Africa pull-out
Literature Festival
Photos and accounts from the Tanzania mission trip. Pages 9 - 12
Did you go this year? We did! Take a look at our reviews. Page 15
ASA TODAY
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
The All Saints’ Academy Newspaper
www.asachelt.org
“The rest is silence.”
“Our students performed an outstanding version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Rose Theatre. The acting ability of all the cast involving students from Year 8 - 12 was truly brilliant.” Mr McNiffe Principal
“As an ensemble, every student performed to a professional standard. Every character, in Hamlet, was clearly defined and the audience were taken through the story with drama, laughter, shocks and an acting tour-de-force. This has to be the best Shakespeare School’s Festival performance I have watched in 4 years. Superb!” Mr Clarkson Assistant Principal “What a production! From start to finish I was captivated. There were some amazing performances and it was obvious that the cast worked well together. Fantastic storytelling was evident throughout.” Miss Skelding PR & Marketing Manager By Mr Griffin
Second in English
Acting in any school play is nervewracking enough, and acting Shakespeare’s most famous play in a professional theatre only serves to increase the pressure. A cast of sixteen students set themselves this challenge, and rose to the occasion with spectacular success.
From the moment the lights came up to the last of many deaths on stage, the audience were spellbound at The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury. As the death-toll mounted, tears were shed for the stark tragedy unfolding on the stage, but there were moments of laughter too. Josh Domm provided a welcome comic turn as a sequence of increasingly bizarre characters. Alex Borowicz was the first to die, her character losing life and crown in one brutal execution. This wasn’t enough to keep her off the stage,
as she returned in ghostly white to instruct Hamlet in his mission of revenge. Callum Bell, Polonius, fell a victim of mistaken identity, while Olly Ray, Laertes, was poisoned by his own sword. A core of older students led the production from the front. Their leadership and determination made it possible for younger students to take risks and give it their all. The ice-queen Gertrude was played by Emily Bond, who revealed Gertrude’s dark heart, while Megan Roberts’ spectacularly troubled Ophelia showed the unintend-
ed consequences of Hamlet’s revenge. The dastardly King, Claudius, was played with real gusto by Jose Lumactod, who managed to suggest a character with no moral fibre, and with an eye to the main chance. And yet, his was no caricature, but a really well thought out and considered performance. And finally, to Hamlet. One of the most complex characters ever set to paper, the troubled youth was embodied by Eloise Taylor, giving the most assured performance imaginable. She rose to the challenge of leading
such a talented company, and led them to new heights. Her struggle with her mother’s new husband was a constant undertone, like a theme in a minor key. For many members of the cast, this will be their last production at All Saints’ Academy. They have set a mark so high, so professional, that all future casts will have their work cut out to match it. And I hope that wherever they go in the future, they look back on their time in the company of Hamlet with real pride. Because they came together, something wonderful happened. Tout passe, l’amitie reste.
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
EDITORIAL
Editor’s comments
excellent examination success. It is my duty and the duty of my staff team to ensure all our young people fulfil their God given potential.
Miss Skelding
PR & Communications Manager Chief Editor for ASA Today It has been a busy and exciting term for us all at the start of the academic year. There have been lots of things to celebrate which is why this edition is 20 pages long! Many trips happened over the summer holidays and also at the start of this term; these feature in this edition. Our Africa team returned safely from their amazing trip; please read more about it in the Africa special pull-out. Sixth Form students have had some brilliant opportunites, going to the Houses of Parliament, Cheltenham Literature Festival and having a Q&A from The Times Moscow Correspondent. Also featuring in this newspaper is our results success. We are so proud of our students and all their achievements. If there is one we aren’t aware of please pop me an email. If you are interested in being a student journalist please send me an email: kskelding@asachelt.org
ASA TODAY Editorial Team Chief Editor: Miss Skelding Editor: Miss Smith
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Above: Mr McNiffe, Principal of All Saints’ Academy
Q&A with the Principal What attracted you to apply for the position of Principal at All Saints’ Academy? I was interested in the opportunity to lead All Saints’ Academy because it is a joint church Academy, which was similar to my last Academy in Liverpool. With having the experience in leading a joint faith Academy before, I knew how the characteristics of a Christian school’s values and ethos make a significant impact on the daily lives and achievements of the students it cares for. At All Saints’ Academy you can really sense an atmosphere of love, care and support, which compliments the determination from Governors and staff to provide an enjoy-
able education where every student realises and exceeds their potential. When you walk through the doors of our Academy you can feel it, it is tangible. Once I experienced it for myself, I immediately knew I wanted to take this Academy forward to achieve even greater things. What is your vision for ASA? My vision is for All Saints’ Academy to be recognised as an outstanding centre of educational excellence, delivering a learning curriculum enriched through collaboration with its local community, and beyond, so that all the young people and families we serve are inspired to achieve excellent outcomes for their own futures and therefore fulfil their dreams and aspirations. I am passionate about helping all young people achieve the highest academic standards and
Where did you work previously? When I left school I started as an apprentice engineer with the Rover Group in Cowley, Oxford. After I met my wife I moved to Manchester and worked as an engineer for British Aerospace. After twelve years in industry I studied for my Honours Degree in education and qualified as a teacher in 1996. Since then I have never looked back, I love teaching and I enjoyed teaching my subject Design and Technology. I worked in Trafford near Manchester for twelve years, nine of them at Wellacre Technology College, now Wellacre Academy, leading it to an outstanding Ofsted inspection in 2007. I then became Principal at St Francis of Assisi in Liverpool leading it from Requires Improvement to Good over 2012 – 13. We also achieved outstanding in all areas for our Section 48 inspection. What hobbies do you have? I enjoy cycling, music and playing the guitar. I am a passionate Manchester United fan and I really enjoy watching sport, particularly football and rugby. I used to play golf but had to reduce it after the birth of my three boys, Aidan, Finn and Angus. However, they are starting to get old enough to pick up the golf clubs themselves so I’m looking forward to playing again.
Parental Forum All Saints’ Academy Parental Forum meets once a term, for an hour, to discuss a whole variety of issues related to life at the Academy. At the meeting on September 17th we discussed, amongst other topics, Maths, catering and the Academy uniform.
Address: Blaisdon Way Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL51 0WH
The next meeting is on Thursday 6th November 2014 at 6pm and further discussion of catering at All Saints’ is one of the topics on the agenda. The group is open to all parents so if you are interested in attending and making your point of view known, or raising concerns that you have, then please email Mrs Crawford (Assistant Principal, House) on acrawford@asachelt.org. We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.
Phone: 01242 711200 Absences: 01242 711203 Email: admin@asachelt.org www.asachelt.org www.facebook.com/asachelt www.twitter.com/asachelt www.youtube.com/asachelt
Important Dates for the Diary Student Review Day Friday 7th November
Appointment letters have been posted. Please contact Mrs Jennings by Thursday 23rd October if you need to change your appointment time. Try to arrive 20 minutes before your appointment time so that you can visit the University stalls in the Hall.
Parents’ Evening Thursday 13th November
Online bookings will become available from 4.00pm on Friday 7th November. More details will be available on Student Review Day.
Keep up to date with ASA
follow us on twitter
twitter bites Nick @GrampyBacon Super fun time @RosesTheatre performing #Hamlet Thank you @GriffSpeaks for your direction and support :D All Saints’ Academy @asachelt So in awe of this wonderful cast! Stunning performance of #hamlet tonight! You made ASA proud :) @ssf_uk @griffspeaks Griff @griffspeaks Thank you @RosesTheatre, @SSF_UK and @asachelt for such a cracking evening. Fair to say: nailed it. Hamlet ftw. News Academy @the_newsacademy Check out student Curtis Mansfield’s review of Russia Correspondent Ben Hoyle’s News Academy Workshop http://bit.ly/1sMD7jj @asachelt The Rock @The_Rock_Glos @the_Rock_Glos loved being apart of @asachelt Community event! Don’t forget the Community Cafe is on today at 3.30-5.00pm inside our hall Ruth FitzJohn @Ruthjfj It’s great to see @asachelt All Saints’ Academy’s CCF cadets lauded in today’s letters in The Times.
Catering Edwards and Ward invite you to come and meet Jason, your Catering Manager with any special requests. Look out for the special day posters coming up around the Academy: Bonfire Night meal, Taste of India etc. Keep a close eye on the plasma screens in your restaurant. There are a selection of baguettes available every day in both the Manna and the Loaves and Fishes restaurant, or alternatively if you prefer a hot meal, check out the ‘Hot Menu’ which is also available every day. Our Company Executive Chef Mark Webber has presented some exciting new flavours and food concepts during October which included Katsu Curry, Soya Balti, Flaming Popcorn Chicken, Onion Bhaji Burgers & Burrito’s to name but a few. Look out for these on the menu!
EXAM RESULTS
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
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By Mr McNiffe Principal
As the new Principal of All Saints’ Academy, I am delighted to be in a position to build on the record breaking examination successes of our Year 11 and Sixth Form students in the summer of 2014. The record breaking headlines for this year are: • • •
98% achieve 5 or more GCSE and equivalent passes at A*-C 35% achieve 5 or more A*- A grades 71% of students achieved A*-C grades in English Language which is well above national average.
The combined outcomes for 5 good GCSEs and equivalent with English and Mathematics are at 51%, which is a 21% improvement since the Academy got its first set of results in 2012. Our Sixth Form record breaking headlines are: • • •
98% achieving A-Level and equivalent passes 10% improvement in A-Level and equivalent pass rate on last year All Level 3 BTEC subjects are performing well above national average
These examination results are fantastic and a real testament to the hard work and dedication of our students and staff, who have endeavoured to achieve the best possible outcomes over last year. Indeed, this examination performance further endorses the recognition we recently received from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, for being in the top 20% of schools nationally, in achieving sustained, outstanding
Katie Cotton-Betteridge receiving her GCSE results
Students receiving their A-Level results student progress over the past 3 years. Another highlight of the summer of 2014 was the successful trip to Tanzania, where our intrepid team of students of staff travelled to support an African township in constructing their own school. Please see the Africa diary inside this edition. I am so proud of the welcoming atmosphere of our Academy. Our unique Christian character and ethos is truly focused on providing an outstanding education for all our students. A feeling of care, friendliness, love and support pervades Academy life and it is indeed a privilege for me to lead the All Saints’ community forward to achieve even greater things in the future. I am sure you will enjoy reading this edition of ASA Today.
Students receiving their GCSE results
Thomas Etheredge receiving his GCSE results
Sixth Form produce best ever results By Mr Simcox
Director of Post-16
Nationally there was a decline in A-Level results but we improved; 95% of our students achieved A – E grades in 2013 it was 87%. These results enabled 56 students to go to university compared with 21 students last year.
Three of top achieving students were – • Liam Taylor (Psychology A*, ICT A, Business D*). • Alastair Potter (Maths A, Physics B, Further Maths D). • Bryoni Bradshaw (Performing Arts B, Psychology B, Sociology B)
Chelsea Craven after opening her results
A-Level Results 95% A - E grades (2013 = 87%) L3 BTEC Results 100% Pass Grades 92% Merits or better (National Average is 61%) 70% Distinctions and Distinction* (Nat. Av. is 36%) All Saints’Academy Sixth Form improves again with results. All our students taking the Level 3 BTEC Advanced Subsidiary Diplomas passed. Most of the students gained Distinctions and Merits. The number of students achieving the top awards of Distinction and Distinction* meant our results were double the national average.
Liam Taylor receiving his exam results
SPIRITUALITY
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
Macmillan Coffee Morning By Mrs Spence Roman Catholic Lay Chaplain
On 26th September Chaplains organised a Macmillan Coffee Morning for staff during break. A variety of cakes and pastries were baked and donated by staff, the event raised £106.32 for the Macmillan Cancer Trust.
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3 . 6 0 1 £ d e s i a r The event
Events Feast Day
On Thursday 9th October in honour of St Francis (feast day 4th Oct) a short service led by Revd Samuel was held in the Chapel. It was a celebration of the part animals, in particular pets, play in our lives. Students were encouraged to bring along photos of their pets.
Celebrating Harvest To celebrate harvest a display was assembled in the Chapel of fruit and vegetables and harvest was the focus of this week’s Collective Worship in Form Time. Tutor groups were invited to come to the Chapel during PM Registration for a short reflection where they watched a slideshow accompanied by music. The
On Wednesday 3rd September services were held to welcome the new students starting at the Academy. Mrs Spence, RC Lay Chaplain and Mrs Scarfe, Assistant Principal of Spirituality led the service for Year 7 and Mr Pinless RE Teacher and Sixth Form Chaplain led the service for Year 12.
By Mrs Scarfe
Assistant Principal of Spirituality With a new Principal Mr D McNiffe starting at All Saints’ Academy in September, it was decided that the opening training day for Staff should be one of reflection and worship. The theme was “seeing the face of God in everyone” and was held in Gloucester Cathedral. After coffee in the Chapter House, staff were introduced to the theme of the day, I then asked everyone to look in a mirror tile and to consider what they see. After initial laughter and complaints of old age and wrinkles, we moved to encourage everyone to see the good in themselves. This was supported by other staff writing down three positives about members of staff. The question was then asked “If we find it difficult to be positive about ourselves how can we ensure that our students can do the same”? The next activity had Matt Pinless, Sixth Form chaplain, describ-
ing what faith means to him and asking the question what stops us being ourselves and does faith in God helps us to have an idea of what we are all about? This moved onto a reflection on the Christian values of love, peace, justice, respect, reconciliation and service and how we can show these and bring these to all who work and attend the academy. There is a Bible passage where God breathes life onto dry bones found in the desert. Staff had to now put paper bones together and make a skeleton. The Gospel values were then matched to parts of the body as a way of showing how we can use all of ourselves to help others.
cally joined in with singing the hymns. After coffee, staff met in the Quire part of the cathedral for a short reflection and service presented by Mrs C. Spence, Catholic Lay Chaplain. The song “Christ has no body now but yours” was played with background images of staff and students in Africa building a school. After this poignant reminder all staff were deliberately paired together with someone they might not know a lot about and sent out on an Emmaus Walk. This is reminder of how Jesus met 2 disciples and walked and talked with them to get to know all about them. They did not recognise Jesus at first. How often do we work with people and never really get to know them. This was quiet 20 minutes walking around the Cathedral doing exactly this and also looking at the amazing art work that was on display for a special exhibition. The day concluded with Mr McNiffe asking the staff to work in groups to produce a Values and Prayer card that could be made for all those connected to the Academy. Groups were asked to look at the Gospel values again, select a picture and present it in an interesting way with either a prayer or reflection. Evaluations on the day show an agreement that the day was a good way to meet other staff and reflect on what makes All Saints’ Academy a Christian workplace.
Welcome to Our new part-time Anglican Chaplain Revd. K Samuel. By Revd. Samuel Anglican Chaplain
produce will be donated to a local charity.
I would like to say a thank you to everyone at All Saints’ Academy for making me feel so welcome. As Anglican Chaplain I have been very impressed by the number of pupils and staff who use the chapel for prayer, Collective Worship and just as a quiet space to light a candle. We are very lucky to have such a peaceful space in our school and I hope more people will feel welcome to use the chapel in the lead up to Christmas. The Chaplaincy Office is another available place where pupils and staff are welcome. Please do come and say a hello when you have a moment. I look forward to meeting many more of you in tutor group time, extended worship, assembly and in the Chapel in the next few weeks and months.
On Thursday 9th October Mass was celebrated by Fr P. Brandon, Parish Priest of Sacred Hearts at 12.10pm in St Benedict’s Chapel. Prayers were offered for staff and students as we start this new academic year. Students participated in the readings, bidding prayers, altar serving and the Offertory procession during which Academy ties from each House were carried up and displayed in front of the altar. Mr Carroll provided the music and the students enthusiasti-
“ Seeing the face of God in Everyone”
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Welcome Mass
SPIRITUALITY
@asacheltRE
Ordination Mass By Mrs Austin Head of Music
On the 11th July 2014 a number of students and staff were privileged to attend the ordination of Fr David MacDonald by Bishop Declan Lang at St Gregory’s Church in Cheltenham. Ordinations usually take place in the Cathedral so this was a very unusual occasion. Fr David has been a Deacon in
the parish for a long time and was delighted to finally be ordained a priest. All Saints’ Academy played an active part in the occasion with Mrs Bayliss and Mrs Austin singing Panis Angelicus and Ave Maria before the mass and Declan and Ronan Austin serving on the altar as well as a number of students attending the mass. This was the first of two ordinations in St Gregory’s this summer. Fr Frank, who is very well known in St Thomas More’s and St Gregory’s was ordained on the 26th July at the cathedral.
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
ENGLISH
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English Success!
The ‘First Story’ experience By Emily Bond Student Reporter
By Mr Nicklin
Assistant Principal
I started in September of 2013 and in the blink of an eye, a full revolution of the sun has taken place! And with it, our best set of exam results! Last year, we worked very hard with the Year 11 students and I am very proud to say that 71% of the students achieved a grade C or higher in English Language. Stunning work from the whole team and from the students whose hard work and commitment paid off so well. I am overwhelmed when I think of the outstanding progress made by that year group. But we must not rest on our laurels. This year, we need to do it all over again with one important difference. Our year 11 must do even better this year! With this in mind, we are running revision sessions after school every Monday from now until the exams. We also want students to attend our brilliant half-term revision session on Thursday 30th October. Furthermore, we have surpassed expectations in terms of the A-Level results. Superb results were achieved in English Literature and in Performing Arts. Again, through hard work and commitment, the students did themselves proud and many of the Year 13 students have gone on to continue their studies at university. Aside from exams, we are very excited about an incredible opportunity that we are involved with. Cheltenham Literature Festival have launched their First Story program and All Saints’ Academy are proud to be a part of it. You can read more about this exciting opportunity elsewhere in ASA Today. In addition, read Anthony Griffin’s article on the Shakespeare for Schools Festival. Once again, students from All Saints’ Academy demonstrate their talents in what promises to be a breathtaking production of Hamlet. Finally, I would like to say well done to all of our students who are working so well to achieve their potential in English. The overall attitude to learning is absolutely brilliant at the moment. Year 7 and 8 are doing an amazing job with Accelerated Reader already. Year 9 have embraced the challenges of their new curriculum and Year 10 have already made massive in-roads into the completion of their coursework. This year promises to be a truly remarkable year.
@ASAFirstStory
Shakespeare Schools Festival P r o d u c t i o n Short story in G o t h i c tradition LITERATURE & LANGUAGE
hard at home and in rehearsal to learn their lines and give their best performance yet. Eloise Taylor was cast as Hamlet but didn’t have much chance to rehearse in term 6 due to her trip to Tanzania with the Academy. Eloise put in a lot of extra work when she returned to learn all her lines and rehearse with her cast members. A big thank you goes out to Mr Griffin and Miss Waterman for giving up so much of their spare time, helping students rehearse after school and on weekends in the lead up to the fantastic performance at The Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury.
Most of the Hamlet cast
By Miss Skelding PR & Marketing Manager
At the end of Term 6, Mr Griffin and Miss Waterman held auditions for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. After casting, rehearsals have been happening weekly and often on a Saturday and Sunday too. Students involved have been so committed and have worked incredibly
By Aiesha Burge Student Reporter
Annabelle was walking home one night. Her only other indication of another life form, was the black cat with white paws that had followed her from the bottom of the road. She was approaching a house, one she had never noticed existed on the road before, which was unusual because Annabelle had walked this road many times, but never at night. The small, black haired, pale skinned girl increased her pace as she walked passed the house. The house was two storeys and painted pitch black. There were cracks in the paint due to the lack of care and the top left window was cracked. Annabelle would have jumped at the ghostly figure of what appeared to be a girl in the window staring at her, if she had looked up from the floor. The mist was hard to see behind but Annabelle was about ninety per cent sure she was going the right way. Her mind was filled with the thought of her
After all of the excitement of the trip to Oxford for Young Writers’ Festival in September (where we got to meet and interview Mark Haddon!) we had our first ‘First Story’ workshop this month. We’re working with the brilliant poet Cliff Yates, who began by sharing some of his work with us, before encouraging us to think about a journey we’d taken and write about it. I think we were all surprised by what he managed to get out of us in such a short amount of time! We also thought about the significance of names for characters when we’re writing, which revealed some fascinating facts about some of our group. For example, we found out that Asraf Khan’s name means ‘Noble Prince’! It was nice to get to know some students from other year groups and share work without worrying about my grades! I’m feeling really excited about First Story and I’m looking forward to the coming months. cosy bed on a cold, winter night like this and so she hurried faster. All of a sudden a chill ran down Annabelle’s spine. It was so sharp and so cold that it caused her to wince slightly. When she turned around all she saw was the mist and not what lurked behind it. She saw the cat perched on top of an ice covered lamp post boring its sinister looking eyes into hers and so she blinked and turned back around. The cold was getting harsher and the mist was getting thicker. Annabelle knew her parents would be worried as to where she was and she just couldn’t stop thinking about her ever so cosy bed and so she stepped. Another shiver ran down her back. This one was ever sharper than the last and she touched her back and she swore, even with her coat and gloves in the way, she swore she felt something sharp on her back for a split second, but she spun around and discovered nothing. Paranoia. Annabelle had decided she was still scared from the horror marathon and continued to walk. Well, she attempted to walk. Each step brought a sharp shiver, each colder than the last. Ten steps later and Annabelle fell to her knees with a small shriek. She was not paranoid. Annabelle was terrified.
Read the concluding part in the next edition of ASA TODAY
MATHS
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014 By Mr Wilkinson Head of Maths
Maths results improve again
This summer we celebrated the best maths GCSE results for the second year in a row. While the improvement was only a single percentage point (now 58% A*-C), following the hot on the heels of the previous summer’s incredible 17% increase it shows we are continuing to help our students to do better at All Saints’. In addition to the Year 11s, we had a selection of Year 10s sit the GSCE exam in June, with the majority achieving the C grade or better, which is so essential to their future prospects in training or further and higher education. Following these results our strongest mathematicians have moved on to the A-Level course and have made a very promising start to the demanding new programme. Following this success and a re-structure in the maths settings we have set ourselves a very demanding target to exceed 70% of Year 11 students to achieve a C grade or better in June 2015.
New Yr 11 GCSE plans
We have a carefully designed plan to support ALL of our Year 11 students to optimize their learning in maths this year, leading to a successful performance in their final exams next June. We have already begun extra maths sessions each Friday for some students which will be rolled out to most as the year continues. We have done this in order to ensure that the volume of learning we know is required to best prepare for final exams is covered thoroughly and over the whole of the year. This will help students to better manage their workload, especially as we know the pressures towards the end of the year to include revision in all subjects is intense.
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We have additional staff working to support in class teaching, including Mr Bagnall, Mr Rollins and Mrs Wilczynska. This will help to ensure we maximise every minute of classroom learning time, with experienced and knowledgeable maths support available from more than one adult in the room. We are carefully considering which exam paper to attempt for our students as there are slight variations between the exam boards, and some may be more favourable to our students – we will always seek to give All Saints’ students the best possible advantage. We will be having 3 staged “Mock Exams” throughout the year (November, January and March) to carefully measure the progress of the students and to give us the information we need to continually hone their preparation. We have bought access to internet based programmes – Justmaths.co.uk/online and Mymaths.co.uk which are both proven to be highly effective in supporting revision/ question practice out of school hours. We have increased the volume of homework given – with weekly, exam specific tasks now being utilised – and most importantly, completed and returned on time by the year 11s. We are running additional maths support sessions in holiday periods throughout the year, starting this October (Monday 27th 10am-12.30pm with Mr Wilkinson and Friday 31st time TBC with Miss Wife, all students are welcome). We have made top quality revision guides available to ALL students for only £2 each (rrp £5.95). We are firmly committed to keeping families informed about the progress of their children. If you would like to have a regular update from your child’s maths teacher please email me and I will forward your details to the relevant teacher: lwilkinson@asachelt.org
Parent Puzzle
Feeling up to a challenge? Please email me solutions with your name to lwilkinson@asachelt.org. Correct entries will get a mention next issue with the printed
solution. Go on, show your children how well you can solve problems using your maths skills – or work with them on it!
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Why does it matter to get a C grade in GCSE Maths (and English)?
A warm welcome to our new maths staff
I would like to welcome three new teachers to the department this year. They are: Mrs A Knight, Miss E Borley and Mrs E Brightwell.
In addition we have appointed an associate maths teacher, Mr Ian Rollins to support the work of the department. Mrs Knight Joined us at Easter and has already forged very strong relationships with her students who understand and appreciate her commitment to supporting their learning.
Miss Borley and Mrs Brightwell Have likewise have been made to feel very welcome by the school staff and students and are making progress with their classes. Mr Rollins He is currently enjoying supporting students in some lessons and working with our Year 12 and 13 students who are re-sitting GCSE maths in November. I am very happy to have been able to secure these appointments for ASA to join our blossoming team following some flux in staffing over the first three years of the Academy’s life and I am confident we will have an extremely successful year.
What’s your favourite “fraction” of maths? During Open Evening this year we invited our visitors to share their favourite “fraction” of maths with us. We used the word fraction in this context to highlight that a fraction is simply a piece of a whole – which is exactly the same definition in maths (although most people forget that!). Some of the responses shown below include, “multiplication tables – because I can do them!”, “I like learning about problem solving strategies”, “I love multiplication because it is a bit more challenging”, “I love fractions because I can understand them”.
Do you have a favourite “fraction” of maths that you would like to share with us? Please email me lwilkinson@ asachelt.org and I will include some of them in the next issue of ASA Today.
The three main routes forward for Year 11s on completion of their GCSE exams are: Further education at Sixth Form or college, young apprenticeships or employment. In both of the first two routes young people who have not achieved at least a grade C qualification must continue to study maths at GCSE level. Acceptance on to Level 3 courses (A-Level and BTEC) in most cases require a grade C or better, even if not in Maths. Most apprenticeships have now set their requirements as minimum grade C in English and Maths. Since these apprenticeships are run by employers it is not surprising to find that they are looking for the most qualified and capable employees that they can and this is true for routes directly in to employment at aged 16, although these options are increasingly reduced with the growth of apprenticeships. So as you can see, the increasing emphasis on success in Maths (and English) at GCSE level has had a significant impact on the chances of successful progression in to the majority of careers in the UK today, with the result that we are ever more aware of our duty to support our students in achieving this standard and fulfilling their potential. In order to continue this we need ALL of our students to consistently work in partnership with us.
Maths Enrichment Programme In maths, we run four formal enrichments sessions per week. They are: Wednesday Maths Club 3.10 – 4.10pm Mrs Wilczynska Open to all and discovering more complex maths puzzles and challenges, including training for maths competitions against local schools. Thursday ILT support club 3.10 – 4.10pm Three teachers per week allocated to support students with homework and any other issues in maths. Thursday A-Level support 3.10 – 4.10pm Mrs Lunn and Miss Wife/Mr Wilkinson
Feeling up to a challenge?
Friday Yr 11 GCSE extra maths 3.10 - 4.10 Mr Wilkinson and Mr Rollins
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
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Year 11 Information
A very good start from our Year 11s. Most students are applying themselves in lessons but are they working as hard as they can outside of lessons?
Monday
Half term sessions
Monday: Maths – Mr Wilkinson’s group Tuesday: Music and PE Thursday: English – All students Friday: Maths – Miss Wife and Mrs Knight
•There will be exams or tests in every subject before Christmas • There are catch up/ booster/ improvement and revision sessions on every week
Tuesday Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
History (Both Weeks)
Beauty (Week 1)
DT (Both Weeks)
French (Both Weeks)
Maths (Both Weeks)
English (Both Weeks)
RE (Week 2)
Spanish (Both Weeks)
Business Studies (Both Weeks)
Music (Both Weeks)
ICT (Week 2)
Beauty (Week 2)
Art (Both Weeks) Geography (Varying) Science (After Christmas) (Both Weeks)
RE (Both Weeks) Maths ILT support (Both Weeks)
Geography (Varying)
History Chepstow Castle By Mr Giblin
Second in York House On the 25th September students from All Saints’ Academy travelled to Chepstow castle. This was as part of their controlled assessment whereby students studying history are required to take part in a school visit of the site of study. The reason why Chepstow castle was chosen as part of the course was less due to its close location to All Saints’ but more
based on its rich and colourful history. Chepstow castle was the second stone built castle to be constructed in Norman England and Wales, making it one of the oldest castles in the country; second only to the Tower of London. Its construction was ordered by William I, who instructed his friend William FitzOsbern, to build a strong castle to “fight the bellicose Welsh” whom were raiding across the border in into his newly conquered territories. Many of the features from its first stage of construction in 1067 still remain to this day. As such Chepstow Castle offers historians a perfect glimpse into the development of castles with various sections being added on as time went on. From being on an important defensive border Chepstow was also a model for other castles to follow and copy. The gate
house at the entrance to the lower bailey is the first of its kind in the country. Historians, working with archaeologists, know this as the original doors survive. Samples have been used, in conjunction with historical events, to find a probably date of construction, in this case 1198-1199. The students showed excellent behaviour on the trip, with the bus driver commenting on All Saints’ Academy students being known in the bus business for being some of the best in Cheltenham. In other news, the History Department had a very successful open evening. Thank you to all the students whom helped out. Without the dedication and attention that our helpers showed our success in organisation, talking to and directing parents and prospective Year 6s would not have been half the success that it was.
Miss Cameron & Mr Giblin re-enacting history
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Philosophy and Ethics
A summer of success! By Mrs Allen
Assistant Head of RE Despite being our first year teaching Philosophy and Ethics and neither Mr Pinless or myself ever having taught A-Level before, we were so happy to have such excellent AS level results this year. Our results even beat national averages for the subject! As a department, we managed to achieve 75% A-C. Two students even managed to achieve grade As. As a cherry on the cake, we achieved 100% pass rate. Despite many students finding it difficult to get their head around the content, they were still able to do very well. If you have an interest in debating the rights and wrong of our actions and asking the biggest questions about belief in God, this subject might be a future choice for you
s rate” s a P % 0 0 “1 “Results beat national average”
Durham Champion House “To achieve the accolade of being Champion House for the third year in a row makes me, as the House Leader, very proud. Durham students and tutors have, one again, worked really hard to show just how committed they are to achieving their best for the House. In addition to this I am particularly pleased with winning the trophy for highest attendance last year. This is an area that I know we can continue to improve upon.” - Mr L Bradley
FRANCE & SPAIN
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
Going the distance By Mr Coombs
Network Manager
Every year we go through our travelling experiences to organise a trip abroad for the languages department which we hope excites students! This year was no different and to mix things up a bit we went a little further than normal! Thirty students (from a variety of years) together with Miss Oldham and Mrs Ledingham, boarded Brittany Ferries evening sailing from Portsmouth to St Malo aboard the Bretagne. We took in the sights of the Solent before the entertainment crew on board treated us to some brilliant performances! Thanks to those who took part (Daisy Scarborough, Poppy Slack - the slow dance to Celine Dion was cracking!) The next day we toured down to South West France to the town of Messanges. It was important that we stayed somewhere different to previous trips and wanted the students to experience the outdoor as much as possible, so on this occasion we decided with Eurocamp at Camping Le Vieux Port. As the school camp trip ceases to run we hoped this would be an opportunity to bring that back in a new way. We stayed in well-equipped tents, on a campsite with a terrific pool complex, evening entertainment: including a talent show (thank you Hope and Josh) and a brilliant beach which was the subject to a classic All Saints’ Academy rounders match albeit disturbing the peace and serenity somewhat! We canoed the Gave d’Oloron river, climbed some brilliant rope courses and visited some of the best towns France has to offer including
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San Jean de Luz and Biarritz (just) and in Spain, San Sebastián to name a few. Our trip landed over Bastille Day (a huge public holiday in France celebrating the French Revolution) where we enjoyed fireworks in a terrific atmosphere. Sailing back on the 24 hour crossing on Brittany Ferries, Pont Avon, complete with pool, great cabins, and plenty of things to do. The magic show was spellbinding (again thanks Poppy Slack for being such an entertaining volunteer!) I’d like to think the ferry back gave some brief respite after a very busy and active time in France and Spain.
“An amazing experience” By Poppy Slack Student Reporter
“We look forward to doing i t again th is coming y ear with n ew activities and place s to visit.” - M r S Coom bs
The French trip was an amazing experience where I got to meet new people and practice my languages. It was a great opportunity to mingle with people in other years that I wouldn’t normally mix with. The Bastille Day celebrations was one of the best experiences of my life, we got to dance and sing French songs at a free concert and then got to watch a beautiful display of fireworks. Also I enjoyed the high ropes course as that was a very fun and interesting thing to do. The Eurocamp was amazing and the tents were comfy and clean, although I did freak out a bit when a mouse got in our tent! The staff accompanying us on the trip where friendly and funny, they made it really easy to talk to them and they had mad BANTERRRRR! The coach driver, Graham, was also great. On the ferry there was a lot of interesting characters for example, the magician who made fun of the audience. All in all it was a great trip and an amazing experience and I would love to do it again.
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
AFRICA www.asachelt.org
Once in a lifetime mission trip
AFRICA DIARY DAY 1 10th July 2014
• Final preparations were made throughout the early morning. • Excitement and the desire to want to get going was a common emotion being felt among the group in the school hall. • To surprise us the school had organised for approximately 250 students to stand outside the school and wave us off. • When we got to Heathrow we checked in our bags and waited for the flight. On the plane everyone was getting free food and we got to watch films and play music on the screens.
AFRICA DIARY DAY 2 11th July 2014
AFRICA DIARY DAY 3 12th July 2014
• 2.30am alarm call ready for a 3.30 am bus journey to the airport. • A tiny airplane greeted us which was fantastic it was by far the smallest plane any of us have ever travelled on. • At the Kigoma airport we were greeted by over 30 people they were all singing and dancing. This was an amazing experience and a great start to the trip. • On our way to Kasulu we stopped in a place called Sun City for some soda. This gave us a chance to chat to our Tanzanian friends which was fantastic. After this we got on the bus for a two hour journey along bumpy roads. • We had one of the best experiences when we arrived. The students and staff were waiting for us when we got there. They were singing and dancing for us. This made us feel so special and welcomed. Agata
• The second flight wasn’t so good, there wasn’t a lot of leg room and the food was bad. • When we arrived in Dar we met with our guide Godlove which Helen kindly organised. • The taxi journey was a great eye opening experience. The traffic was wild coming from all directions. There were 3 or 4 people on one bike. • We then arrived at the Leopard Lodge where we stayed the night whilst we waited for our flight. But before we settled into the Leopard Lodge, we went out to experience Africa. We went to the markets to buy presents and saw the beautiful Indian ocean.
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AFRICA
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13th July 20
hich was w t s fa k a e r b r got ready fo church were greeted Day 4 d n a m a 7 t to pa • We woke u we were ready we went s. The church was en tu at 8am. Wh who were keen to mee t clothes. The church als bes by all the loc one was wearing their ncing and singing. da ery amazing; ev d 3 hours, it was full of hey prepared which ste gt ceremony la had to perform the son because we weren’t s ard • Both group had to sing. This was h join in which made it o to meant we als but everyone started hem everyone as good as t d n a e n li a e had to form w easier. h c r u h c e ing th • When leav rch shook our hands. p Kasulu hills. At the u hu leaving the c oon was spent walking a group picture. The ern ook • Sunday aft giant cross where we t he beautiful view. sa gt top there wa ing, the highlight bein as the usual rice, az hw walk was am ack we had lunch whic tb • After we go and fruit. en beans, chick Day 5
14th July 2014
• We woke up for breakfast which was bread and egg with coffee or tea. • This was our first time at Bishop Mikaya High School. We went as a whole group to start building. We had to carry buckets of soil. It was a hard day of working but we all enjoyed it. We had regular breaks for food and water. • When we got back we had sport. This is where we could spend time as a group and get to know each other better. However after sport we had a history lesson about Tanzania which was really interesting.
Day 6
15th July • Today the group sp lit into teams. Every 2014 team would go to a differ ent place. • Mr Kelly’s group st arted off with the M ulv Private School. Wh en we arrived we had ana Girls a tour of the school. They m ade us feel welcom e and • At the school we go t to experience lots special. of different lessons. But at the end we played footb them. This was very fun and was led by all with Jo the day at Mulvun a was amazing and n. Overall an eye opener to what we really h ave back at home. • When we got back , group E got to go to the market where they could b uy gifts for their fa mily and experience the Afric an markets. This w as really amazing. The mark et was big with lon g st all kinds of things for example fish an alls selling d fruit.
Agata
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
AFRICA
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AFRICA DIARY DAY 7 16th July 2014
• Today we headed off to Bishop Mikaya High School to help with building. We had to move boulders and dig a patch. • When we got back it was games again so we played volleyball. This was very fun as it helped the group bond. • As usual, later in the day we headed back for dinner. After having food we could relax and do what we wanted for a while. The groups sat together and talked about each other’s experiences.
DAY 8
17th July 2014
DAY 9
18th July 2014
• Today the group went to Kabanga. This was very emotional because the school was an orphanage. The school is specifically for Albino & disabled children and they were all so polite and happy. We were greeted by them singing and waving which was so touching. • The school has a big wall around it to stop people from coming in. We had a tour of the school to see what it was really like. Whilst having the tour all the children were following us and greeting us. To finish off we had a big game of football with the children, which was fun! • We visited Nixon’s school where we had a debate which was interesting and enjoyable to listen to. • Mrs Allen and Josh joined a game where they had to chase chickens, this was hilarious. Josh was given a chicken which he named Cluck Cluck.
e fi l e S a c i #Afr
• Today was the last day with the groups so we headed off to Bishop Mikaya High School. We were told lots about the Mikaya High School. • When we got back all of us had an English lunch which everyone enjoyed. It was nice to have something different. • Another group went to the market today whilst the rest of us played games. Agata
AFRICA
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
AFRICA DIARY DAY 10
19th July 2014
• Today was amazing, all the students and staff got to visit the student’s houses. Everyone was separated into pairs or threes. • We had breakfast in the morning then everyone got dropped off at their guest’s house. Everyone had an amazing time. We were all welcomed and treated like royalty. One of the best days we had. • When we got back we all had to get ready to go for a celebration evening. We all looked smart. When we arrived we had lunch that was made for us. It made us feel special because it must have taken them so long to make. • On the evening we were presented with our gifts which were the chicken tops and a combe that we all loved. Also Mr Kelly was presented with a gift which showed their respect to Mr Kelly and the whole group. The evening was amazing and quite emotional for us all. • When we got back we saw a PowerPoint with photos from the whole trip this was a very special moment because we got to reflect on the trip and see how lucky we all were to be there.
c i P p u o r G a c #Afri
DAY 12
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DAY 11
20th July 2014
DAY 13
21st July 2014
DAY 14
22nd July 2014
• Today we packed our bags so we were ready to leave. However, we first had breakfast and after went to church. Every group went to a different church. This again was an amazing ceremony, people were dancing and singing for three hours. • When we left the churches we had to get our bags ready and say our final goodbyes. This was very emotional because we didn’t want to leave our new friends. • We will never forget the friends we made in Africa. • We had to drive back to Kigoma which again took 2 hours but we had a stop half way to take pictures because the view was amazing. When we arrived in Kigoma we went to Archbishop Kahuranganga secondary school. They greeted us by singing and dancing there was a lot of students waiting for us to arrive. • After a long day we stayed in a hotel because our accommodation wasn’t ready for us to stay in.
20th July 2014
• We all woke up and got ready for breakfast which we had to drive back to the school for. Once we had our breakfast we all went to two lessons to experience what their school is like. This was very interesting. • After the lessons we had lunch. At this school we also had a show put on for us where we had to sing and present gifts. Overall it was a fantastic experience which we all enjoyed. • We finished the day of with games with the other school and it was time to say goodbye. We were all very tired and looking forward to our last two days at the beach. • When we arrived at the beach we all got ready and went to chill and experience the beautiful view. All of us got into the water and relaxed after a long hard week. We were so lucky to have this experience.
• The next day we spent at the beach sunbathing and having a good time. It was time for us to relax and do what we wanted. For lunch we had hot dogs which made a big change and we loved them. The teachers also gave us specific awards which was really nice of them and finished the day off on good vibes. • This trip brought us all together and we are all so lucky to experience this. • Time to leave this amazing beach and head home. Two days of travelling ahead of us and we were all looking forward to getting home and seeing our families. Agata
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
LONDON www.asachelt.org
Sixth Form Trip to Parliament By Devon Rockamore Student Reporter
The day started at six o’clock, which is weird for a school day, then I remembered I was going to the Houses of Parliament in London! I soon got a rush of energy which made me zip around the house to get changed and leave for the bus. When I got there I was confronted by all of my peers; who looked positively cheerful. The buzz of excitement slowly wore off about an hour into the bus journey. This is when we all started to fall asleep and daydream wondering what the day was going to be like! After the sleepy bus ride the real fun of the trip started, which was a tour around the Houses of Parliament. We visited the Houses of Commons and the House of Lords. We weren’t allowed to take photographs in there but there are plenty on google if you take a look. Also within the excitement of the trip we got a Q&A session with one of the MP’s. I must say I did agree with the majority of what Damian Collins was saying. I loved the way he answered my question. My question was ‘Where do you stand on the Muslims extremist group called ISIS’? The main points of his answer was ‘It is unfair to call them a Muslim group because they are doing these actions and claiming that it is for the right of Allah himself. Eventhough most Muslim practices would not agree with what these people are doing!’ After finishing the Q&A we hit the streets of London, looking like a bunch of teenagers on a business trip, with our dazzling fancy suits. We then passed landmarks like 10 Downing Street, The Cenotaph and lastly the one and only Buckingham Palace! This was on the walk of roughly three miles to Trafalgar Square. ‘This is going to be your meeting point for when you are finished having fun on the streets of London within one hour and 45 minutes’ said Mr Carroll. One of the best things about going to London was the amazing Oxford Street. The only thing I wanted to do was see the BBC radio studio. Which is what I did! I was rushed for time though because of the little time
frame to run on this massive road! After all of the fun and excitement on the trip we slowly and sadly made haste towards the bus, which would lead us back to our normal lives of Sixth Form at ASA. We arrived at school at 7:30pm. All I wanted to do was go home, make a hot chocolate, and dream about the amazing trip once more…
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ASA SIXTH FORM
Issue 28, Term 1, 2013
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Year 13 Celebration Evening By Mr Simcox
Head of Sixth Form
On 22nd September Year 13 students and their parents were invited to attend our second annual Celebration Evening. We had a lot to celebrate because Year 13 had achieved our best ever AS results in Year 12. Chelsea Craven, a student from last year’s Year 13, came and spoke of her experience in the Sixth Form. She spoke highly of the relationships she made with staff and how that helped her achieve. She also gave advice about private study and the need to meet deadlines. The keynote speaker was Mr Carroll. His topic was about the benefits of going to university and how to make a successful UCAS application. Parents and students commented on the how informative his talk was and how it had motivated them to apply for university.
Right: Photos of students receiving their awards.
Where are they now? Bright Futures Gallery By Rory Ford 2013 Leaver
Rory studies Law at Reading University. He is now beginning his 2nd year. I passed my first year pretty easily, I think I averaged a high 2:2. For the first year I was fairly happy. One module dragged me down a bit as I got 41% but I had a couple of 2:1s in there as well. With much more work this year I think a high 2:1 is achievable. I have taken an optional module of politics this year after enjoying it so much at A-Level.
Dom Casey & Rory Ford at the Leavers Dinner Dance 2013.
By Demi Wheeler 2014 Leaver
Demi studies Media & Communications (Journalism) at Birmingham City University. She has just started her 1st year. For some people starting university is daunting and in the weeks leading up to ‘freshers’ students feel nervous. However for me, the weeks leading up to university were full of excitement and I couldn’t wait to begin! From the minute I entered the doors and was greeted by fellow students,
I knew I had made the right decision! Within the first week, several socials were held alongside lectures in order to get everyone to mix and make friendships. Socials were arranged by the student union and included canal boat trips, theatre trips, parties held in local nightclubs and bar crawls. Socials gave everyone the chance to meet people both on and off their course and were great fun! By the second and third week, when the work load was piling up we were hit with the reality that university isn’t all about enjoying yourself. Alongside the partying there was a lot of directed study to be done, something a lot of students were not prepared for! But now heading in to week 4 we all begin to settle down, balancing the workload alongside our social lives.
Demi Wheeler with some ASA Media students back in July 2014.
LITERATURE FESTIVAL Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
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The Times Live By Curtis Mansfield
Student Reporter All Saints’ Academy students chosen to report at the Cheltenham Science Festival last June enjoyed complimentary tickets to The Times Live, a debate-type setup where five journalists from The Times discussed which stories would be the leaders of a Saturday’s edition of the national newspaper, with deputy editor Emma Tucker not directly involved with the discussion, but having the final say. Topics of conversation ranged from global issues like the current problems with the Islamic State in the Middle East, to the even bigger problem of teenagers using the word ‘like’ as a filler, much to the annoyance of older generations. The discussion was fo-
cused on serious matters on the whole, with an undertone of humour to keep the audience engaged, creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Following the event, former All Saints’ student Chelsea Craven stated that it was “useful from the perspective of a future journalist” and that it gave her a “helpful insight into what big newspapers do when deciding what to put into the paper” and “how important it is”. The students were pleased at their own abilities to grasp some of the more complex ideas presented in the live chat, and it proved to be a valuable experience, with each of them learning something about current hot topics, and how these are crafted into articles. Right: Erin Mason, Freya Gray, Curtis Mansfield, Nick Davis, Jake Sollars, Chelsea Craven and Demi Wheeler at the Literature Festival
The Times reporter Ben Hoyle visits ASA The Times Moscow Correspondent, Ben Hoyle
Ben Hoyle came to do a Q&A at ASA after holding an event at the Cheltenham Literature Festival
By Curtis Mansfield
Student Reporter The Times’ Moscow Correspondent, Ben Hoyle, delivered a memorable speaker session to sixth formers of Cheltenham school All Saints’ Academy, providing a real insight into what life is like as a journalist into such a politically volatile country. Hoyle told unforgettable anecdotes that had each student lingering on every detail. He conveyed each story with incredible detail with an undertone
of humour, despite the life-threatening danger he experienced in each one. He described a Bond-style villain, who said that Hoyle would be killed if their paths ever crossed again, a misunderstanding with the Ukrainian army where he got shot at, and the bizarre situation of sharing a hotel with rebels, where they waved their guns about and pretended to shoot each other; not a circumstance many people would find comfort in. Despite being involved in neardeath experiences and sometimes having to spend weeks at a time away from his family at immediate notice, Hoyle emphasised the fact he would not want to do
any other job in the world. The unpredictability, the people he’s met, and the fact he doesn’t have to spend all day in an office means that, for him, it is a worthy job. Following his speech, students fired an array of questions towards him, ranging from his opinions on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, to how he got into journalism and what the best part of his job is. The interest into what he had to say continued to the point where students were queuing up, long after the session had finished, to ask Hoyle more questions about a career in journalism. It could certainly be said that Hoyle’s trip was sent From Russia, With Love.
“I really enjoyed my time at the school and was immensely impressed with the students who came along and asked such good questions. And Curtis has done a brilliant job of homing in on the interesting stuff I had to say and junking the rest. Having met him I’m not surprised. You can tell him that he also follows in a noble tradition of journalists writing about this theme who find From Russia, With Love coming to the rescue...” Ben Hoyle, The Times Moscow Correspondent
The Times Moscow Correspondent, Ben Hoyle
OPEN EVENING
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
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Science at ASA
“From the time we walked in to the time we walked out we were impressed with the school and pupils. Our tour guides were a credit to the school.” Shirley Goodhall
By Erykah Cameron Student Reporter
When I first told my mum that I was going to school to set my hands on fire she was reluctant to drop me off, but when I explained to her it was because I was helping in the science department at the Open Evening, she was more open to the idea. On Monday 29th September, we had our All Saints’ Academy open evening where Year 6 pupils from primary schools in Cheltenham came with their parents to see what it was like and if they wanted to come here in Year 7. In the Science department we had lots of experiments set up for everyone to try. There were six different stations in the room with people explaining what you can do there. The stations were a big hit with everyone and they were always full of people wanting to join in. The two most popular stations, with both the children and adults, were methane bubbles and making slime. At the slime station you had to mix chemicals together in a pot to make green slime that you could play with. The methane bubble experiment was where you set your hands on fire. You had to wash up to your elbows in soapy water and then collect a handful of bubbles from the pump, then a teacher would use a match on a stick to set the bubbles on fire. Other experiments set up included magic writing and chromatography. In the Biology rooms, there were two dissections going on. One of an ox’s heart and one of set of sheep lungs. The visitors were invited to put on some gloves and explore the organs. People were also burning food to see how much energy it contained. Also, there were microscopes set up with screens of rat hearts and intestines in them for people to look at. Everyone seemed to be really enjoying the Open Evening and lots of the children were saying they wanted to come here. Visitors, staff and pupils all had a great evening and went home feeling impressed with what they had seen.
“Very friendly, loved the whole atmosphere around the school.” Sally Parsley
iPad Mini Competition Winner “Fantastic facilities and enthusiastic staff. Chloe and Tamzin were fantastic guides, they had an excellent knowledge of the school and were great role models.” Mrs Clark
By Miss Skelding PR & Marketing Manager
“My daughter is very excited and looking forward to coming to ASA.” Angela Jones
Thanks to all of the Year 5 & 6 pupils that took part in the iPad Mini Competition. We had over 100 pupils submit an entry form to win a brand new iPad Mini. Each form had more than 5 star stamps on meaning they had visited lots of different departments on the Open Evening. At the end of Open Evening Principal Mr McNiffe did a draw whilst being filmed so it could be uploaded to our facebook page. The winner was Katie Adsett from Hesters Way Primary School. Her parents came to collect the prize the next day to give to Katie on her return home from school. Well done Katie!
COMBINED CADET FORCE Issue 28, Term 1, 2013
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Field day at Dean Close By Poppy Slack Student Reporter
On the 24th September the CCF team went on a field trip to Dean Close school. We had such a fantastic time there! We were given the opportunity to partake in a wide variety of tasks, enhancing both our teambuilding skills whilst challenging us. For example the cannon run, the 3D puzzle tasks and the command task. I was the team captain of my flight and I was able to take great pride in all of them as we all pulled together and showed great respect towards each other. My flight came first in the uniform inspection and third in the drill competition! I was overjoyed! At the end of the day, Carmella and I were promoted to Lance Corporals and this was the best feeling ever! I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to such a fantastic day!
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SIXTH FORM
Careers @ ASA
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
www.asachelt.org
Work Experience Partnerships
By Mrs Parr
Head of Careers
Information Pack for all Year 11 students
During October Gloucestershire County Council will send an information booklet “Yes 2 your future” a guide to your Post 16 options, to all young people in Years 11. The booklet is aimed at students, their parents and carers. Yes 2 your future is a skills and information booklet aimed at young people who are deciding on their post-16 and post-18 options (ie current Years 11, 12 & 13). The booklet has been designed to give general information about your choices. It includes case studies of Gloucestershire young people who have taken different paths, as well as some general tips, information and updates.
www.yes2jobs.co.uk The Yes 2 jobs website contains searchable employment & development opportunities – plus resources to assist employers, young people, parents & education providers throughout Gloucestershire.
They also had the opportunity to practice some of the techniques they learnt by participating in mock interviews. All Saints’ Academy students were delighted to attend this event; employability is a key part of our transition course, in which they study retail and work skills as part of their Sixth Form curriculum. The opportunity to meet and learn directly from employers what they are looking for when recruiting was invaluable. Students learned that although qualifications remain important, employers are equally as interested in the “personality” and “extracurricular” experiences they have to offer. The positive feedback received by All Saints’ Academy students from the employers following their mock interview raised their confidence and aspirations. They now know what to expect in a typical interview and have time to refine their interviewing skills and seek opportunities to enhance their future job applications.
Work Experience with Gloucestershire Constabulary
A group of students from Year 11 and Sixth Form attended the Grow Gloucestershire Careers and Skills event at Cheltenham Racecourse. They had the opportunity to meet local and national employers and training providers to find out first-hand about the range of careers on offer. A host of activities and demonstrations gave students a real insight into different career sectors during entertaining and enjoyable visit. Business in the Community invited Year 12 transition course students to attend an employability day at Blackfriars Priory, Gloucester. The purpose of the employability day was to give students an insight into the world of work, providing them with a unique opportunity to hear from and work directly with businesses to understand the various routes into employment. Working alongside business mentors, they gained a better understanding of the key employability skills businesses are looking for in their potential recruits, thinking about ways of developing and evidencing those skills and creating their own personal statement to promote themselves to potential employers.
A Year 12 student spent 23 hours with Thistle Hotels Cheltenham and has shown great promise in identifying guest’s needs and making sure that they are looked after.
During covered
this placement she has the following areas:
Meet and Greeting of guests Lounge bar table service BOS standards Speciality coffee training Duty managers role and responsibility Conflict training and problem resolution Check in: making a great first impression Daily habits and service skills Evening dinner service Comprehensive bar training SMG and trip advisor She has showed great promise in the time that she spent at the hotel and has learnt a lot of valuable information to ensure so that guests had the best time possible as she went above and beyond. She particularly excelled in the following: Check in – she spent a couple of hours on the reception desks and was able to help out with the check in process and was able to spark up a good conversation with the guests that she encountered. Evening dinner service – she was able to deliver confidently, a meal to a guest and make sure that the guest had everything they needed to enjoy their meal.
Comprehensive bar service/specialty. Coffee training – when it comes to bar work there is a lot more to it than people realise, she was not shy in asking questions to make sure that she fully understood what products we sold and the importance of making sure that the drinks and bar area are presentable. She also showed a skill in making specialty coffees, having never made a Latte before let alone making them to our brand standards. She made one which I would have had no second thoughts about serving to guest. It has been a real pleasure in spending time mentoring her about the hotel sector. I have offered the opportunity of additional training and I look forward to working with students of All Saints’ Academy in the future. - Manager of Thistle Hotel
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Student Accounts By Lilly Green
Student Reporter
I really enjoyed doing my work experience at the Thistle hotel as it is something I am looking into doing when I leave school. I have learnt new skills that will help me. I have been doing events management, so I have set up boardrooms and tables for dinner, tea and coffee stations and served food they have ordered. It has also gave me an insight of what I would be doing if I decided to do this when I leave school. I found it good as it was different from the normal day to day routine and I am always doing different things each time I go, which is the best thing about doing the work experience.
By Nick Davis
Student Reporter
14th July 2014 – 18th July 2014 Three All Saints’ Academy students were selected to take part in a weeks work experience opportunity with the Gloucestershire Police Force. An exciting week of planned events gave them a valuable insight into the world of work and possible careers paths.
If you are in Year 11 or 12 and would be interested in future opportunities with the Gloucestershire Police Force, for more information please email careers@asachelt.org
For our catering course in Year 13, we have to have experience in the industry to be able to accurately assess customer needs. The school has a good relationship with the Thistle Hotel and they have a good structure to get us working through the criteria we need to meet. I’m currently progressing through the kitchen and building up my skills. On our second day there, when we met our mentors, I learnt that neither my mentor, the Chef de Partie or Head Chef had been to university. They had all got their experiences from college, but said it’s nothing like working in the actual kitchen. I really enjoyed the work experience as it is a totally new environment. Communication and time management is vital and you really do respect the professionals and the bank of knowledge they have.
ENTERTAINMENT
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
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ALBUM REVIEW
OPTIONS
Baby, I'm just soggy from the chemo But counting down the days to go It just ain't living And I just hope you know”
Welcome To The Black Parade
By Laura Sobiegraj Student Reporter
Teenagers: Song about how someone hates young youths especially ‘Teenagers’ because that’s when you start school with many name calling, pushing, laughing at you etc.. And this song literally sings about what they do as well as giving you a hint of hope. “The boys and girls in the clique The awful names that they stick You're never gonna fit in much, kid But if you're troubled and hurt What you got under your shirt Will make them pay for the things that they did”
Recently I bought an album of my favourite band called My Chemical Romance. The album was released in 2006 but still can be bought from HMV. My Chemical Romance is a famous rock band that was created in 2001 and ended in 2013. The album is really great because it has many songs about life, how we can go through it and that we are all worth it. Examples of songs Cancer: It sings about what it’s like to have cancer and what the person must feel like going through it and everything that goes through their mind. “Now turn away, 'Cause I'm awful just to see 'Cause all my hairs abandoned all my body, Oh, my agony, Know that I will never marry,
Band Word Search
By Laura Sobiegraj Student Reporter
What happens in Dance? In Year 8, you get to choose what subjects you want to pursue. I chose Dance as one of my options and i’ll explain all the kind of things we do currently in Year 9 Dance. In Dance, you always have to warm up and most of the time Miss Smith (Dance Teacher) will let one of her students choose the song they wish to warm up to. Then once everyone has warmed up, Miss Smith will slowly go through a choreographed routine with you. So far in my class we have learnt a dance routine to a song called Black Widow. The choreography goes up to around 1 minute of the song and then you either go into small groups or pairs to
What happens in Art? By Elizabeth Shawcross
Student Reporter
Sleeping Beauty @ All Saints’ Academy! On Saturday 13th December 2014 a professional cast from Wonder Productions will be performing a Sleeping Beauty Pantomime here at All Saints’ Academy, Cheltenham. This is an event for the whole family. A professional cast from the Wonder Productions Company will be performing Sleeping Beauty as a one off spectacular! This will be held at All Saints’ Academy from 2.30 - 4.30pm , Doors open at 2.00pm. Refreshments will be available in the interval and free parking will be available onsite.
Ordering Tickets To order tickets, please fill in the form below and return, with the correct details and payment, in an envelope to the front office of All Saints’ Academy, named “FAO Jamie Burn”. Once we have collected payment, we will then call you to confirm your booking, and we will either post your tickets to you, or reserve them so you can collect them on the door on the 13th December.
Ticket Prices Children (below 3) Free Children (3-16) £5 Adults (16-65) £7 Concessions (65+) £6 Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 Children) £20
……………………………………………………………………………............................. Reply Slip: Please make cheques payable to “All Saints’ Academy” Name:………………………………………………………………….. How many tickets: Under 3’s:
Child:
Adult:
Family Ticket:
Concession:
Address:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Contact Number:………………………………
make up the rest of the choreography. It’s a really good thing to do because you get to expand your creativity and explore ideas with your partner. You would practice the dance all through the lesson and then you would go with your group/pair to show the rest of the class what you have made so far. From that, you get feedback on what you did well and what you could improve to make your choreography even better. It really helps because you all share ideas and create awesome dance moves. We also get to explore all different dance styles. Right now in my dance, we are learning a dance with a jazz style in it. Its absolute great fun to be in and a great environment. Miss Smith told us rules: we cannot make fun of each other, for what we think of, the way we dance and what we create, since it will only discourage us from enjoying something we really like. We are all kind to each other and always give positive feedback and anything to improve making the atmosphere very enjoyable. I chose dance because I want to have my career as a dancer. Either working at a theatre and taking all opportunities there are. I would love to dream bigger and hopefully even be a background dancer to music videos!
I enclose cash/cheque for the amount of:……………..
Signed: …………………………………………………..
Date:……………………………………..
As part of Year 9, students, including myself, have just started doing their options,
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including the subject Art. In Art at the moment, we have been drawing chocolate and sweet wrappers, which we have recently started adding color to. I find this interesting as they have a lot of detail and bright color. In the lesson, we come into the classroom and go straight onto our drawings, sometimes getting a demonstration off our teacher (Miss Bayliss or Miss Ward) when using a new technique. As we have two classrooms in Art, in the other we are drawing cabbages with pencil and outlining them with marker pens.
Getting a head start! By Lewis Brooks Student Reporter
All Saints’ Academy is a different type of school compared to most other schools in England because you are able to select your options in Year 8 and start them in Year 9, opposed to Year 10. I think that it’s better to start your options a year earlier because you’re not doing a subject which you don’t want to do for a year. It also gives you an extra year to work hard and improve your grades for the exams in Year 11. Doing your options a year earlier gives you a head start, so you can get used to the routine of doing your options. It also gives you a better understanding of how the grading system works. I think that it’s more helpful to start it a year earlier because you can start to have an understanding of who you want to be and what you want to achieve in life.
Issue 28, Term 1, 2014
ASA SPORTS
Sixth Form Football The Sixth Form team found it hard to compensate for the departure of Jed Seers, Aaron Mason and Matt Sherman, all now at Cardiff University! Similarly the loss of Connor Hart and Elliott Roberts to apprenticeships and Alex Hale to injury left holes in the squad. Fortunately the new Year 12s displayed promise and Joe Richards and Dan Whelan settled firmly into the starting line up with Nigel Chiwetu on the bench things looked promising. The first game saw the team pitched against St Peters in the National cup, not ideal to start with a competitive match, but that’s the cards we were dealt. The game started with All Saints’ much in the ascendancy and taking the game to St Peters, with Sherman and Hale both now gone a new strike force of Duah and Babbage looked to be working, although shots on target were few and far between. Woodman had yet another fantastic game and pulled the strings in midfield as he ran tirelessly all game. It
Year 7
Rugby team compete for the first time! By Mr Rollason PE Teacher
@ASASportsDept 20
www.asachelt.org
was Joe Richards, from left back, who opened the scoring, showing calmness and precision as he lifted the ball accurately over the advancing keeper. The team continued to press and despite having much of the ball were unable to capitalise on the dominance. St Peters took advantage of this and scored just before half time after a clinical passage of play. The second half proved to be much of the same with All Saints’ having the majority of possession and St Peters looking to hit on the counter attack. A set piece proved to be All Saints’ downfall, as the ball came in from the corner Carbin opted to punch, a poor one! The ball dropped onto the head of the St Peters centre back and it nestled firmly in the back of the net. With only 5 minutes left All Saints’ had to chase the game and subsequently left holes at the back, St Peters scored with the last kick of the game to leave with a flattering but deserved 3-1 win.
The Year 7s took part in their first ever competitive match at Cheltenham North rugby ground on Wednesday 1st October. All Saints’ took a miniature army with them consisting of 18 boys of mixed ability. They started well and within the first 15 minutes Jordan Jeenes put in some great tackles to prevent a decent Winchcombe side scoring a try. Winchcombe eventually scored after 20 minutes after the ball was released out wide with no All Saints’ player covering. They then got another shortly after making it 10-0. After half time, All Saints’ came alive and with some great rucking by Christian Hitchcock the ball was finally released to
Finn Rees who ran 40 yards to score a try in the corner making 10-5. Winchcombe got a late try after a dubious knock on but All Saints’ kept going to the end and can be really proud of their performance.
Well done boys!
Year 11 Football
By Mr Ferguson
“After half time, All Saints’ came alive” Mr Rollason
Assistant Principal
A much depleted squad faced Beaufort in the second round of the national cup following our 1-0 victory over John Masefield, well done Liam Dix for such an excellent finish! Leaving the academy with 12 players, including one year 10, three carrying minor injuries and one debutant, was less than ideal. The game could not have got off to a worse start than Scott McCarthy hobbling off after only 3 minutes. During the first half both Mackowiecki (back) and Danby (ankle) both signalled their desire to leave the pitch. They persevered to support their team mates and continued to play well. Brad Marks pulled off heroic save after heroic save, Ergys Berisha ran the show in midfield and Jay Boulden displayed some dogged determination at right back. Despite the efforts of all, All Saints’ were unable to find the net whereas Beaufort did and eventually won the game 4-0. It was a real shame to be missing Joe O’Shea (injured) and Lewis Hitchman, Luke Driscoll, Ewan Harris, and Brad Allen. With a full squad the result would have been much different.
Year 11
Basketball By Mr Ferguson
Assistant Principal
High
Scoring Perfor m
ance
The Armadillos started the season off impressively despite the narrow defeat to last year’s champions – Chosen Hill (62-42) An impressive display demonstrated by the team work and creativity of all ten players, once again only let down by their shooting! Joe O’Shea narrowly winning the MVP award for his excellent screening and defensive work. Chase Danby ran him close with his high scoring performance and energetic rejection of the ball. More practice from the boys and those wins will come thick and fast!
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