Civitas Magazine - Spring 2017

The Civitas E ARK ACADEMY’S OFFICIAL MAGAZIN

SPRING 2017

T H G I R B S K O O THE FUTURE L DITION THE SIXTH FORM E

Dear All, Definitely the end of an era with our first founder cohort off to university this year. With so many excellent offers there is still much hard work needed on their part but so many have really ‘upped their game.’ They are great role models that so many of our younger students hopefully will follow. The drive for university starts young in Ark Academy with the primary students ‘pencil project’ and a visit to Oxford for years 4 and 6 this term. We know that everything we do in Ark Academy builds towards Year 13 and the rest of their lives. So we look forward to our first alumni writing blogs from university and encouraging the next generation to come and join them.

The Civitas magazine also demonstrates our commitment to the richness of learning through the enormous variety of trips and events that take place in any one term and the lengths our staff go to plan and deliver these great experiences. The Literacy Festival and National Science Week were both standout events this term, but there were many others we couldn’t squeeze into the magazine.

I am sure Year 13 will keep this magazine as a memento of their seven year journey through Ark Academy. All our best wishes, thoughts and prayers to Years 11, 12 and 13 as they complete their final six weeks preparation for their GCSEs, A/S and ‘A’ levels.

Their future is now really in their hands.

– S R E E N O I P 3 1 YEAR S N O I T A R I P S A & OUR HOPES “Ark Academy has helped me prepare for the future because I am now more confident and want to get involved. I also now love Maths and Science. When I joined in Year 7, that wasn’t the case” Ciara Barrett (Year 13) Talking to Year 13 students about their future hopes and aspirations, I am struck by how important Ark Academy has been in shaping their big ambitions for the future. Ciara, a pupil who didn’t like Maths in Primary School, is now running a hugely successful Maths Society (“Digits”) with world renowned Mathematics speakers (Dr Kevin Buzzard last month - see page 16), and has a place to study Engineering at Warwick University.

Ark Academy’s goal “is that all students should be able to access higher education and participate fully in our democratic society.”

We are closing in on the first part of the goal. 95% of our Year 13s have places at universities and the rest have chosen to go down the apprenticeship or employment route, for which they have had personalised support and guidance.

Recently two of our students got into Cambridge and almost 40% of our university applicants hold Russell Group offers. 11 have offers from Warwick alone.

Delia Smith OBE Principal of Ark Academy

No doubt, these students have benefitted a lot from all the support from their teachers and tutors. Aliyah, who has a place to study Philosophy at Cambridge University, summed it up that she only got to Cambridge because the school gave her “constant reassurance

and encouragement that I could go to Cambridge. Teachers really care. They know you have potential.”

Our students are excited about getting to university and studying “exactly what we are interested in” (Ella Clarke, Year 13). “We don’t have to do subjects any more, and we can follow our passion”. Passion for subjects shows that our students have chosen their university courses well.

But, how about the “full participation in democratic society?” With all that has happened politically in the last year, it is an even more urgent question.

Our Year 13s identify Civitas as a core value which they know through Ark Academy and which prepares them for the future.

70% of our Year 13s secured an Ark Diploma Award which recognised their contribution to the community. Our students are excited about getting to university, meeting new people and contributing to their university community. There are some nerves about this too – “what do you do when your housemates don’t clear up?” one student asked.

A Year 13 tutor time focussed on university and life skills is in the pipeline so such university dilemmas are not too daunting.

Not every eventuality can be covered though.

When I think about our Year 13s moving into adulthood, I’m confident that they will rise to challenges because of their education at Ark Academy and draw strength from the positive changes they made during their school days.

Mr Sawbridge

“I would like to study Pharmacy but I am flexible about going to uni this year or taking a gap year instead. I am positive and looking forward to the future! I feel I am on track with my grades.”

Syed

MAIN STORY

Philosophy and “I would like to study velopment at Global Sustainable De I need 3 A’s.”

Warwick University Clement

“I would like to study Auto Engineering motive at Warwick University. I need 2 A’s a nd 1 B. I’ve cr eated a revi timetable fo sion r all my sub je ct s and I will a the teachers sk for help whe n I am stuck .”

Sally

“I would like to study Architecture at d University of Westminster and I nee B’s.”

2 and 1A Alex

“I would like to study Biological Sciences and I have been using the tomato timers for revision given to us by the teachers which I have found helpful.”

James

“I would like to study Maths at Cambridge. I need 2 A*’s and 1 A and grade 1 in 2 step papers.”

Jai

want to be “In September 2017 I rwick I have studying Maths at Wa rs because I been doing past pape theoretical need to be good at the well as the side of the subject as problem-solving.”

Srinjoy

“I would like to study Com puter Science at Warwick U niversity I nee d 3 A’s. I will spend 6 hours programmin g a week which isn’t dir ectly related to the grades I need, but it will ensure th at I am ready for the first ye ar of universi ty.”

Andrei

“I would like to study International Relations at Birmingham I need 1 A and 2 B’s.”

Kassia

50 THINGS TO DO 3/4 1 1 E BEFORE YOU AR wild art/ Create some re lp a wild scu tu

ea

Bak Hold a scary beast

pie

In our Primary school, we are passionate about delivering a comprehensive and well-rounded curriculum and this year we are excited to have added a new dimension which incorporates exposure to life skills and important experiences. ’50 things’ is a National Trust campaign that aims to get more children to play outside which emphasises the fundamental importance of the simple pleasures of a natural childhood. We have taken the National Trust 50 and modified the list to include some of our own ideas. The fun adventures range from picking blackberries and flying a kite, to building a raft and catching a fish with a net. We have incorporated all 50 things into our curriculum for the year. Many of them will be covered during school trips to rivers, the seaside and the farm as well as visits to Fryent Country Park. Our aim is that as a school, all 50 will be completed by the end of the year and that by the time each child leaves school, they will have had experiences all 50.

Ms Harrison

Do leaf and bark rubbings

For the past half term, Reception has been learning all about when Dinosaurs ruled the Earth! We have learnt all about how they look and where they used to live and even what they used to eat!

DINO-RIFIC VISIT

In February we went to the Natural History Museum to see real Dinosaur fossils! It was our first ever trip, so we were very excited to travel into the centre of London on a coach and learn even more about Dinosaurs.

We saw lots of different fossils, and even got to see a robot t-rex. We learnt all about the different types of dinosaurs that lived in Europe and even ROAR! got to learn about different very important palaeontologists that discovered different dinosaurs around the world.

Ms Devlin

It was a very long and exciting day and we couldn’t stop talking about all the different things that we saw on the way back to school!

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT

By Amy (Year 3 Archimedes Class)

The School Council went to the Houses of Parliament. We needed to find out what democracy means, there were two main rooms we visited, House of Lords and House of Commons. The House of Commons is made up of about 650 selected members of parliament and they spend about half their time making laws. The house of Lords is made up of MPs who have a title such as lord or lady. In the Houses of Parliament they rule on what laws are passed, authorises government budgets and debates current issues.

PRIMARY

MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE When slavery is mentioned, we often think of the trade from 200-300 years ago, but it is a modern problem too, generating billions of pounds for criminals each year.

Continuing the theme of making the world a better place, Year 5 participated in a workshop run by www. justenoughuk.org and Waitrose, where they learnt about this modern problem. They were surprised by some of the horrible tricks and deceptions that can lead to people being turned into slaves. After learning about the problem and some of the warning signs to consider, they went on to create anti-slavery posters which will be entered into a competition, so keep your eyes open for their posters as part of a wider anti-slavery campaign.

Mr Jenner

RSPB OUTREACH VISIT

Mr Jenner This half term, Year 5’s Civitas topic has been focused upon helping and supporting nature, and making our environment better. In particular, we have been looking at birds, as they are all around us, although you may not notice them or realise that some species are suffering and rapidly declining.

In January, the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) took both Year 5 classes and Mr. Moloney’s Year 3 class bird-watching around the school grounds. Ever since, the children have been spotting and identifying many species, as well as building different types of feeders for them. As a result, Ark’s bird population has noticeably increased.

Well done Year 5!

WORLD BOOK DAY

3rd - Curie

1st - Plato

2nd - Newton

T X E C I MU INTO

crates o S 4th

SING SPRING

RITE OF SPRING AT THE BARBICAN 17 budding Ark Academy budding musicians were given the opportunity on Friday 10th February to see the London Symphony Orchestra play Stravinsky’s famous piece- The Rite of Spring at the Barbican. Written about a Pagan ritual, it was first performed in 1913 in Paris as a ballet and during its premier it caused much controversy due to the subject topic, and what sounds like repeated incidents of musical “chaos”. The students were treated to an explanation of the background of the music, short broken down passages where they got to hear each section of the orchestra on its own, and an interview with the conductor to find out just how one prepares for leading such a pivotal piece of musical history.

It them culminated with a full performance of the piece.

17 Ark Academy students attended ARK Central’s Sing into Spring. Their singing and behaviour were exemplary.

They also showed Civitas by welcoming Ark Elvin’s new school choir into our master class rehearsal this afternoon.

They were real advocates of Ark Academy and the head of Ark Central’s music team was very impressed with them!

February Spring term saw the return of House Music, with each house battling it out to achieve the accolade of best performance and those coveted house points. The four bands, and four solo/ duo acts worked hard all half term by rehearsing whenever they could, and on the final Thursday afternoon, were given the nerve-wracking opportunity to perform twice in front of a packed out audience, and a stony faced judging panel. The audience were treated to a performance of Eliza Doolittle’s Pack up Your Troubles by sister team Kaya and Aysha Lohan (Plato), Curie’s Meesha Nathan Stoute showed us one of her Grade 6 pieces on solo Piano, Socrates’ Ciara Barrett and Nuradean Arrethye did their own

A Z N A G A V A R T

exceptional representation of the musical talent we have here at Ark Academy.

arp & Miss Sh

Miss W

alker

ST PAULS At the end of last term, Senior Choir performed at St Pauls Cathedral. Pupils had a musical tour of the Cathedral and sung in the Cathedral to hundreds of tourists. They performed from the choir stalls, under the dome and at the bottom of a stair case featured in Harry Potter. They then rehearsed in the St Pauls’ Cathedral Choir’s rehearsal room, before performing a recital to tourists in the OBE Chapel.

Pupils’ behaviour was exemplary and their recital was excellent – so much so that a tourist emailed the Cathedral to say how much he enjoyed hearing the pupils sing! They performed 4 pieces, including ‘The Rhythm of Life’ and ‘Amazing Grace’. The solo was sung by Angel Egbuche.

MUSIC

HOUSE MUSIC

version of “If I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars on vocals and piano, and vocal superstar Yash Shah and rapper Munira Jimbah from Newton rounded the solo/ duo acts up with their own rendition of “Stressed Out” by 21 Pilots. The bands featured far too many performers to mention, but ranged from a Motown Medley from Plato, Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” form Newton, Drake’s “Too Good” came from Curie and Socrates entry was “How Far I’ll Go” from the new Disney film “Moana”; a real eclectic mix of genres. It really was a tough decision to make for the judges, but the winners came from Plato for the solo performance, Newton for the band, and Plato just pipping Newton to the post to be overall winners. Well done to everyone involved, it really was an

VERA’S STORY Two classes of year 9 students attended a talk from Vera, a Holocaust survivor. Vera’s testimony was fascinating, informative but also very sad.

It provided the students with a good opportunity to reflection on the nature of stereotyping, racism and how people are affected by extremism. As usual, our students were a credit to the school and were transfixed on Vera’s testimony.

At the end, the students asked insightful and respectful questions which Vera was pleased to answer.

Bathseba summed up the mood of the room when she raised her hand during the Q&A and said: “I don’t have a question, I just wanted to say that you are an inspirational person and thank you for coming to speak to us.”

Mr Oxby

REFLECTING ON HISTORY 26 lucky students from Year 9 were selected to visit the Jewish Museum of London near Camden Town. This trip, which took place exactly one week before the Holocaust Memorial Day, also supplemented the students’ learning as they are currently studying Nazi Germany. It was a fascinating learning experience for the students and me as they listened to a lecture about objects of significance in Jewish culture and history. They also got to visit a permanent gallery of the museum to investigate the life of a London Jew, Leon Greenman OBE, who was an Auschwitz survivor and someone strongly connected with the museum itself. As always, our students were impeccably behaved and respectful. I fully recommend that if you are reading this and haven’t experienced this museum, then visit soon, not just through moral obligation and remembrance, but also because it’s simply enthralling. Finally, a big thanks to Miss Brandman, our chief librarian, who helped organise and joined the trip (and gave me a sandwich when I was hungry!)

Mr Cooper

EXPLORING THE PAST

Year 13 History students visited the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich as part of their A Level unit on Britain: Losing and Gaining an Empire, 1763-1914. The students attended two academic lectures on the history of the British Empire and took part in a university-style workshop using original eighteenth century manuscripts.

This trip enabled students to learn more about global history of trade and empire during the nineteenth century. The Y13 History students were excellent ambassadors for our Sixth Form. Their mature manner and thoughtful questions were really impressive. They are ready for university! Maaryah Siddiqi, a student in 13 Warnock, said “visiting the National Maritime Museum enabled us to experience university-level History. It was really interesting to learn about the links between the countries of the classes’ ancestors and Britain. The study day enabled us to gain a better insight into the Royal Navy and how it interlinked with trade which correlated directly with our A Level History course.”

Mr Coward

30 Year 7s were chosen to visit the Museum of the Order of St John for a History field trip. The purpose of this trip was to find out more about the first crusades circa 1095.

In the time around 1090 many Christians would travel to Jerusalem to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This journey was known as a pilgrimage and in those times the journey was very long and dangerous. Many pilgrims would become sick or die from various diseases, those who made the made the journey to Jerusalem were thankful to find a small hospital which offered, a comfortable bed, food and medicine. It was run by a group of monks, led by Brother Gerard. News of their good work spread and the Pope found out about their good work and made them ‘The Order of St. John of Jerusalem’, and Gerard became known as the Grand Master.

The museum is spread over two sites, which are opposite each other. We first were shown to the new Church which is built on top of crypt that houses the bodies of some of the fallen soldiers from the various crusades. Above this is the new Church, which is no longer used for religious services, except on rare occasions when it has been used to perform ceremonies when individuals have been knighted.

More recently in 1877 the St. John Ambulance Association was established. They tended to the sick and injured people of industrial Victorian Britain. They provided free first aid classes and equipment to workers so they could in turn help save lives in the newly industrial factories and workplaces.

HISTORY

CRUSADES FIELD TRIP

EMPIRE EXHIBIT A group of Year 8 students visited the London, Sugar and Slavery Gallery at the Museum of London Docklands. The students visited different exhibits at the museum, learning about the links between trade, slavery and the Industrial Revolution. They also learned about the role of individuals, including Black Britons such as Ignatius Sancho, who campaigned to end slavery. This trip was an excellent way for students to build on their learning in History classes to develop their understanding of empire and the Industrial Revolution.

Errice Harris, a student in 8 Bonhoeffer, said “I really enjoyed learning about the history of the Caribbean and the links to British history and the history of London.”

Mr Coward

UNSUNG HEROES

In 1887, the St Johns Ambulance Brigade was formed. They provided free first aid, ambulance and nursing services to the general public. This was extremely important as the National Health Service (NHS) did not exist until 1948.

In the exhibit are artefacts that were found after the crusades had ended that people who were returning from their pilgrimages had brought for their families.

The modern St. Johns Ambulance we know today are involved in provided medical support and assistance at major sporting events, concerts, public and private events.

They continue to provide medical training to individuals, companies and government organisations. They continue to provide a valuable service to our communities.

This trip was enjoyed by all, it was enlightening and informative. I now look at the St. John Ambulance service in a completely different light, knowing how far back they date and how their role has played a significant part in British history. They keep people safe and protected even in our modern day.

Anjani Bodha (Year 7)

tom

I was privileged to be given the opportunity to attend a special screening of the movie Hidden Figures in Whitechapel. The movie was all about three women in the 1960’s who were struggling to deal with not only racial segregation but also gender discrimination.

The film tells us how these women assisted NASA in their mission to send a man into space. Using only their knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) they showed how they were capable of accomplishing things that their male counterparts were unable to do despite the colour of their skin or their gender. Furthermore, their presence within NASA brought about positive change and made their white colleagues challenge their stereotypes.

After the film there was a short presentation from seven women who spoke about their experiences as ethnic women with STEM careers. Reassuringly all of their stories were positive and they reiterated how important it was for us as young ethnic women to conquer our fear that STEM is the male domain and pursue these fields regardless.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and I came away feeling very positive and enthusiastic about my STEM subjects.

Anjani Bodha (Year 7)

At the start of spring term, 30 Year 10 students were selected by their English teachers to come off timetable for the day to complete a day of public speaking training. They were put through their paces with a series of challenging activities working on building their confidence and clarity when addressing an audience. Rares Maglan and Sahr Dugba were chosen from the attendees to represent the school at the borough final of the Speak Out Challenge. They performed in front of an assembled crowd at Alperton School and received certificates from the mayor afterwards. They didn’t win but they did themselves and the school proud with their inspiring speeches.

Miss Lewis-Smith

DUKE OF EDINBURGH ORIENTEERING This year the Bronze DofE students have kicked of the expedition season with some orienteering around Central London. The student were split into 3 groups and given maps, grid references and a booklet of questions they needed to complete along the way. With minimal support or direction the students made their way along the route. One group did require a ‘correction’ once they had already walked in the wrong direction for a considerable amount of time and seemed to have no idea they were doing so. The students did not take long to get their sense of direction and soon started following the correct route, confidently so. As group leaders

Miss Holmes we were generally impressed with how sensible our students were, both on the tube (despite cancelled trains) and walking around London. The students worked very well in their teams with some students naturally fulfilling the role of navigator, decision maker or shepherd (In Simrans case - mother hen regularly counting her chicks). The outing was a success with all groups making their way around their route in the given time and has definitely been a great start to preparing them for their expeditions in the summer term.

Quote of the day “ Is that a squirrel?” – While looking through the gates of the Tower of London at a statue of A BEAR

OUT & ABOUT

KINGSWOOD On Sunday 5th Feb, 60+ year 7s and 7 teachers headed out to Kingswood residential trip in Guildford. Although the weather was cold, students arrived with their over-sized suitcases more excited than ever! On the coach journey there, Miss Hickling led songs; including classics such as ‘I believe I can fly’ by R. Kelly. When we arrived at Kingswood, students dropped their bags and went straight into their first activities. These included 3G swing, Jacobs ladder, nightlife, abseiling, problem solving, laser tag, indoor initiative, to name a few.

We had an amazing time and it was a great opportunity for the students to be brave, have fun and take advantage of new experiences. One of the highlights on the trip included seeing Miss Doherty jump in the ‘Leap of Faith ‘ exercise at a great height!

On the final night, students showed off their fantastic dance moves at the disco and had lots of fun. The next day, after a few more activities, students waved off Kingswood and we headed back home.

Kingswood was a trip filled with fun, laughter, challenge, new friendships, lots of adventure, and is a trip we will never forget!

Miss Lisk

5 members of staff read to students at lunch time

SKYPE AUTHOR INTERVIEWS 40 students enjoyed interviewing authors Kerry Drewery and Josh Lacey via skype. It was a fantastic opportunity to ask questions about the life of an author, what inspires them and what they would take to a desert island, to not just one, but two published authors. Kerry Drewery, who writes dystopian novels, spoke about how she came to be a writer, and how it felt to be nominated for the prestigious Carneige award. Josh Lacey told students how reading widely ignited his passion for words and inspired him to work firstly as a journalist, and now as an author.

Khadijah Abderrahmane, who asked a great question about whether Josh’s family supported him in his decision to be an author, said “ I loved it, and even got to ask a good question”. Another student, Parbes Ahmed added “it was interesting to see how authors feel about their books”.

CELEBRITY DEATH MATCH

13 celebrity book characters battled it out in a tense and exciting competition, where the sole way to victory was using only the power of words. Contestants bravely took their places in the death match ring, where they were relentlessly questioned by the judges in order to see who really was the ultimate book character.

Students debated how they would conquer other characters, they described their strengths, and they considered how they would overcome any character weaknesses to survive the match. Compered by the fantastic Mr Robinson, victors included Dr Who, Electroman and Hermione.

Well done to all who took part in this unique and dramatic event.

ARK LITER ARY

Library loans have increased by 50% since the Lit Fest

60 students received a free book on World Book Day Seven departments ran literary based activities as part of lessons or homework

AUTHOR FAYE BIRD VISITS ARK On World Book Day itself three lucky English classes were treated to creative writing workshops from author Faye Bird. She spoke about her journey to becoming a writer, and shared some of her top tips and techniques for generating unique story ideas. It was then time for students to fire up their own writerly imaginations, and with the help of a series of picture prompts they came up with some ingenious and highly original ideas. Especially popular was Faye’s reading of a teaser passage from her first book, ‘My Second Life’. Christiane Avila said, “her book captivated me” while Miriam Ali reported that “my favourite bit of the session was when she read the first page of her book... It was really intriguing and suspenseful, and made me want to read more.”

lIBRARY

We celebrated World Book Day with a poetry slam, compered once more by the incredible Milola, who also thrilled the audience by performing. There were more than 20 entries, including several self-penned compositions, all of whom performed in front of the judges and peers. Participation was mixed between poetry slam regulars, and those performing in front of a crowd for the very first time, and students should be commended for their braveness in putting themselves forward and choosing to get involved. After a nail-biting period of deliberation, the deserving winners were revealed as follows – 1. Richard Holder; 2 Omari Williams; 3 Katrin Ivanovic; 4 Elidona Bokrugji , with a special effort prize going to Muna Ali – congratulations to the winners and all who took part!

FESTIVAL WEEK Ongoing throughout the week was the ‘Secret Agent Scavenger Hunt’, which saw teams of student sleuths attempting to decode picture clues and answer riddles put to them by literary detectives and double-agents – including Nancy Drew, Inspector Goole, and Sherlock Holmes himself.

Simrah Khan and Marium Abassi in Year 7 were among the first to crack the code and complete the hunt.

Simrah said, “I really enjoyed solving the clues – with some help from Marium - and it was fun to roam around the whole school, tracking down the characters and asking teachers for help.”

THE BIG ARK BOOK QUIZ

Mrs Bran

dman

The literary rivalry continued in form time, with twelve form classes (almost 300 students!) across years 7-9 taking part in a Bumper Ark Book Quiz.

Form groups pooled together their knowledge on magical worlds, Victorian novels, fairy-tale and more, in a bid to win house points and claim the top prize. The overall winners were 9 Zephaniah, with an impressive 22 correct answers out of 25. Not far behind in second place was 9 Heaney, with 7 Rylance and 8 Gandhi sharing joint-third position.

‘“After listening to the assembly about reading, and seeing my fellow peers read, I was influenced and intrigued to begin reading again. I went to the library where I was given help to choose a murder novel which I will begin reading” (Lauren Cole, Year 10 who hadn’t taken a book out of the library since 2014)

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PI DAY CELEBRATIONS SCIENCE WEEK

The science department had a brilliant time running four days of all different kinds of science activities. Each of the teachers in the department has different highlights and favourite parts of the week.

My personal highlight of the week was the year 7 reward trip to the science museum. I loved seeing the way the pupils explored the exhibits, they noticed things I have never noticed or thought about when I have visited the science museum on my own.

Anjani Bodha from 7 Craic said ‘I thoroughly enjoyed this trip, as I got to learn more about science and how it influences many wonderful creations that we take for granted, like clocks, I-pad’s and planes, trains and automobiles’

We had eight students recite more than fifty digits of pi correctly…

And five heroic teachers met a sticky fate.

Miss Sach loved firing the rockets so much that she made sure that we did it twice in the week!

The audience loved it especially, when Shukre stole the show – and retained the crown – with 365 digits (almost identical to her score last year).

Miss Shortis’ favourite part of the week was DEMO day, where she made some magical methane bubbles which were a huge hit.

Time to start practicing for next year.

Mr Clark was incredibly excited about the delivery of rats, which he dissected as part of DEMO day.

The RAF visit with drones and mini jet engines went down a treat with year 8 and 9.

Mr Ding

I am also very happy with the responses I have hearing from pupils after the climate change assemblies. I can tell that lots of pupils are really thinking about this now, and hopefully it can have a real positive effect across our school.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone involved especially the Science teachers, and all the enthusiastic pupils who got stuck in.

Miss Rafferty

This term the Year 9 students had the opportunity to be professional businessmen and women for the day. They dressed the part in smart attire and had a great time learning about possible careers and planning for the future. In the Real Game activity many were shocked to discover how quickly their incomes would be used up each month!

Year 9 Careers Day

EVENTS

WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE...

A highlight of the day was the Speed Networking event, organised and run by the Sixth Form students, in which the Year 9 students asked questions of real professional volunteers, such as ‘How much do you earn?’ and ‘What training do you need to do your job?’. We would like to thank the parents that offered their time to participate in this event and answer all the questions.

By the end of the day the students had lots of ideas for what they want to do when they leave school and a much better picture of what qualifications they will need to get there.

Miss Hickling

Our Year 9 Art students had a taste of what GCSE Art could be like. They worked independently by learning and recording different works of art they liked from The V&A and The Design Museum. Students created studies inspired by exhibits ranging from Middle Eastern tapestries, European fashion and contemporary product design.

Miss McHaffie

Y9 ART STUDENTS TRIP

Miss Mchaffie

Dear Sixth Form students and parents, Spring is in the air and it is difficult not to feel invigorated and energised for the final term of the year.

R TETeaAwith! Age UK TIME FOAfternoon

With the second set of mock are now behind us it is hugely important that our Sixth Formers use these exams to reflect on what they got wrong, and use those mistakes to move their learning forward before the real exams, which start in June. It is not a time to get hung up on outcomes; good or bad. There is always room for improvement and this is the stage of the year where they need to step it up a gear to make certain the real outcomes are an honest reflection of both their work and capabilities.

This is never truer than for Year 13 pupils. Their focus now is must absolutely be on their exams.

Everything else is secondary to that.

Post Easter they will have a maximum of 32 hours lesson time before the first exam begins! They must make every minute count by arriving on time to every lesson and participating to their fullest. If ever there was a time to make an effort it is now – making excuses is only fooling themselves.

Year 12’s will have noticed a renewed emphasis on the Ark Diploma in preparation for the summers terms pastoral focus on getting their UCAS process started. It is vital that, while they put in the 6 hours per week per subject on top of lesson time to secure the optimal AS outcomes, they must also make sure that they have developed a well-rounded sense of self buy completing Ark Diploma Activities and thus making their personal statement writing a breeze.

So with that in mind I urge you let the Easter break refresh you, clear your head, prepare yourself for the final term. Make sure that in this forthcoming exam season you are confident, renewed and ready to show the world just how hard you have worked over the past number of years.

I wish you all a relaxing and peaceful Easter.

Tracey Keane Director of Ark Academy Sixth Form

The Afternoon Tea event was held in the Ark Academy Sixth Form hall.

This was an event fully planned and staged by a group of Year 12 students consisting of Granit Kasthanjeva, Maryline Maruthan, Prezemyslaw Nocon and Zakariya Abdullahi. The event was part of the ‘Managing an Event’ unit of the Professional Pathways (Business) course which is in its first year.

The aim of the event was to bring together a group of local elderly citizens from Age UK to enable them to have fun in a new environment and was hosted and staffed by students from the Professional Pathways course. We wanted to plan and execute this event because as a group we thought that the media’s attention is targeted more towards young people and the negative side of the younger generation. We wanted to change this view for a few people at least and enable them to interact with members of the younger generation.

On the day we provided teas, coffees, cakes and biscuits, live music and a range of events including table tennis, bingo, dominoes and Jenga. Miss Keane, Director of Sixth Form, was quoted as saying this “was one of the nicest events she had seen in the seven years she had worked at Ark Academy.”

During the process of planning the event we learnt that there are many aspects which need to be considered in order for an event of this nature to be a success. Although it was very stressful to organise and tested our event management skills to the limit, including teamwork, communication, time management and leadership, it was all worth it to enable the visitors from Age UK to have a happy and enjoyable afternoon with students from Ark Academy Sixth Form.

Maryline Maruthan (Year 13) Project Manager Professional Pathways

Ciara (Year 13) first saw him speak about his research into ‘p-adic numbers’ at a ‘Maths In Action’ seminar day in Year 12.

The Maths Department hosted the esteemed mathematician Kevin Buzzard from Imperial College who gave a talk called ‘How Whatsapp works’. Kevin scored the highest mark of all students in his cohort at Cambridge, earning the title ‘Senior Wrangler’, and now is one of the world’s leading number theorists.

Mr Buzzard gave a fascinating talk about the perilous modern world we live in and the lengths companies like WhatsApp go to make sure hackers and government agencies cannot read their users’ messages. The secret to RSA encryption is the asymmetric nature of two simple mathematical tasks: multiplying large prime numbers, which

is ‘easy’ and can easily be done by any pocket calculator; and factorising the product to recover the original prime numbers, which is ‘hard’ and requires extraordinary computing power. This simple asymmetry lies at the heart of modern encryption and helps explain how all private information is communicated online. Our students were fascinated about the way abstract maths could have such an ‘everyday’ function and left eager to check the privacy settings on their social media accounts.

Mr Ding

SIXTH FORM

CAN YOU DIGIT?

plaudits need to go to Ciara Barrett who has been pursuing Kevin for more than a year, trying to persuade him to visit the school.

The eager audience (12 Year Thirteens, 10 Year Twelves, 5 Year Elevens, a Year Ten and a Year Eight) stayed behind after school for over an hour to learn about RSA algorithms, Fermat’s Little Theorem and Cybersecurity, and did the school proud. However, the biggest

APPRENTICESHIPS DIVERSITY AND BREXIT Sir Michael Rake Talks about Bridging the Gap

130 sixth formers welcomed Sir Michael Rake, chairman of BT group as well as Worldpay, for his talk about ‘Bridging the Gap’. The ‘Bridging the Gap’ scheme is part of ‘Speakers for Schools’, the national education charity set up to inspire and empower state school students to reach their full potential.

The talk began with Sir Rake giving the sixth formers a brief overview of his life story, from school to training as a chartered accountant and how this led him all around the world- from the multicultural London to the hot deserts of Yemen, up to his current roles. He spoke of the importance of diversity of all kinds for businesses as well as the economy of Britain. It is true; diversity is a litmus test for any successful business.

Much to his dismay, Kassia Tavares asked about Sir Rake’s view on Brexit. As a result, his open views of Western politics- both Brexit and Trump’s election- and the “public fighting the establishment” were hot topics of the morning. After the talk, 10 Year 12 prefects had coffee with him and asked further questions. The Year 12s asked questions ranging from “the reasons behind French productivity” to why the “mainstream media depicts business as an insensitive pathway all about money” rather than helping other people?

All in all, it was an honour to have him deliver his speech. The talk was inspiring and proved that Britain needed diversity more than anything.

After all, where would we be without diversity?

Fatmia Ahmed-Sultan (Year 12)

My trip to Magdalen College was a great opportunity which helped me expand my research into the universities that I would like to apply to. At the beginning of our trip we were taken on a tour around the campus where we learnt interesting things about the college such as Magdalen College was founded in 1448. After the tour, we were

taken to a lecture hall where we were informed more about how to apply to the university and the requirements needed to be accepted. As well as this, we were informed that everyone had an equal chance of being accepted and this encouraged me to begin to think about applying to Oxford University.

At the end of our trip, our tour

guides had created a little workshop which helped us to begin planning and writing our personal statements for our university applications.

Overall, I was very grateful for this opportunity as I enjoyed this trip a lot because I found it interesting and very useful towards the decisions I will make in the future.

Fatima Ali (Year 12)

TOP UNIVERSITY VISIT

Well done to the Y12 Geography students who visited Juniper Hall in Surrey. Students experienced real world geography in Dorking and the Mole Valley, climbed Box Hill and visited an English vineyard.

Although the weather wasn’t always great, the tutor at the Field Study Centre was really impressed with the focus and hard-working attitude of the Y12s. They were a pleasure to teach, collected excellent data and developed skills which will be vital for their skills exam in the summer, as well as building their knowledge of real world fieldwork in Geography.

Mr Chandler

S R O O D T U O T A E R G E TH

MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY Ark Sixthformer: “Is this really where Lenin worked before the Russian revolution?”

Librarian: “Yes, in this tiny office. It is where the revolution started!”

This was one of the unexpected treats of the Marx Memorial Library with Y13 Historians and Politics students. Another was their amazing posters on the Spanish Civil War. We discussed: was this a 1930s version of the Syrian Crisis? Not quite, but interesting. The library had fantastic newspapers going back to 1956. We read about the Suez Crisis and football.

Haider Moosa (Y13): “the trip strengthened my knowledge and brought history alive”.

Mr Sawbridge

A group of our sixth form students got the opportunity to explore Westminster Abbey.

This even included the special treatment of walking in through the royal entrance! The group showed great subject knowledge between them as a cohort including Philosophy, History and Government & Politics. Throughout they showed insightful questions and thoughtful observations. In particular I loved Nuradean’s quip about being unsure about stepping over Darwin’s grave but “it’s survival of the fittest after all.”

Mr Sawbridge

SIXTH FORM SIXTH FORM

MEDIA CONFERENCE

Miss Downey and I had the pleasure of accompanying twelve Sixth Form Media Studies students to the MediaMagazine Conference.

All students were outstanding throughout the day. They asked questions, showed interest and were excellent ambassadors for the school.

Cherrise, Hamza, Dhruv and Bash spent some time speaking with Leon Mann (pictured), a journalist for ITV and a campaigner for diversity in sports journalism.

A great day was had by all and provided a valuable learning experience for everyone involved.

Mr Gardiner

R E T S N I WESTM ABBEY

L L A H G N I BANQUEhisTtorians put Charles I on trial Our

“Prosecuting Charles I was foreshadowing of my future career” Haider Moosa (Year 13). The very best lawyers are unlikely to prosecute a serving monarch, but 20 Y12 and Y13 historians had that very experience at the Banqueting House in Whitehall when they met (an actor playing) Charles I. All but one student found him guilty of treason, just like in 1649, but many changed their minds when they met Charles I again in his Grand Hall and saw his kinder side. “The whole thing strengthened my subject knowledge and made the context come alive” (Y13 student).

Mr Sawbridge

K N U D M A L S

Despite feeling some sympathy for Newman our boys honestly deserved it. They worked tirelessly throughout every quarter and although they were in losing positions at various stages of the game they all pulled together and ultimately their superior fitness and determination enabled the victory.

As always at Ark Academy we have witnessed an action-packed and exhilarating basketball season this year that has brought about mixed emotions for all involved. With our previous successes leading to the highest of expectations for our players it was pleasing to see three out of the five competing year groups make it through to the Brent finals. Years 9, 10 and our senior’s sides made up the successful trio.

Bailey and Ace were lightning-quick down both channels and their respective opponents were chasing shadows by the final quarter. Jonathan Tate was the star man in terms of defence and bossed our key preventing two of their six foot plus players scoring too many baskets. Mohamuud came into his own in the second quarter and scored two fabulous baskets after dribbling the ball from inside his own half. But the Man of the Match went to Daneshay Ellis who did not stop running all match, demonstrated outstanding dribbling technique and ability to bypass his opponents, and scored some incredible reverse lay ups which undoubtedly ensured the win.

inalists F t n e r B 3 ’s Ark

First up were the year 10 basketball team who had defeated Capital City on two occasions in the semifinals. Due to an infringement of rule regulations in the first game we played them twice to set up the final against a strong and determined Claremont side. Despite an admirable effort from a squad of just seven Ark players (which in the final quarter managed to close down a gap of 9 points against their well organised opponents), the boys ultimately came up short. We were level on points at the final whistle but in the five minutes of extra time that followed Claremont were more clinical with their shooting and deservedly won the game by four points to take the championship.

Where year 10’s just fell short the year 9 basketball team excelled and in doing so, became the first Ark team of 2017 to be crowned Brent champions for a third successive year. They eventually defeated Newman College with a final score of 34-31. It was a truly pulsating fixture in which neither team was prepared to given an inch. It is fair to say emotions were reaching breaking point come the final whistle – Jonathan Tate was literally struggling to walk!

Finally the senior’s team (combined of years 11, 12 and 13) were up against St Greg’s for their much anticipated final. They went into this game as current holders of the Brent basketball championship and were unbeaten with three wins in the initial group stage, rounding this off with a semi-final victory against Claremont. For this final match we also welcomed back one of our key players Elliot Howard who despite returning from a serious injury was instrumental in defence and blocked out our opponents time and time again.

Matthew David-Tate was like a man possessed; repeatedly stealing the ball from the St Greg’s players throughout the game. This allowed us to create a twenty point advantage by half time but to their credit St Greg’s pushed back hard in the second half and were despairingly close to drawing the game (they had a three point shot correctly ruled out right on the final buzzer). In true Ark spirit it was resilience and persistence that got us through the final few minutes, where we held out for 31-28 win. The final victory was also a great tribute to James Dudhi Price who secured yet another basketball title in his final year at Ark Academy. This young man has been an ever present figure in the basketball squad since Year 7 and has become a truly inspirational role model for his younger peers to look up to. Mr Foster

SPORTS

TOP PERFORMANCE Our Year 12 Physical Education students have enjoyed two incredible off-spec learning activities this term.

We first attended St Marys University in Twickenham to take part in a number of Sport Science laboratory tests.

These included the Wingate Anaerobic Test [WAnT] to assess their maximal power. Cameron Russell was put through his paces as part of the sub maximal test; as the team monitoring and analysing both his heart rate and respiratory gases. The session took place in one of the exclusive sport & exercise labs, usually only opened for professional athletes. Recent years have seen Mo Farah, Usain Bolt and the England Rugby team utilise the same lab!!

The experience brought their new found knowledge of anatomy and physiology to life and will help them to understand it in far greater depth.

‘We had an amazing opportunity to visit the sports science lab at St. Marys University. Using the hightech equipment amazed us all! This trip most definitely gave me an insight to what a sports science degree actually entails’.

Summer Bywater In February they were treated to a visit from Dr Peter Abrahams, the Clinical Anatomy professor emeritus from Warwick University. Dr Abrahams really pushed the students thinking when it came to how the body works – taking them beyond the text books!! Topics included the automatic nervous system, the musculoskeletal system and the neuro-muscular system. Dr Abraham’s wealth of knowledge was incredible and the students really appreciated him giving up his time to come and talk with them.

Both experiences have added greatly to the depth of knowledge for the A Level PE students and also given them a taste of university life as a Sports Science undergraduate.

Miss Addison

RUGBY ANGELS On Sunday 26th February Bellicia Kearney had the pleasure of meeting England rugby player Billy Vinupola and to sing the National anthem on the pitch at Twickenham prior to the England vs Italy RBC six nations match. The opportunity arose along with 79 schools across England as part of the RFU All Schools programme. Four of our Year 9 girls rugby squad took part in a rugby shirt design event back in the autumn term. They designed a stunning rugby shirt that has now been brought to life. The unique design includes a halo as the signature emblem of the ‘Ark Angels’. Bellicia was officially presented with the kit before the game. The full set of shirts has now arrived and the girls absolutely love it!! It was a fantastic day and an amazing experience that Bellicia will never forget.

Miss Addison

BRENT ATHLETIC CHAMPIONS Our very athletic team of Year 7 girls won in true Ark fashion with 50 points more than the team who placed 2nd yesterday. In round 2 of the competition the mission was to run faster and jump/throw further to beat their personal bests.

Mr O’Carroll

As Brent Champions 2017 they are now selected to represent Brent in a West London competition in March.

Congratulations girls!

AU REVOIR MISS ADDISON! It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to one of our founder member of staff Nicola Addison. Nicola’s passion for Physical Education through her role as Head of Girls PE and of course all things ‘Plato House’ are going to be sorely missed by both staff and students. Nicola’s relentless drive for excellence in all aspects of life at Ark Academy has been inspirational; she has been at the centre of countless opportunities for pupils and staff; ranging from sports teams to quiz nights and of course the fantastic annual Plato House Christmas dinner

for our local pensioners.

Nicola’s talents have no boundaries! Behind all of the success stories lies the meticulous planning, organisation, time and passion to ensure that if something is to be done then it must be the best that it can possibly be – this is also transferred to her expectations of pupils and colleagues – to be the very best that they can be. From all of the staff and students at Ark Academy we wish you all the very best for the future – We will miss you!

GOODBYE AND GOOD LUCK X

Miss Ola - she works so hard to get us good grades in English and give us so much wisdom.

Miss Abdule she has helped me in my assessment always makes me more motivated for class.

Mr Stewart - he always lightens up my mood and makes me smile.

Ms Sandeman she is calm and she teaches us really well.

Mr Dineen - makes a great impact on those who want to learn and in my opinion he is the smartest person I've met!

Miss Khairoun - her care and consideration for each student is greatly appreciated.

e h t g n i t o m o ! e Pr v i t i s po

Mr Izzidien - He puts a lot of hardwork in to every class. He gives time for people to finish their coursework or for revision and always keeps his cool.

Ms Clark she gives really pleasant lessons and has helped me to develop my love for English even more and she believes in me!

Thank you.

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Mr Parsons he is very kind and hard-working. He always helps me and gives me extra work which is helpful.

Miss Wada she has worked really hard for our class and always puts in 100%. She is a legend!

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Mrs Haslam - she always has faith in us and she always puts our opinions in to action.

Thank you for being the best Vice Principal!

Miss Salad - she has really helped me understand Science and I have grown to love Science now.

Thank you!

CONTACT US PHONE: 020 8385 4370

EMAIL: info@arkacademy.org

WEB: www.arkacademy.org