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, on June 27th. Sixth Form students enjoyed their prom at the same venue on July 11th, where a big screen was set up to allow prom-goers to watch England’s World Cup semi-final clash with Croatia. 

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.

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.”

*School will be open for students to pick up their A-Level results on Thursday, August 16th and then GCSE results a week later on Thursday, August 23rd. School will be open from 9.30am on August 16th and 10.30am on August 23rd.         

Two musicals set to wow audiences

Highfields is to stage two huge musical productions over the next academic year, for the first time, in a bid to give hundreds of students from all age groups the chance to perform.

Highfields’ annual musical showcase has become a popular fixture on the school’s calendar, with students wowing sell-out audiences with their performances in a number of musical classics, including Hairspray, High School Musical and Grease.

The school’s Head of Performance, Ms S Bishop, has now announced that two musical productions will be staged next year to allow even more students to get involved.

The first will be musical classic, The Wizard of Oz, before a performance of Little Shop of Horrors.

Ms Bishop said: “Our annual musical productions have gained an excellent reputation for their quality and as a result now feature more than 100 students. Due to the huge number of students involved I felt that not all of them were given as much of the spotlight as they deserved.

“Because of this we will be staging two musicals next year for the first time, with The Wizard of Oz aimed at our younger students in Years 7 and 8, and Little Shop of Horrors more focused on our older students.

“A lot of hard work and effort goes into putting on our musical productions but they are always a spectacular success and I am looking forward to the challenge of staging two so more of our students can get the chance to perform on stage.”

Head of PE proves he is an Ironman

As Head of PE, Mr C Brickwood is known for encouraging his students to push themselves to the max in the pursuit of sporting victory.

And he proved he’s just as happy to push himself to the limit after completing the gruelling Ironman UK challenge in Bolton.

He was among 2,000 athletes from across the world who swam, cycled and ran their way to the title of Ironman, covering a distance of 123.6 miles.

Mr Brickwood said: “My day started at 3.50am. There was no need for an alarm as I hardly slept a wink. A light breakfast followed, then off to Pennington Flash Lake where the race started with a 2.4-mile swim. 

“The race kicked off at 6am in a very warm lake, which was 23 degrees and smelt like fermented cheese! The swim was a little slower than I'd have liked but I finished in 1hr 29mins.”

The swim was followed by a 96-mile bike ride, which he completed in 6hrs 5mins.

Mr Brickwood said: “It was a tough, hilly route in the blazing sun. The heat took its toll but the crowds lined the streets and cheered everyone on. 

“At points on the bike it felt like being part of the Tour De France!

“Coming off the bike I felt good, my body felt strong and the final stage, the run, started off well.

“The run consisted of four 10k loops in and out of Bolton town centre, which was a hilly little course with more spectators lining the streets. 

“At around 23k my knee gave way and my right leg started to cramp up. 

“My target of 12hrs was out of the window and I physically and psychologically hit the wall. I had to hobble the final 21k with support from my family I got through to the end in a time of 13hrs 35mins.

“I’m really pleased that I finished but I want to do better next time.”

Students see science in action during Oxford trip

Talented young scientists from Highfields got an insight into the vital work being done to develop cancer treatments during a trip to Oxford University.

Nine students visited the Department of Oncology, where they received a tutorial from Dr Martin Christlieb.

Students learnt more about the ways cancer cells differ from normal cells and therefore some of the challenges that come with developing treatments.

They also got the chance to tour the university’s research labs, see cutting-edge science in action and question an Oxford academic.

Head of Maths & Science Learning School, Mr A Dean, who organised the trip, said: “The lab has a number of scientists working together to better understand cancer and to develop new treatments.

“In addition to learning about the many ways that cancer cells are different from normal cells, we learnt some more unusual facts including that “oncology” means the study of lumps.

“We then had a guided tour of Keble College where we were fortunate enough to see areas normally off limits to the public such as the college library. 

“Lastly we looked around the university science museum, including a preserved bear, dinosaur skeletons and the chance to hold one of the oldest things in existence on Earth, a 3.6 billion year old rock.

“Overall it was a very interesting day and it encouraged students to think more widely about possible degrees and careers in science.”

Latest edition of The H launched

Highfields' Young Journalists have unveiled the latest edition of the school's newspaper, The H.

The fourth edition of the newspaper has been released ahead of the summer break, and it is packed with news articles and features giving an insight into the many success stories, events and trips over the past term. 

A team of Year 10 students make up a core editorial team responsible for sourcing and writing news stories from around school and putting them together into a professional standard newspaper. As the students prepare to move into Year 11 and busy revision schedules, they are now ready to hand over the reins to a new team of budding reporters.

Any students interested in becoming part of The H team can email vnash@hswv.co.uk or tbanks01@hswv.co.uk

To view a digital version of the July 2018 edition of The H, click the image below:

Highfields supports police anti-knife crime campaign

Highfields welcomed a Police Community Support Officer to deliver assemblies to students about the dangers of carrying knives as part of the school's support for a new anti-knife crime campaign by West Midlands Police.

The visits came after West Midlands Police issued guidance to parents and students in light of recent knife incidents in Wolverhampton.

Police have released an awareness-raising poster campaign (opposite) amid a rise in knife crime in the West Midlands as they pleaded with parents to ‘have a conversation’ with their children about the dangers of carrying knives.

Headteacher, Mr G Tate, said: “As I am sure you are aware, there has been growing concern both locally and nationally regarding the number of knife-related crimes committed by teenagers and young people. We, alongside other secondary schools in Wolverhampton, are supporting West Midlands Police in an awareness-raising campaign to highlight the dangers of carrying a knife.  

"As part of this campaign, assemblies have been held to highlight the risks associated with these dangerous weapons. The assemblies have been delivered by local Police and Community Support Officers and Highfields staff.  

"We have also been asked by the Police to distribute this letter to parents/carers giving an overview of the warning signs that your child or a friend of theirs may exhibit if they are at risk of being involved in knife crime or gang activity.  It also details sources of support available to parents/carers.  I hope that both you and your child find these resources useful in helping to keep them informed of the dangers of knife crime and gang involvement.  As you know, the school takes the safety of its students very seriously and we have a range of Safeguarding information on the website in the About section.  

"If you have any questions or would like any further information about the school’s work in this important area please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Head of School."

Please click on the image below to open the full Home Office leaflet for parents regarding the dangers of carrying knives

Renowned mathematician inspires students with workshop

Mathematician and motivational speaker, Rob Eastaway, visited Highfields to inspire students with an interactive workshop.

The school won a Twitter competition to secure the visit from the famous mathematician, who has written many books aimed at popularising Mathematics.

He delivered his workshop, called ‘Back of Envelope Maths’, to 60 students from Year 10 and another 60 from Year 12.

The aim of the session - organised by Highfields’ Lead Practitioner for Mathematics, Miss L Green -  was to teach students about Mathematics that is hidden in everyday life and the art of working things out when you are given little data.

She said: “The talk was about Fermi questions, the art of working things out when you aren't given any data.  From working out the most efficient way to save energy, to a quick method for answering a vintage Who wants to be a Millionaire? question, Rob guided students through Maths that can be done on the back of an envelope.

“It was a really interesting workshop and made our students think of Mathematics in a way they had perhaps not done so before. Thank you so much to Rob for taking the time to speak to our students.”

Rob is Director of Maths Inspiration, a national programme of interactive lecture shows in theatres that has reached over 100,000 teenagers over the past ten years.

He was awarded the Zeeman medal in 2017 for excellence in the promotion of Maths.

DIGI Award success to kick off Film Festival

Highfields’ first ever Young Wolf Film Festival kicked off in style with a trip to the UK’s oldest working cinema and a dazzling awards ceremony that saw the school’s students honoured for their film-making talents.

Sixty-three students from Years 7-13 visited Birmingham’s landmark Electric Cinema to hear a talk about its rich history and watch animated film Coco.

The trip also acted as a reward for hard-working members of the school’s HTV team and Film Club, who have produced masses of great video content over the past year.

In the evening, members of HTV and Film Club took to the red carpet at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre alongside two sixth formers, Jemma Payne and Jack Beckett, for the annual DIGI Awards. 

The talented HTV team picked up the accolade for Best Secondary Innovative Practice in recognition of their fantastic work bringing the school’s success stories to life on screen in weekly news bulletins. Jemma Payne also edged out an incredibly strong field to win her second successive DIGI Award for Best KS5 Short Film.

Sadly, Film Club's effort Nova, didn't win awards glory this year, although the team had a great time celebrating at the DIGI Awards, which are held annually to celebrate the achievements of learners and teachers in digital film and creative media.

Film Studies teacher, Mr D Cooper, said: “It has been a fantastic start to our very first Young Wolf Film Festival and we are looking forward to more action-packed days celebrating the world of film over the course of the week.

“Congratulations to all of our students who were involved with the DIGI Awards. They should all feel very proud of what they have achieved.”

The festival runs until Friday 6th July and features a packed programme of events involving dozens of students from schools and Sixth Forms across Wolverhampton, including quizzes, a day of interactive workshops giving students the chance to work with professional sound designers, make-up artists and special effects experts as well as a ‘Night At The Movies’ finale, complete with a sing-a-long screening of The Greatest Showman.

Students get to grips with apprenticeships as they look to future

Students are looking forward to life after Highfields thanks to Employability Skills sessions being run in conjunction with the Government.

Representatives from the DWP’s Support for Schools team have been visiting the school to deliver sessions to Year 10 students. The visits form part of the Citizenship curriculum.

As part of the sessions, students are being given important information about various different apprenticeship levels, as well as guidance about what to expect from their work experience placements in September and taking part in activities about making choices. They have also been given the chance to register on the Government’s apprenticeships website to explore the options available to them after school.

Mr R Oseland, Head of Year 10, said: “The students have been really engaging with the sessions and are appreciative of the information and guidance they have been given to support their decisions for the future.”

A-maze-ing Mathematics challenge for students on Manchester trip

Students had an ‘a-maze-ing’ time when they put their Mathematics skills to the test during a challenging visit to Manchester Metropolitan University.

A group of Year 10 students travelled to the university to take part in an escape room challenge based on popular TV show, The Crystal Maze.

As part of the visit, they worked in teams to complete a series of challenges which involved using an element of logic or Maths, including cracking codes, a dance mat sum challenge and puzzles.

Miss L Green, Lead Practitioner for Mathematics, said: “The group had a fantastic time working together to put their Mathematics knowledge to the test to ‘escape’ various rooms, which had been designed and built by Manchester Metropolitan University students.”

After completing the escape room challenge, students then visited the National Football Museum to get an insight into the many different ways Mathematics is used in football.