I can’t quite believe that this time last year I was sitting at home anticipating a move to Sutton Coldfield and an exciting new role as Head of Highclare School. The time since has flown by! I have had too many wonderful moments in my first year to count. I am delighted to have increased our contact with former students this term through our Linked In page (Highclare Head) and I look forward to seeing those connections increase over time. I would also like to thank those of you who have been in touch this year to update us on your lives and achievements, share your memories of Highclare and explain what a ‘Highclare Difference’ the School made to you. I know those of you more local to us have offered to participate in our Spring Careers Fair in April and I look forward to seeing you there.
Our website is in the process of being updated, but if you have not had the opportunity to see our new School video – you can view it here: https://www.highclareschool.co.uk/about-us/the-highclare-difference/.
The Autumn Term is always the longest of the School year, taking us from the warmth and sunshine of early September to the cold and dark of mid-December. It is also, however, a highly productive and exciting time when pupils get the longest run of uninterrupted learning. In the Senior School, this ensures our U5 and U6 students are in the best position to undertake mock examinations in January that mirror as closely as possible the papers they will face in the summer. For our younger students, we see enormous progress – as celebrated each week in Merit Assembly – and the skills they gain from practice and performance in our myriad Christmas events bring immeasurable benefits for their communication and confidence. One of the highlights of the year for me has been seeing Prep School staff and pupils sharing the stage with Senior staff and pupils at our Christmas concert last Thursday: it was an embodiment of our ‘Whole School / One School’ ethos. The music and performances were both joyous and, at times, very moving, with the U5 GCSE Music pupils’ performance of ‘Mary do you know’ bringing a tear to more than one eye in the packed audience.
The Christmas concert also provided us with an opportunity to say a formal farewell to Mrs Bennett, and she left with bound copies of 350+ ‘Bennett’s Bulletins’ as well as gifts from her colleagues and on behalf of the governors and School. Highclare will miss Mrs Bennett more than we can say, although we are privileged that Mrs Griffiths is ably stepping into those big shoes. On a personal level, I have appreciated Mrs Bennett’s support and counsel since I was appointed. From our very first discussions, she has been instrumental in bringing our ‘Whole School / One School’ ethos to life, both in her approach to the Prep School and in seeing the opportunities for more collaboration between Prep and Senior Schools.
We have some other staff changes too:
Miss Ho (Maths) goes with our thanks for her fantastic contribution to the department and the wider life of the Senior School. Mr Davies leaves our IT support function, he works across all of our sites and will be missed by staff and pupils alike. Our thanks go to Mrs Boyle who leaves the Science department. Mrs Keogh our School Nurse returns to a hospital role, I know staff and pupils across all sites will miss her, although she will continue to do our staff First Aid training. Miss Tomlinson will be sorely missed as a singing teacher and choir leader, but we wish her well taking on a new role as Head of Music at a school in Malvern.
Joining Highclare in January we be welcoming Miss Fisher in Maths – many pupils have had the chance to meet her already. Mrs Tidman returns to the Prep School and Mrs Murray-Smith will be leading MFL in the Prep School to replace Mrs Kenny who left in October. Mrs Begum will be our new School Nurse, and Miss Attique is taking over Senior School prep each afternoon. Ms Ling will be teaching cello in both Senior and Prep Schools.
Other highlights of this half term have included our annual Senior School Prize Giving on 29 November; a celebration of successes and progress from last academic year. It was lovely to welcome back some former pupils whose adventures continue beyond Highclare. Watching, and joining in with, the Preparatory School choir perform carols in the Gracechurch Centre was fantastic and I know they have made a brilliant impression wherever they have sung this year. I have also have enjoyed meeting with our U5 students, and many of their parents, at this crucial time in their education. With GCSE examinations on the horizon, the opportunity to discuss current progress, revision and future plans has been useful and enlightening. While many students do not know exactly what they want to do in the future, the importance of building a strong foundation of GCSE performance is vital.
The next couple of years are going to prove challenging for independent schools as the full implications of VAT, Business Rates and other Budget considerations work their way through the system. I am immensely grateful to all of you for supporting Highclare and I take very seriously my role in ensuring that the School continues to thrive. This means planning for a financially stable, effective and efficient business, albeit one for which the business is education. As we look towards ‘Highclare 100’ – our centenary in 2032 – we have lots of exciting plans to deliver all aspects of ‘The Highclare Difference’. We look forward to bringing you on that journey with us.
My end of term message is on Instagram, so please do head to Highclare Head.
I wish everyone all the best for a festive, peaceful and healthy break.
A very Merry Christmas,
Christmas Eve Christina Rossetti
Christmas hath a darkness
Brighter than the blazing noon,
Christmas hath a chillness
Warmer than the heat of June,
Christmas hath a beauty
Lovelier than the world can show:
For Christmas bringeth Jesus,
Brought for us so low.
Earth, strike up your music,
Birds that sing and bells that ring;
Heaven hath answering music
for all Angels soon to sing:
Earth, put on your whitest
Bridal robe of spotless snow:
For Christmas bringeth Jesus,
Brought for us so low
