The Magazine of Christleton High School Autumn/Winter Term 2014 2 Christleton High School Magazine Introducing the 2014-2015 House Captains Year 7 Year 8 7BA1 Edward Dunford 8Ba1 Eliza Rose Michael Dean Daniel Richards 7BA2 Josh Banks 8By1 Xsara Challinor Claudia Lovering Joseph Bratley 7L1 Emma ODonnell 8By2 Elliot Beech Maisie Lawson Eve Chaloner 7L2 Sarah Efobi 8L1 Leah Ogunyemi Will Lawrence Jay Davies 7BY1 Jennifer Thompson 8Ba2 Dominic Wright Maisie Howarth Ellise Bacchus 7BY2 Milly Rumston 8L2 Ruth Campbell Archie Taylor Sam Parsonage Amber Woodbury 8K1 Isabella Ford 7K1 Erin Williams Kyle Moulton Felix Manning 8K2 Ben Lyon 7K2 Evan Vickers Year 10 10Ba1 Briony Vickers Molly Jones Year 9 Harry Ford Year 11 Joe Baldacchino 9Ba1 Alexandria Martin 11B1 Grace Broughton 10Ba2 Sam Richards Tom Martin Chloe Jones Charlotte Hampton 9Ba2 Eleanor Moulson 11B2 Connor Rowbottom 10By1 Saul Duxbury Paige Pedlow Tyler Jones Mark Goldthorpe Owen Wheeler 11B3 Ryan Hardwick 10By2 James Robinson 9By1 Megan Tuck Will MacDonald Arin Theard 11B4 Matthew Rawson Lucy Joyce Katie Barker 9By2 James Day Sarah Walters Denin Rowland Jasmine Prince 11B5 Holly Astle 9K1 James Richards 10K1 Issy Cornwell 11L1 Charlotte Timms Osian Williams Joe Bramall 11L2 Jack Whitehead 9K2 Isaac Dunford 10K2 Graeme Mochrie 11L3 Finlay Wojitan 9L1 Reece Owens 10L1 Jack Bailey 11L4 Lauren Sharples Myles Carter Sophie Runciman 11L5 Sam Brearey 9L2 Maggie Corr 10L2 Robi-Lea Creswell Emma Ogunyemi Arran Brearey Beth Lyon Winter Term 2014 3 Welcome to Contents 4 Headteacher’s Report 25 Year 8 Religious Education 45 Pathways Keele University Visits Visit 5 Governors’ Update 26 Road Safety 46 Pathways and Employer 6 F1 Experience Partnerships 27 6th Form Geography Trip 8 Physics News 48 Year 8 Dove Self-Esteem 28 GCSE Electronics Workshop 9 Craziness in Christleton! 29 New Year 7 Perspectives 50 Art : The Sky is not the Limit 10 6th Form Open Evening 30 6th Form Success 51 Double Entry Art 11 Where are they now? 31 William Hague Talk 52 Art : Sixth Former for a Day 12 Year 13 Leaving Celebrations 32 Hot Scholars Exploits 54 Return to the Forbidden Planet 13 Year12 Residential Induction at Bangor University 34 Pathways U-Explore 58 Diversity in Art 14 Duke of Edinburgh Awards 35 Pathways Careers Advice 60 Netball News 16 Cheshire Schools Book Awards 36 Pathways A Level Geography 61 Dance news and Cheerleader Success 18 Krakow Poland Trip 37 Pathways Road planners 62 Cross Country News 19 Cenotaph Memorial Trip 38 Pathways Work Placements 64 Football News 20 Hallowen Quiz 40 Pathways Careers Information 66 Rugby Tour 21 Operation Christmas Child 41 Year 7 Summer School 67 Chester Scouts Gang Show 22 Foreign Languages Debating 42 Pathways Year 8 Competition Commonwealth Competition 68 New School Website 23 CTD News 44 Pathways Governors’ Conference 24 Roald Dahl Day The Swan is the official magazine of Christleton High School Village Road, Christleton, Chester CH3 7AD Tel: 01244 335 843 www.christletonhigh.co.uk 4 Christleton High School Magazine Headteacher’s Report process was as ever fairly and interviews, talks, input to challenging; it followed on the our Pathways programme, work heels of a full audit and has left us experience, placements, and feeling thoroughly measured and supporting events such as our assessed, but also validated. Careers Information Evening. My sincere thanks go to all of When I visited every student’s them. If you or your company lesson during the morning would like to become a partner following the inspection it felt as with the school, we are always glad though nothing had happened. of new opportunity. This to me is the sign of an outstanding school, it was able to The main outcomes in terms absorb the inspection, celebrate, of further developing from but continue on the pathway of the inspection were around We frequently talk of our busy educating our brilliant students and the achievement of the Sixth terms, but this one really has looking for ways to improve. Form and further improving been! We have developed and our assessment policy. This is a significant piece of work lasting We came back to the best GCSE consolidated a number of probably two years, which will results the students have ever important relationships with include the school designing new achieved and a sense of buoyancy business and commerce, most resulting from them. A new recently with Bank of America grading and assessment criteria Lecture Theatre had been created, Merrill Lynch who are working now that the statutory ones have and plans for the renovation of closely with us to help provide been removed. We will seek the rear of the school were well graduate pathway support. We your views on this matter, which underway with builders appointed. have over 200 local businesses will form a significant part of the who support our students’ learning emerging Strategic Development All this was quickly followed by in many ways: careers advice Plan. our Governors’, student and staff visioning conference as we closed the 2012-14 Strategic Development Plan and looked forward to the next one. In September we welcomed twelve new staff, following an unusually high number of promotions. High quality teaching relies on well formed, solid relationships and these take time to forge. In the midst of all this activity we received a two-day inspection visit from Ofsted at the start of November, our first since January 2010. We were delighted by the overwhelming report of outstanding teaching from the Ofsted team which was thoroughly heartening, and a testament to the teaching staff, established and new, who are so committed to the students at Christleton. The team commented on the unquenchable thirst for knowledge of our students and deservedly complimented them in many other ways. The overall inspection Winter Term 2014 5 The start of the school Cadet Our sporting successes continue The recent musical, “Return to Programme has encountered apace and there are a number of the Forbidden Planet” was a great seemingly endless delays, mostly articles on this. We are delighted tribute to the talent and focus of of a bureaucratic nature, but we to be named twelfth best school in our students. My thanks, as ever, finally have training dates for the country for sport (second state go to Mr Phillips and his team for Pilot Officers(!) Mr Hollywood and comprehensive). We have had a their relentless hard work and Mrs Stott and should be finally setback in that Rowan Mills, our commitment putting on such recruiting students just after new Director of Sport, has been professional and vibrant shows. Christmas. unable to relocate his family and We are at a lovely moment in will be leaving us at Christmas The budget is back in good shape. time, great students and staff, an to return to Germany to be with We finished 2014 with a small endorsement from Ofsted, loads them. We are in the process of surplus and through very careful of ideas about how to improve appointing his successor. My management have the opportunity further, and approaching Christmas thanks go to all our teachers and to meet all our educational and our customary celebrations. coaches for the quality and range demands in this year. The increase of extra-curricular sports on offer. The last day of term is Thursday in numbers in the Sixth Form, 18th December, and students allied to the adjustment of the Our school remains an incredibly finish at 12.45pm following the Government’s formula funding, vibrant place with much activity Christmas Assembly. As ever, I leaves the Academy secure for the and enrichment supplementing thank you for your wonderful sons next few years. the academic diet of our students. and daughters whom we are here Many of your children will have The building work has commenced to serve, and wish you a very benefited from the variety of on the rear of the school with happy Christmas. extra-curricular activities run by appointed contractors, Aspect, the school, and supported by our scheduled to finish in early March. team of volunteers. Mrs Jean We have a couple of weeks’ Charlton tirelessly leads this team slippage on this programme; and my public thanks go to her classrooms will be kept in use with and everyone who works with temporary screening, but like most her. If you would like to join our building work it will be nice when Tony Lamberton volunteers, please email us. it’s finished! Governors’ Update As Governors, we were absolutely meet with staff to set the direction We are always looking for delighted when our Osted of the next three-year school development within school and Inspectors pronounced their development plan. have begun a self-evaluation and judgment and confirmed what we review of our governance, which This included input from students already knew - that Christleton we hope will lead to ‘Governor about their school experience, High School is an outstanding Mark’ accreditation. We want to be and, as always, they were very school! It was a rigorous the best we can be too. articulate and a credit to the inspection, held over two days, and school and their parents. We had It’s a privilege to work with the gave a true snapshot of the school a very positive and constructive school to help shape vision and in action. I’m sure you will have time, looking in particular at direction, and so much about read some of the lovely comments developments in the curriculum Christleton High School makes us the Inspectors made about our and opportunities for further very proud of our students and our pupils and the teaching they progress.