December 2017
Headteacher’s Letter News Student Successes Visitors & Events Charity Events
Student Leaders Trips & Visits Careers Update Subject News & Updates Sports News
Photograph: Caludon singers with Pudsey at Birmingham Airport
In this issue... 3 Headteacher’s Letter
Dear Parents and Carers,
4 News
I am pleased to announce...
6 Student Successes
...a pop-up exhibition...
8 Visitors, Events & Performances
...a poignant piece of art and...
13 Charity Events
...’sponge the teacher’.
14 Student Leaders
We celebrate...
16 Trips & Visits
...bundles of enthusiasm...
24 Careers Update
...engagement and maturity...
26 Subject News & Updates
...amazing pieces of work...
28 Sports News
...and triumphant teams.
Headteacher’s Letter
“You have very talented children” are further enhancing careers information within tutor time so that students feel better equipped to make their option choices. You will see from our Caludon Update, that more students than ever before are involved in enrichment activities ranging from visiting the theatre, to seeing ‘A Christmas Carol’, to competing in STEM Lego competitions.
Dear Parents and Carers, It has been great to see so many parents at our information evenings this term. Feedback indicates that you have found these evenings useful. In particular, you have welcomed our new anti-bullying booklet which provides a guide to what we do at Caludon and what you as parents and carers can do in support. We have continued to extend our career guidance and this term more providers than ever were present at our career fair held in November. We
Celebrating students who quietly demonstrate their commitment to achieve their best continues to be important to us and we have rewarded more students for this than ever before. You have very talented children and I would like to thank our staff who provide so many opportunities within their subjects for your children to showcase their abilities and talents. School is also about having fun together and our year groups took part this month in decorating Christmas trees which are now on display in our reception area. It was clear that competition is very much alive and each year
group is championing their tree to win the competition for the most original decoration. At the end of term, staff will be having a sing a long with students during break which is always well received. Well done to all Year 11 who have just taken their GCSE mock exams, they certainly deserve a rest during the Christmas holiday! Thank you for all the kind wishes and compliments that we have received this term, they are appreciated and make staff and students feel good. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2018. We look forward to welcoming your children back to school on Monday 8 January. Kind regards,
Mrs M Marr Headteacher
Ms A Dudgeon Associate Headteacher
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News Coventry - City of Culture Computing and Avatars Just like everyone else in Coventry, we were thrilled to see the results of the Coventry City of Culture bid announced on the One Show in early December. What a year 2021 is going to be! We don’t have to wait until then to get involved, though. Caludon Castle Y7 and Y8 students have already been involved with the Coventry City of Culture 2021 bid. As an activity in Computing lessons, students were invited to create their own virtual avatars to live in a creative Coventry space online.
I am pleased to announce that as Caludon Castle entered the most avatars of any school in Coventry we won £200! On top of this great news, Y7 student Kacey Macauley’s avatar was considered one of the best, and for this she won a signed Coventry City Football Club shirt. Dylan Ward won £50 for his avatar, which was praised by the head of the software development company. Thanks go to the Computing teachers for giving up their starter time in lessons and to
all Y7 and Y8 students who entered an avatar. Well done everyone! Mr Stokes, Assistant Headteacher Pictures: Kacey Macauley receiving a signed CCFC shirt from Tynan Scope from CCFC Deputy Headteacher Ann Ryans receiving £200 on behalf of the school from Alan Malik from Exasoft, the company who wrote the programme for the avatars Dylan Ward receiving £50 from Alan Malik. Dylan’s avatar was chosen by Alan personally for particular praise.
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Visual Arts and Hauntings Caludon Photography and Moving Image students will be involved in the pilot stages of Remembering Coventry, a City of Culture research project organised by the Centre for Television History, Heritage and Memory Studies. They will visit the Ghost Town Haunting #1 event in the city centre in the spring, and create work inspired by this public exhibtion. Students and staff are delighted to be involved, and are looking forward to seeing the work of so many people come to fruition now the bid has been successful. Coventry will certainly be THE place to be sent to in the future! Look out for more information in future issues of the Caludon Update. Ms Hutchinson, Assistant Headteacher
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Student Swimming Star A massive well done to Y9 student Madison Scrimshaw who has excelled at two swimming galas in two weeks and won six medals as a member of the Air Training Corps. The first competition saw Madison representing 8F (1st City Coventry) Squadron at the Wing Competition on 16 September in Birmingham, where she medalled in all four races, with silver in the butterfly and breaststroke and bronze in the freestyle and the individual medley. 8F achieved 3rd place overall in the junior girls, with only Madison competing in that
age group. On the back of her success in Birmingham, Madison was selected to represent the Warwickshire and Birmingham Air Training Corps team at the regional swimming championships in Ipswich on 30 September 2017. Madison came away with a bronze for the junior girls’ butterfly and a bronze for her part in the freestyle relay.
Surrey in October, a prestigious event that is akin to a national competition. Ms Gallagher, Deputy Head
Madison has now been selected to swim for the Air Cadets at Corps level, which means that she will swim against the Army Cadets and the Navy Cadets in
Scholars Programme In June, soon-to-be Y9 and Y10 students were invited to apply for the twelve places avaiable on this year’s Scholars Programme. This is a scheme run by the Brilliant Club, placing university PhD researchers with student teams. The twelve successful students visited Warwick University in October, to look round the Russell Group university campus, attend univsersity-style lectures, and meet their PhD researcher, Becky Clarke. Since then they have had six seminars with Becky, looking at the impact of asthma on the well-being of children. In particular, they have been investigating whether there is a link between asthma and obesity. As we go to press,
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the students are writing up their 2000 word dissertations, for presentation to Becky just after the Christmas holiday. Hopefully, they will all graduate successfully and attend a graduation ceremony at a different top-flight university in February.
Holland, Jake ConnorChadwick, Daniel Harrison, Katlyn Beasley, Megan Morris, Wida Askarzadah, Amelia Ingham-Stott, Simerpreet Dhaliwell, Joseph McAuley, Shaan Rana and Johnetta Okyere.
The 12 students are: Finn
Ms Hutchinson, Assistant Head
Successes Art Ambassadors To get the year started, the Art department opened up the opportunity for students to apply to be part of the new Art ambassador team. The successful students were; Yue Qi Y10, Charlotte Harvey Y7, Ella Farren Y9, Macy Ledbrooke Y10, Sophia Eales Y10, Zoe Stubbs Y11, Maariyah Munir Y9 and Ellie Rice Y9. To announce themselves on the scene, students created and presented a pop up exhibition, in the school reception, of work that they had done at home or in school. Shown here is an example of digital art by Yue Qi. Look out as more pop up exhibitions are coming... Mr Owen, subject leader for Visual Arts
The Photographer Games Photography students in Y10 to Y13 have been challenged to weekly Photographer Games throughout this half term. There are over 100 numbered challenges, with a new one being chosen at random each week. So far the challenges have included photographing something their mother would be proud of, photographing moving water, and photographing light. Students post their responses to the board in G5 each week, with the winner and runners-up often being chosen by popular vote. Winners so far include Aaron Neill, Mia Sharp, and Dani Durran. Ms Hutchinson, Assistant Head
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Visitors and Poetry Workshops At the end of September, to celebrate National Poetry Day, we were lucky enough to be able to host an event with the talented Miss Jasmine Gardosi, a local poet from Birmingham. She specialises in spoken word poetry and really was able to excite, intrigue and enthuse our Y8 students (pictured right). They all composed a poem, either collectively or alone; we have some great imaginations going on here. Miss Barton, School Librarian
Events in brief On Monday 2 October, Y9 students attended an engineering event in the school hall for the whole day. The event was ‘engineered’ by Ms Banwait. On Tuesday 12 December the Project ASK initiative were due to come in to deliver some workshops for a mixture of Y11 and Y10 students. This event had to be delayed due to the snow. These will be on apprenticeships and what to expect from them, followed by full guidance on how to build a profile, search for opportunities and apply for roles using the National Apprenticeship Service website. KS3 high attaining students attended a Maths event in the hall on 21 November, led by Mr Riding. Mr Riding also oversaw the Caludon round of the Senior UKMT Maths Challenge for Y12 and Y13 on Tuesday 7 November.
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Events Remembrance Assembly Two very creative members of staff, Mr Witherford and Ms Fell, turned junk into a poignant piece of art for our Remembrance Assembly this year. They had put a call out for old drinks cans and black buttons, and with the help of some red spray paint, time, patience and hard work, they transformed this into a sculpture of a war weary soldier. The assembly itself was, as every year, a moving event. Held at break time in the hall, the assembly is open to
all students and staff who want to remember and pay tribute to those who have fallen while serving their country. The sculpture acted as a strong visual reminder. A hundred years ago, although no one knew it at the time, the armies were about to embark on the final year of what we now call the First World War. The fighting was bitter and bloody, and events like this remind us how lucky we are, living in Britain today.
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Events and Anti-Bullying Week The week of 13-17 November saw a variety of activities and events at Caludon Castle School, connected to AntiBullying Week.
Peace and Anti Bullying Conference September 22 2017
Assemblies for each year group were led by Mrs Edwards, our champion anti-bullying ambassador, and each tutor group had a range of activities to carry out on this theme in tutor time.
A massive thank you to Year 6 Peace Delegates from Clifford Bridge, Earnesford Grange, Hill Farm, St Gregory’s, Ravensdale, Walsgrave and Wyken Croft for another brilliant conference.
New anti-bullying posters were put up around the school - these had been imagined by the team of student anti-bullying ambassadors, and put into final form by our resident design expert Myke Grimes.
Your work on this year’s theme ‘All Different, All Equal’ was awesome. I hope Anti Bullying Week went well at your school.
Students were all given new BEN cards (Bullying Ends Now) to remind them that no one should suffer in silence, and to let them know who they can approach if they feel they are being bullied. The anti-bullying ambassadors are: Eddie Robers-Dalton Thomas O’Brien Sonia Naorozy Caden Hadley Harry Owen Connor Smith Ruben Wade Desiree Montes Tom Coyle Esme Bennett Thank you so much to each one of them for their work during this week, and for their work on the Peace Conference for Year 6 students that led up to the week itself.
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A MESSAGE TO YOU……
And how good to have Christine and Neville Staple join us for the presentations? Mrs Edwards
Performances Performances Drama performances Year 10 GCSE students worked very hard earlier this term to bring their Commedia Dell’Arte scripts to life. Commedia Dell’Arte, “comedy of craft”; is a theatrical form, characterised by a cast of colourful stock characters, that emerged in northern Italy in the fifteenth century. The students performed to a live audience after school on Wednesday 22 November and Thursday 23 November. The performances were true to the style of comedy and provided the audience with big over-thetop characters. Ms Lester, teacher of Drama Year 7 Christmas Concert With all Y7 students’ parents invited in for a ‘Meet the Tutor’ evening in early December, what better way to celebrate the end of their successful first term at Caludon than with a Christmas concert on the same night?
And now ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Caludon Castle’s School of Rock! From September, the whole cast have been practising every rockin’ song, funky dance and soulful scene – perfecting them to gold star standard. Rock music has been a new, exhilarating experience for a lot of our cast. They have had to channel the likes of Hendrix and Lemmy and learn how it feels to be a real rock god. Our new X-Factor-style audition process saw ninety students dance and sing impeccably, with sixty of the most rocking joining the company. The dedicated cast have rehearsed every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after school, with the addition of a couple of Saturday rehearsals closer to the show – we’re taking ‘battle of the bands’ seriously! 2017 is also the first year that Year 12 Music students have
had to up their thespian skills and take leading roles, a challenge almost as big as Mount Rock, that has caused moments of panic and hilarity. The cast would like to thank all of the teachers that have put their time and effort into this rockin’ show, they’ve made awesome band managers. With hand clapping rock ‘n’ roll songs, spoiled brats with gold stars, and sticking it to the man, the School of Rock will leave you pledging allegiance to the band! We hope you enjoy our high energy, high commitment performance that will definitely go on all our permanent records. Vivienne Coupe
The students rehearsed in Music lessons, and met together in a final session just before the big night. Performing in public is always nerve-wracking, but Y7 stood up to the pressure well, and the audience were delighted. Ms Vincent, teacher of Music School of Rock Time to release our inner rock gods! Cymbals polished, guitars strapped on, tuned and turned up to eleven…
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Events Science Masterclass In early October, a group of students from local primary schools attended a Science masterclass at Caludon. Richard Lee, Ravensdale and Ernsford Grange were all in attendance. Student leaders were fantastic, supporting the students in the classroom and showing them from session to session. The students were set the task of designing a soyuz capsule. In order to do this they needed to experiment. They investigated the forces that different-shaped capsules exerted when landing. They shaped plasticine into 3 different shapes and measured the depth of the drop zone. The shape with the deepest drop zone would be the best, exerting minimal forces onto the astronauts during landing. The students used their results to design their own soyuz capsule, and to take it further they deliberated over the best materials to use. The day was enjoyed by all! Ms Brown, teacher of Science
Marine Lecture On Wednesday 18th October, Y11 students had a lecture delivered by a PhD student from the University of Birmingham. The lecture focused on the issues surrounding microplastics and their impact on marine life and the environment. An example of this was the impact of changing pH levels on the ability of the clown fish to escape predators. Students were given the opportunity to ask
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questions and then carried out a short workshop on the session to try and suggest solutions to this problem. Ms Banwait, KS5 Science leader
Singing for Children in Need In November 2017, Caludon was invited to sing for Children in Need, drafting in music students from years 10, 12 and 13 to form a choir. After many hours of rehearsal, we travelled to Birmingham Airport on 17 November, to perform for
holiday-makers and travellers returning to Birmingham. Accompanied by a choir from Finham Primary School, and under the leadership of Mrs Vincent, we performed songs including the Peters and Lee favourite, ‘Welcome Home’, as well as ‘Fields of Gold’ by Sting, and ‘How Long Will I Love You’ by Ellie Goulding. While we were performing, we were lucky enough to meet a Children in Need TV presenter, and we were filmed by BBC Midlands Today. Sure enough, we appeared on BBC television, which was watched proudly by family, friends and teachers. A highlight was meeting Pudsey, and watching him dance along to our singing. We hope that lots of money was raised for Children in Need, as we have not been able to get the songs out of our heads! Jonathan Letts, Y13 music student
Charity events Hello Yellow Students and staff at Caludon recognised World Mental Health day on 10 October 2017. Students wore yellow tops throughout school to show their support for people who suffer with mental health issues.
optional fancy dress for sixth formers, which had a very good take up, as well as non-school uniform for the rest of the school. Each student taking part donated £1, all in the spirit of charity.
We also had cake sales, and students sold ribbons and wristbands. We raised a total of £500, which we donated to ‘Young Minds’. Elle Mae Bryant’s cake, which she raffled, was also featured on the Young Minds’ blog as well.
Aishah Habib (6th form charity co-ordinator)
Ms Chowdhury, teacher of Sociology and Psychology
Children in Need On Friday 17 November, Children In Need events took place in style at Caludon Castle. This enjoyable day consisted of many fun aspects such as ‘sponge the teacher’, where a ball was picked out of a bucket to match with a corresponding number that one of the teachers was holding. This was available for the younger years to take part in and so each student that paid £1 got the opportunity to throw 3 wet sponges at the chosen teacher, who was standing behind a board kindly made by the older students. Our wonderful spongers raised £105.
Thank you! Caludon students are well known for fundraising for their chosen year charities, but lots of students support other great charities in the local community. Here is Chloe Petit in Yr9 fundraising for the Local Air Ambulance charity in Coventry City Centre. Well done Chloe on supporting such a good cause and giving up your free time to do so. Mr Stokes, Assistant Headteacher
Y13 charity single Once again, the Y13 music students are writing, recording, promoting and selling a single, to raise money for a
local charity. We have chosen Coventry Haven, which is a charity helping women who have suffered domestic violence. The band, which is named ‘Elements of Hope’, is made up of singers Niamh Ennis, Abbey Frost and Jade Frost, pianist and backing vocalist Jonathan Letts, guitarist Ben Cooper, bassist Sean McCarthy, and drummer Aman Jandu. We have now finished writing and perfecting our single, which is to be entitled ‘Always A Way’, and we are now travelling to a recording studio, in order to professionally record our song. Marketing and promotion of the single will begin in January, and our live launch gig will follow in Spring 2018. We will release more details nearer the time. For more information on Coventry Haven, you can visit their website (https://www. coventryhaven.co.uk/), and you can follow Elements of Hope on social media: Twitter - @Elementsofhope Jonathan Letts, Y13 music student
There was also a second-hand book sale in the library, and a cake sale available to the whole school which proved very successful. All cakes sold in 15 minutes! The day also involved
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Student What an interesting and varied term our student leaders have had, taking part in activities ranging from staff training to Open Evening and the delivery of assemblies. Nearly every student leader has to experience some form of student leader training. This training incorporates fun activities and team building exercises. This requires us to work in teams to solve activities and puzzles. As a result, we work together as a team really well. The next training session is planned for this half term to involve all of our Y7 student leaders as well. This year the majority of us embarked on a Headteacher’s Ambassadors interview and application event. First, we had to fill out an application form with approximately ten lengthy questions to answer. It was then determined whether we should be interviewed. When we were interviewed, we had to answer a few questions in detail to Mrs Marr and Mrs Mitchell about why we were the best candidate for the role. In the end we had to wait for two weeks for the final selection results. Due to the quality of candidates we now have four Headteacher’s Ambassadors and four Leaders of Learning. Open Evening, where parents and year 6 students are welcome to come in and see our school, took place in October. As student leaders, we provided our guests with tours all around the school. After the tour, there were also subject stations where
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the guests received a brief introduction to lessons delivered at Caludon. We celebrate a lot of things here in Caludon – ‘World Languages Day’ is one amongst the many. This year, the student leaders delivered the assembly about World Languages Day. We started off the assembly by greeting our fellow students in different languages. After this, we looked at the top ten languages and explained the benefits and impacts of learning new languages. Concluding the assembly, we talked about the fails of Google Translate and provided a video which ‘Google Translated’ Adele’s song: Hello. The purpose of this video was to display the inaccuracy of Google Translate. In September we delivered our first staff training session at the Castle Phoenix conference and not just to teachers from Caludon Castle! The conference involved four other schools, and we received fantastic feedback for our session. Once there, we spoke in a presentation and gave the staff ideas about how to improve their teaching methods and make lessons even better than before. The Y8 student leaders attended the Peace Conference where year six students visited the school, and assisted Mrs Edwards in helping year six have a better understanding of tolerance and helping others in their community. This was done through the use of numerous activities supplied by the Y8 students. This helps to ensure
that the new students coming to our school are accepting of others, ensuring a safer and more secure learning environment. The student leaders have had a LOT of fun throughout this year. Our roles in this school have changed our outlook on the Caludon community. We hope that this article shows our love and passion for this school and may inspire new people to join our leadership team. For years to come we hope that this programme may continue and blossom. Jonathan Letts, Y13 student leader
Science Student Leaders This has been a busy term for our Science student leaders who have
Leaders been instrumental in their role within the Science Faculty. Student leaders have assisted Y7 students with their Science home learning, sharing their expertise during form time on a weekly basis. The students have also hosted a successful transition event with our partner primary schools, during which the student leaders played a key role supporting lessons and helping the younger students to engage in and enjoy their day in the Science Faculty. Finally, during a fantastic Open Evening for prospective parents and students, our student leaders gave up their evening to assist with practical activities and answer scientific questions. The student leaders were a credit to the Science Faculty and made the event enjoyable and informative. Well done to our Science student leaders - we look forward to working on more projects in the future. Mrs Barlow, KS3 Science leader
Music Student Leaders This year the Music student leaders have organised a system to monitor the Music corridor. The student leaders come from all year groups and work together to ensure the smooth running of the Music department, so it can stay open for all students who wish to practise their skills in their breaks. Since the beginning of the school
year we have been signing people in. Every day the list nearly fills up and some days the list is 2 pages long. We are delighted with how many people are actively partaking in making music each day. Mckenzie Carroll, Y12 student
Anti-bullying ambassadors The anti-bullying ambassadors played a key role in the assemblies, and tutor activities in Anti-Bullying Week. In addition, a number of students across the
school proved to be excellent student leaders in their own tutor groups. Praise and thanks go to the following for their contributions: All of 7.7, including these students who contributed to discussions lots of times, as well as performing great role plays: Evan Axton, Ferne Blackwell Alfie Charley Tyler Edwards Emily Foster Robyn Harrison Kacie McCauly Finley Mangan Mia Mcllory Dylan Ward Casey White Y8: Edgar Dalton- Roberts, Elyza Matthews, Mia Horton Dylan Smith, Abbey Widdowson, Maddison Bromwich, Grace Bruce, Nell Carter, Ryan Friday, Harry Cooke, Ben Paprotny, Nashe Svosve, Joe Kingswell, Nik Balatayev, Ria Jassal, Mahsa Haider, Daisy Ross, Nevaeh Archibald, Dior Graham, Jacob Hurst, Jason MilesDevere and Arvin Lavina, Megan Hatt Y9: Maariyah Munir, Millie Smedley, Jude Small Y10: Christe Horrillo, Megan Bayliss, Molly Baysliss, Olivia Davies, Amrin Dulai, Erin Elliott, Ellie Lawrence, Ella McKenzie, Natasha Sharma, Jade Skelton, Cara Starkey Ms Edwards, Year 8 Leader
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Trips and Visits School of Rock This term Caludon Castle are putting on their production of ‘School of Rock’, a musical which has never been performed here before. Based on the film of the same name, the show follows an unemployed wannabe-rock star as he disguises himself as a teacher, eventually teaching his students the magic of rock. As this is a new musical, the production team felt it essential that the whole company should see the professional production before we embarked on the journey of creating our own show. Therefore, on 5 October, 60+ Caludon students and staff went to London to see this fantastic production. The show itself was incredible – the leading actor was extremely funny and energetic and we were blown away by the talent of the young actors playing their instruments live on stage. Seeing this production live gave the creative team plenty of inspiration to work from and the cast something to aim for, and in some cases, to aim beyond – one student was overheard saying ‘ours will be even better than that,’ as we were leaving! The whole company have been working extremely hard to produce a fantastic show and we look forward to seeing you there. Ms Gallagher, leader of Performing Arts
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Theatre trips 1 Blood Brothers Blood Brothers at De Montfort Hall in Leicester on Tuesday 17 October Over 50 students studying Drama GCSE went to the De Montfort Hall on Tuesday 17 October to watch ‘Blood Brothers’, written by Willy Russell. The legendary Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving tale of twins who, separated at birth, grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with tragic consequences. The superb score includes Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It’s Not True.
‘The musical for all time’. Blood Brothers really helped me understand the influence drama can have on people and how it effects the emotions. It really helped me generate ideas so that I could use them in my own performance. The atmosphere was amazing and I really learnt a lot from it. I would love to go again and experience it all over again! Hollie Fraser, Y10 student
However, they used their body language and comedic timing perfectly so that it was still very amusing and the plot was clearly conveyed. I was really taken aback by the story as I had no idea that dementia worked in this way, but it has made me more aware of its effects and I am very glad that we watched it. Kamilla Fernandes, Y12 Drama student
Finding Joy Year 12 A Level Theatre Studies students have also been busy visiting productions at the theatre, including Vamos’ production on Thursday 16 November at the Belgrade Theatre, Finding Joy. Joy is 83 today: she’s feisty, loves to dance, and is losing her memory. Her grandson Danny is rebellious, bright and always getting into trouble. When Danny decides to look after Joy, they discover a shared playfulness and growing love. But is that enough to face the challenges ahead?
Few musicals have received quite such acclaim as the multi-award winning Blood Brothers, and Bill Kenwright’s production continues to enjoy standing ovations at every devastating performance. No wonder Blood Brothers is now
Approaching the subject of dementia with humour and humanity, award-winning Finding Joy has performed to audiences across Europe and the UK. Praised by press and public alike for its consummate full mask skills, engaging storytelling, physical dexterity and emotional insight, the company continues to involve and engage audiences across borders and boundaries with its wordless theatre. This was a very interesting piece to watch. I was fascinated by the fact that there was no speech.
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Theatre Trips 2 Things I Know To Be True Frantic Assembly, Wednesday 11 October, Leicester Curve This is a new play by Andrew Bovell. As beautifully touching as it is funny and bold, Things I Know To Be True tells the story of a family and marriage through the eyes of four grown siblings struggling to define themselves beyond their parents’ love and expectations.
and intense study of the mechanics of a family that is both poetic and brutally frank. It was amazing to see the professionalism they had when they were performing physical theatre. All the lifts and transitions were so smooth
and each movement added new meaning to the piece. I have really taken that on board and am imputing more physical theatre into my Drama piece. Kamilla Fernandes Y12 Drama student
Parents Bob and Fran have worked their fingers to the bone, and with their four children grown and ready to fly the nest, it might be time to relax and enjoy the roses. But the changing seasons bring home some shattering truths. Featuring Frantic Assembly’s celebrated physicality, Things I Know To Be True is a complex
Geography: Olympic Park On Tuesday 23 November, Y8 students visited the Olympic Park, where they had the opportunity to watch the cycling in the velodrome and
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the swimming in the aquatics, including seeing Tom Daly dive!
of the Olympic Park in London.
This was the icing on the cake after exploring the sustainability
Ms Crickmore, leader of Geography
Trips and Visits Warwick Arts Centre During November, A Level Art students visited Warwick Arts Centre. To help these students develop their ideas as artists, they had the opportunity to listen to, learn and absorb, the experiences of several artists using different media. One of these artists was David Montgomery, a photographer who has worked with musicians such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and The Who. Students also heard the experiences of young professional artists such as Rhian Malin who has successfully set up a ceramic business and has been commissioned for a number of pieces of work for well established retail stores.
Visits in brief
Mr Owen, leader of Art
Good Food Show Y11 GCSE Hospitality students had a great day at the Good Food Show on Friday 1 December. Tom Randle said the free goodie bag was great and he really enjoyed the sample of mashed potato. Joseph Haythorn took advantage of the free tasting of all the unusual cheeses. All students thought the cookery demonstration by Nadiya Hussein was great and this has inspired a number of them to try the recipes out for themselves! Ms Ruddy, leader of Technology
Y12 students attended the Skills Show at the NEC on Thursday 16 November with Mr Fitzjohn. Y13 Business students attended a revision workshop in early December with Ms Detheridge. Y9 students were on a Geography trip with Ms Crickmore on Monday 4 November. A-level Sociology students visited Warwick University on Monday 4 December with Ms Sutheran. A team represented us at the Lego League Tournament on Friday 15 Dec with Ms Anderson-Shore. Careers visits took place on Wednesday 20 November with Ms Banwait.
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Trips and Visits Photography: London On 2 November, 80 Photography students from KS4 and KS5 classes travelled to London to visit two galleries and take photos for their coursework. The students started at the Photographers’ Gallery, just off Oxford Street, and then walked down to Trafalgar Square and the National Portrait Gallery. Due to a major road closure on the way into London, we had less time in the capital than we had anticipated, but students made the most of it, despite this delay. There were many students on the visit who had not been to London before, and several who had not
set foot inside an art gallery, so eyes were opened in more ways than one. Our detour on the way in to London took us past the burnt-out shell of
the Grenfell Tower, which was a sobering reminder to all of how fortunate we are. Ms Hutchinson, Assistant Headteacher
Photography Y11: Birmingham In early November, Y11 Photography students travelled to Birmingham, to visit the Museum and Art Gallery and to take photographs within the same part of the city. Many had
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not visited the new-look New Street Station and Grand Central before, so this was a focus for some interesting photographs. Each visit to central Birmingham yiields new sights, as there is so
much new building work in this area. The visit triggered many ideas for their ‘Broken, Mended and Re-arranged’ projects.
Photography: Burton Dassett In October, Y10 Photography students were given the opportunity to visit Burton Dassett Country Park. Their coach took them to the car parks at the top of the hilly landscape, where they had plenty of time to take in the views as well as take photographs. These landscape photographs were later contrasted with ones they took in London, or in and around Coventry. Most students went on to create images combining photographs from rural and city locations.
Photography Y12-13: Birmingham At the end of November, a group of just over 20 post-16 students travelled by train to Birmingham to pursue their studies in Photography and Moving Image (film-making). The students had two major tasks - to visit the Art Gallery in order to see how professional photographers
and artists display their work for the public, and to take photos or footage for documentary projects. The Christmas market was in full swing, which provided great subject matter. Students also visited New Street Station, Grand Central and the Library of Birmingham.
Unfortunately, the planned visit to Brandon Marsh two weeks later had to be cancelled because of the snow. The contrast would have been very interesting to document. On previous visits, students have found it hard to believe they are so close to a major city.
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Trips and Visits History: Hampton Court Why could Henry VIII not breathe underwater? Because he had no heir! On a couple of days in November, two groups of Y8 students experienced life as a Tudor monarch. After a short trip down the motorway, students gained their first glimpse of Hampton Court Palace as they approached over the bridge. Equipped with a sticker allowing them to enter the palace, and bundles of enthusiasm, the students disembarked. Divided into their groups, the students experienced both the
royal quarters and the servant areas. The vast quantities of cooking bowls and plates really put into perspective how much food Henry VIII actually ate! One such fact was that over a tonne of the finest wood every day was burnt to fuel the appetite of the famous monarch. After satisfying their appetite for knowledge in the kitchens, the students witnessed the huge tapestries in the banquet hall. Some students even decided to seat themselves at the head of the table (until it was pointed out that was where a royal couple would sit)! The tapestries providing the backdrop are the second most expensive items in the Queen’s possession (after the crown jewels). Woven with gold and silver threads, students
were blown away by the scale and detail of such pieces. Anne Boleyn fell head over heels in love with Henry! All the talk of food had quite developed the appetite, so after a quick lunch break the students went for a stroll through the royal gardens, visiting the largest grapevine in the world. The peaceful walk was soon interrupted by the excitement caused when students discovered some fish in one of the fountains! Once the excitement of seeing a fish had worn off, students walked the balcony in the Royal Chapel where Henry VIII and his family once sat. After learning that Henry VIII married Catherine Parr in the Chapel, the students decided to walk down the aisle themselves. This time however, no one was married! Everyone had a wonderful visit that heightened their understanding of Tudor life. The students were a credit to themselves, asking plenty of questions and were all very respectful both to members of the public and to the historical building they were exploring. Ms Rogers, leader of History
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History: Bosworth It was a wet and windy day as the Y12 History students made their way to the battlefields of Bosworth in October to gain an understanding of medieval warfare, which would help them in the Tudor aspect of their A Level History course. The students spent the day understanding how Henry Tudor, later becoming Henry VII, defeated the last Plantagenet king, Richard III, in a battle that many expected Richard to win. Not only is this a very important part of English history, it is also local history, with Bosworth being only 30 minutes away from Caludon Castle. The day began with a visit to the Bosworth Battlefield exhibition, where students learned what life was like in England during the 1400s, how Richard III had become king, and all about Henry’s Lancastrian claim to the throne, before hearing the first-hand accounts of the battle and its aftermath. At this point students got to try on the clothing of a 15th century soldier and discovered just how heavy chainmail really is, as well as the limited view that soldiers had through their helmet visors! From here students went to
a workshop where they gained an insight into the type of weapons that would have been used during the battle, from the common mallet to the brutal poleaxe. They then embarked upon a walking tour of the battlefields, seeing where the opposing armies were based and where they clashed. It was perhaps fitting that it was at this point that the rain started to come down, helping students to further understand the difficulty faced by soldiers in battle. It was then back to school, to use this learning during their course on the Tudors. Many thanks to the students who were wonderful on the trip. Ms Rogers, leader of History
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Careers Update Mr Fitzjohn, leader of Careers
Careers Website On Caludon Castle’s website there is a sub-section for careers which you can get by choosing ‘Curriculum’, then ‘Careers’, or simply by going to http://www.caludoncastle.co.uk/ careers The information within this section includes the latest weekly update of apprenticeships available within Coventry, advice for students about what apprenticeships involve, as well as guidance for writing a good CV. There is also information for parents about apprenticeships. Finally, the latest edition of the Careers Update newsletter will always feature on the page named Careers Update. There is also a link to our Twitter feed where all the latest information about open days and opportunities to do with careers information, advice and guidance is published.
Pet-XI Workshop (26 September) As part of preparing our students for their next steps, Pet-XI delivered three workshops to 50 students from Y11 and Y12. The workshops were on apprenticeships, building a CV and developing resilience. Feedback from the students and Pet-XI was extremely positive, with students saying they benefitted from the information and Pet-
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XI praising our students for their engagement and maturiy. “My careers appointment with Carole Foster has given me more of an insight to different routes into my chosen career.” - Y11 student
The Skills Show 2017 (16 November) On 16 November a selection of students in Y12 attended the Skills Show at the NEC Birmingham. This skills and careers show increased students’ awareness of the wide range of job and training opportunities available to them, directly from industry experts. The areas that particularly grabbed the students’ imagination were the ‘Have a Go’ activities where students tried out job-related activities across a wide range of careers. One student commented, “I hadn’t realised you could do apprenticeships in so many things!” “I found the careers appointment really helpful today as I have a clearer idea of where to look for careers information.” - Y11 student
Careers Fair Review On 6 November, 22 providers from a range of universities, colleges and apprenticeship
providers were in attendance providing students and parents with information and guidance in terms of the pathways available to them and some examples of what they could study in the future. The providers commented on the maturity of our students and their engagement in the pathways open to them, as well as the support they could clearly see from the parents. Date for your diaries: The next careers fair will be on Thursday 1 March from 3.15pm - 7pm. More information will follow in the new year.
Coming Up Over the course of the next term we have some assemblies lined up from providers such as Medical Mavericks, Project ASK, and a local videographer. In addition to this, we will be working with A2B Coaching and Stratford College to deliver some workshops to targeted students following on from links made at the Careers Fair. In order to support communication between parents, students and the school, the Caludon Careers Twitter feed now keeps you updated by sharing messages from these providers, as well as our own information. You can find this feed at http://www.twitter.co.uk/ caludoncareers .
ASPIRE2BE Elite Football & Education Academy An Elite Football & Education Academy, based in the heart of the country, with unique links and global partnerships providing first-class provision with opportunities to all studentathletes. Our mantra: Every student-athlete counts. Offering both an Elite Boys Programme and Elite Girls Programme with core values that drive a high performance environment in the classroom and out on the grass, supports our professional approach to giving each student-athlete the support and platform that they need to perform as a team, and develop as individuals. Providing all sports science support disciplines including strength and conditioning, sports therapy, performance analysis and recovery sessions alongside professional coaching, competitive league and cup fixtures as well as showcase games representing the Academy, ensures that you are given the best possible provision to progress. Delivering both level 2 and level 3 Extended Diploma further education courses in a flexible study programme across 3 days a week, opens a vast range of exit route opportunities for students to pursue. Whether it’s a scholarship abroad, accessing university within the UK or gaining full-time employment - we provide the platform for you to pursue your aspirations. To find out more information about our Academy or to get in touch with any enquiries, visit www.a2bcoaching.co.uk or contact info@a2bcoaching.co.uk .
Coventry University Coventry University is a dynamic, global and transformatonal ‘modern university’ whose roots can be traced back to 1843 to the Coventry School of Design. With a proud tradiition as a provider of innovative teaching and learning and a focus on impactful research, the university has established a robust reputation for pushing the boundaries of higher education regionally, nationally and across the world. Through its links with leading-edge businesses and organizations in a variety of countries and industries, Coventry University’s 29,000+ students enjoy access to placements and international oportunities which ensure that their employment prospects are enhanced by the time they graduate. Its students also benefit from state-of-theart equipment and facilities - including on its London and Scarborough campuses - in all academic disciplines, from health, business and performing arts to industrial design, engineering and computing. In recent years Coventry’s student satisfaction levels and teaching quality have been rated amongst the best in the UK, which in turn has led to impressive rises in every major university league table. The combination of these successes and its unique approach to developments in the sector - including the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering and a new campus in Scarborough earned Coventry a gold rating in the UK government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in 2017, and saw it labelled ‘perhaps the most innovative university in the UK’ by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018. For more information on the University, see our website at www.coventry.ac.uk or call the Recruitment and Admissions Office on 024 7765 2222.
CAREERS PROVIDER ADVERTS
Stratford-upon-Avon College Stratford-upon-Avon College is a highly successful educational provider located in South Warwickshire. The College offers a dynamic, stimulating learning environment covering an extremely diverse curriculum from A Levels and vocational diplomas, to higher education qualifications and apprenticeships.
across the region to study in the state-of-the-art facilities for courses including Technical Theatre, Dance, Theatrical Make-up, Music, Acting and Musical Theatre.
As you look to your future, the decisions you make for post-16 education will have a major influence on the rest of your life. You will have a wide range of choice and plenty to think about, and it is important that you make the right decision.
The College is looking forward to be merging with Solihull College & University Centre in December 2017. The College will ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible for students, with the only impact on our learners’ education being very positive. Stratford-upon-Avon College and Solihull College & University Centre have already been working together to increase opportunities for students with an even greater investment in facilities and course provision.
Stratford-upon-Avon College is proud to deliver job-related, career-focused qualifications, enabling all our students to pursue a positive future with positive destinations. The College is particularly renowned for its Catering, Media and Performing Arts departments, with students travelling from
Find out how Stratford-upon-Avon College can help you at their Open Event on Wednesday 24 January, where you can meet their knowledgeable course and support teams, who will be more than happy to give you advice and help you choose the right programme to meet your life goals.
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Subject News Home Learning for Science in Y7 & Y8 Following on from the success of the Home Learning Booklets for Y7 last year, Science have now implemented the same format for Y8. This allows the students to become more independent with their learning.
Music Lessons Students: Have you considered learning a musical instrument? Lessons are available here during school time at a cost of ÂŁ15.00 for a 30 minute lesson. We currently offer lessons in piano, guitar, drums, and violin. But if there is something else you are interested in, please ask a member of the Music department. Letters are available from reception. Mr Stokes, Assistant Headteacher
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With the tagline ‘Building in Botheredness’, the students have created some amazing pieces of work. These range from poems about Isaac Newton, to vlogs about visits to the Motor Museum and how this links to science in everyday life. Ms Miller, leader of Science
Updates Library News: CIBA One our most favourite book shadowing events is underway again, we read, read, read selected books from October 2017, all the way through to February 2018. We comment on books that we have read and then in January we get to vote, vote, vote! The website is coventry. gov.uk/bookawards Here are some of the titles our students are reading.
Book Amnesty Please can you all have a look at home to see if your child has any library books that may be overdue? I don’t charge fines to our students for late books, we’re not scary, honestly! The purpose of the amnesty is to promote the return of much needed library books for the benefit of all of our readers. In anticipation of your support. Miss Barton, school librarian
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Sports News Boys’ Football In October and November, these 14 young men took part in the second and third rounds of the West Midlands Cup. Curtis Howe Rhys Henton Callum Moran Patrick Marshall Josh Green Charlie Seedhouse Will Jones James Dunn Harvey Billing Kairon Anderson-McMahon Lennon McGuinness Ryan Pedley Jack Archer Jamie West Mr Frankish, teacher of PE
Girls’ Football On Thursday 9 November the following students played in a West Midlands Girls Football competition, away in Birmingham. Ellie Smith Chloe Pettitt Sophie Reyes Tayla Stringer Abi Roper Megan Shaw Jessica Kennedy Sienna Smith Cameron Farthing Daisy Hallam Lucy Cookson Sireen Munir Bethany Truslove Macie Lenton Rhiannon Harris-Jenkins
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Ms Oldham, leader of Sport and Leisure At the Alan Higgs Centre on 8 November, our girls football teams took part in the Coventry East Champions tournament 2017 - we had triumphant junior and senior girls’ football teams. Both teams won and they were fantastic! Mr Holland, Year 7 Leader
Boys’ Basketball On Wednesday 21 November, the Y7 & Y8 boys basketball teams participated in a tournament. Year 7 Evan Axton Tyler Edwards Samuel Geremew Roman Mondair Kamran Sheregill Kian Domican Jensen Temple-Brown
Year 8 Samran Gill Marley Kenion Nathan Pearce Ewan Pearce-Dunne Jeevan Sheregill Levi Reynolds Arvin Lavina Ms Barnie, Sport & Leisure trainee