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AT BIRKENHEAD SCHOOL

Another extraordinary year for Star Activities, but one I’d like to congratulate my wonderfully hard working team upon. We managed to successfully run our courses throughout the duration of the pandemic and not have one positive Coronavirus case.

I believe this is due to the hard work and dedication of the team to keep everybody safe. Well done and thank you to everybody who played their part in the success.

This last year saw increased numbers across our variety of courses due to us being one of the only holiday courses operational throughout the pandemic. We introduced new courses such as a Magic Masterclass, Nature Detectives and Performing Arts.

This summer promises to be just as fruitful with new additional courses in Science, Spanish and Creative writing being added.

We look forward to seeing you all this summer and welcoming you onto our courses as the World returns to some sort of normality. Thank you all for your continued support.

By Miss Harris, Head of Infants and Star Activities Director

Star Activities – SCIENCE!

There are two summer science courses on offer each summer. CSI Science is offered to children aged 10-15 years and concentrates on gathering evidence to solve crimes. We learn about a range of different scientific roles and skills involved and the children set up crime scenes for each other to investigate. I am sorry to report that (cardboard) Tim Peake featured in two crimes this year!

The second course is offered to children aged 7-15 years and includes lots of activities aimed at reinforcing the scientific method. Of course, we are on holiday and so we get to play with the slime, playdoh, and lava lamps that we create. Even the balloon kebabs go home! This year we have included some engineering challenges, spaghetti structures and paper bridges with an element of competition. The winners get to choose some activities for the last day. Water rockets are sure to feature again!

By Mrs Tharme, Teacher of Science

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU Dagobah ROMANESCO CAULIFLOWER VINAIGRETTE Cauliflower in a dill dressing

JABBACADO SALAD Avocado, chickpea, potato and spinach salad (Contains Celery, egg, gluten, milk, mustard, barley, legumes)

SITH SALAD Quinoa, watermelon, feta salad (Contains Gluten, milk, legumes, May Contain Celery, mustard) ENDOR SALAD (Contains Gluten, soya, legumes )

Chartwells

By Andrew Deeny, Catering Manager

Just like many families and organisations, the School’s catering team had a really difficult and challenging year in 2020-21. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, necessary social distancing and a period of lockdown, we had to slightly reduce the breadth of food on offer, serve in two very different main settings (Bushell Hall and the Dining Hall). We followed all government guidelines to keep students, pupils, and staff safe and we were determined to give the pupils and staff the same quality as they were used too.

As we went through the period of “opening safely”, Prep pupils and Seniors students returned to the main dining, we brought the World Food Bar back, and from September we look forward to re-introducing the salad bar which is a big hit with staff and students alike.

We have had some great times during this period, dressing up and producing food for a “May the 4th be with you” Star Wars theme day when we also prepared a selection of dishes on the three different themes, Dagobah, Tattooine, Hoth – with such items as Green Swamp soup, Roasted Porg Nests and the Mangolorian.

While all our staff are allergen-aware, this year we introduced more identifiable allergen awareness champions wearing a mustard yellow apron so that all children with specific dietary needs know who to get their food from.

We also brought a Chartwells nutritionist in to do the hungry caterpillar workshop with pre prep pupils — the kids loved making faces with the food, then getting to eat it, while being taught about healthy eating. In September we will have the nutrition team back with a smoothie bike, where they put fruit in a blender attached to the bike, and the faster they pedal the better the smoothie. This will be situated in the Sixth Form for the morning, then in the Dining Hall for lunch. Hopefully Pete the cycling chef will be involved ….

Over the last weeks of term we catered for some great functions, a Chapel Choir dinner, the Sports Award dinner, a sports teams BBQ and Sixth Form leavers’ breakfast. It was great to have some normality while innovating to remain within Covid-safe guidelines in existence at the time. We also catered for the Les Misérables production with theatre food boxes and drinks for each performance

We also did a guess the number of sweets to win a Euro 2020 football and all the sweets from the guess. Jake from Year 6 was the closest and was so excited to win the prize.

We will also be introducing a new fuel concept to the menu cycle to highlight a healthy fuel-filled offer everyday. The menus are usually available via the School’s Firefly system, and you can also follow our Twitter account to see what is on offer to children at the School - @BHead_Catering.

Carl Hodgson

Carl Hodgson has been a long serving member of the catering team at Birkenhead school, with over 15 years’ service and has decided to move on to pastures new this year. Over the years he built a brilliant relationship with teachers and students, being their first line of call. He delivered, served and worked various hospitality functions from etiquette lunch, to wine and nibble events throughout the year. Then going back to the dining hall to support the team for lunch service.

He worked in all weathers across the school, driving the familiar red buggy, always smiling and polite.

In his spare time at Birkenhead, he would be seen fixing ipads and iphones for staff, he was full of knowledge about the history of the school, when Chartwells took over the catering, he worked closely with myself to develop and build on the quality of the catering service, for all events.

He was known in the kitchen as being a bit of a joke teller. Always trying to put a smile on the teams face.

He will be missed, by myself and the team, but we wish him all the success in his future where he has moved to be closer to family.

Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Photography Competition

By Mr Graham Hill, Teacher of Geography

I am glad to say that we were able to keep the whole DofE programme going throughout the pandemic, albeit with considerable modifications, but in June this year we returned happily to full Gold and Silver expeditions involving overnight camps.

We fielded three Gold and three Silver teams which undertook four and three day expeditions, respectively, in the Yorkshire Dales. If there was any 'skills leakage', there was no evidence of it and perhaps moving the training programme onto Firefly was a help. I was so impressed with the performance of all our young people and, I am glad to say, so was our Gold Assessor - Mr Nigel Greenwood - who is himself the father of an Old Birkonian. All groups passed the expedition stage successfully and now it only remains for them to do their expedition presentations in the Autumn term. We experienced, it seems, three seasons in three days as we were lashed with hail on Fountains Fell on one day, only to be sweltering in the sunshine on the next. It was good to see all Gold groups negotiate Ingleborough on the final day and some taking in Pen-y-ghent on the previous one. By all accounts the expeditions were sufficiently challenging without detracting from a strong sense of enjoyment and it is clear that the attraction of 'hanging out' and socialising with teammates at the end of each day remains a highlight for our young people. Grateful thanks go to Mr Britton, who emerged from retirement to help us again, and to my indomitable colleagues Mrs Fountain and Mr Robinson for all their support.

During the past year, Mrs Buckley has run photography competitions across Prep and Seniors. Students submitted photos based on different themes and here are some of the highlights. Well done to everyone who took part.

Auley Year 4 Auley Year 4 1

Damon Year 7 David Upper Sixth Gene Year 5 Kit Year 6 Kit Year 7

Lucy Year 7 Lydia Year 5 Michelle Year 7 Noah Year 6 Rachel Year 7

20th Birkenhead Cubs and Scouts

By Mr Kelvin Britton, Group Scout Leader

January 1908, and a public meeting is being held at the YMCA in Birkenhead. A couple of Senior Birkenhead School pupils decide to see what it is all about (well, there was nothing worth watching on television as no-one had bothered to invent it yet!). A paraphrase of their verdict runs along the lines of “interesting speaker, but no way will his ideas of a ‘movement’ or ‘association’ take off.” In this way, the chance of the School hosting the oldest Scout Troop in the world passed, although the 2nd Birkenhead does date its start to this talk by Robert Baden-Powell.

Fast forward a few years; in 1924 our Group, 20th Birkenhead started under School sponsorship, and so we are just a couple of years short of our Centenary. This might be a good time to look back at our history, but in my mind it is an even better time to look forward to the future. However, it would be remiss of me not to look at the most recent years, for obvious reasons.

Covid proved a challenge; for much of the time face to face Scouting was not allowed. However, we ran regular Zoom sessions for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, and those who were willing and able to adapt and adopt this way of working made astonishing headway; I don’t think we have ever issued as many badges, all backed up by evidence submitted electronically. Several parents told us that our hand-written letters containing the badges were the carrots their children needed to keep their motivation going. At last, although camping was still not allowed, the Scout section held a modified Expedition Challenge in summer 2020; tents were carried and pitched, meals were cooked, but then the tents were struck to allow a night at home before more hiking the following day. At last the summer term of 2021 arrived, and regular face to face meetings could resume. We organised camps and activity days for all three sections, putting the OUT back in ScOUTing, and giving at least one Beaver his “best day ever”.

As for the future, there are some very exciting developments in the pipeline. The Scout Hut is clearly showing its age (of almost 70 years). Birkenhead Scout District and the School have begun discussions about a replacement, and architects are being approached to design a suitable new building to house both the District Headquarters and our own Scout Group. All being well, we may see the building begin to grow at McAllester Field next summer. In the meantime, The Scout Association is due to launch a new section, Squirrels, for 4 and 5 year olds. School, Group and District are all in favour of starting this up, and so we are hoping for the approval to be able to offer this from next January.

We always want to offer fun and adventure to as many children, boys or girls, who wish to participate. The current times are Beavers (aged 6-8) on Mondays after School until 5.15, Cubs (aged 8-10.5) on Wednesdays until 5.30 and Scouts (aged 10.5-14) on Thursdays, 4-6. One of the District Explorer Units also meets at our Hut on Wednesdays, 7-9. If anyone wishes to join, needs further information, or can provide adult help, perhaps to share some skills or raise money to help equip the new facilities, please email kelvin57britton@gmail.com. The pay is not great, but the enjoyment is immense. Who knows, you might even end up going to the World Jamboree in South Korea in 2023, or Poland in 2027!

The A Team – Covid Testers

By Mrs Higgins, Covid Testing Team Leader

Who would have thought a virus would cause the world such grief, With Heros in the NHS providing such relief, But for us in education it’s been a testing time Children stuck at home, and learning done online

After months of indecision and not knowing what to do The pupils could return to school with an adjustment or two The whole school was signposted and hand gel out on show Everyone could come back in if they passed a Lateral Flow

The A Team was assembled and trained on every angle Bushell Hall was ready, with as many testing stations as it could handle Signs were on the floor and walls, and PPE laid out The radio was on full blast, to drown any coughing out

The A team set to work, test kits and droplets in hand Teachers assisting all the pupils, so they’d be safe and understand 100 tests per hour, each pupil needed three To get everyone in the school back to learning wifi free

The first day went quite smoothly, 600+ kids and staff With Abba on the radio, the staff singing was a laugh Tapping feet and dancing, the A Team kept the ambience light Two more days of testing, to get the Health & Safety right

Day two went even quicker, the A Team were the best The pupils now quite adept, and confident to test Another 600+ tests, completed in a day Just one more day to go, then pack the kit away

The final day was looming, the PPE was light Would the delivery arrive on time to complete the final fight And then the boxes all arrived, and day three was complete Over 2000 Covid tests completed, an extraordinary feat

Despite the horrors Covid formed, the A Team played its part To ensure the pupils came back and made a fresh new start To see their friends again, and get back to a routine To home test twice a week and wash hands to keep them clean

So thank you to the A Team, teachers and pupils too Thank you to the parents who supported all the way through Thank you to all essential workers, and of course the NHS Birkenhead School community, really gave its best

A huge thank you to the ‘A Team’ of support staff who supported the School’s Covid testing programme by completing over 1000 tests in January and 850 tests in March prior to the return to School for students and staff. The staff rose to the challenge and certainly embraced the ‘any other duties required’ of their job descriptions. Well done to everyone involved and for working together, despite individual concerns, for the collective good of the School community.