These acts of kindness are often small in scale but large in impact. For example, a Year 10 student voluntarily choreographed the Year 4 dance for the Dance Festival; a Year 12 student gave up her private study periods to teach swimming to small groups of Year 3 and 4 pupils; and a Year 13 student has been keeping a Year 1 pupil company during their daily school bus journey, patiently doing Maths with her, knowing she is just five years old and has the longest journey of all. These are just a few of the many shining examples that remind us: kindness in words creates confidence, kindness in thinking creates profoundness, and kindness in giving creates love.
What is especially touching is that, in most cases, students are completely unaware of the reasons why they have been nominated until their stories are read aloud at the Head’s Commendation event. That moment is always poignant, as it serves as a powerful reminder that no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. In fact, it is these very actions that shape the kind of school and community in which everyone can thrive. At Northampton High, we strive to instil the belief that kindness is not just a virtue, but a force that creates unity, nurtures relationships and strengthens our shared humanity.
That is why I was especially delighted when Mrs Saunders-Wall and Mr Rickman introduced the Kindness Award Certificate in the Junior School earlier this year. Since January, we have celebrated a Year 6 pupil for being kind to a classmate in need of a friend, another Year 6 pupil showing some Year 3 girls at Wraparound Care how to make paper umbrellas, a Year 5 pupil for volunteering as a peer mentor in Maths, and – perhaps most charmingly – a group of Year 2 pupils for carefully rescuing stranded worms from the playground. These moments may seem small, but they speak volumes about the character and spirit of our students.
Stories like these, from all corners of our school, reaffirm something we all instinctively know: in a world where acts of kindness can often go unnoticed or undervalued, they are in fact the very threads that hold a community together. They bring joy, offer comfort and shine a light during the more difficult days. By recognising these actions both formally and informally, we teach our pupils that kindness is not only noticed, but deeply valued.
By celebrating acts of kindness we also pay tribute to the school’s historical status as a church school, a legacy preserved in our crest through the Diocesan keys. Since the school joined the GDST in 2007, we are now non-denominational, something reflected in our diverse and vibrant student and staff body. However, the universal Christian values of kindness, charity and service remain at the heart of our ethos and are lived out in the everyday life of the school.
Long may that continue.
Dr Lee
Headteacher
The week ahead
Tuesday 20 May
Tennis: U16A vs Wellingborough School
Friday 23 May
Break up for Half Term
Book Review by Mr Rickman: Metaphors We Live By
Lakoff G and Johnson M (2003) Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press, first published 1980.
Metaphors We Live By, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson is a seminal text on linguistics, offering a fascinating insight into how language shapes our lives and into the way our cultures and backgrounds have effectively become part of our speech patterns.
Lakoff and Johnson argue that metaphor is not simply a rhetorical device, but a systematic framework through which we interpret and experience reality; much of our indirect understanding relies on this metaphorical process. For example, we might say ‘time is money,’ where we understand the abstract concept of time through the more concrete concept of money. Or when we say, ‘He’s a lion in battle,’ we understand bravery through the characteristics of a lion. Indeed, George Lakoff says ‘Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature.’
The writers say that metaphors really come into their own when it comes to grasping abstract concepts like emotions, aesthetics, morality, and spirituality. Metaphor influences our inferences, goals, commitments, and plans, both consciously and unconsciously. Saying ‘she’s digging her heels in’ shows how we understand resistance through the physical act of digging. The very concept of being ‘in love,’ is often spoken of as a journey or a relationship as a vehicle. Difficulties a couple might face are seen as barriers to the direction of travel ‘our relationship hit the rocks’. These elements are used in physical, social, and emotional domains and shape perceptions and the way we feel about other people. So, ‘love is a journey’ helps us understand the progression and challenges of a romantic relationship.
Metaphor supports the way we structure our experiences and values. Abstract concepts are often grasped through clearer, more concrete ones (e.g. spatial orientations). For example, ‘feeling down’ uses a spatial metaphor to describe sadness. Many fundamental concepts are organised spatially. Example: ‘Rational is up; emotional is down’ (‘a high-level discussion,’ ‘he sank into depression’). We may say, ‘that problem is a can of worms’ to describe a complex situation. Or ‘his life is up in the air’ to suggest that it is beyond his grasp to resolve his problems. Personal value systems also tend to align with such orientational metaphors. For example, the metaphor ‘happy is up’ is shown in phrases like ‘I’m on cloud 9’ or ‘my spirits rose.’
Other metaphors might focus on objects, substance, containment, framing and direction. These emerge directly from experience. We perceive ourselves and external entities as containers. For example, ‘he’s full of ideas’ or ‘she’s in a bad mood.’ Such metaphors allow us to quantify and reason about experiences which are fundamentally abstract in nature. For example, we might say ‘in the kitchen,’ when referring to anything that pertains to food and cooking. Or we might use personification: ‘inflation attacked our economy,’ to highlight the relevance of an abstract concept.
While such metaphors tend to offer clarity of expression, other metaphors highlight certain aspects of reality while obscuring others. For example, conceiving an argument as ‘war’ emphasises conflict (‘he attacked my argument’), while ‘dance’ emphasises collaboration (‘they moved together in the discussion’). The metaphor ‘argument as war’ shapes how people act during arguments, leading to combative behaviour. The metaphor ‘collaboration as a dance’ emphasises the positive side of human interaction and is surely simply the other side of a coin. I am interested in this principle because it shows that we can actively choose which side of this metaphorical coin to use when entering into a negotiation or disagreement.
Lakoff and Johnson’s exploration of metaphor reveal that language is far more than a system of symbols used to communicate needs, ideas and information. It is a dynamic force that shapes how we perceive, interact with, and influence the world around us. This book helps us to understand that words are more than simple indicators of meaning; they are powerful tools that can inspire action and effect change. By recognising the layered and performative nature of words, we are empowered to communicate with greater care and precision. We can alter perceptions by varying our choice of metaphor, which enables us to foster empathy, avoid misunderstanding, and cultivate deeper connections. ‘Because we reason in terms of metaphor, the metaphors we use determine a great deal about how we live our lives.’
Listen to George Lakoff on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu-9rpJITY8&t=113s
George Lakoff on how he started his work on conceptual metaphor
Head Girls Blog
Last week at school we had leavers week, and even though it has been bittersweet, we know our Year 11s and Year 13s will do outstanding in their exams and we all wish them the best of luck. We parted with our Year 11s on Wednesday, when they enjoyed their leavers’ lunch and has their school uniforms signed before leaving.
In accordance with tradition the Year 13s had their dress up week. The variety of costume themes were stretched from ‘decades’ to ‘childhood’. Shoutout to the trio of Claudia Winkleman’s on Thursday, though I’m told Mr Rickman’s Ursula costume was a school-wide favourite. The Friday finale theme was ‘Shipwrecked’ with a colourful array of different departmental costumes and decorations around school. We had many teachers ‘walking the plank’ in the quiz and our students were overjoyed at the chance to douse their teachers with water.
Lastly the Year 13 video was displayed in the assembly which induced equal parts of laughter and tears. As the rest of the school heads towards internal assessments, to our classes of 2025 you will be sorely missed but we wish you the best of luck and can’t wait to hear about your adventures! Ultimately this isn’t the last we will see of our exam leavers, once a Northampton High School , always a Northampton High School girl!
Olivia R
Head Girl
History Assembly
We were excited to welcome two Year 7 pupils into our assembly this week with Mr Donaldson, Head of History, to talk about their love of history (both the subject and generally). They also gave the girls a bit of an insight into their lives in the Senior School. The Year 7 pupils had a wealth of knowledge about the development of the railways and answered questions ranging from the first locomotives to whether highwaymen ever used to attack trains! They also talked about the work they had been doing in lessons on the Industrial Revolution and whether or not King John really was such a bad guy. They answered questions about hockey and how this has changed as a game over the years. We were really grateful for the time they took to come and see us.
Year 12 Physics Trip to Tenpin Bowling
Year 12 had a great time on their physics trip to Tenpin. They reinforced 2D momentum through playing pool and bowling, using the trip to have a live physics lesson and gain a greater understanding of the topic. Throughout the activities they were asked questions on how the physics they’ve learnt in class applies in real life. The class also enjoyed a play-off of pool with the champions being Mrs Vizor and Olivia R after a closely contested final. Then the class enjoyed a game of bowling with the particle and antiparticle teams competing in two rounds leading to a close win by the particle team. Overall the class had a memorable time of learning and fun.
Mrs Vizor
Subject Leader – Physics
This Week's Sports
Throughout this week there have been multiple sports fixtures, ranging from netball to gymnastics. Read below to find out how the matches went, and more about this week’s fixtures.
Follow our new Sports Instagram!
We’re excited to share the brand-new Northampton High Sports Instagram account! Please follow this page for updates from the Sports Department throughout the school.
Road layout and traffic flow on site
When leaving the school site in the car, may we please ask parents and visitors to be aware of the ‘give way’ markings on the road. Drivers coming from the Senior School area of the school are asked to give way to vehicles leaving the Junior School parking area.
Thank you for your continued cooperation.
