Derby High School has joined in the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative this spring term, planting a tree to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. Excited students and staff across the whole school, marked the Queen’s wish to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”. A pear tree was chosen, which will produce white blossom in the spring.
In a world where everybody is unique, what matters is giving every young person the time and the space to become the true individual we know they can be. At Derby High, we work hard to enrich each pupil’s experiences, enhance their personal development and give them the opportunity to develop their individuality their way. We are fortunate to be able to support children from their very first steps up to university entry and beyond, and it has been a pleasure for me this week to see examples from both ends of the journey.
In a world where everybody is unique, what matters is giving every young person the time and the space to become the true individual we know they can be. At Derby High, we work hard to enrich each pupil’s experiences, enhance their personal development and give them the opportunity to develop their individuality their way. We are fortunate to be able to support children from their very first steps up to university entry and beyond, and it has been a pleasure for me this week to see examples from both ends of the journey.
This week in the calendar is always full of mixed emotions as Year 13 enjoy their Leavers’ Celebrations and Year 11 go on Study Leave. For both year groups their educational journey changes path, with Year 11s looking forward to life in the Sixth Form where they will experience greater freedoms, which come hand-in-hand with greater responsibility. Kindness, a belief in the importance of every individual and their voice, the determination to have a positive impact on the world around us, these values are what makes Derby High special, and they are what makes each of our leavers special.
This week in the calendar is always full of mixed emotions as Year 13 enjoy their Leavers’ Celebrations and Year 11 go on Study Leave. For both year groups their educational journey changes path, with Year 11s looking forward to life in the Sixth Form where they will experience greater freedoms, which come hand-in-hand with greater responsibility. Kindness, a belief in the importance of every individual and their voice, the determination to have a positive impact on the world around us; these values are what makes Derby High special, and they are what makes each of our leavers special.
The exam season is finally underway, after 2 years of teacher assessed grades. The students are well prepared despite the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic. The weather is looking promising for this weekend’s Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expedition. We are delighted to see a return to activities outside the classroom. Our Year 10 Geography students have been out this week on a residential fieldwork trip to FSC Preston Montford in Shropshire. Over 2 days the students learned a variety of human physical Geography data collection techniques. It was fantastic to be able to run this trip for the first time since 2019. Many thanks to all staff involved with these trips; planning, preparing and accompanying our students with enthusiasm and expertise.
In my Primary assembly yesterday, I asked the children to be like Atlantic salmon. Atlantic salmon are both resilient and determined. They spend most of their life at sea, but make an epic journey back to the river or stream where they hatched so that they can lay their eggs, which could be a journey of 1000 miles. Not only do salmon travel a long way, they also need to swim upstream to reach the river or stream where they hatched. Salmon can be spotted jumping over weirs and waterfalls to get to their destination. In fact, they have been known to leap vertical obstacles more than 3 metres tall. Swimming against the flow of the stream, the salmon have to work hard to keep going, even though the water puts pressure on them.
It was wonderful to welcome our students and staff back this week, filling the school with lovely chatter and laughter. In our Start of Term Assembly on Monday, Chaplain Jo talked about motivation and we reflected on the importance of dreaming big, setting goals and taking action. Dreams, whether big or small are really valuable as they help us to feel inspired and motivated, but it’s important to set smaller, manageable goals to help us move towards making our dreams a reality. Goals are all very well, but having them in our minds or on paper is not enough and it’s vital that we take actions if we are to move forward.
