Summer School was a hugely successful week, running from Monday 19th of August to Friday 23rd of August. The 30-hour programme was supported by twenty staff and sixteen (current) pupils, and over one hundred new year 7s, who signed up for what was a very enjoyable week.
Pupils joined a carousel of five lessons, followed by a presentation assembly prior to the end of the day where we celebrated all of our pupils' efforts and contributions. Pupils were awarded ‘Star of the Day’ and ‘Reader of the Day’ if they were nominated for the prize. Pupils also took time out at lunch to do ‘walk and talk’ making sure that we walked the 300 steps loop around the tennis courts as many times as we could. There were only two requirements: pupils were not to run and or cut corners. Suffice to say, everyone seemed to follow the rules. There was a lot going on, including lessons in maths, English, science, geography, history, RE, PE, drama and art. In addition, all pupils had the chance to read on a one-to-one basis with reading staff so that they could improve their confidence and enjoy the different challenges across a number of reading genres.
We also heard from lots of special visitors. On Monday, the charity Compass Bloom came along to help with lessons in self-confidence and resilience building when joining a new school. On Tuesday, staff members from Leyland library delivered an informative talk on the local library’s services and why it’s good to go along and get involved in all it has to offer. We also had a visit from the Blackpool author, Nathan Parker, on the Friday. Nathan gave some excellent advice on how reading and writing helps pupils to become successful writers and learners. Nathan stayed over break to chat with pupils and oblige autograph seekers, commenting on his visit as ‘a wonderful morning.’ A past pupil, Holly T, volunteered her help this year, and it was great that she could deliver such a motivating speech about how her years at Worden helped and inspired her to take up a law career as a solicitor.