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Friday 24 September 2021 |
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The school of unlearning ‘The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn’, Alvin Toffler. The American futurist Alvin Toffler was acutely aware of the seismic changes that society was facing when he wrote his bestseller Future Shock in 1970. He saw the fundamental transformation of societal structure and values from the industrial revolution through to the technological age as all-pervasive and constantly accelerating. His prescience was striking, as so much the world of the ’70s is unrecognisable from the one we live in today, in areas such as employment, technology, personal identity, and the media. Education has changed enormously in that time too, of course, although the structure of the school year and the way we run them in classes and year groups has, in fact, not really altered much since the industrial revolution. However, one recent shock that even Toffler could not have foreseen has, arguably, had a bigger impact on pedagogy and schools than decades of political machinations and assessment changes. The Covid pandemic forced educators to think about teaching and learning in a completely new way. Distance education was an immediate priority for families and teachers, who, along with most other people, became experts in video conferencing overnight. The new learning that went into this process happened on a scale never before seen in our educational establishment. Managing the education of 20+ young people in a classroom is no easy task, but replacing that with the complexities of delivering stimulating lessons, monitoring progress, and providing meaningful feedback for improvement in an online setting – this called for skills that had barely been tested in most schools. Mr Rickman |
The week ahead |
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Monday 27 September Tuesday 28 September Wednesday 29 September |
Thursday 30 September Friday 1 October Saturday 2 October |
Maisie sings at Claridge's in aid of Young Lives Versus Cancer |
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On Friday 10 September, Year 9 student Maisie had the honour of performing at Claridge’s in aid of Young Lives Versus Cancer. Maisie led the ensemble in a beautiful rendition of ‘This Is Me’ from The Greatest Showman, and wowed the audience with a breathtaking performance. The Gala Dinner was an extraordinary success, and raised over £400,000 for Young Lives Versus Cancer! Both Maisie and her sister Cecily had a wonderful evening and really enjoyed their part in raising money for such a great cause. Well done Maisie, we are so proud of you! Mrs Wilmot |
European Day of Languages 2021 |
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The European Day of Languages is an annual celebration of all languages spoken throughout the continent. Coming out of the worst of the pandemic, we felt we needed to celebrate this event in a big way, especially as this is the 20th anniversary of this linguistic showcase! As Languages hold a significant role here at Northampton High, the European Day of Languages is always a key landmark in our school year and we are always keen to involve our whole community. |
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Assemblies took place in the Junior School all the way to the Sixth Form, helping to raise the important profile of culture, language learning, and speaking. We offered a variety of activities throughout this week, in advance of the big day which is this Sunday, 26 September. There was a buzz of excitement in the Languages corridor and beyond as students of all ages participated in scavenger hunts, karaoke sessions, and quizzes led by our Language Leaders, as well as watching the movie Le Petit Nicolas in French and competing in the European Day of Languages t-shirt design competition. Festivities will not stop here though, and there will be a range of further opportunities and activities as the year progresses. To view more photo’s from the week’s events, please click here Miss Orvoen |
Students enjoy the 'One Day Film School' |
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On Wednesday this week, we were delighted to welcome the team from One Day Film School to Northampton High, to deliver a workshop for our students. In this exciting, interactive experience, students spent the day learning all about the intricacies of the world of film, including how to shoot effectively, how to edit, how to add soundtracks, and more. After learning the basics, pupils were tasked with making short, two-minute silent films with a soundtrack, all centered around their narrative choice. Working as a writer, director, producer, camera, or actor, students raced to complete their mini-masterpieces by the 3pm deadline, after which their productions were shared with the group. We thank Ed Boase and his team for a wonderful day of creativity; our pupils took so much from this invaluable experience. We now look forward to an ‘Oscars Evening’ in November, where the finished videos will be showcased. Mr Nash |
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Research into attitudes to learning and the launch of Learning Leaders |
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You may remember that in the last academic year we conducted some research here in school into student attitudes to their learning following two periods of Guided Home Learning. One way in which we collected data was via focus groups. This proved to be a very effective forum for gathering the thoughts and experiences of our students following the most challenging of times in their learning journey. The students were grateful for the opportunity to discuss their own experiences in relation to their learning and progress, and their wellbeing. Moving forward, we would like to continue to offer such opportunities by creating a group of Learning Leaders from across Years 6 to 10 and Year 12. These students will represent their learning community and will also be expected to conduct their own research into effective learning and report on their findings. The forum will be led by a number of staff members and our Deputy Head Girl for Student Services. We will be inviting students in these year groups to apply for this role; please discuss this opportunity at home and encourage your daughter to look out for further information. Mrs Hill (School & Trust Consultant Teacher for Educational Research) |
Creative Arts Spotlight |
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This week, the Creative Arts Spotlight shines on to Verity and Francesca, who have made a fantastic transition from Junior School to Year 7 in Music. Both girls have tackled all the work with boundless enthusiasm and have relished the challenges of music-making, learning to read musical notation and applying this new knowledge to performing simple pieces, and working as part of a small group presenting confident performances of these. Here they can be seen working on a Call and Response performance requiring accuracy in rhythm, pitch, and ensemble skills. They have also been helpful and supportive to our new students, leading the singing of familiar songs and helping with Music department routines. Mrs Smith |
Introducing the Creative Arts Support Staff |
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We are very excited about our new ‘Gallery Wall’ for the Food Department in Senior School. Mrs Masterson, seen in the photograph, is our Creative Arts Food Technician. She has been working hard with Miss Knight to finalise the layout of each image, before they are arranged together as a celebration gallery of students’ work. Our young chefs certainly know how to present their desserts and savoury dishes. Mrs Masterson is a valued member of our support team, busy working away in the Food Room, creating displays, assisting during practical lessons, ordering ingredients, and organising resources. We are very thankful to have such great support. Mrs Karen Bull will feature in next week’s High News. Watch this space! Mrs Beacroft |
Book of the Week |
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Once Upon a Crime by Robin Stevens Featuring six marvellous mini-mysteries, including four original, brand-new and never-seen-before stories: The Case of the Uninvited Guest: Uncle Felix and Aunt Lucy’s wedding is the target for an unlikely threat The Hound of Weston School: the Junior Pinkertons investigate a mysterious arrival |
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The Case of the Deadly Flat: introducing Hazel’s little sister May, who’s determined to be the greatest spy ever The Case of the Missing Treasure: the detectives crack fiendish codes to catch a daring thief who is targeting London’s famous museums The Case of the Drowned Pearl: murder follows the Detective Society wherever they go, even on holiday… The perfect book for all Detective Society fans and avid readers of the Murder Most Unladylike series. Miss Buxton |
GDST's 'Raise Her Up' Podcast - Episode 2 out now! |
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Episode 2 of the GDST ‘Raise Her Up’ podcast is now live! This edition is titled ‘Equal Parenting’ and we are joined by Dr Charlotte Faircloth, who offers practical & realistic tips for how to model equal parenting in the home. You will find ‘Raise Her Up’ at your normal Podcast source, or by clicking here. Mr Nash |
Dyslexia Awareness Information |
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To help to commemorate Dyslexia Awareness Week, Pam Tomalin, Chair of Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire Dyslexia Association, will be delivering a whole school assembly at Northampton High on Friday 8 October. After the assembly at 9am, Pam will be hosting a coffee morning exclusively for the parents of pupils at our school. Parents will have the opportunity to meet with Pam and hear about how the charity supports dyslexics and their families. An invitation and booking form will follow by School Post. In addition, a FREE parent Webinar – Assistive Technology & Self Esteem for dyslexic children – is being hosted on Wednesday 29 September. Please click here for more information. NBDA – Dyslexia Support in Northamptonshire & Buckinghamshire Mrs Beezley |
Whole School Open Morning - Saturday 2 October 2021 |
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Sincere thanks to all families who have offered the support of their daughters for our Open Morning on Saturday 2 October, from 10am to 1pm. The day promises to be a superb showcase of life at Northampton High, our students, and our staff. 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! |
Macmillan Coffee Mornings |
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We were delighted to hold our Macmillan Coffee Mornings in both the Junior and the Senior School today, and it was great to see so many smiling faces on hand to enjoy the delicious baked goods as we raised money for a fantastic cause. We look forward to brining you more information next week on our fundraising totals! Mr Nash |
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Term Dates 21/22 |
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Term Dates 22/23 |
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Northampton High School |
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