Highclare School
2017
Achieving Individual Excellence
WINTER ISSUE
Welcome to the Winter edition of the Headmaster’s Termly Newsletter The issue of the UK’s productivity record has been in the news a lot recently. It has suddenly become a short-run political phenomenon in the country in addition to the more commonly considered long-term ‘headache’. It is right and proper that we give due consideration to productivity because standards of living directly correspond to it. It is not a surprise that the most productive nations in the world tend also to be the most wealthy. The text book determinants of productivity tend to be numerous but the most productive economies tend to have high levels of investment in capital and in human capital; a supportive business infrastructure and regulatory environment; an effective and sustained government supply-side strategy and a general national pre-disposition to innovation and sensible risk-taking. All of these things are significant in their own right but, since all producers can have world-wide access to the latest technology, components and materials, the key test of success is the extent of the productive use to which these
recourses can be put. The productivity playing field is the one on which competition takes place. Human resources, therefore, take centre stage since the skills, knowledge and experience, the professional learning and development and the innovation capability of the workforce are all vital components in the search for greater productivity. This is why education is so important for the nation’s future prosperity. We are engaged in securing our current and future prosperity through the process of creating a high-functioning, flexible and responsible workforce. Highclare’s contribution to this process is to educate young men and women to have values and attitudes that enable them to be good citizens, and also have the confidence and ability to go out and take up a productive role in society. One way of achieving this is to engage with the Mindshop Excellence organisation who offer a one-week, employer-hosted work-experience immersion aimed at fostering skills such as team work and self-confidence. The young men and women act as company executives immersed in a real business solving real problems which you can read more about on page 3. This experience plays an important role at Highclare School in preparing our young people for their future. There are tens of thousands of young people nationally, similar to our delegates, who are able and willing to meet the challenge of raising the country’s productivity levels. As a society, we just need to find a way to effectively harness their individual and collective energy and potential. Over to you, Mr and Mrs Politician…. Best wishes Dr R Luker - Headmaster
Highclare pupils ‘fly’ in the ISA Competition Pupils of all ages have received recognition for their artwork in the 2017 Midlands Independent Schools Association Art competition. This has been our most successful year to date, with winners in 6 categories and a total of 11 pupils gaining awards. Pupils in EYFS and KS1 scooped first, second and highly commended awards in both the 2D Individual Art and Drawing categories. Highclare artists also achieved 6 first place wins with 3 being awarded to pupils in the Senior School. William Dawson’s stunning photograph of an owl in flight achieved the top prize in the KS3/4 Photography category. This marks the third year running that Highclare School has achieved top place in this class. Congratulations to all our talented students.
List of Winners
FIRST PRIZE
SECOND PRIZE
HIGHLY COMMENDED
ART 2D Individual EYFS
Bella Colreavy
Arya Gunputh
Ethan Biddle
Charlotte Haslam
Jessica Kellett
ART 2D KS4
Cameron Day
DRAWING EYFS/KS1
Sajan Shinh
Aoife Whiskens
ART INDIVIDUAL 3D EYFS/KS1 ART INDIVIDUAL 3D KS2
Alice Griffiths
ART INDIVIDUAL 3D KS3
Joe De Waele
PHOTOGRAPHY KS3/4
William Dawson
Senior School News Duke of Edinburgh Award at Highclare 2017 Walking boots broken in and backpacks bursting, both our Bronze and Silver groups departed Highclare on Friday 15th September, determined and prepared to take on the glorious but tough terrain of North Wales. The next few days would see them complete the final section of their respective Duke of Edinburgh Awards. It was the culmination of months of commitment to physical activity, skill learning and volunteering. Armed with route cards, maps and the knowledge gained from the practice expeditions, they were now ready to navigate their way to success. The Bronzes had the glorious setting of Anglesey for their hike, following the coastal path around the northern part of the island. The Silvers were up in the foothills of Snowdon, negotiating trickier terrain and a more complicated course. Though the Bronzes set off under a heavy grey sky, their mood was buoyant. After a pep talk from assessors Stu and Matt, they made steady progress all day, with the rain, thankfully, never fully materialising. There were a few run-ins with scary cows and overzealous farm dogs, but all survived to make it into camp in good time for a
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well deserved rest. The following day dawned fine and bright, providing the backdrop for a clear home run. With only a few sore shoulders and blistered feet, the groups finally arrived at the buses in the early afternoon, tired but triumphant. It was lovely to witness the team work and friendship bonds which had developed within the groups. Congratulations to all of our participants on an excellent weekend and a tremendous conclusion to their award challenges. They tackled all their tasks with tenacity and acted throughout as excellent ambassadors for our school. Many thanks also to the team of people involved in enabling this trip to happen: Miss Roche, for her thorough training and route planning sessions; Mrs Healey, for overseeing all the preparations; all in accounts, transport and the school office, who lent their invaluable support in the run-up to the trip; and the teachers, Mr Parkinson, Mrs Green and Mrs Beavan, who gave up their weekend to accompany our youngsters to Wales. It could not have happened without you all.
Bushtucker Trials at Highclare 6th Form A sheep in Wolf's clothing A new mascot for Lancaster House
This term the A Level Psychology students have 'enjoyed' studying other students' reactions to toasted tarantulas and candied critters as part of their 'eating behaviour' topic. Fellow 6th form students were asked to complete questionnaires to discover how 'sensation-seeking' they think they are, and the likelihood of them eating the bugs, shredded jellyfish and pea crisps on offer. Another day in the Highclare world of Psychology!
Senior School Speech Night Highclare Senior School Speech Night, our annual opportunity to celebrate and recognise students for their outstanding achievements, was yet again a resounding success. Prizes were presented to a number of pupils for excellence across all areas of the curriculum including academic achievement, music, sport and art. Superb speeches and reports from various pupils, together with performances from Highclare's String Orchestra and Jazz Band ensured the night captivated and enthused pupils, parents and staff. Dr Luker's rĂŠsumĂŠ of the School's achievements and successes once again highlighted the superb capabilities of Highclare pupils, principally the ability to achieve their highest potential along with academic and cross curriculum excellence.
It has been a great pleasure to take over as Head of Lancaster House from Mrs Hughes. I would like to say a huge thank you to her for all that she has done for Lancaster House over the past few years. One of the first things that struck me when I started this new role was that the mascot for Lancaster is currently a sheep, whereas the mascots for York and Tudor are a Lion and a Dragon respectively. There is clearly an "imbalance of power" should we say, so I set to task in laying the sheep to rest and deciding on a new more powerful House mascot. After receiving some great suggestions across the year groups the task to choose a new mascot culminated with a house vote where it was decided our new Mascot shall be a wolf. I look forward to continuing to lead the House further forward now that we have chosen our new mascot. No doubt it will be a howling success!! Mr Sneary - Head of Lancaster House
Special thanks go to guest speaker Paul Faulkner, Chief Executive of Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, whose brilliant speech and references to our motto Facta Non Verba ( Deeds Not Words) was incredibly thought provoking. It was a fantastic night and congratulations go to all involved.
U3’s learn lifesaving skills U3’s had the opportunity to learn lifesaving skills this term with kit generously donated by The British Heart Foundation. The afternoon was excellent, the children were really keen to learn about CPR & they all did extremely well. We express our thanks to all involved and to the children for being so attentive and considerate throughout the afternoon. We look forward to seeing the training roll out across all of the School.
U6 attend the Tectonic Hazards Conference This term U6 pupils had the opportunity to attend the Tectonic Hazards Conference held at the Dominion Theatre, London. The conference always proves entertaining and informative and this year was no different. With keynote speakers such as Professor Iain Stewart of BBC fame it provided a fantastic insight into Hazard Geography. With seven key speakers covering a wide range of topics within tectonics the pupils came away enthusiastic and armed with information to assist them with their forthcoming exams.
MindShop Excellence: Shoosmiths Students Toyin Ajileye, Daniel Hurst, Bhavan Mattu, Rebekah Olatundun and Nathan Paul were a credit to Highclare School during a recent Mindshop Excellence Programme event.
U4th Career Information Morning Our U4th year group are now brimming with knowledge about the diverse career paths open to them when they leave school following our careers information morning this term. Pupils were treated to a host of guest speakers from diverse career paths. Speakers included Mr Max Coleman, operations director at Steel & Alloy Processing Ltd, who opened proceedings, explaining the different fields of engineering and opportunities within the sector post both GCSE and A-level. Mrs Nia Stead, our law teacher and a trained solicitor, advised us on the qualities needed to follow a career in law and what inspired her to choose the profession. Dr Christine Burt spoke about her experience as a medical research scientist as well as pointing out job opportunities both clinical and non-clinical in the NHS. She was followed by Mrs Healey who led a careers activity before we brought the morning to a close with our final speaker, Mr Sam Goss GM at Moor Hall Hotel, who talked about his career path, the different roles and entry levels needed by the hotel and how he manages the hotel successfully. It was a very positive morning leaving the pupils with lots to think about.
During October half term our very own leaders of the future had the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in the litigation department of one of the most prestigious law firms in the country, Shoosmiths, a nationwide, full service, award winning law firm. Students, drawn from Year 11 and 12 cohorts, were engaged in a task to enhance collaboration and cohesiveness amongst Shoosmiths approx. 1000 employees. They were given the skills and the resources to devise, research and test a number of amendments to Shoosmiths' internal procedures and were given the responsibility to create and deliver a summative presentation attended by staff from not only Shoosmiths but also from Highclare School and Mindshop Excellence. Predictably, the students rose superbly to the challenge and, in doing so, gained an invaluable insight into what goes on within a business. As a School, we are delighted to be part of the Mindshop Excellence programme; a big thank you to them, all at Shoosmiths and to Mr Jason Langford-Brown for facilitating the experience.
Our task was to propose ideas to the Shoosmiths' team about how they could improve collaboration within their firm and encourage their workers to work better as a team. We then had to present the ideas to the team and compile a report. This was by no means an easy task and took every single one of us out of our comfort zones, but nonetheless we came up with several ways in which the team could tackle the problem. On the last day we had to present our ideas to several partners who worked at Shoosmiths. This was a nervewracking experience but despite this the presentation went extremely well and the partners were really impressed with our findings and the ideas that we presented to them. Overall, this was an extremely rewarding experience and I would recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to participate in the Mindshop Excellence scheme to do so.
A Christmas Carol comes to Highclare On Wednesday 27th November U3rds, L4ths and U4ths were treated to a wonderful performance of A Christmas Carol by the Fred Theatre Company. It is a text that is studied in English lessons in the L4th to prepare students for the study of 19th century novels. The highlight of the performance was Oliver Field in U3R being chosen to be Tiny Tim and joining in with the Cratchit family Christmas, delivering the famous line, ‘God Bless us everyone!’ The performance was fantastic and we thank everyone involved.
Maths Inspiration Sixth Form Sixth Form Students travelled to Birmingham's New Alex Theatre for a morning of interactive maths lectures this November to experience some of the UK’s most inspiring maths speakers live in theatre. Mathematics was presented in the context of exciting real world applications and the students certainly left the show inspired.
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Junior School News J3 Harvest Assembly
J3 Dig Deep
This Autumn term J3R and J3P showcased an outstanding class assembly of The Little Red Hen to celebrate the importance of harvest. Both classes worked extremely hard with cross-site rehearsals to learn the songs and their roles within the play. They sang with such conviction and performed the actions to the songs with great gusto. The parents thoroughly enjoyed watching all the children in their first junior assembly.
Pupils in J3 have assembled their magnifying glasses and have been investigating rocks and soils this term. In class they have learnt about rock formation and tested and compared the properties of rocks. The children continued their investigations to compare the properties of the soils that are made from the different rock types. It is always so wonderful to see the children learn about the physical world around them with such interest and enthusiasm.
J3 & J4 Beaudesert Trip
J4 Take a Seat
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At the start of the school year J4 took part in a fabulous art project looking at the representation of chairs in different artworks. The children then enthusiastically designed and built their own chair to represent themselves, a family member or a character with a variety of materials. The art project was a huge success allowing the children to use their imagination and express something that is important to them in a unique way.
Our annual survival day took place at Beaudesert Outdoor Activity Centre, Cannock Chase, on Wednesday 20th September. The weather was perfect for a day of exhilarating activities and challenges and J3 and J4 were looking forward to a fantastic day. After splitting into groups the children set off to their activities with great excitement. These included the zip wire, climbing wall, archery, traverse wall and the crate stacking. The children all showed amazing resilience in overcoming their fear of such things as heights and climbing, and they took on all the challenges with great determination and courage. By the end of the day, all of the children felt tired but very happy and proud of their achievements. Esme Karakaya from J4R said, “The monkey trees were the best because I like climbing.” Jacob Lisseman, J4R said, “The zip wire was amazing, I felt like I was flying.”
J4 Remembrance Assembly HW & HSP Remembrance Day was celebrated at Highclare Woodfield and Highclare St Pauls with a wonderfully moving assembly, performed by J4R and J4P. The children sang a variety of songs, some uplifting and stirring, such as Pack Up Your Troubles, and some incredibly poignant and emotional, such as Keep The Home Fires Burning. All the songs were sung with passion and feeling, as were the poems and spoken words, including In Flanders Field. A two minute silence was impeccably observed and J4 performed the whole assembly with respect and maturity. We are incredibly proud of how children throughout the whole school have taken part in various commemoration tributes during November, this month of Remembrance.
J5 A perfectly Nonsensical Tale This term J5 have been enthusiastically learning and performing The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. They organised themselves within their groups and learnt a section each adding actions and expression. There were some absolutely fantastic dramatic performances of the poem considered one of the greatest nonsense poems written in English!
J5 Shaping Maths
The children in J5 really enjoyed their practical maths lesson based on nets for 3D shapes. Following a ‘Guess the Shape’ competition based on a selection of nets, the children eagerly assembled the net they had won to see if they had guessed the correct shape. Everyone’s focus and attention on the task at hand resulted in a wonderful collection of 3D shapes, with a dodecahedron and icosahedron being amongst the favourites.
J5 & J6 Survival Day The children in J5 and J6 went to Woodlands Adventure Centre ready for a day of exciting activities. They all had a fantastic time and particularly enjoyed the rock climbing and zip wire. After rock climbing the children played a shark attack game with the instructor, which they thoroughly enjoyed. On the canoes they played a pirate game where they had to try and get away from the other boats which was great fun.
J5&J6 Recital Evening J5 & J6 musicians and drama pupils took to the stage this November to perform a number of solo items to an audience of family and friends. It was a fantastic evening of entertainment and was lovely to see so many pupils taking part. We had performances from different instruments such as piano, euphonium, cornet, flute, singing, guitar and violin. The LAMDA performances were outstanding and added a lot of humour to the evening. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone who took part, we were extremely impressed with the high standard of the performances and it was certainly an evening enjoyed by all.
J5 Pupil breaks tennis tournament record during his first international event This term Edward Morrison (J5) took part in his first international tennis tournament in France. Following a summer of tennis competitions representing Warwickshire along with just 4 other boys, Edward and his family travelled to the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, France. During the tournament Edward played a number of games, competing against representatives from all over the world, including boys from Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Sweden and France. Edward played extremely well – he even managed to break the tournament record of the highest rally during a set point. The rally reached 211 shots and Ed won the point to take the first set. He really was a little superstar. We are so excited to see where
Ed’s talent will take him in the future! We love to celebrate our pupils achievements at Highclare School and we are always so proud to hear about what our pupils accomplish. Please keep in touch and we can endeavour to include your child in the next issue of The Headmaster’s Termly Newsletter.
Creative Writing Competition On Thursday 30th November we invited the lucky winners of our annual Junior School Creative Writing Competition to a reception at school to celebrate and receive their certificates and prizes. The task, set by our English department, was to continue an opening of an Enid Blyton story. The entries showcased the talents from a variety of schools and Mrs Dawson and Mrs Downes enjoyed reading them. The winners are listed below:
Highclare pupils feature in prime time BBC drama
We are tremendously proud of Highclare pupils Yuvraaj (J2) and Prabhleen Bhogal (J4) who appeared in the BBC drama The Boy with the Topknot this term. The children had a fantastic time filming and were honoured to be involved with such a popular drama.
Surya Zahra Harman Fatimah Junaid Anya Theo Siya Ammara Yunus
Prasanna Rashid Ahluwalia Humad Ahmed Baijal Bollinger Gupta Abideen Ahmed
6 6 5 5 6 6 6 5 6 6
Mayfield Preparatory School Mayfield Preparatory School Mayfield Preparatory School Ark Tindel Primary School Mayfield Preparatory School Mayfield Preparatory School Mayfield Preparatory School Mayfield Preparatory School Westminster Primary School Westminster Primary School
Winner 2nd Prize 3rd Prize Highly Commended Highly Commended Highly Commended Highly Commended Highly Commended Highly Commended Highly Commended
“ Excellent care and thoughtfully planned activities ensures that children flourish in this safe environment ”
Wrap around after school care & holiday scheme
Contact the School Office or a TOPS member of staff for more information and a booking form Tel: 0121 373 7400
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Junior Sports News Highclare Juniors have enjoyed a busy and fun time in sports this Autumn term. With extra-curricular activities including football, hockey, multi-sports, ballet, tennis, cardio-skip and dance we look forward to seeing the pupils thrive across many pursuits throughout the year. This term children have participated in many friendlies and ISA competitions in swimming, hockey and football. It has been wonderful to see our talented children compete so well with other children locally, regionally and nationally.
Swimming Girls Swimming Gala v Edgbaston High School for Girls 5th November 2017 The quality of swimming was extremely high and the Highclare girls proved themselves to be up there with the very best. Some of the highlights included Liberty Mackenzie who came first in the Year 6 individual medley and Year 6 breaststroke as well as Daisey-May Price who came first in the Year 4 breaststroke. Team: Liberty Mackenzie, Charlotte Batey, Molly Taunton, Anna Sum, Jyoti Mangal, Chloe Pike, Sophie Walden, Tiffany Latham, Keira Lee, Isabella France, Ruby Rowntree, Madison-May Price, Daisey-May Price, Esme Karakaya, Temi Adewunmi, Imogen Hook and Lily Sum.
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ISA Midlands Swimming Gala 21st November 2017 The success of swimming within the Junior school has been growing year on year with 2017 being no exception. During the ISA Midlands Swimming Gala, involving 22 schools, Highclare finished 2nd overall for our girls team and 3rd overall for our boys team. The hard work by students in lessons and the dedication of our specialist swimming teachers is clear to see. A huge congratulations to Daisey-May Price and Hugh MasonWilliams who will represent Highclare School and the Midlands at the National finals on the 21st January 2018. Girls Team: Daisey-May Price, Madison-May Price, Esme Karakaya, Tiffany Latham, Molly Taunton, Liberty Mackenzie, Charlotte Batey, Anna Sum, Chloe Pike, Sophie Walden, Jyoti Mangal and Olivia Harvey. Boys Team: Hugh Mason-Williams, James Marrett, Flynn Luckman, Oliver Hoe, Alex Bradbury, Barnaby Marjoram, Charlie Woolley, Oliver-Storm Sargeant, Adam Leffler, Jamie Davis, Jack Burgess and Isaac Lugg.
Football Highclare Junior Football team has shown again this year that we have huge strength of skill and talent. We have successfully competed in friendly matches against other Independent Schools and enjoyed great success in recent ISA tournaments.
U8’s West House Prep 2 v Highclare 2 West House Prep 4 v Highclare 1 On Thursday 16th November our U8 team (J3) travelled to West House Prep for their very first school football game. As one can imagine, the anticipation and excitement of all the pupils involved was sky-high. Both teams played four 8 minutes quarters, which gave us time in between to get our breath back and talk through some tactics. It was an enjoyable and memorable occasion for all involved and both teams played some really good football and gave it everything they had got. U9’s Hallfield 5 v Highclare 5 Lichfield Cathedral School 3 v Highclare 5 The U9’s teams were thrilled to play for the school and gave sterling performances including a real thriller of a game with end to end goal action at Hallfield, concluding in a 5-5 draw. Clinical finishing against Lichfield Cathedral School saw the U9’s taking the win after a nail biting match. U10’s Highclare 1 v Hallfield 6 Highclare 3 v West House Prep 2 The U10’s were looking to follow on from last year’s success in various competitions, but came up against a very strong Hallfield team in their first match of the season. After battling really hard and playing some very good football against strong opposition Highcare failed to win. The team picked themselves up in time for their next match to win a difficult game against West House Prep. U11’s Foremarke 1 v Highclare 2 Highclare 1 v Hallfield 1 Highclare 0 v West House Prep 2 West House Prep 5 v Highclare 4 This term has proven tough for our U11’s with our team playing against strong opposition. Players have shown excellent combination play and all matches have been close encounters. We look forward to showing our team spirit and determination next term. ISA U11 Football Tournament Highclare 3 v Arnold Lodge 0 Highclare 0 v Old Vicarage school 0 Highclare 2 v St Joseph’s 2 Highclare 2 v Bowbrook 1 On 10th October 2017 the U11’s began the ISA competition in good form. Throughout the 4 matches the team enjoyed lots of possession and made good tackles in important situations By playing some epic football the Highclare U11’s left the tournament feeling triumphant.
Hockey This term has seen some exciting games from all of our Hockey teams with enthusiastic players showing boundless team spirit. With some tough matches across the age groups the girls are showing excellent determination to move the ball up the pitch and an excellent understanding of how the game works.
Infant News Pre-School Grow Their Own Reception R and Pre-School 2 pupils helped Mr Priest harvest the fruit and vegetables which had been grown in our allotment. Bhavan and Zachary helped Mrs Priest locate the longest beans in the allotment. Then, Isabella, James, Zachary, Georgia and Abbas looked for the courgettes. They found a few which were taken to the kitchen so they could be prepared for the salad bar, ready for lunch.
Pre-School Christmas Performances Pre-School pupils at Highclare Woodfield and Highclare St Paul’s recently enjoyed their first Christmas performances. All children sang with enthusiasm and pupils with speaking parts spoke clearly. The audience enjoyed the story and applauded at the end. Our First Christmas Play has been a success with all participating pupils growing in confidence and independence. Happy Christmas from staff and pupils.
Reception Investigate Capacity This term in Maths Reception have been learning about capacity and what that means. They went outside in their waterproof suits and investigated capacity using different containers. They learnt the words full, half full and empty.
J1 experience a Victorian childhood Earlier this term J1R enjoyed a fantastic trip to Weston Park. They learnt all about Victorian children and had the chance to play with a variety of Victorian toys, including a beautiful rocking horse. The children also experienced a traditional outdoor playtime with many different Victorian outdoor toys, such as hoops and hobby horses. Following this, all the children dressed up in Victorian costumes - they looked very smart! Each child also made a traditional ‘cup and ball’ toy and had great fun trying to catch the ball in the cup. These are now proudly displayed in the J1 classroom.
J2 Step back in time
A term of celebrations in Reception
J2 had a great day at Whittington Barracks Staffordshire Regiment Museum this term. They learnt what it was like for a soldier in World War One; what he wore, what artillery he used and what it was like to live and fight in the trenches. It was an incredible opportunity for the children to immerse themselves in history.
Diwali is one of the celebrations which we have learnt about during our topic this term. It is part of a five-day festival that is celebrated with music, lights, fireworks and sharing traditional sweets.
“My favourite part of the trip was everything.” Jessica Kellett
Mrs Jahl brought a variety of Indian clothes to school. We had fun trying on the different garments. Mrs Jahl explained how Diwali is celebrated in her family. She gave us Indian bangles and sparkly bhindis which we could wear on our foreheads. We enjoyed listening to the story of Rama and Sita. In the story we met Ravana who had ten heads and twenty arms. A very good discussion ensued about the benefits of having twenty arms.
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School Life Highclare pupils experience Maasai tribe culture. Pupils from Highclare Junior Schools and Highclare Senior School were treated to wonderful performances by an Osiligi Maasai Warrior tribe this term. Pupils enjoyed learning about the Maasai tribe’s way of life and culture through colourful musical performances and demonstrations. This unique experience captivated the pupils through its energetic songs and audience participation, and concluded with an opportunity to ask questions. The pupils had many! “An absolutely delightful time was had by all during the visit of the Osiligi Maasai to Highclare Senior School. They treated us all to some really interesting facts about their culture and traditions and their singing, chanting, jumping, whistling and dancing was enchanting. However, it was the warmth and happiness of the group that really impressed us most. We were all left feeling privileged to have had such a powerful insight into the traditions and culture of the Osiligi Maasai warriors and I am sure that the experience will live in our memories for a very long time,” said Mrs Moore, Head of Highclare Senior School.
Charity - African Space Trust Cheque Presentation On the 20th November the African Space Trust were welcomed into our charity themed assembly and received a fantastic amount of £2,794.81p towards building a hospital and doctors' accommodation in Africa. This was the final amount given to complete two years of fundraising by Highclare School through cake sales, non-uniform days, carol singing, Burns night, quiz nights for parents, young enterprise J6 classes, sponsored pancake races and a Great Midlands Fun Run. Highclare School has raised an immense total of £13,883. The trustees of the charity have informed Highclare that the villagers in Itete can now complete their building and have a future with a doctor in residence and an incredible medical facility, which is amazing. Everyone involved, staff, pupils, parents and families should be incredibly proud of their achievements.
Children go Spotty over Pudsey 8
Children In Need day at Highclare Junior School was a huge success and a very enjoyable day for everyone. The main event was a cake sale, run by J6, alongside competitions to guess the teddy’s name and the number of sweets in the jar. Everyone wore something spotty and entered into the spirit of the day. Thank you to everyone who donated cakes for the sale, helping to raise over £1000 for Children In Need.
Uniform to Africa Pupils from Highclare Junior Schools have been busy this term packing up items of old school uniform which is to be donated to children in Malawi. Through a personal contact, arrangements were made for the items of uniform that are no longer required by the children to be transported to Chapanama Primary School, in Mchinji , where they can be put to good use. “This is an exciting and worthwhile project which, whilst helping those children in Malawi, also gives our pupils an experience of how children in other parts of the world are coping with their lives,” said Mrs Bennett, Head of Highclare Junior Schools.
Harvest Assembly & Erdington Foodbank Thank you to all the parents who donated food during our Harvest Assembly celebrations. As usual you have been hugely generous and we have been able to support an essential local charity with your donations. A selection of J6 children had a thought provoking trip to the Erdington Foodbank to deliver our donations, the experience definitely making all involved realise how lucky they are.
Highclare Choirs bring festive cheer to Gracechurch Shopping Centre Highclare Junior and Senior choirs and ensembles entertained shoppers at the Gracechurch Shopping Centre this December with a morning of uplifting and festive Carols. A prelude to the Christmas Concert and Carol Services, the children sang beautifully and with such enthusiasm it was a delight to behold. A big thank you to everyone who donated. The children raised over £270 for our current charities, Buddy Bags UK and Acorns Hospice.
Friends Of Highclare School This term Highclare School would like to express its sincere thanks for the generous donations received from the Friends of Highclare School (FOHS). In September Highclare Senior School received 3 outdoor tables donated by the FOHS. Since their delivery they have proved to be very popular with pupils, proving a fantastic place to socialise outdoors during break and lunch and the pupils look forward to enjoying them throughout the changing seasons. More recently the FOHS generously donated a charging case and set of iPads for each of our 2 Junior Schools, as well as a new charging case for existing iPads at Senior School. The resources will prove to be valuable assets to pupils and teaching staff by making access to the internet easy and will be linked to the new Wi-Fi now available on all Highclare sites. Headmaster, Dr Luker, commented, "Once again we thank the FOHS for their continuing support.The equipping of this technology at Highclare Junior and Senior Schools will complement the current provision and add a further dimension to the pupils' education. We look forward to observing them in action."
Community Carol Singing Highclare Junior choir supported the local community this December through their beautiful carol singing. An evening of mince pies, mulled wine and raffle tickets meant that the local community of Wylde Green were not only entertained with festive cheer but a further £168.24 was raised for Buddy Bags UK and Acorns Hospice.
Sports Results September – December 2017 Netball Sutton Senior Schools Key Stage 3 League (Oct 2017) After 2 weeks of league, our combined Year 8 and 9 team played 7 matches, with 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. Highclare 12 v John Wilmott B 0 Highclare 7 v Arthur Terry 1 Highclare 3 v Plantsbrook B 3 Highclare 4 v Bishop Walsh 3 Highclare 3 v Arthur Terry A 5 Highclare 4 v Sutton Girls A 9 Sutton Senior Schools Sports hall Netball League (Nov 2017) Highclare 6 v Fairfax 0 Highclare 1 v Sutton Girls A 8 Highclare 8 v Arthur Terry B 0 Highclare 0 v Plantsbrook lost 1 Highclare 1 v Sutton Girls A 12 Highclare 5 v Sutton Girls B 6 ISA U16 Tournament (St Dominic’s, Sept 2017) Congratulations to the U16 netball team who played some outstanding netball to finish 4th in their group and 7th overall out of 14 schools. Results Highclare 7 v Bedstone 5 Highclare 7 v Tettenhall 0 Highclare 3 v Malvern St James 8 Highclare 7 v Dodderhill 8 Highclare 4 v Lucton 2 Highclare 2 v Stafford Grammar 12 Final Place: 7th out of 14 Schools
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Hockey U15 Sutton Schools Hockey League (Wyndley, Oct 2017) Girls Results After 5 weeks our combined Year 9 and 10 girls team finished 3rd in a very closely fought league this year.
Sutton Girls 1 Fairfax 1 Highclare Fairfax 2 Plantsbrook 1 Sutton Girls 2 Bishop Walsh Plantsbrook 2
GP 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
W 6 6 4 4 3 2 1 0
D 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0
L 0 0 3 3 4 4 5 7
GF 23 19 10 7 5 6 2 0
GA 5 3 7 7 10 16 11 13
GD 18 16 3 0 -5 -10 -9 -13
PTS 19 19 12 12 9 7 4 0
Thanks to the Year 11 umpires who volunteered their time to umpire every week. vU15 Sutton Schools Hockey League (Wyndley, Oct 2017) U15 Sutton Schools Hockey League (Wyndley, Oct 2017) Boys Results The Year 10 boys competed well over the 5 weeks of the league to finish 2nd in the league.
Fairfax Highclare Holte Bishop Walsh
GP 6 6 6 6
W 5 3 1 1
D 1 1 2 0
L 0 2 3 5
GF 15 6 6 2
GA 2 3 9 15
GD 13 3 -3 -13
PTS 16 10 5 3
U15 ISA Hockey Tournament at Cannock Hockey Club 27/11/17 Our Year 9 girls team entered this event for the first time in several years. The standard of play was extremely high and although our team did not win a match we held our own against some very strong opponents. Results: finished 10th overall (10 teams) Highclare 1 v Dixie Grammar 1 Highclare 0 v Stafford Grammar 3 Highclare 0 v St Edwards 4 Highclare 1 v Tettenhall 2 Highclare 1 v Lucton 2
Football U12 Results Friendly Game Highclare 0 v Bishop Walsh 5 ESSFA League Game Highclare 3 v Hodge Hill 0
U13 Results Friendly Game Highclare 1 v Bishop Walsh 5 ESSFA League Game Highclare 0 v Cardinal Wiseman 4 ESSFA League Game Highclare 1 v Hodge Hill 0
U14 ISA Football Tournament (Dixie Grammar, September 2017) The U14 football travelled to Dixie Grammar School to play in the ISA Midlands football Tournament. 9 teams competed for the championship. Highclare played well but missed out on a semi-final place with a last minute goal from Tettenhall College. Highclare 0 v Chase Grammar 0 Highclare 3 v Bowbrook House 0 Highclare 1 v Tettenhall College 2 5th place play off - Highclare 0 v Heathfield 1 Result: 6th out of 9
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U14 League Results ESSFA League Game Highclare 3 v Hodge Hill 0 ESSFA League Game Highclare 2 v Washwood Heath 1
U15 Results ESSFA League Game Highclare 0 v Stockland Green 0 Birmingham Cup Game Highclare 0 v Langley School 4
U16 ISA Football Tournament (Gresham Playing Fields, September 2017) The U16 football team travelled to Gresham Playing Fields to compete in their ISA Midlands Football Tournament. It was a rainy day and the standard of football was at a good level. The Highclare boys competed well and came 4th overall. Results: 2nd in table / semi-finalists - overall 4th out of 8 schools.
U16 ISA Midlands Squad Representation A big congratulations to Nathan Paul and Billy Pickering for being selected to play in the U16 ISA Midlands Representative Squad. These boys were scouted and chosen for the squad whilst playing for Highclare in the U16 ISA Football Tournament.
Girls Football Sutton Schools Year8/9 Football League at Wyndley (Nov 2017) After 5 weeks of league the Year 7 team finished 3rd out of 5 teams and the Year 8/9 girls finished 5th out of 6 teams.
Swimming Senior ISA Swimming Gala (Walsall, Nov 2017) Another closely contested Midlands ISA swimming gala. All swimmers represented their school well and produced some excellent individual and team performances. Overall Results
Girls - 4th out of 18 Schools Girls (18 schools)
Boys – 5th out of 15 Schools Boys (15 schools)
Year 7
3rd
10th
Year 8
14th
7th
Year 9/10
6th
4th
Year 11/12
2nd
4th
Team Places
Congratulations to Alexandra Bartley, Harriet Gordon, Adin Kamangira and Jodie Andrews who have qualified to represent the Midlands at the ISA National gala at the Olympic Pool in London in January.
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Rugby U13 Friendly Match v Bishop Walsh (Nov 2017)
U15 Friendly Match v Bishop Walsh (Nov 2017)
Highclare 20 v Bishop Walsh 30
Highclare 35 v Bishop Walsh 20
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Inspired by Iceland The Geography Department's six day visit to Iceland in October 2017 was truly amazing and thoroughly enjoyed by the 44 pupils who took part. The phrase ‘awe and wonder’ is often cited by those commenting on the spectacular landscapes of this country and we felt this even before we landed in Keflavik. As we gazed out at the coastline, and at the glaciers visible as we flew over the southern part of the country, we were eager to start exploring. Our first day was spent ascertaining the landscape of the Reykjanes Peninsula. We clambered into volcanic craters, held lava bombs and witnessed spectacular hot springs. The famous Blue Lagoon was our next stop, where we indulged in style in the spa facilities of this pool created from water from the Svartsengi geothermal power plant. Over the next few days we travelled from Reykjavik across South Iceland with a couple of nights at Dyrrholaey (the most southern tip of Iceland). Highlights included visits to Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss (two waterfalls – the latter of which we were able to walk behind) and a trip to Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon where we watched seals swimming amongst the icebergs. Off roading through 28 rivers in a monster truck through the Eyjafjalljokull and Thorsmork Valley was another unforgettable experience. Exploring the Solheimajokull glacier equipped with hard hats, ice axes and crampons was remarkable too; this glacier flows from the active volcano, Katla, and we learnt much about the monitoring of this active volcano and the evacuation plans in place should it erupt in the future. We ended our trip back in Reykjavik with a tour of the Golden Circle. This included walking along the rift valley at Thingvellir, the boundary between the North American and Eurasian plates, a trip to the stunning Gullfoss double drop waterfalls and a walk to Stokkur and the site of Geysir, the geyser from which all geysers in the world are named.
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It would be impossible to give a favourite place/experience for all pupils as it was all tremendous, a fantastic experience treasured by all.
Highclare School Achieving Individual Excellence
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