educate magazine issue 13

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The future forschool leavers

+INSIDETesting, TestingRaising literacylevels

January – April 2011

SpotlightSpecialistArts Schools

A fresh approach totackling climate changeMerseytravel’s website prepares for launch

Climatlantic

Winan Amazon

Kindlesee our

competitionon page 5

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Published by Mersey Mirror, 36 Henry Street, Liverpool L1 5BS. Tel: 0151 709 7567 Fax: 0151 707 1678 Email: [email protected] Executive Editor Kim O’Brien Advertising Sales Manager Andy Rogers Tel: 0151 709 7567 Advertising Sales Jo Tait Tel: 0151 709 7567 Photography Tom Murphy Editorial Alan Birkett, Lucy Oliver, Dina Karim, Marya McCann Design & Production Mersey Mirror, 36 Henry Street, Liverpool L1 5BS. Tel: 0151 706 7411 Email: [email protected] Distribution Barbara Troughton Tel: 0151 733 5492. Printed by PCP. Educate magazine is published by Mersey Mirror. The contents of this magazine are fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted or reproduced without permission. Disclaimer The information contained within Educate we believe to be correct at the time of printing, no responsibility can be accepted for errors oromissions. © Copyright Mersey Mirror 2009.

Welcome...Welcome to the latest issue ofEducate where we take a look atwhether schools need to do moreto improve literacy in early yearseducation and the governmentsplans to test six years oldsreading skills

Our focus group for this issuedebate about the opportunitiesthat lie ahead and what directionshould your child take.

We have all the latest school newsfrom primary to secondary,showcasing schools, teachers andstudents achievements, talentsand events.

Educate meets up with theHeadteachers, Phil Jamieson ofAlsop High Schol who will laterthis year be stepping down after acareer spanning almost fourdecades. We also chat to newlyappointed headteacher, SusanKerwin who reflects on her firstyear at St Andrew’s Church ofEngland Primary School, Maghull.

We also take a look on how tocreate a splash of seasonalspringtime yellow to create some

much needed wardrobesunshine for your children.

Finally, we interviewAiden Byrne, theKirkby born Michelinstarred chef who

proves that geeks toocan have their day.

Many thanks

Features

09-11Testing,Testing?Age 6 ReadingTests

22-25The University of LifeWhat directionshould yourchild take?

30-30Meet the HeadteacherPhil Jamieson, Alsop High School,Liverpool

36-38Specialist ArtsSchoolsWhat is the roleof specialist artsand music colleges

40Dear EducateHelp & Advice for parents

42-43Meet the HeadteacherSusan Kerwin, St Andrew’s Church ofEngland Primary School, Maghull

61ViewpointShould pupils be able to end academiceducation at 14 in favour of vocationaltraining?

62-63Original StyleFashion with a twist of lemon

66-67Where can we go?Out and about inMerseyside

68Book ReviewJennifer Dobsonrecommends

70My school daysAiden Byrne - Michelinstarred chef

News

12-14Gold for Evelyn

16-18Word up

20-21Risinguniversity fees

26-28City first for Calderstones

34-35College welcomes acclaimed author

44-45Merseytravel launches new school project

Events

47Pupils look to the future

48Talented Merseyside

49Celebrating landmarks

50Futurefoundations

51Community links

53Enchanted tales

55Grease is the word

57Woolton Rocks

59Education showcase

60Aladdin under the sea

Educate Contents

09-1112-14

36-38

5566-67

Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils 3

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This Spring, Merseytravel are launching abrand new website for children, teachersand organisations who want to tackleclimate change by making sustainabletransport choices.The Climatlantic website will have fun,

interactive games designed to educate childrenon climate change, the environment and

sustainable transport choices.The multi-lingual website will include

contributions by young people from Merseyside,Ireland, France, Portugal and Spain who will beable to post text, video, images and sounds tothe site.Keep a look out for the website when it

launches in Spring.

A fresh approachto tackling climate change

Coming Soon

www.climatlantic.co.ukwww.climatlantic.co.ukwww.climatlantic.co.uk

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Win a Kindle and see yourpoem in print!With the launch in Spring of the Climatlanticwebsite Educate magazine have teamed upwith Merseytravel to launch a special poetrycompetition.

The theme of the competition is climate changeand the environment. We want schools andpupils to get involved and send in their writtenpoems about climate change.

There are four age groups and the best poemfrom each group will win not only an AmazonKindle but have their poem printed in a specialpoetry book to be published this year.Four runners up from each group will receivea £20 Waterstones voucher and their poemprinted also.

So get thinking, get writing and maybe youcould be one of the lucky winners and seeyour poem in print.

Send Completed poems to:Educate Poetry Competition36 Henry StreetLiverpool L1 5BS

or email it [email protected]

Open to all Merseyside school children. There are four age group categories. Poems mustbe written about the theme of climate change and the environment. Poems should belegible, either written or typed and no more than 150 words long. Poems must be submittedon a single A4 with the pupil’s name, age, class and school on the reverse or if emailing, ina Word document attached to the email. The closing date for entries will be the 31st March2011. Only one entry per child. Please note poems will not be returned. All winners willbe notified.

Competition rules

The four categories are:

Primary age groups7 - 9 yrs10 - 11 yrs

Secondary age groups11 - 13 yrs14 yrs plus

PoetryCompetition

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Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils6

For further details, contact the Headteacher:

Mr P Stewart on 0151 709 2572Fax 0151 707 8942 email: [email protected]

❤ OFSTED Oct 2007 - ‘St

Vincent de Paul Catholic

Primary School is an

outstanding school.’

❤ Convenient City Centre

Location

❤ Places Available

❤ Breakfast Club: open from

7.30am

❤ Range of After-School

Extra-Curricular Activities

❤ Two Computer Suites

❤ Educational Visits in our

Private Minibus

❤ Healthy Schools Award

❤ Activemark Gold

❤ Basic Skills Quality Mark

❤ Liverpool Hope University

Articled School Status

❤ Archdiocesan Religious

Education Inspection “an

outstanding school”

“Serving With Love… Striving For

Excellence”

St Vincent de PaulCatholic Primary School

Pitt Street Liverpool L1 5BY

We have a broad and balanced curriculum offering a diverse range of courses tomeet the needs of every sixth form student. We offer:• The prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma• Institute of Legal Executive course• NVQS in football coaching and hairdressing• A range of level 2 and 3 courses in Business Studies, Science, ICT, Health and Social,

Performing Arts, Sport and Dental Nursing • In addition we offer a Level 2 Foundation Pathway programme which includes

literacy, numeracy, ICT and customer service. Recent quotes from our last inspection in May 2010 include :“The school works effectively with other sixth form providers to extend its range of

courses and qualifications to match students needs and aspirations”“Care, guidance and support are good”“Induction into the sixth form enables students to settle quickly”

Come along on the 10th February or Contact us to arrange a visit on 0151 254 6805 or email [email protected]

Broadgreen International SchoolJoin the Journey …….. In our sixth form

SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING Thursday 10th February 6.30pm to 8.00pm

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Liverpool CollegePrep School Open MorningSaturday 5th March 2011 from 9am – 12.30pmIAPS Independent School for girls and boys, Ages 3-11

Please take this opportunity to see for yourselves whatLiverpool College Prep School has to offer your child:

• Small class sizes and academic excellence• Tradition and respect in a caring community

For more information please contact our Registrar on:Tel: 724 4000 ext 228 orE-mail: [email protected]: www.liverpoolcollege.org.uk

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Archbishop Blanch CE High School

A Technology College, Training School, Applied Learning School

Mount Vernon Road, Liverpool L7 3EAemail: [email protected] tel: 0151 709 1452 website:www.abblanch.com

SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING

Wednesday, 2nd February 2011at 6.30 p.m.

“This is an effective sixth form, where students benefit from good teaching and high levels of guidance and support”

Ofsted 2008

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Education Secretary Michael Gove says schools need to do more to improve literacy in early years education, but the government’splans to test six year olds’ reading skills have been criticised by theteaching unions. Educate examined what schools in our area aredoing to improve their pupils’ literacy, and how recentrecommendations could raise our young people’s reading agesbefore secondary school.

Age 6 Reading Tests

“We want to make sure that thoseschools where children are not

being taught to read are tackledbecause, ultimately, if you

do not get a child reading by the time they leave primary

school, by the time they arrive atsecondary the curriculum is just a closed book to them – literally.”--------------- Michael Gove ---------------


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Age 6 Reading Tests

urrent attainment levels in

literacy show considerable

improvement on previous

years, with 80 per cent of

pupils in Year 6 achieving

a level 4 equivalent in

SATS compared with

49 per cent 15 years ago.

However, the coalition government state

its intention to boost pupil reading ages by

the end of primary school, concerned that

one in five seven year olds did not reach

their literacy target in 2010. On the BBC’s

Today programme in 2010, Michael Gove

stated his belief that improved reading

skills are integral to a successful secondary

education. He said: “We want to make sure

that those schools where children are not

being taught to read are tackled because,

ultimately, if you do not get a child reading

by the time they leave primary school,

by the time they arrive at secondary the

curriculum is just a closed book to them –

literally.” When it comes to poor levels

of literacy, the north-west is by no means

the worst-affected area. National figures

indicate that currently nine per cent

of pupils (approximately 18,000) arrive

at secondary school with a reading age

of seven. In some areas, the figure is much

higher. The local authority with the

worst attainment levels for reading is

Nottingham City Council, where 15 per

cent of children have a reading age of

seven on leaving primary school. Poor rates

of literacy in primary school are also found

in Manchester, Rotherham and Telford.

However, spokespeople for these areas

point out the increasing number of pupils

in those areas for whom English

is a second language.

Other social factors also play a part

where literacy levels are low. Children

on free school meals and those with

special educational needs performed less

well overall, and while boys’ performance

improved overall, they still scored less

well than girls. In the early years of a

child’s development, making associations

between words and pictures is key to

word recognition, cognition and functional

literacy skills. Pupils whose parents read

to them at home, and who have access to

books, will increase their familiarity with

words and develop language skills much

more quickly. These pupils are also more

likely to recognise the difference between

the language of mobile ‘phone texting,

and the appropriate register used in

written work. This stands them in good

stead to develop social skills, needed

in the classroom and the playground,

which influence the development of their

character and personality, and to access

the school curriculum. For pupils with poor

literacy at the end of Year 6, the transition

to secondary school, with larger numbers

of pupils and a challenging curriculum

is daunting and poses other problems

beyond the immediate learning needs.

The link between disaffected young

people and disruptive or potentially

criminal behaviour can frequently be

traced back to their inability to engage

with the curriculum.

Michael Gove’s approach to boost

literacy is to focus on the teaching of

reading at primary school, promoting

a synthetic phonics system were sounds

are matched to letters. Many schools

have, however, been using this and similar

strategies for some time. The UK Literacy

Association has expressed concern about

the government’s enthusiasm for phonics-

based teaching, at the expense of a range

of other successful reading strategies such

as more time spent reading to children,

with children, instruction in grammatical

and spelling rules, in how to use a

dictionary, and feedback on completed

written work. The group, which is made

up of teachers, academics and librarians,

warns against a “one-size-suits-all

approach” which limits pupil development:

“Restricting them to an unbalanced diet,

the thin gruel of a phonics-dominated

approach, is a recipe for lowering

standards and turning children against

the written word.”

For the majority of schools, the approach

to improving literacy is to embrace

a range of strategies in order to meet

pupils’ individual needs. For some pupils,

a synthetic phonics-based approach may

work well, but memorable rhymes and rules

better assist other pupils.

Of course, measuring pupils’ progress

in reading is no simple matter. Assessment

of pupils at primary school age has been

long debated, with many academic journals

casting doubt over the accuracy of such

tests. Some would argues that to assess

six year olds for their reading age not only

adds to the teachers’ workload

but increases unnecessary stress on

youngsters and on parents, and with no

promise of improving pupils’ progression

or confidence. For their counterparts in

successful educational systems on the

continent, schooling does not formally

begin until age six.

At a number of local secondary schools,

however, teachers are struggling to meet

the needs of pupils whose reading and

writing ability does not match up well to

the levels provided by their primary school.

Interventions needed to address these

needs may include one to one tuition or

additional time spend in the school’s centre

10 Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

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for Special Educational Needs, and this will

require further timetabling throughout the

course of the school year. A truer reflection

of pupil ability on entering secondary

education would make the transition period

less stressful for pupils, as they would feel

better equipped for the lessons which would

have been planned to suit their needs and

ability. However, some of the interventions

carried out to boost literacy of pupils in some

local schools show creativity and reflect a

strong ethos. One Liverpool girls’ school runs

a Paired Reading scheme where pupils in

Year 7 to 9 who struggle with their reading

are paired with a Sixth Form pupil, who

meets them for an hour a week and reads

with them. For the pupils involved in the

scheme, the majority become much more

engaged and focused in all of their lessons

as their reading ability improves. In this

respect, addressing literacy needs of pupils

becomes less a problem to be tackled and

more of an extra-curricular activity, with no

attached stigma for the pupils involved.

In terms of how schools must compete

to for pupil numbers, provision in the area

of literacy might not be the first area to

attract parents’ attention. However, in areas

where increasing numbers of pupils speak

English as a second or additional language,

schools with a larger intake of these pupils

receive a larger budget from the local

authority to cater for their needs in

accessing the curriculum. At open evenings,

it is worth asking how this budget is spent,

and what resources are available to these

pupils (and others) as a result. The

advantages may be the support of a

translator in lessons or highly developed

technology to support non-native English

speakers, but they might also include a one

to one tuition specialist on the staff – with

spin-off benefits for all pupils.

ne key area in developing pupils’

literacy skills which must not be

overlooked, is that of ICT.

Advances in technology have

seen the development of

interactive games and activities

for pupils to work on their literacy

and numeracy skills inside and

outside the classroom. By this measure,

the playing field has in many ways been

made more level for schools competing

to offer the most support in these areas,

as only a basic computer is needed to

benefit from the majority of these resources.

Furthermore, more recent research shows

that schools are doing their best to engage

with the technology favoured by pupils,

from computer games to mobile ‘phones.

By encouraging the use of these

technologies in lessons, teachers succeed

in engaging pupils with their work more

effectively than those who expect pupils to

separate their everyday and home life from

their educational experiences. In assisting

Year 7 pupils in the transition from primary

school to secondary school expectations

of performance, a sense of familiarity can

be provided through ICT resources, helping

to build confidence and lay the groundwork

for more challenging tasks to come.

Current school practice to increase

literacy levels takes many forms, and works

best when teachers and parents understand

and apply the many resources available at

their disposal. Whether the new tests will

suggest new ways to address the teaching

of reading remains to be seen. It’s certainly

to be hoped that the testing does not

encourage staff to adopt a blanket approach

to the teaching of reading for tests, with

little regard for the enjoyment of books

and the development of the whole child.

Restrictingthem to anunbalanced diet,the thin gruel of a phonics-dominatedapproach, is a recipe for loweringstandards and turningchildren againstthe written word.

“

Literacy Support for Parents

Accessthesefreeresources online,athome,to support yourchild’s development.www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/literacy.shtml

By Lucy Oliver

11Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

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Primary News

Gold for EvelynA Prescot school has been awarded thehighest level of a prestigious nationalaward.

Evelyn Community Primary School hasachieved gold level as part of the Go4It SchoolAward.

The Go4it award scheme, sponsored by thecharity HTI – Heads, Teachers and Industry -recognises schools which demonstrate aculture of creativity, innovation, positive risk-taking as well as a ‘can do’ attitude andadventure for learning.

An assessor visited the school in Octoberand assessed the school against nine criteriaincluding how the school thrives on creativecurriculum planning, flexible timetabling andcan demonstrate how this has improved thelearning experience and discovers, celebratesand enhances the talents and abilities of thewhole school community.

The assessor commented the school hadexcellent outcomes, pupils’ behaviour wasoutstanding, they had high aspirations andwere determined to succeed. On concludingthe visit, the assessor added that “EvelynCommunity Primary School is a truly magicalplace from the moment you walk through thedoor.”

Right: Headteacher Carole Arnold withEvelyn pupils

A time to rememberChildren at St Nicholas CE Primary,Sefton held a poignant Service ofRemembrance back in November.

Year 6 pupils led a very moving act ofworship using poems, songs and prayersthat they had studied as part of theircurriculum topic this term.

The children performed “FlandersFields” by John McCrae and “For theFallen” by Laurence Binyon in the school

hall and presented a powerpointpresentation of images and film includinga moving extract from the Royal BritishLegion.

The children, staff, parents andmembers of the local community thenmoved outdoors to congregate around theschool flagpole where hymns were sungand poppy wreaths, made by the children,were laid.

The Last Post was played byChesterfield High School pupil, HenryDavies and a minutes silence was held inhonour of those who lost their livesfighting for our country. The children alsoprayed for those members of the armedforces currently fighting in Afghanistanand other war zones across the world.

Tayla Hartley aged 10 said: “It was veryemotional but heartwarming. It made methink about all the soldiers who have diedso that we can be free.” Matthew Bailey,aged 9 added: “ I didn’t think that theminutes silence would be so quiet.Eveyone was extremely still and peaceful.Henry playing The Last Post was amazing.The service made me feel very thankful tothose who have lost their lives.”

Becky Woods, Headteacher, said, “Itwas very moving to see the childrentaking part in our service with suchunderstanding and empathy. We hopethat the children will take the message ofpeace with them throughout their ownlives. Many thanks to all the children,staff, parents and especially to all thosefrom our local community who joined usfor our service.”

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13Educate The Magazine for Parents and Pupils

Primary News

Blooming lovely communityChildren from Thomas Gray and All Saintsprimary schools, Sefton, recently helped tobrighten up Bootle by planting bulbs in thegrounds of the schools, Poets and Peel Roadparks and St Leonards Church Hall.

As part of its efforts to make the area a cleaner,greener and safer place to live, Riverside enrolled thehelp of local schools to develop environmentalimprovements in the area with support from SeftonCouncil and One Vision Housing.

The resulting work by the schools saw theCommunity and Residents’ Association win a‘Thriving Neighbourhood Award’ at the North West inBloom Awards for its contribution towardsenvironmental improvements.

Barbara Hardwick, Chair of Peel Road Communityand Residents’ Association, said: “I would like tothank all the schoolchildren, partners and localresidents who have made this award possible.”

Bringing home the truth Ex prisoners steer pupils away from crimeThe dangers of a life of crime werespelled out to children in Knowsley ina hard hitting campaign to steerthem away from trouble.

Former prisoners talked to nine and tenyear olds from five primary schools inHuyton about the choices people makeand the impact they can have.

The children were also taken into arecreated “cell” to show them what lifecan be like after criminals are caught.

“This really brings it home,” saidCarmel Perry, one of two learningmentors involved in the so-called Cellsproject.

“The ex offenders are real people,talking about what really happened tothem and the effect of the mistakes theymade on everyone around them.

“By going into a “cell”, the children seethe lack of space and privacy the inmateshave – sharing a toilet and a tiny spacewith someone they don’t know.”

The idea is part of a wider communitycohesion project organised by Carmel, alearning mentor at St Margaret Mary’sjuniors and Michelle Denny, a learningmentor at St Aloysius.

It has been running for the last fouryears and the schools taking part in thelatest Cells scheme were St Aloysius, StMargaret Mary’s juniors St Aidan’s, StDominic’s juniors and Malvern.

Carmel and Michelle say earlyintervention is essential, as the age whenchildren are held responsible for any

crimes they might commit is ten.Michelle said: “Sometimes, older

children are too far down the road tobring them back on the straight andnarrow.

“We talk about the importance of notdoing the wrong things and about how to

walk away from friends or gangs thatcould lead them astray.

“The former prisoners are allrehabilitated and really passionate aboutwhat they are doing. They know theymade the wrong choices and they wantto stop others doing the same.”

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Primary News

Nice littleurn-erHelping raise funds for Africa

Pupils from Longview CP School,Huyton, have helped farmers inAfrica to buy a cow and otherlivestock through generousfundraising.

The pupils have been working hardover the last few weeks and havemanaged to raise an impressive £500for the “Send a Cow” charity.

Headteacher Keith Skinner, said:“As a school we have supported andraised funds for a number of worthycauses over the years, Children inNeed, Red Nose Day, Water Aid, Jeansfor Genes, Blue Peter Appeal and soon.

“We feel that it is important topromote the caring consideration forothers as a quality that we would hopeadults and children would display

throughout our lives. This is also astrand of their PSHCE teaching.

We chose “Send a Cow” this year asan international organisation tosupport. A representative came in totalk to the children earlier in the year

“At the suggestion of one child wehad an Activity Day. A variety ofactivities, such as mask making,model making, dance, sport, foodtechnology and pompom making tookplace with children making a donationto the Send a Cow organisation.

“We have now raised enough moneyto buy two local cows, two dairy goatsand 14 chickens! At these times offinancial difficulties we feel that ourschool community has achievedsomething special by raising such anamount for an extremely good cause”.

Rev Clive Doran, School Governor and Headteacher, Keith Skinner withproud pupils and their ‘Send a Cow’ cheque

Winter RoadSafety Message

Hundreds of children across Seftonhave been learning the importance of'Being Safe and Being Seen' througha series of special winter road safetyassemblies.

The visits, which have been arrangedby Sefton Council's Travel Awareness andRoad Safety team, have been taking placeto teach vital road safety skills with aspecial emphasis on the winter weather.

Among the schools visited wasForefield Juniors in Crosby where anassembly was held for pupils in years fiveand six.

Joe Morris, from Sefton Council's roadsafety team, said: "It seems that thiswinter is shaping up to be longer andharsher than the last one - and coupledwith dark evenings, it is very importantthat young people are encouraged towear brighter or more visible clothing.

"Far too many young children are hurton the UK's roads and we must all playour part in encouraging young people tomake it safely through the winter."

Quality school

The staff and pupils of St Laurence’s,Kirkby have been commended fortheir hard work and sense ofcommunity by a recent Quality Markassessment.

The report states that the school: ‘is aschool with a heart – not only in the sensethat it is a caring school, but also in theway it is life-giving and life-enhancing forits pupils.’ The report highlighted theschools strong leadership andcommitment to support each pupil, aswell as its sense of family and the need toforge well-rounded members of society.

“We’re very proud to receive such awonderful report,” said Headteacher PaulCronin.

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– Is your child thriving in a safe,secure, happy environment? –

‘The relationship between staff and pupils, based onmutual respect and trust, is excellent and pupilsclearly feel safe, secure and happy in their lessons.This enriching relationship contributes greatly to thepositive learning environment that pervades theschool.’

Independent Schools Inspectorate

Tower College, Rainhill Christian Independent School for boys and girls aged 3–16Termly Fees £1,671 - £1,965For more details and /or a prospectus Tel: 0151 426 4333 Or Fax: 0151 426 3338 Visit our web-site on www.towercollege.com Email: [email protected] : Miss R J Oxley

Open Morning 26th March 10am

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Primary News

Word upSefton reading stars enjoy Anfield experience

Schoolchildren from Waterloo metLiverpool FC star Lucas Leiva thanksto their efforts in a Sefton readingscheme.

Pupils from St John's Primary Schooltook part in the 2010 Premier LeagueReading Stars, which encourages childrento read more and is supported by TheFootball Foundation and the NationalLiteracy Trust.

The scheme runs in libraries across thecountry and focuses on family readingwith an emphasis on the enjoyment ofbooks through sport.

Sefton Council's Libraries Service workswith Liverpool FC on the project and a firstteam player is chosen to support thescheme.

Gillian Morgan, Children and YoungPeople's Librarian, said: "This is the fourthyear we have taken part in the PremierLeague Reading Stars and the group fromSt John's really worked hard to developtheir reading experience.

“The children met Lucas who signedtheir certificates and posed for photographswith all the young people. They thenenjoyed an offical tour of Anfield.

"It was a wonderful afternoon andeverybody really enjoyed themselves." St John's Primary pupils with Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva

School pull out all the stops Roby Park Primary School, Huyton, pulled out all thestops in support of Children in Need, which saw afun-filled day for pupils and staff whilst raisingmoney for the worthy cause.

Pupils were invited to go into school dressed insomething spotty, from Pudsey costumes to spotty t-shirts.

A ‘Pudsey in the SPOTlight’ talent show kicked off theday, where the whole school was encouraged to take part.

“We had jujitsu performances, break dancing and solosingers, to name just a few,” explains head teacher RuthHarrison.

“The whole school got involved and took theirperformance seriously. It’s amazing to see the wide rangeof talent these children have.”

All the pupils who took part in the talent competitionwere rewarded with a special Pudsey badge with winnerstaking home a Pudsey teddy bear.

It wasn’t just the pupils and staff who joined in the fun.Four of the school’s governors were appointed as ‘judges’for the Pudsey themed talent show, with Strictly ComeDancing style voting.

The fun continued into the afternoon, with pupils bakingand decorating spotty biscuits and having their facespainted in the style of Pudsey bear.

To finish off the day, the staff put together a GenerationGame style quiz for the pupils, which was enjoyed by all.

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Primary News

The children and staff of Ravenscroft Primary Schoolare celebrating after being named the first SilverSinging School in Knowsley.

The awards are part of a national initiative to encourageschools to put singing at the heart of school life. Certificatesare awarded by Sing Up and endorsed by Knowsley Musicand Performing Arts Service’s vocal leader and Sing UpAwards Advocate Vicky Harris.

Angela Ball, Head of Service, says: “Singing is a healthyactivity that helps to develop children’s learning, confidenceand self-esteem and encourages them to attend and enjoyschool. Ravenscroft Primary has a very special atmosphereand the importance the staff place on singing togetherdefinitely contributes towards this.”

The school began to work towards the award in 2009,holding special singing assemblies, taking part in regularsinging workshops and even performing at the Schools’Super Sing event at the Liverpool Echo Arena in June.

The Music and Performing Arts Service worked closelywith the school on the Super Sing project and fully endorsedRavenscroft’s application for Silver Singing School status.

Nicky Cochrane, the school’s Music Co-ordinator andAwards Champion, has led the staff and children on theirjourney. She says: “Singing has become the heart of ourschool and I would like to thank all the children, staff andparents for their ongoing support and enthusiasm. We are afantastic school and I am proud to be part of it. Well doneeveryone!”

At Ravenscroft, even the children are involved withleading the singing. Head Teacher Jeanette Hegarty says:“Our Young Singing Leaders have an infectious enthusiasmthat positively impacts the rest of the school. We aredelighted with our Silver Award and are now going forGold!”

Head Boy, Bradley Smith echoed this, saying: “We are allgreat singers and I know we will easily achieve gold.”

Singers scoopSilver Award!

Pictured (left to right) Jessica Moorcroft, ClaytonMcKee, Sophie Glascott, Leon Doyle, Nicky Cochrane(Music Co-ordinator), Daniel Mather, Kai Price, CaitlinRoberts

Bedford Primary School in Bootle has been accreditedthe International School Award for outstandingdevelopment in the international dimension of thecurriculum.

Throughout the past year, pupils have been immersed in aninternational voyage of discovery with pupils learning aboutthe world, its languages, traditions, music and culture.

The school has embarked on a whole host of innovativeprojects such as a World Cup themed research assignmentwhich saw the findings shared on an internet learningplatform ‘elanguages’ with partner schools from around theglobe; to a 10 week project about Latin America led by ‘AllThings Latin’ in which were exposed to music, stories,history, artefacts and of course, language.

Mrs Ana Lopez-Thomas, teacher and Spanish Specialist atBedford Primary said: “The past year has been extremelyexciting with our children participating in lots of internationalinspired projects, the children have experienced Africandrumming, fiestas, food tasting, music, singing and dancingfrom all over the world. Only recently we have had the benefitof a teacher exchange with our partner school in Avila,Spain”.

Since achieving their award children at the school arecontinuing to explore thetraditions of other cultureswhich includescomparing Christmastraditions byexchangingpowerpointpresentationswith children inFabiola, Spain.

Bedfordchildren havebeenparticularlyinterested tolearn thatSpanish childrenleave their shoesout on the 5th ofJanuary to befilled with presentsby the three WiseMen…not FatherChristmas.

Voyage ofdiscoveryCulture in colour

Pupils from Bedford Primary learnt about dress and traditions of different cultures

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Primary News

Seeds of new school to be sown New £8.8 million primary school gets green lightPLANS for a brand new primaryschool integral to the regeneration ofnorth Liverpool have been approved.

The council’s Cabinet have given thegreen light to the new £8.8 million FourOaks Primary School in Everton.

The school, which has 258 pupils, wascreated earlier last year from thefederation of Hope Valley and BreckfieldPrimary Schools.

It is currently based in the former HopeValley building on Walton Breck Road.The building dates from Victorian timesand is not suited to modern teachingmethods.

Under the proposals, a new two formentry state of the art primary school witha 26 place nursery will be created on anew site at the former Adam Streetplayground.

Council leader Joe Anderson, said:“This new school will be located in theheart of the Anfield/Breckfieldregeneration area and is a key part of ourplan to breathe new life into the area.

The two storey building has beendesigned around two large courtyards andthe main hall, and will also include twoareas which can be used by localresidents and community groups.

Outside there will be a covered playarea which can be used in all weathers,and the first floor will have access to aninternal “playdeck” with large roof lightsto let in large amounts of natural light andsunshine.

The report is also recommending that£350,000 is spent creating much needednew accommodation to replace mobileclassrooms at St Vincent De Paul CatholicPrimary School near the city centre. Thework is in addition to nearly £600,000 ofwork already carried out including thecreation of new nursery and receptionclassrooms as well as a new kitchen.

Cabinet member for education,Councillor Jane Corbett, said: “Theseschemes will make a major difference toeducation in two of the most needy areasof the city.

“At Four Oaks the new building willprovide top quality education for localyoungsters, and will be a facility whichwill be available for use by the entirecommunity.

“St Vincent De Paul has been in direneed of improvement work, so I ampleased that we have been able to findadditional money which will meanultimately that children won’t have to betaught in prefabricated buildings anymore.”

Funding for both schemes has mainly

come from the Primary Capitalprogramme.

Headteacher at Four Oaks, SaraHoward, said: “I am delighted that we aresoon to have a brand new state-of-the-artschool and I know that children and theirfamilies along with staff and governorscan’t wait for it to be completed.

“It will really enhance the learning andenjoyment of our pupils, and the whole

school community is really excited. “We only came together as one school

at Easter, but already the children havebonded together really well. Many havesaid they would never have met many oftheir new best friends if Hope Valley andBreckfield hadn’t federated.”

Work started in January 2011 and thenew school is expected to open to pupilsin April 2012.

Pupils grow their own

Pupils at St Anne’s RC Primary School, Liverpool are cooking up a storm intheir newly refurbished school kitchen.

The school has become part of ‘Let’s Get Cooking’, a national network of cookingclubs for children, families and their communities across England.

The scheme aims to teach pupils a new healthy eating skill in a bid to increasetheir intake of nutritionally healthy foods.

The pupils have also opened an allotment and are growing their own vegetablesand herbs and will be using them in their future recipes and meals.

p01-18:covers 13/1/11 14:35


p19-38:covers 13/1/11 11:31


Education News

Ofsted inspectors have recognised thatKnowsley’s childrens services areperforming well, with the large majorityof services, settings and institutionsbeing rated good or better. This includesprimary schools, most special schools,children’s homes and pupil referral unit.

This follows on from Ofsted’s last inspectionof safeguarding and looked after childrenwhich judged strategic leadership andmanagement to be outstanding along withthe capacity to improve for both safeguardingand looked after services as well.

Resources have been invested successfullyin strengthening child protection services andin supporting the major re-organisation of theborough’s schools.

Knowsley recognised certian issues and aretackling:• Obesity rates amongst primary schoolchildren• Persistent absenteeism although figures arefalling each year• The number of all 19-year-olds getting goodqualifications being below average althoughyoung people from low-income families domuch better than their peers in similarauthorities

Cllr Graham Wright, Cabinet Member forChildren and Family Services, said: “We arepleased with the report, which highlights themany positive achievements of our children’sservices team, as well as confirming someareas which Knowsley has already recognisedas being in need of improvement anddevelopment.”

Positive progressfor Knowsley

North Liverpool is rapidlybecoming a hub for theregion’s young musiciansand its reputation isbeing strengthenedfurther with news theSaturday Morning MusicCentre has moved fromits city centre base toNotre Dame CatholicCollege for the Arts inEverton Valley.

Saturday Morning MusicCentre providesopportunities for youngsters aged 3 –21 years throughout Merseyside withwell known and establishedensembles like the 80 piece LiverpoolYouth Orchestra and the LiverpoolYouth Choir rehearsing alongsideearly years music making, jazzgroups, brass and windbands.

Jonathan Dickson, Head of theservice believes the move onlystrengthens the reputation of the artsin the north of the city. “Our team isalready based at Notre Dame and it’sa unique partnership between a citywide service providing music tuitionand a specialist arts college. Thanksto Notre Dame Catholic College for

the Arts and its continuing work inthe community, North Liverpool isbecoming a focal point for arts andmusic education. The college isdeveloping some fantastic ideas touse Saturday mornings as anopportunity to provide activities forboth pupil and parent alike, so watchthis space!”

Headteacher of Notre Dame,Frances Harrison adds, “this ongoingpartnership between Notre Dameand the Music Support Service is aground-breaking one in the UK andwe are committed to furthering ourpolicy of arts for all in ensuring eachchild can learn and access a musiceducation”.

North Liverpoolto be a hub foryouth music

Liverpool students to face annualuniversity fees of £7,000New figures reveal thatLiverpool’s future studentscould face annual fees ofover £7,000.

The analysis, from theUniversity and College Union(UCU), shows how much everyEnglish university would needto charge in tuition fees inorder to maintain currentlevels of income in the face ofmassive government cuts toteaching budgets.

Students at the LiverpoolInstitute of Performing Arts(LIPA) would be hardest hit,paying £7,019 in tuition feeseach year, while those atLiverpool John MooresUniversity would have to pay

£6,802 annually. Futurestudents at Liverpool HopeUniversity would face a bill of£6,750 for a year’s tuition andtheir contemporaries at theUniversity of Liverpool wouldneed to pay £6,503. The newnational average fee would be£6,863.

MPs voted on plans to tripleuniversity tuition fees to£9,000 a year. The governmenthas claimed that it would beexceptional for a university tocharge more than £6,000 ayear, but the UCU analysis hasfound that every singleEnglish institution withundergraduates would have tocharge more than £6,000 a

year just to maintain currentfunding levels.

In draft guidance recentlyreleased, the government saidthat any institution wishing tocharge more than £6,000 ayear would need to agree an‘access agreement’ with theuniversity access regulatorOFFA.

Any institution thatbreaches or fails to deliver itsaccess agreement would facea fine of up to £500,000.

UCU general secretary, SallyHunt, said: “Governmentclaims that universities willonly charge more than £6,000a year in exceptionalcircumstances are completely

bogus when one scratches atthe surface of the plans. Byremoving the entire teachinggrant and making studentsfoot the bill we will see wholesubject areas starved of publicfunds and potentially forced toclose.”

Sally Hunt

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Education News

Hope opens stunningnew Education BuildingLiverpool Hope University hasofficially opened its stunning newEducation building which brings awhole new look to the front of itsHope Park campus.

The £8.5m Centre for Education,Innovation and Enterprise, officially to bereferred to as the Education andEnterprise (EDEN) building, includes a250-seat lecture theatre with internationalconference facilities.

Professor Bart McGettrick, Dean ofEducation said: “This is an exciting time,not only for the faculty but also for theUniversity as a whole. The new Centre isa wonderful building which will facilitatenew ways of thinking about education. Itsdesign and outlook makes it a meetingspace as much as a teaching space. Ithumanises the process of education andis a great new facility for Liverpool.”

The EDEN building will be home to theUniversity’s Education Faculty and willalso be used by Liverpool’s widereducation community.

It accommodates five new ResearchCentres – for Culture and DisabilityStudies, Pedagogy, Child and Family,Christian Education and International andDevelopment Education.

The top floor of the new Eden buildingis dedicated to CPD (ContinuingProfessional Development) and Outreachand will be used extensively by schoolsand the University's partnerorganisations. Those rooms will be usedby teachers and education professionalsfrom across the city in order to developtheir own skills.

It is also designed to increaseinnovation and enable businesses tobenefit from the knowledge, research andexpertise of the University and will alsohouse the University’s ContinuingProfessional Development (CPD) officeand Enterprise Desk.

Further developments at Hope’s maincampus in South Liverpool include abrand new refurbished food court. The350-seat ‘Fresh Hope’ includes a high-spec food hall, restaurant, coffee shop,lounge and convenience store.

At the University’s Creative Campus inLiverpool City Centre, a new library andReading Room have now been openedjoining the impressive Capstone Buildinghousing Liverpool’s newest performancevenue ‘Hope Theatre’ and Angel Fieldgarden which were unveiled in March2010.

A teacher who brings music education intoclassrooms across Liverpool has been namedas Classic FM’s Peripatetic Music Teacher ofthe Year.

Jean Tremarco, who has taken part in highprofile music events across the city including TheWreck of the Titanic at the Liverpool Philharmonicand Supersing at the Echo Arena, is the Co-ordinator of Classroom Support at the LiverpoolMusic Support Service, which is based at NotreDame Catholic College for the Arts in Everton.

Jean’s job involves managing a team of musicteachers who work in schools across Liverpoolproviding music curriculum. Pupils can accesssinging, playing and creating music, also playingan instrument as part of the Wider Opportunitiesprogramme. Each Thursday evening, Jean runs a music centre with an instrumentalteam which is open to all pupils in the city learning instruments with many going onto play in orchestras.

Jean says she was surprised when she received the news of her success over halfterm, “When I heard of my win I was shocked, overwhelmed but absolutely thrilled! Ilove my work and get so much pleasure working with the children helping todevelop their musical skills. I also work with some amazing teachers and havelearned from the best. Music is a subject which touches many and I'm privileged toshare in that. Thank you to those who nominated me and to all staff and pupils Iwork with!”

The judges said: “Jean has been working for the Liverpool Music Support Servicefor five years and in the judges’ opinion, epitomises the whole idea of the PeripateticMusic teacher.

Hitting the right notes

p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:12

Focus Group

Educate’s roundtable

The Universityof LifeWhat are the opportunities that lie ahead?And what direction should your child take?

While many would argue that therising costs of university tuition feeshave put a question mark over thisroute for school-leavers, our panellook at the opportunities available to young people today and how thecurrent system needs to change.

Employment

Apprenticeships

Further Education

University


p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:24

Are you concerned by the recent news

of rising fees for students, and the cuts

to university budgets?

BJ: Yes, particularly about the cuts in the

higher education sector, which seem

particularly severe. Under even the Labour

government I would have expected funding

to be reigned in, but these cuts in funding

could see a number of small universities

go to the wall. However, the impact under

the coalition is less severe than I would

have expected under a Tory government.

Luckily, Liverpool Hope University is in

good financial health, but nobody is safe

at the moment. University teaching budgets

have been cut by 70 per cent, and I don’t

see how some institutions will survive.

There is something to be said about the

structure of the changes which will mean

that students do not have to pay their fees

upfront, as they have in the past, so a lot

of concessions have been made for poorer

students.

AD: In my industry I see so many students

come from courses which are useless, and

the education has been sold to them. Often

these courses aren’t recognized by the

industries they’re supposed to be

concerned with, for example the multi-

media and creative and cultural courses.

The downside affects both the students

and employers, because they’re looking for

people with the right skills to recruit.

That money has been wasted and should

be better spent – and I’d argue that the

academic courses do merit the use of

resources. That’s where their strengths are,

and it’s an area where they do deliver very

well. We talk about the rising costs in

students’ fees, but these loans don’t have

to be repaid until the students are in

employment which pays them a certain

amount. If someone said to me they were

thinking about not going to university

because they had to make the repayments,

I’d wonder why they didn’t have more

faith in themselves succeeding…or think

perhaps that they should reconsider that

particular career path.

Is the prevailing culture that going

to university is the only way to secure

a better life wrong?

AD: There is certainly a problem in this

area, and it’s a difficult one to address.

Every parent wants the best for their child

and, depending on their own experiences,

they may well encourage them to go to

university. Having not been through that

system myself, my knowledge is limited of

it, but I would urge anyone who wanted to

enter the professions and had a passion for

a degree course and the academic ability to

do it. In my experience, those who succeed

are those with a hunger and a passion

to do well – no matter what their subject.

That applies to vocations as well though,

and without the passion and the interest in

the relevant area, young people do struggle.

What needs to happen, is for there to

be investment in integrating the school

to work transition, as something is

currently missing to link up those two

for our young people.

BJ: We suffer in this country from so many

parents who don’t take enough interest in

their children’s lives, and we see a number

of teenagers drifting through school without

any idea of what they’d like to do, or could

be good at. There’s a huge number of

people who lack aspirations, and in many

ways we suffer from a poverty of aspiration.

On the continent we see much stronger

family networks and this has a really

positive influence on every aspect then of

the child’s life. There’s such huge potential,

but then there’s a dominant apathy which

seems to prevail. It sounds really negative,

and it doesn’t apply to every family, but

it’s definitely out there. An attitude which

takes so much granted has ramifications

throughout society. Young people who don’t

have the role models to show them the

expectations of the world of work so they

won’t see the value in work experience, or

in being punctual, and standards will suffer.

Our panel enjoyed the afternoon tea at Neighbourhood on Woolton Road, a stone’sthrow from Liverpool Hope University and a number of good local primary andsecondary schools.

Andy Dockerty,managing director at Adlib Audio

Professor Bill Jones,Hope University lecturer in politics


p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:24

Focus Group

Some would argue that for some students

on certain courses, university education

provides false hope…do you agree?

AD: Absolutely. As an employer in the

creative and cultural sector, and bearing

in mind the incredible diversity of jobs

this sector covers, courses for students

in recent years have been completely

irrelevant as indications of how a student

will get on in the workplace. In the first

place, and I’m speaking mainly about

college courses here, the institutions are

poorly equipped to deliver an ‘education’

in this area. They don’t have the facilities

and the knowledge they can provide

is out of date – sometimes by 20 years.

In the music business, where sound

engineering and lighting design are seeing

advancements all of the time, it just

wouldn’t be feasible for courses to deliver

the sort of training which apprentices

receive in the workplace. There’s the

added problem that a number of courses

in these areas are designed with theatres

in mind – taking no account of how a

sound engineer’s job would be completely

different in a live event to in a theatre,

and the different skills and ways of

working needed.

BJ: I know that our university makes

its courses very relevant to the workforce,

and as a result has a high graduate

employment rate. However, there are many

courses where the same cannot be said.

For a number of students I’ve taught

over the years, however, in a number

of institutions I have wondered whether

it’s really the best option for them. They

haven’t seemed to want to work. Unlike

the mature students, they haven’t got the

same focus – they don’t see the importance

of it to their lives.

Is there anything that could or should

be done to create more opportunities?

AD: It certainly wouldn’t be just to add

another course to the list…Schools very

rarely cover the concept of work, and what

work experience is for, but this could make

a real difference to young people, if they

took up the opportunity. It needs to be

taken more seriously. Parents are, of

course, very influential in the decisions

their children make, and those who’ve

visited our premises have been absolutely

blown away by the warehouse and the

facilities. They can see the opportunity

there to get real, relevant work experience

that can lead to full-time employment there

and on tours all over the world. That’s why

we have started running full-day events at

schools to get keen youngsters to find out

what it’s really like on the job, and for

them to see if they have what it takes.

Either way, it’s certainly educational

for them. We’ll host a live event at the

school, and the pupils will have to work

on arranging and creating every aspect

of that from lighting to sound to ticketing.

It’s tough, and it’s not glamorous, but it’s

a true reflection of the job.

BJ: There’s also a disparity between the

focus on opportunities for kids of differing

abilities. For the more academic there is

plenty of choice, but for the lower ability

there needs to be more variety of training

and opportunity to find their skills and

career opportunities.

How does Britain hold up against the

continent in opportunities for young

people?

BJ: In Germany, the apprenticeship system

seems to be alive and well. That was our

system, and while we couldn’t make it

work for us the Germans too it and it’s

been incredibly successful. They cracked

it. We really need to focus on this area.

It’s not a new viewpoint; politicians have

been saying it for years but we need

to keep on saying it! What’s needed

is a rediscovery of the apprenticeship

system for our young people.

What are the issues for employers?

AD: Out of the huge sector of creative

and cultural skills, something like only

three per cent of people go into jobs

in that sector - according to 2008 figures.

Immediately you can see the problem

in matching up those jobs to the huge

numbers of students on courses! At the

same time, there are so many colleges

trying to sell the creative and cultural

apprenticeships to businesses, but the

businesses aren’t interested. What they

want to know is that they can select good

candidates for their apprenticeships.

The system can be very restrictive, and

at times lacks common sense and vision.

There’s a tick box mentality to employment

and apprenticeships which isn’t flexible

“Schools very rarely cover the concept ofwork, and what workexperience is for, but this could make a real difference toyoung people”

Andy Dockerty


p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:24

to suit the needs of individuals which

means that young people are missing out.

Of course, 90 per cent of the time the

rules work just fine, but there are occasions

when some relaxation of the requirements

could open more doors.

How are employers in our area looking

for solutions?

AD: About 18 months ago now, Dave Kay

– one of my fellow directors – and I became

part of the Creative Apprenticeships

Steering Group which has representatives

from business and from the educational

providers, to work together to see how

we can help young people to take

advantage of the opportunities available.

This is definitely a step in the right

direction. The better use of traditional,

existing courses, which have come about

through partnerships between employers

and the colleges, combine the best training

which each can offer in their particular

areas. We have apprentices with us, for four

days a week, and on the fifth day they’ll

study basic electrics at the college. Courses

like basic electrical skills and health

and safety – and across a wide area of

industries – the colleges are well equipped

to provide. For the practical application of

skills and specialist on-the-job knowledge,

working in the business is most useful.

Have we lost something valuable in the

British education system by doing away

with polytechnic status?

BJ: On balance, I don’t think we have.

Polytechnics already acted as degree giving

institutions so it was not illogical to grant

them university status. Maybe their

'elevation' distracted them from their

former role in providing courses of a more

vocational nature so that might be seen

as a 'loss' however. The problem with the

British education system is that we’ve tried

to reinvent the wheel. While I took the

academic route, going to university and

studying for a doctorate, my brother took an

apprenticeship at Rolls Royce, worked hard,

and became a millionaire. His training was

excellent grounding for his success, but

apprenticeship numbers dropped and

further education and college hasn’t filled

the gap. The teaching focus isn’t always

quite right, the funding doesn’t allow for

the most up-to-date resources and the

relevance of the courses to industry

is sometimes tenuous.

AD: A few years ago, careers advisors

would put students off jobs like, becoming

a sound engineer. To pursue that, the

student would have had to be very keen

and found out about it themselves. Today,

a course like that will be sold to a young

person, and when that happens the same

passion isn’t there. Students can learn so

much more about the real experience on

the job. We currently have six ex-Gateacre

Comprehensive pupils working for us, and

we have seven young people on Creative

Apprenticeships across joinery, lighting

and audio.

How should more able students’

university places be paid for?

BJ: We could learn something from the

American system which is the most

successful in the world, and which sees

50 per cent of students take a university

degree (as opposed to 40 per cent in

Britain). American students leave university

with debts of perhaps a hundred thousand

dollars, so they have to be committed to the

course they’re pursuing.

AD: As we’ve said, the fees don’t have

to be repaid until the graduates are earning

a certain amount, and I don’t see the

problem with that.

BJ: I’ve also come to that conclusion.

Only a fifth of university students are

working class, so 80 per cent of students

are considered middle class and they’re

the ones that are benefiting most from the

higher education system. It wouldn’t be

right for the working classes to pay for

the education of the middle classes.

Are we in danger of creating a two-tier

society?

BJ: I do worry that there’s a danger of this,

of creating a layer of very privileged and

very educated people and another base

layer of education for everyone else.

AD: There’s a need to look at the bigger

picture. Employers need to see how

partnerships will work for them. They may

have become disillusioned by meeting

college graduates who arrive for work or

for an interview with little understanding

about what a job in their particular industry

means, and they need to be convinced by

the applicant that that’s the job they want

to do. For those that do make it, they’ll have

had the drive and the commitment to do

their research and get the relevant work

experience. There’s a huge difference

between this kind of person, and someone

who doesn’t know what they want to do

but is told by a careers advisor about a

course in lighting design; they just don’t

have the same passion. No matter whether

a young person chooses an academic route

or a vocational route, they need to have the

motivation to engage with what they’re

doing and be hungry to learn.

What do you see for the future of

education and training, going forwards?

BJ: Some of the most focused students

I have are mature students. They have

some life experience and they’ve seen

inside the workplace, and they have a

determination to succeed – which means

they do very well. With the economic

situation being what it is, I think we

may see more people mid-career using

redundancy as an opportunity to retrain,

to explore areas of interest, and to improve

their job prospects by going back to or

going to university. It could be a very

positive development for us, the lecturers,

to have so many enthusiastic and mature

students, and it could certainly alter the

way society sees the traditional, linear

path from education into a career.

AD: Students will really have to weigh

up whether they really want to pursue

a course, knowing that it won’t be feasible

to drift through university for three years.

I would encourage anyone with academic

ability and a passion for their subject

to go to university, but I do think that

a better chain between schools and

work experience and apprenticeships

could be the answer for a number of

young people.

“ What’s needed is a rediscovery of theapprenticeship systemfor our young people.”

Professor Bill Jones


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Secondary News

City first for Calderstones Every Child Matters Award

Calderstones School, Liverpoolbecame the first school in the city andone of only a small handful of schoolsnationally to achieve the Every ChildMatters Award following an externalassessment in 2010.

An assessment day was the final stagein the process after a number of staff ledby Sharon Maguire, AssistantHeadteacher, who had spent a number ofmonths looking at the practices and

policies in place at the school to showhow committed the school is to its pupilswellbeing and development and itsrelationships with the community aroundthe school.

The assessment included meetingswith a number of staff and pupils withinthe school, pupils giving the assessor –Rita Cheminais from ECM Solutions – afull tour of the school, lesson observationsand observing pupil activities around the

school at break and lunchtime.Assistant Headteacher, Sharon

Maguire, said: “Working towards thisaward gave us the opportunity to evaluateand strengthen existing policies andpractices. At Calderstones School,particular attention is given to ensuringthat the school is a safe place for studentsto work, we promote exceptional harmonybetween our students and they feelsecure and valued”.

Rita Cheminais presents the award to Headteacher Brian Davies

Wedding Planners of the FutureYear 10 girls from ArchbishopBlanch School, Liverpoolrecently took part in theLiverpool Schools EnterpriseChallenge held in associationwith The Liner Hotel atLiverpool.

The challenge was to design, co-ordinate and plan a wedding withina restricted budget and then pitch apresentation to an audience. Thejudges were a panel from LiverpoolCompact and The Liner Hotel.

Against strong competition fromother schools Archbishop BlanchSchool won the challenge andbrought home the trophy.

Pictured left are teammembers: Helena, Charlotte,Erin, Faye, Elizabeth andNicola

p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:20


Secondary News

Young entrepreneurs from NotreDame Catholic College for the Artswere invited into the ‘dragons’ dento showcase their business skills inorder to support top North Westcharity Nugent Care, in the run up toChristmas.

As part of the challenge, Year Tenstudents at the college in Everton weretasked to design an innovative product,working in teams to develop a fullbusiness plan with budgets and costs tothen present their ideas in front of thepanel of chosen Notre Dame judges.

The group of judges included formerstudent and cosmopolitan businesswoman of the year 2007 Clare Molyneux

MBE and members of staff from NugentCare, including Marie Reynolds(Fundraising Manager) who is a formerhead girl at the College.

Headteacher of Notre Dame, FrancesHarrison, also one of this years judgescommented; “This has been a fantasticopportunity to support such a worthycharity that has a long history inpromoting education for children forhundreds of years.

“Everyone has really got behind thecharity, and the high calibre of thestudent’s projects clearly show their hardwork and effort put in to make this daysuch a huge success.”

Students facethe Dragons

MotoringsuccessYear 12 pupils at St Hilda’srecently took part in a brand newEnterprise day, delivered by theInstitute of Motor Industry (IMI).

The day focused on highlighting thejobs available within the motorindustry and how to get them.

A high percentage of our year 12pupils are females and traditionallythe motor industry is not a sector thatthey would consider as it’s normallyperceived as an oil and rag industry.The IMI are keen to change thisperception and show young peoplethat the Motor industry can offer somuch more.

As part of the day the students hadthe opportunity to visit Peoples Ford,Speke where they met with JackieWaterhouse, Director & GeneralManager and Ian Mc Farlane, GroupMarketing Director who spoke to thepupils about the various jobs availablewithin the industry.

Joanne Poole, Enterprisedevelopment officer at St Hilda’scommented “With the demand forUniversity places at its highest andthe job market being so competitivewe feel students need to be moreinformed of opportunities available tothem when they leave school.”

We hope that the day has enthusedpupils and opened their eyes to otherpossibilities not just in the motorindustry but in other sectors that theymay have dismissed as non-traditionalto their sex.

The day concluded with a selectionof presentations about the varioushigh level jobs available within theindustry.

‘Rude Science’ workshopIt was a very cold morning when agroup of Year 8 pupils fromBroadgreen International Schooljoined pupils from St EdwardsCollege to look into the Science ofthe human body....with a twist.

Pupils were challenged in working outthe surface area of your skin and howmany hairs are on an average body, (didyou know the only places on your skinwithout hair is the palm of your handand the sole of your foot?). Other nastyexperiments included making snot andear wax plus finding all about dandruffand urine.

Judges pose for photoswith Year 10 students

Broadgreen students test the viscousityof ‘snot’

p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:20


Secondary News

Gateacre welcomes Rebecca Return for X-Factor singing sensation Pupils and staff at GateacreCommunity Comprehensive School inLiverpool welcomed former studentRebecca Ferguson, runner-up in TheX Factor recently.

The singing sensation from Anfield gota rapturous reception when she visitedthe school during a flying visit toLiverpool to perform a special concert atthe ECHO Arena ahead of the final.

She sang two songs for pupils,including the Robin S dance classic“Show Me Love” which wowed thejudges.

Deputy Headteacher CatherineChapman said: “Her voice is outstandingand she’s even better live!

“She is very humble and took time tospeak to the students and asked them tostudy hard to achieve their dreams.

“She’s an inspiration to all of them andwe were all rooting for her in thecompetition.”

Year seven student Carrigan Mannionadded: “It’s really great that she used tocome to my school. All my friends votedfor her in the competition.”

Rebecca was a pupil at the school until2003.

School celebrates refurbishmentThe Lord Mayor of Liverpool Hazel Williams and a teamof professional Chefs enjoyed a school meal at HollyLodge Girls’ College in West Derby, Liverpool recently tocelebrate refurbishments made to the college diningroom and the impact this has had on students’ GCSEresults.

Martin Kane, deputy head at the Holly Lodge Girls’ College,said: “By re-structuring lunchtimes, serving better quality foodand improving the total dining experience we have seen asubstantial improvement in concentration levels in theafternoon and this in turn has had an impact on academicachievement.

“Last year the number of A*-C at Grade C & above includingEnglish & Maths was 34%. This year it increased to 51%.Similarly, 59% of students gained 5 A*-C at Grade C and abovecompared to 86% this year.”

Holly Lodge Girls’ College is a Food for Life Partnershipflagship school. It is currently working towards the Food for LifePartnership Gold Mark – the national award, which recognisesschools that use practical learning experiences to re-connectyoung people to the food they eat, following the journey fromfield to plate.

As part of this mission, Holly Lodge organised a day to

celebrate their redesigned food courts. The celebration alsoincluded a visit from the Food for Life Partnership Cooking Bus,a mobile kitchen/classroom which bought practical cookingskills to not only the pupils and the teachers, but also membersof the local community.

p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:21


This is a school with energy, ambition and high aspirations for its students

CHILDWALL SCHOOL

A Specialist Sports & Science College

Anyone wishing to view the schoolplease contact 0151 722 1561

Headteacher: Dewi PhillipsFiveways, Queens Drive, Liverpool L15 6XZ

E: [email protected]: www.childwallsc.co.uk

p19-38:covers 14/1/11 13:59


Meet the Headteacher Phil Jamieson, Alsop High School

When Phil Jamieson steps down as headteacher in July, it will mark the end of acareer spanning almost four decades atAlsop High School. But whilst retirementwill allow him more time at home awayfrom the world of work his legacy willcontinue to be felt throughout the school.

When Phil arrived at Alsop in 1972 itwas a relatively small split-site northLiverpool boys’ secondary school.Since then he has overseen itstransformation into the co-educational technology and specialistlearning college of today, rankedfourth in Liverpool for achievement,and offering students a broad rangeof learning opportunities.

There is fulsome praise among staff,students and governors for Phil’saccomplishments. So much so that thefinal building project, which wascompleted last term, is named after him.

Phil’s life in education began at theopposite end of Queens Drive, as a pupilat Quarry Bank, Calderstones. Said Phil:“I enjoyed my own school days and Isuppose I wanted to pass this love oflearning on. I joined Alsop as a PEteacher, studied for a degree in

management with the Open University,became pastoral head of year and thendeputy head before taking over as headin 1997.

“During my time here I’ve witnessedmajor secondary reorganisation acrossthe city, as well as the changes that havetaken place within Alsop. It became amixed school when girls were invited tojoin in 1985 and in 1989 we settledpermanently at the current site onQueens Drive. The school today – with1,800 students – is far bigger than when Istarted.”

Phil believes that many of Alsop’spositive outcomes can be linked to thecultural changes at the school, which hehas promoted consistently. Said Phil:“The culture here is one of success nowand this goes for the school as a whole aswell as individually.

“I try to instil in students that they can

achieve their goals if they really put theeffort in, whether that goal is academic,sporting or musical. The school motto,Learn Achieve and Be Successful, hasreally helped to inspire this culture, and itgoes beyond nurturing the mostacademic students.”

For example Alsop boasts threevocational centres designed to trainstudents for the workplace. Aspire Hair

Learn,Achieveand BeSuccessful

p19-38:covers 13/1/11 16:48


and Beauty and Aspire Construction aretwo of the school’s initiatives which aimto prepare students for work.

The salon, based in Walton village,allows students to train in hairdressingand beauty in a work based environment.Not only has it has become popular withfriends and family - mums and grandmasespecially – but it is a great communityresource.

There is also Aspire Constructionwhich is a purpose built constructioncentre teaching bricklaying, joinery andpainting and decorating skills. “Studentsget the chance to study, hands on,towards a diploma in construction orhairdressing and are taught by qualifiedprofessionals” said Phil.

The school, in partnership with NotreDame Catholic College and The NorthLiverpool Academy, funds Inspire, thethird work-based initiative. It is a stateof the art computer suite in the ConnectBusiness Village in Bootle, and the firstproject of its kind in the north west tooffer students the chance to study for anICT Diploma. This, like the construction

centre and hair and beauty salon, is animportant way to promote trades as a realalternative to higher education.

The culmination of the £20millionBuilding Schools for the Future projectwas the new building, which the schoolhas opted to name after its industrioushead teacher. Quite coy about TheJamieson Building, Phil smiled and said:‘It’s highly embarrassing but really verynice of them. It houses our dining area, adance studio and music and dramacentre.

“The school is really going fromstrength to strength. GCSE achievementhas trebled over the past decade, the 6thform has trebled and we now have a 99per cent pass rate at A’Level.” And onthe site of the old Queens Drive baths is

now Alsop’s sports centre, a facilitywhich is also used by the localcommunity.

“72 students progressed to universitylast year and results are improvingconstantly” said Phil. “The broadspectrum of subjects available forstudents means that every student canexcel at something, be it sport, problemsolving in a practical way or academically.This then raises their awareness of whatis possible and feeds our culture ofconstant self improvement.”

On retirement in the summer Phil (alifelong Liverpool season ticked holder) islooking forward to spending more timetravelling and relaxing with his family -although he hopes to maintain some ofhis educational links “maybe in aconsultancy capacity…

“It is certainly a great time for someoneto take over the reigns,’ he said, ‘andmove the school up to the next level. Wehave created a great educational culturefor our students, their needs are always ofprime importance and Alsop will go on tobe even more successful in the future.”

I try to instil instudents that theycan achieve their

goals if they really putthe effort in

“

”

p19-38:covers 13/1/11 16:48

SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENINGThursday, 3rd February 6.00pm – 8.00pm

Why choose Alsop Sixth Form Centre?

• We are one of the top four Sixth Form Centresin Liverpool.

• In 2010 we had record results with a 99%pass rate at post 16.

• There are over 50 different courses on offer,including A Levels, BTECs and the new Diplomas.

• We have a £20 million BSF building programmeproviding specialist areas including a cyber caféexclusively for Sixth Form students.

• We have links with other schools providingaccess to even more courses.

“Alsop High School is an outstanding school.Students make excep�onal progress” - Ofsted

Please come and look around and meetour staff and students.

ALSOP HIGH SCHOOLTechnology and Applied Learning Specialist College

Queens Drive, Walton, Liverpool L4 6SH Tel No. 0151-235-1200


p19-38:covers 14/1/11 10:18


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p19-38:covers 24/1/11 14:24


Secondary News

Ormskirk’s young hockey umpireAlex Whalley was recently selectedto attend a highly prestigiousnational High PerformanceAssessment Camp (HiPAC) event.

The HiPACs, run by England Hockey,are the most prestigious non-tournamentevents in the national hockey calendarand Alex, who is in Merchant Taylors’Sixth Form, has been selected as one ofonly six young umpires nationwide toattend this year!

The residential three-day camp aimsto give talented young umpires such asAlex first-hand experience of aninternational training camp environment,in preparation for potential futureinvolvement in a National Age GroupSquad (NAGS).

Competition for places was extremelyhigh and he benefitted a large amountfrom a packed programme of excitingactivities and coaching. Alex receivedhigh level training, led by EnglandHockey appointed coaches, he alsoattended workshops on subjects such asanti-doping, injury management andnutrition.

The Sixth former, has umpired some ofthe regional events for U18 / U16 boys.He continues to umpire games of a highstandard at club level and his coachessay he is one of the most promisingyoung umpires involved in the game andwill hopefully get to umpire at the veryhighest level.

Alex said: “I found the coursedemanding but very rewarding, and it isvery exciting to be selected among thebest young umpires nationwide. I hopeto further my achievements withumpiring in tangent with pursuing acareer in the financial services.”

Alex aims forthe top

College welcomesacclaimed author

Students at Childwall Sports Collegewere delighted to meet the famousauthor David Whiteley recently.

David who graduated from OxfordUniversity with a Double First in EnglishLiterature has a passion for writingchildren’s fiction. At the age ofseventeen his first children’s novel wasshortlisted for the Kathleen FiddlerAward and at twenty he won theCheshire Prize for Literature for aChildren’s Short Story making him theyoungest writer ever to win thisprestigious award. After that Davidwrote his well known novel entitled “TheMidnight Charter”.

The story takes place in the City ofAgora where everything can be boughtand sold and two children stumble uponthe mysterious, and dangerous,

Midnight Charter. Students at Childwall Sports College

were delighted to work with David andduring the course of the session withhim students produced their ownimaginative writing which was highlycommended by David.

Childwall Sports College promotesliteracy and writing and is delightedalways to welcome authors and poets tothe school. The most recent visit byDavid Whiteley was a huge success.

Headteacher, Dewi Phillips, said: “I amreally grateful to David for spendingsome time with our budding novelists.Students thoroughly enjoyed meetingDavid and have been hugely encouragedby him to write their own works. I lookforward to the next David Whiteleycoming from Childwall Sports College!”

Belvedere Drama Festival Every year the Belvedere Academy hosts an annualDrama Festival, a day of performances across KS3.This tradition has become an integral part of theschool year, with plans already afoot for 2011!

Talented sixth formers select a form group and write orselect a script of their choice and then spend weeks inrehearsal, directing and managing the divas in theirforms! The talent of Belvedere never fails to amaze andthis year was no exception. The final rehearsal day turnsthe school upside down with colour and costumes, hairspray and glitter. Peter Pan was seen sitting alongsideHarry Potter while Sleeping Beauty competed with thecast of ‘The Only Way is Liverpool’ in the queue toperform on stage.

The end result was an overwhelming success and performances this year hit anall time high.

Eventually the overall winners were announced and the cast and directors of‘Dracula Spectacular’ took their rightful place in the cannons of history and tookhome the trophy amongst tears of joy and delight.

p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:21


Secondary News

Students prove to be super stars College raises funds for Imagine AppealKirkby Sports College (KSC)students staged a Super StarCompetition to raise money forAlder Hey Children’s HospitalImagine Appeal.

Year 7s were responsible fororganising, marketing, andproducing goods to sell at a SummerFayre during a project day in theEnglish department. The fun dayincluded face painting, manicures,beat the rat competitions andjewellery stalls that sold jewelsdesigned by the KSC students.

To end the day there was a SuperStar Competition, Staff versus Year 7students, in which there were aseries of stamina events and

challenge courses organised; KSCstudents were declared thechampion super stars despite avaliant effort by the staff.

Acting Principal Pam Kilham said:"This was a wonderful experience forstaff and students alike who all reallyenjoyed the day. The Englishhomebase, for a few hours at least,took on the identity and atmosphereof a mini village green. I amdelighted that so much money wasraised for such a worthwhilecharity".

Pictured right are current Year8 students presenting IreneAxon from the Imagine Appealwith a cheque for £341.

Talented duoStudents dance their way to Shanghai

English National Balletinvited St John BoscoArts College to audition22 students from Year 7to Year 13 to perform acontemporary version ofthe ballet Swan Lake atthe Royal Albert Hall inLondon, this projectinvolved five schoolsacross the UK and China.

St John Bosco was luckyenough to be invited to taketwo students to Shanghai,Beijing and Hong Kong toperform on UK National Dayas part of the professionalprogramming at the world expo in Shanghai, alongside theEnglish National Ballet, Shanghai Ballet and London SymphonyOrchestra.

Students from St John Bosco Arts College Abby Lewis andLauren McQueen accompanied by their teacher Diana Strevensflew to Shanghai to perform at this prestigious event.

The students performed Swanning Around with larger groupsfrom Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. The chorographers fromthe English National Ballet adapted the piece to portray thetraditional Chinese culture.

The two students were lucky enough to be able to perform forthe Duke of York, Prince Andrew who met with the girlsafterwards to discuss their experience. Following theperformance the students were able to visit the expo site withtheir new Chinese friends and were taken on a private tour ofthe UK pavilion.

On their sightseeing days they were able to visit the YuanGardens, the Old town, the famous Jade Budda temple, the PearlTower and take a boat trip along the Bund Huang River.

St John Bosco Arts Collegestudents Abby Lewis and LaurenMcQueen in Shanghai

Historic school re-bornStudents and staff at Liverpool’s biggest secondaryschool recently celebrated the official opening of thestunning new £18 million Alsop Technology College.

The 84-year-old school has undergone a completetransformation, with a new, three-storey teaching andactivities block and 36 classrooms with retractable walls, toallow for flexible lessons which adapt to the needs of youngpeople.

The school also features a new dance studio, new areas fordining and socialising and bright, open atrium areas. Andspecialist business studies classrooms and cutting-edge ICTequipment will further boost the school curriculum.

The new building has been named the "Jamieson" building,in recognition of almost 40 years of service from currentheadteacher Phil Jamieson. Headteacher Phil Jamieson said:“This is a momentous day for Alsop School and we areabsolutely delighted to be formally opening the doors of ournew facility.

“It’s vital that our young people have the very best learningtools and are taught in a modern, attractive environment. Ournew building will transform life at the school and drive upeducation standards across the board.

“Staff and students have been fully involved in theseambitious plans right from the start and it’s wonderful to seeour dream become a reality. It really is a new era for Alsop.These massive improvements will bring huge benefits toyoung people for generations to come.”

p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:21

Specialist Art Schools

The establishment of specialist schools status hasa strong reinforcing and positive effect upon schoolethos. It significantly enhances the school’s appealwithin the local community and is associated withraising academic performance. As part of a specialseries, we will be looking at specialist statusschools in Merseyside, their achievements andtheir links to the community.

p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:27

The role of specialist arts and music

colleges, working to develop the subject

in secondary schools and working in

partnership with primary schools with the

same aim should not be underestimated.

Specialist schools are committed to

working with partner schools and the

wider community; this partnership is an

important aspect of being a successful

specialist school. Its status is a particularly

effective form of school improvement

because of its focus on enhancing the

quality of teaching and learning both

within and across subject areas. It is also

an important means of raising attainment

and improving performance. Notre Dame

Catholic College for the Arts is one such

school who has seen a significant

improvement after OFSTED named it as

the highest achieving girls’ school in the

country for student progress. Director

of arts at Notre Dame Catholic College,

Lesley Bentley commented: “Here at

Notre Dame, we believe participation

in the arts underpins the student’s

creativity in the classroom. We

were first granted official arts

college status in 2002 and since then

the college has gone from strength to

strength. The college now has a 500-seat

auditorium and state of the art professional

dance and drama studios. As well as

providing an interactive arts-based

curriculum for our pupils, part of Notre

Dame’s commitment includes extending

our expertise and facilities out to the local

community and other schools in the city.”

The launch of the high-tech ArtsBus, with

a recording studio, software for interactive

musical tuition and performance centre,

provides a mobile centre for creative

training and performance to every child

in Merseyside.

Formby High School, which specialises

in performing Arts and Science, has

worked with a range of local arts

organisations including the Liverpool

Philharmonic, LIPA and National Festival

of Music for Youth to name just a few.

Originally, Formby High were designated

a joint performing arts college with

Maghull High. Formby always had a

strength in Music and Drama and have

built upon this experience to create an

outstanding performing arts faculty

with an equally strong dance and music

technology dimension. Since 2006, they

have operated independently. “We are now

one of the leading performing arts colleges

in the country, with an acclaimed school

and community arts programme,” says

Steve Cook, Director of Performing Arts.

“In 2008, we spearheaded the huge 'Itoku'

project for Capital of Culture involving

35 Sefton schools and over 1000 young

performers, culminating in a schools

opera in Liverpool Cathedral. We have

also developed strong international links

through performance tours to China, Kenya

and Canada. We are currently preparing

for a new tour to Las Vegas and Flagstaff

during Easter 2011.”

It is this vital partnership between

local arts organisations and specialist arts

schools, which takes the practice of the

classroom into the outside world, providing

a complete education. Currently there are

a number of organisations working with

local schools giving an insight into the art

world. The Liverpool Empire Theatre has

an Education and Community department

that works with a number of specialist arts

schools in the area. Natalie Flynn, Head of

Education and Community at the Empire,

commented: “Our department has been

pleased to offer workshops linked to our

shows and backstage tours with a specific

focus on careers within the performing arts

industries. It is important for organisations

such as ourselves to work with specialist

arts schools as we can offer an invaluable

resource to those who wish to pursue

a career in the performing arts

industry in later life which

complements the excellent

teaching within the schools.”

The Everyman and Playhouse theatres

work with over 80 schools, college and

universities across the North West. The

theatres have over30 formal partnerships

with educational organisations in the area.

Of that number, eight are ‘unique’

“We believe participationin the arts underpins thestudent’s creativity in theclassroom.”Lesley Bentley, director of artsat Notre Dame Catholic College


p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:27

partners. Unique partners pay £1000 per

academic for a bespoke programme of

activities planned in close collaboration

with the theatres’ Education Department.

They receive £600 of ticket credit, reduced

tickets prices, free workshops and tours,

membership of the theatres’ Drama

Teacher’s Forum and support where

appropriate. Specialist art school St John

Bosco is a member of the unique partner

scheme. The theatres have worked with

them on a number of projects including a

social drama project about homelessness,

which involved the entire Year 9 class,

and ‘In My Liverpool Home’ with all

of Year 7 creating pieces relating to

religious faiths in the local community.

“Arts College Status enables us to

deliver a quality curriculum that

motivates, inspires and challenges our

students through creative, aesthetic and

innovative approaches to teaching and

learning,” says Rosemary Pritchard,

Deputy Headteacher at St John Bosco.

“Our vision is that every member of our

school community deserves the

opportunities to flourish and fulfill their

potential with hope and confidence.

Through our many valued partnerships and

links with outside arts organisations, we

have provided enriching and transformation

learning experiences for a great majority

of our students. Over the last two years,

we have committed to projects with

The English National Ballet who toured

in Liverpool in 2009, The Echo Arena,

The Everyman Theatre and LIPA.”

Emma Smith, Education Coordinator for

the Everyman and Playhouse, commented:

“It is a great pleasure to work closely with

schools such as St John Bosco High School.

Their specialist arts status raises the profile

of the arts across the school.

Providing opportunities for students to work

with professionals in the industry makes for

meaningful work that is endorsed and

celebrated by the school community.”

Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts

also runs an active programme of activities

with local schools as part of its widening

participation strategy. “For the last two

years we have been working regularly

with students in local schools who have

demonstrated some talent in performing

arts/creative subjects and who are from

backgrounds without a family history of

going on to Higher Education,” said Corinne

Lewis Director of Marketing and student

Recruitment at LIPA. They provide regular

after school classes and

workshops and have also

provided specialist summer

schools to help to raise their

aspirations to go on to study a performing

arts or related subject at university.

It seems likely that employment prospects

in conventional jobs will continue to

diminish for school leavers - not through

lack of qualifications but through lack of

jobs. Young people cannot enter non-

existent jobs, however well qualified they

may be. A narrowing of the curriculum

helps in these new social circumstances

with links to the local community and

employers paving the way for employment

for school leavers.

Specialist Art Schools

“Arts College Status enables usto deliver a quality curriculumthat motivates, inspires andchallenges our students.”Rosemary Pritchard, Deputy Headteacherat St John Bosco

“Providingopportunities forstudents to workwith professionalsin the industrymakes formeaningful work.”

Emma Smith,Education Coordinatorfor the Everymanand Playhouse

Merseyside Schools withSpecialist Art StatusFormby High SchoolHuyton Arts and Sports Centrefor LearningNotre Dame Catholic CollegeSt John Bosco Arts College


p19-38:covers 13/1/11 14:27

Notre Dame Catholic College

for the ArtsEstablished1869

AH QU'ILEST LEBONDIEUBON

Everton Valley L4 4EZ Telephone: 0151 263 3104 Fax: 0151 260 [email protected] www.notredameliverpool.comHeadteacherMrs F Harrison BSc (Hons) NPQH

6th Form Open EveningTuesday 8 February 2011 Starts 6.00pm

All welcome

Notre Dame Catholic College for the Arts

p39-54:covers 14/1/11 14:59


Help and advice

The previous

government’s

guidelines on

homework have

not yet been

updated by the

coalition and still

stand. They

emphasise the

importance of out of school learning, and

profess a strong belief in partnerships

between parents and teachers. Homework

tasks will vary between schools, even for

the same age groups, because the

curriculum is varied and the class teacher

will be working to suit the different

capabilities of the students. If you’re

concerned about the level at which the

tasks are set, then you should speak to the

class teacher. If your son is finding the tasks

accessible and enjoyable, and is learning

then you have no need to worry at this

stage. If you’d like to look at some

additional resources to help your child at

home, try the BBC website for ideas.

This sort of behaviour among girls is pretty common,especially in the later years of primary school and in thefirst year of secondary school when pupils are learningabout their emotions and how to manage them. Thegovernment’s recommendations for PSHE lessons oftenaddress this sort of behaviour in class, with the aim forpupils to be able to look objectively at theirbehaviour and how they can treat each other withrespect. Of course, however, problems still arisefrom time to time and bullying can become aproblem. You have done the right thing to tellyour daughter to find other girls to spend time with,and if the problems persist then she should speak to herform tutor who will know the girls involved and will sit downwith all the pupils to get to the bottom of things. The form tutormay then even address the issue in form period time/academicreview. If the situation worsens, you could try writing or‘phoning the school to speak to the form tutor personally,or to the head of year, to discuss a plan of action. For now,keep an eye on it, making sure that your daughter doesnot become unhappy and that her schoolwork does notsuffer, and try not to worry.

My son is now in juniors and gets a reasonable amount ofhomework per week. However, I have noticed from talking to otherparents that their children, who attend other schools, get quitedifferent homework. Are there guidelines available of what amountand what type of homework this age group could be getting perweek?

My daughter has started secondary school last September and Ihave noticed already some catty playground behavior between thegirls which seems to be causing my daughter some distress. Myadvice to her has been that, if the girls she wants to play with arebeing unkind, she should tell a teacher or find some other girls toplay with. My son, who’s older, has gone through school withoutexperiencing anything like this kind of behaviour. I’m not sure if Iam giving her the right advice and how best to deal with it.

I have just started to thinkabout extra schoolactivities for my childrenand am really unsureabout what level of activityis best for each child. My children are aged 5 and 7.After-school activities can be greatfun for children, allowing them tomeet and make new friends anddevelop new skills and interests. Theyare often an excellent accompaniment

to their educational experience inschool. However, when parents plana full schedule of activities, saymore than three a week, it can betoo tiring for the majority ofchildren. For all children, and

especially your five year old who isright at the beginning of his/herschool career, it’s important to keepfree time and play time available forthem after school and at weekends.When children are allowed to choosetheir own activities, invite friendsover, and invent their own games,they develop social skills and thecapacity to feel good in their ownskin. If they are occupied withscheduled activities all week long, theadverse effect could be that theybegin to feel entirely dependent onexternal sources for theirentertainment. As another matter, children who arepushed into activities which theyaren’t too keen on, may decide torebel. While you should encouragethem to take part in after-school clubs,listen to them talk about theirexperiences and allow them to chooseclubs and groups which they enjoy.

Dear Educate*******************************************************

p39-54:covers 13/1/11 14:42

Bellerive FCJ Catholic CollegeSpecialising in the Sciences, Applied Learning Maths and Computing

Sixth Form Open Evening8th February 2011

6.00pm-8.00pm

For male and female students seekinga place in September 2011

Please enter via the sixth form block on Windermere Terrace

Windermere TerraceLiverpool

L8 3SBwww.bellerivefcj.org

Serving education inLiverpool since 1844

p39-54:covers 13/1/11 11:37


Meet the Headteacher Susan Kerwin, St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Maghull

Susan Kerwin’s first anniversary as head at St Andrew’sChurch of England Primary School, Maghull, is approaching.The school’s very first female headteacher - which is alandmark in itself as the school was founded in 1839 - shereflects on her first year.

“It has been lovely,” she said. “Ihave experienced a whole bundle oflaughs with the children and thestaff, who have been reallysupportive. When I started it tookthe children a while to get used totheir new head’s title being ‘Mrs’rather than ‘Sir’ but they soon gotthe hang of it.”

Before her current post Susan washead at St Luke’s, Halsall, in Crosby. “StAndrew’s is a bigger school, with twiceas many pupils, and so the challengesare greater” she said. The school has agreat reputation both locally and in thewider area, and this has led to a mixedprofile with children travelling from asfar away as Kirkby and Litherland. “It isa popular school,” said Susan, “and interms of results we are above thenational average and also Sefton’s.

“The school has always maintainedhigh standards, and focuses uponexciting ways to help children learn.Whilst this will obviously contribute togood results we believe that a creativeand enjoyable environment is thepriority.”

The creative curriculum is usedthroughout all subject areas at StAndrew’s and many of the topics arebrought to life in fascinating ways. “Ourteachers welcome the children’s inputinto how the learning will develop,” saidSusan. So, when studying the slavetrade one of the Year Five classesdecided that they would, unbeknown tothe other class, invade them and takethem as slaves.

“By using drama techniques likefreeze framing children will be requiredto think about how they feel in a numberof situations, be it as a slave trader,slave, groundbreaking scientist orcampaigner” said Susan.

“Year Six are currently studying the

protest movement of the 1960s and so toreally bring it to life they have plannedtheir own protest outside school. I’mnot sure what will be on the agenda as itis their protest and they have planned itthemselves, but it will no doubt behighlighting things that are important tothem.”

Bringing subjects to life like this hasmany positive outcomes extending toattendance and a general sense thatschool is fun. Said Susan: “School isusually so exciting that children reallydon’t want to miss out. And this isreflected in our attendance figures.”

Susan goes on to highlight thedifferent experiences her primary schoolchildren have today compared to theearly 1990’s when she began teaching.“That was just before the advent of IT inthe classroom,” she said, “which hasbrought with it huge benefits, especiallyas a research tool for children who takelonger to learn.

“As a teaching tool the internet isvery powerful. We use the intranetthrough Sefton Council so searchengines are all very safe. Children have

Bringing education to life

Our teacherswelcome the

children’s input intohow the learning will

develop

“

”

p39-54:covers 13/1/11 16:54


instant access to knowledge, fromwhere they can test its usefulness andwhether it answers their questions.We are beginning their preparation forlife in general, as computers areintegral to most work places.”

Looking to the near future Susan isaware of the challenges posed bygovernment cuts. How does she thinkthey will affect St Andrew’s?

“There is certainly a degree of

uncertainty,” she commented, “and it ishighly likely that we will lose part ofthe advisory service provided throughSefton council. However, we are luckyto be part of a network of local schools(MADCOS) which plans to sharedevelopment and information in orderto support each other.

“As a group of headteachers wemeet regularly and will be relying oneach school’s strengths more and more

in the future. We feel secure in ournetwork although we are very aware ofhard times ahead” said Susan.

And when she is not in school Susandoes find time to relax with her family.Her husband is a retired police officerand they have two daughters. “I cangenerally be found dog walking onFormby beach,” she said, “reading or atthe cinema; all things that I lovedoing.”

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News

Website for climatic changeMerseytravel launches new school projectThe Climatlantic website is forchildren, teachers and organisationswho want to tackle climate changeby making sustainable transportchoices. The website has beencommissioned by Merseytravel theUK partner of Climatlantic: atransnational project looking atreducing the carbon footprint in theAtlantic Area.

The multi-lingual website, being builtby Liverpool based educational digitaldesign specialists Splinter, will launchto Merseyside primary and secondaryschools in spring 2011.

Merseyside school children havespent the past 2 months working withSplinter and Merseytravel to develop theover-all style of the website, ideas forthe site’s interactive games, and theyhave named the site and game’scharacters: Ollie the orangutan, Ula the

parrot and Roofus the polar bear. Thegames are being designed to enthuseand impart nuggets of informationrelating to climate change, theenvironment and sustainable transportchoices.

The site will include a searchabledatabase for teachers of lessonresources selectable by subject and keystage. Project postings from schools inEurope and Merseyside will includevideo, photos and a chat forum. Othercountries involved include Ireland,France, Portugal and Spain.

The young people from differentpartner countries can add text, videos,images and sounds to build projectsassociated with the transport and theenvironment.

People visiting the site will be able toview the young people’s contributionsto the projects. They will be able to

search for specific topics and can viewcontent from their own country or any ofthe other participating countries. Theprojects can receive comments andfeedback from the public and otheryoung people.

For further information contact:Rachael Boden on 0151 709 9066, oremail: [email protected]

Educate PoetryCompetitionEducate have teamed up with MerseyTravel to launch a very special poetrycompetition to get schools and pupilsmore involved with issues affecting theclimate and the environment.

MerseyTravel are one of the partners inThe Climatlantic project, which is a projectin partnership with five European countries;Portugal, Spain, England, Ireland and Francewith aim of looking at an issues andreducing carbon footprint over the AtlanticArc (the western side of these countries).

The poetry competition is the chance forchildren to think about climate change andenvironmental issues and write a poem onthis theme for a chance to win an AmazonKindle reader as well as getting their poemprinted.

The competition is open to all Merseysideschool children. There are four agecategories, with one winner and four runnersup per category, each of these will have theirpoem printed in a special poetry book. Thepoems need to be sent in to the Educateoffice before the 31st March on a single sideof A4 with your details on the reverse oremailed as a Word document with all detailsto: [email protected]

So teachers why not get your classinvolved.

For full details on the competition simplylook at the advert on page 5 or go on theeducate website.www.educatemagazine.com

Educational Daysout at Spaceport!Teachers are being encouragedto bring their class to Spaceportand join the BBC/Wallace andGromit ‘World of Invention’workshops.

Inspired by Wallace’s love ofinventing, pupils will get the uniqueopportunity to experience a fun andcreative Wallace and Gromitinvention session. There will also beoriginal film animation sets to seeand pupils will be able to get hands-on at the clay station.

The workshops are FREE* and allpupils will be able to take theirinvention back to school with themto display in class. Places are limitedand will be available on a first come,first served basis - to avoiddisappointment book now!

Spaceport is a £10m attractioncovering the subjects of space andspace travel and is currently hostingthe Wallace and Gromit in Spaceexhibition. Wallace and Gromit makethe perfect partners for your class toexplore the solar system throughhands-on exhibits and lots ofopportunities to make and create.

We also have a fantastic newSpaceport education resource pack

featuring Wallace and Gromit inSpace available to download fromthe Spaceport websitespaceport.org.uk

For more information about aneducational visit to Spaceport,please call 0151 330 1333 or [email protected]

*Normal Spaceport schooladmission price applies. There is noextra cost for the invention sessions

p39-54:covers 14/1/11 14:49


News

Stateof theArtsNew Sixth FormCentre for AlsopHigh SchoolThe BSF programme provided Alsopwith an opportunity to create stateof the art facilities which our rapidlygrowing and successful sixth formdesperately needed.

The sixth form centre is now locatedover two floors in the Jamieson Building,with a study centre located on the firstfloor containing 40 PCs where studentscan work independently. On the top floor- with a panoramic view of the City - isthe Cybercafe where sixth form studentscan meet for a chat, have a snack orbrowse the Internet in a comfortable,informal and relaxed setting.

Access to this area is restricted toSixth Form students and the addition ofthese facilities will help ensure thatAlsop is well prepared to accommodatethe increasing numbers of studentschoosing to continue their studiespost-16.

It is widely expected that the newfacilities and the extensive course choiceavailable will encourage even more

students to choose Alsop as thepreferred place to begin their A Leveland BTEC studies in September 2011.

Bluebell Studios onHeathfield Road, Liverpoolcelebrated its SilverJubilee in October. Thebusiness started on 1stMay 1985 in the WelshChapel on Auckland Road,moving across toHeathfield Road in 1990.

The Studios now housesBluebell Dance & DramaAcademy, Bluebell NurserySchool, Bluebell FitnessCentre, Perfect Parties andseveral other small businessoffering Music, Salsa,Personal Training, Yoga andPilates. It is a wellestablished, family runbusiness that has grown andevolved over the years.

Carol Talbot (MD) said:

“‘Throughout our journey wehave been helped along theway by our parents andfamilies, their involvementwith all of our productionsand events have givenBluebell the friendly, familyoriented atmosphere that wehave today. We are thrilled tobe working with the secondand in some cases, thirdgeneration of the samefamilies here at Bluebell.Without everyone who usesand supports the studios wewouldn’t be where we are. Iwould like to take thisopportunity to thank everyonefor all of their love andsupport over the years.’

In celebration of achievingtheir 25 year anniversary

Bluebell Dance and DramaAcademy held an extraspecial production at thePhilharmonic Hall in Octoberon the tenth of the tenth ofthe tenth. The ominous showwas called Silver Circles and

included a cast of 200children from age 2 years andupwards. Its theme wasabout the circle of life and isthe 4th production to be heldin this prestigious Liverpoolvenue.

Silver Jubilee for dance studios

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Headteacher: Mrs M Rannard | 364 West Derby Road | Liverpool | L13 7HQFor a prospectus call 0151 235 1333 or visit www.westderbyschool.co.uk

We are the most improved Maths and ComputingSpecialist in the Country (April 2009), the mostimproved school across all the specialisms in theNorth West (April 2009), and in the top 1%nationally for adding value to our studentseducation.

***** Outstanding OFSTED 2010 *****

West Derby School Sixth Form Open EveningThursday 10 March 2011 @ 7 pm

Come and see what we have to offer in our state of the art new school

p39-54:covers 14/1/11 15:36

Year Nine pupils at West DerbySchool recently received a helpinghand in choosing their GCSEsubjects for the following year.The day was designed toencourage the students to speakwith 21 companies, includingEverton FC, Merseytravel andJohn Moores University byshowcasing a range of careeroptions. Gary Evans, Deputy Headteacherat West Derby School, said: “A bigthank you to the 21 companieswho took time to come and speakwith our pupils. An event like thisbroadens the pupil’s horizons towhat is out there waiting for themand definitely something we willbe carrying out again.”

PUPILS LOOKTO THE FUTURE

West Derby Career Day

Thomas Kyle, AlexSharpe and Ben Wroe

Daniel Stephenson, Liam Watkinson, Jack Saleh,Arron Holt, Anthony Hanratty and Jonathan Ryan

p39-54:covers 14/1/11 14:24

TALENTEDMERSEYSIDETalent shines brightly

CAREERS OPEN DAY

Budding engineers from schools acrossMerseyside converged on LiverpoolTown Hall to find out how to becomeengineers of the future.Engineering Your Future (FYF) was afree one-day careers eventto provide students withan insight into thebroad scope of acareer inengineering.The event wasthe only event ofits kind to havethe backing of theUK’s leadingengineeringgroups andinstitutions.

ACTION FOR CHILDRENThe musicians of Archbishop Beck College tookpart in Action for Children’s Christmas Concertat Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, before agathering of over 300 school children fromacross the city. The annual concert has raisedthousands for the children’s charity, which hasgained a reputation over the past 140 years forits excellent work.‘We were very honoured to be asked to play suchan important part in the concert,’ said BruceHicks, Assistant Headteacher at the College.

p39-54:covers 13/1/11 11:42

CELEBRATINGLANDMARKS

Schools celebrateachievements

STATE-OF-THE-ARTNEW BUILDING

Stephen Twigg MP officially opened West DerbySchool’s new £28 million building in hisconstituency at a ceremony at the school. Pupils and staff started the new term at the newbuilding which comes complete with state of theart facilities. The Maths and Computing SpecialistSchool now houses a Theatre and Media Suite,sports and activities studio, an outdoor terrace,catering standard kitchen facilities as well asconference facilities and cutting edge ICT.Stephen Twigg MP, said: “I am delighted to openthe new West Derby School, built as part of theBuilding Schools for the Future programme. Thisgives the students and staff at West Derbybuildings they can be proud of.”

CELEBRATING 170 YEARSSt Thomas’ School, Lydiate celebrated 170 years ofHistory recently. In their foyer they have the schoolbell dated from 1840. Children came to school inVictorian Clothes and experienced what it wouldhave been like to be at school in the nineteenthcentury. They also had some special visitors to helprecreate a Victorian School and published a book ofthe school history which is on sale.

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FUTURE FOUNDATIONS

Schools learn skills for the future

SKILLS AND EXPERTISE

Liverpool Compact EBP recentlyorganised EmployabilityInterviews for Broughton HallHigh School. Business Leadersfrom a variety of companies cameto interview Year 10 students,including Steve Beet (right),Partner at PwC and Ken Harris(far right), Technical DesignArchitect at Liverpool Direct Ltd.Steve was keen to share hisinsight into business with theyoungsters and travelled fromLondon to Liverpool to conductthe ‘mock’ interviews. He said hewas really impressed with theprogramme and enjoyed his dayat school.

COOKING UP A STORMStaff from the children’s charity ‘Not JustCooking’ are cooking up a storm in schools onMerseyside by teaching children about healthyeating and how and what they eat can affecttheir health, well-being, self esteem and that oftheir families and friends.Head Chef, Gavin Williams, gave up a promisingcareer in catering to be more hands on, passingon his skills and love of cooking to make adifference in the lives of young people.If you would like your school to find out moreabout ‘Not Just Cooking contactwww.notjustcooking.com

Chef Gavin Williamsand the Ykids team

p39-54:covers 14/1/11 15:49

COMMUNITYLINKS

Schools link up with local communities

TACKLING ISSUESTHROUGH DRAMA

Following on from the Your Choice Conferences andworking in partnership with Merseytravel and aTheatre Company, the Sefton CommunityEngagement Team has funded the DRAPA project tobe delivered to all Year 7 pupils from the six HighSchools in South Sefton. Pupils from various schoolstook part in a half-day of workshops and usingdrama and rap which tackled the issues surroundingvandalism, graffiti, dog fouling, travelling safely,bullying and grassing through mind-friendlylearning. The project, which was welcomed by pupilsand teachers in the last school year, was held inHugh Baird College, Bootle.

PENSIONERS’ CELEBRATE

Nearly thirtypensionersfrom St Luke'sCourt and theWalton TaxiClub attendedthe annual“ChristmasParty” atAlsop HighSchool. Anevent theylook forwardto every year! The Christmas partyis organised and run by the SixthForm staff and students with a realteam approach! Guests were invitedto a buffet lunch and were alsotreated to a performance of theschool show. This showcased thetalents of Alsop students andencouraged all to get into theChristmas spirit.

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If anyone spotted Mad Hatters,White Rabbits, Jesters and BugBands in Croxteth recently youweren’t mistaken. During December the students ofSt John Bosco Arts Collegeperformed Alice in Croxteth.Ann Pontifex, Headteacher at StJohn Bosco Arts College, said, “Iam immensely proud of all of thecollege community, the excitementabout the production built up daily.Taking part in such alarge scaleproduction, withover 200 studentsbeing involved inthe cast, band, stage crew andproduction team, remains in anindividual’s memory for the rest oftheir life”.

Sophie Craven asthe White RabbitENCHANTED

TALESA wonderland performance

Bling The Bumble Bee – StephanieDa Maia; Karl the Cockroach –Charlotte Dolan and Shelby theLadybird – Emily Woosey

Lauren McQueenas Alice

The Queen of Hearts –Ailish Taylor Jones

Mad Hatter –Antonia Hamer

The Wonderland Singers

Wonderland Dance TeamWitch of the woods – Sam Jones

with the Wonderland Chorus

p39-54:covers 13/1/11 11:42

For more details contact: email: Catherine Chapman Deputy Head at [email protected] or Ian Thornhill Business Manager [email protected]

Space to Develop » Space to Grow » Space to Play » Space to learn » Space to Hire

The new £32 million Gateacre School opens September 2011.With state of the art facilities for the whole community.In 2010 – 71% A*-C at GCSE and 99% A-level pass rate.

Watch this space!Our new-look Gateacre School

Sports Barn

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MULTI-PURPOSE OUTDOOR SPORTS AREA

267-seat theatre

Conference facilities

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p39-54:covers 13/1/11 11:42

Gateacre’s latest spectacular Musicand Drama Christmas productionwas ‘Grease’. The production sawover 100 talented students of allages sing, dance, play music andchoreograph the show. Studentsalso worked on lighting, sound,and stage management, set, makeup and costume design.Collaboratively, the pupils pulledtogether an outstandingproduction attended by familyand friends, the localcommunity and even the LordMayor of Liverpool made aspecial mission to see theshow. The contractors ofGateacre’s new school BalfourBeatty sponsored theproduction.

GREASE IS THE WORD

Electrifying show

Trumpeters CharlesSweeney, Jack Rigby

CheerleaderRebecca

Dramond

Danny - Jack Dodd

Sarah Walker

Danielle Bowers and JamesKewley

Georgia Bowers, Megan Mather,Sarah Walker Jake Rainford, Joseph Green, Connor Kristensen, Martyn Sayer

p55-72:covers 13/1/11 14:51

Our Secret is Our Success

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p55-72:covers 13/1/11 11:48

St Julies’ Christmasproduction this yearwas a resoundingsuccess, involving acast of over onehundred students from all years.This gave A level dance, drama andBTEC music performance studentsthe opportunity to display theirimpressive performance skills.Local primary school pupils wereentranced and terrified of the man-eating plant ‘Audrey2’ at the specialmatinee performance. The fourevening performances were asellout. The imaginative set wasdesigned by Art teacher, Mrs.Preston, and the plant was kindlylent from Gateacre School. Thecombination of high quality acting,dazzling choreography and singing,backed by highly talentedmusicians resulted in a productiondescribed as “an outstandingprofessional performance”.

Ashley Mills inthe lead role

of ‘Audrey’

Isobel Hawkins as ‘Seymour’

Peter Harrison

Glam chorus girls’ Marieta Daly, MeganKelleher and Dominique Daly

VanesssaMae Park as

‘Mushnik’

WOOLTONROCKS

To The Little Shop of Horrors

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Organised by Liverpool CompactEducation Business Partnership,companies including Barclay’sBank, Liverpool Daily Post & Echo,British Transport Police andGlendale Liverpool, met the staffand pupils at Holly Lodge Girls’College, toured the school, gainedan insight into school life todayand heard about the benefits ofEducation and Business workingtogether.Head Teacher Julia Tinsley said:“The event allowed our students tohave direct contact with potentialemployers and enabled employersto recognise the great wealth oftalent within our school…..a greatsuccess.”

EDUCATIONSHOWCASEBusiness leaders go

back to school

Liz Roberts, Liverpool Compact EBP,Julia Tinsley, Holly Lodge Girls’College, Mike Corley, Liverpool

Compact EBP

Holly Lodge students with Michael Connor and Richard Thompson fromBritish Transport Police

Head Girls – Sarah Thomasand Nahida Ullah

Staff and Governors from Holly Lodge Girls’College and Liverpool Compact EBP

Andy Dockerty, ManagingDirector of Adlib Audio

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Year 1 and 2 BTEC Performing Artsstudents from Roby CommunityCollege put on an entertaining andoriginal panto, entitled ‘AladdinUnder The Sea’. The pantomime merged thetraditional stories of Aladdinand the Little Mermaidtogether and includedsongs from all eras, to helptell the story. Aladdin falls in love withAriel and they have to provetheir love to friends andfamily. The adventure leadsthem through battles onland and under the seaas they race againsttime to get Ariel out ofa fixed marriage to anevil octopus.

ALADDINUNDER THE SEA

Epic love story at Roby

The WickedDame makes a

point

Year 1 and 2students fromthe performingArts

Aladdin meetsAriel

LaurenSidwell asAbanaazer

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Viewpoint

Should students be able to endacademic education at 14 infavour of vocational training

Eddie Ritson – Executive Member of the NationalUnion of Teachers“It is not acceptable that, at the age of 14, pupils may beforced into specific learning routes which could restricttheir future education or career choices. The NUT has long argued that all students should haveaccess to a broad and balanced curriculum within a singlediploma framework. The government needs to create a single overarchingqualification that embraces all young people and does notlabel them as one thing or another at such a young age”.

Trish Barker – ParentI think as long as students have obtained a minimum levelof academic standards, which would need to be defined,then for a percentage of students the option of thenundertaking vocational education only is a positivepossibility for them and the economy. It would improve themorale of such students, that would normally be strugglingwith the prospect of academic only qualifications.

Rob Peacock – Principal, Carmel College, St HelensThe main objective of education is to open up opportunitiesfor young people. I would be very worried if students werelocked into a particular career path at the age of 14. Thereis a danger that UTC’s will become places only for lowerachievers and that this will impact mainly ondisadvantaged young people. Scarce resources would bemuch better used helping existing colleges and schoolsachieve the aim of the improving student achievement andsocial mobility.

John Patino – Deputy Headteacher, Alsop HighSchool, Liverpool Personalised learning programmes and pathways areessential if we are to engage young people and enablemore of them to achieve success and become successfulmembers of society. Clearly basic skills of literacy,numeracy and IT are prerequisites, but the flexibility tofollow a ‘vocational’ pathway as opposed to a purelyacademic one must be preserved if we are to maximize thepotential of all young people.

Are less able students being pushed into vocational courses and pupils forced to makeimportant decisions about their future at too young an age?

Have your say:To suggest or contribute toa topic for debate inViewpoint email us at: [email protected] to view our on-line poll visit: www.educatemagazine.com

Up to 70 technicalschools teachingpractical skills could beopened before the nextelection, according toLord Baker of Dorking,the former Toryeducation secretarywho is heading thescheme.

Baker said the schoolswere not a smallexperiment but amovement designed totackle a shortage ofyoung people withvocational skills.

"If we are going tohave high-speed rail,the fastest broadbandin the world, newnuclear power stations,we are going to needtechnicians," he said."We simply don't haveenough technicallyorientated peoplecoming through."

Eddie Ritson

Trish Barker

Rob Peacock

John Patino


p55-72:covers 14/1/11 15:31

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WHERE CAN WE GO?Your guide to what’s happening out & about in Merseyside

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Will Lola ever tidy herroom and will Charlie getLola to sleep, even thoughshe is not sleepy and willnot go to bed? The Tigerswant their bedtime milk,the Dancing Dogs haveborrowed Lola’s pyjamas –not to mention the Ogre inthe wardrobe! Don’t misseveryone’s favouritebrother and sister.

Charlie and Lola’s Best Play

The X Factor - Live!Echo Arena Liverpool,Kings Dock, LiverpoolTuesday 8th MarchTickets £32.500844 8000 400

Following last year’s record breaking tour, demand is going tobe huge for The X Factor Live Tour which will call into the EchoArena on Tuesday 8th March 2011.The seventh series of The X Factor became the talking point ofthe nation with a record average of 16 million tuning in eachweek. Now fans of the show have the chance to see theirfavourite acts perform live, as the final nine contestants are con-firmed to appear on 2011’s X Factor Live Tour. Taking to the stage this year are 2010 winner Matt Cardle, Liverpool’s own Rebecca Ferguson, One Direction, Cher Lloyd, Mary Byrne, Katie Waissel, Wagner, Paije Richardson and Aiden Grimshaw.

6th February Liverpool ChinatownCity Centre

The arch is the perfectbackdrop for ChineseNew Year celebrationsthis February, as the citywaves goodbye to theYear of the Tiger and wel-comes the Year of theRabbit. With somethingfor all ages, don't miss thetraditional Lion, Dragonand Unicorn Parade andthe Firecraker Display inGreat George Square.Free event

Chinese New Year

Not to be

missedLiverpool Performing ArtsFestival 2011St George’s Hall, LiverpoolFebruary 28th-March 18th0151 233 2008www.liverpoolperformingarts.co.ukDon’t miss the 87th Liverpool Performing Arts Festival2011 - Liverpool’s longest standing platform for talentedpeople.Over 4000 performers from across the North West will de-scend on St George’s Hall over two weeks to showcasetheir talents in music, speech, drama and dance fromsolo verse to 60 strong choirs and orchestras from ages 5to 80.Past festival winners include Sir Simon Rattle, ClaireSweeney, BBC Young Musician of the Year Mark Simp-son and X-Factor finalist Ray Quinn.

MustSee

FLAWLESS Liverpool Empire Theatre7th February 2011Tickets: £23.25

Great

one to

watch

The stars ofStreetdance3D andBritain's GotTalent presenttheir first soloshow. This in-spirationaldance acthave becomean international phenomenon with stunning streetdance and jaw dropping moves. They've worked withsome of the biggest names in music includingMadonna, Beyonce, Leona Lewis and Jamelia andwon countless awards including World Dance Cham-pions and Best Street Dance Act.You've seen them on television, now it's time to seethem live in this breathtaking, dizzying debut showfrom one of the UK's hottest dance acts. Don't miss!

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FILM REVIEW GAME REVIEW

8th April Port Sunlight Museum& Garden Village 0844 847 2525

Take part in a trail of fun,quirky and informativepublic art installations.Delivering the event isthe award-winning Wildin Art Company, theteam behind the phe-nomenal Go Superlam-bananas and Go Pen-guins, and the LiverpoolLantern Company.

Child of the Wirral

5th MarchHesketh ParkPark Crescent, South-port 0151 934 2932

HONEY is Pif-Paf's ac-claimed journey into theworld of the bee and itsrelationship with man.Performed four times aday in a Giant HiveHONEY is an intimate30 minute multi-mediashow for all ages. Startsat 11:00

HONEY

7th-19th FebruarySt George’s HallLiverpool0151 225 6909

The whole Great Hall willbe transformed into themagical land using 590mof sky, 320m of snow, aforest of 80 pine treesand a cast and crew of500 that are made up ofvolunteers. The NarniaExperience has been de-scribed as ‘ingenious,truly fantastic and bril-liant’.

Narnia

9th-10th March Southport Theatre andConvention CentreSouthport01704 540545

From the land of legendsand warrior Shaolinmonks comes the incredi-ble new Chinese StateCircus production – thelive acrobatic spectacular- Mulan.Entertainment for all thefamily - from the world’sleading Chinese acrobats.Tickets: £12.25 - £24.75

Chinese State Circus

Super MarioGalaxy 2

NintendoWii

Verdict: ★★★★★By Andy Kelly

Things are once again rotten in the MushroomKingdom. Bowser has taken Princess Peach prisoner for theumpteenth time, forcing Mario to momentarily put hisplumbing gig on hold to rescue his fair lady. The best thingthat can be said about the story is that it mostly stays inthe background. A few lighthearted exchanges betweenMario and his foes precede major battles, but there is onlya brief break in the action before you get back to flingingfireballs and cracking shells. In fact, Galaxy 2 is much morestreamlined than its predecessor. The elaborate hub worldthat has appeared in each of Mario's previous 3Dadventures has been scrapped and replaced by an easy-to-navigate map that lets you hop right into the next level.Galaxy 2 has less downtime than the original, ensuringyou're always engaged and entertained. The sights and sounds are so enthralling that you can justsit back, relax, and take in everything. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is so phenomenal that it's difficult toimagine where Mario could possibly go in the future. Butthat's hardly your concern now. Mario proves that he is stillthe king of fun.

Tron Legacy 3D Rated PG

Cast: Jeff Bridges, GarrettHedlund, Olivia Wilde,Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, BeauGarrett

Verdict: ★★★★✩By Andy Kelly

In 1982, Disney’s Tron became a cult classic. Basedon arcade, the film followed game designer KevinFlynn (Jeff Bridges), who hacks into a computersystem but finds himself trapped in a world of neon,disc games and light cycle battles. Sam Flynn, a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by themysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn, a manonce known as the world's leading video-game developer.When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the oldFlynn's Arcade - a signal that could only come from hisfather - he finds himself pulled into a digital world whereKevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of thefearless warrior Quorra, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyberuniverse - a universe created by Kevin himself that hasbecome far more advanced with never-before-imaginedvehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain whowill stop at nothing to prevent their escape. Enjoyable with plenty of action and CGI effects but thestory plods along in parts.

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Book Review by Jennifer Dobson

In association with

5-8 YearsThe Clumsies Make a Mess of the Big Show by Sorrel Anderson – £4.99 The Clumsies are back in their third and most hilarious book yet! Full of exciting actionand wit we've come to expect, this latest instalment will have everyone checking undertheir desks for talking mice! A real laugh a minute read!

Magic Tree House-Valley of the Dinosaurs by Mary Pope Osbourne – £3.99Eight-year-old Jack and his little sister, Annie, are playing in the woods during theirsummer holiday, when they find a mysterious tree house full of books. But these are noordinary books ... and this is no ordinary tree house ... read all about Jack and Annie asthey get more than they bargained for. A fantastic tale all about Dinosaurs and prehistorictimes. A great read!

Puddle the Naughtiest Puppy-Star of the School by Hayley Daze – £4.99When Puddle the Puppy comes to play, magic is never far away! Puddle is a naughtypuppy who loves to go on magical adventures with his friends Ruby and Harry. He only hasto jump into a puddle for the magic to begin. Join Puddle and friends on an adventure tothe Wild West! Just beware there is an outlaw on the loose!

Are you a librarian, teacher or purchasing manager? Do you buy books for your business or institution? Waterstones Liverpool offers a comprehensive account sales service. Contact Vic Brazel, Sales Department, Waterstones Liverpool, 14-16 Bold Street, Liverpool L1 4DS. Tel: 0151 707 1649

9-12 Years FictionSparks by Ally Kennen – £6.99Three children plot to give their grandpa his dying wish of a Viking funeral in a burningboat heading out to sea. A funny moving family adventure about love, death, sailing andcoffin stealing and a race against time to achieve the impossible!

Tithe by Holly Black – £6.99Do you believe in faeries? Not the soft, gentle kind, but the sinister, feral kind - the onesthat wreak havoc on everything in their path ... sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad.Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band, until anominous attack forces them back to her childhood home. A fantastic novel by Holly Black,and one of her best. You won’t want to put it down...

Deep by Helen Dunmore – £5.99A devastating flood has torn through the worlds of Air and Ingo, and now, deep in theocean, a monster is stirring. Mer legend says that only those with dual blood - half Mer,half human - can overcome the Kraken. With the help of the whale Sapphy must now facethis terrifying creature with the help of her friends. A truly heart warming story and a taleof strength and survival.

Teenage FictionTime of the Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones – £5.99A ghost turns up one summer day, alone in a world she once knew, among people whowere once her family. She knows she is one of four sisters, but which one? She only knowsthat an accident has happened. One of her sisters is about to die unless she can use thefuture to reshape the past. How will she warn them if they don’t know she exists? Agripping tale from start to finish and will have you sat on the edge of your seat!

Being Billy by Phil Earle – £6.99Eight years in a care home makes Billy Finn a professional lifer. And Billy's angry - withthe system, the social workers, and the mother that gave him away. As far as Billy'sconcerned, he's on his own. His brother and sister keep him going but even they can’tkeep him out of trouble. Billy is happy just being Billy. A heart-warming story and an eyeopener. Fantastically written and has already become a favourite title of the year so far!

Candor by Pam Bachorz – £6.99Oscar Banks lives in the pristine town of Candor. Son of the mayor, he is good-looking,smart and popular. And he knows something he's not supposed to - he knows about thebrainwashing messages embedded in the music that plays all over the town. Can he find away of banishing the messages and will he then risk his new found technology on helpingnewest arrival Nia. Psychological and a Big Brother in the making. A gripping tale...

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My SchoolRuffwood Comprehensive School, Kirkby, the

school closed in 2009.

My Favourite TeacherMrs Dot Hurley (my cateringteacher of course) she is now alecturer at Roby College.

My Favourite Subject at SchoolWell the obvious answer has to

be Catering, it goes without saying.

Were you streetwise or a bit of a geek?

Oh, I was a total geek at school.

My Favourite ChildhoodSinger/Band

I was a big fan of The TalkingHeads and especially the lead

singer David Byrne.

My Favourite Extra-Cur-ricular ActivityCooking (told you I was a geek), I spent all my timetrying out differentrecipes.

Do you remem-ber your firstschool crush?My first schoolcrush was on a girlcalled GillianCarmichael (Iwouldn’t know hernow if I ran her over).

My Favourite BookIn school it had to be ‘Stig of theDump’ and out ofschool is‘Made inGreatBritain’ ofcourse (mybook).

School Din-nersI wasn’t agreat fan ofschool dinners,the less saidabout them the better!

My Ambitions at SchoolMy ambition at school was not to be a geek

but I failed miserably (once a geek always a geek I suppose).

My School DaysAiden Byrne – Michelin starred Chef

Kirkby-born chef,Aiden Byrne firstcame to prominencewhen he was work-ing at Adlard’s inNorwich, where atthe age of 22 he be-came the youngestever chef to win aMichelin star. Hewent on to work atother Michelin-starred restaurants,alongside knowl-edgeable chefs such as PaulRankin and TomAikens, before fullyestablishing his own identity as head chefat The Grill in theDorchester Hotel. He is now part own-er of the ChurchGreen Restaurant inCheshire.Aiden says that he ispassionate about

British ingredients, and

has recently written a cookbook - Aiden Byrne: Made in Great Britain

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Open EveningWednesday2nd March 20117.00-9.00pm

Admissions Presentation at 7.00pm

For further information please contact:John Foulkes M.B.E, Director of Sixth Form

St Margaret’s CE Sixth Form CentreAigburth Road, Liverpool L17 6AB

Tel: 0151 427 1825 Fax: 0151 427 9430Email: [email protected]

Web: www.stmargaretshigh.com

St Margaret’s Sixth Form

“Once they embark on

courses students

invariably complete

them successfully.”

Ofsted

“Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding because of the frequent opportunities they are given for reflection and expression.”

Ofsted

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CALDERSTONES SCHOOLA Specialist Science College

Harthill Road, Liverpool L18 3HSTel: 0151 724 2087

Take acloser lookCalderstones Specialist Science Collegehas excellent facilities including 15 ScienceLaboratories, extensive Sports provision, Art rooms and Drama facilities. Our examresults are amongst the best in Liverpool andwe always aim to offer each pupil as manyopportunities as possible both inside andoutside the classroom.

“The school’s true commitment to ensuring that all studentshave equal opportunities to reach their potential is at theheart of everything it does.Students are known as individuals and feel extremely safebecause of the school’s outstanding provision for their care,guidance and support.”

OFSTED November 2010

For a prospectus call 0151 724 2087or visit www.calderstones.co.uk

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educate magazine issue 13

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