Your Champions nomination for Upton High School

Sep 26 2008 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

Upton High School nominated for ScottishPower/Trinity Mirror Cheshire Your Champions award

UPTON High has been nominated for a ScottishPower/Trinity Mirror Cheshire Your Champions award under the Schools category.

The school was granted Specialist Status in Humanities in June and can use its status to:

Excel in curriculum subjects.

Communicate and work with pupils from across the world.

Improve facilities at the school, including the library.

The school has embarked on a number of ventures designed to improve and expand contacts with schools across the globe.

It has linked with Yemen on a connecting classrooms initiative, conducted exchanges with a school in Finland and is participating in the UK-India Education & Research Initiative (UKIERI), in which pupils will visit the continent.

In order to make a successful bid for Humanities Status the school had to raise £50,000 but galvanised the community into action with a combined effort between pupils, PTA, staff and local businesses in raising the sum.

Headteacher Jane Holland told The Chronicle: “When I came here it was one of my first priorities to make sure we had a vision and identity that made us special. We started putting together the vision in January 2007.

“We had to write a development bid explaining how we would use the enhanced resources to improve attainment and motivation and raise £50,000 for the bid. We’re really pleased that in just 18 months we’ve been able to get the bid together.

The school plans to spend Government cash accompanying the specialist status on a new library. A further £129 will be given per pupil for the next four years, equating to £190,000 more annual funding.