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Friday 17 March 2023 |
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Artificial Intelligence and education – can we wave goodbye to teachers? Warning! The following blog was written by Artificial Intelligence* *Actually, only part of this article has been created using ChatGPT, an app developed by OpenAI, designed to respond to text-based queries and generate natural language responses. I started the blog by asking ChatGPT how Artificial Intelligence (AI) might impact positively on education and help teachers to work on a more developmental level with students. Can you work out which paragraphs have been left as originally produced by the bot? There are 3 of them and I’ll reveal all at the end! Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionise the way we learn and teach, bringing about significant positive impacts on education. However, as AI becomes increasingly integrated into the classroom, it may also pose dilemmas for teachers trying to differentiate between real student work and that produced by machine learning. One of the most significant ways AI can benefit education is through personalised learning. With AI, teachers can gather and analyse data on each student’s learning style, strengths, and weaknesses, allowing them to tailor their teaching to meet individual needs. Moreover, AI can also help teachers save time on repetitive tasks such as grading assignments, leaving them with more time to focus on teaching and interacting with students. This is not a new concept and the use of AI assistants is already widespread to help with answering simple, repetitive questions or by marking multiple choice assessments etc., all of which ‘allows teachers to dedicate their saved time to higher-value work’ (Goel & Polepeddi, 2016). However, additionally, AI can help teachers to identify struggling students by analysing data over time, finding patterns and areas of weakness. This information can then be used to help teachers to meet each student’s unique needs, improving overall performance. Currently in most schools, this work is still relatively time intensive for teachers and administrators, and requires grades and other data to be input manually once papers have been marked (also manually). So, in theory, by moving to AI, increased efficiency can lead to a more productive and fulfilling teaching experience. Beyond the purely mechanical processes of grading and storing data, it can also help teachers to create more effective and efficient learning materials that are tailored to each student’s learning style and pace. One such tool is Education Copilot which enables teachers to ‘generate lesson plans & other educational materials in seconds’. As with other industries, then, AI can take some of the grind out of the day-to-day nature of teachers’ work and give them back time and energy to be spent on the individual learning needs of the students. Furthermore, it also has the potential to help students to stay motivated to continue learning by delivering more immediate feedback that allows them to identify areas of improvement in the moment. However, as AI becomes more prevalent in education, it may also pose dilemmas for teachers. One of the most significant concerns is how to differentiate between real student work and that produced by machine learning. AI-powered tools can generate high-quality essays, reports, and other assignments, making it difficult for teachers to distinguish between authentic student work and that produced by machines. To read the full entry, please click here. Mr Rickman |
The Week Ahead |
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Monday 20 March Tuesday 21 March |
Thursday 23 March To view a list of the spring term clubs and activities, please click here. |
Celebrating neurodiversity at Northampton High |
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Here at Northampton High, we are proud of the diversity of the school and we welcome every chance to celebrate the wonderfully varied qualities of our school community. This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week. Students and staff have learnt more about neurodiversity through a brilliant assembly expertly led by Mrs Beezley, our Learning Enhancement Coordinator, and some of our students. They have highlighted various high-profile people, from all sorts of industries, and their experiences of being neurodivergent, as well as listing positive traits associated with autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, and dyslexia. They also emphasised how the neurodiversity movement represents a shift in attitudes and understanding of neurodivergent conditions or differences, seeing them as intrinsic to the individual, and not something to be cured or suppressed. As such, neurodiversity is based on the concept that neurological variances should be recognised and respected just like any other human variation, such as gender, race or sexual orientation. Of course, it’s important to celebrate neurodiversity all year round, not just in one week. Northampton High is committed to learning more about neurodiversity and cherishing the neurodivergent students among us for all the wonderful attributes and talents with which they enrich us. We valued the opportunity to hear from Lilia, Rose, Lydia and Keira about their experiences with neurodivergent needs, and the care and support they have received from their teachers so as to ensure they thrive and reach their full potential. It was overwhelmingly touching to hear their personal journeys and the positive aspects of being neurodivergent, and we truly appreciate the advice and expertise they shared. Their message was heartfelt and one of inclusion and appreciation of others here at Northampton High. The beauty of the brain is that everyone’s works differently, and we all have different strengths, needs and abilities. Neurodiversity is about recognising that we don’t all learn the same way and we all have our own unique way of thinking and experiencing the world. Did you know, for example, that people with ADHD can be some of the most creative members on a team, bringing energy and new approaches to their projects, and that several studies have shown that adults with ADHD tend to be out-of-the-box thinkers and calm under pressure? As we celebrate Neurodiversity Week, it also highlights the importance of the role we have in enhancing each other’s sense of belonging. Each of us are unique and interpret the world in different ways. How we act, what we say, and what we do each day can affect the sense of belonging those around us have at Northampton High. So I would like to encourage our pupils to ask themselves: Do you gladly create connections and form partnerships with people who are not in your immediate friendship group in sport, drama and science? Do you welcome others to join you at lunch and notice the person who seems to have ended up on their own and choose to join them, or not? Are you open to understanding those around you and do you understand, and act upon, your responsibility to ensure that everyone at Northampton High feels at home? It will always be something we can work on, but I believe every individual within our community can contribute to making it a reality. Kindness is a core school value – the bedrock of Northampton High. Neurodiversity Celebration Week is one way of reminding students to be kind, and to accept and value people for who they are. Dr Lee |
Northampton High School welcomes new Head Girl Team |
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I am delighted to introduce the new Sixth Form Student Leadership Team (SSLT), as we say thank you to Chelsea and the outgoing SSLT. They will now be preparing to step down from their leadership positions and to focus time on their studies and planning for the next chapter in their lives. We thank them for all that they have done for Northampton High and are extremely grateful for their loyalty to the school as well as their sheer dedication, resilience and unwavering spirit and energy. We thank Chelsea (Head Girl), Abhi (Deputy Head Girl for Partnerships), Saesha (Deputy Head Girl for Student Services) and Grace (Deputy Head Girl for Marketing) for their inspiration, leadership and commitment to their roles and for being exceptional role models. We congratulate them for all that they have achieved during their tenure, carrying out their duties with great enthusiasm and humour. We wish them and all of our Year 13 students, every success in their examinations and happiness for all that their future holds. We were extremely fortunate to have a strong field of candidates from Year 12 who expressed interest in joining the next SSLT, to undertake responsibilities and act as a strong ambassador for the school. As such, we have also introduced two brand new roles and they are Sustainability and Undivided. Therefore, we have identified six collaborative, energetic and innovative students, extremely worthy of their new positions on the new Sixth Form Student Leadership Team. We believe they will represent the very best of Northampton High School. It gives me great pleasure to announce the following students into SSLT roles for 2023-2024: Head Girl – Amy H Congratulations girls; we look forward to seeing you thrive in your new leadership positions, and we know you will do a fantastic job and build on the excellent work of your predecessors. Dr Lee |
Science Week: Connections in Science |
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At Northampton High we have been celebrating British Science Week, which has been centred around the theme of ‘Connections’. Kicking off a week of fun and learning, Mrs Hodgetts-Tate led a fabulous whole school assembly where students learned about the impact of music on our brain and tried to guess which member of staff connected with the different songs being played! We were delighted to hold a series of bespoke lectures that our brilliant science teachers hosted during lunchtimes! From learning about ‘Brain Structure and Brain Dissection’ with Mrs Carr, to investigating ‘What is inside a horse?’ with Mrs Hodgetts-Tate, our pupils learned about a whole range of topics and various connections in science. Our interactive science exhibition took over The White Room this week and featured lots of exciting objects! From skulls and shells to spiders and frogs, visiting this space certainly made for an interesting lunchtime! In a week filled with enriching activities, we were honoured to be joined by two amazing guest speakers, Dr Emily Grossman and TV presenter Grace Webb. Both of our guests held fascinating sessions and were wonderful inspirations to our pupils! As women in STEM, it was great to hear about their role in the field and to consider different futures in science. We hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful Science Week celebrations here at Northampton High! Mrs Hodgetts-Tate |
Northampton High celebrates Neurodiversity Week |
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Neurodiversity Week is a special opportunity to celebrate the strengths and talents of people with learning differences. It is also one way of reminding everyone to be kind, tolerant and accepting of others. We were delighted to hold a variety of activities to raise awareness for neurodiversity and to celebrate the strengths of students in our school. This week, we welcomed Lesley Lock and Annie Burnett to Northampton High School for informative coffee mornings, exclusively for Northampton High parents. Led by our two guest specialists, these events aimed to provide families with support and information surrounding neurodiversity charities. We are very proud of how our pupils have committed themselves to this celebration and the huge efforts they have made to highlight this special week. A massive well done to some of our Senior School pupils for leading the Junior assembly on Tuesday and for speaking eloquently about their experiences as neurodiverse people. We are delighted to have raised money to support Autism East Midlands and the British Dyslexia Association through our fundraising efforts. A huge thank you to our Femsock group for hosting a wonderfully well-attended bake sale, raising £185 for our chosen charities. We would also like to thank each of our Senior School pupils for joining us in a mufti day and donating to these wonderful causes! We are proud to have made this week such a fabulous celebration of people with learning differences! Mrs Beezley |
Year 8 Trip to Normandy |
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This week, our Year 8 students have enjoyed a fabulous week of learning outside of the classroom! The group arrived in Normandy at the beginning of the week, ready for an action-packed, educational adventure that they will remember for many years to come! A full report detailing the activities that staff and students got up to during their time in Normandy will be coming soon. Head to our Twitter in the meantime to check out pictures from the trip! Miss Price |
GDST Languages Festival |
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Last week, we were delighted to attend the GDST Languages Day after a four year Covid-induced hiatus! The theme this year was ‘Languages Create Adventures’ where students were encouraged to enjoy the extraordinary sense of adventure that being able to understand & communicate in other languages can give. While we had hoped to attend the event in person, the weather conditions made it difficult to travel to Notting Hill and Ealing School and we therefore decided to join virtually. After weeks of preparation, our eighteen students were of course disappointed not to attend in person but still managed to take part in various events and competitions during the day.
Our students relished the opportunity to hear from a wonderful keynote speaker, Paula Beegan, who truly embodies the sense of adventure and who shared her love of languages and how they opened the door to so many adventures – from studying at Cambridge, UNESCO, international film festivals, to Human Rights Watch & more. Year 7 and Year 8 then competed in French, German, Latin and Spanish Spelling Bees and made us proud with their dedication and resilience which culminated in excellent performances. A huge well done to Maysha C for winning the Year 8 Latin Spelling Bee! The pupils went on to work collaboratively to solve clues in French, German & Spanish to find the murderer in their Murder Mystery Challenge. Year 9 prepared and performed amazingly creative 3 minute plays on the theme of ‘Unexpected Encounter’ in French, German and Spanish in front of an audience. Year 10 collaborated to create a wonderful mini-movie re-imagining an extract of ‘The Fox and The Crow’ in Latin. Following the prize-giving, we spent time reflecting on the day and sharing the theme of adventure and language learning. Each participant enjoyed the day and felt inspired by the whole experience. Mrs Black |
Creative Arts Spotlight |
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The Creative Arts Spotlight this week has found three Year 9 Art students who have recently finished their beautiful landscape paintings in acrylic. Inaaya, Fiona and Dharmini included expressive brushwork and excellent mixing and application of paint in their work, I am sure you will agree. When I see art like this, it makes me excited about what we are going to hang for our Spring Collective Exhibition on 26th April 7pm-9pm. I hope you will join us as a community to celebrate our artists and support us in our fundraising for The Hope Centre. Mrs Beacroft |
GDST Netball Weekend: Condover Hall |
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On Friday 3 March, we went to Condover Hall in Shrewsbury for a Netball Weekend with other GDST schools. We can all agree that this was an amazing experience! When we arrived, we were allocated rooms and got ready for different activities, including high ropes, leap of faith and lots of other fun things. On Saturday afternoon it was time for some netball. We played 6 matches, winning against the school we lost to a few days before, and with the help of Miss wall, improved our team talks. For the 3rd match, Miss Wall made a risky decision to switch Lyra, our tallest player, to GA, which worked nicely. A big well done to Isla, Ellie and Mya for some good shots in their positions of GA and GS. On Sunday morning it was an early start as we had a lot of netball to play. Although we didn’t win any matches, we showed Miss Wall how much we had improved over the weekend. Well done to everyone who played over the weekend. We all improved a great deal, and Condover is a trip that we will never forget. Bella |
Match Reports: Netball |
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Netball County Cup: Yesterday our U15A attended the Oundle County Cup tournament! We played many schools such as Oundle, Wellingborough, Quinton, Malcom Arnold and Wollaston. Kicking off the day we played Oundle, but unfortunately we were unsuccessful in winning. Kirsten was awarded player of the match for some amazing interceptions and good work bringing the ball down court. Next, we played Wellingborough but were unlucky to lose 6-4. The game was very close, but with only 14 minute games, it was quite hard to claim a strong lead. Jasmine was given player of the match for great marking and always sticking to her player. We went on to play Quinton and lost 9-6. The player of the match was myself. We won both of our last couple of games, one of which was against Wollaston and we won 10-4; the team played very well and high standards were maintained throughout. Player of the Match was again given to myself. For our final game against Malcolm Arnold the result was 4-3. Jasmine was awarded yet another player of the match with many interceptions and brilliant defending. The team showed great determination and as a result came out at 4th place. I’m so proud of everyone who played! Keep up the good work! Gemma S Wellingborough: Today the U15A team played Wellingborough school, but sadly came out with a very close loss. In the first three quarters, Wellingborough had taken quite a significant lead but in the final quarter we won 7-2. Unfortunately this wasn’t quite enough to beat them. Collectively, the team achieved many intercepts and successfully fed the ball into the D finding good shooting positions, which was something we had worked on in our games lesson prior to the match. Today’s player of the match was awarded to myself. Well done girls, I can’t wait for our future fixtures! Gemma S |
Match Reports: Tennis |
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U18 Tennis Tournament: Today our tennis team consisting of myself, Lilli T, Eliza A and Janice H, travelled to Shrewsbury to play in the regional finals, following our win in the previous round. We started strongly, winning all 4 singles matches and both doubles matches against Lincoln Minster High School. Then we played Ellesmere College for the 1st and 2nd place playoff. Unfortunately we were up against some really strong players, and we lost 4 out of the 6 matches. But shoutout to Janice and Eliza for winning their doubles match and Eliza for her singles win. Overall, a big well done to everyone for their amazing tennis and for placing 2nd overall! Ella N |
National Theatre Connections play |
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After a day of rehearsals on Tuesday, our drama students took to the stage in the evening to perform ‘Tuesday’ by Alison Carr. The entire cast worked very hard to refine their National Theatre Connections play and demonstrated true professionalism in their work. The evening was a wonderful success and the audience were delighted by the performance! Showcasing fantastic use of light, space and talent, the group made themselves and each other very proud. Mrs Marriott |
The Spring Collective 2023 |
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We are very much looking forward to hosting the Spring Collective again this year in The White Room. The entries that have already arrived in the Art Department look sensational! The exhibition is very much about allowing the students to learn how it feels to be a practising, professional artist. Creating the work is just one part of the process as students need to select a mount, frame and then of course discuss pricing with Mr Laubscher and I. We are honoured to be raising money for our selected Art charity, The Hope Centre, Northampton. If you have been invited to take part, please hand in your work by Friday 24 March. The larger the exhibition, the more this will help us to increase our donation to charity, and our students will experience the buzz of selling their work. We look forward to receiving more entries to this special event. Mrs Beacroft |
Book Review: A Woman's World, 1850–1960 by Marina Amaral and Dan Jones |
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Show Us Who You Are When Cora’s brother drags her along to his boss’s house, she doesn’t expect to strike up a friendship with Adrien, son of the intimidating CEO of Pomegranate Technologies. As she becomes part of Adrien’s life, she is also drawn into the mysterious projects at Pomegranate. At first, she’s intrigued by them – Pomegranate is using AI to recreate real people in hologram form. As she digs deeper, however, she uncovers darker secrets… Cora knows she must unravel their plans, but can she fight to make her voice heard, whilst never losing sight of herself? |
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A Kind of Spark A Kind of Spark tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there’s more to the story of these ‘witches’, just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard? Miss Buxton |
Save The Date: Speech Day 2023 |
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'The Aspect' - A podcast by Shef Nandhra |
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We are proud to announce an exciting initiative from one of our recent alumnae, Shef Nandhra, and announce her brand new podcast. Available on multiple platforms, the podcast explores sustainability across different industries, and the youth’s involvement in these ventures. Individual episodes will feature guests and experts from a broad range of industries who will share how their work contributes to sustainable futures and harnesses the power of the youth. |
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Episodes are now available and can be downloaded below. Please do listen and subscribe! Links to the most recent episode: Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, Google Podcasts. Mrs Wilmot |
Save the Date: Spring Arts Exhibition 2023 |
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Personal Cricket Coaching in Northampton |
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Turning 'can we?' into 'we can!' - Open Morning, Friday 28 April |
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We look forward to welcoming so many lovely families to our upcoming Open Morning on Friday 28 April. The event promises to be a superb showcase of life at Northampton High School. If you would like to come along, please do feel most welcome, and should you have family, friends, or neighbours keen to visit us, please encourage them to book their place here and join us! Mr Nash |
Rugby & Northampton Athletics Club: 5 week course |
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Dance Festival - Wedensday 29 March 2023 |
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We warmly invite you to save the date for our annual Dance Festival, which will take place on Wednesday 29 March. This year our show will take you ‘Through the Decades’ and include performances from students across the school from Reception to Sixth Form. Pupils have also been invited to attend auditions should they wish to perform a solo, duet or group dance with their peers. Our PE Staff will be working with Junior School classes, as part of the curriculum, to create and rehearse an exciting display of class dances. |
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We are also incorporating our House System into the Festival, to showcase a House Dance and involve pupils from Year 5 upwards to collaborate and work together. We have some superb Dance Leaders choreographing the House Dances and I am positive the evening will be an inspiring performance of talent and expertise in the Arts. Mrs Blake |
The Knight Frank Schools Triathlon Series |
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We are delighted to have been invited to take part in the The Knight Frank Schools Triathlon series, hosted by Oundle School and organised by Restless Development, on Sunday 14 May. 7 events ran last May, with over 6,000 children taking part from 120 prep schools such as Cheam, Cothill House, Dulwich Prep, Farleigh, Feltonfleet, Port Regis, St Hughs, The Dragon and Thomas’ Battersea. The children raised an incredible £1.2 million for both the organising charity and each prep school’s chosen charity. The events are for Senior and Junior School pupils in Years 3 to 8 and there has been a fantastic response from schools to date, with both the pupils and parents really enjoying the day. It is first and foremost a fun event, with a team element rather than the normal individual triathlon format. The children form teams of 4, come up with suitably amusing team names, with all 4 teammates performing all 3 disciplines as a relay. This has really appealed, not just to the keen sporting pupils, but also to those who want to give a triathlon a go with their friends in a safe and fun environment. Maya, from Restless Development delivered an assembly for our pupils in Years 3 to 8 on Tuesday 7 February to inform pupils about this fun opportunity. This is a parent-led event, with parents registering the children directly and taking them on the day. Any questions from parents can be sent directly to schoolstriathlon@restlessdevelopment.org. We hope that many of our students will choose to be involved in this fun, physical, charity event. Miss Hair |
Save the Date: Parents Afternoon Tea - Friday 7 July |
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We invite you to save the date for this summer’s Parent Afternoon Tea event, which will be taking place on Friday 7 July, from 2 – 3.30pm. The cost for this event will be £15pp, and bookings can be made via ParentPay, with a deadline of Wednesday 31 May. More information will follow over the coming weeks and months, but we do hope you will be able to join us for what promises to be a lovely afternoon. Miss Hair |
Community Nursery Sessions |
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Reach Lectures: Spring 2023 |
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Home Start Northampton: Volunteers needed! |
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Term Dates |
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Northampton High School |
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