Brighouse High School
Easter 2017
News Bulletin
Dear Parents/Carers
As we approach the end of the spring term it is good to reflect on the achievements and highlights so far in 2017. It has been a busy term but one which traditionally is focused in the classroom as students prepare for important external examinations and end of year assessments. Despite the hard work academically, we have also managed to fit in a number of trips and visits, sporting events and charity fundraising. Comic relief day was certainly a highlight and it was refreshing to see so many students (and staff) enter in to the red nose spirit. The dodgeball game involving different staff teams, many in fancy dress was legendary. The OFSTED inspection which took place on 22nd March was an important event in the life of the school and it is pleasing to report that the whole Brighouse High team of students, staff and Governors was recognised in a positive light by the inspectors. The OFSTED report which is in the form of a letter will be published soon and I will make this available to you in the new term. I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents and carers for the support they showed during the OFSTED inspection, especially to those who managed to complete the online survey. If you were not able to do this at the time, the parent view survey is available at: www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk When we return after Easter the GCSE and A Level exams will be quickly upon us. I’m sure that Year 11, 12 and 13 students are well underway with their revision programmes, but would urge them to build on this and ensure that there is a real focus to their exam preparation work over the next few weeks. We all wish our students the very best of success. We have two important trips leaving over the Easter break. The sixth form will visit China and Year 9 and 10 football teams tour the Barcelona area of Spain. I’m sure that both visits will provide experiences of a lifetime for the students involved and look forward to hearing all about them when they return. We will publish accounts of the trips in the Summer News Bulletin. I do hope that you enjoy reading the bulletin and find it informative. If you would like to see further information included or have other feedback, please inform me via the schools email address admin@brighouse.calderdale.sch.uk. I wish you all a very enjoyable and restful Easter and look forward to the new term starting on 24th April. Liz Cresswell
More Able Strategy At Brighouse High School we believe that all students are entitled to an education that will enable them to reach their full potential. With this in mind, we have always provided our more able students with additional enrichment classes, opportunities, events and trips, that we hope will challenge them further, raise aspirations, develop specific skills or talents and ultimately help them maximise their potential. Listed below is a list of enrichment activities, clubs, projects, presentations, visits & trips that have taken place or are proposed this academic year so far. Year Group Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Post 16
All
Opportunity Visiting Author – Year 7/ Year 10 Shakespeare & Books group ‘ To enhance the literacy curriculum with tangible evidence of success’ UKMT in Maths for all in top sets Literacy Smart, Student Newsletter - Journalism – engaging the More able Team Challenge UKMT MA Information, Advice & Guidance Trip to York University Proposed May 2017 Team Challenge UKMT Shakespeare Live event – Library MA Information, Advice & Guidance Trip to York University TBC Proposed May 2017 Visiting Author – Year 7/ Year 10 Shakespeare & Books group ‘ To enhance the literacy curriculum with tangible evidence of success’ UKMT in Maths for all in top sets Holocaust event in the library for our Year 10 PP & MA students - joint project with English & History History - A level reading lists provided to MA KS4 to extend and challenge Maths – after school club - top set year 10 invited to attend and complete the work for the additional maths qualification which is worth half an AS level. Selwyn College, Cambridge – Higher Education Talk - MA & Disadvantaged MA MA Information, Advice & Guidance Trip to University of Leeds. 'Science at the 6th form' - A-level practical’s as part of a competition; purifying Aspirin. GCSE ‘Science live’ - sessions by scientists who talk about their research and by examiners who give the students tips for their GCSEs. History - A level reading lists provided to MA KS4 to extend and challenge MA students. Selwyn College, Cambridge – Higher Education Talk - MA & Disadvantaged MA High Grade Strategy – Mentoring & talks Biology and Chemistry students to an A-level science live event. Our G&T Y13 students also recently took part in the Biology and Chemistry Olympiads which are national competitions aimed at students predicted A/A* at Alevel. History – Master classes after school History and Literacy project – Huddersfield University G&T ‘to enhance literacy with a Key cross-curricular event’’ Launch of BOOK GROUPS in LMH - G &T Focus ‘to promote the enjoyment of reading throughout the school' RSC: LIVE – HAMLET- 10th November. Broadcast from the HUB ‘to enhance literacy with a Key cross-curricular event and with a link to heritage literacy’ G & T Christmas Classic reading CHALLENGE in the LMH ‘to promote the enjoyment of reading throughout the school and link with heritage literature’ RSC: LIVE – KING LEAH. 9th FEB Broadcast from the HUB ‘to enhance literacy with a Key cross-curricular event and with a link to heritage literacy’
Selwyn College, Cambridge – High Education Talk In March, some of our more able Y10 & 11 students were visited by some students from Selwyn College, Cambridge, including previous Brighouse High student Charlotte Owens. The Cambridge students delivered an interactive presentation, providing Y10 & Y11 students with a greater insight in to the world of higher education and student life at university. Students also received advice in regards to picking their A level subjects and how to increase their chances of securing a future place at one of the top universities in the country or other universities within the country.
Information, Advice and Guidance Trip to the University of Leeds To build on the talk students received from the Cambridge University; a group of 30, year 10 students were given the opportunity to attend an Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) Conference held at the University of Leeds. Conferences are designed to support students with their future choices by providing key information and guidance on a range of topics related to higher education. This conference focussed on A-level options, student finance and choosing a university. Students attended three interactive workshops on these topics which encouraged them to think about their future options and the impact their decisions at KS4 and KS5 will have. Students also had a tour of the university and had the opportunity to speak to current university students to find out more about what university life has to offer. In one of the workshops, students were put in to small teams where they were asked to design their ‘perfect student’; taking in to consideration accommodation, financial capability, course selection and a range of societies and clubs that student might choose. Within their teams, students were asked to present their ‘perfect student’ and justify the decisions they had made. One of our groups was successful in providing the best presentation about their ‘perfect student’ and won a Monopoly board of Leeds for the school.
Ski Trip 2016, Champoluc, Italy This year the Annual Ski trip returned to the Aosta Valley, Italy. There were 41 students of all abilities, from the complete beginner to experienced mountain skiers. After a long but enjoyable journey, we arrived at the resort of Champoluc. There had been plenty of snowfall during the previous week, which allowed for some great skiing conditions.
On the first day the pupils (and staff) were placed in their ski groups and assigned an instructor. After a testing few hours, those students who were new to skiing looked like seasoned pros. In the evenings, lots of different après ski such as Pizza evening, ice cream parlour, Karaoke and quiz night, allowed the students to unwind and talk about their day. Stories of slips, slides, falls and wipe outs kept everyone amused. On the last day, we had a presentation evening where students were given their graded certificates to show how well they had progressed over the week. Some students loved it so much; they have even booked their place for the next ski trip to a resort just down the valley in 2018. Dan McGee Ski Trip Organiser
Google Expedition Visit On 28th of February Liane from Google come in to the school to show staff and students Google Expeditions. Google Expeditions is a virtual reality app built for the classroom. Each Expedition is comprised of descriptions and points of interests for the teacher, which makes it easy to incorporate into the curriculum. Using a tablet, teachers can guide their students using virtual reality viewers called Google Cardboard. Google has worked with teachers and content partners from around the world to create more than 200 engaging journeys - making it easy to immerse students in entirely new experiences. Google Expeditions enable teachers to bring students on virtual trips to places like museums, underwater, and outer space. Expeditions are collections of linked virtual reality (VR) content and supporting materials that can be used alongside existing curriculum. These trips are collections of virtual reality panoramas — 360° panoramas and 3D images — annotated with details, points of interest, and questions that make them easy to integrate into curriculum already used in schools.
Matt Sharp, said: “It has linked with a range of subjects- including science and history and, of course, computing “It has been a really exciting opportunity to engage the children with their learning and help them to see things they otherwise might not be able to. “Whilst we have a broad range of enrichment opportunities- a school trip to the Great Barrier Reef isn’t quite within our budget.” Pupils at Brighouse High enjoyed the experience. One pupil said: “I thought it was breathtaking and spectacular,” Another said: “I enjoyed the virtual experience because I travelled to places I never thought I could go to.” A third pupil said: “It was a privilege to learn through virtual reality.”
Willkommen in Brighouse! German Exchange 2017 During the first week of March, we were very pleased to host our German School Exchange partners who had made the journey from Adolf-Reichwein-Gesamtschule in Lüdenscheid, Germany. This is the fourth year of the Exchange, which is open to Years 10 and 11, and it is proving increasingly popular with all students involved. Our students had spent a very enjoyable week in Germany in September 2016, so this was our opportunity to reciprocate with typical Yorkshire hospitality. Students meeting with the Mayor of Calderdale at Halifax Town Hall.
During their stay, our guests were treated to a full programme of activities and trips, including a day in Liverpool (incorporating a visit to Anfield Stadium, the home of Liverpool Football Club), a visit to Shibden Hall in Halifax, a guided tour of Saltaire, followed by the obligatory ‘Tea and Cakes’ . They also spent some time in school with their English partner, sampling lessons and the delights of the school dining room, all of which our guests very much enjoyed. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the families who participated in the Exchange this year, without whose help and continued support we would not be able to offer this truly memorable experience. Thanks also to all staff involved in making the Exchange such a success. We are looking forward to launching our fifth German Exchange later in the Summer Term, which will further strengthen our cultural links with our European partners and give our students an opportunity to become involved in an enjoyable, unique and thoroughly worthwhile event. Mr. Shingler (Head of Modern Foreign Languages)
UKMT Team Challenge March 2017 A team of four went to represent Brighouse High School at the above event at Bradford Grammar School. Two pupils who went last year as year 8s returned as yr 9s so they could support the yr 8 students this year. There were 30 teams in total from across the area and all had a fantastic day. The teachers especially enjoy seeing pupils enjoy mathematics and have a go. Some pupils get so involved that they forget to sit down as they are working so hard. Time is so important so, some of the pupils, inhibitions vanish as everyone is focused on getting as much done as possible to score the best marks. We did well but were sadly not in the top three. The host team, usually in the top three, came first this year but a good day had by all. Literacy Media Hub We focused on National Shakespeare week in the LMH by exploring the works of Shakespeare on film and the animated tales. Students were invited into the LMH to read plays, colour for mindfulness and to watch films during lunch hour. The celebration culminated with a LIVE broadcast of the highly technical version of, 'The Tempest' from the RSC. Year 7 and Year 8 pupils were invited to watch and participate with students from all over the United Kingdom.
SLIPPING INTO SLIPPERS IN THE LMH Book lovers were celebrating their favourite books, audio books and magazines once again as the World Book Day celebration was back and marked its 20th anniversary. The annual celebration of authors, illustrators and reading is marked in more than 100 countries around the world. At Brighouse High School in the LMH Year 7, ‘Slipped into slippers’ and relaxed in the comfortable yet stimulating environment of the LMH. All students took part in a Reading Work-out and read a variety of material from our new subscriptions and our excellent selection of audio books. It was an excellent day and a great way to launch some of our school reading groups and the prestigious Carnegie book awards which we will be shadowing. Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures. Well done to all the students who took part!
School Council Our year 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Year Council have been meeting regularly throughout the year to feedback their ideas and suggestions to make Brighouse High School even better from a student perspective. Several members from each year group then feedback these ideas and suggestions to the ‘Whole School Council’. Since completing their training in October, students have met regularly as a ‘Whole School Council’; the Head boy and Head girl; supported by other Y11 students have taken lead in the meetings, with Head Girl chairing the meetings and Head boy taking the minutes. Within the ‘Whole school Council’ meetings, students decided on 4 main topic area’s they would like to work on and improve within the school. Members of the council then assigned themselves to the relevant sub-groups depending on the topic they would like to work on. Students volunteered or nominated a chair and vice-chair to lead their sub-group meetings. Once the 4 sub-groups where created, students planned a presentation to deliver to the senior management team and Governors. The topics students have focussed on this year so far are: Mental Health –focussing on raising awareness; handling depression and incorrect self-diagnosis; self-harm; different types of mental health; how to deal with it or help others; home life; and sleep. Bullying – Focussing on LGBTQ+ (but also including sexism, racism, cyberbullying) Life Skills – Students are working closely with our leader of Learning 4 Life in terms of developing and improving resources for Sex Education, First Aid and Sanitary usage. Y6/7 Transition – Making transition less scary for Y6 in to Y7 (especially those from non-feeder schools) students are currently developing a film to introduce Y6 students to a typical day at Brighouse High School.
Red Nose Day This year’s Red Nose Day was on Friday 24th March 2017. Schools and workplaces up and down the country raised money for Red Nose Day, to benefit those in need both in the UK and around the world. To raise money for Red Nose Day we held a non-uniform day and lots of students went above and beyond in order to organise and run numerous other fund raising events around school during break and lunchtimes to help raise some extra money for a worthy charity. Well done and thank you to everyone that contributed in some way or another. What Science Show Bun Sale Busking Face Paints Cartoon & Caricatures Mother’s Day Cards Mother’s Day Chocolate Stall Food Stalls Penalty Shoot Out Bun Sale
WHO Max Bingham, Tom Sigden, Conner Moffat 10E Amy Fuller (Ukelele) Lauren Berry (Singing) 7R, 7I & 8I Max & Sam Webb Y11 Arty Students + Ruby Liversage, Ellie Barraclough & Katie Wood. Niamh Collins Alicia Dyson 11R 11R
Eleanor Heap, Scarlett Smithson, Isabelle Annetts, Ella Kantola-Smith, Chloe Carter 11U Tuck Shop 11U STAFF DODGEBALL!!! Jonathon Barrett & Annie Stone, Jacob Murphy & Samraj Chatha Department Wars!!!
All of these events contributed to us raising a fantastic: £1663.56!!!!
Physical Education As with the previous term, the Physical Education department at Brighouse High School has been a hive of activity with an incredible amount of sporting action taking place since our return from the Christmas break. Students were welcomed back in January with the second of our Brighouse Run of the year, an opportunity for all students from Y7Y11 to compete for the prestigious endurance race title. Rebecca Udall of Year 10 recorded the fastest time for the girls with Jay Benn and Callum McCann, both of Year 11, claiming the joint fastest time on the boy’s side. The top 10 runners for January 2017 are detailed below; Girls: 1st – Rebecca Udall (Y10 – 6:54) 2nd Rachel Hobson (Y8 – 7:10) 3rd Billie Lambert (Y9 – 7:27) 3rd Lizzie Hepworth (Y9 – 7:27) 4th Alice Wilson (Y11 – 7:29) 5th Billie-Jo Wood (Y7 – 7:30) 6th Rose Sugden (Y8 – 7:34) 7th Eleanor Rees (Y9 – 7:36) 8th Macie Kaye (Y8 – 7:39) 9th Olivia Webb (Y8 – 7:40) 9th Hattie Nicols (Y8 – 7:40) 10th Jamie Preston (Y10 – 7:50)
Boys: 1st Jay Benn (Y11 – 5:54) 1st Callum McCann (Y11 – 5:54) 2nd Reece Barraclough (Y10 – 5:56) 3rd Josh Greenwood (Y11 – 5:57) 4th Ben Dyson (Y11 – 6:01) 5th Matthew Tyrrell (Y10 – 6:03) 6th Tom Wright (Y11 – 6:05) 7th Jake Kelly (Y10 – 6:07) 8th Edward Tordoff (Y11 – 6:09) 9th Ben Beverley (Y10 – 6:10) 10th Matthew Denman (Y10 – 6:11)
As a result of such fantastic Brighouse Run times, we were able to select an extremely strong Cross-Country team who competed fantastically well at the Calderdale Championships with 12 of our athletes qualifying to represent Calderdale at the West Yorkshire Championships based at the Grammar School at Leeds. Further success at this round saw Ned Hughes selected for the National Schoolboys Cross-Country event where he recorded a phenomenal performance of 95th out of the best 157 cross-county athletes from around the UK.
The curriculum within PE has seen the newly introduced block of inter-form included for 2016/17 which began with a bang after the February half-term. Students got the opportunity to compete as a form group within a wide range of activities, from the traditional sports of football and netball to the more adventurous such as kabaddi and floor routine gymnastics.
The idea of this block is to promote key life skills and values amongst our students in the hope of developing their team-work, resilience and independence, all in pursuit of being the first form group to life the inaugural Brighouse Inter-Form Cup. As ever, our Sports Personality of the Month continues to roll on throughout the year, rewarding those who have shown outstanding commitment to Physical Education and School Sport and our SPOTM wall is really beginning to take shape now. This award is given to one boy and one girl per month based on nominations from members of the PE department, with the winners of the award automatically receiving a nomination for one of our most prestigious awards which is presented at our Annual Sports Ball; Sports Personality of the Year. December SPOTM Matha Brook & Ethan Lumb
January SPOTM Rebecca Udall & Ned Hughes
February SPOTM Lizzy Hepworth & Lennon O’Grady
This term has also seen a number of enrichment events taking place within the PE curriculum. We have made an extremely strong link with the armed forces and had the pleasure of the Royal Marines coming in to put our Y10 GCSE PE students through their paces whilst at the same time giving them an insight in to life as a Royal Marine‌..we had many sore bodies the following day!!!
Our Sports Leadership programme is also flourishing and the 30+ Year 10 students who are accessing the programme are really beginning to progress and develop their skills. After working closely with our School Games Organiser, our Sports Leaders were invited to provide the student leadership at the Calderdale Primary School Sportshall Athletics festival and reaped huge praise from staff and organisers for the way in which they led and delivered the days proceedings to over 150 primary school children. Our Year 11GCSE PE group recently completed their Trekking expedition over in the Lake District which was a phenomenal success. Over the 2 days, students had to demonstrate their ability to erect a tent, cook hot meals throughout their expedition and orientate themselves across Malham Tarn and Pen-Y-Ghent using only a map and compass. Although a tiring and difficult challenge, all the students performed superbly well and it is hoped that that this will contribute well to students attaining a good grade in the summer.
Our extra-curricular programme continues to be a major strength of the department and since January we have observed some major sporting success in all different avenues. Rugby continues to be a hugely successful avenue for the school with both the U15 boys and girls doing exceptionally well. As it stands, the U15 boys squad have reached the Quarter Finals of the National Rugby League Champions Cup having beaten sides from across West Yorkshire and most recently St Helens to reach the last 8. They have also made the semi-finals of the Calderdale Cup where they will face Ryburn for a place in the final. The U15 girls Rugby Union squad are not letting the boys have all the limelight and are putting themselves forward for Team of the Year after stunning success at the Yorkshire Finals. Having qualified from their local heats having remained unbeaten throughout the season, the girls travelled to York RUFC to play against the winners from across Yorkshire and they did not disappoint, maintaining their unbeaten record and lifting the trophy after beating King Edwards 30-10 crowning them as the best U15 schoolgirls rugby union side in Yorkshire.
As a result of our girls success, a number of our players have been recognised on a county and regional scale gaining honours for both Yorkshire RFU and North of England. Lucy Coldwell, Lily Culf, Elissa Neill and Rebecca Udall all earned these honours and are currently in the North of England programme working hard to impress the national selectors for the chance to pull on the red rose of England‌.we are incredibly proud and wish them all the success in the world!
Beyond the rugby field, our badminton programme has also witnessed great success this year. Having both qualified as winners from the Calderdale Tournament, our Key Stage 3 boys and girls team went on to represent the area at the West Yorkshire finals. A really competitive championship saw us compete against mainly traditionally strong impendent schools but both teams were fantastic on court, with the girls walking away as bronze medal winners and the boys as silver medal winners.
As a direct result of winning the West Yorkshire Panathlon competition back in December, Brighouse and Brooksbank joined forces once again to represent Calderdale in the Yorkshire finals of this competition. A team of 6 students from BHS travelled to York Energise Leisure Centre on the 29th March to competite against Wakefield, South Yorkshire & York and Selby. The day included events such as New age kurling, Boccia, Table Cricket, Polybat, standing long jump, seated target throw and relay race events.
Our students were a credit to the school and to themselves, battling hard and participating with the utmost respect for their competitors. After all events/activities the results were announced with Calderdale (Brighouse & Brooksbank) crowned as Champions meaning that we qualify for the National finals later in the year!!!
As always, our netball programme has progressed from strength to strength and this term has seen the turn on the lower school teams to shine. Brighouse hosted the Year 7 & Year 8 Calderdale Netball tournaments and home advantage must be paying off as both squads remained unbeaten throughout the duration of their respective festivals to claim the winners medals on both occasions.
The Year 7 squad in particular are currently unbeaten in the 18 games for both the league and tournament. As a result of their winner in the Calderdale Tournament they qualified to represent the area at the West Yorkshire Youth Games on Saturday 25th March at Leeds Met University were they finished 4th overall, having played against some high class teams such as Leeds grammar school and Huddersfield grammar school. As the Summer season draws ever closer as does the culmination of some of our indoor events, such as the Sportshall Athletics and Indoor Cricket league, Brighouse High having representation in both events. The Sportshall Athletics competition was a warm-up to what promises to be a fantastic year of outdoor athletics and our boys and girls Y7 & Y8 teams competed against the best school teams from across Calderdale, with our Year 7 boys walking away with Bronze medals.
The U13 indoor cricket season has been a great success and cricket is going to be a mainstay sport in the summer months with both the U13’s and U15’s being entered in to hardball cup competitions this year. If the U13’s indoor season is anything to go by it should be a good summer as the boys made it to the final only to be narrowly beaten by a couple of runs.
This Easter also sees our yearly oversees sports tour depart, this time taking in the wonderful sights and experiences Valencia has to offer. As part of the trip, our Year 9 and Year 10 football squads will receive expert coaching from Villa Real FC coaches as well as taking part in 2 competitive fixtures against local academy sides. We wish the boys an enjoyable oversees experience and hope they come back with a great experience and 2 wins for BHS Football!!! Our students continue to shine outside of school on the sporting scene with many of them competing on local, regional and national stages gaining honours at all levels. We must take the time to thank the continued support of all our local clubs as well as the superb support we always receive from parents and carers in ensuring our students are given the best sporting opportunities available.
Please contact Mr Wainwright (Head of PE) at the school to keep the department informed of all sporting achievements and follow our PE department twitter page @BrighouseHigh to keep updated with all things happening within PE and School Sport at #TEAMBHS
Information, Advice & Guidance (IAG) at Brighouse High School Year 12 and 13 Careers Appointments Caroline Green is available to see 6th form students on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons in the 6th form Careers Office. Students can book an appointment with 6th form reception if they would like to discuss their career ideas and future plans. Year 13 Tutorial – Mrs Aiken Students have been continuing with research into apprenticeships and job opportunities. Mrs Aitken will be available in the Sixth Form library every Monday Period 3 for any Information, Advice and Guidance on a one to one basis prior to students leaving Brighouse High School. L4L Sessions In the last few weeks we have had National Careers Week, the National Apprenticeship Week and British Science Week. Students have been encouraged to get involved in local events. Year 8 Super Learning Day On the 24th January, Year 8 students were off timetable and participated in a Super Learning Day focusing on Stereotyping, Prejudice, Discrimination, Teamwork and Communication Skills. Many of the resources were provided by our Careers Business Ambassador Martin Haigh of Lattitude7. Throughout the day students were able to develop skills that employers value in the workplace. Feedback from the day has been excellent with the day filled with lots of fun activities. Students completed different activities throughout the day including a Biological Challenge, a Minefield, Jigsaws, Domino Rally, Helium Sticks and Recognition Circle. Further activities were paper based which included an ice breaker of Bingo, Jamie & Joanne, Men & Women and Learn About Me!
Work Experience 10th – 14th July 2017 All Year 12 students are in the process of organising their work experience placements for July 2017 which is a compulsory requirement of their course. Our Sixth Form students make the contact to arrange their work experience by sending in a CV and/or going through an interview process to gain a placement. The paperwork and co-ordination of the placements are then organised by Heidi Haigh, Clerical Assistant for IAG. All placements require Health & Safety checks and we work with C&K Careers in this regard. Many Year 12 students have organised their Work Experience placements already and we look forward to their feedback in due course. Any student requiring support with their Work Experience can make an appointment to see Mrs Haigh at Sixth Form reception The comments we received last year after another successful work experience week from both students and employers were overwhelmingly positive. Placements were secured in solicitors, schools, hospitals, engineers, estate agents and charity organisations to name just a few. Many students travelled to Leeds or Manchester each day and some gained a week in London. A couple of students even went abroad for their Work Experience! We are looking forward to another successful week of work experience in July. To support students with both UCAS and employment/apprenticeship applications we encourage students to work in an area that they are interested in and part of their future aspirations. All relevant documents and information relating to the work experience programme can be found on the following link on the Careers Website; http://www.brighousehighcareers.co.uk/publications/year-12/ THE CAREERS WEBSITE Students in any year group can access The Careers Website to help them with their decisions, whether going on to Further/Higher Education or an Apprenticeship. Students can browse the different job areas to see how they link into subject choices. Links to Apprenticeships, The World of Work and Latest News may have live vacancies to apply for. Higher Education/University Applicants shows the UCAS Website which enables students to research degrees at different Universities. Students can also see if they should take a specific subject to get on the course of their choice in Year 9 and Year 11. Parents are able to access the Careers website at home with their child to help them make these decisions. To access the Careers Website via the Brighouse High School Website www.brighouse.calderdale.sch.uk click on the Careers link on the top right hand side to take you to the home page shown below. The direct link is www.brighousehighcareers.co.uk
Students from all year groups are able to use the computers in the Careers Library at Finkil Street for careers work from 12.25 – 1.00pm each day. Training on how to access the information on the website is available on a Tuesday and Friday lunch time with Mrs Haigh.
York University Mooting Competition This year myself (Ben Stimpson) and Tierney Hughes took part in the first ever York university Mooting competition. A moot differs from the Mock Trial competitions that are offered by at the High School and the Sixth Form. A 'Moot' by definition is "a mock judicial proceeding set up to examine a hypothetical case as an academic exercise". A simple way of expressing this is a legal argument. As with Mock Trials, the Moot required independent work outside of the Sixth form; we were to ultimately prepare a case in which we were appealing on 2 grounds. The first submission being that the defendant within our case was to be tried under a recent statute as it took precedence. The second ground of appeal was that the jury was to be dismissed because of tampering. Our arguments were propped up by the application of laws and cases in which they had been successful in our appeal. My side of the appeal, the first ground, was accepted, however, despite the ardent efforts of Mrs Hughes,her's was not. This was something that neither of us had ever done before and was a brilliant insight into what Law in the larger world, especially what this fraction was like. We are working on the basis that the competition is to be held again next year, this time, however, we will be able to submit more than one team. The support that the organisers provided us was fanatistic. Despite the intensity and the heavy but interesting workload leading up to it, it was a phenomenal experience. The skill that the competition allows you to exercise and build up are worth that little bit extra than the win. We hope to see whoever is interested next year and possible coach/ go up against you on the day.
Minor sickness and School attendance. A guide for parents/carers Introduction Brighouse High School is proud of its student’s attendance and punctuality. Good attendance and punctuality supports good progress and achievement. Outlined below are some of the reasons why full attendance is important. Why is high attendance important to my child's education? As a parent/carer you want the best for your children. Having a good education is an important factor in opening up more opportunities in adult life. Did you know that: A child who is absent a day of school per week misses an equivalent of two years of their school life. 90% of young people with absence rates below 85% fail to achieve five or more good grades of GCSE and around one third achieve no GCSEs at all. Poor examination results limit young people’s options and poor attendance suggests to colleges and employers that these students are unreliable. Poor school attendance is also closely associated with crime a quarter of school age offenders have truanted repeatedly. At least 1 million children take at least one half day off a year without permission. 7.5 million School days are missed each year through unauthorised absence. All absence at any stage leads to gaps in your child’s learning. This in turn can: Mean that they fall behind in work. Affect their motivation. Affect their enjoyment of learning. Lead to poor behaviour. Affect their desire to attend school regularly. Affect their confidence in school. Mean they miss out on the social life of school and extra-curricular opportunities and experiences. Affect their ability to have or keep friendships. Recording your child’s attendance Schools must take an attendance register twice a day, which is a legal document that is kept for five years. Any absences will be recorded with a specific code depending on the type of absence.
Absences fall into two main categories: Authorised – those which schools can give you permission for Unauthorised – those which they will not.
Examples of absences which the school is unlikely to authorise can include: Sickness of a parent, or other family member Inadequate clothing for school Child being used as a carer Problems with transport Non-urgent medical treatment School refusal or truancy Days off for birthdays, shopping trips Family holiday since new regulations came in September 2013.
Some common rules about illness absences Minor illness If your child is unwell on a school day, always contact the school in the morning to let staff know. Longer-term absence If your child is absent from school for three or more days, or is often absent for short spells, Brighouse High School staff may ask you to present a doctor’s note to verify the reason for the absence. A letter from a parent/carer is needed when • a child has any condition requiring hospital or surgical care; • the child returns to school with a cast or stitches; • the child needs restricted PE lessons for more than three consecutive days. If your child has seen their GP or been to hospital, please follow the recommendation of the doctor on when your child can return to school. When a Parent or Sibling is Ill You should make alternate arrangements to get any well children to school. Family illness is not usually considered a good reason for school absence. Please discuss any difficulties with the school as they may be able to offer support. Punctuality Establishing good habits is important. Ensure that your child goes to bed early as lack of sleep will affect his/her ability to function in the morning, leading to lateness. Medical appointments Where possible, please arrange doctors’, dentists’, opticians’ appointments outside of school hours. If this is not possible, your child should attend school for the remainder of the day. Medication in School Your child does not need to be kept at home, just because they are taking medication. If your child needs to take prescribed medication during the school day, please talk to the school staff about this. Each school will have a policy for management and administration of medicines.
Common sense Use this when deciding whether your child needs to stay at home. Work on the basis that sick children belong at home and well children belong in class! Please remember that early morning aches often pass, so don’t keep your child at home “just in case” when he or she could be learning in class. If you are not sure, check the guidance in this leaflet. For further advice, you could talk to a member of the staff, your GP surgery or NHS 111. Your contact details Please make sure that the school has these up to date. It is important that staff can contact you during the day if your child is not well enough to stay in school. If your child needs a leave of absence you must ask for permission in advance. The Headteacher can only approve the absence if she views them to be exceptional reasons. The Headteacher also decides on the number of days to authorise or unauthorise. You can request a leave of absence form from your school. Brighouse High School will be carrying out home visits to students whose attendance is deemed as below 90%. Please be aware you may be visited by a member of staff at home to discuss your child’s attendance/ absence. Advice on “Is my child well enough to go to school?” Your child should only be kept away from school if they have an infectious illness, need care during school hours that cannot be carried out in school or are not able to cope with lessons. Many children experience common ailments from time to time. Most of these do not need a prescription, are rarely serious, do not require a visit to your doctor and do not require time away from school. Often treating your child’s illness yourself, or with advice and medicines from your pharmacist, can be the quickest and easiest way to deal with it. Brighouse High School may not agree to authorise your child’s absence for minor illnesses and you have a duty to ensure your child is not absent where this can be avoided. High temperature If your child looks or feels shivery or is unusually cold or hot, he or she may have a high temperature. There may be various reasons for this. A child with a high temperature should not be in school. However after feeling and looking better for 24 hours, a child should be able to return to school. Cold and cough A slight cold and a cough does not disable a child from attending school. However children with heavy colds or persistent coughs should stay at home. A child whose cough is disappearing and who is feeling better should return to school.
Sore Throat If your child complains of a slight sore throat and has no other symptoms they are fit to go to school. If the sore throat occurs with a raised temperature, they need to stay at home. Rashes A rash could be the first sign of one of childhood’s many illnesses, such as chicken pox or measles. The rash or spots may cover the entire body or appear in only one area. Do not send a child to school with an unexplained rash or skin eruption until you have contacted NHS 111 or your GP surgery for advice. Minor aches and pains A child with persistent toothache should see a dentist without delay and one with earache should see a doctor without delay. A child whose only complaint is a minor headache does not usually need to be kept at home. Vomiting and diarrhoea If vomiting occurs, your child should stay at home until he or she can keep food down. A child with diarrhoea should also be kept at home. If your child does not improve as you expect, contact NHS 111 or your GP surgery for advice. NHS advice is that you should stay off school for 48 hours following vomiting. Raised Temperature (fever) If your child is shivery or feels hot, they may have a raised temperature. This may be due to a variety of reasons. If your child has a raised temperature (over 37.5˚C), they should not be in school. It is important to measure the temperature accurately with an appropriate thermometer. However your child should be able to return to school once they feel and look better. Toothache, headache or stomach ache If your child has a persistent tooth or ear ache, they need to see a dentist or doctor without delay. If the only complaint is slight headache, your child will not usually need to be kept at home. If your child complains of repeated mild stomach ache, headache or other symptoms and does not want to attend school, this could be due to your child being unhappy at school e.g. bullying or finding school work difficult. Speak to staff to discuss this and find ways of dealing with it. General information Please remember that early morning aches and pains pass, so don’t keep your child at home ‘just in case’ when they could be learning in class. When you send your child to school with minor aches or pains, tell the school staff and they will phone you if your child continues to have symptoms. If you are not sure, check the guidance in this page. For further advice you could talk to a member of school staff, your doctor or visit the links below.
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/ Emergencyandurgentcareservices/ Pages/NHS-111.aspx www.meningitis.org https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence
Family holidays/school holidays Children have 13 weeks annual holiday from school and school holiday dates are published well in advance online. As such, all parents/carers are expected to plan and take their family holidays at this time so as not to disrupt their children’s education. Education law states that parents do not have a right to take their child out of school for a holiday during term time. Only in exceptional circumstances may the Headteacher grant permission for leave; and it is the Headteacher’s decision on whether the absence is exceptional and how many days to approve. When you take your child out of school during term time for a holiday this is likely to be recorded as an unauthorised absence and can lead to a fine. School also has a policy of excluding pupils who have unauthorised absence from any term time rewards trips which take place in the academic year of the unauthorised absence. Transition and Beyond – Emotional Well-being Information Events for Parents and Carers Brighouse High school have organised a series of awareness raising meetings for Parents/Carers on Emotional Health topics. The first event on Wednesday 28th September 2016 was an information fair for new Year 7 Parents/Carers on Emotional Health & Well-being. Its aim was to raise awareness of local agencies that support young people’s emotional well-being. There were representatives from the following agencies: - Community Police Support, Barnardo’s BEAMS, Lifeline, PACE and local youth agencies. Brighouse High School Council had student representatives who outlined to parents/carers their project work on supporting other young people with their emotional needs, e.g. stress and homework. The second event on Bullying was held during Anti bullying week. The meeting was delivered by Mrs Naylor and Ms Wardle who discussed indicators of bullying, how home can support young people and where victims of bullying can get help. Ms Wardle went through all the different types of support in school and the bullying policy. Below is an outline of our policy and support mechanisms. Brighouse High school Anti – Bullying policy Three strands: Preventative • Encourage a culture of support and openness • Supportive • Communication with victim, provide support mechanisms around the victim, communication to staff e.g. seating plans, provide secure place/refuge. • Bullies – monitor behaviour closely, give support, mentor and contracts.
Corrective • Victims - use outside agencies and mentors to improve self-esteem and access to counselling agencies. • Bullies – Parents informed, punishments and targets. Recording is key to ensure no repeat offenders. Anti Bullying Support Mechanisms in School Preventative Mechanisms Tutorial programme (L4L) Assemblies SLD Theatre group productions Poster campaigns School Council Student Planners BHS Website
Supportive Mechanisms Respect box Pastoral teams + SMT Prefects Safeguarding leads Peer mentoring programmes Counsellors Mentors Group counselling Community Police Bullying Reflection Programme – For repeat offenders
The school office has accumulated a large amount of lost property without names, including several winter jackets. If your child has lost any items please ask them to check with the school office. Any items not collected by 13th January 2017 will be recycled. Mobile Phone Policy – REMINDER From January some of the rules around mobile phones are being re-established. Students are permitted to bring phones to school but they must be switched off and kept in bags or lockers unless teachers specifically ask their class to use a mobile phone for learning purposes. Anyone seen with a phone out during the school day will have it confiscated and held in the school office until the end of the day. If it is a second offence parents must then collect the device. If your child needs to contact you for any reason they will be able to do so at the school office or with permission from a member of staff. The policy is being re-established in an attempt to reduce the number of mobile phone technology and social media related incidents and to emphasise that during the school day we expect pupils to focus on academic work, extracurricular work and face to face social interaction. Many schools locally and nationally are adapting similar policies successfully and we look forward to the co-operate of pupils and their families in this matter. Please note that if you allow your son or daughter to bring a mobile phone to school, this is at your own risk and any loss or theft of the device would not be covered by the school policy. Thank you in anticipation of you support with implementing this policy and ensuring all students have the right learning environment.
UNIFORM REMINDER We regard school uniform as an important element in maintaining standards and hope that parents will support us in this. Sensible attire and hair styles sum up our approach. The school colours are navy and light blue and most items can be easily obtained locally. Ties can also be bought through the school. The following uniform applies on the journey to and from school as well as within. Boys Dark grey trousers (School type, not cord, denim or cotton)
Pale blue shirt – worn tucked in to trousers and sleeves rolled down
School tie (clip-on tie for Years 7-9). Tie knots should be fully visible and clip on ties should be attached at the top
Navy Brighouse High school sweatshirt
Standard length plain dark socks
Plain black leather or leather-looking shoes (No trainers / boots / pumps) No logo, writing and must be all black. Canvas, suede or fabric, Vans and Converse style footwear are not appropriate
Girls Navy A-line or pleated skirt with a length to the top of the knee.
Navy trousers (school type, not cord, denim, cotton and no leggings)
Pale blue shirt – worn tucked in to trousers and sleeves rolled down
School tie (clip-on tie for Years 7-9). Tie knots should be fully visible and clip on ties should be attached at the top
Navy Brighouse High school sweatshirt
Standard length Plain dark socks or navy or black tights
Plain low heeled black leather or leather-looking shoes (No trainers / boots / pumps) No logo, writing and must be all black. High heeled or backless shoes, boots, canvas, suede or fabric, Vans and Converse style footwear are not appropriate
Notes The minimum length of skirt Frank Harrison’s will provide to our students is a minimum of 18 inch to ensure the length of the skirt reaches the top of the knee. For some younger or petite students the suppliers may order a shorter length.
All outdoor clothing must be removed on entering school and is at risk of being confiscated if worn in class or corridors.
Articles of clothing made from denim are not regarded as appropriate for wear to and from school nor inside the school.
Minimal jewellery; a watch, one small stud in each ear for boys and girls. (no stretchers, spikes or tunnel type earrings). No bracelets and bands. No other form of body piercing is allowed. All jewellery must be removed for PE/Games.
Hair should not be extreme in terms of style, cut or colour
If you are in any doubt about any of the information above, please contact the school before making your purchases
Are you wearing the correct school uniform? BOYS Hair should not be extreme in terms of style, cut or colour
Pale blue shirt – worn tucked in to trousers and sleeves rolled down
Navy Brighouse High school sweatshirt
Minimal jewellery; a watch, one small stud in each ear (no stretchers, spikes or tunnel type earrings). No bracelets and bands.
Plain dark socks, Standard length
Years 7, 8, 9 Clip on tie Years 10, 11 School Tie Tie knots should be fully visible and clip on ties should be attached at the top
Dark grey trousers (School type) (Not cord, denim or cotton)
Plain black leather or leather-looking shoes (No trainers / boots / pumps) No logo or writing and must be all black. Canvas, suede or fabric, Vans and Converse style footwear are not appropriate
Are you wearing the correct school uniform? GIRLS Hair should not be extreme in terms of style, cut or colour
Navy Brighouse High school sweatshirt
Navy A-line or pleated skirt with a length to the top of the knee. Navy trousers (School type and not cord, denim, cotton or leggings)
Plain dark socks (Standard length) or navy or black tights
Pale blue shirt – worn tucked in to trousers / skirt and sleeves rolled down
Years 7, 8, 9 Clip on tie Years 10, 11 School Tie Tie knots should be fully visible and clip on ties should be attached at the top
Minimal jewellery; a watch, one small stud in each ear (no stretchers, spikes or tunnel type earrings). No bracelets and bands.
Plain low heeled black leather or leather-looking shoes (No trainers / boots / pumps) No logo or writing and must be all black. Notes High heeled or backless shoes, boots, canvas, suede or fabric, Vans and Converse style footwear are not appropriate
Advertise your Business here!! For ÂŁ20.00 per year If you own a business and want to discuss advertising in this newsletter, then contact Nicola Carthew at school on 01484 404830
www.DrivetoThrive.co.uk
Professional Driving Instruction Driving lessons for beginners. Free on-line Theory / Hazard Perception Pass Plus. Refresher and development lessons available in motorway driving, parking, fuel efficient and safer driving. Driving Instructor training available for those looking for a new career opportunity Occupational road risk management available for businesses
Andrew Adams ( A.D.I. ). 0791 3900 494 : adams@drivetothrive.co.uk Please see the website for current lesson prices and special offers
*NEW YOUTH DANCE PROJECT – YOUTH DANCE ELLAND* A community dance project for young people in Elland and the surrounding areas. Focusing on health and wellbeing, participants will develop their strength, coordination, flexibility and self-esteem whilst also learning a new skill! Suitable for complete beginners. Places are limited – get in touch as soon as possible to secure your place.
7th April 2017 China Trip Departs Football Tour to Spain Depart 19th-21st April 2017 Easter Revision 24th April 2017 School Opens 1st May 2017 School Closed May Day 3rd May 2017 Super Learning Day 4th – 5th May 2017 Y10 ICT BTEC Unit 1 Exam 5th May 2017 Y7 Tracking Home 9th May 2017 Year 7 Lakes Trip Parents Evening 12th May 2017 Y9 Tracking Home 15th May 2017 Y10 short reports home 25th May 2017 Y7 Parents Evening 26th May 2017 Y13 Study Leave begins 26th May 2017 School Closes st 31 May – 2nd June Spring Bank Revision School 5th June 2017 School Opens Y7 Exam Week Y8 London Trip 5th and 6th June 8th June 2017 Y10 Geography Salford Quays 12th June 2017 Year 8 Exam Week Year 10 Geography trip to Flamborough Head
14th June 2017 Year 6 Parents Meeting Evening 19th June 2017 Year 8,9,12 Tracking Home 25th-30th June 2017 Blencathra Lakes Trip 26th June 2017 Year 10 Exam Week Year 12 Higher Education Week / Destination 27th June 2017 UCAS Parents information evening 1st July-7th 2017 French Study Visit to Normandy 4th July Year 6 Sports Day 7th July 2017 Transition day Year 12 Tracking Home 10th July 2017 Year 9 Tracking Home D of E Silver Assessed Expedition 10th-12th Year 12 Work Experience Week 14th July 2017 Summer Soiree 17th July 2017 Year 8, 9, 10 end of year trip 18th- 19th July 2017 Bronze D of E 18th 21st July 2017 Year 7, 8 and 10 tracking home School Closes