Appleton Academy
Featuring:
o Open evening 2024
o Appleton Ambition special feature
o Restart the Heart Day
o Sports and enrichment
o Duke of Edinburgh award
o Bradford Digital Creatives
Together with our community, we can achieve extraordinary things.
Welcome
Welcome to our first newsletter of the new academic year, highlighting the fabulous work taking place in secondary. Appleton has been its usual busy self with a wide array of trips, visits and activities taking place and students have been taking full advantage of our wider curriculum offer.
In each newsletter we share a flavour of what has been happening in the academy, including insights into the fabulous work taking place in classrooms.
We have our usual library and reading update, articles on our many trips out this term for students and our careers experiences!
If you have things you would like to see featured in the newsletter, please let us know.
Mrs Garlick Head of Secondary
Attendance at Appleton
Improving attendance to school is a national priority and a key focus for the school. We are excited to launch our winter attendance challenge.
The “Ultimate” winter attendance challenge! Challenge: 5th November to 20th December 2024 7 weeks = 34 school days
Attend school for a full 5 days to get 1 prize draw entry for £50 shopping vouchers
Attend school for a full 10 days to get 1 prize draw entry for £100 shopping vouchers
Maintain an attendance streak beyond 2 weeks and get a prize draw entry for £150 shopping vouchers for each week students keep their streak!
This means that students can earn:
• 7 entries into the £50 prize draw
• 3 entries into the £100 draw
• 5 entries into the £150 draw
• 2 extra entries per week for no lates into the £50 draw!
• This is in addition to the mini prizes available for Perfect 10
You will receive a text message each week to let you know if your child is on track to meet the attendance challenge.
Together with our community, we achieve extraordinary things.
OPEN EVENING
Appleton opened its doors to the parents of Y6 students on 16th October for an evening showcasing the school, subjects and staff ahead of making their secondary school choices..
By Mr Halston
Each department put on a demonstration of the wide and rich curriculum offer we have at Appleton, with staff and current students on hand to provide potential 2025 Y7 students with a memorable and exciting taster of life in secondary. Over 210 families attended the event, making for a buzzing and busy atmosphere! From climbing to cooking, the whole school was alive with activity and the evening was a great success.
Our staff were aided by over 100 secondary students, who gave up their time to represent their school and did so marvellously!
Library Update
Chris Mould Workshop
To celebrate the launch of his new book, a graphic novel version of the classic 'War of the Worlds' some of our year 10 students were invited to a creative writing and illustration workshop with our resident illustrator – Chris Mould Students were treated to a sneak preview of the book and gained a fascinating insight into the process of illustrating an updated version of the classic text.
Chris took us through his creative process, from the reasons for choosing this story, to his inspiration for the character designs. Students then wrote their own creative science fiction extracts about everything from aliens to rampant AI gone wild!
Annabel Pitcher Visit
Year 7 students have been studying 'My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece' in English this half term:
"Five years ago, Jamie's sister, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. His family is torn apart by their grief. His mum runs away. His dad turns to drink and hate. Rose's surviving twin sister Jasmine stops eating, gets piercings and dyes her hair pink - anything to look different to her twin. But Jamie hasn't cried in all that time. To him, Rose is just a distant memory."
We have been lucky enough to have Annabel Pitcher in to speak to our year 7 students about the book, the process of writing and where she found inspiration for this luminary novel.
By Mrs Hayward
Bradford Manufacturing Week is an annual event designed to introduce secondary school students in Bradford to the diverse world of manufacturing. Launched in 2018, it provides students with hands-on experience and insights into one of the region’s key industries. Over the course of a week, local manufacturing companies open their doors to students, offering them factory tours, workshops, and opportunities to engage with professionals in the field.
A group of year 11 students with aspirations within the field of engineering will be visiting local employer Solenis during BMW.
All secondary female students will attend a Women in Engineering assembly as part of BMW to find out about opportunities in the sector.
Together with our community, we can achieve extraordinary things.
Year 11 Visit to Solenis
On Thursday 10th October, fourteen year 11 students visited Solenis’ Low Moor plant. They were given a plant tour and found out about the many day to day products using Solenis chemicals. We learnt that the chemicals developed there are used to help prevent drought and to decrease water wastage in agriculture.
The students heard from a panel of Solenis employees from a wide range of roles within the business. It was interesting to learn about the varied career pathways each had travelled to find themselves in their current roles.
By Mrs Hayward
Together with our community, we can achieve extraordinary things.
The students on the visit all aspire to gain an apprenticeship place after leaving the academy. We learnt about the types of apprenticeships on offer how these can lead to degree apprenticeships at Solenis.
“Dosomethingyouenjoy. Takeonnewanddifficult challenges.Everythingis scaryatfirst!”
The students learnt about the business and the many roles available there including Lab Technician, HR, Finance, Engineering, Mechanical.
When asked “what advice would you give yourself at 16”, the panel shared the following advice:
“Bepassionate.Chooseacareerinwhichyoucanyoucanuseyourskills” .
“Don ’tputtoomuchpressureonyourself.Youcanalwayspivotyourcareerifyouchange yourmind” . “Dosomethingyouenjoy.Takeonnewanddifficultchallenges.Everythingisscaryatfirst!”
Together with our community, we can achieve extraordinary things.
Together with our community, we can achieve extraordinary things. In tutor time each week our students learn about a new career in Career of The Week. Here are the careers included this half term:
Learner of the Year awarded to Year 11 Josh Smith
"Joshuahasgreatcareer aspirationsandisalovely, bubblycharacter.Itwasagreat waytoadvertiseSolenisand thevacancieswehaveopenfor 2024,includingEngineering, LabsandManufacturing."
Holly McLeod Business Support Apprentice, Solenis UK Industries Limited
In February 2024’s newsletter we wrote about the amazing success Josh Smith (2024 leaver) had when he impressed local company Solenis at our Careers events in school. Josh’s positive impression and self-motivation gained him work experience at the Low Moor based company. Following this, Josh was successfully awarded Learner of the Year (Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering) Skills House We look forward to hearing about Josh’s future success after leaving the academy.
Well done Josh, we are all very proud of you!
Read to Achieve
Every week in form time, students in year 7-10 have been enjoying reading a variety of books. Students can read their own books, books from the school library or books from the form book box.
For each 25 pages read, they have a Read to Achieve box ticked off in their journal. Each half term, the most consistent readers have the chance to enter a prize draw for some fabulous prizes.
Lunchtime Readers
Students can also spend time at lunchtime reading at the exclusive reserved lunchtime reader tables. Again, they can read their own books or a book from the book box.
Every day a different member of staff will be there to share their love of reading for pleasure and talk about books and reading recommendations. Even better, all lunchtime reading will count towards your Read to Achieve points!
The 3rd of October is National Poetry Day and this year the theme was 'counting'.
60 Year 8 students were lucky to enjoy a visit by local poet and spoken word artist Laura Baldwin. Laura shared some of her own poetry, as well as a range of poems in different formats and styles and talked to students about different ways to read and write poetry. Students took ideas from everything from photos of oranges to the chairs they were sitting on and came up with some very creative ideas and questions.
Overall, it was a brilliant event and all students (and staff!) who attended left feeling very inspired.
Young Writers Success Stories
We have been very lucky to have had lots of our students' stories accepted for publication by Young Writers again. This time the theme was 'Mission Chaos' and we had amazing stories about postapocalyptic, science fiction and fantasy worlds. We're extremely excited to see our students' fantastic stories in print and we can't wait to see what the next theme will be!
By Mr Sroka
As part of the annual Restart a Heart awareness day, KS3 students at Appleton Academy had the opportunity to learn vital life-saving skills: cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The event was led by our Science Teachers team who provided a hands-on approach to teaching the essential steps involved in performing CPR.
Students were divided into small groups and provided with CPR manikins. The teachers began by explaining the importance of early CPR in cardiac arrest situations. They emphasized that by acting quickly, students could significantly increase the chances of survival for someone experiencing a cardiac event.
The teachers then demonstrated the correct technique for chest compressions, ensuring that students understood the proper depth, rate, and hand placement. They also taught students how to check for a pulse. The students practiced these skills on their manikins, receiving feedback and guidance from the teachers.
Throughout the session, the teachers created a positive and engaging atmosphere, making the learning experience both informative and enjoyable. The students were encouraged to ask questions and participate actively in the lesson. By the end of the session, all students had a basic understanding of CPR and felt confident in their ability to perform the technique in an emergency.
The Restart a Heart event was a valuable experience for the KS3 students. By learning CPR, they gained the knowledge and skills necessary to potentially save a life. The event also helped to raise awareness about the importance of early CPR and encouraged students to take an active role in their community's health and well-being.
Sport at Appleton
The Year 7 & 8 boys’ football team played their first fixture of the year against Laisterdyke Leadership Academy. The boys played an excellent match and won an impressive 12-0!!
Mr Helme and Mr Murphy are very proud of how the boys represented Appleton and look forward to more fixtures in the future.
On Monday 21st October our badminton team competed against the strong badminton players of Whitcliffe Mount school. It was a great fixture with lots of individual wins for both schools. Badminton club continues every Tuesday Afternoon with Mr Young.
Enrichment at Appleton
By Mrs Wilbor
We have an extensive enrichment timetable that offers opportunities for students to access clubs at both lunchtime and after school.
Some updates from some these clubs so far:
Geography club
Students are preparing to take part in the ‘What on Earth’ magazine national geography competition in November. Mr Young is very proud of all of the students and their efforts to read, learn, and memorise as many geographical facts as possible.
Politics and debating club
There have been some excellent discussions going on in politics and debating clubs, the students have engaged really well and inspired each other in the process. Students have expressed their opinions regarding a number of important topics.
Drama/Band
Auditions have been held for our upcoming performance of Midsummer night’s dream. Students are working hard on their casted parts and the band is working on producing the accompanying music.
Rugby
Our key stage 3 rugby club is growing every week and we are excited about the future of rugby at Appleton. Mr Young is arranging some fixtures in the near future and our students are really keen to take part.
Library clubs
Library sketch club continues after school with our artist in residence, Chris Mould.
On Monday lunchtime, book club in the library continues to thrive. Over 20 students across the year groups come together to eat lunch and chat about what they’ve been reading.
Badminton
Badminton club trains on Tuesday after school. They are looking forward to their first fixture. Everyone has been working really hard and enjoys taking part in the club.
DukeofEdinburgh
By Mr Green
A group of 16 Year 10 students took part in their practice expedition for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award from Friday 11th until Sunday 13th October. The expedition started in the Bolton Abbey estate and students navigated south to their first camp by Addingham Moorside. The second day included a physical start up the steep incline to Ilkley Moor where they crossed over to camp above Baildon. Students were able to practice their navigation, campcraft and organisation to take forward to their assessed expedition in June.
By Mr Halston
As part of the Age of Wonder / Born in Bradford initiatives Appleton is involved with, Bradford Digital Creatives are visiting the academy with a range of technology showcases and workshops designed to inspire digital creativity in our Y9 students. In partnership with a local community interest company, Impact Gamers, BDC ran a series of sessions where a group of students worked their way through the complexities of a game engine, producing a working demo of a positivity-themed game.
The sessions were a great success and are only part of BDC are bringing into the academy this year. Other planned events for Y9 students in conjunction with AoW/BiB include:
- Y9 digital art surveys
- Virtual reality experience
- Game engine assembly
- 360 video workshop
- Audio workshop
- Film and video workshop
- Image manipulation
Concluding in a visit to the BDC festival in the summer term!
Student and parent support
In each newsletter we will have a focus on a service or services that can support our students and/or their parents. These services may be something we offer through the school or something that an external provider can deliver. If you have any questions about these services, please contact the school.
Student and parent support
Looking to the future: Alumni appeal
At Appleton Academy we highly value our connections with former students. We like to celebrate their achievements and experiences with students, staff and the local community.
We would love to hear from former students and hope to be able to work with them, in the capacity of volunteer, mentor and/or inspirational speakers. If you are a former student and would like to be contacted about the possibility of working with us, please complete the form on the link below or alternatively