There was a serious safeguarding incident involving one of our students on Old Lane, Rainford village late in the afternoon on Tuesday 21st May.

On three separate occasions the pupil was approached by different people, both male and female, trying to entice the pupil into their vehicles in order to abduct the young person. The three vehicles involved were a white van, a small Audi and a blue car.

This letter is to ask for your vigilance in this matter and to support the school in keeping our young people safe. There will be an increased police presence in Rainford village and increased staff presence at the end of the day outside the school.

Can I ask that we tell all students that should they find themselves in this situation they should obviously refuse any lifts from people they do not know and if possible, to take a note of the registration of the car/van. If students feel threatened they should make as much noise as possible and try to return to school or to a safe public place such as a shop. The incident should be reported to the police and to the school.

Thank you for your support in this matter.

Yours faithfully

Ian Young
Principal

In 2010 Rainford College THE SIXTH FORM, delivered a project at the Hope Academy High School in Kumasi, Ghana.

Our students completely painted the school buildings inside and out, turning a dark miserable building into a bright and pleasant school building. The transformation was incredible and was really appreciated by the Ghanaian staff and students. Our students had an amazing time and created many memories that will last a life time.

We made many friends and promised to try and help out with future projects aiming to improve their learning environment. The project was a great success, but the classrooms are still without any electrical supply or practical equipment whatsoever, Science and ICT are taught purely on a chalk board. Hope Academy are currently building a science and computing room and for Project 2013, we have promised to help them by funding the fitting of an electrical power supply and equipping the room by recycling our old computers and science equipment. We want to set up educational links between our school and Hope Academy and if we can get them online, it will provide exciting opportunities for the Rainford and Ghanaian students to work together on projects in many subjects. In recognition of the help from Rainford College students, the new facility in Ghana will be named the Rainford Science and Computing Lab.

The team this year are, Holly, Emma, Emma, Sophie, Fergus, Michael, Danny, Libby, Nia, Ben, Luke, Hazel Duffy, Sarah Byrne and David Eccles.

Fundraising at Tescos

Many thanks to Tesco St.Helens for supporting our project and hosting our charity bag pack on Sunday 10th February. We were made very welcome by your friendly staff and they helped us raise an incredible £1019. Also, a big thank you to the generous Tesco shoppers.

The Festival is set to take place at Rainford High Technology College on Saturday, July 13 from 11am to 5pm and will be a celebration of everything the area has to offer.

Following the completion of the impressive school re-build programme, the team behind the Festival are working closely with the School, Parish Council and local businesses to make the inaugural event a regular feature of the summer calendar.

The Festival promises a host of fun for the whole family to enjoy, including music, live performances, craft workshops, sporting activities, a fairground and much more.

Rainford High Principal Ian Young commented:

“The whole school is very excited about the festival and the response we have had from people in the area has been quite overwhelming”

“It is a great way of marking the start of a new era at Rainford High and we hope it will become an annual event.”

A wide variety of stalls and pitches are available, some with marquee cover and a limited number do have electricity.

To book your stall or simply get involved please contact the festival team on 01744 885914 or email info@rainford.org.uk

While Chris was at Rainford he was dedicated student, leaving for university in 2009. He was well liked by all of the staff who taught him, I’ll never forget the huge smile he always wore and how he used to make Mrs Hibberd laugh. Chris was involved in the former Memorial Garden while at school. He played a key role in running an Environmental Club with Key Stage 3 students. This involved making students more aware of the need to recycle, composting as well as planting. With the help of Mrs Hesketh from Food Technology, around 20 students were involved and they were also taught how to cook what they had grown.

Chris always enjoyed Geography at Rainford and decided to continue studying Geography at University, in part, because of the fieldtrips and work he had completed outside of the classroom.

Chris partially chose Bangor because of visiting Cwm Idwal on a glaciation fieldtrip in Year 10 and later assisting when at College. He realised early on that there was much more out there to explore. His experience of fieldwork inspired him to push for more fieldwork at university. He successfully secured funding for an additional coastal fieldtrip to Anglesey which proved to be essential for his first year exams and benefited many other students. Chris acknowledges that the work completed at A-level, particularly the peer-assessed presentations in Geography, have really benefited him at University.

While an undergraduate, he was the chairperson of the Geographical Society which resulted in it winning the Society of the Year for the first time in the history of the university. This has now taken the society onto the NUS National Awards which take place in March 2013.

Chris, like many other graduates, is now looking ahead to full time employment. To aid him on his future career in Environmental Management, he is currently studying a Masters Degree in the subject. His Masters course is actually funded by the E.U. and is in partnership with both Dublin University and Bangor University. It forms part of the G.I.F.T project (Green Innovative Future Technologies).

The Geography Department wishes Chris every success for the future.

Well done again Chris!

Mr Halewood Head of Geography

Further links:
Bangor University: www.bangor.ac.uk/
Dublin University: www.ucd.ie/
G.I.F.T. Project: www.bangor.ac.uk/business/gift.php.en

One hundred and sixty three teenagers at Rainford High Sixth Form College did a circuit of the village to raise cash for Comic Relief.

Some of the students donned fancy dress or wore onesies for the run, which went down Old Lane, over the Linear Park out at Junction Road, on to Ormskirk Road then back up Old Lane to College.

Daniel Martin, in Year 13, decided to dress up and dance his way around the route and raised over £150. Other students opted to make their way around the circuit in other ways; some even did the conga whilst others chose to bring their dogs with them! The event was won by Year 12 student Connor Sheen, who completed the run in an impressive time.

Year 13 Tutor and Business Studies teacher Michelle O’Haire said: “The Rainford Run was an opportunity for all the College students to take part in something together and raise a lot of money through sponsorship for such a worthy cause – Comic Relief. It was great fun!”

Well done to Rainford Sixth Form College, who have managed to raise £1160 so far; thanks to their students’ participation in the run and other fundraising events.

The Rainford Run was one of a series of events held at the Higher Lane school to raise cash for Comic Relief. Students also held an own-clothes day on Friday while Year 7s were encouraged to wear onesies or pyjamas for extra sponsorship. Cake sales, raffles and sponsored silences were also held. Rainford School raised an impressive £1469.49 with money still coming in. Thanks to everyone who took part and did their bit!

Principal Ian Young said “It is fantastic to see young people being so proactive in raising funds for charity. The personal commitment of many of the young people to make a difference during this fund raising event has been very impressive and reflects the ethos we are building in the school that Everyone Matters and Everyone Helps. Comic Relief gave the school an opportunity to put this ethos into action in a very tangible way”

Photography by Will Wharton (Year 12)

• View more Rainford Run photos…
• View more Red Nose Day photos…

After studying textiles to GCSE and A-Level here at Rainford, Carly went to Westminster University to study fashion. Then she was approached to study for her Masters degree at the prestigious Parsons in New York. The course finished with a runway show last September at New York Fashion week, there Donna Karan, who sponsored the Masters course, said to Carly’s tutor “I must have her for DKNY”.

Carly began as an Associate Outerwear designer for DKNY last October and within 2 weeks was promoted to Designer. Her first runway show for DKNY was 10th Feb 2013, and she designed all the suits, coats outerwear and leisurewear. The show has already received critical acclaim, trending on twitter.

The show began with one of Carly’s looks being modelled by Cara Delevingne. Elle magazine said ‘Cara Delevingne came onto the catwalk in a camel coat. This wasn’t your classic, menswear-inspired, neat-lapelled version. Instead, it was BIG, with outsized attitude and black and white tonal blocking.’ Donna Karan gave Carly a congratulatory hug and told her she was so so proud and she had done a good thing with her life. (Possibly referring to sponsorship of the masters course).

Carly has said that when she is back in the country then she will try to visit the school and cannot wait to see the new facilities.

Carly has recently been interviewed by MTV to discuss how teenagers can persue their dreams.

Donna Karan wearing a coat designed by Carly

The run will leave the College, go through the Linear Park, come out at  Junction Road, on to Ormskirk Road then on to Old Lane and back on to Higher Lane then return to College.

If anyone is available and would like to help or actually run/walk to raise some money that would be great!

If you live or are in the village please come and support us!

Contact: Michelle O’Haire (ohr@rainford.org.uk) for a sponsorship form or additional information.

The league tables reflect the hard work and dedication of staff and students and although the school results were effected in a different way to others in the local area by the changes to grade boundaries the league tables only reflect part of the story of a school. They do not capture the young people’s achievement around sport, drama and other extra-curricular experiences that make for a full and rounded education.

As Principal I have been delighted by the progress that has been made this year with the efforts of the students and staff under challenging conditions until the new school is fully open in the summer. I am certain that the new environment alongside the commitment skill and talent of the staff and students at Rainford will ensure the best is yet to come and we look forward on developing to become an outstanding school.

Ian Young
Principal

 
Danny Harrison, 22, contacted Rainford High Technology College asking if its current students would help him raise money for the Anthony Nolan Trust.

After Danny came to the college to do a talk about the charity, students organised a range of events such as wearing “onesies”, raising £795.79.

Danny, who is now in his final year studying medicine at Sheffield University, said: “I knew students at Rainford would be happy to help but I was blown away by how much money they raised.”

Sixth Form Director Danny Hubball added: “We were more than happy to help one of our popular and successful students raise money for this wonderful charity.”

Danny, who achieved 5 A Grades at A-Level in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics, will be returning to Rainford in March to do some valuable work with Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students who are interested in studying medicine.

Danny Harrison receiving the cheque for £795.79 from Principal Ian Young

The festival, which will be hosted on the school site, will feature traditional fairground attractions, an artisan market, local food court and school ‘Summer Pops’ type performances. It promises to be a real highlight of the Rainford summer calendar!

Working closely with Rainford Parish Council, the event is designed to showcase Rainford’s new state-of-the-art facilities and talented students, as well as forming a major celebration for the whole village. It will be centred around a ‘Summer Pops’ type theme with a large stage and performance area. Talented students along with groups from local primaries and surprise guests will perform throughout the day.

The stunning new school buildings are spacious, bright and flexible and promise to become a real hub for the local community and beyond. The impressive new build is supported by a wealth of cutting edge technology and equipment all helping to create a world class learning environment for students now and in years to come.

Students have said “I think the new building is amazing”, “It’s good because it’s clean and bright” and “It’s loads better to work in”

The building project began in December 2010 and will be fully complete in July 2013.

Principal Mr Ian Young said “We are very excited about this event, which will reflect the school ethos of Everyone Matters, Everyone Helps and Everyone Succeeds by showcasing the talent the school and community has to offer”

Council chairman Rupert Nichols said “I am very excited by the plans for the Summer Festival. It’s a great idea and Rainford Parish Council will do everything it can to support the project”