In celebration of International Women’s Day, Preston North End invited our Year 8 footballers to attend a match at Deepdale Stadium vs Stoke City. The home team didn’t quite manage to pull off the win but our students enjoyed cheering on Jess and Daisy as they stood in the Guard of Honour and then everyone took penalty kicks on the pitch at home time. This was a proud moment for Mrs Finnigen and the PE department and we have no doubt that you will go on to take many a shot at goals (or save them) on Championship and Premier League pitches in the future! Well done, girls for your commitment to football at PGHS this year and a big thank you to your parents for their support. A brilliant day out had by all!
Mrs Naylor
Curriculum Leader for Performance, Sports and Health
On Monday the 11th March, our Y8 Netballers travelled to All Hallows Catholic High School to compete in the Y8 South Ribble Schools Tournament. All South Ribble Schools competed, meaning the girls played 9 matches. They performed fantastically throughout, demonstrating impressive netball skills and excellent team spirt and endurance.
We finished third overall out of 10 schools.
Well done to all the girls – Jasmine H, Lilah C, Isabelle M, Lily H, Georgia B, Phoebe Barnes, Eva P and Ruby M for a fantastic team performance.
A huge well done to the Y7 ‘A’ team who played 9 tough matches at the Y7 South Ribble Netball tournament on Tuesday 19th March! They worked tirelessly for each other and played their socks off! They came away with a well earned 2nd place out of 10 schools, which is a fantastic achievement and a result of their hard work and determination on court. The PE department is so proud of how committed both teams have been to training this year and we can’t wait to see how they progress through their time at PGHS! Well done girls!
Back row: Amy, Sophie, Beatrice, Aryana, Imogen, Darcey
Front row: Jayaani, Alyce
Our Y7 ‘B’ team played amazingly well in the Y7 ‘B’ tournament and were rewarded with a 2nd place overall! The girls were fantastic both on and off court and their team work and school spirit made us extremely proud! All of the team have worked hard at training all year and they are excellent role models to their fellow students. Well done girls!! A big thank you to Eliza and Ruby from year 10 who were team coaches for the night.
Back row: Amy, Sophie, Beatrice, Aryana, Imogen, Darcey
On Wednesday 6th March, the Year 9 netball team played in the Year 9 South Ribble Netball tournament at All Hallows. It was an evening of competitive netball played by all. The girls represented PGHS brilliantly and were rewarded with 3rd place in the borough. Well done, girls!
On Thursday 29th February, 11 Year 7 students went to Lostock Hall to take on the challenge of the first round of the South Ribble Football Cup. The girls played brilliantly and took the competition right up to the final whistle. This meant penalties! We then went 5 for 5 and Lostock Hall JUST took the win on the 6th. We are so proud of the ambition and resilience that the team displayed but most importantly, their team work and sportsmanship towards each other and their opponents. Well done, girls!
Back row: Seren, Darcey, Aryana, Lani, Hannah, Darcey, Martha
As part of the STEM festival, all year 8 students took part in a Music Therapy workshop. Music Therapy is an area of growth as we are becoming increasingly aware of how music can benefit mental health, memory and general wellbeing. Current research which our visiting music therapist is part of, has suggested that music therapy can potentially assist in reducing medication costs in the NHS and have a positive impact on so many people.
We were delighted to welcome Rebecca, a professional Music Therapist, and Ryan, a professional musician who plays with numerous orchestras around Europe. They began the workshops in complete silence, allowing students to explore instruments with no guidance whatsoever. Rebecca used her experience as a music therapist to mirror whatever students played and the music slowly grew and all participants were able to grow in confidence and explore their ‘sound-world’, as would so often happen within a music therapy session.
Students demonstrated curiosity in the different elements of Music therapy through asking some thoughtful questions about how music can help people living with a range of different conditions such as dementia. Rebecca and Ryan were able to share their own stories and they showed some powerful video clips of music therapy in action.
We look forward to linking this into our work in class on Music therapy and how music can promote positive wellbeing.
On Friday 23rd February, we organised an Open Mic for the STEM Festival. A number of students performed some classic hits with a link to STEM. There was a fantastic atmosphere on the quad with the girls all supporting each other and joining in with the singing. Congratulations to all the students that performed.
Mrs Cattanach
Associate Assistant Headteacher and Curriculum Leader for Music
On Thursday 29th February and as part of the STEM Festival, we held our second ‘Music and Verse’ evening of the year. 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 and to give our Year 8 students the opportunity to perform their LAMDA pieces 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 texts in preparation for their upcoming assessments. Good luck in your exam next week! It was the first time many of the students had performed in public alone and we are extremely proud of them all. The event raised £69.94 which will go to our nominated local charity: Preston Domestic Violence Services. Congratulations to everyone that took part.
Mrs Cattanach
Associate Assistant Headteacher and Curriculum Leader for Music
Year 9 are taking part in the ‘If you were an Engineer, what would you do?’ Leaders Award competition.
The competition challenges students from primary and secondary schools to identify a problem, design a creative solution to their problem and write a letter explaining why an engineer should choose to build their solution.
During the STEM Festival, Year 9 had a number of lessons to prepare them for the competition. In the first lesson, the students watched videos showing the different engineering jobs that are available, which also showed no matter who you are or what your background, you can do engineering.
The students also had to interview an engineer, a key requirement of the competition. Year 9 interviewed Vish Kalsapura from Network Rail. Mr Kalsapura gave an overview about engineering within the rail industry and gave a little insight into his role within cyber security.
In the final couple of lessons, the students had to identify a problem and then design their solution, taking inspiration from previous winners in the competition. All the teachers were impressed with the engagement of the students and the fantastic ideas being created.
All the students that enter the competition will have their design graded by an engineer and will receive a certificate. Shortlisted entries will then be put forward to a panel where the best ideas will be celebrated at an awards event and exhibited in a public exhibition in the summer term.
One extraordinary part of the competition is that every year, university teams choose an idea from the shortlisted entries to build!
During the 2nd week of the STEM Festival, Year 7 students were able to experience the wonders of the universe in a full immersive experience. The girls learned about the composition of stars and how all of the elements that make up everything, including themselves, had originally formed in the centre of stars scattered across the universe. They were also treated to a detailed insight into the Artemis programme that will soon be taking astronauts back to the moon. Throughout the experience, students became involved asking probing questions to the knowledgeable presenter, Dave.
