Goodbye and Good Luck to Mrs McGibbon

It is with very heavy hearts that we are saying “Goodbye” to Mrs McGibbon this summer as she jets off to a new challenge overseas.  She has finished the final page of this chapter of her school journey and brings this volume to a close.  We wish her every luck on the next episode of her story in a new setting with a host of new characters! 

Mrs McGibbon started teaching at PGHS an incredible 17 years ago and has become an intrinsic part of school life – it is hard to imagine school without her and she will leave a huge gap.  It has been an eventful time personally and professionally for Mrs McGibbon.  Mrs McGibbon’s career has flourished here; she began as a newly qualified teacher but her enthusiasm for, and commitment to, vulnerable students and SEND quickly became apparent, leading her to develop her role as SENDCO in addition to being an exceptional English teacher.  In this role, she has supported many students to achieve their very best and enabled them to move onto to fulfilling and successful roles after high school.  Mrs McGibbon has always dealt with the challenges that her role as SENCO has presented in a professional and caring manner.  Student wellbeing and success has always been her priority and Mrs McGibbon’s commitment has been demonstrated time after time, year after year.  Countless students are successful and happy because of her dedication.  Mrs McGibbon hasn’t just supported students in her care, she has supported the careers and wellbeing of many staff members.  She always been a calm and consistent presence in school that provides stability and common sense to many of us.

She has been an intrinsic part of the life of the school and has always given her time generously.  Personally, I have many happy memories of working together: on school shows; residentials in London; “hike to help”; our “Old Lady Day Out” in Ambleside (which consisted of sampling numerous tea rooms and then a “Nanna nap” on the coach home); enrichment days; theatre trips (including a very memorable one to a workshop and performance of “Matilda”); ASDAN trips; and the most ridiculous of all, our Lady Gaga tribute filmed on Southport beach.      

Looking back at Mrs McGibbon’s time here, there have been 15 Education Secretaries, 8 Prime Ministers, 4 Heads of English, 3 Headteachers, 2 Assistant SENCOs and 1 COVID pandemic – an eventful time!  Throughout all these changes, Mrs McGibbon has always been positive and optimistic about the new challenges ahead.  I have no doubt that she has the same positivity about the adventure ahead.

It goes without saying that we are going to miss Mrs McGibbon enormously and she leaves a huge legacy behind her.  It is going to be difficult to imagine school life without her and her new school is exceptionally lucky.  We wish her every success in the future, in all the stories yet to be told, all the adventures that await for her and her family.

Mrs C Woodhouse

Senior Assistant Headteacher

Texas 2024 – A Once in a Lifetime Experience

This year, a group of students from PGHS embarked on the school’s first ever transatlantic trip to Texas!

The purpose of the trip? A once in a lifetime opportunity to witness a total eclipse and to visit the NASA Space Station at Houston.

Our students gathered at school at the incredibly early time of 2am, ready to set off on a bright and early flight to Texas. After an impressive 15-hour trip, we landed in Houston. We headed first to an authentic American hotel, ready to rest up and get some much needed sleep before the eclipse the next day.

We woke up and headed to Waco, where we were able to watch the eclipse at a special event held at Baylor University. There were a few nervous moments, where it seemed that cloudy skies may hinder our view but luckily, the clouds cleared and revealed gorgeous sunshine! It was perfect weather for eating corn-dogs and drinking buckets of frozen lemonade!

The moment where the eclipse became total is impossible to describe. A moment of hushed awe fell over the gathered crowds before we all celebrated the beauty of the sight. It feels impossible to put into words just how magical and unforgettable that experience was. I believe that none of the students or staff will ever forget that moment.

After the eclipse, we headed back to Houston, ready for the rest of the week to be spent at Houston Space Station – learning all about NASA!

Our students were able to access some incredible tours, seeing such sights as the training centre for the astronauts and the enormous Saturn V rocket!

They were also able to take part in some NASA training activities.  This included scuba-diving in the astronaut training pool and creating thermo and cryogenic shields.  The students threw themselves into every activity with enthusiasm and ambition.

There are so many highlights from the experience, including meeting a real-life astronaut and even completing our own rocket launch (and that’s not even mentioning the amazing food, evening entertainment at bowling alleys and the funfair at the boardwalk)!

Here are a few highlights from students who took part in the trip:

“On our first full day in Texas, we had the once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the incredible solar eclipse. During the few minutes where the sun was fully covered by the moon, there was a significant difference in light intensity and the whole area darkened considerably. It also felt considerably cooler. The sight of the event was truly breath-taking, and I know that it is one I will never forget. I feel so lucky that we got to see such a rare event.  It was definitely the highlight of my trip and a forever lasting memory.” 

Hattie C (Y10)

“Our time in NASA was really fun. We got to learn about new things. We got to see things such as tour around the Mission Control Centre, the Falcon 9 Tour, the tram tours around the building, and the Independence Plaza tour (such as the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility and the Rocket Park). It was really cool! We also had a Q&A session with a NASA Engineer.

We learnt how to make rockets and even launched them.  We also took part in a VEX robotics and coding competition, a thermal tile and cryogenics challenge, a mars habitat challenge plus many more.

My personal favourite was the food in NASA. Who doesn’t love some good food? It was delicious! We had chicken tenders with chips, pizza and other options. For a dessert, there was ice-cream (my favourite was the cookie dough one), chocolate bars, and sour patch kids.”

Sahasra V (Y8)

“On Friday 12th April 2024 the NASA crew all went to Kemah Boardwalk and had a great time. Firstly, we went to Bubba Gump for our evening meal. Two waitresses did a quiz for us all and people were winning prizes. Once all our food arrived, we tucked in. I had BBQ ribs and chicken. It was so yummy. Once all our food was eaten and our plates were cleared, it was time for the fun part of the night. As we all boarded the coach, we were all getting more and more excited to go and have fun. Once we arrived, we were told to go around in groups so I went around with Miss Starkie and Mrs Byard. The first ride we went on was called ‘The Pirate Ship’. As we were queuing up for the ride, we saw people get on. It looked like so much fun and it was! As we got near to the front, I was getting more and more excited. It was finally our time to get on. As the ride was starting, it tickled my tummy. I was having so much fun. I was screaming because I loved it that much! After that, Mrs Byard and I went on the swings. They were so good that we went on it more than once. I could feel the wind rushing into my face. Our final ride was the Ferris wheel. The views were amazing. After the Ferris wheel, we were all fun- faired out so we got back on the coach. I then did a speech for Mrs Honeyman and the staff, just to say thank you for taking 34 children to NASA and to Kemah Boardwalk for the night.”

Claudia B (Y10)

Miss Starkie

Parent comments:

“Organisation was fantastic. Lots of information and updates. Teaching staff were outstanding. We felt completely secure sending our daughter.”

“The presentation evening was really helpful to hear from you what activities they did as we hadn’t heard much detail from our daughter on that. Also celebrating each individual for their memorable moments was really special.”

“My comments relate to the teachers who accompanied the pupils. Their input and organisation before, during and after the trip was first class. My daughter requires additional help and they went beyond the call of duty to ensure that she was fully looked after. That gave us, as a family, peace of mind. Our daughter really enjoyed the trip and I feel it was excellent value for money. The NASA evening that reviewed the trip with parents was well organised, thoughtful and very enjoyable. It was obvious to me, as a parent, that all the pupils had a great trip. Cannot speak highly enough of the teachers (esp. Mrs Honeyman). Beyond the call of duty. Thank you very much.”

“We are so grateful that our daughter has had this experience which truly was once in a lifetime. The teachers were amazing from start to finish. We feel very privileged to have been a part of the experience.”

“My daughter really enjoyed the trip! Thank you so much for giving her an amazing experience.”

“My daughter had a wonderful time and has made memories to treasure.”

Mrs Honeyman

Associate Assistant Headteacher

Mr McVey’s Mysterious Maths – Olympic Edition

With the 2024 Olympic Games beginning on 26th July in Paris, I’ve decided to set a medal themed challenge to keep you busy over the summer.

Solutions can be emailed to me at r.mcvey@penworthamgirls.lancs.sch.uk

Correct entries will receive a prized Head’s Breakfast in September!

Given the following clues, can you work out the number of gold, silver and bronze medals that France, Italy and Japan won?

  • Japan has 1 more gold medal, but 3 fewer silver medals, than Italy.
  • France has the most bronze medals (18), but fewest gold medals (7).
  • Each country has at least 6 medals of each type.
  • Italy has 27 medals in total.
  • Italy has 2 more bronze medals than gold medals.
  • The three countries have 38 bronze medals in total.
  • France has twice as many silver medals as Italy has gold medals.

Good luck!

End of Summer Term News

What a year this has been! It has been eventful to say the least! Firstly, we interviewed for a new Headteacher in September 2023, then we said goodbye to Mrs Pomeroy at Christmas. We started the New Year with Mrs Hall at the helm, and then we had Ofsted for the first time in 10 years just before May half term. All major events, but the school maintained its consistent ambitions and standards as always.

I can certainly say, on behalf of the governing body, that we are delighted that the school has maintained the Outstanding Ofsted grade first received in November 2014. It is an incredible achievement as it as certainly become a more exacting standard. That top Ofsted grade, plus the outstanding attainment and progress measures achieved consistently over those years put us at the top of many league tables. We could not have been so successful without a fantastic team of highly skilled and motivated staff, without a very supportive community of parents and carers, and without the hard work and consistent effort by the girls themselves. Well done to all concerned! We are, indeed, very proud of you all.

Of course, we know very well that data and reports are only part of the story. Our values and ethos permeate all areas of school life and help all abilities to succeed in becoming articulate, questioning, tolerant and independent young women. Much of this was in evidence during the GCSE exam period when the Year 11 students showed continued dedication to their studies but also at the valedictory evening, where they shone in all their finery! We wish them great success!

So, at the end of such an eventful year, we must look forward to those that follow. We are proud to have Mrs Hall as our new Headteacher and we also have a new building to look forward to. Governors are confident in the school’s continued success.

On behalf of all governors, I wish you all a safe and restful summer break and look forward to the new school year in September.

Lorimer Russell-Hayes

Chair of Governors

Sports Day

Our annual Sports Day was a huge success on Monday 8th July! The PGHS school community came together to celebrate each other’s talents and efforts and compete for their forms. We had some brilliant performances across Athletics, Boules, Netball, Table Tennis and Rounders. We are still working through the thousands of photographs we received and it’s clear to see our students demonstrated our school values brilliantly throughout the day. We had students stepping in last minute to cover their absent friends and compete in events they didn’t sign up for, students cheering their peers both on and off the courts and track and spirits were high and positive throughout the day.  Thank you to all staff and students who came together to make the day run so smoothly and a huge congratulations to all winners and participants!

Mrs Finnigen

PE Department

Year 7 & 8 Geography Society – Inter-form Orienteering competition

The members of Geography Society did a brilliant job recently in organising and running a Year 7 Inter-From Orienteering Competition. They made the maps, control cards, went out and set out the course and ran the timing and scoring. A massive well done to all involved.

A further well done to the competitors that came along and represented their form groups. It was not the nicest of day, so resilience was needed to keep going! All competitors got a prize, but the overall winners were Alara and Fatima, representing 7G. They received a compass…what else?!

Mr Bowles,

Curriculum Leader for Geography

Year 8 Cartography Challenge

Some students in Year 8 recently had a go at the Santa Rosa Island Mystery Map challenge. They had to apply their geographical skills involving OS maps, scale and distance to produce a map of Santa Rosa Island using a story to help them. The students worked really hard and produced fantastic, accurate maps of the Island. Well done to Milana for producing the closest map to the original! (Miss Greaves)

Mr Bowles, Curriculum Leader for Geography

Year 9 Volcano Models Project

Another bumper year for models with the Humanities corridor rammed full of amazing entries. We had Lego, cardboard, modelling clay, virtual volcanoes and many more interesting mediums. The impression we got when looking at the models this year was the very high Geographical content – lots of key vocabulary and explanations to go with the models. Well done to everyone that submitted a project – we loved them!

Five entries in particular really stood out and as such have been awarded prizes; Vritika S, Celina D-A & Courtney F, Naomi S and Saffiya M – Well done. Prizes will be given out in Awards Assembly.

Mr Bowles, Curriclum Leader for Geography

Year 10 GCSE Geography Fieldwork

Year 10 have been out and about “into the field” a couple of times in quick succession recently. Firstly, the Geographers assembled on Fishergate at 9:20am on Tuesday 25th June, many with Starbucks in hand, ready to test if Preston follows the Burgess Model of Urban Land Use. This involved moving outwards from the city centre to the edge of Preston to perform various test to collect data and try to ascertain if the buildings, traffic and environment quality changed as hypothesised. The cohort showed all the resilience we expected from a group of Geographers and the experience will put them in excellent stead for answering questions on Paper 3 exam next summer; this is always a real strength for Penwortham Girls’, and the attitude and commitment shown by these students on the days suggest next year will be no different.

On Thursday 11th July the same cohort of Geographers took off from school once again, this time to expereince some of the wooded areas in the local area. Although dry the conditions under foot were challenging due to all the recent rain, but once again the resiliance shown was improessive. The Geogrphers also deomonstrated excellent recall of the content on the Deciduous Woodland Ecosystem topic – well done everyone!

Mr Bowles

Curriculum Leader for Geography

Quintet from the National Youth Jazz Orchestra visit PGHS!

On Friday 12th July five members of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra visited Penwortham Girls’ and gave students in Y7 and 8 a real treat. Entertaining them with their fantastic music whilst highlighting the amazing opportunities out there for young people should they wish to take them. Sponsored by the Lancashire Music Hub, the quintet has visited a number of schools across Lancashire encouraging everyone to sing along and recognise the importance of Music. 

The school roof nearly lifted off when everyone joined in with ‘Hit the Road, Jack!’ It was such a fantastic hour of music making and we are really grateful to them for coming along and sharing their expertise with us. 

Mrs A Cattanach

Associate Assistant Headteacher and Curriculum Leader for Music

  • 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