Birchwood Update 16/04/2018
- Josie Evans
- Apr 16, 2018
- 11 min read
Birchwood Update week Commencing 16/4/18
Please support us by providing your feedback on Parent View
We are always delighted to get your opinions on school and we always try to respond wherever we can. Your feedback was very positive at our recent Year 7 parents’ evening.
98% of you agree “My child is happy at this school”
99% of you agree “Staff expect my child/children to work hard and do their best”
97% of you agree “My child makes good progress at this school”
97% of you agree “My child is well looked after at this school”
For the rest of the feedback from the Year 7 parents’ evening please click here and select 'Parent Feedback' and the feedback that you would like to view.
We are asking your help to give your views about our school on OFSTED’s Parent View website. Right now, only 48 parents and carers have given their feedback on Parent View. We do not believe the views on Parent View are an accurate reflection of what you are telling us day-to-day and at events like parents’ evenings.
All you need to do is log on here then click on “Give your views” on the top tab and register. It will take about 10 minutes of your time but it will support us to give an accurate picture of our school at our next OFSTED visit and will also allow us to see more of your feedback.
Thank you for your support.
Keeping your child safe
Did you know you can text the British Transport Police on 61016 to tell them about non-emergency incidents when you are on a train? They also provide advice about preparing children and young people for travelling alone which you can find here.
England call up for Joe in 10SO
We are excited to announce that Joe from 10SO who plays for Burnley FC has received a call up to attend a 4-day England training camp at St George’s Park at the end of April.
Joe is one of four goalkeepers from across the country invited to try to win a place in the England under 15 squad who will take part in a tournament in Italy in early June. Over the course of ten days, teams from England, Italy, Russia and the USA will compete in the tournament.
Joe is only the second person from his age group to be called up from Burnley FC. He was delighted when he heard the news, and is confident that he will go through to the Italian games. Joe said,
“When I received the news, I was excited that my career path was on course and rather than feeling nervous, I felt excited to take part.”
In preparation for his break, Joe spent every day over the Easter holidays travelling to Burnley to train to be the best!
We would like to wish Joe the best of luck in the training camp.
Are you an electrical whizz?
Our Performing Arts department are looking for some help with a faulty power input on an electric piano. If you know about electric pianos or are an electrical whizz please get in touch if you think you can help. Please email contactus@birchwoodhigh.org. Thank you.
Non-uniform day Friday 20 April
We are holding a non-uniform day on Friday 20 April to support our bid to replace our 3G pitch. We are in the advanced stages of planning and we are confident the new state of the art pitch will be up and running by November this year. We need your support to make it happen. Learners wishing to come to school out of uniform on Friday should bring £1 to school.
This is not a ‘fancy dress’ day so onesies and novelty wear are not acceptable. In addition, clothing should be appropriate to a school day so clothing such as bare midriff tops, very short skirts or shoes with heels that could be a danger,should not be worn.
Thank you in anticipation for your support
Eleanor sings her way to success
Congratulations to Eleanor Jones in year 11 who has passed her Grade 6 singing exam and achieved a Distinction. Mrs Hajigeorgiou, her singing and piano teacher said, “This is a great achievement and I’m really proud of her.”
Together we can succeed; success stories from last year’s exam results.
This week’s star is last year’s Head Girl Fiona Baxter. Fiona joined us from Woolston C of E Primary and shone from day one. She was an extraordinary Head Girl carrying out her duties with confidence and pride. Fiona attended regular revision sessions and attained some fantastic results with two grade 9s and a grade 7 in English and maths and 7A*- B in her other subjects, including a A* in both music and RE. With such a great set of results and a positive work ethic, we are sure that Fiona will succeed in the future!
Nominations are currently open for the 2018 Warrington Guardian School Awards
Warrington Guardian School Awards honour the brightest and best from classrooms across Warrington, including teachers, pupils and support staff. In fact anyone in a school who goes that extra mile, and we have lots of staff and learners who do just that!
Nominations are now open and it would be great if BCHS could feature amongst them, so if there is someone who you think deserves recognition for what they do, now is the time to help them shine.
For details of the award categories and how to enter, please see here
Year 7, 8 & 9 proposed football tour to Real Madrid April, 2019
Our PE department is offering a football tour to Real Madrid in April 2019 for learners currently in Years 7, 8 and 9. This is a fantastic opportunity for learners to play football in a European setting.
The trip costs £790 per learner. This price includes; flights and transfers, four nights full board accommodation in a 4* hotel, three training sessions at Real Madrid’s first team training complex, two fixtures against Spanish opposition, a day trip to Parque Warner Theme Park, a tour round the famous Bernabeu stadium, and travel insurance for the duration of the trip.
For those who were unable to attend last week’s presentation, all the information can be found here
For how to book, and the payment schedule, please see the letter here
The KS3 Maths Problem Solving Challenge
Unfortunately, there were no correct entries for last week’s competition. The answer was 20%
This week’s challenge is
Answers should be taken to Mr Ashcroft on a sheet of paper, showing your full working out for the answer.
Design a bag for Aldi, just one more week to get your applications in
Mrs Ikin, in conjunction with Aldi are asking for Year 7 and 8 learners to get creative and design a reusable bag that will inspire people to eat fresh fruit and veg. The winner will see their bag on sale in Aldi stores. The concept of the bag is twofold healthy eating and solving the world problem with plastics.
If you would like to enter the competition, collect an entry form from Mrs Ikin in D10, which must then be returned by Monday 23 April at the very latest.
For more details on the competition see here
Years 8 - 12, Ski residential trip to France, Friday 15 February – Friday 22 February 2019
Payment schedule for this trip is:
27 April - 2nd payment - £150
23 November - Balance Due
Be Active at BCHS
At BCHS we aim to offer a full range of extra-curricular activities which will appeal to a wide spectrum of interests, both before and after school and also at lunchtimes. For a full timetable of all the activities available, please see the timetables below:-
Year 7
Year 7 Residential Trip to Conwy Centre, Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 April 2018
Good luck to everyone in year 7 who are setting off for their residential trip on Wednesday. We are sure they will have a great time. Learners should bring a packed lunch for the first day and as the weather forecast is good, please ensure that your child has sun cream and a sun hat. Also, be aware that all medication should be labelled with your child’s name.
A full information booklet for this trip found here which will answer any questions you have regarding the visit and a letter, which will be sent home with your child today, with emergency only contact details can also be found here
Year 8 - No specific information
Year 9
Year 9 Immunisations, Tuesday 17 April & Wednesday 18 April
Please be aware that immunisations for Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio and Meningitis ACWY will take place on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 April. The immunisation is for both boys and girls. No immunisations can be given without the completed permission form, which was sent out to you. Please note we cannot accept permission over the phone. Please contact the school office with any problems.
Year 10
Summer Examination information
All learners in Year 10 will have received their initial summer 2018 Individual Candidate Timetable which details the dates and times of all exams they will be sitting this year. Please check this document with your child to see when their exam takes place. Also be aware that the name that appears on their Individual Candidate Timetable is the name that will appear on their exam certificates, if this is not their legal name please inform the exams officer, Mrs Kinnaird at JKinnaird@birchwoodhigh.org.
For the full timetable, please see here
Media Studies tour to Prague 14 - 17 February 2019 for current Year 10 learners
Payment schedule for this trip is:
4 May - 2nd payment - £125
7 December - Final payment -£125
A message from our English Department
York notes revision guides will be available to purchase through the school shop on the school’s website, here, from Monday 4th December. All guides are priced at £2.40 each and learners will be able to collect the revision guides from their English teachers.
For Year 10 classes the guides required are:
A Christmas Carol
Blood Brothers
Macbeth
Year 11
Important careers information and guidance for Year 11 learners
All Year 11 learners should now have made some plans for after year 11. According to the Government, young people must stay in education or training until at least the age of 18. See the information here
They must do one of the following:
stay in full-time education, for example at a college/6th form
start an apprenticeship or traineeship
spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training
It is possible to get financial help with education costs. In England, you can apply for a 16 to 19 Bursary Fund to help with education costs – this is means tested. Please see here
If you are eligible for Child benefit, this will continue if your child stays in education. You will need to inform the CBA about this.If your child starts an apprenticeship, then you will not be eligible for Child Benefit as they will receive a wage.
Apprenticeships
The following companies are currently recruiting:
Nuvia -http://www.nuvia.co.uk/careers-apprentices-design.asp (closing date 16/3/18)
Volvo – HGV technician
Kone – Engineering
United Utilities – Science
Mercedes Benz – Light Vehicle Maintenance
Barratt Homes – Engineering and Design
Daresbury Labs – Engineering
Atos – IT Software Development
All these and more vacancies are advertised here
Even if your child is keen to get an apprenticeship, it is still a good idea to apply for a college place as a back-up.
Birchwood College offers our Internship Placement Programme. This is a specially tailored educational pathway, which allows the student to learn at college whilst completing a placement at a partner organisation, allowing a more hands-on learning experience. For more information, contact Mr Burrows, Head of College at cburrows@birchwoodhigh.org.
Warrington and Vale Royal College is also an option as they offer both apprenticeships and full time courses.
If your child requires any assistance with securing a place in education, training or an apprenticeship please get in touch with our Careers Adviser, Mrs R Morris rmorris@birchwoodhigh.org asap.
Summer Examination information
All learners in Year 11 will have received their initial summer 2018 Individual Candidate Timetable which details the dates and times of all exams they will be sitting in May/June this year. Please check this document with your child to see when the first and last exams take place. Also be aware that the name that appears on their Individual Candidate Timetable is the name that will appear on their exam certificates, if this is not their legal name please inform the exams officer, Mrs Kinnaird at JKinnaird@birchwoodhigh.org.
For a full copy of the summer exam timetable see here
Important date for your Diary
Friday 15 June – Year 11 Celebration Assembly following on from the GCSE Physics exam
Thursday 5 July - Year 11 Prom at The Hallmark Hotel, Warrington
A message from our English Department
York notes revision guides will be available to purchase through the school shop on the school’s website, here, from Monday 4th December. All guides are priced at £2.40 each and learners will be able to collect the revision guides from their English teachers.
For Year 10 classes the guides required are:
A Christmas Carol
Blood Brothers
Romeo and Juliet
Birchwood College
Summer Examination information
All students in Year 12 and 13 will have received their initial summer 2018 Individual Candidate Timetable which details the dates and times of all exams they will be sitting in May/June this year. Please check this document with your child to see when the first and last exams take place. Also be aware that the name that appears on their Individual Candidate Timetable is the name that will appear on their exam certificates, if this is not their legal name please inform the exams officer, Mrs Kinnaird at JKinnaird@birchwoodhigh.org.
For the full timetable, please see here
Other School information:
We would like to hear your views about our school so we can share these with OFSTED
We are asking for your support so that we are aware of your views about our school. It will also help us to prepare for our next OFSTED visit which is due this academic year. Thank you to all parents and carers who have already filled the online form in. We have had 18 responses so far and all parents have said that their children feel safe and happy at school. We would love more views though! Please read and fill in the online form below.
Parent View is an online facility launched by Ofsted in October 2011 that allows parents and carers to give their views about their child’s school at any time of the school year. The questionnaire is also the main mechanism for parents to give their views to inspectors about their child’s school at the time of a school inspection. If you are a registered parent or carer of a pupil at the school, you can tell us your views about the school by completing Ofsted’s online survey here.
E-Safety update
As ever, BCHS are always looking out for your child’s safety whilst online. Please find the latest guide for parents and children with regard to safe use of live streaming Apps.
As the guide says
“You can now broadcast from anywhere in the world, to anywhere in the world for free using the device in your pocket.”
So please read the guide found here, and keep your child safe
View your child’s information on your mobile phone or tablet, a great new way to keep in touch.
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new service to make communications between school and home quicker, easier and more effective.
You will be able to view information about your child or children securely on your mobile phone or tablet using the Groupcall Xpressions app.
Once you are set up you will be able to see information such as:
Free messages sent by the school delivered to the app
Attendance and absence information
Attitude to learning (“ATL”) scores for each lesson.
Daily/Weekly timetable information
The app is completely free of charge to you and supports Apple iOS and Android devices (with Windows mobile to follow).
In order to use the app school must have your correct mobile number and email address on our school system. Forms are available from the school office to check and update your details or you can simply email them to the school. You’ll need to make sure you keep these details up to date in future to maintain access to the service.
You can download the app by searching for “Xpressions” in the App Store or on Google Play. Once the app is downloaded, simply follow the on screen instructions.
We hope that you take advantage of this new service, which has replaced our ParentsLive system. If you have any issues or need to know more please contact Mr O’Reilly here at school on aoreilly@birchwoodhigh.org
Children on site out of school hours
As a Community School, we welcome clubs and booked activities to use our facilities and school grounds outside the school day. We have become aware though that there are groups of both learners and ex learners on site in the evenings. Please make your child aware that learners are only allowed on site after the school day, if they are part of an organised and booked group. Thank you for your co-operation.
School Nurse: Please note that the school nurse comes into school every Wednesday from 12.15- 1.30pm and is available in the BSR Mentoring Room if any learners or students have any health related issues they would like to discuss.
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