Laura Bates and Clarke Carlisle - EDI Conference

More than 100 CST pupils gathered at The University of Chester Queen's Park Campus in September to explore topics surrounding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

The group heard from Everyday Sexism activist Laura Bates and former Premier League footballer and mental health campaigner Clarke Carlisle.

 

 


Podcast Masterclass

Through our partnership with Storyhouse, more than 20 CST pupils were give the opportunity to take part in a two-day Podcast Masterclass which saw the pupils produce a podcast with the history and culture of the City of Chester at its heart. Students delved into well-known locations, such as the Cathedral and Roman Amphitheatre, in preparation for recording the story of their city.

After an initial focus group session in each school, students came together for two recording days around the city, where they took on the role of a Presenter or a Historian.

You can hear highlights from the podcast here: Chester Schools Together Podcast Project | Storyhouse


Creative Careers Day

CST students took part in The Storyhouse Experience: Careers and focussed on what it takes to plan and deliver an event.
As part of the experience, the young people visited the Storyhouse building and embarked on a backstage tour whilst having the task that was to follow in the back of their minds.
The students were tasked with proposing a launch event centred around Storyhouse's upcoming production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz at The Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre. They met members of staff from various departments across Storyhouse, including finance, HR and Front of House, with a view to tapping into their expertise before arranging all the logistics surrounding the event, including elements such as:

o Health and safety
o Budgeting
o Commissioning artists/freelance staff
o Marketing the event
o Catering the event

After drafting their plan and working with peers from a different school to their own, the day culminated with the young people pitching their ideas to a panel of experts, who offered feedback and shared ideas for potential improvement.


Trip to University of Oxford Campus

A group of 60 Sixth Form students from CST schools took part in a trip to The University of Oxford to discover more about its colleges and admissions process, to help them to make an informed decision about applying.

Throughout the day, students were shown around the University, met with an admissions tutor, took part in a Q&A with current students and were given the opportunity for academic taster sessions. There also had free time to look around any other colleges and departments in which they might be interested in applying.

 

 


Northern Chamber Orchestra Masterclass

Talented musicians from Blacon and King's had the incredible opportunity to take part in a Masterclass with members of the Northern Chamber Orchestra at Storyhouse on January 15.

The composition and performance workshop took place in the studio space at the city centre theatre, and was part of a new collaboration for 2024 between Chester Schools Together and Storyhouse which will see partnership schools take part in a diverse range of creative events and projects.

The students, who play a mixture of brass and wind instruments, warmed up with some fun games based on percussion and rhythm, before hearing from members of the orchestra and playing alongside them in smaller ensembles.

The group then reconvened and had the opportunity to perform for each other.

 

 


Students make a splash with lifeguard qualification

Ten students from partnership schools came together at Cambrian Aquatics to complete their Royal Life Saving Society, National Pool Lifeguard Qualification, over the October half-term.

Students from Bishop’s Blue Coat C of E High School, Catholic High School Chester, Queens Park High School and Upton High School successfully completed the six day, physically demanding course which included swimming to set times, lifting casualties and diving to the deepest part of the pool.

Students then worked in groups to demonstrate pool rescue techniques, first aid and CPR skills, along with completing a lifeguard theory test paper, in order to pass the course and gain their qualification.


His Grace meets CST pupils and headteachers

His Grace The Duke of Westminster DL met pupils and headteachers from the Chester School Together partnership, which is a unique Independent State School Partnership (ISSP) between King’s, Bishops’ Blue Coat School and Blacon High School, Catholic High School Chester and Upton High School.

Originally established in 2018 with two partnership schools, the partnership identifies areas of mutual need or challenge across all five schools and creates a programme of events, projects and initiatives to improve outcomes and broaden the cultural and education horizons of pupils and staff.

The partnership receives generous funding from The Westminster Foundation and The Duke was delighted to speak to pupils who had directly benefitted from recent Chester School Together events.

Members are passionate about removing barriers to an enriched educational experience through an ambitious 5-year-development plan, which will eventually see all state secondary schools in Chester joining Chester Schools Together.

The partnership was delighted to be awarded the title of Highly Commended at The Independent School of the Year Awards for Outstanding Educational Partnerships in recognition of our innovative programme.


Black History Month Talk - Dr Charlie Easmon

As part of Black History Month, we welcomed Dr Charlie Easmon to King’s to lead an assembly about the History of Prejudice.

Dr Easmon is a healthcare professional who developed his thought-provoking talk on prejudice in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. The talk aims to give pupils an opportunity to reflect, think and question their beliefs on the topic and arising issues.

After the engaging assembly, Dr Easmon met with invited students from a number of partnership schools for a Q&A session. Students from King’s, Christleton High School, Catholic High and Upton High School spent an hour discussing what they had heard in the assembly, asking challenging questions and considering the points that Dr Easmon had made.


Chester Schools Together Rowing Programme

Launching our Chester Schools Together Rowing Programme definitely qualifies as a highlight of our partnership project so far.

Ten Year 8 pupils from each of our state school partners will enjoy weekly training sessions at King's Boat House throughout the academic year, with the ambition of building a Chester Schools Together Rowing Squad alongside King's pupils.

 


ADHD Parent and Staff Conference

This day long conference involved speakers from the local Cheshire West and Chester Neurodevelopmental team, the ADHD Foundation and Dr Ravi Jayaram who co-presented Channel 4’s series Born Naughty?

The guest speakers provided evidence-based information on a range of issues which impact the lives of learners with ADHD – both positive and negative; as well as practical tips for supporting children with ADHD at school and home. There was an opportunity for interactive discussions and Q&A sessions with the experts.