Edition 7 16/07/15
CLF NEWS “Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”
CLF SHOW ROCKED THE COLSTON HALL
ALSO INSIDE THIS ISSUE...... Sky Dive For Charity
Over 400 students from the Cabot Learning Federation secondary academies performed at the Cabot Learning Federation performing arts showcase at the Colston Hall. Students from Hans Price, Hanham Woods, Bristol Brunel, Bristol Metropolitan, King’s Oak, John Cabot and Bath Community Academies performed music, dance and drama from a range of genres in a two hour spectacular show piece. Each academy had a ten minute slot to showcase their particular talents but students from across the federation combined to perform four pieces, including songs by Michael Tippett and Elton John, a Physical theatre piece based upon the development of communication and ‘Addicted to You’ , a combined Dance piece.
Football Champs
Tim Warren, one of the organisers and Team Leader of Performance & Participation, from King’s Oak said, “This is an amazing opportunity for students from across the federation to perform at a major Bristol venue. The students and staff have worked extremely hard pulling this together both on and off stage and as a federation we are extremely proud of their efforts.” At different points during the evening a collection on behalf of the charity Young carers in Bristol and South Gloucestershire was held.
Mock Job Interviews
Pics by Steve South KOA
“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”
Students Sky Dive For Charity
I have always wanted to throw myself out of a plane (with a parachute attached to me of course) and I was determined to do this by the time I was 18. I booked to do a skydive for Prostate Cancer UK on Sunday 31st May 2015. I chose this amazing charity, because it is very close to my heart, my father was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, fortunately he beat it. I will always remember what we went through as a family and how strong my father was and still is! My grandfather (father’s father) sadly passed away due to Prostate Cancer, so I was determined to do this, in memory of my grandfather, who I miss very much and for my father, because I am extremely proud of him.
My skydive was to be a tandem jump (where you are attached to an experienced skydive instructor), and to take place at Netheravon Airfield on Salisbury Plain on Sunday 31st May. Unfortunately, when it came to the day of my jump, the weather did not look great, but myself, my family and friends travelled to Netheravon Military Airfield for 8am. It was raining, extremely windy and the sky was covered with dark clouds, I was told that there was an unlikely chance that I would be completing my sky dive, but I immediately rescheduled the jump for the following Sunday, the 7th of June as I did not want to miss the next opportunity to jump. Luckily, it came to the 7th of June and the weather was perfect to be jumping out of a plane. I was reminded of my training and allocated my instructor: Big Billy! The nickname describes him well as he was very tall, but very experienced too having completed over 3000 jumps as an instructor, so I knew I was in safe hands! I kitted up into my jumpsuit, a harness and given a pair of gloves and a helmet, this is when the reality kicked in and the nerves hit me. I had also paid for my jump to be recorded and photographed out of my own money. It all went very quickly, the next thing I knew I was in the plane, sitting on the floor in front of my instructor and surrounded by 5 other tandem pairs. On the way up in the plane, I can honestly say I was not very nervous at all, I was enjoying the view more than anything, but when it got to 1300 ft and the door opened, I watched all the other jumpers with their instructors exit the plane and that is when my heart went, I felt terrified thinking ‘I’ve got to do that now’. I remember saying to the cameraman as I shuffled towards the doorway “there is no going back now!” he laughed at me. My cameraman then hung off the plane, filming me as I dangled out of the plane, hooked to Billy with only 4 clips and about to fall. The moment you jump is the scariest feeling ever. We were going head first, accelerating up to 120mph almost instantly! But after about 5 seconds we were gliding in the air and it was amazing. I was then aware of my cameraman apparently floating in front of me (in reality falling at 120mph also), waving and smiling at me the whole time! We were freefalling for about 50 seconds, the views were extraordinary, I had forgotten all about the actual parachute and landing part of the experience, but I soon remembered when we seemed to hurtle upwards as Billy deployed the massive blue and white canopy. We then floated down towards the ground for about 6 minutes, taking in more extraordinary views. Words cannot really describe the experience, it was so unique. My fantastic family and friends welcomed me when I landed I just remember looking over at my dad and seeing how pleased and proud he looked, it was quite emotional. I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who donated to this wonderful cause and to everyone who has supported me. I cannot explain just how much it means to me and how grateful I am. Having raised nearly £700 for Prostate Cancer UK this was definitely worth the risk and the fear! For anyone who is interested in donating, please do! Go to my Justgiving page and give whatever you can. The link is: www.justgiving.com/helen-shaw24 Skydiving is by far the best thing I have ever done; I would do it again tomorrow! After all, the sky’s the limit! Written by Helen Shaw, Hanham Woods Academy, Year 13.
“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”
The CLF Hosts Two Major Conferences The Cabot Learning Federation hosted two major conferences recently. The first conference was a joint venture with the White Horse Federation; Swindon Teaching School Alliance and was held at the University of the West of England. The White Horse Federation is a Multi Academy Trust of Primary, Secondary and Special Schools. Over two hundred delegates attended this collaborative event and it is hoped that it will be repeated annually. With the title of “Joining the dots…..Placing a Premium on Success” delegates were given access to a range of national educational speakers that included, Sir David Carter Regional Schools Commissioner Joining the dots conference for the South West, Bradley Simmons, Regional Director, Ofsted, Conor Ryan, Research and Communications, The Sutton Trust and Lorna Brackstone, Senior HMI to name but a few! Delegates were also given access to a wide range of workshops with a strong focus on school improvement and leadership.There was also a chance for delegates to look around the market place and network at lunchtime. The setting for the second conference was Bristol Brunel Academy and the venue for the CLF’s annual conference. With over 1100 colleagues in attendance this was day saturated with collaboration and collaborative work. CEO Steve Taylor gave five presentations throughout the day giving his vision for the future of the CLF. These presentations also featured many student performances. National educationalists (including many of the above) and CLF staff presented on the day and delegates attended over sixty seven workshops on a range of topics within the 3-19 agenda. Principal of The Crest Academies Mohsen Ojja described to delegates their journey to ‘Outstanding’, we had two colleagues who talked to staff about the Prevent agenda and Professor Toby Greening presented on the impact of leadership and pedagogy. Academies also showcased their work in a first for a CLF conference. The sports hall at Bristol Brunel was turned into an exhibition space and each organisation had a stand displaying some of the amazing work that is being delivered within the federation. Videos of these conferences are available to watch on the CLF website. To watch these videos go to www.cabotlearningfederation.net and click on the links on the front page.
CLF conference pics by Richard Rees JCA
“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”
Down On The Farm.....At Hans Price
Staff and students at Hans Price Academy have their own mini farm. Started about ten years ago at the predecessor school, with two rabbits, they currently have two pygmy goats, ducks, ex battery hens and a selection of rabbits and guinea pigs, twenty animals in total most of which are rescue animals. The brainchild of the project Higher Level Teaching Assistant Helen Bliss, began this venture as a way of engaging students in their environment when Helen realised that many students had little idea of where their food came from. The farm has been an invaluable resource to engage students in their learning. Disaffected students also spend time at the farm to help them to re-engage with their education, this has been a huge success. Not resting on their laurels, they are currently in the process of setting up an allotment area and have raised enough money to buy a greenhouse. The project has gradually grown and is open to all students at lunchtimes and during an after school club. Students are given the responsibility for caring for the animals. They are even able to walk the goats and rabbits at lunchtimes! Recently they rescued some ex battery hens. As it was still cold when the hens arrived and with hardly any feathers, staff kindly knitted jumpers to keep them warm! Eggs from the chickens and ducks are sold to staff as a way of funding the project. Helen said, “Our long term aim is to develop our allotment area, encourage community involvement and ultimately become largely self-funding through selling our own produce. This has had a real impact on the teaching and learning at Hans Price, it has literally brought learning to life! You cannot also underestimate the impact on some of our disaffected students, results have been amazing.” This project has been so successful Helen is now teaching a Land Based Studies Diploma as a result of the mini farm.
“Collaboration “Collaborationfor forOutstanding OutstandingAchievement” Achievement”
Father’s Day At Begbrook Academy
On Wednesday 17th June 25 Year 1 dads joined their children at school for a special lunch to celebrate Father’s Day. The children and dads spent the morning baking cookies and making lovely paper rosettes which all of the Dads wore with great pride. Begbrook PTFA have run and funded this event for the Year one children for the last three years and it is very popular. With the support of Eden Foods and our lovely school cook Lisa we now run an annual Mother’s Day Lunch for Year 2 children as well as a Father’s day lunch for Year 1 children. It’s a great opportunity for parents to come into school and share a meal with their children and take part in their school day. Marie Mooney, said, “feedback from parents who have attended this event is very positive as it’s often the first opportunity they’ve had to share part of the school day with their children. The day was a great success!”
Students Get A Pizza The Action Students at Frome Vale Academy took part in a whole school Design & Technology healthy eating week. The children explored different foods, made fruit smoothies, sorted foods into healthy and unhealthy and learnt about how to keep themselves healthy. Students have been reading the story 'Biscuit Bear' in literacy which is a Power of Reading book so they have looked closely at cooking, hygiene and safety in the kitchen, following recipes and writing recipes and cooking their own biscuit bear in school. As a culmination of this term’s work focused on food, the children had the opportunity to visit Pizza Express where they met the Pizza Express chefs. They learned about keeping safe in the kitchen and had the chance to make their own pizza. Chefs then cooked the Pizzas which children were allowed to take home. Alison Edmunds, teacher at Frome Vale said, “Students have loved cooking in school & have shown a real enthusiasm for it! It has been an invaluable teaching and learning experience to get them out of the classroom and into a real working restaurant kitchen.”
“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”
Showtime At Bristol Metropolitan It has been a busy couple of terms for Expressive Arts at Bristol Metropolitan Academy. There have been three productions produced by the team. Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Mulan. Twenty seven, Year 7 students from a Drama enrichment club, took part in the production of Alice in Wonderland. There were two performances of this show; a matinee performance played to a primary schools and an evening performance played to parents and members of the general public. Scene from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a Year 8 production starring Mani Baird and Ethan Moss Wills. With a cast of 30 students there were two performances of this show. The biggest production of the year by far was Mulan. Over 70 students at Bristol Metropolitan Academy took part in Mulan, the academy’s annual musical production. Based on the Walt Disney’s film, Bristol Metropolitan’s production has been eight months in rehearsal. Fifty actors from across all age ranges were on stage and a twenty strong production crew involved backstage. With five shows in total this amazing production had been directed and produced by Meesh Lambert with Musical and Drama Direction from Kathryn Shaw and Mick Glenfield . Meesh Lambert, Expressive Arts teacher said, “The students have worked really hard over the last eight months attending many rehearsals in their own time. I am extremely proud of their efforts and can’t wait for parents, carers and the local community to see what an amazing piece of work our students have produced.”
Bristol Brunel Earns Chartermark
Bristol Brunel Academy has now successfully gained the Employability Chartermark Award. A presentation ceremony was held at Burges Salmon on 20 May 2015 to celebrate the latest group of education providers to successfully achieve the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership Employability Chartermark. The Employability Chartermark is awarded to education institutions in recognition of their commitment to, investment in, and delivery of work-readiness in young people. The celebration recognised their commitment to a high level of focus placed on ensuring students are given support to achieve their employability potential and to experience a range of employment options. 85 per cent of secondary schools in the West of England have now engaged with the Employability Chartermark. Suzy Paice, Head of Careers, Bristol Brunel Academy said, “This is a fantastic achievement for all concerned and a rubber stamp that the work we are undertaking in this area has now been recognised. We want our students to leave Bristol Brunel Academy not only fully prepared for the next steps in their career or education but we want them to be global citizens.”
“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”
BCA Students Visit Italy Four Bath Community Academy students went on an exchange visit to Pisa in Italy during the May Spring break which was funded by the EU. Staff and students worked with the Comenius Project on Tolerance with school children from Italy and Turkey and presented the board games BCA students had created during Project Phoenix. They stayed with families in their school community and they were given a really warm greeting. At the end of their stay there was a music and choir concert in their honour and they were treated to a fantastic Italian buffet where all the parents had made an Italian delicacy for them to taste. As well as attending classes and working in school, they visited Pisa and the Leaning Tower, and Florence with all the sculptures. Pedro and Emmanuel said they loved everything and Pedro learned some Italian sign language to communicate with his host's sister. Emmanuel said" I liked tasting the different food as there were many I hadn't eaten before that I liked." Sam was fascinated with the Tower next to the Cathedral in Florence as it had taken 100 years to build with local Marble. Sam loved the Pesto and Focaccia bread and the polish sausage. Ebony loved the family she was staying with and how they made every effort to talk English to her. They looked at many aspects of tolerance and the meeting they had in different schools promoted their understanding of each other’s viewpoints. Pictured, Emmanuel Nacino Year13, Sam Tonkinson Year13, Pedro Inacio Year 13, Ebony Blizard Year 14
Summerhill Teachers Visit Spain
Observing a lesson Taking in the culture
Davinia Varela a teacher at Summerhill Academy managed to win a grant from Erasmus. The funding allowed a number of teachers to go out to Santander in Spain and immerse themselves in the language and culture. The programmes main aim is to get staff more confident in Spanish and to bring ideas that can be shared in classroom. Davinia said, “Everyone had a brilliant time and worked very hard. I am now running Spanish sessions at lunch time to keep the momentum up!
“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”
Mock Job Interviews At Bristol Metropolitan Academy
Tuesday 30 June 2015 was a standout day at Bristol Metropolitan Academy. All 150 Year 10 students experienced one of the essential components to a successful outcome in the search for employment, the interview. Thirty Civil Service trained volunteers from all over the South West joined colleagues at BMA to offer a mock interview which took on elements of coaching, advice and guidance. It was so successful we had several Post 16 students and some Year 9 students queuing up for some extra support, a huge success all round! Richard Hill OBE, Community Engagement Manager said 'A fantastic day. Hats off to you and the Academy.’ Tim Holmes, Lead Learning Mentor, Information Advice and Guidance said, “Today has been a brilliant day for all concerned. This experience will be invaluable to our students and give them a head start when they sit their first interview.
One Tree Per Child Innovative It will be around three years before the trees bear fruit but during that time students will be involved in maintaining and looking after the trees. Sophie Smith, Admin Manager said, “The students really enjoyed the process of planting their own individual trees and great fun was had by all. This has also been an invaluable teaching and learning exercise for our students; giving us the vehicle to discuss Bristol as the Green Capital of Europe and the impact that planting new tress has on our environment.”
All sixty students at Frome Vale Academy planted either an apple or pear tree as part of the One Tree Per Child innovative. Co-founded by Olivia Newton-John, One Tree Per Child, in partnership with Bristol City Council, aims to have every one of the 36,000 children in Bristol’s primary schools planting at least one tree each. This project is part an after school club run by the Wales & West Forest where students have regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence through hands-on learning in a woodland environment.
“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”
CLF Art Extravaganza At BBA
Termaine Miller Georgia Player
At Bristol Brunel Academy’s frame gallery the BBA Art department put on an exhibition of over 106 Year 11 and Year 13 students artwork. This exhibition included their best final pieces and was the culmination of two years of hard work. Included in the exhibition were examples of art, graphics textiles and design. The exhibition was on for a few hours after school so students, families and friends could just drop in and see the amazing work students have produced. Mrs Kate Heath, Deputy Curriculum Leader for Art Design said, “I think it is fantastic to show case the students work, they have done such a variety of interesting and detailed pieces so it is really nice to celebrate that in this way.” Below are pieces from the CLF Art Exhibition at BBA’s Frame Gallery.
“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”
FEDERATION SPORT England Rugby Players Visit KOA Pupils in years 7-10 at King’s Oak Academy received a visit from two World Cup winners recently. The visit was part of a special event organised by England Rugby, with the support of staff from the Bristol office of property firm CBRE. Sarah Hunter MBE, part of England Women’s victorious 2014 World Cup campaign, and Phil Vickery MBE, member of England’s World Cup winning squad in 2003, took part in a Q&A session with King’s Oak Academy students and then took to the playing field to join a skills session and touch rugby games. The event was organised to mark the successes achieved by King’s Oak Academy and its partnered Rugby Club Kingswood RFC since enrolling on England Rugby’s All Schools programme, of which CBRE is Principal Partner, three years ago. All Schools aims to increase the number of secondary state schools in England playing rugby union and has made a real impact at Kings Oak Academy, which was one of the first 100 schools to join the programme in 2012. Rugby is now an integral part of the school’s curriculum and a permanent fixture on the PE programme. Sarah Hunter comments: “It’s been great to come to King’s Oak Academy and join in with some skills, drills and touch rugby.
FVA Football Champions!!
Ex England Player Phil Vickery working with KOA students
On Friday 3rd July, Miss Davies took five Year 5 children from Frome Vale Academy to the Bristol Together football championship tournament. They had been training for the past few weeks with another 5 children from Old Sodbury School in Yate and when watching them play as a team, it was evident that they had formed excellent sporting relationships with each other. Thirty eight schools took part and there were 19 teams taking part in total. Frome Vale won all of their six matches to get to the quarter finals. After winning their quarter final match, they won the semi-final and finally won the final in a close penalty shout out! Miss Davies said, “I extremely proud and would like to thank Mert Torun, Jayda Grady, Khadar Abdi, Karina Bocekz and George Parascan from Year 5 at Frome Vale Academy for their hard work, positive mental attitude and professionalism. Congratulations!
@cabotfederation
Cabot Learning Federation
www.cabotlearningfederation.net Written, produced and photographs by Dean Blake CLF Communications Manager
“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”