Summer 2025
4 July – NEWSLETTER
EDITION 32
Head’s Welcome
Dear Parents and Carers,
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Year 11 prom, where students celebrated the end of their GCSE examinations. Thank you to all students who attended; after all your hard work during the exam period, you truly deserved an evening of celebration.
On Monday, we are celebrating our annual Culture Day. This is always a highly-anticipated event that our students look forward to every year. We invite students to come to school in clothes that represent the culture/heritage they identify with. We are also marking the occasion with a Community Culture Celebration, which I encourage you to book tickets for as it is sure to be a wonderful evening.
Tim Fox
Headteacher
Urgent Reminder: set up your new parent portal!
We would like to remind parents and guardians to log into our new Arbor parent portal – your one-stop shop for all information and communications regarding your daughter.
It is really important that all parents register on the Arbor portal/app this term as the school is phasing out using School Gateway. From Thursday 10th July, school lunch card payments can only be made on Arbor.
A welcome e-mail has been sent again and further instructions are available below:
community culture celebration evening
A reminder that our Community Culture Celebration is taking place on Monday 7th July. Tickets are available on SchoolGateway and must be booked in advance. This exciting evening will be a celebration of arts, culture, and heritage, and we warmly invite all parents and students to attend.
Ticket prices:
- Adults: £3
- Children: £2
As part of the celebration, students are welcome to come to school on Monday dressed in cultural clothing to share and honour their heritage.
We look forward to seeing you at this special event celebrating our diverse and vibrant community!
SIXTH FORM SUCCESS
year 10 – Sixth Form Taster Day
As a reminder, Year 10 students and parents are invited to our Sixth Form Showcase and BBQ on at 5pm on Tuesday 8th July in celebration of the end of their mock examinations.
Please order your BBQ options by midday on Friday 4th July using the form below:
Following the Showcase, Year 10s will be attending a Sixth Form Taster Day on Wednesday 9th July. Please ensure that your daughter has chosen her taster lessons on Applicaa – our Sixth Form admissions platform.
For support using Applicaa, please email admissions@highburyfields.islington.sch.uk.
Trips and Enrichment Activities
STEM workshop with st john’s Highbury Vale
Last week, our school hosted an exciting STEM workshop for Year 4 and 5 pupils from St John’s Highbury Vale Primary School. As an Enrich Problem Solving Skill, we know the importance of sparking curiosity in science, technology, engineering, and maths through fun, problem-solving activities. Some of our Sixth Form students assisted the Maths and Science teachers, guiding the younger pupils through experiments and challenges. From decoding puzzles to a chromatography experiment, the workshop was packed with learning for our neighbours from St John’s Highbury Vale.
Each pupil left with a certificate of achievement in their hand and a smile on their face! A big thank you to the staff and students involved for making it such a memorable experience for our future scientists and engineers.
Year 12 Geography Trip to Brick Lane
Last Tuesday, Year 12 Geographers headed to Brick Lane for an educational field trip.
As part of their coursework, students must choose to focus on either an urban or rural area. The trip to Brick Lane gave them the tools and and data they need, should their A level coursework focus on urbanisation. The Year 12s carried data collections in the form of surveys with members of the public and will carried out similar analyses on their rural fieldwork trip this week to Seaford in Sussex.
Other news from around the school
Year 11 Prom:
Celebrating in Style
Last week, the school hall was transformed into a dazzling venue as Year 11 students celebrated the end of their GCSE exams with a fantastic prom night. Dressed to impress, students danced the night away under sparkling lights, enjoying music, pizza, and plenty of photo opportunities. A highlight of the evening was seeing teachers join students on the dancefloor, adding to the fun and festive atmosphere. The prom was a well-earned reward for all the hard work and an exciting way to start this next chapter as they begin their Sixth Form journeys and beyond.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ HFS REWARDS ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
We continue to be impressed and very proud of students achieving merit awards and showing their commitment to learning through their high attendance.
This week, we’re sharing the top performing forms for their attendance:
Top Forms for Attendance
1. 7/Margaret Atwood – 96.74%
2. 7/Marie Curie – 96.09%
3. 10/Margot Fonteyn – 95.92%
As part of our ongoing rewards system, students receive recognition – from their Form Tutor to the Board of Governors – for each merit milestone:
30 Merits – Form Tutor Merit
Year 9: Annabella, and Sabiha
Year 10: Brody.
60 Merits – Head of Year Merit
Year 9: Montana, Tamar, and Layla.
120 Merits – Headteacher Merit
Year 9: Savanna, Theadora, and Lujayn.
240 Merits – Board of Governors Merit
Year 7: Aaliyah, and Nada
Year 8: Erika, and Mary
Year 9: Alesha, and Sophie.
500 Merits – Commitment to Learning Award
Year 8: Shaiyarna.
Congratulations to all students who have reached a merit milestone this week!
Events TO LOOK FORWARD to
Year 7 PGL
4 – 6 July
Community Culture Celebration Evening
7 July
Year 10 Walton-on-the-Naze Geography Trip
8 July
Sixth Form Showcase & BBQ for Year 10
8 July
Sixth Form Taster Day For Year 10
9 July
Silver DofE Qualifying Expedition
12 – 14 July
LATEST GALLERY
