Latest Information from our school, including news stories and upcoming events.
Welcome back for a new term. I hope you all had a pleasant Easter break.
This is always an incredibly busy and crucial time in any school. For our boys in Year 11 the next few weeks are going to be about cramming these last key units of work that need to be covered, going over past papers and revising key knowledge and skills as well as taking part in practical exams and moderation. These are always intense and disrupted weeks because of the variety of tasks that have to be completed. Being focused and organised is going to be paramount and your input is needed to ensure that students understand the importance of what is at stake but also feel supported in dealing with the pressures.
Download NewsletterWhat a week we've had. After last week's rather depleted edition, we are back to our full complement of news again. Whilst the under 16 and under 14 rugby teams competed in the most prestigious school rugby competition in the UK, the basketball and athletics team went on to become Sefton Champions again, our budding engineers won the Rotary Competition at Greenbank and our ambitious scientists have been trying to purify toilet water in a bid to win the Unilever Bright Ideas STEM competition and change the world in the process. Not forgetting Miss Kelly's Year 7s who went all British Bake Off and produced the most amazing cakes as a way to finish off their module on gothic writing.
Download NewsletterFollowing our bumper edition last week we have a very short newsletter this week. It has been a very disrupted time with the weather and illnesses but we are getting back to normal. Thank you again for your support with the snow closure. Year 11 are currently completing last minute mock exams along with practical exams in a variety of subjects and we wish them well with those.
* Updated to include Technology Competition section
Download NewsletterWhat a positive and eventful week we have just had. I would like, first of all, to congratulate all the Year 6 students who have been given a place at Birkdale for next year. Our overall numbers are continuing to increase and I look forward to meeting all our new boys on Induction Day in June. They will have all by now received a welcome pack from us and Mr Cunliffe will start visiting the primary schools in order to meet his new Year 7s in the forthcoming weeks. We still have a few limited places left and I am, this week, showing more parents and prospective students around the school should anyone you know wish to join us in September.
Download NewsletterNothing like a snow day to bring a bit of excitement to the week and yesterday certainly did that! We decided to allow the boys on the field at lunchtime for a snowball fight as the snow was still fresh, powdery and clean. The Senior Leadership Team and myself supervised them and I have to admit that the boys were an absolute credit. They all played in good fun and were all ready to get back into class by 1.05pm. The Year 11s even had a "walking talking" English mock period 4. "Walking Talking" mocks are one of the strategies we use to help prepare the students, by which an expert teacher will complete the mock paper on the big screen in the hall at the same time as the students and demonstrate the thought process and key actions behind getting not only the answer right but also maximum points. All students took part and it should help them to tackle more effectively their English mocks next week. These will be followed by Maths mocks the week after.
Download NewsletterI hope that you will all enjoy the amazing pictures of our Year 8's models of the Globe theatre. There has, for a long time, been growing evidence linking practical modelling and representative learning with faster progress and deeper learning. This is particularly widely used in Maths but I have seen several very effective applications in our English lessons this week with the models pictured below, Play Doh used to explore war poetry, and reenactments of the death scene in Romeo and Juliet to great effect and intensity. After the success of last year's event we are all looking forward to the excitement of World Book Day again this year. The ski trip to Courmayeur was a real success enjoyed by all and I would like to thank Mr Milner, Mr Leece, Mr Thorne and Mr Marshall for giving of their time to provide the boys taking part with such an experience. I would also like to thank you all for your support for our Southport Learning Partnership "Love My Community" project. We raised over £600 as a school and over £5,000 across all Southport schools for the Alzheimer's society.
Download NewsletterPlenty for everyone in this newsletter with sporting successes, Saxon re-enactors and a massive pile of unclaimed lost property items of clothing. Next week is also our Year 11 Intervention Evening. This is the last formal opportunity for Year 11 parents, carers, students and teachers to get together and discuss concerns and ways in which students, at risk of underachieving in the summer, can be best supported. I hope that all families who have been invited will be able to attend this crucial event.
Download NewsletterI would like to start this week by praising our Year 8s for their behaviour and attitude so far during their internal exams. Formal examinations in the hall are always a bit daunting as we run them very much in the manner in which students will take their GCSEs. The boys, however, have taken it in their stride, they have lined up quietly and been an absolute credit whilst in the hall. This is absolutely crucial to ensure that every student is able to focus on their work without being distracted by others and I hope that you will share and reinforce this positive message at home.
Overall, this is a very positive newsletter, that again showcases how amazing so many of our boys are. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Download NewsletterI hope that you will have seen our "wrap" in the local Champion newspaper today. As the 2017 performance tables are published this week, we felt that it was an appropriate time to celebrate our success as a school and remind our community of what a fantastic school they have on their doorstep (I am biased I know) and how amazing our boys truly are. This does not mean that we are in any way complacent or resting on our laurels. We continue to strive to improve, and identify, with your support, new ways to develop, innovate and deliver a better overall educational provision for your son.
Download NewsletterFor our last newsletter of 2017 I would like to thank you for your support in the last few weeks with our festive activities: The Christmas panto last week was a resounding success with great performances from all the students, fantastic music and a lot of laughter and we owe Mrs Jeffery who wrote and directed it, and Mrs Sinnott, who choreographed it, a massive round of well-deserved applause; the BPA's refreshments at the panto, mufti day and cake sale raised almost £1000; we are delivering today a minibus full of new toys to the town hall for the Sefton Mayor's Appeal; we are collecting today to support our caterers, Mellors, in their fundraiser for Zoe's Place and by placing wishes on our Christmas tree we are raising money for Southport Foodbank.
Download NewsletterFirst of all well done to the Year 11 for their generally excellent behaviour and outstanding attendance during their mocks. It was very encouraging to see that so many of them had done serious revision and taken the time to prepare for the mocks. Please remember that we provide free of charge a range of excellent online revision tools such as GCSEPod, but also the PiXLMaths, PiXLLit, PiXL History and PiXLGeography apps that have proved very popular and effective so far.
We had a visit this week by Headteachers from two neighbouring Local Authorities, who came to discuss the strategies we have implemented successfully in the last 2 years to raise attainment and progress for boys when locally and nationally boys are significantly underperforming. Both commented on the positive attitude to learning of the boys, how quiet the site was and how engaged the boys seemed to be in their learning. I would like to thank and praise all the students for giving such a positive impression of the school. I would also like to thank all the parents and carers as we couldn't outperform boys in other schools without the support you give them at home.
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Doors Open 6:30pm, Show Start 7pm. In The School Media Hall
Tickets available online via parentpay. £4 Adults, £2 Children
It was such a pleasure to welcome back last week all the Year 11s who left us in the summer and I would like to thank them all, and their families, for coming and making it such a special evening. I would like also like to extend my thanks to Sam Galt, alumnus and former Head Boy, for being our guest of honour and giving such a good and entertaining speech but more importantly providing the boys with a real insight into life after Birkdale. Although Sam only left us 7 years ago, he delivered a powerful message about finding the right professional path, the importance of work ethics once you have left school and the role Birkdale played in getting him ready to seize opportunities offered to him. On behalf of those students, parents, carers, governors and staff present, I very much want to thank Sam for taking the time to be with us and make the Awards Evening a worthwhile and memorable event.
Download NewsletterWe are all looking forward this week to welcoming back last year's Year 11 students for our annual GCSE Awards Evening. Last year's results were the best the school had achieved in many years, best for boys in Southport in all key measures and we think the best in Sefton for boys. It will therefore be a special evening and a chance to catch up and find out how they are getting on.
Download NewsletterWe were very pleased last week to welcome to Birkdale High School Damien Moore who was elected last summer as the Member of Parliament for Southport. He was keen to hear as much as possible about our school, our results last year and how passionate we all are about boys' education and bucking the general trend for boys' achievement nationally. He also listened carefully about general concerns Sefton schools have (and nationally) regarding funding cuts for education and the impact this is having on schools trying to provide the best possible opportunities for their students wherever and whoever they are. He was genuinely impressed with the behaviour of the boys and their engagement in lessons and took time to meet the School Council and answer their challenging questions on, for instance, his views on MPs who do not live in their constituencies and Brexit. He extended an invitation to the boys to visit Westminster this year and Mrs Marshall is now looking at the most suitable date to take a group of boys down to London. We hope that this will become an annual event.
Download NewsletterI hope that you all received your email with a copy of our Ofsted report. I would like one last time to express my thanks for all the support and positive comments we received from staff, governors, parents and students. We now have 3 years to build upon our current success and develop our provision even further in order to become the 1st all-boys comprehensive in the North West to be rated "outstanding".
Download NewsletterThis week I would like to thank all the parents who braved the dreadful weather on the last Thursday before half term to attend our parents' forum and give us their views. It was a very positive event and we are following up on your enquiries and suggestions. For instance, our 1st departmental review of the year is underway and we are looking at homework across different sets as suggested by you. We have shared with all staff your request for greater clarity and support when issuing revision homework. We have changed the settings in Xpressions so that parents can now see the actual comment relating to sanctions and can therefore better understand and deal with the situation at home. These meetings are crucial in helping to address your concerns as parents and I am very grateful that so many of you take the time to attend. The presentations given on the night will be emailed to you shortly and will also be available on the website. The revision booklet is being reviewed and will be circulated next week.
Download NewsletterSome of you may already be aware through the news or our twitter feed, but the GCSEs school performance tables were officially published last week with the 2017 provisional data and Birkdale High School boys ranked at the top, coming 1st in Southport and 2nd in Sefton for all the new government headline measures: Progress 8, Attainment 8 and English and Maths at grade 5 or above. We do not simply want to measure our performance in terms of comparing ourselves with other local schools with whom we collaborate closely, our aim has always been and will continue to be to provide the boys with the best possible teaching, engage them in their learning and help them to achieve the highest grades they are capable of. However, over the last 3 years, we have worked incredibly hard as a staff to identify our weaknesses and build upon our strengths in what have been at times incredibly challenging circumstances and it is therefore so gratifying to see that it is bearing fruits and making a real difference for our students. I would like to thank all the staff for their effort and dedication and all parents and carers for your support. At a time when boys are still lagging behind the girls nationally, we are clearly demonstrating the positive difference an all-boys education can bring.
Download NewsletterWe have just told your child's school that we will inspect it on 18 October 2017. The lead inspector will be Liz Kelly. We are writing to you because we would like to know what you think about the school. Please take a few minutes to read the leaflet which came with this letter. It explains why we inspect schools, and what happens during an inspection.
If you are a registered parent or carer of a pupil at the school (including pupils on sick leave or who are temporarily excluded), you can tell us your views about the school by completing Ofsted's online survey, Parent View, at: https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/
Parent View asks for your opinion on 12 aspects of your child's school, including the progress made by your child, the quality of teaching, how the school deals with bullying and poor behaviour. It also provides a free-text box for you to make additional comments, if you wish. The inspectors will use the online survey responses when inspecting your child's school. Written comments can also be sent to the school in a sealed envelope, marked confidential and addressed to the inspection team.
To register your views, you will need to provide your email address, which will be held securely. It will not be used for any purpose other than providing access to the online survey. Neither schools nor Ofsted will have access to any email addresses.
Please complete the online survey by noon on 18 October 2017 as this will give the inspection team more time to consider your views. However, we will consider all online responses that are completed during the inspection, although the free-text box facility will not be available after noon on 18 October 2017.
If you are unable to complete the online survey, it may be possible to speak to an inspector during the inspection, for instance at the start of the school day, or to pass on messages to the inspectors if you are unable to speak to them in person. Inspection administrators will be happy to make the necessary arrangements. If concerns are raised about child protection, we may have to pass the information we receive to social services or the police. You can contact the administrators on 03000131222. Inspectors will be pleased to receive your comments, but cannot deal with complaints about individual pupils or settle disputes between you and the school.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete the online survey
Birkdale High is indeed reaching for the sky after launching a balloon into space last week as part of a team of schools collaborating on a STEM project. There are more details below regarding our boys' involvement in the STEM Scholars Project, and do take the time to click on the link to watch the footage of the balloon. It is not often our school logo features with the earth as a background!!!
Download NewsletterThis week, the Wednesday Letter is introduced by our Chair of Governors, Mr Stuart Bellerby
Download NewsletterSuch a lot has happened this week! We went straight from Open Evening to welcoming parents to our very busy Open Mornings and then Year 7s went on their residential trip and Year 11s their History trip. This week saw the start of our PHSCE programme of activities as well as crucial independent career guidance work with our Careers Fair.
Download NewsletterMedia Hall - Birkdale High School
Time: 10.30-12.00
Refreshments, Entertainment, Raffle & Activities for pre-school children...
If you can contribute raffle prizes please hand these into reception by 28th September. Cake donations can be brought in on the day as there will also be a cake sale for students at break and lunch.
Enquiries Contact the school for Mrs H Jeffery
First of all I would like to thank so many of you for allowing your son to support the school at Open Evening last night. This is always a busy night and incredibly important as it is often the main information point parents will use to make their final decision. We are all working extremely hard to dispel some of the misconceptions people still hold at times regarding an all-boys education, but I know that our academic results, the reputation of the school as well as the support and trust you, as parents, have given us are beginning to open up minds. As usual on the night, the boys were our best ambassadors and I received amazing comments from visitors about how incredibly mature, engaging and articulate the boys were. Please make sure to pass on my thanks and praise to them at home as well, particularly our Year 7 guides who, after only a few weeks in the school, were talking about it as if they had always been here!!! Thank you all again for your continued support.
Download NewsletterIt is such a great feeling to be back in school (and yes I do mean it!). I do however hope that you have all managed to spend as a family or with friends relaxing and enjoying a well-earned break.
We have come back to our best set of results in 4 years, which is a testament to the work of all the students and the staff in what has been a very turbulent year with many last minute changes from the government. You may have read some of the headlines figures in the press or on our Twitter posts but we are absolutely delighted with 75.2% of boys achieving a 4+ (old C) in Maths and English (an increase of 14%), 25% of all grades at A/7 or above, fantastic performances from individual subjects across the board and what we think (the figures haven't yet been published by the government) will be a very significant "progress 8" figure, which is the new government benchmark. In an educational environment where only too often boys are portrayed in a negative way and are almost expected to underachieve, it is validating to see that we buck that trend and show that boys take their education very seriously and want to achieve.
We have also come back to an almost completely refurbished building with new external cladding, new painted corridors, new flooring, an improved library and brand new displays throughout the school. Our new Year 7 students have settled in very quickly and it feels like they've been part of the family for ever.
Download NewsletterBirkdale 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
