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"This is an outstanding school. At its last inspection, it was outstanding in all main categories. Since then it has significantly improved not just in respect of the areas for development identified in that inspection but also in terms of major developments to its educational provision for pupils and in the response that these have generated."
Ofsted, June 09
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Contact Us
Write:
Fairfield High School
Peterchurch
Herefordshire
HR2 0SGPhone: 01 981 550 231
Click here for a map of the area and driving instructions
and here for a beautiful, hand-drawn one
For an online calendar of important Fairfield dates, please click here.
Mr Barker, Headmaster,
Mr Brereton, Deputy Head and
Mr Walker, science teacher
Mr Barker became Head of English before being made Headmaster in 1997 and took the school from strength to strength, introducing new education initiatives and developing the school’s curriculum, initially offering GNVQ Engineering and then Animal Care through science well before ‘vocational curriculum’ was in many other schools' vocabulary; today, the school offers a whole range of vocational subjects and holds specialist status for it. He also taught RE and the Ofsted Inspectors in 2006 received a knock on their door from a delegation of pupils wanting to tell them how wonderful Mr Barker’s lessons were.
Together with the senior leadership team, Mr Barker has encouraged members of staff to develop their own areas of the curriculum, drawing out the best from pupils and developing the skills of support assistants wishing to enter teacher training. Through his headship, the school gained specialist Arts and Applied Learning status, became a Leading Edge school and was rated "Ooutstanding" in two Ofsted inspections.
Fairfield works – Mr Barker’s vision that the school is small by design with an ethos that happy pupils learn more is a mantra that has led to the school being oversubscribed in all year groups and the roll was increased from 70 to 90 just last September. The turnout at the opening event of the Hay Festival in 2008 against the restructuring of schools in Herefordshire proved the school’s popularity and the standing ovation when Mr Barker walked on stage was intensely memorable.
They will be missed by many, not just by pupils and colleagues.
Appointment of new Head Teacher
"Mr Christopher Barker has been a superb and inspiring head, and from the time that he told us of his intention to retire we knew that finding a replacement would prove to be an enormous challenge."
Read the letter to parents from the Chairman of Governors here.
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Year 7s have been very active. Half the year group has been at Llanrug and half at school doing a wide-range of activities - including Circus Skills and Building a Tudor House.
Follow these links for photos of Fairfield-based activities and Llanrug
Speech Night
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The photograph shows the winners of the Head’s prize which was awarded for maturity and consistently contributing to
the life
of the school and the wider community. From left to right: Mr Barker, Olivia Shackelford, Lily Hartman-Gerald, Megan Atkinson
Fairfield celebrated in style and awarded prizes and examination certificates presented by Councillor Philip Price.
93 % of the pupils gained five or more A* - C grades and the progress made by the cohort between arriving at the age of 11 and leaving placed the school in the top 2% of schools in England. “These results confirm the recent Ofsted report which found the school to be outstanding in all categories,” said headteacher Christopher Barker.
Mr Barker congratulated the whole school community and spoke of the future. “The Governors and management of the school are committed to expanding Fairfield and the intake will increase to 90 reaching a total roll of 450. This is good news for the Golden Valley, the surrounding area and the borders. Fairfield has been identified to be included in the Building Schools for the Future programme and I hope that further development will start soon.”
Comet and Bookworm are here
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The summer edition of our fantastic writers' and readers' magazine is online now here
and for a paper-free, portable summer edition of Comet click here
Monnow House won Sports day on Monday - for the 3rd successive year - and Livi Hale broke the school record for the Junior Girls' 1500 metres.
Well done to everyone.
(by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Ltd)
Fairfield's spectacular show on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th July: rehearsal pictures by James Jones here.
Fresh
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Fairfield Contemporary Dance group performed to rave reviews at this year's Fresh Festival of Dance at The Courtyard. Follow this link for some more photos of the day.
To find out all the wonderful things happening at our local arts centre, The Courtyard, click here.
Eden Project
Our Year 8 Eco-Warriors save the planet and have rather a nice time in the process. See them in action here!
and 
join forces
As you may have seen in the press recently, Facebook and the CEOP Centre have joined forces to make young people safer online by launching the new ‘ClickCEOP’ application.
All young users of Facebook – and their parents – are invited to add the new ClickCEOP ‘app’ to their profile. Through this app, they will be able to access advice, help and support from the CEOP Centre. Crucially, young people will be able to report instances of suspected grooming or inappropriate sexual behaviour directly from their profile to specially trained investigators."Every young person on Facebook needs the ClickCEOP app – this is why.
If you work with teenagers, then you’ll know most of them will be using Facebook. You might even be using it yourself... if so, you will want to know about a new, free application in Facebook that is designed to keep young people safe while they are having fun networking online.
ClickCEOP is a new ‘app’ launched today (Monday 12 July) which links the young user directly from their Facebook profile to help, advice and reporting facilities of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre – the police agency set up to tackle child abuse.
By adding the app, young people and parents can get support from CEOP on a range of issues – viruses, hacking, dealing with bullying online and they can report someone who is acting inappropriately towards them online.
If you have a Facebook profile, app and bookmark the app. If children in your care are on Facebook, get them to search ‘ClickCEOP’ in Facebook and give them to chance to be one click away from help – if they should ever need it.
Kind Regards,
CEOP"
NUTS...
Not an insult or a link to a lads' magazine but a serious plea NOT to bring nuts to school.
Recently some cashews were spilt on a staircase; this would not seem an immediate cause for concern. However, we have children in school who are extremely allergic to nuts and accidental contact can produce a very severe and in some cases potentially fatal reaction. Therefore we are asking parents to kindly not send nuts to school with children because, unlikely as it may seem, the consequences could be appalling.For more information on anaphylaxis, click here.
Thank you.
Fairfield was most recently inspected on June 11th 2009 and if you would like to read what was said about us, click here.
If you are of a squeamish disposition...
Here are more of Miss Naylor's fantastic photos. Steel yourself to make your way through the tarantulas and scorpions, marvel at the exotic colours of the birds, swoon at the cuddliness of the rabbits and, well, just enjoy all the rest too.
All these buildings were built by our students!
of outdoor animals, pupils following the BTEC Construction course under the tutelage of Mr Dillon and Mr Richards built all of these high-spec, sturdy constructions over the last two years.
For individual, bigger pics, click here
More revision available from these two excellent websites - s-cool and the BBC
This summer's GCSE timetable
* Why not revise ADJECTIVES with this fiendish game submitted by Chris Senft in Year 12? *
More revision available from these two excellent sites - s-cool and the BBC
Ideas May Blossom
Now is the time for all good folk to come to Hay for a party. For a real change, let’s talk of dreams, of stories and imagination. Let’s explore the writer’s realm of truths and language and of private, secret worlds. Let’s welcome big ideas from people who think differently to ourselves, and champion the need to open minds. Eleven wonderful days await. For the programme and booking, click here.
Hay Fever Schools
The whole of Years 7, 8 and 9 will be taking part in a special day - see here for details
Think U Know???...
The Internet is without doubt a revolutionary means of communication and source of information. We encourage you to use it widely but we are also very keen to ensure you are aware of the dangers of giving away information about yourself to the stalking online predators who exist to prey on vulnerable and often naive Internet users. To supplement the guidance you get in school from teachers, the website Think U Know? is an excellent source of information and reassurance about online activity. Please visit it and show your parents this page which will explain a lot to them too. Safe surfing.
A new campaign to promote safe use of the internet has been announced. Read about it all here
With 1,000 days to go until London Paralympics
Britain's Josie Pearson insists: 'Being in a wheelchair won't stop me doing what I want with my life'. Read what our Josie is doing now in the lead-up to the Paralympics.
Children in Need charities afternoon
Click here to see the many ingenious ways devised to raise money for charities on Children in Need day.
Spot The Ball
Congratulations to our Year 7 Boys 5-a-side team who have progressed to the Midlands regional finals by winning the Herefordshire tournament.
Click here to see some of Stan Platford's pictures of one of our football teams in action
Spot The Difference
2004
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2009
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For more pictures of the school and the Golden Valley on a golden summer day this year, click here
Fairfield pupils abroad
Pupils have been spreading their wings recently to Spain and Italy: watch this space for more details. For now, feast your eyes on the beauty of Sorrento - and the beautiful pupils and teachers who went there.
Sadly, our lovely Spanish exchange partners have gone back to Zaragoza ...
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BTEC 2010
On 2 recent Fridays, 23 students from Fairfield High School set out to help to look after a small part of the countryside that has been the background to their adventures throughout the year.
For more information, follow this link
What's that up in the sky?
Is it a star? Is it a comet?
Well, yes - even better, it's Fairfield's Christmas Comet. Read it here.
Reptiles visit Fairfield
Chris Nock from the Proteus Reptile Trust brought a great selection of reptiles in as part of the 'Care of Exotic Animals' unit of the BTEC Animal Care course. Click here for pictures
Dancers thrill sold-out Courtyard
received a fantastic reception after their performance at the "Fresh" dance evening at The Courtyard . They spent a sunny day working with staff and other dancers (including some great little ones from St Joseph's Primary, Ross-on-Wye) and performed in the evening to a packed auditorium. They were chosen to tour their piece in the Youth Dance Tour at the beginning of July and were a huge success - in spite of people missing through illness.
The orchestra, jazz band and smaller ensembles toured the Rhineland area of Germany during the last week of term. They stayed in the impressive Burg Stahleck and performed in Linz, Bad Ems and finally in Bonn as part of the Summer Festival.
Music to their ears
Click here for pics of the tour
The 2009 Cyprus Basketball and Netball Tour
The Baby Dragons have grown and some powerful ants have arrived!
The English department has had three prestigious visitors in recent weeks
Click here for details and pics
LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO - it's a Summer 2009 COMET. Read it here.
Read an online version of the Spring 2009 issue of the school magazine here. Winter 2008 still available here.
Community Arts
For autumn arts activities, click here
Miss Sheppard went to America
... on the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Programme.
Last year's Zaragoza exchange was a HUGE success
And... THIS year's exchange at half-term was equally fenomenal- ¡Qué suerte!
Click here to find out more about last year's exchange with Zaragoza and here for a wonderful YouTube video made by Ariadna. Some photos of the UK part of the exchange can be found here. Photos and accounts from this October are on their way.
The History Department in Ypres and Paris
Click here for some evocative photos of the trip
Deadly piranhas devour entire school population in seven seconds!!
Read more of this story
... and dancing dragons challenge piranhas!!
Watch here
Matthew Engel writes:-
The alpacas always seem to have this strange expression. It might be mild befuddlement - after all, it's a long way from the High Andes to Herefordshire. But sometimes it looks like alarm, as though all along they have known something we didn't.
Read more of this storyHay Festival
Hay Festival provided an opportunity for people concerned about the survival of rural schools to hear the issues discussed; attendance was high, as was the strength of feeling from supporters of the school.
Watch a 30-second video from the Rural Schools debate.
Kick Off
Have a look at some rehearsal photos from our whole school production
Small is beautiful:
The tiny rural school teaching big cities a lesson-The Independent, 17 July 2008
Read the article here
Speech Night this year was on the 12th November.
Watch (and listen to, speakers on) the school velociraptors on the move!!
Ants have sneaked in here as well and those dragons have GROWN!
