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As the weather has been rather fickle of late, we gathered in the Senior School Hall for our ‘Remembering Mr Bailey’ event on Tuesday afternoon, rather than out of doors as originally planned. There was plenty of space for pupils, from Pre School to Year 7, to sit in their separate bubbles. With the doors open and a lovely breeze flowing through the Hall, the scene was set for a time of calm reflection, of shared memories and of thankfulness.
Once everyone was seated, Mrs O’Doherty, Deputy Head Pastoral Care and Guidance, introduced herself and talked about how much she enjoyed working with Mr Bailey when they were colleagues on the Senior Leadership Team. She remembers him as being very energetic and enthusiastic, of how he was always smiling and of how he could be a little naughty, giving the example that he once owned up to eating the chocolates in his daughter’s advent calendar! Acknowledging we still feel very sad that Mr Bailey has died, she went on to say that everyone who knew him will have their own memories of him. Many will remember his enthusiasm for running and football, others will remember how he encouraged a love of singing, and most will remember how he greeted Junior School pupils and their parents at the gate every morning – not because he had to but because he so enjoyed seeing children arriving at school, excited about the day ahead.
Mrs O’Doherty went on to explain that the attractive potted bay tree at the front of the Hall, and now at the Junior School entrance, was a symbol to represent the tree by which we will remember Mr Bailey. The actual tree will be planted in the school grounds at some point during the autumn, when the weather is better suited for tree planting than in the summer months.
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Mrs Purvey-Tyrer, Deputy Head of Junior School, then came forward and talked about how Mr Bailey was also interested in literature and reading. In memory of him, she chose to share a poignant but beautiful poem which made us think about the fact that, just as you cannot judge a biography by its number of pages or a song by its number of notes, the impact of a person who enriches one’s life is endless. So it was with Mr Bailey.
Recalling Mr Bailey’s mantra that ‘A singing school is a happy school’, Mrs Davis and Mrs Farrar invited everyone to stand and sing two uplifting songs. I must admit that I didn’t know either song but it was clear that the girls certainly did and their singing resonated around Northampton High for several glorious minutes. ‘Give A Little Smile’ and ‘Lovely Summer’s Day’ really helped everyone to feel more at ease with the mixed emotions of sadness about the loss of Mr Bailey and thankfulness for having known him.
We felt privileged to be joined by the Year 7 students who knew Mr Bailey particularly well and also members of staff from across the whole school. The catering staff kindly provided drinks and cupcakes after the ‘formal’ proceedings and Mrs Davis encouraged everyone to share their memories of Mr Bailey with each other, while they enjoyed the refreshments. I joined several small groups as they chatted and there is no doubt that Mr Bailey will long be remembered as an immensely kind, thoughtful and fun-loving Head of Junior School who cared deeply for his pupils and colleagues. A group of Year 4 pupils delighted in telling me how understanding he was and when I asked for an example they said, ‘Well, you could just turn up in the morning and sing when you arrived, and when we did the run round outside school you could just join in and stop when you needed to, he understood you couldn’t keep running’.
As the last of the cake wrappers were cleared and everyone drifted back to their classrooms, I was struck by a real sense that Mr Bailey would have been very proud of how incredibly well the pupils, their parents and the staff of Northampton High have supported one another throughout the many challenges of 2020-21.
Wishing you a good weekend before the final week of this memorable school year,
Katie Milne
Consultant Head of Junior School
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Each week in our virtual assembly, girls are invited to share their achievements in activities outside of school. They are listed below for this week:
Darcy – was thrilled to perform ballet to ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ in the Top Hat Annual Showcase. It was a little different to usual with all the restrictions but as this was her first ever performance, she had nothing to compare it to and thought it was great! She is looking forward to watching the DVD with her family!
Emily F – sea cadet ceremony
Jemima – achieved a gold medal for her baton twirling routine in a national competition with BBTSA. Recorded a solo vocal performance for her theatre school annual showcase.
Matilda – a ‘Start Award’ at the sea cadet ceremony for the paddling day she took part in a couple of weeks ago.
Pearl – really enjoyed being in the Top Hat Theatre School Annual Show this weekend. She tap-danced to ‘Everybody Wants To Be A Cat’ and ballet to ‘I’ve Got No Strings’. She enjoyed wearing a tutu and couldn’t wait to tell her Nursery friends.
Phoebe – ISTD Grade 3 Classical Ballet, high distinction. ISTD Grade 3 Modern Theatre, high merit. Selected to represent Top Hat Theatre School at this year’s All England Qualifying Dance Competitions with solo performances in classical ballet, modern theatre, national dance and musical theatre.
Shanaya P – achieved a distinction in her Tap Dance exam.
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Monday 12 July – Friday 16 July – No teacher-led clubs
Please be aware that there are no teacher-led clubs during the last week of term, week commencing Monday 12 July with the exception of:
- Year 3 and 4 Cricket on Monday and Year 5 and 6 Cricket on Wednesday (which will go ahead as normal)
- External clubs will go ahead as per the information sent out by the external clubs provider (please contact them for any further information).
Thursday 15 July – Year 6 Valedictory Event
Friday 16 July 12.00 noon – End of term
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Year 6 students present fantastic French presentations to U3 pupils!
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This term, Year 6 students have produced some fantastic work on inspirational French speaking figures in their lessons with Mme Morgan and Mme Abu.
Yesterday, the current U3 cohort was lucky to be invited to attend their presentations in the Senior Hall, where the Year 6 pupils introduced their figures and explained why they found them inspirational. We were impressed with the quality of their work and the confidence displayed speaking in a foreign language.
The Languages Faculty
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Nursery - Kipper Room and Elmer Room
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In Nursery this week we have been very active. In PE we practised our events for Sports Day which then took place on Wednesday. The girls had great fun balancing eggs on spoons, hopping along in the sack race, and throwing bean bags at markers on the ground. We were very proud of how well the girls took turns and cheered on their friends. “Go on!” shouted Sahana.
Our ballet sessions were filmed this week and we hope you enjoy watching the video once it is ready, the girls were very excited to know that their families were going to see how much they have learnt.
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In the classroom the girls have been interested in mixing colours to see what new colours they can create. “It’s different now!” said Sophia.
We haven’t sent out any library books this week and we ask that if you still have one at home you return it to Nursery before the end of term please.
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We have had a very busy week in Pre School this week. Our ballet lesson has been recorded for you to watch. The girls joined in beautifully copying the actions and instructions given to them by Mrs Windsor.
We had Mr Bailey’s memorial service which was lovely. The girls behaved exceptionally well during this and made all their teachers very proud.
Sports Day was a success. We had lovely weather and the girls were superstars joining in with all the races, which included a sack race, balancing a bean bag on your head, a walking race, an egg and spoon race and a running race. Emily then asked if we could do a superhero race too so we did and the girls displayed many poses.
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What the girls liked most about Sports Day:
“Doing the running!” Emily.
“I was drinking some water.” Arabella.
“The running!” Jasleen.
“Going in the bean bags.” Yana.
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This week we have been thinking about how we all grow and change and about the theme of ‘moving on’. The girls were very surprised to find out that their teacher was once a baby! When shown a photograph the girls thought it very funny.
Part of our transition process has involved thinking about their year in Reception and looking forward to Year 1. We have been writing some ideas for our new teacher and some special drawings.
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In Mathematics this week the activities have been linked to problem solving with addition, shape and length tasks to solve. In our topic work we have been finding out about different types of houses, so if you go on a walk please point out and name the type of houses that you may see.
The week has finished with a very exciting day. Our Sports Day in the morning and moving to our new classroom and meeting our new teacher in the afternoon.
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This week in English we have written our own creative versions of ‘Where the Wild Things are’ by changing some of the key features in the story such as the settings and characters. The girls have worked so hard to complete their stories independently and focusing on all of the skills they have learnt this year, such as new punctuation, language and joined handwriting. I am very impressed with all of their writing and it shows just how hard they have worked this year. Everyone should feel very proud.
In Maths this week we been focusing on time. We have learnt to read different times on clock faces including o’clock and half past. We have looked at using language such as earlier or later to compare times and have also looked at the days of the week and months of the year.
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In Computing we have been working on our e-book stories and creating new pages with pictures and typing to continue our story.
Although we are all feeling disappointed to not be able to take part in our Sports Day together, we will all be trying to complete some physical activities today from home.
Looking ahead:
Transition and summer activities
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This week in Maths we have looked at capacity and volume. We have learned the difference between them and have been measuring liquids and reading scales to grow our understanding.
In English we have been busy writing our own versions of ‘Where the Wild Things are’, creating our own characters and setting but using some of the story language from the book in our writing.
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In Art we have looked at the work of Andy Goldsworthy and learned more about him as an artist, including some of the natural materials he likes to use in his work.
At Forest School this week we have been busy making friendship bracelets.
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This was an exciting week for Year 3 as they were welcomed back into school after their isolation. However, a rather tricky one for me as I had to continue isolation. The amazing Year 3 and 4 ‘bubble staff’ have rallied round and worked extra hard to ensure the girls received all the planned curriculum lessons. I was lucky enough to dial in virtually to their History lesson on Wednesday and it was wonderful to see all their excited, happy faces and have a conversation with someone other than my own family!
I have had regular updates from the staff in school and all the girls have been working really hard. They have also had the opportunity to spend more time with Mrs Shaw, which will help her and them have an easier transition into next year. Hopefully, I will be back in school on Wednesday next week and can finish this crazy year off with the girls in person.
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What the girls have said:
“I have enjoyed doing our times table grid drill every day and improving.” Poppy.
“I really enjoyed our picnic for Mr Bailey, especially the lovely cupcakes.” Asmi.
“We did a practice for our swimming gala. I loved the jelly-on-a-plate race.” Priscilla.
Looking ahead:
Maths – consolidation of the four operations using word problems
English – completing our own versions of ‘When I swapped my Dad for two Goldfish’
Science/ PSHE – puberty, stereotypes, and transition
Have a happy and healthy weekend and I look forward to seeing you next week.
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In Maths we have learnt how to translate points on a grid then extended this to whole shapes by translating each of the vertices. We completed some End of Block activities and assessed our own learning. We also enjoyed a fun activity linked to a certain tennis tournament.
In English we read the first few chapters of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’. We looked for clues in the text that told us the story is set in another world and practised ‘dropping in’ relative clauses. I am hoping the girls will obtain a copy of this classic text and finish reading it over the holidays.
In Science we learnt about Thomas Edison and his electrical inventions.
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What the girls have said:
“In DT we learnt about making circuits to make a lightbulb turn on. We could choose what picture we wanted and I chose a flower.” Jessica.
“I liked reading ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ because it is a good book. I like how Narnia is in the wardrobe.” Shreya.
“I liked Science because we learnt about Thomas Edison and how he made the light bulb.” Emily.
Looking ahead to next week:
English – challenges and quizzes to consolidate our learning throughout Year 4
Maths – summer activities linked to the White Rose scheme. Exciting activity titles such as ‘Oh I do like to be beside the seaside.’ and ‘Who wants ice cream?’
PSHEE – puberty and the changes to our bodies ‘Accepting Change and Looking Ahead’
Please note: Forest School is on Wednesday 14 July.
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It has been a fabulously active week and, as usual, the Year 5 girls have pushed themselves and each other to be their best.
I have two highlights this week; firstly, the Swimming Gala. At the start of the day, several girls were really anxious about this. The girls are not all strong swimmers and some were worried about letting their friends down.
As you can see from the photos, every single girl did her House proud and had great fun in the process. Secondly, the girls have been putting together a ‘How to Survive Year 5’ presentation for the year below them…and it’s brilliant. A truly wonderful example of collaboration which proves that they know me, my expectations and what they should have been doing all year! I can’t wait to share it with the new Year 5 girls during their transition afternoon.
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What the girls have said:
“I really enjoyed the Swimming Gala because it was really fun, especially the jelly on the plate race when everyone kept falling off and we didn’t even get past the half way mark in the pool. We came last but it was so much fun!” Esme.
“On Wednesday afternoon we went down to Forest School and made a fire… we roasted marshmallows and got 2 chocolate biscuits to make s’mores. My marshmallow turned out really gooey on the inside – I think my first one was better because the outside went light brown so it was hard and crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside.” Evelyn.
“I had a lot of fun making a den with my friend. We made a big den underneath a tall tree and it was super fun because the grass was tall and I couldn’t see many people.” Darcy.
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This week we have enjoyed an array of exciting activities including exploring nets and 3D shapes in Maths, considering alternative endings to the traditional tale of ‘The Three Little Pigs’ in English, attempted to stop Miss Taylor and Mrs Fordham from stealing our chocolate bars in Science and considered why we should be good in Humanities. We have also presented our assembly on famous inspirational figures in France to Year 7 and spoken confidently in French.
Finally, we would like to say a big thank you to the Year 7 girls who came to talk to us about our transition to Senior School on Tuesday – Charlotte, Emily, Tanya, Rose, Emily, and Bella.
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Highlights of the week include:
“The Year 7’s came to talk to us so that we won’t be so nervous about joining Senior School next year. We also got to meet our Head of Year, Miss Knight, so that she knows more about us. All of our questions have been answered and we feel reassured because they answered everything we needed to know about Senior School so well.” Verity, Sienna and Isla H.
“On Thursday morning, we participated in a special languages assembly in the Senior School Hall. It was great to speak at a lectern with a microphone. We felt quite nervous at the start, but as we began speaking we felt fine because our friends were supporting us. We talked about famous French people who are inspirational to us. Famous figures included Marie Curie, the famous scientist, and Thomas Pesquet, the brave and athletic astronaut. Learning about inspiring people really helped us to understand what they have been through and what they have accomplished.” Georgia, Elizabeth, Frankie and Anya.
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Northampton High School
Newport Pagnell Road, Hardingstone Northampton NN4 6UU
T: 01604 765765 nhsadmin@nhs.Gdst.Net
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