Newsletter issue 6 july 2014 by Cezary Mikolajewski

NEWSLETTER ISSUE 6 - JULY 2014

Sir Matthew Pinsent, CBE delivers speech at Principalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Assembly See Page 44 for more details

Students enjoyed the CAS Week TLA Charity 7k Walk

Message from the Principal Dear Parents/Carers What a year! We started with our best ever results and we are finishing the year in the knowledge that our results will be even better again and that by September 2015 we will have our primary on our site. Of course we also welcome Parlaunt Park Primary Academy into our new Trust and I am very excited about the benefits that this new partnership will bring to the lives of young people in Langley. We have achieved Arts Mark Gold and SSAT top 20% of similar schools for student progress in a year that has seen significant changes brought about by the Government. We continue to drive towards excellence and believe our holistic approach is paying significant dividends for the students. Over 60 students have been involved in the Duke of Edinburgh programme this year and we have nearly 20 students going on the World Challenge Trip to Swaziland over the summer holidays. Our Arts Council Bid has been successful in supporting our Museum learning model. This will now involve museum and teacher champions working in more schools in the local area, Reading and Oxford and will hopefully demonstrate how our model can be replicated across the country, it is really very exciting. With every end of year we also say goodbye to staff who move on for various reasons, ranging from promotion to familymatters. Staff Changes from September Mr Morgan is leaving us as he has gained his first Headship at the Space School in London, as part of the Aspirations Academies Trust and his teaching and learning role will be taken over by Mr Haden with the Science Specialism and Museum Learning being looked after by Ms Humber. Ms Humber is able to take on these new roles as we have appointed a new Head of 6th Form, Mr Endacott. Ms Humber will still oversee student performance in the 6th Form. The English faculty will see some movement with Mr Caseman moving to Qatar, Mr Knill completing a full-time MA, Ms Baldwin working at another school closer to home and Ms Lin moving to another school for a new challenge. We have appointed Ms Warner who will also be coordinating our Literacy drive, Ms de Fonseka who will be looking after our EAL programme, Mr Martin and Mr Garland, all great assets to the faculty. The business faculty is losing Ms Nwana who is moving abroad to India and Mr Foy who is moving to Middlesbrough and a new school. We have appointed Ms Gill who will also be taking a lead role in Economics. Mr McAlaney has been promoted to Assistant Headteacher at Cox Green School in Maidenhead and will be replaced by Ms Naylor, an experienced Head of ICT who is relocating from Cheshire. In Science, Mr Sow has been promoted to a role in a school in Nairobi and will be replaced by Ms Hussain and we have also appointed Mr Madej who will be looking after Physics at the Academy. Ms Castro Silva is leaving the MFL faculty and is moving abroad and we have appointed Mr Perrotti. Ms Whelan has been promoted to a significant role in London and has been replaced by Mr Sullivan as Head of Arbib House. We have appointed Ms Habib-Shaheed to join the

Maths faculty and finally Ms Whitehead is leaving her role as HLTA in our Sensory Resource Base to become a teacher and we have appointed Ms Rafiq in her place. Both Ms Warr and Mr Evans have also been promoted internally to become Assistant Heads of House for Arbib and Globe respectively. We wish all those staff leaving a happy and successful career and hope they stay in touch. We look forward to working with our new colleagues in our drive to become outstanding in everything that we do. Thank you so much for your support throughout the year and I wish you a very happy summer. Rhodri Bryant, Principal

Message from the Governors I am excited to have had the chance to celebrate another year of success for our students. Our Celebration Evening on Tuesday 8 July demonstrated to me how so many of our students have seized the opportunities that have been offered to them here at The Langley Academy and it was a great pleasure for Sir Martyn Arbib and me to hand them rewards for their efforts. There is a sense excitement at the changes that The Langley Academy Trust is going through at the moment and I want to explain some of these changes to you in this newsletter. The Langley Academy Primary (TLAP) As you will know, we were delighted to hear in December that our application to open a Primary Academy on our site was successful and that we have permission to build TLAP. This Primary will be ready to open for Nursery and Reception years in September 2015 and will be built on this site over the coming year. We are also working with Slough BC who have agreed, in principle, to fund a full size tournament quality 3G astro-turf pitch for us. This will be an amazing facility for our students. I know that building projects can sometimes be disruptive but I want to reassure you that we will do everything in our power to ensure that your childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s learning is not interrupted whilst we develop the site. We will be involving our students with each stage of the development of the new Primary and we hope they will really enjoy a shared sense of achievement as they see the school go up. This is an amazing chance for them, just as much as it is for the children who will join the new primary when it opens next year.

Parlaunt Park Primary Academy (PPPA) You will have also heard, that The Arbib Foundation has been asked to sponsor Parlaunt Park Primary School. This means that Parlaunt Park will become a sponsored academy within The Langley Academy Trust from September this year. We share so many core values with Parlaunt Park that this is a very good fit for us to form a relationship together. The Langley Academy Trust (TLAT) To do all of this work with Primaries we have established a MAT, known as TLAT, which will have responsibility for all 3 schools: TLA, PPPA and TLAP all under the same Trust. Once TLAP is full in 2021, our Board of Trustees will have responsibility for providing an outstanding education to some 2500 local children and we will employ 350 staff! This means that we will have an even more important role to play in the Langley community.

Vision I wanted to use this opportunity to explain to you our vision for TLAT: The key principles that we hold at the core of all we do, are as follows:



 



We want to provide an outstanding education for all of the children within the Trust. This means that every child at TLA, PPPA and TLAP will have equally outstanding learning experiences. We have extremely high aspirations for every child and we aim to provide each child with the belief that they can succeed. We aim to provide quality learning to pupils who are curious to learn. This will be strengthened through our unique museum learning program and our strapline of curiosity, exploration, discovery. Our vision for our students is not just for academic endeavour - we want to develop the whole child so that, in their time within the Trust, which could be from the age of 4 to 19, they develop into useful, well rounded, responsible, resilient, considerate, articulate and successful citizens of Langley and the wider community. We also want our students to be proud of their school, whichever school that is within the Trust, and we want them to have such great experiences, that they remember their school days fondly and maintain a lifelong relationship with us.

Our job as Trustees is to protect this vision and ensure that staff, under our guidance and support, nurture your children to thrive and succeed in life.

So, what will change at The Langley Academy for 2014/15? The site will start to be developed next term with the building of the new 3G astro pitch and then the building of the new Primary Academy. There will be a new Board of Trustees overseeing all 3 schools within the Trust. The Trustees will be responsible for determining the vision and strategic direction of the Trust and will also take responsibility for everything to do with Finance, Premises, Personnel and Health and Safety for all 3 schools. There will still be a Board of Governors at each of the schools, but this will now be known as the Local Governing Body. These Local Governors will be given the responsibility for overseeing everything to do with the students and pupils in their school. Everything from the quality of teaching and learning, pupil progress, achievement, museum learning, curriculum, pastoral care will be the focus of their work. They will no longer be distracted by finance, site or staffing issues, etc and they will report back to the main Trust board. This will allow the Governors at The Langley Academy to be completely focussed on how well your children are doing. The development of this Trust is a great opportunity for all of our students, staff and our community. We have worked hard to gain the respect of the community and to build a reputation for excellence and we aim to build on this success with our involvement with Primaries. We have a real sense of excitement about the possibilities of these future partnerships and I look forward to reporting back to you next year when we are ready to open The Langley Academy Primary. Annabel Nicoll

Dates for your Diary JULY Friday 18

End of Summer Half-Term 2

12:00

AUGUST Thursday 14 Thursday 21

‘A’ Level Results Day GCSE Results Day

SEPTEMBER Monday 1 Tuesday 2 Wednesday 3 Thursday 4 Thursday 11 Tuesday 16 Tuesday 23 Wednesday 24

INSET – No Students at Academy INSET – No Students at Academy Years 7 & 12 Return Years 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13 Return Year 12 Success Evening - Year 7 Hillingdon Trip (Arbib, Darwin, Gaia) - Year 7 Parent Tea (Arbib, Darwin, Gaia) - Year 7 Hillingdon Trip (Globe, Grace, Henley) - Year 7 Parent Tea (Globe, Grace, Henley) Academy Open Day

08:20 08:20 16:30 – 19:00 16:30 – 19:00 16:30 – 19:00 16:00 – 20:00

OCTOBER Thursday 2 Tuesday 7 Wednesday 8 Thursday 9 Wednesday 15 Wednesday 22 Friday 24

Year 9 Advice, Information & Guidance Evening Open Morning Parent Forum Open Morning 6th Form Open Evening Year 11 Academic Afternoon End of Summer Half Term 2

16:30 – 19:00 08:00 – 10:00 19:00 – 21:00 08:00 – 10:00 16:30 – 19:00 14:00 – 16:00 13:20

Start of Autumn Half Term 1

08:20

NOVEMBER Monday 3

***IMPORTANT NEWS***

ARBIB HOUSE I have had the privilege to lead Arbib House through our final term of the academic year with Ms Whelan recovering, very quickly I am pleased to say, from an operation. It has been another jam packed term as we head into the summer holidays. We ended last term with the inter-house dragon boat races and it was Arbib 4 that made it to the final and managed to finish 5th overall. A great effort by all teams involved.

Arbib House line up for the Dragon Boat Race

In keeping with the Arbib House focus of Museum Learning â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ms Hegarty led an outstanding Assembly on the trainer exhibition that has been in our Atrium for the past few weeks. Students were asked to explore the exhibition during House Tutor time and take in as much information as they could. Ms Hegarty then quizzed the entire House in one go using question pads. Adam Toubal managed to get 93% of the answers correct and therefore took home ÂŁ30 worth of vouchers to put towards new trainers!

Ms Hegarty leads the Arbib Assembly

Chloe Partington entering her answers in the Museum Learning Assembly

As the academic year draws to an end, it gives us a chance to reflect on what has been a busy and successful year for both Arbib house and the Academy. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students for all of their contributions towards the house and Academy. The House Tutors do an outstanding job and put in lots of hours to ensure the students are progressing and attaining all around the Academy. I would finally like to thank the Parents and Carers who have supported our students on Academic Afternoons and Parents Evenings; it is this support which drives our students forward and ensures they have the help they need to succeed. I wish everyone a fantastic and safe summer. Mr Sullivan

DARWIN HOUSE It is the end of another wonderful academic Year for Darwin House. The class of 2013/14 enjoyed a wonderful Prom and it is now the turn of our current Year 10s to step up to meet the academic and pastoral pressures inherent in Year 11. Umer Hussain and Yasmin Edwards did a wonderful job and Darwin House Captains, carrying the banner of House leaders both by title and deed. Being a Darwinner is not a certificate at the end of an event, it is an attitude of mind and an approach to life. Both Umer and Yasmin are truly Darwiners. Students in our Year 10 have applied for the position of Darwin House captain. The current crop of Year 10s is truly magnificent and the task of selection was far from easy. Twelve students all presented their cases to the House in House assembly as well as writing formal letters of application. We will find responsibilities for each of the twelve applicants, but our congratulations go to Samuel Adenmosun, Fazile Zogjani, Paras Sharma and Zahira Batool in their successful applications. Samuel and Fazile take on the role of House captains and Paras and Zahira as House Vice captains. We are sad to see our Year 11s go, but that is the way it should be: many of them will be entering Year 12 at the Academy. The incoming Year 6 students are keen to do well and are delighted to be joining our House. We welcome them with enthusiasm and challenge: the challenge to enjoy the process and to work hard to become the best they can be: to justify their use of the term Darwinner. Have a wonderful break and stay safe. See you in September for another fantastic year. Mr Bott

GLOBE HOUSE The Arbib Foundation Award

Sir Martyn Arbib, Alyssa Meacock and Annabel Nicoll

At the Academy Alyssa Meacock has excelled in the field of academics. Her approach to her daily tasks and responsibilities has always been careful, impeccable and exemplary. For the past five years Alyssa has not had a day off and has maintained an attitude to learning score of 1 in all her subjects. The diligence that she applies to her studies is also applied to all duties with which she is entrusted. In Year 10 she was awarded the position of Globe House Captain; a role that she discharged with great efficiency and professionalism for two years. As House Captain, Alyssa was instrumental in promoting the key focus of Internationalism. Due to her input, Globe House has risen to the top of the league in all the main criteria that illustrates the success of the House. Alyssaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dedication was employed to ensuring and maintaining high standards in terms of attendance and behaviour in all Tutor Groups. To this end, she has proven herself to be trustworthy, industrious and innovative. She has led assemblies; led House Council meetings; been a member of the Charities Council; embraced Museum Learning projects and she participated in the Duke of Edinburgh project. Alyssa is able to take the initiative in situations that require it and has emerged as a natural leader in any setting. She is motivating, motivated, creative, caring and eager to succeed. It is easy to see that this student has fully involved herself in Academy life. Much of this positivity she has transferred to students in lower years as she has become a student mentor as well. Alyssa was the recipient of the House Student of the year award last year and these many examples of excellence hold her in good stead to truly earn and deserve the highest award - the Arbib Foundation trophy.

Sports Achievements within Globe House Congratulations to Vidhant Mehta (Year 8) who has represented The Langley Academy many times this year in Cricket. In a recent match against Hershal Grammar, Vidhant bowled 4 overs and in those 4 overs he achieved 3 wickets. Well Done!

Congratulations to Lacie Wood and Megan Ratigan for representing The Langley Academy on the rounders and netball team. Both girls were invited to The Langley Academy Sports award evening where Megan made a speech to everyone about her contribution to netball. We are very proud of the girls and hope they continue to make the Academy proud next year. Megan Rhatigan (Year 8) and Lacie Wood (Year 9)

Academic Achievements Jessica Marshall in Year 11 received a Gold award in the lower 6th Cambridge Chemistry Challenge by scoring in the top 10% of the country. This is a fantastic achievement. She plans to study Chemistry at the Academy next year, so hopefully we will continue in the tradition of Roentgenium award winners in 2015.

Globe Assembly Over the course of an academic year each Tutor Group in Globe House is asked to present an assembly and on Wednesday 25 June it was Globe 1’s chance to deliver their assembly to the rest of Globe House. The students tend to try presenting assemblies that instantly catch the attention of the other students. If not so, then at least one with which they feel they can relate to and walk out thinking, “Wow, I never thought of it like that”. So Globe 1 decided on the concept of body image which seemed perfect because they knew it was a topic that many students could relate to. The entire objective of the assembly was to get students thinking about how body image influences their lives. The assembly was delivered extremely well and we feel they achieved their goal and left everyone with something to think about. 12

Sports Day Banners

This terms project within Globe House was for each Tutor Group to produce a banner in preparation for Sports Day on Monday 14 July. Thank you to all the students who have put in lots of hard work to get the banners looking fantastic. Well done!!!

Ms Pereira

GRACE HOUSE This term seems to have flown by. Year 11 have left us and have completed their GCSE examinations. We look forward to celebrating their success at the end of the summer and wish them much good luck in the future. The Year 10 students have essentially moved up to Year 11 status and the following students have applied for the two Grace House Captain positions: Leah Lewis, Sehanna Dev, Manisha Grewal, Armeen Butt, Aman Basra, Ravi Sharda. They will be interviewed over the next week and they have been asked to prepare a presentation to the whole of Grace House to explain why they would make a good House Captain. I will announce the names of the two successful candidates before the end of term.

The Vertical Tutor Programme has seen all Academy students preparing banners for Sports Day and The Langley Academy Fair. We look forward to seeing all the new House banners and the variety of stalls planned for the fair. Students are really looking forward to all the activities, including the visits to Thorpe Park and the Charity Walk. Sadly, three Grace House Tutors will be leaving us at the end of term and going onto the next stage of their working life. I would like to thank Mr Abdul Sow, Mr Crispin Knill and Ms Margarita Baldwin for everything they have done for students in Grace House. The students and I will miss them all very much but wish them well in all they choose to do. Grace 1, Grace 2 and Grace 5 will return to new tutors in September. I would also like to thank my Assistant Head of House, Ms Sandra Kinch for doing a sterling job as Acting Head of House while I was absent from the Academy for a few days for medical reasons. All that remains is to wish you all a very happy summer holiday. I look forward to greeting my new Year 6 students on Wednesday 3 September and all other students on Thursday 4 September. Ms Decosemo

HENLEY HOUSE Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been another action packed year for Henley. Once again, Henley students have written about their successes over the last couple of months. Please enjoy their comments and have a fantastic summer. Henley 1 Henley 1 has had a really successful term starting with many students winning prizes at Celebration Evening, Bradley Eastmond won our very own Henley 1 Tutor Award; Dylan Parwaga won an award for MFL; Adeel Shah won an award for RPS and Ina-Marie Ecogo won Maths Student of the Year. Jahmoy Sinclair played a football tournament and his team came second overall. Liliana Carri and her theatre school, Azure, helped raise money for the Rosieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rainbow Fund at Oxford theatre on 6 July.

Clockwise from top: Adeel Shah, Dylan Parwaga, Jahmoy Sinclair and Ina-Marie Ecogo

Henely 2 This term has been filled with excitement as everyone has been looking forward to a big event: Sports Day! For this, our House Tutor group led by Hana El Amri has been making a banner to support Henley. Secondly, members of our House Tutor Group were extremely welcoming as they assisted the Year 6s for their induction day followed by the Year 7 Academic Afternoon, providing them with support. Members of our House Tutor group (Stanley Butler and Maarukh Nasir) were selected to be awarded for their achievements at Celebration Evening. Many of our House Tutees have also been nominated for the Sports Award evening (Jamie, Simrit, Luca and Hana). Finally, House Captain Maarukh Nasir has shown tremendous dedication towards helping the academy’s development. By Simrit Chawla Henley 3 Harlin Dhillon has achieved the highest ATL in her year in Henley House on multiple occasions this year. Ben Harris has won the Rowing Specialist Award and Emily Jacobs has won Henley 3 Student of the Year and the Drama Award for Year 9. We have recently received a new Year 9 member of Henley 3, Almas Sah. We have worked together in House Tutor time to make her feel welcome and included in House activities. We aim to get as many members of the Tutor Group as possible to help out at the TLA fair and we’re sure Almas will get involved because despite Henley 3 are still “exceptionally good at trying.” Henley 4 Henley 4 has had a smashing term! A lot of them have had a reason to celebrate. Harshdeep Singh, Manraj Tack, Anike Abegunde and Sienna Harkness went to Thorpe Park on Thursday 3 July to celebrate 100% attendance throughout the year. They had an amazing time. Following on… Congratulations to Manraj Tack (right) who became one of Henley’s House Captains. We had 3 candidates in Henley 4 out of 8 to apply in total. One of Henley 4’s Year 7 students, Shamaila Wilson, has been taking part in TLA Voices. Through this she sang “Royal” by Lorde. “They performed very well” said Mr Hugget who was at the event and recorded the show. Still to come this term is the TLA Fair. We have decided to do Coke Pong which is a game where you have to get the ping pong ball into a cup to win a prize. Finally we are on the verge of completing our Banner for Sports Day. It has the hand prints of every student in Henley 4 painted in Orange (Henley’s Colour) to support Henley on Sports Day. Written by Harpreet Dhillon, Anike Abegunde and Adam Gondal Year 7

Henley 5 Catherine St Ledger of Henley 5 helped to create an exhibition by writing a panel about Paul Nash being a war artist. Catherine found it particularly interesting due to Paul being a local man from Langley who is buried in the graveyard across from the Academy. She also helped to create the trench display in the atrium with other individuals. Aaron Shilton of Henley 5, a Science Ambassador, went on a trip to London to the Metropolitan Archives and researched bridges. He learnt about competitions between groups and whose bridge design was the best. Aaron also saw Tower Bridge and took lots of photos. Sophie Ward (Year 7) and Karis Boycott (Year 8) of Henley 5 have been members of TLA Voice where they took part in a competition called Singing from Scratch. They firstly carried out a warm-up, where they had to sing lots of high notes and then they performed “Royal” by Lordes, where they sung and another girl beat boxed. The competition was really nerve wracking as they were the last to perform and they were the only secondary school there. It was however really fun and they have been asked to perform at a Christmas concert at St Bernard’s School. Henley 6 The European Ladies Golf Masters - Year 8 student Milo Quinton watched as 26-year-old Korean InKyung Kim shot a four-under-par 68 on the final day play to finish 18 under par to win the Womens European Masters at Buckinghamshire Golf Club Milo is a keen golfer and intends to get better, taking golfing lessons and practicing his swing. It seems the Quintons are quite the sporting family, Hannah Quinton who is studying in our Sixth Form has started to show great form in local competitions as well as supporting Ms Blackmore and Ms McCarthy with Golf Enrichment. Ms Blackmore and Ms McCarthy said "Hannah started golf in year 7 with the academy which includes weekly lessons with Martyn Hayes ( PGA Fellow) at Wexham Golf Club and is in her 5th year. Hannah chose to support the golf club as part of her community service along with Sachin Moudgil. Hannah and Sachin are invaluable and act as great role models and ambassadors for The Academy. Milo said “I love the fact that there are so many opportunities for extracurricular activities, my rowing is getting good too and I improving my PBs all the time!” Mr Goodchild

6th Form This term year 12 students have been focussing on their UCAS applications. I am pleased with the amount of students who are taking their futures into their own hands and independently researching courses/universities and attending open days – this is really great to witness. The first drafts of personal statements have in some cases been completed and others will be finished by the end of the year thanks to a Drop Down Day during CAS week. The summer holidays provides students the opportunity to gain any required work experience or voluntary work needed to enhance their personal statements and I really encourage that they do this to make them stand out from the competition. Year 13 Prom On Friday 27 June, 75 students arrived at The Langley Academy for what was to be a brilliant end to their time at the Academy 6th Form. It was a really good night and fun was had by all (including the teachers, with some, not leaving the dancefloor all night!). Mujtaba Muhamed was voted Prom King and Amrit Kang was voted Prom Queen. Thank you to Mr Rider, Ms Mandy Benford, Ms Livi Rajansansi, Ms Harjinder Chana, Ms Brock and Mr Shaw for all their time and efforts decorating the venue and organising the Prom. For the first time the Year 13 Prom was held at the Academy in the atrium after it was decided that it would be fitting for students to have their farewell celebration in the building where many have been guided and encouraged for the last 7 years. Rhodri Bryant said, “In our departing 6th Form students I have seen many examples of dedication, achievement and enthusiasm. They have shown us that every single student in our Academy can be a leader, standing up for the principles we have tried to share. We are very proud and wish you luck in your future endeavors”

Matthew Ensby, Scott Hollis, Assam Ghulam, Ben Wattis

Chloe Bowker, Natasha Smith, Talia Dolman and Tasnova Rubia

Year 11 Induction Week I am very pleased with the amount of students (TLA and external students from other schools) who attended our Induction Week. We had over 100 students each day, attending 6th Form lessons with the aim of bridging the gap between studying GCSEs and A Levels/Level Three BTECs. The behaviour, attitude and business dress of all students were exemplary and I am certain that when they all arrive in September they will make a fantastic Year 12. Well done to all the students who showed commitment to their post-16 education during this week and a big thank you to all staff who delivered sessions and helped organise the event. A reminder that the Summer Work will be due in on Monday 15 September. Enrolment into Year 12 – GCSE Results Day Enrolment into year 12 will happen on GCSE Results Day following the schedule below. If you cannot attend please could you let Mrs Harjinder Chana know (01753 214 473): GCSE Results Day

Thursday 21 August 11.00 – 14.00

Collection of GCSE results from 11:00 Enrolment into Year 12 from 11:30

Students will need to bring their enrolment pack with them on GCSE results day

Enrolment into Year 13 – AS/A2 Results Day Students are not automatically enrolled into Year 13. We will take into consideration student attendance, behaviour and AS results/BTEC progress. Every student will be considered on an individual basis. Enrolment will happen on AS/A2 Results day and will follow the program below: AS Results Day

Thursday 14 August

Collection of AS results from 11:00

11.00 – 14.00

Enrolment into Year 13 from 11:00

If students know that they will be absent, they will need to make an appointment to meet with me before the start of the new term during the summer holidays via Ms Harjinder Chana (01753 214 473). Induction Day – First Day of Academy for Year 12 – Wednesday 3 September The first day for Year 12 will be on Wednesday 3 September and all students who have been successfully enrolled into our 6th Form must attend. They must arrive at The Langley Academy via Green Drive gate by 08.20 and meet 6th Form staff in the Atrium. Students must be wearing Business Dress. A jam-packed day has been planned including team-building activities and leadership training to become Prefects. Lunch and snacks will be provided for students. Please note that all students will need to bring PE kit on this day. The day will end at 15:40.

First Day of Academy for Year 13 – Thursday 4 September The first day for Year 13 will be on Thursday 4 September and all students must attend. They must arrive at The Langley Academy via Green Drive gate by 08.15 and meet 6th Form staff in the Atrium. After an assembly, students will follow their normal timetable which will be given to them on this morning. New Head of 6th Form – Starting September As you may be aware, last year I was appointed a Director and have been doing that role as well as being the Head of 6th Form. From September, I am really pleased to announce that Mr Richard Endacott from Windsor Boys School will be taking over as Head of 6th Form. Aside from the tutor, he will be your new first point of contact and will be working closely with 6 th Form students over the coming year to support them with their exam/BTEC progress and the UCAS process. Having met Mr Endacott on numerous occasions, I am certain that he will make a positive and lasting contribution to our 6th Form and the Academy as a whole. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all parents and students in the 6th Form over the years. I would like to thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to working with you in the future in a slightly different capacity. I wish you all a fantastic summer holiday and I look forward to celebrating your success with you on the results days in the summer. Ms Humber

English This term we have enjoyed another visit from The Globe Players who entertained Year 7 with a selection of scenes from Shakespeare’s plays in support of their Shocking Shakespeare module. Amongst other activities, students performed Macbeth using pencil-topper puppets and tasted flowers and herbs mentioned in the plays, including rosemary (“that’s for remembrance”) and rue (or “herb-o’-grace”), as given by Ophelia in Hamlet. Students were able to dress in Tudor costumes on loan from Reading Museum – although some of us failed to notice that the waistcoat was, in fact, a pair of breeches! Some of Year 8 visited Dickens’ World in Kent to find out more about the life and times of the author whom they have been studying this term. Dickens spent much of his childhood on the Kent marshes and they are the backdrop to his novel “Great Expectations”, which some classes read. Students also enjoyed museum learning activities such as A Walk through Dickens’ London, where they traced an 19

imaginary journey from his house in Docherty Street, south to Bedlam returning via Hungerford Stairs, the site of Warren’s Blacking Factory, in which Dickens works at the age of twelve. They also matched pictures of Victorian food and clothing to descriptions from the novels – an exercise in close reading. We also re-tested the Reading and Writing levels of Years 7 and 8 using standardised tests in preparation for next term, to ensure that students are placed in the classes best suited to their abilities and progress. Year 9 and 10 focussed on GCSE Language and Literature coursework, with Year 9 producing their first attempts at their creative writing pieces and Year 10 tackling a comparison of the theme of Parental Relationships in Romeo and Juliet with a selection of poetry. Please note that reading lists for all years can be found on the website and that the Summer break is an ideal time for your child to forge ahead with independent reading. This is particularly important for returning Year 12 students, who need to have read widely in preparation for their A2 coursework.

Maths As another academic year winds down our select Year 10s, all of the Year 11s, 12s, and 13s have sat their exams and are now early waiting for their results day in August. The Year 10s have now started to look at Further Maths GCSE and GCSE Statistics and the year 12s have been completing their C3 course work. As for the rest of Year 10 and the Years 9s, 8s, and 7s, they have been taking their end of year exams and analysing where they are at and what progress they still have to make. On 27 June Michal Ignas & Navdeep Dhesi, both Year 9, travelled by train to London to visit the Royal Institution to celebrate their successes at the Maths Masterclasses in Reading. The celebration involved lectures from Professors of Mathematics from universities across the country. They spoke about how maths is important in the modern day world including what can happen if miscalculations are done. (The great New York black out 2003 was due to 1 error in a solution to an equation). They also demonstrated Greek Mathematical theories and explained the IG Nobel Prizes. Michal said “the day was spectacular and interesting”. Both students found the IG Nobel prize lecture was the most interesting as they investigated questions such as:   

Why does toast always land butter side up? Why does string always get knotted? What is the best biscuit for dunking in Tea?

Throughout the year top set Year 9s have been investigating how maths links to other areas throughout the Academy. For 5 weeks they spent time looking at Formula 1 and how it links Mathematics and Media. They currently have two display cases on show in The Langley Academy Museum.

Science KS3 End of Year Science Projects Our KS3 science students were busy this term with End of Year Projects. The year 8s were learning about forces and bridge design in order to compete in the Metropolitan Archive Bridge Building Competition.

George Hunt and Jade Leonard

Nathan Dhadrall, Laura Hogg, Joshua Tapper, Mr Sow and Leon Nash

Junead Khan, Harjasmine Virdi and Tanzeel Mirza

Liam Bates, Gagan Bhachu, and Suleman Ashraf

We sent our Year 7s out to collect samples pertaining to the unique biodiversity of our very own TLA Organic Garden as well as the River and Rowing Museum in their Investigating Biodiversity Project.

Sophie Ward, Archie Doyle, Tyler Austin and Nathan McLeod

Amrit Lalli, Asees Gill and Luca Gabella

Lower 6th Cambridge Chemistry Challenge 2014 Our Year 12 students took part in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge this term and we once again have had some amazing results. The Academy received 1 Copper Award (Top 60%), 1 Silver Award (Top 20%), 8 Gold Awards (Top 10%) and 2 Roentgenium Awards (Top 1%). Congratulations to our 2 Roentgenium Winners, Weronika Ranisz and Christen Montgomery. They have been invited to a residential chemistry camp at Cambridge University this summer where they will attend lectures and experimental lessons with the other Roentgenium winners. Special mention goes out to Jessica Marshall, our first ever Year 11 student to enter this Lower 6th Competition. She received a Gold Award, putting her in the top 10% of the country. We are delighted with her efforts and look forward to her continued success next year when she studies 6 th Form Chemistry with us.

Digestion Poem Feeling Hungry and you don’t know why It’s just your tummy saying Hi It needs some food It’s not trying to be rude, Just some food To comfort you! The proteins sugars glucose and fats Run down your throat just like rats. Then it goes into your stomach Churning and Turning like a hammock. Next it travels to your small intestine This is opposite your spine. Enzymes break down food Which go into your blood and starts to move. Along the food travels like a maze, It reaches the end, Hip Hip Huray! After it goes into a large tube, This is still inside of you. Large intestine this is called. But actually this is quite small. Now we have come to a finish, So you know where your food goes, for example spinach! By Priya Tumber & Samiha Rahim

Humanities Lessons in compassion, courage, and tolerance - visit by Joanna Milan visiting speaker and Holocaust Survivor from the Holocaust Educational Trust When thinking about Holocaust survivors, we tend to imagine only about their experiences during that period. It is easy to assume that once the Holocaust was over, and survivors began to rebuild their lives, that their pain would reduce with time. However, as was clear when Joanna spoke, Holocaust survivors often experience challenges every day of their life thereafter. Hearing first-hand the testimony of Johanna is an invaluable learning experience us here at The Langley Academy as the opportunity to hear from survivors is quickly disappearing. History students from across all year groups watched her moving address which offered insights into the life of a young girl growing up in Theisengeshadt Getto. Joannaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother died of tuberculosis due to the camp conditions, leaving her there orphaned and alone at the age of 2. Themes that came across most strongly in Joannaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s address were: Do not be a bystander to hate, Protect our freedoms, and most moving all: Learn to let go and forgive.

Erin Simmonds, Nicola Simon, Simran Dosanjh, Karina Kakar and Emily Scothern with Holocaust survivor Joanna Millan

ICT It is with much sadness that we say goodbye to Mr McAlaney, Head of Faculty for ICT at The Langley Academy. Robert has been here since 2009. Mr McAlaney was instrumental in setting up the ICT faculty within Langley Academy and has worked tirelessly to put ICT on the map, with our results improving year on year, with this year having Years 9, 10 and 11 taking GCSE exams. Mr McAlaney is moving onward and upwards to become an Assistant Head Teacher in charge of Data Management at his new school. He will be sadly missed by both staff and students and we wish him well for the future. ICT GCSE Results We had a 95% pass in our Year 11 GCSE results this year. Some of our Year 11 students passed both the Single and Double OCR National award for GCSE. Celebration was the order of the day when these Year 11 students were awarded a Distinction in their Double Award for GCSE ICT. Congratulations and well done!

Left to right with Mr Panesar and Ms Keener are: Gregory Edwards, Kelsey Edwards, Sabeeka Qureshi, Preeti Shetty, Jessika Dhanoa and Alyssa Meacock

A proud Ms Keener with two of her Double Award students, Alyssa Meacock and Jessika Dhanoa.

Mr Panesar with Kelsey Edwards and Gregory Edwards

Mr Ahmed with one of his Double Award students, Delwyn Rose

MFL Global Campus â&#x20AC;&#x201C; University of Portsmouth On 18 June, 10 Year 7 students had the opportunity to participate in an event called Global Campus (Languages) at the University of Portsmouth. Students departed very early from the Academy and spent the day with other students of the same age range and from different parts of the country. During the day, students were exposed to many different and unusual languages. They were able to learn new vocabulary and particular greetings in the language of Malawi, in Romanian, German and others. In addition, they played games and interacted with each other using the different languages. The feedback from students and parents was very positive and students truly enjoyed learning new things through interactive methods. This was, without any doubt, a very rich experience for all the students involved. They learned new words and acquired diverse knowledge about specific countries and cultures, which they might be able to use in their future life.

CAPA It’s been another fantastic year for the CAPA Faculty. Students have exceeded all expectations and have produced some fantastic work in their lessons across all year groups and subjects. The year has ended with KS3 Art students developing their Drawing and painting skills, producing artwork around the themes of ‘Rivers around the World’ and ‘Cubism Sport’. GCSE Art and Textile students continue to complete work for their portfolios. KS 3 Drama Year 7 students have been looking at Elizabethan theatre and the work of Shakespeare. Year 8 Drama students have studied different genres of theatre looking at horror, comedy, physical theatre and Melodrama in preparation for GCSE Drama next year. GCSE Drama Students in Year 10 have been busy completing their Unit 1 practical exam which covers issues around Social Media. KS3 Music students continue to compose their own music on the keyboards and explore the History and Culture of Reggae Music. GCSE Music Students have been looking at the Blues producing their own improvised pieces and the art of Minimalism. We have also welcomed our new Cohort of Year 12 students to the Faculty who have attended initial lessons in Art, Drama, Music and Media as part of their 6 th Form Induction week. Out of lessons students and staff have organised and taken part in a variety of different extracurricular activities. Students in all years continue to attend Enrichment Clubs and After School clubs hosted by all subject areas. Artwork by students in all key stages has been displayed in the atrium as part of the Exam Moderations and for the Celebration Evening. Students in the Music department who are members of TLA Voices have had their debut performance at the West Wing Arts Centre. We also celebrated the talent of our Instrumental Teachers who performed in front of the whole Academy on the Year 6 Induction Day. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the members of staff in the faculty for their hard work and dedication this year. This was my first year assisting in the running of an amazingly talented faculty. Thank you to Ms Treherne, Mr Haden, Mr Samouel, Mr Rider, Ms Blackmore, Ms Hendrickx, Ms Shaw, Ms Robinson and Mr Carty. By Ms Brock - Assistant Head of CAPA

Art

The Langley Academy continues to be very proud of its Art students. We have had three major exhibitions this academic year. In January we had the Year 12 Self Portrait Exhibition where students of year 12 curated and displayed their artwork and we had invited guests and visitors come to the Exhibition. It received praise for its professionalism. We also had our traditional annual Year 11 GCSE Art exhibition at the beginning of June. It was received warmly by students and staff alike. It was an opportunity for budding future artists to show their heightened skills in a variety of media. Well done year 11. We also had our Years 12 and 13 AS and A2 level Exhibition during the middle of June. We were all in awe of the fantastic talent. Congratulations to all A-level Art students. As part of the Celebration Evening in July a selection of students work from all Key Stages was displayed in the Atrium. Students enjoyed looking and seeing their work on display. They were extremely proud to show it to their parents who attended the evening event. As a faculty we believe that it is important to display students work for students, staff and visitors to celebrate their achievements. It is also an opportunity for younger students to be inspired by the work of the older students and follow in their footsteps. A huge thank you to Mr Rider, Mr Carty, Ms Brock and the students for helping out with the Exhibitions. By Mr Samouel Music Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been another busy and creative term in the Music Department. Our newly formed vocal group, TLA Voices, gave their debut performance at The West Wing Arts Centre in Slough to a very appreciative audience. This group of young singers impressed the workshop leader, Gillian Dibden, so much that they have been invited to perform again in December as a guest choir at Gillianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next event. Not a bad start! If you are a keen Vocalist or Beat Boxer, come and join us at our weekly rehearsals on Tuesday lunchtimes.

The term was brought to a close by another performance, this time by our Instrumental Tutors. The atrium was buzzing and a real festival atmosphere was enjoyed by the whole Academy who congregated to see these fantastic musicians perform. We are really fortunate at the Academy to have such a high calibre of musicians working with us. The Tutors currently working here all work in the music industry and have played in venues as diverse The Royal Albert Hall, Glastonbury Festival, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and have had their music played on BBC radio. Having the opportunity to see them perform live was a real treat. ‘Rokhsan Heydari, Elliot Harrison, Joost Hendrickx, Leon King and Paul Lane are all amazing instrumental tutors here at The Langley Academy and they formed a band especially to perform to us during our lunch break. The performance they gave brought joy and laughter to their audience, who were all singing along and dancing. We were overwhelmed with their talent and ability to bring a large group of people together with the songs they performed. These songs were One Republic ‘Counting Stars’, Pharell Williams ‘Happy’, Bruno Mars ‘Locked out of Heaven’, Naughty Boy and Sam Smith ‘La La La’ and Train ‘Hey Soul Sister’. This concert was really inspiring and we would love to have the chance to take lessons with these tutors. Sophie and I really enjoy music and this concert gave us the chance to expand our musical experience.’ By Sophie Bassett and Ethan Kohli, Year 7

If you are interested in having vocal or instrumental lessons at the Academy, please speak to Ms Hendrickx for further details.

Media The Year 13 Media class were bid a fond farewell after their A2 exam. They have been a joy to teach and will be sorely missed, as will their unfailingly creative approach to work.

Celebration Evening Staff from all subject areas celebrated the achievements of all our studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hard work and dedication at the Annual Celebration Evening this July. Students Artwork was displayed in the Atrium as part of the Annual Art Exhibition. Some of the students Artwork and Media coursework was also displayed in the Museum as part of the WW1 Exhibition and in the subject specific Museum Cases. During the Awards Ceremony the following students were presented with a book related to the subject of the award to assist in their further studies. Awards were presented to students by Annabel Nicoll our Sponsor and Chair of Governors. In Art the following students received awards for showing an exemplary artistic ability in their Year: Junain Jassim (Year 7), Afia Anwar (Year 8), Aya Said (Year 9), Liveta Montvilaite (Year 10), Jessica Marshall (Year 11), Jaishree Davatwal (Year 12) and Rebekah McEyeson (Year 13). In Drama the following students received awards for their outstanding dramatic ability and performance skills: Amrit Sohal (Year 7), Laren Stewart (Year 8), Emily Jacobs (Year 9), Andrew Manyumbu (Year 10), Arjun Vara (Year 11), Jade Casey (Year 12), and Chloe Bowker (Year 13). In Music the following students received awards for their fantastic musical ability in composition and performance: Joshua Williams (Year 7), Milo Quinton (Year 8), Felicia Tang (Year 9), Aman Basra (Year 10), and Naz Mukhathedzwa (Year 11). In Media the following students received awards for showing outstanding creative abilities in their year: Michael Ogbebor (Year 9), Fazile Zogjani (Year 10), Chloe Donnelly (Year 11), Niko Omale (Year 12), and Sukhwinder Sandhu (Year 13). In Textiles the following students received awards for showing exemplary artistic and textile abilities in their year: Khadiza Ali (Year 10), and Yasmin Nurdin (Year 11).

Bright Hwekwete received the CAPA award in honour of seven years dedicated commitment to the Arts, in particular Drama. He has been an integral part of CAPA's journey, actively participating in musicals, plays and other whole academy events. As well as being an enthusiastic and unwaveringly good-humoured young man, he has consistently demonstrated the highest of personal standards in his academic performance within the faculty. Outside of Academy life Bright this year reached the final stage of auditions for The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, competing against thousands of applicants from around the world. Despite narrowly missing out on a place this time around, Bright has used the experience to drive him and fully intends to pursue a career as a professional actor. We in CAPA could not be prouder of him and to say he will be missed is the greatest of understatements.

The highlight of the evening was when the Academy was presented with the Arts Mark Gold Plaque by The Worshipful the Mayor of Slough, Councillor, Shafiq Chaudhry. On behalf of the Academy Beth Brock, Assistant Head of CAPA, applied for Arts Mark: Gold last year. We were elated to hear in July 2013 that the Academy had not only been awarded with Arts Mark but was awarded Arts Mark: Gold. It has taken 5 years for the Academy to develop their provision of Creative Studies and Museum Learning to a standard high enough to be presented with a nationally recognised award. The students and staff at the Academy are exceptionally creative as evident in all the lessons and extra-curricular activities that take part throughout the year. As the CAPA Faculty continues to grow successfully, so will the provision of the Arts and Museum Learning in other subject areas.

PE The Year 7 rounders’ team have had an exciting and successful season. The team led by Mahnoor Khan and Supriti Shulka have played majority of the schools in the Slough area with some great wins throughout the season against Wexham, St Bernard’s, Slough & Eton, St Joseph’s and Herschel Grammar thanks to some great bowling by Lauren Bradburn and some fantastic batting by Sophie Ward and Nikola Wedolowska. This team are one with a lot of potential including Annabeth Gyamfi, Aoife Brennan, Harpreet Dhillon and Alexis Gill and we are hoping for a good result in the end of season tournament. Year 8 Rounders The Year 8’s had their rounders tournament on the 16 June where they had a tough pool. We had some fantastic fielding from Simrit Chawla who had some great catches which meant we beat Wexham 7-0 in the pool games and was a record win for this team. Laiba Malik saved the game on various occasions by not bowling a single no ball therefore not giving away any half rounders. The team was Laiba Malik, Ella Serafinski, Chloe Boland, Salma Usmani, Simrit Chawla, Rinora Hafzi, Megan Rhatigan and Ella Norfolk.

Year 9/10 Girls Cricket The Academy hosted a girl’s cricket tournament on the 23 June which 6 schools attended. It was a fantastic afternoon with lots of good cricket being played. The Academy team had a tough pool with Langley Grammar and Upton Court, but the girls held their own and went through to play in the final. The girls were captained by Erin Simmonds who managed and coached the girls throughout the tournament to win the final. The team was: Erin Simmonds, Katie Long, Ellie Long, Stevie Swann, Teodora Roman, Hayley Manderson, Molly Frewin and Kerrie Long. Year 9 Rounders The girls have had a busy season with lots of games with the finale being the borough tournament that was held at Langley Grammar on 3 June. The girls played brilliantly in their 1 st game and came out with a draw, followed by 2 wins which meant they went through to the semi-final. The girls played in the semi-final against St Josephs which they lost by 1 rounder so unfortunately they did not go through to the final against Westgate. There was some amazing batting by Molly Frewin who got 3 rounders in a row and some brilliant fielding by Rochelle Markman – Scadding and Jessica Swan Gonzalez. The team was Rochelle Markman – Scadding, Molly Frewin, Jessica Swan Gonzalez, Danielle Deadman, Amber Watty, Lacie Wood, Ellie Smith, Grace Eckett, Ela Metalia and Andreia Cunha.

Year 7/8 Girls Cricket The girls competed in a borough cricket tournament at Langley Grammar. This was the first real competition that the girls played in. Their skills were tested as they played against Featherstone School from Ealing who had some fantastic bowlers however our girls stood their ground and with some fantastic batting from Sophie Ward we managed to get the run rate up. When it came to our bowling Harpreet Dhillon did some excellent bowling with some spin which made it difficult for Featherstone to bat against. We came third in our pool and unfortunately did not go through to the final on this occasion. The team was: Harpreet Dhillon, Aoife Brennan, Sophie Ward, Esha Bhalla, Mahnoor Khan, Asees Gill, Supriti Shukla, Salma Usmani and Simrit Chawla. The girls had a fantastic day and Ms Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien was very pleased with the skill level that they had shown on the day, well done girls.

Year 8 & 9 Slough Football Tournament 9 students from Years 8 & 9 won the Slough Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7 a side football competition at Wexham School on Tuesday 1 July. The team won the competition against Beechwood and Wexham and were then selected to represent Slough at the Berkshire School Games. The squad consisted of: Harrison Clack, Vinnie Eastmond, Billy Baisden, Reu Ndlovu, Michael Ogbebor, Bailey West, Kai Wooton Jones, Jojar Aujla and Harry Turner. Well done to all of the students involved!

Year 8 & 9 Berkshire Games Football Tournament The winning squad travelled to Wellington College on Friday 11 July and ended up finishing 3 rd in the Berkshire School games competition. This is a fantastic achievement for the Academy and well done to the following students who were involved: Harrison Clack, Billy Baisden, Reu Ndlovu, Michael Ogbebor, Bailey West, Kai Wooton Jones, Jojar Aujla and Harry Turner.

Quad Kids Athletics A number of Year 7 Students from The Langley Academy recently took part in the Quad Kids athletics competition at Herschel Grammar. The team performed fantastically well and have since been attending several athletics competitions across the county. A special mention must go to Ruth Amponsah , Chloe Casey and Ben Greenidge who have all recently been selected to represent the u13 Berkshire county athletics squad. Well done to both of you.

Baseball Taster Sessions This term Year 7 students have been given the chance to play some baseball, the sessions have been aimed at the students who are considered to be Gifted and Talented within PE. The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Golf Leaders The Langley Academy students and leaders took part in the National Golf Roots Competition for Primary Schools at South Bucks Golf Academy on Tuesday 17 June. The students were involved in supporting the local primary Tri-golf competition. The event was attended by 9 local primary schools and students had an opportunity to take part in 8 different golf activates and to compete against each other scoring point. All students had an exciting and enjoyable afternoon.

The following students were involved: Amarah Mohamed, Callum Morgan, Charlotte Bedford, Harry Bennett, Harry Turner, Jordan King, Joshua Brook, Liam Staples, Rhys Willis, Ruth Amponsah, Sophiya Siddique, Sumaiya Malik, Troy Peverill, Lauren Bradburn, Toby Grant, Darnell Scadding and Talia Dolman.

Wheelchair Basketball A number of Students were selected to play Wheelchair basketball at Beechwood. The boys all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and received some very good coaching. The following students were selected to represent the Academy; Aaron Wickens, Rohan Gandham, Nico Powar, Milo Quinton, Reece Harkin, Ethan Long, Danielius Makarevicius and Vinnie Eastmond. Chance to Compete Cricket The Langley Academy reached the final of the U15 chance to compete cricket competition after beating Wexham in dramatic fashion at Farnham Common CC. The students enjoyed the day, which was helped by the weather. The following students pictured below were selected: Jamal Chaudry, Rupinder Hayer, Anish Patel, Aaron Barolia, Yousef Javed, Andrew Bryant, Ravi Sharda, Robbie Ensby and Aqib Salih. The Academy will now go to the Final at Reading CC.

GCSE PE Visit to the River and Rowing Museum

On Friday 20 June the Year 10 GCSE PE students went to the River & Rowing Museum for a Rowing for Gold workshop. The students worked with Museum tutors to see the changes in an athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diet, kit and boat design during the 3 Olympics games held in London. They also completed a core values session looking at team work, inspirational athletes and were able to learn more about our muscular and skeletal system. All of the activities were designed to help the students develop their understanding of the GCSE PE syllabus. The students were a credit to the Academy throughout the day.

Student Led Learning The Focus of the lessons this term have been student led learning. Below are a number of students that have coached peers during lessons.

Museum Learning This has been a very busy term for students and Museum Learning with lots of projects, trips and exhibitions. Paul Nash: The Messenger This term has seen the installation of the exhibition about the local man and war artist Paul Nash. This exhibition was entirely created by Year 10 History students and members of the Academy Museum Club, who have been working on the project since last October. They have been working on the exhibition in partnership with Slough Museum. As part of the project they wrote all the interpretation panels and worked with a graphic designer who helped design them. They also worked with a craftsman and together they created the replica trench that you can see in the Atrium. It has already proved a very popular exhibition with staff and students alike. Well done to all those students involved.

Henley vs The Langley Academy pond Ambassadors from Year 7 Science visited the River & Rowing Museum in Henley on Thames to investigate the biodiversity of ponds and marsh area in Henley. The groups spent that day pond dipping and identifying plants and bugs. The students are now acting as ambassadors as they transfer the skills they learnt on the trip to their peers by leading a lesson where classes investigate biodiversity in The Langley Academy pond area. All students have presented their findings to their teachers and via Skype to the River & Rowing Museum and made suggestions to increase biodiversity. Well done to all the groups!

Health & Social Care ‘Early Years’ project with the River & Rowing Museum Henley Year 9 and Year 12 Health & Social Care students continued their work on their ‘Early Years’ project. They had a rehearsal for their workshops and are now looking forward to Parlaunt Park visiting on 10 July. Surgical Skills! Year 12 Science students visited the Hunterian Museum to learn more about the career path for medics. They heard from current students who gave them an insight into university and all the students found it a very useful experience.

Museum Council Museum Council have had a busy term. The group were invited to evaluate the latest exhibition at REME Museum of Technology in Arborfield. The council are now preparing for a project next year and will be visiting The Story Museum in Oxford to design a literacy based project for the new Year 7s.

A lung capacity of 9.6 litres! Students from Year 10 GCSE PE visited the River & Rowing Museum to take part in their Rowing for Gold workshop. The students were able to measure themselves against Olympic Gold medal winning rower Matthew Pinsent and see if they could beat his lung capacity of 9.6 litres. They also tested their rowing skills, reactions timings and designed a menu for an Olympian.

Battlements, motte and tower Students from Year 7 History have enjoyed visits to Oxford and Windsor Castle as part of their castles project. At Oxford students learnt more about the history through some costumed guides and then went on to attack castles by designing and making catapults. At Windsor students enjoyed a talk from an expert mail armourer and then put their new skills into practice making their own mail armour.

London Metropolitan Archives Year 8 Science ambassadors visited the London Metropolitan Archives to learn more about the design and building of bridges and in particular Tower Bridge. The students finished their day by making a quick journey to see Tower Bridge itself. The information learnt during the trip is being put to great use in lessons and all students will be creating their own model bridge.

Keep on Running! They have been worn by stars of stage and screen, sporting legends, medal-winning Olympic athletes and international footballing greats. Now the trainer has its own exhibition at The Langley Academy. The collection of sixty pairs of sports shoes, on loan from Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, tracks the trainer's Journey through popular culture and charts its iconic status from pre-war to today. Principal Rhodri Bryant said, “Our culture of museum learning here at the Academy means that we offer our students exhibits they can get curious about, that will lead them to explore and discover their own talents, whatever they may be. We would like to share our ethos with the wider community and if anyone would like to see the exhibition, please do call and make an arrangement to come in, you would be most welcome. We hope you find them as inspiring as we do” Year 10 student Frank Francis said, “Obviously being a footballer for Queens Park Rangers youth squad I like the David Beckham boots, you can see they have been well worn and well loved, and I guess that is how he got where he is today…practice and passion!”

Katie Long (GB ladies rugby medalist) Zak Koundi (Maidenhead youth team) Erin Simmonds (GB ladies youth cricket team) Sola Olusola (Reading youth football team) all agreed that their considerable sporting success was down to both of those things, that plus a bit of talent too! Head of Science Andrew Morgan added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Science students have loved viewing how trainers have improved during the course of the century from inflexible leather and rubber through to the high tech materials of today. But where next? The DT department have set a challenge for the Year 7s to design the best pair of performance sports shoes which will be judged by Brunel University by a panel from their Product Design, Business and Sports Faculties.

SSU Ms Pikulak would like to mention five Year 7 students who have worked extremely hard on making their castles. They all had fun working together in making them in the SSU. Their names are, Rheece Din, Nico Powar, Ryan Elliman, Luke Corderoy and Billy Booker. I am so proud of all of them.

Principal’s Assembly Sir Matthew Pinsent- Principal’s Assembly Sir Matthew Pinsent spoke warmly about his pride in our young British athletes this week as he attended The Langley Academy to mark the end of a year in which performance in all fields has reached new highs. Speaking at the Principal’s Assembly Sir Matthew explained to our students how they would have to strive ever harder toward sporting and academic achievements: to push the barriers of human endurance ever further and that today’s unachievable will be tomorrow’s expectation. Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, CBE is an acclaimed rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals, of which three were with Sir Steve Redgrave. Principal Rhodri Bryant said ”It was a privilege to welcome Sir Matthew to The Langley Academy today, I hope that his address and his example ignites that spark of inspiration that can drive us all to achieving our goals”.

Sir Matthew Pinset with his rowing medals

Year 9 Ieasha Khan with Sir Matthew Pinset

Organic Garden Students involved with the Organic Garden have been busy growing and harvesting kale, which they successfully managed to sell to the restaurant. Aside from the kale, the students have sold fresh strawberries, peas and spring onions to the restaurant. Keep an eye out for these in your school meals! The wildflower patch is also blossoming, and plenty of lavender has also been harvested to make lovely items for the TLA Fair.

Jack Hazell, Joe Critcher, Liam Bates, Keara Howard-Phelan and Manvit Rana with the kale from the Organic Garden

Simran Edwin with some organic strawberries

Jack Hazell cutting the kale for the restaurant

The Organic Garden team enjoyed the view from the treetop walkway, when they visited Kew Gardens earlier this term. Students took part in exploring and learning about different plant species, as well as gaining insights into how silkworms are traditionally used in Japan. At the Palm house, the students learnt about rainforest remedies and appreciated how valuable rainforests are. They spent an afternoon of discovering Kew and came across cotton plants, as well as a roaming peacock.

Mr Wright and Mr Muranda with Jack Hazell, Liam Bates, Joe Critcher, Deanna Nurdin and Keara Howard Phelan at Kew Gardens

BBC Studio Trip On 1 July two Langley Academy students attended the BBC studios in Great Portland Place to discuss their experiences working with the ISSP Project based at Eton. Charlie Fleming talked about his experience in the Sleepover held at Eton to raise money for Shelter. Chloe Jacobs spoke with authority about the impact of the First Story Project and the book â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Art of Eating Biscuitsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which has recently been published. The Programme the Educators will be broadcast on Radio 4 in September.

Chloe Jacobs at the BBC Studios

Year 6 Transition Day We were delighted to welcome 180 Year 6 students on Tuesday 1 July – this was an opportunity for them to get to know a little more about ‘a day in the life of a student at the Academy’ before they join us in Year 7 in September. Students attended a variety of lessons, met with Year 7 who has sent them their welcome postcard at Easter, had lunch in the restaurant and found out which House they were in. Within a short space of time their anxieties seemed to disappear to be replaced with curiosity and awe as they walked around our iconic building viewing all the exhibits including our new World War 1 museum exhibition. The next stage of their transition will be when they join us for summer school from Tuesday 26 August to Friday 29 August as we journey to Adventure Island!!!

Community News French beginners adult classes at The Langley Academy Learning French should not be like going to the dentist! Fun conversation classes to build your confidence in speaking French £200 per year (payable in advance and non-refundable) Term time only starting Tuesday 9 September 2014 Every Tuesday 5.30pm - 7pm To book contact Sandrine on 07805 710890 or sandrine.rutherford@gmail.com

New Spanish beginners group at The Langley Academy !HOLA A TODOS! New Spanish beginners group available at The Langley Academy. £200 per year (payable in advance and non-refundable Term time only starting Wednesday 10 September 2014 Every Wednesday 17:30 – 19:00 Please contact Maria directly mariagarcia@talktalk.net

Free Summer Holiday Course – Cycle Training Slough Borough Council is pleased to announce they will be running courses during the summer holidays to help children in the borough with their cycling. These courses will be run by their training provider Cycle Experience. Confidence Booster: This course lasts for 3 hours and is delivered in a traffic free environment. It includes skills training to increase confidence for young riders between 5-9 years old and will include fun activities and games. This is not for complete beginners who do not know how to ride. Level 2: This course lasts for 6 hours run over two consecutive days (three hours per day) and will be either a morning or afternoon course (not a combination). The first hour (level 1) is delivered in a traffic free environment to establish children are safe to go onto the roads for the main Level 2 training. This course is aimed at 8-14 year olds who can already ride a bike. To book a course: Go to www.cycleexperience.com select Cycle Training, then Holiday Courses. You must select your area – Slough – then choose Montem Leisure Centre where they are running the courses from. Once submitted, you will see a choice of courses, dates and times, simply select your desired choice. If you cannot see a date, time or venue, the course you are looking for is fully booked or not an option on this occasion, so you will need to select an alternative. Deadline for bookings received: 3 weeks prior to the start of a course.