Highclare School
2017
SUMMER ISSUE
Achieving Individual Excellence
Welcome to the Summer edition of the Headmaster’s Termly Newsletter You may have heard me speak or read my writing about my belief that education is not about filling a pail, but lighting a fire (to paraphrase a famous quote). In this edition I am going to focus on lighting the fire by ignition of a metaphorical spark, a spark that leads to a process of what Peter Benson, a much respected developmental psychologist (now deceased), called ‘human thriving’. Benson believed that the term ‘human thriving’ could be applied to children who are typically, first and foremost, happy. They experience joy, are generous in spirit, can contribute to society, are connected, engaged and have a stake in the future. His research in this area focused on understanding how pupils feel the ‘spark’ and how we can encourage our pupils in school or at home on the pathway of human thriving that is related to it. Just like we adults, all children understand the idea of a spark. It’s that moment when we as humans ‘come alive’, when we are highly focused, energised, excited. It could come about as a result of things like: · demonstrating a skill or talent, such as playing a musical instrument, writing a poem, hitting a golf ball, doing a dance, scoring a goal · the commitment that we have, such as to the environment · recognising a personal quality that we have, such as compassion towards our fellow human beings. Research carried out by Peter Benson and his team, and others, shows that, amongst children, by far the greatest sources of ‘spark’ are in creative activities (art, drama, dance, music, writing, crafts), sports and things connected with animals – either looking after them or working with them. This is more important because research also shows that children who experience spark are happier, more confident, more positive about the future and see themselves in context with other people – which gives them a feeling of belonging and makes them more caring. Most significantly, though, children who experience a spark do better in general at school. This is because they: · work harder –because they learn that ability and competence grow with effort · have a greater sense of purpose – because they understand that good things take time and they also learn the value of perseverance · recognise that work has value for them. By way of an example, I was interested to read the education correspondent Nicola Woolcock’s article in the Times newspaper recently (Saturday 27th May) under the headline: ‘Music lessons make children feel clever’. The article goes on to explain how recent research carried out by psychologists at
Goldsmith’s University in London suggests that music lessons boost academic results by convincing children that they can learn new skills and become intelligent. It is not just about the skill of playing music, it is also about the positive, self-esteem impact that the acquisition of the skill has. There is also a self-fulfilling prophecy element to this because children who experience one spark are more likely to go out of their way to experience another spark, which further ignites all the positive impacts noted above. The question we should ask ourselves should be: How can the spark be ignited? Well, researchers have identified that it usually takes at least one adult – at home or elsewhere – to create the opportunity for a spark to happen, to champion its existence and to provide further opportunities for it to be developed. Since a spark can go out if we don’t blow on it, it requires this nurturing aspect to be ever-present. The spark needs to be affirmed: it needs to be recognised and talked about, children should be congratulated and thanked for having it. Parents obviously have a massive role in doing this. Schools too. Knowing a pupil’s spark is a key element of the school’s role. Providing an opportunity for the spark to be created and sustained is another. This is why things like drama, music, art and sport are all high on our list of extracurricular activities at Highclare School. We talk about our extra and cocurricular provision in terms of an opportunity for pupils to find their niche, to shine. We find ways to recognise, celebrate and nurture sparks. Our house system, for example, provides opportunities for extra-curricular enrichment and stimulates the feeling of belonging. In school, if pupils experience success, their confidence grows and they are more likely to experience success in other things. This, together with the recognition that effort pays off, encourages a positive approach to their studies, a positive mind set, which makes them more likely to maintain constructive academic behaviours, to persevere despite setbacks. This academic perseverance is more widely known as resilience, one of the foundation stones of our TAKE CHARGE initiative to foster skills and habits of effective independent learning. The point is you cannot just tell a pupil to become more resilient and expect it to happen, you have got to create the environment which increases the likelihood that action related to academic perseverance is carried out. Peter Benson’s concept of human thriving stimulated by a spark is a credible one that resonates with something that we all hold to be true, which is: give an opportunity to a young person and he / she will do remarkable things. So, please do what you can to ignite and sustain the spark at home. We will be doing the same at school. I hope you enjoy a peaceful and relaxing Summer break. Best wishes Dr R Luker, Headmaster
Enterprise Extravaganza The children in J6 have shown themselves to be entrepreneurs of the future, and raised a fantastic sum of over £1,800 for their school charity, African Space Trust. The events held over the last week have proved to be very popular with staff and parents and were greatly improved by the glorious weather! The events were planned and executed solely by the children who made items to sell on their stalls and organised traditional games that were enjoyed by fellow pupils. J6 were pleased to welcome parents, friends and the Mayor and Mayoress and Deputy Mayor of Royal Sutton Coldfield to afternoon tea which they hosted as part of this fun day. Guests enjoyed the weather and their afternoon tea and homemade cakes. The highlight of the each afternoon was the exciting raffle of prizes, some of which had been donated by football clubs and businesses after the children contacted them.
Senior & Sixth Form News Mathematical Challenge Congratulations to the gifted mathematicians at Highclare Senior School who were entered in the Junior Mathematical Challenge recently. This is a nationally recognised challenge and only the top 40% of students receive a certificate. The top 6% receive gold, the next 13% silver and the next 21% bronze. A gold certificate was awarded to Warren Koh, U3 (Best in school) A silver certificate was awarded to James Pearson, U3 A bronze certificate was awarded to Toby Walton, L4 These are great achievements. Well done to you all.
Senior School Thank you Letters Competition Our results this year were: Each year pupils in the Senior School have participated in a competition organised by Birmingham University. Students are required to write a thank you letter of their choice and some very imaginative entries were sent in. The winners receive Amazon vouchers and national winners are invited to receive their certificates at the House of Lords in Westminster.
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Engineering and Physical Sciences
Highly Commended Haydar Baig Kayleigh Bradley Lina Bowden Malakai Florey-Meah Ayisha Iqbal James Griffiths Ieva Modzeliauskaite
U3 U3 U3 U3 U3 L4 L4
Highly Commended Andrea Salinas Charlotte Mynard Piers Robinson Kate Stephens Ozgur Unlu Ainara Zubialde Alonso
L4 U4 U4 U4 U4 U4
Winners Joe De Waele Amani Palmer-Peters Kaylah Pedro-Ward Toby Walton Destiny Roberts
L4 L4 L4 L4 U4
Bonjour! Pupils from U3 and L4 recently enjoyed a very successful and sunny 4 day trip to Normandy. As in previous years they stayed in the picturesque Château du Molay not far from Bayeux. Highlights from the trip included visits to the D-Day landing beaches; they went to both the American and German cemeteries and the D-Day museum in Arromanches; a visit to the Caramel D’Insigny factory and the town of Bayeux. Whilst in the market town of Bayeux the students viewed the world famous tapestry and were able to try out their French skills in the shops and at the market stalls.
Eight L5 pupils attended a Discovery Day at Birmingham University's School of Engineering and Physical Sciences. They took part in workshops on robotics, medical engineering, mathematics and particle physics. They all had a great day and an insight into studying STEM subjects at university. In the particle physics workshop, pupils analysed data from CERN and two of the Highclare pupils won prizes for correctly identifying the HiggsBoson particle.
During their social time at the chateau the Senior School pupils were treated to a French crêpes and apple juice evening, a disco, and activities such as the blind trail and the egg protector challenge, followed by a trip to the local bowling alley. The trip was voted a great success, helping not only with the pupils' command of the French language, but history too and developed many long term friendships.
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Practice Expedition Well done to the Bronze DofE groups from Senior School who completed their practice expedition in North Wales as preparation for the qualifying expedition in September. The trip involved 20 students from U4 (Year 9) going to the Arete Outdoor Centre in Llanrug, North Wales. The first couple of days were spent rafting and gorge walking to further develop teamwork and communication within the teams. During the following two days, three Bronze teams completed their Practice Expedition to Capel Curig. They made great progress in their navigation and camp craft, and everyone returned home exhausted but very proud of their accomplishments.
U3 Joint Religious Studies and Geography Trip to Lichfield The Geography and Religious Studies Departments jointly organised a very successful trip to Lichfield. The students spent time learning key geographical fieldwork skills based around Lichfield centre including surveying land use types, comparing the quality of different environments around Lichfield and carrying out surveys to find out why people visit Lichfield. The pupils later returned to school to analyse their findings.
Geography Fieldwork The Geography Department organised a very successful trip to Carding Mill Valley in Shropshire for the L4 (Year 8) pupils. They spent time learning about river processes of erosion, deposition and transportation and the key features of a river from our helpful guides working for the National Trust. In groups, they then undertook various river studies including velocity testing and depth and width of the river channel. After lunch, the students took part in a successful orienteering session around Carding Mill Valley and several students completed the course in the time set. All in all it was an excellent day.
As part of the Religious Studies curriculum of Christianity, our pupils visited Lichfield Cathedral and had a guided tour. The fascinating history of the cathedral was described and some students tried out being a bishop! The general public of Lichfield were very friendly and complimented the pupils for their smart appearance and good manners!
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U5 Prom Night Our U5 pupils celebrated the end of their examinations with a glorious Prom, held at Moxhull Hall Hotel in Sutton Coldfield.
L5 (Year 10) Geographers have successfully completed their physical geography fieldwork for the new GCSE specification. They enjoyed a highly successful day of data collection at Carding Mill Valley in Shropshire, where pupils investigated fluvial processes and changes in long and cross profile as they moved down the valley. As part of their A level curriculum studies, L6 (Year 12) Geographers enjoyed a five day residential visit to the Cranedale Centre in North Yorkshire. Their studies included emotional mapping and consideration of artistic representation of place in Scarborough, and an investigation into carbon and water cycles in two contrasting drainage basins in Dalby Forest. Included in the trip were visits to the Holderness Coast which were particularly useful for students as this area is the focus of their AS coastal work in the classroom. Mrs Suzanne Cassell, Assistant Head of Highclare Senior School, said, “The trip was a fantastic success and the behaviour of the students was impeccable. We were very lucky indeed with the weather and it has proved to be a great learning experience.”
Sixth Form Leavers’ Dinner 2017 A most enjoyable evening was had by all at the Sixth Form leavers’ dinner at Highclare Independent Senior School in Erdington. Thanks are extended to Mr Parkinson for organising this event and to other members of staff for their involvement. We wish all the U6 well for their futures.
Junior School News Prize Giving The annual Junior Schools Prize Giving took place at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall with many guests, parents and friends. Pupils from throughout the Highclare Junior Schools, J3 to J6 performed some of their best musical and drama pieces for Guest of Honour, Mr Neil Roskilly, Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Schools Association. He commended the school and particularly the pupils for their dedication and excellent successes, handing Form Prizes and Progress Prizes to each year group. Dr Luker and Mrs Bennett addressed parents and guests and Ms Broder conducted the finale of the evening with whole Junior School joining together to sing ‘When I grow up’ (from the Musical – Matilda).
How did the Egyptians do that? All was revealed to J3R at Highclare Junior School, as they enjoyed an interesting history workshop in which they learned all about the techniques the ancient Egyptians used when building such things as the pyramids.
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During their lesson at Highclare Woodfield, the pupils were introduced to some of the ways the Egyptians used simple things, such as water, to determine whether the land was flat and level. They also used a
weight on a string or cord to ensure things were accurately vertical or horizontal, in the same way that many people employ a plumbline today. The children then made their own Egyptian horizontal measuring device using a piece of card, a length of string and some Blu Tack and were fascinated by the results. Pupils in J3P were also fascinated by their history topic. They discovered how the Ancient Egyptian Kingdom was founded by King Narmer, the importance of the River Nile to the Egyptian people, as well as investigating the development of pyramids, Egyptian burial ceremonies and, of course, the mummification process. The children thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Birmingham Museum to see the artefacts on display, including household objects, jewellery, statues, and examples of real mummies, including one of a cat! During the workshops, the children were able to handle some of the artefacts and play the part of museum curator by photographing and cataloguing them.
J3 discover the past, investigate the present and journey to the edge of the universe Budding scientists in J3 enjoyed a day of discovery and excitement when they visited Thinktank, part of the Birmingham Science Museum at Millennium Point. The pupils were fascinated by Thinktank Planetarium which hosts a wide range of shows on space and astronomy. They enjoyed a tour around the night sky, adventures within the solar system and journeyed to the edge of the universe. The Science Garden was also very popular and the children loved the hands-on activities, exploring renewable energy, water power, transportation and construction in the outdoor discovery space. The whole day was a fantastic chance for J3 pupils to discover the past, investigate the present and find out about the future.
J4 Taster Day Our J4 pupils recently attended a wonderful ‘Experience Day’ at Highclare Senior School. The day was organised as part of the awareness programme offered to Highclare Junior pupils in plenty of time prior to their move to Senior Schools. Staff and pupils aimed to give them every opportunity to become familiar with the Senior School environment. Mrs Moore, Head of Highclare Senior School, welcomed the children in the morning and they had the pleasure of seeing and feeling what life in the Senior School is like. The pupils enjoyed taster lessons in Drama, delivered by Mrs Sharman-Everton, Science, delivered by Mrs Trotter and Food and Nutrition delivered by Mrs Cobbold. After an exciting morning, pupils and their teachers enjoyed a yummy hot dog lunch followed by Chef’s wonderful chocolate brownies! Everyone is looking forward to seeing J4 in Senior School again soon.
Design Technology project in J4 All of the pupils in J4 enjoyed their biscuit project! They conducted research into the history and branding of the biscuit, before designing and making their own. Following analysis of their biscuit’s appearance, texture and flavour in the tasting session, the children wrote an evaluation of their product before taking them home to share.
J4 Maths Challenge Two teams of mathematicians from J4 travelled to Wrekin College to compete in the annual Maths Challenge. Representing Highclare Junior School and competing against 50 other schools, the children took part in a variety of mathematical puzzles and challenges during the afternoon.
Their teachers, Mrs Lawson and Miss Russell, were proud of how the children represented the school and were particularly impressed with all four teams finishing in the top ten.
J5 Shape Challenge In their Maths lesson, pupils in J5 at Highclare Woodfield were set the challenge of finding all 12 pentominoes. Pentominoes are shapes constructed from 5 cubes. The children’s visualisation skills were put to the test as they imagined the shapes when reflected and rotated to make sure that no shape was repeated and all 12 unique shapes had been discovered. The children thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, with many being victorious in discovering and recording the full set of shapes.
Bread Making The children in J5 at Highclare St Paul’s have just completed their ‘Bread’ topic in Design and Technology. They started the unit by finding out about bread production and then evaluated existing bread products. Having experimented with how to shape their bread using salt dough, they then used a range of skills and techniques to create, knead and prove their bread dough. Finally, they tasted each other’s bread and evaluated their products against their original design criteria.
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Reliving the sights and sounds of the 1940’s J6 pupils were transported back to the Second World War as part of their history curriculum. With the help of staff at Whittington Barracks, the home of the Staffordshire Regiment, they were able to immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of 1940s Britain. They were given the opportunity to see some of the weapons that were used and to experience some time in the trenches. Closer to home they were
introduced to food rationing and then learned about the Blitz and the importance of evacuation, as well as sitting in an Anderson shelter anticipating an air-raid. At the end of a very enjoyable and unusual day, everyone made it home unscathed and all agreed they had had a wonderful time but felt they knew a lot more about those who had experienced life during World War ll.
J6 pupils visit The Houses of Parliament Highclare Woodfield pupils in J6 travelled to London to spend a day at the Houses of Parliament. They enjoyed a tour of the Palace of Westminster which included Westminster Hall and the Central Lobby. The children were introduced to the Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell, Member of Parliament for Sutton Coldfield, and they were also able to witness a parliamentary debate in progress from the public gallery of the House of Commons. After the tour, J6 participated in a workshop explaining the process of elections and voting. They held their own general elections with 4 different parties putting forward their manifestos and election slogans. Voting then took place and the Members of Parliament for each constituency were elected. The winning party then selected their Prime Minister.
PGL Always the highlight of the J6 calendar is their residential trip to PGL. This year, they travelled to Caythorpe Court in Lincolnshire and they were blessed with superb weather for their week away! Packed into this time were activities including quad biking, abseiling, raft building, fencing, archery and a sensory trail. Evenings were also full of fun, with snapshot challenges, human pyramid building and a Capture the Flag game amongst the highlights. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to bond with the rest of their year as they prepare to move on to the senior school phase of their life. An amazing time was had by all and this trip will surely be remembered well into their adult lives.
Junior Sports Results/Achievements Triathlon ISA South Triathlon ages 8-11 (Lucton School, May 2017) The triathlon was attended by a large group of children from both the Junior and Senior schools. It was a tremendously successful day with excellent performances from all the children. They were well prepared and all raced to the best of their ability with some excellent results. It was also lovely to see their support for each other on the day, especially those new to the sport who were encouraged by those who had attended this event before. A very enjoyable day was had by all. Squad: Rosie Deacon, Oscar Lugg, Alice Griffiths, Sebastian Hoffman, Charlotte Hunter, Karam Johal, Ruby Newman, William Stead, Olivia Harvey, William Deacon, Liberty Mackenzie, Cameron Dhami, Molly Taunton.
Athletics ISA Athletics Years 4, 5 and 6 (Alexander Stadium) Highclare pupils travelled to nearby Alexander Stadium to compete against a record number of 31 schools for the ISA Midlands Athletics Event. Despite the rain that day, the Highclare Athletics team performed fantastically well. Children competed in both track (sprint, 150m, 600m and relay) and field (shot, high jump, long jump and cricket/rounders ball throw). We had a number of top three finishes in a variety of events which was very pleasing. The children competed well as a team and individually.
Results: out of 31 schools that competed Year 4 Boys 4th / 31 Year 4 Girls 20 / 31 Year 4 Combined 7th / 31 Year 5 Boys 12 / 31 Year 5 Girls 11/ 31 Year 5 Combined 12th / 31 Year 6 Boys 17 / 31 Year 6 Girls 6 / 31 Year 6 Combined 12th / 31 Whole School position (all points combined) 11th / 31 schools
ISA Athletics Nationals Finals (June 2017)
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William Stead from Highclare Woodfield qualified to compete for the Midlands Team in the 600m. William, who is in J4, came 6th out of 14 children in his age category which is a fantastic achievement, making him the fastest boy in the Midlands and the 6th fastest in the country. A remarkable achievement.
Results: William Stead 600m 6th / 14 Midlands Team: Overall 4th / 7 Boys team 3rd / 7 Girls Team 4th / 7
Cricket Under 10s Cricket (Grace Dieu School, May 2017)
Under 9s Cricket v Grace Dieu School (Highclare Sports Field May 2017)
On Friday 5th of May we travelled to Leicestershire for our first Kwik cricket match of the season against Grace Dieu. We decided to bat first and hit a boundary from the first delivery. We made some great runs, but also got caught out 3 times, making 24 runs in the process. When it was our turn to bowl, the boys showed some really good bowling skills. The main difference was that we dropped the ball a few times and Grace Dieu ended up with 41 runs. This was very much an even game and the boys gave a really good account of themselves.
Highclare School’s first ever cricket fixture at HSF was played on the 11th of May. It was the turn of the U9s to play Grace Dieu this time. We decided to bat first and were hitting some really good shots. We made a total of 69 runs, but the guests took 7 wickets, which gave them a grand total of 34 runs to chase. When it was our turn to bowl, we contained them with some great deliveries and good fielding. Grace Dieu made a total of 44 runs, we took 4 wickets, so their score was 24 in the end.
Squad: Isaac Lugg, Jack Burgess, Benjamin Wilkinson, Cameron Dhami, Rivan Mitra, Arjun Rajesh, Oliver-Storm Sargeant, Mandeep Sagoo, Eri Adebo, Dylan Kapee.
Squad: Joshua Jones, William Deacon, Liam McGrath, Charlie Woolley, Vincent Hofmann, Yuvvy Atwal, Vinayan Bojraj, William Stead, Harry Haslam, James Marrett, Edward Morrison.
We won this great game by 10 runs.
Rounders U10 Rounders (Grace Dieu School, May 2017) The J5 girls accompanied the boys on this fixture to compete in our first rounders match of the term. Having won the toss, the captain chose to field first. The girls made some great runs for the ball and improved their communication as the game went on. We managed to keep Grace Dieu’s batting score down to 16. After 37 balls it was time to swap over and take our turn batting. The girls batting skills were excellent and they only occasionally missed the ball. Being extra
cautious so they didn’t get caught out, the girls slowly built up some half rounders, finishing with their total of 3 rounders. A great afternoon was had and thank you to Grace Dieu for hosting. We look forward to the next match. U10 Squad: Tasmia Mirza, Darcie Walsh, Rhianna Yazdianpour, Georgia Fletcher, Elizabeth Warfield, Prisha Shinh.
Rounders U9 Rounders v Grace Dieu School (Highclare Sports Field, May 2017) On a lovely sunny day, the U9 team competed in a home fixture against Grace Dieu. The girls were fielding first and displayed excellent teamwork, quick running and accurate throwing to keep Grace Dieu’s score down to 10 rounders. After 33 balls it was our turn to bat. The girls displayed excellent reactions to steal some half rounders and improved their batting throughout the game. We finished the game with 10 rounders to Grace Dieu and 7½ rounders to Highclare.
Thanks to Grace Dieu for attending and to the parents who came to support us. U9 Squad: Charlotte Batey, Lydia England, Rebecca Ng, Shivani Swaminathan, Riyaa Krishna Kumar, Amber Bangar, Sienna Cross, Gabriella Jones, Anna Sum, Chloe Pike, Sophie Walden.
ISA Under 11 Rounders Tournament (Stafford Prep, June 2017) Congratulations to all the girls who took part in a recent rounders tournament. We arrived on a beautiful, sunny day and after four games achieved eighth place in the tournament. The girls displayed some excellent playing with two fantastic catches to get opposing players out by Jaida Gill. Ana Zubialde Alonso showed excellent accuracy bowling all day while the rest of the fielders chased down the ball. We scored a total of 13 rounders throughout the tournament with every player contributing to the final score. Thanks to Stafford Prep School for hosting, to all the girls for their effort and hard work and to the parents who came along to support us.
Results: Highclare v Crackley Hall Highclare v Stafford Prep Highclare v St. Wystans Highclare v Salterford House
- Lost 11/2 - 8 1/2 - Lost 61/2 - 8 1/2 - Drew 31/2 - 31/2 - Lost 5 - 1 1/2
U10 Squad: Jaida Gill, Charlotte Hunter, Ava Johnson, Ruth Rafeeq, Ana Zubiande Alonso, Hannah Batey, Cerys Acton, Neerali Dodhia, Alexandra Schulz.
U11 Rounders (Lichfield Cathedral School, June 2017) The A team played two innings of 20 balls. Ana Alonso Zubialde started the bowling for us. With excellent fielding we kept Lichfield’s score down to 4½ for the first innings and we scored 2½. The second innings finished with Lichfield on 13 rounders and Highclare on 7. The B team started off with 3½ rounders for their first innings compared to Lichfield scoring 6½. In the second innings we played 10 balls each. Our fielders kept Lichfield to 3½ rounders. When we came to bat the girls had a superb innings scoring 6½ rounders from only 10 balls. The final score for the B team was 10 rounders each. Thanks to Lichfield Cathedral School for hosting, to all the pupils for their effort and hard work and to the parents who came along to support us.
U11 A Team: Cerys Acton, Rosie Deacon, Alice Griffiths, Ava Johnson, Ruby Newman, Isabella Taylor, Ana Alonso Zubialde, Jaida Gill, Bethany Roberts. U11 B Squad: Jaya Joshi-Sharma, Ruth Rafeeq, Imaan Puri, Kimran Bal, Hannah Batey, Neerali Dodhia, Charlotte Hunter, Alexandra Schulz.
U10 Rounders against Lichfield Cathedral School (Highclare Sports Field, June 2017) The weather held out for us and stayed dry as we commenced our game on Friday afternoon. Our bowler Saihaj started the game off and maintained a good average throughout the game. Lichfield finished their batting after 20 balls with 5 rounders. When it came to our turn to batting the girls scored numerous ½ rounders which totalled up to us winning 7-5. Player of the match voted by the opposing team was Olivia Harvey.
Thanks to Lichfield Cathedral School for coming along, to all the pupils for their effort and hard work and to the parents who came along to support us. U10 Squad: Elizabeth Warfield, Rhianna Yazdianpour, Olivia Harvey, Liberty Mackenzie, Molly Taunton, Jyoti Mangal, Saihaj Bains, Isabella Haigh, Georgia Fletcher, Darcie Walsh, Franziska Hupfer, Prisha Shinh, Tasmia Mirza.
Golf
J4 Olympic Games
Tri-Golf Tournament (Aston Wood Golf Club, June 2017)
J4 Olympic Games (Malvern St James School, June 2017)
On a stifling hot day we attended the Tri-Golf tournament with seven J3 and J4 pupils. Unfortunately some pupils could not make it but little brother Hugo and little sister Jessica stepped in to save the day and joined the team. The team took part in nine different events involving putting and chipping while aiming at targets to gain points throughout the event. Thanks to Aston Wood Golf Club for hosting, to all the pupils for their effort and hard work and to the parents who came along to support us.
On Tuesday 13th June J4 visited Malvern St James School to take part in the Olympic Games. The children from all the participating schools were allocated to a country which was led by an Ambassador from MSJ School. They then competed in several events against all the other countries.
Golf Squad: Madison-May Price, Daisey-May Price, Miles Green, Sophie Walden, Anna Sum, Edward Morrison, Jhiyan Obhi, Jessica Morrison, Hugo Green.
It was a fantastic day which the children thoroughly enjoyed and many of them were awarded medals and certificates. The overall winner of the Olympic Games was Great Britain!
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Infants and Pre-School News Pre-School children enjoy exploring pond life Children from Pre-School 2 at Highclare Woodfield went to Kingsbury Water Park, so they could explore pond life!
plastic spoons to sift through ‘the catch’ and search for minibeasts, identifying them using the chart kindly supplied by the rangers. Some found beetles, others found tiny fish, and snails were an absolute favourite.
Their exciting day started with a coach journey, with packed lunch in hand, and many plans for their ‘Pond Dipping.’ The first part of the day was enjoyed playing a game – looking for caterpillars to help the baby thrush, a great activity set up by the park rangers to learn about baby birds. Pieces of coloured wool were scattered around the area and the children had to hunt for them so they could feed the baby thrush these ‘colourful caterpillars’, and place them on the baby thrush velcro board. After the game it was off to the pond-dipping platforms at last! With the help of a grown-up, everyone used fishing nets, spy-glasses and
During the search some ducks and their tiny ducklings were found swimming amongst the reeds, which was a lovely surprise. It was a wonderful day with much fun and lots of stories to remember and experiences to talk about at school.
Learning about our pets is fun in Pre-School ! The children in Pre-School at Highclare St Paul’s were fascinated this week with a visit from their local veterinary practitioner. Dr Lloyd, together with his Head Nurse and Junior Nurse, visited school to help everyone learn about taking care of their pets and in particular how they can prevent them from getting fleas. They brought some giant fleas for the children to see - which thankfully were not real! Everyone loved using the stethoscopes to listen to each other’s heartbeats and were shown the brightly coloured bandages which they were able to use on themselves. It really was an exciting visit.
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Invertebrates J1R have enjoyed learning all about invertebrates this term. They conducted research at home which was then used to write some fantastic information books about their chosen invertebrate. The children designed their own front covers and wrote a contents page for their book. We also went out on an ‘invertebrate hunt’, carefully collecting a variety of different invertebrates from the school grounds, which we then studied in detail in the classroom, before releasing them back into their habitats.
Digital Technology for pupils in J1P Pupils in J1 are learning to use technology to create, organise and manipulate digital content. Pupils have learned how to film their role-play on school iPads while reading Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne. After making their recordings the children added musical soundtrack to their films. Yuvraaj Bhogal brought his Tabla - Indian hand drums - into school to play for his group. The children thought the sound was very evocative and having decided on a beat, they recorded one another as they played their soundtracks.
Conkers On a beautiful sunny day in May, J2P and J2R enjoyed a trip to Conkers. Following an interesting workshop on ‘The Secret Life of Seeds’ the children enjoyed a train ride to the adventure playground where they enthusiastically played on all the equipment. After taking off socks and shoes, they braved the ‘Barefoot Walk’ whilst enjoying guessing what could be lurking below the water! A super day was had by all.
Senior School Sports Results Athletics ISA Senior Championships (Alexander Stadium, May 2017) Year 7 Girls Year 8/9 Girls Year 10 Girls Overall Girls (22 Girls teams)
6th 5th 1st 2nd
Year 7 Boys Year 8/9 Boys Year 10 Boys Overall Boys (18 Boys teams)
4th 7th 5th 7th
Girls Team: Sinifesimi Adebayo, Aimee Reid, Sashanna Grant, Tiana Roberts, Malena de la Iglesia Garcia, Amani Palmer-Peters, Olivia Keene, Sophie Smith, Kate Stephens, Jocelyn Thomas, Beaulah Johnson, Harriet Gordon, Katie Power, Georgia Platt, Charlotte O’Neill, Caitlin O’Connor, Rebekah Olatundun, Jennie Hopkinson. Boys Team: Christian Kalvanas, Colin Mbengo, Samuel Harvey, Harry Stephens, Leon Nupa, James Griffiths, Harry Mills, Jeevan Degun, Piers Robinson, Suleman Iqbal, Nathan Paul, Adin Kamangira, Zach Andrews, Billy Pickering, Laith Baldwin. The following athletes qualified and were selected to represent the Midlands at the ISA Nationals: Caitlin O’Connor, Katie Power, Olivia Keene and Leon Nupa
ISA National Championships (Alexander Stadium, June2017) 4 Athletes represented the midlands in this prestigious event. Caitlin O'Connor - Year 10/11 – 5th in 1500m & 7th in the 300m Katie Power - Year 10/11 – 3rd in the triple jump Olivia Keene - Year 8/9 - 6th in the 200m & 5th in the long jump Leon Nupa - Year 7 – 4th in the discus
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Sutton Schools KS4 and KS3 Championships (Wyndley, June 2017) 7 schools Year 7 Girls Year 8 Girls Year 9 Girls Year 10 Girls
8th 3rd 8th 2nd
Individual Excellence - 1st place Caitlin O'Connor - Year 10 1500m Charlotte O'Neill - Year 10 Javelin Georgia Platt - Year 10 200m
Year 7 Boys 7th Year 8 Boys 5th Year 9 Boys 7th Year 10 Boys 6th
Girls Team: Ree’al Downie, Amani Palmer-Peters, Olivia Keene, Sophie Smith, Kia Weekes, Scarlett Dunne, Kate Stephens, Skye LangfordBrown, Jocelyn Thomas, Beaulah Johnson, Destiny Roberts, Tiffany Rowland-Lovatt. Boys Team: James Griffiths, Toby Walton, Andrew Evans, Ethan Thorpe-Brown, Ben Bonner, Harry Mills, Jeevan Degun, James Gibson, Piers Robinson, Suleman Iqbal, Edward Williams.
Senior School Inter-House Sports Day The weather was kind and Senior School pupils held their annual Inter-house sports day at the Athletics track at Wyndley Leisure Centre. It was a competitive morning with some new records, personal best results and the first competitive Triple Jump competition. Full results will be published in our Highclarian Magazine in the Autumn.
Cricket Year 7 v Bishop Walsh (Bishop Walsh School, June 2017) Result: Highclare 26 v Bishop Walsh 35 Team: Malakai Florey-Meah, Harry Stephens, Leon Nupa, Cameron Tuck, James Pearson, Elliot McLoskey, Summi Ud-Deen, Christian Kalavanas. Year 8 v Bishop Walsh (Bishop Walsh School, June 2017) Team: James Griffiths, Kian Bhanabhai, Ben Bonner, Toby Walton, Faizan Mir, Atish Bangar, Aditya Gosavi, Sam Flinders, Andrew Evans, Talal Baldwin, Pranav Ramesh, Joseph Walford. Year 8 v Stockland Green (Stockland Green School, June 2017) Result: Highclare 62 – Stockland Green 20 Team: Toby Walton, Joseph Walford, Aditya Gosavi, Kian Bhanabhai, Samuel Flinders, Ben Bonner, Faizan Mir, Atish Bangar, Louis Hughes. Year 8 v Bishop Walsh (Bishop Walsh School, June 2017) Result: Highclare 49 - Bishop Walsh 46 Team: James Griffiths, Kian Bhanabhai, Ben Bonner, Toby Walton, Faizan Mir, Atish Bangar, Aditya Gosavi, Sam Flinders, Andrew Evans, Talal Baldwin, Pranav Ramesh, Joseph Walford. Year 9 v Stockland Green (Stockland Green School, June 2017) Result: Highclare 35 v Stockland Green 68 Team: Harry Mills, Jeevan Degan, Jorsh Johal, Bhargav Venna, Sean Phagura, Piers Robinson, Kadir Kadir, Luke Dowling, Sean Phagura, James Gibson, Haydar Baig.
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Softball Year 9 v Stockland Green (Stockland Green School, June 2017) Result: Highclare 18 v Stockland Green 11 Team: Harry Mills, Jeevan Degan, Jorsh Johal, Suleman Iqbal, Piers Robinson, William Dawson, Luke Dowling, James Gibson, Matthew Slayter, Eddie Williams.
Triathlon ISA Midlands Triathlon (Lucton School, April 2017) Results Piers Robinson – Query (no place) James Gibson – 33rd out of 34 Jack Newman – Query (no place) James Griffiths – Query (no place) Samuel Harvey – 26th out of 34 Harry Stephens – 65th out of 76 Cameron Tuck – 68th out of 76
TOPS Easter fun Children who attended the Highclare Junior Schools TOPS Easter holiday scheme had a great time. They enjoyed lots of organised activities which included making animal keyrings, owl magnets and Easter puppets. There was also an Easter egg hunt and a very impressive Easter bonnet parade. For some of the children a highlight of the week was taking part in a ‘Bring your own bike to school’ day! With lots of space to ride around they took great advantage of the fine weather.
The Summer half term provided TOPS children with a Fitness Frenzy week, where they learned some Yoga and also how to dance to music from different parts of the world. Everyone enjoyed the salsa, zumba and bhangra dancing.
TOPS operates as a wrap around school care and holiday scheme for Highclare Junior Schools
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A Classical Spectacular An unforgettable evening of music by our young musicians. The young musicians of Highclare Junior Schools gave an unforgettable performance in a ‘Classical Spectacular’. The evening was held at Highclare Senior School, giving pupils from the Junior School the opportunity to perform in the extensive surroundings of the Senior School, with its rich history. All the instrumental ensembles gave outstanding performances, and a selection of soloists entertained a packed audience of family and friends with a wide variety of musical styles. J6 samba was a firm favourite and the Junior School Choir sang with much energy and enthusiasm. They were led by the superb instrumental teaching staff, who not only helped prepare their ensembles for the performance but who were an inspiration to the students and made the concert one to remember. Miss Sarah Broder, Head of Junior Music at Highclare said, “I am very proud of every musician who took part and I look forward to our next showcase.”
Headmaster’s Golf Challenge This event is now in its second year and parents, friends and staff enjoyed a sociable and competitive evening of Golf, at Walmley Golf Club in June. Playing in teams, the competitors enjoyed the course which, although centrally located in Sutton Coldfield hides some beautiful wild life environments and is currently in great condition. It was a very close competition but one team were victorious with a score of 3 under par. The team comprised: Steve Broome, Stuart Johnson, Keith Hopkinson and Richard Luker. Thanks must go to Brad Hurst for his helpful organisation and JES Timber and Club & Corporate Wear for their kind sponsorship of prizes. Of course, a big thank you goes to Tim Gilpin, General Manager at Walmley Golf Club for their kind hospitality. Thoughts are already turning to the next challenge in 2018 ! Look out for details.
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Highclare School Achieving Individual Excellence
If you would like to sponsor the Headmaster’s Termly Newsletter call 0121 373 7400 or visit www.highclareschool.co.uk