GCSE result success for students

Highfields is celebrating yet another outstanding set of GCSE results - with 109 students achieving the highest gradings of 7 or above in English or Maths.

A total of 71% of students achieved a standard pass in both English and maths, whilst half of all students achieved the new strong pass in both subjects.

Thirty students achieved the highest Grade 9 rating in English Literature and English Language, out of just 13,000 nationally, whilst Gurkeerat Sandhu attained a 9 grading in English Literature, English Language and Maths - one of just 2,000 students nationally to do so. He also achieved another 5 A* and two A grades. 

Sixty percent of students achieved a Grade 7 and above, or an A* and A, whilst 32% of students got three or more 7-9 or A* and A grades. (Grade 7 is equivalent to an A grade/ Grade 8 is equivalent to A* and Grade 9 is the new highest attainment grade)

Additionally, special congratulations go to Tasha Bagri, Jeevan Bains, Akaal Basra, Jacob Davis, Ekrahh Dawood, Emma Deakin, Shiv Julka, Emily Round, Tamzin Sandhu, Davinder Singh and Simran Uppal, who all achieved 11 grades of 7-9, A* or A.

Mrs N Clifton, Head of Upper School, said: “We are very proud of the effort and achievement of all students and staff. I would like to thank all parents for their hard work and continued support and wish our students all the very best of luck for the future.”

Take a look at our gallery of GCSE celebration pictures:

Students celebrate A-level success

Students are celebrating positive AS and A-level results, with the number achieving the top A* and A grades soaring by 36% from last year.

Sixth Form students achieved a 99.7% pass rate -  78% of them being A*-C grades. Those achieving the top A* and A grades has jumped from 18.7% last year to 25.5% this year.

Mr K.Blower, Head of Sixth Form, said: “It has been another good year for AS and A-level results. Overall, we had a 99.7% pass rate and there were some fantastic individual results.

“More than 100 students are now expected to move on to university. I would like to personally congratulate them on achieving fantastic grades after working so hard and wish them all the very best of luck as they move on to the next chapter of their lives.”

Thirteen students achieved one or more A* gradings. They are: Abi Akande, A* Maths and Further Maths; Rattan Bhorjee , A* Sociology; Sarah Cox, A* English and Sociology; Anna Felton, A* English and History; Nadia Hussain, A* Sociology; Simran Kular, A* History; Navneet Marway, A* Biology, Chemistry, Maths; Akshay Patel, A* Sociology; Dhruv Patel, A* Maths; Georgina Rogers, A* Sociology; Kuljit Singh, A* Punjabi; Kaitlin Turner, A* Law; Sophie White, A* English. 

Hundreds enjoy Community Fun Day

Hundreds of people flocked to this year’s fundraising Community Fun Day at Highfields to enjoy an action-packed programme of fun activities, live entertainment, games and challenges.

The school opened its doors to members of the public for the extravaganza, which took place on Saturday, July 15th and raised around £1,300 for the school’s chosen charity, Compton Hospice.

A bouncy castle, rodeo bull, inflatable bungee run, welly wanging and tug-of-war were among the activities on the day, as well as a ‘Sponge The Teacher’ stand. Visitors also got the chance to put their knowledge and skills to the test in a range of challenges, including an Oculus Rift Virtual Reality challenge, an arts quiz and a product taste comparison test.

Highfields students performed songs and dances for visitors during the day, whilst the crowds were also entertained with a cake competition and cupcake decorating tutorial. This year’s event was made extra special by the inclusion of the school’s Sports Day, which saw students compete in a range of disciplines to win awards for their form groups.

Headteacher, Mr G Tate, said: “We were delighted to open the doors of our school for this year’s Community Fun Day. There was so much going on throughout the day for the whole family and we all had a great time. 

“I would like to thank everyone who took the time to join us for the event and especially those who donated to our chosen charity, Compton Hospice.

Spectacular send-off for students at prom

From tuxedos to tiaras, top-of-the-range sports cars and gorgeous gowns, leaving proms provided a spectacular send-off for Highfields’ Year 11 and Sixth Form students.

Year 11 students turned on the style for their celebration at the Grand Station, in Wolverhampton City Centre, whilst Sixth Form students enjoyed a night of festivities at The Mount Hotel in Tettenhall.

Mrs N Clifton, Head of Upper School at Highfields, said: “The Year 11 prom was a wonderful celebration of the end of the school year for our students who have worked so hard towards their GCSEs.

“The event gave our Year 11 students the chance to let their hair down and enjoy themselves in style after all of the hard work they have put into their exams.

“There were some wonderful outfits and modes of transport on the night. It was the spectacular send-off the students deserved.”

The proms marked the end of the school year for students, who are now awaiting the results of their GCSE and A-Level exams before moving on to the next chapter of their lives.

Following the prom celebrations, all Year 11 students returned to school for their emotional Leavers’ Assembly, where awards were handed out to honour special achievements or particular events.

Students who have achieved three 'Crème de la Crème' nominations during Year 11 were given special recognition at the event. Each Crème de la Crème nomination was given as a result of students achieving all green progress reviews. Those who were recognised include Ekrahh Dawood, Armanjot Kailley, Jasmine Kaur, Ryiana Munroe, Parez Namiq, Amit Ohri, Surina Patel, Tamzin Sandhu, Gurkeerat Sandhu, Sanjna Saroop, Jasraj Sidhu, Alix Sutherland, Jared Tuckwell, Simran Uppal, Amy Williams, Devon Nelson, Anup Sharma, Pritpal Marway, Jacob Davis, Sahli Wahbi and Megan Billen. Students were also recognised for achieving 100% attendance during Year 11. 

Mrs Clifton added: “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our students on the incredibly mature way in which they approached their GCSEs.

“It has been a pleasure to see them mature, grow and develop into such confident, talented and skilled young adults. We look forward to seeing them in August for their results before they move on to the next chapter in their lives."

To watch our prom video, click here

To watch a montage of photographs of our Year 11 students over the past year, click here 

Budding directors celebrate DIGI success

Budding movie directors from Highfields are celebrating after bagging prestigious DIGI Awards for films they created in school.

A talented group of filmmakers from Year 8 won the Best Short Film cate-gory (Key Stage 3) for their horror film, The Reckoning, which follows a school boy who takes revenge on his bullies. Sixth Form students, Ayesha Di’Angelo and Jemma Payne, also picked up an award for Best Short Film for their psychological drama, The Pretty Picture. 

The film was originally created as part of their A-Level course but was submitted to the DIGIs on the advice of Film Studies teacher, Mr D Cooper. It explores the story of a woman locked away and neglected by her husband after he ignores her mental illnesses.

Jemma said: “As soon as the film had been submitted we forgot all about it so being nominated for an award was a huge shock. The fact that we were even nominated was enough, but to actually win is just amazing.”

The DIGIs are held annually to celebrate the achievements of learners and teachers in digital film and creative media. This year’s ceremony took place on Monday, July 10th at the Grand Theatre, where members of the public and family & friends of the nominees gathered to celebrate the success stories. The theatre even laid on a red carpet for nominees to enjoy a true awards night experience. 

Mr Cooper said: “Both films were up against some stiff competition so it is a great achievement for them to have won their categories. They should feel very proud of what they have created."

To watch The Reckoning, click here

To watch The Pretty Picture, click here

Induction gives students a taste of life at Highfields

Highfields was filled with anticipation and excitement as hundreds of eager Year 6 students preparing to start at the school in September took part in their induction.

The induction started with an assembly in the Lyceum where students were greeted by Head of Lower School, Ms Parker, before taking part in a number of taster lessons to give them an idea of what to expect from the average school day at Highfields. They also had time to get to know their form tutors and other children in their form by taking part in a number of team-building activities.

Students from Year 8 and 9 acted as ‘buddies’ and ‘junior leaders’ during the induction event, which took place on July 3rd and 4th.

Ms Parker said: “The process of moving to secondary school can be intimidating but the 'junior leaders' were at the door to greet our future students with an enthusiastic smile and the ‘buddies’ made sure that the Year 6 students settled in well and that nobody had any worries or problems.”

Each ‘buddy’ was assigned a form and attended every lesson with the Year 6 students to make sure that they were confident and happy about starting at Highfields in Year 7 in September. This ‘buddy’ programme will also continue throughout the start of Year 7 to reassure students and ensure they all get off to a good start at the school.

Year 6 students who took part in the induction said they had thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
One student said: “Induction was so much fun. I can’t wait to start in September!” Another said: “Before induction I was quite nervous but now I can barely handle my excitement.”

Visitors going wild for wolf trail

Wolf fever is gripping the city, with people going wild for its colourful new trail of wolf sculptures - including one designed by talented art students from Highfields. 

The 5ft sculptures have hit the streets as part of the Wolves in Wolves project. Thirty sculptures have been placed around the city at points of interest, allowing people to explore its best attractions. It is the city’s biggest ever public art event.

Students were selected by members of staff from the Art department to transform the school’s wolf into a colourful piece of art before it was sent out to form part of the city-wide sculpture trail, which will run until September. 

They worked on the design with representatives from WV Active, which has sponsored the sculpture. It includes blue swirls to represent the city’s swimming pools and silhouettes to showcase the many activities on offer at its leisure centres, as well as the colours of the Highfields logo. 

The sculpture called ‘Zeus’ has now taken pride of place outside the Civic Centre.  

Art teacher, Ms P Thomson, said: “We are very proud of the students involved - Kasia Pinkiewicz, Sara Malik, Alice Gunning, Lauren Sandland, Lucy Evans and Millie Jones. We are also delighted that two ex-Highfields students, Katie Keith and Danielle Rowbottom, were also selected to have their inspiring wolves included in the trail.

“There are 30 stunning sculptures on display so I would urge everyone to go out and hunt them all down over the summer.” 

Wolves in Wolves has been organised by The Outside Centre and Enjoy Wolver- hampton, with support from Wolverhampton City Council. The wolf sculptures will be auctioned off for charity once the trail ends.

The project has drawn comparisons with The Big Hoot, which saw colourful owl sculptures placed around Birmingham to raise cash for the city’s Children’s Hospital. 

Hunt down the wolves using the map below:

Action-packed programme for Community Fun Day

An action-packed programme of fun activities, live entertainment, games and challenges has been lined up for Highfields’ 2017 Community Fun Day, which will this year raise funds for Compton Hospice.

Dozens of activities have been lined up for the extravaganza, which will take place from 10am-1pm on Saturday, July 15th. 

A bouncy castle, rodeo bull, inflatable bungee run, welly wanging and tug-of-war are among the activities lined up as part of the festivities, as well as a ‘Sponge The Teacher’ stand.

Visitors will also get the chance to put their knowledge and skills to the test in a range of challenges, including an Oculus Rift Virtual Reality challenge, an arts quiz and a product taste comparison test.

Highfields students will perform songs and dances for visitors during the day, whilst a host of tasty treats, including breakfast baps, slushies and ice creams will be available. There will also be a cake competition and cupcake decorating tutorial.

The Community Fun Day, which is held every two years, is a hugely popular feature on the school’s calendar and is open to members of the public.

This year’s event is being made extra special by the inclusion of the school’s Sports Day, which will see students compete in a range of disciplines to win awards for their form groups.

Headteacher, Mr G Tate, said: “We are delighted to be opening the doors of our school for this year’s Community Fun Day.

“There is so much going on throughout the event for the whole family to enjoy. We are looking forward to welcoming the community into Highfields for what promises to be a wonderful event.”

Admission to the event is FREE. Any donations made on the day will go to Compton Hospice, this year’s chosen charity.

New book fair launched ahead of summer holidays

A new book fair is being launched, giving students the chance to get their hands on dozens of titles at discounted prices ahead of the summer holidays.

The Scholastic Book Fair will run from Tuesday, July 4th to Friday, July 7th during lunch and break times in the Humanities LRC. It is being held following the huge success of previous book fairs that have helped students nurture their love of reading.

More than 200 books will be up for grabs to suit all tastes. For every £1 spent by students, Highfields will earn 20p in Scholastic Rewards to be used to buy books and boost the school’s stock.

Librarian, Mrs N Ward, said: “Following the success of previous events and to encourage and support pupils in their reading, we are delighted to be hosting another Scholastic Book Fair.

“There will be a vast variety of titles on offer for all ages as well as stationery and posters on sale. It is a perfect opportunity for students to pick up books at discounted prices for summer reading."

Colourful wolf sculpture completed for city trail

A life-sized wolf sculpture has been decorated by talented young artists from Highfields ready to form part of Wolverhampton’s biggest public art event.

The 5ft sculpture has been transformed into a colourful piece of art as part of the Wolves in Wolves project, which will see 30 of the sculptures placed around the city at points of interest, allowing people to explore its best attractions.

Students were selected by members of staff from the Art department to decorate the school’s wolf before it hits the streets to form part of the city-wide sculpture trail. 

They have worked on the design with representatives from WV Active, which has sponsored the sculpture. It includes blue swirls to represent the city’s swimming pools and silhouettes to showcase the many activities on offer at its leisure centres, as well as the colours of the Highfields logo.

Wolves in Wolves is being organised by The Outside Centre and Enjoy Wolverhampton, with support from Wolverhampton City Council. The trail will run from July to September before the wolf sculptures are auctioned off for charity