Charity Leadership Group Visits Birmingham Children's Hospital

As part of their work towards the Summer Showcase, the Charity Leadership Group has been working on fundraising ideas in support of the school chosen charity, Birmingham Children's Hospital.
 

To highlight the importance of this Group's function, eight members were taken around the Hospital by its fundraising team to show what the money raised is spent on and how it helps improve the lives of the people that have to use the Hospital. The tour guides were able to explain the impact that donations have on individuals; students were taken aback by the amount of funds required to make even seemingly small changes. The tour of the Chapel was particularly moving.

The Big Bandage fundraiser was then explained to the students, who then bandaged themselves up so that photographs could be taken by the fundraising team to use as part of their press releases. This has now given the students more of a focus and has motivated them to ensure the Big Bandage fundraiser really makes a difference. 

You can read about our visit on the Birmingham Children's Hospital website.

 
 

For more information and how you can get involved, visit thebigbandage.org.uk

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Guest User.

WW1 Ambassadors Visit National Memorial Arboretum

On the 23 April, 9 of our WW1 Ambassadors visited the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire. The purpose of the visit was to further enhance the Ambassadors’ understanding of the way people remember those involved in conflict and to inspire them in their own designs to create a memorial within the school grounds.

Highfields' WW1 Ambassadors

The group were given a brief guided tour of the site, visiting the Armed Forces, Basra Wall, Shot At Dawn and 1914 Christmas Truce Memorials before having time to explore the site and reflect on what they saw. Jessica Muggeridge, one of the WW1 Ambassadors, utilised her journalistic skills to discuss the group’s visit and the impact it had on them in the report she submitted to the Headteacher and Governors. 

"The National Memorial Arboretum offers pride for the fallen and a place for veterans and family members to visit.  It is open to the public; honouring the men and women who have fought in wars since WW1.  There are around 300 memorials which leave a beautiful and lasting tribute to those who fought, while the guided walks and talks offered help to give you a glimpse into the past. What happened? Who to? When? Where?

It is heartbreaking knowing how many of the courageous soldiers who lost their lives could not be named, and awful to discover just how many young boys were allowed to fight, some as young as 15.  They would lie about their ages so they could be heroic; but they didn’t know how hard and treacherous it would be.

This was an inspiring and emotional visit and Alrewas deserves recognition as both a place of learning and a place where those who have lost someone in the war can go to grieve."

- Jessica Muggeridge

You can watch a video tour from the National Memorial Arboretum, or better still, it is only an hour away and definitely worth a visit! For more details visit www.thenma.org.uk
Posted on May 23, 2015 by Guest User.

Year 7 Citizenship Students Hold Mini Election

Yesterday, Year 7 Citizenship students held a 'mini election' to reflect the General Election fever sweeping the UK. 


After investigating how politics affects our daily lives, the policies of the main political parties were examined.  Students then took part in a mini election of their own. 

The results were as follows:

1st Labour Party
2nd Green Party 
3rd UKIP 
4th Conservative Party
5th Liberal Democrats

So our students mirrored the outcome for Wolverhampton South West! 

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Guest User.

Drama Students Take Part in Stage-Combat Extravaganza!

We were delighted to welcome renowned stage-combat director, Kevin McCurdy, a former student of Highfields, to our Drama department earlier this term for a one day extravaganza of stage-combat workshops.


Kevin has directed many famous fights on stage and screen across the globe, and worked with the likes of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Nicholas Cage! We were honoured when he agreed to come back and direct several workshops with our students.

He began the morning working with our GCSE and A-level groups, helping to build their confidence and stage presence ahead of their Drama and Theatre Studies practical exams.  He then finished the day working with two year 8 groups, directing the prologue to Romeo and Juliet, which they will be performing in the upcoming night of Shakespeare due to take place in the latter part of the Summer Term.

Students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the workshops and we hope to see Kevin again very soon!

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Guest User.

Bridging the Gap Between Education and Industry

Sixteen Year 8 students have taken part in a project aiming to bridge the gap between education and industry.

Over the past nine weeks, the students have been designing prototypes for a cistern lever handle that would allow small children, and those that are less able, to use a toilet with ease. Students were split into four design teams to develop a product which they would pitch to Thomas Dudley, a West Midlands based manufacturer who set the project brief.

As part of the project, staff and students received professional training in SOLIDWORKS and invaluable support from CAD designers at Thomas Dudley and DATA (Design and Technology Association).  Something that has proved integral to the success of this project.

 

Visit to Thomas Dudley

In February, the group visited Thomas Dudley for a guided tour of the injection moulding and CAD facilities.  During the visit they learnt about the history of the company and developed a working knowledge of a toilet system and the various aspects involved in the design and manufacturing process.  The students final activity of the day was a challenge set by Thomas Dudley: To reassemble the components of a toilet cistern using a CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawing. Quickest group wins!

Presentation Day

On Wednesday 22 April, students presented their final ideas and prototypes to a panel of experts in a “Dragons Den” style event, and Thomas Dudley generously awarded all of the students involved in the project with a prize!

Congratulations go to Erin Turnbull, Sophie Bates, Timothy Morris and Jay Hudson for their innovative “Hungry Caterpillar” design.

Commiserations to Ellie Hinnet, Ethan Young, Jaiden Malhotra, Shahrukh Hussain, Paco Cheung, Arjun Uppal, Jassimran Tamber, Jay Patel, Sukhpreet Bains, Jordache Crawford Brown, Naveen Gharcha and Jordan Glean.

 

Well done to all of the students.  You should be incredibly proud of your achievements.

A huge thank you again from us here at Highfields, to Thomas Dudley and DATA. We have really enjoyed the project!

 
Posted on April 24, 2015 by Guest User.

Year 10 Students Win the The Black Country Skills Factory 'Make It Challenge' 2015!

The Black Country Skills Factory ‘Make It’ Challenge is an annual City wide engineering competition run by the Black Country Skills Factory and the Wolverhampton Education and Business Partnership for year 10 girls.

Eight Year 10 students attended the event at the Molineux Stadium, where they completed two engineering design tasks as well as business, finance and marketing tasks, with the support of industry mentors. They then presented their work to a panel of judges from local businesses; including Santander and Carillion.

The girls worked very hard and delivered a very professional and well thought out presentation, resulting in them winning the competition!

Carillion have also invited them to a site visit of their current M6 project in Cannock. They worked very hard and we are very proud of them!

Students: Neelam Patel, Manse Jassi, Ellie White, Amnique Sidhu, Mishal Ishaq, Jordanne Farley-Moss, Jindveer Khangura, Harsimran Shuthar with their trophy and competition medals.

Students: Neelam Patel, Manse Jassi, Ellie White, Amnique Sidhu, Mishal Ishaq, Jordanne Farley-Moss, Jindveer Khangura, Harsimran Shuthar with their trophy and competition medals.

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Guest User.

Red Nose Day 2015

Highfields' students and staff entered into the spirit of Red Nose Day with great enthusiasm.


Those taking part paid 50p to wear either a ‘bad’ tie for the day or an item of red clothing.  In addition, some made their faces ‘funny for money’ in line with the Red Nose Day theme.  In fact, some supporters did all three!  Even our resident anatomical skeleton, Oscar, joined in with the fundraising!

Red Nose Day cakes were sold throughout the day and a computer gaming event was held at lunchtime.  A number of students also took part in a sponsored silence.

Inclement weather, however, saw the eagerly anticipated staff football match postponed until Tuesday 17th March.  After a keenly competitive (and well-supported) game, team Rowley eventually emerged as 3-1 winners. 

A grand total of £1168.72 was raised and the Government has committed to match monies raised by schools up to £10 million.  Therefore Highfields' valuable contribution was actually worth £2337.44.

This donation would buy a clean water supply for TWO schools in Uganda – we rightly should feel very proud of our achievements!

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Guest User and filed under Charity Fundraising.

Digital Leaders Present at Education Show 2015

In January, three of our Digital Leaders were invited to lead a panel discussion at BETT 2015. The organisers of BETT were so impressed by our Digital Leaders that they invited them to present at the School Leaders’ Summit at the NEC, Birmingham.

The School Leaders’ Summit, part of the Education Show, is a chance for School Leaders from schools across the country to learn, network and share educational best practice.  A combination of case studies, panel debates and networking opportunities, the Summit covers a wide range of topics, which are obstacles facing school leaders today. Subjects include overcoming life with levels, using pupil premium effectively to raise student attainment, and using technology to enhance learning.

The students led a session, entitled ‘Creating a student digital leadership team and handing power to the students’, where they discussed how transferring authority to the students by creating Digital Leaders has transformed the way in which technology is used at Highfields. The presentation explored how to create a successful Digital Leader programme: Examining how to maintain momentum and effectively hand over ownership of the programme to the students.

Their presentation covered the following points: 

  • What are Digital Leaders?
  • Tips for creating a digital leadership team
  • The role of Digital Leaders
  • How to maintain momentum
  • How to reward / recognise achievements

As always, the students were a credit to the school and had a wonderful, albeit exhausting, day. The students were also invited to take part in a ‘Meet the presenters’ session at the end of the day in which they explained what it means to be a Digital Leader. 

 

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Guest User.

Beverley Knight Invites Hairspray Cast to West End!

The cast, band and backstage crew of 'Hairspray' were lucky enough to be invited by Beverley Knight, to the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End, to watch a matinee performance of her starring in the hit musical 'Memphis' on Saturday 14th March.

The show, which received a standing ovation from the audience, was absolutely fantastic with breathtaking choreography and uplifting songs: Beverley's stunning voice is even more powerful and moving live. 

 

A few snaps from the trip!

 

Beverley came down to speak to us after the show and invited us all onto the stage where a spontaneous performance of 'You Can't Stop the Beat' broke out and Beverley joined in with us all!

Beverley chatted and posed for photos and asked us all if we'd like to go back and see the show again, to which EVERYONE replied 'Yes please!'.

An unforgettable day, for which we are hugely grateful to Beverley.

Watch the 'Memphis' Trailer!

 
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Hairspray The Musical - February 2015
Posted on March 16, 2015 by Guest User and tagged hairspray.