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DE FERRERS AWARDED PTI MARK
Number 054 Autumn Half Term 2010
COMMUNICATING THROUGHOUT DE FERRERS SPECIALIST TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE principal@deferrers Dear Parents W elcom e b a ck ! W e ha v e ha d a n e x ce l l e n t s t ar t t o ou r new academ i c y e a r ! I a m p a r t i cu l a r l y ple as ed w i t h t he w ay ou r new Yea r 7 st udent s have s et t led i n t o li f e at de F e r re rs . The half-term, as ever, has been packed with events, trips and activities. There have been some excellent personal achievements from both students and staff. I am particularly pleased that de Ferrers has received the Prince’s Teaching Institute Mark and look forward to my visit to Clarence House later this term. I am delighted to say that a new Headteacher has been appointed for our partner school (QEMS). He will take up post with effect from 1st January 2011. Plans for our conversion to Academy status are progressing well, although, in the short term there will be little change for students, staff or parents. Over time, the benefits of this initiative will allow us to progress even further. I look forward to another exciting, challenging and successful year and to leading de Ferrers on its new path as an Academy in the New Year.
M A York Principal
DE FERRERS IS PLEASED TO RECEIVE THE PRINCEʼS TEACHING INSTITUTE MARK
The English, History and Science Curriculum Areas all received the Mark in recognition of work carried out in 2009/10. Mr York said, ʻWe are delighted to have been awarded the PTI Mark for our departmentsʼ innovative work, and will be proud to carry this prestigious emblem on our stationery and website as evidence of our commitment to inspirational teaching.ʼ
RECORD EXAM RESULTS!!!
GCSE STUDENTS AT DE FERRERS BREAK THROUGH THE 80% A*-C BARRIER FOR THE FIRST TIME We are very proud of the achievements of our students this year. For the first time ever, the college has broken through the 80% barrier with 82% of the year group achieving 5 A*-C. For the sixth consecutive year, the percentage of 5A*-C, including English and Maths has also risen. A particularly striking statistic is that 74% of our students will receive two Science GCSEs, which is a significant increase on last yearʼs performance. This follows on from the excellent Science results at ʻAʼ Level.
These results are a tribute to the tremendous hard work and commitment of both students and staff. Our focus over the last five years on Personalising Learning is reflected in the continuous improvement in performance at all levels. 2010 was another record year for A-Level results at de Ferrers. The class of 2010 secured our highest ever aver-
age points score per student with 832 points, nearly 40 points better than our previous best. In simple terms that means that on average our students are leaving de Ferrers Sixth Form with AAA at A-Level.
This was also the first year of the A* grade and students at de Ferrers were awarded it in 9 different subjects. In fact nearly 35% of our students gained the top grades A*, A or a B at A-Level which is a tremendous achievement. Individuals who deserve special mention are: Lucy Boast who got 2A*s and 3 As, Claire Wood 2A*s 1A and A B and Carl Davis 2A*s 2As and a B.
Dreadlock Alien
We were lucky enough for Dreadlock Alien to pay a visit on Tuesday 12th October. He spent the day working with the Year 7 Induction classes and the Key Stage Three Writing Club creating poetry and learning how to "spit lines." The students had an amazing day and the winning poets from the day will be going on to pit their poems against other students from elsewhere in the county in November.
Despite reports in the Media concerning the pressure on Higher Education places our students found little difficulty in fulfilling the conditions set by their universities. 83% of our students in 2010 opted to continue studying at university. We are rightfully proud of all our students and their results and we wish them every success in whatever they have decided to pursue post-18. We would like to congratulate students and staff and thank parents for their continued support.
R H S YOU YO UNG P HOTO H OTOG R A P H ER OF THE YEAR COMPETITI ON - SEE PAGE 2
Communiqué Maths Festival On a crisp September morning, ten of our brightest mathematicians set off for the annual Maths Festival at the University of Birmingham. Hopefully the maths this time would be more consistent than the statistics flying between Clegg, Brown and Cameron when the Great Hall was the setting for one of the TV debates. Almost immediately we bumped into a de Ferrers old girl, helping out at the festival whilst in her third year of a mathematics degree. “Ask her any questions you like about her experiences, maths, university life etc.” I announced. “Can we keep the pens and rulers”, came the response. First of all was a professor of mathematics whose job entailed following Lee Westwood et al around Augusta analysing the maths behind the movement of golf balls (OK, I’ve over glamourised that but in a nutshell he had a great job). He ventured into other sports and the students now know that maths is not just about solving the next quadratic to come along but actually has practical uses. Next came some problems involving 2-D and 3-D shapes followed by the ubiquitous maths relay. Whilst we didn’t win, de Ferrers can hold their heads up high in the knowledge that we followed the rules – why is it that when the MC announces that the relay is for the students and all teachers must sit at the side, do some teachers grab hold of the pen and start filling in the answers? Actually, one of our students thought he had won, did a wonderful dance towards the podium before realising that he was sitting in B7 and not C7 – a champagne moment. Well done to Charlotte Firth, Emily Abel, Ed Freeman, Ben Lee, Robbie Bailey, Adam Ford, Belinda Mills, Hannah Free, Laura Moss and Liam Collett.
GEOG ON THE BEACH! Year 12 and 13 Geography students have just returned from a weekend field study visit to Overstrand near Cromer. Students practised their data collection techniques on the River Glaven on Friday and spent Saturday beach profiling and considering the impacts of erosion on this area. Sunday gave the students a chance to look at the regeneration of Cromer.
RHS YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION
The Year 11 BTEC Art and Design students all entered the highly prestigious RHS Young Photographer of the Year Competition at the end of the Summer Term. We are pleased to announce that Mitchell Taylor received ʻHighly Commendedʼ for his photograph. This was the
All of the skills learnt will help students to achieve their full potential in their January exams which are based on fieldwork and analysis. The students worked really hard over the weekend but the trip also gave them the opportunity to work together as a team and develop new friendships. A great time was had by all, despite the 2am fire alarm!
largest and first world wide competition we have entered so we are extremely pleased to have got accredited. Congratulations to all the students but especially to Mitchell, well done!
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING ONLINE?
Raise funds for de Ferrers PSFA with easyfundraising.org.uk
Earn cash for us when you shop online Free and simple to use Over 2000 retailers – Amazon, Boden, John Lewis, M&S, Expedia, eBay, Argos, Dell, ToysRUs, Debenhams, Direct Line & more 100s of exclusive retailer voucher codes – save money when you shop Just use the link: http://www.easyfundraisi ng.org.uk/causes/deferrer spsfa - register, chose your retailer and then carry on shopping as normal. A donation will be made to de Ferrers PSFA at no extra cost to yourself.
So far we have raised £178.22 just by following this link. All funds go towards purchasing items for the college for use by the students. For further information please contact Anita McLean c/o de Ferrers Specialist Technology College. Thank you
Expeditions for this year have now been completed. It was a most successful year with 72 Bronze, 40 Silver and 34 Gold candidates passing their assessment expeditions. Congratulations to all our de Ferrers candidates!
Year 9's may now apply for the Bronze Award by registering at www.surveymonkey.com/s/BURTONBRONZEDOFE Email burtondofe@talktalk.net with any queries. Fundraising will start in December - bagpacking at Sainsburys and doing the rounds with Santa's sleigh.
ALMOST A CLEAN SWEEP!!
Tamsin Chadwick (Year 13) took part in the West Midlands Gymnastic Championships on Saturday 2nd October, 2010 at the North Solihull Sports Centre. Tamsin entered in the FIG Senior section for girls over the age of sixteen.
It was a splendid day for Tamsin, winning the individual Gold Medal on the Bars, the Gold on the Floor and the Gold on the Vault. Tamsin was second on the Beam, missing out on the Gold Medal by 0.4 of a mark. This meant that Tamsin became the all round West Midlands FIG Senior Champion, with 4 Gold Medals out of 5.
Well done, Tamsin!
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Nature in Focus!
Our BTEC Art and Design students from Years 9 and 10 enjoyed a fantastic day out at the Botanical Gardens, Birmingham. The visit was for students to take their location photographs for their first assignment and a national photography competition, “Nature in Focus”. The range and scale of the unusual plants and flowers meant the students were able to capture some really exciting shots.
Our Year 7s are embarking on a 'Readathon' - getting sponsored to read books to raise money for several children's charities. The deadline for collecting money is half term but the students have already managed to raise lots of money and we're sure they'll raise even more before the deadline! We also held a Book Fair in the Dove Learning Centre where students could go to buy books to read for pleasure. The fair has already taken a massive sum of money and we would like to thank all parents/guardians who are encouraging their children to read - it is such a worthwhile pastime!
The Autumn term began with our informal ‘Meet the PSFA’ evening on 13th September which was quickly followed by the AGM and then the first committee meeting of the new academic year. During the course of the AGM we said a fond farewell to Sandra and Geoff Rimmer, Cath Harrison and Diane Horner all of whom have been staunch members of the committee and have spent many years helping with our fundraising efforts. They will be sorely missed. The re-election of officers saw no change in the current line-up: Anita McLean (Chair), Liz Chadwick (Vice Chair) Jo Underwood (Treasurer) and last but not least Sharon Upchurch (Secretary). We were delighted to see so many new parents who came along to see for themselves what the PSFA does and it was especially pleasing to have so many stay on for the first committee meeting of the year; already new ideas and fresh input are helping to transform our events planning for the coming year. Their names are too many to mention here but please see our webpage for a full listing.
LEARNING CENTRES
With National Poetry Day and Reading Week taking place, de Ferrers arranged some activities to raise the profile of reading for pleasure across the College.
PSFA
Year 8 French Trip to Normandy
During the last week of term, 102 staff and students spent a busy week in Normandy, France. The weather was fantastic, as was the enthusiasm of all students who took part in fencing, the assault course, climbing and bread making, amongst other activities. A great week was had by all.
The trip to Normandy for students currently in Year 8 has just been launched. Please see French teaching staff for further details.
On Friday 8th October we held a Year 7 Friends & Family Bingo night on Dove. There were lots of prizes including gift vouchers from such as Claire’s, Monsoon, JD Sports, Sainsbury’s, New Look, Next and many more as well as boxes of chocolates and Christmas puddings. The evening went smoothly and I believe most people went home with a prize of some sort. Many thanks to all those who came to support the event – we will get Kelly’s Eye v Cameron’s Den sorted for next time! Below are some dates for your diary – as you can see we are hoping in 2011 to repeat the success of 2007 and 2008 when we ran a Hollyoaks Charity Football match – staff better start practising now as I think the score so far is 1 – 1.
2010 Wednesday 1st December Christmas Fair
2011 Friday 4th February (TBC) Fashion Show and Pre-Prom Extravaganza Fr i day 4th March ( TBC) Family Quiz Night Sun day 26th Jun e ( TBC) Hollyoaks Charity Football Match The PSFA will also be seen putting on a bar at the Evening of the Arts due to take place on Friday 19th November at Trent.
So I look forward to seeing you at some or all of the events above! Anita McLean Chair
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SPORT
Football
The traditionally busy start to the football season has continued this year with all teams in action in District, County and National level competitions with varying degrees of success as the results below indicate. The football continues thick and fast after half term with the start of The Floodlit Cup and the 7-a-side competitions along with the start of the Basketball season. Year 7 Paget – Drew 2-2 Robert Sutton – Drew 0-0
Year 8 Robert Sutton – Lost 4-1 John Taylor – Lost 2-1 Oldfields – Drew 1-1
Year 9 William Allitt – Won 5-0 Pingle – Lost 3-1 Thomas Alleynes – Lost 4-3 Sir Graham Balfour – Won 6-3 (County Cup)
Year 10 Thomas Alleynes – Lost 2-1 Robert Sutton – Won 4-0 William Allitt – Won 8-1 Painsley – Lost 6-2 (County Cup)
Year 11 Pingle – Lost 12-0 Paget – Won 3-2 Thomas Alleynes – Walkover to de Ferrers Alleynes, Stone – Lost 3-0 (County Cup)
Sixth Form Hagley Park – Won 3-2 (County Cup) Polesworth – Lost 3-1 (National Cup)
Rugby
Under the guidance of Mr Billings the Rugby Club goes from strength to strength on a Thursday night with upwards of 50 boys and girls training each week. The Under 16 team started the seasonʼs competitive calendar with a friendly at William Allitt. The boys gelled into a tight unit and despite trailing 5-0 at half time, dominated possession and territory in the second half for Jordan Peake to score with the final move of the game fol-
lowing some great work from Mark Woodward and Jacob Waddington to level the score at 5-5. Liam Collett slotted over the conversion with the final kick of the game to give de Ferrers a hard fought 7-5 victory.
Table Tennis
Congratulations to James Ward (Year 13) and Charles Sketchley (Year 11) who were selected to represent the England Midlands team in the UK School Games in Gateshead in September. This event is held across four days of competition, features over 2,000 competitors in ten different sports from all of the four home nations. A true miniolympics! James and Charles were both part of the successful England Midlands team that won the Team title to become UK School Games champions! They were the only students from East Staffordshire to compete in the event in any sport. Well done boys!
Student PE Council
In order to give students greater responsibility and opportunity to have their say within the running of the PE Curriculum Area and extracurricular provision, we have recently launched a PE Student Council body. All students were given the opportunity to apply for positions and say why they felt they would be suited to the position. After a very tough selection process the following students were selected;
Key Stage 3 Megan Wildman Tia Page Charlie Bunting Georgia Finch Emma Peace Lauren Sleigh Lucy Roach Jake Fearn Will Beesley
Key Stage 4 Robbie Bailey Ben Ward Amy Sullivan Emily Abel Harry Bullock
Key Stage 5 Kamal Manek Kunal Manek
Katie Robinson Rachel Haines Tamsin Chadwick Natalie Gould Chris Mowforth
These students will meet with staff on a half-termly basis to discuss and move forwards PE and Sport at de Ferrers. Congratulations to all on your selection.
2012 Ambassadors
As part of the legacy programme of the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, a programme for young leaders has been established for all schools across East Staffordshire. Following a vigorous application and interview process, competing against students from all other secondary schools in the area, Edward Freeman, Amy Sullivan and Weronika Stepien (all Year 10) were selected as Ambassors on the programme. They will be working at numerous schools and community sporting events across Burton in their new roles in the lead up to 2012.
Rounders
A massive congratulations to the Under 16 Rounders team who finished second in the league. Well done to all those involved! The team included Charlotte Mason, Jess Gurney, Lauren Nally, Nicole Wright, Danni Broster, Millie O'Hare, Ashleigh Holloway, Millie Billings, Beth Stanley and Lauren Cole.
Netball
So far this year the Under 16 Netball team has got off to a flying start to the season winning the first game against Robert Sutton by 9 goals to 8. It was an extremely close match and our girls had to come from behind in order to win the game. The team includes Charlotte Mason (Captain), Jess Gurney , Amy Sullivan, Emily Able, Emily Jacklin , Weronika Stepien , Jade Bailey, Charlotte Firth. Well done, girls, letʼs keep this winning streak going. A big well done to the Year 7 Netball Team who have made
an excellent start to the year. The team has won both opening games convincingly: 17-0 vs Robert Sutton and 16-8 against Abbots Bromley. Well done, girls, keep it up!! A big thank you to Emily Featherstone and Natalie Gould who have made a huge contribution to the teamʼs success so far this year.
DRAMA
Half a term into the new college year and Key Stage 3 Drama Club has already begun its new adventure! The students have been working at putting on a short performance of Beauty and the Beast for the Evening of the Arts on Friday 19th November. Additionally, some students are working extremely hard at creating radio plays for the College Radio Station. It is an exciting and busy time for the Drama Students and we would like to thank them for their hard work and commitment so far.
Foreign Language Assistants
We are very pleased to welcome three assistants to work with us in Modern Languages this year: Mayra from Paraguay, Franzi from Germany and Lindsay from La Reunion, a French-speaking island in the Indian Ocean. Franzi and Mayra will be starting German and Spanish clubs on Dove for KS3 students so look out for the notices and join in the fun.
de Ferrers Specialist Technology College Principal: Mr M A York BA (Hons) BEd MBA
Dove Campus Harehedge Lane Burton upon Trent DE13 0AS Telephone: 01283 239961 Fax: 01283 239971 Trent Campus St Mary’s Drive Burton upon Trent DE13 0LL Telephone: 01283 239936 Fax: 01283 239950 e-mail: office@deferrers.staffs.sch.uk
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