News Update & Newsletters
Newsletters
Please click here for the Head Teachers Excel Spring 2013. For copies of previous newsletters, please scroll to the bottom of the page.
Cashless Catering and Biometrics
As you may be aware, we operate a voluntary biometric recognition system at Rivington and Blackrod High School. This allows us to make the best use of efficient systems such as cashless catering.
In order to comply with the provisions of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (coming into force in September 2013), we need to obtain written permission from one parent in order for students to use the biometric system.
Please follow the link to consent via e-mail,
http://www.rbhs.co.uk/site/parents/biometrics.php.
Whole School Open Evening
Our whole school open evening is being held on Thursday 3rd October 2013 from 6pm until 9pm. We welcome all new, prospective parents and young people to come along and find out more about us. To answer some questions that your child may have on joining in year 7 please click on this link below:
Privacy Notice - Data Protection Act 1998
Rivington and Blackrod High School is the Data Controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act. We collect information from you and may receive information about your child from their previous school and the Learning Records Service. We hold this personal data and use it to:
- Support your child’s teaching and learning;
- Monitor and report on your child’s progress;
- Provide appropriate pastoral care, and
- Assess how the school is doing.
This information includes your child’s contact details, national curriculum assessment results, attendance information and personal characteristics such as ethnic group, special educational needs and any relevant medical information. If your child is enrolling for post 14 qualifications we will be provided with their unique learner number by the Learning Records Service and may also obtain from them details of any learning or qualifications that they have undertaken.
We will not give information about your child to anyone outside the school without your consent unless the law and our rules allow us to.
We are required by law to pass some information to the Local Authority (LA) and the Department for Education (DfE) . If you want to see a copy of the information we hold and share about your child then please contact Mrs Y Massey, Head’s PA, in writing at the above school address.
If you require more information about how the Local Authority (LA) and DfE store and use the information, then please go to the following websites:
http://www.bolton.gov.uk/website/Pages/PrivacynoticeforBoltonschools.aspx
and
and
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schooladmin/ims/datamanagement/privacynotices/a0064391/who-the-department-passes-pupil-data-to
If you are unable to access these websites, please contact the LA or DfE as detailed overleaf:
Information Management Unit
Bolton Council
Children’s Services
PO Box 53
Bolton
BL1 1JW
website: www.bolton.gov.uk
email: ec.imu@bolton.gov.uk
tel: 01204 33 2129
Public Communications Unit
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
website: www.education.gov.uk
email: http://www.education.gov.uk/help/contactus
tel: 0370 000 2288
Once your child is aged 13 or over we are required by law to pass on certain information to providers of youth support services in your area. This is the local authority support service for young people aged 13 to 19 in England. We must provide both your child’s and your name and address, and any further information relevant to the support services’ role. However, if your child is over 16 , they or you as parents can ask that no information beyond name, address and date of birth be passed to the support service. Please inform the school in writing if you wish to opt-out of this arrangement.
For more information about young peoples’ services, please go to the Directgov Young People page at www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/index.htm or the Local Authority website shown above.
Yours faithfully
Mr T Purcell
Headteacher
Students start a food collection for Bolton Food
Bank
Students in year 8 are collecting food from fellow pupils,
parents and members of their local community, and it is all to support their
local community through Bolton Food Bank. The students were discussing the
reasons as to why people are homeless and why they sometimes need this form of
support and they decided that they wanted to help. Students are creating posters
to go up in forms and are working with their peers to get a collection of items
for donation. If you would like to assist our students by donating food, please
contact the school on 01204 333266.
Sixth Form Students host an afternoon visit for former students
Students at Rivington and Blackrod High School hosted a special afternoon for 50 former pupils and teachers of the school who are members of the Old Rivingtonians Association. Current students gave tours of their school, showing how it had developed since the Old Rivingtonians were in attendance and all students had an opportunity to discuss how education and the school has developed through the years, over afternoon tea.
Sam Slater, a Sixth Form Student President arranged the event with the former President of the Old Rivingtonians, David Stokes, with support from other students and teachers. Musical performances took place throughout the afternoon. Even exam papers were made available to former students for them to look at.
Sam Slater, Sixth Form Student President commented, “After many invites from the Old Rivingtonians to their Annual Dinner, we felt that it was time for us to return the invite for them to come to see how the school had changed over the years. It also gave us the opportunity to build closer links between former and current students and we found the stories being told very interesting. It was an excellent afternoon, and we hope one that will be repeated in future years.”
David Stokes, Former President of the Old Rivingtonians commented, “The event was a very nostalgic experience and it was great to meet such pleasant and articulate groups of pupils. We are very grateful for the invitation from the sixth form students and we enjoyed all aspects of the afternoon.”
Year 8 Girls win the North West Regional Final for Sports Hall Athletics
Congratulations to the Year 8 girls who won the North West Regional Final competing against 7 other schools from Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Lancashire. They won by a massive 39 points which is awesome.
All the girls deserve praise for their efforts as they gave 100% in both the track and field events. Well Done! Team members are Georgia Lever, Caitlin Whitehead, Jessica Taylor, Shannon McClarence, Ellie Charnock, Maddie Littlewood, Mia Wild and Lauren Dixon.
A Business Partnership to benefit students
Bolton-based national construction firm Seddon Construction has launched a new partnership with the POWERWAVE Skills Centre to help construction students build a career in the industry.
Based at Rivington and Blackrod High School, the POWERWAVE Skills Centre provides BTEC and City and Guilds construction training for Year 10 and 11 students (aged 14-16) from schools across Bolton with around 100 students attending the centre each week to learn brickwork, joinery and other construction trades.
Through the new partnership, Seddon will provide a range of mentoring guidance and support for POWERWAVE students. Seddon staff will be visiting the Skills Centre regularly to talk to students about their jobs and the industry, while the company will also arrange work experience placements for students and advise them on apprenticeships. In addition, Seddon is sponsoring a new ‘outstanding achievement’ award which will be given to the best POWERWAVE student each term. Seddon has funded a trophy which will go to the termly winner with the winner and runner-up each receiving certificates and £15 vouchers. Seddon has also presented POWERWAVE with a new circular saw for its training centre. Dylan Bailey, a student at Rivington and Blackrod won the first award with Harun Akkok gaining a trophy for runner up (a photo of Dylan and Tony Costello, from Seddons, is on the right hand side).
POWERWAVE Skills Centre manager Damien Bradley says: “This kind of support from Seddon Construction makes a huge difference to our work with students. The company’s input gives the student the industry perspective on the academic work we do here, and where a business like Seddon is prepared to put in the time and effort with the young people, it shows them that the construction industry can offer them a real future.”
Seddon Construction training manager Tony Costello says: “Providing opportunities and mentoring guidance for young people is a key part of our work developing a new generation of construction professionals. The POWERWAVE students will be able to benefit from ‘real-world’ experience and the knowledge and expertise of our own team, as they take their first steps into the industry.” Seddon has already taken on one apprentice who was recruited through the POWERWAVE programme in 2012".
Rivi's Got Talent 2013
This year’s ‘Rivi’s Got Talent’ took the school by storm. We had 200 students audition from singers, actors, bands to dancers! But massive congratulations to our winners who were chosen at the Grand Final which was held on Thursday 21st March 2013. Year 13 student, Joe Barton was crowned Rivi's Got Talent Champion 2013; he played guitar and sung his own version of Billie Jean. In second place were Amelia Atherton and Rebecca Crookson (both year 10 students) who sang a duet from Rent and in third place Julia Higson (year 8) who performed a song called 'Naughty' from Matilda.
All acts that have got through to the semi-final were assigned mentors from the drama and music departments and eight acts were voted through from two live shows to the Grand Final. The eight acts comprised of 4 from each semi-final, each of whom competed to be the Rivi’s Got Talent winner. In the Grand Final we had singers, dancers, music theatre acts and bands. The night was an amazing final of celebration of our students’ talents.
Many thanks to the judges for each night who were:
Monday 18th March - Simon Foster, Governor; Gill Bentham, Deputy Head Teacher; and Jamie Taylor, from the Rhapsody Academy of Performing Arts in Blackrod along with Brian Gittins, President of the Horwich Rotary Club.
Tuesday 19th March – Barbara Ronson, Governor; David Waugh, Deputy Head Teacher; Beth Corrigan, from the Rhapsody Academy of Performing Arts in Blackrod and Keith Maher, of Horwich Rotary Club.
Thursday 21st March – Judith Marsden, Chair of Governors, Tony Purcell, Head Teacher, Keith Maher from Horwich Rotary Club along with Jonny Davies from the band, The Cape Race who performed during the semi-finals.
There was a raffle to raise money for Bolton Hospice in memory of Eileen Gartside, Director of Business and Creative Arts at Rivington and Blackrod High School who sadly passed away and who had established Rivi’s Got Talent on the School’s Calendar.
Lauren Mulholland, the Show’s Producer and Head of Music and Acting Head of Drama said:
“It has been incredible few weeks leading up to Rivi’s Got Talent, every performer was outstanding and I have no idea how the judges chose a winner in the Grand Final. Well done to the winners and all who took part."
Tony Purcell, Headteacher at Rivington and Blackrod High School said:
“The range and depth of talent that our young people demonstrate through Rivi’s Got Talent is amazing and it is great to see the whole school so excited and motivated to be involved. Thank you to all staff, students and partners who contribute to make this event a fantastic success.”
Fairtrade Events...A Success
To support ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’ in Horwich, Students and Staff at Rivington and Blackrod High School ran a series of sessions for young people from local primary schools to promote the use of Fairtrade. The sessions were kindly supported by Horwich Town Council working with partners from within the Community.
The sessions took place during February and March and included activities such as what is Fairtrade, the impact of trading fairly and cooking with fairtrade products. The pupils learnt how to design and produce fairtrade stickers. Students from year 9 supported the younger pupils as lead learners and advocates of fairtrade products and established a ‘Fairtrade Marketing Stall’ demonstrating the work of pupils. Photographs and products produced went onto display at Middlebrook Retail Park.
Guidance for Parents/Carers in the case of Bad Weather
It is our policy to keep the school open wherever possible. Please assume the school is open unless you hear otherwise. The Department for Education recognises the delivery of Education to pupils as an essential service, as do we. If we do have to close, parents/carers will be informed in the following ways:
- The information will be published on the Bolton Council Website www.bolton.gov.uk
- The School Website
- There may also be an announcement on local radio stations including Real Radio (105.4FM) (www.realradionorthwest.co.uk)
- Smooth Radio (100.4FM) (www.smoothradionorthwest.co.uk)
- Call Parent will be sent
The situation is highly unlikely and will be avoided wherever possible. If we are closed, then work will be set via the VLE. There is no need to contact the school to check whether the School is open. Unless announced the school will be open.
School promotes Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight
To support ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’ in Horwich, Students and Staff at Rivington and Blackrod High School are running a series of sessions for young people from local primary schools to promote the use of Fairtrade. The sessions have been kindly supported by Horwich Town Council working with partners from within the Community.
The sessions will take place during February and March and will include activities such as what is Fairtrade, the impact of trading fairly and cooking with fairtrade products. The pupils will learn how to design and produce fairtrade stickers. Students from year 9 will support the younger pupils as lead learners and advocates of fairtrade products and will establish a ‘Fairtrade Marketing Stall’ demonstrating the work of pupils. Photographs and products produced will go onto display at Middlebrook Retail Park.
God and the Big Bang
An exciting event for young scientists was held at Rivington and Blackrod High School on Wednesday 14th November 2012, the theme of which was ‘God and the Big Bang’. The aim of the day was to enhance and enable students’ to question the compatibility of science and faith. Year 11, 12 and 13 students from Rivington and Blackrod High School were joined for the day by students from St Joseph’s High School and Westhoughton High School.
Leading Scientists, Dr Mike Clifford, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham; Dr Matt Pritchard, an award winning Magician, Comedian and Science Communicator and Oxford Graduate, Dr Rebecca Lowton who lives locally in Horwich delivered sessions including:
- Science and the Imagination
- Surprising Science
- Chemistry Cluedo
At the end of the day, students had the opportunity to put their questions to the panel in a question and answer session.
Nicola Robertson, Director of Science and Creative Design commented: “The day was a fantastic and exciting opportunity for students to work with leading scientists from across the country. It helped students to debate science and faith and helped them to answer the questions that many of them ask every day. Thank you to all of the scientists who made this day possible.”
We are equipped to save a Life
Rivington and Blackrod High School is now equipped with three potentially lifesaving Automated External Defibrillators on site to help save a life. The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has provided the equipment which has been kindly funded by Horwich Rotary Club.
Staff within school are being trained to use the Defibrillators which will be located at both the upper and lower school sites in secure cabinets. It is proven that intervention during the first few minutes of cardiac arrest is vital, and now trained staff will be on hand to give immediate help to anyone who unfortunately suffers a cardiac arrest within school. The machines give verbal instructions and tell you where to place patches on the patient's chest. They read the patient's heart rate and, only if needed, will deliver a shock to re-start the heart. ‘The installation of the defibrillator is part of a project in Bolton to promote emergency life skills / cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to all in the Community and where accessible, to use a defibrillator. The British Heart Foundation’s Heartstart Programme is also being incorporated into the school’s curriculum so that every pupil in key stage 3 and 4 and some students in the sixth form will be taught how to assist in the event of an Emergency. Already PE staff and some members of staff across the school have been trained on how to use the defibrillators.
Steve Nicholls, North West Ambulance Service Community Resuscitation Development Officer said, ‘I am genuinely thrilled the school and teachers are fully behind this project and encourage all schools – primary or secondary together with community groups from all over the town to get involved in placing defibrillators and learning emergency life skills so that Bolton people can help save lives.’
Tony Purcell, Head Teacher said, "Rivington and Blackrod High School has over 1800 students on site, 250 staff and additional people using our facilities for lettings and visiting. A cardiac emergency can strike anyone of any age. Having the defibrillator machine on site gives us peace of mind and invaluable extra time to save someone's life. We are enormously grateful to North West Ambulance Service and Horwich Rotary Club for helping to make Rivington and Blackrod High School an even safer place to study, work and visit."
Letter from Mrs Bentham, Deputy Head Teacher
October 2012
For a copy of the letter recently sent out from Mrs Bentham, please click the link here.
School Direct Partnership Awarded to a Partnership of local Secondary Schools
A partnership of Bolton Secondary Schools have been designated as a School Direct Partnership, meaning that student teachers can study for their PGCE, whilst gaining hands on experience within a local school teaching environment. Rivington School Direct Partnership consists of Rivington and Blackrod High School, Harper Green School, Ladybridge High School, St Joseph’s RC High School, Sharples School, Thornleigh Salesian College, Turton High School and Westhoughton High School. The schools are working strategically with the Ladywood Teaching School Alliance also based in Bolton and the partnership is supported by Firwood High School (Secondary SLD/PMLD), Ladywood Special School (Primary) and Bolton Pupil Referral Service.
Together, the schools have been awarded 22 School Direct places which will be available in Secondary Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Modern Foreign Languages, History, and Technology Design. The University of Manchester, one of the Russell Group Leading UK Universities, and Edge Hill University will provide the academic qualification in collaboration with the partnership providing an excellent opportunity for hands-on learning.
Students wishing to enter the teaching profession will benefit from taking the School Direct route as they will gain vital, real life experience of working with pupils in a positive school environment whilst studying for their PGCE. In addition to the work experience, which is part of the PGCE programme, student teachers will have an extra 15 days training within the partnership. This training will be personalized to each individual engaged within the programme; and may encompass additional areas of training including specialist educational support, training on leadership and management or bespoke mentoring.
Tony Purcell, Head Teacher at Rivington and Blackrod High School commented, ‘This is an excellent opportunity for student teachers to engage in teacher training in a dynamic, and real environment. Not only do we offer excellent provision for training new teachers, but we have outstanding educational practitioners in our partnership of schools and the Universities that we are working in conjunction with. Student teachers will benefit massively from this experience and the opportunity to work alongside our very best practitioners. We are very excited to welcome successful applicants to the Rivington School Direct partnership in September 2013.”
For further details contact Jim Mitchell (Training School Manager) at jmitchell@rbhs.co.uk or The Teaching Agency (TA) at www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching.
Inclusion Quality Mark Awarded at Ceremony in London
Rivington and Blackrod High School were awarded their second Inclusion Quality Mark this week, in a ceremony in London to celebrate the occasion. Eileen McAuley, Director of Inclusion at Rivington and Blackrod High School and Sharon Wilson, Special Educational Learning Coordinator who led the bid were presented with the prestigious award. The assessors commented on the outstanding commitment to inclusion within the school and said that young people responded well to the school’s very high expectations.
Languages Day 2012 - a great success!
On Friday 28th September all of our Year 9 pupils took part in Languages Day. Pupils participated in a variety of sessions including, taster sessions of Italian, Spanish, Urdu, Gujarati, Turkish and Russian. They were also given the opportunity to look at how different cultures are across different areas of the world. This was the third Language Day at Rivington and Blackrod High School and it built upon the success of past years in creating the best ever Languages Day!
Currently we have 300 pupils studying for a GCSE in French or German. The numbers show the importance of language development in the world of work and students are keen to have a language on their CV for the future. The focus on languages will help us to demonstrate the importance of learning a language and hope that our students will become more aware of the benefits of communication with others. In today’s society it is essential for young people to appreciate other cultures and languages and we hope that we can give our learners an insight into the wider community.
As a school, not only are we celebrating great GCSE results but we have seen a huge rise in our French GCSE pass rate. 92% of students gained an A*-C, a tremendous success. In addition, the department have been on some excellent school trips including exchange visits to France and our annual German Christmas Markets trip will take place in December. The Modern Languages Department is an exciting place to be!
Tony Purcell, Head Teacher commented, “We want to show students that learning a language is important as it is a useful skill for life and can help young people when thinking about their future careers. The day has given our young people an insight into a variety of cultures and languages and we hope students will be able to empathise with their peers from around the globe. The day was also great fun for them whilst they learnt new skills.”
Rivington and Blackrod High School are awarded the Geography Quality Mark
Rivington and Blackrod High School is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the Secondary Geography Quality Mark (SGQM). The SGQM award process encourages and supports schools to reflect on their work and strive for the highest quality in their teaching. The SGQM, now into its fifth year, reflects the national standard for the teaching of quality geography.
The award was given following a rigorous moderation process and the assessors were hugely impressed by the manner in which all within the school are embracing the new opportunities afforded by the curriculum changes at Key Stage 3. The evidence gathering process took place over a two year period and involved the creation of an action plan and the submission of evidence to assessors which supported the range of criteria. This included student involvement in the subject and leadership and management.
Feedback from the assessment made particular reference to how involved students were in the subject, and how they helped to inform curriculum change. What was noticeable was how much they enjoyed learning about Geography. They also noted the commitment of the school and the Head of Geography to the professional development of the team.
Tony Purcell, Head Teacher said: “We are very pleased to have been awarded the Secondary Geography Quality Mark Award in recognition of the innovation and hard work that has taken place within the Geography Department to support their relentless focus on the quality of teaching and learning. Well done to all within the department on gaining this award.”
The standard aims to promote effective subject leadership and management so helping subject leaders raise the standards of geography in their schools. There have now been 200 SGQM awards allocated and there is an increasingly widespread support network for teachers.
Parent Pay introduced Monday 17th September 2012.
Following on from the successful introduction of our Cashless Catering Service last year, we are now in a position to introduce ‘ParentPay’, an online payment system that can be used initially for dinner monies with a view to extending it later in the year to include online payments for trips and events within school.
What does Parent Pay do?
It enables you to pay for dinner money
and trips.
It offers a highly secure payment site.
Gives you a history of all the payments you have made.
It allows the merging of accounts for those with 2 or more children.
It shows you all items available for payment relevant to each of your children.
Emails a receipt of your payment.
How does Parent Pay help you?
Parent pay gives you the freedom to make
payments to school whenever and
wherever you like.
It stops you having to write cheques or search for cash to send to school.
It gives you peace of mind that your payment has been made safely and securely.
It helps with budgeting; payments are immediate, there is no waiting for cheques to clear.
payments for many of the larger trips can be made by instalments up to the due date.
ParentPay is quick and easy to use.
All parents have been sent an activation letter to enable you to set up your parent pay account. The activitation letter contains a personal activation username and password to enable you to log on. During the activation process you will be guided through changing your username and password to something more memorable. You can also merge your accounts if you have more than one child at Rivington and Blackrod High School. If you have any queries, or concerns please contact Sue Kendal on 01204 333266 ext 112.
Letter from the Head Teacher - August 2012
Dear Parent/Carer
It is really pleasing to be able to tell you that this year we are celebrating another great year of results at all levels throughout the school and I would like to pass on my congratulations to the students and thanks to the staff and the parents/carers who have contributed to this achievement. These results reflect clearly the continued improvement in the quality of teaching and learning at Rivington and our relentless focus on the success of individual students.
Young people at Rivington and Blackrod High School have pushed the bar up yet again with 92% of students achieving 5 GCSEs at A*-C. The number of students achieving this measure including English and Mathematics has increased to 66%. This is a 9% increase on last year and is well above the national average. This is a record high point in the school’s achievement in a year when national results have declined.
At A Level 45% of all grades were A*-B with an overall pass rate of 98.5% which again is an increase on last year. These results are also the best the school has achieved Post 16.
We have a few staff to wish well in their new ventures as they move on this summer:
Eamonn Durkan, Technology
Shamela Choudhury, Business
Catherine Tetlow, Art
Mark Jesson, English
Adam Warburton, Drama
Sophie Thiery, French
Chris Barlow, Science
Kerry Richards, English
Scott Porteous, PE
We also welcome:
Jade Lyons, Business
Stephanie Dyson, English
Manon Guavrit, French
Tom Asbury, PE
James Eccleshare, Music
Please note
Students with off-site placements as part of their curriculum package should also attend Rivington on Wednesday 5 September.
We hope you enjoy together what is left of the holidays and look forward to working with you next year to ensure that each and every student realises the results of which they are capable as we continue to push that bar even higher for all.
We are forever committed to raising standards and providing a learning environment that is second to none.
Yours faithfully
Tony Purcell
Headteacher
An Exceptional Year for GCSE Results - 2012
GCSE Results at Rivington and Blackrod High School have hit an all-time high, as 66% of students achieved at least 5 grades A*-C including English and Maths and 92% of students gained 5 grades A*-C or more. This is a 9% increase on last year. Coupled with A-Level results which showed exceptional progress, the school has achieved year on year academic success for the last six years.
Notable results from a number of students include:
- James Walkden, 11 A*/A’s and a distinction in ICT
- Leila Green, 11 A*/A’s, 1 B and a distinction in ICT
- Henry Calderbank, 10 A*/A’s, 1 B and a distinction in ICT
- Christian Harrison, 10 A*/A’s, 1 B, 1 C and a distinction in ICT
- Josh Knowles, 10 A*/A’s, 1 B
- Abigail Thornton, 9 A*/A’s, 2 B’s and a distinction in ICT
- Olivia Stanners, 9 A*/A’s, 2 B’s and a distinction in ICT
- David Sleigh, 9 A*/A’s, 2 B’s, 1 C and a distinction in ICT
- Markus Siegal, who arrived part way through Year 10 from Romania, and has English as a third language got 4 A’s, and 4 B’s.
Head Teacher, Tony Purcell said:
“We are really pleased by this year’s results. Well done to all Year 11 students and the many students taking GCSE early in Years 9 and 10. Their results reflect the hard work and dedication that the students have put into their education and we must thank staff and parents for their total support in helping these young people to achieve. Staff have demonstrated a relentless focus on the quality of teaching and learning which along with individualised study programmes has led to this success.
We have seen a significant improvement in standards year on year and this shows our total commitment and dedication to improving standards for each and every child. We will continue to work further to improve education for our young people and once again, well done to all.”
Sixth Form Students earn their Gold Medal Results - 2012
Sixth form students at Rivington and Blackrod High School are celebrating an outstanding set of results. The percentage achieving A*, A and B rose for the fifth consecutive year, with almost half of all results with these grades and the overall pass rate has increased to 98.5%.
There were some outstanding personal performances by many students. These included Ebony Farnell (Biology A*, Maths A, Chemistry A), Sophie Gore (Maths A*, PE A*, Physics A) Jake Cohen (Geography A* Graphic Design A*, Economics A, BTEC IT Distinction) and Bryony Hannell (History A* and Media A*, English Literature A).
Rivington also offers a wide range of Advanced BTEC qualifications that suit students who prefer a more practical approach to their studies. Amongst the many students who have performed superbly well on these courses is Molly Jones, who achieved a Distinction in her Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care and is going to Edge Hill University to train as a primary school teacher, and Rizwan Ali who with a Distinction in BTEC Art and Design is going onto study for a degree in Architecture.
Head Teacher, Tony Purcell said:
“We are very proud of our sixth form students, all of whom have done exceptionally well and we are pleased to have seen further improvement in results this year. We must also thank staff and parents for their valued contribution to these students’ academic and personal development. Our reputation for high academic standards and excellent support coupled with the transformational change in our facilities during the last two years continues to make us a popular choice for students seeking good quality teaching in small groups, with individual support, in a 21st Century learning environment. We are also committed to the continued success of each of our sixth form students and wish them further success on the next step of their journey in their chosen career."
Parent Governor Elections
Dear Parent/Carer
I wrote to you before half term inviting nominations for the election of six Parent Governors to serve on the Governing Body of Rivington and Blackrod High School. The following have been successful in becoming Parent Governors of Rivington and Blackrod High School and will serve a four-year term from 1 September 2012.
NAME
Mr Simon Foster
Mr Steven Bate
Mrs Sarah Horan
Mr Christopher Knowles
Mr Barry Almond
Mr Dean Bennett
Yours faithfully
Tony Purcell
Head Teacher
Hair Dye warning
Dear parent/guardian
I am writing to make you aware of an incident involving a young person in Bolton receiving severe burns on their face and scalp as a result of applying hair dye.
I am aware that a significant number of pupils in the school use hair dye, and it is vitally important that they apply it safely, to avoid similar injury to any of our students.
For any brand of hair dye, there is a standard set of guidelines that must be followed whenever it is used:
- Do not leave the dye on your head any longer than recommended.
- Rinse your scalp thoroughly with water after use.
- Wear gloves when applying hair dye.
- Do a patch test for allergic reactions before applying the dye to your hair. To test, put a dab of hair dye behind your ear and do not wash it off for two days. Look out for any signs of a reaction, such as itching, burning, or redness.
- Never dye your eyebrows or eyelashes. An allergic reaction to dye could cause swelling or increase risk of infection in the eye area. This can harm the eye and even cause blindness.
If the use of hair dye does cause a reaction, seek immediate medical help.
I trust that you will encourage your children to follow these guidelines if they choose to dye their hair, and keep themselves safe.
Yours faithfully
Tony Purcell
Head Teacher
The Parents' and Carers' Guide to the Internet / Safer Internet Day
Safer Internet Day (SID) is fast approaching (7th February 2012) and to celebrate, CEOP are releasing the ‘The Parents’ and Carers’ Guide to the Internet’; an entertaining, light-hearted look at what it takes to be an online parent.
With interviews from experts including Dr Tanya Byron and Dr Linda Papadopoulos, industry players like Facebook and Moshi Monsters and, most importantly, children themselves this TV-style show aims to answer all of the tricky questions parents may be afraid to ask.
To gain further information and advice please click on the link here.
Privacy Notice - Data Protection Act 1998
Rivington and Blackrod High School is the Data Controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act. We collect information from you and may receive information about your child from their previous school and the Learning Records Service. We hold this personal data and use it to:
- Support your child’s teaching and learning;
- Monitor and report on your child’s progress;
- Provide appropriate pastoral care, and
- Assess how the school is doing.
This information includes your child’s contact details, national curriculum assessment results, attendance information and personal characteristics such as ethnic group, special educational needs and any relevant medical information. If your child is enrolling for post 14 qualifications we will be provided with their unique learner number by the Learning Records Service and may also obtain from them details of any learning or qualifications that they have undertaken.
We will not give information about your child to anyone outside the school without your consent unless the law and our rules allow us to.
We are required by law to pass some information to the Local Authority (LA) and the Department for Education (DfE) . If you want to see a copy of the information we hold and share about your child then please contact Mrs Y Massey, Head’s PA, in writing at the above school address.
If you require more information about how the Local Authority (LA) and DfE store and use the information, then please go to the following websites:
http://www.bolton.gov.uk/website/Pages/PrivacynoticeforBoltonschools.aspx
and
and
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schooladmin/ims/datamanagement/privacynotices/a0064391/who-the-department-passes-pupil-data-to
If you are unable to access these websites, please contact the LA or DfE as detailed overleaf:
Information Management Unit
Bolton Council
Children’s Services
PO Box 53
Bolton
BL1 1JW
website: www.bolton.gov.uk
email: ec.imu@bolton.gov.uk
tel: 01204 33 2129
Public Communications Unit
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
website: www.education.gov.uk
email: http://www.education.gov.uk/help/contactus
tel: 0370 000 2288
Once your child is aged 13 or over we are required by law to pass on certain information to providers of youth support services in your area. This is the local authority support service for young people aged 13 to 19 in England. We must provide both your child’s and your name and address, and any further information relevant to the support services’ role. However, if your child is over 16 , they or you as parents can ask that no information beyond name, address and date of birth be passed to the support service. Please inform the school in writing if you wish to opt-out of this arrangement.
For more information about young peoples’ services, please go to the Directgov Young People page at www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/index.htm or the Local Authority website shown above.
Yours faithfully
Mr T Purcell
Headteacher
Year 10 Information Evening
Thank you to all who attended the Year 10 Information Evening. The presentations from the evening can be accessed by clicking on the links below:
- The link between Attendance and Attainment
- GCSE English, English Language and English Literature
- Year 10 Parents Evening Information Maths
For copies of previous school newsletters, please click the link below:
Parents Newsletter Autumn 2012
Parents Newsletter May 2012
Parents Newsletter December 2011
Parents Newsletter August 2011
Parents Newsletter April 2011
Parents Newsletter December 2010
Summer 2010
May 2010 - 6th Form News
6th Form exam details
Parents Newsletter April 2010
Parents Newsletter November 2009
