International Trips Resume

On 20 January the very first group of Year 13 A Level Science students known as the trailblazers had the opportunity to fly to Geneva, Switzerland to visit some famous scientific institutions and landmarks.  On the first day we made our way to the United Nations. The experience was phenomenal, from taking in the beauty of various rooms to learning about the 12 sustainable development goals - it was truly an awesome experience. 

Day 2 we made our way to CERN for a guided tour where we learned about the Synchro-Cyclotron built in 1957, it was CERN’s first particle accelerator.  It provided beams for CERN's first experiments in particle and nuclear physics. We were taught by a Physics expert about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which is the world's largest and highest energy particle collider.

In the afternoon we visited the Red Cross Museum. We were introduced to the history of the Red Cross and learnt how the organisation has greatly helped millions of people around the world. The museum had lots of cool exhibits, art work and videos which really brought the experiences to life.

During our stay at the hotel we had a great time in the evenings as we could all play together in the games lounge. It had a pool table, table football and a ping pong table. This gave us a lot of time to socialise, bond with one another and create lovely memories. It was a chance for us to enjoy our time with each other and made the trip really special, as this is our last year of secondary school.

On the final day, we travelled a little outside the centre of Geneva and viewed the beautiful scenery of the lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains.  After taking a lot of photos. and videos we made our way to the airport where we were greeted with a vast variety of Swiss shops and restaurants.

Josh K (A Level scientist)

Chemistry at Oxford University

On 2 February some of our Year 10 Chemistry students travelled to the University of Oxford.  The day included listening to a presentation introducing Oxford, the collegiate system, its courses and opportunities and toured St. John’s College.  A Q&A with a current Oxford University student followed, as well as participation in a GCSE Chemistry challenge run by the Chemistry department. The students met a mixture of undergraduate students and students completing their post doc.  The trip was a huge success and left our students excited about what university life is like.

Sixth Form Updates:

We are celebrating a number of university offers our Year 13 students have received. These include;

• University of Cambridge to study Mathematics
• University of Warwick to study Computer Science
• Imperial University to study Chemical Engineering
• Loughborough University to read History
• Lancaster University to read Law
• University of Nottingham to study Pharmacy

Sixth Form Supreme Court Trip

Whilst studying the Sociology unit of 'Crime and Deviance' the Year 13 Sociology students attended a workshop, exhibition and tour of the Supreme Court. The students debated a discrimination case that was put forward in relation to a bakery refusing to make a LGBT+ positive cake which went against the owner’s Christian values.  Students explored the history of the Supreme Court and the current judges amending legislation. We visited three courtrooms whilst exploring the unique architecture and displays encouraging women to pursue higher roles in the British criminal justice system.

British Mathematical Olympia

Year 13 students Vlad and Saad achieved a Certificate of Merit in British Mathematical Olympiad 1. Only high scorers from the Senior Maths Challenge would participate in this gruelling 3.5 hour paper. They have worked very hard to get a certification and this is extremely difficult to achieve. They deserve all the credit for their hard work

English GCSE Revision Supported by Sixth Form Students

30 Year 11 students attended a voluntary English GCSE revision session led by our Sixth Form students. They covered set texts relating to the GCSE Literature course and tutoring on how to structure responses.

Also Year 12 students, Shanaya V & Sapina B organised a team to run drop in sessions and made Form visits to answer option questions from Year 8 students. Very kind indeed.

Sports

Indoor Athletics at Whitefriars (still awaiting full results) but many Year 7's beat personal bests and came in medal places. Amazing turn out at trials and the event from the Year 7's. 

Great results from the Cross Country Team at the Harrow Borough Championship held at Harrow on School on in January.  The standout performance came from Leo W in Year 7 who came first in the Minor Boys category.  This is an amazing achievement and is our first victory in this race after 5 years of trying.  Kieran B in Year 9 ran a close second in the Junior Boys category, a great achievement in itself.  Overall, from a total of 24 runners from Years 7-11, 8 qualified to represent Harrow at the Middlesex Championships next week. This is a fantastic achievement and something we should all be proud of. 

28 pupils from all year groups were chosen to represent PHS in the Harrow Borough Cross Country Championship in January at Harrow School.  The team were expected to build on the successes of last year/

RESULTS

Harrow Borough Championships

More runners entered than any other school in the borough

Year 7  (Minor Boys category) - Leo W 1st place, Ethan D 4th place

Year 8 - (Junior Boys category) Alex P 1st place from Year 8

Year 9 - (Junior Boys category - Kieran B 2nd place overall

Year 11 - (Intermediate Boys category) - Joseph T 5th place overall

8 runners came in the top ten of their respective races, as a result of this they were all selected to represent Harrow Borough in the Middlesex County Championships.  The name of these are:  Leo W, Ethan D, Alex P, Kieran B, Bevan R, Ilayda B, Mouaaz S, Joseph T

Middlesex County Championships 

8 runners were selected for this event, this is an improvement on last year when 3 pupils were selected, this is an excellent achievement in itself.

All runners competed well.  In a weird coincidence, 3 pupils were placed 17th in their respective races.  This is an excellent achievement considering the races had up to 90 runners in, all of whom were the best in their boroughs.

Highest placed pupils were:  Leo W, Bevan R, Joseph T

8 pupils made the Harrow X-country squad for the county race. We won the boys minor race, had the best year 8 boy, 2nd in the boys junior race.

KS4 won the borough badminton plate competition

The Year 7 netball team have won all 3 of their games since their league started in January. 

The Pinner Press

The English department launched a Newspaper Club for the Heads Challenge.  We have now published the 3^rd edition of The Pinner Press!

Year 8 – Be Kind Ambassador School

As part of being a Be Kind Ambassador School we have been nominated for a Be Kind Star School award. We have submitted feedback on how our school promotes kindness and the impact this has had on the school, the community and its pupils.  Year 8 students were asked to submit their responses – here are some that have been received;

How our school promotes kindness: 

• When ordering lunch, we show kindness to the lunch ladies
• Teachers are nice in the hallway and every day they say good morning
• In assembly teachers demonstrate how to be kind to each other
• We promote kindness by engaging students to join different groups, eg, PE, homework and LGBTQ+
• We have many assemblies and form lessons about showing acts of kindness and friendship
• PHS has promoted kindness by ensuring that bad situations are handled effectively and with a positive outcome
• We show equality in lessons and don’t let anyone feel left out
• Our school has promoted kindness by giving certificates and awards weekly to those who show kindness and respect
• We have a Kindness Award so when students are really kind throughout the week they are awarded one.  This makes people become more dedicated to being kind
• Teachers always help with homework
• By having assemblies on the topic and giving awards and recognition for people who show these values
• Teachers help in all activities by being supportive and kind. They include everyone as well as people with learning difficulties to make them feel included

 The impact this has had on the school, the community and its pupils:

• All staff are happy
• Students do not have a reason to be rude
• It has reduced bad behaviour towards others
• It has given students the chance to come out of their comfort zone, thus creating a confidence boost which is a key skill for the future, eg, for job interviews
• My school environment feels a safe and secure place
• People are more aware of their actions and show a better attitude towards one another.
  Everyone feels like they are treated the same way and know that who they are won’t affect how they are treated. In a better or worse way.

Inclusion Department Update

It has been a busy two terms in the Inclusion department where we have enjoyed welcoming new Year 7 students and welcoming back students in Year 8 -13!

September saw the Inclusion department working closely with teachers and parents to help students with additional needs settle back into school and new classes. We have also had a heavy focus on collaboration and communication with students, parents, staff and external agencies this term. Part of this involved organising and hosting several Coffee Morning events to support parents of students with additional needs to share experiences and support. Additionally, our ARMS Provision Manager and SENDCo paid a visit to Bushey Meads School, where they were able to take part in a tour and begin networking with colleagues at the school to share best practice. We are looking forward to welcoming staff from Bushey Meads to visit Pinner High School in January!

October and November saw us celebrating ADHD Awareness and Disability History Month, with assemblies and form time activities to share information and celebrate the differences and neurodiversity in our school community.

We have also been lucky to have the Centre for ADHD and Autism visit the school to give an assembly to Year 7. The assembly focused on what Autism is, what strengths and challenges come with an Autism diagnosis, and how the Year 7 students can work together to support peers with Autism. To build on the awareness being raised by these activities, the Inclusion department have been working closely with a guest speaker who has an Autism diagnosis. Chris Painter has delivered sessions to parents throughout the Autumn Term, and we are really excited for him to soon be conducting workshops with students from all Year groups with an Autism diagnosis.