Ulverston Victoria High School NEWS SPLASH - OCTOBER 2008
Year 11 Language Students make an action-packed visit to Bollendorf, Germany Mr Fay writes Well I guess you will realise from my authorship of this piece that I am still here! I’m sure your children will have told you! Yet what a time to be at Ulverston Victoria High School. Last summer the school achieved its best ever examination results at A Level, GCSE and SATS. (Mr Cahalin has written elsewhere in the Newsplash about that - have you seen the “Victorious Vic” banner?) This month we have achieved successful results in both the Local Authority Inspection and the Ofsted Monitoring visit. Things are starting to move with real momentum and as I have told the staff and governors, quoting Winston Churchill, I feel that this is the end of the beginning. There is, of course, a lot to do to make Ulverston Victoria High School outstanding which is its rightful position. However, Ofsted now think we are making Good Progress which is a tremendous leap forward in such a short time, as in April they thought the progress was Inadequate. As a result they judge the overall progress since going into Special Measures as being satisfactory. We have been told that such a leap forward is unique in the experience of the local authority! The school is developing a really positive feel about it. There has been a real improvement in teaching and learning, school uniform, attendance, behaviour and generally a much more positive ethos. Have you noticed the great job the site management staff are doing on keeping this, difficult to manage site clean for instance? Well done to everyone here but the job is nowhere near finished and the staff know we still have lots to do. I feel part of a team which, of course, includes a tremendously supportive parent body. Indeed, after the Governors decided not to appoint after the Headteacher interview in March, my decision to stay on with the approval of Dowdales, was in no small part due to the tremendous assistance I have been given by the parents of Ulverston Victoria High School. As a result I have now been enlisted to serve your school until September 2009. This experience tells me (if I didn’t already know!) not to try and anticipate what fate has in store.
In September thirty-one Year 11 students spent a week in Bollendorf Germany. The group had an action-packed visit which included a visit to the famous Bitburger brewery, the Eiffel Park and the city of Trier. The weather was great and plenty of ice cream was consumed. Students improved their language skills by speaking to staff in German at the youth hostel and on visits. Everyone had a fantastic week and students were a credit to themselves and the school. Twenty Year 8 students used their French and German skills to serve customers in the International café at our open evening for primary students in years 5 and 6 which was held on Thursday 25th September. The café was a great success with studentmade menus supporting parents in their efforts to order food and drink in French or German. Year 7 celebrated European Day of Languages with a song contest which was hotly contested and narrowly won by 7.2 who looked and sounded very French – well done 7.2.
Year 6 Open Evening We had a really successful Year 6 Open Evening on Thursday 25th September, which was attended by hundreds of prospective parents and students. For the first time we surveyed the feelings of the parents about the evening. 96 parents responded and they told us that the vast majority thought the evening was a success. Highlights of the evening were the welcoming atmosphere, the great guides, the activities available in various subjects such as Science, Music and Drama, the international Café, the enthusiasm and so on. One of the great words used by parents was “reassuring” and others commented on “enthusiasm”. One parent said “everything was fantastic”! Our survey also gave us suggestions for improvement and told us the issues which concerned parents. We will publish the full survey on our website, www.ulverstonvictoria.cumbria.sch.uk. In the termly colour Newsletter we will tell you about all the improvements we have made to primary liaison over the last six months with Mr Butler leading the way forward.
Army Week 6th-10th October 2008 Ten Year 10 students went to experience the Army on the “Look at Life Course” run by the training team at Warcop. Having been picked up on Monday morning, the Year 10’s spent a week carrying out various tasks and drills. A good time was had by all. One or two students said they were very tired but they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Now let’s continue this good work and catch up with the coursework. Well done to all!
The Trials and Tribulations of a Chewing Gummer As you know we have developed a zero tolerance to chewing gum at UVHS. If you spent any time in any of the classrooms you would understand why. It isn’t pleasant for students to find ancient chewing gum stuck to them or to their shoes from chewing gum festooned carpets! Sometimes I think that historians of the future will name our era the chewing gum age to follow on from the stoneage, bronze age etc! If a student is caught chewing he or she will be placed in a detention and be asked to clean off chewing gum after school. Yes, there is a risk assessment. I really appreciate your support on this matter. To fully understand it you will have to stop thinking of your child as an individual chewing gummer and multiply that thought to the consequences of hundreds of “chewers”. I hope that this “tough sanction” will so discourage chewing so that, after a time, I can review it and remove it. My measurement will be the numbers of students who receive a detention. Yes, I must confess, I got a detention for chewing when I was at school. You may be surprised that chewing gum had been invented! I think Sir Walter Raleigh brought it over when I started Senior School but that’s another story ................................. Mr Fay
News from Maths This has been a fantastic start to the year for the Maths Department and our students. All the hard work by students, teachers and wonderfully supportive parents really paid off and we achieved our best ever Maths results. At KS3 84% of students achieved level 5+ compared to 73% in 2007 and the 2008 national figure of 77%. At KS4 the number of students achieving GCSE grade A*-C rose to 70.3% compared to last year’s figure of 53% and the 2008 national pass rate of 53.4. Nationally 45.3% of students achieved 5 A*-C grades at GCSE including English and Maths. At UVHS 61% of students achieved this. At A level an amazing 56% of students achieved grade A and in Further Maths 83% achieved a grade A. Since 2005 there has been a dramatic increase in the number of students taking A level Maths and Further Maths. Our numbers have risen from 13 Maths students in 2005 to 34 in 2008 and Maths now has the largest cohort of any A level subject. In other news Ms. McIntosh has started her code-breaking club. Students attend the club after school on Thursday and enter a national competition in which we were extremely successful last year. We welcome a new member of staff, Mr Taylor, who joined us in September as Key Stage 3 Development Coordinator. He is busy planning lots of new initiatives at Key Stage 3 and we look forward to seeing the benefits of these for your children. We are extremely keen to work closely with parents and carers as we really want the best for your child. If you feel there is anything you would like to discuss or have ideas as to how we can improve our provision we would be delighted to hear from you. Please just call school to make an appointment and Mrs Desbottes, Head of Maths, will happily meet with you. Thank you.
Healthy Eating Options
In our ongoing drive to offer our students and staff healthier eating options, we will be introducing a new menu at the beginning of November. We will also be introducing some selected price increases, the first since April 2007. We are confident that you will find our menu a significant improvement, and our prices highly competitive. Did you know that the outdoor coat should be plain not spotted, striped, camouflaged, hooped, leather or denim?
School Uniform
Work Related Learning Update Most of Year 10 have now made their Work Experience choices and we are ringing all those employers that have been chosen to try and secure a placement. Mrs Bell is working with students who have not made their choices to help them make their decisions. The Year 11 students are beginning their Post 16 Options work in PSHCE and Connexions are also beginning a rolling programme of interviews with the students. Although the main colleges and employers will be invited to school to speak to the students, some key dates you may wish to be aware of are as follows: The Jumpstart Careers Convention will be held at Forum 28 on 11th November from 10.00 am to 3.15 pm and 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm. UVHS Sixth Form Open Evening (Year 11 into 12) will be held on Wednesday 26th November from 6.30 - 9.00 pm.
Victoria Outreach Many thanks go to Crooklands Nursery for their continued support with various projects around school - with the provision of plants to assisting the Asdan groups with their community projects. Also many thanks to City Electrical for their continued support and their generosity in providing incentive prizes in the form of tools to reward our students. Well done to all students receiving prizes.
New Lunchtime Arrangements
Viva Vivienne!
From next half term Years 10 and 11 will have the option to go The new educational year has seen one of our most ambitious projects to date: Viva Vivienne! Year 12 AS textile students into town for their lunchtimes. I have consulted with the Police and UPAC (the local have started their course off with a visit to Sheffield's Millennium community group) about the impact of this decision and they Museum where the V&A's retrospective are in support of it. Anyone who wants to go into town must have applied for a exhibition of Vivienne pass to do so and have signed a contract promising good Westwood's work was behaviour. The pass will be suspended or revoked if the on display. On their to school student fails to keep his/her contract. The pass includes a return students then spent a photograph of the holder. The decision to allow Years 10 and 11 to go into town was whole day working professional taken after much reflection and discussion, including a debate with with the Parent’s Advisory Group. The school cannot efficiently fashion designer Julia developing feed all its students. The school supports the local economy. Geere, Most students in Years 10 and 11 deserve to be given the their designing skills responsibility of being in town. No-one is forced to go into and investigating techniques used by Ms Westwood. town and healthy options are available in town and on the The students will now spend the next four weeks developing a garment in the style of Vivienne Westwood. Their prototype and school site for those who choose not to do so. This lunchtime change forms part of a general review of our their design work will then have to be pitched to a 'dragons dining provision for all years including 7, 8 and 9. You will den' style panel of professionals. This will develop some notice the new healthy options advertised by our Catering staff important skills for these students if they have to attend in this Newsplash and I will also be talking to our Catering interviews for design courses at university and give them a real Manager and other staff about ideas I have for enhancing the head start. It should also produce some outstanding course work and be a WOW! at the fashion show in March. dining experience for our students. When the fencing of the school site is completed then students will then only be allowed to leave on the production of their passes. The new arrangement replaces an old regime which blatantly did not work and, given the nature of the school site, was unenforceable. Whilst the new system extends the privilege to Year 10, it is designed to be a tighter and more A unique opportunity for sixth formers to attend an international closely monitored approach. We will review it at the end of the Youth Congress in Chiapas, in the south of Mexico has developed from our Mexican Link. school year. This year three UVHS students attended the third congress held during the last two weeks of July. Working with students from other areas of the UK, Mexico and We bid a fond farewell to the following valued members of staff: Costa Rica the congress travelled to Indigenous Communities Mr Hinde from Science dislocated by war during Department, Dr Pearce from the 1990’s, visited the English Department, Ms Lacandon rain forest and Foxon and Mrs Conron experienced the Mayan from Maths Department, archaeological sites of Mrs Knaggs from Palenque and Yaxchilan. Technology Department, These experiences Jim Armstrong from the Site enabled young people to Management Team and explore major world Marian Bidwell, the face of UVHS Reception. issues related to Peace, Justice and Sustainability. Through philosophical th enquiries in English and Year 13 Religious Studies Students are attending a 6 form Spanish a deeper conference in Newcastle on October 17th. This will provide an understanding of some excellent opportunity for them to develop their advanced writing of the worlds greatest and thinking skills for the examination. problems were gained, We were delighted to welcome past ‘A’ level students into school through looking at the to talk with year 11 considering their ‘A’ level choices. Students global situation from studying Religious Studies or Philosophy at ‘A’ level have gone different perspectives. on to study pure philosophy or religious studies, but many other The fourth International things are possible. Several former students have gone on to th study Anthropology at Cambridge, Edinburgh and Durham Youth Congress will take place in Chiapas Mexico from 19 July universities. Philosophy combines well with many other subjects 2009. Students aged 18 – 21 at the time of the congress are and former students have combined it with for example English invited to contact Ms Hannam in the first instance. Literature at Norwich and Psychology at Liverpool and Edinburgh.
International Summer Youth Congress Chiapas Mexico
Farewell to Staff
News from Belief, Philosophy and Ethics
Homework Several parents have been kind enough to compliment the staff on the improvement in the setting of homework. We are still working to further improve this aspect. However, some students are not completing homework on a regular basis and they seem to accept a detention rather than take the time at home to complete the homework. Those students will become the focus of a particular learning experience which will involve extra study time after school if they consistently fail to engage with homework.
Welcome to New Staff We extend a warm welcome to new members of staff who joined UVHS in September.
Mr Shea and Mrs Anderson Learning Mentors
Mr Henshall Teacher of Psychology
Mr Parratt Assistant Site Manager
Miss Smith Teacher of English Mr Taylor Teacher of Maths
Mrs Minnican (right) and Mrs Atkinson (below) Reception
Chef Murray Catering Department : Technology
Vinny Marr Senior Head Boy
Congratulations to Vinny and Charlotte who have been voted Senior Head Boy and Girl at UVHS
Charlotte Wraith Senior Head Girl
Mexican Link We were delighted to welcome 11 students and 7 teachers from our linking school to Ulverston for the last two weeks of the Summer Term in July 2008. This was the third time that we have welcomed teachers and students from Secundaria Tecnica 44 Francisco Villa in Mexico City to Ulverston; the first visit was in July 2004 and the second in 2006. The visit was a great success and the Mexican teachers thought that this had been the most successful ever. At a grand welcoming ceremony in the Coronation Hall in Ulverston, our Mexican party were welcomed by our Ulverston Town Mayor Janette Jenkinson and representing Cumbria County Council Brenda Wiles from Building Schools for the Future. 100 people were present that evening and a wonderful buffet reception was provided by UVHS very own catering company ‘Defors’. Music through the evening was provided by the UVHS ‘Jazz Combo’. Teachers and students involved in the link made a key note presentation at Cumbria Development Education Centre’s (CDEC) school linking conference held at Rydal Hall. We also travelled to London for 24 hours and also visited the World Owl Centre at Muncaster Castle. Students were welcomed to a BBQ at Sandside Lodge School and also helped Year 5 students at Croftlands school develop their understanding of ‘The Aztecs’. We are now planning the next cycle of visits to Mexico in 2009 and a return visit from our Mexican friends in 2010. Year 8 or 9 students who are interested to be involved in the school linking should contact Ms Hannam as soon as possible.
Student Leaders An important new initiative has been started at UVHS this term. The students in Year 11 and teachers have elected a Head Boy, Head Girl and deputies for the main school. Their role will be to represent the students and be champions of Victoria Values. They will be supported in this role by Student Leaders, also Year 11 students, who are being selected by application and interview. Together these students will be trained in their new roles and will be there to lead by example and support teachers in making UVHS a friendly, caring and outstanding place to learn.
External Exam Results Summer 2008 This year we are celebrating fantastic achievements in all 3 key stages. Our students worked relentlessly in their preparations for their exams, many attending holiday and after school revision sessions to boost their understanding. We are also grateful to the support that parents gave to their children at the most stressful of times prior to and during the exam period. In the end of Key Stage 3 tests in maths 84% of students achieved a level 5 or higher, an increase of 5% on last year and above our Local Authority target and the national figure. In science 84% of students achieved a level 5 or higher, an increase of 5% on last year and well above our Local Authority target and national figure. Our GCSE results were outstanding. 61% of students achieved 5 A*-C grades, including English and Maths. This represents an increase of 14% on last year and exceeded our target by 7%. 70% of students achieved 5 A*-C grades overall, another 14% rise compared to last year and met our target. In particular, results in English, Maths, Science, Catering, Graphic Products, Music, RE, Resistant Materials and our BTEC courses all achieved outstanding success. At ‘A’ level our results were the best we have ever achieved. 53% of our students achieved a grade A or B. An increase of 14% on last year. 73% achieved a grade A, B or C compared with 61% last year. Overall our pass rate was 96%, well above the national average for schools with sixth forms. Students and staff are now working hard towards modular exams in November and March, as well as the Summer 2009 exams when we fully expect our improvement to continue.
Early School Closure - Wednesday 26th November 2008 at 2.30 pm Please make a note that UVHS will close early on Wednesday 26th November at 2.30 pm due to the Sixth Form Open Evening. School bus companies have been notified of this and will collect students from school at 2.30 pm on this day.
Ulverston Victoria Sixth Form Open Design and Evening - Wednesday 26th November Competition
Technology
Dragster
UVHS Sixth Form Open Evening for Year 11 students Students in Years 7 to 10 have entered a competition to design considering applying to join Year 12 will be held on and manufacture a CO2 powered model racing car (dragster) . Wednesday 26th November from 6.30 pm until 9.00 pm, with Leading up to the race day, teams of students will spend time presentations from Mr Rastelli, Head of Sixth Form, at 6.30 pm designing and developing cars using 3D Computer Aided Design and 8.30 pm in the School software. Hall. Our Sixth Form offers The final car design will then over 30 different A Level be exported to a Computer subjects and this evening will Aided Router that accurately be a great opportunity for cuts out the body shell. parents and students to Students will then clean up the discuss course options, meet car and apply a paint finish. staff and students, and Wheels and axles will be experience our lively, friendly assembled and the car will be atmosphere. We look forward ready to race on a special to seeing you there. track in the main hall.
Holidays in Term Time Please see the following letter to parents from Moira Swann, Corporate Director Children’s Services. Dear Parent FAMILY HOLIDAYS IN TERM TIME There is growing concern about the amount of time lost by pupils due to family holidays in term time and the disruption it causes to their education. In addition, there is a general misunderstanding of the law in relation to the absence of pupils from school whilst on holiday in term time. This provision was originally designed for those families where the parents HAD to take annual leave at a certain time. If you propose to take your child away from school, only the Headteacher can authorise the absence. Parents cannot authorise the absence themselves. Whenever possible, absence from school should be avoided as it can have a serious effect on a child’s educational progress, and can create difficulties for them on their return to school. Whenever possible, family holidays should be arranged during school holidays. Schools do have discretion to grant up to 10 days leave during term time, but before doing so will consider your child’s situation carefully. In considering a request, the school will take into account the child’s age; the time of year of the holiday; the nature of the visit and parental wishes; the child’s stage of education and progress: the child’s overall attendance record. Headteachers will not authorise absence if they believe that your request is unreasonable and you must ensure that your request is made to the school at least two weeks before the start of the holiday. Only in exceptional circumstances can a Headteacher grant leave of more than 10 days in term time. Where a family holiday during term time is agreed to be unavoidable,, it is vital that it does not coincide with examinations or other important tests that your child has to take. The dates of National Curriculum tests in 2008 - 2009 are: Key Stage 1 Can be at any time (although would usually be in the first three weeks of May) Key Stage 2 11 – 15 May 2009 Key Stage 3 5 – 8 May 2009 GCSE May/June – contact school for exact dates Headteachers are advised not to authorise absence for holidays where the pupil will miss a public examination. I trust that you will make every effort to co-operate in this matter in partnership with your child’s school and the Education Service. Yours sincerely Moira Swann Corporate Director Children’s Services
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The Great Uniform Debate Your chance to take part. DEBATE. Please record your views and send to the school office, preferably in an envelope marked UNIFORM DEBATE I would like the school uniform to be:
sourced from more than one supplier. available from only one supplier to maintain consistency of colour etc. I would like the school uniform to:
remain exactly the same. to change to a more formal uniform. I would like the students to wear:
a formal shirt and school tie. a blazer. a uniform coat. If there was to be a change I would like it to be:
all at once. phased in from Year 7 and optional for other years (students could wear the new uniform or retain the old one). Comments:
Signed : .................................................................................................................................................. Parent of: ................................................................................................................................................ (Optional)