iG
by Honywood School
WELCOME TO C7 C7 GO TO DANBURY SPONSORED WALK
Issue #1 28th September 2018
FEATURES
Welcome to our new Cohort 7 Our new Cohort 7 embarked on their Honywood journey in September 2018.
Cohort 7 at Danbury The whole cohort take part in teambuilding activities to develop relationships and confidence.
Sponsored Walk Our annual whole school Sponsored Walk took place on 19th September 2018
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C7 at Danbury
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Sponsored Walk
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Learner Achievements
14
Safer Roads Partnership
17
Family Learning Team
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Physics at Work
19
Published Articles
20
Vacancies
24
CONTENTS
Welcome to Cohort 7
WELC COHO
What a fantastic first few weeks for our new Cohort. The learners arrived on Tuesday 4th September straight into their first MLA day as they started to work together as a team in their Learning Groups. They had experienced a similar day as part of their intake days in June with us and as a result everybody really threw themselves into the learning and the day was a great start to their five year journey at Honywood. Since then, they have found their way around the school and they have enjoyed breaktimes and lunchtimes in their courtyard, meeting new people and making new friendships. They have made a fantastic impression on staff in their willingness to engage and work together.
COME ORT 7
“Danbury was so much fun. We really enjoyed ourselves and worked with new groups of people�.
They enjoyed a fun but windy day on the 28th September at Danbury outdoors, facing new challenges and working together to solve problems. This week, we are delighted to see so many of them volunteering for our Open Evening, either as guides or subject supporters. We even have two C7 boys who have volunteered to speak to the audience of 250 prospective parents and learners in our main hall! Their Learning Group Leaders have been instrumental in giving them the confidence to face the challenge of transition, and we are looking forward to working closely with the whole Cohort 7 team of parents, carers, teachers and learners over the next five years.
C7 LEARNIN
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7CHo
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NG GROUPS
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TEAMBUILDING SPECIAL
Cohort 7 spent an action packed day at Danbury on Friday 28th September. Staff at Danbury had prepared a series of short problemsolving activities to be completed in small groups, including an assault course, team ‘skiing’ and blindfolded football. The attributes of Collaboration, Communication and Considered were a common thread through many of the challenges giving the learners a perfect showcasing opportunity to apply the characteristics of many of these attributes; Could they listen attentively and respond appropriately? Were they tolerant of others? Could they consider options and their consequences? Cohort 7 rose to the occasion magnificently and were able to show what a wonderful Cohort they are becoming as they worked together and made new friendships.
SPONSORED WALK
On Wednesday 19th September the whole school community - learners and staff took part in our annual sponsored walk. Thankfully the weather was kind to us and the learners and staff experienced a lovely walk in very pleasant weather to Marks Hall. There were some amazing costumes as learners interpreted the theme of ‘Heroes’. We saw many different interpretations of the theme which showed creativity and ingenuity; Cohort 9 dressed in camouflage to celebrate our armed forces, individuals represented emergency services, colourful Marvel superheroes appeared courtesy of our C11 and some costumes were personally inspired by family members. We will be able to announce the best dressed learning group in Headlines along with the Learning Group who raised the most sponsorship, in the coming weeks. The deadline for sponsorship money to be paid in via ParentPay is the 19th October so please encourage your child to collect in the sponsorship money pledged so that our school learner leadership can look to see how best to use the money over the coming year to the benefit of our school community. It was a wonderful community event which I’m sure our learners will remember for years to come. A huge thank you to Marks Hall for allowing us to hold the event on their beautiful grounds.
Learner Achievements ongratulations to former learner India Tate who opened her brand new 1950s style barbershop, The Groom Room, in Coggeshall this month. The former Honywood School learner had been working in another hair salon in the town for four years, alongside taking hairdressing courses, before opening a shop of her own. India has lived in Coggeshall all her life, said: "I'm over the moon, it's always been something which I've wanted to do sooner rather than later. I thought it would probably happen in my twenties, not when I was 18, but I'd been saving up my money to be able to do it.� India has always had an interest in 1950’s style which stems from her father who has been a rockabilly since his teens. India was interviewed by the local press and said "It's something which has really grown on me, I'm really into the 1950s fashion and the vintage cars - I couldn't imagine myself wearing what other girls my age wear.
India is renting the shop in Bridge Street and will be open every day of the week apart from Sundays and Mondays. Well done to India for being determined and following her dream, an outstanding achievement and an inspiration.
William Brassington Congratulations on the publication of your article.
OPINION
CLASSROOM VOICES
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“It feels like we are actually trusted with something” ‘Independent learning’ has its fans and critics amongst pedagogues – but what do the students think about it? Will Brassington offers a view from Y10…
‘I
ndependent learning’ is a phrase debated widely around the teaching community. Is it beneficial for the students? Or could it be leaving kids without guidance? Speaking from my experience, the answer is: a bit of both. Ever since I joined secondary, independent learning has played a major role in everything I do at school. This has been great for me, due to the fact I like getting on with things and, well, just being left alone while I do my work. However, I’m no stranger to completely losing focus and having a long discussion with the person next to me on the implications of the Melian Dialogue or, more importantly, who got off with whom at the party last night, rather than concentrating on the lesson in hand.
Clear benefits
The underlying benefits of independent learning are hard to ignore: the fact that when you learn something by yourself you are more likely to remember it; and that it better prepares you for sixth form and university where you are expected to do everything by yourself. But the best thing about independent learning for me – and which is something which my school pulls off excellently – is the way that it gives young people freedom. It feels like for the first time we are actually trusted with something, and are being treated like adults. And the pinnacle of the
success of independent learning I believe can be seen in my two elder brothers: they did okay in their GCSEs at Honywood – but in A levels, when they absolutely depended on those skills developed by independent learning, they have both excelled.
Some and some
However, independent learning is not without its problems or faults. Given all this freedom, it can seem too easy simply not to do the work we are given; with no one ‘breathing down their neck’, many people just find other ways to occupy their time. This, topped with the fact that some people believe it gives teachers an ‘easy job’ and allows them to do nothing, shines a negative light on independent learning; you could argue, I suppose, that it’s not ‘real’ teaching. Maybe some kids just need one on one or they just won’t learn anything. I asked a few of my friends for their opinions on independent learning and
there were mixed feelings on the topic – admittedly from a small sample group. One girl at my school said, “The theory behind it is good but I don’t believe it is fitting for every lesson. For maths it works for me, but in lessons such as philosophy and ethics it’s not the most effective way to learn”. Another boy admitted he liked the freedom but wasn’t working as hard as he could be. Is there a boy/girl divide? I don’t know. But I believe this well summarises the whole matter – it’s extremely conditional, it works in some cases but not others. Overall, I think that for some kids, completely ‘independent learning’ can be ineffective, and allows them to mess around. This raises the question of accountability. Who is ‘keeping an eye’ on them? I believe many of the people who benefit from independent learning have ‘helicopter parents’; so instead of a teacher breathing down their neck it’s their mum and dad. Perhaps I could compare it to something like communism: the ideals behind it are logical and seem perfect, however, if it is not carried out properly, only the minority end up benefiting. Having said that, it is an ideal worth pursuing; and for me, at least, it works. ABOUT THE AUTHOR William Brassington is a Y10 student at Honywood School, in Essex.
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ames Korniej, Ian Morley and Poppy Lord together have formed a band. During the summer August Bank holiday weekend, they were one of 4 local acts/bands to perform at the first ever "Lion Fest" at the Red Lion in Marks Tey. The funds raised from the event were donated to two charities: "Tree of Life" which helps research a very rare disease and the other charity "The Tom Bowdidge Foundation" which helps teens and young adults with cancer. The Red Lion raised over ÂŁ400 which was split in between two charities. Well done to Poppy, James and Ian.
ongratulations to Ellie Houghton (C9) and Nick McKeown (C8) who recently appeared in the CO2 production of the Wizard of Oz at the Mercury Theatre. A group of our learners went to see the production and were blown away by the quality of the performers. Well done Ellie and Nick!
Earlier this month our Cohort 7 children attended a contemporary, fast-paced and hard-hitting play using live drama, video footage and music, telling the story of three friends who are forced to face up to the real consequences of their reckless behaviour on the busy road they use to and from school. A follow up discussion to explore the issues raised by the play to reinforce the key messages and to motivate students to take responsibility for keeping themselves and their friends safe.
Family Learning Team A Message from our Peer Mentors We are the peer mentors and we would like to inform you about a new and exciting programme available to C7 and C8. It has been suggested that sometimes speaking with someone who is closer in age may feel more comfortable than an adult. When we first arrived at secondary school there were many new challenges and expectations that felt overwhelming and scary. Peer Mentors are here to support learners to manage some of these issues. We can help with issues or concerns of various kinds such as managing IS, iPad concerns, lessons, and friendship or family issues. By discussing the concern we may help you find solutions. All conversations will be discrete and dealt with sensitively. We have received safeguarding training. If you feel you might like to speak with one of the Peer Mentors, please email the address below. peermentoring@honywoodschool.com Or find one of our mentors who will be wearing a peer mentoring logo.
Gabby “I found making friends quite difficult when I started my time in Honywood and I would have benefited from someone to help me out in those first months.” Eloise “I didn’t have friends at the start. I found it really hard to make friends.” Sienna “I felt really small and I felt like everyone was bigger than me, I was scared about places to go. I would’ve appreciated it if there were more guides to help me around the school.” Emma “I was terrified, in Primary I was really shy and I was worried I wouldn’t make any friends. But as I went through my time in Honywood I became more confident. “
Physics at Work Exhibition Cambridge University On Thursday 20th September, 14 of our Cohort 10 youngsters were lucky enough to be invited to the Physics Exhibition at the Cavendish Laboratory Centre, Cambridge University where we had the opportunity to attend 6 different workshops – WE LEARNT LOADS: Rolls Royce gave us a 3D printed engine challenge where we had a group task and learnt about fused deposition modelling! Very simply an engine works like this: Suck, Squeeze, Bang – air is sucked in, squeezed and then fuel is mixed with air and ignited. Rolls Royce blow up every prototype engine they make to see how it behaves – costly when an engine averages out at about £60 million! Did you know that Rolls Royce cars are owned by BMW but Rolls Royce PLC make power engines e.g. for planes, trains, submarines etc. The British Antarctic Survey showed us their work to do with species and the ozone (amongst other things) at bases such as Halley, which is a movable station although it is still 1000 miles from the South Pole. At Halley there is a colony of Emperor Penguins, which are the largest penguins and can reach 1 metre tall. Surface Science Microscopy demonstrated the use of different microscopes to see atoms – did you know that Cambridge University invented the Helium scanning microscope which has the benefit over electron microscopy of not damaging the sample?
Domino Printing – Domino make bar codes for products all over the world. We were shown the printer technologies used such as laser and inkjet and the science behind their composition but the highlight was definitely personalising our own pencils and pens.
Quantum Matter – We looked at the effect of temperature on resistance and saw how super conductors save energy. These are used, for example, in an MRI scan. Via demonstration, we saw how hoverboards use magnetic levitation. AWE Atomic Physics - We looked at how AWE use laboratory science to simulate the results of nuclear explosions to help uphold the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. AWE were able to identify that it was in fact poison that was used in the recent Russian spy plot.
Published Articles 80
We are very excited to share an article written by Paula Downes, Assistant Headteacher published in the Technology & Innovation magazine this month. The article talks about technology and learning at Honywood.
“We will never be
FINISHED”
At Honywood school, in Essex, technology supports a strong curriculum and genuinely personalised learning, as Paula Downes explains…
I
remember my secondary school; I remember my teachers, I remember the classes, and I remember everything that I wish could have been different. Oh yes, I had a streak of your typical apathetic teenager – but it wasn’t about that. I remember doing the same thing as everyone around me, and writing down a lot of what had been told to me. I also remember struggling to revise for my GCSEs, because as much as I seem to recall an awful lot of those memories now, all I could see in my head were
words on pages, and they didn’t make much sense. So why go into teaching if school was so awful? Well, I believed it could be better. And now, I still wholeheartedly believe that learning can be one of the most special things about being alive. At Honywood, there has always been a vision for that little bit more; to create an education where learning is engaging, independent, learner centred and above all, personalised. And technology is an important tool in helping to make that happen.
A strong curriculum
We didn’t start by buying a load of tablets. Quite honestly, just throwing those into any school is a really bad idea without careful thought about what you are trying to achieve. We spent a number of years developing our own knowledge about the process of learning, and analysing what the aim of true learning really is. Then, we designed a curriculum structure that focused on the understanding of process rather than product, and that looked through a dual focus lens of quality subject learning and important
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personal attributes. That’s how we strike the balance between ensuring lifelong learning and preparing our learners for the traditional process of exams. Being engaged from the get go is a lot of the battle in making them successful at that stage. And one of the biggest positives of implementing technology is it enables our staff to engage all by offering a wide choice to learners. We all know that a class full of young people will not all have the same strengths and preferences about how they learn, and all will need different levels of support. We are so lucky to have staff who embrace the challenges that offering a personal approach takes – the extra hard work and the willingness to adapt, continually.
Reflect, reflect, reflect Recently, working towards gaining our Apple Distinguished Schools status gave us the opportunity to review exactly what was working and what wasn’t. It’s been really important along the way to think about what we are still working towards, and what we can do to better achieve it. Reviewing our use of technology has been important, and along the way we’ve made changes to the things that have needed
C R E AT I V E C P D
4 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DEVELOPING YOUR TECH STRATEGY + You can’t just drop technology into a school and expect the magic to work. It took years of developing our model, the practice and pedagogy; technology is a tool that enhances it. + Don’t try to use everything that everyone else uses; choose a few key things that technology can add to your curriculum to start with. + Give time to your staff to develop their skills; for some it can be a different world from the experience we all had at school. Empower colleagues to take the lead in helping to develop others. + Keep it streamlined; don’t have lot of things that do the same job.
refining, or reworking altogether. We’ve always placed a lot of value in the voice of our learners at Honywood, and so taking their feedback along with that of colleagues was extremely important in this journey. Being able to meet colleagues from other educational settings has been hugely valuable in this process, too; it’s something that we all struggle to find time for, with restraints on time and cover budgets, but seeing success outside of our own four walls is what has enabled us to take some of the steps we have. We all like to see something working well before we make a change!
Free for all
Ok, it’s quite clear that the tablets weren’t free! But everything we ask our learners to access is. Introducing the tablet was never about creating a superior environment, it was about building an equal one. So we’ve made sure that the apps we look for are at no cost to learners, or something we are prepared to fund as a school. One of the biggest changes we’ve made is streamlining our
practice to using one cloud based platform that interlinks a number of apps, all of which are free and offer our school community unlimited storage. This allows for seamless creation and sharing of content between teachers and learners. Let’s face it, in a digital age where young people are used to finding everything after a few taps, we’ve got to keep up with the speed at which they are used to accessing information.
Simply the best
In all aspects of what we do at Honywood we strive to achieve the best we can, and our approach to using technology is no different. One of the best things we did was to implement our digital learning team. This group of staff was brought together, representing each subject area, to ensure that we share the best practice when it comes to using technology as a tool for education, and to lead the ongoing research and development of how technology can enhance the learning experience we offer. One of the important things to remember is that we will
“We are so lucky to have staff who embrace the challenges that offering a personal approach takes” never be ‘finished’. Technology is ever evolving, so our mindset must be too, which will ensure we always remain at the forefront of modern education. Of course, that approach means that we have set ourselves up for an endless workload of research and development… sounds exciting, doesn’t it?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paula Downes is an assistant headteacher at Honywood School in Coggeshall. Visit www.honywoodschool.com or search for the school on the Apple iBooks store.
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Colchester Careers Convention After-School Session, Wednesday 10th October 2018, 3.30pm-6.00pm Venue: Colchester Academy Sports Centre, Hawthorn Avenue, Colchester, CO4 3JL To inspire and support our learners to make informed decisions about their post 16 progression, the whole of Cohort 11 will be going to the Careers Convention during the school day. However, the Event is also open to learners in Years 8 – 13 between 3.30 – 6.00 pm. If learners and parents/carers would like to attend, you will need to go independently and make your own transport arrangements to the Convention. You may arrive any time during the after-school session and speak to the exhibitors who will be from Further Education, Higher Education, training providers, local employers and professional organisations. The event is going to be an opportunity for: • over 2000 Colchester students and parents to find out about different careers and their training routes; • employers, training providers and national organisations to publicise what they do and talabout the opportunities available within their sector.
Lead Teacher of Maths January 2019
Teacher of Maths
Honywood Scale pt 24 – 32 (£27,649 - £39,172) (a 5 point range to be confirmed)
September 2019
Annual Salary £23,763 - £32,186
We require an exceptional teacher to join our Maths leadership team; this opportunity would ideally suit someone looking to develop their leadership experience and skills.
We require an exceptional teacher to join our Maths team; this opportunity would ideally suit a Newly Qualified Teacher.
We offer:
We offer:
A high achieving Academy producing great outcomes and well-rounded youngsters.
A high achieving Academy producing excellent outcomes and well rounded youngsters.
A challenging learning environment where you will be asked to expand your thinking about the education we offer our young people.
A challenging learning environment where you will be asked to expand your thinking about the education we offer our young people.
Excellent induction and outstanding on-going staff development which will prepare the post holder for progression in their teaching career.
Excellent induction and outstanding on-going staff development which will prepare the post holder for progression in their teaching career.
A well-resourced Subject Team with the support of experienced, successful specialists.
A well-resourced Subject Team with the support of experienced, successful specialists.
You will need:
The ability to teach Maths to GCSE level and preferably to ‘A’ Level. The mental agility to push your own learning and thinking whilst leading the learning and thinking of our youngsters. A willingness to participate fully in extra-curricular events including residential experiences. A willingness to learn every day as you consistently strive to increase your impact on our youngsters’ learning.
Honywood School is committed to safeguarding children and safer recruitment processes are always robustly followed. The successful candidate’s appointment will be subject to safer recruitment checks and satisfactory completion of an enhanced DBS check. For an information pack, or to organise a pre-application visit, contact Mrs S. Pattison (recruitment@honywoodschool.com), Honywood School, Westfield Drive Coggeshall, Essex, CO6 1PZ (telephone: 01376 564708). To find out more about what life is like at Honywood please visit our website, www.honywoodschool.com or find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/HonywoodSchool Closing date for applications is Friday 12th October 2018 Interviews to be held on Friday 19th October
Teacher of English January 2019
Annual Salary £23,763 - £32,186 We require an exceptional teacher to join our English team. We offer:
A high achieving Academy producing excellent outcomes and well rounded youngsters.
A challenging learning environment where you will be asked to expand your thinking about the education we offer our young people.
Excellent induction and outstanding on-going staff development which will prepare the post holder for progression in their teaching career.
A well-resourced Subject Team with the support of experienced, successful specialists.
You will need:
The ability to teach English Language and Literature to GCSE level and preferably to ‘A’ Level.
The mental agility to push your own learning and thinking whilst leading the learning and thinking of our youngsters.
A willingness to participate fully in extra-curricular events including residential experiences.
A willingness to learn every day as you consistently strive to increase your impact on our youngsters’ learning.
For an information pack, or to organise a pre-application visit, contact Mrs S. Pattison (recruitment@honywoodschool.com), Honywood Community Science School, Westfield Drive Coggeshall, Essex, CO6 1PZ (Telephone: 01376 564706). Closing date for applications is Friday 12th October
You will need:
The ability to teach Maths to GCSE level and preferably to ‘A’ Level.
The mental agility to push your own learning and thinking whilst leading the learning and thinking of our youngsters.
A willingness to participate fully in extra-curricular events including residential experiences.
A willingness to learn every day as you consistently strive to increase your impact on our youngsters’ learning.
For an information pack, or to organise a pre-application visit, contact Mrs S. Pattison (recruitment@honywoodschool.com), Honywood Community Science School, Westfield Drive, Coggeshall, Essex, CO6 1PZ (telephone: 01376 564708). Closing date for applications is Friday 12th October