Autumn 2025

3 October – NEWSLETTER

EDITION 39

Head’s Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers,

This week, we hosted our final ‘How To Be Successful’ event of the term. We hope that Year 9 and 11 parents enjoyed the evening and found it informative, as students begin considering their GCSE options, or preparing for their exams at the end of the year.

In this week’s newsletter, I would also like to highlight our recently published breakdown of this year’s A-level and GCSE results. The report shows exam performance for each subject, in comparison to the national average for girls. We are incredibly proud of students’ academic successes last year and encourage you to see the data, which speaks for itself.

Tim Fox
Headteacher

Exceptional A-level and GCSE results 2025

Highbury Fields School is very proud to share with you a full subject breakdown of our students’ A-level and GCSE results for each subject. These results place our students’ outcomes in the top 10% of schools in the country for both A-level and GCSE. They are testament to the fantastic commitment to learning of our students, the dedication of our teachers and, of course, the wonderful support of our parent community.

Read the full results breakdown

SIXTH FORM SUCCESS

Reminder: Open Evening

As a reminder, students in Years 10 and 11 can now sign up to our Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday 23rd October.

This is an opportunity to find our more about life in our co-educational Sixth Form and learn about our A-level and BTEC courses from teachers and current Year 12 and 13 students.

Shadwell Basin Trip

On Friday, Year 12 students headed to Shadwell Basin for an afternoon of teamwork, challenge and getting soaked!

Our newest members of the Sixth Form chose from paddle boarding, canoeing and high ropes, many of whom had no experience in their elected activity. Students loved finishing September on a high note, marking the end of their Sixth Form induction.

Other news from across the school

Black History Month Assembly

Newly-elected Head Students, Maryam and Lanetta (Year 12), made a powerful impact in their first school assemblies this week, focusing on the importance of Black History Month. They shared stories of inspiring Black figures through history, such as Mary Seacole, and reviewed Black influence in sports, literature and music. They spotlighted former Highbury Fields student and award-winning artist, Little Simz, who continues to inspire students through her successful hip-hop career focusing on themes of racial injustice and identity.

Lanetta shared her thoughts following the assembly:”We’re aware that [as student leaders] we have a responsibility as role models for younger students, so think it’s important that we have a voice and use it to celebrate Black excellence.”

Lanetta and Maryam’s leadership is already shaping a more inclusive and informed school community, and we can’t wait to see how else they inspire and influence the school in th year ahead.

How to Be successful Evening

On Thursday we welcomed parents and students from Year 9 and Year 11 for our final session of the ‘How To Be Successful’ series.

These evenings have been designed so that our parent community is aware of the expectations the school has with regards to your child’s commitment to learning throughout the academic year. By understanding the different elements that contribute to academic and social success, not only through hard work in lessons but also through punctuality and attendance, students are informed to make the best choices on their journey at Highbury Fields.

We would like to thank all parents and students for attending, and hope you found the event valuable.

Trips and Enrichment Activities

Trip sign-ups

As a reminder, you can now register your child for several upcoming school trips via the Arbor app. Please make sure to sign up and complete any necessary payments before the listed deadlines — some are approaching soon!

You may also notice an ‘Extra Contribution’ option on some trips. These optional donations help make trips more accessible for all students by supporting families from lower-income backgrounds. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference.

See more guidance for signing up to trips in Arbor

Techology Trip – Grimshaw Architects

On Wednesday, a handful of students visited Grimshaw Architects – a world-renowned architecture and design company known for major infrastructure and cultural projects, including the Eden Project and the Elizabeth Line.

Students toured different departments, gaining insights into landscape design, interior architecture, civil planning, sustainability, engineering, product design, and digital modelling. They explored the modelmaking workshop and viewed prototypes from the Elizabeth Line, including signage, banisters, and seating, learning how design shapes everyday experiences.

Experts shared how buildings are made structurally viable, environmentally responsible, and comfortable for real people. Students also discovered the vital roles of communication, pitching, and design software in bringing ideas to life.

Tano (Y11) said, “That trip was amazing—I went home and told my parents everything!” Alaa (Y12) added, “I knew I was interested in architecture, but that made me want it even more.”

Huge thanks to the Grimshaw team for such an inspiring experience!

Gardening Club News – A Bountiful Harvest!

What a fantastic week for the Gardening Club! We proudly harvested a bumper crop of désirée potatoes, gifted by the Chelsea Flower Show—and plenty of onions from the’ School Food Matters: Know Your Onions’ project.

It was wonderful to welcome a lovely group of new students, including many enthusiastic Year 7s, alongside our regular green thumbs. Everyone helped harvest and distribute the produce, going home with bags full of fresh veg – perfect for autumn soups and stews.

A big thank you to all who got involved in making this a truly fruitful season!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ HFS Rewards ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Students have continued to demonstrate excellent commitment to learning, through high attendance and merit achievements. We’re impressed that just four weeks into the academic year, students are already achieving 60 merits!

Here are last week’s top performing forms for their attendance:

Top Forms for Attendance in each year group
Year 7: 7/Frida Kahlo – 99. 05%
Year 8: 8/Serena Williams – 98.72%
Year 9: 9/Barbara Hepworth – 95.77%
Year 10: 10/Kadambini Ganguly – 97.45%
Year 11: 11/Margot Fonteyn – 98.07%
Sixth Form: 13/Tanni Grey-Thompson – 97.81%

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 7: Fatimah, Alice, Chloe, Amen Andarge, Olivia, Ayla, Nina, Chaeyoon, Molly, Kayla, Ayla, Emmylou, Elanur, Qamar, Martha, Mila, Sorayah-Rose, Elvie-Storm, Talyah, Greta, Razan, Rosa, Wren, Maia, and Bonnie.
Year 8: Masa, Liv, Leen, Sarya, Shannon, Zahra, Olimpia, Lily-Rose, Freya, Aaliyah, Anna, Lyra, Sarah Ahmed, Alice, Anisha, Elis, and Eleanor
Year 9: Shaiyarna and Zerina.

60 Merits – Head of Year Merit
Year 7: Nafeesah and Elvie-Storm
Year 8: Ellisha.

Students of the week

This academic year, we have introduced ‘Students of the Week’ to recognise individuals who have demonstrated excellent commitment to learning and the community. Here are last week’s successful students:

Year 7
7/Chimamanda Adichie – Lauren
7/Frida Kahlo – Chaeyoon
7/Helen Sharman – Lily
7/Junko Tabei – Asia-Chenae
7/Rosa Parks – Mila, Zoe, Greta, and Talyah
7/Winona LaDuke – Sophia.

Year 8
8/Alicia Keys – Liv
8/Jane Goodall – Molly
8/Marie Curie – Arielle
8/Serena Williams – Anisha.

Year 9
9/Barbara Hepworth – Lily-Rose
9/Katherine Johnson – Ruwayda
9/Olga Korbut – ZamZam
9/Wangari Maathai – Isaacy

Year 10
10/Angela Carter – Araya
10/Jacqueline Du Pré – Tia
10/Kadambini Ganguly – Hana, Saeedah, and Ceylin
10/Nicola Adams – Montana
10/Sylvia Earle – Margot

Year 11
11/Ada Lovelace – Vesper
11/Kelly Holmes – Ava
11/Malala Yousafzai – Faduma