Flintshire high school’s opening evening attracts record turnout

Argoed High School’s recent open evening for prospective students and their families was a great success with the school reporting its best ever turnout.

Staff and students welcomed over 700 people on the night to experience everything the school has to offer, with a wide range of engaging and exciting activities for young visitors to experience.

Paul Smith, headteacher, said: “There was a fantastic atmosphere, and it was wonderful to meet so many families.  It is an exciting time to be considering Argoed as we get ready to move into our new state of the art building next year.

“We are proud of the achievements of all our students, not just academically in their GCSE results, but also in the way they grow into responsible young adults, ready to meet future challenges.  

“We have high expectations of our students, and our central aim is to enable each individual to succeed. We want them to be happy, healthy, aim high and be independent students with an appreciation for lifelong learning. Everyone is valued for his or her own personal qualities and talents. Our motto is ‘learning together, working together, succeeding together’ and this underpins everything we do and will continue to be our foundation when we move into the new school.

“I would like to thank all our staff for putting on an extensive variety of immersive activities for children throughout the event, and to our own amazing students who did such a fantastic job of helping visitors find their way around the school and assisting in the different subject areas.”

Student leaders, Dawid Hughes and Erin Messham, spoke about what being a member of Argoed meant to them and how you should embrace all the opportunities that the school offers.  They talked about the variety of trips they had been on and the shows they had taken part in.

Year 7 student Patrick Grice spoke about his transition into high school, and how attending the summer holiday club had helped him make friends, adding that he ‘now has loads!’  His message to upcoming students was ‘just get stuck in.’ 

Emily Nothcroft, year 7, spoke about taking part in cross country, having the opportunity to audition for an upcoming show and looking forward to finding out what part she will get.  

The prefects helped visitors to find their way around the school, and student helpers from years 7 to 11 were on hand to assist in each department.

The PE department put on gymnastics workshops and a netball display, a murder mystery was enacted in the drama studio, and in art visitors could try their hand at creating oil pastel monoprints.  

In English, there were a host of interactive activities for children to try, and there were games on Blooket in the Spanish classroom, more speaking games and quizzes in Welsh, Significant Individuals was the theme in history, and GeoGuessr was one of the fun games in geography.  

Coding activities and website animation proved popular in the ICT department, in science there were dissections and chemistry experiments, and mathematics staff engaged children with activities including ‘Mathswatch.’ 

Parents also had the opportunity to visit the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) HUB for an informal chat, and the student support area offered Lego therapy, and mindfulness sessions, as well as providing information about the summer club and transition activities. 

School year 7 applications are now open, and close on 4th November.  For any queries about your child joining Argoed High School, please contact the school on 01352  756414, or email [email protected].