Hi All and Happy New Year,

It’s great to learn that our students all seem to have had a fantastic Christmas and we are delighted to sat they have returned to school full of energy.

I always love the Spring term as it feels like everything is ‘on the  up,’ especially as the cold and dark nights start to fade away and it gets lighter, for longer, at both ends of the day; the daffodils will be out before you know it!

 

British Council Intermediate International Award

I reported that the school had been awarded the British Council Intermediate International School Award earlier in the school year and, on 15^th January, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Palace of Westminster in London to be awarded with the certificate on behalf of the school. Here I am receiving the certificate from the Deputy CEO of the British Council.

The award acknowledges all of the fantastic international initiatives that we ran at Blacon High School during the 2022\23 school year. We were involved in a variety of activities such as our annual exchange programme to Bulgaria for students in Year 10, fielding a team of talented sports boys and girls to represent the UK at the International Youth Games in Senigallia, Italy, and also, taking over thirty students on a Spanish language and cultural trip to Barcelona. In addition, during the year we hosted three large groups of foreign students, two from Spain and one from Italy who were taking part in language immersion trips. Also, we had a foreign language theatre group in school on two separate occasions who performed plays that were delivered entirely in French and Spanish to Key Stage 3 and GCSE Language students. This is just a flavour of some of the initiatives at Blacon High School that have an international focus.

This year, we are hoping to achieve full British Council International Accreditation, which is the highest level of the award. We have already had a number of events in school such as a range of activities and menus to celebrate European Languages Day. Our next event is on 9^th February when we will be celebrating the Chinese New Year. We have a representative from the University of Chester who will be leading sessions in Chinese calligraphy and sharing the significance of the Year of the Dragon. Meanwhile, the event will be supported by a host of other ‘fun’ activities in Drama, Art and Food Technology. Lunch in the Diner will offer a range of Chinese-themed dishes.

 

 

ESFA National Small Schools Cup

Our Year 10 boys team played the fantastically talented Moorfield School at home this week in a last sixteen, ‘EFSA National Small Schools Cup’ tie.

It was a tightly fought game with superb goals by Denis Kostadinov and Lucas Chao, both in the first half. The Blacon lads defended brilliantly in the second half and went on to win the match 2-1.

The win earns Blacon High School a place in the quarter finals and we are still waiting to find out who our opponents will be.

Historically, Blacon High School has done really well battling their way into the later stages of this competition on several occasions, and we look forward to cheering the team on in their quarter final match.

Congratulations to Mr Sabri and the Year 10 team.

 

Chester Schools Together Rowing

In collaboration with the Chester Schools Together partnership, a group of ten students from Year 8 have begun rowing at the King’s School Rowing Club.

Students are really enjoying mastering the fundamentals of rowing in the gym, and developing the basic skills and technique they will need to shape their rowing careers. They are excited to be rowing on the River Dee next week as they work towards the Warrington Indoor Championships, which will be held on Wednesday 24^th January where they will race both individually and in team relays.

Watch this space to see how they get on.

 

Cheshire International Links Association

As I’m sure some of you will know, there is a group called the Cheshire International Links Association that focuses on forging positive international links for the county of Cheshire around the globe. It meets once a month in the Town Hall in Chester. On 9^th January, Head of PE, Mr Cairns, and I were both invited to present at the meeting and, along with a group of students and their parents, we were able to share some of the huge range of events, trips and activities that have had an international focus that we were part of at Blacon High School during 2022\23.

Mr Cairns led a trip to Senigallia in Italy in July 2022, where Blacon High School students represented the UK at the International Youth Games; this is the fifth time that students from Blacon High School have represented the UK at this event. As well as taking part in mixed national teams in a variety of sporting events, they also enjoyed a range of cultural activities.

Mr Stockdale shared some of the wide range of other activities that the school has either led, joined or hosted, as detailed in the notes on the British Council Award above. Students find out such a lot about themselves on these trips, which offer amazing opportunities in terms of personal growth. Students develop cultural awareness, communication skills, independence, resilience and the power of compromise amongst other things. Perhaps more importantly, they make friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.

After the presentations, the audience were invited to chat with the students and their families about their experiences and what they had gained from the trips.

Well done Blacon High School students. You prove consistently that you can represent yourself, and your school, confidently in any forum.

Here, some of our students and parents are pictured after the event with the Deputy Lord Mayor of Chester – Razia Daniels.

And finally…

It is still only January but we are really busy, both in and out of school, as we strive to offer the young people of the Blacon community the best academic experience that we can.

We are looking forward to welcoming Year 11 parents on Thursday 25^th January for the first Progress evening of 2024, and would ask that you complete the online appointment form to avoid queuing.

As always, we need to thank you for your continued, ongoing support; we really appreciate it.

Hi…

Another busy few weeks with lots of exciting things going on in and around school.

International Links – Bulgarian Exchange Programme – English Leg

 

 

On Thursday 2^nd November, we were delighted to welcome our Bulgarian friends and colleagues as they joined us for the English leg of the Bulgarian exchange programme that we run each year; you will remember that a group of students went to Karlovo in Bulgaria in June of 2023. Our guests joined us for five nights, returning on 7^th November after a fantastic, packed itinerary. Not even the dreadful British weather, mostly heavy rain, was able to dampen everyone’s enthusiasm.

 

During their stay, students completed the work for this year’s joint project, which was called ‘Overcoming Diversity’; this topic was approached from different angles. The Bulgarian students focused on the response to some serious flooding in their local area that left several villages under water, clearly a response to global warming, while Blacon High School students focused on the huge range of support and additional measures that we have in place in order to overcome barriers to education and support all of our students to succeed.

 

 

After the work was completed, over the next few days we visited Chester, Liverpool and North Wales. A special thank you must go to the Lord Mayor of Chester who hosted our guests at the Town Hall in Chester, where they enjoyed a perfectly pitched presentation, and were able to see all of the civic regalia. Additionally, the Lord Mayor supplied tickets for all of the students and staff to attend the Lord Mayor’s Fireworks Extravaganza at Chester racecourse on the evening of Saturday November 4^th.

 

 

The visit culminated in a Leavers’ Dinner in school, when our guests were treated to a very typical dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, followed by apple crumble and custard.

As always, there were lots of tears as we said our farewells and we look forward to renewing our relationship, which began in 2016, next year.

 

‘Annie’ Production

 

Leaping Lizards! Chester will ‘stick up its chin, and grin, and sing - Tomorrow, Tomorrow!’ when Blacon High School performs Annie JR at the Storyhouse Garret Theatre.

Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning best musical. ‘Annie Jr’ tells the story of a spunky, depression-era orphan who is determined to find her parents. ‘Annie is a heart-warming show with an important message about the true nature of family. In the show, we see how a plucky little girl transforms her entire life by making the most out of every moment’ say Cohen. MTI would like to applaud the students from Blacon High School for all of their hard work on their production.

Tickets are on sale now! Please follow the link below or scan the QR code on the attached poster.

Date: Wednesday 6^th December at 5.00pm and 7.00pm.

Venue: Garret Theatre, The Storyhouse, Chester

Tickets: £5.00 and £3.00 (concessions)

 

International Links – Swedish Drama Students

We recently welcomed a group of five trainee teachers on an international placement that took place between 6th and 8th November. Kristoffer, Emma, Tjark, Lara and Mimmi made a huge impact on the cultural education of our students with their creative storytelling, their understanding of good teaching practice, and their immeasurable enthusiasm.

From the moment they arrived in school, every member of the group was impeccably professional and completely absorbed with the project. The students experienced a short tour of the school and engaged in brief lesson observations across a range of subjects, identifying a variety of pedagogical approaches around the school. They also engaged in lesson observations in the Performing Arts Department for both Drama and SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural education), engaged in Q&A sessions with Year 7 students about Swedish culture, education and experiences, and designed and delivered engaging and captivating workshop sessions to three groups of students (two Year 8 groups and one in Year 9) with creativity and a high level of acting skills as Teacher-in-Role.

The workshops were well-paced, with appropriate timescales for students to pause, think and recall information. A range of questioning techniques were used to establish students’ understanding of the task, facilitating opportunities for all students to create, develop and perform their work. Pedagogical practice was carefully considered and applied to ensure an engaging, creative and exciting experience for our students here at Blacon High School. Staff and students found opportunities to meet our guests and engage them in conversation. Our students enjoyed their workshops and are still talking about their experiences.

It was an absolute pleasure to have hosted Kristoffer, Emma, Tjark, Lara and Mimmi. They asked pertinent and professional questions relating to our curriculum, pastoral care, behaviour policy, SEND provision and teacher responsibilities. I observed, and thoroughly enjoyed, their approach and experiencing their work ethic, which were, in both instances, outstanding. We would like to thank them for their creative contribution to the Performing Arts Department at Blacon High School and wish them all every success in their future careers.

Special acknowledgement goes to Mrs Salisbury, Head of Performing Arts, for arranging the visit.

Year 11 Anxiety Management Workshop

 

Some of the time, not everything goes to plan and we need a little extra support. We do our best to support all of our students to be successful, whatever their needs.

As such, we held two sessions by the Mental Health Support Team who ran two, one hour workshops for Year 11 students on the topic of Anxiety.

The initial drop in was held on 15^th November and there was a further workshop on 27^th November from 2.10pm – 3.10pm.

The workshop was an opportunity to learn more about what anxiety is and develop new coping strategies for managing anxiety.

 

And finally…

Please support all of our students but, at this time, Year 11s need to be revising all of the time as they are in the midst of their mock exams. If you would like any tips on how to support your child with revision, please contact the school and we will be only too happy to help.

As always, we thank all of our parents and carers for their ongoing help and support.

 

There's still time for your students to register for the Apprenticeship Accelerator! 98% of students who attended last year's event said they would attend in the future:

“The event really helped me get a grasp on what doing an apprenticeship is like.”  - Previous attendee

Broadcast live online from 5pm on Thursday 30th November, it's essential viewing for any year 10-13 student who would like to hear from current apprentices and the UK's best apprenticeship employers.

Please see the attached event guide for further details and how to register.

Sign up link: https://apprenticeshipaccelerator.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk/?dm_i=7BMZ,4Y9G,1QDMBE,K2G0,1

Hi,

Well what a busy few weeks it’s been. It’s hard to find the time to keep up with everything. We are already well into the second half term and, with Christmas looming, we also need to remember that mock exams are also on the horizon.

Apart from that, there is, as always, a lot to share and celebrate so here goes…

 

Remembrance Assembly

 

 

On such an important occasion, Blacon High School joined schools across the nation in paying respect to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight to ensure freedom and democracy for all of us.

We held a very moving assembly with readings and poems delivered by members of the Student Leadership Team and members of the Student Parliament. ‘The Last Post’ was played by a representative of the Cheshire Wind Band before the school observed two minutes silence at 11.00am.

The assembly was live-streamed to all classrooms; a fitting and solemn tribute to all who have served.

Link to Remembrance Assembly: https://youtube.com/live/GaYwHXaBOvw

Lest we forget!

 

 

Whole School Celebration Evening – 9^th November 2023

 

 

This is always one of the loveliest events in the school calendar and this year was no exception.

The Hall was filled to the rafters with parents, carers and family members, who were joined by staff, Governors and, our Guest of Honour for the evening, Sheila Little – the Lord Mayor of Chester.

As always, lots of students across all year groups were rewarded for their efforts during the academic year 2022-23. At Blacon High School, we are acutely aware that success looks very different for some students, so awards also acknowledge effort and contribution in addition to those who achieve the highest grades.

The event culminates with the main awards of the evening, which are presented to Year 11s whose journey with Blacon High School came to a close when they left us after their GCSEs in July.

 

This year’s winners were:

Outstanding Contribution to School Award – Isobel Giles

Headteacher’s Award – Josh Graham

Blacon Spitrit Award – Lillie Shannon

Governors’ Award – Elsie Byrne

The Lilian Young Award – Summer Quinn

Summer is one of several Blacon High School students who have been successful in securing fully-funded bursary places at some of the country’s top independent schools in recent years. Summer, who is now studying for her A’ levels at Gordonstoun, which is one of the most prestigious schools in the world, sent a video message to share on the evening, thanking the school for the award and relating some of her experience at Gordonstoun so far. Well done Summer.

 

 

A huge thanks from us goes to everyone who attended the event and helped to make the evening a real ‘celebration,’ and massive congratulations, of course, goes to all of our prize-winners for the academic year of 2022-23.

 

MP Sam Dixon visits Blacon High School – 3^rd November 2023

Sam Dixon MBE is a Labour MP who serves as Member of Parliament for the City of Chester. Before she was an MP, between 2015 and 2019, Sam Dixon was the leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council. 

During her visit, Sam met with Harvey Hunt and Annie-Mae Barlow, members of the Student Leadership Team, staff and governors. She was also introduced to staff from our twinned school, the Vasil Levsky High School in Karlovo, Bulgaria, who were here on the English leg of the ever popular student exchange programme that we run from Blacon High School each year.

After a tour of the school, Sam chatted too Hayden and Billy, two members of our Student Parliament from Year 9, who shared what life at Blacon High School is really like, along with their aspirations for the future.

On her tour of the school, Sam visited many classrooms across a range of subject areas and was very impressed with the level of learning she witnessed and the calm atmosphere.

I’m certain that Sam Dixon will be an advocate for our school. We look forward to developing an ongoing relationship with her, and welcoming her back into school in the coming months and years.

Maths Information Evening

 

 

Head of Maths, Mr Slade, along with the whole Maths team, was delighted with attendance at the Maths Information Evening for Year 11 at the end of October, which was a huge success. There was a great turn out from parents, carers and students. Members of the Maths team delivered a workshop for parents and carers, and offered strategies to support their children to revise effectively at home. Those who joined us on the evening were also able to purchase revision materials. 

I’m sure that the early start with revision will support some excellent outcomes in the GCSEs.

Mr Slade forgot to take any photos of the event so offered one of himself instead; I’ll leave it to you to judge J

Army Engagement Team Visit

Here are some images from the day the Army Engagement Team visited our CCF (Combined Cadet Force) at Blacon High School earlier in the term. They brought a range of their equipment on to the school site for cadets to get their hands on. They also gave a talk about the pros and cons of opting for a career in the military.

 

Well done and congratulations to all those who take part in our fantastic CCF; being a cadet offers amazing opportunities throughout the year.

If anyone is interested in joining the Combined Cadet Force at Blacon High School, please contact Mr Jones via the school admin’ office.

 

And finally…

This is, as always, only a small snapshot of the huge list of events, trips and reasons for celebration that we enjoy as part of the Blacon High School community.

This week saw the return leg of the student exchange programme when our friends and colleagues from the Vasil Levsky High School in Karlovo joined us for a fun-packed, six-day itinerary. Also, we hosted a Swedish drama group who worked closely with students in their Drama lessons. I will share details and photos of both in our next blog.

Take care and have a restful weekend.

We have been informed that Arriva have suspended all bus services due to the weather.

The bus to Saughall – 15A will now only go as far as Mayfield Road.

Please can we ask parents and carers to make other arrangements to get children home safely.

We have sent a message to students telling them to go to the hall if they are affected by this and are unsure of how to get home. Please contact the school reception if you have any queries.  Reception will remain open later tonight until 4pm.