Headlines Maths Results
New Building
Congratulations to Y11 pupils who were entered early for their maths GCSE.
The façade of what was once the Grange CLC has been stripped away to reveal the framework around which the main reception of our new building will be constructed. Progress is good and we are on track for the much anticipated opening in April 2013.
Mrs Bentham is delighted that the hard work of the pupils who took their GCSE maths exam in November has been rewarded with success. Seventy seven pupils achieved a grade A* to C with approximately 40% achieving an A*, A grade or 4 levels of progress exceeding their targets.
If you visit our website you can view a movie of what our building will look like.
Congratulations and well done to: Patrick Brady, Anthony Delahunty, Denica Durr, Nathan Edwards, Craig Goulder, Robyn Grey, Michael Hazlehurst, Stan Houghton, Miramar Jackson, Lewis Jones, Natalia Kasprzyk, Hannah Kenna, Mathew Rider, Jordan Lloyd, Macauley Lyon, Jordan maddock, callum Moore, Sian Murray, George Newby, Matthew O’Carroll, Gemma Rees, Crisjon Roberts, Alisa Robinson, Jamie Weeder, Katie Whitmarsh and Georgia Wright. A special mention to our Head Boy, Barnaby Byrom, who achieved an outstanding 5 levels of progress in securing an A*.
Sports Relief The Grange is preparing for another huge fundraising event to support Sport Relief on Friday 23rd March 2013. Planning is underway to make it a huge success and whet the appetite for the London 2012 Olympics. I can’t disclose our top secret plans just yet, but I can assure you it will be a fun packed week of activities leading up to the day itself.
January 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Singing Success Last week we received a set of excellent results from ten of our pupils who passed their vocal exams, certificated by the London College of Music. The examinations took place at the Capstone Theatre, Liverpool Hope University. The 10 pupils were from both Key Stages, three of whom achieved the highest possible grade of a Distinction. The pupils are coached weekly by our Vocal Specialist, Miss Kate Smith and they have been studying various genres of vocal music, including Musical Theatre and Contemporary Singing to achieve these wonderful results. The outstanding pupils involved were: Reece Moore, Bethany White, Sarah-Jane ThompsonMayers, Shannon O’Reilly, Lily Gaynor, Alisha Nuttall, Natasha Preston, Anthony Goble, Aaron Owen and Patrick Swift.
Congratulations to the pupils and to Miss Smith and not forgetting Mrs Foster and Mrs Healey our resident music teachers. And finally, thank you to parents and carers who organised the transport to and from the venue.
Flying Fabia High flying science teacher, Mr Fabia, is raising money for Halton Carers Centre by jumping out of an aeroplane. Asked if he was a little nervous about this perilous activity he replied “If my parachute doesn’t open I know I can count on the pupils of the Grange to catch me!” If you would like to find out more about the valuable work that Halton Carers Centre does you can go to their website at www.haltoncarers.co.uk.
Vivo Miles Congratulations to the following pupils who are the top 10 Vivo earners since September. Sophie Sloan Thomas Furey Jordan Danks Jack Baines Joel Graham Anthony Carter Samantha Caine Jack Brown Megan Hughes Jaydn Dunbebin
11BTE 10MRY 10STL 9SOM 7QUI 9SOM 11ELL 7MCN 7QUI 9SLV
184 180 171 169 164 163 162 160 160 159
January 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Attendance and Punctuality What counts as good attendance? The national average for attendance at secondary school is 93.1%. Halton average for attendance at secondary school is 93.7%. Currently our attendance is 94.5%. We expect all our pupils to aspire to an attendance of at least 95%. A pupil who achieves only 90% attendance misses almost 4 weeks of school every year. That’s over 120 lessons missed!
175 non school days per year to spend on family time, visits, holidays, shopping, household jobs and other appointments
13 days absence
19 days absence 190 school days in each year
29 days absence 177 days of education
171 days of education
38 days absence 161 days of education
100%
93%
90%
85%
Excellent
Average
Unsatisfactory
Worrying
Best chance of successful learning
Less chance of successful learning
152 days of education
47 days absence 143 days of education
80%
75%
Serious concern Little chance of successful learning
January 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Attendance and Punctuality Why is punctuality important? Being late adds up to loss of learning. If your child is 5 minutes late every day that adds up to over 3 days lost each year!
Minutes late = days lost 20
Number of days lost
18 16 14
12 10 8 6 4 2 0
5
10
15
20
30
Number of minutes late Parents and carers can download a useful booklet on attendance and punctuality from our website.
January 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines “Change your Life”
The Grange School Forum
The Adult Learning Team based in Castlefields & Kingsway are now enrolling for a wide variety of courses including everything from maths to multimedia, French to family learning and counselling to crafts.
At the Grange we also have a Parent/Carer Forum, which has already met on five occasions. The current group consists of nine parents/carers who have met to discuss topics such as communication, how to access on-line school resources, the new school building amongst other topics. Those staff present include myself and Mr Beard who convenes the meeting, and then staff relevant to what is being discussed. The next meeting will be before Easter, so if any parent/ carer wishes to join the group, then please contact Mr Beard at the school.
For more information contact Acorn Learning Centre on 01928 573721 or Kingsway Learning Centre on 01928 4717486. Alternatively pop into one of the centres on either of the information days; Acorn Learning Centre, Castlefields – 16th April 2012 Kingsway Learning Centre, Widnes – 17th April 2012
Halton Parent & Carer Forum Parents are the most important influence on their children's lives. Halton Parents and Carers forum believes that by working cooperatively with local service providers and commissioners parents can lead on improvements in services delivered for Children, Young People and their Families. The forum aims to provide a voice for parents and carers to enable them to make a positive contribution to the development of Child and Family services across Halton. If you wish to get involved the next forum meetings are detailed below:
Thursday 23rd February 10:30 Halton lodge Children‟s Centre, Runcorn Tuesday 27th March 17:30 Warrington Road Children‟s Centre, Widnes
Alternatively you can visit their website www.haltonpartnership.net/childrenstrust and click on the Parents and Carers link at the top of the page.
Halton Netball HALTON DISTRICT NETBALL TOURNAMENT – Year 10 and 11: Hosted at The Grange on 2nd Feb Year 10 came runners up in a very close competition, only missing out on the Champion spot on goal difference to St Chads. Squad: Jessica Rigby, Anna Timms, Natalie Bennett, Amy Pinkney, Megan Crilly, Natalie Howard, and Kirsty Yates. Year 11 were victorious for the 5th year running. A fantastic effort from all girls and a superb achievement from our year 11 team. Well done to you all. Squad: Rebecca Orme, Hollie Bousfield, Carla Ormond, Katie Whitmarsh, Amy Miles, Denica Durr and Gemma Rees
February 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Primary School Visits
GCSE Music Performance
Mr Burton works tirelessly with our primary schools to ensure that the move up to secondary school is a smooth one and part of that process involves visiting and meeting regularly with staff from the primary schools. To develop this process further, we have begun to invite all the primary school Headteachers to visit us for an hour or two to see how well their former pupils are getting along.
Tuesday 8th February was a wonderful evening when GCSE pupils had the opportunity to perform to their family and friends.
Pupils are quite excited at the prospect of meeting up again with their former Primary School teachers and showing off how well they have progressed in their studies. It is always a great pleasure to welcome colleagues from the primary schools and most recently we have received visits from Mr Collings and Mrs Felix from Woodside and Mr Worthington from Castleview. We look forward to greeting many more other Headteachers and staff from our primary schools.
The evening opened with the school choir performing Rhythm of Life, followed by pupils from Years 9, 10 and 11 performing a variety of pieces including solos, duets, small ensembles, and rock bands. For the first time ever at the Grange, a group of pupils performed a piece of music that they had composed themselves – so a big well done to Joel Mathurin, Jack Doyle and Christian Keogh. The first half finished with an hilarious rendition of the “4 chord song” featuring Reece Moore, Ritchie Redmond and Jack McAdam entertaining the audience by literally repeating the same 4 chords to numerous different songs. The concert ended with a Year 10 performance of Bohemian Rhapsody, which involved every Year 10 pupil who has opted for Music GCSE. Over 60 pupils were involved in the evening from year 7 through to year 11 and for many it was their first time on stage. Thank you to all the pupils involved in producing an amazing musical evening.
February 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines New Build Update
Uniform and Appearance
The building is coming along at a fast rate as you can see from the pictures below.
School uniform and appearance plays a valuable role in contributing to the ethos of our school and sets an appropriate tone. It instils pride; supports positive behaviour; encourages students to identify with the school and ensures that pupils of all races and backgrounds feel welcome. School uniform protects students from social pressure to dress in a particular way; nurtures cohesion and promotes good relations between different groups of students. Above all it supports effective teaching and learning.
The „topping outâ€&#x; ceremony when the roof is installed is due to take place in April which we will have more information about nearer the time.
Students must also attend school with a sensible hairstyle, which is not extreme or which includes unnatural, bright colouring or outrageous hair patterns. Jewellery is not allowed with the exception of a watch and one plain, small stud earring in each ear; no other jewellery or piercings are allowed. Hair bands if worn, must be simple and plain. I would like to bring to your attention an issue to do with uniform and appearance which is a cause for concern and I would like your support in resolving the issue. An increasing number of girls are arriving to school wearing excessive amounts of makeup and long false eyelashes. Where excessive makeup is worn pupils are provided with wipes and it is removed however it is often difficult for pupils to easily remove false eyelashes and therefore I would like for them not to be worn in school.
Half Term We finish for half term on Friday 10th February and re-open for all pupils on Tuesday 21st February at 8.30am.
February 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines SIMS Learning Gateway
House Cricket
The Gateway is fully operational and allows you to view your child‟s attendance, behaviour and progress along with important updates from school. If you have not yet logged on or seem to be having difficulty doing so then please contact Miss McGuffie who will be able to talk you through it. Or if you prefer make an appointment to come into school and be shown how to access it fully.
During the months of March, April and May Test Match Cricket makes a welcome return to the Grange; the first match will take place during the week of Sports Relief. Last year‟s winners were Brindley in a fiercely contested tournament. I look forward to a similarly engaging contest played out in a competitive but sporting manner. Our resident umpires Messrs Burton and Gandy will of course, ensure that proceedings are played out in the true spirit of the game. Go to our website www.thegrange.com to view a video about the upcoming tournament!
You can access the Gateway though the school‟s website www.thegrange.com.
Important Dates Tuesday 21st February: Pupils return to school. Thursday 1st March: Y8 Parents‟ Evening. Thursday 1st March: Y8 Science Exam. Friday 2nd March: Y10 & 11 Maths Paper 1 Exam. Monday 5th March: Y10&11 Maths Paper 2 Exam. Thursday 8th March: Y11 Art Exam. Thursday 15th March: Y9 Parents‟ Evening. Monday 19th March: Y11 Drama Exam Prep Day. Tuesday 20th March: Y11 Art Exam. Tuesday 20th March: Y11 Showcase Evening. Wednesday 21st: March: Y11 Showcase Evening. Wednesday 21st: March: Dance Concert. Thursday 22nd March: Y8 Pathways Evening. Monday 27th March: Y11 Drama Exam. Friday 30th March: Finish for Easter Half Term. Monday 16th April: Pupils return to school.
Mr Burton and Mr Gandy make the draw for the first round of matches.
February 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines The Grange is forging links with schools across the world. The Grange is one of a cluster of schools, including Wade Deacon and St Chads, which are forging curricular links with schools in Oman and India.
During the visit I was honoured to receive a friendship bracelet as did Assistant Headteacher Mrs Stagg. As is the custom, females wear the bracelet on the left hand and males on the right. I also received, on behalf of the school, a beautiful gift made by the students in Delhi.
On Tuesday 7th March the Grange played host to 4 teachers from the Maharajah Aggarsain School in Delhi. Our visitors were Mukta Misra (Headteacher), Anjna Arora (Deputy Headteacher), Tripta Sachdeva (Teacher) and Sonal Jain (Teacher)
Building Update The lighter mornings and evenings have coincided with progress on the building in such a way that the scale of the new building is becoming apparent. With just over a year to go before we move in, there is still much to do but the contractors are confident that they will meet the deadline comfortably. The teachers were particularly interested in seeing our music and art departments. Links are already underway with our Year 10 music students who are studying Indian music as part of their GCSE course. They were really impressed with our students saying that they were pleasant and well mannered.
We have already started to make plans for the move to ensure that we are ready too.
March 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines World Cuisine at The Grange
Teens and Toddlers
From Monday 19th March 2012 we will be serving a range of curries. Mrs Jackson, Catering Supervisor, said “A few weeks ago a representative came to the Grange and gave out samples of Curry & Rice. The feedback from the pupils was really encouraging so I decided that I would increase daily choice at the counters by combining the Pasta Bar with a Curry Bar.”
Eight Year 9 pupils recently received their National Certificate of Further Education Level 1 Interpersonal Skills Awards following the successful completion of the Teens and Toddlers programme. The girls spent one afternoon each week for eighteen weeks on the programme, during which time they were attached to a toddler at a local nursery. In addition they spent time in class sessions and completed a portfolio of work. The girls are Jessica Finnety, Ruby McAdam, Kaya O‟Connor, Megan Reynolds, Rebecca Bellamy, Chantelle Richards, Jade Ryder and Katie Moore.
If pupils did not get the chance to sample the curry then as Mrs Jackson says; “Why not come along on Monday and give it a go. At £1.30 per pot, they are a bargain, not to mention delicious.” The curries are provided by the same suppliers as our ever popular Italian Pasta Bar.
I was lucky enough to be around the kitchen a few weeks ago when we sampled the curries. My favourite was the Chicken Jalfrezi; the Thai curry was nice and so was the Chicken Korma, in fact they were all rather good!
The programme is aimed at encouraging young people to delay parenthood and continue their education beyond school. The pupils have gained so much from their interaction with “their” toddlers and also from working with the nursery and Teens & Toddlers staff. It has boosted their confidence considerably. “It has been lovely to see pupils join in group discussion and also to see how relationships within the group have developed” said Mrs Banner who coordinated the course. I know that the girls became very attached to the toddlers and were very sorry to leave. We were all proud to see the students gain their awards at the ceremony but not nearly as proud as they were to receive them. It was a lovely end to the course for the girls and everyone who was involved.
Two different curries and two different pasta sauces will be served each day.
March 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
The girls are pictured with facilitators Zoe Spendlove and Michelle Farrell who is the North West Regional Manager.
March 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Sports Relief
Any profits that the company make will be donated to charity.
We have a full programme for the week of Sports Relief ending with the mile run on Friday 23rd March 2012. Please see the back of this page for full details. Wristbands are on sale from Mrs Hall’s office priced £1.50 with all proceeds going towards Sports Relief.
Young Enterprise Year 10 Young Enterprise Group have been learning valuable life and business skills by running their own company. The company, called ‘Personalised 4 U’, makes personalised items. At Christmas the company did a roaring trade selling bags and T-shirts with personalised motifs. Their Mother’s Day products include mugs with a personalised message for Mum and a handmade card. Whilst running the company, students have learnt a range of new skills, including: Financial management - buying and costing products and ensuring the company makes a profit. Inter-personal skills - running board meetings and selling products at break time. Marketing and advertising their products. IT skills when creating new and innovative designs. Production skills - learning to transfer designs to make the finished product.
The ‘Personalised 4 U’ team are: Jordan Danks, Thomas Furey, Letitia Looker, James Quick, Curtis Vose, Jasmine Crawford and Tony Crane.
Widnes Vikings We have been lucky enough to secure reduced priced tickets to see Widnes Vikings. Please see attached letter for more information. You can also visit our website www.thegrange.com for further details.
March 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Mr Burton’s visit to Oman I was amongst a group of four Halton teachers to have been invited by the British Council to visit Oman. The aim of the visit was to build cultural relations and create educational opportunities for students in both countries.
Visits were made to two Primary Schools (Years 1-4) and one Secondary School (Years 5-10). The Primary School, or „Basic Schools‟ as they are called, have mixed classes but only have female teachers. The secondary schools, or „Foundation Schools‟, are all single sex and the one that we visited was an all girls school , again with an all female teaching staff.
Meetings were arranged with staff from three of the four Halton schools in Oman and plans are already in place for projects involving all seven schools in the cluster. Miss Quigley and her Year 7 form are currently working on „our culture in a box‟ project whereby her pupils will be collecting items which are of particular relevance to our country and culture with pupils in Oman doing the same. The British Council will then send the boxes out to schools and video footage will be taken in each country as the boxes are opened. Miss Slavin and Mrs Cavanagh are preparing to do some art work with Year 7 and 8 pupils in Art Club on the theme of „a view from a window‟ and again this will be mirrored by the Omani schools.
March 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Visit to Oman There was some time for sightseeing during the five days and we were very fortunate to visit The Grand Mosque, the Mutrah Souq and the annual Muskat Fesitval.
During the latter we watched the filming of a TV talk show involving two Omani TV stars. On the final evening we were taken to a traditional Omani restaurant where we ate a lamb dish that had been cooked two metres underground for three days.
The four Omani teachers will be visiting our school in the second half of September this year and we hope to extend the same degree of warmth and hospitality which was shown to us on our visit.
The experience of visiting schools in another country was stimulating, fascinating and thoroughly rewarding. We were made to feel very welcome by the Omani teachers, students and Education Authority. We are very hopeful that this will be the start of a long and rewarding relationship between our two countries. I will be holding assemblies for all year groups after the Easter holiday sharing my experiences of a brief visit to the Middle East showing both slides and a short video. Mr J. Burton.
March 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Sport Relief Sport Relief was a great success raising a total of £1233.00.
Activities started on Monday with the first round of the Great Grange Bake Off. By Wednesday, the champions were crowned as Priory turned out the best jam tarts I have ever tasted.
On Tuesday, in the first test match of the 2012 season a packed crowd witnessed a truly memorable game of test cricket played in the best tradition of this wonderful game of ours!
In reply, after a very exciting final couple of overs, Priory came out winners by the small margin of 12 runs. Tahsin Chowdhury (9 MCB) top scored with 14 runs including two massive sixes and was subsequently named man of the match. Both teams conducted themselves impeccably and, apart from Mr Washbrook‟s final warning about his conduct, it was a most enjoyable evening. There was also a dodgeball competition on the go with staff against pupils. The Staff Team consisted of Messrs Hutton, Downey, Talbot, Washbrook, Warburton, Higgins and Miss Ellis. It was a close competition and once Mr Hutton got his head around the rules the staff were in with a chance. Mr Higgins unfortunately spent most of his time on the floor and Mr Talbot demonstrated why he is better off sticking with Science with his „girly‟ throw! Mr Washbrook was a great human shield for the rest of the staff team but he didn‟t manage to block the corker of a shot from Ryan Potter that got Mr Downey on the side of his head leaving him with a slight ringing sound and a bright red ear! Winning pupil team: Jordan Maddock, Bradley Phillips, Ryan Hanon, Mark Birkenhead, James Dean, Kalan Bird and Jamie Weeder
Priory won the toss and elected to field first and, after an excellent start, Bridgewater scored a very respectable 74 runs.
Michael Helps and Connor Lindsay (8 PAR) were the star performers scoring 34 runs in their 2 overs. April 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Sport Relief
The final event of the week was the mile run, 2 laps around the field which even I managed!
Throughout the week, at break, we held a table tennis tournament. STAFF WINNER: Mr Parkhill (Beat Mr Burton for the 5th time this week!!!) YEAR 11 WINNER :
Barnaby Byrom
YEAR 9&10 WINNER:
Matty Dunbebin
YEAR 7&8 WINNER:
Connor Lindsay A special thank you to Widnes Vikings and in particular John Foran and Ben Morris who organised a days training for our school council in readiness for the mile run and for allowing us to film our epic video at the Stobbart Stadium! You can view our Sports Relief videos on our website.
We also held a Tug of War competition and there was a great deal of support from Y7 & Y8 for their round, both in terms of competitors and spectators. All houses made a tremendous effort but, from the outset, it was very clear that there was only going to be one winner‌..Priory House!
April 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Building Poetry Given that the new school is going to be a huge part of our lives, it seemed fitting to honour the „topping off‟ of the building with some sort of event. After a visit to the site where pupils observed the on-going work, Project X pupils were given the opportunity to write a poem to celebrate the work in progress and the greatly anticipated outcome.
It is hard to believe that this time next year we will be in our new building and that demolition work on our existing building will have begun. Over the next year we are inviting former staff and pupils to come and have a “final look around”. I was delighted that Mr Gordon Hughes, former Headteacher (1973-1991), Mrs Glenys Christie (Deputy Headteacher, 1963-1994) and Mr Howard Hannaby (Head of PE and Head of Year, 19631985) were the first of our guests.
The winner will be announced shortly after the Easter break.
April 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Drugs Awareness Education
Grange Graduation
Pupil safety is of paramount importance to us and therefore we invest heavily in ensuring that all of our pupils have the tools at their disposal to make the correct decisions principally through our PSCHEE programme in Drugs education. Additionally, we use a well renowned dog training establishment, Specialist Dog Services, to come into school and deliver assemblies about how they use dogs trained to sniff out illegal substances; then, on a regular basis, the company are invited into school to complete a sweep. Both parents and pupils have reacted positively to the use of this company and feel it is both educational and acts as a deterrent.
Being a good, independent learner who has excellent attendance and punctuality records and who takes part in a community activity or after school club or team is an aspiration I have for all our pupils. To help promote these qualities and to celebrate achievements, we are continuing with our Graduation ceremonies which have proved to be successful over the past three years. The criteria for becoming a Grange Graduate are listed below. Each Graduate receives a certificate and enamelled lapel badge as well as an afternoon in a marquee in the sports hall! We are hoping to invite past Grange Alumni as our guests for this years celebrations. Parents of graduates will be invited to the ceremonies in July. I look forward to seeing many of you there, supporting and applauding our Grange Graduates. Graduation Criteria BRONZE Community/Out of Hours Learning: Merits: Attendance (in any period) Attainment (to reach targets in)
3 hours 100 95% 5 subjects
SILVER
Head Boy and Head Girl Preparations are underway for the election of our new Head Boy and Head Girl for 2012-13. After the success of the reintroduction of Head Boy and Girl this year, I have decided to install Deputies as well. Year 10 pupils will be invited to stand for election and will be expected to complete an interview and a video promoting themselves as candidates. After shortlisting, Pupils and staff will cast their vote in a secret ballot.
Community/Out of Hours Learning: Merits: Attendance (in any 2 periods): Attainment (to reach targets in): including English & maths
6 hours 150 95% 8 subjects
GOLD Community/Out of Hours Learning: Merits: Attendance (at the end of period 3) Attainment (to reach targets in)
April 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
12 hours 200 95% 11 subjects
Headlines Maths Magic The top 4 sets of Y10 maths students were entered for GCSE more than a year early. A staggering 75% of the 105 students gained a grade C or better and 23 of them achieved the top grades of A* and A. Those students who did not achieve their minimum expected grade (MEG) will continue to work towards achieving it later in the year whilst those who gained their MEG or grades A*/A will begin to study an additional GCSE in Statistics.
So, I sent our undercover reporter, Mr Buckley to find out who really is the brain behind the Castle House Team… It turns out that Jordan Maddock in Yr 11 is the brain behind the Castle House winning team! I knew it couldn't be Mr Milne!
LFC Fan of the Season Our very own Mr Gandy received a nice surprise when he was voted Liverpool FC’s first ‘Fan of the Season’.
This builds on the success of Y11 where 54% of the entire year group have already achieved grade C or better. At the Grange it seems we have a penchant for turning out able mathematicians.
School Fantasy Football Having been twice champion and once runner-up in this competition I am feeling very despondent at my poor performance this year. The Champions this year are The Castle House Team with Miss McGuffie coming a very close second. The Castle House Team have been top of the table for months now and to be honest, I find it incredible that the manager, Mr Milne, has masterminded this success; after all, I concluded, he is a Carlisle United supporter and they don’t know anything about football otherwise they would support a proper football team with a pedigree such as my team, Everton!
He has been a proud and passionate follower of the club for over 70 years and scooped the prestigious accolade after being voted for by fans in an online poll. Mr Gandy has supported Liverpool since 1943 when he attended his first match – a war-time derby with Everton. His all-time Anfield idol is legendary forward Billy Liddell. On receiving his award Mr Gandy said, “The fact that Liverpool fans voted for me to win this award makes it extra special”.
May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines National Anti-Bullying Champion visits The Grange School. I was delighted to welcome into our school inspirational Anti Bullying Champion Alex Holmes. Alex, who was bullied at school and decided to do something about it, has become a national hero to bullied pupils around the country. Since leaving school he has worked tirelessly to educate pupils across the country and eradicate bullying in schools. Alex is now the Diana Award Anti Bullying Ambassador Programme Manager and has the ear of politicians and celebrities who all support his innovative approach to bullying. For a look at his work follow this link…
This approach was ratified not only by Alex but also by the parents and carers who said that pupils feel safe in the school and know who to talk to about resolving problems and getting advice. Parents working in the forum said that the school responded promptly and appropriately to any issues, ensuring that they were resolved. A short review of Alex’s visit will be available to view on the schools website and on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPY6RK_bLbw As part of the Grange School’s on-going policy to prevent bullying, the school participates in the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors Programme. Pupils from the school have been trained as Ambassadors and work within the school to prevent bullying. They have been in regular contact with Alex to discuss current and future projects to continue their success. The Ambassadors invited Alex to visit the school to support their work and using his unique profile, showcase the school’s work to the wider community. Alex visited the school on Monday 30th April and spent the whole day working with staff, pupils, parents and members of the Grange Parent Forum, through assemblies, workshops and drama. The school prides itself on the way it works to resolve incidents of bullying swiftly. Alex welcomed the approach the school has taken and was impressed with the ways in which issues are dealt with openly.
May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Let the Games Begin! Staring on Monday 11th June the House Olympics begin at the Grange. House Leaders have come up with a programme of events which we hope will involve everyone. There are some unusual events planned such as “speed pencil sharpening”, “Wii bowling”, and “most hats balanced on head” alongside more traditional events such as badminton. The Grange Olympics will culminate in the House Athletics Championships later in June, subject to the weather of course! Keep any eye on our website for more details.
House Events We have lots of house events in store before the end of the school year:
Finals of the Competition
Inter
House
Cricket
Inter House Swimming Gala: Wednesday 30th May 2012
Inter House Olympic Events: Monday 11th June 2012
Inter House Athletics Competition: Tuesday 10th July 2012
Inter House Chess Competition: date to be confirmed
Vivo Miles Congratulations to the top 11 Vivo Miles earners since April 2012. They are: Jessica Newby, Jamie Jones, Gemma Rees, Jordan Smith, Luke Edmond, Stan Houghton, Jack Brown, Anthony Delahunty, Natalia Kasprzyk, Chloe Wharmby and Samantha Caine.
Don’t forget we have our Graduation Ceremonies in July which all parents and carers are welcome to attend: Y10: Friday 13th July 2012 Y9: Monday 16th July 2012 Y8: Tuesday 17th July 2012 Y7: Wednesday 18th July 2012
May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Building Poetry
From the Old to the New
The winning poems from our Year 7 competition.
It’s the end of an era here at The Grange, everything is going to feel quite strange.
Moving School
We’re saying goodbye to the old tired school, and hello to a new one that will be really cool.
The world around us is changing, the human race is too. We’re packing up our bags and boxes, moving next door to our school anew.
Gone are the dull out-of-date classes, with new bright colours you will need your sun glasses!
It will feel strange of course, new classes, teachers, corridors and places; but when we see the brilliant building, smiles will light up our faces. Bare walls - painted cream, ready for us to decorate, carpeted floors, waiting for our footsteps; It will be great! One year from now we will be moving in, one year from now, in April next year we all win! Win a new school; Ventilation, eco-friendly, much greener in the shape of a star! 60 years this school has lived, it’s lived a happy life, watching many children grow, we’ll be sad to part. I’ve visited our new school building site; So many things to see, smell and hear. Bricks, cranes, builders and much more, when we move I won’t shed a tear! Scaffolding, rails, barriers and installation, I’m not sad at all, we’re moving out! Sure we’ve had good times here but I’m excited, without a doubt! We’ll be moving soon. Goodbye old school, Hello new!
Megan Hughes 07 QUI
Lots of new places to search and see, especially the brand new library. Shelves stacked full of books to the top, exploding with fun like some fizzy pop. New tables, chairs and sofas to sit in areas that are all brightly lit. A nice new dinner hall is a treat, somewhere nice for us to eat. A brand new gym, all shiny and clean, where we can use our trampoline. As the bell rings out it chimes, all the nursery will be singing rhymes. Four old schools are joining as one, from nursery to comp it should be good fun!
Daniel Brown 07 MUA
Goodbye Old School Goodbye old school, we’re going away. Goodbye old school, sorry we can’t stay. Goodbye old school, we’ll miss you a lot; But hello new school you look very top notch!
Kiera Worrall - 07 QUI
Headlines Building Update I sent our roving reporting, Mr Buckley, to get a closer look at how our new building was progressing; here is his account.
Block C will form the wing that will house Humanities, Modern Foreign Languages, Maths, Art and Music.
Standing at the site entrance on Latham Avenue it’s not easy to comprehend exactly how much progress has been made with the new school. Whilst the scale of the building and the towering crane are obvious to the passer by, any attempts to peer in and appreciate the work that is underway are obscured by the grey boundary fence, scaffolding and a number of sycamore trees laden with the leaves of spring.
If you were to strip away the scaffolding you would see that most of the outside of the four wings are now covered in red bricks. Inside the building many interior walls are now in place, classrooms, corridors and social spaces are taking shape. We worked our way through the different blocks. Currently, the skylights are filled with scaffolding boards. Upon their removal, the sun light will flood in, illuminating the spacious corridors. This was to be my first visit on to the site and it was going to provide a rarely seen perspective of the building, which, in less than a year’s time, will be the new home of The Grange School. I met the Project Manager, Gary at the neatly stacked collection of battleship grey Portacabins located at the back of the site. These serve as contractor offices. I was kitted out with a white protective hard hat, safety glasses, gloves, boots and a florescent vest. We made our way out on to the site. The persistent rain of the previous days had turned the ground to deep soft mud. As we approached Block C it was clear that the construction was much further along than I had imagined. May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Building Update
Swimming Gala
Eventually we arrived at the foot of a small temporary staircase, after climbing it we emerged on to the expansive roof. From here you can see the full expanse of the site with The Bridge and Fiddlers Ferry Power Station on the horizon.
This year’s swimming gala takes place at Kingsway Leisure Centre on Wednesday 30th May 2012.
Even from this briefest of visits, it’s clear to see that the new building will provide a modern and exciting new home for the pupils and staff of The Grange School.
Last year’s event was a stunning success and I look forward to an equally exciting competition this year.
Good Luck to Year 11 And finally good luck to all Year 11 pupils who embark on their final few weeks of examinations. Results are published on Thursday 23rd August 2011.
Mr C. Buckley.
May 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Football Tour of Germany
Head Boy and Head Girl 2012-2013
Three of my Y8 ICT class (Stevie Andrucci, Connor Lindsay and Scott Mee) together with Jack Bushell went on a football tour of Germany recently. They were selected for the U13 squad of the Halton & District Junior Football League. The four had attended several trials and were selected from over 200 other boys from Halton for the squad of fourteen. I was very interested in how they got on so I asked the lads to write a short article that I could put into my newsletter.
Voting took place during the last week of half term and on the Friday I was able to announce the results after school to a packed audience in the hall.
“Stevie Andrucci, Connor Lindsay, Jack Bushell and Scott Mee went to Germany to play in the BFC Dynamo Cup in Berlin. Whilst we were there we beat the 3rd best team in Holland 10. Unfortunately we lost in the final 3-2 but Stevie Andrucci had a goal disallowed which would have made it 3-3. We played 5, won 4 and lost 1. Stevie scored 4, Connor 4, Jack 1 and Scott 1.” Well done boys!
Healthy Eating Our caterers have kindly donated a Mountain Bike to be raffled in a prize draw later this half term. Pupils who stay for school lunch each day for 4 consecutive weeks will have their name entered into the raffle.
Taking over the mantle are Richie Redmond and Amy Pinkney. I have every confidence in their ability to carry out the important functions of Head Boy & Head Girl and I look forward to working with them over the next year. They replace Barnaby Byrom and Hollie Bousefield who have set a very high standard since their election to the post. I would like to thank both Barnaby and Hollie for their support and numerous contributions throughout their term of office.
The Grange Graduation Dates Don’t forget we have our Graduation Ceremonies in July to which parents and carers of graduates are welcome to attend: Y10: Y9: Y8: Y7:
Friday 13th July 2012 Monday 16th July 2012 Tuesday 17th July 2012 Wednesday 18th July 2012
Details of daily menus are available on our website. June 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Paris Trip Mrs Somers organised a trip to Paris for a funfilled few days during the half-term holiday for 31 pupils and 7 staff from the Grange. Here is her account of the trip. Leaving school at 6.00 am on Saturday morning we had a long journey by coach and ferry to our destination in Chelles, on the outskirts of Paris. We arrived in time for a late tea, with frogs‟ legs as an option on the menu for the brave hearted amongst the group, then straight to bed for an early start on Sunday morning. Our first visit was to the Stade de France at 9.30 am, where our Belgian guide showed us around the stadium, and we were allowed into the areas normally reserved for VIPs and players, including the changing rooms for the away teams, the warm up area and finally the players‟ tunnel.
A drive down the Champs Élysées was followed by a stroll from the famous Place de la Concorde, past the fountains and flowers of the Jardin des Tuileries to the Louvre and its glass pyramids. Dinner was in a cosy Parisian restaurant, and then a short drive took us back to our hotel to sleep soundly in preparation for our day in Disneyland. We arrived at the Disney Park as it opened, to make the most of our time there, and pupils and staff enjoyed a wonderful day of rides and fun until our coach took us back to Calais to catch a train through the Eurotunnel in the early hours. We arrived back in school on Tuesday morning in good spirits.
This was followed by a boat trip on the river Seine past some of the most famous Parisian landmarks and then a picnic lunch by the Eiffel Tower. We then arrived at the Arc de Triomphe and climbed the 284 steps to the top for lovely views of Paris.
June 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Euro Fever or The Grange European Championships Attendance Competition In similar fashion to the World Cup competition we ran 2 years ago, Mrs Talbot our Attendance Leader has organised a competition to coincide with the European Championships (come on England!). Following a draw made by our Progress Leaders, Mrs Foster, Mrs Knight, Mr Talbot and Mr Higgins, each form group from year 7-10 will represent a participating country. Their progress thorough the tournament is decided upon by the formâ€&#x;s attendance for that week. To see a video of the draw and an exclusive interview with Lionel Messi (thanks to the Languages department for translating) visit our website.
June 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Grange Olympics If you haven‟t seen the Grange Olympic Torch Relay yet then visit our website and take a look at how we joined in the fun when the torch came to Runcorn. During the first three weeks of this half term our own version of the Olympics is taking place. So far we have held Giant Jenga, Paper Throwing, Uno, Play Your Cards Right, Wii 100m sprint, Fix and Swap Event, Mario Olympics, Yahtzee, Pontoon/21, French Speed Number Count, The Name Game, Uno Olympic Challenge, History Knowledge, and the Dice Game.
The simple idea is to get every member of staff running a short competition and for every pupil to participate in at least one event.
Building Update Bricks and windows have been added to a large part of the building now and the steel frame is disappearing behind a rather impressive façade; inside the building, walls and ceilings are being plastered. There is a substantial retaining wall that cleverly takes account of the sloping nature of our site as you can see from the photographs.
Readathon This year, The Grange will be taking part in the annual Readathon…as an all-through school! This exciting event will be held on 2nd-6th July helping to raise awareness of reading and enthuse students to establish good reading habits as well as raising money for some worthy charities: CLIC Sargent, which the school has previously raised money for through Chris Buckley, ReadWell and Roald Dahl‟s Marvellous Charity – both charities help very sick children. There will be a series of events held over the course of the week, ranging from reading relay and author visits to book hunt and a modern twist on the classic „egg and spoon race‟ – the book and pencil race! All KS3 students will receive a sponsor card where they will decide what they will read over the week and then ask friends and families (no strangers) to sponsor them. All monies raised will go to the specified charities and there will be a celebration assembly at the end of the week to share the highlights and distribute certificates and prizes to the best readers. So get ready to celebrate the summer with a good book or two and support these fantastic charities. Let‟s get reading!
June 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Spot the Difference
Grange Olympics
The photograph shown immediately below was taken in September as we came back to start the new school year. Since then work on our new premises has progressed at quite a pace as you can see by comparing the photograph further below that was taken just a few days ago.
After three weeks of frenzied activity the results of the Grange Olympics are as follows: Olympics week 1: 1st Castle 2nd Bridgewater 3rd Priory 4th Brindley Olympics week 2: 1st Bridgewater 2nd Brindley 3rd Priory 4th Castle Olympics week 3: 1st Priory nd 2 Bridgewater 3rd Brindley 4th Castle
Writing Competition During the summer term, several Year 10 students entered Priestley College‟s Creative Writing Competition, competing against other young writers across Warrington, Frodsham, Halton, Golborne and Lowton.
Attendance Competition Congratulations to 8PAR the winners of the KS3 final and to 10WAB who were the victors in the KS4 final. Both forms had above target attendance as follows 8PAR 96.7% and 10WAB 97.6%. In order to get through the entire completion they had to maintain high attendance throughout. Edible prizes of Toast & Chocolate will be awarded to all form tutors and Mr Parkhill and Mr Warburton their Tutors.
Our cohort were incredibly successful, winning one of the categories and being placed second in a further two categories. Feedback was provided from Priestley College, and their writing was described as „compelling‟, „insightful‟ and „perceptive‟. The awards were as follows: Ritchie Redmond – 1st place for Science and Technology essay Reece Moore – 2nd place for Influential People essay Lauren Sutherland – 2nd place for Creative Writing.
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Review of the Year Another busy and successful year comes to an end. Back in September we opened our doors, encouraged by the sixth consecutive set of improved results. Not content to rest on our laurels, we introduced a new word and around school I often heard teachers asking pupils “What‟s your MEG” or “Your MEG in this subject is…” Our new weapon in driving up standards, the so called Minimum Expected Grade made a resounding impression upon pupils, staff, parents and carers alike. Before the month was out pupils in years 11, 10 and 9 together with parents and carers, were called in to have their MEG meetings with members of my senior team. Later in the autumn we received news that our Science department had been awarded the Prince‟s Teaching Institute Mark which was a suitable accolade given the impressive GCSE results return in the summer. On a different front, nine pupils from years 10 and 9 attended training to become Anti-Bullying Ambassadors and who have over the year introduced initiatives to help victims of bullying and to prevent it happening in the first place. It was a great honour that in the summer term, Alex Holmes the Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme Manager, visited our school and spent a day with pupils. He was a huge success and provided a great boost to our Ambassadors.
In November we received some really encouraging news that we were on our way to secure what I am confident will be another set of record results. In ICT we had a record haul of A and A* grades for their coursework component and so we wait expectantly for the results in August. I was really pleased that I was able to announce the results of the election for Head Boy and Head Girl. It had been many years since the Grange had last had a Head Boy & Girl. It was especially pleasing that the idea to reintroduce the posts came from the pupils themselves. Barnaby Byrom and Hollie Bousefield were duly elected and since then they have been wonderful role models and put in an enormous amount of work to establish the importance of their positions. Well done to them both. As the year came to a close we introduced the house Tug of War competition and for such a simple idea it certainly caught the imagination of pupils and staff alike. Priory became the first winners of the annual competition.
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Review of the Year Just to prove that it wasn‟t all brawn here at the Grange, we organised a “Bright Sparks” event on a Saturday morning in late November where the most able pupils in years 5,6 and 7 studied music, ICT, French and history in master classes run by teaching staff. As if to make the point, 77 of our brightest mathematicians from Y11 were entered early for their GCSE and all of them passed at C above with 40% achieving A* or A grades. Not wishing to neglect the arts, at about the same time 10 of our pupils from across the years were entered for music exams, certificated by the London College of Music. All ten pupils passed and three of them achieved the highest award of a Distinction. With such a pedigree of success in music I had no doubt that the concert staged just before half term would be a big success; and it was!
The girls spent one afternoon each week for eighteen weeks on the programme, during which time they were attached to a toddler at a local nursery.
As the spring term came to a close, the Grange organised a week of activities in support of Sport Relief. House competitions ranged from The Great Grange Bake Off to Dodgeball and was rounded off with a mile run around the sports field.
In March I sent Mr Burton packing; that is, to prepare for a visit to Oman on a cultural exchange organised by the British Council. In return The Grange played host to four teachers from the Maharajah Aggarsain School in Delhi.
Eight year 9 pupils were awarded the National Certificate of Further Education Level 1 Interpersonal Skills Award following their successful completion of the Teens & Toddlers programme.
Not being prone to complacency, the maths department decided that the top 4 sets in Year 10 were ready to take their GCSE a year early. Of the 105 pupils who took the exam, 75% successfully achieved a grade C or better and 24% achieved the top grades of A* or A. With the earlier success of Year 11 it seemed that our pupils had a gift for maths.
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Review of the Year
It was also time to elect a new Head Boy & Head Girl and in a close run campaign the successful candidates were Richie Redmond and Amy Pinkney. The previous Head Boy & Girl were well into the exam period and as that ended we said farewell to Year 11 with a leavers assembly and a day later at their Prom. Both were very special occasions and the pupils‟ behaviour was impeccable. I was privileged to be able to attend both and enjoy the company of a fine year group.
One of our higher achieving pupils in Year 11, Jordan Maddock, also demonstrated his ability as manager of the winning Castle House team in the Schools Fantasy Football League. A somewhat more senior associate of the Grange also enjoyed success on the football front as Mr Raymond Gandy, a long serving governor, was voted Liverpool FC‟s Fan of the Season. Mr Gandy is a regular visitor to the school and indulges his passion for music by accompanying many of our youngsters who take music exams.
During the Whitsun half term holiday, members of Year 7 enjoyed a trip to Paris which included the obligatory visit to Disneyland. They also enjoyed a VIP visit to the Stade de France which was a suitable appetiser for the European Championships. Back in school as the Championships played out, we held our own version based around attendance at school.
As we progressed into the summer term and the rain started to fall (!), our new building really began to take shape and to mark the “Topping Out” ceremony, Y7 pupils were invited to write poetry. The winning poems were from Daniel Brown, Megan Hughes and Kiera Worrall. Not to be outdone, four Year 8 pupils, Stevie Andrucci, Connor Lindsay, Jack Bushell and Scott Mee were selected to represent the Halton & District Football League.
2012 will be remembered as the year the Olympics came to London and Runcorn. If you haven‟t viewed the Olympic Torch relay video yet take a look on our website. It marked the start of three weeks of House Competition with the aim of ensuring that every pupil and every member of staff participated in at least one event. Some of the events were, to say the least, a little bizarre. Ker-plunk, Giant Jenga, Paper Plane Throwing and Subbuteo. Sadly our Athletics Championship had to cancelled due to the weather but at least we were able to run the Swimming Gala at the Kingsway Leisure Centre. Brindley House were victorious. A busy and enjoyable year comes to an end but I look forward to continuing to send you my monthly newsletter next year packed full of information and stories of pupil success and achievement.
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines Uniform Uniform plays an important role in setting standards and creating a positive and professional impression. It is also a key factor in establishing a sense of community and identity with school. I am a keen advocate of school uniform and I expect all pupils to comply and for parents and carers to support me and my staff by ensuring their children come to school in the correct uniform. The uniform is straightforward and so it is always very disappointing when a few parents/carers each year do not cooperate fully and buy items of clothing that do not meet the requirements. In particular this applies to shoes.
Uniform List: * White shirt (stiff collar) * School Tie * School Blazer (blue with badge) * School Jumper (navy blue with badge) * Black Trousers or Black skirt (must be plain, not denims, jeans or cords) * Black shoes * White socks
School PE Kit also available from the school shop.
The full list of uniform is listed below. Blazers, sweaters, ties and P.E. kit are available from the school shop during the dates below: Monday 30th July: Tuesday 31st July:
10.00am till 2.00pm 10.00am till 2.00pm
Monday 14th August: Tuesday 15th August:
10.00am till 2.00pm 10.00am till 2.00pm
Tuesday 28th August: Wednesday 29th August: Thursday 30th August: Friday 31st August:
10.00am 10.00am 10.00am 10.00am
till till till till
2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm
Shirts, trousers, skirts are purchased elsewhere but I would urge parents and carers to buy functional and cost effective items rather than expensive brands that usually only last as long a non-branded products.
Please ensure that you clearly label blazers and PE kits. Price lists and order forms are available from the school reception throughout the summer period if you wish to collect one.
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines New School Logo From September I will be sending out my newsletter with our new school logo, designed to reflect the shape of our new building, our four Houses and the coming together of the Nursery, Infant, Junior and Secondary schools.
Also retiring are Mrs McDermott who came here in 1998 and Mr Green who joined in 2007.
The newsletter will also be restyled over the holiday by Miss McGuffie who works hard behind the scenes to ensure that the newsletter you receive each month is a good quality publication.
Mr Fabia is leaving after 8 years to take time out to explore the world whilst Miss Khalil takes up a teaching position on the other side of the world in Dubai.
Thank You and Goodbye Each year we say goodbye to a number of staff as they move to pastures new. To each of them I extend good wishes for the future and sincere thanks for their contribution to the Grange. Mr Coleman, Mrs Banner and Mr Tarry are retiring after 104 years of service to the school. At times it may have seemed like they have been here forever but that figure is, of course, their combined number of yearsâ€&#x; service to the school. Mr Coleman joined in 1975, Mrs Banner in 1976 and Mr Tarry in 1981. As a former pupil of the Grange, Mrs Banner has spent a total of 41 years in this school; now thatâ€&#x;s what I call commitment!
We also say goodbye to Mr Phillips and Mrs Goldson who have had been employed to cover maternity leave.
New staff arriving in September are Miss Oliver (Science) and Mr Workman (Design & Technology)
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines New Term
The Sharp System
The new term begins for all pupils on Tuesday 4th September 2012. Year 7 start at 8.30am and Years 8-11 will start at 10.45am.
Our Pastoral Support Coordinators, Mrs Alexander, Ms Cooney, Mrs Price and Mrs Tomalin have recently attended assembly for each year group and explained the support they give to pupils. One of the services provided by the team is to respond to the SHARP system. This is an online service in which pupils can report any issues that are affecting them or their peers. This does not replace face to face support; however this is an avenue by which pupils are able to highlight problems anonymously should they prefer. Pupils are also able to use this service to report issues in the community. In these circumstances we will make a judgement as to whether this is a police matter. If we deem this appropriate we have three named officers to whom we are able to refer; PC Garmston, PC Thompson and PCSO Bennett. The SHARP system is available to pupils and parents and carers who are able to access this service via the school website by clicking into the Parent section and then useful websites link.
2012-13 Term Dates
Return
Finish
Tuesday 4th September
Friday 19th October
Monday 29th October
Thursday 20th December
Monday 7th January
Friday 15th February
Monday 25th February
Thursday 28th March
Tuesday 16th April
Friday 24th May
Monday 3rd June
Friday 19th July
INSET DAYS Monday 3rd September Monday 15th April Monday 22nd July Tuesday 23rd July Wednesday 24th July
Here comes Summer... We strive to continually improve the standards we achieve at school; academic, behaviour, attendance, punctuality, uniform and appearance. We have made significant improvements this year and we look to continue this next year. It is only possible to make such progress with your support; thank you and have a happy summer! Thank you for your continued support throughout the year. On behalf of myself, the staff and Governors of the school may I wish you a lovely summer!
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines The Year in Pictures
The Year in Pictures
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines The Year in Pictures
The Year in Pictures
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
Headlines The Year in Pictures
The Year in Pictures
July 2012 Issue The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney
September 2012 New staff We also welcomed a number of new staff to our school who I have no doubt, will We welcomed our pupils back on a wet September morning staring with the new bring expertise and experience that will help move the school further forward. I Y7. I visited the Y7 assembly to welcome them to their new school. I was very wish them well. impressed with their appearance and the way in which they conducted themselves. I also went to see how they were getting on in their form rooms and in some of their classes. I have received many positive reports from staff about the good start that Y7 have made which is very encouraging.
Miss Oliver (Chemistry)
Mr Carney visits a Y7 ICT lesson and Maths lesson.
Mr Workman (Graphics)
Students from Y11 meet and greet our new Y7.
Equally, the rest of the students in Y8 through to Y11 have made a good start too. Students have quickly engaged in lessons and set about the task of exceeding MEGS (Minimum Expected Grades). There is a good, positive working atmosphere around school and it is a delight to work with polite, courteous and smartly dressed young people. They are a huge credit to us and of course to parents and carers.
Miss Antwis (Higher Level Teaching Assistant in Mathematics
I would like to thank parents and carers of students in all years for your September cooperation in preparing the youngsters for the new term.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
Miss Lavelle (Pastoral Support Coordinator)
Se単or Alguacil-Jimenez. (Spanish Assistant)
September 2012 Issue
Examination Results 2012
Sensational Singing Success
The start of a new year always involves some degree of looking back and more often than not it concerns the GCSE results. Last year‟s Y11 produced the best results ever, something I have been able to say for the past seven, consecutive years!
At the end of last term, eleven of our students were entered for graded singing exams with the London College of Music. The results were outstanding thanks to the hard work of our talented youngsters and also the expert tuition of our vocal tutor Miss Smith who commented on the success as follows:
What was remarkable about last year‟s results however was the significant improvement we made across the board and in particular in the benchmark of 5 or more A*-C including English and maths GCSE. With 54% of students succeeding at this level, it meant that we improved on last year by an incredible 10%. Given that the national average fell slightly, I am doubly delighted by these results.
“I am delighted with the wonderful results achieved by my singing students this academic year. They are such talented students who have all worked extremely hard, both in their singing lessons and in their own time. Overall, the students achieved a fantastic eight Distinctions and two Merits. Out of these eleven successes, we had one exceptional achievement by Reece Moore who gained 100% for his Grade Six Exam. I am so proud of you all, well done!”
I was also very impressed by the fact that 45% of students gained at least one A* Singing Miss Smith‟s praises in return, Mrs Hughes who organises and manages or A grade compared to the national average of 22% which means that more than the extensive music tuition programme at the Grange said; twice as many Grange students gained the top grades of A*/A! “Miss Smith has achieved a fabulous set of results again this year with a large group of pupils. She worked tirelessly with them in assuring that they all met their full potential.” This was a great team effort; well done to you all. Reece Moore (Grade 6, Distinction), Lily Gaynor (Grade 4, Distinction), Alisha Nuttall (Grade 4, Distinction), Natasha Preston (Grade 4, Distinction), Shannon O‟Reilly (Grade 4, Merit), Anthony Goble (Grade 3, Distinction), Sarah-Jane Thompson-Mayers (Grade 3, Distinction), Aaron Owen (Grade 3, Merit), Samantha Box (Grade 2, Distinction) and Olivia Carmon (Grade 1, Distinction).
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
September 2012 Issue
Mamma Mia
It was my pleasure to give out the lapel badges to the Gold Graduates during assembly last week and to remind all students about the criteria. All students Auditions are underway for our musical spectacular “Mamma Mia” to be who graduated last year should have been given their lapel badge by their performed later this term in December. Progress Tutor. Grange Graduation I was very pleased with the turnout to our Graduation ceremonies at the end of the summer term. It is so much better and more meaningful when parents, carers and family help to celebrate our pupils‟ success.
Gold and silver Graduates from last year‟s Y7
I was also pleased to see articles in both the Weekly News and the World about our Graduation Ceremonies early in the summer holiday. This year‟s criteria are set out below. Out of hours
Vivos
Attendance 95% in any period
BRONZE
3 hours
100
SILVER
6 hours
150
95% in any 2 periods
GOLD
12 hours
200
95% at the end of period 3
Progress Reach target in any 5 subjects Reach target in English & maths plus 6 other subjects Reach target in all subjects
Since its introduction four years ago, Graduation has become a driving force behind our continuing success and very much a part of the school culture. This year I have introduced a “Graduation Tracker” in the student planner to help the youngsters monitor their progress towards bronze, silver or gold.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
September 2012 Issue
New building update
Attendance
Progress on our new building continues at a pace and it is very clear now, the scale and the quality of our new premises. As you can see from some of the photographs, work inside the building has also been progressing swiftly. It is an impressive sight and I am looking forward to moving in to what will be, in my opinion, the best accommodation in Runcorn.
We would like to remind parents and carers about our policy with regard to contacting the school if your child is going to be absent. Parents and carers are responsible for making contact with the school by 9am to inform about any pupil absence. If the absence is likely to be for more than one day, we ask you update us every two days about your childâ€&#x;s illness and when you might expect them to return to school. Please note, where a pupil is absent from school without a valid reason being provided, for 10 or more sessions, over a term or academic year, with an overall attendance of 90% or less, a Penalty Fine will be issued by the Local Authority. Please work with us to prevent this from happening. We look forward to another year of excellent school attendance for our pupils and would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the attendance target for every pupil of 95% or above. Remember, many achieved an attendance of 100% last academic year!
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
September 2012 Issue
Holidays during Term Time
Important Dates this Term
The financial incentives to take holidays in term time are often significant but the Wednesday 19th September: disruption to a child‟s education far outweighs any discount that might be gained. This is why I will always refuse any request for holidays in term time Thursday 20th September: except for the rare case when there are exceptional circumstances. Tuesday 25th September:
Year 7 Photographs
At school, staff and students work very hard to make the most of the time available in order to maximise potential. Even then, it always seems like we need more time in order to get the best possible results for each student. Staff and students often create extra time by using school holidays to run and attend extra classes. During the summer break recently, staff from the English department put on additional classes for their students. Other staff use half terms and the Easter break in the same way.
Thursday 27th September:
Year 11 SLT/Parent/Student Progress Evening
Thursday 4th October:
Year 10 SLT/Parent/Student Progress Evening
Wednesday 10th October:
Year 11 „I Choose Halton‟ Event
Thursday 11th October:
Year 11 Springboard to Success Evening
Monday 15th October:
Year 8 Girls HPV Vaccinations - Dose 1
Thursday 18th October:
Year 7 Settling In Parents‟ Evening
Friday 19th October:
Finish for Half Term
Monday 29th October:
Return to School
Tuesday 6th November:
Maths Paper 1 Exam
Thursday 8th November:
Maths Paper 2 Exam
Monday 19th November:
Year 8 Girls HPV Vaccinations - Dose 2
Thursday 22nd November:
Ex Year 11 Awards Evening
Wednesday 12th December:
Year 11 Mock Examinations Start
Thursday 20th December:
Finish for Christmas Half Term
Given the importance of school, the qualifications that can be gained and the extra mile we go to benefit students any absence is frustrating but it is very disappointing when parents and carers take students out for holidays during term time. If parents and carers subsequently ignore the refusal of consent to take a holiday in term time, then a penalty fine will be issued by the Local Authority. This year the fine has increased to £60 per parent per child. This would mean for a family of 1 child a fine of £120; for a family of 2 children, a fine of £240 and so on. Further, if the fine is not paid within 28 days then it would double! Court proceedings are likely to follow if the increased fine is not paid within 42 days. Please support your child‟s education by ensuring good attendance.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
Year 10 SLT/Parent/Student Progress Evening Open Evening
September 2012 Issue
The Learning Gateway
The Grange School Forum
The Gateway is fully operational and allows you to view your child‟s attendance, At the Grange we also have a Parent/Carer Forum, which has already met on behaviour and progress along with important updates from school. Registration numerous occasions. The current group consists of nine parents/carers who have details will be sent out to all of our Year 7 Parents over the next few days. met to discuss topics such as communication, how to access on-line school resources, the new school building amongst other topics. Those staff present If you have not yet logged on or seem to be having difficulty doing so then please include myself and Mr Gill who convenes the meeting, and then staff relevant to contact Miss McGuffie who will be able to talk you through it. Or if you prefer what is being discussed. The next meeting will be before Easter, so if any parent/ make an appointment to come into school and be shown how to access it fully. carer wishes to join the group, then please contact Mr Gill at the school. You can access the Gateway though the school‟s website www.thegrange.com. It is situated in the Parents/Carer section under useful websites. Target Setting Parents’ Evening Following on from the success from last year‟s meetings, Mr Downey has again written to the parents of pupils in Y9, Y10 and Y11 inviting them and their An updated version of SAM Learning is now available in school. The children to a new style parents evening. These evenings are in addition to the service, which is accessible to all staff and students, covers a wide range of traditional parent‟s evenings when parents and pupils meet with subject teachers. Sam Learning
subjects across the curriculum and can be used both in school and at home. Students can log in and complete interactive tests, exam practice questions and exam papers, while staff can assign homework and monitor students’ progress. SAM has a proven track record: studies have shown that using the service can lead to an increase in exam performance. Check it out at www.samlearning.com
The new meetings will be with a member of the Senior Leadership Team and will typically last for about 15 minutes. During the meetings our expectations will be set out and minimum target grades (MEGs) will be discussed. The guidance and support that pupils and parents can expect from us during the year will also be discussed. I believe that these meetings help to boost performance in examinations and better prepare both pupils and their parents for the year ahead.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
September 2012 Issue
MEG meetings
There will also be master classes in mathematics, science and music for MEG stands for Minimum Expected Grade; it is the standard below which example and visits to museums and art galleries. Later in the programme students would be underachieving based upon their potential and previous in Y11, students will begin to explore A level choices appropriate to their achievements. Students should achieve at least their MEG in all subjects ability and career aspirations. but ideally strive and attain higher levels of success at GCSE. I hope that by offering this programme to students we will inspire many of We run MEG meetings for all students and their parents or carers in Y9, them to apply for our most prestigious universities and of course in so Y10 and Y11 at the start of the year so that the requirements of study at doing, achieve the highest possible grades at GCSE and then A level. GCSE level are clearly set out. There is such a lot of support available to At our recent MEG meetings, students selected for the programme were students beyond lessons which is explained to them at these meetings. invited to participate and with their parents and carers were given an For parents and carers there is the Parents Gateway, an internet based overview. information system that parents and carers can log into using a password and which allows them the opportunity to view school based information about their own children, including attendance, behaviour, Vivos and HRMZ academic progress. HRMZ is based at Grangeway in Runcorn and is a There was a good turnout at all three evenings and with such a positive Youth Hub, a place where young people can go to start to the year, I am hopeful that continued success will follow. The take part in different activities such as Youth evenings ran smoothly thanks largely to our volunteer student hosts who Cabinet, Youth Club, The I.T. Crowd and much greeted parents and carers and took them to their meetings ensuring that more. meetings kept to time. During the October half term holiday there are several events planned including the HRMZ version of “The Apprentice�. Further details can be In partnership with Cronton Sixth Form College, we are offering to our found on their website at www.hrmz.co.uk or by contacting Cheryl on most able students in Y9, Y10 and Y11 a set of experiences that will help 07739 687531 or via email cheryll.darnell@catch-22.org.uk. Failing this, prepare them for entry to Oxbridge and other prestigious universities. you could simply pop in and have a word! Amongst many activities we have planned, students will get the opportunity to visit Oxford or Cambridge and take part in mock interviews. Prestigious universities programme
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
October 2012 Issue
Free School Meals
Charity of the year
You may be aware that The Government has changed the way in which it funds schools. One of the most significant changes involves allocating money to schools to help children from lower income families do their very best. This funding is called a „Pupil Premium‟. For every child registered The Grange gets £600 this year.
Each year we raise money for a variety of charitable causes and this year our senior student representatives led by Head Boy Ritchie Redmond and Head Girl Amy Pinkney, have chosen to support the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive disease that attacks the With this money we will continue to provide the very best opportunities to motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. This means help youngsters achieve their potential and clearly, the more money we messages gradually stop reaching muscles, which leads to weakness and receive, the more we can provide in support of student achievement. You wasting. can register your child for Free School Meals if you receive one of the MND can affect how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. However, not following benefits: all symptoms necessarily happen to everyone and it is unlikely they will all Income Support develop at the same time, or in any specific order.
Income Based Job Seekers Allowance Child Tax Credit – but only those who are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and whose annual income (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) does not exceed £16, 040 (subject to annual review) Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit
Although there is currently no cure for MND, symptoms can be managed to help you achieve the best possible quality of life.
Deputy Head Boy, Reece Moore put forward MND as the charity of the year and the senior students backed his idea. Reece arranged for one of the charity‟s Trustees, Sandra Smith to visit the school and discuss how we Applications are confidential and will not affect any other benefits you are could go about raising money for this deserving cause. claiming. Reece and some of the senior students met with Sandra to discuss plans If you are registered for Free School Meals you could also get assistance and they also found time with transport costs. If you wish to make any enquiries regarding for a spot of lunch too! assistance with school transport please contact the Transport Co-ordination Team on 0151 471 7382.
You can download information about Free School Meals and Assisted School Transport from the parents and careers section of our website www.thegrange.com The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
October 2012 Issue
Mamma Mia Summer is over (did it ever begin?) and the cold winter nights are rapidly approaching! Here at The Grange we thought about what we could do to lift and brighten those dark, winter nights in Runcorn. Well, for three nights only in December, let us take you to Greece and join us for Mamma Mia – the world wide theatre and film hit!! Using the original characters, storyline and of course SONGS, the show has everything you could possible need to forget about the troubles of the day and the cold, wet and windy weather. We have singing, dancing and fantastic acting to transport you from the beach to the Taverna to the church and to the…wait a minute…do we find out who actually is Sophie‟s dad? Well it‟s her wedding and she wants the three possibilities to be there so she can find out who it is so that he can walk her down the aisle. Will she find out? Will she make it to the church on time? Join us for what promises to be a fantastic night of entertainment starring the very best talent that The Grange and Runcorn has to offer. Mamma Mia is on from 17th-19th December with curtain up at 7pm. Who knows, you might even catch a glimpse of our very own Super Trouper, Mr Washbrook, performing his version of Dancing Queen! Tickets will be available from the Finance Office from the 19th November. Book early so that you don’t miss THE LAST SHOW ever in THE ORIGINAL GRANGE.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
The main cast:
Sophie Sky Donna (Sophie‟s mum) Rosie (Donna‟s friend) Tanya (Donna‟s friend) Ali (Sophie‟s friend) Lisa (Sophie‟s friend) Pepper (Sky‟s friend) Eddie (Sky‟s friend) Harry Bill Sam
Alisha Nuttall Tony Carmon Lily Gaynor Natasha Preston Alisha Parr Rebecca Ledward Beth White Marc Steele Aaron Owen Ritchie Redmond Jack McAdam Seymour McCashin
October 2012 Issue
House events Y11 Inter House 5-a-side Thursday 13th September.
FUTURE HOUSE EVENTS:
Football
Each house played each other in a very competitive, but sportsmanlike manner. The eventual winners were Bridgewater with Brindley runners up. Priory were in third place and Castle House received the wooden spoon.
Friday 19th October- INTER HOUSE KENDO Friday 16th November- CHILDREN IN NEED - House fundraising Thursday 6th December Y7 INTER HOUSE „BOPPIT‟ Thursday 20th December- INTER HOUSE GAME SHOWS with the launch of our House Christmas Single (Thanks to Shakin‟ Stevens!). The Grange Learning Gateway
Parents and carers can use the Learning Gateway to see information online Players of the tournament were Jack Doolan and Declan McMermaid both about their children including personal details (e.g. full name, date of birth, in Bridgewater House and Todd Avis in Brindley House. We look forward to contact telephone numbers) details about timetable, attendance, a Y10 competition in the new year. behaviour, homework and assessments. In addition, other useful Inter House Countdown Competition - Wednesday 3rd October. information from school is also accessible via the Learning Gateway. This very successful competition was organised by the English and Maths The Gateway is a secure internet based resource accessible by using a departments. There was a terrific response from Year 9 and Year 11 confidential username and password. Further details can be obtained from students and the event was extremely well supported by staff. Miss McGuffie in the school office. After a very close competition the eventual winners were Brindley House with 100 points. This was mainly due to the commitment and enthusiasm shown by Tyler Kneale and Connor Moorst both in 10 HGH.
This year we want to stop sending paper copies of assessments and reports where possible and instead use the Learning Gateway as the means of communication with parents and carers. This will cut costs and the saving can instead be used to increase spending on educational items such as books. It will also save a great deal of time too. If parents and carers are unsure about the Learning Gateway we will, as last year, put on Priory House were very close behind with 98 demonstrations at all Parents Evening this year. Parents and carers who points. Bridgewater House were in third place cannot access the internet can choose to receive information through with 75 points and, again, Castle House finished traditional, paper-based means. in 4th place with 49 points. The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
October 2012 Issue
Building Update
The scale and quality of the MUGA and the sports hall is without equal in Halton. In total, the entire development represents an investment of ÂŁ30 million and we are very proud and privileged to be able to use these facilities for the benefit and enjoyment of our students. Remembrance
Remembrance Day and the act of Remembrance, includes all those who have been involved with, and affected by, war and conflict since World War One. The act of a Two Minute Silence began on the anniversary of Armistice Day, 11 November 1919. In 1921, The Royal British Legion While the main school building is obviously progressing rapidly, as viewed lobbied for Remembrance Day, which was then formally adopted as a from Latham Avenue, tucked away in the heart of the existing school is the national day of Remembrance. new changing room facility which is well underway and due for completion by December 2012. On the sports field the new Multi Use Games Area Shortly after the Legion was formed, the poppy was adopted as its symbol. (MUGA) is in use although we are also having the latest Astro Turf laid in The poem In Flanders Fields was part of the reason, but other poems had March 2013. The sports hall was completely refurbished over the summer also mentioned poppies as they were one of the few flowers able to survive holiday and has brand new lighting, heating, ventilation and to my in an area severely damaged by fighting. The poppy flowering was a immense delight, 2 indoor cricket nets. symbol of hope on the battlefields, and after the War it became associated with Remembrance, a sign of life continuing after the horrors of conflict. As in previous years, we will be taking part and from the last week of October through to Remembrance Sunday, we will be supporting the Poppy Appeal. Lapel poppies will be available to buy from reception. There will be a delegation from the school attending the ceremony at the Cenotaph in Runcorn on Remembrance Sunday, 11th November 2012 and students, parents and carers are welcome to join us.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
October 2012 Issue
OMANI TEACHING DELEGATION VISIT THE GRANGE Four delegates from Oman made a reciprocal visit to Halton after teachers from Runcorn and Widnes visited Oman earlier in February as part of the programme to achieve The International Schools Award. Assistant Headteacher John Burton took part in the initial visit to Oman and found it a truly valuable experience, helping the school to move from The Intermediate Award to The Full International Schools Award. The four delegates, Dawood Sulaiman Al-Shabibi (British Council), Said Juma Al‟Abra, Rashid Salim Al‟Badi and Muna Said Mohamed Al‟Lssaei, visited Halton from Sunday 23rd September - Friday 28th Septmber 2012. They were supported by Nick McGee, the UK Cluster Co-ordinator.
On Tuesday September 25th the delegates visited The Grange School. They were greeted by Head Boy, Ritchie Redmond and Head Girl, Amy Pinkney. Over the year, students from Oman and The Grange have been collaborating on two projects. The delegates observed work in Art as part of the project entitled „ View from a Window‟ and also visited the Modern Foreign Languages department with year eight where they looked through artefacts that the students had collected to demonstrate their culture as part of the project called „Culture in a Box‟.
The delegates then had the pleasure of visiting the Music department to discuss the next aspect of the project which will be to link the schools involved through music. Mr Burton led the guests on a general tour of the school, giving them the opportunity to view teaching and learning along with the opportunity to talk to both students and staff about their educational experiences. This was followed by lunch with staff, served by some of the schools‟ students who are studying catering. After lunch, the delegates were whisked off to visit a primary school in Runcorn, but returned to school to have a tour around the innovative new building later in the afternoon with Executive Head teacher David Stanley. The delegates remained in the school and participated in our Open Evening taking the opportunity to talk to pupils and parents as they were shown around the school. The delegates commented that: „It is a great school, with fantastic classrooms and very helpful teachers‟ „I like the school you have given me a lot of inspiration, everything is well organised with lovely teachers and pupils.‟ „I have learned and gained a lot from my visit to The Grange.‟ It was a wonderful day. Everyone gave us a warm welcome. I was amazed by the new building. I felt at home with your students who seem to be very hard working. It was a pleasure to visit the school.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
October 2012 Issue
Prestigious Speaker
Jack McAdam and Lauren Sutherland asked searching questions about the selection process at Universities and the financial and personal support an undergraduate could expect to receive. Leanne Rigby and Shannon Dennett looked ahead and asked Stephen if he thought that attending a prestigious university would enhance their careers and how he saw Britain’s economic future affecting job prospects.
It was a great pleasure to welcome to our school the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Stephen Twigg MP on Friday 9th November. Stephen addressed over 60 of our students who have been selected to take part in the Prestigious Universities Programme. Stephen spoke about his time growing up in Enfield, London where he attended the local comprehensive school. From there he went on to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University before making In true “Question Time” style, Amy Dignall put the politician on the spot when she a spectacular entry into Parliament by defeating Michael Portillo in the 1997 asked him “Is there anything you would change in the current education system?” General Election. to which Stephen responded immediately, explaining fully his ideas.
Our students listened very attentively as he described his journey from humble Stephen then had a tour of our new building and then joined Y10 and Y11 beginnings to one of the best Universities in the world. It was inspiring stuff and students for lunch before departing for his constituency in West Derby. I hope our students on the programme will aspire to reach the top also. It was a resounding success largely because Stephen was so approachable and In a question and answer session that followed, took time to converse with the students who unanimously agreed that the event Stephen was bombarded with questions including was inspirational, informative and thoroughly engaging. from Hannah Smith who asked him “Were you treated any differently at Oxford because you came I felt quite privileged that such a prominent politician, particularly the Shadow from a Comprehensive school?” Stephen replied Secretary of State for Education, was able to visit and spend over 3 hours with us that he was treated like anyone else and enjoyed his and I would like to thank Stephen for his generosity and his commitment to young time at Oxford mixing with students from all walks people and schools (this one in particular!). of life. Tyler Kneale and Luke Eaton asked him how difficult it was to get into Oxford and how hard he had to work while he was there. Stephen explained how the life of an undergraduate was at times a lot of fun there was also a lot of hard work involved in being successful. Other contributors included Chloe Furnival, Alex Edwards and Charley Day who asked about life as a prominent politician including from Charley “How did it feel when you defeated Michael Portillo in the 1997 General Election?”
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
November 2012 Issue
Children in Need The whole school joined in the fun and raised money for BBC’s Children in Need charity. We ran a series of fundraising activities throughout the week but the main events were organised by the House Captains.
The gang of 4 included Messrs Downey, Gill, Milne and Warburton but there could only be one “winner”. Mr Downey, did it bring tears to your eyes?
Brindley’s house captains, Georgia Robinson and Ryan Bellfied, magnificently rose to the occasion and organised a penalty shoot-out competition in the sports hall. The competition was split between years 7 and 8 on the Wednesday and 9, 10 and 11 on the Thursday. Georgia and Ryan spent the previous two weeks campaigning for as many students to attend as possible, with the help of Mr Buckley. They produced posters, arranged for adverts to be placed on the plasma screens and even went around forms pushing the competition. The competition was a straight knock-out, meaning that competitors had to score to progress to the next round. On the nights, Reece Moore (goal keeper extraordinaire) stood in nets and the eventual winners were given a certificate to show their goal scoring prowess.
James Grave and Jake Gayter Castle House Captains suggested guessing the amount of sweets in a jar to be sold around schools at form time break and lunch. Students and staff from all years got involved and the total money raised was £31.39 which at 20p a go was an excellent result.
Cobi Campbell and Theresa Anderton, two lucky year 7 students won the goodies and took them home on Friday Evening. A total of 159 Winners: Jordan Jones for Y7 & 8, John Young for Y9 and Shaun Keogh for Y10 & lollypops and 455 Maoams sour sweets. 11. On Thursday and Friday Priory House ran a Children in Need Breakfast Event to Jack McAdam and Megan Traynor House Captains for Bridgewater came up with raise money for the charity. They sold morning beverages and a variety of cakes the most fiendish way of raising money by persuading 4 male members of staff to and cookies, all made by our multi-talented Head Girl Amy Pinkney. The House pluck up the courage to put themselves forward for the Staff Leg Waxing Contest. Captains, Reece Moore and Megan Traynor, organised the event. The Head boy, The idea was simple, each of the staff would have a collecting tub placed in the Ritchie Redmond, and Head girl, Amy Pinkney, resourced the event. A selection dining hall each day and the tub with the most money collected would result in of year 11 students acted as waiters and waitresses from 8am to 8:35am each morning and served delicious drinks and cakes to staff and students. that member of staff having his legs waxed!
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
November 2012 Issue
Children In Need
Children In Need
It got off to a successful start raising £40.08 on the first morning. On Friday the Events and their Totals: Priory team were totally overwhelmed and had to turn away customers having Leg Waxing Competition: sold nearly £100 worth of drinks and cakes. In total, Priory raised £138.42. Mr R. Downey: £118.19 Mr S. Gill:
£1.50
Me C. Milne
£1.90
Mr N. Warburton:
£31.87
Overall Leg Waxing Total:
£153.46
Stand up Bingo:
£26.99
Sweet Jar:
£31.39
Penalty Shoot Out:
£8.26
Coffee Morning:
£138.42
Limbo Competition:
£85.44
Sponsored Silence:
£371.70
The day was a huge success and a lot of fun was had whilst raising money for a very worthy cause. Well done and thank you to everyone involved.
September
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
November 2012 Issue
Master Chef Master Class
Remembrance
Former Grange Student Paul Davies (class of 1987) returned to school to help GCSE Catering students with a Master Class. Since leaving the Grange, Paul has worked in several top class kitchens including at the British Consulate in Brazil, what is now The Hard Day’s Night Hotel in Liverpool and catered for Paul McCartney’s end of tour party on two occasions. Paul now owns and runs his own very successful restaurant, Paul’s Place, on Aigburth Road in Liverpool. Catering student Adam Crowther said “it was fantastic for us to see a trained Chef at work and one who came from this school. Paul inspired us and told us not to be scared of experimenting. I loved it”.
Following a week of assemblies when students heard about Armistice and the symbolic importance of the poppy, our Head Girl, Amy Pinkney, and Head Boy, Ritchie Redmond, accompanied by Mrs Rutter, Mrs Hall and Miss McGuffie, attended the Remembrance service at Runcorn. I asked Amy to write an account of the day. “When we arrived at the Cenotaph we were both apprehensive about the event ahead of us, due to both of us never attending a service before. However, when the ceremony commenced there was not a sorrowful atmosphere but a respectful, graceful one in honour of the fallen who had served their country, allowing us to pay our respects as individuals and on behalf of the school. During the service passages from the bible were read out, hymns were sung and then there was the laying of the wreaths. Ritchie and I were honoured to do this on behalf of the Grange. There were many diverse groups represented including the Major, local MPs, military cadets and schools.
Paul has agreed to return to the Grange in the near future to give the second of a series of master classes. I am extremely grateful to him for giving of his time and expertise so freely and delighted to be able to add his name to our growing list of Alumni.
Clutching our wreath nervously, we walked up to the Cenotaph, settled it down on the monument of the unknown soldier and stepped back to reflect upon what the event represented and the many millions of people who had lost their lives during conflict. Afterwards Ritchie and I reflected upon the event and both of us were very proud and appreciated the opportunity to represent our school at such a special event. Overall it was a very respectful, well-mannered and unforgettable experience and one we hope our successors will experience in the future.” Pictured with Amy and Ritchie is AB CIS Hall, a former student of the Grange who left in 2006. Better known to me and the staff as Charlotte, she is currently serving on HMS Ocean based at Plymouth before leaving for a 2 year tour of duty in Gibraltar in the New Year. We wish her well.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
November 2012 Issue
Carol Concert On Thursday 6th December we held our Christmas Carol Service for the first time at St. Andrews, Grangeway. The evening was a stunning success which was well deserved as the students involved rehearsed endlessly to polish their individual and group performances. They rose to the occasion magnificently and all performances were of outstanding quality. The students involved were: Tony Allford, Laura Bentley, Samantha Box, Olivia Carmon, Anthony Goble, Emilja Kasprzyk, Rebecca Ledward, Kody Meredith, Reece Moore, Alisha Nuttall, Shannon O’Reilly, Aaron Owen, Natasha Preston, Ritchie Redmond, Bethany White, Tia Bazley, Lauren Kelly, Gemma Rigby, Keeley Warburton, Luke Eaton, Thomas tember Furey, Abigail Holland, Christopher Keoghan, Erin MacDonald, Belinda McCashin, Jennifer-Leigh Roberts, Steven Bromfield, Grace Scott, Brandon Hayes and Rachel Whitehead.
Sep-
The evening was very well attended by family and members of the community who all joined in to add to the cheery, festive atmosphere which was evident to all. We received a number of glowing responses from those who attended including this which had been sent by email: “We would just like to say WOW! and congratulations. We had a wonderful evening at the carol service. Thank you to all that took part and to the staff for giving up their time, to enable us once again to witness the talent at The Grange. We feel privileged and proud to say we are a part of The Grange family!
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
December 2012 Issue
Excellence and Discipline Sean King (Y11) and Taylor Goodall (Y10) have recently been involved in two very prestigious events and I invited them to tell me about their experiences. What impressed me greatly was the dedication and discipline demonstrated by both to reach this level of excellence in their respective activity.
Taylor is a member of Halton Taekwondo based at the Brookvale Community Centre. Their website address is www.haltontaekwondo.com/. Through the Korean art of Taekwondo students are offered the opportunity of developing their abilities and given the best chance to fulfil their potential through the development of the five tenets of Taekwondo: Etiquette -Modesty -Perseverance -Self control -Indomitable spirit These are worthy principles indeed that anyone would be better for adopting.
Sean is a member of the Runcorn Sea Cadets and was Congratulations to both Sean and Taylor. selected to represent the North West Area at the Building Update Trafalgar Square Parade in London. Around 500 members of the Sea Cadets marched from Horse Guards' Parade to Nelson's Column to mark Trafalgar Day. The day is celebrated by the Royal Navy and its cadet branch every year, and this year marked 207 years since the Battle of Trafalgar, in which Horatio Nelson's naval force defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets of the coast of Spain. Founded in 1854, membership of the Sea Cadet Corps is open to young people aged between 10 and 18 years of age. Further information about the local Runcorn Sea Cadets is available by visiting their website www.sea-cadets.org/runcorn/home.aspx Taylor recently spent a few days at a GB Taekwondo camp for the National Junior Talent Squad. Taylor is a regular member of the GB squad and has enjoyed great success in the past and is determined to go on adding to her collection of honours and medals.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
December 2012 Issue
Anti-Bullying Ambassadors visit to London On Sunday 18th November 12 of the school’s 18 Anti-bullying Ambassadors travelled to London to attend The National Anti-Bullying Conference accompanied by Miss Cooney and Mr Burton. Students ranging from year 8-11 were selected to represent the school at the full day conference in The International Hotel in Canary Wharf.
After this the students attended various workshops with celebrity guests as their group leaders. Reece Moore took part in a Music workshop led by The Voice star Vince Kidd, which he later performed in front of all the other delegates. Lucy Peach, Anna Timms, George Timms Georgia Leatherland and Emily Dowling produced a piece of Graffiti art that will be displayed in school. Emily Henderson participated in a Dance workshop led by Britain’s Got Talent starts “Twist and Pulse”. Blake Watson and Liam Hartley improved their public speaking skills. Other members of the group including Ritchie Redmond and Charlee Day attended Drama workshops led by Director Arthur Landon and Made in Chelsea star Funda Onal.
After travelling to London via mini bus, students enjoyed a buffet meal and spent a night in a luxurious hotel using all the facilities on offer. Students woke up to a varied selection of breakfast choices and then made their way to the conference. Over 300 student delegates attended the conference from schools across the country as far wide as Scotland, Scunthorpe and London. After listening to Alex Holmes (Diana Award Programme Manager) relate the plan of the day’s activities, the students listened to a live debate with Jodie Marsh, Vic Goddard (from Channel 4’s Educating Essex TV show), a student member of the Youth Board, Robert Mullaney (Anti-Bullying Campaigner, who lost his son to bullying) and Simon Milner (Facebook Policy Director) all chaired by ITV News Presenter Charlene White. The students listened attentively and were enlightened by the debate.
Students were further treated to a dance “Streetomedy” performance by Twist and Pulse and had their photographs taken by another Britain’s Got Talent finalist Nathan Wyburn, who is to create a montage of all the delegates’ faces from the conference. All the Ambassadors behaved in an exemplary manner and returned from London even more enthused for their Anti-Bullying Week plans.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
December 2012 Issue
Christmas Disco Organised entirely by Senior Student Representatives, the Christmas disco for years 7 & 8 proved to be one of the highlights of our festive celebrations. Apart from providing our youngsters with a lot of fun, the event was used to raise money for the Head Boy & Head Girl Charity, which this year is in support of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Head Girl, Amy Pinkney, said: “The Christmas Disco was a great success! All the pupils, staff and volunteers that attended had an amazing night, which made them feel that little more Christmassy. The disco was packed with games, laughter and entertainment Deputy Heady Boy, Reece Moore said: especially the Gangnam style dance off, which was hilarious! Every aspect of the disco was fantastic thanks to all that helped and I doubt it could have been any “The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MDNA) is a charity that is very close to better. The funds raised for the MND charity were astonishing and I would like to my heart. It supports people with Motor Neurone Disease and their families by thank you all for coming, and making the Christmas Disco a successful event.” giving them various options of help. I was in contact with a charity ambassador Sandra Smith who has helped the school enormously in our fundraising ventures. MDNA has been a great charity to support and hopefully this will continue.” It was a pleasure to welcome back Sandra Smith, a trustee of the MND Association who helped out during the disco, and who has worked closely with Reece Moore.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
December 2012 Issue
Dates for your Diary Thursday 20th December:
Finish for Christmas Break
Monday 7th January:
Pupils return to school
Wednesday 9th January:
Y10 & 11 Biology Exam
Thursday 10th January:
Y10 & 11 English Unit 2 Exam
Thursday 10th January:
Y7 Parents’ Evening
Monday 14th January:
Y10 & 11 Chemistry Exam
Thursday 17th January:
Y10 & 11 Physics Exam
Friday 18th January:
Y11 GCSE Mock Exam Results
Tuesday 22nd January:
Y10 & 11 Biology Exam 2
Thursday 24th January:
Y10 & 11 Chemistry Exam 2
Thursday 24th January:
Y11 Parents’ Evening
Friday 25th January:
Y10 & 11 Physics Exam 2
Monday 4th February:
Y10 DTP Vaccinations
Thursday 14th February:
Y10 Parents’ Evening
Friday 15th February:
Break for Half Term.
Monday 25th February:
Pupils return to school.
And finally… Thank you for your continued support and on behalf of all the staff at the Grange may I wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
Visit our website to see the students and staff seasonal video
December 2012 Issue
Inter House Bop It and Wii Competition The ICT and Design & Technology faculty organised the latest fun-packed, inter-house competition. Groups from Y7 & Y8 stepped up to the challenge. After a close contest, the overall winners turned out to be Priory.
Howay the Lads Eleven of our Year 11 students, accompanied by Mr Higgins, Mr McGovern and Mr Farewell and Good Luck Milne, have just returned from a weekend at the Ghyll Head outdoor education centre in the Lake District. During the weekend the students completed a night We say goodbye to 2 members of staff at the end of term. time navigation activity in the forest, canoed on Lake Windermere, braved a 50 ft zip wire and went potholing. Whilst they were potholing the students got as deep as 50 meters underground and a number of the students showed such a natural ability for the activity, that they were sent through holes and routes in the cave After a short time with us, Miss Oliver is returning to Ireland to that are normally only used to train special forces recruits. Despite the resume her teaching career closer to home. temperature being around zero all weekend, the students all had a great time and were a credit to the school through their behaviour and the resilience and effort Someone who has been here a little longer is Mrs Westwood they applied to all of the tasks. A special mention must be given to Liam Maddock who has given 25 years outstanding service to The Grange. and Alex Waring, who actually jumped in Lake Windermere and had a swim despite the fact that the temperature on the day was minus 5 and the temperaMrs Westwood has been a successful teacher of Food ture of the water was barely over zero! Technology and Child Development during this time and she has also acted as Curriculum Leader and Progress Leader when the school was in need; such has been her selfless dedication to the Grange. On behalf of us all, I wish them both well for their future and thank them for their contribution.
The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.
December 2012 Issue