Chair of The Independent Schools Association
I am pleased to announce that Mr. Duke has been elected Chair of the Independent Schools Association which represents more than 802 schools across the United Kingdom, for the 2027–2028 academic year. He will serve as Vice Chair next year before taking up the position in the following year.
This is a voluntary role which sits alongside his position as Headmaster of Highfield Priory School. This is a great honour for both Mr. Duke and Highfield Priory School and underlines the school’s position as one of the leading independent schools in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Whitman (Chair of Governors)
Year 5 Egg Drop Investigation
Year 5 enjoyed an exciting outdoor Science lesson this week as they explored the forces of air resistance and gravity through a fun and practical investigation.
Working in teams, the children designed and built their own creative inventions to protect an egg from smashing when dropped from the top of a set of ladders. There were some fantastic ideas and plenty of problem solving as pupils carefully tested and adapted their designs.
The lesson was filled with teamwork, enthusiasm and lots of excitement as the children discovered which creations could survive the challenge. It was a wonderful learning experience with, thankfully, not too many eggs cracked along the way!
Year 1 Textile Art Installation
Year 1 has thoroughly enjoyed creating a new art installation for the Art Studio.
As part of their learning, the children developed their sewing skills by learning how to use both over stitch and blanket stitch to create giant fabric beads. They then combined their work to produce a colourful and imaginative giant textile necklace installation.
The children showed fantastic creativity, patience and teamwork throughout the project, and were incredibly proud to see their finished artwork displayed in the Art Studio.
Well done, Year 1! We are so proud of your creativity and hard work.
Year 1 Geography Learning Comes to Life
Our Year 1 children recently enjoyed a wonderful Geography lesson, putting their classroom learning into practice.
The children carefully wrote letters to their parents, addressed their own envelopes and then took a walk to the local post box to post them themselves. It was a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn more about how the postal system works and to develop their understanding of their local area.
While out on their walk, the children were also lucky enough to meet a friendly postman who kindly stopped for a photograph and even allowed the children to try on his lanyard and use his scanner.
The children thoroughly enjoyed this hands-on experience and were very excited to take part in such meaningful learning beyond the classroom.
Early Years Team Celebrates Prestigious Top 20 Award
We are thrilled to announce that our Nursery and Preschool has once again been recognised with a Top 20 Award from Daynurseries.co.uk.
This fantastic achievement is a reflection of the dedication, care and enthusiasm shown every day by our wonderful Early Years team who works tirelessly to provide the very best learning experiences and nurturing environment for our children.
We are especially proud to have been ranked:
1st out of 418 nurseries in Lancashire
2nd out of 1,781 nurseries in the North West
These outstanding results are based on reviews and feedback from parents and carers, making the award even more meaningful to our school community.
Thank you to all our families for your continued support and for taking the time to share such kind and positive reviews. We are incredibly proud of our Early Years provision and this special recognition.
Magical Storytelling in Forest School
Our Nursery children recently enjoyed another wonderful Forest School adventure as Mrs Marskell brought the much-loved story Room on the Broom to life in a truly magical way.
Using fantastic props, plenty of imagination and engaging storytelling, Mrs Marskell captivated the children as they explored the story outdoors. The excitement grew even more when the children watched a magical fire being created using “dragon snot” and “witch dust”!
There were smiles, laughter and lots of enthusiastic participation throughout the session as the children immersed themselves in the story and enjoyed learning through outdoor play and exploration.
It was a memorable experience for all involved and a perfect example of the creativity and magic that Forest School brings to our Early Years curriculum.
A Giant Surprise in Reception
Our Reception Class was amazed this week when it discovered that a giant beanstalk had mysteriously grown in their classroom overnight!
The exciting surprise sparked lots of imagination and discussion as the children talked about what imagination means and shared their ideas about what they might find at the top of the beanstalk if they were brave enough to climb it.
Inspired by the magical experience, the children produced some fantastic writing filled with creativity. They were very proud to share their super writing with Mrs Wakefield.
ISA Athletics Championships
Well done to all athletes who travelled to Manchester for the ISA Athletics Championships. The children took part in track and field events; the mixed weather, with rain, wind and sunshine, created testing conditions. We enjoyed some brilliant performances with George finishing 3rd and Niralya in 2nd in the Vortex Throw; Muhammad and Annabelle also qualified in the 60m afternoon finals. We now look forward to our Junior Sports Day after half term, where everyone can enjoy some competitive fun in the sunshine!
Cricket Against AKS
Forty pupils travelled to AKS to play Kwik Cricket and hardball cricket this week. The weather held and we managed to play four competitive games.
The three Kwik Cricket games were played in good spirit, with the children bowling well and playing a range of good shots with the bat. They were also busy in the field, trying to keep the score as low as possible. They now need to work on their running between the wickets to maximise their runs.
The hardball game was the first of the season. Highfield started well, bowling accurately and taking their opportunities in the field. They reduced the opposition to 225, taking nine wickets. The team then continued to bat sensibly, defending well and taking scoring opportunities when they came. All members of the team contributed, amassing a final score of 275.
Congratulations to all the players who took part, and thank you to AKS for hosting us.
Infants Sports Morning
Our Infants Sports Morning was a wonderful event enjoyed by children, parents and staff alike. The children took part enthusiastically in a range of races and activities, showing fantastic determination, teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the morning.
It was lovely to welcome so many parents and family members whose cheering and encouragement created such a positive atmosphere and made the event even more special for the children.
Congratulations to all our teams for their fantastic effort. The final results were:
1st Place – Sapphires with 541 points
2nd Place – Aquamarines with 497 points
3rd Place – Diamonds with 474 points
A huge thank you goes to all our staff for organising such a successful morning and ensuring everything ran so smoothly. We are incredibly proud of all our young athletes for their enthusiasm, effort and team spirit throughout the event.
Success at the Lancashire Junior Chess Event
Five Highfield Priory pupils recently represented the school at the Lancashire Junior Chess Event in Blackpool, joining 82 children from schools across the region for a fantastic day of competition and teamwork.
The tournament included a range of sections including Green and Tiny Pawns, Red Pawns, Knights, Bishops, Rooks and Queens. Our pupils performed brilliantly throughout the day, all scoring valuable points in their respective categories.
A special congratulations goes to Umar who achieved an excellent Runner-Up position in the Bishops section.
We would also like to thank Veda’s dad, for once again supporting the event and helping throughout the day. His continued support of Lancashire Junior Chess is greatly appreciated.
Well done to all of our chess players for representing Highfield so positively. We look forward to Round 2 of the Chess Challenge later this week.
School Safety Reminder
The safety of our children, families and staff remains our highest priority at all times. We would therefore like to remind all parents and carers of the importance of driving carefully and responsibly in and around the school grounds.
Following a recent near miss in the playground area, we are asking all drivers to take extra care when arriving at, and leaving, school. We kindly remind parents and carers that mobile phones must not be used while driving, signposted speed limits must always be followed, and all children must wear seatbelts when travelling in vehicles.
We will continue to monitor safety procedures closely and treat this matter with the utmost importance to ensure our school environment remains safe for everyone.
We greatly appreciate the support and cooperation of all members of our school community in helping us to keep our children safe.
MERITS
Week Ending 15th May
RB – Naiya
1WE – Livia
2R – Jaylen
3M – Muhammad-Yusuf
4JD – Joey
5W – Dhyaan
6P – The Whole Class
Week Ending 22nd May
RB – Esme
1WE – Tabitha
2R – Lucas
3M – Annabelle
4JD – Elizabeth
5W – Liyaana
6P – The Whole Class
EVENTS NEXT WEEK
SATs Week
wc/ 8th June – Nursery and Preschool Meetings Week
Wed 10th June – ISA Kwik Cricket Tournament, Queen Ethelburgas
Thurs 11th June – Y5 Trip to Liverpool Museum
Fri 12th June Music Assembly AND Highfield Summer Spectacular AND Reception Trip to Smithhills Farm
Other Key Dates
Betty Huggon Netball Tournament – Tues 16th June 9.30am
Junior Sports Day – Wed 17th June 1pm
Reception Father’s Day Breakfast – Thurs 18th June and Mon 22nd June
Year 5 Assembly – Fri 19th June
Year 6 Curriculum Evening – Tues 23rd June
Open Morning Fri 26th June
Year 1 Trip to Skipton Castle – Fri 26th June
Year 5 River Safari Trip – Tues 30th June
Year 1 Curriculum Evening – Thurs 2nd July
Leavers Assembly – Fri 3rd July
Reception Curriculum Evening – Tues 7th July
Year 6 Production – Wed 8th and Thurs 9th July
Reception Class Assembly – Friday 10th July
Prize Giving – Wed 15th July 2pm
LAST DAY OF TERM – Wed 15th July
Online Calendar: https://highfieldpriory.co.uk/calendar/
