Chinese New Year celebrations took place this week. With our first trip to China taking place at the end of this term, there is lots of excitement about the year of the Pig. Students will learn about the importance of this festival in Chinese culture in their lessons over the next week.

This week saw large numbers of Year 9 students sit the UK Maths Challenge papers. They have their Midterm examinations in all subjects next week. This is a great opportunity to show how much they have learnt already in their GCSE courses, and identify any gaps in their knowledge before they move on in their courses. Good luck!

Badminton, Netball and Football teams were all in action this week at home and away. Results were mixed; badminton triumph against John Lyon, less success in netball at Nower Hill and in the football tournament. All students represent the school admirably, with the Pinner High School Values central to participation whatever the result.

The result of our PTA meeting last night was brilliant: our first Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, and our first big event in the diary. I hope to see lots of you on 15^th March at 7pm for our Inaugural Quiz night. Details of tickets, food, drinks, prizes will be circulated shortly. It was lovely to have such support in our first meeting. Exciting times ahead.

I am delighted to have a student guest blog this week, reflecting on the student leadership experience at Pinner High School:

"My name is Afeefa, I’m part of 8BW and I recently joined student government at Pinner High School after being one of the house captains of Bannister last year. The application process for both house captain and student government included submitting an application form as well as an interview for house captain. Last year, I enjoyed having a role that advanced my ability as a leader, and this year I’m looking forward to having a role which allows me to discuss matters and make changes to the other aspects of school life at Pinner High.

So far this year, all members of student government have become Youth Travel Ambassadors for Pinner High School which gives us the opportunity to deliver behaviour-change campaigns to our peers regarding travelling to and from school, particularly when it comes to public transport. We decided on focusing our campaign around active travel and encouraging pupils to walk more on their journey to and from school; this will cut down on traffic around the school whilst making our local area healthier by decreasing the damage on the environment. Later this year, we are going to present our campaign to members of Transport for London for a chance to win £250 to promote our active travel campaign within the school. I believe that this opportunity has already allowed me to discuss matters that affect me on a day-to-day basis and to begin to make effective changes. This experience will not only benefit the school, but also the members of student government as we develop the way in which we present to others, promote ideas and discuss issues.

From the beginning of my time at Pinner High School, I have benefited from the welcoming and inclusive environment that constantly surrounds me here. This has not only contributed to the learning that takes place in the classroom but has also developed my learning further outside of the classroom especially in my Period 7 clubs. The variety of choices shows how many opportunities are available at Pinner High and that, no matter what time of day or what activity you are doing, something can be gained from it.

So far, Pinner High School has provided me with an abundance of opportunities from which I have gained many skills; one of these experiences is being part of the student leadership team. As my journey progresses, I hope to broaden my knowledge and further my leadership skills and I know that Pinner High School will continue to help me do this."

Today there are students in Year 9 on a visit to The Scholar’s Club, which provides opportunity to further enhance provision for our More Able students. This will show the students even more of the activities that will be available to them in the future, and help them look at the next steps of their education. Although our oldest students are now in Year 9, our Sixth Form development is very much part of our planning.

Planning was a big part of the House Event, focused on different aspects of Design: cityscapes and logos were the competition this week, with different Houses triumphing in different year groups.

Students this week found out if they had qualified for the UK Maths Challenge, run by the UK Mathematics Trust. This is a nationwide challenge involving abstract questions that provide real challenge to our most able mathematicians. The next round of this takes place in early February.

The Duke of Edinburgh taught sessions began this week, ahead of the expeditions in the summer. Students will be taught about navigation and camp craft, before being let loose in the local countryside!

The first Cross Country event of the new year takes place at Harrow School next week. Next week is also the Year 8 Parents Evening and Options Evening. The Key Stage 4 booklet is attached to this blog.

Term always builds to a crescendo, through concerts and a series of festive events. My thanks to all involved in all these projects.

As well as that, this week students in Years 8 and 9 enjoyed additional sessions this week run by BNK, about different aspects of Financial Maths. Seeing the application of mathematical concepts to decisions they will have to make about their personal finances was extremely engaging, and students responded to it really well.

I updated families last week about our expanding staff team. I am fortunate that as a growing school we know well in advance how many additional teachers we will need and I can recruit for them before other schools start their recruitment to help secure the very best candidates for our school. I am delighted with the quality and quantity of applicants; 40 for a recent advertisement for an Assistant Headteacher, and such high quality applicants for Head of Year that I had to interview over two days. I have now read over 800 applications since we opened and am delighted that we continue to attract such high calibre interest. Long may it continue!

Term ended with a Celebratory Assembly, sharing the successes of the term. We hand over to our new House Captains, following a rigorous interview process that includes speeches and selection activities. Students have been awarded BEBRAS Certificates from Computer Science with 20 of them coming in the top 10% nationally, Subject Awards, and Pinner High School Values certificates. It is these Values that the community aspire to live up to every day that are especially appropriate at this time of year.

I wish you all a peaceful and relaxing holiday, ready for the excitement a new year brings.

The ‘Riot Act’ were our visitors earlier this week, with a road safety presentation for Year 7. They have brought us their theatre performance before, and blended really important safety messages into a thought provoking and enjoyable session.

The first Deep Learning Day for all year groups took place this week, with Year 7 immersed in E-safety, Year 8 exploring their futures with an emphasis on GCSE options, and Year 9 looking at the values of Diversity and Tolerance in the wider community. Year 7 took part in sessions on their digital footprint, sexting and cyber bullying, supported by PC Peacock, our schools liaison officer. Amongst their other activities, Year 8 had visits from older students at Whitmore High School, to whom I am very grateful for their support, discussing their academic pathways from a Sixth Form perspective. Year 9 had the immense privilege of hearing Holocaust survivor Lady Zahava Kohn talk so movingly about her experiences. Feedback from the day has been extremely positive; my thanks to students for engaging with such challenging material so successfully, and my colleagues for their time and efforts planning such ambitious projects and delivering them so effectively.

Our choir was on the stage on the High Street at Pinner Panto last night, which was a brilliant event. They sang a range of festive songs to an enthusiastic audience. My thanks again to all involved in another great contribution to the community outside our gates.

I am conscious that with some much going on outside the classroom I sometimes don’t refer to classroom practice within this blog, but some positive external data this week reminds me to talk about our core business: academic progress. Each student at the school takes a ‘Reading Age’ test on entry to the school, to help us tailor our support for their academic needs. By taking this test at the start and end of the year it enables us to see how students’ reading ages advances with their chronological age. It is externally set, assessed and processed. The result that each student makes almost two months progress for every month they are at the school provides a resounding endorsement of the all round academic progress they are making at Pinner High School. Good news to end the week!

Victory in our first rugby fixture, Remembrance Day commemorations, and ‘Hairspray’ auditions: a normal week at Pinner High School!

Our First 1^st XV rugby team made a successful debut this week, running out winners 8 tries to 4. Coaches from Pinner Rugby Club have been working with our students as part of the Head’s Challenge Club programme, and I am delighted so many are taking part in rugby and enjoying such success. The next round of the competition will be even tougher!

Following the recent student and staff visit to the First World War battlefields as part of the national commemoration of the centenary of the end to hostilities, poppies and other British Legion products have been on sale all week. We will be laying wreaths at the services on Sunday in Eastcote and Pinner, and I’d like to thank all the students and colleagues involved in this important activity.

Black History Month came to a conclusion in assembly this week, celebrated through the theme of music. Student led assemblies that celebrate our community are amongst my favourite, and this was certainly one of those. An annual student favourite is our musical production, which is ‘Hairspray’. Auditions are next week!

Students are today engaged in leadership activities to help select the next group of House Captains and Student Government. These posts are always hotly contested, with speeches to the students respective year groups to follow in the final part of the selection task.

On the theme of selection, recruitment for September’s teaching posts are on the website now. We are lucky to know already the posts we will need for our growing school, so if you know anyone who may be interested in joining our first class team, please do pass this on to them. We are looking for a Head of Year, Head of Geography, Head of MFL as well as teachers of English, Maths and Science. We achieved the Investors in People Health and Wellbeing Award at the end of our first year, and in our end of year staff surveys this summer 100% of colleagues said they were proud or very proud to work at Pinner High School. I’d love to hear from people who can make us even better.