Upton-by-Chester High School

Upton-by-Chester High School

File:Upton-by-Chester High School logo.png
Motto	Learning to Shape the Future
Established	1968
Headteacher	Mrs Dixon
Location	St James Avenue Chester Cheshire CH2 1NN England
Local authority	Cheshire West and Chester
DfE URN	111422 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Students	1700
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	11–18
Houses	Yunus, Wood, Mendes, Suu Kyi, Maathai
Website	http://www.upton-by-chester.cheshire.sch.uk

Upton-by-Chester High School is a coeducational state high school located in the United Kingdom. It is situated on St James's Avenue in Upton. The current headteacher is Mrs Dixon. Its specialism is humanities and it has partner schools across the world.

Houses

The school has five houses, or Halls as they are known within the school. They have two forms from each year and take part in competitions within their hall or with the entire year or school and are awarded hall points for success. There is an annual sports day held towards the end of the Summer Term, where the houses take part in athletics events and are identified by a coloured sash. Previous examples of hall competitions are the Litre of Light campaign, where forms were required to fill as many two litre bottles as they could with change raised from cake sales and fundraising evenings.

The Halls are named after five people:

• Muhammad Yunus (red)
• John Wood (yellow)
• Chico Mendes (green)
• Aung San Suu Kyi (blue)
• Wangari Maathai (purple)

Each house has a mural situated around the site.

Site and facilities

The school is situated on St James Avenue in a residential area near the countryside. The school built a new library area and renovated the school lunch hall. There are plans to develop a new multi-sports area and a science trail.

The site has six blocks: A Block, B Block, C Block, D Block, E Block and T Block.

Students

There are currently approximately 1,700 students on roll, with a maximum of 280 students in each year. There are ten forms in each year who are split into two sides of the year: X Side and Y Side. In the final year, students are given the chance to become Prefects, Head Boy or Head Girl of their hall. The candidates make speeches and are elected by their hall.

Curriculum

The school offers a curriculum broadly in line with that offered by most schools in England. Languages including French, Spanish, German and Mandarin Chinese are included in the curriculum.

If offers English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, History, Religious Studies, I.T, D.T, Cooking, Textiles, French, Spanish, German, Mandarin Chinese, Art, Music and P.E through years 7-9.

Offered through GCSE are English, Maths, Further Science, Additional Science, Dual Award, BTEC Science, Geography, History, Philosophy and Ethics, Information and Communication Technology, Computer Science, Media Studies - Dual Award, Media Studies - Single Award, Textiles, Product design, Graphics, Electronics, Art and Design, Music, P.E, Business Studies, Photography, Dance, Drama, Environmental Science, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Children Play Learning and Development and Health and Social Care.

Partner schools

The school has developed an international ethos within its curriculum and was rewarded in August 2009 with the DCSF International Award. Activities included work with the Connecting Classrooms Project in the Yemen, the UKIERI project with India, immersion courses to China and Egypt, support of the Chernobyl Children lifeline and a school in Gambia, an exchange with Collège des Champs Plaisants in France and 6th form debating in the European Youth Parliament.

Notable former pupils

• Tom Hughes (actor)
• Tom Heaton, goalkeeper at Burnley F.C.
• Stuart Tomlinson aka Hugo Knox

External links

• The school official website