connor.

“I am massively proud of you guys and keep it up!”

A well done to the following year 8 dancers for the brilliant site specific dance videos: Harrison, Imogen, Sean, Charlie, Patrick, Louis, Daniel, Felix, Evelyn and Maya Rose.

“Outstanding pieces of work – I am very proud of you!”

Sociology Mrs Serjeant wanted to put a shout out to the following year 12 sociology students for their detailed revision work – well done Imogen, Eve, Matt and Hannah for detailed and very useable notes.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter English Mrs Grainger and Mr Garth wanted to give shout outs for the following students: Callum (9h3) did a really great storyboard for the poem 'Bayonet Charge' Niamh (9s3) wrote a really interesting piece on Ted Hughes and agriculture.

We've also had some fantastic poetry picture quizzes on all of the poems studied this half term. Some of them were very challenging! A special shout out to Jamie (9h4), Ewan (9h2), Mason (9h2), Ellie (9h2), Jasmine (9h2), Louisa (9s2) and Sam (9s2).

Business Mrs Cruise, Mr Flett and Mr Lovatt wanted to congratulate the six year 13 business students who managed to complete their courses and receive their final grades - well done! All of the hard work and cake consumption has paid off.

Geography Mrs Barker wanted to say a massive thank you to Miss Taylor who has worked some magic with Elisha in year 10 and between them they have produced some brilliant work. Well done to Izzy, Jeska (see inset), Ryan and the two George’s who have also produced some lovely work.

In anticipation of the TV enterprise (Now that's what I call bad weather or NTWICBW) we set year 7 a task to create some merchandise to accompany the show (to create a weatherthemed board game) ... we received some amazing pieces of work – see examples below from Pip (7CH) and Emily (7JST).

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Mrs Bonner would like a shout out to the following geographers for all the work they have been submitting.

Year 7: Lawrence, Noah, Nia, Joseph, Frankie, Tyler-Rose, Bill, Juliette, Poppy and Oliver for their creative weather games.

Jacob, Sergio, Thomas, Matteo, Olivia, Fleur, Layla, Riley, Lauren and Oliver for work on cloud seeding.

Plus a special mention and an R3 to Nicole who completed both pieces of work - amazing!

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Year 8: Lucy, Sam and Callum for their work on urbanisation.

Sketch of a typical slum in a developing city such as Nairobi, Kenya.

Be the best you can

Improvement plan for a slum settlement.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Year 10: Louise, Libby, Teagan, Courtney, Jack, Emily, Ali, Maisie, Elliott, Jessica, Ethan, Finley, Evie, Holly, Phoebe, Isabelle, Jessica, Peter, Oliver, Milli, Louis and James who are consistently submitting work every week, such commitment and dedication is awesome!

Well done everyone!

Well done to all Highfields students for the excellent commitment and dedication you are showing in all your subjects – keep up the good work and if you are struggling, remember you can always contact subject teachers or pastoral staff to ask for help.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Highfields Virtual Learning Studio

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Parents/carers of current year 6 students Dear Year 6 Students and Parents/Carers Welcome to Highfields School! If you are reading this, then you must already be interested in our school and what we are doing.

"School" is very strange for all of us at the moment. We understand for students in year 6 it will be particularly odd and you might be wondering how you will get on with secondary school at Highfields.

All we wanted to say here is don't worry. We have certainly not forgotten you! Over the coming weeks we will be deciding how we can best help you smoothly make the move to being a Highfields student. We will think through all those issues and concerns you might have - what is the school like, how will I find my way around, how do I buy the uniform, what will happen with the buses?

We will keep updating everyone through the newsletter, but really specific messages will come from Mrs Green. She is the 'Year Manager' for year 7 and your first point of contact. Mrs Green has already emailed some information and electronic forms to parents/carers of our year 6 students. So, if your family haven't received an email from Mrs Green, please email her with your name and primary school so she can add you to our communication list and you will receive all future updates: tgreen@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk Take care and stay well.

Mr Rodgers Associate Assistant Headteacher

Year 7 students will start their Highfields journey on Wednesday 2 September 2020

Highfields morning assemblies You may already have heard about the assemblies Mr Marsh holds virtually each morning - we are aware that word has got out within the community and beyond! However, for those of you who have not seen them, please look out for the emails we are sending with the link on each morning. We hope they will make you feel a part of Highfields School, give you the opportunity to get to know some staff and found out what Highfields is like. In particular, Mr Rodgers, Associate Assistant Headteacher, features in them on Tuesdays and Thursdays to give updates for year 6 students who we are looking forward to meeting in September.

Year 6 Transition We do not yet know how the next few weeks of school may change, but at the very least we wanted to make sure we have a basic transition plan that can proceed even if we cannot have any face-toface contact. We have put together a very basic timeline below that is subject to change and is just intended to provide you with a sense as to what might be possible over the coming weeks in an effort to begin to cover some of the key activities we would usually complete with students and families.

We will keep you informed of any changes.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Red denotes “transition” activities for students. Underlined items require a return.

Week commencing: 1 June 2020

Information: Virtual site tour sent out; bus information On-going – “friendship cards” (this helps determine form groups)

8 June 2020

“Subject” activities sent out and pastoral staff profiles

15 June 2020

Provisional – uniform information sent out (supplier dependent); pyramid

22 June 2020

Library / Accelerated reader activity; “Y7 Booklet” activity

26 June 2020

Social media / consents / GDPR forms sent out

29 June 2020

“Hand” & “All About Me” activities (information about the children)

From 1 July 2020

“Meet the tutor” – staff profiles, including key worker contact for relevant students Map quiz / anagram activity

6 July 2020

“Subject” activities

13 July 2020

Pastoral staff pre-summer messages

“worries” activity

From September, the transition programme will continue with some very focused ‘year 7’ time and activities will depend on what has been possible throughout the summer term.

We will keep in touch to make sure students have the best possible transition experience in this climate. Our priority remains that students feel part of our community and to allay as many worries as possible whilst beginning to outline our expectations. In this way, together we will be able to ensure that every student begins their Highfields journey as smoothly as possible.

Reminder: return of electronic forms for year 7 admissions in September Thank you to the parents/carers of year 6 students who have returned the recent electronic forms issued by Mrs Green. However, we still have a small number outstanding - if you have not already done so, please can you complete these forms as a matter of urgency to ensure we can put everything in place to welcome your child in September.

The following forms have been issued: Admissions forms – this is one of the most important documents for us as we need to ensure we have all the relevant contact details of each student.

Parent agreement - peanut free site – we have a student starting in September with a severe peanut allergy and strict avoidance of peanut products is the only way to prevent a life-threatening allergic reaction. We are asking your assistance in providing the student with a safe learning environment and require you to complete this form.

Home school agreement – we ask students, parents/carers and the school to work in partnership and would like you to sign to confirm your agreement to working together in the best interests of your children.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Cashless catering –please complete the consent for your child’s finger to be scanned. Please note the finger scan is only to enable your child to be recognised at the till point to purchase food and is not used for any other purpose. If students do not have consent for the scan they will need to input a six digit code to the pin machine at the till point. Please be assured there will be measures put in place when students return to school following lockdown regarding the way cashless catering will be managed.

If you are struggling to access the electronic documents, please contact Mrs Green by email (tgreen@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk).

Year 7 PowerPoints Some of our year 7 students have put together PowerPoints for students they know in primary schools moving up to Highfields in September and these are being emailed out separately. We hope year 6 students will find it useful to know there will be familiar faces of students who were previously at their primaries to help them when they join us in the new academic year.

Year 7 student magazine Our current year 7 students have been working hard and put together a magazine for year 6 students.

It has been compiled by them to give a little insight into what it is like at Highfields in advance of students starting with us in September – see link below: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/news/269.html

September 2020 – Transport to school for year 6 parents/carers The link below is to the Derbyshire County Council website that aims to answer any questions you may have on school transport in September 2020: https://derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/your-child-at-school/travel/school-transport.aspx The site provides information on the options available for travelling between school and home, including details on free bus travel, timetables and DCC plans and policies for school transport.

We look forward to meeting you and your child soon, but if you have any queries in the meantime, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Mrs Green in the first instance: tgreen@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk Year 7 team: Mr Rodgers – Associate Assistant Headteacher Mrs Hollinrake & Mrs Redhead – Joint Heads of Year 7 Mrs Green – Year Manager (Year 7)

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Updates and Reminders for Students Year 12 students Exams:

Week one of exams has gone well and we wanted to remind you of the information we sent out last week when your exams continue the first week back after half term. Subject teachers are in charge of setting your year 12 exams, so for any given subject, some of the points below might not apply. Teachers will be in touch with you if so.

Trust - We can’t get away from the fact that this process relies on you giving yourself the most realistic exam experience. Follow the instructions. Follow the timings exactly. Rely on what you know. Don’t use any sources of help. This will help you judge where you are in a subject, how the exams feel and what you are working for this time next year.

Exam Process  Issue: Unless your subject department tells you otherwise, the exam paper will be released on SMHW. There may be some cases where a teacher might use Microsoft Forms (in which case they will tell you, and hopefully you’ll have had a practice on this first).  Timings: For a morning exam the exam should start at 10am. If your subject is asking you to print off the paper, and it will take a while for you to do that (eg. because it is a booklet which is 10 pages long) then the paper will be released a bit earlier (say 9.45am to allow you fifteen minutes to print it off). For an afternoon exam: the start time will be 2.30pm. (The same applies in terms of releasing the paper a bit earlier if necessary).  Start and finish times: So for a 2 hour exam you start at 10am and finish at 12pm. If you are still printing off a booklet and start at 10.02 or 10.05, that’s fine – you finish at 12.02 or 12.05.

Just be honest with yourself. But what we are not expecting is starting at 10.30 and finishing at 12.30.  Submitting your work: Your teachers will confirm what they want. But in most cases you will upload your answers via SMHW. With hand-written answers that will mean photographing and uploading them. Time for submission: You will be expected to submit your work as soon as possible after the end of the exam. That might take you five minutes or so to do – we will be expecting that. We won’t be expecting it to take 30 minutes.

Access arrangements - If you get extra time, take extra time. Please indicate what you did during

extra time – either by writing it in purple if you are hand-writing, or showing in bold if you are typing.

If you do exams on a laptop, do them on your laptop (even if others have been asked to hand-write).

If you have been assessed and are allowed a reading pen or other arrangement, please email Mr Flett and let him know you would like one.

Preparation  Paper: Make sure you have plenty of paper to cope with all the exams.  Technical issues: If you have any issues with computers/printers etc. please let us know asap.  Charge your phone: If you are going to be taking photos of your work with your phone instead of your computer, make sure your phone is charged and ready.

So the basic principle is – be prepared and let us know of any problems in advance.

Marking, results and feedback - Subjects will mark and give results according to their own capacities. Please be aware that the circumstances of different teachers and departments varies, and so they will do their best with results, marking and feedback, but it may well take considerably longer than if things were normal.

And finally – these exams are about helping test and prepare ourselves. They are about doing your best. They are not about doing the impossible. Email us if you have any problems.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Year 11 students Chesterfield College For year 11 students thinking of studying at Chesterfield College post-16, please look at the information below.

Chesterfield College have recently launched some interactive live Instagram sessions to alleviate those worries of future students, each lunchtime live focuses on a different curriculum area with a member of the teaching team answering questions as they come through from viewers - the link is: https://www.chesterfield.ac.uk/join-us-live-at-lunchtime-to-find-out-more-about-college-life/ They are also launching a virtual open evening on 3 June 2020 - again with interaction from teaching staff, the link; https://www.chesterfield.ac.uk/news/

Year 11 Frequently Asked Questions: Sixth Form Entry Can I change my Sixth Form options?

Yes, but.. (a) during your sixth form interview it might be that we decided it would be good to do or not do a particular subject - in your best interests. So in terms of changes, just to think, check and talk to us if this was the case. (b) some classes do get full. Unfortunately there are limits beyond which make it difficult to teach, and so we may need to say no. And in fact, you probably don't want to be taught in a very large class either. (c) it is probably not advisable to change subjects just on the basis of the work being set now on SMHW. We say this at the beginning of Year 12 too. You might hear of something interesting being set in another subject, or find something you've been set a bit hard, or not what you expected. Some teachers also have more time than others in terms of what they are setting.

Broadly speaking your original decision is likely to have been your best one. (d) where you were uncertain about which subject to take, we have tried to put you into the classes you were interested in on SMHW, so you can see the type of work in each subject and this might help to make up your mind.

Do I need to do all the work in SMHW? Yes. Of course there may be some bits where a teacher has made clear that 'if you are interested you could have a look at....' - in which case that might be up to your interest. But the point of this work is to give you the best start possible, and we don't know what will happen during the rest of the year, so the work is important to do.

You only need to do work in the subjects you are going to do in Sixth Form. Not in any others. (We may have added you to a fourth or fifth subject in cases where you weren’t sure what subject you wanted to do at A Level. If you are sure you don’t want to do that subject, that’s fine – it would be helpful to let us know and we can take you off that course).

Is it too late to apply for Sixth Form?

No. Just email Mr Flett (mflett@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk) and he will be able to call you to discuss options. The criteria are set out below (and are in the online prospectus).

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Are the entry criteria for Sixth Form still the same?

Yes. The entry criteria for entry into sixth form remain the same, as they have done for previous years, which is an average of a Grade 4 across all subjects (with the additional requirements for maths, physics, chemistry and biology, as set out in the prospectus).

You will understand that, in advance of the results being officially published, we do not know who will get an average of a Grade 4 and who will not. In accordance with government regulations, teachers must not discuss grades with students.

As in previous years, we can advise whether it seems sensible to have a back up option, like a college course which might suit you. We believe that all those who wanted to, have had discussions around this, but if you do have queries, please email Mr Flett who will be able to call you.

Teachers and tutors will not be able to comment further on this.

Have I got a place in Sixth Form?

Provided you meet the entry requirements, then you get a place in sixth form. So it is not a case of ‘have an interview’ and then ‘wait to hear confirmation’. We have you down for the subjects that you are entered for in SMHW. Although remember that:  there are specific entry requirements to do maths, further maths, biology, chemistry and physics.  we may have entered you on SMHW for one or two extra subjects that you were interested in.

How do I make contact for options, changes, discussions Please feel free to email Mr Flett if you want to discuss changes to options for sixth form (and avoid overloading Mr Redhead’s inbox).

Advice from Colleges The colleges are still providing advice and accepting applications. For example at Chesterfield: “The student services team are managing the advice@chesterfield.ac.uk email so this would be the first point of contact. They are currently extremely busy so there may be a delay on the reply.”

Qualifications and Exams: Years 11 and 13 students We will keep families updated on any further Ofqual information published.

Exam results dates at present will take place as originally scheduled: Year 13 - 13 August 2020 Year 11 - 20 August 2020 Ofqual video – qualifications process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXuDOrtJY1Q&feature=youtu.be Ofqual letter for students about grading and qualifications this summer: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ 878854/Letter_to_students_-_Summer_2020_grading.pdf

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Reminders for all students School to home communication Students should be regularly checking their school email account as well as Show My Homework daily (Monday to Friday during the school term) for the latest updates and work to do at home.

Communication with teachers Please can all students/parents wanting support or advice on any pieces of homework set at this time use the messaging/comments option in SMHW. Teachers are aware that many of you will have questions for certain tasks and so are regularly checking SMHW for notifications. If you are unsure how to do this, please take a look at the web link below: https://help.teamsatchel.com/en/articles/2911863-leaving-comments-for-your-teachers Please only use teacher emails as a last resort, and certainly not until you have tried a message on SMHW to your teacher. Remember you must use your school email accounts to contact staff.

Usernames and passwords for school email accounts are the same as student log-ins to school computers. Staff are unable to respond to emails from students’ personal accounts.

Show My Homework online homework submission guidance Students should be submitting work through the SMHW platform. The link below is from SMHW and explains how to do this or you can follow the steps below: https://help.teamsatchel.com/en/articles/2912000-submitting-my-work-online

Shout Outs If anyone wants a 'shout out' for somebody who is doing something excellent please let us know by email wearehighfields@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk and we will try to feature in future assemblies.

Free Microsoft Office for Students Students at Highfields School can download Microsoft Office for free on up to 5 devices, for the duration of their time as a student at the school. Microsoft Office can be installed on compatible desktop computers, tablets, and mobile phones. http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/office.html

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Sports Update Sports Leaders UK: Learner of the Year 2020 Nominations have opened for the Sports Leaders Learner of the Year award 2020 and Mrs Allen has put forward her nominations for learners from Highfields School, along with providing a short explanation of why they have been selected. Shortlisting takes place in June and successful nominees will be required to complete a learning journey video to submit to the Learner of the Year Decision Panel, with winners announced in July.

The aim of the Learner of the Year Awards is to celebrate and champion the achievements and progress made by learners during their time completing a Sports Leaders course. In July 2019, regional winners were awarded in addition to a national winner and this is again the ambition in 2020.

In order to be in the running to win one of this year’s awards, nominated learners will have to reflect on what their development means to them as an individual and within their community, as well as recognising the steps they have made to use the skills they have developed to affect their school and/or personal life in a positive way.

Fingers crossed, watch this space!

Sports programmes for all students Thank you to all students who have started the ‘I Can, I Am’ resilience programme booklets. Remember, the two new programmes below are open to all Highfields students, not just students already completing Sports Leadership courses. 

‘I Can, I Am’ Resilience programme Full details are available below: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/introduction-to-i-can-i-am-resilienceprogramme.pdf



Personal Skills programme Full details are available below: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/PSPInfoSheet.pdf

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Sports activity challenges: Weeks 1-4 The Rural Derbyshire School Sport Partnership have been working with Active Derbyshire on virtual challenges. As well as being great fun to complete, there are prizes to be won for individuals and schools who participate.

Competition entries should be sent directly to Active Derbyshire (not to school or Rural Derbyshire School Sports Partnership).

Specific sports challenges will commence again in the next newsletter but if you would like to look at previous challenges during half term, follow the links below: Week 4 – Orienteering http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/DerbyshireSchoolGamesOrienteering.pdf Week 3 – Netball http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/DerbyshireSchoolGamesNetball.pdf Week 2 – Football http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/DerbyshireSchoolGamesFootball.pdf Week 1 – Golf http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/DerbyshireSchoolGames.pdf The resource has simple descriptions and images of all the challenges, a brief history of the sport, some research tasks as well as literacy and numeracy; along with links to Governing Body of sport websites for additional information. There are 10 challenges to complete and a new challenge will be issued weekly focusing on a different sport.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter ‘Chance to Shine’ cricket activities - Week 9 Brilliant Bowler II This week's session will revisit the 'Brilliant Bowler' theme and further develop children's bowling skills.

At home activity - this session will encourage children to develop accuracy and know where to pitch the ball.

Check out the explanation guides here for: Individual activity: https://mcusercontent.com/0630d492721078ed856384dee/images/7669ea70-525e-44f4-b7fa002faeab6e53.png?utm_source=Portal+Teachers&utm_campaign=b75f7cad67EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_24_03_37_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b4486fc5f7b75f7cad67-123749005 Parent/carer and chid activity: https://mcusercontent.com/0630d492721078ed856384dee/images/8aa62cc0-a5a0-402e-855386c277a18ed1.png?utm_source=Portal+Teachers&utm_campaign=b75f7cad67EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_24_03_37_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b4486fc5f7b75f7cad67-123749005 Parents/carers can sign up to the FREE Chance to Shine Portal for more activities to do at home with children – see the following link: https://teachers.chancetoshine.org/s/login/SelfRegister?startURL=%2Fs%2F You can also catch up on all the sessions so far on a single page on the ‘Chance to Shine’ website: https://www.chancetoshine.org/staying-active-during-the-covid-19outbreak?utm_source=Portal+Teachers&utm_campaign=b75f7cad67EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_24_03_37_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b4486fc5f7b75f7cad67-123749005

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter YST National School Sport Week at Home How do you fancy challenging friends, family or neighbours to some fun, virtual sporting activities this summer?

At national children’s charity, the Youth Sport Trust, we are determined to ensure that young people stay active and connected through this difficult time. We’ve been helping families do this with our daily #StayHomeStayActive activities since March and now we’re challenging the public to go one step further by joining us in our first ever National School Sport Week at Home, supercharged by Sky Sports.

Taking place from 20-26 June 2020, the week will give families, communities, schools and sports clubs the opportunity to take part in a series of virtual sporting challenges which help young people capture the enjoyment, competition and camaraderie they may be missing out on and the Youth Sport Trust is delighted that Sky Sports will be helping to supercharge the campaign.

How do I find out more?

To register go to the Youth Sport Trust website www.youthsporttrust.org/nssw and click on the link for parents. You will be asked a couple of questions as you register about who you might challenge and how many people you would like to get involved.

After signing up YST will provide you with free and easy-to-use resources to help plan your week of National School Sport Week at Home Activity, set challenges for your families, friends and neighbours, and shout about it online.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the growing number of people who will be running, jumping and throwing their way to glory from 20-26 June.

Three Yard Star Drill This drill that emphasises quickness, short area speed, and change of direction! To get the complete drill instructions click the link below: https://esoccerdrills.com/explosive/?utm_source=emailpromo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=soccer-promo-052020

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Boccia England: Rainbow Cup virtual competition Boccia England have launched a Rainbow Cup virtual competition (see below): http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/BocciaRainbowcup.pdf The competition is open for anyone to take part and if you have not got boccia equipment you can use any items you have for example, socks as boccia balls or other kind of ball you may have, toilet rolls or towels at targets, plastic box lids or chopping boards as a ramp. If you come up with a new ball, target or ramp, Boccia England will be happy to receive your idea.

If anyone has taken part in this competition, please can you let Mrs Allen know.

The Boccia Rainbow Cup – week 2 Week 2 of #TheBocciaRainbowCup is well underway – click the link below for details and videos of this week’s challenge along with the link to submit your scores. https://www.bocciaengland.org.uk/the-rainbow-cup Week 2: Rainbow targets Week 1: Skittles with a difference It is open to anyone not just boccia players and students so please feel free to share it with friends and family. No previous boccia experience required and if you’ve not got boccia balls, don’t worry, you can use any household items to have a go at these challenges.

Please spread the word, share your success using the hashtags below and encourage anyone you know to join in the fun! #TheBocciaRainbowCup #BocciaAtHome #StayInWorkOut

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Youth Sport Trust – physical activities Enlarge the following if you want to take part in some physical activities over the May half term.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter School Games Active Championships The School Games Active Championships is a national activity campaign to help young people across the UK to #StayInWorkOut using the video-based platform powered by TopYa!. New challenges will be available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to engage with.

Primary and secondary-aged children can join the School Games Active Championships at any time with free active challenges being set via videos within a designated School Games version of the TopYa! Active app. All they need to do is download the app, register as a player and type in the Invite Code 23880.

Children practise the challenges, then submit their best video using a mobile device to receive personal coaching feedback from the TopYa! team of experienced virtual coaches. Points are earned for each video submitted, leading to climbing leaderboards and winning prizes!

The TopYa! Active app is committed to online safety and meets rigorous COPPA and GDPR safeguarding standards. No one can communicate within the app. All children can do to communicate with one another is give each other a virtual ‘high-five’, which functions like a social media ‘like’.

Video content is suitable for young people of all ages and abilities, with regular submissions from National Governing Bodies of Sport.

To get involved see link below: https://www.yourschoolgames.com/coronavirus-support/school-games-active-championships/

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Duke of Edinburgh’s Award #DofEWithADifference We recognise that this is a worrying time and you may be concerned about how the coronavirus outbreak will affect students participating in their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. In order to help you achieve your award there is a lot of information listed below that is updated regularly and includes activity suggestions, expeditions etc: https://www.dofe.org/dofewithadifference.

Temporary programme changes To ensure that you will be able to continue with your award the following changes are in place  Participants can now volunteer for family members, for example by mentoring or coaching younger siblings.  Participants can now change section activities more than once.  Time spent on previous activities will still count towards completion.  Staff members may be able to act as Volunteering, Physical and Skills section Assessors, if required.  When expeditions are able to resume, Silver and Gold Expedition Assessors will temporarily be allowed to be known to the expedition group.

To protect the value and integrity of DofE Awards, other requirements will remain the same. However, we are continuing to look for ways we can be flexible to support you, so if you have ideas that are outside of the box let me know. Any further updates or temporary changes introduced will be included in the newsletter, but in the meantime if you need any help please contact Mrs Wildgoose.

Hot off the press Volunteering: 

The world feels a little uncertain at the moment, but remember we’re all in this together and can support each other in new ways. If you’re continuing the Volunteering section for your DofE, or just want to help your community, look at these tips. www.dofe.org/thelatest/volunteer-remotely Leonard Cheshire have produced a 12 week guide for young people wishing to complete their volunteering from home. Activities include marketing, fundraising, and campaigning to make the world a fairer place for disabled people. https://www.leonardcheshire.org/get-involved/volunteer-us/social-action.



‘Kissing it better’ is a healthcare charity and training provider, working to end the isolation of old age by bringing generations together - see www.Kissingitbetter.co.uk

Remember you can volunteer at home.

Physical: 

Are you struggling with your DofE physical section? There is a fantastic selection of fitness ideas which can be done at home on the NHS Fitness studio website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhsfitness-studio/#DofEwithadifference

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter 

Fitness trainer Joe Wicks @thebodycoach runs a daily workout 9.00-9.30am Monday Friday. Doing a minimum of two of these a week would work for your DofE: https://www.youtube.com/user/thebodycoach1/featured (this has been part of the PE lockdown sessions, they are great!



If you fancy adding some extra at home exercise to your daily routine, Youth Sport Trust are doing daily exercises. Doing these for at least an hour per week can count towards your DofE physical section. www.youthsporttrust.org/pe-home-learning

Skill: 

British Sign Language are currently offering students the chance to sign up for an online sign language course for only £3.00. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn sign language from home for at least 3 months. #DofEwithadifference british-sign.co.uk



Daily exercise is important for your physical and mental well-being. Have you seen inspirational scenes when out? Why not try photography with sharp shots photo and create a portfolio for your skill section? (https://twitter.com/sharpshotsphoto). For more info visit - https://bit.ly/2VbI89f #DofEwithadifference



U:bee is a non-profit organisation, helping young people be the best they can be. @UBeeOnline1 is a DofE Approved Activity provider that offers inspirational, affordable, fun online skills and hobbies courses from just £29. Visit – www.ubee.org.uk



If you're looking for a new DofE skill and not a big fan of baking sweet treats, why not try cookery instead? Perhaps you could try Vegetarian or Vegan recipes and create a cook book as you go? https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/

 Why not try a new hobby for your DofE skill section, why not try gardening? You can purchase

seeds from as little as £1 on Amazon. Research online how to care for them and enjoy the fruits of your labour. http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/

Expedition - Getting ahead: 

Even though you can’t take part in your expedition at the moment, why not check out these online activities for young navigators from ELOutdoorEd (https://twitter.com/ELOutdoorEd) https://www.edubuzz.org/eloes/2020/03/25/online-activities-for-young-navigators/ A great way to learn #expedition skills. #DofEWithADifference.



Don’t forget if you go onto your EDOFE you can plan your expedition either as a group or individually, planning alone is possible but getting in touch with your team mates makes it more fun and you can share the work and ideas. o

Bronze - your expedition will start at Chatsworth house SK260702 camping at Barn farm SK 242622 and finishing at Bonsall fountain 279579.

o

Silver – your expedition will start at Charlesworth School SK006928 to Thornsett Westfield House Farm SK013869 to Edale (NOT Field End campsite) finishing at Bamford railway station SK206824 and qualifying Hebden Hey Scout Centre to Skipton - the choice of campsite is yours for both nights. Remember you have to have 7 hours of planned activity but this does not mean 7hrs of walking, your aim/purpose is important and it can reduce your walking time so think carefully about what you might do.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter o

Gold – your expedition will start at Charlesworth Thornsett Edale (see above). Qualifying expedition Yorkshire Dales Starting Ribbleshead Railway Station 762791, your route is dependent on your aim, but remember 8 hrs of planned activity per day (this does not need to be 8hrs walking)



Knowing how, where and when to obtain weather forecasts can be important when training for future expeditions. Learn how to look for signs which will indicate changes in the weather as part of your expedition training at home. https://bit.ly/34QQGpa



Although expeditions are currently on hold, you can still take part in some expedition training from home. Why not learn how to use a trangia stove safely and have a go at cooking a meal on one at home. #DofEWithaDifference www.mountain-water.co.uk/dofe-expedition-training-thetrangia-stove

Stay safe and get in touch if there is anything that you need please contact Mrs Wildgoose.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Alternative activities to try during time at home Code breaking – Week 7 Miss Wallhead Hope you have all had a good week and are looking forward to some time off.

At the time of writing this I have only had two correct solutions for last weeks’ code/puzzle. These are from Rhianna, who is famed for setting her maths problems in assembly, and Lizzy, the Data and Exams manager.

I am hoping that with a bit more time some people may be able to crack the puzzle from last week so I have included it again.

As we have a week off, I have also included another puzzle but this is much more difficult ‌

Puzzle One (from last week) All numbers in the first column have been increased by the same percentage to give the results shown in the second column. For example, if 20 had been increased by 10% it would now be 22.

This would then be changed into letters.

But the result numbers are disguised - their digits are replaced by letters.

A given letter stands for the same numeral every time it appears in that column. For example, whatever the C stands for, it stands for that number every time the C appears.

Puzzle 2 Can you work out the percentage change, even with the result digits in code?

The maths department will be very impressed if you manage to crack either of the puzzles. Please message/email your solutions to Miss Wallhead so that we can get you mentioned in assembly.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Film Studies Mr Warrington Please see the link below to help you with some film choices over the bank holiday weekend: The Watchers – Issue 10 http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/TheWatchersIssue10.pdf Previous issues 1-9 are also available on our website.

Speakers for Schools virtual talks Speakers for Schools are presenting weekly VTalks. Their schedule is updated weekly and talks will be targeted to different age groups (see speakers below for May). To access the talks click the link: https://www.speakersforschools.org/inspiration/vtalks/upcoming-vtalks/ No logins are required and all attendees can stream the talks without downloading Microsoft Teams.

Links should be opened in a browser that is not Internet Explorer. Students can view by clicking WATCH TALK LIVE HERE and then clicking ‘Watch on web instead’ and sign in anonymously. The speakers will appear at the set times e.g. 10am and 2pm.

DATE

SPEAKER

Mon 25 May

Bank Holiday – no speaker

Tues 26 May 10am

Baroness Mary Goudie, Life Peer & Campaigner

Wed 27 May 10am

Dr Wanda Wyporska Executive Director, The Equality Trust

Fri 29 May 10am

Nick Boyle, CEO of Lightsource BP

INFO Baroness Mary Goudie will be joining us to talk about her career and passion for tackling social injustices. Mary is happy to answer questions from students and looks forward to an interesting discussion!

Dr Wyporska will tell students her experience of being a young carer and how she got started in her career journey. Wanda will also discuss the topic of inequality in the UK. Nick is the CEO of Lightsource BP, an innovative solar company, and will be joining us to discuss his own career and motivations, and provide insights into low carbon businesses and technologies.

HOW TO JOIN THE VTALKS  Join 10 minutes before the VTALK to be ready  You can join without needing an account – https://vimeo.com/418436143  For full speaker descriptions visit https://www.speakersforschools.org/inspiration/vtalks/upcoming-vtalks/ VTALK LIBRARY & MORE  Watch pre-recorded VTalks from our library https://www.speakersforschools.org/inspiration/vtalks/vtalks-video-library/

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

UK-German Photography Competition: ‘Welcome to my World’ UK-German Connection are calling on all young people from across the UK and Germany to take them on a virtual tour of our country!

Travel may be off limits right now, but the exploration of another country and culture doesn’t have to be! UK-German Connection are inviting you to get creative and give other young people a glimpse into your world! 

Simply send a photo under the title “Welcome to my world” – this could be:  The view from your window  Something you’ve seen during your daily walk/exercise  A photo of your town/city  A project you’ve been working on during lockdown



For privacy reasons, please do not send photos that show people’s faces. Instead, you could send photos that show the backs of people’s heads (or that don’t include people at all!)

See below for further information about how to submit a photo entry to the competition: “Welcome to my world”. https://ukgermanconnection.org/yp/get-involved/competition-welcome-to-my-world/ Please note: By entering this competition, you grant UK-German Connection non-exclusive permission to use your photo for activities in all media, including social media, online and print, without any remuneration being due.

BBC Young Composer 2020 competition The BBC Young Composer 2020 competition is open to students aged 12-18 of all technical abilities, backgrounds, and musical influences. The deadline for this year's competition is 5pm, Monday 20 July. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/young-composer-launch The 30 Second Composition Challenge has also been launched challenging composers aged 1218 to get creative at home and create a 30-second piece for a single instrument or voice. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/TByVm765XjYpg6b8y5MCzM/bbc-young-composer-30second-composition-challenge]

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter T-20 Challenge 2020

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Keeping Highfields reading: how to access free books It’s really important that students keep up with reading whilst school is closed. The recommended reading time is at least 20 minutes every day. We recognise that at the current time it may be difficult to find books to read. Books are still readily available to buy online from Amazon, Waterstones and other bookshops, but there are also a growing number of sources of free books. The situation is changing every day, with publishers starting to offer access to more and more books, so this advice will be regularly updated. At the current time, the best sources of free reading material are:

Kindle Unlimited If you are an Amazon Prime member you can sign up for two free months of KindleUnlimited. You will need to download the Kindle app on any device and then you’ll have unlimited access to books, magazines and audiobooks on the Kindle store. After the free trial period there’s a charge of £7.99 per month, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. Visit https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindledbs/hz/subscribe/ku?shoppingPortalEnabled=true for more information.

If you don’t want to sign up to KindleUnlimited you can still download some very inexpensive – or even free - titles from the Amazon Kindle store. Have a browse through the “Children’s” and “Teen & Young Adult” sections. There are some good offers. For instance, the first and second titles in the very popular “Cogheart” series are completely free at the moment. Free titles seem to be added daily, so it’s worth having a regular check of the website.

Audible Amazon Audible has made all its audiobooks available free of charge if you start a 30-day free trial subscription with them. Visit http://www.audible.co.uk

Derbyshire Libraries You can read thousands of e-books for free through Derbyshire Libraries. Even if you haven’t yet joined the library, you can join online and download e-books immediately.

If you are already a member go to https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/ebooks/ebooksemagazines-and-eaudiobooks.aspx and follow the instructions to start browsing through the books available.

If you aren’t yet a member of a Derbyshire library go to: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/using-your-library/joining/joining-the-library.aspx and click on “Join the Library”. Fill in all your details and you’ll be given a temporary username and password that you can use until you get a membership card. So you’ll be able to start downloading books straight away.

Happy reading!

Updates to follow as and when other sources of reading material become available.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Learning at home Thank you to all the parents/carers for all you are doing to support your child's learning at home. We really appreciate how new and different this is and how much you are juggling.

Student timetables for working from home Students should expect to complete the same amount of work / study for the same number of hours as they would in a normal week. Keeping a routine similar to a school day and homework is a good idea.

All work is being set on Show My Homework. It is set on a weekly timetable for each year group as shown below.

Years 7-10 school timetable Year 7: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

English, Geography and Art Maths, History and DT English, PRS and Music Maths, Drama and Computing Science, Dance and Language

Year 9: Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Year 8: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Maths, History and DT English, Geography and Art Maths, Drama and Computing Science, Dance and Language English, PRS and Music

Year 10 English, PRS and Music (and Dance option) Maths, Drama, Computing and second language Chemistry, Biology and language

Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Thursday

Maths, History and DT

Thursday

Friday

English, Geography, Art and Physics

Friday

Option A (Friday period 1), English and Biology Option B (Wednesday period 4) and Maths Option C (Monday period 5), Physics and PRS Option D (Tuesday period 4) and English Maths and Chemistry

Y10 option subjects – students’ work will be set as per their school timetabled option block periods as defined above.

Year 11 work to help you into year 12 Mr Flett has issued several ideas to get students started on work that will make a difference to performance at A Level. Many of these are curiosity based tasks, but all year 11 parents/carers and students should now be in receipt about year 11 into 12 bridging work for sixth form set through Show My Homework to help support transition to A Levels.

Year 12 school timetable Work is set by teachers and departments using Show My Homework.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Year 12 additional information Online Courses If you want to be occasionally looking at other things, then here are a selection of short online courses you can do through the University of York. They are engaging ways of looking at subjects you are interested in now, or things you might want to study at university. It is great to put on your CV/personal statement that you have done one of them. They have always been designed as online courses, so are perfect to do from home. Some of them will even help with your A Level studies (of course you can do these courses after the year 12 exams if you are too busy now) – see link – York University: https://www.york.ac.uk/study/moocs/?utm_source=University%20of%20York&utm_medium=email &utm_campaign=11474649_April20%20Excellence%20Hub%20News%20Bulletin&dm_i=1BEN,6TX W9,RZCL6,RDHSM,1

Unifrog, Open Days, looking ahead Unifrog (our Higher Education and Apprenticeships platform) is still available and has increased its distance learning resources. Students can log into it, in the normal way, as they would at school.

In recent conversations with students, we were discussing university visits. As you'll imagine, the virtual tours are being beefed up. I took a virtual tour of Nottingham Trent University. It is a really strong university, and we always try to go there for the Open Day (along with a trip to Birmingham, Leeds or Manchester). On the virtual tour I checked out some of the departments I normally like going to, and also a tour of the accommodation, facilities and city. It was a good experience and quite quickly gave me the feel that I normally get when we go there. The link for it is below, although obviously you can go out and do the same with many different universities just now. https://virtualtour.ntu.ac.uk/ Please get in touch through the school email system if you need to speak with any member of the sixth form team rather than responding to the InTouch generic emailing system as this platform is not manned daily and it will take us longer to respond to you.

Y11 and Y13 – Suggestions for making best use of time The cancellation of summer exams has obviously had a huge impact on all our Y11 and 13 students.

All that extra time which was being spent on final exam preparation can be put to really good use. It is vital that you keep your brains active, and no learning is ever wasted. Lots of people have already shared some great ideas (see link to school website below): http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/StudentPDFs/Y11andY13learningsuggestions.pdf Keep your brain moving. Make the most of your time. Learn something new.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Parents/carers can help Please help us by: 

Making sure your child has access to their school email account from home. Ideally this will be on a home (or borrowed) desktop, laptop or tablet although we recognise that some students don’t have access to these and may only able to access email on their (or your) phone.



Making sure your child has somewhere quiet to work. In the event of an extended school closure we would ask that parents/carers try to ensure that conditions at home are conductive to allow 67 hours good quality work each day.

Guidance on work expectations and how to manage it 1. As you know work should be set for Y7-10 on the basis of a weekly timetable, with 3-4 subjects being covered on each day.

2. Work should be completed on the day that it is set. We have realised that by setting longer deadlines it can be hard for students to know what to do when, work can actually build up and become unmanageable. We want every student to be as clear as possible about the work they need to do each day and to be able to complete it neatly in one day. They should then be able to switch off knowing they’ve done a good day’s work. We are not setting homework now; it is included within the work set in each slot. Some subjects may be setting more extended project style work. Teachers have been asked to make sure work towards these is broken down into chunks and not set over a number of weeks, which can make it look like it is on-going in Show My Homework.

3. Students should be working each school day, but not working excessive hours. They should not be working much more than they would normally. Students in Y7-9 should be expecting to spend around 4.5 hours each day working, students in Y10 around 5 hours. In many cases this will mean about 90 minutes per subject on each day in Y7-9 and about 100 minutes for Y10.

Some subjects only have 1 lesson a week, for example PRS and Music. They will set work for up to 45 minutes.

4. Estimating exactly how much work different students are likely to do in the time set is really hard – everyone is different, and works at a different pace and with different approaches. While we can adapt to this easily in a school situation it is harder to do remotely.

Please keep this in mind and get in touch if you are finding that there is regularly too much work to manage.

5. Teaching staff will be mindful of all of the above when setting their work. We think that in some cases we may have over-estimated the amount of work that can be completed within certain time frames and are asking staff to think carefully about this. We are aware that it can take time to work through instructions, to access resources and to save work for example, and that family members who are trying to help may be very busy too. We also know that spending hours at a computer is not easy for many students, and not good for them either. They need to have breaks, ideally get some fresh air and exercise and to talk to others.

6. Everyone is starting to find routines that work for them. For many this will be to try to follow the hours of a normal school day, starting with assembly at 9.00am and completing school work over a number of hours until around 3.30pm. Then switching off. This may not be ideal for all, or always be manageable but it is likely to provide a good model. Working late into the evening is not generally a good idea.

Once again we are so grateful to you for your support, understanding and flexibility. You are helping us to be the best ‘virtual Highfields’ we can be; we are learning every step of the way and can do a great job if we continuing working together.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Resources for Highfields students learning from home Show My Homework: Access to work set is through Show My Homework www.showmyhomework.co.uk/ (also accessible via the school website). Students can log on to Show My Homework using their school username and password. Please ensure your children check Show My Homework regularly as staff will be updating their subject areas.

School Website / VLE: Resources are available on the school website: www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk Students can access ‘all users’ from home from the Highfields School website:  Go to Highfields School homepage  Click on ‘portals’  Click on ‘student portal’  Enter school IT username (not email address) and password  Find ‘all users Starkholmes’ or ‘all users Lumsdale’ on the right hand side  Select the appropriate department/folder required.

If students have forgotten their password please email reset@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk specifying your user name and form to request a new password.

‘Always be doing’ Tasks: All students have been given ‘always be doing’ tasks to work through during any time spent at home.

Copies of the information can be downloaded from our website as follows for each key stage: Years 7-9 (key stage 3): http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/StudentPDFs/KS3ABD.pdf Year 10 (key stage 4): http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/ExamPDFs/KS4ABD.pdf

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Careers, College & Apprenticeship News Careers Information Resources Careers information, apprenticeship vacancies and higher education information can be found on the webpage under Students-Work Experience and Careers. http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/careers.html

Careers inspiration and advice from BBC Bitesize Explore BBC Bitesize’s brand new collection of free, online careers resources offering a wealth of inspiration and advice for students.

This new resources offer a rich collection of case studies across a wide range of sectors, linking curriculum subjects and the world of work: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/careers

Online careers programme for 11-18 year olds START is an online careers programme designed to connect 11-18 year olds with their future career potential.

The programme is broken down into sections on ‘world of work’ with a job search according to subject, skill or interest; ‘what to study’ about pathways and qualifications; ‘where to learn’ which views all colleges, universities, sixth forms, training providers and UTC; and ‘employability’ which has sections on work experience, work preparation including CV writing, covering letters and interview preparation.

There is also the facility for students to upload their personal statement and CV, so they can start to build their own careers profile.

Students can access the programme at home via the website (startprofile.com) with the student code they have been issued with – contact Mrs Turner for further details.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Free Speakers for Schools Virtual Work Experience Programme for students Speakers for Schools is working with almost 150 employers to offer amazing insight days and work experience across the UK. These include Disney, Cisco, Santander, the Bank of England, the NHS, Marie Curie.

Speakers for Schools recognised that more could to be done to provide mind-opening opportunities to young people in communities which struggle to access many of the UK’s leading employers, and so Speakers for Schools committed to delivering a Virtual Work Experience programme (see link below), which would allow young people (aged 14-19) from across the UK to undertake structured, interactive work experience placements with prestigious employers remotely (at school or home).

VWEX - https://www.speakersforschools.org/experience-2/vwex/ School and students will be contacted as Virtual Work Experience placements become available. If students would like to access VWEX opportunities please sign up below: https://www.s4snextgen.org/Sign-Up

Chesterfield College For Y11 students looking at applying to Chesterfield College post-16 please follow the link to their live Instagram sessions: https://www.chesterfield.ac.uk/join-us-live-at-lunchtime-to-find-out-moreabout-college-life/ Remember their virtual open evening is on 3 June 2020 - again with interaction from teaching staff, the link; https://www.chesterfield.ac.uk/news/

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Parents/carers – support and advice Help & Support information We are constantly updating the school website with the latest information and activities, including our ‘Help & Support’ page: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/support.html

Free School Meals National Voucher Scheme and Universal Credit Children eligible for free school meals can benefit from a national voucher scheme allowing them to continue to access meals whilst they stay at home. Families of eligible free school meals students have been contacted by school to receive a weekly shopping voucher worth £15 to spend at supermarkets while schools are closed due to coronavirus.

The vouchers are sent as an e-code which can be redeemed as an e-voucher. The e-voucher can be downloaded to a smartphone or printed to use and can be spent on food at a range of shops including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Waitrose and M&S. The Department for Education is working to get more shops to join the scheme as soon as possible.

If you have not received an email from school and are a family who is eligible for free school meals please contact the Finance department (finance@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk).

If you have received an email but not yet responded, please do so as soon as possible so the vouchers can be sent out to you.

If you are a family who have had to apply for Universal Credit for the first time to help you out during these difficult times, please remember to apply for Free School Meals and let us know if you are successful by forwarding your confirmation email to us so we can change your status and add you to the voucher/hamper schemes school is operating.

If you feel you may be eligible for Free School Meals you can contact the Free School Meals team in any of the following ways:   

Email: checking@derbyshire.gov.uk Telephone: 01629 536400 / 01629 535743 Families can also apply directly online at: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/your-child-at-school/meals/school-meals/freeschool-meals.aspx

‘We Are Highfields Fund’ 2020 Application forms for the We Are Highfields Fund can be requested from the finance office (finance@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk) or by phone (01629 832325), your child’s year manager or website http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/WeAreHighfieldsApplication.docx.

This is a hardship grant and is considered on a case by case basis. This grant scheme will be paid out until funds are exhausted. To be eligible you must be a parent/carer of a students at Highfields School and have savings of less than £1,000 per person or £2,000 for a family or couple (including rolling bank balance).

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Highfields Emergency Childcare If you require emergency childcare as a last resort for keyworkers, please contact Mrs Leverton

by Friday each week with specific details regarding the days and times of the following week that emergency childcare is required (lleverton@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk).

A full list of keyworkers can be accessed on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educationalprovision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision If your child is mature and capable of staying home alone, please consider this to reduce the spread of infection. High quality learning can take place remotely and we are offering basic supervision only in school. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson reminded families that they “should only send your child to school if you have to, because your work is critical to our Covid-19 response. If you are able to keep your child at home, you should.”

Derbyshire County Council Advice on COVID-19 for Parents/Carers We appreciate some parents/carers and children may be worried about themselves, members of their family, or their friends becoming ill. There’s lots of advice about how to talk to your child about Coronavirus.

Below is a list of helpful resources: 

National Autistic Society – guidance and helpline for parents, young people and staff https://www.autism.org.uk/services/nas-schools/vanguard/news/2020/march/coronavirus(covid-19)-advice.aspx



Mencap - Easy Read guide to coronavirus https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/health/coronavirus



Place2Be – Have a useful guide for helping parents answer questions from their children and to support family wellbeing https://www.place2be.org.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/2020/march/coronavirus-informationfor-children/



Young Minds - Talking to your child about coronavirus and 10 tips from their Parents Helpline to support family wellbeing https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/talking-to-your-child-about-coronavirus/



Carers UK - Guidance for carers https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/health/looking-after-your-health/coronavirus-covid-19



Covibook is an interactive resource designed to support and reassure children aged 7 and under, designed to help children explain and draw the emotions that they might be experiencing during the pandemic https://www.mindheart.co/descargables



Amaze - information pack for parents/carers https://amazesussex.org.uk/faqs-about-the-coronavirus-for-parent-carers-of-children-with-sendbrighton-hove/

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Public Health England Public Health England have produced an easy read version of their advice on the coronavirus for places of education. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england You can download a copy from Easy Read Online. https://www.easy-read-online.co.uk/media/53192/advice-on-the-coronavirus-v1.pdf

COVID-19 ChesterďŹ eld Support Network http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/COVID19_Support_v3.pdf

NSPCC Coronavirus link The link below is from the NSPCC with some helpful advice on speaking to young people about the Coronavirus. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/childrens-mental-health/depression-anxiety-mentalhealth/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Talking%20to%20a%20child%20worried% 20about%20coronavirus%20%28COVID-19%29&utm_campaign=CASPAR-2019-03-30

CAMHS resource The CAMHS website contains resources and links to support young people and families with their mental health and emotional wellbeing. Website: https://www.camhs-resources.co.uk/

Domestic abuse Boots are offering a safe space for domestic abuse victims.

Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52495434

Online Safety During the school closures our children will be spending more time online and we are aware that not all parents/carers may be as engaged as they usually are as they try to balance work deadlines with childcare. Screen time is inevitably going to win at some point for most families and it is more important than before that we remind parents/carers of the key role in helping to keep children safe.

The YouTube clip below is to remind parents/carers of the importance of engaging with their child/s online lives during this time. Additional clips will be released and cover issues such as parental controls (and how to set them), which apps have seen a surge in popularity since the pandemic and age specific information aimed at 0-5's, 6 - 11's and over 11's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhLWwQ4Ay5s Traci Good, Director of E Safety Training Ltd Safeguarding, Derbyshire County Council

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Online Prescription Delivery Pharmacy2U deliver prescriptions to homes for any families unable to get out to the local chemists. https://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/

Food supplies Jigsaw Jigsaw food bank have crisis food parcels daily, as well as a 12 weekly delivery on Thursdays. Weekly food parcels will be delivered to families who are referred by a professional.

Food bank

There is a food bank based at 23 Firs Parade, Matlock that is very well stocked. If you need this assistance or know anyone that does and might not be aware of it, please pass this on.

John Palin https://johnpalinlocal.co.uk/ John Palin Wholesale is a large independent supplier and distributor of fresh fruit, vegetables, salad, bakery and dairy items.

Online Safety Advice from SV2 SV2 is a charity in Derbyshire that provides support services to victims of sexual violence. They are also offering help and advice about online safety covering online grooming, social media privacy and what to do if you become a victim of online harm.

See SV2 website: www.sv2.org.uk

10 top tips from the Highfields Cluster Family Support Team Highfields family support team wanted to provide some helpful tips to help families during this current lockdown. Information is available on the school website through the link below: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/HelpfulTipsForParentsAndCarersDuringLock down.pdf

Helping children and young people to manage anxiety If a child is displaying signs of anxiety how can you support them?

A practical guide to supporting pupils and students during periods of disruption from the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families: https://www.annafreud.org/media/11465/helping-cyp-manage-anxiety-apr2020-v3.pdf

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Useful contact numbers Benefit enquires Citizens Advice Line (CAB)—0300 456 8390

Food bank Jigsaw Food Bank—01629 584783

Mental health Derwent Rural Counselling—0800 047 6861 Talking Mental Health—0300 123 0542 Trent PTS (Mental Health Support)—01332 265659 Papyrus UK Helpline (Suicide) - 0800 068 41 41 First Steps (Eating Disorders)—01332 367571 Young Carers—01773 833833

Domestic abuse National Domestic Abuse Helpline—0808 2000 247 Crossroads Derbyshire (Domestic Abuse)—01457 856675 The Elm Foundation (Domestic Abuse)—01246 540464

Other Police—101/999 Non-Emergency Health Advice—111

School Nurse Service Health Visitor and School Nurse SPA Hub – telephone: 01246 515100 Website: www.derbyshireschoolnurses.org.uk General Covid-19 info and community health services info website: www.dchs.nhs.uk

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Local support available for parents/carers

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Helplines, Apps and Websites if you need help now

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Staying Safe Online

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Share with Care

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter App Safety

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter

GOV.UK Department for Education: Handwashing advice The most important thing individuals can do to protect themselves is to wash their hands more often, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water. Public Health England recommends that in addition to handwashing before eating, and after coughing and sneezing, everyone should also wash hands after using toilets and travelling on public transport.

The latest guidance and video on hand washing can be found here:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

Department for Education coronavirus helpline The Department for Education coronavirus helpline is available to answer questions about COVID-19 relating to education and children’s social care. Staff, parents/carers and young people can contact this helpline as follows: Phone: 0800 046 8687 Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday), 10am to 4pm (Saturday to Sunday) Please note, the helpline is experiencing high volumes of calls.

Where to find the latest information Updates on COVID-19: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Derbyshire County Council latest advice and guidance: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/coronavirus

Public Health England for the East Midlands: PHE East Midlands response centre Tel: 0344 225 4524 followed by Option 0 to get through to East Midlands Health Protection Team, then press option 1, then ask for the Coronavirus Response Centre.

Open from 8am to 8pm.

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Highfields School Contact details Communication with school Lower school site (Starkholmes) - to contact year managers for years 7 or 8 please email as follows: Mrs Green -Year Manager (year 7) tgreen@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Mrs Weightman-Edge - Year Manager (year 8) Hweightman-edge@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Upper school site (Lumsdale) - to contact year managers for years 9-13 please email as follows: Miss Esposito - Year Manager (year 9) aesposito@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Mr Tidmarsh - Year Manager (year 11) dtidmarsh@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Mr Allsobrook -Year Manager (year 10) callsobrook@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Sixth form mflett@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk ecruise@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Website:

www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

General email:

info@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Admissions:

admissions@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Chair of Governors:

chair@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

SENCO:

mhodkin@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Newsletter feedback:

newsletter@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Careers information:

careers@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Your contact details

Please ensure you notify us of any changes of address, telephone and email details to ensure our records are up to date in case of emergency.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Key Staff for 2019-20 Headteacher: Mr A Marsh

Deputy Headteacher: Mr P R Cole

Assistant Headteachers: Mr D O’Reilly Mrs C Rifkin Mr M Hodkin

Associate Assistant Headteachers: Mr K Rodgers - Years 7 and 8 (based at Starkholmes) Miss N Gresswell - Years 9, 10 & 11 (based at Lumsdale) Mrs C Morgan – Curriculum and timetabling

Heads of Year:

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Sixth form

Mrs A Hollinrake / Mrs L Redhead Miss L Hamrouge Mrs A Ruston Miss J Hughes Mr J Redhead Mr M Flett

Year Managers: Year Year Year Year Year

7 8 9 10 11

Mrs Green Mrs Weightman-Edge Miss Esposito Mr Allsobrook Mr Tidmarsh

If you wish to report student absences, please contact the relevant pastoral staff to your son/daughter’s year group as indicated above.

Department Contacts: Art – Mrs K Fairbank Business – Mr I Lovatt Computing – Mrs J Hadfield D&T – Miss A Morris Drama & Dance – Miss E Bonsall English – Mr R Key Film Studies – Mr C Warrington Geography – Mrs M Barker History – Mrs J Clifford Maths – Miss S Wallhead

Be the best you can

Modern Foreign Languages – Mrs M Bowen Music – Mr K Rowley PE – Mr C Shirtcliffe Psychology – Miss H Ould PRS – Mr R Platts / Mrs S Blakesley PSHE/L2L – Mrs Turner SENCO – Mr M Hodkin Science – Mrs C Morgan Sociology – Mrs A Serjeant

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Highfields School Governing Board 2019-20 Highfields School is fortunate in the kinds of people who have volunteered to become governors, each bringing a variety of skills and experience to support the school.

The composition of the governing board for 2019-20 is split as follows. Each governor serves a term of office of four years.

Name Miss Angeline Ellson Mr Paul Steeples Mr Rob Atkinson Miss Lizzy Dence Mr Dennis Holmes Mr Andrew Marsh Mr David Matthews Mr Nick Newberry Mrs Antonia O'Donoghue Miss Jodie Rogers Mr Tim Smith

Governor Type Chair of Governors Parent Vice Chair of Governors Co-opted Co-opted Staff Parent Headteacher Parent Parent Co-opted Co-opted Co-opted

Link Governor Area Leadership and strategy

Inclusion (SEND, behaviour, attendance) Finance, resources and personnel Safeguarding, H&S, well-being Standards: Curriculum (intent, implementation, impact)

We currently have co-opted and LA governor vacancies on our Governing Board (see link below) – if you are interested in becoming a governor please contact Angeline Ellson, Chair of Governors (aellson@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk) to find out further information.

Governor vacancy information: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/VacancyPDFs/GovernorRecruitment2020.pdf http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/VacancyPDFs/GovernorRecruitment.pps Full details of Highfields Governing Board can be accessed on the school website: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/governors.html

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter Governor Vacancies - Highfields School Governing Board Are you passionate about future generations?

Do you want to make a difference to young people?

Would you like to develop your own skills?

Do you have some time to give to our community?

Have you ever thought about becoming a school governor?

Highfields School is currently seeking new individuals to join our Governing Board as a co-opted or local authority member.

A co-opted governor is appointed by the Governing Board if they match the skill set required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.

Local authority governors are nominated by Derbyshire County Council and appointed by the Governing Board. The local authority can nominate any eligible person as a local authority governor.

Anyone interested in applying for the post of LA governor would be required to submit an application form for nomination by Derbyshire County Council.

To      

be a school governor you need: An interest in the performance of the school A desire to contribute to and represent the community An open and enquiring mind The ability to look at issues objectively The confidence to ask questions and join in debate A willingness to listen and make informed judgements

A Governing Board provides strategic leadership and accountability to the school. It has three main functions:  Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction  Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its students and the performance management of staff  Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

There is training and support for the role including access to external governor training.

As a governor you will be able to:  Use your own experience of education and life beyond school to inform conversations  Develop and utilise your skills in a board-level environment  Make a valuable contribution to education and your community  Support and challenge the school so that it improves for students and staff  Bring your unique experiences, perspectives and insights to decision-making in the interests of the school community The skills the Governing Board are particularly looking for are in finance, HR, health & safety, property & estate management or curriculum development.

If you are interested or would like to learn more please click this link Governor vacancies, please get in touch with Angeline Ellson (Chair of Governors) at chair@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 32: 22 May 2020

Newsletter 2019-20 academic year Term dates:  3 September 2019 - 25 October 2019  4 November 2019- 20 December 2019  6 January 2020 - 14 February 2020  24 February 2020 - 3 April 2020  20 April 2020 - 22 May 2020  1 June 2020 - 21 July 2020

Bank holidays:  25 and 26 December 2019  1 January 2020  10 April 2020 (Good Friday)  13 April 2020 (Easter Monday)  Friday 8 May 2020*  25 May 2020 (spring bank holiday)  31 August 2020 (summer bank holiday)

INSET days (no students in school):  Tuesday 3 September 2019  Friday 6 December 2019  Friday 3 July 2020  Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 July 2020

* Change to May Bank Holliday: Next year's early May bank holiday has been moved back by four days for the whole of the UK to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day. May Day was scheduled to be held on Monday 4 May but will be put back to Friday 8 May for 2020 only.

In line with government guidelines Highfields School closed from 3.30pm on Friday 20 March 2020 to all students apart from those of keyworkers requiring emergency childcare in response to the outbreak of Covid-19.

2020-21 academic year Term dates:  1 September 2020** to 23 October 2020  2 November 2020 to 17 December 2020**  4 January 2021 to 12 February 2021  22 February 2021 to 1 April 2021  19 April 2021 to 28 May 2021  7 June 2021 to 22 July 2021

INSET days (no students in school): 1 September 2020

Remaining dates to be confirmed

** From 2015 schools have been able to consider variations to term dates provided they meet the statutory requirements. With this in mind we have taken the decision to return to school one day earlier for the start of the new academic year (Tuesday 1 September 2020) and finish the autumn term one day earlier (Thursday 17 December 2020). This is to ensure a smooth start to the academic year rather than students starting back with a staggered start on Thursday or Friday.

The start of the 2020-21 academic year is as follows:  Tuesday 1 September 2020 - Staff will return to school on Tuesday that will be designated as an INSET day (no students in school).  Wednesday 2 September 2020 – students in years 7 and 9 only return to school  Thursday 3 September 2020 – all students return to school

ParentView Survey We would like to remind you that you have the opportunity to give your views of school through the Ofsted Parent View survey below. https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/ The survey is designed by Ofsted and is used by Inspectors when making decisions about which schools to inspect and when.

Be the best you can

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