Tuxford academy life issue 1

ACADEMY Life

The official newsletter of Tuxford Academy

Issue No. 1

Autumn Term 2014

“A truly

remarkable production” Academy Life

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Welcome to Academy Life Principal’s Introduction

We’re so Proud of our Results!

It is a pleasure to introduce our new look school magazine – ‘Academy Life’ which will replace Tuxford Topics. The termly magazine will hopefully capture some of the highlights of the previous term at school, whilst also providing readers with information on what is coming up.

At Tuxford we are incredibly proud of the achievements and successes of all our students.

This issue has had a large input from our talented Post 16 students who have interviewed and written quite a few of the stories – a fantastic experience for those wanting to develop their creative writing skills or gather work experience for university.

Having a school magazine to celebrate and promote the many achievements we have here at Tuxford Academy is a marvellous way of celebrating some of the fantastic work the students, staff and academy have been doing. It is also a record of successes and a way for us to really share with the readers how many exciting opportunities are going on in our academy to help our students be the best they can be.

As you can imagine, I am incredibly proud of Tuxford and so I do hope that you enjoy reading this new issue as much as I will.

Mr David Cotton, Principal

Dates for your diary DECEMBER Mon 1st Fri 5th Mon 8th Tues 9th Wed 10th Thurs 11th Mon 15th Tues 16th Wed 17th Thurs 18th Fri 19th

Y11 Mock Exam Week Inset Day Inset Day Y9 Academic Tutorial Week & P16 Mock Exam Week Tuxford’s Got Talent KS3 Disco P16 Mock Exam Week DALP Creative Arts Festival Creative & Expressive Arts Showcase Evening Y7 Panto Trip, P16 Celebration of Achievement Evening, P16 Xmas Party P16 Study leave

JANUARY Post 16 Editorial Team Jack Anderton-Cobb Lauren Gardiner Cullen Gaskell Abigail Pickard Hannah Slack Alice Walker Many thanks to all students and staff who contributed towards articles.

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Tuxford’s 2014 Results

Fri 16th Wed 21st

Motivational speaker for Y11 Y11 Progress Evening

FEBRUARY Mon 2nd Wed 4th Wed 11th Thurs 12th Fri 13th 16th – 20th Mon 23rd Tues 24th Wed 25th Thurs 26th Fri 27th

Y12/Y13 Academic Tutorial Week The New York Performing Arts Fundraiser DALP Quiz KS3 Disco Dance Festival School closed – HALF TERM Inset Day Y10 Exam Week & Curriculum Day 2 Y9 Pathways Evening Y8 G & T Challenge Plus Event Y13 A2 Geography Trip

News

Top GCSE Achievers

We are very fortunate that we have so many high achievers and so would like to congratulate the students below who achieved particularly outstanding results last summer.

Well done all!

Jacob Chillingworth Charley Ferris George Hogg Chloe Marsh Ella Norton Anastasia O’Connell Georgia Simpson Natalia Smith Emilia Vassililades

10 As and 1 A* 7 A*s and 4 As 4 A*s and 7 As 7 As and 5 As 6 A*s and 5 As 10 A*s and 1 A 9 A*s and 2As 2 A*s and 9 As 6 A*s and 5 As

Top A Level Achievers Johnathan Hunt Jack Beeby Becca Mason

5 As 3 As and 1 B 3 As and 1 A*

Now studying Theoretical Physics at Edinburgh University Now Studying Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle University Now studying English Literature at Durham University

Daniel Needham Alex Tooky Connor Walters Olivia Howcroft

3 As 3 As 2 As and 2 Bs 1 A*, 2 As and 2Bs

Now Studying Mathematics at Manchester University Now studying Physics with Medical Physics at Sheffield University Now Studying Mathematics at Nottingham University Now studying Neuroscience at Nottingham University

Impressive Stats: • 75% of year 11 achieved A*-C in English and Maths • Two thirds of our students stayed on for P16 • Level 3 BTEC results were outstanding with 48% of the 68 entries awarded at distinction or distinction plus • 94% of P16 got first choice at University • 99% pass rate at A Level • 31% of our students got in to Russell Group Universities

MARCH Mon 2nd Tue 3rd Thurs 26th

Y8 Academic Tutorial Week Ash College Charity Day Creative & Expressive Arts’ Showcase Evening

www.tuxford-ac.org.uk

Academy Life

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‘Our House’ A 2014 hit for Drama

News

‘It Must Be Love’ - Tuxford Academy certainly exceeded expectations with the Creative Arts Faculty donning their ‘Baggy Trousers’ to deliver a white hot performance to welcome us to the ‘House of Fun.’ Still hot from the massive success of 2012’s ‘We Will Rock You’, the Creative Arts Faculty have once again banded together to give us an amazing West End experience with ‘Our House’, a classic musical featuring the music of Madness. The performance by our extremely talented students, went down a storm as hundreds of students, parents, friends and families attended to witness the awe inspiring spectacle.

“Everybody involved was proud”

Regarding the preparation of the performance, Sarah Eakin, Year 12, student, who performed the role of Joe’s mother, said “It is amazing how everyone bands together and supports each other; all around people are making new friendships and making their existing friendships stronger.” Sarah also wants to perform again; “Our House was the first time I performed on my own, singing a solo part, not a part of the chorus. I started out being scared of singing in front of the rest of the cast, never mind in front of hundreds of people in the audience! But now, I just can’t wait to do it all again.”

“An amazing West End experience”

Nick Cox, Head of Drama at the academy and director of ‘Our House’ added: “This production certainly provided us with a challenge! We are no strangers to staging big productions, but the complexity of this one really pushed us to the limit.

These productions really are a team effort and they rely on the goodwill of a number of people to support them.

Special thanks must go to everyone who supported us in some way; the marketing team, the box office team, the front of house team, our backstage

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team and the parents of our cast who helped source costumes and props.

“After a gruelling six month rehearsal period, as usual, our student led cast came together to produce a truly remarkable production that everybody involved was proud of.

night. Some of his costume changes were a matter of seconds! This was Henry’s first school production at Tuxford and the staff were immensely proud of what he achieved.”

“Special mention must go to our leading man Henry Cawthorne, who practically never left the stage throughout the entire show! He had 10 songs to learn, dance routines and hundreds of lines to get right on the

Production team: Nick Cox – Director Jeff Evason – Musical Director Kelly Smith – Choreographer

Academy Life

Cullen Gaskell, Post 16 Student

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News Tuxford Academy students have Q & A session with local MP – Robert Jenrick This term Tuxford Academy was proud to welcome Robert Jenrick, Conservative MP for Newark, to the academy for an informal question and answer session with a group of politically minded students. The group of mixed aged students posed a variety of probing questions to the MP which included: • Have you made any great changes as an MP so far?

• What are you doing to prevent crime?

Maths teachers cycle to Paris The students in particular wanted to know what he was doing to help school children in the area. Mr Jenrick reported that he was visiting schools every week in order to meet children, parents and governors and to gather information on issues that needed his help.

“I am here to help you. If something’s not working please come to me and I will fight to make things right” said Mr Jenrick.

The local MP encouraged the students to approach him on local issues that he could take to Westminster.

• What inspired you to become an MP? • What are the plans for the new Leisure Centre in Newark?

Senior leaders at the academy thanked Mr Jenrick for his time and for the students’ opportunity to discuss policy and local issues with him. Mr Jenrick said ‘It was a pleasure to visit the academy’.

“I am here to help you”

Two tenacious teachers have completed the challenge of their life-times…cycling all the way from London to Paris. Miss Orange and Mr Lee donned their lycra, hopped on their saddles and pedalled for 278.34 miles over 3.8 days. That’s further than Tuxford to Edinburgh (a mere 242 miles).

The pair particularly enjoyed the riveting ride through the gorgeous French countryside, stopping off at patisserie or two. Following the impressive excursion Mr Lee said, “My favourite part was eating delicious food guilt-free, knowing I had burnt off the calories – around 14309.6 in fact.” Miss Orange added, “The padded shorts were essential and seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time was priceless.”

The daring duo is now looking for their next challenge – they certainly have plenty of pedal power.

Learning about ethics DALP Ethics Conference Post 16 students from Tuxford Academy came together with Retford Oaks Academy, East Leake Academy, Holgate Academy and National Academy to take part in the Ethics Conference held at National Academy on 4th July. The students used their debating skills to discuss ethical questions such as ‘Should Euthanasia be legalised?’ and ‘Does God exist?’ in teams made up of a mixture of students from the DALP academies. The students

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also listened to a variety of debates raising questions on Government control on society. All participating members of the Tuxford Academy team agreed that they had thoroughly enjoyed the first Ethics Conference and that it was good to integrate with students from other academies.

Alice Walker, Post 16 student

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News

Academy Focus

All about School Direct School Direct is a school led initial teacher training course, it has been set up by the Government to allow schools to recruit and train local people in local schools to fill local needs.

For more information please visit www.tvtsa.co.uk

Why is Tuxford Academy leading it?

Tuxford Academy is the lead school for the TVTSA Trent Valley Teaching School Alliance. Tuxford Academy is a Teaching School and has over time

built up an alliance of primary schools, secondary schools and universities.

We have also invested in staff training to support staff to be successful in leadership roles and have a range of specialist leaders.

Warren Rhodes - School Direct Trainee, Tuxford Academy (Sept ‘13-July ‘14) Background: •

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Degree in Chemistry and Sport Science, Loughborough University Applied to School Direct through Tuxford Academy

The Experience: The earlier you can get in to school the better. I’m solely based at Tuxford Academy so it’s a great opportunity to learn all the systems and get thoroughly involved!

It’s a challenge studying and teaching at the same time – but I’m really enjoying the experience! I began by teaching KS3 Science four lessons a week and the rest of the time observing senior teachers, as I progressed through the course I took on more responsibility and KS4 classes. I also have one day a week at university – so I’m learning a lot!

I would really recommend the School Direct experience to other future teachers. I was a lot less apprehensive, having gone through the training, before getting the fantastic opportunity of working here permanently.

New Lunchtime Clubs The following exciting new lunchtime clubs are run by Hannah Slack in Year 13. These will be running until half term in February 2015. All these clubs run from 1.00 – 1.50 pm and students in all years are welcome to attend: Monday Psychology Society in M8. Learn

about how someone can have more than

one personality, how society determines our actions

Tuesday

Wednesday

Debating Society in M6. Should corporal punishment be allowed in schools? What is the most effective way of solving the energy crisis?

Creative Writing Club in M8. There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you – Maya Angelou

Please sign up at your College Reception.

Anne Frank’s step-sister visits Academy Mrs Eva Schloss, 85, who spent nine months in Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, told our Year 8 & 9 students about her experiences of war. Eva, whose mother married Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, said that she was friends with Anne for two years after they met in Amsterdam.

Mrs Schloss told the students how she and her mother were in hiding

from 1942-1944, but were betrayed and captured before being sent to Auschwitz in May 1944.

to disguise her age. “My mother gave me a hat to hide how young I was even though it was a very hot day.”

“We knew where we were going to be taken and that it was either going to be a work camp or a death camp she said.”

Tuxford Academy was extremely grateful to Eva for travelling from London to share her experiences with our students. “It was a fascinating and moving account” said Sam Yates, Year 9.

Eva then described how on arrival at Auschwitz, her mother saved her life by putting her hat on her daughter’s head

“A moving account”

“Claire Hallam, Teaching School Leader, has been great; helping me plan lessons and supporting me in my role here at Tuxford. What I’m most looking forward to is having my own classes with Tuxford students – their behaviour has been as good as I’ve ever seen.”

Mr Rhodes also enjoys playing cricket and is hoping to support the after school cricket club.

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Academy Focus

Let’s Get Reading

My Love of Reading and Books …..

Whole School Literacy Initiative

At secondary school I was introduced to Thomas Hardy with ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ and Hardy immediately became my favourite author. Studying ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ at A’ Level was confirmation for me and from that point I read his whole collection and enjoyed every one.

I continue to dip into these books and wonder at his ability to bring the nineteenth century rural landscape to life. His stories are often heartbreaking and a reflection of human flaws; not the lightest reading, but absolute quality.

The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) is at the centre of Tuxford Academy’s spelling challenge. Students start at an appropriate level with a book mark containing up to 40 spellings. After one bookmark has been mastered the student exchanges it in the LRC for the next level up. In total there are up to 100 book marks to work through.

Just arrived……a new range of dyslexia friendly books covering

Reading has always been important to me. As a child I read avidly, racing through Enid Blyton’s Famous Five collection before moving on to some of the classics I found on my older sister’s book shelves. Reading allowed me to explore the world through the characters and I loved it!

Much of my reading for pleasure now takes place whilst abroad on holiday and I can usually recall exactly when I read a book because of its link to a certain place. I distinctly remember this phenomenon starting years ago when I was glued to ‘A Woman of Substance’ by Barbara Taylor Bradford in Italy- reading late into the night and waking up early in the morning because I was hooked by the story. I picked up the fantastic novel Engleby by Sebastian Faulks by chance in La Gomera and now associate the white

Adventure Sci-Fi Mystery Historical Stories Sport Relationships

traditional buildings and brilliant blue sky of that island whenever I think of this book; I read ‘The Sea’ by Iris Murdoch whilst listening to the Mediterranean lapping the shores in Cyprus, and interestingly, a blissfully peaceful garden in Majorca was the reading haven for me when I discovered the psychological page turner ‘We need to talk about Kevin’.

The list of destinations continues; so does the reading…

Mrs Pat Evans, Head of English

Mrs Evans’ Top Ten Books: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Wise Children by Angela Carter The Sea,The Sea by Iris Murdoch Engleby by Sebastian Faulks Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Skellig by David Almond Tess of the D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

Anne Frank Book Review ‘A Diary of a Young Girl’: the story of how one girl and her family almost survived four years in hiding. The diary begins only weeks before the first Jews were taken.

The book is quite an easy read as Anne makes it sound like the experience was like a giant game of hide and seek with a lively and fun tone almost all the way through.

The book is fairly short and is a fast-paced read. Anne spent four years writing but her father only compiled 183 pages. All the way through she refers to the diary as her ‘Dearest Kitty’. She also uses synonyms in place of real names at times which sometimes makes it quite confusing.

All the way through the book you feel as if you connect with the author and her family. This makes for a great read.

Sam Yates, Year 9 student

“This makes for a great read” 10

www.tuxford-ac.org.uk

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Team Tuxford Governors Update October 2014

Impressive feedback for Tuxford Academy’s Transition Week

Comings and Goings

Transition week (30th June 4th July) at Tuxford Academy was extremely impressive according to parent feedback. Students with places at the academy in September 2014 were treated to a variety of exciting experiences whilst at the academy in order to fully prepare them for the start of the new academic year.

We have recently appointed two new parent governors, Claire Donlan Harrison and Philip Kirkland and re-elected Robert Pitchford.

The role of the parent governor is vital to reflect parents’ views of the academy and to help monitor the academy’s performance. We will also be appointing a new staff governor in place of David Cotton, who automatically becomes a governor now that he is the Principal of the academy.

“It’s brilliant here. I loved it. I don’t think I want to go back to my primary school now!” Year 6 pupil The week long transition experience for current pupils in Year 6 included a full programme of interactive curriculum based activities including a Michael Murpurgo War Horse battle project, mad science and language lessons, an eco-project and finishing with a wet and wild adventure day at Walesby Forest Activity Centre.

The Work of the Governors

“I’ve made some great friends this week and am really looking forward to starting now. I don’t feel worried about leaving my primary school now.” Year 6 pupil

Every May half-term until the end of the school year, students from Years 7-10 participate in Fantastic Fridays every Friday as they abandon the regular school timetable.

Mr Baker, Assistant Principal Climate for Learning said, “The buzz on information evening was proof of the positive vibe the school has. We have some very happy parents and new students.”

Mr Baker said, “The original purpose of Fantastic Fridays was to facilitate a wider curriculum than what is taught within the classrooms.”

The Department for Education published a new Governors’ Handbook in September that

Fantastic Fridays

Parental & Pupil Feedback: “1003 parents & visitors attended our September Open Evening.”

“My take home message from the evening was that Tuxford Academy provides excellent academic opportunity, but just as important - excellent over-all pastoral care.” ”I’m DEFINITELY going there!!!”

“Students were a fantastic advert.”

“A super evening - so much to see and do.

Many thanks.”

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Academy Focus

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requires academy boards to have a strong focus on three core strategic functions: 1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; 2. Holding the principal to account for the educational performance of the academy and its students, and the performance management of staff; and 3. Overseeing the financial performance of the academy and making sure its money is well spent.

To read the full Governors’ termly report, please check the academy’s website: www.tuxford-ac.org.uk

Examples of past Fantastic Fridays include: a trip to Sherwood Pines by the Maths Faculty, a ‘World at Work’ information day for Year 10 and various other faculty trips.

Mr Baker said that, ‘students appreciate the Fantastic Fridays and find them interesting.’ “We try and make sure that the students grasp all the new opportunities on offer.”

Hannah Slack, Post 16 student

Alice Y9 student, wins the National Poetry Day Competition Alice Hopkins has won the Tuxford National Poetry Day competition with her poem ‘Remember’: Remember the landscape and soak it all up, Remember the scenery that surrounds you, Don’t forget what you saw today, Don’t forget the image, the picture or the smile

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Achievement & Awards Students gain independence through commitment to D of E Award The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a highly regarded scheme which involves students completing an expedition, volunteering for a local good cause, taking part in some physical activity and learning a new skill. “This year at Tuxford has been a great success, with over fifty students completing their Bronze expedition. Some Post 16 students are also aiming to complete their Silver award by the end of 2014 which is amazing” said Mr Atherton.

“The scheme provides students with a great strength of character”

Post 16 Work Experience A level students get the chance to experience real life working studies at home & abroad June was a busy month for the Year 12 students at Tuxford Academy. As well as awaiting exam results for their first year of A levels, the students were given the opportunity to participate in a work experience placement at an organisation of their choice.

vitals (blood pressure, temperature, etc). “It was interesting to notice the differences of hospitals in developing countries compared with ones in the UK” said Yasmin. “The basic technology extended to x-rays in plastic bags and hundreds of miles trip to the nearest city hospital.” Yasmin went on to say the experience had made her more determined to qualify as a doctor and volunteer with Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) after seeing patients being diagnosed with HIV and malaria every day. Charlotte said “It was eye opening to see how different the methods of diagnosis were. Some conditions such as HIV were so common that the doctors

Mr Atherton is running the award this year with help from Mr Nichol and several other staff who have given up their weekends to help. Both leaders feel strongly that the skills and enjoyment students receive from participating in the scheme provide students with a great strength of character.

Students wanting to complete the D of E Award should know that it takes preparation and commitment – but is extremely worthwhile. Completing the expedition is a real achievement; journeying for two days, carrying everything that you may need and camping overnight is no mean feat. “We were told it was going to be hard, but teachers always say that” said one group.

“This was actually hard!”

To complete the Skill, Sport and Volunteering part of the award, takes a lot of organisation and independence; finding interesting activities to participate in and being assessed by an independent assessor all takes time and effort. On top of this, collecting all the equipment for the expedition and for the Silver group, deciding on the route, adds additional responsibilities.

This high level of independence is what helps make the award so prestigious as well as ensuring participants get a real sense of achievement upon completion. Well done to all the students who are participating!

Tuxford student impresses at work experience

Social Sciences London Zoo Trip Year 12 Forty Year 12 students went on a trip to London Zoo on Friday 4th July as part of their studies for Social Sciences on the subject of phobias.

Whilst there, the students were interested to experience a hypnotherapy session from Clinical Hypnotherapist, John Clifford and listened to a lecture on the origins of phobias (that they had previously researched in class).

For information on getting involved in the D of E scheme, please see Mr Atherton or Mr Nichol at the academy.

“The hypnotherapy was different to what you’d expect, it wasn’t like falling asleep or feeling out of control, but more like experiencing a pleasant, relaxing feeling”, said Louisa Dixon. This was before the students were introduced to Lucy, the tarantula! “Holding the tarantula was great. I felt that the day gave me a great insight into phobias that will give me a broader knowledge in my psychology studies.”

Jack Anderton-Cobb, Post 16 student

Hannah Slack, Post 16 student

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After previously volunteering for the Newark and Sherwood District Council Sports Development Centre, Lucy Owens decided to return for a week’s work experience in June. This included work with primary schools in after school sports clubs, helping with disability activity days and taking part in local Boccia festivals. As well as this, Lucy also took out some independent work as she was set a task to create a research study on healthy living which she would present to her leaders, Ben Ryder and James Wheat, later in the week.

Ben says “Lucy’s ideas and the presentation of her study were exceptional” and goes on to say “James and myself both feel that if Lucy presented herself in this way in a job interview, she would make an excellent impression on any potential employer.”

could tell if they were HIV positive as soon as they walked into their office.”

Charlotte also had a week’s placement at Christie Hospital in Manchester. Some of the minor procedures Charlotte saw, involved putting a small camera into the body to see what the problem was. She was able to observe how the doctors, nurses and patients interacted. “I found this very interesting because it allowed me to see for myself how the unit ran on a day to day basis. In radiology, I was able to see the high tech equipment and how it was used for the more intrusive procedures such as biopsies. It was fascinating to watch a biopsy being taken from a tumour on the thyroid gland. The CT scanner and ultrasound machines were very exciting to see in use as I thought they were only used for diagnosing.

“Overall I found the week exciting and informative and this has inspired me to work even harder to reach my goal of working in medicine” said Charlotte.

Aspiring medical students get opportunities of a lifetime Yasmin Odabashy and Charlotte Packham took a once in a lifetime trip to Tanzania for further work experience for two weeks in July with Gap Medics. They spent one week in an internal medicine department and the second week in Obstetrics and Gynaecology where they witnessed a natural birth and learnt basic practical skills such as taking the patients

Other placements for Post 16 students included Newark Advertiser, Derek Kitson Architectural Technologist Ltd., RAF Scampton, John Mann MP, Innovation Engineeering Ltd., EDF Energy and many more.

Abigail Pickard, Post 16 student

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Sock Puppets go to Belarus

Trips

Tutor group WCH have been working hard making sock puppets since January last year to donate to Operation Christmas Child. The puppets are added to Christmas boxes and gifted to those less fortunate than us at Christmas time. The boxes, if containing a puppet, enable the children to immediately have something to play with and instantly have some fun which helps broach the language barrier between the person donating the Christmas present and the child receiving it.

“She talked to me about the children and her experiences there and how much operation Christmas Child makes such a big difference to the children’s lives. She also mentioned that when the children received a box containing a puppet, they could instantly play and this both overcame the language barrier and allowed the children to have some fun. Because of this, since last January, my tutor group have been making sock puppets once a week”, said Miss Hallam, Chemistry teacher.

We offer and encourage students to take part in a wide variety of trips in order to experience new, exciting places and broaden their knowledge and life experiences. Many trips are organised throughout the academic year.

Some of last term’s trips included the following:

Jean Coulson from Retford Baptist Church “The Well”, went to Belarus for the first time last Christmas, to hand the Christmas boxes out to children.

Members of WCH have made and quality controlled a whopping 238 puppets beating our initial aim of 200. On Wednesday 5th November these were

boxed up and sent to “The Well” and from there they will go to Belarus.

“Well done to all the students in my form involved in this project”, said Miss Hallam.

Alice Walker, Post 16 student

Achievement & Awards

Post 16 residential Y7 Humanities trip Y8 residential Y7 Science trip Y8 Places of Worship Creative & Expressive Arts Gifted & Talented trip Y7 Maths trip Y8 PE trip Y12 Psychology trip Y10 PE trip

Penalty shoot out Raises an Incredible £848.85 for Caudwell House Members of BKS organised a penalty shoot-out in aid of local charity Caudwell House. The Children’s community home in Southwell provides respite care for young people aged 4-18 and is a charity close to some students’ hearts at Tuxford Academy. The penalty shoot-out, which included participating teachers such as Mr Thompson, Mr Mosley, Mr Furber, Mr Kinnaird and Miss Smith was open to students to take a shot for 50p a go or 3 for £1. Madison Parker in 10BKS said “this event was good because lots of people got involved for a good cause.” A cheque for £848.85 was presented to Caudwell House gift fund on 16th October.

Race for life/Tuxford Charity Committee Fifteen students and Mrs Taylor from the Tuxford Charity Committee took part in the 5K Race For Life at Clumber Park during the summer. The event rounded off a year of fantastic charity work from the committee with £1000’s being raised for a wide variety of charities, with money fundraised through events such as car washes, non-uniform days and bake sales, wholeheartedly supported by all the staff and students from the academy. The grand total raised for Cancer Research UK through Race For Life by the committee reached an incredible £1,110 after some very generous donations.

Post 16 residential Y10 residential D of E Expedition Y7 Camp Y9 residential

Berlin York Museum and Dungeons Paris, France Yorkshire Wildlife Park Mosque, Gurdwara and a Buddhist Temple in Bradford Yorkshire Sculpture Park Cambridge University Sherwood Pines Clumber Park London Zoo High Adventure Outdoor Education Centre, Skipton University of East Anglia Rome, Italy Nottinghamshire Carsington Water, Derbyshire London

Post 16

Hagg Farm, Derbyshire

Post 16

Nottingham Higher Education Fair

Y10

Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln

Y10

Nottingham University Taster Day

Alice Walker, Post 16 student

Bella Italia This summer, thirty seven students from Year 10 took a five day cultural trip to the capital city of Italy, Rome.

• Day one - began with a walk up to the beautiful Spanish Steps.

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Day two - was a day of sightseeing. Students had the chance to immerse themselves in the rich cultural history of Rome, including a trip to the Colosseum, Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica.

• Day three - the students explored the catacombs beneath the city of Rome itself and the famous Trevi Fountain.

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Day four - lunch at the Piazza Novana market and a visit to the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, which is a church made entirely of bones.

• Day five - the students returned home, but not without their new found knowledge of Rome’s vast history, culture and architecture.

“They loved it”, said Miss Vause, “They particularly mentioned how big and grand the architecture was and how they were astonished by the beauty of the city”. Miss Vause added “In some cases, the students would even comment on the architecture before the teachers did, which was great to see.”

Hannah Slack, Post 16 student

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Achievement & Awards Y9 student visits ancestor’s war grave In May this year a group of 10 members of staff and 30 students visited the World War One battlefields, war graves and a number of other monuments in France. Wilfred Wright, Year 9, won a competition in school to research his Great-Great Uncle, ‘Private Freddy Palmer’ and visit his grave in France.

“It sparked off a real interest”

Y10 trips to Bishop Grosseteste University and Nottingham University Year 10 students visited Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln on their Next 4 Study programme and to Nottingham University on a Taster Day. Forty nine students visited Bishop Grosseteste University where they experienced a talk held within a real lecture theatre and discussed the question, ‘Social Media: friend or foe?’ This was followed by a tour of the campus.

Wilfred told us “I was really shocked when we first discovered Freddy was only 19 years old when he died. What I most enjoyed about the trip was the Hill 62/Sanctuary Wood trench experience, the trenches were muddy and this helped me empathise with the soldiers, and get a sense of the atmosphere in the trenches.”

‘The students felt that the programme was amazing and encouraged them to realise their potential’ said Mrs Johnson. All students were commended by the university for their excellent behaviour and attitude.

“Physically seeing 11,000 graves at Tyne Cot really brought home the loss of life in the war. I think it helps to keep the memory of the brave soldiers who fought in the war alive.”

The programme is currently run annually for students in Years 9 to 12. The academy is already enrolled for next year with the hope of taking a second group of Y9 students.

Art students inspired by play KS4 Art GCSE students saw the play the ‘Second Minute’ to get inspiration for their final piece. The play by writer Andy Barrett tells the story of real life soldier Thomas Swann, whose family kept the Crown Inn in Rolleston near Southwell.

The annual Nottingham University Taster Day ran earlier this year. Thirty nine Gifted and Talented Year 10 students participated in a tour of the campus followed by a series of workshops which focused on the courses and social life that is to be expected at university. The students worked in teams and delivered presentations in response to what they had learned.

To create the final piece, students spent six weekly, two hour long sessions, to improve their skills. They worked with artist Sandy Bywater, a professional clay user, who helped the students understand the material, learn different processes and create different textures in order to create the feeling of presence in the work from the detail and depth.

The trip will be followed up by a series of fortnightly mentoring sessions where all thirty nine Year 10 students will be paired with a Year 13 mentor, who will monitor their progress and provide information on getting into university.

“We grasped the idea that the soldiers sent meaningful letters to their family and friends to express their love to them and how much they missed them. We thought the letters would be good to include as it gives the war a sense of reality as it affected everyone. In addition, we also included texture to portray the land and the kinds of conditions they faced throughout the war so that it would be easier to relate to the soldiers” said Sophie Sleight, Year 11 student.

‘It sparked off a real interest and discussion amongst the students who all seemed inspired and enthusiastic for the future’ said Miss Tivey.

Both the above trips were aimed at students who may not necessarily see university as their first port of call. The trips enabled students to think about future opportunities and are an incentive to gain the required GCSE grades when they reach Year 11.

The final pieces were all unique as students picked up on different aspects of war and what the soldiers experienced. The materials in the final pieces were mainly created from clay with a small proportion that were mixed media.

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Hannah Slack, Post 16 student

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Achievement & Awards

Winter Gardening – Blooming Marvellous, by Tuxford’s Gardener, Alan Hardy With winter months on the way, it’s a great time to select the colours for your garden to make it look just as gorgeous as it does in spring and summer.

In Autumn I recommend lovely golds, oranges and reds as these make a fantastic colour scheme. Sternbergia make excellent bulbs for autumn colour at the end of the year.

They come in a magnificent gold that will brighten up your garden. Sprinkle them throughout rockeries for a big impact.

In Winter I would recommend both winter pansies as they will survive through your winter and Jasmine which will come in a brilliant yellow. Crocuses, heathers and blue lobelia will also create a fantastic winter feel.

Shhhhh….The key to perfect pumpkins How did we get the academy pumpkins so big? Well, here is the answer.

We used rotted cow manure, given by Mr Cooper, a local farmer.

Once we got the first proper leaves we used tomato growing substances and they worked magic. Obviously we used the popular option of horse manure too. The key is to just really dig it in.

By Wiktoria Nalewajska & Sophie Marshall-Porter, Year 8 students

We would welcome any parents help with the garden at lunchtime to support the students’ learning. If you are interested, please contact ahardy@tuxford-ac.or.uk or telephone school.

Grow your own greens It’s time to sow broad beans for an early crop next year. So make sure your beds have been dug over and plenty of organic material has been added to make your beans grow. You can also plant purple sprouting broccoli for your first greens of the New Year. I always stake my broccoli as it stops it from falling down in the wind.

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Academy Life

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Sport

“Outstanding athletics achievements”

Beech College Triumph at Sports Day It may come as no surprise that Beech College became the winners of the inter-college sports day that took place last summer. Despite a great turnout from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 from Ash, Oak and Willow College, Beech continued their undefeated reign. The typical English weather could not dampen the students’ spirits, as the day saw a tremendous turnout, with students not only competing in athletics, but in basketball and on the trim trail.

Despite Beech College celebrating overall victory, the day also proved to be successful for individual students, such as David Mafullul of 10WMC, who not only won the 400m, but broke two school records on the day in the 200m and long jump, with an impressive time of 23.8 seconds and remarkable distance of 5.73m. This was David’s second successful athletics performance for the academy, as he competed for Tuxford Academy in the DALP games, achieving 3 gold medals, 1 silver and 1 bronze. With the approaching winter season, Tuxford athletics turns its attention to cross country, during both PE lessons and sporting competitions against local schools.

In the upcoming term, a wide range of sports are available, for students to get involved with after school or in lunch time.

Along with all the conventional sports such as rugby and football, Tuxford offers alternative sports such as boccia and dance.

Lauren Gardiner, Post 16 student

Our Fitness Suite The Tuxford Academy fitness suite is open to both students and staff – opening times are as follows: Monday: Tuesday:

Thursday: Friday:

3.30 – 4.45 pm 1.00 – 1.45 pm & 3.30 – 4.45 pm 3.30 – 4.45 pm 1.00 – 1.45 pm

Please take advantage of this fantastic facility, it is free to use! There is a wide range of high quality cardiovascular and weight training equipment.

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Boccia Team – Proud of their performance On Thursday 14th May, the academy’s Boccia team were at Outwood Academy, Valley, Worksop, for the Bassetlaw Boccia League Tournament.

Boccia, an indoor bowling game adapted to include all players including the disabled, has become increasingly popular and now attracts a large audience when it is played at the Paralympics every 4 years: England won bronze in London in 2012.

Tuxford’s team consisted of Kerys Phillips (captain), Kaisha Palmer, Seamus Morrison, Daniel Spencer and Colm Humphreys.

Tuxford started badly, losing 6-2 to Serlby; in fact Tuxford won 2 ends with winning shots from Kerys, Seamus and Colm, but the decisive blow was struck when Serlby won the 4th end by 3-0.

Valley A team, the tournament winners, were too good for us, winning the first 4 ends by one shot each, despite close efforts

by Daniel, perhaps our most consistent player on the day, and Colm; and a winner from Kerys to take the 5th, our only victory.

Valley sealed a convincing win, 7-1 by taking the final end 3-0.

Things seemed to be all over for us in the final match against Valley B team, when they took the second end 5-0; but Tuxford came back steadily with winners bowled by Colm, Seamus, Kerys, and Daniel again, taking the 5th by 4-0, and finally forcing a draw at 8-8.

A win, a draw and 2 defeats gave Tuxford Academy 3rd place in the tournament. The team collected trophies and certificates and came away extremely pleased with their performance.

Bassetlaw Athletics Champions 2014 Congratulations to Tuxford’s Athletics Team who won the overall school athletics team event during the summer term at an event held at Worksop College. Pictured opposite are a few of the students who represented the academy at this event, with their certificates and the Bassetlaw Schools Sports Association Shield, together with Mr Longmore Head of the PE faculty and Mr Donavan Van Vuuren from the Bassetlaw Schools Sports Association.

Sports Results Date

Event

Result

17.09.14 23.09.14 23.09.14 25.09.14 01.10.14 08.10.14 09.10.14 09.10.14 13.10.14 13.10.14 14.10.14 14.10.14 16.10.14 20.10.14 20.10.14 21.10.14

Y9 Rugby v Quarrydale Y10 Football v Carlton Y11 Boys Football v Carlton Y8 Girls Football v Samworth Y10 Rugby v Quarrydale P16 Rugby v Ashfield KS4 Girls Rowing District Tournament ESFA U14s Girls Football v High Storrs (English Schools Football Association) Y7 Mansfield Town Cup v Manor Y8 Mansfield Town Cup v Manor U16s ESFA Round 3 v Hungerhill ESFA U18 Cup v Trinity RC Y11 NSFA Cup v Arnold Hill (Notts Schools Football Association) Y8 Football v Hall Park, Eastwood Netball v Joseph Whittaker Y11 Rugby County Cup v Magnus

Lost 17 - 31 Won 4 - 3 Lost 2 - 8 Won 4 - 1 Won 6 - 0 Lost 0 - 50 Tuxford team won Lost – 1 - 6 Won 5 – 2 Won 3 - 1 Won 3 - 1 Lost 1 - 5 Won 3 - 1 Won 5 - 2 Tuxford came 3rd Won 65 - 14

Academy Life

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“Road to

success”

Marnham Road, Tuxford, Newark, NG22 0JH

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Tel: 01777 870001

Fax: 01777 872155 Email: office@tuxford-ac.org.uk

www.tuxford-ac.org.uk

www.tuxford-ac.org.uk