HIGH SCHOOL The pursuit of excellence for every student, every day

SUMMER 2019 ISSUE Autumn 2018 Issue

HIGH NOTES SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS

A summary of our weekly newsletter 'High Notes' for the months of May to July HIGH NOTES SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS

elcome to this third issue of High Notes Highlights, a snapshot of students' participation and Wperformances in a wide range of activities and events over the past term. Students' engagement in our Whole Curriculum was one of a number of strengths highlighted in the recent Ofsted inspection:

"Pupils have opportunities to participate in a range of extra-curricular activities to develop their sporting, artistic and musical skills. The ‘wider curriculum’ offer fulfills its aims of developing the whole child. Other activities for pupils ensure that they develop a sense of responsibility towards their community and society. The school’s vision to be at the ‘heart of the community’ is fulfilled well through extensive partnership work."

We believe that the importance of a strong Whole Curriculum lies in its ability to broaden and strengthen the minds of our young people. We hope that our engaging and rich curriculum will fully equip all of our students with the knowledge, skills and qualities that they will need, in order to flourish in the modern world, as resilient, thoughtful and contributing citizens of the future.

This year's 39 issues of High Notes detail just how many enriching opportunities are available to every student, every day; our challenge as teachers is to ensure that every student makes the very most of their Wilmslow experience, on their journey to becoming well-rounded, young people of character.

I wish you all an enjoyable and relaxing summer break

Mr M Vincent Assistant Headteacher IN THIS ISSUE

4. The Whole Curriculum

5. Leadership & Service

6 & 7. Enquiry & Communication 8. Community

9. Respect

10-13. Sports-Xtra

14. Arts-Xtra

15. Wellbeing

16 & 17. Educational Visits Xtra

18 & 19 Aspirations

20 & 21. Sports Days

22 & 23. Expedition THE WHOLE CURRICULUM

students participating fully and performing highly in all three parts of our curriculum

+ +

WILMSLOW WAY + FORMAL CURRICULUM + WIDER CURRICULUM = LEADERSHIP & SERVICE 'Be a role model and empower others'

DUKE OF EDINBURGH ...... YEAR 7 GOLD AWARD CEREMONY TRANSITION Nine of WHS’s current and ex-students attended their DofE WHS welcomed its new cohort Gold awards ceremony in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. of Year 7 students, with over 345 A huge congratulations to them all – the culmination of many hours of volunteering, improving a skill and a physical activity students joining us earlier this and successfully being self-sufficient on a four-day expedition. term. The students participated in a range of activities in readiness for September which were supported by a team of student ambassadors and leaders from Years 7, 9 and 12. The Year 6s made a very good first impression at WHS with impeccable manners and good behavior. We look forward to seeing them in September.

SCHOOL COUNCIL This year the School Council has been focused on some of the most important issues facing the school and making sure that the student voice is heard. Areas that have been discussed recently include issues around the Xtra curricular activities that the school currently offers. A focus on the school environment and improvements around the school site are some areas that the school council plan to cover soon. ACTIVE ACROSS AGES We have partnered with St Anne’s Fulshaw in a new project which runs intergenerational activities inspired through the power of play and sport. We are currently working with ‘The Hawthorns Care Home', visiting them each week and encouraging participation in sport. 5 Enquiry & Communication 'Read,Performing speak, ask questions Arts X-tra and solve 'Grease!' problems with confidence'

Youth Speaks National Final The Year 10 Youth Speaks Senior team of Bronwyn Parker, Martha Simpson and Louisa Rowland had the honour of representing the North West in the national final against 7 other teams. The girls performed outstandingly well, with Louisa Rowland receiving the individual award for the best Vote of Thanks!

Year 7 Public Speaking This term, Year 7 students have been preparing and sitting the English- Speaking Board’s Level 1 Award in Speech. The English team have been impressed with the level of effort and thought that has gone into students’ work and the assessors from ESB spoke very highly of how effectively students had prepared and how well they spoke 6 Enquiry & Communication 'Read, speak, ask questions and solve problems with confidence'

ICAEW BASE Business and Accountancy Competition hree Year 12 business and economics Tstudents have competed in the national ear 9 students Jack Bratt and Tanesh Patel final of ICAEW’s BASE competition after Ytook part in the STEM Challenge Final being successful in previous rounds. which was held in London. Their innovative Drainpipe Generator design was selected as a finalist in the national competition to solve an everyday problem.

Chemquiz 2019 A strong team of 4 chemists took part Natural 10 Winners in Chemquiz 2019, hosted by the Royal Congratulations to the members of N9LM Society of Chemistry and MMU. WHS put for winning in a commendable performance, scoring a the ‘Natural fantastic 80% in the lab exercise round. Ten’ Harris House Cup Competition. As a reward, students enjoyed a day out to London to visit the Natural History Museum.

High School Hack We took a team of 4 Computer Science students -Will Murray, Aidan Yates, Emily Baxter and Abi Hughes, to take part in Manchester’s first ever Hackathon event sponsored by AO. The students were tasked with designing a way for AO to keep in touch with their customers. 7 Community 'Caring and contributing citizens'

Youth ROC Conversation edeeming Our Communities (ROC) Rcame together with Wilmslow Youth and WHS to host a youth community conversation. Time was taken to celebrate everything happening in Wilmslow currently, with discussions about local need resulting in the formation of an action group. This aims to turn any great ideas from the event into community benefiting projects.

Eco-Group determined School European Elections to make a difference e held our own EU election in school. After a he newly formed Eco Group Wweek of finding out and discussing the different Thave planned an Eco-Review positions of the of the school which will allow an political parties, all action plan to be implemented. This students voted for will be focusing on areas where they their preference. feel is the biggest need. The students 1100 votes were cast, will be reviewing the school’s and the big winners performance in 10 areas. Watch this were the Green Party space for progress updates! (41%) with the Lib Dems coming in a strong second place. Year 9 work with Wilmslow Clean Team Respect 'Develop and demonstrate knowledge, empathy and respect' s part of Making a Difference day, a number of Year 9 students worked with Wilmslow AClean Team to pick up litter around the school site and the surrounding area.

8 Respect 'Develop and demonstrate knowledge, empathy and respect'

Places of Worship n Year 8, students enjoy Ian in depth exploration of three of the major world religions, Islam, Buddhism and Sikhism. To further their study, in the summer term they visited the British Muslim Heritage Centre (BMHC) and a Sikh gurdwara.

Year 8 at Quarry Bank Mill

As part of our Whole Curriculum Days in July, the whole of Year 8 visited Quarry Bank Mill in the nearby village of Styal.

9 Sports X-tra 'Sports roundup'

Football...... The U14 boys team played in the final of the Cup at the very start of the term. They lost 4-2 to a strong Wade Deacon side. Goals were scored by Jack Marshall and Ethen Adamson, who was also man of the match.

Rugby...... Congratulations to Harry Oliver who played for Counties U18s in May, beating Ireland in the second game. This is the first time England have won against Ireland for over ten years. Well done Harry!

Boys Cricket...... The boys had a hugely successful season across all age groups. U12 made a promising start reaching the Cheshire Cup quarter finals. The U13s won the Macclesfield School Cup and were Cheshire Indoor Runners Up. The U14s are North England 8-a-side Champions, Cheshire Cup Runners-Up, and had a 100% win rate in Saturday friendly fixtures. The U15s are Cheshire Indoor Champions and reached the Cheshire Cup quarter finalists. The 1st XI also finished 3rd Place in T20 Area finals.

Rounders...... Well done to our rounders teams this year where our U15/U16 came 4th in the league and U12/U13 came 2nd in the league. 10 SportsSports X-tra X-tra 'Sports 'Sports roundup' roundup'

Girls Cricket...... U13 Girls - After finishing joint top on points, the only thing separating WHS and Alder Grange School (Lancashire) was the number of wickets lost. A harsh way to miss out on the championship, but an unbelievable achievement to finish as the second-best school in the North of England! The U13s also won the Cheshire Cup beating Upton Hall School by 73 runs!

Handball...... It was our first entry into the Cheshire and School Games Handball competition. We Drew two games (Alsager, Lymm) and won three (Weaverham, Bishop Heber, St Thomas Boteler) finishing in 1st place! A great result from our newest sports team.

Hockey...... The U18 boys hockey team have had a very successful run this year and made it through to the last 8 nationally in the Plate Competition. Congratulations to the five Year 11 girls who play for Alderley Edge Hockey Club U16s. They went through to the National finals and achieved 4th place, which is the highest place the team has ever achieved. Well done girls!

11 Sports X-tra 'Sports roundup'

Tennis and Tri-Golf...... Success...... A number of students from the ASC Resource, HI Provision and The Alps Plus group were invited to an inclusive tennis and tri-golf event. Their sportsmanship was second to none and they represented WHS superbly. The students came away with two thoroughly deserved medals each.

Netball...... A successful year for all netball teams. The U15s put in an incredible effort and were undefeated throughout finishing first in the league. Seniors were also first in their league, losing only one game all season. U13 just missed out by one point and came 2nd. U12A, U12B and U14 were all 3rd in their leagues.

Tennis...... The U13 boys team finished third in a tough group in the AEGON schools team tennis competition. The U15 boys finished second in their group and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the regional finals. The U13 girls finished top of their group in the same competition and qualified for the regional finals in Sep-tember. The U15 girls team finished third in their group.

12 SportsSports X-tra X-tra 'Sports 'Sports roundup' roundup'

Cheerleading...... The cheerleading teams have been out this year competing in two competitions, the first was the UK cheer-leading championships. KS3 - level 1 team placed 4th, KS4 - level 2 team placed 5th. At SchoolsFest the level 1 team placed 2nd in the most popular category at the competition and the level 2 team placed 1st. Huge improvements seen this year!

Athletics...... Thea Brown had a very successful season competing at the Greater Manchester Athletics Championships. She won 4 gold medals in long jump, hurdles, 150m and high jump where she set a new championship record. Steffie Moss won the Northern Athletics U20 1500m final. Another fantastic achievement, well done! Thea Brown Emma Jackson came 3rd at the County Finals in the Sprint Hurdles. Sally-Ann Hitchen had great results with both the 200m and the long jump, finishing second at the Macclesfield and District competition. Jimmy Burling has put in a strong performance with the shot put coming first or second in every competition. Ryan Viggerstaff had a fantastic season throwing the discus, getting all the way to the county Steffie Moss finals in Birmingham. 13 Arts X-tra

As ever, lots of activity has been taking place in our Arts X-tra programme and here are just a few highlights from music and dance...

Arts X-tra '???????????????' "The amount of hard work and level of talent from all of the students was phenomenal" Summer Concert Over 50 students, ranging from Year 7 to Year 12, performed to a full audience at the Summer Concert. With performances from several soloists and a variety of ensembles, such as Jazz Band, Voices and Clarinet Group made for a fantastic evening. The amount of hard work and level of talent from all of the students was phenomenal.

Stockport Showcase of Dance Evening of Dance Dancers in Years 7 & 10 performed at Aquinas College as part of Over 110 students took Stockport Youth Dance Showcase. part in our annual dance The Year 7 dance club (top right) show. Students from Years performed a self choreographed 7-11 performed a range of piece inspired by The Greatest group and individual dances Showman and Year 10 group much to the audience’s (bottom right) performed the delight iconic Thriller dance including full zombie costume. 14 Wellbeing 'Strengthen your heart, head, hands and health' Plastic Free

Plastic Free Wilmslow welcomed lots of students from the High School (and other schools) to help make a statement to the supermarkets, and Sainsbury’s in particular, about the importance of them reducing the amount of plastic they use - and we buy.

Screen Time Research Project There has been widespread speculation in the media recently about the relationship between screen time use and wellbeing. With this in mind, WHS has set up a working party to investigate how this might impact students in our school. Watch this space for more information next term!

Marathon Challenge

We have been celebrating National School Sports Week. In PE lessons and Sports Xtra clubs, KS3 pupils and PE staff have worked together to take on the 50 Marathon Challenge. In total, our pupils and staff completed a combined:

LAPS MILES MARATHONS 5552 1388 53

15 Educational Visits X-tra 'Broadening horizons'

Madrid Football Tour

The boys received two training sessions from Real It was a once Madrid’s academy coaches in a lifetime before playing two matches experience for against local club sides. To top 35 football-mad it off, the students enjoyed 2 students from stadium tours and had chance Years 9 and 10. to take in some sights.

Year 10 and 12 visit Lyon The MFL department took 32 students on a 4-day trip to Lyon. The students had many chances to practice their French, with the teachers being very impressed by how they responded to linguistic and social cues within conversations.

16 Educational Visits X-tra 'Broadening horizons'

Headlong’s ‘Richard III’ at HOME Theatre

ixth Form English literature students had the opportunity to watch Sa critically acclaimed production of Richard III, one of the plays studied during A-levels. This interpretation intrigued the students and offered them a different perspective on Shakespeare’s characterisation of Richard III.

MathsCamp

A-level Maths students seized a fantastic opportunity to visit Anglesey earlier this term for some much welcome maths revision before their exams.

Media Studies visit to Media City

Several of our Year 12 A-level Media Studies students had the chance to explore Media City in Salford as part of a BBC tour.

German Exchange

27 Year 10 students had the opportunity to put their German skills to the test on a trip to Tübingen, near Stuttgart.

17 Sports X-tra 'Sports roundup' Aspirations 'Do more, be more, aim higher'

ASPIRE HIGH his year our Aspire High programme has gone from strength to strength. Students have been Tgiven insights into a range of career and apprenticeship opportunities providing them with high aspirations. We have had over 15 encounters involving around 30 visitors to the school in a range of careers from police to accountancy. These are our final two encounters of the year from the summer term... Formula 1 ormer WHS student Jack Bentley Fdelivered a fascinating presentation which focused on the Formula Student competition, with Jack currently taking the position of team captain in his team. He demonstrated examples of perseverance and resilience throughout his journey, as well as sharing a few Computer Games Design exciting stories. rthur Parsons, Head of Design at TT AGames, presented a comprehensive overview of the opportunities in his industry and gave the students some top tips for accessing these roles in the future. The students were intrigued by the range of roles required in computer game design, feeling inspired by Arthur’s passion for the industry and its future..

girls out loud Year 7 girls took part in an exciting 40 and interactive day where they were inspired by guest speakers and mentors on the ‘Girls Out Loud’ project. The speakers were all high achieving, inspiration female advocates from a variety of occupations and backgrounds. We hope the girls gained lots of exciting ideas and opportunities to take forward into their futures. 18 Aspirations 'Do more, be more, aim higher'

BTEC Leeds Uni Visit ear 12 BTEC Sport students made the Ytrip to Leeds University to further their understanding of Sports Coaching and Sports Business Marketing.

Flava People ear 12 Food Science and Nutrition Ystudents had the opportunity last week to spend some time with the Flava People in Manchester.

Year 7 Networking Day ll Year 7 students arrived in school Aon Tuesday to be challenged with designing and conducting an interview, with a business volunteer, who they have never met before.

Year 10 Work Experience uring July, Year 10 students Dcompleted a week of work experience in various venues which included London, Reading, Manchester, Stockport and locally, in Wilmslow. The students acquitted themselves really well and learned a lot from the chance to sample the world of work.

19 SPORTS DAYS

Another successful Sports Day took place on the final Wednesday of the term. The event was supported by all students in Years 7 - 10 with over 100 athletes taking part in the various track events....Norcliffe being victorious.

20 SPORTS DAYS

Mrs Lumley and the PE team welcomed over 30 students from both WHS and from Lindow Primary School to the back field to take part in a number of fun, inclusive sporting activities.

21 Expedition 'Embracing outdoor challenges'

Duke of Edingurgh Award There has been lots of DofE activity in the past term as the warmer weather enable expeditions to take place. In May, students working towards their bronze DofE competed their practice expedition with all participants showing a willingness to learn and a resilience in walking with all their equipment. Also, during May, twenty-five Year 12 students took part in their gold practice expedition in the Lake District. Although the 4 days were grueling, the students showed ultimate stamina, mental resilience and teamwork, with behavior at camp being exemplary.

Year 9 Expedition The Year 9 Bronze DofE groups took part in their assessed expedition on the 1st and 2nd July. Based in the Bakewell area of the Peak District, we were lucky to have perfect walking weather - dry, warm but not too hot.

22 Expedition 'Embracing outdoor challenges'

CAMPS INTERNATIONAL On the 8th of July, around 40 students, both current and past, embark on an incredible month - long trip to Tanzania which has taken almost two years to plan and raise funds for.

LANGDALE RESIDENTIAL “On Thursday the 11th of July 2019 in the morning, I packed my bag to go to the Lake District with Inclusion. After the drive, we stayed at Baysbrown Farm, where we put up our tents.....”

YEAR 7 AT CHESTER ZOO As part of our wider curriculum exploration days last week our Year 7s visited Chester Zoo

FOREST SCHOOL Our forest school has continued in full swing this term embracing the good weather and the not so good! Local MP, Esther McVey even got her wellies on and came to visit us after she had heard all the fabulous things about it. The students were fabulous ensuring that she was given a full tour of the area and allowed them to join in with the activities. 23 21 Key Stage 4 & 5 Celebrations

YEAR 11 PROM KEY STAGE 4 AND 5 The Class of 2019 celebrated their end of year PRESENTATION EVENING Over 70 students were presented with awards prom in style at the Deanwater Hotel to mark at the annual KS4 and 5 presentation evening. the successful end to their examinations and This was an opportunity to be proud of all that as a reward for their commitment across their 5 has been achieved, grateful for contributions to the school community and hopeful for what years at Wilmslow High School. the future holds.

Wilmslow High School, Holly Road, Wilmslow Cheshire. SK9 1LZ Tel: 01625 526 191 email: [email protected] follow us on twitter: @wilmslowhigh