Please find below the responses to the additional questions submitted following our Virtual Open Evening.

You said that you have pupils travel long distances to attend West Kirby, but do you have historic data on the furthest distance that admissions are successful each year?

We have had a student from Bangor in the past - although the bus route starts at St Asaph. Also, students have come from Llangollen, Rhyl and Colwyn Bay. We currently have 223 students travelling on the North Wales/Chester buses.

You also mentioned competitive sports. Our daughter loves football. Do you have a football club or team and can year 7's get involved in this? Thank you.

Yes, we have a football club. However, as this is open to all year groups, it is not currently possible with Covid-19 restrictions. We do usually have training once a week during lunch time and we organise after-school fixtures and tournaments against other schools across the Wirral and Cheshire. We also occasionally have invites to Tranmere Rovers Futsol tournaments for older students.

Where is the actual 11+ exam taken?  Is it in the main hall in the video?

The 11+ is taken in a number of our large spaces in the school including the Main Hall (visible in the 360 tour) the Small Hall (visible in the Welcome Video) and our Gymnasium.

What musical instruments can the pupils learn in school?

We have teachers available in school for all of your normal orchestral instruments such as flute, clarinet, violin, piano etc. We also offer lessons on a number of non-orchestral instruments such as drum kit and guitar and, if we don’t have a teacher in school because your instrument is particularly rare, we will always help you find one.

How many forms are there in year 7 and how many pupils in each form?

There are 6 forms in Year 7 with approximately 30 students in each form.

What is the pass rate for the 11 plus? When do you find out if you passed or not? Will it guarantee me a place at the school?

Only Wirral Borough Council will have the pass rate as it is run by them and the results are issued from them, they aim to issue the results within 6 weeks of pupils sitting the exam. Passing does not guarantee a place at the school (the full details of this are in our Admissions Policy). However, if you pass the test and put WKGS as your first choice, then you are extremely likely to receive a place.

We've asked the Wirral exam board about any reasonable adjustments available for our child, who has a special educational need, for the exam. For example, access to the room early etc.

All exam adjustments will be communicated with our Exams Office via Wirral Authority. However, should you have any continuing concerns or require additional information please email exams@wkgs.net and we will be happy to help.

How do you help Year 7 students to get to know others?

We actively encourage students to make the effort to get to know others in their form throughout the school day, whether this be in lessons or at break times/lunch times. Initially, form staff will seat the students in an assigned seat, so names can be learnt quickly. This is regularly changed to allow mixing. The 6 forms are based on the same corridor and therefore they can find each other easily. They are also taught in their form group for most of their subjects. A weekly tutorial/PSHE lesson explores the skills necessary for creating and keeping friendships, building resilience and what to do when things go wrong. Extra-curricular club participation is also actively encouraged as a way of cementing new friendships and House events can be a great way of trying something new at the same time as meeting new faces. Year 8 act as Buddies for new Year 7s - they organise meet ups at lunch to check-in with the new students, making sure they pass on any tips about how to cope with new things such as homework, organisation etc. Year 12 act as trained Peer Educators - delivering assemblies and providing a drop-in service where new students can talk about any worries or concerns they have with starting school.

What languages do you teach at WKGS?

Pupils can study French, German, Spanish and Latin at WKGS.

Do you have a school bus that services the children in Wallasey? If so, what are the costs per month/year? Thanks.

Yes we do have a bus route for the Wallasey area and we have a significant number of students that travel from here. The cost of the service is £520 per annum which can be paid over 10 months by Direct Debit. Please visit https://www.calday.co.uk/cbus for full details of our bus services.

In your view, what's the best thing about WKGS?

It’s a school that really celebrates the individual and has a staff that are compassionate and skilled to support our students in pursuit of their passion, whatever that me be. It’s a very caring and welcoming community which allows our students to feel confident and comfortable in their personal development.

How do you support children that may be involved in elite level sport.

We have a number of current students who take part in elite level sporting activties and we are very keen to support them with this. We are always flexible in our approach and will work with students and their families to find a solution that suits all parties.

Do you have any problems with bullying?

We have an excellent pastoral team who will always act quickly and appropriately to resolve any issues between students. Bullying is not tolerated at WKGS and will always be dealt with immediately when identified and we work with all of our students to ensure that our school community is a kind, caring and nurturing.

Are all the P.E facilities in the school ground?

Most PE facilities are located on the school grounds but we do have additional playing fields and a large Astroturf pitch which are located just a short walk from the school.

What are the arrangements for lunchtime at WKGS?

We operate a cashless, biometric payment system for lunch where students can pay using either their fingerprint or a PIN. Lunchtime is from 12:45 to 1:50 and students my go for lunch in the Dining Room at an allocated time on a rota basis. We provide a wide range of hot and cold meals through our award winning catering company Sodexo, to suit a variety of diets and cultural requirements, and our menu changes on a daily basis. Pupils are welcome to bring their own packed lunch should they wish to do so.

What programming languages do you teach in IT?

We teach Python at Key Stage 3 and GCSE. At A-Level students will also use JavaScript and php. They are free to make their own choice of coding language for A-Level programming projects.

How do you decide which form a student goes into?

Students are assigned their form after the first stage of the transition process, where they are visited in their Primary school by a member of the Transition team. Here, they have the chance to ask questions and talk about worries regarding the move to Secondary school. They are also able to put down a name of a friend they would/would not prefer to be placed in the same form class as. Once all these visits are complete, the forms are assigned based on notes from Primary visits, class teacher comments and student's friendship sheets. We are never able to guarantee all friendship choices, however we work hard to try and accommodate requests.

What are the compulsory subjects at GCSE?

Full details are available on our curriculum pages but the GCSE core subjects are Maths, English Language and English Literature and Triple Science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics). Students are also required to pick one Humanity subject, one Language and one Practical subject.

If my daughter doesn’t get the grades to get in for yr7 can she apply again the year after?

Yes, she can be reassessed 12 months after the original 11+, usually in October with a view to starting after half term if we have places. We reassess using Maths, English and a Verbal Reasoning papers. Parents are encouraged to contact office@wkgs.net towards the end of September for full details. We will then outline the process you need to go through to apply.

How much does the uniform cost?

We have a variety of suppliers and the costs vary - Forresters in Mold are our main suppliers and you can only get our blazer from there. Click here for more information.

Other companies which supply our general uniform are:

Larry Adams in West Kirby 

Wirral Uniform Centre  

Cain of Heswall 

How much homework do year 7s get? How flexible is the homework system for kids with busy lives outside school?

There is a Homework Timetable for students in Y7 and 8 to ensure that work is spread evenly across the week and that the amount of work is never excessive. We do want our students to develop a passion in their subjects and be curious to discover more about their learning outside of the classroom but we do also appreciate that it is important for our students to have time to explore their extracurricular interests and passions.

Are classes set depending on your ability?

There is a small amount of ability setting in Y7 for Maths; all other subjects are not set. In Y8 Maths is again the only subject to set. From Y9, students are set in Maths and Sciences.

I attended WKGS and there was a strong focus on the academic subjects but not so much the arts; theatre studies etc. Can you confirm the facilities available to these subjects nowadays?

We have a strong emphasis on allowing students to develop their passion in all areas now and we are passionate about promoting all subjects including the Arts and creative subjects. We have excellent facilities in Art where we offer 3 separate Art subjects at GCSE and A-level. We have a dedicated Drama studio with its own permanently installed lighting and sound rig for use in lessons and for performances. The Music Department have 2 dedicated teaching rooms and 4 practice rooms including a mac suite with Logic Pro X on all machines and a recording studio.

Do you offer a Foreign exchange programme?

Yes, foreign exchange programmes remain an integral part of our language department although these are obviously limited in the current climate.

What are your houses called?

Our houses are called Paton, Stewart, Gonner, Hudson, Wallis and Furniss. They are named after former Headteachers.

Can people who don't study drama do house drama?

Yes, all students are welcome to participate in house Drama, and any other house events.

Are they allowed mobiles?

Mobile phones are allowed in school but must be switched off and kept in pupils bags. They may only be used during the school day with the explicit permission of a member of staff.

Do you teach dance or gymnastics or have clubs?

Yes, we teach Drama and Gymnastics as part of our core P.E. curriculum and there are very popular and successful extracurricular clubs to support both of these.

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