Year 8 visit to Edge Hill University on Tuesday 16th April
I really enjoyed my experience at Edge Hill University, we got a tour around the wonderful campus, seeing a lot of wildlife and how well kept the grounds are. We also got an insight of what university life is like. We participated in a workshop that helped us in team building, where we created an app to help first year university students. Another workshop we participated in showed us how to get on the right path for university. This experience made me realise that university is where I want to go when I finish sixth form.
By Grace Neild, Year 8
I found the experience quite fun because I learnt about what type of accommodations there are, and what it would be like there. I highly recommended the sports facilities and really would like to get into the university when it's my time to go. I would like to thank you for the opportunity of letting me go, I had a really good time and I appreciate everything you do. Thank you. Damon Winder, Year 8
Year 10 also visited Edge Hill University on Thursday 18th April to experience university life and improving their presentation skills.
A-level Science students to Edge Hill University
On Friday 19th April I took a group of our A-level Science students to Edge Hill University were the fantastic Dr Faye Voller and Dr Aris Tagalakis kindly gave up their time to teach us about their research projectsextracting DNA from fungi and humans and how the DNA can be analysed using a technique called gel electrophoresis. Both the students and myself learnt so much and it will help us tremendously with our courses.
Mrs McCluskey
#kNOwKnifeCrime relay, the Marathon and Mini-Marathon
On Wednesday 17th April, a relay events took place across Sefton schools to raise money and awareness of the knife crime charity #kNOwKnifeCrime which was set up in memory of an ex-Holy Family pupil, Colin McGinty. His sister, Laura, was in school before Easter to receive a cheque for £1500 - money raised by the Christmas market.
The relay began at Holy Family at 9am, with a group of Holy Family runners, who ran to and passed the 'baton' (a stab bleed pack) to the next school, St. Mary's in Little Crosby. The relay continued around all the Crosby primary and secondary schools.
At 1.30pm, the relay finished back at Holy Family, when we welcomed the last leg of runners coming from St. William of York.
On Friday 18th April, pupils from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 completed a mini marathon (which is 2.6 miles) as part of our Personal Development programme to raise awareness of knife crime and support the #kNOwknifecrime charity.
Finally on Sunday 21st April, Laura and a team, including our own Michelle Palmer (SENDCo) ran the London marathon to raise money and awareness of #kNOwknifecrime
Year 12 Crown Court Visit
In June Year 12 Criminology students had a fantastic opportunity to observe live court cases, as all sixty students have visited the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts.
We observed court proceedings and witnessed prosecution and defence teams deliver cases to juries for a range of Summary and Indictable offences. We were made to feel very welcome from Court staff, particularly by Judges and Barristers, who have given up their time to talk to our students about their roles and explain points of law.
Thank you to Year 12 students who behaved impeccably throughout and for staff who accompanied students each day. I hope this experience helps students who are applying for careers in the Criminal Justice System. Mrs Critchley
Spanish Food Tasting
To celebrate all they had learned, Year 7 Base students enjoyed a Spanish style café. They sampled paella, tortilla, meatballs and chorizo. Everyone was adventurous trying the new foods and even asked for seconds!
Congratulations to Dylan Summers White represented the North West region in the National Trampolining Gymnastics Finals 2024 in the Men’s 13-14 years category in Birmingham on Sunday 7th July.
Congratulations also to Dylan Summers and Ethan Summers White who represented Lancashire at the All Britain Féile earlier in June. Both were selected to the Lancashire panel after playing for their club in Liverpool. They came second in the tournament, a great achievement and were beaten narrowly by the home side of Warwickshire. Lancashire improved on their finish from last year.
Dylan also represented Lancashire at the John West region 6 Féile na nGael in Wicklow in Ireland where again they were narrowly beaten in the semi-finals after a great group showing against teams from all over the East of Ireland.
Year 7 Geography
Year 7 BEST learning base pupils have had lots of fun extending their learning in Geography this year. They enjoyed making edible rocks to support their understanding of the formation of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rock.
Learning about the Sefton coast provided lots of opportunities to use the local environment.
We visited Waterloo Marine Lake and Crosby beach to identify and name features of the coast.
Whilst there, the pupils carried out a sponsored litter pick, wanting to clean up our coast and raise money for South Sefton Foodbank. They did a wonderful job, raising an amazing £206 for the foodbank, who invited them to visit and find out about how the foodbank runs.
Lancashire Farm Education Centre
On Wednesday 3rd July, Year 10 GCSE Food & NCFE Cookery pupils visited Lancashire Farm Education Centre which is a working dairy farm in Croston. We had a tour of the farm including meeting the cows and looking at the robot milking machines. We learnt about food provenance and sustainability, as well as how milk is processed. It was a brilliant day with so much information to take in. We all really enjoyed it and plan to visit again next year.
More from the Lancashire Farm Education Centre visit
Year 10 GCSE Food and NCFE Cookery groups had a brilliant visit to a dairy farm on Tuesday 2nd July. We learnt lots about food provenance, food safety, the environment and the working life of a farm. We even made and tasted our own butter!
Thank you to Lancashire Farm Education Centre for a fantastic day.
This term in ASDAN has been all about enhancing our health and wellbeing! We embarked on a 5-week yoga course, which not only improved our flexibility but also our mental clarity and relaxation. Additionally, we delved into food safety, learning the crucial skills of storing food correctly in the fridge to prevent spoilage and contamination. We also teamed up with the GCSE Food class for an educational visit to a dairy farm, gaining insight into sustainable farming practices and fresh dairy products. To top it all off, we applied our culinary skills by preparing a hearty stock pot meal, rich in nutrients and perfect for sharing. It’s been a term full of growth, wellness, and practical knowledge, and we’re excited to continue this journey of healthy living!
LFC onside programme
A number of our Year 8 and Year 9 pupils recently took part in the LFC onside programme that involved learning about social issues and completing a social action project. As part of the course our pupils had the opportunity to work as a team and come up with an idea on how they could tackle issues within the community. They opted to look at the impact of fly tipping/ littering and vandalism.
During a session with Will, LFC coordinator, the pupils discussed the impact littering and vandalism can have in the community. Will runs free football sessions at the NAC and has recently had to cancel a number of classes due to the amount of rubbish/broken glass that is on the courts.
Our pupils decided that they would like to help clear up the courts and display posters to try and encourage others to keep the area clean and tidy.
As part of the programme our pupils were asked to come along to Anfield to present their Social Action ideas to other young people and schools that have taken part. On the day we heard from nine other schools on how they had overcome various issues in the community. The day was a huge success and I am thrilled to say that our Pupils came second overall in the competition. The feedback from the day was fantastic and our pupils should be extremely proud of their achievements.
Feedback from the LFC
‘The kids have been an absolute pleasure to work with, so please pass this on to them . Also, I would like to say how well behaved they were throughout yesterday’s event at Anfield (a real credit to your school) and to be voted second place yesterday was brilliant.’
Wicked at Liverpool Empire Theatre on 4th July
We all left on the coach at quarter past six for the half seven performance. Beforehand, Mrs Pellow made sure to remind us to take sweets in Tupperware or quiet wrappers so as to not disturb other theatregoers, and also of general theatre etiquette - don't go on your phone, don't speak, don't sing along, etc.
When we arrived, we took some time to go to the shop to buy merchandise and programmes as we arrived a bit early. The person behind the counter was so friendly and lovely, and we found out that she was actually an ex-Holy Family student!
Our seats were in the Circle - they were on the top balcony fairly far back. Controversially though, I liked the seats we were sat in better than stalls seats, it was a beautiful view from above the stage.
The actual show was nothing short of spectacular. Immediately, the costumes were dazzling, especially Glinda's ball gown, which was completely blinding. Elphaba and Glinda's costumes were perfectly contrasting to show their two different personalities. The woman who played Elphaba (Laura Pick) genuinely made the most boring of songs brilliant - and I especially liked how she kept the original version of Defying Gravity and didn't go up the octave at the end. The woman who played Glinda (Sarah O'Connor) was equally as brilliant. She brought the character of Glinda to life and, even though at first I was a bit dubious about her, she really was the perfect Glinda, walking around the stage like she owned it. Pick and O'Connors voices melted together perfectly like butter in a hot pan - the harmonies in their songs were absolutely breathtaking, making them a flawless combination for Glinda and Elphaba. Their acting skills had you sympathising with Elphaba and understanding and eventually coming to love Glinda. Other brilliant actors were the people who played The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Fierro, and Nessa Rose. They were perfect for their roles, and I don’t think that the casting could have been better. Nessa and the Wizard made you feel bad for people who had literally kidnapped people and taken away their rights, just because of how brilliantly they portrayed their backstories. The Fierro (Carl Man) completely owned the role from the second he appeared onstage, getting the character perfect from the first line. One actor I didn’t like however, was the actor who played Bock. He made the character quite unlikeable, while he is meant to seem very innocent and oblivious. It was still a good portrayal, however I feel as though some aspects of the character were lost, which also loses some of the impacts later in the storyline.
As for the set design and the choreographing, there wasn’t a single flaw. The blocking and dances were ingenious for every song and scene without fail. I especially liked the set out for Loathing and One Short Day - they set the mood and tone magnificently.
I literally have no words for the set design. The sparkles, the lights, and the colours were mesmerising, you just couldn’t look away. The pinks and walls of shoes for Popular were beautifully vibrant, and very Glinda. Something that I think that terrified the whole audience was the Wizard’s puppet, with the hypnotic flashing lights and gravelly undertones in the voice - the way it moved was excessively loud and uncanny. The scene at the end where Elphaba gets melted looks almost identical to the film (or at least I think that it did). The rain in Not That Girl was lovely to watch, and just the perfect touch for such a sad song, but also makes for the perfect line for foreshadowing (you mustn’t get wet). My personal favourite set was the Emerald City. Everything from the singing to the colours to the costumes was heavenly - the obnoxious greens, the glaring sparkles from the insane outfits. When the cast all lined up at the front of the stage and posed in the full green costumes it was the most stunning sight - picture perfect for the programme. Overall, it was an absolutely incredible night. I enjoyed myself, as I’m sure everyone else did, and it was very inspiring for anyone who is interested in the performing arts. As someone who was lucky enough to see it in the West End a few years ago, I would genuinely say that I preferred it to the West End performance.
Maisie Jo Farrell in Year 9
Amina Atiq
During May, we had the pleasure of a number of visits from author Amina Atiq, in collaboration with National Literacy Trust. Year 9 students have had a number of sessions focusing on change making writing. Writing about causes that are important to them. Their work will be published in a manifesto of change making writing.
Good Shepherd Mass – Thursday 27th June 2024
Holy Family School Choir were invited to take part in the Good Shepherd Mass with hundreds of other children from across the Archdiocese at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.
It was such a lovely experience singing with so many other people who are passionate about music and singing. The cathedral was spectacular and our singing sounded amazing echoing around the huge space! All the high schools were very lucky to be asked to lead the singing during communion. We sang ‘The Lord is my Shepherd.’
We are looking forward to being invited next year. Evie Hardie Year 9
Uniform reminders
Just to remind you that current Year 9 pupils will need a black tie for Year 10 in September. These can be purchased (cost £6) via Scopay and picked up from school, by cash from reception or from our uniform suppliers.
All year groups If you have any outgrown uniform, particularly trousers, skirts, blazers and ties, please consider donating them. On Tuesday 13th August from 10am, we will have a selection of clean preloved and new donated uniform, in a selection of sizes, for you to select from, free of charge, on a first come first served basis. Thank you
The Mentors in Violence Prevention Programme
In early November, a number of Year 9 pupils were trained as part of the Merseyside Youth Association’s “Mentors in Violence” Programme (MVP).
The programme was first developed in 1993 by Dr Jackson Katz and his colleagues at Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society in the USA.
The decision was made to introduce MVP to Scottish secondary schools as a preventative approach to tackling violence, bullying and abusive behaviour in 2011.
Upon completion of the MVP Programme, pupils and staff identified an improved ethos within the school and a reduction of barriers between older and younger pupils. Mentors and staff identify a positive impact on mentors’ confidence and the enhancement of a range of skills such as leadership, teamwork and presentation skills.
By providing opportunities to discuss a range of behaviours and attitudes within the context of health and emotional wellbeing, the programme equips young people with the skills to recognise the differences between what are appropriate and acceptable behaviours and what are not, adopting strategies that enable them to safely challenge inappropriate behaviours.
The MVP programme defines violence as including verbal, emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse. Defining violence in this way highlights that various forms of abuse can cause serious harm in relationships.
Funded by the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP), The Mentors in Violence Prevention programme has been delivered throughout the Liverpool City Region by Merseyside Youth Association since 2020.
Through this academic year, our trained mentors have delivered a series of sessions to Year 7 pupils. The mentors have shown maturity and confidence throughout the process: teaching an excitable class of thirty 11-year-olds is no mean feat, even for experienced members of staff! They also produced a really impressive video on the topic of ‘banter’ (#banthebanter) which is on our website.
The mentors all attended a graduation afternoon at St George’s Hall in June where they took part in a mock-trial in the historic courtroom.
This is the third year that Holy Family has been involved in the programme. Comments from the trainers, other teachers at the events and the Merseyside Youth Association workers all reinforce what we know already: that Holy Family pupils are caring, thoughtful and tolerant and a credit to themselves, their parents and the school.
Thank you to this year MVP graduates: Samuel Abdullahi, Lucy Bromilow, Sam CharcapeRogers, Albie Clynch, Jamie Cunliffe, Isabelle Cunningham, Fearne Davies, Max Elder, Emma Farley, Maisie Farrell, Freddie Gelhart, Evie Hardie, Niamh Heyes, Olivia Hillier, Jodie Hunter, Alfie Hurley, Hugo Jamieson, Georgia Kelly, Callum McCarthy, Max McGiveron, Luke Murphy, Jessica Railton, Kiera Seanor, Mia Suarez-Jones.
Le petit-déjeuner
Having practised food items and meals as part of our topic on daily routine, we thought it was time to sample a real French breakfast. The pupils tried a selection of pastries with their jus d'orangepain au chocolat, crêpes, brioche and croissants - très délicieux!
GCSE Spanish trip to Catalunya
We left Holy Family for Manchester airport in the early hours of 25th June. Despite that, we were all in high spirits and looking forward to the action-packed itinerary ahead. First off, once we arrived at the hotel, was a walk down to Tossa de Mar old town and beach. Here we had some free time to wander around the town and practise our Spanish in the bars, shops and restaurants.
We then headed back to the hotel for a much-needed dip in the pool. Day two was a trip to the beautiful old town of Girona, followed by visits to Figueres and Banyoles, where we stopped for ice cream and snacks by the lake.
Day three was Barcelona where we visited the immersive museum at Camp Nou, and saw some of Gaudí's best work - Casa Batlló, La Pedrera and of course, La Sagrada Familia. We finished the day at the Maremagnum shopping centre at Port Vell, where we loaded up on souvenirs for friends and family.
The best day was, without doubt, day four at Water World - a full day spent on the slides and attractions at the water park in LLoret de Mar. After a glass bottom boat ride on our final day, we headed back to the rainy skies of Manchester, but nothing could dampen our spirits after such an amazing time in the Spanish sunshine!
Bronze and Silver Awards for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme have hit record numbers in Holy Family High School. There have been 110 Bronze awards and 42 silver awards earned by Holy Family pupils this academic year. Each of the candidates participated in a voluntary activity, physical recreation and they learnt a skill. For the voluntary activity the school was awarded a social value certificate which showed the pupils of Holy Family High School contributed 234 hours of their own time to do volunteering and help charities and vulnerable people within society. This is aside from the two expeditions that each group had to undertake whilst completing the award. These are achievements which are recognised by employees and universities alike.
The award continues to attract more participants getting involved in the scheme. All of the candidates look forward to the expedition section of the award scheme and this year was no different. The areas that the scheme covered included The Forest of Bowland and The North Yorkshire area of Settle. The candidates all had to complete two expeditions in different locations and carry all of their camping and survival equipment. The expeditions have been a great success and the candidates learnt skills such as camp craft, teamwork and independence. All of the candidates have successfully passed their expedition section of the award and they are making great progress in the other sections. In September the award scheme will be available to all students in Year 10 and it is hoped that the success of the award scheme in Holy Family continues to increase.
Thank you for 25 years of Service
Mr Kinsella has been fully involved in the Duke of Edinburgh award Scheme since he became the awards manager for the school in 1999. The award scheme mainly focusses on pupils to participate at the Bronze level which was mainly aimed at the Year 10 pupils. Within three years of taking over he added both Silver and Gold levels to the pupils in the school and in 2003 there were pupils who were able to be entered for the Gold Level of the award scheme.
Over the years Mr Kinsella has offered the award Scheme to all pupils from Year 9 right through to Year 13. He has made it his prime objective to give every pupil the opportunity to display skills and qualities outside of the classroom. The expeditions have given pupils the opportunities to go
exploring in remote locations of the Snowdonia, The Peak District, The Lake District, The Yorkshire Dales and The Forest of Bowland.
The Award Scheme is an inclusive programme and allows the pupils the opportunity to do all three levels of the award scheme and eventually receive their award from The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace. To date the school has had more than 30 former pupils attend Buckingham place to receive their award. They were all invited to take a member of their family to share the celebrations.
In Holy Family, the pupils who participate in this programme are some of the highest numbers for any school in the Merseyside region. The opportunity for pupils to participate in all levels in a school is rare and the pupils have taken full advantage of the opportunities that they have been provided.
The pupils have developed a range of skills such as map work, compass skills and emergency survival. Outside of the award scheme Mr Kinsella has also completed the 3 Peaks Challenge which involved climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon in 24 hours in with former pupils from Holy Family. All of the pupils that were involved in this charitable event were pupils who had done the Gold Level of the Award Scheme. This is an indication that the pupils still continue to explore the countryside long after they have left Holy Family.
Mr Kinsella has been fortunate enough to work with a team of people in the school who have supported the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. They are all qualified with both outdoor first aid and Lowland Leaders qualifications.
This means that the D of E Award Scheme will still play an instrumental role in the development of enrichment activities within Holy Family in the future. It is expected that Mr Kinsella will still have an involvement in the Award Scheme for the school and support the new manager of the programme, Mr Morely.
Music Careers Day
On Tuesday 9th July, a select number of students went to Hugh Baird College for a Music Careers Day. We started off the day with a talk from several people in the music industry, where they talked about how there are other jobs in the industry other than just being a performer.
After this, we had four workshops where we were split into groups. First we had a workshop on how to make a website for a band to promote their music. After that, we had someone from the music union saying that we were protected with whatever we did in the music industry. After we had a singing workshop with someone who was truly eccentric and hardworking. Finally, we had a group songwriting workshop where we went through the whole songwriting process within groups, and we all wrote fabulous songs.
It was an absolutely amazing experience!
By Jodie Hunter Y9
Geography Year 10 Lake Coniston trip
An extremely successful visit to Coniston Water this July. Our pupils were amazing and got stuck into everything. The heavens opened on our hike on Wednesday afternoon but this just added to the fun. It was wonderful to see our Y10 girls skipping down the mountain!
Due to weeks of heavy rain we were treated to several waterfalls in the Coppermines valley and the glacial erratic field was brilliant, seeing the boulders in real life gave the students a sense of how big the material moved by ice can be.
Saturday was a real team bonding day with all students canoeing across the Ribbon Lake, our pupils were so excited and put 100% effort into each activity. Once Silver had to jump in to retrieve her oar, that was it, all the pupils jumped in! It was an absolute pleasure and privilege to see our pupils having such a wonderful time. Every evening was filled with competitions and prizes (keeping them busy!). The competitive level was astounding.
I can speak for all members of staff who supported me on the trip by saying our students were brilliant from start to finish, such good fun and willing to get involved in every activity with a smile on their face. It was a true pleasure to take them and I know they made memories for life.
A big thank you to parents, carers and Holy Family for providing the opportunity to take such a superb bunch of pupils.
Mrs Taylor, Mr Birkinhead, Mr Horne & Miss McCluskey
Quotes
from the trip
'My favourite part was the gorge and sharing a room, it was really funny'. Carter
' I liked socialising with everyone and getting to know the teachers I haven't spoken to'. Harry
'I enjoyed when Silver dropped her paddle because Silver had to jump in, which led to us all jumping in, it was so funny'. Izzy
'Speaking to new people in my year that I don't normally speak to'.
'My favourite part of the trip was walking up the river and doing jumps into the water'. Ashton
'Doing the gorge scrambling, socialising with others and doing the Geography Rizz party!' Evan
'Me going flying on the rocks in the river!' Amelia
'My favourite moment was the big zip wire'. Charlie 'Walking up the mountain, walking down the mountain trying not to get my shoes dirty. All of us jumping in the Lake and singing all the way back to our rooms'. Miley & Lily
'My favourite activity was the canoeing because it was really funny to see everyone fall or jump in'. I will always remember Mr Horne's backflip off the jetty. Best bit was watching the Euros and playing cards'. Matty
Holy Family Literacy Challenge celebrations on Tuesday, 16th July
This year, our students have shown incredible dedication and enthusiasm for reading, and their hard work has truly paid off. To honor their achievements, we held a special celebration for those who have read 20 books or have been selected as Reading Superstars. The event was a fun-filled day of activities and treats, providing a well-deserved reward for their efforts.
The day kicked off with a variety of games that brought out the playful spirit in everyone. From classic board games to interactive group challenges, there was something for every student to enjoy. Laughter and friendly competition filled the air as students played and bonded over their shared love of reading.
The reading celebration was a resounding success, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our students. Their commitment to reading has been truly inspiring, and it was wonderful to see them celebrated in such a joyous manner. We are incredibly proud of our Reading Superstars and look forward to seeing their continued growth and enthusiasm for reading in the future.
Congratulations to all our students for their remarkable achievements in reading this year!
Dates for the first half term see website for further details
Wednesday 4th September 2024
Thursday 5rh September
Friday 6th September
Monday 9th September
Tuesday 10th September
Wednesday 11th to Friday 13th September
Monday 16th September
Tuesday 17th September
Thursday 20th September
Thursday 26th September
Monday 30th September
Tuesday 22nd Thursday 24th October
Monday 28th October – Friday 1st November
Year 7 and 11 Induction day
Term starts for all Year groups (7-12) Year 12 Induction
Whole school photographs
Year 13 Induction
Year 7 trip to CHET
Work Experience Year 10
Year 7 trip to CHET
Year 6 primary liaison for feeder schools
INSET day (school closed to pupils)
OPEN EVENING 4.30 – 8.00pm
9.45 start for pupils – due to Open Evening ‘clear up’
