Birchwood Update 11/06/2018
- Josie Evans
- Jun 12, 2018
- 17 min read
Birchwood Update week Commencing 11/6/18
Revised Lunchtime arrangements
Today during assembly, your child has been told about changes to our lunchtimes here at school. They will also bring a letter home informing you of the changes that we will be making from Monday 18 June. Please find a copy of the letter here . We are changing to a single lunch from 1.15pm to 1.55pm, which will not affect the start and end time of the school day. We believe the change will allow us to provide more lunchtime activities for our learners as classrooms and PE teaching spaces will be available during lunchtime. We also believe the change will support better learning and teaching in the classroom as noise levels will be reduced during lesson 4 because all learners will be in class. We have an additional dining area this year (the Art Café) and we have increased the seating capacity in all three dining areas with new furniture to accommodate the changes
The new school day from Monday 18 June
8:45-8:50 Learners go to form
8:50-9:00 Form time
9:00-10:00 Lesson 1
10:00-11:00 Lesson 2
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-12:15 Lesson 3
12:15-1:15 Lesson 4
1:15-1:55 Lunch
1:55-2:55 Lesson 5
2:55-3:00 PM Registration
3.00 – 4.00 Extra-curricular clubs and activities
An Annual LGBT Pride Celebration
Every year, during the month of June, the LGBT community celebrates in a number of different ways. Across the globe, various events are held during this special month as a way of recognising the influence LGBT people have had around the world.
Pride celebrates sexual diversity. For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people it is a way of protesting about discrimination and violence. It promotes their dignity, equal rights, self-affirmation and is a way of increasing society’s awareness of the issues they face.
At BCHS we celebrate the values of liberty, diversity and respect, so throughout June we will be supporting Pride Month by offering a series of activities and events including a film night, bake sale and a key stage 3 Pride party.
For a full timetable, see the poster below
Keeping in touch gets even easier with the introduction of the Xpressions website
We are pleased to announce that Groupcall Xpressions is now available to access on your computer via a website. The login page can be found here.
This gives you a further way, as well as accessing the APP on your mobile phone and tablet, to view information about your child
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
Xpressions is completely free of charge to you and supports Apple iOS, Android devices and now Windows operating system.
In order to use the Xpressions, 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 will need to make sure you keep these details up to date in future to maintain access to the service.
Well done to Owen our martial arts superstar
Congratulations to Owen in 7DG who has recently achieved a Bronze medal whilst representing Great Britain in the Dutch Open Competition for Tae Kwondo in Holland. Owen, who competed in the under 41kg weight group, said the competition was tough with over 100 entrants to the event.
Owen has been practising Tae Kwondo, a Korean Martial Art, since the age of six and Rachel Buckley-Salt at the Kicks Club in Chorley, Lancashire, coaches him.
Owen’s aim is to qualify for the GB Olympics team and he is already on course to do so.
He travels to Chorley to train 3-5 times per week after school and at weekends and fights as many times as possible. As well as travelling to Holland, he has also recently competed in Preston, Newcastle and Leeds in friendly competitions.
As a cadet for the GB team, he has completed two trials and has two more in January. If successful he will then qualify for the GB Tae Kwondo Academy and go on to represent Great Britain at Olympic level.
Owen , who has ADHD said that as well as enjoying the sport it provides him with a release for his energies and a sense of discipline and something that he can really concentrate on and excel.
Well done Owen we look forward to achieving your Olympic dreams, as we are sure, with your level of commitment, you will.
Together we can succeed; success stories from last year’s exam results.
This week our Birchwood high performer is Alisha Cheetham.
Alisha who was a valued member of our Learner Officer team and a hard worker made the most of the revision sessions offered by her teachers and all her hard work really paid off on results day.
Alisha was delighted to achieve grade 8, 7 and 6 in English and maths as well as 7 grade A* - As.
With A* in geography, textiles, RE and core science.
There are still revision sessions available for our year 11 learners and we would encourage everyone to make use of these valuable sessions. They are been proven to really help make a difference to those all-important results.
Warrington Town Athletics Championships
Last Thursday, we took 63 learners to Victoria Park for the Warrington Schools Athletics Finals 2018.
Our learners were well-behaved, showed great team spirit and were impeccably turned out in their correct school PE kit. We were by far one of the smartest looking schools!
It was a long but thoroughly enjoyable day, made even better by the sun shining!
We have maintained our title as ‘Small Schools Champions’, winning overall out of the 6 small schools in Warrington and bringing home the trophy.
Overall, out of the 12 schools in the competition both Birchwood girls and boys placed fifth which is a great achievement. There were some fantastic individual performances where learners qualified for the finals in track events and placed in field events. The following learners deserve a mention as they came first overall and are Warrington Schools Champions in their event: Amy Groves (Shot Putt), Hannah Holford (High Jump), Emily Jackson (300m), and the year 10 girls 4x100m relay team of Emily Jackson, Sade Whyte, Emily Severs and Charlotte Stokes.
Well done to all our learners who took part and the staff who supported them.
Keeping your child safe.
Following last week’s advice on exam stress which can still be accessed here
It seems appropriate to look at more advice on handling anxiety and stress for young people.
There is some great advice for young people on the BBC1 website, which explains the differences between stress and anxiety, how identify the symptoms, and what to do about them. The advice is aimed specifically at young people and can be found here
Remember that exam stress does not always end when the exams are over. Many young people carrying on worrying about how they have performed in their exams and this can continue up to results day.
This week let us make an effort to eat well
This week is the British Nutrition Foundation’s Health Eating Week and we would like to draw attention to this, as sometimes we are unaware of the difference that a healthy diet has on how we feel every day and perform in school and work. In particular, a good breakfast is really important.
We are asking you to try to make sure that each day your child starts the day with a good balanced breakfast. For tips and advice on the best breakfasts to give your child, see here
Allow your children to shine on our update and social media
You often tell us how much you like our weekly update. It keeps you up to date with what is happening at school and gives us the opportunity to celebrate all the fantastic things that your children do both inside and outside school. We also try to do this on our social media and in the Warrington Guardian.
This is a plea from us, therefore, to complete the photo and video consent form we sent out to you. You can also find a copy here. We need your consent because of recent changes to data protection law.
If your child is in year 11, please do not think that this is not worth doing. On results day, we want to share fantastic photos of your child as they realise how well they have done. If your child stays at college your consent will carry over.
I do hope that you will provide your permission. We never photograph a child who is not happy to be photographed. In our experience, our learners love to share their success.Thank you for your support.
Change of Uniform Supplier
We consulted you in 2017 about changing our school uniform and you told us you wanted a local retail offer to go alongside our existing online supplier. We are pleased to announce that we have arranged for two local retailers to take over supply of our uniform. Both suppliers are already fully stocked can already take orders. We hope this change will give parents and carers a better service.
Touchline UK
Unit 2 Kerfoot Street
Warrington
WA2 8NU
Warrington Schoolwear
50-54 Buttermarket St
Warrington
WA1 2NN
Another great evening of entertainment
On the Wednesday evening before half term, year 13 students hosted a fantastic musical theatre extravaganza. Well done to all the students and staff involved. You really are a talented bunch
There will be one more chance to share the students talents as on Friday 15 June, year 13 will perform in their final music gig at The King’s Head in Warrington. Entry will be strictly by ticket only. Payment on the door will not be allowed. The tickets are £6 and available to buy from the year 13 music students or see Mandy at the college reception
Please remember to give your feedback on Parent View
In last week’s Update, we asked for your help in completing Ofsted’s Parent View survey. Many thanks to those who filled in the survey. If you have been able to find time over the last week, please try to find ten minutes this week to complete the survey. Your feedback will really help our school.
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.
The KS3 Maths Problem Solving Challenge
This week’s challenge is
Years 8 - 12, Ski residential trip to France, Friday 15 February – Friday 22 February 2019
For your information, the remaining balance for this trip must be paid by 23 November. Thank you.
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
Don’t miss out on a Fantastic chance for your child to take part in our Year 8 French Residential
It is with great pleasure we are able to inform our Year 7 learners of the wonderful opportunity to travel to France in March 2019. The trip includes:
A visit to a chocolate factory
A visit to a French bakery workshop
A visit to a goat farm
A visit to a French hypermarket
Day pass entry to Euro Disney
All information will go out shortly in a letter but this update is to inform parents and carers that deposits, and all subsequent payments for the trip must be made via ParentPay.
If you do not have your child’s ParentPay details, and you would like your child to go on the trip, you need to confirm these with the School Office.
This is always a very popular trip and places are limited. The trip is not yet live on ParentPay so deposits are not yet being taken. When the trip is live, learners will receive a letter in their form box and places for the trip will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. So if you are intending to send your child on this trip please set up your ParentPay account now.
Year 8
A date for your diary
End of Key Stage 3 Celebration Evening for Year 8 – Tuesday 10 July.
Come and join us to celebrate the end of this stage in your child’s education with presentations from our year 8 learners and subject and achievement awards.
Invitations will be posted out to you soon. We hope you will join us
Year 9
A date for your diary
End of Key Stage 3 Celebration Evening for Year 9 – Wednesday 18 July.
Come and join us to celebrate the end of this stage in your child’s education with presentations from our year 9 learners and subject and achievement awards.
Invitations will be posted out to you soon. We hope you will join us
Year 10
Media Studies tour to Prague 14 - 17 February 2019 for current Year 10 learners
Please be aware that the final payment for this trip should be made before 7 December 2018
Year 11
Important dates for your Diary
Friday 15 June – Year 11 Celebration Assembly following on from the GCSE Physics exam ( see below)
Tuesday 26 June - Birchwood College Induction Day with ‘Total Wipeout’ inflatable games and BBQ (see below)
Thursday 5 July - Year 11 Prom at The Hallmark Hotel, Warrington
Thursday 23 August – GCSE Results Day
Last Day for Year 11
Year 11 will finish school on Friday 15 June 2018. Learners will attend their physics examination in the morning. For those sitting the combined science exam, which starts at 9.30am, please ensure that they arrive at school no later than 9.15am and for the GCSE physics examination starting at 9am, they must arrive no later than 8.45 am. After their exams learners will have brunch and some time to sign friend’s shirts. Learners should bring a spare clean white shirt to wear to the Leavers’ Celebration Assembly which will finish at 1pm.
Recycle Your Uniform – Donate it to the uniform shop
Our uniform recycle shop, here at school, would be very grateful if any current year 11 learners, once they finish on Friday, could donate any of their uniform to us. Any clean articles in reasonable condition should be brought to the school office. Thank You.
Year 11 core exams revision sessions open to all year 11 learners
To help to prepare our learners for their core exams, we are offering two-hour revision sessions from 3:15 to 5:15 on the evening before every core exam. These are not compulsory, but did prove to be very successful last year in conjunction with the learners own revision and really helped to boost learners performance. We would recommend that your child attend these sessions. The dates of the revision sessions are:
Tuesday 12 June – Chemistry
Thursday 14 June – Physics
Birchwood College Induction Day 2017
On Tuesday 26 June, our year 11 learners will be invited into Birchwood College for our annual college Induction Day. This fun day will include presentations about college life and how to enrol, followed by our ‘Total Wipe Out’ team games and a barbecue.
Everyone attending should bring a change of clothes and towel, plus old trainers, as you may get wet!
Year 11 Prom, Thursday 5 July at the Hallmark Hotel, Warrington.
We do hope that your child will join us for what will be a fantastic final celebration of their time at BCHS.
The Prom will be at the Hallmark Hotel (formerly the Fir Grove) on Thursday 5 July. Learners will enjoy a mocktail on arrival, a three-course meal and then a disco. Return travel by coach from school is included in the price alongside a memento Year Book to keep and cherish.
You can find a copy of the letter here.
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
Birchwood College
Our College Students have plenty to celebrate
Congratulations to Tori Stammers in year 13 who has gained a higher level solicitor apprenticeship with Eversheds Sutherland. Tori is the only student they are taking on in Manchester. We are sure that Tori will fit in well and we wish her every success. Tori has always showed real commitment to everything that she has done at Birchwood and we are sure that her positive, can-do attitude will make her a true asset to the company.
Congratulations also go to Tash Hill who has gained a higher level apprenticeship with Waites, again we are sur that Tash will become a valued member of their team.
We are also proud to announce ALL of our students who applied to university are have received, including 13 unconditional offers.
Well done to all students and our fabulous staff at Birchwood College. We say that Birchwood College is the college “Where you matter”. This really is evidenced with these fabulous results, our students and staff really do work together to attain the best for each and every one whether it be an apprenticeship, university or in the workplace.
Year 13 Leavers’ Night – Friday 6 July 2018
We have also organised a year 13 Leavers' Night on Friday 6 July. This will be a fantastic opportunity for your child to celebrate their education at Birchwood. The event is being held in a private room at Block One Nightclub (formally ‘The Apartment’) on Bold Street in Warrington.
The evening includes a buffet and Block One’s own in-house DJ. The event starts at 7.30pm, and will finish around 12.30am. This venue is exclusively for the Birchwood College party until approx. 11.00pm, when it will then be open to the public. Students will need to travel to and from the party independently, as transport is not provided.
Students will need to bring their proof of age ID to the evening if they wish to purchase drinks at the bar. It is important to note that staff at Birchwood College will not be responsible for students who attempt to obtain alcohol if they are under 18 and we trust you will support this requirement.
Students should arrive promptly on this day, and in the right frame of mind to enjoy a celebratory evening. If over 18, they should refrain from over-indulgence of alcohol prior to, and during the event, as this will result in them being sent home.
The cost of this evening will be £10. To secure a place, please complete the reply slip attached to this letter making payment preferably via Parentpay or cash or cheque.
A Level Results Day – Thursday 16 August 2018
Results will be available in Birchwood College on the morning of Thursday 16 August 2018. Senior staff will be available between 9.00am and 12.00pm to provide students with their examination results and offer guidance as required for university or career plans. It is important that students are available to collect results in person on the day
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:
Mobile phone sanctions
We would like to remind parents and carers about the school rules on using mobile phones.
Learners must not use mobile phones between the 8.50am and 3.00pm on school days. Teachers will confiscate mobile phones where a learner breaks this rule. The only exception to this rule is when a member of staff asks learners to use their phones in a lesson to support their learning
Confiscated phone are taken to the school office and process below is followed:
First offence: The phone is locked in the school safe where it can be collected at the end of the day by the learner.
Second offence: As above but a Year Team Leader after school detention is issued and parents and carers are informed.
Third offence: The phone is confiscated and locked in the safe and school inform a parent or carer who are asked to collect the phone at the end of the school day. The learner will also receive an after school detention with a member of our Senior Leadership team.
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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