A large group of A-Level Physics students from King Edward VI College have received awards in the British Physics Olympiad 2011.

The British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) aims to encourage the study of Physics and recognise excellence in young physicists through four annual Physics competitions. It is a prestigious competition which has run for 25 years and is entered annually by over 1,600 talented young physicists.

The competitions are designed to test understanding and problem solving skills and are open to young physicists in school years 11-13 (GCSE to A2 or equivalent).

Participation in the competition allows students to have fun whilst problem solving, test their knowledge, use physics to solve real problems, experience higher levels of study and gain a prestigious award to add to their CV.

Joanna Quigley, a second year student from Nuneaton won a Gold Award, this puts her in the top one hundred Physics students in the country. Adrian Maye a student from Tamworth achieved a Silver Award and is in the top 250 students in the country.

Adrian said “It’s really great that the college offers us these extra opportunities, even if it does translate into several hours of exams. The Olympiad in particular really makes you think, and takes you out of your comfort zone because you have to apply the Physics you know to an abstract problem. It’s definitely helped with my studies though; you end up seeing things in a new way, after the Olympiad’s trial by fire.”

Thomas Sharrock, Andrew Chapman, Alex Cullen, and Daniel Gautrey all received Commendations. John Raynor, Stephen Pearce, Liam Barkes, Harry Orchard and Matthew Parker all received Bronze Awards.

Alex Hawthorn, Teacher of Physics at King Edward V1 College said “The Olympiad is a wonderful way of getting recognition for our more talented physicists. Their dedication and hard work has really paid off and the college is extremely proud of these students.”

Over 400 students from schools across Gloucestershire and further afield attended the 8th annual Religious Studies Conference on Wednesday 25th January hosted at The Cheltenham Ladies’ College.

Pupils from schools including Bournside, Chosen Hill and Sir Thomas Rich’s heard from two eminent speakers. Michael Wilcockson, author of several key Ethics books, Head of Divinity at Eton College and a Chief Examiner for OCR, led a session entitled ‘How far can you go? Sexual Ethics’.

During the second session, students heard from Baroness Warnock, a respected author and life peer who has chaired committees on Special education, human fertility treatment and animal experimentation. Baroness Warnock spoke passionately on the topic of Euthanasia, of which she is a committed advocate, having previously written numerous articles on the topic. Her talk prompted lively debate amongst the students during the afternoon session which took the form of a panel debate between the students and visiting speakers.

Dr Victoria Sherwood, Religious Studies teacher at Cheltenham Ladies’ College and Conference Organiser said, “The Conference gave students from many different schools across Gloucestershire the fantastic opportunity to hear from two eminent speakers and to engage in discussion and debate with them. It was an extremely stimulating day and the combination of the thought-provoking speeches and the more practical examiners’ sessions will be of great help to students in their forthcoming exams.

Two giant batiks, made by Year 4 pupils during the Summer Term 2011, have been selected by the National Gallery to be on display as part of the Take One Picture exhibition.

The two pictures will be on show from 9th May to 16th September at the National Gallery, London.

Every year the National Gallery focuses on one painting from the collection to inspire cross-curricular work in primary classrooms.

The painting Year 4 looked at was Veronese’s The Family of Darius before Alexander, which inspired a history-linked batik by 4R, Guthrum before Alfred the Great, and an English-linked one by 4M Titania and the Fairies before Oberon.

All the batiks feature self-portraits by the children as various characters.

Head Teacher, Mr Greg Taylor, commented:

“Many congratulations to the pupils for their creativity and artistry. This is a tremendous accolade to have both pieces of artwork on display at the National Gallery in London. We are extremely proud of their achievement and hope that it will encourage them to continue developing their skills as artists.

In recognition of the pupil’s achievement Mr Roberts-Wray and Mrs MacFarlan are planning to take the children involved to see their artwork on display at the National Gallery during the Summer Term.”

The batiks are currently on display in the Brenda Medlock Technology Centre at the Junior School until the end of the January.

-Ends-

Julia Acklam
Marketing

King Edward’s School

North Road

Bath

BA2 6HU
Tel: 01225 820415

Web: www.kesbath.com

Business Career Academy students from The Sixth Form College, Solihull got a taste of national government last week, as they journeyed to London to visit Westminster.

Despite significant travel disruption – involving two broken down trains – the students made it to London and enjoyed a tour of the Houses of Parliament and took in the sights around Westminster, including Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral and the London Eye.

The students on the trip are all in their second year of a BTEC Extended Diploma in Business course and are also part of the College’s Career Academy. The Business Career Academy programme is a national initiative that raises the employability of young people. Visits such as this one, form an important part of the programme, with mentoring, guru lectures and paid internships also forming part of the experience for students.

During their tour of the Houses of Parliament, the students were told about how an Act of Parliament goes through the House of Lords and the House of Commons before it is passed as law. The guide also explained how the MPs address each other when they are sitting in Parliament and gave them an insight into the aspect of theatre involved, such as when MPs shout ‘order’ when Parliament is sitting.

The tour included information about how the Queen officially opens Parliament each year and the different customs that have been set many years ago and which are still followed today. The students were also given a short history lesson about how past kings and queens have tried to change the way Parliament is run.

Ranjit Hayer, Career Academy Manager and a Business teacher, commented: “Getting to London proved to be quite an ordeal, but we managed it and it was worth it, because the visit gave the students a really valuable insight into the workings of government. This is important because legislation affects every aspect of business and seeing Britain’s seat of power for themselves will have helped them to understand that.”

Bev Bishop, Marketing Co-ordinator, The Sixth Form College, Solihull

Tel: 0121 704 2581 (Ext. 2427)

Fax: 0121 711 1598

Email: BBishop@SolihullSFC.ac.uk

A team of pupils from leading Independent School, Durham School, will represent the North East of England in a National Chemistry Competition which takes place in London in March having won every round in the regional quiz of the Royal Society of Chemistry Quiz held on 18 January.

The team of four, who competed against schools from Newcastle and the North East Coast, won the event by a staggering 26 points above RGS Newcastle, who were second.

“Our young chemists, Callum Bain (Year 11), Lexy Powell (Year 10), Ed Carr (Year 9) and Gabriel Parkinson (Year 9) all worked so well together as a team and were a shining example of pupils at Durham School.” said their Chemistry Teacher Kirsty Lowery.

The quiz comprised three rounds:  1^st in the laboratory identifying equipment and hazards; 2^nd practical demonstrations to watch then answer questions; 3^rd general knowledge chemistry quiz of 7 rounds. The organisers said that they were the out and out winners having won every round and justly deserved their victory.

We wish them all good wishes for the national competition in March.

Badminton Junior School has raised £750 for Send a Cow – a charity which works hand in hand with poor families in Africa, teaching them the skills they need to build new lives free from poverty and hunger. The money was raised through parental donations and by the sale of toys and books at the school’s St Nicholas Fair.

Send a Cow works in rural African communities, providing training, livestock, seeds and support. The charity doesn’t offer quick fix solutions, instead works with African families over a five year period to try and restore hope and create stronger communities for the future. The money raised by Badminton Junior School will be used to buy a top quality dairy cow for a family – a small gift, but one which can effect substantial sustainable change. As well as providing families with a regular supply of milk, calves born from this cow will be passed on to another family and skills will be shared with others to help them also move above the poverty line.

Said Head of Badminton Junior School, Emma Davies: “Our children were very interested in Send a Cow’s charity work and really wanted to raise enough money to send a whole cow to Africa as they could see how much difference it really would make. The assembly run by David Turner from Send a Cow was wonderful and really spurred the children on to raise a significant sum of money.”

The college started in September 2011 and is a big hit with everyone: staff, parents and pupils. Every Friday afternoon children leave their normal classes and join their college group of mixed aged children taught by various members of staff.

Subjects studied at the College are:

Art

Food Technology

Gardening & Nature

Music

Textiles

All pupils have now done Module 1 of their first and second units—and have the certificates to prove it! They are now studying their 1st Module in their third subject.

Those pupils who are with us next year, (the current Year 5, 4 & 3) will study the subjects again but at Module 2 level, whereas the “new” Year 3s will begin with Module 1. So each time the pupils re-visit a subject their skill and knowledge level will rise.

Here’s a selection of comments by Year 6 pupils about the college:

“Just the right amount of time to learn new skills,” Jack.

“Good selection of things to do. And it helps the younger children get to know the teachers they have never worked with,” Harry.

“I like it because you get to make new friends in your group and work with different teachers,” Megan.

“It’s really enjoyable, I really like it and it’s better than normal lessons,” Billy.

“It finds you new interests and hobbies,” Cameron.

“It helps you find out what skills you are good at,” Kyle.

Kingsbury School and Sports College in Erdington, North Birmingham will be helping pupils from 25 other local schools to go Faster, Higher and Stronger this summer.  The school and its sports partnership are celebrating after receiving a grant which will help towards the cost of a massive School Games event on 25^th June – London 2012 World Sport Day.  The day also marks the beginning of National School Sport week.

One of only three schools in Birmingham to receive the funding, KSSC has been awarded £8,800 – the maximum amount available – thanks to a successful bid from the school and its school sports partnership, headed up by partnership manager Alison Mapp. The funding is awarded through the Get Set Network, the official London 2012 education programme for UK schools and colleges, which helps member schools to share their passion for the Games, promoting the Olympic values and inspiring and engaging others.

The Kingsbury school sports partnership supports the training of primary school teachers and secondary age Young Sports Ambassadors in Olympic and Paralympic sports.  The Young Ambassadors will deliver sessions to younger pupils, as well as supporting the Kingsbury Primary and Special School Games, involving over 600 pupils, on World Sports Day on June 25^th. The 25 schools in the partnership are mainly from Erdington but some are from Kingstanding, Perry Barr and Great Barr and include 17 primary, five secondary and three special schools. Some of the successful participants will go on to compete in the Birmingham School Games at the end of that week.

Readers may remember from a previous issue that Kingsbury had already set up an Olympic medal table and competitions for all the schools in its partnership.  “I’m really excited,” said partnership manager Alison Mapp. “The funding will help us to really celebrate London 2012. Each member school represents a different country in the medal table, and competitions are well under way from last year. Schools have been given flags and receive points for participating in events and for finishing first, second or third. The idea is for schools to cheer their country at the Games and beyond, and also look at the culture of the country, which gives a broader outlook than just sport. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we were already engaging local schools -the funding is an added bonus”.

Whilst the funding is a big help, there are still many resources needed for the event. The transport costs alone for over 600 pupils from 25 schools will be substantial, not to mention refreshments, certificates and medals. If any local organisations are interested in supporting the event or getting involved on the day, they should contact Alison Mapp or Kate Rose at the school on 0121 373 1080.

And the excitement has already started! Staff from Kingsbury have been visiting all the primary schools to educate the children about the Olympic and Paralympic sports, culture and values, as well as enthusing them about the country they are representing.

In December, Kingsbury chose the leader of the medal table to go to London to visit 10 Downing Street! Four lucky children from Abbey Catholic Primary School went with PE teacher Mrs Kennedy and Head Teacher Mrs Tallon to meet not only the Prime Minister David Cameron but several sporting stars aswell. They were treated to a School Games Christmas party, took part in activities and even met Santa and his reindeer. A great time was had by all.

But celebrating London 2012 doesn’t all start and finish with PE and sport. The idea is to engage all areas of the curriculum throughout the year. The School Games event itself will incorporate other subjects through the Opening Ceremony, design of the Kingsbury School Games Torch and other activities such as media coverage by the school radio. The school’s next Enrichment Day on 13^th March will celebrate the Olympics, as well as Science and Engineering week, and there will be a range of exciting activities across all subjects.

There are lots of other sporting activities happening at Kingsbury ahead of the Games; watch this space for more information soon.

www.kingsbury.bham.sch.uk

krose@kingsbury.bham.sch.uk

A group of pupils from Lacon Childe recently experienced the excitement of being in our capital city, London.

The trip was run over a three day period with activities arranged from early on the Friday to late on the Sunday night. Those who attended were able to visit London, some for the first time, and take in all aspects including trips to the Natural History Museum, Tate Modern and the Science Museum, a night time ride on the London Eye, a visit to the theatre to see the spectacular “Lion King”, as well as soaking up the atmosphere of our cultural capital with an open topped Tour Bus and a trip to the Covent Garden Christmas Markets and Trafalgar Square.
The trip was arranged by Mrs Caroline Bills and continues the work that led to her recent National Award recognising the wide range of work she does with our pupils.
Anna Callwood said “The trip on the London Eye was great and the views were amazing, you could even see Buckingham Palace”.
Allan Gilhooley said ”This type of trip gives an opportunity for a wide range of our pupils to make a short trip to London and f or some of them it is the first time they have ever left our rural community. In this whistle stop tour they sample the wide range of activities our capital city has to offer in order to give them a truly memorable experience. These trips can only be run with the commitment of staff and add to the broad spectrum of activities our outstanding school has to offer.”

“Cavendish College”, which started in September this year, seems to be a big hit with everyone: staff, children and parents.

Every Friday afternoon the pupils leave their classes and join their college group of mixed aged children taught by various members of staff.

Subjects studied at the College are:

Art

Food Technology

Gardening & Nature

Music

Textiles

All pupils have now done Module 1 of their first and second units—and have the certificates to prove it! They are now studying their 1st Module in their third subject.

Those pupils who are with us next year, (the current Year 5, 4 & 3) will study the subjects again but at Module 2 level, whereas the “new” Year 3s will begin with Module 1. So each time the pupils re-visit a subject their skill and knowledge level will rise.

Here’s a selection of comments by Year 6 pupils about the college:

“Just the right amount of time to learn new skills,” Jack.

“Good selection of things to do. And it helps the younger children get to know the teachers they have never worked with,” Harry.

“I like it because you get to make new friends in your group and work with different teachers,” Megan.

“It’s really enjoyable, I really like it and it’s better than normal lessons,” Billy.

“It finds you new interests and hobbies,” Cameron.

“It helps you find out what skills you are good at,” Kyle.

A group of pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently visited the brand new Manchester College to test out their fabulous state of the art cooking facilities.

The Year 10 GCSE Food and Nutrition pupils were delighted to have the opportunity to gain hands on experience and work in the college’s kitchens which mirror modern commercial facilities so they were able to get a true idea of what life as a chef would be like. The pupils prepared and cooked sizzling beef fajitas with spicy fresh salsa.

“The visit involved the school and college working together to develop and promote vocational skills,” explained Ms Jenny Hardy, Head of Food Technology at Saint Paul’s. “It aimed to encourage the school pupils to think about their future careers, as well as developing important life skills. It was an excellent opportunity for our pupils.”

Simon Connelly, Lecturer/Head Chef from Manchester College said: “The food was superb and enjoyed thoroughly by all. The pupils from Saint Paul’s have been a credit to both Manchester College and Saint Paul’s; they were all dedicated and showed a high standard of skills throughout the day.”

Leon Fishwick, one of the Year 10 pupils commented on the day: “This was great fun; I really enjoyed working in a real professional kitchen.”

“The event gave our pupils a real life insight into working in a professional kitchen environment,” commented Head Teacher, Mr Wiktor Daron. “I was delighted with the enthusiasm spirit shown by our pupils who worked so well to produce food of a very high standard.”

Professor Lord Robert Winston, world expert in human reproduction, opened North West London Independent School last week. The special school in Ealing has a new £2 million building and is about to have its first intake of pupils with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC).

Many people know Lord Winston from his television appearances. He was the science expert in Jamie’s Dream School and is also highly respected for his work as a doctor and surgeon. Last week he took time out from his busy schedule to open the school’s science room which bears his name.

The North West London Independent School can take up to 55 pupils and supports nine boroughs across West London. It is one of three schools owned by TC Education Services (TCES) which works with children who have serious behavioural difficulties.

Most of the pupils arrive in year 10 and will require considerable support including some one to one teaching. They have been excluded from other provision and may not have been attending school on a regular basis for several years. Some are in care and may also be known to the Criminal Justice system.

The aim of TCES is to get children back into full time education but also to help them re-engage with their community and this might be challenging if they have a criminal record and have been in conflict with their families and neighbours. The school works with Impressionable Minds, an organisation which provides workshops and activities for children to make them aware of the consequences of anti social behaviour.

TCES is proud of its record in helping pupils them to get accreditation. “More than 80% of our pupils are in education, training or employment six months after they have left year 11,” said Thomas Keaney, chief executive of TCES. “This is a figure which most schools would be proud of but it is particularly remarkable given the profile of our young people.”

Now the North West London Independent School has a new unit called Genesis for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. This will be run totally separately from the main school so that the teenagers with behavioural difficulties will not come into contact with the autistic pupils.

Jacqui Twitchell, head of service for ASC, is delighted with the modern, flexible learning spaces and high quality facilities. “Everything has to be very individual,” she said. “Some of our learners will react badly to particular colours or different stimuli so the new unit will be in neutral colours with small rooms and areas where children can take time out if everything is getting on top of them.”

Luke, a year 10 pupil with ASC from another TCES school, praised the support he had received from Jacqui Twitchell and other staff, “I have changed quite a lot,” said Luke. “I am keeping calm a lot longer more willing to listen to other people’s side of things. If you had seen me last October you would not think I was the same person.”

Professor Robert Winston praised TCES and Thomas Keaney for the work they do with young people who are dropping out of education and in danger of social exclusion. “We don’t always value young people in our society,” he said. “The experiences they have when they are young are very important and if it goes wrong for them in their early years it is hard to undo the damage.”

http://www.tces.org.uk/

A group of Year 8 and 9 pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe enjoyed a recent trip to London where they got the opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, Tower Bridge and the new Olympic Stadium.

The trip’s main focus was on the Olympic Stadium where the pupils were guided around the outside of the Stadium which is in the final stages of construction before participating in a workshop on the legacy of the stadium and the sustainability of the various venues.

They looked at how the Olympic Delivery Authority has transformed the Olympic Park from derelict industrial land to a sustainable new quarter of London. Sustainability was embedded in the bid for the 2012 Games and the pupils examined how the Authority looked firstly at using existing UK venues where possible and then only built permanent structures for venues which will have a long-term use after the Games, everything else would be housed in temporary structures,
“The Authority want to use the Games as a catalyst for change, for the regeneration of, and improvement of quality of life in, East London and encourage more sustainable living across the whole of the UK,” explained Ms Ursula Gallagher, Head of Humanities at Saint Paul’s. “The pupils investigated the issues surrounding sustainability with a focus on the Olympic Park including the impact on climate change, waste, biodiversity, inclusion and healthy living. They performed brilliantly and five of them were awarded Gold medals for their contributions.”

“I am very proud of the way the pupils participated in the various activities with such enthusiasm; they are a credit to Saint Paul’s,” commented Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “The pupils gained a great deal from this visit, they were able to enjoy their time in London and see many of the major sites and the visit to the Olympic Stadium provided an excellent opportunity for our pupils to learn in a very stimulating environment about the importance of sustainability and the impact of events such as the Olympic Games on our environment and economy.”

Many congratulations to former Warminster School pupil, James Vince, who has been selected to be part of the squad for the England Lions Tour to Bangladesh in January 2012. He is contributing well to the success of the tour so far.

Whilst at Warminster James displayed great talent as a cricketer. He was a right handed top-order batsman and captained the School team. After leaving Warminster, James spent a year in Western Australia working particularly hard on his game. When James returned to the UK he acquired a contract at Hampshire and he also represented England Under 19s in the World Cup in New Zealand.

This, however, is another big step up for James. A Lions Tour is a huge honour and a real opportunity for James to establish himself as an international cricketer and future England player. The Lions are the “second-tier” of international English cricket below the full England cricket team and Lions tours are designed to allow promising young cricketers the opportunity to gain experience of playing international cricket.

Having broken into the Hampshire squad last year, being selected for the Lions is therefore proof that James is regarded as a very bright prospect indeed. To put this in perspective, several of his team-mates (including Jos Buttler and Johnny Bairstow) have already represented the full England team at one-day level, so James is clearly very much part of the thoughts of the England set-up. Indeed in the second one-day international of the tour, James did his future prospects no harm at all, scoring 44 in the Lions’ comprehensive victory over Bangladesh A.

All of us here at Warminster School wish James every success in the rest of the tour and we will be following the team’s progress with interest.

Bridge Learning Campus, the Trust School in Hartcliffe, Bristol, celebrated the success of their fantastic Year 11 students.  To mark the best ever year in their GCSE results, 180 local parents and former secondary school students came to the Campus to enjoy a well deserved evening of “Celebrating Success”.

In 2011, 83% of Bridge’s students gained 5 GCSE passes with grades between A* and C, an incredible improvement on the 63% in the previous year (2010).

These figures have meant that the Bridge Learning Campus at Hartcliffe was one of two secondary schools in Bristol acclaimed as the most improving for the period 2007 – 2011.  To show its appreciation to the students for their hard work and fabulous achievements, the Campus organised an evening hosted by Heart FM Breakfast show presenter, Paris Troy.

“It was a real pleasure,” said Paris, “…I found the whole experience very rewarding….It’s fantastic to see young people achieving their potential.  And it was great to meet the staff and teachers.  I was really impressed by their passion and care for the students.”

Ian Kenna, Year 11 achievement co-ordinator for Bridge Learning Campus, was especially proud of the students and teachers who, between them, have crowned off a really excellent academic year for the community in South Bristol.

Year 8 Badminton student, Amelia Gilmartin (13), has just been awarded one of the top marks in the country for her Grade 8 violin.  Amelia who gained 145 out of a possible 150 marks, a distinction, performed the third movement of Suite Hebraique by Bloch, Concerto in E Major, first movement, by Vivaldi and Legende by Henryk Wieniawski.

Amelia, who lives in Clifton Wood in Bristol, is taught by Prof Richard Crabtree and has been playing the violin since she was seven years old.  She practises for at least 1.5 hours every day and is also a pianist, studying for her Grade 7 next summer.

Badminton has an excellent reputation for music and regularly holds music concerts at professional venues around Bristol.  Amelia plays in the senior school orchestra and is also a member of the senior school choir.  Outside of school she has played in the National Children’s Orchestra and is currently a member of the Bristol Ensemble Training Orchestra and the Bristol Schools Philharmonia.

One of Amelia’s favourite musical experiences was playing with Language and Music for Life, an organisation which brings together international music students from around the world on residential two-week courses every summer.  Amelia has performed internationally in both Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon in France and in Venice and also enjoyed busking both on her own and with the string orchestra, on the streets of Venice for tourists.

Recently, Amelia has also won two trophies for her violin playing in the solo string sections of the Bristol Music Festival and Longwell Green Eisteddfod.  She has performed in venues as diverse as the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, St Georges and The Colston Hall.  She also enjoys composition and is hoping to study music at university.

Said Badminton’s Director of Music, Matthew Bale:  “In the whole of my teaching career, I have never known a student get such a high mark for Grade 8 – it is such an achievement, especially as she took her Grade 8 when she was only 12 years old.  Amelia is a stunning violin player and adds tremendously to the musical life of the school.  I am extremely pleased with our recent Associated Board music results and the excellent standard achieved is a reflection of the hard work and preparation from our talented pupils and dedicated teaching staff.”

Pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently enjoyed a three day residential retreat at Savio House in Bollington, Cheshire. Here they were able to take time out from their busy lives to reflect upon themselves, their hopes and dreams and their relationships with those around them.

The retreat provides a break from the routine of everyday school activities, where the young people are given the opportunity to look deeply at their own lives and the nature of their own belief.  This is done through games, discussion, craft-activities, prayer and liturgy.

The trip is part-funded by the Saint Paul’s Parents, Teachers and Friends Association. Savio House is run by the Salesians of Don Bosco, a catholic religious congregation renowned for their youth work and family oriented approach. Schools come from all over the north of England, North Wales and the Midlands benefit from their retreats.

At Savio House, the young people join in fully as part of the community. They eat with the Savio team, socialise with them and spend the rest of their time together.

‘Free time’ is an important aspect of the retreat experience and some of the best work at Savio House is done on the football pitch, round the pool table or in a quiet moment over a cup of tea and a biscuit.

The pupils spent time focusing on spiritual matters with morning and night prayers each day, a celebration of the Eucharist and an opportunity for all to experience the forgiveness of God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

“We aim to give the pupils a positive faith experience in an atmosphere of welcome, friendship and respect, in the hope that each individual will be able to focus on God and their potential for spiritual growth,” commented Mrs Stella McGovern, from Saint Paul’s, who accompanied the pupils. “The pupils had a very enriching time away, giving them the opportunity to evaluate what is important to them and to reflect on their roles in the school community and society,”

“Whilst at Savio House, the pupils are able to enhance their appreciation of spiritual values, they are given an opportunity to learn about themselves, about each other and about the role that Christ can play in their lives,” said Head Teacher, Mr Wiktor Daron. “It gives them some important time for reflection and development and we notice the benefits including a greater maturity when the children return to school.”

Mr Daron added “The pupils really enjoyed their time at Savio House and when it was time for them to leave, they found it hard to believe that they had only been there for three days, they felt it was somewhere they belonged.”

St Alban’s Academy in Highgate has received an outstanding report from the Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools. Inspected in December, the report states the Academy is outstanding in 3 areas:

• the distinctiveness and effectiveness of St Alban’s Academy as a Church of England school are outstanding
• the School, through its distinctive Christian character, is outstanding at meeting the needs of all learners
• the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is outstanding.

Following a detailed inspection of the school and interviews with pupils, parents and staff the inspector issued an exceptionally positive report. The inspector set out what he saw as the academy’s key strengths. These included:

• · Leadership that motivates and enables students to meet challenging expectations.
• · Students’ excellent spiritual development and awareness.
• · Excellent personalised support for students and families.
• · The contribution of religious education to the Academy’s distinctiveness.
• · The inclusive nature of worship

The report states:

St Alban’s Academy is exceptional in that students are enabled to explore and develop issues of faith whilst making remarkable progress both academically and personally. The Academy provides a remarkably high level of personal support to individual students in order to successfully break any barriers to learning such as poor attendance, language issues or poor behaviour.

The principal, supported by dedicated staff and governors, shows exceptional leadership that enables a Christian school serving a multi-faith community to deliver excellent outcomes for students. There is continuous informed debate and development to retain, develop and express the Academy’s distinctiveness whilst serving the needs of all. The chair of governors is fully involved in review and accurate identification of development priorities. The Academy involves and supports parents, including those newly arrived, exceptionally well. The excellent use of interpreters and home- liaison staff facilitates excellent communication between home and school, whilst the numerous information sessions, such as explanation of assessment, ensures that parents are able to fully support their children’s education. Links with places of worship, other schools and organisations and, above all, the impact of the Academy’s values and practice, contribute substantially to community cohesion, parents noting that students ‘develop a respect for each other’ and that this is a positive influence in the community.

A group of Year 7 pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe have been enjoying the school’s Science Club where they have been bringing science to life in a number of exciting projects.

These projects have involved making rockets, producing balloon hovercrafts, creating invisible ink Christmas cards and making and testing fire extinguishers.

”The Club offers pupils the chance to do science-related activities that extend and enhance the science they experience in the classroom,” explained Mrs Amanda Potter, Science teacher at Saint Paul’s. “We found that the children were very enthusiastic to become members and it has improved motivation and had a positive impact on attitudes. The Club has inspired our pupils, they have had some exciting hands-on experiences and it has brought Science to life for them with some real-life products with which they have been able to relate.”

Mrs Potter added “Through the Science club we have been able to get the pupils involved in some fun activities which have demonstrated the enjoyment and magic of Science. The pupils have been curious to learn more and try out some of the techniques themselves. We have been able to demonstrate that Science is much more than just an academic subject. We have tapped into our pupils’ interests and demonstrated to them the relevance of Science to life outside school.”

“The Science Club has been a fantastic initiative which celebrates the fun and enjoyment of Science,” commented Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “The key to its success has been in choosing activities that are stimulating and exciting. The hands-on activities are brilliant and the highly visual demonstrations capture attention and spark interest. It has made Science more visible, more interesting and more attractive to pupils in the school.”

“In addition, the Club has formed an important avenue to show the vital role which science plays in our individual lives; it teachs the pupils that science is all around them and it’s happening all the time,” added Mr Daron.

It’s not too long before the exam season  when  sometimes there may be a bit of panic in the air ….

and not just for students facing their GCSE or A level exams !

Judging by the comments we’ve had from some premises staff over the years,  it seems that “the powers that be” in their school or college suddenly decide  they need some new exam desks…. and they want them yesterday !

If you’re faced with such a situation  (or even if you don’t have such a tight deadline)  then why not give Central Educational Supplies a call on

tel: 020 7515 1797 or visit their website to see how they might be able to help.

They can supply folding , cantilever or “zimmer” style desks from only

£ 15.95  ex vat,  as well as transporters for folding desks.  They can often supply exam desks at short notice although it’s always easier if they have a few weeks notice !

Central Educational Supplies Ltd.,  PO Box 999,  London E14 6SH

Tel:  020 7515 1797  Fax:  020 7515 4420  email: signpost@talk21.com

website: www.centraleducational.co.uk

PS.  If you’re in the market for new classroom tables and chairs you may find what you need on their website…… or why not give them a call ?

Catherine Kirkham-Sandy, a Year 9 student at The Maynard School Exeter, has had her first novel published at the age of just 14.

The book is  entitled ‘A Tale to be Remembered’ and relates a story that begins and ends in the quadrangles of Oxford University, with the main story originating from a student’s research project into the society and history of two very different islands believed to have existed in the mid-nineteenth century in the mysterious region of the Bermuda Triangle. The work has just been published and Catherine is now starting to promote the novel.

Catherine, who is currently studying for her GCSEs, has always had a flair for English and decided to try her hand at writing a novel last year after encouragement by a British film director.

The aspiring author says that her flair for English stems from being an only child living in the country and spending a lot of time alone. She has a vivid imagination and used it well to create imaginary characters for company, constructing stories and scenarios from a very young age. Catherine also has an interest in acting and has appeared on television, acting in commercials, comedy and current affairs programmes; she is playing Prospero in The Tempest in Exeter in April and feature film opportunities now beckon.

Catherine said, ‘I have always loved English, and my mum taught me to read at an early age. The endless writing (more like scribbles at that age!) followed, and when I started at The Maynard Junior School I had the inspiration and terrific encouragement from the creative minds of my English teachers. My novel has a strong fictional historical dimension as I love History too and it is my second favourite subject.’

‘I am just starting to study for my GCSE’s at school, and so my work load is increasing, but I do plan to keep writing in my spare time. I am still creating characters and plots and there are some short stories in my pile of note books. I want to try a film treatment next and I have been reading up on the great masters of that skill.’

Watch this space for Catherine’s next work!

It’s not only individuals who sign up for New Year resolutions, staff and pupils at Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe have also committed to the following:

Be Polite

Say Something Nice

***

Be Smart

Wear Correct Uniform

***

Be On Time

To School and Lessons

“The New Year offers an excellent opportunity to commit to some positive actions which are realistic, worthwhile and beneficial,” explained Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “As a school, we are always looking for ways which we can improve school life and the development of our pupils.”

Against a background of many significant achievements at St John’s in Marlborough, the Sixth Form Awards were presented to students in the school’s theatre on Wednesday 14 December by Andy Devonshire, former St John’s Head Boy and now an acclaimed award-winning TV Director.

To present the awards and deliver the keynote speech Andy Devonshire took time out from the demanding production schedule of ‘The Magician’ which he is currently directing for the BBC.  His achievements include ‘The Apprentice, for which he won a BAFTA, as well as episodes of top rating programmes such as ‘Top Gear’.

Jamie Jackson-Proutt was announced the winner of this year’s ‘Stephen Twelvetrees Award’ for outstanding contribution to the Sixth Form for his contagious passion and enthusiasm and his willingness to give time to fellow students and the school in general.

The ‘Headteacher’s Award for Services to the School’ went to Head Girl Molly Reid and Head Boy Oliver Hudson. Lizzy Edwards won the ‘Moran’s Award for Food Technology’ for her outstanding effort and success throughout the course and the ‘Spirit of the IB’ award went to Michael Lloyd for outstanding perseverance and belief in the ideals of the International Baccalaureate.

Headteacher Dr Patrick Hazlewood explained how he believes St John’s students are well prepared for the future.

“Education is truly a lifelong process – everything we ever do, achieve, get wrong and put right.   It is a vital part of a truly democratic society that people are empowered to challenge those in power.  A really good school creates opportunities for students to develop the confidence and capability to do this – for me it is one of the great successes that you will all take with you when you leave.

Last year’s Year 11 was quite exceptional with 75% of students achieving 5 A*-C grades in their GCSEs, beating our previous best by 8%.  It was a truly outstanding performance.  The AS level results were also highly impressive with 39% of all grades being A or B.  Again this is a best ever performance and well on track for Year 13 to be the record breaking year. We were also delighted to be the top ranked IB state school in the year’s exam results.

Later in life today’s achievements will become the step upon which your future is founded – A levels, IB Diploma, first degree, second, first job, promotion etc. What you have achieved at GCSE and AS is already defining the doors ahead of you.  They are either open or closed depending on how successful you have been.  The road ahead seems long and timeless.  For those, like me, who look back it is remarkably short and goes so fast.  The challenges ahead can seem daunting but as St John’s students I know you are well prepared to overcome any of those and succeed”.

Staff at Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe were delighted that their Year 9 pupil, Georgina Cook, was asked by the NHS if they could use copies of her Technology project about MRI scanners in their surgeries to illustrate their appearance and use to patients.

Georgina had worked extremely hard to research the technology involved with MRI scanners and how they are used in hospitals, she then used this information to help her in her practical assignment which was to produce an electronic sensor.

Saint Paul’s, the first school in Manchester to be awarded specialist status for Engineering, has a distinctive engineering and technology ethos running throughout the school and is very keen to inspire and engage the pupils in Engineering and Technology.

“We are very proud of Georgina, she put a great deal of effort into the research and production of her project,” explained Mr Danny Corrigan, Head of Technology at Saint Paul’s. “She took very technical information and transformed it into a very easy to understand format, this is an extremely valuable skill.”

“This is a great accolade for Georgina, it is an acknowledgement of the amount of time and effort which she puts into her work,” commented Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “The project highlights the school’s strong focus on “making design real”, which gives students the opportunities to extend their learning outside of the school setting.”

Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe brought the music of Queen to life in the smash-hit musical We Will Rock You, a show written by Ben Elton based on the songs of Queen. An absolute rock theatrical!

We Will Rock You was a nostalgic musical experience and a chance to hear those iconic hits one more time. Set in a future where live music and musical instruments are banned, an unlikely group of misfits sets off on a quest to discover the truth behind the legend of a mythical band called Queen. It was the perfect opportunity to deliver Queen classic hits – and a few laughs – as live music battles the evils of a soulless, virtual world!

The show followed the adventures of Galileo and Scaramuche, as they strived to break free from a world where everyone thinks the same and songs have been banned. Along the way they are arrested by the Ga Ga Cops, face the anger of the Killer Queen, encounter the Bohemian rebels and even find time to fall in love before triumphantly finding the planet’s last musical instrument.

“We Will Rock You was a stunning show, delivered by an accomplished cast. There were some outstanding performances and some inspired characterizations,” said Head Teacher, Mr Wiktor Daron. “The show was ‘a kind of magic’ – a real spectacular, it left songs in your head and a smile on your face!”

Charity fundraising events are part of life at Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe. Recently, Year 8 pupils have been working hard to raise money for Caritas, a Catholic charity aiming to eradicate poverty and social injustice.

The fundraising is part of the year 8 ICT Charity Project unit. The pupils have decided to raise money in school by activities such as cake sales. The pupils also made up food hampers and asked staff and pupils to donate items such as tea, coffee, sugar, soup and cakes; the hampers are aimed at providing a little Christmas and New Year cheer to the children, mothers and babies and elderly people at Caritas.

“Caritas provides assistance to the most vulnerable regardless of race or religion, on behalf of Catholics around the world,” explained Mrs Sabeena Javed, IT Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “The charity’s main areas of work are in emergency response, sustainable development and peace building. To do this they focus on six key areas: peace and reconciliation, emergencies, economic justice, climate change, HIV and Aids and women and migration.”

Mrs Javed added “Not only do fundraising activities help others, they also build group cooperation and are an important part of personal development. Our hope is that, through their exposure to a range of activities and causes, our pupils will develop a sense of the type and scale of need that exists in modern life.”

“We are proud of the contribution that our pupils make to a wide range of charities,” commented Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “We encourage our pupils to consider others in need and to help them through giving of both their time and effort. The organising of fundraising events is therefore a key part of the school’s ethos.”

Staff, pupils, parents and friends of Saint Paul’s Catholic High School joined together to celebrate Christmas at a beautiful Advent Service at Sacred Heart Church in Wythenshawe.

The annual carol service, an excellent evening of singing and reflection, was wonderfully uplifting with a magical atmosphere.

Year 10 pupil, Samantha Jabangwe, performed ‘Oh Holy Night’ as a solo and Mary Yasini, from Year 8, also performed a solo on violin. The choir sung a number of beautiful carols including ‘In the Bleak Mid Winter and ‘See Amid the Winter Snow’

“There are few better ways to get into a festive mood than singing carols and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas,” explained Miss Rachael Johnson, Music Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “It’s lovely to see the effort and enthusiasm of those pupils involved and for them to share such a special event with their families and friends.”

““It was a wonderful carol service, all the youngsters enthusiastically joined in singing the Christmas carols, the sound of their voices filling the church was amazing,” said Mr Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “The service is a special time for the pupils, parents and staff to share in celebrating Christmas.”

Two Year 6 girls from Badminton Junior School in Bristol, Olivia McHale from Weston-in-Gordano and Rose Pian Hodgson from Evercreech in Somerset, have been offered places in the U11 section of The National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain.

Olivia (10) who is a Grade 4 clarinettist, Grade 4 violinist and Grade 3 pianist plays in both the Badminton Junior School Wind Band and Junior School Orchestra. Rose Pian (10) is a Grade 5 violinist and Grade 4 pianist.  To audition for the UK’s premier orchestra for children, both girls had to play two prepared pieces, followed by two pieces of sight reading.  They will attend the South West regional orchestra rehearsals every month during term time and a week-long residential course during the summer holidays.

Said Matthew Bale, Head of Music at Badminton: “Music is a major part of life at Badminton and the standard is extremely high with many girls participating in music right throughout their time at school.  All our pupils study music as part of the curriculum until the end of Year 9 and we are fortunate to have some extremely talented musicians here at Badminton with some girls competing internationally”.

Heat

The National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain provides young people with a world-class foundation for orchestral performance and musicianship.  The organisation brings together hundreds of 7-13 year olds from across the country and offers them a life-changing experience – meeting like-minded people and being guided by top professional musicians.

Established in 1978, the NCO has built up an international reputation as an outstanding orchestra whose maturity belies the age of its members.  The NCO has performed in a wide variety of concert venues, from the Royal Albert Hall in London to the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing.

Work is underway to transform sports changing facilities at Plymouth’s Stoke Damerel Community College, following the approval of £500,000 in funding from the Partnership for Schools organisation.

The award means the college can replace the existing 1950s block, which had fallen badly into disrepair, with a brand new building that will benefit students and the local community.

Plymouth-based TEC Construction has been awarded the contract to carry out the work, which is being fast tracked and is expected to be completed by the end of May next year.  A lot of work will be done over the Christmas break to ensure minimum disruption to students and staff

Under the plan, the existing two changing rooms will be replaced by four new ones, all with the individual shower cubicle options and locker facilities catering for 40 students per room.

An upper storey unit will also be built to provide a dance studio and gym facilities – again for both college and community use.

Once the new block is completed it will be made available to local community teams and clubs so they can use the facilities in the evening and at weekends.

Martyn Cox, Community and Partnerships Director at the college, said that the project was introduced to students in the week before work started in a series of special assemblies.

He said a huge cheer went up when the youngsters were told that the application to Partnerships for Schools for money to support the project had been successful.

“This is tremendous news and means we can now provide a brand new changing room facility that will both enhance the students’ educational experience and be a valuable community resource as well,” said Martyn.

“It is part of a drive within the college to respond to parental and student requests for better sports facilities and to further promote good health and well-being.

“We are very lucky at Stoke Damerel in the support we receive from our local community in all aspects of the college experience and it is always good when we can give something back too.”

A group of pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently visited John Rylands Library in Manchester as a reward for winning the school’s book review competition.

As part of the school’s celebration of books and reading, the Year 7 pupils visited the library which dates back to the 1890s and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world; both the building and its collections are of outstanding international significance.

With the aim of inspiring and developing their interest in reading, the pupils had to select and read a book and then follow up with a written review. The winning form was the one that submitted the most reviews.

The pupils really enjoyed the competitions and the various activities and the school hopes that this will encourage them to further develop their love of reading.

“I was impressed that there were so many very well-balanced and well-written reviews, showing a good grasp of the books,” explained Ms Irena Savova, the school librarian. “Several of the reviews highlighted the plot synopsis and were well integrated with comment and personal opinion.”

“As part of our ongoing commitment to reading within the school, we challenged our Year 7 pupils to participate in our Book Review Competition,” explained Mrs Diane Keary, Head of Year 7. “The pupils really enjoyed the experience which encouraged them to explore the pleasures of books and reading.”

“Reading is a real pleasure and is vital to young people’s development,” commented Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “This competition has been a great way for us to encourage our pupils to read and enjoy more books.”

World renowned particle physics expert, Professor Brian Cox has helped to bring science to life to over 600 school pupils from across the UK.

Science Discovered, a leading science event organised by school trip operator Adaptable Travel, was held at The O2 on 29^th November, and included presentations from BBC Wonders of the Universe star, Professor Brian Cox, resident Blue Peter science expert, Steve Mould and Channel 4 Inside Nature’s Giants presenter, Simon Watt.

Now in its second year, over 600 14 – 17 year old students attended the event, which has doubled in numbers from last year, helped in part due to the ‘Brian Cox’ effect, with the scientist being credited with making science ‘cool’ again.

The event took a gory look inside nature’s giants with Simon Watt, had live chemistry experiments with Steve Mould, and a look at big science with Professor Brian Cox.  The event also included an exclusive River Thames boat cruise and a trip to the London Science Museum.

Ian Webb, Managing Director at Adaptable Travel, said:

“Science is such a diverse and visual subject, and Science Discovered offers an opportunity to inspire the next generation of scientists.  Last year was a great event, but I have to say this year was bigger and better.  Professor Brian Cox was fantastic, Steve Mould did some amazing chemistry experiments, and Simon Watt really engaged with the audience discussing the gory stuff that students love!  The feedback from students has been great”.

Steve Mould, an Oxford educated scientist who hosted the event, said:

“The audience were really enthusiastic. It was great to see them getting excited about a subject I love. I got the chance to do some of my favourite experiments and they had loads of questions for me.

“That’s what’s great about events like Science Discovered. It’s a chance to show people just how awesome science is.”
For more information about science school trips, including a trip to CERN in Switzerland, or the next Science Discovered event visit www.adaptabletravel.co.uk.

Next year seems like a long way off but it will be with us before we know it and so I wanted to make you aware of Spring term training opportunities for your Support staff (including Admin staff and Science Technicians).

Maybe your new year’s resolution will involve being “as cool as a cucumber” when doing presentations, “handling not strangling” when dealing with difficult people, “creating a bang” in science experiments or “stepping up” to taking on new leadership responsibilities.

Come to Windsor High School and Sixth Form website to see what development opportunities await!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Alison Halford

School Training Manager

Windsor High School and Sixth Form

0121 504 0971

For more information about our training and development programmes to support your staff visit our website.

A group of fifteen violin pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently visited the Manchester Art Gallery where they took part in a series of music and art workshops.

The workshops will build up to the creation of a composition and a performance based around the Pre-Raphaelite exhibition that is currently on display at the gallery. This gallery showcases Manchester’s world famous collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings; pictures that reflect key topics and issues of the time such as religion, morality and emigration. The pupils were invited to take part in the project after performing extremely well at the Manchester Music Service showcase at the Royal Northern College of Music in July.

“This was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils,” explained Miss Rachael Johnson, a music teacher at Saint Paul’s. “The display at the Manchester Art Gallery is first class and I am sure that the music inspired by such paintings will be incredible.”

“This was a rare opportunity to bring together art and music,” said Head Teacher, Mr Wiktor Daron. “Our pupils were impressed by the energy and vibrancy of the paintings and how this could transfer into a musical composition.”

Badminton School is pleased to announce that Mrs Rebecca Tear will succeed Jan Scarrow who is retiring next summer after 15 highly successful years as Headmistress.

Mrs Rebecca Tear is currently Deputy Head of Wycombe Abbey School, in Buckinghamshire.   Prior to that she spent many happy years at St. George’s Ascot, where she held several academic and pastoral responsibilities.

She read Chemistry at Exeter University, before undertaking a PGCE at The Institute of Education, University of London, where she is now completing an MA in Educational Leadership.

Mrs Tear is passionate about helping girls to develop a broad and balanced set of skills and interests.  She is equally supportive and understanding of boarding; not only has she run a Sixth Form Boarding House, but she has boarded herself and her children currently board at their prep school, so she appreciates it from several perspectives!

She says that after her recent visit to the School, “The friendly atmosphere and my conversations with students, staff and Governors left me with a really positive impression of Badminton.  The girls showed an enormous pride in their school, as well as the ability to be reflective and analytical in their thoughts.  To lead such a strong and distinctive community is an exciting prospect and I am very much looking forward to taking up the post in September 2012”.

Jan Scarrow said “I am absolutely delighted that the Governors have found such an excellent candidate as my successor and we are all very confident that Badminton will continue to flourish under Rebecca’s leadership.  I am looking forward to working with Rebecca, to facilitate a smooth handover for next September.”

The Winter Fayre held recently at Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe was a great success with almost £1,700 being raised for school funds.

The fayre was well attended by families and friends of the school and there were many wonderful gifts to buy including a wide selection of fabulous home-made cakes, beautiful plants and flowers and a variety of international food. There were also many exciting prizes which had been donated by local businesses to be won on the raffle.

Other stalls included an inflatable football game, a coconut shy, a make up and beauty stall, a tombola and a lucky dip. In addition to the stalls there were displays of singing and dancing.

The school’s “Magic Cavern” proved to be a great success, the children looked excited to be lining up to visit the Fairy Queen in her Magic Cavern where she was helped by a number of fairies and elves. Parents could be seen enjoying a break with an Irish coffee and mince pie.

The school would like to thank all those involved as their help and support was very much appreciated.

King Henry VIII will be paying a visit to the Year 4 girls at the Maynard School in Exeter tomorrow, Friday 2 December for a fascinating Tudor Day.

The King will be played by Mike Farley, one of Britain’s leading impersonators of Henry VIII, who specialises in running living history Tudor days for Key Stage 2 pupils that are historically accurate, but also funny and extremely entertaining! King Henry VIII will, naturally, be in one of his magnificent costumes, and the teachers and students at the Junior School are also donning Tudor attire for the day.

The day will include activities based around Tudor food, music, dance, family crests and portrait investigation, and will provide a fun and memorable introduction to the Tudors. King Henry will bring a variety of Tudor musical instruments with him, and will give some very authentic performances. The day will end with a grand “Tudor Jousting Tournament” (on hobby horses)!

Steve Smerdon, Head of the Maynard Junior School said, ‘We are delighted to welcome King Henry VIII to the Junior School again. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the girls to learn about the Tudors first-hand and really get an insight of what it would have been like to live under the reign of one of the country’s most memorable Kings.’

The media is invited to attend Stoke Damerel Community College in Plymouth on Tuesday 6 December at 4pm when staff, students and school governors will celebrate the college becoming the first school in Plymouth to achieve a Gold Investors in People award. It is a particularly significant achievement in that the school leapfrogged Bronze and Silver to strike Gold at the first attempt . For more information, please contact Anthony Abbott of text comms on (01752) 510796 or (07799) 888512.

Talented teaching staff have helped send Stoke Damerel Community College straight to the top of the class – it has become the first school in Plymouth to get a Gold Investors in People award.

There was glowing praise too as such is the level of help and support the college’s management team gives staff, it has leapfrogged the Bronze and Silver levels of the scheme and struck Gold at the first attempt.

The college was assessed on a wide range of indicators based on the results of interviews with a select group of teachers. Of a maximum of 176 so called ‘evidence requirements’, the college scored 170 with the pass rate to achieve a gold rating set at 165.

A delighted Janet Griffiths, Vice Principal at the college, said: “Our students are our life blood and lie at the heart of this wonderful school, but it is our staff who all keep that heart beating with their tremendous talent and level of commitment.

“This is a richly deserved accolade for the school. We value it greatly, both as a benchmark for working for and with our staff to realise our goals and for ideas it also generates to ensure we can move forward successfully too.”

Staff received a glowing report from the Investors in People assessor Angela Riley who said Stoke Damerel excelled in making everyone a leader in their own field – and, what’s more, could give master classes in the subject!

In recommending that the college be recognised as a Gold Investor in People employer, Angela also said that she was bowled over by the sheer passion of the staff to help students and the commitment by leaders and managers at all levels to ensuring staff had the opportunity to grow and develop.

“There is a huge pride in working at Stoke Damerel and commitment to its success,” said Angela, who was also astonished by the results of students, 93 per cent of whom achieved 5 A*-C grades at GCSE this year.

“Many people talked proudly about results day and how proud they were of students’ achievements. Many described the scenes of celebration with tears in their eyes.

“One manager told me ‘our culture is of inspiring tomorrow’s leaders’ and although they were talking about students, it is just as true for staff.”

Angela spent a week at the college – a recognised Investors in People organisation since 1997 – talking to staff from a variety of career levels and experience on how well their managers meet certain targets.

Among the responses she received included, ‘we are empowered at all levels’, ‘Every day is rewarding and different’ and ‘there is such inspiration here from the top all the way down. There’s sheer joy at being involved in the school’.

Areas that the assessment focussed on included business strategy, learning and development, people management strategy and recognition and reward.

Gold represents the highest level of accreditation in the Investors in People framework and members are re-assessed every three years to ensure standards are being maintained.

Letter reversals are quite a talking point amongst parents and teachers of young children and for the children who confuse letters they feel a lot of pressure to get them right – but they have no idea how to.  The reason for this is because it’s commonly thought that letter reversals are a strong indicator of dyslexia.  However, whilst letter reversals are an indication of dyslexia and many dyslexic children do struggle with this it is also a problem for young children in general.  It’s surprisingly common in children up to the age of 7 or 8 years and especially for the letters ‘d’ and ‘b’.

Let me explain why. Take for example an apple. Turn it upside down, is it still an apple? Flip it over, still an apple? With any object you choose, no matter how you hold it, it will not change what we call it. From the moment we are born and start focusing,
this is what we learn. Then, when we start to learn to read, the rules change; ‘d’ if we reflect it, it becomes ‘b’ but we still see it as ‘d’ just like the apple.

Up until now there hasn’t been a comprehensive resource for helping children actively overcome letter reversals.  Sue Kerrigan who is a teacher and private tutor helping dyslexic and struggling children learn in-spite of their learning difficulties has developed the multi-sensory Bulldog Letter Reversals games, worksheets and kinaesthetic activities pack.  Being dyslexic herself she has recognised that the problem with reversals is two-fold.  Firstly, the younger children who are thinking in 3D as described with the apple example and dyslexic children.    The pack is carefully structured and is suitable for all ages from Reception to Key Stage 2 (5-12 year olds).  It is available to purchase as the Key Stage 1 pack or the complete Key Stage 1 / 2 and Dyslexia pack.

The package can be purchased as a download from www.bulldogletterreversals.com or as a ready made board games pack with extra multi-sensory resources from www.letmelearn.co.uk

On Friday 25 November the students and staff at St John’s in Marlborough welcomed Andy Mitchell, the Assistant Chief Executive of the Design &Technology Association, who visited the school to present the Design Mark, a national standard awarded to schools that are able to demonstrate excellence in their teaching of design.

St John’s is the first school in Wiltshire and one of only 21 secondary schools in the UK to be awarded the Design Mark. To achieve the award, St John’s was required to complete a very detailed application over an 18-month period, demonstrating the school’s commitment to design and technology, and the high standards achieved by students.

Mr Mitchell presented the Award to St John’s Headteacher Dr Patrick Hazlewood and the school’s Director of Technology Mrs Sue Watson at a ceremony involving both staff and students. He told the group that he felt honoured to be at St Johns to present the award and expressed his gratitude to all the students involved, saying without their wonderful work the award would not have been possible. He expressed the importance of D&T in the curriculum and its importance within the workplace.

Sue Watson, Director of Technology, was delighted to accept the award.

“I am thrilled to bits to be able to receive the award for the department” said Mrs Watson. “The award is a great accolade for the progress we have made in recent years. It recognises our involvement in a whole host of activities and events both in and out of school as well as excellent performance in public examination results which increase year on year”.

In particular she thanked teacher Gary England who was responsible for pulling the submission together and who had taken on the role of ambassador for St John’s.

Exam results for Design & Technology students at St John’s have risen consistently over the last few years. All Year 10/11 students at the school are required to take a GCSE in a Design and Technology subject, either Textiles, Food Technology, Resistant Materials or Graphics, and results are significantly above national standards. In summer 2011 over 92% of students achieved grades A*- C in their D&T subject, and 50% achieved A or A*.  In an Ofsted subject Review in October 2010 these results were put down to the school’s outstanding leadership and the cross-curricular links within the department.

The submission required to achieve the Design Mark is extremely thorough, in order to satisfy the standards set out jointly by the DCSF, the Design & Technology Association and the Design Council. St John’s was assessed on 21 criteria under the four categories: Beliefs and Values about Design Education; Management of Design Education; Effective teaching of the subject; and Learning through Design Education.

St John’s was able to demonstrate the high quality of work produced by students, and highlight the school’s strong focus on “making design real”, which gives students the opportunities to extend their learning outside of the school setting. Examples of this include the Graphics project to design the end panels and signage for the new school library, working to a brief set by the external library design company. The winning designs were produced for the St John’s library, which has since been awarded second place in the National Library Design Awards.

The Design & Technology department has built strong links with the local community and regularly invites local Primary School students to participate in activities, as well as building links with local businesses, ranging from local packaging design company Tin Horse, to Marlborough restaurant Brasserie Gerard, to the local catering company Moran’s and Waitrose who both supported the St John’s fundraising campaign by sponsoring Food Technology classrooms at the new school.

One of the highlights of the St John’s calendar is the annual Design Show where students’ work is showcased in an action packed evening of catwalk shows and exhibitions.

Headteacher Dr Patrick Hazlewood sees the Design Mark Award as an acknowledgement of St John’s excellence in teaching and learning and its commitment to every student. “I must congratulate all the staff in the D&T department. They are a fantastic team and have produced some exceptional exam results”.

A group of pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently visited the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester to see a performance by pupils from the “Experimental Primary School of Beijing Normal University”.

The pupils were delighted to have been offered this fantastic opportunity to listen to the Chinese pupils performing an amazing concert. The concert was a mixture of Wind Band and also Soloists and a lot of the pupils involved were under the age of eleven!

“The concert was excellent and showcased a whole range of abilities and instruments,” explained Miss Rachael Johnson, a music teacher at Saint Paul’s. “The pupils really enjoyed the experience and commented that it was wonderful seeing similar aged pupils performing on the same instruments that they have lessons on here at Saint Paul’s.”

“This was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils who are very passionate about music,” said Head Teacher, Mr Wiktor Daron. “It was a rare opportunity to see such young pupils perform so professionally, our pupils were extremely impressed.”

The economic news may be pretty grim, but if you’re a teacher or administrator in a school,

college or academy then here’s some good news for a change  !

There’s a UK company  giving away dictionaries and thesauri.

The “New Choice” Dictionary  and “New Choice” Thesaurus cost just £ 1.99 each

Each one contains 384 pages and is ideal for use in class, for homework,  as prizes, or maybe as part of a “Welcome Pack” for new year 7 students.

With every order for 100 or more copies,  you get 50 extra copies  completely free !   You can choose which free copies you want, so if you order 200 dictionaries you could get 100 thesauri free…or whatever combination of dictionaries / thesauri you want.  This “buy two, get one free” offer applies to all order of 100 or more copies.  There is no limit to the quantity you can order  or the corresponding quantity of free copies.

If you’d like to know more you can get more details from their website:

www.signposteducational.co.uk  or phone:  020 7515 1797

Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently held their annual Award Ceremony at Wythenshawe Forum. The school was delighted that Jennie Johnson, the Chief Executive of Kids Allowed, was able to attend as guest of honour and present the pupils with their achievement awards.

“We were delighted that Jennie Johnson, who has just won the “Inspiring Women in Business” award, could join us on our special evening,” said Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s.

Jennie left school at 16 and was brought up in Salford; after struggling to find day care for her own children, she set up the nursery and childcare group Kids Allowed. She now has a real passion for inspiring the next generation to do the best they can.

Jennie said: “I have to believe that everybody has the ability to achieve their dreams whatever they might be. I try to make Kids Allowed a great place to work and support young people.”

2011 has been another successful year for pupils at Saint Paul’s and at the awards ceremony, family, friends and teachers were able to celebrate this success whilst Jennie presented the awards.

The school sees the ceremony as an opportunity to reward those pupils who worked extremely hard during the past year; it allows them to publicly give both praise and recognition for their efforts. Events like this allow the pupils’ families to enjoy their achievements and be proud of their sons/daughters grandsons/granddaughters. It allows the school to say thank you to the families for their continued support of Saint Paul’s and the guidance they give their children.

In his opening address Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s, said “We are determined to continue the progress we have made at Saint Paul’s in the last few years and appreciate how hard everyone associated with the school is working to ensure further success in the years ahead. “

The awards were given to pupils from years 7, 8, 9 and 10 for both achievement and progress.

Pupils from Spring Grove School, Wye, paid a very special tribute to the fallen of two world wars by tidying up the graves of the fallen prior to Remembrance Sunday.

Although the school carried out its own Act of Remembrance on at 11am November 11, the pupils’ real tribute was paid in the preceding days.

Inspired by parent Simon Lord and Rev Dickie Cleveland of Wye Church, Spring Grove Headmaster Bill Jones took Year 6 pupils to the Wye Church to locate the war graves of those men from Wye who fought in both wars.

Here, they set to work tidying up the various military gravestones.   Out came the brushes, rakes, shears and trowels as the boys and girls worked hard to pay tribute to those who died in two world wars.

The students first studied a map of the churchyard in the Tower Room, which identified the owners of the graves, and read the inscription to the fallen on the Memorial Cross. They also found the headstone of Thomas Slaughter who was one of the first men to die in WW1 in September 1914 and learned how whole families of brothers were killed and how the village was devastated by the loss of its young men.

They also found the gravestones of the airmen of the Royal Flying Corps who were killed – mostly in training accidents – at Wye Aerodrome, which was situated on the farmland next to Bramble Lane during WW1.

Headmaster Bill Jones said: “This was clearly an excellent example of history in action and the children were visibly moved by coming into physical contact with the past.  They were shocked at the young age at which these servicemen lost their lives in the cause of war and far from home and set about our gardening with a determination to play our part in keeping their memories alive.  We Will Remember Them.”

Spring Grove School is situated in a beautiful, early Georgian house which was once owned by Captain Halsey RN MC, and Churchwarden at Wye. Halsey leased the house to the writer Joseph Conrad in 1919 and Conrad is believed to have spent six months at Spring Grove while writing one of his novels, The Rescue.

During their clean-up operation, the children were especially excited to discover, half-hidden in the long grass, a small wooden grave that turned out to be that of Captain Halsey’s wife, Blanche.

During Spring Grove’s own Act of Remembrance, which took place in front of the school, pupils presented an assembly about the role of animals in warfare and two young trumpeters – Alex Rowe and Polly Langworthy –  played the Last Post.

In addition, we have just received the exciting news that Ellis Guilford School are also taking part in White Ribbon Day activities as part of their commitment to developing a Whole School Approach to end violence against women and girls. 260 Year 10 students will be taking part in an hour talk by different male speakers who support the WR campaign.

South Nottinghamshire Academy (previously Dayncourt School) will receive the White Ribbon Gold Award on 28^th November 2011, to be presented by the White Ribbon Campaign UK, the leading male organization opposing violence against women.

South Nottinghamshire Academy is the first school in the UK to receive this award. The school has worked closely with the Nottinghamshire Domestic Violence Forum (NDVF) across 2010-2011, to increase awareness and understanding of domestic violence and violence against women and girls (VAWG). This success is in large part accredited to NDVF’s Whole School Approach, which is supported by Comic Relief.

As well as exceeding all of the criteria for the WRC gold award, South Nottinghamshire Academy have partaken in a number of films illustrating their pledge to oppose VAWG, which will be shown at the Broadway cinema on White Ribbon Day (25^th November 2011). One of these films is also currently being played on the Community channel five times a day. To see more examples of NDVF’s media work with young people, visit Respect not Fear’s youtube site.

http://www.youtube.com/user/respectnotfear?feature=mhum

NDVF’s Respect not Fear website is also the first of its kind, released in 2008, and re-launched in 2010, offering support and signposting for young people. The Home Office have included the Respect not Fear website and iphone app in their current national teenage sexual abuse campaign ‘This is Abuse’ website.

In addition to this, Bulwell Academy will also be presented with the silver award on the 28^th November, for their excellent engagement with the Whole School Approach and White Ribbon.

http://www.whiteribboncampaign.co.uk/sites/all/files/Schools_Award_Sheet_(colour_headings)_0.pdf

‘We are extremely excited that Nottingham schools are pioneering this project, with excellent results to date. The schools involved would be very proud of the significant role they have playing in preventing violence against women.’ (Jude Long, NDVF)

The choir from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School recently took part in the final of ‘Wythenshawe’s Got Talent’. They secured their place after competing against 50 other acts.

The competition is open to people of all ages who have a special gift to entertain, whether it be singing, dancing, acting, making people laugh as comedians or simply an unusual talent that makes people say ‘wow’! A variety of acts and performers took part in the final event showing just how talented the people of Wythenshawe really are.

The choir worked incredibly hard in the lead up to the show, putting in hours of rehearsals both in school and at the Forum Centre but this definitely paid off as they performed, in front of an audience of over 500 people, exceptionally well – all their hard work certainly paid off!

“The pupils have done extremely well, it was a wonderful evening which we all enjoyed and shall remember for some time,” explained Miss Rachael Johnson, a music teacher at Saint Paul’s.

“This was a fantastic opportunity for our choir; we are very proud of them,” said Head Teacher, Mr Wiktor Daron. “They are very talented and they coped very well performing in front of such a big crowd. It was a superb opportunity to showcase their talent.”

Mr Daron added “Events such as this bring the community closer together and is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the talent in the area.”

Students and staff at the Cheltenham Ladies’ College are celebrating after being confirmed as the ‘Top UK International Baccalaureate Independent Girls Boarding School’.

With an average score of 40 out of 45, girls studying the IB this year secured 3 Oxbridge places, plus offers from US at Georgetown, Dartmouth, Cornell and NYU, one place to read medicine and one to read veterinary medicine. One student achieved the top mark of 45 points, one of only 45 students in the UK to achieve this impressive feat. The IB results released in Summer 2011 were College’s second set of results, having introduced the two year Diploma in 2008.

IB Co-ordinator Mrs Becky Revell says, “This year’s IB results put the Cheltenham Ladies’ College joint second in the whole of the UK and the best IB girls boarding school.  We are delighted to have achieved this fantastic accolade which recognises the hard work and dedication of the staff and students here at College.  The IB Diploma programme provides an excellent preparation for the global environment which our girls will go on to live and work in. With its emphasis on life-long, independent learning and the promotion of internationalism and cultural understanding, it mirrors College’s values and broad educational aims.”

Eight schools from across Gloucestershire took part in an Engineering Development Trust Challenge at the CLC Sports Centre on Tuesday 15 November.

Ro Kaye, Community Links Co-ordinator and Physics Teacher at Cheltenham Ladies’ College arranged the activities in conjunction with Engineering Development Trust’s First Edition Days.  125 Year 9 and 10 students undertook a series of hands-on activities which encouraged team working, creativity and innovation.  Divided into small teams, the students were challenged to create scaled-down disaster relief shelters, bridges and communications towers using only a few basic materials.

Ro Kaye said, “This was a wonderful opportunity for students to get out of the classroom and experience problem solving, design and team work with people they don’t know, as well as furthering their understanding of the roles of Engineers and Architects in the real world.”

Yesterday’s ‘First Edition’ event is just one of a range of school projects which the Engineering Development Trust organise.

Farnborough Hill girls have certainly been inspired by the Smallpeice Engineering courses.  No less than thirteen girls attended six different four-day residential courses across the country during 2011.  Girls from Years 9 to 12 enjoyed these taster sessions designed to encourage them to consider a career applying their science in the many different areas of engineering. The Smallpeice Trust not only organises and runs these courses, often in universities, but subsidises them by paying half of the cost. The girls also qualify for a Bronze Crest Award from the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

Year 9 students Victoria Seeney and Sophie Voase thoroughly enjoyed their four days during October half term on an ‘Engineering Experience’ course.  The residential course gave them a valuable insight into the field of Physics in Engineering, learning about areas such as nuclear engineering, electromechanical systems and space science.  They enjoyed working as a team, designing and building a vehicle to climb an increasing gradient.  Rosie Barker and Leah Hogg were lucky enough to secure places on HMS Sultan in Portsmouth for the Year 9 ‘Nuclear Marine Engineering’ course.  They enjoyed sleeping in triple bunks and being allowed to view restricted areas on the nuclear submarine.  All four of these girls have been so inspired by these superbly run courses, and had such a lot of fun, that they plan to go again.

Rose Grieve went on the electronic engineering course to the University of Portsmouth. During the course she took part in ‘solder-and-keep’ workshops and gained hands-on experience of electronics by designing and building circuits with immediately visible results.  She was also given first-hand experience of the electronics department, giving her an idea of the specialist equipment and resources available at the university.

Seven out of the thirteen girls were already on their second or third course this year. Four girls had enjoyed their Year 9 course in nuclear engineering the previous year and wanted to take their experience to a new level at Lancaster University.  Sadly this course was so oversubscribed that only one early bird, Vicky Patel, was successful.  Five other Year 10 girls (Laura Doherty, Talitha Lewis, Helen Male, Erika Thake and Paloma Vince) were delighted, however, when Smallpeice laid on an extra course at Manchester University.   In fact, the trust was so impressed with Paloma Vince’s diary, detailing what she learned and enjoyed, that part of this has been included in their magazine and posted on their website.

Paloma says ‘At school, we had studied nuclear energy and radiation in our physics lessons and I really enjoyed learning about this. When I heard about the nuclear course being run by The Smallpeice Trust, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about nuclear engineering and the possible career paths within this field.  I applied for the course with four friends from school who all shared my passion for nuclear science and engineering – two of whom had attended an Engineering Experience course with me, run by The Smallpeice Trust the previous year.’

These courses are run by independent charity, The Smallpeice Trust, and are part of an on-going programme of residential courses to help young people aged 13 – 18 learn and develop new skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing.

Gill Chapman, Head of Physics, says ‘I am delighted and very excited that our girls are being so inspired as these courses give a very realistic insight into applied science.  It is so important for them to appreciate how interesting and rewarding engineering can be and that girls, in particular, are needed to work in all areas of engineering.  The Smallpeice Trust has done a superb job of encouraging students to consider careers in the all important STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)’.

More than 40 students, parents and staff from Seaford College, near Petworth, put their best feet forward in a six-mile fancy dress sponsored walk which raised more than £750 for charity.

The walk was the idea of the College’s recently-appointed Housemaster Matthew Pitteway who hopes to organise at least one major fundraiser in the new boys’ boarding house – ‘Walled Garden West’ – each term.

Mr Pitteway consulted the students who agreed that a six mile hike from the College, in Lavington Park, Duncton, to Cowdray Park, would be a fitting end to the day following the annual school parade to mark Remembrance Sunday.

Head of House Alex Dane suggested Alzheimers UK,  as his grandfather suffers from the disease and he has seen first-hand the invaluable work that the charity does.

On the day, the rains held off and students were able to trek home and dry, along with a group of parents, pets and friends.

Lord and Lady Cowdray have two sons at Seaford College and kindly agreed to host the party when they arrived and welcome drinks and hot-dogs were eagerly consumed at the end of the hike.

Mr Pitteway said: “When I was appointed , I decided it would be good for the boarders to organise an event for charity each term, with the aim of raising around £500 each time. The plan is to have a charity event every term that the whole House can participate in.  The Prefects come up with the charity and then ask the other boys what event they would like to do. As a first event, the walk was considered the easiest to organise – but the fancy dress element added an extra dimension to the day, which was a resounding success. The weather could not have been better and the atmosphere was incredibly positive throughout.

“Considering quite a few students had prior commitments, this was a great response to the first effort and we were delighted to raise such a great sum for this very worthwhile cause. Thanks and well done to all who took part!”