Issue 12

Newsletter

6th June 2025

Our newsletter aims to keep parents and carers up to date with school news, activities and key information throughout the year.

Don’t forget to visit our website (www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk) for more news and information.

Thank you for taking the time to read our news and for your support.

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

Message from the Headteacher Very busy week and so this will be a short newsletter.

As I have previously advertised, we plan to cull this newsletter and try and put something a bit more student focused in its place. I am hoping that I will be able to feature our extraordinary staff and pupils in upcoming podcasts. With this in mind I have been building a little ‘set’ where we can record footage.

I was advised that the set will be hugely important as it will send strong messages about me and about our school. My first idea was, therefore, to fill the bookshelves in my office with books to form a backdrop which suggests that I can read. I asked our brilliant librarian to help me with this and she rose to the task brilliantly. It turns out that she has no further need for ‘A Latin Dictionary’ in the main library and so this is the centrepiece of my bookcase. It has the dual function of looking nice and, at the same time, suggesting that I am an academic who regularly needs to translate things from or to Latin.

This is one of my favourite times of year because the strains of the school musical start wafting through to my office from the hall below. This year we are staging Everybody’s Talking About Jamie which is not only a brilliant show but has also given drama teachers an opportunity to explore themes such as identity with our students. On Wednesday we had the scaffolders in who created the structure on which the set will sit. We are using an online ticketing system for the first time this year and this has already saved significant amounts of paper, ink and staff time.

Tickets for the final night have already sold out, I believe, but plenty of other performances still have space in them. I think it is going to be a big one.

Huge congratulations to any family who has managed to marshal their child through the examination period. We are almost there now and soon the revision can stop and they can have a rest until their next educational or career hurdle comes along. Your support with these children has been invaluable. Have a wonderful weekend.

Nos sumus Highfields.

A Marsh, Headteacher Highfields School

Reminders for the week ahead

Monday 9th June

Week B

Y11 GCSE Exams (All Week) Y13 A Level Exams (All Week) Y12 Mock Exams (All Week) Y7 End of Year Exams (All Week)

Tuesday 10th June Wednesday 11th June Thursday 12th June Friday 13th June

Y11 Leavers Assembly

Tickets Selling Fast!!

Key dates & Calendar 2024-25 Academic Year

INSET days (no students in school)

Term 3: 6 January 2025 – 14 February 2025 (Holiday 17 February – 21 February) Term 4: 24 February 2025 to 4 April 2025 (Holiday 7 April – 21 April) Term 5: 22 April 2025 to 23 May 2025 (Holiday 26 May – 30 May) Term 6: 2 June 2025 to 24 July 2025

Monday 30th June 2025

2024-25 provisional school events (TBC - further details will be issued prior to each event) Y11 Prom Thursday 19th June School Musical Wednesday 9th July – 12th July Berlin Trip Monday 21st July Work Experience Year 10 Work Experience

Monday 30th June – 4th July

Year 12 Work Experience

Monday 16th June- 20th June

Exam sessions External Exam Season Commences GCSE Exams

A Level Exams 2025 exam results days:

5th May 2025

5th May – 27th June 2025 12th May – 27th June 2025

A Level exam results: 14 August 2025 TBC

GCSE exam results: 21 August 2025 TBC

Year 9 Parents Evening Year 11 Parents Evening Year 12 Parents Evening Year 10 Parents Evening Year 7 Parents Evening Year 8 Parents Evening

Tuesday 14th January Tuesday 28th January Tuesday 11th February Tuesday 4th March Tuesday 18th March Tuesday 1st April

2025-26 Academic Year

INSET days (no students in school)

Monday 8th September 2025 Year 7, 9 and 12 will start/return to school

Thursday 4th September 2025 Friday 5th September 2025 Friday 24th October 2025 Monday 1st December 2025 Friday 26th June 2026

Parents Evening

Tuesday 9th September School Opens for all year groups