Prudhoe Community High School

Newsletter

Autumn 2016 Issue 1

Justine Greening, Secretary of State

for Education, meets with PCHS

School Council during

school visit.

Contents

New term welcome

School Trips

Hexham Jobs Fair

Results Days & OFSTED

South Africa

Fringe Fun

Visit from Mark Levy

Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning

Rich Cottell – Sixth Form Assembly

Year 9 DT Transistion Project Winners

School tour with The Rt Hon Justine Greene – SoS for Education

Girls Rugby

Alumni

Year 9 Science Club

Art Club

Extra Curricular Clubs & Activities

Food Court Information

New Term Welcome – Year 9

Wednesday 7 September saw the school welcome our very smartly dressed new Year 9’s into our new schoolbuilding. The students were very excited to meet up with all their friends and make new ones in their tutor groups. Over the course of three days the students experienced exploring their new surroundings using map reading skills, group acitivties and team building and of course lessons and meeting their new subject teachers.

Year 9 Settling in Evening

As we approach the end of the first half-term we would like to take the opportunity to inform you of an important event that will take place at school from 4.00pm until 7.00pm on Tuesday 1 November. We would like to invite you to meet with your child's form tutor. This 5-10 minute interview will be an opportunity to find out, from the person who knows them best, how your child is performing, as well as seeing how they are fitting in to the wider life of Prudhoe Community High School.

Throughout the evening we shall be giving short presentations, every half hour for 15 minutes, running at 4.00pm, 4.30pm, 5.00pm, 5.30pm and 6.00pm to cover aspects of Year 9 including: the year ahead, our STAR marking policy and Assessment. You can also take a tour of our new building to see our fantastic facilities.

We do expect all students and parents/carers to attend this event, students do not need to wear their school uniform. Students should book a mutually convenient time between 4.00pm and 7.00pm with their form tutor. Please ensure they do this as soon as possible if you need a particular time slot, as appointments will be allocated on a first come first served basis. We are also aware that these dates may be unsuitable for you. If this is the case please contact Mrs J Davidson .

School Trips

At the end of the summer term we waved off groups of our students on school trips to Boppard in the Rhineland in Germany for the Swing Band Music Tour, Year 9 Paris trip, and a group of our sixth formers travelled to South Africa to take part in Project Gateway 2016 All our students enjoyed embracing the cultures of the countries they visited and were fantastic ambassadors for Prudhoe Community High School.

Activities week – Paris!

For the sixteenth time, PCHS students enjoyed everything Paris has to offer that we can squeeze into four full days. Excellent weather, a pretty good hotel, theme park frolics and a cultural day in the city itself, with many students trying out their French and competing with Mr Larrataguy for the number of selfies they could fit in. The countdown has already begun for our 2017 trip,with all available places filled within two days of the letters being distributed. We’re looking forward to it already!

Swing Band Music Tour – Germany

Forthcoming Trips: Iceland – July 2017 Ski Trip – 27 December 2016 Places still available please see Mr West Year 9 Paris – July 2017 Sports Tour – July 2017

Hexham Jobs Fair

A significant focus in Year 11 is on students progression at the end of Key Stage 4. In order to enable informed decision making about this important next step, a number of our Year 11 students attended the Hexham Jobs Fair in Hexham Mart in September. This was a morning event focused on providing information about apprenticeships and job opportunities.The feedback from this event was positive with students saying that they felt more informed about potential employment and training in the local area.

What our students said: “It was good to get an insight at what employers are looking for…” (Callum) “I was set on going to college, however now I’m more open minded.” (Lucy) “I came out with a lot more ideas and even came away with an interview for a part-time job.” (Lauren)” “Free pens” (Katie)

Year 11 Students with Guy Opperman MP at Hexham Jobs Fair, Hexham Mart

A Gray – Head of Achievement & Learning Year 11

Results Days & OFSTED Visitors

Results Days this summer were a great experience for two reasons; firstly we celebrated our best

ever GCSE and A level results and secondly the Results Days took place in our fantastic new

building . We were delighted with the achievements of our Year 11 and Year 13 students and would

like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents and carers for all their support too.

This half term has been a

really incredible

experience.

We began by opening our

door on 7 September to

our new Year 9’s and they

settled in extremely quickly

and very well. We opened

fully to all year groups on

Monday 12 September and

received a call from Ofsted

which began the inspection

process. As you will know

we are delighted with the

outcome and you will see

below some key quotes

from our recently published

report.

Our extra – curricular programme is in full swing ; the school show ‘Alice in Wonderland’ cast, sports

clubs, matches and fixtures are underway and the Music department is busy rehearsing for events

and showcases.

We were also privileged to host a visit from the Secretary of State for Education , Justine Greening,

with Guy Opperman who spent over an hour at PCHS, talking to our student council, visiting

Geography, PE and Science lessons and speaking with Post 16 students. It was a once in a lifetime

experience for all involved.

We look forward to an equally exciting run up to Christmas and thank all our students for their

excellent behaviour and for settling in so quickly into life in a new school.

Deborah Reeman

Headteacher

“Prudhoe Community High School has improved substantially…. because good leadership

and management have lifted the quality of teaching and raised outcomes.”

“Pupils take a pride in their appearance and conduct themselves in a sensible manner in

class and around school”

“Pupils say that they feel perfectly safe in school and that there is always someone to turn to

if they need reassurance or help.”

“Behaviour in lessons is usually good and frequently outstanding!”

Ofsted 2016

Project Gateway 2016 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

In July, Mr West and Miss Hudspith accompanied eleven sixth form students on the trip of a lifetime to Project Gateway in South Africa. Project Gateway is an organisation that was set up to support a range community development projects. Through these projects, the organisation was able to help people in crisis, providing care, education and empowerment to those in need.

Whilst we were there we visited the homeless overnight shelter and a number of community creches in the large townships that Project Gateway supports. We delivered food parcels and donations that we had brought over from the UK. The children and ladies running the nurseries were so grateful for the gifts such as hats and scarves which they will find so useful in the cold winter months.

Community work was one of the key activities we were going to be carrying out. This included transforming an unused waste land into a functioning vegetable garden, repairing and painting a climbing frame and outdoor play area as well as providing new swing sets and football goal posts.

We also spent a lot of time playing and getting to know the children at the boarding house attached to Project Gateway. Whilst there we played games, sang songs and constructed netball posts and badminton/ volleyball area.

Along with the community work the group also had the opportunity to go on an amazing safari, have a trip to Durban taking in the sights as well as a visit to the capture site of Nelson Mandela.

Prudhoe Community High School have set up a foundation in conjunction with Project Gateway with the purpose of assisting those who have been left orphaned or had tragedy in their life with the costs of being educated at Gateway Christian School and being looked after at the Boarding House. When in Africa we witnessed the amazing things Project Gateway does to support families and children and hope that with continued fundraising we will be able to have a positive effect on lots more people.

G Hudspith – Acting Assistant Head & Head of Girls PE

Fringe Fun / Looking Ahead

August 14th-21st saw our senior company, Violet Shock, performing a home grown horror, Wychwood, at Space Venue 9, Niddry Street, what has become our regular performance space when we head across the border. Well above usual Fringe numbers for an unknown show thoroughly enjoyed the built in shocks and illusion, and we can say a good time was had by all. We had excellent accommodation and students enjoyed the independence of being self-sufficient. They very quickly learned the best ways to part company with a large number of fliers on the Royal Mile and perhaps more than in any previous venture, embraced the opportunity to see a wide range of performance arts with ‘improv’ shows proving particularly popular.

We never like to give ourselves time for a post-show vacuum, so auditions are in full swing for our new school show, Alice, a take on both Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass which will be about as far away from Disney as it’s possible to imagine. We’re really excited to get this one up and running and by the standard of the young people we’ve had auditioning thus far, it’s going to be a good one to christen the new performance space. Odd to consider we won’t have to worry about whether it’s warm enough, dark enough or whether the audience should be warned to bring their own cushions! Alice will be up in the Spring Term, so keep an eye out for dates.

Y Rushmere – Teacher of English

Visit from Mark Levy – Civil Rights Speaker

We were delighted to welcome a visitor from New York City to PCHS whom we first met on a school trip to Manhatten in 2014. Mark Levy was at the March on Washington in 1963 and also went to Mississippi in 1964 to work on voter registration and summer schools for African-American children. He has continued to work on social issues since the 60s.

Mark kindly took time out of a holiday in the North-East to give a presentation to Year 11 and Sixth Form Historians about his experiences, but also challenged our young people to think about their role in the modern world.

Barney Denton – “It was refreshing to talk to someone who was there.” Harvey Parkin-Christie – “I thought it was really good and Mark was inspirational…..he went through everything and he had first hand experience.”

A Gray – Teacher of History & HAL of Year 11

Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning

On Friday 29 September the Sixth Form Sports Leaders organised and ran a Big Coffee Morning at break and lunchtime in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Students and staff would like to thank everyone who baked the wonderful donations or munched their way throughthe delicious creations. We raised a total of over £300.

R McDonald – Teacher of PE

Rich Cottell – Sixth Form PSHE Assembly

This half term our Post 16 students were treated to a fabulous performance by singer/songwriter Rich Cottell. As well as entertaining the students with his feel good indie pop songs, Rich delivered a presentation which empowered and informed our students to make the right choices in regards to Discrimination and why it is important to celebrate the diversity between each other. He took to the stage with gusto on a cold rainy day at Prudhoe and really woke the students up at 8.30am in their assembly. Rich’s personality was infectious and he even managed to persuade several of our Sixth Form students to get up and sing with him. Before performing to big crowds, Rich used to teach music to students in schools all over Devon. Since then he has supported some major artists including The Wanted and Olly Murs. Tom Storey, Year 13, said that "This presentation really stuck with me. What Rich said made a lot of sense and he was able to relate to us as sixth formers really well". Mrs. Williams, Assistant Headteacher enthused "It is so important that our young people understand empathy and how to work alongside others in society. Rich's performance was a perfect way of delivering this message as it was highly entertaining and really resonated with our Post 16 students"

K Williams – Assistant Headteacher

Year 9 DT Transistion Project Winners

Well done to Year 9 students who worked exceptionally well on the transition project for Design and Technology from Ovingham and Highfield Middle Schools to PCHS. Students were asked to research and design an innovative product that would help or assist them in their everyday life. Products such as bike helmets with integrated Bluetooth and speakers and self cleaning trainers were some of the fantastic ideas our students came up with. Congratulations to all students who worked incredibly well, their work was of a very high standard and their presentation was exceptional

L Gordon – Teacher of DT

Congratulations and well done to: Oliver Outterside Jasmine Errington Poppy Hurst Ewan Tulip Mary Knott Sam Jolly Sophie Walsh Thomas Makepeace Charlie Lough Chloe Kyniston Eleanor Ferguson Ben Robinson Ewan Dobson Bill Nichol Hannah Finch Emma Robson

New School Building Tour with Justine Greening,

Secretary of State for Education and Guy Opperman, local MP

Girls Rugby

Girls rugby team off to an unbeaten start to the season.

On Monday 10 October our girls rugby team travelled to Whitley Bay to play in their first tournament of the season. Our girls performance was fantastic, leaving the tournament unbeaten and without conceding a single try all day.

This is a brilliant start to the season and the new members of the team were influential in the outstanding results.

Girls rugby will start back again after October half term and it would be great to see as many new faces there as possible.

R McDonald – Teacher of Girls PE

Welcome to our four new members who have joined the Girls Rugby Team this term

Alumni – 2016 Year 13 Leavers We are delighted that our Year 13 leavers have secured places at University, Apprenticeships and Employment after gaining excellent Post 16 qualifications in summer 2016. Destinations include:

Northumbria University - Forensics University of Sunderland (Digital Film Production)

Foundation Art Newcastle University of Newcastle (Biology)

Newcastle College Edge Hill University (Media Film and TV)

Newcastle - Children and Young People Employment with Ernest and Young Newcastle

Newcastle College - Musical Theatre Northumbria University (Engineering with Foundation Year)

Newcastle College - Performing Arts University of Northumbria (Biology)

University of Leeds - Spanish Liverpool John Moores University Civil Engineering with Foundation Year

Northumbria University - IT Bath Spa University - Global Development and Sustainability

Univeristy of Westminster (International Business and Spanish)

University of Lancaster - Politics and International Relations

University of Surrey (Paramedic Practice) Foundation Art - Newcastle College

Northumbria (Business with Human Resource Management)

University of Northumbria - Special Needs Nursing

Uni of Newcastle (Civil Engineering) Apprenticeship Sage Software

Newcastle College (Stage Management) University of Northumbria - Pscyhology and Sport Science

College Personal Training Course University of Northumbria - Business with Marketing Management

Newcastle College Art Foundation Newcastle College - Music

Northumbria University (Engineering with Foundation Year)

University of Newcastle - Chemistry

University of Lincoln (Criminology) University of Cumbria - Zoology

Laban School of Dance University of Liverpool - Sociology

Foundation Art Newcastle Edge Hill University - Media, Film and TV

Newcastle University (Biology) Sunderland University - Psychology with Counselling

Northumbria University (Criminology) Northumbria University - Accounting

Apprenticeship SCA Leeds Beckett Univeristy - Politics

Sheffield Hallam (Sports Coaching) Northumbria University - Sports Development

University of Oxford (Biological Sciences) Mercedes Benz Apprenticeship

University of Sunderland (Health and Social care)

University of Newcastle - Civil Engineering

TA at PCHS admission 2017 in University of Teeside (Midwifery)

University of Sheffield - Japanese Studies

Northumbria University (Mechanical Engineering)

Apprenticeship SCA

University of Bournmouth (Sports Psychology and Coaching Sciences)

Manchester Met - Computer Animation and Visual Effects

University of Durham (sport, Exercise and Physical Activity)

University of Durham - Theoretical Physics

Army University of Lincoln - Forensic Science

Foundation Art Sunderland Employment - Nursery Nurse

University of York (English Language and Linguistics)

University of Newcastle (Accounting and Finance)

Extra Curricular Clubs & Activities

Year 9 Science Club

Year 9 Science Club starts after the October half term, every Wednesday lunch time from 1.30pm in room 122. If you enjoy science experiments, like practical hands on projects and would like to enter competitions then come along! Sixth form students are also required to help out with demonstrating practical work and to monitor health and safety. It is something you can add onto your UCAS application. If you are interested please speak with Miss Earl in room 122.

Art Club

Year 11 Essential Studio Time! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday lunchtimes

See Art Club lists for groups

(Also welcome in Art studio after school until 4pm)

Year 10 and Year 9

Art Club Thursday lunchtime

Salto Uk - one of our uniform suppliers now have an online ordering service which they hope will give customers another

Salto UK Ltd. Unit 3D Princess Court option and make ordering easier and more convenient Low Prudhoe Industrial Estate Prudhoe Northumberland. NE42 6PL

Tel: 01661 835 240 https://saltouk.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=59_71

Lunch time activities will start at 1:25pm giving students chance to get lunch from the canteen beforehand if necessary. After school activities finish 4:00 – 4:15pm.

Newcomers and advanced players alike are welcome!

Food Court

The school operates a biometric school meals system which allows students to buy their lunch using their ‘fingerprint’. Cash can be added to a student’s account using the top up machine in the dining hall or alternatively parents/carers can send in a cheque. After October half term we plan to introduce an online system so parents/carers can top up their child’s account at any time. If a student qualifies for free school meals the monetary value is added to the account.

Please note cheques should be made payable to Northumberland County Council.

Example of menu on a 3 week rotation – for full menus please see our website

Prudhoe Community High School

Moor Road

Prudhoe

Northumberland

NE42 5LJ

Tel: 01661 832486

Email: enquiries@pchs.org.uk

Web: www.pchs.org.uk