The photograph shown immediately below was taken in September as we came back to start the new school year. Since then work on our new premises has progressed at quite a pace as you can see by comparing the photograph further below that was taken just a few days ago.

Congratulations to 8PAR the winners of the KS3 final and to 10WAB who were the victors in the KS4 final. Both forms had above target attendance as follows 8PAR 96.7% and 10WAB 97.6%. In order to get through the entire completion they had to maintain high attendance throughout. Edible prizes of Toast & Chocolate will be awarded to all form tutors and Mr Parkhill and Mr Warburton their Tutors.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

After three weeks of frenzied activity the results of the Grange Olympics are as follows:

Olympics week 1: 1st Castle

2nd Bridgewater 3rd Priory

4th Brindley

Olympics week 2: 1st Bridgewater

2nd Brindley 3rd Priory 4th Castle

Olympics week 3:

1st Priory 2nd Bridgewater

3rd Brindley 4th Castle

During the summer term, several Year 10 students entered Priestley College‟s Creative Writing Competition, competing against other young writers across Warrington, Frodsham, Halton, Golborne and Lowton.

Our cohort were incredibly successful, winning one of the categories and being placed second in a further two categories. Feedback was provided from Priestley College, and their writing was described as „compelling‟, „insightful‟ and „perceptive‟.

The awards were as follows: Ritchie Redmond – 1st place for Science and Technology essay Reece Moore – 2nd place for Influential People essay Lauren Sutherland – 2nd place for Creative

Writing.

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Spot the Difference

Attendance Competition

Grange Olympics

Writing Competition

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

Another busy and successful year comes to an end. Back in September we opened our doors, encouraged by the sixth consecutive set of improved results. Not content to rest on our laurels, we introduced a new word and around school I often heard teachers asking pupils “What‟s your MEG” or “Your MEG in this subject is…” Our new weapon in driving up standards, the so called Minimum Expected Grade made a resounding impression upon pupils, staff, parents and carers alike. Before the month was out pupils in years 11, 10 and 9 together with parents and carers, were called in to have their MEG meetings with members of my senior team.

Later in the autumn we received news that our Science department had been awarded the Prince‟s Teaching Institute Mark which was a suitable accolade given the impressive GCSE results return in the summer. On a different front, nine pupils from years 10 and 9 attended training to become Anti-Bullying Ambassadors and who have over the year introduced initiatives to help victims of bullying and to prevent it happening in the first place. It was a great honour that in the summer term, Alex Holmes the Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme Manager, visited our school and spent a day with pupils. He was a huge success and provided a great boost to our Ambassadors.

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In November we received some really encouraging news that we were on our way to secure what I am confident will be another set of record results. In ICT we had a record haul of A and A* grades for their coursework component and so we wait expectantly for the results in August. I was really pleased that I was able to announce the results of the election for Head Boy and Head Girl. It had been many years since the Grange had last had a Head Boy & Girl. It was especially pleasing that the idea to reintroduce the posts came from the pupils themselves. Barnaby Byrom and Hollie Bousefield were duly elected and since then they have been wonderful role models and put in an enormous amount of work to establish the importance of their positions. Well done to them both. As the year came to a close we introduced the house Tug of War competition and for such a simple idea it certainly caught the imagination of pupils and staff alike. Priory became the first winners of the annual competition.

Review of the Year

Just to prove that it wasn‟t all brawn here at the Grange, we organised a “Bright Sparks” event on a Saturday morning in late November where the most able pupils in years 5,6 and 7 studied music, ICT, French and history in master classes run by teaching staff. As if to make the point, 77 of our brightest mathematicians from Y11 were entered early for their GCSE and all of them passed at C above with 40% achieving A* or A grades. Not wishing to neglect the arts, at about the same time 10 of our pupils from across the years were entered for music exams, certificated by the London College of Music. All ten pupils passed and three of them achieved the highest award of a Distinction. With such a pedigree of success in music I had no doubt that the concert staged just before half term would be a big success; and it was!

In March I sent Mr Burton packing; that is, to prepare for a visit to Oman on a cultural exchange organised by the British Council. In return The Grange played host to four teachers from the Maharajah Aggarsain School in Delhi. Eight year 9 pupils were awarded the National Certificate of Further Education Level 1 Interpersonal Skills Award following their successful completion of the Teens & Toddlers programme.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

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The girls spent one afternoon each week for eighteen weeks on the programme, during which time they were attached to a toddler at a local nursery.

As the spring term came to a close, the Grange organised a week of activities in support of Sport Relief. House competitions ranged from The Great Grange Bake Off to Dodgeball and was rounded off with a mile run around the sports field.

Not being prone to complacency, the maths department decided that the top 4 sets in Year 10 were ready to take their GCSE a year early. Of the 105 pupils who took the exam, 75% successfully achieved a grade C or better and 24% achieved the top grades of A* or A. With the earlier success of Year 11 it seemed that our pupils had a gift for maths.

Review of the Year

One of our higher achieving pupils in Year 11, Jordan Maddock, also demonstrated his ability as manager of the winning Castle House team in the Schools Fantasy Football League. A somewhat more senior associate of the Grange also enjoyed success on the football front as Mr Raymond Gandy, a long serving governor, was voted Liverpool FC‟s Fan of the Season. Mr Gandy is a regular visitor to the school and indulges his passion for music by accompanying many of our youngsters who take music exams. As we progressed into the summer term and the rain started to fall (!), our new building really began to take shape and to mark the “Topping Out” ceremony, Y7 pupils were invited to write poetry. The winning poems were from Daniel Brown, Megan Hughes and Kiera Worrall.

Not to be outdone, four Year 8 pupils, Stevie Andrucci, Connor Lindsay, Jack Bushell and Scott Mee were selected to represent the Halton & District Football League.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

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It was also time to elect a new Head Boy & Head Girl and in a close run campaign the successful candidates were Richie Redmond and Amy Pinkney. The previous Head Boy & Girl were well into the exam period and as that ended we said farewell to Year 11 with a leavers assembly and a day later at their Prom. Both were very special occasions and the pupils‟ behaviour was impeccable. I was privileged to be able to attend both and enjoy the company of a fine year group. During the Whitsun half term holiday, members of Year 7 enjoyed a trip to Paris which included the obligatory visit to Disneyland. They also enjoyed a VIP visit to the Stade de France which was a suitable appetiser for the European Championships. Back in school as the Championships played out, we held our own version based around attendance at school. 2012 will be remembered as the year the Olympics came to London and Runcorn. If you haven‟t viewed the Olympic Torch relay video yet take a look on our website. It marked the start of three weeks of House Competition with the aim of ensuring that every pupil and every member of staff participated in at least one event. Some of the events were, to say the least, a little bizarre. Ker-plunk, Giant Jenga, Paper Plane Throwing and Subbuteo. Sadly our Athletics Championship had to cancelled due to the weather but at least we were able to run the Swimming Gala at the Kingsway Leisure Centre. Brindley House were victorious. A busy and enjoyable year comes to an end but I look forward to continuing to send you my monthly newsletter next year packed full of information and stories of pupil success and achievement.

Review of the Year

Uniform

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

Uniform plays an important role in setting standards and creating a positive and professional impression. It is also a key factor in establishing a sense of community and identity with school. I am a keen advocate of school uniform and I expect all pupils to comply and for parents and carers to support me and my staff by ensuring their children come to school in the correct uniform. The uniform is straightforward and so it is always very disappointing when a few parents/carers each year do not cooperate fully and buy items of clothing that do not meet the requirements. In particular this applies to shoes. The full list of uniform is listed below. Blazers, sweaters, ties and P.E. kit are available from the school shop during the dates below: - Monday 30th July: 10.00am till 2.00pm Tuesday 31st July: 10.00am till 2.00pm Monday 14th August: 10.00am till 2.00pm Tuesday 15th August: 10.00am till 2.00pm Tuesday 28th August: 10.00am till 2.00pm Wednesday 29th August: 10.00am till 2.00pm Thursday 30th August: 10.00am till 2.00pm Friday 31st August: 10.00am till 2.00pm Shirts, trousers, skirts are purchased elsewhere but I would urge parents and carers to buy functional and cost effective items rather than expensive brands that usually only last as long a non-branded products.

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Uniform List: - * White shirt (stiff collar)

* School Tie

* School Blazer (blue with badge)

* School Jumper (navy blue with badge)

* Black Trousers or Black skirt (must be plain, not denims, jeans or cords) * Black shoes

* White socks

School PE Kit also available from the school shop.

Please ensure that you clearly label blazers and PE

kits.

Price lists and order forms are available from the

school reception throughout the summer period if

you wish to collect one.

Thank You and Goodbye

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

From September I will be sending out my newsletter with our new school logo, designed to reflect the shape of our new building, our four Houses and the coming together of the Nursery, Infant, Junior and Secondary schools. The newsletter will also be restyled over the holiday by Miss McGuffie who works hard behind the scenes to ensure that the newsletter you receive each month is a good quality publication. Each year we say goodbye to a number of staff as they move to pastures new. To each of them I extend good wishes for the future and sincere thanks for their contribution to the Grange. Mr Coleman, Mrs Banner and Mr Tarry are retiring after 104 years of service to the school. At times it may have seemed like they have been here forever but that figure is, of course, their combined number of years‟ service to the school. Mr Coleman joined in 1975, Mrs Banner in 1976 and Mr Tarry in 1981. As a former pupil of the Grange, Mrs Banner has spent a total of 41 years in this school; now that‟s what I call commitment!

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Also retiring are Mrs McDermott who came here in 1998 and Mr Green who joined in 2007.

Mr Fabia is leaving after 8 years to take time out to explore the world whilst Miss Khalil takes up a teaching position on the other side of the world in Dubai.

We also say goodbye to Mr Phillips and Mrs Goldson who have had been employed to cover maternity leave.

New staff arriving in September are Miss Oliver (Science) and Mr Workman (Design & Technology)

New School Logo

2012-13 Term Dates

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

The new term begins for all pupils on Tuesday 4th September 2012. Year 7 start at 8.30am and Years 8-11 will start at 10.45am.

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Our Pastoral Support Coordinators, Mrs Alexander, Ms Cooney, Mrs Price and Mrs Tomalin have recently attended assembly for each year group and explained the support they give to pupils. One of the services provided by the team is to respond to the SHARP system. This is an online service in which pupils can report any issues that are affecting them or their peers. This does not replace face to face support; however this is an avenue by which pupils are able to highlight problems anonymously should they prefer. Pupils are also able to use this service to report issues in the community. In these circumstances we will make a judgement as to whether this is a police matter. If we deem this appropriate we have three named officers to whom we are able to refer; PC Garmston, PC Thompson and PCSO Bennett. The SHARP system is available to pupils and parents and carers who are able to access this service via the school website by clicking into the Parent section and then useful websites link.

We strive to continually improve the standards we achieve at school; academic, behaviour, attendance, punctuality, uniform and appearance. We have made significant improvements this year and we look to continue this next year. It is only possible to make such progress with your support; thank you and have a happy summer! Thank you for your continued support throughout the year. On behalf of myself, the staff and Governors of the school may I wish you a lovely summer!

New Term

Return Finish

Tuesday 4th September Friday 19th October

Monday 29th October Thursday 20th December

Monday 7th January Friday 15th February

Monday 25th February Thursday 28th March

Tuesday 16th April Friday 24th May

Monday 3rd June Friday 19th July

INSET DAYS

Monday 3rd September

Monday 15th April

Monday 22nd July

Tuesday 23rd July

Wednesday 24th July

The Sharp System

Here comes Summer...

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

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The Year in Pictures The Year in Pictures

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

Headlines

The Year in Pictures The Year in Pictures

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney

July 2012 Issue

Headlines

The Year in Pictures The Year in Pictures