Student Teachers
Youth Panel
This term the Youth Panel have been extremely busy electing new members and continuing to work with Noel and Rachel Blakeman to create sculptures for the grounds of the new school building. They have also begun consultation work with the architects about what the graphics and interior design of the school might look like. This has involved discussions about how to make each area of the school feel unique and special, how to show that Waverley is a school that values and learns through diversity and even how to make the toilet signs in the new building more interesting! Watch this space and follow their progress in a blog which should be up and running after Christmas.
Year 7
Year 8
The Year 7’s have been working on an exciting cross curricular project between History and Art entitled ‘Who Am I?’ In art, each student has explored their identity through the visual elements of line, colour, shape and texture to design and create a tiny fabric square. All the designs are being stitched together to make a gigantic quilt which will be displayed in the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery as part of an exhibition about children. More details to follow close to when the exhibition opens!
Year 8’s have been taking part in a cross curricular project between Art and History about the Forgotten Soldiers of the First and Second World Wars. In art, students have produced art work for a memorial exhibition for the soldiers. Once the exhibition is finished it will form part of an archive at the new Birmingham Library. Mrs Joubert Head of Art and Youth Panel Coordinator
This year, Waverley School has been host to many trainee teachers from several Universities and Colleges. The continuing success we have had in helping talented individuals into the teaching profession was summed up by a Science student from Birmingham University. He said:
“I could not have asked for a better school to learn how to teach Science than in Waverley Secondary School. The teachers are outstanding in their delivery of every single lesson. The pupils are very fortunate to have teachers who operate at such a high level. There is clearly a strong relationship between the pupils and teachers, which creates a great atmosphere for learning. I have felt so welcome within the school. This is down to not just the helpfulness of the staff but the pupils as well. I will be sure to spread the word of how good Waverley’s Science department is, and the school in general for that matter. I am very much looking forward to watching the talent on offer at the end of term Waverley’s Got Talent show.” Mr Kay (Science PGDipEd)
Black History Month Celebrating Somalia
h g u o r h t g n i n r Lea Diversity
Ms. Taitt did an assembly on looking at Somalia as part of Black History Month. Ms. Taitt told staff and students that:
‘Most of the generation of young Somalis currently in British schools were born and raised in the UK but many of their parents arrived as refugees, in flight from the long civil war and continued instability of their country. In making a new life in Britain, Somali people have worked hard to build their communities and sustain their cultural traditions.’ She talked about Somalia’s history, heritage and culture. She particularly wanted the students to see how much Somali people have had to go through and are still going through so that the students can all have and use the opportunity given to them so they are truly successful and are ‘Heroes of Equality and Responsibility’, just like Somalia’s most famous people. The students also had a number of lessons and assemblies to celebrate Black History Month. The final assembly was taken by Mr. Dowe, who stated the fact that he is a Rastaman who celebrates the ‘homeland’ as Ethiopia, Africa. He explained the importance of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie in his life, his faith, his language, his dreadlocks and his music. The students enjoyed the assembly and stated how much they had learnt and how this truly reflects the school’s motto ‘Learning through Diversity’