Term 5 Newsletter 22/23

Message from the Headteacher

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This term has of course seen our Year 11 and Year 13 cohorts begin study leave and start their GCSE and A Level examinations. Both Leavers' Days were truly special occasions and it was an absolute privilege to participate in these rites of passage as students and staff shared special memories, poured over old photos of ‘bygone’ years (it’s always incredible to see just how much some students change during the passing of five to seven years!), and became highly emotional as everyone realised this was the end of something very special indeed. The collective appreciation and admiration shown by the students to their teaching staff and pastoral teams, and in particular to Mrs Walsh, Mrs Walker and Mr Betts as Heads of Year, was both genuine and heartfelt. The photos in this term’s newsletter will give you a sense of just how special these moments were for all concerned.

Across Year 11 and Year 13, each and every individual can hold their head high and look back on so many highlights during their QEHS learning journey. Not only has everyone worked incredibly hard to be fully prepared academically, but the countless personal development opportunities afforded to them over the years has ensured this class of 2023 will begin the next stage of their life’s journey as confident, compassionate, resilient and resourceful young people. Again, I wish everyone the very best of luck throughout this summer exam season. The hard work will pay off.

This latest edition of the school newsletter exemplifies once more the considerable number of ways in which Leadership for Learning has been demonstrated by students throughout Term 5. Whether supporting the Year 6 Primary Maths Challenge Day, raising awareness around autism (Thank you, Marley!), participating in World of Work Day and DofE expeditions, or becoming Young Heritage Champions (Congratulations, Reuben and Alyssa!), you will see as you read through the following pages just how proactive the wonderful students of QEHS are when it comes to seizing opportunities.

The academic, sporting, musical and personal triumphs this term have been considerable. Whether being recognised for never having a single day absent from school from Year 7 to Year 11 (Well done, Tiegan!), to receiving Subject Superstar Awards and Headteacher Commendations (Congratulations, Joe and Jacob!), being crowned County Champions (Year 7 Boys Football team – back of the net!) or bagging a hat full of medals (Elyse, Monty, Arthur, Charles, William, Theo, Isaac – you are all winners!), the talents and abilities of so many students across the school never ceases to impress and amaze me. Do please read on for further details of these incredible achievements.

Congratulations are not, however, limited to our incredible students as you will discover. The QEHS PE and Sport Department have just recently secured, for the fourth year running, the prestigious School Games Gold Award in recognition of their commitment to the development of competition across the school and into the wider community. In light of all of these sporting achievements, I encourage you to look out for personalised invitations to the Sports Presentation Evening to be held at Thonock Park on 13^th July which will be a true celebration of these and many other sporting triumphs from across the entire academic year.

You will also read in this newsletter details of the significant IT developments taking place across the school. Whether that be the new Accessit library system or the forthcoming Wi-Fi upgrade thanks to securing £280,000 of funding, the future looks bright in terms of digital learning at QEHS. Also, still to come will be a new homework and rewards app (Satchel One) which will be adopted and implemented by September following a trial period throughout Term 6. Satchel One will allow parents to see in real time the homework set for their child as well as rewards and details of any sanctions issued. This will further improve home-school communication and builds on the incredibly valuable input coming from the Parental Working Groups that have met this term and earlier in the academic year.

Finally, you will be aware that the school is continuously refining its curriculum whether that be academic, intrinsic, enhancement or elective. Currently, the focus has been around the social, moral, spiritual and cultural (SMSC) elements of our whole school offer. Please look out in this newsletter for our new SMSC ‘tube station’ map which indicates just how accessible and how well connected the QEHS educational experience truly is.

As always, I hope you enjoy the content of this newsletter which seeks to complement the news shared with you via the termly letters from Heads of Year and House Leaders. I’m not sure whether there is a more vibrant and energetic school out there, and I would like to thank the whole Queenies community for making it so. Do please, enjoy the half term break.

Kind regards,

Mr R Eastham

Headteacher

School Games Gold Award 2022-23

We are delighted to announce that Queen Elizabeth’s High School has achieved the School Games Gold Mark Award for the 2022/23 academic year. This is the fourth consecutive year that the Physical Education and Sport Department has secured this award. 

The School Games Mark is a Government-led award scheme launched in 2012, facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community, and we are delighted to have been recognised for our continued success.

Our sporting achievements this year include:

• Year 9 County and District Netball Champions
• Year 7 and 11 District Netball Runners Up
• Year 7 County (Boys) Football Champions
• Year 7 County (Girls) Football Runners Up
• Sixth Form County League Winners and County Cup Runners Up
• Under 13 and 15 (Boys and Girls) Handball County Winners
• Under 15 (Girls) Handball – 3^rd in North Region
• Year 9 Football District Champions
• Year 7 Football District Runners Up
• Year 8 Football District Runners Up
• Year 9 Girls Football County World Cup Winners

We are extremely proud of our students for their dedication to all aspects of school sport, including those young volunteers, leaders and officials who make our competitions possible.

 As part of our application, we were asked to fulfil criteria in the areas of participation, competition, workforce, and clubs, and we are pleased that the hard work of everyone at our school has been rewarded this year.

A special thanks and many congratulations to the Physical Education and Sport Department.

We look forward to applying once again in 2024!

Accessit - New Library Management System

The Library has moved to a new Library Management System called Accessit. Parents can access the system as a Guest and browse the books in our library. The URL is https://uk.accessit.online/qnl05/

If students logon through QEHS HAP+ and click on the Accessit icon they can log in directly as a known borrower with facilities to reserve books and submit reviews.

The Library Staff would like to wish everyone the best for their exams. Please can we remind any Year 11 students to return their textbooks as soon as they have completed their last exam in that subject.

Year 9 students are requested to return all their KS3 textbooks, since half term they will be moving on to their GCSE courses.

Mrs J Stevenson 

Learning Resource Centre Manager 

Exciting News for QEHS: IT Department Secures Funding to Boost School Wi-Fi Infrastructure

We are thrilled to announce that the QEHS IT department has recently won a funding bid from central government to the sum of £282,489.60. The grant will enable the IT team to further develop our school's Wi-Fi and cabling infrastructure, providing whole school Wi-Fi coverage and enabling the latest and greatest technology to be used for whole class Wi-Fi usage.

This project is set to begin at the start of the summer, and once complete, will deliver an advanced and reliable Wi-Fi network that will greatly enhance the learning experience of our students. The new infrastructure will allow teachers to seamlessly incorporate technology into their teaching methods, opening up a world of new opportunities for collaborative learning and innovative teaching approaches.

The funding received is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the IT team at QEHS. The team has been tirelessly working on developing an efficient and effective Wi-Fi network for our school, and this funding will go a long way in helping to achieve their goal.

We are confident that the new infrastructure will have a significant positive impact on our students' education and look forward to seeing the benefits it will bring. The whole school Wi-Fi coverage will provide students with uninterrupted access to learning resources, enabling them to collaborate and work more effectively both in the classroom and remotely.

In conclusion, we are extremely excited about this new development and the opportunities it will bring to our school. We thank the IT team for their hard work in securing this funding, and we eagerly anticipate the start of the project this summer. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project!

Mr A O'Neil

ICT Systems Manager

Work Experience – almost there!

For the students who have opted to take part in work experience and have been successful in securing a placement, we are now moving towards them taking up their Work Experience placements in July.

To enable our employers to ensure the safety of your child and their own employees, could I ask that parents notify the employer of any medical needs that their child has, before the placement starts. Employers will be asked to destroy any sensitive information after the placement is finished.

A written job description and risk assessment for the placement will be sent home from School with the student as and when the placements have been risk assessed and are approved to use, by our Health and Safety partners, Safety Measures.

We do have a lot of new employers this year, as well as existing ones whose current risk assessments have expired, which has increased the volume of Health and Safety visits needed. Please be assured that we are working with Safety Measures to get these placements finalised as soon as possible, but some may not come through until the week before the placements start. If any particular problems arise with getting placements visited and risk assessed, especially getting in contact with the right person at the placement, Mrs Thorpe will always notify the student immediately so that the situation can be addressed in a timely manner.

Upon receipt of the placement paperwork, please check the details and if you are in any doubt about dress code, hours of work, mealtimes, etc. do please contact the employer for clarification. The job description for some of the placements asks the students to “confirm their hours of work before the placement starts” and they need to act on this, by getting in touch with the employer, as soon as they receive the paperwork.

A small number of students have indicated that they may be doing irregular days or hours and confirmation of the days/hours of work MUST be given to Mrs Thorpe as soon as possible, as she will be the emergency contact for students working outside normal school office hours.

Thank you for supporting your child as they have faced the challenge of organising work experience in a business world where the aftermath of the pandemic is still impacting on available places.  As always, we look forward to hearing about the students’ experiences when they return to school. The glowing reports from employers about the students from QEHS, always make the hard work worthwhile!

Mrs J Thorpe

Work Related Learning Co-ordinator 

Year 11 Attendance Awards

Well done to the following Year 11 students who were awarded for their excellent attendance throughout their five years at QEHS. Additionally, 62 Year 11 students received certificates for meeting and exceeding the school attendance target of 97%. 

Year 11 - Class of 2023

The Year 11 Leavers' Day was a resounding success with our students joining us for a final goodbye and to share memories. They had an afternoon of fun and ice cream! 

Year 13 - Class of 2023

The Year 13 Leavers' Day was also filled with special moments and memories. Our senior students looked amazing in their old school uniforms! 

Year 11 and Year 13 Leavers' Day Celebrations

On Thursday 11 and Friday 12 May, our Year 11 and 13 students began their period of study leave ahead of their final GCSE and A Level exams.

The two year groups had their Leavers’ Day celebrations, which saw all Year 11 and 13 students enjoying an ice cream and saying their thank yous and goodbyes (along with a few tears!), with staff offering their well wishes, voting for some heart-warming student awards, and a fabulous performance from our Sixth Form band. Our students spoke with such pride and emotion about their experiences throughout QEHS and their genuine care for one another and gratitude to the staff was an absolute joy to witness.

Alongside emotional speeches from Mr Eastham, Mr Betts, Mrs Cropper, our Head Boy and Head Girl, Mrs Walker and myself, combined with the impressive content of photos and memories the Sixth Form Senior Team had put together, both days were really the special occasion we wanted them to be.

These celebrations are always absolutely worth the effort they take to organise. We could not be more proud of these students and wish them all the very best with their exams –  the final hurdle in what has been an eventful educational experience for these year groups. On behalf of all QEHS staff, we would like to say well done, good luck and thanks for the memories.  We hope that, along with the Leavers’ Day celebrations, our Year 11s and 13s will join us for their respective Proms to mark the end of this incredible journey.

Mrs E Walsh

Assistant Head (Sixth Form)

Co-Head of Year 11

Term 5 Headteacher's Commendation Awards

Following recommendations from staff, congratulations are in order for Joe B in 12B, and Jacob H in 13D, for being awarded this term's Headteacher's Commendation Award.  

Leadership for Learning:

Joe B (12B) was awarded the Leadership for Learning Award for always going above and beyond in the Sixth Form Marketing Team. As well as the scheduled school tours on a Wednesday afternoon, Joe is always the first to offer to help with other tours in his spare time and always willing to give up his spare time outside of school hours to help out with school events. Last year at Presentation Evening, Joe spent time helping prepare for the Junior Presentation Evening and then he stepped in to help out last minute. He has also offered to come into school on a weekend to help with an event. 

Learning to learn:

Jacob H (13D) was awarded the Learning to Learn Award for achieving the top grade in every single Physics assessment taken throughout his A Levels (A in Year 12, A* in Year13). This is an exceptional achievement. Jacob also makes excellent verbal contributions and applies himself very well in and out of lessons.

Well done to the both of you! 

Young Heritage Champions Appointed

Last week, I was thrilled to discover that I have been appointed as one of two Young Heritage Champions for Gainsborough (the other being Alyssa B) as part of West Lindsey District Council’s Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI). Our role is to champion all aspects of the local historic environment. It is a great opportunity to influence exciting new plans and decisions made toward regeneration of the historic heart of Gainsborough.

Before I was appointed, I applied for the role, outlining my interests in local history and geography. I wanted to find out more about how decisions are made in relation to planning and play a part in that. The role requires me to represent the voice of young people as part of a wider panel and be involved in activities and communications for the project. My application was shortlisted and I was selected for an interview with Mr Eastham, Miss Crick and Ms Workman, who is the THI's Activity Coordinator.

During the interview, we discussed a wide range of topics and issues facing Gainsborough's historic environment. Key challenges include: helping to ensure the High Street is healthy, repurposing redundant listed buildings and engaging  young people and hard to reach groups.

Reuben S, 10S

My name is Alyssa B, and I am in Year 10. At the beginning of this term, I decided I would like to run for the Young Heritage Champion. Initially, I had no self-belief, and after a meaningful chat with my Form Tutor and Head of Year I decided I would put my all into trying to acquire this role. I believed this opportunity given to me by QEHS could not only look good on my cv, but also help to make me ‘be the change’, which is needed in my hometown of Gainsborough, and this is what I’m truly passionate about.

After finding out I made the shortlist, I went home to my younger sisters and mum, and asked them about the changes they wanted to see in Gainsborough. After receiving their ideas, I wrote up a sheet which I used in my interview and although I had no confidence in the beginning, through my determination and motivation given to me through my incredible teachers, I secured the role. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and would like to give special thanks to my form tutor Mrs Wadd and my Head of Year Mrs Crick, for pushing me to something outside of my comfort zone. I am extremely excited about the opportunity and am looking forward to what the future has to hold.

Alyssa B, 10A

This is a fantastic achievement for both Reuban and Alyssa, and we wish them well for the positive impact they are sure to have through involvement with the Gainsborough Townscape Heritage Initiative. Reuban and Alyssa will be fantastic ambassadors for QEHS without doubt. Many congratulations!

Sixth Form Senior Team 2023-24

It is my pleasure to introduce the 2023-24 Sixth Form Senior Team.

The Sixth Form Senior Team (SFST) are empowered to work in partnership with staff and students towards shared goals and have more responsibility than their peers, working directly with the Headteacher and Assistant Headteacher (Sixth Form). Each year our Sixth Form Senior Team represent and take forward key projects and initiatives to support the Sixth Form, the school, pupils at all levels and the wider community. The remit of this team includes mentoring of younger students, promoting British Values, raising the profile of issues affecting students, and taking a key role in outreach activities.

The efforts of the Sixth Form Senior Team genuinely shapes the future of the school and leaves a lasting legacy. All students are encouraged to apply for leadership positions as taking part will allow them to learn how to affect positive change and taking on roles of responsibility prepares them for life beyond Sixth Form.

The new team are excited to start work on a range of school improvement initiatives and will keep us updated on their progress.

Mrs E Walsh

Assistant Headteacher (Sixth Form)

Meet the new Sixth Form Senior Team below: 

Term 5 Subject Superstars

Well done to the following students who have been identified as the Term 5 Subject Superstars. 

KS3 

KS4

KS5

The Subject Superstars are nominated by departments and are nominated in recognition of good behaviour, academic achievement, progress, extra-curricular or something that has made the student stand out for all the right reasons!

Year 8 World of Work Day

Students in Year 8 spent a day off timetable on Friday 5 May in order to spend time with employers, learning what they do and having a go at some work related activities. Students learnt to design golf clubs with Ping and used stickle bricks to practise engineering techniques with Hexadex. The NHS were also on hand to talk about the plethora of careers available in medicine and to give students hands on experience of their equipment. The Humber Outreach Programme gave students an insight into university life and the Army put students through their paces in traversing (pretend) alligator filled swamps! Our very own West End actor gave students a first hand feel of life in the theatre.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the day and our thanks go to all of the employers, who gave up their time to lay on a really fun and informative experience.

Mr J Kingdom 

Deputy Headteacher (Curriculum, Data and Standards)

Primary Maths Challenge

On Thursday 4 May, QEHS hosted an Inter School Mathematics Team Challenge in which eight primary schools participated. There were four sections consisting of multiple choice questions, puzzles, squares and a relay race. Students were all very enthusiastic to take part in the challenges and to win the prizes and awards. All schools performed brilliantly, showing dedication and team work all whilst having fun. A special congratulations to St. George's Primary School for taking 1st place with the highest scores. 

Inaaya K and Alfie R, Year 12

Students Conduct Research into the History of QEHS

Following a research project conducted during Year 7 Study Lessons where the challenge set by Mrs Walker was to research the history of QEHS, three students decided to pool the responses from the class to produce a series of slides to capture the essence of what had been discovered. Below, Isla, Marli and Olivia explain the process. Their finalised presentation on The History of QEHS will be added to the school website later this term.

Last term, we researched the history of the school and in groups we all produced a presentation showing our findings. We found out information by researching on Google, asking teachers and using information sheets posted on Google classroom. We all thought of questions that we would like research and record the answers to, on separate slides. The questions that we chose to answer were the ones that we found most interesting and important for people to know the answers to.

Once all of the groups had put together their work, we presented them to the rest of the class. Everyone wrote down things they liked and things that they thought could be improved on a piece of paper before sharing them with the groups. Me, Olivia and Marli then spent time reading through some of the best presentations and merging them into one big presentation on the history of the school. We then met Mr Eastham and to go through the large presentation to check it before we uploaded it to the school website.

Isla C, 7D

I found our project on finding out about the history of QEHS fascinating! I liked how Mrs Walker put loads of old documents, books etc. on Google Classroom and just let us work independently in our groups to research. It’s so cool how far the school has come from maybe just 50 years ago and how it started off as a tiny boys school in a chapel. Overall I think it was a great and engaging project and perfectly fitting for our Year 7 study lessons. 

Marli P, 7D

Personally I think that it is better to work as a group instead of on your own, as it’s not just your ideas it’s everybody else’s to. You can work with each other and improve so much and I always make sure that everyone and their ideas are always included so that we all have a say. We made sure that not just one person’s ideas made it into the presentation, but rather we all put our thoughts into it so that were all always involved.

What we did was we gave everybody a designated slide to do, and then after we all helped to edit them and to decorate them with a style that was certainly one of my favourites. Me, Isla and Marli all work so much better together and get along so so well when we were making the presentation. When there’s an opportunity in class that we can work together we always take it and made an amazing presentation by the end. We always make sure to speak to each other and make sure we all agree on what we are doing.

Olivia G, 7D

Historian David Templeman visits QEHS

Our Year 11 History students were lucky enough to receive a talk about Sheffield Manor Lodge from the historian and author David Templeman. His book Mary Queen of Scots, the captive Queen of England was published to critical acclaim in 2016 and reflects his extensive research on Mary Queen of Scots and her time as a captive queen at Sheffield Manor Lodge. This historical environment is a compulsory element of the Elizabethan history exam and his wealth of knowledge was invaluable, and his interest and enthusiasm of the subject was fascinating. Mr Templeman’s talk and PowerPoint provided lots of useful context and intricate details regarding Mary Queen of Scots and her stay at the Manor, as well as solidifying the prior knowledge we had from our lessons. Having someone so close and involved with the Manor to share his knowledge with us was priceless, and has certainly given me much more confidence in regard to the Elizabeth exam! We cannot thank Mr Templeman enough for sharing his time with us.

Eboney A, 11A

Year 7 History Trip to Lincoln Castle

Over two days in May, the whole of Year 7 had the opportunity to visit Lincoln Castle on a history trip. Throughout the two days, all students took part in three workshops. The aim of the trip was to knit together and enhance the Scheme of Learning Year 7 have followed this year. However, the trip offered students so much more than this.

The first workshop was the Medieval Wall Walk. Despite being a bit cool for May and a few finding the height of the walls a little uncomfortable, students were soon distracted by the magnificent views of Lincolnshire and the cathedral. It was clear to all the students why Lincoln castle was placed where it was and what an important role it played in the area’s history. Students built on their learning of the structure and defensive features of castles and looked at how their use had changed over time. Tales of the fate of prisoners were told which raised interesting questions about the changes in our justice system and how morality has changed over time.

Students then took part in a second workshop that focused on the changing use of the castle. Students toured the castle’s Victorian prison which was designed for the ‘separate system’ - an isolating regime that kept prisoners apart from the corrupting influence of their fellow prisoners. Students toured the cells, experiencing and showing empathy towards what life would have been like for all the prisoners detained there. Students voted this workshop to be their favourite activity of the day!

After some lunch in the grounds of the castle and a quick visit to the gift shop, students then took part in their final workshop of the day. Students visited the Magna Carta vault which we have learnt about in our lessons and the Charter of the Forest. Students read the Great Charter wall, identifying parts of the charter that are still relevant to our constitutions today. Lastly students returned to the classroom to learn about the Barons and their shields. Students were able to create their own shields, which we hope to display soon. Year 7 had a great day, we only wish we had had a little more time as there was so much to learn about!

Mrs A Sacker

Teacher of History

York's Chocolate Story

In early May we took two groups of Year 7 to The York Chocolate Story. The students had a fantastic time learning about the history of chocolate and how it is made and branded. They got to make truffles and white chocolate lollies alongside designing and branding their own new chocolate bar.

A great two days had by all!

#futuredesigners #futuremakers

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme (DofE) at QEHS

This is a very ambitious year for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme at QEHS. 130 students in Year 9 are finalising their ‘sections’ of volunteering, skills and physical challenges. Amongst a plethora of activities, students have volunteered in animal welfare centres and homes for the elderly, have learnt to bake, knit and type and have coached football, run half-marathons and mastered the eskimo roll in a canoe! 

The Bronze students are about to embark upon their walking and camping expeditions in Clumber Park in May. By the start of the summer holidays all of the students will have passed their Bronze DofE award; no mean feat!

The Year 12 Silver students have been just as busy. Their sections require a greater investment of time and they are finally drawing to an end. The students have already completed a practice expedition in the Peak District and will complete an assessed expedition in July. Conditions for the practice were tough: driving rain, wind and freezing temperatures put the students through their paces. To their absolute credit they all finished a hilly route as well as mastering the skills of  camp craft, navigation, route planning and first aid. 

We wish all students the very best of luck with the final stages of the award. Huge thanks also go out to the staff team who have not only managed a huge number of Bronze Award students but who have also seen 32 students half-way through the silver award in the Peak District!  

Mr J Kingdom

Deputy Headteacher (Curriculum, Data and Standards)

A Message to the Year 7 students attending the Year 8 Ski Trip in 2024

The Year 8 Ski Trip is a big opportunity and also a really fun experience. You get a sense of a job well done when you reach the bottom of the slope. The staff are really understanding and nice whether it’s a ski instructor or the chefs in the kitchen. The first day of the trip is when the groups are put together, you will ski on the beginners' slope and be placed in groups based on your performance that day. Further into the week, the groups will get smaller, breaking off into higher and lower, and each group will work to their ability. On the final day, every group will go up to Bormio 3000, no matter what your ability may be, and there is a race at the start of the day. You should not worry too much about this because the slopes get easier as you go up the mountain. The evenings after skiing are also really fun! You get pizza night, you get to go out in a nearby village and visit all the shops, there is ice skating, a disco night and a quiz night. All of these activities are very enjoyable and unforgettable. The food is also very good. I sincerely hope that other students when they have the chance to go enjoy it as much as me and my year group did. Here are some of the students' opinions of the trip:

Issy says “Marina, one of the ski instructors, made us feel welcome and always made sure we were using the correct technique. The food was really nice especially the chips and chicken, I really enjoyed it. The nights were entertaining, and the rooms were very nice and spacious.”

Katy says “I really enjoyed the skiing and my instructor Marina was very kind. My favourite part about dinner was Paulo because he was very funny and always made sure we never went hungry .”

Emma says “It was a great experience, and the skiing was really fun. It gives you a chance to be independent and the staff were always so kind and helpful. It was the best trip ever.”

Lillie says “I really enjoyed learning how to ski with my instructor Daniele. My favourite activity was ice skating, and I also really enjoyed the meals. All of the staff were very kind .”

Another student says ” Skiing was really fun and my ski instructors helped us and were really nice. The night times were also really fun, and the food was my favourite part.”

I hope you enjoy your trip in 2024! 

Jessica B, 8D

ABRSM Music Exams

Congratulations to the following students for passing their Music exams: 

Lily M in 11D, Grade 1 Piano

Kate L in 9C, Grade 1 Cello with Merit

Robyn W in 8B, Grade 1 Piano with Distinction

Lexi S in 7B, Grade 1 Violin with Distinction

Meisha R in 9S, Grade 2 Violin with Distinction

Cassie B in 11D, Grade 3 Piano

George G in 11D, Grade 5 Piano

Rosie A in 11D, Grade 5 Piano with Merit

Liya B in 11A, Grade 5 Piano with Merit

Lewis K in 11C, Grade 5 Piano with Distinction

Nidhi M in 9E, Grade 5 Piano with Distinction

Isabelle M in 11C, Grade 8 Flute

Grace O in 12D, Grade 8 Piano with Distinction

Jacob W in 8B, Grade 8 Piano with Distinction

Mrs Henighan

Admin Support Officer - Arts

Marley Promotes Autism Awareness

This term Marley E in 7C set about raising awareness of autism by producing a presentation as part of a module of work for students to follow during form time with their tutors. Marley explains,

I wanted to do something for Autism Acceptance Week for my school because it's something I feel really strongly about as my sibling has autism. I recognised the struggles it makes throughout the school day, and I wanted other pupils to understand how it might feel. I wrote a presentation for all forms to look at in tutor time in the hope that this would help to develop a positive attitude towards autism across school. 

There are many different books with autistic main characters. With Mrs Lia's help, we used quotes from some of these books to portray the feelings of autistic young people. I had seen a lot of misconceptions about autism so I thought I would try to bust some myths surrounding it. For example, some people think that everyone's a little autistic but it's not true; some people may have autistic traits or present 'autistically' but you are only autistic if your brain is built that way. 

There is also a writing competition as part of this presentation so I would  encourage as many fellow students as possible to enter as it's a really good way to get thinking about how hard life as an autistic person would be.

From the Environmental Society and Geography Club: Bee the Change!

This term the Environmental Society and Geography Club have made a kickstart on increasing the biodiversity in our school grounds by germinating sunflower seeds. Once the seeds are fully sprouted, they will be planted in the school grounds and hopefully will attract some birds, bees and butterflies for everyone to enjoy.

The Environmental Society and Geography Club are also planning on celebrating World Bee Day by creating some bee friendly snacks and watching the Bee Movie; a great example of why bees are so important to nature. Did you know that 90% of wild plants and 75% of farming crops are totally dependent on bee pollination for survival? If you care about bees and are buzzing to find out more, you can visit https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/

For those looking to connect to and explore the environment even more, have you heard of 30 Days Wild In June? This is a challenge by the Wildlife Trust to do something wild each day, which could be something as simple as cloud watching or looking for bugs. You can sign up for this challenge by visiting https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/30dayswild and if you are struggling for ideas, find some inspiration from https://www.wildlifebcn.org/blog/30-days-wild/30-days-wild-inspiration-and-activities-your-random-acts-wildness.

Rachel R, 12B 

Geography Ambassador on behalf of Environmental Society and Geography Club

Under 12 Boys County Cup Champions

Congratulations to the Year 7 Boy's Football Team who were crowned County Cup Champions with an excellent 3-1 win. Well done to you all! 

Under 12 Girls make it to the County Cup Finals

A fantastic bunch of Year 7 girls went on to make it to the Football County Cup Final. They have been such a pleasure to coach this year, and I already can’t wait to see how well we do next year. Well done all.

Miss Allen 

Teacher of PE

In the semi-final of the County Cup, the QEHS Year 7 Girls’ team played St George's Academy where they won and advanced to the final! 

The girls left school at lunch and travelled to Sleaford where they played the match. When they got there, they warmed up and got ready to play. Their formation started with a goalkeeper, three defenders, two centre midfielders, two wingers and a striker. 

At halftime neither team had conceded but QEHS was the much stronger team! 

During the second half the girls had so many changes but couldn't get a shot on target. With two minutes to go QEHS finally scored! St Georges Academy couldn’t equalise in time, which meant that QEHS had won!! 

During the bus ride back to school the girls were having fun and thinking about the next match and how they had made it to the FINAL!! 

Emily A, 7E

After our victory in the semi-finals, we moved on and started to think about the match ahead of us. On the 10th May we were ready to play Sir William Robertson in the finals. We set of from school early in the morning preparing for the match at 3:00. The boys team played first, and we all watched from the side-line. Finally came out time to play. We started the game and Ebony scored quite early in the match, but then they scored to make it 1-1. Half time came and we all sat down thinking how we could improve and how to win. Unfortunately, they scored again leaving the score 2-1 at full time. We were all quite disappointed on the way back on the bus, but we soon forgot all about it and we're proud of ourselves for reaching the final. 

Connie V, 7D

Elyse Competes at the ASA North East Regional Swimming Championships

Elyse competed at the ASA North East Regional Swimming Championships at the Sunderland Aquatics Centre.

Elyse entered eight events, achieving PBs and finals in seven of these. She gained 6th place in the 200m IM final, achieving a club record for this. She attained 5th place in 200m breaststroke, again securing a club record.

Elyse swam boldly in the 50m and 100m finals, gaining a massive 2 second PB in the 100m and winning silver medals in both, where she also improved her own club record times. Moving on to the 50m and 100m breaststroke, the 100m final was very close and Elyse won another silver medal. The 50m breaststroke final was the most exciting of all, where she became North East regional champion with another club record under her belt!

Well done Elyse!

Monty wins a Gold and Bronze

Congratulations to Monty D in 9A, who won two medals on the weekend commencing 13 May at the Lincolnshire and Humberside Athletics County Championship. He won Gold 1500m Champion and Bronze in Long Jump for Humberside. Well done Monty! 

Arthur and Charles' success in the County Athletics

Congratulations to Arthur R in 10B and Charles R in 7B for their excellent success in the County Athletics. Arthur won Silver in U17s 100m hurdles and Charles won Gold in U13s 100m and Gold Shot. Well done both!

Alex selected to referee a League Cup Final

Congratulations to Alex W in 10A for being selected to referee a League Cup Final on Sunday 14 May in Sleaford. He was selected to do this after completing only his first full season - a great achievement Alex. Well done!

William and Theo's Kayaking Success

Well done to William B in 11C and Theo B in 10C who were promoted to DIV 2 K1M in the UK Canoe Slalom, racing at Manchester Canoe Club over the Bank Holiday weekend. This was inarguably their most competitive race, topped by kayakers finishing within fractions of a second of each other. This follows nationwide competitions after promotion from DIV 4 to DIV 3 last season. Well done both! 

Isaac's Go Kart Championship

Good luck to Isaac K in 9E, who is competing in the F1 Driver Go Kart Championship, the Daniel Ricciardo Series. Isaac hopes to finish at least top ten in the country and is aiming to head to the world finals in Italy in October. Isaac has only been racing for one year and is competing against children three years older than him with much more experience but has proved himself to be a worthy adversary in the competition. The championship started on 30 April in Shennington and Isaac’s lap times secured his first pole position. The next race is in Llandow in Wales on 21 May. Isaac will travel the country to compete at various tracks throughout the season. Isaac puts a lot of physical training in before races to ensure he is both mentally and physically prepared as the sport can be extremely dangerous. Very best of luck to you Isaac! 

Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) Whole School Mapping

Queen Elizabeth's High School recognises its responsibility to ensure that all of our students are afforded opportunities to develop into well rounded, confident and open-minded young adults with an appreciation of life in modern Britain.

QEHS actively promotes the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. These values and principles are reflected in the responsibilities, rights and privileges of being a British citizen or permanent resident of the United Kingdom. As such, these values and principles are based on history and traditions and are protected by law, customs and expectations. QEHS is an advocate of the view that there is no place in British society for extremism or intolerance.

You can read more about our British Values and SMSC here.

Parental Working Groups

As part of our desire to continually improve as a school we have been implementing ways to enhance the link between students, families, and the school itself, as illustrated by our ‘Golden Triangle of Success’. We were therefore delighted to host two more of our Parental Working Groups at QEHS this term. On Thursday 27 April the focus was around Sixth Form and Personal Development, whilst on Tuesday 16 May with the emphasis was on Behaviour for Learning (Welfare, Attendance and Safeguarding).

Both evenings were thoroughly enjoyable, with parents/guardians and staff engaged in fantastic discussions. This quality time spent together presented opportunity to reflect on the QEHS provision at Sixth Form, our Personal Development offer and also to consider Behaviour for Learning. These Parental Working Groups allow us to explore ways in which we may seek to continually drive QEHS forwards. 

We are excited to host our final session of the academic year on Thursday 22 June, where all parents/guardians who have attended any of the sessions to date can come together to see the outcomes based on previous meetings and the latest drives across the school for the academic year ahead.

Mr J Burge

Assistant Headteacher (Enhancing Best Practice)

Term 5 Staffing Update

New Support Staff

This term we welcomed the following new support staff:

Cover Supervisor

Miss Martin is our new part time Cover Supervisor. She will supervise lessons during teaching staff absence and ensure a positive learning environment is maintained.

Farewells

We say a sad farewell to the following colleagues this term. We wish all of you the very best for the future:

Mrs Williamson – Teacher of German, who is leaving us after 16 years.

Mr Wood – Premises Manager, who is leaving us after 7 months.

Sport Presentation Evening 2023

We Will Rock You - The Musical

The Arts Faculty are about to undertake the biggest whole school musical production and is bound to get QEHS dancing in the aisles this summer. We are proud to announce that this summer we will be performing We Will Rock You: Schools Edition.

This promises to be a summer spectacular showing to 800 friends and family of the QEHS Community. For the first time, we have decided to try this as a joint venture with our Design Technology GCSE students who, with a little guidance, will be designing and creating our set for this production, giving our future construction workers and engineers their first taste of working to a commission.

This is where we are appealing for help. As mentioned before, this is our biggest and boldest design yet for a set and we are asking for support from our local area. We are appealing for any help with time, materials or expertise to support this cross-curricular venture. The students will be working with mainly wood and plastics in order to fulfil the deign brief for this year. Can you help?

In return we could offer some advertising in our programme and via our social media platforms. We can even put inserts in our programmes if this would be of interest. If you do feel you would be able to help this venture in any way, please do get in touch with Mr Rigby at [email protected]

Thanks and keep safe.

Mr D Rigby 

Head of Drama

Sky Dive in memory of Zain

On Thursday 2 March everyone in school found out about the tragic loss of Zain Beeharry. He was a fantastic friend to many and the kindest boy I have ever known. I was lucky enough to have known him for 13 years and have grown with him all through school life and like many, his life had a massive impact on my own.

I decided to do a skydive in honour of Zain. I completed this skydive on Easter Sunday with a friend from primary school who also grew up with Zain. 

The response I have received is beyond belief, and I cannot believe the support shown by both students and staff alike. A total of £2,633 was raised. All funds raised through sponsorships were donated to the family.

I hope this will help keep the memory of Zain living on for everyone who knew him. 

Madeleine W, 11S

Comic Relief

On Friday 31 March we had a Civvies Day, in support of Comic Relief. We also held an Easter Draw for staff and parents/guardians to take part in. In total, we raised £869.88! Thank you to all parents/guardians, students and staff for your contributions! 

Lunchtime Overdrafts

Please be advised if your child finds they do not have any money on their school account at lunchtime, they can speak to a member of staff at Reception and ask for a small overdraft limit to be placed on their account to allow them to get something to eat that day. If students are given an overdraft facility, please may we ask that you top up their account as soon as possible to clear the overdraft from our system. Thank you.

Lost Property

We are currently experiencing high volumes of PE uniform being left in the changing rooms after lessons. Please could parents/guardians remind students to ensure they take all their PE kit with them at the end of each lesson.

As most of these items are not labelled with student names, it is not possible to return them directly to students. If at all possible we would appreciate it if items were named in some way to make it easier for us to return lost property to students when they are handed in.

Term 5 House Championship Leader Board

Term 6 House Events

Follow us on Social Media

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/QueenElizHigh

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/qehsgainsborough/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/QueenElizHigh

Advert - Laybo's Legacy

This Term, the money raised for Civvie's day will go to Laybo's Legacy to help financially assist bereaved families who have lost a family member to suicide within the Gainsborough and surrounding area. All contributions can be made via SCOPAY until Friday 9 June. 

Advert - School of Rock - The Musical