Students reach for the stars at RAF Cosford STEM event

Students hoping to pursue a career in STEM subjects were encouraged to reach for the stars during an educational visit to RAF Cosford.

Year 10 students attended Ad Astra lectures led by leading manufacturers, as well as aerospace and engineering companies, to inspire them for the future.

During the day, 25 students from Highfields learnt more about a new electric plane created by Rolls Royce, whilst representatives from Airbus delivered a session about how planes are made and the challenges of constantly improving technology to ensure aircraft remain environmentally friendly. Students also heard from Dr Liam Naughton, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at Wolverhampton University, who spoke about Maths in nature and how STEM is all around us.  

Miss L Green, Highfields’ Lead Practitioner in Mathematics, said: “Ad Astra means ‘to the stars’, and all of the lectures were based around STEM careers. 

“It was a really insightful event as students were shown the importance of STEM in the military and how the military works with organisations such as Rolls Royce and Airbus to keep everything as advanced as it can be.”

Be Our Guest! Tickets on sale for magical Disney musical

Rehearsals are well under way for Highfields’ upcoming musical production, Beauty & The Beast - with tickets for the stage spectacular now on sale through our dedicated online Box Office.

The magical Disney classic will be brought to life on stage from February 26th-28th, featuring students from Years 7-9.

More than 50 talented performers have been rehearsing for months to stage the feel-good family favourite, and will be back in school throughout the half-term holiday to put the finishing touches to the production.

Ms S Bishop, Highfields’ Head of Extra-Curricular Performance, said the entire cast was now looking forward to curtain up, and the chance to showcase their performances to live audiences.

She added: “For some of the students involved, this will be their first taste of performing to a live audience.

“We are so excited for show time. The entire cast has thoroughly enjoyed being part of the production, rehearsals have been going very well, and we are looking forward to putting on a fantastic show.

“It takes a lot of hard work over a number of weeks to put on our shows, but the process is always such great fun and a wonderful experience for our students. As well as the performers, a number of students have also given their time to help with costume and set making.

“They have all worked incredibly hard to ensure Beauty & The Beast is a success, and we can’t wait to welcome audiences to ‘be our guest’, and celebrate their hard work and talent over three nights.”

Shows start at 7.30pm every night. Tickets, which cost £6 for adults/£4 concessions, are available through our Box Office or Humanities LRC.

Hundreds attend school's biggest ever Careers Fair

More than 300 visitors attended Highfields’ biggest ever Careers Fair, which was staged to inspire students to make the right choices for their future.

There were more than 50 exhibitors at the event representing colleges, universities, training and apprenticeship providers, and employers from a range of industries.

Among those showcasing their services were Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, Boningale Nurseries, The British Army, The Royal Navy, Nova Training, Juniper Training, Dudley College, City of Wolverhampton College, Birmingham City University, NHS and West Midlands Ambulance Service and West Midlands Police.

The event also featured the school’s annual Course Choice Evening, to support Year 9 students in the process of choosing subjects to study in Years 10 and 11. As well as presentations from Headteacher, Mr G Tate, and Head of Middle School and Careers Leader, Mr P Rose, visitors got an insight into the the range of subjects on offer and what they involve.

Mr Rose said:

“It was a fantastic event. It was really well attended and we have had great feedback.

“We had more than 50 exhibitors ranging from universities, apprenticeship providers and employers including finance, armed forces, paramedics and police.

“The evening was principally for Year 9 students who are embarking on option choices for their GCSEs.

“We want to make sure the students look into it and make all the right choices.

“Myself and the headteacher addressed parents and students about the importance of making the right choices. I want to say a big thank you to all of our visitors and all of the exhibitors that attended.”

We made the news! Our Careers Fair featured in the Express & Star and Wolverhampton Chronicle:

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Budding science scholars selected for academic course

Scientists of the future travelled to Oxford University’s New College after being selected to enrol on a prestigious academic course.

Twelve talented Year 9 students attended the launch of the Scholars Programme, as members of The Brilliant Club.

The Brilliant Club is a national award-winning, non-profit, organisation that aims to widen access to top universities for outstanding students in non selective schools.

As part of its Scholars Programme, students will attend six tutorials before being set a 2,000-word assignment, graded using university terminology, to ‘graduate’ the course.

During their first visit to New College, students were introduced to their tutor, PhD student, Emilia Moisio, and given this year’s assignment: ‘Picturing the Invisible: How Scientific Images Influence Our Perceptions of Reality’.

Emilia explained: “During the tutorials, we will be looking at scientific images and how they influence our perceptions of the world, but we will also spend time talking about pupils' own relationships to media.

“I hope the programme will inspire the pupils to think more critically and analytically about both science and media.”

If students pass the course, a graduation ceremony is pencilled in for April at another Russell Group University, to celebrate their success.  

Ms E Buckley, Lead Practitioner with responsibility for More Able students who leads the school’s Brilliant Club project, said: “This is the fifth cohort of students chosen from Highfields to take part in The Brilliant Club and its Scholars Programme.

“They all thoroughly enjoyed the launch event at New College, being given the chance to tour the the university and attending lunch in the impressive dining hall, as well as meeting their tutor.

“They are all excited to get working on their assignment, and looking forward to their upcoming tutorials, with the motivation of a graduation ceremony to celebrate their achievements in April, which is always a wonderful event.”

Students develop innovative engineering designs

Budding engineers travelled to Loughborough University to work on their own innovative designs as part of a national project.

Two teams of Year 12 students are working with industry experts to bring their designs to life as part of the Engineering Education Scheme.

One team is looking into radiation shielding methods, under the supervision of Wolverhampton-based ANSALDO Nuclear, whilst the other group is developing a reservoir overflow alongside professionals from Mott Macdonald Bentley.

Students were able to start work on their projects using the facilities in Loughborough University’s engineering workshops and will now continue with their prototype builds after school and in weekly meetings with their supervising companies.

The national scheme is run by the Engineering Development Trust and allows small teams from different schools to take part in designing, building and presenting an engineering project that could be of significant use to a local engineering company.

Later this year, the teams will take part in a National Celebration and Assessment Day where they will get the chance to display their projects and present their work to a panel of judges.

Physics teacher, Mr A Britton, said: “The students found their trip to Loughborough University, and the chance to use its impressive facilities, very useful.

“Both teams will now continue to work on their prototypes with their companies during weekly meetings in the school’s workshops, before presenting their innovative designs to judges later this year.”

Horrors of Holocaust remembered on anniversary of Auschwitz liberation

Students are remembering the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust as part of events to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

A special assembly was held for all students examining this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day theme, ‘Stand Together’. The assembly, delivered by Head of History, Miss K Harrison, challenged the notion of ‘Us versus them’, exploring how genocidal regimes throughout history have deliberately fractured society by marginalising certain groups. Students have been encouraged to consider how their role as individuals can challenge oppression by standing together with their friends, peers and neighbours.

Miss J Tappenden, Head of Humanities Learning School, has also developed resources to be used during form time to examine the Holocaust in greater depth and contextualise its significance in the 21st century by looking at further examples of genocide and asking students to consider to what extent the lessons from the Holocaust have been learned.

There are plans to mark the occasion further throughout the Summer term, helping students to understand the huge significance of the liberation of Auschwitz, whilst highlighting how the horrors of the Holocaust continued for many Jews after this date.

She said: “The liberation of Auschwitz on the 27th January 1945 was a significant occasion.  It marked the beginning of the end of the Nazi regime, which would eventually fall on 8th May 1945. 

“Of the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, over 1 million were lost to Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is the largest cemetery in the world and yet it is marked by no gravestone.  

“Here at Highfields, we want our students to understand the significance of all of the events which will be commemorated with 75-year anniversaries this year. Whilst the liberation of Auschwitz is hugely significant, we want our students to understand how, for many Jews, the horrors of the Holocaust continued.  

“Belsen, for example, was not liberated until 15th April 1945.  It is crucial that students understand the bigger picture; how VE Day marked not just the end of nearly 6 years of war, but also the true liberation it afforded people who had been persecuted under Hitler’s regime. We want them to understand that liberating Auschwitz was not the end of it, that further camps continued to operate and that many thousands more who fled persecution or were affected by the horrors of war faced months and years as refugees having left homes, jobs and possessions behind them.  We want our students to experience the feelings of joy, relief and celebration felt across Europe during VE Day 75 years ago, but to be able to set these into context of the suffering, devastation and loss of the war. 

“It is of great importance to us that students are able to contextualise these historical events and understand their relevance today, especially in light of Wolverhampton’s status as a City of Refuge, offering support to refugees affected by conflict today.”

At Highfields, we are extremely proud of our History curriculum, which aims to embrace diversity, challenge discrimination and promote tolerance at all levels. An important part of this is creating opportunities for students to develop their understanding of these issues outside the classroom as well as within it.

The History Department is planning a large scale school-wide commemoration event to rival that of the school’s remembrance events marking the centenary of the end of the First World War in 2018. 

Details of the programme will be revealed in due course, but the events, planned for May of this year to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day, will offer a variety of extra-curricular activities to extend students’ understanding of the Holocaust, liberation, the end of war and its legacy, and the role of Wolverhampton in supporting refugee and asylum seeking families into a welcoming and inclusive community.  

Miss Tappenden is currently also liaising with former Highfields student, Joe Twilley, Head of Communications for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust UK, to build an experience which is truly unique and engaging for students at Highfields.

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Berlin and Krakow trip 2021:

History will be brought to life for Highfields students during a trip to Germany and Poland, when they will step into the past to learn about the horrors of Hitler’s Third Reich.

The week-long coach trip to Berlin and Krakow is an established fixture on the school calendar which takes place every two years and allows students to reflect on the inhumanity and brutality of the Second World War.

The trip will take place from July 15th-22nd 2021. The trip is currently open to Year 10 students, and most places have already been taken. Any remaining spaces will be opened up to students in Year 9 over the coming days.

Highfields to stage its biggest Careers Fair

Highfields is preparing to host its biggest ever Careers Fair to inspire hundreds of students to make the right choices for their future.

Dozens of exhibitors will be showcasing their services during the event, which will take place from 6pm-8pm on Thursday 30th January. It is open to all students, particularly those from Year 9 to Sixth Form.

A number of colleges, universities, training providers and employers from a range of industries will be represented at the Careers Fair, including Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, The British Army, The Royal Navy, Nova Training, Dudley College, City of Wolverhampton College, Birmingham City University, NHS and West Midlands Ambulance Service.

The event will also feature the school’s annual Course Choice Evening, to support Year 9 students in the process of choosing subjects to study in Years 10 and 11. As well as presentations from Headteacher, Mr G Tate, and Head of Middle School and Careers Leader, Mr P Rose, visitors will also be given an insight into the the range of subjects on offer and what they involve with displays on the top floor.

Mr Rose said: “In January each year, the whole school focuses on CEIAG, culminating in the the annual Highfields School Careers Fair. 

“This year will be the biggest Careers Fair to date and is an exciting opportunity for students to meet and talk with local businesses and apprenticeship providers, as well as further and higher education institutions.

“We are fully committed to doing all that we can to ensure that all of our students understand the possibilities open to them in the future. This event gives them chance to talk to a vast range of industry professionals to give them a better insight into the many different pathways available, and which would be most suitable for them.”

The resourses from the Year 9 Course Choice Evening can be found below:

• Year 9 Course Choice Evening

• Making the Right Choices Booklet

Year 9 students 'Moving Forward' towards career dreams

Year 9 students have been looking to the future as part of Highfields’ annual ‘Moving Forward’ event, which supports them in making the right course choices to achieve their career goals.

The event provides students with advice, guidance and inspiration, enabling them to make informed decisions about their subject choices for Years 10 and 11.

The day kicked off with a launch assembly before two guest speakers, Hazel Crawford and Jas Sidhu, gave motivational talks about aspiring and achieving.

Hazel is the founder of successful PR, social media and advertising agency, 8848. Born in a one-room council flat in Glasgow, she set up the company in 1999. It now employs 25 people and has an annual turnover of more than £2million.

Former Highfields student, Jas Sidhu, also spoke to students about his life and work after school. A graduate of the Singularity University, Stanford Business School (Ignite Innovation programme), who has studied data science at the General Assembly, he has an interest in helping companies to innovate and really push the boundaries, and is currently on sabbatical from PwC working on his own venture.

The event also featured sessions on evaluating strengths, career options and revision skills, including the ‘4 Rs’ - Revisit, Reduce, Rehearse and Retrieve.

Mr P Rose, Highfields’ Head of Middle School and Careers Leader, said: “Our guest speakers gave excellent talks about making the right choices to achieve career goals.

“Their inspirational stories really struck a chord with our students.

“The ‘Moving Forward’ event kicks off the process of students making choices for the future and it aims to support them to make informed decisions, which will allow them to fulfil their career dreams.”

All Year 9 students will sit school exams in February to aid the course choice process, before final subject selections are agreed in March.

Continuing Professional Development at Highfields

On January 6th and 7th staff participated in 2 CPD sessions to develop their professional learning about the ‘Science of Learning’ and how this underpins the 4Rs at Highfields.

The first session, led by Dr Taylor (Lead Practitioner) and Mr Hegarty (Head of Social Science) explained to staff how cognitive psychology informs classroom practice and the second session led by Ms Downer (Senior Lead Practitioner) explained to staff the principles of the 4Rs and how these translate into classroom practice to support student’s retrieval skills

As part of the session led by Ms Downer, Mr King, Miss Harrison and Mr Rowley showcased some excellent practice to colleagues about how they had begun to implement the 4Rs in their curriculum.

Both sessions built on CPD from September 2019 and staff will have further opportunities this year to work collaboratively to continue to integrate the 4Rs into their curriculum.

The feedback from staff about the CPD was extremely positive:

“This CPD was exceptionally inspiring. I felt proud to be part of Highfields and such innovative curriculum planning and came away feeling excited for the future opportunities and benefits for our student. In a nutshell, this is exactly what CPD should look and feel like!”

“Really well conceived and delivered. It is already making people think about how they are organising and presenting their lessons.”

“Very useful. The delivery was informative and interesting. Good to see that much of what was discussed is already being done, it just needs resources being explicitly linked to 4Rs.”

“The staff who lead the CPD where very clear in demonstrating the 4Rs. Well done to all.”

Hidden Histories being brought to life as part of new programme

History fans are delving into the past to learn more about hidden tales from years gone by as part of a new extra-curricular programme launched to expand students’ knowledge.

Highfields’ History Department has launched the new ‘Hidden Histories’ programme, which is open to all students from Years 7-13.

The newly-launched programme currently involves one lecture per half term, each looking at a different time in history, but there are already plans to expand the scheme to allow Upper School and Sixth Form students to present their own lectures in future. 

Miss J Tappenden, Head of Humanities Learning School, said: “Hidden Histories is a school wide extra-curricular activity which welcomes all students to extend their learning beyond the classroom.

“We have an excellent knowledge rich, diverse and challenging curriculum in History, but it isn’t possible to cover every aspect of the past which is of interest to both our staff and students.

“Building on the success of our 2018 First World War centenary commemorations, where we ran a week-long programme of mini lectures on hidden histories of the war, we decided to roll the programme out on a more permanent basis to incorporate other untold stories, some of which build on curriculum learning, and others which are completely new.”

The first lecture, which took place on November 29th, was titled: ‘The Victorian Lunatic Asylum: Britain’s history with mental health’. 

Presented by Miss Tappenden, the lecture provided a snapshot into this fascinating and dark past, whilst also supporting a school focus on well-being and mental health.

Miss Tappenden said: “The lecture examined how the reputation of Victorian lunatic asylums has been portrayed as a wholly negative one, but by learning how before them there was no support at all for people with mental disabilities, we were able to see the progression from the past to the present day.

“Students learned why these establishments came to have the reputation they did, and how attitudes through the 19th century and beyond changed until the foundation of the NHS in 1948.”

What is coming up next on the Hidden Histories programme?

The next Hidden Histories lecture is planned for Friday 31st January and will examine the story of Eileen Nearne, who served in the Second World War as a member of the Special Operations Executive. 

Miss Tappenden said: “I won’t give too much of her story away as we want to save that for the lecture, but it involves capture and torture by the Gestapo (Nazi secret police) and escaping from a labour camp.

“What makes this story so special is that she is a relative of Spanish teacher, Miss Nearn, so this lecture has a lovely link to one of our very own members of staff here at Highfields. 

“Not only is this a fascinating and exciting examination of some of the lesser known stories of the Second World War, there is a really strong cross-curricular link in this story, as it shows the real value and possibilities of being able to speak another language.”