Until we meet again: Highfields celebrates VE Day from home

The service and sacrifice of millions of people across the UK and world who stood together to secure victory in the Second World War were remembered during VE Day celebrations from home.

Students and staff baked homemade cakes and scones, created colourful bunting to hang on their homes, made posters, replicated traditional 1940s hairstyles and make up, donned costumes, and held socially distanced street parties to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

There had been exciting plans to remember the significant  anniversary of Victory in Europe - when Allied countries formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany’s armed forces - in school.

But, with the coronavirus pandemic putting the party plans on hold, History staff made a rallying call to students and their families to join nationwide efforts to celebrate the anniversary from home. 

Miss J Tappenden, Head of Humanities Learning School, filmed a special virtual assembly which was sent out to all students, as well as compiling a list of suggested activities to mark the occasion.

She said: “It was wonderful to see so many of our students and staff marking VE Day.

“VE Day is an important anniversary in any calendar year. Traditionally seen as a time of celebration, it is also one of deep reflection.

“In normal times we would have been paying tribute to the achievements of those who stood together to secure victory in the Second World War with parties and celebrations in school.

“Although we couldn’t do that this year, we commemorated their service and sacrifice from home.”

Highfields' PPE efforts make the news!

Highfields’ efforts to create PPE for local healthcare workers has been celebrated in the local media.

During the Easter holiday, students of key workers helped staff to manufacture face shields, which were distributed to care home workers, medical staff and community midwives across the West Midlands.

Among those to benefit from the face shields were Barton & Needwood House Nursing Homes and Pinfold Health Centre. The school also donated 50 pairs of safety spectacles from its Science laboratories, which have been delivered to the community midwife team in Wolverhampton.

The positive story has now been featured in the Express & Star (pictured).

Mr Tony Dean, Chemistry teacher and Deputy Headteacher, who arranged the donation, said: “We will all do whatever we can to support workers in the NHS and the care system.”

Click here to read the full article about our PPE donation

Talented Owen releases debut single from lockdown

A talented performer from Highfields who dreams of a career in the spotlight has released his debut single.

Sixth Form student, Owen La Cortar, has appeared regularly in principal roles in Highfields’ annual musical productions.

His most recent performance was as Gomez in The Addams Family, and he is hoping to move on to a Performing Arts course when the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

Owen, who is currently awaiting his A-Level results, has written, produced and recorded a number of songs from the bedroom of his home in Penn and hopes to release an EP of his work in the summer.

He has now released one of his songs, Insane, as a single, which is available on music sites including Apple Music, Spotify and TikTok.

The 18-year-old said: “As far as I can remember my goal has been to pursue a career in the performing arts, but with the current situation it felt like quarantine had somewhat put a stop to any opportunities of performing on stage.”

Eco-friendly students tackling climate change for Earth Day

Environmentally aware students have been building bug houses, composting and ditching plastic straws as part of efforts to tackle climate change in celebration of Earth Day 2020.

This year marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which was launched in 1970 as a unified worldwide response to a global environment in crisis.

Students from Years 7-10 were asked to find out their Carbon Footprint and tasked with a number of challenges to become more eco-friendly.

The project was set by Head of Geography, Ms H Lane. Challenges included building bird and bug houses, using reusable straws, planting trees, switching to energy efficient lightbulbs, making homemade cleaning products, unplugging unused devices and making a call to action to share on social media.

Ms Lane said: “We received a number of entries for the competition, with hundreds of students working out their Carbon Footprint.

“Thank you to everyone who entered; it’s brilliant to see so many students making conscious decisions to be more eco-friendly.

“Our students have really gone above and beyond in the fight against climate change.”

Six students - Jasleen Phagura, Freya Perry, Hollie Lewis, Toni Bird, Emily Hodson and Anjali Patel - have been chosen as winners and will each receive a reusable straw and biodegradable reusable cup when they return to school.

The competition comes after Highfields launched a series of initiatives to improve the environment.

Before school was forced to shut amidst the coronavirus pandemic, there had already been a shift in the school’s use of single-use plastics, with wooden cutlery made available as an alternative in the school’s eating areas.

There are also plans to launch additional initiatives, including providing stainless steel, reusable bottles for every student and introducing recycling bins on every floor.

Students to mark 75th VE Day anniversary from home

Highfields students will mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day from home with a series of celebrations including singing, baking and decoration making.

Students and staff will be demonstrating their own ‘Blitz Spirit’ by refusing to let the coronavirus pandemic dampen their mood as they mark the significant  anniversary of Victory in Europe, when Allied countries formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany’s armed forces in World War II.

Highfields History department throws an annual ‘in house’ VE Day street party during the school’s September Open Morning, complete with decorations, music and costumes.

There had been exciting plans to host a street party in school for students and staff this week to mark the special anniversary in style. But with the pandemic putting the party plans on hold, History staff are now calling on students and their families to support nationwide efforts to celebrate the anniversary from home. 

Miss K Harrison, Head of History, has challenged students in Years 7-10 to get creative with specially created VE Day lesson materials and ideas to get students thinking about the importance of the occasion.  

Miss J Tappenden, Head of Humanities Learning School, has been busy filming a special assembly from home highlighting some of the history surrounding VE Day and its significance, ahead of the official anniversary on Friday (May 8th). Click on the image below to access the virtual assembly.

Miss Tappenden said: “VE Day is an important anniversary in any calendar year. Traditionally seen as a time of celebration, it is also one of deep reflection. 

“Whilst the world breathed a sigh of relief that the atrocities of the war in Europe and the Nazi regime had come to an end, there was also much grieving to be done for the men and women of all nations who paid the ultimate sacrifice. 

“Of course, many minds turned to the thought that the war with Japan still raged on and it would be another three months before that ended.”

To encourage students to participate in this special anniversary, Miss Tappenden has compiled a list of suggested activities that range from baking and singing to homemade decorations and home tutorials for 1940s hair and makeup.  

Miss Tappenden added: “We would love to see how our students make use of these suggestions and welcome them to share any photographs of their efforts with us via our social media @HistoryHSWV on Twitter or Instagram.”

Click on the image below to access ideas for your own VE Day anniversary celebrations:

Cracking challenge celebrates society's 'good eggs'

Artistic students and staff got creative with a cracking Easter-themed lockdown challenge.

Miss J Tappenden, Head of Highfields’ Humanities Learning School, set the challenge of decorating hard boiled eggs to honour society’s ‘good eggs’ from the past and present.

Vaccination pioneer, Edward Jenner, Florence Nightingale and the nation’s PE teacher, Joe Wicks, were among those celebrated, as well as NHS workers and delivery drivers helping to keep the country moving during the coronavirus pandemic.

Miss Tappenden said: “Our students and staff got creative to celebrate ‘good eggs’ of either historical or modern value. 

“We had some fantastic entries, but the winning prize goes to Jobe Thompson, 8F, for his representation of Sun Yat-Sen, a Chinese philosopher, physician and politician who led the country’s first revolutionary organisation to promote democracy.  (Image below)

"He faced some tough competition to win the title, including a fantastic entry from Highfields Art department depicting our very own ‘good egg’, Mr Tate.”

Students of key workers enjoy Easter activities in school

Students of key workers enjoyed a range of fun activities over the Easter holidays, including cooking, cycling, computer coding, drama, art and film making.

Highfields remained open over the Easter fortnight to support children of key workers, with teaching and administration staff volunteering their time to come into school.

Staff organised a variety of fun activities for students, whilst carefully keeping to social distancing rules in school. As part of the packed programme, students enjoyed an Easter-themed cookery day, creating and dishing up tasty hot cross buns. 

On Easter Monday, students made dozens of face shields which have been donated to local healthcare workers. Click here for more information about that project.

Mr Tony Dean, Highfields’ Deputy Headteacher who arranged the programme, said: “Key workers are feeling the pressure at the moment, and it is our privilege to help those who need it by caring for their children at this difficult time. 

“All of our staff who are able have volunteered to come into school on a rota basis to support the children of key workers. 

“We really enjoyed putting on a range of activities over Easter to provide a little bit of cheer for students and staff during this difficult time.”

Highfields helps coronavirus fight by making and delivering PPE

Highfields has been helping the NHS in the fight against Coronavirus by creating and delivering dozens of pieces of PPE to local healthcare workers.

The school has remained open over the Easter holidays to care for children of key workers, with teaching and admin staff volunteering to help during their holiday time.

Students and staff spent time making face shields for use as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which have now been distributed to care home workers, medical staff and community midwives across the West Midlands.

Mr Steve France, Design Technology teacher and Assistant Headteacher, organised the project. He said: “We decided to dedicate the Easter School Design and Technology day to supporting NHS staff, by manufacturing face shields.  

“Having seen the many news stories about the lack of certain pieces of PPE, I couldn’t think of a better way to utilise our Design skills, equipment and resources. 

“Myself, Mr Cullis and three students of key workers spent the day manufacturing a batch of face shields.  Using our laser cutter, we were able to quickly manufacture the head strap, which we had designed to fit a wide range of head sizes.  Then, working as a team, we assembled the head strap, visor and foam padding parts.  

“I was truly amazed at the engagement and focus of our students, who worked tirelessly for six hours to manufacture the batch of face shields.”

The General Manager of Barton & Needwood House Nursing Homes said: “We would like to thank the member of staff instigating this and the students who made the face shields. They have been most useful in our infection control fight.”

The Practice Manager at Pinfold Health Centre said: “I want to say a massive thank you to the children making Coronavirus face shields. Our staff feel a lot safer now, so thank you very much.”

Highfields has also donated 50 pairs of safety spectacles from its Science laboratories, which have been delivered to the community midwife team in Wolverhampton.

Mr Tony Dean, Chemistry teacher and Deputy Headteacher, who arranged the donation, said: “We are all aware that provision of PPE is a big challenge nationally, and Highfields is happy to help in whatever way we can. 

“All of our staff who are able have volunteered to come into school on a rota basis to support the children of key workers, and we are now going into the fifth week of this arrangement. 

“Along with many others at Highfields, I have friends and family members who are working on the NHS frontline. We will all do whatever we can to support workers in the NHS and the care system.”

Headteacher's Blog: Easter 2020

Usually at this time of year, I’d be wishing you all a well-deserved Easter break before exam season kicks in, and filling you in on all the great achievements and successes of our students over the past term.

But, as you know, this is no usual Easter ‘break up’.

This situation is something none of us could have comprehended just a few weeks ago, but I would like to say a personal thank you to all students, staff, parents and carers who have wholly embraced this temporary new ‘norm’ with enthusiasm and understanding.

Having closed the school to all staff and students - other than the children of key workers - in response to Covid 19 on March 20, we have launched a new remote learning programme to allow our students to continue their academic development from home.

I am delighted to say that the uptake of the programme has been phenomenal. Despite the expected higher-than-usual levels of student illness during this time, we have seen more than 1,500 students accessing the programme to continue with their learning every day.

Whilst it was never going to be easy to move to this new way of learning in such a short space of time staff, students and parents are clearly doing all they can to make it work. Staff have been really impressed with how focused, motivated and organised students have been – with more than a little help from parents in many cases, I am sure.

I know that many of you, parents and students alike, will be glad of the break from school work and remote learning but if you do find yourself at a loose end and want to extend your learning, we have put together a range of enrichment opportunities that you might want to dip into. These can be accessed here.

A special mention to students in Years 11 and 13, who were due to take GCSE and A-Levels after Easter. I understand how difficult this time is after so many months of hard work and preparations for exams but can assure them that we will do everything we can to make sure that they still achieve the grades that they deserve that will enable them to move onto the next stages of their learning journey. 

Despite the news being rightly dominated with the coronavirus pandemic, I don’t want this to take all of the shine off the amazing achievements, adventures and successes of students and staff throughout school since we returned after Christmas. From a sell-out musical production to the school’s biggest ever careers fair, scholars programme success, Austrian ski trip, engineering accolades and countless sporting achievements, our students proved, as always, why Highfields is a place of which we are all so proud.

Our young journalists are currently busy working from home on articles about these many positive events and achievements, as well as opinion pieces and features about maintaining our mental health and wellbeing, and keeping fit during lockdown. They are all being put together in our termly magazine, The H, which will be sent out to you all digitally after Easter. 

During these unprecedented times, our students are being given the chance to become part of history by documenting their experiences as part of a new project with Wolverhampton City Archives. Our Head of Humanities Learning School, Miss J Tappenden, is leading the project to help create an official bank of resources for future historians about life during the pandemic. Click here for more information about how to get involved.

Thank you all again for the exceptional way you have worked together in these difficult and unprecedented circumstances.

Stay safe, and look forward to speaking to you all again after Easter.

Mr G Tate
Headteacher

Students can be part of history with pandemic archives project

Students are being invited to become part of history by documenting their lives throughout the coronavirus pandemic as part of a joint project with Wolverhampton City Archives.

Wolverhampton City Archives collects, preserves and make accessible historical records relating to the city, including books, maps, plans, photographs, diaries, letters and film clips.  

Highfields has now teamed up with the organisation to help create a bank of resources for future historians about life during the pandemic.

Miss J Tappenden, Head of Humanities Learning School, encouraged students to get involved.

She said: “You may not have realised it yet, but we are literally history in the making. In years to come, History students and people around the world will study how the world coped with the 2020 coronavirus situation – and your experiences could be part of that.

“We are asking you to keep a record/diary of your feelings and experiences during this unusual time in our history.  

“You don’t have to write every day, you may select certain events/days which are more significant than others and record your feelings and experiences. 

“This is such a significant period of our lives.  When things return to ‘normal’ Wolverhampton Archives has invited a small number of us to attend and see in person where and how our documents will be stored and used. 

“This is such an exciting and unique opportunity to be part of history.

“I would say to students to please participate. How exciting to think that in 100 years’ time somebody may be reading your thoughts in your diary!"

There is no official submission deadline date for work, but Miss Tappenden is accepting entries via email, or in person once school reopens.

She will be handing out prizes for the top three entries, with those receiving awards guaranteed to be among the group invited to visit the archives.

Read Miss Tappenden’s guide to getting involved and creating a good diary: