Category : Headteacher’s Blog

There was an air of eager anticipation as the Year 9 football set off in torrential rain on Tuesday. Mr. Field reports, ’The Yr9 boys continued their ESFA Small Schools Cup journey this week with a quarter final clash against The Priory Belvoir Academy from Nottinghamshire.  The weather posed challenges for the hosting of the fixture with the decision made to relocate the game from Boroughbridge to York St. John University Sports Fields complex.  A special mention to the help and support from staff at Boroughbridge and York St John University for making this possible for the boys.  The facility was a fitting venue for the quarter final and the boys rose to the challenge of this important fixture.  The focus of the team was evident from the kick off, a driven, resilient mindset was shared by the Boroughbridge boys and the team started to control the game in the early exchanges.  As both teams weighed each other up, confidence grew in the Boroughbridge ranks as they peppered the Priory Belvoir goal.  ‘Hatrick Patrick’ opened the Boroughbridge account with a fine poacher’s goal, prodding in from close range after the goalkeeper spilled another shot on his goal.  Shortly after Priory Belvior equalised through a quick break catching out the Boroughbridge defence.  At half time, refuelling on Mrs Godsell-Wright’s Jelly Babies, the team talked through the game plan to secure the tie.  The plan was executed expertly and soon into the second half Farnworth added a smartly dispatched goal to the tally.  Boroughbridge continued to dominate possession and the wave of attacks continued to ask questions of the opposition defence.  The added pressure paid dividends as the game was drawing towards its conclusion, ‘Hatrick Patrick’ evaded the opposition defenders and calmly slotted home past an advancing goalkeeper. The Boroughbridge team saw out the remaining minutes still pushing forwards to further extend their lead, not allowing even a hint of complacency to set in.  At the final whistle both teams congratulated each other on a fittingly competitive quarter final, staff from Priory Belvoir were very complimentary about both the performance and conduct of the boys who fully deserved the accolades.  Boroughbridge now progress to the semi-final stage of this national competition, we await the draw to find out our next challenge.’ We are all very proud of both the team’s achievement and their approach. We’ll be wishing them well for the next round.

In Forest School this week, Mr. Woodward reports, ‘It’s January, it’s cold and you have hours ahead of you outside with a biting wind chilling you to the bone. What is your priority? Shelter. 

Students excelled today, quickly crafting notched tent pegs from branches using a combination of knife techniques, including baton, forehand and thumb-push grips. These were then used to construct an effective waterproof and windproof single-pole tipi-tent from a tarpaulin sheet. Once inside, the students quickly warmed through as their body heat was trapped and the wind blocked out.’ 

In assemblies this week, Mrs. Godsell-Wright started with the theme of waste and talked with students about what they do when they throw away their rubbish and the care that they can take to be sustainable. Students were invited to share their opinions with many of them doing so. Mrs. Godsell-Wright then related this approach to relationships and friendships and the characteristics needed for successful ones. Students had the opportunity to reflect on their own actions.

We were delighted to welcome back Dishforth Church of England Primary School on Wednesday, this time to carry out exciting Science experiments separating mixtures with Dr. Lefley. The experiments went well with many skills being developed and accurate conclusions drawn.

Next Wednesday is Year 8 Parent/Carer evening. We’ll look forward to seeing you then.

Have a lovely weekend!

We began the week with great excitement. Mr Field reports,

‘The Year 9 boys took to the road on Monday for the long trip to Louth, Lincolnshire.  The Small Schools’ Cup game was eagerly anticipated by the boys and they were ready to test themselves after the tough fixture against Barlby in the previous round.  The team started the game in confident form and created numerous chances in the opening minutes, peppering the King Edward’s Grammar School goal but to no avail.  Former hatrick hero Patrick opened the scoring for Boroughbridge with a classic poachers goal from close range.  The lead didn’t last long as concentration lapsed moments later for King Edward’s to level the score.  Undeterred, the Boroughbridge boys continued to play some attractive football and took command of the midfield battleground.  When captain Burrell placed the ball for a free kick just inside the opposition half, nobody was expecting the sumptuous delivery that flew into the goal catching the defence by surprise.  Nearing half time the game was proving to be a great footballing spectacle and King Edward’s added to their goal tally to make sure the game was tied at the half time break.  After refuelling on jelly babies kindly supplied by Mrs Godsell-Wright and talking through some tactics the boys turned the screw and scored two goals within the first five minutes of the second half.  Layton expertly placed his shot into the far corner of the goal before ‘Hatrick Patrick’ acquired his brace calmly slotting the ball past the oncoming goalkeeper.  The Boroughbridge boys continued to dominate possession and put a truly professional performance.  Minutes from the end Farnworth delivered another thunderbolt to make the scoreline 2-5 and put the tie beyond doubt.  The victory secured passage into the quarter finals of the English School FA Small Schools’ Cup, an amazing feat for the boys, who can now proudly say they are one of the top eight small schools in their age group.  The Priory Belvoir Academy await in the quarter finals next week, we hope the boys continue with this fine form and get the chance to experience even higher accolades.’

We’re really proud of the team and are looking forward to the next round.

In Forest School this week, Mr. Woodward reports, ‘A cold, wet, woodland greeted the forest school group this week (as it seems to most weeks at the moment) but, undeterred by the conditions, the students threw themselves into the session with gusto. Strategy, teamwork, communication, patience and spatial awareness were all put to the test as the group took on a competitive challenge to remove sticks from a pile without disturbing any other branches. Next, an activity which took students out of their comfort zone as they were guided around the woodland by a partner whilst wearing a blindfold; as part of this challenge students were required to use senses other than their sight to identify a specific tree and it’s whereabouts in the woodland encouraging a more immersive sensory experience of the natural environment. Finally, teams were challenged to build the highest possible platform that they could, using material from the woodland environment and knot tying skills they had developed. Some very different approaches to the challenge ensued with Alfie, Tyler, Coby and Hugo emerging victorious.’

Mr. Woodward has been continuing with the outdoors theme in assemblies this week where he’s explored, using evidence, the link between the decline in young people’s mental health and the increase in the amount of time young people spend indoors. Interestingly, this trend has occurred following the widespread use of the internet. Its estimated that, if we live to the age of 80 years, we spend 72 of them indoors, a staggering fact! The link was then made between a time before the internet when young people spent more time outdoors with others. Even just spending 20 minutes outside each day can have a positive impact and so the conclusion was ‘Less Screen Time, More Green Time!’

In other sporting news this week, Miss Robson reports,

‘Yesterday we welcomed our federated partners, King James’s School, to play a friendly netball fixture. This time it was our Year 9s that took to the court with a mixture of experience. It’s always reassuring to hear “how do you even play netball?” minutes before the start of the game! I assure you, we have covered netball, thoroughly, in Physical Education lessons and once that player took to court she remembered what to do! The first quarter was promising with a score of 3 – 1 to KJS. A pep talk about our plan for centre passes eased nerves on court. KJS continued to pull away, winning 15 – 2. They had 14 players so fresh legs were an advantage to their game play compared to our 9. Our girls showed determination and resilience as the game was 4 x 10 minutes, much longer than they have played before. Well done, Darcy who was named player of the match. Also, our captain, Daisy, showed her versatility playing three positions throughout the game. 8 netballers from other year groups came to watch and support the match! Thank you for raising the team spirit. 

A reminder that netball club is not on Thursday 29th as the Year 8s are travelling to Balby High School to play.’

Mr. Field reports, ‘The Yr10 boys had a tough away fixture against Ermysted’s Grammar School in Skipton on Wednesday.  In unpleasant January weather, the boys showed good determination and resilience throughout the District Cup quarter final game.  The opposition proved the be well organised and took a 4-0 lead into the half time break.  Some substitutions and tactical changes in the second half made the boys more competitive but the boys struggled to retain possession and with tired legs, could not stop the continuous attacks.  The game finished 8-0 to the opposition but valuable lessons have been learnt for future games.’

It was our virtual KS4 Parent/Carer evening on Wednesday. Thank you to those who attended. It was great to hear about the many positive conversations which were taking place about success in the Progress Exams and what now needs to be done for further progress to be made.

Have a lovely weekend!

As part of our CEIAG (Careers education, information, advice and guidance) programme Mrs. Mannion, our Careers Adviser, is meeting with Year 11 students for one to one guidance meetings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays this term. Mrs. Mannion has commented,

‘What a privilege it is to meet our year 11 students, each one putting a plan in place for Post 16, and it is clear that students have really listened well to the range of speakers, employers, sixth form colleges, and further education providers who have been into school to talk to them in recent weeks and months. This term I have met with students who are planning to become Marine Biologists, Screenwriters, Forensic Scientists, Electricians, Veterinary Nurses, Engineers, Cabin Crew, Plumbers, Paramedics, and Police Officers (to name a few).’

Many students have been to taster events too, and are continuing to go to open evenings to help inform their decision-making. You can find out more about at

https://www.boroughbridgehigh.com/curriculum/careershome/

Students in Years 10 and 11 have now received their Progress Exams results and have their online Parent/Carer evening next Wednesday. We introduced this additional event so that we can have quality conversations following the exams to discuss strengths and areas to develop. Students will then have the opportunity to demonstrate their progress during the next series of exams, which are at the beginning of March. This week our Revision Session programme has also begun in earnest with students having the opportunity to maximise their lunchtimes and time after school.

This week in assemblies, we’ve been looking at the importance of Maths and how it forms part of our everyday lives and is at the heart of many careers including being a film maker, climate scientist and civil engineer. By the end of the assembly it was clear that the question, ‘When will I use Maths in the future?’ was well and truly answered.

I met with our Year 10 and 11 prefects on Thursday and it was lovely to hear the positive impact that they’ve had on our school community over the last few months. From helping at Open Evening to hosting student council meetings, coming up with fundraising ideas and supporting younger students. Great contributions, demonstrating all of our school values.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

Happy New Year! We’ve enjoyed welcoming students back into school this week and hearing about all of the great things that they’ve been up to over the Christmas break.

We started the week with Expectations Assemblies which also gave the opportunity for us to reflect on our school community successes of the Autumn Term. Students have quickly got back into routine and we thank you for your contribution to our smooth start to the Spring Term.

Our school values were certainly in evidence in Forest School this week where Mr. Woodward reports, ‘Sub-zero temperatures couldn’t stop the students today. We spent time identifying Silver Birch trees on the school site and harvested some bark as a natural tinder for our campfires. We collected fallen branches from various trees around the school before heading to the woods for a much needed warm-up game. We then used froes and billhooks to develop our log-splitting skills, followed by the use of sheath knives to point the end of sticks to be driven into the frozen ground to create a three-stick fire and pot stand to cook pasta / noodles on. Resilience was tested in each group as the freezing conditions made the whole process extremely difficult but everyone persevered…even the eventual collapse of one pot stand, causing the spillage of freshly cooked pasta onto the ground couldn’t dampen spirits!

In assemblies this week, Mrs. Godsell-Wright has been encouraging students to think of the year ahead, helping them to realise that a new year gives us an opportunity to make plans to build on success, being the best version of ourselves the ambition.

In Sporting news, Miss Robson reports, ‘School is back and so is netball club as well as some brand new post protectors purchased with the money won from Sports Directory. These protectors will benefit PE lessons, extra-curricular activities and competitive fixtures, ensuring safety for our students and also showing off our school colours with pride. Thank you to those who attended the club this week and assisted in fitting the protectors. Team work makes the dream work!’

The Children’s Commissioner, Rachel de Souza, has published a guide this week for school staff, parents and carers about supporting children’s safety on line.  It’s underpinned by the understanding that we have to make difficult decisions about how to balance protecting children from online harm with enabling access to spaces that are now central to learning, socialising and play. This guide was written with the direct involvement of children in England. It is a reflection of their views. The Children’s Commissioner visited schools to speak to teenagers, and spoke to her Youth Ambassadors and Youth Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Panel to get their expertise on what works and what doesn’t work between parents or carers and children in the 21st Century. You can find the guide at https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/resource/what-i-wish-my-parents-or-carers-knew-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers-on-managing-childrens-digital-lives/

The time of year also poses a number of weather challenges. We’re sharing information with students about how to stay safe around ice, shown below.

Have a lovely weekend!

Our core values could have been resilience, resilience, resilience on Wednesday evening when our Year 9 football team took on Barlby High School. Mr. Field reports,

‘Wednesday saw the Year 9 boys take on Barlby High School in the 3rd round of the English Schools FA Small Schools Cup.  The away fixture was thankfully quite local for this national competition and the boys were eager to test themselves against a fellow North Yorkshire team.  The game proved to be an eye opener for the Boroughbridge boys as they found the opposition quite physical in their gameplay, this knocked the boys off their stride and after a defensive mix up we found ourselves a goal behind.  As the first half progressed the boys started to find their feet and began to meet the challenge head on, a handful of attempts on goal boosted the confidence as they headed towards the half time break.  A refocus of efforts and reassurance of abilities paid off as Boroughbridge took the game to Barlby and played some attractive passing football to clearly demonstrate their superiority within their footballing gameplay.  The pressure mounted as the second half progressed with numerous efforts on the Barlby goal without reply.  The physical tactic worked against Barlby as good refereeing penalised them as they presented promising opportunities from the resulting freekicks.  Farnworth delivered another one of his expertly dispatched freekicks into the roof of the net to set the Boroughbridge boys level in the scoreline, but importantly, ahead in their belief of winning the tie.  As the second half and the winter sun ebbed away Barlby dug in deep to stop the torrent of Boroughbridge attacks, the full whistle blew, penalties beckoned.  Nerves were jingling like Christmas sleigh bells at the prospect but the boys held their nerve and secured victory with a 7-6 scoreline.  This means that they now progress to the 4th round, one round further than last year and with a greater belief that they can overcome tough obstacles to achieve their ambitions.’

Mrs. Wellock reports, ‘There has been a ‘buzz’ in the air today about reading! This week our Year 7 and Year 8 students received their BookBuzz books. These books have been chosen by the students from a choice of 16 great titles. We hope the students enjoy reading them over the next few weeks and can’t wait to hear all about the stories!’

 

 

If you are thinking of buying any books for your children for Christmas then you might like to have a look at the Bookfinder tool on the Book Trust website to help pick some great new titles!

 

 

 

In Forest School this week, Mr. Woodward reports, ‘Today in Forest School students learned to use a timber hitch knot to create slacklines. We then discussed the importance of safe siting of a campfire and made sure fires were fully extinguished to leave no trace as to limit our impact on nature when we were done. We also looked at the three elements of the “fire triangle” (oxygen, fuel, heat) and used this knowledge to reignite failing fires. After much resilience in far from favourable conditions, we had a 100% success rate with our aim of each group heating enough water for a hot drink. All this was rounded off by an intense tug-of-war battle.’

 

 

On Wednesday morning, our Sports Leaders were in action again as we welcomed local primary schools for their sporting competitions. Today we welcomed Year 5 and 6 students from Dishforth Church of England Primary School to carry out a Maths challenge with Happy Numbers with Mrs. Valentine who was very impressed with their committed and enthusiastic approach towards the activities.

With the full festive season drawing ever near, in assemblies this week, Mrs. Godsell-Wright has been talking about the messages surrounding advent whilst also launching our reverse advent where we think of others and how we can support them. In particular, we’re hoping to help others in the locality who are experiencing hunger, loneliness or homelessness. We’d be delighted if you could help and would appreciate donations of food products including tins, packets or boxed. All food donations will be taken to our local food banks. We’re also holding a cake, sweet and chocolate sale on Friday 12^th December. Items will be priced at 50p. Money raised from this will be given to the Harrogate Homeless Project. At this time of year, we also like to send Christmas cards to residents in our local care homes. If you have any unused Christmas cards then please send them our way! Thank you in advance for your support.

We had a great time as the Christmas lights were switched on in Boroughbridge on Wednesday evening. Our Pop Choir got the celebrations off to a great start with an impressive range of superbly sung festive favourites. If you’d like to hear for yourselves then please come along to our Christmas Concert next Wednesday which promises to be an excellent evening.

 

If you’re passing St. James’ Church this weekend then please pop in and see our Christmas tree at the Christmas tree festival. As you can see, we’ve gone all out with our school values.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

 

Our Year 10 and 11 students have breathed a sigh of relief today as their Progress exams have finished. They’ve approached them well and, as they receive their results in the coming weeks, will be able to see the progress that they’ve made and the actions that they need to take to make further improvements.

 

In Forest School this week, Mr. Woodward reports, ‘It may not be December yet but there was a definite wintery chill in the wind as a new Forest School group took to the school’s woodland. Siting of shelters to keep ourselves warm was a priority so students worked out the best way to construct ridgepole tarp tents to block the prevailing wind and rain. Students also worked together to keep the campfire going so we had a source of heat and we worked on getting to know each other and build communication skills through a series of team building challenges.’

Our Local Authority Senior Education Adviser visited us on Tuesday. He carried out lesson visits, visited Breakfast Club, walked around the school at social times and spoke with staff and students. It was lovely to be able to share our values in action, seeing focused, engaged students participating in high quality learning and staff and students talking positively about the progress that we’ve made. We also took the opportunity this week in assemblies with Years 7 and 8 to look at our value of being respectful, reminding ourselves of the ways in which we can demonstrate this in our everyday lives.

 

Attendance is a key part of our value of being ambitious as we know the impact that high attendance has on outcomes for our young people. With this in mind, Mr. Grierson, Deputy Head, is launching the December Attendance Improvement Challenge. He says, ‘We’re proud of the excellent progress that we’ve made over the last 3 years improving students’ attendance and enhancing their life chances and this was recognised by Ofsted in our Pilot Inspection in September. We know that in general terms, the higher the student’s attendance, the better they do at school, in terms of progress, general well-being and personal development and we are determined to continue to improve to get it back to the high levels that we had prior to the Covid pandemic.

 

We are launching a 3-week attendance and punctuality challenge throughout the month of December to ensure that not a minute of learning time is wasted.

⭐ Weekly Focus Themes

Week 1 (1–5th December): Start Strong

Week 2 (8–12th December): Keep Going

Week 3 (15–19th December): Finish on a High

Students with a 100% attendance at the end of each week will get an entry into a prize draw held on Friday 19^th December with some amazing prizes on offer. If you have 100% for each of the last 3 weeks, you will get 3 entries in the draw.

There will also be a prize draw for students with zero late marks for each week. If you have zero lates for each of the last 3 weeks, you will get 3 entries in the draw.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring that your child has high levels of attendance.

Today we’ve said farewell to Mrs. Donnelly, our Pastoral Manager for Years 7 and 9. Mrs. Donnelly has made such a significant contribution to our school community, not only to staff and students, but also to our families. We thank her for everything that she’s done and wish her well for the future.

Next week on Thursday 4^th December at 6p.m., we’re holding our next Parent Information Evening with a focus on ‘How to Maximise your Child’s Success’. This is relevant for parents and carers of students in all year groups.

A festive date for your diary! You are warmly invited to our Music concert on Wednesday December 10^th at 6p.m. It’s always a great evening with Christmas joy in abundance and we look forward to seeing you there.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

We’ve had a blast of wintery weather this week but, thankfully, no disruption to learning at Boroughbridge High School in what has been a significant week for students in Years 10 and 11, who have started their Progress Exams (mocks)! They’ve made a positive start and have been well prepared with our Revision programme starting some time ago including in form time, during lessons and at home with their own revision timetable. We wish them well as they move into the second week.

In assemblies this week, Mr. Grierson has looked at our core value of resilience.  Year 10 and 11 focused on how they can stay resilient during their Progress Exams.   With Key Stage 3, Mr Grierson celebrated the resilience of the Scotland football team who qualified for their first world cup after 28 years!

It was great to welcome parents, carers and students to the Careers Information on Thursday. It was lovely to see that so much careful thought is going into possible futures. Mrs. Mannion, our Careers Adviser, supported this process by outlining very clearly the possible post-16 choices whilst Mrs. Town talked more generally about the Careers support that our young people receive.

Our final Children in Need fundraising total was £472.02. Thank you for your generous donations.

 

 

We have a couple of events coming up next week. On Wednesday 26^th November, we have our Professional Development Day when students do not attend school. Then, on Thursday 27^th November, you are warmly invited to the Wellbeing Fair at our federated partner, King James’s School in Knaresborough.

Have a lovely weekend!

Last weekend, we were very proud to join our community for Remembrance Day. Following the service at St. James’, we moved to Hall Square where Year 10 students Alyssa and Dan superbly represented BHS, laying a wreath at the War Memorial. It was also lovely to see how many of our young people are involved in making a positive difference in our community groups. It is always a great privilege to participate in such an important event.

Meanwhile, over in Knaresborough, Matty, in Year 9, who is a Royal Air Force Air Cadet, made his own important contribution to Remembrance Day, taking part in the parade and reading the epitaph clearly and confidently at the War Memorial. A very proud moment – well done Matty.

This followed the special events on Friday. Mrs. Murphy reports, ‘ I was fortunate enough to be able to take 41 students to the Festival of Remembrance at Ripon Cathedral on Friday 7th November.  This year we had the school pop choir perform ‘pray for peace on stage’ as well as performing a joint piece; ‘Put a little love in your heart’ with Mowbray School, Richmond School Orchestra and the Service Children’s Community Choir.  They did a fantastic job and loved the opportunity of singing in the amazing space that the Cathedral is.  Lots of our students also drew or decorated paper poppies to go on a lovely display in the cathedral during the festival.  This year the service focussed on celebrating how great our service children are in terms of their resilience, confidence and flexibility but also highlighting the challenges that they also have to deal with by having a parent or carer often away, having to move schools and communities regularly and having to make new friends.  All the students acted with respect and represented the school in a very positive way.  Thank you to Mr Jackson for his support and work with the pop choir.’ 

As this week is Anti-Bullying Week, the theme of Power for Good has been explored in Mrs. Godsell-Wright’s assemblies with an understanding of how our young people can use their Power for Good to safely speak up and raise awareness if they see any form of bullying. It was also a good opportunity to reinforce our commitment at Boroughbridge High School to ensure that our actions ensure that all can be safe, happy and successful.

If you thought that the torrential rain on Monday would have dampened the spirits of the Year 9 football team, then you’d be very much mistaken. Mr Field reports ‘Monday afternoon saw the highly anticipated 2nd round match of the English Schools’ FA Small Schools Cup for the Yr9 boys against St Patrick’s from Middlesbrough.  The local cup competitions proved to be the testing ground for the team as they fine tuned their performance for this national competition.  The game started positively for Boroughbridge with a finely taken goal by Godley which was swiftly followed by Kaczmarczyk pouncing on a defensive error by the visiting team.  Boroughbridge enjoyed swathes of possession throughout the first half and took their 2-0 lead into the half time break.  St Patrick’s came into the second half desperate to make amends for the score line and applied lots of pressure to our midfield and defensive players.  Through a resilient work rate and good communication, the Boroughbridge team contested well and  Kaczmarczyk was released to slot home his second of the game against the run of play.  Boroughbridge, now with tails up, took advantage of their dominance and added two more goals in quick succession through Ward and Layton.  St Patrick’s rallied and scored to raise some hope of clawing the tie back in contention but the tie was put beyond doubt with Kaczmarczyk securing his first school hat-trick with a sublime finish.  In the dying moments St Patrick’s scored their second but to make the final score 6-2 to the Boroughbridge boys.  Notable performances from Wajs, Burrell, Ward, Kaczmarczyk, Layton, Chapman and Farnworth drove the team forward in achieving this great result. Their next fixture will be against Barlby High School in the upcoming weeks, the standard of performance and confidence gained puts the team in a strong position moving into the fixture.’

On Thursday, the Year 11 boys were in action, Mr. Field reports, ‘The Yr11 boys took on Richmond High School in their County Cup fixture on Thursday.  The boys’ performance was an improvement on the last fixture and saw the team perform well against the tricky opposition.  The communication and teamwork between the boys was much improved and saw them match the opposition for much of the first half, a defensive error and a fine finish provided Richmond with a 0-2 lead by the half time whistle.  A focused team talk ensured that the positional sense of the team was much better and the Boroughbridge boys fought their way back into the game in the early stages of the second half.  Two goals in a matter of minutes quelled much of the hope of securing the home tie but the boys showed great resilience and competed to the best of their ability against the opposition.  A late goal from Thompson, driven into the near side top corner, provided a worthy consolation for the effort applied by the home team.  This was to be the last cup fixture for the year group although the enthusiasm for game time may result in friendlies / 7 a side tournaments being attended.  Performances from Nunns, Fagg, Robinson, Wilson and Domleo were notable in their technical and tactical abilities.’

Well done to Olivia in Year 9 who, following a successful audition, has secured the role of Eurydice, wife of Orpheus in the play of the same name. She’ll be working hard in the coming months building up for a week’s run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August! A fantastic achievement.

Our congratulations go to Hannah Barrett and Will Hairsine who have been appointed as Parent Governors to the Boroughbridge High School and King James’s School Federation. We are looking forward to working with them and benefiting from their expertise.

We’ve had a week of fundraising for Children in Need with activities including a Bake Sale led by the Student Council and Prefects. As you can see, Darcey in Year 8 won the ‘Name the Bear’ competition – he’s called Peter! Students have been purchasing pens and wrist bands and then today we’ve had a non-uniform day. Thank you for your generous contributions. Our total so far is over £450. We’ll give you the final total next week.

Next week we have our Parent Information on Thursday 20^th November at 6p.m. with a focus on Careers and a reminder that we have a Professional Development Day on Wednesday 26^th November when students do not attend school.

Have a lovely weekend!

At such an important time of year for our school community with Remembrance Day on Sunday, Mrs. Murphy has led assemblies this week looking at the people who keep us safe, along with discovering how service still protects us today. In each assembly we’ve observed a thoughtful silence.

Today, we’ve been honoured to take part in the ‘The Festival of Remembrance’ for Service children at Ripon Cathedral. This annual event involves up to 500 local Service children coming together from many different primary and secondary schools and, this year, along with our Military Service Students, our Pop Choir sang ‘The Path to Peace’ during the service. They also joined all of the other choirs to sing the other service songs including ‘I vow to thee my country’. Our thanks go to our students for representing our school and community so impressively. Our thanks also go to Mrs. Murphy and Mr. Jackson who, I am sure, will be giving us further feedback for the Blog next week.

On Sunday, I’ll be accompanied by Alyssa and Dan at the Remembrance service at St. James’ in Boroughbridge before they lay the wreath on behalf of Boroughbridge High School at the war memorial. It’s a privilege to participate in such an important event in our community.

Mr. Field reports, ‘A busy week for fixtures in the PE department, lots of opportunities for the pupils to represent the school in competitive sport.  The Year 9 boys were first in action on Tuesday in the County Cup competition at Malton.  What followed was a very competitive football match with both sides showing great phases of possession and defensive prowess.  A closely contested first half saw Malton take a narrow 1-0 lead into the half time break, Boroughbridge rallied early in the second half and took control of the match equalising and posing lots of problems for the opposition defence.  The game hung in the balance until the dying moments when travelling players hearts were broken with goal against the run of play, shortly followed by another to finish the tie 3-1 to the home team.  The level of performance was improved from the previous outing and sets up the Boroughbridge boys for their English Schools FA Small School Trophy match on Monday.

The Year 8 boys had their first outing of the season at the 7 a side football tournament organised by St John Fisher school in Harrogate.  The boys were eager and proud to pull on the black and amber jersey again to represent the school and put in some spirited performances against the Harrogate schools.  The matches provided a valuable lesson which will help them in upcoming cup matches.  Good performances from Taylor in defence and Kemp in goal helped the team keep in contention throughout the games and an audacious strike by Rawstrone rattled the frame of the goal and nearly provided the goal of the tournament.  A resilient display from the boys in all three matches has created more hunger for their upcoming fixtures.’

On Thursday evening before half term, we welcomed Ripon Grammar School to our netball training session to play our Year 10/9 and Year 8 teams. Miss Robson reports, ‘Pupils exemplified our school values of respect, resilience and ambition. For many Year 8s this was their first netball fixture at the school and nerves were high. Although we did not secure the win this was a really good opportunity for the team to play together under pressure. Congratulations to Rova for being named player of the match and Daisy D in our Year 10/9 match. The Year 10/9 team were up against a formidable C and GS on the opposing team. We managed to get regular turn-overs and now we need to work on our decision making under pressure to take the ball safely to goal. Thank you to the Year 10/9s that stayed after their game to watch the Year 8s. I look forward to you leading the first training session back after half term based on your observations!’

 

 

 

In their next match this week on Tuesday, Tadcaster Grammar School brought two teams to play our Year 8/9/10 combined team. Miss Robson reports, ’Both games were drawn at half time and lost by a single goal overall. The team played exceptionally well and have made improvements from their latest game. Well done to Rova, player of the match for both games (and she’s only Year 8!) What Rova does really well is she watches the ball and times her interceptions perfectly. A good game all round and I look forward to us playing Outwood Academy Ripon on Wednesday.’

 

 

 

Also this week, Miss Robson reported, ‘Everyone’s favourite girls’ benchball tournament returned to Thirsk High School this Thursday. I took a group of Year 8s who I thought would really benefit from a positive sporting experience and a chance to play against other local schools. Ambition was our top trait with high expectations from our students to win. We won three and lost the final game, meaning we finished a strong 2nd. Well done to Emilie for gaining an additional medal for being the Schools Games leader’s ‘bestie’. Evie your passion and resilience did not go unnoticed with your valuable communication on the court. I encourage all who had fun to come along to Thursday after school netball club and play with other students across the school!

 

 

Over in Birmingham last week, Jack in Year 11 completed his first HYROX which combines both running and functional workout stations, where participants run 1km, followed by 1 functional workout station, repeated eight times. It was completed within an impressive 1hr and 15 mins with Jack showing great ambition, determination and resilience, pushing through and giving it 100%. Our congratulations go to him.

It was great to welcome so many parents, carers and students to our Year 10 Parent/Carer evening on Wednesday. As we march towards our November Progress exams, this will have formed an important part in students’ journey of progress.

It’s Children in Need next Friday (14^th November) when we’ll be having a non-uniform day to raise money. Further information will follow next week.

Also a reminder that we have a Professional Development Day on Wednesday 26^th November when students do not attend school.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

Wednesday marked one of our favourite events in our school calendar – Open Evening! Our Year 5 and 6 visitors, along with their parents and carers started in the Hall hearing about our school, our vision and values, our learning and extra-curricular activities and what makes Boroughbridge High School a great place to learn and work. Year 7 students Anya, Ellie, Polly and Ruby talked enthusiastically and confidently about their move to High School, outlining their anticipated worries against the positive reality! Not surprisingly their speeches ended with a round of spontaneous applause. Families were then able to tour the school, visiting every department and speaking with our students, some of whom were our newly appointed Prefects, School Council Members and Sports leaders. Along with demonstrating and sharing many exciting activities, they were very happy to talk about daily life at Boroughbridge High School and our lived values which create our positive school culture.

In English, Autumn leaves were used to stimulate poetic thought whilst in Drama students were deep into rehearsal. In Chemistry and Physics bubbles were being ignited whilst in Biology, hearts were being dissected. The Sports Hall was packed with physical challenges with students on hand to help whilst, nearby, students demonstrated how the Intervention Room and its resources are supporting them with their learning and in enjoying being in school. Following a food theme, Halloween breads were being made and sampled in Food Technology whilst the modern languages French café was very popular, as long as the request was made en francais! In RE philosophical questions were being asked, homes were located in Geography whilst bugs were sampled in the Bug Cafe and, in History, there were costumes galore and the opportunity to sample historical recipes. Artists demonstrated their skill whilst spinning tops were made in DT. We’re all aware that students enjoy our school dinners so everyone was pleased to have the opportunity to sample them! There were visits to the Library and close by the Pastoral Team and Wellbeing in Mind Team were sharing how they look after our students to make sure that they are safe, happy and successful. Visitors also enjoyed hearing our musicians in session and were able to find out more about the Duke of Edinburgh Award. And throughout, students were engaged in a challenging Maths trail. All in all, it was a fantastic evening and we all thoroughly enjoyed sharing our school with our visitors.  We’ll look forward to welcoming Year 6 back into school for our three Induction Days in July.

In assemblies this week, we’ve been reinforcing our values and in Forest School, Mr. Woodward reports, ‘This week in Forest School the group took part in the process of writing a risk assessment for tool use in the woodland environment, successfully identifying risks and suitable mitigations to keep us all safe. They then put their risk assessment into practice, using sheath knives to create feather sticks to help get a communal campfire going (a useful technique for lighting a fire with sticks after rain). Students also removed bark from sticks to be used as a spit for cooking freshly prepared cheesy bread over the embers.’

We’ll look forward to welcoming Year 7 parents and carers next Wednesday for the Form Tutor evening where we can discuss how they’ve settled in and the progress that they’re making. We’ve carried out our usual Settling in Survey and had lots of responses to the question, ‘What’s the best thing about BHS?’ including ‘The staff I have met and the older pupils/students.’, ‘The lessons are fun and the teachers respect me and look after me’, ‘School lunch is perfect including the lunch time games in the Sports Hall.’ and ‘You have your own responsibilities to get to different lessons with different teachers every time. It’s just the feeling of having more responsibilities which is really fun.’

Have a lovely weekend!