swan newsletter spring 2014

The Magazine of Christleton High SchoolSpring Term 2014

Also in this Edition:

Head Teachers Report

Parents Survey Feedback

Un grand moment Paris

Year 9 National Cup Run

and much, much more...

We WillRockYou!

SpringTerm2014 22 ChristletonHighSchoolMagazine

Literacy; Numeracy; Graffiti Art; Assault Course; it must be

...Year 7 Summer SchoolA number of our new Year 7 students enjoyed a Summer School experience back in July and August ofthis year.

The aim of this five-day summer school was to help students make a successful transition from primaryto secondary school and included opportunities to further develop literacy and numeracy, as well as rangeof enrichment activities to develop confidence and teamwork skills.

Around twenty students joined us from many different primary schools, with each day beginning 9.30amand finishing at 3.30pm.

Heres what some of our (now current Year 7) students who attended the Summer School thought aboutthe week: -

Different to primary but in a good way

Theres some really good activities

The teachers were really fun

My favourite day was Wednesday; I told my mum all about it

Youre not stuck in the classroom all the time

More freedom

I enjoyed the Army exercises

I am a lot more confident now

It is not as big as it looks

I like the ICT lessons

You must be on time

Ive most enjoyed the graffiti art

I have more friends now

It is worthwhile coming to Summer School because

we make new friends and learn a lot of different things

The summer school was be led by a very experienced team and our thanks go to Sam Ball-Taylor and theMilitary School of Fitness team, Theresa Docherty, Sara Ramsden, Hannah Brennan, and Sheila Lister.We are also very grateful to MBNA for contributing to the funding of the Summer School through theirSchool Grants Programme:

SpringTerm2014 3SpringTerm2014 3

Welcome to

Contents

4 Headteachers Report

6 Parental Survey Feedback

12 Arts Washing Line Weeks

13 Challenging times ahead

14 Winning Smiles

14 Orienteering

15 Sightseeing at Romeand Sorrento

16 Stained Glass WindowArt Workshop

17 Music TechnologyGoes to America

18 Health andSocial Care news

18 Where were you Robert?

19 Origami Butterflies

19 Cathy Cassidy Talk

20 Learning Wall

21 Schools Wall-Mural

22 Year 9 TextilesFashion Design

23 STEM: The Story So Far

24 National ApprenticeshipWeek

25 World Book Day

26 Help Please

26 Spanish tapas

27 Competition Time

27 Cooking Up aCareer in Catering

28 The Art of BuildingMonuments in Chester

28 Architecture in Our City

30 Building Learning Power

31 Gym and Dance Show

32 Un grand moment Paris

34 Sweets for ourSweethearts

35 Breads FromAround the World

36 We Will Rock You

40 Pathway to a TTEApprenticeship

41 Pathway to Learningfor Work

42 Getting a Buzz fromElectrical Engineering!

43 Photography Club

44 News from Sylvia Wood

45 All Change in KS4 PSHE

46 Sporting Overview

47 U13 Netball National Cup

48 The Year 9 National Cuprun!

49 Chester and DistrictGymnastics Competition2013

49 Gifted & TalentedNetball

50 School Rugby

50 A Brilliant Year forYear 7 Netball

51 Year 7, 8 and 9 GirlsFootball Teams

51 Sporting Success

51 Year 11 Boys football

51 U14s Badminton team winCheshire and WarringtonFinals

52 U14 Fantastic Netballers

52 Another amazing year forthe U16 netball team

53 Sports Leaders 2013-2014

53 Sky Sports - Living forSport Programme

54 U- ExploreStudents ExploreTheir Future Pathways

55 Work Experience week

56 Honk!

SpringTerm2014 44 ChristletonHighSchoolMagazine

HeadteachersRReeppoorrtt

The Spring Term is always a verybusy time. For examinationstudents it is a critical time tocomplete coursework, beginrevision and draw together theunderstanding and hard work ofprevious years in preparation forformal examinations. Insporting terms it has been a verybusy period of extra-curricularfixtures and some greatsuccesses, reported in thismagazine. It is also the time ofour school musical which seemsto get more ambitious each year.

In September I wroteoptimistically regarding theoverall climate and work ethicacross the school, and I still feelthis optimism towards ourwonderful students, theircommitment to learning, and thesuper staff who know them, careabout them and push them forsuccess.

We took the decision inSeptember to go ahead withearly entry in GCSEs for Year 11as we believed it was in thestudents best interests. Wereceived the results in Januaryand 84% of the current Year 11has achieved a GCSE inMathematics at grade C orbetter, and 76% in English. Weare delighted that students hardwork has been transformed intoactual results.

It is likely, because of thegovernment changes toreporting (first examinationresult counts in league tables),that this years GCSE resultswhen published in February willappear much lower than theyactually are. We will of courseshare the actual results achievedby students in the publicdomain, and on our website priorto that, and the government hasagreed that any Ofstedinspections will use actual resultsrather than league tables.

We have now completed half thisschool year with the newlunchtime arrangements andadditional clubs in place. The

additional outlets mean thatstudents are waiting for muchless time than previously fortheir meal and we have manymore clubs running. Studentstell us they prefer the new splitlunchtime but have views abouthow we can further improvecatering outlets, quality of foodand other arrangements. Wewill be taking their ideas to ourcatering suppliers over the nextfew months.

For the past six months I havebeen pretty concerned about thediminishing resources andwhether or not we would be ableto achieve a balanced budget. Anumber of factors have cometogether to take some pressureoff this, and unlike many othersecondary schools I amconfident we will finish with aneutral closure of budget thisyear, and no cuts to service thisyear or next.

By the time you read thisNewsletter we will havediscovered whether or not wehave been approved to start aCombined Cadet Force (RAF) inSeptember. The purpose of thisis to provide additionalopportunity for our students,offer strong links to the Science,Technology, Engineering andMaths courses in the school, andto develop students talentsthrough the Duke of EdinburghAward Scheme and the manyother learning opportunitieswhich can be provided by theCCF.

Our school based Duke ofEdinburgh Award Scheme whichwill be enhanced by a CCF goesfrom strength to strength.

Thanks to the hard work andvision of Liz Stott who leads it wenow have over half of all oureligible students choosing toparticipate. My thanks go to themany staff and volunteers whogive up time to support this veryworthwhile cause. On 19thMarch we have 12 students goingto St James Palace to receivetheir Gold Award.

We have completed plans for there-organisation of the delivery ofsport with the aim of increasingthe opportunity for students tobe involved in sport at everylevel, providing more competitiveopportunity at every level, and totalent spot and signpost the verybest of our students into elitecoaching.

We are in process of recruitingnew staff which will increase thesize and skill base of our team,whilst retaining the excellencethat has been developed by ourcurrent staff.

In January I was personallyinvited to meet with MichaelGove MP, the Minister for

Education, along with 6 otherHeads from across the north-west. He knew of the school andreferred to it in our personalconversations, which can only begood for our reputation as asuccessful and forward-thinkingschool. In a subsequent meetinglasting over an hour we wereable to put to him some of our

views about education policy andto understand his philosophy andthe rationale behind it. He cameover as a very astute politicianwith clear ideas and the integrityto listen to the views of othersand respond. I felt proud to beable to represent Christleton insuch a meeting, and to havebeen invited in the first place.

Christleton is the lead school in aconsortium for delivering school-based teacher training. This yearwe have had 20 trainee teachersworking with us and our ruralpartners, and next year we haveplaces in a number of subjectscommencing September 2014,some of which are salaried. Ifyou are interested in becoming ateacher or know someone who is,please have a look at the SchoolDirect page on our website whichexplains the application process.

Our Support Staff Team is nowled by Nigel Follos who joined usfrom industry as our Academy

Business Director. Nigel isresponsible for all supportservices and staff.

A significant Parent Survey hasbeen conducted by Governorsand staff this year, the results ofwhich are supplied within thismagazine. Thank you for yourcontribution to this as it is onlywith feedback, both positive andnegative, that we can get betterand ensure that the schoolserves you and your children tothe very highest standard.

Tony LambertonHeadteacher

Spring Term 2014 5Spring T erm 2014 5

Spring Term 2014 66 Christleton High School Magazine

As the Governing body ofChristleton High School, we are all extremely proud of theschool, its students and theirapproach to learning. What webelieve, however, is only part ofthe story it is important thatwhat we think is happening, is actually happening on theground. To help find out whetheror not this is the actual reality,the Schools Governing Bodythought it was important to carry out a survey of ourparents. This was completedduring the Autumn Term.

Here, weexaminethose resultsand outlinethe ways inwhich allconnectedwith theschool arestriving to

improve Christleton High Schooland to make it an even betterlearning environment for all of its students. We hope that, byundertaking the survey, we have demonstrated our desire to continuously improve andthat, in feeding back to youthrough this edition of the Swan,you will find the conclusionsinteresting and informative.

We must start by thanking theparents of more than 500 of our students who took the timeto respond. By receiving somany responses, we are able to use and act upon the data and comments provided,knowing, with real confidence,that it is representative of thethoughts of the school.

A place we wouldrecommend toothers

At Christleton High School wehave focussed a great deal ontrying to ensure that we providea positive environment in whichstudents can both thrive andprosper. All that we do isdesigned to ensure that ourstudents not only achieve thebest academic results they canbut that they are also able todevelop as individuals.

The school has tried toencapsulate this philosophy in itsmotto - happy, hardworking andcourteous. It is pleasing thatnot only do all the staff in theschool strive to make it happenbut that so many of our parentsthink the school is achieving it inall that it does (a 97% stronglyagree or agree ranking).

The Governing body also believesthat it is important to have astrong and positive leadership

team within the school and it isparticularly pleasing that theparental survey also recognisedthat this does indeed exist.

However, we have not got hereby accident; it has taken muchhard work but we cannot, andwill not, rest on our laurels strong action plans need to be in place to ensure that everyelement of the school continuesto improve. We firmly believethere are such plans within theSchool Development Plan and,the Governors, regularlychallenge the Senior Team toensure they are being delivered.

Everyone connected with theSchool needs to keep drivingforward, each day, every day, so that our values enshrined inthe motto happy, hardworkingand courteous are instilled inand understood by, every newstudent intake, but that they alsoremain relevant to all studentsas they move through the school.

But what Christletons team do isonly part of the story studentshear the messages but it onlyreally matters if they take themon board and live by thesevalues in all they do, each andevery day. For the parentalsurvey results to recognise thatour motto happy, hardworkingand courteous is an integral partof the school, brings credit to allour students, who demonstratethem daily in all that they do and how they act.

PARENTAL SURVEYFEEDBACK

Sue LeakeChair of Governors


It is very humbling and it leavesus with a sense of immense pridethat so many parents wouldrecommend the school to others(98%). We thank you for those

thoughts and will continue tostrive to ensure the positiveresults are maintained and wherepossible improved in the future.

Communicatingwith Parents

With over 1200 students andtherefore, over 2,000 parents,one of the biggest challengesfacing the school is effectivelycommunicating regularly - bothproactively and when respondingto incoming queries.

Over 90% of parents believe that the school initiatescommunication with parents inan effective and timely manner.It is equally as pleasing that

parents recognise that anenvironment exists that tries to make them feel comfortable in contacting the school withquestions, problems or evencomplaints and, clearly, anumber have taken theopportunity to do so. Allcommunications are welcome.

The school email system is easilythe best method by which tocontact staff, as teachers havelimited access to telephonesduring the school day as they are mainly teaching.

If the matter is urgent, theSchool will respond immediatelyand the Reception team is therefor such phone calls. For non-urgent enquiries, the normalpolicy is to respond within 3working days.

On the rare occasion that maynot happen, the school reallydoes want to know about it so that we have the chance to improve the process for thefuture but, more importantly,solve the immediate issue asquickly as possible

Therefore, for suchcircumstances, a new emailaddress for parents to use has been [email protected] will prioritise any shortfall in communication and ensure a speedy response, but please,dont abuse it - this should onlybe used once the normal periodof 3 working days has expiredand if no response has beenreceived.

The School prides itself in trying to communicate well with parents but realises thatthings can always be improved.

The very best inTeaching andLearning

Clearly the School is here toprovide the highest standards of teaching to ensure that itgives its students the optimumopportunity to achieve the bestpossible academic results. As a Governing Body, we believethat the majority of lessons are delivered consistently to the highest standards.

The survey results indicate thatwe do provide excellent teachingat the school with over 90% ofparents confirming their beliefthat the quality of teaching and learning is good.

The School has a strong andwell-earned reputation amongstCheshire and North West schoolsfor the quality of its teachers and for continually providingprofessional development.Therefore, its not surprising that we often see some of ourteachers being promoted andleaving the school. We make no apology for developing ourstaff, and whilst it is clearlydisappointing, to lose thoseteachers, we should all regard it as a huge compliment.

The challenge is to ensure thatthose teachers are replaced with the very best possiblereplacements not just in termsof quality of teaching but also interms of living up to our valuesand providing the best classroomenvironment for our students.


We are very happy with ourrecent appointments. However,do we always get it right? No.Are we always striving to get it right? Absolutely.

The school is continuallyreviewing its recruitmentprocesses to ensure it is able to choose from the best candidates available.

We charge the Senior team to monitor and measure everyteachers individual performance,to ensure that we are hitting thehighest standards. In the areasin which comments, both positiveand less positive, were madewithin the survey, we know that each Departmental Headhas been made aware andtasked, where applicable, withdeveloping improvement plans.

Nonetheless, overall, we areimmensely proud of our teaching staff.

When it came to homework,nearly 20% of all parents didntthink the level of work set wasabout right.

When we reviewed some of the comments made within thesurvey, it was clear that someparents answered the questionwanting more homework, whilstsome expected less! The levelsand amount of homework willvary between year groups andbetween subjects and the survey results demonstratedthese variances.

Clearly, judging the correctamount of homework for a classcan sometimes be difficult; afterall, students work at differentpaces and for some students,some subject areas are easierand for others, more difficult.

Getting the balance right cansometimes be difficult but it issomething the school continuesto monitor carefully. Homeworkneeds to be stretching butachievable and should be verymuch in line with publishedguidelines. We know that theHeads of Year have been chargedwith reviewing homework plansand they will be more thanhappy to discuss individualhomework plans with parents.

As students move through the school, they have severalopportunities and the supportnecessary to make importantdecisions about their educationalchoices. It is vital that thesechoices are varied and offerflexibility. The survey indicateswe are doing it well particularlyin the year groups where the key option decisions are made.

This will continue and ourPathways team deserve praise for what they continue to provide.

Students progressChristleton High School strives tocreate the right environment inwhich students can prosper butthey have the responsibility totake the opportunity provided.

Whilst the School strives toensure that the vast majority ofstudents do make good progress,it is pleasing that parentsrecognise this, and the fact thatmost seem happy with the levelsof information provided, onwhich informed decisions are be made.

Report cards and parentsevenings are vitally importantelements in providinginformation to parents on howtheir children are progressing.The SIMS learning gateway isanother information source which we are planning to make more user-friendly.

However, the correlation betweeneffort and progress is vital: webelieve that parents have a vitalrole to play in helping the schoolto create an environment thatencourages and supports thestudent to make the necessary effort.

But it isnt just academicallywhere students should progress.We believe the school has a dutyto ensure that our students enjoysports, trips and extra-curricularactivities.

Agree

StronglyAgree

The school helps my child/children make informed choices about

their education and career

My child/children has/have access to technology at school

0 20 40 60 80 100%

My child/children has/have access to technology at home

My child/children is/are making good progress at school


We offer numerous activities andtrips and are pleased that bothstudents and parents recognisethat the current range we offer is good.

It is also important that we helpstudents develop their social andlife skills. The school is perceivedto build positive, professionalrelationships between teachersand students , regardless ofcultural or religious background.

It would seem that there is stillsome work to do with the widercommunity and again this issomething that will be looked atto ensure the School providesmore opportunities in the future.

ChristletonHigh.a safe placefor our students

Christleton High School is, bydefinition, a school. Therefore,learning is its central focus butthere can be a thin line betweenensuring the environment is a safe place for our studentswithout making the school look like or feel like a prison.

We want our students to want tobe here not to feel that theyare forced to be here.

However, it isnt just about thephysical environment of theschool, it is also concerned withits general atmosphere andbehaviour which helps make theschool feel a safe environment.

The survey indicated that theSchool is perceived to be a safeenvironment (97%) and parentsrecognised that the school workshard to ensure that students areacutely aware of the standardsexpected of them and what theyshould expect from fellowstudents in the school.

These are outlined at the earliest opportunity, on joiningthe school, and reinforced on aregular basis as this sets thetone for their time at the school.We are never complacent,because those early days are soimportant. If the initial settling in process is completed well, it sets high standards for thebehavioural tone of the school.

We should all be proud that so many students accept thebehavioural code of the schooland strive to live by it. Parentsalso clearly recognise thatstudents behave well and whenthere are instances of poorbehaviour, believe thatChristleton High School handles it well.

In todays social media-drivenworld, the concept of bullying isoften regularly in the news.Social media is often beyond theSchools reach and responsibility,as so much takes place withinthe home and outside the school day.

However, we do not view thematter complacently it isprevalent in society so it willhappen at a school, no matterhow hard everyone tries toprevent it from occurring. Theschool is always looking at itsinternet safety protocols butparents also should be vigilant.

Over 75% of our parents saythat their children have notmentioned bullying as an issue at Christleton High. Sadly, thatmeans 25% have raised it as aproblem that is too many.

The School has zero toleranceacceptance of bullying andpolicies are consistently andfairly applied. It would seemthat students and parents believethat this does indeed happen for the most part. Obviously,sometimes parents do take thematter further, but again theyseem generally to be happy with the way it is dealt with.

The school acknowledges that itis unable to resolve every issueto the satisfaction of everyparent but it will continue to act fairly on each and everyoccasion, without prejudice or bias and in line with itspublished policies.

Finding all theimportantInformation on the School

The School website andSchoolComms are the key formalcommunication methods usedand as such, will continue to bethe ways in which news and keyevents will be communicated inthe future.

A revamp of the website,designed to improve its ease of use and to be even more user-friendly, is planned for later this year.

The website is an importantwindow on the world but it canbe a passive medium (i.e. it has to be visited to find out the


information). We would urge all parents to add it to theirFavourites if they haventalready done so and check it regularly.

Twitter and Facebook arebecoming ever increasinglyuseful extra tools forcommunicating and we arelooking at ways in which theycan be utilised in the future.Ideas are welcome.

Catering

Catering is the one area of the survey where the surveyrespondents do not actuallycome into contact the subject of the question. It is an areathat can often divide opinion it is difficult to please all of our students all of the time.

Against that background, theresults of the catering relatedquestions, whilst being lowerthan other areas, were stillrelatively encouraging.

The decision to use Mellors (our external catering provider)was taken to improve the qualityand value for money in our foodprovision. Clearly, the findingsshow we have some more workto do. The School operates a 3-week menu cycle with lunchmeals provision. The mealchoices include lasagne, sweetand sour chicken as well as theFriday favourite of fish and chips.

A number of pasta options andsandwiches are also availableeach day but students oftenchoose the other options. We

also hold Themed Days duringthe year, when particular worldchoice menus are available, forexample, a Chinese themedmenu has been provided tocelebrate Chinese New Year.

We were also pleased that the meals were rated as beingrelatively good value for moneyby a substantial number ofparents, but at the same time,we were concerned that animportant minority didnt sharethat opinion. This is somethingthat the school will work on withMellors, to see what can be doneto improve what is on offer.

For example, in response tocomments made in the survey,smaller, cheaper bottles of water have been introduced and water fountains will shortly be installed to ensurethat free water provision is more readily available.

Ensuring that students havequality food options at affordableprices and offering value formoney is our aim.

Governors

The Governing Body ofChristleton High School exists to provide long-term strategicleadership for the school. The difference between theGovernors and the managementof the school is a very importantdistinction.

The role of the Governing Body is largely to provide the strategic plan for the school and, in conjunction with theSenior Management team of the school, to ensure thatpolicies are adhered to, whilstensuring that the appropriatechecks and balances and generalgovernance are in place.


It operates through 5 main committees (Audit andFinance, Curriculum and Achievement, Staffing,Pastoral and Community), each of which meet once per term followed by a full formal BusinessMeeting involving all Governors. Governorsnormally sit on at least two committees.

Away from the formal meetings, regularconversations and discussions take place with the Leadership Group and the system seems to work well.

The role and composition of the Governors isdefined in the Schools Academy Agreement andcomprises community governors, parent governorsand staff governors. Parent and staff governors are elected for fixed terms and elections take place on a regular basis.

The wide variety of governors skills andexperiences are vital in delivering the best possible governance structure for the school.Governors become actively involved in a number of wide ranging activities such as staff recruitment,staff meeting clinics and the annual Governor, Staff and Pupil Conference, where the SchoolsStrategic Development Plan is set.

The full list of current Governors and their contactdetails is located within the Governors tab on thewebsite but are also highlighted below. It is worthemphasising that governors are all volunteers andthey do not receive any payment for the role.

It is important to emphasise that the first point of contact for any queries or questions should be through the Leadership Group of the school.The Governing body should be the final point of contact.

Governor Role

Simon Bell Parent Governor

Fliss Bridgewater Parent Governor

Paul Heath Parent Governor (vice chair)

Richard Nibbs Parent Governor

Paula Prescott Parent Governor(Pastoral Committee Chair)

Louise Rees Parent Governor

Stephen Richards Parent Governor

Jean Charlton Community Governor (CurriculumCommittee Chair)

Rev. Malcolm Cowan Community Governor

Nick Crowther Community Governor(Community Committee Chair)

Hems de Winter Community Governor(Staffing Committee Chair)

Euan Imrie Community Governor(Finance Committee Chair)

Sue Leake Community Governor (Chair)

Penny Chapman Staff Governor

Sharlean Heaver Staff Governor

Hilary Laidler Staff Governor

Tony Lamberton Headteacher

Nigel Follos Clerk to Governors

The February Washing LineWeeks exhibition again showedoff the artistic talent of theschool. The creative vibes of thepieces really brightened up thehall and showed the artistsindividuality.

The Year 8 portraits were veryrealistic and looked a lot like thepeople who created them.Students studies on variousartists were convincing andrelated well to the artists.

The paintings inspired by AndyWarhol and Roy Lichtensteinhelped students to understandartists techniques and the Y7fruit paintings were veryrealistic. They were painted with

delicacy, care and a skilful use oftone.

The curators of Washing LineWednesday did very well to hangup the work, which includes apiece of Art by every studentwho studies Art in the school!

Lincoln Miller 7BA1 said, I like my work up in the hallbecause I like everyone seeingwhat I can do.

John Gornall 7KE1 said, It made the Hall look creativeand colourful. This also showedhow amazingly talentedChristleton High Art students are.

Dylan Bevan Jones 7BA1 said,

It was amazing that everyperson who does Art had theirpainting or drawing up ondisplay. It looks fabulous!

Jack Smith 7BA1 said, The Washing Line Weeks werefun and enjoyable. It wasdifficult pegging the Art on thelines but we managed to do it.

Isabella Ford 7KE1 said, I thought that it was amazing to see all the pieces of Art up on display. It was also fun tryingto find where mine was hangingon the line.

James White 7KE1 said, The Washing Line Weeks were brilliant. It made the Hall brighter and everyone was happy and had a fabulousexperience helping out.

Everybody involved really triedhard to create a high standard ofwork in the Washing Line Weeksshow. Thank you to everybodywho contributed and helped putthe art up!

James Harris 8BA2 andYannick Wojtan 8BA2Art Hot Scholars

Arts Washing Line WeeksArts Washing Line Weeks


The Year 8 housecaptain team and BenTyson collaboratedtogether and raised9.25 for the RonaldMcDonald house, onTuesday 17thDecember 2013.

We hosted a paperaeroplane competitionand the winner wasJac Goodall in 8Ba1.

In October 2013, news of the Year 9 Bronze Duke ofEdinburghs Information evening for parents and youngpeople spread quickly. A capacity audience were so inspiredby the welcoming introduction to the Award by Paul Griffiths,from the North West Regional Office and an overview of theaward for young people by Mark Harnden, from the localCheshire West and Chester area office, that 112 have chosento accept the challenge and started their Bronze Award. We have officially joined the 100 club.

Celebrations...We had reason to celebrate in February when of some Bronzeand Silver students received their badges and certificatesawards at a local area Celebration evening.

News from London...On Wednesday March 19th 2014, 15 Gold Duke ofEdinburghs Award students from Christleton High School wereinvited to attend a special Gold Award Ceremony at St JamesPalace to be presented with their certificates. There will be afull report and photographs in the next issue. V.I.P guestsalso included Mrs Stott, Mr Lamberton and Mrs Evans.

Challenging times ahead at Christleton High School, Chester



Who? Where? What?

Patrick Tait Music Harmonica

Osian Willaims English 5 Amazon voucher

James Mizen Science 5 Amazon voucher

Jac Goodall Media Studies Box of Chocolates

Molly Hewitt & Emily Duerdenjoint winners Health & Social Care Nail Art Kits

Charlotte Parry Art 5 Amazon voucher

Abbey McIntyre PE Box of Chocolates

Graeme Mochrie History 5 Amazon voucher

Tommy Hughes Languages 5 iTunes voucher

Lauren Sharples RE 5 Amazon voucher

Edward Reynolds DT 5 Amazon voucher

Curie-Beth Woodward-Lord Drama 5 Amazon voucher

Winning SmilesCongratulations to the following Hot Scholars whoall won their departmental January prize draws:

OrienteeringPeople think orienteering is atiring sport that wears youout whilst others haventeven heard of it. However, Idont think so, as late lastyear I took part in the BritishSchools OrienteeringChampionships (BSOC) withPhil Vokes in Year 13.

The competition was inShipley Country Park,Derbyshire. I competed in theG7 course and Phil did the

B13. After the event therewas an award ceremony, Philcame 3rd in his class and Icame 15th in mine.

For those of you that have noidea what orienteering is, itswhere you get a map and acompass and you have to runaround a course with a dibberto punch the differentcontrols along the route. Youhave a number for yourdifferent controls and you

have to find the control withthe same number on.

I moved up to Year 7 fromMickle Trafford in Septemberand our Year 6 teacher wasthe Northern Champion atorienteering. So sheencouraged us to join in. Ihave been to many localevents by DeesideOrienteering Club.

Elizabeth Goodwin 7L1

Spring Term 2014 15Spring Term 2014 15Spring T erm 2014 15

The trip was brilliant to go on!This was my first trip abroadwith the school and it wascertainly worth it. I had neverbeen to Rome before and I washappy to find so manyremarkable places to see.

The first day was eventful withus seeing places like a warmemorial, The Pantheon as wellas the Piazza Navona. This wasa brilliant place to visit with lotsof different street performers.The only downside was thesellers following us everywherebut other than that, it was apleasant place to hang around.

The 2nd day in Rome wasequally as eventful, first with atour of the Colosseum, RomanForum and the Palatine Hill.

We then got on the Metrosystem and took the metro tothe Vatican. The Vatican wasvery busy and there was awaterfall in the middle. This wasthe place that the Pope wouldusually make his publicappearances. Next we wentround the Vatican museumwhere there were loads ofreligious paintings andtapestries. These were done byvery high rated artists.

The Sistine Chapel was our finalstop there and we saw theoriginal Michelangelo ceilingpaintings. There were a lot morethan I thought there were and itwas a brilliant spectacle to see.We finally went back into Rometo see the Spanish steps and theTrevi fountain.

Travelling down to Sorrento wasnow the next part of our tripand it was 5 hours via coach,but we stopped around halfwayat the Monte Cassino which is alarge Abbey. The Monte Cassinowas used by the Nazi's as adefence post and was destroyedand rebuilt 4 times. This was avery beautiful place and hadvery grand churches.

Herculaneum was next beforeSorrento. Herculaneum was alsodestroyed by Mt. Vesuvius aswell as Pompeii. We managed tofind this secluded cave with asnake statue inside and the coldwas wonderfully refreshing fromthe heat. After Herculaneum, wecontinued down to Sorrento.

Our last full day in Italy wastaken up by a long hike upVesuvius, but it was worth it forthe view. You could see the bayof Naples, Pompeii andHerculaneum from the peak.

There was lots of fog up therebut we managed to find the keydetails. The next part of the daywas in Pompeii which is a lotbigger than Herculaneum. Wewent round in a large group andsaw the amphitheatre, the castsof the men and women whichwere killed during the blast, thebath house and even thesquare.

I would highly recommend thistrip to future students. I had agreat time and I am assuredthat everyone else did as well.

Mark Harvey Year 10 Classics Student

Sightseeing at

RRoommee aannddSSoorrrreennttoo

February 2014

StainedGlassWindow ArtWorkshopYear 9 Art Hot Scholars wereinvited along, and each ableto bring a friend, to an Artworkshop to create a stainedglass window.

The workshop was held over aperiod of two weeks onWednesday afternoons. In thefirst week we created theoutline of the window. We hadto choose a theme for ourwindow; we were allowed tomake any shape we wanted.We had some templates wecould use and some examplesof stained glass to work from.

Firstly we drew out ourdesigns on paper and had tokeep them simple. Some of uschose to create a pattern;some created a scene, whilstothers took inspiration fromarchitecture. We thenmirrored the design onto apiece of acetate with a specialblack liquid to create theoutline of the stained glasswindow. This was tricky atfirst and needed a steadyhand to be accurate. Afterthat we had to leave it to setand wait until the followingweek to carry on.

During the second week wefinished our windows byadding colour. We did this byfilling in the gaps with stainedglass paint to complete ourwindows.

Our stain glass windows werestuck straight onto glass inthe Art department when theyhad dried. This workshop wasgood fun and we learned newtechniques. Everyone enjoyedthe workshop and we wouldall do it again.

Ellie Kanwar 9BY2


Spring Term 2014 17Spring Term 2014 17Spring T erm 2014 17

A-leveland BTECMusic Technologystudents fromChristleton joined forceswith those from one of ourpartner schools, Neston High School,on 11th February 2014 for an excitingtechnological first for both schools.

Via the power of wireless internet, an iPad, AppleTV and adata projector, we linked up with Graham Cochrane, a studioproducer, engineer and recording education guru, in Tampa Bay,Florida. A total of 15 students from both school prepared questionsabout Music Technology ready for the one-hour long Skype session.These questions comprised topics including, mixing, mastering,producing, careers advice, professional portfolios and other areas ofinterest.

The students were already familiar with Grahams work as we usemany of his excellent online training videos within our lessons.Hence, they were eager to speak to him face-to-face, and onestudent even stated that he was a bit star-struck when Graham appeared on the screen!

Austin Ralphson (Head of Music and Music Technology), whoorganised the event, said It was fantastic to have the opportunity toconverse with such an amazingly talented producer. His friendly,straight-forward approach to educating us enabled the students tofeel more confident and even more self-motivated to succeed.

The link-up was a huge success,with the students really buzzingabout the lively discussions andadvice which took place. Thanksgo to Graham Cochran fromtherecordingrevolution.com andto Andy Griffith, Head of Musicand Music Technology at NestonHigh School.

Music

America

Goes toThe most enjoyable partof the webcast was beingable to talk to someoneopenly about mixingwhich is a difficult

task in itself

It was really enjoyable. I learned about the music industry

I learnt that thetechniques that I am

employing are industrystandard processes.

The experience wasvaluable because we couldhave an open and frankdiscussion with a personwho has great knowledgeabout the music industry.

Graham was a personwho you could relax withand not be afraid to askquestions which mayseem obvious. He was

very enthusiastic and engaging.

Graham was the kind ofperson who lived and

breathed music. He lovedmusic production and hewas a pleasure to talk to.

Technology

Health andSocial CarenewsAs part of their exam Year12 Health & Social carestudents must learn specificdisorders that occur in oldage, be able to understandhow practitioners providesupport and how thedisorders affect a personemotionally and socially.

Sam Donagain fromEyecare on Call came tovisit the students to providethem with up-to dateinformation and a betterunderstanding of the topic.Sam is a trained opticianwho works throughout theNorth West, delivering eyecare treatment and adviceto care homes.

Date: 6th March 2014, World Book Day

Time: 11.30am

Place: iRC

Thirteen keen readers of Robert Muchamore, popular author of theCherub series of books, arrived in the iResearch Centre for anational live streaming and online interview with their favouriteauthor. They had questions ready to submit and were lookingforward to finding out about his new book Rock School. All the ITconnections had been checked, the scene was set but as 11.30became 11.40 it became obvious the organisers were having troubleon their end.

Disappointed but ready to make the most of the time left, they hada lively discussion on the merits of his different series and why hisbooks are so gripping. Pupils tried out several of the online puzzlesbased on the books. The event was on the internet the next day andthe enthusiasm for his writing definitely wasnt dimmed.

Where wereyou Robert?



OOrriiggaammiiButterfliesFor my first Art Hot Scholar exploit I learned how to make

origami butterflies to go up on display. I worked in a group

with some younger students; it was great. I never thought of

making butterflies from paper and it really was fun. It was

great to chat to others and share ideas. It has helped me to

realise that I can help others by sharing my ideas during my

GCSE art lessons too.

I also like that we got to make something to go up on

display, so our work can be shared with others and everyone

can see the amazing butterflies we made together. The

butterflies complete a piece of Art created on open evening

by Art Hot Scholars and visitors from primary schools.

Jordanna Mayers 10L1 Art Hot Scholar

Cathy Cassidy Talk;Bishops High SchoolOn 13th March, a group of Year 7 girls were rewarded fortheir excellent reading, by attending a talk by the childrensauthor Cathy Cassidy. Cathy talked people through hervarious novels and gave hints as to what inspired her. At theend of the talk students were given the opportunity to buycopies of her book and have their own books signed by her.

Many of the students were inspired by her advice on how tocreate interesting characters and write catchy storylines.As ever, Christleton High School students were impeccablybehaved and enjoyed the chance to meet their literaryheroine.

Learning

walls are great; they

teach you so much! In Art,

every classroom has a

learning wall and they teach

you lots of new techniques

with great explanations so

you can understand how

each item on the wall was

made. All years contribute

and share new learning skills

and art techniques; I think it

is really nice to see what

others are learning

throughout the school, it

makes it special!

Learning walls are always

there as a point of

reference. I really like

having them there, if I am

ever stuck they really help.

Charlotte Parry 8K2

Art Hot Scholar


SchoolsWall-MuralOn Wednesday the 13th of November 2013, the Year 9 ArtHot Scholars all came together to discuss the plan for a wallmural on some of the metal outer walls of our school. In thefirst session, we planned ideas for what could cover theempty space.

Our first thoughts were on topics following things like theSwan, featured on the school badge, and using the schoolsemblem to fill that space. Another idea was to use patternsfrom famous buildings, such as the glass on the Gherkin inLondon and other artistic patterns.

Then, we thought about famous buildings all over the world,such as the London Eye, the Gherkin itself, the Eiffel Tower,the 02 Arena, the leaning tower of Pisa and the SydneyOpera House.

This idea soon became a favourite as we all drafted our ownideas for the project. Several ideas did cross over with othertopics, like the Christleton swan, but the overall preferencewas to stick with famous buildings.

On Wednesday 20th of November 2013, we returned toexpand on our ideas. Now set with the theme of well-knownbuildings, we began to draft more designs. We all drew outour own ideas using four main buildings, which were theEiffel Tower, the Gherkin, Big Ben and the Sydney OperaHouse. Once those four buildings had been included, weadded additional ideas using other buildings.

One of the most effective ideas was to have the London Eyearound the main buildings, as it drew the attention inside thering and yet filled the space in a creative way.

Soon, our ideas were coming together and the final designwas beginning to form. We intended to take the best featuresfrom everyones design, and developing them into onecombined idea.

Izzy Griffin Morris 9KE22013 Art Hot Scholar


Year 9 TextilesFashion Design

withMiss Williams


SSTTEEMM::The Story So FarIn STEM club we build and design our own projectsafter school on Tuesdays. Through the sessions weaim to draw on our knowledge from schoolsubjects and apply them to a variety of projectsrelating to real world situations. We also get toinvestigate things that we wouldnt have time todo in lessons.

Our first project was to make a sealed biospherecalled a terrarium to grow some plants in. We came upwith some concepts and made prototypes 3D models fromcard. Then, we transferred our designs into CAD drawingsand used the laser cutter to cut out the shapes. These werethen assembled using hot glue, and after a few minormishaps we had our terraria. Following this, the terraria werepart filled with gravel, soil and water before planting the florainside.

The STEMers next project was to design and build aNewtonian telescope on a Dobsonian mount (Look it up! Orlook at the pictures!!). MDF was used for the stands andsome plastic piping for the bodies of the telescopes. This wasour biggest project so far and we also had some visitors froma local Astronomical Society to help with the assembly.

In September 2013, we were generously donated some oldlawn mowers for a new project based on engineering. Wetook these apart, investigated the design of the componentsand got to see how an engine really works. Pistons cylinders,carburettors and spark plugs all key parts of an internalcombustion engine. When the engine was reassembled itactually worked!

We are now attempting to build our own hovercraft. After afew experiments with air pressure and fans (involving firingcarrots at Mr Holmes with our carrot gun) we are buildingsome scale models of the vehicle. The goal of this project is ahover craft big enough to support a small student. Look outfor updates on this in the next edition of the SWAN!

The STEM Team


Over thirty students in Year 10and 11 took the opportunity tofind out what it is like to be anapprentice, how to go aboutapplying and what sort of jobsyou can do during a half-hourlunchtime session organised aspart of this years NationalApprenticeship Week in March.

Above: Lewis Gerrard 10B4finds out more from the teamof young apprentices basedat Chester West and CheshireCouncil; Liam Brennan,Mitchell Jones, Hollie Lawsonand Joanne Faulkner.

Below: The CWAC youngapprentice team introducethemselves to our Year 10and 11 students.

A team of four youngapprentices based at CheshireWest and Chester Council talkedabout their experiences and thebenefits of earning a salary andgaining additional qualificationsat the same time. Work in Digitaland Corporate Marketing caninvolve updating the homepageof the council website so allmeetings, planning applications,and latest news are all current.The Human Resourcesdepartment offers opportunitiesin many different areas.

Former student Hollie Lawsonwho left Year 11 last summer

explained how she has reallyenjoyed the opportunities todevelop new skills, gainexperience, and get paid at thesame time.

Our current Year 10 and 11students were keen to ask lots ofquestions and left knowing muchmore about all the advantagesthat apprenticeships can offer.

Many thanks to Chester Westand Cheshire Council, and thefour young apprentices for givingthis opportunity; Mitchell Jones,Joanne Faulkner, Hollie Lawsonand Liam Brennan.

Apprenticeships:Want to Know More?

What is anApprenticeship?

An Apprenticeship is a real job with training which would allow young people toearn while they learn, whilstgaining a nationally recognised qualification.

Apprenticeships take between one and four years to complete and cover 1500 job roles in a wide range of industries, from engineering to accountancy, public relations to veterinary nursing.

Apprenticeships are now available up to degree level and beyond.

Benefits of doing anApprenticeship

Earning a salary;

Training in the skills employers want;

Excellent progression opportunities, whether looking to study further or climb the ranks within the workplace;

Increased future earning potential; apprentices enjoy marked salary increases when they complete their training, and those with an Advanced Apprenticeship earn around 117,000* more than those without, over the course of their career;

Learning at a pace suited to the individual with the support of a mentor;

Paid holiday.

National Apprenticeship Week 3-7 March 2014


Entry Requirements

Apprenticeships are available toanyone over the age of 16, livingin England. There are differententry requirements depending onthe sector and job.

Apprenticeship Levels

There are three types ofApprenticeship young people canapply for depending on theircurrent skills and qualifications:

Intermediate Apprenticeship (level 2);

Advanced Apprenticeship (level 3);

Higher Apprenticeship (level 4 or above).

The core components forIntermediate and AdvancedApprenticeships are:

A nationally recognised vocational qualification;

Functional skills (e.g. literacy, numeracy and ICT);

A technical certificate such as a BTEC or City & Guilds (relevant to the specific Apprenticeship);

Other professional qualifications or requirements as specified bythe particular job.

The core components for HigherApprenticeships are as above butexclude the functional skillselement.

Salaries

The minimum wage forapprentices is 2.68 per hour,but many employers pay morethan this. The average grossweekly wage for an apprentice is200. This is dependent on thesector, region and apprenticeshiplevel e.g. some HigherApprenticeships can pay as muchas 300 500 per week.More details on salaries and

entry criteria in specificapprenticeship occupations canbe accessed by looking at thevacancies on the apprenticeshipswebsite.

Applying for anApprenticeship

At any one time there are upto 20,000 Apprenticeship vacancies available on the apprenticeships website in a variety of careers and industries across England.

Click on Search for vacancies on the home pageof the website. You can search by area, type, level or salary and set up alerts.

Once the right job comes up,you can simply register on the website and follow the step by step instructions to apply for the role.

You can also download the Av Search app for smartphone to see vacancieswhile on the move.

The How to apply film at apprentice.tv has useful hints and tips on applying.

Need more info?

Visit the websitehttp://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/ which also includeslots of information forparents too

Have a look at the Types of Apprenticeships and the Parents Guide to Apprenticeships in the PATHWAY section of our school website:

http://www.christletonhigh.co.uk/school_information/pathway_downloads.php

Make an appointment to see Sylvia Wood, our Pathway Careers Advisor who is based in school every Wednesday. Appointments can be made via Karen Varley in the school office.


On Thursday 6th March World

Book Day came to Christleton

High School. As part of this,

Robin Fowles and Joe Bennett

ran a book sale at break time

to raise money for Click

Sergeant, a charity for

children suffering with cancer.

They successfully managed to

sell 28 books in only 20

minutes, showing that

Christleton students have a

real appetite for reading and

literature. Even Mr Stenhouse

bought The Grapes of

Wrath by John Steinbeck

after a recommendation from

Literature expert Mr Lofts.

Spring Term 2014 26Spring Term 2014 2626 Christleton High School Magazine

SSppaanniisshh ttaappaass::Tapas is a huge selection of foodwhich is eaten in Spain. Tapasoriginated from a long time agowhen there was a king in Spainwho was ill, his doctor advisedhim to eat little but oftenbetween meals. He named thesetapas. When he got better heordered all taverns in Spain toserve tapas to the customers.Lots of people now like this so ithas remained a Spanishtradition.

The Languages Departmentrecently organised an afternoonwhere students were invited tocome and cook and eat differenttapas dishes. Amy Russon inYear 9 who attended theworkshop said I enjoy Spanishand wanted to learn more aboutthe food they cook.

There were many different mealsbeing cooked on the night suchas chick peas and chorizotortilla. Mmmmm delicioso !

Article and photos by Joe Nesbitt andTommy Hughes 9Ba2

As I am sure you are aware, weare approaching the centenary ofthe outbreak of WW1.

The History department isworking closely with EnglishHeritage, represented by DavidCummings and Phil Hirst, todevelop a project about theimpact of WW1 on Christleton.The work produced will be usedin this school, local primaryschools and the village as awhole.

We are keen to find any localmemorabilia or information that

you may have and that we mayborrow, and to find out if anyoneof your family/friends eitherremembers living in Christletonduring WW1 or remembers oldergenerations talking about it.

We would be extremely gratefulfor any contributions, either to:Mrs Katherine Holme (Head ofHistory and Politics)[email protected] Jennifer OHare (Historyteacher) [email protected] Or students can comeand talk to us in the Historydepartment.

Help Please(Parents and Students)

CCooookkiinngg UUppaa CCaarreeeerr iinn CCaatteerriinnggJacks Pathway to West Cheshire College

The West Cheshire College Ellesmere PortCampus opened its doors in March sopotential students could find out more attheir Careers Open Evening. Students aged14-19 have a huge range of courses tochoose from including: -

Applied Science Construction Engineering Fashion Hair and Beauty Hospitality and Catering Public Services Sport Travel and Tourism

Year 10 student Jack Whitehead took the opportunity toattend the evening. Heres what he thought: -

I am currently studying GCSE Food for one of my optionsand I am loving every minute of it because not only we dotheory, we cook different types of food for example, cakes,breads, risotto etc.

On Wednesday 5th March I went to an Open Evening forWest Cheshire College and I went to look at the cateringkitchens. They were so good and even if you dont know thebasics, you could always start on the basic course and workup your levels. Only 90% is practical and 10% is theory.

I really enjoyed visiting the campus with my mum and Ihave even asked if I can have a day or two so I can just seewhat it is like. But if anyone is interested in catering orhospitality, I certainly recommend West Cheshire Collegefor them.Jack Whitehead 10L2

For further details about all the courses on offer andhow to apply visit the website http://www.west-cheshire.ac.uk/ or call the College Hotline 01244656555.

COMPETITIONTIME

Through theKeyhole...

but who is themystery manbehind the

mask

?



Architecture in Our CityFfion Jones Y9 Art Hot Scholar 2014

Chester was originally aRoman fort but now is a cityfull of shops, museums andarchitecture. The ChesterRows are some of the oldestbuildings in Chester that dateback to the Tudor times. Inmy role as an Art Hot Scholar,I have asked a variety ofpeople who have differentroles and views about theirfavourite buildings in the city.

Me Myfavouritebuilding inChester isthe HQ building because it isa different shape and looksinteresting. I also like howthere is a path through themiddle and the design looksmodern.

Hannah Jones Y9My favourite building inChester is the amphitheatrebecause it reflects and showsthe history of Chester and isa very good reminder of theRoman inhabitants from

centuriesago. It alsohas veryunique

architecture and there isnothing else like it near here.

My GranMy favourite building inChester is the Town Hallbecause the outside of thebuilding is interesting, thewindows are well designedand I like the inside. Thehighest part in the middle hasa clock on each side and it iswell sculpted.

An ArtistMy favourite buildings inChester are the Chester Rowsbecause the pattern on theoutside is beautiful, wellpainted and designed. Thebuildings are also differentfrom each other and standout. The design is unique tothe time when they werebuilt. Almost every pattern isunique.

The Art of BuildingMonuments in Chester Harry Ford Y9 Art Hot Scholar 2013

As part of my role as anArt Hot Scholar, I amhere to talk about thegreat monuments andarchitecture that havecreated the Chester weknow today. I askedpeople I know what theythink of Chester.

My good friend TomTownsend said I love thelibrary in Chester becauseit is local and I think thefront of it isbreathtaking. Also hesaid he thinks thearchitecture in general isphenomenal. This showsthat people who createmonuments in Chesterare dedicated to makingthem look interesting.

When I asked my parentsthey said they liked theSuspension Bridge on theborder of the city. Itholds the city togetherand is a truly genius idea.My younger sistersfavourite monument inChester is the Roman wallbecause it was made sowell that most of it is stillhere today. My ownpersonal favourite is thecathedral because of theaccuracy and precisionthat it displays.

All in all, I think we arevery lucky to have somuch great architectureis around us in theChester community.

A Businessman My favourite building in

Chester is the HQ building

because the outside is made

mainly from glass which

reflects the light. I also like

the modern look it has.

An Architect1 Chester Baths

Not the grandest of buildings

but a really attractive

frontage, designed with such

confidence and just look at

the amazing barley sugar

chimneys! In addition to the

two swimming pools, it

originally housed the public

baths. It is one of my

favourite buildings because of

the childhood memories I

have; the smell of chlorine,

wet tiles underfoot and the

shafts of sunlight that came

through the roof lights and

glistened on the water.

2 The

Schreiber

House

Its now

tucked

away at the back of the

housing estate off Eaton

road. When it was first built it

stood on its own with

fantastic views over the River

Dee. I like the simple

geometry of the building;

intersecting prisms, cubes

and cylinders. When I was a

student the builder, Robin

Parker, took me around the

house and I was just amazed

at the beauty of the detailing,

the quality of the finishes and

the way the windows framed

the views, especially the big

porthole window in the main

bedroom.


How resilient are you?

Challenge: There are nine little pigs in a field. Bydrawing two squares how can you giveeach pig its own pen?

Building Learning Power Strengthening Learning Behaviours

This issue focuses on RESILIENCE

The word resilience seems to be talked about a lot at the moment, employers often concernedthat new employees lack this important disposition. But here at Christleton we are trying outways to make our students more resilient.

In lessons students have been asked to think about what distractions are, what it feels like tobe distracted and what distracts them. They have gone on to develop strategies that they canuse to avoid being distracted and for how to deal with distractions.

Some classes have been getting to grips with Perseverance by completing more difficultchallenges and sharing ideas about how they feel throughout the process. Students arebeginning to be more comfortable with the idea that being stuck is a good place to startlearning.

Can you match up the learning behaviours associated with RESILIENCE with the illustration?

AbsorptionBeing able to loseyourself in learning -becoming absorbedin what you aredoing; rapt andattentive, in a stateof flow.

ManagingDistractionsRecognising andreducing distractions;knowing when towalk away andrefresh yourself.Creating your ownbest environment forlearning.

NoticingPerceiving subtlenuances, patternsand details inexperience.

PerseveranceKeeping going in theface of difficulties,channelling theenergy of frustrationproductively.Knowing what a slowand uncertainprocess learning is.


? ? ? ?

The Annual school Gym andDance show took place onthe 13th February 2014 andwas even bigger and betterthis year with over sixtystudents taking part. Therewas a huge variety of dancersfrom all ages and they wereall magnificent in theirexcitation. The Gymnasticsgroups are getting better andbetter and come up withloads of great ideas - both onthe floor and vault.

The very large crowd thatattended were veryimpressed with seeing somany talented people givingtheir all and working hardtogether.

Well done and keep it going,same again next year!

Mr Barton

Gym and Dance Show 2014


Un grand moment

ParisThe French trip was a greatchance to learn more about theFrench culture, it really madeFrench lessons make moresense! On the first day (after avery long coach journey) wewent sight-seeing and went tothe Louvre where Mona Lisalives! Then at night time we wentup the Eiffel tower, because itwas night everything was lit upand it was so beautiful! For teawe got to eat at the Hard RockCaf and then go to the shop.

The second day, in our opinion,was definitely the best becausewe went to Disney land Paris!!! Itwas so fun and we got to stayand watch the night time parade!On the third day we went to ashopping centre in Calais andthen we went home veryupsetting! Grace Broughton and EmilyFreeman, Year 10

From the French trip I learnt alot about French culture, forexample when we visited theNotre-Dame as well as otherplaces. I also learnt anddeveloped my speaking andlistening skills when speaking tothe people there. The thing Ienjoyed the most about Pariswas visiting the Eiffel Tower. Theview was beautiful and probably

the best I have seen in my life. Iwould recommend this trip toanyone who is considering itbecause I believe that it is agreat life experience and one ofthe best trips I have been on. James Bagby, Year 10

What I learnt.Our French Assistant, Tomas,organised a great series ofactivities for us to investigate theLouvre. We learnt how to get lostin it's maze of rooms; to marvelat the statues; be amazed bythe Mona Lisa up close and havefun whilst learning.

What I enjoyed most(Culturally).I enjoyed going up the EiffelTower at night. I felt very proudthat I made it to the very topdespite my fear of heights; andwas chuffed that I had, as thenight time view across Paris wasawesome.

Why I would recommend thisvisit to other students.I would definitely recommendthis to other student as it IS aonce in a lifetime chance and youget to see lots of new things,including going to DisneylandParis with your friends.Lydia Tanner, Year 11


My trip to Paris wasextraordinary; I really lovedevery second of it. I learnt lotsof the history behind Paris andabout all the differentmonuments. The food wasexquisite and there was nothingto complain about. We visitedNotre dame and differentstatues. The best part was goingup the Eiffel tower and going toDisneyland, which everyoneenjoyed the most.

I would recommend this trip toother students because it will bea once in a life time opportunityif you have never been beforeand you can have theopportunity to speak in French toFrench people, and you learnlots about different foods anddifferent places. There was acoach journey to the Louvre, oneof the most famous art galleriesin the world. This is where themost significant painting of all isheld, The Mona Lisa, I had towait for ages to just get a singlepicture of the art work.

I really want to go again nextyear because I just loved the

experience and the beds werereally comfy so you managed tosleep really well after all thesightseeing.Jack Whitehead, Year 10

When I went on the Paris trip, Ilearnt more about the Frenchculture.

The thing that I enjoyed most ofall was probably going to thevery top of the Eiffel Tower. Iassume for many people,Disneyland would be theirfavourite part but although Iloved Disneyland (SpaceMountain was the best!), Ienjoyed just being in France themost!

I would definitely recommendthis trip to everyone, I would saythat it was definitely worth themoney and you have so manyamazing experiences that I amsure you would remember for alifetime, well I know I willanyway!Lucy Hosker, Year 10



Sweets for ourSweetheartsOn Friday 14th February 2014,Valentines Day, the Year 7 HouseCaptains delivered homemadechocolate hearts to studentsrequested valentines in Year 7.

During the week leading up toValentines Day, the selectedHouse Captains from each Formcollected in money and requests togive chocolate and a card to theirloved ones, friends or teachers.The cost of a chocolate heart was0.75 per chocolate and a cardwas an additional 0.25, all themoney collected went to theschools charity, Claire HouseHospice.

A few House Captains got busymelting chocolate and making themini hearts! Others designed thecards and printed them off. We gotourselves organised and shared indelivering the gifts into lessons onValentines Day.

At the end of the deliveries, wehad a few spare chocolates whichwe sold to teachers and studentsaround the school. The money wascounted and we typed up a letterfor Claire House Hospice. Weraised a whopping, 80.75!

Emma Smith and Eve GriffithsYear 7 House Captains

Breads From Around the World This term in DT food we are studying bread. This consistsof us trying different breads, learning about the differentorigins of bread and making our own. When making ourown we were given the choice of what shape to make,(plaited, flat, bun or ringed), and to top with differentseasonings, seeds and oils.

We also looked into breads from around the worldand tried a chilli and mango naan, raisin andcinnamon bagel, ciabatta and a brioche. We looked athow these breads are different in appearance, taste,size and shape. Also this term we will be visitingRoberts Bakery to learn about production, in largescale and batches, as well as learning about healthand safety in a factory.Emma Flanagan 10L2

Baking BreadWe started off the lesson with differenttypes of bread. We each tried thedifferent types of bread and had todescribe the name of the it, the countryof origin, the cost per weight/quantity,the shape, what special finishingtechniques the bread contained, theflavour and the sensory analysis.

For example Brioches Country of originwas in France. The cost per weight/quantity of the dish was at the price of1.90/400g. The shape of the dish is justa plaited loaf. The loaf had a glazed topfor the finishing techniques. The Flavour

of the dish was a very sweet taste, like honey, thiswas because of the glazed top and the inside contentsof the bread. So for the sensory analysis of this breadI gave it a 7 as the taste and texture were delicious.

When we finished this we created our own types ofbread, and Mrs Williams asked us to create our owndesigns. For example one of my friends did a cottageloaf, where he had to stick his thumb through the

middle of the bread. After that we added different types ofseeds to increase the texture and theflavour of the dish. Jack Haynes 10B2

Designing New DoughThis term in DT food we have beenexperimenting with different types ofbread and what to use with them to makethem better. So far we have createddifferent shapes of our choosing to makea new design; we have experimentedwith different kinds of toppings to seewhat suits the type of bread we have allmade. Overall this topic has been fun foreveryone because it has lots of differentthings to try and taste.Callum Jones 10B1


We Will Rock YouMarch 2014 Backstage and the Show


Over twenty students in Year 10

and 11, as well as Lower and

Upper Sixth-Formers, took the

opportunity to find out more

about Engineering

Apprenticeships during a recent

TTE visit to Christleton.

Kerry Otley-Jones, TTE Schools

Liaison Officer, gave an

informative and very useful

illustrated presentation which

highlighted the Multi-Skilled

Apprenticeship opportunities for

those aged 16-24.

Students found out that the

entry requirements included a

minimum of five GCSEs at

grade C or above, including

English and Maths. With over

800 people applying each year

the importance of completing

the four-page application form

appropriately was really

emphasised.

Good luck to all those who

apply!

Pathway to a TTE

AApppprreennttiicceesshhiipp

TTE: Training Tomorrows Engineers

TTE provides training for the chemical, petrochemical, process, power, paper, pharmaceutical, nuclear and oil and gas industries throughout the North West.

TTE has grown to become one of the North Wests leading providers of sponsored Advanced Apprenticeships

Further details are available from the TTE website: -

http://www.tte.co.uk/

Tom Crawford 11B2, JamesOwens 10L3, and Adam Williams10L3 collect a TTE ApplicationForm from Kerry Otley-Jones,Schools Liaison Officer


Year 10 BTEC Work Skillsstudents have beencontinuing their half dayplacement every Monday atWest Cheshire College.

This gives students theopportunity to experiencethe world of work bylearning the skills ofparticular trades which arealways in demand, such asjoinery, brick-laying, andpainting and decorating.

Their joinery skills havecumulated in the productionof some very sturdy woodenstoolsas the accompanyingphotos illustrate!

Bricklaying has proved alittle more difficult than itfirst appeared, but goodprogress is being made.

Students have theopportunity to complementtheir college placement withsome work experience.Owen Dance has beenenjoying spending time atWaverton Primary School forthree hours a week wherehe has been supporting aYear 1 class, and workingwith some older pupils insome Street Dance practicalworkshops.

Congratulations to all our Year 10 BTEC

Work Skills students.

Pathway to Learning for Work

Owen Lang 10B5 and Joshua Moulton10B4: Weve finished making thesestools; now who can we find to test how strong they are?

They feel sturdy enoughbut lets be certain.?

Success! Do you thinkthey will last as long asthe two testers?!

Owen Lang 10B5and Michael

Hesketh 10B5getting ready

to mix!

Matthew Leek10L4 keepingbusy in theworkshop

Owen Dance 10L3demonstrates the next move to four keenWaverton pupils

Owen Lang 10B5 and Joshua Moulton10B4: Weve finished making thesestools; now who can we find to test how strong they are?

They feel sturdy enoughbut lets be certain.?

Success! Do you thinkthey will last as long asthe two testers?!

Owen Lang 10B5and Michael

Hesketh 10B5getting ready

to mix!

Matthew Leek10L4 keepingbusy in theworkshop

Owen Dance 10L3demonstrates the next move to four keenWaverton pupils


Scottish PowerCareers Taster

Day

QUESTION: Do you know

what the initialsSTEM stand for? (See end of story

for answer!)

Earlier this term MerseySTEM, on behalf ofScottish Power, invited students to an Engineering Careers Day, to provide a platform to apply for positions within Scottish Power's Engineering Foundation Programme.

The Foundation Programme aims to offer a potential route into an engineering apprenticeship through combining vocational studies with industry experience and it leads toa level 2 Electrical Engineering qualification.

Tom Crawford, Joseph Gibson-Woodand Jack Fisher take the ScottishPower Challenge!

Electrical Engineering!Electrical Engineering!Getting a Buzz fromElectrical Engineering!

Pathway ElectricalEngineering Visit


Successful candidates go on to study full-time at West Cheshire College and complete industry specific training at Scottish Power's training centre in Hoylake.

Students who then successfully make the transition to the Apprenticeship Programme could be based at one of Scottish Powers local depots in Middlewich, Wrexham, Mold, Prenton or Lister Drive, Liverpool

The Careers Taster Day took place at West Cheshire College, Handbridge Campus, in Chester and students experienced a mix of hands on workshops, Q&A sessions, career talks from employers andgot to meet apprentices.

Heres what our Year 11 students thought of the experience: -

We left the school in two taxisen route to West CheshireCollege in Handbridge. Onarrival we were joined bystudents from other schoolsand were given a briefing ofthe order of the day.

The first thing we did wasconstruct pylons out of thematerials provided and thenhad to see whos were thebest.

We then had a talk from theScottish Power people aboutwhat apprenticeships wereavailable, and played a gamewhere you had to get themetal ring from one end tothe other without touchingthe metal. If you touched itthree times it was gameover!

After a tasty lunch (providedfree!) we moved onto thethird session where we hadto build a brick out of paperthat was 65mm high. Wewere given nine sheets ofpaper, a ruler and 24 inchesof sellotape. It was great fun,but our groups didnt do verywell. The other groups weregood though!

The day ended with apresentation on interviewtechniques. We heard how toincrease your chances ofgetting accepted. There werelots of hints and tips togreatly increase your chancesincluding postures and thecorrect body language.

Overall the day was fine andwe learned a lot of things. Ihope we can do somethinglike this again.

Tom Crawford and MaxConway prepare to receiveconstructive feedback!

Thanks to Mr Francis and MrsParkinson for their help inorganising the trip andaccompanying us.

Thomas Crawford 11B2Max Conway 11L1Joseph Gibson-Wood 11L1Jack Fisher 11L5Niall Phillips 11L5

ANSWER: The initials STEMstand for Science,Technology, Engineering andMathematics. There are ahuge number of STEM-related careers and thevariety and opportunities areonly expected to increase.

Photography club is a fun clubwhere you learn the skills fortaking photographs. You learnabout cameras and how totake moving, portrait andlandscape images. It is onTuesdays at lunchtimebetween 12.30pm and 1.00pm.

Anyone can get involved, no

matter what year you are inor how experienced you arein photography. Mr Hornbyruns it in A12, you just needto go along. It is really funand you learn loads of newskills.

James Harris Hot Scholar in Art

Photography Club



Happy Easter Everyone!

As I am sure you know bynow, my name is Sylvia Woodand I am the PathwayCareers Advisor forChristleton High School. I ambased here at ChristletonHigh School every Wednesdayand I have now metindividually with over ahundred students from Year 9upwards to discuss futurepathways choices.

You may be wondering whatthe format is when studentscome to see me forinformation, advice andguidance. I aim to provide aservice to meet the needs ofeach individual but eachmeeting will normally proceedas follows: -

Welcome and brief introductions

Summary discussion of where the student is in his or her thinking

Exploration of the choice of options ahead

Next steps in terms of actions and how to proceed

Follow-up meeting arranged where appropriate

Within a week of the meetingI will email a short one-pagesummary so that studentsand the school have a recordof what was discussed andthe steps identified.

Any student who wishes tomeet with me for help,support, advice or guidancerelated to careers and futurepathways can make anappointment to see methrough Mr Francis or MrsVarley. I will also be availableat most Parents Evenings atschool and appointments tomeet me can be arranged forthis as well. I can also becontacted directly [email protected]

I look forward to getting toknow even more of you overthe months ahead.

Sylvia WoodPathway Careers Advisor

News from Sylvia Woodour Pathway Careers Advisor

The Swan is designed

and printed by

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Promotions

Cheshires Creative

Social Enterprise

Part of the Winsford based

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Key Stage 4 PSHE has changedthis year. Mr Hollywood and theArt Department have teamed upand changed the way we dothings. Now, rather than learningabout issues, we have to designand create our own campaignson issues that matter to us.

First we have to research anissue and then we can eitherdesign campaign materials ofour own, like leaflets or posters,or prepare a talk and make adigital presentation about ourissue. Those of us who do ArtGCSE can also hand in ourcampaigns as part of ourportfolios.

New PSHE is different because inour old PSHE we would learnabout topics like bullying orsmoking but now we have to getactively involved. I like this wayof doing PSHE because we canbe independent and creative. Igot some other people to tell mewhether they like this new wayof doing PSHE and to explainwhy. These are some of thethings they said

Alana Williams said, I preferthis PSHE more because you getto work independently and it isdifferent to other PSHE lessons. Robbie McNally said, I preferthis way of doing PSHE becauseyou do longer projects that feelmore meaningful; the lessonsare all linked and you feel asthough you are goingsomewhere.

Emma Duthie said, I like newPSHE better because its nowmore independent and you getmore choice about what youwant to do.

Joe McDermott said, Theselessons are better for mebecause I like to be active and Ilike the fact that I can put myPSHE in for Art GCSE.

Adam Sinclair said, PSHE isnow more interactive and funand you can work with friends.

Emily Doolan said, This way ofdoing PSHE suits me betterbecause it is an arty way oflearning.

Emma Ogunyemi said, It'sgreat it allows me to be creativeand involve ethical issues in myschool work.

Molly Hewitt Year 10

All Change in KS4 PSHEThis article all started when my PSHE teacher heard me say this as I arrived at my PSHE lesson:

I love these lessons!



2013/14 is proving to bepotentially one of the mostsuccessful football seasons inthe schools history. At thetime of writing we havereached a National Cup final,a County Cup final and stillremain in the District Cup atall years as well as an Under18 Cheshire Cup semi-final.

This year has seen us fullyutilise our new 4G pitch,hosting a number of differentgames and competitions.

Year 7Year 7 started the year asrunners-up at the Chester andDistrict B Team festival atAbbeygate. However, realsuccess came in the 5-a-sidecompetition, qualifying as top ofthe group before winning theChester and District finals withvictories over Upton, CatholicHigh and Kings ensuring theboys progressed to the Cheshireround.

The County Competition sawsimilar success as a teamconsisting of Kyle Moulton, DanMalone, Will Goodwin, Matt Rain,Ben Lawrence, Zach Hall and JoeBowdler were crowned the bestfive-a-side team in Cheshire andclinched a spot at the NorthWest finals where the boyswould eventually finish fourth.

Year 8Year 8 have enjoyed a hugelysuccessful season so far,reaching the Cheshire Cup finalat the end of March, taking placeafter The Swan went to press!Victories over the GrangeSchool, Whitby, OrmistonBolingbroke, Wilmslow andWeaverham ensured the boysreached the final as Mr Axonsbarmy army go marching on!

The boys were unlucky to beknocked out in the last 32 of theEngland Schools Cup, butproduced some greatperformances. Phil Hopkins hasbeen a regular scorer for theYear 8s, who have alreadyclinched silverware this season,being crowned Chester andDistrict 7-a-side Champions on acold and wet evening on our 4Gpitch.

Year 9It has been a tremendous effortfrom the Year 9s, as the reigningCheshire champions havebecome the first Christleton Highside to reach the final of a

National Cup. Victories overStanley High School, BishopHeber, Calday, The Priory fromShrewsbury, South Hunsley High(Hull) and St Augustines RCSchool have booked the lads aplace in the final of the EnglandSchools FA Open Cup againstCoombe Boys School fromSurrey.

Brandon Dickinson is among thetop scorers in the competition;his hat-trick away at Shrewsburyclinching a late win was aparticular highlight of theseason.

Large crowds watched the semi-final, where goals from SamWard and Dickinson again wereenough to put us into the final.As with the Year 8s, the ladshave won the District 7-a-sidecompetition, edging out bothTarporley and Catholic High onpenalties in the Semi-Final andFinal.

Year 10Year 10 enjoyed a great start tothe season, getting off to a flyingstart in both the National andCounty Cups. Sacred Heartended any hope of progressingfurther in the National Cup witha victory away in Sefton, soattention turned to the Coutnyand District cups. A late flurrywith a crucial goal from JamesAllen edged out Catholic High inthe District Cup, with winsagainst Plessington and SouthWirral High School earningprogression into the County Cup.

Mr Mcdonnells hat became thecause of much concern acrossthe County as to what place ithad in high level schoolsfootball, but it was provinguseful in the early round of theCheshire Cup. Unfortunately, thecounty run was ended with aheart-breaking last minute goal

SportingOverview

confirming defeat against astrong Heath School side fromRuncorn.

The lads bounced backemphatically however, bookingtheir place in the District Cupfinal with a 3-1 win againstBishop Heber, the first time thelads have beaten Heber in 4years to earn a place in the finalfor the third successive year.

Jack Dixon put the yellows aheadbefore Heber equalised,however, Harry Fleetwood putChristleton back in front beforeDixon added a third. The winputs the lads into the final againwhere they will look to do onebetter than previous yearsdefeats to Heber and Upton.

Year 11Year 11 games as ever havebeen few and far between, butan impressive Cheshire Cup runsaw a massive victory over astrong Kings School side. Wewere 3-2 winners moving intothe next round of the CheshireCup where a late goal from AlexWest clinched a 2-1 win away atMacclesfield Academy on anabysmal playing surface.

Defeat in the semi-final wouldfollow however, despite two MattHarland-Jones goals overturninga 2-0 half time deficit, EllesmerePort Catholic High went on towin 4-2. The lads are into thesemi-final of the District Cup,having defeated Catholic High inOctober.

Sixth FormThe Sixth Form have been flying,Year 13 have been one of theschools most talented footballteams in recent years and havedemonstrated that in animpressive Cheshire Cup run,where a semi-final tie away atCongleton awaits in late March.

The lads have seen off NestonHigh School as well as Kings andWilmslow on a quagmire of apitch, even poor by Mr. Fishersstandards. The lads are yet tobegin their District Cupcampaign but another thrillingcontest with the Kings Schoolawaits.

U13 NetballNational CupThe Year 8 netball teamcompeted superbly well in theNational Cup this yea

swan newsletter spring 2014

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