King Arthurs School, Summer Newsletter

King

Arthur’s

SUMMER NEWSLETTER 2021

Farewell Year 11 Learning CSI skills in Science Art Showcase

King Arthur’s School @KingArthur’sSch

KingArthur’sSchool

SCHOOLS ACHIEVING SUCCESS TOGETHER

S

SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST

2.

Introduction It is quite unbelievable to think that we are already once again at the end of the academic year. As the end of term fast approaches, I welcome the chance to share with you all the excellent adventures and opportunities we have been able to provide, despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

I hope that you enjoy seeing and reading more about the competitions, activities, visits, and learning opportunities our students have been able to experience over the last term. We are proud of their resilience and determination to carry on regardless. With the support of our fabulous KAS team, students and our whole school community have powered through.

It is wonderful to see our young people once again enjoying our extra curricular offer. With a wide range of sporting opportunities, it’s lovely to see our children being able to stretch their competitive muscles. The development of our student garden has been epic. Currently growing rapidly, we have a plethora of delicious looking fruit and vegetables. I look forward to seeing, and maybe tasting, what our students make with all the goodies! Duke of Edinburgh is also back and with a practice expedition already having taken place, our keen adventurers are looking forward to their final expedition in a few weeks’ time.

Debate club and our Diversity club continue to support our young people in becoming individuals who are confident and able to articulate themselves, standing up for what they believe is important.

It has been wonderful to see our young people get involved in a host of competitions in school and we look forward to hearing about the national winners of the ‘Heroes’ postage stamp design, in celebration of the Queen’s Jubilee. Our Maths Challenge winners were proud to receive news of their awards in assembly last week. Beaming faces, accompanied by large certificates, feature later in the newsletter.

Many congratulations go out to those individuals in our community who are excelling in their own fields. Please do have a further look into the newsletter to find out more!

At this time of year, it is with sadness but also tangible excitement that we bid farewell to our Year 11 students. It goes without saying that our Year 11s will be greatly missed and that their wonderful contribution to our school has not gone unnoticed. What must be noted is that we are all excited to hear of their next adventures and welcome news of how their futures unfold. Thank you, Year 11, have a

wonderful summer and look out for news of Results Day plans in the letter being sent before we close for summer.

Another sad duty is to bid farewell to those staff who are also off to pastures new. We are so proud of our leavers this year, who all move on to either promotions or adventures in the next steps of their career.

Our leavers this year are as follows: • Miss. Howell who leaves to take up a promotion in Dubai. We look forward to hearing more of Miss Howell’s new school and hope we may be able to establish a connection with her school in foreign climes.

• Mr. Lyon-Wilson has only been with us for a short time but is leaving to move into a new profession. With a keen interest in health and wellbeing, Mr. Lyon-Wilson is looking forward to working in the fitness, health, and wellbeing industry.

• Mr. Loddo leaves KAS to take up an opportunity working in the fashion industry and also to spend time working abroad in North America.

• After nearly two years at KAS, Miss.

Mugford leaves us to take up a post in Bucharest and is excited to be joining her husband. We wish both well as they start their married life together.

• We thank Mr. Phillips for his return to support us over the summer term and look forward to him returning for more guest appearances, once his support of another of our Trust schools is over.

• I would also like to thank Mrs. Clarke for being part of our humanities team this summer and look forward to welcoming her back as part of our science team, teaching her first love, after the break.

To each staff leaver, we offer our huge thanks and admiration for the commitment and support of our mission. You will all be missed and placed very fondly in our KAS hall of fame. We look forward to hearing about all your future adventures.

My final wish for all is a safe, happy and freedom filled summer. We wish you all well for the summer break and would ask that you take note of the important end of term letter. This details information about the start of term and key information about keeping Covid safe, ready for our return on the 6th September (Year 7 and 11 only) and 7th September for all year groups.

With all good wishes

Jen Jacklin - Headteacher

KA Rewards ‘Icely Done’- Weekly Reward Students have been treated to an ice lolly since the return to the final half term of the year if they have been lucky enough to be nominated by their tutor in recognition for continued or improved effort and attitude. For example, students may have an increased attendance in school or accrued a high number of house points or generally shown an improvement in other areas of school that have been picked up by the tutor. Students once nominated are made aware each Thursday during tutor time and then on Friday they collect their ice lolly at lunch time.

End of Half Term Reward At the end of last half term students who were recognised for going above and beyond, consistently on a daily basis, were treated to a half an hour bouncy castle obstacle course and cake. Those who took part were thoroughly entertained and extremely competitive at racing each other in pairs to see who would get to the other end of the obstacle course. We even had a girls vs boys race and I am pleased to say that the girls won convincingly!

On Thursday 22nd July students who have continued to work hard and go above and beyond will be rightly rewarded with an afternoon of music, sports activities and ice cream.

We will have celebratory assemblies during the final week of school, in recognition of progress, achievement and tutor awards for the school’s three core values: Respectful, Responsive and Ready.

PSHE Students have covered various PSHEE topics this term. We were lucky to secure a guest speaker from Operation Topaz explaining to the students about how to keep themselves safe. We have also had visits from our Local PCSO talking about our community. Year 9 have been looking at homelessness and looked at the charity work being done by The Body Shop to support young people.

Mental Health Week For Mental Health Week in May, the national theme was ‘Nature’. Tutor time was spent looking at activities we could do with our friends and family or individually to get us outdoors and enjoying our surroundings. Students were challenged to reduce their screen time on devices to give them a fresh approach to life.

Safeguarding This term pupils have been looking at online safety, social media and cyberbullying. Each year group has completed different aspects, to ensure we are age appropriate with our work.

Through student voice and in tutor activities, students showed their awareness of social media, recognising how it is used both positively and negatively. It was amazing to hear so many of our pupils had secure privacy settings on their phones. Thank you to all parents for all your hard work; having those conversations with your child about social media is really paying off and supports the work we do in school.

As parents and carers you will have heard that the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson asked for an inquiry to be completed in universities and schools regarding ‘Rape Culture’ in early 2021. As a proactive school, we have completed CPD with our staff on what it is and how we can continue to keep everyone safe. This included how we can empower our students to recognise unhealthy relationships. To support this, lower school will be completing work on Healthy Relationships and the upper school will be looking at Consent.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at school at adele.creed@kingarthurs.org.uk if you have any questions.

Alternatively use the Worry button on the safeguarding page of the website if you have concerns about a child.

3.

Year 11 Leavers

The Leavers of 2021 had a fantastic last day with a mixture of memories, awards and fun. Students enjoyed a Leavers Assembly with photographs from Year 6 Inductions, fun awards and Corrie W winning top prize with 99% attendance over 5 years. The students then immersed themselves in a festival style celebration with bouncy castle, karaoke, BBQ and ice cream. It certainly was a memorable day and the excellent weather topped it off beautifully.

Stamp Competition We are very happy that we have been able to participate in the Heroes Stamp Design Competition organised by the Royal Mail. What a great way to celebrate heroes by enabling our young people to design a stamp which can be sent on letters within the UK or internationally. It is an invaluable opportunity for our talented students.

We have had an amazing range of entries and our panel of judges had a difficult job selecting the best ones. There was a lot of discussion about the variety of unique and high-quality designs. We managed to select 19 pieces to be submitted to the Royal Mail for the competition. The results from the National competition will be announced sometime in August/September. Fingers crossed for our students!

We have awarded our students in the following way: 19 entries were sent to the Royal Mail and have achieved 10 house points each: Aliyah, Sami, Millie, Mariana, Maxine, Amy, Katie, Emily, Eden, Hope, Noah, Eleanor, Aida, Aaron, Ellie, Hollie, Eleanor, Abi, Victoria. Our overall winner from all of these entries is Noah, achieving 20 house

points and the two runners up are Maxine and Mariana, earning 15 house points each.

These three top winners also enjoyed receiving small prizes from our Art department.

The following students have achieved 5 house points for putting a lot of effort into their stamp designs: Alexandra, Hope, Enzo, Hayden, Jayden, Morley, Mabel, Josh, Saffron, Lucie, Sophie, Rory, Charley, Isobel, James , Sandra, Keira, Poppy, Helena, Luke.

The rest of the students have achieved 2 points for participating. We are very proud of our talented students who have put so much effort into this amazing competition. Thank you and keep up the great creative work. You are all heroes.💛

Year 11: Last day in Humanities Year 11 were treated to a pub-style quiz alongside non-alcoholic cocktails for their last lesson in Humanities at KA. They had two history rounds in which we quizzed them on various topics as well as music within historical films. Geography questioned them on matching the landmark to the country. This was a great send off for our students who have worked incredibly hard in both subjects and it was with a tear in our eyes that we bid them farewell for their next chapter. A number of students have opted to continue their studies taking A Level History and Geography and we look forward to them returning to tell other students about their courses post-16.

Year 6 Transition Miss Andrews has been busy working on ensuring the transition for our Year 6 students to King Arthur’s in September is seamless and the students joining us are prepared for the start of their next adventure. She has visited each of them in their schools to find out about them as individuals and ensure they are ‘ready’ learners for September.

SEND Transition This term the SEND Department invited some of the Year 6 students from our local primary schools to spend a morning familiarising themselves with secondary life. This can be a difficult transition for some pupils, so it is a great opportunity for them to get to know their new surroundings, staff and expectations of the school day. They spent time immersing themselves in activities such as craft, treasure hunts, social skills games and chats with some of our current Year 7. During this time, the Learning Support team were on hand to support and talk with the pupils to find out more about their worries and what they are most looking forward to. As a school we were very impressed with their motivation and kindness, and we are very excited to welcome them all in September.

4.

Games Club The KA Games Club has started properly this halfterm after school on Tuesdays. Competition has been heating up as several different games have been serious contests as to who can hold supreme winner of Games Club. First the competitions began with Chess, where Mr Loddo was very closely beaten and knocked off the podium by the Shah siblings. The competition then progressed to Battleships, which saw a couple of furious calls of HIT and MISS. Lastly and most recently, the final contest has been over memory games; flipping cards and matching pairs. The clash has been ramping over the last couple of weeks, but no clear winner has emerged just yet.

We have planned for new games to be added soon, with ideas specifically for Risk, Monopoly and even some historic themed games such as Orlog; an old Scandinavian dice game.

To quote Albert Einstein: “Creativity is intelligence having fun”

UKMT Junior Maths Challenge Over 60 Year 7 and 8 mathematicians competed in the UKMT Maths Challenge in school in April. For Year 7, it was their first time competing in this competition. We had amazing results this year, with Year 7 gaining 4 Bronze awards and 1 Silver award. Congratulations go to Jayden H, Ruby S, Payton W and Abi C for gaining a Bronze award and special congratulations goes to Flynn B for gaining a Silver Award!

Year 8 achieved great success with 11 Awards (9 Bronze and 2 silver).

Congratulations go to Alicia A, Ellie B, James B, Charlie E-M, Amelia E, Eden F, Hazel P, Harry S and Eleanor Y for gaining a Bronze Award and to Elizabeth P and George B-S for gaining a Silver Award.

Extra special congratulations to George for gaining the "Best in the School" award!

Students collected their certificates during their year group assembly.

Year 7, 8 & 9 Maths Challenge Small groups of students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have been undertaking a range of mathematical investigations and challenges in enhancement sessions with Ms PirasMcEvoy. Here is a picture of our Year 7 students peer-evaluating their solutions to a problem.

Want to try more problems?

For more problem solving challenges try exploring the NRICH website: Secondary Students (maths.org) or the UKMT Mathematical challenge archive: Junior Mathematical Challenge archive | UK Mathematics Trust (ukmt.org.uk)

iMedia Congratulations to the following students who have worked hard to complete their Bronze and Silver iDEA Awards over the last 5 months. This is an ongoing independent learning project for all Year 7-9’s to complete for their Computing homework.

Bronze and Silver Award achievements: Aryan R Bronze Award achievements: Year 7 Oliver P, Ethan D, Katie P, Isobel H, Cerys W, Shelby P, Daniel C, Millie S, Lily M,

Year 10 Additional Mathematics A group of Year 10 students have been studying the Free Standing Mathematics Qualification in Additional Mathematics. This course bridges the mathematics of GCSE and A-Level and is challenging our very able mathematics students to solve new problems in unfamiliar contexts! The Advanced FSMQ, Additional Mathematics, is worth UCAS points for university admissions, and introduces students to the power and elegance of advanced mathematics. It is also excellent preparation for Alevel Maths. Well done to Emily, Ben, Ella, Libby, Pippa and Isla for your excellent work so far!

Year 8 Emilia S, Kyra-Jo W, Eleanor Y, Lucas C, Zebedee W, Amelia E, Katie H, Maisy E, Ritchie K, Cory W-S, James B Year 9 Roccus M, Sol B, Aliyah R, Alfie C, Aida N Well done everyone!

The Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award, known as iDEA, is an international award-winning programme that helps students develop digital, enterprise and employability skills for free.

Through the series of online challenges, students gain career-enhancing badges, unlock new opportunities and, ultimately, gain industryrecognised awards that help them stand out from the crowd. This is the digital literacy version of the well-known Duke of Edinburgh Award.

We look forward to more students completing their Bronze/Silver Awards over the next term.

3D Design Our Year 8 students have been busy this term designing and making their own photo frames. They have used their Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) skills to create a complex and technical photo frame. All of the students were very pleased with their finished products. The skills they have learnt during this project will enable them to progress to the next stage of their educational development.

A showcase of Art students’ work We are very fortunate to have so many talented students in our school. Learning through art enriches the experience and encourages self-expression, creativity and builds self confidence as well as a sense of individual identity.

Our students’ artwork is certainly inspirational. It is great to see the variety of artwork created: some pieces are really empowering, others unique and original. We have such a diverse range of meaningful, creative and inspirational pieces which we would like to share. Here is a small selection of KS3 and KS4 artwork including imaginative photography, showing innovative techniques and skills, and decorative Art pieces, conveying creative and powerful messages. Congratulations to our amazing students! Keep being creative.

Science

5.

CSI activity with Year 11 In the final week of Year 11, students were asked to play real-life crime scene investigators, when we ‘found out’ that Mr Chapman had been murdered in SL4! Mrs Jacklin came in to the PEC to tell the students, who were all ready for a Science quiz, that Mr Chapman had been found and that the suspects, Mrs Mason, Mr Loddo, Mrs Lampert and Mr Hayes, had already been interviewed.

Students made their way to the Science corridor, where they were met with crime scene photos, the crime scene (with Mr Chapman already moved for autopsy), and statements from the suspects and evidence. There had been signs of a struggle, with bloody handprints on the front of the fume cupboard and blood splatter on the floor.

A mug was found next to Mr Chapman with some liquid (which definitely wasn’t tea or coffee) spilling out of it.

Their task was to work out who had committed the murder by analysing the evidence available to them, ready to take to court to convict the person responsible.

Students had to compare hair samples gathered at the scene with samples from all of the suspects. They did this using the new KS4 microscopes, finding that there was guinea pig hair on Mr Chapman … but who owns a guinea pig?!

Students then did some blood group analysis, comparing blood found at the scene (which was group B) with blood ‘samples’ from the suspects. This narrowed down the suspect pool, as only two had the same blood type.

There was also a threatening note found at the crime scene. To work out who it might have been from, pens were seized from all of the suspects. Students then completed some thin layer chromatography to compare the ink from all of the black pens, trying to work out which pen had been used. Finally, the suspicious liquid found in Mr Chapman’s mug was analysed using flame testing. Samples of clear liquids taken from the suspects were tested to see if they were a match for the chemical potassium, which is what was found in Mr Chapman’s mug. At high doses, this chemical can cause heart problems; it was also found in the blood of the victim.

At the end of the session, students gathered back in the PEC to deliver their conclusions. Some students had taken a leaf out of the popular CSI programmes on TV and also turned to detectives, tracking down the suspects to their classrooms or office, asking further questions to work out motive and alibis!

The final conclusion was unanimous – it was Mr Hayes!

Back to practical work In Science, we have been so pleased to be able to get back in to the labs for our lessons. We have made the most of this by doing lots of practical activities across all of the year groups alongside fantastic classroom discussions. Students have been great with using the Covid-safe procedures and processes in place, ensuring that they are as safe as possible.

New microscopes!

The Science department were awarded a National Grid Hinkley STEM Project Grant this Spring. This grant of £1250 has allowed us to purchase 10 brand new microscopes for use by KS4 students. Year 11 have been the first year group to benefit from these microscopes, using them to visualise onion cells on slides that they prepared themselves. These new microscopes are a fantastic addition to the department and will be well-used by students in their Biology lessons. Previously we have been unable to visualise mitosis in action in root tips due to our equipment not being suitable; we now look forward to completing more detailed practical activities in the future, preparing and viewing cells ourselves alongside learning about them. We are hoping that this will inspire more students to go in to STEM-related fields once they leave us, studying A level Biology or Applied Science qualifications in the future for example.

Morse code in Year 9 In Year 9 Science we have been looking at the different types of waves (transverse and longitudinal) and how they transfer energy. As part of this, Mrs Huggins’ class found out about Morse code, which was originally invented in the 1830s by Samuel F.B. Morse. They set up a simple circuit using a battery, bulb and switch and used this to send messages to each other using light signals! We realised that Morse code can be very tricky to use and interpret, but gained an appreciation for the people that used this for radio communication over 100 years ago, before we were able to transmit voice.

Year 11: End of Year Lessons In May, we had several practical lessons with Year 11 to make up for the lack of practicals that we were able to do in lockdown. In Biology, we completed a heart dissection, linking our knowledge of the circulatory system and how the heart works to the physical structure. Students worked through the dissection in small groups, cutting open the heart and locating the 4 chambers, the aorta and the ‘heart strings’ (tendinous strands that hold the valves in place).

Some students completed some mindful Science colouring, embedding knowledge of the heart structure and function in a different way. In Physics, students learnt how to build the best paper aeroplanes, and then had a competition to see whose could fly the furthest and fastest. This linked in to our learning of aerodynamics, calculating speed and, of course, led to quite a competition! All students engaged really well in these hands-on activities, something which we definitely missed during online learning.

% %% % %

6.

% %

%

%

%% %

%

%% % % %

%

%

%%

%

%

% % % %% % % % %% % % % % % % % %

% % % % % %% %% % % % % % % % % % % % % % %

%

%

%

%

%

% % % Year 7: In the%first term,%we have % learnt some basics such as the French alphabet for pronunciation, numbers, months, % family % %and personality. % % We also covered key verbs that allow students to start writing and talking in full sentences % % about% themselves. %% During lockdown, the main topic was school:

students were able to give their opinions about the school subjects and describe their routine. Back at school, the focus was on food and countries, which allowed them to research about culinary traditions in the world.

J’adore les macarons, je pense que c’est délicieux !

%

%

% %

%% % % % %

% % %

have been TV and Films, music, sports %%Year 8: The topics % covered % and fashion. The students had the opportunity to express their % opinions% and have% also learnt % about the past and future tenses.

For the last half term, we focused on the Euros 2021. We %described% key football % players, not all French! It was a great opportunity % % to research % on% the geography and traditions of some European countries.

Le week-end dernier, j’ai regardé Le livre de la Jungle.

C’était super ! Je pense que c’est un film intéressant !

% % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Year we started % %9: in September, % % %

%

%

% % % % % % % %

%

% % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % %

%

%

% %

% %

learning about some aspects of the French GCSE: we looked at key verbs and tenses. After lockdown, we started our history module. We studied two films “les choristes” et “Au-revoir les enfants”. Both films describe the living conditions of some children during and after World War 2 in France. It was an opportunity to learn about the% french history and the power of % music. % %% % % % % % % % % % % % %

2021.pdf 1

% %%

%

%

% %

%

%

%

%

%

%

1

%

%

%

%

%

% %

%

% %

%

%

% %

%

%

%

%

%

%

Year 9 have been studying the era of war and have been finding out what it was like for the people left at home as well as those on the front line.

In Year 10, GCSE History students have just finished our Local Study unit, focusing on ‘The Prohibited District: Berlin Hohenschonhausen’. Students were interested to learn what was going on in East Germany between 1945 and 1990 and seemed to grasp the ideas with interest. This has now made them keen to come on the Berlin trip as soon as we are able to go again.

11:56

%

%

% %

%

% %

% 1

%

1

11:56

!

!

In Year 8 we have started a topic on ‘Oceans’ that so far has explored the vastness of the cceans and seas on our planet, how we use and benefit from our oceans as well as the threats caused by humans and whether we can sustain this in the future.

Recently Year 9 have completed a project on the ‘2011 Earthquake and Tsunami’, the biggest natural disaster to hit Japan in it’s history. Students enjoyed the opportunity to work independently and source the information for themselves.

Year 11 NCS In the final week before we said goodbye to Year 11, we were lucky to secure five workshops from The National Citizenship Service. These covered careers and progression, citizenship and British values, employability, health and wellbeing and skills for independent living. The sessions were run by current university students and enabled our students to experience ideas to help them in the wider world from a different perspective than the classroom.

1

11:56

%

!

Students in year 7 have been learning about Kenya and its natural diversity in Culture and landscape. Students have been discovering different phrases in Swahili as well as learning that there are a few teachers at KA who have visited Kenya. This has enabled those staff to create dialogues with the students as well as provide photographs and insights into their experiences. We have spent time learning about one of the well-known tribes, the Maasai, and their traditions and how a developing Kenya is affecting their existence.

%

%

Year 11: They have been amazing students! I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching them for the last two years. They had to cope with the stress of two lockdowns during the GCSE years as well as so many last minute changes, and the intensity of tests after tests, to make sure they got rewarded an accurate grade. I could not have asked for more. They have been fantastic.

I hope that their hardwork and dedication will be reflected by their grades in August.

History has been a bustling place over the past two terms. Year 7 have been learning about the Tudors and the impact they have had on the society we live in today. Huge debate was had over whether Henry VIII was a good king and if it was right for him to behead his wives in his mission to secure the monarchy. They really enjoyed watching The Simpsons clip where this was explained and thought it was funny that we were watching Simpsons in class, it really helped them to understand the issues surrounding this topic. Year 8 have been spending time looking at “A Clash of American Cultures”. We were particularly impressed with the presentations they put together on the Mayan, Aztec and Incan communities. Students worked independently and in pairs researching and creating amazing presentations with artefacts. They were a joy to watch as you could clearly see how much effort and pride had been put into the work.

%

%

Year 10: I am so proud how hard they have worked despite the % % % % % %have % %% % % % % % % stressful disruptions. All of the students shown great % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % resilience and enthusiasm throughout this difficult year.

They % % % % % % % %% % % % % % % % % % %% % % % % % % % % % % % have now completed their French and it was a% very positive % %PPEs % outcome for all. Great work! % %%

Geography

%

%

%

% History

%

%

%

%

KA 2021.pdf 2

%

%

%

Le français à KA %

%

11:56

S P O R T S D A Y

7.

Debating Club It has been a pleasure to be able to start a Year 8 debating club this summer term. A group of twelve Year 8 girls have been working hard to refine their debating skills and spend some time reflecting on some of the issues that they feel are important in our world at the moment. We started the term with a discussion around the significance of the monarchy, and the girls made some very intelligent and thought provoking points, in particular debating whether the monarchy is truly representative of our modern society. In the same week as Euro 2021 qualifying, we had a very lively discussion about ‘the point’ of football, exploring how it contributes both economically and socially to our lives. By the end of term we will be ready to host a formal debate and I hope that these students continue to explore their passion for this as they move into Year 9.

Year 11 Visit from Kelly Davis KD Grooming Year 11 welcomed an inspirational assembly from Kelly Davis from KD Grooming. You may recognise the name as Kelly recently won Pooch Perfect on the BBC. Students were excited to have a local celebrity in their midst and were keen to hear her story of never giving up and going for your goals.

Performing Arts During both the lockdown period of this year and the long-awaited return to school, we have been covering a wide variety of topics in Performing Arts.

Year 7 have been introduced to the play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ with a focus on both set design and costume design.

Students created themed mood boards and used character analysis to make their design decisions and the results were very imaginative. Upon return to school, we have been looking at the key dimensions of music and how these are used to create mood and atmosphere in film scenes, pop songs and TV programme jingles and adverts.

Both Years 8 and 9 during lockdown were introduced to the topic of ‘Songologues’ taking the lyrics of a song of their choice and turning these into a spoken monologue. This has introduced them to the vocal and physical skills actors use in interpreting speeches and as an approach to character creation. On return to school, we have been looking at the artistic styles of influential theatre practitioners including Stanislavski, Berkoff, Brecht, Beckett and Artaud.

Year 11 BTEC students have had to really think creatively and imaginatively on how

to put together a group devised performance based around the exam board stimulus ‘Safer Communities – Vantage Point’. During lockdown, they met via their live Teams lessons each week to discuss ideas, create scripts and start to produce their pieces. Due to Covid restrictions, they decided to turn their pieces into two short films rather than live performances, with the hope that the wider school community will get to watch them at some point and celebrate the work of these resilient students. On return to school, the students have also completed the Performance from Text part of their BTEC course and have recorded and evaluated their acting skills.

The KS3 Drama and Singing Groups held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school are well under way and it’s been a delight to see the dedication to Performing Arts of some of our students continue outside of normal lessons. The Drama Group students are all actively working towards their first LAMDA Graded Acting exams and I look forward to sharing news with the results of these exams in due course.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate both Ellie & Seweryn in Year 11 on their offer of places to study for a diploma in Performing Arts next year.

Ms Nias

BTEC Travel and Tourism This year we introduced a new GCSE for the students to choose and they seem to have embraced the new course. Even in these very difficult times for the travel industry, our students have been looking at destinations within the UK and what appeal they have. They have also been looking at how the travel and tourism sectors work together to ensure the customer gets the best offer. I feel we have some budding Richard Bransons amongst us!

This term the students also took part in ‘The Tenner Challenge.’ Students were given £10 each and they were challenged with making that into as much money as possible. They looked at costings, profit margins and customer demand and have seen their businesses flourish. We have had lollies on sale as well as sweet packets. We are currently setting up a car wash week with quality control in place. The money they raised will be used to part fund their trip next term.

Careers News

It has been a busy time for students in KS4 in terms of careers over the past term. Year 11 have finalised their applications to colleges, Sixth Forms and apprenticeship providers, whilst Year 10 are starting to look at what is available in the local and wider area. Mr Chapman and Miss Andrews set up a Careers Day event for all of Year 11 before they left at half term, with ex-students from King Arthur’s School returning to talk about what they had been up to since leaving the school, and sharing what they had learnt along the way. This was a fantastic day, with students being able to ask lots of questions as well as work on their CVs with the careers advisor and think about how they would prepare for their next steps once they leave KA. There have been lots of careers-focussed online events, activities and information sessions available to students from all year groups during lockdown and over the past few months as well; this has been one great benefit of things moving online as we have seen a huge increase in these opportunities arising. Recent talks and sessions advertised include: getting into construction, aerospace, apprenticeships in hospitality, business, motor vehicles and art and design. There have also been online ‘open events’ for Kingston Maurward, Bridgwater and Taunton College, Yeovil College and Strode College, which have all been fantastic.

Events, talks, virtual work experiences and other careers-related information are all advertised on the Careers GoogleClassroom and we have been encouraging students to ‘take part’ in any that may interest them. Students can sign up to this classroom if they have not already done so; they just need to ask Mrs Huggins or Mr Chapman for the join code.

Over the past term, students in Year 10 have been able to access virtual ‘open day’ events at Strode College, attending taster sessions for various courses, as well as being able to get involved in question and answer sessions to find out more about the college. The students who attended found this experience invaluable – they gained real insights into what studying at Strode would be like.

The preparation for next steps will continue for Year 10 in September, with local providers coming in to school (either virtually or in person) to tell students about the fantastic opportunities available to them. Students will also continue to be able to meet with Aaron, our Careers Advisor, and will be given advice and guidance on how to complete CVs and applications.

Alumni visits Alumni students from across the country came back to support our Year 11 students and offer them insight into many different fields of work or industry as part of our Careers Day. All students had the opportunity in small groups to select three different areas of interest and take away valuable knowledge that will help accelerate their next steps after King Arthur’s. Other aspects of the day included videos from three overseas ex KA students who shed light into the benefits of travel. Lastly we received an inspirational talk from Brendan Rendall on his charity fundraising and his accomplishments such as running the width of Africa!

Visit to Sexey’s School On the 24th June, 19 Year 10 students visited Sexey's School as part of their post-16 preparation. Choosing A Levels can be a daunting time and is a big decision so our students were lucky enough to have a day to try out some options. KA students were able to take part in three different A-level lessons ranging from Government and Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Physics and English. Students were able to experience new subjects as well as those they are already enjoying and excelling in at KA. We were treated to a lovely lunch as well as seeing a few old KA faces. The students had a great day and look forward to sharing their experience with staff back at school.

Yeovil Experience Month The Yeovil College Experience Month was a virtual event in May and June designed to support students in thinking about their entire career journey, beyond both school and college. This event took Year 10 and 11 students on a planned journey, showing them a world of possibilities and endless opportunities, providing clear roadmaps on how to maximise their potential, no matter the starting position. As part of this, students watched pre-recorded taster lessons, researched different courses and submitted questions to members of the Yeovil College Team. They also completed activities including a scavenger hunt. We are thrilled that four Year 11 students won a ‘night in on us’ following their submissions. These students have been treated to a Netflix Voucher, JustEat Voucher and an ASOS Voucher each! Well done Betsy, Connor, Charlotte and Megan!

SPORT Duke of Edinburgh Awards This term our Year 11 students have returned to complete their DofE training and to undertake their final expedition. Since signing up most have also completed the other sections of their award, volunteering in both the school and local community, learning new skills and taking on physical challenges. From walking the school dog, to taking part in weekly gymnastics sessions every student has picked something unique. The group will complete their final expedition in July in the Mendips around Glastonbury and Wells.

Good luck team!

George Bagwell George completed a 25 mile sponsored bike ride a few weeks ago, in the pouring rain finishing at Gold Hill, Shaftesbury. He wants to do the 50 mile one next. He read about it in the Blackmore Vale magazine and asked his Dad to sign them both up and he raised £150 for prostate cancer.

BTEC Sport During lockdown, Year 11 students have been busy undertaking their training programmes at home as part of their BTEC Sport coursework.

Students have either been working out in the space of their own homes, gardens, garages or simply going out for runs or cycle rides. Students had to identify a certain component of fitness for a given sport that they could improve by designing a safe training programme. They were expected to carry out their training programmes independently based upon prior learning in Year 10. Students were expected to plan and review each training session so that they could modify and adapt their training to meet their goals.

Students have been busy gathering evidence such as videos and photos of their training to support their coursework.

Given the barriers of training such as poor weather conditions and pressures of studying, students have performed particularly well and can be proud of their commitments. On Thursday 11th March, students conducted fitness tests to see how much impact the training had on their performance. Many students have reported that they have enjoyed carrying out their training and have been able to see not only the physical benefits but the mental health benefits also.

Sporting success in Year 7 This year has been a difficult one for any sports fans with COVID restrictions limiting matches, training and tournaments. Just like with professional athletes, younger players have also been unable to train and play in their usual way. However, despite this, students in 7LH have achieved some fantastic sporting successes this year, which are made even more incredible by the difficult circumstances of 2020 and 2021.

Since May half term, participation at our extra-curricular sports clubs has boomed! With a variety of sports on offer, students have finally had the opportunity to experience the joys of sports clubs after school. Tennis, basketball and badminton have all been successful with a range of students joining in.

The most popular after school club has been ‘Fun Friday Football’.

Such has been the popularity of the session, that Mr Chapman and Mr Elloway have recently recruited

District Football star Joe Beckey in to help coach. Students have benefited hugely from the social element of extra-curricular sport, but also from the expertise of Joe’s input. Well done to the large number of Year 7’s who have joined clubs this year, and fingers crossed we can start some fixtures next academic term. A notable mention must go to Paige and Sabrina who have attended both football, tennis and badminton this term!

William D-W and Harry D Will and Harry both play football for Wincanton Town Under 12s who were successful in winning the 4th Division Cup. Harry is a left winger and Will plays centre-midfield. In the final match of the shortened season, the team won 5-1 against Perry Street with both students achieving two goals and one assist. The boys train regularly with Wincanton Town alongside several other Year 7 students and are looking forward to being able to get back to ‘football as normal’ in 2021-22.

Karting I first experienced karting when I saw Bambino's going down the sea front at Bournemouth Wheels when I was six. I really liked the karts and went to a training session when I was about six and a half. It was meant to be two sections (the first for how to drive etc and the second for building up the speed) but I didn't need the second one as I was already going fast enough!

I started in Cadets at 7 and had to move up early again at 10½ as I had grown too tall. I moved to Minimax, which is a full-size kart with a restricted version of the 125cc Rotax engine. Before that, I raced every weekend with a few different teams at Clay Pigeon Raceway, Camberley Kart Club and Forest Edge to name a few. My second team was the Zip Kart Factory Team which later joined forces with All-Stars who's team head was Luke Hines. His father, Martin Hines, was the driver coach for drivers like David Coulthard and Lewis Hamilton in their early careers.

I started Mini Max at 10½ and I raced the Super One National Championship where most F1 drivers raced in karting. I have my name on the same trophy as Lando Norris and George Russell who are currently racing in Formula 1.

I am currently racing karts in Junior Rotax Max. This is a full size kart with an unrestricted 125cc 2stroke engine, capable of reaching speeds of up to 80mph. One of my most recent trips was to a team test day up at Glan Y Gors kart track in North Wales on the border of Snowdonia. The aim was to gain as much experience as possible in preparation for what was supposed to be the opening two rounds of the SuperOne race series during the half-term week. Sadly, the Welsh Government enforced a tight restriction on numbers at outside events which meant our event was cancelled. It was a real shame as GYG is a much faster track than my local club at Clay Pigeon Kart Club and we were all really looking forward to it. GYG is an undulating track with some interesting twists and turns. You put your faith in the kart without being able to see the exit of the curve until you're fully committed by which time it's too late if you get it wrong! A challenging circuit which also makes it great fun and keeps you buzzing all day!

Holly Woolley

King Arthur’s Community School, West Hill, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9BX • Phone 01963 32368 • office@kingarthurs.org.uk • www.kingarthurs.org.uk

Rory C Rory is also a hugely successful footballer and he plays for Ilchester as a striker. Rory’s team won the U-12s Division 1 and also the High Holborne Cup. In the final of the cup, played at the Yeovil Town Football Club men’s stadium, Ilchester beat Axminster 5-0 and Rory scored two goals and also got two assists. This season, Rory is hoping the team can win the league again and they continue to have success.

Jacob C Another keen footballer in the tutor group is Jacob.

This year he competed in trials for the Junior Premier League (JPL). The Junior Premier League is more advanced football for under-13s. Jacob plays for South Somerset and made it through trials to play as a midfielder. The team play on Saturdays against teams including famous names like Chelsea.

Jacob’s team often get visited by scouts from local professional sides such as Exeter City, Bristol Rovers and Portsmouth.

Lacie W Lacie is a keen horse rider and has won a number of competitions. She regularly rides horses from Petherlings Farm in Horsington including her favourite horse Pinky who is a strawberry roan. In her last competition at Petherlings she competed in show jumping and she won a rosette for clearing all the jumps.

Katie Williams Katie swims regularly at Wincanton Sports Centre and recently completed a 1 mile swim with her team. Since the pool has been back open Katie is now joining Swim Club and training Thursday nights.