Attleborough Academy Times: Autumn 2018

Attleborough Academy Times Autumn 2018

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Sports Day 2018 Page 4

PLEDGE Week 2018 Page 6

Remembrance 2018 - Page 10

Year 12 Volunteering Programme - Page 16 working with

Academy Times Autumn 2018 Principal’s Foreword

Netball Success in 2018

Our intake numbers are on the rise again and we are seeing a steady flow of new applications across all year groups to the Academy, some of which seems to reflect the arrival of new families into the new housing developments.

It has also been gratifying to see the design plans for the new frontage building come to fruition as the first part of the buildings Masterplan, more details are on our website.

Because this will be a modular build, once it has passed the planning stage, it is likely to take shape quickly and so current project planning is for it to be finished in the next calendar year. The new building will include a new reception at the front end of the school together with new facilities for Art, Drama, Leadership and Student Support.

We also held both of our Open Evenings for the Academy this term and once again found ourselves very humbled by the huge attendance for both of these events together with the amount of positive feedback we received. Indications already show that we will receive a very large intake into Year 7 next year.

Welcome to the Autumn 2018 edition of the Academy Times.

It is incredible to think that we are almost at the end of the Autumn term with the dark nights drawing in and Christmas decorations popping up everywhere. In this edition we reflect on the many achievements we have made as a community since the Summer. When writing this introduction, I have had the privilege of viewing the pre-print version and I am, again, amazed at the quantity of events that we provide for our students and so thankful to all our staff who make it all possible.

In August, once again, we saw record GCSE results achieved by our Year 11 students, many of whom are now nearing the completion of their first term of their A Level courses as Sixth Form students. These record results were achieved against a national backdrop of uncertainty with so many new exam specifications and a new grading system. Our raw results, which many of you will have no doubt seen in the press, move us up into the top echelons of achievement in Norfolk. Whilst this is gratifying, I am sure you will know that we believe that education is so much more than just results and so it has been a pleasure to see these ‘record breaking’ students, grow and develop into the responsible fine young adults who lead our Academy as Sixth Form students.

Every September, at the other end of the spectrum, it is also a pleasure to welcome our new Year 7 students as they start their journey in the next major step of their education.

02

The Autumn term also represents the start of the new Academic year and so together with our new student intake, we have welcomed some new staff: Mr Groves (Science), Miss Ahern (Cover Supervisor), Mr Moore (Cover Supervisor), Mrs Hall (Finance), Miss Fagg and Miss Vlatseas (Student Support) and Mr Heron (Site Team) have all strengthened our staff team and have settled in well.

Following on from the Summer Edition and even at this early stage of the academic year, staff have already undertaken a great number of extra- curricular opportunities with students and many of them are highlighted in this edition. They are, again, a tribute to the commitment and dedication of our fantastic staff who always go above and beyond to provide these opportunities for our students. As always, we also thank and respect our parents and carers for their reliable support to ensure that these trips and visits go ahead when contributions are necessary. Thank you also in anticipation of your support for our annual Christmas Foodbank appeal and for our collections for Save the Children on non-uniform day. I will now look forward to dusting off my Christmas jumper for this on the last day of term. As we all prepare for the approaching festive season, I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and Happy New Year celebrations with your loved ones.

Mr McShane Principal

The start of 2018 has seen all of our Netball teams off to a flying start.

Year 7 and 8 have won their first fixtures of the season, with more to play in the league after Christmas. Our Year 9 team have played well in the league, but their biggest success so far has come in the U14 Netball Tournament hosted at Attleborough. They played the best netball Mrs Sparrow has seen from these girls, all working well together as a team.

In each of the games they were able to keep the ball safe throughout the court, meaning that turn overs were high. The girls made it through to the final where they met Thetford Grammar and although the girls played well, fatigue had set in and unfortunately, they lost. Getting through to the final puts them as South Norfolk U14 Runners Up. Tournament women went to Marianna Latu and Ria Wallbank.

A week later saw the chance for the U16 Netball team, helped out by Emily Cole, Abbie Wilson and Ellen Cursons from Year 10. These ladies smashed their way through the league section to make their way to the semi-finals where they met Wayland. They made this game look easy with great transitions down the court from turn overs in the defence circle from Katie Cursons and Abbie Wilson.

Into the final the team met Wymondham High who we knew would be the toughest opponents. Not fazed by this, the girls kept their cool and took an early lead that the Wymondham girls could not fight back against. www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Winning the game makes the team South Norfolk U16 Netball Winners. In 12 years of teaching at the Academy I have never had a team win this tournament, so I was just a little excited! Tournament woman went to Abbie Wilson. Well done girls!

Both the U14 and U16 girls will be in action on the 17th November at the National Schools County Round at the UEA and we wish them the very best of luck....

National Schools County Competition Last Saturday saw the U14s and U16s play in the National Schools County Tournament. The U14s kicked off the day, playing against Ormiston Venture, Reepham, Springwood and Norwich

School. All of the girls worked extremely hard on court but struggled to settle from game to game. Despite this, they finished 3rd in their group. Tournament player went to Ella Cockerill-Banks who played GD for the entire tournament, developed in confidence and made lots of interceptions. A great experience for all of the girls.

In the afternoon the U16s started their quest to be my first team through to the regional tournament. After 11 years of teaching at Attleborough we have come really close on a couple of occasions, but I’ve never had a team make it to the final at county level. We played some lovely netball throughout the group stages and went through to the semis as group winners ahead of Norwich High, Lynn Grove and Gresham’s. This meant we met Sheringham High School in the semis. This was a tough match as AAN girls were starting to show signs of fatigue, but they fought hard and kept the score to a draw at full time. This pushed the game to extra time – two minutes each way. Again, the game was goal to goal by both teams but in the dying seconds the AAN girls kept their cool and secured a win. This meant they would automatically go through to the regional tournament. With the pressure of qualifying off, we met Norwich High School for Girls in the final. Some very tired AAN girls played another great game but could not secure a win.

Runners up in the County is not bad and we now progress on to the regionals!

03

Sports Day 2018 Sports Day 2018 was another day of sunshine, sporting achievement, record-breaking scores, and all round team support and effort from all Attleborough Academy students.

Record breakers on the day: Name

House

Event

Time/ Distance

Maisie Baldwin

Cavell House

100m

13.97

Lucas Fulcher

Kett House

200m

31.37

Casey Peeke-Vout

Nelson House

Long Jump

5.52

Josh Neil

Boudicca House

Long Jump

2.03

Winners of the Junior Cup: KETT Winners of the Senior Cup: BOUDICCA

04

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

05

PLEDGE Week 2018

Pixl Edge Week Success On the week commencing Monday 25th July students in Years 7-9 took part in PLEDGE week, with a number of exciting and creative projects running across the Academy. The week was an opportunity for staff and students to partake in extra-curricular activities designed to develop their Leadership, Organisation, Resilience, Initiative and Communication skills.

The week is a really rewarding experience for staff and students where Attleborough students get to really demonstrate their broader strengths and skills outside the traditional academic setting.

A whole host of activities occurred throughout the week, these included: School of Rock Enthusiastic Drama students explored practitioners Stanislavski and Frantic Assembly to develop a technical understanding of ways that styles can be blended to create a diverse performance. From these discoveries they devised a performance exploring what it means to be a part of modern Britain and how this is influenced by the past. It was based around a train station and involved over 60 performers singing, acting and dancing (although they didn’t call it dance!) A team of designers came up

06

with a fantastic set and made lots of props which can continued to be used in Drama lessons. On the Wednesday they went to see The School of Rock musical in the West End; in spite of it being a hot journey to London and back, students were exemplary and absolutely loved the show. It was fantastic to see professionals rocking the stage and students could see how this inspired the performance on Friday. The feedback from the Friday audience was all fantastic and it was brilliant to see so many people being so confident and brave on stage.

The best thing of all is seeing how the skills and experiences of Pledge week translate to classroom learning and raise the benchmark of what is happening in the creative subjects.

Modern Britain: Citizenship Running alongside the School of Rock project a group of keen citizenship students explored a whole range of topical issues relating to modern Britain. They developed their team working skills and became excellent debaters - as well as showing off some fantastic karaoke skills! Well done to Miss Murray for engaging the students so actively in these modern issues and we look forward to seeing some of the students in parliament one day.

Maths in Paris The trip started at 5.30am when the coach arrived at AAN, along with our driver, Andy. All 40 students and 5 staff on board were off in good time to catch the ferry at Dover.

Despite the early start the coach was buzzing with chatter and Charlie’s singing; a theme to continue throughout the trip! The weather was fabulous and the crossing to France very enjoyable. We arrived at our hotel in time for supper and a trip to the Carrefour next door for a bit of retail therapy at the end of the day. Day 2 and all on board ready for the Science Museum, where we met our guide, Deborah, for the day. We could have spent a whole day at the museum and it is well worth a visit. Deborah told us many interesting facts about the sights we saw as we took a scenic route across the city to Montparnasse Tower. This was a favourite for many of us with excellent views to rival the Eiffel Tower, with 59 floors which the lift took in 38 seconds. It travels at 5 metres per second! After supper we joined a river cruise which was a noisy affair with much shouting as we passed under each bridge and waving at passing river traffic – and that was from the other passengers rather than us!

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Day 3 – Disneyland After reiterating safety rules and meeting times/points, all went off to roam in their groups. The staff split into two distinct camps: those for the big rides and those who were happy with a tram ride!! From 10.30am to 7pm we had our fill of Disneyland with only the odd mishap of lost tickets.

Then day 4 – home. More singing, a little sleep, a very happy driver wearing the Captain America hat that we bought him and home by the estimated time of 8.30pm.

The students were excellent; a real credit to AAN. They really enjoyed themselves, looked after one another and were thoroughly well behaved and showed appreciation of the experience they had shared.

Adventures in Wales Mr Seymour, Mr Brahams, Miss Billin, and a group of 28 students headed for the rolling hills of North Wales, Snowdonia, for an action-packed week full of adventure and challenge.

During the week, students took part in lots of adventurous outdoor activities designed to push students to their limits and achieve things they never thought possible.

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Activities during the week included: coasteering, orienteering, climbing, canoeing, gorge-walking, raft building and operation search and rescue, as well as lots of team building and initiative exercises.

The weather being record-breaking meant that the students had the best weather ever since AAN have been going to Wales. Throughout the week all students showed fantastic grit and determination to get on with whatever challenge was thrown at them, which made the teachers very proud.

Paper Craft and Beautify AAN A very artistic group of students developed their crafting skills through paper flower making and then paper jewellery, producing some beautiful displays of flowers and some amazing jewellery which they took home as gifts for friends and family.

Working in the same group with real flowers were a resilient bunch of students working on the Academy gardens and picnic area all week.

They refreshed the rose garden, painted some beautiful picnic benches and tended to the vegetable patch.

They also spent time getting close to nature exploring the school pond.

Alternative Sports The PE department took an active bunch of students off site all week again - this year dabbling in a whole host of water sports including kayaking. The students definitely picked a good week for it, as the scorching temperatures meant that water sports were a great choice.

Sporting Tournaments Back at base Miss Wilson also ran a sporting project competing in sports tournaments with Years 8 and 9.

The students had an epic football tournament along with learning how to play ultimate frisbee. Plenty of water breaks were needed due to the hot temperatures but the students showed some excellent resilience and several young leaders emerged.

07

PLEDGE Week 2018

Garden Improvements this Autumn The academy garden continues to develop into a valuable resource for our academy community. Through the hard work of our gardeners supported by Year 12 volunteers, and many generous donations - we have been able to make the following improvements to access and growing space.

Norfolk Gravel of Costessey have kindly donated our sand base to lay artificial grass to improve access to the raised garden. Tuesday 13th November was spent busily installing our new raised beds and preparing the artificial grass base through the kind loan of a mini-excavator from Toucan Hire of Wymondham.

Modern Britain: Leisure Also keeping with the Modern Britain theme the English department took a group of students to Thetford Forest to complete the high ropes Go Ape challenge and then to Whitlingham Broad to partake in the water sports there. When they returned to base the students tried their hand at writing for purpose completing reviews of these leisure attractions.

Robotics and Programming The ICT department took a bunch of enthusiastic programmers to visit the famous Bletchley Park, the top secret home of World War 2 codebreakers.

On returning to AAN the students developed their programming and robotics skills with a variety of projects.

Children’s Story Books Another creative project with a group of keen young writers exploring the elements of children’s writing.

They then used this to produce and illustrate some beautiful children’s storybooks of their own design. The stories were all varied and unique and made a great read, alongside some excellent illustrations.

Year 10 Work Experience Whilst all this was going on at the Academy, our Year 10 students were out on work experience placements representing AAN exceptionally. The students organised and arranged their placements themselves and really used the opportunity to explore a career area of their interest. We were extremely proud of all our students’ achievements with a huge number receiving glowing references from the employers; many wishing they could offer them a job when they are older.

Well done to all staff that led, organised or supported a project.

The students really get the opportunity to develop as young people over this week and it is a credit to the staff of the Academy that yet again the week was so successful.

We now have our shed and seating area finally finished through the help of Mr Reavey and Miss Rourke.

Next season brings exciting times, with our new greenhouse (kindly donated by Norfolk Greenhouses) providing us with more growing options than ever before.

We have plans to extend our wildflower meadows around site and a super exciting project that we are submitting for a national grow wild competition. We will also be planting a Norfolk heritage fruit orchard in spring.

The garden is available for use by all staff - if you’re not sure how, please contact Mr Brahams or come and join us at 13:30 on a Thursday.

Contact details of generous donors: Norfolk Gravel Longwater, Norwich www.norfolk-gravel.co.uk 01603 747 929 Suppliers of aggregates and recycled products and building materials. Kindly donated sand for raised bed base layer.

This was also kindly delivered free by

Daniels Transport North Walsham 01692 531 265

08

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Norfolk Greenhouses www.norfolk-greenhouses.co.uk Online retailer of greenhouses, buildings and canopies. Kindly donated ultimate space-saver greenhouse.

Toucan Hire Wymondham www.toucanhire.co.uk Tool and plant hire. Provided miniexcavator to allow for construction of raised bed area and laying artificial grass.

The Watering Can Coltishall thewateringcannorwich@outlook.com New garden centre with a difference.

Kindly donated seeds, plant pots and other useful gardening bits and bobs.

The Essentials Company Attleborough www.theessentialscompany.co.uk Floristry and garden supplies. Kindly donated enough plant labels to keep us going for quite a while!

09

Remembrance 2018

Private Peaceful read the number, rank and names of 10 soldiers. After reading, they passed the commemorative torch to the next prefect around the circle.

They all did this with precision and gravitas. Finally, Rupert Brooke’s poem “The Soldier” was read, and words spoken by the President of the Attleborough RBL. Afterwards we went for tea in the Town Hall where the students were much complimented by visiting dignitaries who were very impressed with them.

We hadn’t had much time to prepare for this event. The students’ willingness to step up, their mature attitude and their competence in the ceremony were a real credit to them.

Again this year, the students of Attleborough Academy have participated in key events of remembrance in the community.

On October 19th, the Royal British Legion’s Commemoration of World War 1 was supported by the Academy’s Head Girl Ellie Wilson, Head Boy Nathan Hannon, and our House Captains: Amelia Anema, Marie Karolina Adelugbova, Dan Bint, Katie Cursons, Josh Dunstan, Matthew Jewson and Tilly Warren Peters.

The students were asked to represent the younger people of Attleborough

and to recognise the passage of time since WW1. Ellie and Nathan read context information about how life in the town was affected by the war.

Then the Rector of St Mary’s blessed the commemorative torch and the poppy (which was initially made by AAN students in Pledge Week 2014.)

The torch was being “relayed” across Norfolk towns.

The key part of the service was the reading aloud of the names of the 100+ Attleborough men who signed up. The prefects stood in a wide circle around Queens Square (representing a clock) and each slowly

On Remembrance Sunday, November the 11th, Attleborough Academy’s students, families and staff showed their respect and gratitude to those who have fought for their country. There were memorial events and acts of remembrance in many of the local communities. In Attleborough, students both past and present were in attendance in Scouts, Guides, Army Cadets, the Boxing Club, and other uniformed organisations.

The following students represented the Academy: Haile Aldous, Kasey Campbell, Rhiannon Chamberlain, Kaela Chick, Willow Fowler, James Marjoram, Megan Mortimer, Lucy Norman, Connor Pettifer, Ruby Smallwood and Lily Trousedale Drake.

They all marched in the parade; Kasey Campbell and Megan Mortimer also laid the AAN wreath on the war memorial. There were many other students taking part in the remembrance in our other local communities. Congratulations to all our young people who show such pride, responsibility and commitment.

10

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

young men who were shot for cowardice and the heartbreaking storyline showed how terrible the decisions were for soldiers who were the same age as some of the students in our school.

In September, a group of 70 AAN Drama students visited the Norwich Playhouse to watch Private Peaceful.

Michael Morpurgo’s novel was adapted for the stage by Simon Reade and was a one man show. Some of the students wondered how they could possibly maintain interest in one person on stage for 90 minutes but they were quickly drawn in by the fabulous acting. Different characters were portrayed with real sensitivity and we saw how devastating an effect the war had on a young family from Devon. Morpurgo wrote the novel to remember all those

By the end we were all wiping away the tears and the coach journey home was more sombre than the journey there as students and staff reflected on the real life that the play reflected. This was an excellent piece of theatre to review for the Live Theatre component of Drama GCSE, but also has historical and moral value. It is exciting to think that the next time we visit the Playhouse it will be to watch our Y10 Drama students performing extracts from Blood Brothers for Stage Lit! AAN are proud and delighted to be leading the way with the Stage Lit programme at the Norwich Playhouse. Ms Phoenix and Ms Jones have worked together to create a ‘Teacher Toolkit’ which is a handbook of exercises for English teachers to use to bring texts alive through the use of Drama. It is lovely to know that other departments have used it and are beginning to recognise the benefits of ‘Drenglish’ in a curriculum!

Year 8 Army Cadet Assembly On the 16th October, Staff Sergeant Brandwood came in to talk to the Year 8s about cadets.

During his visit, he told students about what cadets do, and explained about the opportunities that present themselves when joining; the chance to show discipline and to try something you never thought you could do before.

After speaking to the Year 8s they said: “I would love to join cadets as it is a chance to step outside my comfort zone” - by joining and being part of the cadets you are trying something new and you may feel quite frightened by this, which is why everyone at cadets is friendly and very welcoming. Also: “This may help me with future careers” - during my time at cadets I’ve learned that the longer you stay and help one another as a community, the more options will open up for you.

When in cadets you will be told to wear uniform, which gives young minds the opportunity to understand discipline and to put their feet in soldiers’ shoes and to truly feel what

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

it is like to be them for the day. Cadets is not just about discipline, but also the way in which to defend yourself and to be aware of your surroundings.

Before I joined cadets I was scared, however now being there I have stepped out of my comfort zone and my social skills have risen due to being around new people. It has made me see things from a whole different point of view.

A Year 8 student from the assembly was inspired and has since joined, learning things such as: first aid training, military knowledge and drill (marching).

These assemblies are inspirational to the young students of Attleborough Academy. Therefore, I think that it’s important that these are regular, due to students wanting to know about the army and military as it’s not taught in schools.

Alexandra Buchan Year 9

11

Sam French Celebrates 25 Years

The Sixth Form Presidential Team

In September 1993, Attleborough High School welcomed a newly qualified Science teacher who had just qualified from Bath College.

he decided that it was unlikely for an opportunity like this to present itself ever again. He decided that he “could actually make a difference in doing it.” When I asked this question to Esther her response was “I know it’s what everyone says, but I really wanted to give back to this school”. This is because after the six years of “solid” education, good teaching, and teachers’ time that she had received here at AAN, she thought “’Now it’s my time to give what they’ve given me, back.’”

This was Samantha Webb, later to become Samantha French. It is now 25 years since Mrs French started teaching at this school and the Academy is delighted to help her celebrate her quarter century. In her time here she has fulfilled many roles, including Year Head, Second in the Science Department and Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator.

She has taught hundreds of children, some of whom are now parents. Well done Sam! It is a fantastic achievement - and here’s to the next 25 years.

Here are the responses they gave me for other questions I posed: As a Presidential team, as a whole, what are your responsibilities?

Our Sixth Form Presidential team here at Attleborough Academy has always been a selection of the Sixth Form’s finest students.

The places on the team are widely sought after during Year 12, and are proudly held in Year 13 by those who proved their responsibility and their worthiness as a role model the previous year. Sixth Form presidents are expected to undertake a variety of roles within the Sixth Form – such as MSA duties – and “Maintain a good role model and leadership status in the Sixth Form.” This is all while maintaining their own academic success. This year, the Presidential team is made up of twelve students and is led by Lead Presidents Esther Collier and Kit Neil. I had the opportunity to speak to both Esther and Kit, and find out what they planned to bring to the Sixth Form: What do you hope you add to the Sixth Form?

Esther: I hope to bring a sense of community to the Sixth Form.

It already has that, and it’s been growing over the past few years, but I really want to have, like, this big community. You know, bond the year groups more and have friendships that go beyond your normal friendship groups, everyone can talk to everyone, the cool relationships with the teachers. Yeah.

Kit: For me, it’s along the same lines as Esther. I’d aim to implement more things to integrate Years 12 and Year 13s in Sixth Form so there is no divide between the two years.

Esther: And we want to make a mountain of money for charity (laughs).

Kit: That too. [We want to] Do some different fundraising things, things that haven’t been done before.

I also asked what motivated Esther and Kit into running for Lead President. “Initially,” Kit told me, “I actually put ‘no’ in the box and put that I didn’t want to run for it,” and went on to explain that after thinking on the decision for a while,

12

Kit: We all have to do MSA duties…

Esther: Maintain a good role model and leadership status in the Sixth Form…

Kit: Organise fundraising activities…

Esther: Just be there to talk to or mentor the Sixth Form students who might be struggling a little bit.

Kit: And to help the views from across all Sixth Form students.

Give everyone here a voice.

Esther: Yes! Sixth Form? More like Fun Form!

Why is it a good idea to join the Presidential team?

Would you recommend it?

Esther: It is a worthwhile addition to your CV, and a chance to give back.

Kit: It’s a chance to get your views into how the Sixth Form should be run. And if you have ideas for improvements it’s one of the best ways that it will get heard.

Esther: It annoys me when you hear people complain about something but they are not prepared to make an effort and actually do something about it. So, if you’ve got something that you think can be improved, then why don’t you just go out there and try and make changes for the better.

Overall, the Sixth Form Presidential team this year looks strong and we can look forward to a good year with an array of fun events, and with our voices being properly expressed to the right people. Becoming a Sixth Form president is a fantastic opportunity, and I encourage you to take it as it not only helps to develop vital skills for the future, it also provides you with a voice as a representative of our Sixth Form.

by Sixth Form English Literature student Jack Chapman www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Kids Lit Quiz 2018 On Wednesday 14th November a team of enthusiastic students Jacinda Bates, Thomas Housego, Harvey Jude and Jacob Leslie - made their way to Dereham Neatherd High School to take part in this year’s Norfolk heat of the Kids Lit Quiz.

KLQ is an international literary quiz with participants from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, the USA, as well as the UK. The quiz comprised 10 rounds of 10 questions ranging from Beasts, Movies and Battles to Aliases, Animal Rights and Body Parts! After a tough 3 hours of competition the AAN team finished a very respectable 14th out of 35 teams.

Well done to all those who took part.

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

13

Shoebox Appeal: Link to Hope

AAN Future Chef Competition 2018

As you read this, 51 shoeboxes full of Christmas gifts have left Attleborough Academy and are heading across Europe. They will be distributed to the poor living in remote communities in Moldova, Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

In October Mrs Flaherty and Mrs James ran the schools heat of the ‘Future Chef competition’.

The Family Shoeboxes of gifts are given to families who often have to make a choice between buying food or fuel at Christmas time – buying presents is just not a priority. Many of these families do not have running water, heating or electricity. Some live in appalling conditions, often living in just one or two rooms, and life for them is a real struggle to survive.

A shoebox for a family means that everyone receives a gift. A scarf for the mum, a tape measure for the dad, toys and games for the children as well as stationery and coloured pens. Also toiletries, toothpaste, shampoo and

This is the fourth year our students have entered the competition, judged this year by Principal Mr McShane, Vice Principal Mrs Mair and Head of Design and Technology Mr Jeffs. Each of the students had to design and prepare a hot main meal dish in an hour. We had ten entrants this year and all the students worked extremely hard having practiced their dish before the competition; this showed in the standard of dishes produced, which was remarkably high. Marks were awarded for workmanship, skills and techniques, taste and presentation. The highest marks awarded would see the top two students go through and represent the academy at the next round of the competition. soap are needed and appreciated.

Shoeboxes for the elderly are also included. A number of elderly people are now being left alone due to their families leaving to work away. The boxes are similar however the childrens’ games and education materials are replaced with a wind up torch, sensory items,

candle and holder etc.

Thank you so much to everyone – parents, students and staff - who sent in donations for the shoeboxes.

Students are Teachers for the day!

In July, 34 students from Years 7, 8 and 9, along with Sixth Form students and the Science Department, visited Attleborough Primary School to teach science as part of their Science Week.

AAN students taught five lessons to each class from Reception to Year 6.

Topics included forensic science, DNA extraction and polymers. Our students were extremely professional and delivered some exciting and interesting lessons.

The students of Attleborough Primary School gave feedback at the end of the day and a massive thank you was received. Some of the feedback given was: “The experiments were really fun and exciting!” and others said that “I learnt loads of new things.”

14

The AAN students loved preparing and presenting the lessons. Millie & Scott said: “We loved being part of the experience and it was fun and interesting to see what is needed to deliver lessons and how to plan the lessons. It was really hard to get the lesson started but, in the end, we were really confident, this was down to the teachers helping and supporting us through the process.”

The AAN technicians were kind and helpful, they prepared all the practical equipment for the students and gave support when needed. This sped up the process of the entire day, which allowed more time for students to teach and the primary school students to experience new topics.

One of the practicals that Year 4 carried out involved water rockets. This really excited the children as they got to set off

the rockets themselves. Another lesson, based on forces, used wooden lollypop sticks to construct the strongest bridge.

This challenged the students with limited time and resources available. There was fierce competition and the students developed their team working skills.

Millie said: “It was really nice and fun to be involved in something that the Primary School was doing. It was really rewarding to watch the children learn and advance their skills in science.”

Overall both the AAN students and the Primary students had an incredible and amazing day and would love to do it all over again, it was a brilliant learning opportunity and experience for everyone!

Millie Gunn, Scott Suggitt Year 9 www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

The top two scoring students were Year 10 students Aimee Mathison and Charlotte Leslie; they went on to represent the Academy at the local final at City College Norwich.

The standard of cooking was extremely high and Aimee and Charlotte held their own and should be very proud of the dishes they produced – they had to produce a two course meal in 90 minutes. They were up against students from Wayland Academy and Broadland High Ormiston Academy.

Aimee presented pan fried Salmon with a red pepper Beurre blanc, asparagus and roasted new potatoes for her main and a chocolate fondant for dessert.

There was only one place on offer to go forward to the next stage of the competition, the regional final, which went to Isla Gillespie from Wayland Academy.

Charlotte produced a ballotine of chicken wrapped in smoky bacon, served with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, followed by profiteroles for dessert.

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

15

Year 12 Volunteering Programme

September 2018 saw the launch of the innovative new Attleborough Sixth Form volunteering programme.

This initiative aims to educate our young people on being part of a society, rather than just an isolated individual and to show them the importance of ‘giving back’ to the community of people that make up our wider world. Our Year 12 students were given the opportunity to give an hour or more of their time each week supporting charities and groups, both locally and within the Academy. The students’ volunteering hours are registered and certificated with national charity ‘vInspired’, gaining them acknowledgement of the wonderful work that they carry out over this year.

By the third week of term each and every one of our Year 12 students was engaged in a volunteering activity, ranging from working with younger students at the Academy to support their reading development, through working with Junior and Nursery students in the town, to gathering the life stories of the elderly.

The project was introduced by a series of workshops and presentations led by Assistant Principal Carmina McConnell, Ignite Youth Project Worker from the Lighthouse Charity, Debs Carter, and Jen Pochin from the St Edmunds Care Home. The students were shown the different external opportunities available to them, which included visiting as a team St Edmunds Care home to socialise and support the elderly, to working at The Lighthouse Charity teaching computer skills, to supporting at The Pavillion Nursery with the youngest members of our local community. Within the Academy the students had the chance to support within the subjects that they had chosen for A Level study, sharing their skills in much younger classes. This has the added benefit of them honing their own skills in that subject as they shared their knowledge with others.

16

Other opportunities included volunteering in the library reading projects, work with groups in Citizenship, and teams in PE, and to be involved in the gardening club run

by Mr Brahams. Once the different options were presented to the students, they then had to apply in writing for their choice, and take part in group interviews ran by Mrs McConnell, Debs Carter and her colleague Su, Jen Pochin and Mr David Nevard, our Sixth Form Learning Mentor. The applications and interview process also provided our students with valuable experience as they move towards the world of work.

By the fourth week of term all our Year 12 students had begun their placements and are now having a valuable impact on the lives of those that they have chosen to support.

Debs Carter, from the Lighthouse Project who has been a key advocate of, and positive force working with Mrs McConnell on the project from the original idea through to its successful implementation commented: “We had our second IT Made Simple session this afternoon and it was such a privilege to watch our youth volunteers in action. We have some very grateful senior citizens. For me, seeing the reality of placing local young people in the community to connect and change lives is not only deeply rewarding but also incredibly exciting. As a Youth Project we have been dreaming about this and praying for this for a long time!”

We hope for this project to continue to go from strength to strength. If you are involved in a local charity or caring organisation that would benefit from our students volunteering one hour a week with you, then please email: cmcconnell@aan.norfolk.sch.uk www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

17

Sixth Form Induction Day and R G Carter Team Building

At the start of this term, we were privileged to welcome R G Carter in once more to work with our new Year 12 students.

On the first day of study we always provide a range of presentations and activities to welcome and prepare our new Year 12s for life as a Sixth Form student at our academy. It can be daunting for students to make the move from Year 11 into Sixth Form study, where they will be expected to show greater independence and will join a new group of students who often include those from many different schools from East Anglia.

As part of this induction process, we always seek ways to smooth the students’ transition, promote effective learning approaches, encourage team work and help students to quickly get to know each other.

The morning began with detailed information about their courses, and about the opportunities and

18

privileges that were now open to them as members of Attleborough Sixth Form. Students were also trained in new study skills - such as the Cornell note making system - to give them the structures needed to support their journey of effective study over the coming two years.

After these informative sessions, led

by Mr Cole and Mrs McConnell, the entire Year 12 enjoyed a fantastic Bridge Building session presented by an expert team from construction business RG Carter. This successful and well know company, who provide construction, Civil Engineering and Project Management services, has a network of offices based throughout the Central and Eastern regions of the United Kingdom, and provide design, sustainable, partnered construction and project management services for private and public sector clients on projects ranging from £50 to over £50 million. Attleborough Academy Sixth Form has developed great links with this company, who have opened

new premises in the town. Through this business link we aim to extend the opportunities for our students by looking for ways to give them further work experience and develop knowledge and skills to prepare them better for the requirements of workplaces both locally and nationally.

During the process our students increased their understanding about the extensive range of employment possibilities available in the construction and Civil Engineering industry. The Year 12 students first were presented with a range of interesting information about the construction industry and about the challenges of the tasks the company faces. Working in teams, the students had to spend time designing bridge constructions, and then working together as a team to construct their designs. Students worked effectively to meet the challenge of the task, getting to know each other well in the process.The Year 12 students were

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

supported by staff and by our team of Sixth Form Presidents, who also were in charge of the refreshments provided during the morning. The R G Carter session concluded with each bridge being put to the test in a competition to find the most effective construction.

The winning team were then awarded tubs of chocolates, thoughtfully provided by the RG Carters team.

The induction day ended with the introduction of the new volunteering initiative that is part of the Year 12 programme.

The Year 12 students engaged brilliantly with the activities they were set during the induction day and the R G Carter workshop helped to provide a very positive beginning to their time at our Sixth Form.

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

19

Entrepreneur’s Visit to AAN Sixth Form

A Level English Literature Lectures London In November our A Level English Literature students had the invaluable experience of attending a day of lectures at Emmanuel Hall in central London.

The lectures, chaired by former Chief Examiner Stella Canwell MBE, were specifically focussed on the AQA A examinations that the students sit in 2019. Students enjoyed the experts’ presentations of a range of plays, novels and poetry all relating to the ‘Love Through The Ages’ paper that forms 40% of their final A Level grade.

Alongside different speakers offering exam specific advice, Dr Simon Avery from the University of Westminster spoke about narratives over time, analysing great works such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, whilst the theatre director Nick Hutchinson enthralled students and staff with his exploration of Shakespeare play in performance.

Throughout the year we welcome visitors from a diverse and extensive range of backgrounds and expertise to give presentations and run workshops for our Sixth Form students.

By inviting our visitors to share their wealth of experience with our students we are aiming to open their eyes to the endless opportunities that are open to them as they move into adulthood and a future of further education and work. Recently we had the pleasure of welcoming young entrepreneur Kieran Miles to our academy when he came to give a presentation to our Year 12 and 13 students during their bi-weekly hour long tutorial session. Kieran is the founder of a number of businesses, including KakeCo, a management consultancy helping organisations ranging with an annual turnover of between £2M and £1.1B to better understand the ‘digital age’ and the 16-30 markets, #DigitalCity which seeks to connect young people, students and parents to exciting digital businesses in their local area for the purpose of sharing ideas, and The Avocado Club which provides new age networking opportunities for business leaders. He is the recipient of many national awards – he was named as one of the UK’s Top 26 entrepreneurial change makers under 30 – is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society and the lead of the IoD’s young directors forum in Norfolk.Kieran talked passionately to our students about his entrepreneurial initiatives, starting from his school days, the interesting pathway that led to him to the establishment of different organisations, both here and abroad, and his current position advising major industry players. After his presentation he opened the floor for questioning and the Attleborough Sixth Formers were able to gain even further insights into steps and actions that lead to success and the twist and turns of an entrepreneurial journey.

Our students were greatly motivated as he recounted his personal journey: the relating of both astounding success, and

20

For the final session of the day, our students had the privilege of attending a lecture by Dame Carol Ann Duffy DBE in her final year as Poet Laureate, where she gave first hand insight into her remarkable poetry. also his positive responses to setbacks and failures and the obvious resilience he demonstrated, and pointed to as a key feature of success. Kieran spoke about how “The opportunity of a lifetime is only valid in the lifetime of the opportunity”, which brought home to the students just how important it was to be open to ideas and to grasp opportunity as it arose: a fantastic message for young people to absorb. The Sixth Formers were completely inspired by Kieran’s enthusiasm and energy as he outlined all the different opportunities he has pursued in his life.

Kieran wonderfully illustrated how a true entrepreneur behaves; with his charisma, passion and determination to succeed he provided a superb role model for our students.

Kieran commented about Attleborough Academy Sixth Form and the students he met here: “At the Academy I met a distinct set of entrepreneurial students just waiting to share their stories.

After the session, I met with 15 or so students who all asked passionate questions about a business idea they had, were already running or were looking to grow. It’s these moments that inspire me too and I can’t wait to come back”.

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

After the lecture, the staff who accompanied the students Assistant Principal and English Literature teacher, Mrs McConnell and Head of English, Ms Phoenix – led them through Westminster to view Parliament Square and the Houses of Parliament. The students then had the wonderful opportunity of visiting the Tate Modern, where they were fortunate enough to view Christian Marclay’s acclaimed video exhibit ‘The Clock’ , and explore some of the other exhibits.

All in all this London visit provided a superb learning experience for these students and will be of great benefit to them in the lead up to their final examinations. www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

21

ARTiculation ‘Discovery Day’ at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

A group of Year 12 and 13 students are taking part in the national competition ARTiculation run by The Roche Court Educational Trust.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to develop their critical thinking, independent learning, knowledge of research methods and oracy skills.

They will have the opportunity to express their own ideas on art works which can include works in any medium, from painting, sculpture and architecture to fashion, photography, media and graffiti.

Each student will build a research project based on their own artistic interest and will give a presentation on this work to a panel of judges. In January, we will send our finalist to the regional heat held at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.

Early in November, our group of sixth form students attended a ‘Discovery Day’ at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, which was designed to provide some training for the national ARTiculation prize. Students explored the incredible collection at the centre and were given a challenge to research a work in detail and be ready to present on it during the same day.

22

The works for the presentations ranged from ancient sculpture to modern art; and included the great task of presenting on the architecture of the building itself. Responses were very much led from their own personal perspectives on each work, followed by archival information drawn from the centre and an interview with curators of the collection. It was a fantastic opportunity for the students to have first-hand experience of some key research methods, as well as insight into the creative industries and their dynamic professions.

During the ‘Discovery Day’, an art historian from The Roche Court Trust was also on hand to guide the students and to provide training in the art of oracy. They were split into groups and given rehearsals of their speeches with feedback from the professionals in attendance. We were all very impressed with the insight and personal engagement with the works offered by the students, who all rose to the challenge presented to them.

Karine Akroyd, one of the teachers involved in the project, commented: “The final presentations were very impressive for a variety of reasons – their academic rigour and astute critical analysis, their fresh and very personal approaches to the works which were their great strength, and the ability of each student to stand up and commit to a speech in front of curators and art historians with a specialist interest in these pieces. We are now very much looking forward to the internal heat at our school and the regional final in January!” The national final takes place at Clare College, Cambridge and previous adjudicators have included Antony Gormley, Jon Snow and Edmund de Waal.

Articulation Student Response I found the Articulation Discovery Day interesting, in some ways challenging. This was the piece of art work I looked up in a group of 4 other students.

Throughout the day, we looked at 3 different pieces of art as examples of what we could do for our own speech.

Throughout the given time of research and preparation, I learned to plan efficiently the chosen information to include into the speech at the end.

This came as a surprise as it was unexpected however I found it very useful. Before presenting the work in front of others and the Articulation Team, we had a 10-minute practise with Tim where I gained useful tips on how to improve my public speaking for the presentation. This is something I will take in for when I come to present my own.

Overall, I really enjoyed the day, it was carried out in a relaxing and friendly environment and taught me a lot. I think this was such a great experience as is the whole programme and I am looking forward to completing it.

Lasma Ciseiko Year 12

V&A Museum Trip On 1st of November, Year 12 &13 students from Art and Design & Technology subjects visited the iconic Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity.

The Museum holds many of the UK’s national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewellery, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance.

Design students attended the thoughtprovoking ‘The Future Starts Here’ exhibition, exploring how progress in design and technology can help to shape our future and how we can initiate social change through design.

The exhibition explores the forking paths of future development, taking in corporate products backed by millions in venture capital to alternative bottom-up strategies dreamed up by individuals working in small groups.

Students were exemplary in their behaviour and engagement with their surroundings throughout the day. The trip was a fantastic opportunity for all students to collect primary research for their own project development and

We wish our group of sixth formers good luck as they work on their presentations.

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

to explore past, present and future concepts within their specialisms. For many students it was also a valuable opportunity to experience objects that would otherwise only be seen in textbooks or online. Speaking to students throughout the trip several

commented on how it was not only a helpful opportunity to further their academic work but a great experience for them personally as well.

23

Year 12 Theatre Visit to ‘The Jungle’ To further portray the unity in the Calais Jungle, many relationships of different races and cultures were formed; singing seemed to be the main connection to bring all of these people together. They all often sang in chorus, whether they were singing in prayer, celebration or protest. This was all in aid of protesting against another eviction, which involved the destroying of the restaurant. This was the most moving scene to me because all of their voices together made a powerful sound; this suggests that when humans all work together we can create something so powerful, such as change.

The beauty of the sound also helped to promote the idea that Refugees should be perceived as talented and beautiful people who in no way deserved to find themselves forced to leave their homes.

In October Sixth Form Drama and Politics students travelled to London for the production of ‘The Jungle’ by the Good Chance Theatre Company.

The playwrights, Joe Robertson and Joe Murphy, were volunteers in the refugee camp - the ‘Calais Jungle’ - for 9 months and they helped to build a performance space tent specifically for the Arts. This inspired their play. Their central aim was to inform the audience of the severe plight of refugees and the support needed from countries throughout the world. This was an important part of the research process the Drama students carry out ready for their own devised work on this topic. The lack of resources and support caused a cramped environment, this environment was accurately portrayed by the set designer Miriam Buether. She used a non-traditional, red runway shaped stage in the setting of a restaurant, with two ‘dead ends’ coming off from the main stage, one on the left, one on the right. There were also many flags around the stage from different countries, this showed the diversity in the camp.

The audience were forced to be involved, this mirrors how refugees are forced to move and choice does not exist.

To further show the division of refugees and people at home watching this disaster, there was an upper circle that was named ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’, this gave the impression 24

that everyone in the upper audience was separated from the immersive atmosphere downstairs, as well as the idea of a safe haven that was in view of the refugees but difficult to physically get to. There were also TV screens in the upper circle to mimic what we see on the news when we are at home. They chose what we were able to see on these TVs with live camera shots of the play, just as the media picks and choses what we can see over in refugee camps, the manipulation of truth. These TVs also provoked many emotions causing the audience to feel empathy for what the refugees had experienced, we also saw the extent that they would go to, to achieve a better life. The real images shown on the screen blurred the distinction between the fiction of the play and reality which made us remember that what we were watching has really happened and continues to happen in real life, therefore adding emotional depth.

The running theme of unity was reflected in the restaurant setting. The restaurant owner was a key figure of the unity that occurred in this restaurant, he served everyone in the camp food, no matter people’s ethnicity; this inclusivity was not common in the Jungle. This made the audience form a strong connection with the restaurant and what it stood for, therefore causing the distressing impact on the audience when the restaurant got destroyed in the eviction of the camp. www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Many languages were spoken on stage which made the audience feel a lack of understanding in the situation, this shows how the refugees feel in a foreign country where people do not support them as they should because of language barriers that they face. This was epitomised with a 17-year-old refugee, who got badly beaten into signing deportation papers, unaware of what they meant. The way he slumped on his chair, semi-conscious and covered with blood showed how brutal the beating had been.

To conclude, The Jungle was highly effective in carrying out the crucial purpose of the play: to inform and educate the audience of the refugees’ truth of their experiences. It gave people a voice that had not previously been heard.

We saw as an audience the limited voice that refugees had, especially through the character Little Amal; this young girl was parentless and did not speak once throughout this whole play, this observation leading me to believe that this child, age 7, was symbolic of all children refugees with no voice. This once again conveyed the harsh reality of the journey people would take to achieve a better quality of life.

By Ellie Sanger Year 12

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

25

The Stanislavski Experience

Main School Open Evening

On 25th September, our GCSE and A-Level Drama students were lucky enough to participate in a workshop with Nick O’Brien from ‘The Stanislavski Experience’.

On Wednesday 10th October 2018, Attleborough Academy held its main open evening for prospective parents.

Practitioners are an important part of the reformed Drama GCSE and A-Level and it was fantastic for them to work with an absolute expert. As well as being a principal moderator for OCR, O’Brien is the author of the publications ‘Stanislavski in Practice’ and ‘Theatre in Practice’ which we regularly use in lessons. He got all our students thinking deeply about character motivations and how to really ‘become’ a character rather than just scratch at the surface. The students greatly enjoyed the workshop and it has been fabulous to see them transfer this new understanding to their own practice.

All parts of the Academy were open and fully operative and parents and children from the feeder schools were encouraged to visit different subject areas and get a taster of what life is like at high school. They were given guided tours by the Senior Prefects.

This event marked our first shared workshop with the Drama department from Fakenham Academy and it was lovely to see our A-Level Drama students working so productively alongside each other. We hope it will become an annual event!

Mr McShane gave an introductory speech in the main Academy hall and was supported by Head Girl Ellie Wilson and Head Boy Nathan Hannon, who also gave speeches. The final speakers were Maisie Baldwin and Harvey Jude, both of Year 8, who spoke about their recent experience of transition. All were warmly received.

The evening was a great success with the highest ever attendance figures for such an event. We sincerely hope that we see the Year 5 and Year 6 students again as they complete the transition to the next stage of their education.

George Freeman MP Visit Sixth Form Sociology and Psychology students had the experience of a visiting politician to gain further insight into the workings of our government and their response to key social issues.

A politician admitting he was wrong?

These were uncharted waters!

Arriving to the Academy directly from a Remembrance Day dedication at the Attleborough war memorial, Mr George Freeman praised the excellent conduct of the Academy’s students at the event and was then quickly into his stride offering to explain his role as MP and then offering to take questions on any subject.

He began by explaining the importance of voting and the value of participation whatever party one supported. He urged students to get involved in democracy referencing World Wars and the suffragette movement: liberties once won should be jealously protected and the best way to do that is to make sure your voice is heard.

Mr Freeman explained his philosophy as a Liberal Conservative who was uncomfortable with the way that the EU Referendum had given way to an overly nationalistic tone in UK politics, and the role of political extremism on both the Left and Right which he sees

as deeply divisive. He pointed out that he had recently resigned as a Government Minister in order to be able to speak more openly about the challenges facing politics generally and the Conservative Party in particular.

Mr Freeman explained that whilst he was not a ‘delegate’ but a ‘representative’, he is influenced by his postbag and takes the views of his constituents very seriously – citing planning, gay marriage, and Brexit as issues on which his work in Parliament is strongly shaped by local views. In highlighting the danger of MPs being too influenced by their Party, on one particular issue he stated: “I freely admit I got it wrong!”

Questions came thick and fast from the floor: Daniel wanted to know how a customs union would work, “so do I” countered Mr Freeman; Amy wanted a bus service; Evelynne some affordable housing; Mrs Covington brought up her student loan and the NHS; and Mr Freeman agreed that the £80 million-pound bonus that one housing chief had received was outrageous and that the big national developers were wrecking local villages. Mr Freeman looked ahead to the future and said he was very worried at the way Brexit was developing and that he could see the Conservatives being punished at the polls for it. He said he understood why some were calling for a coalition with mainstream Labour and moderate Conservatives to wrestle back the centre ground of UK politics from ‘hardliners on both sides’, and said he envisaged a future under Sajid Javid or Penny Mordaunt as party leader. Would he himself stand for party leader? “I don’t think it’s likely” he said, “but given enough support from my colleagues I might be persuaded”. He left a few of us thinking that the Conservative Party could do a lot worse…

Maths Symposium On Tuesday the 13th of November, Year 12 and Year 13 Maths students, attended a Maths symposium in Norwich.

26

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Firstly Paul Hammerton spoke to the students about the theory around Sonic Booms. He then explored options for some careers where students can use their Mathematics. The next speaker was Bobby Seagull, who appeared on the popular TV show University Challenge. Seagull talked about how his career has escalated from this show, and is now branching out into the world, trying to make Maths a much more liked subject.

As well as now having his own show along side his fellow competitor in University Challenge.

“a mathematical description of strategic interaction between individuals.” All round the students enjoyed the trip, learning lots about maths and how they can turn maths into a career.

Finally Karen Page spoke to the Attleborough Academy students about Game Theory. Explaining how it’s

Harry Canham Year 12

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

27

Sixth Form Open Evening of computing that suits their individual skills and preferences).

Results at our Sixth Form have shown steady improvement in the last few years, with a greater percentage of students achieving their challenging targets year-on-year. We have seen particular success in Product Design (where our results sit in the top three Sixth Forms in the county), Sport, English Literature, Business and Geography, where results are substantially above national averages, and in a number of cases are amongst the top 15% in the UK for progress.

In early October we welcomed prospective students and their parents to our Sixth Form Open Evening.

After a welcome from the Principal and Head of Sixth Form, visitors were taken to tour the site with our current Sixth Form Presidents. Each subject had students on hand who study the subject to share their experiences of the courses on offer so far. Over the past three years we have introduced a number of new courses into our Sixth

Form, including: Applied Science (ideal for those students who wish to continue to study sciences but who do not yet wish to specialise); Media (a revamped and more challenging A-Level has been added to our course catalogue as of 2018-19); Politics (another revamped course that sees students develop a thorough understanding of the history of UK politics and in Year 13 the politics of the US); and the Level 3 Cambridge Technical qualification in IT & Computing (a course that allows students the flexibility to follow the path into the world

October is a busy time of year for students who are investigating their options for post-16 education, so it was great to see so many current and external students attending. If you were not able to attend but have questions or would like to see our facilities, then please get in touch with our Sixth Form team who will be happy to answer your questions or to arrange a tour.

For further information please email: sixthform@aan.norfolk.sch.uk and to apply please visit our website and select ‘Apply’ from the Sixth Form menu.

Lead Presidents at Sixth Form Open Evening During our Sixth Form Open Evening our Sixth Form Lead Presidents, Esther Collier and Kit Neil, spoke to the assembled visitors from the stage about how proud they were to be representing the Academy.

They explained to their audience why they had made the choice to come to Attleborough Sixth Form: Kit: We have been students here at Attleborough since the beginning of our secondary school education. As we have both been here since year 7, we did consider other choices when

28

it came to moving onto Sixth Form study, but after researching what other organisations had to offer, we soon realised that we would have the best experience if we joined Attleborough Academy Sixth Form. During this time, we have come to know and understand this school very well so we feel able to tell you what’s good about it: how it is different and why it is the right place for you!

I am sure that most of you here have been told in the past that your school years will fly by and I would say that

your time in sixth form feels faster.

It feels like only yesterday I opened my GCSE results and now I’m facing my A-Level exams in only a few months.

I am not going to stand here and tell you A-Levels are easy because the truth is they are not, and a lot of work lies ahead of you. I study Maths, Physics and Product Design so you can believe me when I say it can be stressful.

However, this level of study and the learning challenges you are faced with are always engaging and over time you really are aware of how you develop.

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Esther: Also, throughout your studies the staff here are there to support you every step of the way and that is one of the aspects which makes this sixth form so special. We have a strong sixth form leadership team, they will always look out for your best interests and seem to have an answer to every question or query. All members of the leadership team have experience working outside of a school environment, they know a lot about many other branches of work and how to get into them. They understand what makes a good personal statement and CV which is why so many from our sixth form achieve unconditional offers to university. They are the perfect balance between being strict and expecting exceptional behaviour but also being able to joke and talk to on a more human level. Mr Nevard is the dedicated learning mentor for the Sixth Form students and is usually on hand to help any student in study.

He can give advice and guidance and watches over supervised study sessions to ensure it is always a perfect place for studying.

Kit: Whilst at Attleborough Sixth Form you are able to mix with students from all different backgrounds and who have come to us from many different schools, the friendly size of our sixth form allows more focused teaching and greater interaction and support between students and teachers. This means that students that are struggling with certain topics are more likely to receive help and quickly. In my eyes the aspect of this school that sets it apart from the other sixth forms and colleges is the passion that each teacher holds for their subject and the resulting level of teaching quality. When I was in year 11 and deciding where I wanted to study my A-Levels I visited many different sixth forms and colleges and I did not find the same level of commitment to the subjects and to the students that I saw here.

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

Esther: At the Academy the staff understand that there are many pathways along with university.

We are constantly presented with many opportunities, like apprenticeships, job opportunities, volunteering and many small courses or experiences to boost your CV. Most weeks we have external experts who come to our assemblies and tutor periods to inform us about the extensive range of skills and opportunities in the world workplace, or about the training and courses opened to us after KS5.

Esther: It’s a friendly, supportive atmosphere which creates success academically and enjoyment socially.

We are leads of a team of twelve sixth form presidents and our job is to maintain a good role model and leadership status for the students. As presidents we organise fundraising events for the school and aim to raise as much money as possible for our chosen charities. We plan the social events of the sixth form and over the next few months we are looking forward to a movie night and Christmas meal.

Kit: During our time at Sixth Form, we not only have trips for the subjects, such as visiting theatres, museums and galleries but we also have trips for our own personal enjoyment. Every year there is a ski trip to Italy which I am lucky enough to be going on next year.

At the end of year twelve we have a special week called IAG week in which we have Norwich, London and university trips.

Kit and I have been here since year 7 and I speak for both of us when I say that I am very happy that I stayed.

Saying that, coming to Attleborough as an external student is just as beneficial and the year group very quickly merges.

Attleborough Academy Sixth Form is the place for you because it will push you in your studies to help you achieve the best grades possible. You will also grow socially, enlarge your circle of friends, have closer relationships with teachers and you will experience a remarkable community that will help you in taking your next steps to your future.

Esther: Our Sixth Form, as you have heard, has been recently refurbished and the excellent, modern facilities make a perfect place for studying. Up in the Sixth Form block we have four study rooms all equipped with computers, spacious desks and text books for all the subjects.

Kit: As I have moved through the school I have increasingly become more grateful for the vast knowledge and passion that my teachers possess for their subjects. It isn’t unusual for students to go to see their teachers during lunchtimes or after school to ask for help or for answers to questions beyond the curriculum. I have a very positive relationship with my teachers and that makes all the difference in the stressful exam period. I feel that if I have a problem with one of my subjects or I’m struggling, I could talk to any one of my teachers and they would be more than accommodating. However nervous I am about my coming exams, I feel like I have been prepared in the best way.

Esther: When choosing a Sixth Form I came to this open day two years ago and was struck by how much the teachers seemed to care about the students. I also noticed this community between the sixth formers and the staff, it was different to what I had experienced during my time in the academy and I knew I wanted a part of it, which is why I chose Attleborough Academy Sixth Form.

Which is why we believe you should choose Attleborough Sixth Form too.

29

Teacher Achievements

Shakespeare’s Globe Visit

European Korfball Championships 2018

At the end of the Summer Term, the Sixth Form English A Level students moving from Year 12 to Year 13 in September benefitted from a visit to London’s Globe to witness a production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.

This year saw the European Korfball Championships held in the Friesland province of Holland. Fifteen countries were competing from 13 to 21 October 2018 to be crowned the new European Korfball Champions.

Science teacher Mr Seymour went as part of team Scotland to compete amongst some of the world’s best players. He regularly trained in Edinburgh, home of Scotland korfball, and attended warmup tournaments at home and abroad for the previous 12 months in preparation for the games.

Scotland had mixed success in the Championship coming second in their group consisting of Wales, Slovakia and Hungry. However, in the play-offs a loss to Ireland meant Scotland found themselves in the bottom half of the tournament and ultimately finished 14th.

The Netherlands, the founding nation of korfball, were crowned Champions thrashing Germany 21-8 in the final, with Portugal getting the bronze medal.

Mr Seymour had this to say about the games: “It’s not often you get the opportunity to represent your country at sport, and by playing a relatively low-profile sport I have had the chance to do so. The experience was fantastic and the comradery amongst the Scotland squad was something I will never forget and will cherish forever. I was disappointed that Scotland didn’t do as well as we had expected, as where we placed doesn’t reflect the ability we had.

Perhaps the 2020 Europeans will be a better year for Scotland.”

“If you ever get the chance to play korfball then please do so.

Not only does it keep you very fit, but it’s also a great way of meeting lots of new people and making new friends.”

So, what is Korfball?

Simply speaking, Korfball is a mixed team sport, played by teams of eight (four boys, four girls), with the aim of scoring more goals than the opposition. Goals are scored by the putting the ball in the Korf (Dutch for basket) in a distance away from your opposing player. Korfball can be played by any age and any level of fitness.

At its best, it’s a fast, tactical and dynamic team sport with the emphasis on team not individual play. For more information on what korfball is and the benefits of playing see the BBC Sport Get Inspired webpage www.bbc.co.uk/sport/get-inspired/27609004 How can you get involved in playing?

There are a lot of teams in and around Norwich. If you yourself would like to give Korfball a go then why not join a local team. You don’t need any experience, just a willingness to try and you’ll be made to feel very welcome. Norwich Knights Korfball Club, Mr Seymour’s local club, are always looking for new, young talent and you never know you may one day represent your country! For more information go to www.norwichknights.co.uk

Miss Slinky and Mr Sleek Congratulations to Mrs Flaherty and Mr Martin for achieving the honours of Miss Slinky and Mr Sleek as part of their Slimming World journey.

Both teachers have been members of Slimming World since the beginning of 2018 and between them they have managed to lose nearly 10 stone in weight!

The pair have supported each other in a bid to shrink their waistlines and in two inspirational speeches made during their weekly meeting both teachers said how much more energy they had to do things during the day. Mrs Flaherty said that she loves being able to be more active with her young nephews and niece. She was also proud of managing to walk the ‘Attleborough Mile’ at sports day last

30

year which she couldn’t do beforehand.

Whilst Mr Martin, inspired to lose weight after seeing himself on an ITV news article about trainee teachers, was glad that he didn’t look at all like he did at the start of his teacher training year. The pair aim to continue their journey and as they do they are inspiring others to eat healthier.

Sprinting Success Mr Barns was second in class in a sprint at Snetterton Circuit.

He was using his Honda Civic Type-R and missed the win by a very frustrating two tenths of a second!

www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

For both the Language and Literature and the solely Literature students, Shakespeare knowledge is an intrinsic and important part of their A Level study; for the Literature students there is a specific The Winter’s Tale analysis question in their final examinations.

For many of the English students this was their first experience of watching a production in the theatre that is a facsimile of the magnificent Elizabethan theatre where many of Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed.

The Attleborough students enjoyed a lively performance which added to their understanding of both this specific play and Shakespeare. It also gave them a glimpse into history and to how a contemporary Elizabethan audience would have experienced his play at the original 1599 Globe Theatre.

Geography Urban Fieldwork Trip A massive group of 85 Year 10 Geographers took a trip out to Norwich this term to help complete their GCSE course. They explored the city looking for patterns of change and evidence of its dynamic nature.

Teams started from four separate locations around the edge of the city and converged at The Forum to use the local Heritage Centre to do further research. The Heritage Centre had displayed old maps and photographs of Norwich so the students could do a bit of time travelling. These resources are usually hidden away under lock and key so the Geographers were very privileged to see them.

Everybody worked extremely well to collect their data with accuracy and enjoyed the opportunity to work independently from their teachers. www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk

31

Sixth Form: Accepting Applications for September 2019 Achieve your aspirations with Attleborough Academy Sixth Form For further information, or to arrange a visit, contact Mr Andy Cole, Head of Sixth, on (01953) 452335 Apply through our website at www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk Attleborough Academy Norfolk 9 Norwich Road, Attleborough, Norfolk NR17 2AJ t: 01953 452335 f: 01953 456817 e: office@aan.norfolk.sch.uk www.aan.norfolk.sch.uk