Creative News Issue7

Creative News Issue 7 . Autumn 2017

News, views and information about Green Spring Academy Shoreditch

Fest F Fe esst e st Welcome to issue 7 of Creative News – keeping you informed about the creative learning opportunities and social action projects at Green Spring Academy Shoreditch.

SoLFest - Summer Festival

Throughout July 2017, Green Spring Academy Shoreditch celebrated its eighth annual Summer of Arts, Culture and Learning Festival (SoLFest).

With a fun-filled and learning-centred programme of trips, events and activities, SoLFest 2017 was yet again another exciting and fulfilling period for our students and staff at the academy.

The aim is to develop students’ learning and skills through an array of creative, engaging and cultural opportunities, involving workshops, tournaments, music and drama, themed days and trips.

This year’s SoLFest presented a unique opportunity for Teach First trainee teachers to become part of the festivities.

Thirty three beginning teachers observed, assisted and delivered lessons and workshops between 5th and 18th July, including supporting performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for our headline ‘Shakespeare Day’ event which engaged 172 students on our Year 6 primary transition programme (see related article). A short video on our website at: gsacademyshoreditch.org.uk/videogallery captures the essence of the day.

As ever SoLFest included a range of exciting events for Sixth Form students, including university visits and taster days, and we are delighted to see the return of our highly popular KPMG Employability Workshop.

Our first careers fair was well attended by students and their parents/carers who came along to talk to our volunteers from a wide range of sectors about jobs and training. There were also a number of panel sessions where students could ask questions and discuss different careers.

Other highlights include: the summer music concert, an art exhibition, Latin Day and Bastille Day celebrations, the Maths 24 tournament, various workshops (such as life saving skills and Yoga) and ‘Education Without Walls’ – a day of activities providing exceptional learning environments outside of the classroom. Trips this year included visits to Brighton, Kew Gardens, Cambridge, Hyde Park and many more destinations.

We would like to thank all staff, students and parents/carers for their fantastic commitment and continued support during SoLFest, which was another great success!

Issue 7 . Autumn 2017

Enrichment at GSAS

Education Without Walls

Conscientiousness, curiosity and focus

On 7th July 2017 GSAS held its second Education Without Walls Day. The event provided a wide range of creative and high quality learning experiences for Year 7, 8 and 9 students outside the classroom. At GSAS we believe that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom. Education Without Walls is an enhancement to our enrichment offer and it plays a crucial role in the student experience at the academy.

The events help to enrich our expansive curriculum, as well as provide students with the opportunity to develop skills for life.

A taxi to Southend?

Year 8 and 9 Year 7

Everyone involved had an amazing, and exhausting day of learning and fun. A big thank you to all the staff for their hard work organising what is always a full-on day for all. Below is a snapshot of some of the activities enjoyed on the day.

Focus

Science & team building skills Science & team building skills Information, Advice & Guidance (IAG)

Team building skills & outdoor pursuits Cultural enrichment

Team building skills & outdoor pursuits Cultural enrichment Cultural enrichment

Activity

The whole of Year 7 participated in a STEM day. They made and tested rockets, followed by competitions in the sports hall A range of scientific activities in Kew Gardens and Hyde Park A coach trip to Cambridge University to visit a college and experience the inspirational environment offer by Britainʼs second oldest university town Team work and resilience building activities at Harlow Outdoor Adventure Centre A seaside trip to Brighton

Sporting and other activities at Coram Fields Farm and adventure playground and Hadleigh Park Mountain Bike Centre Creative cooking activities in school, where students designed, planned and cooked their own menu Language games in the academy sports hall followed by a trip to the cinema

Drama at GSAS

Fifty-two GSAS students attended the annual Taxi Drivers trip to Southend on Thursday 13th July 2017, in support of under privileged and SEND children. This is a significant initiative set up by London Taxi Drivers for students across many different schools. The taxi drivers drove our students, and many others, down to Southend for a full day which included a trip to the Southend Amusement park, a disco and a chance to meet various entertainers. The drivers, alongside many other volunteers, put everything into making this a special and memorable day for the children involved.

Many of the drivers made a point of telling our teachers what a pleasure it was to support our students, who were impeccably behaved.

Teachers said it was heart-warming to see so many adults giving up their time for such a great cause and to see our students enjoying such a special event.

Huge thanks to the London Taxi Drivers and all involved who made the day possible.

Perseverence, resilience and grit

A magical Midsummer Night’s Dream Inspired by theatre and film We were delighted on 7th July 2017 to welcome Year 6 students joining the academy in September to our annual Shakespeare Day, this year exploring A Midsummer Night’s Dream (with a twist of moving the setting from Athens to Elizabethan England).

Following auditions, 47 hugely talented students from Years 7 to 12 had 8 days to put together a one and half hour production to perform to our Year 6 visitors. On the following Monday, they also gave three further performances, one each to Year 7 and Year 8 audiences and then in the evening for parents and carers. With stunning costumes and props from the National Theatre, the students gave beautiful and magical performances that charmed every audience. It was particularly pleasing to see younger and older students working together, growing in confidence and expressing their creativity.

The Year 6 students had a really fun day exploring the play, getting to know the academy and helping the academy to

On 13th July 2017 a group of our Year 9, 10 and 12 students visited Mulberry Theatre to explore issues around careers in theatre and film. In a truly inspirational and professionally run event, students heard from a number of guest speakers, had the chance to ask searching questions and then to participate in afternoon workshops. A key theme for the day was representation of minority groups in the media and creative arts, with students exploring issues of gender and ethnicity with the expert panel.

get to know them. After a performance of the first 30 minutes of the play, they participated in creative writing workshops to explore the plot and characters in more depth. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a challenging play with lots of different sub-groups of characters (the mechanicals, the lovers, the fairies and the royal group) and complex love triangle/square within the plot. Students were really engaged and produced some fantastic creative writing including instructions on how to make love potions and descriptions of the woodland scene through Oberon’s eyes. After lunch, they were treated to the remaining hour of the play.

Women in Shakespeare

The Shakespeare’s Women Project included a performance to Years 7, 8 and 9 in assembly time by eight of our gifted and talented Year 9 and 10 GCSE Drama students.

These young women each performed a monologue from a Shakespearean play and weaved in elements of physical theatre and direct address, responding to the question of whether Shakespeare’s Women are effective role models for students today. The performances were greatly received and led to two Year 8 Drama workshops which were designed and delivered by the Year 9 and 10 actresses.

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Issue 7 . Autumn 2017

Music at GSAS

Honesty, integrity and dignity

From improvised jazz to Kool and the Gang: GSAS Summer concert is a hit On Thursday 20th July 2017, our amazing students and staff rounded off the summer term and SolFest with a wonderful showcase of musical talent.

The summer concert was a celebration of musical endeavours throughout the year by students and staff of all abilities. The audience of parents,carers, students and staff were treated to an array of instrumental ensembles, soloists and choirs performing in musical styles from classical through to jazz and rock. During the week of the concert students enjoyed previews through lunchtime concerts held in The Street.

Highlights included the student jazz band who worked particularly hard in thesummer term to hone their improvisation skills. Student bands in Years 7, 8 and 9 indulged us with hit songs Fireflies, Despacito and If I Were a Boy. Shala Lazarus received a rapturous applause after she confidently performed a piece from her grade 5 trombone exam.

One of the many high points of the event included the GSAS choir, who were accompanied by soloist Victorine Tuka as she sang I look to You and The Greatest; and Demi-Lou Craig-Ward who sang Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. Both soloists sang with confidence in front of an appreciative audience. The staff choir also pitched in, singing Use Somebody by Kings of Leon, followed by the staff band who supported Ebenezer Johnson’s uplifting vocal rendition of Kool and the Gang’s Celebration.

A special mention goes to Miss Watts, who has worked with student choirs for many years at the academy and provided fantastic music therapy for students. Her dedication has been above and beyond the call of duty and is very much appreciated by staff and students alike.

Art and Technology at GSAS

Motivation, drive and ambition

GSAS annual art exhibition Thursday 20th July 2017 saw an extravaganza of creative and expressive arts at GSAS. As well as the summer music concert, the Art Department hosted the annual art exhibition for students to showcase their artwork from the school year.

This included GSCE and A-level work from Year 11 and 12 students as well as selected other students across the school. Parents and carers were invited to view the students’ works, with Year 12 (and some Year 10) students available to talk about their work. This year the exhibition included drawings and sculptures created by Year 8 students as part of the City of London’s Sculpture in the City project.

Congratulations to all those who exhibited; you are all genuinely talented artists!

Tower Hamlets young artists programme Three GSAS students were invited to take part in the 3-week summer programme for Tower Hamlets young artists in August 2017.

Thamina Islam writes about her experience on the programme: I attended the programme for three weeks during the summer holidays. We were given the theme ‘Yesterday, today and tomorrow’ and, during the first week we did a walk and draw around Spitalfields where we learned to draw in different ways, for example blind drawing and continuous line drawing. We visited the Museum of Immigration, Tate Modern and Central Saint Martins University.

The second week we did various workshops based on different art forms including architecture, jewellery design, product design, graphics, fine art and textiles. In the third week we chose a couple of art forms from the workshops and created a project and final piece related to the theme.

I chose textiles and architecture and began by making rubbings, screen printing, heat press and knitting. Then I made a model of an area I designed that would provide a covered urban space with greenery and buildings for living and working. At the end of the three weeks I had to present my work.

It was an incredible, and very productive experience.

Saturday Cooking Club Since 2013, Green Spring Academy Shoreditch has been running a students’ cooking club on Saturday mornings in term time. The club is open to different groups of students each term, across all year groups. Students learn to cook a wide range of starters, main courses and desserts from a huge range of cultures and culinary traditions including Caribbean, Indian, Italian, Spanish and English.

Groups of around 8-16 students cook a two-course meal each Saturday, either to eat themselves or to take home to

their family. Favourite dishes include Jerk Chicken, Rice and Peas, Ackee and Saltfish, Paella, Pizza, Lasagne, Biriyani, cakes and bakes and much, much more. At the end of term the club often cook a celebration lunch, tea or brunch for parents and carers, who are invited to the academy to enjoy their children’s food.

As well as learning to cook, students learn about healthy eating and get a regular opportunity to socialise and build confidence in a safe, fun environment.

Sculpture in the City For the last 7 years the City of London Corporation has run the acclaimed Sculpture in the City project to exhibit contemporary works from internationally renowned artists across the Square Mile. This includes a fabulous school engagement programme, which engages students in exploring the public realm spaces that Sculpture in the City inhabits through a series of dynamic workshops.

Year 8 students from GSAS who have chosen to take GCSE Art attend workshops led by the Open-City education team with the generous support of volunteers from city companies and architecture practices. This year’s workshops took place at the Lloyd’s Building and Leadenhall Market and included students learning to critique architecture, drawing buildings and architectural features and finding out about careers in art and architecture.

Students created sculptures to exhibit in Leadenhall Market and discuss with the public. They drew London skylines from the top of the Lloyd’s Building and learned about London’s protected views (such as of the protected views of St Paul’s from various London locations). They also got to see many of the professional sculptures in situ and to talk to the public about what the sculptures represent.

Drawings created by the students were exhibited in the annual GSAS art exhibition on 20th July 2017.

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Social Action at GSAS

Community Walk

On Wednesday 7th June 2017, GSAS students took part in a “community walk” to observe and record (through notes and photographs) issues in the local environment that they feel are not quite right, such as graffiti, vandalism etc. Students then gave presentations on the issues they wanted to focus on and have written to Tower Hamlets Borough Council raising these issues and to ask for help to address them. We wait with baited breath for the replies!

Issue 7 . Autumn 2017

Motivation, drive and ambition

Students in control On Teacher Take Over Day (20th July 2017), students took over from teachers here at Green Spring Academy Shoreditch.

Selected students assumed the role of teachers in lessons, taking on responsibilities ranging from leading whole lessons to running a variety of activities within lessons.

Working with the class teacher and Miss Higdon, students learned about lesson planning and researching source materials to help them deliver engaging lessons and activities. As a result they learn about taking responsibility for others and what it’s really like to be a teacher.

One group of Year 9 and 10 girls worked with Ms Wali in a workshop on how women are represented in Shakespeare, exploring issues through monologues from different Shakespeare characters. The group then used this preparation to teach Year 8 classes about these issues on Teacher Take Over Day.

Girl Leading project

Go Green for Grenfell

On Friday 23rd June 2017, the academy participated in the ‘Go Green for Grenfell’ initiative to show solidarity for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Students and staff donated £1 to wear a green item of clothing or a green ribbon to symbolise their support. The academy managed to raise £175.00 to help with other fundraising efforts and we decided to support the fundraising campaign set up by Haley Yearwood, a teacher at the local Kensington Aldridge Academy. Ms Yearwood’s heartfelt efforts raised a whopping £1,418,245 for the families affected by the tragic events.

GSAS contacted Ms Yearwood and she confirmed that she was donating the money to local charity Family Action, who plan to create a programme where they will make cash payments directly to the victims of the fire. She asked the academy to do the same and we received a lovely thank you certificate directly from Family Action.

Prom at GSAS

Dress to impress Monday 10th July 2017 saw Year 11 students from the academy take the world by storm at their “Graduation” and Prom. Starting at the academy, where other students can see how amazing they all look as a glimpse of their own futures, students were then whisked away to a secret location. This year the venue was Orsett Hall in Essex; a stunning venue with beautiful gardens.

Our students really go to town on their clothing for the prom, ordering fabrics and garments from all over the world to reflect who they are, where they come from and their heritage. They looked truly amazing and were a powerful visual reminder of the wonderful diversity of GSAS students.

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Following the academy’s participation in the Girl Leading project led by Mulberry School for Girls and the residential in April, Year 9 students have been hard at work on their social action project, raising awareness about the issue of Forced Marriage and fundraising for a local charity that supports victims of Forced Marriage, FGM and Dishonour in the family.

On Wednesday 14th June 2017, students led a bake sale where they raised £80 and also organised a Student Trainer Day on Tuesday 25th July 2017.

On Saturday 8th July 2017 the girls attended The Feedback Day at the Mulberry and Bigland Green Centre.

Students delivered a presentation to Ursuline School to share the progress of their leadership challenge and what they had achieved since the residential in April.

One of the highlights of the entire project, was the way in which the students diligently researched the issue of Force Marriage, which led them to a local organisation called

Freedom Charity. They decided to contact the charity who were so impressed by the girls work that their Founder and President Aneeta Prem (also a British author, human rights campaigner and magistrate) visited the academy and delivered an assembly to male and female students across Years 7-10. Aneeta also kindly donated 200 copies of her book ‘But It’s Not Fair’ to all the students.

We are incredibly proud of the students, Aaliyah Begh, Aaliyah Clements Loveday, Roqiyah Al-Aqool, Lasharn Southwell and Amina Begum, who participated in the Girl Leading project. The project has left them feeling empowered by what they have achieved.

Saving Lives

GSAS students recently benefitted from a bursary from the British Heart Foundation which provided a wealth of resources and equipment for students to learn lifesaving skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Our aim is to help reduce the number of deaths from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Currently one in ten of the 30,000 such incidents in the UK result in a fatality whereas in Norway

where lifesaving skills are taught in school it is only one in four. In July 2017, using this equipment we ran a lifesaving course, which will be incorporated into PSHE lessons from now on.

Conscientiousness, curiosity and focus

Issue 7 . Autumn 2017

MFL at GSAS

Conscientiousness, curiosity and focus

Bastille Day at GSAS

Carpe Diem!

GSAS goes Latin

On Thursday 13th July 2017, we held the academy’s annual Latin Day to give students and staff opportunities to enjoy a variety of activities that promoted awareness of, and engagement in Latin and Roman culture.

On Friday 14th July 2017, the academy held its first ever Bastille Day. Students and staff sampled a French breakfast and French cuisine for lunch. There were lots of fun French culture quizzes and exercises during lessons, break time and lunch time. Staff in the modern foreign languages department also wore traditional French berets and scarves!

French lessons took place in The Street followed by Year 7 taking part in a Bastille Day treasure hunt; finding clues around the academy to answer their question sheets. Year 10 also amused themselves and their teachers with a French karaoke session, imitating Edith Piaf with great humour, waving hands in the air singing La Vie en Rose..

This included a well-received translation on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (using a GCSE text that tells the story through the eyes of a real Roman family), a practice conversation in Latin, creation of mosaic patterns and designing poster on Mount Vesuvius. Some staff dressed up in togas and lessons were taught in The Street. Roman food was also sampled at breakfast, brunch and lunch.

The day has a serious side to encourage students to learn Latin at GSAS. It is an engaging and challenging language that enables insights far beyond merely learning the language itself as well as being important platform for a variety of careers, including medicine and law: A ‘Happy Latin Day!’ was had by all, not least because of seeing their teachers in togas!

GSAS History and Latin receive Prince’s Teaching Institute Mark

Green Spring Academy Shoreditch is delighted to receive the prestigious Prince’s Teaching Institute (PTI) Mark for 2016/17.

Our History and Latin departments received the mark on this occasion in recognition of a range of inspirational activities carried out in 2016/17. These initiatives have enriched and enhanced students’ learning, interest and fascination in the past and have inspired all involved.

Perseverence, resilience and grit

“ “

The activities in the hall were a really nice surprise. I really enjoyed Bastille Day.” Juliann Gaskin It was fun to learn new things about the French community.”

Jasmine Adoroh

Bastille Day was a fantastic opportunity for the students to learn more about French at GSAS, France and the other 28 countries where French is spoken!

The PTI launched the Schools Programme in 2007 to recognise and reward school departments that develop inspirational ideas and activities which enhance the teaching of Art, English, Geography, History, Latin, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages, Music and Science, regardless of their students’ backgrounds or abilities.

Congratulations to history and Latin on this fabulous achievement.

Maths at GSAS

You can count on us

A highlight of the year for the Maths Department has been the success of the GSAS Count On Us Challenge team, who reached the final of this London-wide Maths tournament for Year 8 and 9 students, delivered in partnership with the Jack Petchey Foundation.

Game 24 Maths Tournament

A key round in the Count On Us Maths Challenge (see related article) is game 24, where students are given 4 random numbers with which they have to make the number 24 using the four operators (add, subtract, multiply and divide). Seeing how spectacularly good at this challenge our GSAS Count on Us team became, and by popular demand, the Maths faculty held a GSAS game 24 tournament on 12th July 2017.

It was really fun, with students in Years 8 to 10 showcasing their maths skills in this quick-witted game. Students had 15 minutes to get as many correct calculations as possible.

With support from across the school (and especially from the last minute wonder judge Mr Bale) the competition was fast paced and extremely close.

Ultimately Year 9 were the winning team with Year 8 in a close second. Nora Al Morhiby took top spot, winning all of her matches, followed by Jamilah Zahra, Jawad Bakar, and Xiaochuan (George) Che finishing in joint second and Inaya Yasmin finishing 3rd overall (all from Year 9). Students from the GSAS Count on Us team took three of the top five places. An amazing effort from the students who all took part in the tournament.

Having won through the GSAS Count on Us Maths competition in March, Siham Mohamed and Tina Seleshe (Year 8) with Jawad Bakar, Mohamed Ali Mohamed and Nora Al Morhiby (Year 9) won their heat and came fourth in their semi-final to reach the final at City Hall on 4th July 2017.

Competition challenges included a game of Hex, a geometric reasoning challenge and competing individually in rounds of the game 24 (see related article) and a code breaking algebra round.

Bridge tribute following the recent terrorist attack and indulged in, what has become a team tradition of, eating ice-creams, this time kindly donated by Tesco thanks to the mum of one of the team members.

Well done team GSAS, we are proud of you!

The students did the academy proud demonstrating their mental arithmetic and problem solving skills to come 7th overall, only 20 points from a podium position.

After the final, the team visited Tower Bridge and the London

Pi pies on Pi Day

On 14th March 2017, GSAS took part in maths and other activities to mark Pi Day (Pi is an important number in maths which starts 3.14, which is 14 March in US format). Activities included a competition to see who could recite Pi to the most decimal places (won by Umaya Rahman in year 7 who recited a staggering 142 decimal places, despite being interrupted at one point - a truly impressive performance).

There was also a whole school competition in which teachers were assigned numbered badges that were the answers to the questions on a worksheet. The students who found the most teachers for the right questions won edible prizes.

Special thanks go to our catering staff who prepared a mouth-watering array of Pi-themed food including shepherds 3.14 and Pi pies and cakes.

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Issue 7 . Autumn 2017

Careers at GSAS

Confidence and optimism

Beyond GSAS At Green Spring Academy Shoreditch we are committed to providing a planned programme of careers education for all students in Years 7 to 13. We offer a rich and diverse range of careers activities and information, advice and guidance (IAG) to inspire and encourage our students to explore what they want to do after leaving education. Through our extensive partnerships and networks we organise a series of careers events which includes mock interview sessions and mentoring schemes, together with visits to the workplace and universities Highlights from our Key Stage 4 programme of activities In Year 9 students participate in a leadership day. On this occasion, volunteers from Barclays and Clyde and Co helped students to explore what makes a good leader using examples and styles of past and present world leaders.

Our Year 10 students participate in a programme entitled Getting Ahead. It involves volunteers from major businesses such as Barclays, the Bank of England and leading law firm Clyde and Co, who come into the academy to provide students with a range of skills and techniques that they can take into the workplace. Activities include how to make a good first impression; how to develop good interview techniques; and team building exercises to develop their leadership skills.

Our work experience programme in July 2017 was undertaken by almost all of our Year 10 students to help them get real experience of the world of work. Placements included roles as teaching assistants in primary schools and retail roles in firms such as Boots, Superdrug and Tesco.

This year, a third of students found their own placements to suit their interests. This approach helps students to grow in confidence as it requires them to contact employers directly and to utilise the skills they learn on programmes such as Getting Ahead.

First ever GSAS Careers Fair

On Thursday 13th July 2017, GSAS hosted its first ever Careers Fair to coincide with the academy’s eighth Summer of Arts, Culture and Learning Festival (SoLFest).

Students and parents/carers had opportunities to meet professionals from a wide range of industries including medicine, law, engineering, communications, consulting, banking, business, and more. They also had an opportunity to learn more about university study at UCL, Newcastle, Westminster and the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). This was followed by panel discussions on Law & Government, Medicine & Healthcare, Media, Communications and the Arts, and Business, Banking & Consultancy.

The event was well-attended and there was a definite ‘buzz’ in the air as students wandered The Street asking questions about work experience and future career pathways, not to mention enjoying their goodie bags! Many students left saying they felt inspired and now know what they need to do at school to get their ‘dream job’.

GSAS would like to thank all the companies who gave up their time to speak to our students and to all staff who supported the event.

Science at GSAS

On Monday 26th June 2017, three teams from Green Spring Academy Shoreditch took part in the national TeenTech final, beating 2,000 teens to compete against the last 63 projects and 143 TeenTech finalists.

Our students set up their booths and spent four gruelling hours pitching their ideas; answering very tough questions from industry experts and celebrity judges, including Maggie Philbin OBE (CEO, TeenTech), Kate Russell (BBC Click), Katherine Bennett OBE (Senior Vice President, Airbus), Andrew Cohen (Head of BBC Studios Science Unit) and Dr Sue Black OBE (technology and digital skills expert, social entrepreneur, consultant and international keynote speaker).

Photos courtesy of TeenTech

Students win TeenTech Reach for the stars Year 7 students recently completed a space themed STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) challenges. The first conundrum they faced was to put together budgets for supplies, fuel etc. for an expedition to colonise another planet. They were then challenged to design and build rockets for a competition to see which would go the furthest (three teams easily getting theirs across the full length of the sports hall).

Just a few weeks after learning they had made the finals, two GSAS projects were announced as winners in their categories.

• Our winning project in the Environment category was ‘Sensorship’ (Saima Rahman, Dhansere Reza and Thamina Islam in Year 10); an idea for monitoring fishing vessels to prevent illegal fishing. The group won the top prize of £1,000.

Well done to all the students

• Joint winners in the Future of Food category were ‘Snowdrop Chewing Gum’ (Musammoth Siddiqa Khatun Anjuma, Mossamut Aarifa Islam and Faria Hoque also in

Year 10), which was an idea for soluble chewing gum.

Our third project ‘Holograms’ (Jawad Bakar, Junaid Mohamed and Abdul Muhaimin Tahseen in Year 9) didn’t win, but represented themselves and the school fantastically.

Our students showed amazing professionalism and confidence throughout the day with many industry professionals remarking how “brilliant” and “incredible” they were. An award ceremony was held at the end of the day and the winning teams visited Buckingham Palace in October to meet HRH The Duke of York KG and receive their prize money.

This is an exceptional achievement for our students and we are very proud of them.

GSAS Guinea Pigs

A local technology innovation firm recently came to the academy to test their new, top secret, practical science app on our students and teachers. Lots of fun was had by all our students, who gave extremely professional feedback to the company and learned a lot about science and innovation in the process.

Issue 7 . Autumn 2017

Sixth Form at GSAS

Motivation, drive and ambition

First GSAS Sixth Form student Model UN Award secures place at Cambridge University Green Spring Academy Shoreditch is delighted to share the excellent provisional results achieved by our A Level and Level 3 BTEC students. Our students have worked incredibly hard this year and the results they have achieved today are well deserved.

Outstanding achiever Ciaran Constable (right), achieved A*, A, B, B grades in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Drama securing him a place at Cambridge University – the first Sixth Form student to secure a place at this prestigious and worldrenowned institution. On receiving his results he said:

Imaad represented the country of Norway and presented a report to the Chairs of the committee that highlighted the gender issues Norway faced. We’re very proud to say that Imaad was successful in winning an award for most distinguished delegate.

“It’s hard to take in. I’m beyond words. I can now go on to study Natural Sciences and become a researcher and a lecturer. My foot’s now in the door and the only way is up!”

Well done to Imaad for such a fantastic achievement.

Another impressive set of results was achieved by (below left) Mithila Sharmin. Her A*, A*, A, A grades in Italian, Maths, Biology and Chemistry has secured her a place at UCL to study Medicine. She said:

Walking the talk on impactful work experience at SThree

“I’m overwhelmed. It’s incredible, I can’t believe that in six years’ time I will be a doctor. Wow this is just amazing.”

Humaira Hoque (below right) was also thrilled with her achievements and is looking forward to studying Pharmacy at UCL. She achieved A, A, A, A, grades in Biology, Chemistry, Italian and Maths and commented:

“I am literally speechless and can’t thank the academy enough for all they have done for me.

On Tuesday 18th July 2017, Mohammed Imaad Uddin, a Year 12 student currently taking A Levels in politics, history and English Literature, took part in the Model United Nations Conference hosted at Mulberry School for Girls. The conference attended by a number of schools from London had ‘delegates’ (students) representing different countries.

Each delegate was charged with researching how their given countries dealt with gender equality.

I can’t wait to be a pharmaceutical practitioner working in a large GP practice. The future is so exciting.”

As well as gaining places at their first choice universities, Green Spring Academy Shoreditch students also secured placements on competitive Undergraduate courses including Mathematics, History and Midwifery. BTEC students also managed to secure placements at top Russell Group universities. Individual stand-out performances include: Deborah Ehinmonorin: A*, B, B grades in Drama, History and Government and Politics will be studying History at Warwick Rafiul Islam: A, A, B grades in Italian, Economics and Maths will be studying Mathematics at Queen Mary University Mohamed Seray Jalloh: D*, D, *D* (Triple Distinction*) in Business BTEC will be studying Information Management for Business at UCL Nikita Rahman: A, B, C grades in Italian, Maths and Chemistry will be studying Midwifery at City University

SThree is an international staffing organisation specialising in the Information Technology, Banking & Finance, Life Sciences, Engineering, and Energy sectors. Year 12 BTEC Business student, Elijah Marshall learned about the organisation from a family friend. He went to the company, introduced himself and was eligible to do a week’s work experience as part of their corporate social responsibility programme which supports individuals, organisations and the wider economy.

“It went really well and I fulfilled all of my objectives. I know more about what marketing actually is in practice and I’ve definitely built my network. I’ve left with a number of connections on LinkedIn.” Elijah “It was a great opportunity to introduce the many areas of marketing to Elijah who had such great enthusiasm to learn.

From public relations, advertising, and media planning, to content marketing, social media, and research, there are so many pathways to take when you are first introduced to marketing. Being able to give Elijah some of this knowledge and answer his questions, hopefully helps him answer that question we’ve all asked ourselves one time or another – what job should I have?” Katie Heinemann

Sixth Form Summer Enrichment

GSAS Sixth form students benefitted from a host of events, activities and visits in summer term 2017, including a Government and Politics Conference at the London School of Economics, a visit by the University of Leeds, a Unidosh workshop providing advice on managing finances at university and much more. Particular highlights include: On Friday 14th July 2017, 6th Form students had the pleasure of working with a team of passionate volunteers from KMPG, who delivered their Employability Skills Programme to help students learn essential life skills. This included interactive sessions where students learned how to structure professional CV’s and how to deliver engaging presentations. We were also delighted to welcome former GSAS student Mahmadul Hoque as part of the KPMG team, having joined their Audit School and College Leaver Programme. We are extremely privileged to work alongside KMPG and would particularly like to thank David Gracie (one of our Trustees) and his team for the their support over the last 3 years.

“I loved the comradery of the volunteers and enjoyed it as they made us laugh as they were teaching us. They were nearer our age and can remember this time so it made it easier for me.” Amar Yasin, Year 12 student

“I enjoyed it very much. I got to meet the main recruiter at Mitsubishi who told me he had recruited everyone there that day.

He told me things like instant turn-ons and turn-offs at interviews which I will use in the future. It was also a chance to meet students from other schools and work with people I didn’t know.” Harley McGaughran, Year 12 student

On Friday 30th June, our Year 12 Economic and Business BTEC students attended an employability workshop at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities. The workshop introduced students to psychometric tests, allowed them to participate in group tasks/case studies and a question and answer session with Mitsubishi employees (including the CEO) who was then interviewed by our students. The students were really impressed and learned important interview and networking skills to set them up for the future.

On Tuesday 13th June 2017, Year 12 students attended a work experience event at Chubb Insurance, organised by Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership. Students took part in an interactive half day workshop, followed by a short question and answer session. They learned about different career options open to them in insurance and other related business areas. It was also an excellent opportunity for them to be able to practice their employability skills with Chubb employees and ask lots of questions.

Issue 7 . Autumn 2017

Inclusion at GSAS

Motivation, drive and ambition

GSAS awarded Inclusion Quality Mark On Thursday 13th July, Green Spring Academy Shoreditch was once again awarded the prestigious Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM). The IQM was established in October 2004 with the objective of supporting schools to become truly inclusive.

It recognises and celebrates the inclusion work going on in schools, on both a local and national scale. It has the largest team of assessors and advisors in the UK examining how schools meet the ever-changing needs of a diverse community in delivering an inclusive education.

We are proud to be a truly inclusive academy that provides outstanding and personalised support for our most

vulnerable students. Retaining our IQM status underscores our commitment in this area and our aim to achieve Centre of Excellence status next time round.

“Retaining our Inclusion Quality Mark status is a phenomenal achievement.

Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do at GSAS and ensures that each and every one of our students achieves their full potential. I would like to thank Jemima Hills (Acting Assistant Vice Principal), Aura Fabian (SENCO), the Inclusion Team and the rest of our staff for all their incredible hard work and dedication. GSAS staff are truly inclusive…and amazing!”

Issue 7 . Autumn 2017

PE at GSAS

Girls can and do play football On Monday 3rd July 2017, Year 7 and Year 8 GSAS students played a girls football match against Year 6 students from Virginia Primary School. Both teams played exceptionally well, showcasing their stunning skills, fearless saves and spectacular interceptions throughout the match.

Football is one of the world’s most popular team sports and a great way of having fun and keeping fit. With campaigns such as ‘This Girl Can’ and the Football Association recently announcing that it plans to double the number of women and girls taking part in football by 2020, the event was a positive step towards promoting sports opportunities for girls within the community. GSAS and Virginia will continue to develop our partnership and involve other local schools to ensure that girls are able to train and play football regularly in the future.

Motivation, drive and ambition

Messing about on the water?

Year 7 students from GSAS travelled to Laburnum boat club in May 2017 to learn canoeing and kayaking during their PE lessons as part of our programme of outdoor activities and sports. Great fun was had by all in good weather, albeit with most getting wet after ending up in the water on multiple occasions.

GSAS cricketers take on Eton College

A visit to Lords cricket ground

On Thursday 27th April, the GSAS senior cricket team visited Lords Cricket Ground for the annual MCC and Middlesex Board’s School Engagement Day. They watched Middlesex take on Sussex in the one day cup.

The students also got to take part in various cricket activities run by professionals. An amazing experience for our cricket team and a great incentive ahead of the cricket season.

The students had a fantastic time and represented the academy with pride.

Duke of Edinburgh 38 GSAS students completed their Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions in July 2017. For many this is the last challenge to achieve their bronze (Year 9s) or silver awards (Year 10); and just have a few remaining volunteering activities to complete in the autumn.

On 15th June 2017, the GSAS senior cricket team travelled to Eton College for the fourth year in a row, to play a friendly cricket fixture that is a highlight of our sporting calendar.

Spending a day at Eton is a unique and memorable experience for our students, who get to see some of the fabulous facilities Eton enjoys and mix with staff and students there.

The GSAS team bowled and fielded very well, restricting Eton to just 3 boundaries, but unfortunately our batting let us down, leading to an Eton victory. Atik Hussain (Year 10) was man of the match, contributing to an amazing 6 run outs!

Our thanks go to Eton College for hosting a wonderful day.

McKinsey Cricket Tornament

On Thursday 22nd June 2017, our senior cricket team competed in the McKinsey Cricket Tournament, playing three games, winning two and losing one.

The McKinsey cup is an 8-a-side limited over tournament in which every player must bowl at least one over. It was therefore very much a team effort. Highlights included a wicket maiden over from Huzaifuh Hossain; a superb wicket (bowled) for our youngest player, Jubed Kamaly; and in the final game, three players scored 20 runs or more – Samin Yasar, Yash Parssottam and Faizal Thoppayil.

Well done to all involved.

Having undertaken a practice expedition in the Chilterns, the students travelled to the South Downs, where they walked from Seaford (near New Haven) to Alfriston and back to South Heighton. Everyone involved had a great time.

Congratulations to all!

Visit us at www.gsacademyshoreditch.org.uk

Green Spring Academy Shoreditch . Gosset Street . London E2 6NW . Tel: 020 7920 7900 . Email: info@gsacademyshoreditch.org.uk Green Spring Academy Shoreditch is part of Green Spring Education Trust