Students visit Houses of Parliament

Budding politicians of the future got the chance to see UK democracy in action during a trip to the capital to witness MPs and Lords debating in the Houses of Parliament.

Around 30 students from Year 9 watched live debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords, toured the landmark Palace of Westminster where the two houses sit and took part in a workshop about voting in the UK.

Ms S.Knight, Head of Citizenship, said: “It was a great opportunity for our students to get a better insight into the voting system in the UK and see democracy in action.

“Getting to watch live debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords is not something that everybody has the opportunity to do. It was a very interesting experience for all of us and one that our students really valued.”

As part of the trip, students also got a glimpse of 1,000 years of London’s murky past with a trip to the famous London Dungeon tourist attraction, which brings to life macabre historical events.

The trip was made up of students involved in the after-school Equality group, which has been working to raise awareness of LGBT issues, as well as those in the Charity Leadership group, which is working to raise money for Highfields’ chosen charity, Teenage Cancer Trust.

New Book Club now launched!

Students can get their hands on dozens of books at discounted prices with the launch of our new Scholastic Book Club.

From thrillers to sports fact books, romantic love stories, diaries from vloggers and latest offerings from award-winning authors, there’s a full selection of titles available to suit every taste.

For every £1 spent by students during this month’s Book Club, Highfields will earn 20p in Scholastic Rewards to be ploughed into buying books to boost the school’s stock.

The books offered have been carefully chosen to encourage students to read for pleasure and to ignite a love of books to last them through life.

To browse the books on offer during this month’s Book Club visit http://schools.scholastic.co.uk/highfields-school. Orders must be placed by June 9.

Students get in saddle for Bikeability cycle training

Students have been getting on their bikes to improve their cycling skills and increase confidence when riding on roads.

More than 70 Year 7 pupils have taken part in the Bikeability cycle training course - a modern-day version of cycling proficiency.

Students were split into groups to spend an afternoon cycling on local streets, learning how to deal with traffic on short journeys.

They will now be awarded with an orange badge and certificate for completing Bikeability’s Level 2 standard, which is recognised by the government.

A number of Year 8 students are now also working towards their Level 3 Bikeability standard, which is the highest level on the scheme.

An instructor will be visiting school every Wednesday up until the end of term to train groups of up to four students per session.

They will learn a range of techniques, including understanding advanced road positioning, passing queuing traffic, perceiving and dealing with hazards, understanding driver blind spots and reacting to hazardous road surfaces.

Students complete sign language course

Sixth-form students have been learning how to break down communication barriers by completing a course in basic sign language.

Around 30 students from Year 12 took part in the six-week after-school course led by Deaf Education Advocacy Fellowship (DEAF).

A tutor visited school every Wednesday to teach students basic sign language, including the alphabet, numbers, instructions, directions and popular everyday phrases.

Students said the experience had been a positive one.

Rattan Bhorjee said: “Sign language has enabled me to communicate with those who I wouldn’t have previously been able to. It was also a lot of fun.”

DEAF supports people who are deaf or hard of hearing to promote equal access and improve attainment as well as breaking down barriers of communication by teaching hearing people the culture and language of the deaf community.

Highfields most popular secondary school in Wolverhampton

Highfields has been named the most popular secondary school in Wolverhampton, with hundreds of students applying for a place.

Around 450 students selected Highfields as their first-choice school for the next academic year, making it the most in-demand of all of the city’s 21 schools.

More than 250 new students will start at Highfields in September but almost 200 have missed out on a place due to the huge demand. 

Mr G.Tate, Deputy Headteacher, said: “It is pleasing to see that so many students selected Highfields as their first-choice secondary school.

“We are incredibly proud of the work we do at Highfields to help our students succeed both academically and with extra-curricular activities so it is testament to everyone here that so many students want to be part of our school community.

“Unfortunately we were unable to offer every student a place for September due to the huge number of applications. We look forward to welcoming those who have successfully applied into the Highfields family in September.”

School places are allocated using a number of criteria, including the distance from the applicant’s home and whether children have siblings at the school.

The Express & Star has featured an article about the number of applications to the school:

Around 450 students named Highfields as their first-choice secondary school - making it the most popular out of Wolverhampton's 21 schools

Students mark Shakespeare's 400th anniversary

William Shakespeare’s works were brought to life by talented performers from Highfields.

An Evening of Shakespeare was held in the school's Lyceum Theatre to mark the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death.

Students performed a 30-minute version of The Taming of The Shrew as well as monologues and duologues from a number of the Bard's other famous works.

Ms S. Bishop, Head of Performance, said: “Shakespeare's stories transcend time and culture and are able to speak to a number of audiences at the same time. 

"Being the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, we thought it would be fitting for our students to honour him by performing a selection of his work.

"It was a lovely evening of entertainment with some really great contributions from more than 30 students."

Palace date to celebrate Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award success

Chloe & Deenah on a DofE expedition

Two intrepid sixth-form students are celebrating achieving the highest possible honour on the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme - and will now have their achievements recognised by royalty.

The gold standard achievements of Chloe Tolley and Deenah Randhawa will be honoured during a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Having had her award status officially recognised first, 18-year-old Chloe has been invited to travel to London on Monday May 16th for the presentation in the gardens of the palace. She will be given her DofE Gold Award in the presence of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and TRH the Earl and Countess of Wessex. 

The event is being held to celebrate the talented young people who have achieved the prestigious Gold Award standard in the Duke of Edinburgh’s scheme. This year’s special palace presentation has been organised to mark the 60th anniversary of the international programme.

Chloe is one of a selection of Gold Award holders from across the UK and some of the 140 countries that run the DofE programme across the world that have been invited to attend.

Chloe will attend the prestigious event on behalf of the school and the many students who have challenged themselves as part of the DofE programme over the years.

Deenah, who is also 18, will attend a yet-to-be-announced ceremony later in the year to officially receive her award.

Chloe & Deenah (2nd right/far right) at their DofE Silver Award presentation back in 2015 

Mr C.Moody, who runs the school’s DofE programme and will be accompanying Chloe to the palace for the presentation, said: “To reach the Gold Award standard in the DofE programme is an incredible achievement and so we are incredibly proud of Chloe and Deenah.

“It is wonderful that Chloe has the opportunity to receive her award during this special anniversary presentation at the palace. It is certainly going to be a day that she will remember for the rest of her life and fitting that she is being honoured in such incredible surroundings for her achievements on the programme.

“Deenah’s Gold award has only just been officially recognised and so we look forward to her ceremony later in the year.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s scheme was launched 60 years ago with the aim of inspiring, guiding and supporting young people in their self-development. The awards scheme challenges students and allows them to discover the world around them whilst providing them with invaluable skills and experiences to improve employment prospects.

Hundreds of Highfields students have taken part in the DofE programme since the school started running the scheme around 10 years ago. Those taking part have taken on a number of challenges including volunteering in the community and a residential trip which involves them only being allowed to know one other person and therefore building a team to complete a project with strangers.

Yr 9 students make course choices for future

Year 9 students are paving the way for the future after choosing the courses and subjects they will study over the next two years.

Students have made their final course choices after receiving weeks of practical advice and support.

The selection process has taken place following the success of this year’s Course Choice event, which included information sessions for students and parents, practical taster classes and talks from employers and recruiters about succeeding in the workplace.

Mr D. Brook, Head of Middle School, said: “Students have been making their course choices which is the end of a long process to review their skills and hopes for the future to match their choices with their aspirations."

Course choices include up to 4 options including a range of GCSEs and BTECs.

Students' journey of remembrance to the Somme

Students paid their respects to those who lost their lives in war during a trip to the Somme on the 100th anniversary year of the fierce First World War battle.

A group of 36 students and five members of staff travelled to the French battlefields to give them a better insight into the atrocities that took place there during the war.

They visited memorials and museums that honour those who lost their lives during their journey of remembrance over the Easter holidays.

For Year 10 student, Feargus Flanagan, the experience was especially poignant as he was able to pay personal tribute to a relative - Private Edward Culliton of Royal Dublin Fusiliers, who died in battle at the age of 18 on September 9 1916 - at his grave at Serre Road No 2 Cemetery.

The Battle of the Somme, which took place between July and November 1916, was one of the largest of the First World War, with more than 1 million casualties. On the first day alone, the British suffered almost 60,000 casualties, making it the bloodiest day in British military history.

History teacher Mrs C. Hall, who organised the trip, said: “The Easter visit to the Somme battlefields to commemorate the 100th anniversary year of that First World War battle was a moving and educational journey.  

“Our students were a credit to Highfields in the way they followed their own personal journey of remembrance.  

“We visited a few of the many cemeteries in the Somme to explore the story of the battle, including at Serre, where we found the grave of a relative of one of the party.  

“We also visited the excellent and informative Wellington Quarry Museum in Arras and had some pleasant relaxation time in the delightful Saturday market in Arras.”

She added that students also put aside time at evenings for literary study and to work on a short film documenting the emotionally-fuelled experience.

The visit is one of a number of study tours organised by Highfields’ History department to enable students to experience first hand the locations of world-changing events.

*A few snapshots of the journey are shown in this piece and a more in-depth report and video will be posted in due course.

Free swimming lessons for Year 7 students

Free swimming lessons are being offered to Year 7 students throughout the summer term.

The sessions will take place in the pool at Penn Fields School and will be run by trained staff from Highfields.

They are open to students who have not yet learnt to swim and, numbers permitting, students who lack confidence in the water.

Sessions will take place from Monday May 9 to Friday July 22. They will run before school between 7.55am and 8.45am and after school between 3.30pm and 4.20pm.

Ms T. Lee, Acting Head of Girls PE, said: "We feel that the ability to swim is a very important skill that not only allows a child to experience the fun aspects of water but also could potentially save their life if ever they got into difficulty."

Lessons will involve no more than 10 students with at least two members of staff present at all times.