Dear Parents/Carers Welcome to the Brighouse High School Summer term news bulletin. I am sure that when you read the newsletter you will be impressed by the wide range of activities and events the school has been involved in. It is hard to believe that we have managed to achieve so much since Easter. As well as the events reported in the bulletin we also supported students in Years 11 and 13 through a long and challenging exam season. The vast majority of pupils approached the exams with maturity and resilience and worked hard so that they can look forward to some fantastic results in August. A highlight of the Summer term as always has been the Year 7 trip to the Northern Lakes; the weather was incredibly kind and the students rose to the challenges set for them in the sunshine. Ghyll scrambling and the ‘climb the mine’ were reported as the best ever activities. The Lakes trip could not run without the dedication and support of the Brighouse High staff team and Governors and also a number of other volunteers, many of whom give up their holidays to support the trip. I would like to sincerely thank them all. We welcomed our German partners from Ludenscheid earlier this term, following the cancellation of the exchange in March due to snow. They enjoyed their visit and as well as taking part in lessons in school were able to see sites such as the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Halifax Town Hall and Liverpool and the maritime museum. The timing of the trip also meant that the staff got to experience the sixth form prom; something which they very much enjoyed. We look forward to our return visit to Germany in the Autumn Term. The Duke of Edinburgh Award has featured significantly in the Summer calendar. The award goes from strength to strength and in Year 9 this year one hundred and twenty students have signed up to participate. Their Bronze expedition based around Jerusalem Farm in Luddenden took place earlier this week; students and staff returned exhausted but with a real sense of achievement. As you are aware the Governors have been ensuring an effective leadership succession plan this term. Mr Horsfield took up his post as Associate Headteacher at Easter; it has been a pleasure to work alongside him this term . The two of us will continue to work together to lead the school next year and will be joined by a new Deputy Headteacher . Mr Simon Brass joins us from Brighouse High School; we very much look forward to welcoming him to the leadership team. From September the leadership team will be Mr Horsfield and myself, Ms Wardle and Mr Brass and Assistant Headteachers Mr Bishop, Mrs Brierley, Mrs Horsfield, Mrs Lee and Mr Rule.
These events and many more bring a busy year to a close. We look forward to a restful Summer holiday and to sharing the celebrations of examination success with our Year 11 and 13 students in August. We are also making plans for another successful year commencing in September . I would like to draw your attention to the changes we have made to the school uniform for girls from September. The new pleated skirt is a much anticipated change to the uniform and will ensure that the uniform is smart and fit for purpose. I look forward to all of the pupils of Brighouse High wearing their uniform with pride. It has been pleasing to note that the ‘sense of togetherness’ identified by OFSTED in 2017 has continued throughout 2018. We really do have a fantastic team of students and staff and really benefit from the support of parents, carers and the wider community. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support and to wish you a happy and restful Summer. We return to school on Tuesday 4th September 2018. Liz Cresswell
Dear Parents/Carers It is with considerable excitement that I look forward to September 4 th and the start of what I believe will be another fantastic year for Brighouse High School. It is, of course, the first new academic year I will begin as Associate Headteacher and the year ahead promises to be a rewarding one for all. In September we will welcome over 220 new Year 7 students as well as new Y12 students into the Sixth Form College and I am proud that we are a school that continues to be full and a vibrant part of the local community. I look forward to continuing to build and strengthen those links with our community and am delighted to see many varied events already on the calendar for next year. As soon as the calendar is published I am sure your diaries will be filling up with many exciting dates; the next thrilling school production hits the stage in November, Science has an action packed Autumn term with field trips and Sixth Form Science evenings, charity work will continue to be a strength of the school with Giving Nation and Children in Need in the run up to Christmas before the German Market in school, the Carol Service and Winter Soiree get us all in the mood for festive break. I am delighted to see how many of our students and staff get involved with all of the opportunities offered in school and I am committed to ensuring that the experience of Brighouse High School is much more than an academic one. Broadening horizons and challenging expectations has to be part of developing our society of the future and we will continue to do that together. The Spring and Summer terms are no less action packed than the first with the plethora of trips and visits as well as many enrichment opportunities on a weekly basis, it is no wonder the weeks fly by and then we will once again be thinking of the summer break and looking onwards. However, it is now time to pause and reflect on a year that has brought challenges and rewards, as they all do, and take that summer break to recharge the batteries and ready ourselves for the next year at Brighouse High School. I very much look forward to sharing it with you all. Richard Horsfield
UK Junior Maths Challenge "A number of Year 7 students recently took part in the UK Junior Maths Challenge and the maths department is pleased to announce that the following students received certificates as follows:- Bronze - Sam Butterworth, Barney Lawless, Ben Newton, Alfie Pearson, Kairi Poston, Joe Pyyah, Maia Shad, Daniel Shaw, Libby Tooley - Silver -Tyler Brennan and Adam Groves -Gold - Oliver Amos" Well done everyone. S Rodgers
Bridges Not Walls Super Learning Day Following our successful Bridges Not Walls Super Learning Day, which focused on the refugee crisis, y12 were involved in working with the charity Care4Calais. Every form group compiled a rucksack full of items that a teenager in Calais might need; things like energy bars, nuts and dried fruit, t shirts, track suit bottoms, toothbrushes, and toiletries were collected. The students did a fabulous job of coordinating themselves and organising the donations. Some form groups even included letters to the refugee kids that began ‘Dear friend..’. I think we all finished the project with an increased understanding of the challenges these poor kids are facing over there, as they flee war and persecution, as well as realising that we are not powerless in the face of such tragedies; we CAN make a difference. In all, we put together 15 rucksacks which were delivered to Calais two weeks ago. Our next project is to set up a Sanctuary Group at Sixth Form; watch this space....
Year 7 Pizza Project On 28th June, the Design and Technology dept. worked with Year 7 students in order to complete a pizza project. Students were given the task of producing a range of items all related to the design and manufacture of pizza related items. First of all, students were asked to design and construct a pizza box that could be used to transport food in a safe and hygienic manner. There were some fantastic design ideas which allowed students to research what existing boxes looked like and then went on to actually produce the box by carefully cutting, gluing and adding the graphics. Students then went on to design and produce a napkin that could be included with their final products. Here, students used printing techniques to add colourful logos and designs to their napkins. Again, there were some fantastic finished products which helped students learn more about textiles techniques. In the afternoon, the Year 7 students started their actual pizzas. Despite being the hottest day of the year, everyone went on to work really hard and produce some fantastic finished pizzas. There were traditional round ones, square, triangular and even heart shaped versions. Toppings included loads of veg. in order to make these as healthy as possible! Students went on to make several pizzas each, including one which they took home in the box. Finally, everybody evaluated their work. Here, they were asked to think about how they’d worked, whether they were pleased with the final results, what others thought about their work and most important, what was the final pizza like! All the Year 7 students did a fantastic job and thoroughly enjoyed the day. The D&T staff also had a fantastic day and were very, very impressed just how well all the children did. Well done everybody! !
Italian Events These have been exciting times for my GCSE Italian class, with some fun initiatives to keep up the levels of enthusiasm. First of all came the opportunity to connect with Italian penpals from the Calabrian coastal town of Trebisacce. I matched up our Brighouse High students with their Italian counterparts, and our youngsters have now been in regular contact with them, developing their Italian skills, for a number of weeks. I hope that this initiative will lead to longer-term friendships and a life-long love of languages.
Secondly, our cross-curricular MFL-Food Technology project. The class, who were working on the topic of food, were given the task of choosing an Italian dish for which they would create a recipe (both in Italian and English) and which they would go on to cook under the guidance of Mrs Burton (food technology). The thinking behind the project was that, in addition to this being a great deal of fun, it would add extra relevance to the language being covered in class and would allow the students to embed a chunk of food vocabulary in their longer-term memory.
Our final initiative of the term was to use some transactional language in a real-life situation. The class spent time learning functional phrases relating to ordering food and drink in a restaurant. We then visited Prego Italian restaurant, where I arranged for the Italian-speaking staff to take their orders only in Italian. The students did a fantastic job and I hope this boosted their confidence in their ability to speak Italian and to make themselves understood.
Year 11 Prom Fun was had by all at the year 11 prom. Students made a spectacular entrance, arriving in all manner of vehicles, with some of the highlights including our Head Boy and Head Girl aboard a quad bike, and a gaggle of giggling girls in a vintage bus. The suits were sharp, the dresses were beautiful, and the dancing was a sight to behold. The event was a fitting celebration of five great years at Brighouse High for our lovely year 11s. Miss McGregor , Assistant Head of Year 11
Stress Less Fest Following a successful application for the Unlocking Potential programme, organised by the AQA and The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, two of our Key Stage 4 students, Jasmin and Siobhan, have been busily working away under the mentorship of professional badminton player, Jenny Wallwork, to create their "Stress Less Fest". The event involved around 40 year 7 and 8 students, with the aim of relieving daily stresses through a friendly and fun rounders tournament. The Stress Less Fest took place in the bright sunshine, with refreshments provided and the atmosphere was great. Congratulations to Team D, who were our overall winners, to Team C, who were awarded prizes for their superb team spirit, and to Jasmin and Siobhan themselves, who showed excellent leadership and organisational skills in planning the event. L Mcgregor
Performing Arts Department Music Drama Dance As we approach the end of the year it’s certainly one I can look back on and feel immensely proud of. We started off with putting on the highly successful school production ‘School of Rock’ in record time which has paved the way for putting a production on every year in the same way instead of bi annually. Not only did we do a school production but we ended the year with our long awaited music tour to Germany. We constantly strive to provide activities to cover the various interests of our students and will continue to promote active engagement of them all and it certainly looks like we’ve got another busy year with just some of our activities listed towards the end of this article. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who continues to support the Performing Arts Department. Miss R Venus. Music Primary School Tour– Wednesday 20th June Students in years 7 to 11 had another successful tour of local primary schools introducing primary students to one of the many performing arts activities on offer at Brighouse High. The event was enjoyed by all of our feeder primary schools including, St Chads, Withinfields, St Andrews and St Johns who welcomed our many talented musicians with great enthusiasm. Some of the most popular acts on offer included an excellent Michael Jackson medley and The Great Escape March. There were also fantastic individual contributions from Eve Hustler (Flute), Holly Mason (Clarinet), Rhys Wheeler (Trumpet) and Faith Palmer on (saxophone). We look forward to seeing many of the primary students in their performing arts lessons next year. Summer Soiree– Thursday 5th July On a warm summer evening students, invited guests and parents assembled at St Martins Church Brighouse for an evening of music and performance. For the first time the programme introduced the talents of the year 10 BTEC dancers who performed 3 pieces of contemporary, lyrical and tap dance styles. The rest of the evening was an eclectic mix of ensembles and solos with the appreciative atmosphere in the Church reflecting the high standard of the performers. Well done to everyone who took part.
Year 11 GCSE Drama Exam in Presenting and Performing Texts. In March the year 11 Drama cohort presented their unit 3 exam works to an external examiner with great success. The students each performed two extracts of their choice from either DNA by Dennis Kelly or Curious Incident by Simon Stephens. The audience saw the students perform over 20 extracts with confidence, charisma and chemistry; the majority of groups retold the story of a handful of teenagers trying to cover up their involvement in the unfortunate death of one of their so called ‘friends’ (DNA). And one group took on the world famous ‘Curious Incident’, a play full of physical theatre, direct address and a powerful message of inclusion and understanding. It was fantastic to see so many parents and friends at the exam to support the students; they really did raise their game and made me very proud. *Mrs Harrison Contemporary Dance Workshop Thursday 14th June 2018 On Thursday 14th June the Performing Arts department welcomed Phoebe Douthwaite to school, a NSCD graduate who worked with the year 10 BTEC dance cohort along with a selection of students from years 8 and 9 who have an interest in dance. Phoebe worked with the students all morning teaching them a total of four advanced motifs in a contemporary style. Students were expected to learn and perform the material in groups and afterwards they will re work and use the material in one of their unit 4 performances. Phoebe spoke to the students about her Dance journey, including her personal highs and lows and the reality of being a professional dancer.
The students were a credit to the school and they worked tirelessly throughout all the sessions developing not only their performance skills but technical and social skills also. One student said, “The workshop was challenging and we all learnt a lot, we also had a lot of fun interacting with people in different year groups and learning from them. The workshop was inspiring and it gave us all an insight into what we needed to do to have a future like Phoebe’s; she gave us tips on how to have a career in dance and what we need to do to get there.” Another student said, “Workshops like this are a great way for us to learn because it was fast paced and it really kept us on our toes. Meeting professional dancers is inspiring but daunting, it
makes you want to get out there and achieve something. Learning Phoebe’s routines gave us all a confidence boost and contemporary is not usually a style I enjoy but it has opened my eyes to other styles and I learnt a lot from the session.” The year 10 BTEC Dance students will be performing their final unit 4 pieces in the Summer Soiree on Thursday the 5th July 7pm. *Mrs Harrison Year 13 A Level Drama & Theatre Studies We say a fond farewell to our four fantastic A Level Drama students who completed their two year course on the 15th June. With two challenging written papers, a devised performance, 5,000 word coursework and an abridged practical performance of the play ‘Two’ for an external examiner and countless hours of hard work, revision and script work these students have been brilliant from day one.
Programme photos from ‘Two’
Images from the Devised Performance ‘HELP’
They have high hopes for the future, one pursuing a career in the Arts with an unconditional offer for Huddersfield University, another hoping to study English at Newcastle University, another hoping for Psychology at Bradford and one to still decide. I wish you luck and happiness as you stride into the world as young adults and hope you look back at your time at college with fond memories. *Mrs Harrison
Music Tour to Germany - 14th – 18th July
July saw the return of the much anticipated European Music tour. This year the destination was the Rhine Valley, Germany which did not disappoint. A very talented group of 32 students played 3 concerts during the tour, the first being at Cochen, a beautiful market town set besides the Moselle River. Audiences enjoyed a variety of performances including a medley by the wind band and a solo performance of Einaudi’s Night on the piano. There was also great enthusiasm for the other individual performances, of particular note was a stunning vocal performance from Genie Tempest with her rendition of Flames by Sia. Following a break for ice-creams the group travelled to Bad Muenster for their second concert of the day. This was a spectacular setting with a very keen audience. The band stand offered great acoustics especially for the choir performance of Make you Feel My Love and Musical Memories which involved all members of the tour. There followed an evening of sporting events lead by Mr Hornsby and assisted by Mr Rule. Many of the students excelled at Danish long ball and were able to show the locals their sporting skills while developing new friendships whilst practicing their language skills. Monday provided an opportunity for students to enjoy some sightseeing in the beautiful and very sunny city of Koblenz. The fort which was reached by a breath taking cable car ride gave panoramic views of the city and the rivers Rhine and Moselle. Students enjoyed an opportunity to explore and buy souvenirs for family and friends back home. The afternoon brought the final concert in the picturesque setting of Ruedeshieim which offered record audience numbers reaching into the hundreds, many of whom were tourists from Britain. A particular favourite with the audience was the guitar
ensembles rendition of Jonny Be Good which the audience rocked along to. The audience were thrilled with Tegan Stansfield and Katrina Munnich duet of Yours by Ella Henderson. The audience feedback was very positive. All staff involved were extremely proud not only of the talented performances from all students but also by their professional and respectful conduct throughout the tour. Staff received many positive comments from members of the public and hostel staff, they really were a credit to the school and their families. Our next music tour will be in 2020 so there’s plenty of time to start saving and the announcement of our next destination will be given out this time next year.
School Production Our bi annual production now becomes annually with our presentation of Beauty and the Beast. Auditions will be held on 29th August from 10am – 2pm although we will offer auditions in early September for those unable to attend during the holiday. Students who have shown an interest in the production have been invited to our Google Classroom where they can find auditions materials and further information. If students would like to find out more they can input the code sjjpfao.
Instrumental and Extra-Curricular Provision
Well done to all the students who have recently received their ABRSM or Trinity exam results, our music tutors have once again been very impressed with the standard and there have once again been some amazing individual results. Good luck to those taking their exams in the summer. Instrumental lessons provided by Calderdale Music Trust still prove to be popular in school and extra-curricular sessions are always well attended. Extra-curricular sessions are held during lunchtime and after school across the Performing Arts department and there are no additional costs to attend them. Students also earn RESPECT points for each session they attend and extra RESPECT points are awarded for students who perform or help out at concerts. Students may also book to use the music rooms after school for their own band rehearsals if they wish.
So, why should you learn a musical instrument? Music is all around us. It's not only an important part of the world in which we live today but also an important part of our wider cultural heritage. It is an exciting, expressive activity that allows you to develop the skills to create performances of great beauty and power. It is a good way to meet new friends through taking part in engaging, fun activities and is a skill that will stay with you throughout your life . . . . . . ever heard anyone say ‘I wish I’d learned to play…’? So, the best reason to learn to play a musical instrument is because you enjoy music! In addition, learning a musical instrument develops many skills valued both at school and in the wider world. Music develops teamwork and self-esteem, an attitude of participation and involvement, self-discipline, communication skills (music has a language all of its own and develops many skills needed when learning another language), independence and self-confidence. Musical training develops hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills and has been shown to boost literacy, special reasoning, abstract reasoning skills, creativity and general academic attainment. Careers In addition to developing many more general workplace skills, an interest in music may lead you to work in a music-related area. The music industry is one of the UK’s leading exports contributing £4.1 billion to the UK economy and employing 117,000 people in 2014 (Measuring Music, 2015). It consistently outperforms the UK economy as a whole in terms of annual growth. One in every eight albums sold worldwide is by a UK artist. Music may lead you down a range of career paths: Performer (jazz, pop, rock, classical, brass band, musical theatre) Music Educator (schools, peripatetic music teacher, workshop facilitator) Music administration (managing orchestras/rock stars etc.) Composer (classical, pop, songwriter, film/TV/video game/advertising) Music software developer Musical instrument engineering (acoustic and electronic) Sound designer Recording Engineering Record Production Retail Music (selling instruments/recorded music/sheet music) Music publishing Media (music journalism/radio and TV/advertising) Instrumental tuition is available in school for those who are considering taking up an instrument. We offer tuition in piano, guitar, voice, woodwind, brass and strings. We also currently have a few spaces available with our percussion and drum kit teacher
which is a rare opportunity within school as spaces fill quickly and generally remain full. Please visit the Calderdale Music Trust website to find out further information or call them on 01422 303060 https://www.calderdalemusictrust.org.uk/ Performing Arts Department Diary Dates 2018-19 School Production Audition dates: o 29th August 10am-2pm o Thursday 6th September after school 3.15 – 5pm o Friday 7th September 1.25 – 2pm (Call backs) Extra Rehearsal dates: o Open Evening – Thursday 4th October 6.30pm – 8.30pm o Half-term rehearsal – Sunday 28th October o Technical rehearsal - Sunday 18th November (If required) Performances: o Tuesday 20th full dress rehearsal with an afternoon performance to feeder Primary schools. o Wednesday 21stth- 23rd November 2018. Music/Drama/Dance Performance evening events: o Opening Evening – Thursday 4th October o Junior Awards – Thursday 18th October* o 6th Form Open Evening – Wednesday 28th November* o Winter Soiree – Thursday 13th December o Senior Citizens Party - Friday 14th December (during school day) o Carol Service – Monday 17th December o Senior Awards – Wednesday 19th December o Band of the Yorkshire Regiment workshop with Calderdale Music Trust – Sunday 3rd February o GCSE/Yr 12/Yr 13 Performance Exam evening – Tuesday 12th February o Evening of Dance (BTEC Performances) – Thursday 4th April o Primary Music Tour – Wednesday 19th June o Summer Soiree – Thursday 4th July *Selected performers only
Performing Arts Enrichment Timetable 2018-2019 Music and Drama rooms may also be booked for
Lunchtime
1.30 –2.05
After School
3.10 – 4.10
Monday
String Group (F16) Production Dance Rehearsal (G16) BTEC Dance Workshop (G16)
Tuesday
Guitar Ensemble (F16)
Wednesday Choir (F15)
GCSE Music Theory (F16)
(G15) until 5pm
Wind Band (F15) Production Acting until 5pm Keyboard Club (F16) Production Vocal Rehearsal
Thursday
Friday
Production Acting
Year 7 & 8 Drama Club (G15)
rehearsals, please see a member of the Performing Arts staff to do this.
Twitter To keep up with any other developments in the department, follow BrighousePerfArts on Twitter @BrighouseMusic. Here you will find: Concert and Ticketing Information Photos and live updates from concerts and rehearsals Links to local concerts
Geography Field Trips
On Friday the 15th of June, 81 Year 10 students embarked on their first out of two field trips for their GCSE Geography course. Students went to Hornsea to investigate whether hard engineering was effective at managing longshore drift along that stretch of coast. The coaches set off in the morning to Flamborough Head on the east coast of Yorkshire. The day consisted of looking at the geology of the coastline, answering questions and collecting primary data. When the students arrived at sunny Flamborough, they completed a number of tasks including field sketches. Lead by a teacher, students were also given the chance to walk on the wave-cut platform and view the arches and caves formed over the years. After staying at Flamborough for an hour, students got back on the coach south to the coastal town of Hornsea where fieldwork soon got underway. The classes separated and were allocated to an area along the stretch of the beach to measure the length of groynes and height of the sediment to see if they could prove the hypothesis. After all their hard work students then had some free time to regroup with friends and enjoy yummy fish and chips! The day successfully ended with students and teachers arriving safely back on the coaches at Brighouse High. Madisyn Pett, Year 10
Model making in Geography This year we have had some fantastic examples of models created by students of year 7 and 8. In year 7, students in Mrs Mann’s classes were set the challenge of creating a 3D model of the structure of the Earth. The students rose to the challenge and brought in some fantastic examples ranging from play doh, papier mâché and cake! Special mention to the following students whose models were amazing: 7R- Callum Sinclair, Imogen Payne, Ariana Khan ,Matilda Neill and Millie Speight. 7E- Eve Bellwood and Georgia-May Craig In year 8, students in Miss Craig’s classes were given a mini project over half term to create a coral reef to consolidate learning in the Oceans topic. Their creativity and effort was absolutely amazing. Special mention to the following students whose models were particularly incredible: 8E Michael McKee and Ruby Harris 8B Fatou Toure and Annabelle Knott , 8S Eleanor Harry
Normandy 2018 July saw 50 year 8 & 9 pupils head off to Normandy in the North West of France. The French Study Visit, which has been running since 1988, allows our pupils to improve their French language skills in real-life situations and opens their eyes to the rich history and culture of the Normandy region. The trip includes a visit to the almost 1000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry, giving students the opportunity to see for themselves an item studied in their year 7 history lessons. We also spend a good deal of time visiting sights relating to the D-Day Landings, such as the Musée du Débarquement in Arromanches and the Musée Memorial Pegasus in Ranville, Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach, along with American, British and German war cemeteries. No visit to Normandy would be complete without a trip to the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site, le Mont Saint Michel, where students spent a very sunny day exploring the ramparts and making the most of the numerous souvenir shops. Regional products also feature in the programme, with visits to the Caramels D'Isigny factory, the St Michel biscuit outlet, and the Pierre Huet Calvados distillery, giving pupils the opportunity to taste their products (of course apple juice rather than Calvados is the flavour of the day at the latter) and to understand the science behind the manufacturing processes. There were plenty of opportunities for pupils to hone their language skills through language tasks during the days out, in which the challenge to order ice creams, cakes, pancakes, waffles and drinks provided ample motivation; and leadership and teamwork skills were highlighted in the evening enterprise tasks. There was, of course, some downtime too, as the pupils played mini golf and went swimming, visited a local market and watched the EnglandColumbia match or simply played rounders or football on Gold Beach, next to which our accommodation was situated, until sunset. It was a superb week with enthusiastic, well-behaved pupils, who were a real credit to the school. Laura McGregor, Teacher of MFL and Group Leader
AQA/Dame Kelly Holmes Trust Unlocking Potential Celebration Event On Wednesday 11th July, following their hard work on the Stress Less Fest, two of our Key Stage 4 pupils, Jasmin Brook and Siobhan Skudder, attended a fantastic celebration event in London. Together with the other lucky participants in the AQA/Dame Kelly Holmes Trust's Unlocking Potential scheme, the girls were treated to a lunch and awards ceremony at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, attended by Dame Kelly Holmes herself. We all had the opportunity to meet the double Olympic gold medal winning athlete and to hear her reasons for founding the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and her thoughts on how much the athlete mentors working for the scheme have to offer the young people involved. It was a fabulous event and a fitting reward for our girls' hard work on their Stress Less Fest under the mentorship of myself and their athlete mentor, former professional badminton player Jenny Wallwork. Laura McGregor Assistant Head of Year at Key Stage 4
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Amazing AQA Westminster
Unlocking
Potential
Students
celebrate
graduation
in
Students from Brighouse High School in West Yorkshire, were at the QEII Centre in Westminster to celebrate completing the 2018 AQA Unlocking Potential programme. AQA Unlocking Potential is a mentoring programme for young people aged 14 to 19 who have faced personal challenges or disadvantages. The programme is delivered in partnership with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, whose specially trained mentors competed at world-class sporting events - including the Olympics and Paralympics and who have overcome their own significant personal challenges. Over the last eight months, Jasmin and Siobhan have been working with their amazing athlete mentor from the Dame Kelly Holmes trust, Jenny Wallwork, to help unlock hidden attributes and skills. As part of the programme Jasmin and Siobhan delivered a social action project called the Stress Less Fest with the aim of creating a fun event to ease the anxiety and stress of everyday life. They chose this because they felt that an increasing number of high school-aged children were feeling the pressure. Their teacher, Laura McGregor, who worked with them on the programme said: “The Unlocking Potential scheme has been a fantastic experience for our girls. Jenny Wallwork, with her wonderful enthusiasm, positivity and empathy has been an ideal mentor for them whilst they were working on the Stress Less Fest, and both girls have demonstrated superb presentations and organisational skills, adaptability and resilience. I feel sure that they are now more confident in their own abilities and that the experience will stand them both in good stead for the future”. Toby Salt, AQA’s Chief Executive, said: “AQA Unlocking Potential is an amazing programme and one that AQA is very pleased to be part of. Every year the young people taking part continue to amaze and impress us and it’s fantastic to see how far they have come over the last 8 months.
“Most people see us as just an exam board, but our motto is ‘realising potential’ and that goes for all young people, not just those taking our exams. “This is where AQA Unlocking Potential really is very special - to be able to help these young people to truly realise their own potential is what AQA is all about.” Dame Kelly Holmes, double gold Olympian and founder of Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, said: “AQA Unlocking Potential is not aimed at developing the potential of future sports stars, but is targeting young people facing disadvantage to help raise self-esteem, confidence and aspirations. Today is about celebrating their achievements. “Listening to the journey these young people have been on is truly inspiring and they should all be really proud of what they’ve achieved. The athlete mentors know what it takes to overcome adversity and have the will to succeed not only in sport, but in life too. “I really can’t believe that AQA Unlocking Potential is now in its seventh year; it’s a fantastic programme and every year students excel. To see more young people transformed through this life-changing programme is amazing!” “We’d also like to thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery for supporting us to reach even more young people on the 2017/18 programme” ENDS Media contacts For further information, please contact: AQA James Goode AQA PR and Media Exec 07467 442 351 jgoode@aqa.org.uk School Contact Laura McGregor Brighouse High School 01484 710408 Notes to editors About Dame Kelly Holmes Trust Dame Kelly Holmes Trust is a national charity supporting young people facing disadvantage through high-impact mentoring programmes led by world-class athletes. The Trust currently deploys athletes onto a diverse range of personal
development programmes and community projects. To find out more about AQA Unlocking Potential please visit https://www.damekellyholmestrust.org/youngpeople/unlocking-potential/.
About AQA We are an independent education charity and our purpose is to advance education by enabling students and teachers to realise their potential. AQA is the largest provider of academic qualifications taught in schools and colleges in England. We set and mark the papers for around half of all GCSEs and A-levels and our qualifications are taught in around 30 countries around the world. Born out of five leading universities, we have over a century of qualifications expertise. Today, we employ more than 1,200 people and work with around 25,000 teachers, lecturers, subject experts and academics, who help set and mark our exams. Any money we make through providing qualifications gets invested back into education. For example, our Centre for Education Research and Practice provides research evidence that helps inform education policy and raise the bar in assessment practice across the world. Through the AQA Unlocking Potential mentoring programme, we help young people who are facing challenges develop their skills and knowledge, increase their self-belief and raise their aspirations. Visit our website and find out more about us aqa.org.uk at or follow @AQA on Twitter or check out the hashtag: #AQAUnlockingPotential. About Jenny Wallwork Jenny Wallwork is a former international badminton player. Her mother played the sport for England and her father is a badminton coach. She has a number of international accolades in both the women’s events and also the mixed double event. She has won mixed doubles in the Bulgarian International (2004), the Scottish Open (2005) and the Dutch Open (2006). Jenny also won the women’s doubles at the Irish International (2005).
Willkommen in Brighouse! Brighouse High School/StARG, Lüdenscheid Exchange Visit July 2018 After the turmoil caused by the ‘Beast from the East’ in early March, which unfortunately prevented our German Exchange partners from coming over to Brighouse, it was a pleasure to welcome our guests from BHS’s partner school, Aedolf Reichwein Gesamtschule in Lüdenscheid, for their return visit in early July 2018. This is the fifth year of the Exchange, which is open to Year 10 students, and it is proving increasingly popular with all those involved. Our students had spent a very enjoyable week in Germany in September 2017, so this was our opportunity to reciprocate with typical Yorkshire hospitality. Halifax Town Hall
During their stay here, our visitors enjoyed both the generosity of their UK host families and some truly magnificent weather. They were treated to a full programme of activities and trips, including a day in Liverpool and visits to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Halifax’s historic Piece Hall and a tour of Halifax Town Hall. They also spent some time in school with their English partners, sampling lessons and working collaboratively on a photography project comparing the sights of Calderdale and those of Lüdenscheid. This produced some very pleasing and imaginative results which we hope to share in due course. 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 our sixth German Exchange during the 2018-2019 academic year, 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 experience. Mr. Shingler (Head of Modern Foreign Languages)
Brighouse High School reaches finals of The Ryman National Enterprise Challenge
Brighouse High School is delighted to announce that it reached the finals of the prestigious annual Ryman National Enterprise Challenge, the UK’s largest school’s enterprise education competition.
The Ryman National Enterprise Challenge is part of the Inspirational Learning Group, whose aim is to provide innovative and enterprising off-timetable events for schools, colleges and universities; engaging, inspiring and motivating students to be the best they can be. The Ryman National Enterprise Challenge has attracted over 450 schools and 200,000 students since its first challenge was launched back in 2013. Founders, Ben and Mike Dyer said, engaging inspiring and motivating students to be the best they can be.
The 2018 challenges were set by supporters, Ryman and KidZania -an indoor city ran by kids. Earlier in the year, we held a Super Learning Day dedicated specifically to generating ideas and competing across the year group in order to select a team to go forward to the finals. Our winning year 8 students formed a team called KidzTube whose proposal would allow young people to learn about what it takes to be a YouTuber. This would be a new activity for KidZania’s Indoor City at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush, London. The activity included a four minute presentation to a panel of judges, creating a You Tube advert and considering how many Kidzos (Kidzania’s official currency) it would cost.
KidzTube competed against over 200 schools in this year’s challenge and its students were brimming with anticipation and excitement as they joined students from 160 schools at the finals which took place on Wednesday 4th July at The International Centre, Telford. Perri Kiely and Jordan Banjo hosted the exciting finals event. The duo is best known for being part of dance group, Diversity, who shot to fame when they won Britain’s Got Talent and more recently hosting the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
On the finals day the schools came together to compete against each other, each pitching the ideas they’ve worked hard on to create. We did not make it to the final selection but everyone in the team did the school proud.
Challenge Ambassador, Theo Paphitis, entrepreneur, retail magnate and well known for his appearances on nine seasons of Dragon’s Den, said “some of the best pitches I’ve seen on The Ryman National Enterprise Challenge over the years have been even better than the ones I saw in the den!”
As well as promoting the spirit of entrepreneurialism and transferrable skills, taking part in The Ryman National Enterprise Challenge can enable schools to meet some of the Gatsby benchmarks; giving students the opportunity to meet staff from local employers such as Ryman, as well as developing key skills that are valued in the workplace and will prepare them for life in modern Britain.
A fantastic effort from all involved!
Mr Wall
Prefect Training Well done to our 96 Prefects from Year 10 who took part in prefect training at Crow Nest Golf Club this term ahead of the arrival of our Year 6 students on transition day. The students were really engaged and excited to represent the school and did a fantastic job at being guides and role models for Brighouse High School. Miss Thackray and Mr Mcgee
Brighouse High School Physical Education Department As is now BHS tradition, the term began with the first Brighouse Run of the year whereby our new intake of eager Year 7 students tested themselves against the one mile cross-country course and our established students aimed to break some PB’s and set some new school records, of which they did not disappoint. As a result of our continuing pursuit of ensuring students fitness levels are consistently measured and maintained throughout the year, we took over 45 students to compete at the Calderdale Cross-Country event and subsequently a number of our students were then selected to represent Calderdale at the West Yorkshire Cross-Country Championships. Boys Brighouse Run Record Holders for 2017/18
Girls Brighouse Run Record Holders for 2017/18
Year 7
Max Priestley – 6:37
Daisy Whelan – 7:47
Year 8
James Stead – 5:53
Billie-Jo Wood – 7:18
Year 9
Ben Kirby – 6:16
Olivia Webb – 6:25
Year 10
James Shaw – 5:46
Jess McConnell – 7:10
Year 11
Jake Kelly – 5:30
Rebecca Udall – 6:25
Year 7 Girls Record Holder Daisy Whelan pictured middle.
Year 10 Record Holder James Shaw
Year 8 Record Holder James Stead pictured middle.
We were yet again extremely excited to welcome our new intake of Year 7 students to start their BHS PE and Sport journeys with us, and what a fantastic year they have had! They have really immersed themselves in what it means to be a BHS student with regards to PE and Sport and we have had the pleasure of watching these young athletes progress and grow as the year has advanced. Ranging from our Year 7 Football and Rugby teams through to our Year 7 Netball and Rounders squads, they have all represented the school fantastically well and had the opportunity to test themselves at different levels. The Year 7 Rugby squad have tasted the most success this year when they lifted the Calderdale Rugby League plate for the schools second consecutive year, which is testament to the hard work and commitment this squad have put in transitioning from Primary School to full contact U12’s rugby. Hopefully this is the start of many good things to come with this squad and we look forward to 2018/19. One of our biggest annual events involving Year 7 is our charity Fun Run in aid of the ‘Forget Me Not’ Hospice which raises vital funds for an incredibly worthy cause. On a beautiful summer afternoon, our fields were descended on by the entirety of Year 7 dressed in a wonderful array of costumes, ranging from morph suits to Mr Palmer who brought his pet Emu along for the run. All in all, the Year 7 students of Brighouse High School managed to run a phenomenal 346 miles collectively in one hour which we hope will make the lives of those who utilise the services of the hospice just that little bit better.
Charity work has been a big focus of the department this year and Sports Relief 2018 was a fantastic week whereby we held 5 full days of fun PE and Sports based events. The week was underpinned by our Stepathon Challenge were we aimed to walk the equivalent distance from London to Paris in one week‌.an incredible 623,040 steps! The students of BHS took to the challenge superbly and all week they could be found in the gym and in lessons logging their steps in our bid to walk across the Channel. In addition, a group of Year 7 students walked from Huddersfield to Brighouse before school to add to our step tally and as Friday rolled around we had smashed our total and in fact had walked 666,834 steps which was an incredible achievement. In all the excitement of the Stepathon, it would be hard to forget that we also had some other incredible events on. This ranged from our charity Trampoline Competition, to our superb Year 11 v Staff Netball game and finished on Friday with the biggest student game of Dodgeball the school has ever witnessed. All in all, after a week of hard-work and fun, it was extremely pleasing to hear that as a department alone we had raised over a £1000 and we cannot thank the students, and especially the families and friends, that supported our events and contributed to that total.
Our Physical Education curriculum continues to grow and develop each year as we aim to give our students a broad yet balanced diet that caters for all abilities. In addition, we are always looking to give students an opportunity to experience a full breadth of sports that would normally be considered ‘non-traditional’ in the hope of fostering a love for PE and Sport whatever your interests. Throughout the academic year of 2017/18 the following Sports have been delivered in curriculum PE;
Athletics American Football Aussie Rules Football Basketball Baseball Climbing Cricket Football Free Running Gymnastics Handball Health & Fitness Kabaddi Lacrosse Mountain Biking Netball Rugby Rounders Table Tennis Tennis Volleyball
Our annual Football Tour this year departed for Lake Garda and Venice with the Year 8 and Year 9 squads enjoying a week-long trip to test themselves against Italian opposition and visits the wonderful sights the country had to offer. A superb tour included a lakeside hotel with training facilities that the boys used each day, 2 matches against our extremely hospitable Italian hosts, a visit to the theme park Gardaland, a day trip out to Venice and a stadium tour of the famous home of both AC Milan and Inter Milan the San Siro. The Tour results were as follows; U13 v Caselnuovo Sandra: Won 3-0 U15 v Caselnuovo Sandra: Won 6-1 U13 v Pescantinwa Settimo: Lost 7-1 U15 v Pescantinwa Settimo: Drew 3-3
This was the final year that football will tour on its own as from 2019 onward Brighouse High School will be running a Sports Tour for a number of sports teams to tour simultaneously, including football, netball and rugby.
Our commitment to extra-curricular sport and opportunities continues to grow from strength to strength with Brighouse High School fielding teams in a vast array of categories. We are extremely proud of the representation Brighouse High School has at all Calderdale wide-events as well as West Yorkshire qualification and National competitions. We have won a number of team/individual honours as listed below;
Year 11 Football Calderdale Cup Champions Year 11 Rugby League Calderdale Champions Year 11 Rugby League Yorkshire Cup Semi-Finalists Last 8 of the Year 11 Rugby League National Champions Cup U16 Girls West Yorkshire County Cup Champions Year 10 Girls Rugby Yorkshire County Champions Boys Rose Cup Challenge Winners – Fastest Swimming Relay in Calderdale Year 9 Football Calderdale League Runners-Up Year 9 Football Calderdale Cup Runners-Up Calderdale Key Stage 3 & Key Stage 4 Boys Badminton Champions Year 7 Super 8’s Athletics Bronze Medal winners. Panathlon Champions for 4th Consecutive Year Ned Hughes - West Yorkshire Cross-Country Championships James Stead - West Yorkshire Cross-Country Championships 8 Athletes qualifying for West Yorkshire Athletics Championships Reece Barraclough – Bradford Bulls Rugby League Academy Ewan Lewis – Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Academy Joe Porter – Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Academy Jake Kelly – Sheffield United F.C. Academy Sam Kelly – Sheffield United F.C. Academy Evan Donovan – U14 Calderdale Schools Football Josh Heavyside - U14 Calderdale Schools Football Josh Harrison - U14 Calderdale Schools Football Cormac Rozsa - U14 Calderdale Schools Football Max Hobson - U14 Calderdale Schools Football Ben Cliff – Yorkshire U15 County Cricket / India Tour Joe Pyrah – Yorkshire U12 County Cricket Toby Cliff – Calderdale Schools Cricket Michael Brook – West Yorkshire Hockey Matthew Raine – Yorkshire 50m Free Swimming Champion Ben Bottomley – Northern Swimming Championships Brody Clark - Northern Swimming Championships
Connor Moffat – England Karate Saoirse Duffin – Leeds Rhinos Netball, West Yorkshire Netball & Eng. Pathway Aliya Bacacoglu – GB Academy & International Swimming Finals Katja May – Leeds United Ladies F.C. Annabel Wright – Leeds United Ladies F.C. Tilly Morris – West Yorkshire Netball Trials Mia Lawrence and Billie Lambert – National Dance Champions Ruby Harris – Brighouse Swimming Club Shield Eve Tempest – Northern Ballet Mia Larence – Calderdale Netball Tilly Morris - Calderdale Netball Ellis Kaye - Calderdale Netball Laura Whittington - Calderdale Netball Louisa Pyrah – Calderdale Netball Jess McConnell - Calderdale Netball Imogen Firth – Calderdale Netball Alex comerford - Calderdale Netball Kirsty Foxcroft – West Yorkshire Netball Charlotte Heath –English Schools Golf Champion & England Schoolgirls Prog. Rebecca Udall – Yorkshire & North of England Rugby Lily Culf – Yorkshire & North of England Rugby Lucy Coldwell – Yorkshire & North of England Rugby Elissa Neill - Yorkshire & North of England Rugby
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Opening time in the morning Please remember that school opens to pupils at 8.30 am. No pupils should be in school before this time unless they are attending breakfast club which opens at 8.15am. There is no supervision available before these times so please avoid dropping children off at school before these times. Anyone attending breakfast club must remain in the hall until 8.30am.
Lost Property We have accumulated various items in lost property without names. Any items not claimed by the 28th September 2018 will be recycled. Please clearly name all items brought into school by your child so they can be reunited. Thank you
BHS Newsletter Interview with Mr Palmer Mr Palmer is a Maths teacher and the head of Year 7. His favourite type of Maths to teach is circle theorems and construction - yawn! If he didn’t teach Maths, however, he’d like to teach History because he would like to know how the events connect together in History. He also likes being a head of year because it allows him to see another side of people and get to know them in a pastoral context. Obviously his favourite year group is Year 7! His favourite music band is The Black Keys because it's full of energy. Newsletter Club listened to one of their songs and we agreed, it was definitely high energy and the music video was really funny (Lonely Boy). As a child his favourite book was A Prayer for Owen Meany because it was popular at the time and went into detail about the context and different time frames it was written in. It sounds like a very interesting story! A fond farewell to all of our
Respect points so far:
amazing Year 11s.
Year Group Year 7 – 157542 Year 8 – 137270 Year 9 – 106786 Year 10 – 108676
Form in each year 7G – 23115
Well done to everyone who receives the rewards lunch and rewards breakfasts!
We wish you the best of luck in both your exams and the future.
BHS Newsletter Welcome to the Brighouse High newsletter. In this edition there will be: exclusive interviews with teachers, LMH news and sports news. There will also be updates on last term’s respect points and final results of the Brighouse Run.
Review of Goosebumps
Goosebumps is a spooky series of books that may keep you up all night. My personal favourite is ‘The Ghost Next Door’… but we’re not talking about that one - however it is a fan favourite with a whole
new level of freaky. One of the greatest Goosebumps’ characters has to be Slappy. This notorious ventriloquist doll is the most popular of the Goosebumps’ characters. My favourite of his mini-series in R.l Stine's series
Music News
Our young musicians are preparing for the Germany trip on the 14th July. Good luck to them, we hope they enjoy themselves and we can’t wait to hear all about it when they return! On the 5th of July, it is the ever-popular Summer Soiree. There are going to be number of talented musicians featured in the soiree! It is at St If you have an idea of what you’d like to see in the BHS newsletter, or if you’d like to join, speak to Isabelle Mullins or Holly Mason in the library!
BHS Newsletter Sports News The Brighouse Run Top 10 boys in the school after all 3 runs: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Ned Hughes Y8 Bobby Hamer Y8 Michael Brook Y9 Jacob Peyton Y9 Ethan Clarke Y10 Max Priestley Y7 Rhys Wall Y9 Jamie Berriman Y9 Nathan Page Y10 10. Brody Clarke Y9
Top 10 girls in the school after all 3 runs: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Olivia Webb Y9 Jess McConnell Y10 Macie Kaye Y9 Billie-Jo Wood Y8 Eleanor Rees Y10 Daisy Whelan Y7 Rose Sugden Y9 Katja May Y9 Lucy Yates Y9 10. Hattie Nichols Y9
Well done to everyone! Us girls at newsletter club understand how hard the run can be!
Follow Brighouse High School P.E
Department on Twitter for updates! @BrighouseHighPE
BHS Newsletter News from the LMH! Join in the Extreme Reading Challenge!
Take part in the Extreme Reading Challenge with the LMH. All you have to do is take a picture of yourself reading in an extreme place. Email them to Mrs. Makinson – c.makinson@brighouse.calderdale.sch.uk. It is so much fun to do – just ask last year’s entrants! The winner has already been announced for this year, but we’d still love to see your pictures. Some of last year’s entries are pictured below – see if you can be even more
The Royal Wedding!
Reading Leaders
You may be wondering what Reading Leaders is, who is involved and when it is. Well this column is where all of that will be answered. Reading leaders involves
As you may have noticed, the LMH was beautifully decorated for the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
year seven students with their reading
There was lovely bunting and a wonderful timeline created
skills. It happens during tutorial every day
by students.
pupils in year 8 or above helping the new
in the LMH. It is a really good experience for people to improve their reading skills and it is a great way to enjoy reading. Some of the books we read are Captain Underpants, Roald Dahl books and short reads including Horrid Henry’s.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
BHS Newsletter Interview with Mr. Morris Mr. Morris is a Geography teacher and the head of year 9 (you may have seen him carrying a Liverpool pencil case around). His teaching career began at Temple Moor High School in Leeds, but obviously he prefers teaching at BHS! At school his favourite subject was Geography but he also loved PE,
unfortunately his Liverpool dream was shattered in September when he broke his foot. Of course, Salah was very disappointed by this. His favourite band and singers are Kasabian and the Beatles. His favourite songs are Fire by Kasabian, which we think is groovy, and Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles, which is of course a Newsletter favourite.
His uncle was an inspiration when it came to teaching. Mr. Morris followed in his footsteps when he decided not to put footballers to shame and become a Geography teacher. A story from the LMH creative writing club…
If I were a ghost If I were a ghost, I wouldn’t haunt those alive. Instead, I would haunt those amongst the dead: those whose souls were lonely and still weeping. Those who wandered amid the graveyard endlessly with no exact place in sight. Those of whom little children heard their cries and whimpers. I would bring their memories back to life for them; recite the past, the trauma and the fragments of their worn-out memories. I would make the voices of their loved ones fill their minds as the visions of their home was materialized in front of them - before getting ceased away.
I wouldn’t do it to be nefarious or wrongful; I would do it purely out of duty (I would be a ghost after all). A ghost’s job - in my eyes - is to haunt, so that’s what I would do. Though instead of haunting actual, still living people, I would haunt those who had already lost their souls. I wouldn’t walk through people’ s walls or scare their children in the night while following people’s shadows as they hear the strange voices coming out from the wind.
Students and parents can follow the sixth form on Twitter at @bhs_6TH_Form where we share communications regarding events and student success/achievement. If you are a parent of a year 11 student from September there will be lots of information available to start planning applications to sixth form and a very important evening in the calendar where we welcome you all to come and see all that is on offer at sixth form. Brighouse Sixth Form Open evening is on Wednesday 28th November at 6.30 pm You can also start to look at all the courses we offer on the school website-Post 16-Curriculum C Lee
Year 12 Higher Education Conference 2018 Once again Year 12 had a successful and productive 4 days where they started to think about their next great adventure after sixth form. On Monday they had a presentation from Huddersfield University about student finance and then they all logged onto UCAS and started their application. Tuesday and Wednesday they continued to think about and plan their futures looking at different course options and universities so that they make informed choices about the degree and university that will be best for them. Students also had a presentation by WhatUni and were encouraged to download the App that allows them to do all of their research from their phone. On Thursday 2 coaches went to Leeds Beckett University to the UCAS convention. This is like a university market where every university in the country is represented and students are able to chat to current students, pick up a prospectus and find out as much information as possible about the universities they are interested in. Year 12 were fantastic throughout the conference and many students will be in a really strong position to begin their applications in earnest when we return in September.
University Challenge Quiz competition In April, Mr. Bell organised a 'University Challenge' style quiz competition for sixth forms across Calderdale, with questions set by Brighouse High School staff. Twelve teams of four students entered, and after two hours and twelve rounds of questions in the Mulberry Suite, the two teams from Brighouse Sixth Form finished first and second! As a result, Mr. Bell recruited a team of four year 12 students - Lydia Firth, Mackenzie Marshall, Megan Williamson and Nathan Short - for the University of Lincoln's national University Challenge Quiz competition. On the 5th July they went to Leeds for the regional heats for Yorkshire and Humber, and after answering questions on Ancient Greek architecture, economic theory, Scottish fabric design and agricultural biochemistry, they won the competition! Congratulations to our students, and good luck in the national finals of the competition in September.
“If you want to make a difference in someone's life, you don't need to be gorgeous, rich, famous, brilliant or perfect. You just have to care.” Karen Salmansohn
Year 10 Health and Social Care pupils have recently completed practical demonstrations as part of their Btec Level 2 Tech Award Coursework. They have been exploring care values in healthcare such as safeguarding, dignity, empowerment, and duty of care. Their demonstrations involved role plays in care centres and running activity sessions for our Year 7 pupils. A fantastic contribution by all – Well done year 10!
“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.” Maya Angelou
Activities in the
In 2018 we have celebrated reading and challenged ourselves with some exciting activities in the,
.
This summer WITH Mrs Marks and Mrs Makinson, we have enjoyed the Calderdale Children’s Book Award and followed the Carnegie Book Awards. Students wrote reviews, met the authors and won signed copies of their books. Miss Hanner and the newsletter team continued to write an entertaining and informative newsletter for the LMH. With interviews, reviews, quizzes and community news of course we are kept informed of Brighouse life here in the HUB! We may have our own Brighouse writers in the future inspired by these activities. All Year 9 were invited to the Bradford Literature Festival to engage in learning about the centenary reflection of, ‘Women and the Vote’. The students listened to Sally Nicholls talk about her fictional novel based on this subject and then took part in a panel discussion with local politicians. Being in the Bradford university buildings and lecture theatre was an inspiring venue; an event enjoyed by all the pupils and teachers alike. The Brighouse Reading Buddies continues in September. There will be peer training in July where senior students mentor and guide younger students on encouraging the embracing the joys of reading. Those students who participated in the Reading leaders scheme this year, were successful in achieving a Level 2 OCN accreditation in Supporting Reading Skills; a fantastic achievement.
Watch out for the Reading Cloud and The Year 7 Book Buzz in September 2018. Check out the reading ideas on the school website. We promote all out activities in the twitter page: @BHSLMH
on the school website and our
Information, Advice & Guidance (IAG) at Brighouse High School Careers Adviser details for assistance during the summer holidays: Lindsy Walker Lindsy.Walker@ckcareers.org.uk - Mobile: 07708 015522 (call / text). Results for both A Level and GCSE exams will be held at Brighouse Sixth Form College, Halifax Road, Brighouse HD6 1AY. Suzanne Dutton Suzanne.Dutton@ckcareers.org.uk is attending A Level Results Day on 16th August 8.00 am - 10.30 am. Rachel Barrett Rachel.Barrett@ckcareers.org.uk is attending GCSE Results Day on 23rd August, timings 9.00 am - 11.00 am for Brighouse High School students and 11.30 am - 1.30 pm for external students. On Friday 24th August 9-11am Brighouse Sixth Form College are holding a drop in session for any student in Calderdale who does not have a sixth form place or wish they had applied to us earlier. Students can come along in that 2 hours for an interview - they must bring with them their statement of GCSE results.
FutureJobs Project – Mrs Aitken During the year Mrs Aitken has be working as a Consultant with C&K Careers for 2 days a week on this project. FutureJobs was a fully-funded service delivered by C&K Careers, Aspire-igen, Ahead Partnership, Leeds City Region LEP and sponsored by the European Social Fund and Skills Funding Agency. Through free in-school events, great work experience placements, enterprise competitions and resource development, the project has helped students understand the world of work across the Leeds City Region. Mrs Aitken has worked closely with C&K Staff, industry experts and other educational professionals to develop resources around the Advanced Manufacturing sector. Whilst the aim of the project was to: understand jobs now and in the future develop encounters to establish employer expectations develop entrepreneurial spirit through self-employment find pathways to further and higher education, the team have produced a wide range of session plans and delivered resources in school and colleges from Year 8 upwards.
Sessions have included film clips, quizzes, manufacturing processes, Google maps activities, and learning about building a successful business through a board game developed for schools. The game called Make It! is a game involving business challenges and scenarios and has been distributed to 30 participating schools. It has been a real winner with students. Schools will receive copies of all the free resources produced and teaching materials to use with students in future.
L4L Sessions
Year 10 students had four sessions for Preparation for Working Life. Andrew Potterton from Leeds Enterprise Partnership gave a presentation about Future Jobs, informing students of the growth areas for jobs in the Leeds City Region. Mrs Aitken gave two presentations, Preparation for Working Life and one on Health & Safety. Lindsy Walker gave a Presentation on an Introduction to Careers and the role of the Careers Adviser. A further session on Apprenticeships will be delivered to the group in September.
THE CAREERS WEBSITE There are many job vacancies being advertised on the Careers Website which will scroll across the top of the page. They can also be found in Latest News so please share the information with those looking for jobs / apprenticeships. Opportunities are there for the students to apply for and parents are able to help them with their future choices. 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. Some Degree Apprenticeships are available too. Higher Education/University Applicants shows the UCAS Website which enables students to research degrees at different Universities but has also been updated to include Apprenticeships. 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 with specific days set for Year 7. Training on how to access the information on the website is available on request by emailing Mrs Haigh on h.haigh@brighouse.calderdale.sch.uk to arrange a time and date
Decisions at 18! Conference 25h-28th June 2018 A group of students who are looking for apprenticeships at the end of Year 13 were off timetable for a 4-day Conference which included the following programme: Interview preparation Team Building Activities with the RAF Apprenticeship Presentations – Martin Jenkins from the Textile Centre of Excellence, Lewis Tidswell - Apprenticeship Programme with Covea and Beth Tait - Graduate Programme with Covea Future Jobs Presentation – Andy Potterton, Leeds Enterprise Partnership Interview Skills with Employers Lloyds Banking Group – online workshop Covea – assessment centre at their premises at Dean Clough, Halifax We are very grateful for the time given by Employers to support our Conference and our students who benefitted a great deal from their involvement in the event. The students will be supported by the Careers Team during Year 13 in order to get an apprenticeship at the end of their studies and will have individualised support if required.
Work Experience 9th – 13th July 2018 All Year 12 students went out on work experience in July 2018 which is a compulsory requirement of their course. Our Sixth Form students made 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 was 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. The comments we received after another successful work experience week from both students and employers were overwhelmingly positive. Placements were secured in solicitors, schools, hospitals, engineers, accountancy and charity organisations to name just a few. Many students travelled to Leeds or Manchester each day. One student travelled to Poland for a week and a few other students took part in a week long National Citizenship placement! 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.
Year 7 Lakes Trip This year’s Lakes Trip was, without a doubt, the sunniest and driest on record. No rain, and barely a cloud all week. Fortunately the lack of rainfall did not affect the Ghyll Scrambling, always my favourite activity. Year 7 soon forgot about the heat of their wetsuits and had great fun splashing in the stream. I am always amazed at the courage needed to leap into pools or belly flop into narrow gaps. It must be said at this point how fantastic all the staff were on the trip. The whole trip could not happen if it was not for their dedication. I am biased towards Ellrig hostel, which is definitely the best, but for 48 students to cooperate and get on so well is testament to the positive spirit on the whole trip. Honister Slate Mine is a highlight. For some this is because of the history and spectacle, but for others it’s the chance to be agile or challenge their fears in the Go Ape style “Climb the Mine”. And then there is the Canoeing and Bushcraft day, the legendary climb to MacDonalds on top of Catbells, the Climbing Wall (and cave) at King Kong Climbing and the refreshing trip to the Keswick Leisure Centre. So much to fit in and still time for the odd ice cream and cake on the way. N Palmer (Head of Year 7)
Blencathra 2018 On Sunday 24th June, 188 year 7 students departed Brighouse High for Keswick for the annual trip to the Lake District. The trip got off to a great start - as the coaches departed the school, England were already 3-0 up in the World Cup! We were very lucky this year with the weather and everyday was brilliant sunshine and nearly 30 degree heat. It’s safe to say lots of water was consumed whilst climbing Catbells and canoeing on the river. On the plus side, it did make Ghyll Scrambling very refreshing and the cold and damp Mine tour was a welcome break from the heat. Students did the school proud and conquered lots of challenges and personal fears made even harder by the relentless heat. Locals, staff and volunteers were impressed by how well the students conducted themselves throughout the week and everyone should feel very proud to be part of such an amazing trip. Here’s to next year! C Hornsby
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
Teacher Led Detention (TLD)
1
When: Triggers:
Break, Lunch or After School Minor subject or form issues
Organised by a subject teacher or Form Tutor. Allows pupils an opportunity to complete missed homework, classwork and/or to discuss behaviour concerns. Not recorded in the centralised system but failure to attend will result in a Stage 2 Detention.
Lunchtime Detention
2
When:
Tuesday - 13.25 – 13.45 – S13
Triggers:
Pupils being issued with ONE Detention in a one week period, failure to attend a Stage 1 TLD, failure to follow the behaviour policy and/or pastoral issues (late marks, uniform)
After School Detention
3
Wednesday - 15.10 - 16.00 – Dining Hall (50 minutes) Pupils being issued with TWO Detentions in a one week period, failure to attend Stage 2 Lunchtime Detention, and/or subject or pastoral matter or more significant misdemeanours as decided by HOY/SMT
When: Triggers:
Pupils will be informed of the Detention by the School Office. Detention slip signed by pupil, followed by a text home
After School Detention
4
Thursday - 15:10 – 16.30 – Dining Hall (80 minutes) Pupil being issued with THREE Detentions in a one week period, failing to attend the 50 minute Stage 3 Detention, S17 isolation twice in a one week period or more significant misdemeanours as decided by HOY/SMT
When: Triggers:
Pupils informed by the School Office and asked to sign in detention slip followed by a text home
Full Day Isolation (08.45 – 16.00)
5
When:
Day agreed with the Senior Leadership Team
Triggered:
Pupil being issued with FOUR Detentions in a one week period, failing to attend a Stage 4 Detention, S17 isolation (more than twice in a week period)
Arranged by the Head of Year and Pastoral Administrator). Pupils will be informedof the Detention by the Head of Year, followed by a phone call home
S17 Lunch Detention (13.25 – 13.25)
S17
Pupils sent to S17 Isolation will attend a Stage 3 Detention the following day
Detention System 2017 – 2018 After consultation with our student council and feedback from all staff, we will be introducing a new detention system from September. The new centralised system will have a staged approach based on the number of detentions a pupil accumulates within a school week. The new system will replace all existing detentions. Under the new system students will be informed of a scheduled detention on a Monday, followed by a text home. A summary of the new system can be seen on the previous page.
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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, cotton or skin tight fit trousers) 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(pleated skirt only from September 2018) 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 Nails must be of a short length and a natural colour. (no polish, gels or acrylics) If you are in any doubt about any of the information above, please contact the school before making your purchases
Mobile Phone Policy – REMINDER 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 has been 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.
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Forthcoming Events Monday 3rd Sept – School Opens Friday 7th Sept – Whole School Assembly Thurs 13th – Yr 8 HPV Vaccinations Weds 26th Sept - 2nd Oct – German Exchange Visit Fri 28th Sept – Yr11 Geography Field Trip (Salford Quays) Thurs 4th Oct – Open Evening Fri 5th Oct – Yr13 London Trip (Othello) Tue 2nd – Tue 9th Oct – Scholastic Book Fair Wed 10th Oct – Yr7 Parents Evening (Form Tutors) Thurs 18th Oct – Junior Awards Tue 23rd Oct – YR7 Geography Trip (Yorkshire Wildlife Park) Fri 26th Oct – School Closes