2. Founded in 1636, Calday Grange Grammar School is Wirral’s oldest surviving
grammar school. It was established as a free grammar school on the present
site by local landowner William Glegg.
Glegg’s vision that it should have ‘continuance and endure for evermore’ has
certainly been fulfilled and over the years, his little 12-pupil school has been
transformed into a dynamic establishment of 1,500 students – 1,000 boys in
years 7 to 11 and 500 male and female students in the Sixth Form.
While we maintain our traditional grammar school ethos we also continue to
evolve, nurtured by our past and driven by our sense of present and future.
We believe that a successful and fulfilling experience at Calday Grange
Grammar School is based on a powerful partnership between school and home.
Should you have any questions then please don’t hesitate to contact the school
and we can put you in touch with the right people to help you.
We look forward to welcoming you and working alongside you.
Mark Rodaway
Headteacher
Welcome
3. ...contributing to the school, the local
community and beyond. Students have a
strong sense of community and take great
pride in our school.
Students actively participate in the development of our school, building their
sense of responsibility, community spirit and developing their leadership and
communication skills.
Our vibrant House system enables students in all year groups to work with and
learn from each other. A vast range of inter-house competitions and activities,
assemblies and charity events take place throughout the year involving all
members of our school community.
At Calday Grange Grammar School we are proud of our positive culture of
contributing to the wider community at both local and international levels.
We work in partnership with local primary and secondary schools to support,
enthuse and develop students’ learning with an extensive variety of
enrichment opportunities. This spirit is also reflected in our trips to countries
around the globe.
Each year our students take great pride in supporting and raising money for
charities, taking very seriously their sense of responsibility to others in a less
fortunate position.
A sense of community
4. Our academic curriculum delivers high quality education taught by well-qualified subject
specialists; flexibility, both in terms of the choice of subjects and in matching subjects and
teaching style to the needs of individual pupils; a platform for learning which ensures a
smooth transition to the next stage of a pupil’s education.
All pupils in year 7 to year 9 follow the same broad curriculum that is carefully designed
to allow the students to make informed choices about their GCSE subjects.
The Curriculum includes Mathematics, English, Sciences (taught separately as Biology,
Chemistry and Physics), Geography, History and RE, creative subjects (Art, Drama, Music,
ICT and Design & Technology) and two languages (from a choices of Mandarin, French,
German, Spanish, Russian and Latin). The School also offers extra-curricular courses in
Ancient Greek and Italian.
In years 10 and 11 all students study the subjects that constitute the English Baccalaureate
including English, Mathematics, the separate sciences, one language and one humanities
subject. They then also have an unrestricted choice of two others from a selection of 13
subjects. This allows some students to study 2 Languages and 2 Humanities if they wish.
Extra-curricular courses are also offered to this age group in Business Studies, Media
Studies and Geology.
At AS Level we offer a very wide range of subjects and make every effort to accommodate
the choices made by students, the majority of whom select four subjects at AS and take 3
of these through to A2. Each year however there is an increasing number of our more
able students continuing all four subjects in year 13.
The school has a considerable record of success in its students gaining entry to Oxbridge
and the Russell Group Universities.
A broad curriculum
...high quality education taught by well qualified subject specialists
6. Confucius Classroom is a project established by Hanban
(Office of Chinese Language Council International) to
develop a schools-based Confucius Institute to support
the teaching of Mandarin in a growing number of
schools and to a growing number of young people.
Calday Grange was originally one of only five schools
across the country to take part. As part of this exciting
and innovative initiative, Calday Grange Grammar
School supports other primary and secondary schools,
organisations and community groups in language
teaching and learning and the study of China and it’s
unique culture.
As a ‘Hub School’, we support five ‘Spoke Schools’ in
the North West.
7.
8.
9. Students, upon joining the school, are assigned a tutor group and will
have most of their lessons within this group, make new friends and
be supported by their personal form tutor.
Within the school community each student is a member of a ‘house’
providing opportunities for students of all ages to work together and
support each other.
Daily contact with a personal tutor ensures that your child is well
cared for on a daily basis and ensures ongoing consistent support
for academic development and well-being.
Older students often mentor younger students to help with individual
subject study, organisational skills, homework and revision.
A learning support teacher, is also available to support students with
individual needs and if required, specialist staff are available to
provides careers and health advice.
The form tutor and head of year are responsible for the academic
and personal progress of your child and our aim of supporting each
student to develop academically and personally would not be
possible without a partnership between school and home.
We value constructive communication between school and parents:
our home/school learning agreement sets out how we will work
together for the well-being of your child. We welcome contact from
parents at any time.
Care, support
and guidance
10. Extra-curricular activities are a key part of everyday life at Calday Grange.
Ofsted inspectors have noted that in no other school that they had visited were
there so many activities covering such a wide range of subjects.
Our aim is to provide and encourage a focus outside of the classroom, where
pupils can simply pursue their personal interests and, at the same time, develop
their confidence and interpersonal skills.
It is a dynamic process. Groups and activities change over the years. The current
range embraces subjects as diverse as Amnesty International, Chess Club,
Debating Society, Programming and Robotics and Quiz Club.
Our drama enthusiasts stage three or four productions year – twice the number
you would find in most other schools. As you might expect, music is a significant
factor too, from classical ensembles to Battle of the Bands clashes.
For the even more energetic, our groups include Duke of Edinburgh Awards,
Sporting groups – for example, Hockey, Rugby, Football, Table Tennis and
Basketball – Flying, Sailing and Summer Camp, while travellers enjoy China
Exchange, Russian Links and Ski Trips. Other international destinations have
included Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, South Africa and Iceland. We are
truly an international school.
Those with military interests can join a well-supported and equipped Combined
Cadet Force (CCF), with 180 pupil members. The CCF recently celebrated it’s
60th anniversary, is one of the few state school contingents in Britain, and
recently received an ‘outstanding’ grade for its Biennial Inspection.
Outside the classroom
...so many activities covering a wide
range of subjects and interests
11.
12. “Sixth Form students benefit from
a superb range of enrichment activities”
OFSTED
13. “Sixth Form students make a very
positive contribution to the school”
OFSTED
In the Sixth Form we prepare our students not only for public
examinations, but also for the transition to learning in higher
education.
Independent learning is an important aspect of life in the Sixth Form.
We provide study periods when pupils can use the school’s excellent
library, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources
and private study facilities.
In addition to AS levels and A levels students will also study the AQA
Baccalaureate. The AQA Baccalaureate gives students an edge in the
highly competitive process of moving from school to employment
and higher education.
By combining core A-level subjects with wider learning and
enrichment activities it enables them to display the personal skills
needed to make this transition successfully, such as leadership,
commitment and problem solving.
Sixth Formers take on extra responsibilities in clubs, societies, as
prefects, and act as role models for younger pupils.
Sixth Form life
14. We want to encourage academic excellence that is not encumbered by financial
constraints. Admission therefore to the school is free and financial help may be
available through our hardship fund, The Bennett Trust, details of which are
available from the school.
If you would like to know more about the school, to arrange a visit or to arrange
for an admission test, you may contact us at:
Calday Grange Grammar School
Grammar School Lane
West Kirby
Wirral
CH48 8GG
Telephone: 0151 625 2727
Fax: 0151 625 9851
Email: theschool@calday.wirral.sch.uk
You will also find more information about the school, including achievement and
attainment tables, published reports of recent school inspections and school
open days on our school website at: www.calday.wirral.sch.uk
Getting in touch
