Dear Parents and Carers,

I am delighted to say that the careers’ convention was a huge success;

thank you to all the parents of the 190 students who attended. The

employers commented that the Millfield evening is one of the best

attended events they go to. Our exceptional Year 10s begin their two

weeks work experience placements on the week commencing the 3rd

February; we will look forward to hearing all about their experiences and

achievements. Of course, having a future career aspiration or even

aspirations (a back-up plan!) can be essential in keeping students

focused on their studies; it can give them the motivation to work hard and develop a clear

goal as to what they want to achieve. Due to the importance that we place on careers,

we are going to develop a new role of Careers Leader; if you know anyone who may be

interested in this exciting new position, please advise them to look for the advert on the

school’s website and Twitter page.

The teachers are currently working hard on adapting and developing their curriculums for

September 2020. We are focusing on ensuring that there is consistent high-quality teaching

and learning in every lesson; that all students are challenged; there is a strong focus on

subject vocabulary and students are encouraged to read a range of subject-specific

academic texts. If I can ask all parents to continue to encourage your child to read for a

minimum of 15 minutes per day; the benefits are proven to help with all aspects of the

curriculum and, of course, reading is a great way to relax and unwind too.

It was Reading Week last week and, along with the weekly department academic reading

and reading during form time, there were lots of other exciting events happening around

school: the Read the Rainbow initiative was launched; there was a book swap for pupils

and staff; the Weekend Book Bag was launched; Year 8s are creating their own children's

books as a project; Readathon was launched and there will even be library scavenger

hunts in Thornton Library!

Mrs Prescott’s assemblies last week reminded students how to keep themselves safe online

and also how to conduct themselves online. I had an interesting conversation with my

Year 11 intervention class this week; I told them that when the internet became widely

available parents were advised to keep the home computer in a family room, so parents

could monitor what websites their child was accessing and protect them. Nowadays of

course, with smart phones, children can have access to the internet all the time. The

website https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ provides some great advice on keeping safe

online and how to report any concerns.

We had an exceptional 87% of parents supporting their child on the Year 11 Parents’

Evening; there was a fantastic atmosphere in the hall and it is wonderful when home and

school work together. The Year 11s are motivated, revising, working hard in lessons and

setting their sights on achieving the highest possible grades they can in their final GCSE

exams. Tips on how to revise, subject revision topics and memory strategies can be found

on the school website and our Twitter page.

Finally, the new hand sanitisers have been installed throughout school and in the toilets;

thank you to the parent who suggested this in the parents’ forum. Obviously, along with

hand-washing, this should help to keep the germs at bay around school. It may also have

an impact on our attendance, which is again above national average!

To keep up to date with other events, please follow us on our school Twitter page

@millfieldhighsc.

Best wishes,

Nicola Regan

Headteacher

Belvedere Road, Thornton Cleveleys, FY5 5DG Telephone 01253 865929

E-mail admin@millfield.lancs.sch.uk

Website: www.millfield.lancs.sch.uk

Twitter page @millfieldhighsc

Issue No 6

24th January 2020

Dates for your

Diary

2020

Monday 27th January

Holocaust Memorial Day

Monday 3rd - 13th February

Work Experience

Thursday 13th February

School closes 2.50pm

Monday 24th February

School re-opens 8.25am

2

Year 7

In Year 7 we have been learning how

a computer ‘talks’. We have been

building our resilience by using our

maths skills to crack Binary code.

Students have been creating and solving secret messages

using Binary and the ASCII table. Once pupils have mastered

their Binary we will be moving on to programming using the

text based programming language Small Basic. Here we will

be using code to make a digital Turtle create colourful

shapes.

Year 8

So far Year 8 have created their own

booklet, identifying the Health and Safety

risks with the IT room, with the pupils’ work

being used to help the new Year 7s learn

the expectations we have in Computer

Science. This has helped pupils develop

their skills on Publisher using a booklet template. We quickly

moved onto “What is Programming”, having a quick reflection

on the key words that were learnt back in Year 7. This helped

develop the students’ knowledge of algorithms and they have

been able to produce Flow diagrams and have an

understanding of the shapes used to develop flow diagrams.

Most recently, we have been looking at coding in Python and

learning the basic syntax.

Year 9

Computer Science in Year 9 has seen pupils learn a vast

amount of theory knowledge. We have covered the topics:

Hardware, Software, Encryption and Networking. So far, pupils

have designed their own apps, created coded messages

using Caesar Ciphers and identified security risks that may

occur when devices are connected to a network. Pupils are

to now use their knowledge to discuss the legal, ethical,

environmental and cultural concerns related to computing.

They will be looking at real life instances where computers

have been used maliciously and will identify the

consequences involved. By developing in depth knowledge

related to network security, pupils will be safe online in and out

of school.

Year 10

Computer Science is not currently studied in Year 10. However

many of our pupils study computer related subjects like iMedia

and Business Studies.

Year 11

As students have covered the content of the course, we

are now going through each topic again. We have revis-

ited Hardware, Software and Networking. For each topic,

assessments have taken place to make it clear to pupils

and teachers where strengths and weaknesses lie.

Trackers are used within the classroom to motivate

pupils to “be exceptional”. Intervention is available for

pupils every Thursday after school, and each session will

be focused on a certain topic. Once we have finished

looking at the Ethics and Law related to Computer use

and Networking we will be delving into the skills needed

for paper 2. Here pupils will need to understand

Algorithms, Programming and Data Representation.

iMedia and Business studies

Pupils have started the coursework elements within both

subjects. Coursework relies on independence and time

management; pupils have been given clear deadlines to

work towards. Within iMedia, pupils are analysing graphics

used for Education, Entertainment, Promotion and

Advertisement. This analysis will allow them to develop the

knowledge needed when it comes to the time to design

their own graphics. Pupils will be creating the cover for a

science fiction book based on space. They will need to

create unique graphics to appeal to the target audience

of their choosing.

Business studies is seeing pupils designing a brand for a hat

company. They have conducted research on current

trends and market and used this information to develop

their own brand. Once they have formed a brand name

and identity, pupils are to create promotional materials

such as Logos, TV advert plans, Social Media campaigns

etc. From this stage, pupils will develop an entire business

proposal for their brand looking at pricing strategies, pro-

duction and pitching.

Key Update From Monday 27th of January ICT Club will be restricted to

a group of 20 people. If pupils would like to go to ICT Club

at lunchtime they need to see Mr Dunkerley in A28 to get

an ICT Club pass.

3

Year 7

In Year 7 our aim is to provide students with the

opportunity to develop key life skills such as

cooperation, communication and confidence.

Students have been studying different genres of

dance including street dance and more recently

body percussion. Students have been having fun

learning the ‘cup song’, watching and exploring

the musical ‘Stomp’ and creating a piece of body

percussion choreography including their shaker.

There will be a prize for the most creative shakers at

the end of the term.

Extra-curricular

High School Musical rehearsals

are every Tuesday and Thursday

3pm-4.30pm. The show will be on

Tuesday 10th and Wednesday

11th March. Tickets will soon be

available at the school office!

Year 7 dance club performed in our Christmas

Showcase. The dance club is run by our Year 9

dance leaders Tillie-An, Ella-Rae and Ella A. They

are currently working on a dance to Little

Mix – Wings which they are excited to perform in

the future.

Our dancers are just

starting work on the

Celebration of Music

dance which will be

performed alongside

the acapella group

at the Celebration of

Music on 23rd March

at the Winter

Gardens.

Year 11

Students are currently working on their trio

performances; they have taken a very mature

approach to this topic with one based on the 7/7

London Bombings and the second on the Ted

Bundy Confession Tapes. Our Year 11 students have

also begun work on their choreographies which are

internally assessed; this provides a fantastic stretch

and challenge opportunity for some of our KS3

students who perform in them. In theory, students

have worked on consolidating knowledge of

Section A of their written exam: Hypothetical

Choreography and Performance Skills. We have just

started looking at Section B of the written exam which

is analysis and evaluation of their work; our current

focus is their Set Phrase performance.

Year 10

This year, students have been introduced to the GCSE

dance anthology. They look at a different piece

each half term. This year students have

explored Emancipation of Expressionism, Shadows

and Infra both practically and in a theoretical

setting. Students are currently working hard to

choreograph a piece based on Infra where the cho-

reographic intent is ‘beneath the surface’.

Year 9

Year 9 sees preparation for Section A of the written

exam: Hypothetical Choreography and Performance

Skills. This term students are focussing on structures of

dance, safe dance practise, safe dance space,

expressive skills and aural setting. In practical lessons

students are completing a series of workshops to

explore how music can be used as a stimulus in

dance; they are paying particular attention to the

expressive skill musicality.

Year 8

Dance is not currently offered in Year 8 however

many of our students are participating in GCSE

Dance choreographies and High School Musical to

bridge the gap between KS3 and KS4.

4

Important Information

Dear Parents/Carers

please let school

know if your

contact details have

changed, especially

phone numbers and

email addresses as

we are starting to

email/text

information to you

on a more regular

basis.

Thank you

!

HOT CHOCOLATE WITH THE HEADTEACHER

Esmae Randall—Year 7 Madison Hindley —Year 7 Shay O’Rourke —Year 7 Isaac Walker—Year 7 Jasmine Hesketh—Year 8 Richard Collinson—Year 8 Hattie Wade—Year 8 Joshua Wilson— Year 8

All of the students

have been nominated by Miss Norman

for excellent work in Food Preparation

and Nutrition.

HOT CHOCOLATE WITH THE HEADTEACHER

All of the students have

been nominated by

Mrs Hill for their excellent

work in Music.

Tierney Harris—Year 11 Cameron Kell– Year 11 Ebony Guest Lawrence– Year 11 Meghan Pyke—Year 10 Holly Pilkington– Year 10 Nathan Baxendale– Year 10

Congratulations to

Joseph Thistleton who won

a £25 voucher from Carnell

& Highways of England

during our Careers

Convention, Joseph

connected the electric

circuit board in the

quickest time of 1.06 secs.

The following Year 7 students have created

some fantastic physics and history

knowledge organisers.

Well done to: Hannah Jones S2,

Lewis Kershaw B1 and Emily Thistleton B1.

5

Key

Stage

Life Skills Programme

On Tuesday 21st January our Year 8 students took

part in their second Barclays Life skills workshop. This

LifeSkills programme has been created with

Barclays, to help young people get the skills and

experiences they need to enter the world of work.

The workshop entailed the following :

Identify problems of different scales and what is

needed to solve them

• Illustrate the use of an adaptable approach to

solving problems

• Understand that problem solving is a core

transferable skill and identify its usefulness in a

work setting

• Work in a team to solve a problem

Next week I will be launching a 10 for 10

challenge. I will select 10 various subject

challenges to be completed in 10 school

days. Students must complete the

challenges to a very high standard in order

to be in with a chance of winning. There will

be some more fantastic rewards up for

grabs.

Mr. Byrne

(Head of Key Stage 3)

6

WORK

EXPERIENCE Mrs Draper

Year 10 Work Experience

3rd

February – 13th

February 2020

Army 4 day residential 10th February

until 13th February – students to arrive at

8.20am promptly on Monday 10th February.

Students may also come and see us at any

time in A50 if they need any help.

Mrs Draper / Mrs Needham

Year 11 have made a great start

to 2020. Students have started

learning about revision

techniques during form periods.

Each week they will be required

to complete a revision timetable

for the following week. You can

support them at home by

ensuring that they have time and

space to revise.

For the past two weeks we have

been running a purple slip

competition. Students can gain a

purple slip for working well in

lessons. The form with the highest

average number of slips at the

end of the competition will

receive an early lunch in the form

of Dominoes Pizza on Monday

27th January.

At Millfield we pride ourselves on

preparing students for life after

school. On the 15th January we

held our annual Careers’

Convention and it was good to

see so many Year 11 students

engaging with local employers

and further education providers. If

you need any further information

following this even please feel

free to contact us.

Key

Stage

Remember every Tuesday

3-5pm there will be supervised

study in the library.

Dates for your On 21st January a group of Year

11 students visited Myerscough

College. They participated in a

tour of the campus and learned

about the various courses

available. All those who attended

found it a useful and informative

experience.

We received an assembly from

ASK apprenticeships on

Wednesday 22nd January. They

were able to provide information

about the apprenticeship process

and those that are available in

the local area. Following the

assembly, 26 Year 11 students

who expressed a particular

interest in apprenticeship

attended a workshop to further

their understanding.

For your information, we will be

running a trip to the BAE

Roadshow in Kirkham on 30th

January. We will leave school at

5pm and return around 7.30pm.

The trip will be useful for anyone

who is considering a BAE

apprenticeship and those who

are interested should see Mr

Cooper or Miss Gower to sign up.

7

HOT CHOCOLATE WITH THE HEADTEACHER

Joseph has been

nominated by Mrs Bonell for

being a good ambassador for

the school.

Bethany has been nominated

by Miss Kilmartin for her

excellent work in Drama.

Joseph Lavery—Year 11 Bethany Richardson—Year 10

Plastic free tip of

the fortnight!

Brought to you by

Millfield

Eco-Warriors.

Say no to plastic straws. Stop. Think. Do you

really need that straw? Could you easily drink

your beverage without it? Yes? Then say no to

the straw.

Did you know, an estimated 8.5 billion straws

are used in the UK every year? That’s 8.5

billion sticks of plastic thrown away, often

ending up in the sea, used for just one drink.

Our Form Captains came up with the idea of creating

Millfield News Bulletin. This will be recorded each week

in our TV studio and then shown during form time

every week. The news bulletin will include updates on

attendance, hot chocolate with the Head, house

points, sporting events, other extra-curricular events

and also interviews/quotes from staff and/or students.

Our Prefect team have started this week dropping in

to Y7, 8 & 9 forms. They will be dropping into forms to

talk to students about any issues/concerns that they

may have or just for a general chat. The aim of this is

to build relationships between our prefects and the

younger students and also to raise the profile of our

prefects around school.

Susan Draper Dates for 2019/2020

Tuesday 28th January 2020—Year 11 Careers Question & Answer Session

Monday 9th March 2020 — Science Fair

Thursday 12th & Friday 13th March — Egglander Days

Monday 23rd March 2020 — Celebration of Music

Thursday 30th April 2020 —Top of the Wyre

June 2020 — Pond Dipping

Monday 29th June 2020 — M Factor

Friday 10th July 2020 —Soap Science Day

Drop in sessions

Wednesday 6.30pm-8.30pm

No appointment necessary.

Monday—Friday 5-10pm

Saturday / Sunday 10am-8pm

Telephone:- 07810696565

8

The behaviour of students

this year continues to be

exceptional and a large

part of this is down to the

rewards culture we have at

Millfield. Students know that

if they work hard and

behave then they will reap

the rewards academically,

as well as in other ways. Two

examples of this are Mrs

Hall’s form being treated to

an hour’s bowling at the

YMCA for winning the

Housepoint Challenge and

Mrs Winterson’s form winning

a Domino’s pizza lunch for

winning the Purple Slip

competition.

Mr. Deaville

Be Exceptional!

Year 7

Imogen Borrowdale

Year 8

Finlay Jennings

Year 9

Isabel Kent

Year 10

Katie Acton

Year 11

Demi Stennings

9

100% Excellent

99% Very Good

97- 98% Good

96% Satisfactory

Below

96%

Poor

Grades are affected in

attendance is below 96%

Attendance at Millfield continues to be

exceptional and we are significantly

above the National Average every week.

Our students clearly

follow our school motto:

“Get up. Get dressed. Get in!”

Aim for excellence

100% Attendance!

%

attendance

Number of

sessions

missed in

the year

Number of

school

days

100 0 0

99 4 2

98 8 4

97 11 5.5

96 15 7.5

95 19 9.5

90 38 19

85 57 28.5

80 76 38

Attendance

Weeks

10

11

12

Be Exceptional!