NEWSLETTER December 2019

Mass Exodus On Friday morning, staff ventured across the country to experience a day in the life of pupils and teachers in outstanding schools. For some of us it was a very early start as we stood on platform 5 at Station awaiting the 5.30 am train to Euston, before battling with London commuters to arrive at Holland Park School in Kensington. Other colleagues going to London had a slightly later start as they travelled to the world renowned Michaela School in the district of Wembley. Some voyaged slightly less further afield, maybe in slightly less comfort too, as our school minibuses took staff to Derby and Halifax. Finally, other colleagues had shorter journeys to , Trafford and . Without exception, each and every school we visited were so very generous with their time, energy and openness as they welcomed us into their workplace for the day. We watched amazing lessons, spoke to pupils with real aspiration, met with colleagues who were open about their own school’s challenges and determination to ensure pupils’ life chances are maximised. Whilst at Holland Park we learned of the 4 pupils who had dealt with the trauma of losing their homes to the Grenfell fire and one desperately sad story of a pupil who sadly lost his life as a result of that fateful day. I think it’s fair to say all staff, regardless of the school visited, felt humbled and privileged to have the chance to see how other leaders, teachers and support staff deliver their vision for change. We have a lot to digest, share and consider. We want to take the very best practice from across the country and implement those ideas and strategies that we feel are right for our own school community. We know we have incredible learners at Weaverham. There is no question we are working hard to create aspirational young people who are determined to take responsibility for their learning and to fully grasp hold of all the opportunities open to them. We feel we can further support every pupil in fulfilling their ambition by learning from the Mass Exodus experiences and use it to shape our own vision. I want to take the opportunity to thank my colleagues for their open-mindedness and their determination to provide the very best experiences for every Weaverham pupil. Schools who welcomed us for the day: Holland Park, London. Michaela Community School, London. Landau Fort, Derby. Trinity Academy, Halifax. Dixons Academy, Bradford. Wellington High School, Trafford. Fallibroome Academy, Macclesfield. Eaton Bank, . Bridgewater High School, Warrington High School, Stoke-on-Trent.

th The Shakespeare Festival– What a night, a 12 night! Two weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of sitting in the auditorium of the Arts Centre in Manchester to watch a group of Year 7,8, 9 and 10 pupils perform in the world’s largest youth drama festival. For many years Weaverham High School has supported the Shakespeare Arts Festival and this year our chosen performance was the romantic comedy Twelfth Night, and what a performance our stars gave!

Performing any play in front of a packed theatre can be a daunting task, but to do so using the linguistically demanding words from the Bard himself is quite extraordinary. Shakespeare’s plays are driven by their characters and every choice that is made about words, structure and rhythm tells you something about the person, their relationships or their mood in that moment. You can imagine how proud we felt as our pupils portrayed the story brilliantly with creativity, confidence and humour.

Whilst I was immensely proud of the performance itself, I was equally proud of the way the ‘Weaverham Shakespeare Company’ supported one another as well as those performing from the other two schools present. It was a joy to be there to celebrate their achievements.

I truly hope the experience left each and every one of them feeling proud and confirmed the fact that once you set your mind to it, you can achieve absolutely anything.

Ellie Bennett 9SR Josh Bennett 9CB Elliot Brown 8JF Eleanor Chidlow 10GJ Isaac Dalby 10GJ George Dunn 8KW Lizzie Edwards 9CB Eva Foster 7AP Lily Kelly 10NC Aaron Lewis 10LH Charlotte Martin 9SR Erin McDonnell 10NC Emily Murison 8AG Lottie Nelms 8AG Charlie Parkes 10VW Ellie Sephton 10NR Aaron Southworth 10CG Sian Tideswell 10NR Daisy Trainor 10JB Amelia Warburton 10GJ Tom O’Reilly 10JB Josh Sharman 10NR

Attendance As you will appreciate, attendance to school is paramount – not only to ensure each and every pupil has access to learning so that they are successful in their academic progress and to make sure there are no gaps in their knowledge, but also to ensure their personal and social development is also enhanced too. We have made significant improvements to how we track, monitor and support pupils whose attendance is not in line with our expectations…but there is room for improvement and so we ask for the ongoing support of parents and carers. As the winter months are upon us, there are likely to be the odd occasions where your child may have a sniffle, cough, or feel a little under the weather. Where at all possible, please bring your child to school – we will look after them and with agreed and appropriate medication, it is very likely that they will manage the school day without an issue. We have to prepare our children for the world of work and we all know that developing resilience is a life skill. Please work with us to ensure that your child’s attendance is the very best it can be. If you are struggling to get your child to school we do have dedicated pastoral staff who will be able to support you.

Appeals Trust We are fortunate to have an Appeals Trust where parents and carers kindly donate monthly fees to support school funds. Every year the Appeals Trust Committee meet to consider how funds will be used to enhance the experience of pupils. Recently we have used the funds to improve the school site – we bought furniture for the quad area and we are in the process of having a covered canopy erected to enable pupils to have an outdoor eating area. Our next project is still aimed at improving the school environment but this time internally. Every pupil voice questionnaire or discussion we have had over recent months confirms that pupils find the toilet area in school unwelcoming and in need of some attention. It is my pleasure to confirm that the Appeals Trust Committee unanimously agreed that both the Girls and Boys toilets will be refurbished over the next 8 months. I will be meeting the school council next week to find out more about their thoughts on how these spaces can be improved. I will also be arranging for members of the council to visit other local schools who have recently improved their facilities to give us some idea of what could be achieved. I look forward to keeping you updated as our plans progress.

The Best in ! U16 Rugby Champions I wanted to take the opportunity to share our absolute joy and pride in the U16 Rugby squad’s incredible achievement this half term as they were crowned U16 Rugby Champions. A squad of almost 20 players have demonstrated commitment, drive, excellence and respect in equal measure. It was right and fitting that they came home Cheshire champions and were an absolute credit to themselves and represented the school as the very best ambassadors. I am sure you would agree that the PE staff have been instrumental in supporting the boys reach this level and I have extended my thanks to them too. I know the victory would have meant so much to the players and we are all so pleased that the hard work paid off for them. I must say, in addition to the win, how they approached the game was something to behold. Mr Goodall explained in minute detail the challenge the match presented in terms of emotion and each and every player demonstrated respect both to their opposition and match officials. The school community are so very proud of all they achieved and the style in which they conducted themselves. Quite simply “the best in Cheshire” C Bancroft E Arnold F Davenport A De Keyzer J Lightfoot E Lloyd D Moulton L Lynch J C Hyde C Bridge R Kiernan K Clarke B Taylor C Brown M Houghton

Chili enrichment experience Written by Ross Hanley 9SJ On Tuesday 26th November, a group of Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils, together with Mrs Stratton and Mr Clarke went on a short trip to the Grange Theatre. Here we were introduced to everything you’ve ever wanted to know about chillies by the Little Chilli Shop, all the way from Anglesey. We got to try some chillies such as the Ghost Pepper which is classed as a “super hot chilli. We were also told about how they started their business and how it grew to become one of the best known chilli shops in the U.K. The Chilli Shop won many awards for their chillies and have even made some for the Queen! We all had a great time trying some sauces and understanding more about how chillies grow – in fact, everything chilli!! If you want to try a Ghost Pepper, you may need to have some cola ready – the best way to cool your mouth afterwards– you’ll need it, believe me!! Thank you to Mrs Stratton and Mr Clarke.

National Success in The Bebras Challenge - Weaverham pupils are in the top 10% and one pupil is on her way to Oxford University!

What is the Bebras Challenge? It is a competition aimed at raising awareness of Computer Science in a fun and rewarding way. The competition involves solving problems using computational thinking skills.

What does computational thinking involve? Computational thinking involves using a set of problem-solving skills and techniques that software engineers use to write programs and apps. Examples of these techniques would include the ability to break down complex tasks into simpler components, algorithm design, pattern recognition, pattern generalisation and abstraction.

The top 10% nationally are recognised by being invited to compete in a further competition in March 2019 that will also take place in school. This year 71 Weaverham Key Stage 3 pupils (up from 51 last year) reached this stage. Year 7 pupils took part in the Junior category with Years 8 and 9 competing in the Intermediate category. Weaverham High School enjoyed success in both! In the Junior category Grace Parry came top with a score of 188 out of 200 and as a result will be invited to Oxford University in January as she is in the top 60 out of 80,000 students nationally. She was closely followed by Nathan Brassington, Eleanor Booth and George Holbrook who scored 184. In the Intermediate category four Year 8 girls led the way. They were, in order of points awarded; Chloe Bedford, Laura Warburton, Amelia Partridge and Isabelle Luckraft. Congratulations to all participants and I am sure you join us in wishing Grace the very best of luck as she competes in the next round at Oxford University.

Year 11 As we are preparing our pupils for their 2020 Summer GCSE Exam season we are requesting the students to provide us with their mobile phone numbers. This will enable us to contact students directly in case of emergencies on exam days and also in the event of any queries that may arise post results. Results queries have to be discussed directly with the pupils, we are unable to discuss directly with parents without consent from your child. The mobile phone numbers will be destroyed confidentially by the 31st October 2020. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need to discuss this further.

Year 10 Thank you to all parents and carers who attended our Year 10 Parent Information evening last week. It was a jam packed evening with input from Senior Leaders and the Head of Department for Maths, English and Science. The presentation is on our school website should you need to re-visit any of the content. I would like to take the opportunity to reiterate what an impressive start to their GCSE journey our Year 10s have had. They are an incredibly talented group of pupils who are eager to please and determined to succeed. Despite the challenges of the revised GCSEs, our pupils have access to all the tools they need to be successful – our dedicated staff have built into their Schemes of Learning opportunities to revisit content from previous weeks and months and support pupils with recall and application. As suggested on the information night, it will be hugely beneficial if pupils take control of their revision now…creating flashcards after each unit of work, completing homework to the very highest standards, visiting revision websites such as www.senecalearning.comand language students completing daily 15 minute memrise challenges. Good habits now will reap benefits in Year 11. There are no limits—aim high.

Alumni - Chris Tavener Weaverham pupil 2004 - 2009 After Weaverham High School, Chris went to Sir John Deane's College and then to York St John University to study Film and TV Production. Chris was successful in gaining employment for a company called Chief Productions based in Media City, Salford. For two years Chris used his skills to create adverts for ITV and other broadcasting companies. In 2015, Chris became a full-time musician, honing his craft as a satirical singer-songwriter. For the past four years, he has been touring constantly; performing in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Chris has recently shared the stage with the following musical icons: Peter Hook (Joy Division), Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2), Super Hans (Channel 4's Peep Show) and Clint Boon (Inspiral Carpets). Chris’ latest project is a short film featuring the voice acting talents of national treasure, Sir Ian McKellen. Chris was commissioned to write a comedy song about a lonely meteor travelling through space and was also cast alongside Sir Ian. He created the story based on ideas from a child at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London.

Link to the film- https://youtu.be/x3vOGMd0G8s www.christavener.co.uk

End of term arrangements I want to take the opportunity to share plans for the final day of the term, Friday 20th December. We are very fortunate to have strong links with St Mary’s Parish in Weaverham and once again they have invited us to share in a Christmas celebration as we take Year 7,8, 9 and 10 pupils to the church for our annual Carol Service. The occasion is always well received by pupils and staff and very much lifts us into the Christmas spirit. Pupils will walk to and from the Church in form groups, accompanied by their form tutor and supervised by Senior Staff along the way. Please ensure they bring a warm coat as although the walk is short, it is often cold. Year 11 pupils will remain in school and will be working with the RE department for most of the morning. The school will close at 2.00 pm on this final day. We are changing the timings of that day so that children will have had lunch before they depart and the buses will arrive at 2.00 pm to convey children home. Staff will be in the building until 3pm in which pupils are welcome to remain in the dining room until this time. Please ensure your child is aware of pick up arrangements as the school office will close at 2pm on this day.

As the end of term approaches we say goodbye and good luck to three members of staff. Mrs Roberts leaves us after 3 years to take on a 2nd in English position at Catholic High School Mrs North, teacher of dance is leaving the profession to develop her own business venture. Cover Supervisor Miss Giddings leaves to pursue a teaching career. I want to thank each of them for their tremendous work supporting Weaverham pupils and I am sure you join me in wishing each of them the very best of luck in their new roles. Joining us in January we welcome Mrs Cummings, currently an English teacher at High School, Mrs Oakes who is a Dance teacher at Thomas Moore School.

Equestrian team This weekend saw success for the Weaverham High School Equestrian Team as they competed at Eland Lodge Equestrian Centre for the Arena Eventing Competition. The Equestrian Team came 2nd place in the 80cm class, a great achievement as there were 10 teams in the class. All new members, Polly yr7, Tom yr8 and Will yr9 with their lovely ponies were amazing. Thanks to the yr10 girls, Sally, Poppy, Daisy and Brooke for all their help. Mrs Woodward who organises and supports the team commented “It was a pleasure, all parents and staff would have been very proud of them, it was a great team effort from riders, helpers and ponies.”

Open the Door—Information from Cheshire West and Council The domestic abuse campaign Open the Door, aims to bring domestic abuse out from behind closed doors by encouraging people to start a conversation to seek advice and support. The campaign first launched last September across Cheshire, Halton and Warrington. In West Cheshire we have seen self-referrals to our Domestic Abuse Intervention and Prevention Service more than double, comparing figures from January to June this year against the same time last year.

Latest figures from the police show the issue is still very prevalent with 383 domestic abuse crimes reported in our borough for the month of September, 1277 reports in total for the first two quarters of this financial year. Domestic abuse has no respect for age, sex or sexuality and can affect anyone regardless of where they work or where they are in life. Your family members, friends, colleagues and/or parents/carers you may come into contact with could easily be amongst those affected.

The Council’s vision is for everyone in West Cheshire to be safe and happy in their home and relationships. No one, whatever their gender, sexuality, age, culture, race or disability should suffer domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is a crime and no one should have to live with it. Individuals, family and friends are being encouraged to seek support if needed.

The Open the Door website has lots of information to signpost people to local help. Open the Door posters and stickers highlight where people can find help. Pre-prepared slides are also available for you to add to welcome screens and staff computer screen savers if appropriate. If you would like any Open the Door materials please contact [email protected]

The Council website is being updated with information for employers to help you to recognise if a colleague is in an abusive situation at home. There is also advice around the things you can do to help keep healthy and safe. Visit cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/crime-prevention/domestic-abuse/domestic-abuse.aspx Thank you for your support.

Gardening Group The Gardening Group has been so busy this term. Since September we have been transforming the ‘garden’ near the library. We have had to clear out the gravel and benches (thanks to our site staff for that job) and dig over the soil in order to plant the grass seed and wild flower area. This would have been much more difficult without the superb help of Katie from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust - they were looking for a space to creat a Wildlife haven and we stepped up! We have also planted some daffodil bulbs donated by the local borough. There will also be daffodils appearing near the new entrance to school so roll on the Spring. With the success of the MBNA bid for Thrive and Mental Health we have been able to purchase tools of our own and the vegetable beds. One of our parents has created a 3D render of what the garden may look like. With the numbers in the group increasing each week and our own space developing , it really does look like we are going to have enough of our Weaverham HS Garden set up pretty soon to get some produce underway. As we make progress with the garden any donations of vegetable and/or wild flower seeds would be gratefully received. You can follow us on the school twitter feed.

Bulogo School, Kamuli Uganda In the summer, Year 7 Pastoral Support Manager Anna Walton visited Jinja in Uganda with the charity FACT – Future After Child Trauma to support them in their work to provide homes and education to children in the community. On her return, Mrs Walton shared her experience with Years 7, 8 and 9 in a special assembly and we have been overwhelmed by the response to her presentation. Weaverham pupils want to help to raise funds to support the excellent work FACT are doing, but also want to build links with children on the other side of the globe. Already 8DR have written letters to children in Jinja and shared information about what it is like to grow up as a teenager in Cheshire. The response from the pupils in Bulogo school was to write back and we are eagerly awaiting the post to find out how their lives compare. Mrs Walton is returning to Jinja in February and hopes to video children at Bulogo school talking about their career aspirations, day to day challenges and to share a typical day in the life of a pupil at Bulogo. We hope to be able to share some of these reports with you on our school website (see Personal Development section). A pupil action group is meeting for the first time this week with Mr Harris to plan how they would like to develop this school to school link further. We will use the newsletter to update you on this exciting new link.

WELL DONE

Year 7 who achieved November’s top attendance of 95.24% The form with the highest attendance was 11JH with 97.37%, maximising all learning time ready for their GCSEs!

Swimming Teams Year 7 and 8 girls (Chloe Bedford, Alissa Clarke, Caitlin Fonseca, Evie Paget and Megan Rickels) and Year 9 boys (Will James, Adam Wright, Ross Hanley and Ben Fisher) took part in the NorthWest Schools ESSA Swimming relays for the first time. Competing in a freestyle and medley relay, the girls finished 4th and 8th respectively, and the boys finished 9th in both.

Year 7 Netball Team On 13th November the year 7s had their first away fixture against . With Esther as their captain they won 16-1 with brilliant shooting from Esther Cook, Abby Lowe, Heidi Lunt and Teagan Arnold. Man of the match was awarded to Peggy for her efforts. The following week (20th) they had an away match against . Rose Helm took captaincy. They won 19-0 with brilliant defending from Leah Jackson, Rose Helm and El Booth. But the shooting was spectacular from Esther Cook, Liberty Houghton, Peggy Bratherton and Heidi Lunt. Player of the match was awarded to Esther for her efforts. The coach of Middlewich explained how we should be proud of our team as Middlewich were undefeated before going against us saying that ‘we have a fantastic side to continue through the years’. We hope to continue this amazing winning spree with our next matches being on 3rd and 12th December. I hope you are all proud of our Year 7s as I am with many having not played netball before. Peggy Bratherton, Rose Helm, El Booth, Leah Jackson, Liberty Houghton, Heidi Lunt, Teagan Arnold, Abby Lowe, Esther Cook Badminton U14 boys district badminton champions

Appointments during school time Medical and dental appointments should be made outside of school hours. As Pupil Absence we understand this is not always possible, please note the following information: If you know in advance that your child will A pupil may not take a whole day of absence to attend a routine doctor or be absent from school for any reason, dentist appointment. School will only authorise the scheduled time so please please let the school office know either ensure your child attends school both beforehand and afterwards. Pupils must be met by a parent / guardian and sign out at reception as they leave by calling 01606 852120 , emailing and sign back in again on their return to ensure all safety procedures are met. [email protected] or texting 07917 535453 Also, for each day All medical or dental appointments must be supported by a letter, appointment your child is off ill, you need to report slip or screenshot of confirmation sent to [email protected]

Christmas Closure

School closes to Pupils at 2.00pm on Friday 20th December and school buses have been rearranged. School re-opens on Monday 6th January 2020

Please ensure pupils know after school arrangements. We wish to ensure all our pupils are safe at all times but especially with the dark nights upon us.

Christmas Concert Ticket Request

Thursday 19th December 7.00pm

Name of Pupil:

Midday Assistant required The hours of work will be from 12.45 until 14.00 each day (6.25 hours a ……………………………………………… week) term time only (38 weeks a year). Rate of pay is ranged from £9.00 to £9.18 per hour. As the position is part time the actual salary will be £2,455 to £2,504 depending on experience. You will receive a meal each Tutor Group: ………………………… day as well.

Part-time Cleaner- required I/We would like …………………… Grade 1 (Actual Salary £7,277) Hours: 2:45pm to 6pm Monday to Thursday and 2:45pm to 5:45pm Friday. The position is for 16 contracted hours a tickets for the Christmas concert. week, 52 weeks a year but during the school holidays the cleaning staff (Maximum 2 tickets per family) complete a mandatory clean-down on specified days in which they work their hours over a blocked period. You will not be able to take holidays during term time and when the holiday clean-downs take place. Signed

At Weaverham High School we place the highest priority on keeping our children safe. Applicants for this post will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. ……………………………………………… To request an application pack please contact Mrs Zoe Walker, PA to Parent/Guardian Headteacher on 01606 852120 or by email Please return to school trip box [email protected] for more information. Application Deadline Friday 13th December 2019.