ISSUE 5
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ERNESTBEVIN.ORG.UK
ERNEST BEVIN COLLEGE AND SIXTH FORM CENTRE
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
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SUMMER
2013
P02 INVESTING IN NEW TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE LABS AND PEOPLE P03 COLLEGE NEWS P04 MEET BEVIN’S TIES – PUPILS FROM EACH YEAR GROUP TELL US ABOUT LIFE AT EBC P06 LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM – FROM MATHS PUZZLE AND BUSINESS DAYS TO SCHOOL TRIPS TO CASTLES, FARMS AND VOLCANOES! P08 DON’T MISS THE EBC OPEN DAYS
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WELCOME
As a school we recognise the importance of investing in the future: whether it is investing in the young people within our establishment, our staff, resources or our facilities. The Science Labs have been in line for a refurbishment for some time now and we are pleased that this project will be completed in time for the new academic year 2013-14. We have also been steadily investing in new technology that can be shown to have a positive impact on the education we provide. This has included the introduction of iPads, Ereaders, Smart TVs, laptops and Fronter, our virtual learning environment. To find out more read the article on pages two and three. It is always interesting to chat to individual students around the college; every student we talk to seems to have different interests both in and out of the classroom. To read about some of our students’ favourite lessons and hobbies see pages four and five. We are also pleased to have Mr Sullivan’s guide to tying a tie on page five, which may be of particular interest to new students joining us this year. You may also be interested to read on pages six and seven about the learning that goes on beyond the classroom, including the highly successful Duke of Edinburgh Awards programme. Finally we are looking forward to welcoming prospective parents and their sons to our Open Events in September and October. All the details of these events can be found on the back cover. We hope to see you at EBC soon. Mike Chivers and Rukhsana Sheikh, Principals Produced from mixed sources and the process is chlorine free. Contact Fiona Wilkins, Ernest Bevin College, Beechcroft Road, London SW17 7DF T: 020 8772 5766 E: fwilkins@ernestbevin.wandsworth.sch.uk Photography: Adrian Pegg Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, we cannot accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form. ©Ernest Bevin College. All rights reserved 2013
INVESTING IN THE
Equipping young people for the next stage of life by rnest Bevin College understands the importance of investing in the future. First and foremost the young people who study at the school are ‘The Future’ – young men and women who will leave the college as young adults adequately equipped for the next stage of their life. “The whole ethos of the school is built around creating an environment where young people can fulfil their potential,” explains Mr Chivers, co-Principal. “From free music lessons to specialist sports coaching, the aim is to remove barriers and ensure every student is on an equal footing when it comes to their education.” Central to achieving this goal is an investment in the teaching and learning that goes on within the college. Staff share ideas and attend training sessions to ensure that everyone keeps up to date with best practice. Aside from investing in people, EBC is also fully committed to investing in resources and the learning environment. One area that is a current hot topic of debate in educational circles is whether investment in new technologies is beneficial to students.
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“It’s not about buying new technology for the sake of having the latest gadgets in school,” explains Mr Reeves, Head of New Technologies at EBC (pictured above). “It is about buying into appropriate technology that will enhance the teaching and learning at the college; for example we have just invested in 100 electronic readers, as the research shows boys who traditionally might be reluctant to pick up a book will read a book on an e-reader.” Many parents and visitors are surprised to see how much the classroom has changed since they were at school. Gone are the traditional blackboards, long since replaced by interactive white boards or SMART TVs and laptops. Several of the classrooms at EBC also have a full suite of computers. Mr Reeves continues: “You do not have to teach from the front now; my iPad works wirelessly and I can be completely mobile in my classroom, not only to help my pupils one-on-one, but also control what is being presented at the front. I can annotate information, run short clips and take pictures of excellent work to show the rest of the class. This is to name but a few, the list is endless”.
FAST FACTS :: YEAR 11: PROGRESS IN MATHS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER
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F U T U R E AT E B C
NEWS
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Food Bank Appeal
EBC is collecting food for the Trussell Trust foodbank which opened in Wandsworth this year. Through an appeal and a tutor group competition, students have already collected over half a tonne of food. “Ernest Bevin was the first school to support the Wandsworth Foodbank,” says Sarah Chapman, Foodbank coordinator. “Your donations will help many local families in the next few months who are struggling to put food on the table.” Families in need can be issued with a voucher through local churches (two members of EBC staff can issue vouchers to local families) which entitles them to a food package that contains enough food to feed every member of their family for five days.
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investing in new technologies, facilities and training parents and visitors “areMany surprised to see how much the classroom has changed ”
The school also has a well defined strategy for how it sees technology in education. To sum up, Mr Reeves says “put simply, if the technology helps them learn we’ll use it, if it doesn’t and it only distracts, then we will not”. The other shift has been towards a virtual learning environment called ‘Fronter’. The beauty of Fronter is that staff and students can log in from any computer with internet access and work in their own individual areas. This means students can pick up where they left off in the classroom and teachers can post worksheets and give feedback to their classes. Parents too can look at work their son has been doing online (through their son’s log in) and see work that has been completed during the lesson time and at home. “The future for us is to get pupils, teachers and parents more connected, mobile and have access to all the resources technology allows,” finishes Mr Reeves.
EBC also believes in investing in the physical environment. This year the Science labs are being refurbished as part of EBC’s ongoing commitment to providing outstanding facilities. The new labs are simpler and more streamlined, with the practical work being carried out on benches around the walls of the labs, leaving the central tables clear to spread out books etc. “Science is a strong department at EBC with many boys choosing to study science subjects at GCSE and A Level,” says Mr Beneke, Head of Science. “We hope by bringing the labs up to date we will continue to inspire our young scientists of the twentyfirst century.” Ultimately however, the biggest investment has to be in the people within the establishment, both staff and students. “We aim to equip every young person at the college with the tools they will need to lead happy, successful and hopefully, prosperous lives,” explains Ms Sheikh, coPrincipal. “This means investing in the buildings to make the classrooms an excellent learning environment, investing in new technology, but most importantly investing in our most valuable commodity, the young people and staff at the college.”
Creative Connexions
Art students at EBC are taking part in a research project funded by the European Commission under the guidance of Roehampton University. The two-year project is to encourage young people across Europe to think about their identity in the context of being a citizen of Europe. Miss Gomm, who teaches Year 9 students, says “The University has been impressed with the work our students are producing, particularly the work superimposing self-portraits onto maps of London.”
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Judo Champions Again!
The judo squad from EBC represented Wandsworth at the London Youth Games held at Crystal Palace on 22 June 2013. Despite a significantly higher standard of opposition, they took the Boys Judo Team trophy for the fourth year running. The boys won six gold medals, four silver and five bronze medals. Three of the medals were taken by boys who only took up the sport this year, which is a testament to the exceptional commitment and work ethic they have put in.
THAN NATIONAL AVERAGE; 5 A*-C RESULTS CONSISTENTLY ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGE
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Callum Duncan
MEET EBC’S TIES It is easy to tell what year a boy at Bevin is in because each year group wears a different colour tie. In September 2013 the new boys entering Year 7 will wear a yellow tie and be known as Yellow Ties until they finish Year 11. Blue Ties will move into Year 8, Red Ties to Year 9, Green Ties to Year 10 and Purple Ties to Year 11. At the end of next year, when the Purple Ties move into the Sixth Form and don’t have to wear a uniform anymore, they will hand over the Purple Tie to the new cohort of Year 7 joining the college in September 2014. Ex-pupils identify themselves by their tie colour and have been known to dig out their old ties for college reunions!
Danyal Malik I found it really “ easy to make friends and really enjoy school. I like London a lot
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I spent the last two years at an international school in Pakistan before I came to Bevin. I found it easy to make friends and really enjoy school. I like London a lot but it was a shock when it started snowing a couple of months after I started at Bevin: in Karachi it was very hot, sometimes 42 degrees! I have really enjoyed Design Technology this year because we have made loads of different things. First of all we made a phone holder, and then we did a superhero project using graphics on the computer. In product design we made a box out of wood and acrylic and I’m now making a lamp. Food technology was probably the best subject, I really enjoyed making all the different things to eat. I also enjoy Science and Art lessons. Cricket is my favourite sport and I am in the school cricket team. We lost the last match by two runs but aim to win the next one. I am an all-rounder – a batter and a bowler.
EBC was my first choice secondary school and so I was really pleased to start here in Year 7. I went to Earlsfield Primary and a group of us came to Bevin together. I really enjoy English lessons and I love reading: my favourite books are the Cherub series. My favourite lesson is history because my teacher Mr Clarke really makes the lessons interesting. I am on the College Council and have been involved in the Foodbank appeal. We are looking at getting solar panels fitted to the roof of the college because we think as a school we should lead by example. My favourite sport is squash (I played for Wandsworth at primary school level) and I play after school. Unfortunately I can’t play squash at Bevin but I’m trying to change that. We’re doing basketball and cricket this term, and I like both because they are fun team sports.
EBC was my first “ choice secondary school and so I was really pleased to start here in Year 7
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Omar El Amine the trombone. “I amI play now at Grade 4 and play in the school jazz band. I also played at Royal Festival Hall
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In Year 9 we chose our GCSE options and will sit exams in those subjects. As well as the compulsory subjects [English, Maths, Science, Citizenship, RE and PE] I am also taking Geography, History and French. My favourite subjects are Art and English. I came to Bevin from Wimbledon Park in Year 7 and on my first day was picked out by Mr Rodman, the music teacher, because I play the trombone. I am now at Grade 4 and play in the school jazz band. I also played at the Royal Festival Hall with the Wandsworth Youth Orchestra. I had been practising the pieces for weeks but I was nervous. Thankfully all went well and I found that I was enjoying playing music I liked amongst other young people. I would love to continue the trombone and the orchestra and then progress up the grades as I have great experiences performing.
FAST FACTS :: PA R E N T S U R V E Y: 9 7 % S AY T H E I R C H I L D I S H A P P Y
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Denzel
Boatey-Agyei It only seems like a couple of days ago I started at Bevin and now I am getting ready to sit my GCSEs. I have already sat RE and some Science modules. Probably my favourite subject is Maths but I am also doing Art GCSE in my own time. I have just been made a prefect which was a big surprise: most prefects are very serious! I play rugby 3-4 times a week for the school and Rosslyn Park. I am in the Harlequins U16 elite player development group and have been attending the England player development sessions. I can’t wait for next season as I am hoping to get into the London and SE squad: I want to beat Middlesex as they beat us [Surrey] by one point last year. I also throw the discus and came second in the London U17s final. I want to throw 50m and make it to the nationals again [he represented London in 2012]. My ambition is to be a rugby player who throws the discus. I wish I could do my whole five years at Bevin again – I could have done so much more.
I wish I could do “ my whole five years at Bevin again – I could have done so much more
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MR SULLIVAN’S GUIDE TO THE PERFECT TIE STEP 1
Place tie around neck, under shirt collar and pull wider end to about twice the length of the thin end.
STEP 2
Cross the long end over the shorter end.
Sukhveer Bhamra
STEP 3
It’s been fantastic “ having the same tutor
STEP 4
Bring the longer end around the back of the tie.
and tutor group for
Continue holding the long end and bring it to the front of the tie again.
five years... it’s a family-like relationship
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I came from Fircroft School with lots of friends but it has been great to meet new people, and fantastic having the same tutor and tutor group for five years. It has led to a family-like relationship: I see myself as part of the Yellow Tie family. The teachers really understand and push you to the max. I am planning to stay here for A Levels in Physics, Economics, Maths and Chemistry; then to go to university and a career in finance, trading or stock management. I used to play a lot of table tennis and was 28th in the country, taking part in tournaments across Europe; but I started playing cricket and am now hoping to get into one of the Surrey teams. I play the Tabla and Dhol (Indian drums) and have performed in Trafalgar Square and at Year 11 graduation. I also won the Jack Petchey award for Outstanding Achievement. If I had advice for new Yellow Ties it would be to enjoy yourself and take it slowly at the beginning and make sure you take advantage of all the opportunities at Bevin.
STEP 5
Bring the long end up to your neck and pull it through in front of the knot you are making.
STEP 6
Tuck the long end through the first wrap of the tie you made in Step 3.
STEP 7
Bring the knot towards collar by pulling on the thin end of the tie that is sitting behind the wider end.
STEP 8
Do up your top button and tidy the knot of the tie so it sits between your collar.
STEP 9
The end product: a perfect tie! With thanks to Asif Hussain.
A ND MAKES GOOD PROGRESS; 98% OF PARENTS WOULD RECOMMEND EBC
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ake a walk around EBC during the school’s working week and you will usually find teachers at their whiteboards and students working hard at their desks. Every now and then, however, the door will open on to an abandoned classroom – a clue that the lesson for today is taking place somewhere other than the classroom “Sometimes you can really bring a subject alive through a well-timed trip or a workshop held at school,” explains Ms Abogunrin, a senior teacher at the college. She cites examples from her own subject, History, such as the annual Year 7 trip to Bodiam Castle, as being big favourites for staff and students alike. In the autumn term, Year 7 students study Shakespeare during their English lessons, and a timely workshop by the Orange Tree Theatre Company can help lift the Bard’s plays out of the text book. The Science Department takes Year 7 boys to the Science Museum and organises a number of other curriculum-based trips such as a biology trip to Wandsworth Common where students use transects (one metre square areas) to measure the type of vegetation. The Maths departments organises Puzzle Days for students in Years 7 & 8 to get students thinking about Maths creatively.
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ENRICH AND ENJOY For many students a subject can come alive through class trips and workshops. We look at how EBC students learn beyond the classroom
Skills and experience gained “outside the classroom are as important as academic grades
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Students in Year 9 and upwards also take part in a number of Enterprise Days to hone their business skills. Some opportunities are offered that do not have a direct link to the curriculum such as the annual BBC News School Reporting Day. This year the group were lucky enough to interview Sadiq Khan, our local MP and an ex-pupil of the college, and to visit the Houses of Parliament. There are also a number of residential trips away from the college on offer including trips to PGL centres for Year 7 & 8 in the summer term and a camping trip for boys in Year 9. This year the Year 7 team took a group of the Foundation learners to Jamie’s Farm in Wiltshire where the boys had the chance to help out with the animals and experience life on a working farm. The PE department organised a ski trip to Le Corbiere in the French Alps and are currently planning the same trip for February 2014. This year the Geography department took 35 boys from Years 9, 10 & 11 to Italy to look at volcanoes and other geographical features.
FAST FACTS :: 2013 SPORT: JUDO LONDON YOUTH GAMES CHAMPS 4TH YEAR
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>> Dof E AWARD he Duke of Edinburgh programme continues to go from strength to strength. In February this year over 30 boys attended an awards evening for participants in Wandsworth Borough and were presented with their certificates by the Mayor. The Council has also praised the work the college has done in increasing participation amongst minority students who are traditionally less likely to take part in the scheme.
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Over 12 months 27 boys “completed the Bronze award and 64 the Silver award ”
They visited Pompeii, Herculaneam, Naples and the Amalfi Coast. “The trip was a great success,” said Mr Lewis, the trip organiser. “The boys had a learning experience that was impossible to recreate in a classroom.” Generally, overseas trips are more commonplace in the Sixth Form, with students often fundraising to help pay for the cost of travel. In recent years Sixth Formers have travelled to China, New York City and Mumbai. Every February the ICT department takes a group of students to Paris, a trip that includes a visit to Disneyland to learn about the computer systems that control the rides at the park, as well as sightseeing in Paris. A group of Sixth Formers studying Business Studies spent five days in Madrid in March. They visited a cake factory to observe the production line and try their hand at some cake decorating. They also visited Real Madrid’s football stadium and spent a day at a Spanish School. In June the group were pleased to welcome the Spanish students they had met back to London (see pic above).
“In the Sixth Form it is recognised that skills and experience gained outside the classroom are as important for CVs and UCAS applications as the academic grades a student gains,” explains Mr Weatherhead, Vice Principal at EBC. “For this reason we run a Sixth Form enrichment programme on a Wednesday afternoon in which no lessons are timetabled and students are encouraged to extend their skills in some way.” Sixth Formers can choose from a range of activities on offer. This can be a sport or gaining a new skill such as learning a new language or discussing art or music. There is also a photography club which went right back to basics, starting with photograms and pinhole cameras made out of crisp tubes. Some students choose to undertake voluntary work, either mentoring younger boys at the college, helping in a charity shop or volunteering in a local primary school or care home. A popular choice is the Duke of Edinburgh award programme (see sidebar) but anything goes!
In total, over the last 12 months 27 boys completed the Bronze award and 64 the Silver award. The current numbers enrolled in the scheme are 41 Bronze level (Purple Ties), 56 Silver level (Yellow Ties and Sixth Form) and 14 Gold level (Sixth Form) with an additional eight expupils also trying to complete their Gold level this year in conjunction with their university commitments. Boys have taken part in a variety of expeditions including three-day expeditions to Swanage and the Peak District. There has also been a Bronze expedition to the New Forest and two more Silver expeditions to the Peak District and Brecon Beacons in Wales. Core skills developed are teamwork, leadership, co-operating, route-planning, navigation and camp craft. In addition to the expeditions pupils have completed other sections including Sport (Physical Activity), Skill and Volunteering (Social Contribution), each for periods of three, six or 12 months. Boys from Year 9 have taken take part in a two-day Outdoor and Adventurous Activities Camp which follows on from the Year 7 & 8 PGL residential trips and gives them a taster for the Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. Mr Beveridge Head of Outdoor Education
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