South Wirral Digest - October 2017

Issue 13 - October 2017

South Wirral Digest

REFLECTING ON A SUMMER OF EXAM SUCCESS Aspire to Higher at South Wirral High School

Aspire To Higher at South Wirral High School

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Mayer House Fundraising - Male Staff Makeover!

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Girls Rugby Team Get To Design Their Kit

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KEY DATES

AUTUMN TERM

Friday 10th - Saturday 11th November Y11 Drama Residential Trip Thursday 2nd November Y12 Travel & Tourism Trip to Echo Arena Friday 3rd November AS Fine Art/Photography Graffiti Workshop Tuesday 21st November Y9 Food Tech Trip to Cadbury’s World Friday 24th November - Friday 1st December Y10 Oaklands Friday 15th December Y10 Business Trip to Trafford Centre Tuesday 19th - Thursday 21st December WW1 Battlefields Trip to France/Belgium Friday 22nd December Final Day before Christmas Holiday

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP TO PARENTMAIL? Parentmail is the quickest and easiest way to receive communications from school - via email and through the free ParentMail app on iOS and Android devices

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP: WWW.SOUTHWIRRAL.WIRRAL.SCH.UK

SOCIAL MEDIA: /SouthWirralHS

FREE SCHOOL UNIFORM

Wirral and around 30 of the 100 primary schools Since 2012 Wirral F.U.S.S. has helped nearly 3000 families with their school uniform needs – all free of charge

Wirral FUSS supply FREE school uniform, PE kit, etc. used by the 22 secondary schools on the

All uniforms are in good or new condition, and their ‘hubs’ have regular opening times when you

WIRRALFUSS.CO.UK OFFER FREE UNIFORM TO ANYBODY WHO NEEDS IT, WITHOUT JUDGEMENT OF FAMILY CIRCUMSTANCES

STUDENT PLANNERS

@SouthWirral

try items on or swap your current outgrown uniform for larger items. Alternatively you can make an appointment with their volunteer staff Visit www.wirralfuss.co.uk for more information and request items

welcome planners as an additional way of communicating with us.

We will also continue to use Moodle to share information with parents and students.

We will be asking parents/carers to look at the planner once a week and sign it. Please feel free to write comments for form tutors and staff.

Students should bring the planner to school every day and should write all their home learning deadlines down in it.

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his year will see the reintroduction of student planners for all students at South Wirral. Students will bring

their planner home to show you.

This is one of many initiatives designed to improve our school and we hope that parents will

Every single student will receive a planner – they have been tailored specifically to Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and to Sixth Form. The Sixth Form planner is a “professional organiser”.

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STUDENTS ‘ASPIRE TO HIGHER’ AT SOUTH WIRRAL HIGH SCHOOL THIRTY TWO STUDENTS IN YEAR 11 HAVE STARTED THEIR JOURNEY ASPIRING TO ACHIEVE THE NEW 7-9 TOP GRADES AT GCSE NEXT SUMMER.

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ubbed the ‘South Wirral Scholars’, these students have already attended 4 sessions this half term, held immediately after school each Wednesday - ‘lesson 6’.

This is an exciting programme of enrichment for high attaining students that supports them in becoming ‘Russell Group Ready’.

The Russell Group are the 24 best Universities in the UK that we expect our students to be prepared and ready to go to after 7 years at South Wirral.

The programme includes: • Personal skills development of workshops • Inspirational speakers • University visits

• One-to-one mentoring

Aspire to Higher at South Wirral High School

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Well done on amazing attendance and engagement Year 11. Keep those aspirations high next half term especially in lesson 6 ‘Biology Friday’.

Our final aspire to higher meeting of the year is December 20th entitled ‘The extra milereward, review, and reflect’

- Mrs Johnston Students have got some exciting sessions coming up after half term, including talks from guest speakers Louise Carr and former student Anya Harrison who is currently studying Neuroscience and is on a University placement at South Wirral.

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SCHOLARS’ TIMETABLE DATE Wednesday 27th September Wednesday 4th October

SESSION Moderator Insight, English Literature Revision techniques and ‘How to summarise’ Maths Challenge Finance in the future Assessment top banding marking criteria of a number of courses, to identify what it takes to achieve the very top marks, and how teachers/ moderators distinguish the difference between a 7, 8 & 9.

Journey from GCSE to University with Student presentation

FACULTY English Humanities

Wednesday 15th November

Liverpool University presentation, guest speaker Louise Carr Anya Harrison University placement at SWHS - Neuro- Science

Wednesday 22nd November

Moderator Insight - English Language

CIAG Sixth form coordinator E Woolham English

Wednesday 29th November

Best case scenario Worst case Scenario - “How to suck lemons”

Wednesday 6th December Wednesday 13th December Wednesday 20th December

Maths Challenge 2 7-9 Key skills in Science “The extra mile “ Rewards /review/ reflect presentation

Wednesday 11th October Wednesday 18th October Wednesday 1st November Wednesday 8th November

Maths Technology Performance Humanities

Deputy Head - Mr Cloherty Maths Science KS4 progress coordinator CAJ

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OPEN EVENING ON THURSDAY 5TH OCTOBER, WE WELCOMED PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND PARENTS FROM ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA FOR OUR ANNUAL OPEN EVENING.

South Wirral High School offers:

epartments opened up their rooms and put on exciting activities for our guests, including performances from Vision Dance Company and drama from ‘Act Up’. The English department hosted giant scrabble and a series of ‘I’m a Year 6... Get me into South Wirral!’ bush tucker trials.

He went on to highlight our fantastic results from this summer, with a focus on how South Wirral is changing, and how our positive ‘Progress 8’ score shows that at South Wirral, student progress on average is higher than the national average, and higher than many other local schools.

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The highlight of the night for many was, as ever, the food provided by the Food Technology department - who’s room was packed throughout the evening. Our visitors were clearly enticed by the Fruit Kebabs, homemade cookie dough ice cream on homemade cookies along with homemade tomato chutney + cheeses + crackers with tomatoes - grown by our very own South Wirral cookery club students.

• Excellent behaviour • Academic rigour • Outstanding pastoral support

Mr Goodwin was joined on stage by students Ashton, Esme, Olivia, Hannah and Cory who all spoke of their experiences at South Wirral.

In the main hall, Mr Goodwin spoke to parents about how

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COMPETITION WINNER Congratulations to Ryan - a student at Raeburn Primary School - the winner of our Open Evening ‘Treasure Hunt’ competition.

He was delighted to collect his prize of a Kindle Fire 7 tablet from South Wirral High School headteacher, Mr Goodwin.

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GCSE RESULTS SHOW OUR CONTINUING IMPROVEMENT SOUTH WIRRAL HIGH SCHOOL IS CELEBRATING ANOTHER YEAR OF STRONG EXAMINATION RESULTS ACROSS ALL CURRICULUM AREAS, BUT PARTICULARLY, ONCE AGAIN, IN MATHEMATICS AND ENGLISH. THE RESULTS SHOW THE SCHOOL’S STRENGTH IN DEPTH ACROSS THE CURRICULUM IN SCIENCES, HUMANITIES, LANGUAGES, TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS.

day. There were many outstanding individual achievements with so many top grades but particular congratulations go to the highest attaining students on the new Mathematics and English courses.

Cory Whiting and Daniel Gorman achieved the new top grade of grade 9 in Mathematics and Olivia Ellison-Burkhill achieved the new grade 9 in English Literature.

n the new grading, a system for English and Maths a grade 4 is equivalent to a C grade and a grade 7 is equivalent to an A grade.

Overall the highest attainers were, in alphabetical order:

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73% of all students got grade 4 (a C) or above in English Language or Literature and 65% got a grade 4 or above in Maths. 56% of our students got a grade 4 or better in both English and Maths. Overall 56% of students achieved 5 GCSEs at C or equivalent which represents our best results for over 5 years.

Staff, students and parents celebrated success on GCSE results

Emily Allwright (a grade 8 and 4As) Olivia Ellison-Burkhill (a grade 9, 2 A*s and 2 As) Daniel Gorman (a grade 9, 3 A*s and 2 As) Harry Gorman (6 As) Sarah Hamilton (two grade 7s, 5 A*s and 3 As)

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Natalie Hare (1 A* and 4 As) Olivia Hughes (one grade 7, 1 A* and 3 As) Sian Hutton (1 A* and 3 As) Ellen Maddox (two grade 7s and 4 As) Hannah Mason-Dodd (1 A* and 3 As)

Parents and teachers will be proud of the students’ results. They are just reward for all the hard work that has been put in over five years.

These GCSE results came a week after excellent A Level results.

We wish all our students every success in the future, as they seek to further their learning or take up apprenticeships or employment.

Neave Mazzone (three grade 7s, an A* and 4 As) Stephen Muskett (grade 8, grade 7, 3 A*s and 3 As) Saffron Taylor (a grade 8 and 4 As) Max Weatherston (an A* and 2 As) Cory Whiting (one grade 9 and 3 As)

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GIRLS RUGBY TEAM DESIGN NEW KIT FOR SCHOOL

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n September, Mr Bell took members from the Girl’s Rugby team to work with sports kit designers Canterbury to design their own kit for the forthcoming rugby season.

The girls took part in a thoroughly enjoyable experience at Chester Rugby Club which allowed students to show their individual creativity and work collaboratively as a group to create a rugby kit that our students will feel proud to wear.

Mr Bell and 2 students have been invited to Twickenham in February to attend England vs Wales in the 6 nations, where they will be presented their kit by a member of the England Rugby Team. Well done girls!

“We created a kit that will be worn through generations, this is our legacy” - Hannah

“Working with Canterbury was inspiring”

“It really opened my eyes to more aspects of the industry”

- Sarah

- Nicole

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EXTRA CURRICULAR OFFER

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ave you ever thought you would like to join a regular club to...

• Meet other students who share the same interests?

• Gain extra help in subject areas you find difficult?

• Develop your talents even further in subjects you achieve high grades in?

Then now is the opportunity! We have recently released the latest edition of our Extra Curricular Activities booklet, copies can be found online or in the main entrance. If you are interested in going along to any of the clubs listed in the booklet, see the member of staff involved.

Don’t feel that if you miss a session you can’t go along again, there may be the opportunity to join in at any time throughout the term. But remember, you will only improve if you are committed.

Many other subject specific clubs are timetabled at various times throughout the year by arrangement with staff - these will be advertised in department areas, on Moodle and through student notices.

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MAYER-BE THEY’RE BORN WITH IT? MRS ROBINSON AND HER MAYER STUDENTS SOMEHOW MANAGED TO CONVINCE 4 MALE MEMBERS OF STAFF TO UNDERTAKE A MAKEOVER, IN THEIR MOST RECENT FUNDRAISING ENDEAVOUR.

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r Burton, Mr Girow, Mr Harrison & Dr Jones put their faith in a group of female members of staff who were very liberal in their application of concealer, blusher, lip gloss and eye liner (particularly for Mr Harrison’s ‘Scouse Brows’) One of the willing victims, Mr Burton said: It was loads of fun to be involved in something a bit more light hearted with the students - it’s given me a few ideas for when I’m getting ready for the next time I go out at the weekend!”

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When the audience was asked whether the teachers should keep their makeup on for the remainder of the day, the response was a resounding YES! Mrs Griffiths, one of the make-up artists: I can’t believe we’ve not done something like this before - I think they all look ten times better than before!”

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Congratulations to students who helped to organise the event, and a huge thankyou to everybody who paid the 50p entrance.

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FORMER STUDENT TO TAKE PART IN THE ONE SHOW’S ‘RICKSHAW CHALLENGE’

LUKE PERCY TO PEDAL 500 MILES FROM THE ONE SHOW STUDIO IN LONDON TO THE RIVER CLYDE IN GLASGOW

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uke was born with cerebral palsy and was selected for the challenge following his involvement with ‘Stick ‘n’ Step’ - a charity that provides free education sessions to children and young people with cerebral palsy, and their families, from across the North West.

A wheelchair user, Luke is able to walk short distances after relearning to walk following leg surgery when he was 11, and with the help of the staff at Stick ‘n Step is able to live a full and active life.

In a recent interview with the Wirral Globe, Luke said:

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One of the biggest things I’ve taken away from my time at Stick ‘n’ Step is that there are so many ways to accomplish your goals – whether it’s learning a different way to cut your food or dress yourself in the morning – and all it takes is changing your attitude and focusing on what you can do instead of what you can’t.

All of us at South Wirral would like to wish Luke the best of luck in his challenge. If you would like to donate to Children in Need, visit w w w. b b c . co . uk /p u d s e y

“

I want to make sure that other children in my position have the same opportunities, and raising money for BBC Children in Need can help ensure that.

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My hope is that everyone watching the Rickshaw Challenge and seeing my story will see what great things are possible with a bit of support.”

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COOKERY CLUB NEWS

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ookery Club is now up and running after our summer break. Our Tuesday group of year 8-10’s is now full with 20 budding chefs and we now have a new year7 Cookery Club which runs on a Wednesday 3.05-4.30pm.

We have been concentrating on recipes using seasonal food and have made a delicious dessert called a Scrumble which uses home grown pears and blackberries which we picked locally. It has a topping which is a mixture between a scone and crumble. We made it for visitors at Open Evening to try and it proved very popular! We also made some Homemade Tomato Chutney using tomatoes cookery club grew from seeds which we served with crackers and cheese.

filled with a Blood Tomato Dip and Hooting Owl Cupcakes perfect for Halloween and Bonfire Parties!

If you are interested in joining the Cookery Clubs see Mrs Connolly in the food technology rooms at break time.

We have finished the half term with a few Spooky recipes, both groups made Cheesy Witches Fingers with a Bread Roll Cauldron

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sixth form @ south wirral

A Visual & Performing Arts, Maths & Computing College

PROSPECTUS NOW AVAILABLE: www.southwirral.wirral.sch.uk Containing courses, entry requirements & pathways, enrichment and wellbeing information, destinations and more information about the application process

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SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING S tudents from South Wirral High School and other local secondary schools were invited to our Sixth Form @ South Wirral Open Evening on Tuesday 17th October to speak to subject tutors and Sixth Form staff about the Post-16 options available at the school.

Held in the main hall, the event gave students an opportunity to discuss their future career aspirations, and were encouraged to take away course information to consider before putting in their application to join the Sixth Form.

this will give the Sixth Form team an indication of what courses are popular and allow them to shape our formal Sixth Form course offer.

Students were also given a copy of the new Sixth Form @ South Wirral Prospectus - containing lots of information about studying in our Sixth Form. This can be viewed on our website at w w w. southwirral .wirral . sch.uk

Current Year 11 students need to submit their initial applications to their form tutor by 31st October -

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN USE YOUR SIXTH FORM BURSARY TOWARDS A LAPTOP? NOTE: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHECKING THAT YOU HAVE MONEY REMAINING IN YOUR BURSARY BEFOREHAND. DEVICES MUST BE FOR SCHOOL WORK AND HAVE A PHYSICAL KEYBOARD (SOME TABLETS ALLOWED). STUDENTS WITH ATTENDANCE BELOW 95% ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THIS DEAL

MR LAWLESS

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SIXTH FORM @ SOUTH WIRRAL CELEBRATES MORE EXCELLENT A LEVEL AND BTEC RESULTS YET AGAIN SIXTH FORM STUDENTS AT SOUTH WIRRAL HIGH SCHOOL WERE CELEBRATING SOME SUPERB A LEVEL AND BTEC RESULTS, BUILDING ON THE SUCCESSES OF PREVIOUS YEARS FOR OUR SIXTH FORM.

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he vast majority of students secured their first choice at university, with a significant number destined for “redbrick universities”, as a result of achieving the highest grades. These include Hannah Fairbairn who will study History and Archaeology at Newcastle University, Emma Sherlock who will study History at Liverpool University and Ellen Roberts who will study Psychology at York University, after taking an exciting gap year in Kenya with the International Citizenship Service.

Several other students are waiting to hear from Liverpool University in the clearing process.

Some other notable successes were Jazmyn Campbell who achieved A, A, Distinction* and will study Primary Education at Chester University and Kirsty Mort, who has secured one of a very small number of places on the Child Nursing course at Edge Hill University.

Many, many other students are leaving for their first choice of university. Lots of them are embarking on courses which are the first steps to interesting careers, and reflect the strengths at South Wirral across curriculum areas. So students have places to study Chemical Engineering,

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Sports and Exercise Science, Forensic Science, Fashion Buying, Musical Theatre, Film and TV, Pharmacy, Psychology, History, English and Business Studies.

in the future. These results are the product of many months of hard work and dedication by the students and support from staff and parents”.

Some students have also secured prestigious apprenticeships – a good alternative to university – in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Construction Management.

Everybody associated with Sixth Form @ South Wirral is proud of the achievements of all of our students as they now prepare for the next exciting chapter of their lives. Amongst the A*’s and A’s, in many cases, the real success stories are where students have exceeded all expectations through sustained hard work and excellent teaching. We would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved in enabling our students to achieve their potential.

Simon said:

“

Goodwin,

Headteacher,

We are all proud of the students’ achievements and we wish them every success

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SIXTH FORM DESTINATIONS

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his year yet again saw students from Sixth Form @ South Wirral move on to a wide range of destinations after successful exam results.

Some highlights include Emma Sherlock & Lucy Dunn (University of Liverpool), Jazmyn Campbell (University of Chester), Danny Ward (North Liverpool Dance College), Adam Williams-Mackay (LJMU), and Head Girl Ellen Roberts who is taking a gap year with the International Citizen Service (ICS) before returning to the UK next year to study at the University of York.

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HEAD BOY & GIRL

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ach year, Sixth Form @ South Wirral students vote for who they would like to be their representative at school events - the Head Boy and Head Girl. This year, Josh Clague and Izzy Potts have the honour of being named Head Boy & Girl, with Nathan Ferguson to deputise in the event of their absence.

Their first formal job will be to read the ‘Vote of Thanks’ at this year’s Upper School Presentation Evening, on Thursday November 9th.

Congratulations to Josh, Izzy and Nathan on their appointments.

YEAR 12 REWARDS BREAKFAST An excellent start to 6th form at South Wirral from our Year 12s.

This week, their outstanding attendance has been rewarded with a free VIP breakfast. I am very impressed with this outstanding start and their attendance in school will ensure progress and rigour in their learning and development as young adults - keep up the hard work, I am very proud to be your Head of Year!

- Mr Harrison

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We offer a wide range of facilities at competitive rates, especially suited to Sports & Performing Arts groups

Contact us now on 0151 327 3213 or email facilitieshire@southwirral.wirral.sch.uk

www.thegivingmachine.co.uk Page 20