Message from the headteacher

 Y7 and Y8 Science Competition .......................................................................................... 47  Joined Up Careers Derbyshire competition to celebrate our health and social care heroes through creative art ....................................................................................................................... 48 Keeping Highfields reading: how to access free books .................................................... 49 Updates and Reminders for Students ............................................................................. 50  Year 11 Frequently Asked Questions: Sixth Form Entry ........................................................ 50  Qualifications and Exams: Years 11 and 13 students ........................................................... 51  School to home communication .......................................................................................... 52  Communication with teachers ............................................................................................. 52  Show My Homework online homework submission guidance ................................................. 52  Shout Outs ....................................................................................................................... 52  Free Microsoft Office for Students ....................................................................................... 52 Learning at home ......................................................................................................... 53  Years 7-10 school timetable ............................................................................................... 53  Year 11 work to help you into year 12................................................................................. 53  Year 12 school timetable .................................................................................................... 54  Y11 and Y13 – Suggestions for making best use of time ....................................................... 54  Higher Education information ............................................................................................. 55  Parents/carers can help ..................................................................................................... 57  Resources for Highfields students learning from home .......................................................... 58  Study Boost Loughborough University ................................................................................. 59 Parents/carers – support and advice .............................................................................. 60  Help & Support information ................................................................................................ 60  Free School Meals National Voucher Scheme and Universal Credit ......................................... 60  ‘We Are Highfields Fund’ 2020 ............................................................................................ 60  Highfields Emergency Childcare .......................................................................................... 61  Derbyshire County Council Advice on COVID-19 for Parents/Carers ....................................... 62  Online Prescription Delivery ................................................................................................ 63  SV2: Supporting victims of Sexual Violence Web Chat on line Forum - July ............................. 64  Food supplies .................................................................................................................... 64  10 top tips from the Highfields Cluster Family Support Team ................................................ 65  Helping children and young people to manage anxiety ......................................................... 65 Useful contact numbers ................................................................................................ 66 Local support available for parents/carers ...................................................................... 67 Highfields School Contact details ................................................................................... 78 Key Staff for 2019-20 ................................................................................................... 79 Highfields School Governing Board 2019-20 ................................................................... 80 Highfields Uniform - September 2020 ............................................................................ 81 2019-20 / 2020-21 academic year ................................................................................. 82

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

As you may know, during this crisis we have been providing regular informal updates through email and assemblies and reserving this page for formal updates.

Changes for September

We are making every effort to communicate with you about September. Currently we are awaiting guidance from the Department for Education on how logistics may look. As soon as we have absorbed this guidance we will advise on how it may affect children and families.

Governors and the senior team are very keen that Covid-19 will not disrupt our improvement plans any more than is absolutely unavoidable. This is because we care very much about our students and their education. We will, therefore, be moving forward with many of the plans that we spent some time forming before this crisis took hold and will communicate any changes to policy in full.

Family feedback would suggest that our community is stronger than ever before and so we feel cautiously optimistic that you will assume positive intent and support our policies because you appreciate that they have been carefully and thoughtfully planned.

We are never complacent but feedback like that below is very encouraging for staff and governors:

“Firstly just want to say thank you to you & your staff for all the assemblies that you have done & continue to do. They’re great and start the day off on a good footing. On a private note thank you to ALL [child]’s teaching staff for their help and support during this time, the quick responses he gets on SMHW is fantastic, you have a great team of teachers & it is much appreciated. I don’t like to pin point staff out as they’ve all been amazing to [child] throughout this but I’ve just got to say the way [teacher] & [teacher] set their school work out, the support, encouragement, personal touches on SMHW is exceptional and I didn’t want this to go unnoticed or unrecognised. Also the Zoom lesson for PE was a great idea, great for interaction. I do think Zoom lessons are the way forward if the situation permits. Anyway a big thank you to you all & it is much appreciated by [family members]. As you say ‘we are Highfields!’ Kind regards, [Parent]”

Social distancing

Please check with your child that they understand their responsibility to avoid large crowds. Events where very significant groups of local young people gathered recently in Chatsworth are being investigated by police. Very often someone at these events videos them…

Wider reopening of school

Over the last week our continued phased reopening for Y10 and 12 students has been very successful. If you signed up for this and your child is involved you will have received guidance which should be read and observed. Given the controlled circumstances, any child who arrives on site whose attendance has not been agreed will be sent home immediately.

Currently, students are on site at our discretion. In the unlikely event that student behaviour threatens student or staff morale/wellbeing they will be warned and then sent home. Safety and wellbeing, naturally, underpin our approach.

CPD Day Friday 3 July 2020

Continued professional development days are a professional entitlement of staff and this day has been scheduled as a training day since this time last year. As it happens this year, it is more important than ever that we take a day to plan our further response to and recovery from this crisis. Teachers will be providing open ended activities for students on Friday 3 July (as requested by families), but will not be allowed to respond to student emails, mark work or offer feedback as I need them to spend the day focusing on and being involved in planning or training activities. Governors this Thursday will be briefed on the draft improvement plan for 2020-21 which leaders have subtitled our ‘bounce back Big 3’. When it is completed it will be shared with families.

Assemblies

Please continue to send shout outs regarding children’s achievements, runs, music, cooking, pets to wearehighfields@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

We are Highfields.

A Marsh Headteacher