You will, of course be aware that the school was visited last week by both Ofsted (Section 5 Inspection) and the Archdiocese (Section 48 Inspection). Inspection rules mean that I am not yet allowed to release exact details of the outcomes, but I can let you know that the findings were excellent and we will be receiving highly pleasing reports from both inspections. I am able to give you the headline of the Archdiocese report which reads:
“Holy Cross is an Outstanding Catholic School”

I was also delighted to be invited to London last month to receive an award for “Most Improved Schools” – a prestigious ceremony held at BAFTA and yesterday I learned that we have also been awarded “Success in Adding Value” again to be presented at BAFTA next month. Both of these are huge accolades for all at Holy Cross.

May I take the opportunity to thank you for your overwhelming support of Holy Cross. This was commented upon by all inspectors who felt that the hugely positive parental support was an important factor in the school’s success.

I look forward to sending you the reports when they are published in late April.

Easter Holiday Closure
As we close for our ‘Easter’ holiday on Friday, may I remind you that we finish at 12.30 p.m. All school buses will be available at this time.

Happy Holiday!
Mrs Wendy White
Headteacher

I am pleased to inform you that the new Chorley East Link Road (B5252) will be opened to the public during the afternoon of 22 November and that the spur up to our school will open for use the following morning on Friday 23 November 2007.

Vehicle entrance via The Bowers will be closed permanently from 2200 on
Thursday 22 November, however normal pedestrian access will continue.

Could I ask parents that drive their children to school not to use The Bowers as a drop off point? There is a great danger of accidents occurring if this was to take place, something I am sure none of us would like to see happen.

I am sure that we all enjoy seeing children walking or cycling to school as this assists with their healthy lifestyle and I would ask that you, as parents, encourage them to do so. There will be a cycle path on the new link road and new speed limits leading up to and on the school grounds itself. I enclose a leaflet on our School Travel Plan that explains our ethos on this subject in more detail.

I do hope that the new entrance makes access easier for everyone and that no undue hardship is caused by its introduction. Now that winter is setting in, could I encourage everyone to drive, cycle and walk safely to ensure there are no mishaps travelling to or from our school.

Yours sincerely

Mrs W White
Headteacher

The Girl’s Year Seven North West Counties Schools Cup got underway at St John Fisher High School, Wigan on Wednesday (17th October). Six secondary schools competed against each other for the chance to progress to the Cup Final.

North West Counties Cup Teams

The prize on offer for the overall winner of the festival was the chance to face the Cumbria champions in the Girl’s Year Seven North West Counties Cup Final. This game will be played as the curtain raiser to the Boy’s Year Eleven North West Final in January 2008.

The six teams were split into two groups and played each other in a round robin format. At the conclusion of the pool matches, Holy Cross (Chorley) finished top of Group A, with Wade Deacon (Halton) topping Group B.

Chorley based school, Holy Cross, took on Wade Deacon in a pulsating qualifying game to bring the festival to a close. An end to end match saw Holy Cross emerge victorious by 16 points to 4 and secure their place in the school’s first ever North West Rugby League Final.

The Holy Cross Year 7 Team

Anthony Ryder, Head of PE at Holy Cross Sports College commented “I am absolutely delighted for the girls. This was their first real taste of Rugby League and they really did exceed all expectations. The qualifying final against Wade Deacon was a nail biting finish to an excellent tournament.

All the players are looking forward to playing in the North West Counties Cup Final and then the forthcoming Carnegie Champion Schools matches.”

Matt Birkett, North West Regional Development Officer, added “The festival was a huge success. For the majority of the girls it was their first experience of Rugby League and by the smiles on their faces I am sure they all thoroughly enjoyed the day.

I would particularly like to thank St John Fisher High School for hosting the event and the two referees, Alan Kilshaw and Ryan Baxter, who did a fantastic job helping the teams throughout the matches.

The female game continues to grow and great opportunities exist for girls to play in amateur clubs throughout the region. I would urge any players wanting to continue playing the sport to locate their nearest club and go down to have a go.”

To find out which clubs currently have female sections, visit the Women & Girls section of the RFL website (www.rfl.uk.com/community), then click onto Club Contacts.

The Modern Foreign Languages department of Holy Cross High School are proud to announce the launch of their new website. It is there to provide information and resources about the department and the learning of French and German in general.

Their website can be found by clicking here.

Information is now available for the end of year activities. We will be holding Awards Days for our pupils in the afternoon of the following days for the given years:

• Years 7 & 8 - Monday, 16th July 2007
• Years 9 & 10 - Tuesday, 17th July 2007

School will close at 1:20pm for those pupils not involved.

School will close for the summer holidays at 12:30pm on Wednesday, 18th July 2007.

Further information is available from a new letter send out by Mrs White. You can read and download this letter here.