Attleborough
Academy
TIMES.
National Link Project Pages 8 and 9
February 2015
Annual Presentation Evening Page 6
Celebrating A Level Success Page 14
A celebration of the life of David Bartram: Teacher, Mentor, Leader, Friend Pages 9 to 12 part of the
Computer Coding for Girls Page 18
ATTLEBOROUGH ACADEMY NORFOLK
Welcome to Attleborough Academy Times Mr J Philpott (Teacher of ICT); Mr S Phillips (Teacher of Maths); Mr A Hague (Cover Supervisor); Mr T Grant (Cover Supervisor); Miss A Morley (Cover Supervisor); Miss K Anderson (Teacher of PE (Maternity)); Mrs L Field (Teacher of PE (Maternity).
From the Principal Welcome to our second edition of our Academy Times which reflects on our Autumn Term 2014. In September, we welcomed our new Year 7 students and also our new Year 12 students, with a record intake for the Sixth Form from other schools. All our students have settled well into our community. We have also welcomed our new staff: Mrs S Edwards (Associate Assistant Principal); Miss C Bracher (Head of MFL); Miss K Hodson (Head of Music); Miss E Howard (Teacher of Geography and History); Mr L Doheny (Teacher of English); Mrs C Medlock (Teacher of English); Mr D Rosembert (Teacher of PE); Mr A Stonach (Lead Teacher of the Specialist Resource Base);
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We said goodbye during the Autumn Term to Mr Treby (Maths), Mrs Cook (Media), Mrs Holden (Counsellor) and Mr Delamare (Cover Supervisor). We thank them for all their hard work in our community and wish them well for the future. Congratulations to Mrs Sparrow and Miss Powell who both began their maternity leave last term and have now welcomed George and Barney to the world! The second half of last term was a very sad time for us all as over half term we learnt of the tragic loss of our much loved Vice Principal, David Bartram. The hundreds of people in attendance at his funeral service summed up the love and affection felt for David by our community. I learnt of David’s passing whilst abroad and before I could get back, Libby Wise (Year 10 AAN student) had, by social media, prompted a special community flower laying event at the Academy which gave such comfort to staff, students, parents and ex-students. We thank Libby for her initiative. Her thoughtfulness and the dignified and remarkable reaction from the community really shows what a special community we have.
I would personally like to thank all the staff, students – past and present, parents and carers and members of the community for all the messages of sympathy, condolence and support. It has been a difficult time to be the Leader but it has been made so much easier due to the strength I have been able to draw from your unquestioning support. I would also like to pay tribute to the incredible strength shown by our Head students, Callum O’Brien and Poppy Williams in giving their part of my eulogy speech at David’s funeral service. Callum and Poppy represented the thousands of students ever taught by David and their ability to give such a heartwarming tribute at such a difficult is an inspiration to us all. Each Autumn Term, we hold our Annual Presentation Evenings. Both the Main Academy and Sixth Form Presentation Evenings were admirable events where we were able to celebrate the numerous and prestigious achievements of our students. Our keynote speakers, Mr Dick Palmer (CEO of the TEN Group) and Mr Brian Hunt (former Head of Sixth Form), both gave thoughtful and inspiring speeches as a fitting tribute to the many successes celebrated. Once again, the sponsorship of many community businesses and organisations enabled us to present our prize-winners with an engraved silver salver to take home as a lasting memento of their achievements. We thank all our sponsors for their generous contributions.
At the Sixth Form Presentation Evening, we were delighted to acknowledge Georgina McLaren, as the latest recipient of the J F Bujak Travel Bursary. Georgina had previously given an assembly to the Sixth Form after returning from her European Tour where she had researched many of the most popular European city Summer events before embarking on her University course in Events Management. Georgina described her tour as “life changing” and expressed her gratitude to Mr Philip Bujak for providing her with the unique preparatory experience for her chosen career path. We, as an Academy, thank Mr Bujak for his continued generosity. Towards the end of the Autumn Term, we once again supported the Trussell Trust by collecting food to donate to their Food Bank which supports families in the local area. We also took part in the Christmas Shoebox Appeal and Christmas Jumper Day. Thank you to Miss Budds for her work in leading these appeals. Thank you also to the Sixth Form Presidents who co-ordinated fund raising activities on Children In Need Day where we raised £837. On the last day of term, in our annual Christmas non-uniform day, students donated £1 for Nelson’s Journey and East Anglian Air Ambulance, both of which were the chosen charities of Mr Bartram’s family in his memory. Nelson’s Journey is a charity dedicated to supporting bereaved children and young people throughout Norfolk.
The East Anglian Air Ambulance is a 365 day a year lifesaving service working across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Thank you to all those parents and carers who were able to support these extremely worthwhile initiatives. In the current economic climate, it is a tribute to your generous charitable nature and very much appreciated. The Master Plan for the growth of the Academy continues to gather pace. I have been involved with the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and would encourage you all to visit their website www. attleboroughnp.org.uk where you can register to receive updates and have your say about the developing plans for the future of the town. You may also wish to follow the Academy’s Twitter feed @AttleboroughAN or my own Twitter feed @PrincipalAAN where we will occasionally tweet updates. In terms of the site, our Academy chain has been successful in securing extra funding to replace the roofs of the main buildings and this is currently in progress. They will also soon be applying for funding as part of the new build which forms part of the Master Plan. This is an exciting prospect for the Academy as we will see the facilities and buildings gradually upgraded.
and staff and observed lessons, we received a pleasing report on our progress. The report states, “pupils were acutely aware of staff pushing them more this year towards their targets and they felt this was good” and that “pupils from all years groups said the school was one which was trying to help every individual improve”. They “felt the school had approachable staff and that the student body was extremely friendly. The pupils also felt the school worked hard to involve parents”. They also “felt the school does a good job managing the curriculum in its eclectic mix of accommodation” and that, “With 72% of pupils achieving A*-C in English and a 75% 3 levels progress rate, the Academy is definitely heading in the right direction”.
Mr Neil McShane Principal
part of the In December, due to our conversion to Academy, a representative from the Department of Education spent a morning at AAN on a monitoring visit. After having talked to students
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Attleborough Academy Norfolk and their National Link Project This year Attleborough Academy Norfolk has developed its National Link even further with Attleborough students sharing their experiences with London students for the third year in a row. Previously, Assistant Principal Mrs McConnell had visited schools in London with the aim of extending the educational experience of Attleborough students by developing the links that Attleborough Academy Norfolk has with other schools in very different cultural and Geographical contexts. The project began with research into the education processes and everyday life at Ambler School in Finsbury Park, North London, to explore ways students from Attleborough and an urban London school could share their learning. Since the first link with Ambler School, Year 7 Attleborough and Ambler students have greatly benefitted from sharing their painstakingly hand written letters aimed at exploring what life is like for a young person growing up in East Anglia in contrast to life in an urban
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capital city environment. Last month Mrs McConnell returned to Ambler Primary in Islington to strengthen the links with this school and meet the new Year 6 class who will be sharing letters with a Year 7 English class taught by Outstanding Practitioner Mr James Wills and KS3 English co-ordinator Ms Beth Cooper at Attleborough Academy. This year it is hoped that, along with letter writing, visits between the schools will be developed so that students can meet their pen pals and actually experience some of the different opportunities that a rural or city educated student is exposed to. Since the initial visits, opportunities have also been sought to learn from any examples of London best practice in education and bring these strategies to Attleborough. From the initial visits to Ambler, the London link was then extended to observe lessons taught in inner city schools using the King’s College, London cognitive acceleration programme ‘Let’s Think in English’; a research based teaching approach that has been successfully adopted by Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s
English department over the last eighteen months. This year, through further links and research into best practice teaching in an inner city London school, Attleborough has also introduced ‘The Lit Programme’; an effective reading method for Year 7 students developed by ‘The Hackney Trust’ in London. Mrs McConnell commented: “The aim is to enrich the educational experience of our students by exploring different environmental, cultural and educational contexts of other schools in the country. Working with Ambler’s Headteacher, Juliet Benis, we wanted to create opportunities for students to share educational experience and learn from each other; an additional benefit of this London link has been that in the process I have observed and studied educational programmes that are at the forefront of best practice. Using this wealth of information and ideas, both ‘Let’s Think in English’ and ‘The LIT programme’ have now been introduced to great effect at Attleborough Academy”.
It’s Time To Move Forward Together... (A plea from the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group)
Let’s ensure as the population of Attleborough grows, it remains the perfect place to work, rest and play, whatever your age. We are now starting to see real growth in the town, with the start of the building of a new housing estate in London Road and 70 new homes soon to start in New Road. There has been recent confirmation that funding has been allocated to provide a road linking Bunns Bank to London Road. In line with the Breckland Local Plan, Attleborough Town Council and a group of local business people and other interested parties have been working behind the scenes, exploring ways to ensure that any major developments in the town will drive employment opportunities, with the necessary infrastructure and services to support it. The Neighbourhood Plan will be produced by working groups and submitted to Attleborough Town Council for approval before onward transmission to Breckland Council. The Neighbourhood Plan will then need to be approved in a referendum before it can be adopted. This is a community led plan and therefore important that EVERYONE connected with the town residents, businesses and others has a chance to have their say on any proposals put forward. There are six priority areas being looked at: • Employment • Education • Transport • Health and Social • Sports and Leisure • Developers Each area has a working group busy exploring options to put forward for consideration. As each progresses, the local community will be asked for their input. It may be that you have a passion for just one area or you may want to input into all areas.
Your ideas and feedback is essential. We can only move this forward with local community input.
Getting Involved... Web pages are already in place on the town’s website giving you more details on specific areas of the plan. Visit www.attleboroughnp.org.uk The easiest way to communicate in the world we live in is by email. We have set up a communication system so that you can receive information about the Neighbourhood Plan. You will find a button on the website, where you can register your interest to receive information as and when one of the working groups has something to shout about or needs your input. We will not bombard you with information or give your details to anyone else.
The success of the project relies on community engagement and feedback and it is in everyone’s interest to participate to ensure the town grows and develops to the benefit of everyone living and working in the area. No email details – don’t panic... Information will be available in leaflet form and distributed to central points in the town. We will also be sending out information to those that request postal contact. More information can be found at the following outlets: -Tony Perkins Butchers, Church Street, Attleborough, NR17 2AH -The Breckland Lodge, London Road, Attleborough, NR17 1AY -Tourist Information Centre, Town Hall, Queens Square, Attleborough, NR17 2AF We intend to post updates regularly in the local press, which will include contact details should you wish to feedback your thoughts. And finally, you can find us on social media: Twitter: @AttleboroughNP or Facebook: Attleborough Neighbourhood Plan In many cases we will need a quick response to ensure deadlines for submitting proposals is achieved. Therefore your early registration of interest would be appreciated.
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Mr Dick Palmer’s Speech There is a popular saying that “No-one likes change” and often it is true. We like to stick with what we know, to stay with the same friends, study the same subjects and not push ourselves outside our comfort zone. But if you don’t embrace change you might never know what you are capable of.
Attleborough Academy Norfolk Annual Presentation Evening In December last year it was with great pleasure that we welcomed back the Class of 2014 to celebrate their successes at Attleborough Academy Norfolk. As Attleborough Academy’s Principal, Mr Neil McShane, commented: ‘this is the first presentation celebration that we held as an Academy’. A reflection of this year groups’ achievement at the Academy is the large number of students who have gone on to further study, many of whom have joined us in our Sixth Form. However, academic achievement is only one aspect of their success. We are proud that, along with the students’ academic prowess, they have grown to be responsible and caring members of the community. The evening was also an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of those students in Years 7-10 who gained the most CARE (now known as PRIDE)
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symbols in the last academic year, as well as those who achieved outstanding success outside of the Academy. All the teaching staff turned out to celebrate the effort and performance of this years’ students and to appreciate the citations written by our staff praising these successes, which were read out by the Heads of Faculty. The evening was further enhanced by the attendance of Mrs Karen Pettitt, Attleborough Mayoress; Mrs Frances Harrod, Chair of Governors and Mr Dick Palmer Guest Speaker and CEO of the TEN Group. During the ceremony Mr Palmer gave a motivational speech to the appreciative audience and handed out the awards. The evening was wonderfully supported by staff, students, their families and friends of the Academy. We would like to extend our thanks to all of our sponsors for their superb generosity in supporting this event.
This is where I come to the core message for tonight – carpe diem. Many of you will know that it means ‘seize the day’. Coming to school is not the end game. Qualifications are not the end game. Education is a process – it is part of growing up, part of learning about who you are and who you want to become. And your qualifications that you gain on the way are just a passport to your working future, they’re not the final piece in the jigsaw. Using the opportunities that you face now will certainly affect the person you will become. Life is a continuous process of learning – learning about things, about people, about oneself – but there is undoubtedly a critical phase in your life which affects you more than any one other phase and that’s now. What you do now will undoubtedly impact upon what further opportunities you will get later in life and also impact upon the sort of person that you will become. So, please do use the opportunities that you have now – even if they seem small and insignificant. If you get a chance to try out a bit of work experience – seize that chance with both hands, even if it’s not in an area that you might wish to focus upon. Just working in your Mum’s hairdressing business might help you gain the customer service skills, the communications skills that employers are crying out for.
OUTSTANDING AWARD IN SWIMMING TILLY AND EVIE ANEMA Tilly and Evie competed in the Regional Open Water event at Whitlingham this July. Evie competed in the 800m age group and came 4th in the Regional and 1st in the county. Tilly competed in the 12-16 year 1.5k race and came 3rd in Region and 1st in county. Tilly has swam at Regional level for the last 2 years and this year gained 1 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals. The swimming was then taken to the next level when she qualified for 4 events at the ASA British National Championships which took place this August in Sheffield. She achieved 8th in her age group for the 800m freestyle, 16th in the 200m and 17th in the 400m free. Tilly then went on to compete in the ASA British National open water 1.5k and came 3rd in her age group receiving a bronze medal. Tilly’s achievements have been picked up by the British Talent Team and has been invited to a development day.
OUTSTANDING AWARD IN THE PROMOTION OF ARMY CADETS LINDSEY MOON AND POPPY SCOULDING Lindsey used her initiative to approach staff about holding an assembly to raise awareness of the Attleborough Army Cadets that both she and Poppy attend. Lindsey put together a fantastic presentation for the assembly and both she and Poppy put on a wonderful show in their Army uniform attracting many Year 8 students to sign up there and then. A fantastic use of initiative, display of responsibility and show of confidence.
OUTSTANDING AWARD IN SCOUTING JOEL BISLEY AND LEAH BISLEY Joel recently completed basic Leadership training and first aid to allow him to become a Young Leader within Scouting and has joined Gt Ellingham Cub Pack in that capacity – this will also count towards his Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award which he has almost completed. Leah continues to achieve outstandingly in the Scouting community.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NETBALL CAITLYN EDWARDS Caitlyn’s commitment to training and fixtures has enabled her to continue to develop her skills and performances to a high standard. This has resulted in her selection for county representation in Netball, which is just reward for the dedication she has shown and the promise she shows for the future.
OUTSTANDING AWARD IN ARCHERY JOE GROUND Joe Ground was selected to compete for Great Britain at the European Outdoor Youth Championships in Slovenia and he and his team won the Gold medal in the Recurve Event. This was Joe’s first international competition and he was competing as the youngest member of the team.
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Complete Awards List MAIN SCHOOL AWARD CATEGORIES Introduced by Simon Davies
YEAR 10 PRINCIPAL’S AWARD FOR PROGRESS Lucy Beckwith
YEAR 11 AWARD CATEGORIES Presented by Dick Palmer
FACULTY OF SCIENCE Introduced by David Brahams
YEAR 7 CARE AWARDS (for most reward symbols earned)
OUTSTANDING AWARD FOR PROGRESS 2013-2014 Sheldon Gooch
FACULTY OF CREATIVE ARTS Introduced by Hayley Cushing
SARAH MEAD SCIENCE AWARD Large cup Andrew Haine
ART AWARD Kornelija Gaucaite and Sophie Spurgeon
SARAH MEAD CORE SCIENCE AWARD Small cup Megan Lotarius
ART AWARD: EXPRESSIVE ARTS – Presented by Mr Andrew Lee of Lee & Plumpton Marta Patajewicz
FACULTY OF MATHS Introduced by Jon Treby
CARING FOR OTHERS AWARD Kymberley Gill ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Rachel Bickel RESPONSIBILITY AWARD Phoebe Moore
ADDITIONAL AWARDS Presented by Dick Palmer JUNIOR PREFECT OF THE YEAR AWARD Lilah Suazo
EXCELLENCE AWARD Emma Foster
SIMON GANT AWARD FOR SPORTING POTENTIAL Jade Hoyte
YEAR 8 CARE AWARDS (for most reward symbols earned)
AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT in Netball Caitlyn Edwards
CARING FOR OTHERS AWARD Deivids Bukovskis ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Jack Clarke RESPONSIBILITY AWARD Fernando Alves; Rebecca Parsons; Nathan Barton EXCELLENCE AWARD Sophie Chatfield
YEAR 9 CARE AWARDS (for most reward symbols earned)
AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT in Swimming Evie Anema AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT in Swimming Tilly Anema AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT in promotion of Army Cadets Lindsey Moon AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT in promotion of Army Cadets Poppy Scoulding
CARING FOR OTHERS AWARD Bethany Wright
AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT in Scouting Joel Bisley
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Presented by John Haynes Attleborough 2013 Lions Club Senna Watker
AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT in Scouting Leah Bisley
RESPONSIBILITY AWARD Lyssia McGeachy
AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT in Archery Joe Ground
EXCELLENCE AWARD Lauren Swallow
Certificates for New Records achieved on Sports Day
CHILDRENS CARE LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT AWARD Eleanor Bridge DRAMA AWARD Monika Lomsargyte MUSIC AWARD Rhiannon Harris MUSIC PERFORMANCE AWARD Andrew Haine VICTRIX LUDORUM AWARD FOR SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT Chloe Whiterod VICTOR LUDORUM AWARD FOR SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT Ryan Fuller THE HAIGH CUP FOR ALL ROUND EXCELLENCE IN PE Poppy Warren
FACULTY OF ENGLISH AND MEDIA Introduced by Caroline Graham ENGLISH LANGUAGE AWARD Lauren McArdle ENGLISH LITERATURE AWARD Eve Mathews MEDIA AWARD Tom McIndoe
MATHEMATICS AWARD Ella Maxwell
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES & MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES Introduced by Chris Barns RELIGIOUS STUDIES AWARD Presented by Rev Matthew Jackson St Marys Church Hannah Wallis FRENCH AWARD Bethany Cox THE LINGUISTS AWARD For exploring language beyond the classroom Hannah Wallis GEOGRAPHY AWARD Emma Longlands & Ciara Fleming HISTORY AWARD Emma Longlands CITIZENSHIP AWARD Charlie Lock
GENERAL AWARDS Introduced by Simon Davies Presented by Dick Palmer ALL ROUND ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Rhiannon Harris GOVERNORS’ AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING GCSE RESULTS Sophie Spurgeon
YEAR 10 CARE AWARDS (for most reward symbols earned)
New Record in the 1500m – Year7 Tilly Anema
FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY Introduced by Alan Brighten
CARING FOR OTHERS AWARD Shannon McDonald
New Record in the 800m – Year 8 Callum Kindred
CATERING AWARD Jamie Edwards
OUTSTANDING PROGRESS AWARD (The Parry Cup) Lauren McArdle
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Daniel Smith-Hughes
New Record in the High Jump – Year 8 Girls Ellie Leaker
D & T AWARD: GRAPHIC PRODUCTS Jake Wiseman
ORACY SKILLS AWARD George Watts and Samuel Winfield
D & T AWARD: PRODUCT DESIGN Samuel Crossley
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES (Royal British Legion Shield) Erin Eagling
RESPONSIBILITY AWARD Seth Coates EXCELLENCE AWARD Courtney Ayling
PRINCIPAL’S AWARDS FOR PROGRESS Presented by Neil McShane YEAR 7 PRINCIPAL’S AWARD FOR PROGRESS Harry Neave YEAR 8 PRINCIPAL’S AWARD FOR PROGRESS Ellie Leaker YEAR 9 PRINCIPAL’S AWARD FOR PROGRESS Sheldon Gooch
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New Record in the High Jump – Year 8 Boys Keelan Greer New Record in the High Jump – Year 9 Girls Helena Rye New Record in the High Jump – Year 9 Boys Ryan Miles New Record in the High Jump – Year 10 Callum O’Brien THE HOUSE CUP Kett ACO – received by Ed Proctor
BUSINESS STUDIES AWARD Harry Sullivan ICT AWARD Sidney Reeve ADVANTAGE TECHNOLOGIES LTD AWARD BEST COMPUTING STUDENT Presented by Mr Simon Barnett Advantage Technologies Ltd James Lavall
SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION AWARD (Rotary Club Shield) Samuel Winfield MOST IMPROVED SEN-D STUDENT Favour Donga SENIOR PREFECT OF THE YEAR George Watts
PRINCIPAL’S AWARDS Presented by Neil McShane PRINCIPAL’S AWARD (boy) Ryan Fuller PRINCIPAL’S AWARD (girl) Megan Clarke
David Bartram: Teac cher, Menttor, Le ead der, Frie end. The October half-term was tragically overshadowed for everyone connected with Attleborough Academy Norfolk by the news of the untimely death of Vice Principal David Bartram. Mr Bartram taught History at the school for six years, having joined Attleborough High School in 2008 from Wymondham High School. Following his initial appointment
as Assistant Headteacher, he was promoted to Deputy Headteacher in 2011. During this time he made a deep and lasting impression on everyone he came in contact with; he had an extremely positive impact on the lives of all of the students he taught, as well as on his teaching colleagues and other members of the Academy and local community. He was an outstanding History teacher who used his enthusiasm
for the subject, and his great sense of humour, to engage, encourage and inspire his students. Mr Bartram also cared greatly for the all-round development and wellbeing of his students and staff; he was sensitive to everyone’s needs, providing one-to-one support and encouragement where needed, and in so doing, he made a huge contribution to the life and community of the Academy as a whole.
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Words from Neil Mc cShane e’s tribu ute spe eec ch • As a recent convert to Twitter, in my only tweet on the subject, I said “No words can adequately convey my sense of loss at the death of my friend and colleague David. God has obviously recalled one of his finest.” In coming to terms with the loss, that belief is what I am personally holding on to. He was and still is one of God’s finest. • Tributes have called him a ‘top bloke’, a ‘Legend’, an ‘Inspiration’, a ‘true gentleman’, an ‘amazing teacher’ – ‘the greatest teacher’ and ‘someone who put a smile on all our faces’. He was all of those things and more – he was sensitive, perceptive, totally supportive and dedicated. He really WAS the nicest man I have ever met. • Whether he was Mr Bartram or David to you, we all knew he was special - we all held him in the highest regard and affection. We all loved him. • David was a really deeply caring man. He cared deeply about his work and he loved his work. • He thrived on being busy and being able to cross out items on 10
his ‘to do’ list in his famous little black book. • If you were ever privileged enough to watch David teach then you just knew that you were watching someone at the top of their game. • David was a dedicated professional – at the top of his game. Professionals will tell you that no one is irreplaceable and no one is perfect. If that is true, it certainly hasn’t felt like that for me – as a Deputy Headteacher, David Bartram was pretty close to perfection. • David, thank you for being you - you really didn’t have to be anything else. I am so proud to have known you and I know I am privileged to have worked so closely with you. I am proud of what we have achieved together and proud to have been your friend. • We have so much to thank him for and he will always be in our hearts. One of the best ways we can thank him though is to get back to doing our best at teaching and learning which don’t forget is what he loved doing most.
You Can You can shed tears that he is gone - or you can smile because he has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back – or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left behind. Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him – or you can be full of the love that you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday – or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember him and only that he is gone – or you can cherish his memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back – or you can do what he would want; smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
Tribu utess for Dav vid d Bartrram Current and former students, parents, colleagues, and others who were privileged to have known David, shared their memories of him online, on social media and in a Book of Condolence. The following are just a small selection of the numerous tributes that were paid:
“Mr Bartram was my Deputy Head and History teacher throughout my education at Attleborough High, he was an absolute inspiration to me and many others alike and I know without his influence I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Thank you so much for everything you have done, you will be sorely missed and always remembered.”
“Such a brilliant character around school, not only in the classroom but into general school life. Had a big effect on me and my brother. You had such a great individual approach to every pupil and truly were “one of the best”. RIP Sir, thoughts with your family.”
“I was only taught by Mr Bartram for one year, 8 years ago but remember him so clearly. He left a lasting impact on everyone he taught, inspired a love of both History and humour and it saddens me so much to hear of his death. Goodbye to a wonderful teacher x”
“Mr Bartram was a wonderful kind man.”
“Mr Bartram was an amazing Vice-Principal who will be missed by all the students at Attleborough.”
“Mr Bartram you truly were an inspiring and incredible teacher and person! So hilariously funny and such a lovely person to know. I am truly saddened by your passing. But without a doubt you will never be forgotten!”
“Mr Bartram helped my daughter through a difficult time at Attleborough High school. I will be forever grateful for him, for his patience, and kindness. A great teacher, a lovely person, will be sadly missed by everyone. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone at this time.”
“Good-bye Mr Bartram, I will miss you and I did my homework too, but you will never see it.”
“The most genuine kind hearted man I have ever met. You were an asset to our school and to your family. May you rest in peace knowing how valued you were, forever in our hearts and never forgotten…”
“I will miss Mr Bartram’s smiles and hellos when he passes me in the school.”
“You were an amazing teacher and were loved by many. You were always smiling and always happy… Assemblies will never be the same and school will never be the same without you. Heaven has gained an angel.”
“Sir, you helped me lots and brought out the best in me. You are very missed.”
“You were one of the most loved teachers in this school. You always told us about inspiring people but really to us all, you were the inspiring one and you will be missed.”
“Mr Bartram was more than a great teacher, he was the best!! I will have great memories of him forever. Like in the summer when he would come and play 10 minutes of cricket when he was on duty. He also inspired me to take History as GCSE and at A Level. His memory will live on. We will all miss you. Thank you!” 11
The Nextt Fe ew Da ayss. By Rowena Tyrer Teacher of English (AAN) Monday: Attleborough has no flowers left. Autumn has turned cold and grey without warning Clocks changed. Black and white and fading colours Shades of blue in the early sunset Leaves fall slowly on flowers, spreading wider and wider under the tree. Sincere, kind, inspirational, committed, dedicated. Days pass. Quiet routine. Unwelcome change. Flowers brought inside. Memories gathered for the winter. Remembrance day for a historian: They who grow not old. Then, at the end, golden light in the Abbey Rises like sunshine high over a cold black sea. Over the deep silence, and the flowing music.
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Sixth Form Centre Open Evening Over 250 potential A Level students visited Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Sixth Form Centre Open Evening on Wednesday 12th November. Guests were given the opportunity to gather information on the wide range of A Level courses available and speak to current Year 12 and 13 students, who were working as tour guides and ambassadors for the evening, about all aspects of Sixth Form life. There was also an opportunity for guests to speak to subject experts about potential course choices and stand presentations by the Principal and Head of Sixth Form.
Jack Reynolds and Josie Hindle, Sixth Form Centre Lead Presidents, gave fantastic inspirational speeches that reflected on the Sixth Form’s community spirit and ethos and encouraged commitment to be the best we can be. Helen Triggs, Assistant Principal said: “The open evening was very successful, so many people attended we ran out of parking spaces! We received lots of great comments from parents about our efficient and knowledgeable tour guides as well as the speeches and presentations. Attending events such as this is a good way for potential students to gain an insight into expectations and reality of Sixth Form choices and progression routes.”
ATTLEBOROUGH AC ADEMY
SIXTH FORM
YOUR FUTURE
2015
ATTLEBOROUGH ACADEMY SIXTH FORM
Applications are still being accepted for the Sixth Form. Complete your application now at helpyouchoose.org
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A Level successes celebrated at Sixth Form Centre Presentation Evening Former Year 13 students were welcomed back to the Academy on Friday 7th November for the Sixth Form Centre Presentation Evening. Students were joined by their family and friends to celebrate their A Level exam successes as well as their outstanding performance and achievements. Head of Sixth Form Ramin Keshavarz hosted the event and the Academy was delighted to welcome former Head of Sixth Form, Brian Hunt as guest speaker. A total of 25 awards were presented including six special awards including the Principal’s Award, Brian Hunt Award for Progress and the J.F Bujak Travel Bursary.
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Subject Award
Prize Winner
Sponsor
Art
Jade Sisson
Vera Dale
Biology
Connor Mulcahy
Attleborough Surgeries
BTEC Music
Jesse Baker
Breckland Lodge
Business Studies
Daniel Hewitt
Richard Johnston
Chemistry
Tammy Potgieter
Anaco Air Conditioning
Computing
Will Turner
Cater Tech Ltd
English Literature
Tammy Potgieter
Geography
Sophie Milligan
Barford Hire
Health & Social Care
Julie Norton
Edwards and Blake
History
Liam Watson
D J E Construction
ICT
Kane Pearce
Anglia Free Range Eggs
Maths
Blake Manning
Mason Trust
Further Maths
James Higgins
Bingham Hall Associates
Media Studies
Toby Moore
A W Myhill
PE
Connor Mulcahy
Physics
Will Turner
Lee and Plumpton
Product Design
Alex Coburn and Matt Spencer
Base Building Solutions
Psychology
Kerry Bradley
Sociology
Vicky Gilchrist
Daniel Plumbers
Drama Keith Maughan Memorial Golden Moustache Award
Jesse Baker
Trophy donated by Jenny Maughan
J.F. Bujak Travel Bursary
Georgina McLaren
Philip Bujak
Brian Hunt Award for Progress
Elysia Morter
Brian Hunt
The Sarah Mead Award for Endeavour
Mel Hawes
Principal’s Award
Mel Hawes and Blake Manning
Attleborough Academy Norfolk
Head of Sixth Form
Joe Dooley
Ramin Keshervaz
September to December in Attleborough Sixth Form The brand new Autumn Term at Attleborough Sixth Form welcomed many. The first welcome was to the brand new cohort of Year 12 students, all eager to start. We also welcomed back our Year 13 students who, after receiving some very impressive AS Level exam results, returned ready for their final year. Our final welcome was to the brand new Presidents team, along with a new Head of Sixth Form, Mr Keshavarz, with Mrs Triggs taking on the role of Director. Students have been more than eager this past term to participate in many events, with the most successful being our Children in Need event, held on the 14th November. Run by the Presidents and the Head Boy and Girl, a fun fair was set up in the gym, offering games such as “Pin the eye-patch on Pudsey” and “Guess the sweets in a jar”. Easily, the most popular attraction was the popcorn machine, which gathered a very large crowd quickly, and selling out by the end. Due to their hard work and effort, the school and Sixth
Form raised £837, a tremendous amount that everyone should be proud of. The Sixth Form held their Open Evening on the 12th November, which allowed Year 11 students from both the Academy and surrounding schools to view all the subjects offered, and speak to current Sixth Formers. Not only did the evening offer a fantastic presentation on the Sixth Form and our values, it was followed by speeches from both the Head of Sixth Form and the Lead Presidents. The event was attended by many people, who all gained a valuable insight into our Sixth Form. Looking to the past has been approached in many ways this term. We unfortunately have mourned for the loss of our beloved teacher, Mr Bartram. He had taught many of our Sixth Formers over the past five years and it was heart-warming to see the community joining together to remember him, just days after his passing. To close the term, Sixth Formers were asked to dress up in Christmas outfits to raise money
towards charities dedicated to his loss. Among the sea of Christmas jumpers, original ideas stood out, such as a group of 5 girls, dressed as presents, and a Santa and Mrs Claus. The final day closed with team games in the Sports Hall, which were enjoyed by all. Excluding the large profit made from the main school, the Sixth Formers contributed £85.23, which will be greatly appreciated by the Air Ambulance and Nelson’s Journey, who support bereaved children. As we said goodbye to some, we welcomed back old faces as the Class of 2012 – 2014 returned for Presentation Evening. Many received awards for their subjects, the Norfolk Scholar award, and dedicated awards from teachers, companies and the Principal, Mr McShane. After inspirational speeches from subject teachers, the ex Head of Sixth Form (Mr Hunt) and one of the previous Lead Presidents, they returned back to their career paths and we all wish them continued success in the future.
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Let’s Think in English programme Let’s Think in English is a programme that the English Department at Attleborough Academy Norfolk has been involved with for the last two years. We have developed a good relationship with the course developers and Michael Walsh, Senior English Advisor at King’s College has attended regular training sessions with us. The programme has been designed to encourage cognitive acceleration and has been proved repeatedly to improve achievement. Consequently it will be beneficial to the new English Language and English Literature specifications. This will require students to understand, summarise, evaluate and compare “highquality challenging texts” from the 19th, 20th and 21st century and passages from full length works. These challenges will therefore need practice in developing the skills of
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inference and deduction, reflected in higher level thinking, as well as confident fluent writing. Here is where the Let’s Think in English programme fits in. All lessons are designed to do just this: to stimulate the deeper reasoning patterns which underpin better understanding of English and enhance reading skills. The lessons are oral based and use open-ended questioning and group discussion and can be used independently, or in current schemes of work, so are very flexible for the teacher. As suggested, by the programme organisers, these lessons are used on a fortnightly basis with Year 8’s in AAN to develop their thinking. This programme is something we have animatedly discussed with our colleagues from other schools. On Wednesday 26th November, a group of teachers from across the TEN group and Wymondham College
met with Michael Walsh for training. The morning involved learning new skills, developing our training with the Let’s Think in English programme and discussing the potential impact of the programme in preparing students for the new GCSE English specification. This was followed by a class of Attleborough Academy Norfolk students being involved in a narrative sequencing lesson based on a short animation film called Alma, to identify and think about the impact of foreshadowing to create suspense and atmosphere. The students were enthusiastic and participated well showing clear progress in their thinking and analysis skills but this also allowed us, as teachers, an opportunity to observe and develop our understanding of how they progressed over the lesson time. Everyone was inspired by the training and look forward to developing and teaching these lessons with our students in the future.
The Play’s The Thing September was an exciting month which saw a coachload of Year 7 students make their first school trip with the English department to see Propeller Theatre Company’s production of ‘Pocket Dream’ – a 60 minute dynamic interpretation of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ – at the Norwich Playhouse. The viewing of the performance feeds in nicely to the more in-depth study of the play that the Year 7 students will be undertaking this term in English and Drama. The play itself was fun, inventive, fast-paced and certainly held the attention of our students who got to experience Shakespeare in performance rather than merely on the page. The students had fabulous seats in the theatre (centrally and near
the front) wherein they could further witness the intricate stagecraft on show. After the play, the actors remained on stage and spent time taking questions from the audience, thereby giving students a more rounded insight into the processes of bringing a play to the stage. So for any budding actors, playwrights, or directors among the current cohort of year 7 students, it was a very valuable experience indeed. As hoped and expected, the group of students we took were interested, well-behaved and courteous theatre-goers. Events also took a surprising turn towards the end of the play, as one of our students was actually invited to participate in the performance, filling in as the Queen of Athens, Hippolyta. Sat on a high chair some 10 feet into the air, and under the close scrutiny of a packed house, she showed nerves of steel.
Needless to say, she did Attleborough Academy Norfolk proud. All in all, the night was a great success, and to quote Shakespeare himself: “A merrier hour was never wasted there.” (Puck: Act 2, Scene 1, line 47)
Lord of the Flies Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Performing Arts students were treated to an exciting Saturday matinée performance of Matthew Bourne’s renowned New Adventures and Re:Bourne production of the Lord of the Flies at the Norwich Theatre Royal. AAN students watched in awe and were completely enthralled by the remarkable production from start to finish. As we all left completely inspired and invigorated, it’s fair to say the Academy students’ creative flare was ignited and creative dance skills have been the by-product ever since. The critically acclaimed and award winning dance production is based on William Golding’s classic novel.
It tells the story of a group of schoolboys who find themselves abandoned and start to make their own rules and create their own civilisation before order breaks down and things start to deteriorate. New Adventures is the UK’s most
in-demand contemporary dance theatre touring company that has produced some of the most successful productions of the last 25 years. Their productions have included Swan Lake, Nutcracker! and Sleeping Beauty.
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Computer Science students triumph in Programming Challenge for Girls A group of 11 Year 9 Computer Science students triumphed in the International Programming Challenge 4 Girls which was hosted at City Academy Norwich on Friday 7th November. The students took home 4 bronze awards and 2 gold awards between them as well as a Champion Coders award which was won by Chloe Patrick and Kate Rutland. The challenge saw Erin Bisley, Raquel Fontes, Jade Hoyte, Hanna Kelf, Amelia Mason, Chloe Patrick, Louise Caswell, Rebecca Parsons, Terri Vessey, Kate Rutland and Chloe Williams work in pairs or threes to put their coding skills to the test against students from City Academy Norwich, Fakenham Academy Norfolk, and Wayland Academy Norfolk. The students had to code
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a 3D animation using the Alice programming language. Alice is an ideal tool for learning about coding because it is easy to learn, engaging, 3D and colourful, and offers many degrees of challenge. The event was organised as part of the international PC4G initiative, which is designed to introduce girls to programming through an activity that does not require previous programming knowledge and which is approachable, fun, challenging and educational. PC4G originated in New Zealand and has spread around the world as interest in coding has grown, accompanied by a drive to encourage more girls to be part of this important movement in computing. In addition to the event at City Academy Norwich, parallel competitions were run shortly
after for girls at educational institutions in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and Sweden. David Pickering, Head of Computing and ICT at Attleborough Academy Norfolk said: “Our students performed brilliantly, handled themselves impeccably throughout the day and were fantastic ambassadors of the Academy. The students had only just started their Key Stage 4 Computer Science course and entering this challenge at such an early stage of the course was perfectly timed to increase engagement for the subject and programming in general. The computational thinking developed throughout the day will benefit them hugely in their learning of Computer Science.”
Academy takes part in Save The Children’s Christmas Jumper Day Attleborough Academy Norfolk took part in Save The Children’s ‘Christmas Jumper Day’ for the first time this year. On Friday 12th December students and staff wore their best festive jumpers and donated £2 to the charity. We saw some fabulous jumpers and received many entries at lunchtime when we judged the best shop bought, vintage and customised efforts. Winners included, Emily Brooks with Mr Barns winning the Best Staff Jumper award.
Mr McShane looked particularly festive in the sweater complete with flashing fairy lights that form group BJWI had created for him! All our donations were matched by the UK Government, so in total we donated £1,316.36 to the charity which will help them to transform children’s’ lives around the world. Thank you to Miss Budds for organising the event. More information on how the donations will be used can be found on: www.jumpers.savethechildren.org.uk 19
Students were given a list of suggested gifts and were encouraged to bring donations for the shoeboxes. Many of the items would not be seen as Christmas ‘gifts’ to us, but basics such as toothbrushes, warm gloves and torches are desperately needed and gratefully received. Students and their tutors wrapped the boxes and attached a donation to help with shipping costs. As an Academy we sent 62 shoeboxes, beating our total of 54 last year.
Students get involved in Christmas shoebox appeal Once again, students worked together in tutor groups throughout the Academy during September and October to send shoeboxes full of gifts to families and elderly people for Christmas via the charity ‘Link To Hope’.
Tutor group BJWI was the most generous tutor group, donating 7 boxes. Photographs of the shoeboxes being distributed and opened by their recipients in Eastern Europe can be viewed on their website: www.linktohope.co.uk
Students and staff donate 433kg of food to Attleborough Foodbank Building on our success last year, students and staff from Attleborough Academy Norfolk once again collected donations for the Attleborough Foodbank, operated by The Trussell Trust.
groups contributing a complete food package that contained a range of nutritious food designed to feed people who have found themselves in desperate circumstances for three days.
Throughout the first term, students and staff brought in a range of non perishable food, with many tutor
On the last day of term before Christmas, staff and Sixth Form students helped transport 433kg of
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food (the weight of a horse or Mako shark!) over to St Mary’s Church. A great effort from all involved. For more information on The Trussell Trust, visit www.thetford.foodbank.org.uk
Charity update Students and staff collected 433kg of food for the local Foodbank. The total amount weighed the same as an average horse or Mako shark! ***** The non-uniform day in December raised £714.45 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance and Nelsons Journey in memory of Mr Bartram.
Students and staff raise over £837 for Children in Need Students and staff from Attleborough Academy Norfolk raised over £837 for Children in Need on Friday 14th November. Students took part in a fundraising non-uniform day and there were a series of fun-filled events through the day organised by the Sixth Form President team, and carried out by staff and students. One of the highlights of the events taking place that day was the lunchtime event that was organised by the Sixth Form Presidents promising “All the Fun of the Fair”. This promise was more than met as the Academy Gym was packed with students of all ages enjoying and donating by guessing the weight of a cake, guessing how many sweets were in a jar, throwing hula hoops at Head of Science Mr Brahams, leaping for donuts on a string, eating delicious hot popcorn cooked by Assistant Principal Mr Barns, the Flowerpot Challenge and the
incredible “Cup Game”. Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Lead Sixth Form Presidents, Josie Hindle and Jack Reynolds, brilliantly organised many members of the Sixth Form in this incredible fundraising activity. Head of Sixth Form, Mr Keshavarz commented “It is particularly gratifying that the inventive efforts of the Sixth Form Presidents to raise money for Children in Need were rewarded with such a fantastically generous contribution from the students of the Academy. Everyone involved should be very proud of themselves”.
***** The Academy took part in Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day for the first time this year. With all donations being matched by UK government, we donated a total of £1,316.36 to the charity. ***** Mr Wills’ form group raised over £600 from a sponsored silence for Save the Children in conjunction with Christmas Jumper Day.
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Hackney Trust The LIT programme Boosting Literacy at Key Stage 3
Sports Successes U15 Girls Hockey Tournament The Under 15 Girls Hockey team represented Attleborough Academy Norfolk at the South Norfolk Hockey Tournament on a wet November evening at Harleston Magpies Hockey Club.
teams, houses and all those who participated. The Attleborough Olympiad positions are joint first for Kett and Cavell with Boudicca in third and Nelson in fourth place.
The girls were upbeat and organised throughout and made excellent progress in their games. The Academy came third overall and were the only team not to lose to Wymondham College.
Year 7 Football Well done to the Year 7 Boys Football Team for getting through to the next round of the South Norfolk and Norfolk Cup competitions. So far the team have only lost one game this season and they are actively training to keep that status.
Lucy Myhill and Gemma Newell were named as Players of the Tournament. ***** Inter-House Competitions Junior and Senior Inter-House competitions have been well attended in Boys Football and Girls Netball. The houses have put out some excellent teams with some close run games. The Junior Boys and Junior Girls competitions were won by Kett. The Senior Boys competition was won by Boudicca and the Senior Girls competition was won by Nelson. Congratulations to the winning 22
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***** School Sports Partnership Local primary schools have been taking part in a range of events at Attleborough Academy Norfolk. Attleborough Junior, Hingham Primary, Gt Ellingham Primary and Rocklands Primary have taken part in Football, Hockey, Cricket and Tag Rugby Tournaments along with Indoor Athletics. Attleborough Junior School progressed to the next level of the indoor athletics and came out with a win for Attleborough Academy Norfolk in the School Sports Partnership.
The LIT programme, developed by The Hackney Trust in London, is a new and innovative programme. It is designed to develop individual reading skills through a scheme of lessons. The programme has been proven to raise students’ reading levels and therefore enhance their ability to achieve their potential, across the curriculum. Research has shown that students who increase their reading age, in the early stages of secondary education, will have far greater success in their GCSE examinations across all subjects. The aims of the programme are to develop the skills that will enable pupils to progress in English; to boost students’ reading comprehension skills; to increase their ability to develop and apply these skills in other subjects and to strengthen students’ confidence so that they can work with greater independence. The programme started in September 2014 with Unit 1, entitled Spooky Stories, and is being overseen by Miss Cooper. Currently, there are 33 Year 7 students participating in the programme. The LIT Programme offers students a complete course of tailored and timetabled provision in small groups. This is being delivered by two specialist languages teachers (Miss Bracher and Mrs Marsh), who are trained in delivering The LIT programme. Supported by Miss Parks and Dr Ellen, students undertook an initial diagnostic assessment to gauge their starting points. We will keep you updated on the progress that these students are making throughout the year!
Students transform the academy grounds in to a haven for wildlife Over 40 students from Years 7, 8 and 9 have transformed an area of the Academy into a bio diverse habitat for butterflies and bees which formed part of the Butterfly Eye View project that took place during Enterprise Challenge Week. The students started the project by visiting Ranworth Broad to learn about butterfly habitats and conservation. When they returned to the Academy they worked together to clear and prepare the land, create a tiered bed and plant an array of native wildflowers. The project has proved to be a great success and has given students the opportunity to develop a variety of skills such as project management. The new garden is now being used as a teaching resource and has a group of Year 10 students who maintain the area as part of their timetable. David Brahams, Head of Science said: “The students performed excellently and enthusiastically throughout the project and enjoyed seeing the fruits of their labour when the project was completed. They really stepped up to the mark as project managers, team organisers and even the ‘labourers’ showed resilience and tenacity by not quitting even when the work got hard. We would like to say a big thank you to all of the staff involved in this project and also to Mr McShane and Mrs Triggs for allowing it to happen.”
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Chinese Visitors At the very end of the Summer Term 2014, we welcomed Professor Du Jian and his colleagues from the Education Bureau of Xuhui District, Shanghai, China. Many of you will know that Mr McShane was privileged to visit Shanghai during the academic year with a contingent of Norfolk Headteachers. This exchange visit,
set up by Norfolk County Council, was led by Mrs Alison Cunningham and has been running for many years. Mr McShane presented his ďŹ ndings at the much publicised International Conference at the UEA last year. Professor Du Jian was very interested in our Academy chain and thus set up a return visit to meet our CEO, Dick Palmer and to be taken around the facilities at CCN (City College Norwich), the UTCN
(University Technical College Norfolk) and also to visit us at Attleborough. Professor Du Jian and his colleagues were very impressed with the unique set up that we have in the Academy chain, particularly with the potential progression opportunities that our students have. We will look forward to the possibility of working in partnership with Professor Du Jian in the future.
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