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 News from Mr Grady
Thursday 9th July 2026
Hello everyone,
As I peer out of the window of my office today, I was witness to a group of year 12 students working with good humour and verve on the courtyard that sits in the middle of our main building – they have cleared weeds, overgrown bushes, and swept slabs. They have sanded and painted benches and altogether made a real difference to the material state of our building ahead of the space being officially opened to year 11-13 students from September.
Out on the field, year 10 and 11 students are doing their World Challenge Build-up day, planning meals and a whole variety of things before heading to Eswatini in the coming days – they are really embracing the challenge of the heat in this country – before their trekking, camping and project work over in Eswatini begins.
In the hall at lunch time a year 10 student had organised a “would I lie to you event” with teachers taking part with gusto.
And next Wednesday our year 8s in conjunction with Mrs Clarke in the Kitchen are organising a non-uniform day and Summer BBQ sizzler in aid of charity.
And of course, we’re all just fresh off the activities and trips of the last week – years 7 and 8 in Paris, and a whole variety of activities both inside and outside school.
In addition to this – Year 12 and 7 inductions days on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, saw student who will be joining our RHS community coming in to get used to the school, and learn about what it is to be a member of the school.
All of which is to say that it may look like it’s nearly the end of term, but we show no signs of slowing down. At RHS, it’s the richness of the taught curriculum and all the things around the sides that we know make such a difference for our students – as I said in our assemblies about it last week – you learn and experience more when you step towards new experiences with open arms, not step back with your arms folded – and our students and staff this week, and into next have opened their arms to all sorts of great challenges and experiences. We wouldn’t have it any other way!
I will write again before the end of term. Stay well and safe everyone,
Best wishes,
Mr Grady
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Open Evening success!
Our Open Evening yesterday was a wonderful event, packed with visiting families discovering what life at Rugby High School is all about! Our visitors enjoyed touring the school with our enthusiastic Tour Guides, listening to the engaging speeches from our Year 7s, tasting our delicious canteen food and getting stuck into all the activities on offer in our classrooms from ukelele playing to an obstacle course, pH testing to maths puzzle grids!
Thanks to all our brilliant students and staff who made it such a success!
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RH6 Orientation Day
All Year 11s and students who have applied to RH6 from other schools were invited to join us for their RH6 Orientation Day on Tuesday 7th July. We enjoyed welcoming them and sharing what RH6 life is like!
The day included some A Level taster lessons, meeting teachers and gaining insight into Sixth Form life. Our Orientation Day also provides the opportunity to meet other students and find out some more about what to expect when students join us for their A Level journey in September.
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Term dates
As we head off into the summer holidays at the end of next week, here’s a reminder of the dates for the start of Autumn Term, ready for September 2026.
We look forward to welcoming you back!
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- Tuesday 1st September is a Staff Training Day so no students are expected in school
- Term starts on Wednesday 2nd September, for Year 7s and 12s only as an Induction Day
- Term starts for all students on Thursday 3rd September and we look forward to seeing all Years in school.
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Phone-free school
Rugby High School will become a phone-free school from September 2026, in line with Department for Education guidance and our commitment to creating a calm, focused learning environment.
To prepare for this change, we have run a one-week trial this week, allowing both students and staff to become familiar with the new procedures before the policy is fully implemented in September.
Student Devices and Wi-Fi Access
Students in Years 9-13 may continue to bring a personal device into school for educational purposes. To access the school wireless network, students must have completed the User Agreement and installed the school's security certificate.
Over recent weeks, our IT support has improved the school’s wireless network and the wireless infrastructure is now performing well. The main issue students now experience is installing the security certificate, which is required before they can connect fully to the school network. Students can access the security certificate installation page by typing this website address exactly: http://172.16.10.1/getcert
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Curriculum Enhancement Week - Day 1
Last Thursday at school was a day filled with trips and curriculum-enhancement activities! Students from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 headed off to Wicksteed Park, Drayton Manor and 'Much Ado About Nothing' at the Globe Theatre!
In school, Year 7s had a Spanish cultural experience making Gaudi-inspired mosaics to the background of Spanish music, plus some lively sessions of multisports including badminton and table tennis!
Year 8s and 9s were tasked with Taskmaster challenges - designing the next new £5 bank note, creating a manifesto for a new political party and planning a new history podcast. They were also given a mystery pentagonal product and, after deciding its purpose, they had to pitch and promote their product to their fellow students, with some selling it as a recycled bird feeder, others as the 'Pentagrow' to keep plants alive for longer and the (overall) winning team selling their slug and snail trap to keep your crops safe!
Year 8s and 9s also settled into some serious board gaming, from Monopoly to Uno and donned their aprons to make some delicious choc-chip cookies with Bake-Off in the background for inspiration!
And Year 10s were getting creative in a media session. Firstly watching a range of clips to pick up on possible presenting styles, from the fast-paced comedic style of Map Men to a serious graphical animation explaining DNA. In groups they then had to create their own 5 minute mini-film, sharing and distilling information on their chosen topic, from famous footballers to the dancing plague of 1518. What a fantastic day of different experiences!
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Curriculum Enhancement Week - Day 2
Last Friday saw day 2 of CE Week 2026! Students from across the year groups headed off to Warner Bros Studios for a day of all things Harry Potter, Year 9s went wild at Twycross Zoo and Year 10s shopped til they dropped in Milton Keynes.
In school, Year 7s got creative in Artful Maths, with intricate origami and precise curves of pursuit. They also tackled a tricky forensic science investigation - could they solve the crime and work out who was the thief that broke into the school? They had six pieces of evidence to scientifically assess - ink, a handkerchief, footprints, a powder, some handwriting and fingerprints! Whodunnit? Was it Hilda, Kim, Thomas or Winston?
The Geography department launched the Young Geographer of the Year competition to Year 8s. This annual competition celebrates the next generation of geographers, and this year the theme is 'From Source to Sea.' So Year 8s have started their explorations of the world’s river systems, and the Royal Geographical Society is looking for eye-catching, creative and informative posters that demonstrate why our rivers are so important. They also had some downtime with games, geographical jigsaws and puzzles!
Year 9s had a packed day, from the paperchain challenge, where they had to craft the longest chain with minimal paper, to the photo scavenger challenge, taking photos of something a particular teacher loves to the biggest tree! They then faced the trivial pursuit quiz, the TikTok trend recreation (dances / lip synchs, comedy moments) and the trio challenge!
Year 10s embraced their inner artist with a morning of polyboard printing, using the Chine-collé technique, based on natural forms. They created background layers of colour, printed on top with abstract images then cut out and mounted. The afternoon was filled with weaving, using landscapes for inspiration!
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Bringing history to life
On CE Week Day 1, some Year7s and 8s also had the chance to try on some historical clothing kindly loaned by a historical interpreter, from low- and high-status medieval clothing, Tudor and Regency period outfits and a late 19th century evening gown!
Following on from CE Week, students will also be completing timelines of key events that both fashion influenced and were influenced by fashion.
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Opal Coast trip
Year 7 and 8 French students set off for the French Opal Coast bright and early last Wednesday and their first stop was a traditional bakery to learn how baguettes are made, managing to follow a detailed presentation, all in French - quite an achievement!
The following morning, the students' visit to the chocolate factory was a great success and enjoyed by all! They spent a lovely couple of hours in the beautiful seaside town of Le Touquet, then headed off to 'Les escargots du Bocage' snail farm, where they learnt all about the French's favourite mollusc before having the opportunity to hold and even taste some!
On their last night in France, students had a chilled sunset walk on Calais beach and on their final morning they visited Nausicaa Sea Life Centre and and the old town in Boulogne. Wonderful memories of a great trip!
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Wimbledon and Woburn trip
On our Wimbledon and Woburn trip, our students enjoyed the tennis action in the sunshine! The next day they headed to Woburn Safari Park, to spot big cats out on the prowl, pass round a giraffe skull and watch a cheeky monkey hitching a ride on the bus roof!
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Live Shakespeare performance
Last week Year 10 students had a fantastic trip to The Globe Theatre in London to enjoy Shakespeare’s 'Much Ado About Nothing', This new production is described as an unfiltered look at bad behaviour, second chances, and recovering from old wounds!
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Harry Potter trip
Last Friday students from Years 7, 10 and 12 headed to Warner Bros Studio to explore the wizarding world of Harry Potter!
Alongside the studio tour students had a really informative and engaging classroom lesson where they got up close with props from the films including the giant Hagrid head, Voldemort's cloak and more costumes! Some students had the chance to measure up against one of Hagrid's huge jumpers too!
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Summer Reading
Remember our E-Library is available to access over the summer holidays! It offers 1000's of fiction and some non-fiction books electronically. All students need to access it is a device, wifi and their school log in and password. They can then access our E -ibrary from across the world. They can choose a variety of languages, fonts and colours to read in – so it is accessible to all.
Scan the QR code or click here to access the E Library.
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Summer reading list for Years 7 - 9
Years 7 - 9 have also been given a reading list for the Summer! The reading list will be set as a summer reading homework on Arbor so you can find there.
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National Physics Courses for local teachers at Rugby High
SKPT (Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching) are free DFE funded courses run via The Ogden Trust at Rugby High School. On Wednesday 1st July, 15 teachers from local schools and colleges attended the Forces course; a session of practical and theory aimed at KS3 and KS4 delivery.
There are 3 further courses running next year on Waves, Particles, Space and Atomic Structure. If you are a local science teacher, you can find out more information and the booking links here: www.stem.org.uk/skpt-modules
If you are interested in having a course delivered at your own school, that can also be arranged. Please email Susan Mighall (Curriculum lead for Physics and Ogden Coach) mighalls@rugbyhighschool.co.uk
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Board Game Library
Do you have any board games you could donate? Our students are putting together a board game library for our newly phone-free school!
Please bring any donated games to reception!
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PTA Uniform Sale
The next PTA Uniform Sale will be held this Saturday, 11th July 2026, between 10am - 12pm. This is your opportunity to make a huge saving by buying good quality pre-used uniforms for your daughter and play your part in raising money for the school.
All proceeds will go to the PTA which provides funding for academic and non-academic related activities for our students. You can find more information about the PTA here - www.rugbyhighschool.co.uk/PTA
So, please come into school on Saturday 11th July between 10am - 12pm to make huge savings on outgrown, but not outworn, uniforms!
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Taekwon-do British Champion
Maddy S, 7G, competed in the ITFU Taekwon-do British Championships in Derby recently. She retained her British champion title in patterns for the second year running, winning gold in her category despite moving up in belt and age group since last year’s win.
It is a huge meeting with 300 competitors from over 30 clubs so a super impressive achievement especially to retain the title. Congratulations Maddy!
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Big Future Survey
Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, has launched a survey to find out how to make life better for children.
In launching it, she has said “For the first time, hundreds of thousands of children will be eligible to vote in the next general election at age 16, the biggest change to the franchise in half a century – yet just one in five children say politicians listen to them. That’s why I’m doing my final survey, The Big Future, to talk to a million children, to listen to them. And to find out about what it’s like to be a child today. I am asking children about the changes they want to see in their communities, their biggest concerns, and their hopes for the future. More than anything, I want to know what they think a good childhood should look like, now and in the future.”
How can children and young people can take part?
The survey is open now. Go to: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/TheBigFuture/
To find out more, visit the website: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-future/
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STEM Summer Opportunities
The Engineering Development Trust have a range of engaging summer opportunities designed to help students explore STEM from home, develop valuable skills, and gain a meaningful insight into future study and career pathways. These activities offer a flexible and accessible way for students to stay inspired over the summer while building confidence, curiosity, and experience.
For students aged 11-16: Individual Challenger Activities
The Individual Challenger Activities provide students with the opportunity to complete a creative, hands-on STEM project from home. Designed by educational experts, each activity encourages students to apply their imagination, problem-solving skills and curiosity while completing a project independently and at their own pace. Once completed, students will join our alumni network and receive priority updates about future EDT and Industrial Cadets activities and a Challenger level Industrial Cadets Award.
For students aged 16+: Online Masterclasses
Our Masterclasses are virtual live sessions designed to provide students with an insight from experienced industry professionals. Covering a range of topics, from careers in STEM to key professional skills, these sessions offer students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and hear directly from experts in the field.
- World Class Project Management - view
- A Career as an Engineer - view
- Time Management - view
Places are limited, so students are encouraged to book early!
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James Berry
Seashell
Shell at my ear —
come share how I hear
busy old sea in whispers.
Moans rise from ancient depths
in ocean sighs
like crowds of ghost monsters.
Waves lash and fall & —
in roars and squalls
with all a mystery ahhh!
All things Poetry found at Poetry by Heart
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Call Recording policy
Rugby High School may record inbound and outbound telephone calls for training and monitoring purposes.
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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
2nd July Edition
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The school newsletter is sent out every other week during term-time.
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