The Sunday Times Top 100 Independent Prep Schools in England: Fifth equal in England and First in the North West.
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Nov 21, 2014
Out and About
I was back in Nursery this week and, as always, every child was on the go, absorbed in a variety of activities. Robert was squealing with delight as he got very messy enjoying the texture of the jelly bath. Milo was working alongside him, chatting away as he filled up a jug right to the top with the jelly. Aibhlin and Samuel were busy creating masterpieces with colouring pens; orange seemed to be the colour of the moment as each picture took shape. Eloise and Aamir were playing in the water area, washing baby dolls and ducks and really enjoying filling up bottles and pouring them out. Amelia and Ayesha were playing with the sand and looking at pictures on the wall. They were discussing their trips to the Highfield Haven and all the conkers and leaves they had collected. I then popped upstairs to see the babies who were also having a great time with water. They were blowing bubbles, splashing and really interacting with each other and Mrs Beaumont. I reluctantly left and, as I passed the 2+ area again downstairs, they had all moved into the movement room and were singing a song which involved buying currant buns from the baker’s shop. There were lots of actions and props and the children were having lots of fun taking it in turns to play each role. Thank you Nursery for a very enjoyable insight into how busy and interactive your mornings are. I really enjoyed watching you take part in all your activities and experiencing how much fun you have as you learn and discover new things.
The Sunday Times Academic League Tables
Last Sunday, The Sunday Times published their list of the top 100 Independent Preparatory Schools in the country. Highfield retained its position as the top Independent school in Lancashire for its National Curriculum Test results (29th in the country). This is the fifth year in succession that the school has been in the top fifty Independent Schools nationally. Congratulations to all staff, pupils and former pupils for consistently achieving at the highest level.
New Appointment in Nursery
I am delighted to announce that we have appointed Miss Katie Maun as Deputy Manager. Miss Maun has been working as Deputy Manager at Busy Bears Nursery and has a degree in Early Childhood Studies. She will be working here all next week before formally taking over as Deputy Manager on Monday 1st December. We are looking forward to her becoming part of the Highfield team.
Chess Match v Bolton Boys’ School
A team of 15 boys travelled to Bolton on Monday 17th November for our first chess match of the season. After much thought and careful play, there were wins from: Sam (Board 1); Ivan (Board 3); Jonathan (Board 5); Harry (Board 8); Daniel (Board 9); Tom (Board 11) and Alexander (Board 15). Isaac (Board 4) gained a draw which meant that the honours were shared; 7.5 points each!
We are looking forward to the return match at Highfield in February.
Mrs Haythornthwaite
Colne Chess Congress
The date of the second Chess Congress of the year has been altered and will now take place on: Saturday 6th December at Laneshaw Bridge Primary School, Colne. This competition is open to anyone who enjoys playing chess and there is valuable coaching available on the day too. Entry details can be found at: www.lancashirechess.com
ISA North -Swimming
Last Saturday five pupils from Highfield travelled to Macclesfield to take part in the Northern ISA Swimming Gala against twenty schools from all over the north of the country. The children did very well and the following results are just a selection of the results achieved.
Katie H won the under 10s front crawl and breaststroke, becoming Northern Champion in both events
Olivia D came first in her front crawl time trial and fourth in her backstroke event
Matthew won the under 11s front crawl and became the Northern Champion and was second in the backstroke and third in butterfly
Tom D came second in under 12s breaststroke and third in front crawl
Amy came fourth in under 12s breaststroke
These fantastic results meant that the Under 10 girls’ team of Katie and Olivia won the team event and were awarded with a shield and Matthew and Katie automatically gained a place at the National Gala at the Olympic Pool in London! I will announce later, when we have received our invitation, if any of our other swimmers will also have a chance to represent the North in London. Fantastic results –well done!
ISA North - Cup Football
Wednesday saw the Highfield Priory Senior team take on Lady Barn House School in the ISA Cup. The game saw a substantially improved performance across many aspects of the game. The team played some slick football going forward, with the third goal being a particular highlight because it involved every player in the move. Defensively, we looked cohesive and well organised. The communication regarding organisation in defence was particularly impressive. As an aging centre back, I was particularly pleased by the demands late on that everyone should get back because "we want a clean sheet". The final score was 0-6 to Highfield. The team: Harvey, Harry C, Kieran, Sam, Freddie, Ali, Oscar and Jake. Once again, the support the boys received was fantastic so thank you to all the relatives who attended. The next round will be scheduled for after the Christmas break. Mr Turner
Preston Schools’ Indoor Athletics
This event took place on Monday at the Guild Hall. Seventeen pupils took part in this indoor athletics tournament which included events such as the 4x100 relay, standing long jump, triple jump and chest push, to name a few. In the heats, Highfield gained a few second places and in the speed bounce and vertical jump we recorded some personal bests. We came 13th out of 23 competing Preston Primary Schools. Congratulations to everyone who took part. Mrs Parsons
HPPTA Give As You Live –Please!
You can now raise funds for HPPTA free when you shop online through: Give As You Live. Shop at more than 3600 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to us.
Use Give As You Live – a fundraising comparison site – to ensure you get the best deal on anything from holidays, utilities, clothes, electricals and toys, then make your purchase from retailers, including Amazon, Ebay, John Lewis and a percentage of the value will be donated without costing you a penny extra.
Sign up this month and Give As You Live will double your donation. Raise £5 through your online shopping by 31st Dec 2014 and Give as you Live will match it with another £5 donation straight to HPPTA! www.giveasyoulive.com/join/highfieldpriorypta
Merit Awards
RB-Cooper RF-Oliver 1D-Hamza 2M-Beatrice 2W-Aamina
3H-Grace 3M-Rory 4D-Jemima 4M-Evie 5H-Caitlin 6H-Jonathan