1. education
2. school

February 2015
Dear Parents,
Goodbye to Mrs Brennan.
At half term we said goodbye to Mrs Brennan who has been Office Manager at Bishop Walsh Catholic
School since October 2010. She leaves us to work at Holy Name Catholic School in Great Barr. I know
that in our recent parental questionnaire (see details later in this newsletter) many commented on the
welcome and efficiency that has characterised our school office under the leadership of Mrs Brennan. We
thank her for her work at Bishop Walsh and wish her well in her new role.
LENT: On Ash Wednesday (18th February), we began our Lenten journey of 2015. These are six weeks
where we encourage pupils in their Christian duties of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As Ash
Wednesday was during half term pupils we mark the start of Lent with a liturgy which includes the
distribution of ashes on Friday 27th February 2015. Charities that will benefit from almsgiving this year are
CAFOD (see below) and Fr. Hudson's.
CAFOD (Catholic Fund for Overseas Development): Lent fundraising will have double the impact this
year because CAFOD has been awarded UK Aid Match funding for their Lent appeal. This means the UK
Government will match pound for pound every donation given by Bishop Walsh pupils during Lent. A main
theme for CAFOD’s fundraising is helping people in the developing world help themselves to cope with
climate change. In countries like Myanmar (Burma) changing weather is making life very hard. As floods,
droughts and storms become more severe, the poorest and most vulnerable people suffer. And once the
storms are over, they have nothing left to start again. By raising money, we can help communities like
Myanmar stay safe in case there is another emergency. What we can do is to ‘Cut it Out’ and fundraise for
CAFOD this Lent. I know many activities in school this Lent will be centred on cutting something out to do
good for others including raising money.
Prayer
Father in heaven, bless us during these days of Lent. Protect the people of Myanmar and keep
them safe. Strengthen and inspire us as we 'Cut it Out' and make changes to live more simply. We
ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Encourage
your
children to give to
our Lent appeal and
the UK government
will match what you
give CAFOD, £1 for
£1!
-2PARENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE
I am very grateful to all parents who either filled in the parental questionnaire sent out last half term
and/or those parents who attended the parental forum meeting to discuss the feedback. The responses
from the questionnaire are printed in this newsletter along with how the school will take account of
feedback both in the day to day running of the school as well as the new School Improvement Plan, spring
2015-spring 2016.
SIXTH FORM APPLICATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2015. Our year 11 pupils should also have firm plans
for what they are going to be after their GCSEs. We had a very well attended Sixth Form Information
Evening on Wednesday 25th February. Application Forms and an Information Booklet for the Sixth
Form were given out on this evening and should be handed in to Mrs Bethell (Office in LRC) by
Wednesday, March 18th 2015. Both the Application Form and the Information Booklet are also available
on the front page of the school website.
COURTESY
I am concerned that a small majority of parents have no regard for road safety or teaching their own
children good manners. I have had to speak to a number of parents who park illegally either in front of the
school, block driveways in Wylde Green Rd and East View Road or who exit out of the clearly marked
entrance ‘only’. With one parent I had to ask our local police officers to have a word with them as my
protestations and those of my colleagues about these issues continually fell on deaf ears. All of this gives
our young people the wrong messages about how to deal with either car parking or the wider issue of
conflict resolution. I would like to thank the vast majority of parents who set such a good example when
they pick up their children from school.
PREPARATION FOR PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS: The efforts of our yr. 10 (R.E.), 11, 12 and 13 students
must now be directed towards making sure that they put in the maximum effort for their public examination
period in the Summer Term. If you have any worries about entry to public examinations for your son and
daughter please contact Mrs Thomspon, our Examinations Officer. Details of after school classes,
mentoring, coursework catch up days and other raising achievement activities will be communicated
through letters home and printed on the parents section of the school website.
YEAR 9 SCIENCE EXAMINATION. Pupils in year 9 have already received revision lists for an important
end of unit examination which will take place on Wednesday 25th March. It is important to remember that
these examinations are not end of year examinations but important staging posts to assess progress in
what are three year GCSE examination courses. The results of the March examination will be taken into
consideration when it is decided whether a pupil will study all three separate sciences or be given the
option of studying two of the three single science courses in year 10. The top 90 pupils will study all three
courses, whilst approximately 50 pupils will be given the choice of studying two of the three separate
sciences. More information on the year 10 2015-16 science initiative will be sent to year 9 parents shortly
‘WEST SIDE STORY’. Well done to all our pupils in our annual whole school production as we all lived out
the tragedy of Maria and Tony in early February! I was proud of everyone’s efforts and have had so many
messages from audience members that were full of praise for the entertainment provided. The standard
this year was very high and I would like to thank Miss Darby and her Performing Arts staff for producing
‘West Side Story’ and giving our pupils such an opportunity to enjoy themselves and demonstrate how they
can work in a team of over 100 pupils.
YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE. More and More Year 10 pupils have been successful in seeking
placements for their work experience at the end of the summer term i.e. Monday 6th July – Friday 17th July
2015. Pupils, who haven’t done so, should see Mr. O’Rourke as soon as possible.
OPTIONS FOR YEAR 8. Year 8 will also be making all GCSE options this year in readiness to start at the
beginning of their year 9 in September 2015. Parents of all Year 8 parents will soon receive an option
booklet and form after Easter in preparation for the Year 8 Parents and Options Evening on Wednesday
15th April. The parents’ evening will take place in the Sports Hall between 4.30pm-6.30pm (with three
repeated options talks at 4.00pm, 5.30pm and 6.40pm in the Hall) and there will be two options talks in the
-3School Hall at 4pm and then a repeated talk at 6.30pm. These talks will last about 15 minutes with a
chance for questions and answers afterwards. As requested in our recent parental questionnaire and
consultation we will put all year 8 options documentation on our website with a button on the front
page and will parents can also fill in option choices online.
PRIZEGIVING, WEDNESDAY 25th March 2015.
We are delighted to welcome a past pupil of the school Mr. Nick Corbett. Nick studied urban design
planning at Manchester, Oxford Brookes, and Amsterdam Universities, and served as the urban designer
for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for eight years. As a planning consultant, he has helped
to regenerate many other urban sites. Nick has written books for the Royal Institute of British Architects,
and is the author of several novels and screenplays. He set up the company Transforming Cities Ltd in
2010. Prize-winners and their parents will be informed about this evening very soon.
APPEAL FOR PRIZES AT PRIZEGIVING. If you or the business you are attached to would like to make a
donation to the prizes for this event please contact Mrs Knott, Business Manager on 0121-351-3215.
BWA (Parents’ Association). If you can come along and join the BWA you will be very welcome and their
next meeting is on Monday March 2nd 2015 at 7.30pm in the Cardinal Newman Building.
Training Days for the rest of the academic year, 2014-2015.
Thursday 26th March 2015
Friday 27th March 2015
Monday 1st June 2015
END OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS. At the end of this term on Wednesday 25th March 2015 pupils will
finish at our usual school time of 3.20pm. Therefore Wednesday 25th March will be a normal teaching
day. On one of the days in the last week of term there be a whole school liturgy reflecting on the events of
Holy Week.
Rest of School Holidays for the academic year, 2014 – 2015:
Summer Term 2015
Monday 13 April to Friday 22 May
Half Term Holiday: Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May (1 week)
Monday 01 June to Friday 17 July
Summer Holiday 2015: starts Monday 20 July
Autumn Term 2015
Monday 7th September 2015 – just year 7.
Tuesday 8th September 2015 – years 7 and 8, 9, 10, 11.
Wednesday 9th September 2015 – ALL YEAR GROUPS including years 12 and 13.
Half Term: Monday 26 October 2015 – Friday 30 October 2015
Term Ends: Friday 18 December 2015
Spring Term 2016
Term Starts: Monday 4 January 2016
Half Term: Monday 15 February 2016 – Friday 19 February 2016
Term Ends: Thursday 24 March 2016
Summer Term 2016
Term Starts: Monday 11 April 2016
Half Term: Monday 30 May 2016 – Friday 3 June 2016
Term Ends: Friday 22 July 2016
-4In Conclusion. I hope that the spring brings warmer weather and a lifting of the spirit as we look forward
to summer. I will send a shorter newsletter out to parents in the last week before the Easter
Holidays.
Please look at the school website or twitter for regular updates about news and events in school between
these newsletters. bishopwalsh.net or Twitter @bishopwalsh
God Bless,
J.B. Farrell.
Mass Times for local parishes
Erdington Abbey- Parish of SS Thomas and Edmund of Canterbury, Sutton Road,
Erdington.
(Rector and Parish Priest; Very Rev.Father Gabriel Maguire C.Ss.R)
Vigil Mass: 6.00pm. (Saturday)
Sunday: 8.00am, 9.15am, (Children's Mass) 10.30am, (Sung) 12.00 Noon, 6.00pm.
Holy Cross and St. Francis, Signal Hayes Road, Walmley (Parish Priest; Rev. Father Neil
Bayliss)
Saturday: 6.00pm (Vigil Mass)
Sunday: 8.30am and 10.30am
Holy Trinity, Lichfield Rd, Sutton Coldfield Centre (Parish Priest; Rev. Father Michael HoHuu-Nghia.)
Saturday: 6.00pm (Vigil Mass)
Sunday: 9.30am, 11.00am and 7pm.
Sacred Heart, Lichfield Rd, Four Oaks, (Parish Priest; Rt. Rev. Mgr. David Cousins)
Saturday: 5.00pm at Footherley Hall. Sunday: 8.30am and 10.30am
St. Nicholas, Boldmere. (Parish Priest; Rev. Father Van Tien)
Saturday: 6pm (Vigil Mass)
Sunday: 9am and 11am
SS. Peter and Paul. Kingsbury Rd. Erdington. (Parish Priest; Rev. Father Joseph
McLoughlin)
Saturday: 5.15pm (Vigil Mass)
Sunday: 9.00am and 10.30am
Feedback of Parent Views - February 2015
Strongly
agree
45
Agree
Disagree
21
2
1
My child is happy at
this school
2
My child feels safe at
this school
47
21
3
My child makes good
progress at this school
37
27
4
My child is well looked
after at this school
45
23
5
My child is taught well
at this school
33
34
1
6
My child receives
appropriate homework
for their age
24
37
5
7
This school ensures
pupils are well
behaved
50
14
4
8
This school deals
effectively with bullying
34
28
4
9
This school is well led
and managed
49
19
10
This school responds
well to any concern I
raise
42
25
11
I receive valuable
information from the
school about my child’s
progress
36
26
12
I would recommend
this school to another
parent
48
20
Strongly
disagree
No answer
Total
68
68
4
68
68
68
2
68
68
2
68
68
5
1
68
1
68
68
The comments on the next few pages were all from separate parental questionnaires and
only reflect that parent’s particular view. Where comments are about ‘would be better if’ I
have given feedback where we are taking action to address issues but also rely on the
statistics above which clearly demonstrate that the vast majority of parents agree or strongly
agree that the school is trying its best to meet the needs of pupils and parents.
Mr. Farrell.
The best things about Bishop Walsh Catholic School are:
Assessment/Teaching
 Moving pupils into different sets if there ability changes.
 Caring/supportive nature of teachers.
 Letters informing parents their child is in the top ten per cent of attitude to learning.
 Willingness of teachers to stay behind and help students.
 Commitment to high standards of teaching and learning.
 Excellent academic progress of pupils.
 Traffic light reports are informative and ‘attitude to learning’ section is helpful.
 Three modern languages offered at GCSE/ choice of options.
 Teachers challenging pupils to aim higher.
 Individual pupil progress is tracked and communicated well to parents.
Behaviour
 Good/consistent discipline policy.
 Strict uniform policy.
 Very Good management of pupils’ behaviour.
Extra-Curricular
 Variety of school trips.
 Wide range of after school clubs and extra-curricular activities
 Organisation of DofE.
 Excellent sports facilities.
 Excellent performing arts opportunities.
Events
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Other
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Polite welcoming of pupils at school events.
Year 7 intro meeting and follow up with form teachers.
Year 7 workshop evening.
Responses from teachers at parents’ evenings.
The whole school shows and dance/music evenings.
Good moral, catholic and caring ethos.
Communication with the school and teachers /Head of Years.
Involvement of parents in school life.
Transition from primary school to Bishop Walsh.
Involving pupils with different personalities into the school community.
Integration of faith into school life.
Parental concerns on and off site are dealt with effectively and quickly.
Pupil safety – safe environment.
Strong leadership team/ well managed school.
Pupils and staff are approachable and friendly.
Good pastoral care.
Helpful reception staff.
Bishop Walsh provides fantastic opportunities for pupils to grow both spiritually and
academically.
Bishop Walsh Catholic School would be better if:
(I have made some comments in brackets and italicised bold print clarifying points and
outlining what the school has done and might do to address some of the issues mentioned
below. I will be outlining more action on the points below in future newsletters. Remember
that all staff will see this feedback and this will help them to bear in mind parental feedback in
their work - Mr. Farrell.)
Assessment/Teaching
 Student unit/module evaluations to gain feedback from students about how they were taught.
(If you look at pupils’ exercise books/folders you will see increasing pupil evaluation of
their own work using assessment stamp and other devices)
 Greater communication from teachers with parents regarding pupil weaknesses in particular
subjects so more home support can be offered. (The more concise Traffic Light Reports
are being developed to be more specific to help parents and pupil identify why attitude
to learning is not outstanding)
 More contact from SEN teachers regarding pupil progress and further tips to support pupil
th
learning. (We did invite all parents on Nov. 27 2014 to a dyslexia awareness event run
by our Educational Psychologist. Meetings take place for some pupils with dyslexia in
the form of reviews. Pupils who are entitled receive assessment for examination
concessions. We have a ‘Lexia’ ICT package developed to help dyslexic pupils. If a
parent has a child with dyslexia and would like this programme available for their child
please contact school and/or about any matter relating to your child’s special needs
please ask for Miss Dunphy (Deputy Head in charge of inclusion or Mrs Gill, Assistant
SENCO)
 The traffic light system needs to be re assessed: raise concerns prior to traffic light report
being sent so there is an opportunity for improvements to be made. Pupils see a ‘red’ traffic
light as failure, there needs to be more positive encouragement. Traffic Light reports –
concerns regarding consistency between attitude to learning and teachers comments.
Categorisation of colours (e.g. Green if pupil is on target and a different colour if pupil is
exceeding target). (We have regular formal contacts with parents in the form of traffic
lights, reports and parents evenings to raise concerns and celebrate progress – staff;
particularly Heads of Years make it their business to contact home if there is an acute
concern. We have recently made changes to the way we report traffic lights to parents:
Mr. Hamill will explain this in another part of this newsletter)
 Pupils need to be challenged more in subjects they excel – different ability levels of
homework.
 More focus on pupils of all abilities not just high achievers. (Our Ofsted report for
examination results 2014 demonstrate that all pupils of whatever ability get much
higher results than their Key Stage 2 SATS would suggest.)
 Increased teaching standards.
 Teachers explained homework tasks more thoroughly.
 Excessive amount of homework for year 7 pupils.
 More subject choice (option to drop all three sciences/modern languages) (Those parents in
year 8 and 9 will see a major change to the option system which will address some of
these issues)
 DT lessons were more practical based.
 Cover lessons need to be specifically planned.
Behaviour

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

Pupils who disrupt the class need to be dealt with more firmly.
More consistent and structured system for managing pupil behaviour (e.g. A behaviour points
system to provide a framework for escalating sanctions so pupils are dealt with fairly by all
staff and good behaviour can be rewarded).
Pupils with strong personalities were dealt with more effectively.
Some pupils seem to be bullying their teachers – more training is needed for how to deal with
unruly pupils without disrupting the class. (As part of our school improvement plan we are
revisiting the school’s sanctions code and will include pupils and parents in that
process. I do note however, that the question about the school ensuring that its pupils
are well behaved is the one with the most strongly agree responses)
Extra-Curricular

A rugby/ cross country team included in the school sports teams. (After enquiries by some
year 8 parents we have started rugby training on a Monday after school and hope to
get an outside coach in the next few weeks.)

Gymnastics and swimming club.

If extra-curricular clubs have changed times/days parents need to be informed (e.g. via
blanket texting).
 Sporting activities/PE for the Sixth Form. (We are looking at providing this for sixth formers
from September 2015)
 Greater focus on minority sports e.g. Gaelic football.
 Share drama productions with inner city schools. (We have shared Drama projects with other
schools and will do so later this year to celebrate the feast of SS. Peter and Paul)
 School trips need to be more affordable.
Events




The sixth form open evening was earlier. (We like our year 11 pupils to research all the
opportunities open to them before we present our offer for the Sixth Form)
Organisation and management of parents evenings (set appointment times allocated to each
teacher)
Inviting pupils to attend the sixth form parents evening was not a good idea. Parent felt
teachers were not as honest. (This contrasts with the parental feedback after the two
sixth form parents evenings last term which generally felt this was a good idea)
Year 7 parents evening was earlier in order to gain feedback regarding pupil
progress/weaknesses early on.
Other
 Swipe/credit card or fingerprint based system for the canteen. Pupils entitled with free school
meals would obtain the appropriate credit. (We would really like to introduce this system at
school and are looking at ways of affording it. We have spent a great deal of money across
the St. John Paul II multi-academy brining in Parent pay)
 Improved canteen facilities with healthier options for lunch.
 Homework given out in accordance with the homework timetable.
 Marking of books was more consistent and monitored accordingly.
 Students in the sixth form were treated more like young adults rather than children. Greater
independence.
 More subject choice at A-Level (e.g. law/sociology)
 The study centre in the sixth form was used more effectively during study periods.
 Area to relax in the sixth form centre and improved heating.
 Accessibility of lockers.
 Staggered lunch times to avoid queues.
 Improvements to KS3 toilets. (The school is committed to this in the medium term and has
just recently refurbished the girls toilets in the link)
 Greater focus on the importance of Physical Education.
 More information about bus routes and timetables before pupils start in yr7.
 The English department needs to be stronger. (As part of our recent Raising Achievement Plan
for English we conducted a parental questionnaire which was very positive about teaching
and learning in the English and Media Department)
 Mock A-level exams took place in February instead of January
New look traffic light and full reports
In September 2011 we changed the look of the full reports and traffic light reports that
parents’ receive home to explain their child’s progress. These helped to illustrate areas of
strength and weakness quickly using colour coding.
From then onwards we have been evolving the reports to refine their usefulness to the target
audience. You will be aware that very recently you were asked to fill in a ‘Parental
Questionnaire’ and were invited to a ‘Parental Consultation’ evening. The response to this
feedback has prompted the school to make a few more changes. We have taken the
decision to change the colours that display progress and their meaning. If your son/daughter
is ‘above’ their prediction then they will receive a Purple traffic light, if they are ‘on’ target a
Green traffic light and if they are ‘below’ target a Red traffic light.
Furthermore, you may remember in a previous newsletter, Mr. Farrell wrote about another
request from parents to break-down the attitude to learning grade given into categories. This
is something we have created and will happen from this point onwards. So the categories
chosen are:
Effort and Behaviour:
Homework:
Engagement:
Organization:
We feel that these 4 categories articulate best attitude for learning and allow parents to
monitor precisely their child’s progress. Like with the ‘working at grade’ we have changed the
attitude to learning colours. So now a 1 is Purple, 2 a Green and 3 and 4 Red. At the heart
our assessment policy is to support pupils to do their best and attain and achieve.
Mr. Hamill – Asst. Head, Assessment for Learning
GCSE RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Y10 REVISION
WHERE?
WHEN?
TIME?
Room 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22 (see briefing each week)
ALTERNATE TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS
(and one Wednesday)
3.25-4.15
PROGRAMME:
Tuesday 24th Feb
3.1 – Believing in God
Thursday 5th March
10.1 – Beliefs and Values
Wednesday 11th March
3.4 – Religion and Community Cohesion
Thursday 19th March
10.3 – Worship and Celebration
Tuesday 24th March
10.4 – Living the Christian Life
Thursday 16th April
3.3 – Marriage and the Family
Tuesday 21st April
3.2 – Matters of Life and Death
Thursday 30th April
10.2 – Community and Tradition
Thursday 7th May
Tips for Revision and the Exam and
essential Bible passages
In these revision classes you will go over the unit content and look at past
paper questions as well as getting tips for revision and the exam.
Try and come to as many as you can – EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!
Physical Education
Elite Sport at Bishop Walsh Catholic School
The PE department is always interested in what our pupils do in their own time, outside of lessons. At
Bishop Walsh, we have a number of pupils competing at an elite level and in this copy of the School
newsletter, I’d like to promote the success of just a small number of our elite athletes and what they are
currently up to. If you would like to highlight any successes of your son/daughter in the sporting world, then
please get in touch with me by emailing me at [email protected].
Mr Huddleston
Head of Physical Education
Sutton Coldfield Young Sports Personality of the Year 2014
This year, I nominated three students for the
Young Sports Personality of the Year award.
Jake Dixon and Luke Davies, both for their
achievements in the swimming pool and Alice
Kinsella, for her gymnastics achievements. On
December 23rd, I was told that Alice had made
it through to the final 3 and would be invited to
the awards evening. At this evening, I am
pleased to announce that she was crowned
Young Sports Personality of the Year 2014 for
Sutton Coldfield, beating off some very talented
athletes. This is an outstanding achievement
and very much deserved. Well done Alice.
Below is her nomination form and a picture of her receiving her award:
This is now Alice’s fourth year in the Great Britain gymnastics squad. She competes on all four apparatus which are
floor, beam, bars and vault.
March 2014 – English Championships: 2nd Place all around, 1st place on bars and vault
September 2014 – UK School Games representing England. 2nd place all around, 1st on bars, 2nd on vault, Team 1st.
October 2014 – Alice’s first International call up for Junior Great Britain – team event: 1st place team.
November 2014 – Alice’s second international call up for Junior Great Britain (against older girls from around the
World in Prague, Czech Republic) – Olympic hopes: 1st (Gold Medal) against USA, Czech, Hungary, Israel, Finland,
Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Austria and Germany. This was Alice’s proudest moment in gymnastics so far, winning gold
for her country as an individual on all four pieces of equipment.
December 2014 – British Championships – Glasgow: 3rd All around, 1st on Vault, 2nd on bars.
Physical Education
Luke Davies – First England call up
Following on with our Elite performers,
Luke has had his first England call up
and has been selected to swim as part
of a junior England team at an
international meet in Moscow, Russia
on the 2nd-3rd May. This will give Luke
the opportunity to show off his talent
and compete individually and as a
team against seven other nations.
Ellen Humpherston – All England Cross Country Championships
Ellen has been competing in cross-country for a few years now and has always been very successful when
competing against other Sutton Coldfield Schools. On Saturday 14th March 2015, Ellen has been invited to
compete for the West Midlands in the All England Schools Cross Country Championships. This is a great
stepping stone in Ellen’s progression as a cross-country athlete and we wish her every success.
What sports can my son/daughter participate
in at Bishop Walsh?
Here, at Bishop Walsh, we offer an extensive extra-curricular programme of sporting activities. There are
clubs available after School each day, as well as lunch times (new for this academic year). We compete in
as many Sutton Coldfield championships as we can as well as other district and regional competitions, in a
range of different sports. Whilst our biggest success is in football and netball, we are always looking at
developing our other clubs and if there is the interest from pupils, we will look into starting up new clubs.
Our aim is for every pupil to participate and enjoy PE, both in and out of lessons. If your son/daughter
completes no extra-curricular activities, try talking through with them what is available to them at School.
Participating in sport will offer pupils leadership and teamwork skills, as well as helping to develop a healthy
and active lifestyle that will help maintain a healthy body.
Clubs offered at Bishop Walsh within the ACL faculty:
Football
Rugby Union
Basketball
Hockey
Golf
Netball
Tennis
Badminton
Athletics (From May)
Rounders (From May)
Cricket (From May)
Dance
Drama
Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Bishop Walsh School Duke of Edinburgh’s Award –
National Press Release:
Mr Huddleston was interviewed recently by the press team from the Duke
of Edinburgh’s award. His interview is being used in a new marketing
strategy to get more Schools interested in the Duke of Edinburgh’s
award. Below are excerpts from the interview:
Bishop Walsh Catholic School in Birmingham first offered The Duke
of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) to its pupils in 2009, after recognising
the opportunities for personal development that it offers young
people.
Mr Huddleston, Head of Physical Education, put himself forward to
set up and manage the DofE at the school and, five years on, the
school has gone from one member of staff managing 14 Bronze
participants in the first year, to three members of staff supporting
over 130 Bronze, Silver and Gold participants this year.
Explaining how the DofE has grown so rapidly, Mr Huddleston said:
“We have been able to easily integrate the DofE into the school’s
existing extra-curricular activities by offering our pupils
volunteering opportunities. Most of our after school sports clubs
are refereed by Silver and Gold participants doing sports leadership
for their Volunteering section; we have DofE participants
supporting year seven Special Educational Needs students with
their reading, others volunteering in the Dance and Drama
department and some participants taking part in environmental
projects with the school’s grounds men.”
Speaking about the benefits of offering the DofE at the school, Mr Huddleston said, “The
DofE has had such a positive impact on the hundreds of individuals that have achieved
their Awards while at Bishop Walsh Catholic School, as well as on the school itself. In
particular, the volunteering activities that we offer in school have enabled our pupils to
broaden their experiences, their soft skills and build their confidence, whilst also
strengthening relationships across the whole school by bringing different year groups
together in shared activities and working with teaching staff across the departments.”
Mr Huddleston concluded, “The popularity of DofE in our school and the huge numbers
signing up each year is testament to the DofE programme; not only is it fun for all pupils
and staff involved, it enables young people to try new activities and develop key life skills,
which support them as they move on to college or the working world.”
Year 11 Culinary Arts trip to UCB
On Tuesday 20th and 27th of January the Year 11 Catering students visited University College
Birmingham to see and experience a professional working environment. They had the opportunity to
prepare and cook various items and I hope they learned a lot from this experience as well as getting
to take home lots of free food!
Jessica Rowen was one of the students who went and she has written the following about the trip:
“First of all we were able to look around the restaurants and the kitchen where the students prepare
and cook all the meals from scratch for the public. These meals are all a la carte meals and
beautifully presented and the students were in the middle of preparing for service at lunchtime. We
then moved to the bar area where we taste tested various drinks with ginger and rose to see how
they affected our tastes. From there we moved upstairs to the bakery section where we shaped
several bread rolls, decorated ring donuts with fondant and sprinkles and used the filling machine to
fill two donuts with jam. All of these activities were great fun! After this we went to the kitchen area
where we made an oriental vegetable chow mein using fresh chicken stock with chef, this was a fast
moving and fun activity! Overall it was a great day and everyone who went enjoyed the trip”.
History Trip to Krakow 13th-17th February
On Friday 13th February 42 students from year 12 and 13 set off for Berlin along with Mr Foley, Mrs Bowker,
Mr Barlow, Miss McManus and Mr Marshall. Despite the plane being struck by lightening we landed safely!
It was freezing! Armed with scalves, coats, hats and gloves we set off for a tour of Berlin. Berlin is full of
history from the horrors of the Third Reich to the divisions of the Cold War. We saw the Reichstag, the site
of Hitler’s Bunker and the remains of the Berlin Wall before visiting Checkpoint Charlie. On our tour we visited
the place where Staffenberg was killed for attempted to assassinate Hitler in his Bunker in July 1944.
The next day we visited Sachsenhausen, which was a concentration camp for political prisoners. All those who
opposed Hitler or were seen as political enemies were sent there. The remains of the crematoriums were a
stark warning of the dangers extremism and our duty to always stand up for what is right and those who are
oppressed. On the Sunday we had a meal at Andy’s Diner in the former East of Berlin. It was an American style
place which would never have been seen in East Berlin 30 years ago under communism. Another reminder of the
freedom and lifestyle we often take for granted.
After an overnight coach ride to Poland we arrived in Krakow and went to Auschwitz. This was such a moving
experience for sixth former and staff. 1.3 million Jews were killed in the Gas Chambers in Auschwitz, mothers
children the old and the disabled all reduced to ashes. We learned that there were tens of thousands of other
victims who were killed: Roma and Sini Gypsies, Polish, Christian and homosexuals. All human beings and all the
victim of Nazi terror.
The freezing conditions we experienced gave a small snapshot of what winter was like in the camps. It was
below freezing but our guide said it was mild in comparison to the –15 degrees which are common in the winter
time. We then spent some time in Krakow main square taking in the beautiful architecture and sample
traditional Polish food to keep us warm.
It was then time to fly back to the UK. I think all students would agree this was a great trip and an experience
that will live with us for a long time.
Mr Foley (Head of History and Politics/Head of Year 12)
General Information and news
All students sitting exams this summer should have received an exam
timetable before the half term. If your son/daughter did not receive one then they
must come and see me asap. This is so that students can check all their exam
entries to ensure they are correct. Once seating plans and exam rooms are
complete every student will receive a final timetable with their seat numbers and
some important information from the exam boards on what the rules are during the
exams. Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you
Mrs Thompson Exams & Data Officer