CEC Spring Term Newsletter 2024

Year 10 Students Impress at Business Pitch Day

Cowes Enterprise College witnessed an impressive showcase of entrepreneurial spirit as Year 10 business students pitched their innovative business ideas to local businesses at our Business Pitch Day.

Students pitched range of ideas to members of our local community; from a tour company, card making kits, bakeries, toiletry businesses as well as food outlets. Some students pitched original ideas around new furniture designs and home renovations. It was a very successful afternoon with students Bella and Ellie-May making a very luxurious hot chocolate to show the quality of their food related business. Another of the standout pitches came from ‘Afrotastic’ – an idea created by students Olivia and Emily who delivered a comprehensive and credible business plan.

Miss Gibson and Cowes Enterprise College are so proud of all of the brilliant pitches that were put forward and the huge range and variety of ideas presented.

A confident Tom and Fraser pitched a football coaching business, Lilli and Seren were passionate and realistic about their ‘Rolling Scones’ bakery and Alexis and Kara had some really creative card designs and kits to show. A key area of the pitches is in the preparation and ‘Love 2 Travel’’s Lily, Ruby and Mia excelled here with their travel website design Trav and Thomas also performed well here with their Isle of Wight Tours idea where they had planned walking routes around the Isle of Wight

Principal, Rachel Kitley, said: “At Cowes Enterprise College, we’re committed to providing experiences that prepare our students for success in both work and life Participating in our Year 10 Business Pitch Day offers students a real-world glimpse into the dynamic landscape of business. Through our immersive curriculum, students develop problemsolving, decision-making, and analytical skills essential for navigating today’s business environment ”

CEC Students Receive Best Design Award at LEGO® League Challenge

Cowes Enterprise College were pleased to host the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge UK and Ireland regional event on Monday 11th March.

The FIRST® LEGO® League introduces science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to students through exciting, hands-on learning. Participants gain realworld problem-solving experience through a guided global robotics program

Over sixty students from eight schools attended the event, hosted at Cowes Enterprise College, with their LEGO® robots Each robot had to complete a set of challenges within a 2-minute, 30-second timeframe The whole event extolled the virtues of teamwork, critical thinking and overcoming adversity during the design process

The CEC LEGO team created and delivered a video presentation to a panel of judges based on their favourite hobby and we were delighted to receive the Best Design award

All at Cowes Enterprise College extend their congratulations to Hebal, Lucas, Blake, Jerome, Kavin, Kaedee, Sonny, Max, Theo and Daniel

These students have been working on designing and building their robot and creating their video presentation for several weeks after school and during lunchtimes and Cowes Enterprise College are so proud of the dedication, skill and talent of our amazing students.

Cowes Enterprise College Principal, Rachel Kitley, said: “This event exemplifies our commitment to fostering teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among our students. Congratulations to all the participants, and a special commendation to our CEC LEGO team for their exceptional performance and winning the Best Design award”

Combined science students have been revising the required practicals for Chemistry in lessons this week and making salts.

In Maths, all year 9 pupils worked in small teams to crack codes and decipher hidden messages. Some of these challenges included working out Morse Code messages and using the Caesar Cipher, the same one used by Julius Caesar 2000 years ago! The winning team is heading into the next round and will be competing against other OAT schools across the country. Well done to all year 9 pupils!

Combined science students have been revising the required practicals for Chemistry in lessons this week and separating plant pigments using paper chromatography Well done everyone, great work!

Year 13 Sociology students create their own Sociology ‘Memory wal the exam hall to help learning us environmental cues!

to support young people

Year 11 students have been preparing and looking at onion cells under the microscope as part of their revision of the Practical Activity Group activities for their GCSEs.

Years 10 & 11 Rugby Tournament

On Tuesday 26th March Medina College hosted the combined Years 10 & 11 Rugby tournament!

In less than pleasant conditions the CEC team faced some tough competition in each of their 4 games. This was the first time they had played together in competitive matches especially with a mix of students from each year group but to see them play the Cowes Way from the first whistle you would not have thought it. Every player on the team showed great respect for each opposing team and the officials, and showed good sportsmanship throughout each match. Some teams fielded some experienced players yet the boy’s showed determination and resilience, quite often matching them for speed, power and gameplay Some strategic substitutions by the coaches allowed each player some recovery time during matches to allow the team to play to their maximum, along with players taking responsibility when playing out of position contributed to the results achieved

The Cowes team were a credit to each other and the Academy and the fantastic team performance shown justified 2 victories and 2 very close defeats. Miss Vidovic and Mr Hughes are very proud of the team. Well played James H, Ben W, Harvey K, Reu W, Rob C, Lorik L, Denis L, Herc L-F, Henry F, Seb W, Will L, Ethan T-R, George Ha, Michael W, George He.

CEC U13 Girl Footballers Crowned Winners of IoW Tournament!

A massive well done to CEC U13 Girls Football team who took part in the Isle of Wight tournament on the 6th of March hosted by Cowes Enterprise College and run by Medina College Playing the ‘Cowes Way’ has now become embedded in the approach the girls take when playing opponents. The girls showed respect to their opponents, demonstrating excellent game play, skill and sportsmanship throughout the tournament. They also showed versatility when having to play out of position and responsibility for each of the roles they performed In particular Darcie who generally plays in defence, stepped up to help the forwards. Opponents faced on the day were The Bay, Medina College, Carisbrooke College, Ryde Academy and CTK. Player of the tournament went Schyler for outstanding saves as goalie, and extra mentions to Isla, who as captain helped lead the team to victory and scored some key goals, and to Ruby for some exceptional defending. The girls have also been playing in the Isle of Wight Schools league since the Autumn term They have shown good commitment attending training and when playing in their matches and this contributed to them finishing runners up, only missing out on winning by goal difference. Such a huge achievement with each game showing true resilience and determination giving them this worthy runners up position.

Well played Maisie C, Esmae S, Ava S-R, Leila W, Isla A, Lily B, Schyler GJ, Ruby G, Darcie A, Holly R, Amelia B, Isabelle T, Jessica O, Ellie TM, Yasha S, Summer K and Kaedee K!

Hampshire Schools Cross Country Championships S P O R T S F I X T U R E S

ch, five Cowes Enterp joined with students from other IOW secondary schools across the island and travelled to Down Grange sports complex in Basingstoke to compete in the Hampshire Schools U13 (year 7) and U14 (year 8) Cross Country Championships to be part of the IOW schools team.

Yasha S (year 7) took part in the under 13 girls race running around a tricky course of 2100m with a field of 112 runners. Our IOW team of 13 girls managed to secure 3rd place overall within Hampshire which is an amazing achievement This was due to all girls placing well as a team. Leo W (year 7) took part in the under 13 boys race also running within a tough field of 112 runners in total. He managed to be the 5th IOW boy to come through out of the 11 we took He did a great job and came an impressive 69th As a whole team the IOW team placed 11th overall.

Patrick DS, Finn S and Chris H (all in year all took part in the Under 14 boys race within a field of 115 runners They all worked extremely well and by this point the ground was super muddy and the ran a tough course of 2900m. Patrick was the 5th IOW boy to finish and came an excellent 69th, Finn was 9th IOW boy finishing in 97th and Chris was the 10th IOW boy to finish All three worked extremely well within the IOW team and overall all position secured them 9th overall within Hampshire.

All Cowes students did themselves proud, it was a hard course but every one of them worked super hard and have had an experience running against some tough competition.

Well done to all the students who travelled to be part of the IOW team, they were all a credit to their schools. Thanks to all staff who helped. Thanks also to Miss Davis who ran the IOW team!

Sportshall Athletics Championships

On Thursday the 7th March, 16 students competed in the IOW schools Sportshall Athletics Championships, hosted by Medina. All students had to work together to get the least amount of points across different field and sprint events Field events such as Vertical jump, standing long jump, speed bounce, shot putt, standing triple jump and track races from 2 lap, 4 lap and 6 lap races plus relays. Our students did amazing job across all areas some securing top 3 places across the field and sprint runs helping Cowes gain joint 4th place overall

All students had a great time and worked well as a team Well done to Yasha S, Rose C and Theo L from Year 7 and to the following Year 8s: Maisie C, Hannah Y, Amelie G, Esmae S, Cayla R, Schyler G-J, Isla A, Rafe B, Logan P, Chris H, Patrick DS, Finn S, Jasper R

Year 8 Basketball tournament

On Tuesday 19th March we entered the Year 8 Basketball tournament held at Medina College, fielding 2 teams.

Due to the number of entries the tournament was split into 2 pools for group stages and two finals to decide the top 4 places.

Both teams played 4 matches playing the ‘Cowes Way’ throughout the tournament With each team losing a player to illness/injury they showed great resilience when facing some tough opposition with no substitutes available For some of our students it was the first time they have played a competitive fixture together and each one took responsibility when marking their opponents and taking on different roles during matches. Some of the opposition fielded some experienced players and the Cowes teams showed them respect but did not let it stop them playing their game and applying the tactics relayed by the coach. The great attitude and support for each other contributed to each team winning some of their matches with one team making the 3rd/4th place decider. After an end-to-end game it came down to a free throw shoot out, with Cowes narrowly missing out after entering a sudden death second round

All of the players were a credit to the Academy Well played Fraser L, Rafe B, Arthur H, Ahmed F, Jamie C, Fraser P, Patrick D-S, Barney H and Harry R. So proud of you all!

Cowes Enterprise College hosts Maritime Roadshow for Girls

Cowes Enterprise College was thrilled to host the Maritime Roadshow for Girls, offering an enriching experience for our students. This event provided invaluable insights into STEM careers, shedding light on the exciting opportunities available in science, technology, engineering, and maths It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to explore diverse career pathways within the maritime sector, aligning perfectly with our Maritime Futures curriculum and comprehensive careers education

Throughout the day, the girls had the chance to engage with Industry Ambassadors in a 'speed networking' session, where they learned about various roles within the maritime industry and discussed pathways to access these careers This interactive session allowed our students to connect with professionals in the field, gaining firsthand knowledge about the industry

The roadshow coincided with National Careers Week, making it a timely and impactful event.

With approximately 50 girls aged 11 to 14 from across the Isle of Wight participating, it was an excellent opportunity to showcase maritime careers and inspire the next generation of professionals.

We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone involved, including the Industry Ambassadors who generously volunteered their time to support this event Their dedication and passion for their work truly made a difference in inspiring our students to explore exciting career opportunities in the maritime industry and beyond.

Sixth Form Students Impress at Model United Nations

On Saturday 2nd March, ten CEC students joined approximately 45 students from different schools at Ryde School with Upper Chine for a Model United Nations (MUN)

They had to prepare position papers as delegates of the assigned country and experienced heated debate as part of committees and the overall assembly There was plenty of discussion and they proposed and voted for ideas aimed at obtaining solutions to a range of topics.

Vincentas got the outstanding delegate award and Blake got the highly commended award for their respective committees. Vincentas was also in the leading USA team that won the overall crisis committee debate at the end Some very confident performances were shown by the rest of the students at committee and during the group debate.

Congratulations to Ann, Freddie, Louie, Lucy, Mason, Owen, Theo and Velimira for taking part. Our students were exceptional and carried themselves with confidence and assertiveness They thoroughly enjoyed the experience, supported each other, and interacted really well with their peers.

M A R C H

Academy staff embraced the spirit of World Book Day by dressing up as literary characters!

Students in our after-school science club sed salt to lower the freezing point of ice and turned milkshake into ice cream!

If you'd like to try this at home you can find the instructionshere:

https://www.delish.com/.../a 54721/ice-cream-in-a-bagrecipe/

Students in Year 7 within the Design Technology maritime curriculum have been looking at why some hulls of boats are more or less hydrodynamic than others Great racing and testing Year 7!

Celebrating International Women’s Day at CEC!

We are so lucky to be surrounded so many inspirational women!

Our students inspire us every day with their determination, resilience and growth.

We are so fortunate to work with so many brilliant women from across industries, including women in STEM, and of course we have our own incredible members of staff across the academy who we are grateful for every day.

In Physical Science, students explore the constellations and their role in navigation, aligning with the maritime curriculum. This interdisciplinary approach links scientific theory with maritime principles, enhancing students' comprehension of both subjects. By exploring celestial navigation concepts in the classroom, students develop critical thinking skills and gain a deeper appreciation for maritime heritage

CEC Delighted to Retain the National Quality in Careers Standard

Staff and students at Cowes Enterprise College are delighted to have retained the national Quality in Careers Standard using the Career Mark approach provided by Complete Careers This achievement reflects the academy’s commitment to delivering high-quality careers education, information, advice, and guidance to its students.

The Quality in Careers Standard is the national quality award for careers provision in schools, colleges, and work-based learning settings. It is fully aligned with the Gatsby Benchmarks and complies with the Department for Education’s Statutory Guidance

From year 7 onwards, students at Cowes Enterprise College have access to expert and effective careers support through a variety of methods, including interactive workshops, careers fairs, employer talks, guest speakers, and trips to colleges and universities. The academy’s partnerships with local businesses and universities play a crucial role in ensuring that students receive comprehensive and

informed guidance as they make decisions about their future pathways

During the assessment, Cowes Enterprise College students impressed assessors with their ability to speak confidently about their future ideas and had high aspirations. They were able to demonstrate their interpersonal and communication skills through a range of activities such as the Cowes Charter and workplace visits.

Principal Rachel Kitley said: “We are thrilled to have retained the national Quality in Careers Standard, which underscores our dedication to providing our students with exceptional careers guidance and support. At Cowes Enterprise College, we are committed to educating for life by empowering our students to make informed decisions about their future pathways and to equipping them with the skills they need to succeed in the world beyond education ”

CEC SECURE PLACE IN BRITISH FINAL OF HYDROGEN GRAND PRIX

Cowes Enterprise College's Eco Futures and Eco Change teams have secured a spot in the British Final of the Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) as part of our new Eco Futures curriculum work!

Working with staff from our Design Technology and Science Departments, our brilliant Year 9 students have recently showcased their innovation and problem solving skills in a number of challenges

With the generous support of a £12,000 bursary, our teams are equipped with two remote control race cars powered by hydrogen for the upcoming endurance event and all at Cowes Enterprise College are wishing them the best for the British Final in June 2024.

This incredible opportunity not only showcases the talent and creativity of our students but also highlights the importance of fostering imagination, ingenuity, and real-world skills to address the energy challenges of the future.

Isle of Wight Schools Cross Country Championships

Well done to our amazing students in the recent Year 7 & 8 Isle of Wight Schools Cross Country Championships at Christ the King College! The weather conditions lived up to true Cross Country style with torrential rain and blustery winds. The students who competed did an amazing job considering they were soaked before their individual races started.

Congratulations to everyone who took part and an extra special well done to those who qualified to compete in the IOW team running within Hampshire.

Everyone showed true determination and grit in such awful conditions.

Year 11 Boys Basketball Tournament

Medina College hosted the Year 11 Boys Basketball tournament recently with 5 teams competing to become champions. A great tournament with some good basketball being played. Well done lads, you did CEC proud!

CEC had planned to enter two teams but with 2 absences on the day the boys decided to play as one team and utilise the extra players as tactical substitutes throughout each game depending on the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.

Playing the ‘Cowes Way’ is now becoming embedded in our school sport and the boys took great responsibility when playing in different positions and when implementing both attacking and defensive tactics. They faced Ryde Academy in their first match and soon established a lead Some fluid passing and attacking play contributed to a 9-4 victory. With having not faced any of the opposing teams before the boys showed good resilience during a tough second game against The Bay, which made them think more about how to approach the match more tactically Playing on a slightly smaller court and with limited practice prior to the event, the team were hitting the target but unfortunately couldn’t sink enough hoops and lost the game 6-2 Respect was shown to their opponents and this continued in each of the remaining games.

Following a reflective team talk of the first 2 matches the team made some good substitutions and this paid dividends in a comfortable 12-6 victory over Medina The final match was against Carisbrooke and with the coaches observing their previous game, some clear tactics were instructed to isolate key players to maximise our chances of scoring and defending well. This turned out to be our closest match with only 2 baskets being scored. Both thankfully to Cowes.

It was decided before the tournament that if 2 teams were tied on points scored for wins, the final position would be decided on their head-to-head game Both Cowes and The Bay won 3 and lost 1 match each, so although in theory tied for first place, overall victory went to the Bay with Cowes runners up

Our brilliant students preparing for the upcoming LEGO® Mindstorms Competition!

Students have been creating presentations as well as building and programming LEGO® robots to perform different tasks. Such impressive work! A huge well done to everyone involved.

year 13 Geographers conducted some fieldwork to investigate locations within East Cowes. This supported their study of their ‘Local Place’ and the need for, and success of, regeneration strategies hey were able to consider the plans for the ‘East Cowes Marine Hub’ set out by the IOW Council, East Cowes Town Council and the Levelling Up fund alongside the ‘East Cowes Masterplan Scoping Study’ from 2021.

Some absolutely amazing work from Year 7 student Minari who has created this plan on how she would change the world for the better with £10billion!

They will contrast this to another fieldwork location in London.

It was a great opportunity to assess the potential for regeneration in a Maritime location and to find out more about future plans Well done Year 13!

YEAR8STUDENTSEXPLOREMARITIME HISTORYATMARYROSEMUSEUM

During January, all Year 8 students at Cowes Enterprise College took part in a history trip to visit the Mary Rose Museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

The visit included a selection of activities and workshops for the students to take part in which were designed to support the project-based work that has been taking place this term Every student in the year group was given the opportunity to ask questions relating to their own individual project

Linking the academy’s Maritime Futures and History curriculums, the trip encouraged students to explore diverse topics such as Tudor navigation, religious practices, socio-economic disparities, multiculturalism, and evidence of international trade and travel Additionally, students immersed themselves in the rich tapestry of Tudor life, examining historical clothing, pastimes, and culinary traditions

While at the Mary Rose Museum Students visited the 4D cinema, where they heard the stories of the divers and volunteers who worked to excavate the shipwreck.

Additionally, students enjoyed watching the holographic reenactment on board the Mary Rose and showed a particular interest in ‘Hatch’ the boat dog whose job was to catch the mice and keep the captain company.

The trip also offered the opportunity for students to observe the spot in the Solent where the Mary Rose sank.

The Maritime Futures curriculum at Cowes Enterprise College embraces the Solent’s rich heritage and places demanding academic concepts and techniques into ‘real life’ settings using the academy’s close ties with the maritime industry

Rachel Kitley, Cowes Enterprise College Principal, said:

“At Cowes Enterprise College, we are dedicated to providing our students with immersive educational experiences that bring learning to life Our Maritime Futures curriculum is woven through various subject areas as part of the broader curriculum, and allows students to explore our rich maritime heritage while honing critical academic skills in a real-world context.”

F E B R U A R Y

We're incredibly impressed by the exceptional allotrope models crafted by our Year 10 students in Science class. These models vividly illustrate the diverse forms or variations of a single element. In particular, our talented Year 10s showcased the contrasting structures of carbon, exemplified by the graphite and diamond allotropes

Our Food students are making great strides in integrating technology into their lessons to enhance recapping and foster independent learning at their own pace. This innovative approach is Food embracing our Digital Future!

Cowes Enterprise College are delighted to annouce that we have been nominated and selected as a finalist for the 2023 Isle of Wight Sports Awards! A huge well done to our amazing PE Team!

Huge congratulations to year 10 student Angelina who won the pizza read competition for last term! She wrote an insightful and thought-provoking review of the modern classic 1984 by George Orwell and, despite the tough competition from other entrants, Angelina’s review won! She invited a group of friends to enjoy the pizza lunch with.

We were so pleased to be part of the recent IW Story Festival! Cowes Enterprise College were delighted to sponsor the prizes for the Charles Dickens short story competition for Year 5 pupils on the island, which celebrated the 175 anniversary of Charles Dickens coming to stay on the island with his family. The competition was open to all students in Year 5 on the island.

Huge congratulations to Elsie from St Blasius Church of England Primary Academy in Shanklin whose story won the competition and whose story was read by Gerald Dickens, an actor and great great grandson of Charles Dickens.

South of England Netball Tournament

On Saturday 3rd February our U16 and U19 girls netball teams travelled to Wavell School in Farnborough to compete in the South of England tournament. This tournament is extremely competitive and an experience to play against some top schools across the South. Both teams played six games across the day each and had some tough competition.

All the girls showed excellent sportsmanship which had been mentioned numerous times in feedback throughout the tournament from umpires to the opposing teams. The girls all played extremely well and gave every game the same energy and effort.

Miss Davis and Ms. Vidovic were super proud of how our girls conducted themselves on and off the court especially when the standard was extremely high. Nevertheless, the girls expressed their thanks for taking them and having the experience to play teams off the Island.

Hampshire Schools Cross Country Championship

On Saturday 20th January the Hampshire Schools Cross Country Championships took part in Wellesley Woodlands in Aldershot. We were lucky to have Maia from Year 9 who qualified for this event. She joined others who also qualified to be part of the IOW team and took part in the Junior girls race. The standard was extremely difficult in this age group across other Hampshire districts

Maia had a great run and managed to maintain a solid position throughout the race and came 52nd overall out of nearly 80 runners. Being bottom age this has given her some experience running amongst a high standard of cross country runners. She was the 2nd IOW runner to finish.

Well done Maia! We are super proud of how you conducted yourself. Thanks to Mrs Vidovic and Miss Davis for running the IOW schools team and giving up their time over the weekend so athletes across all IOW schools have the chance to compete Well done to all athletes who competed and for the few that made it to the next round.

Badminton Tournaments

Christ the King hosted the Key Stage 3 boys and girls Badminton playoff tournaments. This was the first time both pairs had played together in competition so it took the first games to settle into their respective playing partnerships. Pairs were made up across the key stage and the both pairs faced some tough opposition.

The girls played well taking 2 of their 4 games to within one point of match point and finished 4th overall. The boys played well after a shakey start and ended up runners up and progressed to the finals the following week

The boys faced a CTK pair from the playoff as well as pairs from The Free School and Ryde School. Unfortunately, despite playing some good rallies and making some good shots they couldn’t repeat their success from the previous round. Well done to Gigi C, Nia K, Zeeshan H and Jerome K! We are so proud!

S P O R T S F I X T U R E S

We're immensely proud of our Year 11 the Positively You workshop! Led by the expert team, students gained valuable insights into effective revision, exam strategies, and boosting confidence for upcoming exams. Thanks to all parents and carers who joined the accompanying Parent Workshop Your support is invaluable in our students' success journey.

A huge well done to our Year 12 students for learning first aid skills such as CPR and the recovery position in E1M!

Students who achieved the most achievement points during the Autumn term enjoyed celebration lunches with their heads of year!

The beginning of the year kicked off with tremendous energy and excitement as Cowes Enterprise College hosted its annual Enrichment Fayre. It was a bustling event where students from all year groups eagerly gathered to explore the wide array of enrichment opportunities available at CEC From sports clubs to creative arts, homework support and board games to social action projects, there was something for everyone to discover and get involved in. The Enrichment Fayre provided a fantastic platform for students to learn about the diverse range of extracurricular activities on offer and to sign up for those that piqued their interest

J A N U A R Y