issue 12 | july 2014

ISSUE 12 | JULY 2014

www.west.barnfield.ac.uk

A selected group of Year 9’s got to experience a day in the life of a monk. The group visited a monastery in Bedford and had an absolutely amazing experience. We were welcomed at reception by a 94 year old monk who was truly inspirational. We had a tour of the monk’s home and then began with a question and answer session. The types of questions asked were brilliant not to mention humorous.

The students also got involved in creating their own candle holders and attended afternoon mass where they met other monks and nuns. The students also experienced 20 minutes of absolute silence with just a lit candle to look at, which was very moving. We finished the day with students laying out on the courtyard listening to mystical music on iPod’s which had questions about life. On arrival back to school I asked the group would they recommend this to other classes and there was a cheer of “YES MISS”

One of our students wrote a wonderful thank you letter to Brother Herbert.

Dear Brother Herbert,

Firstly I would like to thank you for allowing us a day to experience being a monk and for giving us a tour around your home.

Before coming to the monastery I was expecting everything to be as silent as a grave, drowning in slow motion and that in the silence you could hear a pin drop.

Once we got there, everything I thought this tour was going to be, turned out differently because I got to learn why monks like silence and how it helps them.

Meeting you was part of the best experience, as you answered most of my questions on why people choose to become either monks or nuns, because it helps to know that becoming one is the same as telling God that he can speak through you anytime and in any way.

One thing that I would take from this experience is to not to be afraid of silence but to accept it and appreciate it, as it helps you discover yourself and even find reasons of what happened and why it happened.

The whole experience made me look back on our last topic ‘Believing in God’ because then you get the answer as to why people say that God is all loving (Omni-benevolent), God is all powerful (Omni-potent) and that God is all knowing (Omniscient).

All in all, I would like to thank you again for your generosity and for letting us spend a once in a lifetime experience with you.

Yours SincerelyEvy Wawira

[email protected] | 01582 601 221 | www.west.barnfield.ac.uk

It has been yet another action packed year at Barnfield West Academy. So many excellent activities and experiences have taken place for our pupils, that I can hardly believe I have only been back at West for 6 months.

Events such as our Year 8 Blue Peris Outdoor Residential trip, our Year 11’s on their reward trip to Thorpe Park, our fantastic Federal dance, music and drama show, Year 10 work experience and many more.

The year has concluded with two wonderful Proms, the Year 11 Prom taking place in a transformed West Academy, where the hall became a nightclub for the evening, and an ultra sophisticated Year 13 Prom situated in a local hotel. All of our students looked amazing and did themselves proud with their exemplary conduct.

Over the half term break, and before and after school, many of our older students took part in extensive revision sessions within the Academy, demonstrating the dedication and commitment that both our staff and students have towards achieving success. We wish them the very best with the future outcome of their hard work when the results are announced in August.

We look forward to welcoming all our students back in September for another exciting year and also extend our welcome to the many students that will be returning or joining us as a member of our Academies Sixth form.

As one year group moves on, we look to the future, as another cohort of younger student are welcomed to West Academy. Our ‘Moving Up’ day on the 3rd July was a great success. It was a chance for our new students to learn about Academy life and experience a number of different high quality learning sessions in a variety of subjects.

Our successes are always supported by the strong and vibrant partnership with all of our parent/carers. Thank you for your continued input as we progress on our excellent learning journey. The students at Barnfield West Academy continue to make me extremely proud.

Wishing you all a great summer.

Andy HardyPrincipal, Barnfield West Academy

This term has seen all members of the Barnfield Federation working together in a number of collaborative events, including the Luton Carnival, where students from across the Federation got together on Wednesday afternoons to plan their float and prepare their costumes. The students looked fantastic in the parade and they all had an unforgettable time on the day of the Carnival.

This term has seen several awards won by students of Barnfield College, with both a Gold and a Silver Award at SkillBuild. One of our construction apprentices won Luton Borough Council’s Apprentice of the Year, whilst a Public Services student won Adult Learners’ Week Higher Education Achiever of the Year.

South Academy won 2 national awards from SSAT in recognition for being in the top 20% of schools for progress and in the top 5 schools for achievement. This is a massive achievement for the Academy and we would like to thank the students, parents and staff for their hard work.

The students of West Academy have had a highly successful term on the sports fields, with the Year 8 boys football team winning the County Cup, and Sabrina Bakare has been awarded a full athletics scholarship by Loughborough University and she is also in line to qualify for the World Junior Finals in Florida later this year. It’s not just the athletes at West who are winning awards, Ross Cowley won a Gold award in the National UK Mathematics junior challenge.

Barnfield Skills Academy students have had some exciting projects this term. Some of the students attended a 3 day radio course at the University of Bedfordshire’s Media Department. A few of those students were so impressive that they have been invited to take over the University’s radio station for a day.

The children at Moorlands Free School have had an action packed term with trips, residentials and the reception graduation. The graduation saw children marked the end of their foundation years with an official ceremony attended by family, friends and staff.

Barnfield Vale Academy has been focussing on activities commemorating the 100th anniversary of Word War 1 this term. The pupils were joined by the Deputy Mayor of Dunstable to plant a memorial tree and over 300 students laid hand-made wreaths, poppies, windmills and messages of thanks at the foot of the newly planted Acer tree. Some of the older students have been practicing their French all year in preparation for a visit to the War monuments in France in July.

The Barnfield Federation would like to wish everyone a happy and restful summer break.


SeagullsLook up; see the seagulls in the sky,See the wind beneath their wings as they fly,Watch them beat their wings - pow, pow, pow,But shouldn’t they be by the coast by now? Here is the question on every ear,The seagulls, why are they here?Don’t fret, don’t shout, what shall I do?Just hear me out and I’ll enlighten you,They’re here for the rubbish on the floor,That’s why around they soar. Rubbish on the floor what a sin,Just find a bin and put it in,This is figurative dirt on our name,I really hope you feel the same. This is not a game to play;We need to clean BWA.This problem out we have to sort,Thanks so much for your support.

Jachin Mascall

BWA recently ran an anti-litter campaign which included a poetry competition. Congratulations go to Jachin Mascall in Year 7 who won first prize! This is the winning entry, Seagulls:

This year’s Federal Show was hosted by Barnfield West Academy. The show was a resounding success, with students from across the Federation displaying their Performing Arts talents to standing ovations from the audience of family and friends.

This year we launched our brand new Frog platform to students, staff and parents, and a huge number of you have already been taking advantage of what is on offer! Already available are details of your childrens’ homework tasks, merits and behaviour points and attendance records with assessments and reports available from next year. Academy key dates calendars, and copies of letters home are also all available for your reference.

We also want to allow you to engage with us through Frog as easily as possible and therefore there is a dedicated ‘Parent Focus Group’ (PFG) page where you can leave suggestions and, if you are a member of our PFG, contribute to discussion forums. There is also a ‘Parent Support’ page, currently offering a large collection of e-Safety advice and guidance and will later expand to include resources to support your childrens’ learning at home. A gallery is also under construction showcasing photos from key Academy events and examples of student work.

If you haven’t yet got your personal Frog log-in details then please visit the main Frog sign-in page at http://bwa-frog.barnfield.ac.uk and click “I’m a parent who wants to sign up to Frog.”. Your sign-in details will be e-mailed to you shortly after.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for future Frog updates and hands-on sessions; we have plans for lots of exciting new features for you in the next academic year!


On Thursday 1st May, over one hundred pupils from top sets in year 8 took part in the National UK Mathematics junior challenge. The UK Mathematics Trust is a registered charity whose aim is to advance the education of children and young people in mathematics. It organises national mathematics competitions and other mathematical enrichment activities for UK secondary pupils. A wonderful experience it had been with a great ethos around the academy and a fantastic maths challenge won by many individuals. There were best efforts from all the pupils but we at Barnfield West Academy are proud to announce numerous bronze, silver and even gold achievements.

Many congratulations to the following pupils:

GoldRoss Cowley

SilverAzizur KhanWilliam RichardsKamila BojarskaRebecca Moore

BronzeDeelana SuthaakaranAhmed OmarOliver HerbertJay McCullochNikola ChadaczAminat IbrahimKamal ChoudhuryVenus AshuFrances LimJunaid HasanTaylor Russell

On behalf of the mathematics team, we feel it is extremely important that we promote the passion we share for our great subject to all our pupils. Thank you to all the pupils who took part in this National competition.

Nausheen Arshad MalikMathematics Key Stage 3 Leader

Congratulations to the newly appointed Head Girl, Selina Mowatt, and Head Boy, Vinny Moli. We all look forward to working with them in 2014-15 and the Junior Leadership Team.’


The year 12’s are starting their University applications and have been to the UCAS HE fair where there were over 80 universities present. Following this they have spent two days at the UoB getting mentoring and support about writing personal statements. This will give them a head start against other students when they are ready to apply as soon UCAS opens in September.

The sixth formers have worked incredibly hard for their AS and A-Levels. It is the first year there has been no January exams so the pressure has really been on, however they have managed it very maturely and in a committed manor. To celebrate the end of the exams there was a Sixth Form prom on the 26th June. The students and Miss Joshi planned an event where the students and staff enjoyed a sit down three course meal, entertainment and music.

A group of sixth formers led by Mr Slater attempted the Three Peaks Challenge. They drove to Scotland to attempt Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon.

They raised money for the St. Peters Ward which is the ward that helped Mr Hardy rehabilitate after his illness.


This school year has showcased the amazing maturity of the Year 11 students at BWA. Given the opportunity to earn GEM (Going the Extra Mile) points each time they attended afterschool and weekend study support sessions, our students rose to the challenge with gusto!

Due to their amazing efforts, the Year 11s were able to surpass last year’s GEM total, securing the highest rewards total to date.

Those receiving these rewards were the embodiment of determination and hard work, and the predicted results indicate the positive results from these efforts.

As a final thank you to this outstanding year group, the prom, which was held at BWA on the 25th of June, was free of charge for all Year 11 students. This formal red carpet affair had been organised by a professional events company and will include a BBQ dinner and disco (not to mention remarkable décor and atmosphere).

Attending prom is always a lovely way to celebrate a huge chapter in our students’ lives and these students truly deserve to be celebrated.

Barnfield West Academy, Leagrave High Street, Luton, LU4 [email protected] | 01582 601 221 | www.west.barnfield.ac.uk

Recently 40 students attended Wembley Stadium for a tour. We got to experience the atmosphere of the stadium and where the players get changed on match day. Footballers that had been there included Ronaldo, Messi and our very own Wayne Rooney. During the tour we got to see the Bobby Moore Suite which costs £9,000 a year for membership.

A major highlight of the trip was being able to sit in the press room and also have our picture taken with the FA Cup in the Royal Box. This was all topped off by a trip to MacDonalds too! The highlight of the trip by far was the experience of walking the steps (107 of them) to where the FA Cup would have been collected by Arsenal just the week before!

By Michaela and Rhiannon

Recently 8 sports leaders; Mel, Fran, Cerys, Hannah, Libby, Ben, Tyrone and James assisted with the running of the Zone Sports Day for 10 local primary schools at Ferrars. They did extremely well, acting as runners and generally assisting the field and track events. They were great ambassadors for the school, Well Done!

Our students had the opportunity to compete against other aspiring athletes from across the town this month. The students were a credit to the school through their behaviour and sportsmanship as well as their sporting achievement. We had some fantastic results and the following students qualified to represent the town at the county athletics: Kyron Canny, Marcus Gouldbourne, Vincent Mwanda, Francesca Bullard, Melanie Wilson, Kennisha Morriss, Maciah Ramsey and Jordan Hunte Anson.

This week students in Years 8 and 9 competed at the Luton Schools Junior Athletics Cup. Once again we had some brilliant performances from our students, in particular Kyron Canny (Year 8) who won the 100m final against a field which was predominantly Year 9s. Other successful athletes incuded: Emily Wilson (long jump, triple jump and 75m hurdles), Nauhauna Hanson O’Connor (shot putt) and Adam Hughes (high jump and javelin). Well done to all students who competed!

Congratulations to the Year 8 boys’ football team won the County Cup to become Bedfordshire Schools Champions. They beat St Greggory’s Middle School from Bedford 4-1 in the final.

Kyron Canny in year 8 became the county champion for Long jump in athletics and is in line to qualify for the English Schools Finals later in the year which is shown live on Sky Sports.

Sabrina Bakare has been awarded a full scholarship by Loughborough University and is in line to qualify for the World Junior Athletics Finals in Florida later this year.

On Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th June our school was invited to take part in a Stock Market and Investment Challenge.

Tuesday was catered for our Year 10 students where teams of 5 students from each school competed in a city style trading floor. Students worked in a fast paced environment under pressure to take calculated risks and investments in fictional FTSE 100 companies. Students were given the autonomy to tackle problems and issues that involve an element of risk and uncertainty about final outcomes, as well as reward for their successful resolution.

30 teams attended the day and Barnfield West went in at the top of the leader board from the off and held their position for about an hour while approximately £20,000 ahead of the closest competition, unfortunately, the students became cautious and stopped taking the risks and invested in the safe low risk companies which turned out to be the wrong move. Team BWA finished in 16th place. Overall an amazing experience for the students. The students said ‘this was the most amount of fun, they’d ever had on a school trip’.

Wednesday was catered for our Year 12 students where teams were paired up and we entered 4 teams. The day was similar to the first day but was a more up-to-date style of trading where investment banking is now done more behind computer screens. In the game students worked in pairs on two linked screens: one for the Investment Analyst and one for the Media Analyst. Starting with a fund of 500,000 points, their task was to increase the value of their team’s starting fund by buying and selling shares in 12 companies and 3 commodities. In order to make the right investment decisions students needed to do their research. They decided whether a news story will have a good or bad effect on the share and commodity prices. With 46 teams to battle against, 3 of our teams finished up in the top ten but unfortunately not receiving any prizes.

Overall both days were action packed and invaluable experience for our students, a day that will be talked about for weeks to come.

issue 12 | july 2014

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