Small Heath School Magazine 9

Issue No. 9

Spring/Summer 2014

St u Ta den ke t Ed ove iti r on !

NEWSLETTER

Small Heath School and Sixth Form Centre

St u Ta den ke t Ed ove iti r on !

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n . nt 2M so line Year 1 reflect arly retireme the on d d , ll e t e n W . e le g ion. e ta it an earned ls for too lon d by th eractive vers ply click on e t a e e r lar r u c his la ore int ddress, sim y the particu azine m g a a m o t /web a o accompan h Mr Slough his is a d this edition t k n e li r s e u wit ot or hyp eca ifte And, b , we have sh ou see any ropriate vide ed interview something f d y p n ts is p he studen yway. Where you to the a star, an exte e that there itally or in t n g p i p k a o eh ly lin K-Po his d issue ediate latest vies, w e r e a d i n g t o m e h m t im l g i it wil u ar er it’s r’s b her yo Wheth this summe t . e le h ic w t ar of es review i n t h e s e p a g p a r o h ne wit n. everyo print versio rd standa g readin y p p a H

Nam c a M O Editor

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Our school has taken a major stride forward into the 21st century this year with the unveiling of its own Twitter account. Twitter is a micro-blogging site which allows users to publicise their actions and develop an online profile through tiny messages that are never more than 140 characters in length.

Twitter is allowing the school to communicate more frequently and on a more personal level with our community than ever before. Our pupils can now find out for themselves whether the school is open or closed during bad weather, parents can receive reminders of parents’ evenings and we can celebrate the small successes that happen every day without needing to send letters home. Our staff are even giving out bonus revision materials for pupils to use online.

To get involved you need a computer, tablet or smartphone. With any of these, you can see what’s happening by visiting twitter.com/SmallHeathSch. This page is updated several times per week, so check back regularly!

If you enjoy reading about what’s going on at the school, consider signing up for your own Twitter account. This will allow you to follow us. Once you’ve done this, Twitter will send a message to your tablet or smartphone whenever the school publishes a new tweet. You’ll never miss out on news or opportunities again!

Over time you will see more subjects and teachers from SHS representing themselves on Twitter.

Here are a few great examples for you to explore already:

Twitter comes alive as more people share their experiences. If you want to share your experiences of Small Heath School, you can do so by including @SmallHeathSch in what you write on Twitter.

Include a description of what you’ve been up to and a picture if you like – it might get re-tweeted to all of our followers!

Follow your school:

@SmallHeathSch

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The Small Heath Interview With each issue of the school magazine going forward we will be taking the time to interview some of the staff and people who make this school run and support the development of our pupils through their most informative years. In this inaugural interview it seemed like a ‘no-brainer’ to interview the outgoing Headteacher, Mr Slough, who has steered the school through several outstanding Ofted inspections, but is now moving on to pastures new. With questions and camera in hand, Year 12 Media Studies students did a good job of interviewing and filming Mr Slough on his career and his time at Small Heath School.

What made you want to become a teacher?

Mr Slough: I was studying in Liverpool, finishing my Biology degree. The young lady I was with at the time was training to be a teacher, and I wasn't quite sure what i wanted to do.

He then decided to do a PGCE, in order for him to stay in Liverpool longer with his future wife.

His first teaching job was in Liverpool, followed by a job in Chemsley Wood, he then went abroad and finally he landed at Small Heath.

What are the highlights of your time at Small Heath?

Mr Slough: Of course, becoming the Head is a huge achievement, as it was one of the happiest highlights of my time here. Also it is really easy to say 5 outstanding Ofsteds, but other highlights certainly include gaining national acclaim, getting a overall 97% attendance and many achievements acquired by students.

What changes have you seen in education, good or bad?

Mr Slough: A bit of both, but I think it is much better now. I've seen sweeping changes as the focus and quality of teaching has improved and the bar has been raised. There were times when schools have concentrated more on examination results. This separates Small Heath school from many other schools. There’s been a move here where children can learn and grow up in schools rather than just to get exam results. We've maintained a curriculum for learning and a curriculum for young people to develop.

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Are you looking forward to your future?

Mr Slough: I am looking forward to it but equally sad of the thought of not being here, this time, next year. After 19 years I can look back and say I’ve enjoyed every minute. Small Heath School and it’s community have been a fabulous and fascinating place to be, and i'll miss it like mad.

What do you think is your lasting legacy?

Mr Slough: I would hope my lasting legacy would be to leave it a school, where people arrive in year 7 as children, and leave as really good, young people. And throughout those years, they've enjoyed their schooling, they've learnt a lot, they've improved their morals and values, they've felt nurtured, loved and cared for and finally they've done their very, very best in their examinations.

That's my legacy.

For a more indepth account watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KioxYxRZmbg

Introducing new SENCO/Assistant Head Teacher, Mr Brentnall Hello everyone. As I’m sure most of you know by now my name is Mr Brentnall and I’m the new Assistant Headteacher. From the moment I walked into the school when I came on interview in October I knew that this is a school like no other. The calm atmosphere and the friendliness of staff and pupils was incredible. I was extremely happy to be get the job.

As a freshly arrived member of staff this term, it’s been really interesting to see, feel and experience all the (for me) new things that make Small Heath School special. The things that most stand out are the good sense the pupils during social time, being able to sit in the social areas or at the benches and tables outside and have a chat; long lunch times giving pupils and staff alike a chance to refresh themselves; the care and attention pupils receive from staff enabling them to grow into responsible respectful young adults and most importantly the focus on learning across all groups from the most to the least able.

Thank you to everyone who has made me feel so welcome and enabled me to fit so easily into life at Small Heath School. It really is an amazing place to work.

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Your Guide To

K-Pop!

You can’t escape it, whether it’s Gangnam style on your TV, the top five on iTunes or yet another music video on the YouTube homepage, the rise in popularity for Kpop, or ‘Korean pop’ Is unquestionable and if you’re denying it, you’re only making it harder on yourself for when Kpop kicks down your door, sucker punches you in the gut and bombards you with its colourful clothing, quirky fashion and intricate dance moves, all while whispering sweet nonsense into your ear.

And so, if you’ve been a fan for years, weeks, or you simply feel like experiencing a new, colourful and dynamic style of music, I’ve compiled a list of some of my personal favourite music videos and songs, honouring them with the ‘prestigious’ awards they deserve. Let’s get started.

First off we have K-Will’s ‘Please Don’t’ winning the award for the ‘Best plot in a Korean music video.’ At first this music video seems like every other video about unrequited love, however the last few seconds reveal a totally unexpected and shocking plot twist. So much so that when this video first came out I had a lot of fun sharing it with friends and family, simply so that I could relish in their shocked laughter and ‘oh my gosh’ reaction.

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdUiCJnRptk

Next up we have the award for ‘Best Korean rap’ going to rookie BTS for their song ‘No.’ While at first I was hesitant to include this category as I know for a lot of people the most important part of rap is the lyrics and I admit that I only started listening to Korean rap after 4 years of learning language. However I strongly recommend watching the subtitled video. Responding to the high rates of student suicide, BTS speak about the strain of the ridged Korean education system, urging students to put their happiness ahead of fulfilling their parents wishes and competing in the high stake game that is the South-Korean education system.

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmgxPLLLyVo 5

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgmSImDoJNg

On a much less serious note we have the award for ‘Best dance’ going to Infinite in ‘The Chaser.’ Featuring the sounds of many traditional Korean instruments this song has a very distinctive sound and as expected, Infinite pull it off flawlessly. Famous for their near perfect synchronisation both on stage and off, they never disappoint. In fact last year I was privileged enough to be able to be able to see them live at their London concert, and I can confidently say that they deserve every bit of the success they’ve gained the past few years.

They were sharp, fluid and flawless from beginning to end both vocally and performance wise.

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgmSImDoJNg Next we have Nell’s ‘White Night’ for the ‘Most artsy-fartsy Korean video.’ Chock full of symbolism and hidden meaning, this music video was a true masterpiece. In fact I could happily write an entire article dedicated to this video alone, but I guess I’ll spare you. All I will say is that this is yet another amazing song by perhaps my most favourite Korean band, and they never fail to impress.

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=filhfToaks0 On the completely Block B’s ‘Very good’ winning the ‘Music video most likely to make you sit back, scratch your head and go whaaaa?’ award. This video says plot and symbolism be damned, they’re more focused on being ridiculous, having fun and attempting what is perhaps the worst bank robbery in the history of bad bank robberies.

Which isn’t surprising considering Block B are known for their quirky, lighthearted music videos. Another great song by one of my favourite artists.

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJGcO5Une-g

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Titanfall

Games Reviewed

Titanfall is a 2014 first-individual shooter multiplayer feature diversion created by Respawn Entertainment and distributed by Electronic Arts exclusively for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and the next generation Xbox. Titanfall was said to be the ‘Call of Duty Killer’.

Will you be picking up this new IP or sticking with what you know best with ‘Call of Duty’?

I have recently been given the privilege to become a part of the Titanfall beta testing group, giving me a taste of the future FPS hands-on.

Couple of hours with the game, I can honestly say Titanfall is the king of the FPS genre. Gameplay itself feels unique and filled with fresh ideas, one major feature allowing the user to take control of mechs while in battle. Unlike Call of Duty, mechs are not featured and is heavily reliant on ground combat.

Titanfall also supports 6v6 multiplayer, with 14 alternate maps giving the player various environmental experience, for me personally I really enjoyed the “Nexus” map due to its vibrant colours and atmosphere, definitely will be fun playing with friends or players met through Xbox Live creating great multiplayer experiences.

As a next generation game, improvements in graphics is expected, Titanfall however delivers just that with a resolution of 900p, a bit disappointing compared to other next generation counterparts supporting 1080p. Don’t let this put you off as the performance itself does not disrupt the frame rate.

Ultra Street Fighter IV Street fighter IV series has been a successful and the most popular competitive fighting game franchise (Capcom). The release for this fighting game will be in June 2014 and is going to be available PC, PS3, Xbox and next-gen consoles such the PS4 and Xbox One. Ultra Street Fighter IV is an upcoming 2.5-dimensional fighting game, and is an update of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition and the 4th update to the Street Fighter IV series overall.

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There 5 new characters included in the game (Hugo, Elena, Rolento, Poison & Decapre) 4 from which were from previous street fighter games, Decapre is the only character that has never been playable in the series. There are a range of other characters that you can play too.

The Sims 4 The Sims 4 is the fourth installment of The Sims franchise.

Formally broadcasted at Gamescom, The Sims 4 is starting to take on some definition in advance of its 2014 release. We recently got an updated look at some of the new features and enhancements being made to the long-running, hyper-addictive franchise.

Sims 4 inspires players to customize their earth with new and perceptive tools though offering them the skill to smoothly share their inspiration with colleagues and admirers.

The Sims 4 carries all new techniques to play with life. Made on the basis of a brand new technology platform, the nuance and delight of being human come together to create more intelligent, more emotionally rich and more relatable Sims. These Sims have evolved into beings whose every action is informed and affected by interactions and emotional states. Because players are in control of life’s successes and failures, life’s moments make stories richer, Sims more relatable and their home environment more special.

Coming Soon Be on the look-out this summer for these exciting titles, running on the newset generation of games consoles. While many have written off these next-gen consoles as the last of a dying breed - with many turning to mobile devised and smart phones for our gaming fix - maybe popular additions to already successful franchises can halt the death of Xbox One, Play Station 4 and Nintendo’s Wii U. Only time will tell.

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Films!

E d i to r ’ s Pi c k H e r c u le s Before time, the world as we know it was in the hands of immortal beings. Three Gods ruled. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Mortals turned into Immortals. Legend has it however that one was favoured above all. His name chanted like a spell and echoed all over Mount Olympus. The buzzing chorus of thousands of warriors all chanting one name. Hercules! Hercules!

Hercules!

The movie starts off at a point when the legacy of Hercules is slowly fading away, and now Hercules along with five faithful companions, travel the entire face of Ancient Greece to sell their services for a sum of Gold.

Tyrants have invaded and look to see off this legacy so famously protected by the Greeks and thus the King of Thrace and his daughter require the help of Hercules and his faithful companions to build an army and see of this evil.

Is he God? Is he mortal? The world may never know. Did he “hit the gym” with a goat? Or was he just a myth? Even if the world does know what he is, does it concern us? No. All we want to see is some guy kicking some serious monster ass and who better to take on the role than our very own Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Many people know “The Rock” for his hard hitting, body slamming, oiled up, muscular physique and so if you’re a fan of the big guy this is for you.

Many people were disappointed at Renny Harlin’s take on Herc and so, if you like the idea of watching a huge slab of pure muscle (not to say that Kellan Lutz is not well built), destroying anything that comes into his path and basically, letting those Mythological CGI monsters know “What’s cooking”, then this is the perfect summer treat for all of you.

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Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JZhGYrgCPg

Films!

X - M e n : Day s o f F u t u r e Pa st This one is for all thecomic bookfans. Everyone has been waiting for the next sequel since the success of the first part, X- Men: First Class. Bryan Singer has taken up the task of following through the comic book series of X-Men Days of the future past.

They are one of the most well known superheroes of the past century. Wolverine and the much anticipated likes of Bishop, Blink, Colossus, Warpath and Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) all return in what looks to be one of the best X- Men movies ever to be made. We are taken into the past with Wolverine, who has been given the task of finding a younger version of Charles Xavier, who then has to bring all the mutants together once again, but this time, a lot more is at stake. The sake of the entire Mutant Race is on the line, where two young Charles Xavier and Magneto have to come together and fight against a bigger and more powerful enemy; The Sentinels. The Sentinels are bigger, stronger and absolutely deadly. The new weapons they have been equipped with, makes Arnold’s Terminator look like a baby. What really makes them a nightmare for our heroes is that, they seem to be able to absorb and adapt to the Mutants powers -eek!!!

Will Wolverine and co. be able to stop the war before it ever happened? Or will they prevail?

Friends, families and loved ones are all at stake! Come this summer and find out what hap pens.

Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiA6sVKLlgo

By Hassan Christi

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World Cup 2014 Preview d n a l g n E

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Music Reviews Boy, this is a tough one. So here is a list of music which you are guaranteed to enjoy recommended by the students at Small Heath School.

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Duke Dumont Ft. Jax Jones – I Got U. Duke Dumont broke through into the music industry in 2012 with his hit single “Need You (100%)” and his new single “I Got U” smashed through the UK charts straight to no.1 and enjoyed a long stay at the top and is still in and around the top 3.

There is a lot more to expect from this very talented artist but only time will tell how his career shapes out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHCYHldJi_g

Tory Lanez – Know What’s Up. This is one of the most underrated artists you will come across, and this song is what us students think to be a hit song, but it’s just not recognized enough. The artist himself is very talented when it comes to rapping and singing. The video to this song is quite explicit towards girls and I think it is an unfortunate statement of what the music industry is about now, for male artists anyway.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiW9XuqHXfQ

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Trey Songz – Na Na. The R&B heartthrob has been quiet on the music front for most of the year, his last release was the online single “Sensational” back in July 2013, but now he treats his angels with some audio treats with the new song “NaNa.” The snappy, and immediately infectious tune, produced by DJ Mustard, features Trey borrowing from Teena Marie’s classic “Ooh La La La” for the catchy hook. This should get you “cutting shapes”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Gu_Yh_keE

Drake – Furthest Thing.

This is a song out of his album, branded “Nothing Was The Same”. His album broke records, won awards and, more importantly to him, made millions. But this song, I believe and the students believe, to be the stand out song within his album.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wl-HSl386k

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1

The Weeknd – Drunk In Love.

Now, if you know your music there is no doubt that you have heard the original version of ‘Drunk in Love’ produced by Beyoncé and Jay-Z. The Weeknd has made a remix to this chart topping single. In my opinion, it is better than the original version but due to his fan base not being as big as that of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s, it has not got the recognition it deserves.

The Weeknd – Drunk In Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S_KhnxOJsQ Beyoncé & Jay-Z – Drunk In Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1JPKLa-Ofc&feature=kp

coming soon

These albums are either out now or coming this summer, as recommended by the editing team.

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Go Top Of The Class With Midlands Air Ambulance!

Following the opening of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s state-of-the-art Education, Training and Visitor Centre with support from students from Small Heath School, the charity is working with Richard Riley to develop an education programme to further demonstrate the service’s commitment to children’s learning and development.

The ‘High Flyers’ education programme is being produced in line with the national curriculum and will give children at all Key Stages vital skills in various subjects including maths, English, geography, science, technology and business. Each of the modules uses areas of the charity to provide practical learning examples, meaning the classwork is not only fun, but also provides some relevancy to the real world.

Richard Riley, whose role includes work related learning enterprise education and business and industry links and marketing for Small Heath School and Sixth Form Centre, is intrinsic in the development of the High Flyers education programme. He comments: “Experience-based education with practical class work is well regarded as a fantastic way for children to learn key skills, which is why I was delighted to assist the air ambulance with the programme.”

“I am extremely proud to be able part of the programme and look forward to sharing it with our classes and other schools across the region in the new year.”

Jason Levy, fundraising and marketing director for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, adds: “We are dedicated to supporting children’s development, not only to educate them about the importance of staying safe, but also providing them with some fun, yet important life skills to help them enter the real world. We’ve been extremely privileged to have support from Richard and the team at Small Heath School in the development of our High Flyers programme, their expertise has been invaluable.

“Any schools or parents interested in finding out more about High Flyers are being encouraged to visit our website for further details.”

If you are interested in finding out more about the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, please call the service on 0800 8 40 20 40 or visit www.midlandsairambulance.com.

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Get to know the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity The Midlands Air Ambulance covers six counties, including the West Midlands and has three strategically located airbases across the Midlands: RAF Cosford in Shropshire, Tatenhill in Staffordshire and Strensham in Worcestershire.

The service undertakes up to ten missions each day, and the flight paramedics and doctors attend a variety of missions such as road traffic accidents, horse riding falls, sporting injuries and incidents in remote areas where land ambulances just can’t reach.

If a patient reaches hospital within 60 minutes of injury (referred to as the ‘Golden Hour’) their chances of survival are dramatically increased. That is why the rapid response of the Midlands Air Ambulance is so vital in an emergency situation.

The service needs in excess of £6 million each year to remain operational as each mission costs £2,500. To raise this staggering amount, the charity is solely reliant on donations from the public, local businesses and students just like you!

Air Ambulance crew

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This year, six Small Heath School students entered the Premier League Enterprise Academy, set out to help revolutionise club relations in new markets, Africa and America, a task set out by the Premier League's Chief Executive Richard Scudamore. The task was to come up with a solution to help open these markets for your local club as well as improving the clubs revenue streams using the club assets and digital covering.

Our six successful students who won the Regional Semi-Finals back in early February, successfully won over judges with their idea to have the chance of representing Aston Villa in the National Semi-Finals. AVFC Euphoria was collaborated with the following members: Jeevan Chagger (Year 12), Pradeep Chagger (Year 11), Shamima Syeda (Year 11), Sami Raza (Year 11), Aitisam Khan (Year 11) and Adham Morsi (Year 11).

The group managed to impress the judges at Villa because their idea offered a great package to help attract fans as well as a good financial return for the club, along with their strong solutions to business problems which were put to them on the spot. The teams ideas were recognised to be innovative and unique, setting up summer camps in Africa and America to help increase the participation of football across these markets as well as setting up a competitive stage to offer the chance to be Villa's next football prodigy.

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This year, the National Semi-Finals were held at West Bromwich Albion, with 11 other clubs from the Southern half of the U.K travelling up to gain 3 of the 6 spots available for the finals. The team, supported by Debbi and Ravi from Aston Villa, competed against the other clubs, the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea.

The judges were very pleased with the idea of finding a new football prodigy, to help increase market awareness as well as developing a strong brand image for Aston Villa which would generate lots of revenue. Most notable, was the teams depth of research, using the information of GDP Capitals and Mobile Network coverage.

Unfortunately, AVFC Euphoria were not successful in reaching the finals, only just missing out, taking 4th place.

The project itself was a good platform to raise expectations and also attainment by the depth of thinking, preparation and commitment required as it enhanced the confidence, team spirit and individual performances of these student that took part. Aside from that, we can take a lot from this for the future and have our heads held high, representing Small Heath School and Aston Villa on a National front.

By Jeevan Chagger

The Mosaic Enterprise Challenge For 4 weeks we have been running the Mosaic Enterprise Challenge with the year 10 Business Studies group. With the help of Mentors from the prestigious law firm DLA Piper the students have had to complete an Ethics quiz and play an on-line Business simulation. Our top team managed to make over ÂŁ4 million virtual profit! We have been running this compettion for a few years now, and DLA Piper have been working with us for the last two years.

They have also invited us to join them in their offices in the city centre and see what work they get up to, which could be interesting.

By J Williams - Business Studies

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Careers Educational Visit for Medical Students

On the 9th of December 15 year 12 students and 10th February 15 year 10 students had the opportunity to participate in medical training for basic healthcare and life saving skills. The simulator centre aims to replicate clinical wards and operating theatres using mannequins. Students received the training at Good Hope Hospital and they had to work in small teams to respond to a variety of situations. This was a great experience for our aspiring medical students and very useful to mention on UCAS applications.

“I was looking forward to it and it bet my expectations. When I walked into the room, I was scared because I thought the mannequin blinked……..I was right. The mannequin could blink, breath, talk, bleed, froth at the mouth, etc. The mannequin was connected to monitors, like a real person would be in hospital, so we could see the blood pressure, oxygen levels in the blood, heart rate, etc.” - Mumina Aniqa 12SBH “Our challenge was to go into a simulation room in groups of 3 and try and diagnose the mannequin.

The rest of the students were watching via cameras in the next room. It was very nerve racking, as we knew our peers were assessing our performance and we were going to get feedback.” Saima Begum 12JWI “I would like to thank Mrs Auger for organising such a lovely trip and it definitely made me decide to get into the medical profession.” - Misbah Hussain 12SBH “It was an excellent experience! The pupils got to examine and diagnose a "breathing and talking" £50,000 manikin, who eventually succumbed to a cardiac arrest!! It was really great to see our pupils showing practical, hands on skills in a work situation - I was really impressed.’’

- Mrs Parton

Year 10 students during one of the visits

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Poetry from The Breakfast Club Regulars

Breakfast Club a good healthy start Reading in the morning with Mrs Khimji Eating Rice Krispies and drinking juice Around the table we read and spell Kind and caring to all Fun with everyone all day Around the school having fun with everyone Staying fresh and awake all day Tasting us with the brain games on DS and celebrating different festivals

Breakfast Club is the best Read, write and do your homework Endless club – fun all year Always looking forward to come here Kidnapping the snack bars Fantastic at everything Always on time and a good start to the day Same breakfast every time – Miss it’s time to change Taking part in all different workshops in the breakfast club

WE ALL KNOW THAT IT’S IN THE MORNINGS THAT IT CAN GET KIND OF BORING BUT, IT IS CALLED BREAKFAST CLUB YOU WON’T NEED TO SNUB AS YOU GET CEREAL BARS AND DRINKS BUT IT FINISHES IN A BLINK. MORNING IS COMING RUNNING TO GET READY EATING MY BREAKFAST GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE ENTERING THE BREAKFAST CLUB ROOM AND FEELING WARM AND WELCOMING HAVING FUN IN ALL THE ACTIVITIES TELLING FRIENDS TO JOIN BECAUSE BREAKFAST CLUB IS COOL JUST FOLLOW THE RULES BECAUSE THERE IS FANTASTIC TEACHER WHO’S NOT A BAD CREATURE KEEP UP FOR THEFUTURE BE THE SUPER STAR IN THE CLUB

Whether it is sunny, or rainy We all come to Breakfast Club daily Brunch bar if hunger, juice if thirst Make sure you finish your homework first!

Make, design, even create things Finish it before the bell rings Easter egg, or Christmas card, It really isn’t at all that hard!

A card for your dad on Fathers’ Day, When your done, on the computer, you can play!

On Mothers’ Day a flower for your mum, A brunch bar to fill up your tum, yum!

The many activities do vary For Halloween, design something scary Design something with a coloured bead Create something colourful, just for Eid Make something LOVELY for Valentines’ Day, Design it in your own creative way Mix & match, use different tools Make something for April Fools!

Just forty-five minutes, It’s not very long!

It is on everyday Why don’t you come along!?!

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Birmingham Graffiti: Alive and Kicking Having read an article about the London Street Art scene on the Huffington Post website focussing on the emergence of new Turk, Pegasus, and a new piece of street art inspired by a Kate Moss photo-shoot, that appeared over the Easter weekend, I could not help to draw parallels with Easter in Birmingham, and in particular, Digbeth in the heart of Birmingham’s old industrial quarter. While the likes of Pegasus were painting the town red, yellow, black and blue all across that there London, Digbeth was holding the grand final of it’s graffiti centre-piece of the year, Secret Walls with Latin legend Setdebelleza taking on local hero, Foka Wolf, with the latter winning after a very strict and stripped 90 minute battle wherein contestants were encouraged to poke fun at the other in his/her artwork.

Admittedly, Secret Walls was first started in the capital back in 2006 but has sprawled across the globe in a Fight Club fashion. I don’t even know if I am breaking the rules of Secret Walls by writing this. I don’t want to think of a group of graff artists ganging up on me and spray-painting my house in the dead of night. Although, I could end up with my own original piece of art. So, win-win!

Anyway, the winner was local favourite, Foka Wolf thanks in part to local support from the crowd when each of the pieces was being judged on audience applause. For me, the best man didn’t win, but then that’s just my opinion not the crowd’s it would seem. Still, I saw more talent on display over just this one day than in all of Britain’s Got Talent’s many, many monotonous series’.

While Secret Walls was the culmination of the day’s festivities, during the day we also had live graffiti occurring on the streets of Digbeth too. Not all of it legal, as I saw first hand when a couple of chancers, albeit talented, were trying to paint at the back of The Custard Factory only to be chased away by a knowing security guard. A sharp reminder of graffiti’s beginnings and a reminder that much of it still occurs during the dark, dark nights in abandoned buildings and the shonkier parts of town, to paraphrase poet Simon Armitage.

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Over at Suki 10– surely Birmingham’s best kept secret establishment, surprisingly given the whole of its exterior is daubed with street art – WhoAm Irony took his sweet time over his amazing creation which he had clearly thought through to be more than just a great piece of contemporary art on a club wall; looking amazing in the cold hard light of day, while popping to life under the glow of UV lights too. Stencil art may be the taste of the day, but in the long run, it’s this style of graffiti art that still blows me away the most when done properly. For many of these guys, it’s the love of art and the desire to communicate their skills and ideas through, effectively, free art for the masses that makes many of then get out of bed in the morning, or of that the laste afternoon?

Across the day at local trainer trading event Sneak&Peaks, the punters were also entertained by the likes of Gent 48, Liskbot and Captain Chris painting and drawing and livening up the place. In fact, as a London based artist, this was Captain Kris’s first visit to Birmingham and he was so taken it was not hard to talk him into staying the night. The crowd was plentiful and it was clear talking to several of the artists that events such as these can only be a good thing for Birmingham the local art scene in general. Boasting about it is another thing however.

A relaxing chilled day out with a very friendly atmosphere wherever you went. Interestingly, a recent Kickstarter campaign, led by City of Colours, Birmingham Street Art Festival, has just succeeded in securing the funds needed to do something like this all over again, with more artists and a wider radius too. That will be in September, so look out for this and always remember to support your local artists.

By Monday morning and Bradford Street was awash with new pieces from the famous and infamous of Birmingham’s street art scene. Alive and kicking, but just not very good at blowing it’s own trumpet. So, as an adopted son of this city, that’s where I will happily step in and learn to play the trumpet. And, the next time you’re in town, look around you, you never know what hidden gems you may find.

O MacNamee This article originally appeared in The Huffington Post Read it here: http://t.co/XqRmCK5AEm

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Editor: O MacNamee Printing: Print4All Special Thanks to the Year 12 Media Studies students