Spring 2015 Newsletter

The Blue Coat School
Spring Newsletter – March, 2015
PHENOMENAL SOLAR ECLIPSE!
Students looked on as the earth was plunged into darkness when
the moon came between us and the sun on 20th March, 2015
Faith ~ Vision ~ Nurture
Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
Welcome to our Spring Term newsletter, which will give you a flavour of the work students are doing
in school, both in their lessons and in all the other activities and projects that go on in a big and
dynamic community.
We’ve had some great experiences – World Book Day, BBC News Day, the Solar eclipse, the Easter
concert, and trips to Krakow and Frankfurt as well as theatre trips and field work closer to home.
Improvements to the school’s provision, such as the Power-Write, our new Anti-Bullying Policy, and
our Year 7 transition programme in English are well underway. The building work is nearly finished –
just the Lees building to complete now. Textiles is in its lovely new space, art has moved back to
clean, warm and well-ventilated rooms, and we should be taking possession of the new Science labs
after Easter. External work will take a bit longer to complete, but we are getting there, and so many
parts of the school are now unrecognisable. The next step will be landscaping, trying to sort out the
cars, and then redecorating the Annie Kenney building for History, Geography and RS.
You may also have spotted that we are branching out, establishing a Multi-Academy Trust which will
include primary schools as well. When the educational landscape is changing so rapidly, it’s
important that schools work together to achieve some economies of scale for the future, and ensure
that provision for children is as good as it possibly can be. Working with primaries has got us involved
in the Early Years sector and we were delighted to secure a £60,000 bid to fund “Tune-in to Talking” –
see the article in this newsletter.
This week, Holy Week, is a week of reflection, which will culminate in the Easter services in school
(Years 7 and 8 – lesson 2), and at Oldham Parish Church (Years 9 to 13 – lesson 3). We will have an
early lunch and pupils will be dismissed at 1.20pm for the Easter break. Only the 700 and Y47 can
come early; students using other school buses will need to make their own way home, or they could
wait at school until 3.20pm. (If this is the case, please could you let school know via (0161) 624 1484
– extension 328, so that we can arrange supervision and ensure the services are not cancelled).
School reopens to all students on Monday, 20th April, and will close next on May Day (Monday, 4th
May, 2015).
We wish all our families a peaceful and joyful Easter.
Yours sincerely,
Headteacher
World Book Day
Thursday 5th March marked 2015’s World Book Day. But here at The Blue Coat we went one step
further and made it a whole week of events and competitions to celebrate our love of reading and
books.
Words were read, stories were written, quizzes were taken, prizes were won and points were scored
as pupils from all houses and all years battled to be crowned Interhouse ‘Book Week Winners’.
The week kicked off with a ‘Guess the Shelfie’ competition. Teachers from across the school pictured
their bookcases allowing both staff and pupils a sneaky peek. Students were left wondering, ‘Who
lives with a bookcase like this?’ with little more than a few strategically placed books and a couple of
clues to figure it out.
Which teacher does this book-shelf belong to?
For our creative and artistic competitors, Monday and Wednesday offered bookmark making. Over
seventy pupils nestled in the library armed with paper, scissors and glue to create eye-catching
bookmarks to slot between the pages of their favourite novels.
Tuesday offered a challenge for our budding writers. Could they write a twisted Fairy Tale in just 100
words? Settings, characters and ‘props’ were distributed at random, so pupils had to consider how
they could formulate a thriller around a rose, a troll and an underground tunnel, or fabricate a fantasy
involving a prince, an apple and a ship. Entries have now been sent off to the ‘Young Writers Mini
Saga’ competition for a chance to be published.
Ssssshhhh! Thursday offered quiet time as staff and pupils gathered in the library for the first ever
‘Blue Coat Big Read’. Over 100 of us (93 pupils and 14 staff) cosied up with book for 20 minutes of
silent reading during lunch. A fantastic achievement!
Finally, Friday delivered more fun with ‘Book Bingo’. Dabbers at the ready, pupils crossed off literary
references including names of books, names of characters and names of authors. For one day only,
the library removed its ‘No Talking’ rule and was filled with excitable chants of ‘Library’ (instead of
‘House’ of course).
All in all, The Blue Coat’s Big Book Week was one big success. Rountree Wrigley were our Book
Week Heroes securing 108 points for their house. However, everyone who got involved received a
free book or voucher.
Here’s to next year’s…
Accelerated Reader
Accelerated Reader has progressed in leaps and bounds with the students fully engaged in their
books and fully engaged in trying to beat other English classes with their ‘words read’ totals. One
student, Katie Webb, is in danger of being poached by other class teachers as she has read more
words as an individual than most other classes of 25 students! Mrs Perry is taking great care of Katie
and providing her with energy drinks to make sure she helps the class to romp home.
Power-Write – Ms Nelson
This academic year has seen the birth of The Blue Coat Power-Write and this term has seen a flurry
of many truly impressive pieces of pupils' writing as a result.
The Power-Write is an extension of The Big Write, a concept from Primary School with which the
pupils are already familiar. After a series of focused lessons planning and modelling, pupils write for
an extended length of time, with calming music and a flickering e-candle to get the creative juices
flowing. There is a focus on VCOP (vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation) and pupils are
given the opportunity to self-assess, edit and improve their work. When the pupils finish, the work is
levelled by the teacher and targets are set.
We have seen beautiful creative writing, sophisticated essays and rousing written speeches.
Because this model is used in a range of subjects across the school, it becomes truly embedded,
allowing pupils to develop a greater understanding of the writing process and access high level
literacy skills every day.
Ros Wilson, the creator of The Big Write, has complimented The Blue Coat pupils’ work on Twitter.
Find out what she has to say and view the pupils' work for yourself @BCpowerwrite.
New Anti-Bullying Policy – Mr Coe
Our new Anti-Bullying Policy was launched this term (see website) with work done by students in all
Key Stages in wellbeing and communion time. It has focused our thoughts on a celebration of identity
and what it means to be a Blue Coat student in 2015. We have adopted the slogan #iambluecoat.
Both staff and students were inspired by the work of Stonewall in tackling homophobic bullying on a
national scale and we wanted to bring this clear message into our school community. The first piece
of work was to renew our commitment to a zero tolerance approach on prejudice based bullying. All
students have discussed the issues and impact of prejudice based bullying and are reminded of the
importance of respect for others through our very own “get over it” campaign.
It is really important that the Anti-Bullying Policy is owned by everyone in our school community. We
were delighted that the Junior Leadership Team in Year 8 led the review of the old policy and the
design of the new one! Students discussed the policy, and why it is so crucial that we all invest, as
individuals and a community in this. A key message has been that students must have the courage to
speak out against what is wrong, and challenge it. To be a bystander to wrong doing is not an option
in our school. The posters displayed around the site serve as a daily reminder for everyone who
works in our school.
Finally as a celebration of our core values and beliefs, form groups have decorated boxes to show
what it means to be a member of our community in 2015. Under the heading #iambluecoat each form
has produced a piece of art work which will be assembled by to make a year group cross that will
form part of our Easter celebrations. Thanks to all tutors and Directors of Learning for the work done
on Anti-Bullying and to Mr Brough who has lead this important work in school. Special thanks also to
Mrs Darne who has gone to extraordinary lengths to demonstrate that with nine cardboard boxes, a
few lengths of wood and a drill that you can indeed make an impressive piece of art work that
brilliantly sums up the work done at this time of year!
Chaplaincy – Mr Ford
This term we have continued to focus on the school verse for the year:
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him may not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Form worship continues to be both active and reflective with many students taking responsibility for
leading form reflection. Students have been contemplating themes such as social media, suffering
and forgiveness by looking at their own lifestyles and the impact they have on others.
A number of students have planned and led a very thought provoking assemblies on issues that are
important to them. These have been carefully planned and delivered, having a powerful effect on both
staff and their peers.
The Lenten House communions looked at how Jesus was treated in the days leading up to his death
and resurrection. We reflected on the fact that Jesus was persecuted and bullied by various groups of
people, and therefore he knows how it feels when we face similar discrimination. Jesus loves the
bullies, the bullied and the bystander, and his death and resurrection bring healing and forgiveness to
all. Many students were involved in the services in a variety of different ways such as leading the
singing and presenting a reflective piece of music.
Christian union continues to grow in number with mainly year 7-9 attending. There is always a lot of
fun to be had, doing craft, drama, hot topic discussion or playing games. This is always linked to
biblical teaching, allowing the students who attend to support on another in their walk of faith. The Salt
Cellar youth project support the staff leading this club, and also run a drop in club on a Tuesday
lunchtime for students to play games or just stop for a chat.
The BBC News School Report
The BBC News School Report team had a busy day on Thursday 19th March working on every aspect
on the news, from researching local, national and international stories, to producing the final report
which was uploaded to the BBC news and school websites.
Alex Vernon, ‘International’ presenter, said, “I like the fact that I can be involved with the whole
process of creating the news.” Ben Richardson said that he “liked the fact that [he got] the chance to
work both individually and as part of a team” and Karl Houghton stated that “all contributed well as a
team.” Pupils were based in the library, but sent sub-teams to film across school, interviewing staff
and students. Some members of the local team interviewed staff from MADHLO, in the week when
they celebrated their third birthday.
Other ‘international’ and ‘national’ groups produced stories on
Mars Aurora and the recent pollution across the country. Brandan
Caine said it was a “great opportunity to find out more about the
world.” Daniel Goodwin, Editor, stated that “the reporters worked
well as a team to overcome any problems and to achieve a news
report we can be proud of.”
All of this, and they even had time to report on the world’s first
crème egg burger. An “eggcellent” result from all involved.
Science Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)
Science – Dr Donnelly
Space Week
Solar eclipses can be either breath-taking or a damp squib depending on the weather and bearing in
mind the Oldham climate, we were optimistic but pragmatic. All of our Year 7 students had spent
several weeks studying eclipses (not just in science but in many other subjects) and were all prepared
to witness the spectacle. On the day, the weather was kind and several hundred students and
staff assembled at various points around the school to watch the moon's transit between the sun and
the earth. The Babylonians believed that eclipses were terrible omens for kings and rulers but today
we regard them more as an amazing show when the moon takes centre stage (albeit for a short time)
from its more extroverted celestial cousin. As the clouds cleared at just the right moment and the
sun's warmth began to fade the silence was punctuated by gasps from the students and staff alike. It's
hard to wow science teachers but a lump of rock far out in space did the job perfectly. Roll on the next
one in 2026 and thanks to Ms Ormisher and Mr McGuinness for making this one a day to remember.
Physics and Chemistry
Blue Coat is establishing a reputation as the place to be if you're considering applying for Physics at
Oxbridge and this is in no small part to the well-established links between the school and Oxford
University. Once again, the Oxford material scientists visited with a range of interesting experiments
for our Year 12 and 13 students. In the spirit of wider participation, we invited all the sixth form centres
in Rochdale and Oldham to participate and over 80 students took part, testing a range of futuristic
materials that will one day be part of everyday life. Student feedback was extremely enthusiastic,
suggesting another crop of Oxbridge and Russell group Physics applicants in 2016.
On the back of this success, the Blue Coat Chemistry department was invited to be part of a pilot
outreach programme also run by Oxford University. In this case, students explored how acids shape
our everyday life. Once again, students found the whole day eye-opening (safety goggles on
obviously) and many suggested that this may inspire them to study Chemistry at degree level.
The Chemistry department is also developing a name for itself in the International Chemistry
Olympiad. We've been running this for a number of years and this year, we entered a record cohort.
Last year, our students were awarded four Bronze and two Silver awards. This year, we expect to
exceed that.
Lectures
Blue Coat students regularly participate in the lectures run by the Manchester Literary and
Philosophical Society and this term, they found out all about how the human brain develops from the
infant to adult stages, with a particular focus on the acquisition of social skills. Every human is
different and students learned about how tiny differences in genetics and upbringing can have major
consequences on the developing brain. Thanks to Mr McGuinness for organising this.
Intervention
Blue Coat students like to take responsibility for their learning. To help them, we offer a range of
extra-curricular intervention sessions across both GCSE and A Level. Student participation is very
high but we always welcome newcomers. Timetables are widely advertised around the department
and everyone is welcome.
Engineering
Engineering Education Scheme (EES)
The Engineering Education Scheme continued
with a three day residential trip to the University
of Liverpool, where the team of five students
worked in the Engineering facilities at the
University to begin modelling a design solution
to the problem set for them by Innovative
Technologies, Oldham. The team also attended
a variety of lectures, covering topics such as
Aerospace Engineering and presented their
work from the residential to the other schools.
Year 9 STEM
This has continued with a design and make task where pupils designed and
made a headphone holder, using their classmates as a client. Fantastic, varied
work was produced. Next we will design and cost a skate park for the local
area in response to a brief set by MAHDLO.
Year 7 STEM Club
Lots of Year 7 pupils have taken part in a variety of activities this term designing, making and
personalising desk tidies and tea light holders.
Design Technology
In February, 12 of our brightest Year 8 Design and Technology students took part in the launch day
for the prestigious Go4SET competition at The University of Manchester.
They worked in two teams with support from industry professionals to solve a series of design and
engineering challenges under strict time constraints and with limited resources, designed to develop
their team working skills as well as students’ ability to think creatively to solve problems.
Designing and making the tallest, most stable Helipad using nothing more than paper and sellotape
was followed by producing a chair made entirely of balloons which had to support the weight of one
team member for 5 seconds! A very loud and fun filled challenge which required planning, daring and
thinking about the strengths of balloons in an entirely new way!
The day culminated in the launch of the Go4SET challenge to design and build an eco-classroom.
Both teams will work at lunchtimes over the coming weeks to plan, design, complete tests and build
their model. They will be writing a comprehensive report to explain all the work they have done and
justify the choices they have made.
In early June they will return to The University of Manchester for the Celebration Day to show the
work they have done to industry professionals and invited guests including parents/guardians/carers
at an exhibition fair along with the other 15 teams from other schools across the North West.
Food Technology – Mrs Penn
Year 10 enjoyed their working day at MMU’s Food Faculty working with professionals on fermentation
and raising agents followed by a new product development challenge making halal and flavoured
sausages from scratch. This was followed up with some molecular gastronomy (spherification) in the
sensory laboratories and eating the artisan sausages made by the Year 10 team. Not a bad day for
our foodies!
Also one of our Year 10 student students, Eleanna Damianou has got through the selection round for
Hopwood Hall College Junior Masterchef and Junior Master Baker. Eleanna has designed a starter
and main course that will be made under competition constraints with the other competitors. Good
luck!
Maths – Mr Murphy
UKMT Challenge – Intermediate Challenge
In the recent Intermediate Maths Challenge, our keen mathematician Elliott Mellor led the way with an
outstanding score which not only earned him a gold certificate but also placed him highest in both
Year 10 and Year 11. A wonderful achievement! He was followed by Maisie Johnson, also of Year 10
(achieving a Gold certificate) and Liam Goudy (achieving a Silver certificate), both of whom managed
to score higher than all of Year 11. Congratulations also to Rebecca Thorpe and Emily Edwards who
were both awarded Silver certificates, and to the other 8 students in the Year group who picked up a
Bronze award.
In Year 11, Toby Mears outscored Kate Hindle by just a point to earn the ‘Best in Year’ certificate,
with the two of them being closely followed by seven other Silver certificate recipients. We had a
further eight students in Year 11 who picked up a Bronze certificate. Overall, this was another highly
successful Maths challenge, well done to all.
Year 7 Maths Parents’ Support Evening
Students from two year 7 classes were invited into school with their parents to spend an evening
tackling maths problems. Parents were offered advice on how to support their sons and daughters
master key skills in mathematics whilst working together on number problems. Our aim is to help
students understand the most important concepts thoroughly and then build on these skills throughout
their time in maths at Blue Coat. By dedicating more time to these topics, pupils become fluent in
them.
Year 13 STEP day
On March 19th the Blue Coat School hosted the third and final inset day of the year for students
working towards the Sixth Term Examination Paper, in preparation for applying to one of the most
prestigious universities in the UK.
We had 16 students and 3 teachers attend from 3 schools from around the North West. Students and
staff worked hard on some incredibly challenging Sixth Term Examination questions.
Year 7 Solar eclipse work
On the run up to the solar eclipse, Year 7 did some mathematical starters themed around the solar
eclipse. They learnt how similar triangles are used in pinhole cameras, considered the area of the
shadow of the moon in comparison to the sun, and discovered how many miles they would have to
travel in order to see every eclipse in the next year.
Art – Ms Clark
‘SPITFIRES AND PRIMROSES’
It was an honour to receive an invitation from artist Brian Clarke to attend the private view of his latest
exhibition in Soho, London earlier this term.
Ms Clark and Mrs Hargreaves took a group of Year 13 art students to London for the day. It was a
great opportunity to spend a day in the capital, paying a visit to Tate Modern before being greeted at
the Royal Academy’s Pace Gallery by the director of exhibitions for a guided tour of ‘A Strong Sweet
Smell of Incense’. This is the current exhibition curated by Brian Clarke which is a tribute to the late
art dealer Robert Fraser. The exhibition painted a picture of the swinging sixties when popular culture,
music and art collided. It was a great opportunity to put Brian’s work into context amongst the famous
artists and musicians of the 1960s.
There was time to visit the iconic Liberty’s of London department store which is a beautiful example of
Arts and Crafts Architecture of the early 1900s before a quick bite to eat ready for the main event.
The staff and students were greeted by an array of London’s rich and famous art patrons and
personalities at the Private View of ‘Spitfires and Primroses’. Admiring the artworks alongside Jerry
Hall was a particular highlight. Our students also enjoyed the opportunity to discuss life as an artist
with the wife of late pop artist Richard Hamilton. She gave the girls lots of powerful advice for life
about how you should stick at the things you love and believe in.
Music – Mr Hewson
On 25th March, we celebrated our annual Easter Concert, showcasing over 150 pupils in bands,
choirs, ensembles and as soloists. Year 13 music students planned the whole concert and produced
a funny and moving tribute to the department and all the people who had worked with them.
Congratulations to the Award winners:
Brass Player of the Year:
Percussionist of the Year:
Jazz Performer of the Year:
String Player of the Year:
Woodwind Player of the Year:
Chorister of the Year:
Overall Musician of the Year:
James Atkins
Daniel Dezell
Aaron Wright
Jodie Wong
Edward Rawson
Rebecca Platt
Amy Ellershaw
Extra-Curricular Music
The department is currently gearing towards the annual Easter Concert where we shall have over 150
pupils performing in the school hall on Thursday 26th March. This concert has been revamped and
geared towards to the achievements and contributions of the Year 11 and Year 13 students. It will be
a celebration of all of the musical achievements of our leavers and will feature many of them as
soloists and in small ensembles. The department has asked the students what they would like to
perform and how they would like the concert to run. Our Year 13 music students, Aaron Wright, Amy
Ellershaw, Olivia Matthews, Ruaridh Leedale, Abigail Stanly and Jessica Robinson, have been
entrusted with the task of planning the concert, preparing a concert running order, approaching pupils
to perform solos and designing a concert programme which will be used on the evening to
accompany the music. The skills that the pupils are learning from this responsibility are invaluable for
their future studies and it will be a valuable addition to their record of achievements. It also allows the
‘leavers’ to organise their own final farewell to the department and to have a real sense of
achievement at the end of the evening. We are really looking forward to seeing what they have to
offer.
The concert will once again feature the Blue Coat School Performers of the Year and Musician of the
Year awards. Pupils have been voting in the following categories – Brass Player of the Year,
Percussionist of the Year, Jazz Performer of the Year, String Player of the Year, Chorister of the Year
and the overall Musician of the Year. Last year’s winner of the Musician of the Year, Rebecca
Maxwell, has been asked to return from Birmingham University to be our Guest of Honour, and to
present the awards to this year’s winners. Pupils have been asked to think about the overall
contribution the nominees have made to school ensembles and the music department in general. We
shall announce the results on the evening of the concert and they will be published in the next
newsletter. Something to watch out for!
National Festival of Music for Youth
On Saturday 28th March we will be taking 2 ensembles
to perform at the regional auditions of the National
Festival of Music for Youth at Rochdale Town Hall. The
Brass Band, directed by Mr Hewson, and the Senior
Choir led by Mrs Fitzpatrick and Mrs Roberts will be
performing to 2 adjudicators where we hope to impress
and to be invited to perform at the NFMY finals to be
held in June at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham. This is
the most prestigious Youth Music festival in Britain
where the cream of Youth Music is showcased and we
are confident that the musicians of Blue Coat will produce some performances to remember. It should
be a fantastic experience for our young musicians and details of the day will be in the next edition of
our newsletter. We hope to emulate last year’s success of the Jazz Orchestra and the Brass Band,
and who knows….maybe another performance at the Royal Albert Hall!
Year 11 Performance evening
On Tuesday 13th January, our Year 11 musicians performed in the school hall to parents and friends
as part of their GCSE Music exam. The performance element consists of 2 live pieces of music which
constitute 40% of the final mark so it really is very important that the pupils are as well prepared for
this as possible. It was a lovely evening and the pupils performed very well indeed.
National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain
Many of our pupils have been very busy over the past few weeks with their participation in the
regional qualifiers of the National Brass Band Championships held in Bradford and Blackpool. Many
of our musicians were performing with local bands such as Greenfield, Oldham (Lees), Hawk Green,
Uppermill, Delph, Diggle and Hepworth. Although there were no national qualifiers this year, the
pupils gave some fantastic performances and were credited with excellent comments in the national
band press and on social media.
Ukuleles
A big departmental drive, this year, has been
the implementation of new instruments into our
KS3 curriculum. Pupils have been traditionally
used to performing in lessons on keyboards,
recorders and on classroom percussion, as well
as bringing their own instruments from home to
perform and compose on. Year 7 and 8 pupils
have been taught to use their recorder within all
aspects of music making in the lessons, but we
decided to give Year 9 pupils a slightly different
experience and introduce the Ukulele. It has
been a huge success, with entire classes giving
performances of music by Jason Mraz, Bob
Marley and UB40. This has linked in very well
to our scheme of work based on Caribbean
Music, which uses the Ukulele extensively in
the performance of its traditional folk music. Other staff have also got involved if they have been
asked to help in lessons, with particular interest from Mr Thompson in the PE department, who led an
entire Year 7 class in a performance of ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz. I’m sure he has now found his true
calling in life, as a ‘Uke’ player!
Drama – Miss Edwards
The main exciting event so far for the Drama Department was the National Theatre Connections
performance of Edelweiss Pirates by Ayub Khan Din (writer of East is East stage and screen) School
3rd March and at Delph Theatre 5th March.
This very challenging, and poignant play, based around the real life Edelweiss Pirates of Cologne
during WW2, moved audiences to tears. Students’ conversations with the National Theatre Director
showed how much they had learned and understood.
The staff at Delph Theatre were helpful and supportive and praised students for their commitment and
professionalism.
At the end of the spring term, a group of students from UCO staged their site-specific promenade
theatre event, allowing Year 10 students to take part in a fully interactive theatre experience, staged
around the school grounds.
Geography – Ms Sinfield
February is the start of the geography field work season. Year 13s, wearing winter woollies and
wellies visited the proposed site for the Lees bypass, investigated why the proposal was rejected, and
explored the modifications made to cope with traffic congestion at peak times. This involved
interesting discussion with stakeholders.
In March, all Year 9s visited Albert Docks, Formby Point and Crosby
beach in Merseyside to find out whether these sites have been
successful in rejuvenating Liverpool after the decline of the
Docklands. Pupils also saw red squirrels at the nature reserve at
Formby Point and many chose to have their photograph taken with
the one of the men from the art installation, Antony Gormley's
“Another Place.”
Religious Studies – Miss Martin
For this newsletter, we have asked some of the students to tell you what they have been doing in RS
this term.
“During February half term, a group of 30 sixth form students visited Auschwitz and Auschwitz
Birkenau as part of our philosophy course looking at the Problem of Evil. It was, in my opinion, the
most thought-provoking experience I think I will ever encounter, and stirred immense emotion within
myself and many others on the trip. To witness a place whereby millions of people were
exterminated, through no fault of their own, was devastating and really put things into perspective. It
highlighted how one man had the power to indoctrinate a nation with his views and commit atrocities
that, to this day, people still cannot comprehend.
Exploring Auschwitz-Birkenau left us in disbelief; we witnessed where the infamous Dr Mengeles
carried out his selection as to who would live and who would die, and who would be medically tested
on. We had incredibly knowledgeable guides who told us stories of strength and survival as well as
the heart breaking stories of loss and suffering. The process of selection became even more real
when talking to Lydia. She had been a child at Auschwitz and was there until the liberation. She
informed us how, as a child, she was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau due to her parents being antipolitical partisans. She touched upon the process of selection and how she was chosen to survive
but was subject to many experiments by Dr Mengeles and lived such an awful childhood (if it can be
called that) that she became emotionless and showed no acts of kindness or friendship as she no
longer knew how to. After the liberation, she was taken in by a Polish family and has chosen to share
her story with thousands of people over the years, in the hope that human beings will not treat each
other in this way again. Listening to her story and how she survived was an overwhelming experience
that I believe none of us will forget. I have been greatly moved by this experience; it has influenced
me in the path I want to pursue at university - studying Religion and Philosophy, with the ambition of
becoming an RS teacher.
I urge all those who have the chance to go to Kraków, to visit Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau and
try to comprehend the atrocities that took place there; it will change your perspective on life forever.”
Written by Jess Eaton
Year 8 students
Recently, the RS group 8aK have been corresponding with the ethos group at Holy Cross CEVA
Primary School, located nearby. We were contacted by the school telling us about what they are
learning in their RS lessons and about the altar cloth that they are creating at the moment, and that
their cloth would be filled with things that symbolise Christianity. We wrote back to them telling them
about what we have been doing at our school about symbolism. Here are some extracts:
“Hello! Thank you for your last letter, it was great to hear from you. We are a group of Year 8 pupils
at the Blue Coat School (which is around the corner from your school). It was lovely to hear about all
the exciting things you have been doing; your altar cloth sounds great! Now we would like to tell you
about RS in our school. In RS this year we have learnt about the epistemic distance. This means the
distance of our relationship with God. You can close the epistemic distance with God by following
Jesus’s teachings and God’s word; for example giving to charity. This teaches Christians today that it
is easy to become closer to God and therefore be stronger in faith. The way I close my epistemic
distance with God is by praying and going to church, this helps me to understand God’s word and
guides me into the way of peace. We have produced some other creative work, earlier in our topic.
Our current topic is about Jesus’ death and resurrection, and as part of this we created some work on
the Bible. This is called Theology. We think that learning about the Bible is important because it
contains all the teachings from Jesus and God for us to follow. We are hoping to visit the Holy Cross
School soon to continue this new connection, and we would very much like to have them come to see
our artwork that we created as part of our topic on Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection.”
Written by Max Butterworth, Rachel Diamond and Emily Mallinson.
Year 7 students
“In January, a biblical group called the Gideons visited our school to speak to Year 7 in the hall. The
three speakers taught us about the 10 Commandments and showed us a video about a boy called
Basil who stole from a local shop, but then when he read the Bible and got his vicar to help him, he
repented and gave back what he had stolen.
We found out that the Gideons give Bibles to many people, including those in prison; those in
hospital; children in schools.
We were all given a mini-Bible to take away and they told us how we could use it. We sang together
as a Year group too! Overall, the visit was really fun and informative, and I have started to read the
mini Bible I was given!”
Written by Sophie Pike
Languages – Mrs Knott
MFL Spelling Bee 2014-15
Year 7 have done really well this year with their French Spelling Bee challenge, earning lots of points
for their houses. In the Autumn Term all Year 7s participated in the challenge, and the top two
participants from each class went through to the next round in January. We held our school final just
after half term, and our winners were Labeebah Khawaja, Caitlin Atherton, Matt Higgins and Sheila
Mutua.
After a few weeks of intensive practice, our four finalists attended the Spelling Bee regional final at
Manchester Metropolitan University, where we were competing against around 95 other schools from
across the North West. After a tasty Spelling Bee cupcake we went into a lecture theatre where the
students had to wait their turn to be called up to participate in the challenge. The students held their
nerve in front of all the other participants, teachers and parents, and did a really good job, spelling
their words out in French at high speed and with very few mistakes. Unfortunately we did not quite
achieve enough points to go through to the next round, but each finalist received a goody bag and
they all agreed that the Spelling Bee had been a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Frankfurt 2015 – Mrs Theissen-White
In February, the MFL department organised a visit to Germany; 48 students and 5 members of staff
went to Frankfurt in West Germany. We explored the historical and commercial highlights of Frankfurt,
Cologne and Wetzlar and went to visit our partner school in Gießen, where we were given a guided
tour of the school and visited lessons. Our students had already been in contact with their partners via
e-mail or social networks before the visit. This is what our students thought of the trip:
“I really enjoyed the trip to Frankfurt. I liked going around the German cities, and having to buy our
own meals really helped me to practise my German. It also made me more confident speaking in
German.”
“I really enjoyed the trip to Frankfurt. We got to go up the tallest escalator in a European shopping
centre, went up the Commerzbank tower and finally met our German pen pals. It was a very tiring,
jam-packed few days, but the views and sights we saw from both the ground and at the top of the
tower in Frankfurt were amazing. It was really interesting to get a tour of the German partner school
and see how different the school and the lessons were to ours. Finally on our last day we all went
bowling, which was a great way to end our last full day of the trip. On the way back to the ferry we
visited Köln, another big German city, which gave us the chance to explore more of Germany. I was
gutted when we had to go home and we would all love to go back.
One of the best experiences of the whole trip was when we visited our partner school, where we had
a guided tour and then met our partners. I really found this trip to the school very interesting as it was
very insightful to the German culture and their education. It also provided me with a good opportunity
to practise my German language skills and make new friends. Overall, I would say that this was the
best educational trip I have ever been on in school. It was informative and interesting and I believe my
German has improved because of my increased confidence in the subject from the experience I have
gained. I would definitely recommend this trip to others.”
“I really enjoyed Frankfurt – it was the best school trip I’ve ever been on. I particularly liked going up
the Kommerzbankturm, because the views were stunning and the building was really nice.”
German Competition – “What is German in the North West?”
A new network has been set up to promote all things German in the North
West, and a competition called “What’s German in the North West?” was
created to get schools and colleges involved in the network and further pupils’
understanding of the links between Germany and their region. Some Year 9
pupils took part in this competition which required them to pretend to be a
German student on a school trip to the North West of England. They had to
write a postcard to their family back home telling them about all the German
things they had discovered on their trip. This had to be in German, 200-300
words and was judged based on linguistic accuracy, stylistic sophistication,
and the creativity of the submission. The top three prizes for the Years 7-9
category were awarded to our pupils! The winners were: First Prize: Zoe Croft
and Aisha Djalo with an enthusiastic and linguistically ambitious postcard.
Second Prize: Stephanie Voong with an accurate and creative postcard.
Honourable mention: Matthew Riddell for inventive content and illustrations.
The winners and their parents attended the launch of the network held at Manchester’s Central
Library. The launch started with an introduction from founders and supporters of the network which
included Professors from the University of Manchester, Lancaster and Liverpool, the Headmaster of
Cardinal Newman College, members of the German Embassy, the Goethe Institute and
representatives from the business sector. Following a discussion of the importance of learning
German and promoting the language in the UK, pupils were presented with a £25.00 book voucher
and various ‘goodies’. There was a drinks reception where pupils and parents had the opportunity to
view competition entries.
English – Mrs Perry
This has been a very busy term preparing students for examinations with tailor-made revision
sessions, focusing on specific areas of difficulty for individual students. September 2015 will bring
major changes for students at Key Stage 4 and 5. Work is underway to prepare students lower down
the school for the new requirements at GCSE.
There have been the usual extra-curricular activities organised, with theatre trips and days at
Manchester University; Mrs Hargreaves and Miss Nelson organised a trip to see a series of lectures
on William Blake for Year 13 students. The students were inspired by this experience, which can only
be of benefit to their studies and to their wider cultural experience.
Social Sciences – Mrs Devine
Citizenship
Key Stage 3 Citizenship are currently taking part in a mock election whereby students have been
grouped in to 1 of the main 5 contesting parties (The Green Party, UKIP, Liberal Democrats, Labour
Party or Conservative Party). Over the course of 6 weeks, students will learn about manifesto and
policy ideas, campaigning strategies and political battles between the contesting parties that
culminates in a mock election for all Key Stage 3 students to take part in. We will reveal which party
Blue Coat students feel is worthy of winning the election and compare this with the real winner come
7th May 2015.
Child Development
In Child Development students got to experience trying out the pregnancy vest.
This is a 12 pound virtual pregnancy "bump" which allows students to feel how
difficult and cumbersome being pregnant can be. The students were put
through their paces, completing a "daily chore" assault course. Students found
simply getting up off the floor a challenge!
Social Science KS5 - VESPA Programme
Selected Social Science students have been taking part in 5 VESPA sessions run by the
department. Being aware of the challenges faced by students, the sessions aim to assist students
with aspects of their learning, providing them with the tools and strategies to improve study skills, and
promote a positive "can-do" attitude. All members of the department have taken part in coaching
students over the last three months to assist with targeted areas for development. The final session
focuses on how to build resilience in preparation for students' forthcoming summer examinations.
Girls’ PE – Mrs Edwards
Cross-Country
Following their excellent performances at the Oldham Schools’ Championships, 12 girls from Years 712, were selected to be members of the Oldham Team Town. They competed for Oldham at the
Greater Manchester Championships and notable performances by Rebecca Jones (Year 10) and
Ruth Sinclair (Year 12) have secured their places on the Greater Manchester squad to compete in the
Regional Finals.
Netball
A good year for our teams, with:
Year 7 squad – 4th in Oldham Schools Rally
Year 8 squad – 3rd in Oldham Schools Rally
Year 10 squad – Oldham League B Champions
Hockey
It is a long time since we have competed in a hockey tournament, so following a great hockey unit of
work for our GCSE Year 10 girls, we played a match
against Failsworth which we won.
Swimming
Another great year at the Oldham Schools Swimming
gala, with a 3rd place finish overall. Year group results:
Year 12/13 – 1st. Well done to Jess Willis, Elizabeth
Mottram, Darcy Hobson and Catherine Fenton.
Year 10/11 – 2nd; Year 9 – 3rd; Year 8 – 2nd; Year 7 – 5th
We came 3rd in the Brown Shield which is a relay
incorporating your 4 fastest Key Stage 3 swimmers.
Football (Year 8) – Miss Watson
Our U13 girls’ football team recently won the Manchester City Premier League Football Tournament.
The tournament consisted of 27 schools from across Greater Manchester, with the winners going on
to play the final representing Manchester City at Whitehart Lane in May.
After narrowly missing out on getting to
Wembley for the U13 Futsal final earlier in the
season, the girls were determined to remain
unbeaten on the football field and take top spot
at this tournament. They looked strong from the
outset taking their first game against Droylsden
Academy in their stride with a 4-0 win. They
came top of their group with a +11 goal
difference, a strong defence and excellent
captaincy from Millie Ravening left them
only conceding 3. The quarter finals were a
‘blast from the past’ with the girls coming up
against their closest Oldham rivals - OASIS
Academy. A 2-0 win secured them a semi-final
place where they went on to win 5-1, with some
superb finishes from Lucy Reeves and
Elizabeth Clarkson-Drewhitt.
The final was against Wythenshawe, who are previous winners, so this was always going to be a
close game. They took the lead with Millie Ravening hitting the back of the net from the half way line.
Defence was strong and they held them at 1-0 until the final minute. It was 1-1 going into extra time.
The girls excelled in extra time, holding a strong formation and swiftly closing down Wythenshawe's
attack. An excellent midfield performance came from Eleanor Lambert and it wasn't long before we
went 1-0 up. Wythenshawe had a final opportunity, when their striker curved it in to the top corner but
Mollie Greenhalgh made a great save and the victory was Blue Coat’s! The team now go to the finals
at Whitehart Lane in May.
U13 Girls have also been crowned Oldham Futsal champions and went on to Leeds representing
Oldham Athletic FC to compete against schools from across the North. They narrowly missed out on
taking the top spot and a chance of going to Wembley for the Futsal National Finals, conceding in the
final minute.
The U13 handball team put up a strong performance in the Oldham Schools competition taking
third place overall. This is a new team who have recently formed so a good initial performance all
round.
Boys’ PE – Mr Thompson
The Year 7 football team have made it to both the league and cup finals after going unbeaten in all
games in Oldham this season. The final for the league will be held at Boundary Park on the 15th May.
The Year 8 football team managed to make it to the last 16 of the English Schools competition. They
were closely beaten on an away trip in Liverpool where Premier League footballer Leighton Baines
was in attendance.
The Year 9 football team have made it to the league cup final which will be held also on the 15th May.
The Year 11 basketball team came 2nd in the Oldham Schools competition at the ball hall.
The Change4Life club attended the Sports Road show at MAHDLO. The participated in events such
as martial arts, yogo, dance, wheelchair basketball and indoor curling. The team did fantastically well
on the day finishing in the top 3 of all schools in Oldham.
House News
Inter House Basketball
This was a very popular competition with the boys and not only were there 57 competitors but also
several supporters came to watch and support their peers. With some high level and technical play on
court the overall winners were the year 9 Rowntree Wrigley team. The Year 7 competition had 30
competitors and again the games were immensely competitive. The overall winners were Lord
Mothersill. The girls’ event also did not disappoint, as a new activity on the inter house calendar, it
was well attended with many girls coming along to have a go at a new activity. Overall the Rountree
Wrigley were victorious with some star performances amongst the Year 8 girls.
Girls Badminton
The girls’ badminton club has welcomed over 100 different students since September. Each week
can see up to 40 girls coming to participate, either for recreation or to improve their skills and tactics
to become increasingly competitive players. There have been two rounds of inter house competition
so far with a third round to be played after Easter. All rounds are open to any abilities and all KS3 year
groups. Due to such a large number of girls attending on a weekly basis the extra competitions give
students a target to aim for, whilst increasing the number of opportunities to be successful against
their peers and gain vital house points. The star player of the year is Millie Ravening who still remains
undefeated.
Dodgeball
This was a fundraising event for The British Heart Foundation that also got students active and having
fun. This event was a massive success with 92 students, boys and girls, across KS3 signing up. The
event was split in to year groups with 6 teams in Year 8 and 5 teams in Year 7 and a team of Year 9
girls. Not only did this event provide participation for the KS3 students but also gave the Year 10
Young Leaders the opportunity to be officials, scorers and timekeepers throughout, which was an
invaluable experience for them, taking charge of such a large event. The winners for Year 7 were The
Destroyers from Rowntree Wrigley and the Year 8 victory went to Dodgers for Birley Hall. Some
‘undodgable’ performances were shown by the Chandarana twins in Y8 and Tom Goodwin’s mighty
team in Year 7. Overall an extremely successful event that is new to the calendar this year.
At present the total amount raised has not been calculated as funds are still been collected. Watch
this space for the grand total.
Debating
The Debating Society has continued to meet every week and consider some of the most pressing
issues in society. In January the society headed to their second competition and whilst competition
was fierce Blue Coat students rose to the challenge and put into practice all the skills they had been
developing. Special congratulations should be given to Rebecca Rees in Year 12 came 35 th out of
138 pupils.
Senior Sports Day – Mr Wild
Senior sports day took on a whole new meaning this year as we tried something very different from
the norm. Due to the Oldham weather conditions we were unable to get the athletics track marked in
time for the event. Rather than cancel the event which would have been our Year 13’s last memory of
the house system we decided to offer a ‘tough mudder’ experience. Students competed in form
teams and they included both males and females as they took on the obstacle course set out on the
Edge. Obstacles included a water slide (of sorts), cargo nets, tunnels and a lot of mud. It was a
resounding success with students who would have not participated in the traditional sports day event
turning up in good numbers. Overall there were 76 participants from our sixth form along with 8
members of staff. A good time was had by all….see evidence below:
News from the Year Groups
Year 7 – Mr Brough
Dr Kershaw’s Fundraising - Year 7 boys have been busy raising money for Dr Kershaw’s. Activities
have included guessing the name of a teddy, guessing how many sweets were in a jar, bake sales,
pizza sales, running a tuck shop, car washing and many other inventive ideas. So far, the Year 7 boys
have done a fantastic job and raised well over £150.00 in their efforts and the fundraising projects will
be carrying on after the Easter holidays.
In addition, Alex Crowther and other form mates have organised a ‘silly socks’ charity event. The idea
was to raise money right across Year 7 for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Alex has put a
huge amount of thought and effort into organising his charity event, including delivering a fantastic
Year 7 assembly. Well done to all of the boys involved in all of these projects.
Year 8 – Miss Wilkes
The Spring Term has, as ever, been a busy one for Year 8. The most notable event has to be the
launch of the ASPIRE programme, a pilot scheme involving 20 of our year 8 students. The students
have been involved in two out of three deep learning days, which focus on developing the six strands
of the year 8 Mantra, ASPIRE: Achieve, Support, Participate, Initiate Change, Resilience and Engage.
Students have also been participating in one to one coaching sessions in order to really embed their
learning. So far, the programme has been a huge success and will culminate in a celebration evening
in July.
ASPIRE Cohort
In post for their second term, the Junior Leadership Team have been making a huge impact on the
engagement and participation of the whole year group. All forms are now preparing and delivering
form assemblies, organising charity events and carrying out ‘random acts of kindness’ to their other
forms. In addition, The JLT have been encouraging a year group voice and have recently re-launched
the year 8 landing including activities which the year group voted for. The new activities, which are a
film club and a quiet space in AK11 is monitored by the JLT to ensure that the landing remain a safe
and inclusive environment for the year group.
Year 10 – Mr Clewer
As their GCSE studies progress, students in Year 10 have been working on their Mental Toughnes, to
develop students’ levels of commitment, control and confidence in dealing with the challenges that
GCSE brings.
In February, the entire year group also attended a drama performance of the play "Somebody's Sister,
Somebody's Daughter" by the local GW Theatre Company. This play deals with hard hitting issues,
and addresses issues of risk-taking behaviour among teenagers. The students were a credit,
approaching the issues and the follow sessions in a mature and responsible manner.
Year 11 – Mr Keane
Year 11 is a busy time, students are fast approaching the 11th May when their exam season
timetable starts. Attendance at “drop in”, “catch up” and intervention sessions remains one of the main
ways Year 11 are ensuring they are prepared for their exams. Some students however have been
able to see beyond the exams and, in anticipation of their longest ever summer, signed up for an
amazing opportunity known as “The Challenge” with the National Citizen Service (NCS).
“The Challenge” is a part-residential programme which begins with 3 parts that take place over 14
days in the summer, with breaks. The first two parts are residential, with all meals, kit and
accommodation provided. First, teams develop their leadership and teamwork skills by working with
some of the best outdoor instructors in the UK, enabling them to create friendships and build
confidence. After a short break, young people return for part two where they stay in university style
accommodation and gain new skills in an area they are passionate about. Finally, teams have the
unique opportunity to design, pitch and deliver their own social action project. Then they graduate,
receive a signed certificate from the Prime Minister. The cost of all this to students is mere £35.
For more information and to book a place for a Year 11 or Year 12 student visit
www.ncsthechallenge.org, or contact Katy Robinson the local NCS Co-ordinator, at
Katy.Robinson@the-challenge.org or on 07880 038 106.
Volunteer Work – Ms. Hibbert
This winter, some of our Year 11 students have totted up 80 hours of volunteering by supporting
Sholver Rangers Foundation by visiting their site on regular Friday afternoons, completing a number
of conservational activities with the support of Voluntary Action Oldham and Groundwork. The young
people have had the opportunity to develop skills in coppicing and woodland management, fence
building, grassland management and improving site access for those with additional support needs.
Sixth Form News
Sixth Form Christmas Karaoke
Blue Coat Sixth Form students celebrated
the last day of term by holding a special
Christmas Karaoke in the Mezzanine.
James Holderness and Will Newton
performed a duet of the famous frozen
anthem in front of a packed crowd. Great
fun was had by all.
What Next Week
February saw Blue Coat’s annual careers extravaganza
“What Next Week” take place. The weeklong event was
kicked off by Newcastle University who gave an
introduction to University life. Tuesday was apprenticeship
day with Positive Steps and apprenticeship ambassadors
arriving at Blue Coat. Wednesday was all about Gap Years
with former Blue Coat student Emily Dobson-Sharp talking
to students about her experiences teaching in India on a
Gap year with Project Trust. The week was finished off on
Thursday with no less than 15 University lectures arriving
to deliver sessions on studying individual courses at the
UK’s best universities.
Russell Group Universities
We have begun the sessions with the new Russell Group cohort and thanks to the successes of
recent years the group currently involves 40 students. 34 of the students attended the Oxbridge
Conference held at Haydock Park and gathered information about the different subjects offered, and
how to apply for Oxford and Cambridge. In February we invited Linda Harding of Manchester Medical
School to talk to the group about preparing personal statements for Medicine, whilst in March some of
our successful Old Blues returned. Jonathan Bielby, Zac Keane, Eleanor Prince and Maddie JonesCasey shared their experience of life at Oxford and Cambridge with the Y12 Russell Group. They
then worked with some of our Y13 A/A* students giving help and advice about how to revise and
prepare to gain the highest levels in their A2 exams.
After the AS level exams Brendan Shepherd from Corpus Christ, Oxford is coming into talk to the Y12
Russell Group about developing their “supercurriculum” – developing their reading and subject
experiences in addition to their studies, a vital aspect of applications to the leading universities, before
members of the group go to Oxford for the open days in July.
University Offers
January the 15th was deadline day for all UK University applications. There was no last minute rush
for Upper Sixth who had all submitted prior to Christmas. Instead January and February has seen a
raft of University offers coming through from universities across the land. Some eye catching offers
include: Disaster Management and Emergency Planning at Coventry University, Film and screen
writing at Sheffield Hallam University, Aeronautical Engineering at Salford University, and American &
Canadian studies at Nottingham University.
UCAS Fair
In March Y12 students continued their preparations for life after Blue Coat by attending a UCAS
convention at Manchester Central. The convention was attended by 173 universities and 24 leading
employers.
In March, Year 12 students continued their preparations for life after Blue Coat by attending a UCAS
convention at Manchester Central. The convention was attended by 173 universities and 24 leading
employers.
Peer Mentoring
January has seen the launch of the revamped peer mentoring programme
for Sixth Form Students. The programmes involves students from Year 12 &
Year 13 mentoring younger students in a range of situations including class
room based learning, study sessions and lunch time and after school clubs.
The programme attracted over 50 applications from Sixth Form students
with a 30 strong team now 2 months into the programme.
Sixth Form Tolerance Sessions
This March has seen Sixth Form students leading
a series of lessons with Year 10 and Year 11
students on the theme of tolerance. The sixth
formers attended training on tolerance then went
away and produced their own presentations and
activities to deliver to Key Stage 4. The sessions
were hugely informative and nurtured mature
discussion on tolerance in school and society in
general.
National Citizenship Service.
15 Blue Coat Sixth Formers have signed up to complete The National Citizenship Challenge
programme. The Challenge runs for 3 weeks over the summer holidays, involving a week-long team
building residential in Scotland completing a range of outdoor activities, a week learning a new skill
while staying in university accommodation, and finally a week to accomplish a social action project.
Ruth Sinclair – Ethiopia
Lower Sixth student Ruth Sinclair swapped the snow of Oldham during the spring term to attend a
high altitude training camp in Ethiopia. Ruth who is a keen runner got to meet two of her idols at the
weeklong camp - Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie. Bekele and Gebrselassie who are
regarded as two of the greatest distance runners of all time both spent time speaking with Ruth and
passing on tips.
Prom Booking
The date and venue for the Year 13 Leavers’ Prom has been
announced as Friday the 22nd of May at Manchester’s Radisson
Blu Edwardian Hotel. Head Boy James Hayes and Head Girl
Bea Hewitt-Lee have been scouring Manchester for the best
possible venue for their celebrations.
Blue Coat’s work with staff in other schools has extended to
the Early Years sector with a government funded training
project, Tune-in to Talking. We are supporting EY
practitioners with musical approaches to develop children’s
speech and language. Working with Oldham Music Service
and an Early Years Consultant we launched the project with a
successful, very active training day in February.
Participants learned about the theory of language development by playing with household sounds,
painting and singing. Each participant received an intriguing box of resources to use with children and
families in their settings, and are already reporting that the activities are showing signs of success.
Interest in the project has spread more widely, and we were pleased to provide an additional training
session for members of the Oldham Childminders’ Network.
This is both a training and a research project. Its outcomes for participants and impact on children and
families will be reported to The University of Sheffield’s ORIM network so that it can be shared
nationally. When the research phase ends, we look forward to extending the work to other partners so
that even more children in Oldham can share the benefits and enjoy the fun. (Photograph courtesy of
the Oldham Chronicle).
Gold DofE
72 Gold D of E students are training for this summer’s expedition. The 11 groups have each planned
their own 4 day expedition around the Lake District producing detailed route cards for each day. Each
group has also been trained in menu planning, camp cooking and first aid.
Duke of Edinburgh – Is it worth it?
To all those parents/carers/guardians paying out the money, washing socks, ferrying pupils to
activities who are contemplating the above question....
I have just sat in St James' Palace this week watching my daughter obtain her Gold DofE Award from
Prince Philip. From the moment the envelope dropped through the door to the pictures afterwards
outside the Palace, I have never felt so proud. Nor have I felt as humble at what our young people
can do - we heard stories of people canoeing in Canada, trekking in Sweden, exchange trips to all
corners of the globe, helping the old the young the infirm, the vulnerable, teaching their many skills to
others and cycling and walking miles....
What has my daughter learned from DofE? Teamwork - pulling together through mud and midges,
getting lost, getting organised, getting lost again in order to reach their destination. Confidence staying at a Cathedral Camp at Chester Cathedral for a week with people she did not know and
ending up with many new Facebook friends! Determination - even faced with continuous rain for days
on end and blisters on the blisters they achieved the walks in time and strangely enjoyed it. Skills and
Awards - spending 18 months as a young leader at Rainbows achieving her Young Leader Award something else she can take forward with her for future reference.
My daughter did not think she had achieved much, but the Palace experience has opened her eyes
as to how far reaching this DofE programme is for all young people and how special it is to say that
you have been part of it. She is now inspired to volunteer to help others achieve the awards.
So, the answer to the question above is a resounding yes! There will be tears, it may seem at
times hard work, stressful, tiring and a constant battle to get them to complete the paperwork and
record what they have done, but be patient, persevere and cajole, for the rewards are far more than
the certificate and badge.
From one proud mum!
End of Term Arrangements
During the morning of Thursday, 2nd April, we will celebrate our Easter services in school and at
Oldham Parish Church.
The Spring term will end on Thursday, 2nd April at 1.20pm. Please be aware that only the Y47 and
700 bus can accommodate the early finish.
School reopens to all students on Monday, 20th April, 2015.
School will be closed on Monday, 4th May, 2015 (May Day).
Faith ~ Vision ~ Nurture
Contact Details:
The Blue Coat School,
Egerton Street,
Oldham.
OL1 3SQ
Telephone:
E-mail:
(0161) 624 1484
secretary@blue-coat.org
Website:
www.blue-coat.oldham.sch.uk
Headteacher: Mrs J.A. Hollis (MA)