Bellerive News

Welcome to our latest magazine. It focuses on just some of the many events which enrich the learning experiences of our pupils. Highlights include the two Sixth Form students who were chosen as reporters representing Liverpool during the Papal visit and a group of girls making a pilgrimage to Lourdes on our school feast day. Always ready to grab opportunities, thirteen students also had an amazing two weeks working in Whitehall! All of our pupils have continued to impress us with their service to the wider community and have raised thousands of pounds for good causes.

Many visitors comment on the good condition of our buildings. We have always placed a great emphasis on our surroundings and continue to maintain and improve the site. Recently, the chapel has been redecorated and a new facility for events has been erected. This is the latest addition to our buildings and will ease the pressure

on the Hall in which exams are held for a substantial portion of the school year. During our 167 year history, in the trusteeship of the “Faithful Companions of Jesus”, we have seen many additions and changes of use.This issue also contains some interesting photographs taken in days gone by!

Bellerive’s exam results continue to impress year on year, and the staff and I congratulate the year 11 girls on their splendid achievements. We are also proud of our A’ Level students and wish them well in taking up University places.

Applications for the intake in Year 7 continue to outweigh the number of places available. We work in partnership with families and staff to help each individual achieve their best and girls from all over Liverpool continue to make Bellerive their first choice.

God Bless you all,

Sister Brigid FCJ, OBE

Also in this issue:

† Whitehall Internships

† Bathbombs

† BellerivePilgrims

† BastilleDay

Welcome to our newsletter

www.bellerivefcj.org Specialising in the Sciences, Applied Learning, Maths and Computing

Some of our students celebrating excellent A level results and looking forward to University.

Whitehall Interns

Left to right:

Jane: going to read History at Cambridge, Ashley: Chemistry at Manchester,Miriam: Pharmacy at Bradford, Katherine: Psychology at UCLAN,Jordan: Law at Manchester, Zoe: English Literature at Hull

Autumn 2011for parishes, parents, carers and community

Thinking about choices at post 16?Bellerive's 6th Form Open Evening

Tuesday, 7th February 6–8pm

for female & male students seeking a place in September 2012

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Bellerive made a difference!

Every year the Bellerive community puts enthusiastic effort into helping others locally, nationally and internationally. Each year team adopts their own causes and everyone in the school helps to raise money for the relief of major disasters. Here is just a taste of the fundraising activities:

Cash floods in

We started off our fundraising efforts with a big appeal for the victims of the floods in Pakistan which had caused such devastation in July at the end of the previous school year. Year 11 raised over £700 by selling cakes and drinks, running film clubs and organising raffles.

Year 8 also worked hard during the Autumn term to raise money for the Pakistan Flood Appeal. One of their many fundraisers was a fancy dress day with many pupils going to great efforts to dress up! They also held tuck shops and cake sales. 8M were especially good running a tuck shop. Year 8 raised an amazing £900 for this appeal. Year 7 raised £400. In total, Bellerive girls raised over £2000!

Good shepherd support

The whole school again pitched in for the Good shepherd fund, with six representatives of the school attending a special mass at the Cathedral. The weather may have been bleak outside, but inside the cathedral there was a wonderful atmosphere of celebration for the generosity of young people and their families and celebration for the 130 years of Nugent Care. The girls had the opportunity to present, to Bishop Tom Williams, the cheque for the sum of £1892.09 raised by Bellerive.

Year 9 deserve a special mention for their efforts, and they also raised a further £500.00. This was doubled by the Charities Trust, thanks to the support from Mr Fusco, parent of Emily in year 9.

CAFOD

Spring saw year 11 raising monies for CAFOD. Year 9 also contributed to helping to raise funds as a school for CAFOD.

The FCJ Group, made up of girls who meet weekly, organised two CAFOD soup days, with students from every year group taking part in the ‘Put Your Heart into it’ campaign. Well done and a big thank you to everyone who helped out, we raised almost £500 this year through our Soup Days.

OPEN EVENING

Tuesday 4th October

6–8:30pm

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Philippines FCJ centre

In the Autumn term, year 11 turned their attention to the FCJ Centre in the Philippines. Bagong Silangan (New Dawn) opened as a result of the Millennium project organised by the five FCJ secondary schools in England.

By asking for donations for the products made by the women at the centre they managed to raise £168. At the end of the year each pupil in Year 11 received a bracelet made at the Centre as a leaving gift.

Support Simon

Year 10 pupils urged Bellerive to ‘Support Simon’ as their final fund-raising push got underway. Simon is a Tanzanian boy whose secondary education is supported by S.E.E.D. (Secondary Education to Encourage Development).

He was sponsored through his education by Year 10 pupils, who handed out ‘Support Simon’ stickers to anybody making a donation. In addition, Year 10 Forms have held cake-sales, bucket collections and ‘sponsored housework’ events to add to the fund raising efforts.

Silly socks and Strawberries

The incredible range of fund raising activities included ‘guess the baby’, selling hot chocolate, raffles, guess the sweets in the jar, Dutch auctions, film shows, a’ Wimbledon themed’ strawberries & cream sale, cake sales, a silly socks day, swimming events, a Zumba session, Easter bonnet parade……………..and so much more!

Amongst the others causes, not mentioned above, were:

Year 10 raised £300 for Breast Cancer awareness and Nugent Care in Liverpool.

Year 9 Pupils were involved in fundraising for “KIND”, a local children’s charity, (£86.39 raised) and also for “Alder Hey Children’s hospital”.

Year 8 charity raised £403.40 for the Ronald McDonald Appeal and around £200 for the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Year 7 raised over £1,200 for the Linda McCartney Centre as well as £420 for other children’s Cancer charities. They also raised nearly £400 for the Pakistan Flood Appeal before Christmas They also supported ‘FLAME’ to send a sick child to Lourdes.

On our School Feast Day in December, 8 girls from different year groups were invited to represent Bellerive at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Southern France. After an early morning flight the group arrived in Lourdes and attended mass celebrated by Bishop Tom Williams and then processed to the grotto (the spot where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette). It was here that they placed prayer intentions on behalf of others and lit a candle for all of Bellerive community. “A day we will all remember for the rest of our lives!” said one of the participants.

Life is a journey

In the summer term, Year 9 attended a day’s retreat to Sandymount House of Prayer on the theme of Stepping Stones. The girls took part in a variety of activities from ice breaker games and team building exercises to discussions about what is important in life. There was a chance for everyone to walk down to the beach and spend some time there relaxing and having fun and the day closed with a reflection and time for prayer in the beautiful chapel at Sandymount. It was a really good opportunity to take a day out of the “busyness” of school life to spend time with friends and reflect.

When asked whether they had enjoyed the day, one of the girls replied, “The day was really good and everyone enjoyed it very much”.

Stepping Stones

Simon

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Linguists dine well

French breakfast

In July, one hundred year 8 girls joined in a fun event to raise money for charity in 8R’s French Breakfast Morning.

To background of french music, they tried pains au chocolat, croissants, madeleines and crêpes (with lashing of Nutella!).

Tapas resturant

The Spanish room became a Spanish tapas restaurant during the year 5 Taster Day in July. All the visitors were very brave and tried all of the different food- even the olives! A great day was had by all! ¡Buen aproveche!

Spanish Cookery Lessons

As part of ‘Applied Learning Week’, Year 8 took over the cookery room to create their very own Spanish meal. The girls had been learning all about food and mealtimes in Spain and now they were given recipes to translate and follow. They divided up the different tasks between members of their teams. Having worked brilliantly together, they produced appetising Spanish food including paella, tortilla, gazpacho and even alcohol-free sangria!

Spanish Fiesta

To celebrate the end of a very successful year, and as part of Applied Learning Week, Year 9 went along to the canteen where they were able to order from a selection of gorgeous Spanish Tapas. As they ate, one of our talented Year 7 pupils joined us and played a beautiful version of La Bamba on her guitar.

The party finished with an all-singing, all-dancing rendition of Macarena! What a wonderful ending to a very productive year!

Linguists apply it

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Discovering ancestors

Four Year 8 classes undertook a personal History study and unearthed some amazing facts about their own ancestors.

Like the distant relative who was the President of Ghana, or the great, great grandparent who was a stewardess on the first stewarded passenger aircraft.

Pupils enlisted the services of family members and their local community to get to grips with some real primary evidence, ranging from birth certificates to the letters of King George V and war office records.

“It ’s been a really moving experience,” said Mr McGrath. “The research has

History isn’t all about Kings and Queens, or battles and revolutions, as History classes have been finding out.

been fantastic and the girls have been doing the type of research done by Historians in the field. It ’s also been great that their parents and grandparents

have been involved. I feel very privileged that so many people have shared such wide variety of personal stories with us.”

A collection of archive photographs going back to the early years of the long 167 years in the history of Bellerive are very interesting. In this issue we show just four. If anyone has more information about them, please let us know!

Current and past pupils may find it difficult to recognise the rooms. They all look very different and have changed use. The dormitory, in use when some pupils were boarders, was on the top floor of main building in Bellerive .

The study library was located in what is now room 1S in the sixth form centre. The grand fireplace and furnishings have

The way we were long since gone, but the door which leads to the stage in the Hall remains.

Small girls and boys are shown in a classroom in Culmore. Again difficult to recognise: it is a music room at present.

The most recent photograph is the one of the science lab and was probably taken in the late ‘60s or the 70’s. Located on the top floor of the Elmfield building, it underwent changes when the school moved to a single site and now houses French and Spanish teaching rooms.

The very first science laboratory was located where History is taught in the basement of Culmore building.

Dormitory

Library

Kindergarten class

Science lab

International Links

Genezzano

In September, 2010, the school hosted a sister FCJ college, Genazzo, from Melbourne, Australia. Forty-one students and six staff made a visit to Merseyside as part of the Australian school’s three week long sports tour of Europe and enjoyed the opportunity to sample some top quality ‘soccer’ coaching. Former Liverpool player, Bill Bygroves led a team of Liverpool FC coaches who put the budding lady ‘Socceroos’ through their paces, alongside Bellerive’s own football team and Year 10 P.E. students. After lunch the visitors were given a tour of the school and treated their hosts to a rendition of their own college song. Matthew Wesson, leading the Australian party, described the day as “the highlight of our trip so far”. In the afternoon, after a hot lunch, the visiting girls and staff enjoyed a tour of Bellerive, gaining a flavour of life at our school. This event proved such a success that it is being repeated in September 2011, when Bellerive pupils and staff will also ‘host’ Genezzano students for an over-night stay in Liverpool.

This year, Bellerive has been involved in new projects on a global basis

Links with Palestine

In November three delegates from Palestine toured Bellerive as part of a British Council project designed to connect British schools with schools world-wide. Bellerive is linking with two schools in Jericho, one of which is a UN refugee school.

Girls at Bellerive are looking forward to working on joint projects which improves communication and ICT skills and deepens their understanding of other societies and cultures – as well as their own. Bellerive’s 3 guests were: Ms Nadeel Hasser, representing the British Council; Mr Durgham Khalil, area education officer; Mr Durgham Khalil, IT supervisor from the Jericho directorate.

Our girls have also sent ‘Postcards to Palestine’ (over 200 cards were posted) and produced ‘Our City, Our Culture: Liverpool and Me’ topics for sharing.

Big Dance

Our Girls took part in the international Big Dance event, joining thousands of school pupils across the globe in a choreographed dance, at 1pm on May 20th. The aim of the dance, organised by the British Council as part of their ‘Connecting Classrooms’ initiative, was to raise pupil awareness of internationalism and the global nature of our world. Dance Tutor Jennifer Morris helped prepare the pupils, who quickly picked up the dance routine and made it their own.

Bellerive’s International Schools Project Manager, Mr McGrath said, “It was great fun and the girls really enjoyed the event. They worked hard on the dance and really got into the spirit of the occasion.” The Big Dance will be repeated in 2012, to coincide with the London Olympics.

On Tuesday 21st June, year 9 girls participated in an "Architecture Workshop" at Liverpool John Moores University school of Architecture. This event had been organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects and Aim Higher.

The two teams of 5 Bellerive pupils learned from Architects and Designers how to compete against other teams from across Merseyside: teams from

Cowley International College, the Heath School, Halewood Centre of Learning and King David high School all took part.The task was to design and build a 'Wind Turbine' which generated the maximum power. Bellerive was delighted to win first place! Pupils also learned from Town Planners and Urban Designers how to design the spaces in between buildings and how to regenerate towns and neighbourhoods.

Blown away by first place

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Sixth Form News Summer 2011

Santa Dash

Every year, Bellerive Sixth Form makes an outstanding effort in raising funds for various charities and this year was to be no exception. December 2010 saw almost 8,000 people running dressed up in Santa suits to raise money for charity. 51 Santas from Bellerive joined the Santa dash in Liverpool city centre. On a freezing cold morning, students from the sixth form joined staff: all completed the race and proudly showed off their medals. The sponsorship money was used to help send the sick to Lourdes.

Bellerive Sixth Form students and staff joined the celebrities such as Everton legend Joe Royle, gymnast Beth Tweddle at the starting line at the Pier Head to raise money for good causes. Kayleigh Leyland in Year 12 was one of many Sixth Form students to take part she said: “People do it for all different reasons. People ran because of their personal experiences. There was one man that me and Jess ran with who was running for a boy aged 4 who had a bone disease and was going to die; we just didn’t expect it. As well as that, it was a good laugh and we raised money for charity. I enjoyed being dressed up as Santa and meeting new people. I’ll defiantly be doing it again this year”. All the runners were rewarded with medals and agreed that it was a fun way to keep warm during the freezing weather.

The Students are pictured before the race.

Cakes for Cafod

The second event was the Cakes for Cafod coffee morning organised by the Sixth Form for the rest of the school. Both staff and pupils joined in in the event, baking a delicious range of cakes which were on sale to the whole of the school and were appreciated by all.

Sam Reason of Year 12 helped with both baking and selling and he commented that “the day was a big success. Everyone who was involved really enjoyed the day. It was good to be able to have a laugh, but at the same time being able to help less fortunate people through the money that we raised. I also think it was a good opportunity for the sixth formers and the younger pupils to come together”. In just one day the event managed to raise a substantial £268 for Cafod.

Fund raisers during the spring term included events during Fairtrade Fortnight. This culminated in a coffee morning and raffle for a hamper of Fairtrade groceries which raised over £100.

Run, hunt and eat for charity!

In January, Year 13 students who studied AS level sciences or maths were rewarded with a trip to Disneyland Paris! It had a serious side: they took part in the annual Royal Institution of Science Experience.They attended a series of informative lectures delivered by experts in their fields. Topics ranging from Influenza, Infinity and Space robotics were topics at the informative lectures. Students also spent a full day in the parks with the thrills of the rollercoasters and rides, enjoying the whole Disneyland experience.

Experience Science at Disneyland

On 30th June 2011 the sixth form pupils participated in “President for a Day”. The event was organised by a Christian organisation – Damaris. The conference was a great opportunity, which all involved appeared to enjoy. The day gave the pupils the opportunity to think about problems developing countries face and think through and express their opinions about the choices that presidents of up and coming countries make on a daily basis.

Being involved in President for a Day gave pupils an opportunity to understand more about the inter-dependence of the world’s population and how involvement in a democracy can change a countries future. In addition, the day gave students an insight into corruption in government and how this can directly affect a country.

There was a clear understanding of the Christian teachings on wealth and poverty and an explanation as to why Christians are motivated to become active global citizens. Rebecca Murphy of year 12 took part in the conference. When asked what she thought of the day she said: “I think that the President for a Day was a great insight into decision making whilst in positions of power. We learnt how to make decisions that would benefit the most amount of people while taking manageable risks. We also learnt that sometimes you have to take an option even if it is not what you believe to be the best one. I would definitely do this or something very much like it again, as it was a fun and educational experience”

President for a day

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Business and Careers News

conference rooms where they had a presentation on customer service and asked questions. They then had a guided tour of the centre and were lucky enough to have some time to shop!

The Trafford centre trip supported their latest unit of work for customer service for BTEC Business. The girls are pictured at the start of their visit and at the end shopping.

Students mean business

In the summer term both sixth form and year 10 students had the opportunity to research real life organisations as part of their Business course.

Year 12 went to Jaguar for a morning to look at production processes, the

objectives of the business and key personnel in the organisation. The visit was useful research for their latest unit of work for Business Planning, GCE Applied Business. The sixth formers are pictured having a discussion related to the visit

Year 10 visited the Trafford Centre to look at Customer Service. They met with one of the Managers of the Centre and also spent some time in one of the main

As part of their Careers Education, Year Ten students have completed three main areas of an Employability Programme, involving Enterprise Day in September, a two week Work Experience in October and Employability Interviews in May.

The Employability Programme is run in conjunction with Liverpool Compact, our schools Educational Business Partner and enabled by the goodwill and commitment of local employers, who either come into school for organised events or allow students to undertake work experience with them.

This year’s Enterprise Day saw students working in groups on various tasks, under

Skills for employment

the direction of employers. The girls needed to demonstrate their teamwork and communication skills in order to complete the tasks successfully. This was an enjoyable day which encouraged the students to solve problems and use their initiative.

During the following period of Work Experience, the girls capitalised on these skills which, together with their excellent manners and attitude, allowed them to shine in the workplace and earned outstanding praise for themselves and the school.

The Employability Interviews took place in May. Over four consecutive mornings, thirty two employers gave up their time to interview students, as if for a real position. The girls had prepared for this by completing application forms in a detailed and considered way. The content of the form gave the basis for the interviews and students were given valuable verbal and written reports on their efforts.

The impression our students give to local employers is of vital importance

to Bellerive. Mrs Evans, the work based learning coordinator, was delighted to report that the feedback received after all three events had been exemplary in its commendation of Bellerive pupils.

“Well done Year Ten, you have made us all exceptionally proud and a huge thank you to the team of teachers who worked with you to promote your success.” said Mrs Evans who coordinated the employability programme..

Jaguar visit

Interviews

Enterprise event

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Bastille Day 2011

It is July 14th 1789, Bastille Prison, Paris, France. The Bastille is stormed. From this incident the French Revolution developed to create France as we know it today.

It is July 14th 2010, Bellerive FCJ Catholic College, Liverpool, England. Bastille Day goes down a storm but thankfully without any rain.

It is now July 14th 2011. Bellerive FCJ Catholic High School, Liverpool, England. Lightning strikes twice but thankfully once again on the only day without rain in recent memory!!

For the past 3 weeks, French club members plus Year 7 Form Captains have helped to prepare for the Bastille Day events. In particular, they have spent time perfecting their “Boules” technique in readiness for the tournament that would be played come the afternoon of the 14th July.

In addition, Year 7 French students prepared research projects on Bastille Day in France, giving them a clear insight into the role that this day plays in French history. To celebrate this day, we began with a French menu in the school canteen…

As is expected, the girls in year 7 were happy to be sent for an early lunch, happy that is, until they saw what was awaiting them… In addition to the fantastic French meal of amongst other things coq au vin followed by crème caramel, they were quite shocked to see a mountain of “escargot” in their shells and a vat of breaded “cuisses de grenouille” (frog’s legs!).

Thanks especially to the chef for preparing these lovely dishes. In all, a very interesting, positive and tasty start to the day!

Subsequently, we hoped to continue the Bastille Day fun with a typically French game of boules in the afternoon. The girls had much fun playing small games of four against four, with the winners then playing the winners of other games. The games were played in an excellent spirit throughout the afternoon and the girls did not even seem to mind if they lost, well some of them anyway!

A memorable day all round that will hopefully give an insight into an important part of French Culture. Thanks once more to all staff who supported this and especially to Miss Ford who not only spent the whole afternoon involved in the tournament but seemed to spend much time looking for lost “Boules” in the bushes!!

Delicious frog's legs!

Despite some initial wariness, much credit must go the adventurous qualities of the year 7 girls in Bellerive (and even some staff!) who willingly tried…if not necessarily enjoyed these French delicacies. At the final count the popularity of the Frog’s Legs outweighed that of the Snails by approximately 2 to 1.

Students Get Ahead In Engineering

Get Ahead

Following this day, six of the students attended a specially designed Engineering Experience residential course, which took place at the University of Liverpool in April. Emily Barrett, Sarah Clarke, Niamh Fearon, Tia Fearon, Emma Mason and Lauren Taylor attended the engineering residential course.

The free course formed part of a major initiative funded by the Department for Education, called Get ahead with STEM! (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths). In partnership with STEMNET and the WISE campaign, the Smallpeice Trust ran the course to encourage students to consider engineering as a possible career in the future.

Over the three days, the Bellerive six joined a hundred 13 and 14 year olds and had the opportunity to learn about engineering through a series of presentations and practical exercises. Working in teams, they tackled “real-life” challenges on projects designed and facilitated by young engineers from industry. These organisations included BAE Systems, Jaguar Land Rover, the Royal Navy and Urenco. Projects include designing and building a car, a remotely operated vehicle, a warship and a centrifuge. As well as working on the design, build and test elements of the projects, they developed life skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, time management, finance and presentation.

This STEM residential has given me lasting memories, new friends and inspiration for future careers.

On arrival, I felt nervous about what the week might bring. However, the staff were very helpful, looked after us, and were reassuring. The opening introduction was excellent and everyone had a clear idea of what we had to do in the week ahead.

The accommodation was always a concern of mine. I was anxious to get a

room of good standard as I had heard that the accommodation was rather old fashioned. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I admit they were a little basic, but the co-ordination of the room was pleasing. I had my own room with a sink. I like my independence and space, so I was happy.

For the activities, I was part of the Royal Navy group. I really enjoyed it, and I liked the clear instructions. The team was given a start-up task to make a shelter for those

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Sarah Clarke

Sarah Clarke was inspired to write this account of the Engineering residential:

Get Ahead with STEM! Engineering Experience

Last November, 30 year 9 girls benefitted from a funded event run by the Smallpiece trust which promotes careers in engineering. It was led by Tolulope Olajide, an education officer with the Smallpiece trust. The girls were put into teams and worked to design and make wind turbines from very basic materials.

At the end of the day they had to present their model to members of the senior management team of the school and persuade them that their turbine would be the best to generate power for one of the school buildings! Each turbine model was tested to see how much energy it could generate. The winning team is pictured. The day was voted excellent by the girls and almost 50% of them indicated that they would now consider a career in engineering.

suffering in the Japan Tsunami. Our main activity, lasting three days, was to build a warship. This task was very well organised and the staff supervising the activity were very helpful. Paul and Justin had been in the Navy for years and were very good at motivating us whenever our team came across a problem. At the beginning, the boys thought that the girls weren’t strong enough to make the boat and so should just design it. I was quick to say that if we were being awarded results for our team work then we should work together. They all agreed and I am sure we were awarded points for this.

The task was very hard and tiring: every student was always rather hungry! The meals were always very good and I particularly liked the variety of food that was available. The delicious food made us feel more energetic. The lectures were very inspiring, although some were better than others. We really appreciated the tips on how to give a good talk when we presented our work. I felt this was a very inspirational.

Overall, the STEM project has given me memories, skills and confidence that will last forever. Before I went, I thought I would look rather dumb doing engineering and I thought I wasn’t a good scientist. At the end, I knew I was actually rather good and I had the confidence to speak out. I was given credit for speaking well and always making the most of what I was doing.

Thank you to the Smallpiece Trust for a wonderful experience.

Sarah Clarke

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Operation Bath Bomb!

In July, girls were keen to apply to take up the challenge of ‘Operation Bath Bomb’.

The challenge was to produce bath bombs and pitch to a Dragon’s Den at the end of 5 days. This cross curricular project was part of an ‘applied learning’ week.

The successful thirty, from across years 8 and 9 met one another on Monday morning and were then placed in teams of 5. The first challenge was to work together and designate the various roles needed. The Chemist investigated the science of the bath bomb and worked out the best formula for their product. Production created batches of the product. Technologists designed innovative packaging and moulds. Marketing were creative in advertising from leaflets to radio ads, whilst the finance manager kept a firm eye on profit margins and business plans. Use of IT skills were clearly demonstrated, as were personal and thinking skills, as the teams came up with innovative ideas. Fantastic team working skills were observed and it all came together on Friday afternoon for their presentations to the Dragon’s Den.

The girls had clearly enjoyed the days leading up to this and were fired up for the

finale. The tense atmosphere was eased by the bath-bomb scented air! Bombs fizzed, radio jingles played, packaging enticed and profits convinced the judges of their professional products. The teams all made a confident pitch to the ‘Dragons’ who found it difficult to choose an overall winner. The judges consisted of Michael Cunningham of Michael Cunningham architects, Derek Stanley of the Local Education authority, Carl Gilbertson of Merseyside Grid for learning and Mrs McCue, Assistant headteacher.

Judges were unanimous in their praise of the outstanding quality of the pupils’ products which demonstrated their skills, innovation, hard work and attention to detail. After much deliberation, Fizzberry and Lux, were judged to be equal, having just pipped the other four teams. All went home happy, in the knowledge they had done well, and to get family and friends to use their bath bombs. Well done to all!

Thank you also to the team of sixth form students took photographs and made a very professional film of all of the apply it week activities.

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Whitehall interns

Thirteen sixth form students were delighted to be selected to take part in a pilot of the Civil Service Whitehall Internship Programme. This is a new scheme which aims to provide talented students with an opportunity to experience life in Whitehall and undertake interesting work experience.

The places and accommodation were fully funded and the interns also received £25 per day expenses. They had the opportunity to meet Ministers, Senior Civil Servants and network with other interns on the programme. Evening activities ranged from social events to business focused activities.

The lucky ones were: Derrise Wilkie, Elsa Lusadisu, Fay McDermott, Ijeh Nwafor, Jennifer Woodburn, Jessica Smith, Madeleine Cummings, Muhammed Musadik, Nkem Nwafor, Rachael Crowder, Rebecca Murphy, Sam Reason and Sarah Lunt.

Below, Jessica Smith describes the fantastic experience.

Civil Service Sixth Formers

25th July, 2011

The start of a two week adventure for thirteen Year 12 students. Little did we know that these two weeks were to be filled with hard work, amazing opportunities, late nights and dreaded early mornings!

As we arrived in London, the bustle of the city immediately overwhelmed us all. I hauled my enormous suitcase from tube station to tube station through the hustle of London rush hour, failing to notice the exquisite architecture around me. The famous landmarks just flashed by and we felt overwhelmed by the fast talking, brisk walking people around us. One of the students, Rebecca Murphy, thought that London at first glance was “the busiest place she had ever been”. To our delight we finally reached our destination: Whitehall. As we waited we had the first opportunity to soak up the amazing surroundings. We were all completely in awe and, as one student

Rachael Crowder pointed out, we were “footsteps away from the famous and historic Number 10 Downing Street”! This was an experience we were never going to forget.

Ice Breakers

After a long late night, filled with many ice breaking activities, we were quickly acquainted with the other students who had travelled from across the country: Bristol, Durham, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham. As one Bellerive student Sam Reason said, “The activities were a great opportunity to meet new people and develop our interpersonal skills”. Our first day in London was almost complete and our excitement grew in anticipation of the day ahead as the evening drew to a close. Not knowing what to expect, our first full day of work dawned. Our prior impressions of the civil service had been of an ‘upper class posh establishment’. Nervous and anxious, we waved goodbye and went our separate ways. Our internships were spread throughout London and the departments ranged from Education to the Ministry of defence. Each one of us was allocated to a different position and a role of importance.

Number 10

To my amazement, I was allocated a position in the Cabinet office working with the Deputy Prime Ministers Team. Arriving at the DPM’s office, overlooking the Number 10 gardens, I was both overwhelmed and grateful for this once in a life time opportunity- not just me,

but all the other students. I waited anxiously for my mentor to collect me and wondered what the people in the office would be like. Would they be friendly? Would they discriminate against me because of where I am from? Many of the other students felt the same way, one student being worried whether her accent would be ‘frowned upon’. However, our impressions of the Civil Service were soon to change.

Valued

After a long and tiring week, late nights and numerous tasks we were eager for the second week. We, as sixth form students, felt a sense of ‘self-importance’ as the policy making in many departments was mainly focused on children our age, so we had a lot of opinions and ideas to bring and be heard. Our worries of being the ‘tea and coffee girl and boy’ were soon gone and we were looking forward to another exciting week at Whitehall.

Our sense of being valued grew as we were given tasks that may influence

All the interns

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future government decisions. “There was a purpose for us here and our opinions were greatly valued” one student explained. Many of us were asked to prepare a presentation to people in our department and this developed confidence and presentational skills. I, like many others, was asked to analyse data and draw conclusions and patterns from the data received, developing analytic and problem solving skills. The issue I was asked to look at was 'Access to the Professions'. I was asked to voice my opinion on how hard it is to gain work experience in law and doctors surgeries if you don’t know anyone in that profession. My input was valued and I continued to work on the issues around the Social Mobility Strategy which looks at fair opportunities for young people. As each day drew to an end I felt my input had made a difference. Our work during the internship was valued as we were viewed as part of their team.

Each evening was packed with activities, from a walking tour of London to an ‘awful’ curry on Brick Lane. The evenings weren’t a time to relax as they were fully scheduled. Developing our enterprise skills, we had our own version of Dragons Den, where we had to present our ideas for a new property search engine for Londoners. This was a chance to let our creativity loose! During our time in London we also went to see the west end production of Blood Brothers which we all ‘ thoroughly enjoyed’ and went on the London eye.

Canary Wharf

For many, the highlight was visiting the leading law company ‘Clifford Chance’, situated in the heart of Canary Wharf. As we arrived, the views of the surrounding sky scrapers and wealth were breath-taking. Reaching the 30th floor, our excitement grew and

the views were exquisite. We were given a master class on interview skills by one of Europe’s Leading law companies: this really was an experience we weren’t going to forget.

As the internship came to an end, our impressions of the civil service had dramatically changed: no longer did we view those in the Whitehall civil service as ‘upper class’ but as ‘friendly, down to earth people’. This opportunity has now encouraged one student, Rachael Crowder, to enter the Civil Service and work in the Department of Education.

This experience, described by one as ‘a true learning curve’ was one which has been life changing, gaining essential life skills and building new friendships. The Whitehall Summer internship is an experience we would all ‘recommend to anyone’.

By Jessica Smith

Isabelle Bailey, now in year 8, is a very successful irish dancer. Her talents were well demonstrated when she danced at a St Patricks day assembly in school. She has written the following item for us:

I have been Irish dancing since I was 4 years old. I dance for the Bolger Cunningham school of Irish dance, based at St. Michael's Irish Centre Liverpool. I have won lots of medals, trophies and sashes in competitions all over the North West of England.

These competitions are known in gaelic as Feis. I have performed in many displays including the Capital of Culture celebration at St George's Hall, the Lord Mayor's Parade, a dance festival in Dungarvan, Ireland and at the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen (I was the youngest performer at the Eisteddfod at the age of 7!) We wear two different types of shoes, heavy shoes for noisy hornpipes and jigs and light shoes for graceful reels and jigs. We dance to a range of traditional Irish music and more modern versions too.

I have great teachers and lots of friends and I think Irish dancing is an enjoyable way of keeping fit and having fun!

Irish Dancing

Scotland Yard

Isabelle

A performance of ‘Peter’s Passion’, by Bernie Egan, was put on in April in the splendid Capstone Theatre, Hope University (Everton campus). The pictures show just a fraction of the performers who took part in this highly acclaimed Easter production.

Finally in July, an entertaining production of 'Oliver' was put on over three nights to packed audiences. The pictures show just some of the main characters and orphans: all contributed to a splendid performance.

14

Performing arts: a busy year

In the Secondary School Choir Class they won a Bronze Medal. In Religious Singing Class, where they sang ‘The Lord bless you’ and ‘The Lord’s prayer’. The choir and Head of Music, Mrs Winstanley, were delighted to gain a gold medal. The judges commented: “Well done- a most musical performance. All the detail was in place and you rose to the technical demand of the piece and you gave them full musicality.”

The department has had a busy year firstly producing a carol service and nativity tableaux in December. Poor weather and high winds caused disappointment as plans to erect a stable outside, complete with donkeys, had to be abandoned! However, despite the weather, the warm hall was full to capacity.

At Liverpool’s performing Arts Festival in March, Bellerive’s choir celebrated winning both a gold and a bronze award.

Five months hard work by twenty Year 9 pupils was rewarded with a creditable second place in the local heat of the Magistrates Mock Trial Competition.Pupils acted out the roles of lawyers, witnesses, magistrates and court officials at Warrington Magistrates Court on Saturday, 5th March in front of the High Sherriff of Cheshire and local judges and magistrates in a competition organised by the Citizenship Foundation. Although pipped for first place by St Gregory’s of Warrington, the Bellerive pupils turned in an outstanding performance and Emma Mason was nominated as one of the top four pupils of the day. A team that included pupils from a whole range of ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds, as well as pupils with English as a second Language, impressed the local officials so much that Warrington’s Community Liaison lead magistrate, Mr Tony Clarke made a point of congratulating Bellerive on the behaviour, appearance and performance of all those involved.

Winning Silver

Nativity

'Oliver' cast

15

Public Speaking

Bellerive was represented by Eleanor Lloyd and Elizabeth Davies who acquitted themselves very confidently and each received a certificate and a book voucher each.

They contestants are shown with the judges and Liverpool Soroptimist President Eileen Gilbert. Eleanor and Elizabeth are also pictured chatting with the Lord Mayor following the event. Next year’s contest, which will be hosted again at Bellerive, will be held in March 2012.

Soroptimist International is a worldwide service organisation of women committed to transforming the lives of women and girls.

If anyone would like more information about the work and membership of Liverpool Soroptimists or is interested in offering sponsorship for the public speaking event please email liverpoolsorops@aol.co.uk

Soroptimist International of Liverpool, held their sixth, successful Public Speaking contest in March, at Bellerive. The competition was open to twelve to fourteen year old students from secondary schools in Liverpool. The winning school received a Trophy to retain for one year and the overall winner, Christy Thomas from Broughton High School, a cash prize. The judges this year were the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Hazel Williams, John Williams JP and Jenny Stanistreet, Soroptimist regional President.

The Speakers

The Specialist Schools and Academy Trust produce an annual Christmas card and for the past four years they have used artwork produced by students.

The brief for this year’s national competition was to produce a design that had universal appeal, as the SSAT have affiliated schools across the globe. The card had to include a sense of festivity that reflected the cultural diversity of their membership.

The winning image was used on a printed card that is sent out by the Chief Executive, Elizabeth Reid. The cards, printed and electronic, are sent to

Xmas card Finalist people around the world giving students a great opportunity to showcase their work on a global scale.

A number of our students entered the competition from different year groups. Congratulations and well done to Sylwia Gradzka, a Year 11 student at Bellerive. Sylwia was not the overall winner. However, her design was selected by the SSAT for consideration in their final shortlist. This was a great achievement when considering the popularity of the competition and the number of entries the SSAT received. Well done Sylwia.

Sylwia

16

Science Fun

A trip to the planets

Girls and staff visiting the Liverpool World museum during science week enjoyed two main activities as well as exploring the many exhibits. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the Planetarium and there were many exclamations when the lights went out and the stars appeared! The journey began with a quick trip to the Moon and then they were whisked away to the Sun and the planets.

On a tour of the constellations, they viewed Orion shielding himself from Taurus! There were sounds of disappointment when the daylight returned all too soon. The students showed real enthusiasm and there were a forest of arms as they asked their questions. Robyn Barker commented, ‘I’m glad I came as it showed me I have an interest in Space!’

They were then treated to sessions about DNA. The students took part in discussions of who should be allowed to go climbing Mount Everest. They read the various resume of each candidate and then had to decide if it mattered if they were genetically superior or was it experience that counted. They then created an ‘Alien Baby’ from a gene pool. The students were surprised at the variation possible.

Over the year many fun events have enriched the sciences. Here are just a few….

Chester Zoo Visit

Year 7 extended their studies in the Science of Life cycles, Reproduction and Conservation by visiting Chester Zoo.

During the day they visited the fantastic enclosures and were fascinated by the Orang-utans in the ‘Realm of the Red Ape’ and the free flying fruit bats in the bat cave. Fortunately, it stayed mainly dry for the visits and, after an obligatory stop at the Zoo shop, the girls returned to school tired and clutching animal souvenirs and sweets!

Year 7 head for the stars

A year of scientific fun came to a climax at the end of the summer term when some very powerful rockets were launched in Sefton Park by the year 7 science club and their mentor Mr Wareing. These rockets were built by the students over many weeks and are a far cry from the tiny ones that you see on bonfire night – these rockets go three times higher and return by parachute to be used again.

Unfortunately the landing site of one was not identified. Amazingly this coincided with reports that week of the 2 day abandonment of the international space station by 4 astronauts due to incoming space debris. If anyone asks, you know nothing…….

Catalysing future careers

A group of Year 9 pupils visited the Catalyst Discovery Centre in Widnes for a special ‘Science at Work Week’. They were fortunate to take part in an event where representatives from industry

demonstrate how important Science is in their work and how worthwhile careers in Science are both personally and for the future prosperity of the country. The girls also toured the galleries at the centre where the history of the Chemical Industry in Cheshire is explained. The girls enjoyed the day, returning with lots of ideas about possible careers in Science.

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Hazel Williams, was the guest of honour at the annual awards ceremony held in the Metropolitan Cathedral. She presented hundreds of certificates, awards and trophies in front of their proud friends and families. The college rewarded academic & sporting successes and also contributions to the community. The Lord Mayor said she “was impressed by the achievements of the pupils, and Bellerive was truly a place where every child matters: successful in its aim to get each pupil to achieve their very best”.

Rewarding our students

Science at work

17

Winning scientist

Angel Wharton, year 8, entered a competition run by CATALYST museum in Widnes. Pupils from all over the north west entered to write about what makes them want to be a scientist. Angel was delighted to learn she was shortlisted for the prize. Below is her excellent entry:

Why I want to be a scientist

Ever since I was a little girl I have always been interested in how things work and have always asked questions. I asked so many questions when I was little that it got to the point where my mum and dad could no longer answer them. When I am sitting down at my laptop, I don’t just surf the internet or play music, I find myself asking “What makes this computer work?” “How can something of this size contain so much information and compress music into tiny little files?” Then, when I set about finding out why, I always end up with more questions than answers. I constantly find myself seeking answers for stuff and how things work.

Not so long ago, my dad turned on our kitchen light which has a dimmer switch. It puzzled me as to how just turning a switch can alter the brightness of the light or turn it off completely. When my mum got a new television last Christmas everyone in our house was excited about having a new flat screen LCD TV. I found myself asking what the difference was between not only our old TV and the newer LCD one but what was the difference between different types of televisions currently available? One thing that has really intrigued me lately is 3D technology and how it works.

Since I have started in secondary school it has given me the opportunity to not only carry out my own research into science, but has given me ideas and educated me to provide me with my own possible ways of carrying out my own research into my question. I also enjoy experiments and, with the knowledge learned in my sciences classes, it gives me the confidence to try my own experiments. I joined the science club in school which takes place during lunchtime as I feel passionate about learning and am always trying to develop my own ways of finding answers.

My mum bought me a chemistry kit for Christmas which allows me to do my own experiments and there is a booklet inside that asks questions that you can

only answer by doing the experiments. I am also saving up for a kit that allows me to build a combustion engine. I am still only young and have a lot of time left to make decisions on what I want to do in the future. One thing I have realised, though, is that as I am constantly asking questions and seeking answers I have right approach to work in a scientific field of some sort. I think this approach and attitude if I applied it to medicine or disease research could be beneficial to people in the future.

I would like to think I have what it takes to go forward with my attitude and questions and constant wondering and apply my learned knowledge to benefit the human race or even that of other species on the planet.

Angel Wharton (8T)

Our very talented cricketer Lauren Shields, who represents the city, received an award for her high standard of cricket played. Lauren, who was in year 7 at the time, writes:

I received this award on Thursday 3rd March 2011 in St. Georges Hall. I won this award for cricket because I represented the city at a very high standard. Last season I played for Lancashire U11’s girls, Liverpool City Team U11’s boys, Liverpool U11’s boys and Liverpool U13’s girls. This season I am at Lancashire U13’s girls and I am captain for Liverpool U11’s boys team. My award was presented to me by an Ex-Liverpool F.C and Ex-England player. He was also an Ex-Assistant Manager for Liverpool F.C. his name is Phil Thompson. When I was walking back from getting my award I dropped my medal and one of the presenters shouted “Out” and then the other one shouted “It was a no ball” I

Lauren wins cricket award!

felt ashamed! I was one of the first people to get my award and then other people dropped their award so I didn’t feel as bad.

The awards night was live on BBC Radio Merseyside and the two presenters on night were Alan Jackson and Charles Lambert who are the presenters on the sport part on BBC Radio Merseyside. After each category there was music so I felt like I was on a famous show like the BBC ‘Sports Personality of the Year Awards’ but unfortunately it wasn’t.

Overall it was a great night and my managers, family and teachers that know about it are really proud of me.

Lauren Shields

18

Bellerive Pilgrims

Sixth formers Jordan Haskyne and Sean Burke were lucky enough to represent Bellerive in London for the Papal visit 2010. They travelled with other excited pilgrims to Westminster Cathedral and also to Hyde Park on Sunday. Meanwhile, back at Bellerive the pupils watched live TV footage of the Pope’s visit and also added a papal flag to the college’s flagpole.

Sean worked hard during the visit as the only media correspondent chosen from Liverpool. His reports, blogs and pictures were all followed on the internet. He and Jordan also led assemblies when back in school, sharing their experiences with younger pupils and showing their video of highlights of the Papal visit.

The amazing experience will be with Jordan and Sean forever.

Jordan was inspired to write the following article:

Jordan’s Account of the Papal Visit

Back in June I was told that I had been specifically chosen alongside a fellow student, to represent Bellerive FCJ in London for the Papal visit 2010. I felt like this was an amazing opportunity for me to develop my faith and I was extremely privileged to be taking part in this once in a lifetime opportunity. As the trip grew closer my excitement increased, yet I still felt apprehensive about the visit as there would be so many people attending and I only knew one. However when I arrived at St Mary’s Lowe House, St. Helens all of these fears left my mind immediately. Everyone was so welcoming and the unity that could be felt there was so intense; I was where I belonged.

After spending a few minutes in prayer we set off on our journey were we had the chance to talk to the other pilgrims on our coach and get to hear their thoughts on this visit. As more stories were told, the more everyone’s excitement levels rose! We all sang together with acoustic guitars and from that moment we could tell this journey was going to be something special. A journey that would bring so

many people together. A journey that would bring us all one step closer to God.

As Saturday morning arrived everyone’s mood was so lively and exuberant as we made our way towards Westminster Cathedral. We were welcomed by crowds of hundreds of youths singing and chanting for the chance of seeing Pope Benedict XVI. This was a sight that I had not anticipated at all, partially based on the negative response that the Papal visit had received from the media, but as soon as I was in this atmosphere all those criticisms had left my mind, alongside everyone else’s. People could sense that this was something amazing and something special, beliefs that were reflected in the people’s response to the Holy Father’s personal welcome to us all. The crowds sang and cheered to express our love, respect and admiration for this special figure who too returned the love, respect and admiration back to us all. This moment was significant to me as it allowed me to see Pope Benedict as more than just a religious figure: he was a man, a human, the same as us. He did not think less of us because of age. He didn’t discriminate against anyone. He just showed us love; the love from God

and the personal love from himself. I felt so close to him and God at this moment and recognised that I had just been involved in a religious experience that I may never get the chance to be a part of again.

This feeling stayed with me for the remainder of the day and evening at Hyde Park when I was once again involved in such unity of all the thousands of people around me, who had travelled from all aspects of the UK and beyond to be here and to express their faith. The crowds sang with the choir, listened with the upmost respect to those who spoke about their faith on stage, cheered and chanted when Pope Benedict entered the park in his Pope Mobile and listened to his words of wisdom with the highest level of admiration. I was taken aback by the deep silence that filled the park as he spoke; silence so quite that you could hear a pin drop. The mood was so surreal to me and I just stood there in appreciation and awe, whilst my level of faith expanded by the seconds. It was a feeling that I could never forget and a moment that I am so proud of. I could never have imagined the atmosphere, nor the number of friends that I made. We had been brought together by only one thing in common, our faith and our belief in God and the Pope.

19

Sports news

Rugby

10 brave KS4 students attended several Rugby League coaching sessions ran by the Liverpool Rugby League development team to develop their rugby skills. Initially frightened at the level of contact, they soon lost their inhibitions and were getting stuck and covered in mud like professionals. The coaching sessions went so well that a team was entered into the National Emerging Schools competition held in Warrington (match pictured). Despite some adverse weather conditions the team did Bellerive proud and held their own against some very strong opposition. Although they didn’t win a game they learnt some valuable team tactics and gained some match experiences. It is hoped that they will enter some more tournaments in the future.

Premiership Netball

The Bellerive Netball teams have had their most successful year to date!The league was restructured this year and based on our performance last year it was decided that we should be placed in the Premiership league. Both the Year 8 and Year 9 teams finished second in their age category. The Year 7 squad were crowned the league champions after being undefeated throughout the season.When all of the finishing places for years 7 – 11 were totalled up for the season, it was Bellerive who came out on top, proving that all of the hard work and dedication shown throughout the season is worth it. In the tournaments, Bellerive played valiantly, with some excellent results. 3 of our teams went through the finals with the Year 7, 8 and 11 teams being narrowly beaten into second place.

It is not only younger pupils who can boast success as Kaltun Abdillahi writes:

Sixth form Net Trophy

After a long while out of playing netball, year twelve were ready to play their favourite sport once again. The girls played in a tournament in March at Broadgreen, organised by the South Central School Sports Partnership. The seven schools within the partnership were invited. Bellerive girls played Broadgreen and, despite not having any practise sessions, the girls did well and opened the scoring and won the first match comfortably 5-2.

The scorers were GS-Kayliegh, Kaltun-GA and Madeline-C, who was also the captain. The win gave the girls confidence and after a second match against Bluecoat the girls steamed to the top of the leader board, the score being 6-2. The girls knew they needed to win their next match in order to safely secure a win in the competition even without having to win the fourth and last match against St Margaret’s. Under pressure the girls lived up to expectations and completed a Hat-trick of wins. After the girls’ impressive win in the competition, they were awarded a trophy. The students proudly displayed their trophy in the 6th form centre and described the tournament as “enjoyable” and “fun”. Well Done!

Rounders

The Year 11 Rounders team (pictured) came 2nd in the City Finals this year.

Yr 7 Hockey Team

For the first time in recent years the Yr 7 team made it to the city finals in the 6-a-side hockey league. The pupils had previously competed over several weeks in a league system that saw them come 2nd and secure a place in the finals. This is a great achievement considering that the pupils only had a yard to practice on that didn’t reflect the surface of Astroturf on which they were competing. Despite a stirling effort against Liverpool College, the experience of the College pupils saw them secure victory with a 4-0 win. The scoreline did not reflect the opportunities that Bellerive had or the fantastic saves made by both goalkeepers.

Well done to the whole hockey squad who made valiant contributions and there is always next year!

Rowing

Rowing has seen a welcome return again this year with a new intake into the rowing programme. Bellerive entered 2 teams a Yr 9 and Yr 10 team into 2 Merseyside Indoor Rowing competitions. Competing against stronger opposition they dug deep and pushed the opposition all the way. Isobel Fry and Elizabeth Wallace finished 3rd and 2nd respectively in their individual categories securing medals for their team.Moving on from the indoor sessions, the group progressed to wet sessions at the Watersports Centre at the Albert Dock. The pupils have learnt how to set up their boats, manoeuvre in water and practice their correct rowing technique. It is hoped that the group will follow up their indoor competition successes in some water based competitions.

Winning Football

The Year 8 football team (pictured) were the runners up at the City Football Finals getting beat by a penalty in the final minutes. The team came 1st in the Southern League.

You are invited to come along and seethis popular school. Meet pupils andstaff, view facilities and collect aninformation pack with our applicationform. Enthusiastic pupils will guide youaround the site. There will be twopresentations in the school hall during the evening.

Please enter via the Elmfield site onUllet Road

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Believe in BelleriveWhere girls thrive and achieve

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The Year 9 football team (pictured) made it through to the City Finals but in the semi-final lost on a penalty shootout. The team came 2nd in the Southern League.

World Netball series

In November, girls from across all year groups teams accompanied the PE staff to the Echo Arena to watch the World Netball Series. The tournament was a contest between England, New Zealand, South Africa, Jamaica, Australia and Malawi.

Tickets obtained by Bellerive let them watch England play both Jamaica (a re-match of the Commonwealth Games 3rd place play off – which England won!) and New Zealand. They also had the opportunity to watch Australia (the Commonwealth and Olympic Champions) in action against South Africa. Both staff and pupils were in awe of the speed, agility and power of the players. The game was certainly much faster than anyone had anticipated and even left the Bellerive spectators exhausted just watching!

Wimbledon Trip

The PE department ran its 3rd trip on 1st and 2nd July to The Wimbledon Championships, not only to see some professional live sport but also to indulge in some strawberries and cream. In the lovely weather the matches were nail biting, as Andy Murray again tried to reach the final of the Mens’ Singles. After an exhausting day at Wimbledon the group transferred to the hotel to get some much needed sleep after the 5am departure. Refreshed and revitalised it was off to Piccadilly Circus and Regents Street the next morning for some retail therapy. Before beginning the long journey home, the group stopped off in Planet Hollywood for a meal and some photograph opportunities with the film memorabilia.

The trip was a lovely occasion made even more memorable by the good behaviour and mature attitude of all the pupils on the trip who were the perfect ambassadors not only for Bellerive but Liverpool as a whole.

Young Leaders

22 Yr 10 pupils have been successfully studying for their Level 1 Sports Leaders qualification since September.

The course is designed to develop their leadership skills and equip them with the confidence to lead sessions for younger pupils. Since their graduation in February the leaders have been attached to the PE department clubs assisting with warm-ups, practices and fixtures. The leaders have also been a huge success leading small games and activities on the yr 7 yard 4 lunchtimes a week. The Young Leaders have also played an integral part in providing competitive situations for our feeder primary schools. The Bellerive Intra Cluster Games aim to give all pupils the opportunity to compete in school games that sit outside the competition framework, such as dodgeball and benchball.

The Young Leaders have planned and delivered 2 competitions to both Yr 5 & 6 pupils from the Bellerive Cluster. The young leaders have one further term left before they cease in their duties and concentrate upon revising for their GCSE’s and the new recruits take over.