Sixth Form News

Sixth Formers Hit Download Festival!

On June 12th, Miss Allen, Mr Hall and 10 hard rocking sixth formers visited the Download Rock Festival in Donington Park, the biggest rock and metal music festival in Britain. Bands from all over the world played on a total of five stages.

Gaining their rock credentials, our sixth formers joined the mosh pits for bands such as Rage Against the Machine, 30 Seconds to Mars, Him, Deftones and many more. This was a fantastic day out and all the students had a great time. Plans are already being made for more trips to live concerts and, of course, Download 2011!

Sam Ireland, pictured with Rossall headmaster, Dr Stephen Winkley at the School’s Prize Day, where the top International Baccalaureate student also scooped five of Rossall’s most coveted awards.

International Baccaulaureate Results Success               

The eagerly awaited International Baccalaureate results are out and Rossall has recorded a 10% overall increase in pass rate, taking it above the world average.

Rossall, which is now in its twelfth year of teaching IB, has increased its pass rate to 84.38% and has a number of the world’s top scoring Diploma students, in what is recognized as a more challenging alternative to A-levels. 

The School’s top scoring student, Isabell Mencher from Stuttgart, Germany  achieved 44 from a possible maximum points total of 45 for six subjects (the maximum number of subjects permissible), but also added an extra seven points by passing a seventh subject, Spanish, which regrettably won’t be counted in her total.   She is joined in the high pass grades by local student, 18-year-old, Sam Ireland of Bispham (42 points) and local golfing sensation, Jenna Birch, also 18, of Larkholme (33 points). Anh Vu, a Vietnamese boarder at the school achieved the school’s second highest total with 43 points.

Last year, there was not one recorded pass in the world with a full 45 points and only 0.03% of all students achieved 44 points, and there were similar percentage passes for 43 and 42 points totals. Those statistics show that this year’s figures indicate a remarkable performance from a non-selective school, and IB supporters will also suggest that the consistency of annual pass rates indicates that, unlike A-Levels, there is no grade inflation with the International Baccalaureate. This they argue is because the IB is free of political interference.

To read more please click here .......

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Rossall Leavers' Ball
Summer 2009

On Saturday 23^rd May at 7.00pm, Rossall held its annual 6th Form Leavers’ Ball at the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool.

It was a truly international event, with twelve different countries represented by the 6th Form leavers. Everyone looked very glamorous in full evening dress instead of the usual school uniform.

After feasting on a superb meal, all attending were able to dance the night away.

Thanks go to the Imperial Hotel staff for hosting an unforgettable evening, and to Mrs Sharon Alonso for organising the event.

Jenna Proves a Tough Nut in Brazil

Talented young golfer, Jenna Birch has proved that she’s a tough nut to crack on the golf course with a stunning performance in the Grand Final of the Nick Faldo Series at Costa Do Sanipe in Brazil, that gave her the runners up position, only two shots behind the eventual winner, English girls’ champion, Hannah Barwood.

.To read the full story of Jenna's golfing success, please click here......

Sixth Form Biology Field Work – Fylde Coast
June 2009

The Biology department’s recent field work on the sand dunes near St Annes.

This year Rossall has formed links with the Fylde Council’s sand dune project officer as they work alongside the Wildlife Trust looking after this area of natural beauty and rare plant species which inhabit the dunes.

This study is used to provide students with an example of the process of primary sucession, and of xerophtic adapations of plants on the embryo and fore dunes. The dunes are surveyed using systemic sampling by means of a belt transect and frame quadrat. Each plant encountered is identified and the percentage frequency is recorded. Quadrat sampling is accompanied by sampling of abiotic variables, including soil temperature, moisture content and wind speed. The gradient of the dune is also measured.

Follow up work may include soil analysis, calculation of richness and diversity, construction of kite diagrams and dune profiles, and statistical analysis using Spearman’s Rank correlation coefficient.

This year the study was coupled with a talk from the Fylde Sand Dunes project Officer as the Fylde council and Wildlife Trust are now working together on the Fylde Sand Dunes Project which aims to preserve the landscape and habitats of these dynamic dunes.

Rossall Biology Dept. is looking to work more closely in aiding this project next year

Jenna's Driving Ambition

Any mention of clubbing, is likely to see teenager Jenna Birch reaching for a five iron in preference to lipstick and eye shadow. But her love of her brand of club life has helped her to her first golf title after only four years in the sport and also seen her take the course record at Fleetwood at the tender age of seventeen.

Rossall pupil, Jenna, has taken the Lancashire Schools Championship – Girls’ Trophy, with a winning round of 76 at North Manchester Golf Club; three strokes ahead of her nearest rival. She’s also made it into the top group of girl golfers in England by reaching the final round of the English Girls’ Match Play Championship and has been included in the Lancashire Ladies B Team, where she will compete against tougher, adult opposition.

Although still a novice, Jenna has set a six under par Ladies course record at Fleetwood Golf Club, with a round of 67, and her driving ambition could see her turn professional once she has completed her studies, which includes the final year of her International Baccalaureate Diploma in Rossall’s Sixth Form, followed by university.

The youngster from Rossall, Fleetwood, picked up the golf bug from older brother, Adam, who studied on a golf scholarship in America. Ironically, he has since given up the sport, but Jenna is determined to develop her game and to this end she has been expertly coached by professional, Ian Taylor at Royal Lytham, where she is also a member.

Says Jenna: “Golf is a fantastic sport and my particular hero is Justin Rose. I think it’s because he’s from the North West and was also very young when he made it onto the senior circuit. If I could emulate his success, but in ladies competition, I’d be really happy. However, first I have to ensure that I get my IB Diploma, which is quite demanding, so golf will have to fit in with study until I graduate from Sixth Form.”

Rossall’s Director of Sport, Katie Lee believes that Jenna is a naturally gifted golfer. She commented: “It’s not often that you see someone so comfortable in a particular sport, but Jenna seems to find it so easy, which is an indication that she could compete at the highest level in the not too distant future. Despite her obvious passion for golf she’s also a typical teenage girl, so has all the other pressures that this age brings with it. However, if anyone can juggle these things successfully it’s Jenna and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her achieving great things both in and outside sport.”

Geography Field Trip to Mont Lozere

The Cevennes National Park is one of only 5 National Parks within mainland France. It is an exceptional area of natural beauty with three distinct geological zones reflected in the variety of landscape, soils, flora and fauna.

It proved a fabulous location for our Sixth Form Geography Trip.  Despite being so high, the weather was glorious for most of the trip.

The students made the most of the trip to study the geographical and geological features of the region, and had a great time as well.

To view a gallery of images of the trip, please click here.......

The Merchant of Venice:  Stratford

Members of the sixth form and Common Room departed from Rossall at 8.00am on Saturday 12th April for our trip to Stratford to see 'The Merchant of Venice'. A smooth journey saw us in Stratford by 11.35 - plenty of time for lunch and a stroll by the river or so we thought until Mr McCafferty bethought himself to look at the tickets. Matinees always begin at 1.30pm but not this one. It was to starrt at 1.00pm. Nevertheless we manged lunch and gathered for the distribution of tickets.
 
The play was in modern dress, of no particular period though Mrs Cross observed that Nerissa's violently yellow outfit might have come from OXFAM.We did think that the business suits and briefcases rather robbed the play of some of its drama and power and regretted the absence of Venice from the set with its peculiarly pink hue..However, Shylock was an impressive actor and Portia an eloquent and convincing young man in disguise as the lawywer who outwits Shylock by allowing him his pound of flesh but warning him not to spill the merchant's blood. The play moved quiclky, the language was understood and the casket scene and trial scene held our attention. The students enjoyed it all and we look forward to our next visit to the Royal Shakespeare Compnay which will be to Newxastle in September.