Category : Headteacher’s Blog

We’re delighted that Boroughbridge High School has been successfully nominated to receive the Music Mark. We were recognised for our efforts to facilitate instrumental lessons during lockdown, and for keeping as much practical music as possible in our curriculum, despite the restrictions of a Covid safe school. Our congratulations go to Mrs Skilbeck who reports,

‘Our students have been keeping busy since the pandemic began and both in and out of school they have continued learning via Skype, Zoom and Google Meet. Our Drama Department made space for socially distanced lessons with taped out areas around keyboards, drum kits and guitar amps for students and teachers to safely carry on with their music, and we have even been able to offer lessons to new students.  Our peripatetic teachers have adapted to online lessons without breaking stride and kept the music playing.

 I recently surveyed the staff and students to see how they had been getting on with music throughout the lockdown and the responses included passing instrumental and singing exams from grade 3 to grade 8; singing in online choirs and recordings; family bands; and playing ukuleles, keyboards, pianos, guitars, violins, cello, trumpet and drum kits of both electronic and noisy varieties.  

 The sixth form legends that are Bertie and Ewan have also been busy writing songs and have both released their music on Spotify during lockdown, clocking up followers at a rate of knots. Bertie’s band have also managed to sneak a few busking sessions in between lockdowns and made a record amount entertaining York locals and bringing a bit of joy to the streets – perhaps you saw them?’

Before the Easter break, you will have received the information about the Relationships and Sex Education Parental Consultation. If you wish to respond and haven’t already, then please do so by Friday 23^rd April and e-mail schooladmin@boroughbridgehigh.com if you would like us to resend it.

Finally, we were all saddened by the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh and appreciate the opportunities that the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has brought to the students of Boroughbridge High School over the years.

Have a lovely weekend.

Deep thinking has been the focus in RE for Year 9 students where they’ve been learning about S. Mill’s Harm Principle which is a philosophical theory that is normally covered at A-Level, along with the psychological concept of compartmentalisation. Mr Woodward has been incredibly impressed with their approach as they’ve demonstrated excellent skills, producing some detailed explanations, and applied these ideas in lessons.

Meanwhile, in Year 7 Science lessons, students have been studying Reproduction and carried out a practical experiment using a beaker, egg and fluid to emulate how the amniotic fluid protects a baby in the womb.

Using the school site to its full potential, Mr Grierson’s Travel and Tourism BTEC group visited the school wildlife area to think about the sorts of things that need to be considered when opening a tourist attraction including access, management and marketing.

Poetry has been the focus in Year 8 English lessons where students have been writing poems to enter in the Miller Home competition open to all local schools. The challenge was to write individual poems with a focus on what makes living in Boroughbridge special. Having written their poems, students shared them and then began their own judging to establish their favourites. Mrs Macadam was hugely impressed by the enthusiasm of students and the creativity that they displayed. In the top three were Year 8 students, Lily, Joseph and Kaela.

We were absolutely delighted to hear on Wednesday that Kaela had won first prize. Well done indeed! You can see her being presented with her chocolate hamper and here are the first six lines of her winning poem.

Twelve years ago I was brought into this world

          where flowers bloomed without fail and

          all leaves fell every autumn.

          I grew up near the Devil’s arrows.

          Where my mum would sing to me of the stones

          “Thrice to thine, thrice to mine, thrice again to make it nine!’   

To read the rest of her poem and the other two in the top three, look at the News section of the website.

A year on from the first day of lockdown, on Tuesday at midday the school fell silent to think about those who have died or been badly affected by Covid-19. It was important for us to share this moment as a school community.

So as this unprecedented Spring Term draws to a close all that remains is for me, on behalf of all at Boroughbridge High School, to wish you and your families a very happy Easter break.

The move to Home Lateral Flow testing is on its way with students completing their final in school tests over the next few days. Not only have we had staff team members taking on new roles to make this process run smoothly but we’ve also had a number of volunteers from the local community whose time and support have been much appreciated.

As the weather has taken a turn for the better, students have been able to use the grassed areas in their zoned outside spaces during breaks and lunch times. Sharing an appreciation of the great outdoors herself is former student Cora Herbert who, in her final year at Newcastle University studying Politics and History, is featured in the current National Trust magazine. You can read more in the news section of the website.

With as many as 1 in 5 children and young people across the UK being young carers, virtual assembly this week marked Young Carers Action Day on 16^th March. It focused on the support that young people give to the people that they care for along with how organisations such as Harrogate, Craven and Selby Young Carers can support them as carers. You can find out more at  https://services.actionforchildren.org.uk/harrogate-and-selby-young-carers/

Look out for the information about the parental consultation on ‘Relationships and Sex Education’. We’d appreciate your feedback.

It’s hard to believe that the first Red Nose Day was in 1988 and so, 33 years later, our non-uniform day today raised £417 for Comic Relief. Thank you for your support.

Have a lovely weekend.

It’s been so lovely to have everyone back in school this week. Whilst there were feelings of excitement and nervousness in equal measure at the start of the week (for staff as well as students!), we’ve very quickly settled back into our school routines. Our children have been absolutely fantastic and their excellent behaviour and attitude on their return has enabled us to carry out the lateral flow testing quickly and efficiently. They’ve also been very organised with bringing and wearing face coverings. This wouldn’t have happened without your support so thanks to you too. I’m also hoping that, for the majority of you, as the week has drawn on you’ve reclaimed the dining tables, desks and devices that have been used over the last few months for Remote Learning.

With face to face teaching and learning well underway, Year 9 have been considering their subject options for GCSE. Having personalised their curriculum at the end of Year 8, they now have the opportunity to choose the four subjects which they would like to study over the next two years, with two being completed in Year 10 and two in Year 11 as part of our Stage not Age curriculum. So, to inform their choices, they’ve had taster sessions from each of the subjects. Year 8 will be finding out about their mini-options for their Year 9 studies next week.

Something for us all to look forward to next Friday (19^th) is Red Nose day when we’ll be having a non-uniform day to raise money for Comic Relief. You can make a donation (minimum £1) through Parent Mail.

So, all in all it’s been a good week and, as you can see, we found our own particular pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Have a lovely weekend.

At last it’s almost here, the week when we can welcome back all of our students. Preparations have been taking place for weeks with the test centre being created in the Library, deep cleaning across the school and maintenance both inside and out. And it would seem that, not only is the building ready for students, but also the outside environment. The snow now seems like a distant memory and, with the arrival of meteorological spring, the daffodils are getting ready to burst open.

Over on the far side of the site, the first part of the restoration of the wildlife area has now been completed and, as you can see, it’s looking very impressive. The overgrowth has been cleared to make room for one of the largest bug hotels of all time and we’re looking forward to the Summer when students will be able to use the dry-stone trough for pond dipping. Daffodils planted by Workskills groups in years gone by are almost ready to flower and are surrounded by newly planted saplings.

Our thanks for the funding for the restoration go to The Two Ridings Community Foundation and Allerton Park Landscape and Heritage Fund and to Mrs Hutchinson for securing the funding.

Along with preparations at school, I’m sure that preparations have also been taking place at home with children trying to find their uniform, school bag and planner!

Have a lovely weekend and we’ll look forward to welcoming students back next week.

We’re delighted that we’ll soon be able to welcome students back in to school so, as we move into the penultimate week of remote learning, let’s see what learning has been happening in homes around the county along with classrooms in school.

Starting with Key Stage 3 and, on a musical theme, Year 7 took a break from beat box ‘zipping’ and learnt to read pitch notation, testing what they could remember in a massive Kahoot quiz. Keeping active, in PE they took part in a Zumba session. Aristotle and Virtue Ethics was the focus in RE where this week they asked the question, ‘Is Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha) a good role model for today? The overwhelming answer was “Yes”. The question being answered in Maths was ‘What is a fraction?’ Live lessons in DT had students looking at smart materials and in English, Year 7 were starting to study the adventure genre and writing stories based around a fictional construct. In celebration of International Mother Language Day on Sunday 21st February, in MFL, students are learning all about the world’s minority, endangered and extinct languages. They had a go at practising greetings and numbers in Ugandan.

Year 8 Geographers, following the theme of creative coasts, have produced some amazing work creating coastal features using a medium of their choice. These have ranged from wooden caves, arches, stacks and stumps to models of spits and animations to show the formation of landforms.

In Art and Design, Year 8 have been focusing on mindfulness by creating a variety of patterns that will adorn their jointed animal puppets. In RE, Y8 (and Year 9) have been exploring Human Rights and the role and uses of wealth from secular and Buddhist perspectives. Meanwhile in Maths, they’ve been finding treasures on a coordinate grid and moving on to plotting linear graphs. In English students are learning about people with big ideas and how they convey those through great persuasive writing and speaking.

Years 8 and 9, in MFL this week, have been enjoying some off-screen time and embarking on a European Food Challenge. Here’s the first entry of chocolate eclairs from Olivia in Year 8.

Looking at food from a different angle, in Art, students have been looking at photorealistic artist Sarah Graham and have been producing some artist responses. In MFL, before half-term, the Year 9’s did a nature walk in French and Spanish and took some amazing pictures on their travels. Have a look at Abi’s.

Year 9 Spaniards also showed off their creative side by writing Love poems for their Valentine loves.  In Maths, students have been looking at number properties with a particular focus on the highest common factor and lowest common multiple in problem solving before moving on to index laws. And, if you fancy some weekend reading, perhaps you’d like to join Year 9 who, in English, are reading S.E. Hinton’s novel, The Outsiders.

At Key Stage 4, it’s coursework all the way for Health and Social care students where they are completing Component 2, demonstrating care values and also, in Food Preparation where students are putting the finishing touches to their coursework. In GCSE Art and Design, students have been bringing together their project based on Disguise and, having completed their design ideas are now experimenting with biro mark making. In GCSE RE, students have been evaluating the extent to which sexism has been eradicated from modern British society and the morality of divorce from Christian and secular perspectives whilst in Core RE, Year 10 students have been developing an understanding of Buddhist perspectives in relation to religious freedom in a multi-faith society.

In other core subjects, Mathematicians in Year 11 have been working with scatter graphs and frequency polygons and how they are used in real life to predict trends and inform business choices whilst other students are looking at standard index form, converting numbers and using standard index form numbers in calculations. Year 10 have been drawing straight line graphs from a table of values. In English, Year 10 have been learning about how writers convey a message or arguments whilst Year 11 are revising ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’! Year 11 Scientists have been learning about Fleming’s left-hand rule and the right-hand grip rule when using motors.

Of great current relevance, in Year 12 CEFS, students have been looking at financial planning and informed choices. Year 12 Psychologists have been learning about conducting experiments in Psychology and have begun planning their own. Historians in Year 12 have been Britain studying the Liberal Reforms from 1906-1914 along with looking at literary works that were on the Catholic Index. Year 12 Geographers have started a new topic about Ecosystems under Stress which will include looking at how ecosystems function and their relationship to human activities.

Year 13 Mathematicians have been using numerical methods to solve equations whilst Year 13 Biologists have been looking at receptors and reflex arcs which will lead into homeostasis of internal systems along with genetics including codominance and epistasis. In Psychology, students have been revisiting research methods whilst in English Literature students have been analysing key characters in Hamlet. Year 13 Geographers have just finished looking at the importance of water to life and, this week, have started to look at the significance of carbon stores at a variety of scales along with beginning to explore globalisation. Year 13 Historians are looking at the introduction of the welfare state 1945-1951 whilst also finishing their NEA. In virtual form time, Year 12 and 13 had to put their brains together for Mrs Rainbow’s ‘Yorkshire Quiz’.

So, all in all, another productive week of learning with thanks to you for all that you are doing to support this.

Have a lovely weekend!

Another week has whizzed by in the blink of an eye and there is a mixed bag of things to tell you about in this week’s blog.

Wildlife Pond

This beautiful image is from the little hidden gem at the back of our school – our wildlife pond.  Mrs Hutchinson successfully bid for some community funding, and work has started to revitalise the area.  As the project progresses we will update with some more pictures.  We are hoping to use this area for some outdoor learning in the summer.

Music Competition

During lockdown and through the power of social media, the world seems to have gone absolutely mad over ‘sea shanties’.  “The Wellerman” recently went viral and earned the performer, Nathan Evans a record deal.

Read the story here if it’s somehow passed you by: Story Here

Mrs Skilbeck, the face and voice of music at Boroughbridge High school has set up the following competition:

Record your own version over half term to win a prize from the Music Department – you can use Tiktok to layer up over the original (like Andrew Lloyd Webber!) or make a brand-new version using any recording app or platform.  Stick to the original style or create a fusion version – be creative!

If you don’t use Tiktok, then ‘acapella’ is a free app that lets you layer up parts. There are loads of others, or just record a video or audio mp3 or m4a.

Upload them to Google drive, and/or send in the links to your versions by Friday 26th February to sskilbeck@boroughbridgehigh.com

Parents/Carers’ survey

Thanks to everybody who has already completed the parents/carers’ online survey about remote learning.  I will keep the link which was sent on ParentMail open until Friday 19^th and feedback the results via the weekly remote news video.

 Some Sad News

Mr Wragg, our previous Head of Science sadly passed away.  Although only here for a couple of years, he was an outstanding teacher who made a real difference to the young people at this school.

Thank you all so much for support and kind words of encouragement over the 6 weeks.  Have a great half term.  Hopefully we will have some concrete information about the date for returning to school and the government’s plan for centre assessed grades for GCSE, A-Level and BTEC qualifications. Announcements are due on 22^nd February so we will update you as soon as we know anything.

Take care and stay safe.

Rob Grierson

Deputy Headteacher

It’s almost a year ago to the day the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the UK.  It was just down the road at the University of York.  Little did we know that a full year later, our normal lives, including our schooling would be so dramatically affected.  I thought it would be interesting to look back at what we were doing when normal was just normal, and not the ‘new normal’.  The idea for this blog is based on the large number of repeats currently on tv, and the recent scientific revelations that nostalgia is good for general well-being.

Here’s a flavour of what we did when we took normal for granted:

If you’ve ever cooked too much spaghetti, then Year 7 may have the solution for you. They’ve been making spaghetti measurers of all shapes and sizes taking on a variety of themes! In French, Year 7 have been increasing their vocabulary before using Quizlet live to compete in teams against their classmates, demonstrating their increasing grasp of the French language.

 In Year 10 PSHE this week, students have been exploring risky behaviours and learning how to keep themselves safe. Topics have included healthy relationships and appropriate use of social media. It was lovely to see so many parents and students at the Year 10 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday. Questionnaire responses will be published on the website next week. BTEC students in Years 10 and 11 have an important week ahead with their first external exams in Health and Social Care and Travel and Tourism.

 Year 11 will also have the opportunity to experience the future as they embark on A-Level taster days at King James’s School on Wednesday and BHS on Friday.

Thinking even further ahead, Year 9 will have the opportunity to go to Bewerley Park to experience the Great Outdoors in July. 

Instead of assemblies for most year groups this week, we’ve been visiting tutor groups to see just how they prepare for the day ahead. We’ve seen planner and uniform checks, reading, homework time, equipment checks, quizzes and birthday celebrations! Classes also marked Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday by watching a video and carrying out thoughtful activities to remember the millions of people who were murdered or whose lives were changed beyond recognition during the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. 

Year 11 had their assembly today and we welcomed visitors from the National Citizen Service who shared with students the Summer time opportunities that the scheme can bring. A large number of students got involved last year and benefited greatly from the experience so we’re hoping for the same this year.

On a positive we have been given a tentative date of the 8^th March to start to come back and we’ve enriched our vocabularies with term like circuit breakers, lockdowns, pandemic, flattening the curve, whilst simultaneously enriching our scientific knowledge about r rates, spiky proteins and vaccine efficacy.

Thank you for all your continued support.

Take care everybody and keep an eye out for Mr Grierson’s weekly remote learning news on Monday.

As we move into the second week of remote learning, let’s begin by focusing on the learning taking place at Key Stage 3.

In Geography, Year 7 have spent the last two weeks consolidating map skills. Through solving puzzles and creating mystery maps, they have been practising using direction and grid references. To complete the topic of ‘Weather and Climate’ Year 8 have been learning how hurricanes form, creating a storyboard to show the different stages.  Some excellent work has been submitted by students investigating Hurricane Katrina, the world’s most expensive hurricane to date! Year 9 are continuing to investigate Tropical Rainforests and this week have begun to look at why they are such a valuable resource.

In Science Year 7 and 8 are looking into space. Challenging stuff as the next time they revisit this topic will be in Year 11 and, as Mr Errington says, which other subject lets you look back in time every time you look up at the stars?

Doing some time travel themselves, in Year 7 History students have been investigating how the Barons dealt with their frustrations towards King John’s rule, and how the Magna Carta came to be created in 1215. Zooming forward, Year 9 Historians are looking at the causes of World War Two whilst in Religious Studies, students are learning about the teachings the Buddha gave to help his followers manage the inevitable suffering that all people experience as part of the human condition with Year 7 students continuing their introduction to Buddhism and the Life of Siddhartha Gautama and asking the question “Where is happiness found?”

In French, Year 7 have been describing their personalities using complex adjectives and honing their pronunciation skills and, despite the snowy weather, Year 8 have been ordering their favourite ice cream flavours- une boule de glace au chocolat s’il vous plaît!

In Art & Design, as you can see, Year 7 have been using mark making to create tone, texture and form in their work on insects while in ICT, they have been exploring Scratch to develop their programming skills, using variables to store data such as the score. At a time when computers have taken on even greater significance, Year 8 have begun to look at how computers work, starting with identifying inputs, outputs and storage devices used in computers.

In DT, Years 7 and 8 have been looking at client and user needs whilst in Year 9 energy has been the focus with students looking at where it comes from and how sustainably it is produced whilst in Food Technology, Year 8 students have been set a practical linked to their theory lesson on carbohydrates.

In Maths, Year 7 have been investigating angles and using angle facts in problem solving, Year 8 have been finishing off algebra, working with some challenges whilst multiplying out double brackets and understanding inequalities. Meanwhile, Year 9 are studying compound measures (speed, distance, time & pressure, force, area) as part of the ratio and proportion unit.

Students have also been accessing their drum and piano lessons in a Google Meet lesson.

With an eye on the Sport England research that says that only 44.9% of children and young people are currently meeting the guidelines of taking part in sport and physical activity for an average of 60 minutes or more a day, the Strava Club has now gone live at Boroughbridge High School. This will help students to stay in touch with and motivate each other whilst they take part in their daily exercise. This coincides with the launch of the whole school ‘Couch to 5k’ challenge. Completing the weekly training through the NHS app will keep students active and provide a valuable break from the computer screen. To help document all the personal achievements each student has been tasked with creating a weekly activity blog to showcase their physical achievements and their creative writing skills.  Mr, Field reports that some Year 9 students have already submitted some fantastic examples and we are looking forward to receiving many more to see what activities everyone has been doing.

Having had a live session with Mr Grierson on Looking After Yourself during Lockdown, which will be a regular feature, next week Key Stage 3 students will begin their live subject sessions too.

They’ve gone really well for Key Stage 4 students this week with a Year 11 Maths group catching up via a live lesson with the focus on ensuring that students had access to the many resources used and know how to get the most out of them. Meanwhile, in French, students have enjoyed live lessons and practising ‘crazy’ translations live using ‘flippity’. The first live lesson with the GCSE PE group was a great success too with a fantastic turn out and some great work produced.

So, all year groups will start with their new timetable next week designed to support them in creating a good working routine whilst also ensuring that they experience a wide range of teaching and learning activities. Bring on Week 3!

Take care.