And on Thursday morning, we waved goodbye to our 40+ strong school choir and orchestra who departed for Italy. They will be performing in some of the continent’s most beautiful places including Lake Garda and Venice. I hope they are having an amazing time.

We also said hello last week to new staff starting at Kingsway in September. They came in on Wednesday for an induction day ahead of the new term. We met Mr Rodgers (Head of Science), Mr McNulty (Teacher of Science) and Mr Wickham (Teacher of Computer science) along with 3 new trainee teachers. who will be undertaking their teacher training at Kingsway.

Also last week, Miss Cropper took our anti-bullying ambassadors. Here’s what she told me:

“We attended an Anti Bullying Ambassador Training Day for our students; it was run by The Diana Award and the host school was St Patrick’s RC High School in Eccles.

We took six of our students, who were trained as ambassadors. They learnt about the types of bullying, the effects of sustained bullying, how to support a peer when they are being bullied and picked up useful advice and strategies to help tackle it as a school. The students learnt about new current legislations and laws too.

Our students worked incredibly well as a team, coming up with an Anti Bullying Support Plan ready to roll out to our students in September. They really were a credit to our school!”

There were more visits to colleges for Year 10. This time they went to Loreto and Xavarian colleges in Manchester. When asked about what they liked about their taster experience, feedback from students included: “The look and feel of the campus” and “Freedom, being treated as adults”. Yet again, the feedback from staff at the college was really positive about our students. They are certainly growing into fine young adults.

Sports Day started well last week, with most of the field events running in the morning. Unfortunately, the track events and whole school sports’ day celebration didn’t take place in the afternoon due to the rain! Hopefully, with a bit of luck, we will be able to re-run before we break up for the summer.

Late Wednesday night, I attended the Cheadle Village Partnership meeting where representatives from various groups across the community talked about what they were doing to strengthen community cohesion. Cheadle is a really vibrant community and there are lots of committed volunteers who make sure the village is well looked after and meets the needs of its residents. Chaired by Rob Munro, rector from St. Mary’s Parish church, we talked about a number of events coming up including Picnic in the Park on Sunday 21st July at Abney Park. Why not go along with a blanket and packed lunch? The event promises to be a celebration of intergenerational community with local acts, stalls and a BBQ!

Finally, I had the great pleasure of attending every one of our Celebration Evenings last week. From Year 7 to 10, each evening was a fabulous celebration of the achievements of our highest performing, most engaged and committed students. Thank you and well done to the Raising Standards’ Leaders who hosted the events along with their Pastoral Heads of Year and form tutors. Each evening was incredibly well attended and it was lovely to see so many friendly and familiar faces amongst our parent body.

Our girls had been training with children from Gatley Primary School to put on a dance performance at the festival showground to the huge crowds. Well done to Lexie Cookson (Y7), Emma Boaler (Y7), Caitlin Moon (Y7), Faith Francis (Y8), Chaylea Senior (Y8), Helena Chesters (Y8), Keeley Jowett-Duckworth (Y8), Mae McManus (Y9), Liberty Joul (Y9) and Jessica Roberts (Y9). You were amazing!

July was soon here and Monday saw some Year 10 students experiencing a Taster Day at Aquinas College.  Their experience was one of what’s to come. After making their own way to the college, students had an opportunity to visit 5 workshops in subjects of their choice, including Photography, Law and Psychology.  Kingsway were one of many schools there on the day so students also had the opportunity to make new friends.

From 1st to 3rd July, our GCSE Geographers did their second field visit to Salford Quays where students were researching the impact of the regeneration of the area. I joined Mrs Clarke’s group on Tuesday and thoroughly enjoyed seeing our students gather data on their surroundings and confidently approaching members of the public to gather crucial primary data.

Last week, Miss Littler and Mrs Parkin returned from a visit to Poland, courtesy of Holocaust Educational Trust. They joined teachers from across the North of England to experience a guided visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, and share practical ideas for delivering meaningful lessons in the classroom. Miss Littler said: “The visit to Poland was brief but memorable. In just a day we were shown around Auschwitz and Birkenau camps of mass extermination. Most important, though, was the message about bearing witness and never allowing the world to forget what happened there. I hope the experience can enrich my teaching and ensure we never forget about the Holocaust.”

On Thursday 4th July, we welcomed our new students and their families who will be joining us in September. I’m not sure who was more nervous when they arrived on Thursday morning - the children or their parents! Any nerves soon disappeared as the children took part in some lessons including English, History and Technology. They also chose a meal from the American Diner menu and met their new form tutor. It was a fun packed day and lots of new friendships were made, ready for September.

The visit was followed up with a 'My Future' Post 16 Event for Year 10 students and families on Thursday evening.

We had a fantastic turnout this year with a vast range of exhibitors from Post 16 Education Providers, Training Agencies and Employers.

With a huge wealth of experience under one roof, I am sure the students found the evening to be of benefit as they approach their final year in school.  Decisions about what they do after Kingsway will need to be made within the next 6 months.

The exhibitors were really impressed with our students and their animated conversations and the questions they were asked.

There was also a presentation about Apprenticeship schemes, which hopefully gave a clear insight into some of the valuable opportunities that are out there if students can be prepared to work hard and look for them. Increasingly, more and more professions can be accessed through an apprenticeship and these are gaining in popularity which means the competition to secure one is getting harder.

Community spirit was alive and kicking (or shall I say picking!) on Friday. In the morning, Mrs Maxey took a group of Year 7 and 10 students to William Scholes Park to work alongside representatives from the group 'Friends of Scholes Field'.  During the morning, the students took responsibility for planting trees and plants and also walked the park’s entirety litter picking. The students also undertook a consultation process to assist in the hopeful re-development of areas of the park.  The students were delighted to help and were excited by the prospect of having more facilities available within their immediate community. 'Friends of Scholes Field' have a dedicated Facebook page for anyone wanting to support them actively with fundraising, development, social activities or just to voice opinions. As a school, we are looking forward to seeing the developments within the park and have already offered our support of any future projects.

In the afternoon, Year 7 students took part in a mammoth litter pick in and around our community. This was in response to BBC Radio Manchester’s ‘Don’t Mess with Manchester’ litter campaign in association with Keep Britain Tidy. As well as cleaning up our own campuses, students went out into their local community to clean up. You may have seen us in Scholes field in Gatley, Brookfield Park in Cheadle or in Gatley village. Some groups of students also went back to their primary schools to help clear up the surrounding areas. We tidied up around Cheadle, Gatley, Lum Head, Meadowbank, Etchells, Outwood, Prospect Vale and Bolshaw Primary schools.

My group of Ryan King, Josh Abrahams, Belle Reid and Hannah Courtney (pictured below) went to Outwood Primary. After being met by Headteacher Mrs Maud, we tidied up around their playing area, ready for their summer fair that afternoon. It was a glorious afternoon and after an hour or so of litter picking along the length of Outwood Road, we were kindly offered a cold drink and cake at Heald Green Village Hall, where local citizens were holding their community hub - thank you to the ladies and gentlemen for their kind hospitality.

I am so proud of all our students who took part in this community event - I believe we had one of the biggest community groups taking part… well done everyone. A special mention to Mrs Wardle (Deputy Headteacher) who organised the whole event.

And so, after a good wash, it was time to down our bin bags and litter pickers and get dolled up for our Year 11 Prom. Oh what a night! Held at The Mere Resort in Knutsford, it was a beautiful celebration of all Year 11 had achieved at Kingsway since 2014 and to recognise their hard work in readiness for their GCSEs, which are now over.

Last week, Ms Dean and Mr Hemmings took a group of students to The Edge Theatre in Chorlton. Ranging from Years 7-10 this is an annual event where students participated in workshops for the English & Drama Day. The theme for this year was “betrayal and forgiveness.” Students worked on an overall piece based on Macbeth, as interleaving and revision for the English Literature study of the play. They then worked in their groups to use a stimulus and create their own performance, which they performed in front of parents/carers in the evening. A Year 10 student was attached to each group to encourage student leadership and allow them to offer their Drama GCSE expertise. Miss Dean said it was “a truly joyful day”.