RE at PGHS this term

One of the highlights of this term in RE has been getting to know the Year 7s better through the ‘show & tell’ of their sacred objects. Every student had to bring in an object and spend 30 seconds explaining why this was special to them. It was great to learn all about their hobbies, religions, cultures, families and memories.

Students could connect their personal experiences to relate to the sacred artefacts belonging to traditional religions. They enjoyed handling a real life kirpan and understood why a Sikh would feel lost without it. A speaker from ‘Good News Bible’ then delivered a presentation on the Bible – a sacred item to many Christians. All students were given the opportunity to take away their very own little red Bible.

Sophie W: My item is a sparkly baby grow on a stick. This was put in my food by my dad step mum to tell me that I have a baby brother. If I lost this, it would make me feel really sad because this is what I have to remember that special day.

Ayesha S: This book is very dear to me for many reasons. The book has stories about how the holy prophets struggled and triumphed in spreading the truth of Islam. It also helps me live my life as a good Muslim.

Lilah C: My sacred item was my christening bracelet. It is sterling silver and has little intricate flowers and my name engraved. It is sadly too small for me now, but it makes it more magical as I can see how I’ve grown since being a tiny baby as I was baptised when I was 3 months old. I will cherish this forever because it’s a special event in my life. The bracelet is a remembrance of when I was welcomed into God’s family and became a Catholic. In my faith, baptism is the first sacrament and one of the ways that we strengthen our relationship with God.

This then connected the first unit of ‘What Does it mean to Belong to a Religion?’ to the second unit ‘Do we belong to God?’  Both of these units make up part of our year 7 enquiry into ‘Where do we Belong?’

To engage their Biblical studies of this unit, students enjoyed viewing different types of Bibles to those they had been previously been exposed to. Students are excited to continue their Biblical studies after Christmas with a new-found interest and respect for the Bible as a sacred object and as a guide to understanding God.

Miss Brooks

RE Department

Posted in RE

Spirited Arts Competition: Year 8 – Does God Exist?

The year 8s have just finished studying the unit ‘How do we answer questions with no definitive answer?’ as part of our year 8 enquiry into ‘Where do we find guidance?’ Students studied a series of ultimate questions and used philosophical tools such as case studies, religious pieces of scripture, analogies and statistics to explain different viewpoints. 

One of the questions was ‘Does God Exist?’ and students were given the challenge of creating a piece of art work or poem which demonstrates why they believe whether God does or does not exist.  The RE department were blown away by the entries. Here is a small sample:

1st: Unaysah P
The image you created powerfully showed your response to the ultimate question. We could clearly see what your image was representing. Your image was very unique and full of vibrant colours. The quote helps connect your ideas and shows extra dedicated research.

2nd: Vritika S

The poem you have created is detailed and we can clearly see your views on whether you believe that God exists or not. The pictures behind, work in harmony with the meaning of your poem. It adds the extra wow factor to your poem.

3rd: Lily S
The poem that you created was extremely unique and well thought out.  It showed deep thought and conveys a powerful message.

Miss Brooks

RE Department

Posted in RE

Primary Music Roadshow

On Wednesday 14th December, the music department went on a mini roadshow to entertain and inspire students at both Penwortham and Cop Lane Primary schools. Students performed as part of the brass and woodwind ensemble and then the orchestra with some students entertaining with solo performances. It was fantastic to see their school halls so full of excitement and enthusiasm. We hope to see some of the students performing here at Penwortham Girls’ with us in the near future!

Mrs Cattanach

Associate Assistant Headteacher

& Curriculum Leader for Music

Christmas Celebration

On Monday 12th December, we hosted our annual Christmas Celebration to a sell out audience in the school hall. There were some outstanding performances from the drama group, dancers and musicians alike who truly got us all into the spirit of Christmas.

The drama group retold the classic poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ which enchanted the audience from beginning to end whilst Y7&8 and Y11 dancers entertained the audience with their Christmas Dance Mash-ups.

There was an eclectic mix of music from the music department this year with the usual superb performances from our regular brass and woodwind ensembles, choirs and orchestra and some fantastic new additions including music from our ukulele group, hand chime ensemble and GCSE Music groups to name a few.

The evening was a tremendous success and enjoyed by all who attended. Huge congratulations to all who took part. Merry Christmas!

Mrs Cattanach

Associate Assistant Headteacher & Curriculum Leader for Music

Stroke Association Concert

On Monday 18th October, we held our very first ‘Music and Verse’ evening. The purpose of this concert was to provide our GCSE cohorts with the opportunity to perform to an audience in preparation for their future coursework submissions.  It also gave our Year 8 students the opportunity to perform their LAMDA pieces and provided a small number of ensembles the chance to perform to an audience. The evening was a tremendous success with all our students performing superbly. It was also fantastic to hear our Year 8 LAMDA students reciting their verse and prose in preparation for their upcoming assessments.

Each year, the Year 11 cohort choose the charity they would like to support on the evening with all proceeds going to the designated charity. This year was no exception, with students choosing to support The Stroke Association. The Stroke Association are the UK’s largest charity dedicated to helping with the emotional, practical and financial cost of stroke.  They fund research into ongoing rehabilitation that could help stroke survivors live fuller and happier lives. They provide specialist support and campaign to make sure people affected by stroke get the very best care. The evening raised a total of £70.61. A fantastic evening, raising money for a very worthy cause. Well done, everyone!

Mrs Cattanach

Associate Assistant Headteacher

& Curriculum Leader for Music

The Lion King

48 students had an absolutely fantastic night at The Lion King in Manchester on Wednesday, 9th November. We had superb seats in the circle and the performance mesmerised both students and staff alike. The musicians were amazing and the acting and dancing were sublime. The costumes and puppetry were so outstanding, you almost forgot the characters were real people! 


Here’s what some of our students thought:

“I was completely in awe at such a creative and artistic performance.” Grace T

“Great costumes, set and excellent voices.” Katie K

“I didn’t realise my cousin was in it but he did an amazing job, along with everyone else!”  Brenda C

“The young Simba was very good at acting his scenes and included numerous modern-day lines.”  Skye H-M

“It was great.  Five stars!” Lily-Anna J

Mrs Cattanach

Associate Assistant Headteacher and Curriculum Leader for Music

Cross Country Success!

Well Done to Holly L and Darcey W who came 4th in the South Ribble Cross Country Competition on Saturday, 19th November. As a result, they have been selected to represent South Ribble at the Lancashire Cross Country Competition on Saturday the 5th of February. We wish them the best of luck!

Mrs Naylor

Curriculum Leader for Performance, Sports and Health

Posted in PE

Extra-Curricular

On behalf of the PE department, I would like to thank all students who have participated in our extra-curricular programme this term. We have had fantastic participation rates across all clubs and achieved some fantastic titles in competitions across South Ribble. We can’t wait to repeat our success in the New Year!

Mrs Naylor

Curriculum Leader for Performance, Sport and Health

Posted in PE

World Cup KS3 Competition

The last few weeks watching the World Cup has been really exciting with some fantastic play, excellent team work and some shock scores and exits to say the least.  Inspired by the World Cup, we would like to announce the KS3 PGHS Football Kit Competition. Design a football kit for our PGHS football teams and submit either a paper copy to the PE office or an online copy to Class Charts by Friday, 13th January. We can’t wait to see your designs and choose a winner. The winner will have their kit created for our football teams to wear during matches. Good luck!

Mrs Naylor

Curriculum Leader for Performance, Sports and Health

Posted in PE

Cricket Success!

On Friday, 25th November, Lili F-R was invited to an awards evening held at Old Trafford in Manchester. The evening was to celebrate the increasing participation of women’s cricket where her coach was nominated for ‘Coach of the Year’. Lili was unaware, but she was nominated for ‘Most Improved Junior Softball Player of the Year’ and WON! We are so proud of the hard work and determination that you have put into your cricket training. It has certainly paid off!

Mrs Naylor

Curriculum Leader for Performance, Sports and Health

Posted in PE
  • Artsmark Platinum Award - Awards by Arts Council England
  • Lancashire Socio-economic Equality Badge
  • SMART
  • UNICEF
  • School Mental Health Award
  • Ofsted - Outstanding Provider
  • International School Award
  • Artsmark Platinum Award - Awards by Arts Council England
  • Lancashire Socio-economic Equality Badge
  • SMART
  • UNICEF
  • School Mental Health Award
  • Ofsted - Outstanding Provider
  • International School Award