SVF Focus Autumn 2019

NORMAN CASTLES PAGE 4

Autumn Term 2019

BASKETBALL VICTORY PAGE 10

THE TERMLY MAGAZINE OF THE SEATON VALLEY FEDERATION

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AUTUMN 2019

JOHN BARNES WELCOME WELCOME

Welcome to the autumn issue of SVF Focus magazine. As always, you will see that there have been many great events taking place across the federation. From theatre visits, sports activities, charity events and much more, the pupils have enjoyed taking part in a range of different experiences.

I am very impressed by the way in which the pupils have started the school year; when I walk around all three schools the learning atmosphere is fantastic. If you have not visited the schools recently I welcome you to do so and see what happens on a daily basis. I am certain that you will be impressed by the range of activities, the teaching and learning and the calm atmosphere in all three schools.

As you are aware, Astley Community High School was inspected this term and we are delighted that Ofsted judged that the school continues to be ‘Good’. Thank you to all students, staff and parents/carers for their invaluable support over the two days.

I hope you enjoy this issue of SVF Focus and I wish you all the very best for Christmas and the New Year.

John Barnes Executive Headteacher Seaton Valley Federation

TERM DATES SEATON VALLEY FEDERATION Christmas holiday School finishes on Friday 20 December 2019 and reopens on Tuesday 7 January 2020.

Monday 6 January is a teacher training day.

Spring half-term holiday SEATON VALLEY School finishes onFEDERATION Friday 14 February and reopens on Monday 24 February 2020.

Easter holiday School finishes on Thursday 2 April and reopens on Monday 20 April 2020. Friday 3 April is a teacher training day.

Please note that the early May Bank Holiday, usually held on a Monday will be on Friday 8 May 2020. This change has been made by the government to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

WWW.SVF.ORG.UK

For the full list of 2019/2020 term dates please visit: www.svf.org.uk/term-dates

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WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY Our mental health and wellbeing is just like our physical health: everybody has it and we need to take care of it. Mental wellbeing describes how someone feels and how well they cope with day-to-day life. It can change from moment to moment, day to day, month to month or year to year. It is estimated that around one in four people can be affected by mental health problems in any given year. These range from common problems, such as anxiety and depression, to rarer problems such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

In the Seaton Valley Federation we recognise that mental health issues can affect anyone, no matter how young, and we are trying to raise awareness among our students and staff of the importance of looking after our mental wellbeing. The federation has a commitment to acknowledging and supporting good mental health and wellbeing. An awareness of what good mental health is and how to identify changes in our own mental wellbeing and the wellbeing of others in the community is an important part of Preparation for Adulthood (PfA).

World Mental Health Day took place on 10 October and we viewed this as a perfect opportunity to share some key information with pupils and staff about being aware of and looking after our mental health.

SEATON SLUICE MIDDLE SCHOOL At SSMS the pupils participated in a whole school assembly which outlined key messages about mental health. They learned that everyone’s mental health is as important as their physical health and that we need to look after our mental health even if we haven’t got a problem.

Pupils learned that there should be no shame or feelings of weakness attached to talking about their feelings or worries and we made pupils aware of the importance of sharing their emotions; this can help to resolve problems far more quickly than if they ‘bottle things up’.

During form time, the pupils were all given their own Mental Health booklet containing information such as tips to keep your mind healthy; what to do if you are feeling worried or stressed; techniques for relaxation; and information about common mental health issues.

WHYTRIG MIDDLE SCHOOL Pupils at WMS had a whole school assembly on why mental health is important, what it is and what it isn’t, and coping strategies for children to try when they’re feeling worried.

KS3 children learned about feeling different; how everyone is different; and how it’s ok to be different/unique; it is what makes us special. They then listened to and sang along to Ava’s song ‘Misfit’. A little booklet with helpful information and useful websites was sent home to parents/carers.

ASTLEY COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL At ACHS we had a week of assemblies for each year group to raise awareness of mental health concerns and how to access help and advice when needed. We also launched the SVF Mental Health Awareness booklet.

This resource is for students and their families to act as a starting point for further discussion around mental health and wellbeing.

It covers some of the most frequent sources of stress which can lead to poor mental wellbeing and highlights a range of options for students and parents to seek support if needed.

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SEATON SLUICE MIDDLE SCHOOL OUR LATEST NEWS HEAD OF SCHOOL MRS MCSPARRON

HELPING HANDS Hi there! We are the new Helping Hands! We are here to help you throughout any difficulties you may encounter.

Formerly called the Bully Busters, we changed our name as we thought that people misunderstood what we did or thought we were going to injure the bullies! We had a competition to suggest what people thought our new name should be and we decided that Helping Hands was the most appropriate name for what we actually do.

As I write, we are just over half-way through the first term for our new Y5 pupils and for me, in my new role as Head of School. Everyone seems to have settled in really well and I have been very pleased with how smart and well-behaved our pupils are.

One of the key messages in assemblies this term has been about working together as a team and treating each other with respect and kindness; and I have been delighted to see evidence of this happening on a daily basis. There have also already been all sorts of exciting things going on in terms of helping our new students find their way around, setting up Helping Hands (students who are there to offer support to others) and also supporting those in our community and beyond. This term there have been plenty of opportunities for us to help those less fortunate than ourselves, whilst having fun. This includes the legendary annual Fun Run, Macmillan Coffee Morning and our Harvest Festival, led by Rev. Bowler. We have set up a Food Bank station in school, where donations will be passed on to the Blyth Food Bank for distribution. The feedback from members of the public is truly heartwarming and what a credit to the school our pupils are.

Thank you all, pupils, parents and friends for working alongside us to make these things happen.

Mrs McSparron

Last term, we trained sixteen then chose the best nine Helping Hands candidates. It was a tough decision (and took many biscuits) but we had to decide. The training was the perfect way to do that. We trained the candidates in listening, talking and social skills as well as confidentiality. During the training we paid close attention to every person and decided on the final Helping Hands.

If you are in SSMS then to contact a Helping Hand, there are slips in every room and a box just outside the library. We check the box every day and when we get your form we will find you in form time or ERIC and talk to you. Sometimes we might talk to you again the following week if your problem is not fixed in the first conference.

Our goal is not to fix your problems for you but to help you find something to do about your problem, fitting your comfort zone.

We are very pleased with the new Helping Hands and we know they are ready to help.

By Helping Hands

SEATON SLUICE ACTIVITY DAY As one of the Ford Castle groups had to come home unexpectedly, Mr Barkley and Miss Curry planned an activity day at school which took place on 24 October. The day included a variety of outdoor activities as well as lunch in the wildlife area.

Mr Barkley took one group for archery where the pupils competed to pop balloons and win sweets, whilst Miss Curry baked rock buns with the other group. After swapping over, the two groups met in the wildlife area where they had a BBQ. Pupils then went on a bike ride to Coastline Fish and Chip Shop and enjoyed ice cream and played in the park. Luckily the weather held out and everyone had a fantastic day!

Mr Barkley and Miss Curry

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MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING

SOLAR TRANSIT

In September, SSMS hosted another successful ‘Macmillan Big Coffee Morning’. The pupils and staff donated cakes, biscuits and sweet treats and we were overwhelmed with the generosity of our children and their families.

On 11 November, there was a rare chance to see a Solar Transit of Mercury - where from Earth’s point of view, Mercury crosses over the surface of the Sun. These only happen thirteen times per century. The Transit started 12.35pm, conveniently during lunch time.

Some of our Y8 prefects helped serve tea and coffee.

We invited carers, parents and grandparents, as well as members of the local community. A steady stream of guests enjoyed tea and coffee, as well as their sweet treats and a good natter. The best part of all was finding out that we raised £545 for Macmillan Cancer Support – a very worthwhile cause.

Mr Russell (STEM ambassador for the Newcastle Astrological Society) set up his telescope (with special solar filters) to hopefully view the event with the school’s astronomy group. The Transit lasted over 3 hours. Alas the clouds rolled in, so plan ‘B’ of how to set up and use a telescope was demonstrated instead. The next Transit will be visible from the UK in the year 2032.

Mrs McSparron

1066: THE BATTLE OF CAKE-TINS When I suggested that some students might want to bake a cake for their ‘Norman Castles’ homework project, I had absolutely no idea that I’d be the recipient of cakes truly worthy of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ champions. Indeed, the masterpieces that arrived daily in my room not only showed detailed knowledge of Norman castles, but also top-level artistry and baking skills.

WARNING: Do not look at the sun without the correct equipment, you can permanently damage your eyes!

Mr Russell

LEST WE FORGET The school fell silent for two minutes on 11 November at 11am as part of a very special Remembrance Day assembly. Y8s gave a poignant message, remembering all those who have given their lives whilst serving their country. Footage of life in World War 1 was shown while students performed a short Readers’ Theatre production of ‘The Christmas Truce’.

I adored playing the role of a (much younger) Pru Leith and tasting each one, and the queues of staff at my classroom each day to help with the ‘standardisation’ are a testament to just how popular the cakes were with the entire school. Thanks to all who submitted such excellent homework; I’m very proud to teach students of such a high calibre!

All Y8 pupils then recited ‘In Flanders Fields’

by John McCrae and some shared poems they had written about being involved in conflict. Pupils also had the opportunity to purchase ceramic poppies made by the students to raise further money for the Royal British Legion. Well done to Y8 for a thoughtprovoking and memorable assembly.

Mrs McCloskey

Mrs McSparron

SPOOKY SPONSORED FUN RUN PHOTOS Our annual Sponsored Fun Run took place on 25 October. This year’s theme was Halloween and many of our pupils and staff entered into the spirit - no pun intended by dressing up in all sorts of ghoulish outfits. The 5km run was from Seaton Sluice to the bandstand in Blyth, and back again. Our elite runners were very lucky - they ran so quickly they missed the rain! Huge congratulations to our top 3 winning boys and girls: James (1), Chad (2), Bobby (3) and Megan (1), Honey (2) and Grace (3). And a big well done to all who participated! A great time was had and we hope to raise lots of money from the sponsorship towards the School Fund.

Mrs McSparron

AUTUMN 2019

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JOHN BARNES WELCOME OUR LATEST NEWS WHYTRIG MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD OF SCHOOL MR SOUTER

FABULOUS YEAR FIVE! Kingswood was a truly amazing experience! You got to try loads of new things; you set your own standards; you went as far as you chose. From walking through the woods blindfolded to jumping off a tower on a trapeze, it was all amazing! I really enjoyed it all.

The Autumn Term is always very demanding at WMS as we reset everything at the start of a new academic year.

We have welcomed our new Y5 pupils who have adapted to new routines, lessons and staff very well. We particularly enjoyed our annual trip with Y5 to Dukeshouse Wood before half term, where new classmates were able to bond together and with staff. We have also welcomed new staff into school; Miss Thompson our new SENDCO and Miss Baker, wishing them well as they also adapt to life at WMS. The children have experienced the usual range of visits, sporting events, visitors into school, clubs and theme days, which ensure they get the broad and balanced curriculum offer that we all want them to have. We are delighted to have recently defended and won the Thunder in the Valley basketball competition for the fourth time, which is an amazing achievement for a school of our size!

We continue to support activity weeks such as Anti Bullying Week and most recently, Road Safety Week, as well as a range of charitable causes. So far this term we have raised funds for MacMillan Cancer Support through our coffee afternoon, The Royal British Legion from our Remembrance work and Children in Need. For Children in Need this year, our House Captains organised events and so far have raised over £600 for the charity.

Our new prefects have also had their profile raised this year with their fantastic yellow sweatshirts and are working hard to support the younger children in school.

It is so pleasing to see that we have so many young people who have a moral conscience and are very willing to get involved and do their bit for the community and beyond.

Mr Souter

There were great instructors making sure we were happy, safe and challenged and great cooks to make sure we were all well fed. (Sadly, there were no great bed makers or clothes cleaners…

It was the muddiest we’ve ever been!) Spending three days doing fantastic activities was a chance to make new friends and make old friendships stronger.

Max and Casey

WORLD WAR AND WOODHORN Woodhorn Colliery is a fun place to learn. We went there to help us with our local history topic on World War 1 and I had a great time. We learned all about a British Tommy’s uniform and what he had to carry; we had a tour of the colliery, finding out how important mines and miners were to the war effort; we tried our hand with periscopes and target practice - as well as trying to march in time.

First World War uniforms were heavy and scratchy - and often infested with lice. They were quite warm though, which is why soldiers often found they had rats snuggled up with them when they slept… They carried about 500 rounds of ammunition and some soldiers were such speedy marksman that the enemy thought they had machine guns! The Woodhorn pit disaster in 1916 can be linked to the war; we learned how the mine owners were keen to keep up their profits despite losing 25% of their coal and 25% of their men to the war.

A colliery might sound boring - but Woodhorn will prove you wrong!

By Brooke

PAF!!

A small - but perfectly formed! - band of parents and friends (known as the PAF) is now up and running, working busily behind the scenes to raise funds and provide support for WMS. You may have seen them serving refreshments at Sports Day or you may have been grateful that they gave you a couple of hours off with the Halloween Disco! They have already raised hundreds of pounds.

If you would like to offer your help (without any commitment), please send a message to Mrs Mac. Mrs McClellan

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SPOOKY FUN On 23 October, WMS held its annual Halloween Disco.

This year it was organised by our new Parents and Friends Association who did a fantastic job of securing a very entertaining DJ and yummy snacks for the evening.

COLOURFUL PREFECTS Now that our Y8 prefects have their very popular - and VERY bright - ‘uniforms’, they are ready to undertake their prefect duties in earnest!

The reason for their colourful attire is so that the children are visible when they are on break duty. Our prefects act as ‘buddies’ on the yard and assist staff in monitoring behaviour. At the end of break, they are responsible for ensuring that classes are lined up ready to be escorted back into school.

Not an easy task, they found when they tried it just before half term!

It was likened to ‘herding cats!’ However, we hope their sweatshirts will give them more of a presence and make them a force to be reckoned with!

It was attended by many pupils, who all went to town with their fancy dress efforts. Highlights included zombies, scary surgeons and Donald Trump! Pupils participated in lots of organised dancing, including the Macarena and the Conga. Special mention to Y7, whose dancing skills were second to none! There was also a ‘best costume’ competition held with a winner from each year group. A brilliant time was had by all. Many thanks to Mrs Mac and the PAF of WMS for an excellent disco.

We were very lucky this year in the pool of children we had to choose from when selecting prefects. In fact, having so many polite, hard-working, friendly Y8s made the task incredibly difficult! As there are so many deserving candidates, we will be handing out more prefect badges - and sweatshirts! - later on in the year.

Miss Rutter

Mrs Campbell

INSPIRING ENGINEERING INCLUSIVE SPORT In October, 7L took part in a coached session of wheelchair basketball and inclusive tennis. The session was provided

by Rebecca Oldroyd, support development officer and wheelchair basketball coach from Tyne Met College, and Ross McConnell, an accredited Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) tennis coach and wheelchair basketball player.

In November, Y7 pupils attended Nissan’s annual schools’ engineering event with great enthusiasm. They participated in an engineering workshop that focussed on Nissan’s developing technology, such as automatic vehicles and electric cars.

They also looked at engineering as a career and how engineering is relevant in our daily lives. The engineering challenges involved everyone, and they became very competitive. The paper tower building challenge was particularly close! The pupils participated in a tour of the Trim and Chassis shop floor, which was as fascinating as always. They were able to see a Qashqai put together from a shell to a fully working car! Pupils asked very interesting questions, listened well and great time was had by all, with exemplary behaviour from all pupils.

They have joined forces to combine their skills and knowledge to provide more inclusive opportunities in the North East.

It was a great experience and the class thoroughly enjoyed taking part. We hope to do another session in the near future as this one was a huge success.

Mrs Campbell

Mrs Lawton

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JOHN BARNES ASTLEY COMMUNITY WELCOME HIGH SCHOOL OUR LATEST NEWS HEAD OF SCHOOL MR SCOTT

OFSTED INSPECTION Ofsted visited ACHS on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 November for a Section 8 Inspection. It was a challenging two days, but we are absolutely delighted with the outcome, which confirmed that Astley is still a ‘Good’ school.

There were lots of strengths highlighted by the three inspectors, who were very impressed, particularly with the inclusive nature and ethos of our school and the positive relationships within it.

A great term and a ‘Good’ Ofsted too!

As Christmas approaches, I wish you all the very best for the festive period and hope that you have a fabulous time spent with family and friends.

Another very busy term at Astley has contained many fantastic events, activities and experiences for us all, including a very positive Ofsted inspection.

My favourite half-term of the year includes our usual events such as the Christmas meal and hamper collection for the elderly, Christmas musical performance and Christmas jumper day! Merry Christmas and my best wishes for 2020.

Mr Scott ALTITUDE FOUNDATION In October, Colin Ferguson from the Altitude Foundation gave an assembly to launch their technology scheme to Y10 and Y12 students. Some students successfully applied for the prestigious Altitude Foundation 1800 scheme and attended the launch event at the Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle on 23 October.

The ACHS students are part of a group from across the North East selected to participate in extra-curricular activities aimed at unlocking their passion for technology and supporting them in achieving successful careers. The students will take part in science, technology, engineering and maths workshops, learn how to write software code, and meet employers and professionals from the region through the scheme.

Mr Drought

We still have a few things to improve on, but we know what they are and it has been reinforced that we are definitely moving in the right direction. With a New Build on the horizon it is exciting times for the Elsdon Avenue site and the community as a whole.

Once again we would like to thank everyone involved with the school for your fantastic support throughout the process.

The vast majority of our students were absolutely amazing and a real credit. In addition, thank you for the positive parent view comments and messages of support we received, which supported our view of the school.

During the inspection the whole of the staff (both teaching and support) and governors were fantastic, as they have been over the last few years. This allowed us to be confident, but not complacent of receiving a ‘Good’ grading. Thankfully, the inspectors agreed with what we already knew.

As a treat, on Friday 15 November there was a non-uniform day and all students and staff were served hot chocolate and a chocolate bar at break and lunchtime.

Thanks again for your continued support.

Mr Scott

NATIONAL CAREERS FAIR A group of ACHS students attended the National Careers Fair at Newcastle Racecourse in November. Over forty organisations showcased a wide variety of roles in industries such as Law, Health, The Armed Forces, Transport, Logistics, Manufacturing, Engineering, Finance, Insurance, Education, Energy and Hospitality.

Students had the opportunity to meet different employers and ask them about their apprenticeship scheme for school leavers, as well as trying some hands on activities like pulling pints of beer and riding a (dummy) race horse!

A Y13 student said: ‘It was great to see so many employers to give me a better idea of what I want to do when I leave school. I spoke to a Logistics company called Kuehne and Nagel which I had never heard of and I’m now going to apply for their Business Administration Apprenticeship as well as applying to university to study Travel and Business Management.’

Mr Drought

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MUSIC PERFORMANCE

BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD A group of ACHS students took part in the Biology Olympiad in the summer. The event is designed to challenge and stimulate students with an interest in biology to expand and extend their talents.

The Y11 GCSE Music students hosted a performance evening showcasing performances and original music they have been working on.

The show was hosted by the students - who also operated the sound desk and helped set up the equipment. An invited audience of family and friends were treated to a collection of music, past and present, including music from Lewis Capaldi and Adele, well known Oasis and Queen numbers and the music of Beethoven.

It enables students to demonstrate their knowledge and to be suitably rewarded with publicly recognised certificates and medals. This is the first year that ACHS students have participated. They attended extra lessons after school to ensure that all topics were covered and completed an online exam which was submitted to the Royal Society of Biology.

Well done everyone.

Mr Pallas

Look out for the ACHS Christmas show on Thursday 19 December!

Mrs Tarpey

ECO GROUP We are working towards the Green Flag Award from Eco-Schools, and in November we received the Bronze Award which is the first step.

Our group consists of students from all year groups and many staff. We have carried out an Environmental Review to identify the areas we would like to work on first. This flagged up some interesting things: we are already a very health conscious school and our school grounds are a nice place to be.

We chose waste, litter and marine to focus on first and will be carrying out litter picks, running a recycled clothing collection and making crafts out of waste to sell in school. Lots of information is displayed on our eco board and details of events will be sent home. We hope that students, staff and parents will support our ‘Make Astley Green’ initiatives.

Mrs Keay

MERCHANT OF VENICE To see a Shakespeare play performed on stage is to live and breathe it. Gone is the stagnation of clumsily reading it in class, forgetting names and plot lines. Suddenly the full colour and power of the characters encompasses you and you’re swallowed up in the action.

This was why we thought it was vital to make the most of the exciting opportunity to visit Northern Stage and see the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) version of ‘Merchant of Venice’ designed specifically for students. The 90 minute, shortened version still used Shakespearean language, but many of the characters were inspired by modern cultural references - The Morrocan Prince became a swaggering rap artist, covered in ‘bling’, Shylock was played by a female actor and the deep friendship and love between Antonio and Bassanio was fearlessly portrayed.

We even had the opportunity to create props for the play!

With the incredible skills of the Art Department behind us, we presented three beautiful caskets which were used as a central part of the ‘Portia - marriage riddle’.

Y9 start studying the text in class in January and we hope that this opportunity to see the play has enriched their understanding of the text and helped them develop a love of Shakespeare.

Ms Holwick

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SVF SPORTS ROUND UP YOUNG VOLUNTEERS gave inspirational talks on how they got into their chosen sports and how volunteers had been instrumental in helping them along the way.

Fifteen ACHS Y9, Y10 and Y12 students have been selected for the Northumberland Young Volunteer Programme; designed to provide a high quality, inspirational, meaningful experience and help develop skills and competencies that will remain with the students for life.

The students attended an induction event at St James’ Park in November which was hosted by ex-GB gymnast Craig Heap and ex-England rugby player Katie Storey. Both sporting champions

PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATION EVENT The School Sports Partnership event held at St James’ Park in November celebrated the success of Cramlington and Seaton Valley Schools in achieving School Games Mark Awards. This is a national award recognising a school’s commitment to physical education, school sport, and keeping its pupils physically active.

Over 150 students from across Northumberland attended taking part in sessions including learning about the principles of volunteering, considering the qualities of a good leader and planning their journey into sports leadership and volunteering.

This was a fantastic opportunity for the young people to share their initial thoughts and experiences but also learn from each other.

The day ended with a tour of St James’ Park.

The students will now undertake at least fifteen hours of volunteering back at school. This is a year-long programme; the students will have the opportunity to attend practical training at Northumbria University and volunteer at both the Northumberland Para Games and Northumberland School Games.

Mrs Dowson

GIRLS’ FOOTBALL It has been really pleasing to see the re-introduction of girls’ football to ACHS this year. Training takes place after school on a Friday from 3.15-4.15pm run by Mr Scott.

The aim is to have some friendly fixtures against other schools and then enter a league at some point in the future. So far this year there have been twelve girls from all year groups who have participated and hopefully a few more will join as the word spreads.

Well done girls!

Mr Scott

WMS SPORTS LEADERS Pupils were selected to collect the awards on behalf of the schools based on their outstanding contribution to PE and sport: • ACHS achieved SILVER award • SSMS maintained their PLATINUM (it is a two-year award) • WMS achieved PLATINUM for the first time.

Very few schools nationally achieve the platinum award so to have two schools within the federation is phenomenal.

Pupils and staff were treated to a fascinating behind-the scenes stadium tour of St James’ Park, including home and away dressing rooms, the dug outs, pitch side and breath taking views from the top of the stands. They also participated in a team building session led

by Newcastle United Foundation coaches which involved working together to cross a mine-field and completing a special secret mission!

Mrs Dowson

In October, our super KS3 Sports Leaders helped deliver the School Games Y3/4 Tri-Golf Competition, held at ACHS. The competition involved lots of Primary and First Schools and 160 pupils.

The Sports Leaders had two hours of training on their golf games and they used their experience, skill and expertise to help the younger pupils take part in a great competition. There were lots of really nice comments from staff from other schools about how well our Sports Leaders had done on the day. Well done all!

Rachel said: ‘It was hard to get them to listen at first, but once I’d shown them what to do, they were great!’

Mr Robinson

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Y9 RUGBY

ASTLEY NETBALL LEAGUE The Y9 rugby team have been enjoying rugby union training sessions delivered by RFU coaches every Thursday.

Mr Carbutt

FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 2019-20 is the first year of the Friday Night Football 6-a-side competition at ACHS. Students from Y10-Y13 have been competing for the Seaton Valley League Title and the Astley Cup. Over fifty students compete every Friday.

The ACHS netball teams got off to a great start. This year sees us play ALL entered Northumberland school teams rather than playing in two leagues, so the girls have lots of fixtures to fulfil and as a result some excellent organisation skills, leadership and commitment has already been shown.

So far the teams have played Ashington, Bedlington and Cramlington and after their success last year, I am happy to report that the Y11 team are so far undefeated in the league. The U14 and U16 teams enjoyed an afternoon at Blue Flames for their county tournaments, with the U15 tournament taking place in March.

Training is on Tuesdays after school and fixture information can be found on the notice board and outside the girls’ changing rooms.

Players of any ability and experience are welcome. Good luck for the rest of the season!

Mrs Hewitson

The league leaders at present are Steve’s Barbers FC who have a 100% record in both the league and the cup. At the time of writing the top goal scorer in the competition is James from Rejects FC. The competition is the perfect way for the students to end their week, the level of commitment and enthusiasm has been fantastic from all involved.

The stand out goal so far has come from Lucas in Y12 whose long range effort sailed into the top corner and was appreciated by everyone in the sports hall with a standing ovation. Well done to all involved.

ACHS Y9 and Y10 football season kicked off with some very exciting and hard fought matches against Hexham and Ponteland. In the first game of the season Y9 comfortably beat Hexham 8-2, whilst Y10 conceded a last minute goal to lose their thriller of a game 5-4.

Mr Gilhooley

Mr Lamb

Y9 AND Y10 FOOTBALL

In our second game against Ponteland Y9 played a hard fought draw against a very good Ponteland side 1-1. Y10 put their earlier defeat behind them to win against Ponteland 7-3 in a thoroughly deserved victory.

THUNDER CUP REMAINS WITH WMS up of all the points it was revealed that both WMS teams had won their groups and would be going on to play in the final which would take place at half time of the Newcastle Eagles game against Manchester Giants.

It is never easy to battle against your friends but all of the boys did so in great spirit, demonstrating not only great skills and determination but excellent sportsmanship and fair play.

On 15 November in front of a sell out crowd at the Newcastle Eagles Community Arena, Whytrig Middle School won the Thunder in the Valley Basketball tournament for the fourth year in a row. Fourteen teams had entered the KS2 tournament which was held for the first time in the new Newcastle Eagles Community Arena.

Split into two groups, all teams played six exciting group games.

WMS were represented by two teams with one in each group. Mr Robinson’s team lost their first game but regrouped and won all of their remaining matches. On the other side of the arena Miss Baker’s team went unbeaten in the group stages drawing only with Seaton Sluice Middle School. After a tense count

Mrs Dowson who organised the tournament on behalf of the Seaton Valley Sports Partnership in conjunction with the Cramlington SSP said: “It is fantastic to see so many children playing basketball and impressive that Seaton Valley is being represented by four high quality teams. WMS ongoing success has not happened by chance, they have invested in high quality PE and have provided opportunities for participation with after school basketball clubs and the ever popular courts and baskets out on the yard.”

Congratulations to the runners up: Joseph, Aidan, Liam and Louis; and to the winners Daniel, Charlie, Joe, Jimmy and James.

Mrs Dowson

SEATON VALLEY FEDERATION SEATON SLUICE MIDDLE SCHOOL . WHYTRIG MIDDLE SCHOOL . ASTLEY COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL

OUR VISION To be exceptional in everything that we do.

To ensure that everyone attends a school where they are safe, happy, successful and have lots of opportunities.

To provide a positive learning environment which allows everyone to achieve their potential.

OUR ETHOS To know every child academically and pastorally as a complete young person.

To treat everyone and everything with respect.

To strive for everyone to be as good as they can be and to be proud of doing well.

SMALL ENOUGH TO CARE; BIG ENOUGH TO DELIVER A POSITIVE IMPACT.