Brighouse High School

Easter

2019

Dear parents and carers

Welcome to the Easter edition of the Brighouse High newsletter. This has been a

long and busy term and as we break up it is lovely to be able to reflect on the events

and successes of 2019 so far. The Spring term has always has focused

overwhelmingly on classroom work and exam preparation. Year 11 and 13, in

particular, have been working hard with their teachers to make sure they are ready

for the assessment season. We wish them all the best of luck for the GCSEs and A

levels which will take place shortly after our return from the Easter break.

Beyond the classrooms there have been several activities including our inspirational

Super Learning Day, fundraising and sporting events and numerous extra -curricular

clubs. The successful ski trip and a visit to the Battlefields were also highlights of the

term. As always, the pupils involved in these trips were a credit to the school and

returned with great stories to tell. Thanks to the staff who organised these visits and

activities; the hard work involved is much appreciated.

One other special memory of the term, which I must mention, was the afternoon I

spent watching the production of My Fair Lady at St John’s Clifton. Mrs Lever,

Headteacher, kindly invited me to attend the play which the pupils had been

rehearsing since September last year. The dedication and commitment certainly

paid off. The performances were outstanding and were much appreciated by the

packed audience; we very much look forward to the pupils of St John’s adding to the

talents of Brighouse High when they make the transition to secondary school.

In our own setting we have also had some excellent performances involving our own

talented pupils. Our evening of dance showcased the skills and creativity of our Btec

Dance students, many of whom took to the stage in solo performances which

showed great courage and confidence. The excellent performances are sure to

secure some very good grades for our students. Comic Relief Day saw the usual

array of fun fundraising activities but also provided an excuse to hold a ‘Brighouse

Has Talent’ competition. Auditions were held and the eight selected acts wowed the

audience. To make the occasion even more special, former pupil and Britain’s got

Talent runner up, Jack Carroll, came along as a guest judge. It was great to have

him back in school ahead of his debut film release. Jack deliberated alongside our

Head Boy Ben and Head Girl Robyn and after much agonising was able to declare

ballerina Emma Bentley as the deserving winner. The talent show was conceived by

our own school council and was a great success in boosting the fundraising for

comic relief.

As I write this letter 34 sixth form students and staff have embarked on the now well

established Brighouse High tour of China. They will take in sites of Beijing, Shanghai

and Xian and have the opportunity to experience life in a Chinese classroom. We

wish them Bon Voyage and look forward to the reports from the trip.

I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter which provides an insight into life at

Brighouse High this term. Thank-you as always to the pupils who contribute so

positively to our school community, thanks to the staff for their commitment and hard

work, to Governors for their unfailing support and to parents and carers for working

in partnership with us. We wish you all a very happy holiday and look forward to a

successful Summer term

Liz Cresswell

Headteacher

At Brighouse High School we really value the relationship we have with parents and

are proud to see the fantastic turnout at parents’ evenings where so much is shared

to help our students, your children, to achieve their potential.

We have been doing a lot of work recently on how effective our current system is

and what we could do to make the experience more useful for parents, students and

staff and I am now in a position to outline our plans moving forward from September

2019.

From September 2019 parents’ evenings will run from 4pm-7pm. This has been

largely in response to parental requests for earlier appointments in recent years and

to address the changing demands of the working day on parents and teachers.

Traditional working patterns have changed significantly in the last twenty years and

those working patterns are not as rigid as they once were, which has meant that we

have had to respond to the need to offer a different opportunity to parents to

maintain those important interactions with school.

We are also mindful of the fact that our students now are often starting their days

earlier and earlier and a parents’ evening, which they also attend, which does not

finish until beyond 9pm does not help them in managing the demands of the week.

Furthermore, the wellbeing of our staff is important and to deliver the quality we

expect at Brighouse High School is something which is undoubtedly easier if

colleagues are supported in balancing the demands of work and life.

I am sure that we will move forward together, as we always do, and I look forward to

continuing the partnerships we work so hard to maintain in the coming years.

Please send feedback or comments to admin@brighouse.calderdale.sch.uk. Title

your email ’Parents Evenings’

Richard Horsfield

Associate Headteacher

Grahame Vickerson

It is with great sadness that I announce the sudden death of, former

colleague,Grahame Vickerson. Grahame was Head of Physical Education and

Behaviour Support at Brighouse High from 1st September 1985 to 31st August 2013

Mr Vickerson was known and respected for his work across a number of schools in

Calderdale and Bradford. He was also a Youth Worker, working for Calderdale

Youth service for many years.

Grahame made a valuable contribution to the Brighouse High team and in particular

will be remembered as the leader of international football tours. Grahame’s vision in

developing a biannual sports tour to Cape Town meant that many young footballers

(and later netball players) had the chance to experience competition and culture in

South Africa. Grahame worked tirelessly to provide an experience of a lifetime for

the pupils and staff who took part in the tours. His legacy lives on with regular

international football tours being part of the Brighouse High calendar.

Many colleagues and friends attended Grahame’s funeral at Park Wood in Elland

last Friday 5th April, where tributes were paid to his work as teacher, his dedication

to developing the sporting talents of the youngsters of Calderdale and in particular

his support for vulnerable young people. He will be sadly missed.

Liz Cresswell

South Africa 2006

Restart a Heart Day

On Tuesday 16th October Brighouse High School hosted the ‘Restart a Heart Day’

which is an annual event organised by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service &

supported by the British Heart Foundation providing life-saving CPR training. All

year 7 and year 11 prefects which was over 330 pupils completed a 30 minute

session which involved demonstrating Cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques.

We had ten volunteers from the Yorkshire Ambulance, West Yorkshire Fire and

West Yorkshire Police Services. All overwhelmed by the friendly, hardworking,

positive and mature attitude of our pupils.

South Africa 2006

School Council Update

All students took part in an intensive day of training at our 6th form centre. Students

developed their ability to work together in groups and with students from different year

groups. As well as developing the skills to lead their own council meetings and plan projects

to bring about the changes they wanted to see.

Since the training, students have met once every half term as a ‘Whole School Council’, the

Head boy and girl chair the meetings. The Head boy and girl alternating the role of chairing

the meetings and taking the minutes.

The school council decided on 4 main project areas and members of the council assigned

themselves to the relevant project depending on the topic they would like to work on.

Once the projects were created, students began to plan the group aims and deadlines.

Groups have been meeting during tutorial once a week and these are organised by the

project leaders.

1) Mental Health and Wellbeing

The mental health and wellbeing group have had meetings with Mrs Hartley who is our

wellbeing support working in school. They are working on developing a video involving staff

to use in the L4L lessons to raise awareness of the key issues around wellbeing and mental

health. Further to this they will be developing the awareness information on the website

and working with the anti-bullying group in designing a support and report button option

for pupils to communicate with key support staff in school.

2) Anti-Bullying (Bully-free School)

Last year the project group developed a scheme of work in the L4L programme, raised

awareness of the systems and strategies in place to report and support occurrences of

bullying. The anti-bullying group this year plan to make an anti-bullying video using

students from all year groups passing on the national statistic and what pupils can do if they

want to report bullying. The group will also work with the mental health and wellbeing

group to develop the website to have a support button where students can ask for support

or report a concern.

3) Recycling and School Environment

The group decided to focus their efforts on recycling and litter awareness across the school

community. Areas to explore are the recycling of plastic, replace plastic cutlery, banning

plastic bottles, increase the number of recycling bins around the school site including

classrooms, introduce a recycling bank and introducing a litter picking programme.

As well as working on the above, the group are further developing L4L programme with

environmental issues and increase the awareness of growing plastic waste issue we have

globally.

4) Social Spaces and Fundraising

The social space and fundraising group have identified areas where more furniture is

desired for students to have a relaxing social space. As well as social spaces the group are

prioritising their efforts during the winter term to fundraise for the environmental project

group. Both groups are working together to develop the awareness and the recycling effort

across the school community.

During the summer the group will plan fundraising events raise money for this furniture.

CAR PARKING ON FINKIL STREET

One theme debated by the Council this term has been how to address issues

around road safety and parking on Finkil Street, especially at the end of the school

day. Local councillors and neighbours attended a recent meeting and the School

Council is working on some creative ideas. In the meantime please park sensibly

and be mindful of potential dangers and respectful of our neighbours.

Walk to School for Charity

Students from 8G took part in their annual Walk to School in March in aid of Comic Relief. A different route to last year, students walked 3.7 miles to school from the centre of Halifax. We were very lucky as the weather was excellent and students raised just under £800 for charity. Well done to everyone involved. Plans for next year’s walk have already started! Mr Hornsby

Science Week

During science week at Brighouse High School, pupils were given the opportunity to participate in a number of activities. These included looking at combustion reactions in the form of methane bubbles, designing rockets set off by reacting water with Alka Seltzer tablets and explaining the theory behind static electricity using a Van de Graaff generator. As well as these, pupils were able to make their own ice cream using dry ice with flavourings such as peppermint or salted caramel. The events were very well attended and pupils were able to experience the different areas of science with lots of success.

A Hill

Science Visit to Leeds University Year 10 Science students had a day visit to Leeds University to learn about dental, medical and health related careers. The students had chance to make dental impressions and learn about the ethics of organ transplants among other topics. The students had a fantastic day and were a credit to the school. D Archer

Year 9 History Battlefields Tour

On 14 February, 35 year 9

students and 5 staff boarded an

overnight ferry to Belgium to

embark on a three day tour of

the First World War battlefields

of Ypres and the Somme.

Whilst our Battlefields Trip is an

annual feature of the school

calendar, this year, our

students were on a mission to

honour the local men of Clifton

Village, who gave their lives in

the Great War. This had come

about as a result of a local history investigation carried out by students at St John’s

Primary Academy, Clifton. In order to mark the centenary of the 1918 armistice, St

John’s students had researched the lives of the men listed on Clifton Village’s war

memorial, and had made three beautifully crafted wooden crosses bearing painted

poppies. Upon receiving St John’s findings, staff at Brighouse High were able to

locate the graves of three Clifton soldiers, and set about incorporating these

soldiers’ stories into our Battlefields Tour. What followed was an extraordinarily

thought-provoking and emotional trip, as students found themselves in the boots of

Clifton 'Tommies', learning about the experiences of the men who fought and died in

the trenches.

Our tour encompassed visits to several museums in France and Belgium, and

several war cemeteries, including Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest cemetery for

Commonwealth (and thus British) forces to be found anywhere in the world.

At the German Cemetery at Langemark, students were able to see the stark

contrast between the stately, dignified environment of Tyne Cot, and the sombre,

austere atmosphere of a cemetery built on enemy territory. There were opportunities

for students to explore preserved trenches, and to stand in the remains of the trench

from which the Bradford Pals launched their attack on the German front line on 1st

July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. At Thiepval Memorial to the

Missing, which bears the names of over 70,000 soldiers who died on the Somme but

have no known grave, we laid a memorial plaque, and at the Last Post ceremony at

the Menin Gate two of our students laid a wreath on behalf of Brighouse High

School and St John’s Academy. We were delighted to visit the graves of our three

Clifton soldiers, and pay our respects by laying the beautiful crosses of

remembrance provided by the children St John’s Academy. We were also able to

give three of our students the opportunity to visit the graves of, or locations

associated with, their ancestors who perished in the war. It was an especially

humbling and moving experience for all.

Of course, during our trip, we also found time for some fun! In Ypres, for example,

we were sure to visit an incredible chocolate shop, and whilst in the Somme, we

practised our bowling skills. Some were better than others, and although ten-pin

bowling isn’t exactly a sport, it was noted that the PE teacher among us showed

room for improvement!

All in all, the trip proved to be an invaluable learning experience, complementing and

broadening students' knowledge and understanding of the First World War.

Creative Writing Club

This term, the year 8 students who attend creative writing club have entered a number of competitions. One of our students had a poem successfully published within an anthology called 'Poetry Escape'. The poem, titled Climate Change, discussed the issues the world is currently facing and implores society to make changes to save the planet. Within creative writing club, the students write and learn to write in a variety of forms, for example the students have written 100 word narratives, short stories, letters and poetry.

Student Newsletter Once again, the team of students who run the newsletter have been busy collecting news, interviews and reports from around the school and the school community. This year so far they have reported on Giving Nation, the German exchange and the KS4 awards evening. They have interviewed Mrs Kirby and Mr Kantola-Smith, as well as keeping students up-to-date with Brighouse Run results, RESPECT point rewards and news from the LMH. Currently, the year 10 and 8 students are working on a Brexit special, which will attempt to explain the complexities of the current political landscape to a teenage audience.

Maths Competition at St Andrew’s CE (VA) Junior School

On Wednesday 13th March, we were delighted to be able to send eight highly

motivated mathematicians from Year 8 down to St Andrew’s Junior School to act as

judges in a mental arithmetic competition which is being developed throughout our

network of feeder primary schools.

Sophie Bass, Emily Scott, Maia Shad, Libby Tooley, Jack Knowles, Taylor

Moorhouse, Thomas Sullivan and Alfie Swallow all were fantastic ambassadors for

Brighouse High School and were praised highly for their efforts on the day.

Prior to the event, the students spent time in preparation so that when it came

around, they fully understood the rules of the event and were confident in dealing

with the challenges posed.

As a result, they have improved their mental arithmetic, teamwork and

communication and leadership skills and the feedback which they received from the

members of staff at St Andrew’s was extremely positive.

Due to the fact that it will be a competition which will continue in future years, we

hope that it will become a permanent fixture on the very busy Brighouse High

School calendar and something for our students to look forward to.

On Wednesday 6th March, 2019, a team of four Year 10 students entered the

Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP) Year 10 Maths Feast, held at Trinity

Academy, Halifax.

The team of Michael Brook, Shoanna Clark, Rachel Hobson and Robert McLean

attended after-school sessions every Wednesday from Christmas in order to

prepare, and they were rewarded when they secured a very creditable top ten finish

in the overall competition, having competed strongly against teams from schools

across Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.

The competition was organised by the AMSP who are part of the Department of

Education and aim to support and promote the study of Maths beyond GCSE. As

such, the tasks involved the team tackling problems which included topics such as

calculus and decision mathematics, areas of Maths which are introduced and

developed further in both the A Level Maths and Further Maths courses which we

offer in our Sixth Form here at Brighouse High School. Considering they had never

met these topics before, they took them on in superb style and really shone with

their answers, especially when trying to find the minimum spanning tree of a network

using Kruskal’s Algorithm.

Overall, the group had a great day, showed magnificent teamwork and

determination and thoroughly deserved their high placing! Well done!!

Year 8 Super Learning Day - The Problem with Plastic.

On Wednesday 3rd April, Year 8 undertook the annual Super Learning Day

Technology Challenge.

This year, the focus was to make students aware of the increasing problem of

plastic waste and how they could help to reduce this in a design based, fun,

interesting and challenging way. The day culminated in 10 group winners having

their campaign work judged by School Governors, Calderdale Council and

representatives from the Sixth Form. This resulted in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places with

winners receiving prizes for their fantastic

efforts.

The SLD task was to produce a campaign

that would help a wider audience understand

the issues surrounding plastic waste, and

specifically to design a reusable water bottle

that could be used by students at Brighouse

High School (mainly to reduce plastic waste

but also to help solve excess litter).

Year 8 were fantastic and rose to the challenge in a dedicated and thoughtful way.

Groups of 4/5 students were led by a manager who steered their team towards

several outcomes- bottle designs, campaign T-shirts, a memorable slogan and a

campaign/BHS logo.

The final results were superb and created headaches when it came to choosing

group winners. All the staff that supported Year 8 on SLD were thoroughly

impressed by the exceptionally high standard of design work but also the

commitment that was given to the subject.

At the end of the day, the judging took place and 3 bottle designs/campaigns were

shortlisted with one worthy winner taking the grand prize. The judges who had seen

the project develop, over the day, couldn’t have been more pleased with the whole

experience and were quick to praise Year 8 for their hard work.

We now hope to take the winning designs and turn them in to real life products, with

the water bottle being developed and turned in to an actual reusable item which will

be available to students and staff. By doing this, we hope to contribute to solving the

plastic problem and educate all students in taking responsibility for looking after the

planet.

So another Year 8 Super Learning Day is over and a big thank you to everyone that

contributed in making it the brilliant success it was. Year 8 have been outstanding,

so well done to them for the brilliant work they produced and their brilliant attitudes

during the whole of the project.

The Design and Technology Team

Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance (CEIAG)

Year 12 Bridging Group & Year 13 Jobseekers – Mrs Aitken Students have been continuing with research into apprenticeships and job opportunities. Students have 1:1 interviews to update our Information, Advice and Guidance team (IAG) on their progress. They are offered further guidance with the IAG team before leaving Brighouse High School Sixth Form. Mrs Aitken will continue to be available to see any Year 12 & 13 students on Tuesday mornings until the exam period, from 8.15am - 8.45am, then during Period 2. Students can book an appointment at reception if they would like to discuss their career ideas and future plans or email Mrs Aitken direct on: l.aitken@brighouse.calderdale.sch.uk

L4L Sessions / Joint Careers Fair In the last few weeks we have had National Careers Week and the National Apprenticeship Week. Students have been encouraged to get involved in local events and have had a programme of activities to complete during their L4L sessions. All students and parents were given the opportunity to attend a very successful Joint Careers Fair with The Brooksbank School, here at Brighouse High on 14th March. The event was well attended with over 60 different organisations, including a range of universities and apprenticeship providers in attendance, with some live vacancies available for students.

Year 8 Super Learning Day On the 29th January, Year 8 students were off timetable and participated in a Super Learning Day focusing on Stereotyping, Prejudice, Discrimination, Equal Opportunities, Teamwork and Communication Skills. Many of the resources were provided by our Careers Business Ambassador Martin Haigh of Lattitude7. Throughout the day students were able to develop skills that employers value in the workplace. Feedback from the day was excellent with the day filled with lots of fun activities including a Biological Challenge, a Minefield, Jigsaws, Domino Rally, Helium Sticks and Recognition Circle.

Year 7 Super Learning Day On the 3rd April, Year 7 students enjoyed a day looking at ‘What is work?’ and got the opportunity to interview a wide variety of delegates from different organisations and job roles. Activities included ‘What’s my line’, a newspaper challenge and presentations on Volunteering and The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which students can sign up for in Year 9. A lot of activities during the day focussed on the skills needed for the world of work and how students can develop some of these during their school career.

The Careers Website Students in any year group can access The Careers Website to help them with their decisions, whether going on to Further/Higher Education or an Apprenticeship. Students can browse the different job areas to see how they link to subject choices. Links to Apprenticeships, The World of Work and Latest News may have live vacancies to apply for. Higher Education / University Applicants show the UCAS Website which enables students to research degrees at different Universities. Students can also see if they should take a specific subject to get on the course of their choice in Year 9 and Year 11. Parents are able to access the Careers website at home with their child to help them make these decisions. To access the Careers Website via the Brighouse High School Website www.brighouse.calderdale.sch.uk click on the Careers link on the top right hand side to take you to the home page shown below. The direct link is www.brighousehighcareers.co.uk

Work Experience 8th – 12th July 2019 Year 12 students have been organising work experience placements for July 2019 which is a requirement of their course. Students make the contact to arrange their work experience by sending a CV and/or going through an interview process to gain a placement. The paperwork and co-ordination of the placements are then organised by College as all placements are sent to C&K Careers for the required Health & Safety checks. The first batch of placements has already been sent to C&K Careers and we are currently working on further placements – this is now a priority in order to meet deadlines for the checks to take place. A parental consent form in duplicate will be sent out and one copy has to be signed by both parent and student and returned to Sixth Form as soon as possible. Any student requiring support with their Work Experience can make an appointment to see Mrs Aitken ASAP. To support students with both UCAS and employment/apprenticeship applications we encourage students to work in an area that they are interested in and part of their future aspirations. The comments we received last year after another successful work experience week from both students and employers were overwhelmingly positive. Placements were secured in solicitors, schools, hospitals, engineers, estate agents and charity organisations to name just a few. Many students travelled to Leeds or Manchester each day and some gained a week in London. A couple of students even went abroad for their Work Experience! We are looking forward to another successful week in July. All relevant documents and information relating to the work experience programme can be found on the following link on the Careers Website; http://www.brighousehighcareers.co.uk

Year 12 Higher Education Week / Decisions @ 18 Conference – 24th – 27th June 2019 Mrs Aitken is in the process of arranging mock interviews for the Year 12 students who are ‘jobseekers’ i.e. those students who do not wish to go to University. If any parent wishes to get involved in any way in the conference please contact Mrs Aitken ASAP to discuss this. More information will be available to all Year 12 nearer the time.

Lorna Aitken – Head of CEAIG / Careers Leader April 2019

Who? With Mrs Marks

What? The Year 7 Best Book Group –

Calderdale book awards

When?- TUES lunchtimes

Where? The LMH

Who? With Mrs Makinson

What? The Carnegie Book Group

When?- TUES lunchtimes

Where? The LMH

Activities in the

See Mrs Makinson- literacy and library

co-ordinator if you are interested in any

of these exciting activities.

c.makinson@brighouse.calderdale.sch.uk

Watch out for our

regular celebration of

READING.

Past EVENTS:

Harry Potter Night

World Book Day

Shakespeare LIVE

MONDAYS

Homework and REVISION

club with MRS MAKINSON

3.10- 4.30

FRIDAY FILM CLUB 3.10-4.30

See Mrs Makinson

STUDENTS and TEACHERS alike

enjoyed World Book Day as we tried to

guess which book shelf of ‘pile’

belonged to which teacher!

Designing new book covers is always a

fun task.

READING and REFLECTION in our LMH

this SPRING TERM

As the clocks sprang forward

we have enjoyed some

perfect afternoons in the

LMH- reading, reflecting and

enjoying our unique school

community here at BHS.

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s – LIVE

LESSON on Romeo and Juliet being enjoyed

in dramatic style!

Our new audio

books have inspired

time for reflection

on some important

issues in society

Our recent cross-curricular project was

with the Religious Studies department.

‘The Tree of Care’ in our LMH is a beautiful

representation of the thoughts, feelings

and prayers of our students.

Members of our ‘Best Book Group’, here at BHS, enjoying reading together

and discussing their ideas, thoughts and opinions.

OUR Annual HARRY POTTER NIGHT was filled

with wizarding FUN!

#TEAMBHS

The turn of the new year was officially welcomed in

by the students as the took part in their second

Brighouse Run of the year to monitor individual

fitness levels after the over-indulgence of Christmas.

The course can be somewhat unkind during the

January months, a wet and muddy trail coupled with

cold conditions really tests the students, but

nonetheless they battled hard and some excellent

times were recorded.

The top 3 runners from Run 2 of the Brighouse Run are shown below;

Y7 Boys Y8 Boys Y9 Boys Y10 Boys Y11 Boys

Charlie Berriman

Max Priestley

James Stead

Thomas Ablett,

James Shaw

Elliott Clarke

James Ablett

Bobby Hamer

Brody Clark

Ben Brearley

Gabe Lawton

Jacob Smith

Ned Hughes

Jacob Peyton

Joseph Shaw

Y7 Girls Y8 Girls Y9 Girls Y10 Girls Y11 Girls

Wren Hiley

Phoebe Gibson

Billie-Jo Wood

Jess Surley

Ella Birkbeck

Rebekah Wray

Brooke Kelly

Ellie Crowther

Olivia Webb

Eleanor Rees

Emily Smith

Evie Harland

Laura Whittington

Katja May

Corra Clarke

The normal curriculum then resumed after

completion of the Brighouse Run, with students

embarking on their final winter rotation ahead of

February half term.

We are incredibly proud of our wide and diverse

sporting curriculum, whereby students are given a

full half term to learn and develop in a particular

sporting discipline. By the time February half term

was reached, each student had studied 6 different

sporting disciplines which as a PE department we

are incredibly proud of!

When the students returned after February Half

Term the Annual Inter-Form Cup commenced,

whereby each form group from Year 7 to Year 10

compete against one another throughout a 6

week block of sporting activities.

Although competition is strong and winning is

important, a key focus is to promote key life skills

and values in the hope of developing their team-

work, resilience and independence. Points are

accrued throughout the 6 week period based on

results but more importantly, the demonstration

of the aforementioned life-skills. The 6 week block

has just come to an end n and the official results are detailed below;

Overall Scores

B 1683

R 1562

I 1738

G 1556

H 1650

U 1587

S 1471

E 1593

Our GCSE PE students have been working hard in the

classroom throughout 2019 and we have now reached the

final stages for Year 11 GCSE PE who have now completed

their coursework, practical moderation and are just gearing

up for their crucial exams on Wednesday 15th and Friday 17th

May. We are always incredibly proud to watch our GCSE PE

students grow, hopefully becoming the next crop of talented

sportspeople who are going to drive PE and the wider-

importance of sport for the next generations to come.

In addition, we are also got the pleasure of

meeting our potential GCSE PE students as Year 9

visited the department to be put through their

paces ahead of selecting their options for Key

Stage 4. The students were put through a series

of fitness tests to analyse and assess their

performances against national data and to

identify their strengths and areas for

development in their own individual sports.

Our extra-curricular programme continues to be a shining example of how well our

students are progressing within PE and School Sport and from the turn of 2019 we have had

school clubs and fixtures galore in a fantastic array of sport;

Football

Netball

Rugby

Swimming

Sportshall Athletics

Panathlon

Golf

Badminton

Trampolining

Cricket

As ever the dedication and commitment of our students outside of school continues to

amaze me and I am overjoyed to hear and see the progress that our students, both present

and #TeamBHS Alumni, are making on both the local, regional, national and international

front.

The images below are just a small selection of our incredible BHS students doing their thing

outside of school and I must take this time to thank the continued support of all our local

clubs as well as the superb support we always receive from parents and carers in ensuring

our students are given the best sporting opportunities available.

Please contact Mr

Wainwright (Head of PE) to

inform him of all sporting

achievements and follow

our PE twitter page

@BrighouseHigh and

Facebook ‘Brighouse High

School PE & Sport.

This year we have worked with Ravenscliffe High School and other schools across

Calderdale to raise money for the charity ‘Smartmove’. Schools have held dress

down and non uniform days as a vehicle to generate funds to support the worthwhile

charity, which provides safe and secure homes for homeless and vulnerable people

in Calderdale.

At Brighouse High we shared the funds from our Christmas jumper day and were

able to contribute £422. A massive £8577.85 was raised in total from the 35

schools who participated in the effort. Well done everyone.

Brighouse High Sixth Form College – Students celebrate UCAS offers

Year 13 students have been celebrating

receiving their UCAS (University) offers

and are now in the process of accepting

first and insurance choices in advance of

the Summer results. Three students with

special cause to celebrate are Rebekah

Goodchild, Jonty Freeman and Nathan

Shaw who have all received prestigious

offers from Cambridge University.

Congratulations to all students on their

offers. We wish them all the best of luck in

the forthcoming exams.

MASON MANLEY FROM BRIGHOUSE WINS PRESTIGIOUS PLACE AT UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND

THROUGH SUTTON TRUST US PROGRAMME

Mason Manley, 18, from Brighouse, who is completing his A Levels at Brighouse

High School Sixth Form College, has won a place and a financial aid package to

study at a top US university after participating in the Sutton Trust US Programme,

run in partnership with the US-UK Fulbright Commission.

Mason will take up their place at University of Richmond, Virginia, this autumn.

Last year, Manley was one of 150 students selected for the programme, which

included a week-long trip to the United States to visit a variety of universities and

meet admissions officers from colleges across the US. They competed with over

1,000 applicants to win a place on the programme and spent a week staying in the

dorms at Yale University, Princeton University or the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT).

The students benefited from residential activities and received an intensive

programme of support, delivered by the US-UK Fulbright Commission over several

months before and after their US visit, which covered admission tests, college

choices and the application process.

The aim of the Sutton Trust US Programme is to encourage British state school

students from low and moderate income homes to consider studying at American

universities.

The 2018-2019 programme cohort comes from across the UK. 74% of the students

admitted early will be the first in their family to go to university. Of the 47 accepted

students, 53% are from households that earn less than £25,000 a year.

Manley from Brighouse, at Brighouse High School Sixth Form College said, “I

couldn’t believe it when the email arrived in my inbox. I’d been accepted to my

dream university with the support that I need to make it happen! My life has been

changed massively by the guidance of the Sutton Trust US Programme, and I will be

forever grateful for all the opportunities they have given me.”

Manley is one of 47 students who have been accepted under the early application

deadline to US universities, and more students applied by the January deadline with

results available later this spring.

The participants admitted early have been offered a total of approximately $13.4m of

financial aid from the universities over the next four years. They have been accepted

to 33 different institutions, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia.

The Sutton Trust US programme is made possible through generous support from

donors including: the Robertson Foundation, founding corporate partner Bank of

America Merrill Lynch, longstanding supporters Peter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing,

Martin and Antoinette Sullivan, The Neuberger Berman Foundation and

EducationUSA.

Sir Peter Lampl, Founder and Chairman of the Sutton Trust and Chairman of

the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

“America’s leading universities are bastions of progressive values and outstanding

education. Their campuses are welcoming places for international students,

whatever country or social background they come from.

“I’m delighted that 47 state school students have won places to study in the States.

They will benefit from a broad and varied curriculum as well as in-depth study and

generous funding for both tuition and living costs.

“I hope more young people will look to their success and realise that a university

education in the States is well within their grasp.”

Penny Egan CBE, Executive Director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission,

said:

“I am so pleased to see the early successes of the current cohort in securing places

and funding at top universities across the United States. These young people

demonstrate the continued interest in US higher education among talented students

in the UK, many drawn by the chance to pursue a liberal arts education and by the

diversity and quality of US universities.”

The US Programme is based on the Sutton Trust’s successful flagship programme

in the UK which now runs at 13 leading British universities and has benefited over

20,000 state school students. Applications for the UK programme are also open

now until 28th February 2018 at www.suttontrust.com

For further information please contact Hilary Cornwell at the Sutton Trust on 020 7802 1660 / 07951

447956 or Kirsty Callaghan at Fulbright on 020 7498 4020, press@fulbright.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Mason comes from Brighouse, West Yorkshire. He is Deputy-Head Boy at his Sixth Form and also works part-time. Being a First-Generation student from a low income family, his achievement is particularly notable. US higher education appealed to him as it allows for greater flexibility and the study of various subjects at a high level. Although he is currently undecided, Mason is considering Majoring in International Studies with a concentration in World Politics and Diplomacy whilst Dual-Minoring in Russian and German. He has a wide range of interests, including politics and aviation. Mason has previously received numerous Student of the Term awards, and has undertaken work experience with the French multi-national Thales and Calderdale Council. Currently, at his Sixth Form, Mason is working on a charity campaign in support of ‘charity: water’.

2. The Sutton Trust is a foundation set up in 1997, dedicated to improving social mobility through education. It has published over 200 research studies and funded and evaluated programmes that have helped hundreds of thousands of young people of all ages, from early years through to access to the professions.

3. The US-UK Fulbright Commission is a not-for-profit organisation funded by the

US and UK governments to promote educational exchange between the US

and the UK. The Commission offers prestigious awards for postgraduate study and research in the US, and is part of the EducationUSA network, offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to study at accredited higher education institutions in the USA.

4. The Sutton Trust has run UK summer schools since 1997. They offer young

people from low and moderate income backgrounds in year 12 – mostly 17 year-olds – a chance to get a taste of student life at a research-led university. The programme balances busy academic days with social activities and has been successful in encouraging bright state school students from low and middle income families to study at the most selective universities in Britain.

5. Results from the first six cohorts include over 300 students enrolled at universities across the US and an American university abroad, accessing approximately $88 million in financial aid.At Bank of America Merrill Lynch, employees are guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. The firm delivers on this through responsible growth with a focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across the business and reflects how the firm helps fuel the global economy, builds trust and credibility, and represents a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace created for its employees, the responsible products and services offered to clients, and the impact the firm makes around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with not-for-profits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organisations, to bring together collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect on Twitter @BofAML.

Blood Brothers Trip Year 11 students from the Drama GCSE cohort went to see Blood Brothers on the last day of term at the Lowry Theatre. This was an extra-curricular trip that gave students the opportunity to see the play that they are being examined on for their GCSE. It was a great show and the students took a lot from it. It’s year 10’s turn to see the show in May as we go to the Leeds Grand Theatre.

Band of the West Yorkshire Regiment

In February, Brighouse High hosted the band of the West Yorkshire Regiment for an afternoon’s rehearsal and concert in front of friends and family.

Students from Brighouse High’s Wind Band were joined by students from local schools including Brooksbank School and Rastrick High School. We had around 20 students joining the band for the rehearsal under the baton of Captain Gary Clegg.

Captain Clegg had initially brought music for the band to play that was slightly easier to allow for newer players to join in. He was so impressed, however, with the high standard of our young musicians that he stuck to the band’s own repertoire for the concert late in the afternoon.

This was a great opportunity for students to perform alongside some very talented musicians and learn new techniques as well as being in an adult rehearsal environment.

Music for Youth

In March, Brighouse High took three music ensembles to Rastrick High to enter the

regional heats for Music for Youth. The ensembles were Chess Club (a rock band),

Guitar ensemble and the school Wind Band. All students took part in the morning

session and performed in front of supportive audience.

Our ensembles were lucky enough to get to work with local musician Sam Dunkley.

He gave his professional opinion and improved our ensembles to give them a better

chance of progressing to the next stage of the competition.

Chess Club had the responsibility of opening the show and really got the audience

going with their excellent rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. In order to wow

the audience they segued straight into a song that was written by the band’s lead

singer Bea Badilla. The song was a hit with the adjudicators and they were very

impressed to hear some original music from the young musicians.

Guitar ensemble was led by guitar teacher, Mr Eady and performed three pieces.

They wowed the audience with a version of Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody it

included some improvisations from some of the older members of the group. This

was a classic performance from our guitar players as they take more modern twist

on classic songs.

The Brighouse High Wind Band were the last of our groups to perform and they

played some of their favourite pieces, Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Michael

Jackson Megamix. The band were low on numbers due to other commitments but

the smaller-than-usual ensemble did a great job and sounded fantastic in Rastrick

High’s hall.

I received lots of positive comments about all our ensembles from friends and family

of Brighouse High. As ever, our young musicians continue to entertain crowds both

in out of school.

Mr Hornsby

Evening of the Arts

On the 4th April, we had our annual Evening of the Arts performance at school. This

is primarily an opportunity for our Btec dancers to be assessed in front of a live

audience but in true Brighouse High style, we saw this as an opportunity to

showcase much more talent.

The year 11 dancers had to take complete control of the show from tickets to lighting

and from refreshments to raffle prizes. This is part of their qualification as they are

preparing for working in the field of Performing Arts and everything that comes with

it.

On top of the fantastic year 11 dancers we had performances from our year 13

musicians. The new addition to the night was an 86-strong boys choir from local

Primary schools led by Will Marshall, Brighouse High Choir’s conductor. He has

been working with the schools for the last few months to put the performance

together.

It was great to see some many boys on stage and hopefully this will inspire them to

keep singing as they step up to Secondary school.

The night was a great success and students did themselves proud. It was a great

opportunity for students to perform in front of over 200 people in our school hall.

Willkommen in Brighouse!

Brighouse High School/StARG, Lüdenscheid Exchange Visit - March 2019

It was a pleasure to welcome our guests from BHS’s partner school, Aedolf

Reichwein Gesamtschule in Lüdenscheid, for their return visit in early March 2019.

This is the sixth year of the Exchange, which is open to KS4 students, and it is

proving increasingly popular with all those involved.

Our students had spent a very enjoyable week in Germany in September 2018, so

this was our opportunity to reciprocate with typical Yorkshire hospitality.

Halifax Town Hall

During their stay here, our

visitors enjoyed both the

generosity of their UK host

families and some

unseasonably mild weather.

They were treated to a full

programme of activities and

trips, including a day in York

and visits to Haworth,

Halifax’s historic Piece Hall

and a tour of Halifax Town

Hall. They also spent some time in school with their English partners, sampling

lessons and working collaboratively on a photography project comparing the sights

of Calderdale and those of Lüdenscheid. This produced some very pleasing and

imaginative results which we hope to share in due course.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the families who participated in

the Exchange this year, without whose help and continued support we would not be

able to offer this truly memorable experience. Thanks also to all staff involved in

making the Exchange such a success.

We are looking forward to our seventh German Exchange during the 2019-2020

academic year, which will further strengthen our cultural links with our European

partners and give our students an opportunity to become involved in an enjoyable,

unique and thoroughly worthwhile experience.

Mr. Shingler (Head of Modern Foreign Languages)

Ski Trip to Andorra

For the first time, the ski trip travelled to Andorra. The popular resort of Arinsal was

our destination.

On our arrival, the snow had fallen and provided some great conditions for the week

ahead.

This year we took a lot of beginners who had taken part in our ski lessons at Halifax

dry ski slope.

This really paid dividend, as they took to the slopes and were up and running after

the first day. Some of the more advanced skiers ventured on a Gondola to the

challenging resort of Pal.

The evening’s activities of bowling, pool, pizza, and music were enjoyed by all the

student and staff.

The teachers and instructors saw all the students increasing in confidence and

progressing with their technique as the week went on.

After such a successful week, we are now launching a return trip to the resort in

February 2020 where current year 8,9 and 10 students are invited.

Comic Relief Day at Brighouse High School

The highlight of the comic relief celebrations at Brighouse High School was the

return of former pupil and stand-up comedian Jack Carroll, who came along to judge

the final of ‘Brighouse Has Talent’ competition.

Jack judged the final of nine contestants alongside Head Boy Ben Orley, Head Girl

Robyn Cooper and Headteacher Liz Cresswell.

The packed audience of 240 students plus staff had made a donation of at least £2

to attend. The event raised £540 in total which contributed to over £3000 raised by

the school overall.

The audience was treated to a sneak preview of the trailer of Jack’s new film ‘Eaten

by Lions’ which goes on general release in cinemas from 29th March.

The judging was an extremely difficult task as all contestants performed so well.

Ballerina Emma Bentley took the first prize, coming slightly ahead of the dancing

due Dominik Maligranda and Oscar Terry.

Eaten by Lions goes on general

release from 29th March 2019

Red Nose Day / Comic Relief Every year our pupils support the Red Nose Day by organising and taking part in many events during the fundraising day. This year we raised £2821.42 for this fantastic cause. Organising events to raise money is part of our House System where pupils compete to raise the most money for their House. Pupils we very creative in the events they were organising and successful in raising a lot of money like the ‘Brighouse High’s Got Talent’ and the ‘Walk to School’. The Walk to School event organised by 8G tutor group (Mercury House) who have currently raised £778.44. We are still collecting sponsorship money and they hope to reach the £1000 target. Harriet Dawber One pupil successfully raised £417 part of this event Saturn House approached Red Nose Day with their typical enthusiasm for charity events. Particular mention needs to be made of the pupils of 7S, who are always keen to get involved and who provided both a cake stall and a popular game of Play Your Cards Right. And what charity day would be complete without the institution that is Yasin's Yazoos - a sale of all sorts of tuck shop goodies, manned by the ever enthusiastic pupils of 8E.

Brighouse High’s Got Talent Winner

Emma Bentley with her prize.

The event raised £472 towards the

Comic Relief total

Roofing Project Completed

LOST PROPERTY

We have a large amount of items in lost property without names.

Any items not claimed by the 31st May 2019 will be recycled or disposed of.

Please clearly name all items brought into school by your child so in the event of

them losing them we can return them to your child.

Thank You

Earlier this term work was

completed on our roofing

project. We were

successful in securing

almost £1 million of

government funding to

make much needed repairs

to the flat roof at the Finkil

Street site.

The work means that the

constant issue of leaks in

classrooms and corridors

should be a thing of the

past.

Wed 24th – Fri 26th April – Easter Revision School Year 11 & 13

Mon 29th April – School Opens

Mon 6th May – School Closed – May Day

Mon 13th May - Yr 8 Exams Start

Thurs 16th May – Yr 7 Parents Evening

Fri 24th May – Yr 8 Exams End / Yr 13 Study Leave begins

School Closes

Half Term Revision School

Mon 3rd June – School Opens – Yr 7 Exams start

Thurs 6th June – Normandy Parents Evening

Mon 10th June – Yr 8 London Trip

Wed 12th June – Yr 6 Information Evening for Parents/Carers

Fri 14th June – Yr 7 Exams end, Yr 10 Geography Trip - Flamborough

Mon 12th June – Year 12 Exams Week

Tues 13th June - Yr 8 Geography Trip to The Deep

Sun 23rd June – Yr 7 Lakes Trip

Mon 24th June – Yr 10 Exam Week

Sun 30th June – Normandy Visit

Thurs 4th July – Summer Soiree

Fri 5th July – Yr 6 Transition Day

Sun 7th July - Yr 10 Trip to Berlin

Mon 8th July – Yr 12 Work Experience Week

Thurs 11th July – Sports Day

Wed 17th July – Sports Ball

Fri 19th July – School Closes for Summer Break