OCTOBER 2015

THE MAYOR VISITS ST CHAD’S

GCSE & A-LEVEL RESULTS!

CONTENTSINTRODUCTION!

OUR NEW CATERERS!

MAYORS VISIT

CHAIR OF GOVERNORS

GCSE & A-LEVEL RESULTS

ISA AWARD

ATTENDANCE

SCHOOLS WILL ROCK YOU

OTHER NEWS...

In this issue...

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SIXEIGHT

TEN TEN

ELEVENTWELVE

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course around our site, a stretch and challenge day on the theme of space and a science forensics day at St Chad’s. Little League and staff from St Chad’s are delivering sports lessons in several of our feeder primary schools. Many pupils in years 5 and 6 and their parents from primary schools across Halton attended our very popular open evening. We are looking forward to working closely with our primary partners during the year. The governors have had their first training day of the year which focused on their roles and responsibilities and the new OFSTED framework.

Students at St Chad’s are always keen to raise money for identified charities and to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves which is our value of compassion in action. This half-term year 11 students and staff raised money for Jeans for Genes day on 26th September by wearing denim and there were two opportunities to take part in a MacMillan coffee morning. Next half term students will be putting together shoeboxes and hampers for Christmas.

I would like to thank you for your continued support as we move through this academic year.

A MESSAGE FROMOUR HEAD OF SCHOOL...

I hope that you all had an enjoyable summer break. The recent excellent weather has contributed to what has been an exceptionally positive start to the new academic year. The students have returned to school looking very smart and I am grateful to parents and carers for their support in ensuring that the standard of uniform is so high. The new staff have settled very well into the school and all staff are using the new approaches to teaching and learning (TEEP) in their lessons. There is a very positive ethos in the classrooms and it is pleasing to listen to the learning conversations that are taking place as this means that teaching is going from strength to strength. There is a great commitment from all staff and we all have a sense of shared purpose.

There have been further improvements to the facilities for both students and staff over the holidays. We have a fantastic new dining room, new caterers and an outside “Grab and Go” catering pod. The lecture theatre has been rebranded as the new school chapel and it can accommodate a much larger number of people. A new fence has been erected at the front of the school so that we are able to provide dedicated play areas for the students. There will be further investment in the outside play areas as the year progresses. A number of existing classrooms have been re-painted and refurbished.

This term has been very busy already. We were delighted to welcome the mayor on a visit to the school in September and are already looking forward to welcoming her back to celebration evening in November. We have also welcomed a number of pupils from our feeder primary schools to an orienteering

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We are happy to introduce Chartwells, the UK’s leading provider of quality catering services to the Education sector.

You may already be aware that Chartwells was recently awarded the catering contract for St Chad’s High School.

Our menus include the best quality ingredients sourced directly from growers and producers. This ensures we can maintain a robust supply chain and have complete traceability from the field to the plate.

The Government food-based and nutritional standard for school meals places stringent requirements in relation to the nutritional

content of school meals. I am delighted to say that the menus that will be on offer will meet all of these standards.

A journey is never about standing still. Chartwells in partnership with St Chads will ensure that we offer your child/children a Government compliant, nutritionally balanced and tasty meal everyday.

So it is with pleasure that we will take your child’s food offer from great to outstanding.

Dawn & TeamCatering Manager Chartwells

We were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Halton, Councillor Ellen Cargill, and her consort on a visit to the school in September.

The Mayor met with Mrs Burke and Mr Billings and had a tour of the school. As a previous member of the governing body at St Chad’s she was particularly interested in the changes to the facilities over the last 10 years.

The mayor visited science, English, IT and Spanish lessons and was particularly keen to hear how lessons have changed now that teachers are teaching using the TEEP structures.

After tea she met with the school council and told them about her role in the council

and what it means to be a mayor in 21st century Britain.

The students were very interested in what she had to say and took the opportunity to ask questions.

We are delighted that she has agreed to present certificates and prizes at our Celebration Evening in November.

THE MAYOR VISITS ST CHAD’S

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In my last report to you in the summer term I emphasised the commitment of St Chad’s Governing Body to move “the school forward in partnership with our wonderful staff, students, families and our community.”

As newly appointed Chair of Governors, I start this report with the same commitment.

The school has “hit the floor running” this academic year, including your Governing Body!

In the first weeks of this term governors have already met as Resources, Data and Stakeholder Committees, as well as a full Governing Body, to set plans and monitor staffing, finances, and performance.

Governors are confident in the high quality teaching and support staff that are now in place, and welcome those who have joined our school family this term. The journey to “good” continues at speed.

Your Governing Body is also journeying at speed! HMI, at their last monitoring visit in June recognised that Governors are now carrying out their strategic role fully.

To maintain this standard, Governors have a training programme focused on increasing skills and knowledge to carry out their role, and keep up to date with changes in education.

On Saturday 19th September Governors met for refresher training on their roles and responsibilities, led by our independent Clerk to the Governing Body, Mr Michael Fair.Following this Mr Billings, Executive Headteacher and Mrs Burke, Head of School took Governors through the new Ofsted Inspection Framework, and introduced a very impressive school self-evaluation tool.

This is an example of the Governing Body working side by side with Senior Leaders. Through our regular progress meetings with senior leaders, our governor committees and full governor meetings, together with monthly presentations to governors by Departmental Heads, and visits by Link Governors to monitor performance, progress and action plans, I am confident that the Governing Body now plays a full part in the strategic leadership of the school.

Our first training day of the year was both enjoyable and worthwhile. It had started with prayer, led by our Anglican Chaplain and Governor, Mrs Jenny Owen. Prayer in our beautiful new Chapel, now moved into the once Lecture Theatre, set the theme for the day. This was an opportunity to reflect on who we are, why we are Governors, and where we are going as THE Faith School in Runcorn.

With the continued support of Governors, Senior Leaders, Teaching and support staff, students and parents, St Chad’s can, and will be one of the highest performing schools in Halton.

I ask you to be part of the journey, and encourage others to join us.

Thank you & God Bless

Janet Lawrence

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF GOVERNORS...

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At the centre of our school buildings we now have a beautiful chapel.

The chapel is a place of reflection and peace in the midst of a busy working community.

The chapel is our gathering space for worship and is used by both staff and students every day.

We were delighted to invite staff from schools in Runcorn to a Shrewsbury Diocese Welcome Mass held in the chapel on 22nd September.

Our new chapel will be at the heart of our celebrations of the church year and provide a space for regular liturgies.

We have plans for a special Christmas Tree Festival and service lit by a 100 glow sticks!

If ever you visit St Chad’s please ask to see the chapel, we would love to show it to you.

Niall and JennyChaplaincy Team

THE HEART OF ST CHAD’S!

As part of our after school enrichment programme, a group of students are taking part in a gardening club on a Friday afternoon.

The club aims to teach students

basic botany and key garden skills, whilst considering the importance of recycling and its impacts on the environment.

The students are using a range of recycled materials found around the home to create sustainable garden features.

The students are working hard to refurbish the existing planting areas in time for Spring. This includes propagating, sowing seeds and planting bulbs.

The project will involve creating wildlife friendly areas, such as bug houses and bird feeders! The students will eventually create an area to grow a range of vegetables (including kale) to keep our resident bearded dragon Barry happy!

Any donations of gardening equipment/bulb/ seeds etc will be gratefully received.

Students this year have achieved an excellent set of results in their A Levels. The results are the best in recent years and this consistent improvement on previous years confirms the finding from our recent OFSTED report where inspectors said “Sixth Form students have good attitudes to learning and want to do well.”

The results have ensured that all students are progressing to the university of their choice this year, to an apprenticeship or have secured employment. 22.4% of students achieved A*-B grades, including several students achieving the highest grade of A*, and an overall pass rate of 97.1% A*-E.

Many students performed exceptionally well including:•Sara Malas: A*A*A in Polish, Psychology and Mathematics and will read Psychology at Birmingham University

•Patrick Holmes: amongst Patrick’s excellent results he achieved an A* in Sociology which he will study at Liverpool John Moores University

•Chloe Ryan: BBB in English language and Literature, Biology and Chemistry and will read Biology and English at Liverpool University

•Olivia Tringham: ABC in English Language literature, Theatre studies and Music. Olivia is going on to study at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music.

Many students also went on to achieve BBC grades, which is testimony to their commitment. Mrs Burke, Head of School, said “We are delighted with this year’s results which reflect the hard work of all students and staff.” Overall the vast majority of our students have done superbly well, we congratulate them all and wish them every success for the future.

OUR GCSE AND A-LEVEL RESULTS...

Following on from the superb A Level results, our 198 year 11 students notched up an overall GCSE 5 or more A*-C pass rate of 50% with an overall pass rate of 98%. These results mean that there is a large number of students eligible to progress to Sixth Form studies.

Executive Principal, Tony Billings, said ‘There are some exceptional individual results which compare well with the best schools in the country’. The highest performing male student was Kieran Dorcey with 9 GCSEs at A*-A grades and the highest performing female student was Danielle Pearson with 8 GCSEs at A*-A and 2 at B grades

Kieran said, “I am delighted with my results and am looking forward to studying science and maths in the sixth form”.

Special congratulations are due to students of all abilities and especially to the following high flyers who gained 9 or more GCSEs at grades A*-B:

•Vanya Barzilova•Shannon Corcoran•Daniel Ellis

•Evan Fray•Lydia Guttridge•Emma Litva-Bailey•Lucy McGrellis•Caitlin Miller•Charlotte Smith•Abbie Swain

Vanya, who is one of our EAL students said, “When I arrived in year 8 my English was limited but with the help of the excellent staff at St Chad’s I have excelled in my studies.”

Also worthy of special mention are the following students for making outstanding progress:

•Megan Briggs•Isaac Garner•Derryn Gibney•Amy Griffiths•Hannah Heesom•Padraic Ryan•Nathan Welch

We are also proud of our students who have had to overcome obstacles or challenges and have achieved their targets.W

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application for the International School Award. The ISA recognises the importance of the international work we do at St Chad’s across all departments and with all pupils.

Feedback given from the British Council about our application:

This is an outstanding and focused Impact Evaluation. It demonstratesyour commitment to understanding and applying the principles of international education. It also showcases your international learning journey, including your

achievements and the positive effects of your global learning on all stakeholders involved in the process, including students, staff, partner schools and the wider community.

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We are really proud of our status as a Language College and of the international activities that take place at St Chad’s every year.

We have recently celebrated European Day of Languages and continue to develop links with our partner schools in Kenya and China.

We believe that language learning is important and that by teaching students a foreign language we are giving them better opportunities in life. Furthermore we believe that when students learn a foreign language they have a greater understanding of different cultures and this reduces suspicion and mistrust, which helps reduce conflict.

Last month we were delighted to find out that we have been successful in our re-

Attendance is rapidly improving at St Chad’s and we are working towards achieving our aspirational target of 97%. Currently attendance overall is 96.3%, with the boys just slightly in the lead at 96.3% but the girls are hot on their heels at 96.2%.

As we know there is a direct correlation between excellent attendance and high attainment, therefore it is essential that as staff, parents and the school community we work hard to improve attendance and celebrate its achievements.

At St Chad’s there is a dedicated team of staff who work tirelessly to support pupils with their attendance and, ultimately their attainment. We are currently working with Jackie Beard, an attendance consultant and Jackie Burke our new Education Welfare Officer to have a holistic approach to attendance.

We work hard to build positive relationships with parents which allows for multi-agency working to support young people. Attendance is a top priority for all staff and the PPCs and Inclusion Team have a specific focus on helping young people achieve their potential. We have inter tutor competitions resulting in the tutor group with the highest attendance being rewarded with a bowling or ice skating trip. Certificates are awarded to those students who have 100% attendance which is a major achievement. We reward the best tutor group attendance with tea and toast in the morning and there are also half termly prize draws to incentivise the students to maintain their excellent attendance.

Attendance to school is everyone’s responsibility and is the key to success for students’ attainment and we will continue to work diligently to achieve our target of 97%. I am delighted to see that Year 7 have started as they mean to go on with an impressive figure of 98.6%. Well done Year 7 and Mrs Hill!

ASPIRE TO BE THE BEST...

In the last few weeks of the school year approximately 50 pupils across all year groups had been working extremely hard to piece together ‘We Will Rock You’, a musical which featured on the West End for about 10 years.

It featured songs from Queen placed in a futuristic setting called ‘Planet Mall’. Libby Tringham was the ‘Killer Queen’ of the relm and was assisted by her ‘Captain Kashoggi’ played by Connor Evans. It was only via the help of many bohemians such as ‘Britney Spears, Meat loaf, Sir Paul McCartney and Pop’ (played by Lily Mayers, Hannah Bailey, Christie Reynolds and Ruby Thornton) that two misfits were able to save everyone from this ‘gaga’ life by bringing back rock and roll. Sienna Morris and Calum Snell brought their talents to the stage to portray these rebels, Scaramouch and Galileo.

Everyone involved, even those behind the scenes, put a lot of effort into producing the show. Both nights were attended by a very receptive audience who were able to see our ‘shining stars’ excel in these extra curricula activities.

We are lucky to have such a talented and committed body of students and we wish Sienna Morris, Christie Reynolds and Olivia Tringham all the best as they pursue further studies in this area.

Thank you to everyone who was involved or showed their support in anyway, we look forward to seeing you at our next production which will be announced in school very soon.

SCHOOLS WILL ROCK YOU

IN OTHER NEWSIn Other News...

More than twenty Year 5 students arrived at the school on the morning of Saturday 3rd October to participate in the first ever stretch & challenge day here at St. Chad’s with Mr Houslay, Miss Brennan and Mr Coyle. All of the sessions were based around the idea of space and what might be out there! Comets were the focus of Mr Houslay’s lesson and the comets created were very impressive!

The maths that students had to work out with Miss Brennan was very taxing - calculating how to calculate scales so that they could make scale models of the distances of the planets from the earth! They also re-created the model themselves as planets!

Creating a suitable sound track for a film was the aim of Mr Coyle’s lesson with students impressing him with their knowledge and understanding of all things musical.

The students’ efforts were excellent and their enthusiasm contagious, particularly with such challenging lessons to work with. We are already planning the next primary stretch & challenge day for February 2016.

Pupils from 7L had a great day visiting Shropshire Cat Rescue Centre.

They read to the animals and helped collect information about the newborn kittens and data about the elderly cats in the retirement village.

As part of the rolling program we have with the charity we will be using this data with classwork and help build up the animals’ confidence around humans and vice versa.

Our next trip will be looking more closely at the re-homing process and what specific needs the cats need from an appropriate home.

FELINE FRIENDS! STRETCH & CHALLENGE DAY

School will finish for October Half Term on Friday 23rd October 2015 at 2.50pm.

All pupils to return on Monday 2nd November 2015.