ENJOY AND ACHIEVE
A vast amount of our Centres’ activities fall within this
category. We passionately believe that learning should always be
enjoyable and engaging and if young people enjoy learning, have
good relationships with their teachers and peers, experience
variation in their learning and have fulfilling leisure time,
they are far more likely to engage with education, and achieve
their full potential.
We believe that every child has gifts and talents just waiting
to be developed. It is our responsibility to ensure all of our
young people have access to positive, engaging learning
experiences which allow them to unlock their talents, and shine.
Ultimately, young people who embrace and enjoy learning,
achieve.
This in turn, allows them to get the most out of life and
develop key skills for adulthood.
Teen Idol
Our most famous export – for five amazing years the Teen Idol
event has produced some extraordinarily talented young people
and put the City Learning Centres on the map for performance
based learning.
Year on year, we have been privileged to uncover some previously
unknown talents and even launch the careers of young people
destined for a life in music or on the stage.
The 2008 Grand Final once again saw us take over the
Philharmonic Hall, when fourteen super talented young people
sang their hearts out for their friends, families and of course,
our judges.
The finalists had been whittled down from over 130 entrants over
a series of heats, and represented some of the most talented
young people in the South of the City.
The packed house were wowed with spellbinding renditions of ‘The
End of the Road’ and Long Time Gone’, while compere Simon
O’Brien kept proceedings moving along ably assisted by his
glamorous co-host Kaitlin Moran
Along with celebrating vocal talents, the evening also
introduced 20 students into the world of theatre management,
offering training in a variety of skills including lighting,
sound and stewarding.
The production of the whole event was second to none, and the
talent on show was simply amazing.
As ever, there had to be a winner and this year it was Danielle
Mutch of St Julie’s High School who walked away with the Teen
Idol crown.
Teen Idol epitomises all of the principles of Enjoy and Achieve.
Many of our young stars have gone on to pursue careers in
performance related fields, and we can now boast an X-Factor
finalist and Performing Arts teacher amongst our ranks.
More than anything, Teen Idol has allowed thousands of young
people to ‘get involved’, either by sharing their talents,
supporting friends or assisting with the delivery of the events.
The events have delivered an abundance of enjoyment to a wide
and diverse audience and encouraged achievement at a variety of
levels and across a variety of fields.
Head Above the Rest
One of our most high profile events, Head Above The Rest
promotes awareness of the fabulous careers available within the
creative industries and is a collaboration between the South
Liverpool CLC’s and a host of industry partners including; The
Sunflower Centre, Mode Training, Training Plus, Tony Lloyd and
Sophie Hardisty Costumes.
Held over two days the event is focussed around a glamorous
catwalk presentation and aims to develop skills across a variety
of hair, beauty, fashion and performance related disciplines.
Students are judged on their individual interpretations of the
event theme and are marked for their abilities in hair, make-up,
design, costume and modelling.
This year our eight teams of Year 10 students were definitely
shaken and stirred as they embraced the James Bond theme. Taking
inspiration from the famous films, the teams created some
outstanding looks, and the standard was higher than ever.
Amazing hair designs were combined with some show stopping
costumes and dazzling make-up, providing a style extravaganza
that wowed judges and the audience alike.
The glittering red carpet reception, complete with canapés, and
oozing style was worthy of Mr Bond himself, and the students
loved it!
And we are not stopping there…
As the event continues to go from strength to strength, more are
planned. Over the years, the project has helped produce a new
generation of passionate and talented young people who are
hungry for careers within the creative industries. We intend to
keep on inspiring new students and continuing our quest to help
our young people enjoy, achieve and become worthwhile citizens.
And the winners are…..
• Best Hair Gateacre Community Comprehensive
• Best Theatrical Make-Up Gateacre Community Comprehensive
• Best Costume Design St Fancis Xavier College
• Best Dramatic Interpretation St Benedict’s Business &
Enterprise
College
• Best Model St Benedict’s Business and Enterprise College
• Overall Showcase Champion Gateacre Community Comprehensive
Battle of the Bands
Continuing our theme of showcasing young talent and encouraging
young people to express themselves, our Battle of the Bands
project brought together 15 student bands from across or partner
schools.
We wanted the competition to be very credible, as well as a
potential ‘hot house’ for those wishing to pursue a career in
the music business.
Held over two days, the festival involved our bands performing a
series of popular classics as well as their own creations, to a
discerning audience of friends, family and music industry
heavyweights. The band members were also given access to
additional coaching and advice on the different routes / careers
within the music industry.
Over the two nights, bands from Parklands, Gateacre, St Julie’s,
Broadgreen, Calderstones Childwall and St Francis Xavier
performed to delighted crowds, with some of the bands never
having performed in public before. Audience members commented on
the ‘electrifying’ performances and the music industry experts
were simply blown away by the standard of talent on display.
The icing on the cake came in the form of four staff bands who
took the stage and brought the audience to its feet with some
classic rock and pop and plenty of enthusiasm.
The whole event was a triumph in team work and also saw staff
and student relationships flourish, with each finding a new
found respect for their musical contemporaries. Rock on guys!
Children’s University
The Children’s University is a national organisation set up to
champion and encourage 7 – 14 year olds to embrace
‘out-of-hours’ learning. The initiative is underpinned by a
Bronze, Silver and Gold awards scheme which recognises their
commitment to out of school learning in terms of both time and
achievement.
Children can take part in a wide variety of innovative learning
activities and experiences outside of normal school hours. Our
programme of activities centred around the ASDAN programme,
allowing children to learn a variety of new life skills, with
many of our students going on to achieve the equivalent of GCSE
level.
The programme is also an excellent way of encouraging young
people to think about further education and get a taste for what
it can offer.
Our young students were treated to a full on Graduation ceremony
at St Georges Hall where they were presented with either a
Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum award for their dedication to
out of school learning.
The spectacular event was attended by over 250 guests and
presided over by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool himself. Well done
to everyone who took part.
Lets Dance
Dance can be a wonderful way to improve both physical and
psychological fitness, build confidence and increase engagement
amongst young people..
Our famous Lets Dance event provides students with an
opportunity to develop new skills and express themselves through
the art of dance.
This year the event proved more popular than ever, with new
entrants including Holly Lodge and Parklands schools. And the
schools put in some spell-binding performances. From St
Benedict’s College’s beautifully choreographed contemporary
piece, to the high energy routines from St Julies and Halewood,
the two night event thrilled and entertained on every level.
Set to continue, we look forward to even more challenging
routines and talented choreography to come.
On Air – Radio Station Days.
We are lucky enough to have some amazing radio related
technology within our facilities. From our leading edge, in
house radio station at Parklands, to our mobile station
equipment, we boast some of the best state-of-the-art kit
available.
A number of schools have hosted their own radio station days –
utilising the medium to showcase a variety of different topics
and produce their own informative shows and bulletins.
A great example of this activity being woven into curriculum
areas was the Parklands Year 9 History project earlier this
year.
The group, who were studying World War 1, decided to create a
radio broadcast all about key events, which made an impact on
the course of the war. The students split into groups and
researched individual events and stories using a variety of
sources, to help script and deliver their own 15 minute radio
shows. Using interview techniques, eyewitness events and
historical records from the time, the teams produced some
compelling programming worthy of leading journalists.
Not only did the teams develop important research and reporting
skills, which are key when studying History, they also learnt
how to use the equipment and develop their technical skills.
A recent extension of this concept has seen 3 primary schools
spending the day at Parklands to create a series of stunning
radio shows. Some of these are available as podcasts on an
external site.
IPod English
Most of us hate revision, so finding new ways of embracing
traditional revision techniques is a key part of improving
attainment amongst our young people.
Today, young people consume information in a very different way
than in the past. Hand held devices, mobile phone and computer
technology has developed to such a level, that these have almost
replaced traditional reading matter.
It is this fact that encourages us to develop a new way of
passing on revision information to our students.
The IPod English pilot scheme has been a huge success. Working
with colleagues from Shorefield’s English Department, we
recorded their Year 11 student’s individual study programmes as
podcasts. The downloads could then be accessed at anytime
through either computer or hand held technology.
The scheme has attracted national attention and is set to be
rolled out later this year.
Anim8
All children love animation. From Scooby Doo to Wallace and
Gromit, animated film is both fun and accessible.
Our Anim8 project has been developed to introduce Primary school
children to some of the technologies available at ‘big’ school,
and also ease the transition for both them and their families
into their new schools.
Utilising the state-of-the-art animation facilities at
Shorefields CLC, Year 5 students from a variety of different
schools took part in workshops which helped them develop their
own short animated films.
The students then ‘premiered’ their efforts at a special live
screening , when parents, carers and members of the local
community were invited in to view the films.
Watch out Mr Speilberg!
Easter and Christmas Fun
Glitzty T-Shirts, gorgeous eggs and cute cards. Every year our
local Year 5 students are treated to fun arts and crafts days at
the Shorefields CLC. Along with traditional techniques, our
primary school children are given the opportunity to develop new
skills by sampling some of the technology on offer.
Fun, and filled with creativity, the days allow our young people
to celebrate the traditions of the two holidays whilst learning
new skills in a new environment.
Chromakey Technology Days
Our Chromakey activities have to represent some of the most
exciting and rewarding projects we host.
Utilising the same type of technology as used by weather
forecasters, our students are given the opportunity to create
bespoke films to fit around key subject areas.
Using research techniques, they look at the most suitable images
and representations of their subjects, and manipulate the
Chromakey backgrounds accordingly to produce historically
accurate visuals for a variety of subject areas.
Shorefields Step Programme
STEP - Shorefields Transition Education Project. This unique
project is aimed at Year 5 and 6 students, offering them a
unique transitional learning experience to take them smoothly
from Primary to Secondary.
STEP offers a variety of packages , allowing Primary classes to
take advantage of a new classroom facility and associated
support. Primary colleagues can match current curriculum
projects to the enhanced facilities available at Shorefileds,
essentially ‘backing-up’ their current classroom activities, or
choose a whole new bespoke project for their students if
applicable.
Video Conferencing
With state-of-the-art video conferencing facilities available at
both of our sites, there is a range of exciting opportunities
for both students and staff to encourage and embrace new
learning methods.
Primary and secondary schools have taken advantage of video
conferencing sessions providing access to high profile
organisations such as NASA. They have also utilised the
facilities for history projects where they have been able to
virtually ‘meet’ and interview real figureheads from the past,
such as Queen Victoria’s lady in waiting, Suffragettes and World
War Two sailors.
These experiences truly brought history to life for the
students, giving them a renewed passion and respect for their
subjects.
Another effective use has been the linking of schools with
international counterparts. The links, between active members of
school councils, have helped promote social inclusion and given
our young councillors an international perspective on their
approach.
The Broadgreen Media / Online Resource
Centre
Developed as part of the National Challenge programme, this
cutting edge project has seen the introduction of a radio booth
and news desk facility within the Media Department at Broadgreen
International School. All Year 7 Students participated in a
residential to familiarise themselves with the new resources and
their potential uses..
Alternative technologies are now being investigated as part of
the development of this projects, including Wii boards, PDA and
GPS technology as well as the Nintendo DS’s capabilities as a
personalised learning device.
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