HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:49 Page 2
Highclare School
2019 SUMMER ISSUE
At Highclare we believe in providing an extensive pre-school experience that prepares the boys and girls for school and for academic success. Exams and homework are still way in the distant future, but it is important at this age to set strong foundations, nurture a child’s natural curiosity and develop a lifelong love of learning. It is more important than ever to get the educational basics right but what can parents do to give their kids the best possible start in life? One super-effective thing is to get children learning as early as possible in a warm, happy environment where they can thrive. The Educational Endowment Foundation’s Toolkit[1] research supports the assertion that a highfunctioning early years foundation stage can advance a child’s education by up to five months in any one year. This is a big impact: it is saying that, in a good setting, a boy or girl could learn in five months what it would take ten months to do in less effective places. Our size allows for a place where every pupil is known, and every pupil is valued. Pre-prep children (rising three ‘Cygnets’ and rising four ‘Swans’) who are on their first steps of their educational journey are taught by fully qualified teachers with the support of qualified teaching assistants and key workers in a 1:4 (Cygnets) or 1:8 (Swans) ratio. Teachers extend a child’s learning throughout the week via well-planned
teacher and child initiated experiences using individual interest as a catalyst in well-resourced and caring pastoral environments. We follow the EYFS curriculum and have a focus on English and maths via specialist sessions on phonics and numeracy. In addition to this the curriculum is enhanced by regular sessions on modern foreign languages, music and dance – all provided by subject specialists. What really helps is that the flexible approach we adopt ensures each child receives individual attention, with the curriculum tailored to their needs. In addition to this, and in order to help parents support the learning process as much as possible, we maintain an ‘open door’ policy. We have an engaged parent community and provide parental workshops on phonics, maths, reading and pastoral care. The Highclare philosophy of educating the whole person starts in Pre-prep, nurturing the emotional and spiritual intelligence as well as the academic. Coupled with exceptional pastoral care, this enables us to unlock each pupil’s potential at every step of their journey through school life. It all adds up to a very effective package that will pay dividends for a lifetime. In the spirit of nourishing a child’s all-round awareness of living a happy and fulfilled life, our boys and girls are ‘powered’ by a healthy eating food policy delivered by our chefs who cook meals on location and who can cater for most dietary requirements.
there for every step of your child’s educational journey. In Reception class our teachers, again supported by fully qualified teaching assistants, help the boys and girls to frequently exceed the foundation stage early learning goals. We believe in adopting a more formal approach to the curriculum in numeracy and literacy in this year group and also provide specialist teaching in PE, music and modern foreign languages. We use baseline assessment to track the progress made by the boys and girls and, in a class that we aim to be no larger than 22 children, achieve impressive value added. Co-curricular work is enhanced through access to the resources of the Preparatory School and we offer a rich and varied extra-curriculum programme to give everyone the chance to find their niche and enjoy that ‘spark’ of success, belonging and motivation. We believe in providing a high quality educational journey for the children and will do all that we can to give them a great start in life. We do participate in the government’s Early Education Entitlement (EEE) Funding scheme for three and four year olds and will be offering 30 supported hours to eligible[2] parents from September 2019. Please contact Admissions (admissions@highclareschool.co.uk) if you would like to discuss enrolling your child(ren) in our pre-prep settings. We look forward to welcoming you to our superb early-years. [1] Teaching and learning toolkit summary, Educational Endowment Foundation. [2] Subject to government eligibility criteria and Highclare’s own admissions criteria. Full details available from Admissions.
Highclare’s all-through offering means we are
Sleepover in Aid of Young Minds
our expectations would have been surpassed. It was tremendous fun from the beginning to the end.
A fantastic summer term charity sleepover event at Highclare Preparatory School raised an incredible £1,100. As well as raising a huge amount of money for the charity Young Minds, the children had a brilliant time. Here is a report by Charlotte Batey, J6, on her experience.
We were lucky from the start with the weather as, after weeks of rain, we had beautiful sunshine all day and into the long summer evening so we were able to stay outside. We played games on the field with the teachers and, in groups, were able to enjoy a fabulous campfire toasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate.
Friday 28th June was an exceptional day for Highclare Preparatory School. Thanks to the great organisational skills of our teachers, we held the first EVER at school sleepover….yes actually in school, yes, actually OVERNIGHT!!!
Later in the evening when we were all feeling sleepy we snuggled down in our beds and watched films. After lights out we had some chance for chatting until the teachers decided it was time to actually go to sleep (I’m not sure who was more tired, them or us!) The next morning Rob the Chef made us all breakfast and we gobbled it up before we were packed up at 10am. Everyone had a brilliant time and it will be one of my best memories of my time at Highclare.
It was organised to raise money for our school charity Young Minds. None of us knew what to expect or what might happen but even if we had known,
We brought our own bedding (a few of us had a blow-up bed but we were so excited we didn’t notice the hard floor!) and then we set ourselves up, girls upstairs in J5/6 and MFL classroom and the boys were in the hall. We had a special fish and chip supper from the local chippy with ketchup and pop, but we were already quite full from eating all the sweets and crisps from the terrific tuckshop.
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:49 Page 3
Preparatory News Highclare Pre-Preparatory School Farmyard Races
A Surprise Visitor at Highclare Pre-Preparatory School The children thoroughly enjoyed meeting Peppermint and Hovis this term, two very well behaved rabbits. The rabbits told the Easter Bunny how wonderful our Swans pupils are which resulted in the Easter Bunny telephoning the next day to inform them he had visited our Woodland Area! Following on from this phone call the children went into the woodlands with the baskets they had made to follow a trail of footprints and numbers. Eventually they found a basket of treats left for them by the Easter Bunny.
Children in the Swans classroom at Highclare Pre-Preparatory School: St Paul’s recently enjoyed a fantastic Sports Day. To complement the classroom topic of The Farmyard children took part in a variety of themed races including the farmyard obstacle race, Farmer Duck and Feed the Hungry Pigs race. The sun shone, a fun time was had by everyone and the event was a huge success.
A Roaring Campfire Success Highclare Pre-Preparatory School pupils were blessed with dry weather and enjoyed toasting marshmallows and crumpets around a campfire during recent Father’s Day celebrations. Swans sang Happy Father’s Day To You and listened to the birds whilst Mr Bole played the flute. It was a lovely afternoon and all pupils followed the rules of safety beautifully. The afternoon was a ‘roaring campfire’ success.
British Values at Highclare Preparatory School Highclare Preparatory School have taken time this term to think about British Values. This topic has been incorporated into classroom activities and was also the theme of J1’s fantastic assembly.
2
Highclare PrePreparatory Swans class at Highclare Pre-Preparatory School: St Paul’s decided to focus on Good Manners as part of the British Values theme. A wonderful story was shared with the children about a little girl who kept forgetting her manners and so had to carry them around in a bag. The children then made their own Pocketful of Manners with words to remind them tucked away inside.
Pre-Prep Visit Ash End Farm
“We are sure the children will enjoy sharing them at home. They have enjoyed making their special pockets and they are getting really good at remembering to use the words inside.” Mrs J Harris, Early Years Coordinator, Highclare Preparatory School: St Paul’s.
Easter Bonnet Parade Highclare Pre-Preparatory School is always a happy, busy and vibrant learning environment, and Easter proved to be no different. On the last day of term parents and grandparents enjoyed Highclare Pre-Preparatory School Cygnets’ and Swans’ Easter Bonnet Parade. The children looked very proud of their wonderful Easter bonnets. They paraded in the hall and sang Chick, chick, chick, chick, chicken with actions. Mr Gordon also enjoyed seeing the parade and thanked parents for their efforts in helping the children create their bonnets.
Children from Highclare Pre-Preparatory School: Swans enjoyed the dry weather during a recent visit to Ash End House Farm. Pupils had fun in the outdoor area before caring for the goats after listening to Farmer Martha, our guide. In the barn they held the delicate chicks and received a fresh egg to take home for their breakfast. Before leaving, the pupils played and bounced on a huge pillow with their friends.This was a great way to end our day before the restful journey back to school on a Highclare School minibus.
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:49 Page 4
Pre-Prep Graduation Celebration
The Value of Money Swans at Highclare Preparatory School: Woodfield recently enjoyed celebrating their graduation with their families and, to quote one of their graduation songs,
‘With the sun on my face, this is the time I’ve been waiting for. Jump out of bed, this is the time, to shine’. It certainly was. To a packed audience the pupils sang and performed a variety of songs and dances. Pupils shared their ambitions: fire fighters, policemen, vets and even dinosaurs and mermaids! With a little imagination we can all be what we want to be. Wearing caps and gowns, individuals had a photo opportunity as they received their scroll from Dr Luker, our guest of honour. Mrs Bayliss and all the teachers were proud of their pupils' achievements this academic year and wished them a smooth journey into their reception year.
Reception Monkey Around Linking to the summer term topic named The Animal Kingdom, Reception pupils enjoyed a fantastic trip to Twycross Zoo. Pupils had a lovely day learning about lots of different animals, including what they eat and how they live, and took part in a workshop where they learnt about which groups the animals belong to. A fun day was had by all.
Father’s Day Afternoon Tea To celebrate the amazing men in their lives, the children in Reception invited their daddies to an activity afternoon, complete with afternoon tea. The children chose what activities they wanted to play and then helped serve afternoon tea. The afternoon finished with a song telling the daddies how much Reception love them.
Reception Sports Day The Reception classes from both our locations gathered together to have an Animal Kingdom themed Sports Day. Great fun was had by all.
Highclare Preparatory School: Woodfield reception pupils visited Costa Coffee, Wylde Green this term to put their classroom learning on money into action. Children ordered drinks, checked their change and demonstrated their lovely table manners. Quote of the afternoon: “Mrs Bennett loves Costa.” The children know their teachers so well!
Reception Welcomed at the Bug Hotel Reception children had a great afternoon exploring the Bug Hotel, the Pre-Prep outdoor area and Woodland Area looking for mini beasts. A ladybird made itself comfortable on Dollie’s arm, pupils found lots of woodlice under stones and wood and pupils even found evidence of spiders. The children ticked off the mini beasts they saw on their checklist. We didn’t find a dragonfly but Harry told us they do like to live near water.
J1 Explore Under the Sea This term Highclare Preparatory School J1 pupils enjoyed an exciting day out at the Sea Life Centre. During science lessons, J1 have recently been learning about rock pools and sea creatures and the children were fascinated to discover a rock pool full of starfish which they could stroke. Pupils were also lucky enough to go ‘behind the scenes’ and learnt how some of the creatures are fed and looked after. The underwater tunnel proved very popular and the children were very excited to spot sharks and a huge turtle swimming above their heads. A thoroughly enjoyable day!
J2 Impress at Pizza Express Pupils from J2 at Highclare Preparatory School recently enjoyed a visit to Pizza Express where they made their own pizzas as part of their Food Technology topic this term. Pupils rolled out the dough balls, pressed them into the tin, spread the tomato sauce and sprinkled the cheese on top. After a fantastic afternoon J2 took them home for tea. Yum! Following the visit, Pizza Express tweeted that they hoped to have inspired some future MasterChefs – we’ll have to watch this space!
Infant Recital Our Infant pupils entertained an audience of friends and family in the recent Arts Recital Evening. We saw many wonderful solo performances on a variety of instruments such as piano, violin, guitar, drums and singing. A selection of our LAMDA pupils recited some poetry and brought humour to our evening. Reception performed a fantastic piece on their claves demonstrating their excellent rhythmic skills. Year 1 sang beautifully and performed the popcorn song on handbells and boomwhackers. Year 2 gave a vibrant performance of I Just Can't Wait to be King from The Lion King and they performed a 12 bar blues piece on the glockenspiels. Infant choir sang confidently and made a beautiful sound. The whole concert was wonderful from start to finish and it was a lovely way to show what the children learn in their music lessons with Miss Broder as well as to give a platform for our fantastic musicians.
3
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:50 Page 5
Exploring Science at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum J3 spent an informative day recently at the Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum. Pupils managed to dodge the seemingly incessant June rain showers and visited the amazing outdoor science garden. This was undoubtedly J3’s favourite part of the day as they learnt about the various pumps, pullies and pivots that make so many mechanical things move, sometimes with a bang, and sometimes with a splash and a crash!
4
Inside the Thinktank we learnt more about how our bodies grow and develop, how species of animals have evolved over centuries to better fit their changing habitat and the proud history that the city of Birmingham holds with the magnificent steam train. We enjoyed a light show that made us question not only where light comes from but also how we can conserve energy in the future to make sure we have the resources we need. All in all we had a wonderful day and we all agreed that we would like to visit again….and again…..and again.
Highclare Young Musician of the Year 2019 The final of Highclare Young Musician of the Year competition took place on 6 June. With over 80 pieces performed in the first round, our 16 finalists had achieved extremely well to get through to the final, making it a very difficult decision for our judges. The evening was outstanding, all the children performed with proficiency and played with great confidence and musicality. The judges, Nick Parrans-Smith, Ian Raybould and Miss A Cassells, Head of Music, Senior School, were impressed by the high standard and variety of performances that took place. Each performer received constructive feedback on their performances which was very valuable to them. 3rd place was awarded to Lara Jeetley, 2nd place was awarded to Cadence Ball and 1st place was awarded to James Marrett. The overall house that won was Lancaster. Well done to everyone who took part. We are already looking forward to next year’s competition.
J5 Rise to the Occasion J5 have been busy designing and making their own bread this term. They all chose 2 extra ingredients to add to the standard bread recipe, ranging from chocolate to sun-dried tomatoes. They shaped their bread beautifully and the results were fantastic. We certainly have potential star bakers at Highclare Preparatory School, Paul Hollywood watch this space!
Bikeability at Highclare Prep Pupils across J6 had a great time during their Bikeability course. The children enjoyed the opportunity to improve their bike and road safety skills during a number of Bikeability sessions. As well as practical skills, such as learning how to cycle on the road and how to signal effectively to traffic, the children also answered safety questions.
RSPB Trip to Sandwell Valley
J4 Wrekin Maths Challenge
As part of their science topic, J4 visited the RSPB centre at Sandwell Valley. They enjoyed a day of bird watching, hunting for wildlife in a meadow, going on nature walks and examining pond wildlife during the pond dipping activities. They learnt all about food chains, habitats, conservation and how to care for the environment.
A team of J4 pupils recently enjoyed a fun and challenging afternoon of maths at Wrekin College. All children were superb ambassadors for Highclare Preparatory School with some fantastic performances including Holly Hardcastle and Sara Rashid finishing 5th, and Imogen and Syenna Sahota finishing an impressive joint second. Congratulations!
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:50 Page 6
PGL 2019
Highclare CSI On Wednesday 4 June, J4 Highclare Preparatory School pupils enjoyed an exciting day of science experiments at Highclare Senior School science department. The day began with pupils learning how to separate the mixtures of ink found in felt tip pens using chromatography, how to recognise and classify their fingerprints and how to identify different white powders using different tests. Armed with their new science skills and following a delicious lunch, pupils were then ready to solve the Mystery of the Biscuit Burglar!
J6 enjoyed a residential trip to Caythorpe Court, Lincolnshire during the summer term. It is an amazing centre compromising 65 acres of grounds surrounding a huge mansion house. There are loads of great facilities and brilliant PGL activities. All the pupils had a wonderful time, trying new activities and making memories. It was a marvellous opportunity to display resilience and ambition in true Highclare style. Some of the pupils' favourite activities included the giant swing, sensory trail, raft building, challenge course, campfire and Cluedo. Particular highlights included the whole of J6 embarking on a massive water fight with balloons and Harry Taylor celebrating his birthday.
J4 proved themselves to be fantastic forensic scientists and they worked hard in their teams to analyse the evidence provided using the skills that they had learnt earlier in the day and carefully questioned the four very ‘shifty’ suspects to reveal the criminal who had stolen the fresh supply of bus driver’s biscuits. Special mentions must go to our bus drivers Phil and Steve, Senior School Head Teacher Mrs Moore and Senior Lab Technician Mrs Taylor for their wonderful contributions as our prime suspects during the investigation in the afternoon. The children all engaged fully with every activity and made wonderful progress with science skills and the use of some tricky scientific terminology. We can’t wait to do it all again!
J6 Young Enterprise Days 2019 Congratulations to Highclare Preparatory School J6 pupils who have worked extraordinarily hard organising their Young Enterprise event this term. The children have enjoyed putting together PowerPoint presentations to pitch their business proposal for their set-up costs and meticulously calculated their profits by carefully purchasing their items for the stalls to sell. The children worked extremely hard during the event and also in the run up to it, taking pre-orders and promoting their stalls and the school charity. The Enterprise Days raised money for our chosen charity Young Minds and were held on the 20 and 21 June. The total amount raised from the two days was a fantastic £1967.99. Thank you to all who took part during the events and congratulations J6. Your new business skills and hard work paid off. We are very proud of you all!
Prep School Pupils Learn About Banking During Money Week at Highclare Preparatory School, KS2 pupils enjoyed an informative visit from Santander. The children learnt about the different ways to pay, how to keep money safe and, most importantly, how to save their money. They explored the tricky subject of budgeting and learnt about the advantages and disadvantages of online banking. They also learnt which numbers and words can make good pins and passwords, and why. The children also explored vocabulary such as withdrawal, balance, deposit, interest and cheque. Overall, the day was a huge success and the children thoroughly enjoyed learning about money. A big thank you to Santander for coming in and working with our KS2.
5
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:50 Page 7
Preparatory School Prize Giving 2019 On the 27 June 2019 Highclare Preparatory School invited family and friends to enjoy an evening of celebration at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, an opportunity to enjoy fantastic entertainment provided by pupils and recognise superb achievements from throughout the academic year. The first Junior Prize Giving as a Preparatory School was, as expected, an outstanding success, with impressive performances by the school Orchestra, LAMDA and classes alike. The evening opened with a rousing performance of Rule Britannia by the Preparatory School Orchestra, followed by a warm welcome from Dr Luker. Following Dr Lukers' welcome, noting the importance of the change of school name to Highclare Preparatory School, the evening continued with an address from Mrs Bennett, an impressive résumé of the 2018/2019 academic year recounted by pupils and a motivational address by the guest of honour, Mr Adshead, chairman of the Independent Schools Association and proprietor of The Old Vicarage School, Derbyshire.
6
Mrs Bennett inspired pupils to reflect on how they grow and flourish every day at Highclare Preparatory School. To quote Mrs Bennett's vegetable patch analogy, Highclare Preparatory School offers an 'organic' style education, where every child is nurtured and provided with the right conditions to ensure pupils grow to their full and true potential. The importance of care, nutrition, safety, to 'feel cared for and to belong', 'to be valued by others and ourselves' and to 'take charge of learning' are all part of the foundation stones put in place at Highclare Preparatory School. By caring, by valuing all that the children do, by making them feel that they belong, by allowing them to take charge of their development, Highclare Preparatory School enables pupils to be the best they can be, something clear to see during this evening of celebration.
Before the presentation of prizes Guest of Honour, Mr Adshead, inspired pupils through his captivating and motivational speech, highlighting the importance of The Old Vicarage's motto Character and Kindness. It was wonderful to hear about the importance of a hobby and how a university friendship based on kindness enabled all pupils receiving prizes on the night to 'almost' shake the hand of Superman! Energetic LAMDA and musical performances of an incredibly high standard interjected the evening and received rapturous applause from proud parents, an emotional performance of When You Believe by the Preparatory School Choir being a highlight of the night. The evening concluded with the announcement of the 2019/2020 Head Boys, Head Girls and their deputies, roles of great importance. We wish them all luck as they take on these new roles.
Junior School Art Competition 2019 Highclare Senior School enjoyed hosting another fantastic Junior School Art Competition this term which saw over 400 pupils enter this now highly anticipated community competition. This year’s theme ‘under the magnifying glass’ grew out of a project studied by Highclare L4 students on natural forms. During the project students looked at the work of artist Georgia O’Keefe, who made ordinary flowers extraordinary by zooming in on the detail in her paintings. This new viewpoint on the world around her made her one of the most celebrated female artists of her time.
"Through this competition I hoped the young artists would stop and take notice of things around them, and show the interesting detail and beauty in ordinary things. On viewing the entries, and I hope you agree, I have been
amazed by the imagination and variety of subjects - we’ve had fabulous fruit, glittery bugs, microchips, eyes, and even the moon. The detail shown under the microscope in pupils artwork shows they have really taken the time to look carefully at and appreciate what they can see around them." Mrs K Stott, Head of Art, Senior School. The gala viewing and presentation evening was a huge success and it was lovely to see so many families celebrating with pupils from across the region.
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:50 Page 8
Senior School News
A Powerful Senior School Assembly by Loudmouth UK
Normandy 2019
Highclare Senior School warmly welcomed Loudmouth back into school this term to deliver another of their fantastic assemblies, this time focusing on youth violence. Loudmouth Education and Training is a highly respected and innovative theatre in education company and, as always, the assembly delivered a sensitive subject in a powerful and engaging way.
“Youth violence issues have been increasingly in the media and we know that schools are keen to address these to support and safeguard their students. The drama is developed through research with key criminal exploitation organisations, the police, schools and criminologists.” Loudmouth UK U3 and L4 pupils recently embarked upon an exciting adventure to Normandy to try out their French language skills, enjoy some outdoor activities and experience some of the history of the area. During their time in France Highclare staff and pupils stayed at the Château du Molay where they began their visit with outdoor team games in the grounds of the château before heading off to the seaside town of Arromanches, home to the D-Day museum. Here the pupils were able to learn about the D-Day landings; some of the weapons and equipment involved in the landings could still be seen in and around the town and this helped to really bring the events to life. Pupils had the opportunity to view the moving summary of the landings in the 360 degree cinema at Arromanches which showed original footage of the fight to end World War II which took place in and around Normandy’s beaches. This was followed by a visit to the old German gun emplacements on the nearby cliffs. The day ended with a visit to the American cemetery and Omaha beach, scene of some of the worst fighting and greatest casualties on D-Day. Day two was equally busy with a visit to the town of Bayeux on market day which allowed our students to try out their French at some of the shops and market stalls and enjoy some French café culture. Then it was off to see the famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting the events of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest. After viewing this impressive piece of history, the students were able to tour a caramel factory and see how the famous Normandy caramels are produced, followed of course by some free samples and many purchases in the shop. The day was completed with a visit to the German military cemetery, a sombre place which was a powerful reminder of the terrible loss of life in this part of France in 1944. After a hectic few days it was time to head home.The students made some fantastic memories and enjoyed the chance to visit so many interesting places, whilst also finding time for an evening visit to the local bowling alley as well as a disco and crêpes on our final night. The trip was a fantastic experience for all and the students returned home having really enjoyed themselves.
Duke of Edinburgh May Practice Expeditions Congratulations to our Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh groups who successfully completed their practice expeditions on Cannock Chase. All pupils managed to negotiate a route and slept out under canvas in some challengingly cold weather. The Silver DofE group dealt admirably with the relentless rain on Friday and battled through regardless. It was a valuable learning experience for all involved and they will go forward to their qualifying expeditions in June better prepared for what they may face.
The 30 minute educational performance and workshop appropriately explored youth violence with a particular focus on knife crime and county lines. Matt, from Loudmouth, was particularly impressed with the amazing responses from Highclare pupils and staff.
Exceptional Mathematical Talent at Highclare Senior School Following on from their success at the UKMT Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, we would like to congratulate Hanhong Lin and Tim Pan on their fantastic achievements during the most recent round of the competition. Having previously achieved a gold award during the Intermediate Maths Challenge, Hanhong Lin (L5) received an invitation to sit an extension paper to the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, the Kangaroo (inspired by the Australian Mathematics Trust.) Each year over six million school pupils aged 5-18, from more than 50 countries take part in the Kangaroo contest at various levels. Following a tough mathematical paper Hanhong was placed in the top 25% of year 10 pupils taking part in the global Kangaroo contest and achieved a merit certificate, a fantastic achievement. Hanhong has also been invited to a National Mathematics Summer School following her excellent performance in this year’s Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. Well done Hanhong – an amazing accolade! Tim Pan (U4) achieved an impressive 50 out of a possible 60 marks on the UKMT invitational follow-on round known as the Cayley Olympiad. Having already achieved a gold award in the Intermediate Maths Challenge held in February, Tim completed a tough two hour paper sat by only the top mathematics pupils in the country. During the challenge pupils had to produce well-reasoned, logical arguments showing the correct solution for each question. In response to one of Tim’s answers the marker commented, 'This is probably the best explained solution I’ve seen.' By scoring 50 marks Tim has placed himself in the top 100 year 9 students nationally. He will receive a medal and certificate of distinction. Well done Tim, another amazing achievement!
Sixth Form Celebration Highclare staff enjoyed a marvellous evening with U6 students and their families at the Sixth Form leavers' celebration in the Highcare Sixth Form gardens. It was a wonderful opportunity to reminisce over the many memories made during their time at Highclare. Wishing each and everyone one of you the best of luck for your examinations and the next chapter of your life, please do keep in touch.
7
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:50 Page 9
U3 Students Sing in Harmony U3 students recently engaged in an inspiring singing workshop with visitors from the Singing Community of Choirs. Richard Jeffries, a well-known choral director from the area, along with his accompanist Chris, got students clapping, clicking, ‘doo-wopping’, and singing along together in 4 part harmony! Students sang popular, gospel, and traditional numbers, and ended with A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman. Richard talked to the students about the importance of singing for their own intellect, wellbeing and holistic development and how we should all do more of it. It would also be fabulous to have more of our wonderful singing voices involved in extracurricular music for further enrichment and, hopefully, following the workshop, more students will be interested in joining the HighC Singers in September!
Highclare Senior School Bake Off 2019 The Annual Highclare Senior School Bake Off house competition final took place on Tuesday 18 June when students prepared fantastic pasties of different savoury fillings in just one and a half hours. Six very eager competitors, two from each house, took part and produced some delicious pasties. The smell as you approached the Food Technology room was amazing! The competition was judged by Dr. Luker and Mrs. Moore who enjoyed tasting all the pasties to aid their decision making. Once again the standard of bakes proved to be high and it was a very close call. The final results are: House po ints
Individually
1st Tudor
1st place Nellie Gwaza
2nd York
2nd place Ketii Abebe
3rd Lancaster
3rd place Rhaina Madzinga
Euan Edwards, Isobel Budden and Jude Hughes were all highly commended.
8
U4 Primary School Pantomime Performances Highclare U4 pupils were extremely successful in showing off their devised short and innovative pantomimes to local primary schools. The afternoon was full of joy and fun as primary school children from as young as 4 years old interacted with our Senior School pupils during engaging moralistic and audience interactive performances. A wonderful afternoon was enjoyed by all. Congratulations U4!
U5 Prom Night 2019 U5 pupils celebrated the end of exam season on a glorious evening at Moxhull Hall, Sutton Coldfield. Students and teachers enjoyed a wonderful, relaxed evening following a term of examinations. The pupils' behaviour was exemplary and we look forward to welcoming pupils back to our L6 in September.
L5 Fieldwork Skills Day at Carding Mill Valley, Shropshire L5 Geographers were somewhat bemused on arrival at Ash Brook river, Carding Mill Valley to be handed bags of dog biscuits! It all become clear (and great fun!) when the method for collecting data on stream velocity was explained and pupils were then able to float their biscuits and time how long it took for them to move five metres downstream. Alternative methods were considered such as the use of a ping pong ball (not good for the environment if lost) and the use of a flow meter (ineffective in shallower water) before concluding that the dog biscuit method was indeed best. We tested a range of hypotheses over the course of the day as we made our way through the valley from the source of the river further downstream, ensuring that our Geographers are adept in the fieldwork skills necessary for the GCSE course.
Short Story Writing Competition Key stage 3 Short Story House Competition This year pupils were once again invited to write a story for the 2019 house competition. U3 had the topic of Alter Egos; L4 had to write a spy story and U4 wrote dystopian stories. The short-listed stories were judged by Mrs Sue Riley who used to be the Head of English at Highclare School. Mrs Riley was very impressed with the standard of the entries. Mariya Hussian, this year’s winner, will receive a trophy at the Senior School Prize Giving evening. Key stage 4 Short Story House Competition L5 pupils were required to write a story inspired by their studies of the GCSE poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade. The joint winners were Toby Walton and Ketii Abebe who will share the trophy at the Senior School Prize Giving evening.
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:50 Page 10
Preparatory School Sports Thursday 2 May 2019, Boys and Girls ISA Midlands Triathlon at Lucton School Tristar 2 boys Hugh Mason-Williams Tristar 2 girls Tiffany Latham Tristar 1 boys Finley Pike Tristar Start Girls Annabelle Walker
9th 10th 7th 9th
Friday 3 May 2019, Football National Finals U11 ISA Junior Football at St. George’s Park Group A HC v King Alfred Lost 1-3 Gatehouse v HC Lost 1-0 Parsons Green Prep v HC Drew 0-0 HC v Claires Court A Won 1-0 HC v Crackley Hall Won 1-0 3rd in the group, W2, D1, L2, 11Pts Plate 1 Finals HC v Trinity Lost 1-3 HC v Thorpe Hall Won 4-0 HC v Rosemead Lost 1-2 Overall 13th in England U9 & U11 Girls Gymnastics Competition at Adcote School U9 girls 6th U11 girls 12th Lily Dudley 4th Isabella Rutter 6th WINNERS – Endeavour award
J2 Tri-Golf v Dixie Grammar School hosted at Highclare Sports Field Tuesday 14 May 2019 1st Place – Highclare Navy 2nd Place – Highclare Red and Highclare Green
Tuesday 4 June 2019 Rounders U11 A Against Twycross House School U11A Lost 8 ½ - 3 ½
Monday 10 June 2019 Aquathlon at Sibford School Boys U9 Boys team - 2nd Finley Pike 4th William Hoe 5th Adam Colloby 9th
Girls U9 Girls team - 3rd Lily Dudley 4th Heidi Eperjesi 8th Annabelle Walker 9th Amelie Stead 10th
U11 Boys team - 1st Hugh Mason-Williams 2nd James Marrett 4th William Stead 7th
U11 Girls team - 1st Tiffany Latham 1st Chloe Pike 4th Madison-May Price 7th
Tuesday 18 June 2019 Rounders U10 & U11 v Lichfield Cathedral School U10 won 7 – 6 ½ U11 won 10 – 7 ½ Tuesday 18 June 2019 Cricket Hardball v Lichfield Cathedral School U11 – Won 272 for 1 against 243 for 3 Tuesday 18 June 2019 20/20 Windball v Lichfield Cathedral School U10 – Lost 255 for 8 against 269 for 2 Friday 21 June 2019 Rounders U9 v Lichfield Cathedral School U9A – Won 9 – 5 ½ U9B – Lost 8 – 3 Friday 21 June 2019 Pair cricket v Lichfield Cathedral School U9A – Won 280 for 2 v 256 for 4 Wednesday 19 June 2019 ISA Athletics Nationals Finals William Stead – 600m 5th Hugh Mason-Williams – 600m 6th Joshua Jones – 150m 7th Tiffany Latham – 600m 11th Thursday 20 June 2019 Football U7 A+B+C Soccer Skills Tournament at Derby County Football Club A – Won 3, drew 0, Lost 2 – Finished 5th B – Won 2, drew 1, lost 2 – Finished 7th C – Won 1, lost 4 – Finished 8th Thursday 27 June 2019 J1 & J2 Swimming Gala at Wyndley Swimming Pool
Thursday 6 June 2019 ISA Regional Junior Midlands Athletics
U11 Y6 Boys Highjump – Chima Ihenacho – 3rd Y6 Boys 600m – William Stead 2nd & NATIONAL QUALIFICATION Y6 Boys 150m - Joshua Jones 1st & NATIONAL QUALIFICATION Y6 Boys relay 4th Y6 Boys 80m - Anthony Weaver 2nd (in heat) Y6 Boys Cricket ball throw - Charlie Woolley 7th Y6 Girls 80m - Anna Sum 4th (in heat) Y6 Girls 150m – Anna Sum 9th (2nd in heat)
U10 Y5 Boys 600m - Hugh Mason-Williams 1st & NATIONAL QUALIFICATION Y5 Boys 150m - Yousef Shimal 8th (3rd in heat) Y5 Girls 70m – Tiffany Latham (5th in heat) and 8th overall Y5 Girls 600m - Tiffany Latham 1st & NATIONAL QUALIFICATION Y5 Girls 150m - Gia Gill 4th (1st in heat) Y5 Girls relay 6th
U9 Y4 Boys 600m – Finley Pike 3rd Y4 Boys 150m - William Hoe 5th Y4 Boys relay 3rd Y4 Girls 60m - Maisie Newman 3rd Y4 Girls 60m – Temi Adewunmi 4th(in heat) Y4 Girls relay 8th
There was an excellent standard of swimming all morning by our J1 and J2 children during this event, it is so exciting to see that our future swim teams will be filled with such talent. The morning started off with front crawl and backstroke, which proved to be firm favourites. The morning then moved onto ‘the horsey’ race, teddy bear float kicking competitions to show leg power and the event concluded with ball races. Many of the parents commented on what fantastic progress their child had made following the Highclare Preparatory School swimming lessons. Tuesday 2 July 2019 J1-J6 Preparatory School Sports Day 2019 J3 – J6 Sports Morning An incredibly successful morning was had by all year groups at the J3-J6 Sports Day. All children competed in 4 disciplines including 800m, sprint, ball throw and long jump. Many of our children beat their own personal best times and distances which is something to be very proud of. Special mention in this category goes to Finley Pike and William Hoe who jumped 3 meters 30cm and 3 meters 40cm respectively in the long jump. Miss Upham and Mr Sneekes were so very proud of all of those children who have worked hard at their endurance this year and completed the 800m jogging the whole way. Medals were awarded for the top 3 places in each age category across each discipline so a huge congratulations to all students who won medals. The J6 Victor and Vitrix Ludorum is awarded to the student with the most accumulated points. Well done to Chloe Pike and Joshua Jones who were awarded the trophies this year. We look forward to another successful Sports Day in 2020. J1 & J2 Sports Afternoon A huge well done to all of our children who competed in the J1&J2 Sports Day at Wyndley Athletics Track. The sprint races, egg and spoon events, spot the ball game and obstacle course were all fiercely competed in. Thank you to all of the parents for your support of our event, it was a brilliant afternoon.
9
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:50 Page 11
Sports Results Summer 2019
10
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:50 Page 12
Senior School Sports ATHLETICS
TRIATHLON
ISA Senior Championships (Alexander Stadium, May 2019)
ISA Midlands Triathlon (Lucton School, June 2019)
Year 7 Girls
8th
Year 7 Boys
12th
Year 8/9 Girls
7th
Year 8/9 Boys
5th
Year 10 Boys
5th
Year 10 Girls 1st Overall 4th out of 21 schools
Results Tristar 2 Team: Molly Taunton, Eva Robinson, Olivia Harvey, Harry Hope, Jamie Davis. Tristar 3 Team: Ruby Newman, Grace Robinson, Archie Moore.
Girls’ Team: Olivia Harvey, Grace Robinson, Lily Clancy, Eva Robinson, Isobel Budden, Veronica Ansell, Alice Griffiths, Ruby Newman, Kitty McCallion-Bowen, Nia Eubanks, Megan Lozneanu, Amani PalmerPeters, Olivia Keene, Sophie Smith, Kaylah Pedro-Ward, Anya Korpal.
Youth Team Jack Newman, Samuel Harvey.
Boys’ Team: Andrew Halliwell, Archie Moore, Joshua Andre, Harry Hope, Jamie Davis, Salif Kamara, Christian Kalvanas, Samuel Harvey, Harry Abbott, Rhys Asphall, Joe Robson, Ethan Thorpe-Brown, Toby Walton, Andrew Evans, Jack Newman. The following athletes qualified and were selected to represent the Midlands at the ISA Nationals: Jack Newman, Amani Palmer-Peters, Sophie Smith and Grace Robinson
ISA National Championships (Alexander Stadium, June 2019) Jack Newman
1500m - 4th (4.40.88)
800m - 5th (2.18.08)
Amani Palmer-Peters
100m - 6th (14.11)
200m - 7th (30.31s)
Sophie Smith
Javelin - 4th (23.22m)
Grace Robinson
200m - 5th (30.43s)
Sutton Schools KS4 and KS3 Championships (Wyndley, June 2019) 7 schools Year 7 Girls
2nd
Year 7 Boys
4th
Year 8 Girls
2nd
Year 8 Boys
6th
Year 9 Girls
4th
Year 9 Boys
6th
Year 10 Girls
3rd
Year 10 Boys
3rd
Girls’ Team: Isabella Haigh, Grace Robinson, Olivia Harvey, Eva Robinson, Isobel Budden, Veronica Ansell, Alice Griffiths, Jodie Andrews, Ruby Newman, Kitty McCallion-Bowen, Nia Eubanks, Megha Bodhani, Sinifesimi Adebayo, Sashanna Grant, Megan Lozneanu, Madison Ealing, Amani Palmer-Peters, Olivia Keene, Nellie Gwaza, Kaylah Pedro-Ward, Anya Korpal.
Boys’ Team: Archie Moore, Joshua Andre, Harry Hope, Jamie Davis, Ahmad Khan, Amaan Hoq, Lewis Smith, Salif Kamara, Harnekh Johal, Matthew Foletti, Malakai Florey-Meah, Samuel Harvey, Cameron Tuck, Harry Abbott, Ismail Younis, Rhys Asphall, Joe Robson, Simran Bamra, Ethan Thorpe-Brown, Toby Walton, Jack Newman, Andrew Evans, Kian Bhanabhai.
11
HTN_Summer_2019_Layout 1 11/07/2019 11:49 Page 1
Sports Day, 28 June 2019 Following a change in date and venue due to weather conditions (a fantastic call by the PE department) Senior School Sports Day 2019 took place on a sunny Friday morning at the Highclare Sports Field. Pupils and staff enjoyed a revised timetable of events during a fantastic morning of competitive sports. As always Senior School sports day was an inclusive event where all pupils contribute to a final house total through putting in their best and taking part. Please keep an eye out for the annual Highclarian publication for results and stand out performances.
12