Issue 13

Newsletter 3May2024

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

If you have any feedback on or suggestions for the newsletter, please send your comments via email to newsletter@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk

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: HighfieldsSchoolisnotresponsibleforthequalityofproductsororganisationspublicisedthrougharticlesor advertisementsintheschoolnewsletter.

Message from the Headteacher

How many ingredients in a custard doughnut? See below for answer. ‘Transforming Highfields one toilet at a time.’ I often think that should be my motto as a headteacher. Recently, Operations Manager Glen Nicholls and I continued our recent flush of success by taking on the ground floor toilets at Starkholmes. These were finished earlier this week and are private, safe spaces for students to have a moment’s peace while they answer nature’s call.

If you are thinking to yourself ‘money can’t be that tight if they renovating toilets’ I’d like to offer a couple reminders about school funding. Firstly, the ‘devolved funding’ used to do these toilets can ONLY be spent on building projects. We chose to spend these limited funds on toilets because they are a health and safety priority (the toilets these were replacing fell well short of expected standards). Secondly, the reason we can spend a little money to renovate is because EMET fund our bigger and more ambitious projects (security, electrical engineering, new heating systems etc). Our real funding pressures, and those of other schools currently, are in our revenue budget (staff wages, energy costs etc). It is here that we are seeing huge rises in costs being met with much smaller rises in funding from government.

These funding issues were a hot topic of conversation when friend of the school Sarah Dines MP was in last Friday. The primary reason for her visit was in response to my call for support around traffic management after two of our students were run over earlier in the year on Chesterfield Road. After, she stayed for a cup of tea and I outlined the unprecented financial challenges which face us. As usual Sarah was eager to listen and I asked her to seek out our Secretary of State when next in the House and to talk to her about Highfields School. Sarah’s case manager invited me down to Westminster so maybe I shall take some Highfielders and go and see if we can sort the problem.

The answer is that there are 55 ingredients in one mass produced custard doughnut. This was discovered in my PSE lesson this week as we researched how ultra-processed food appears to be leading to a rise in some nasty diseases in people under 50. As coincidence would have it, one of the videos we looked at featured a doctor who is the cousin of one of the students in this class! And before you write in, I continue to work hard with DCC to ensure that students who buy their food in school can make healthy choice! Honestly. I’m working on it.

Anyway…we are (trying to eat healthily) Highfields…have a good weekend.

A Marsh, Headteacher

Summer 2024 GCSE/A Level Timetables

Timetables for the summer external exams starting in May are now available on the school website on the Exams page. Final versions of the timetables, with afternoon start times added, will be published nearer to the start of the exams, and paper copies will be issued to students at this time. Please note when planning holidays after the end of exams for Year 11 and Year 13 students, that they must be available to sit exams up to and including the exam boards' contingency date of Wednesday 26 June.

GCSE timetable: https://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Student-GCSETimetable-Summer-2024-v.1.pdf

A Level timetable: https://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/A-LevelStudent-Timetable-Summer-2024-v.1.pdf

Year 12/13 Vocational timetable: https://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2024/01/Student-Vocational-Timetable-Summer-2024-v.1.xlsx.pdf

Did you know you can hire out our school facilities?

 3G Pitch

 Hardstanding Courts

 Large Sports Hall

 Small Sports Hall

Pleasevisitwww.schoolhire.co.ukformore information,toviewavailabilityandtobook.

Sports Leaders

Combat sport Wrestling

A huge well done to two students in Year 8 who competed at the Arc in their first wrestling competition. Well done Immy and Issy. They wrestle for Wirksworth and Middleton club. Both girls started going after they received tuition from wrestling coach Trevor Hoskins who coaches in curriculum time in the Autumn term. Well done to any student who takes part in sport in the community clubs.

Thursday 2nd May

NATIONAL SCHOOL SPORTS WEEK IS FAST APPROACHING!!

Wednesday 1st May

Year 12 level 3 Sports Leaders completed their final practical assessment by leading activities for St Joseph’s Primary school. There were 57 pupils in Year 1-4 that came to take part. The leaders did a good job and the staff from St Josephs reported how mature and understanding the leaders were.

John Selby Sly from the British Golf foundation was in school to train our Sports leaders to become a Golf Activator. The leaders learnt how to lead a series of Golf activities for Primary pupils which they will then share with them on the Primary Golf day 2024. This takes place on Thursday 16th May.

Friday 3rd May

Play Your Way to Wimbledon Tennis tournament took place today. The news report for this will be in next week’s newsletter.

Key dates & Calendar

2023-24academic year

Term5:15April2024to24May2024 (Holiday27May–31May)

Term6: 3June2024to23July2024

INSETdays(nostudentsin school)

Friday5July2024

2023-24provisionalschoolevents (TBC - further details will be issued prior to each event) EssentialEnergyDanceShow Friday26-28April2024

Y8HPVVaccination

Tuesday30April2024

EarlyMayBankHolidaySchoolClosed Monday6May2024

SportsLeadersAwardsEvening

Tuesday14May20245.45pm-8pm HigherEducationEvening Thursday13June2024

Y11Prom Friday21June2024

IcelandTripmeeting

Monday24June5.30-6.30pm Y13Prom Thursday27June2024

GeologyFieldworkPembrokeshire

Monday1July Y10WorkExperienceWeek

Monday1–Friday5July2025

SchoolMusical

Wednesday10-Saturday13July2024 Exam

Term1:4September2024to24October2024 (Holiday28October–1November)

Term2:4November2024to20December2024 (Holiday23December–3January2024)

Term3:6January2025–14February2025 (Holiday17February–21February)

Term4:24February2025to4April2025 (Holiday7April–21April)

Term5:22April2025to23May2025 (Holiday26May–30May)

Term6:2June2025to24July2025

Wednesday4th September2024 Thursday5th September2024 Friday25th October2024

Monday2nd December2024

Monday30th June2025