CHRISTMAS 2016
OPEN EVENING EXAM SUCCESS!
CONTENTS In this issue... THREE FOUR - NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN EIGHTEEN NINETEEN TWENTY TWENTY-ONE TWENTY-TWO TWENTY-THREE
EXAM SUCCESS EDUCATIONAL VISITS GEOGRAPHY QUALITY MARK RE GOLD QUALITY MARK EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES
OPEN EVENING ASPIRE NEWS THE MERSEY GATEWAY SPORTS NEWS A SPECIAL GUEST PRIMARY MUSICAL SHOW SHOEBOX APPEAL CHRISTMAS HAMPERS REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY CHRISTMAS SERVICES
GCSE RESULTS We are delighted to report that GCSE results for pupils at St Chad’s have increased by 10 percentage points since last year with the majority of pupils achieving A*-C grades in English and Mathematics, a great achievement for the whole school community with pupils, parents and staff working together to achieve these results.
A-LEVEL RESULTS Students this year have achieved an excellent set of results in their A Levels, level 3 BTEC courses and the CACHE course which enables students to gain employment in Early Years Education. This consistent improvement confirms the finding from our recent OFSTED report where inspectors said “Sixth Form students have good attitudes to learning and want to do well.” The results have ensured that all students wishing to progress to university or to an apprenticeship have done so. Others have secured employment. 63% of students achieved A*-C grades, including several students achieving the highest grade of an A*, and an overall pass rate of 96% A*-E. Mr Paziuk, Headteacher, said “We are delighted with this year’s results which reflect the hard work of all students and staff.” Overall the vast majority of our students have done superbly well, we congratulate them all and wish them every success for the future.
With improvements in progress and attainment in almost all subjects St Chad’s is bucking the national trend of decline in results this year. After a very positive Ofsted Monitoring visit and a successful Diocesan Inspection which described the school as ‘Good with outstanding features’ these results confirm that St Chad’s is the place to be. After continuing to improve A Level results record numbers of pupils are signing on to stay at St. Chad’s Sixth Form making the Sixth Form this year the biggest the school has ever had.
CHINA 2016
In October eleven students from Year 10 and 11 went to China to practice their Mandarin, discover real Chinese culture and visit our partner school in Tongling. They started their tour in Shanghai, the business capital for China which offered students a view of the fast-paced modern China at the forefront of China’s modernisation. Following Shanghai, they visited Wuzhen, an ancient water village with a history of more than 900 years. Students were impressed by its beauty and traditional Jiangnan setting of bridges and rivers. The most exciting experience of the trip was the visit to our partner school, Tongling No.3 High School in Tongling, Anhui province. Students interacted with Chinese students and attended lessons. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to have a closer look at the Chinese education system and make some new Chinese friends. Then, they went the Jade Valley and Hongcun in the Yellow Mountain region where the film “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” was filmed.
It provided an opportunity for our students to observe ancient Chinese architecture and the breath-taking beauty of the area. The last stop was Beijing. Here students visited the Forbidden City, climbed the Great Wall and visiting the Summer Palace. Unforgettable Beijing offered the group treasures of an ancient civilisation and a living lesson in modern political history. There was an unparalleled wealth of discovery to delight and intrigue students as they explored Beijing’s ancient past and enjoy its exciting modern development. It is almost impossible to talk of highlights on a trip like this. China, with ancient treasures and a forward-facing culture, inspires students and broadens their perspective on the world. The students from St. Chad’s thoroughly enjoyed themselves, always conscious of the great privilege everyone felt at being able to make this trip. Such a diverse and fascinating country with its treasure trove of cultural and historical delights benefits students - an incredibly eyeopening journey.
MUSEUM OF LIVERPOOL
STRETCH & CHALLENGE DAY
On Monday 17th October a group of Year 9 students visited the Museum of Liverpool for a Stretch and Challenge Day supported by Liverpool, Oxford and Cambridge universities. In a busy day the students studied subjects such as Oncology, Archaeology, Computer Science, Engineering, Geography, Emigration, Sociology and Chemistry. The Stretch and Challenge opportunity provided the students with an insight into university life and knowledge of the broad range of courses available to them in Higher Education. As we have grown to expect the students were a credit to the school, rising to the challenges and thoroughly enjoying learning with university subject specialists. Having a chance to consider how they will continue their education into the next phase of their lives made this an extremely worthwhile experience for the students involved.
CHESTER CATHEDRAL In November Chester Cathedral hosted a conference for Joint Church schools, which our headteacher Mr Paziuk and Chair of Governors Janet Lawrence took part in. St Chad’s led the worship at the start of the day in the Cathedral’s Lady Chapel with a special Joint Church liturgy developed for use in school. The congregation, which included the Bishop of Chester and the Archbishop of Liverpool, as well as headteachers, governors and chaplains from Joint Church schools from across the country, were delighted to hear singers from the St Chad’s choir supporting the worship with beautiful renditions of ‘Down to the River to Pray’, ‘Be Still’ and ‘For the Beauty of the Earth’. We are very proud of our choir for the contribution they made to this special occasion and would like to thank all the staff and students who took part.
On the 21st of October, 24 students and 3 staff had the pleasure of visiting Iceland. This was an action packed trip filled with once in a lifetime opportunities. The trip began with a visit to the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa where, although the temperature is very cold outside, the water remains at a constant 37 – 39oC.
ICELAND
This was followed by an afternoon in old town Reykjavik with time for a little shopping and a visit to the local Lutheran cathedral.
The next day we embarked on a tour of the Golden Circle. We had the opportunity to visit the famous Gullfoss waterfall, followed by a visit to one of the biggest active Geysers in Iceland. This action packed day concluded with a stop at Pingvellir National Park where we were able to stand between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, an amazing opportunity.
OLD TOWN REYKJAVIK THEDRAL CA LUTHERAN
We experienced all different types of weather during our stay, ranging from bright sunshine on Saturday through wind and rain, to snow on the morning that we were leaving. They have a saying in Iceland “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes”. This proved to be very true and we definitely experienced it all. However, this posed no problem to our students and their amazing attitudes ensured that this was a very successful and enjoyable trip.
COLOMENDY
YEAR 7 RESIDENTIAL
On Friday 7th October, 47 students and six members of staff set off for a weekend of adventure and team building activities at the Kingswood Centre in Colomendy. After settling into their rooms and having dinner, students were treated to a camp fire in the middle of the woods, where songs were sung, jokes told and marshmallows were eaten. School Chaplain Niall Hammond also took students by surprise with his Pavarotti style renditions. It was a great start to the weekend adventure. After a very early 5.30 am start on Saturday, courtesy of 47 very excited Year 7 students the group were treated to a huge breakfast before heading off to take part in the activities of the day. These included the giant zip wire, problem solving, low ropes and high all aboard. Both students and staff had a fantastic and challenging time completing the activities, as well as good fun and the opportunity to get to know each other better. Saturday was topped off with a disco and a
fairly early night for the exhausted students. On Sunday everyone was up bright and early to take part in caving and abseiling which was enjoyed by all, despite the nerves on display. The trip finished with lunch and a brilliant rendition of Happy Birthday to Mrs Dursley, St Chad’s Year 7 transition mentor. Colomendy proved to be a fantastic opportunity for all, working together as a team, having fun and learning more about each other. Well done Year 7 for your amazing efforts and achievements.
YEAR 7 VISIT...
HALTON CASTLE
On Tuesday 11th October, 20 students in Years 9, 10 and 13 visited the Liverpool Empire to watch a production of ‘Sister Act The Musical’. They watched choreography performed by professional dancers to upbeat musical numbers which they will later study within their dance lessons. Being able to watch the performance allowed pupils to see the numbers being performed by professional dancers and gain an insight into the show and the attributes needed for the various characters. The students thoroughly enjoyed the performance and have started to transfer some of the understanding in their practical lessons. As usual the students behaviour was exemplary throughout. A member of the public who was sat next to one of our students even commented on their exquisite behaviour and attitude throughout, saying it was a pleasure to sit next to them and chat to them at the interval about their school and their interest in being at the Theatre. Promoting creativity, especially through Expressive Arts is an important feature of the broader curriculum at St. Chad’s and allowing students to have opportunities to experience live performances in top theatre venues is a key feature of our extra curricular activities. Well done to all students involved and we look forward to more excellent dance shows from them in the future.
The date was Friday 4th November, it was the day before Bonfire Night, as 20 intrepid explorers set off on the adventure of a lifetime... Ok, so it wasn’t quite like that, it was twenty year 7 students, and 3 members of staff, wrapped up against the cold on a historical visit to Halton Castle.
As part of our growing Nurture group, and of our ‘links with the community’ aspect, we met two tour guides from Norton Priory who were there to help us unravel the mysteries of the past. Excitement filled the air as we learned about battles fought and life as a castle dweller. We discovered latrines and lookouts, castle walls and walkways. The students listened intently to the information given and bravely explored the castle grounds to find hidden treasures. It was a clear day so, as we stood at the highest point, we could see, the water tower at Norton, Fiddlers Ferry, the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool, but most importantly we could see our school, the science block stood proudly to attention against the backdrop of many of the students’ houses. It was a great afternoon and rain didn’t stop play, thankfully.
SLAVERY MUSEUM LIVERPOOL
On Friday the 21st of October a group of Sixth Form students visited the Slavery Museum in Liverpool. The Museum has a number of amazing exhibits and students were inspired by many of them. They had time to explore the different areas within the museum during the course of the day and reflect on how it impacted on their religious education curriculum. Students were able to visualise the conditions that refugees and asylum seekers have had to face in their own lifetimes and see how slavery and the working conditions that they were forced to live by, inspired figures throughout history to fight against injustice in the world. The group were also able to identify key figures that they have learnt about, for example Martin Luther King and learn about his fight against injustice and discrimination. The students engaged with the real-life exhibits, in particular the enslavement and the middle passage route, revealing some of the brutality and trauma suffered by enslaved Africans on the voyage across the Atlantic; followed by the oppression of their lives on plantations in the Americas. It was heart-warming to see students appreciating the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom. It was also an amazing opportunity to experience learning in a new environment. Students were a delight and all represented St Chad’s Catholic and Church of England High School in a positive light.
The Geography Department are delighted to have received recognition of their work with the award of the Secondary Geography Quality Mark. This is a nationally recognised award accredited by the Geographical Association and requires the geography department to provide evidence of outstanding teaching, attainment and progress and an inspiring geography curriculum which leads to successful outcomes for students. St Chad’s is the only school in Halton to hold the quality mark and will do so for the next three years. Many thanks go to Mr Merryweather, Mr Duckers, Mrs Holebrook and a number of our fantastic students for the significant contributions they have made.
This term we were extremely proud of two teams of our Year 8 and 9 students who took part in the annual WorldWise quiz at Chester University. The event involved 21 teams from 10 schools and for the first time we were up against a local rival, Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy. The questions for the quiz were set by the Geographical Association and were designed to test student’s knowledge of the world around them, particularly the area they live in. As you might expect the competition was of a very high standard and the quiz extremely challenging, but our students acquitted themselves brilliantly and responded to the challenge with great enthusiasm and determination. Both of our teams finished together in mid-table (just above OBA) with promises of ‘We’ll be back next year to win it!’ This is an ambitious goal, but hopefully it will prove to be the motivation that these students need to help them to reach greater heights. Many thanks to the students involved and the teachers who gave up their evening so that they could take part. This year you were entertaining, next year you will be champions.
Further signs that St Chad’s is an improving school came this half term when the RE department once again was awarded the Gold RE Quality Mark. The award celebrates the continuing successes and innovative approach which underpins the work undertaken within the department. The process involves submitting evidence across many areas, such as Teaching and Learning, Pupil Engagement and Outcomes. The REQM assessor was highly impressed with the evidence presented and also with the students she spoke to on the day. Well done to all concerned.
FIREWORKS EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES September 26th 2016 marked the 15th anniversary of the European Day of Languages (EDL) which was proclaimed by the Council of Europe on 6 December 2001. The day was marked in the 47 member states of the council as the people of Europe recognised the value of learning languages to help aid intercultural understanding. Here at St. Chad’s students and staff celebrated the day in a number of ways. All subjects became involved and students took part in a language focused activity in each subject area. In the modern languages department activities were held each lunchtime including a boules competition, badge making, food tasting and a quiz with a European twist. St Chad’s school has always valued the learning of languages and has maintained strong cultural links over the years. Currently students in Year 7 are preparing for the annual Christmas Carol competition which involves tutor groups learning a carol in a foreign language and then competing against the other tutors to see who is the best group of carol singers.
Saturday 5th November St. Chad’s hosted the first Stretch and Challenge Event of this academic year. Youngsters from our partner primary schools were invited to come along and take part in lessons related to a particular topic and the theme of the day, in line with the time of year, was Fireworks. The students were given the opportunity to showcase their writing skills to our English department and group discussions took place to share ideas on how to describe an evening at a fireworks display using the five senses. The students produced amazing descriptive writing pieces, which our teacher, Miss Kane was wowed by. During the music session, the students had fun by taking part in a singing workshop with Mr Coyle, following the Year 7 curriculum. They then used their creative flair to produce their own composition for a firework display by using Logic Pro recording software on the Apple Macs. We were all impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm displayed by those who attended and we look forward to the new year when we continue with more Stretch and Challenge events. Watch this space!
OPEN EVENING 2016 St Chad’s held its annual Open Evening on Thursday 22nd September 2016 and was visited by year 5 and 6 students with their families. The school was a hive of activity offering parents and their children the opportunity to interact with subject leaders and staff. Visitors were able to get involved in scientific experiments, make ‘green slime’ and test gravity by dropping objects in a controlled environment. There were opportunities to get involved in quizzes and competitions and to sample year 9 students’ dishes from around the world and the food that is served in the canteen on a daily basis. Prospective parents/carers were delighted to see their children being welcomed by many of our current students who spoke about the school’s life, the wealth of opportunities and the well-rounded education delivered at the school during a guided tour. The students who visited the school on Open Evening were given the chance to win a brand new iPad Air. The lucky winner was a pupil from Castle View Primary School. Mrs Burke, Deputy Headteacher, said ‘It is always busy at Open Evening, and it’s such a pleasure to see old and new faces with many generations of families coming through St Chad’s’. Parents and pupils are also able to visit the school on any of our open mornings which take place each half-term. These visits give parents and pupils the opportunity to go on a tour of the school to observe activities during the working school day.
On Monday 7th November 2016 some of St Chad’s sixth form students had an opportunity to experience the challenges faced by cyclists on the road. The Bike Right specialists highlighted to the students the problems faced by cyclists every day when using our roads. They gave pupils valuable knowledge and riding skills on how to ride their bikes in a safe and responsible manner. They also put on a workshop to develop the skills needed to keep your bike road-worthy and safe.
LOGGERHEADS
At St Chad’s we are truly proud of the way in which our young students are always keen to help those in need both in this country and abroad and this term we have seen plenty of examples of this kind heartedness. One example came when Year 9 Aspire pupils completed a sponsored walk around Loggerheads to raise money for charity. The walk was challenging at times for the students as the weather was not the best and the terrain is always difficult. But students did not complain and as always they displayed the high levels of maturity which we have come to expect from them. These students are fantastic ambassadors for the school and have raised money for a number of worthy causes.
With just over a year until the completion of the new Mersey crossing it was good to welcome the Mersey Gateway team into school this term to show students and staff how the project was developing and to display images of how the completed bridge will change the landscape of the area. With a state of the art Science block it is important for St Chad’s to actively promote careers in the Science industry to our budding scientists and it was good to see five of our youngsters taking part in the Unilever Bright Futures Programme this term. Beginning with a launch at the company’s Wirral headquarters the programme allowed the students to see the kind of work that Unilever have begun to help provide a better future for a world where everyone has enough food to eat and no child goes to bed hungry. The day also provided our students with an opportunity to work alongside fellow students from the top schools in Merseyside and the North West.
With the bridge clearly destined to be a huge part of student’s lives in the future the team found themselves inundated with questions about the work that is taking place. The visit was also extremely timely as students were taking part in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) day designed to explore the history and building of bridges over the ages. It was good therefore to match the learning that was taking place with the real life practicalities of constructing what will be the most expensive bridge in the UK. Described as a ‘bridge to prosperity’ it is very much hoped that our young people reap the benefits of its construction as they progress in their lives.
SPORTS NEWS ATHLETICS
On Friday 2nd December 2016 our year 7 and 8 students represented St Chad’s at the Halton Sports Hall Athletics event at Kingsway Leisure Centre. The students performed in a variety of long distance and sprinting track events as well as field events such as triple jump, long jump, speed bounce, vertical jump and shot put. All of the students performed with enthusiasm and demonstrated great sportsmanship values. They were excellent ambassadors for the school and we are really proud of them.
FOOTBALL
Despite exiting the Cheshire Cup in the 2nd Round, the Year 8 football team are still undefeated in the Halton League. With 2 wins from 2 they are well-placed to better their achievement of last season when they lost in the play-off final.
NETBALL
The Netball club has been thriving here at St Chad’s. We have welcomed some fantastic new year 7’s and have developed two teams in year 8. In KS4 we have a combined team of girls from years 9-11. These girls turn up every Tuesday and Thursday to practice and they are getting stronger by the week. The girls have played 3 matches so far against schools in Halton. Well Done to all involved for their constant hard work and commitment.
RUGBY SIX NATIONS TROPHY This term we have had a number of exciting days at St Chad’s including special guests in school and a range of activities for our feeder primary school students, but the day the Rugby Six Nations trophy and Triple Crown trophy arrived there was a real buzz both in school and on social media. The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The competition is sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland and is the biggest tournament in rugby. The current champions are England, having won the 2016 tournament. Luckily we were able to persuade members of the England squad to bring both trophies to school and students and staff were excited as they waited for an opportunity to have a photograph taken holding the prized cup and shield. Special occasions in school provide students with lasting memories and this event proved to be one of those events that will last
long in the memory. Incredibly staff were also queuing for a photo which soon found their way on to the social network.
WELCOME TO OUR SPECIAL GUEST When top comedian John Bishop was asked to come into school to speak to Sixth Form students we knew we were in for some laughs. What we did not expect was how inspirational he would turn out to be. Having spent part of his own youth living in Murdishaw John was able to relate stories of how difficult it can be making your mark from difficult beginnings. But the students and staff who took part in the question and answer session discovered how John who worked in the Runcorn ICI plant took the opportunities that came his way to reach the top of celebrity status. He told students to always believe that they are as good as everyone else and aim to live out their dreams. When asked by one of them what he would have liked to have done if he had not been a comedian, John told them
that he would have liked to have been a teacher because they are the only people who can make a change for the next generation.
MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA Chad’s to showcase their talents. Youngsters from St Martin’s, St Clement’s, St Edward’s, St Mary’s, Our Lady’s, Holy Spirit and Halton Lodge took part in what were two amazing evenings which linked together our wider community in a cohesive way.
On Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th November more than 240 primary students and 68 students from St Chad’s performed in a music and dance extravaganza to a full house in the school’s Assembly Hall. The primary students performed various songs and dances, on their own as a school and joined with older students from St
All of the singers and dancers worked exceptionally hard in the weeks prior to the event and demonstrated a considerable amount of commitment. We very much hope to see as many of these talented young people joining us as St Chad’s students in the future. Well done to all those who took part in the event, both shows were truly outstanding!
SHOEBOX APPEAL & CHRISTMAS HAMPERS Generosity and remembering those less fortunate than you have been features of St Chad’s since the school opened nearly forty years ago and once again this year we have seen students and staff working together to raise money for a wide range of charities. This work is especially evident as we approach the festive season and two activities become the school’s charitable focus. These are the annual collections of shoeboxes and hampers. This year we teamed up with the Rotary Shoebox scheme organised by Rotary International. The message on their website states that ‘The gift of a shoebox that contains toys, toiletries, educational items or household goods is a drop of happiness to the people of Eastern Europe who live in a world of poverty. For many, it will be the first present that they have ever received and it lets them
know that somebody, somewhere cares. If you would like to take part, we would love to hear from you.’ It is extremely pleasing to report that this year we managed to produce 142 shoeboxes which were dispatched in time for Christmas. In addition to the shoeboxes students have been actively engaged in an annual event that helps to illustrate how kind and generous students and their families can be at this time of the year. St Chad’s school has always been proud of the Christmas hampers that tutors have produced to help those in need in the Halton area and once again the appeal has reached out and provided us with an opportunity to think about others who may not have the resources they need to enjoy the festive season.
As our image shows students are very proud of their achievement and it is a heart warming moment when Halton Social Services staff arrive in school to collect the hampers which have been lovingly presented to look like the wonderful gift that they truly are. Once again this year needy families and elderly people living in Runcorn will have an amazing surprise when a Christmas hamper full of useful food and drink arrives at their door. ‘As followers of the saviour we have a personal responsibility to care for the poor and need’. Well done to all students who have contributed and help make this a special Christmas for so many.
We have also been able to support the Halton foodbank at this important time of year.
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY OUR REMEMBRANCE GARDEN As part of the school’s commemoration of the First World War and its ongoing reflection of lives lost in conflict St Chad’s gardening club have created a Remembrance garden in memory of our fallen soldiers. Set in a focal area of the school so that it can be seen by students and staff on a daily basis the garden is a fitting tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The students really liked the idea of having a place where they could go and think about the sacrifices our soldiers made, and still make, and the garden also provides year round colour and beauty. Our gardeners were keen to plan the garden out themselves and were really proud of what they had created.
I liked creating the garden because even though it is sad, the garden makes you feel happy because you are doing something special.
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With the garden proving to be a success, the students are overjoyed that they have been able to make such a positive impact and that they were able to remember the fallen on Armistice Day. One pupil said:
CHRISTMAS SERVICES Our Lady’s: Christmas Eve 5.00pm Vigil Mass of Christmas
Saint Edward’s: Saturday 18th December 3.00pm Advent Readings & Carols Christmas Eve 6.30pm Vigil Mass of Christmas Christmas Day 10.00am Mass of the Nativity of the Lord Sunday 8th January 2017 3.00pm Christmas Readings, Carols & display of Family Cribs Holy Spirit: Christmas Eve 4.30pm Vigil Mass of Christmas Saint Augustine’s: Christmas Eve 7.00pm Vigil Mass of Christmas Saint Martin’s: Christmas Day 10.30am Mass of the Nativity of the Lord
St Chad’s Catholic & Church of England High School Grangeway, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 5YH Email: admin@st-chads.halton.sch.uk Tel: 01928 564106 Fax: 01928 572902 www.st-chads.co.uk