It has been another incredibly busy fortnight of online and in-school learning. I continue to be very impressed by the high standard of the children’s work and the enthusiasm demonstrated in each lesson. A big thank you to all the staff and parents for all your hard work and continued support. In the last newsletter, we read about what the children have been getting up to with their class teacher and in HPSED. This week, we find out what the children have been doing with specialist teachers in Music, French, PE, Art and ICT.
The children and staff have impressed and inspired me with their enthusiasm, flexibility and positive approach to each lesson, both online and in school, this week. I would like to say a big thank you to all the parents who are supporting our efforts from home. Here is a snapshot of what the different year groups have been up to since the start of the Spring Term.
Congratulations to all our Junior children who have recorded their performance, ‘A Celebration of Christmas’, this week. I thoroughly enjoyed watching each class take to the stage to sing a Christmas Carol. This was a first for Highfield and it brought a real sense of togetherness as a class and community as a school. The introduction, poems and Haikus that were read between each carol were written by our wonderfully talented Year 6 and read by our Head Boy, Head Girl and our House Captains. A big thank you to Mr Drake for pulling all the class contributions together and creating our Celebration of Christmas. Also, a very big thank you to Miss Macklam for organising the performance and practising the songs with the children, on her keyboard at home, on Microsoft Teams whilst in isolation with Year 5. An amazing effort! We will release the link to the performance via parentmail on Saturday evening at 5pm. Please take the time to enjoy it with your family in the comfort of your own home.
Thank you Year 6 for your Assembly of Thanksgiving which focused on positive thinking and looking to the future. It was lovely to hear some of your aspirations for the future, including personal fitness trainer and business woman. It was also uplifting to hear what you are thankful for and it really did make us think about how lucky we are. We enjoyed hearing about the festivals that are being celebrated at the moment by our families and families around the world: Diwali, Hannukah, Christmas and Thanksgiving. You covered so much in such a short space of time. I was particularly impressed by your very sensitive and mature approach to each topic. Thank you Year 6 and Mrs Prince. The singing of our school song, ‘Shine Out!’ was a lovely way to end the week.
The Sunday Times will be publishing their Top 100 Independent Preparatory Schools on Sunday. We are delighted, once again, to be in the Top 10. This is our third year in the Top 10 and our tenth year in the top thirty. Please see the attached letter of congratulations from The Sunday Times.
Friday 13th November is Children in Need Day. The theme of this year’s Children in Need (for all of us at Highfield) is ‘Smile!’ Wear something which puts a smile on your face or will make someone else smile. Please bring in £1 in an envelope.
We have all become more reliant on our ability to communicate through our computers since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last Friday, we had to ask members of Year 6 to self-isolate but they have continued to study via Kidblog and Teams and, on Wednesday, I enjoyed taking them for a PE and Games lesson with a difference. I have also been holding our weekly Assemblies on Teams.
In Year 6 Games, Year 6 looked at developing a fitness program for a week which could be completed at home. The children had to make sure that it contained suitable warm-ups, was varied and interesting enough to keep them motivated and that it worked all the elements of an individual’s fitness. The children also considered their diet and discussed whether they were making healthy choices on a daily basis. The children had lots of ideas and after just twenty minutes they presented them to me using Teams with many of them sharing their screens and presenting incredibly professional power points. They had really understood the need to cover every aspect of fitness and they described a range of fun activities that I am sure will keep them fit and active next week. I then asked the children to disappear for another 15 minutes and try out their first activity. I was very impressed that not only had they all completed the activity and explained it to me in detail, but many of them were also able to share videos of themselves doing their exercises with the class, with some new canine members of Year 6 joining in too! Congratulations to all of Year 6. I look forward to hearing how you progressed with your fitness plan next week.
The Autumn Term is now well under way and it is lovely to see the children enjoying lessons, achieving high levels of attainment and making good progress in all areas. They are also enjoying their free time in the playground where they have been playing a variety of imaginative games with their friends, especially our Reception children who have created some amazing masterpieces and worlds to play in with their play equipment. One of the highlights of my day has been opening the gates at 8am and watching the children race in with big smiles, excited about the start of a new day. So much energy!
The children have all settled into their new class really well and are enjoying accessing all the different areas. They enjoyed meeting Mr Pirate and are looking forward to his golden coins when they finish their sticker charts. The children are keen to share their experiences and knowledge. Edward told his friends the names of bones in the body which led to Mrs Bennett teaching the children a funny song about bones. We are going to be finding out more about bones and our bodies over the next few weeks. Well done Reception for a great first full week!
Welcome back! It was lovely to see happy and excited children entering the school gates again. The children have been excellent this week and have quickly adapted to the new routines which are in place to keep them safe and healthy. They are enjoying their new classrooms, teachers, timetables and, for some years, new subjects.
‘If’ dedicated to 6P Performed by Bomi and Hashbala
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and hoarding paper for the loo. If you can trust yourself when all is doubtful, Stay at home, save lives and aim high too.
Sports Day Last Wednesday, both our Infant and Junior children enjoyed their annual Sports Day. Things were a little bit different this year but that did not stop the children having just as much fun. Our Infant children were all given a coloured team to represent and the Juniors were representing their Houses. All children, both at home and in school, took part in 6 different challenges with the aim of scoring as many points for their team as possible. It was lovely to see so many children getting involved, decorating their gardens, painting faces and designing dances and warm-ups for their teams and showing the true spirit of Highfield in action. Well done to the winners of the Infant Sports Day: The Purple Team; and our Junior Winners: Bowland House. Congratulations to everyone, at home and school, who took part and made this a wonderful day to remember.
Welcome back to the Summer Term! I hope you have all enjoyed your half-term break. I have enjoyed hearing about your activities and I would like to say a big congratulations to Ariana and Mohamad who raised £466.29 for the NHS by running a lemonade stand during their holiday. I would also like to welcome two new starters, Georgia and Olivia, who have joined 5H this half term. I know you will all make them feel very welcome when you see them. I have been in touch with all your teachers this week to find out what you have been getting up to during your first week back.
Congratulations to all our children for a very impressive half term of working from home and on-line. You have adapted incredibly well and the standard of your work and your technical skills have improved week on week. It was lovely to share examples of this half term’s work with you all in the assembly on Thursday. I have highlighted below the work discussed in the assembly and attached the power point, however, the live feed can be found on you
Year 5 We have had a very busy week in Maths, learning how to read timetables for trains and buses using the 24hr clock. In our English lessons, our focus has been on creative writing. The classes have written a newspaper report on a famous person from the past or the present and Year 5 has also written some really thoughtful and moving acrostic poems, using the theme of the ‘Lockdown’. We are sure that these will serve as historic reminders of these times and be studied by the future children of Highfield!
It has been lovely to see all the children on Microsoft Teams this week. It has brought the classes together and there has been genuine delight at seeing and speaking to classmates and teachers which has been incredibly uplifting. We will continue to use Teams to support our Kidblog lessons and more importantly to keep in touch with all our children. We also trialled our first live assembly this week on Thursday! We had over 90 live streams which meant that nearly every child at home was watching. We will aim to have a live assembly each week. The next one is planned for next Thursday at the same time: 3pm. I hope to see as many of you there as possible.
It was lovely to see Highfield back in action on Monday, both in school and on-line. I have been really impressed with how the children at home and at school have learned and remembered new ICT skills that they are now using with ease. I continue to be amazed by the progress the children are making on a daily basis and by their resilience and ability to work through a problem.
As we come to the end of an unprecedented fortnight in the life of Highfield Priory School, I feel that as a community we are stronger than ever. With staff, children and parents really working together to keep the ethos of Highfield alive wherever you are. The work that has been achieved by the children and the wonderfully supportive comments from our parents have brought us together as a united community which makes me very proud. Even though many of us are apart during this time, I feel we are keeping close and supporting each other through these difficult weeks. Well done, Highfield!
If you are thinking about visiting Highfield Priory School and Nursery, please read the following visitor information. If you are a parent of a pupil at Highfield, please keep checking your Parentmail correspondence for relevant Covid-19 news and updates. Thank you.
On 19th April 2024, Ofcom released their annual Media Use and Attitudes Report, detailing the findings of several surveys and their implications for parents, children and young people in the UK.
These statistics often include plenty of thought-provoking information relating to online safety. Please see the attached infographic with all the key findings from the report. ... See moreSee less
Our Year 3 and 5 pupils are extremely excited to bring you their version of 'A letter to the trenches' next week! 🎠🎼
The Spiderweb Musicals production will premiere next Wednesday 8th May at 18:00 and we hope to see as many parents, families and friends there as possible for what is sure to be a fabulous evening of entertainment. 🙂 🙂Our Year 3 and 5 pupils are extremely excited to bring you their version of 'A letter to the trenches' next week! 🎠🎼
The Spiderweb Musicals production will premiere next Wednesday 8th May at 18:00 and we hope to see as many parents, families and friends there as possible for what is sure to be a fabulous evening of entertainment. 🙂 🙂 ... See moreSee less
