Upton Hall School FCJ

Upton Hall School is a Catholic Grammar School for girls aged 11-18.  It is situated in the Diocese of Shrewsbury and is under the Trusteeship of the Society of the Faithful Companions of Jesus.  It is an academy, which means it is an independent school that is funded by the Department for Education. It is a member of the FCJ Academy Trust and has sister schools in London and Liverpool. The school works closely with the FCJ Sisters to maintain and develop its ethos and it has a close working relationship with both the Diocese of Shrewsbury and Wirral Local Authority.

It is over 150 years since the School was founded.  It was opened in 1849 by the Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus, a religious society founded in France by Marie Madeleine, a widow and mother who was passionate about education for young women. This passion is still in evidence as we encourage our pupils to become confident independent young women who are able to meet the demands of life in the 21st century. Academic excellence is reflected by the 2017 GCSE results when Upton pupils made greater progress than those at any other school on Wirral or Merseyside. A Progress 8 score of 0.93 placed Upton in the top 50 schools nationally for the progress of pupils from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4.

The Sixth Form make excellent progress and the curriculum offers a wide range of A level subjects as well as Pre-U Mandarin Chinese and BTEC Information Technology. Supervised study sessions help Sixth Form students to develop independent study habits, a programme of 'outside speakers' introduce students to ideas and opportunities that they will not have encountered and a specialist Careers Advisor supports them as they plan the next phase of their education. Opportunities to lead younger pupils enable them to develop their interpersonal skills and an enrichment programme ensures that the curriculum is broad and challenging. The RE programme, including the newly introduced Marie Madeleine Award offers Sixth students the opportunity to think deeply about religious and cultural issues and to undertake community service. A series of impressive events mark the students passage through the two year course, beginning with the GCSE celebration afternoon and culminating in the Leavers' Ball.

Outstanding facilities ensure that the conditions for learning are optimised.  The science laboratories, situated in the Lingdale Building,were designed to encourage girls to enjoy learning science. This has been successful as large numbers of students study A level science subjects and many go to university read science courses, including highly competitive courses such as medicine, dentistry and veterinary science. Mathematics and English are taught in specialist rooms and the results at both GCSE and A level provide the testament to the outstanding teaching that takes place in these subjects.

The school has international school status and all subjects encourage pupils and Sixth Form students to see themselves as global citizens. Modern Foreign Languages are taught in the Gerard Building. French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese are popular and successful subjects. We have strong links with schools in France, Spain and China. Our Confucius Classroom is at the heart of the Mandarin Excellence Programme, sponsored by the DFE to encourage other schools to offer Mandarin Chinese.

PE and sport provide excellent opportunities fitness and the development of team skills. The PE department offer GCSE and A level PE as well as a broad range of individual and team sports. Each day large numbers of pupils enjoy the PE facilities as they play netball, hockey and football or participate in gym club or trampolining. There is a spacious Sports Hall incorporating a fitness suite and dance studio as well as an all weather playing surface. The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme also engages large numbers of pupils and staff enjoy facilitating expeditions.

Music has always been part of the cultural life of the school and many pupils and Sixth Form students participate in one of the school choirs: Junior Choir, Senior Choir and Chamber Choir. All Year 7 pupils have free instrumental music lessons that allow them to explore which instrument they would like to learn. The opportunities for instrumental lessons then continues and pupils enjoy playing in the school orchestra or one of the other instrumental groups. All school events include musical performances which enrich them and provide the opportunity for pupils to delight an audience.

Our corridors are filled with art work produced by pupils. All members of the community and visitors are challenged to consider colour and form as well as the content matter being explored by the young artist. Drama clubs are popular and each year the annual school production has two casts to ensure  the maximum number of participants.

One of the great benefits enjoyed by the school are the beautiful grounds with wide open spaces and wooded areas including an orchard and an outdoor classroom.  There are three established garden areas.  The Peace Garden is planted around the peace pole.  The garden comes into its own in November when it becomes the focal point for the school’s annual remembrance service.  An Eco-Garden has been created around the state-of-the -art greenhouse known as the solar-dome.  The garden is tended and maintained by pupils in the Eco-Club.  The Mary Garden is the most recent addition to the grounds.  Beautifully planted with scented flowers and seating areas, the garden is home to a specially commissioned artwork depicting Mary by the celebrated sculptor Emma Rodgers.  The garden is a calm oasis where pupils and staff can spend time in quiet contemplation.  Each year Year 8 pupils pick the apples from the orchard and an enterprise group leads the production of the apple juice, this year being retailed under the name, Green Lady. Pupils at Upton are encouraged to take pride in their environment and to protect it. Similarly, a keen interest in wider environmental issues is encouraged and pupils debate theories concerning global warming, pollution and climate change.

Upton Hall School FCJ has a vibrant environment and an enviable sense of community which is felt the moment you step inside the gates. We are very proud of how our school functions on a day to day basis and visitors to the school often comment how 'special' Upton feels. Strong and positive relationships exist between pupils and staff. The character of the school is built on its Christian ethos.  The Sisters who founded the school lived their lives as companions of Jesus and the school was built to serve the Catholic community with the enduring qualities of love, hope and faith.  All the FCJ schools in the UK have identified Companionship, Hope, Gentleness, Dignity, Excellence and Justice as values that underpin the relationships between all the members of our community.

Since its foundation in 1849 the school has developed and grown to meet the needs of the time.  However the best traditions still serve us well.  There has always been a strong emphasis on striving for the highest standards; there has been a constant theme of being part of an international community; traditionally important events have been celebrated with music, performance and liturgy, this is as true now as in the past.  The number of buildings has increased to meet our needs, through a series of building programmes, with each building reflecting the architectural style of the day.  This variety of style is highly regarded, as Upton is a place where differences are respected and each individual is encouraged to develop her own particular talents.

The Upton community is wider than pupils and staff.  The role of parents in their daughter’s education is seen as crucial to its success.  Past pupils and former staff are welcomed.  All parents and former pupils become members of The Parents and Friends of Upton whose committee works to raise funds for the development of the School.   At Upton lifelong friendships are formed and our alumnae are regarded as important members of our wider community.