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“The only time you should look back is to see how far you have come”
As this academic year draws to a close I feel it is time to look ahead to the promise of fresh starts and resuming proper school life. We have learnt a lot this year about what school really means to our staff, pupils and parents. During the ‘first lockdown’ as it will be forever known, we had to hone our online teaching and learning skills and develop a whole new pedagogical approach to online learning. By the time the ‘second lockdown’ was with us and the technology had been mastered, we all realised how much of the community we were all missing. Learning was happening but despite everyone’s best efforts it has been incredibly difficult to replicate the fun, activities, trips, and community events that make Northampton High School the place we know and love. That is not to say there haven’t been wonderful events and experiences, such as the poetry extravaganza in Junior School, the pared-down Year 13 and Year 11 leavers’ events, huge amounts of outside learning this term, the Virtual Arts Festival, and Sports Days to name a few.
In September (and I am deliberately not going to add ‘restrictions permitting’) we need to bring the school back to life and there are many exciting things to look forward to. In 2022 we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the High School moving to the Hardingstone site and we look forward to celebrating with a festival (think Port Eliot or Hay) during the summer term. More on that next term! In the meantime, our revamped clubs and activities programme will give a breadth of opportunities for pupils of all ages to work and play together and learn from each other. The new enrichment programme for Years 10-13 will also give opportunities for developing knowledge and skills outside the curriculum. Our Diversity and Inclusion work continues, following the GDST Charter for Action, and next year our audit of diversity and inclusivity within the curriculum will be complete, allowing for further development in that area. We are determined to ensure that we have open conversations with parents, pupils, and staff about difficult issues in order that we can learn from each other and work together to bring our community together rather than divide For this to be truly embedded we need parents and pupils to engage with us and talk to us, so opportunities for this to happen will be shared with you in the new school year.
On the topic of working with parents, one of the most important aspects of school life is engaging with our parent community on a regular basis and this year, perhaps more than ever, parents have turned to school staff for advice on managing a range of situations with their children. We have organised a series of parent talks over the next academic year and we sincerely hope you find these useful. A full list will come your way in September, but topics we will be bringing to you for discussion are Gender Identity, Managing the Use of Technology in a Connected World, Relationships and Sex Education: the new curriculum, Supporting Parents and Pupils Dealing with Self Harm and Why Does my Daughter….? Additionally we will be resuming parent forums to explore school-specific services and issues with you in an open and connected way – beginning with a forum with our new Director of Finance and Operations who will be sharing his plans for catering, communications, and operations – plans which are well underway.
There is a lot to look forward to and please look out for my end-of-term letter which will outline some of these things in more detail and give some more operational information too. I wish you a restful summer, filled with family time and fun and we really cannot wait to welcome you all back in September.
Adèle O’Doherty
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Last Day Assembly: Photos
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To view lots more photos from the special assembly, please click here.
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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:
Eliza – achieved her green tag in Taekwondo this week to go next to the yellow tag she achieved a few weeks ago.
Leilana – she said, “I achieved distinction in my very first music exam (I play the piano). I played three songs and scales. When I went in I was a bit nervous but I managed to play all my pieces and am now working towards Grade 2.”
Maya A – has been part of the new HSBC advert. She said, “I achieved an award for being at Stagecoach for four years. I really like Stagecoach because it’s great fun and I am learning to dance, sing and act. Dancing is my favourite lesson. I like contemporary dance best.
Shanaya – entered into a competition by Compose Yourself, in which she composed, wrote and and played her own musical piece called ‘Walking on Thorns’ on her piano. She received a Distinction for her outstanding composition.
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High Sports - Summer edition out now
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We are delighted to share with you the latest edition of High Sports, recapping the world of sport at Northampton High for Summer 2021.
This edition takes a look back at our return to sporting fixtures, the fabulous Sports Day 2021, the successes of our school teams and the GDST Lockdown Dance Competion.
You can view the release by clicking here, and we look forward to reporting on more sporting successes and fixtures in the autumn term.
Mrs Blake
Director of Sport
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Friday 16 July 12.00 noon – end of Summer Term
Monday 6 September – start of Autumn Term
Have a lovely Summer!
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Nursery - Kipper Room and Elmer Room
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We started our week in Nursery practising our kicking skills, following on from the theme of England playing football on Sunday. The goals were set up during our PE lesson and the girls had a lot of fun.
On Wednesday we enjoyed a dressing up day. We had butterflies, fairies, princesses, builders and doctors. The pupils were very excited finding out what each person had come to Nursery dressed as.
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We have been preparing for the move to Pre School for some of our older pupils, talking about where we will be learning in September and walking round to the entrance.
As we come to the end of term we would like to wish you all a great summer!
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This week is the last for the Pre School Pupils who are moving into Reception. To celebrate the end of term and the move to ‘big school’ we have been talking about what happens next. Some of the girls have taken part in transition visits to their new class, and have shared the stories with their friends. Jasmine and Emily were excited by the gift that Mrs Farrah and Mrs Shaw gave them on their visit to Reception. Ella was extremely proud of the crown she made, and made extra ones for her Mummy and Daddy.
On Tuesday we took part in our last Pre School Ballet lesson. The link for the performance will be published soon. The girls have had the opportunity to watch themselves on the large screen in the classrooms, copying some of the moves.
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Wednesday was a fancy dress party day; there was singing, dancing, and party games all day long.
Thursday morning we had a great time at Forest School, Mrs Waters had planned some special surprises for us.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a fantastic summer and look forward to seeing all the children in their Reception uniforms in September.
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The last week of the school year and Reception class are still full of enthusiasm and good cheer! The girls have been demonstrating their improved writing skills, collaboration and determination to succeed in the tasks given.
After a very different year for us all, we have been immensely proud of how all of the class have adapted and coped. In our final week we have been reflecting on our achievements and looking forward to moving on to Year 1.
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A great class who have all made such progress as individuals and as a whole. We wish you all the very best and a restful and enjoyable summer holiday!
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Our final week in Year 1 was not as I had hoped it would be, but unsurprisingly the girls took the changes in their stride. Our last week was very different, but it was full of happiness, sharing memories and being together, albeit virtually, as a class.
We have looked back on our Summer topic, recognised all of the amazing learning that has taken place and we have reflected on our super achievements. I am so proud of my Year 1 class and all that they have accomplished this year, personally and academically. You are all super stars!
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On a personal note, I want to thank everyone for their kindness and support during my time working at Northampton High School. I have so enjoyed working with you and I will cherish the memories of my time spent here.
I wish you all the very best in the future and hope to keep in touch.
Have a wonderful, refreshing summer holiday!
Miss O’Mahony
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Our last week in Year 2 was certainly not as we would have liked it, but we made the best out of an unfortunate situation.
We resumed our Guided Home Learning schedule, and we were back talking and learning online like it was an old habit! All the girls worked so hard to complete their work and join our live calls. We shared some poetry together, a couple of birthday celebrations, a few games of bingo and some scavenger hunts too! Although our final week together didn’t quite go as planned we still managed to have fun together and keep in touch easily. Luckily for most of us it is not goodbye but see you in Year 3, however, we do say goodbye to Amelia this year who is moving to Estonia to start a new adventure at a new school – we all wish you good luck and we will miss you very much, Amelia!
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A huge thank you to all parents who have supported at home during this final week.
Wishing you all a safe and happy summer break, see you in September.
Miss Scott-Evans
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Year 3 continued to work hard this week completing their great stories about, ‘The Day I Swapped My Sister for….’. I was delighted to arrive back in school on Wednesday to see all the girls’ smiling faces, they had such a lot to tell me!
Mrs Luikinga and I have been very impressed with how the girls’ handwriting has improved and the last of the pen licences have been handed out. I am sure Mrs Shaw will be very pleased with their lovely joined-up styles.
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All of the staff in the Year 3 bubble would like to thank the girls and parents for their cards and generous gifts.
We wish you all a wonderful summer!
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We have had a fantastic last week in Year 4 working on Maths and English challenges, completing our DT projects and finishing our class book, Malamander, which we have really enjoyed. In PSHE we have continued learning about puberty and the changes to expect in our bodies, as well as coping with other changes in our lives.
The swimming gala on Monday and a trip to Forest School on Wednesday were enjoyed by all. My goodness, how this delightful class change character when you put a water pistol in their hands; beware over the summer!
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What the girls have said:
“In DT we finished our lamps. I enjoyed it because the lamps were really cool to build. My design was a penguin and there was a circuit at the back. It was really fun.” Harini.
“In Forest School we had a water gun fight and it was really fun. We got wet but we dried off eventually.” Ishani.
“This week I have enjoyed going to Forest School and doing Hapa Zome which is where you put plants on a piece of paper and some fabric on top and hammer over the plants. It turns out beautifully!” Zoe.
“I enjoyed finishing Malamander because I didn’t expect what happened but the ending was great!” Harriet.
I have had a fantastic year with Year 4, we have had lots of fun and laughter together despite the challenges we have faced this year. The girls have all worked so hard and they have been an absolute delight to teach. Thank you to all parents for your support this year.
Wishing you and your families a really enjoyable summer together.
Best wishes, Mrs Shaw
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It is always sad to say goodbye to a year group and this year is perhaps harder than ever. We have been through quite a journey together – from Guided Home Learning to enriching the curriculum in Covid-safe ways! Remarkably, this has all been done with good humour and our girls have continued to strive to be the best that they can be.
All of the girls are special in their own way and with continued determination and positivity will make this world a better place for everyone to live in.
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‘Our time in Year 6 has been really enjoyable and we have learnt so much about ourselves during our learning journey. There have been so many amazing opportunities including the Poetry Extravaganza, cricket matches, Hopping Across the Pond, GDST workshops, Drama lessons with Mo, our Valedictory Assembly, and meeting Year 7 and the Sixth Form to help with our smooth transition. We leave with mixed feelings – we are sad to say goodbye to our teachers and friends that are leaving, but we are really excited to continue our learning journey in Senior School and make new friends.’ Year 6
We wish all our girls the best of luck for the future and look forward to hearing about how well they are getting on in Senior School.
Remember to watch the Valedictory Assembly – you will be really proud of the year group and how eloquently they speak! You can find the recording of the event by clicking here, and view an album of photos by clicking here.
Have a wonderful holiday and enjoy spending time with family and friends.
Karen Fordham and Nicola Taylor
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We would like to remind parents of the following medical notices ahead of the autumn term:
– Junior school pupils’ emergency medication (inhalers, adrenalin auto-injectors) is kept with class teacher.
– Senior school pupils are expected to keep emergency medication on them at all times.
– Spare emergency medication for each pupil is kept in either Junior/Senior medical room and parents are contacted directly to ensure these are in date and replenished when needed.
Pupils may only be given over the counter medication (e.g. paracetamol, ibuprofen, cetirizine) if we are in possession of consent via SIMS Parent. Please ensure this is kept up to date to avoid delays in administering medication when a pupil is unwell.
Save the date – Influenza vaccination programme: Reception students to Year 6 – Monday 20 September. Consent letter to be sent out in September.
Mrs Dunkley
School Nurse
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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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