End of Year Highlights 2024

As we close our doors for the summer holidays, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on an extraordinary year at Priestnall School.

 

Here are some of the highlights that made this a year to remember.

School Council Build Bridges with the Community

After the success of their visit to Priestnall Court Residential Home in December, our school council welcomed residents into school for a coffee morning.

Students and residents exchanged stories, with the school council sharing insights into their roles and responsibilities.

Students from the Priestnall School Council smile alongside residents of Priestnall Court outside the school entrance.

It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to develop their communication skills and make a difference to the local community.

 

Language Ambassadors visit Local Primary Schools

January saw our enthusiastic Languages Ambassadors take on an inspiring initiative.

They delivered ‘Why Learn Languages’ assemblies to seven local primary schools, promoting the benefits of language learning.

Languages ambassadors from Priestnall School stand outside of St Thomas' CE Primary School

The feedback from the primary schools was overwhelmingly positive and our students made us proud as we watched their passion for Languages shine through!

 

An Amazing Year of Sports

What a year it has been for sports!

GCSE PE students were inspired during their visit to Loughborough University, and Matilda from Year 10 made us proud by winning the Young Volunteer of the Year Award from Basketball England.

Image of students taking part in a strength and conditioning session.

Year 9 students achieved silver in the Stockport SHAPES triathlon, and our Under 15s Girls Lacrosse team excelled in the National Championship, earning the England Lacrosse Nicky Budd Award for Excellence.

They returned home as one of the top 8 teams in the country, an incredible feat!

Priestnall School Under 15s Girls Lacrosse Team smile on the field with their coach.

Our Year 7 boys showcased their talent by securing 5th place out of 56 teams in the Manchester United Emerging Talent Competition this month.

They made it to the final after winning the regional qualifiers in January.

Priestnall School Year 7 football team outside of Man Utd Academy for the MU Emerging Talent Final 2024

There were so many sporting highlights that we couldn’t list them all, but we’re extremely proud of all of our young athletes for everything they have achieved this year!

 

Success at the Trust Science Fair

In May, we hosted the annual Priestnall Science Fair where students presented projects under the theme of ‘Time’.

Six students advanced to the Trust final with three winning projects.

All teams presented fantastically, and we were thrilled that one of our teams won the competition!

Students holding their certificates after winning the Laurus Trust Science Fair.

Well done to Benjamin and Charlie who achieved first place overall with their project on the effects of the environment on plant and animal organisms.

 

A Year of Adventure!

This year, we’ve had lots of memorable trips abroad.

In January, Year 7 traded textbooks for paddles as they set off on their first ever residential trip to the beautiful island of Anglesey.

February’s ski trip offered thrills on the slopes and a taste of Austrian culture.

Students from Priestnall school ski in Austria 2024.

That same month, Languages students set off for trips to Paris and Madrid.

Students from Priestnall School stand in front of a sculpture at Puerta Del Sol.

The USA Football Tour in May provided an unforgettable experience for our budding athletes, playing matches against American teams and even trying their hand at baseball.

Priestnall School students stand in a large group in front of a ferris wheel in the USA on a trip.

Most recently, History students had the opportunity to explore the rich history and culture of Berlin.

Priestnall School students stand in a large group in Berlin on a History Trip.

Congratulations to all our students and staff for their hard work and achievements this year.

We wish our students, staff, and families a restful and enjoyable summer break and look forward to another exciting year ahead at Priestnall School!

Celebrating Pride Month at Priestnall School

Priestnall School celebrated Pride in June with a month full of activities, from LGBTQ+ arts and crafts to attending an LGBTQ+ Youth Summit.

Students and staff at Priestnall School celebrated Pride Month to acknowledge the equality, acceptance and inclusion we are so proud to have in our school community.

Throughout the month, and at weekly Pride Club sessions, students were able to get involved in a range of activities.

A poster made by a Priestnall School student for Pride, it says Be Proud, not us, not them, all!

They got creative with LGBTQ+ crafting sessions at lunchtimes, learned about LGBTQ+ history through film screenings, and even enjoyed a rainbow items giveaway!

At the end of the month, students in Year 9 attended the LGBT+ Youth Summit in Manchester, hosted by The Proud Trust.

Some of our Year 11 leavers also joined us on the trip on their very last day as students at Priestnall School.

They said this was the “perfect celebration event” to finish on, and they are so proud of what they have achieved at Priestnall.

Year 9 particularly enjoyed the focus of the Youth Summit, which was about how to make Physical Education more inclusive of LGBTQ+ students.

The students completed a range of workshops, seminars and creative tasks throughout the day to explore this topic.

Students from Priestnall School take part in an activity, writing on cards sat on the floor at the Proud Trust LGBT+ Youth Summit.

At lunchtime, they had fun trying out some of the activities on offer, including dancing, drama and mini golf.

It was a fantastic event and an opportunity to connect with young people across Greater Manchester and meet other students from the Laurus Trust, with Didsbury High School also in attendance.

Priestnall School students stand in front of a board at the Proud Trust LGBT+ Youth Summit.

Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, gave a speech at the end of the Youth Summit, praising students for their creative contributions throughout the day.

We’d like to thank everyone who took part in our Pride activities, it was a wonderful month of celebrations!

Thank you to Mr Brown for organising the Youth Summit trip, and to the students for representing our school so well.

A poster made by a Priestnall School student for Pride, it says Be Proud, Let us be together.

We work to ensure that our school is an inclusive environment for all. In PSHE lessons, students learn about different relationships to foster an understanding and respectful environment.

Visit our PSHE page to find out more.

Laurus Trust STEM Fair Winners

Congratulations to Benjamin and Charlie, winners of the annual Laurus Trust STEM Fair that was held on the 19th June 2024.

Benjamin and Charlie were one of three teams from Priestnall that were selected to represent the school at this year’s Trust competition. We would also like to mention a special shout-out to Alexander, Anish, Jack and Jensen, who also did Priestnall proud and took part in the STEM Fair.

This year’s STEM fair was an incredibly high standard, with all teams demonstrating scientific knowledge and research and investigation skills way beyond their years.  Benjamin and Charlie did extremely well to beat very tough competition from Didsbury High School, Cheadle Hulme High School, Laurus Cheadle Hulme and Hazel Grove High School.

Their research on the effects of the environment on plant and animal organisms was creative, scientifically sound and incredibly well presented. Well done to our amazing future scientists!