This conversation is a vital part of equipping young people with the skills they need to navigate the world safely, particularly as they grow and become more independent. However, parents often wonder how best to approach this topic and, just as importantly, whether there is an age at which such reminders might no longer be relevant. The primary goal of discussing stranger danger with children is to empower them with the awareness and confidence to protect themselves in unfamiliar situations. Children, especially younger ones, are naturally trusting and curious. While these qualities are positive in many ways, they can also make children vulnerable to manipulation or exploitation by people with bad intentions. Teaching them how to identify potentially dangerous situations and how to respond can be lifesaving. These conversations are not just about instilling fear of unknown individuals; they are about helping children understand the difference between good and bad interactions. It’s important to clarify that not all strangers are bad, but that children need to be cautious and know how to handle situations where they feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
One common question parents ask is whether there is an age when children no longer need to be reminded about the risks associated with strangers. The answer, quite simply, is no. While the tone and content of the conversation may change as children grow older and become teens, the need for these reminders never fully disappears. As children enter adolescence and even adulthood, they continue to encounter new environments, people, and situations that may pose risks. At each developmental stage, young people benefit from age-appropriate discussions that reinforce the importance of personal safety and situational awareness.
For very young children (ages 3-10), it is essential to introduce the basic concept of stranger danger in simple terms. Phrases like “If you don’t know them, don’t go with them” or “Always ask for help from a trusted adult” help establish foundational safety principles.
By the time children reach secondary school age (ages 11-13), they may become more independent, walking to school, playing with friends, or attending after-school activities without direct supervision. This is an important part of child development and gaining this independence is vital as they begin their transition to adolescence and then adulthood. At this stage, reinforcing the importance of avoiding interactions with strangers and teaching them practical safety strategies, such as how to run to a safe space, shout for help, or identify safe adults like police officers, can give them more concrete tools to use in potentially dangerous situations.
Teenagers, on the other hand, might feel that they are too old for “stranger danger” talks, but they can still benefit from reminders about personal safety, especially as they venture out alone or with friends more often. At this age, the conversation may shift to include discussions about online interactions, maintaining personal boundaries, and trusting their instincts when they feel something is not right. Since older teens are more likely to meet new people through social media, dating apps, or public spaces, reinforcing safety strategies is crucial for their continued well-being. Their mobile phone should be seen as a crucial safety tool in itself, to be used for contacting parents or guardians or flagging an emergency, but it is worth discussing the challenges that mobiles phones and their accompanying social media apps bring.
To read the full entry, please click here.
Miss Kneen
Deputy Head Pastoral
The week ahead
Monday 18 November
Year 12 GDST Lead Trip
Kiran Millwood Hargrave Author Visit
Hockey: U13 vs Kimbolton
Tuesday 19 November
Year 11 ComSci GCSE Clinic
Hockey: U14 vs Akeley Wood
Year 7 & 8 Ski Trip Information Evening
Wednesday 20 November
Reception Information Morning
Hockey: U10/11 vs Quinton House
Year 11 Parent Consultations
Thursday 21 November
Hockey: U15 @ GDST Hockey Weekend (until Saturday)
Hockey: 1st XI vs Bedford Modern
Parent & Staff Quiz Night
Friday 22 November
Junior School Mufti-Day
Football: U9 BMPS Tournament
Pudsey fundraising smashes last years total!
As is customary, every year Dr Lee welcomes Pudsey into Northampton High, and helps him to look for a new home. We invite donations from our community, ahead of making the draw on Children in Need day every year.
We would like to give a huge congratulations to our winner, and a massive thank you to everybody who donated to this year’s appeal. We are pleased to share that Pudsey will be going home with Ava (Year 8), who is delighted to be taking him to his forever home.
At time of writing, we have raised a whopping total of £1,449 – eclipsing last year’s total of £1,005! Thank you so much for your generous support. If you would still like to make a donation, we would invite you to do so using the link below.
Christmas Fayre: Tokens and Grotto tickets available to purchase!
You will have seen in recent editions of High and Junior News that we are hosting our annual Christmas Fayre event on Friday 29 November, from 4.30pm until 6.30pm. With preparations for the event in full swing, we are delighted to announce that tokens and Grotto tickets are now available for purchase!
Christmas Grotto: We are delighted that Santa will be making another visit to Northampton High School this year and will be inviting visitors into his Grotto! In an effort to reduce queuing time and allow families to enjoy the entirety of the Fayre, this year’s Grotto will once again be operated on a pre-booked basis. Slots are available on TryBooking by clicking here. Each slot allows two visitors per session, to enable two siblings to attend together if required, at a cost of £7.50 per child. Each child will receive a lovely gift from Santa. Tickets will be not available on the night of the Fayre, so we do encourage you to book your slots in advance to avoid disappointment.
Raffle, Tombola & Junior School Christmas Games: These attractions at the Christmas Fayre will be accepting tokens only, rather than card payments or cash, as we are a ‘cashless’ school. Tokens can be purchased in advance and by doing so, we hope this will reduce queuing time and allow you to enjoy these stalls. Attractions taking tokens will be clearly marked to avoid confusion. Tokens can be pre-ordered on TryBooking by clicking here and once ordered, they can be collected from Junior School/Senior School Reception or from the Collection Desk on the night of the Fayre. Tokens will also be available to purchase at the event itself.
‘Token Tuck Shop’: In addition to our card-payable Festive Refreshments, this year we will also be running a ‘Token Tuck Shop’. This stall will be stocking small treats and refreshments at a cost of between 1-2 tokens each – ensuring that there will be plenty of variety and options for our visitors to spend their tokens on.
We look forward to welcoming you to this community festive treat and thank you so much for your support.
Students head to MK for 'Women in STEM' event
On Wednesday 13 November 2024, we visited Nifty Lifts, in Milton Keynes for a ‘Women in STEM’ morning. Once we arrived, we learnt how the graphic designers create each component used for the construction of the machine. We all practised using the CAD programme to create a gear, and made mini gear fidget toys. Next we had a tour of the factory, and we learnt the process of making each machine. It was fascinating to see the engineers working live and seeing the SD210 up close. Finally, we learnt ‘5S’, and got to experience what it feels like to sort out tools by using a shadow board in a friendly competition. Our favourite part of the trip was riding in the 28 metre-high cherry pickers and seeing the view from the top of the building. Some of us were scared, but we all thought it was worth it!
High Sports
U12A v Thornton, Monday 11 November: On Monday, Northampton High School played at their home ground against Thornton college, with Georgia M as captain. We started off with the first push back, with a great pass from Hester. The first half was a struggle when we went 1-0 down, but we didn’t stop believing. The whistle was blown for half time, and it was time for a team talk. With encouraging words from Miss Fraser and a bit of team spirit, we knew that if we worked as a team we could do this. Thornton started with the ball and straight away there was a great interception from Hester. We worked it down the pitch as a team and Hester scored with a massive hit going directly past the goalkeeper. The score was now 1-1. After a tough half, we suddenly scored a last minute goal courtesy of the one and only Player of the Match – Hester! This made the final score 2-1; three cheers to NHS!
U13A v Thornton, Monday 11 November: On Monday, the U13 Hockey team played against Thornton. After some excellent defensive work in previous games, the girls were given the objective of developing their attacking play and scoring goals! The girls made a positive start and were soon in the lead after an excellent goal from Lily. Two further goals, both from short corners, saw NHS in the lead at half time. In the second half, the girls continued to thrive scoring a further 4 goals, resulting in an overall 7 – 0 win, with Elizabeth being named Player of the Match. Well done everyone!
U15A v Stowe, Tuesday 12 November: A highly anticipated match took place on Tuesday evening against Stowe. Last year the team lost to them 2-1, and this year we were hoping to better this and we didn’t disappoint – coming away with a 1-1 draw. The start of the game saw Stowe dominate, scoring early on. This woke the team up and we began to move the ball around the team with confidence. The equalizing goal came from Lyra (Player of the Match), who connected with the ball from a jaw dropping 16-yard hit out taken by Ellie. Nat also deserves a mention by boosting the teams confidence and informative half time tactics! Well done to the whole team in what was a very tough match – a great warm up for the Newcastle Hockey weekend tour next week.
Second X1 V Quinton, Thursday 14 November: On a crisp Thursday afternoon in November, the 2nd XI travelled to Moulton to play Quinton. In the first quarter we were a bit slow to start, but when we got going we saw some great play through middle to right, winning a penalty corner after great pressure The penalty corner was taken and Charlotte F had a straight strike but the keeper made a great save. The rebound earned another corner. Isla H took a straight strike and subsequently earned a third penalty! After some shimmying in the D, the ball popped out and Isla N shot just shy of goal. However, our hard work paid off and soon there was a well-worked goal when Anna C assisted Khushi. The second quarter started strongly with great play up the right between Charlotte, Isla N, Khushi and Rose, which led to a lovely goal slotted home by Khushi – 2-0. More great passing from Issy led to a penalty corner but no score, as the shot was well saved by a very agile Quinton keeper. We showed some strong passing from the right back, up the wing and into the D from Rose, which led to Khushi winning another penalty corner. Unfortunately no goal this time, as the first half finished 2-0.
The third quarter started strongly with to yet another penalty corner. Unfortunately no goal was scored – maybe we should work on these in training?! Some great play from set piece work lead to a searing pass in from Khushi to Rose for goal number 3! Goals 4 and 5 soon followed courtesy of Isla and Khushi, with Lexi making some important saves in the NHS goal. In the final quarter relentless pressure from our front 5 led to yet another goal from Khushi, who put the icing on the cake of a resounding 6-0 victory. Khushi was voted Player of Match by Quinton, with our Players’ Player award going to Isla H. A huge congratulations to the whole team for a 6-star performance!
Eco Team Updates
Recently, the Eco Team has been working on taking cuttings of giant plants in the biology lab, and converting them into small plants for each form to enjoy. The whole team has been cutting off offshoots of each plant, burying and repotting these new shoots and then watering/caring for them until they are ready. After a few weeks, they are now ready to release, so we have repotted them into pretty plant pots! On Wednesday morning we arranged for each form’s eco-representative to come and collect them!
We have done this because greenery inside helps reduce stress and eases anxiety, as well as the plants looking pretty! Caring for houseplants provides joy and responsibility (as each form will be expected to keep their plant alive), hopefully providing pride when the plants grow and new leaves emerge! This can also be replicated easily and cheaply at home by going to a garden centre near you and picking up a plant to water and take care of, so we encourage you to copy us and grow your own plants at home too!
We are also delighted to share that we are now a Planet Hero school with Just One Tree Day! We have this week received our accreditation, so keep your eyes peeled on social media for more updates on how this came to be!
Book Review: In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
When her sister vanishes after a mysterious earthquake, Ysolda sets off on a rescue mission. But these are dangerous times, and soon she is forced to strike a deadly bargain with the wolf queen herself. Join Ysolda and her loyal sea hawk as they embark on an epic quest to save her sister and unlock the earth’s most powerful magic…
The sequel to this title is now available too – ‘The Storm and the Sea Hawk’ – Ysolda is on the run, travelling with a rebellious princess to the wilds of the Drakken Peak – on the back of a huge sea wolf. With her faithful sea hawk Nara by her side, her quest to find the fabled magic of the Geomancer is just beginning…
When Gaunt’s mother asks him to enlist, he signs up immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings. But Ellwood and their classmates soon follow him to the front. Ellwood and Gaunt find love in the trenches – but just as war brought them together, it can tear them apart…
Good luck to the Equestrian Team!
Everybody at Northampton High School would like to send a huge good luck message to our Senior Equestrian team, who are competing on Sunday at Aston le Walls in the Bloxham Schools Arena Eventing Series.
Lexi D, Maisie G, Esme S and Lily F are representing the school at the event, and we know you will do us all proud. Good luck team; we look forward to hearing about your experiences next week!
Parents and Staff Quiz Night - Thursday 21 November
Do you love general knowledge? Are you a whizz at fascinating facts? Do you have a competitive streak? Would you enjoy a relaxed, fun evening with friends?
Following the success of our inaugural event last year, please join us at our second Parents’ and Staff Quiz Night on Thursday 21 November, 7pm-9pm.
Come along as a team (up to eight members) or join a team on arrival. Price per person is £15 which includes a delicious fish and chip supper; gluten free and vegetarian options will be available. A bar will also be available and there is a prize for the winning team!
To book your tickets, please follow the below link. Looking forward to an entertaining and ‘educational’ evening!
