Rainhill High School Prospectus

The Learning Environment

Contacting school

Warrington Road, Rainhill, Prescot, L35 6NYT: 01744-677205 F: 01744-677206E: [email protected]

W: www.rainhillhighschool.com www.rainhillsixthform.com

The external environment of the school is hard to beat. Withour mature trees, new buildings and attractive grounds, our siteis the envy of many other schools.Our large fields provide a lovely place for our students to play,as well as giving lots of space for sporting activities.We have spent over £3m in the last 6 years on refurbishment offacilities, including:

l The creation of the Desmond Wilcox Media Arts Centrel New Science laboratoriesl New Business Education Departmentl New Dance Studiosl Creation of Construction Training Basel New Dining Facilitiesl Re-equipping food roomsl Transformation of the Sixth Form Centrel Complete refurbishment of Art and Design blockl Refurbished Sports Hall and Gymnasium

We will continue to invest in the quality of the learningenvironment.We have a City Learning Centre on site. This contains state ofthe art technology facilities for Food, Textiles and CAD/CAM.Our classrooms all have interactive whiteboard and electronicregistration. We have a huge amount of ICT – PCs and laptops,nearly one for each student. As a Media School our use of ICT isextensive and innovative. We believe that our students, your children, deserve to learn inthe best school environment.

Finished cover 2010:Layout 1 25/08/2010 14:12 Page 1

I am delighted to introduce our School Prospectus.Rainhill High School is an 11 – 18 mixed comprehensive with 1450 students, including 250 inthe Sixth Form Centre. Since 2005 we have been an Arts College; in 2009 we became a TrustSchool, the first one in the locale.Our school mission statement, ‘Reach for the Sky @ Rainhill High. Be the best you can’ wasdevised by our students. These words epitomise our ambitions and seek to represent ouraspirations for your child’s education and life at school.Our students are at the heart of everything we do. We expect the highest standards for them.We expect them to work hard and we expect them to be good citizens. Most of all we wantthem to be happy.We are proud of how we nurture our students from entry in Year 7 through their GCSEs, Alevels and on to university.We are proud of our students’ achievements in examinations. We are proud of the quality ofrelationships and of the opportunities we provide for them.We are not, however, arrogant or complacent. We want to be the best comprehensive in theNorth West. We are a long way towards achieving this ambition, but to do this we listen,work hard, innovate and are self critical.Rainhill is a very popular school, we are regularly oversubscribed.Every year we hold an Open Evening which you are welcome to come to. In addition, if youwould like to visit us and tour the school during the day, please contact me and we canarrange for you to come in.I am very proud to be the Headteacher of Rainhill High School. I enjoy coming to work everyday. The staff and I work hard to help your child enjoy their time at High School. Inpartnership with parents we want your children to grow into successful adults who can makean effective and positive contribution to society.

I look forward to meeting with you.

John Pout Headteacher

Ofsted 2010:“Leaders and managers at alllevels have a clear sense of visionand direction and there is arelentless focus on maximisingstudents’ achievement bothacademically and personally. TheHeadteacher leads the way indriving ambition and he hasestablished a shared sense ofpurpose to raise the aspirations ofstaff and students alike. He issupported most effectively by atalented and energetic seniorleadership team and by middleleaders and other staff who arecommitted to ongoingimprovement.”

Ofsted 2010:

“A very large majority of parents

and carers are entirely satisfied

with what the school is doing for

their sons and daughters. Several

make particular mention of the

good teaching and of the caring

ethos in school and add that

teachers are approachable when

their offspring experience

difficulties. They believe that the

school does much to make sure

that students arriving from

primary school settle down quickly

into their new surroundings.”

Welcome to


1

Pastoral CareWe want your child to be happy andfeel safe at school.

The major strength of our school is that we work in genuine partnership withall of our parents and welcome you coming to school to discuss your child. Welisten and we care.The quality of relationships at the school are excellent.All of our pupils have a Form Tutor, an Assistant Head of Year and a Head ofYear who will stay with them from the start of Year 7 to the end of Year 11.We have a specialist team of Tutors in the Sixth Form Centre.Although Rainhill is a safe and happyschool, occasionally children havedisagreements and arguments. Weemploy an Anti-Bullying Officer tocounsel and listen to students. Thisstops minor problems becoming majorones. Any school that denies theyhave bullying is not being entirelytruthful. We do not tolerate bullying;we act quickly. We support the victims and punish thebullies.

Settling in atRainhill

We seek to make the transition from primary to secondary school as smooth aspossible. Prior to starting at Rainhill, your child’s Head of Year visits everypupil at their primary school. Our Special Needs Co-Ordinator will meet eachidentified child and their parents.All students have a two day induction in July, and parents have an evening topurchase uniform and another occasion to meet key staff.Once your child starts we appoint older pupils to be buddies, and we supervisekey parts of the day; for example, staff maintain a visible presence around theschool at lunchtime and manage all students safely on to the buses at the endof the day. We expect every student to stay on site at lunchtime, to eitherhave a school meal or to bring a packed lunch.

Ofsted 2010:“Students feel safe, behave welland are courteous and welcomingto visitors.”

“Behaviour in the school isgood.”“Child protection and

safeguarding procedures meetcurrent national guidelines.”

Trust Status

Rainhill High School is a Trust School.We are founding members of Rainhill Learning Village Trust. The otherpartners are Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and St Helens College.The objectives of the Trust are:l To improve education standards for the children of Rainhilll To foster collaboration to benefit children and young people by

expanding the opportunities open to them in education, training and employment

l To contribute to community cohesion by bringing about further improvements in the quality of the services we offer

l To promote a culture of innovation, combining traditional values with a 21st century approach to the curriculum

l To develop multi-site “all through” provision with common approaches to teaching, learning and student support

l To help Rainhill High School achieve its aim of becoming the best comprehensive in the North West, and to be recognised as a “leading edge” school, with high performing specialist status

The Trust has a programme of work thatenhances opportunities for:l Studentsl Staffl Leaders and Managers

How to Gain Admission

Rainhill is a popular and significantly over-subscribed school.Our students live in St Helens, Knowsley, Halton andWarrington.Due to declining demographics, our catchment area is widening.Admissions from Year 6 to Year 7 are handled by St Helens Council. Details ofour admission criteria are available on request.Admission into the Sixth Form Centre is managed by the school.

Partnerships

We believe in working in partnerships with otherorganisations to maximise the quality and range ofeducational opportunities for our students.Some of our partners are:

Trust Partners – LIPA and St Helens CollegeBarnardosLiverpool FCHolocaust Educational TrustSt Helens Rugby Leagueand Anthony Walker Foundation

As a school we have a national reputation for the quality of our work. We helpand mentor other schools, Headteachers and teachers in Britain and abroad.

Ofsted 2010:“Pastoral care is outstanding and students speakhighly of the care, guidance and support they receivefrom their teachers and from other adults who workwith them. In their words ‘Our teachers look out forus. They are considerate and interested in our views.”

Ofsted 2010:“Perceptive leadership from the

Headteacher and support from a

committed senior team and well

informed governing body ensure

that Rainhill High School has

good capacity to improve further.”

Ofsted 2010:“Students are very proud of

their school and theoverwhelming majority aregrateful for the support of theadults who work with them. Asthey say, ‘Ours is a school in whichthere is always someone you cantalk to if you have any problems.”

Prospectus 2010 pages:Layout 1 25/08/2010 14:05 Page 1

PersonalisedLearningWe believe that every child is goodat something. Our job is to createopportunities for them to achievegreat things.

In addition, we know it is important toensure every child is stretched andchallenged to achieve in everything wedo. Consequently, we seek to avoid a‘one size fits all’ curriculum.

Gifted & Talented Students

We offer a tailored approach to these pupils according to their needs andinterests.All Gifted and Talented students have an individual mentor who ensures thesestudents have the right balance of intellectual stretch and fast trackopportunities, yet are supported and encouraged. We offer fast track opportunities in many areas of the school. This is wherestudents can sit examinations early. They include Mathematics, Languages,RE, Dance and English.Students can study separate Sciences – Biology, Chemistry and Physics.Students can study many languages at GCSE and A level, some take as manyas four.

A number of our students have a tailored curriculum to support their elitesporting programmes. This includes professional footballers, athletes,swimmers, netballers and skiers. We will back them all the way to get to beprofessional sports stars, to achieve their dreams, maybe including theOlympic Games.In the Sixth Form Centre we regularly assist our students to progress ontoOxford or Cambridge and other elite universities. Some of our Sixth Formstudents start their university degrees early, because they have fast trackedthrough their A levels.

Curriculum Pathways

We treat each student individually in their curriculum package. In Years 7 and 8 some students take French with either Spanish or German,while others have additional Literacy, Numeracy or lessons designed to helptheir social and emotional development.Specialising in their option choices early allows our students to have moretime to get the best grades.There are seven different routes to good GCSEs with 25 + different GCSEs,varying from separate Sciences, three languages, early A level study to BTECsin Construction and Catering.All students study an Arts subject to GCSE.

Ofsted 2010:“The curriculum is good andthere is an increasingly widerange of academic and vocational

courses, including diplomaprogrammes.”

2


Our curriculum offer enables ourstudents to play to their strengthsand to achieve their best.

Homework is an integral part of learning. Weset homework and expect it to be a regularpart of a child’s education. Tasks aregraduated to increase in their depth anddemand, commensurate with the age andability of the student and challenge of thecourse.

Raising Achievement Centre

This is a facility in school where we can provide additional one to one supportfor those students who need it. For example, those students:l Who find the transition from primary school difficultl Who need their self confidence buildingl Who need to boost their Literacy and Numeracy skillsl Who need to improve their GCSE grades

14 – 19 Education

As an 11-18 school we offer clearprogression routes to university, employment or further training as acontinuous flow without interruption.

At Key Stage 4, our Options process allows students a choice of over 30different GCSEs including Media Studies, Dance, Photography, MusicTechnology, four Art courses including Ceramics, three foreign languages,Sociology, separate and combined Sciences, and three combinations of DoubleEnglish GCSEs. In addition we offer Level Two Modern Apprenticeships in Hair& Beauty and Motor Vehicle Engineering, ASDAN and a BTEC Diploma inConstruction.

In the Sixth Form Centre we offer A Levels in 30+ subjects ranging fromFurther Maths to Media Studies, from Law to Psychology and from TheatreStudies to Economics. We also offer Vocational 'A' Levels in subjects like Traveland Tourism and Health and Social Care.

Ofsted 2010:“The quality of teaching ischaracterised by warmrelationships in the classroom,comprehensive lesson preparationand teachers’ effective use of datato plan activities to meet thediffering needs of students.”

Ofsted 2010:“The Raising AchievementCentre in the school has a highreputation.”

3

Ofsted 2010:“The school has goodpartnerships with parents andcarers.”

Ofsted 2010:“High quality support isprovided for students with specialeducational needs and/ordisabilities and also for thoseidentified as vulnerable. As aresult, they make progress whichis at least in line with that of theirpeers.”


We believe that if you expect high standards you can achieve high standards.Students and staff enjoy warm, friendly working relationships based on mutualrespect. Behaviour in the school is very good.We expect all students to wear full school uniform every day. Pride in ouruniform helps to create a feeling of unity and a sense of belonging to ourschool.We believe that our students need to be recognised for their talents, theirefforts and their achievements. As a result we have a multitude of rewards,including Representative Badges, Achiever of the Month Certificates, Achievers’Award and Credit Stamps. We organise end of year Celebration Assembliesfor staff and students, while the culmination of the year is the PresentationEvening. An annual Sports Presentation Evening celebrates team andindividual success.Good behaviour is expected, recognised and rewarded. Conversely, whenpupils occasionally fail to meet the high standards expected, parents can restassured this behaviour will be corrected and appropriate action will be taken.Parents are always kept fully informed and are expected to give their fullsupport in order to ensure that high standards and time for effective learningare maintained.

Examination Results

Our A level results are independently judged to beconsistently one of the best in the North West. At GCSEour performance has improved dramatically. We achieveresults which are the envy of many others.Every year some students achieve an A* in every subjectthey study, either at GCSE or at A level. Full details ofour latest examination results are available from school.

Be the bestyou can

Ofsted 2010:“Good achievement in their

academic development and the

high take-up of responsibilities

among all year groups mean that

students are outstandingly well

prepared for the next stage in

their education and for their

future lives.”

Ofsted 2010:“Most students enjoy their

learning and have a keenawareness of the progress theyare making.”

4

Ofsted 2010:“Students’ attendance is high

and they are preparedoutstandingly well for life afterformal education. Students havemany opportunities to takeresponsibility and make anexcellent contribution to theschool and wider communities. Asa result, they have an enviablesocial conscience.”

Ofsted 2010:“Relationships between

teachers and students are astrength and students have a good

understanding of their current

performance and of how they can

improve their work.”

“Teachers comment: ‘Everything

we do is designed to maximise the

pastoral and academic support for

our students”.

Ofsted 2010:“All groups of students achieve

well and standards at the end ofYear11 are now above the national

average.

Ofsted 2010:“From when they join the school

in Year 7 students make good

progress in both key stages to

reach above average standard by

the end of Year 11. Year 11

classes are on course to reach, and

in some cases surpass, their

challenging targets and maintain

this trend of ongoing

improvement.”


Being an Arts College

This is an important facet of life at Rainhill. We believe that a good artseducation is important for all students regardless of their career aspirations.High quality arts education gives young people greater self confidence,excellent communication skills, and the ability to improvise; it encouragesadaptability, enhances inter personal skills and engenders considerablecreative talents.OFSTED have twice judged our arts provision to be “Outstanding”, and wehave held and retained the Arts Mark Gold award for many years. Rainhill isrecognised as one of the leading arts colleges in the country.Students have the opportunity to study Arts, Music, Drama, Dance and Mediain Years 7 and 8.All students study an Arts subject to GCSE, and the Arts Academy @ RainhillSixth Form Centre is a great stepping stone to life as a creative professional.Our facilities include the Desmond Wilcox Media Arts Centre, Radio Rainhill,Music and Media suites, practice rooms and a professional quality RecordingStudio. We also have extensive facilities for Visual Art, Ceramics, Textiles andPhotography and purpose built Drama and Dance studios, together with 200seat capacity Arts Theatre.

LIPA 4:19 is a franchise of Sir Paul McCartney’s PerformingArts University.

We run a Saturday School in Acting, Singing and Dancing for allmembers of the community who are between 4 and 19.As well as taking LAMDA exams, there is an annual performance at aprofessional theatre.LIPA4:19 at Rainhill is open to all children whether they are RainhillHigh School pupils or not.

5

Ofsted 2010:“Media Arts status has a

positive impact on students’learning and on the standardsthey reach.”“Specialist status has a profound

impact on developing students’self confidence and their ability towork collaboratively.”

Ofsted 2010:

“Arts college status continues to

play a leading role in the

development of the creative

curriculum and the school is a

lead provider in the local area for

creative and media diploma

courses.”


We believe that we all have a responsibility to make our society a better placefor all – especially those less fortunate than ourselves.Our students do extensive work in the immediate community, includingvoluntary work in local primary schools, Barnardos and at Reeve CourtRetirement Village.It is a common sight to see pensioners, young mums, primary schools, localsports teams and overseas students and teachers coming to Rainhill to learnand benefit from our facilities.ALL ARE WELCOME.Rainhill students give generously of their time and money to raise funds foroverseas projects, including opportunities in Romania and our World ChallengeWorking Visits to places like Thailand, Sri Lanka, Kenya and South America.We have a Head Boy and Girl each year and a large group of Prefects. TheForm, Year and School Councils are democratic, active and change, for thebetter, how the school operates. It was our students who had the vision,tenacity and communication skills to form St Helens Inter School Council.There are ample opportunities for all our pupils to show their leadership,formally through ICT, Sport, Arts, Languages and Literacy.All students are expected to show respect and understanding of theirresponsibilities to each other and to their global community.

Putting Back

6

Ofsted 2010:

“Students make an outstanding

contribution to the school and to

the wider community. As prefects,

buddies and mentors they

willingly support their classmates

and their younger counterparts

and the student and year councils

are proactive in making

suggestions as to how the school

can be made even better.”

Ofsted 2010:“The school’s partnerships withoutside agencies, including

providers of further and highereducation, are outstanding.”

Ofsted 2010:

“The school’s contribution to

community cohesion is good:

diversity is valued and the

curriculum develops students’

awareness of multicultural

Britain.”


Rainhill Sixth Form centre is a physically separate part of the school butintegral to its success. We have an excellent track record of success ineducating young people and pride ourselves on our personal approach.We offer ‘A’ levels and Level 3 BTEC courses.At Rainhill Sixth Form Centre we work with you to design a learningprogramme that suits your strengths and ambitions. There is a banded entrysystem that means the best GCSE grades are needed in order to qualify forcertain courses.Demanding targets will be in place and students are given support andguidance to attain them. We strive for high standards in all we do, givingstudents the best possible start to whatever they decide to do in the future.Students have opportunities to expand their social, recreational, sporting andcultural interests. We offer extensive enrichment opportunities to help todevelop new skills, meet new people and broaden horizons. Most of our Sixth Form students go on to university with others pursuingalternative career pathways.Our A levels include all of the Sciences, Maths, Further Maths, Languages, allthe Humanities, Law, Economics, English and English Literature as well as theArts Academy subjects. We also offer Level 3 BTEC /OCR courses which includeSport, Business, Health & Social Care, ICT and Product Design.

The Arts Academy @ Rainhill SixthForm Centre

In the Arts Academy we offer A levels or Level 3 BTECs in Art – Fine Art,Textiles, Ceramics, Dance, Drama, Photography, Music Technology, MediaStudies.All Arts Academy students are guaranteed to work with professional artists; areoffered fast track opportunities to University; are given guaranteed auditions;Perform or exhibit their work; Participate in Master Classes; can supplementtheir studies with extra qualification, e.g. LAMDA.

We are very proud of Rainhill Sixth Form Centre and itsreputation as an institution that combines academicsuccess with personal care and support.Come and experience Rainhill Sixth Form Centre at itsOpen Evening, where you can meet both staff andstudents. Alternatively, you can just ring up and arrangea visit.Our strengths lie in that we are able to offer:l Excellent Resultsl An extensive and flexible range of coursesl Small class sizesl Personal individual supportl A friendly community atmospherel A place where staff know you as individuals and

can support you to achieve your best.

Rainhill SixthForm Centre

Ofsted 2010:“This is a good Sixth Form in

which progression rates from Year11 and retention rates withincourses are improving markedly.Teaching and learning are good.Teachers have secure subjectknowledge and their studentshave the utmost confidence inthem, commenting that studentsare guided and supported well.The curriculum is good and thereis a balance of courses: academic,vocational and inspired by mediaarts. Leadership andmanagement are good. Thestudent voice is taken seriouslyand the sixth form council ishighly valued by students.”

7

It is the students and staffthat make our Sixth FormCentre so special.


8

Beyond theClassroomWe believe that there is a lot more to a good school than what happens duringlesson times.We organise competitive teams in all major sports from rugby to golf, hockeyto swimming, cricket to netball. Football is extremely popular and we havesuccessful teams for both girls and boys. Our teams have an excellent trackrecord in winning local and regional competitions.We are leading providers in St Helens of the Duke of Edinburgh AwardScheme, consistently achieving high levels of success. A hugely popular activ-ity, this year more than 60 students progressed through the scheme.There are numerous trips and visits to enhance classroom learning. Overseasvisits are many and frequent, including Geography visits to Holland and Spain,a History trip to Berlin, English visits to the battlefields of Flanders, two skiingtrips every Year, a dance trip to New York, a Drama exchange with the Univer-sity of the Arts in Philadelphia and Language visits to Spain, France and Ger-many. Sixth Form Centre students actively participate in World Challenge, ourmost recent cohort visiting Sri Lanka to lead on Tsunami Relief Projects. SixthFormers take part in Science, Business, Law and other conferences, as well asbeing involved in voluntary work in primary schools, local businesses and carehomes.In the Arts, music concerts, dance shows and drama productions are the norm.School facilities are open out of school hours enabling staff to run extensiveclubs and activities. We organise a breakfast club and homework clubs are adaily occurrence.It is these opportunities that give students life-enhancing experiences that theyremember for the rest of their lives.We want all students to take part in at least one extra club per week.

Ofsted 2010:

“There is an excellent and very

well supported range of extra

curricular and enrichment

activities, with an emphasis on the

creative and performing arts.”


9

Ofsted 2010:“Students speak warmly of theextensive variety of educationaltrips, such as visits to the FirstWorld War battlefields, theGeography excursion to Spain andthe performing arts visits toLondon and New York.”

Rainhill - aiminghigh, gaining local,national andinternationalrecognition.


Student Profiles

Previous Primary School: Nutgrove Methodist Aided Primary School.

My favourite subjects are: Drama, PE and English.School Clubs and Activities: Dance (after school), Netball and Football.

I enjoy Rainhill because: The after school activities are good and there are lots of things to participate in.My ambitions for the future are: To follow on to University to study Law and become a Barrister.Message to new pupils : Make a lot of friends and don’t be nervous.

Highlight of your school career? The Rainhill Dance Show at the Brindley Theatre

PROFILEON...Chelsie Whittaker

Previous Primary School: Longton Lane

My favourite subjects are: Drama & Theatre Studies, English

Language and Psychology.

School Clubs and Activities: I was in the band and choir. Singing and

dancing. Help out and take part in school

plays – Bugsy Malone, Grease and Wizard

of Oz.

I enjoy Rainhill because: Friendly atmosphere. Fun teachers. Lots of

opportunities to find your forte.

My ambitions for the future are: To be a TV and film actor. I am going to

RADA in September.

GCSE Results: Drama - A, Sociology - B, RE - B, English

Language - A, French - A, Double Science

BB, English Lit. - B, German - A, Maths - B.

Why Rainhill Sixth Form College? Already had a good relationship with

teachers, good facilities - right course!.

Message to new pupils: Don’t give up on a dream, no matter how

hard it might be. Work hard to be what you

want to be.

Highlight of your career to date? Playing Rizzo in Grease. That was fun.

PROFILEON...Laura Joyce

10

Previous Primary School: St Ann’s C of E.My favourite subjects are: Academically I enjoy Maths and Chemistry

because they are both challenging, yet enjoyable. I also have a passion for Art & Design as I enjoy being creative.

School Clubs and Activities: Rainhill High has a lot of extra-curricular activities to help people to get involved andmake new friends. Although I was not really the sporting type, sports day was always enjoyable. I also attended dance lessons after school.

I enjoy Rainhill because: I found it easy to make friends and there were lots of clubs to get involved in.

My ambitions for the future are: Hopefully to become a successful pharmacist.

GCSE Results: Science A*A, English AA, Textiles A, German A, Maths A, Art A*, Geography A, R.E. A

Why Rainhill Sixth Form College? Throughout school I felt settled in the environment and my confidence increased with the support. The class sizes are also pretty small, making teaching more personal which I thought was a better teaching method.

Message to new pupils: Work hard throughout your school life and you will be rewarded at the end.

PROFILEON...Lauren Williams

“Don’t give up on a dream, nomatter how hard it might be. Workhard to be what you want to be.”

“Use your time at Rainhill wisely,they will be some of the best yearsof your life. Be confident, workhard, and make the most of eachday.”


s

Previous Primary School: St Ann’sMy favourite subjects are: Art (Graphics), Geography, English and

Maths.School Clubs and Activities: I enjoy being a prefect as I have not only

met new friends, and like the new responsibilities, but I like working with all the other years too.

I enjoy Rainhill because: The teachers are very approachable and helpful throughout the 5 years spent at the school. Rainhill also helps pupils to expand and improve their skills in the subjects they enjoy and excel in.

My ambitions for the future are: I want to not only be successful, but enjoy what I end up doing, of which I am not yet certain, but hope to have a better understanding of as this year continues.

GCSE Results: So far I have achieved an A and A* in my Maths modules, and I am on target with all my other subjects.

Message to new pupils: Use your time at Rainhill wisely, they will besome of the best years of your life. Be confident, work hard, and make the most of each day.

Highlight of your career to date? Going to Holland with Geography; I spoke tonew people, learnt a lot of useful information that helped me with my exams, but also enjoyed every minute of it.

PROFILEON...Sally Mannion

11

Previous Primary School: Oakdene.My favourite subjects are: PE because I am a sporty person and enjoy

competitive games. Design Technology – its fun and develops new skills.

School Clubs and Activities: Football: I captain the Year 8 football team,which I feel proud to do. Last year we won the St Helens Cup. Also, last year we travelled to Malaga, Spain, on a football development tour. We went for five days and trained with professional coaches, as well as having two games, where we thrashed the Spaniards 10-0 and 12-4. Wewatched a La Liga game and had a stadiumtour. At the end of the tour, I and all the lads will agree, we came back as more disciplined and most importantly better players. This year we travelled to Villa Real,Spain, again on a football development tour. It was exactly the same itinery as Malaga, but I personally believe it was a better tour and a better experience.

I enjoy Rainhill because: It is a friendly place; I have made lots of new friends. My ideas have been taken seriously, and I have been given the chance to be a leader.

My ambitions for the future are: Win the English Schools cup with the school football team and go to University.

Message to new pupils: Make sure you take part in at least one activity. School will then be a lot more fun and enjoyable.

Highlight of your career to date? Being selected to captain my year’s football team

PROFILEON...Matthew Vose

“Throughout school I felt settled inthe environment and my confidenceincreased with the support. Theclass sizes are also pretty small,making teaching more personalwhich I thought was a better teaching method.”

“Make sure you take part in at leastone activity. School will then be alot more fun and enjoyable.”

“The after school activities are goodand there are lots of things toparticipate in.”

“Friendly atmosphere. Fun teachers.Lots of opportunities to find yourforte.”


12

Previous Primary School: St Ann’sMy favourite subjects are: Law and Politics – this is because they

provide me with the foundations to flourishin higher education/career path.

School Clubs and Activities: Mainly golf (for school), football, basketball, cricket and swimming – but willing to try any sporting activity within school, extra curricular activities also.

I enjoy Rainhill because: Friendly environment, teachers are always available for out-of-lesson support, numberof facilities to occupy your time during break times.

My ambitions for the future are: Law Degree - Solicitor -Barrister - QC.GCSE Results: 1 - A* English Lang, 3 - As, 5 - Bs, 1 – CA Level Results 2A* and 1 AWhy did you choose Rainhill Sixth I was already familiar with the Form College? surroundings; felt I had a positive working

relationship with teachers, none of the other colleges provided a better alternative,Rainhill offered all of the subjects I wanted to study.

Message to new pupils: I came to Rainhill concerned about how I would fit in with the rest of the year group, however, it didn’t take long before I had lots of new friends.

Highlight of your career to date? Achieving 100% in a Law & Politics exam.Securing a place at the University of Liverpool.

PROFILEON...Graeme Anderson

Previous Primary School: Eccleston Lane Ends

My favourite subjects are: Spanish and French and Graphics because I

enjoy being creative.

School Clubs and Activities: I am in the Carnegie Book Club.

I am Head Girl.

I enjoy Rainhill because: The school offers lots of trips and

opportunities. Staff are friendly and nice.

My ambitions for the future are: I like the sound of being a primary school

teacher.

Message to new pupils: Never give up and make the most of school

life.

Highlight of your school career? Becoming a prefect and then being chosen

as Head Girl.

PROFILEON...Charlotte Foster

Previous Primary School: OakdeneMy favourite subjects are: Drama, Maths and EnglishSchool Clubs and Activities: School Council, Lots of School Plays.

I am Head Boy.I enjoy Rainhill because: There is a good integration between the

years and everyone is friendly with each other.

My ambitions for the future are: To become a famous actor or to be involvedin Drama.

Message to new pupils: Don’t be afraid and take every opportunity presented to you. Be the best you can be.

Highlight of your career to date? Head Boy; Deputy Chair of School Council.

PROFILEON...Michael Schenck

“Don’t be afraid and take everyopportunity presented to you. Be the best you can be.”

“I was already familiar with the surroundings; felt I had a positiveworking relationship with teachers,none of the other colleges provided abetter alternative, Rainhill offered allof the subjects I wanted to study.”

“The school offers lots of trips and opportunities. Staff are friendly andnice.”


I am delighted to introduce our School Prospectus.Rainhill High School is an 11 – 18 mixed comprehensive with 1450 students, including 250 inthe Sixth Form Centre. Since 2005 we have been an Arts College; in 2009 we became a TrustSchool, the first one in the locale.Our school mission statement, ‘Reach for the Sky @ Rainhill High. Be the best you can’ wasdevised by our students. These words epitomise our ambitions and seek to represent ouraspirations for your child’s education and life at school.Our students are at the heart of everything we do. We expect the highest standards for them.We expect them to work hard and we expect them to be good citizens. Most of all we wantthem to be happy.We are proud of how we nurture our students from entry in Year 7 through their GCSEs, Alevels and on to university.We are proud of our students’ achievements in examinations. We are proud of the quality ofrelationships and of the opportunities we provide for them.We are not, however, arrogant or complacent. We want to be the best comprehensive in theNorth West. We are a long way towards achieving this ambition, but to do this we listen,work hard, innovate and are self critical.Rainhill is a very popular school, we are regularly oversubscribed.Every year we hold an Open Evening which you are welcome to come to. In addition, if youwould like to visit us and tour the school during the day, please contact me and we canarrange for you to come in.I am very proud to be the Headteacher of Rainhill High School. I enjoy coming to work everyday. The staff and I work hard to help your child enjoy their time at High School. Inpartnership with parents we want your children to grow into successful adults who can makean effective and positive contribution to society.

I look forward to meeting with you.

John Pout Headteacher

Ofsted 2010:“Leaders and managers at alllevels have a clear sense of visionand direction and there is arelentless focus on maximisingstudents’ achievement bothacademically and personally. TheHeadteacher leads the way indriving ambition and he hasestablished a shared sense ofpurpose to raise the aspirations ofstaff and students alike. He issupported most effectively by atalented and energetic seniorleadership team and by middleleaders and other staff who arecommitted to ongoingimprovement.”

Ofsted 2010:

“A very large majority of parents

and carers are entirely satisfied

with what the school is doing for

their sons and daughters. Several

make particular mention of the

good teaching and of the caring

ethos in school and add that

teachers are approachable when

their offspring experience

difficulties. They believe that the

school does much to make sure

that students arriving from

primary school settle down quickly

into their new surroundings.”

Welcome to


The Learning Environment

Contacting school

Warrington Road, Rainhill, Prescot, L35 6NYT: 01744-677205 F: 01744-677206E: [email protected]

W: www.rainhillhighschool.com www.rainhillsixthform.com

The external environment of the school is hard to beat. Withour mature trees, new buildings and attractive grounds, our siteis the envy of many other schools.Our large fields provide a lovely place for our students to play,as well as giving lots of space for sporting activities.We have spent over £3m in the last 6 years on refurbishment offacilities, including:

l The creation of the Desmond Wilcox Media Arts Centrel New Science laboratoriesl New Business Education Departmentl New Dance Studiosl Creation of Construction Training Basel New Dining Facilitiesl Re-equipping food roomsl Transformation of the Sixth Form Centrel Complete refurbishment of Art and Design blockl Refurbished Sports Hall and Gymnasium

We will continue to invest in the quality of the learningenvironment.We have a City Learning Centre on site. This contains state ofthe art technology facilities for Food, Textiles and CAD/CAM.Our classrooms all have interactive whiteboard and electronicregistration. We have a huge amount of ICT – PCs and laptops,nearly one for each student. As a Media School our use of ICT isextensive and innovative. We believe that our students, your children, deserve to learn inthe best school environment.


Documents

Rainhill High School Prospectus