Highfields Newsletter Issue 26

Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Highfields School Newsletter Newsletter

2019-20

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Our newsletter aims to keep parents and carers up to date with key information during this time.

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 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter

Contents: Message from the headteacher ....................................................................4 Parents/Carers & Students ...........................................................................6 

Qualifications update 27 March 2020: .................................................................... 6

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Update for students in Y11 and 13 and their families .............................................. 6

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Highfields Emergency Childcare............................................................................. 7

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Free School Meals ................................................................................................ 7

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Free School Meal Scam Email ................................................................................ 7

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‘We Are Highfields Fund’ 2020............................................................................... 8

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ParentPay Refunds ............................................................................................... 8

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Student Reminders ............................................................................................... 8

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Free Microsoft Office for Students ......................................................................... 8

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Morning assemblies .............................................................................................. 9

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Sports Leaders UK Update .................................................................................... 9

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September 2020 – Transport to school for year 6 parents/carers............................. 9

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Top Tips of how to support your child with dyslexia and other SEN conditions… ..... 10

Shout Outs!............................................................................................... 12 Learning at home ...................................................................................... 15 

Resources for Highfields students learning from home .......................................... 17

Alternative activities to try during time at home........................................... 18 

History: Diary of the Coronavirus outbreak ......................................................... 18

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Code breaking – Week One................................................................................. 18

Keeping Highfields Reading: How to access free books ................................ 20 Y11 and Y13 – Suggestions for making best use of time .............................. 21 Year 11 work to help you into Year 12 Volume 1 ......................................... 22 School news .............................................................................................. 28 

MiSAC Competition ............................................................................................. 28

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Geography fieldwork postponed .......................................................................... 28

Parents/carers – support and advice ........................................................... 30 

Derbyshire County Council Advice on COVID-19 for Parents/Carers ....................... 30

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter 

Derbyshire County Council’s Community Response Unit Launched ......................... 30

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Online Safety ..................................................................................................... 31

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Online Prescription Delivery ................................................................................ 31

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Food supplies ..................................................................................................... 31

Useful contact numbers ............................................................................. 32 

Benefit enquires ................................................................................................. 32

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Food bank ......................................................................................................... 32

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Mental health ..................................................................................................... 32

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Domestic abuse.................................................................................................. 32

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Other ................................................................................................................ 32

Local support available for parents/carers ................................................... 33 Careers, College & Apprenticeship News ..................................................... 44 

Resources .......................................................................................................... 44

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Careers inspiration and advice from BBC Bitesize.................................................. 44

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Online careers programme for 11-18 year olds ..................................................... 44

Highfields School Contact details ................................................................ 45 Key Staff for 2019-20 ................................................................................ 46 Highfields School Governing Board 2019-20 ................................................ 47

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 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Message from the headteacher Most of you will be staying at home currently and may have nothing better to do than read this bit in the newsletter. I have, therefore, made it a little longer to keep you busy for a few more minutes. I hope that the quality has not dropped too far below its usual standard…

Before I forget: Happy birthday on Saturday to Helen C (Y13), Charlie KS (Y8), Kaiel (Y13) and on Sunday to James B (Y9), Matthew B (Y9), Madeleine (Y8) and Will W (Y9)! Have as lovely a birthday as you can in these unusual circumstances.

Last Sunday night, like many educators, I was feeling completely thrown by the speed of last week’s events. Our priorities had changed and within a few short days and we were expected to provide an online curriculum and emergency childcare provision. As you may know, I rate Highfields staff very highly and they rose to this challenge with amazing speed. Although we had (and still have) improvements to make, by late Sunday evening we had provided some good content online and developed plans to look after vulnerable students and the children of keyworkers in school.

As Monday morning approached I felt a rising sense of anxiety that our wonderful students were spread far and wide across southern Derbyshire and we were in danger of losing touch with them and their families. Someone suggested we do an online assembly and so, aware that the person doing so might attract a degree of online abuse, I volunteered to do it myself. I set up a YouTube account and got up at 5.30am to try and say something that might convince students that we were a school still in session and that learning was still the order of the day.

I realised fully that that the videos might do me or the school reputational damage (and still may!) given that material posted online immediately leaves the control of the originator. I sat nervously and waited for a wave of trolling to happen, never having tried this kind of self-sharing before. But when I checked my wearehighfields email inbox (see insert) I was completely dumbfounded to find 257 emails waiting for me. The emails, far from being negative, were an outpouring of warmth and appreciation for Highfields staff, for other families, for each other, for learning itself!

I’m not entirely sure how long the novelty of this arrangement will inspire such positive feedback but nothing will take away the feeling of community that I have felt this week. Ironically it took a school closure to open up the lines of communication between individual members of our Highfields ‘family’.

So, apart from a couple of days spent in school looking after a select group of children as part of our Highfields emergency childcare team, my desk has become my school. I don’t know how long people will be interested in the YouTube assemblies. I would presume that interest will wane so I am trying hard to convince others to get involved.

Meanwhile, Highfields staff have similarly been setting up their home offices and coming to terms with a new way of working. Many of us are learning lessons the hard way. On Monday I nearly took a video call from Mr Cole in my dressing gown (why he was in my dressing gown remains a mystery).

By midweek, staff had figured out software platforms such as Zoom and before too long I was being invited to drop in on a drama lesson run by Miss Bonsall and Miss Hendry. It was fabulous. She had done a number of sessions already and so she was quite confident, toggling between PowerPoints, herself and students.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Online schooling presents a number of challenges for school leaders. Perhaps the most important of these are concerns for children who cannot get online in the first place. We have diverted school funds to try and offer support in this area. Additionally to this, we have set up the ‘We Are Highfields’ fund which has just passed the £1,000 mark after two days. Almost unbelievably a number of parents hinted that they made more than one contribution as they wanted to donate more than the £50 maximum allowed in one go. Clearly, large amounts are not expected: £1 is better than £0. I am hoping that, like mine, some of your families may have had events cancelled which will have freed up a few pounds to commit to this fund. Our aim is to ensure that children in families hit by this crisis have a) food and b) an online connection to their school community.

So…week 1 in this weird alternative reality is over. The next challenge is for parents, carers and staff to promote another good week of learning before we break for the Easter ‘holiday’ (who knows what that will look like).

I don’t know how to thank members of this community. There has been so much collective positivity: it has been an utter pleasure to be part of the Highfields family. Special thanks go to those parents/carers whose work for the NHS was so warmly applauded in my area of Chesterfield last night.

Next week begins again with assembly first thing Monday: I hope to see you bright and early.

Until then have a good weekend and get some relaxation if you possibly can (see image for relaxation ideas).

A Marsh Headteacher

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Parents/Carers & Students Qualifications update 27 March 2020: Update for students in Y11 and 13 and their families Mr Cole, Deputy Headteacher On Monday we gave an update on how qualifications will be awarded in light of the cancellation of exams, with a link to the full information from the Department of Education. Here is a quick reminder of the main points, followed by a further update put out by the exams regulator Ofqual on 26 March.

Summary of what the Government announced about qualifications on Friday 20 March 2020:  

   

Ofqual, and the exam boards are developing a process that will provide a ‘calculated grade’ to each student which reflects their performance as fairly as possible, and which can be consistently applied for all students.

Exam boards will be asking teachers to submit their judgement about the grade that they believe each student would have received if exams had gone ahead. Teachers will be asked to take into account a range of evidence and data including performance on mock exams and non-exam assessment.

Exam boards will then combine this information with other relevant data, including prior attainment, and use this information to produce a calculated grade for each student, which will be a best assessment of the work they have put in.

The aim is to provide these ‘calculated grades’ to students before the end of July.

Students will be able to appeal their grades if they don’t believe the right process has been followed.

There will also be an option to sit exams early in the next academic year for any students who wish to – and students can also choose to sit exams next summer.

On Thursday 26 March Ofqual gave the following update: We are rapidly working up plans to implement the arrangements the Secretary of State for Education has set out for exams this summer and, with exam boards and teaching bodies, are making considerable progress.

We expect to publish detailed information about the process and timetable which will apply this summer next week. We will outline by Easter the process we will follow to make sure grades are fair across schools and colleges, as well as our proposals for appeals. We will also say more as soon as possible about the arrangements for additional exams in the new academic year.

We want to reassure students waiting for news that we are doing everything we can to make sure they are not disadvantaged by these unprecedented circumstances.

We will continue to keep you updated with information as we receive it. We understand there is a lot of uncertainty about this situation and are very grateful for everybody heeding our request that school staff should not be contacted about grades.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Highfields Emergency Childcare Thank you to all our families who have shown tremendous resilience and understanding throughout this time.

The small number of students who were in school this week were being well cared for and completing their remote learning package which is accessible to all students at home. We are hugely grateful to the staff who have volunteered to supervise them (senior leaders will always be amongst the volunteers).

Government advice is changing rapidly and the latest advice from Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is as follows: “You should only send your child to school on Monday 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.”

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.

If you require emergency childcare as a last resort, please contact lleverton@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk by Friday each week with specific details regarding the days and times of the following week that emergency childcare is required.

Free School Meals From Tuesday 24 March 2020, we are operating a collection system for Free School Meals children to collect a packed lunch. This is emergency care.

The times we will be in the following areas are: 11.30-12.00: Wheeldon Hall, Lumsdale site, Matlock 12.15-12.45: The park near Oker Avenue, Darley Dale 13.00-13.30: Hurst Farm Community Centre, Matlock Students will simply need to report to their NEAREST collection point, give their name and collect their lunch.

Students should queue up 2metres / 6 feet away from one another whilst waiting. It is imperative they then return home to adhere to the latest government guidance on social distancing. Students should under no circumstances be arriving in groups.

Free School Meal Scam Email The DfE have been informed that some parents/carers have received an email stating: ‘As schools will be closing, if you're entitled to free school meals, please send your bank details and we'll make sure you're supported’. This is a scam email, please do not respond and delete immediately.

Be the best you can

-7-

Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter ‘We Are Highfields Fund’ 2020 The ‘We Are Highfields’ fund has been set up to support Highfields families affected by the Covid-19 outbreak to get food and connectivity. Anyone wishing to donate to this fund during this crisis can do so through their ParentPay account in the same way that payments for school trips are made.

The fund is open for staff as well as parents/carers to donate and since its launch on Wednesday we have received an amazing £1,000 to date! – thank you to everyone who has so generously donated during this challenging time.

Application forms for the WE ARE HIGHFIELDS FUND can be requested from the finance office (finance@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk) or downloaded from our website – see link below: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/NewsPDFs/WeAreHighfieldsApplication.docx.

Please return completed forms to finance@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk. 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).

ParentPay Refunds We are aware that many families will have paid for trips or activities that are no longer going ahead due to the Covid-19 outbreak. We are waiting on our insurance companies (who are inundated at the moment) regarding reimbursement of overseas trips and refunds from companies where we have purchased tickets, ie theatre bookings etc. Our finance department are working through how to refund the money back to parents/carers through ParentPay. Parents/carers will be notified when money has been refunded.

Student Reminders Students should be regularly checking their school email account along with Show My Homework (SMHW) daily (Monday to Friday) for the latest updates and work to do at home.

Students must use their 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.

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

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Morning assemblies We posted the first of our morning assemblies on Monday 23 March asking parents/carers and students to view. We will try to improve them as times goes on, but we feel it is important to keep in touch with Highfields families during this time.

For help on curriculum students are asked to contact teachers and pastoral staff. 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.

Sports Leaders UK Update Following feedback from some Centres that have already been affected by COVID-19, we felt it may be beneficial to send some guidance to you to suggest some practical ways you can support your learners to achieve their Sports Leaders qualification this year. In addition SLQ/Sports Leaders will be providing a resources for learners to use if home learning is required due to closures (more information to follow).

As an Awarding Organisation, we offer all Centres the opportunity to apply Special Considerations to ensure learners can access assessment. Special Considerations include an ‘event outside of the Learner’s control which has had, or is reasonably likely to have had, a material effect on that Learner’s ability to take an assessment or demonstrate his or her level of attainment in an assessment.’ It is likely that measures to deal with the threat of COVID-19 may give rise to such an event.

September 2020 – Transport to school for year 6 parents/carers Derbyshire County Council have asked that any year 6 parents/carers with students coming to Highfields in September with questions on school transport look at the following information for the new academic year: 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.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Top Tips of how to support your child with dyslexia and other SEN conditions…

First of all – you know your child better than anyone – you mustn’t put too much pressure on yourself and worry that you might be doing something wrong. You won’t be. Enjoy your time together!

To begin with... 

Routine – establish a daily routine and create a timetable for the day. You and your child could make a visual timetable together using pictures

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Create a learning space at home

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If your child has an EHCP or a Pupil Passport then use these learning goals as your starting point

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Quality and not quantity is the key. 30 minutes of targeted, quality work is better than slogging away for 2 hours

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Remember that a little bit of reading, writing, spelling and maths every day will make a HUGE difference over time

It’s not all about reading and spelling! 

Fresh air and exercise is vital for quality learning

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Life skills – cooking, learning to use the washing machine, learning about finance (try the MoneySense website www.mymoneysense.com which has excellent targeted resources for children aged 5 to 8, 8 to 12 and 12 to 16), improve your typing skills

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Playing board games

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Art – model making, drawing, sewing, painting, collage, knitting…

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Puzzles and quizzes

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter How do I make learning fun? 

Make it multisensory – hands on, do, play, act, sing, discover, create pictures, diagrams, flow charts, mind maps, talk, discuss, share, teach a younger / older sibling, move, use sticky notes, take notes, experiment!

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Bitesize Chunks – break each task down into small, bitesize chunks and do a bit at a time

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Overlearning – revisiting each topic on a regular basis is the only way that the knowledge and understanding will transfer to your child’s long term memory

The science behind it…

Structured, multisensory, cumulative learning supports memory by activating different parts of the brain and promoting meaningful connections between concepts. It helps to develop neural pathways in the brain and it involves making clear links between the visual, auditory, kinaesthetic and tactile senses (VAKT).

Try and make sure that at least two (preferably three or four) senses should be engaged at the same time in any activity.

Let’s focus on spelling A fantastic technique to help your child remember how to spell words: Equipment: paper, pen, coloured pencils or felt tips Environment: sit next to your child at a table. This technique combines hearing, seeing and doing methods (VAKT).

Don’t miss out any steps!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

First, say the word. This is repeated by your child.

Next, write the word. Say each letter as you write it. Use the letter name, not the letter sounds.

Say the word aloud when you have finished writing it.

Now your child writes the word, saying each letter as s/he writes it.

Your child says the word aloud when s/he has finished writing it.

Next, your child takes a coloured pencil or felt tip and traces over the letters, again naming each letter as s/he writes it.

Your child says the word aloud when s/he has finished writing it.

Repeat steps 6 and 7 a few times until your child feels confident s/he can remember how to spell the word.

Take away the paper and ask your child to write the word.

It’s best to learn only 2 or 3 words per session in this way.

This spelling technique is called the Simultaneous Oral Spelling Technique (SOS) and is promoted by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA). For more helpful information go to training@bdadyslexia.org.uk Have fun!

Mrs Finney

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 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.

Mrs Weightman Edge wanted a shout out for these year 8 students who are producing lovely work:  Mya-Rose (Y8)  Jojo (Y8) Mr Webb has asked his English students to send in their work as he would ‘love to see what you are all up to’ – a shout goes out for:  Evelyn (Y8) for her detailed description of what it may be like to be stranded on a desert island  Charlotte (Y8) for her unbelievably detailed (and delicious-sounding) desert island  Madison (Y7) for her brilliantly persuasive argument on whether there's too much money in sport

Ms Davies has been sent a great piece of work from Georgina (Y7) who has clearly spent focused time making sure that everything is in proportion and in the right place for her work ‘a view from her window’.

Mrs Andrews has shared three examples of work completed in the last week from year 8 and 9 MFL students and commented that they are outstanding in the quality and demonstration of independent learning ability: India (Y9) - German grammar Olivia (Y9) - German culture (the one with the flags) Alex (Y8) - French verbs

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter ‘Mathematicians of the week’ The maths department have selected some students from each year group who they have been really impressed with this week. They have shown great independent study skills and have worked really hard! Well done, keep up the good work.

Year 7: Riley F, Kiyan H, Dylan J, Thomas W, Thomas B, Tilly S, Jake B, Tristan B, Millie D, Alfie G, Zack S, Ryan J Year 8: Hannah J, Freya R, Charlie G, Ella W, Luke C, Thomas R, Sam R, Lucy G, Leah K, Ryan W, Molly D, Louis W Year 9: Zaid A, India D, Max F, Sam W, Oliver N, Molly T, Corben T, Sophie H, Alfie C, Levi W, Emily L, Chad C Year 10: Will B, Emma W, Caitlin F, Ben F, Ryan M, Freya W, George W, Abigail Y, Lily L, Isobel G, Olivia C, Ali E, Molly R, Naomi C Mrs Bowen wanted a shout out for Sophie (Y9) who has been doing some 'culture vulture' work in French (see inset).

Ms Dowle and Mr Thoday would like to pass on a huge well done to all of the students working closely with learning support to get their work done – you are all showing brilliant determination and resilience, well done!

Miss Hughes would like to thank all chemistry students messaging her, asking for help to complete their work and sending in photos of their work for marking - well done to all and thank you (Miss Hughes said there are too many students to name).

Mrs Barker set Y10 geography students a fieldwork task about infiltration rates to do in their gardens – Daisy has produced some lovely work (see inset). This will be brilliant practice for our real (Edale) trip... whenever that happens!

Mrs Millington is really pleased to see how much hard work her geography students are doing.

Year 9's have carried out their assessment and she has already received several back, so thank you and well done to Eleanor, Jasmine, Zaid, Matilda, Sam, Georgina, Eleanor and Ellie.

Year 8 have submitted excellent reports to on the threats to Arctic environments some good examples were from Callum, Evelyn, Alex and Sam - keep up the good learning.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Lots of students in year 9 have been superstars with their geography this week. Most students in each of the classes have been busy on Show My Homework completing a quiz to consolidate their understanding on ecosystems, OS maps, rivers, coasts, weather and globalisation.

There have also been lots of students emailing assessments to their teachers and have written some great answers showing they have been revising hard, they especially impressed us with their answers on ecosystems and globalisation. It has been great to hear from them with cheery messages asking us how we are doing and wishing everyone well.

Thank you all from Mrs Cruise and the geography team.

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 email subject teachers or pastoral staff from your school email to ask for help.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 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. Staff in school are adapting to these new ways of working too. Our aim this week has been to sustain the great momentum with learning that we were feeling across the school in the weeks before the closure. We want to make sure that students have the right amount of interesting, engaging work to do. At the moment we know that some families are finding the amount of work set quite demanding and would like some guidance on how to help students manage it. As we find our way we will become better at getting the balance spot on.

A few points to guide us: 1. The 'Always be Doing' work sent home last week contains lots of work to keep everyone productive for this week, and can be used in the weeks ahead to supplement work set on Show my Homework if required. It doesn't all need to be done - certainly not this week!

2. 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.

3. From Monday 30 March all new work will be set on Show my Homework. It will be set on a weekly timetable for each year group - please see below. Students could do their work following your normal timetable but may well find it easiest to keep on top of the work as it is set, following the timetable below.

Year 7 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

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

Year 8 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

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

Year 9 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

English & PRS & Music (& Dance option) Maths & Drama & Computing & Second Language Chemistry & Biology & language Maths & History & DT English & Geography & Art & Physics

Year 10 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Option A & English & Biology Option B & Maths Option C & Physics &PRS Option D & English Maths & Chemistry

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter For Y10 option block subjects students should check their own timetable as numerous subjects are placed.

Y12 work will be set by teachers and departments using Show My Homework.

We have been thinking about how to keep our Y11 and 13 students who have had public exams cancelled active, and we have sent some ideas out to parents/carers this week along with subject specific activities; these will be great for all older students but specifically for Y11s who plan to join our sixth form in September.

Many thanks for your fabulous support. Please keep us posted on the learning that your young people are doing using the email address wearehighfields@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk Mr Cole Deputy Headteacher

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Resources for Highfields students learning from home It is vital that students continue to work if school closes. Whilst there is no substitute for being in a classroom with a teacher, we will set regular work electronically through Show My Homework or via the VLE. Parents/carers can 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.

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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.

Student learning Show My Homework: Work is being set through Show My Homework www.showmyhomework.co.uk/ (also accessible via the school website). Students can access 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 have been given to students, emailed home and 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

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Alternative activities to try during time at home History: Diary of the Coronavirus outbreak We are living in unprecedented times, at a time of real social history – history that you will tell your own children about in years to come and which future generations will learn about from textbooks based on eye witness testimony from people who lived during the times – people like YOU! This is where you come in. The history department have set key stage 3 students with a task to keep a diary about their experiences of the Coronavirus pandemic – asking them to note down their experience of daily life, thoughts and feelings about the current situation and how it is impacting upon the way they live, their family, friends and relatives.

Anyone could make a record of this time in history and if you want to do this, how you keep the diary is up to you. You might write a short entry each day, or a weekly entry or an entry when you think something important, unusual or interesting happens. The format of the diary is also up to you. You might have a small notebook, or pieces of paper assembled together or a Word document. What you write is also up to you. It could be facts, opinions or the views of other people, either from your direct experience or something that you have seen on TV or the thoughts and feelings of people you are in touch with on social networking or blogging sites. However, we would ask you to write sensibly and not to swear, use hate language or echo any sort of discriminatory, prejudicial or racial view of any kind. That would be unacceptable and wrong. The diary of Anne Frank (if you are familiar with it) is a good example of the way a diary should be recorded.

The pandemic is serious and we do not make light of it, but as young historians this is a genuine opportunity to take careful note of the world around us and to record what we see, feel, hear and experience as a form of living testimony (memory) – eye witnesses to history if you like. You will be producing primary source material in the writing of your diaries.

When students return to school, the history department will collect up diaries and read them with the idea that a booklet will be created from the range of observations students have recorded.

We look forward to looking at what you have created.

Mrs Clifford and the history department.

Code breaking – Week One The maths department decided that you might appreciate learning about a different part of maths, that we don’t always get to cover in lessons. We have decided to introduce you to some codebreaking.

There is a long history of mathematicians being used in code making and code breaking - the most famous is probably the Bletchley Park code breakers, where some of the most brilliant mathematicians in the country such as Alan Turing worked in secret to crack the German WWII Enigma code (we all knew Alan Turing would get a mention at some point).

Codes now play an integral part in all our lives - from the ISBN codes on the back of every book you buy, to the algorithm that checks if the credit card you've entered is genuine, from the encrypted data sent via the internet to the content you watch on digital TV.

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Mathematicians are employed throughout a wide range of industries that send and transmit data – in particular the telecommunications industry and internet companies. Their challenge is to condense the data that needs to be sent to as small a file as possible – whilst also allowing potential errors in communication to be noticed by the receiver. As coding now goes hand in hand with computing skills, good mathematicians are highly sought after for computing courses at top universities around the world.

There is also still a need for the traditional code makers and code breakers. Highly sensitive data needs to be encrypted to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands – whilst our spies need to be able to crack the codes of other countries. Indeed, GCHQ (the British Intelligence Agency responsible for digital communications) a few years ago recruited new employees by posting a code online. Crack the code and you secured yourself an interview!

Therefore, codes and coding theory represents a varied and interesting career path for good mathematicians. Get cracking!

Week One - Caesar Shifts The Caesar Shift is one of the simplest codes we come across in cryptography. It is a substitution code, which means that each letter is replaced with another one.

The code is named after the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar who use this method to send military messages to his army.

To encrypt or decrypt a Caesar shift we first list the alphabet, and then for a Caesar shift of three, we move every letter of the alphabet 3 places: Alphabet Cipher

A X

B Y

C Z

D A

E B

F C

G D

H E

I F

J G

K H

L I

M J

N K

O L

P M

Q N

R O

S P

T Q

U R

V S

W T

X U

Y V

Z W

The message KHOOR translates to HELLO. Caesar cipher can be broken quite easily by making guesses about certain letter or small words that we use a lot (the, and).

Using the table above to help you try decoding:

ORRN DIWHU BRXUVHOYHV. VWDB KRPH VWDB VDIH. KDYH D JRRG ZHHNHQG Why don’t you email your maths teacher when you’ve solved it?

Not all Caesar Shifts move the letters 3 places. Why don’t you try writing your one messages for your family and friends to decode?

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Keeping Highfields Reading: How to access free books It’s really important that students keep up with reading whilst school is closed, but 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 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter 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: 

Get ahead with getting ready for next year: Find out more about the areas you want to study in the sixth form, in college, on an apprenticeship or at University. For current Y11 students who plan to go into the sixth form we’re looking at providing you with some specific suggestions to help you make a flying start to A level courses.



Get more involved in aspects of the courses you were doing that you found interesting. We have been told by the government that there will be the opportunity to take exams in the autumn if you are not happy with the ‘calculated grades’ that they give. You may decide you want to take this opportunity so keeping on top of your subjects help massively.



Learn a language – this might be a modern foreign language or even British Sign Language. There are lots of good platforms out there to help you. Here is a link for a British Sign Language course https://www.british-sign.co.uk/learn-online-british-sign-language-course/



Learn to Cook – this is such an important life skill and lots of fun. It can be hard getting hold of food at the moment so the art of being able to cook from scratch is really vital

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Read a book – watch out for our recommended reads in the coming days

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Write about these crazy weeks we are living through – you are part of history. Record it now!



Watch a decent film – here are a couple Mr Warrington’s recommendations below.

KS4 Choice (Y10-11) Booksmart on Amazon Prime this is a film about friends, parties and making some amazing soundtrack choices when you’re racing to graduation. Look out for: the argument.

You don’t need sound if you know everything they’re saying KS5 Choice (Y12-13) The Place Beyond the Pines on BBC iPlayer - Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper are part of this three part story that crosses generations when a series of bank robberies go awry and a critical decision echoes on. Look out for: The odd narrative structure in this brooding drama.

Mr Warrington also produces a fantastic publication called the Watchers which tells you how you can get involved in writing about film, and even making some money from it - see link below: http://www.highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk/pdfs/newspdfs/thewatchersissue1.pdf Keep your brain moving. Make the most of your time. Learn something new.

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Year 11 work to help you into Year 12 Mr Flett

Volume 1 Here are a list of ideas to get you started on work which will make a difference to your performance at A Level. Many of these are curiosity based tasks.

Of course you don’t need to just stick to the subjects you intend to study at A Level. For example, you might have enjoy music at some level – so check out the ideas there, and have a go, just out of curiosity. You might be interested in studying economics in the future – so have a look at the business ideas. You could be a geographer, but the chemistry tasks here will be interesting for you. Email the relevant staff with things you have done – they will be interested.

Hopefully at least one of your subjects will be in here, but Volume 2 will follow. We are also putting together more detailed bridging work which will help your transition to A Levels. This will take a little more time to put together.

Art In both art and photography complete your exam sketchbooks and produce the final piece/pieces that you have been planning create in your timed exam period.

You will still be practising the skills that you need to be successful at A Level. Push yourselves to do the very best you can. We always need pieces of work to display, and so your work could inspire younger artists in the school.

Business Part of the year 12 business course is about businesses which have taken risks (and therefore have been ‘enterprising’).

In this current global emergency, many businesses will be thinking about taking risks and new opportunities.

A curiosity project for you: Find some examples of companies which have taken risks in the past, and changed what they do.

Describe what they did. Explain why the risks paid off. Common examples might include Netflix, Apple, Tesla (but you could try to find some less obvious examples).

Research what is happening right now. During the Covid crisis, which businesses are seeing opportunities and changing their businesses. Describe what they are doing. Explain why they are doing it (eg. demand, technological possibilities, their current expertise and how it might fit with the new opportunity).

Write up your ideas and share them with us. They will really benefit the whole group in year 12 when we meet again.

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Chemistry The global impact of the Covid crisis has led to pollutant changes (in the atmosphere, but potentially also in rivers, seas and oceans). Research the Chemistry which is involved in this. Go as wide with this as you want, but in particular you could look at the following:   

Find out how unburnt hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide get into the atmosphere.

Include equations (word and balanced ones).

Discuss how and where the reduction of pollutants have been most noticeable over the last few months. Include the percentage drops for pollutants.

Carbon dioxide and water vapour are also pollutants from burning fossil fuels. Explain, using diagrams if you like, how these lead to global warming and how the last few months may affect the increase/decrease.

Record a list of sources that you used for your research.

History Message from Mrs Clifford: I know some of you may be missing GCSE History lessons (!) and even if you are not I just wanted to pass on my good wishes to you all. This is not how I wanted our lessons to end so it is a real shame.

Some students wish to extend their learning and keep their minds fresh in preparation for the next stage in their education. There are plenty of tasks that you can be getting on with, whether you are planning to do History A Level or not.

In this message I will set out a number of things you could be doing to help extend your knowledge of History GCSE and keep your minds fresh. This is not just for those taking A Level – I will be sending work out separately to those planning to take A Level so watch out for that in the coming weeks.

So, what can you be doing: 1. Finish the Russia and Soviet Union 1917-41 section. We didn’t quite finish this, there was one section to go which was on ‘life in Stalin’s Russia’ (the last in the pink booklet). This is a really interesting section, and I would advise you to read through this section in the booklet to make sure you have got some kind of closure on this. It tells you about the different policies Stalin introduced and why.

2. Go to the section in all users which is to be found at: all users / History / GCSE / Edexcel 9-1. In here there are sections for each of the topics (American West, Saxons and Normans, Medicine and Russia). There are also all the past questions and mark schemes. It would be good if you are carrying on in education to have a go at one of the exam papers which are saved in here, especially the Russia one which you have yet to do. Do some different questions – just set yourself some time and have a go!

3. Watch some historical documentaries – there are some good ones on youtube which cover all the topics we have covered this year. Please see attached list for some good ones but there are plenty more.

4. Watch the news and keep a diary of how events unfold over the next few months – this is living history!

5. Research a period of History that you are really interested in. You could produce a newspaper article, timeline, anything really. There are loads of good websites to help you with this – don’t just rely on Wikipedia!

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Music 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Consider ways of composing remotely with others in your group. Amongst you you have talented instrumentalists, vocalists, percussionists and producers. Connect with one another and get the ball rolling by creating a musical response to the crisis / confinement / social distancing in the form of a musical composition.

Many notable musicians have composed during similar crisis points in history - notably, but not restricted to, war time. Examples include Ralph Vaughan Williams, Edward Elgar, Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Claude Debussy, Gustav Holst, Igor Stravinsky. Investigate these (and others) and how their lives were affected by the conflicts they experienced. Listen to their music.

Note down your responses. Free musical scores can be accessed at imslp.org, recordings can be found on YouTube/Spotify etc.

Risk taking has led to some of the greatest innovations in musical history. Investigate this philosophy giving examples of musicians, composers etc. who were visionary in their approach and ‘ahead of their time’.

We are facing restrictions right now the like of which we have never experienced before. Black American musicians like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, James Brown and Public Enemy fought against oppression and subjugation to emerge significant figures not only in black musical history but the history of music. Investigate oppression in music and give examples of musicians, composers, etc. who were significant in bringing about change.

Dig out that abandoned guitar, sitar or bongo drums, dust them off and use your isolation to enhance your skills. Check out YouTube tutorials and expand your musical potential.

Psychology In recent weeks, the media have talked about how the government is using ‘Nudge Theory’ to change the behaviour of the public in response to the Covid emergency. Here is an article on Nudge theory: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51869634 Have a read. Record bits which you think are interesting. What do you think is likely to work? Are there bits you think are less likely to work? Do you think that some personality types will be more likely to be persuaded than others?

Changing the behaviour of the majority, can be a difficult thing to do. Psychologists look at the ideas of Social Norms Intervention, Minority Influence, Conformity and Obedience.

The article above refers to ‘Social Norms Intervention’. Do some research of social norms intervention.

Make a few notes of other examples of it.

There is a difference between conformity and obedience. You could find out the difference. Try to identify examples of where the government has used ‘conformity’ ideas to change behaviour, and other examples of where it has used ‘obedience’ ideas.

There has been a lot of talk in the press recently about the influence of ‘Behavioural Scientists’ on the government and how it is organising the country’s response to Covid. It is controversial. Some people have said that the government has paid too much attention to ‘Behavioural Scientists’. Do some research on this. Perhaps google search ‘Behavioural Science [Scientists] Covid response UK’ and see what comes up. There will probably be plenty of Universities talking about it.

Please share with us what you find. Email it to Miss Ould or Mr Flett. We haven’t researched this last item yet ourselves, so you’ll be doing some cutting edge stuff which we’ll be really interested in.

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Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Sociology One thing we study in Y12 is the nature of childhood. A key question we explore is ‘ Has childhood got better or worse in the past 50-60 years? We'd like you to talk to adults in your own house about this and also to use the phone or online means to speak to other, possibly older, adults in your family. Think about how to structure your research: You could just ask the question above and see what people say (an unstructured interview). Or you might want to structure it more by breaking it down into smaller questions. Or you could send out a questionnaire. Check if people are happy for their answers to be shared as I hope we can see what each other have found out. Please email Mr Cole with anything you find out.

One thing to consider: You are asking this question at a very unusual time. How might this affect people's answers?

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter School news MiSAC Competition Mrs Stafford About two months ago we advertised the MiSAC (Microbiology in Schools Advisory Committee) competition to Highfields students. Students had to design a social media page to inform young people about vaccines and there were cash prizes available for students and their school.

We received entries from year 9 and 10 students, entering as either individuals or groups.

Unfortunately there was a limit on the number we could enter as a school so I had the difficult job of choosing the successful entrants. The successful entrants sent in are given below:         

Zaid (Y9) Daniel, Ezra, Oliver, Sam (Y10) Abigail, Rhianna (Y10) Ellie (Y10) Charlotte (Y10) Polly (Y10) Louise, Emily (Y10) Tamlyn (Y10) Amelia, Holly (Y10)

The winners will be posted online later in the year, so I will keep you posted – good luck!

Geography fieldwork postponed Mrs Barker The geography department is very disappointed to have to postpone this year's river study at Edale, especially as the weather is proving glorious, and we very much felt it was our turn to have some lovely weather after last year's torrential rain in which we undertook the fieldwork.

We have been in touch with our partners at the National Park Education Service and they are very much looking forward to working with us in the autumn, when we hope to reschedule the fieldwork.

In the meantime, one of this week's lessons has involved a piece of fieldwork in your garden (or close to your house), just so that you don't feel your are missing out too much!

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Alternative learning activities We thought that you may be interested in the following alternative learning activities for students to complete regarding resilience and kindness. This is totally voluntary and not part of the work students are expected to complete.

Coronavirus Activities

We know that the coronavirus has put schools under immense pressure and these are uncertain times for us all. To help we’ve created a special coronavirus edition of Newsthink.

As schools are now closed (except for vulnerable pupils or children of critical key workers) we’d encourage you to share this resource with parents and students so they can learn online. Or alternatively you can create a safe forum for discussion with those remaining in school.

The quick activities included in this new teaching resource will help develop young people’s resilience and explore acts of kindness within the community.

Using photos, facts and real-life scenarios 11 to 18-year-olds will consider how they could respond to different situations and the value kindness can play at this difficult time.

Learning objectives  Understand what both the coronavirus and a pandemic are.  Gain knowledge and understanding of expert advice on health and safety.  Explore the phenomenon of ‘misinformation’: understand why fact checking is so important and encourage critical thinking in difficult situations.  Explore the meaning of kindness, and how they can start developing this in their own lives We know the education community is doing amazing things to support each other and we’d like to thank you for using and sharing our resources. We have a wide range of other free resources on our website to help build resilience which you can explore here.

Download the coronavirus resource >

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter Parents/carers – support and advice 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/

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

Derbyshire County Council’s Community Response Unit Launched

https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/council/news-events/news-updates/news/community-response-unitlaunched-to-help-those-in-need.aspx

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 2020

Newsletter 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

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.

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.

Due to the current situation they are offering a click and collect service from Matlock, Bakewell and Darley Dale for those who can still go out for shopping. For those who cannot, they are offering a free home delivery service within 5 miles of Matlock to ensure the most people can benefit from the service

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 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

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Newsletter Local support available for parents/carers

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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 26: 27 March 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: Explore BBC Bitesize Careers resources

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 26: 27 March 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

Mrs Bumby - Year Manager (sixth form) pbumby@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.

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 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 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Sixth form

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

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 26: 27 March 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 Ms Julie Lane 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

Link Governor Area Leadership and strategy

Co-opted Staff Parent Co-opted Headteacher Parent Parent Co-opted Co-opted Co-opted

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

Link governor for inclusion and LA governor – to be appointed.

Please visit the school website for full details of the Governing Board.

Be the best you can

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Highfields School

Issue 26: 27 March 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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