Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School Inspiration and Excellence
Spring 2015 Growing Vesey, Growing Minds Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School is a special place. We were delighted to receive external validation for our work this half-term when we received news, for the second year running, that we have won a national SSAT Award for Outstanding Student Outcomes and Progress at GCSE! At the same time I am delighted to announce that we have now raised £621,000. Best of all we have learned that our bid to the Government for £2m has been successful. This is an incredible achievement for the school and an absolute triumph for our School Business Manager, Graham Swindells who wrote our CIF bid. We were one of only four grammar schools nationally (and the only one in the Midlands) to be awarded money for expansion. It was a very tight bidding round with schools bidding for £1.6 billion and only 20% of that money being available. If you want to help us complete our fundraising target, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Campaign Office here at school. Happy Easter!
Headteacher
An artist’s impression of our new STEM block
Bringing Smiles to Children with Ebola BBC Midlands Today and ITV Central News covered the story. In February the boxes were delivered in person to the Sierra Leone High Commission by Alex Davis and Julie Wadeson.
On 16 December we welcomed His Excellency Edward Turay, the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner and his team to BVGS. Thanks to the heroic actions of two of our Vesey staff, Alex Davis (Head of Year 8) and Julie Wadeson (Physics Technician) the Vesey community had been inspired and motivated to collect shoeboxes, containing basic items such as soap, toothpaste, pens and paper, for children devastated by the Ebola crisis in West Africa. We were overwhelmed by the number of boxes collected. In an emotional speech in assemblies, His Excellency said ‘Thank you to Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School for these wonderful gifts which will bring smiles to Ebola-affected children’. The students also received an informative talk by a microbiologist, Dr Susan Manzoor, from Heartlands Hospital about the Ebola virus. There are so many staff and students who helped make this visit a success. Our students were superb, in particular Ben Woodford, Eloise Harrison, Ellen Rhodes, Oliver Hobin, Robert Huskisson, Jessica Ridout and Sebastian Heley. Without their organisation, enthusiasm, effort and commitment, the visit would not have gone as well as it did. Also a big thank you to Lewis Hawker, Nathan Lawrence, Elliott Brown, Zak Manzoor and Freddie Goodrham.
We continue to take a keen interest in the problems and challenges of fighting Ebola. For example Dr Sowsan Atabani (left), Consultant Virologist at Public Health England gave an excellent talk to our Sixth Form students about the Ebola virus
Electron microscope image of Ebola virus
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Spring 2015
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Straight Talking
Community Award Elliott Brown from Year 8 won the ‘Young Carer of the Year’ Award at the Stockland Green Com m u n i t y Awards Night in November. He has also been invited to the Houses of Parliament to be a spokesperson for the YMCA in the West Midlands and has also raised money for RELEASE, a charity for young carers. He is pictured here receiving the award from Junaid Gharda who is also a BVGS parent.
The Round Midnight Theatre Company, a Birmingham based creative arts company, visited school at the end of February to deliver a play, 'Straight Talking' and an interactive workshop for Y8 and Y9 students. The topic was ‘combatting homophobia’. Thanks to Heather Hodkinson, Learning Mentor, for organising this event. The actors were very impressed with the engagement of our boys.
Time to Act
On Thursday 26 February we welcomed James Merry (OV) and Claire Huckle for their annual Time to Act workshop opportunity for Year 7 and 8 students. The performances at the end of the day were excellent with James commenting that the participants this year were a particularly ‘talented bunch’. See James and Claire’s website for further details of what they do, www.time2act.uk.com. Another OV Georgina Jones is coming in to school on Thursday 16 April to deliver an acting workshop for Years 7 and 8 focussing on encouraging creativity and imagination.
Sixth Form Parliamentary Debating Competition On Thursday 12 March BVGS hosted the Sutton Coldfield Parliamentary Debating Competition. It was a pleasure to welcome all the Sutton schools, our guest panel and our local MP Andrew Mitchell. The evening was a big success. Thanks to all those who made it happen including Adam Belcher, Jo Davis, Sharon Weblin, Jon Holden, Kevin Wamsley, Paul Boyle, Andy Tomlinson, the Art Department, the Officer Team, Bridie Curtis and her team, Ben Woodford, Tom Reershemius, Tom Cotterill, Dr Adrian Reilly, Jim Goldstraw, Graham Swindells, Russell Bowen and last, but not least, a big thank you to the amazing Lesley Overton for leading on hospitality. We received lovely emails from all the host schools on the quality of the event. By the way our speakers did very well, coming a close second to Arthur Terry School. Well done Lewis Terry (below centre and right) and Adam Smith (below left) for doing a brilliant job.
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March 2015
Through the Key-hole of the LRC
Our school library is a friendly and welcoming place to be. Under the leadership of Wendy Brown and Alison Ward ‘the library is a hive of activity and the displays, including the students’ book wall encourages creativity and promotes a love of reading’. (Ofsted 2014). Our reps (pictured above) are an outstanding team of helpers, who show great responsibility and leadership in assisting the staff with the smooth running of the library.
The author Bali Rai visited BVGS in February. He attended Y7 and 8 assembly and as part of their English homework the boys were given the task of competing a poster about Bali Rai to include reviews of his books. Bali also gave a talk to Year 10 about his new book ‘Web of Darkness’. Bali is pictured (above) signing books.
Dr Who Day
The school held a ‘Dr Who’ day last term when the author Daniel Blythe (who has written Dr Who novels) visited the school. Students dressed up as their favourite doctor for the day and there was a prize for the best costume. There was also an opportunity to design a ‘sonic screwdriver’. Daniel gave advice to students on writing and was interviewed by them. Chris Bradford, author of Young Samurai and Bodyguard was in school at the beginning of March. He demonstrated the art of being a 'bodyguard' which he trained to do before he wrote his books. He also demonstrated use of the Samurai sword - he is a qualified swordsman! The students really enjoyed meeting Chris and hearing about his books.
There are always plenty of activities going on. We held a Harry Potter Book Night in February. World Book Day was celebrated in March and there will be Dreadlock Alien Workshops on 13 July. In the ‘Read for My School’ competition students were encouraged to read as many and as wide a range of books as they could in the two months of the competition, with the option of writing a review of a selected book from the online library. Students can also find many links to e-resources on the Library VLE page along with details of ‘books of the week’.
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Spring 2015
Remembrance The 100th anniversary of World War I beginning gave our Remembrance services more poignancy than ever. Dr Craggs, Chair of Governors is pictured below in Old Big School with Deputy Captain Maddie Turner and Sebastian Heley, School Captain.
In November, Angus Carter (9R) played The Last Post at the Remembrance Assembly at Rocklands Special School in Lichfield. Emily Bacon from Rocklands reported that ‘assemblies are often fairly noisy affairs, but the children sat spellbound when Angus was playing. (Afterwards they gave him an enthusiastic round of applause!)’. She added that Angus conducted himself in a pleasant and confident manner, and his musicianship was excellent.
After Christmas 15 students from Year 8 and 9 attended BMet, accompanied by Mrs Arrandale and Mr Everett to mark the 100th anniversary of the Great War and to remember the many that died for our freedom. The workshop was interactive and activities were based upon the lives of the war time population, including the Christmas truce football match. ‘We all learnt the importance of remembrance and the significance of such a widespread conflict. Our day spent as a 1914 citizen was beneficial both to our learning and our enjoyment.’ Alasdair Bell 9R ‘It was a very educational day and it really opened my eyes’ Alex Bailey 8R, ‘It was a truly fun yet thoughtprovoking day’ Sam Harkin 8B, ‘The talk from a current soldier was very deep and it just made us think – why did all of this happen?’ Harvey Quinn 8B‘As a result of my experience, the sheer tragedy and destruction of World War One is clear’ Robert Hollinghurst 9R.
An Old Veseyan Honoured On Friday 20 March a special memorial stone was unveiled on The Green in Aldridge in honour of Vesey Victoria Cross winner, Gus Bonner OV. Our own Dave Phillips, who has written books on the involvement of Old Veseyans in War was in attendance. It was also great to see one of our cadets Louis Kill-Brown from 10G (pictured right) playing in the marching band on this occasion.
World War I Scrapbook Competition As part of our Remembrance the History Department launched a World War I Scrapbook Competition. The closing date is Friday 17 April and we expect to see some really creative work – using images, text, ideas and original ways to educate and inform other young people about the First World War. The only rule given is that students should try and find something from each letter of the Alphabet. They can make their own scrapbook, buy one and fill it or do something really different. We would like to see as many students enter the competition as possible – there are prizes to be won.
Vesey installs two new de-fibrillators Bishop Vesey’s have received the school’s first two defibrillators having raised an impressive £2500 for Arrhythmia Alliance through a non-uniform day and Mr Davis reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro and completing the Paris Marathon in 2013 following the cardiac arrest he suffered as a result of an underlying heart condition (Wolff -Parkinson-White Syndrome) in 2012. The installation of the de-fibs will mean that the school is prepared to deal with a sudden cardiac arrest as a result of an undetected heart arrhythmia and provide the first line of medical support. Our school requires de-fibs as a result of the active community life of the school. From the extraordinary breadth of our extra-curricular programme, including rowing, rugby, hockey, cricket, netball and tennis to the incredible music concerts, charity events, drama productions, guest speakers, OV’s and parents who pass through the school every day, the de-fibs will be on hand and offer a vital tool in giving someone a 50% chance of surviving a cardiac arrest. For more information in regards to the charity and heart arrhythmias and conditions please visit their website http://www.heartrhythmcharity.org.uk/ www/436/0/About/
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March 2015
Building Learning Habits At Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School we believe that learning isn’t just about examination results. It is about preparation for life. We want to encourage all our students to have excellent learning habits. Ofsted recognised our work in this area when they wrote ‘lessons include a strong focus on students building the learning habits they need to find things out for themselves and to develop curiosity and confidence’. On 24 March we held a BLH information evening for parents. Thanks to Russell Bowen, Deputy Headteacher and Steve Baugh, Assistant Headteacher for organising this event. Our parents worked very hard. They persevered, made links and reflected on their learning. Thank you to all who attended for their enthusiasm in supporting the exciting work we are doing to build better learning habits at BVGS.
What are learning habits?
Learning habits are the routine ways in which we think when we are faced with life’s experiences and challenges.
We acquire habits through use until they become intuitive
We can help pupils to get better at ‘doing it for themselves’
Which learning habits are we focussing particularly on at BVGS?
Unless you experience symptoms of being wrong, your brain will never revise its models. Before your neurons can succeed, they must repeatedly fail. There are no shortcuts for this painstaking process. Jonah Lehrer, The Decisive Moment
Resourcefulness: making links in Geography
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Spring 2015
Come to Vesey, see the World
Our Sixth Form German Group enjoyed their visit to Berlin with Herr Götschel and Fraulein Slater. They are pictured above at the new Reichstag.
At February half-term Beth Gainford, Head of L6, Min Egan, Head of U6, Andrew Whittle, Teacher of Physics, Ian Bousfield, Teacher of Geography and Rowing and Russell Bowen, Deputy Headteacher led our annual ski trip. This year they went to the Italian ski resort of Bardonecchia, home to the Winter Olympics in 2006. We were delighted with the behaviour of the students, the leadership shown by our Sixth Formers and the resilience which our students applied to their learning of skiinig. Roll on next year!
French Exchange to Lyon
La Semaine de la Francophonie Well done to Alex Bailey, Jaden Lo-Watson and Sam Harkin who were all stars in completing both the quiz and
Thanks to Laura Diprose and the French Department for organising an excellent French Exchange to Lyon. Our students enjoyed meeting our hosts at the Lycée Louise Labé Lyon. Good friendships were fostered and cemented and the sights of Lyon such as the cathedral (above right) were visited.
German Exchange
Computing in Languages
We enjoyed welcoming our friends from the Wirtschaftswissenschaftliches Gymnasium in Bayreuth for the 18th year running. There were 23 student visitors accompanied by trip leader Dieter Kaleschke and Lisa Öttinge. A special thank you to our all our host families especially the Carters, Caseys, Jarretts, Leyvas and Mrs Penny. It went fantastically well. We look forward to the return trip from 20 - 28 June.
Y9 using our new Surface Tablets to plan their French advertising campaigns for the Apprentice Project.
Vesey Charity Vesey Charity has been very active in recent months led by our wonderful charity captains Oliver Hobin, Eloise Harrison and Ellen Rhodes. Comic Relief was particularly successful this year with a whopping total of £5,007.50. There were some new additions this year with a whole week dedicated to fund-raising with new events such as the table tennis 12 hour marathon. 8W and their Form Tutor Naima Field led the way with their own version of the bake-off.
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Academic Excellence in STEM Now that we have been successful with our £2m bid to the Government we are looking forward to building our new STEM block. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) is already a very strong feature of our school. Here you can see some excellent work being produced in Design and Technology. Here we have Aidan Hill and Barney Miller of Year 8 with their ambulance and train respectively. We also have some excellent examples of work from other students. On the right we have photographs of Harry Ayto’s (also Year 9) Quadcopter toy he designed on the DT Departments new Creo 3D modelling software.
Year 9 have been developing photography work in their Art lessons over the last few weeks. Staff have organised two trips into Sutton town centre to consider how architecture can be used as a subject for creating photomontages. They enjoyed this experience, and learnt new techniques of 'joining and layering' images in the style of David Hockney. Students are able to extend their artistic learning through the use of ICT and Photoshop, as shown in this example by Harry Wem
Students have been having a lot of fun in Science Club. Here Nichola Long from 7BL is enjoying exploring the properties of slime.
In November we were delighted to welcome Dr Dan Maskell OV from Bath University. Dan gave an excellent talk on Engineering.
Careers Week During National Careers Week students signed up to talks on Law, Engineering, Dentistry. Thanks to Tom Jackson (OV), Peter Davies, Governor, Wayne Geldard, parent, Steve Clements, former parent, Natalie Ashby, (Law) teacher and Adrian Reilly Economics teacher for their support. We also welcomed back Rebecca Fellows (OV) to talk about higher level apprenticeships with Deloitte and Laura Bray from Durham University. Thank you to Lesley Overton, Examinations/Business Support Officer and Julie Robson, Governor for making this happen.
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Attain Travel is a proud sponsor of Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School Sports
National Success for BVGS Dan VENABLES– RYA UK Squad Sailor a member of the Royal Yachting Association UK Youth/ Junior Squad. Dan’s selection for this squad recognises their potential to progress within the British Sailing Team, with the aim of winning selection for our UK Youth Squads or beyond in to our Olympic Development programmes. Dan has been selected on the basis of their performance and commitment to a programme of training and competition over a period of several years and establishes their status as a UK Squad sailor who we hope will represent Great Britain at major international events in the forthcoming years. Information relating to the UK Squad programme can be accessed on the following website: www.rya.org.uk/racing/youthjunior.
What a term for Vesey Sport. Our Senior Girls Netball team qualified for the National finals in Ellesmere Port. The U13 Hockey Team also qualified for the Nationals - the first time a BVGS Hockey team has reached such dizzy heights since the 1970s. Meanwhile the U13 Rugby team had an amazing tournament at the World’s Best 7s Contest at Rosslyn Park in London. They smashed all private school opposition in front of them until losing to the ultimate winners Dulwich College. What an amazing time to be playing sport at BVGS. Well done to all the coaches, our amazingly supportive parents and of course, our talented students.
High Five Netball Tournament BVGS Sixth Form Girls organised the High 5 Netball tournament at the end of November for girls in Year 6 at local primary schools. Emma Jackson from Boldmere Junior School I took 18 girls, from who all thoroughly enjoyed the day. She said ‘t was run exceptionally professionally and the girls were a real credit to you. In particular, Madeleine Turner demonstrated excellent organisation skills and communicated brilliantly leading up to the competition. We also had two training sessions at the school run by Ore Akinwale and Kirun Sehra, which my girls loved. We would love to have them back at training, when it recommences in Spring, if they would like to come. I hope this event becomes an annual one, or possibly could be repeated in the Summer term? ’
Growing Vesey, Growing Minds … in London On Tuesday we held our 17th reception of the Growing Vesey, Growing Minds Campaign. We are grateful for all the homes we have been welcomed into and the support we have been given along the way. As part of our re-connecting with Old Veseyans we have been supported to offer two London receptions. This week we were at Osbourne Clarke in the City of London and back in January we hosted a reception at the world famous Reform Club on Pall Mall. Thanks to all the students, staff, parents, Old Veseyans and Governors who have spread the word about our campaign.
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