The event recognised students who have successfully completed the Frank Field Education Trust Gold Award Programme, which encourages young people to demonstrate dedication, resilience, leadership and personal development while embodying the Trust’s core values.

The ceremony opened with a special acapella performance by Humaira from Birches Head Academy, followed by a welcome from Miss F. Power, Director of Standards. Guests also heard from Director of Education, Ms K. Dixon, who praised the commitment and determination shown by pupils throughout their award journeys.

Students from across the Trust showcased their talents throughout the celebration. Highlights included an extract from High School Musical performed by Birches Head Academy, the Addams Family performance by students from Ellesmere Port Church of England College, and a moving rendition of This Is Me from The Greatest Showman, featuring pupils from Birches Head Academy, Ellesmere Port Church of England College and Handforth Grange Primary School.

The centrepiece of the afternoon was the Gold Award Presentation Ceremony, where pupils were recognised across a range of award levels, including Skill Builders, Explorers, Foundation, Intermediate, Master and Graduate Awards. Family members, teachers and Trust leaders joined together to applaud the remarkable achievements of the award winners.

The Frank Field Education Trust Gold Award represents the highest level of achievement within the Trust’s awards programme. It challenges pupils to broaden their experiences, develop valuable life skills and demonstrate the LORIC characteristics that support future success and a choice-filled life.

Speaking at the event, Trust leaders congratulated every award winner on their hard work, perseverance and commitment, expressing pride in all they have accomplished and confidence in their future success.

The ceremony concluded with a celebration of the Trust’s shared values of humility, compassion, honesty, integrity, gratitude, courage, respect and justice, leaving pupils and guests inspired by the achievements of the young people recognised throughout the day.

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The presentation was made by the Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire, Lady Alexis Redmond, in recognition of the group’s outstanding contribution to preserving and enhancing the historic station. Often described as the equivalent of an MBE for volunteer groups, it is the highest honour that can be awarded to a local voluntary organisation in the UK.

Volunteers past and present gathered for the occasion, celebrating the dedication and hard work that has helped secure the station’s future for generations to come.

As Chris Hampshire, the former chair of FHRS is also former chair of the FFET board, we had the honour of being asked to send two of our Year 7 pupils to the event. Both pupils have previously supported the Friends of Hadlow Road Station with their annual Santa’s Grotto. They were able to witness this wonderful ceremony and present the Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire with a bunch of flowers on behalf of FHRS.

We are very proud of them and know that the opportunity to play a part in such a prestigious ceremony will be something that will always remain with them.

Well done to all.

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With this in mind, we are making an important change to our mobile phone arrangements; From 1 June 2026, all pupils in every year group will place their smart devices in a secure phone pouch while on the school site. By having a clear, whole‑school approach, we can remove pressure from families and help ensure that no child feels disadvantaged.

The wider evidence of the impact of mobiles phones is clear:

• Problematic smartphone use is strongly linked with increased anxiety and depression in teenagers
• Young people receive hundreds of notifications each day, directly affecting focus and attention.
• Much bullying now happens through digital devices
• Schools that remove smartphones from the day regularly see significant improvements in engagement in their learning

Closer to home, both our neighbouring secondary schools already operate phone‑free systems with great success. 

What this means

A smart device includes any internet‑enabled device, such as smartphones and smartwatches, even those marketed as “restricted” or “locked down.”

To ensure the policy is fair and consistent:

• Staff will check that pouches are securely locked on arrival
• Any pupil found with a smart device outside their pouch will receive a sanction in line with our behaviour policy

Medical exceptions

Some pupils rely on a device for essential medical reasons, such as continuous glucose monitoring or clinically prescribed apps.

For these pupils:

• We have purchased specialist medical pouches, and
• We will work closely with families to ensure no child’s health or safety is compromised.

Staying in touch

If you need to contact your child in an emergency during the day, please call the school office and messages will be passed promptly.

If your child needs to urgently contact you, they can do so via their Learning Coach at appropriate times.

Working together

We warmly encourage you to consider joining the Smartphone‑Free Childhood Parent Pact, a national collective commitment that removes pressure on individual families and helps all children feel supported – https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/sign-the-parent-pact .

Thank you for your continued partnership. Changes like this are most successful when schools and families work together, and we are deeply grateful for your trust and support.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch—we genuinely welcome the conversation.

The post Update to our Mobile Phone Policy appeared first on The Ellesmere Port C of E College.

Welcome to the Examination Timetable page. Here you will find all the information you need about upcoming school examinations, including dates, start times, and important guidance for students.

Exam Schedule

The timetable below shows the dates and times of all scheduled examinations for this assessment period. Students should carefully check their individual subjects and ensure they arrive on time for each exam.

Please note that some subjects may have multiple papers. Make sure you attend all required exam sessions.

Questions or Support

If you have any questions about the exam timetable, please contact the our Examinations Officer or speak to your subject teacher.

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We are excited to inform you that from this week, your child will be using Sparx Maths to complete their weekly maths homework. Sparx provides a highly personalised weekly homework to students, tailored to their attainment level and working speed.

Your child’s homework will be set on Wednesday and due on Wednesday every week.

We know you want to support your child’s maths progress, so we are sending this letter to explain how Sparx works and how you can help your child complete their homework each week.

What is Sparx Maths Homework?

• Sparx provides personalised homework to each child, with questions that are challenging yet achievable, and tailored to their learning needs.
• The majority of each week’s homework will be based on recently learnt topics, but it will also include some questions from previous topics to help reinforce their learning.
• Students access their homework on their online Sparx account, where they’ll get immediate feedback for each question about whether their answer was correct or they need to have another try.
• While homework is accessed online, it is predominantly a written homework and students should record their work in their workbooks. Sparx has a “bookwork checks” system to help students form this habit.
• Every question in Sparx has a support video attached to that your child can get help independently.

How can you help your child with their homework?

• Provide a quiet space for your child to focus on their homework each week.
• Encourage them to start their homework early so they can get help from their teacher before the deadline if they get stuck. To ensure no gaps form in your child’s maths knowledge, homework is not marked as complete until all of the compulsory questions have been answered correctly.
• Check the weekly email you’ll get from Sparx and praise your child for starting or completing their homework. Encourage them to finish it before the deadline if they haven’t already done so.

We hope you agree that Sparx will play an exciting and important role in growing your child’s understanding, success and confidence in maths.

If you have any questions, please contact your child’s maths teacher or myself at the college.

• Parent log in Guide (PDF)
• SPARX Maths – Introduction for Parents (PDF)

Kind regards,

S McAveety

Lead Practitioner for Mathematics

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Our students were invited to take part in the event, where the Prime Minister answered questions on the landmark Hillsborough Law, which the government laid before Parliament in September.

During the meeting, pupils had the opportunity to ask questions and engage in meaningful conversation with the Prime Minister on a range of important topics, including their local community, student finance, and education.

This experience offered a powerful insight into democracy and leadership for students — and gave our young people the confidence to voice their views on issues that matter to them.

“It was an honour to meet the Prime Minister and be able to discuss topics important to us and our community,” said one of the pupils. “We learned so much about how government decisions affect our lives and local communities.”

Our pupils were truly honoured to be invited, and the visit will no doubt inspire them to continue engaging with national and local issues. A truly memorable and inspiring experience for all involved!

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