Newsletter
Easter Edition 2015: Issue 17
Improvements recognised and special measures removed at Willenhall E-ACT Academy Ofsted inspectors recognise substantial improvements and officially remove special measures during recent inspection, representing a significant step on our journey of rapid progress.
“Senior Leaders, including governors and trustees, have a compelling vision for the Academy that is shared by all staff. Leaders have high expectations for all students.� (Ofsted, 2015).
Welcome to the Easter edition of the newsletter. The last few weeks have been very eventful as the Academy continues on its journey to becoming outstanding ! During the last few weeks we have had our last visit from Ofsted. I can now share with you that Willenhall E-ACT Academy has had Special Measures status removed. This news follows four positive visits from HMI over the last eighteen months which have all occurred since my appointment in 2013. In the report, which has now been published and is on our website, the following comments were made by Ofsted: ‘Improvements in teaching, assessment tracking and behaviour management have led to considerable improvements in progress for current students. ‘(Ofsted, 2015). ‘Behaviour in the Academy has improved over the last year because leaders have introduced stricter rules that are more consistently enforced… students are considerate, polite, friendly and cheerful. "(Ofsted, 2015). ‘Senior Leaders, including governors and trustees, have a compelling vision for the Academy that is shared by all staff. Leaders have high expectations for all students.’ (Ofsted, 2015) Another section of the Ofsted report stated that the Academy’s provision of careers education and guidance was a strength. A new element of this programme was our recent Careers Fair. This was a great success with over 30 employers and training providers attending. Our students reported that the Fair helped them to consider what possible careers they may follow. More exciting news this term includes Willenhall E-ACT Academy being invited by Douglas Hansen- Luke, Prospective MP for Walsall North, to attend an event at No 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister David Cameron and Nicky Morgan - Secretary of State for Education. The event was organised by Mr Cameron to thank schools and academies for their inspirational work with students in raising aspirations and making a positive difference to their future prospects. The event was attended by Mrs Haines, our Assistant Head Post 16.
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World Book Day was a real success at Willenhall this year. All students were encouraged to bring in and share their favourite book to celebrate the joy of reading. Staff also celebrated the day by dressing up as their favourite book characters. This was part of the Academy’s focus on developing literacy for all our students. We continue our drive to ensure Year 11 and 13 students achieve the best possible preparation for their final examinations. To this end extra sessions will be provided and will take place in the Easter holidays to accelerate student progress in this very important period. All students and parents have been notified of these arrangements and it is vital that students attend. On Friday the 13th of March, Willenhall E-ACT Academy staff showed they were game for a laugh when they agreed to have cold wet sponges thrown at them for Comic Relief. All proceeds of "Soak the Teacher" were added to money raised throughout the day resulting in the Academy raising over £800 for the charity. This was a fantastic effort from everyone involved and celebrates our community spirit at Willenhall. As we go to press we are about to see the Academy production of Fame. Over 40 students have committed considerable hours over the past months to ensure that this production is as professional as possible. I am sure that this will see the first stage appearance of future West-End stars! As always, thank you for your continued support. May I wish you and your families a happy and peaceful Easter.
The 19th March was a scene more reminiscent of the January sales as the doors were flung open and the 'customers' bustled in! What was happening, one might ask! The Sports Hall at Willenhall E-ACT Academy had morphed into a series of shopping malls with students from all year groups enthusiastically seeking out information, guidance and advice on a variety of careers. Students and Parents came to be inspired by more than twenty five stalls that included Birmingham City University, the Royal Navy and University of Wolverhampton to name just a few. The professionals were happy to talk about their own careers and experiences in the hope of inspiring others.
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Ms Haines, Assistant Head of Post 16, was invited by Douglas Hansen- Luke, Prospective MP for Walsall North, to attend an event at No 10 Downing Street with the Prime Minister David Cameron and Nicky Morgan the Secretary of State for Education. The event was organised by Mr Cameron to thank people working within education for their inspirational work with students which helps them to raise their aspirations and make a difference to their future prospects. It was a privilege to be invited to attend and David Cameron and Nicky Morgan were keen to listen about what we do at the Academy to make these differences. This recognition for Ms Haines was due to the participation of Post 16 students from Willenhall E-ACT Academy, in conjunction with Douglas HansenLuke, in the Walsall Vision Exchange. This programme supports students in the area by helping them to gain
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An experience of the working world whilst providing trips and guest speakers. The programme offers the participants a wide range of unique opportunities to help the students gain an awareness of life after school but also to encourage ideas and career paths that they might not even have been aware of themselves. Ms Haines said “It was a great honour to meet Mr Cameron.�
Post 16 students attended Walsall Academy to take part in the Vision Exchange Programme organised by Douglas Hansen-Luke Prospective MP for Walsall North. The event included various talks from inspirational guest speakers as they shared their experiences about their career life and pathways available, as well as to gain insights into opportunities after school life.
Comic Relief Raised over £800 On Friday the 13th, Willenhall E-ACT Academy staff showed they were game for a laugh when they agreed to have cold wet sponges thrown at them for Comic Relief by the students. Proceeds of the “Soak the Teacher” were added to money raised through Samosa sales and a ‘wear something red’ day resulting in the Academy collecting over £800 for the charity which raises money for projects both at home and abroad. A very worthwhile cause. Our students will really be able to make a difference to others lives.
Post 16 Student in Semi Final of Miss Teen Willenhall E-ACT student, Katrina Kaur, has won a place in the semi-final of Miss Teen Great Britain 2015. Katrina from Walsall has beaten off competition from across Great Britain to be named as one of the semifinalists. Katrina says, “I am so happy to have made it to the semi-final, it is a great honour to represent Walsall”. Teenagers from across Great Britain will compete for the crown in a spectacular grand finale. The winner of Miss Teen Great Britain will walk away with some incredible prizes, including £500! The finals of Miss Teen Great Britain will be packed with fun events and activities. The grand finalists will all take part in photo-shoots, enjoy the first beauty queen challenge day, go to a pyjama diva party and compete for the title Miss Teen Great Britain! The grand finale will be held in 2015 at The Globe in Blackpool. Good Luck Katrina!
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Work Experience just the start for Adam Since September 2013, Year 13 student Adam Aston Moss has been doing work experience at a local fire station in Aldridge. His aim is to one day gain employment with the West Midlands Fire Service. Adam said, “I have been doing my (YFA) course which will teach me the basic skills for what I need to become a fire-fighter one day. It is a job I would love to do”. Adam completes his studies this summer and will move onto the University of Wolverhampton where he will study a BSc (Hons) in Fire and Rescue.
On the 5th March, students from Years 7-11 were selected to attend a workshop session with James Tibble (ex Navy) from the company Commando Joe. Willenhall is working with Commando Joe to provide support for students whilst promoting high standards and expectations. The scheme is designed to increase communication skills and selfconfidence and really encourages students to work as a team to problem solve. The Commando Joe programme nationally has a proven track record in improving attendance, behaviour and ultimately attainment. We look forward to working with James and providing you with further updates.
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“All in all I am very proud of what I have achieved so far in my life. I have enjoyed my life here at Willenhall E-ACT Academy and will always be grateful to all of the staff that have supported and believed in me.” (Adam Aston Moss). We wish Adam every success for his future.
Science Recently, Willenhall E-ACT Academy organised a series of STEM workshops for students. The various workshops and activities were designed to challenge the students and assist them in learning. What is STEM?
Technology Engineering Maths
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths education. Willenhall is focusing on these areas together not only because the skills and knowledge in each discipline are essential for student success, but also because these fields are deeply intertwined in the real world and in how students learn most effectively. Participating students had to work together in teams as well as utilize communication skills in order to complete various tasks. The Year 7 students also attended a trip to the University of Birmingham where the focus was to engage students into the world of Science. “We had a really good day.” Year 7 Student. “Science is fun.” Year 7 Student.
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Young Musicians
One of the judges - Jean Martyn from 'Britain’s Got Talent' fame was particularly taken with Dennis and
hit the right notes
insistent she would follow him on YouTube saying he would have earned second place in the competition if
The regions finest young musicians and singers
there had have been one.
competed to reach the District Final of the Rotary
Mollie Kruczek from Year 9 said “It was an amazing
Young Musicians competition at the Wolverhampton experience and the feedback I received will help me in Music School. the future”. The entrants to the competition came from as far as Ellesmere and Wem in North Shropshire, Blythe Bridge, Leek and Stoke on Trent in North Staffordshire, Dudley, Aldridge as well as the Wolverhampton and Willenhall areas. The adjudicating panel comprised Simon Platford, himself a previous finalist in the Classic FM Music teacher of the Year competition and Musical Director of the Jackfield (Elcock Reisen) Brass Band, and Jeremy Hobbs, Chairman of the Wolverhampton Musical Comedy Company. They were joined by Jean Martyn, the well-known local organist and keyboard performer, who reached the finals of TV’s ’Britain’s Got Talent’ in 2011. Three students from Willenhall E-ACT Academy, Year 9 student Mollie Kruczek and Year 10 student’s James Thomas and Dennis Gjonbalaj entered the ‘Rotary Club Music Competition’. The three students did very well and were up against some really tough competition. Sadly, Mollie, James and Dennis didn’t make it through to the finals. However, they all received fantastic feedback from the judges.
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On the 5th March, Year 8 pupils attended the GTC Training and Conference Centre. The event, which has been running for three years, supports schools in the Black Country. The event ‘Your Future, Your Choice’ targets students from years 8 and 9, ahead of their choice of examination subjects. Throughout the day, Year 8 pupils received impartial help, advice and support about their future jobs and careers. However, it was also an excellent opportunity for pupils to get involved with interactive activities run by local businesses, grouped into zones relating to key business sectors. During the day, the pupils got;
An insight into the world of work.
An opportunity to engage in industry related tasks to help them understand how relevant their subjects are in the real world.
The opportunity to speak to ‘real’ business people about real careers.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative day!
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World Book Day Willenhall E-ACT Academy made the decision this year to take National ‘World Book Day’ to the next level. Students and staff were invited to participate in lots of events, activities and competitions including the guess the character that Mr Ashley was dressed as. Answer: Lenny from Mice and Men. On ‘World Book Day’ itself teachers enthusiastically took part in dressing up as their favourite book characters and the students enjoyed guessing their teachers fancy dress costumes. Some of the characters that staff dressed up as varied from ‘Where’s Wally’ to ‘Harry Potter.’ World Book Day is one of the most important and popular events in the Academy’s academic calendar. Reading has an impact on everyone’s ability to learn in their subjects and it is a crucial part of the curriculum here at Willenhall E-ACT Academy. Both Staff and Students made the day a real success!
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Science Week at Willenhall E-ACT Academy went down with a bang! Pupils from across all years came together to celebrate what makes Science great. Pupils got involved with different activities and experiments that took place throughout the week such as; Making Slime, Methane Bubbles, Fire Writing, Screaming Jelly Babies Whoosh Bottle, Cannon Fire, Chip pan fire and Hydrogen balloons. Quotes from pupils: On Friday 13th March, the Animal Man (Pete) paid a visit to Willenhall E-ACT Academy. Throughout the day, students got to see some of his weird and wonderful creatures! Students got the chance to meet (and touch) a snake, an owl, a chinchilla and even (for those who were brave enough) a tarantula!
“It was awesome. I now see Science differently.” (Year 7 pupil.) “These few days have been great!” (Year 9 pupil.) Some students were also given the opportunity to attend the Big Bang Fair at the NEC. Joined by Year 5 students from County Bridge, this was another opportunity to explore Science in a unique setting.
Pete told students how each creature had adapted to their habitat and what they do to survive in the wild. Students even got the chance to watch the owl fly from its perch. This was great opportunity for students as animals provide a number of educational benefits, including opportunities for detailed observation and investigation of animal behaviour, life cycles, structure and function, and growth, and this leads to an appreciation of the needs of animals. We were also delighted to be joined by Year 4 students from Short Heath Junior School who were able to share the experience.
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On a cold and windy Monday morning, Geography AS level students got straight down to work as they made their way to Carding Mill Valley in Shropshire to carry out essential fieldwork. Despite the weather, Year 12 students collected data for their investigation to find out how river channel characteristics affect each other. Students were looking for effects in the river channel such as; Discharge, Depth, Width, Bedload Size, Gradient, Bedload Roundess, Wetter Perimeter, Hydraulic Radius and Cross- Sectional Area. The trip proved very successful for Connor Ingram, Callum Doughty, Chantelle White and Jordan Wilkes who retrieved a wealth of data to support their research project.
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Ms Fairburn (Vice Principal) Birthplace Newcastle Upon Tyne (I’m secretly a Geordie/ Northerner with a southern accent!) Early childhood memories Running into my house as a nine year old asking if I could stay out longer; my bike was run over by a neighbour’s car! What did you enjoy most at school and why? I loved my English lessons. My teacher, Mr Lloyd, who looked like John Thaw (Inspector Morse) was inspirational. He used to make my lessons so enjoyable and he is the reason why I became an English teacher. What did you enjoy least at school? At infant school I was forced to eat spaghetti hoops followed by rhubarb and custard. I was almost sick. I got told off as I tried to chuck it under the table…Oops!
What do you do in your spare time? I have very little spare time as I love my job so much! However all of my spare time is spent with my beautiful boys, Oliver, aged 10 and Louis, aged 6. My boys are so much fun to be around. We love going swimming together, diving, having races and generally splashing around! What is the best bit of working at Willenhall E-ACT Academy? I really enjoy working with the students at Willenhall: they are so open to learning and I love the thought that they are going to achieve excellent results because they realise how important it is to have the best life chances. What is your one tip for success for students at Willenhall? Always try to be the best you can be. We are all different and all have various strengths and areas to develop however if you work hard, focus and never give up, you will always know you have done your best.
Who is your lifetime hero and why? I’m not sure I have a life time hero; there are many people I admire though. Katie Piper is an extremely inspirational woman who has overcome the most horrific acid attack. I admire the fact that even though she has endured so much pain, she still has the strength of character to support others who are in similar positions to her and never gives up. Which football team do you support? (Newcastle United from a distance) 13
Willenhall Leisure and Community News! INSANITY at Willenhall!
Children’s School Holiday Activities Our Children holiday camps have been going from strength to strength and are proving to be very popular with not only the children that attended but also the parents. The last play scheme we ran was February half term where the children took part in science experiment's, fun maths cube special, multi sports and much more. On the Friday we took the children to Wolf Mountain where the children took part in rock climbing, mountain biking, team building activities and archery.
INSANITY is a revolutionary cardio-based total body conditioning program based on the principles of MAX Interval Training. By using MAX Interval Training, INSANITY pushes the participant to new training heights, resulting in more calories burned, faster results, and a more efficient metabolism. INSANITY’s interval training is the pinnacle of cardio training. Burn up to 1,000 calories in just 1 session! Only £4 a session for non members and £2.60 for class members and concessions.
Below are a few comments from the children and parents who gave their feedback.
Call on 01902 633070 to book your place.
“ I have loved everything about the whole play scheme.” (Callum aged 10). “The price is excellent value for money and the staff were all brilliant I would love my child to attend again as the activities were excellent!” (Happy Mom). “My son has had a fab time over the first 2 days! Looking forward to Wolf Mountain today!” (Happy child, happy mom:)) Watch this space for more news on our upcoming play schemes.
COMMUNITY SWIMMING LESSONS Enrol your child on one of our swimming lessons! It’s a great way to build your child’s confidence in the water. We currently run swimming lessons for children aged 3 years and above on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings. These lessons are 30 minutes long and costs just £2.60 per lesson!!!
For further information please call Louise on 01902 633070.
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2015 Leisure Classes Have a look and see what leisure classes we have to offer at Willenhall E-ACT Academy. All our classes welcome beginners and we always pleased to see a new face in the class. Day
Class
Monday
Time
Price
Kettle Krazy Workout A kettlebell class will supercharge your fitness and melt your unwanted fat. A combination of a variety of exercises using different weighted kettlebells to help
8-9 pm
FREE
aid weight loss and tone.
Tuesday
Zumba Come & try this high energy, fun, Latin based, calorie burning cardio workout!
Tuesday
7:309:00 pm
£3.50
7-8 pm
£3.50
Adult Swim Learn to swim or improve technique with our fully qualified and highly experienced swimming teacher Chris. Can already swim? Then you can still come along and have a leisurely swim - great way to meet new people.
Thursday
£3.50
Lane Swimming Come along to lane swim and choose from slow, medium or fast lanes. Whatever your age or fitness level, lane swimming in our dedicated lane swimming session is the ideal way to keep in shape, keep fit and stay healthy.
Wednesday
7-8 pm
6-7 pm
£3.50
6-7pm
£3.50
total body workout.
Friday
Women only Swim
We are delighted to announce that the long awaited changing room project here at Willenhall E-ACT Academy is back on track after some unforeseen delays. Working in partnership with Walsall Council, Willenhall have secured £100,000 funding from Sport England's Inspired Facilities Fund to build new Swimming Pool specific changing rooms leading directly on to poolside. The council is contributing £75,000 towards the scheme, with a further £50,000 from Cory Environmental Trust. The project will see new changing rooms built that will be separate from those currently used, they will enable the pool to be opened up to the public during the day when it is not being used by the pupils, and will provide a better experience to those already using the pool in the evenings and at the weekend. We hope to have appointed a
Step & Tone Step, aerobics and body toning combined to make a
New Swimming Pool Changing Rooms - An Update
Dedicated women only swimming session.
contractor to build the changing rooms by April, the work should begin in May and we hope to open the new facility to the public by September. Watch this space for more information and pictures once the build begins.
Sunday
Women only Swim Dedicated women only swimming session.
12-1pm
£3.50
For more information please call 01902 633070. For information on our fitness suite tariffs please get in touch for more information on how to join. No contracts, memberships start from £11.50 per month!
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Legion Lions Under 15s (managed by Nick Cooksey) will be adding another cup to their trophy cabinet, as they are now the Under 15 Bilston League Cup champions, beating Warstones 3-0 at Bilston Town FC on Tuesday 10th March. Winners representing Willenhall E-ACT Academy were: Lewis Roberts, Bradley Richardson, Demari Verley, Josh MacGregor, Jack Callan, George Cooksey and Adam Ankrett. We are proud of you Boys!
Willenhall E-ACT Academy Hockey Team beat an all Boys Year 10 Queen Mary's side on Monday evening 4-1. The team played superbly, supporting each other and representing the school well. The team members included Aaron Singh, Joe Cattell, Dexter Richards-Jones, Chantelle Simpson, Nathan Myles, Cameron Maley, Dan Cross, Scott Craddock, Rhys Parfitt (GK), Connor Ingram, Eshana Kapoor, Shiv Kapoor, and Ryan Lindop. Well Done Team!
Willenhall E-ACT Academy Contact Information Postal address: Willenhall E-ACT Academy Furzebank Way Willenhall WV124BD
Telephone: 01902 368221
Email us on: postbox@willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk Visit our website: postbox@willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk
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Social Media Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WillenhallEACTAcademy Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WillenhallEACT