Black History Month 4

Results Day Celebrations!

In the last week of the summer holidays staff and students met on Thursday morning to receive their 2022 GCSE results. These were the first set of examination results in two years so there was much anticipation from everyone involved. As the first students began to arrive and results were shared the atmosphere in school was one of relief, happiness and excitement. The class of 2022 had achieved a fantastic set of results and were now free to celebrate their success and confirm their future plans with colleges.

Some students arrived with their friends, a few came alone and others brought their family. Many of the teaching staff came in, including Miss Winter who left at Christmas but had been the cohort’s Head of Year from 2017, she was delighted with the results. As was Miss Brophy who supported the students throughout their exams knows how hard they all worked. Mr Ormsby was very happy for the students who had been a credit to the Our Lady’s throughout their five years at school, contributing much to the culture of excellence that is at the heart of all we do.

Congratulations to the class of 22 and good luck in your future endeavours

Langdale, we love you!

A little later than usual, our year 7s made their way north to the picturesque Lake District to enjoy a week of fun-filled activities. The week was certainly wetter than usual but the spirits of the students there were not dampened. The students split up into two groups to attend over the course of the week and were led by their Head of Year, Mr. Edge. Mr Edge has shared his story of a week to remember at Langdale!

The students were certainly excited in the build-up to Langdale and the venue and activities did not disappoint. The base for this week of adventure was a beautiful Victorian mansion accompanied by the beautiful backdrop, that is, the Lake District. The accommodation catered for all 186 students over the week and did a sterling job. Many students spent the mornings raving about their breakfast which set them up perfectly for the long day ahead. The activities included gorge walking, archery, a visit to a quarry, team-building exercises, and scenic walks. Students put their fears aside and plunged into rivers and the dark. Some of the most rewarding moments of the trip were seeing students, who were once full of trepidation, overcome their apprehension and embrace new activities triumphantly. The hostel and the event organisers were full of praise for the politeness, bravery, and good spirit of the students. Several instructors told me that a couple of the groups were the best they had ever had. This high praise for the students was not unwarranted. They were a dream throughout the trip and incredible ambassadors for Our Lady’s High School. They filled me and every teacher in attendance with pride and were a credit to their parents and carers. The evenings were full of fun and consistent questions about when the tuck shop would open. The evening activities consisted of a talent show, games, quizzes, and movie night. The talent show illustrated just how many dances and songs I had never heard of and was a splendid advertisement for TikTok. The students also got to endure my and another teacher’s rap. Needless to say, we did not finish in the top 3 of the competition. As each trip ended, the students continued to show their brilliant character and left the dorms as they were found. The hostel even remarked that they had never had all beds stripped and in the washing on before 8 am. I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone for their efforts in making this trip happen. A trip that may have been the first trip away for some students due to Covid restrictions. Thank you to all parents and carers for entrusting your children to us for the week and for your diligent form filling which enabled us to run the week so smoothly. I’ll leave you with a poem that one of the students wrote while at Langdale.

Mr Edge, Head of Year 7

“Langdale is a great place, Somewhere where you can face your fears, Somewhere you make new friends, Find new hobbies, Learn how to do new things, Let’s be grateful for this place, Be comfortable in this open space.”

Open Evening

It was a wet autumnal evening but that didn’t deter over 150 families coming to visit Our Lady’s for a warm welcome at our annual open evening. Prefects and pastoral staff lined the foyer to welcome visitors and guide them on tours of the site. Each academic department and all support staff had put on a unique experience for our guests. The Religious Studies department had different activities to showcase what their subject is all about including philosophy and world religions Father Nicholas guided children to spend some time in quiet prayer and reflection whilst discussing matters of faith. Our lovely Chaplains and SVP members were also on hand to explain all the ways that they facilitate the Catholic ethos throughout our school, and make it truly distinctive.

The Maths department had quizzes and puzzles for visitors as well as the opportunity to drive and park a robot that had been built by year 9 students. English had a Hogwarts and Harry Potter themed room as well as a crime scene whodunit space with clues to uncover and mysteries to solve. The History department offered the opportunity for a selfie with not one but two Tudor monarchs, Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. The department also has a vast array of artefacts ranging from Victorian bed warmers to Roman lamps. The Languages team had put on a warm welcome and in a variety of different languages; Bienvenue, Willkommen, Bienvenidas, Benvenuta! The Expressive and Performing Arts department did what they do best and performed for our visitors, displays of music, photography and drama and art which showed off their innumerable talents. Downstairs in the Technology department year 11 students baked and decorated cakes to share with our visitors, any treats that weren’t enjoyed on the night were sold in a charity bake sale the following day with all profits going to Macmillan. In Computer Science there were two activities for budding coders and programmers to enjoy. Business Studies created a brilliant activity to test brand loyalty with a guess the logo and a taste the difference game challenge with famous brand versus own brand versions of popular foods, the results were very interesting. Over in sports hall, PE staff showed our visitors all the facilities we have including our dance studio and 3G pitches, they had set up lots of mini challenges that everyone could join in with including Crazy catch, basketball shots and speed bounces. The Science department as always put on wonderful display of all of the practical and experimental ways Our Lady’s students learn, there were Bunsen burners, acid / alkali reaction testing, dissecting a real heart, circuits to build and the flame test. The pupils also had some fab science demos of methane bubbles and the Van der Graff generator, they all created a lot of wows. The Headteacher gave a presentation in the hall and everyone left via the canteen which was serving up ‘tastes of the world’ including dishes from India, Poland, Nigeria, France and Italy as well as hand battered British fish and chips. Everyone commented on how delicious the food was. The whole event was a real success with lots of positive feedback on the night and many year 7 applications received afterwards. Thank you to all who attended.

An Action-Packed Residential for Year 10!

On the last day of September, over one hundred Year 10 students headed off to Boreatton Activity Park in Shrewsbury for a weekend of adventure. Head of Year, Mr Mottershead planned a weekend with a variety of activities for all students and staff to take part in and enjoy.

The aim of this trip was to give students the opportunity to explore the outdoors and participate in activities they might not normally get to enjoy. It was to help team cohesion and bring the students together to build new friendships and strengthen existing ones. It was also an opportunity to take a break from school work so they can return refocussed on their upcoming GCSE studies. The students got to experience activities including kayaking, climbing, shooting and archery and many more. They boldly plunged into lakes and had fun being in nature. They were able to work on their team building skills in every activity and improve their communication skills whilst their mobile phones were locked away in their bedrooms. The students were excellent, they enthusiastically joined in with all activities and behaved brilliantly, representing Our Lady’s exceptionally well. We received lots of positive feedback from the PGL staff who led the groups, they commented on how the students were a credit to our school, which made Mr Mottershead extremely proud of his year group. It was a pleasure to see members of the Year 10 cohort grow in confidence and show great character, courage and commitment the whole weekend. A massive thank you to all involved in making this weekend adventure possible.

Next Steps for our Year 11

Year 11 and their parents were recently supported by some visiting local colleges as they begin the process of choosing a college. We are privileged to have an abundance of supporting colleges who offer a myriad of courses for post 16 learners and they joined us for a careers fair in school.

Following on from our Careers Fair the year 11 students were joined by 24 college representatives, and guests from Government services (Department of Work and Pensions and the NHS), Business and Industry, to help practice interviewing techniques. Students had prepared some amazing personal statements and CVs in readiness for the event. Guest feedback was fabulous, including the following comments:

“A great year of pupils. Very well prepared, polite, happy and motivated” “Lovely students, all were polite, smart and a pleasure to engage with” “Each of the students were very focused on their futures and what they wanted to do” “The students were amazing and have clearly put lots of thought into their futures” “What a credit to the school your students are! If they interview like that in the future they will go far! Keep pushing, you can do it!” “A very impressive set of students. Really inspiring talking to students about their different goals. Clearly students have thought deeply about how to achieve their goals, whether that’s being a lawyer, doctor etc and are putting plans into place to make this a reality…Students were very confident, well presented and well-rounded individuals”.

These much needed life skills have been developed and honed with our contributors support, guests have been invaluable in the process, and we very much appreciate the time given to us, at Our Lady’s! Students are now moving forward, in applying for their “next step” to colleges and training providers, interview techniques being tested to the full in early Spring when colleges begin to interview for places.

Field Trip to the Wild Fylde Coast

On a wet and windy October day, 65 GCSE Geography students went to the Fylde coast to complete the first half of their fieldwork studies. They travelled two hours north of Manchester, to the towns of Cleveleys and Fleetwood, that are on the coastline of the Irish Sea. The students braved the elements to research whether or not the hard engineering strategies on the Fylde coastline were successful or not.

The coastline to the north of Blackpool has benefitted from a £68 million scheme that aims to protect the houses, businesses and industries of the area. The students’ goal was to assess if the local people were supportive of the scheme and to see if it is working or not! After visiting two sites successfully and collecting valuable data we headed back to Our Lady’s. Not before stopping at a local restaurant for lunch and to warm up!

Debate Mate!

This term, a group of students from years 7 to 9 attended the Debate Mate launch at the University of Manchester. They watched a live debate all about the voting age being lowered to 16 years of age. The students were also invited to give reasons for and against this motion.

The students are excited to use these skills in school during regular debates at Debate Mate meetings with Mrs Robson. Davina said, “It was very inspiring, the debaters had lots of confidence and hopefully after being in debate mate I will I will gain the same confidence and skills”.