Fairfield High School is now a specialist college for the
Performing Arts. The achievement of this award has been our
aim for the past five years and, after a great deal of hard work,
our vision has become a reality.
The fact that we have been awarded specialist college
status means that we can extend and enhance the range of
Performing Arts, both for our pupils and for the members of our
local community. We also believe that the extra dimension this
status has given us will have an impact upon every area of our
curriculum.
As a school, our mission statement is to "Enjoy Learning" and, in
order for this to become embedded into the daily life of Fairfield
High School, we need to focus on the learning and teaching that
takes place. We have a responsibility to ensure that what we
offer our pupils is relevant, challenging and stimulating. We also
feel strongly that successes should be celebrated both formally
and informally. The skills and techniques that our pupils gain in
the Performing Arts can be appropriately applied across the
school. Again, our new status will enable us to develop
strategies to enhance the learning opportunities of our pupils.
Whilst we have always considered our role in the community to
be vital, the extra resources that have been allocated to us as a
result of gaining the status will allow us to implement a
programme for all the members of our community. As a
performance venue, we are aiming to reflect the work and range
of performance offered by the Brindley Arts Centre.
In order to gain our status, we had to submit a detailed bid and
endeavour to raise E50,000. Writing the bid was the relatively
easy part; raising the required sum of money was extremely
daunting. Members of the Parent Teacher Association, the
pupils, local organisations and individual members of staff all
worked tirelessly to try to raise the required amount. In the end,
we were fortunate to receive a grant to top-up the money that
had been banked.
Once the bid had been submitted, we had to wait. We received
a visit from a representative from the Specialist Colleges Trust
who checked the contents of the bid and interviewed a number
of people. In the end we were informed that we had been
successful.
Now our ideal needs to become a reality. We know what we
want to do and we also know how we are going to achieve our
aim. The next few years will see major developments in Fairfield
High School. We do not want to lose our essential ethos but we
do want to look towards the future by engaging our pupils, staff
and governors in promoting engagement in and enjoyment of
learning.
Nick McGee
Deputy Headteacher
Fairfield High School A Specialist College in the
Performing Arts
I am very proud of our new title - 'A Specialist College in the
Performing Arts'. I like to see it as both a celebration of a
fine tradition for excellence in the performing arts and a new
symbol for a school that seeks to build a vibrant learning
community.
We believe passionately in our "enjoy learning" philosophy
and our new status will help us further develop a school
where young people: value their learning; engage actively in
their learning; persist and persevere when facing new challenges; know the value of teamwork and are prepared
to express themselves with growing self-confidence and
where the enjoyment of learning is celebrated in
performance. Such qualities, so evident in the performing
arts, can be a vehicle for raising attainment across all
subjects.
We will use this award to develop and provide enhanced
facilities and resources which will benefit our pupils and the
wider community. Initially, we plan to develop a new Music
Technology Suite, a new Drama/Dance Workshop, new
changing facilities and improved facilities for community
usage. We are looking to launch G.C.S.E. studies in
Expressive Arts and Media Studies next year. We will also
seek to draw in a wide range of activities that will increase
both pupil and community participation in the performing
arts. In this sense it is also fitting that our launch concert is
to be held at the Brindley Arts Centre, itself a new and
exciting venture for Halton, and with whom we hope to
develop a long and fruitful partnership.
Finally, may I express our grateful thanks to all those pupils,
staff and friends of the school who have worked so hard to
help build a strong reputation and who have contributed so
much to our new status.