Message from the headteacher

Highfields School Newsletter Message from the headteacher

Everybody has been very gloomy about the weather this week but I think it’s kind of cosy to huddle up in front of…oh, who am I kidding? It’s miserable: especially because everyone is desperate to avoid putting their heating on. On the plus side the darkness also brings out some excellent ghouls such as this one seen at the Halloween film night on Monday. We have a project going this year (codename ‘Operation Life Skills’) which encourages staff and students to take part in activities outside of lessons. From a staff point this requires extra work over and above their teaching load and I am so very grateful for this commitment. In this case it was Miss Hughes and Mrs Green who gave up their Monday evening to sit with a bunch of hideous creatures. I, meanwhile, chaired the meeting upstairs for the senior team (who are also pretty hideous by the end of a long and busy Monday). In another of our projects (codename ‘Operation Nurture’) we are aiming to increase the number of sixth formers working with younger students. This photo features basketball training at lower site on Monday where two sixth formers led Y7 and 8 students towards their hoop dreams (I’m not entirely sure what that means). We want students at lower site to remember that they are part of a normal large secondary school and the appearance of older students seems to do that.

I got into loads of lessons this week. My favourite is probably the French lesson in which the teacher very skilfully demonstrated positive framing which requires teachers to highlight positive behaviours far more frequently than negatives. In this case it upped standards of the rest of the class when the teacher highlighted a student getting through a challenge in record time. Staff experienced a loss this week when Neil Wilson, our colleague who left the school in 2021, died after suffering from cancer. His loss is felt very keenly because he has a young family and because he was much more than a colleague to many of us: he was a very close friend. We will, of course, ensure that Highfields is represented at any funeral or memorial events and we send our very deepest condolences to Lucy and the children. Neil was amongst the staff portraits I painted during lockdown and, although it’s not a perfect likeness, I think it captures something of his warmth and humour.

Швидка подяка українській родині, яка допомогла нам у майбутніх заходах до дня пам’яті. ми дуже вдячні. Have a wonderful weekend.

A Marsh Headteacher