ELLESMERE PARK HIGH SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 2015
Welcome from the Headteacher– Mrs Aaron
Our first term in the new school flew by and as usual we were working hard in
lessons and ensuring that we make the most of the new learning opportunities
we have in this beautiful building.
We have continued to raise money for several charities and the students have
been involved in numerous trips. We also welcomed many visitors to our
school which has become a focal point for the community.
I hope you enjoy reading all about what we have been up to!
Ellesmere Park High School Official Opening Ceremony
On Wednesday 19th November Ellesmere Park was officially opened by Nick Page, Former Director of Children’s Services.
The evening began with several ‘VIPs’, including the school governors, local councillors, representatives from the LA and staff
from the school enjoying a feast prepared by Mrs Ismail and Mrs Whiteoak. The Prefects were a credit to the school as not
only were they ‘meeting and greeting’ all of the guests, some of them took it upon themselves to offer tea and coffee and to
clear plates. The Prefects were all treated to an afternoon off school and a trip to McDonalds for their lunch to reward them
for their hard work.
Around 100 of our students, along with their parents/carers, were invited to attend the event so the Auditorium was
bursting at the seams and the atmosphere was fantastic!
Mr Bardsley was compère for the evening and his quick wit and jokes (although some were pretty bad!) were highly
complimented by the guests.
As well as speeches from Gary Bridges, Project Manager for Laing O’Rourke, Mrs Aaron and the Guest of Honour, Nick Page,
there were two musical interludes, ‘English Rose’ performed by Lizzie Kendrick who was accompanied by Joe Royle on guitar
and ‘Clown’ performed by Sophie Smith. The performances were outstanding and just a snippet of the talent that we have at
Ellesmere Park.
The ceremony was concluded with Nick Page unveiling the Ellesmere Park plaque and the school was declared
officially open.
A photographer from the Salford Advertiser also joined us for the evening, to view the full article please go to the
Manchester Evening News website.
From left to right: Head Girl -Isabelle, Nick Page,
Head Boy-Tom, Gary Bridges and Mrs Aaron
Two of our very talented students Joe and Lizzie!
Page 2
Letter of Congratulations from the Secretary of State
We were delighted to receive this letter from Nicky
Morgan MP to congratulate the staff, students, governors
and parents at Ellesmere Park High School on the fantastic
feedback we received at our Ofsted inspection in March.
This letter is testament to the hard work and dedication of
everybody associated with the school and we are thrilled
to share it with you.
In addition to the letter I was also asked to nominate two
classroom teachers to represent the school at a drinks
and canapé reception at Lancaster House in London. The
two teachers nominated were Mr Tyldesley, Director of
Learning for the Communication Zone and Mr Gregory,
Pastoral Director. Both Mr Tyldesley and Mr Gregory
make an outstanding contribution to the teaching and
learning at Ellesmere Park and I am sure that they will
thoroughly enjoy the reception.
Mrs Aaron
Well Done to our Three SLEs!
Congratulations to Mr Hibbert, Mr Gordon and Mr Tyldesley who are now Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE). SLEs are
‘outstanding’ middle and senior leaders who have the skills to support individuals or teams in similar positions in other
schools. The role of an SLE will involve being deployed into other schools to assist with the development of the leadership
capacity of individuals and teams using coaching and/or facilitation that draws on the knowledge and expertise in their
specialist area. This is a great achievement and their expertise and experiences will be of significant benefit to the staff and
students both here at Ellesmere Park and in other schools in the North West.
Page 3
Presentation Evening– Class of 2014
On 27th November we held our first Presentation Evening at
Ellesmere Park High School when we welcomed the Wentworth
Class of 2014 to celebrate their successes. It was a wonderful
opportunity for us to be able to show them the new building
that their input helped to shape and to be able to say well done
to them in such a lovely setting. I do have to tell you that in
order to make them feel at home we did have an image of the
old school hall as a backdrop. It was truly rewarding to see so
many of them again and to be able to pick out students who
had done particularly well and offer them congratulations. Our
Guest of Honour, Tony Walsh, was very impressed by the
young people present and we were very moved by the
thoughtful and appropriate poems he chose to share with us.
Mrs Aaron and Miss Mackenzie spoke warmly of memories of
their experiences with this year group and I am sure there were
a few tears shed in the audience. Congratulations and good
luck Class of 2014!
Mrs Barrow
Guest of Honour– Tony Walsh
Class of 2014– Prize Winners
English: Kirsty Rogers
Art: Elizabeth Couser
Construction: Akber Miah
BTEC Science: Aysha Akhtar
History: Gareth Williams
Photography: Kirsty Rogers
ICT: Max Livesey
French: Sama Khalid
Drama: Stephanie Mather
Health & Social: Lucy Greenall
GCSE Science: Jessica Powell
Philosophy & Ethics: Joseph Ashton
Business: Yousef Alnomire
Maths: Gareth Clarke
Spanish: Francisco Rendo
PE: Daniel Wilson
Resistant Materials: Ameen Al Boosey
Geography: Sama Khalid
Dance: Natalie Briggs
Headteacher’s Award: Gareth Clarke and Sama Khalid
Wentworth Prize for Progress: Jospeh Ashton & Kadi Fofana
ACO’s Award: Shauna Smith
Salford City College Prize– Elisha Stephens
Head Prefects: Head Boy– George Cordwell, Deputy Head Boy– Danny Wilson, Deputy Head Girl– Elisha Stephens
Places of Worship Trip
December saw our GCSE Philosophy and Ethics group embark on a Places of Worship tour around Manchester. Our first stop
was the Quaker Meeting House in Manchester . Here we listened to the different views and opinions held by some Quakers.
We were able to ask questions about life and death, about belief in God and about the place of good and evil in our society.
We were welcomed with great hospitality and encouraged to engage in frank and honest discussions. This was challenging
and inspiring.
Next we visited the Sri Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara Sikh Temple in Whalley Range. Here we heard about the history of
Sikhism and some of the core beliefs and practices which are important to Sikhs. Again, we were shown wonderful hospitality
and treated to a lunch of rice and vegetables served in the Langar.
Finally we visited Manchester Cathedral. We were able to walk around the Cathedral and look at the vast amount of
symbolism that tells the story of not only Christianity but also of Manchester.
As always our students conducted themselves in a kind and respectful way, a credit to our school.
Miss Casey
Page 4
Update from the English Department
Another busy term in the English department to kick off 2015!
After a brilliant trip to see “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” with KS4, anticipation is rising for the KS3 trip to
see “The Lion King” later this month.
Lucky Year 7 will also have the opportunity to see a production of “Macbeth” at Manchester University this term – first come
first served though so please get reply slips in quickly!
Upcoming Events this Term:
Charles Dickens’ Birthday-6th February
Reminders!!
National Storytelling Week-31st January to 7th
February
If your child is in Year 7 or 8 they should carry a
reading book with them every day in school for Drop
Everything and Read. If your child is in Year 7 they should be
reading at home and completing their reading log.
World Book Day Fest– 5th March
World Storytelling Day– 20th March
Scrabble club runs on a Friday lunchtime and it’s getting
* Please see the English Department for more infor- competitive! If you love playing games, or are an
excellent wordsmith, why not come along?
mation.
Update from Photography
Photography students experienced a day with a visiting artist D.C.B.
They had the opportunity to learn how to screen print from their images which had been pre-exposed onto silk screens. They
also spent half their time in the darkroom learning new and interesting techniques which they completed into a small stitched
book at the end of the day.
Students all learnt a lot from this day and the final pieces will now go towards their coursework mark . This experience has
also given students new skills which they will be able to use in the external assessment.
Miss Barker
Page 5
Police and Prison Service Engagement Day
On 5th December representatives from both Greater Manchester Police
Force and the Prison Service came in to school to deliver a workshop
with our Year 7,8, 9 & 10 students. The team covered a wide variety of
topics including knife crime, drugs and e-safety. The workshop was very
engaging and interactive, both students and teachers were brought
down from the audience to take part in various activities. Although there
were lots of laughs and giggles from the students during the
workshop, the message ‘EVERY ACTION HAS A CONSEQUENCE’ was
heard loud and clear and it was obvious that some of the real life
stories about young people involved in very dangerous situations had
affected the students and made them more aware of how every choice
they make is an important one! Two special guests also made an
appearance, a German Shepherd Dog and a Spaniel named Charlotte
joined in on the fun, although only Mr Harrison was brave enough to
stroke them!
Inter-House Competitions
Last half term saw the return of the Inter-House competitions for the second year running. Last year was a one horse race with
Invictus House running away with it from the start. However, this year has been a little bit different with other Houses raising
their game which has led to a closely fought battle.
A number of competitions took place last term including Year 7 and 8 dodge ball, the coin race, Harvest collection, the best
poet, the best decorated Christmas tree and the Celebratory Cake Off (more info on next page). All the competitions so far
have been a huge success with a record number of pupils taking part. Good luck to each House this term with the forth coming
competitions.
Mr Lomas and Mrs Grime
Invictus Legend
Last half term saw the first ever Invictus Legend crowned in the new school. Courtney Horabin joins the elite few in the Invictus
Hall of Fame for having an outstanding attitude and contribution in all aspects of school. Since starting in September Courtney
has applied herself both in the classroom and out of it, taking part in various House competitions . Courtney is also on the
School Council. Well done Courtney and keep up the excellent work!
Mr Lomas (Head of Invictus House)
Page 6
The Great ‘Cake’ Off
Following the success of last year’s bake off competition we once again held the Inter-House competition. On 17th December
many of our very talented pupils competed to design and bake a celebration cake.
With the help of Andrew Parker, head chef at George's Restaurant, Worsley, we embarked on the search for the next Paul
Hollywood or Mary Berry. All the students who participated thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and it promoted a real
sense of team spirit amongst the Houses and throughout the school. We were grateful to have had Andrew helping Mrs Aaron
to oversee the competition this year, and who knows he may even discover his successor for George's!
Mrs Grime
Winners
Samuel and Alice Dobson (Neptune
House)
1st Runners Up
Beth Connolly & Aula Sami (Juno House)
2nd Runners Up
Morgan Cullimore and Emily Kershaw
(Neptune House)
Winners Samuel and Alice with judge Andrew Parker
Article from the Salford
Advertiser
Civil Service Employability Skills
For 6 weeks towards the end of last term, eleven Year 10 pupils took part in a course organised by the Civil Justice Centre in
Manchester.
The eleven pupils were helped with writing CVs, given tips on completing application forms and guided through how to do
your best in interviews. Throughout the sessions and the activities our pupils were challenged to present, to solve and to
role play whilst also taking time to look at a variety of work placements within the Civil Justice Centre from clerks and ushers
all the way up to Crown Court Judges. They even got to put their questions to two real judges and ask them about their jobs
and how much they got paid!
This was the second time that we as a school have been able to take up this opportunity of working with the Civil Service
and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Similarly to the first course, our pupils were great ambassadors for us as a school, a
real credit, thus making it possible for another group next year to benefit from this excellent relationship with the team at
the Civil Justice Centre.
Mr Brophy
Page 7
Update from the PE Department
Year 10 Basketball
Last half term saw the the Year 7 and 10 basketball teams represent Ellesmere Park in their first ever competitive fixtures.
The Year 7s played against Wright Robinson College and played outstandingly considering they had only trained a handful of
times. The Year 10 team began their Salford League campaign in winning style. They have beaten both Swinton and Moorside
High Schools. They are now unbeaten in the league and have a great chance of making the finals. They are also in the cup and
will host Albion in the semi finals this half term. Keep up the hard work boys!
Mr Lomas and Mr Davies
Netball
This netball season has been an exciting one for all the teams taking part. All of the girls have worked extremely hard in their
teams and they are a credit to the school. The Year 8 tournament is due to take place on
Tuesday 3rd March and the Year 7 tournament will be on Tuesday 10th March so watch this
space for the results.
The Year 9 team has had great success this season, coming 2nd in the Salford Schools’
Tournament. They have also qualified for the school finals play off which is on Tuesday
27th January.
Football
Congratulations to our senior football team for reaching the finals in this season’s league.
This match is still to be rearranged as bad weather prevented the match going ahead before Christmas. We wish the girls luck with the match and we will post results out in the
next newsletter. The junior team have played exceptionally well throughout all fixtures
with Maisie Robinson (captain) and Eva Hopkinson being awarded player of the match 3 times each.
The junior football tournament will take place on Wednesday 14th January and the senior tournament will be held on
Wednesday 28th January.
Miss McShane
Salford Gifted and Talented Challenge Final
In January, King Audunsson and Scarlett Dore (Year 9) participated in the Gifted
and Talented Science and Technology Regional Final at Manchester University.
During this event they were reunited with 2 pupils from Walkden High School to
form the winning team from the Salford Borough. Despite competing against
many pupils from Year 10 and teams from all areas of the North West they
performed exceptionally well to build and programme a robot that sensed its
way around a maze using light and colour sensors.
The event culminated in a robot test run and a presentation, developed and
delivered by King, to the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester. During
the event both King and Scarlett demonstrated great teamwork and problem
solving skills and represented Ellesmere Park High School with pride.
Mr Janvier
Raspberry Jamboree
In November, computing arrived at EPHS in a big way. We hosted a full day of computing events for Year 8 followed by an
evening event for the whole community. Two Year 8 pupils – Lauren Lowens and Aidan Dunn - attended both sessions and
were able to participate in activities such as Minecraft hacking using Raspberry Pi and robot programming and control.
On the following Saturday, EPHS hosted the areas first Raspberry Jamboree, blazing a trail in the field of computing for other
schools to follow. Attendees came from far and wide with the furthest traveller coming from the Midlands.
The day was packed with different classes and lectures, ranging from text-based programming to app creation. Considering the
event was the first of its nature in the area it was well attended and there was a friendly and productive atmosphere.
Mr Grundy
Page 8
Anti-Bullying Conference
The Anti-Bullying Crew attended the annual Salford Anti- Bullying conference back in November. The conference was a
fantastic event that discussed the various issues surrounding bullying and ways to combat bullying in our local community. The
pupils listened to guest speakers and contributed in many activities and discussions. The Crew represented our school and
highlighted the innovative and rigorous practices we have in place at Ellesmere Park to allow our students to report bullying
anonymously and for the bullying to be dealt with swiftly and effectively. One area up for discussion was cyber bullying and
how to keep yourself safe online. For further information on E-Safety please see the school website and scan the QR code
below for helpful websites.
Miss McShane
Please scan the QR code to
download the latest e-safety
information
Ellesmere Park Perfect Pupils
At Ellesmere Park High School we like to acknowledge and reward our pupils for their hard work, commitment and drive to
succeed. At the end of our Autumn Term we introduced the “Ellesmere Park Perfect Pupils”. All the pupils who were selected
to become part of this elite group had outstanding attendance, punctuality and behaviour and as such deserved praise. There
was a range of pupils from all year groups. All eligible pupils were invited to a special assembly where they were addressed by
the Head Teacher and myself to publically acknowledge their achievement. Each pupil received a certificate and reward, along
with being entered into the Perfect Pupil Raffle which gave them a chance to win prizes. They are a credit to our school!
Mr Gregory, Pastoral Director