VOICE LANDAU FORTE TERMLY NEWSLETTER WINTER TERM | 2011 SPECIAL LAUNCH EDITION! CONTRIBUTORS AND 04 MESSAGES FROM PRINCIPAL & EDITOR HOUSES 06 CHARITIES 14 CAREERS LRC TRIPS & EVENTS 26 ENRICHMENT 34 WORLD NEWS 40 UK NEWS 42 LOCAL NEWS SIXTH FORM NEWS 46 POLITICS & LITERATURE THEATRE FASHION MUSIC FILMS GAMES & FITNESS HEALTH SCIENCE 48 50 58 62 66 68 70 76 CONTRIBUTORS PRINCIPAL MR P MORRIS VICE PRINCIPAL DR S CLARK STAFF EDITOR MRS N OWEN DESIGNER MR S MARSHALL PRINCIPAL LIAISON & PRESS OFFICER MS S PEARSALL EDITOR MADELEINE READ DEPUTY EDITOR JENNIFER PRINCE NEWS LAURA THOMPSON & STEVEN TOMES ENRICHMENT TONI HENDRICK & LAURA DOWLING POLITICS CALLUM VILLAGE CHARITY & HOUSE STUART NAGINGTON & NAMRATA MISHRA SPORT & HEALTH LAUREN BERRY LITERATURE ALEXANDRA SHINNICK FASHION EMILY TROOD FILM LEWIS HALL MUSIC JENNIFER PRINCE SCIENCE SOPHIE HAMMOND PHOTOGRAPHER PHILIPPA ROSE 04 THE PRINCIPAL When this Academy began, it was just me, sitting Whilst we understand the concerns that some by myself, in an office at the old woodhouse people had about the project, we hope they can school site; there was no building, no staff now see that we are in the process of giving the and most importantly no students. I began to young people of Tamworth the opportunity to fulfil wonder why I had taken on this task? their potential, both academically and socially, to ensure the development of their future careers. Sitting here now in my new office surrounded by a wonderful new building, great staff and great It has been a long journey, and it is just beginning. students, I know exactly why I took on this task. I am sure there will be some difficulties along the way but I know that the team I have around me This is a new beginning for Sixth Form Education are going to make this establishment something in Tamworth. that Tamworth can be very proud of. PHIL MORRIS THE EDITOR It’s been a long time coming, but here it finally having new staff to get to know, and starting is, the first of many editions of YOUR Academy new subjects. It’s nice to see that everybody newsletter. It’s taken a lot of hard work from has adapted and is setting in well. everybody involved and it’s safe to say it didn’t go without a few hiccups along the way, but So here it is, the building blocks for the everybody involved is excited to have something foundations of a new school newsletter, and we in their hands that they can be proud of. want you all to be involved, so if you know of anything happening or would like to contribute This first edition is going to cover everything anything then just get in touch with one of the that has happened since the very beginning team, let’s make this something to be proud of. of the year and the start of the new Landau Forte Sixth Form. It’s been quite an experience moving to a shiny new building, MADELEINE READ 05 HOUSES DAVID ATTENBOROUGH BY NAMRATA MISHRA At Landau Forte Sixth Form the students Personal Life: He grew up in Academy are divided into four houses and each of House on the campus of University these four houses has been named after of Leicester. He was the middle of a renowned person in each faculty area. three sons. Richard Attenborough These people represent the house in the was his elder brother and John public domain and within this newsletter Michael Attenborough was his we will be introducing two of them. younger brother. He has established himself in the BBC by doing his work Sir David Frederick Attenborough is a on Life on Earth ,The Living Planet, British broadcaster and a naturalist. He has The Trials Of Life,The Private Life of been the voice and face of natural history Plants, The Life of Birds, The Life of programmes for more than 50 years. He is Mammals, Life in the Underground best known for representing Life series on and many more. the BBC. He served as controller of BBC Two and Director of Programming for BBC television from the 1960s to the 1970s. After leaving the Navy, Attenborough took a position editing children’s science textbooks for a publishing company. He soon became disillusioned with the work, however, and in 1950 he applied for a job as a radio talks producer with the BBC. 06 After his resignation, Attenborough became a freelance broadcaster and immediately started work on his next project, a pre-arranged trip to Indonesia with a crew from the Natural History Unit. It resulted in the 1973 series Eastwards with Attenborough, which was similar in tone to the earlier Zoo Quests but without the animal collecting element. 07 HOUSES MEET THE DIRECTORS OF LEARNING CATHERINE FISHER My role in the academy is Director of Learning for Maths, Business and Enterprise, which means I oversee A levels in ICT, Business, Economics, Maths, Law and Computing. Tied in with this role, myself and the team of tutors in Branson House are responsible for the academic progress of students attached to the House. It is a great job as there is nothing more rewarding than helping students achieve their potential and goals. No two days are the same and the challenge of the job means that you are constantly thinking of new and better ways to do things so that students can get even better grades and develop their skills. Favourite quote, ‘there are three types of people in the world…people who make things happen, people who watch things happen and people who sit back and ask ‘what just happened’’!? Favourite biscuit – white chocolate chip cookies. CLAIRE GAUNT I would like to consider myself to be a positive person. Focus on the positives, deal with every challenge as it comes is the best advice I can give to students. I have always had a great passion for the sciences and even at a young age knew I wanted a career in science. I really enjoy working at the Academy – it certainly is a very rewarding job. Every day I have the opportunity to work with some fantastic students, who work hard and are committed to their studies. The facilities we have at the Academy certainly are an absolute dream! The laboratories and equipment means that we can do so much more practical work. Out of Academy I enjoy being active and have recently taken up Zumba. I cannot claim to be a very good cook, but I certainly do have a very sweet tooth. Let’s just say that biscuits and cakes do not last long in my house! I do enjoy travelling and enjoy learning about new cultures and languages. One of the most important things to me is spending time with my family and as a Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter I will sometimes join my dad to watch a match at the Molineux Stadium (yes I know they are not doing too well at the moment). 08 MICHELE LONGMORE-SPILLETT My favourite quote is, “Creativity is about making mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to keep”. I didn’t always want to be a teacher, I originally wanted to be a physiotherapist but I found the sciences at A Level too hard, and was encouraged by a family friend to pursue my ability in Art. The advantage to this job is that I do my hobby every day, as I love to be creative and explore different media and materials. The disadvantage is the long hours. What I like about the new Landau Forte Academy is the size of the classrooms, the new equipment, and the tranquillity across the whole Academy. It is also a huge bonus to have a good team of staff and lovely students. I teach Art and Textiles and I enjoy my role as Director of Learning for the Visual and Performance Studies, it is very busy though. It is lovely to see students enjoying learning and participating in different activities and being proud of their success. I adore collecting shoes, and have quite a few pairs. My hobby is Art but I love to make clothes and like to recycle materials and create things. I enjoy baking and I have chickens, ducks and cats. GERALDINE MCCAULEY Teaching is a privilege and teaching at the Landau Forte Sixth Form Academy is not only a privilege but a great responsibility and challenge. I am very excited about the facilities we have here and know that there are still many opportunities to explore with the students of the Academy and also with the team of staff. Teaching is in my blood; I come from a family of teachers, my uncle was a Headmaster, my mum was a primary school teacher and one of my sisters was the Head of Sixth Form in Yorkshire. My husband Declan used to be a Head teacher too. I was inspired to teach by my English teacher, Mrs Howe, at Notre Dame Girls School in Liverpool. Such trips as a student myself, inspired me to go on to study English at University. I hope the students at the Sixth Form Academy take advantage of the many opportunities which are organised for them, they do have a real impact and provide many happy memories. During my teaching career I have worked in a variety of schools and institutions across the West Midlands. I have been able to take advantage of some very interesting experiences which have come my way. This led to the making of a television programme , similar to DIY SOS, where we were able to refurbish an orphanage and provide better facilities.