Keeping in Touch Lees Brook Community School’s Newsletter for Parents

A Founding Member of the Northworthy Trust

July 2019

Extra Curricular Activities

Youth Mayor Elections On Monday 11th February the result of the Youth Mayor elections for 2019/20 was announced at a meeting of Voices in Action.

The event was hugely successful with over 14,500 ballot papers issued for secondary pupils across 19 school and college venues. There were 8,304 votes cast, resulting in a 56.78% turnout.

In comparison, a normal Local Election across the city would have a turnout of 35%. The council really appreciated the opportunity to engage with so many schools and young people across the city in encouraging them to experience the voting process. It all helps students to understand and take part when they are eligible to vote in traditional elections themselves on reaching 18.

Special thanks to all of the candidates that took part in the process at the various stages, they all did incredibly well.

Emily Ward and Jakob Marshall

Raspberry Pi event – Rolls Royce – Wednesday 27th February Since 2012, the Raspberry Pi competition has been encouraging school and college students to invent, design and create using the Raspberry Pi. The aim is to foster interest and passion in technology and provide a focal point to support the teaching and learning of STEM subjects in the national curriculum. Teams were asked to create an invention using the Raspberry Pi - a credit-card-size, yet highly capable computer.

This year’s theme was ‘Transport and Travel’. Students across the UK were asked to help build a positive human future by using a Raspberry Pi microcomputer to invent something that would improve people’s experience when travelling. Year 8 took part in the Raspberry PI event and programmed a Raspberry Pi to follow certain commands - light and sound.

Strive for 5 GCSE English – Thursday 28th February Students attended the 'Strive for 5' English conference at the Riverside Centre, Pride Park on Thursday 28th February. The conference focused on planning for writing as well as the tricky skills across both Language papers. The event was aimed at students on the 4/5 borderline and helped equip students with strategies they can use in the exam, which will increase their confidence as well as their chance of picking up extra marks.

Strive for 5 GCSE Maths – Thursday 28th February Students attended the 'Strive for 5' Maths conference at the Riverside Centre, Pride Park on Thursday 28th February. Content was largely based on analysis from exam board practice papers and previous years’ examiner reports. The conference focused on exam technique and resilience in answering questions which call on knowledge from a wide range of topics. Students left with a renewed confidence in tackling the more challenging questions which are now becoming commonplace in the exams.

Battlefields Tour – Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th March Hope Jeffcoat and George Waddington accompanied a group of fellow historians from other schools on a memorial visit to the WW1 battlefields of Northern France and Belgium. The students visited various battle sites and cemeteries including at the Somme and Passchendaele. They also attended a wreath laying at the Menin Gate as part of the last post ceremony which is held every single night to commemorate the fallen, as well as doing a bit of local sightseeing in the town of Ypres.

GCSE Geography Fieldwork – Monday 4th, Tuesday 5th and Friday 8th March Students completed their second morning of GCSE field work looking at risk management in Derby. Initially students investigated the effectiveness of the recently built flood defences along the banks of the River Derwent between Darley Abbey mills and the city centre. Students then moved into Derby's city centre to evaluate how safe various locations were, and investigate how risk in each area of the city was managed. Students compiled pedestrian surveys and recorded any safety features present at each location. On their return to school students were asked to complete a follow up assessment in preparation for their summer exams.

GCSE Music Performance Evening – Tuesday 5th March Year 11 GCSE Music students stayed behind at school to perform their solo and ensemble performances to their parents and all Performance and Expressive Arts staff. All students rose to the occasion and were recorded and these were submitted for their performance coursework, which makes up 30% of the music course. The talent and commitment of these students was evident in their determination to achieve on the night. A special thanks to Mr Brown and Mr Culling who accompanied the students during their performances.

iRail Challenge at Pride Park – Tuesday 5th March Congratulations to Reuban Boot, Gabriela Brzostowska, Adam Deen and Matthew Harrison from Year 9 who took part in the final of the iRail Challenge held at the iPRO Stadium, Pride Park on Tuesday 5th March. They were selected for the Challenge event following some excellent work produced during a full Year 9 Rail Industry event that took place at the school in January.

The event at Pride Park attracted many schools from across the East Midlands. The students participated in a team challenge where they had to design, cost, build and test a model railway bridge as well as presenting their project idea to a panel of judges from the industry. They also had the opportunity to visit the Bombardier site and saw at first hand the production line where the carriages for the new Elizabethan line in London are being assembled. They took part in a virtual reality workshop which showed them the design intricacies of a modern train to be used in a major city environment in the future.

The four students were totally engaged in the workshops and visited several trade and career stands present at the event and asked many questions to the rail industry professionals who were present. Events like this help to raise aspirations about future career paths that students may be interested in pursuing in the future.

Visit by Author Dan Walker – Wednesday 6th March Acclaimed author Dan Walker, writer of Desert Thieves and Sky Thieves, visited Lees Brook Year 7 students in March to give an inspiring talk on his journey to become a multi award nominated and internationally published author. Students were captivated by his engaging talk and motivational speech, and were lucky enough to be able to ask questions and even get books signed by Dan himself! We look forward to hosting more inspirational reading themed activities for Library visitors over the rest of this year!

STEM Event – The School – Friday 8th March Seven Year 9 students went to the Long Eaton School on the 8th March to participate in a STEM competition alongside The Long Eaton School and .

During the day the students had to build a house out of splints, masking tape and playdoh that would survive in critical conditions such as wind, flooding and earthquake. The teams enjoyed taking part in the competition and were able to develop skills such as team work, communication and evaluation skills.

Although they did not win, all students took part in the activities very enthusiastically and behaved impeccably.

Scholastic Book Fair Lees Brook Library recently hosted a Scholastic Book Fair which was open to students and parents for two weeks. The event was a huge success with sales of books and stationery exceeding £500 which meant that the School received over £200 back in free books! All books are now available for loan in the Library! Thank you to all who supported the fair in any way!

Centre for Advanced Training – Dance Workshop – Monday 11th March Centre for Advanced Training delivered a dance workshop to students on Monday 11th March. This gave students the opportunity to train in a variety of dance forms and develop their choreography skills with professionals working in the field. The students responded positively and worked hard throughout the sessions. Following this a number of our students went on the weekend to audition for chance of a place with the centre. We wish them the best of luck.

First Edition STEM Day engages Year 7 students – Tuesday 12th March On Tuesday 12th March, Year 7 students took part in a First Edition Experience Day run by the Engineering Development Trust (EDT). EDT is a UK Education Charity that provides quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) curriculum enrichment experiences for young people.

Working in teams the students participated in a ‘Newton’s Racers’ activity where they had to design, build and test a model vehicle to race against each other. By testing, retesting and modifying their model racers the students gained knowledge and understanding of how forces, energy and friction have to be in balance to achieve the perfect model vehicle.

In addition to the practical activity, information on engineering careers and how technology is continually changing the types of jobs required for the future was incorporated into the day.

Miss Mosley, Careers Lead for the Northworthy Trust summed up the event by concluding that: “the First Edition Day was excellent allowing our Year 7s to learn a lot about how inter-related Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are. The students were really engaged in the task set in front of them and when asked at the end whether they would consider a career in engineering, many hands were raised.”

Big Bang National Final – NEC Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th March Following on from the success of winning the East Midlands Regional Competition, the group went to the National finals at the NEC, which is the largest STEM competition in the country, where they presented their project to industry specialists. 40,000 people attended the event over the two days and the students, Phoebe Hyde, Rebekah Neale, Ellie Wright, Alex Wills, Vlad Alberto-Macovei and Harvey Brown competed against some very strong projects and amazingly won the runners-up prize in the junior engineering category. This is an amazing achievement and one they should be extremely proud of. Well done!!!

James Wilton Dance: The Storm, Deda – Thursday 14th March On Thursday 14th March, 30 dance students enjoyed a dance performance evening, the performance was very energetic, exciting and well received. We were particularly proud of our students’ contribution to the post-show discussion, which really showed that they had enjoyed the performance and it had made them think about the choices the choreographer had made.

Year 11 Prom Bag Pack, Asda Spondon - Saturday 16th March A group of Year 11 students did a bag pack at Asda to raise money for the Year 11 prom taking place on Friday 21st June 2019. Students looked very smart in their uniform communicating extremely well the general public and the staff at Asda. Both the public and members of staff were really impressed with how our students conducted themselves in a polite and professional manner, well done Year 11.

Derby College Vocational Studies Trip – Monday 18th March On Monday 18th March a small group of Year 9 students visited some of the facilities at Pride Park. The students visited The Roundhouse, The Hudson and Johnson Buildings. They toured the facilities and were given an insight in to what it would be like to study a vocational course at Derby College. They visited the Engineering, Motor Vehicle and Construction departments. They also looked at the services available to students such as the cafes, the library and student support.

The students received advice from staff and students about how vocational courses are assessed and the different levels of courses available to study post 16. The importance of working hard at school to achieve at least a grade 4 in GCSE English and Maths was also made clear to students so they don’t have to be repeated at college.

Go4 set – University – Tuesday 19th March The Year 8 students visited the University of Nottingham to attend the launch event for the Go4Set competition, where they met their mentor and chose the project that they would develop over the next 10 weeks. They chose to re-develop an existing sports ground and this became the starting point for their project. They will be working closely with a mentor from Bombardier who will help them develop their ideas and produce a detailed report, ready to present at the final.

Lees Brook Hall students visit to Derby College – Tuesday 26th and Thursday 28th March On Tuesday 26th and Thursday 28th March KS4 Lees Brook Hall students visited Derby College, to view the facilities and to see the range of courses available. Our students visited both the Roundhouse and Broomfield College sites. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to see the wide range of vocational courses and talk to the staff about each course that was of interest to them.

Lees Brook Hall students visit to Baby People – Music Production – Friday 29th March KS3 Lees Brook Hall students worked with Nate (former Baby People student, now tutor) creating beats for their own raps which are to be recorded at the end of the year.

Dance Performance Evening - Thursday 4th April GCSE Dance and extra-curricular dance students from across the ages performed in 'An Evening of Dance', this was a fantastic opportunity for our Year 11 students to practice and refine their work prior to GCSE assessment and for our younger students to showcase and develop confidence on stage.

GCSE Geography trip to Hornsea - Tuesday 23rd April Students travelled to Hornsea on the east coast of Yorkshire for a day revising coastal processes and management. Students carried out surveys of longshore drift, beach profiles and coastal defences along the stretch of the coast between Hornsea and Mappleton. The trip allowed students to see a case study location first and helped them to make clear links between the physical processes affecting the coast and their classroom studies. Our students worked very hard on the day and they were grateful for some fish and chips by the sea for their lunch!!!

Rock Climbing at Alter Rock, Derby KS3 Lees Brook Hall students have been introduced to Rock Climbing at Alter Rock, Derby. During the introductory session students have developed climbing skills, built confidence, explored problem solving and increased focus and concentration. Following the success of the sessions, students have now enrolled on to the NICAS Rock Climbing course Level 1.

University of Derby Skills Challenge Day - 15th May Twenty Year 8 students attended a Skills Challenge Day at the University of Derby. The students took part in a range of 'taster’ workshops in subjects not offered in school, for example, football journalism, geology and enterprise education. During these sessions they took part in a number of mini-competitions that allowed them to develop various skills including team building, analysis, communication, problem solving, decision making, creativity and time management. The students also took part in a workshop which dispelled the myth that girls and boys are only good at certain subjects.

Salters’ Festival of Chemistry – Tuesday 21st May The Year 8 students really enjoyed the trip to Nottingham University for the Salters' Festival of Chemistry. They competed in two challenges throughout the day where they had to use chemistry to solve a crime and extract polymers to calculate absorbency. Out of the 13 schools which took part in the competition, Lees Brook won the 3rd place prize due to their outstanding efforts and excellent teamwork.

‘1984’ Theatre Performance – 24th May 2019 As part of the GCSE Drama course students are required to write a Live Theatre Review based on one of the productions that they have watched. In May, Year 10 GCSE Drama students were invited to a performance of '1984' at Derby Theatre which explores a time when we have become victims of perpetual war, government surveillance and propaganda.

Berlin Trip

May Bank Holiday weekend saw 30 Lees Brook students visit Berlin for 3 days. With a shared focus on language, culture, history and RE, we packed a huge amount in to a short time.

Day one saw us visiting the revolving restaurant at the top of the TV tower to get a view out over the whole city, both East and West. From there we visited the Brandenburg, famously inaccessible during the Cold War, but now a perfect photo opportunity. We then moved on to the Jewish Memorial – a moving and sobering experience, not least because of the personal stories and eyewitness accounts that take the holocaust beyond just numbers. It wouldn’t do justice to our students to say that they behaved well – they did, but they also engaged fully with the exhibition, made thoughtful observations and had interesting discussions afterwards. After some shopping in the afternoon we visited the Reichstag, seat of the German parliament and another chance to get a view over the city, this time as the sun was going down.

After walking along the East Side Gallery on the remaining part of the Berlin Wall, Saturday saw us at Sachsenhausen, the concentration camp just north of the city, another insight into the horrors of the holocaust, and also the location of the huge Nazi counterfeiting operation for documents and currency.

Before leaving on Sunday we went to the DDR museum to get an idea of life under communism. Students were able to try on East German fashions with the virtual clothing experience, and see what a typical family apartment looked like, as well as getting an idea of the darker side of surveillance and interrogation. Finally, by way of lunch at a typical German Biergarten on the Wannsee, we visited Sanssoucci at Potsdam – we didn’t have time to go in, but it was at least a quick glance at the immense opulence from the days of Frederick the Great, only a short way outside the city.

All the students took something different from the trip as a whole, but they all came back having learnt a lot and with an understanding of all Berlin has to offer. I’m sure some of them will be back, and as staff we were enormously proud of them.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award It has been another record year for D of E at Lees Brook, with over half of Year 9 working towards the Bronze Award and 25 students in Year 10 working towards the Silver Award. D of E is a big commitment that students have to spend much of their own time working towards; learning a new skill, volunteering in the community and developing a physical activity. In addition to this, students are required to complete an expedition where, walking in groups, students navigate their way along a planned route, carrying all their kit in a rucksack and camp over at a campsite along route.Apart from having a great time, the award helps students build their confidence, self- esteem, resilience and teamwork skills. The achievement is highly regarded by colleges, universities and employers as it encompasses many of the key attributes they look for, in addition to academic qualifications. We are very impressed that so many students have taken on the challenge.

Lees Brook is one of the largest providers for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Derby and has one of the highest completion rates for the award. In June, Mrs House and Mr Waterhouse were invited to Buckingham Palace Gold Award presentations as special regional guests, in recognition of the growth of the award at Lees Brook, over the past few years.

Bronze Award It has been a busy term with over half of Year 9 going out into the Peak District to undertake their expeditions. During the Spring, all students undertook a practice expedition in the Peak District where they were able to put their expedition training into practice and refine their skills ready for their assessed expedition in the summer. The practice expeditions presented students with a range of challenges including torrential rain and low temperatures; however, the teamwork and resilience shown by students meant that they all completed their practice expeditions in good spirts.

All three expedition groups have now successfully completed their Assessed Expeditions. Students are expected to show an even greater level of independence from their practice expedition, by working in teams to plan their own expedition route, of approximately 12km per day. Leaders have been very impressed with the teamwork, resilience and problem solving skills students have developed throughout the experience.

There have also been some great success stories from other sections of the award including students volunteering in charity shops, helping in a community cafe, learning sign language and learning to play musical instruments, to name but a few.

Silver Award Our Year 10 Silver D of E group are currently preparing for their Assessed Expedition in Wales, where they will spend three days, walking approximately 35km through the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley.

Students recently visited Clumber Park where they were able to practice their navigation skills. Students practiced orientating the map, using a compass to take direction bearings and using distance and time calculations. All students are looking forward to going on their expedition. We wish them the best of luck.

Duke of Edinburgh and Rotary Eco Build Four Silver D of E students were assisting the Rotarians with their eco greenhouse build at St. Werburghs Primary School. They helped construct the walls by putting recycled plastic bottles onto canes. They also taught some of the primary students how this was done. The Rotarians said the students were hard working and credit to the school. They even managed to construct the greenhouse half a day quicker as they had our help.

Duke of Edinburgh Feedback D of E students are in the process of uploading their final skill/volunteering/physical assessor reports. Mr Waterhouse just wanted to share a lovely letter that was written as supporting evidence for Jonathan Towell's volunteering, where he helped at Sinfin Nature Reserve cafe.

Jonathan joined the café team on Saturday 19th January 2019, when he came for his training and his induction he listened well and understood the tasks he would undertake. He was very keen and immediately starting volunteering. Tasks that Jonathan does include serving food and drinks to the customers, clearing tables, cleaning tables and taking orders from customers. His punctuality and attendance are perfect and he has always let us know if there’s an occasional day when he is unable to attend. He is always well presented and ensures he washes his hands before and when necessary as well as following all other health and safety guidelines.

Jonathan is a joy to have at the café as he is always so cheerful and has a lovely smile for the customers. He works well with the other volunteers, always being willing to do whatever is asked of him. He has gone beyond the requirements of the The Duke of Edinburgh award by continuing to volunteer with us each week until the present day. Jonathan has shown himself to be very mature, able to work and interact with people of all ages.

Jean Lung (Secretary for Friends of Sinfin nature reserve)

Jonathan is going to continue with his volunteering as he has enjoyed it so much.

Year 8 students interested in starting D of E in Year 9 If your youngster is in Year 8 and is interested in taking on the Bronze D of E challenge in Year 9, there will be an assembly at the beginning of Year 9, where they will be able to find out more about the award and collect a letter. In the meantime, if you would like to find out more, please take a look at our D of E Twitter feed @DofEleesbrook1 or take a look at the D of E section on our school website.

London Graduate Fashion Week – Wednesday 5th June On Wednesday 5th June we took 40 students to London Graduate Fashion Week. Students were inspired and visited a range of different stands looking at the different courses and careers available in the textile/fashion industry as well as watching an international fashion show showcasing the best of graduates work from around the world for 2019.

Visit to meet David Solomons, Author, at Derby University - Friday 7th June Students went to Derby University to meet the author, David Solomons on Friday 7th June. David has had a great career, not only in writing children's novels but also as a screen writer. The 6 students listened to David talking about and promoting his new book, "My Cousin is a Time Traveller" which is fifth in his series “My Brother is a Superhero". The students learnt that David took a lot of his inspiration from video games of his time and comic book superheros. His new book is inspired by the Terminator films. David Solomons also writes "Dr Who" fiction novels, with a new one coming out in 2020.

Go4Set Bombardier visit – 12th June The Go4Set students, Thea Perry, Amelia Mee, Ellie McElheron, Callum Holdsworth and Jacob Benfield, were invited to Bombardier to have a tour of the works and to discuss their project and presentation with a select panel of representatives from Bombardier. The visit was extremely helpful and we would like to take the opportunity to thank our mentor, Callum Geary, and Bombardier for their support.

Year 9 Raising Aspirations Visit to Cambridge University – Monday 17th June On Monday 17 June, 25 Year 9 students visited Murray Edwards College which is part of the University of Cambridge. We had an early start but arrived on time to negotiate the winding streets of Cambridge to find the college.

The students learned about the advantages of going to university and in particular going to a highly regarded university such as Cambridge, Oxford or any of the other Russell Group Universities. Students also learnt about looking carefully at GCSE and A level options choices to make sure they meet the entry requirements for university courses.

The students were then given a tour of the college by current university students ending in the refectory where the students had lunch. After lunch we took the students on a tour of Cambridge where we saw some of the other university colleges and saw some people punting on the River Cam.

Wicked – Wednesday 19th June Year 9 students had the opportunity to go to London to watch Wicked the musical at Victoria Apollo Theatre. All students were able to see live in action, what musical theatre is all about, which follows on nicely from the musical theatre scheme of work students are taught during Year 9 music lessons. Students were impeccably behaved and all had a brilliant time. There is a competition currently running for the best review with the chance to win an Intu voucher for the winning submission.

Year 8/9 Career Insight Talks - 20th June All Year 8 and 9 students had the opportunity to take part in two Career Insight talks led by local and national employers. The range of careers covered in the talks included - Health and Social Care, IT, Law, Construction, the Army, Cyber Engineering, Creative Media, Performing Arts, Engineering and Hospitality and Catering. The Employers delivering the talks included: All for Care, Resonate, Flint Bishop Solicitors, Tomlinsons, Ministry of Defence, Lockheed Martin, Confettis Creative Media, Big Adventure Theatre Company, Rolls Royce and Marriot Hotels. Feed back from employers was very positive and copies of the evaluation forms are available to inspect.

Business Language Champions event – Nottingham University – Monday 24th June On Monday 24th June, 8 Y10 Lees Brook German students took part in a Business Language Champions event at Nottingham University. They had the chance to learn a little about the Japanese culture and language experience, before moving on to working in German, carrying out the kind of design activities that will take place before the Olympic Games - in this case focusing on the airline Lufthansa, and how they will use the Olympics as a marketing opportunity. Lees Brook students integrated well with students from other schools and came up with some great ideas. They also enjoyed the chance to visit Nottingham University, and get a tiny taste of the feel of this impressive campus.

Year 9 Drayton Manor Rewards Trip – Monday 24th June On Monday 24 June, 120 Year 9 students were selected to visit Drayton Manor as a reward for good attendance and behaviour throughout the year. The students had a fantastic time as the Park was quiet with not many other schools visiting on that day. Students were able to ride on Shock Wave, Stormforce 10, Maelstrom, Pandemonium, Apocalypse, Accelerator, and all the other fantastic rides. The queues were short and students were able to have a go on everything that they dared to go on. At the end of the day everyone arrived back on time and behaviour was exceptional from everyone. I am really proud of Year 9. Mr Dunn

Year 9 Performance in Education – Tuesday 25th June On Tuesday 25 June, Year 9 students watched a performance designed to help them with their options choices. The performance used an analogy of going to a fancy dress party all wearing the same outfit to help explain that different post 16 courses would suit different people. The performance was energetic and then after the performance students were asked questions about their understanding of post 16 choices. Many students already have good ideas about post 16 courses but this will have helped some students to see what is available to them.

Year 7 – Visit to Bombardier – Monday 8th July Following the Bombardier Train Design competition during the autumn term, students were invited to tour the Bombardier manufacturing plant to learn how a train is designed and built. This was an excellent opportunity to gain first-hand experience of STEM careers and manufacturing. We had a great afternoon at Bombardier touring the factory and seeing our final idea developed onto the competition locomotive, students even got to have a test run! Well done Year 7!

Year 7 take part in a very successful enterprise day – Tuesday 9th July On Tuesday 9th July, E4E from Derby City Council worked with the careers team at Lees Brook to put on an enterprise day for 220 students in Year 7. Each Year 7 tutor group split into many teams working with an employer to create a pop up shop. They had to design and create a business that was unique and could be marketable locally and nationally. Each group had to present their ideas to the business volunteer and a winning team in each tutor group then had to present their ideas about their business in front of the whole year group and 'Dragons Den' panel of 3 judges.

After a very close contest the winning group were called Cycle More and their idea was to renovate and recycle old bikes with personalised branding.

Throughout the day students were enthusiastic and engaged and showed they could work cooperatively in teams using skills and qualities that will help them progress through their remaining years at Lees Brook and beyond.

Derby University Summer School – Buxton Campus – Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th July Lewis Newburn (Y10) attend the Derby University Summer School – please see Lewis’ review below.

Overall I found Derby University’s Summer School a really enticing, enjoyable experience. It is a great opportunity to form friendships with people from a wide range of backgrounds. During the summer school we took part a range of workshops including one on forensic science, completed research and presentations and competed in a range of friendly competitions, that helped bring us closer together as people. I experienced a great taste into what life at university would be like, by having tours of the campus and staying in the University Halls. The people who were leading the sessions were all current university students or graduates and that allowed us to ask them directly what their view of university was and helped us form close bonds with them. The whole summer school was very well organised and lots of fun, even including a disco with great music and good food. I would recommend other students taking up this fantastic opportunity in the future.

Lewis Newburn – Year 10

Young Engineers and Scientists of Design Challenge 2019 – The University of Derby – Wednesday 10th July Three teams were entered in to the competition, which asked the participants to design and make a lunar module capable of successfully completing four landings, whilst preventing any spillage of the cargo within the module. The mark scheme looked at teamwork, module design, modelling skills, the accuracy of the landing and retention of the cargo.

The three teams all did extremely well and were a credit to the school. However one of the teams went one better and won the Year 7/8 1st prize!

Teams: Callum Holdsworth, Jacob Benfield, Brandon Seaton / Laurel Moore, James Loomes, Thomas Key Winners: Alfie Adamson, Adam Wood, Josh Smith

We would like to thank the organisers and Derby University for putting on a fantastic event, and we are already looking forward to next year’s competition.

Grease Grease is announced as the school musical for the next academic year. Please sign up to be cast members, chorus or dancers (not main singing or non-singing parts as auditions have already taken place for these). See Mrs Davies or Miss Kendall for any further information. For any other students who have an interest in stage management, lighting, sound, props, scenery, marketing or front of house please see Miss Morton-Riley for information about how to get involved.

Physical Education Department

Lees Brook Sporting Achievements

East Midlands Sports Acrobatics Championships – Monday 4th March The following students represented Lees Brook at the regional schools Sports Acrobatics competition in Grantham on 4th March. Aleah Boot, Amber Burnett, Maisie Meakin, Bethany Loomes, Isabella Mohammed and Melissa Meredith. The girls performed paired routines and were placed in the following positions.

Aleah + Amber - 5th Maisie + Bethany - 7th Isabella + Melissa - 12th

Year 7 Netball Tournament – Littleover – Thursday 28th March The Year 7 netball team played really well in their first ever tournament. Their team work and determination took them to just missing out on getting into the semi-finals of the City tournament which had 12 other local teams enter. Well done girls – you have had a brilliant first year and looking forward to continuing with this in September!

Y10 Rounders Tournament – 16th May The girls finished in fourth place in the derby city schools U15 rounders competition. They worked really well together and have a real passion for playing rounders so well done girls!

Derbyshire Schools Combined Events - Athletics Competition - 22nd May George Reynolds Year 8 represented the school at this competition which was held at Spinkhill, Derbyshire. He finished 2nd in the Junior Boy's (Year 8&9) Pentathlon and as a result will go on to represent the Derbyshire School's team at the Midland School's Combined Events Championships on Saturday 22nd June at Ashfield School, Kirkby in Ashfield.

Derby City Athletics Competition – Wednesday 5th June Well done to Year 8 boys that represented the school in a Derby City Athletics competition at Woodlands School.

1st George Reynolds - LongJjump 1st Kenyan Rusko - Javelin 2nd George Reynold s- 100m 2nd Joshua Mayer- Javelin

2nd relay 4x100m George Reynolds Sam Woijok Liam Stanard Alex Devin

3rd Liam Stanard - 200m

Derbyshire School's Athletics Championships - 8th June George Reynolds (Year 8) and Cameron Nightingale (Year 11) represented the school at these Championships. George won the Gold medal in the Junior Boys, 80 metre hurdles and Cameron was 4th in the Intermediate Boy's 1500 metre Steeplechase. By finishing 1st George will go on to represent the Derbyshire School's team at the Inter County Schools Competition at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham on 15th June.

Derby City Championships held at Chellaston School on Wednesday 19th June Year 7 and 8 athletics team - competing in the Derby City Championships held at Chellaston School. Well done team!

Sports Day – Friday 28th June The whole day was a fantastic event and we witnessed some very impressive performances across all year groups. Students entered into the team spirit of the event and supported their tutor groups extremely well and really enjoyed the staff year group relay race at the end! A great day had by all and even some school records were broken! Well done to all the competitors for making it an exciting and enjoyable day and to the spectators who were supporting and cheering nonstop!

The following students all broke records at the school’s Sports Day this year:

Georgia Hutchinson - Y7 girls Standing Long Jump, 2.04m Milly Archer - Y7 girls 200m, 31.33s

Connie Haran - Y8 girls 200m, 29.65s

Callum Jordan - Y8 boys 200m, 26.90s Alex Devlin - Y8 boys 300m, 46.48s

Brooke Golding - Y9 girls Javelin, 17.20m

Louis Harrison - Y9 boys Standing Long Jump, 2.42m Max Turton - Y9 boys Standing Triple Jump, 7.76m

Jodie Sharratt - Y10 girls Standing Long Jump, 2.04m Jodie Sharratt - Y10 girls Standing Triple Jump, 6.24m

Keenan O'Connor - Y10 boys Standing Long Jump, 2.53m

Also a big thank you to all the ex-Year 11 pupils who came back in to school to help with the organisation of the day – you were a big help so thank you very much!!

Athletics Success for George Year 8 student George Reynolds has been making a name for himself at recent School’s Athletics Championships. George competes regularly for Amber Valley and Erewash Athletic Club, based in Ilkeston and has done extremely well so far this season. At the Derbyshire School’s individual event Championships held at Moorways Stadium, Derby on Saturday 8th June, George won the Gold medal in the Junior Boy’s 80m Hurdles and as a result was selected to represent the Derbyshire School’s team at the Mason Trophy in Birmingham, an event involving ten counties from across the Midlands and North West and attracting some of the best young athletes in the country.

Lees Brook Athletics Team triumphant at Derby City Sports event – Thursday 4th July Students were selected to represent Lees Brook School at the annual Derby City Sports Athletics competition on Thursday 4th July at Moorways Athletics Stadium. A mixture of boys and girls from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 competed against the best athletes from Derby City schools. The calibre of talent at the event was exceptional and our students performed to the best of their abilities.

Overall we had 13 podium finishes from a mixture of the teams across the year groups. Each student has shown commitment to practices and after school qualifier competitions throughout the spring and summer term in order to qualify for the athletics team that was taken to City Sports. This commitment and progress was reflected hugely in the results of the competitions. A massive well done to all the students involved with the athletics competitions this year.

Podium places are as follows:

Name of student Year Race Place Connie Haran 8 200m 2nd Joseph Mitchell 7 Shot Putt 1st Rhys Brailsford 10 400m 1st Tillie Blurton 10 100m 2nd George Reynolds 8 High Jump 1st Sam Wojcik 8 Long Jump 2nd Liam Stanard 8 200m 3rd Sam Pipes 10 800m 3rd Lucy Brighouse 7 800m 2nd Max Turton 9 Long Jump 3rd Keenan O’Connor 10 Triple Jump 2nd Year 7 boys Relay 2nd Year 8 boys Relay 1st

Students take the lead at the Primary Track and Field Athletics We have had a number of pupils who have been involved in sporting leadership opportunities during this year. On a couple of occasions pupils have assisted with the delivery of sport sessions within primary school settings and on Thursday 11th July 6 students from Years 8 and 9 attended the Derby City Primary School athletics competition held at Moorways outdoor track.

Students officiated at the different track and field events during the day for the Year 5/6 athletes. Duties ranged from measuring, recording and the setting up of equipment for the events. Well done boys and thank you! Mr Dyson and Mr Hill

A summary of sports clubs throughout the year

Netball We have had a fantastic year for netball with the teams progressing in to well established teams by the end of the season. With a new Learning Director with a specialism in netball, the interest and commitment demonstrated by the teams and the numerous wins against other schools has been really pleasing and we look forward to continuing to develop this sport further next season.

Rugby Year 7 and 8 boys played at Derby Rugby Club in a tournament in April. Lees Brook won two and lost one game. The team showing excellent promise for the future. The purpose of the fixture was to encourage students to play outside of school and join a community club such as Derby RFC. Well done!

Cricket During the summer term the school entered the Derby City cricket competition with training sessions taking place every Wednesday after school, weather permitting. Students have shown a great attitude and enthusiasm to improving their cricket skills and techniques. Throughout the term the popularity of the club has increased with numbers of pupils attending the weekly sessions increasing week on week.

Unfortunately organised fixtures were unable to take place as the British weather during June and July stopped play!! We look forward to next years summer term to get the cricket teams up and running again.

Football Girls football ran from September - December with girls from Year 7-9 regularly taking part in weekly training. Gabby Smith (Y10) assisted with coaching the Year 7 girls. Year 8+9 girls entered the Under 14 Derby City Schools Football Tournament at Merrill Academy on 21st November.

This academic year has seen the school boys football teams compete in the Derby City league and Cup competitions at all age groups. Additionally, the Year 7 team also competed in the English Schools National Cup; the Year 8 team competed in the Derbyshire County Cup and were eventually beaten in the third round.

The Year 10 and 11 teams were also entered into the Derby City School Futsal tournament during the spring term. In the tournament the Year 10 team finished in second place, with the Year 11 team winning the tournament and qualifying for the County finals. At the County finals the Year 11 team performed well, finishing third overall.

All the students in the teams have yet again shown outstanding levels of commitment and desire to improve through participating in weekly matches and training sessions throughout the year.

Gymnastics Gymnastics club has run all year for Year 7 and 8. The Gymnastics team have taken part in two competitions. Derby City Schools Championships on 12th December. Level One: Aleah Boot - 1st place, Amber Burnett - 2nd place, Level Two: Florence Hayden - 3rd place. East Midlands Sports Acrobatics Championships on 4th March - Aleah Boot and Amber Burnett - 4th place.

Cross Country A small number of students represented the school at the Derby City Schools cross country event in September. Y7 - Taylor Duggan and Maddy Kojdic, Y8 - Georgia Davis and Henry Surgay, Y11 - Jack Surgay and Cameron Nightingale.

Rounders Rounders has seen excellent commitment for the Year 8 and 10 teams with pupils regularly attending practices, unfortunately due to the poor weather we experienced a number of matches and tournaments were cancelled but the Year 10 notably came 4th in their tournament

Tennis We have included tennis in our curriculum this year and have been encouraging pupils to practice at lunch times with our courts open every lunchtime Monday-Thursday and an afterschool club on a Thursday also. This club has grown in popularity and it is nice seeing pupils try something different.

Athletics We have seen real success with athletics this year both as teams and as individual events. Numerous athletics competitions have been attended with particular focus on the Derby City sports athletics event which saw Lees Brook with 13 podium places!

Cheerleading September marked the return of Lees Brook’s cheerleading club which is open to male and female students of all year groups. During the year the students have been able to develop their cheerleading skills such as; stunting, jumping, tumbling. The progress shown by these students is excellent. Students who have never participated in cheerleading before were able to base/fly a number of different stunts as well as ensure the safety of their peers, alongside developing their jumps and tumbles.

PE rewards trip To show our appreciation for all the hard work demonstrated by pupils who have regularly committed to our extra-curricular sport clubs and teams, we have organised a sports reward trip which will become an annual event. For this trip, we are taking pupils Ice Skating at The International Ice Rink in Nottingham which will be a great fun!

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