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Autumn 2015

Attleborough

Academy Times

IT’S OFFICIAL! WE ARE IN THE:

TOP 20% OF ALL SCHOOLS RECOGNISED NATIONALLY FOR STUDENTS’ PROGRESS

ATTLEBOROUGH ACADEMY NORFOLK

part of the

Welcome to Attleborough Academy Times as they have been familiar with the layout of the site, their teachers and our expectations for behaviour.

This has enabled them to settle from the very start of term and therefore, effectively concentrate on their learning.

The evaluations and reports of the Summer School show that this too was a great success and also contributed to boosting confidence for a smoother start for all those students who attended.

We also welcomed our new teaching staff:

From the Principal

Mrs K Akroyd (English) Mr P Hendy (Psychology) Mrs S Jones (English and Drama) Mrs A Smith (Maths) Also joining us in this term were the following support staff:

Welcome to the Autumn Term 2015 edition of the Academy Times which reflects on this term’s news, events and activities.

In September, it was a pleasure to welcome our new students into Year 7 and the Sixth Form. Most of the new Year 7 students had taken part in our extended Transition Programme by joining us for the last three days of the Summer Term. At our recent Year 7 ‘Settling In’ Parents’ Evening, the vast majority of our new parents and carers reported that you felt this had been a success in greatly reducing any anxieties and concerns from your child about stepping up to secondary school.

Certainly, we have found that our younger students have adapted far more quickly than in the past

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Miss A Adams (Assistant Science Technician) Miss E Allen (Teaching Assistant in the SRB) Miss I Allott (Cover Supervisor) Mrs K Blasko (NES Team Leader) Mrs S Houten (Exams Officer) Mr A Woolven (Mini Bus Driver) Several members of staff took on new roles from September as follows: Mrs Cushing (Head of Lower School) Mrs Sparrow (Acting Head of PE) Mr Crome (House Leader for Kett) Mrs Marsh (Intervention Tutor) Miss Norman (Subject Specialist in Maths) Ms Sadler (SAFE Team – Attendance) Mrs Tyrer (Subject Specialist in English)

Congratulations go to Mrs Covington who gave birth to a baby daughter, Jessica during the Summer holidays.

Of course, as you know, Attleborough Academy Norfolk celebrated our best ever GCSE results with 61% of Year 11 students achieving at least 5 A*-C grades with English and Maths included.

Many of you may have even seen our appearance on Good Morning Britain and congratulations must go to Deputy Principal, Ms Mair and those students who became television stars as they left their beds so early to open their results envelopes on live national television! An everlasting image for me will be the dumbfounded reaction of the GMB presenter, Kate Garraway as they panned back to the studio after Daniel Smith-Hughes had opened his results envelope to reveal 10 A* grades and 2 A grades from his subjects. It is nice to know that students from Norfolk can stop live television in its tracks by their outstanding achievements.

Congratulations to our Year 13 students whose A Level results were similarly successful. We are very proud of our seven Norfolk Scholars - Emily Brooks, Kelly Clarke, Sarah Dooley, Laura Kidd, Rosie Matthews, Lucy Noonan and Tom Paine.

I must particularly mention the outstanding achievement of our top performer, Rosie Matthews, who achieved three A* results in her A Levels – the maximum results possible!

IT’S OFFICIAL! WE ARE IN THE:

TOP 20% OF ALL SCHOOLS RECOGNISED NATIONALLY FOR STUDENTS’ PROGRESS

Contents We celebrated these A Level results at our recent Sixth Form Presentation Evening. Our keynote speaker was Kiernan O’Shea, Head of Production at Mustard TV, who gave an inspiring speech about the importance of making the most of life’s opportunities. Certainly, one of our Sixth Form students, Patrick Kassaga, made the most of the opportunity presented by the J F Travel Bursary, kindly sponsored by Mr Philip Bujak.

Patrick travelled to St Lucia in July and carried out voluntary work as a Football Coach with “United Through Sport”, a non-Government organisation whose main aim is to get St Lucia’s future generation off the streets during the summer holidays by keeping them fit and healthy. Mr Bujak was able to attend the Presentation Evening and presented Patrick with the Bursary shield. We thank Mr Bujak for his continued generosity and support in helping our Sixth Form students to achieve their dreams.

We also had a promotional visit from Nathan Sykes, formerly of the boy band ‘The Wanted’ and who recently appeared on the X Factor.

The whole Academy enjoyed his performance, fortunately with only limited swooning from some of our female students.

Welcome – 2

We have continued to support good causes during the Autumn Term. Well done to the Sixth Form Presidents who led the collections on Comic Relief Day and incredibly, raised a record amount of over £1,000. As we lead up to Christmas, we are again intending to support the local Food Bank (which supports families in our area) by collections in form groups.

Year 13 Music Recitals / Year 11 Drama – 7

During this term, we have held both our Main Academy and Sixth Form Open Evenings. Both were very well attended and visitors to the Academy were very complimentary about our provision. It was also particularly pleasing to hear the extremely positive comments made about the outstanding community atmosphere and the obvious excellent relationships between staff and students. Congratulations to our Lead Presidents, Jake Wiseman and Amber Miller and also to our Head Boy, Nathan Burrows and Head Girl, Lilah Suazo who gave such warm endorsements to the audiences in their excellent summative speeches.

With the end of term fast approaching, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Many thanks go to Miss Norman who has admirably co-ordinated our contributions to the Food Bank, the Shoe Box Appeal (79 boxes sent to Eastern Europe) and with the assistance of Mrs Flaherty, the Macmillan Coffee Morning (£248).

Mr Neil McShane Principal

Record GCSE results – 4 National Link Project with London Schools – 5 The Brilliant Club 2015/16 The Scholars’ Programme – 6

J F Bujak Travel Bursary – 8 FutureChef cook off – 10 Our Journey of Remembrance – 11 Sixth Form – 12 to 16 History department welcome Holocaust survivor – 17 Nathan Sykes – 18 Link To Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal – 19 Macmillan Coffee Morning – 20 Children in Need – 21 Sports – 22 STEM Challenge – 23 The Parents, Teachers and Friends of Attleborough Academy Norfolk group / Parent’s Council / Community Learning Services – 24

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Record GCSE results put Attleborough Academy Norfolk in top 20% of UK secondary schools for students’ progress Attleborough Academy Norfolk celebrated record GCSE results this summer with some stellar individual achievements and brilliant all-round performance.

These excellent results have put the Academy in the top 20% of the UK’s secondary educational providers based on the Best 8 Value

Dan Smith-Hughes, 16, from Attleborough, achieved 10 A*s (including an A* with distinction in further maths) and 2 As, and was one of those who received their results live on ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme.

Added Progress Measures .

(Ofsted/DfE – RAISE online unvalidated 2015).

On hearing the news, Mr McShane commented: “I am so incredibly proud of our students and staff who have achieved these record results in what has been an emotionally challenging

Aneta Bairamova, 16, from Attleborough, who moved to Norfolk from Lithuania, was celebrating achieving 1 A, 1 B and 5 Cs.

year. Students and staff have shown such admirable resilience and determination following the sad loss of our Vice Principal who I know would have also been so proud.”

“Thank you to the Attleborough community and to our parents and carers for their support.”

Tom Chapman, 16, from Carbrooke, who achieved 10 As and A*s and 2 Bs

Attleborough Academy Norfolk welcomes ITV’s Good Morning Britain on GCSE results day Attleborough Academy Norfolk was lucky enough to welcome ITV’s Good Morning Britain on GCSE results day which took place on Thursday 20th August.

Presenter Jonathan Swain broadcast live from the main hall as some of our students opened their envelopes and celebrated their achievements.

All students did the Academy and the community proud, and represented us all very well.

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National Link Project with London Schools For the past three years, Attleborough Academy Norfolk have been working with Ambler Primary School in Islington in London as part of the National Link Project. This partnership has provided a fantastic opportunity for both sets of students to share their contrasting school and life experiences.

For the second year running, a group of Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Year 7 students worked with their English teacher, Assistant Principal Mrs McConnell, to link up with Ambler Primary School’s Year 6 students to gain an insight of inner city school life which is a very different environment to our own. Mrs McConnell set her students the task of composing interesting handwritten letters to introduce themselves and describe key aspects of their lives such as their backgrounds, their specific interests and hobbies, and their perspective

on what makes Norfolk unique and why they enjoy living here. This task provided the students with a great opportunity to learn the layout and expectations of formal letter writing and to develop their use of descriptive language in the process of sharing their experiences.

All 30 letters were hand delivered to Ambler Primary School’s Year 6 class by Mrs McConnell in November.

The students responded to the letters with great excitement, and, now that students from the respective schools have been paired together, the next step in the project is for the Year 6 students to write a letter in response.

During the visit, Mrs McConnell also met with Ms Benis, Headteacher of Ambler Primary School, to discuss the project and explore ways that they can share best practice across the contrasting contexts of an urban

primary and rural secondary school.

In the future Mrs McConnell and Ms Benis will be working closely together on the project and they hope that there will be an opportunity for the Ambler Primary School and Attleborough Academy Norfolk students to meet the person they have been linking up with by letter.

Whilst in London, Mrs McConnell also met with the Headteacher and Communications Lead at Islington Arts and Media School, a secondary school which, like Ambler Primary School, is situated near the Emirates Stadium in Finsbury Park. During the meeting, the pair explored ways that the National Link between Attleborough Academy Norfolk and other educational institutions in different contexts can be extended even further. The link with the Islington Arts and Media School has now begun – watch this space for further developments.

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It’s Back – The Brilliant Club 2015/16 The Scholars’ Programme Written by Ms Mair

The Brilliant Club, at Attleborough Academy Norfolk, is back for academic year 2015-16 and has doubled in size.

across the country. If you would like to find out more information about The Brilliant Club you can visit the website www.thebrilliantclub.org.

We are managing to invite four teams of six students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. Invited students in Years 7 and 8 have already kicked off the club with their Launch Trip which took place on Wednesday 4th November 2015. Students visited the University of East Anglia and this is where they were introduced to their PhD Tutor and experienced their first tutorial in the academic setting of the university.

The Scholars’ Programme is designed to give students exposure to a genuine academic environment and to experience learning in the style of a university student.

A quick reminder - The Scholars’ Programme is run by The Brilliant Club, an award winning charity that seeks to increase fair access to highly-selective universities. The Brilliant Club is a national programme, and they are currently working with over 5,000 pupils in 150 schools

Participating students are: Daniel Bint, Robson Giles, Robyn Ham, Luke Harvey, Millie Hunt, Ashton Johnson, Thomas Lamb, Florence McArthur, Jacob Price, Charlie Scoulding, Tala Smith and Tilly Warren-Peters.

Attleborough Academy Norfolk students will work closely with Fernando Morett, a PhD Tutor, in a series of small group university-style tutorials.

The students will be studying a ‘super-curricular’ course that

explores topics they do not usually study in the Academy’s curriculum.

The Year 7 and 8 programme subject is an Arts/Humanities based one with a poignant title ‘Can terrorism ever be justified?’. During the tutorials, the students will complete readings and assignments that stretch and challenge them to work at a level above their current key stage. The final project will include the completion of a 1,500 word university-style final assignment.

At the end of the programme, all students who have submitted their final assignment will be invited to the Graduation Trip at another university.

Watch this space for an update on how our Brilliant Club members are doing and to find out whom our Year 9 and 10 Brilliant Club students will be!

The following diagram shows what an individual scholars’ programme will be like for our participating students:

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Year 11’s Drama performance success On Thursday 19th November, our Year 11 GCSE Drama students performed extracts from ‘Chalk Farm’, a new play about the London Riots, which formed a vital part of their final GCSE grades.

Nerves were high as they prepared to perform to a live audience, some of them for the first time! The YouTube clip explaining the science behind stage fright did little to quell the fear and the students’ brains were working over time! However as soon as it began, a silence fell in the Drama Studio and the audience were gripped by the passion and politics shown so brilliantly by our students.

The play was verbatim, made up of real people’s words, which gave the evening an edgy and raw feel.

Special commendation goes to Aroldas Overlingas who worked particularly hard and performed his monologue with passion and flair.

Year 13 students’ success in solo music recitals During the Autumn Term, Year 13 BTEC Music students completed their solo recitals as part of their coursework.

Each student was required to produce a 20-30 minute performance of contrasting pieces from a variety of genres. There was a wide range of music covered from rock music to samba and students performed on guitar, drum kit and piano. There were also two vocal recitals.

This was an extremely demanding performance for our students as it requires a great deal of stamina to perform for such an extended period, as well as a great deal of preparation. The students produced some excellent performances and can be very proud of their achievements.

It is not an easy thing to stand up in front of an audience, particularly when you are also taking 30% of your GCSE! Head of Drama, Ms Jones was delighted by the growth mindset shown by so many of the students and their determination to succeed paid off with everybody meeting or exceeding their target grades.

One audience member said she has been watching Drama performances at Attleborough Academy Norfolk for over 25 years and this was amongst the best she had seen!

Head of Drama, Ms Jones commented: “I am delighted with the quality of work our students produced and by how well they dealt with a sensitive issue. The confidence gained from all this success will fuel us for the next unit, which will be exploring Refugees of War.” Students who are interested in taking GCSE Drama or who are in Year 10 and 11 and would like to study Drama or Performing Arts in Sixth Form should talk to Ms Jones about the courses.

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Patrick Kassaga helps disadvantaged children in St Lucia keep fit and healthy thanks to the J F Bujak Travel Bursary A Level student Patrick Kassaga has returned from a month long trip to St Lucia, where he undertook a variety of voluntary work to help local children from deprived backgrounds to keep fit and healthy over the summer holiday, thanks to the J F Bujak Travel Bursary.

Patrick applied and was successful in obtaining the J F Bujak Travel Bursary (details of how to apply and eligibility for this bursary are detailed at the end of this article) which he used as part of his funding, together with sponsorship from a 10 kilometre run, for the month-long trip.

During his time in St Lucia, Patrick carried out a variety of voluntary work with United Through Sport, a Non-Government Organisation whose main aim is to get St. Lucia’s future generation from deprived backgrounds off the streets during the summer holidays and keep them fit

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and healthy. Most of his work was based in different summer camps located around the island which were attended by over 200 children with a mixture of boys and girls aged from 5 to 15.

A typical day saw Patrick coaching children with varied abilities for 2 hours at a time up to four times during the course of the day. Additionally, with the help of other colleagues, he ran training sessions and organised football matches and tournaments some of which he was able to take part in that led to him being presented with medals as well as a winner’s trophy!

One of Patrick’s highlights of the trip was being given the opportunity to train with the National Rugby 10’s team every Tuesday and Thursday evening. He has made some good friendships in St Lucia and hopes to return in the near future doing some more charity work after he finishes a Sports Coaching Apprenticeship with All Star Coaching & Fitness who are based in Norwich and Thetford.

Not just content with volunteering in St Lucia, Patrick is already planning his next venture – a two month stint in Peru helping out in disadvantaged communities and helping more children develop their sporting talents.

He is also looking to travel to the USA for 2 months to coach and play football.

On returning to England, Patrick said: “My time in St Lucia was one to remember thanks to Mr Bujak and his kind donation. By the end of the month, I had made friends I’d never forget and promised I would be back in the near future to do some more charity work. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Bujak, Mr Kesharvarz, Mr McShane and Miss Evans for all their time and effort.

I would also like to thank all members of staff who sponsored my 10k run and the Attleborough Academy Norfolk students, past and present, who helped me fundraise for this trip.”

About the J F Bujak Travel Bursary The J F Bujak Travel Bursary is granted to Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Sixth Form students who have the vision and ideas but no financial means to complete their educational journey. A total of £1,000 per annum is granted to one student per year by the Bujak Trust to commemorate the Norfolk family origins of Philip Bujak whose family have lived in Attleborough for over 300 years.

So far, three students have benefitted from this funding over a three year period which has seen each one engage in life changing experiences that have helped them with their future careers and aspirations.

How do I apply?

If you are a current Attleborough Academy Norfolk Sixth Form student who would like to fulfil your dreams and receive support in doing so, the J F Bujak Travel Bursary could be for you!

To be eligible for a bursary up to a maximum of £1,000, you must be a Sixth Form student at Attleborough Academy Norfolk (AAN).

You should ideally be in receipt of the 16-19 Bursary Fund but this is not compulsory. You must have a dream or ambition that you are passionate about but do not have the necessary funds to pursue.

For example, you may have the dream to become a volunteer or temporary teacher within a third world country. The bursary could help you fund the opportunity to gain the experience you need.

For full details on how to apply for this bursary, please see Mr Keshavarz, Head of Sixth Form.

To be successful in your application, your project must be organised through a nationally recognised organisation, body or institution. Organisations you could look at are: • Original Volunteers • i to i Volunteering • Voluntary Services (VSO) • Global Volunteer Network • Real Gap The bursary will therefore act as a part of your required fundraising for the project and as such, the Academy will only act as a facilitator to enable you to access the bursary as part of the sponsorship required by the organising body.

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Students go head to head in FutureChef cook off On Friday 27th November, six students from Attleborough Academy Norfolk went head to head in the exciting FutureChef cook off which forms part of Springboard’s high profile national schools programme.

The FutureChef competition, now in it’s 16th year, sees participating students put to the test against their peers by following a set brief.

This year the students were asked to prepare and cook a hot main course for two people within the small budget of £5. They also had to ensure that their dish was presented in an appealing manner before presenting to the judging panel.

Participating students and their culinary delights were: 1. Rebecca Bush • Rice and Vegetable Curry 2. Jessica Bush • Burger and Chips 3. Sophie Chatfield • P ea and Bacon Risotto 4. Phoebe Moore • Cheesy Bacon and Cabbage Pasta 5. Charlotte Marjoram • Chorizo, Olive and Pearl Barley 6. Mia South • Vegetable Biryani

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Springboard’s national schools programme is an exciting interactive programme of resources matched directly to the food-related curriculum in the UK. FutureChef provides students aged 12-16 years with access to, and direct support from, chefs and other hospitality professionals, bringing the industry alive in the classroom and getting the classroom out into industry.

Each year the programme engages over 8,000 students and 500 schools by: •M otivating students through exciting and interactive activities.

•T eaching life skills through cooking •B uilding confidence.

•P roviding direct support from chef and hospitality professionals.

•P romoting nutrition and healthy eating.

•M aking teaching fun!

Springboard’s FutureChef helps Mrs Flaherty and her team provide inspiring and engaging learning.

It also helps our students to discover potential career opportunities by developing their culinary talent and with chances to meet professional chefs. Furthermore, students learn a vital life skill – cooking!

Some of the benefits to the students are: • They get the opportunity to work with well-respected industry and celebrity chefs.

• They develop invaluable cooking skills.

• They find out about the food and catering industry and what it’s like to be a chef.

Some of the benefits to the Academy are: • To inspire students to learn about food, cooking, budgeting and presentation.

• To support and enhance food and cooking related courses.

• To develop strong links between education and industry.

Thanks must go to Mrs Flaherty and Mrs Lincoln who put the students through their paces and to Mr McShane, Mr Jeffs and Ms Mair for being our own Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

After much deliberation and re-tasting, the difficult decision was made and the successful students to go through to the local finals, were: Mia South and Charlotte Marjoram.

Watch this space to see how they get on!

Our Journey of Remembrance Written by Emily McDowall and Charlotte Sharman

Twenty two, New North Road. The address of Ernest Robert Elvin, 23, just one of the sons of Attleborough who fell in the Great War. Ernest’s story came to our attention while we were in the middle of the centenary commemorations of World War One and as two students from Attleborough Academy, we wanted to help others in our school, and beyond, to remember those like Ernest who gave their lives in defence of our tomorrows. To do this we wanted to follow the story of a local soldier, but little did we know how far this journey would take us.

We were lucky enough to be selected by our teacher to take part in the First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme, as part of the government’s plan to provide students from every state funded secondary school in England with the opportunity to visit battlefields on the Western Front.

We know it can sometimes be difficult for students to connect with events that took place so long ago. Therefore, we decided to focus on just one of the hundreds of stories of people from Attleborough who were involved in the conflict. We thought the story of Private Ernest Robert Elvin, who had lived so close to our school, would help other young people to form the deep, emotional connection we made with a soldier who served on the Western Front.

Together with students from other schools in Norfolk, Cambridge and Kent we travelled to France and Belgium to retrace the steps taken by Ernest and thousands of other young men like him who fought there one hundred years ago. On the first day in Ypres, Belgium

we had the opportunity to lay a wreath of remembrance at the last post ceremony, held at the Menin Gate. This memorial was built to remember the many missing soldiers from all over the world who served in the surrounding fields and trenches. This occasion provided us with a moment to reflect on why we were there.

As poignant as the ceremony had been, we wanted to hold a more personal ceremony of remembrance for Ernest and all of the other soldiers from Attleborough who fought during World War One. Armed with our research and a picture of Ernest, we marched around some of the locations that form part of his tragic, but not uncommon, story. In the woods just across from where the Ulster Memorial now stands, we were able to get a sense of what it might have been like for Ernest serving in a frontline trench. Above the duckboards and sandbags, as the rain poured down on a cold September day, we got a small taste of what he might have been going through on a daily basis in 1916.

Next we headed to Delville Wood where, on the 19th August 1916, the 8th Norfolks advanced in pursuit of that crucial high ground on the Somme battlefield. The 8th attacked this wood from the south, close to where the memorial to the missing South African soldiers now stands, a reminder of just why this conflict is known as a world war. As the Norfolks assaulted this position, many of our local lads, including Ernest, fell. Just like so many others, Ernest’s body was never found, it is likely that his remains are still hidden somewhere beneath the trees. Or, he may have been one of the many who were uncovered sometime later but who sadly could not be identified.

In memory of Ernest, we held a two minute silence close to where he would have fallen and then, in the small cemetery across the road, we placed a cross by a headstone to a soldier of the Norfolk Regiment ‘known unto God’. Although it is unlikely to be the final resting place of Ernest, we hoped that the man who lies there might have served alongside Ernest and his pals from Attleborough. Sadly, Ernest was not the only member of the Elvin family killed during the war. Just over two years later, Private Wilfred Harold Elvin, Ernest’s younger brother, was killed in action at Achiet le Petit on 23rd August 1918 aged 18.

To conclude our journey, we headed to The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.

Amongst the 73,000 names of missing British and Commonwealth soldiers who fought on the Somme, we placed a laminated photograph close to the carved letters which spell out his name.

This was a very small gesture of thanks and remembrance but we felt so grateful to Ernest and others like him for their sacrifice and so privileged to be able to make this journey in his honour. Now we have returned to Blighty, a journey that Ernest never made, we are determined to do more to keep his memory alive.

So, on Remembrance Day, we will lead an assembly to teach others about Ernest to impress his memory on the minds of the young people of Attleborough today.

We want to remind everyone, one hundred years on, why it is still so important to remember the events of World War One and why we must not forget what happened to Ernest and the many others like him.

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How we are using exciting trips and talks to inspire our A Level Creative Writing students The Year 12 and 13 A Level Creative Writing groups are going from strength to strength producing some excellent and moving pieces of work and teachers are encouraging students to seek inspiration from outside the Academy in a variety of ways.

You may well have seen some of our Sixth Form students sitting in Queens Square avidly writing or wandering around with a notebook making notes of snippets of conversations and writing down observations – all stimulus for their creative writing.

However, teachers are now trying to encourage students

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further by taking them on trips for cultural stimulus. One of these was a recent trip to the Theatre Royal in Norwich to see the theatre production of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca that was performed by the Kneehigh Theatre Touring Company.

It has been described as “eerily compelling” and Year 13 students were “surprised” at how much they enjoyed the performance and how engaging it was. Adam Quantrill commented “I did not think I would enjoy the play but it was really great and not something I would ordinarily have gone to see.”

Media and Creative Writing students also received a visit from an independent journalist, Jo Malone, who told them about her own career

in the media and carried out a Q&A session about the world of journalism. This was followed by a workshop where students created their own vox pops (recorded views and opinions) on Christmas. Watch out for the article in the Christmas supplement of the EDP! Further events are being planned in conjunction with Carrow Road and Mustard TV – so watch this space!

Sixth Form Open Evening: Lead Presidents’ Speech During the Sixth Form Open Evening on Wednesday 7th October 2015 our two Lead Sixth Form Presidents, Jake Wiseman and Amber Miller took to the stage to talk to the assembled parents and incoming Sixth Form students to explain why they chose to study at Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Sixth Form.

This is what they told the audience: “We are Jake Wiseman and Amber Miller and we are proud to be the Lead Sixth Form Presidents of Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Sixth Form.

Jake: It doesn’t seem like over a year ago since I was sat with my parents in the Academy hall and I remember wondering what Sixth Form life would be like, unsure of what exactly to expect.

When looking into post GCSE education I barely knew which career I wanted to go into and I’m sure many of you aren’t 100% sure either. When you’re a teenager, people often say you’ve got so many tough decisions to make and it’s true, we have. For me however, choosing to study at Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Sixth Form was definitely the right decision and I’m sure if you choose to come here you will not regret it either.

Amber: It was an obvious choice for me to study my A Levels at this Academy. For me this is a happy, vibrant and successful place to learn. Whilst I studied for my GCSE’s I felt the teachers went over and above to support and guide me so I reached my full potential.

When you’re thinking about your next move what do you consider? I would advise you to look at the strengths and principles of the Academy. This is presented in the diverse future opportunities that have helped past student in seeking their desired job roles.

Jake: Ever since I started my AS Levels, I felt I was in safe hands with the students and staff I had around me. I found the

transition between GCSE’s and A Levels almost effortless and I was confident with the work I was being set. Along with the great teaching staff, our Sixth Form provides a great atmosphere for work and a huge range of opportunities.

With dedicated days aimed at improving your employability skills and events arranged throughout the year, there is always something new and exciting going on. Studying here will allow you to meet new people, learn new skills and get the grades you need for higher education or work.

This is my 7th year at the Academy and over this time I have been able to form some really strong bonds with my teachers. I enjoy talking to them and they all understand how I learn best. They will adapt their lessons to suit the students and they will always go over something again if you are struggling to understand.

Regular tutor periods with staff help guide you in your work or with personal issues. This focussed time will allow you and your tutor to track your progress, address any issues you may have and guide you in the right direction for what you need to do next.

Amber: Attleborough Academy Norfolk has a fulfilling Sixth Form environment that gives rise to opportunities that allow you to work with your fellow students to progress in your learning. For me this has always been a key feature not only building strong friendships with my fellow Sixth Formers but also with my teachers.

This is one of the values of Attleborough Academy Norfolk, building a friendly environment where we can rely on one another. This close unit is presented greatly in our Sixth Form. I was a former student at this school and we go to great lengths to make new students feel welcome and comfortable in this Academy.

our Sixth Form will have something that appeals to you. I have been lucky enough to stay in Paris for a week, live with a family in Spain and most recently, spend a week touring Italy. Not only do you gain friends from these fantastic experiences but you also have the opportunity to try new things and visit new places.

As well as the teachers, myself, Amber and the rest of the Presidential Team work together to organise events for the Sixth Form throughout the year. We are planning to have inter form competitions, charity and fundraising events along with the traditional Sixth Form Christmas meal. All of these events give us the chance to socialise with more students and have fun with the people around us.

Amber: Our Year 13 Presidential Team are here to make a daunting new start more reassuring. Throughout the year the Presidential Team organise events that get the Sixth Form and wider community involved. This is shown in our charity work that gives us a great sense of accomplishment.

Each year, as a group, we set aims to improve the Sixth Form and working together we can fulfil these goals.

I am now looking towards my next educational options. The Head of Sixth Form Mr Keshavarz and the Sixth Form tutors have given me a thorough insight into navigating my way toward university. As a direct result of the strength of the Academy I have grown into a confident student who is decisive about the future.

Attleborough Academy Norfolk was the right choice for us and we know it will be the right choice for you too.

Jake: Attleborough Academy Norfolk is also very well known for its school trips. Whether you want to travel internationally or explore closer to home,

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Sixth Form Presentation Evening Last year’s Year 13 students reassembled for one last time on Friday 6th November to reminisce, catch up and formally celebrate their fantastic achievements by collecting their A Level certificates. In addition, 26 special prizes were awarded to the Academy’s high achieving students which were awarded by the Heads of Subjects and sponsored by local organisations.

The evening was led by Head of Sixth Form, Mr Keshavarz, and supported by Director of Sixth Form, Mrs McConnell, who kicked off the evening by welcoming all students, parents, teachers, sponsors and invited guests. Special guests included Mr McShane, Principal of Attleborough Academy Norfolk;

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Mr Tony Perkins, our recently appointed town mayor; Philip Bujak, who provides a wonderful bursary for selected students to allow them to travel the world pursuing supportive projects in different communities and Kiernan O’Shea, Head of Production at Mustard TV, who was also the guest speaker for the evening.

Kiernan gave an inspiring speech that outlined his 15 year career which had seen him undertake a variety of roles within the television and media industry which included being Deputy Editor of the Jeremy Kyle show, working for ITV and BBC, ghostwriting a Sunday Times Bestseller and writing columns for Britain’s biggest selling newspaper.

During his speech, he outlined the long hours and intense hard work that were required to be successful in the industry. He also told the assembled audience his

key tips to success based on his experiences which included: facing your fears, being prepared to embrace your failures, trusting and testing your talent; taking risks, and finally, accepting that life is not always fair and moving on.

Kiernan ended his speech by congratulating all the students present and wishing them all good luck in their futures.

This wonderful Presentation Evening was concluded with some extremely amusing remarks by the retiring Sixth Form Lead Presidents, Josie Hindle and Jack Reynolds, illustrating how much the Sixth Form had meant to them.

Congratulations to all our Year 13 students, especially our prize winners!

The Bujak Bursary Award Patrick Kassaga The Art Award sponsored by Vera Dale, of Pavilion Nurseries Emily Brooks The BTEC Music Award sponsored by Rogers & Norton Ltd and TC Garrett Jack Reynolds The Business Studies Award sponsored by Richard Johnston Ltd and Breckland Auto Services Jack Griffiths The Chemistry Award sponsored

by KM First Aid Tom Paine The Computing Award sponsored

by Anaco Air Conditioning Ltd Jamie Hall The Creative Writing Award sponsored

by Donna Kissinger Ben Coles The English Literature Award sponsored

by St Mary’s Church Office Lucy Noonan The Geography Award sponsored

by PF Southgate Natalie O’Callaghan The Health & Social Care Award sponsored by Westward Care Homes and Holly Court Natalie Orford

The History Award sponsored by The Alan Boswell Group Rosie Matthews The ICT Award sponsored

by Mellor Metals Jacob Williams The Maths Award sponsored

by The Mason Trust Bernard Taylor The Further Maths Award sponsored

by Attleborough Town Council Chelsea Secker The Media Studies Award sponsored

by Edwards and Blake Emily Brooks The PE Award sponsored by Wayland Free Range Eggs (P Ewin Farms Ltd) and Breckland Industrial Ltd Sam Peel The Physics Award sponsored by Lee and Plumpton Ltd Bernard Taylor The Product Design Award sponsored

by Lee and Plumpton Ltd Laura Kidd and Ellie Philpott The Psychology Award sponsored by Silverstream Kennels & Cattery Holly Warren

The Biology Award sponsored by Attleborough Surgeries Kathryn Dunnill The Principal’s Award sponsored by Attleborough Academy Norfolk Josie Hindle and Jack Reynolds Keith Maughan Memorial Golden Moustache Award sponsored

by Jennie Maughan Charlie Martin The Sarah Mead Award for Endeavour sponsored by Steve Mead Dionne Garnham The Brian Hunt Award for Progress Sarah Dooley The Head of Sixth Form Award sponsored by Attleborough Academy Norfolk Kelly Clarke We would like to thank all the students, parents, sponsors and the staff who attended the event. Special thanks goes to the extraordinary generosity of all of the sponsors of our prizes, without whom we would not be able to run such an events.

The Sociology Award sponsored by Daniels Plumbers Ltd Josie Hindle

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Sixth Form student becomes the voice of the future Many young people nowadays just sit back and wait for opportunities to come to them. This was not the case for one Sixth Former, Aaron Cahill, who is currently working as a young journalist for the Eastern Daily Press after joining their Future Voices team.

Students help to promote our Sixth Form to potential students This term, five of our Sixth Form Presidents ably represented our Sixth Form at Old Buckenham High School and Wayland Academy Norfolk.

planned for the next year along with the unique new programme of courses and Aspiration Academies’ which will be launched in the new academic year.

The students gave up their time to travel to the two institutions after the school day to talk to Year 11 students and parents about studying at Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Sixth Form.

The Aspiration Academy will be a personalised study programme and will be ideal for: • Students who have a talent in a particular field and wish to prepare for Apprenticeship, or employment • Students who may also wish to study for an A Level programme alongside their special interest or talent eg Basketball • Students who may not wish to do A levels but know the industry they would want a career in • Students who may want to set up a business/become self-employed/ understand a little more about the business world • Students who are undecided on pathway but may want to study a Level 3 pathway

Accompanied by Head of Sixth Form, Mr Keshavarz, and Assistant Principal and Director of Sixth Form, Mrs McConnell; students Lauren McArdle and Lauren Wood talked to attendees of the Year 11 Parents’ Evening at Wayland Academy Norfolk in the first part of the evening. The team then moved on to Old Buckenham High School for their Careers Evening where Gregor Peyrebrunne, Jake Wiseman and Richard O’Callaghan to attendees about their experience at Attleborough Academy Norfolk Sixth Form. They also spoke about the wide range of new A Level courses

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To find out more contact our Sixth Form Team via email office@aan.nofolk.sch.uk

Future Voices gives young people aged 13-18 in Norfolk the opportunity to express themselves through the media – both print and online.

Every month they write articles on a topic of their choice, something they feel passionately about, which regularly gets published on the EDP’s website and occasionally actually inside the paper.

Aaron has been working with his fellow aspiring journalists for six months now which has been invaluable to him.

Talking about his experience so far, Aaron said: “I heard about Future Voices through my teacher in High School and saw it as an amazing opportunity. I have loved working in cohesion with the EDP and it’s great to get my work published. I recently had my first article published in the paper - something I was very proud of - which was about Mental Health amongst young people. It evoked a very positive response. I look forward to the future, hopefully working in journalism.”

History department welcome Holocaust survivor It was with great pleasure that Sixth Form students and the History department welcomed Mr Frank Bright to the Academy on Monday 2nd November.

Mr Bright is one of a few surviving victims of the Holocaust, working for the Holocaust Educational Trust, who are invited to visit schools and recount to students their experiences of one of the most horrific moments in human History. It was a fantastic experience for the students to meet Mr Bright, who kept them enraptured with his testimony of life in Nazi Germany and the true meaning of the Holocaust for him as a survivor. The visit was also imbued with special significance as this year is the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Mr Bright was born into a Jewish family in Berlin in 1928 and felt his entire childhood shaped by the gradual takeover of Nazism in Germany. Afraid for the future, his family decided to emigrate to

Prague in then Czechoslovakia only for the German war machine to take over the country mere months later.

A terrifying period followed for Frank and his family who were eventually moved into the Jewish ghetto within Czechoslovakia. They were separated and forced to live apart and work for the German war machine. However, worse was to follow, when the family were deported east. They arrived in trains at the gates of Auschwitz. Frank was arguably one of the lucky few, less than 1% of his transport was taken for work rather than to be sent to the gas chambers.

Frank was never to see his family again from this moment. At its peak, Auschwitz could murder 8,000 people a day and was only one of the death camps created by the Nazis to commit the genocide of all Jews from Europe. In total, it is estimated that the Nazis killed over six million of Europe’s Jewish population and nearly the same number of other people they also considered inferior.

After Mr Bright’s testimony many students commented on how enlightening they had found the experience and how honoured they were as there are so few survivors of this terrible event who are still alive today to share their experiences.

In particular, the students commented on how they had enjoyed the chance to question Mr Bright as someone who had lived through the History they were studying.

In true Attleborough Academy Norfolk style, the students were spectacular in their show of gratitude to Mr Bright for travelling to see them on a cold November day. Mr Bright also kindly donated two new books to the Academy library about the Holocaust so that all students can have the opportunity to find out more about this event and the courage of the people who survived it.

We truly hope that Mr Bright can find time to visit us again soon.

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Students welcome Nathan Sykes to Attleborough Academy Norfolk Solo artist and former band member of The Wanted, Nathan Sykes, visited Attleborough Academy Norfolk on Thursday 8th October 2015 to meet the students and promote his new single Over and Over Again.

He was accompanied by; • Ben Taylor (Tour Manager); • Chrissy Incocciati (Manager); • Tim Miller (Sound Engineer); • Lewis Allen (Guitarist) and • Jack Daly (Photographer) Over 800 students and staff from across the Academy flocked to the Sports Hall to meet Nathan who treated them to a live performance of ‘Over and Over Again’, ‘Kiss Me Quick’ and a special Marvin Gaye cover of ‘Let’s Get It On’ before students were able to put their questions to him:

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What is your favourite subject and why?

Hope Loades

What was your behaviour like at school?

Nathan Burrows (Head Boy)

With someone with low self-esteem what advice would you give them to boost their confidence?

Bethany Wright

Did you do any Further Education? If so, what?

Michael Godden

How is your solo career going?

Lilah Suazo (Head Girl) What inspired you to be a singer?

Gemma Woods

All students thoroughly enjoyed the morning and some were even able to get their picture taken with the singer.

Huge thank you to Nathan for taking time out to visit us!

Link To Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal Throughout October, Attleborough Academy Norfolk students and staff took part in the Link to Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal.

Each tutor group collected an array of essential everyday items, along with some festive treats to fill a shoebox for donation to less fortunate people across Eastern Europe this Christmas. Students had the choice of completing a “family” or “elderly” box – ensuring that the contents were appropriate; sweets and toys and toothbrushes in family shoeboxes and adding reading glasses, notepads and a sewing kit to make it suitable for an elderly couple. There was some fantastic leadership by form leaders, prefects and charity reps in helping to organise this.

Some forms completing as many as 7 full shoeboxes!

of goodies before wrapping them in some festive paper, ready for send-off! Thank you to Mrs Sweet (and her large car!) for delivering the shoe boxes to Mile Cross Methodist Church in Norwich. On the 11th November these then started their voyage across Europe; to reach their destination in time for Christmas.

Link to Hope works to combat poverty and give humanitarian aid for the most disadvantaged across Eastern European countries; Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and the Ukraine.

In total, we completed 80 shoeboxes!

A very big thank you to everyone that organised and contributed, in order to make this such a success.

For more information on Link To Hope and how they support those individuals and families living in poverty in Eastern European countries please visit www.linktohope.co.uk

Miss Norman (and some willing little Year 9, 10 and 11 elves!) ensured that all shoeboxes were bursting full

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Macmillan Coffee Morning On the 24th and 25th September, Attleborough Academy Norfolk students and staff took part in raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Mrs Flaherty, Mrs Lincoln and Year 11 Catering students started the fundraising by baking cupcakes, chocolate brownies, lemon drizzle cakes and other scrumptious delights which were then sold in the library during lunch. Mrs Parker, Mrs Flaherty and some fantastic volunteers didn’t have to wait too

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long before the hoards stormed the library in support of Macmillan, and in search of cake! Miss Norman (our very own ‘Mary Berry’) and some very enthusiastic bakers amongst the staff gathered a vast array of sweet treats for sale in the staffroom, during Friday break time, seeking generous donations from keen cake-lovers.

Macmillan Cancer Support provides practical, medical, emotional and financial support to anyone and pushes for better cancer care.

In total, we raised £248.86!

A very big thank you to everyone that baked and donated, in order to make this event such a success.

For more information on Macmillan Cancer Support and how they support those individuals and families dealing with cancer please visit www.macmillan.org.uk

Children in Need at Attleborough Academy Norfolk Children in Need have raised over £600 million for disabled children and young people in the UK since it was founded in 1980.

At Attleborough Academy Norfolk we are proud of the work we do for charities and with this year being the 35th Anniversary of the BBC’s Children in Need, we wanted to do our best to raise as much money as we could. As Sixth Form Presidents, we were given the responsibility of organising fundraising activities for the whole Academy. Last year’s Presidential Team managed to get over £830 worth of donations for the cause, this year we went bigger!

We started with several meetings in which we discussed our main ideas for events, delegated roles and set up an itinerary for the week. After the final meeting, we set a target amount for us to raise…£1,000. Although this was more than £100 higher than last year’s efforts, we really believed we could achieve it.

Our week started with several members of our Presidential Team baking over 100 cupcakes on the Monday of Children in Need week.

We then sold our cakes during lunch the next day, charging a 50p

donation for each. With so many students and staff buying our produce we managed to sell all of our cakes within one afternoon!

The first day of fundraising was a huge success.

Our next organised events were ‘pay to play’ Dodgeball games in the sports hall for both main Academy students on the Wednesday and Sixth Formers on Thursday. Once again, we saw huge interest in the activity and using our Presidents’ Twitter accounts we were able to reach large numbers of students to spread the word. We also produced information letters which were distributed throughout the Academy to raise awareness at the beginning of the week. With both Dodgeball events bringing lots of students into the sports hall, we managed to build our donation total up even further!

However, our main fundraising day was Friday 13th November, the day of BBC’s Children in Need. Having planned a ‘show your spots’ non-school uniform day for the whole Academy, we were pleased to see so many of our students wearing their spottiest clothes as well as donating their pound towards a great cause. To add to our events earlier in

the week we created multiple stalls and games for lunchtime on our final day of fundraising. Guess the name of the bear, sweets in the jar and a prize raffle adding to our previously raised money we were edging closer to our target of £1,000. After some final donations of loose change towards the end of lunch, it was time to count up our efforts.

Two hours and many money bags later we had our total. After our efforts throughout the week, we had managed to smash our target and raise a fantastic £1,010.50 for Children in Need. It is something we are massively proud of as the Presidential Team and we would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who took part in our arranged activities as well as those who donated throughout the week.

All of the money will go to BBC Children in Need and we hope our efforts can help change lives.

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Gifted and Talented students’ trip to St George’s Park Attleborough Academy Norfolk’s Gifted and Talented Year 8 and Year 11 football teams took a trip to St George’s Park, the home of the England National Football team, on Monday 5th October 2015.

level or for a team local to the Academy on a weekly basis. The trip to St George’s Park gave the students the opportunity to see what they could achieve at the elite level if they continued with continued determination.

Mr Rosembert and Mr Stott accompanied the 28 students to the Burton on Trent National Football Centre where they were able to take part in a tour of the facilities which included an exact replica of Wembley Stadium’s football pitch, a state of the art gymnasium, a high performance rehabilitation complex and a full size 4th generation football pitch.

It was evident that the students enjoyed the experience, they performed very well and represented the school as expected. Comments from the student about their experience of the day included “this is an amazing place and I could be here training with England”, “brilliant experience, I want to do better in football and at school”.

The students were also able to take part in a high level and challenging football training session lead by Football Association (FA) accredited coach tutors. Consequently, the students were able to learn high level movements and play just like the pros.

The Academy’s football teams have historically performed well in competitions due to the strong local clubs around the area and the commitment and dedication of the students. A large number play football either at county

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This opportunity has clearly inspired our students to continue to be the best that they can be in all they do and thus continue to perform well both on and off the pitch at Attleborough Academy Norfolk.

Sporting Prowess Andrea Lintorp, is one of our Year 12 visiting Norwegian students.

She is a member of the Norwegian underwater rugby team and plays at a national level. She was invited to participate in the Championship Cup in Berlin from 27 to 30 November 2015.

Andrea felt that this was a real honour, as she is very passionate about the sport she plays and felt that this was an opportunity to gain experience, competing at an international level, as well as representing her home country in this event.

Year 11 student’s Team GB Archery success

Joe Ground, Attleborough Academy Norfolk Year 11 student, won silver at the Europa Cup in Rome in July, competing for Team GB in Archery.

He narrowly missed out on gold in a one arrow shoot off!

We are glad that he has continued his education with us in our Sixth Form and wish him ever continuing success with his Archery.

Students take part in the Eastern Region’s Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) sponsored STEM Challenge There were two parts to the STEM challenge. The first round occurred on Wednesday 7th October 2015 when 120 Year 9 students participated in the programme held in the Main Hall in the Academy.

The programme aimed to promote engineering construction and career pathways into the industry.

Thanks to generous sponsorship from the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), this programme was offered to the Academy for free.

During the day, two sessions were delivered. At each session approximately 60 students participated and completed a ‘hands on’ activity, in teams of four.

The challenge was a practical task designed to take students through a real world engineering process.

Following the initial challenge day, the winning teams from sessions 1 and 2 (plus our wild card team) were invited to participate in the ECITB East Regional Grand Final, which took place at the University Technical College (UTC) Norfolk, on Thursday 19th November 2015.

Thanks must go to Mr Seymour and Mrs Wright for escorting our intrepid adventurers for the day.

At the event, our students competed in their teams against student teams from other participating schools, on an engineering construction based challenge. At the end of the challenge, a winning team was selected and prizes awarded. The event included an interactive careers activity for students highlighting the many available pathways into engineering construction and include apprenticeships, university and college pathways.

The benefits to the students were: • To provide information about future career and Further (FE) and Higher (HE) Education options.

• To encourage personal development including time management, team work, problem-solving and personal and social skills.

• To promotes creativity and enterprise skills.

The benefits to the Academy were:

Lucy Tetley, the Education Officer for The Smallpeice Trust said, ‘Whilst the teams didn’t win they were very impressive. I spoke to one of the teams afterwards, as they had come up with an excellent design which used the hydraulics as an integral part of their design and given an engaging presentation.

Unfortunately, their design didn’t work when it came to testing.’

• To enhance the curriculum and broaden options.

• To help forge links with industry.

The benefits to the teachers were: • To provide ideas, projects and skills to transfer to the classroom.

• To contribute to continuing professional development programme.

Overall the students enjoyed the experience and were very enthusiastic about the opportunity that was given to them.

The participating finalists were: Fraser Arden, Donata Bairamova, Harry Canham, Joe Daniels, Luke Downey, Kymberley Gill, Nicholas Good, Finlay Goodrum, Daria Jakubowska, Callum Lodge, Edward Rowling, Jude Spinks and Jack Stammers.

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Join the Parents,Teachers and Friends of Attleborough Academy Norfolk group The Parents, Teachers and Friends of Attleborough Academy (PTFA) are a small group who volunteer their time to organise fundraising events for Attleborough Academy Norfolk.

Being part of the PTFA is very rewarding and helps bring together parents and staff to build a greater sense of community in our Academy.

We are currently looking for new members who can put in as little or as much as they choose!

If you would like to join or would like any other information regarding the PTFA, please do not hesitate to contact Jenny Savage at office@aan.nofolk.sch.uk Without your support, we will have no PTFA – we really need your help!

Please feel free to bring a friend or family member. We look forward to meeting you!

Join the Parent’s Council Due to a few vacancies we are looking to recruit new members to the Parent’s Council.

The council meets once a term between 18.00 to 20.00 to give their opinions on new initiatives and ideas within the Academy.

This is the ideal opportunity to have your voice and opinion heard about new initiatives within the Academy.

If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Mrs Beverley Lloyd at office@aan.nofolk.sch.uk

Norfolk County Council – Community Learning Services Maths, English & ESOL classes Starting January 2016 Attleborough Community & Enterprise Centre Maths Tuesdays and Fridays 09.30 to 12.00 12 Weeks = Free English Tuesdays and Wednesdays 12.30 to 15.00 12 Weeks = Free

ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Wednesdays and Fridays 09.30 to 12.00 12 Weeks = £200 Free if on means tested benefits (Some funding may be available for those on a low income)

If you would like to learn to speak English, come to an ESOL Assessment on Monday 14th December, 09.30 at Attleborough Community & Enterprise Centre, Church Street, NR17 2AH.Please bring you ID and benefit forms with you – you may get help with fees!

For details or to enrol call: Adult Education: 01953 455783 Mobile: 0777 6474 491 email: christine.flude@norfolk.gov.uk

Thank you for reading Attleborough Academy Times 24