Minerva Learning Trust
1st October 2016

Sense of Community

Claire Tasker, Headteacher

Blog 2 - Sense of Community

One of the things about High Storrs School that I am most enjoying is the strong sense of community. The vertical tutor groups and the House system really do create a positive atmosphere and strengthen relationships. It is lovely to look into form rooms and see students of different ages sitting together, talking together and working together. Each of the four Houses are a community within a community; each has a slightly different character (but they are all equally competitive!). 

I am also getting to know the wider community. This includes our governing body (three meetings so far), parents and carers (six evening events to date) and local people I meet on bus duty and in Bents Green on a Monday lunchtime (on duty!) This last week I have also had the pleasure of visiting three of our partner Primary Schools; Hunters Bar Juniors, Greystones Primary and Hunters Bar Infants. The warm welcome at each of these schools has made my week. I have seen a re-enactment of ‘Theseus and the Minotaur’, an incredibly active Maths lesson, fabulous sentence construction and a Gruffalo hunt. I have visits to more of our local Primary Schools in my diary for the coming weeks. 

High Storrs School has also engaged in some Sheffield-wide endeavours with our city-wide community. For example, there is a ‘Herd of Sheffield’ elephant designed by a member of staff. Jane, our administration services clerk, won a competition to have her design painted onto an elephant by a local artist. The splendid beast has been admired by all outside Sheffield Train Station over the summer months but we want to bring him home to High Storrs and hope our students and their families will help us. From Monday 10th October we will have collections in assembly to raise funds to bid for the elephant at auction on 20th October. All funds will go to the Sheffield Children’s Hospital. If you are happy to help us please spare some change for your child to bring to school for the collection (and/or donate at our Open Evening on 6th October). I will let you know if we are successful at the auction!