Category : Headteacher’s Blog

Last weekend was an incredibly successful one for Austin (Y9) who, competing in the English Karate Childrens and Veterans Championships in Sheffield secured a fantastic Silver and Gold medal. What an achievement!

Keeping a focus on success, in assemblies this week Mr. Scott (Head of Science) has been exploring with students future opportunities and the likelihood that, due to the development of technology, our students will have jobs that don’t exist at this moment in time. Therefore, he talked about the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects and the addition of an ‘A’ for ‘Arts’ to make STEAM which encourages students to think critically and creatively and to use engineering or technology in imaginative designs or creative approaches to real world problems. Students were left in no doubt of how their current learning would link to their futures.

Over the last few weeks our Year 11 students have been thinking beyond GCSE, visiting local post-16 provisions in Harrogate and York and, this week, a group went across to King James’s School for the Taster Day where they met staff and students and experienced lessons across the post-16 curriculum.

It was great to welcome so many people to the Year 8 Parent/Carer evening on Wednesday.  Along with lots of productive conversations around progress, it was good to have many general conversations about the positive experiences that Year 8 are having at Boroughbridge High School.

In sporting news, Mr. Field reports, ‘The Year 8 boys took on King James’ School on Thursday night in the much anticipated 2nd round of the District Cup.  The boys were eager to put the recent exit from the ESFA Small Schools Trophy competition behind them with this local derby.  The start of the match did not unfold as intended with the boys not showing the ambition that they had shown in abundance in previous games.  There were flashes of attractive football which showed that they still had an ample skillset to take on the federated opposition.  The first half ended with the boys 4-1 behind, a nice lobbed goal from A. Farnworth instilled some belief as they came into the break.  A refocusing of mindset during the half time team talk proved to be very beneficial as the boys played with ever growing confidence and started to take the game to their rivals.  Wave after wave of Boroughbridge attack poured pressure onto the King James defence forcing them to concede a large amount of corners.  Unfortunately the pressure did not come to fruition and the game ended with the King James’ team progressing to the quarter final winning 5-1.  Valuable lessons were taken from the performance with an understanding and belief that, as a team, they are very capable of causing any team problems and the importance of focusing on their performance to ensure they play at their very best.’

Year 7 girls were involved in a Bench ball tournament this week. Mrs. Cheeseman reports ‘On Wednesday eleven Year 7 girls travelled to Thirsk School to take part in a Benchball tournament. Well done to, Alice, Ruby, Josie, Charlotte, Matilda, Maddy, Lyla, Benedita, Amelia, Esmae and India. The school games event was aimed at providing an opportunity to increase wider engagement and participation in sporting competitions. We placed 3rd and all who took part got a fancy medal to celebrate. A special mention to Maddy, who was awarded MVP (most valuable player) for her nifty defending skills and to Josie, who was awarded an additional medal for her enthusiasm and determination displayed in the games. Lastly, I want to highlight how brilliant Charlotte was, she was getting interceptions left, right and centre!’

A reminder that we’re currently collecting feedback about the progress that we’ve made with behaviour as part of our work with the Behaviour Hub programme. It’s helpful for us to have as many responses as possible as this gives us a more accurate picture. The survey will remain open until Monday so you still have time to give your feedback. You can complete it at https://forms.gle/pq8bMxFgEbrYGu8h8 Thank you if you’ve already done so.

Next week Year 9 have an important week ahead as it’s Year 9 exam week. We carry out exams with each year group so that they get used to the rules and regulations of the exam room in preparation for their GCSEs.

A date for your diary, the Friends of Boroughbridge High School are organising a quiz and chilli night at BHS on the evening of Friday 21^st March. Teams of up to 6, bar and raffle. Further information on how to buy tickets will follow shortly.

Have a lovely weekend!

With our current focus on aspects of Teaching and Learning as part of our Raising Achievement Strategy, questioning has been at the fore this week. Staff have been using questioning sequences to assess student progress, provoke thinking and deepen understanding.

Examples of this across the curriculum include Miss Bargewell’s Year 7 English class who were involved in Travel Writing. Miss Bargewell reports ‘Students were asked to agree or disagree with the statement ‘this advert would persuade me to go on holiday’ after watching ‘Simon the Ogre’ from Thomson. Through whole class questioning, all students offered an initial response to the statement. By using a combination of cold calling and probing, students developed their initial ideas and also built on the answers of others, sometimes challenging another student’s point of view! The general consensus was that the advert was not as effective as it could be because it ‘didn’t really have any words, only images’ which was a perfect introduction to writing our own advert voice overs.’

In Year 8 PE where students were playing volleyball, Mrs. Cheeseman reports ‘ Questioning with hands down approach was used to retrieve knowledge from previous lessons. We had covered dig and set hits in volleyball previously. Students were selected to tell and show key teaching points of the hits. Where appropriate they were asked to explain why they had given that answer. When introducing a new element of the game, serving, they were given time to discuss prior knowledge with a partner and then hands up was used to gauge confidence levels and prior knowledge.’

In Year 8 Art, Mrs. Hunter reports ‘Students were asked to look at the illustrations of Tim Burton before describing his style using keywords initially as individual work. Wider questions were then asked about similarities across several media showing his work both stop motion animation characters and his simple sketches. Students were asked what type of mood his work created. We then discussed how to achieve the same effect in our own work and broke this down into a 3 part simple process. We then discussed techniques and simple tips in which to achieve this in their own work. Individuals were targeted initially but then opportunities were opened up for those that felt we had missed anything additional in our summing up.’

In Year 8 DT where students were looking at mechanisms, Mr. Groves reports that he discussed with groups the uses of mechanisms in the wider world. Students were asked to give examples of where mechanisms might be used and how they would be used in those devices, machines or structures. The responses were wide ranging and thoughtful.

In Year 10 English where students were studying Act Two of ‘Macbeth’, Mrs. Wellock reports that ‘This week, we have been considering: How does Macbeth’s internal conflict and Lady Macbeth’s influence escalate following Duncan’s murder? Closed questions were used to retrieve key information from the play and a range of open ended questions including the key question above were used to deepen our understanding of the play.’

Finally in GCSE Business Studies and Computer Science, Mrs Sands reports that ‘As part of retrieval, students were asked to respond to a range of written questions which link to their forthcoming practice for the mock. Prompts were given for students who needed support and students were selected to give information before further questioning challenged students to answer in more detail.’

As part of our Quality Assurance, on Tuesday, one of our Governors visited and went into classes across the school to see questioning in action.

To mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27^th January 2025 with the theme this year being ‘For a Better Future’, Mrs. Ennis has led assemblies with all year groups. Having shared information about the Holocaust, Mrs. Ennis talked about more recent genocides which have taken place before exploring how our young people can create a better future by challenging prejudice and discrimination and how they should never underestimate their capacity to make a positive difference.

In sporting news this week, the Year 8 boys football team played Ashville College with BHS finally winning on penalties with a BHS penalty converted and one of Ashville’s missing. The boys demonstrated excellent team commitment and spirit and showed great resilience as they came back from behind and secured the win!

It’s Year 8 Parent/Carer evening from 4-6.30p.m. next Wednesday (5^th February). We’ll look forward to seeing you there.

Have a lovely weekend!

We were incredibly grateful to the First Responder Team who came into school on Wednesday for our ‘Restart a Heart’ day. Years 7, 8 and 9 participated and with Years 10 and 11 carrying out the training last year, our school community is now fully trained in CPR. You can find out more about it at https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/how-to-do-cpr

As part of our Raising Achievement Strategy, we’re systematically focusing on aspects of Teaching and Learning.  We’re currently looking at questioning in classrooms which also links into our Phases of Learning. We’ll be talking with students of the value of questions in checking understanding and supporting students’ thinking and how this enables teachers to adapt their teaching to move the learning on. It also gives students an opportunity to show their ‘Ambition’ by actively participating and contributing in lessons whilst also developing ‘Resilience’.

Years 10 and 11 have had feedback on their progress at our Parent/Carer evening on Wednesday. Thank you for your attendance. We also took the opportunity in Year 11 assembly on Friday to present students with their Progress Exam results as if they were receiving them in August so that they can reflect on the approach that they need to take in the coming months.

In Assemblies this week, through our value of ‘resilience’ Mr. Grierson has focused on peer pressure looking at both the positives and negatives. He explored the factors that make groups behave in certain ways and shared strategies that students can use to support them in making positive choices.

In sporting news, Mrs Cheeseman reports ‘This week we had two fantastic football opportunities for Year 7 & 8 girls. For many it was their very first fixture representing the school. On Monday, Boroughbridge High School hosted the indoor area Year girls 5-a-side tournament. All teams participated excellently well demonstrating high levels of skill. All games were low scoring and extremely close. The BHS team came 3^rd with Harrogate Ladies College  1^st and Ashville College 2^nd.

Wednesday saw two teams travel to Ripon Grammar School to play in a Year 7 and 8 fixture. This is the first time both teams have played together. They showed an immense amount of respect for each other. Well done to Alice, who scored a goal in the Year 7 game and player of the Year 8 match, Ava. I was particularly impressed with the girls’ resilience to preservere even when the score was against them. A highlight was the ‘carpool karaoke’ (I’m not joking) on the way home. Thank you very much to the Boroughbridge Community Care Minibus team and our driver Nic for providing us with transport to the game.’

It was also lovely to see our Year 9 Sports Leaders stepping up to the mark on Wednesday supporting a cross country event for our local primary schools hosted at BHS.

Coming up in the next couple of weeks is Year 8 Parent/Carer Evening on Wednesday 5^th February and Year 9 exams begin on 10^th February.

Have a lovely weekend!

Ambition has been the focus of our assemblies this week as we’ve considered future careers by looking at the alumni of Boroughbridge High School and their many and varied destinations. We have former students who have gone into dentistry, veterinary science, events management, the arts, architecture and teaching to name but a few! We talked about the importance about being ambitious for what we can achieve during our school years along with our future lives.

Year 11 have been thinking about their next steps visiting Sixth Forms and colleges to experience their post-16 provision so that they can make an informed choice. Parents and carers will have the opportunity in the additional online Parent/Carer evening next week to discuss the progress that they’re making.

We’ve had our first Local Adviser visit of the term this week with a focus on students with SEND and Pupil Premium students. As ever, as we continue on our journey of improvement, we value all feedback so that we can chart our progress and continue to improve. This is the first time that this adviser has visited BHS and he commented on the high standards of behaviour. As you’ll be aware, whilst behaviour will continue to be a priority, we are at the end of our work with the Behaviour Hub and we’ll be sending out a questionnaire next week to capture your feedback on our progress.

Today a group of our Year 10 students have taken part in a public speaking workshop working with the Speakers Trust charity. Students have participated in activities to give them the skills and confidence to develop and deliver a speech on a topic that they feel passionate about.

In sporting news this week Mr. Field reports, ‘Wednesday saw a return to football fixtures for the PE department as the District Cup Competition gathers pace. The Yr11 boys, with assistance from some Yr10 boys, made the arduous journey to South Craven to play this round of the Cup.  The long journey did not phase the boys and they started positively against the home team dominating early proceedings.  A. Nunns opened the Boroughbridge account finishing well from some intricate passing play from the midfield.  The home team were on the back foot after conceding as Boroughbridge pushed for the second goal before half time.  South Craven worked their way back into the match and despite some fine defensive play they broke through the Boroughbridge ranks to equalise before half time.  The home team started the second half with their tails up which soon led to them scoring a deflected goal giving them the lead.  The game ebbed and flowed providing great entertainment for those on the sidelines.  In the dying moments of the game I. Burland forced an opening and capitalised with a lobbed finish to draw the game level.  The game entered the tense final minutes with penalties looming to settle the draw.  The inevitable end to the game presented itself as penalties were needed to settle the tie.  Boroughbridge started the shoot out positively netting the first spot kick, South Craven struck the woodwork handing the advantage to the visiting team.  Both teams took some great penalties but it was the home team who managed to hold their nerve and secure the tie winning 8-7.  The boys played some fantastic passing football and are hopeful for their next fixture before the exam season kicks in.’

Have a lovely weekend!

I hope that you had a lovely Christmas break and we send our best wishes for 2025. We certainly returned with an icy blast on Monday and it was lovely to see how one of our students and his dad had been helping in the community.  Settling straight back into routine, we had assemblies to reinforce our values (ambitious, respectful, resilient) and expectations ensuring a smooth start to the Spring Term. Uniform standards were high as usual and we thank you for your support with this. Mrs. Godsell- Wright has continued to reinforce our values in assemblies by thinking about the year ahead and how we can approach it to maximise impact.

We’ve been delighted to welcome Miss Bargewell (Second in English), Mrs Valentine (Maths) and Mrs Downes (GTA) to our school community and congratulate Mrs Wellock as she takes up the post of Head of English.

By the end of week one, we’re now firmly settled back into routine. Students in Years 10 and 11 are fully aware of the successful areas of their progress exams and what they need to do in the few months leading up to their next progress exams in March and their final exams in the Summer. As part of our Raising Achievement strategy, high quality teaching, interventions and revision sessions continue to support students to maximise their achievement. You’ll be able to discuss their progress with teachers at the virtual Parent/Carer evening on Wednesday 22^nd January 2025.

Mr. Field reports, ‘It’s been a positive sporting start to 2025 for the Boroughbridge High School PE department with record breaking participation rates in extra-curricular activities.  Despite the cold spell pupils have turned out in their numbers to partake in the extensive extra-curricular programme on offer at school.  We are pleased to announce that 175 pupils have attended the eight activities that have been on offer this week – a new record which we are very proud of.  The new extra-curricular timetable is out now so hopefully this will entice more pupils to get involved in some of the activities on offer.’  Please click the following link to view the extra-curricular timetable – https://www.boroughbridgehigh.com/general-letters/

Have a lovely weekend!

Wednesday was a triumph of a day! The inter form Tug of War competition took place for different year groups throughout the day. Everyone was involved including those participating and those supporting. Mr. Field and Mrs. Bradford had taken on the serious Christmas challenge as you can see and Festive music was played throughout with an occasional moment where all in the year group came as one to sing and dance. Points were awarded for wins and the quality of the support, resulting in an excellent event where our school values of being ambitious, respectful and resilient were seen in action.

At lunchtime on Wednesday, Christmas dinner was served with students also enjoying Christmas music and a celebratory cracker. 176 Christmas lunches in total were served and our thanks go to the catering team.

Finally, in the evening, it was our Awards Evening where we welcomed back the class of 2024. It was lovely to welcome ex-students and families back into school and to see what they’ve been up to since they left in June. Certificates were given out and prizes presented by members of our local community to students for their remarkable achievements.

And so to our whole school assembly this morning. As you’re aware, this has become a Boroughbridge High School tradition where we gather to celebrate our achievements, sharing many photos and awarding many certificates. We also announced the winners of the annual Christmas Door competition which has grown to new competitive heights particularly this year with Dr. Lefley’s form 8CL receiving a specially created award due to the brilliance of the idea and clever execution by all members of the form. There were also awards for Mr. Woodward’s form’s (11SW) BHS Actually door and the Pastoral Team door. Well done to all, it’s been great fun.

As you’ll have seen in the Headteacher’s update, today we’ve said thank you and farewell to Mr. Cockerill, Head of English, who as many of you will know, has been at Boroughbridge High School since 2003, teaching some of you as well as your children. During that time, he has had a number of roles, transforming the English curriculum to engage our young people. We wish him well as he leaves us to take up the post of Director of NATE (National Association for Teaching of English).

We’ve also thanked and said farewell to Miss Davies who teaches Maths and Miss Kelly who, along with teaching English, has led whole school PSHCE and developed the School Council who initiated the great Hide and Seek events. We wish them well as they move on to their new ventures.

Thank you for your support with the Friends of Boroughbridge High School chocolate raffle. £271 was raised which is a fantastic amount. The eight winners will now be enjoying their prizes.

Thank you too to everyone in our school community who has contributed to our reverse advent. We have collected two large boxes of food donations for the local food banks, raising money through cake, chocolate and sweet sales and have purchased a Crisis 9 day place, 2 Salvation Army family packages along with a £60 donation to The Harrogate Homeless Project. 

On behalf of the Boroughbridge High School team, I hope that you and your family have a very Happy Christmas and we send our best wishes for 2025. The Spring Term starts on Monday 6^th January 2025.

Following the Progress Exams a couple of weeks ago, Year 10 and 11 have been receiving their results. There’s been a sense of clear focus and ambition in follow up lessons where students have been reflecting on what’s gone well and what they can do to improve. Our second Parent/Carer evening for these year groups will be on January 22^nd where their progress will be discussed further. It’s an online event and you’ll receive further information of how to book appointments in the New Year.

As we creep towards the Christmas break, in Mr. Woodward’s assemblies he’s been exploring Christmas and Yuletide with students learning about connected traditions to indicate which festivals we’re celebrating. The heart warming conclusion was that both of these festivals are based around hope and new beginnings.

As anticipated, the Christmas Concert on Tuesday evening was a great event with a range of fantastic performances. We heard solo performances from James (guitar), Charlotte (piano), Larisa (vocal) and Rosey (piano), before hearing duets from Charlotte (vocal) and Rosey (piano) and Olivia (vocal) and Darcy (vocal). Austin (Piano), Bodie (drums) and James (guitar) gave a band performance. The Keyboard Club showcased an Abba classic and the Pop Choir showed their ever increasing confidence with harmonies in a number of songs. The student technical team made sure that all ran smoothly and for the finale the audience was invited to participate in ‘Santa Claus is coming to town’ so we finished with joyous singing all round. Well done to the students who participated and we thank Mr. Jackson for organising the event.

There is still time for you to buy raffle tickets in the Chocolate raffle organised by the Friends of Boroughbridge High School. Here’s the link. https://www.pta-events.co.uk/boroughbridgehighschool/index.cfm

With the final week of the Autumn term ahead of us, we have a number of festive events in the week ahead. We’ll be having an inter-form Tug-of-War competition on Wednesday 18^th December. Also on that day, Christmas Dinner will be served at lunchtime. Then on the final day of term (20^th December), students will be able to wear non-uniform with a Christmas theme if they wish. We’ll be having a whole school assembly during lesson 3. A reminder that school closes at 1.30p.m. on that day.

Have a lovely weekend!

In assemblies this week, Mrs. Godsell-Wright has been encouraging students to think of others at Christmas time and, in particular, those who may be homeless, unable to afford food or experiencing loneliness. Having explored what it may feel like to be in those situations, in order to show our support, we’ll be having a bake sale on Friday 13^th, collecting food for local foodbanks and writing Christmas cards for those in our community who may be alone at Christmas. We welcome donations.

Following on from Year 7 last week, Year 8 have received their Book Buzz books and, as you can see, they couldn’t wait to get started! The English team are looking forward to discussing their choices during lessons in the coming weeks.

There was a festive feel at the late night shopping event in Boroughbridge on Wednesday evening when, following the switch on of the Christmas tree lights, our Pop Choir entertained shoppers with an eclectic Christmas medley. They were excellent and gave us a flavour of what is to come at the Christmas concert next week which is at 6p.m. on Tuesday 10^th. All are welcome. 

Remaining on the Christmas theme, again this year we’ll be having an inter-form Tug-of-War competition which will be on Wednesday 18^th December. Further details will follow. This coincides with Christmas Dinner Day. Then on the final day of term (20^th December), students will be able to wear non-uniform with a Christmas theme if they wish. A reminder that school closes at 1.30p.m. on that day.

The English Department are currently running a Creative Writing Competition where students have been invited to write a Christmas ghost story. The deadline for submissions is Monday 16^th December.

In sporting news this week, Mr. Field reports, ‘Monday saw the Yr7 boys compete in their 7 a side football tournament at St Aidan’s school.  The boys played 6 games against Queen Ethelburga’s, Ermysteds, King James’s, St Aidan’s, Ashville and St John Fisher.  The boys showed great resilience throughout their matches as they found the opposition from the larger schools challenging.  They did manage to find the back of the net but unfortunately not enough times to register a victory.  The squad enjoyed their evening competing and are looking forward to future matches where they can showcase their talents.

The Yr8 boys had the misfortune of competing in their second successive 7 a side tournament during a torrential downpour of rain.  The boys showed excellent ambition and resilience in their approach to the games despite the unprecedented conditions.  Due to the large number of boys wanting to play we were the only school able to field two teams in the tournament which allowed more game time for all of the boys.  Both teams registered victories against King James’s and were convincingly victorious over St. Aidan’s to gain revenge for the County Cup exit earlier in the year.  The games provided another chance for the boys to demonstrate their footballing prowess in the lead up to the ESFA Small School Trophy fixture next Friday.’ 

A reminder that we have a vacancy for a Parent Governor. If you’re interested in the role, further details can be found at the link below. The closing date is 9 a.m. on 9^th December 2024.  Parent Governor Link

Finally, a message from the Friends of Boroughbridge High School, ‘The Friends of Boroughbridge High School are running a Christmas Raffle online.  There are some lovely chocolate hampers and other goodies to be won. Tickets are £1 each (plus a small booking fee to cover the cost of the platform we use) and can be bought online here:  Boroughbridge High School

As it is an online raffle slightly different gambling laws apply and you have to demonstrate a level of skill by answering a quiz question as you purchase your ticket. The random question generated caught us out but a quick google tells you the answer! You’ll need to register to buy tickets and once items are in your basket and you check out it will have a link to do this at the top of the page.

Ticket sales will close on Monday 16^th at 7pm and we will draw the prizes in time for them to be collected from school by the end of term. Chocolate prizes can be handed to students. A few prizes include alcohol that was kindly donated by parents but not used at the bingo night and these will need to be collected from the school office by an adult. 

 All  proceeds go to buying equipment for the school so please do ask your friends and family to buy a ticket or two.

 Many thanks for your support.’

 Have a lovely weekend!

There was much excitement for Year 7 on Thursday when they received their free book as part of the BookBuzz strategy. This is a scheme developed by the Book Trust to encourage young people to read. For us, this is an integral part of our Reading for Pleasure strategy. Students select from a range of books and, once they’ve read their own, are encouraged to swap so that they can enjoy further stories. If you’re interested in seeing the list of books and finding out more about them, they can be viewed at https://www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/programmes-and-campaigns/bookbuzz/students/bookbuzz-books/

Some students started the week with a cross country experience. Mr. Field reports ‘Monday saw 27 pupils from Boroughbridge High School take part in the Harrogate & Craven Cross Country Championships at Ripon Grammar School.  The bracing weather and the length of the course provided an ample challenge for the pupils as they competed against pupils from a multitude of schools from the area.  The course length of 2700m for the girls and 3400m for the boys tested their ambition and resilience as the undulations and soft ground proved more of a challenge than the qualifying school course at Boroughbridge.  Although not challenging for the qualifying positions for the Harrogate & Craven representative team, the pupils enjoyed partaking in the event and competing against other good athletes from the area.  J. Godley in Yr8 secured the best placing for the Boroughbridge team finishing 17th in the Junior boys (Yr8 & 9) category.  The wind swept students were glad to be back in lessons later in the afternoon away from the biting cold conditions!’

There has also been some exciting netball taking place. Mrs. Cheeseman reports,

‘Thursday evening is my favourite time of the week when I get to see the netballers. We’ve had brilliant numbers ranging up to 21 in total. It’s so lovely to have students from across KS3 attending and supporting each other in training and fixtures.

A highlight of this term has been the Year 9 players coming up with an ambitious target to raise money for new netball bibs for the season. They organised a bake sale and successfully raised the money. The PE department matched the money raised and bought a second set of bibs and a new match ball. Last week, the Year 9 netballers and super star Rova (Year 7) played Tadcaster Grammar School’s A Team. This was their first fixture of the season so there were a few nerves amongst the team. Unfortunately, we did not secure the win but the last quarter was a draw, so that’s a win in itself. I have to say I was really impressed with the amount of turn-overs that the team managed during the game. With more competitive experience I am more than confident we will be able to contest a re-match in the New Year. The player of the match was our captain, Daisy, always driving to get free into space. A special mention to Rova who played a fantastic half at GK, marking her player closely, despite being two school years younger. Well done, Alice W, Bella, Bodie, Daisy, Georgina, Millie, Maddie, Rova!’

Today has marked the final day of the Progress Exams so I’m sure that students in Years 10 and 11 will be looking forward to a revision free weekend. Much marking is now taking place across the school.

Our final total following our successful Children in Need fundraising a couple of weeks ago was a massive £892.25. This was raised through non-uniform day, craft sales and the much talked about Hide and Seek events. Winners were Alfie (Y8), Harley (Y10) and Ineta (Y11) and Maisie (Y11). Thank you for your generous contributions.

Next week, we have a Parent/Carer Information Evening on Thursday 5^th December at 6p.m. with a focus on attendance in the first half of the meeting and then you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions about any aspect of school life in the second half. Please e-mail schooladmin@boroughbridgehigh.com if you’d like to attend. As we move towards the festive season there are a couple of events for you to enjoy. Firstly, the Pop Choir have been invited to sing at the annual late night shopping event on 4^th December. They’ll be performing from 5.50p.m. until around 7p.m. at the tree in Hall Square. We then have our Christmas Concert in school at 6p.m. on Tuesday 10^th December. All are welcome.

Have a lovely weekend!

We were delighted to welcome Mr. Alder and Mr. Jackson from Boroughbridge Lions into school on Monday. They made a very kind donation to our Forest School which enabled us to buy a group shelter to allow sessions to take place in bad weather along with a set of sheath knives for wood crafting. They were able to see Forest School in action where Mr. Woodward reports that, ‘The session was introducing students to the sheath knife and using them to create feather sticks as an aid to help get a campfire burning, even when the wood being used is damp. The students engaged in the process of writing risk assessments for tool use and also re-capped some knot tying skills in a fast paced knot-tying race to try to warm them up in the sub-zero temperatures. The session ended with marshmallows toasted over the fire on sticks that the students had been whittled using the newly learnt forehand grip.’

The weather has certainly taken a wintry shift but extreme temperatures didn’t deter our Year 8 Football Team as they took on Hurworth School in Darlington in the second round of the ESFA Small Schools’ Trophy. Mr. Field reports,

‘The journey north was made in good spirits and the boys were greeted with a fantastic pitch to demonstrate their footballing prowess.  The game was a close affair in the early stages of the first half as Hurworth showed their credentials as quarter finalists in the competition last year.  The deadlock was broken shortly before half time by Burrell, who lashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range after the Hurworth goalkeeper had saved his earlier effort.  The half finished with Boroughbridge dominating proceedings with the midfield starting to gain control of possession.  The second half started much the same as the first with chances for both teams in front of goal, some superb goalkeeping by Searle protected the Boroughbridge advantage and it wasn’t long until the lead was doubled.  Burrell played a delightful cross field ball to B Godley who plucked the ball out of the air with a scintillating first touch before then going on to finish with aplomb.  This set the tone as confidence grew within the Boroughbridge team, Farnworth expertly dispatched a penalty low into the corner after excellent forward play in the penalty box by Godley drew a foul.  Burrell then completed his brace with a galivanting run down the wing before cutting inside to finish leaving the Hurworth goalkeeper no chance of stopping his driven shot.  The result was completed when Marshall proved his goal poaching instincts to prod in a goal at the far post after the Hurworth goalkeeper had been forced into another fine save.  The boys were commended by the staff at Hurworth for their composed approach to the game and the fine football that they showed in the game.  The next round will be played at home before the end of term with the fixture yet to be arranged.

Thursday saw the Yr10 boys take part in the Harrogate & Craven District 7 a side football tournament.  The boys braved the bracing weather conditions at Ripon Grammar school playing Ripon Grammar, Outwood Ripon, St John Fisher’s and Rossett.  The tournament started against the host school and the Boroughbridge boys displayed some nice passing football and steely determination to secure a 0-0 draw providing a boost of confidence.  Outwood Ripon proved to be a very competitive game with both teams having some good chances in front of goal and strong defending.  The Boroughbridge squad were tested throughout but proved resilient to secure yet another 0-0 draw.  The third game saw some of the best football played by the players and the first goals for Boroughbridge.  Wilson executed an exquisite turn and shot to fire the ball into the top corner of the Rossett goal. The team pushed forwards with great effect and allowed Wilson to again find the back of the net with an opportunist strike that caught the whole opposition off-guard.  The win provided the valuable points needed to top the tournament table leading into the last round of games, Boroughbridge needed to draw or win to secure the glory, their opposition, St John Fishers, needed victory to snatch the title.  The game was fraught with both teams being edgy with the title on the line, strong attacking play by Fishers was equally met by Boroughbridge defending and the game seemed destined to play out in the favour of Boroughbridge as a draw loomed.  With time ebbing away Fishers had one last attack.  With 10 seconds remaining they managed to find the target to the dismay of the whole Boroughbridge squad.  The team finished second overall in the tournament which they were duly proud of on reflection.  This gives a great timely boost to the squad after the County Cup exit to Sherburn and just before their upcoming fixture against Ermysted in the District Cup.’

After weeks of preparation, Progress exams are now underway for students in Years 10 and 11. They’ve made an excellent start and we’ve no doubt that further revision will be taking place over the weekend.

Earlier in the term, we saw Year 9 starting their dog building Art project which, at the time was looking challenging. Some weeks later the results show their level of perseverance and resilience as they have now been impressively improved as you can see!

Thank you to those parents who were able to attend the Careers Information evening last night. If you weren’t able to get there but want to know more then please go to https://www.boroughbridgehigh.com/curriculum/careershome/

Dates for your diaries

A reminder that it’s a Professional Development Day next Wednesday (27^th November) when students don’t attend school. Looking ahead, we have a Parent/Carer Information Evening on Thursday 5^th December at 6p.m. with a focus on attendance in the first half of the meeting and then you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions about any aspect of school life in the second half. As we move towards the festive season there are a couple of events for you to enjoy. Firstly, the Pop Choir have been invited to sing at the annual late night shopping event on 4^th December. They’ll be performing from 5.50p.m. until around 7p.m. at the tree in Hall Square. We then have our Christmas Concert in school at 6p.m. on Tuesday 10^th December. We’ll look forward to seeing you there.

Have a lovely weekend!