As we approach the last few weeks in school, I look back on 2016/17 with a tremendous sense of pride in our school community. We have had two extremely positive inspection reports (Ofsted and the Archdiocese of Liverpool), where we received particularly positive feedback from people who do not know the school at all. As part of those inspections, I had the privilege to see the overwhelmingly positive parental feedback and the distinct pride that the parental body has in our school. I believe this shows that school and parents share common values and common goals, which we work together especially well to achieve. Our Year 11 pupils have completed their GCSE examinations and their journey with us is at an end. I had the privilege of experiencing their Year 7 Welcome Mass and remember vividly their twelve-year old selves excited by the prospect of coming to ‘Eddies’. Five years later and we have celebrated their Leavers’ Mass, where I looked out from the lectern and saw faces of young adults who have grown into people we are all very proud of. We then celebrated their Leavers’ Ball at Rivington Barn, which was fantastic! They all looked amazing and the atmosphere on the night was second-to-none. They are all outstanding young adults - the type of young people who will make the world a better place. As a school, we pride ourselves on giving our pupils lots of chances to shine in many different areas as well as in excellent academic results. This term has been no different, with outstanding contributions being made in ROAR, Better Reading, Maths Challenge and the Portico Library writing competition. On a sporting front, we had all five year groups through to the final of the Wigan Schools knockout football competition, with four year groups winning in the finals; a truly amazing achievement! We held our first ever PTA Summer Fair on Friday 14th July to raise much needed funds for the school. Our PTA worked tirelessly over the last couple of months on this event. Thank you to everyone who supported it. I am also looking forward to our awards assembly on the penultimate day, where we celebrate all the achievements of our wonderful pupils. May I take this opportunity to thank all members of the school community for your tremendous support and generosity of spirit. It is our partnership that makes our school such a special place. On behalf of the governors, staff and pupils, can I wish you all a wonderful summer holiday.
An Exciting Day: The Better Reading Training On Friday 28th April, a group of carefully selected and enthusiastic Year 9 students gathered in the library to participate in a Better Reading training session - in order to become reading mentors for Year 7 pupils. Receiving professional training from literacy consultant, Mrs Holden, the group participated in a range of engaging activities that allowed them to empathise with the younger pupils, some who lack in confidence when it comes to reading. Each mentor received a pack of resources and information that offered valuable advice and support. It is safe to say that the information packs and Mrs Holden taught everyone a variety of key skills and offered useful advice. By watching a video clip, they learned how to suitably praise the mentee, how to make interventions at appropriate times and most importantly, what types of questions should be asked in order to achieve an improvement in the mentee’s reading age and comprehension. The afternoon role-play activity proved to be a valuable way of putting into practice what had been learned earlier. The day encouraged and inspired the mentors to be the best mentor that they can be and everyone is eager to begin the experience and meet their mentees!