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Primary School links with technology
 Over the last three months, Calder High School has facilitated transition events where technology staff visit students and teachers from feeder primary schools. Mr Penson, Technology teacher, laid out Calder’s ambitions as being "to foster stronger working relations between the school and local primary schools." He also added that Calder High is eager "to meet many of the Year 6 pupils who will be coming to the school next year, hopefully making the transition between primary and secondary school less traumatic."
The Year 6 students were introduced to a variety of equipment and given the opportunity to develop skills needed for work in Resistant Materials. One pupil from Scout Road Primary School said: "The wooden dice looked great when we’d finished. Making them was quite challenging, but really rewarding because I got to take mine home to show my parents".
Cragg Vale Primary School’s Head, Mrs Lobley, said: "The children thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon" and Headteacher at Hebden Royd Primary School, Mrs Young, said: "The children had a great time, really got something from the experience and were still talking about it on their way home".
Calder High School will be maintaining these strong Primary School links and looks forward to welcoming many of the current Year 6 pupils into Calder High in September.
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Young engineers build on success
 The local Rotary Clubs of Hebden Bridge, Halifax, Brighouse and Sowerby Bridge run an annual ‘Technology Competition’ to showcase the engineering and technology talent of young engineers from across the local region, this competition includes all schools in Calderdale. This year’s event held at North Bridge Leisure Centre was the biggest of its kind ever held in Calderdale. The standard and difficulty of the challenge for the students this year showed a marked increase from the previous year’s competitions.
For the first time, Calder High School students joined hundreds of others from across Calderdale to compete in the event. Three teams from Calder entered: two teams in the KS4 category and one in the KS3 category.
 All the Calder High teams produced detailed plans and designs before constructing a motorised pulley system to attempt to solve the task set. The level of enthusiasm, focus and determination to complete and compete in the task was exceptional and all teams produced a final product. Now these Students have competed at this level they can return next year to have another attempt at winning the trophy for Calder High.
Teacher Mr R Cameron said: “It was a fantastic event and all the students gained a lot from the experience and were an absolute credit to themselves and the school. They all worked as teams under difficult competition conditions and I really look forward to taking these very gifted students back next year to compete again”.
Eco Garden is blooming!
Celebrating Earth Day (22 April 2010) with a lot of help from Sweet & Maxwell volunteers pictured above with staff members Mr M Bellanfante (far right) and Mrs G Payne (middle), students and a bright sunny day, the garden has started to take shape. A wide variety of plants, vegetables and herbs have been planted. Students also worked behind the scenes to create labels and signs for the garden. The Eco Garden club meets on a Wednesday after school to give the garden extra care and attention during the growing season.
Arkwright Affiliation
Calder High has met the criteria to be recognised as an Affiliated Arkwright School, demonstrating our commitment to encouraging and stimulating high ability students to take up engineering or technological careers. The Arkwright Scholarship Trust is an independent charity founded in 1991, taking its name from the British innovative engineer Sir Richard Arkwright who harnessed water to power his mills.
As an affiliated school, high ability year 11 students who are planning to study Design & Technology with mathematics in Calder VI, and who are actively considering higher education in Engineering, Product or Industrial Design or Architecture, can now apply for an Arkwright scholarship. Successful candidates for the 250 available scholarships receive £500 over two years, and the school’s Technology Faculty a further £400.
The application process is a rigorous one, with a detailed application form followed by an aptitude paper where applicants have to produce innovative solutions to a particular design/engineering problem. Shortlisted candidates are then invited to interview at a university.
ECDL at Calder High School
ECDL Workshops: Wednesdays 3:30 to 7:00pm in Calder VI (see poster)
The workshops are open to adults in the area who wish to gain this internationally recognised qualification. There are seven modules to work through. Learners can work at their own pace and take the tests for each module when they feel ready.
The ECDL qualification is awarded for completion of all 7 modules:
| IT security for users: System info and technology security |
| Using a computer & managing files: Folder structure, copying, moving, backup, health and safety law |
| Word Processing: To mail merge level |
| Spreadsheets: Simple formulae, charting, multiple sheets |
| Database: Forms, queries, reports |
| Presentation: Develop a slide show |
| Information & Communication: Internet, email |
For further information contact the Centre Manager: Mr K Ogden.
 Interested? Reply on the Cool School email and let us know why you would like to be on the 10:10 committee: Cool School.
Calder High is a “cool school” – it’s official. The school has signed up to a Government initiative to reduce carbon emissions in 2010, and top of the agenda is a plan to lower the heating temperature – which will also cut the school’s utility bills.
The School Council is currently discussing a new “top layer” to add to the school uniform – perhaps a jumper, hoodie or fleece – as part of the “cool top, lower temperature” initiative.
Success will be measured by realistic targets to cut the utility bills. This project aims to demonstrate public support, apply pressure to Government to commit to national cuts, and set a precedent for the UN climate change agenda. We are working with Cragg Vale Carbon Neutral Group and Hebden Bridge Alternative Technology Centre.
Technology College Redesignation
The DCSF has re-designated Calder High School as a Specialist Technology College for at least a further three years, following a successful Ofsted inspection and the submission of a new three year improvement plan.
We are delighted that the DCSF have given us this ringing endorsement of all the hard work that staff and students have undertaken over the past three years since our last redesignation. Technology college status is critical to so many aspects of our outreach work, to our involvement in community projects, adult learning and with our primary partners. It allows us to access additional funding to ensure our students get the very best educational experience within school and have access to the technologies and teaching practices fit for 21st century learners.
Calder High was one of the first schools to have achieved Technology College status back in 2000 and the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection made a point of noting that the school’s technology specialism had been well used to enhance the learning environment. Technology Colleges use their specialist status to raise standards of achievement and the quality of learning particularly in design and technology, science and mathematics.
The students have been pleased with their progress too. In the school’s May 2008 survey of pupil, staff and parental opinion, conducted by the external agency Kirkland Rowell, the specialist subjects occupied four of the top seven slots in terms of subjects where students felt they were making good progress.
We are really looking forward to the next three years as a Technology College. We have a clear vision of what we want to achieve within and beyond the specialist subjects, and a fabulous team of staff and students to deliver it.
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