IN THE
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL MAGAZINE APRIL 2016
CHS GOES TO THE BBC ALSO INSIDE MANCHESTER MAYOR VISIT STEMFEST COMMUNITY NEWS ALUMNI IN THE SPOTLIGHT
HELLO... Welcome to the latest edition of In the Spotlight. As you can see from this edition there was a lot going on around school during the Spring Term. In January, we welcomed the Interim Mayor of Manchester to Chorlton High School for a special visit to find out about the fantastic work City Year has been up to in school. Throughout the first two weeks back after the February half term, we held a STEMfest which saw a fortnight of special events linked to Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths, designed to inspire students to study these subjects post 16 and to consider different career options. We were delighted to hear that we won the Judges Recommendation Award at the Manchester History Festival Awards. This award recognised the hard work Year 7 students and the History Department put into their ‘My Mancunium’ project which explored multiculturalism in Manchester. In March, we held the Annual General Meeting of the CHS Learning Trust, which was a great opportunity to celebrate our co-operative developments over the last year. As well as working within school, students have also done a lot to support their local community this term including visiting local care homes and running Digital Champion sessions for Southway Housing residents. In addition to celebrating the successes and achievements of our current students, it was also nice to feature the fantastic achievements that some of our Alumni have gone on to accomplish since leaving Chorlton High School. Thank you to all the staff and students who made the Spring Term successful, creative and happy. We now look forward to the achievements the Summer Term will bring. CHRISTINE TAGGART COMMUNITY AND MARKETING OFFICER AND IN THE SPOTLIGHT EDITOR
INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
CO-OPERATIVE TRUST AGM
1
MAYOR VISIT
2
MEDIA IN THE SPOTLIGHT
10
PARENTS’ BOOK CLUB 7
BBC NEWS SCHOOL REPORT
11
ALUMNI SUCCESS
LET’S GET DIGITAL
12
FOOTBALL NEWS
13
LIBRARY & BOOKS
STEMFEST AT CHORLTON HIGH
3
6
8
COMMUNITY NEWS 4
CO-OPERATIVE TRUST AGM
On Tuesday 22nd March 2016, we held the Annual General Meeting of the CHS Learning Trust. The meeting was open to all members of our Co-operative Trust (parents/carers, students, staff and members of the local community). It was lovely to welcome Cooperative Members to our school and look back on the achievements and successes of the past year. The Chair of the CHS Learning Trust Board, Aneez Esmail, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone present. This was followed by an overview of the activities and achievements of both Chorlton High School and Newall Green High School over the past year, an overview of the
financial accounts and an update on the future developments for the Trust. Atalanta Harkavy, Chair of the Whole School Council, and Matthew Mantel, Vice Chair of the Whole School Council, (pictured above) delivered a brilliant presentation on student voice at Chorlton High School. They talked about how the School Council has actively worked to put some of the key Co-operative Values into action such as solidarity, democracy, caring for others and social responsibility.
Throughout the meeting members were treated to outstanding performances of dance, drama and music from talented Chorlton High School and Newall Green High School students. At the end of the meeting, informal networking and discussions took place regarding the future development of the Co-operative Trust. We would like to thank everyone who came along and helped make our AGM a success.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARD We are delighted to announce that Chorlton High School has been awarded the SSAT Gold Award for the Cultural Diversity Quality Standard. This award recognises schools that promote cultural diversity and equality for all students. “The promotion of cultural diversity and equality of opportunity is outstanding at Chorlton High School. It is evident that students are encouraged to achieve their very best and are provided with a wide range of opportunities to allow them to
shine, no matter what their ability or talent. Chorlton High School has excelled across a number of criteria in all Standards for the Cultural Diversity Quality Standard. Particular strengths were apparent in the culture and climate of the school; the intervention practices to drive progress and achievement and the integration of academic and pastoral curriculum.”
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT
MAYOR OF MANCHESTER VISITS CHS
On the 13th of January 2016, Chorlton High School had the privilege to host Tony Lloyd, the interim Mayor of Greater Manchester. Mayor Lloyd came to learn more about the work of the City Year team in our school, to see their work in action, and to hear feedback from staff, City Year Corps Members and our students. The visit began with the Mayor meeting our Headteacher, Zoe Morris, who explained that “at Chorlton High School we have a resolute focus on nurturing, supporting and inspiring all of our students as we enable them to become confident, motivated young people. We were therefore excited about the opportunity to work with City Year, as we felt they shared a similar commitment to transforming the lives of both young adults and students in schools”. Sophie Livingstone, the Chief Executive of City Year UK, told the Mayor about the dual benefit of the work of they do. She clarified that City Year Corps Members act as mentors, role models, and tutors who meet with the students on a daily basis, set them individual goals and targets and generally provide in-school support. This support can range from help in the classroom, organisational needs, and help with homework to support at break times and in extra-curricular activities. The work aims to improve student’s attendance,
achievement, behaviour and attitudes in school in order to support them on their journey to become successful, creative and happy. The team also have an impact on the whole school; strengthening and reinforcing the school’s culture to help make it an enjoyable place to learn. The Mayor visited some of our Year 7 classes to see our staff and City Year Corps Members in action. This was followed by the opportunity to hear from City Year Corps Members about why they chose to volunteer with City Year UK and about the impact they are making so far. Anna Wroblewska told him that “I have been in Chorlton High School for the past term, and I feel proud to be a part of such an amazing school. From just a short time in school, I have already seen significant changes in the young people I work closely with, in both behaviour and attitude. They are gradually growing in confidence and self-esteem and beginning to believe they are worth something which is incredibly rewarding
for me to see. Both Chorlton High School and City Year go the extra mile to ensure that the young people who study there achieve all they are capable of and I am lucky to be a part of that!” The Mayor then met with some of our Year 7 and Year 8 students. Omar explained that “City Year mentors are in class to help us understand our work and then at break times they sit and talk to us like friends”. Serena commented that her favourite thing about City Year was having someone to talk to and that her mentor helps her to concentrate in class. The Mayor and City Year visitors greatly enjoyed their visit to see our school, and were incredibly impressed with what they encountered. City Year hope to continue to motivate and inspire students throughout the rest of the year.
STEMFEST During the first two weeks after February half term, we held our second STEMfest. Like last year, this consisted of a fortnight of special events aimed at inspiring pupils to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subject’s post 16 and to consider careers in relevant fields. A wide range of events took place across the fortnight and included students from all year groups: these ranged from learning about the science of baking and a pop-up planetarium experience, to pyramid building and careers networking. The first event to kick off the festival was a visit from Jodrell Bank where Year 8 and 9 students worked with scientists to realise the scientific work taking place in Manchester. Year 8, 9 and 10 students experienced science and sound in a special workshop delivered by Noisy Toys. Students took part in a range of practical activities to learn about sound, which included holding hand-coils connected to amps which created an incredible array of highpitched sounds. “I had a wonderful opportunity learning about the science of sound and that Noisy Toys could be so fun!” CERYS DOWD, YEAR 8 On Thursday 25th February, a lucky group of Year 7 students were treated to a special pop-up planetarium experience in our Blue Box Theatre provided by the Ogden Trust. “I had a wonderful opportunity learning about the science of sound. It was so fun!” KIAH NESBITT, YEAR 7.
“I really enjoyed seeing all the constellations of stars in the sky” TRAVIS BOOT, YEAR 7. During the first week students held a science themed bake sale which raised over £100 for Christie’s Hospital. This bake sale, not only raising money for a worthy cause, also helped to raise awareness and understanding of what cancer actually means.
On Friday 26th February, two medical students and a GP visited school to deliver workshops with Year 9 and 10 students based on careers in medicine. During the afternoon we also held a STEM networking event in the Green Room, welcoming 30 visitors and professionals from STEM fields to speak to our pupils in a ‘speed dating’ style format. This event aimed to inspire pupils to consider STEM careers and develop their understanding of the kinds of careers on offer to them. Year 7 students took part in a range of STEM challenges including pyramid building and a rollercoaster challenge where pupils had to use all STEM disciplines to design and create their own rollercoasters. To round off an action packed fortnight of events, STEMfest 2016 finished on a high as a group of Year 8, 9 and 10 students visited Blackpool Pleasure Beach to learn about the physics of rollercoasters. We hope students now feel more encouraged to consider STEM subjects and have a better understanding of these subjects both within and beyond school.
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT
COMMUNITY GARDEN
We are currently in the process of planning and creating a community garden across the road in Chorlton Park. It is intended that the garden will be used as a learning resource for Chorlton High School and local primary schools, as well as a space for local residents and community groups. Over the 2015/16 academic year, students have begun to develop our community garden space. Last term Year 7 students visited local allotments to gather ideas, brush up their gardening skills and started to plan out how we would use the space. This term, Year 7 & 8 members of the Whole School Council have been working on developing branding for the garden including choosing a name and creating a sign. The proposed name for the garden is ‘Chorlton’s Emerald City’. They have also been hard at work planning a variety of fundraising activities to raise money for the garden including a garden themed cake sale, and writing to the local council for a grant from the Neighbourhood Investment Fund. Following a successful application, the students secured a £500 grant towards the garden which was a fantastic achievement. As well as working on our own garden space the group have also been out doing a spot of community gardening around Chorlton, including helping Southway Housing to plant hedges on Weller Avenue.
Work should start to commence in the community garden in the coming months so stay tuned for more exciting updates! “Over the past weeks the Whole School Council have been working on designing and fundraising for our community garden. Every Wednesday the gardeners have worked very hard designing the garden, working on getting the Neighbourhood Investment Fund, drawing a sign, creating a logo and having an amazing time! The gardeners also worked with Southway Housing to plant a hedge on Mauldeth Avenue. This was very successful and fun!” ABBIE POLE, YEAR 7 “Over the past few weeks we have been learning about gardens and researching essential gardening equipment. We have looked at the ‘Love Your Garden’ programme and have planted trees on Weller Avenue. We have created a 3D design and have drawn out the garden. We have also looked at budgets and what we could do to raise money.” ANDRE PARKES, YEAR 7
“We hope to gain £500 by applying for a grant from the Council. This will go towards different things in order to start our garden including tools, benches and flower beds. We will hold a cake sale to raise money which will help us to buy more things necessary to make the garden presentable. We have planted hedges in the community which has helped us broaden our gardening skills. We have done much, much more than this and hope to carry on doing lots so we can make progress.” REBECCA FLETCHER, YEAR 8
GROWING TOGETHER
Since May 2015, a group of Year 8 students have been visiting Arden Court, an Anchor Trust retirement home in Chorlton, to assist with their ‘Growing Together’ project. The project, run by Debdale Eco Centre, aims to support retirement homes and their residents to develop a growing space. Following on from their amazing work at Arden Court, the group were invited to Trafalgar Court. The group quickly to set to work harvesting carrots and salad leaves from the garden, clearing raised beds and helping to dig out weeds and prepare the garden for more planting. The students did a fantastic job and the garden is now ready for the residents to start to plant fruit and vegetables over the spring months. Helen Dodd from the Debdale Eco Centre reflected on the project: “The intergenerational aspect of the Growing Together project has been extremely rewarding to support. The residents of Trafalgar Court greatly appreciated the recent help of Chorlton High School students in clearing and preparing their vegetable beds for Spring, giving space for growing even more organic vegetables, flowers and herbs! We hope that all those involved will want to continue this important relationship. This work is essential in keeping communities connected to each other and their local environment, and in sharing ideas and practical approaches to healthy and environmentally-conscious living across the generations.” On Monday 21st March, the students visited Arden Court for the final time as the ‘Growing Together’ project came to a close. The students took part in a special celebratory event to thank them for all the work at the centre. This visit rounded off a successful partnership developed with local retirement homes which enabled students to put our school Co-operative Values into action, and learn first-hand about the importance of working alongside our local community.
Drew Forsyth/ Manchester Histories
COMMUNITY HISTORY AWARD Over the last 18 months, Year 7 students have been examining the different reasons why so many communities have migrated to and settled in Manchester. At the end of this scheme of work, they wrote a speech to explain and evaluate which community was the most significant to the city. By doing this, the students were able to persuade people which community should be given an English Heritage plaque dedicated to remembering them, and an important location in Manchester. Chorlton High School prides itself on being a multicultural school. This project enabled students to learn about their own communities and history, as well as the history of their classmates. They saw how relevant each community was and, more importantly, still is in Manchester. Interestingly, many students didn’t always choose the community or heritage directly linked to their own which proved that they were able to examine the bigger picture about the importance of different communities and the founding of Manchester. After completing the work we entered the project into the Manchester Community Histories Awards hosted by the Manchester Histories Festival. We wanted to gain recognition for the amazing work our students have done on the migration which has helped shape the Manchester story. The students really enjoyed working on ‘My Mancunium’ and still talk about it, even in Year 8 – 16 months after completing the project.
On Friday 11th March, Ms Sanderson, Jessie Tomlinson (Year 7) and Luis Martinez (Year 8) presented the project at the Manchester History Festival award ceremony held at Manchester Town Hall. Jessie and Luis discussed who their favourite communities were. For Luis, it was the Romans for founding Manchester. For Jessie it was the Flemish Weavers, as she didn’t know anything about them beforehand and she thought it was amazing that they had been invited to Manchester by the Queen to help the economy recover. After an anxious wait we were delighted to hear we had won the Judges Recommendation prize! “The Manchester Community Histories Awards provided a unique opportunity for the History Department at CHS to showcase our skills and hard work. I really enjoyed seeing what all the other organisations produced as their projects on local History. I feel that I learnt a lot about different local areas of history.” JESSIE TOMLINSON, YEAR 7 “I think that the history trip was very interesting. There were lots of different groups that were up for the award. We won the Judges Recommendation and I was really proud because we are the only school in Manchester that looked at migration. Manchester Town Hall itself was really beautiful and grand. It was fascinating seeing all the different groups and their projects. I am really glad I got to represent the school.” HANNAH SIMPSON, YEAR 7
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT
LIBRARY EVENTS
AWARD WINNING AUTHOR AT MANCHESTER CENTRAL LIBRARY Award winning author Alan Gibbons visited Manchester Central Library in February, and a number of lucky Year 9 and 10 students got the chance to meet and listen to him talk about his writing and new book Hate. Hate is a hard-hitting real-life thriller about friendship, courage, loss and forgiveness and was inspired by the tragic murder of Sophie Lancaster in 2007, killed just for the way she dressed. The students who took part in the visit had all been involved in the ‘6 Book Challenge’, a project run by the library to challenge students
to read six books over a half term. Students were impressed by Alan, originally a Mancunian, but now living in Liverpool, who has written a incredible range of books over the years and who regaled them with tales of travelling the world and beating J K Rowling to win the Blue Peter Book Award. “It was great to reward the students who have risen to the challenge of reading six books” said Ms Coates from the Library. If you would like to read any of Alan’s books, then why not pop into the library and borrow one?
SNAP HAPPY! World Book day saw the launch of our annual Drop Everything and Read photographic competition where 19 members of staff were snapped in the act of reading with their favourite book. Faces
were obscured this year to make the competition particularly difficult and students were seen hurrying around school in a bid to identify who was who. Well done to Tashan Biggs (Year 7), Billie
Tyrie (Year 7), Cerys Williams (Year 7) and Maleehah Khan (Year 9) who won some early Easter chocolate. Many thanks to all the staff who were happy to have their pictures taken!
INTO THE MIND OF YEAR 5…READING BUDDIES The Spring Term saw the return of our annual Reading Rocks transition project with local primary schools. Reading Rocks aims to promote and excite students in Year 5 about books, by using peer recommendations.
QUIZZICAL CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL! How well read are you? Nearly 40 students and staff packed into the library after school to take part in the World Book Day Bumper Book Quiz on Wednesday 9th March. Teams of four battled it out for early Easter eggs as well as the main prize of knowing you were the best read student or staff member at Chorlton High School. The Geography Department were defending their title from last year, the Year 10’s were hoping not to come runner’s up for the fourth year running and new arrivals City Year also sported a team. However, nothing could beat the Reading Group dream
team competing at their first quiz, made up of Kai Cecil, Beth Edwards, Dylan Gardham and Nancy Berry who just pipped the Year 10’s into second place once more. “I can’t believe we came second for the fourth year in a row” groaned Manvi Mankhala and Delilah Wallbank. “We always lose by just half a mark, which makes it even worse.” Geography had to settle with third place, but without Rosie Jordan from Year 8 on their side they may have fared much worse. As Ms Sanderson later tweeted, “although we know classics - our teen fiction needs reviving”.
Year 8 and 9 CHS students are trained up as Reading Buddies, where they are encouraged to go back in time and remember what it was like being their younger selves in Year 5. This is always a nostalgic session as students remember their teachers, friends and the books they used to read. The Reading buddies then become “mini-teachers” and go into the Year 5 classes to deliver carousel sessions, where they talk about their favourite books, what they loved reading both in Year 5 and beyond. “These sessions are always really well received by the primary schools” said Ms Hockey from the library. “It is wonderful to see how the students interact with each other. I am always so impressed by how our Reading Buddies mature during the project. There is always a real buzz about books when we leave.”
PARENTS’ BOOK CLUB REVIEW On Friday 5th February, Chorlton High School once again welcomed parents for the Parents’ Book Club which meets in the library on Friday mornings every half term. The book club is an excellent opportunity for parents to socialise and read some of the books their children are reading.
One of our parent book club members gave her verdict of the books the club has read so far this school year: “CHS book club is a fantastic opportunity to read books that your children might enjoy. We have read three very different books and I’m looking forward to reading lots more! Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver is a fantasy adventure novel about a teenage orphan boy Torak, who lived 6000 years ago during the Stone Age. Torak befriends a wolf cub and together they have to defeat evil in their quest to save the world. A gripping story of friendship and courage. A page turner of a read! Once is the first of a series of four novels by Morris Gleitzman. The story, seen
through the eyes of a 12 year old child, is set during the Nazi occupation of Poland during the Second World War. Felix, a Jewish orphan, rescues a girl called Zelda whose parents have been murdered by the Nazis, and together they go in search of Felix’s parents. A powerful and moving tale inspired by a true story. The Terrible thing that happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne is about a boy born different; he floats. His mum and dad see themselves as ‘normal’ and don’t like that Barnaby isn’t. They fear what people will think and when Barnaby is seen on the news floating at Sydney Harbour Bridge. A great story of denial and acceptance of people who are different.”
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT
ALUMNI IN THE SPOTLIGHT SUCCESS FOR CHS FREDDIE Many congratulations to CHS Alumnus Freddie Watkins as he tours the country as the evil leader Jack in Golding’s classic Lord of The Flies. The Drama Department are really proud, particularly as he starred in Chorlton High School’s production of Lord of the Flies in 2009 when he was in Year 9 playing the role of Simon. We rehearsed for months and even enjoyed a weekend away in Conway as the all-male cast developed their characters through rehearsal and outdoor pursuits. The production is highly acclaimed and the reviews are spectacular. Well done Freddie, you look terrifying!
ALUMNUS PROFILE NAME Dominic Coffey YEAR GRADUATED FROM CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL 2010 WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? I am currently part of JV2 which is known as the Jasmin Vardimon Company Professional Development Certificate. WHAT COLLEGE DID YOU ATTEND? Pendleton College, Salford WHAT DID YOU STUDY AT COLLEGE? BTEC Dance UNIVERSITY & COURSE Northern School of Contemporary Dance – BPA (Hons) in Contemporary Dance WHAT ACHIEVEMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO TELL US ABOUT? • During my time at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, I had the opportunity to perform in the Riley Theatre and work with Ben Duke, Carlos Pons Guerra, Shirley Jacobs and Rod Dixon. • I also took part in a project called ‘Boy Soldier’ based on Rosie Kay’s ‘5 Soldiers’, where I had the opportunity to perform at Rusholme Army Reserve Centre. • I graduated from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance with an Upper Second Class Honours. • I performed a piece called ‘Green Belt’ choreographed by Chris Keerie at the London Southbank Queen Elizabeth’s Hall. • I am currently in the process of creating and rehearsing with JV2 ready to go on tour in April, when I’ll be working with Jasmin Vardimon. FAVOURITE SUBJECT AT CHS Dance and PE because I always wanted to be active and move around. BEST MEMORY OF CHS Performing in the Blue Box Theatre. ADVICE TO CURRENT CHS STUDENTS To follow whatever career you would love to do, whether that is in Maths, Dance, Science etc. If you have an interest in a certain subject, pursue it to its fullest and don’t be afraid to do things wrong or fail because you will learn from your mistakes. Remember to keep an open and positive mind.
Regent’s Park Theatre production of Lord of the Flies. Photo: Johan Persson.
NEWS CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL
YEAR 10 REVISION HUB We recently launched a weekly Revision Hub open to all Year 10 students, in the Green Room after school. Each session has a teacher led revision session as well as a social space for independent group study. Year 10 students already attending the Revision Hub have been incredibly positive about the sessions.
LEGAL EAGLES Year 7 pupils got the legal bug as they learned about UK law in PSHE. The pupils presented prosecution and defence arguments based on real cases. To help get into role pupils tried on a wig and a gown and we have discovered a few future lawyers in our midst!
CHS HAS GOT THE X FACTOR Thursday 4th February 2016 saw Chorlton High School’s 5th year of X Factor and people have been saying it was the best yet!
There were 12 awesome acts with a mixture of solo singers, duets, a ukulele and a rap act! The judges were last year’s winners – Zoe Jackson and Eleanor Hopkins, singing teacher Miss Smith, Music TA Mr Harrison, and Chorlton High’s very own MFL teacher Mr Felda. It was a tough decision for both the audience and judges as there were so many good quality and talented acts this year! Lily Hewitt from Year 7 won the audience vote and Kizzy Dibb and Lily Howard from Year 8 won the judges vote. All winners will spend a day at Airtight Recording Studios to record a song of their choice and are also invited to perform at City Year’s Got Talent! LILY HEWITT, YEAR 7
Lily Hewitt, audience vote winner
“Since I started to go to the Green Room I have learnt how to revise and I have found different techniques that will help me in my exams. It has made work less stressful and easier to handle as it boosts your confidence, independence and self-esteem. I feel more resilient and more motivated in achieving my end of year targets in RE and Maths.” “Since I started going to the Year 10 Revision Hub in the Green Room I have learnt about the different techniques that will help me in my exams and also at home. Throughout the course of revision I have found that my grades have become higher and I also feel much more confident in passing my GCSEs. When we go into the Green Room there are a variety of resources such as past papers, exam questions, revision cards and text books. Also there are teachers there to help you if you are stuck on any of your work.” “Since the arrival of the Year 10 revision Hub, my confidence has grown in subjects where I once struggled. My grades in RE are significantly improving and I have learnt many revision techniques to help me at home. The amount of resources available are amazing! I can finish my homework or revise for my exams in peace and quiet as everyone is respectful and all the staff are nice and friendly. I feel safe and very welcome at the Green Room and this is all down to the teachers and staff who have helped the Green Room turn into our Revision Hub.”
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT
MEDIA IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Spring Term saw lots of exciting media opportunities for our students to get involved in. From a Q&A session with a Director to working with local Media Developers, students have gained valuable experiences and an opportunity to explore different career options. As part of the Greater Manchester on Film Festival season, run by Into Film, a group of Year 10 Media students went to the Z Arts Centre in Hulme to see a special viewing of the film Boom Bust Boom. Boom Bust Boom is a seriously comic look at why economic crashes happen and is told by a member of Monty Python, the finest minds in economics, writers, puppets and a movie star. After the film, the students had the chance to meet the directors, Ben Timlett and Bill Jones and discussed how they made economics interesting! “I really enjoyed Boom Bust Boom. I found it very informative, and would strongly recommend it to anyone who is interested in what ACTUALLY happened in the 2008 crash. The way it was presented was brilliant; the songs and the puppets not only provided comedic value, but also made the content clearer and far more accessible” ATALANTA HARKAVY, YEAR 10 “I found the film really interesting in the way the information was presented to us. It was really easy to understand, for a film that looked at complex topics. The use of
puppetry and music made, what could have been a complex documentary, more fun and accessible to everyone”. MANVI MANKHALA, YEAR 10 As well as the visit to Z Arts, students have also had a chance to work with local Interactive Media Developer, Krishna Scott, who has come in to trial one his latest creative digital games with some of our classes. In addition, the White Room, a Digital Creative Training Company are also working with a group of students on an enterprise project. All these opportunities will certainly help strengthen our students’ media skills and provide them with an insight into the wide range of media careers open to them. Outside of lessons we have a lot of extracurricular media activities taking place too. We have an enthusiastic group of young film makers who are currently gathering footage for three short films about Chorlton High; these will be premiered on our school website – so watch this space! We also have a small, dedicated group of Film Buffs, who meet on a Tuesday after school to watch, discuss and review films. They are currently enjoying the original Pirates of The Caribbean trilogy.
ARTS & CRAFTS CLUB
On Thursdays after school a group of Year 7 and 8 meet in S84 and share their passion for art. Since September we have created: clay candle pots; concertina books; bound sketchbooks; paper lanterns; observational drawings and repetitive patterns. It is a very happy and positive place to spend time doing art and a great place to make new friends. ABIGAIL WHITE, YEAR 8
CHORLTON HIGH MAKES THE NEWS On Thursday 10th March 2016, Year 7 and 8 students from Chorlton High School made the news for real as they took part in the BBC News School Report. The BBC News School Report gives 11-16 year old students in the UK the chance to make their own news reports for a real audience. Students began the day by gathering exciting news stories and writing dynamic scripts. They brainstormed ideas and put together a running order, before filming their footage and interviews. The pupils were inspired by many important national and international news bulletins in their report. They chose to focus on top scientists backing the argument to stay in the EU; an elephant who found his way home through minefields in Syria; and whether sporting stars are really heroes if they take performance enhancing drugs. They also presented a range of local and topical issues as well as a weekend weather forecast. “BBC News School Report Day was full of surprises for me. My favourite moment was filming the weather because it was so fun.” MEHTAAB RAKHA, YEAR 7 “Today I took part in BBC School Report. First we organised roles and what we were going to do. After that we wrote scripts and looked for stories online and in newspapers. After that we filmed our stories. My favourite moment of the day was writing scripts and gathering stories.” JUDE PATRICK, YEAR 8
The fun didn’t just stop there! After a productive day putting their BBC School Report together the students then got the opportunity to visit Media City to watch CBBC Newsround being filmed, and to take part in a Q & A with the Newsround team. The group collectively concluded that it was “the best school day ever”! All of those involved worked really hard on the project all day. They learned a whole range of new skills such as camera work and script writing. They worked as part of a team in addition to organising themselves and working to strict time deadlines. Mrs Ransome who worked with the students throughout the day commented “it is so lovely each year to see students become journalists, find stories that they are interested in and take part in what is going on in the wider world around them”. Many of the students were inspired to consider a career in journalism and media at the end of the day. Future roving reporters in the making! You can watch their fabulous news report on our website.
“I loved working with a different group of people, researching stories and typing up reports. The whole experience has been amazing and is something I would happily repeat. My favourite moment at BBC School Report was researching international stories because it gave me more insight into what was going on in the world and encouraged me to look up things that I might not have done of my own accord” LOIS DOBSON, YEAR 7. “My favourite part of BBC News School Report was finding stories and writing scripts. I felt like a real journalist! We spent loads of time getting great stories and I felt like I was in my own office when we were writing the scripts. It felt great finally filming and might encourage me to be a journalist in the future”
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT
LET’S GET DIGITAL
Over the Spring and Summer Term a group of ten students from Years 7-10 are taking part in an intergenerational ‘Junior Digital Champion’ project in collaboration with Southway Housing.
The ‘Junior Digital Champion’ project run by Stacey Green, Digital Inclusion Officer at Southway Housing, aims to help older people develop their understanding and confidence with digital technology, whilst also facilitating an opportunity for intergenerational work. Last half term the students took part in a training session with Southway Housing to equip them with the key skills needed to deliver Digital Champion sessions with older people. The students learnt about the importance of digital inclusion, and how they as young people can share their skills with people not familiar with the use of digital technology. On Thursday 3rd March, we welcomed a group of older Southway Housing residents to Chorlton High School for our first digital inclusion session with our students. They worked incredibly well with the residents and quickly took to their ‘Junior Digital Champion’ roles, demonstrating a wealth of digital skills and knowledge. Throughout the session the students helped the residents with a variety of skills from searching for music
online and using Google Maps to demonstrating how to use tablets. “I think it was really fun to show elders how to use technology and it was a good experience.” MALEEHAH KHAN, YEAR 9
‘‘
Today was absolutely brilliant! The boys were so helpful and everyone was so nice. You have made an old lady very happy. WINIFRED, SOUTHWAY HOUSING RESIDENT
’’
It was particularly lovely to witness Winifred, a Southway Housing resident, rediscover a song from 1941 that she had been looking for. Robert Micu from Year 7 worked with Winifred to track down the song online and when he located it and played it, Winifred was over the moon. Robert commented “it was nice teaching other people how to use something that
would help them. It was especially nice seeing the reaction of the lady when she found a song she was looking for”. Winifred thoroughly enjoyed the session and commented “today was absolutely brilliant! The boys were so helpful and everyone was so nice. It was also a bonus to receive a lovely lunch. You have made an old lady very happy”. The session was a massive success and both the students and residents got a lot out of the experience. The project will continue on into the Summer Term with the students running two more digital inclusion sessions. Many of the residents who attended this time round are already looking forward to coming back to develop their digital skills further. “I think it was really fun and we got to know other people and teach them. It was a very good experience.” AMREEN ALI, YEAR 8 “I love teaching older people how to use technology! It was really good fun! They learn really fast.” ARIA DAHESH, YEAR 7
CHS FOOTBALL NEWS MANCHESTER CITY YOUTH TOURNAMENT
On Wednesday 16th March, our Year 7 & 8 Football Team played in a Manchester City youth tournament. This was an amazing experience and the students got to meet some England and Manchester City women footballers.
CHS FOOTBALL NEWS IN BRIEF... JUNIOR FOOTBALL LEADERSHIP COURSE
MANCHESTER FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
24 students, from Years 8 to 10, with a desire to pursue a career in sports in the future, have been developing the future skills they will need on a Junior Football Leadership Course. Students have committed to a project over a number of hours where they will show their understanding of leadership skills within football. This will culminate in them leading some football training sessions within school.
Two Year 10 Chorlton High School pupils, Lorae Alder and Chayé Hall, have been selected out of over fifty 14-25 year olds from across Manchester to work within the business and advertisement sector of football. They are working with Manchester Football Association, as part of their Young Leaders Academy, on community projects to gain invaluable employability skills for their future. Well done girls.
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SPOTLIGHT
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL NELL LANE CHORLTON MANCHESTER M21 7SL Tel 0161 882 1150 Fax 0161 861 8753 admin@chorltonhigh.manchester.sch.uk www.chorltonhigh.manchester.sch.uk @chorltonhigh 3643 - design manchesterdesignfactory.com 07884 427009