Autumn 2025

14 November – NEWSLETTER

EDITION 44

Head’s Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to another Highbury Fields newsletter – full to the brim with our recent trips and activities that are enriching your child’s school experience.

Firstly, I’d like to thank all the Year 7 parents and carers who attended yesterday’s Parents’ Evening; we had almost a full turnout, which demonstrated the wonderful commitment of our Year 7 parent community. I enjoyed meeting many of you and hearing how your daughters have settled in so quickly since September. I’m looking forward to our next Parents’ Evening on 4 December, where we will welcome Year 11s to reflect on their progress and the outcomes of their ongoing mock examinations.

Finally, please remember to vote in the Parent Governor election, which closes today at 3pm. You can find the candidates’ bios and the voting form below.

Tim Fox
Headteacher

Reminder: Vote for the next Parent Governor

As a reminder, voting for the next Parent Governor closes today – Friday 14 November at 3pm. Please ensure you cast your vote in time as any received after the closing date will not be counted.

You can read the candidates’ statements and cast your vote below:

Meet the nominees

Voting ballot

Please note: Each parent/carer can only vote once, regardless on the number of students you have attending the school. If you do not have the necessary technology to vote electronically, please contact the school office for a paper ballot form.

SIXTH FORM SUCCESS

Year 13 cooking masterclass

Year 13 students took part in a fun and practical sushi workshop run by our catering team, Olive Dining. They learned how to make maki rolls and katsu chicken poke bowls. The session focused on showing affordable, creative, and healthy ways to cook while living independently at university. Students enjoyed experimenting with techniques and, in particular, sampling their creations! They discovered that cooking can be both budget-friendly and rewarding.

The workshop was a great opportunity to build confidence in the kitchen and prepare for life beyond school. Students have fed back that they loved the session and would like to welcome back Olive Dining for another.

Fiscal loosening and Financial crises: Economists attend a public lecture

Written by Maryam, Year 12

On Monday, Year 12 economics students attended a lecture on monetary and fiscal policy, given by Lord Burns – a former civil servant who was involved in the Great Moderation under Thatcher, and then became a prominent banker up to and throughout the Global Financial Crisis.

The lecture focused on how the UK’s monetary and fiscal policies could have been better since 2007. Burns uses a historical lens on how UK governments have responded to recession or crashes and identified seven trends that precede or follow recessions, some of note were:

Strong money supply growth (more money was circulating in the economy)
Banking deregulation
Fiscal loosening (cutting taxes, spending more or creating a larger budget deficit).

Overall, his opinion was that the government should raise taxes, raise interest rates and cut welfare spending, meaning less money is circulating in the economy; therefore, fewer people spend money, and so inflation would decrease. This was alarming for some of the students that attended the evening due to the magnitude of the cuts that he – and some members of the room – were arguing for. He mentioned that productivity in public services is falling, that banks became overregulated after the recession and that fiscal and monetary policy since 2007 has not been as effective as it could have been.

I found the lecture to be a very interesting and enjoyable evening that has left us very curious for what the budget, which will be announced on 26 November, will include.

Trips and Enrichment Activities

Year 11 visit the Imperial Warm Museum

Before half term, Year 11 spent the day at the Imperial War Museum.

Our GCSE History students participated in a moving workshop about the Holocaust, before exploring the many artefacts in the Holocaust Exhibition. Students evaluated the terminology used to describe this genocide, and how the artefacts in the gallery told of the many different stories of the 6 million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust.

The leader of the workshop was blown away by the considered responses that the students gave, and noted how they asked questions that had not been asked before.

“It was a huge realisation of the scale of the Holocaust. It had a profound impact on us.”

– Elizabet

“It made us realise how real these people were; by seeing their belongings and photographs, it brought the humanity of the victims to life.”

– Anastasia

“It was very informative, and good to keep learning about this history so it is not forgotten.”

– Bella

“It was a really great experience.”

– Faizah

Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge – Assembly final

On Tuesday 11th November, Ellie, Gabriella, Lilja, Isis, Kenza, Agnese, Matilda, Leila, Mia, Theadora and Sadie competed in the school final of the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge. The finalists took to the stage and presented speeches on a subject of their choosing to their year group. This was a wonderful assembly and the judging panel had a difficult job in choosing two winners!

We are pleased to announce that Leila and Sadie won the final and Isis was the runner up. All three students will now go forward to the Regional Final on 27 November at EGA School.

Thank you to all of the Year 10 students for taking part in the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge.

Almeida Theatre Workshop Inspires KS3 Students

This term, our KS3 Drama students took part in exciting workshops led by practitioners from the Almeida Theatre. The sessions focused on building confidence, teamwork, and acting skills through fun and engaging exercises.

Students explored voice projection, movement, and improvisation while learning to step outside their comfort zones and express themselves creatively. The workshops left many feeling more confident about performing and working collaboratively.

We are grateful to the Almeida Theatre team for inspiring our young performers and bringing professional theatre training into our school.

Snack and study

Year 11s are making excellent use of our Breakfast Club here at Highbury Fields, turning their mornings into a productive time to revise for their ongoing mocks. Students are coming in, fuelling their mornings with breakfast, and revising for the day’s exams. We are very impressed by their dedication and love seeing them quizzing each other over a bagel or two.

Keep up the good work, Year 11s! A nutritious meal is a great way to start your day.

Year 10 Arsenal Trip

Written by Marnie and Amba, Year 10

Last Thursday, 10/Carter and Adams went on the Arsenal trip with Ms Wild, Ms Jackson and Ms Anwuri. We walked from school to the stadium and started with a lesson about careers in football with lots of fun games included. We learned about Arsenal’s history, their connection to Highbury and Islington, and the work they are doing to close the gender gap in the football industry.

After the session, we had a tour and saw the whole pitch and stadium, which was really impressive. We got to see the dressing/changing room for the home and away teams, the VIP areas, and the press/conference rooms.

Overall, we had a great time and had a lot of fun learning about careers in football, and visiting our neighbours at the Emirates.

Other news from across the school

Perform Morning

Highbury Fields had yet another successful Perform Morning just before we broke up for half term.

Year 7 students performed a number from Disney’s Descendants, followed by Year 8 performances of Romeo and Juliet, each with a contemporary spin. Year 9s then shared a Theatre in Education piece, devised to teach younger students about the importance of online safety.

Instead of a Perform Morning at the end of this term, students will take to the stage in our annual Winter Concert. This year’s concert takes place on Thursday 11 December; we look forward to welcoming parents and students for an evening of music and performing arts.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ HFS Rewards ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Attendance

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

Top Forms for Attendance in each year group
Year 7: 7/Frida Kahlo – 98. 54%
Year 8: 8/Margaret Atwood – 98.22%
Year 9: 9/Barbara Hepworth – 96.22%
Year 10: 10/Kadambini Ganguly – 97.09%
Year 11: 11/Margot Fonteyn – 97.92%
Sixth Form: 13/Tanni Grey-Thompson – 96.83%

Merit Awards

Students have continued to demonstrate excellent commitment to learning, through high attendance and merit achievements. Congratulation to all who received merit awards last week!

30 Merits – Form Tutor Merit
Year 7: Juwariah, Masal, and Maryam
Year 8: Minire, Basma, Taybah, Mira, Jessica, Amani, Mariam, Nell, Sagal-Rahma, Angel-Faith, Helin, Seyma, Yealietta, Taslima, Maylee, Kiah, Angelina, Ava, Christina, ayah, Sadie, Natalia, and Duru
Year 9: Aasiya, Aisha, Kaci, Sudi, Fiyinfoluwa, Anna, Tallulah, Aimee, Rebeka, Zayna, Diyanah, Amelia, Lila, and Amira
Year 10: Sara, Tia, Ahlam, Saeedah, Hana, Sana, and Serena.

60 Merits – Head of Year Merit
Year 7: Livia, Safa, Alice, Amelie, Ed-Lynne, Ria, Avana-Mae, Sara, Llily, Elsie, Asia- Chenae, Razan, Eliza, Maeve, Rosa, and Milly
Year 8: Maryam, Molly, Emma, Minire, Basma, Mira, Jessica, Nell, Angel-Faith, Helin, Yealietta, Emily, Kiah, A’Kaylah, Angelina, Ava, Christina, Ayah, Freya, Leticia, Mary Jan, Bianca, and Lavin
Year 9: Aasiya, Anisa, Dania, Thandiwe, Rebeka, Yasamin, and Lila
Year 10: Asmaa and Amiee.

120 Merits – Headteacher Merit
Year 7: Amen Andarge, Barlin, Safina, Aldana, and Bonnie
Year 8: Iqlas.

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 8
8/Alicia Keys – Greta and Alice
8/Jane Goodall – Hafsah
8/Marie Curie – Freya
8/Serena Williams – Darcey Belle.

Year 9
9/Barbara Hepworth – Angelique
9/Katherine Johnson – Anisa and Myah
9/Wangari Maathai – Amelia G.

Year 10
10/Jacqueline Du Pré – Kenza
10/Sylvia Earle – Luel.

Year 11
11/Andrea Levy – Zahra, India, Fatimah, Taleah, Lily-Mai, and Ayo.

Support for Parents

Smartphone Safety & cyberbullying webinar for families

Wednesday 12 November and Thursday 20 November | 6pm

In collaboration with The Diana Award, looking at the impact of bullying on young people, we’re offering parents and carers a 45 minute webinar to explore cyberbullying and smartphone safety.

In this interactive 30 minute session, young people will explore:

How their phone grabs and holds their attention
Banter vs bullying
How parents can help young people stay safe.

Keeping children safe: online & beyond

ParentSafe is an online resource for parents seeking immediate information about the complexities for the digital age your children are growing up in.

From managing screen time to handling difficult conversations, this platform offers guidance and top tips to parents who are intereseted in learning more about online safety.

Find out more about ParentSafe