Holyhead School Pulse - Autumn 2023

Pulse: Issue No. 47 Autumn 2023

PULSE HOLYHEAD SCHOOL PRESENTS

Teach What Matters

www.holyheadschool.org.uk

Foreword

Principal’s Foreword

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nce again it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the Autumn term’s Pulse magazine, another fantastic snapshot of the vibrancy and breadth of activities that helps to make Holyhead a school with its own special buzz about it!

As ever, it’s been a very busy and exciting term for us, and it’s been a real privilege to experience the enormous support for what we do here from parents who play a vital role in their child’s education. We have welcomed more parents in person than ever before this term through Parental Engagement evenings for all year groups in the first half-term, and it was also wonderful to be able to share an evening with many proud parents and members of the community as the students and staff came together in honour of our late, great Handsworth Hero and Brummie Legend, Benjamin Zephaniah on Monday 18th December. The event itself came from a determination within the school community to pay tribute to a genuinely inspirational figure to so many, and the work of our Black History Club was prominent in helping to make the evening both a reflection of what Benjamin Zephaniah meant to people and how his work will continue to inspire. We have included the poem that Benjamin Zephaniah composed alongside students and staff from Holyhead nearly 20 years ago entitled ‘We Are Holyhead!’ which still speaks to us and about us as a school community now.

The Pulse magazine is not intended to capture the day to day normality of the lessons and learning that takes place within our walls, it is there to showcase the extra-curricular activities and experiences that make school life special and create lasting memories for the students who take part in them.

You will read about students being stretched and challenged, engaged and inspired, and vitally for who we are, involved in celebrating and learning more about our cultures collaboratively. You will also read about visits that have given students chances to engage in new cultures such as the annual Food and Nutrition visit to France and Belgium in December, and many more exciting adventures closer to home!

It’s also been a term of real success for many of our sporting teams, so please read the PE Sports Report.

Particular mention needs to go to the Under-13 Girls Football team who were victorious at the EFL Girls Football Cup event held at West Bromwich Albion Academy where they saw off 12 other schools to be able to sing ‘Championes, Championes, Ole! Ole! Ole!’ when they returned on the minibus! They will now move onto the Midlands regional finals in January taking on the other regional qualifiers from events held at Stoke City, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers amongst others.

I really hope you enjoy reading more about these experiences, the vast majority of them in the words of the young people of Holyhead including our fantastic BBC School Reporters.

We hope you all have a fantastic holiday season whether you are celebrating Christmas or not, and of course we wish you a very Happy New Year as we move towards 2024 and another term of opportunities for the school and the students who make the place so special.

Mr D Knox Head of School

Farewell F

ollowing the recent news of Mr Trafford’s decision to step down as Executive Principal and to leave Holyhead, I want to pay tribute to the outstanding contribution he has made to our school and community over 17 years of service.

Mr Trafford joined as a Newly Qualified Teacher in September 2006 and has carried out a variety of roles since, including as Head of Corwen College before being appointed as Principal of Holyhead School in January 2017, and ultimately becoming the Executive Principal in January 2022. He has always put the interests of the students first, be that as an inspirational Form Tutor or the Principal who helped to drive standards up at the school during the most difficult years in modern education.

His leadership and positivity helped to steer the school through the massive educational and public health challenges that the pandemic brought us, and his determination to support children and families saw a deliberate investment in chromebooks for all to ensure that all children could access their learning even during those months of remote education. Mr Trafford has been a passionate supporter of our commitment to celebrating cultural diversity, introducing the Culture Days which are a very important part of making Holyhead the inclusive school community that it is.

I myself will miss his passion and energy to continue to improve what we do at Holyhead, and his optimism and positivity in what is an increasingly challenging job carried out through some of the most difficult times in modern history for schools and society as a whole. Through those times he has given everything he had to ensure that the children of Handsworth get the best teachers possible in front of them, with a common commitment to Teach What Matters, and that we continue to rebuild the opportunities that were denied in those difficult years of the pandemic.

I am sure you will join me in wishing Mr Trafford every success in the future and in giving great thanks for the years of dedicated service that he has given to support thousands of children in Handsworth, helping to shape and transform many lives in the process. Whilst Mr Trafford leaves us in person at the end of this term, he will always have a place in the heart of the school he led with distinction, dignity and determination.

Mr Knox

Contents Creative Arts

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15

Lego & The Day

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A Journey to France

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25

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Black History Month A celebration of 'Saluting our Sisters'.

Sixth Form

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors Meet our new team.

New beginnings for our Year 12s and more!

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Holyhead celebrates Diwali Graphic Designer: Miss Dhanjal

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France Trip Proofreader: Mrs Mistry

26 Science

Benjamin Zephaniah

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ith the sad news of Benjamin passing away, it was only fitting that Holyhead held an evening in celebration of his life and his work and the impact he has had on our young people and the families. During the evening students created and read out their own poems, we had performances from a duet on the violin a singing duet, multi award winner Soweto Kinch, an artist from Liverpool, Goppang N'yarta , donated artwork to the school which was unveiled during the evening, and there was even a poetry reading of "We are Holyhead", a poem created by Benjamin, alongside Holyhead Staff and Students. We were honoured to host so many families that wanted to share the evening with us and our VIP guests included Benjamin's sister Millicent and her husband. Millicent shared her stories about her growing up with Benjamin, making the evening a great success. Benjamin will be sadly missed.

We are Holyhead Ask us, and you will find that we dance to music from America, Africa and Asia; we eat food from Ireland, Italy, Poland and Jamaica; we speak over forty languages and we know over four-hundred different ways to cook a potato.

We can look Celtic, Slavonic, Arabic, African and Bengali; we can wear kilts, saris, pyjamas and football shirts; and if you get very close to us and look right into our eyes, you can almost see the history of the whole world.

None of us want to live in a world where everybody looks the same. We are all ready to embrace a multi-cultural, multi-coloured land where every child is equal and all children have a story to call their own.

If this country is going to be great in the future, it will be because of people like us. We want curry and chips, mangoes and strawberries, kebab and baklava, jerk chicken and apple crumble, and we think of all these things as British.

We are not a single tribe, or a single religion and we don’t share a single heritage even though most of us were born in the same place diversity yet celebrate the unity of people. We are building a future home where we are all able to be who we want to be, yet still be British.

This is what we do at Holyhead. We believe there are no limits to our ability to learn from each other. We take, we adapt and we move forward. We have our own way of living together. We are happy to learn; because we know we shall need all of our intelligence. We are lively; because we know we shall need all of our enthusiasm. We are organised; because we know we shall need all of our power. We are go-givers not gogetters. We are busy making ourselves into a key feature of the global community, securing our place under the sun.

We are Holyhead!

Sustainable Cities Workshop with &

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n the Sustainable Cities workshop hosted by The Day and Lego this term, the students of 7F truly shone as they showcased their creativity and ingenuity. Crafting blueprints and models for their Future Cities, they reimagined places that held personal significance to them, demonstrating a remarkable blend of imaginative flair. Notably, several students confidently addressed a global audience of 200 schools, sharing their designs. O’Shae Myrie Smith created a dome shaped building that acted as an artificial biome housing many exotic animals and plants. Beyond showcasing their knowledge in sustainability, our new starters exhibit some fantastic character traits, emerging as confident leaders and articulate speakers. We hope that they continue to settle into the pace of secondary school and thrive in all of their subjects!

Mrs M Khan

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his term we have trained 20 more Year 9 students to join our fantastic team of Anti-bullying Ambassadors.

Our Anti-bullying Ambassadors play a key role in the school community; not only do they carry out duties every lunchtime supporting the staff duty team to ensure the wellbeing of students, they also mentor victims and bullies themselves to ensure repeated incidents do not happen, they have also taken part in AntiBullying assemblies to raise awareness of what do do if you are being bullied. We have also created an Antibullying display board in the SPACE foyer where you can find the photos of our Anti-bullying Ambassadors and a little bit more out about them. The key message from our Anti-bullying Ambassadors is to encourage everyone at Holyhead School to be upstanders and do not ignore bullying. This year’s Anti-bullying Awareness Week theme was ‘Make a noise’. We made a special video and assembly about the importance of reporting bullying, we also focused on the difference between banter and bullying and shared some ideas on when banter may become bullying.

Keep an eye out for our new Anti-bullying Ambassadors around the school grounds, you will recognise them by the green hi-vis jackets they wear.

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eing an Anti-bullying Ambassador is a great and worthwhile endeavour. We are dedicated to creating atmospheres where everyone is protected, respected, and feels appreciated. Antibullying ambassadors work towards a future where kindness is the norm and people may flourish without having to worry about being bullied by increasing awareness, encouraging empathy, and taking proactive measures to combat bullying behaviours.

Ambassadors play an essential part in the collective fight against bullying, and their commitment inspires positive change. Talha 9B

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y role is to help make a safe environment for students at Holyhead School. I want students who may be feeling really sad to have the confidence to tell me or one of the Bullying team about it. I want to encourage students to speak out and tell us if they are being bullied. When I’m on duty, if I see a student who is upset I will check they’re ok then take them to a teacher who will be able to help them. I will not let anyone in Holyhead School get bullied, I’ll make sure the new Year 7 students are happy by checking up on them when I’m on duty. If anyone is feeling lonely I will support them by having a little chat with them. Sabah 9F

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MONTH

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he theme for this years Black History Month was ‘Saluting our Sisters’.

Black History Month was a fantastic time at Holyhead as always. It allowed us to show the work we do throughout the year, within the curriculum, that highlights contributions from the Community. The Celebration evening couldn’t have been possible without the hard work put in by all staff. From subject teachers gathering the work done throughout the year, ready to display, to the catering staff providing tasty treats, and all the student and staff volunteers. A special shout out to Island Delight and Wade Lyn, for providing tasty patties for the evening, sunrise bakery and all of our generous raffle prize partners. All money raised this evening went to Oscar Birmingham, who work to provide support for those suffering from sickle cell and thalassaemia.

Miss Kaur & Mrs Mistry

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eeping in line with the BHM theme of this year ‘Saluting our sisters’ Year 10 & 11 Sociologists were given a research task to find out about the lives of black women throughout history who have paved the way in their field and become an inspiration to many. Each student was given a specific figure to find out about for homework, they then had to feed this information back to the class and create an instagram profile for this person.

Here are some images of the work produced by the students in class.

These profiles were used in the upcoming Black History Month Showcase.

Miss Z Gordon

Maths

Sociology

Ayesha 7F

Zeeshan 9H

Uptejas 7E

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uring Maths lessons students explored Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson and the challenges they faced during a time of racial segregation, and how pivotal they were in calculating flight trajectories for Project Mercury and the Apollo Programme.

Alongside this Miss Jandu ran a BHM competition; students were encouraged to get creative and make a poster based on famous black female mathematicians - in keeping with the school’s theme of ‘saluting our sisters’. Winners were chosen by Mr Knox and they were awarded a certificate and prizes!

Well done to our winners!

Miss P Jandu

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Celebrating The History of Black Hair and African Head Wraps

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t Holyhead we wanted to celebrate the Pioneering Black Female Heroes and their accomplishments.

Ms Brade, Mrs Porter-Cuff, Mrs Edwards and Ms Hamilton decided how best to celebrate this amazing theme of "Saluting our Sisters". We looked at how hair in black culture is more than just about style.

With the support of other colleagues, such as Mrs Williams we recreated a black hair salon style set in the dining hall. There was an assortment of head wraps for students, visitors and staff to try the different styles which could be achieved. Mrs PorterCuff braided hair; we even got Mrs Reddy, Deputy Principal to have her braided.

The team produced an informative booklet to accompany the workshop which captured the history of head wraps and braiding and detailing the significance of the history and how it continues to impact current society.

Benin Kingdom - 5 AFRICAN EMPIRES

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o far this year my History lessons have been all about African Empires. It has been very interesting because I knew there was lots of African history, but I did not know that we would get to learn about it in school.

We have history once a week and our teacher has been helping us to learn about the empires of Kerma, Aksum, Ghana, Benin and Asante. We learned about how the people lived and believed, how the rulers became powerful and what they made and traded.

We even learned about why the Afrocomb has been an important object for at least 7000 years (in my history lessons I’ve learned to call this ‘significance’).

This is my work from the lesson about Benin. Take a look!

Ali 8C

Black History Month Celebration

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alking into the event was like being transported to a tropical and hot sunny day amongst the cold autumn. The event was held in the Dining hall and it was beautifully decorated.

There was a mocktails stall with colourful drinks were served, the mocktails consisted of delicious, fruity and sweet flavours making the drinks near to perfection.

Beside this mocktail It represents stall was there a handful of delectable Holyhead’s diverse patties with culture” Munita 12A vegetarian and meat options, they were warm and packed with flavour with a unique taste.

From the food to the hair braiding to the board games everything was perfect. Members of our Holyhead Community attended the event, including Councillor Shergill, and Daphne Christie, who serves as the Information Assurance Officer for the police.

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Black History Month was best summed up by Counselor Shergill as a time “To embrace Black people and the history of them”. The perfect short and sweet statement to sum up the evening.

Priya 9A BBC Young reporters

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A Journey to France Hosted by HH Languages

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n the 26h of September, the MFL faculty celebrated the European Day of Languages.

EDL is a very important day for all MFL teachers and students, as it is a day to celebrate the diversity of languages spoken across the world in societies today. At Holyhead School we celebrated with a whole school video competition. While watching the video students needed to work out which language each member of staff was speaking and we really do have a diverse range of languages spoken in our school community!

to the following tutor groups:

8D, 10B and 13B! We hope that we have enjoyed your hampers of goodies.

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he MFL and Events Team at Holyhead were delighted to host Year 5 students and staff from St James CE Primary School on Friday 8th December for a journey to France. During the morning students were welcomed by our ‘crew’ of helpers and boarded a plane to ‘Paris’. Before setting off we enthusiastically sang our Bienvenue à Holyhead song and merrily waved our French flags. During the morning in teams- GroupesBleu, Blanc et Rouge students completed a range of activities including learning to say their name, where they live, numbers and perhaps the most importantlearning how to say menu items for the French Café they visited. In keeping with the Christmas theme each group learned a Christmas song in French, made Christmas decorations and the highlights included a visit from Mother Christmas and songs from Elvis and the Holyhead helpers. It was delightful to see so many parents join us to learn about the experiences of the visit and practise some French and sing along.

Our Pilots for the day Captains Trafford and Knox were able to join us at the end of the event when we landed back in ‘Birmingham’ to say Au Revoir.

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année

Mrs V Grego

10

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Learning about South Africa

n 14 November students and teachers welcomed a former South African Member of Parliament, Letlapa Mphahlele, to Holyhead to share his experience of Apartheid regime that controlled the country from the late 1940s to the early 1990s and how the country has changed since then. He talked about how forgiveness has been important in his own life, and in bringing people together across the whole country.

Students could ask him whatever we wanted and it led to an important discussion about what it really takes to forgive and why it can transform the lives of both people who have caused pain and people who have suffered.

It was quite a sad story, but it showed how we can forgive each other. One of our class said that Letlapa showed us how forgiveness is like taking a weight off everyone’s shoulders.

One hundred and fifty students took part in two sessions in a day which also involved Letlapa retracing the steps Nelson Mandela took on his visit to Handsworth in 1994.

Nathan 9D and Grace 9E

The Empress

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he Year 9 students have been studying The Empress

by Tanika Gupta and wanted to see a live version of the enticing relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim. The play didn’t disappoint as the realistic views and undertones of the period came shining through via the carefully worded script and delightful acting. The viewpoint of the characters Hari, Rani and Abdul Karim were a credit to the cast and our students thoroughly enjoyed viewing live events displayed before them.

The beautiful town of Stratford upon Avon - the birthplace of Shakespeare, did not disappoint either. Strolling through the walkways and little lanes, our students were mesmerised by the swans and greenery that it has to offer. It was a very enjoyable day out for all of us.

Miss K Johal

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France

s we reflect on the whirlwind adventure that was our culinary and cultural exploration of France and Belgium, it's evident that the past four days have been nothing short of extraordinary.

From the aromatic corridors of "Le Fournil" to the enchanting streets of Brugge, and the magical world of Disney, each moment has added a unique flavor to our collective experience.

"This has been The laughter-filled croissant- the best day of making session at BoulangeriePâtisserie "Le Fournil" has become my life." more than just a memory; it's a testament to the joy that comes from embracing new cultures and flavors.

Who could forget the infectious enthusiasm of the man guiding us through the art of baking, sprinkling humor like the essential 'flarine, sel, sucre, oeuf, and beurre'?

Our journey continued through the charming Christmas Market in Lille, the aromatic workshop at Gaufre du Pays Flamand, and the fascinating P&J Chocolate Factory. Brugge, with its picturesque streets and vibrant Christmas market, offered a perfect blend of freedom and cultural immersion, leaving us with shopping bags filled with memories and delights.

Then came the climax of our adventure—the enchanting Disneyland Paris. The sparkle in the students' eyes as they entered the magical world of Disney, the adrenaline rush on rides like Spiderman and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and the awe-inspiring sight of the Sleeping Beauty Castle all combined to create a day that will forever be etched in our hearts. As one student aptly put it, "Miss, this has been the best day of my life."

Our gastronomic journey concluded with a tastetesting extravaganza at Dhardelot Biscuiterie, where flavors danced on our taste buds, marking the perfect finale to our culinary exploration.

As we crossed borders, both physical and cultural, and made our way back to England, the memories of our adventure lingered in the air. The shared silences on the coach, the contented smiles of "sleeping beauties," and the excitement over a last-minute McDonald's stop—all tell the story of a trip that went beyond education. It was an odyssey of flavors, cultures, and camaraderie.

In the hearts and minds of these 34 students, a kaleidoscope of experiences now resides—a tapestry woven with the threads of laughter, learning, and shared moments. Until the next adventure beckons, we carry with us the flavors of France and Belgium and the cherished memories of a journey that transformed each of us in ways words can only begin to capture. Vive la cuisine, vive la culture, and vive l'aventure!

As we unpack our suitcases and share our stories with those who couldn't join us, let us celebrate the magic of exploration and the profound impact that travel has on our lives. Our journey through France has not just been a school trip; it has been a transformative odyssey that has broadened our horizons and enriched our perspectives. Until the next adventure awaits, à bientôt, France!

Mrs Davies

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CAREERS

Autumn 2023

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his half term has seen the start of our Year 11 and Year 13 students begin to explore their options after Holyhead and onto Sixth Form. With trips to universities, one to one meetings with The Birmingham Careers Service, assemblies to learn about all options and guidance from our dedicated UCAS expert, each student will have the support to make informed decisions for their next steps. If there is anyone worrying about the next steps for your child, then please do get in touch so that we can support you as we appreciate it can be a stressful time.

As part of our dedication to achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks Holyhead have completed a Careers Audit across the whole school curriculum to make sure every student is getting a full diet of careers within not only their PSHE / Tutor lessons but also in their everyday lessons. Here at Holyhead we think it’s important that careers is embedded into the curriculum to help students have a sense of purpose for their subject learning which will encourage them to strive to achieve.

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n keeping with our commitment to provide students with outstanding careers guidance when choosing their next steps we have relaunched Unifrog to every student from Year 7 upwards. Unifrog is the universal platform and is designed to support learners in making the most informed decisions about their future. This years tutor program for careers will be complimented by using a full plan of activities through Unifrog. We encourage you to also use the platform with your child. The sign up code is: HLYHparent and you can sign up through the following website: www.unifrog.org/code

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Work Experience 2024:

his year we have re launched year 10 and Year 12 work experience. Both Year groups will be going out from Monday 20th May 2024 - Friday 24th May 2024. All students have been given an employer letter to fill out and will be encouraged to find their own placement. A spreadsheet of companies has now been shared on google classrooms Please be aware the spreadsheet is only a search tool (Not a guaranteed placement) Some details on there may have changed so always double check. If you require any support of information, please so not hesitate to get in touch with the careers team.

USEFUL CAREERS INFORMATION AND RESOURCES https://amazingapprenticeships.com • •

The 2023/2024 edition of the Higher & Degree vacancy listing has now launched Nhs apprenticeships to train doctors - They will be starting in 2024 and will aim to make careers in medicine more accessible to a wider cohort.

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/30/nhs-doctor-apprenticeships-everythingyou-need-to-know. www.ucas.com

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www.unifrog.org/sign-in

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his term we welcome new members of staff to the Creative Arts department, Miss Kerr in Drama and Miss Bulkely in Music . We would all agree that both members of staff have settled in well and have made a positive impression on the students.

The academic year started off with some exciting performances that were both in school and out of school.

‘Feel Me’

The year 10 and year 11 drama students went to an evening performing at the Arena in Wolverhampton to watch ‘Feel Me’. The play was an interactive play that asked it’s audience members to partake in a series of questions via your mobile phone, which asked questions about who and what you care about from the stories that were being unfold live on stage in front of you .

Black History Month This year the creative arts department explored Black Resilience, students explored their lived experiences, these were captured through their voices and lenses sharing what makes them proud. Students took part in singing, playing steel bands, poetry and a creative film capturing their learning. These were performed to all year groups in assembly. Well done to all students who took part it takes courage.

Jed, Khiyana, Kenrick, Keyon, Amirah, Ria G, Mtambala, Kioni, Talha, Khadija, Ziyad, Callie, Chenteyana, Devandre, Abigail, Praise

Year 7 Model Boxes

‘Don’t forget the Rush’ Year 9 students were studying the Windrush Era and explored this through a play called 'Small Island’ in addition to the exploration and the learning, students in year 9 had the opportunity to be part of a live audience of a play called ‘Don’t forget the Rush’ by Mooville Theatre. The play explored two Caribbean women , who shared their experiences of life before the Windrush and their time as they set sail on the Windrush to come to England.

Our Year 7 students have been working hard to create their very own set designs. Thinking about what the colours, textures and materials might tell a story to the audience. Amazing work by the students in 7H. Here are some of the most creative designs from this talented bunch of students.

Well done!

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Music

he music department has been busy thinking about all things careers. With a visit from Waterbear at the end of November, we have started getting students thinking about their future within the music and creative arts industry.

As well as this, our year 10 and 11 students have been working hard towards their component exams for their BTEC. We want to say a huge congratulations to all our students who have been working extremely hard to ensure they are achieving the best they can be.

We continued on the theme of what is next in terms of their university by attending a day's trip to the Conservatoire Birmingham. The students were able to have a tour of the fantastic university and its facilities, but also were able to explore the life of a producer and went to see some live performances.

Taaranjot and Rhea have written a short review of their experience at the trip.

“On the 28th of November, the sixth form music students visited the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

We were taken on a tour around the campus and the facilities were amazing. One of my personal favorites was the Jazz Club room.

Everywhere had such amazing vibes and everyone just seemed to love being there. We also watched an opera for an hour and it was an exciting experience. Having not seen an opera music performance before, it was very interesting to watch live. Seeing the singer’s facial expression change the way she sounds made it an experience to remember. We also had a chance to experiment with the mixing desks and it was so amazing and fun to play around with all the different buttons and knobs. Overall, the day was so incredible and it was just a treat for us to go and visit the conservatoire.”

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“As creative arts students, my peers and I were given the phenomenal opportunity to visit the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where we had the greatest pleasure to learn about the deeper intricacies of music. We visited many editorial studios, which also included a demonstration as to how pieces of recorded music were edited to a professional level. Not only this, but we were granted the chance to watch a live jazz club, a brass band alongside a monumental opera performance. This experience has broadened my knowledge about the technical aspects of music as well as deepening my knowledge as to how music has had such an impact on our community. Additionally, this opportunity has truly shown us the wide variety of jobs within the music industry; all ranging from music technicians to performers, it truly was an incredible experience!”

As always, the Creative Arts Faculty have worked hard on our annual Christmas Single. With recordings and videos taking place daily in the music studio, we are really excited to share this year's 'Last Christmas' song which is now available to watch on our Holyhead YouTube channel.

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Art

t has been a very busy term in Art and Design. For Black history month we ran a competition to create a piece of artwork or poetry that demonstrates the theme of ’Saluting our sisters’. We had lots of entries from Year 8 as we included some design work into our lesson time. During October we took time to create portraits exploring a diverse range of Black women who have been proactive in creating role models in a variety of sports and job roles. Linking into our project work, we were inspired by the artist Kehinde Wiley and the decorative colourful patterns of Thaneeya McArdle. We created a display of work from the lessons to inspire further entries.

For post 16 preparation days, Year 11 were keen to get involved in experiencing an A level art session.

12 students took part. They experimented with large scale charcoal pieces on natural forms and food.

Several had the opportunity to use the chemical darkroom too. The Pop art food photograms can also now be added to the GCSE art and design coursework folders. This was a great chance to develop their own images in the darkroom, a new experience for some as other schools in the area do not have the chemicals and have moved to all digital photography experiences.

The artwork was displayed during the Black History evening. From 8, Miss Brandy’s form four students produced their own artwork from home. These pieces had clearly taken time and effort. Gaganpreet, Roz, Ilyah and Krystal made outstanding pieces and all were entered into the TITAN schools competition, this was open to schools across Birmingham. So we were delighted when Gaganpreet was announced as the overall winner gaining a £10 gift voucher. This along with certificates for all entries will be presented in the celebration assemblies at the end of the term.

Congratulations to all who entered. In the assemblies students will also receive our Art ambassador badges, these will be displayed on blazers to make our creative arts students stand out, demonstrating they have excelled this term in Art.

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Holyhead celebrates Diwali in style

iwali is a celebration that comes every year and is marked as the festival of light. Diwali is also symbolised as celebration of good over bad and light over darkness, diwali is celebrated by many, many hindus around the world. The story of rama and sita is a very important story that is related to diwali as rama came back with his wife sita after defeating demon king ravana in a horrifying battle which is the light over the darkness and the good over the bad.

This was our first ever cultural experience at this school. We had a long week full of activities and celebrations. There was diya painting, a mehndi, a special Diwali themed lunch and a spectacular dance performance done by Holyhead De Shaan who even performed in the 2023 soho road mela and the mela had hundreds of people in it!

Some students decorated the school with rangolis and flower garlands. Amrita and Aisha Year 7

"When everyone comes together to celebrate and the food is amazing."

Miss Kaur

"Diwali means a lot to us Holyhead students. Here are some of there thoughts. Diwali is an opportunity for hindus and sikhs to celebrate our religion and culture."

Taaranjot Year 13

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My first 3 months in Holyhead

ello, my name is Julia. I am currently 11 years old and have just started Year 7. Just to let you know, this article is going to be about me starting Holyhead!

When I first entered the school gates, I began to tremble in fear. I was so nervous I thought that I was going to die! But things went way better than I expected. One of the things that worried me the most was finding my lessons. I just stood in the middle of the tennis court like an innocent little kid, waiting for someone to stop and help me. But then I built up some courage and marched up to a teacher and asked for help.The teacher was really kind and told me where to go. That made me feel that I belonged here.

I was beginning to settle in and I became less nervous every day.

After a few days, I began to feel lonely. I ate alone, walked alone, and did everything alone. But that changed the very next day!

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My form tutor was taking us on a tour around the school so that we would know where everything was. We were outside next to the grass area when suddenly three girls ran up to me. One girl asked me if I wanted to be friends with them since I looked lonely.

I was very excited and said yes. Later that day, I got to know their names. Then a few days after this, I got to know a bit more about my friends from my form.

I found out that there were a massive number of clubs that I could join. I was happy about it because then I could get to meet new people. That made me feel more confident and I began to notice that I can be friends with anybody, even if they’re a bit mean, because if you look for the good in people,

you’ll always find it!

I have now adapted to the Holyhead environment, and I’m very excited for the next few years in this school. I love it here.

Julia 7H

Top Professional Shares Careers Advice

hirty-five students stayed after school to meet BBC star Phil Williams, who has worked at BBC Radio stations 1, 2 and FIve Live for more than 20 years. The event was open to all students and we had an amazing mix of Holyhead’s own rising stars.

We learned about Phil’s work as a news reporter and presenter, and how he is currently writing a book.

He told us how to handle the pressure of big public speaking events, such as when he introduced Lemar in concert by singing a line from one of his songs and then the entire audience sang the next line.

Phil questions about their own ambitions and plans for the future.

Phil gave tips on how to present ourselves well, and how to know when to try to fit in with an organisation and when to stay true to ourselves. He shared his experience of how to get to the top of a profession and stay there, whilst also finding a work-life balance.

Everyone left really motivated and inspired by the event and so happy that he had come to see us at Holyhead.

Raymond 9E

Before the session started I walked to the front of the room and introduced myself, shaking his hand.

Phil mentioned this during his talk, explaining the importance of taking the initiative. This encouraged everyone else to stay behind after the talk and ask

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PE Sports Report

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hat a great first term we have had in the PE Department. Alongside the plethora of extracurricular clubs on offer, our students have taken part in a range of trips and activities this term.

Basketball

Mr Prentice has been working with our 3 Holyhead Basketball teams hard since September and what a start to the year it has been.

Year 7 & 8 have been training well for their preparation of the Basketball season starting before Christmas. Each Boys Football Year 7, 8, 9 & 10 have been working hard in their first player is working hard to learn new skills and develop term of football training. Mr Prentice, Mr Mills and their learning in a sport that is so fun to participate in!

Mr Goodison have been putting them through their Both year 7 and 8 have entered the Jr NBA where they paces and preparing them for the season ahead. have represented the school as the New Cleveland Year 7 kicked off their season with a dominating Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons! They have received their performance against Prince Albert School winning 8-1. kit and are very much looking forward to wearing it The team showed great character, motivating each out on court! other from the first to last whistle. Well done boys you Our Y7 team are a credit to Holyhead School. Year 8 were unlucky have fallen short to be knocked out of their Cup game on penalties, in both of their after battling back from 2-0 to 2-2 in the last 2 minutes first 2 games against Prince Albert. They will be looking forward but are training to focussing on the league and ensuring they pick up hard and making improvements in some wins throughout the season.

Our Y9&10 team have been working hard in training, their knowledge and even though they lost both of their fixtures so far and skill levels. this season, they are very motivated to bounce back Our Y8 team tipped off their season with 2 Home with a win and continue to improve as a team. “Success court wins. A 31-4 win against Wood Green and a hard is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, fought win against Aston Manor.

The KS4 Holyhead basketball studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what team have begun their season you are doing or learning to do.” Pele. with a well deserved hard fought 32-31 win Away against CRST Intersport Football Handsworth Boys Grammar tournament and a dominating Michael Jordan School The very first of the InterTrust Sports Home 52 - 30 win against St competitions took place on Monday 13th Georges. It seems all of the 7:30am starts have been November. This was a 6 a side football competition beneficial so far as the progression they have made which was held at Arrow Vale Academy. The already has been outstanding. As always, there is competition was attended by the Trust’s middle and plenty of game time to have, keep working hard and secondary schools - Holyhead, Waseley Hills, Arrow showing respect, responsibility and resilience and you Vale, Churchill, Ipsley and Gospel Oak. Holyhead was will be successful. represented by both a girls and boys There will be year 8/9 team who played in a round plenty of games robin competition against the other coming up for all schools. The boys won 2 matches and three teams after lost 3 matches to finish in fourth place. the Christmas The girls won 2 matches, drew 1 and lost break, so ensure 2, and also finished in 4th place. The you follow us competition was organised by Churchill on X (Twitter) @ and Ipsley. Well done to all who took part HolyheadPE to and good luck to the teams who will take keep up with any part in the Handball competition which sporting news. will be organised and run by Arrow Vale in the Spring term.

"To be the best, you have to work the hardest”

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Ackers Reward Trip

The year 8 girls were rewarded with a trip to the local Ackers Adventure centre on the 4th October, for their previous and continued effort and contribution to extra curricular sport. The girls had a wonderful afternoon taking part in Dry Slope Skiing. It was a first time experience for all the girls and they had so much fun learning the basics of how to ski. They had great fun and had an amazing time experiencing a new and exciting activity.

Penathlon 10 Pin Bowling Competition

A selection of students from KS3 and KS4 were chosen to take part in a Ten Pin Bowling competition in Acocks Green Bowl. They competed against several local schools, and our KS4 team finished in 2nd place.

Kadisha in year 10 got an award for the highest overall score and for scoring the most strikes and spares. It was a fantastic competition, and a great experience for our students.

U13s EFL Cup Girls Football at West Bromwich Albion

On Wednesday 6th December, the U13 girls football team participated in the EFL Girls Football Cup hosted

by West Bromwich Albion Football Academy. With 18 schools from the region competing, the girls had a busy morning in store. Goals galore from Hajara and Zemirah sent the girls on their way to victory in 3 matches and 1 draw. This meant the girls ended the group stage at the top as group winners. This then set up a quarter final match against Sandwell Academy which the girls also won. Perryfields in the semi-final were our next opponents. A closely fought battle resulted in a sudden-death penalty shootout victory of 9-8. Next up, the final! Only Windsor High stood in the way of victory. A nerve wracking and tense final with few chances resulted in another penalty shootout.

With penalty after penalty finding the back of the net, once again it went to sudden-death. Sienna pulled off a great save to give us the advantage. Up stepped Zemirah to thunder the ball into the net to seal the victory. A fantastic achievement for the girls - we did not even concede one goal during open play for the whole tournament!!

They now go through to the next round against the winning schools from the Stoke City, Birmingham City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, etc regions. Training will resume to prepare for the next round. Tune in to the next Pulse Magazine for the results of the next round of the cup. Mrs Fry is super proud of you all -

Well Done!!

Aston Girls’ Football Competitions

The Aston Schools’ competitions also got underway with Holyhead hosting the girls’ Aston School’s 6 - a - side Football Tournaments. The tournaments have been very successful with Holyhead achieving some great successes. Our year 10 and 9 team finished 2nd overall playing some amazing football to beat the other schools. Our year 8 girls won the whole competition beating every school in the tournament. The girls all played amazing football and should be really proud of themselves. A huge well done to all of you.

The Aston Schools competitions continue after Christmas with Basketball and Netball.

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Is football exclusively a sport for boys?

irls have frequently been informed that football is exclusively a sport for boys. Nevertheless, numerous individuals hold a contrary viewpoint as some girls exhibit superior abilities compared to boys. Certain skills possessed by girls are even absent in boys. In my perspective, it is imperative for girls to engage in football as it fosters a more favourable self-perception, enhances their self-assurance, and heightens their awareness of their capabilities through participation in a sport.

The Women's Super League (WSL) stands as the premier league for women's football in England, with players being compensated an average annual salary ranging from £25,000 to £27,000. Nevertheless, similar to their male counterparts, prominent figures have the potential to earn significantly higher amounts. As reported by Metro, Sam Kerr of Chelsea receives a yearly salary of approximately £400,000. This information highlights the prevailing notion that football is predominantly associated with boys, yet it is crucial to recognise the opportunity we possess to challenge and overcome this stereotype.

As someone who goes by the name Krystal, I am to write about girls' football due to my personal experience.

Despite being a girl, I have always enjoyed playing football. Growing up, I was constantly told that football was a sport for boys, but I believe that this is just a stereotype. In fact, there are many female football players who have made a name for themselves, such as Alexia Putellas, Sam Kerr, and Jennifer Hermoso. These three players are considered to be the best female football players in 2021 and are truly inspirational figures.

Throughout my school years, I have played many football matches and have found them to be incredibly enjoyable. Of course, I cannot say that my team has always won and never lost, as making mistakes is a crucial part of the learning process. However, I am proud to say that my team came in first place for our most recent tournament.

Could you believe there was 18 teams playing for the cup and we came first!

I am grateful for the support that my family has given me throughout my football journey. Every time I win a match, we celebrate and go somewhere special. Krystal 8D

Business students investigate

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n the 27th September, Year 12 & 13 Business Students visited Drayton Manor Resort where we had the chance to attend an educational talk about Drayton Manor Resort and how they are as a business. We were able to carry out primary research used to inform our coursework on investigating business and many topics were covered during the talkt. Following the educational talk, we were able to freely explore the park and have first hand experience of all of the

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great activities which are on offer to the public. We all had a day enriched with learning and seeing all the different job roles and the behind the scenes look at Drayton Manor resort. It was a great day out for all the Business sixth form students and a massive thank you to Mrs Alaudeen and Mrs Sehra for making it happen.

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emembrance Day also known as Armistice by many, is a day that recalls the truce, restoring peace in a sense of chaos putting an end to World War One, which began in 1914 and ended in 1918. The war ended at exactly 11 o'clock in the morning of Sunday 11 November after both sides agreed to stop fighting, hence why it is celebrated on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Poppies serve as a symbol of remembrance and hope as even in a scene of destruction beauty can be restored giving hope to society that it can reform and rise from its darkest hour.

War can happen in one place, in one country, but affect people across the world, hence why it is a day of remembrance for all of us. This theme of inclusion is one that is brought to life by the Holyhead community where annually a ceremony is held to mark this day, a gathering of teachers, armed forces, firefighters and students.

This was so Holyhead could really take part and truly honour the Military Forces. At this event they had people read poetry, give speeches, and which all led up to a one-minute silence to show respect to those who served and sacrificed in the First World War, and a march to remember the national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life.

Mr Knox, our Headteacher at Holyhead school has described, and told us about what he feels Remembrance Day is all about, and what it means to him, and how its not only the soldiers we commemorate and remember, but those who were affected as well,

including the civilians, animals, and others, and the commitment we make towards letting them rest in peace.

History teacher, Mr Lane, was one of those gathered, standing with his head bowed, at school on Remembrance Day. I asked him what it meant to him and what he said beautifully illustrates the complexities of Remembrance Day in 2023.

“I attended the remembrance service at Holyhead School and I used the time of collective silence to remember the tens-of-millions of people who died in the 1930s and 40s. As I stood there some of what my grandfather told me about his experience as a soldier came to mind. I also thought about violence that has taken place in other times and places, and receives far less attention, such as the Belgian King's rule of the Congo in the 1890s, and Darfur genocide (2003-today).

Standing in silence seems a necessary response to the scale of the tragedy, but it can't end there. It's a hollow response unless we are reflecting deeply on the seeds of war that may be present in our own lives. How do we interact with people we disagree with or perceive as different?

With love and creativity - or with rejection and violence?

How can we use our lives to overcome hatred and racism today?

This is how we make the message 'Never again' meaningful."

Suniya and Tina

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understand that learning outside of the school environment is a valuable and effective means of enhancing the curriculum and students’ learning, understanding and personal and social development.

As a result of this we decided that this educational trip would be beneficial to the students. The Year 13 Health & Social Care students attended workshops and listened to speakers discuss a variety of topics linked to their courseworkunderstanding how theory works in practice. They also had the opportunity to visit all of the stalls whilst asking the vendors lots of questions and trialing out the equipment used in care homes to assist the elderly. We look forward to visiting again next year. Mrs J Richards ear 12 have made a smooth transition from Year 11 to Year 12 and have started very positively.

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Our tutor time programme this term has been designed to help with the transition from studying at GCSE level and then moving to Level 3 study. Normally at this point in the year, many struggle with the self discipline and organisation required to be a successful sixth form student. The work done by the Year 12 form tutors has had a huge impact on the students and it is great to see so many of them making use of the silent study room and library to work on coursework or to make notes on the lessons they have attended.

Our external students have settled very well into Holyhead and I would like to thank the students from Holyhead for making them feel so welcome. I took no time at all for them to settle into new routines, new timetable and different structure to lessons and most are thriving at the moment.

school dining room menu and ways in which we can improve the sixth form experience.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention that all Year 12 students are expected in school before 8:40 in the morning and remain here until the end of the school day. This may change in the near future but students will be informed before this happens.

Finally I will say that overall I am really proud of their attitude and determination to succeed at the moment.

If they continue to work as they are, then they should be confident in doing what they want to do after sixth form.

You’re doing great Year 12, keep going.

Mr Mills

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WMFS Visit

n Wednesday 6th December Firefighter Arron Lennon, from the West Midlands Fire Service, came into school to speak to the student about road safety. Many thought that this would be about how to cross the road and wait for the green man, but he surprised them with an interactive and informative presentation. Aaron spoke about the risks of driving, and being a passenger, of a car and the effects alcohol and drugs could have on the person in control of the vehicle.

The talk challenged the students perceptions on the importance of wearing a seatbelt, and how important it is to stand up against someone who is not driving correctly. He used training aids, such as drink and drug goggles, to show students what it is like to be under the influence and how difficult it is to perform simple tasks like stacking up a cup pyramid.

Despite their initial apprehension the students left the session informed and with the tools needed to deal with the issues that Arron raised. Arron was kind enough to stay behind after the session and take some questions about how to become a firefighter and the application process.

The Year 12 student council is up and running and we have 12 members of the year group who are now working on improving student life for their peers. We have already started discussions about fundraising,

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Year 7 cell competition

Oxford visit

This term the science department ran a cell competition for year 7 students. The purpose of the competition was for students to apply their knowledge of cells from the classroom, and produce a model cell. We had some amazing entries, however two stood out the most. I am delighted to announce the winners of the cell competition are Dominka 7D and Julia 7H, well done to you both. You both will be receiving a prize for your entries, as well as everyone who entered the competition. However for the first time this competition is also running across the Central Region Trust. This means that both of these students' work will represent Holyhead in this competition, and the winner of this will be announced next term. Good luck to you both, and well done again!

This term 30 students from year 11 have been taking part in our Aspire Initiative workshops every Monday.

The workshops are designed for students to challenge themselves and help them surpass their potential. As part of this students have been able to explore potential career ideas and university courses which interest them.

One specific highlight was year 11 attending Oxford University to gain an insight into university life. This involved students having a tour of Oxford University, exploring the local area, and getting hands-on experience of the courses which are

Modelez visit Attar 13B, Dhanish 13D and Sameer 13D produced a poster on The Chemistry of Good Chocolate, which was entered into a competition run by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The competition centred around creating a poster of food groups and ran nationwide. Attar, Dhanish and Sameer placed first in this competition!

As a reward for their efforts the 3 students, alongside Mr Lane, were invited to the Mondelez research and development laboratory in Bournville. During this visit they were able to learn more about the chocolate making process and chemistry behind it, including getting a better understanding of the molecules behind the complex structure and scent of chocolate.

Alongside this they also had an opportunity at producing (and tasting) hand tempered chocolate, This was a very rewarding experience for these students, who thoroughly enjoyed their visit.

available to them. Students also had an opportunity to debate one another on key social aspects, affecting their own lives. This was an amazing visit in which students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were very appreciative of the opportunity to go to Oxford University. Students were great ambassadors for the school, not only in their conduct but also in the way they embraced the whole experience. A special thank you to Mr Evanson and Mr Almane for their support on this visit.

Mr Mohr Director of Learning - Science

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n the 6th of December, the Humanities department took 45 very excited Year 7 students to visit Chester Zoo. Despite the forecast, we were very lucky to have a very bright, but cold day. On the visit, students were eager to see all of the baby animals that had not long been born, as well as their favourite animals up close.

The trip was finished off with very loud renditions of All I Want for Christmas and Last Christmas by all students and staff on the coach. It is fair to say that lots of great memories were made! students and staff on the coach. It is fair to say that lots of great memories were made!

Students were amazed at seeing some animals that they had never heard of before, such as the Andean bears and tree kangaroos! Luka (7E) told me that his favourite animal was the elephants because they kept on waving their trunks around and it looked funny! Lots of students were amazed to see a baby Bornean Orangutan which was less than a week old.

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Young People’s Parliament

ix of our school council representatives visited Birmingham Council House for the opening ceremony of the Young People’s Parliament (YPP). The chosen students were: Head Boy Neel 11C, Head Girl Saima 11E, Mobashar 10F, Tianna 9H, Roz 8D and Xavier 7H. Upon arrival, we were the first school that arrived, so had a chance to see the empty council house. The students were amazed with the interior of the building and its beauty. With students not even wanting to stand on the carpets because they were so nice!

Throughout the day, this year's YPP was officially opened, with students being able to ask Birmingham’s councillors questions about their careers and priorities within their jobs for their plans for Birmingham as a city. In the afternoon, students across the number of schools in attendance had to write a manifesto on what they believed were important issues that they’d like to be resolved in the city. It was mentioned to Miss Dore how mature and thoughtful our students were in writing their manifesto, focussing on real issues that would make their community a better place.

Describing his day, Xavier 7H said “we discussed the Birmingham council's actions to enhance the city's living conditions, including a tour of the council house and a visit to the Lord mayors' offices.”

This is the start of a fantastic year for the YPP students, who have many more opportunities ahead of them including a trip to the Houses of Parliament in London in the new year. Mr Goodison and Miss Dore would like to thank all 6 students for being amazing ambassadors for the school.

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