Summer 2026

19 june – NEWSLETTER

EDITION 69

Head’s Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to this week’s newsletter.

I would like to offer, on behalf of the school, a huge congratulations to our Year 11 and Year 13 students who completed their examinations this week. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and perseverance and wish them all a well earned rest.

Our Pride celebrations continue this week with two magazine competitions. So, I urge our community to get involved and get creative.

Tim Fox
Headteacher

INSET day – Monday 22^nd June

The school is planning a major upgrade of our IT hardware and systems. This exciting update will include:

New interactive whiteboards in all classrooms
New computers and ‘visualisers’ in classrooms, to support effective teaching and learning
Improved computers in the school’s ICT suite
Software upgrades to Windows 11 and Microsoft 365

Therefore, on Monday 22^nd June the school will have an INSET day and the school will be closed to students, to enable the necessary installation of computers and software installation. This means that the school will have very limited access to our IT systems on Monday 22^nd June. Once the new computers and software have been installed, the school will then begin the process of fitting the new interactive whiteboards across the school, so that by September, all classrooms will have new IT equipment.

pride month

PRIDE MAGAZINE COMPETITION

Students and staff are still able to submit creative work celebrating LGBTQ+ voices, experiences, history, and culture. The deadline for submissions has been moved to the 26th June.

Submissions may include:

Creative writing (poetry, short stories, articles, speeches, reflections)
Artwork and photography
Interviews, reviews and opinion pieces
Pieces exploring LGBTQ+ history, activism and role models

Sixth Form Success

Gresham College Young Orator of the Year

Laura, Year 12 is a finalist at the Gresham College Orator of the Year event which is being held on 1st July.

Laura will be making a speech on whether protests have a more positive or negative impact on the causes they are organised for. We look forward to hearing how it goes, in a couple of weeks.

news from across the school

having a civil talk about money

Last week, 10th June, Year 12 economists had the opportunity to hear from two speakers from the government economic service scheme who visited the school to provide an insight into the world of economics and the civil service.

During the session, both speakers explained how economists partake in influencing policies which affect society and factors that have to be considered when pursuing a policy into place. They provided us with information on the different routes a student could take to get into the GES scheme which were very helpful. Their visit put forward a valuable opportunity for us students to gain a better understanding of how Economics is applied in the real world. The session was quite informative and encouraged some of us to consider a placement or career within the civil service.

– Laaibah

Trips and Enrichment Activities

uPCOMING Trips

sign up on Arbor Today so you don’t miss out

We have some fantastic trips lined up. Scroll through the carousel below to see what’s in store for each Key Stage.

Parent volunteers needed

There are trips coming up for which we are seeking parent volunteers. If you are willing to chaperone students on any of the following trips, please email rdouse@highburyfields.islington.sch.uk or call the school. The approximate time commitment is also included below:

Year 10 Imperial War Museum: 26 June (8:30am – 3:30pm).

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ HFS Rewards ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Attendance

Here are top performing forms for attendance last week:

Top Forms for Attendance
Year 7: 7/Frida Kahlo – 100%
Year 8: 8/Margaret Atwood – 99.13%
Year 9: 9/Serena Williams – 98.75%
Year 10: 10/Kadambini Ganguly – 97.73%
Sixth Form: 12/Berta Cáceres – 99.14%

Merit Awards

Congratulations to all students who achieved merit milestones last week.

120 Merits
headteacher MERIT

.

Year 10: Marayamo and Intra

.

240 Merits
BOARD OF GOVERNERS MERIT

.

Year 7: Hosanna, Elsie, Hadjer, Alisha, and Julie
Year 8: Aleena, Zahra, and Daisy
.

500 Merits
Commitment to Learning
Merit
.

Year 7: Sarah

.

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 the successful students from last week:

Year 7
7/Chimamanda Adichie – Sabrina
7/ Frida Kahlo – Qamar
7/Junko Tabei – Layla
7/Rosa Parks – Abigail
7/Winona LaDuke – Meriem

Year 8
8/Alicia Keys – Sabrine
8/Jane Goodall – Shannon
8/Margaret Atwood – Mariam
8/Marie Curie – Kristina
8/Nawal El-Saadawi – Violet and Bianca
8/Serena Williams – Eleanor

Year 9
9/Barbara Hepworth – Kadra
9/Katherine Johnson- Anisa
9/Maya Angelou – Zara and Naima
9/Olga Korbut – Fiyinfoluwa
9/Wangari Maathai – Amelia

Year 10
10/Jacqueline Du Pré – Sara
10/Mae Jemison – Sofia
10/Sylvia Earle – Agnese