Buzz December 2013

In this issue

Know your History Performance Music Department ir Review Higher Education Fa date Student Funding up Plus much more…

Issue 16 – Winter 13

Welcome

Have you got an article you would like to share? dent our stu y ice, is is h T your vo d n a e magazin be heard! so let it

Don’t delay, send it us today!

Here are a few topic areas to get you thinking...

Short stories, poetry, film/dvd reviews, interviews with tutors, favourite recipes, photography, local community projects, sports reviews, politics, world news, economy, health, science, art work/designs, entertainment and news.

Let your imagination run wild!

Still Interested? Email nicola.thomson@bournville.ac.uk

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Student Liaison Officers

Hello and welcome to Bournville College.

We are the Student Liaison officers. Our names are Ishia Mckillop, Raja Jagirdar and Des Hamilton we are based in the Urban Chill.

What we do? We are upholding and implementing The Positive Behaviour Strategy within the college by challenging inappropriate behaviour, defusing conflicts and promoting harmony amongst all learners.

What is this? It is a modern approach to challenging behaviour ensuring that all students abide by the rules and regulations of the college, respect themselves and others around them.

Why? To make the college a friendlier environment so everyone has the opportunity of a great learning experience at Bournville College What’s next? We will be running various sessions and workshops throughout the year

engaging with students and staff promoting our strategies and furthermore building relations for an improved learner experience?

Please come and speak to us. We are friendly and approachable.

What can you do to help us? If you see anything going on that you think is not right, or have a cause for concern that may be affecting you or another learner then please do come and speak to us, we will do our best to resolve the problem for you?

Contact Details 07809 306 379 and 07809 306 380

Know Your History

Richard III and The Princes in the Tower

By Jade Varney

Have you heard of Richard III or The Princes in the Tower? Neither had I until 4th August 2013. I learnt a lot about history that day and about one of the greatest mysteries in recorded British history. Through secondary research I have gained my own subjective view. Richard III was the king of England after his brother Edward IV and uncle to Henry VII. However, most people associate him in an account to Henry VIII. This is because Richard III was the great uncle to Henry VIII, of the Tudor dynasty.

The two princes Edward and Richard were children of Edward III, king of England and queen consort, Elizabeth Woodville. The two were taken from her after her husband’s death and were last seen in the late summer of 1483. It is rumoured that the two boys were murdered. Of course, Richard III was their uncle.

There are four suspects to their murder but at the top with the biggest motive is Richard III. He could not succeed to the throne until his nephews were out of the picture. However, his claim to the throne was on the basis that they were illegitimate. This was preached in a Sermon by Dr Shaa at Paul’s Cross before they went missing. This means that Richard’s motive in killing the boys was unfounded.

Now moving on in time, things get more interesting. In 1674, two sets of bones were

found in a chest under the steps in The White Tower, the tower in which the two boys were held prisoner. This is 191 years after the boys went missing. These were presumably of the two princes who were assumed murdered.

As a matter of fact, this could not be established at the time because they did not have the technology.

Nevertheless, it still outstands five centuries later and it is the greatest mystery in British history. In September 2012, the bones of Richard III were found under the car park of Leicester University. The place where Greyfriars Church was previously established hundreds of years before. In 1538, the church was demolished along with Richard III’s tomb.

The injuries to his skeleton and how far the bones had aged, confirmed that they were Richard III’s.

Now that Richard III has been unearthed, scientists want the go ahead to solve the mystery of The Princes in the Tower. However, it has been repeatedly rejected by the Church of England, backed by the Queen. They have wanted to test the two sets of bones found in the tower for over 20 years, but their requests have never been acknowledged.

This is because it would involve digging up one of their ancestors in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

If that’s not a lesson in history, what is?

St. David’s Church

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Music Department Performance Written and Reviewed by Sophie Jones And Joe Downes On the 15th of May 2013, some of the Music students performed at St David’s church, which is situated in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham.

This was purely a student gig which featured six bands from levels two and three, who were all under assessment. Also under assessment was the year one music technician students, who were there to learn about setting up and operating the sound systems for live performance.

Mark Carver from 440hz Music was at the event to help, learn and support the student technicians. He gave group talks to the students while showing and explaining about the equipment they would be working with for the show. Once the show started it was

down to the student technicians to help the show run smoothly with Mark by their side in case he was needed for any assistance.

Once the gig commenced you could see some students were nervous from their body language and tiny slip ups that were made but once they got into it and could see the support from the crowd, you could see they became more at ease and gave it their all.

Overall the music students showed great talent and versatility in the styles they performed. There was a high level of talent in the performances given and all people who attended felt this in the room, this was noted from the reaction of sound levels and cheering in the room.

Sports Competition Week

Table Tennis Competition group stages

A Sports Competition Week was organised for 11-15th November to allow our students to get involved in the intra-college competition and also to support Children in Need.

Competitions were organised in six different sports, including 5-a-side football, table tennis and badminton with a large number of students participating across the week.

A 50p entry donation was in place for each competition so that money could be raised to support Children in Need, with medals and certificates presented to the winners.

Both the badminton and table tennis competitions attracted a large number of students, while the TEAM NINETEEN football

competition consisted of 5 teams with 6 players on each team. There was a good mix of students who attend regular weekly sessions and also new participants who have been encouraged to attend regularly.

To end the week, a Bournville 100 Cycle Challenge was organised to take place in The Street on Friday 15th November as a fundraiser for Children in Need. Students and staff were encouraged to jump on one of the exercise bikes that were placed in The Street and cycle for a kilometre or more in order to help the college reach its 100km overall target. The main aim of this was to promote an active lifestyle in a prominent place

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tion ompeti otball c fo N E E ET AM NIN f the TE o s r e n Win

within the college and to raise money for Children in Need. A lot of students who hadn’t participated in any sport at college got involved by cycling at least a kilometre. The cycle challenge attracted a lot of interest throughout the day and the 100km target was exceeded with a grand total of 128km being cycled by students and staff.

Over the course of the Sport Competition Week, a total of ÂŁ86.55 was raised for Children in Need.

Higher Education Fair Review

By Terriane O’Grady On the 1st of October 2013 Bournville College opened its doors to a range of different universities. Held in our very own conference centre Jenny Clarke and her team catered for 11 different institutions including the University of Birmingham, Ulster University, the University of Law, University College Birmingham, Leicester University, Derby University, Aberystwyth University, Staffordshire University, Wolverhampton University, Coventry University, Birmingham City University, Newman University, University of Worcester and of course Bournville College, displaying the higher education courses available right here.

The turnout was great and over 300 students attended and hopefully benefited from the experience. The universities on offer were all very good, however, there was a general

agreement by both students and teachers in which they would of liked to see more representatives from universities located further afield as most of the institutions were based around the midlands and did not give the students much of an opportunity to explore education away from home and the surrounding areas. Although thought to be quite small, this is the 6th annual Higher Education fair and has grown in size each year and will hopefully continue to expand as the years go on with other universities keen to join in the future.

The access students were given the opportunity to speak to different universities and get a closer a look at what is available to them if they choose to progress onto higher education. Each access group started the day off with course specific

talks given by one of each of the universities representatives. This covered topics such as student enrichment opportunities, UCAS application tips and a brief description of what that particular university is offering in regards to degree courses and entry requirements.

These talks went on for an hour and after the reps had finished their presentation they opened the floor and accepted questions from the students. Students were able to express their queries and gain detailed accurate answers in return. On an overall opinion students found this to be very helpful and informative, a break from classes didn’t go unappreciated either.

I had the chance to speak to the students and get their personal opinions about the function. Tom Woodyatt, one of Bournville’s access students told me how he found the fair.

‘I found the Higher Education fair quite helpful, it opened up more choices for me and both Wolverhampton and Stafford were particularly informative. I had the chance to talk about entry requirements and course units and this was very valuable in helping me come to a decision about where I want to go and the course I want to do’.

Kirsty Martin also had good feedback, saying ‘It was great to learn about the degree courses on offer at Bournville College, giving students the chance to stay here, where the tutors are great.Stafford University was also really good’.

Out of all the students I interviewed the majority said that they found it to be a valuable experience and was given an insight into how universities work. They were friendly and answered any questions with precise and easily understandable answers, being able to speak directly to university tutors and student reps was extremely beneficial.

The Higher Education fair gave a more intense view into what each university is looking for in an applicant and explained the benefits of extra-curricular activities and how they could help with being accepted onto a higher education course and in the future during working life. Students were made aware of all aspects of university life. Each different establishment has a range of student facilities on offer, from educational resources including libraries, online services, financial and learning aids, to social enrichment, such as clubs available to join or centres to meet and relax with others, which is all very appealing to the average student.

From the universities who attended, they all agreed that our students were very well prepared and even more so in comparison to previous years. The questions were well thought out and showed a certain amount of knowledge already acquired by the students, which is very desirable in the process of accepting applicants. I was informed that they encountered very few students who did not already have a chosen course to study or a certain career path in mind. A number of students who were set on a particular university were able to find out more about other places offering their desired course and if not changed their minds had more options in case they were not accepted, myself included, as before I was unaware of other universities which offered my course and were realistic to my personal criteria.

Tina Heard from the University of Birmingham stated how important she felt the Higher Education fair was for students to experience.

Finding out about and arranging open days and taster days for students to visit and get a real taste of what they will encounter once they start in September. For the representatives to have a chance to talk to students face to face and see if they have the

motivation and personality fit which they are looking for gives them a great perspective of the years applicants. Marc Pickering - Careers Advisor at Bournville College expressed how he thought the students might be more motivated after this experience and how important it is to meet deadlines and ensure a pass. ‘This is the biggest Higher Education fair we’ve had so far and there’s a good range of institutions to explore’. He would like to get more of a perspective from students as he believes the fair is extremely valuable, as do many others.

The event ran smoothly and incurred no problems due to the careful planning and execution by Jenny Clarke and her team.

According to Jenny this is down to the friendly service in looking after the visiting universities, our great students and the comfort zone they have inside the college. With the universities coming to us, the students are more relaxed and don’t have the nerves we might experience on open days. We are able to make informed decisions because like Jenny said we are in our ‘comfort zone’ and everything is completely focussed on the students, also we are not overwhelmed by being at a large intimidating university.

I was informed that the rates of university goers are increasing and the fair received a great amount of positive feedback from the students themselves. ‘The Higher Education fair is an integral part of the UCAS process, as careers advisors we aim to provide as much help as possible to prepare our students for university and the process it takes to get them there’. Jenny Clarke - HE fair organiser On a personal note, I agree with the overall opinion of the Higher Education fair being a valuable part of university preparation. As an access student myself I feel I benefited from being able to speak to my chosen university and discover other places where my degree is also facilitated. I enjoyed hearing personal feedback from university alumni who had graduated from the course I intend to start in September. I encourage all students looking to progress to university to make the most of next year’s fair and all the opportunities offered to you. In conclusion the Higher Education fair was informative, well planned out and crucial to the advancement of the student body and I am happy I was able to attend.

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Offers l Al ents e ud m St elco w

FILM CLUB

ck Buster for Free!

Come and enjoy a Hollywood Blo 4pm (approx.) a room 1.30pm – every Wednesday in the Cinem mation t infor Check emails and Facebook for lates

10 PIN BOWLING Thursday 13th February 2014

Price ÂŁ5 Deadline for payment is Monday 3rd February 2014 Leaving College at 12am Arriving back @4pm Come to The Urban Chill Office for a consent form Spaces are limited, first come first served

Book Review: The Mortal Instruments Books: 5 Book Author: Cassandra Clare

The long awaited climactic ending to a saga of 7 years will commence March 2014. The books tell of a girl named Clary who gets thrown into a world of Demons, Angels and Shadowhunters. She meets a boy called Jace Wayland who shows her a world that is hidden within our own. The first book depicts the story of her father who destroys her reality through his obsession with obtaining the mortal instruments. His goal? To use them as instruments of evil. She makes many friends along the way and obtains many hidden secrets about herself, her family and the world she’s been hauled into. The main genre to these books is fantasy, action and adventure with the sub-plot of romance. Cassandra Clare has a distinct writing style that makes her books addictive and commendable.

These are books that cannot simply be put aside because the consistent plot twists keeps the consumer hooked. However, if reading isn’t your thing there is also a feature film with the next one due to release 2014.

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Learner Voice You Said, We Did

More sports tournaments requested

Appointed a Sport Maker in February 2013

Urban Chill to look better Decorated Urban Chill

Enrichment and Sports activities to be better promoted Student Liason Officers appointed Set up a promotional stand in Urban Chill Use of emails and social media increased Student Enrichment Fair organised

Hand sanitisers for PC use in the Learning Zone

Screen/keyboard wipes purchased and available for use on request

More Adobe products required

An Adobe CS6 suite site licence purchased

The admissions process was too complicated in some cases A streamlined process was introduced

More books in the Learning Zone for Higher Education students More ordered and now available

A way for apprentices to balance both work and study more

Evening sessions were introduced to spread the load

More details regarding overdue books

Learning Zone now send weekly email reminder to students

Offers

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ÂŁ15 Thursday 8th May 2014, 9am - 4pm DeaDline FOr PayMenT is TUesDay 29Th aPril 2014 leaving college at 9am - arriving back at 4pm Come to The Urban Chill Office for a consent form Spaces are limited, first come first served

DuDley Zoo

ARS OF QUALITY 100 YE

Thursday 20th March 2014 Price ÂŁ10 Deadline for payment is Monday 10th March 2014 Leaving College at 10am Arriving back @4pm

Come to The Urban Chill Office for a consent form Spaces are limited, first come first served

Latest Update from the Student Funding & Welfare Team The primary function of the Student Funding & Welfare Team is to provide timely IAG and support to learners whose participation in education is at risk from issues relating to on course costs, personal finances including benefits, housing and homelessness. The services provided enable learners to fully explore all of their options and make informed choices to enable them to stay in college and achieve their goals.

If your continued participation in education is at risk due to any of the issues mentioned above, please speak to one of our Advisors. Appointments are available via main reception.

Key Updates: The team have joined together with College Financial Services (CFS) to produce an annual payment schedule for students awarded support via the Hardship Bursary. The aim is to provide students with a clear set of dates for when they can expect payments to be made directly into their accounts each month. However please be advised that payments are subject to a minimum of 95% attendance! The payment schedule is outlined below:

LSF Monthly Payment Schedule

PAY MONTH December January February March April May June July (if applicable)

LEARNER PAYMENT DATE Friday 13th December 2013 Friday 17th January 2014 Friday 14th February 2014 Friday 14th March 2014 Friday 18th April 2014 Friday 16th May 2014 Monday 16th June 2014 Friday 18th July 2014

BACS Details URGENT REMINDER!!

It has been brought to our attention that there are a large number of students who have successfully applied for funding but have yet to receive payment due to the fact they have yet to provide their bank details to the Money Zone. If you have received a Notice of Entitlement letter from the Student Funding & Welfare Team, but have yet to receive payment, please report to the Money Zone and complete a BACS form.

24+ Advanced Learning Loans

If you have applied for a 24+ Advanced Learning Loan and have not yet received an approval letter, please book urgently to see Ellen Pugsley (24+ Loans Administrator) in the Advice Zone or call 0121 477 1965.