Pinnfest this week was a real highlight of the term, and so brilliant to have it back in person for the first time since 2019. Students did a great job with performances of music and drama, and it was fabulous to have so many visitors. Many thanks indeed to all colleagues involved in planning and running the event.

It was lovely to welcome our new Year 7 students to school this week. It is also the first time we have been able to run this event since 2019, and we know everyone benefits from this a great deal. Students spent the day in their form groups in a range of taster lessons, which I know colleagues really enjoyed delivering. Our new Year 7s also have the benefit of a four day summer school running at the end of August, when they will have the whole school to themselves. Over 140 students have signed up for this, and I am very grateful to Governors for approving this programme. Our new Headteacher from September, Mr. Patel, was able to attend both events. He has been coming to school every week since his appointment to ensure a smooth handover and I know everyone is enjoying working with him on planning our continued improvement.

As well as these events, it has also been busy in other parts of the school, with Year 12 Geography students on their A Level field trip in Devon, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions over the last couple of weekends and final arrangements for Sports day taking place too. 

In case you missed issue 8 of our school magazine 'Inspiring Learning' here it is: https://www.pinnerhighschool.org/_site/data/publications/Issue-8-Summer-2022/index.html It gives you a flavour of the year at Pinner High School.

It is lovely to have everyone back in school after the half-term break. We are very much in the thick of GCSE examinations at the moment, with most students completing 4 or 5 papers this week. We had an ice-cream 'wellbeing session' after the exam yesterday afternoon, and I enjoyed catching up with them. Students seem to be managing really well. Our invigilators are full of praise for their positive approach, and we wish every individual continuing success.

More success to report, as over 41,000 students from 550 schools worldwide took part in this year's Biology Challenge, hosted by the Royal Society of Biology.  Of the 126 Year 10 scientists that completed the challenge, 64 students were awarded certificates this week, ranging from commended, highly commended, to bronze, silver and gold. This is an amazing achievement. Particular congratulations to the students for winning a gold certificate, putting them in the top 5% of students to complete the challenge globally. This week our A-level scientists are taking on the Royal Society's Intermediate Olympiad - we hope they are just as successful!

 

Year 12 students were out on another visit this week, this time focused on UCAS preparations, which are about to begin in earnest. Year 10 students are on their Duke of Edinburgh expedition this weekend. Hopefully they will enjoy some sunshine.

Some impressive news for our Mathematicians and sports stars this week, with sixth formers exploring the world of medicine and physics.

116 students took part in the Junior Maths Challenge; an astonishing 96 students received either a bronze silver or gold award. Maths has always been a strength of the school, but this is an impressive number even by our own high standards. 6 of them also qualified for the next stage of the competition as well- congratulations to all!

More success to report for sport beyond our school, with 2 students being selected for the Harrow youth netball team, and 7 students qualifying for the Harrow athletics county championships. Amazing!

Our aspiring medics are at Birmingham City University today. They are taking part in the Operating Department Practitioner Experience day. Their skills with laparoscopic equipment were put to use building sugar cube towers to explore their dexterity and communication skills- to good effect! Physics students are at the National Physical Laboratory, enriching their skills and experience in this area. Year 10 GCSE Geography students completed their field trip this week, as you can see from the image above!

My thanks to such dedicated colleagues facilitating all these wonderful opportunities.

62 Bronze Duke of Edinburgh participants from Year 9 alongside 10 colleagues hiked over 12 km from Ruislip Lido to Rickmansworth Aquadrome in record time last weekend. All students demonstrated their teamwork and navigation skills, and a few Pinner Values along the way. We had great weather and a great start to the DofE season! Our inaugural Gold expedition set off today. We wish them well on this most demanding part of a very prestigious award.

Last night was a wonderful evening of music at our first concert of the year. Soloists and groups, Year 7 and Sixth Formers all came together during a lovely event. 'We don't talk about Bruno' was a fabulous finale! We look forward to Pinnfest on 7th July- a date for your diaries- the first time we have been able to hold this in person in several years.

This time of year is always focused on exams, and our Year 11 students are rapidly reaching them. Orals in Mandarin and Spanish have already begun. We wish all our students every possible success with this. I was delighted to talk to Year 11 parents on a Zoom call this week to make sure they are as well equipped as possible to support their children at home too. 

Another milestone to celebrate with our first Head Students! They were elected to their positions just before the holidays. It was a very competitive process, involving an application, an interview with me, one of our Governors, and our Head of Sixth Form, and a short film to share with the school community to help everyone hear more about each candidate's ideas. Each selection panel was clear that we had an exceptionally high quality field, but three students stood out, so Najah, Alex and Nathan are our first Head Students. Congratulations! They each wanted to introduce themselves in their own words.

Nathan says: "As one of the Trailblazers at Pinner High, I can't believe how far we've come from our first ever assembly in Year 7. I remember sitting in the Pinnacle, nervous, as I didn't know how secondary school life would turn out in this new school. However, when I look back now I don't know what I was worried about. I've loved it. I always enjoyed participating in school life; the school production- Bugsy Malone in Year 7 was a highlight- rugby team, football team and lots of other activities. I am committed to using my position to help other students blaze their trail so that everyone can have a journey like mine."

Alex tells us: "I’m extremely excited to be elected as one of the very first Head Students for Pinner High School, and I feel very thankful to all the students, teachers and support staff who have trusted me enough to make this happen. I will work the utmost with my peers to create an even more enjoyable school environment! The whole process to becoming one of the first Head Students was extremely enjoyable, with it really putting me through a range of experiences including a formal interview. It was a truly unique experience which I’ll bring with me in my future and am really proud to have been a part of."

Najah says: "I am honoured to be one of Pinner High School’s very first Head students. I believe that everyone who has become a part of the student leadership team is dedicated to their cause and it will be a pleasure working alongside them. I have already begun working on a fundraiser with my Diversity and Inclusion teammates, so please do look out for ways to get involved in our projects. I’d like to thank everyone who has cheered me on in this endeavour, and those who came to me in the school to tell me they liked my Head Student video, or to congratulate me after the vote. Those wonderful words mean a lot to me and I can’t wait to make meaningful changes at our school." 

Pinner High School is lucky to have such outstanding young people in our community, and it is a pleasure working with them.

School trips are making a welcome return to school life, after last week's successful trip to the V&A museum, and a Mary Poppins workshop in the west end the week before, this week Year 10 students attended the Globe theatre for a performance of 'Macbeth'. They will be studying this next term, and seeing the performance is a brilliant way of bringing to life our motto of 'Inspiring Learning'. My thanks to everyone involved in making all these events happen. 

The Economics department have brought 'Global Money Week' to Pinner High School over the last few days. This is a global campaign to raise awareness of the importance of ensuring young people are more financially aware. This has involved form group activities, a quiz, and other real life situations to help students prepare for their financial future.  Further information about the campaign can be found here: Home (globalmoneyweek.org)

Other activities focused on the future include our sixth form work experience. During the week beginning 11th July 2022, Year 12 students will be undertaking a week of work experience.  If any parents in our community are able to provide opportunities for students, please do get in touch with our careers coordinator through the school email info@pinnerhighschool.org  The school has partnered with Changing Education who will coordinate all essential health and safety checks.

For many of our GCSE students, the practical element of their assessments has begun. The picture above is of the Master Chef Food Technology assessment in full swing!