Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School Newsletter Summer Update 2012 Dominic Robson
Staff News
Student Leadership 2012-13
New Headteacher
We offer a warm welcome to members of staff joining us this September and wish them a happy, fruitful and formative association with our school. Daniel Everett - History, Davina Campbell-Jackson Biology/Physics, Alex Jones - Geography & Games, Christine Nwankwo - Economics/Business Studies, Suhail Ougradar - Law. Graduate Teacher Trainees: Ian Bousfield - Geography, Camille Carpentier - Languages, Natalie Adcock - German. Jackie Keach joins us as our new Receptionist. We congratulate all members of Vesey staff who have assumed additional responsibilities and look forward to new and exciting dimensions to our provision.
Kumater Iyol, School Captain, flanked by his Deputies Rob Cotterill (left) and Matt Bryant
Dominic Robson takes over this autumn term as Headteacher, in charge of the day to day operational leadership and management of the school.
Star Studded Results in 2012 A Level Results: 81% A*-B
David Iddon assumes the role of Executive Head in his final year at BVGS before his retirement next summer.
GCSE Results: 67% A*/A
Welcome back
Records Galore! In this Olympic year of great inspiration and achievement, we have broken all the BVGS academic records! At both A Level and GCSE, we secured the best ever results with more students than ever achieving top grades, taking them to the universities of their choice or on to Post 16 courses here in our Sixth Form. Congratulations to all who have been involved in these wonderful results! We welcome all new students and extend that welcome to parents and families who become part of the ‘Vesey Community’ which is fast becoming a world-wide network of ‘Veseyans’. We look forward to the new academic year 2012-13, which promises to be yet another enjoyable and rewarding year, with many exciting new developments.
to all staff and students! Diamond Jubilee of Service to BVGS Tom Bannister President of The School Council with Charity Captain Caitlin Thornton (right) and Kasia Czepiel Dept. Charity Captain
Former Head of Physics & Chair of the Science Committee, David Wright retired in 2006 after 32 years at BVGS. Kathryn Wright, Head of Business Studies & Economics has completed 28 years which makes a tremendous total of 60 years service to the Vesey cause. Congratulations to David and Kathryn on what must surely be another Vesey record!
Morocco World Challenge Summer 2012 Heat and high altitude - Congratulations to staff and students who completed a 4 day trek in the High Atlas Mountains this summer!
Molly Webb Captain of Netball, Oliver Boyle Captain of Rugby and Matt Heller Captain of Hockey. Left to right:
Senior Old Veseyans, affectionately called ‘The Shaggy Dogs’, enjoyed a trip down memory lane on 18 July, touring BVGS with present-day students, sharing stories of their school days and joining us for lunch and a presentation about our latest developments.
Year 9 World Challenge Expedition on top of the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco July 2012
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September 2012
Activities Week Year 8 were challenged with solving the mystery of the counterfeit bank note factory. The tasks included analysing fibres, blood types, hair samples and much more. The students had to work as a team to produce the best word processed forensic science report.
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Following their return from AS examination leave, the L6th Biologists made a good start to their A2 studies prior to the summer break. Part of their A2 course involves the study of populations and ecosystems. The students had the opportunity to consider the best method to determine the number and distribution of organisms in a given area. For the task shown, the students worked in groups to estimate the percentage cover of plants using an interrupted belt transect. Close analysis followed in the laboratory to produce a kite diagram representing the results. On the first day of activities week Year 7 students travelled to a very wet Kenilworth Castle. Activities on the day were geared to History, Geography and Art. On arrival students investigated the military and palatial features of various parts of the castle, analysing Kenilworth's defensive features and examining the curtain wall, the towers and Leicester’s buildings. Map skills were put into practice back at school as students navigated around the castle and looked at the wider Kenilworth area. Thursday’s task was to produce an exhibition piece explaining the history and geography of Kenilworth castle.
Sixth Form Time Management On Wednesday 11 July, Steve Goodall ran a time management training session for all members of Lower Sixth. After a challenging starting with some building blocks timed activities, Steve proposed breaking down tasks and prioritising what needs to be done. He then led a discussion reflecting upon the recent exams and how effectively students used their time. Students were encouraged to critique their approach to revision and identify their personal strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the session students were able to come away with some new ideas for how to work more efficiently during their final year of study.
Healthy Schools Year 7 were off timetable for the day to learn about how to live a healthy lifestyle. After a quiz to see what they already knew, they had a session on healthy eating. The boys had to analyse (and taste) different snack bars and put them into order of healthiness. Students then looked at McDonalds and the fat content and calories involved in different options. The message being given was that all of these foods are fine in moderation and as part of a balanced diet. After working up an appetite on healthy eating it was time to burn off the calories in the physical activity section. Students were divided into groups and undertook a range of different activities such as weights, rowing, circuits and handball. Their focus was on the contribution of sport and exercise to a healthy lifestyle. Building on a successful Year 7 Healthy Schools Day, students were looking forward to the Year 8 Healthy Schools Day! They were this year focused on supersize versus superskinny people and invesigating different perspectives on being healthy. We watched a clip from "Suppersize vs. Superskinny" (Channel 4) and in groups students offered advice from different angles - including family, friends and medical experts. There were samples of normal and light crisps as well as normal and diet drinks with students needing to identify which was which. Following on from this students were involved with 6 different types of physical activity, researching the impact of these on their bodies and diets. The final task was to produce a healthy regime for a person of their choice - some students created their own regime whilst others chose celebrities or athletes from the 2012 Olympics.
BVGS Newsletter
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Activities Week 2012 We are most grateful to all those who helped with the huge variety of activities, trips and excursions this year.
Rapid Response to First Aid During Activities Week, Year 9 received special instruction in First Aid from an outsider trainer. This proved to be an excellent opportunity for our students to find out more about how to offer potentially life-saving care and allowed them to develop confidence in administering help in urgent cases.
Year 7 Residential This year the Year 7 Residential was held at Whitemoor Lakes, Alrewas. Despite the heavy rains preceding the trip and the onsite flooding, the 113 Year 7 boys and 10 staff enjoyed an action packed few days of activities and games designed to challenge their teamwork, leadership and initiative. With the flood waters receding by the hour, by the second day students managed to get out onto the lake to enjoy canoeing and rafting, as well as climbing, abseiling and a demanding high ropes course. The students learned new skills in archery and fencing, as well as enjoying team games and sports. Our students were a credit to the school, and conducted themselves superbly. All the staff were impressed as they saw students working together as a team, encouraging each other, learning new skills and overcoming personal challenges. Many thanks to all staff who helped in making the trip possible.
History Trip to RAF Cosford For the first time, GCSE Historians took a trip to RAF Cosford in Shifnal, Staffordshire. They were treated to a lecture from Trevor Morris, Old Veseyan 1946-50, about his life and experiences in the RAF. Our students were fascinated by his stories about British and Russian aircraft in the 1950s and training exercises involving interrogation. We then visited the Cold War exhibition where students gathered important information to support their GCSE Controlled Assessment. This included information and pictures of missiles and space crafts. Some students took a turn on the flight simulator and enjoyed seeing a range of aircraft from the last 50 years. We hope that this trip and lecture can become an annual event in the BVGS History Department Calendar.
Physics Rocket Launch! During Activities Week last year, students in Physics were tasked with constructing and launching a rocket propelled only by water. The challenge was to keep the rocket in the air for as long as possible. Students came up with some fantastic solutions to this problem including a system where a parachute would deploy mid-flight! Well to done to all the Year 10 students involved.
Lunar Deed - Present for the Teacher! After teaching a top set Physics group for 2 years, in preparation for their GCSE in June, Dr Nick Colclough was ‘over the moon’ to receive a lunar deed as a thankyou present. ‘Not only have I thoroughly enjoyed teaching these young men, and to then be rewarded with such a special gift, is an honour.’
September 2012
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World Challenge Exhibition 2012 Seventeen members of year 9 accompanied by James Rostron (Head of Year 9) and Martin Lea (Head of Science) took on the challenge of the High Atlas Mountain range in Morocco at the end of July. In sweltering heat, the challengers completed a 4 day trek across beautiful mountain scenery to reach the Tizi n'Tacheddirt pass at an altitude of nearly 3500m. Students described the experience as ‘awesome, unforgettable, a truly wonderful experience and a great way to learn about Moroccan culture’
Rhineland Trip
BVGS-Lyon Exchange
Following the BVGS visit to Lyon in March, our French counterparts from Lycée Louise Labé arrived in Birmingham on 29 June. The weekend began with a meal , followed by trips into town, a visit to Cadbury World and a barbecue organised and hosted by Mark Poniatowski and his family. Some French students even had a chance to see the Olympic Flame as it passed through the West Midlands. Many thanks to all students, staff and families who helped to support the exchange and contributed to making it such a great success, Thanks also to Soraya Adbelbaki, André Mathé and Julien Jacquelin for all their hard work as organisers of the trip. Here’s to a fantastic third year!
In May, accompanied by Rüdi Götschel, Mark Keeble, Laura King, 35 students embarked on a five day visit to the Rhineland, which included Cologne by night, a visit to the Lindt Chocolate Museum, the Sports and Olympic Museum, a visit to a TV studio, the Gothic splendour of Cologne cathedral, a Rhine cruise, a visit to the Marksburg, one of the most magnificent castles along the Rhine and a fabulous day out at the Phantasialand theme park! Students tried out their German, sampled the food and thoroughly enjoyed the whole Germany experience. Plans for Rhineland 2013 are already under way!
Russian Classes Last term Pupils and staff experienced some lunchtime taster sessions in Russian, run by Natalie Adcock, former deputy school captain at BVGS, who completed an eight week work experience at the school. The good news for September: Natalie will join our staff as a GTP trainee teacher of German and the Russian sessions will start up again! Charascho!
German Exchange to Bayreuth This June saw the fifteenth German Exchange to Bayreuth . Thirteen boys took part, and their German Exchange partners who had visited us before Easter, were accompanied by Victoria Sobczak and Rüdi Götschel on this trip. They participated in a guided tour of Bayreuth with an official reception at the Town Hall, a brewery visit (beer only for the adults!), a visit to the beautiful word heritage town of Bamberg with a very entertaining guide, Nürnberg with the Nazi Documentation Centre, its glorious imperial castle and some serious shopping and finally the border museum at Mödlareuth, aka Little Berlin. The highlight for many of our students, despite a 9 to 19 defeat, will nevertheless have been the football match against the Germans, who fielded a semi-professional! The German host families were very friendly and generous and really enjoyed our students’ company who in return proved very popular and keen to learn the language, sample the food and thoroughly experience the German or rather Franconian way of life.
BVGS Newsletter
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Hobbies Competition 12 July 2012
The Hobbies Competition, which dates back to the 1960s, offers students the opportunity to share their passion for particular interests and pastimes. We are grateful to Sarah Slater, Teacher of English & Drama, who has brought new ideas and energy to this excellent and long-standing event. Students in Year 7-9 exhibit under a number of different categories with winners proceeding to the evening event attended by parents and friends of the school. We are indebted to Sheila Randon (pictured below), great Friend of the School, who sponsors the prizes and acts as judge in the final round which leads to the selection of the overall winners. Winners of the Hobbies Competition 2012 : Year 7G - Christopher Wheat (Collections/Models) RC Aeroplanes, Year 8R - Romario Cox - (Sport) Football, Year 9R - Adam Smith (Miscellaneous) Photography.
BVGS Yr7 Places of Worship Visits Activities Week 15 July 2012 The Buddhist Peace Pagoda in Edgbaston and the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Handsworth welcomed Year 7 into their sacred buildings during Activities Week. At the Peace Pagoda the differences between types of Buddhism was explained to students as well as what made the Peace Pagoda distinctive. At the Gurdwara students and staff Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha were given a tour of one of the largest Gurdwaras in Europe. We were also invited to take part in the Langar meal. Special thanks to Alan Jones Head of RS and his team for providing this opportunity to discover more about faith groups in B’ham.
Romeo and Juliet
At the Main School Presentation Evening on 17 July, we were delighted by the BVGS Junior Drama Group’s production of Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Sarah Slater. It is encouraging to see junior drama back on the Vesey stage. Participating students are to be congratulated for a performance through which they demonstrated excellent stage presence and great confidence with the language of Shakespeare. Students who performed in Romeo and Juliet: Jon-Jon Tian, Luke Topley, Ben Smith, Joe Perrin, Jacob Richards, Ben Brady, Joshua Bosman
Activities Week 2012
- a resounding success offering new platforms for personal devel-
opment and insight into so many areas not commonly covered by the standard curriculum offer.
September 2012
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Attain Travel is a proud sponsor of Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School Sports We are delighted to be working in partnership with Attain Travel and other sponsors, who are helping us to maintain the momentum of our rapid improvements in the field of sport. We continue to provide a platform for sporting excellence, with fixtures against top performing independent and selective schools across Midlands.
European Junior Open Water Swim : Bradley Lynch wins Silver On Sunday 15 July, British Gas GBR swimmer, Bradley Lynch L6, claimed silver medal in the European Junior Open Water event in Kocaeli, Turkey. Bradley was part of a 12-man breakaway pack which quickly swam away from the field at the start. He held off his competitors in a sprint finish in the final 300m of the 5km race to take the podium spot. Bradley finished just behind Marc-Antoine Olivier of France (1.01.42) to take the silver in 1.02.00 – just ahead of France’s David Aubrey who finished in 1.02.03. Congratulations to Bradley on this wonderful achievement but also on coming fourth in the World Junior Open Water Swim this summer! Well done, indeed!
Year 7 Rugby Starter Course on 3 Sept 2012
Director of Rugby, Zak Feaunati, and his team of rugby coaches provided a wonderful introduction to the game of rugby for incoming members of Year 7, during which they quickly picked up the basics of the game and enjoyed meeting new classmates. It was a pleasure to see our new students involved in this activity before term started and to welcome so many new parents in our midst. Inter-school fixtures are already underway and we invite parents and friends of the school to join us on the touchlines and for post-match refreshments throughout the season. Fixture cards are now in print and on the website.
We continue to foster links with Veseyans RFC Junior Section. Details from Chairman of Junior Section, Mark Hume 07795 820628
BVGS Newsletter Record Results at A Level
81% A*-B grades
BISHOP VESEY'S GRAMMAR SCHOOL
BISHOP VESEY'S GRAMMAR SCHOOL Results Subject/Grade Analysis: SUMMER 2012 Qualification: GCE Export Date : 15/08/2012
GCSE Results
Results Subject/Grade Analysis: SUMMER 2012
A Level Results
Qualification: GCSE
Level: GCE/GCE Advanced
Level: GCSE
Subject Subject Biology Business Studies Chemistry Classics D&T Product Design Economics English Language & Literature English Literature Fine Art French General Studies Geography German History Information Technology Latin Law Mathematics Further Mathematics Music Physics Psychology Religious Studies Science: Geology Spanish Sport/PE Studies Total Ex General Studies % A* Including General Studies % A* Excluding General Studies % A*/B Ex. General Studies
Entries 75 8 48 1 4 9 9 34 3 8 160 31 5 42 4 1 8 11 61 3 32 42 27 6 4 8 644 484
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A*
A 11 0 4 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 14 3 0 16 0 1 0 3 13 0 7 3 6 1 0 0 88 74
B
C
28 4 17 0 2 3 3 17 1 2 19 12 1 17 0 0 2 3 29 0 6 17 8 2 1 3 197 178
13 4 16 1 2 4 4 12 1 4 32 9 1 8 2 0 4 4 8 0 11 14 9 3 2 2 170 138
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
20 31 44 46 52 50 67 68 79 77 75 81
D 11 0 7 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 38 4 2 1 2 0 1 1 8 3 7 7 3 0 1 2 103 65
E 10 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 25 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 46 21
U 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 25 7
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 1
A*-B 69% 100% 77% 100% 100% 78% 100% 97% 67% 75% 41% 77% 40% 98% 50% 100% 75% 91% 82% 0% 75% 81% 85% 100% 75% 63% 71% 81%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
39 41 40 41 47 44 63 62 71 70 66 71
Entries
A
B
C
D
E
23
4
6
10
3
0
0
23
23
23
116
45
51
17
2
1
0
115
116
116
50
6
19
18
5
2
0
48
50
50
115
49
44
18
4
0
0
115
115
115
21
0
15
5
0
1
0
20
21
21
English Language
122
15
53
47
6
0
0
121
122
122
English Literature
122
6
36
53
25
2
0
120
122
122
French
23
5
9
5
2
2
0
21
23
23
Geography
61
6
29
18
6
1
1
59
61
61
German
21
9
8
4
0
0
0
21
21
21
History
71
31
20
15
4
1
0
70
71
71
Information Technology
78
19
35
22
2
0
0
78
78
78
Italian
21
15
3
2
1
0
0
21
21
21
Latin
13
3
6
3
0
1
0
12
13
13
Law
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
122
41
56
16
9
0
0
122
122
122
12
4
5
3
0
0
0
12
12
12
115
42
114
115
115
Art & Design Biology Business Studies Chemistry D&T Graphic Products
Mathematics Music Physics
A*
1
A*-C
A*-G
Entries Rec
50
17
5
1
0
Psychology
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
Religious Studies
26
13
11
2
0
0
0
26
26
26
Science Single Award
6
0
0
3
2
1
0
5
6
6
Science: Additional
6
0
0
1
4
1
0
5
6
Science: Astronomy
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
Spanish
61
15
21
19
6
0
0
61
61
61
Sport/PE Studies
18
4
8
6
0
0
0
18
18
18
5
5
Urdu
5
Candidates = 122
13.66% 15.29%
0
1
1
Record Results at GCSE!
2
1
0
4
1232
332
489
306
88
15
1
1
1215
1232
% age
26.95%
39.69%
24.84%
7.14%
1.22%
0.08%
0.08%
98.62%
100.00%
Cumm % age 26.95%
66.64%
91.48%
98.62%
99.84%
99.92%
100.00%
% A*- A
Inc GS
F /G
% 5 A*/C
2001
29
2001
95
2002
33
2002
98
2003
35
2003
98
2004
32
2004
95
2005
41
2005
2006
40
2006
98
2007
50
2007
100
2008
58
2008
100
2009
62
2009
98
2010
62
2010
98
2011
66
2011
99
2012
67
2012
99
67% A*/A grades
97
6
September 2012
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The Vesey Foundation The Vesey Foundation was established in 2008 as a separate charitable trust to bring together all who are associated with Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School and preserve the distinctive ethos and excellent resources at the school through fund-raising efforts amongst all members of the Vesey Community.
Netball and Tennis Appeal Update 2012 In the last newsletter we reported that we had raised £18k towards our target of £50k. We are delighted to announce that over the summer our running total has risen dramatically to £34,300, thanks to the most kind and generous assistance of so many members of the Vesey Community. This represents a clear show of support for all we set out to achieve to keep the school moving forward. We are now just £15k from our target and appeal to all those who wish to help us in the final stages of this appeal to join us in our campaign to provide a modern-day facility for netball and tennis within this academic year. We hope to announce shortly the date of the opening ceremony when we will celebrate another milestone in the school’s development but first we must look to secure the final contributions! Please do join us by donating to this worthwhile cause.
With sincere thanks on behalf of The Vesey Foundation Thank you to all donors for helping us to maintain: our high calibre and wide-ranging staffing levels our curriculum developments and improvements our outstanding range of opportunities beyond the classroom our programme of refurbishment
Junior Soloists Concert Tuesday 9 Oct 201 Sponsored by the Vesey Foundation, this is a new event in the BVGS musical calendar . Big School will be the venue for performances from soloists in Years 7-10. Seats are limited so please book early via Sharon Weblin, Vesey Foundation Administrator, on Tel 0121-250-5403 or by e-mail s.weblin@bishopveseys.bham.sch.uk
Recent refurbishment: Below are the two new Science Teaching Rooms converted from our former ICT Suite and the Biology corridor locker room! What wonderful new resources for the teaching of Science!