Page 11 - Old Ratcliffian Magazine 2019

RATCLIFFE’S DESIGN

& TECHNOLOGY WIN

In February, Ratcliffe attended the annual Rotary Technology COLLEGE NEWS
Tournament, held at Leicester Grammar School. The competition
welcomed 10 schools from across the county and saw over 140
students participating from Key Stages 3, 4, and 5. Ratcliffe
entered three teams, with two participating in the Foundation
Level Competition, and one in the Advanced Task Competition.
After a day of competing, the Year 12 team walked away with fi rst
prize – a fantastic result! In addition to an impressive trophy, they
also won a visit to the premises of the sponsor company, Hodges
and Drake, to see how design applies to the workplace. The
winning team consisted of Kit Jackson, James Howling, Elliot Kelly
and Dominic Baggott (pictured, left).
RATCLIFFE COLLEGE HOSTS CATENIAN PUBLIC

SPEAKING COMPETITION

The Catenian Catholic Schools Public Speaking Competition is an annual
event which has been running for 12 years, and Ratcliffe were proud to host
it for the fi rst time this year. This annual event gives students from Catholic
schools in the East Midlands (Province 15) the opportunity to develop their
public-speaking skills, competing with students from across the region.

On Sunday 24th March, Ratcliffe welcomed a number of Catenians and
local bishops, as well as contestants and their families, to the College. After
enjoying refreshments in the Old Library, the guests moved to the Refectory,
where the competition was to take place. The subjects of the contestants’
talks were varied and broad-ranging. They each had to speak for four
minutes and, after a 30-minute break (during which time the guests enjoyed
the School’s new Lockhart Garden), the judges gave their notes and verdict.
First place went to Erin Broadhurst, from St Thomas More in Nuneaton, with
her discussion of the statement ‘Real love is not the stuff of pop songs’.
Second place went to Ratcliffe student Dalila Watson (Year 12), speaking on
the topic ‘We are born capable; failure is a choice’. Third place went to Sabina
Strug, from St John Fisher in Peterborough, for her presentation on ‘The idea
of peace on earth is naïve’. The certifi cates for taking part were presented
by National Vice President Phil Brown (pictured, right, with Dalila Watson),
who has organised the national fi nals of this event for the last 12 years, and
the three prizes were presented by Province 15’s Provincial President Keith
Webb, of Market Harborough.

THE RATCLIFFE APP

We are excited to announce the launch of the new ‘Ratcliffe App’ – a new messaging tool which will
greatly simplify communications between the College and current parents. The app has been created
for us by a local technology provider, Weduc, in response to parental feedback, in order to provide more
streamlined school-to-parent information. The new app combines different types of communication,
including letters, emails and student reports.
Benefi ts of the Ratcliffe App include ‘push notifi cations’ (direct messages in one place, away from
the clutter of email), clear and visible notices about important College events, online electronic forms
and permission slips, a calendar and newsfeed, and a ‘Parents’ Portal’, providing access to relevant
information about students, regardless of their year group.
The app has been received incredibly well, and feedback from parents has been positive. We are
excited to develop the provision and service offered by technologies such as this one in the future.

The Old Ratcliffi an 2019 11