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.