HIGH NOTES
May 2011 - ISSUE 11
Special Edition: Your New School
Striking new build with excellent facilities! Stimulating
Engaging
Inspiring
Motivating
A warm welcome to this special edition of High Notes We are entering into a very exciting time and we are delighted to share with you information of our new school facilities within this 'Special Edition' of High Notes. Most will agree, the current school buildings have been in desperate need of renovation and refurbishment for some time and the new buildings will offer fantastic teaching, social and community spaces which will benefit all within Rainford and the surrounding areas. To name but a few - flexible teaching rooms to help deliver a challenging and rewarding curriculum suitable for all; large dining area with a cashless catering facility; a safer off-road school bus pick up lane; a much needed large school hall; energy efficient buildings with climate control; contemporary furniture; an additional astro turf and new advanced IT equipment. Enclosed are some architectural images on curriculum areas, dining spaces and external views which clearly show the excellent facilities and also how the refurbished areas will be totally transformed. As you will be aware, the work is already well underway. The first two floors of the new South block have been constructed, the Maths department and 6th Form College have moved into temporary accommodation and Mrs Laborde has lent a hand in the demolition of the old Maths block! Regular updates on the progress of the build will be in the half-termly edition of 'High-Notes'. Everyone at Rainford High Technology College is thrilled with the prospects the new facilities will offer students and the surrounding community. I hope you find the enclosed information useful and I warmly welcome your thoughts and comments.
Kind regards,
Mrs Greenwood Principal
CONTENTS Page 4:
Technology, Science, Information Technology, English, Religious Education & Art
Page 5:
Modern Foreign Languages, Maths, Learning Support, Geography, Drama, Music, PE & History
Page 6:
ICT Services, ICT Infrastructure, Dining, Outdoor Teaching Areas, School Transport & Community
Page 7:
Rainford College
Page 8 & 9:
Progress so far....
Page 10:
Interserve
Page 11:
FAQ's
Page 12:
Contact information
Mark Hardy (School Council) 'As a member of the Student Council for the past 5 years, I have been involved for the duration of the Building Schools for the Future programme. From a student prospective, it was imperative that the new building and its environment rectiďŹ ed any current issues that were apparent with school life. We are extremely pleased with the contemporary designs for the new site and feel that in addition to exceeding our expectations will also enhance the way in which we can learn. I personally believe it will also be a major beneďŹ t to the local community and the surrounding environment.'
Technology
Mr Simpson Assistant Principal & Curriculum Leader of Technology Staff are finding the rebuild of the Technology facilities to be a great motivator to further improve the way that we deliver the subject. It will allow us to move technological education forward allowing students to undertake new exciting projects with up to date equipment and modern materials. An exciting time ahead!
English
Mrs Crinigan Acting Curriculum Leader of English 'The new English department will provide students with a fantastic learning experience, where they will be able to access information technology, both in the Media Studies suite and the breakout areas. With movable walls, classes can be easily combined to participate in lively debates or competitions, whilst soft seating areas will allow students to work in small groups in a comfortable and relaxed environment.'
Religious Education Mrs Daniels Acting Curriculum Leader of RE
'The RE department will be an exciting and innovative learning environment within the new build. Our classrooms will be refreshing working spaces with the focus on student learning. They will include display areas of important religious artefacts, ICT areas which will enable students more opportunities to improve their ICT skills and state of art furniture and technology within the classrooms. We are looking forward to moving to our new 'home' in 2012!'
Science
Ms Harrison Acting Curriculum Leader of Science 'The vision for learning in science at Rainford High has collaborative practice at its heart. Whether with regards to learners and their approach to learning or teaching staff and their approach to organising learning and activities in science; working in teams reaps the greatest dividend for young people and their engagement in science. Natural curiosity, enquiry, enjoyment and comfort are all fundamentals to the nature of the learners' experience, particularly in the creation of a stimulating atmosphere that get the 'synapses firing'. The experience in science will leave both learners and teachers feeling inspired, enthusiastic, empowered, supported and allow them all to grow as individual learners. It will also build confidence in learners and encourage independence through interconnected, motivating approaches where learners support each other to reach their potential. Change will be carefully managed as the vision represents a potential departure from traditional teaching practices and teacher role. It will also lead to a difference in space usage and spatial ownership.'
Information Technology Miss Burgess Curriculum Leader of IT
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'The state of the art facilities will inject innovation into the classroom and provide a dynamic learning experience through the integration of new learning technologies.'
Art
Mr Boak Curriculum Leader of Art 'There will be many benefits to moving into the new studios; better light, larger working spaces, easy access to each studio and cleaner facilities, but for the team the most exciting part will be the dedicated Gallery space. At present, we have to go through another room to view work. The Gallery has hosted over 12 shows from visiting artists and Sixth Form students. The new Gallery will allow us to send smaller groups of students doing research into the space and we will also have more reference materials and artist information for students to study. The new build offers us more display space with a large entrance hall and we have asked the architects to cover these with material we can refit works to, in order to again entice local artists to exhibit their works. The wall space in the entrance to the department will house our collection of works both bought from and given by artists which at present is in the region of 50 images. All members of the school community will be able to engage with real art throughout the area. We hope this will excite, inspire
Drama
Mrs Press Curriculum Leader of Drama 'The BSF rebuild provides our department with a new drama theatre with a larger seating capacity and an outside performing area of an amphitheatre.'
Modern Foreign Languages
Mr Howker Curriculum Leader of Modern Foreign Languages
'The Languages teaching rooms include areas for combined class teaching, small group or paired work and personalised individual study. Resources will be located centrally to allow easy access for all students and there will be facilities provided for speaking and listening practice as well as opportunities for researching news and media in a foreign language.'
Maths
Mrs Hudson Acting Curriculum Leader of Maths 'The Maths department are looking forward to being integrated back into the main building of the new school. It will be great to have brand new facilities so that students can learn in a stimulating learning environment (...and also so that we won't have as far to walk!)'
Learning Support Mr Lamb SENCO Learning Support
The Learning Support Team are very excited by the facilities the new build will provide for us. The state of the art, flexible use classrooms will be ideal for a range of support groups and we even have a nurture style room for those all important life skills. The new suite will be ideal for the delivery of our 'big idea' to support the development of the whole person through their ability to access the full life of the school.'
Music
Mr Ashcroft The Music Department 'The music department are really excited about the move to the new facilities; not only will we have two purpose built music classrooms with movable furniture to enable ensemble rehearsals and dance, we will also have a large recital room that can be used for bands, choirs and sound recording work. At the moment we have one instrumental teaching room in the new building we will have five; this will allow us to have more than one peripatetic teacher in per day and also allow musicians to practice without disturbing one another.'
Physical Education Mr Makin Curriculum Leader of PE
'The BSF rebuild will result in a massive improvement in the quality of student changing facilities for PE & Sport and bring them in line with 21st Century standards, along with a brand new activity studio replacing an outdated and literally 'old school' gymnasium. The Sports Hall is to be re-furbished and should include a new floor more suitable for multi-sports use along with a viewing gallery for spectators to be used when watching intra and inter-school fixtures. In terms of outdoor hard-court space an extension to our current 3 Netball / Tennis courts to make 5 and improved drainage to school playing fields will have an enormous effect on the quality of teaching and learning and provide enhanced opportunities beyond the school day for students and the wider community.'
History
Geography
Mr Halewood Curriculum Leader of Geography All members of the Geography Department are excited about the new suite of classrooms and moving to the front of the school. We are looking forward to teaching in a more conducive learning environment which will enable us to continue to deliver high quality lessons in rooms designed and better suited for teaching in the 21st century.
Mrs Turton Curriculum Leader of History 'The new facilities will provide the History department with the opportunity to develop our teaching and give all our students excellent teaching areas where they will be able to undertake a wide variety of activities. The breakout section which will be part of the History area will provide the department with the scope to engage the students in out of classroom activities such as dramatic reconstructions and role plays. We are excited by the design and plans and are looking forward to the challenges and benefits that lie ahead.'
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ICT Services
Paul Dunnings Agilisys ICT Project Manager ‘Agilisys is the UK’s most innovative IT services and outsourcing provider. Agilisys delivers success through innovation, working with clients to transform services that make a difference to millions of people across the UK. Agilisys has been selected to provide ICT Service to the St Helens BSF Programme, as part of the Environments for Learning (E4L) consortium, which includes Interserve. Agilisys will provide an eight year ICT Managed Service covering schools across St Helens. Working closely with staff at Rainford High, appropriate ICT equipment will be selected to support a 21st century learning environment.’
ICT Infrastructure Ms Wells Vice Principal
‘Running parallel with the construction of the new school building is the development and installation of a new ICT infrastructure and other additional data rich services that will bring faster access and connectivity to all members of the school’s community through innovative ways of using new technologies to enhance the learning of all our students. Weekly meetings take place between the school and Agilisys to develop and finalise the ICT plans. This is a very exciting time for the development of ICT and a unique opportunity to ensure that the ICT equipment and supporting infrastructure provide the best learning opportunities for all of our students for both in and outside school hours.’
Dining No more old style school lunchtimes! The new school will have one LARGE dining area for all students in Years 7-11 to use. The dining room will be populated with contemporary furniture and numerous serving stations offering a variety of healthy choices - hot meals, sandwiches, salads and a range of refreshments. In the warmer weather (sadly not as often as we'd like!) the students will be able to dine outside at tables and chairs. On a technology side, a cashless catering facility will be in operation to speed up the serving process. College students will have the option to use the dining area but will also have their own dining convenience'.
Outdoor Teaching Areas Beautifully landscaped gardens and external social areas are to be incorporated into the design of the entire school. In addition to this, we are also incorporating outdoor teaching spaces that will be connected to curriculum areas. For example, specifically designed outdoor science spaces will be accessible from science classrooms. These will include ecological areas, a pond and a suitable area for conducting outdoor experiments. Another example is the large outdoor amphitheatre that is being located in the central courtyard area.
School Transport With the addition of a new bus lay-by and turning circle in the grounds of the school, buses will no longer park along High Lane ensuring that it remains clear of bus obstructions at the beginning and end of each school day. More importantly, the safety of all our students is improved. Students will continue to be escorted to their bus which will be parked off road in the new lay-by allowing safer boarding of the vehicles.
Community Mrs Croote
School Business & Community Manager
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The new build will provide excellent prospects for further use by the local community and we feel the modern facilities will be a great benefit to all in Rainford and the surrounding area. Outside, we will have an additional multi-use games area plus extra changing amenities and additional hard surface court areas. Within the buildings, the activity studio with sprung flooring and a sports hall with up-to-date facilities will be available for local sporting clubs to use, a large school hall with cafe for social occasions and classrooms with the latest technology for evening classes.'
Sixth Form College Mr Hubball Assistant Principal & Head of Post 16 Learning All the sta and students are excited about the new state of the art Sixth Form College at Rainford. This innovative, inspirational building will transform learning and rival any Post 16 provision in the North West. This is an exciting new chapter for everyone involved in Rainford College and we look forward to working with all students in the future.
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Progress so far…… Temporary Accommodation Between December and February, the temporary accommodation was assembled. It will, in the first instance, be home for the Maths department and the Sixth Form College. The accommodation provides the same number of teaching and socials spaces and includes the same IT facilities used in the old buildings. The accommodation is of very high quality and staff have commented that this is already a vast improvement on the old facilities!
The Maths department took up residence in the temporary accommodation in mid January and will this will be home until their new location is completed in January 2013.
To allow the extensive refurbishment of the Sixth Form College buildings to commence, the College moved into the temporary accommodation over the weekend of 5th & 6th March. The old building will be totally transformed with larger, more flexible teaching spaces and will have a more Higher Education perspective whilst keeping its own identity. This refurbishment will be completed by October half term 2011.
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Mrs Laborde’s demolition work Towards the end of January, we said a fond farewell to the old Maths building. After all the necessary checks, surveys and decommissioning of services, the demolition commenced. Mrs Laborde, Assistant Principal & Teacher of Maths, was invited to help out with the demolition and was eager to assist, however, following this has decided teaching is definitely her preferred career as this does not involve wearing a hard hat!
Work on the new South block is well underway. This is being built over part of the old car park, the ball park area and where the old Maths block once stood. The new building will be home for Technology, Science and IT and will be completed by October half term 2011. Over the next few weeks the main structure of South block will be completed and we’ll really feel our new school is on its way. We have recently agreed the furniture solutions for both the College and South block. Room layouts have been created showing the furniture designs for each teaching space in these areas. Students have had the opportunity to trial and review samples of furniture that have been loaned to school by the furniture suppliers. Student comments and feedback were then used to assist in the furniture selection process prior to placing the order for the first phase. The Senior Leadership Team and Curriculum Leaders continue to have regular weekly meetings with the contractor to discuss various aspects, including progress, layouts, furniture and Health & Safety issues.
Regular updates on the project will be provided through High Notes and to view progress, please log on to our website to view a live link on the construction. 9
Interserve is a public company listed amongst the largest companies on the UK stock exchange. We have an annual turnover in excess of £1.2 billion pounds and are listed in the services sector. Interserve is a company of diverse activities and works in Transport, Construction, Utilities, Maintenance, Finance, Consultancy and even the provision of Teachers. We have operations all over the world in support of the Ministry of Defence and construction and maintenance works through out the middle east. In the UK our main construction work streams are in Hospitals, Schools, Roads, Water treatment and Prisons.
Who’s over the fence? Mr Stephen Bebington - Project Manager
Having worked in the construction industry for over 30 years on a variety of building projects, Stephen has a wealth of experience. A most recent project, a school in Leeds (Pudsey Grangefield Maths & Computing College) has given Stephen a great insight into school life and how to involve both staff and students in the exciting time ahead whilst being sympathetic to the needs of the school. Stephen lives locally with his family in Warrington and will be on-site daily throughout the build. Stephen studied 'Building Technology & Management' at Coventry University where he obtained a 2:2. Mr Jonathan Green - Senior Engineer
Jonathon has been employed by Interserve for over 5 years and during this time has worked on numerous projects, including leisure centres, prisons and schools. Most recent projects include Rodillian School in Leeds and a prison in Scotland. Jonathon lives in Castleford, Yorkshire. At Durham University, Jonathon studied a degree in 'Geophysics' and achieved a 2:2. Mr Richard Marshall-Clarke - Commercial Manager
Employed by Interserve for the past 14 years, Richard has worked on many building projects gaining a wealth of experience and knowledge. Recent projects include new prisons and immigration buildings. Richard's home is in Watford but will based locally during the week throughout the build. Richard achieved a 2:1 in 'Quantity Surveying' at Nottingham Trent University. Mr Ian Eccles - Construction Manager
Ian lives in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire and attends site every day. Ian has worked in the trade for many years gaining an extensive knowledge of the construction industry. During the past four years working for Interserve, Ian has completed projects which include leisure centres and schools. A most recent project was Allerton High School in Leeds. This particular school project has many similarities to our forthcoming building work, giving Ian first hand experience of working with schools. Mr John Billing - Design Manager
John lives with his family in Glossop, Derbyshire. John has worked for Interserve for the past 10 years, during which time he has been involved in many projects across the country, mainly prisons and schools. Working on two secondary schools (Fir Vale and Ecclesfield High School) and one primary (Mosborough) within Sheffield, has provided John with a sound knowledge of education. John studied a degree in Civil Engineering at Loughborough University obtaining a 2:1. Mr Andrew Price - Works Manager
Andrew has been employed by Interserve for the past 7 years and has nearly 39 years experience of working within the construction industry. Like all of his colleagues, Andrew has worked on a wide range of projects, including schools, leisure centres and major renovation work on Sheffield's main line train station. Working on another BSF project in Leeds, Rodillian High School, Andrew has gained a full appreciation of ensuring the schools needs are met throughout the building work.
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Will building work affect lessons? We can confidently say no. Our contractor, Interserve, have vast experience of working with schools and have undertaken many similar projects across the country giving them an informed insight and understanding of school life. They are fully aware and work to the needs of students and school priorities whilst ensuring Health & Safety is a top priority. Interserve are very informed of pupil movement, the timetable, lesson change over, break / lunchtimes, school events, examination periods, holidays and any changes to these. Although, the temporary accommodation may require students to walk a little further between lessons and there may be occasional room changes, lessons will be totally unaffected by the build.
Where can I find up to date information about the build?
Frequently asked questions When will all the work be completed? The main building work will be complete by May 2013. Please see below for a brief schedule of the works: Now to Oct 2011:
Construction of the new South Block & refurbishment of Rainford College
Nov 2011 to Sept 2012:
East Block refurbishment
Nov 2011 to Jan 2013:
Construction of the North & West buildings
Jan 2013 to May 2013:
Temporary accommodation + A Block dismantled & demolition works
May 2013 to 2014:
Landscaping and new sports pitches established
Regular updates will be provided through our half-termly edition of High-Notes and on our school website. For a 'birds-eye' view of the progression of the build, please log onto the schools website. Our closest neighbours will also receive mail shots from our contractor Interserve.
I would like to ask some questions who do I need to contact? Two members of the schools Leadership Team will be overseeing the project: Mrs Croote (School Business & Community Manager) and Miss Wells (Vice Principal) both of whom would be delighted to answer any questions you may have and also receive your comments/feedback. Both can be contacted on the school telephone number or via e-mail: wel@rainford.org.uk kirstiec@rainford.org.uk
Higher Lane
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Comments & Feedback Any comments feedback or suggestions can be made to: Rainford High Technology College Higher Lane Rainford WA11 8NY Tel: 01744 885 914 Fax: 01744 884642 Email: kirstiec@rainford.org.uk School Website: www.rainford.org.uk College Website: www.rainfordcollege.org.uk