Last Wednesday, we enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon outside for our Junior Sports Day. All of the Juniors represented their Houses, taking part in hurdle races, sprints, middle distance races, javelin, sack races, relay races and the obstacle race. It was lovely to see the children supporting their teammates, even showing off the motivational signs they made in class! The parents watched proudly as every single child participated in the afternoon. Pendle finished in 1st place with Bowland winning the Tug of War, which the children loved taking part in! Thank you to all the parents who came to support as well as all the staff who helped to create such a wonderful day for the children. A huge thank you to all the Juniors who showed great team spirit and made us all proud! A special thank you to Mrs Botton who has enjoyed her last Junior Sports Day at Highfield; we wish you all the best in your new post.
As it is Mental Health Awareness Week, our Year 4 class centred their class assembly around ‘Community’ which is this year’s focal point. It was lovely to hear the children telling us about the communities they are a part of, as well as the range of emotions they can feel each and every day. They shared with us what they do to look after their mental health and to help themselves feel better. Thank you, Year 4!
On Wednesday evening, our talented Year 5 and Year 3 classes took to the stage for their dramatic performance of ‘Victorian Villainy. Every performer showed incredible confidence, commanding the stage in front of a large audience. All the children and staff thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience, working together to create a masterpiece for everyone to enjoy. It will be a memory they will cherish for many years to come. Congratulations to everyone who took part and thank you to: our Directors, Mrs Jones and Miss Macklam; our lighting and cameran technician, Mr Bailey; and all the staff involved. Well done!
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service visited our Year 2 and 6 classes to talk about fire safety and the importance of having a fire plan at home. They spoke about the dangers of playing with matches and lighters, and they taught the children what to do if their clothes catch fire. We discussed what to do if we hear the smoke alarm in our house at night. The children listened carefully as they explained the importance of getting outside safely and calling 999 or shouting from a window if we find ourselves trapped upstairs. After the talk, we went outside to look at the fire engine and the firefighters showed us where all the equipment lives. A huge thank you to the LFRS from all of Year 2 and 6!
This week saw our annual World Book Day and Mastermind Final, with children and staff dressed as a wide range of characters from their favourite books. It was a real celebration of literature. It was great to see the children telling each other about the characters they were dressed as and finding out more about the books they come from. I hope it will inspire our children to pick up a book and learn about a new character they have seen today. This year’s final was one of the closest we have ever had, with some brilliant contestants who we are all very proud of. Many congratulations to Lilia, who is our 2025 winner, and also to Amelie, Will, Aryana and Yusra for answering so many questions correctly.
It was lovely to see so many of the Highfield Priory family joining us last Friday for the grand opening of 'The Barn' - our new Nursery and Preschool building. Pupils, parents, alumni, staff and special guests joined us for what was a fantastic celebration of the Highfield school spirit and an exciting glimpse into the future learning environment of our youngest pupils. We would like to offer a special vote of thanks to the Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire for officially opening The Barn, and everyone who made this such a successful event; it was an afternoon that will live long in our school's memory!
On Wednesday evening, our talented children took Crossgate Church by storm with their performance of Peter Pan. Our young performers exuded confidence as they told their story through dance and drama. In front of a large audience, bright lights and loud music, they showed no fear and thoroughly enjoyed their moment on stage. Miss Burns’ dancers elegantly showed off the skills they have learnt in their dance lessons this year. Our Year 4 actors commanded the stage, delivering their lines with poise and confidence. All the children thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience, from practising at home with family, rehearsals in school, fun filled rehearsals at the venue and the final performance. It will be a memory that they will cherish for many years to come. Congratulations to everyone who took part and thank you to our directors, Mrs Jones and Miss Burns, and all the staff at Crossgate Church and Highfield Priory who helped to make this show such a success. What a team!
Today has been a very memorable day in the Highfield calendar with the Lord- Lieutenant of Lancashire formally opening our new Nursery building: The Barn. There will be lots of pictures posted on our social media pages over the coming days and a full write-up in the next newsletter. We got our chefs hats on in Nursery last week as we made some delicious pizzas! After pouring and spreading our sauce, and then adding some tasty toppings, it was time for the all-important taste test! Thumbs-up all round for our Young Masterchefs! We have also loved spending time in our library. We really value early literacy in our setting. Children’s brains experience the most growth in their first 5 years, when their brains are most responsive to their environment. Stimulation from reading books, playing, talking, and singing with others serves an important neurological function, enhancing children’s cognitive, physical, social and emotional growth.
Happy New Year! The children returned last week, full of energy and excitement for the Spring term ahead. With all clubs and activities starting this week, there is something for every child to enjoy, from Spanish Club to Mad Science! We also have our wonderful production of Peter Pan to look forward to at the Landmark performance venue, which the children are already working hard towards. This term is even more exciting, with our brand-new Nursery and Preschool building now open! We have been delighted to welcome lots of new families into our community, with new children joining us in our Nursery and School. We know everyone is going to have a wonderful term ahead!
The ‘Fire Side Nativity’ performances took the school by storm! Our Year 2 performers acted incredibly well, learning so many lines and projecting their voices beautifully across the sports hall. Reception and Year 1 sang magnificently, complemented by some fabulous choreography from Miss Burns’ dancers. It was wonderful to see our Infants working together to create such a memorable performance. A big thank you to Ms Eccles, Mrs Street and all the staff involved in the production.
A big thank you to the PTA and all the parents who helped spread some Christmas sparkle throughout Highfield today. We are all feeling very festive and the school looks wonderful! We were delighted to welcome children's author, Tom Palmer to Highfield this week. Both Year 5 and Year 6 had a writing workshop with Tom where they planned a story based on a real artefact from World War 2. Tom explained about the sort of questions he would ask himself when starting to write a book before working with the children to answer these and build up a story based on that initial artefact. The children had time to ask Tom questions which ranged from: "If you weren't an author, what would you like to do?" to "Where is your favourite holiday destination?" He also showed the children the scrapbooks he had created before starting to write each book and talked about his inspiration for some of them. And finally, many of the children enjoyed choosing one of Tom's books which he signed and chatted to them about. It was a brilliant afternoon and one I'm sure the children will remember for a long time!
The children, parents and teachers all enjoyed a spooktacular Halloween disco on Friday, with everyone looking fantastic and frightening in their costumes! After a Halloween feast in the dining room, the children danced and played spooky games in the Halloween-decorated sports hall. Everyone had so much fun and it was the perfect way to end our first week back in school. A special thank you to Ms Eccles, as well as all parents and staff who supported this event, for making it a very special evening for the children. A big thank you to all our children, parents and staff for supporting Children in Need. It was wonderful to see everyone dressed up in their imaginative outfits. The school was filled with colour and fun all day and we raise £215.
Thank you to our wonderful Year 5 class, who took us on an exciting journey through some of the most extreme and powerful forces on Earth during their assembly. From fiery volcanoes to shaking earthquakes, they taught us all about the power of planet Earth as well as some interesting facts. Did you know that the hottest temperature ever recorded was in the USA, back in 1913, reaching 56.7 degrees Celsius! Unsurprisingly, the coldest temperature was recorded in Antarctica, reaching -94.7 degrees Celsius. The whole school enjoyed 5M’s passionate rendition of the ‘Water Cycle Song’, although it may be stuck in our heads for a while!
Thank you to everyone who donated to our Harvest Festival today. We received a huge amount of food that will be vital to, and greatly appreciated by, local charities and businesses. We also raised money which will be donated to WaterAid. Class 6HM took some of our Harvest donations along to Bethany House –our local residential home- and entertained the residents with their Harvest songs before spending time chatting with the ladies and gentlemen. The children were wonderful conversationalists and showed a real interest in the residents. They can’t wait to visit them again later in year. We were sad to say goodbye but so proud of our Year 6 children and the joy that they had so evidently brought to others.
This week has been a busy week in Nursery! The children (and teachers) brought their favourite cuddly toys into Nursery for a Teddy Bears Picnic! Everyone enjoyed the delicious sandwiches and snacks. We also had lots of fun in our first dance class of the year. We loved moving to the rhythm and tempo of the music; a lovely way to express ourselves. Later in the week, we made our very own Pizzas, with the help of our teachers of course! An eventful week finished with a lovely trip to the beach. We loved playing on the sand, playing ball games and running around in the fresh air! We had so much fun, we all fell asleep on the way back!
What a fantastic first week! It was wonderful to see the children on Tuesday with smiling faces, stories to tell and catching up with their classmates. The children have made a great start and are working hard, approaching each new lesson with energy and enthusiasm. They have signed up for activities and are now looking forward to a full program starting next week. The remaining Curriculum Evenings will also take place next week, giving you an opportunity to ask any questions that may have arisen this week.
In my family, we are all big fans of the Harry Potter books. So much so that the latest additions to our family have all been named after Harry Potter characters. We’ve had Padfoot, the black labrador, Luna, Tonks and Moaning Myrtle, the hens, and most recently Albus and Remus the cocker spaniels. J K Rowling creates some wonderful characters in her books and I always feel that each character has something significant to teach us about life. One of my favourite characters is Fawkes the Phoenix and, particularly, the role he plays in The Chamber of Secrets. Maybe it’s because, as Headmaster of Highfield, I wish I could have a pet Phoenix in my office, but I think it’s also because of the personal qualities that Fawkes embodies: loyalty, bravery, strength and acceptance. Fawkes is the star of the show in The Chamber of Secrets. Not only does he show great loyalty to Dumbledore and Harry by entering the chamber, but he also shows great bravery when faced with Tom Riddle and a deadly basilisk, he heals Harry’s fatal wound and he is able to carry four people out of the chamber to safety. As a phoenix, Fawkes bursts into flames when his time comes and then is reborn out of the ashes, stronger than ever. He represents endings and beginnings and our acceptance of these facts of life. Today we are looking at an ending, as we say farewell to our remarkable Y6 class. They are leaving us today in a blaze of glory and although we are feeling sad about losing them, we are excited about what lies ahead for each of them.
A big thank you to everyone who came to support Sunday’s Summer Fayre. It was great to see so many children and parents enjoying themselves and to see so many past pupils coming back to visit and catch up with everyone! A big thank you to staff and parents who helped on stalls and made all the fabulous food and cakes, we couldn’t do it without you! There are too many people to name you all individually in this newsletter, but please know that all your time and hard work truly is appreciated, especially by the children. Despite traffic issues for a second year the fayre was well attended and we made slightly more than last year, even with the inflatables being unable to attend as they were stuck on the M6! We are delighted to share with you that this year the total collections been over £2,300. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Desai and his wife Mrs Desai for all their help and support over the many years their children have been at Highfield. Mr Desai will stand down as treasurer of the PTFA this year and he has done a phenomenal job. Mrs Desai has also been a previous chair of the PTFA and we are very sad to lose them as their youngest daughter moves on to Year 7. We would like to welcome new parents to join us for next year’s events. Dates of meetings for the Autumn Term will be given in advance in the school calendar which will be distributed at the end of term, so please pop these in your diary.
Established in 2015, the PSM Awards aim to encourage a life-long love of reading and writing in young people, with competitions for children aged 7-18. Out of 506 entries, coming from Madrid to Newcastle and everywhere in between, we are immensely proud to tell you that a member of our Highfield community won. Well done, Aidan! With his submission of ‘The Chronicles of a Leaf’, he blew the judges away as he followed a leaf on its magical journey through the seasons.
On Tuesday 18th June, we played in the Betty Huggon Memorial Netball Tournament. We played against Cottam, Queens Drive, Sherwood, St. Claire’s, St Peter’s and St Laurance’s. In the group stages, our team scored 26 goals and conceded only 1! Our team played so well that we made it to the semi-finals round where we beat St Francis and Broughton, leading us to the final. After enjoying our final netball tournament together at Highfield, we brought home the 1st place shield! - Written by the Year 6 Netball Team
It is that wonderful time of year where the kitchen is filled with the sweet aroma of freshly baked croissants and pains au chocolat in the early morning! Year 5 were more than happy to come into school at 7.45am for their highly anticipated French Breakfast. Not only were they going to eat some delicious pastries, but they were also able to make them! They ordered their food in French saying, ‘Je voudrais un croissant et un pain au chocolat s’il vous plaît’ with confidence and perfect pronunciation. The children even had some ‘chocolat chaud’ and enjoyed French conversations at the table about their favourite subjects, hobbies and sports with some help from Mme Morrice and Mme Lockwood. All this, with French decorations and French music playing in the background, made it an unforgettable event!
Highfield Priory has been shortlisted for the Independent Preparatory School of the Year and has been invited to attend the Awards Ceremony in London later in the term. There will be schools present from across the United Kingdom; this is the most prestigious School Awards Ceremony, and we are delighted with our nomination. Congratulations to the whole school community for this amazing achievement.
Our Year 6s enjoyed their performances this week. Thank you to all the staff and parents who helped support this amazing production and to everyone who came along to enjoy the show!Photos from Highfield Priory School and Nursery's post ... See moreSee less
