News@Com Winter 2020 by The Cam Academy Trust

NEWS COM

@CombertonVC & @CombertonSF

www.combertonvc.org & www.combertonsixthform.org

The Magazine of Comberton Village College ISSUE 55, WINTER 2020

SPREADING FESTIVE CHEER — PAGE 4

Staff and students adapt COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Switch to remote learning almost seamless In a year when everything has changed and schools are required to work in a totally different way, Comberton is proud of the way that staff and students have adapted. On these pages we wanted to share some of the stories of what is going on at the college, often behind the scenes.

As we reach the end of another extraordinary term, our staff and pupils can look forward to enjoying some well-deserved R & R.

Before we do though, let’s reflect on a few highlights of the term, which show how incredibly quickly and effectively we have all adapted to new ways of working: l In September, pupils were clearly keen to come back to classroom-based learning — and delighted to see their friends again. Staff were thrilled to be able to teach on-site again and we all ALL-INCLUSIVE: Students who are having to study from home are adapted very quickly to ‘the new normal’. registered at form time via ‘Teams’ and join lessons where possible. l Our new on-line Parents’ Evening system has been going well This was testament to the hard work, commitment and adaptability shown by staff (despite a single minor glitch from our provider), with both staff and parents and pupils. Fortunately we were able to bring all main school pupils back the next reporting that the system is much more effective and easier for parents and day, so we did not need to continue. However, we can now confirm that we are all carers. ready to adapt at a moment’s notice! l Staff and pupils are using our on-line systems with increasing proficiency and l To comply with national guidance, 30 of our Year 9 pupils were asked to selfconfidence. We are already seeing the rewards of this, with pupils displaying isolate for two weeks near the end of term. increasing independence and engagement. To ensure that these pupils still remained in contact with their peers and felt l We were able to move, at extremely short notice, to high quality remote involved in school life, form tutors registered them every morning via a ‘Teams’ learning provision for half of Year 8, the whole of Year 10 and, this week, the call. Where possible, pupils also joined their normal lessons. sixth form. Regina Lawrence, Deputy Principal

Piecing together the ultimate jigsaw puzzle

Writing the Comberton Village College timetable is a challenge even in a ‘normal’ year. Timetabling is the process by which we decide how our 1957 pupils will have lessons allocated to each period in the week. We are a large and complex school, with 145 specialist teachers, who teach 52 different qualifications. We are proud that even with the challenges of Covid, we have still been able to deliver our planned curriculum. Our pupils moving into Year 10 can choose options from an à la carte menu of subjects, rather than needing to settle for pre-determined bundles of subjects. We have a broad and diverse sixth form, with a wide variety of subjects that students can study. I think the plainest way to describe the difficulty of writing our timetable is by thinking about it as a jigsaw. Our timetable jigsaw consists of 4745 pieces (lessons) and, sadly, none of them have natural edges or corners to help get us started. Planning for the following year’s timetable starts in September but work really kicks off in earnest in early March. We begin the process with a meeting with each head of department. At this stage we are still working with predictions of how many pupils we expect to take each subject in the following September: but we will not know this for sure until the summer exam results. We make our best guess for each subject and ensure that our teacher recruitment is sufficient for the year ahead.

q Spreading Festive Cheer — 4 q Students reach Final — 4 q Poets invited to Finale — 4 q Sixth Form Quick to Adapt — 5 q Charity Work Continues — 5 q Students excel at Maths — 5 q More than Translation — 6

This year, the series of planning meetings with each head of department were curtailed by the closure of schools on 20 March 2020. However, we rapidly moved these meetings online and this stage of our planning worked very well remotely. We make significant use of computers to help schedule lessons, but at the later stages of writing our timetable it can take a computer three or four days (!) to work out a viable place for just one lesson (out of all 4745). As students and parents will know, our timetable this year looks very different than in previous years. We have moved to a school day that consists of three double periods rather than six single periods. This allowed us to achieve a number of aims: l To continue to teach our planned curriculum that has delivered outstanding progress for pupils at Comberton while providing a Covidsecure learning environment. l To reduce the number of interactions between pupils, in corridors and within classrooms. This meant that when positive cases were identified, far fewer pupils need to self-isolate than would otherwise be the case. l To continue to teach lessons in specialist rooms: science lessons can still happen in science labs, computer science lessons in computer rooms, drama lessons in drama studios, etc. After six months’ effort, on 11 August 2020 we finally managed to load our draft timetable into the computer system we use to take our registers. We celebrated briefly, and then got stuck into planning the 2021-22 timetable! Jamie Freeman, Assistant Principal

Contents

q Experts Give Different Perspectives — 6 q Eco-activists have their Say — 6 q Trips get the Go-Ahead — 7 q It’s a Climate Emergency — 8 q MP grilled about his ‘Green’ Views — 8

q Trust News — 9 q Get to know Cookies — 10 q Packed Concert Online — 10 q Keeping All Options Open — 11 q New Exams Guidance — 11 q Staff move on — 11 q Sport — 12 &13

to CVC’s new ‘normal’

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Positively proud of good behaviour

The return to school for all students and their families has seen the more formal introduction of the Go4Schools behaviour module.

demands of study a challenge. Much of this work is carried out by the excellent pastoral teams which students are attached to. We do anticipate further developments in the way we utilise the G4S behaviour system at Comberton Village College; ensuring that we have consistency in application, recording and reporting of all events. We are very grateful for the positive communications from so many families regarding these developments. Most significantly, families are now able to have fuller and more informed conversations with their children regarding their school experience — further promoting the valuable educational support parents and carers provide. Sean Sycamore, Deputy Principal

During the period of lockdown, we launched a variation of the system to allow staff to record student work completed during remote learning. This proved to be incredibly helpful in securing valuable information about students working from home and allowed appropriate support and pastoral staff to intervene for those who appeared to be facing specific challenges, during extremely challenging and anxious times. Since September 2020, this system has been transformed to now represent our intended use when school returned to being fully open to all students. We are incredibly pleased to report that in the first three months, the engagement with the system has been immensely positive. We have recorded in excess of 20,000 positive events in the form of postcards and merits. While these would have been issued by staff previously, we are now able to manage this in a contact-free and environmentally friendly manner — particularly with the removal of the student planner for Years 8-11. While there are sanctions recorded within the same system, we are very proud and pleased to say these constitute only 15% of the total number of all records. This demonstrates the extremely positive behaviour shown by so many of our students across the school, at the various stages of the school day. As part of being a fully comprehensive school, we are able celebrate the ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRAISE: Postcards home are now wonderful success and achievements of our student body, but are also contact free — having gone virtual! equipped to intervene with students who find the school day and the

Teachers of tomorrow still get to practise

As we all know too well, Covid has affected every aspect of our lives throughout 2020. Education has been hugely affected and one aspect of education that could have had significant ramifications for the future is Teacher Training. A whole cohort of future teachers last year had their schoolbased training dramatically adjusted and missed the wonderful experience of being physically in school with students. Trainee teachers, along with existing teachers, rose to this challenge admirably and began experiencing setting online work and working in a new remote way. All our trainee teachers last year succeeded in their training year and some have started their teaching careers at Comberton. This academic year, more than ever, the vital work of training future teachers and providing experience in school is paramount. We have faced significant barriers due to Covid but we have been determined to enable the next generation of teachers to experience their school-based training. As a school, having future teachers join our establishment provides us with outward facing feedback; they bring fresh ideas and perspectives and our students benefit from experiencing differing teaching styles and pedagogy. Equally important is the experience being in school gives our trainee teachers. They are the future of education and their initial teacher experience will help shape their ideas, views and methodology. We are very proud that we have succeeded in hosting 20 CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE: For trainee teachers working at Comberton trainee teachers this term and our partnerships with The this term. Faculty of Education at Cambridge University and The Cambridge Teaching Schools Network continue to flourish. was like! Covid has not prevented us being able to offer our usual amount of places. We say farewell to this term’s cohort of trainees and wish them the best of The procedures and risk assessments in place enabled trainees to gain an luck in their placement two schools. Our training doesn’t stop here though, almost ‘normal’ school-based experience and as the trainees have said — as we welcome another 19 next term. this is their normal; they do not know what teaching in a school pre-Covid Jane Clarke, Assistant Principal

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Spreading festive cheer

CARING CHRISTMAS: Year 11 students shop for, then pack goodies for the Cambridge Foodbank Christmas hamper appeal.

Comberton’s annual hamper appeal took on a new look this year.

The Coronavirus meant the school was unable to ask for donations of food and Christmas treats in support of the Cambridge City Foodbank Christmas hamper appeal. Instead the school raised money through a non-uniform day and collected more than £1500 which, with the help of Morrison’s currently offering 10% off shopping for teachers, meant enough was rpurchased to fill 75 hampers. The Foodbank provides emergency food supplies and support to individuals and

Students reach final

families in crisis throughout the year in Cambridge and the surrounding area and the hamper appeal offers a seasonal boost for those most in need One of the students involved, Louise (11C), said: “Our school has been running the Christmas hamper appeal for five years. This is where food is collected from students to create bags of food for the less fortunate. It is a great way for students to help those in need at Christmas. However, this year, due to Covid, we were unable to do our usual method to collect the food. So instead we raised money through a non-school uniform day and went to Morrisons to buy food for our hampers. With the money raised we managed to make 75 full hampers with some extra money left to donate to the charity.”

Two more Comberton students have qualified for the national finals of a Year 7 foreign language spelling competition. Rufus (now in 8V) won the delayed regional final of the Routes into Languages Year 7 Spanish Bee competition with Abigail (now 8T) as the runner-up. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the competitions are being held this term and remotely; schools videoing their students and sending their efforts to Routes into Languages for judging. The number of words students need to be able to say then spell increases with each round and Rufus and Abigail’s final efforts were videoed on the last day of term for judging during the Christmas holidays. The winner is the student — all of whom will have come through class, school and regional rounds nationwide — who correctly says and spells the most words in a minute. This year’s finalists had the added challenge of making sure that they spoke clearly enough to be audible on the video, while still maintaining the speed necessary to post a competitive tally. Comberton has a strong tradition of success in this competition, which was originally devised by a former CVC languages teacher, Jane Driver, having had national winners on more than one occasion. The competition also takes place in French and German.

SPANISH SUCCESS: Comberton has students in the finals of the national Spelling and Translation Bees. Comberton also entered the Translation Bee and Tanya (now 9T) also came through the Central Regional Final to qualify for the national competition in Spanish. Run in a similar way to the Spelling Bee, this challenge asks students to translate rather than spell words from an expanding list.

Ten Comberton students are to have poems published after entering a languages competition. The students all took part in Mother Tongue Other Tongue and were shortlisted after either submitting an original work or, if their first language is not English, they had the option of finding and presenting a poem or song in their native tongue, encouraging them to research and use that language. Six students chose to write their own poems, with four choosing Spanish and two German. Of those in Spanish only one, Benjamin (8B), is a native Spanish speaker who wrote about a family trip to Argentina. In the Other Tongue section, Lucy (8V) wrote about netball, Summer (9V) hopes to inspire others to remind people of the positives of lockdown and that they can achieve whatever they put their mind to, while Claudia (9I) looked at embracing what you have.

Anna (9I) focused on trying to get people to appreciate their own worth in her German entry while Bilal (9C) wrote about Ramadan. The other Mother Tongue students entered pieces of work that have a special meaning to them. Darcey (9B) chose an Afrikaans poem that reminds her of her grandma and a close friend and Melina (9N) chose a Greek poem from one of her favourite childhood books which has left a lasting impression on her. Marcos (9C) chose a Swiss song his mum sang to him as a youngster and Diya (9M) picked a Bangla song dedicated to those who fought for peace and independence for Bangladesh against Pakistan. All the students, their families and friends will now be invited to the Mother Tongue Other Tongue celebration event online — which it is hoped will be part of the Cambridge Festival — on March 31st 2021. It will be presented by Slam poet champion Joelle Taylor, who will also perform a selection of her own work.

Published poets invited to Festival finale

Sixth form quick to adapt

SIXTH FORM

After another busy summer of recruitment into Year 12, Sixth Form numbers are currently just over 500 students spread across the two year groups.

Our latest intake has been drawn from more than 20 schools, perhaps attracted by our vibrant and caring environment, where encouragement and support are readily available. We have reopened with a host of additional Covid-19 based challenges, but our staff and students have embraced the additional rules and procedures to enable us to do so in a ‘Covid Safe’ environment. Comberton’s class of 2020 had a particularly turbulent results day and this caused a great deal of stress and strain for students, their families and staff.

With the eventual political U-turn, the vast majority of our students (87%) were able to be placed in either their first or second choice university setting. Just over a third of those who applied joined Russell Group Universities, with the percentage of students joining Cambridge and Oxford also on the rise. Students were also placed on prestigious school leaver programmes and apprenticeships, and we are delighted to be joined by a number of ex-CSF students in positions of employment at CVC and across the Trust. While our ‘new’ Year 12 intake remain focussed on settling in and making progress with their studies, our Year 13 students are already in the 2021 UCAS application cycle and many students have been working really hard to complete their personal statements and applications.

This year, 20 students applied to Oxbridge with 16 reaching the interview stage. These interviews have been online for the first time which has added an extra layer of potential anxiety. My thanks to Hannah Powell (Deputy Head of Sixth Form) for all she has done to support these students, with mock interviews and other preparation. Our Open Evening on the 4th November was a rather different occasion in 2020. With prospective students and their parents joining virtual events and watching online introductory and subject videos (which are still available via the CSF website) rather than the usual bustling on-site experience. We very much look forward to receiving applications in January after the final application deadline. David Clarke Head of Sixth Form

Charity work continues — without cake!

CLEANING UP: Students washed staff members’ cars to raise £220 for Children in Need.

The Autumn term is normally a busy time for charitable activities in the sixth form with the Student Council leading on a number of events. Despite the lack of ever-popular cake sales, the sixth form was able to raise just shy of £500 for Children in Need. Thanks to Mr Waller and the Charities Group for their staff car wash in which they cleaned more than 30 cars over three Wednesday enrichment sessions and contributed nearly half of the total. We have also had charitable events in aid of CamSight and our annual involvement in the Poppy Appeal. The final event of the term was the Christmas Jumper Day in aid of Save the Children when students and staff donated £1 to wear their festive layers.

Students excel at maths

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT: Students paid to wear seasonal jumpers to aid Save the Children.

Twenty-one students from CSF took on the task of competing in the Senior Maths Challenge. This annual competition is run by the UKMT (United Kingdom Mathematics Trust) and offers students the opportunity to try a different style of mathematics challenge. The style of question often requires recourse to problem-solving skills and gives students the chance to pit their wits against others across the UK. Recognition of achievement in the competition is made by awarding the top-scoring 60% of all participants Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates in the ratio 3:2:1. On this basis, CSF would reasonably expect around six Bronze, four Silver and two Gold awards. We are, therefore, delighted to report that our students actually achieved four Gold, eight Silver and five Bronze awards — a really superb effort from all involved. Those students in receipt of a Gold certificate are offered the chance to take part in a further round of competition. There are two possible options — the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1 (BMO1) and the Senior Kangaroo. The top 1000 students in the UK have the chance to take part in the BMO1 and 6000 students take part in the Senior Kangaroo. Of our four Gold recipients, one qualified for the BMO1 (we are awaiting this result).The others took part in the Senior Kangaroo. Of these entries, two received certificates of participation and one achieved merit (the highest award) for a result in the top 25% of all entrants.

More than translation! SIXTH FORM

I recently took part in The Queen’s College Mini Translation Competition, which was open to students in Years 10-13 studying French, Spanish or German.

I chose to enter the French section, which involved translating a section of Camus’s La Peste (The Plague) as well as analysing the metaphorical significance of the title. Despite being written more than 70 years ago, there were many parallels between the novel and our current situation, which I found really interesting. One of the sections involved examining what the ‘plague’ could also represent — from the Nazi occupation during the Second World War to the concept of the Absurd I had the opportunity to consider the historical, political and sociological context in which it was written and was able to

appreciate better its enduring relevance today. Through participating in the competition, I also began to explore the book from a more existential point of view, something which I had never considered before! The translation aspect was equally rewarding and I really enjoyed being able to vary the sentence types to give a slightly more creative translation. I was lucky enough to receive a commendation in The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, and I really felt that I learnt many valuable skills! The competition completely changed my perception of translation. It showed me that trying to maintain a balance between staying as loyal as possible to the text, while also appreciating cultural differences between the source and target language, is much harder than I had initially thought! Holly (13-LM)

LEARNING CURVE: The translation event ended up changing perceptions of translation.

Experts give different perspectives on tragedy

ONLINE CONFERENCE: More students were able to attend when the ‘Tragedy in Action’ Conference went virtual.

Most years, A level Literature students head to London for the annual national conference on ‘Aspects of Tragedy’, one of their core exam units. But, of course, 2020 has not been like most years and this event was held online, allowing more students to participate at a lower cost. One Year 13, Emily, wrote of her impressions: The 'Tragedy in Action' event offered a way to enhance my understanding of the genre of tragedy from different perspectives and in relation to the tragedy exam. While strengthening what I already knew, the expert speakers offered more complex, even degree level interpretations of elements of tragedy, from texts which I had and had not studied. Nick Hutchison's talk on Shakespeare's plays was particularly interesting from a director's point of view, commenting not only on the texts themselves but on the effect on our interpretation of a scene or a character, as a result of how they are presented on the stage. The speakers also noted the way tragedy has evolved, comparing the experience of tragedy from the context in which it was written, to the way readers or audiences might experience it now. Overall, a thought-provoking and helpful way to get to grips with the set texts, their contexts, broader literature, and the exam technique. And, not having to travel into London, was actually a bonus.

Eco-activists have their say on planning

Eco-activists from Comberton’s sixth form are helping to shape Cambridgeshire County Council’s environmental planning. They joined researchers from the Cambridge University Science and Policy Exchange (CUSPE) in a 90-minute session using interactive tools to discuss their priorities for ways to tackle the climate and ecological emergency, both locally and more generally. The participants also talked to researchers about how much they feel able to make a difference as well as demonstrating how much — often untapped — energy and smart thinking young people have to contribute to this global issue. The CSF students’ feedback will be written into a report to the council and will be used to inform how young people are consulted about environmental issues. It will also pave the way for more communication between the council and schools. The whole Comberton EcoTeam is thrilled that both the university and the council are really listening to our students.

INFORMING PLANNING: Students worked with Cambridge University researchers to help with Cambs County Council’s environmental planning.

SIXTH FORM

Trips get the go-ahead

DATA COLLECTION: Students take measurements at the coast for their A Level coursework.

Year 13 geographers can finally start their A Level coursework after a mammoth effort to get permission for field trips during lockdown.

Head of Geography Scott Aitken spent many hours completing necessary Covid-19 as well as the usual trip risk assessments so he and Head of Sixth Form David Clarke could take the 31 students on one of

three visits. The students needed to collect primary data to answer a question of their choice for the coursework portion of their A level, which is worth up to 20% of their final grade. These questions could be about sea defences, sand dunes or regeneration as the trips went to Hunstanton, Walton-on-the-Naze and the area around the Olympic Park in East London.

Examining the Olympic effect on East London CHANGING PLACES: Looking at regeneration in East London.

Head of Sixth Form David Clarke took a small group of students to Stratford, London, to collect data for our A-level geography coursework, with the focus of the investigation being on the human topic we studied in Year 12, Changing Places. As part of the A-level examination for geography, you must create an individual research question which will enable you to collect data and evidence to support your hypothesis. We investigated different areas in Stratford by comparing the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (where there is clear evidence of regeneration) to areas outside the Park (known as Old Stratford) such as Fish Island. In these locations we carried out environmental quality assessments and took several photos to analyse later in our write-up, collecting a wide range of both qualitative and quantitative data. These will then be used in our NEA (Non-Examined Assessment) to support our individual questions we chose to investigate. I found this trip incredibly insightful as it highlighted both the positive and negative impacts of the regeneration as a result of the 2012 Olympic Games on the local population and businesses, also having a significant impact on the social inequality and overall environmental quality of the area. Hannah (13-EJ)

“It was hard work to get these trips able to go ahead but it was really important for the students to get the data they needed to get on with their write-ups, both during lessons and for homework,” said Mr Aitken. “It worked really well in the end with the tides exactly suiting our visits, so the students were able to get the data they needed from the coastal visits. And I enjoyed my fish and chips!”

Defences and erosion in focus

The fieldwork collection day, in my case, was used to collect data on the sea defences in Hunstanton. Some others from the class and I went to investigate the rates of erosion at the coast and the effectiveness of the sea defences (timber groynes, cement groynes and sea wall.) To allow us to collect such data we measured the beach profiles, the groyne heights on either side (to understand the longshore drift taking place), the sea wall heights and the distance of infrastructure from the sea. We used environmental analysis, land use tally, distance of historical sites from the cliff edge, and photo analysis to help compare the unprotected cliffs with the defended town centre. This allowed us to understand the quality of sea defences, the levels of erosion and the sustainability of sea defences already in place. This total measuring time took a group of four around four hours to complete. Emily (13-SCo)

COASTAL QUESTIONS: Students look at sea defences and erosion on the East coast.

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

It’s a climate emergency! GREEN FINGERS: EcoTeam students plant trees in the college grounds.

Comberton held their first ‘climate emergency’ week this term.

The EcoTeam launched a new blog and planted trees round the school and each year group is declaring which pledges they will make, as individuals, to fight the climate emergency. In addition, prioritising environmental action and environmental education is being written into the school development plan. Languages teacher Katrina Barnes, who works with the eco-group, said: “We’re really proud of the students and how much initiative they show.” Earlier in the term students welcomed Becca Neal of the Cambs, Beds and

Northants Wildlife Trust for an online event. She detailed how climate change is having an impact locally, discussed what the Trust is doing to combat it and inspired students with tips about getting environmentally active. Another online event saw students attend the Youth Climate summit where they learned about sustainable fishing as well as the dangers of overfishing, the most destructive method of taking fish from the sea since this also rips up plants which then release CO2 into the atmosphere. A third online event was a meeting with South Cambs MP Anthony Browne (see article below).

MP grilled about his ‘green’ views Students in Comberton’s EcoTeam were delighted to have an online meeting with South Cambs Conservative MP Anthony Browne earlier this term. He started by introducing himself and generally outlining the green activities he has taken part in since our previous meeting. Mr Browne was very defensive when it was suggested that the Government was not doing enough to tackle the climate emergency that we are faced with. He explained how the Committee on Climate Change reports to the Government, which supposedly acts upon their recommendations. He gave some examples of the Government’s goals, but not what is being done to achieve these goals. Mr Browne is known to be critical of Extinction Rebellion and their ‘extremism’. In this meeting he explained how he thinks their activities counterproductive, as they are not winning public opinion because of the disruption they cause. He also suggested that Extinction Rebellion are scaring people and spreading misinformation, although this is rarely the case. He also insisted that he couldn’t support law-breaking. A Year 7 pupil picked up on this point and asked him why he voted with the Government to break international law if he is so strongly against law breaking. Mr Browne said he didn’t think that the Internal Markets Bill was breaking international law, as the EU had broken its side of the treaty. Later in the meeting, there was lengthy discussion of HS2 and whether it should go ahead, green stimulus, the cost of electric vehicles, bringing environmental education into the curriculum and the water levels in the Cam. Mr Browne appeared to take a genuine interest in these issues, and there was meaningful discussion of some of his plans. Lastly, Mr Browne explained that he doesn’t

MEET YOUR MP: Students,staff and invited guests quiz Anthony Browne.

support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill as he considers it undemocratic and believes that the Government is doing enough. Students were keen to give their reactions to the meeting: “Overall, we thought the meeting went well, but we felt that some of our questions were not answered properly. “This might be because the information was confidential or information the Government did not want to make public yet or it could have been that Anthony Browne did not want to answer honestly and so he skirted around it by answering a similar question. “This meeting was helpful, as we now have a good plan for our next moves, and we know people we can contact” - Zoe and Becca (Year 8) “This meeting was a positive experience and allowed the EcoTeam to share ideas and new

proposals with Mr Browne. “It was also reassuring to hear about some actual activities and projects that he has been running and taking part in, as it sometimes seems that politicians are doing very little beyond talking! “Despite not having views entirely consistent with those of most present in the meeting, Mr Browne mentioned taking action on topics mentioned multiple times, so this meeting should achieve some genuine progress” - Emily (Year 9) We will be scheduling a follow-up meeting with Mr Browne in the near future and invite interested colleagues across the Trust to join the conversation. Please email kbarnes@combertonvc.org for more details, and please also get in touch if you would be interested in setting up a Green ideas-sharing session more generally!

IT investment pays off

THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST NEWS

In a year like no other, the importance of using digital technology in teaching and internal communication across schools has really come to the fore.

The Trust and its schools have really utilised this to continue providing highquality education. Sean Sumner, Director of IT Strategy at The Cam Academy Trust, explained: “A few years ago, The Cam Academy Trust made a strategic decision to invest in Cloud services and infrastructure to provide the best possible opportunities for teaching and learning across our schools. This year, at the beginning of the pandemic, this investment came into its own overnight and Microsoft 365, including our bespoke SharePoint-based platform, the CATalogue, fully sprang into life. “Now a few months on, we have all been on some very steep learning curves, learning how to teach in Teams, finding our way around SharePoint and collaborating in new ways, assignments, OneNote, Forms, the list goes on. “But this we know — this stretches far beyond the school walls and we are using tools and services which are becoming the norm in universities, homes and workplaces all over the world — placing skills in the hands of our students which will carry them through their time with us as well as into the future.” Mr Sumner was also keen to emphasise the benefits of the new iPad for Learning scheme, stating: “After a successful pilot programme, we introduced the iPad for Learning scheme at Cambourne Village College with Year 8 students in May 2019 and then for Year 7 students in September 2019. “Since then, the scheme has gone from strength to strength and we are gradually introducing iPads further across our secondary and primary schools.” At Cambourne, students in all year groups now have an iPad to support their personal learning. Almost all parents have supported the leasing scheme, where, for a fixed monthly payment, an iPad, case, keyboard and insurance are provided. Financial support is available to families where needed. Students enjoy the range of experiences the iPads provide, from research tasks to accessing satellite links for geography or specialist apps in a whole range of

subjects. The iPads support many areas of learning alongside an understanding that students still need a range of tactile, musical and physical experiences at school — and must still be able to use a pen! Cambourne Principal, Claire Coates, said: “We had never envisaged the need to provide remote learning for all students, but during the lockdown, the iPads really came into their own. “With the PE department issuing weekly online sporting challenges and the music staff devising an ingenious ‘virtual’ concert in which many students performed together, we kept morale high throughout the summer while also providing exceptionally strong remote learning. “It’s hard to remember what life was like before we had the iPads and I look forward to the endlessly creative ways in which students and staff continue to enjoy learning with them.”

PREPARED: Cambourne students in all years now have an iPad to support their personal learning

Extending age range to meet local need

One important thing that our Trust seeks to do is to enable every school in currently out for consultation and a major business case with be presented the Trust to develop its work to serve its community as well and fully as to the Regional School Commissioner’s Office in the New Year. possible. The move is supported by the Local Authority as a response to meet the This might include serving a wider group of pupils than a school’s original identified need for more Sixth Form capacity in the area as student numbers remit. One obvious example of that is the development of Gamlingay First are set to grow in coming years. The school is liaising with the Local School into a full Primary School, Gamlingay Village Primary (GVP). Authority to confirm plans for the new facilities that will be needed to enable A similar path was taken by Everton First School and it has become a full this to happen. primary school, Everton Heath. The Cambourne Sixth Form would then join the two existing Sixth Forms in The Trust is now working with other schools to support similar extensions the Trust at Comberton and St Peter’s in Huntingdon. of their remit. We hope that this will do even more to bring educational These two Sixth Forms are now looking to work much more closely together ‘excellence for all’ in the areas where they work. and to share provision wherever helpful and appropriate. This opens up Two schools are looking at extending the age range to include a pre-school many exciting possibilities, including the provision of Mandarin from from September 2021. Hartford September 2021 overseen by Infant School and GVP both staff at Melbourn Village have the physical capacity on College. their sites to do this and both Given the way that we have all are clear about how this can become very familiar with how provide a needed service to virtual teaching, learning and their communities as well as support is possible and can integrate younger children into provide high-quality the educational provision at education, the possibilities of the schools. Consultations are joint working and provision being held and business cases between Sixth Forms are presented to the Regional considerable. School Commissioner’s Office This can help to broaden the curriculum offer available in as required in this process. our Sixth Forms and At the other end of our age strengthen the provision for range, the Trust is supporting all Sixth Formers in the future. Cambourne Village College to The proposed Sixth Form at develop a new Sixth Form. Cambourne will join this way The hope is to have this ready of working when it opens. to admit its first students in Stephen Munday CEO September 2023. SPACE TO GROW: Hartford Infant School have a room with a kitchen, Again, the proposal is toilets and an outside space that could be converted to a pre-school.

For job vacancies across the Trust, visit the CAT website at www.catrust.co.uk

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COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

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Packed Christmas concert now online

Following the success of the online summer concert, students and staff sent in their videos to join in with seasonal musicmaking for the Music Department’s annual Christmas Concert. Music staff brushed up on our editing skills and stitched together some group songs, while more 50 solo performances were also included in the threepart concert. Congratulations to all who took part. The concert will continue to be available to view over the festive period at this link: https://catrustorg.sharepoint.com /sites/COMHome/SitePages/CombertonChristmas-Concert-2020.aspx

COMING TOGETHER: Students and staff perform Jingle Bell Rock for the Christmas concert.

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

Keeping all options open

FLYING HIGH: Former CVC student Filip Marschall is combining football at Aston Villa with A Levels.

Former Comberton student Filip Marschall is living many youngsters’ dreams as a professional footballer — but he is still keeping his career options open.

The 17-year-old goalkeeper, who left Comberton in 2019 to become a full-time player at Premiership club Aston Villa, is studying for A levels in maths and further maths alongside an intensive training and playing career, which has already seen him spotted by England goalkeeping scouts. “For these (A levels), I have lessons/study time with a private tutor almost every day, which I organise around my training,” said Filip. “Balancing schoolwork and football can be quite a challenge, given the demanding schedule. However, it’s something where, if I’m disciplined and I stay focused, then I can get my work done in the free time that I have outside of football. “It comes down to making sacrifices of my free time and doing what I know will be beneficial. “Although it’s quite a lot of work to be doing alongside my football, it’s something else to focus on outside of sport and can take away the stress of it sometimes. “I’m not yet certain if I’ll be attending university whilst playing football. I’m still thinking of taking another A-Level or two in the next year, after which I will think about the future beyond. “Of course, it all comes down to how my football goes and what opportunities lie

ahead — as you know professional football is never a guaranteed career. “So, at the moment, I’m focusing on what I’m doing in my professional life, but I’m still keeping the possibility of university open. “Doing my A-Levels keeps this door open for the rest of my life. Once I have completed my A-Levels, I know I will always be able to go uni; whenever this might be.” So far Filip’s professional career seems to be going in the right direction after he was invited to an England training camp by national coaches after being watched while playing in the under-18 Premier League. He trained only with other under-20 goalkeepers at the England camp although he does train with the Villa senior team. While he appreciates the England experience, training with the first team and being involved in the EFL Trophy, his highlight so far is playing in the FA Youth Cup, where Villa are into the fourth round after a 4-3 win at Reading last week. “I’d have to say my best experience so far is playing in the FA Youth Cup,” he said. “It’s similar to the FA Cup, just for youth players at Under-18s level. “We’re currently in the fourth round and it’s an amazing experience being able to play at some great stadiums nationwide and play very competitive football at a high level. “Of course, I’m looking forward to the challenge being raised even more and am hoping for my career to continue progressing towards the senior level.”

Government gives more details on exams

Given the significant unrest and confusions throughout the examination series of 2020, there has been understandable concern from those students facing GCSE, A-level and other assessments this coming summer. Will there actually be exams? Will they be fair? Will the assessments my teachers make become my final grades. From fairly early on there was an announcement that exams would take place and that they would be delayed by three weeks. In early December we heard further news with the following details: l Grades will be ‘in line’ with those in 2020.

The grading for GCSEs and A levels in 2020 was mostly based on teacher assessment. This led to grade inflation compared to previous years. However, the government announced that the grading in 2021 will be in line with that of 2020. l Students will be given advance notice of topics in the exam. Students will see some exam material in advance of sitting papers. Students will receive ‘advance notice of some topic areas covered in GCSE, AS and A levels to focus revision,’ according to the Government's announcement. These will be published from the end of January.

l There will be further papers for students who miss exams because of Covid-19. The Government announced there will be "additional exams to give students a second chance to sit a paper if the main exams or assessments are missed due to illness or selfisolation". While it is clear that there are to be further details to be published early next term, it is helpful to have this information and for pupils to be aware that we are fully expecting examinations in the summer. Staff and pupils continue to work hard to ensure all are as fully prepared for this as possible.

After more than 40 years of combined service, Comberton Village College and Comberton Sixth Form are saying farewell a number of staff. Since starting in 2007 Sandra Blackford has embraced a number of roles, teaching English and film studies before going on to become the Head of both KS5 Film Studies and English Literature. Her subject knowledge and expertise is formidable, and under her leadership sixth form English and Film Studies has gone from strength to strength. She has also been a fantastic mentor to both students and teachers new to the profession and many trainee teachers have remarked on the wealth of knowledge they have gained from Mrs Blackford,

who is retiring, and that her classrooms are always dynamic and exciting places to be. Library and Resource Manage Jane Hack has also moved on to work for the NHS after 12 years in a number of roles at CVC. She was pivotal in the creation of the fantastic library space built when the front of the site was remodelled to accommodate the sixth form. Jane has been hugely influential, leading on oracy and literacy programmes across our year groups. Also on the move is duty site manager Kevin Dakin after more than 10 years loyal service as he is moving to Yorkshire. Kevin has shown to be a master of many site-based

skills, with an eye for painting and decorating. During many school holidays, he been known to be painting the classrooms and corridors across the campus and always with great positivity. Finally we say farewell to Nigel Canton after more than five years at the college during which time he has been an integral part of the maths department. His lessons have been effective and enjoyable for students across the school, from his eager Year 7 classes to his enthusiastic sixth form groups. Whilet Mr Canton will be sorely missed both by the maths department and the college, we wish him all the best in his retirement, although we’ll be very happy to have him back if he gets bored!

Staff move on to pastures new

The power of yoga!

Round-up of the latest news from the South Cambs SSP

This autumn term has been a bit different to usual but that hasn’t stopped South Cambs School Sports Partnership delivering our key projects.

This term we have offered Yoga in several schools to different age groups, including Coton’s Year 1s. The feedback has been fantastic, and it has been having a positive impact on children and staff. It gives the children half an hour

to focus on themselves, their minds and their bodies. To quote one teacher: “the children were ready to learn after the session”. Each session consists of a warmup followed by a sequence of poses which are repeated two or three times and finishes with a meditation story and time to relax. When asking the children what they like best they nearly always reply the story at the end. In all schools the children are keen to learn and improve each week.

YOGA POSES: Primary school pupils and their teachers are reaping the benefits of regular yoga sessions.

Pupils rise to range of sporting challenges With large groups from different schools unable to mix, the SCSSP went virtual this term. The main focus of the first Virtual Event this year was friendship, fun and well-being. It was clear that there was plenty on display in all the schools that took part in our Friendship Run week organised the week before half term. An amazing 24 schools took part with more than 3400 children involved in one of the many challenges that were organised within their school. These ranged from scavenger hunts to personal challenges, like how far can you run in one week, to the timed mile competition. The annual cross-country competitions are usually the highlight of this term, mainly as it

Painting a picture of health!

In January the SCSSP is supporting a month-long campaign for schools, children and families across Cambridgeshire & Peterborough to show how they stay active and promote and celebrate healthy lifestyles. Schools are being asked to set aside a noticeboard and get children and staff to share their selfies. This can be anything from walking to school, trampolining in the garden, a trip out in nature, cooking healthy foods, taking part in your favourite sport or making healthy snack options. Sports leaders in all the Trust secondary schools have been set the challenge of organising and promoting this campaign and getting as many students and staff as possible involved. Selfies can also be shared on social media @SouthCambs or using #CandPHealthySelfie

brings so many children together at once so to not be able to run them was a real disappointment for us. However, to still be able to have an event where so many children could come together while being apart was fantastic. It was great to hear so many positive stories back from schools including Meldreth, whose teacher said:“It has been inspiring watching our children take part in their Friendship Mile activities whilst embracing the Spirit of the Games values of determination and self-belief and we celebrated these achievements in assembly.” While the main focus of this event was participation, there was also a timed mile for

those children who are motivated by a bit of competition. The challenge was to see how fast you could run one mile. There were a few schools where they did not complete a timed mile within school, but pupils were motivated enough to compete in this challenge themselves out of school, which is fantastic! Other virtual events this term included a Celebration Dance and Sportshall Pentathlon Competition while next term schools will be able to take part in a virtual Skipping Week, Invasion Games Skills Challenge, Gymnastics Competition and an inclusive Panathlon event.

WHEELY GREAT: Pupils have loved the Mike Mullen visits.

Key messages from BMX ace

Trust school Jeavons Wood is one of those set for a visit from BMX cycle ace Mike Mullen next term. The champion stunt rider will also be at another Cambourne school, Monkfield Park, as well as Barton Primary school, spreading his message about growth mindset. The visit usually begins with a growth mindset assembly and BMX trick display for the whole school, incorporating themes of building resilience and learning from failure. He said: “I realised every trick or competition was a challenge — always dangerous and often painful. “Facing these daily challenges as a BMX rider, I learned to find courage, become independent, resourceful and to build resilience.” The rest of the day includes practical BMX workshops for

up to 60 pupils with all equipment provided. He has adapted his visits with assemblies outdoors on the playground and equipment cleaned between workshops. Mike also factors in any values schools may be focusing on such as self-belief, teamwork, aspiration, independence, respect and wellbeing with one teacher commenting: “Mike was fantastic! The whole school enjoyed his assembly and his message about persevering was spot on. “KS2 loved the workshops. He was lovely with the children — his visits were a huge success — lots of parents have commented on how much their children told them about the day.” If any other schools would like a visit please get in touch with Partnership Manager, Claire McDonnell, on cmcdonnell@combertonvc.org

COMBERTON VILLAGE COLLEGE

HARD AT WORK: Sports leaders have been busy creating films and designing challenges.

Leaders find ways to develop their skills 2020 has been a year that no-one could have predicted, with the Covid-19 pandemic creating disruption across the world. Supporting young people to realise their potential is more critical now than ever before. The South Cambs School Sports Partnership is passionate about providing opportunities for as many young people as possible to grow their leadership skills

and develop essential life skills such as communication, organisation and teamwork. Fifty Comberton pupils have been selected for the Leadership Academy this year, and they have already shown their levels of creativity through creating and filming virtual sports challenges for local primary schools, as well as designing challenges that can be used within their own

school for active form time.

In addition to this, they have been busy

presenting and filming videos for the School

Meeting the challenges!

Games Virtual Invasion Games Skills challenges

ready for the Spring Term.

Well done all to all involved.

The start of the academic year brought many challenges in terms of planning and organising the PE department.

With different sports publishing often conflicting Covid Guidance from their respective governing bodies, the DfE producing dossiers with vague and contradictory advice, the initial phases of planning were mind-boggling to say the least. We decided to take things back to basics. We considered the physical, mental and emotional needs of the pupils, the thirst for social interaction and the need for a clear and precise cleaning regime to ensure all hygiene guidelines were covered. The first order of the year is normally to replenish footballs, bibs, dodgeballs and basketballs; this year however the order was taken over by hand sanitiser, wipes, Milton cleaner and pump action pressure sprayers. Each venue was given a makeover, with dispensers on the walls, dunking stations for equipment and cleaning cages to spray down larger kit. All hands were on deck to prepare the staff and students for a new way of working. We selected a range of sports we thought would be suitable for pupils following a lengthy lockdown and potential inactivity. While we still had some sunshine left and, as we had missed a summer of sport, we started with athletics and fitness for all our Year 8 pupils. Our new Year 7s began their journey with a variety of team sports including hockey, netball and rounders. With Years 9, 10 and 11, we tried to resume business as usual and get pupils back into what they would consider a usual PE routine, the only difference being everything was outside. We must say, as a department, we were very impressed with the way pupils returned; the attitude, effort and determination to engage in fitness activities and to develop their skills and knowledge within their chosen sports was a true testament to their grit and determination in unprecedented times. While we tried to maintain familiarity, many things had to change. New procedures for the start and end of lessons, regular hand sanitising at the start,

INSIDE ACTIVITY: Lessons were able to move indoors as well after half-term.

end and throughout the lessons, new rules within games to promote social distancing, and, of course, pupils coming to school and staying in their kit for the entirety of the day. But children are adaptable and they quickly settled back in to PE life at CVC. After the half term break, we were able to change and amend the curriculum, allowing for some indoor sports and this was most welcome with the changes in weather. As we walked around the department and looked into lessons it began to feel a little more like a ‘normal’ day. The PE department would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and we look forward to the new year where we can continue to grow and develop our curriculum and extra-curricular provision. Michael Wilce, Head of PE FAMILIAR SCENES: The PE Department have tried to keep things as ‘normal’ as possible despite inevitable changes.