The Highclarian 2015/2016

The Highclarian 2015-16

Highclare School

Highclare School l The Highclarian l 2015-16

Contents

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Headmaster’s Welcome

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Review from the Head of Senior School

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Sports Reviews

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Sports Tour 2016 to Malta

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Music and Drama Productions

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Art and Design

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Science and Technology

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Humanities

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Review from the Junior Schools

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Early Years

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TOPS after school and holiday care

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Creative Writing Competition

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Ski Trip

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Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and Junior PGL

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Charities and fund raising

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New School Uniform

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Examination Results and destination of leavers

Highclare School l The Highclarian l 2015-16 The School has also recently launched a new website (and accompanying video) which represents an exciting development with regards to our digital communication. We hope that it provides an enhanced experience for current and prospective parents. Since an organisation’s website is often the first ‘port of call’ we are excited by the opportunity that we now have to show people our superb school. We are grateful for the work provided by our partners Innermedia, Rodapond Productions and Mr David Healey in creating such an impressive website.

Lastly but by no means least, we have made some eye-catching amendments to the school uniform and it is a real pleasure to see the boys and girls so smartly turned out. We are, of course, thrilled to be working with The John Lewis Partnership who have taken over the role of being sole supplier of our uniform.

A very warm welcome to the latest edition of The Highclarian, which we hope will provide you with an overview of the 2015-16 year across our three schools. It has been a year packed full of purpose and achievement in which the children have risen fully to the challenges set down to them to constantly seek to improve. The pages of this magazine illustrate this at every turn.

It was Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the United States, who famously said: ‘Energy and persistence conquer all things’, and I am sure he would approve of our Take Charge initiative which continues to embed itself into the culture of the school. I truly am delighted to see our boys and girls, at whatever stage of their education and in whatever setting they conduct their learning, taking to heart the independent learning message that is central to Take Charge.

Amongst the highlights for me must be the wonderfully entertaining productions that were staged: Grease in the Senior School, Troy Story at Highclare Woodfield and Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies at Highclare St Paul’s. They were all wonderfully entertaining and a great team effort, whether it was on the stage, front of house or behind the scenes.

One of my personal highlights was the opportunity to take up an invitation to visit a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May. It was the 60th Anniversary of the introduction of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme which provided Miss Roche, the Senior School Duke of Edinburgh coordinator, and myself with an entertaining and interesting opportunity to experience a very British institution.

I would like to express my appreciation to all staff who have moved on to other things this year. All of them made their own contribution to Highclare School, for which I am grateful.

I would also like to place on record my appreciation of the superb leadership that Mrs Moore (Head of Senior School), Mrs Bennett (Head of Junior Schools), Mrs McGoldrick (Business Manager) and their respective teams have demonstrated over a very busy year. We are working hard to deliver the best education to boys and girls of Highclare School that we possibly can. Their contribution to this effort is impressive and demonstrates a constant willingness to go that extra mile on behalf of both the children and their colleagues.

It has been a very busy year for us and we are pleased to be able to use, in our teaching and learning, many significant enhancements to school facilities. In the Senior School this summer has seen us bring into use the newly configured Sixth Form Centre, which is located on the first floor of the main Abbey building of the Senior School. Dubbed ‘The big move’, it has been a complicated project but we do now have a superb, self-contained facility for our Sixth Form with state of the art ICT provision.

At Highclare Woodfield the main development has been to create an improved ICT learning centre which allows all the children to work independently or as part of a team, using the internet. It has already proved to be a popular and effective enhancement to our digital provision.

We have also been pleased to upgrade the ICT suite at Highclare St Paul’s again with internet capable PCs for all children. I am pleased to report these developments because it means that just recently we have refurbished / relocated our ICT suites on all three sites and now have superb facilities. I would also add that, in addition to giving every member of the Sixth Form an iPad, we have been trialling the use of iPads elsewhere in the Senior and Junior schools as a means, amongst other things, of enhancing classroom interactivity.

I have spoken numerous times to parents and prospective parents recently about the emphasis we place on having happy children at Highclare School.

We know that with happy children we can do far more with them. In addition to the superb pastoral care that we have across our three sites, we also do work that, in addition to developing their academic intelligence, develops, within the children, their emotional and spiritual intelligence. We give the children an insight into what they can achieve if they try hard and also, I like to think, what they can contribute to the world. Put simply, we successfully address what has recently been called the ‘six senses of happiness’.

• We give them a sense of wonder – through the fascinating and enjoyable activities that my colleagues do in the classroom and beyond.

• We provide a sense of accomplishment – via the many ways, formal and informal, that we recognise what they have achieved.

• We provide them with a sense of meaning and perspective – notably through our work with the community and charities at home and abroad.

• We encourage a sense of belonging – via the pride that they have in their school and in their school house.

• We develop a sense of optimism – so that they can go out in the world and make it a better place through their presence in it.

We shall continue to address these ‘senses’ through our work. If you think about it, each one of these aspects is at the very core of what we do at Highclare School.

Please do what you can to support the Friends of Highclare School. They work as a dedicated and committed group of parents who want to provide the best they can for the school, and have fun doing so. They would value your support no matter how much or how little that can be.

I would like to close by expressing my thanks to all the staff who work so hard to make Highclare the superb school that it is. I do hope you enjoy reading this issue.

Best wishes R Luker Headmaster ‘How to train the six senses of happiness’ by J Hagy, published by Forbes on-line magazine 5.10.16

A word from the Chair of Governors Another very successful year has come to an end at Highclare School and with it comes the publication of the latest edition of our magazine, The Highclarian.

I am very pleased to be welcoming you to the news contained within it and hope that it provides you with some insight into the achievements of all our pupils during this very busy year.

Once again, our pupils’ results in the external examinations speak for themselves and it is a pleasure to be able to offer the Board’s congratulations not only to them but to all our pupils throughout the School and our thanks to the staff who guide them. Our thanks also go to you, the parents, who do so much to support your children and the School.

Dr Luker, our Headmaster, has outlined just some of the exciting developments that have taken place over the year and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him and all the staff for their continuing hard work in making the School the happy and thriving community that it is and which is evident on all three of our school sites.

I do encourage you to take the time, if you have not already done so, to visit our new website (www.highclareschool.co.uk) for all the latest news regarding Highclare School and, of course, I do hope that you enjoy reading this latest edition of The Highclarian.

May I, on behalf of the whole Board, wish you all a hugely successful and happy 2016 - 2017.

Louise Flowith - Chair of Governors

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Senior School Review

The Autumn term at Highclare Senior School began with the usual arrival of the new and very nervous U3rds.Thanks, however, to our newly introduced KS2-KS3 Transition Unit, we were delighted to watch them slowly grow in confidence as their first week at Senior School progressed. By the end of their very first week, I am happy to report that they were feeling much more confident and definitely happier – due in part I am sure to the lure of the Smarties which formed an important feature of their Transition Unit Mathematics lessons provided by Mr Parkinson!

As the term progressed and the autumn evenings drew in, all thoughts turned to Speech Night which this year was held for the very first time at our new venue, St Michael’s Church in Boldmere. A wonderful evening was enjoyed by all and it was a joy to witness the pride on parents’ faces as students were rewarded for their hard work, commitment to the school, music, sporting and extra-curricular achievements.

We returned in December to St Michael’s for our annual Carol Service and it was an absolute pleasure to experience the magic of the Christmas season in such a beautiful and welcoming church. As always, the voices of our children reminded us of the joy of Christmas and their performances and readings bore testament to the dedication of their music and class teachers.

Our pupils continued to ‘Take Charge’ of the opportunities and experiences afforded to them at the Senior School by attending the many clubs available to them during the school day. Our School Council continued to go from strength to strength and managed, through the power of democracy and discussion, to secure two fabulous outdoor table tennis tables with money generously donated to the school by the ever-supportive Friends of Highclare School. Added to this, I am delighted to report that many of our young people have now been awarded their bronze and silver Duke of Edinburgh Award certificates, demonstrating both a determination to face challenge and an ability to work as part of a team.

During the year, pupils participated in many exciting school trips including two overseas ones – skiing in Austria in February and the amazing PE trip to Malta

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in July. Added to this were History trips to local castles for the younger pupils as well as a visit to the Tower of London for the U6; a L4 river and orienteering day at Carding Mill Valley; a Music Department outing to the Tamworth Music Festival and, for Mr Parkinson and myself, our favourite trip of the year – the 6th form outing to London which included a ride on the London Eye, lunch at Planet Holiday and, best of all, a trip to the theatre to see Mamma Mia! The term ended with our Festival of Cultures which included such delights as Zumba, Irish dancing and a fabulously competitive House Quiz!

Finally, I would like to extend my personal thanks and appreciation to all of our wonderful teachers, parents and pupils for their hard-work, support and commitment to the school.

Mrs A Moore Head of Senior School

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Junior Sports Review Highclare Woodfield and Highclare St. Paul’s joined forces once again to represent the school in a wonderful array of sporting events. The Juniors have fulfilled in total over 40 sports matches and events comprising year groups J3J6. As always, we commit to attending the ISA Midlands events which are held throughout the year across varying locations in the Midlands. Highclare Juniors enjoyed many successes, most notably with Liberty Mackenzie, Bethany Roberts, Rosie Deacon representing the school and region at The Nationals Swimming Finals in London. Femi Olofinjana in J6 triumphed winning the boys’ high jump at The Alexander Stadium and won the right to return there two weeks later to represent the Midlands at The Nationals. He was joined by the boys’ J6 relay team who were also chosen to represent the Midlands.

Increasing the number of fixtures for both boys and girls against similar independent schools has also been an achievement this year. We have added a number of schools to our fixture list and endeavour to build and strengthen our relationships with them and other similar schools. Increasing participation in sport among young people is important to us as we seek to enrich their experience at Highclare. Our pupils have competed in Triathlon, cross-country, swimming galas, football, hockey, netball, cricket and rounders fixtures. They have also enjoyed House matches throughout the year which culminated as it always does with a Sports Day in the summer term.

Well done to all those who represented the school with pride, passion and pleasure.

Senior Sports Review

6 runners represented the Midlands at ISA Nationals

U15 Girls hockey 3rd in Sutton Schools League

U14 Girls netball 5th in ISA tournament

ISA National Athletics qualifiers

Another busy year on the sports front with competitive matches and competitions in swimming, cross-country, netball, hockey, football, rugby, triathlon, athletics, rounders and cricket.

3 swimmers represented the Midlands at ISA Nationals

U16 Boys football runners up in ISA tournament

Year 10 Boys winners of ISA Athletics Championships

Year 9 Girls winners of Sutton Schools Athletics

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Malta Sports Tour 2016

DEPARTURE DAY Met at Highclare at 3:30am and travelled to London Gatwick North Terminal for our flight to Malta. Upon arrival, we were met by our rep and transferred to the Sunflower Hotel where we checked in for 4 nights. At 6pm the netball squads departed for their first coaching session at Marsa Netball club with a local coach.

MATCH DAY 1 After breakfast the football squad departed for their first training session with a Valetta FC coach. In the evening both the netball and football squads had their first fixtures.

Highclare U14 netball vs Alpine NRG. Won 5-3 Highclare U18 netball vs Alpine NRG. Lost 4-9 Highclare U16 Football vs Pembroke FC. Lost 2-5 Transfer back to hotel for evening meal and leisure time.

MATCH DAY 2 Free morning spent enjoying terrace top pool, lunch and relaxation.

Evening transfer to matches.

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Highclare U15 netball vs Malta Development Squad. Won 13-10 Highclare U18 netball vs Malta Development Squad. Won 9-8 Highclare U16 Football vs Valetta. Lost 1-4 Transfer back to hotel for evening meal and leisure time. Watched Euro 2016 game.

DAY 3 - COMINO CRUISE After breakfast, transferred by open top double decker bus to our full day Comino Cruise including lunch. Swimming and snorkelling in the Blue Lagoon. Dinner at our hotel, rest of the evening at our leisure.

Watched another Euro 2016 game and relaxed.

DAY 4 - DEPARTURE DAY After breakfast, checked out and spent morning around the terrace top pool. All walked down to St. Paul’s Bay for souvenir shopping and lunch. Returned to hotel for final swim in pool and prepared to board transfer coach to airport. Checked in for flight to London Gatwick and return to Highclare School via coach transfer.

Highclare School l The Highclarian l 2015-16

“The tan lines have faded but the memories will last forever.� (Harriet Gordon)

'A Week in Malta'

By Rebekah Olatundun L5R

3 o'clock in the morning, all of us still yawning Our journey to Gatwick awaits, Miss Harvey was definitely snoring As we rolled up, suitcases in hand Boarded the plane, in Malta we land.

When we arrived we could already feel the heat.

Got to The Sunflower Hotel with sand in our feet.

Jumping out the pool, no time to get cool Threw on our Highclare kits, Ready to train, ready to get fit.

Getting back, the boys were already sat Cold water and nice food placed on their eating mats.

As the lights went low, we said goodbye to the Malta sun So tired from all the fun, day one in Malta over and done.

Refreshed and awake, hello day two.

Caitlin and I found something new for us all to do.

We travelled along the Malta streets Found a beach and McDonalds to eat.

Evening came and it was time to play our first game Success for us girls, but the boys not the same.

Early start for Alex, Mr. Jones, Caitlin and I At 6 in the morning we saw the beautiful Malta sky.

Travelled again down the Malta Streets For Alex to swim, with flippers on her feet!

The rest of day three was spent on the beach Until we had to walk back to the hotel to meet The coach that took us to our opponents to defeat.

The National Malta Netball Team is whom we beat!

For the boys however this wasn't quite so But I can assure you, they gave it a very good go.

Morning came, day four the Comino Cruise.

Hopped on the tour bus, buzzing to see the Blue Lagoon.

Sunglasses on heads, flip flops as shoes, Stood on the outside on the boat like we had nothing to lose!

Golden sands, crystal water Sea creatures together, like mother and daughter Oreo Mcflurries, glorious food So many selections it was hard to choose.

Glad to be back in our Hotel rooms It was sad to think we'd be back in England soon.

Tomorrow would be the last of our stay As Friday was our very last day Got to the Malta airport, ready to fly home But when we reached Gatwick, little did we know, That we were going to be in for a rather long stay.

Thankfully our coach finally came.

As we arrived back to Highclare School We were missing the sun, missing the pool.

I think we could all say Malta was the best And the PE staff needed a very long rest.

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Music and Drama Productions

Grease On 9th and 10th of March the Senior school gym was transformed into Rydell High for two performances of the legendary smash-hit musical, Grease! Pupils had been working very hard to learn lines, songs, choreography and, most importantly for the boys, how to wield a comb properly, and this hard work more than paid off. Marika Fraser-Ryan played Sandy and Samuel Donaghue took on the role of Danny, both with aplomb. The Senior pupils and staff were also delighted to welcome Mrs Spare and members of the Junior choir, who sang their hearts out as Rydell Junior High pupils. A huge thank you must go out to all pupils who took part, both on stage and behind the scenes, moving props and operating sound and lighting equipment. Likewise, many staff and parents gave up their time and expertise to help the show go like “greased lightning”, and we would like to take this opportunity to show our gratitude to you all. Highclare really was “born to hand jive”!

Troy Story On 2nd and 3rd of March the children at Woodfield Juniors put on an amazing performance of Troy Story, a very clever and amusing interpretation of the story of Helen of Troy and the wooden horse.

There were stunning performances from all the cast and the audience was enthralled from start to finish. The children obviously thoroughly enjoyed the experience and sang all the songs with enthusiasm and great energy.

There were several dances included throughout the performance and the highlight of the show was a Bollywood dance which, in the encore, was performed by the entire cast. A wonderful evening’s entertainment which has been one of the highlights of the spring term at Woodfield Juniors. Well done to everyone involved.

Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies, a tale of tights, fights and footlights. The children gave their first performance especially for their grandparents, and followed with several further performances. They worked hard to learn their lines, song words and tricky dance moves. Dancing Dave wowed us all with his ‘jazz hands’ (and feet) and the beautiful Maid Marion and handsome Robin left some hearts fluttering. An amazing performance by everyone in the Junior department at Highclare St Paul’s. We are really proud of you.

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Tamworth Musical Festival Success Two ensembles from Highclare Senior School entered the Tamworth and District Music Festival. The newly-formed High C Jazz group scored 85% (commended) for their performance of Boogie Woogie in the 14-and-under ensemble category. The Rhapsody Choir reclaimed the Vocal Ensemble trophy, scoring 87% (distinction) with a performance of two contrasting pieces. The Music department would like to congratulate all pupils who took part for their excellent performances, and particular thanks should be extended to Mrs Okeghie and Mr Whitham for coaching the jazz group.

Junior Music Department Round up for last year

Genting Arena to sing with 6000 other children in the Young Voices 20 Year Anniversary Concert and Mrs Bennett was introduced to David Lawrence who is the Young Voices Director of Choirs.

The Junior Music Department celebrated lots of successes last year with lots of fun at the same time.

During the Spring and Summer terms lots of children continued to take part in external music exams from the ABRSM, Trinity College and Rockschool Boards. They achieved excellent grades and are continuing to take the next grade up this year.

The Autumn term saw both J3 classes performing songs and acting in the Harvest Assemblies and all Juniors from J3 – J6 took part in singing The Little Red Poppy for our Remembrance Services. In the build up to Christmas the infants performed in Nativity plays and Juniors sang their hearts out on Grandparents’ afternoon. The Juniors then joined up with the Senior Department to take part in the School Christmas Concert at St Michael’s Church to put everybody in the festive mood.

The Junior Ensemble Groups played and the Junior Choir sang for the first time at the Senior School in December in a Christmas Ensemble concert which was very well attended and Mrs Spare’s amazing jokes went down very well.

Junior Choir sang in The Mall in Sutton Coldfield and raised money for the African Trust Charity. In the new year our J5 and 6 classes went to the

The School Musical Productions were outstanding as usual with Woodfield performing Troy Story and St Paul’s performing Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies in true Highclare fashion, romping through the script and songs with great gusto!

Some of the Year 6 Junior Choir members were invited to take part in the Senior School production of Grease which was very exciting but also tiring!

The Summer term culminated in the performances at Junior Prize Giving where the Guitar and Violin ensembles played and the choir sang True Colours by Cindi Lauper in two part harmony which was exceptional.

It will truly be a very hard act to follow this year but we are all looking forward to it as usual.

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Senior School Artists Steal the Show In June the senior school Art Department once again staged an inspirational art exhibition by U5 to mark the successful conclusion to their GCSE course in school.

In total the work of 9 students was showcased this year, with work in a range of disciplines, including drawing and painting, 3D, textiles and digital media.

Many of the pupils chose to explore their ideas through photography and surface pattern design with exciting results in photo-manipulation.

Visitors to the shows included Dr.Luker, the Abbey staff and pupils from the U3 to L6.

Everyone was struck by the individuality of approach employed by the students across their personal portfolios and examination pieces.

The highlight was the opportunity for the artists themselves to view their completed shows and to finally see the impact of their hard work and efforts throughout the intensive GCSE course.

This wonderful exhibition really did show that Highclare has got talent. We wish all these young artists every success in their future careers.

Textiles Technology This year the GCSE students chose a theme which required them to design and make a product for a child. They came up with some very creative and innovative ideas and used a wide range of different techniques to produce their creations. The quality of the work was outstanding this year.

Interactive floor mat by Nicole Sharma

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Embroidered jacket by Jamie Richards

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Digitally designed cushions

Noah Griffiths

Evanne Hughes

Photography Club Beyond the Snapshot Photography Club has once again proved to be a successful addition to the Art Department extra-curricular provision and funds provided by the Friends of Highclare School have facilitated the purchase of a set of compact cameras to support this initiative.

The pupils this year have continued to benefit from the input provided by visiting photography tutor David Healey, who has covered still life photography, portraiture and location photography with the students this year.

Senior School pupils in particular have found the weekly workshops inspirational.

Danny Tiwana in U5 achieved a top grade for his portrait photography unit, exploring the brevity of youth. Amy Parkes (pictured with David Healey) used the camera to tackle the theme of the changing role of women in society through the symbolism of still life imagery.

The club has once again challenged the pupils to develop this medium beyond the snapshot and achieve both poignant and dramatic results.

Junior Art Competition Highclare Senior School were proud to host their annual Junior Art Competition, which was open to pupils from all our surrounding Junior Schools. The entries this year were excellent and based around a black ink blot which was provided as a starting point and used to form the basis of an imaginative composition. The entries were varied and inventive and the overall winner portrayed an octopus shooting ink! Well done to Hana Deebank from Boldmere Junior School and many congratulations to winners who received a highly commended from the judges.

Parents and families were able to view all the winning entries at a presentation evening hosted by Highclare’s Art Department and Head of Art, Mrs Hughes.

Picture shows Hana receiving her prize from Headmaster, Dr Luker

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Science and Technology J4 Experiment in the Senior School Science Labs In June, J4 from Highclare Junior schools attended a taster day and took part in some exciting science experiments which included making “Rainbow Fizz” and using different chemicals to test for food groups in different foods. J4 really enjoyed their time doing some “hands on” scientific activities!

Active Learning in Science Pupils in U4 have been learning about 'The Eye' in Biology lessons. They were all keen and enthusiastic to learn about the eye through active learning. Pupils dissected the eye using scalpels, tweezers and scissors.

Health and safety was also a focus in the lesson Using MyMaths including handling equipment, hygiene concerns, Maths Surgeryaway. Pupils identified the settinginup and clearing different parts of the eye such as cornea, lens and sclera. This helped them to understand the functions of the different parts of the eye and also aided them in understanding problems with the eye such as long and short sight. This gave them further opportunity to reflect and then explore further work on eye diseases.

L5 Heart Dissection As part of their studies in Biology, L5 students had a fascinating lesson in which they were able to dissect a heart and view for themselves the construction of this amazing muscle.

GCSE Science Live In February L5 visited the Symphony Hall in Birmingham to see GCSE Science Live. They were able to hear famous scientists talk about their field of expertise. Presentations were given by Professors Lord Robert Winston, Andrea Sella, Jim Al-Khalili, Prof Alice Roberts and Dr Simon Singh. They talked about how the human race is naturally extremely infertile; how maths is found in the most unusual of sources such as the TV cartoon The Simpsons; the financial benefits of pursuing a career in science; why and how zebras have stripes; black holes and the possibility of time travel and identifying evolution without fossils. It was an extremely enjoyable and enlightening day.

Maariya Suleman L5R

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Engineering at Work L4 pupils visited the Birmingham Think Tank to attend an Engineering at Work event. They all had time to explore the museum and dress up in service uniforms.

Pupils also visited the planetarium and attended a workshop with graduates who are working at Rolls Royce. At the workshop the pupils worked in teams building pistons and testing them out to see if they would work. Everyone had a great time and learnt a lot from the question and answer session at the end of the day.

Skills for the Workplace U5 pupils visited the nation’s largest skills and careers event at the NEC, the Skills Show, part of the senior school’s yearly careers programme.

The event helps pupils think about careers options open to them in the future and this year had a new Future Skills Zone, allowing young people to see what skills could be in demand for future jobs.

Top employers were there including NHS Careers, JLR, 02, Crossrail and Virgin Media.

Pupils had a good afternoon walking around the stands, investigating what companies do, what skills are needed for different jobs as well as seeing a vast array of careers information.

Sociology L6 sociology students attended a lecture at Birmingham City University given by Professor Elijah Anderson of Yale University. Entitled The Code of the Street, Professor Anderson delivered a thought-provoking lecture about the roots and impact of racial inequality in the USA.

Psychology This was a big year for Psychology … a brand new specification, with new-style test papers demanding a whole new set of skills and interesting topics to choose from.

The U6 group continued with the old-style specification while the L6 picked up the new. Our lovely U6 group were, as always, a pleasure to work with and we had many a smile and a laugh alongside the hard work and they were rewarded with very pleasing A level grades. The L6 group entered into the spirit of Psychology with flair and enthusiasm.

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Humanities Understanding of human experience gives us the opportunity to feel a sense of connection to those who have come before us, as well as to our contemporaries. Being able to visit and experience other times and cultures is a valuable educational tool.

History students visit the Tower of London U6 History group visited the Tower of London as part of their A level course on the Tudors. They enjoyed seeing all the places where so many of the historical figures that they have studied lived and died and the visit helped them to better understand the experiences of the monarchs and their subjects that they are currently studying. The students then spent the afternoon enjoying the countdown to Christmas in London with lunch on Oxford Street and an evening visit to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.

Tutbury Castle L4 pupils took part in the annual History Department trip to Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire for an audience with ‘Queen Elizabeth I.’ She kept the students entertained with stories from her life and reign and answered the students’ many questions about life in Tudor times. She gave them a guide to Tudor fashion and also allowed them to handle some interesting artefacts including a genuine Tudor execution sword. The L4th students rounded off the day with a thorough exploration of the castle grounds, enjoying a run around the castle’s slopes and walls.

Warwick Castle Pupils in U3 visited Warwick Castle to experience life and warfare in the middle ages. It was a busy day which involved climbing endless stairs up to the very highest towers, watching an impressive demonstration of a fire throwing trebuchet and viewing some fearsome looking eagles. The students also had a talk on the grim realities of medieval warfare. Andrew Evans got a chance to try out a long bow while Ben Bonner tried on some extremely heavy medieval armour. The students ended the day by getting thoroughly lost in the Horrible Histories maze, having had a very enjoyable and interesting visit.

Religious Studies in the Senior School Pupils in the Senior School have enjoyed visiting some well know religious sites in Birmingham.

Balaji Temple in Tividale U4 visited the Balaji Temple in Tividale, Oldbury as part of their learning about the religion of Hinduism. The Balaji Temple is a Hindu place of worship built in the style of the most visited Shri Venkateswara Temple in Andhrapradesh in India. It is also the largest temple of its kind in Europe and is set in approximately 30 acres of land.

The pupils learnt many interesting facts about Hinduism, including stories about the different gods they worship. The guide also told the pupils about the history of Hinduism and gave them a guided tour around the main temple and the various shrines around the temple. During the visit to the main temple they were given a demonstration by the Priest of the way Hindus worship.

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Tectonics Conference for Geography Students Geography A Level students enjoyed a fantastic day at a tectonics conference in London. Experts from UK universities spoke about recent seismic events and their impacts and gave advice on tackling examination questions.

The Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick L4 visited the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick, a Sikh place of worship, as part of their learning about this religion. They learnt that the Guru Nanak Gurdwara was the first and largest Gurdwara in Europe, opening on 31st July 1961. It is a huge building spanning a total area of approximately 70,000 square metres and inside the building there are three floors. The Gurdwara also has one of the largest congregations in the UK. During the trip the pupils learnt many interesting facts about Sikhism from the helpful guide, who also gave them a guided tour around the Gurdwara. They visited the gallery showing paintings depicting the history of Sikhism and learnt about the challenges Sikhism faced during the Guruship of Guru Tegh Bahadar and his unfortunate and gruesome ending. They visited the main worship hall and absorbed the wonderful atmosphere with readings from the Guru Granth Sahib and some of the group tasted Prashad.

Lichfield Catherdral U3 Geography and RS pupils visited Lichfield as part of a joint studies trip. RS pupils can be seen here in the cathedral trying on the Bishop's mitre.

Geography Field Trips L4 Geographers enjoyed a great day at Carding Mill Valley. River studies, orienteering and sunshine - perfect!

Geography pupils in L5 did some research in Sutton Coldfield to investigate the hypothesis that Sutton Coldfield fits the core frame CBD model.

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Junior School Review

Another amazing year! Highclare St Paul’s and Highclare Woodfield continue to exuberate with a warm, fun and nurturing ethos where every pupil feels valued.

It has filled us with a deep sense of pride and great delight to be part of the ongoing, all-round development of all the children in our care, ranging from 15 months-11years, in a holistic and supportive environment. The motivation and many talents of the children are incredible and they reward us with laughter, happiness and smiles every day. This year they have taken part in a range of challenging and valuable activities including the Wrekin Maths Challenge for the pupils in J3-J6 where pupils from both sites were up against many schools answering high level questions against the clock.

The Summer term saw the J5 pupils take part in the West Midlands Fire Challenge, with the first round taking place in school computing lessons. Pupils from both sites had impressive scores and were selected to represent Birmingham North in the regional finals. Highclare Junior Schools stole the show with both teams coming 1st and 2nd. A team from Highclare Woodfield were then placed in the Birmingham Finals on Saturday 9th July. What an achievement.

Every child from Pre-School to J6 has taken part in numerous performances this year from class assemblies to Christmas productions, Grandparents’ Afternoons, the Carol concert combined with the Senior School, music assemblies to the main Junior School show stopper productions of Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies at Highclare St Paul’s and Troy Story at Highclare Woodfield.

The self-confidence these opportunities create are easy to see on evenings such as Junior Prize Giving when our older pupils stand and address a room full of 400 parents with confidence and charisma or on an Open Day when the children show visitors their school. It is always commented on how politely the children speak to members of the public on trips and visits and how exemplary their behaviour is. All of this reflects and enhances our aim for all pupil to be achieving individual excellence throughout their educational journey at Highclare.

J6 across the school were challenged to become business people with the Young Enterprise Challenge in the Summer term. Each site celebrated their achievements which culminated in a whole day where parents were invited into school to view and buy the goods that J6 had produced. The Mayor elect for the new Sutton Coldfield Town Council, Charlotte Hodivala, was our honoured guest for the day on both sites.

We raised a staggering amount of money, over £1500. Without the

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children’s determination and desire to succeed these days would not have taken place. J6 were, quiet rightly, extremely proud of themselves.

House competitions such as quizzes, debates in all areas of sport mean that every child has the opportunity to represent their house and feel part of a successful team. For the older junior children there is also the opportunity to represent their school in local, regional and in some cases national events, such as in ISA triathlons and cross country festivals. Sports Days this year were an excellent example of team work, good sportsmanship and a chance for us to recognise natural talents enhanced by hard work. We are proud of all our pupils in Highclare Junior Schools who always strive to give of their best.

When the academic year first began back in September 2015, the children in Pre-School seemed somewhat bemused to be out in wellies and waterproofs exploring the elements and their local environment.

Now our Pre-School pupils enjoy the outside learning areas that Highclare Junior Schools have to offer - from building dens to learning about Handa’s Hut and the surprises in our gardens. The pupils and staff have all enjoyed exploring the outdoor areas and we hope to develop this area further in the near future.

We have also been busy updating our facilities on both sites. Our new, revamped ICT suites are looking fantastic and the buzz that is created now in computing lessons is infectious. The Nursery at Highclare Woodfield has also had a makeover as had the dining hall at Highclare St Paul’s. Both look much sleeker, cleaner and more in keeping with what we want to achieve, going forward, within our Junior Schools.

Our teachers have continued to encourage and inspire our pupils and given them a deep-rooted love of learning and a developing willingness to become independent learners. The ‘Take Charge’ initiative has been embedded in the minds of all our pupils and thus enabled them to forge ahead and take further ownership of their learning. We have no doubt that we have succeeded in offering our children the skills and opportunities to have a positive view of themselves, developing positive self-esteem, encouraging them to aim for success and be determined to try their best to achieve the best that they could ever be. Without our teachers drive, dedication and enthusiasm, Highclare Junior Schools would not be able to continue to grow and flourish as it does each year.

Mrs P Bennett, Head of Highclare Junior Schools Mrs Booker - Site Head: Highclare St Paul’s Mrs Morgan - Site Head: Highclare Woodfield

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J1 really enjoyed their taste investigation as part of a topic on Senses.

They tasted different foods and discussed their thoughts on the texture and flavour. Some things were sweet, salty, sour, bitter, spicy, hot and cold, hard and soft.

J2 visited Whittington barracks as part of their topic on War and Remembrance. They learned what it was like to live in the trenches and the pupils tried on some of the old comrade uniforms.

In September the Juniors set off on their annual Survival Day adventures. J3, J4 and J5 arrived at Beaudesert and Cannock Chase ready to scale the high wall, climb the monkey trees and balance on the stacking crates.

J3 returned from their summer holidays full of excitement about joining the Junior Department and sharing where they had travelled with their friends.

They all enjoyed celebrating Harvest and the children in J3P gave an unforgettable performance of Little Red Hen which delighted their parents.

In October J3R went "bonkers for conkers" when they performed their wonderful Harvest Assembly to parents. In front of a beautiful display of donated produce, they sang songs, recited poems such as When Daddy Carved the Turkey and presented many interesting facts about harvest traditions all over the world. All of the donations were taken to the Erdington Trussell Trust Food Bank to be distributed to those in need.

After half term, J3R were shocked to discover they had had a mysterious visitor to their classroom while they were away! After investigations and many theories, they concluded there may have been a visiting alien who popped in to look at their Big Write books. J3 knew that anyone travelling all that way would get very bored on the journey, so they decided to invent a machine to entertain the alien children across the universe.

The best feature was a robotic arm that would play card games or rock, paper, scissors with the machine’s users.

This started the space-themed writing for the Spring term. The children wrote explanations of spacesuits, descriptions of kooky alien creatures and made leaflets advertising holidays in space! (Elon Musk eat your heart out!)

In May J3R had an exciting time at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, exploring the Science Garden, All About Me, the planetarium and the robot section. The children had a fabulous time, showing much enthusiasm. They especially liked the planetarium, where they learned about stars, the moon, constellations and a variety of different planets. The children were also fascinated by the different antique artefacts used long ago, some of which were inventions of James Watt.

J4 enjoyed a visit to Cadbury World as part of their PSCHE topic on Fairtrade. They took part in a Fairtrade themed workshop, before enjoying a tour of the factory and sampling some of Cadbury’s famous Fairtrade chocolate. It was very interesting visit and the children learnt about the history of Cadbury and the journey of a cocoa bean from plant to chocolate bar.

As part of their design and technology topic the children in J4 investigated and evaluated biscuits available to buy in the shops. Once they were connoisseurs of the crunchy snacks, they had the opportunity to design their own unique biscuit. Favourite ingredients included chocolate chips, Maltesers and cocoa powder. The children enjoyed a wonderful and messy afternoon making, baking and decorating their biscuits.

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J4 thoroughly enjoyed their history topic about Roman Britain.

They had an amazing day out at the Lunt Roman Fort in Coventry where they were trained to be Roman soldiers. The children enjoyed sharing their experiences and knowledge of this period in history in a class assembly, which they performed to parents in June.

J5 started the year by focusing their activities around The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. They made their own iron men and created newspaper reports about the events in the book. Later on in the term, they explored their creative sides through making and drawing their own still life arrangement in their art lessons and designing and making instruments in design technology.

At the end of the Spring term, they enjoyed a trip to Sarehole Mill. This was a super end to their history topic Stone Age to Iron Age as they became archaeologists for the morning, looking for clues in ancient woodland. During the afternoon, they explored the mill and learnt how to grind wheat to make flour, which they then used to bake their own bread once they were back at school.

During the Summer term, the children enjoyed reading the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in their English lessons. They created their own book of knights’ tales and, in art, designed and made a tapestry depicting events from the story. They finished the year with an exciting trip to West Midlands Safari Park with J6P. J5R Design and Technology topics included sewing and making bread. The children learned about mixing and kneading the dough, proving and knocking back the dough and finally the delicious smell of freshly baked bread filled the Junior house.

In June J5, spent a day at one of their favourite places, Stratford upon Avon. During the morning the children participated in a drama workshop called “The Play’s The Thing” at the Shakespeare Centre. They worked with four professional actors and learnt about the narrative structure of a play and the unfamiliar Shakespearean vocabulary. They then performed the play collectively alongside the professional actors.

J5’s enthusiasm for drama and their excellent acting skills certainly shone through and the actors themselves were really impressed by the children’s performances. At the end of the morning the children performed The Charge of the Light Brigade for the actors, who were amazed and thrilled with J5’s interpretation of the poem.

After lunch, and thankfully after the rain had ceased, the class walked through the town to the river, where they boarded a river cruiser. They enjoyed a peaceful trip up the river and were amazed by the number of swans. They were also lucky enough to see a heron on the riverbank.

A thoroughly enjoyable day was had by all.

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In September J6 embarked upon the challenging activities at Woodlands Activity Centre, near Aldridge, the highlights here being the rather muddy assault course and the 110 metre long zip wire above the lake. Both of these fun and rewarding days are a wonderful experience which the children thoroughly enjoy every year as they settle into their new classes.

In February, as part of their English unit on journalistic writing, J6R designed their own piece of fashion. They had to write a critique on their item and display it on the catwalk. The children all enjoyed the opportunity to be budding fashion designers.

In March J6R joined J6P for a visit to the Staffordshire Regiment Museum at Whittington. They took part in a variety of workshops regarding life during the war, including rationing, the Blitz and uniform. They also experienced life in the trenches, with recorded sound effects to make it more realistic.

In the Summer term, the pupils in J6R designed and built their own shelters in Design and Technology lessons. They had to select the appropriate materials to ensure their shelter was both waterproof and strong enough to withstand a 1kg weight on it. The children made some wonderful constructions during this topic.

Junior School Prize Giving A very special evening was enjoyed by parents of our Junior pupils when we held Junior School Prize Giving at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall. Pupils from each year group were awarded a Form Prize and a Progress Prize, while every pupil was commended for their achievements during the year. There were some lovely musical performances from all the children and special performances by the Junior Choir and the Violin and Guitar Ensemble.

Mr Gwilym Price, a former National Sports Director for ISA Sport, was the guest speaker and he particularly praised the pupils for their focus and determination.

In July, J6 had a fun and exciting day at West Midlands Safari Park. The highlight of the tour around the animal park was seeing the new baby rhinoceros. It was a lovely warm, sunny day and the afternoon was spent in the adventure park experiencing the roller coasters and other rides. A Lovely way to end their time in the Junior Schools.

A great end to a very successful year for both our Junior Schools.

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Early Years at Highclare School

As part of their Understanding of the World area of learning, Pre-School 1 children were introduced to Handa, a character created by the author and illustrator, Eileen Browne.

After studying A Surprise for Handa, the children helped to create a hut just like Handa’s. The children were encouraged to use PVA glue to collage a 2dimensional house so they could practise handling and manipulating the

fresh, hygienic hay, which smelt ‘sweet’ and ‘like fresh air’, as noted by a small group of children. Later in the week the children were able to work in the outdoor classroom, where they helped their teacher create a 3-dimensional hut from recycled materials. This wonderful, life size creation was used in role play activities which everyone enjoyed. Unfortunately, due to changes in the British weather, the hut only lasted 5 days but was a very enjoyable activity in our fabulous outdoor environment!.

Pre-School pupils at Highclare St Paul’s enjoyed learning through ‘hands-on’ creative experiences.

They had a music workshop and performed for their parents.

Children in Pre-School at Highclare Woodfield enjoyed an insect and mini beast hunt. Using a picture sheet the children explored around the garden area searching for insects. One child suggested, “We should use the magnifying glasses to help us to find them as they are tiny.”

Reception class from Highclare St Paul’s enjoyed a trip to The Butterfly Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon. They had been working on a Minibeasts topic and were able to see lots of insects and other small creatures during their visit. The pupils were told about the insects’ life cycle, habitats and camouflage. Some of the children held stick insects and millipedes and saw some amazing ants working very hard. The trip was made complete by a picnic in the sunshine before returning to school.

The children also designed a fantasy minibeast. Their bodies were made from balloons covered in papier mâché and while the balloons were drying, the children concentrated on their designs which were sketched in their minibeast design booklet.

Reception at Highclare Woodfield have enjoyed lots of activities about The Gingerbread Man. They listened to the story and then baked their own gingerbread biscuits.

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TOPS Wrap Around After School Care and Holiday Scheme To enhance the pupils’ enjoyment of the extended school day, various multicultural and play-based activities are provided by the staff to create a relaxed yet stimulating environment for holistic development. Children enjoy a variety of seasonal activities during the school holidays.

A trip to Twycross Zoo in the summer holidays.

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Creative Writing Each year the English department organises a short story competition.

Students in U4, L5 and U5 had to create a story in response to one of their GCSE poems, The Charge of The Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson, exploring the theme of conflict. This year’s winner was Remahn Beckford-Gardner.

Students in U3 and L4 had to create a narrative based on a digitally enhanced image of the school staircase and this year’s winner in U4 was Abbie Phelps.

Key Stage 3 Winners 1st place: Abbie Phelps 2nd place: Sam Donaghue Highly Commended Ibrahim Iqbal Safa Arif Toby Walton Lily Arthurs Scarlett Dunne Paula Alonso Enrich Aliberch Key Stage 4 Winners 1st place: Remahn Beckford-Gardner 2nd place: Urooj Ayyub 3rd place: Georgia-Leigh Robinson Highly Commended Daniel Hurst Sami Ghafoor Joe Pemberton Samara Burt Reuben Virdee-Oakley

Students had to base their story around the image of the school staircase.

Thank You Letter Competition The English department has organised a Thank You Letter competition in conjunction with Birmingham University to see who young people are most thankful towards in our society. There were some wonderful letters and it was incredibly difficult to judge as many were extremely heart-rending and moving.

Consequently, we asked the advice of an ex-teacher and lover of literature, Mrs Thow, to judge our letters from the ones we selected.

The top 5 winners received a £10 Amazon voucher. House points were awarded to our highly commended students. Top 5 School Winners in no particular order were: Toyin Ajileye U4, Luke Dowling U4, Harjot Kaur U4, Madison Wood L4, Amina Mukhtar U3.

Amina Mukhtar U3S was short-listed out of 40,000 students to attend the Thank You Letter Awards at Birmingham University on 11th May. It was an inspiring day and she heard some very moving Thank You letters. One of the main attractions was a talk delivered by Malala Yousafzai’s father. Charlotte Hill, Chief Executive of the charity Step Up To Serve, was also in attendance.

Junior English Creative Writing Competition In the Autumn Term the Head of English in Senior School organised a Creative Writing Competition for Junior pupils from all around the Sutton Coldfield area.

Pupils were asked to write a poem, a mini story or an opening to a story in around 200 words. Almost 200 entries were received and the winners were presented with certificates and prizes at a presentation evening held at the Senior School. Dr Luker, Headmaster, presented book tokens to the prize winners and a special trophy to the overall winner, Karamveer Kulair from Mayfield School. There were 9 other winners from other schools including Boldmere Junior School, Hallfield School and Abbey RC Primary School.

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Virtues essay writing Competition We offered our students the opportunity to enter a 500 word essay competition in conjunction with Birmingham University about the importance of a virtue. Jessica Bonner chose to write about the virtue of honesty and came first in the secondary school category where there were 600 entries. Her prize was an invitation for her and two guests to have lunch at the House of Lords on the 14th July.

Here is Jessica’s winning essay: Honesty, what a sacramental strong word.

Honesty can come in different forms, verbal acts, physical acts or mental acts of honesty, but they all mean the same thing when it comes down to the word honest.

Honesty is a virtue which I value vastly, this is a virtue which surprisingly many people do not have. The noun and adjective honesty refers to moral characters who know the difference between right and wrong. To me honesty means truthful through any situation and to not be afraid or scared, as no matter what the situation is your personality will flourish when you are honest. Honesty is more harmful than truth sometimes, however being truthful will help you with whichever path you go down in life, believe that being truthful and honesty shapes the person that you are.

Honesty has benefited me in the past especially towards friendships as I always want true friends in which self-deception and denial is non-existence when dealing with issues.

In the past it has made me feel better with my problems instead of just denying my troubles, I confront my troubles and identify where I have gone wrong, this will help me to be better next time. Honesty has benefited me at every stage in my life showing me that at any stage I am worthy instead of being dishonest and showing I am technically not worthy. Good things do not come from lying and cheating they come from hard-work and telling the truth.

Honesty will continue to benefit me in the future in all of the different walks of life and the different paths I take. If I am dishonest in society I am unlikely to be trustworthy and it could go as far as self- sabotaging my hopes of a promotion for example. Sometimes being dishonest can cause a negative effect on yourself.

The definition of ‘Honesty’ is “Free of deceit; truthful and sincere”. This means to be truthful and never have any intentions to be dishonest or untruthful. When we are honest we are blessed with self-respect and respect as well as trust by others. If you are honest you have the integrity to speak which is something to be proud of.

Honesty to me is a strong sophisticated powerful virtue which is associated in everyone’s life and in everyday life. I will continue to be strong and honest and not reinforce the idea of dishonesty and being fundamentally ‘not good enough’.

Honesty will never hurt anyone however being a liar will only hurt yourself.

Best wishes, JESSICA BONNER Age: 13

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Ski Trip to Wagrain, Austria We returned to Wagrain in the Sportwelt Amade region of Austria again in February for the third time with our largest group yet – 42 pupils and 6 staff.

The pupils, from L4 to U6, included all standards from beginners to advanced, and this was also true of the staff! No matter what our past experience of skiing, excellent progress was made by all. The beginners were off the nursery slope by day two, and renamed Intermediate 2 by day 4; the Advanced 2 group were already on a black run by the end of day one! We had some superb skiers with us and the instructors were very complimentary about their skills.

We all enjoyed six days of skiing in great conditions in stunning scenery. In addition the après-ski activities meant that the evenings were great fun too – swimming, a torch-lit night walk, a curling competition, and watching the professional ice hockey match in Zell am See. The last day was race day and there were some great performances on the slalom course. A special mention goes to Verity O’Shea who was the fastest down the course out of all the many school groups of different nationalities competing that day.

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The Duke of Edinburgh's Award 2015-16 It has been a very busy year for all the participants at Highclare Senior School...

Bronze Award Thirty students in the U4 have been working towards their Bronze award all year and they have participated in a wide range of activities to complete the different sections of the award. For the Physical section many students took advantage of the wide variety of sports clubs on offer at school whilst some attended clubs outside school such as tennis, football, netball, hockey, golf, swimming, horse riding and karate. The Skills section inspired some students to take up new hobbies such as photography, Spanish club or playing the ukulele. The Volunteering section is often the most difficult to complete.

Nevertheless our students found themselves working in charity shops, helping out at the donkey sanctuary, umpiring netball matches for younger children and running charity events at Good Hope Hospital. These are all activities that the young people have chosen and organised to do themselves!

Throughout the year they have been training and preparing for the expeditions. In April 2016 the Bronze groups arrived at Arete Outdoor Centre for five days of adventure. The week began with some unforgettable experiences - coasteering, sea-kayaking and orienteering in the awe-inspiring surroundings of North Wales. It was a real challenge for some students to overcome but after encouragement from their peers they all did an amazing job. The week ended with the practice expedition. The groups learnt how to read maps, use a compass, cook outside, set up tents and, most importantly, how to work together as a team.

The Bronze groups completed their qualifying expeditions on the north coast of Anglesey in September 2016. They were blessed with beautiful weather, stunning coastal scenery and a spectacular sunset from the campsite. Some groups decided to investigate features of coastal erosion, much to the delight of Mrs Cassell, whilst others chose to analyse the different roles within their group as their Expedition Aim. All the groups passed with flying colours and most of them are ready for the next challenge – the Silver award.

Silver Award Fourteen students from the L5 have been working towards the Silver award.

Many of the students continued with the activities they were completing for the Bronze level whilst being able to show further development and progress. The Volunteering section requires the young people to spend one hour a week for

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at least six months at their chosen placement. One participant was able to offer her services as a choreographer for the school performance of Grease whereas many other students were able to use their participation in the performance towards their Skills section.

The Silver groups attended a training day at Arete Outdoor Centre before embarking on their first expedition in June 2016. They were able to put many of the things they had learnt into practice as they faced the elements, as well as a few things they learnt through the experience such as pegging your tent down before it blows into the next field! The groups showed remarkable spirit as they finished their soggy practice and returned home with a renewed appreciation of being warm and dry.

The weather for the qualifying expedition in September 2016 was much more agreeable although the challenge of three days walking and two overnight camps was still a little nerve-wracking for some. The assessors were very impressed with their teamwork and the communication displayed. Both groups demonstrated great tenacity when faced with dilemmas on their expeditions and they all completed the expedition with smiles on their faces.

Gold Award Two sixth form students are currently working towards the Gold award. We wish them the best of luck in this challenge. Watch this space!

Well done to all the participants for their hard work and determination – you are a credit to yourselves and Highclare School.

Special thanks to all of the teachers who have given up their free time to supervise the expeditions: Mrs Bate, Mrs Cassell, Mrs Downes, Mr Jones, Mrs Healey, Mrs Patel, Miss Hull, Mr Parkinson and Miss Roche.

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Junior School PGL J6 had an excellent week at Boreatton Park in Shropshire for their annual PGL activity adventure holiday.

They experienced a whole host of activities such as Jacob’s ladder, canoeing, rifle shooting, disco dancing and a zip wire. The children have been a credit to the school and we enjoyed hearing all about the trip in great detail.

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Charity and Community News African Space Trust

African Space Trust started to raise funds in various ways and then sent the money across to the village for them to manage the project themselves.

Children and staff at Highclare School have chosen to raise funds for African Space Trust. This charity was founded in 2009 when a group of people visited Itete in the Ulanga District Morogoro Region, Tanzania and decided to help with the provision of medical facilities. The village school also asked for help and support in getting more text books as so many children had to share. The community knew what they wanted but needed more money to bring their plan to fruition.

The charity is still raising funds to build accommodation for doctors and medical professionals. Book stocks at the school have increased and medical supplies have been purchased as well.

They continue to support the village as best they can. We look forward to a large variety of fundraising events over the academic year which will involve children from every year group.

School Choirs Sing Carols at Christmas Highclare School junior and senior choirs entertained people shopping in Sutton Coldfield. They filled the Gracechurch Shopping Centre with the sound of Christmas carols and festive songs.

Both choirs sang a large repertoire of songs from traditional carols to jazz arrangements while raising funds for their chosen charities. Well done to the pupils and thank you to all the people who donated to this good cause.

Erdington Food Bank Another charity that we are supporting this year is the Erdington Food Bank.

Following our Harvest Festivals, pupils from all three sites delivered their donations to the Erdington Food Bank. Whilst there, they had a tour and a talk about the importance of the Food Bank and how it is set up.

Thank you to all the parents and family friends who donated items to our Harvest Festival assemblies.

IT Schools Africa We have been informed that some of the computer equipment that Highclare School donated to IT Schools Africa was sent to Chileshe Chepela Secondary School, Kasama, Zambia. The school has really benefited from the equipment; giving more children an education in IT and equipping them with the essential IT skills they need to go on to further education and to access better paid jobs.

Follow this charity on: www.itschoolsafrica.org

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Children in Malawi benefit from Highclare School uniform Just a few photos of the children in the school in Malawi that benefited from our old uniforms.

Samantha Mphongo, tells us that the children were extremely excited to receive them and will be sending a letter of thanks in due course.

There are still two more barrels of clothes awaiting transport to Malawi and as soon as funds allow they will be on their way to the children very soon.

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New Junior School Uniform for Pupils from Pre-School to J6 For September 2016 we are introducing a new style Junior School uniform for pupils from Pre-School to J6.

Although parents will have a period of up to 2 years to change to the new style we hope that pupils and parents will want to change as soon as possible.

It has been a busy year considering all the options available to us and working with our new suppliers, The John Lewis Partnership, to achieve a new design and a great quality uniform.

At our presentation day in June, the final designs were revealed and everyone agreed they were a great addition to our Junior School. Our Senior pupils modelled their uniform too which is also now supplied by The John Lewis Partnership.

The John Lewis Partnership, who have a base in their new store at Grand Central in Birmingham, will supply all our uniform to order online with a variety of options for delivery.

Highclare School Achieving Individual Excellence

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External Examination Results Summer 2016 ‘A’ Level Overall 100% pass rate at A2 11% A* – A grades 47% A* – B grades 78% A* – C grades 100% of pupils gained 3 or more passes at A2 including general studies

GCSE 100% pass rate overall 34% A* – A grades 65% A* – B grades 89% A* – C grades 93% 5 or more A* – C grades 86% 5 or more A* - C grades including English & Maths

Destination of Leavers Phoebe Allcott

Gap year

Kimran Atwal

Birmingham University

Accounting and Finance

Sarina Dhillon

Aston University

Law

Gurrajan Dhindsa

Aston University

Business and Management

Sophie Hurst

Bath Spa University

Psychology

Phoebe Johnson

Bath Spa University

Biology

Godsent Ndiulor

Oxford Brookes University

Medical Science

Amy Parkin

Hull University

Music

Lucy Pearson

Worcester University

Education Studies

Olivia Platt

Sheffield Hallam University

Physical Activity, Sport and Health

Ramanpreet Sungu

Nottingham Trent University

History

Meghan Webb

Gap year 31

Highclare School Achieving Individual Excellence

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