Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe has been celebrating the achievements of its Year 9 pupils with a formal graduation ceremony. The event celebrated the pupils’ Key Stage 3 achievements and marks the beginning of their Key Stage 4 studies.
Year 9 pupils have taken part in the school’s new Going for Gold scheme which aims to raise pupils’ ambitions and aspirations. The culmination of the scheme was the Graduation Ceremony where pupils were awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards.
The scheme has focused on specific aspects of school life including attendance, punctuality, appearance, behaviour, evidence of contribution to school life and the community and attitude to learning. Pupils earned points as they achieve in these areas.
The school was delighted that Paralympian Jonathan Hall was able to attend as guest of honour and present the pupils with their achievement awards.
Jonathan has had to show great strength and determination in his sporting career; he is a wheelchair basketball champion winning a gold medal with the Great Britain team last September at The European Championships in Israel and a bronze medal at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.
The ceremony was hosted by Paul Smith formerly of Key 103 and Magic 1152, now Managing Director of Reactive Audio Ltd.
“The aim is to raise the aspirations of pupils and recognise their commitment and dedication to their studies and to extra-curricular activities and to celebrate these achievements,” explained Ms Catherine Collier, Director of Curriculum at Saint Paul’s. “We wish them well as they embark upon their GCSE courses.”
“We were delighted that Jonathan Hall, such an inspirational and interesting individual, could join us on our special day,” said Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s.
“We are very proud of the success of our Year 9 pupils and we see their achievements so far as strong building blocks for the future,” commented Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “We are passionate about raising expectations and aspirations and unlocking the potential of our pupils.”