Congratulations to all the children who contributed to the Geography Exhibition. Your exhibits were amazing, and the amount of thought and time spent on each exhibit was very clear to see. I really enjoyed hearing about what inspired you, the research you did and how many of you really enjoyed the time spent with your parents on the project. The exhibition has certainly inspired a real passion for Geography and was a celebration of all your hard work and enthusiasm for the event. If you didn’t get the opportunity to see the exhibition, please take a look at our Facebook page where you will be able to see some of the exhibits. A big thank you to Mrs Davidson for organising this event.
On Wednesday evening, Landmark was the place to be in Preston with Highfield Priory School’s performance of The Jungle Book. Children from the age of 4 to 11 took to the stage in front of a large audience to tell the story of The Jungle Book through dance and drama. With bright lights shining, loud music and an unfamiliar setting, I was amazed at just how fearless the children were. They shone in the spotlight and thoroughly enjoyed their moment on stage. Miss Burns’ dancers brought the story to life and confidently showed off the dance skills they have learned this year in their dance lessons. Our Year 4 actors commanded the stage with poise and confidence, delivering their lines superbly. They even sang In the Jungle in French! They have thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, from the rehearsals in school, the bus journeys to and from the theatre and the final production. It will be an experience and memory that will stay with them for life. Congratulations to everyone who took part and thank you to our directors, Miss Burns and Mrs Jones, to Mr Drake on the sound and lights, to Mrs Morrice on costumes, to the Landmark staff and to all the staff at school who helped on the night and made it possible. What a team!
Highfield Priory School celebrated Chinese New Year last week. On Tuesday, we invited the Confucius Institute from Lancaster University to visit every class in the school throughout the day. I joined Year 5 for their visit. The lesson started with the children learning how to greet each other in Chinese. They discussed Chinese New Year and how it is celebrated. They also learned how to say Happy New Year and had fun sharing this greeting. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit and the children loved discovering the characteristics of someone born in the Year of the Rabbit and in the year of their birth. They enjoyed learning about all the different animals and their characteristics. They particularly liked finding out that I was a Rat! All the children had a wonderful Chinese lunch, prepared and served by our kitchen staff. A big thank you to everyone who made the day possible, especially the staff from Lancaster University. Please enjoy the pictures on our Facebook pages.
Happy New Year! The children returned last week re-energised and excited about the term ahead. Our full programme of activities has started, ranging from Little Aces to Mad Science! We also have a number of popular new activities this year, including Chatterbooks and Quiz Club. There are a number of exciting events to look forward to this term, starting next week with a celebration of Chinese New Year. We will be holding a themed lunch and we have invited visitors from Lancaster University to talk about Chinese New Year to the children. We have also booked the Landmark Theatre again for our Year 4 performance of The Jungle Book, supported by Miss Burns’ dancers. These events are just two of the many exciting events in our term ahead.
Last week, the Boogie-Woogie Nativity came to Highfield. The programme stated that this Nativity was a toe-tapping, hand-clapping Nativity musical and it really was! The performers and their audience all had lots of fun, watching and taking part in the dances and songs. Our Year 2 performers acted incredibly well, managing to project their voices across the Sports Hall. The singing, from Year 1 and Reception, was beautifully complemented by some very impressive choreography from Miss Burns’ dancers. I really enjoyed seeing our Infant and Reception classes coming together for this fantastic, and very memorable, Nativity performance. A big thank you to Ms Eccles, Mrs Street and all the staff involved in the production.
It was fantastic to see the whole School and Nursery community coming together for the Winter Fayre last Friday. The classes had worked hard throughout the week and on the day to provide a range of items to sell. The chocolate raffle, lucky dip and waffle stand were particularly popular. Thank you to all the parents, children and staff who donated prizes, made items to sell or offered their help. It was a wonderful way to finish the week.
Welcome to our first Musical Assembly of the year. We have many musicians performing for you today, and we would like to welcome back our woodwind teacher, Mrs Adewale and our guitar teacher Mr Taylor. Today, some children will be performing for the very first time and we would like to congratulate them for really challenging themselves. There are probably more musicians playing today than ever before and we are delighted that the enthusiasm for learning an instrument at Highfield, continues to grow. Good luck to all our musicians. We will begin with the very first performance of our new Junior Choir. We have been learning several songs this term, but we have voted for our favourite: ‘Grumpy Teacher’. We would just like to reassure the teachers here today, that we are definitely not singing about anyone at Highfield!
There was also a surprise performance by Tejas who played ‘Happy Birthday’ for his brother, Sanketh!
On Saturday, four teenagers broke onto the school site and set fire to our Nursery School. The news has shocked the whole school community and left us reeling as we come to terms with such senseless waste and destruction. However, in true Highfield spirit, the school and wider community have sprung into action to make the best of this terrible situation. As I write this, teachers are moving out of their classrooms and creating new spaces within school to accommodate our Nursery within the main building; site staff are working tirelessly to make it possible; and pupils and parents (past and present) have brought in toys and books and offered their comfort and support throughout the week. The reaction from our school community and the people of Preston has been quite incredible. One particular moment, I think, will stay with me forever: at the end of the school day, a former pupil walked up to me clutching his savings, and, with a quiet determination, thrust them into my hands telling me that he wanted me to have it for the Nursery. It was a gesture that was characteristic of the kindness of this boy, who has only just moved onto his secondary school, and I was really touched that he had returned to us in our moment of crisis with a genuine desire to help.
Thank you 4J and Mrs Jones for a fantastic Harvest Assembly last Friday. We learnt so much from you about how the Harvest festival originated, how it is celebrated around the world and how the food comes all the way from the farmers’ fields to our homes. You spoke with eloquence and confidence, setting a wonderful example to the rest of the school. Thank you also to our Infant and Reception classes for your beautiful singing of one of our Harvest Festival favourites: ‘Big Red Combine Harvester.’
Thank you to everyone for your kind food donations which were sent to SafeNet Preston and Bethany House. We also raised over £400 for Water Aid.
It has been a busy couple of weeks at Highfield with our extra-curricular programme fully underway. The children have been taking part in a wide range of sporting activities, early morning Bootcamp, Art and Design and Spanish Club to name but a few. We have also held auditions for the School Choir and our first sports matches of the year. I have really enjoyed running Chess Club with over twenty competitive players turning up. The camaraderie and friendly competition were great to watch as players moved up and down our chess ladder as they won and lost games. I am looking forward to building a strong team this year with the hope of holding matches against other schools and attending County Congress and competitions. It has been a real pleasure seeing the children working hard and making the most of all the opportunities available to them. We look forward to posting pictures on our social media pages over the coming weeks
We had a wonderful start to the new academic year on Monday with all the children returning to school looking exceptionally smart and chattering with excitement about the year ahead. I joined a number of classes to see what they were getting up to in their first week of term. On Tuesday, I visited Year One as they were drawing pictures about what makes them happy. The children then described their pictures to the rest of the class. They spoke confidently and with big smiles as they described everything that makes them happy. I was really touched by Freya’s picture in which she was playing with other children in the playground and making them feel happy. I hope this thoughtful and heart-warming answer from such a young member of the Infants inspires the whole school to consider how it feels to make other people happy.
And so Year 6, as you approach the gates of your new school, think of Highfield. Think of the special friendships you have made here and look to find those qualities in others. Think of the work ethic you have developed here at Highfield and look to take that forward into your academic endeavours in Year 7. Think of the friendly faces of your teachers here at Highfield and look to see their smiles and reassurance in the faces of your new teachers. Think of the many opportunities your parents and teachers have provided for you here at Highfield and seek out new opportunities in your next school. When you stand at the gates of your new school Year 6, don’t hesitate, think of Highfield and walk through them with pride and confidence. Happiness and fulfilment await.
We had a very special morning today as the school community came together to celebrate Year 6 and their time with us at Highfield. We enjoyed re-living so many amazing memories, from the cuddly bunny they used to take it in turns to take home in Reception, to their performance of Victorian Villainy in Year 3, to Bikeability just a few days ago in Year 6. It was also great fun looking at their pictures from throughout their years and their leavers’ dance video! They just have one more week left and I know they will make the most of their last few days at Highfield. They have made life-long friends and we will look forward to welcoming them back and hearing all their news. Please stay in touch! A big thank you to Mrs Prince for organising Year 6’s final assembly.
Years 5 and 6 love going to Manor Adventure! It is one of the highlights of their time at Highfield. Some of the most exciting activities include the high abseiling wall, the epic high ropes, the rocky wall climbing, the amazing zip wire, super rifle shooting, cool canoeing, kayaking and so much more. My favourite part of Manor Adventure was abseiling. I like this activity because there was a way for the less confident people to still attempt and enjoy it as the instructor would lower them down on the abseiling wall, while the more confident people could lower themselves down with the help of the instructor. The best thing about Manor Adventure is that there is something for everyone. My two weekends at Manor Adventure have been such an incredible experience and, if I could, I would do it all again. They are memories I will cherish forever.
Yesterday, the school celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Flags and bunting adorned the school and there was a sea of red, white and blue flowing around the corridors as the children walked between classes. The children took part in a wide range of activities throughout the day: Royal crown making, Jubilee acrostic poems, designing your own royal stamp and Jubilee story writing, to name a few. The school also worked on a whole school collage which was displayed at the end of the day. The school came together at lunchtime for their Jubilee picnic: flying flags, wearing crowns, listening to Jubilee music and watching a video of the Queen’s Coronation as it played in the background.
On Wednesday, Year 5 had their highly anticipated French Breakfast. This year, however, there was a twist - the pupils had to make it! They came in early so that they could make their own croissants and pains au chocolat! They got them rolled and ready for the oven in no time at all! Fifteen minutes later, the sweet smell of freshly baked goods filled the dining room. The pupils lined up ready to order their food in French, saying “Je voudrais un croissant/un pain au chocolat, s’il vous plaît”. They were also offered du chocolat chaud or du jus d’orange, and even de la confiture! I was impressed by their French accents and accurate pronunciation and I was proud of how each pupil tried their best with their French speaking. Some children tried dipping their croissants in the hot chocolate, which was a real novelty! They ended their petit déjeuner by shouting a big merci beaucoup to the kitchen staff and by voting for their favourite French breakfast. The pain au chocolat was a firm favourite!
On Tuesday, Year 4 visited Tatton Park as part of the Anglo Saxon and Viking topic they are studying this term. On our arrival, we were amazed to see a replica Anglo Saxon village. We were greeted by two Anglo Saxon ladies before meeting a very scary Viking warlord! We were divided into three groups with each group taking part in hunting, cooking and defending workshops. In the cooking workshop, we tried threshing and grinding wheat before making Anglo Saxon bread cakes which were cooked over an open fire. While sitting in an Anglo Saxon hut, we learnt all about hunting and the types of things Anglo Saxons would make from the antlers which were shed by deer each year. We also went on a wild boar hunt and someone from each group was brave enough to creep up close to it! Finally, we took part in a defence workshop where we learnt how to make a wall with our shields before moving quickly into the 'tortoise' position. We were marked on how quickly we could do this and how good our teamwork was too. Some of us cowered behind our shields as the Viking warlord prowled up and down! We had a fantastic day out and learnt so much too! We also impressed all the grown-ups with our impeccable manners and our thoughtful answers to all the questions asked.
On Wednesday, our Year 4 Hockey team travelled to our friends at Rossall School for their first ever hockey match. 10 very excited girls arrived at a very large pitch ready to put into practice all they have learned at Hockey Club this term and started well. There was some excellent defending and tackling all across the pitch and everyone remembered to ‘put that ring around the ball,’ something they have worked hard on over the past term. Some great passing and controlled dribbling led to Highfield’s first goal. From then on, Highfield dominated and repeatedly put the Rossall defence under pressure. The final score was 5-1 with goals from Samira, Lily and Wei-Ann, however, this couldn’t have been made possible without the whole team playing so well. Well done girls!
We are looking forward to welcoming many current parents and prospective parents to our Open Day on Sunday from 11am to 3pm. We will be celebrating the children’s achievements, their resilience and their determination to Aim High in everything they do. Please encourage your friends, parents and colleagues to join us on Sunday. Thank you for your support.
We will be holding our first Open Day for two years on Sunday 20th March from 11am. This is an incredibly important event for the school and a real chance to celebrate the amazing achievements of our children over the last two years under extremely difficult circumstances. This last week alone highlights how talented our children are and how brightly they are shining in sport, music, drama and literacy. We want to celebrate this success with as many people as possible. Please share this information with friends, neighbours and colleagues and forward on our Facebook posts. Thank you for your support.
A big congratulations to Highfield alumna Manavi whose team were victorious in the 'Youth Speaks' North of England Final last Sunday!
After previously winning the regional and district competitions, their topic for the final was 'The Impact of AI on the creative industry' with Manavi acting as the main speaker in a team of three girls.
Well done Manavi - a fantastic achievement!A big congratulations to Highfield alumna Manavi whose team were victorious in the 'Youth Speaks' North of England Final last Sunday!
After previously winning the regional and district competitions, their topic for the final was 'The Impact of AI on the creative industry' with Manavi acting as the main speaker in a team of three girls.
Well done Manavi - a fantastic achievement! ... See moreSee less
