Category : Headteacher’s Blog

We’ve now completed the second week of our new timetable and if you think the pace is slowing as we move towards the Summer break, you’d be wrong! Tuesday was an important day for our new Year 11 students who continued on their post -16 careers journey at the Careers Networking event. Students certainly looked the part as they arrived wearing business clothing. Following an assembly and lesson exploring different careers and skill requirements they took part in a ‘Meet the Employer’ event where they interviewed local, national and international employers to find out about a range of different careers and employment sectors. Along with learning a great deal, students had the opportunity to think seriously about their next steps and also thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Whilst the Careers event was taking place, over in the Assembly Hall, Year 8 had gathered with the English Team to reveal the winners of ‘The Joy of Reading’ photography competition. It was a great opportunity to celebrate two passions and the quality was so high that there were two winners in 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place! So in 1^st place were George and Abdullah, in 2^nd place, Amelia and Millie and in 3^rd place, Edith and Laila, and Ben. Very impressive indeed.

For those who just missed out, the next challenge is going to be a Summer Reading Photo competition. We’ll look forward to seeing the entries.

Staying on the creative theme, our Year 11 Art students were delighted to be invited to Boroughbridge Primary School on Monday to use their skills to transform a Library space. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience and created artwork which will be hopefully be enjoyed by many for years to come.

It’s also been an exciting week, welcoming Year 6 students to our school community to prepare them for their start in Year 7 in September. We were delighted to welcome parents and carers along with their children on Monday so that they could meet their Form Tutor and find out more about the school, before starting the first of three Induction Days on Wednesday. Students have experienced a wide range of subjects, met with lots of staff, familiarised themselves with classroom routines and discovered what an amazing food range we have available at lunchtimes! Older students have formed an important part of the Induction Days, acting as guides to make sure that everyone knew where they were going. We’ve had a great week and are looking forward to welcoming students back for Summer school before the Autumn Term starts.

With vaping widely reported as being an issue for young people, in assemblies this week Mr. Grierson has been sharing the facts about the possible dangers both in the short and long term of using vapes.

We’ve had 50 responses to our question around having online or face to face Parent/Carer Evenings next year. There’s still time to respond so if you’d like to share your views, please go to https://forms.gle/R83beU84FzosVLrw7. The deadline is Monday 12^th July.

This weekend students in Years 10 and 11 will be carrying out their Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award Qualifying Expedition and we’ve got a number of trips to look forward to next week. Next Friday afternoon will be our Sports Day and further information about this will follow next week.

Have a lovely weekend!

Oh what a night! As you can see, the Year 11 Prom last Friday was a great success. With sparkles and smart suits, the evening gave staff and students alike the opportunity to celebrate. Students arrived in tractors, a pick up, tractor units, a caravan, a Mustang and a Lamborghini. After a lovely three course meal, everyone danced the night away. Our students, as ever, were polite, considerate, thankful and happy which was great to see. Our thanks go to Mrs. Godsell-Wright for organising the event and to The Bridge Inn for making it a special evening.

This week has marked the start of our 2023 – 2024 timetable with students quickly becoming familiar with new classes and, at times, new teachers. The focus of assemblies this week has therefore been on reinforcing our school standards with our collective responsibility to act in a way which ensures that all are safe, happy and successful. In particular, we explored how students maximise learning when they Arrive on time, Be prepared, Contribute, Develop thinking and Engage with learning.

I was delighted to receive some new artwork for my office produced by Freya, Annabel, Kiki and Oliver, four of our Year 9 students. This impressive dystopian art was inspired by SweetTooth and their own English work.

Last night the Summer Sounds concert became a lovely Open Mic night where parents, carers and students were treated to a range of performances including piano, guitar, flute, drums, vocalists and the school choir. Well done to all.

We have another exciting week ahead as we welcome our new Year 7 students for their Induction Days from Wednesday to Friday.

Have a lovely weekend!

Late on Sunday evening, 60 excited Year 7 students and 5 members of staff climbed aboard the coach, destination Normandy. We’ve had selected messages and photos over the last few days, so we know the ferry crossing was great, the hotel comfortable and the snail sampling variable! They are due back in Boroughbridge late this evening so I’m sure we’ll hear of lots more adventures in the week ahead.

Back in school, Mr. Woodward reports, ‘Wednesday was the Summer Solstice and, while “Tree Dressing Day” isn’t until December the 4th, we thought we’d get out and dress the tree that welcomes visitors to Boroughbridge High School. Ribbon, painted sticks, knitting and homemade leaf bunting adorned with quotes inspiring people to appreciate the natural world were draped and tangled around the tree. This activity formed part of a range of tasks that some of our students have been engaging in as part of the Woodland Trust Green Tree Schools Award that we’re currently working on.

But what is “Tree Dressing”? I hear you cry! It’s an event created in 1990 with the aim of encouraging people to engage with and celebrate nature in a non-religious homage to ancient rituals from around the world. Common Ground, the organisation who developed the idea of Tree Dressing Day, say,  Trees have long been celebrated for their spiritual significance. The simplicity of tying strips of cloth or yarn to a tree is universal and timeless. The old Celtic custom of tying cloth dipped in water from a holy well to a ‘clootie tree’ echoes the practice in

Japan of decorating trees with strips of white paper, or tanzaku, bearing wishes and poems. The twenty-first century trend of ‘yarn bombing’ in Europe and North America transforms the local landscape with bright fabrics and yarns, like the Buddhist tradition of tying ribbons around the trunk of the Bodhi tree in homage to Buddha, or the annual Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan when coloured strings are tied onto trees and plants to call upon the power of nature to protect loved ones.

So, well done to Spencer, Piran, Oliver, Stan, Tyler, Tyla, Freya, Kowenna, Scarlett and Ruby for your excellent work and a special mention to Chloe and Katie from Year 3 at Boroughbridge Primary School for providing some lovely finger knitting to add to our decorations!’

Whilst some of Year 7 were in France the rest of the year group were immersed in poetry on Wednesday. Mrs. Macadam reports, ‘Year 7 spent an intense day on Wednesday with poets Rose Drew and Alan Glitch, owners and publishers of Stairwell books in York.  They learned the art of writing and performing poetry.  Each and every student responded enthusiastically to the workshop and the poets and teachers were stunned by the quality of the work that was produced during the day.  It was wonderful to see them grow and to see even the shyest of students go from reluctant to confident performers by the end of the day.  The visiting poets commented not only on the quality of the work but the immaculate behaviour of the students and their respect and encouragement of each other. It was a proud moment for the staff. ‘

Following the success of the inaugural Colour Run last year, 83 girls set off on Thursday to the North Yorkshire Sport Wellbeing Festival, held in Dalby Forest which featured team and individual activities created to support, listen, engage and challenge students through a fun creative and interactive experience including laser tag, yoga and rural Art. The Colour Run itself was a 2km course set within the forest with students starting the course in a white t-shirt and ending with a joyful rainbow of colour! A great time was had by all.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Knock took a team of students to Leeds for a day of inspiration and discovery all focused on women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) industries hosted by Stemettes and NewDay. Mrs. Knock e-mailed during the morning session to say ‘There are three other schools here and our students are currently in groups designing a chat bot for a financial website. So proud of the girls! They are working with other schools in groups, taking leading roles and making fab contributions.’ Purwa and Maddison’s group won the group competition. Well done!

The exam season is now over and we’re so proud of the way in which Years 10, 11 and 13 have approached this exam season. Year 11 will begin their celebrations with the Prom this evening. We’ll show you the photos next week!

And so, on Monday, we begin our new timetable. Not only does this enable us to create sufficient time to teach our option subjects at GCSE through our Stage not Age approach but it also gives all students a renewed sense of focus as we move towards the end of term. An added benefit is that it reduces anxiety over the Summer holiday as students have already experienced four weeks of their new timetable, new classes and new teachers and teachers can plan effectively for the year ahead, having already met and got to know their classes. Gains all round!

A reminder that it’s our Summer Music concert next Thursday evening at 6.30p.m.   All are welcome.

 

With the summery weather upon us, it was the perfect time for Year 9 to embark upon their trip to Bewerley Park. Mr. Grierson reports, ‘39 intrepid young adventurers and 4 enthusiastic staff members enjoyed 3 action packed days at Bewerley Park Outdoor Education Centre.  Resilience and team work were the order of the day as the students were given the opportunity to squeeze through the tightest spaces as they scaled Brimham Rocks.  Mrs Murphy successfully navigated the ‘cheese press’ and Mrs. Cummins the ‘leap of faith’!  As the scorching weather continued throughout the week, the students took every opportunity to cool down in the local rivers and ponds whilst kayaking, canoeing or paddle boarding. The ghyll scrambling was a particularly popular activity as students climbed up a stream, dived into plunge pools and slid down natural inclines. For those with a head for heights there was the High Ropes activities including a leap of faith to catch a trapeze high up in the summer sky. In the evenings there was a walk through the stunning countryside, orienteering and Mr Field’s nightly rounders games.  Students acquitted themselves well, doing themselves and school proud.’

There’s been excitement in the school too this week with Mr. Woodward reporting that ‘The Woodland Trust Green Tree Award Group spent some time in the woodland area on the school site putting their photography and observation skills to the test. Their challenge was to take photos of nature from different perspectives. We discussed how looking at the same place from a myriad of different viewpoints can reveal entirely different experiences and how often we can find a much more interesting and inspiring view of things not by going somewhere new but by looking at the familiar in a different way (a good metaphor for life in general).  Students were then free to explore the woodland with them lying on the ground, climbing trees and getting up close with plants, trees and fungi to see things differently.’

Meanwhile, in Science, Year 8 have been investigating the forces involved in flying. Dr. Lefley reports that ‘After learning about the theory of flight, students went on to construct a scale model of a hand glider.  Using moments to ensure the models were correctly balanced, they then went on to test their projects. Many flew on their maiden flight, however a couple didn’t quite make it!

In assemblies this week, Harrogate College came in to speak to Year 10 about the range of pathways open to them post-16 before sharing information about the courses that they have on offer. Years 7 to 9 heard about the World Cup from Mrs. Godsell-Wright whilst also celebrating the wider benefits that playing football brings.

Continuing, of course, have been the Summer exams which, by this time next week, will have been completed with the Year 11 Prom to look forward to. Year 7 are also looking ahead with eager anticipation to their trip to Normandy.

We’ll have lots to tell you about in the coming weeks.

Have a lovely weekend!

I hope you had a good half term break. It was great to welcome students back to school on Monday for the last few weeks of our 2022-2023 timetable. You’ll be aware that we move to our new school year and new timetable before the Summer break, to maximise our learning time. This year it will be from 26th June.

In assemblies this week, Mrs. Godsell-Wright has been looking at ethical consumerism, considering how products are marketed to attract young people, what affects the decision-making process and the impact of our possible purchases. It was lovely to see so many students sharing their ideas and participating in the assemblies. 

On Wednesday after school, we welcomed local employers to meet with staff during one of our professional development sessions. Using a speed dating approach, we were able to talk to employers and recruiters from Rabbit Hill, Yoke, the Army, Reed Boardall and Nidd Hall to gather information about the skills and attributes they’re looking for in our young people along with giving information about the wide range of employment and training opportunities that they offer in our local area. As part of our CEIAG Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance programme, Year 10 will have their own opportunity in a couple of weeks to meet with employers and ask their own questions. You can find out more at https://www.boroughbridgehigh.com/curriculum/careershome/

In sporting news, our congratulations go to Sid in Year 7 who had a very successful time at the Dwarf Sports Association national games over half term in Birmingham, bringing home 11 medals. He won four gold medals in 400m cycling, 50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke and basketball, three silver medals in 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle and shotput and four bronze medals in 40m sprint, 60m sprint, 4 x 60m relay and javelin. An amazing achievement and we wish him well for his training at Bath University for the world games in Germany in the summer.

On Thursday morning, rugby was the focus for Year 8 boys who were coached by a York City Knights coach in preparation for the Emerging 9’s Rugby League tournament which takes places in a couple of weeks in Warrington.

We’re got a number of trips coming up this term beginning with our residential for Year 9 to Bewerley Park next week and the following week Year 7 will be going on their international trip to Normandy.

With the weather forecast predicting temperatures around 25 degrees next week, students will have the option not to wear their blazer. All other uniform requirements will remain in place. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Headteacher’s Blog – Friday 28^th April 2023

The weather forecast last weekend wasn’t particularly promising for our Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition but this didn’t faze our team of 22 students who, demonstrating great resilience, completed a very successful expedition. Mrs. Murphy, who led the expedition, said, ‘They all did brilliantly, starting in pouring rain with some of them having soggy boots for the whole weekend. All of the students have proved that they can do it, and know what they need to work on for their assessed weekend in July.’ Our congratulations go to the 22 students and our thanks go to Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Bauwens, Mr Field and Mrs. Macadam for making the expedition possible.

With the cherry blossom on the trees, it really feels like we’re marching towards Summer. Talking about making the most of every moment in Mrs. Godsell-Wright’s assemblies this week she’s been focusing on the importance of approach and attitude. In particular, the 3 ‘P’s, Plan, Prepare and Progress which is particularly pertinent for our Key Stage 4 and 5 students whose exams are underway with the GCSE Art exam this week and French speaking exams and PE moderation next week.

Mrs. Wellock and 7EnA1 had an excellent end to the week last week when, following their study of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and research of the Globe for homework, they brought in their own model versions as you can see. Mrs. Wellock reports that James, Grace, Alice B, Tristan and Henry received some pick and mix as a ‘well done!’ for their efforts.

If you have younger children you may already know that this morning twelve of our Year 10 Sports Leaders have been to Long Marston Primary School to lead a dodgeball tournament for children in Years 1 to 6 from eight local primary schools. It was, by all accounts, a great success. This is just one of the strategies that we have in place to support students in developing their leadership skills. At lunchtime today the School Council, with a successful Bake Sale, raised £83.86 to support people in Ukraine and Malawi.

We have an opportunity for you to get involved in the strategic direction of the school as a parent governor. You will have received a letter on Thursday 27th April with further details. The closing date for nominations is 9a.m. on 12^th May 2023.

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend!

 

It was good to welcome students back to school this week following the Easter break. I hope that you were able to make the most of the Bank Holiday weekend. Years 13, 11 and 10 now have their A-level, GCSE and BTEC exams in sight and we’re all looking forward to the trips and activities that the Summer Term brings.

The importance of reading in supporting success both within and beyond school is unquestionable and consequently, as you’re aware, reading is a big focus for us at BHS. Over the last year or so, we’ve developed a calendar of events to encourage a love of reading. You’ll have found out about these in Mrs. Wellock’s regular reading updates. Alongside this we have reading in Form Time and each subject area has developed strategies and  activities to use in lessons to support students in developing their reading fluency whilst also ensuring that all students can access the curriculum. However, we are also conscious of the Ofsted research published in October 2022, that outlined that nationally,

‘Each year around one quarter of 11-year-olds do not meet the expected standard in reading at the end of primary school. Fewer than 1 in 5 of these pupils can expect to get a GCSE grade 4 in English.’

and we are keen to continue to accelerate students’ reading progress as they move into Year 7 and through our school. Visits to primary schools and conversations with Year 6 teachers enable us to establish students’ reading competency and this, along with KS2 data and screening, enables us to identify where specific intervention is needed. To enhance our offer further and ensure we support phonics, after school on Wednesday, staff had a professional development session with a primary specialist where we gained a real insight into the way that phonics is used to teach reading in primary schools and how we can all build upon this systematically for impact in the secondary classroom.

We were delighted to welcome Mrs. Ennis, our new Head of History, to BHS this week and today we said farewell to Mrs. Brown who has worked as a Teaching Assistant. We thanked her for the significant impact that she’s had not only in lessons but also in extra-curricular activities and wish her well in her new post.

This weekend we have a group of Year 9 and Year 10 students undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition. We wish them well.

Looking ahead to next week, we have Student Council Fundraising Week to raise money to support people in Ukraine and Malawi. There will be lots of lunchtime activities across the week including Guess the name of the Teddy, Sponge a Teacher, a Cake decoration competition and a Bake Sale. So students may like to bring some money with them.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

 

As we come to the end of the Spring Term, we have much to celebrate! This term has seen a mass of engaging classroom learning, extra-curricular activities and sporting fixtures.

Following the success of the Year 7 Rocket Car Challenge last Friday the winners were announced. Coming in at a speed of 75 mph were Bella, Ella and Astrid with two groups as runners up at 68 mph. Ben, Theo and Charlie along with Emily, Olivia and Alex. Congratulations to all.

It’s been an exciting sporting week too. Mr. Field reports that,

‘Tuesday saw the Yr7 & 8 boys take on their first Rugby League tournament representing Boroughbridge High School.  Following on from the progress and enthusiasm in recent lessons 26 boys attended after school practice to try and secure a place for the tournament.  The commitment of the boys was exceptional and it became clear that the selection process would be an arduous task.  At the tournament the boys were divided into two playing groups, both teams containing a mix of experienced players and keen sports players.  It was a topsy turvy tournament in concern to the results obtained by both teams. Boroughbridge 1 won their first two games against York High and Manor Academy but lost hard contested games against Tadcaster 1 and King James’s.  Boroughbridge 2 lost their first two games against Vale of York and Manor 2 but nerves settled and confidence grew in the remaining two fixtures with victories against Tadcaster 2 and Huntington.  The boys were rightfully proud of their performance and gave a good representation of Boroughbridge in both their rugby ability and sportsmanship.  We hope that this first tournament since the pandemic is a stepping stone to further rugby success for Boroughbridge High School.’

With the Easter break upon us, Mr. Woodward’s assemblies this week have focused on the move from Winter to Spring and the Hope, New Life, Opportunity and Potential that it brings. He then, as you’d expect with his expertise and knowledge in RE, showed how these themes are reflected through World Religions. He also discussed that often Struggle, Difficulty, Pain and Perseverance are a necessity in order to achieve the positive themes, showing students the relevance of this to their own lives.

It was the Easter music concert last night where a wide range of performances were delivered with great skill and enthusiasm. Alongside this, a quiz and a raffle made for a very enjoyable evening. James, on guitar, performed Live Forever by Oasis, Millie the Wizard of Oz, on flute. Rosey played Bohemian Rhapsody on Piano and Antonio, Max, Ben and Rosey performed Lose Yourself. Rosey (on piano) and Charlotte (vocals) performed Titanium and This is the Life whilst Emily and Olivia performed a lively dance on violin. Ben performed Karma Police on guitar with vocals. The pop choir also put in a couple of performances including Viva la Vida, Thousand Years and Harry Styles’ As it Was. Rose and Neve played Clocks and Rose performed Ballad as a solo. All sound was managed by Maddie, and the evening came to a close with a group rendition, with audience participation, of We Will Rock You including vocals from Mr. Grierson. Congratulations to the performers and our thanks go to Mrs. Skilbeck and our parent volunteers. A total of £100 was raised.

Today we say farewell to Mrs. Lake and thank her for the great contribution that she’s made to our school community including teaching three subjects at A-Level, supporting students with UCAS applications, teaching English and working across the school on curriculum. We wish her well in her new role.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Have a lovely Easter break and we’ll look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday 17^th April.

 

 

It’s that time of year when the blossom comes out on the trees at the front of school and Year 11 receive their Leavers’ Hoodies which now, as they move through their final weeks at Boroughbridge High School, becomes part of the Year 11 uniform. GCSE Progress exams were completed this week with the French Speaking exams and students are now receiving results, helping them to understand what they need to achieve in the coming weeks. 

Year 8 have had their own experience of exams in the Hall this week and Year 7 get the same opportunity next week. 

In assemblies this week, Mrs. Bauwens has been marking World Water Day (22nd March) which is held to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and the need to sustainably manage our freshwater resources by discussing changes that we can each make to collectively have a greater impact. Students watched the official World Water Day video starring the hummingbird who, in the ancient tale, faced with a great fire makes the decision to start to act, trying to put the fire out one drop at a time. The other animals laugh, but the hummingbird replies, “I’m doing what I can.” The short film then tells the story of the global water and sanitation crisis as if the world were a community of just 100 people. 

You can watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUkj3uwCPSE

It’s been the Year 7 Rocket Car challenge today. This morning students designed and created their cars, working as a team, before the racing began this afternoon. We’ll look forward to hearing who designed the fastest car!

 A reminder that it’s our Easter concert next week on Thursday 30th March at 6.30p.m. in the Main Hall. Entry is £3 or £2 for concessions. All are welcome.

Staying with the musical theme, Mrs. Skilbeck wanted to share that it is the Open Day on Saturday at the music centre in Northallerton where ‘Potential young players are welcome to come along on Saturday the 25th of March any time between 9:30 and 11:30am. Visitors can take the opportunity to have a look round, find out what we do and have a go on Clarinet, Trumpet or Violin. No experience is necessary, just bring along plenty of enthusiasm and a passion for making music. New members wishing to join us will be able to start from scratch in a new group from the Summer Term, with up to half a term free of charge. Young players with existing experience will be directed into one of our established ensembles.’  You can find out more at  http://www.northallertonmusiccentre.co.uk/home/and Mrs. Skilbeck will be there as a familiar face if any of our students are interested in attending.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headteacher’s Blog – 17th March 2023

A very well attended Options Evening on Tuesday showed the level of thought and consideration that goes into determining the next stage of education. After a talk in the Hall to put our aspirational curriculum into context, parents, carers and students had the opportunity to talk to option subject teachers about what the KS4 qualifications entail along with speaking to core subject teachers about progress being made. There is now a week for final choices to be made and returned via Google Form.

Assemblies this week also had a theme of the future and, as it’s British Science Week, Mr. Scott talked about the relevance of Science in all aspects of life both now and in the future. Students looked at the timeline of the development of mobile phones with disbelief whilst staff chuckled, remembering the early phones with a battery life of 2 hours and their only capacity to make a phone call! The clear message though was that Science has an important part to play in solutions around health, the planet and technological innovation. You can find out more at https://www.britishscienceweek.org/

On Wednesday we had our Professional Development Day and, whilst it’s often a mystery to students what happens on these days, let me reveal that staff maximised their time through professional development and discussion around areas which help us to challenge, motivate and support our young people including Curriculum, Climate for Learning, Safeguarding updates and Reading. 

Years 10 and 11 have been fully engaged in their second set of Progress exams as we march, at pace, towards the GCSE and BTEC Summer exam season. Year 8 have their own exams next week, followed by Year 7 the week after. 

Today has been non-uniform day as we’ve raised money for Comic Relief, making our contribution to projects in the UK and around the world supported by the charity which has been in existence for 38 years. How many red noses have you purchased over the years?

We’ve welcomed Mrs. Broadhurst as Pastoral Manager this week who will be working alongside Mrs. Hirst and Mrs. Donnelly.

Advance notice that in a couple of weeks’ time we have our Easter concert at 6.30p.m. on Thursday 30th March. All are welcome. 

Have a lovely weekend!