Netball players crowned city champions

Highfields’ talented netball players have been crowned city champions for the third year running after an undefeated tournament run.

Members of the Year 10 netball team travelled to Wolverhampton Girls High School for the city-wide tournament. 

With eight schools in attendance, the team faced a packed evening of fixtures - and came out victorious with a string of top performances on the courts.

The tournament got off to a great start when Highfields took a 5-1 win over the team from The Royal School.

Mrs J Brickwood, Highfields’ Head of Performing Arts and Assistant Head of PE, said: “Game one was under our belts with a win against tough opposition.”

Another tough game followed against St Peter’s School, which finished with another 5-1 victory for Highfields, before a 7-1 win against Our Lady and St Chad’s.

Game four was against St Edmund’s School and saw every shot making the net, resulting in a fantastic 11-0 win, before a 12-0 thrashing of Ormiston South West Bilston Academy (OSWA).

Mrs Brickwood said: “Game six was against our arch rivals, Wolverhampton Girls High, and a real battle on court. 

“Shayne Andrada weaved in and out of their defenders and it worked to our advantage. We turned over their centre pass in the first two minutes of the game and we worked to the whistle. It ended 9-4, and another win to Highfields.

“It was then our final game and, by then, the team really wanted a clean slate. Every player was behind the ball and we were fast on the breaks keeping our own centre passes and turning theirs over twice. Both Libby Naughton and Isobel Gunning were impressive in the centre third, switching effectively between attack and defence. It finished with another win, at 7-2.

“We are city champions and tournament winners for the third year running and have returned to school, undefeated, with gold medals and a fine looking trophy. It is an amazing result.

“I am exceptionally proud of the team’s hard work, commitment and attitude on and off the court. They showed true heart and are deserved champions.”

Hundreds welcomed at Highfields Open Morning

Highfields welcomed hundreds of prospective students and parents during an action-packed Open Morning held to showcase everything the school has to offer.

More than 900 people flocked to the event to meet students and staff, tour the facilities and take part in dozens of interactive workshops and activities.

Hands-on scientific experiments, Smartboard Maths puzzles, Guitar Hero music challenges, sports displays, drama and musical performances, enterprise quizzes, pastry-making demonstrations, ’live studio’ film productions, a ‘Victory in Europe’ street parade experience and psychology experiments were among the many activities that took place on the day. 

Visitors also learnt how to pack a rucksack as part of a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award display and put forensics to good use to solve a ‘crime’ by taking fingerprints and analysing shoe prints and fibres in our lab. A cake sale was held on the day to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Following the event, dozens of visitors also made the most of the opportunity to see Highfields at work during the day by taking a tour of the school. 

Headteacher, Mr G Tate, said: “We were delighted to welcome so many people through the doors for this year’s Open Morning. It was a wonderful opportunity for prospective students and visitors to get a feel for the many things we offer at Highfields.

“I would like to thank all of the staff and students involved in the event for their tremendous support. 

“We had more than 900 people walk through the door and we had some amazing feedback from those who attended.

"We pride ourselves on providing youngsters with a high quality education, an engaging curriculum and a wide range of extra-curricular activities to enrich their learning experiences. We were delighted to open our doors to visitors so they could see for themselves everything that makes Highfields so special.”

The Open Morning came after Highfields celebrated another record-breaking set of GCSE results, with 80% of students achieving a standard pass (Grade 4 or above) in both English and Maths. In addition, 56% of students attained a strong pass (Grade 5 or above) in both English and Maths, with 51% of students achieving at least one 9-7 grade and 31% of students attaining three or more 9-7 grades.

Our Sixth Form Open Evening will take place from 5.30pm - 8pm on November 27th.

Students experience world of work

Students got a taste of the careers they are hoping to pursue when they leave Highfields as part of week-long work experience placements.

Year 11 students spent the first week of term on work experience with companies from a range of industries, including education, hospitality, law, emergency services, military, NHS, engineering,  veterinary and banking.

Mr P Rose, Head of Middle School and Careers Leader, said that employers had been extremely positive in their reports - with one student even offered a job if an upcoming vacancy arises due to their strong work ethic and proactive approach to the experience.

An employer report for one student read: “He has been a pleasure to have. He is helpful, punctual, friendly, caring and has a real passion for working with animals.”

Mr Rose added: "Work experience is an invaluable opportunity for students to develop and practice new skills employers are looking for and to become more confident in their abilities.  

“Students also learnt about the range of pathways available within a particular career. 

“Reports from employers were extremely positive, highlighting the fantastic effort Highfields students put into their work placements."

Historic house inspires design students

Creative students took a step back in time to visit an historic house and pick up interior design inspirations from years gone by.

Year 10 BTEC Art & Design students have been given a brief of producing designs for furniture, stained glass, tiles, textiles and illustrations based on the work of The Arts & Crafts movement.

They visited Wightwick Manor in Wolverhampton - a Victorian manor house which has been owned by the National Trust since 1937 - to inspire their work.

They saw work by William Morris and learnt about The Mander family, who lived in Wightwick Manor in the 1800s.  

Art teacher, Ms P Thompson, said: “The students are working on their research back in school and developing their own designs based on the visit. 

“The guide for the day commented on how well the students behaved and how inquisitive they were.”

Golden DofE Award students are on top of the world

Intrepid students are feeling on top of the world after successfully completing their final Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award expedition.

Thirteen Sixth Form students travelled to Snowdonia for their practice assessment ahead of the summer holidays before successfully completing their assessed expedition in the Lake District earlier this month (September).

The students spent four days and four nights in the Lake District, navigating their route over challenging mountain terrain and fending for themselves in the remote rural location.

Mr C Moody, Highfields’ DofE Co-ordinator, said: “The contrast between the two expeditions was really exceptional, from sunshine in Snowdonia to rain in the Lake District.  

“The students had to plan their journey through the mountains and also all of the equipment they would need to carry, from waterproofs to food.

“This is an extremely challenging section of the DofE Gold Award but they succeeded with good planning, perseverance and determination.

“As well as meeting all of the conditions to pass the assessment, they gained a considerable amount of experience and knowledge to take away with them to use for the rest of their lives.

“Well done to them all on such a fantastic achievement.”

The successful students are: Hannah Griffiths, Jaiden Malhotra, Emily Walker, Atif Riaz, Amreeta Gill, Kayla Campbell, Vish Patel, Sana Nisar, Shahrukh Hussain, Jessica Drew, Mrithula Raj Balaji, Milly Grayson and Yashpreet Singh.

They will be officially presented with their DofE Gold Awards at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace or St James’s Palace on a date to be announced.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s scheme was launched in 1956 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.

Emily and Yuvraj leading school's Head Team for new academic year

A new Head Team has been appointed for the 2019/20 academic year - with mental health and the environment among the issues set out as priorities for the year ahead.
Yuvraj Bhagotra has been given the position of Head Boy, with Emily Longman chosen as Head Girl. Daksh Sharma and Tash Morrison will take on the roles of Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl respectively.

Students who exemplify good behaviour, grades and attendance are chosen to be part of the Head Team, responsible for setting an example for other stu- dents and serving as leaders in school activities.
Emily said she was delighted to have been chosen for her role.

She added: “I am both honoured and excited to have been given the role of Head Girl. I am eager to work with the rest of the team, as well as the wholestudent body, so we can make Highfields the best it can be.
“My main focus for this year, as well as helping to organise events such as the Sixth Form prom and The Social, will be to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health and to improve the school’s efforts to become more environmentally friendly. I am eager to carry on working hard in the year ahead.”

Mr S Pycroft, Head of Sixth Form, said: “I am sure I speak on behalf of all colleagues in wishing the Head Team good luck in their respective positions.”

Latest edition of The H launched

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

The newspaper has been released ahead of the school’s Open Day, and is packed with news articles and features giving an insight into the many success stories, events and trips over the past term and throughout the summer holidays.

The H team is always on the lookout for budding journalists to submit their articles, features and opinion pieces. Anyone interested in being part of the team can email vnash@hswv.co.uk or tbanks01@hswv.co.uk

To view a digital version of the September 2019 edition of The H, click the image below:

Talented students named among country's academic elite

Highfields is especially proud of three of its highest achieving students, who between them achieved a total of 29 Grade 9 grades, placing them among the country’s elite.

This year, 837 GCSE students taking at least seven GCSEs scored a clean sweep of Grade 9s in all subjects, making up just 0.1% of the 700,000 teenagers who took exams in England this summer.

This makes the achievement of Joseph Regan even more impressive - with a clean sweep of 11 Grade 9 GCSE grades in English Language; English Literature; Maths; Biology; Physics; Chemistry; History; Business Studies; Spanish; Design Technology and Citizenship.

Joseph said he was delighted that all of his hard work had paid off.

He added: “I was confident that I had done well in my exams but I never imagined I would get a full set of Grade 9s, especially in Spanish because the exam was so difficult.”

Although he is still unsure which career path to pursue in the future, he is looking forward to studying for A-Levels at Highfields Sixth Form in Maths, Economics and English Literature.

Also joining this elite group of Grade 9 students are Sara Malik, who achieved 10 Grade 9s and one Grade 8 GCSE (in English Language; English Literature; Maths; Biology; Physics; Chemistry; Geography; History; Computer Science; Spanish and Citizenship) and Anika Patel, who achieved eight Grade 9s, two Grade 8s and one Grade 7 (in English Language; English Literature; Maths; Biology; Physics; Chemistry; Geography; Computer Science; Spanish; Business Studies and Citizenship). Both students will be continuing their studies in the Sixth Form. Sara - who dreams of one day studying medicine at University and becoming a doctor - will be taking her A-Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, with Anika choosing to study Maths, Physics and Computer Science.

Sara said: “I was just so relieved and happy with my results. My family was very happy, and my mum couldn’t stop crying outside!”

Anika said she couldn’t believe she’d opened the right envelope.

“I was hoping for one or two Grade 9s but nothing like this,” she added. “Being among the national elite is quite surreal. My family are very proud.”

Mrs N Clifton, Head of Upper School, said she is absolutely delighted that their hard work and talent had been recognised and rewarded.

But she said she was equally delighted by the performances of all students this year, and that seeing the sheer joy on students’ faces when they opened envelopes to realise that they had got the Grade 4 or 5 in a subject they had worked so hard on was what made it all so worthwhile.

Find more details of our GCSE results here.

Celebrations for record-breaking GCSE results

Highfields is delighted to be celebrating another record-breaking set of GCSE results for the school.

Students raised the bar to attain higher grades than last year, with 80% of students achieving a standard pass (Grade 4 or above) in both English and Maths. In addition, 56% of students attained a strong pass (Grade 5 or above) in both English and Maths.

A total of 51% of students achieved at least one 9-7 grade, with 31% of students attaining three or more 9-7 grades.

Special recognition goes to Sara Malik, Joseph Regan, Anika Patel, Louise Saul-Braddock, Preanna Patel, Dillan Sandhu, Adam Maltby and Arran Jakhu, who achieved an outstanding 48 Grade 9s between them.

In addition, Smile Singh, Jasmine Johal, Lucy Evans and Leighton Pugh also deserve special acknowledgment for their excellent set of GCSE results and for having made the most progress of all students this year.

Mrs N Clifton, Head of Upper School, said: “We are very proud and pleased that our students continue to achieve more, year on year.

“We would like to offer our congratulations to students, parents and staff for their fabulous achievements and fantastic progress made.”

Students celebrate A-Level success

Students are celebrating positive AS and A-Level results, with record numbers of students now preparing to move on to university.

Sixth Form students achieved a 100% pass rate - 73% of them being A*-C grades.

Thirty per cent of students achieved A*-A grades in Science and Maths, 11 of them being the top A* grade.

This year has been the most successful in the school’s history for university applications, with 123 students offered university places.

Special mention must also go to Summa Bains, who achieved three A*s in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics, and Jacob Davis, who also got three A*s in Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. Roshan Koli (pictured left) achieved an A* in Mathematics, A* in Physics and A in Further Mathematics.

Mr Steve Pycroft, Head of Sixth Form, said: “We are incredibly proud of our A-Level students. They have achieved fantastic results, with more students than ever before being successful with their university applications.

“The students have worked incredibly hard during their time at Highfields and fully deserve their rewards.

“I wish them the very best of luck for the future.”