What a huge responsibility comes with the choices we make, even (or perhaps especially) at a young age. This is because we can reflect on the past to glean insights about the future, but it is only in the present moment that choices are made. The existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard observed, ‘Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.’ And I often say to students who are asking about making changes to their timetables mid term, ‘what might ‘future you’ say about the decisions you are proposing to make today?’ As adults, we can all recall pivotal moments where a decision changed something fundamental about our lives. Sometimes these memories bring joy and satisfaction, as we see the benefits of good choices, or we may wonder how life might have changed if we had chosen another route. The beauty of reflection lies in its power to influence, reminding us that our next choice has the potential to change the future.

For children, the process of learning to make good decisions must begin early. Schools play a vital role alongside families in this journey, acting as a foundation for developing lifelong skills in self-awareness and decision-making. And it is a responsibility teachers at Northampton High take seriously. As educators, we see these formative years as golden opportunities to instil habits and mindsets that empower pupils to navigate life’s complexities with confidence and resilience.

Winston Churchill once said, ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.’ This spirit of perseverance is something we strive to embed in our students. In our school, we take a holistic approach to education, focusing on the whole child, her academic progress, emotional wellbeing, and personal growth. Our ‘360-degree Me’ approach ensures that pupils not only excel academically but also develop the skills needed to make thoughtful, informed decisions.

To develop these sound decision-making skills, pupils need opportunities to practise. In senior school, this begins as early as Year 7, when pupils select language options to carry into Year 8. For many, it is their first experience of making a choice with long-term implications. Then in Year 8, they further develop their language choices for Year 9, at which point they again have a hand in refining their own pathways by choosing the creative subjects they wish to focus on. All of these opportunities offer a tangible demonstration of how their decisions shape both timetables and experiences in school.

As students move into Key Stages 4 and 5, choices become more significant. Pupils select from a range of GCSE and A Level subjects, enrichment opportunities and extracurricular activities. These decisions allow them to explore their interests and talents while building the foundations for their future careers. Dedicated guidance processes, including consultations with teachers and careers experts, ensure they make choices aligned with their aspirations and strengths. But most importantly, we hope that their prior experiences of making choices will ensure that they look before they leap and ask the right questions about the courses they will follow.

To read the full entry, please click here.

Mr Rickman
Deputy Head Academic

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 not be 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.