Newsletters

Rugby High School - Spring Term 2026 Issue 9

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News from Mr Grady

Thursday, 26th February 2026

Hello everyone,

I hope you had a restful half-term break.  This is quite a short half-term into Easter, and I’m sure it will zip by.

Over the half-term, we had the Lunar New Year and I can see that we have entered the year of the fire horse.  The twelve animals of the zodiac are also blended with the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, and so this creates a 60-year cycle.  This was something I was unaware of and only learnt this week, in talking to students.  It sent me rushing back to my sign – I always knew I was born in the year of the dragon, but it turns out that I too was born in a “fire” year, so I am in fact, a fire dragon. This feels like a win.

According to some of the research I undertook, people born in the year of the horse are often described as energetic, independent, and confident. The animal itself symbolises hard work, bravery, resilience, and freedom, and when one adds the fire element, the Fire Horse represents momentum; Fire adds passion, transformation, and heat. Together, they form an emblem of change and an invitation for humanity to act boldly and pursue goals with confidence.

Now that feels like a very positive way of looking at the coming year. 

As I mentioned, I think in my last newsletter, and certainly now, it’s true to say, we are just over half-way through the year – and with the lunar new year giving us a chance for renewal and reflection - it’s the perfect time to think about how we’re going to finish in the “second half:” Have we kept enough in the tank, what might we need to do to improve, and who can we draw on for support to do so?

As we look ahead to World Book Day next week, and Science week, we can see that the RHS continues to have an incredibly full calendar of events and experiences for our students.  I hope at this half-way point that promises great things to come, and in the year of the fire horse, we’ve got everything on our side!

Have a wonderful weekend when it arrives,

Stay safe and well everyone!

Best wishes,
Mr Grady

French and Spanish plays
10:00am – 3:40pm
27
February
Movie night for Years 7 & 8, hosted by the PTA
4:00pm
27
February
Author Caroline Lawrence visiting
2:15pm
03
March
Duke of Edinburgh Kit Evening (primarily for Bronze participants)
6:00pm – 7:00pm
03
March
World Book Day
8:50am – 3:45pm
05
March
Start of National Science Week: until 15th March
All Day
06
March
Community Iftar
5:00pm – 8:00pm
06
March
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World Book Day coming soon

World Book Day is coming! The date for your calendars is next Thursday, 5th March, and to start planning your costumes, this year's theme is childhood favourites!

In school, this is always a fantastic fundraising event, with amazing costumes. We will be raising money for the charity Book Aid International.

On the day there will be:

  • Literary themed cake sale
  • Pre-loved book sale
  • Guess the teacher 
  • Form literary quiz

In preparation for the pre-loved book sale on World Book Day, we would be very grateful for any donations of pre-loved books in good condition. 

Donations may be left at reception, or students can pass any donated books to any English teacher or member of the charity committee. 

Thank you! 

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Ski Trip in the sunshine

Our Year 8 and 9 students enjoyed their ski trip in Austria with beginner skiers learning new skills and others advancing their skiing technique in the sunshine!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more photos and videos! 

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Spanish Students' Seville trip

Last half term students from years 10, 11 and 13 headed over to Spain for a few activity-packed days! On arrival in Seville they spent the evening with host families followed by a morning of Spanish lessons and some retail therapy (and practising their Spanish!) They also enjoyed a lesson learning about the history of Seville and a personalised guided tour of the city (¡todo en español!).

Their final activities in Seville included a dramatic flamenco show, a visit to the Royal Alcazar and a paella cookery lesson. Then all students received their course certificates, before saying emotional farewells. An amazing trip with a fabulous group!

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Poetry Live performances 

Last half term our Year 11 students enjoyed a trip to the Poetry Live event at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham. 

It was a full and fun day of poetry performances by poets that Year 11 are studying for their English Literature exam. Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage, Dalit Nagra, Owen Sheers, Imtiaz Dharker and John Agard had the audience in the palm of their hands, sharing insights into their poems and what inspired them to write them. There were also questions from the floor to support our Year 11's  understanding of the poems for the exam!

The AQA chief examiner also gave lots of top tips on how to approach the unseen poetry section of the exam.

John Agard was the star of the day with huge cheers from the audience and even being mobbed for selfies outside as we left!

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Movie Evening 

Year 7 and Year 8 students are invited to a Movie Evening at school tomorrow, Friday 27th February, hosted by the PTA.

Tickets are just £5 and available on Parentmail and all the money raised will go to the PTA to fund equipment and resources to enrich the learning experiences of all students at Rugby High School.

It'll be a fun, supervised movie screening with popcorn and squash included in the ticket price. This will be a great opportunity for students to relax and socialise with each other at the end of the school week.

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Music Recital in school

A fantastic opportunity to enjoy wonderful live music at Rugby High School!

Join us for a music recital on Wednesday 25th March at 6pm in the Youngman Music Centre at school. Tickets are £4 and will be available to buy via Parentmail or on the door.

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Musical Recital

Another exciting event coming up - join us for a celebration of our young performers with a recital journeying from the 17th to the 21st century!

The musical recital is free to attend and is taking place at St Andrew's Church in Rugby on Tuesday 24th March, 1pm. We hope to see you there!

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Donors sign up

Last half term, the Anthony Nolan Trust/Asset came into school to talk about stem cell and blood donation and offer students the chance to sign up to be a stem cell donor. Joining the register is easy and free and you need to be aged 16–30 to join. People stay on the register and can still donate until they turn 61. Most people on the register never come up as a match. But those who do, could be lifesavers.

56 students came along to sign up! As a school we also received an award for 10 years of supporting the Anthony Nolan Trust, promoting the message in school and our students signing up as potential donors.

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Dubai Dance Competition results

Nicole Allenby, Year 9, recently performed at the Crown Cup Dubai International Ballroom dance competition. She competed in the Solo Junior 1 category, Open Class, in 5 individual dances: Rumba, Samba, Cha Cha, Jive, and Pasodoble. Additionally, she performed combinations of 2, 3, and 4 dances. Nicole secured 1st place in most dances, except for Samba and Jive, where she took 2nd place. She performed and competed with dancers from China, Italy, UAE, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and other countries. It was a great competition and her first international competition outside the UK. Congratulations to Nicole!

Jobs 

We're recruiting for the following role:

Curriculum Leader of Modern Foreign Languages

Start Date: 1st September 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter
Full-time (Part-time considered), Permanent
M1:UPS3
TLR 1b 

We are looking to appoint a dedicated, inspirational and talented Curriculum Leader of MFL to join our successful department of highly skilled practitioners.

Read the full advert and Job Description and Person Spec on our website.

Apply now, if you:

  • have a good degree in Modern Foreign Languages or a related degree
  • are passionate about languages
  • are eager to teach in a school in which students have a genuine love of learning
  • can ensure the progress of highly motivated, high-achieving cohorts

Find out more and apply now

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Book onto the latest free Webinars

Elevate are offering a series of free webinars this Spring term, to help parents best support their child through school. The next webinars are: 

  • How you can help your child prepare for exams: 3rd March, 6-7pm 

  • How you can support your child during exams: 17th March, 6-7pm 

Click here to register for any of these webinars for free

Berlie Doherty
If You Were A Carrot 

If you were a carrot
and I was a sprout
I’d boil along with you
I’d sit on your plate

If you were a tadpole
and I was a frog
I’d wait till your legs grew
I’d teach you to croak

If you were a conker
and I was a string
we’d win every battle
we’d beat everything

If you were a jotter
and I was a pen
I’d write you a message
again and again

If you were a farmer
I’d be in your herd
if you were a popsong
I’d sing every word

I wish I could tell you
that I like you a lot
but you’re like a secret
and I’m like a knot.

All things Poetry found at Poetry by Heart

Call Recording policy

Rugby High School may record inbound and outbound telephone calls for training and monitoring purposes.

Please find below information that has been passed to us that may be of interest to you and your family.

Warwickshire Family Information Service Newsletter

24th February Edition

The school newsletter is sent out every other week during term-time.