MVC News Summer 2024

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Summer 2024

The News Magazine of Melbourn Village College, an Academy of The Cam Academy Trust

Fond Farewell to Year 11 — Page 3

‘Three keys to success’ MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

Melbourn Village College is a unique school (of course, I would write this)

which, I strongly believe, supports our students on their journey to

becoming successful adults and making a positive contribution to their

local community wherever they decide to live in the world.

Teachers have, of course, worked hard to develop students’ skills, through teaching and learning strategies which enable them to access the best possible learning opportunities.

But we all know that there is more to school than just getting the best possible grades in examinations at the end of Year 11.

School is about preparing our young people to be the successful adults of the future. But how do you teach a young person to achieve that goal?

Melbourn Village College is enhancing its uniqueness by homing in even more on this question, with all the adults working at MVC focusing on the three words which underpin our values and are ‘The Three Keys to Success’.

These are the three R’s — Be Ready, Be Respectful and Be Responsible.

By focusing on these all-important values, we are able to construct what we would recognise as a ‘character’ curriculum, which is being designed to support the development of our young people. There is more information here: https://www.melbournvc.org/parent-carer-and-student-information/charactercurriculum.php I am excited by this work. Part of the uniqueness of MVC is our commitment to students inside and outside, of the classroom.

At MVC we are utilising the opportunities to develop those all-important positive relationships, which are essential to engage students to learn more, so they can be even more successful in their final examinations.

Christopher Bennet, Executive Headteacher

Bringing mental health help into sharper focus

Unfortunately, as we are all too aware, a number of our students have experienced low mental health which is a terrible condition, still shrouded in misconception and misunderstanding. Having witnessed how debilitating it can be especially for our students; I believe we need to be able to offer a good level of support.

We are delighted to be able to employ a professional colleague to deliver this, at some cost to the school, with MVC committing more than £20,000 to this service in the next academic year.

Working together for ‘safer corridors’

Following the work done earlier this academic year with Safer Corridors, an initiative addressing sexualised language and attitudes in school, the next step was bringing into school speakers from the charity Everyone’s Invited.

Presentations were made separately to staff, parents and each year group.

The theme of these presentations was around ‘rape culture’ and how to address this.

The presentations were well received and it is hoped that more work might be possible in the future.

q Fond Farewell — 3 q Flood Investigations — 4 q On the Crest of a Wave — 4 q Turbo Boost for Reading — 4 q The Future is Bright — 4 q Macbeth ‘Comes Alive’— 4 q Trust News — 5 q Books link Generations —6 q Poets in Print — 5 q Parents join Celebrations — 6

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

q Trip is ‘eye-opener’ — 7 q Students; chance to Vote — 7 q Thinking Ahead — 7 q Intensive Programme brings Mandarin to Life — 8 & 9 q Real Taste of Italy — 10 q Young Chefs put to Test — 10 q Trip Steeped in History — 11 q New Prefects Chosen — 12 q Milking It —12

EVERYONE’S INVITED: The charity gave a series of presentations as part of Melbourn’s ‘Safer Corridors’ initiative.

q Show is Grand Finale— 13 q There’s always Next Year — 13 q SCSSP Round-Up — 14 q Melbourn’s Golden Trio — 15 q Honours Shared — 15 q Serving Up Titles— 15 q Teams add to Haul — 16 q Rising to Challenge — 16 q Title for ex-Pupil — 16 q Sports Centre Update — 16

MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

Fond farewell to Year 11

LAST HURRAH: Year 11 at the traditional leavers’ prom, this year held at Minstrel Court.

This year’s prom saw a return to a previous local venue, Minstrel Court.

With the help of Mrs Deadman, Mrs Tidby and Beautiful Balloons, the venue looked fabulous, with a balloon arch, lit up ‘LOVE’ letters, ‘We are proud of you’ banners, a photo booth and ‘PROM’ written in balloons, it was certainly fit for a prom.

The beautiful grounds and sweeping driveway provided the perfect display of carriages of all shapes and sizes — from a motorbike to a limo; vintage to new.

All students had pulled out the stops with their attire; looking absolutely stunning with even ‘Lightning McQueen’ crocs poking out from under a suit.

It was an ideal opportunity for students to celebrate their time at Melbourn Village

College and relax after finally finishing their GCSEs! The venue provided an amazing buffet and the bar, and everything from sweet bags to mocktails went down a storm (special thanks to the Year 10 team for organising, and staff volunteers who served the students on the night).

After plenty of dancing and use of the photo booth, the evening finished off perfectly with fireworks over the lake.

As Minstrel Court lit up and the evening came to a close, it was time to say one last farewell to our 2024 Year 11’s as they were collected from the event.

It was a truly special evening and one that will live long in everyone’s memories as the perfect way for the students to round off their time at MVC!

MAKING MEMORIES: Some of the official photos from Marriage Photography.

www.marriagephoto.co.uk

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MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

Flood investigations

IMMERSED IN ENGINEERING: A varied day out at the University of Cambridge for Year 8 students taking the CREST Award.

Students who are working towards their silver CREST Award, spent a day at the University of Cambridge taking part in Living Laboratory: Climate Action.

The CREST Award scheme, run by The British Science Association, gives young people the chance to choose their own subject and methodology to complete a hands-on investigation, individually or in groups.

It is a nationally-recognised scheme for student-led projects in the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths, and is externally moderated.

As part of the award, students chose to undertake their authentic research investigation into how to make their school and community save energy and reduce flood risk as Melbourn is prone to flooding.

The Year 8 group started the day at West Hub looking at flood defences and what could be done to prevent floods. They also tried to build a model house from straws, plastic, tin foil and cardboard to keep a family safe in a monsoon. The finished models were tested under a shower!

Seeing a Cambridge college was an important part of the day and Melbourn students moved on to Churchill, where they had lunch in the college dining room.

The day also included meeting role models, so the group returned to West Hub to spend the afternoon working with civil engineers.

They found out about careers in engineering, then helped build the tallest possible tower from newspaper. After that, there was a scavenger hunt to see how much information students could find out about the engineers.

Then it was on to a tour of the Chemical Engineering department to gain insight into undergraduate life.

Dr Rachel Thorley, from the Department of Engineering and Churchill College, said: “It’s been really exciting working on Living Lab: Climate Action.

“It is so important for pupils to have these aspirational opportunities and see firsthand the vibrant environment they can be part of by doing higher education.

“One thing that makes it really special for me is bringing together young people and inspiring engineering role models. There are a lot of misconceptions around engineering as a career and opening people’s eyes to the huge range of opportunities with an engineering degree is so worthwhile.

“For any pupils reading this: dream big and follow your passions.”

Tracey Mayhead, who runs the CREST programme as an after-school enrichment activity and who organised the trip, said: “The students had a very full day.

Several of them commented on how much they enjoyed the competitive challenges and working with the civil engineers. I was really proud of how the students conducted themselves.”

The future is bright!

Year 11 Grace (DAR) has received a special award from Melbourn Parish Council.

She was presented with a certificate by council chair Graham Clark for the Community Award: ‘The Future is Bright’ in recognition of the volunteering and charity work she does.

As well as helping in the community

café and library in the village, she has also fund-raised for a red pandas charity and the Year 11 prom — tasks she completed to achieve her AQA awards.

As an additional ‘treat’, Melbourn’s SENDCo Sean Pollock dressed up as ‘The Grinch’ from Dr Seuss as that is what Grace and another student, Ella, always call him!

On Crest of a wave JOB DONE: Students receive their Bronze certificates.

Over the Spring Term, 28 students completed the Bronze Crest Award.

Students completed projects that they designed themselves in a diverse range of topics from ‘How to make lip balms soft’, ‘How to make drinks fizzy’ and ‘What makes the fastest roller coaster’.

Mrs Mayhead really enjoyed working with the group.

She said: “They had such fun ideas and completing all of the experiments was really exciting. Well done to everyone!”

Students received their completion certificates earlier this term and will have the option to take the silver award next year.

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TWO REWARDS: A certificate and having SENDCo Sean Pollock dress up as ‘The Grinch’.

Key priorities are set out

Trust leaders and headteachers will be working on a long-term strategy and setting clear priorities for the future following the arrival of new CEO Claire Heald.

She has set out areas likely to be prioritised as the Trust continues to consider how best to serve our young people and their families.

Alongside the Trust’s six core principles, which underpin the aims and values, Claire wants to focus on l Reading. This is probably the most important thing we teach our children. l The potential for all-through education. With the number of children who progress from one school to another Trust school, this feels like an important opportunity for us — and one that we can really build on. l Ensuring the best possible outcomes for our

most vulnerable students. It is our role to remove barriers and unlock potential whether they are pupils with special educational needs or disadvantaged pupils. l The power of collaboration. There is collaboration already happening in and across our schools but we can do even more — to make this a truly great Trust to work in and support our young people to learn and develop even more effectively.

Claire, who took up the role at half-term, added: “Reading has always been a passion of mine, right from starting my teaching career as an English teacher. In many ways the most important thing we teach our children is how to read, as it is a critical enabling competence — opening up possibility and opportunity for our young people.”

THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST NEWS

‘There are exciting times ahead for Trust’

Claire Heald has been busy getting out and about across all the Trust schools since she joined as Chief Executive on June 1st.

She said:” I have spent time in all of our schools over the last few weeks and have very much enjoyed meeting headteachers and school staff. “ I have particularly enjoyed talking with our brilliant young people and hope to do more of

this in the new academic year.

“I also hope to be able to meet more of our parents and wider community stakeholders.

“Stephen Munday clearly leaves a strong legacy and I hope to do this justice by leading our family of schools forward successfully into the next stage of our journey.

“In my conversations with Trust staff, people

CamVC original returns as director

Dr Richard Kueh, HMI, joins the Cam Academy Trust as Director of Strategy & Improvement at the end of July.

Richard currently serves as the Deputy Director for Schools and Early Education at Ofsted and is one of His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI). He has been part of the senior civil service for the last two years.

Bringing his experience working across England’s 24,000 statefunded schools to the Trust’s schools, Richard is excited about the move.

“This is a poignant time for The Cam Academy Trust, at the start of Claire Heald’s tenure as CEO,” he said. “It is fantastic to join this local family of schools committed to broad and inclusive education, with an international outlook.”

Richard is looking forward to working with leaders and teachers across all the Trust’s schools, as well the Trust’s central functions, such as teacher training.

He takes a collaborative approach to

OUT AND ABOUT: Claire Heald meeting pupils at Jeavons Wood Primary School.

leading change. Before joining Ofsted, he worked as a director of a Department for Education (DfE) regional school improvement partnership of 12 primary schools.

“Making meaningful connections is central to high-quality educational practice,” he said. “Just as it’s vital for leaders in schools to make connections between behaviour, attendance, outcomes, provision and safeguarding information for pupils, so it’s vital for trusts to ‘connect the dots’ between primary and secondary teaching, initial teacher training and on-going teacher education.”

Richard is no stranger to the Trust — he was part of the founding team at Cambourne Village College.

Richard’s academic background is in philosophy and theology, and he finished his doctorate at Cambridge while teaching at Cambourne.

He led the subject nationally as lead HMI inspector for Religious Education (RE).

have openly talked to me about their hopes for

the future. This is a Trust with extraordinary

potential.

“There are exciting times ahead and I'd like to

thank everyone for the warm welcome I've

received so far.”

Maths is for girls too!

IMPRESSIVE: The team who won the Trust maths competition amassed a total of 51 points.

Groups of Year 9 girls from all four Trust schools got together for a team maths competition at Melbourn Village College.

There were three rounds in the competition, which included estimation questions, a cross number, and building 3D models!

Students worked in mixed groups with one girl from each school per team.

They all worked incredibly well as a team and communicated effectively in tackling maths questions that were quite challenging.

The winning team scored an impressive 51, and six students were highlighted for displaying best teamwork.

The purpose of this competition was to encourage more girls to take up maths after GCSE, as all the sixth forms in the Trust offer A-Level Maths, ALevel Further Maths, and Core Maths.

One Melbourn student, Iris, said: “I found my team easy to work with. It confirmed that I wanted to study maths beyond GCSE.” Thank you to Melbourn for hosting the lovely afternoon!

For the latest job vacancies across the Trust go to www.catrust.co.uk

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MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

MUTUAL BENEFIT: Both students and tenants gained from the reading sessions at Moorlands.

Books link generations

Students from Years 7 and 8 have been visiting Moorlands Court in the village this term to read to residents and their day visitors.

This has helped boost students’ reading and confidence and was enthusiastically received.

Staff at the care home noticed that as the weeks passed the numbers of elderly people waiting in their communal area for the students had risen steadily.

The idea came from MVC maths teacher Margaret Storey after seeing students experiencing difficulties with the literacy element of maths questions.

She said: “We have been delighted to have taken some Year 7 and 8 students to Moorlands for our new Reading Initiative.

“We are very grateful to Moorlands for providing this opportunity for our students who have enjoyed reading to the residents and improving their skills.

“It has been lovely watching the interaction between the generations and seeing the mutual benefit. We look forward to continuing to work with Moorlands to give this opportunity to as many students as possible as part of our ongoing literacy focus.”

A spokesperson for Moorlands said: “Hearing the interactions and reading in our communal area is so lovely and it’s created a real buzz.

“We’ve noticed lots of chat between tenants after each visit too so bringing generations together is something of great value on so many levels.

The visits were co-ordinated by Moorlands Care and Support Manager Clare and saw students spend around 40 minutes reading with a tenant.”

The students said that they also benefited…

“I enjoyed going to Moorlands because I get to talk to people and give them some company. It’s fun to

Once again, our young people in Year 8 and 9 have come up trumps, entering Through Their Eyes — Echoes of Alternative Worlds, a poetry competition by the Young Writers organisation.

They each received a certificate ahead of becoming published authors last month, with their work published in an anthology of poetry drawn from young writers across the country.

Sarah Hallam said: “The English teachers at Melbourn are delighted to offer our students the opportunity to participate, and we are thrilled with their success! Congratulations!”

The newly-published poets are: Alex (8HAW), Anna (8NEW), Eleanor (8FRA), Elle (8DAR), Evie (8DAR), Harvey (8HAW), Iris (8HAW), Isabelle (8FRA), Joseph (8NEW), Josh (8FRA), Olly (8FRA), Rocco (8NEW), Ronnie (8LEW), Isobelle (8NEW), Megan (8FRA) and Zoe (9FRA).

special anthology.

Poets in print

WORKSHOP: From Ash Dickinson.

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listen to what they (the older people) say and the wisdom I get.” — James (8FRA) “It has benefited me by being able to read more and to speak to the older generation.” — Lilian (7FRA) “I think my social skills got better and they got entertainment. It’s important to read because it can level up your social skills and writing skills too.” — Tom (7LEW).

“I enjoyed going because it opens different perspectives of people’s lives. I feel like I can easily talk to them.” — Olivia (8HAW).

“I got stuck on a word and the person I was reading to helped me get it right. I liked going because I experience new stuff.” — Harrison (8FRA) Head of English Simon Luxton said: “ This has not only improved the confidence of our students but also the residents have really enjoyed it.”

AWARDS: Students received certificates ahead of their poems being published in a

WELCOME: Parents were invited too.

Parents join celebrations

Poet, author and performer Ash Dickinson visited MVC just before the Easter holidays.

He came into school to deliver an interactive workshop with a group of our Year 7 students and their parents.

It was great to have so many parents joining us for the last hour to celebrate their children’s work and to support them improve their reading and writing skills.

Ash said: “Had a third lovely visit to your school.

Credit to your pupils — you had two and in some cases three hours of me, but you stuck to task, were welcoming, game, able and a credit to yourselves and your school!”

Trip is an ‘eye-opener’

MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

Following the success of the Spanish Interaction Day for a group of Year 8 students last term, this term it was the turn of 15 Year 9s to head to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford for a day with students from the Cantabria region of Spain, who were visiting as part of a trip organised by Jose Herrera from Links into Spanish.

Students from the schools worked together to make and deliver presentations in both languages with the students acting as ‘teachers’ of their native tongue, after visiting the Battle of Britain Hangar and American Air Museum.

Isla (9DAR), Caitlin and Maisie (both 9LEW) describe their day: “We met up with the Spanish students at MVC and after we said our hellos and ‘holas’ as we settled into our seats and set off towards the Imperial War Museum at Duxford.

“When we arrived, we paired up and did a fun icebreaker where we got to know the Spanish pupils.

‘I thought it was fun to find out what life was like as a Spanish student,’ said one person from our school.

“After we got to know them, we went into larger mixed groups of Spanish and English students and took a tour around the eye-opening War Museum.

“We saw the operations room, where we found out about the roles played behind the scenes of aerial attacks.

“After that we carried on our adventure and discovered the important role of Duxford planes, and especially Spitfires, in World War 2.

“We continued our journey through the museum where we went to a large hangar decorated with war planes. This is where we made our presentations in our groups.

“In our groups we were tasked to make an oral presentation about some of the planes at Duxford. It was a fun exercise that meant we had to work together to get the job done.

“The Spanish students spoke in English and the

English students spoke in Spanish. After we created the presentations, all the groups took turns presenting them to everyone. It was interesting to listen to everyone and learn more about the planes.

“After these presentations we went back to the room where we started, and everyone ate lunch together before we hopped back on the coach back to MVC. “Sadly, it was soon time to say ‘adiós’ and head back into school for the end of the day.”

WORKING TOGETHER: Melbourn and visiting Spanish students work on their presentations at the Imperial War Museum.

Students experience the electoral process

Melbourn Village College held a Mock Election in the week of the General Election to give students a hands-on educational experience about the electoral process.

This initiative aimed to highlight the importance of civic participation and the intricacies of voting in a fun and engaging manner.

The event started with an assembly presentation where students had the privilege of hearing from the South Cambridgeshire Parliamentary Candidates.

Pippa Heylings, from the Liberal Democrat Party, and Miranda Fyfe, from the Green Party, each delivered a persuasive three-minute speech to garner the students' votes. For fairness, the other parties were represented by a Powerpoint presentation and Head of Humanities James Stuart.

Following the assembly, students were escorted by members of the MVC Mock Election Committee to their polling stations around the Willow Lawn, where they cast their votes.

The committee, composed of enthusiastic student volunteers, played a crucial role in organising and executing the event.

They were supported by an excellent admin team and group of teaching

staff. The committee counted the votes and applied their skills in statistics to analyse the results.

The outcome of the mock election saw the Liberal Democrats drastically securing the majority of votes, followed by the Green Party in second place, and Reform UK in third.

This local pre-election exercise results were compared with the actual national results announced, providing an interesting insight into how the students' choices aligned with the broader electorate.

Mr Stuart, who set up the Mock Election, said: “This event not only educated students about the electoral process but also fostered a sense of community and engagement within the school.

“The MVC Mock Election Committee demonstrated exemplary leadership and organisational skills, making the event a resounding success.

“The enthusiasm and participation of the students in this mock election underscored the importance of such educational activities in preparing the younger generation for active and informed citizenship.

“All participating students will be receiving the Head of School award and opportunity to sign the Humanities book of award.”

Thinking ahead

Year 10 students have been given plenty to think about over the summer holidays when the post-16 application process begins in earnest.

Some have already been to either Comberton Sixth Form or Cambridge Regional College to see what each has to offer students once they leave MVC next summer.

VOTING: Melbourn students go to the ballot box at the

college’s mock elections ahead of the General Election.

LOOKING FORWARD: Students ready for their CRC Taster Day.

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Intensive programme bring MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

Melbourn Village College was the first state school in Cambridgeshire to offer Mandarin as part of the curriculum.

It was also the first to participate in the Mandarin Excellence Programme, an intensive language programme run by the Confucius Institute at the University of London, which gives students the opportunity to extend their language learning but also to immerse themselves in Chinese culture.

As well as extra-curricular lessons on a weekly basis, each year group enjoys an Intensive Learning ‘week’ each year.

This year, for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc with overseas travel, Year 9 students went on an amazing 11-day trip to China earlier this month (see Page 9).

Year 10 participated in a three-day online course, creating a tourism campaign to attract Chinese visitors to the area to help them expand their vocabulary and reinforce the skills needed for GCSE Mandarin (see Page).

They also had the opportunity to visit Queen Mary University, London. This visit provided them with a glimpse into studying Chinese beyond school and sixth form.

Years 7 and 8 had five days of learning — some together and some separately — that included Chinese cookery, a visit to the British Museum and Chinatown in London as well as historical and contemporary activities such as comic-making, cheongsam and ceramics.

The highlight of the week was the combined trip to London. At the British Museum they spent time in three rooms full of ancient Chinese artefacts and practised their Mandarin by searching for particular items listed on a worksheet then filling in additional information using their language skills. This hands-on experience helped deepen their understanding of China’s rich heritage.

Then it was on to the New China Restaurant to eat with chopsticks, use their Mandarin to recognise the food and discuss Chinese culinary traditions.

Many said they really enjoyed the crispy Spring Rolls (春卷). A lot of them also loved the Sweet and Sour Chicken (古老鸡) and Egg Fried Rice (蛋炒饭).

The visit also included a treasure hunt at Loon Fung Supermarket, where students searched for unique Chinese vegetables, fruit and snacks, further practising their language skills by reading labels and talking to staff.

This was the perfect follow-up to Year 8s culinary journey at MVC, where five groups spent a day exploring stories of ancient Chinese figures related to dumplings, starting with a recipe lesson and dumpling-making demonstration. Each group then crafted a cooking plan in Chinese and practised with paper dumplings.

In subsequent lessons, they made pork and vegetable dumplings, perfecting their wrapping and cooking skills, and proudly presented their creations to headteacher Christopher Bennet.

On a different day their learned about Chinese cheongsam and ceramics. Both have a long history and reflect not only China's unique material culture, but also a certain Chinese aesthetic and philosophy of life.

One of the teachers said: “At the end of the day the students worked in groups to create unique pieces, some of which, to our surprise, had very intricate and delicate patterns, and used colours so well that if they ever had the chance, they would be able to make some really great pieces.

“In the cheongsam group we also saw excellent work with many Chinese elements, including Chinese characters, Chinese animals such as the phoenix, and traditional floral motifs, which was very moving as the students were applying what they have learnt and gradually developing more diverse and richer aesthetics and tastes.”

For Year 7, the first task involved creating Chinese character comics. Pupils used Chinese characters to craft stories, helping them gain a better understanding of the characters' patterns and meanings.

In the second part of the day, students learned about Chinese idioms. They not only studied these idioms but also made props to perform the stories behind them.

This hands-on approach brought the idioms to life and deepened their comprehension.

The following day started with learning about the first emperor of China and students created presentations to introduce him to others in their own way.

|ALL THINGS CHINESE: Students were immersed in Chinese history, culture and cuisine during the Intensive Learning activities.

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s learning Mandarin to life

MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

China trip returns after a five-year gap

NOTHING BEATS BEING THERE: Year 9 students are immersed in a variety of activities including making Moon Cakes and Tai Chi.

Seventeen Melbourn students on the Mandarin Excellence Programme and two Students also participated in traditional Chinese activities like Peking Opera maskteachers are just back from an amazing trip to China, the first since 2019 due to the painting, martial arts, paper-cutting, calligraphy, and making Chinese knots to help covid pandemic. them appreciate both Chinese traditions and contemporary life.

They were part of an incredible immersive experience organised by the University There was also the chance to meet UK business representative in China, College London IOE Confucius Institute for Schools, ensuring a comprehensive and enhancing their understanding of international relations and business practices. culturally rich journey for the 1,850 participating students from nearly 70 UK The programme, heavily subsidised by both the China and UK governments, also schools! featured themed events such as a welcome dinner, birthday parties, moon-cake Designed to maximise students’ exposure to the Chinese language and culture, making, a Chinese movie night, and a fun sports day. students were hosted by one of 10 major universities, with Melbourn being Additional financial contributions from MVC further reduced the financial burden on allocated Beijing International Chinese College. parents.

They took part in intensive language lessons, cultural Feedback from previous years' participants was experiences and grammar and vocabulary classes overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the trip's focused on themes such as Chinese campus life, food effectiveness in boosting students' language skills and and shopping, history and cultural heritage and sports confidence and we hope this will be evident when this and leisure activities. cohort reach GCSE level.

These lessons were supplemented by interactive learning Melbourn Head of Languages Frank Fan said: “It was an sessions with Chinese peers, providing a practical context unparalleled educational experience that goes beyond to apply their language. the classroom. It was an adventure that undoubtedly There were also unforgettable trips to iconic sites such as enriched students' understanding of Mandarin and The Great Wall, the Bird Nest, the Water Cube, Tian’an Chinese culture, fostering global citizenship and lifelong Men Square, and the Forbidden City. learning.”

SPEAKING OUT: In Mandarin!

Online course is preparation for GCSE exam

Year 10 MEP students completed a three-day approaches.

At St Mary’s students also enjoyed a campus tour, Intensive Learning Project, expertly crafted by One staff member said: “We are proud of visiting the university’s top facilities which UCL IOE’s Teaching Coordinator team with everyone involved and excited to see how these included libraries, lecture halls, and the Curve content from Nottingham University. skills evolve in our students' future endeavours." canteen, enhancing their vision of future This project provided a dynamic and interactive Students also gained an insight into Mandarin academic life. environment for learning GCSE-level Mandarin, Chinese Studies post-18 when the group spent a A standout feature of the day was the campaign while fostering collaboration and creativity. day at Queen Mary University, London. adverts and judging event, where schools The students enthusiastically designed posters, A presentation by the Confucius Institute and the competed by presenting videos promoting various planned itineraries, and created video ads, Language Centre showcased the cultural and UK destinations. Our students found this applying their Mandarin skills in real-world professional benefits of learning Mandarin. particularly engaging and inspiring. scenarios and promoting local tourism to Chinese visitors.

Hosted on LearnUpon, the course was accessible on multiple digital platforms, allowing for both independent and group work.

The students' creativity and enthusiasm were inspiring as they built their language skills and confidence in practical applications.

This project not only showcased our students' abilities but also emphasised the value of innovative educational INSIDE AND OUT: Year 10s learning was online and at Queen Mary University.

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MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

A real taste of Italy . . .

PASTA, PIZZA AND POMPEII: Some of the highlights of the trip to Italy.

The Food and Nutrition Department took 41 budding chefs of the future from Year 8 on an amazing trip to the Bay of Naples in Italy.

The region is renowned for its delicious food and drink and students made various traditional Italian dishes including struffolli, pizza and ravioli.

As well as learning to make some of the signature dishes, the party visited a selection of restaurants to see how the locals did it.

They also had the opportunity to visit the historical site of Pompeii, experienced the breathtaking view from villa San Michele on the beautiful island of Capri and immersed themselves in traditional production processes including real Italian gelato, olive oil, Mozzarella and the famous lemons of Sorrento.

The students had a fantastic time, judging by the feedback they — and parents — gave.

“It was an eye-opening once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” — Ava (HAW) “I never realised how much history was behind Pompeii until we visited — and the ice cream was delicious!” Leo (FRA) “It was a fun and enjoyable trip, where I loved learning to make pizza.” — Harry (HAW) “I loved making gelato and it was delicious.” — Luke (HAW) “A fun, educational trip, where we learnt about Italian culture and cuisine. — Amelie (LEW) A parent commented: “We’ve loved hearing about the different places you went (including the entertaining coach trips), the delicious food, the football games, the ‘dad jokes’ and the best party to end it all (some amazing DJ skills too, I believe!)

“Thank you for everything you did to make it such a success and so much fun; some great memories made!”

Trip organiser Zoe Millwood, Head of Food, Design Technology and Art, added: “The students were extremely well behaved, and were amazing ambassadors for MVC. They said ‘this is the best trip that they have ever been on and that they didn’t want it to end’.

“I feel so blessed to have been part of this oncein-a-lifetime learning experience where students have made memories that will stay with them.

“Next year’s trip is already sorted and I cannot wait to inspire more young minds with the culinary delights of what Italy has to offer.”

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Young chefs put to test

ENJOYING THE SCENERY: The Melbourn group in Italy.

The images below show just a couple of the Year 11 food and nutrition dishes from their three-hour cooking exam, where students demonstrated and mastered high-level cooking skills as they pre pared dishes using various of cooking techniques, technical skills and equipment.

To prepare for their practical exam the students were given three contextual challenges from the exam board and had to research various dishes and finishing techniques and higher level technical skills that linked to their chosen context.

Students had the chance to make three basic practice dishes before they up-skilled the dishes to be more complex for their exam.

Students were marked on how they conducted themselves under strict health and safety rules, where they followed a pre-written time plan and then presented the three dishes all within the three-hour period.

The students conducted themselves in a mature manner, where they worked extremely hard under the same parameters as a professional kitchen.

Trip steeped in history

MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

After a successful visit to Poland last year, historians from Years 9 and 10 took part in an exciting visit to Germany this summer to broaden their understanding of the topics they studied in class.

As the visit coincided with the 110th anniversary of the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the event that sparked the start of the First World War, it seemed particularly appropriate to mark the occasion with a visit to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Ypres, Belgium.

One student commented: “I had not expected this to be so emotional.”

This beautiful, sombre, immaculately-kept green space, which bears witness to the most terrible sacrifices was exactly as Rupert Brooke described it a ‘corner of a foreign field that is forever England’.

Over the course of the week students also visited a number of fantastic historical sites in the UNESCO

World Heritage site of the Rhine valley, which included monuments to the birth of Germany as a nation, Marksburg Castle, dating back to the 12th century, and the famous Koblenz Fortress, tasked with defending the Rhine from 1817.

When visiting the Niederwald monument, more commonly known as ‘Germania’, which commemorates the unification of Germany in 1871, students could not help but be impressed by the 38metre monument and its stunning location on the bank of the Rhine. ’I didn’t realise Britannia had a cousin,” commented one student, with another impressed by how “she is looking down on the river Rhine, like she’s guarding it.”

A tour of the impressive Marksburg Castle, which also marks the meeting of two great rivers, the Rhine and the Mozel, an opportunity to shop in the historic and gorgeous town of Rudesheim, a cruise along the

river to see some of the 40 castles set among vineyards, glorious architecture and beautiful scenery were all trip highlights.

However, no visit to the region would be complete without a day at the world-renowned Phantasialand, one of Europe’s finest and most popular theme parks.

Head of Humanities and avid historian, Mr Stuart, would like to thank the staff involved — Mrs Nicholls, Mr Brame, Mr Jackson and Miss Webb, who joined us on her first day as a newly-qualified member of the Humanities staff, for their hard work and commitment to providing a first-class experience for the students.

And we would like to thank our students, who showed such an interest and enthusiasm for the subject by bringing the study of history beyond the classroom with this visit.

HISTORY AND FUN: Students visited ‘Germania’, toured Marksburg Castle and spent a day at the Phantasialand theme park.

An Academy of

Excellence on your doorstep Staff and students warmly invite you to their Open Evening

Thursday, 3rd October, 6.00 ² 8.30pm office@melbournvc.org | www.melbournvc.org | 01763 223400 11

New prefects chosen MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

Hello everyone! We are the head prefects, and our names are Grace and Laura.

We are the new head prefects here at Melbourn Village College. We hope to work closely with students, parents, and staff to make everyone’s time at MVC safe and worthwhile.

Over the course of the last few weeks of this academic year and into next year, we are planning initiatives to help students reach their full potential.

One example will be implementing paired reading.

Paired reading has been designed to help students help their reading.

Every Tuesday, a group of students from Year 7, who will benefit from extra reading practice, will read a book, of their choosing, with their designated

Prefects. We both hope that this will benefit everyone involved.

During our time as Head Prefects, we want to work with all of you to present Melbourn Village College as a school well-suited for all.

We look forward to everyone continuing to maintain the high expectations of the staff and making the most of every opportunity.

Many thanks, Grace (10HAW) and Laura (10HAW) The duo will be backed by a team of 10 prefects — Hannah (10DAR), Jayden (10HAW), Luke (10FRA), Kya (10 DAR), Imogen (10 LEWI), Isabel (10FRA), Jim (10HAW), Amelia (10HAW), Blue (10HAW) and Benjamin (10DAR).

NEW TEAM: Melbourn’s latest group of prefects.

Milking it . . .

REWARD: Selected students were able to create bespoke milkshakes.

Nearly 60 students from Years 8 and 9 were rewarded for their outstanding efforts in the humanities subjects.

They were selected for the Humanities Seneca reward due to their dedication to home learning and their studies in class.

MVC use Seneca as an online learning platform and not only did students receive a platinum Seneca Certificate, but they enjoyed a special treat.

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The Humanities Department teamed up with Food and Nutrition to put on a milkshakemaking session.

This exciting reward allowed students to create their own delicious milkshakes using a variety of chocolates and sweets.

Head of Humanities James Stuart said: “It’s our way of recognising their hard work and commitment to their learning in a fun and enjoyable manner.”

Improving school life

Head prefect Laura is also leading the college’s new team of anti-bullying ambassadors, She said: “For the next year we will be working as a team for the betterment of our school. We will be hosting events, such as charity fundraisers, which may

ANTI-BULLYING TEAM: Working for the betterment of MVC.

include a non-uniform day providing everyone wears proper attire.

We have recently created a new email so that you can reach us anonymously at any time, even from home. It’s antibullying@melbournvc.org.

We look forward to working with you all.

MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

Show is the grand finale

Melbourn’s annual exhibition highlights the work of art students at the end of their GCSE course.

Held this year at the MVC Community Centre and online, it displays examples of the Year 11 final exam compositions and the developmental work in the students’ sketchbooks and final coursework pieces.

Art teacher Sarah Heeks said: "The creative and inspirational art produced by MVC art pupils shows how valuable art is to young people in allowing them to express their ideas and passions.

“The hard work and dedication needed to complete the course allows students to be creative, overcome problems, develop resilience, express their dreams, and use their imagination.

“The class of 2024 should be immensely proud of how they have expressed their individuality and produced meaningful and impactful work.”

Another art teacher, Sam Ward, added: “I am so impressed by the stunning and meaningful art produced by this year’s art students; they have shown creative individuality, and produced truly original work.

Both Mrs Heeks and Mrs Ward love being able to celebrate the work with a physical as well as virtual exhibition, which provides an annual record of the art produced by students and is a legacy of their creativity.

Head of Food, Design Technology and Art, Zoe Millwood, said: “As Head of Department I was so proud to see the

exceptional artwork produced by this year’s cohort, the high level of art work that was produced is exceptional and a true testament to the hard work that the students put in and the dedication that Mrs Ward and Mrs Heeks deliver on a daily basis. It was fantastic to see.”

The virtual art exhibition can be viewed via this link https://sway.cloud.microsoft/5mDb9d0FBmGWR2En or scan the QR code above.

ON DISPLAY: Guests view the work produced by GCSE students, who proudly showed their creations (above).

There’s always next year to see a win!

Melbourn students had very different experiences on two football trips to Wembley as England’s men warmed up for the European Championships.

First a group of 50 watched England grab a lastgasp draw with Belgium.

The students were excellent ambassadors for MVC and their spirits were not dampened by the weather, helping the fans raise the roof as England levelled with a well-earned equaliser in time added on at the end of the game.

A second group, including players from both title-winning boys’ football teams (see Page 16), headed to London to watch the final preparation game against Iceland, which proved a huge disappointment as England lost 1-0.

One student said: “59 pupils and staff headed to Wembley on Friday 7th June. This was England’s last warm up game before heading the Euros in Germany.

“An expectant crowd of 80,000 people were disappointed with England’s lacklustre display,

losing 1-0 and not really creating many chances.

“The most excitement pupils from MVC got was

— in no particular order — the hotdogs, the

Mexican wave and launching paper airplanes

from the third tier and trying to get them on the

pitch.”

Trips organiser Sean Pollock said: “We hope for

a better display from England next season as we

are planning further visits to Wembley.”

FANS ON TOUR: Melbourn’s students at England’s European Championships warm-up games against Belgium (left) and Iceland.

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School’s title stranglehold Round-up of the latest news from the South Cambs SSP

There is just no stopping Harston & Newton athletes when it comes to the South Cambs School Sport Partnership’s annual Quadkids competition.

This year’s cohort of Year 5 and 6 pupils continued the school’s impressive run of success as they retained the ‘small schools’ trophy they have won for the past four years in the event at Cambridge University’s sports ground on Wilberforce Rd, Cambridge.

The Harston & Newton A team amassed an impressive 1676 points in the 10-strong team competition to finish 222 points clear of runners-up Bourn, who edged out third-placed Gt Abington by just 13 points.

Quadkids sees teams of five boys and five girls each compete in a 75m sprint, a 600m run, a long jump and vortex howler throw. Individual performances are

scored using a points table and the winners are the team with the highest cumulative points score so it is important that every athlete puts in their very best performance in each event.

All the Harston & Newton athletes finished in the top 70 overall and their girls filled the top four places in the individual results and all five were in the top 10, which is an amazing achievement. Well done to Bronwen, Ella, Scarlet, Georgia and Lauren.

Also congratulations to Harston & Newton’s Maxime, who was the highest-scoring boy.

Nineteen teams took part in the competition for small schools and there were top 10 finishes for Meldreth A, who were only 30 points behind second in fifth, Barrington and Thriplow.

In the ‘big schools’ event, Trumpington Park stepped up from third place last year to take the title, well clear of Milton and Bassingbourn.

Football is fun . . .

The South Cambs School Sports teamwork, fair play and their Partnership hosted a fun afternoon of team/individual skill. football at Melbourn Village College for Nicky, from Melbourn Dynamos Wildcats girls in Years 3 and 4.

Girls Football, also supported the event Ten teams took part in the #LetGirlsPlay and chatted to the girls about the weekly event, which was aimed at introducing Saturday morning sessions she runs for new girls to the game of football and girls aged 3-11 at Melbourn Rec. giving them the opportunity to represent Claire McDonnell, South Cambs SSP their school in a fun and friendly Partnership Manager said: “It was a environment. lovely afternoon of football and great to Matches were seven-a-side with roll on, be able to give so many girls their first roll off subs with teams getting to play opportunity to play competitive football. against lots of different schools in 10“They had a really fun time playing with minute matches. their friends and representing their Eight sports leaders from Melbourn schools and they all left with massive Village College helped to referee all the smiles on their faces. games, whilst ex-Comberton students “We hope that some of them will and current MK Dons players Maddie continue to play back in school and and Olivia Welham helped to inspire the some may even want to join their local girls, along with Astro the mascot. girls club.”

The schools taking part included Dry Drayton, Trumpington Park, Barton, Coton, Girton Glebe, Melbourn, Meldreth and Thriplow.

With the focus of the event being fun, the results of the matches were not recorded; instead teams were asked to score their opposition GIVING IT A GO: Girls are introduced to based on their football at a fun tournament.

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The event was supported by members of the Partnership’s successful Leadership Academy programme with a team of more than 40 sports leaders from Comberton Village College helping at both competitions.

They demonstrated enthusiasm and great professionalism in running all of the events and acting as group leaders and helped ensure the primary school pupils all left having had a memorable day.

Partnership Manager Claire McDonnell said: “It was a great day; it is always one of our favourite events of the year and this year certainly didn’t disappoint.

“There were some incredible performances and, most importantly, a lovely atmosphere as the children supported their teammates and showed great respect to their fellow competitors.”

FUN DAY OUT: Harston and Newton’s winners and a competitor taking a flying leap into the long jump pit.

Giving cricket a go DYNAMOS: Thriplow’s winners and a pupil hits out.

An introduction to competitive cricket was relished by primary school pupils this half term with events at Sawston & Babraham Cricket Club’s Spicers sports ground and Cambridge St Giles ground in Caldecote.

South Cambs School Sports Partnership hosted Dynamos cricket for Year 3 and 4 pupils, with 30 teams representing 22 schools including Meldreth, Thriplow, Bourn, Barton, Harston & Newton and Coton.

Dynamos is for eight to 11-year-olds, with everyone on the team getting to bat and bowl, with a no ball or wide giving the batter a ‘free hit’ from a batting tee to give everyone the opportunity to score runs.

Claire McDonnell, the South Cambs SSP manager, said: “Both events went really well, with lots of competitive matches and some great fielding and batting. They loved playing at a proper cricket ground, they had lots of chances to hit the ball and loved being part of their school team.”

With 15 teams taking part at each venue, the events were organised into three pools of five, with each team playing the other four teams in their pool in a round robin competition.

Bourn, Pendragon and Jeavons Wood collected the winners’ medals from Caldecote with Thriplow, Petersfield and Willingham triumphing at Sawston.

Barton were among the schools winning Spirit of the Games awards for demonstrating excellent teamwork, determination and respect.

Melbourn’s golden trio!

MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

Melbourn had three winners and a string of rostrum finishes as athletes competed against other schools at the annual Olympic Cup competition at the Cambridge University track.

Taking top spot was Josh (9GOO) in the under-14 sprint hurdles while Year 8s Harvey (HAW) and Johnny (NEW) made light of the warm conditions to win the 1500m and 300m events respectively.

Lily (7DAR) was the only girl among the silver medals for her efforts in the discus while Matthew (7HAW) and Daniel (8HAW) were both runners-up in their 200m races.

Also on the podium with thirds, as Melbourn finished eighth overall, were Rosie (8HAW) and Trent (8LEW) in the javelin, Jayden (7NEW) over 100m, Tilda (8LEW) in the 800m, and Matthew (10HAW) in the 1500m.

Head of PE Kelly Coghlan said: “All the pupils did really well and were very competitive against the other schools. There were some excellent performances in very warm conditions.

“Thank you to Mr Higgs and Mr Pollock who officiated the discuss at the competition.”

Honours shared after a sports day tussle TEAMWORK: Melbourn’s Olympic Cup competitors.

There was just no separating the houses in a thrilling first Sports Day for Year 7.

After team competitions in benchball, tug-of-war, ultimate frisbee and rounders, the honours were shared between Lewis and Darwin, with Hawking and Newton also finishing level to share third place, ahead of Franklin, who had some issues as their two teams were unequal in size.

Every pupil took part in at least two activities and each of the five houses played each other once, with a ‘best of three’ in the tug of war.

They were then ranked with 1-5 points based on

their finishing position.

With many draws and great commitment from Year 7s, it was a tight tussle all the way through.

Particularly impressive for PE teacher Rich Barlow, who organised the event, and the other staff was the Year 7 rounders where pupils worked hard to apply the skills they developed and knowledge of the rules learned in their PE lessons.

Results were much more clear cut in Years 8 and 9.

Newton took the Year 8 title from Hawking with

Serving up titles

REAPING REWARDS: With tournament wins.

Year 9 Ellie is becoming a tennis hit!

She has notched her first Grade 4 win, taking an under-14 title, a week after winning a Grade 5 under-18 event as she reaps the rewards of working hard to refine her technique and improve her allround game.

The 9 Darwin pupil was also thrilled to be selected as travelling reserve for Hertfordshire’s under-14 team.

She went on to play two matches, winning her doubles match, but losing in the singles.

She also plays for Royston’s ladies first team.

Lewis and Darwin finishing joint third, while Darwin are the Year 9 champions, finishing ahead of Franklin and Hawking.

The staff were ably assisted by returning Year 11 students Alex and Harvey as well as Year 10 sports leaders.

Year 10 held their sports day a week later so those on the history trip to Germany didn’t miss out.

And it was another close-run thing with Hawking and Franklin sharing top spot — just one point ahead of Darwin.

BATTLING IT OUT: Students competed in four team sports to find the Sports Day champions.

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Teams add to trophy haul MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

Melbourn are double football champions.

Both the Year 9 and Year 10 teams won the Cambs Small Schools Trophy in their age group earlier this term to add to the Year 8 title collected in the Spring.

The Year 9s convincingly beat Coleridge Community College 5-3 thanks to Arthur, who netted twice, Josh, Tom and Paddy.

The latter two were particularly impressive; both with shots from outside the box with Paddy’s coming directly from a corner!

The Year 10 final had a much lower goal count but was another highquality final, which MVC won 1-0 against North Cambridge Academy thanks to a nice turn and shot on the edge of the box by James.

Title for ex pupil

UP FOR THE CUP: The Year 9 (left) and Year 10 teams both won trophies this season.

RISING STAR: Aeron helped Royston Town’s under-18 win their league title although he’s only 16.

Rising to challenge Picture: Kevin Richards.

Congratulations to Year 11 Aeron (DAR), who was part of the Royston Town Under 18s team who recently won the Thurlow Nun Youth Football League.

He played in 15 of Royston’s 16 matches despite being two years younger than many of the other players, including ex-MVC pupil Joe Turkington, an ever-present in the starting line-up.

Aeron was the youngest member of the team and played in one of the toughest positions at centre-back as Royston won 13, drew one and lost only twice in a season which saw them finish seven points clear of runners-up Haverhill Rovers under-18s.

We wish Aeron all the best with his football in the future and will be keeping an eye out for him!

his one-shot lead with his final two Former Melbourn student Dominic rounds of 15-under-par.

Clemons has been hitting the This gave him a Scottish double headlines this summer with following his victory in the Scottish impressive golf results.

Boys’ Under-14 Open eight years Last month the 21-year-old, a earlier while at MVC. member of Cambridge’s Gog Magog He said: “When it’s Club, won the your day, it’s your Scottish Men’s day. I was just Open trying to keep my Championship by head down and an astonishing 17 make pars and shots at the birdies.” famous Muirfield Later the same course. month, Clemons He then went moved to Ireland for agonisingly close the Amateur event to adding the which starts as prestigious R&A strokeplay then Amateur switches to Championship at matchplay in the Glashedy Links in later rounds.

Ballyliffin in Ireland, IMPRESSIVE RESULTS: Victory would have staging a dogged For Dominic Clemons. given him fightback in the 36exemptions into The Open and The hole matchplay showndown before US Open and a disappointed losing out to Denmark’s Jacob Skov Clemons said: “I usually pride myself Olesen 4 and 3. on playing by best golf when it The Scotland victory saw Clemons matters and when the pressure is on, finish an incredible 24 strokes under and I didn't do that. I didn't play well par after his rounds of 68, 65, 65 and enough to win, simple as that.”

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Facilities set to reopen

SUMMER OPENING: The astroturf is set to open again.

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In April this year, BeActive Melbourn, who had overseen the running of the sports centre at Melbourn for the past 10 years, suddenly went into liquidation.

One of the Trust’s principles sets out the aim to be at the heart of and to add value to local communities.

It was therefore no surprise that, following a thorough exploration of the potential options available, the Trust central team began work on re-opening the centre as soon as possible, while taking the opportunity to complete some muchneeded work on the swimming pool.

With some of the facilities — including the astroturf — opening over the summer, the aim is for everything to be back up and running by the time the pool work is finished in October.