Latest Information from our school, including news stories and upcoming events.
As we break up today, I simply wanted to send a final Wednesday letter to thank you all for your support this year and wish you all a good and (hopefully) restful summer. I do appreciate that many of you will, of course, be working but I hope that you will all have the opportunity to get a well-earned break.
We have had a tremendously busy year and I am pleased to say that all the external cladding work will be completed by the 1st week in September and we will have a very different looking school including a lot of internal decorations taking place over the break. I will also take this opportunity to say that we have, in light of the recent Grenfell tragedy, checked that all our cladding met (in fact we exceed) all required building standards.
Download NewsletterSometimes I cannot believe just how busy the end of term is for our boys. This week we have hosted our Year 10 Meet the Employers Day organised by the Sefton Education Business Partnership, the boys took part in incredibly energetic and inspirational sessions led by England goalkeeper Rachel Finnis-Brown, representatives from the School Council did an amazing presentation at the Southport Learning Partnership Celebration Event and we are looking forward to our own Awards Evening on Thursday night.
Download NewsletterIt is almost the end of the year and whilst we are all looking forward to the end of year trips and Sports Day, I also want to remind everyone that we are still in school for 2 weeks and a lot of important work is still taking place. Years 9 and 10 will be covering mainly GCSE topics all the way until the end of term and Years 7 and 8 will be finishing their syllabus, all the more important now that we have a two year Foundation Stage and options at the end of Year 8. All Year groups have also each taken part in one PHSCE day this week.
There is a lot going on at this time of year. Staff are busy writing end of year reports that will be with you the last week of term. We are also rewriting schemes of work and assessment to fit in with our new curriculum plan and the new GCSE specifications. Option groups and timetables are almost complete and we are also planning our teaching and learning development for next year and the building improvement programme that will take place over the summer
Download NewsletterThe last Wednesday in June is when we formally welcome all our new Year 7 students into the school and it has to be one of my favourite days every year. Today we welcomed 158 students, which will make it our biggest year group and I have to thank all the parents for their trust, the staff for their hard work and the boys for being such good ambassadors for the school. We couldn't have increased our numbers in that way over the last 3 years if it hadn't been for your support.
I am glad to report that our fundraiser last week allowed us to collect £880 so far to support the relief effort for the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Download NewsletterThe exam season is finally almost over. Year 11’s last exams were on Monday with students sitting papers they prepared for in their own time, with staff support, such as Further Maths and Ancient History and they have to be commended for their dedication and self discipline. Year 10s will close the season on Thursday with Statistics. The boys have worked extremely hard and I can only hope now that their efforts and the staff's will be rewarded with the grades they aspire to and deserve.
Download NewsletterAs I was pondering what I could start the Wednesday letter with this week it suddenly occurred to me that with so much negativity and bad news around we too often forget about the more positive aspects of life. As a headteacher, as you will imagine, from time to time, I do get members of the public emailing or ringing with a complaint about our boys. I am proud to say that these are few and far between and we always do our our utmost to identify the individuals who have brought the rest of the student body into disrepute and sanction them. It is very easy in our society to have a very negative and one-sided view of young men who are often depicted in a very bad light. However, many members of the community also take the time to contact us to express their gratitude and appreciation and I thought I would share with you 4 of the emails I have genuinely received in the last 2 months.
Download NewsletterIt was only in our last newsletter that I had the unfortunate duty to talk to you about the impact of the Manchester attack and it doesn’t seem possible that in our following letter I would be mentioning a new incident. All our thoughts and our prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims of both attacks. As the crowds gathered for the concert on Sunday night so evidently demonstrated, such attacks will not succeed in breaking down communities and creating a climate of hate but will only reinforce all our resolve to hold on to our shared values. We flew the the flag at half mast again yesterday and today and observed a minute's silence at 11am across the school.
Download NewsletterAt a time when some are trying to split our communities and pitch them against each other, these shared values of democracy, respect, tolerance and the rule of law are what will keep us together and make sure that the rule of terror will never prevail.
Download NewsletterWhere do I start this week's Wednesday letter? Well first of all a big well done to the Year 11s who have started the week with their RE, French and Biology papers. There were a lot of positive comments so keep it up boys! The in-school revision timetable is working well but please make sure you continue to put the effort in at home.
Download NewsletterOur Year 10 students began sitting their internal exams on Tuesday, and we would like to wish them all god luck with them. Final reminder to Year 11 students to order their hoodies and year books by Friday and I hope you will join us at the BPA’s Wine Tasting Quiz on Friday 12 May at the Ramada.
Download NewsletterThis week has been a very exciting week as we have welcomed Year 5 boys from 14 primary schools in Southport who all came to have a taster day with us. Over the course of each day they have taken part in a wide range of activities such as PE, Robotics, a Maths challenge, Forensic Science, Art and Technology, all taught by our staff and even, in certain cases, by our Year 8 students. They all left very happy and enthused and we hope to see them all again very soon.
Download NewsletterWe would like to invite you to the Information, Advice and Guidance Evening on Thursday 27th April at 6:00 pm. (There is a session at 5:00pm for year 8 pupils, if you are unable to attend the 5:00pm session). During the evening there will be a presentation about the options process in the Hall, followed by opportunities to talk to Senior Leadership Team, Miss Daly (SENCO), and Mrs Sinclair (Head of Year 8). When you arrive you will be given an Options booklet and details of the pathway that we suggest your son takes to achieve the best possible results for him. The current options booklet found on the website is to be updated, Follow our twitter to know the instant it's changed.
All application forms need to be returned to myself or the school office by 9:00am on Tuesday 9th May 2017.
Please feel free to contact myself at school if you have any queries (call or via email)
We would like to invite you to the Information, Advice and Guidance Evening on Thursday 27th April at 5:00 pm. (There is a session at 6:00pm for year 9 pupils, if you are unable to attend the 5:00pm session). During the evening there will be a presentation about the options process in the Hall, followed by opportunities to talk to Senior Leadership Team, Miss Daly (SENCO), and Mrs Nightingale (Head of Year 8). When you arrive you will be given an Options booklet and details of the pathway that we suggest your son takes to achieve the best possible results for him. The current options booklet found on the website is to be updated, Follow our twitter to know the instant it's changed.
All application forms need to be returned to myself or the school office by 9:00am on Tuesday 16th May 2017.
Please feel free to contact myself at school if you have any queries (call or via email)
I hope that you all managed to get some rest and spend time together over the long Easter weekend. We have started our week back in school discussing British Values in assembly. They are defined as "democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith". Part of the assembly is about pointing out how crucial these are to all of us, but also about remembering to be grateful for all these things that we take for granted sometimes in our democracy, but also in school or at home, and emphasising the part each of us, as individuals, have to play in keeping these values alive and meaningful. Simple things are very important, such as being nice to a friend, reporting inappropriate behaviour, taking responsibility for our own learning and our own actions, being respectful of each other's views and opinions but also showing appreciation of the work of others, such as our parents and teachers.
Download NewsletterI would like, first of all, to check how many of you follow our Art department on Twitter. If you don't already please do so without delay! This week Mrs Carrington and Mrs Sinclair have been tweeting pictures of our current Year 10's work and it is absolutely stunning! Don't take my word for it, just go and check out the pictures
Download NewsletterI would like to thank all the Year 11 parents who attended the Intervention Evening last Thursday. This was a new initiative aimed at providing that last opportunity for a face to face meeting to improve communication between home and school so that we can all work together to help students and the feedback has been very positive. This week Year 11s have started their 2 day Art practical and Year 10 are getting ready for the Statistics controlled assessment. I wish them all good luck.
Download NewsletterIt has been another bumper week! Years 7 and 8 had a lot of booky fun on Thursday for World Book Day. We have had more sporting successes at local and regional levels in rugby and basketball and have progressed to National finals in Badminton and Water polo. Not bad for a small, all-boys comprehensive from Southport.
Download NewsletterThis has been an eventful week and I am not just talking about Doris hitting the UK. We have seen an exceptional array of sporting achievement with 3 of our basketball teams being crowned Sefton Champions and 1 Sefton Plate Winners despite not having facilities to practise for almost one term. Both the under 15 and under 18 Water Polo teams have progressed to the national finals.
The Catering practicals are over and Year 11 students are currently taking the PiXL Maths mocks, which we hope will give our students a national benchmark to judge themselves against, as they prepare for the new style exam. We have also had the Year 10 statistics mocks.
The jazz band has played concerts in 3 primary schools, the animal club have taken their roadshow to Churchtown primary who have also sent us their STEM ambassadors who took part in forensic science and robotics activities all delivered by our Year 9 STEM group.
Download NewsletterThank you to all of you who have visited the school in the last 2 weeks for your patience whilst we put in place our new entrance. We do appreciate that it has been an inconvenience to many of you but it will be worth it and we are confident that the work will be finished by the weekend.
I would like, on behalf of Queenscourt Hospice, to thank you and the boys for donating generously towards the Southport Learning Partnership "Love My Community" day. We raised £ 607. This is now an annual event all of us in the partnership take part in jointly and it shows the power schools have to impact positively on their community, particularly when they work together as one. Beyond the fund raising, the partnership enables secondary and primary schools in Southport to collaborate, share ideas with only one objective in mind: improve the education we can provide for your child.
Download NewsletterStarting on Monday 6 February 2017 we are refurbishing the school's main entrance. The work should take no more than 3 weeks but it will mean that normal entrance to the school will be disrupted the week before half term and the week following half term. We will make alternative arrangements and will confirm these with parents next week. It also means that there will be no access to the school unless it has been pre-arranged with individual staff. The work will finally enable all visitors, including those with restricted mobility, to access the school through the front entrance and will also provide a brighter and more welcoming environment.
Download NewsletterI am pleased that we have now all settled into the new term and that the boys are working hard, especially Year 9, who have their very important end of year assessments coming soon. Please continue to Check Twitter to see examples of lesson activities and we will start soon to add examples of excellent student work as well as examples of effective marking by teachers so that you have the opportunity to see for yourself what we look for and the different approaches we use to provide effective feedback to your son.
May I please remind parents who haven't completed the Ofsted parent view questionnaire to do so. It will genuinely help to not only support you and your son better, but also to assess the impact of the work we do so far. It only takes a few minutes.
Download NewsletterHappy New Year and welcome back to our weekly newsletter. As I did last week in assembly with all the students I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2017!
Download NewsletterSo we come to our last newsletter of 2016 with, as you would expect, a definite festive theme. This Friday is, of course, our Christmas Mufti day to raise funds for the BPA and I would like to thank them again for all their work and support this year. More information about Friday is to be found below and a flyer is attached.
Lessons will continue as normal until Wednesday next week. We will have a special Christmas assembly next Wednesday to end the term on a festive note. Students will leave school at 12.25pm on Wednesday and return to school on Thursday 5 January 2017.
Download NewsletterAs children all over the world start their advent calendar, we have started our own 12 days of Christmas where every day the child who receives the most merits AND NO SANCTIONS in each year group gets a small reward. We have so many of our boys that do everything that is asked of them every day and neer get any sanctions that we thought it would be only appropriate to give them the chance to compete with each other and win prizes.
Please enter into the spirit and remind your son that every day is a new day and he has 12 chances to win. Talking of rewards we will be sending home again electronic certificates to our 100% attenders and subject champions for the half term. These will not be done until the end of next week so continue to encourage him to try his best and keep up his attendance.
Download NewsletterFirst of all, some praise for our Year 11 students who have so far conducted themselves fantastically well in the mock examinations. I would also like to remind you that during the mocks period Year 11 students are allowed to leave at 2.10pm if they have no exam, or as soon as their exam is finished. This is in order to give them some independence over their revision time and encourage them to use it effectively without the constant guidance of parents and staff. Students are aware however, that this is a privilege and must be treated as such.
Download NewsletterI really need to start this newsletter wishing all of our Year 11 students good luck for their mock exams, which start next week. I know that many of them have started revising but I also suspect that many are still missing that sense of urgency. Please continue to encourage them at home. They should be revising a couple of hours daily, at least, as part of their preparation, and it will pay off.
The importance of students preparing themselves thoroughly for examinations is all the more evident this week as we are getting ready to celebrate last year's Year 11 students who are coming back on Thursday night to collect their certificates at our Awards' Evening. This is one of the best nights in the school calendar as we welcome back our students, share their achievements and catch up on their new journeys into adult life.
We currently have a vacancy on our governing body for a Parent Governor. Please see further information, including a nomination form attached. If you have any queries, please contact myself or Ms Karen Anslow, Clerk to the Governors.
I hope you enjoy this week's newsletter. It features again several sporting successes, including quite a performance at national level by our swimmers, but also our BPA fundraiser, Christmas competition, Science event and other news.
Download NewsletterMrs Follett's assembly on Monday on how to approach revision for the English exam, following on from Mr Marshall's session last Tuesday as part of the Year 11 PSHCE day on revision technique, is a clear indicator that things are really starting in earnest for our Year 11 students. The mock exams start in less than 2 weeks and it is absolutely crucial that every student spends time at home revising, going over all the topics they have studied in the last 14 months, making revision notes and practising exam questions. You reap what you sow and this is absolutely key as far as the mock exams
Download NewsletterIt is a packed newsletter again this week with items ranging from Science Competitions to Charity Drives, Clubs and Sporting activities. We hope that you find it informative and keeps you aware of what the school does to support your son's progress, welfare and achievements.
Download NewsletterAs part of our safeguarding agenda, students will be shown a video presentation about bonfire safety during the course of the next 3 days.
Welcome back and thank you to all of you who have taken the time to do the parent view survey. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive, which is very encouraging but, as always, it also gives us areas for improvement. If you haven't done it yet, could I please encourage you again to do so and thank you in advance for your support.
Download NewsletterIt is hard to believe that the first half of this term is already coming to an end. As usual this time of year we have included a few seasonal reminders about uniform and, talking of clothes, I hope that you will be able to support our bags2school fund raiser for the BPA by donating some of your unwanted clothes. We will even do a doorstep collection if requested (see details below).
I am looking forward to meeting Year 11 parents tomorrow for this all important parents' evening. As we start building up for the mocks your support in encouraging your son to apply himself in lessons, attend intervention sessions and revise conscientiously at home is crucial. Several subjects are in the final stages of completing their controlled assessments and again your support in ensuring that every boys aims to at least meet and hopefully exceed their target grade in the controlled assessment is appreciated. Every extra mark they can get in the CA will help them to create a buffer, a safety zone, when they get to the final exam and will enable them to tackle the final paper with confidence.
The work has now started replacing windows in the gym and around the building and the frame for the new cladding is being erected. The contractors have done their best to keep the disruptions to a minimum but some have been inevitable unfortunately. We keep monitoring impact to ensure that it does not detract from the most important part of school life which is your son's education but should you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
Download NewsletterThe messages from me this week are all about thanking you for your support as parents and carers.
I would like, first of all to thank all of you who came last Thursday to our Parents' Forum. We had well over 100 people in attendance for what I hope was a positive and informative meeting. You, as parents and carers, are our most important partners in achieving a common goal - the best possible educational outcomes for your son - and your involvement and support makes all the difference.
Download NewsletterThese are 2 presentations from our successful "Assessment and Reporting Meeting" held at the school for parents to review.
KS3 Tracking and Flightpaths KS4 Assessment and ReportingIt was an absolute privilege to meet so many of you at the Year 7 "Meet the Form Teacher" Evening last week. The comments left on the questionnaires and from the exit conversations were fantastically positive and it was a pleasure to hear so many parents tell us how well and how quickly their son had settled at Birkdale High School. This is our hope when we plan our transition process and it is gratifying to see how well it worked this year for so many students, but we want to get it even better and continue to welcome all your comments.
We are all looking forward to our first Year 7 disco of the year on the 19th of October. This is a joint event with Greenbank High School and a chance to meet again with Year 6 friends who have gone to our sister school. I hope your son will attend and make it a great event.
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Download NewsletterWe hope that you will be able to attend the parents' forum on Thursday 6 October 2016. The main focus of the evening is to provide information regarding the school's assessment and reporting framework. As our reporting systems in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 are very different in format, we will be holding separate events for each Key Stage. At 6pm, there will be a meeting for the parents of Years 7, 8 and 9 students. This will be followed at 7pm by a meeting for the parents of Years 10 and 11 students.
All parents are invited. We will start each session with a presentation on our assessment framework and the data you will receive this year on your child's progress. There will then be an opportunity for parents to raise any other items for discussion.
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Download NewsletterI would like to start this newsletter with a quote from an email I received yesterday from a parent who attended our Open Evening on Monday night;
"I felt compelled to contact you this evening to say how impressed we were this evening with your Open Evening. Every single Birkdale pupil we came across showed exceptional behaviour & they were all polite, sociable & incredibly helpful, particularly the young men in the "live animals" science room".Download Newsletter
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has only been a week and yet so much is already happening. Some clubs and team trials are already taking place and we have included a timetable. We have celebrated Roald Dahl's 100th birthday in style yesterday and I was so disappointed not to have been able to be there to see it. We offer so many clubs and activities and are always looking to add more, please encourage your son to go and try them out as it is a great way to make friends and learn new things.
I would also like you to encourage them to come and help out at Open Evening next Monday from 6.30pm til 9pm. The boys are our greatest ambassadors and every year we receive amazing praise from visitors regarding their manners, maturity and enthusiasm for learning. We have had in the past as many as 60% of the boys taking part and we would love for your son to be part of this special showcase event in the school calendar. Please be aware that boys will finish school at 2pm on Monday so that we can prepare for the Open Evening.
Please find the complete newsletter below.
Download NewsletterWatch our very own Henry Watkinson, Will Coper and Doug Hatton being interviewed as part of the Southport Learning Partnership Bloodhound project hosted by Birkdale High.
Birkdale High School, a limited company registered in England and Wales under Company number 07695504.
Registered address: Windy Harbour Road, Southport PR8 3DT
Headteacher: G Bourgade