A HEADTEACHER has urged parents to continue helping their children develop their unique skills.
Mount Carmel RC Science College’s head Miss Katrina Ryan made her comments during the school’s awards evening last Wednesday.
She said: “At Mount Carmel we fervently believe that every child has a talent, that every child can learn something and we constantly work to nurture and fulfil the potential of all children.
“It is, however, easier to achieve this when the school works in partnership with parents as parental engagement in supporting learning remains the single most positive influence on student achievement.
“We are fortunate at Mount Carmel to have the support from an overwhelming number of our parents.
“However there are still some parents with whom we do have some difficulty engaging.”
Miss Ryan also highlighted the school’s budding relationship with Accrington’s Polish community.
She said: “We have been privledged to welcome 22 Polish students and their families to Mount Carmel, 20 of whom arrived since September. Vitamy v Mount Carmel polski goshchi!
“Nearly all of these children have come with no English whatsoever. We have received no additional funds, apart from £5,000, from the local authority and we have had to employ two Polish teaching assistants for whom we have not budgeted and we need more.
“The resources we have received are sadly inadequate and I hope that this will be rectified next year.”
She added that children today are in need of qualifications that will help them become productive adults.
Miss Ryan said: “The young people we are educating today will have the opportunity to work anywhere in the world, given that there is a global demand for highly skilled people.
“Conversely, there is a disappearing demand for low skill levels, therefore, no young can people can afford to leave school without qualifications.”
Prizes were given out by Pat Jefferson, Executive Director For Children and Young People at Lancashire County Council.
Prizewinners were: Noorul Miah, art; Emma Reidy, drama; Tony Thomas, English; Emma Reidy, English literature; Leigh Duquemin, geography; Robin Mathew, health and social care; Noorul Miah and Emma Reidy, DiDA; Li Liu, mathematics; Christopher Leigh, French; Laura Maden, Spanish; Li Liu, Chinese; Sana Razaq, Urdu; Kyle Ford, law AS level; Sinead Regan, music; Jake Braysford, religious studies entry level; Vikar Hussain, religious studies GSCE; Robin Mathew, sciences; Darren Carrol, Simon Hanson, Keillie Taylor, support for learning, effort and improvement; Danielle Higham, food technology; Vikar Hussain, technology graphics.
Peter Croft, Dominic Sanderson Trophy; Ben Brassington, A M Foley Award; Sana Razaq, PTA Prize; Emily Lord, Ryan Stephens PTA Music Trophy; Vikar Hussain, Learning Resource Centre Trophy; Nooral Miah, Outstanding Contribution to Learning Resource Centre Award; Robin Mathew and Li Liu, Christine Almond Trophy; Sinead Regan, St Anne’s Parish Trophy; Megan Adams, Jane Greenhalgh Shield; Emma Reidy, Agnes Molloy Shield; Rebecca Weatherburn, Sisters of Mercy Shield; Kyle Ford and Megan Adams, Headteacher’s Award.
Samuel Anderson, Dean Stack Trophy; Francesca Hargreaves, Parent-Teacher Trophy; Kelly Walsh, Sporting Endeavour Shield.
