Rosalind named Top Student Page 3
TuxfordTopics The official termly newsletter of Tuxford Academy
Issue No. 75
Autumn Term 2013
Changes to GCSE Examinations – The Pendulum Swings Back GCSE grading will also change with the introduction of end of course exam assessment. Numbers 1-9 will be used to describe the grades rather than letters; nine will be the highest grade and one the lowest. The next steps towards implementation of the reforms will include: • The examination boards writing new syllabuses to identify the content to be taught from 2015 for English Literature, Language and Mathematics. • A comparison exercise between the current grades system and the new number system will be undertaken. • Assessment structures for all other subjects to be decided and content to be identified and taught from 2016 to our present Year 7 when in Year 10. • Teachers working with the new syllabuses to develop appropriate Schemes of Work and Lesson Plans.
A Message from the Head of School When GCSE examinations were introduced there was an acceptance by Government that it was impossible to measure all skills associated with a subject by a final examination and therefore coursework was introduced for the first time in many subjects. Subsequently other assessment strategies have been implemented including on-going modular tests and controlled assessments, which are tests undertaken in the classroom, marked by teachers and moderated by examiners. Following a review of GCSEs in England, Ofqual has now announced new assessment structures for English Language, English Literature and Mathematics for examinations to be taken in 2017 and therefore applicable to our present Year 8 students. At present
40% of the marks for English Language are awarded for controlled assessments, 40% for the final examinations and 20% for speaking and listening. In 2017 and beyond 100% of marks will be awarded by a final examination taken in May or June, following two years of study. The other two subjects will also be wholly assessed by final examinations. The plan is for many more subjects to be assessed in a different way for the 2018 examinations. It has yet to be announced how the assessment structure will change for these subjects, but a move away from controlled assessments, on-going modular tests and coursework will be expected by teachers.
The sensible timeline set by Ofqual will give all teachers time to introduce these changes properly and already Tuxford staff are modifying lessons in Year 8. As with many other changes in education, teachers have been consulted but the final decision is made by others. Some teachers will welcome the changes, because of the disruption created by modular tests and controlled assessments, whilst others will feel that essential skills associated with their subject will not now be assessed. For students, it will be different and will suit some more than others, but they will be supported fully by all Tuxford staff over the next five years and beyond.
G D Lloyd Principal
Quality of IT teaching recognised In November Tuxford Academy learned that it had been successful in its application to become a lead school for promoting the teaching of computer science. The awarding body, the Computing at School (CAS) group, is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of computing professionals. It aims to influence the national IT curriculum and reverse what it sees as a significant decline in computing in schools. Details of its
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work can be found at: www.computingatschool.org.uk. Membership of the Network of Excellence is recognition for the quality of IT teaching at Tuxford whilst the lead school status encourages our IT staff to share their
expertise. The purpose of the Network of Excellence is to recruit and train a large number of ‘Master Teachers’ with the skills to lead and support other teachers in their local area. Head of ICT at Tuxford Rebecca Davis (pictured left) is the contact for anyone interested in learning more.
Rosalind is simply the best so scored 400 out of 400 and was awarded A*. At the time of sitting the exams Rosalind was not very confident that she had done as well as she could. In fact her History of Medicine paper was left incomplete because a question on surgery was not finished when the time was up. Clearly she had already demonstrated her exceptional skills and was engaged in adding superlative upon superlative. It is amazing that Rosalind only felt confident about two of the thirteen separate exam papers she sat for her GCSEs – and neither of these was a history exam.
Amidst all the other impressive exam statistics for summer 2013, there is a remarkable achievement for one GCSE candidate. Rosalind Cooper now in Y12 was the top achieving student in the country for Edexel exam board’s History syllabus B (Schools History Project). She achieved full marks for each of the three exam papers and also for the controlled assessment and
Rosalind has always enjoyed history, but has not regarded it as her best subject. She wishes to go to university and gain a degree, but is undecided which subject to study because she enjoys Philosophy & Ethics and French as well as History. She clearly has the potential to aim high, but is not certain that she wants to try for Oxford or Cambridge Universities – in fact she has felt an inclination to go Durham University since the age of 11 because she likes the north eastern accent! When asked for the secret of her success
Rosalind explained that her history group was quite small so individual help from the teacher was always available and everyone was so highly motivated that class discussions were impressive. “I have always felt stretched and challenged as a student at Tuxford,” she explained. So is there anything she is not good at? She identified ICT and drama as two subjects that she had not done so well in. She also confessed, “I am no good at team sports involving a ball. I would never be a footballer as I have no hand eye co-ordination.” Perhaps Rosalind is being too modest at this point because she is an accomplished sports competitor. She used to be part of the county swimming squad but didn’t want to neglect other interests by devoting herself to the sport. Now she competes in triathlons: swimming 400m, then cycling 24 km before finishing with a 5km run. She participates for fun and plans her own training programme for running and cycling. She remains a member of Retford Swimming Club. Readers won’t be surprised to learn that after completing a series of three triathlons, Rosalind emerged as the fastest competitor in the 15 -19 age group.
Year 10 Curry Enterprise Y10 GCSE Catering students gained the experience of running an Indian themed restaurant and takeaway during the October Curriculum Day (Wednesday 30th). They learned that operating a restaurant involves much more than choosing, cooking and serving a quality menu. The seating and ambience, allocation of staff roles, printing of menus - and the washing up - all need to be managed. The pictures tell the story. The restaurant
was very popular – and over-subscribed. The dining area was attractively presented and colourful. The menu consisted of poppadum with pickles, onion bhaji and vegetable samosa as starters, then either Chicken Tikka Masala or Spinach, Potato and Chickpea Curry served with Pilau rice and a fresh Naan bread. For dessert there was mango kulfi served with mango coulis. The diners’ verdict was very complimentary with several staff commenting that the food was as good as you could get in a real Indian restaurant.
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And the beat goes on! in Drumming. “In just two and a bit terms they have achieved an internationally recognised qualification in music,” he told us. “I hope that for each of them this is part of a lifetime process of becoming an accomplished musician.”
Lunch Arrangements – A Pilot Study This half-term we are trying different lunchtime arrangements on Fridays. The pilot study came in response to a request by students for a more relaxed lunch period and increased time to socialise over a meal. Our solution is to allocate different lunch breaks to different year groups.
Lewis Coppins
Mr Haynes believes that the importance of rhythm in music can often be taken for granted and yet it is fundamental for listening or participating. It can also be argued that we have a biological connection to rhythm. The human heart maintains a regular beat based on our level of activity. The brain is the clock that regulates every one of the millions of daily functions in your body and as such it is the very peak of rhythmic achievement. Clearly, there is a rhythm of life and there is evidence that music can improve virtually every aspect of brain functionality and learning. “So Drums are not only cool but they help you learn other things and keep your heart beating in perfect time!”
Visiting Drum teacher Mr Gary Haynes passes on his congratulations to Tuxford students who achieved Trinity Grade One or Grade Two
Well done to: Leon Auckland, Harry Beckwith, Lewis Coppins, Theo Drabble, Edward Hind, Oliver Hind, Callum Holmes and Luke Pearce.
Successful schools have strong core values that influence their actions on a daily basis. Some of the core values that have made Tuxford so successful are captured in the following words:
inspired to support the charity after their mother was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. “When we found out that our mum might lose her hair we said, ‘If you lose your hair we will support you by cutting ours off,’ ” said Zoe.
High Trust Honesty and Openness Mutual Respect Teamwork and Pride Supporting Others Confidence Happiness and Safety Compassion High Quality Relationships
An extraordinary gift Zoe Bolton Year 13 and her younger sister support the Little Princess Trust, a children’s cancer charity. Their contribution is unusually generous and modest because together they have donated over 46 inches of their own hair to the charity. Little Princess Trust was founded in order to provide real-hair wigs for children across the UK and Ireland who have sadly lost their hair due to cancer treatment. The girls were
Zoe, who is currently taking her A ‘levels at the academy, told us that she would definitely grow her hair again to donate it, but next time she would also get sponsors. Although she is very keen to help the trust she doesn’t like a fuss over her selfless donation. Charitable and modest – what a special girl. To find out more or to send a donation to the charity please visit: www.littleprincess.org.uk
Retford Lions provide Community Bench Retford Lions Club has kindly donated over £400 to the school to provide a weather-proof, slatted wooden seat and accompanying brass donation plaque. The ‘community bench’ can be seen on the grass at the front of the building. The bench will provide public seating for parents and other visitors when collecting children or attending an academy event. Principal Geoff Lloyd is passionate about creating a welcoming atmosphere for visitors and community members. “We are immensely grateful to the Retford Lions Club for the new bench,” he said. “Since moving
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into the fantastic new building – now nearly 7 years ago - the surroundings have improved dramatically and help from the community is much appreciated.” Community use of the building and facilities in the evenings and holidays is welcome. For further information on how to book our facilities visit the BPL website: www.bpl. org.uk/bassetlaw/school-sports-facilities. You can also find out more information from Retford Leisure Centre on 01777 706500. To contact Retford Lions, Tel: 08458 339557 or visit: http://retford.lions105e.org.uk.
On-going consultation with our students is essential if we are to identify the best possible outcomes for all. In proceeding with this pilot study we are trusting the students to respect the learning of others because some students will be in class whilst others are at lunch. No firm decision has been made regarding any permanent change but one factor is clear: our students will strongly influence the final decision.
Of course these words are only the starting point; they need to be apparent in all that we do at Tuxford on a daily basis. Our pilot scheme will be reviewed later this term and the result will be announced.
Design Success Morgan Spink, Y7, is pictured with her entry for the post office Christmas stamp competition 2013. There were 240,000 entries and Morgan’s design made it to the final 24 which were judged by a panel led by Prince Charles. She won £500 for herself and £500 for Dunham on Trent primary school.
Ofsted impressed by Tuxford initiative
Pictured with students from left to right are: Gez Rizzo (Assistant Principal Retford Oaks) Tony Stead (AYECC Centre Manager) Lynn Kenworthy (Principal Elizabethan Academy) Geoff Lloyd (Principal Tuxford Academy) Kerry Nichol (Associate Principal Tuxford Academy) Ian Campbell (Bassetlaw District Local Councillor) Tuxford Academy is proud of its commitment to personalise the curriculum for older students to match their educational needs. The aim is to keep every student engaged in education without anyone becoming disenchanted or bored. In practice this means that very able students are stretched and students at risk of becoming disaffected or dropping out of education are revitalised through accessing alternative provision – usually a programme of vocational or physically challenging activities. In the past several providers offered such programmes, most notably the county council. Of course the educational landscape is now changing. Many secondary schools have opted to become independent academies and the county council needs to save money so previous centres offering alternative provision have closed. Tuxford has been left with a stark choice: either abandon alternative provision or find a replacement for lost county council centres. Most readers - being familiar with Tuxford’s values and enterprise - will already know which route the academy chose! A suitable property available for lease was located in Tuxford Business Park. A training company with a good track record of delivering the right kind of vocational and personal development activities was also sourced, invited for talks and duly impressed. At this point it became a question of value for money and affordability. The ideal solution would be to find partners to share the responsibility – and of course other schools would have been affected by the closure of county centres. Elizabethan
Academy and Retford Oaks Academy were definitely interested so the necessary contracts were quickly agreed and the Ashvale Youth Engagement Community Centre was launched. Former rugby league professional Dave Downs joined AYECC as course leader. He brought some of his own specialist staff with him to deliver the fitness, vocational and mentoring programme, but Tuxford staff deliver academic aspects. The team set about transforming the interior of the Centre and devised ways of combining improvement of the work environment and development of students’ employability skills. Then came the news that nobody wanted this early in the Centre’s development: an HMI would visit on 2 and 3 October 2013 to look at the academy’s use of alternative provision. Mr Trevor Riddiough toured the Centre, met the staff, students and some senior leaders, questioned them on their work and looked at the records. After scrutinising all the evidence he concluded that the academy’s use of alternative provision is highly effective in helping students to remain in education throughout Key Stage 4 and to gain relevant qualifications and experience. He was pleased that students would receive their full entitlement to English and mathematics either at the Centre or back at school. He found that students on alternative provision are very happy, engaged and enthusiastic about their placements. They appreciate the commitment and hard work given by their tutors and are keen not to let them down.
Tuxford’s innovative Youth Engagement Centre was officially opened a week after the Ofsted visit - on Friday 11th October. Representatives from the three sponsoring academies were in attendance together with a cardboard cut-out of an HMI displaying Mr Riddiough’s endorsement of the centre’s work. Tuxford Principal Mr Geoff Lloyd urged all visitors to read the comments, “The feedback meeting with the Ofsted Inspector was one of the most positive I have sat through,” he said. During his contribution to the opening Mr Lloyd thanked Dave Downs and his team for their part in establishing the centre and praised the skills and knowledge they would bring to developing and delivering the programme. He added, “I also need to thank colleagues from the Elizabethan and Retford Oaks Academies for working in partnership with Tuxford on the project. There was a need to ensure that a gap in provision didn’t develop for our young people. Without collaboration at all levels between our Academies none of this would have been possible. “As educators we have a moral duty to address the individual needs of all students and here we have created a valuable training facility that will build self-esteem and selfconfidence whilst delivering a range of skills.”
“The feedback meeting with the Ofsted Inspector was one of the most positive I have sat through,” Mr Lloyd
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Understanding the ‘Gifted and Talented’ There are some common misconceptions surrounding ‘Gifted and Talented’ students. One is that they are all very bright and so will succeed regardless of teacher input, support from home and help of any kind. People holding this view may be surprised to learn that Ofsted includes G&T students in their ‘vulnerable groups’ category because being gifted doesn’t mean that they are not lazy, difficult or disaffected sometimes. Gifted students don’t always score well in tests, they can underachieve and they can be very challenging. It might be useful to consider the terminology at this point: • Those who excel or have the ability to excel in academic subjects such as English and maths are termed ‘gifted’ • Those who excel or have the ability to excel in areas requiring visio-spatial skills or practical abilities such as Art, Dance, Drama, Music and Sport are termed ‘talented’: This means an individual can be both ‘gifted’ and ‘talented’. Some of the characteristics that set such a person apart are:
• Tend towards a superior attitude to those around them
• They want to follow a different plan, challenge the tasks given, or extend the brief
• Are confused about their development and about why they are behaving as they are
• They have a vivid imagination and they often display a keen sense of humour • They are divergent thinkers – they look for the unusual • They challenge accepted theories and they ask searching questions • They learn more quickly but often underachieve in assessments A bright student…
A gifted student…
Knows the answer
Asks searching questions
Is interested
Is extremely inquisitive
Has good ideas
Has unusual, wacky Ideas
Works hard
Can be disruptive but score well
Answers questions
Is reflective and includes detail
Is top set
Works beyond the group
Listens with interest
Has strong feelings and opinions
Learns easily
Knows already
Enjoys friendships with peers
Prefers company of older students & adults
Good memoriser
Guesses correctly
Is receptive
Can be intense
Prefers the uncomplicated
Thrives on complexity
Absorbs information
Applies and manipulates facts
Copies accurately
Can be untidy
Is attentive
Is sharply observant
Enjoys school
Relishes learning
Is pleased with own work
Is highly self critical
Enjoys praise for achievements
Avoids approval, seeks improvements
Completes the set task
Produces unusual responses
Someone who is gifted and / or talented and conventionally bright will be an exceptional student, but someone who is intense, absorbed and unconventional may require support or there is the danger of underachieving. Gifted underachievers often: • Are bored and restless with flashes of brilliance or interest • Produce high quality oral work but poor written work • Have poor test results but ask searching questions • Dislike routine work – often produce unfinished work • Have unusual, creative interests or hobbies outside school • Display disruptive behaviour in some lessons but not in others where work is challenging • Have low self esteem or are highly self critical • Are hostile to authority and able to articulate this
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Teachers can help them to achieve their potential by: • Negotiating challenging goals, encouraging young people to set some of their own • Emphasising investigation, problem solving and exploration, which can possible be sustained over a number of lesson (and for homework) • Providing opportunities for students to learn techniques for expressing their views, for posing questions and for interrogating the views of others, sometimes people with greater levels of knowledge and expertise than themselves – adults or older students • Ensuring that there is a variety of assessment opportunities, and that students present work in a variety of forms • Avoiding overloading students with work • Providing appropriate support and encouragement Education is not about ‘one size fits all’; rather it is a bespoke service responding to need. A good school will serve everyone and ensure that no one is overlooked – and of course Tuxford is better than good. Gifted and talented students have characteristics and learning styles that need to be acknowledged if they are to progress to their full potential. In this, at least, they are no different from any other student in school.
Someone who is gifted and / or talented and conventionally bright will be an exceptional student
Natalie makes it to Cambridge Regular readers will remember from our last edition that Natalie Cree was waiting to hear whether she had got into Cambridge University to read Natural Sciences. She needed an A* and two grade A’s at A Level to secure her place at Murray Edwards College.
A current DfE initiative to improve science education has led to the establishment of the National Science Learning Centre at the University of York. Now Tuxford Academy has been appointed to play a key role in the same programme: Trent Valley Teaching School Alliance (TVTSA) led by the academy has been appointed joint lead of the official Science Learning Partnership for Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City.
The good news is that she did it. She gained A* for Chemistry and A for both Mathematics and Biology. Congratulations to her on this achievement - and good luck in Cambridge!
Seamus triumphs at the World Dwarf Games As featured in our last edition, Seamus Morrison, then in Y7, travelled to the Michigan State University, USA in August to compete in the World Dwarf Games. The Games are held every four years, the year after the Olympics, and attract competitors from all over the world. There were 16 countries taking part in the event, including Australia, India and Brazil. Seamus competed over a 12 day period and returned home with the following medals:
Gold in the discus Gold in the shot put Gold in football Silver in the javelin Bronze in swimming Bronze in sprint relay
Teaching School becomes ‘Science Learning Partner’
At the end of the games, Seamus was also presented with the ‘Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) trophy for his performance. His efforts helped GB to second place in the medal table behind the US. “The experience over there was absolutely mind blowing,” Seamus told us. “It all feels like a dream - that I want to dream again and again.” He would like to be good enough to take part in the Paralympics at some time in the future, but he realises that they are very competitive. “I can remember watching the Paralympics last year never imagining I’d be taking part in the World Games the following year.”
There are five Regional SLCs led by consortia of universities and they are charged to raise standards in the delivery of science across their regions through the appointment of a Regional Development Leader and the formation of Science Learning Partnerships to deliver a high quality CPD programme for teachers, technicians and teaching assistants. Redhill Teaching School Alliance will work with Tuxford’s teaching school within Nottinghamshire to develop high quality courses and school networks. Initial focuses for the Notts SLP are: • Primary Science Quality Mark • Primary New Science Curriculum • Introduction of linear exams for GCSE • Changes to GCE qualifications To support the launch of the SLP ‘impact awards’ are available to schools sending colleagues on these programmes to allow schools to recover some of the training costs. See the teaching school website (www.tvtsa.co.uk) and the academy’s website for further details.
Big Lottery Success for Gamston Primary
Seamus (with medals) receiving his trophy for ‘Most Valuable Player’ at the closing ceremony. He received his trophy from Arthur Dean, founder and president of the Dwarf Sports Association.
Over the last 3 years the extended services team at Tuxford Academy has successfully helped, through writing funding applications, nine of our twelve feeder primaries – generating over £80,000 between the schools. The latest bid success is for Gamston Primary who will receive £8,200 for their parental engagement project. Gamston will spend the lottery money on creating positive opportunities for parental engagement – particularly with those parents whose first language is not English.
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A Desperate Reality From the age of seven Natalia Smith of Year 11 has been aware of her family’s remarkable commitment to the victims of genocide and to the cause of healing hatred. The Holocaust Memorial Centre at Laxton, founded by her grandparents, father and uncle, has become internationally renowned for its educational and charitable work. She and her sister Stephanie (Y10) have met survivors of the holocaust from an early age - but were not exposed to graphic stories and images of brutality for obvious reasons. In recent years the family has expanded its work by opening the Kigali Memorial Center in Rwanda, a country that witnessed another infamous twentieth century genocide. The sisters were given the opportunity to help raise funds for the Rwanda project earlier this year and then in the summer they accompanied their father to Rwanda for the first time to see how the money is being spent and to get involved. Here is Natalia’s account of the trip: When we arrived at our house it was clear we were in a poverty-stricken area and the living conditions were extremely basic around us. I was shocked at the mass graves outside KGM (Kigali Memorial Center) as I hadn’t expected that. But that was not adequate preparation for our visit to Ntarama and Nyamata where we saw churches where thousands of Tutsis were
killed. There were stacks and stacks of bones and skulls. Parts of the site had been left in the condition and state from the time of the genocide. When we looked around the Gisimba Orphanage we were shocked to see the
children’s standard of living. They had no nice toys and their ‘rooms’ were extremely basic and old. They were dormitories which children of all ages shared; they had made makeshift rooms within the dormitories out of thick cardboard. We met all the children in the school too. There were about twenty orphans out of the 100 children aged 4-7. The classrooms were overcrowded and hadn’t got many supplies, but staff invited us into the classrooms. All the displays were
in English and they sang songs to us in English. As part of our work we spent a day at the ‘Discover Rwanda Youth Hostel’ volunteering and cleaning. We also met Liberata and Winifreda (two Rwandan Genocide widows we are trying to help). Going to Liberata’s house for the first time we were first hit by the smell of raw sewage and there was waste everywhere on the street. She showed us her new windows and doors and explained no one could break in now; she also showed us her new roof. However there was no running water or a kitchen so more money would have to be raised for this. We spent a day painting her house and then realised she had no furniture so we went out to the market to buy what we could. She cried with happiness when she saw what we had done. We then went to fetch her water for her and it was extremely hard as the pump was stiff and the water was so heavy! Work on Liberata’s house has been completed first because we only had enough money for one of the renovations to take place. We are continuing to raise money for Winifreda’s house and for the orphanage. The problem is that so much help is needed out there still; fundraising and practical help will be vital for years if the country is to escape its past.
Open Evening, 26th September 2013 For the last few years Open Evenings have been targeted at the parents of Year 6 students. But this emphasis has been reviewed in recognition of the fact that choosing a secondary school is not left to the last minute. Many families think about the decision years in advance. This year we returned to a truly open evening – and everyone was invited. The good news is that 840 people accepted our invitation. We were very pleased about that. We were even more impressed by some of the comments received: “I couldn’t imagine being more impressed with a school. Thank you for the opportunity to visit.” “Amazingly friendly.” “I found it very helpful and am reassured that I made the right decision.”
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“Very useful, it was great that we were allowed to roam rather than being shown.” “Amazing. Everyone friendly and helpful.”
was
enthusiastic,
“My daughter wants to start right now!” “Fantastic! We had a pupil guide us around. He was very helpful.”
Naomi competes for Wales at Burghley Horse Trials. Naomi achieved a very respectable overall 6th place at the latter show after jumping a fantastic Double Clear in both the cross country and the show jumping with a good dressage test too.
Tuxford student Naomi Moult Y9 has been riding ponies since the age of 4. She started by attending a riding school run by a family friend, but for the last five years she has had three specialist trainers preparing her to compete in dressage and show jumping events. All the hard work is now paying off because she has just completed a very successful season riding her two ponies, Royal Opposition and Folly (pictured). In her final event for this year, the Horse of the Year Show at the National Exhibition Centre Naomi achieved a terrific 4th place with her pony Folly in the Working Hunter Pony Tagg La Liga competition. Other prestigious shows where she has competed include the Royal International Horse Show held at Hickstead and the Event Pony Final
After competing very successfully in the Welsh National Championships (where she came overall 2nd) she was asked to represent Wales at the BSPS Summer Championships - being eligible due to family connections. After discussions with the England Chef de Equipe and the selection committee Naomi was allowed to compete for Wales this year as a guest to gain valuable experience whilst still being eligible to compete for England in the future. Once again Folly and Naomi jumped beautifully in the 143cm Working Hunter Pony section helping Wales to a fantastic 4th place out of 10 countries (their best ever result). Pony and rider appeared in both the Showing Journal and Horse and Hound.
courage to go over the jumps and there is an element of pain and hard work to reach the required standard. On competition days there is often a very early start - sometimes 4.00 a.m. The pony must be fed early, before travelling, and both pony and rider must be impeccably presented. Whitener is applied to Folly’s coat and special make-up is applied around the eyes too. Before competing Folly has to stretch legs and warm up just like any human athlete - so time is spent in the warm up arena. Naomi cannot imagine a time when she won’t want to compete as a rider. She also would like to work with horses eventually. Her older sister Katie (who recently completed her time at the school) is also a keen rider and a successful competitor so there is an element of sibling rivalry.
The secret of winning, according to Naomi, is the rider forming a bond with her pony so they work together instinctively. It also takes
A glimpse inside Hannah’s scrapbook Hannah Barnett of Year 8 has a busy lifestyle and is driven by a desire to achieve – as two photos from her album indicate. Some of Hannah’s passions and talents are in music. But she also enjoys helping in the school gardens. In addition to playing the piano and guitar she is most famous within the school for playing the harp. On Monday 15th October 2013 the Retford branch of the Rotary Club presented Hannah with a lap harp which they purchased. She is pictured receiving the harp from Club President Roger Stenson. Hannah demonstrated her skills and ability to an audience of 30 guests to mark the occasion. The second photo shows Hannah as winner of the first year’s Sunflower Challenge. Her sunflower grew to an amazing eight feet so Hannah was presented with a shield by Mr Lloyd, the academy Principal. Fifteen students entered the competition to plant around the pond.
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Student
Viewpoint
Clubs and Trips In our last edition we featured the Children’s University scheme that is encouraging students to develop thought-provoking, creative and intellectual interests to prepare themselves for higher education. However, the 2013 Keele Survey of Tuxford students produced two interesting statistics that appear to suggest that there is a mismatch here between provision and demand for out of lesson activities: • 75% of students who responded agree that Tuxford Academy offers “lots” of lunchtime and out of lesson activities • But only 28% of the students admit to taking part in such activities.
We interviewed a number of students to explore some of the issues behind the figures. One explanation for the apparently low takeup of clubs and activities is interpretation of the question. When students go on trips do they regard this as an out of lesson activity - or as a different kind of lesson? Tuxford runs more trips than many schools. Similarly, do students playing for school teams see fixtures as activities? Matthew Thorne Y10 says he just wants to get home and chill out after a busy day - but plays for teams after school on Tuesdays and on Saturdays. Megan Sheeran Y8 attends Bug Club in tutor time - so does that count as out of lesson? She is also a member of the Student Forum which meets in curriculum time, but is not lesson-related. Hannah Barnett Y8 believes that choosing to be a participant instead of an onlooker in life is a matter of personality. “I have friends who have so many out of school interests they just can’t fit it all in,” she explained. “I like to be doing, not simply talking - and I like mixing with people through sharing an activity.” She attends archaeology, trampolining and astronomy sessions, is disappointed that the Ensemble could not attract enough people and would like a judo or martial arts club in school. Lottie Wishart Y10 is one of several to express the opinion that school activities are always going to be more popular with younger students because once GCSE begins there is too much work. She would like to join the archaeology group but feels that she cannot spare the time. Other members of Y10 offer different reasons for opting out of school clubs. Neve Cairns broadens her mind by reading a lot and then likes to develop as a person by socialising. Both Martha Raymer and Lauren Playfoot want to go to university in future, but feel that the clubs on offer do not cater for their interests and are not well promoted. Martha would like to engage in political debate, rowing and climbing whilst Lauren would like a bake-off competition. The reasons given by students for joining activities are varied. Sam Maiden stays for
New Honours Boards Senior staff and college presidents are pictured admiring the new Honours Boards in Trent Garden. The boards maintain a permanent record of the work done by leading members of each cohort of students. The academy is proud of the young people in each cohort who take a lead, express the student voice and show a commitment to public service. We are confident that when they leave school they
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take with them the skills and qualities to make a lasting impact on their workplaces, on their communities and on society at large.
rugby and basketball because he simply wants to improve his skills in both sports. Megan Sheeran wants to develop new interests and to make new friends. Kerys Phillips stays after school so she and her mum can both arrive home together - but she likes to use her time productively. She has developed chess skills at lunchtimes and dance skills after school in the company of different people and she likes getting to know people in different year groups. As expected, one factor influencing attendance at after school activities in Tuxford is the rural dimension. Both Daisy Marsh from Leverton and Danielle Hagland from Retford are keen sports participants who have transport problems at times. However it is not a simple case of mileage being a deterrent. If that were the case then clubs would be packed with people living in Tuxford - and they are not. Although North Muskham students have a better bus service than Laneham, for example, location is not that important when most students who stay are picked up by car anyway. Popular sports activities and school show rehearsals are well supported from far
Neve and Lottie and wide. Out of lesson learning activities at Tuxford Academy are thriving. In spite of the focus on exam results, lesson quality and homework the staff are enthusiastic to provide more than the set curriculum. The take-up by students is better than the Keele Survey suggests, but not everybody will want to join a club voluntarily. Those who do will make new friends and develop new skills, but for others the opportunity to wind down at the end of the school day is preferred. The rural dimension will always be a factor at Tuxford, but it doesn’t appear to prevent many students taking part in activities.
Charity benefits from epiphany experience Caitlin Parker and Sophie Lister, Y8, raised money for a school charity event last year. They helped at the bake sale in aid of a bowel cancer charity and Mrs Taylor was so impressed by the way they gave their time and effort unconditionally that she nominated them for the ‘Students of the Week’ award scheme. For many people that would be the end of the story, but not for Caitlin and Sophie. Being invited to take part had been one of those ‘lightbulb moments’ which suddenly lit a new path ahead for them. Both girls agreed to continue their support for the charity - and thought of a cracking idea to raise money in an offbeat way. They suggested to their tutor Mrs Bingham that they would organise a sponsored bike ride with a difference -
using an exercise bike placed in a very public place in school. She loved the idea as a form project for OSB and the event took place on 11th July. The following report appeared in the Retford Times on 18th July: ‘Staff and students from Tuxford Academy have cycled to Downing Street – without leaving the school grounds. The 220km distance was covered on an exercise bike in an effort to raise money for Bowel Cancer UK. The academy has so far collected around £500 with the total still rising.’ Neither Caitlin nor Sophie have personal connections with bowel cancer, but they are committed to continuing their support. Well done to them.
Local Heritage and Archaeology Club The school’s Local Heritage and Archaeology Club was set up by Matt Hollingworth, a former student, in March and has gone from strength to strength. Matt is a University of Sheffield graduate in Archaeological Science who has taken part in several excavations including a Tudor hunting lodge in Sheffield and Iron Age enclosures in the Brodsworth area near Barnsley. The club’s first task was to establish basic knowledge by creating a timeline of British
Archaeology from the Palaeolithic (450,00010,000BC) to Post Medieval (1500-Present). Since then they have learned about a number of archaeological sites including Starr Carr in North Yorkshire and The Ness of Brodgar on Orkney. They discovered how to identify sites from aerial photographs. Members had the opportunity to excavate a test pit (a small evaluation trench) in the school grounds in June and they hope to take part in local excavations in the future. A visit to Creswell Crags (a Palaeolithic site near Worksop) was organised in November.
Year 12 Geographers Overcome Snow! Year 12 AS Geography cohort had to wait until after the Easter holidays to strut their stuff in Burbage Brook, a tributary of the River Derwent in the Peak District, because a foot of snow unceremoniously dumped on the river valley the weekend prior to the original date. Thankfully, a clear, sunny day greeted the nine intrepid hydrologists as they sketched, measured and mapped every part of Brook.
On the heritage side, the club also researches the local area and members have created a series of leaflets entitled ‘Then and Now’. The first three leaflets published focus on Tuxford subjects: Read’s Grammar School, The Lock Up and The Rebel Stone. Future plans for the club include leaflets on St Nicholas Church, the Railways in Tuxford, the Tuxford Windmills. If you have any suggestions for future leaflets - perhaps focusing on other local places - or would like more information please feel free to contact Matt at mhollingworth@tuxford-ac.org.uk.
Split (voluntarily) into girls and boys teams, there was a distinctly competitive element to the fieldwork. The girls (Annabel Matthews, Katie Gent, Ellie Evans and Charlotte Strawson) seemed to come out on top as the boys (Joe Champion, Alex BuckBerry, Sam Wilmott, Sam Bacon and James Barnes) suffered from ‘too many cooks’ syndrome at times! Aside from one or two unscheduled falls into the Brook, the day was a great success with students developing valuable leadership, communication and teamwork skills - and fieldwork techniques that would be assessed in June. Thanks must go to Miss Peake for driving the bus and to Dr Phillips for attempting to manage the boys team!
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Our outstanding support staff Other students praised the help they receive from specialist support staff to enable them to access education and to make the most of their opportunities. One boy spoke of the help he receives from Miss Smith, the school counsellor, to overcome emotional problems, another spoke of how Mrs Ashley, the education welfare officer, helped him to settle in school. Several students pointed out that Mrs Riley and the first aiders prevent students missing lessons: not only do they patch up scratches, assess bumps and calm people down, but also they help an increasing number of students with complex medical conditions cope with the demands of school life.
Mr Ashworth Tuxford Academy is famous for its “buzz” – for a lot of activity, for much energy and for streams of new ideas and initiatives. Ask ten people to explain why this is and you will be offered ten different explanations, but undoubtedly it has something to do with the fact that the people who work and study here have a collective confidence that outsiders sometimes envy. Both students and staff not only expect to succeed, but also are keen to “raise the bar” to succeed at as high a level as possible. Just read the profile of Rosalind Cooper in this edition for a student example of this; it is the story of an extraordinary achievement at GCSE. Much of the buzz and excitement at Tuxford is generated by the largely autonomous team of professionals working alongside the teachers. Many have taken on roles previously confined to teachers such as form tutors, instructors, learning mentors and cover supervisors and as such they are having a direct impact on students’ progress. We spoke to a group of students to discover what the support staff had done for them and they were fulsome in their appreciation.
Mrs Riley
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Sophie Taylor of Year 13 began by explaining how administration staff here are much more than backroom typists and clerks. On the contrary, they are front-line staff having a direct impact on students every day. College reception staff she describes as “the fount of all knowledge” because they have timetables and every other piece of information at their fingertips and point students in the right direction. She is particularly grateful to Mrs Cupit who works in the Post16 area. “I can’t put into words how brilliant she is. I found the transition from GCSE to P16 quite difficult and I found I could talk to her. She helped with problems, with advice and with revision as well as information.” Sophie provided several examples of how admin staff directly enhance learning. School trips are usually (but not always) led by teachers, but it is support staff who make the bookings, arrange payments, sort the travel, passports, etc and check all the planning. “For many students the Paris trip is the first time they ever go abroad, they look forward to it for much of Year 8 and it is the support staff who make it possible.” Each teaching subject has a faculty support assistant and FSAs often help to supervise trips as well as arranging them - but their impact on learning goes further than trips. They also keep faculty records of student progress, administer rewards and sanctions, run a faculty reception, arrange meetings with parents, plan and design poster and television displays and update pages of the school website. They are very skilled people with a “can do” approach to work and a mission to make a difference in their area of school. Often they play a major part in organising major school events run by their faculties - such as Sports Day and school shows.
Two students with literacy issues due to dyslexia pointed out that the teaching assistants have made a huge difference to them. Extra lessons are provided by TAs to improve handwriting, reading, spelling, etc. Students for whom English is not their first language also benefit from this help. The improvement of literacy and numeracy skills by TAs’ intervention not only improves exam grades in all subjects, but also boosts students’ confidence. The TAs like the FSAs are based in faculties so they have specialist subject knowledge. Many are also form tutors. The cover supervisor team ensures that lessons continue when a teacher is absent for a day or two. Ellie Lear Y12 believes that they are successful in keeping students focused on the work set. The team is led by a former teacher and three former team members have gone on to become teachers. When not required for cover they work in faculties as teaching assistants which helps them keep up to date with subject knowledge and classroom practice. Connor Pollard Y11 is one of the students studying BTEC subjects as well as GCSEs and these vocational career-orientated subjects are often taught by qualified instructors rather than by teachers. Connor enjoys his Public Service lessons with Mr Nichol because he can relate them to his future. The results achieved by BTEC Dance students at both KS4 and P16, under the instruction of Mrs Bingham, are outstanding and she is the area moderator for the subject. Learning mentors Mr Cooper and Miss Rennison were praised by Yasmin Odabashy Y12. They work with targeted Y11 students - approximately a quarter of the year group - to boost their exam results; perhaps students need to catch up with coursework, require help to organise revision programmes or just need convincing that they can succeed. Yasmin came to Tuxford
Gardening update half way through her GCSE preparation and discovered that some of the syllabus choices here - particularly in History - were different so Miss Rennison was able to help her catch up with work. She told us: “I think support staff can connect with students on a much more personal level than teachers. Mr Bland gives a laser cutting demonstration They get to know school’s tracking data, for its sophisticated students as individuals, learn their issues engagement with parents, for its robust and provide practical help.” safeguarding arrangements and excellent climate for learning, and for the extensive The contribution made by the technician enrichment opportunities. Support staff make team to her exam success in Science and a valuable and sustained contribution to all Design & Technology was emphasised by of these. Elliot Davies Y11 summed up the Sophie Taylor. Not only do they prepare contribution of support staff in this way: “We equipment and materials, but also assist can’t mention all the names because there students in class, at lunchtime or after are so many, but the specialist staff working school. Sophie is also grateful to Mrs Grant together as a team provide every kind of help. in Reprographics who has helped her with We have been lucky to have them.” the presentation of some of her work and to school shop staff who have been willing Collectively Tuxford support staff take pride to open outside normal hours to supply in being part of an outstanding success essential equipment needed in a lesson. story. They believe in education and its power to transform lives - often from firstThe Learning Resource Centre offers IT and hand experience. They are confident in their book resources to all students and a quiet ability to make a difference to students’ place for sixth formers to study. Will Taylor learning and to their experience of school. Y13 remembers how much the calm working Connor Pollard Y11 wanted to pass on this environment promoted by Mrs Wright and message to them: “Thank-you so much to Mrs Chadbourne helped him when he had all the support staff; you have helped us to complete GCSE coursework. through our years at Tuxford and we have been blessed to have you there for us.” The 2012 Ofsted Report praises the school for the “exceptional support and guidance...” available to students, “... including those facing barriers to engagement and achievement.” This judgement gives some recognition of the parts played by TAs, mentors, co-tutors and inclusion staff as well as teachers. There is praise for the Mr Cooper checking on progress
Development of the school grounds to create a climate for learning is proceeding at a pace. Planters have been ordered for the back of the building and plans are being drawn up for the P16 ‘Thinking Garden’. A small area of land beside the steps leading to the pond area has been terraced and planted with a mix of lavender, sedums, heather, hydrangeas and a mix of bulbs. These are now, officially, ‘The Butterfly Steps’. The planting was carried out by new Year 7 students who are good keen gardeners.
A great way to recycle computers Tuxford Academy in July this year, donated the following equipment to support the work of IT Schools Africa:
• 119 PCs • 62 flat screens • 44 hard drives • 11 keyboards and a box of power leads
Classroom IT hardware had been upgraded and so we were able to support this worthwhile charity. We have made similar donations in the past. IT Schools Africa is a UK registered charity with a mission to transform IT education in Africa. The charity collects old computers which are refurbished, upgraded and then distributed to schools in Africa. All donations received enable African children to gain the essential IT skills they need to transform their education and future job prospects. Check out the charity’s website for more details: www.itschoolsafrica.org
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DALP News Successful DALP Games at NTU
Update on membership and status School
Joined Partnership
Became Academy
Tuxford Academy
1 January 2007
1 August 2011
The National Church of England Academy 1 January 2007
1 August 2011
Retford Oaks Academy
1 September 2010
1 April 2012
East Leake Academy
1 January 2012
1 November 2012
Tuxford Primary Academy
1 January 2013
1 February 2013
The Holgate Academy
1 January 2013
1 September 2013
Introduction to key staff Mick Cobham DALP Academy Improvement Support Manager Appointed August 2012 to support the school i m p ro ve m e n t process and partnership development across DALP. Joined the county Advisory and Inspection Service as a link inspector in 2004, after 28 years working in Nottinghamshire secondary schools, eight of these in senior management roles. His experience of school leadership allowed him to form good professional relationships with a range of Nottinghamshire headteachers and he was pleased to be offered the Senior Education Improvement Advisor post for Bassetlaw and Newark in 2008. For the past 8 years he has been the School Improvement Partner for Tuxford, offering impartial and objective support to the school as it developed into the outstanding Academy it is today. Appointed in April 2013 to lead on the development of Human Resource Management across the DALP group of academies. Prior to joining DALP he has worked both within educational and health sectors over the past 15 years, and so has acquired a broad range of experience and knowledge of HR. For the last 7 years he has worked in a large further education college in Cornwall, leading HR, training and payroll services across 7 campuses in Cornwall.
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Jon Fearon Director of Finance and Corporate Services The most recent recruit to Diverse Academies L e a r n i n g Partnership, joining in July 2013. He has spent over 20 Years in local government finance and education as Finance Manager/Finance Director and hopes this wide experience will assist the development of the academies within the partnership. As Director of Finance and Corporate Services his role is to support the development of financial systems and reporting in our academies. He also manages a number of shared services within the Partnership such as IT, Property and Marketing. An important part of his role is to assist new Members of the Partnership as they become academies.
Gary Corban Human Resources Manager
Scorching temperatures at this year’s DALP Games matched the overall sporting competitiveness of the day. The Lee Westwood Centre sports hall at Nottingham Trent University was a perfect venue for the teams and former Heavyweight Boxer, Dermot Gascoigne who attended the event as a special guest of DALP was fantastic in offering the young athletes motivational talks and words of encouragement. The event started with a series of fantastic dance performances from all DALP schools involved: East Leake Academy, National C of E Academy, Retford Oaks and Tuxford Academy. The energetic, creative performances and the funky dance music really helped all to get in the positive, celebratory spirit of the event. The morning was then split between 4 activities: Tug-of-War, Obstacle course, Rounders and Table Tennis. All activities spurred the schools on to a healthy level of competitiveness with the Tug of war in particular leading to enthusiastic roars from the crowd. Athletic events were set for the afternoon with each school pulling out all the stops to win. The final count of points was nail biting for all until Mr Pickering announced ‘National’ as the winners for the second year in a row! The National team members were ecstatic at winning the cup again and remaining the undefeated DALP Games champions. National’s team captain said of the win: ‘We are so happy we have won again. It was a lot harder this year!’ All DALP students involved were presented with a medal for taking part and certificates for their achievements. Mr Chris Pickering, Executive Principal, commented: “What a wonderful day the students have had. It is fantastic to see them all together and positively embracing the games.” Mr Graham Legg, Principal of East Leake also attended and he was equally impressed.
Sports Day, Friday 21st June The weather was kind to us yet again and Beech College competitors were the overall winners for the fourth consecutive year! The following records were also broken: Matt Parkin Y10, won the High Jump by clearing 1.90m (previous record was 1.80m) Matthew Shaw, won the Y7 100m race in a time of 13.1 (the previous record was 13.3 held since 1978!) Tom Tucker, won the Y10 discus with a staggering distance of 33m 90cm (previous record was 20m 83cm held since 1980!) Willow won the boys’ Y9 Relay in a time of 52.50 (previous time 54.3 held since 1980!) Finally, David Mafullul Y9, broke three records! He jumped a distance of 5.55m in the Long Jump (previous record 5.49m held since 1984!) He won the 200m race in a time of 25.2 (previous record was 26.4 held since 1980!!) and finally he won the 400m in a time of 56.06 (previous record 1.00.79).
Lauren recommends VISPA Scheme Newark and Sherwood District Council offers sports leadership placements to young people interested in coaching, volunteering at events, fundraising for local clubs or running a sport website. Currently there are 600 members of the Volunteering in Sport and Physical Activity Scheme and Lauren Sparks (Year 11) is one of them.
Recently a friend of Lauren found a job as an instructor at a sport centre and Lauren would be interested in finding similar work herself. The friend recommended VISPA as it offers valuable experience, the opportunity of a job reference, access to training and qualifications and guidance from the volunteer co-ordinator team. Lauren looked at the website and decided to apply. A representative from the council arranged to meet Lauren and her mum at school. Lauren gave him details of the sports that she is interested in and he gave further details of how volunteers accumulate hours by helping at a sports club and then gain rewards after completing target hours. The volunteer co-ordinator was clearly satisfied that Lauren would be a good helper because he went away to find her a placement and then offered her the chance to volunteer at Dukeries Leisure Centre with football training for 6 to 8 year old boys. She went along to a training session in March, liked it and has volunteered there since on a Friday evening from 6 – 7pm.
She was nervous when she started but enjoyed it. There is one coach and just Lauren to assist. She helps to set up and to supervise about ten boys. When they get to the age of 8, they can join a junior football team, with the skills she has helped to develop. Lauren enjoys sports at the school too. She is in the U16 Girls Football team and in the past has played County Rugby. She gained the rugby place by chance, after she accompanied a friend who had been selected to one of her training sessions. She was able to join in the training and obviously impressed everyone because she was asked to stay. The VISPA scheme enables sports enthusiasts to take their interest into the community so Lauren is pleased that she applied for it. If anyone else living in Newark and Sherwood area is interested, she would be happy to give more details.
Poet Visits Paul Cookson nationally renowned poet, spent the day in Tuxford Academy on July 8th at the invitation of the Learning Resource Centre. Paul, a popular children’s writer, led a hilarious performance to all Year 7 students followed by a series of poetry writing workshops for selected classes.
Paul’s performances are always memorable, lively and extremely funny with audience participation non negotiable. Paul has sold well over three quarter of a million books since he began work as a poet in 1989, with more than sixty titles
to his name. Paul is also the official Poet in Residence for the National Football Museum. We are lucky to have the services of such a popular artist and look forward to booking him again next year for the benefit of our new students.
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JTC’s gift to next generation Tuxford Academy’s Junior Town Council (JTC), now in its fourth successful year, recently voted to sponsor a community time capsule full of typical 2013 artefacts for the enlightenment of future students. The twelve student councillors chose a comparatively short burial time of twenty years. Members placed suggestion boxes around the town to encourage Tuxford residents to be part of this historical event and many suggestions were received - and
offers of support from Tuxford Co-op, the town library, a local care home and the hairdressers. Current prices of food items, a local newspaper and a picture of baby Prince George were among the items collected for inclusion. A typical but relatively old mobile phone was chosen to represent technology in use today. Retford Rotary Club was impressed by the JTC initiative and adopted their project. The club made a grant of more than £500
from the Coddington Legacy Trust to buy the waterproof time capsule and a marker post. Club President Roger Stenson helped Principal Geoff Lloyd bury the filled capsule in the school grounds on 14th October 2013 in the presence of community representatives. The Junior Town Councillors hope to attend the re-opening in 2033 - with their families! They are looking forward to reminiscing about the clothes they loved wearing or the IPhones that were all the rage.
Email: office@tuxford-ac.org.uk www.tuxford-ac.org.uk Marnham Road, Tuxford, Newark, NG22 0JH Tel: 01777 870001 Fax: 01777 872155 16
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