academy focus · ut for now, do enjoy reading about all of the wonderful opportunities our students...

Academy Focus

Inside this issue

Student Wellbeing ...................... 3

Sport ........................................... 6-12

Science ....................................... 13

Maths ......................................... 14

CARTS ......................................... 15

Academic Enrichment ................. 16-19

What’s On …………………………………20-22

DoE Update ……………………………...24

Special points of interest

LEMONS will the big cheese trophy!

Sports Award photos p10-11!

Three DoE expeditions done so far—four more to go!

Sixth form visit The Guardian offices

Welcome from the Headteacher Welcome to the somewhat belated Term 5 edition of Academy Focus! We took the decision to hold the publication of this edition, in order to bring you up to date with some of the exciting events which were taking place in the final week of Term 5, and indeed during the recent holiday. Three highlights were the hugely successful trips to the Brecon Beacons, Ardeche and to Switzerland, and I hope you will enjoy reading more about these events in this edition. The short spring term went so very quickly and, of course, the GCSE and A level examinations are now well underway. The end is in sight for our Year 11 and Year 13 students, and I would like to commend them all on the excellent way in which they have conducted themselves through the exams to date. Despite the inevitable pressure, they have displayed great resilience, and have retained good humour and cheerfulness throughout. On behalf of all the staff, we would like to wish them all every success in the remaining days of the examination season. Our strategic planning is well underway for the new academic year and, although we are not trying to wish the summer away, we are already very excited about the prospect of opening our school gates again in September 2019 to welcome the largest Year 7 cohort into the academy we will have had for some time. While we will be offering several exciting new opportunities to our students in September, the Leadership Team will be fully focussed on embedding the improvements we have introduced this year in order to consolidate the successes we have achieved in the last ten months. Please be assured that we will continue to be relentless in our drive to return the academy to a strong Good judgement at the next Ofsted inspection, in order to ensure that our students achieve their full potential in every sense.

(Continued on page 2)

Term 5 May 2019 King Alfred’s Academy

Stunning views encountered by our

Year 9 students on a recent Swiss

Alpine adventure

KING ALFRED’S ACADEMY

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In addition, the final part of the complex plan to move the academy from three sites to two – the refurbishment of the Sixth Form Centre – will be completed on time this summer, and we will be extremely excited to welcome our Sixth Form students into their new base in September. The facilities will be nothing short of outstanding, and will provide our students with the very best Sixth Form facilities in the county. As the summer term progresses, I would like to express my sincere thanks for your ongoing support as parents during the course of this academic year. It continues to be a great pleasure and privilege to serve the communities of Wantage, Grove and beyond, and I would like to thank you all for your support of everything we have done, and continue to do, in order to further improve our school into the future. But for now, do enjoy reading about all of the wonderful opportunities our students have enjoyed in this edition of Academy Focus.

Rick Holroyd Headteacher

Continued from Page 1

Connie Butler, 10V4 who has recently taken her Grade 5 singing exam which is equivalent to a GCSE. Across 7 sections, including three performance pieces, technical work and musician questions she received 90 out of a possible 100 marks which has given her a distinction. Alongside this Connie has been in this years production 'In the Heights', has taken her Ethics and Philosophy GCSE, attended St John's Ambulance Cadets, volunteered at Helen and Douglas House, taught herself guitar and taken part in Challow's Under 16 netball team. A massive congratulations to Connie for all the hard work and determination she has shown this year!

WELL DONE TO ….

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STUDENT WELLBEING

LEANNE AVIS [email protected]

Our amazing Anti-Bullying Ambassadors have been fully representing our Anti-Bullying scheme by

appearing at parents evenings and community events. All of the ambassadors are easily identified by

their peers by their shiny green enamel pin badges, green hi-vis jackets and green lanyards. The

ambassadors have also delivered green information cards to each student in year 7—11. These cards

detail who the Anti-Bullying Ambassador is for their tutor group, where to find them and how to raise

an bullying concern.

In order to support our students making bullying reports we have now provided them a number of

different ways to contact us:

Via the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors

Via e-Praise

Via the VLE

Via the secure, lockable postboxes available in student reception on West and Centre.

ANTI-BULLYING NEWS

This term’s app advice is about ‘HIP—Hide It Pro’. This app is rated ‘PEGI 3’ on app stores—meaning that it is

available to all users from age 3+. It is an app which appears in app stores as “Hide Photos, Videos—Hide It Pro”

but appears on a device home screen as a “Music or Audio Manager” with an icon which looks like musical notes.

The user sets a pin code or password and can then move files, messages, videos, photos and even other apps to

‘HIP’ and remove/ delete them from the phone making that content completely invisible to everyone who does

not have the password or the knowledge of how to access the files. This app, and similar hidden “vault” apps,

help children and young people hide inappropriate material from their parents/ carers.

It has been brought to my attention that children in our local community are using ‘HIP’ and due to the ever-

changing app landscape apps similar to this. Please do have conversations with your children about the dangers

of concealing images or other inappropriate content. It is important that should you have any safeguarding

concerns you report them to the appropriate authorities without delay.

APP ADVICE AND TOP TIPS


Year 9 Swiss Alpine Adventure

Recently some of our Year 9s had a fantastic experience on the Swiss Alpine adventure, exploring the valley of Kandersteg in Switzerland. Their week included a trek to the top of the Bunderspitz, a toboggan ride, visiting the Oeschinen lake, mountain climbing and abseiling, white water rafting and an adventure packed afternoon on the high ropes in Interlaken! The students got to experience preparing their own meals in teams, and take the lead of various orienteering opportunities when trekking. We can let the pictures speak 1000 words...

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Trips

Accommodation

A local bridge

Bunderspitz

High ropes

Local streams

Toboggan fun!

A lakeside view

Samantha Lear

Trip Leader


5

What a great success the 2019 Ardeche trip was. From the moment we left West Site on 17th May students were in high spirits all week. Not even the 21-hour coach journey could deter them away from a positive and exciting outlook at the week ahead. We were graced with glorious sunshine all week which just help create one of the best atmospheres I have experienced on a school trip. The activities with included; Archery, Climbing, River trek, Kayaking, Crate staking, Raft building, Jacobs ladder and Night line would push students out of their comfort zone and challenged them personally as well as a team. The biggest challenge and adventure of the week was the 2-day decent of the Ardeche River. It was on the river where students will have created life long memories and friendships while developing skills, such as

the ability to use communication more effectively, that will assist them in everyday life. All week, students impressed staff from both King Alfred’s and Acorn through their ability to show respect, responsibility, courage, tolerance and determination. As teachers, one of the most eye-opening parts of the week was seeing students from different friendship groups interact with one another not only while on activities but at social times. This proves there is real value and importance at the enrichment opportunities King Alfred’s provide. It was a pleasure to be part of the Ardeche 2019 experience where the students were the reason we can all be very proud to be part of King Alfred’s Academy. Roll on 2020!

Sean McCullough Trip Leader

Trips continued

Year 8 Watersports


Year 7 Activities Trip 7th-10thJune 2019

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Trips

Friday 7th June saw 85 excited Year 7 students depart West Site for a weekend of creativity, challenge and competition in the Brecon Beacons. Upon arrival, students split into two camps; the lemons and limes with Chief Taylor leading the Lemons and Chief Broome leading the limes. As competitive members of the PE Department, the competition immediately got underway with students having to create songs and dances for their camps. Over the course of the weekend students were exemplary; participating in hill walking, climbing, mission impossible challenges, raft building, canoeing and fencing. The pace of the weekend was only matched with the intensity of the competition with students stepping out of their comfort zone in support of their team goal. There is no doubt that our principles of determination, respect, courage, responsibility, tolerance and leadership were embodied throughout. On the final night students and staff were able to score points by performing acts from their village, the final points of the weekend came from the staff challenge of ‘eat it or wear it’ where the competitive rivalry between Chief Broom and Chief Taylor really heated up. The weekend points were added up and saw to Chief Taylor bringing the Lemons home as proud owners of the big cheese trophy.

Lemons win 2019 Big Cheese Trophy!


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Trips continued

Photographs from Year 7 Trip to the Brecon Beacons


PE & Sport News Round-Up

8

U12 Netball Tournament - 2nd in the

Vale

Sibford 7s: U15 Boys Rugby

KATS: Alicia Robinson -

Motorsport

U16 Boys Football Friendly v

Wallingford House Sports


9

U16 V

ale

Netb

all

Sports Tour in Spain

KATS: Domenic Rennie -

Golf

U15 Boys Tennis v

Magdalen College


10

PE & Sport News Round-up continued

KS4 Sports

Awards with

Gymnast

Steve Frew:

Outstanding

Team

Contribution –

Year 11 Boys

Basketball

KS4 Sports

Awards: Team of

the Year – U14

Boys Football

KS3 Sports Awards

with Paralympic

Swimmer Kate

Grey: Team(s) of

the Year - U12

Girls Football

Team…


11

…AND U13

Boys B Foot-

ball Team.

KS5 Sports Awards with GB Tumbler

Ben Goodall – Sports Personality

– Sam Cheshire


12

Sports Round-up continued

KATS: Rex Winfield -

Equestrian

U13 Boys Tennis

KATS: Ella Thompson -

Gymnastics

U12 Cricket v Icknield


13

Science

Commendations: Fay Tarbitten

Connor Morgan

Runners up: Jamie Shann, Orlando Giles, Katherine Demmel, Elise Hawkins

1st overall: joint winners : 75 points each

are …VALE AND WHITE HORSE

3rd : 25 points are …RIDGEWAY The winner entries were produced by:

Millie Roberts and Mary Bradshaw from 8V1

and

1st: Alice Cox from 7W3

Journey through our

solar system

Science Competition Results

Journey of

blood

donation


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Junior Maths Challenge Each year, the Maths Department at King Alfred’s are excited to

continue to participate in the National Maths Challenge

competitions – these are designed to stimulate students’

mathematical problem solving skills.

Most recently, 76 Year 7 students and 99 Year 8 students entered

the Junior Maths Challenge on Tuesday 30th April 2019. Here are

some sample questions that our students enjoyed thinking about;

answers are at the bottom of the article, but don’t cheat – try the

questions first of all!

Maths

Everyone who entered the Junior Maths Challenge this year will receive

a Certificate of Participation, and particular mention should go to the 36

students who received a Bronze award, 17 students who received a

Silver award, and 8 students who received a Gold award – an impressive

feat in a national competition! Four students – Zachary Harvey, Keira

Brotherwood, Daniel Beynon, & Conor Morgan –have been invited to

take part in a follow-on round in early June; we look forward to seeing

how these students progress in the next round!

Matt Taylor

Answers: 7. A ; 16. C ; & 22. A


Year 12 Art students; Mia Moores, Lily Tull and Orla Habgood bravely took to the stage at the Beacon at the Art Society’s monthly meeting. They showed work they had produced at artist Kate Findlay’s workshop, that the group kindly funded, and were articulate in their explanation of the processes and equipment used on the day.

CARTS News

15

Great to have alumni Dom Rowland back with us helping and

inspiring our graphics Year 10s.

Some great examples

from the T- shirt

monsters project in

Design Technology

Year s7 & 8


Academic Enrichment

16

KAAEP TALKS – “The Rise of the Flat Earth Movement” by

Michael Marshall The latest talk in this year’s series of lectures was given by Michael

Marshall, who is a research journalist and Project Director for the Good

Thinking Society. This is a charity, set up by mathematician and writer

Simon Singh, and its aim is to encourage scepticism and challenge ideas

that are not well-founded.

Michael spoke to a packed hall of students, parents and staff and started

by introducing the idea that Planet Earth is flat, it really is. He then talked

through the ten most persuasive arguments for the premise that the Earth

is flat and, just as his audience was beginning to doubt his credentials, he

then proceeded to explain why each of the ten arguments was actually

misguided or founded on faulty science.

Michael’s presentation was absolutely fascinating, but it was the Question

and Answer session that followed that was, for me, the true highlight of the

evening. The ideas that Michael had presented had clearly caught the

imagination and analytical thinking of our students and, for the first time in

the history of the school’s KAAEP Talks, it was the students who totally led

and dominated the questions.

“How can the Flat Earth Movement explain volcanoes?”

“What about time zones?”

“What is the average age of the people involved in the Flat Earth

Movement?”

“How do they explain gravity?”

“Why would the scientists say that the Earth is round if it is really flat?

What do they gain from it?”

And many more.

Michael Marshall afterwards enthused over the quality and insight of the

questions and said that he had spoken to all-adult audiences who had not

explored so many nuances as our students had. Another proud moment!

Pam Stokell Academic Enrichment Programme


Year 7 KAAEP trip to explore Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium Towards the end of Term 5, a group of Year 7 students visited Winchester Planetarium as part of the school’s Academic Enrichment Programme. The students started the day by exploring the various exhibits and activities across both floors, taking it in turns to programme model lunar exploration vehicles; explore the effects of forces in surprising scenarios; question optical illusions; travel through a model digestive system; and pit their wits against one another on various puzzles and activities. The free exploration session was followed by a workshop where students took on the role of marine microbiologists as they used a variety of chemicals to develop a “cure” for a fungal infection that had been affecting the fish of the nearby coasts. Students learnt about safety in the laboratory, and explored the possible causes of ill health in wild fish populations. Our students independently came up with concepts such as bioaccumulation and questioned inter-species infection when working on diseased animals – which rather startled the scientist running the session, who later commented that he would expect such ideas from older students. (A proud moment!) After lunch, our students were treated to a journey through the stars in the Centre’s Planetarium. They explored some of the constellations in our skies, as well as the planets within our solar system, and were given a powerful insight into the enormity of the universe as the programme took us spinning out of our solar system, then out of our galaxy, until our galaxy became just another pin-prick in the vastness of space. One student commented afterwards: “I had been to the Planetarium before, when I was smaller, but you get a lot more out of it when you come with your school mates because you talk about stuff.” “And I liked the workshop with all the chemicals and tests that we did,” said another.

Pam Stokell Academic Enrichment

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Academic Enrichment continued



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Year 10 “get court” at the Oxford Crown Courts Two small groups of Year 10 students were fortunate to be able to visit the Oxford Crown Courts on 2nd and 23rd May, respectively. This was organised jointly by the school’s Academic Enrichment Programme, working in collaboration with the local Charity “Getting Court”. This charity was set up five years ago by the then High Sheriff of Oxford to give students an opportunity to gain an insight into the law system in action. As part of the visit, students sit in during part of a trial, as well as have the opportunity to speak to judges, barristers, members of the police force, court clerks and so tailor the visit to their specific interests. Each day is different as all depends on who is available on the day and what is going on. Our first visit on 2nd May coincided with the Opening Speech by the Prosecution in the high-profile trial dealing with the murder of the novelist Peter Farquhar. As this was such a rare opportunity to watch the Courts in action at a relatively early stage in a highly controversial trial, it was decided to allow the students to stay in the courts for the whole morning. Little by little, as the Barrister for the Prosecution painstakingly guided the Jury through the main items of evidence in favour of the prosecution, the students were able to gradually piece together the chilling outline of the case. On our second visit, three weeks later, the trial was well under way but, unfortunately for our students, one of the jurors was unwell and the trial was therefore put on hold for

the day. However, our students were able to sit in during a short legal argument regarding definitions prior to the start of another trial; and were also able to witness the sentencing of a young man convicted of storing indecent images on his electronic devices. But possibly the highlight of the visit was being able to talk with and ask questions of the judge presiding over the trial of the young men accused of Peter Farquhar’s murder. The judge, dressed in his full scarlet regalia, talked to our students about subjects as diverse as the reasons for the costumes and wigs; some of the cases over which he had presided as Supreme High Court Judge (which included the trial of the murderers of the Fusilier Lee Rigby at the Old Bailey in 2013-14); whether he had ever disagreed with a jury’s decisions; how jurors are picked; his career path and choices along the way; whether he had ever felt threatened during a trial, and so on. They were also then able to speak to and ask more questions of the Chief Recorder Judge of Oxford, who they had seen in action earlier as he pronounced sentence over the young man. Many of the students were so fascinated by the proceedings that they have continued to track the progress of the Peter Farquhar trial online. Some of the students are seriously considering a career in Law as a result. Four of our students subsequently

attended the Getting Court

Reception on the evening of 4th June

and were outstanding ambassadors

for our school.

Pam Stokell Academic Enrichment


19

In the early hours of a dreary Friday morning, a group of us pesky Sixth-formers headed into London. It was around 9am by the time we arrived, en route to the Guardian Offices past the side of King’s Cross. The day would be spent connected to the forefront of the day’s breaking news, with each of our respective groups tasked with producing a newspaper out of it. We organised ourselves into three teams of six with everyone picking an editorial role - from Chief to Sports. Once stories were researched for each subsection through the Guardian’s personal channels, teams held News Briefings to decide their priorities for the day. Some chose to use the front page for the Abortion Ban whilst others chose to focus on the breakdown of Brexit negotiations. It has to be said at this point that time was of the essence and the news seemed to be against you. What you decided to be front page news may have changed halfway through writing the article. The experience was therefore very

reflective of a regular news room, with any mild irritation offset by the serenity of the adjacent canal. At the end of the day, ‘The View’, ‘The Gazette’ and ‘The Collective’ were all printed and compared. I personally found our editorial variations to be very interesting, with the end products making it an, overall, very rewarding experience.

Molly Herbert

Year 12


King Alfred’s Sixth-Form at The Guardian Offices


20

What’s On

KING ALFRED’S ACADEMY 21

Skid Row Marathon film in aid of White Horse Harriers Are you a keen runner? Or are you interested in the psychological benefits of running? Or do

you want to be inspired by a true story of what sport can do to change lives?

One of our parents is trying to get a showing of Skid Row Marathon at Newbury

Vue for 19 July, via OurScreen. (This is a crowd-funding system whereby the

showing goes ahead if 51+ tickets are sold, and cards are not charged if it does not

go ahead.) It is a 12A. For more information and to book, please visit:

https://www.ourscreen.com/screening/48793?transactionId=85836

Details: Skid Row Marathon is the uplifting and inspiring story of an unlikely group

of individuals from LA's Skid Row, who receive a second chance at life, all brought

on by a simple act of kindness. Follow the story of High Court Judge, Craig Mitchell

as he coaches a long-distance running club from the Midnight Mission on Skid

Row. Using the redemptive power of running and the camaraderie of the group,

marathon training raises the spirits of Skid Row's inhabitants and gives a sense of

purpose to a group of people who are homeless, addicted or coming out of the

prison system.

"One horrendous act does not define a person in his entirety" and so the film

highlights the transformation of homeless and often helpless individuals into sober,

rounded and functioning members of society.

This feature will be preceded by an

exclusive 10 minute film called "I

Run On", exploring the

transformative powers of running.

Including Interviews with the

Running Charity, Olympic Gold

medalist Jo Pavey, BBC's Vassos

and Sophie Raworth, CEO of

parkrun, and best selling author &

columnist Bryony Gordon.

https://www.ourscreen.com/screening/48793?transactionId=85836


FREE Poetry Workshop for ages 10-13 (Years 5 – 8) Sunday 21

st July, 10am – 12noon

At Vale and Downland Museum, Wantage The Museum’s Poet-in-Residence, Elaine Baker, will be running a workshop on writing poetry in response to artefacts. No previous experience required – all you need is a love of writing! Booking essential. FREE Poetry Workshop for ages 14-18 (Years 9 - 13) Sunday 21

st July, 1 – 3pm

At Vale and Downland Museum, Wantage The Museum’s Poet-in-Residence, Elaine Baker, will be running a workshop on writing poetry in response to art and artefacts. No previous experience required – all you need is a love of writing! Booking essential. FREE Poetry Workshop for ages 18-25 (Year 13 and beyond) Sunday 21

st July, 3:30-5:30pm

At Vale and Downland Museum, Wantage The Museum’s Poet-in-Residence, Elaine Baker, will be running a workshop on writing poetry in response to stimuli, specifically art and artefacts. Elaine is also a member of Back Room Poets, Oxford. You do not need any previous experience – all you need is a love of writing and sharing ideas. Booking essential.

.

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A series of FREE local Poetry Workshops for young people Please see below for more details. The Workshops are FREE but booking is es-sential. Tickets are available from www.eventbrite.co.uk or from the museum (01235 771447 or email [email protected] )

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk

mailto:[email protected]

KING ALFRED’S ACADEMY 23

The D of E season is now in full swing.

We have run 3 really successful Expeditions so far:

Gold Practice: 16 canoeists and 6 walkers in the Lake District

Bronze Practice: 102 walkers and 25 staff, volunteers and helpers!

There was a lot of learning going on

Bronze Assessment: 99 walkers + 12 staff, volunteers and helpers

DoE Update

King Alfred’s Academy

The students have been amazing taking on the responsibility of managing themselves as a team – map reading, organising food, cooking, setting up tents, being organised with their kit and themselves. D of E is one of the few opportunities where students are able to make mistakes and work out a solution for themselves – before a ‘grown up’ steps in. These trips really allow students to step up and show what they can do. It is fantastic to watch. Congratulations to all the Year 9 students who have completed their Bronze Award already. There are four expeditions still to go: Silver Practice =- New Forest 16 – 18th June Silver Assessment = Dorset 26 - 28th June Gold Practice (2nd half) = The Lake District 8 – 13th July Gold Assessment = Scotland 16 – 22nd July If you have any further questions you can access lots more detail on www.dofe.org website or email me - [email protected]. Any questions re permission slips or finance – please contact Jane Smith on [email protected]

http://www.dofe.org

academy focus · ut for now, do enjoy reading about all of the wonderful opportunities our students...

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