Almanac 2016-17

“Together We Achieve”

Almanac 2016-17 al▪ma▪nac n.

1.

2.

A register of the days, weeks and months of the year, with events, anniversaries, etc, published annually.

An annual publication containing a variety of factual information.

Contents News

2

Hove Park School

4 - 27

Primary Partnerships

28 - 31

Literacy

32 - 33

Drama & Music

34 - 37

Languages

38 - 41

PE

42 - 51

Digital Fluency

52 - 55

Art

56 - 63

Sixth Form

64 - 66

Head Teacher’s introduction Welcome to this year’s Almanac. This is our sixth edition and once again we are delighted to share with you some of our accomplishments and amazing endeavours.

It has been an exciting time and, in the space of a year, we have been judged as a ‘Good’ school again by Ofsted, been accredited as an Apple Distinguished School and also been designated a Teaching School as one of the lead schools in the Pavilion and Downs Alliance.

Each of these achievements reflects the strong foundation we have built in recent years and, importantly, provides us with the platform to continue to grow and develop.

At Hove Park School, we believe every student is entitled to a ‘whole education’ that includes great teaching, the development of wider skills and the opportunity to see, hear and do amazing things.

This Almanac shows our vision rapidly becoming a reality.

Jim Roberts Head Teacher

Almanac - 2016/17

3

Hove Park praised by Ofsted!

We are delighted that our school came through an Ofsted inspection this year with flying colours.

The report also includes a number of comments from parents, carers and students:

It is pleasing and reassuring that Ofsted recognise and validate the great work done at Hove Park to ensure a safe and caring environment for our children.

• “Staff go the extra mile” • “Teachers are passionate about what they do” • “A fantastic school; staff are so understanding and supportive” • “Teachers don’t just see us as a result, they see the individual”

The governors and school leadership confirmed that the “leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection and the Sixth Form continues to flourish” and that we “have successfully built on the school’s many strengths”.

The report highlights a considerable number of strengths. Comments from the report include: • “The school’s excellent attention to pupils’ and students’ welfare, alongside good advice about education and careers, prepares them very well for their future lives.”

• “The school has a calm, positive atmosphere and culture at both the upper and lower sites.”

• “We were delighted to see that Sixth Formers continue to make good progress and achieve the results they need to proceed to higher education, work or apprenticeships.”

• “Inspectors saw many pupils being challenged by their work and making good progress as a result.”

• “Pupils have a voice about school life and describe trust between them and staff.”

4

Hove Park School

In addition to the normal cycle of Ofsted inspections, schools are also subject to additional inspections that focus on specific areas of the school’s work. In October 2016 there was an unannounced inspection of Hove Park School.

The inspection concluded that:

“Leaders and managers have taken effective action to maintain the high standards of behaviour and attitudes identified at the school’s previous inspection.”

Academic achievement Once again there was lots to celebrate this year when the results of the GCSE and A Level examinations were published. Head Teacher, Jim Roberts, said on results day: “We are all incredibly proud of our students. Their hard work, determination and resilience is clearly evident from the results they have achieved. We wish all our students every success as they begin the next stage of their education.”

This year saw the introduction of new national GCSE qualifications in English and maths. These specifications are assessed using a new 9-1 grading system, and it was pleasing that a number of our students were able to successfully attain a grade 9, which is the highest grade.

As well as many individual successes, we were pleased to be able to announce that students’ overall achievement showed improvement in many areas compared to previous years.

At GCSE level, outcomes for students were at least in-line with national figures in the following key areas: • The average grade achieved by all students; • The percentage of students achieving the EBACC; • The proportion of students achieving both English and maths.

In addition, results in many other subject areas were also in-line with national figures and we were very pleased that the achievement of students for whom we received pupil premium funding improved this year.

A-Level students at Hove Park continued to make better progress than most students nationally. The average grade that students achieved has risen by over two points, meaning students are gaining higher grades than in comparison to previous years.

There were also many individual successes in the Sixth Form with a number of students leaving to take up places at university.

Almanac - 2013/14 2016/17

5

Hove Park’s new vision A school is more than just a place where students come to learn. It is also a place where a community develops and thrives. It is a place where we come together to support each other achieve. Whether it is in the classroom learning, on the sports field competing or on the stage performing, we know that success comes from us all working together.

Student progress will always remain a key priority because outcomes so often dictate future pathways and opportunities for young people. At Hove Park, we are currently exploring how learning will look in the future. Having been again judged by Ofsted as a ‘good’ school, this is great opportunity to reflect on the structures and routines that we expect to see in every lesson. Exploring the way we teach ensures we continue to drive improvement and supports our ambition to be ‘outstanding’ at our next inspection.

Our designation as a Teaching School and recognition as an Apple Distinguished School provides significant opportunities to drive educational standards forward - both at Hove Park but also within our community and beyond. Student leadership is part of this theme and our newlyformed Pupil Parliament will have an increasingly important role in representing the views of our students and providing a structured opportunity for students to shape the school in the future.

The final part of my vision for our school relates very much about the school experience each and every student will have. It is about identifying the skills, values and attributes that we believe students should develop during their time with us and the things they will see, hear, try and explore at KS3, KS4 and KS5.

I want to describe the types of activities, experiences and opportunities that will enrich our pupils’ time with us. In the same way the National Trust produced a list of ‘Things you should do by 11 ¾’, I would like to be able to present a similar structure of expectations that we can develop over time, to ensure all students benefit from the huge range of curriculum and enrichment activities

6

Hove Park School

on offer throughout the year. In thinking about our curriculum, we need to regularly reflect on its content to ensure it prepares students for the future. Our new Learning for Life lessons will be part of every student’s timetable from September 2017. This will support the themes I have described in terms of developing values and skills, and will ensure that every student has a key adult in school who knows them really well.

It is an exciting time to be part of Hove Park School as we look to shape our future and the way we support all students to achieve.

Hove Park to become a teaching school!

We are delighted to announce that five local schools, including Hove Park School, have been given the go-ahead from the Department for Education and National College for Teaching and Leadership to establish a teaching school alliance.

Following our recent successful Ofsted inspection, this is more good news and more evidence of excellence at Hove Park School.

partnership and collaboration with schools across West Sussex and Brighton and Hove areas.

The new Pavilion and Downs Teaching School Alliance is part of a group of approximately 30 schools in England to be granted teaching school status in the latest round.

The five schools are Hove Park School, Blatchington Mill School, Dorothy Stringer School, Steyning Grammar School and Varndean School.

Introduced in 2011, teaching schools are all excellent schools. They work with partner schools to ensure high quality school-led initial teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers at all stages of their career.

Teaching schools take a leading role in recruiting and training new entrants to the profession. They identify and develop leadership potential, provide support for other schools, and work with schools across their alliance to raise standards of teaching.

They raise standards through supporting other schools, engage in research and development, and ensure that the most talented school leaders are spotted and supported to become successful Head Teachers.

The Pavilion and Downs Teaching School Alliance will make a significant contribution to improving life chances for all young people in the West Sussex and Brighton and Hove areas. The work of the Pavilion and Downs Alliance will be based on

Jim Roberts, Head Teacher at Hove Park School, said “We will have the opportunity to recruit the very best teachers for the maximum benefit all of young people in the Pavilion and Downs area.�

Almanac - 2013/14 2016/17

7

Crack it!

Hove Park are the 14th school nationally to be involved in a multi agency project called ‘Crack it’ run by Active Sussex and Sussex Cricket.

The project currently involves 20 Year 8 students, coached

by Kieran Buck who is a Sussex Cricket Coach and Sixth Form student. In the sessions, students took part in a design project to create their own design for a T-shirt and bat. In the final week, all students were presented with a cricket bat and T-Shirt with their design on and played wearing it in the final match to mark the end of the project.

NSPCC Big Board Game Day Hove Park School took part in the NSPCC’s Big Board Game Day in March. The NSPCC encouraged schools across the country to support the charity by getting children to bring in their favourite board games from home and play them in class.

Those who participated in Big Board Game Day were asked to make a small donation, with all funds raised being donated to the NSPCC to use in their fight to protect every childhood.

NSPCC Director of Fundraising, Nigel Spencer, said: “Big Board Game Day has become an annual highlight for us with thousands of people across the UK temporarily downing tools to play their favourite games with friends, family, work colleagues and classmates.

We are exceptionally grateful for all the donations, no matter how big or small. Every penny raised will be put towards protecting children and young people.

Goodbye & good luck This year’s prom was a fantastically popular event with over 200 students attending. Year 11 students pulled out all the stops in terms of their attire as they attended Pangdean Barn, which itself is a beautiful venue.

It was genuinely so nice to see so many of the year group coming together and having fun and celebrating with their teachers after five years of work, work, work. Hopefully, this is a moment in their lives that the students won’t forget and it was amazing having the opportunity to organise and put on such an event for the year group.

Almanac - 2015/16 2016/17

9

Annual PSHE fair In July 2017 our Year 10 students took part in a range of careers and enterprise activities: careers fair, interview skills workshops, CV workshops.

This was a great opportunity for Hove Park School to help make the connection between education and the world of work.

The event was so successful that we are now able to ensure that it will take place on an annual basis, as numerous local employers and colleges have committed to it. The overall aim of these events is to ensure that students are best equipped with the necessary information to make the correct choice for their next steps, in both post 16 education and further afield into the world of work.

War Horse at Newhaven Fort In June this year, the Humanities Department organised an engrossing trip for students to the almost 150 years old Newhaven Fort.

Students explored the Fort, including gun battlements dating from the 19th century. They took part in an immersive event, including actors in WWII period costume, an open air-screening of the recent 2012 film War Horse and a variety of WWII exhibits. Students also took part in 1940s theme catering and watched WWII newsreels playing throughout the evening.

The whole day was really enlightening and our students were a credit to Hove Park.

10

Hove Park School

University aspirations Choosing to go to university is a major decision and getting as much information as possible is key to making the right choice about what to study and succeeding in your application and course.

To help, we invited the University of Brighton to come in and talk to a few of our students about their options on transitioning to higher education. This was the latest in a line of projects running in school working with both Sussex and Brighton Universities.

Joanna Tolley, ‘Outreach Co-ordinator’ at Brighton University, has also been in to give an inspirational talk to our students.

She answered common questions that could determine their decision: Why University? What course should I take? How will this be funded? What grades would I need?

We hope to introduce this scheme to all students in KS4, which aims to raise aspirations and support them into university.

Sri Lanka On 18th July, Year 11 students set off on a World Challenge to Sri Lanka.

There were three phases to the project: the trekking phase, the community project phase and the rest and relaxation phase. Students were asked to allocate themselves roles which rotated during the expedition as they were in charge of every aspect of this trip. This meant they had to book accommodation in the country, they had to organise our transport and make sure we were eating within the team’s budget at meal times.

The trekking phase saw us climb Ella Rock and Little Adam’s peak, which was particularly gruelling in the Sri Lanka heat.

However, we worked together as a team and were followed by a friendly group of stray dogs, who clearly thought us westerners would be sharing our lunch with them. We visited a tea plantation and were humbled by the tea pickers with their sacks attached to their head, who work for hours picking tea for just a few rupees a day. We found out a lot about Sri Lankan history and some of the locals told us about the positive things that colonisation had brought to the country, such as free education for every child, as well as some of the awful things that had happened in a bid to destroy culture and religion.

12

Hove Park School

The community project saw us travel to a Tamil region and work with the Abbotsleigh community school. We loved talking, playing and teaching the children English, although we soon learnt that we didn’t have a traditional dance to share and we had to make do with the hokey cokey. The children loved practising their English with us and we learnt they are much more independent than British students - children as young as 5 walk themselves to and from school. Whilst at the school we had many jobs to do, including digging trenches so the monsoon rains wouldn’t flood the school. We built walls and evened out playgrounds. It was hard work but very rewarding to see the students playing in the areas we had built, even at the weekends. We saw how much education is valued and how much respect there is for teachers.

Our final phase was the relaxation phase and we went to visit one of the most sacred Buddhist temples: The Temple of the Sacred Tooth. We watched the local people give their gifts to Buddha and enjoyed hearing the drummers and chanting. We saw so many wild monkeys in Sri Lanka, even at the temple. They are as common as squirrels are to us here, and some monkeys were friendlier than others. One group threw rocks at us as we walked to visit a waterfall. Luckily none of them had a good aim, although they did hit a passing tuk tuk! Sri Lanka’s main source of power is hydro power, so it is the beautiful waterfalls that we saw so many of that power the country.

In our final few days in Sri Lanka we got to experience white water rafting and canoeing, which was an adrenalin fuelled experience, although left us all battered and bruised. Our final few days were spent in the south of the country on a beach, finally relaxing, although again we were reminded of Sri Lanka’s history as we saw many of the buildings that had been destroyed during the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. We came home exhausted, but most of us vowed to return as the food and people of Sri Lanka were so fantastic.

Almanac - 2016/17

13

Graduations Graduation events once again saw students celebrating their own and each other’s successes. Each year Graduation gives an opportunity for students to reflect together on their achievements over the year.

Students attending Graduation have successfully passed their Hove Park Bacc. This means that they have made good progress across their subjects, an achievement which supports their continued learning and of which students can be justifiably proud.

Hove Park School hosted parents and carers for Graduation Ceremonies at Nevill Campus for Year 11 and also for Year 9 students as part of their transition from Valley Campus. All other year groups celebrated Graduation in end of year assemblies and all enjoyed student performances as well as more formal presentations.

Graduation remains a key event in the Hove Park calendar.

14

Hove Park School

Connie: the Hove Park pup Hove Park School have an exciting new initiative.

She has four legs and a very waggy tail! Connie is a Cockapoo puppy, a breed which is extremely friendly, good with young people and does not moult. She lives with Miss McCurdy, Hove Park’s Pastoral Support Manager, who brings her in to school every day.

Connie started at Hove Park in January where she began her slow integration into the school environment. She has taken this all in her stride and has adapted well to school life.

Connie has been getting used to her timetable, working across different areas of the school.

Research has shown that dogs can have a great impact on students’ reading, attendance, behaviour and social development.

University aspiration workshops Following an earlier visit this year by University of Sussex students to Nevill campus pupils (see page 9), Year 8 students also took part in University of Sussex aspiration workshops this March, led by former Hove Park School students.

The workshops highlighted possible future opportunities for students and engaged them in various table top activities including future careers, future subjects, the cost of going to university, first generation uni student.

Our students were able to ask questions of the students about their school, who encouraged them to go to university and what their next steps were.

Almanac - 2016/17

15

Valley challenge Last year saw a second instalment of the Valley Challenge Sponsored Walk with Mr Hunting convincing the Challenge team (Mr Mack, Ms Brett, Ms Hunt and Ms Sambrook) to add an overnight camp to the trip and this time he chose the route.

The group of students and teachers walked well over 25 miles, starting from Cissbury Hill and ending at the White Horse Hotel in Rottingdean. The weather held, the scenery was stunning and our students were amazing.

Over £2000 was raised for this year’s charity, The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance, chosen in response to the Shoreham Airport disaster. A special thank you needs to go to Robert who managed to raise £250 on his own.

16

Hove Park School

STEM winners Congratulations to Year 8 students Robyn, Eloise, Charlie, Jacob, Joe and Brad who took part in and won the Smallpiece and Southern Water final STEM event this February.

The students needed to build a pipeline with supports to take materials across an obstacle course. They were commended for their teamwork and presentation skills. This was a follow-up to a STEM event Smallpiece ran in school in the Autumn term for 60 Hove Park students.

The students travelled to Davison School in Worthing for the competition (accompanied by Ms Jessey and Ms Wong) and had to work as a team to solve the engineering challenge before presenting it to the judge.

The HPS team were very excited to win and received a trophy plus ÂŁ200 to put towards the STEM club at school. Well done all!

Legal & General Everyday Money workshop Representatives from Legal and General came into school recently to deliver a series of Everyday Money workshops to teach our young people important lessons about managing money effectively.

The content of the workshops complimented the Financial Education Curriculum and supported the notion of preparing youngsters for real life after school. The workshops focused on fostering financial capability and teaching healthy attitudes to money and personal finance, such as how to save and plan for the future.

A great set of important workshops, well delivered and fully appreciated by Hove Park School students.

Almanac - 2015/16 2016/17

17

Post graduate workshop At the end of March, a group of visiting post graduate students from the RCA (Royal College of Arts) in London came to Hove Park to spend the afternoon with a group of our recently arrived new-to-English pupils from Years 7 to 11.

The post graduate students were exploring the meaning of community and identity in school, city and nation for a study project. They came prepared with a series of planned activities which they did with our students.

Chris Carpenter, EAL teacher at Hove Park, said: “It was a most worthwhile day for the students who enjoyed taking part in the activities and went away feeling valued for their contribution.�

The RCA students were very appreciative of the input from Hove Park and said it had been extremely helpful to be able to meet and work with interesting hard working young people which provided valuable insight for their research project.

What do staff do on INSET days?

We thought you might be interested in how teachers have spent their INSET days this academic year. Professional development is absolutely crucial to making better progress as a school. All of the time we have spent training has been around the school development plan and the priorities we have identified ourselves for improvement.

The key themes across all our INSET time this year have been digital fluency, literacy, oracy, raising achievement for different groups, marking & feedback and inclusion.

Alongside formal professional development opportunities, teachers have worked in crosssubject groups this year on action-research led professional development. They started the year with an idea or hypotheses and worked together to develop different learning strategies in their teaching.

EAL trip to Migration Museum A group of eight EAL (English as an additional language) students ventured all the way to Lambeth during July, to take part in a workshop at the Migration Museum - a new venue for sharing stories of migration to and from Britain.

The group took a winding route from Victoria to Lambeth on foot, entertained by the encyclopaedic history knowledge of Mr Carpenter along the way. They walked across Horse Guards Parade, past Downing Street, along the Houses of Parliament and across Lambeth Bridge, getting a fantastic tour of historical London into the bargain.

The workshop itself was poignant for our students, many of whom were from migrant families themselves. They learned about the push and pull factors involved in the often difficult decisions made by those who migrate, and the sometimes terrible journeys migrants endure to get to their destination.

The students were moved when Soli, a migrant from Sudan, told his story involving a perilous three day walk through the desert to Libya, a hazardous boat journey and six hour swim to Italy, then twelve hours clinging to the underside of a truck before finally being arrested in Sheffield. His story really brought home the harsh realities faced by many migrants, as did the exhibition of photographs capturing people from the ‘Jungle’ in Calais.

Almanac - 2016/17

19

Return to the Somme battlefields On Saturday, 6th May, a group of Year 10 History students, accompanied by parents and grandparents returned to the Somme battlefields in northern France.

The visit, now in its tenth year, aims to reconnect the present generations with those who lost their lives fighting on the Western Front during the First World War, and to retell some of their stories.

Highlights included a trip to the imposing Canadian Vimy Monument, set on a commanding ridge held by German forces until 1917 when it was finally captured by the Canadian Corps.

The impact of shelling and mining is still visible in the pockmarked landscape, and parts of the memorial park remain inaccessible for that reason.

Other sites included the preserved trenches at Beaumont Hamel, where we were struck by the close proximity of the Allied lines to the German lines; only a matter of a few metres.

Students had an opportunity to research soldiers

20 Hove Park School

linked to their surnames, among 72,000 on the Thiepval Monument, with no known graves. This culminated in a very poignant moment as crosses bearing the thoughts of the students and a wreath on behalf of the school were laid. We then observed a minute’s silence to remember the Fallen.

Some students and parents commented: “I had no idea that there were so many cemeteries and memorials, big and small, and the personal stories made it so much more impactful.”

“Great trip and a real eye opener to how the War could have been, and the fact I got to see a family member was weirdly great.”

“I was overcome with so much respect and sadness and I feel like I know more about people and about myself after having such an experience.”

Greenpower This year, KS3 students went to Goodwood again to race their Formula-24 electric race car against other schools and teams from the South East. The team this year was led by Oliver W (Year 9) and was made up of a new group of Year 7 and Year 8 students. The students spent months leading up to the race getting to know the car and making some improvements.

We had a disappointing start to the day as the battery ran out during the practice lap. However, we replaced the batteries in time for the race and managed to keep racing for the full 90 minute race. During lunch we upgraded our car using a new gear and managed to beat our previous fastest time.

Almanac - 2013/14 2016/17

21

Brighton Festival Last year, as part of the Brighton Festival, a group of 12 EAL (English as an additional language) learners went to an artist’s studio in Kemptown to take part in a creative workshop exploring the subjects of diversity and refugees, entitled ‘Your Diversity Flag’.

The Artist, Gil Maulem-Doran, first gave a presentation of common traditional textile designs from around the world.

The participants were then asked to think about friends and family members from various ethnic backgrounds. The pupils had a wide range of heritages including Polish, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Italian, Egyptian, Iranian and Brazilian, and they picked fabric designs that reflected those places. They then worked to create their own miniature flags from these fabric collections which represented the group.

The workshop provided a great opportunity for discussion, in English, and all were able to contribute and present their flag to the group with explanations of why they identified with their chosen designs. They also discussed what a new flag for new Britain might look like if it reflected all the many cultures embraced in our community.

22

Hove Park School

ParkFest To celebrate the end of Year 10, Ms Morris and Ms Brownings, with help from the Year 10 tutors and students, organised a fun packed ParkFest. A special mention should be made to the PE department, Ms McCurdy, Mr Miles and the Music Department for all their help and support.

With inflatable fun and games, the day was a great opportunity for everyone to come together and enjoy themselves, and to congratulate our hard working Year 10 students for such a great year.

With musical performances from Mya D, Orla B, Stanley S, Ethan H, Billy C, Fabian R-S, and Ben H, the day was a fun fuelled success with the year group raising money for next year’s prom and a local theatre company.

Mr Roberts, Head Teacher, commented: “At the end of a long year it’s lovely to see students enjoying the different activities and stalls that have been organised. I am sure this will very quickly become a regular event in our school calendar.”

Almanac - 2016/17

23

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Fourteen Year 10 students put their navigation, cooking and tent pitching skills to the test on a two day expedition and overnight camp on the South Downs. In perfect conditions, the two teams of seven set off from Butts Brow next to Eastbourne, before navigating their way through a series of designated checkpoints and arriving at the campsite in Alfriston for an overnight stay.

The teams used their compass skills to ensure they were heading in the right direction to reach Alfriston. There was only one moment of navigational uncertainty‌ finding the campsite!

The team concerned were in the process of working it out, when a member of the public jumped in and told them where it was. As the sun went down in the beautiful rural setting, students worked within their teams to ensure their tents were pitched quickly and correctly.

Once the tents had been pitched, it was on to preparing and cooking a well-earned meal at the end of a long day walking. Considering it was the first time the teams had cooked outside of a kitchen environment, they successfully made some interesting meals, with noodles and sausages in sweet and sour sauce winning

24

Hove Park School

the award for the most random! Once fed and washing up done, it was time for the teams to enjoy some hard-earned rest and recovery time with cards and football chosen as the preferred ways to unwind.

A glorious morning awaited the teams on day two, who were quick to strike camp, prepare and eat breakfast before planning their journeys on day two of the expedition. With rucksacks on, the teams set off for their end point at Southease train station in between Lewes and Newhaven.

The teams applied their sound understanding of map reading skills to a route that had some tricky points to navigate. Once on top of the Downs the two teams were able to stride it out towards the station and complete this practice expedition.

The practice expedition was a huge success thanks to the preparation that the teams had made before setting out. Furthermore, their attitude towards staff, members of the public and one another, the trip was nothing short of excellent.

They were a credit to themselves and Hove Park School.

The real thing!

Having completed their practice expedition, Hove Park School’s Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh students embarked on their toughest challenge yet - completing the assessed expedition as part of the Award.

The difference between this expedition and their last was the level of assistance they received; this time they were on their own with no adult input.

The two teams set off from the Nevill Campus,, quickly and accurately navigating their way out of the suburban landscape and on to the rural South Downs setting. As the weather cleared, both groups were able to apply their navigational skills to a route that offered some tricky decisions to be made. As the sun began to fall from the sky, both teams arrived at the campsite just outside Ditchling to erect tents and get a hearty meal cooked before a night under the stars.

The students awoke to a dry morning, something which the weather forecasters hadn’t predicted!

With breakfast made and tents packed, the teams were presented with the ominous task of scaling the steep path ascending onto the South Downs Way at the start of a gruelling day that had over 17kms on its route card. Both teams, who were travelling at 30 minutes apart, showed their physical strength by making light work of the menacing hill. As part of the expedition, both teams were also required to undertake some project work upon their journey.

Group one opted to gather photos upon the changing flora on the South Downs, to see how species changed as they moved away from the sea and rural settings. Group two opted for research upon wild animals vs farmed animals and their habitation on the South Downs.

Onto the afternoon of day two and the teams continued to show resilience and determination, keeping up the pace as they headed towards the finishing point near Ovingdean. The assessor was there to greet the teams and was happy to report that each of the two teams had met the criteria and had successfully passed the expedition section of the Award. All of the students that took part in the expedition were once again a credit to themselves and Hove Park School. It is easy to forget how to be fully independent, but this group of students proved they could. A huge well done!

Almanac - 2013/14 2015/16 2016/17

25

Autism awareness Hove Park School was delighted to welcome Brighton and Hove Albion mascot, Gully, and the Albion in the Community team, when they visited as part of Autism Awareness week recently.

its 11th year in West Sussex and 2016 was the first year that Brighton and Hove became involved. We are very privileged to be one of the first schools in Brighton and Hove to have achieved this status.

Gully & Albion in the Community Shooting Zone were the final event in a week of fundraising organised by the Phoenix Centre, Hove Park’s Special Facility supporting children with autism, and speech and language needs. Other events included games, guess how many sweets in the jar, raffles, cake sales and a Year 9 football tournament. The total amount raised was £371 and awareness of autism was successfully raised amongst staff and students on both campuses.

The award recognises all the good practice at Hove Park School to meet the needs of our ASC (autism spectrum condition) students.

Hove Park School has also recently been awarded the Autism Aware Award for 2016-2019. This is in

26

Hove Park School

“An autism aware school will provide: • an environment that accepts and understands pupils with autism spectrum condition (ASC).

• opportunities for the whole school community to continue to increase its awareness and develop its understanding of ASC.”

Stand-up for Justice Young legal eagles from Hove Park School were called to the bar in a special advocacy event at the University of Sussex on Tuesday, 24th January. Organised by the university’s Widening Participation team, the aim of the day was to provide First Generation university pupils a taste of studying Law at undergraduate level.

Students were set the challenging task of preparing submissions, either for the prosecution or the defence in a ‘mock’ magistrates court. Not only did they have to build a legal case from the facts of a scenario, they also had to present their arguments in a clear, persuasive way before tutors at the Sussex Law School.

‘It was a bit intimidating at first’, said Annasimone, a Year 10 pupil, ‘but I enjoyed building up prosecution arguments and then presenting them before a real judge. I found it quite difficult to argue for a strong sentence when I felt sorry for the defendant.’

Matthew Reynolds, Law teacher at Hove Park School agreed.

‘Advocacy is all about delivery, and it was great that tutors took time to mentor students and build up their confidence in public speaking’.

Almanac - 2016/17

27

Peer Tutors support secondary transition Hove Park School has had a history of working with primary schools throughout the local authority to help prepare students for the transition to secondary education.

Having made links with Goldstone Primary, students from Hove Park have had a fantastic time working with the Year 1 children there. Our Year 7 and Year 8 Peer Tutors have been working in three different classes each week for a total of six weeks.

Our wonderful Peer Tutors built up relationships with the young children and have had such an amazing time working alongside them. They

28

Hove Park School

have helped with maths activities, reading, BeBot computer sessions, supported groups with iPad activities and have run around the field with them as part of a healthy living week. The Peer Tutors look forward to the visits so much and are excellent ambassadors for Hove Park School.

Peer Tutor co-ordinator and teacher, Amber Hunt, said: “We are very proud of the way each student conducted themselves on this visit and we now have 100 Peer Tutors in school ranging from Year 8 to Sixth Form. They proudly wear their Peer Tutor badges and are a varied and talented group of students whose common aim is to help students younger than them.�

Forging primary school links We had three visits to Primary Schools this year with the Year 7, 8 and 9 Peer Tutors.

The visits were about forging links with some of our local feeder schools, in particular, Hove Juniors and Hangleton Primary School. Over the three days, 48 Peer Tutors in teams of 16 visited the schools.

They took whole year group assemblies to Year 5 students, then worked in classes across the year group helping with maths and English lessons.

The Peer Tutors were amazing and the visits were particularly special as some of the students got to go back to their old junior school and see some of their old teachers!

The staff at the schools could not believe how grown up and responsible our students were and the Year 5 students learnt so much. We have created strong links with Hangleton Primary and the Peer Tutors will be supporting Year 6 students in maths in September once a week. What a fantastic experience for our students and what a credit they were to the school.

Design & Make Students in Hove primaries have benefitted from Hove Park’s technology facilities and expertise through recent partnership projects.

The first ‘Design and Make’ project involved Year 5 students at West Blatchington Primary School.

Four years on and we now host children from St Andrew’s Primary, Goldstone Primary and Hangleton Primary.

The aim of the Design and Make project is for primary students to research and design keyrings on paper using graphic design skills and then make these keyrings with the support of technology teachers. Primaries are very enthusiastic about the chance to use tools and materials other than paper and card, as their space and facilities are often very limited. So it was exciting for the pupils to come into our workshop and use equipment and materials that they would never normally have access to.

Almanac - 2016/17

29

Time to learn Mandarin at West Blatchington As part of the remit for Confucius Classroom status, Hove Park School is committed to a series of outreach projects with local schools to spread the opportunities to start to learn Mandarin. One recent example of this is a new project we are running at West Blatchington Primary School.

Chinese native speaker and Hove Park teacher, Mrs Huang, is working closely with staff to create a Chinese Club for first time learners of the language.

“As the only state school teaching Mandarin in Brighton and Hove, we see this type of groundwork as essential, affording future learners of one of the most important world languages an initial taste and a real zest to learn more!” – Mr Sandford, Head of Languages.

Mrs Huang had been a secondary school teacher in China, and had always wanted to teach Chinese abroad. On hearing that the Headquarters of Confucius Institute recruited teachers nationwide to teach Mandarin overseas, Mrs Huang decided to jump at the opportunity

30 Hove Park School

and now supports the Chinese department on a daily basis promoting Chinese and Chinese culture.

Mrs Huang has been spreading the incentive to learn Chinese each week by providing an interactive and exciting new club for students at West Blatchington Primary School. This is now becoming the most popular afterschool club at the school, with up to 18 young students attending, eager to learn exquisite Chinese characters, the essence of Chinese culture and combining their art and craft skills to produce the iconic Chinese flag.

Mrs Huang said: “The students at West Blatchington are keen and excited every week.

Learning a new language can be daunting and difficult, but learning from a young age gives you an advantage to absorb the detail of the Chinese Language, giving you another perspective.”

Year 6 ‘Moving On’ day ‘Moving On’ day happens every year and is just one of the days and events that supports students (and their parents/carers!) with the transition from Junior and Primary schools to Hove Park School & Sixth Form Centre. In July 2017, students from more than 20 different schools came together as the future Hove Park School Year 7.

The day helps prepare students for a successful time in Year 7. Some of those who have been through it before describe how “it did definitely help” below: (All quotes are from current Year 7 students) • “It’s good because you get to find out about the people in your form and you get to do activities with them.”

Students spend most of the day in their new Tutor Group.

• “You get a head-start with making new friends.”

Students are encouraged to support each other and make new friends.

• “It kind of helps you understand how it’s going to be.”

Students get a real experience of their future school. They are taught in Hove Park classrooms

by Hove Park teachers and experience the systems and expectations of Hove Park School.

• “You get a little taster of where your lessons might be.”

Students move around the campus to different classrooms, following a timetable as they do from Year 7 onwards.

Moving on to secondary school is a big thing and, though Hove Park School’s two campuses make it a bit easier than it might be, the Moving On day and other transition activities are important too.

Almanac - 2016/17

31

City Read author Author, Sharon Duggal, visited Hove Park School students to talk about her debut novel, The Handsworth Times, which was this year’s City Read.

City Reads is an annual citywide reading festival, where one book by one author is selected for people across Brighton and Hove to read and discuss in a series of special events and workshops.

The Handsworth Times tells the story of an Asian family during 1980s Birmingham in the midst of high unemployment, racism and riots.

The author who lives in Brighton told our students about growing up in a large Punjabi family. Pupils then asked questions about her novel and sought advice on their writing.

Ms Duggal said: “I really enjoyed chatting to Hove Park students about The Handsworth Times, and about the relevance of the themes in the book to today. Hove Park is my local community school and my children’s school so that made the visit extra special for me. The students were great - attentive, engaged, had some good questions and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.”

Siobhan Dowd Trust A group of keen readers from Hove Park School were lucky enough to win a £250 book buying spree at Book Nook, courtesy of the Siobhan Dowd Trust. Hove Park is the only secondary school in the South East to be awarded this funding. Literacy Coaches Astrid Holm and Bryher Armstrong, who also run a community volunteer reading programme at the school, won by showcasing their innovative literacy work on Twitter.

The Siobhan Dowd Trust director, Kate Powling, said: ‘In judging we looked for many things, but one of the important things we wanted to do was reward schools that made reading fun and conveyed the sheer enjoyment of reading. A passion for books and stories came through in the application from the Literacy Coaches at Hove Park.’

Vanessa Lewis, the co-owner of Book Nook, the only dedicated children’s bookshop in Brighton and Hove, said: ‘We had a lovely time with the pupils from Hove Park who were delighted to choose lots of lovely books – what a brilliant award to give!’ The students also really enjoyed working out how many books they could choose for their money.

Almanac - 2016/17

33

34

Hove Park School

Magic of Musicals

By Student Reporter, Saffron Earlier this year, Hove Park School was proud to present a show that celebrated the school’s performing achievements over the last six years.

By reviving songs of musicals performed in the past, it reminded us of how students have enriched our community. The first half of the show consisted of songs from Oliver (2012), Les Miserables (2016) and Little Shop of Horrors (2013). There was an array of solos, duets and company numbers that continued into the second act.

The second act focused on musicals that have yet to hit the West End. Hamilton, which swept the board last year at the Tony Awards, is a sensational musical. The cast certainly embraced this with a moving performance of the opening song “Alexander Hamilton”.

Both acts finished with foot stomping crowdpleasers. The school rock band and orchestra accompanied “I Want It All” in the first act while “Everybody Needs Somebody” finished the evening.

The whole evening was presented by two Year 8 pupils and the sound and lighting were also operated by pupils.

This was truly a whole school event with all year groups represented in front and behind the scenes.

Well done to all who took part!

Almanac - 2016/17

35

Glyndebourne and Brighton Youth Orchestra collaboration Last year, 5 students from Hove Park took part in a collaboration between Brighton Music Service, Glyndebourne and four schools across Brighton and Hove, to perform works from around the world as part of the Brighton Festival. Students sang with the orchestra as part of the choir songs they had learnt from Travis Baker and Lee Reynolds from Glyndebourne Opera House.

Wai Sang Fat, a virtuoso on the Dizi (bamboo flute) also performed at the event. Students performing were Orla, Jonah, Jody, Evangelia and Jess.

36

Hove Park School

Students perform at Brunswick Summer Fair Nevill Band took their instruments down to Brunswick Junior School to perform this year.

The weather held out long enough for them to play a short set to the parents/ carers, children and staff at the fair.

This was the band’s first open air performance and proved a real success - it was great to see the younger children enjoying the music and they were particularly fond of the drum kit! The set included standards such as Tequila, Summertime and a band and vocal arrangement of Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan. Performers were Stanley, Ben, Saskia, Simeon, Ilyanna and Will.

Voice in a Million Students from Years 7-10 performed this year at Wembley SSE Arena as part of Voice in a Million.

Students performed with other schools in aid of Adoption UK, singing songs from Jessie J, The Proclaimers and Travis to celebrate singing and raise money for charity. They set off to Wembley in the morning and experienced a full run through, including learning dance moves, before parents/ carers arrived to watch. On stage were teenage pop band, Roadtrip, and other up and coming performers who all took solos in-between group numbers. It was excellent to hear so many young voices together and this focused on a very important cause, highlighting the important role parents and carers play in a child’s development and well-being. All money raised goes towards Adoption UK who support parents and carers who adopt children. Milly in Year 10 said “The best bit was the experience of being in Wembley Arena, joining up with other schools and doing something we love.”

Students run West Blatchington workshop Students studying the BTEC Music course travelled to West Blatchington Primary School during May last year to run a vocal workshop, with children from the school and visiting children from Goldstone Primary.

Students from Hove Park Sixth Form designed and planned the 90 minute workshop, demonstrating and modelling the song ‘Footloose’, culminating in a group vocal performance.

It was great to see the children so engaged with singing and being led so confidently by our Sixth Form students. Well done to all!

Almanac - 2016/17

37

38

Hove Park School

International visitors

Hove Park students are regularly presented with a host of opportunities to take part in cultural exchanges, both abroad and in the classroom. Building on the legacy of Language College status, the school maintains a rich offer of languages and is continually building and expanding projects to facilitate international student exchange.

In the past three years we have welcomed in over 60 Chinese students from 3 different schools from mainland China and Taiwan. These visits have enabled our students to meet and speak with students studying their chosen language at Hove Park. Hove Park is one of the few state schools running Chinese on the curriculum and this year has launched the prestigious Mandarin Excellence Programme in Year 7.

Over 150 Spanish students have visited the school over the recent past, working with our students in lessons and socialising after school in a range of activities and sporting events. The students work as buddies, going to classes and socialising around school over one to two weeks.

A number of students have retained contact with their buddies - some even having been invited on holiday to Spain!

As a key part of our commitment to Confucius Classroom, we are working to develop partnerships with good schools in China.

Featured here was a project with a school from Guangzhou, to develop a strong link between our schools from which to develop more regular work using digital learning. Every Year 10 student from Hove Park is able to go on a cultural and learning experience for two weeks study in China (see article on page 38), partly sponsored by the Hanban Organisation (a Chinese equivalent to the British Council).

We also encourage our students to go to the target language countries. Pictured here are students on the German exchange, working with fellow German students on projects ranging from composing and playing music together, to writing about Romanticism in German, to debating about Brexit and playing sport together!

Almanac - 2013/14 2015/16 2016/17

39

China trip For the past ten years, the Institute of Education in conjunction with Hanban (the Chinese equivalent of the British Council) have been organising trips to China for secondary school Mandarin learners. We were very excited to join the trip for the third time last year and very proud to be one of the few state secondary schools to have been awarded ‘Confucius Classroom’ status, which qualifies us to take part.

Divided between two locations, Changzhou Senior High School (for 9 days) and Beijing (for the final 5 days), July’s trip to China was an incredible experience for our students. All 7 of our Year 9 pupils agreed the intensive Chinese lessons they encountered at Changzhou really stretched them.

Every student made the most of this fantastic opportunity by speaking the language at every opportunity, presenting a traditional Chinese ‘fan dance’ accompanied to British music, and becoming totally absorbed in Chinese cultures and traditions.

The final leg of the trip saw our students observe many of the beautiful sites this country has to offer. From the awe inspiring Olympic Park to the sombre Tiananmen Square, from the stunning Summer Palace to the highlight of the Great Wall.

As a school we are very lucky to have the chance to take our pupils on such an awe inspiring trip. Opposite are some of our pupils write ups from various days on this inspiring trip.

40 Hove Park School

“Our first full day at the school was met with an early breakfast at 7am, then free time until 9.30am. This was followed by an opening ceremony in which we were introduced to the history of Changzhou High School, and guest speakers told of their excitement coming into the trip. Next, we had an hour long talk on a brief history and background context of China and the school, paired with a short quiz.

Another short break was over swiftly, upon the arrival of our first Chinese lesson. Shorter than all succeeding lessons, it was 2 hours and 50 minutes long. When the lesson finished we stumbled out of the class and prepared for a trip to a Chinese Tesco! This allowed us to experience the large differences in paraphernalia that China had on offer.

Many recognisable brands were present, in and amongst unfamiliar Chinese items that few of us dared try. A stroll back to school with our shopping ended our day. We climbed into bed exhausted after our first full day in China.”

Milo, Year 9 “Today was the first day it’s rained since we’ve been here - it was quite a relief from all the previous hot days. We started off the day with a trip to Tiananmen Square and learnt about the significance of Chairman Mao, and the respect the Chinese people have for him. Then we went to the forbidden city in the centre of Beijing. We found out that if you were to sleep in a different room in the city each night since you were born, you would be 24 years old when you were done. After lunch we watched a Kung Fu performance which was really exciting; the show was very fast paced and impressive. Once we’d eaten dinner at a restaurant, we went back to the hotel and had a much needed rest.”

Maisie, Year 9 “Today we had to get up early so that we could pack and get on a train to Beijing. Once in Beijing, we went to visit a sacred place called the Temple of Heaven, where we learnt about who Chinese people pray to and the culture behind this beautiful architecture. After our visit, we got on a coach to our hotel in Beijing where we relaxed and had a traditional Chinese dinner.”

Harvey, Year 9

Almanac - 2016/17

41

Sports Day 2017 By student reporters Mujahidur and Matthew, Year 10 Hove Park School’s Mandela House triumphed for the second year in a row in a tightly fought competition at the school’s annual Sports Day at Withdean Stadium. During the event packed day, many of the school’s records were broken and countless new personal bests achieved.

Mr Roberts, Head Teacher, said: “Sports Day is the one day of the school year when we come together as a community. Every year new stars emerge and remind us of what hard work and dedication can achieve. Athletes, supporters and staff all play their part in what is one of the highlights of the school calendar: a clear example of our new school vision statement ‘Together We Achieve.’”

Students taking part embraced the spirit of the event and created a positive sporting atmosphere, helped by hundreds of enthusiastic spectators.

Teams taking part were: Hawking, Mandela, Roddick, Turing and Yousafzai. In a fantastic display of athleticism, Ella M, Year 8, built on last year’s record breaking performance to set another two new Hove Park records in the 200 and 400 metres and Jess C, Year 8, sliced nearly 7 seconds off the 800 metres. Records were also broken in field events: Bertie B, Year 8, raised the bar in the high jump to an impressive 1.30 metres; Robert K, Year 10, threw the shot 12.14 metres; Robyn A, Year 8, set the record for the triple jump at 8.29 metres; and Gisele D, Year 7, added over a metre to the javelin record.

During the event £275 was raised for Marlets Hospice.

The annual event was held at Withdean Sports Complex and conditions on the day were perfect for the athletes. Following a cloudy and wet start to the day, the temperature reached a warm 20 degrees with some sunny intervals. Hove Park School teams are named after inspirational people: Stephen Hawking, Nelson Mandela, Anita Roddick, Alan Turing and Malala Yousafzai.

42

Hove Park School

Almanac - 2016/17

43

French camp This June, 68 Year 8 students spent the week on our residential outdoor adventure trip to the south of France.

They spent the week taking part in adventure activities such as sailing, kayaking, windsurfing and mountain biking. They also visited the idyllic town of Arcachon and experienced climbing the tallest sand dune in Europe, the Dune de Pilat.

Students had a fantastic week basking in glorious sunshine whilst taking on new challenges. Many even plucked up the courage to try the french cuisine, including escargot (snails), and cuisses de grenouille (frogs legs).

Students were a delight, and worked as a fantastic team to ensure enjoyment was had by all. A real credit to Hove Park School. Many thanks to all the staff involved in making this trip such a great success.

44

Hove Park School

Ski trip 2017 During February half term, 45 students from Years 9 and 11 enjoyed 6 days of thrilling alpine skiing.

The students endured the 21 hour drive through France and across the border to the Italian resort of Bardonecchia. This was the first time Hove Park has visited Bardonecchia and we stayed in the Olympic Village Hotel which was built to host the 2006 Olympics. The resort also boasted a couple of pistes that were made for the Winter Olympics, so many of the students were able to say that they had accomplished an Olympic run!

The week started off with all students being assessed by their instructors. The advanced ski group (with Andrew F on his board) were quick to head up the mountain more or less straight away, then spent the whole week exploring the resort and the snow park. The remaining three groups mastered being able to stop and turn and before long were up the mountain to try the

challenging blue run back into the resort. As the week progressed, all the students developed and improved their technique on the wide blue runs and steeper reds, and before long it was time to return home.

Despite a couple of injuries and several ‘skidoo’ trips down the mountain, everyone enjoyed their week in the snow, complemented by a full aprèsski programme which included bumboarding, iceskating and a pizza night. Rumours were rife that Batman and Catwoman were also spotted in the hotel during the fancy dress last night party.

Thanks to the students for behaving impeccably throughout the trip and also to the staff that supported the trip, so thank you to Mr Frimpon, Miss Daynes, Mr ‘Chief First-Aider’ Whiteman, Miss Holmes and Miss Fordham.

Almanac - 2013/14 2016/17

45

Sea skills and safety A group of 28 Hove Park students became Brighton Beach Lifeguards for the day on Tuesday, 13th June.

The students learned vital first aid techniques and were put through their paces with sand relay games and races. The weather was perfect and conditions in the sea could not have been better. The students were taught about the dangers of the sea, how currents/ tides work and how to be safe.

Learning about the sea is such an important life skill and our students were really keen to learn. The afternoon was a very exciting experience, spent learning the lifesaving rescue techniques that our very own Brighton Beach Lifeguards use.

The young lifeguards practiced how to swim out and save casualties and were later taught how to perform rescues from boards. The students learnt a huge amount over the day and the instructors made it a very enjoyable experience for everyone.

46

Hove Park School

Year 10 scoop Town Cup 3-1!

By Jacob, Year 10 It was our last game of the season. We’d made the final in two of the last three years, but never prevailed, losing to Blatch the previous year and to Stringer in 2014. All of these factors took us into the 2017 Town Cup Final against Cardinal Newman, fired up to win it.

Hove Park were the faster starters with Zaid missing a couple of 1 on 1s early on. We eventually made our dominance count, with Stan skinning the last man and finishing calmly into the far corner.

Newman asked the next question with their most dangerous player. He smashed it straight at me, from point blank range, and I blocked with a combination of arm and leg. A couple of minutes later, we won a corner and it was whipped straight onto Haydon’s head and he flicked it in.

Soon after we scored a third, Haydon playing through Juneydi, who calmly slotted it past the keeper, showing great composure. That half was up there with one of the best we’ve played. We

got in at half time and Mr Pulling told us we had played brilliantly.

The first action of the second half was a penalty to Newman which was questioned by our players.

Even more controversy came after, with me saving the penalty but the referee made Newman retake it. The striker scored the second time.

There was one more nervy moment for our defence in the last five minutes; a melee in the box and Joe produced a brilliant tackle. At this point, Newman decided to just go for it, leaving them very open at the back. Mr Pulling capitalised on this and brought our quickest players off the bench to get in behind.

We had numerous chances to wrap up; Kane hitting the post, Zaid hitting the bar and Callum pulling a decent save from the keeper, which was the final talking point of the game. When the ref finally blew his whistle we had won our first ever Town Cup: final score of 3-1!

Almanac - 2016/17

47

5K event In May 2017, 100 students and teachers took part in the first Hove Park School 5k running event.

The £2-ticket charity event, aimed to promote fitness, health and wellbeing, was sold out with all ages from local Goldstone Primary pupils up to Sixth Form students and teachers taking part. The 5K took in three laps of the school field then out and twice round the nearby Greenleas Rec. Year 10’s Daniel was the winner, finishing in 18.11 minutes, impressively quicker than the average time of 25-35 minutes, and now a Hove Park 5K record.

The event was incredibly well supported by local businesses, with insurance company Viisana generously sponsoring the event. Their £400 paid for medals, running numbers and water bottles for all the runners. Waitrose donated 100 bananas, Co-op gave 100 KitKats and Virgin Active provided goody bags. Local running club Hove Hornets donated safety pins and oranges, which the school canteen chopped up and brought out to runners on trays. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the wonderful Chestnut Tree children’s hospice.

48 Hove Park School

Super 6 athletics competition Twelve Year 7 Hove Park athletes represented the school at the city’s new Super 6 athletics event at Withdean Stadium on Tuesday 23rd May. The Super 6 has been designed to encourage a new generation of athletes, making it fun and giving them opportunities to compete in a variety of different events. Each athlete performed in a track, a field and a relay event. It was a fantastic event where all ten Brighton & Hove schools attended.

There were great performances by the team and they all showed a great attitude in a highly competitive situation. Hove Park finished in a solid 5th place out of 10 schools showing that we have some of the best talent around. It was a great opportunity for the Year 7 students to experience this type of competition. Congratulations to the twelve athletes that had all been selected on their performances from their PE lessons.

Let’s Dance at the Dome This year, thirty students took to the Dome stage to perform at the annual Let’s Dance Festival, which celebrates dance from schools all over the city. It is a four night event and sees performances from Primary schools all the way through to the local university.

This year, former student, Terri Johnson, choreographed the Hove Park dance piece. She has been working with the students in dance club over the past term and created a piece themed around The Hunger Games. Students represented four zones from the Hunger Games films and closed the show with a stunning performance.

Massive credit should be given to Terri, who worked really hard with the students to ensure they shone, as well as to the performers who were incredibly committed to the performance.

Thanks goes out to Ms Martin, Ms Holmes and Ms Fordham who accompanied the students to their performance in the evening.

Almanac - 2016/17

49

Swimming success in Brighton & Hove swim gala Hove Park took part in the Brighton & Hove Schools Swimming Gala at Prince Regent on Wednesday 5th April 2017. Hove Park had a strong team that competed in all events. The Year 7 boys and girls teams did fantastically well in their first ever gala. Alice G managed to win the junior girls 50m freestyle in impressive fashion and also the 50m breaststroke. Alice also finished 2nd in the 50m backstroke; a fantastic individual achievement. There were also 1st place finishes for Hayden G in the junior boys 50m backstroke, Mary W in the senior 50m backstroke & 50m freestyle, Louis S in the senior boys 50m backstroke, Louis P in the senior boys 50m freestyle, Joel T in the senior boys 50m breaststroke. These are really fantastic results against some of the best swimmers in the city.

50

Hove Park School

There were also successes for the relay teams.

The Year 7 boys 4x25m medley team managed a 2nd place finish, in a thrilling race. The senior girls managed a strong 2nd place finish in the 4x25m medley and the senior boys blew the other teams away with a huge win in the 4x25m medley and also the 4x25m freestyle. Hove Park won the boys title which was also shared with Dorothy Stringer. The girls team finished in a very respectable 3rd place which was also a great achievement. The freestyle Ottaway shield 8x25m was the most exciting race of the evening with Hove Park finishing in 2nd place. Hove Park performed extremely well throughout the gala and the whole squad can very proud of all their efforts.

A special mention must go to all the parents and family and friends of the students who attended to cheer on our swimmers. They arrived with banners and really made themselves heard in each race. Congratulations!

Basketball tournament The Year 8 and 9 Hove Park Basketball Team were again in action at the South East Coast Elite Tournament on Monday 27th March. After winning the Brighton Schools Tournament the team went in to this competition with high expectations.

There were six sides from around the local area taking part at BHASVIC College. It was a very competitive event with Hove Park running away with the title, winning all of their games convincingly.

Congratulations to the whole squad on more silverware!

Girls get active with boxercise On Thursday, 10th November, Active for Life at Brighton and Hove City Council came in to deliver a ‘Girls Get Active’ Boxercise session to the Year 9 girls.

The Year 9 girls were amazing and worked really hard throughout. They were determined to learn some new skills and showed impressive techniques with their jabs, hooks and upper cuts.

Active for Life aims to get everyone active on a daily basis, providing accessible and affordable sessions throughout the city. Whether it be a health walk, ‘girls get active’ or ‘forever moves’, there is something for everyone.

Memorial match Thank you to all the staff and Sixth Form students that took part in the annual Andy Faulding Memorial Football Match. The staff won 6-3, with goals from Mr Frimpon (2), Mr Lowrie (2), Mr Whiteman and Mr Pulling. Andy was a business studies teacher who sadly passed away in a cycling accident in the summer of 2004 and the staff v students football match is played annually to remember Andy and to bring the school football season to a close.

Almanac - 2016/17

51

One-to-one digital fluency Our school has been one of the leading schools in the UK using 1:1 technology in the classroom since 2013. This year, not only was Digital Fluency recognised as an area of excellence by the leading education network, Challenge Partners, our school was also recognised as a centre of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence and awarded Apple Distinguished School status (see article on page 53) for demonstrating our vision of exemplary learning environments. As part of that process we had to show evidence for visionary leadership, innovative learning and teaching, ongoing professional learning, compelling evidence of success and our flexible learning environments.

Mrs Prentice, Deputy Head Teacher said: “We are so pleased that we have been recognised for our hard work across the school in all aspects of digital fluency. To become an Apple Distinguished School is an accolade that demonstrates our commitment to the future of our students. We believe we have a duty to provide our students with an education for the 21st century where effective and innovative use of technology is paramount to the demands of the modern world.�

Also this year we developed a new working relationship with our partner, Solutions Inc. Solutions Inc is a local company that specialises in education, infrastructure and the deployment of 1:1 technologies within schools. We have always recognised at Hove Park the need for our students to be at the forefront of leading with technology. Our digital leader programme has flourished this year, exploring new ways to research better independent learning. Together with Solutions Inc, our digital leaders have become part of the Digital Genius student leadership programme. This has allowed our students to access a range of learning activities off site at the Solutions Inc HQ in Hove and then share their experiences with students back at school, from

52

Hove Park School

finding new ways to deliver a report in the style of a TV current affairs show, to presenting at the The Annual Educational Summit at Sussex University - the largest Apple education event on the South Coast.

In January 2017 we had visitors to our school from around the world who were attending the British Educational Training and Technology Show (BETT).

They visited the Valley Campus over 3 days to see how we have developed our workflow with technology. Our visitors were presented to by digital leaders and received tours from our prefects where they dropped in to a range of lessons around the school, so they could observe digital technology being used in classrooms. Back in November we had some more very special guests, with visitors from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Year 8 pupil Yogi P said: “It was extremely rewarding for all of us digital leaders and our lovely visitors from Japan. We were able to introduce them to some supportive teaching apps such as Showbie and Nearpod, while explaining how effective and beneficial they are for us along with many others.”

The new academic year will see all our teachers heading towards becoming certified Apple Teachers as part of our development plan. Alongside this we shall be launching the Classroom App for Years 7-10 which will allow our teachers to direct students learning inside the classroom more effectively.

Together with a number of developments in workflow, these innovations will combine to push us on into a new phase of technology in our classrooms, with our students’ development and progress firmly at the forefront of our minds.

Almanac - 2013/14 2016/17

53

iPad learning showcase On Wednesday 22nd February, Hove Park were delighted to welcome visitors to the Valley Campus to showcase iPad learning in recognition of their recent re-designation as an Apple Distinguished School.

The school has once again been recognised for its innovative approach to learning and teaching with the iPad at the heart of the student experience.

Visitors came from a variety of settings including education and school leaders, local digital business leaders and representatives from Apple. One business leader has already made enquiries about working in collaboration with our students to help develop an app and Clare Smith, Education Manager at Apple, said: “Thanks to your staff and fabulous students for a great day. The students always make these events and they were a pleasure to observe and you are rightly so very proud of them.�

A particular focus of the day was demonstrating our new coding curriculum in Years 7 and 8. Students spent time taking visitors through a live demonstration of the coding challenges they face in their Computer Science lessons. All of our student Digital Leaders gave a fantastic representation of the outstanding digital learning at Hove Park School.

54

Hove Park School

Apple Distinguished School Hove Park is pleased to announce that it has been recognised as an Apple Distinguished School for 2016-2018 for its innovative and exciting 1:1 iPad digital learning scheme.

The Apple Distinguished School designation is reserved for programmes that meet criteria for innovation, leadership, educational excellence, and demonstrate a clear vision of exemplary learning environments.

Mr Roberts said: “We are delighted that we have secured Apple Distinguished School. Hove Park School believes in providing students with an education that will equip them to flourish in the 21st century. The effective and innovative use of technology has to be at the heart of education fit for purpose for the modern world.�

The selection of Hove Park as an Apple Distinguished School highlights our success as an innovative and compelling learning environment that engages students and provides tangible evidence of academic accomplishment.

At Hove Park, we use iPads in a multitude of ways to enhance traditional learning methods. Our use of 1:1 devices provides staff with new ways to engage students in their learning and powerful, interactive methods for assessing and developing understanding. Our students experience greater choice and creativity for producing work, and can share this with each other, their teachers and the wider world with ease, thus also allowing parents/ carers a greater insight into their child’s day to day studies.

Going forward, we have recently introduced Everyone Can Code resources at our Valley Campus to help our students to learn to code on iPad, with many students choosing to continue their coding studies independently at home as a result of their excitement and interest in developing these skills.

We hope this will result in a new generation of home grown app developers to join the vibrant UK digital industries.

Almanac - 2016/17

55

56

Hove Park School

GCSE art roundup This year has been an exciting year for GCSE students.

Some of the most popular exam starting points were Groups, Clothing, Outline, Wish You Were Here and Diaries. Our outcomes varied from pieces incorporated with textiles, art films, items of clothing, printmaking and ceramics sculpture.

Almanac - 2016/17

57

Saatchi Gallery and meet the artist Year 8 and 9 students have been participating in the Early Bird Art and Design programme. This gives students who are passionate about Art and Design a chance to explore more of what the subject has to offer. Students who would like a taster before Art and Design GCSE, or those who really enjoy the subject, have been given the opportunity to get involved in various activities to enhance their talents and interests.

Students visited the Painters’ Painters Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, featuring the work of nine contemporary artists specialising in painting. The show was an amazing explosion of colour and technique, putting the claim of the myth ‘Painting is Dead’ to bed where it belongs!

58

Hove Park School

Hove Park students were given a tour of the exhibition and a very rare, privileged meeting with a true star of the show, painter David Brian Smith.

David Brian Smith’s landscapes are inhabited by a brooding shepherd who watches over psychedelic sheep coloured orange, green, pink, cream or blue. The artist hails from Shropshire where his father was a shepherd, and the pictures are based on old family photographs. The paintings are very large and exquisitely beautiful. Being the youngest of the artists with work in the exhibition, the tour guide had the least information on him and his work. Luckily, Mr Smith agreed to meet exclusively with Hove Park students who got to participate in an extremely rare Q and A session with him.

Students asked some very probing questions leading to inside knowledge on his technique and inspiration.

The Saatchi Gallery offered students an Onsight workshop, based on some of the paintings in the show. Students made some exciting responses to collaborative surrealist techniques.

Photography This year, Hove Park photography students have been exploring many techniques and methods in photography.

Darkroom work has featured as the main body of work for some of our students, with expert technical support from our dedicated technicians. Students have explored many issues that young people are facing today, challenging perceptions and beliefs with some extraordinary outcomes. We’ve had students venture out beyond the city and into unusual places to capture that ‘extraordinary’ image, further developing their inquisitive nature and broadening their experience. This year we’ve seen some interesting installation outcomes that use found items and interesting lighting. Social media has played a role in their interests, expanding on their everyday understanding and creative use of these platforms. The end of year exhibition demonstrated the photography students’ collective energy and innovation in the field of photography, resulting in several requests from staff to obtain images for their walls - praise indeed.

Almanac - 2016/17

59

60 Hove Park School

KS3 roundup The art huts this year have been thriving with activity, from plaster sculpture, to print making, creative ways of drawing, and Mexican Day of the Dead collaborations. Students experience a range of art teachers each year who deliver projects from our iTunesU courses. Each course is carefully designed so that students experience a diverse and exciting curriculum, and have the opportunity to explore a wide range of skills and practices from a range of teachers.

Almanac - 2016/17

61

Summer Exhibition The art exhibition this year was a sensation and continues to grow from strength to strength. It showcased the work of a huge variety of creative talent including artists, designers and photographers. People from all corners of Brighton and Hove came to see the outstanding creative work Hove Park has to offer.

This is an event which puts every student into the limelight as they each have at least one piece of work on show. This is a very proud moment for the Art and Design Technology team, but more importantly for the students who have really put the hours in to produce thoughtful, informed and imaginative responses.

62

Hove Park School

63

Hove Park School

Almanac - 2016/17 63

Student wins Design Award Every year The Furniture Makers’ Company, a charitable foundation who aim to ensure young designers consider a career in the creative industries, award prizes to students studying GCSE and A Level Design in UK schools and colleges. As a participating school, we were asked to nominate a student who had really challenged themselves creatively and consistently demonstrated innovation in their work.

We are delighted to announce that Wanda Hagelstein was chosen to receive the award. Wanda is a guest student from Germany who joined us for one year of study. Wanda chose to design a Pavilion for public use, seating to compliment her pavilion, and a room divider for an internal public space.

Wanda said, “Thank you for this fantastic award. It means a lot to me because Product Design is something I love. To see that other people like my work too encourages me.�

HP6 and B6 combine

Sixth Form make over

Hove Park Sixth Form (HP6) and Blatchington Mill Sixth Form (B6) have a long history of working together, not only in Sixth Form but also as schools.

From 2017 though, the Sixth Forms will work together in a new and different way.

Last year, Sixth Form students were busy after college painting the common room in the locally popular colour scheme of blue and white. Funded by donations from the snack shack, students designed the look and colour scheme for the room, as well as organising the working party and resources needed.

In 2016 students from both HP6 and B6 were able to access courses running at their partner establishment. This gave students a greater range of subjects to choose from whilst still getting the support and encouragement with their studies that both schools and Sixth Forms are known for. With a timetable that was almost identical across both sites, and locations within half a mile of each other, students were able to easily commute between the Sixth Forms when needed. This has proved to be very successful this year with students working across the two campuses well.

In 2017 this arrangement will continue but both HP6 and B6 will be run by the same Head of Sixth Form.

James Miles, Assistant Head Teacher and Director of Sixth Form at Hove Park will be working across both sites to ensure that students get the best experience from their time in Sixth Form.

Mr Miles said “This is a fantastic opportunity to take the best practice from both Sixth Forms and implement it across both Sixth Forms. It will also give students who take courses at both sites more continuity and make them feel at home no matter which campus they are on.”

Later on in the year Sixth Form students Courtney I and Bridget H also organised for local artists to come in and produce an inspirational artwork for the main wall. Courtney commented: “We wanted to make our own mark on the Sixth Form for future students, so we asked local artists to create a design that draws together everything that Hove Park Sixth Form symbolises.”

The design, created in partnership with Hove Park Sixth Form students and the Graf Inc. company, centres around the two themes of creativity and analytics - art, music and expression is juxtaposed against science, discovery and academia.

Director of Hove Park Sixth Form, James Miles, said: “Hove Park has a mix of students from all over the world. We wanted to reflect the idea that success at Hove Park can come in a large range of forms, from traditional subjects through to expressive arts like photography and dance.”

Almanac - 2016/17

65

University destination highlights 2017 Name

Destination

Course

Abdel Sayed Maria

Portsmouth

Pharmacy

Aziz Korolos

Reading

Biomedical Sciences

Barker Elizabeth

Kent

Politics

Bramley Noah Josiah

Sussex

Physics and Astronomy

Bundhoo Jasmine

Sussex

Social Sciences

Butrous Abraam

Bristol

Computing

Chipamaunga Tatenda

Northampton

International Tourism Management

Fikrry Pauline

Brighton

Applied Psychology

Galvin Louise

Southampton

Modern Languages

Girgis Hadi

Bristol

Architecture

Harris Toby

University of the Arts, London

Film and Television

Hodgson Bridget

Manchester Met

Politics

Ibrahem Ibrahim

King’s College

Biomedical Science

Irvine Courtney

Glasgow

History/Politics

Lovelock Lucy

City University, London

Law

Mills Nathaniel

Chichester

Business Studies

Moynihan Liam

Manchester Met

Business Management

Nagati Mark

Brighton

Accounting and Finance

Nassirpour Eman

Westminster

Business Management

Palmer Charlotte

BIMM

Event Management

Penduka Mellisa

Northampton

International Tourism Management

Ramsis Veronica

Brighton

Pharmacy

Salasil Abanob

Brighton

Pharmacy

Smith Dawn

York

Psychology

Southgate Max

University of Bristol

Philosophy and Politics

Special Thanks With special thanks to... parents and carers for their continued support; all our teachers and support staff for their tireless dedication and commitment, our students for their enthusiasm and for always striving to achieve their best, our governors for their valuable time, input and guidance, all our partner schools and colleges for working with us to create a successful learning network across the City. And finally, to the kind sponsors below, who supported us in producing this publication.

Our kind sponsors

Hove Park School

Almanac 2016-17