Caludon Update Summer 2014

A Comment from the Headteacher Dear Parent/Carer As ever I am extremely proud of our students and the commitment shown by our staff.

This term students have been involved in a wide range of both curricular and extra- curricular activities to challenge their thinking and broaden their learning experiences. You will get a taste of these in this Update. Feedback from your children has shown that they have both enjoyed and valued these opportunities.

Many students have demonstrated increased confidence. In particular, the faculty showcase to our Governors was particularly impressive and showed that your children can be confident, enthusiastic and independent leaders.

In September we will be launching a new slightly longer school day (as detailed in my previous letter) so that all students can enjoy a little more space and comfort at lunchtime through split lunch arrangements.

In September your child will have a VLE log-in that will enable them to access their personalised home learning. After October half-term, you will be able to access the new VLE. Some dates for your diary: • School closes for the summer break at 1.30pm on Friday 18 July.

• School re-opens to Year 7 students at 8.50am on Tuesday 2 September, and for Year 8-11 students on Wednesday 3 September at 8.50am as usual. Students should arrive, as usual, no later than 8.40am as the school gates will close at 8.45am.

This term has been an exciting, but busy term for everyone. Many students have been involved in taking GCSE and AS/A2 examinations and staff have spent many evenings after school supporting them to achieve their best. We wish your children good luck with their results which will be available on: • AS/A2 results day – Thursday 14 August – 8.00am A2 results; 10.00am AS results • GCSE results day – Thursday 21 August – 9.00am for Year 11; 11.00am for Years 9 and 10 (Please note, we will not be posting out results if they are not collected, unless a stamped addressed envelope is provided).

Finally, two further reminders. Can you please ensure that your child returns to school in full and appropriate school uniform in September? You will find details over the next two pages.

All letters are stored on our school website, http://www.caludoncastle.co.uk. Please keep an eye on this so that you can be as up-to-date as possible.

I wish you a good summer and look forward to welcoming all students back on Wednesday 3 September.

Yours faithfully Mrs M Marr Headteacher

Why school uniform at Caludon Castle?

One of our main reasons for such a clear uniform policy is because we believe it increases a sense of belonging and school pride in our students. We have also received a lot of feedback from parents who are grateful that such a straightforward uniform helps their son/daughter to resist peer pressure to buy fashionable/designer clothes to wear to school (whilst accepting that this does happen outside of school). This is also helpful in school as such an element of competition is removed and students can more easily focus on their own learning and work at understanding each other beyond the image of their clothes.

We also feel that our uniform reduces the most obvious signs of economic and social barriers between students. Most aspects of our uniform are widely available at competitive prices so that the financial burden is eased for parents as much as possible. Finally, we seek as a school to reinforce everyone’s sense of individuality and identify; most importantly that this is more than what people wear, it is what they say, how they act and their relationships with others. So we respect individual students in terms of how they are taught, expectations of their potential achievements, building relationships with parents/carers and providing a rounded approach to their development.

UNIFORM-CALUDON CASTLE CHECKLIST

YEARS 7-11 - SEPTEMBER 2014 Please ensure correct uniform is worn at all times and correct equipment is taken into school.

A list is provided below: Blazer Badge Trousers Skirts

Socks Tights Shirt/Blouse Tie Shoes

Bag

Black Caludon badge Black (No jeans, corduroy, stripes, slits or excessively narrow legs; no decorative belts) Plain black (knee length and of plain design and shape. Not low-waisted, skin tight, ra-ra or frilled) Plain black (not patterned) Plain black or neutral White (with collar that can be buttoned at the neck and long enough to be tucked in) Clip ties (including approved school sport elite ties) Flat, black (no fashion shoes, slipper/flip flop style, PLAIN all black trainers are allowed. Low ‘business like’ ankle boots are allowed but trousers must cover the ankle section of the boot. Large boots such as ‘doc martens’ are not allowed) Practical (strong and big enough for all equipment and resources to be brought to school)

In addition if required:

Pullover Plain black ‘V’ neck only (no sweatshirts, hoodies, cardigans, zip tops) Scarf Not football club or similar Outer coat Raincoat, overcoat, plain, dark (jackets/coats to be big enough so that blazers can

be worn underneath. Jackets are not to be worn as substitutes for blazers. No denim,

leather jackets or hooded/sweatshirt style) Jewellery One pair small studs (one in each earlobe). No body, facial or mouth pierced items.

No other jewellery, including charity bands, to be worn) Each term the school will have ‘a charity day’ when charity bands can be worn for one day only.

Make-up No eye make-up, mascara, blusher, eyeliner or lipstick (a subtle application of

concealer is allowed. No decorative nail extensions/nail polish allowed) Hair Extreme hairstyles in terms of style are not acceptable (large hair accessories are

also not acceptable. If hair is coloured it must be in a natural colour (not an extreme

shade). A plain dark ribbon/headband is acceptable)

Basic equipment

Every student is expected to provide the following basic items of equipment for every lesson: Pencil, eraser, black or blue pen (and a spare), ruler, calculator – for some courses you will need a scientific calculator.

You may find it is useful to have a prittstick, a set of highlighters, a French/Spanish dictionary and an English pocket dictionary.

For three days in Caludon Experience Week, 17 to 19 June, the normal timetable was suspended, and staff provided a variety of experiences for students to learn beyond the normal curriculum. We had 28 separate trips and 70 different workshop sessions in school for students from years 7 to 10, as well as post-16 sessions and revision lessons.

The trips included residential activities, both abroad and in the UK, cultural visits to museums, theatres and galleries, and physical activities such as caverning, kayaking and windsurfing. Every student had the opportunity to be out of school for at least one day. Some took up the challenge of two or even three days learning beyond the school site.

In school, workshops included: quiet and cerebral activities such as chess; creative activities such as screen-printing, making a film and Caludon Masterchef; and more physical challenges from barn-dancing to fencing, and from physical theatre to the Olympics.

One year 9 student observed that the day spent caverning at Clearwell Caves was the best day of his school career so far. We hope there were many similar stories to tell by the end of the week.

Some of the students acted as the Caludon Update newsroom for half a day at a time, taking photographs and writing their account of the day’s activities. Their reports follow.

Ms Hutchinson

Wednesday 18th June 2014 Caludon Experience Week for Caludon Update by Sarah Read, Grace Tranter, Abbi Frost, Jack Beavis, Oliver Williams and Callum Holden During this week at Caludon Castle School everyone has been trying out new experiences and having a lot of fun. We have all been doing activities like: fencing, football, cooking, drama, photography, chess, barn dancing and manga. There are also a lot of trips going on such as: a trip to the zoo, a ghost tour, seeing Wicked at the theatre, Drayton Manor, Alton Towers, France, Duke of Edinburgh expedition and last, but not least, windsurfing and kayaking.

This is a group of year 7, 8 and 9 playing football.

This is a group of people from year 9 going to Twycross Zoo.

We interviewed a wide range of people, and one boy said, “I had not done barn dancing before and it was a bit embarrassing, but I had a really fun time.�

Art Department During Caludon experience week the art department carried out two workshops. This gave students the opportunity to try out complex skills and techniques that require a full day to carry out. We offered a screen printing workshop where students learnt to design stencils and how to produce a three-part print. Students were excited to design and print their own T-shirts using professional methods.

We also carried out a clay work-shop where students worked individually towards a collaborative piece of work, in the form of a model village. Slab-pot techniques were used to create buildings such as churches and cottages, personalised using impressing techniques to add textures. Connor Wright and Zac Brigg worked together to produce a fantastic building which they were so proud of that they invited Ms. Dudgeon to come and see.

Church by Callum Foster (made whilst arm in plaster!)

Warwick Arts/Mead gallery visit

Students received a tour of the Jeremy Deller exhibition and carried out activities based on their exploration of the gallery. They also attended a workshop with photographer, Jo Gane, where they made their own pin-hole cameras and learnt all about early photographic processes. Students dressed up and had to pose completely still for 40 second exposures.

Mrs Town – Teacher of Art

World Cup Languages Challenge During Caludon Experience Week, students in years 7, 8, 9 and 10 took part in a World Cup Language Challenge. Students had to pick the name of a country from a hat and complete a number of challenges. No Spanish or French speaking countries were allowed so that all students would benefit from and enjoy the experience of learning some vocabulary in a totally new language.

The activities that students completed were: 1. A “prezzi� about the culture, traditions and history of the country 2. A one minute video of themselves using basic greetings and introductions from the language of that country, 3. To create a world cup poster (see examples below), using colours from the national flag, information about that countries star player for this world cup, and some key football vocabulary in the new language.

At the end of the sessions, they were all presented to the rest of the group and prizes and vivos were given out to all.

Ms Harris - Teacher of Spanish and Italian

‘Oh I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside’ Year 10 Trip to Weston-Super-Mare The Geography department recently took 34 year 10 students to a very sunny Weston Super Mare as part of the Caludon Experience Week. We wanted the students to experience a typical British, old-fashioned, day at the seaside. After a long coach journey they were keen to explore the sights of Weston, although not before stopping for Fish and Chips! After refuelling they enjoyed all the fun of the fair on Weston’s Great Pier. The girls also enjoyed a donkey ride with a difference!

During the afternoon students took the opportunity to relax on the beach, sun-bathe, read and play boules. The trip was a huge success for pupils and the staff who had just as much fun, and for once the British weather did not let us down.

Mrs Flippance, Mr Child and Mrs Coleman – Teachers of Geography

Year 7 Ackers Trip

During Caludon Experience Week Year 7 went to Ackers in Birmingham.

Over the day students and staff had a go at a variety of outdoor activities, including; canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, skiing, archery and jungle challenge.

It was a lot of fun; all of the students took part in activities that they had never tried before, some overcoming worries about heights and water. There was a real sense of team work and a lovely supportive atmosphere among the students. Some of the students got a little wetter than others in the kayak!

The Year 7 team were proud and privileged to spend the day with our fabulous children, they were a real credit to you as parents and the school.

Well done Year 7 and have a good summer, Mr Williams, Mrs Harris and Mrs Rayns

Year 8 and Year 9 Paris and Disney trip Caludon Experience Week - 16-18 June.

On a bright, sunny Monday morning at 5am, 38 year 8 and year 9 students, Miss Blud, Mr Herlihy, Ms Paddock, Miss Wilcox and 2 parent helpers, set off on their French adventure. After a smooth journey down to Dover the excited students crossed the channel then continued their journey down to “Gai Paris”.

In Paris we had a short bus tour of some of the beautiful landmarks - including the Arc de Triomphe - we then parked up ready for our Eiffel Tower visit. We rode the lift up to the very top of the tower, although certain people were a little wobbly on the way - it is 324 metres high! (Just think - Big Ben is only 96m!). A year 8 student marked this as her personal highlight: “I wouldn’t have changed this experience for the world”.

After some essential gift shopping we made our way to the hotel before heading out for a late dinner. All fed and watered, we were certainly ready for bed after a very long, eventful day.

After a peaceful night we were refreshed and eager to be spending our second day at Disneyland theme park. Students and staff went on the hair-raising rides and many students bought some interesting head wear. Another stop at the hotel, followed by a delicious dinner at a local restaurant, marked the end of another successful day.

The final day was another early start for the group (luckily not as early as Monday!) We wearily left the hotel with all our luggage, souvenirs, crazy hats and Mickey/Minnie Mouse ears. We arrived at our final French destination, the Château de Versailles, where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived and the Treaty of Versailles was signed. This is a spectacular building around 14 miles outside Paris. Nawfal Hassan from year 8 said, “It was good to learn about the history of French kings and queens”.

Natalie Johnston, whose granddad is French said that, “It brought back memories of old times”.

Luke Thomson, “It was really great because I got to incorporate the French language I’ve learned and I managed to make some Colombian friends in a queue at Disney and speak some Spanish too”.

The teachers, driver and parent helpers were really impressed with the behaviour of the students during the trip and were very happy that all were very enthusiastic about trying out their French.

Bravo, les enfants!

Ms Blud – Teacher of Languages

The Great Caludon Bake Off

This involved students working in pairs to make a Victoria sandwich cake and scones. In order to judge the cakes properly measured for rise, checked for even colour, even jam coverage and finally tasted.

They were all amazing!

Students had to be creative with the scones and present one fully decorated with cream and strawberries, we witnessed some great baking skills.

Caludon Masterchef

The Master Chef completion took place in the afternoon and student worked in pairs to compete for the prize of a cookery book. They had to work within the constraints of creating a recipe that used puff pastry and 5 other ingredients. We had some amazing creations and it was very difficult to judge!

Afternoon Tea

Mrs Ashby’s group were treated to a truly authentic afternoon tea experience. They made a variety of traditional English afternoon tea cakes and a whole range of teas which were then consumed from vintage china tea cups and plates. The year 7s involved said it was really enjoyable.

Drama during Caludon Experience Week The cast of the hit musical ‘Wicked’ certainly didn’t disappoint the near capacity matinee audience at the Apollo Victoria in the heart of London’s West End.

On the Wednesday of ‘The Caludon Experience’ week the Drama department took a group of 47 Year 10 students to see the musical at its London home. They were regaled with the gripping and well-written alternative version of the famous ‘Wizard of Oz’. The audience follows the unfortunate story of the good ‘Elphaba’ and how she unjustly gains the title of the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’.

The story line of ‘Wicked’ fills in the gaps of the Wizard of Oz, even where you didn’t believe there were gaps to fill, and you can’t help but find yourself smiling when you make the connections between the two. After seeing Wicked you will never watch the Wizard of Oz in the same way again!

The sublime score and high quality story were well supported by the standby leads, Emma Hatton and Sophie Linder-Lee, playing the roles of Elphaba and Galinda. ‘Wicked’ is a MUST SEE and is thoroughly enjoyable from any seat in the house.

Matthew Whale Performing Arts Technician

Play in a Day The Drama department prides itself on continuing to set increasingly challenging tasks and projects for students and this years ‘Play in a Day’ was the most difficult yet!

Working from a particularly complex title, ‘Fragments in a digital age’, (some of the students were Y7!), the brief was to create fragments, or snippets of performance that reflect the way we live in an age of internet, smartphones, cctv, fingerprinting and ever developing technology. Building on from previous years’ experiences, we gave the students very little but the opportunity to lead themselves and create what they could.

To say we were impressed would be an understatement. The work was exceptionally creative and inventive. The ways students were able to incorporate different media (video, music, projection and live use of ipads) into their Drama was a pleasure to see. The fact that they organised, managed, rehearsed, directed and led each other, with barely any teacher assistance, was a credit to all who took part. Seeing what these students do in the future, as part of their Drama lessons or in extra curricula projects, is an exciting prospect indeed!

Comenius Project 2012-2014 Caludon Castle School applied for funding to take part in a 2 year, 9 country multi-lateral study funded by the British Council. The project is called ‘From local residents to European Citizens and Global Partners’ and is an exciting high profile project for all schools involved. The other countries involved are Spain, Belgium, Norway, Portugal, Turkey, Germany and Iceland.

Coventry - Science Strand

In March 20 oversees students came to stay with Caludon host families. The students came from Iceland, Germany, Spain and Portugal. We had an action packed three days. On the Monday we went to the Think Tank science museum in Birmingham. Here we saw a demonstration about energy and got to take part in the show. We also saw a 3D film in the giant IMAX cinema about tornadoes and we got to experiment in the science garden outside and explored other parts of the exhibition.

Tuesday was just as exciting. Imagineering came to school to work with us on how electricity and the national grid work. Students worked in cross country groups to build houses, pylons and cables out of K’nex. All the students were able to overcome the language barriers and work effectively in teams. When they came to test their grid systems they were very proud that it all worked! They were all even confident enough to present their findings in the form of presentations to the rest of the group. Tuesday evening meant only one thing – pizza and bowling. The whole group took part and it was here that many lasting friendships were formed. Everybody had a good time, many students picked up parts of a new language, practised their Spanish and found out about life in another country.

Portugal - Arts Strand

This was an amazing opportunity for 8 of our Drama students to devise and perform a piece of theatre to the other partner school and a live audience in Fatima, Portugal. The students came up with the piece themselves, which was exceptionally challenging as it has to be understood by several different nationalities and non-English speakers.

Turkey - Arts Strand

What an incredible place to go and a bigger culture shock for our 4 students (and teachers) than probably any of the other Comenius destinations. We visited Samsun, a place full of history and where our hosts were extremely welcoming. It was an eye-opening experience to visit a school

for gifted and talented students where robot building and unique Science experiments - amongst other creative learning activities - were the everyday story. Students got to visit an authentic Turkish bazaar and learnt about AtatĂźrk and the Turkish War of Independence, which began in Samsun.

Students and staff had the opportunity to try traditional food and drink from the region and came away from the experience with a few phrases in Turkish and some new contacts from a very interesting part of the world. Whilst they were at the school, students took part in creating new artwork using recycled products and also had the opportunity to show off their culinary abilities, by producing an authentic British dish!

Iceland - Science Strand

4 students were lucky enough to go to Iceland for 4 days in March 2014. The theme was recycling, so we learned all about recycling in different countries and shared information about recycling in Coventry. We also visited a hydroelectric power plant, some traditional Icelandic houses and even a landfill site in order to better understand why we should be eco-friendly. We also learned a great deal about the Icelandic way of life, geography and weather after experiencing it first-hand! Our students had an Icelandic partner and they spent time with their families and made friends for life!

Spain – Review and celebration of all strands

This trip included a day trip to the beach at Huelva and a bike tour of Seville. Our students hosted stalls to represent the Caludon and the UK as did all other schools involved in the project (Spain, the other UK school, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Iceland and Turkey). Students could discover new facts, talk to students and teachers from the different countries about their cultures and they got to sample traditional food and drinks, too. Students got involved in various sports and made friends with students of other nationalities. The most exciting thing about this trip was that the students actually stayed with a Spanish family so that they could really get to grips with Spanish culture and they all used their Spanish. They even got to learn some Flamenco, too!

Ms Blud - Subject leader of French

Comenius Trip to Seville

We left Caludon on a cloudy grey day and landed in a very hot Seville; 28 degrees at 9pm!! We were equally given a warm welcome by the host families and so our journey began...

On Tuesday we had a fantastic day at Huelva, on the beach. The coach journey was full of excited students, especially those from Iceland and Norway, where summer temperatures are rarely above 20 degrees! There were various games arranged and students got involved in water polo, piggy back races and beach volleyball, to name a few. Thankfully faces weren’t too red…students had taken my advice after countless reminders about sun cream!! :-) On Wednesday we spent the day at school, where our Comenius students hosted stalls to represent the 8 European partner schools involved in the project (Spain, the UK, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Iceland and Turkey). Students could discover new facts, talk to students and teachers from the different countries about their cultures and they got to sample traditional food and drinks, too. Many students tried some less common sports and leisure activities in the evening, where Spanish students had arranged archery, rock climbing, flamenco dancing, inflatable handball and something resembling skiing! They had to work in groups of 4 to manoeuvre the skis from one side of the room to the other; it was a shame I was not able to witness and take pictures taken of this as I’m sure it would’ve been very entertaining! This was also a celebratory evening for Seville as they won the UEFA Europa League. The streets were very noisy (until the early hours!) with young and old driving around the city beeping their car horns, waving Spanish and Sevilla FC flags and cheering their team on. It was a special moment to appreciate as there was a real buzz in the air, whether you were a football fan or not.

The highlight of the week came on Thursday, with a biking tour of Seville in the morning and our farewell dinner, plus Flamenco show, in the evening. We took in the stunning sights of la Plaza de Espana, la Giralda, el Torro del Oro, numerous colourful parks and sparkling fountains...thankfully there was also a refreshing breeze to enjoy, a welcome break from the relentless 35 degree heat! In the evening we enjoyed reminiscing about the different events hosted by all of the partner schools in the 8 countries. We saw presentations from students, who spoke of their favourite memories from the project, the skills and knowledge they had gained and how it has inspired them for the future.

It was a special moment and an appropriate farewell to a hugely successful collaboration; we have truly gone from local residents to European Citizens.

After the presentations we were fortunate to have a passionate Spanish guest speaker and Member of the European Parliament, then we enjoyed the finale, the Flamenco show! It was incredible to see so many boys and girls of different ages (from 6/7-25 years old) doing such complex routines and it was eye opening because we didn’t realise how many different types of Flamenco dances there

actually are. We then had a wonderful, al fresco tapas/buffet at school and the host families had really gone to town with homemade dishes (especially the desserts!) Students bade a somewhat teary farewell to one another, as did we teachers :-( Some amazing friendships have been forged over the 2 day experience and some unforgettable memories created too. It will have special place in all the hearts of those involved.

We landed back on UK soil on Friday evening, after a morning of last-minute sight-seeing and gift buying! The temperature was certainly more comfortable for us, if a little bit cooler then we’d have liked...Here’s what the students had to say.

“One of the best holidays in my life. I learnt how to dance flamenco which was really fun and I thought it was an original idea!” Rihon, Year 9 “The activities we’re different and interesting” – Jonathan, Year 9 “This week has been amazing, I can’t pick one thing that was the best because it all was brilliant and I enjoyed every second of going Spain! I have met different people that are really nice and I have made so many new friends that I will keep in contact with” :-) Sarah, Year 9 “The family were really nice and I enjoyed making new friends. We tried some new activities which were interesting / fun. The monuments and buildings were really unique and beautiful that we saw in Seville too. I liked learning about the different cultures, when we spent the day at school on Wednesday. I loved the chocolate from Norway!! “Olivia, Year 9 Article by Jonathan Letts – Year 9

STEM Club Summer Update 2014

As the summer term draws to a close, STEM Club members continue to work hard putting the finishing touches to their STEM commonwealth activities. The students have been set the challenge to devise a series of activities suitable for primary school children and with a joint STEM and Commonwealth Games theme. The challenges highlight and develop essential skills, such as team work, problem solving, lateral thinking, good communication, numeracy skills and working under pressure. STEM Club members welcomed a group of Y6 pupils from Richard Lee School on Friday 4 July, they hosted and led the morning session.

Following the success of Thomas Killestein’s lecture on ‘Exoplanets and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life’, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) have invited him to be a part of the IET sponsored in-school summer presentations. Local Coventry schools are being invited to bid for prestigious speakers to come and present on a range of fascinating topics. The STEM Club is delighted to welcome Dr Phil Manning from the Palaeontology Research Group based at the University of Manchester to deliver a presentation on ‘The Application of Technology to the Analysis of Dinosaur Remains.’

Ever wondered what happens to jelly babies in space? Or maybe you would like to find out if the pH of water is affected by space flight? Well, STEM Club members know the answers to these questions! Three teams of space scientists were lucky enough to be part of the MARSBalloon project. The project is a Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) funded project, run by young space engineers from Thales Alenia Space UK, that is testing student ideas for technologies that could one day be destined for Mars. The aim is to test anything that humans or robots will be doing on Mars in the future. In June, Caludon STEM Club launched 3 experiment capsules (Kinder Surprise capsules!) on high altitude balloons 30km up into the Earth’s atmosphere, a place where conditions of gas pressure, temperature and radiation are very similar to the surface of Mars.

Check out the balloon flight at http://marsballoon.com/about/. It’s amazing!

And finally, recruitment for new STEM Club members is well underway and the STEM team are busy reading through the numerous application forms that we have received. So if you have completed and returned your application form, then watch this space to see if you have been successful in joining STEM. You never know it might be you next year taking part in Missions to Mars, building and programming Lego and VEX robots, or even devising experiments which will be blasted into low earth orbit!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all students involved in STEM this year and we are looking forward to lots of exciting projects and experiences in the new school year.

Miss Miller On behalf of the STEM Team

Duke of Edinburgh 17th-20th June

The Caludon Duke of Edinburgh team made the most of Caludon Experience week by completing 2 practice expeditions with year 9. Students spent 2 days walking with full rucksacks, as well as one night camping at Ullesthorpe Scout campsite.

The expeditions, as always, began with repacking of bags! Students watched as we removed their 10 spare jumpers, sackload of sweets and 3 pairs of spare shoes… All this was necessary as teams were expected to carry some team kit (tent, trangia, first aid kit etc), as well as their own gear.

Then it was time to start walking. The teams were raring to go and desperate to be the first to set off! All reached their first checkpoint in good time and had a relaxing lunch break. The afternoon was a little slower as tiredness was setting in. All the staff were impressed, however, with the lack of complaints! Very few students made any comments at all about aches, pains or exhaustion.

Finally, students arrived at the campsite. We cruelly forced them to set up camp before collapsing in an exhausted heap, but I’m sure they were grateful once they could settle down to cook their dinner with no more jobs to do. Despite a bedtime of 11pm, most students were snoring by about 10.30, which was a good plan as we needed them ready to go for 8am the next morning!

True to their word, students were ready to go at 8am (or soon after!). With tents packed up, breakfast eaten and bags repacked, this is quite a feat! They set off for their second day of walking with rather less bounce than the first, but nevertheless determined and keen to succeed. Again, they walked well and met their checkpoints consistently on time. Despite their enthusiasm, students were clearly relieved to reach the end of their expedition and settle down on the bus back to Caludon.

This group of students were thoroughly impressive in many ways. They were consistently independent – both while walking and in camp. Moans and groans were never heard! The groups walked further than we normally expect bronze Duke of Edinburgh to walk – with one group in particular walking further than any other Caludon group ever! Now they can look forward to their actual expedition in September!

Ms Ayre - Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator

What an Awesome Year 9

Year 9 have had an awesome year, beginning with Warwick University paying us a visit to put on some workshops for the students. They were learning how to make model cars run by little more than rubber bands, four wheels and a spring. They day ended with the students racing the model cars that they had perfected against other teams.

We also had two brothers, Rory and Finn from ‘Talk on the Wild Side’ who came in and told the whole of year 9 a very personal story of their lives and how they were inspired at an early age to help others. They also held workshops to build self-esteem in the youngsters by giving them tasks that they had to complete by trusting each other. The students wrote their hopes on a sheet of paper then turned this paper into a plane, which they threw as far as it could possibly fly. Then they were put in groups to learn how to trust others by standing on the side of a mat trying to reach a ball without falling, the only help they had was from each other. They had to hold hands tightly so that no-one fell whilst reaching out for the ball, which was placed on the mat but at the opposite end. The task was to reach the ball with the help of your group without stepping on the mat or falling over, therefore trusting one another. This was hard, but fun at the same time.

Four students from Year 9 went on a Comenius trip to Spain, which again was an amazing opportunity for them to shine on behalf of England. They went bike riding, attended workshops within the schools there and put up a stall which screamed “We are British.” The teachers who went with them had nothing but praise for because they fitted in extremely well, took part in everything that was put before them and really made the school proud.

This year we have given the students at Caludon Castle School the chance to take part in activities that they might never have had the chance to do so otherwise, such as caverning and canoeing.

The students who went on both of these trips came back telling us of an unbelievable experience which is something that we were really proud to be able to offer. The attached photos hopefully will talk volumes.

Mrs Maroke Year 9 Leader

Year 10 Future Pathways Experience Day This term, the Future Pathways Experience Day, offered students in Year 10 an opportunity to experience a variety of post sixteen routes. Students spent the day at either Coventry University, De-Montfort University or PerTemps Apprenticeships. Each day offered a different insight into life beyond year 11 and students were able to benefit from the expertise of their hosts.

Coventry University welcomed a number of students who were interested in finding out about University life and in particular, Business Enterprise & Technology. Highlights of the day included a tour of the campus along with its new Technology Centre. Here students were able to see cutting edge technology that included, table top interactive pads, simulators and the workings of 3D printers. Students were also treated to a visit to Coventry University’s very own Harrier Jump Jet. Workshops examined what it takes to become an entrepreneur. These engaging and interactive sessions made for a highly informative and pleasurable day for everyone involved.

A number of students who were interested in apprenticeship opportunities were able to visit PerTemps, an organisation that specialises in young people’s apprenticeship opportunities. The day was highly interactive with students participating in a number of sessions focusing on functional and employment skills. Students worked on developing interpersonal skills in preparation for joining a workplace, designing a CV that makes them stand out from the crowd, identifying one’s own strengths and weaknesses, as well as taking away many other valuable lessons from the day.

The staff at PerTemps were fantastic and the students really enjoyed the day. Many thanks for the warm welcome.

De-Montfort University hosted a large number of Year 10 students who wanted find out more about studying at university and what could be expected from university life. The day included a campus tour, which highlighted the extensive facilities available to students and a look at student accommodation. This was particularly enjoyed by students who found the experience enlightening and enjoyable. Workshop sessions focused on post sixteen options and offered students a valuable insight into understanding their skills and the types of courses that they might wish to study later in life. Students felt the day gave them a valuable experience and took full advantage of the chance to question current De-Montford University students about their experiences.

Year 11 Leavers assembly There was much laughter and many tears as Year 11 students bade a fond farewell to each other and members of staff at the leavers assembly on 23rd May. It is incredible how quickly the last 5 years have flown by and looking back at some of the old photos how much the students have grown up in that time.

A huge thank you goes to the acts that performed at the assembly. They were absolutely amazing and helped make the occasion a truly memorable one.

Thanks also go to Mr Stokes for organising the performances and to Myke Grimes and Matt Whale for their technical expertise with lighting and sound.

The Year 11 team would like to send our very best wishes to all the students in Year 11 and wish them every success in their exams. They have been an outstanding year group who have worked incredibly hard and we very much look forward to seeing them all on results day.

Year 11 Prom

The Year 11 Leavers Prom took place at Coombe Abbey Hotel, Coventry on Friday 27th June. It was a wonderful evening and gave students and staff the opportunity to say a final goodbye to each other and celebrate all the hard work they have put in over the last 5 years at Caludon.

Students certainly arrived in style arriving in limousines, on motorbikes and very expensive looking cars! It was great to see all the students (and staff) looking fabulous and congratulations go to Scott Rutherford and Connie Everie-Martin who were our Prom King and Queen.

Thanks go to Coombe Abbey Hotel for helping the event run smoothly, Creative balloons for the decorations and Daryll from Madda-Events for great music. A special thank you goes to Lauren Phillips from Eye Candy for providing the Candy Cart and Popcorn and to Zumaan Ismail for the wonderful magic. We are particularly proud of them as they are both Caludon Castle 6th form students who are showing great enterprise in setting up their own businesses.

We hope that everybody had a fantastic evening and students have a lasting memory of their time at Caludon. Once again we wish them every success in the future and hope they keep in touch.

Student Council

‘During the Spring Term Year 8 Student council worked incredibly hard to organise a charity event for Year 8. Their idea was to collect food for Coventry Food Bank and clothes to donate to local charity shops. On the run up to our charity week the student council planned and delivered a wonderful assembly and organised the publicity and collection of donations.

From 12th to 16th May, student council members collected donations from each tutor group in Year 8, the contribution from the year group was amazing. Gavin Kibble from Coventry Food Bank came to collect donations and was amazed by the dedication of our student council and the generosity of Year 8.’ Well done Year 8 We are privileged to have students of your calibre in the year group.

Student Council Members Greg Morris Beth Collins Laura Howes Vismay Jose Khalil Ismal Courtney Nichols Rebecca Foster Luke Thompson

Olivia Protheroe Jodie Phipps Blake Fuller Keown Gavin Kieran Stocks Alex Eaves Ellie Hopkins

Caludon Castle Student Council Update

So far this year has been both exciting and productive for the Caludon Castle student council. By working closely with the school and the student populous we have achieved many new things, as well as trying to improve some old ones. Some of many areas we have covered this year: • Recruiting Year 7s to the School Council • A visit to Aston University to make a more effective Student Council • Creating a Student Council Partnership with Southam College • Reviewing the possibility of setting up a Memorial Garden • Questionnaires to get the schools views on a range of views including canteen and the rewards system • A meeting with Catering Regional Manager to discuss further development of the canteen • And much more...

Visit to Southam College

On Tuesday 11th March we visited Southam to help our student council improve. The student council of Southam College welcomed us with opened arms by showing us around their school.

Meanwhile we got to see the areas the Southam student council have improved.

This was followed by a Q&A session with the council members which helped both schools share good ideas such as the memorial garden at Southam.

We look forward to a visit from Southam next term.

A Questionnaire to get the school’s views

In May the council sent out a questionnaire to get find out what students think about a range of issues. This included questions about the canteen to help us prepare for the meeting with the Catering Regional Manager from AIP Catering. The responses in the questionnaire were varied (and some quite amusing) but nearly all helped us to best get the students’ points across. The Regional Manager was impressed by our ideas and will be looking to implement some of our requests. We are set to meet the regional Manager soon and look forward to hearing what ideas the canteen will be taking on. The questionnaire responses will help us next year with more improvements of the school.

Students can e-mail us on StudentCouncil@caludoncastle.co.uk with any improvements or issues that they want us to take up.

Next year we are hoping to have even more success…

Written By Nawfal Hassan Year 8

Introduction of Computing Topics The department has undergone a rebrand in line with National Curriculum. In Years 7 and 8 we now use to term Computing to identify that they study aspects of both ICT (using systems and software) and Computer Science (creating systems and software) within the discipline. In Year 9, through the ECDL, the topic content is of an ICT nature whilst into Year 10 and onwards the students have the option of taking ICT or Computer Science as option subjects.

Kodu

One of the exciting new projects introduced to Year 8 ICT this year is Kodu Game Lab. This gaming software allows students to design their own ‘worlds’ and develop a computer game with objectives of their choice. Due to the number of options available when designing their games, students have had very personalised learning experiences with a host of excellent games having been produced, varying enormously in terms of objectives and gameplay. Students have developed a diversity of computing skills such as planning, basic programming, testing and evaluating work which has challenged even the most able throughout the project. Kodu has been extremely well received by our students; many of whom have excelled and even exceeded their target levels in many cases.

Extra-Curricular

This year the Coding Club, which meets weekly, has been joined by the Media Club which has been set up by a Year 7 pupil to assist students in software help and gaming tips. They regularly have upwards of 20 students in attendance and are the extra-curricular ICT focus, to the Coding Club’s Computer Science focus.

IET Sponsored Guest Lecture

At the end of term we have a visit from Dr. Phil. Manning of the Palaeontology Research Group at the University of Manchester. He will be delivering a Guest Lecture, courtesy of the IET to 40 STEM students, and 60 AIM students on the topic of ‘The Application of Technology to the Analysis of Dinosaur Remains’. This paves the way for a greater involvement of Computing in STEM and should spark the curiosity of students (and teachers) to attend more of these guest lectures in the future.

Design and Technology Taking it Further...

The Rotary Awards are an annual event held in Coventry and attended by all secondary schools.

All KS4 students have the opportunity to be nominated and put forward to represent the school for the annual awards.

This year 13 students exhibited their work. The work looked professional and set a very high standard. All students entered received a certificate for outstanding project work.

Beth Mason in year 10 was the student highly commended in this category for her GCSE Hospitality project and also won a cheque for ÂŁ50 for best KS4 project, which was based on an event planned and carried out for pensioners in the community.

Laura Malpass won the catering award beating schools from all over Coventry and winning a cheque for ÂŁ100, as well as a half day training at Henly College.

Laura’s work was based on practical assignments carried out on the use of dairy foods and a two course meal featuring international cuisine.

We are very proud of these students, well done!

Exciting showcase for Design@Caludon Design@caludon put on their first annual Technology showcase on Wednesday 2nd July in the concept lounge. The event allowed our Design team to showcase many of the fantastic, innovative and tasty creations that our students have been working on over the last two years.

Our fabulous design team managed to display work from all 44 Year 11 Resistant Materials students, all 38 Y11 Graphics students and 26 Year 11 Catering and Hospitality students and have the 3D printer on display to showcase this amazing gadget in the flesh, working. As I am sure you can imagine, it was no mean feat. The final effect, I am sure you will agree, was absolutely spectacular and a wonderful occasion for students’ parents to come in and see the final products.

Hospitality and Catering students had a beautiful display of many of the delightful culinary wonders they had created over the two year course, including an amazing professionally edited image of them in their chef’s whites thanks once again to Myke Grimes for his help with these. Catering for the event was provided by our future Hospitality students in Year 9, many compliments were received regarding the amazing spread they and the Food team had created. I am sure you will agree seeing the pictures, it looked (and tasted) amazing.

The Resistant Materials and Graphics team used the creation of our free standing display and plinths to showcase the innovative and amazing products the Year 11 Graphics and Resistant Materials students had managed to create for their final coursework pieces. It was a lovely occasion for us to showcase the hard work and dedication of our students, and to celebrate with them and the many proud parents; the parents were also able to see what wonderful activities their sons and daughters had been up to during their design lessons.

Proud parents were able to provide feedback on our interactive table tops, as I am sure you can see from the comments it proved to be a successful evening for all.

Mrs Moore- Teacher of Technology

Design@Caludon gets a 3D printer!

This year we have been fortunate enough to gain the funding for a 3D printer and are thrilled that it is now up and running in Technology.

So far the Y10 Graphics group have been able to utilise the 3D printer to create shapes we would have otherwise struggled, with including a SpongeBob counter for a board game that previously would have not been 3D and far less appealing. In addition to this, the printer has enabled us to develop packages that otherwise may have been constructed in a very different manner, for example the oval package you can see below.

As well as the curriculum links, the 3D printer has allowed us to stretch our students’ minds even further allowing them (and staff!) to watch the printer at work – witnessing a real life example of up to the minute technology.

The printer itself has prompted many questions including: How did I get the ball in the cube?

Can you really print chocolate?

You can print a bladder? (Yes you can!)

The 3D printer has allowed us to look at its “real word” uses G17’s exciting new challenge zone also has articles from the last few months relating to how 3D printing has been used. There are also links to articles and museum pieces, further 3D printed products and more Take it Further questions to challenge our students even further in their thinking about this amazing piece of new technology.

Mr Temple – Teacher of Technology

Accelerated Reader

Caludon Castle School have invested in the Accelerated Reader project for all Year 7 and 8 students. We have made the decision to purchase this package to support progress in reading across the curriculum.

The benefits of the programme are excellent. It has been proven to help children of all ages and abilities to reach their full learning potential, whilst also improving engagement, motivation, confidence, ability to learn and academic achievement. Additional details of the course can be found at: https://www.renlearn.co.uk/.

The importance of reading cannot be overstated, as a result we are seeking support. To ensure Year 7 and 8 students reap the full benefits of the project we are asking for parental support so that students complete 60 minutes of reading at home every week – students are reading during every tutor sessions and in some designated lessons in school.

By carrying out these few simple steps, the project aims to improve student reading by 1 – 2 years over the course of a year. The results are beneficial in so many ways: it is a fun, motivating, confidence building and engaging approach to reading; students are able to see early improvements; it helps to identify problems without humiliation; builds on success and inspires student desire to learn.

If you have any questions regarding Accelerated Reader, please do not hesitate to call or email Mrs Gallagher, Ms Barton or Miss Hammersley for additional guidance.

Ms Hammersley - Strategic Leader for Inclusive Literacy

English Aims Trips This half term the English faculity has organised three exciting AIM trips.

The first was to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Our Year 9 students took part in a theatre workshop with an actor from the Royal Shakespeare Company on the play ‘Henry IV Part I’, before having the opportunity to watch the play being performed in the theatre.

The second was to The University of Warwick to undertake literary research into how the melodramas of the 19th Century were staged. Dr Astbury gave a university style lecture to our Year 10 and sixth form students on the political and cultural society of 19th Century France. Our students then assisted the professors in deciphering how the music of a melodrama worked with the script; the two had not been put together for over a hundred years.

Students fed back: ‘I learnt what melodrama is and how music can change the way an audience understands a show.’

‘I enjoyed the talk about drama and the theatre in the 19th Century and listening to music from that period.’

‘I enjoyed being given the opportunity to share our thoughts in the lecture and take part.’

The third AIM event was held at Sidney Stringer School, bringing together some of the best writers from across the city. Year 7, 8 and 9 students took part in the workshop entitled ‘A Room Full of Writers.’ Students worked with the writer Matt Dickinson for the morning, going on ‘an adventure of writing’. Students were pushed out of their comfort zone, working with students from other schools. They set up their own writing community to share their writing and began the process of evaluating their peers’ responses. Matt picked Alyza Lavina’s writing ideas out of the whole group for her philosophical approach and interesting way of planning.

Ms Wightman – Leader of KS4 English

The ‘Room Full of Writers’ from across the city

Joe McFadden & Becky Foster creating their personal reponses.

Library News Literally Coventry Book Festival Monday 23rd June saw the opening of Literally Coventry Book Festival . A book festival which takes place across the city for the whole week and has a whole host of activities, events and authors to tempt the literary tastebuds.

Caludon Castle students were heavily involved and on Monday Miss Barton and Miss Campbell took a group of students to the Warwick Arts Centre for the ‘Catching Fire- Hunger Games Challenge’.

Students were able to watch the film and then take part in a quiz, competing against other secondary schools and Hunger Games enthusiasts from Coventry. Our team performed admirably and just narrowly lost to Foxford who went on to compete in the final. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Below are some comments they made about the day: The Hunger Games quiz – By Courteney Powers and Skye Hives In the morning we watched Catching Fire (the newest one) the quiz then followed after we had a lunch break. In the quiz there where 3 rounds in each heat on all the books (Hunger Games, Catching fire and Mockingjay) each round had 7 questions, making a total of 21 questions per heat and the winner of the heats move onto the final. The points where very close at the end, only having 2 points between us and the winner .The winner took the trophy, a Mockingjay pin, tribute guide book and the movie story book . Second place took the catching fire DVD and books and third won limited addition ‘Catching Fire’ books. Although we didn’t win we all had a brilliant day and would love to have the opportunity to go again, it was a fantastic experience that we won’t forget.

left to right: Hannah Harvey Yr7, Vismaya Jose Yr8, Courteney Powers Yr8, Miss Barton, Skye Hives Yr8, Laura Howes Yr8, Niamh Ennis Yr9 and Jonathan Letts Yr9

Students meet Jacqueline Wilson Tuesday the 24th of June saw another day of literature events and this time Caludon Castle students took a trip to the Ricoh Arena to see Jacqueline Wilson be presented with her ‘Lifetime of Inspiration’ award. Below are some of the comments students made: “I really enjoyed my time at the Jacqueline Wilson event. She was so interesting and inspiring, I was delighted to head that she is not giving up on writing novels as she is one of the best authors.

I have been waiting to meet her for nine years. The best moment was when we learned about her experiences as an author and got to have our photograph taken with her. I will remember that day forever.” Abi Heap year 10 “My favourite part of seeing Jacquline Wilson was when she was telling us about her books and how she came to be an author. I liked learning about her past and her experiences.” Emily Allman year 7 “Recently, we were taken to see Jacqueline Wilson presented with the ‘Lifetime Inspiration Award’ for all her works as an author. An aspiring writer myself, my personal favourite part was simply being able to hear her speak about what inspired her, and what different paths writing had taken her down throughout her lifetime. Also, I found it very exciting just to be in the same room as the woman who had started my reading obsession, from childhood, to the age of fifteen. I am very glad I was able to share this experience.” Abbie Roberts year 10

Jade Hands from Yr7 meeting the inspirational Dame Jacqueline Wilson.

Students meet Kevin Brooks On Friday 27th June students were off to meet Kevin Brooks, author of ‘The Ultimate Truth’ and recent winner of the Carnegie Award for Children’s Literature. He discussed what inspires him to write, as well as reading passages to the audience from his novel. Students thoroughly enjoyed it and again had lots to say afterwards: “We met Kevin Brooks at Sidney Stringer Academy. It was amazing as we listened to him read parts of his award winning story. We then asked him a few questions about himself and how he became an author. In addition, we got our own copy of his latest book and had it personally signed.

It was truly a memorable experience that I will never forget. He is the first author I have ever met and I look forward to reading his new book that is coming out in August called ‘The Danger Game’ , this is part of the series. The whole trip lasted for two hours but it whizzed by as we enjoyed it so much. We were also joined by a few students from other schools and about 50 students from Sidney Stringer Academy were also there.”

Aliyah Dhindsa, Year 7, meeting acclaimed author Kevin Brooks

“I went on a trip on Friday 27th July to see author Kevin Brooks. We went to a Sidney Stringer. We had all been reading his newest book, The Ultimate Truth. We bought the book with us and he signed it and put a little message inside. We listened to him as he read out some of the parts of the amazing story and then we were allowed to ask him some questions. There is a new book of his that links to the first one called The Danger Game and I will definitely be reading that book! Now I have met this award winning author, I am a very big fan of Kevin Brooks!”

Shannon Horton , Year 7

Our Yr7 students at Sidney Stringer Academy for the Kevin Brooks event.

Ms Barton – Librarian Ms Campbell – Teacher of English

The Gallery Opens!

The Caludon art gallery opened its doors on the 25th of June to students, staff, leadership, parents and governors. The gallery was launched not only with a range of students’ work on show, but also with a competition, open to applicants from the entire student body. Emma Town commented that she was amazed at the response from students. “I was really pleased to see that students had gone out of their way to make art work especially for the Caludon Open Competition”. The event culminated with ex-Caludon student, and now successful artist, Emma O’Brien announcing the winners and also having the difficult task of choosing the overall winner. She said that she genuinely did find it very difficult to choose as the standard of skills was so high. Dan English said, “ this is the first of the Caludon Open Competitions, we hope to make the event bigger and better each year”.

“The gallery will be open every day to staff and students, and so far has had a great response.

Students can now see the high levels of skills and hardwork that are possible to achieve in the art department and we hope they will endeavour to strive towards these,” commented Amy Petty.

The gallery will have a rolling programme of events throughout the year, with regular changes of shows. The gallery will also be a feature of Arts week and the Arts Prom so that the department can showcase work to a wider audience of students’ friends and relatives.

The winners of the Caludon Open Competition 2014 for art skills and imagination are: Rebecca Foster - ‘We Will Remember Them’ Ethan Ross - ‘The Cyborg in the lab’ Jessica Brown - ‘Blossom’ Callum Daniels - ‘The Gallop of the Ocean’ Lydia Herron - ‘Untitled’ Ellie Ashley - ‘Reborn’ Visitors’ choice prize winner, voted by staff and students is Zoe Stubbs with ‘untitled’. And finally, the overall winner chosen by the Artist Emma O’Brien is Kitty Isaksen with ‘Ocean Girl’.

Art staff would like to thanks Mrs Marr for her support in this project, participating students and visitors to the gallery opening for making the night very special, also thanks to Emma O’Brien for the difficult job of choosing the winner.

Please do feel free to come and see the gallery in the art corridor, ground floor.

Assessed Showcases Year 11 Btec Acting Year 11 Btec Acting students had worked very hard on their scripts assignments ‘British playwrights’.

They showcased their their great work during Early May 2014 to an invited audience. The standards of our assessed work continues to improve and we are looking towards our best ever results in BTEC Acting as we switch back to GCSE for next year.

The students this year particularly enjoyed the comedy aspect of some of the plays. ‘Bouncers’ and ‘Shakers’, two plays about nightclub doormen and cocktail waitresses, have been traditional successes in the past, but the professionalism and courage of the performers this year took them to another level.

It wasn’t all fun though…other groups took on the challenge of ‘Too much Punch for Judy’, about the tragic consequences of a young driver who drives drunk, and ‘Hard to Swallow’, a moving and tragic story of girl with an eating disorder. One group was invited by Miss Maroke to show this work to all of Y9 during an assembly and the piece was a powerful way to raise this important issue during tutor time discussion.

Drama

Year 11 GCSE Drama May 2014

As previously mentioned, the Drama Department are moving to GCSE with the current Y10 as they move into Y11. A number of the current Y11 wanted the opportunity to sit the GCSE as well as the BTEC Acting being taken in class time. For this reason, 26 year 11 students also committed to completing a GCSE in Drama during afterschool sessions. The dedication and commitment of these students during the practical sessions was outstanding. They also submitted 5000 words of coursework , again, during their busiest and highest pressured year so this was a real credit to them. The culmination of the GCSE came in May when they performed their Unit 3 devised pieces of theatre based on the theme ‘contrast’. These were created (again) in their own time and the dedication and talent from all involved was exceptional.

Year 10 GCSE Drama showcase

Year 10 GCSE students were given the theme ‘Community’ and in groups they were to create a devised piece of theatre. They showcased their work during Arts week on Tuesday 1st July 2014 and Wednesday 2nd July 2014 to an invited audience. Each group has worked exceptionally hard to incorporate the skills they have learnt over the past year within Drama lessons.

Drama

Drama Coffee morning - Tuesday 1st July 24 students from a range of the local primaries came to visit Drama as part of the annual ‘coffee morning’ event. They were put into role as detectives who needed to investigate the mysterious kidnapping of a girl from a large mansion. With very few clues, the detectives investigated the crime scene, found potential clues and then created short scenes to dramatise the events.

The standard of work was fantastic, particularly as many had never performed in front of an audience before! 11 of our Y7 ambassadors were there to help; they directed, guided, acted and joined in, and were a real credit to themselves and the school.

Gecko

In May we took a select group of year 10 students to Warwick Arts Centre to see Gecko’s brand new physical theatre performance ‘Institute’. Gecko are an internationally acclaimed performance company who create physical work based on serious matters that are accessible to audiences of all ages.

‘Institute’ is a piece that is open to interpretation, but is based on four main characters, each with their own struggles in life, and the theme of care.

The aim of the trip was to inspire the year 10s as they are in the process of devising their own performances, based on the theme of community. All who attended thoroughly enjoyed they performance and cannot wait to add more physical theatre in to their work.

Year 12 exam pieces The culmination of Y12 in Drama is the exam – this is unlike most subjects, in that there is no desk or pen. Rather, students perform, for an examiner, a monologue or duologue and then, the following week, as one of the cast of a play.

The monologues this year were from as wide a range of playwrights as we’ve ever had; Samuel Beckett, Henrik Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Caryl Churchill, Sarah Kane and, the current bad boy of British Theatre, Jez Butterworth, to name but six!

This is arguably the most challenging aspect of the course as students need to create their own concept for their performance and how it will be rehearsed – we saw some particularly interesting ideas this year and the evening was a great success.

For the group performances we went back to ancient Greece with two large cast productions of ‘Oedipus Rex’ and then ‘Antigone’, both by Sophocles. The story of Oedipus tells of the king of Thebes who hunts down the murderer of the previous king only to find it is himself, as a younger man, who was guilty of the crime. Worse follows as he realises the murdered king was his birth father and that he has unknowingly been married to his own mother.

In ‘Antigone’ the daughter of Oedipus defies her uncle, the king, Creon, who has ordered that her traitorous dead brother’s body be left to rot. Antigone, following the rules of her religious beliefs knows this is wrong and, despite knowing that she will have to be executed, sets out to bury her brother.

The productions shared a set design and both utilised a strong element of Greek Chorus; they were difficult and complex texts and the students really took the challenge head on!

The final piece was by Jean Paul Sartre and called ‘In Camera’. It explores his idea that hell is not physical torture but the company of the ‘wrong type of people’. Although the dark theme ran through all of the plays, in contrast to the Greek tragedies, this production really found the humour in Sartre’s text.

Monologues and Duologues

Drama

‘Antigone’

‘In Camera’

‘Oedipus’

Year 13 Globe and Punchdrunk

Year 13 need to learn about Elizabethan Theatre for their written exam in June; what better place to do that than a real life sized Elizabethan Theatre? For those who haven’t been, Shakespeare’s Globe in London’s Southbank, is an accurate recreation of the actual theatre owned by Shakespeare and his theatre company in the late 16th Century. Built using only the tools, materials and techniques available at the time, ‘The Globe’ is the only thatched roof structure to be built in London since the Great fire in 1666. The original Globe burnt down during a production involving the firing of a cannon– the Elizabethan’s loved their special effects as much as theatre audiences today!

The students were given a guided tour of the space as well spending time in the Globe exhibition, where a number of informative displays, models, costume, instruments and props, enabled them to build a set of detailed research notes in preparation for the exam.

The real reward came during the early evening when we visited the production of ‘Woyzeck’ by one of the most innovative theatre companies in the world, ‘Punchdrunk’. The production takes place in an old four storey building that has been completely gutted and turned into; woods, film studios, motel rooms, restaurants, houses and bars. The audience, all wearing spooky plain white masks, are free to wander and travel through this vast space and spaces, each location created with meticulous and realistic detail, as the actors perform, dance, act and move the audience around.

None of us got the same experience, but none of us will forget what we saw. The experience was truly unique and all of the staff and students were buzzing afterwards!

Year 13 try to avoid the camera at Shakespeare’s Globe.

Drama

Enrichment opportunities - Drama Club During Arts Week, on the 1st of July the Drama Club performed a selection of short pieces that they had been working on over the term to a small invited audience of friends and family. The performances utilised skills and performance techniques that the students had work shopped during Drama Club sessions, such as mime, physical theatre and movement.

Although they were given the stimulus of different fairy stories, the students (a mix of Caludon Primary) the pieces had been devised and directed independently to a high standard with the help of Y10 mentors.

By showcasing their work to friends and family, the participants gained valuable experience in front of an audience, and it was also a wonderful opportunity to exhibit the creative talents of the group!

Miss Morrison - Graduate Learning Facilitator

KS3 Dance Club On Tuesday 1st of July the Dance club were invited to perform in the Caludon Arts Evening. As a group they performed a Swing style dance to ‘Candy man’ and a lyrical dance to ‘A Thousand Years’, choreographed by Olivia Protheroe, Abi Ross and Faye Brooks Olivia also performed a solo performance to James Arthur. Other pupils involved were Amy Boon, Zoe Stubbs, Emily Evans, Sophie King, Molly Turner, Sharna Bartlett and Charlotte Nicklin.

The dances took take place in the Dance studio in between each of the year 10 Drama performances that took place in the Drama studio. The girls worked extremely hard and were very successful.

Miss Tara Pender - Drama and Dance Teacher

Highly Sprung Workshop On the Friday of Arts Week our seemingly annual event, the arrival of Highly Sprung Theatre Company occurred. Working with 2 classes of our year 10 GCSE Drama students, and some of our A-level Drama students, Mark Worth, one of the company’s directors pushed and challenged the students in many, many ways! Hopefully their muscles have now stopped aching.

As with last year, our expectations about what students were capable of, and how they might respond, have been raised. Seeing how they adapt and use the techniques to create their examination performances next May is an exciting prospect indeed – keep your eyes on the Caludon update in the spring if you’d like to attend.

Drama News events by Ms Gallagher – Leader of Drama, Mr Degroot – Lead Learning Practitioner, Miss Pender – Teacher of Drama, Miss Morrison – Graduate Learning Facilitator, Mr Whale – Performing Arts Technician.

Drama

Super Class Band Super class band is now in its third successful year. SCB rehearse every Friday lunch time.

The progress they have made was very evident at the Arts Festival on July 1st, where they performed The 1812 Overture and La Cucaracha. Their repertoire is broadening and becoming a lot more sophisticated.

Mrs Vincent – Teacher of Music

Year 7 Aim Band

For the first time ever the Music department has assembled a band of extraordinary talents. There are currently over 200 year 7 students learning to play wind instruments in Music, and so this year we thought it would be a great opportunity to put together an AIM Band. The band members were delighted to receive an invitation in the post and since joining have been taking their instruments home every weekend to practise. The students have shown an outstanding level of commitment; attending rehearsals after school and performing in the Arts Festival.

Mrs Vincent. “ I was chosen to be in the AIM band , the teachers sent letters about it, I accepted it because I wanted to get more involved school and increase my confidence . A few weeks later me and the other people in the AIM band attended rehearsals after school and practised” “In the AIM Band we played at the Arts Festival it front of a hall full of people watching us. We also played at the Year 7 and 8 awards evening”.

“Aim Band built my confidence up and also gave me a chance to play with other people”.

Year 8 Band

We rehearse every Monday lunchtime with Mrs Vincent. We have continued to learn our instruments from year 7 and have got so much better this year. We thoroughly enjoyed playing at the Arts Festival on July 1st. It was a great opportunity to show an audience what we had been rehearsing this year.

Black Country Museum, May 2014

On the 19 and 20 May over 100 Year 8 students went on a trip to the Black Country Living Museum to compliment their learning in History. They experienced a fascinating journey into the world of the Victorian labourers in an industrial area.

Students learnt about what it would have been like to attend school in the nineteenth century, with a very realistic demonstration! Some of them completed their copper plate handwriting beautifully.

We saw the conditions for those children and adults who would have worked down the mines and also discovered how the challenges of life for women; cooking, cleaning and caring for children in conditions we would consider impossible today. There were no washing machines or running water in the houses, which themselves were often very cramped with ten or more children!

Year 8 also learnt about how the landscape of the Black Country has shaped the industry within it. We all enjoyed a canal boat trip, taking us under the limestone rock which was dug out in the 1800s. Some year 8s had a go at ‘legging’ the boat along a narrow tunnel with varying degrees of success!

Overall the students represented Caludon extremely well and had a fantastic day out. Thank you to all staff and students who took part.

Mrs Linton, History Teacher

HISTORY

History Visit to Berlin - April 2014 On Wednesday 9 April , 41 GCSE History students and 4 Caludon Castle staff embarked upon a journey to Berlin. The purpose of the trip was to develop an understanding of the role of the city and Germany in Twentieth Century History.

The itinerary included visits to key sites related to the Second World War, such the Reichstag , the Topography of Terror and Sachsenhaussen Concentration camp as well as Cold War sites such as the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie. On a lighter note, students also got time to explore modern Berlin through visits to the Olympic Stadium (home of Hertha Berlin FC), the Sony Centre and The Alexanderplatz Radio Tower.

“I enjoyed visiting the Reichstag and travelling on the U-Bahn. I really enjoyed learning about History first hand as it brings it to life,” Abi Heap “I loved the opportunity to see all the historic sites for real. I really appreciated visiting Sachsenhaussen and the Haus am Wanseem as they gave me the chance to put what I have learnt this year into perspective,” Fiona Bell “The trip to Berlin was a great experience, there was so much to see and I was able to learn lots more by being there than I could from text books,” Sachin Patel The staff would like to thank all the students for making the trip such an excellent experience for all.

Miss S Beasley Subject Leader for History

Kenilworth and Warwick Castles Visit, June 2014 On 18 and 19 June, year 7 students went to Kenilworth and Warwick castles as an introduction to their forthcoming unit on medieval castles.

Students travelled to Kenilworth Castle in the morning, where they explored the ruins, identifying from them parts that had been primarily defensive and those that were designed for living in. From the battlements, students were able to see the surrounding area and were able to appreciate the castle’s purpose of projecting power.

In the afternoon, students were able to compare their experience in the morning with that of Warwick Castle. In better repair than Kenilworth Castle, students were able to appreciate the differences and similarities of the two designs, as well as how the use of castles has changed over time, from military structures, to the tourist attractions of today.

An enjoyable time was had by students and staff alike, and plenty of ice-cream was eaten!

Mr Kelley History Teacher

HISTORY

History Detectives This year at Caludon History Detectives have been delving into the mysteries of the past to reveal unknown truths and attempting to close the long forgotten unsolved cases of murder, plot and scandal.

A small but committed group of Key Stage 3 students have joined the History Detectives lunch time club on Thursdays and, with the help of Miss Darwood, Mr Kelley, Ms Squire and Mr Farrington, have developed their knowledge and understanding of historical events, and tested their creativity through recreating artefacts. The History Detectives have explored the Ancient Egyptians and made their own mummies, learnt to create mosaics like the Ancient Greeks, discovered a less violent side to the Vikings and built settlers’ villages, expanded upon the stories of piracy, solved the mystery of Amy Dudley’s death through an evidence treasure hunt, and even put their hands to cross-stich – crafting their very own version of the Bayeux Tapestry!

When asked what they love about History, the Detectives enthused “I love the stories…it’s better than a film because it actually happened”. Others “like having somewhere else to go at lunch time that isn’t boring because you’re doing something creative and fun,” and feel that, “the best bit about History Detectives is that you can really make things from the past”, even if the “dog ate my mummy!!!”

The History Detectives are looking forward to another year of history mysteries and creative modelling.

Miss Darwood History Teacher

Year 9 Visit to the Trenches, March 2014

In this year marking the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, Caludon Castle School took 45 students to the World War One battlefields of Belgium and Northern France. The purpose of the trip was to develop an understanding of the nature of trench warfare during the 1st World War and to empathise with what happened to the soldiers who died for their country. Staying in the historic market town of Ypres, which was severely damaged during the conflict, students were able to visit Essex Farm and Tyne Cot cemeteries, administered by the British, and to contrast these experiences with Langemark cemetery, run by the German government.

One highlight included observing the ‘last post’ ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres, commemorating soldiers who died in the area, but who have no known grave. This event has been held nightly by the town’s fire brigade since the memorial’s opening in 1927.

Students were also given the opportunity to reflect at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, as well as to consider the role played by British Empire troops at the Canadian-run memorial at Vimy Ridge.

Moreover, the trip was an opportunity for many students to experience travelling to a different country, which has broadened many students’ wider global outlook.

“I think the best bit about the trip was when we got to place a card on a grave at Tyne Cot” – Hollie Dewar “My favourite part of the trip was walking in the trenches as we could experience something of what the soldiers went through” – Jack Beavis “ I liked finding the names of relatives so we could pay our respects” - Kaine Taylor The staff would like to thank all the students for their brilliant behaviour, excellent response to the trip and the respect they demonstrated to the fallen men.

Mr Kelley History Teacher

HISTORY

Caludon Castle at Coventry Schools Athletics

The summer term is a busy time with athletics meetings coming thick and fast. A number of our students have competed in selection meetings and also Coventry Schools Championships, with a handful progressing even further by representing Coventry Schools in the West Midlands Championships.

The following students were successful in reaching the Coventry Schools Championships which took place at the University of Warwick track: Raman Marva David Coxon Mitchell Gibson Jay Kelly Jake Langridge Bradley West Luke Weatherby

Ryan Hall Trent Smith Neve Plumb Jack Talbot Reece Hadlum Modou Barry

There were a number of successes.

Neve Plumb – 1st place in Javelin and 200m Luke Weatherby – 2nd place in 1500m Mitchell Gibson – 3rd place in 600m David Coxon – 3rd Place in 75m Hurdles A big mention should go to Neve Plumb of Yr 8 who was Coventry Schools Champion in both the 200m and Javelin!

As previously mentioned, a handful of our students competed on a wider stage with the following representing Coventry Schools in the West Midlands Championships.

Thomas Hopkins – 400m Joseph Gilkes – Triple Jump Luke Weatherby – 1500m Credit should also go to these students for reaching this level of competition.

The Sport and Leisure Faculty would like to thank all students who took part in any of the meetings for their commitment and levels of performance. Well done!!

Mr Shepherd Assistant Leader of Sports and Leisure

Summer Term Football Update

The spring term saw three of our teams reach the semi finals of the Coventry schools cup knockout competition. In the previous edition of the Caludon Update, these ties had not been played.

Unfortunately, all three teams that reached the semi-finals did not progress to the finals. The Year 7 team (pictured) faced Woodlands for a place in the final and in an end to end game came out on the wrong end of a 4-3 scoreline after being 3-1 up.

The Year 10s played Stoke Park in the semi-final after beating Grace Academy in the last eight, but were convincingly beaten by a heavy margin with Stoke going on to win the trophy.

The Year 11s pitted themselves against Cardinal Wisemen in their semi final, but unfortunately lost out to 3 second half goals against a physical side.

Mr Shepherd Assistant Leader of Sport and Leisure

Yr 8 Cricket

The Year 8 Cricket team have had a successful year, first winning a quarter final match against President Kennedy.

In this game,the side of mixed cricketing experience really came together and showed great team spirit to win by 9 runs. Some students had never played a real cricket fixture before and did the school proud. The team batted very well and them produced a good bowling display to stop President Kennedy reaching the required target. Notable performances in this game came from Tanvir Singh with the ball, and solid knocks with the bat from Ethan Skingle and Jamie Williams.

The semi-final pitted Caludon against a very good Finham side and, although beating our previous batting tally, the class of the other team showed as their batsman picked apart the field, hitting some excellent 4’s. This should not take the gloss off a solid partnership from Duke Larbie and Sahil Thakrar, which was was very pleasing at the crease. A special mention must also go to Anjelo Dacanay for an excellent piece of fielding, hitting the stumps from the boundary, running out a very good Finham batsman.

After this year’s development of the team, everybody is looking forward to next year’s cricket season where we hope for more interest and to continue the progression shown this year.

Students involved this season were: Tom Single Tanvir Singh Luke Weatherby Ethan Skingle Keown Gavin Harry Fairburn Duke Larbie Anjelo Dacanay Jodh Gill Jamie Williams Sahil Thakrar Greg Morris A big thank you to all involved from Mr Frankish and Mr McKee. Mr Shepherd Assistant Leader of Sport and Leisure