SUMMER TERM 2018
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High quality education at the heart of the community CMAT NEWS
On Saturday 23rd June we held our fourth annual trust leadership conference with over 60 of our trust leaders in attendance plus some special guests from educational partners. The conference this year focused on a CMAT ‘Whole’ Education – Every child is known, valued and supported to achieve in all areas and covered a variety of different important themes. We were joined by Ofsted’s National Director of Education, Sean Harford as our inspirational guest speaker, who shared an insight into the way Ofsted is developing. Chris Holmwood from Shenley Brook End School in Milton Keynes gave us plenty to think about in relation to Northstowe and Darwin Green, when he shared the journey of his school from one very small year group in an old youth centre to becoming a school of over 1,500 students. Across the trust we have had money awarded to us by Cambridgeshire County Council, to enable us to improve some of our buildings. Sawtry Village Academy were awarded £2million which will enable work to start on an 18 classroom block over the summer and Nene Park Academy are awaiting the completion of their new block this summer. These new buildings will only add to the positive learning experience that all pupils at the schools currently receive. We welcomed Lantern Community Primary School, Ely and Bar Hill Primary School officially to CMAT as of Friday 1st June and they are now proudly part of our Trust. We’re very pleased that the schools have chosen to become part of CMAT. Both schools currently have a ‘Good’ rating by Ofsted, meaning not only can we share our best practice and resource with Lantern and Bar Hill, but that we can also learn from the good practice that is already in place. Eight years after winning the bid to deliver the secondary and post-16 education at Northstowe, the project team have entered the final phase before submitting the formal planning application for the new education hub, which will now include a SEND provision. It is great to see this project starting to become alive and we will be opening to our first cohort of pupils in September 2019. Have you ever wanted to know more about how academies in a multi-academy trust are governed? If so, then I encourage you to become a governor in one of our schools. Becoming a governor not only lets you give back to your community, but it also provides you with more insight into school management. It is a wonderful thing to do, especially if you have a passion for education, and the Trust will support you to do this if you would like to. If you are interested in becoming a governor at one of our schools or would like advice on how to get involved in governance in your community, please contact our Trust Governance and Compliance Manager, Suzanne Cooper ([email protected]).
Mark Woods CMAT Chief Executive Officer
Sawtry Junior Academy
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2 A Message From The Principal...
As another school year reaches its close at NPA this Newsletter allows us to celebrate another successful year involving a huge range of opportunities and activities for students from all year groups. In this edition of the newsletter we showcase many of the achievements of this term and look back on the year’s journey while looking forward to the new developments which are waiting for us next year. This year the students’ range of activities which were part of the PLEDGES programme included events from all subject areas, many of which are highlighted in this magazine. The development of our careers programme has involved a Year 9 girls STEM day, a very successful work experience fortnight for Year 10, and many business partnerships supporting our PLEDGES and Futures Days for all year groups. Across the Academy, charity work has been high on the agenda again, along with our annual sponsored walk and charities morning several students have taken it upon themselves to organise their own events, such as Bradley, who raised money for Alopecia UK by shaving all of his hair off. Our Languages department have again made sure that as many students as possible have had the chance to experience the countries that they are studying the languages of and our Drama and Music teams have put on professional quality performances, such as Hairspray and the Shakespeare festival, demonstrating the talents of our students. This magazine gives even more examples of how the hard work in the classrooms this year has been supported by exiting and enjoyable activities for the students to consolidate their learning. Over the year our new building extension, with its fantastic facilities has been taking shape and is on track to open on time in September. We are delightaed that this gives us the opportunity to welcome in our largest group of Year 7 students ever. To allow us to continue to support our students as closely as we can we have put in place the new House for next ayear, ‘Rowling House’, and Mr Ogden, our new Senior Tutor, and Mrs Peters, our new Student Support Advisor, have been working hard with Miss Foster to have everything in place ready to welcome some of our existing students to their new house and our new Year 7 students to Rowling house in Nene Park Academy. This year Ofsted came back to see us and thoroughly enjoyed the time they had with us on our PLEDGES and Futures Day confirming that this is a ‘good school’ where we are ambitious for pupils to excel across the curriculum. In line with this our older students have been diligently making their way through the new curriculum with both Year 11 and Year 13 working their hardest to do their very best this year and we have been delighted with the progress which they have made. We fully expect the hard work of all of our students to pay off in their exam results in August and we wish them the very best for their future education or careers.
Steve Howard Executive Principal
3 Year 10 Geography fieldwork - Hunstanton
When we arrived at Hunstanton and set foot on the beach we knew that the day was going to be filled with fresh air and clear blue skies! This was going to be a trip to remember! Group 1 and Group 2 immediately set out to complete their activities. Group 1 started on the beach (lucky them!). They completed sediment measurements at the groynes, identified wave types and completed a bi-polar survey of the coastal management strategies. Group 2 completed their human data collection. This involved asking tourists and residents questions about the local area, asking the local residents and tourists about their thoughts on how tourism impacts life in Hunstanton. In addition to this, we completed land use transects along the high street; we looked at the types of buildings, if they were residential or commercial and how they varied along a transect. At 11:45 we all met up for lunch. Some students went to ‘The Cod Father’ for some fish and chips and the rest brought their own food from home. Lunchtime was filled with happy students eating lunch and enjoying the beautiful scenery and sunshine. After eating lunch group 2 made their way onto the beach as the hot sun beamed down. The most important thing was we were having fun while carrying out the tasks (Mrs Brimer might disagree and say the important thing was learning some practical Geography!). At the end of the day we carried our tired teachers bodies back to the coach to make the return journey to Peterborough. The journey back was filled with singalongs, shared snacks and balloons. We arrived back at Nene Park Academy and stretched our legs after an exciting and fun filled Geography field trip to Sunny Hunny. Written by Regan Truss (Yr 10 W-SLA)
Thrive Mobile Phones As you will be aware we recently amended our mobile phone policy As part of our ongoing work to support the well-being and so that phones were no longer allowed in school between 8:30 and mental health of students we have joined with the YMCA to 2:45. As expected, a number of students were initially concerned about pilot their new Thrive app. Thrive is a confidential wellbeing this change but we have been delighted with app that helps to build resilience, prevent and manage stress, the response so far. Students are no longer anxiety and other common mental health conditions. The app checking phones at the end of each lesson, and was designed by mental health experts and features a number at breaks and lunchtimes are engaging in more of activities, as well as access to advice and support. Students sociable interactions. We plan to continue with across the school will be invited to download the app and we this policy and thank parents for your support. will share their views with the YMCA in a few months.
4 Primary Days 2018
‘Wow!’; ‘Fantastic!’; ‘What a great two days.’; ‘I want to start at NPA tomorrow!’.Just a few of the overheard comments from our new Year 7 students during the transition/moving up days on the 4th and 5th July. The day started with an early get up as the students were so excited about the move to our school. They were met at the gates by older students who had volunteered their time to help the Year 6s. Students were given their House T-shirts to wear for the two days so that they could identify each other and begin to make new friends and so that the student mentors and staff could make sure they were in the right place. During the day students were challenged in a variety of activities such as media, where they were introduced to the Media suite and its large screen Apple Mac machines, the software enabled them to use Moviemaker and create their own short movie. The PE session were both competitive and fun as the students were involved in large team games such Capture the flag, where teamwork, communication and skill were required to win the Game. In English, graveyard mystery and spooky goings on were the order of the day. In Maths they had fun with numbers, honest, they really did have fun with numbers! In Science, speed was the essence with rockets and F1 cars. They improved their knowledge of French, sang as a House choir and as a year group, the students didn’t realise how beautiful they could sound! The Sixth Form Leaders organized the end of the day Disco with the highlight being the Senior Tutor Dance off which Mr Stokes won after a showdown with Mr Treliving. A wonderful two days, roll on September! Friday Treat!
In recognition of the lovely weather and as a ‘well done’ to our students, as a little light relief from the exceedingly hot weather, an ice cream van was invited to pay us a visit the school in order to offer students the opportunity to purchase some cooling treats during their lunchtime break. Staff have been impressed with the way students have responded so positively to the new mobile phone policy, and have noted excellent conduct around the Academy. Our lunchtime supervisors have Well Done to commented on the positive atmosphere at lunchtimes, and visitors continue to comment on the calm and purposeful atmosphere Tom England in school. We have also had numerous events recently where students have represented themselves and the Academy, including the Year 7 French Trip, Year 9 University Visits and the Year 10 (Yr 8 K-SRO) Work Experience. Our student leaders have also been involved in CONGRATULATIONS go to many staff interviews, and our students have appeared on television Tom England, who was NPA’s several times in recent months. first student to earn 1000 positive As such, we felt it would be a good way to end a very hot week and behaviour points. As a reward so gave our students the opportunity of enjoying cooling treat! for Tom’s efforts and hard work We appreciate your ongoing support and continue to be very proud he was treated to an ice cream by of our young people. Mr Howard.
5 NPA Students Lead The Way In Improving Mental Health At the start of the school year, Nene Park Academy established a mental health champions group made up of 22 Year 12 students who work together to raise awareness of mental health in the school. NPA Mental Health Teacher, Samantha Lawrence, is leading the ‘StressLESS’ campaign at Nene Park Academy. She said: “I am so proud of CHAMPIONS our mental health champions. It is great to see how passionate the volunteers are about helping their fellow students to develop essential tools to cope with their mental health, which will be especially helpful this exam season.” IN ASSOCIATION WITH “The champions volunteer after school to take part in workshops and form plans to improve their fellow students’ LESS Take five. Feel better. mental health. The work they are doing is especially important as a recent study showed that 70% of children #Take5challenge and adolescents who experience mental health problems do not have access to appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age – we are working hard to change that at Nene Park Academy.” Nene Park Academy’s student champions have completed the Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and South Lincolnshire Mind ‘Take five’ challenge, spending five weeks looking at changes they can make around school to reduce stress and implement a StressLESS Action Plan. They also attended a theatre production on male mental health and suicide earlier in the year and are currently being trained as mental health first aiders. Principal of Nene Park Academy, Steve Howard, said: “We are really proud of how hard our mental health champions are working to improve mental health awareness in school. The students have worked hard to share their knowledge with the rest of the school and have delivered several successful presentations for their fellow students – one of which was watched by Ofsted during our recent inspection. I am pleased that Nene Park Academy is making student mental health and wellbeing a school priority and I look forward to seeing what our student champions can do in the Eating disorders future.” Keep learning Phobia Give Substance related abuse Looking forward, the student champions Panic Connect will attend a mindfulness and meditation Shame Physical disorders Reach out Mood disorders session and feed-back these skills to all Psychotic disorders Stress pupils. The champions are also helping to Be active Take notice Personality disorders prepare a bid to gain funding for a ‘Chill Out Zone’ and hope that by building a designated area in school they will provide a safe place for students to relax and de- stress. StressLESS Yoga session
Elisa Kenton-Howells from NEACO organised a visit for someone from Equilibrium to visit NPA and to undertake a mindfulness / yoga session ahead of the busy and stressful exam period. The session was very much appreciated by all of the students which, hopefully, set them up for success in their recent exams.
Year 7s Learn About Food Waste
As part of the Year 7 Geography topic ‘Sustainability’, staff at the Peterborough Environment City Trust came to NPA to carry out some workshops to talk about food waste. Students completed taste tests, created smoothies and looked at strategies for reducing food waste in their daily life. During the summer students will be doing an audit of food waste in the school and looking at what we can do to reduce food waste and become a more sustainable school.
6 Our Year 7 Trip To Boulogne
Hello my name is Derin and a few weeks ago I was We woke up at 3:30am and had to be at school lucky enough to go to France on a school trip, it was by 3:45am and then leave school at 4:00am. My fantastic! I bought a ring in the town and visited the partner was Harvey, and he was very funny and a old city of Boulogne. Later we went to the beach and bit loud too, but we could handle it. The toilet was it was great fun. My teacher chose me to order the very small and I bashed my head on the roof! chips for our group and I ordered them in French! After we arrived at Dover, I was a bit scared because Later we went shopping on the ferry. I loved the I don’t like going on the P&O ferries but I had a lot French trip! of Starbuck drinks which was sooo nice!!!.When Written by Derin Sinoglu (Yr7 – K-KMC) we came off the P&O ferry we were then in France. After we arrived in Boulogne we went to the town centre and had lunch which was chicken nuggets or sausage and after that we went on the beach where I buried Harvey in the sand. We ate chips and ice cream on the beach and then we made our way back to the P&O ferry. On the coach on the way back I was very tired but didn’t manage to sleep until the kind Mr Hartley lent me his pillow and then I did fall asleep, but only for 5 minutes! My favourite part of the day was playing ‘Manhunt’ on the ferry and eating the enormous ice cream on the beach. Written by Filip Szyputa (Yr 7 – L-JEY) and Harvey Cliffe (Yr 7 L-DMC)
Geography and The World Cup
In geography this term we have learnt about Russia and the World Cup. This topic has been amazing! We have learnt so much about so many different things to do with Russia. We have done many activities working in groups, for example we had to memorise a map of Russia. We have also learnt about the different cities hosting the World Cup during a stadium explorer task and created climate charts for the each of the different climate zones in Russia. We also played an extremely well made game of Top Trumps were we looked at whether or not a country’s development influences their success in the World Cup. Although this is all amazing my favourite activity was picking our teams from a bag in our class sweepstake with the riveting prize of food!!! I got Panama which in my opinion is not a good football team but it is an amazing research opportunity of which I have indulged myself in and I bet fellow pupils have felt the same about their sweepstake country!! Written by: Archie Senior (Yr 8 W-MSM)
7 Life Skills For The HUB
To build some life skills, a group of Students from NPA’s Hub took a train trip to Stamford on the Pledges and Futures Day. Every student had to buy their own ticket by asking the booking clerk. Though they found it nerve racking, they all were very brave and managed it themselves. For some it was their first trip on a train and for others it was their first trip to Stamford. Prior to the trip students had researched all the interesting places to visit and the time it would take to get round to get the train back to school again. When we arrived we walked from the station to the meadow where we fed some ducks and pigeons, looked at the fish in the river and played ball on the grass. We then had a tour of the historic high street and some of the students visited the heritage display in the local library called, “Discover Stamford”. After lunch it was blistering hot so we all sought shelter under some trees in the meadow where we played cricket and enjoyed the sunshine. We also had a chance to celebrate Harvey’s birthday by eating cupcakes by the river.
Alternative Curriculum Our Alternative Curriculum students in Years 9 and 10 have had a really busy term. The Year 9 students have been working on Team Work Skills and raising money for charity. Kieran Harrison’s group did a particularly good job and raised £45 for Water Aid by washing cars for teachers. Well done to all the boys in the group; Daniel Woodruff, Aurimas Silale , Alfie Fyffe and their Group Manager Kieran Harrison. The Year 10 students have been looking at different enterprises and the entrepreneurs who set them up. As part of this they visited the Ferry Meadows Café and interviewed Raj Regmi, who owns the café. The students did an excellent job asking Raj the questions they had written for him and gathering all the information they needed for their coursework. They would like to thank Raj for doing the interview and allowing them to taste the delicious hot chocolate and cookies the café sells!
Jamie Baldwin (Yr 9 W-JFI) & MineVention
Started back in 2014, MineVention began life as a small local event in Galway, Ireland, and Jamie Baldwin attended, in his former guise as a YouTuber, signing autographs for over 1000 Minecraft fans, alongside household names such as Little Lizard Gaming, Netty Plays and DanTDM. Fast forward three and a bit years and MineVention is now one of only three events worldwide to have been given the stamp of Official Minecraft Community Event by Mojang, the makers of Minecraft, and Microsoft, who now own the rights to the game! There have now been over 20 events, with a combined audience of over 40,000 attendees in that time, and one person has been there from the beginning, travelling across the UK and Ireland and even as far as the USA... Jamie has evolved his role within the company, from YouTube guest to helper and then from Build Battle stage host, taking the mic in front of a large audience of attendees to now becoming the official MineVention photographer. Lisa O’Brien, one of the two organisers of the event said “Jamie is now an indispensable member of our team. His role is crucial to the success of the event as the images he captures are used not only in our own marketing, but by Mojang themselves in their advertising campaigns. His skills have developed hugely in his time with our company, and we are lucky to have him as part of the MineVention team.” MineVention will be at The Cresset on the 4 & 5 August 2018 and more information can be found at MineVention.com
8 New House News!
Over the past month we have been working hard to set up the structure, students and staffing for the ‘new house’. The subject areas moving to the ‘new house’ are Languages, Performing Arts (Music and Drama) and Business Studies. We are excited to announce that after the recent ‘new house’ assembly, students voted for the new name, and the house will be called… ROWLING. Rowling House came together on primary days and also sports day in preparation for the new academic year. Our first challenge as Rowling House was to appoint an SSA for our house office. A number of student were involved in this process throughout the day, welcoming prospective candidates into their form, touring round the school and a student panel interview. After much deliberation we are delighted to announce Katie Peters will be Rowling House SSA starting in September. Everyone who is involved with Rowling House is excited to get going and can’t wait to get up and fully running in September. Mr Ogden Rowling House Senior Tutor
Anglia Ruskin University Trip On the 26th June we took 90 students to the Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. The students really benefited from the day and many now would like to go to university.
Our trip to Cambridge of the dorms. The guides explained how the dorms work, and how you can get a room when you start. They said to us that they had plays every weekend that you can watch. The library is really big, and they have a rule that the higher you go the quieter you get. We also went to popular places in Cambridge where we spent time to have a look around and study. We went to the following: Christ College, Fitzwilliam Museum, and King’s College Chapel. Our visit on the 26th of June 2018 was really interesting. During the Overall, we think university is a good opportunity where you can take a morning, we went into the University to have a look around, and to step further into going into a career you will enjoy and want to do. We understand the way people become independent and how it helps you feel more motivated, and are actually opting to go university where we get a better future. We had a tour of the campus, and looked around to think we may excel in our chosen subjects. see the science rooms and other areas. Rachel, our lecturer, explained how the university works and how it’s a place where you become an Written by Maryam Khan (Yr 9 L-CBR) and Alfie Greenwood individual and work more alone. (Yr9 K-DHM) We had another language lecturer who spoke to us about how languages work there. We found out that there are 7 main languages that you can learn. They are Mandarin, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian. In the campus tour, we were shown the library, cafeteria, and the outside
9 FOCUS ON… Our Houses
THE BRUNEL HOUSE THE KING HOUSE
The summer term has been very busy and positive for all of our It’s been a busy time of year as we finish the Summer term exam period, students in Brunel. Our year 11s have now completed all of their with the Year 11s having recently had their exams along with the Year exams and we wish them all the luck for their results in August. 10s sitting their English Literature GCSE exam as well!. I have to say Each form in Brunel has been busy competing in our Friday quiz and the students were fantastic for the 2 days of the English Lit exam, with gaining as many positive behaviour points as they can in order to over 300 students sitting an exam in a variety of places; the main hall, eventually be crowned the Brunel champion form group at the end the sports hall, the drama studio and the scout hut. The students were of term. exemplary on that day in particular and the Year 11s, to their credit, Our top two forms last term were B-ASP/DZO and B-KCO/KST. As have been all the way through the hectic exam period. The exam season a reward, the students were provided with a Brunel breakfast during has been a success and the students deserve a huge credit for this and form time where Miss Gleeson cooked Bacon and hash browns, along fingers crossed for the exam results that they deserve. with some healthy options. All of the students enjoyed themselves As for events going on in King, and some even turned up early. Well done to these two forms who we are launching a senior boy proved that working as a team really does pay off. and girl position within the With the new house forming in September, we have some members house, which means they will of staff moving over to this house. I would like to take this opportunity be the main representatives of to thank Mr Ogden, Miss York and Mrs Collings for their hard work the house at various occasions. and commitment to Brunel over the years, we really will miss you. They will liaise closely with the We will also be saying goodbye to Mr Stenger and Mr Gill who are head boy and girl of the school and lead the King House student council. moving on to pastures new for September so we wish them all the Students will have to apply for this position with a clear application luck in their new jobs. Thank you both for your hard work in Brunel form to fill out, along with a job description of roles and responsibilities and in Maths. expected of them should they get that position. After being shortlisted Our final goodbye goes to a Mr Ainslie who has been a member of the final few will have interviews to see who is awarded the final 2 staff at this school since qualifying as a teacher 13 years ago. positions. The idea behind all of this is to not only give students more He was in the original Brunel team as a form tutor and went over to responsibility in school, but also for them to gain additional experiences the dark side for a while and joined Lennon as an Assistant Principal. which will stand them in good stead for the future. The interview process He has now returned to Brunel as our Assistant Principal which is will also provide them with the experience of having a formal interview, where he will finish his time at NPA with us. At the end of this term to help them as they move through life and go on to job interviews. Mr Ainslie is moving on a new job as a Vice Principal at another school. Although we wish Mr Ainslie well in his new job, both staff I am really excited about the launch of this and have already had a lot of and students will miss him incredibly. Thank you for all you have done interest shown from our students. for us Mr Ainslie, you really will be missed a lot. Finally, we had our last P&F Day where the King House created some Written by: Ms Gleeson, Senior Tutor – Brunel House fantastic lessons on diversity and stereotypes and which the students found really interesting and enlightening. Moving onto our second edition of an insight into the day of a King student. This edition is written by Kirsty Simons (Yr 9 K-PCI/ESV), who has written about our King Kong Competitions. ‘King competitions are great fun! They are small challenges sent out to each form to complete, then submit for judgement on which are the best. The aim is to win as many challenges as possible against the 12 forms to become the overall winner. They vary from practical challenges to literacy and numeracy challenges. All the students get involved from the Year 7s all the way up to Year 11s. The quirky challenges are usually creative and require teamwork to be perfectly executed, which allows everyone’s skills to come together. It is a great way of getting all the form to cooperate and work together, to overcome a challenge. We love them.’ Written by: Mr Grainger, Senior Tutor – King House
10 FOCUS ON… Our Houses
THE LENNON HOUSE THE WINSTON HOUSE
We have enjoyed a busy few weeks in Lennon with the exams What’s great about Winston? (… According to some Year 11 leavers) in full flow and would like to congratulate each and every one of our Year 11 students for their level of effort throughout this period. By now they are enjoying their ‘extra long’ school holiday • All of the teachers are so welcoming and kind to everyone. They always and we hope that they have a wonderful few weeks’ rest. We make everyone laugh (especially Mr Stokes). They treat everyone with are also delighted that so many of them have elected to remain the same respect. If you ever have a problem, you can always come to at NPA for their Sixth Form and will be pleased to see them again Winston House Office to talk to anyone who was there. in September. It is a wonderful time to reflect upon some of our house successes this year. So many of our students have received invitations to • Mrs Astill is one of the most caring people we have met and always various rewards events throughout the year which highlights the made sure we were okay all of the time. If she saw us in the corridor level of effort that they have put in. To receive these invitations, she would always check up on us and make sure everything was sorted students have to achieve a level of consistency across a number of out as quickly as possible. subjects over a significant period of time. It really is brilliant and I have been delighted to see so many in attendance. I have also had the pleasure of reading a huge amount of positive school reports • Summerfest was always more funny because Mr Stokes and the other which students work hard to achieve. Winston staff had funny ballet acts and comedy acts. We have also raised nearly two thousand pounds for charity, with over £800 going to both Little Miracles and The Amazon Ward at Peterborough City Hospital. Our staff and students voted to • Winston always supports us in what we chose to do, for example when spend the money going to the Amazon Ward on things that most of the Hairspray cast was made up of Winston students they were would make a child’s stay in the hospital more interesting with filled with enthusiasm and determination throughout the performances. more things to do. It is wonderful to think that students from Peterborough will benefit from this for years to come. We have also had several groups of students perform smaller tasks such • Form was the best 15 minutes of day. It was a time to relax and as sponsored silences to raise money for various chosen causes. have chats with people from other years. Our form tutors were very supportive and helped us through any problems to do with friends, More recently we have enjoyed a wonderful careers or our future. day of kite building where our students worked magnificently together. Ellie Biswell, Ellie Smith and Leva Zukauskaite spent 5 days at sea on a Sailing Trip. Some • Winston is by far the friendliest house that there can be. of our students took part in Summerfest and performed brilliantly, but sadly this will be Mr Emery’s last Summerfest. There • Whenever the Bittersweets did a bake sale Winston always supported certainly seems to be an astonishing level us and made sure the money went to the right place. of musical talent in Lennon. Denis Embalo was successful in his film audition and Sports Day is on the horizon. We are aiming for • Even though we never won sports day Mr Stokes had faith in us to win another clean sweep of all those trophies and always said “It’s not about winning, it’s about coming in the top 1”. but know that the other houses are determined to stop us in our tracks. Sadly for us, some of our staff and students will be leaving Lennon Written by: A group of to join the new Rowling House. Rowling House is very lucky to Year 11 leavers have them and we wish them every success in the coming years. I hope that everyone has an exciting and enjoyable summer holiday. Written by: Mr Treliving, Senior Tutor – Lennon House
11 Congratulations to Steve Prestcott, Pabulum’s Executive Chef Manager at NPA
At Pabulum’s recent Annual Awards ceremony, our very own Executive Chef Manager, Steve Prestcott, won ‘The People’s Award’ for the excellent work that he does within our catering Department here at NPA! Huge CONGRATULATIONS go to Steve for winning this important award; the reasons behind Steve’s successful nomination are outlined below: Steve has repeatedly gone beyond what is expected from him in his day to day job to support the school and its students: At the start of the academic year Steve devised and produced the menu for our annual presentation event. He planned it perfectly and stayed into the evening serving up mini burgers etc that went down a treat with both adults and students alike. He supported the school’s production of Hairspray as detailed here; ‘As part of the refreshments provided for the school’s production of Hairspray, Steve very kindly agreed to supply some tray bakes to help raise some much-needed funds for the show and, at the same time, Steve also agreed to allow some of our Hospitality students to join in with this venture as well. The group of Sixth Form Hospitality students then spent an afternoon baking in the school’s kitchen with Steve, and as they baked they learnt so much from the Steve and of his experiences of being a Chef. The students had a great afternoon learning about how to plan menus and also about how to work out the associated food costs involved in putting a menu together. Steve gave all of them a very informative insight, not only into some of the skills required to be a chef, but also into the some of the work and planning that goes on behind the scenes in any kitchen!’ And so, THANK YOU SO MUCH to Steve for not only helping us with our fundraising for the school production, but also for sharing his knowledge and expertise with a group of our students.’ Steve was an absolute star on the last Pledges &Futures day. We had decided that we should cover key life skills as part of the package and being able to cook for yourself was a key part of this. Steve gave up much of his day to working with the students. Moreover, through Pabulum, he provided all the ingredients necessary to make a Chili con carne. His enthusiasm and patience with the students, in addition to the mountains of often delicious food generated and then consumed, meant that this was one of the very best sessions that we have had at P&F. Steve clearly went above and beyond.
Bradley Shaves Off His Hair In Support Of Alopecia UK As Bradley was returning home from a day out with his family he was listening to the radio when he heard them talking about Alopecia. Bradley heard then how Alopecia affects people in many different ways and he was so touched by their stories that he decided to take it upon himself to do something and to raise some money for Alopecia UK. And so Bradley had all of his hair shaved off in support of this charity and has so far raised a whopping £150, which is 100% of his total target. Bradley explained ‘I was listening to the radio in the car and heard different stories from people who are affected by Alopecia and I knew then that I wanted to do my bit to try to help them and so, because we have a hairdressing salon in school, I thought I could get people to sponsor me and get all of my hair shaved off.’ ‘I was a little nervous, and my head feels a little chilly at the moment but I am sure I will get used to it!. I don’t mind, as it is all in a good cause’. If you are touched by Bradley’s campaign and would like to donate some money to Alopecia UK, please go to Bradley’s Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bradley-knighton
12 Work Experience Is A Success For Tyler!
Tyler Hammond-Kelly, a year 10 student, returned to NPA after his two-week work experience at the SENSE college in Hampton. During his time at SENSE, Tyler was made aware of many avenues of support and possible career choices out there for him, as a young person with severe visual impairment. Although Tyler wishes to go on to further education in a specialist college for visually impaired learners, he has also expressed a desire to help people with disabilities and their families. He hopes to do this by getting involved in fundraising events, acting as an Ambassador for people with disabilities, (particularly visual, hearing and mental), and on completion of his further education, Tyler would like to become an advisor for parents of children who have special needs, so that he can help them to deal with their children’s difficulties in a positive way. SENSE college was chosen by staff at Nene Park Academy as an option for Tyler’s work experience because they thought it was specific for his needs. The school wanted to show Tyler what options there were for his future and to expand on his knowledge and understanding of the workplace. Whilst at the college, Tyler learnt how to interact with people who have various levels of disability, using British Sign language and the deaf blind manual sign language. He assisted with some of the planned sessions, became an assistant receptionist and had interviews with the ‘Deaf Blind UK’ organisation, and with the publishing manager for SENSE, who has decided to publish an article about Tyler’s experiences in the August edition of their magazine. Tyler’s blog will also be placed on the SENSE website. Tyler feels that his work experience has helped him to envisage a clear future for himself. He said “Work experience was really productive and has helped by giving me a clear vision of what I want to do when I leave school.” We will continue to help Tyler to achieve his goals!
Gillian Finn (Sensory Support TA for Nene Park Academy)
As Bradley was returning home from a day out with his family he was listening to the radio when Work Experience STEM he heard them talking about Alopecia. Bradley heard then how Alopecia affects people in many different ways and he was so touched by their stories that he decided to take it upon himself to The Government is promoting do something and to raise some money for Alopecia UK. 2018 STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), And so Bradley had all of his hair shaved off in support of this charity and has so far raised a due to a shortage in industry, and whopping £150, which is 100% of his total target. The majority of our current supporting initiatives to encourage Bradley explained ‘I was listening to the radio in the car and heard different stories from people more women into STEM careers. As year 10 cohort who are affected by Alopecia and I knew then that I wanted to do my bit to try to help them and part of this, for the first time a STEM so, because we have a hairdressing salon in school, I thought I could get people to sponsor me and had the careers day was held at the Royal get all of my hair shaved off.’ opportunity Military Academy in Sandhurst and 10 Year 9 girls were given the opportunity ‘I was a little nervous, and my head feels a little chilly at the moment but I am sure I will get used to complete to attend. After a long journey down, where we seemed to spend time in every to it!. I don’t mind, as it is all in a good cause’. a work possible traffic queue there was, we arrived at impressive surroundings, complete experience with polo pitch. We were assigned a host to look after us (an Army Accident and If you are touched by Bradley’s campaign and would like to donate some money to Alopecia UK, please go to Bradley’s Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bradley-knighton placement for Emergency theatre technician) to make sure we didn't get lost in some of the the first two warren-like corridors whilst walking between activities. weeks of June. These placements were set in many different The morning was spent visiting careers stands, including getting a chance to use work related backgrounds and ranged from administration, a surveyor's laser to measure the width of the hall, followed by listening to three construction, education, customer service, finance and ladies speak about their careers (developing batteries for electric cars, a fire hospitality. One of our students had the opportunity to do engineer and a satellite engineer), some of the obstacles they had met and how a week’s placement with the Army. They got to experience they had ended up in careers that they hadn't planned to be in. Our lunch was what it is like to do basic training within the military. spent sheltering from light rain under a tree whilst picnicking and watching a Another student had the chance to do a flight simulator goose family waddle up from the lake and then we had the afternoon to take challenge at the end of her placement, and whilst the photos of ourselves sat in a helicopter, visit large Army equipment, try using experience was amazing fun, let’s just say I don’t think that virtual reality, experience a computer putting together a shopping list in a fraction they will become a pilot as they ‘crashed and burned’ at the of the time a human could and visit more careers stands and ask questions. end of the simulation!. If it wasn’t for the support of local & The return home was not nearly so painful with traffic queues and we discussed national employers our student would not have had some several aspects of the day, including the feedback we had given (more biological of the opportunities that they experienced. I would also and chemical sciences to be included next time please), but it was agreed that like to thank the parents for their continued support. It was the visit had been useful. The Army is intending on holding another similar event also great that some of the employers used twitter to give next year. feedback.
13 EXPLOSION of ART Experiences With Leighton Primary school Leighton Primary has been rocked and shaken by participating in Nene Park Academy’s art sessions this last term. Miss Clarke and two sixth form students, Ella Baker and Matilda Holttum have been working alongside 60 year 4 and year 5 students producing roaring waves and exotic landscapes. It was a great opportunity for the sixth formers to showcase their Art and communication skills and supported Miss Clarke in providing creative sessions. Not only did the art team visit Leighton but NPA had a further 60 Year 6 students over 2 days in June participating in four diverse 40 minute rotating Art workshops- Textiles, Graffiti, Digital Art (planned and delivered by ex-sixth form Art student Tia Briers) and Photography. The theme revolved around the jungle which meant the students examined bugs under the lens in photography, produced exotic and vivid Batik insects in textiles, created imaginary jungle monsters using the Ipads and made a large, wild jungle stencil piece in graffiti. It was a fantastic event and one we hope to grow and open up to other Primary schools in the local area.
Colour and Pattern Eruption in Landscapes
Leighton Primary asked Miss Clarke to plan two art sessions for the Year 5 art theme “Landscapes”. Miss Clarke knew just the artist to brighten up this topic by introducing them to the positive and vivid work of Romeo Britto. The group had just over one hour to produce their own response to his art by involving their studies of Canadian landscapes with his intense colour palette and enthusiasm for life. Once again, Miss Clarke asked two Art sixth formers to support the primary students learning and they projected the enthusiasm and energy needed to ensure the session was a success. Thank you Ella Baker and Matilda Holttum- you are ART stars!
The New Orton Community Logo WELL DONE to the winners of new Orton Community Logo for their combined winning design and who received a certificate and voucher from The Orton Rotary Club.
The worthy winners were: Lucia Lane (Yr 9 B-SGI), Renate Lasenberga (Yr8 L-JEY/KPE), Manjoht Kaur (Yr7 K-HNA/JEF) and Xuan Liu (Yr 8 B-KCO/KST)
14 Photographic Success 2017 – 2018
This year we have had some amazing success with the work of our Photography Students. • James Harbour (Y12) and Filip Wasik (Y13) both won Readers Awards in different online international photography competitions. • Jessica Nocera (Y12) entered an online competition with Sue Ryder and her image is now framed and on permanent display at Thorpe Hall here in Peterborough. • James Harbour (Y12) also won the Rotary UK District (Regional) Photography Competition and was awarded a special Commendation for Merit in the National Competition. • Sophia Cowern (Y9) won through to the Rotary UK District (Regional) Photography Competition and was Runner Up. • Sophia Cowern (Y9) and Klaudia Galja (Y12) are finalists in an international photography competition in Paris. • We also have a number of entrants in the RSPCA Young Photographer Competition that ends in August 2018. I’m really impressed with the quality of the student’s work and of their bravery entering these national and international competitions. They all rightly deserve our praise and congratulations.
Year 13 Final Images This year our Year 13 students have provided a variety of work from surrealistic landscapes to traditional portraits and wildlife images. Once again we are expecting excellent results that mirrors the quality of their work.
I wish them well in their future careers.
15 Year 8 Brilliant Club Students
In June, Year 8 students attended an event organised by the University of Cambridge, which focussed on developing their transferable skills. These students are part of a wider programme called Insight Discover, made up of a series of events at the University of Cambridge and in Peterborough. The programme also involves e-mentoring projects where students are matched with current Cambridge students who guide them through various activities. Leading up to the Year 8 event, students worked on a project where they had to complete an application form for a professional job. They had to discuss their transferable skills in the application, in preparation for a mock interview at the event. Also during the event, students took part in a Lego project which involved them inventing a product or service with the aim to enhance the student experience at university. Students had to work in teams, delegate job roles and communicate their ideas effectively to create a Lego model of the product, a poster advertising it and a two minute sales pitch which was later presented to local employers.
Students also had the chance to ask some local employers questions about the career opportunities available for school leavers and graduates. Throughout all these activities, students had the chance to develop their transferable skills including, but not limited to, communication, teamwork and presentation skills. Year 7 Showcase Creativity at Peterborough Museum
Year 7 students have recently been working on an ‘All about me’ project as part of Insight Discover. Following a trip to St. Katherine’s College in Cambridge, students have been having weekly e-mentoring sessions to learn about what GCSE and A level grades students need to study a variety of subjects at university. Students, for the first time, visited Cambridge university in April 2018 to get a taste for academic life outside of school. Following on from this, they were tasked with creating shoeboxes to represent themselves through various artistic forms. These shoeboxes were then showcased and exhibited at Peterborough Museum on 25th June and this was shortly followed by a graduation event to commend their hard work this year. Insight Discover Insight Discover works with targeted pupils from Year 7 to Year 8. Schools nominate 12 highly able students to participate on the programme which aims to develop the pupils’ knowledge of Higher Education, help them to identify and reflect upon their personal interests and motivations, and develop both academic and soft skills. The programme also aims to provide students with the information and tools to make informed choices in the future. Pupils on the programme will visit universities, take part in two mentoring projects and complete an academic assignment delivered by The Brilliant Club.
16 My Family’s Part In The History Of WW1
During the May half term I decided to visit the only major battlefield of the First World War that I had not been to before. Although this battle did not involve British troops it indirectly had an impact on them at the Somme in France. So I loaded up the motorcycle and headed off to Reims in France and then on to Verdun, covering a total of 850 miles in 4 days. The Battle of Verdun in 1916 was the longest single battle of World War One. The casualties from Verdun and the impact the battle had on the French Army was a primary reason for the British starting the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 in an effort to take German pressure off of the French at Verdun. The Battle of Verdun started on February 21st 1916 and ended on December 16th in 1916 and resulted in a German death toll of 143,000 and a French one of 162,440. My journey to the battle fields started when I traced my family history back to a village called Wethersfield in Essex. A large number of the family had lived and worked there in the early 1900s. While visiting the village I found that the small church door was open so I wandered inside and noticed a marble memorial to the residents of the village who were killed in WW1. Two of those remembered were Stanley Lawrence (The Buffs) and Herbert Lawrence (Machine gun core). These two people were unknown to me so, when I arrived home, I carried out more research and found that they were my great grandfather’s brothers. Herbert died at Passchendaele in Belgium and Stanley at Pass-de-Calais in France (13 days before the end of the war). I became so interested in their lives that my Father and I visited the cemetery in France where Stanley is remembered and the Menin Gate in Ypres where Herbert is remembered. Whilst in France and Belgium we also visited all of the major battlefields and memorials. It is only when you witness the huge number of graves and memorials that you get an idea about the scale of the loss of life in the Great War. Fortunately for my great grandfather he wasn’t called up for the army as he was working at Beckton gasworks in East London, so was considered to be helping the war effort at home. Maybe if he had not been working at the gas works and had been killed in the war, I wouldn’t be writing this article today.
Stonewall Champion School We are very proud to receive recognition for being a Stonewall Champion School. Stonewall are one of the leading organisations within the LGBT community and work to promote equality, offer guidance and support and deliver training to other organisations, employers and schools. This term we have delivered training to our staff, and assemblies to students, to raise the importance of recognising discriminatory language. Our students have responded very positively, with many signing up to the recent #nobystanders campaign and we will continue to raise the profile of our work in this area as we aim to reach the Silver level of the award.
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17 SIXTH FORM UPDATE
Approaching the new academic year, we, as the new Head Boy and Girl, thought it appropriate to introduce ourselves and how we are going to maximise our roles in order to make the next year at NPA as successful as possible. We are Alex Moroz and Freya Larter and are soon entering our 7th year here at Nene Park Academy. During our time here, the school has changed massively – the biggest jump being transforming Orton Longueville into the now fully established academy you all know today. Being appointed as Head Boy and Girl, we have been given the opportunity to further the ongoing improvements of the school and we have already got some ideas pencilled in on how we plan to do this.
Bridging the gap between the 6th form and the lower school is an idea we both deemed important and from this the prefect system that we are putting into place came about. Prefects will be members of the sixth form who have volunteered to give up their lunch times to come and support our lunch time staff with the aim of building friendships with you along the way. We feel this is a great initiative in embedding the sixth form and creating relationships with the whole school.
The jump from GCSE to A-levels is one that came as a surprise to the both of us and therefore we have come to a decision to nominate ‘subject leaders’ within Year 13 to offer additional support to those in Year 12. Not only will this help students gain a better understanding of their subjects, but it will also build good relationships between the Year 12’s and 13’s.
Although we will put 100% effort into our role, it is difficult for us to cover all aspects of improvement, and a different perspective can help highlight issues we may have not recognised initially. To help overcome this we have decided to create a senior student team with a mixture of responsibilities. The roles involved will cover all areas of school life from academic work to charity involvement but furthermore offer another platform for support for each and every student within the academy.
We are thrilled to have been chosen as your new Head Boy and Girl and are excited to do all that we can in the next academic year.
Written by Freya Larter, Head Girl, and Alex Moroz, Head Boy Scholars Programme
8 of our Year 12 students visited the SOAS University London after they had successfully graduated on the Scholars Programme. The programme utilises the expertise and passion of PhD students, who deliver programmes of academic enrichment to a small group of pupils. The aim is to try to increase the number of pupils progressing to highly selective universities. The students have been involved in seminars with a focus on Political Philosophy, and for their final assignment they had to complete a 4,500 word assignment. All of the students’ final grades were assessed at a 2.1. CONGRATULATIONS TO: Tom Crowson, Sian Gallagher, Kieran Kaur, Jordan Wood, Freya Larter, Ben Chapman, Alex Moroz and Abi Hill
18 DofE at NPA
Welcome to the latest instalment of the Duke of Edinburgh Updates…
I’m going to keep the words to a minimum this time and let the pictures do the talking. We had a fantastic practise expedition and are looking forward to the assessed expedition in October!
Sports Tour – Barcelona 2018
During the Easter holidays 55 students and 7 members of staff travelled to Barcelona in Spain for the PE departments biennial sports tour. Travelling overnight on a coach and ferry we arrived in Barcelona on a sunny Sunday afternoon excited and eager for a week of sport, as well as other activities and excursions. We spent the remainder of the first day relaxing in the 4* hotel, taking advantage of the swimming pool and the nearby beach. The touring party was made up of two football teams and three netball teams, all of which took part in training sessions as well as matches against local opposition and other UK touring schools. The teams enjoyed varying degrees of success with their matches, thoroughly enjoying and embracing the expert coaching on offer as well as the experience of playing teams from a foreign country, with the contrasting styles of play that this brings. The week ended with tournaments involving ourselves and other schools from the UK. We also enjoyed trips to the centre of Barcelona, experiencing the culture of this historic city including the world famous Las Ramblas. In keeping with the sporting nature of the trip, we also paid a visit to the Nou Camp, home to FC Barcelona, where we enjoyed a tour of the stadium. The trip culminated with a day out at PortAventura theme park. This gave an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the rides and entertainment at one of Europe’s largest theme parks. A great way to end the trip. A fantastic time was had by all and we now look forward to the next Sports Tour in 2020
19 Pledges and Futures Days at NPA
In June our students completed their final Pledges and Futures Day for around stereotypes, this academic year. Our P & F Days underpin the values that we have autism, genocide and at NPA and are so important for our students to gain an understanding linking stereotypes to of the wider world and the skills that they need to be successful in it. sport. Students actively Students attended exciting sessions designed to extend their learning and participated in a variety throughout the year have attained some of their school PLEDGES: of different activities which included being blindfolded and listening Participation...... to conversations with deliberate distractions going on around them, to Leadership.... experience what it was like for someone who has autism. Other activities included discussing barriers to participation Excellence...... in sport because of certain stereotypes but also how we can, and have, overcome these. Diversity...... Brunel’s P & F day involved many different activities which were extremely useful as they helped the students in each of the Pledges. Giving...... There were lessons on team building which involved students using team work and leadership to complete tasks. Gangs, harassment, community and social media; all helped students gain useful knowledge Environment.. and contribute towards their Diversity, Environment and Service pledge. Finally, they also had a session on employability which really helped them understand the process of ‘what happens after school’. Service...... The students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the day and learned and developed plenty of skills which will go a long way to helping the At the most recent P&F day Lennon students focused upon their Leadership students accomplish their Pledges. Pledge. The Lennon students were divided into small groups with students from each year in each. Their brief was to design and build a kite using a Winston looked at democracy and the rule of law. They debated small amount of ‘v bucks’ as currency. They negotiated a shopping list and various interesting questions including whether the voting age should bought the agreed items from Salisbury Store and created their kite. Our be reduced and whether prisoners should be able to vote. They also students worked brilliantly, with the session culminating in a mass kite learnt how the democratic process in the UK works and compared this flying session. Some of the kites were excellent with prizes being awarded to various other systems around the world. for a variety of reasons, including ‘Best Flyer’ and ‘Most Creative’. Everyone had a fantastic day and benefitted from the exciting sessions The King House focussed on the Diversity Pledge, with groups being split planned by the House staff. into year groups where they talked about and completed tasks based NPA Literacy – Skills Academy ‘Thank You’ To The During this academic year the English and P.E. departments have worked together once Oundle Road Co-op again to deliver the National Literacy Trust Skills Academy Nene Park Academy would like to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to initiative to motivate Year the Co-op store on Oundle Road for their ongoing support in 7 reading with the hope to providing water for the whole-school GCSE examinations which engage reluctant readers have taken place this summer. in a wider range of reading material. The group have Principal, Steve Howard, explains ‘Students often forget to drink been meeting once a week enough in the midst of stressing about their exams and so being for breakfast to look at different sport related texts and to develop able to provide water to them for free is their skills in questioning, clarifying, summarising, predicting and inferring; invaluable. Research has proven that students skills which are important for their study of all school subjects. who take water into the examination hall will gain higher grades than those who do not. The Mr Kennedy continues to demonstrate and teach his football freestyle skills once students complete the literacy skills challenges, however Mrs continued support from the Oundle Road Co- Naylor still has a long way to go! op is very much appreciated.”
Skills Academy Group
20 Sports Awards Evening NPA’s 500
We held our annual Sports Awards Evening at the end of June. This was an opportunity for us to recognise and acknowledge participation and excellence through sport here at NPA. Matthew Etherington, the former Words Tottenham, West Ham and Stoke City footballer and now of course the new Peterborough United Youth Team manager, was on hand to present the awards. There were Winner 2018 ‘Player of the Year’ awards across a range of sports, as well as other prestigious awards for sporting excellence and participation. The evening culminated in its usual The NPA 500 Words competition way, with the presentation of the Martin Bacon Award has returned for 2018 with more for outstanding contribution to sport here at NPA. This fantastic entries than last year. This was deservedly awarded to Head Girl Freya Larter for has given the judges some difficult the exceptional involvement she has shown within sport decisions to make, but the unanimous here at NPA over the past year; both in a participation decision for this year’s winner is ‘The and leadership capacity. It has been another great year of Never-Ending Life of Nancy Blake’ sport here at NPA, we look forward to building on this by Lauren Browne (Yr9 – W-ZWA/ over the next twelve months. HMC). Included below is a brief excerpt from Lauren’s amazing short story. Netball Rugby ‘… It’s been two days, two, and Year 7 Player of the Year Grace Beary Year 7 Player of the Year Jobe Lockyear already there’s a funeral; they could Year 8 Player of the Year Lucy Bodman Year 8 Player of the Year Ricardo Wiltshire not recover the body, so I refuse to believe he’s truly dead. “Nancy, I love Year 9 Player of the Year Lucia Lane you” his words repeating on a loop in Year 10 Player of the Year Rachel Gilbert Badminton my head. Tears blinding my vision and clouding my judgement. Clambering Year 11 Player of the Year Shakira Munday Participation Award Will Swales into the car, more tears creating a Sixth Form Player of the Amy Gore river of emotions. “It’s 1916, and the Year weather appears to be taking a turn Cricket for the worse,” I remember reading this morning in the paper “stay Rounders Under 13 Player of the Year Aaron Roe safe and…” urgh, there’s people Year 7 Player of the Year Amber Smith Under 15 Player of the Year Will Swales fighting for their lives and all they’re ‘concerned’ about is the weather? I Year 8 Player of the Year Libby Wilson reminisce to this morning, picturing Year 9 Player of the Year Lizzie Doran Athletics myself carelessly chucking the paper to the floor, the papers escaping in Year 10 Player of the Year Tezra cook Excellence Award (Boy) Joseph Reindel countless directions unable to pick Sixth Form Player of the Mai Moncaster Excellence Award (Girl) Amber Smith up the pieces- I return back to reality. Year …. It’s been 100 years and I haven’t aged a day since the incident. I cannot Other Awards Hockey explain it yet. I have researched every possible happening, left in the dark Sports Leadership Award Archie Senior Player of the Year Archie Senior figuratively and metaphorically… Team of the Year Year 10 Netball team trying to be excited for my birthday is impossible. Academic Achievement in KS4: Maisie Ellis KS5: Handball PE Lauren Smith 120 years have passed of life, each Outstanding Contribution Amber Smith Player of the Year Lequahn Quow year becoming more unbearable to KS3 Sport (Girl) than the last. I blow out my candles unenthusiastically and begin to walk Outstanding Contribution Tom England to KS3 Sport (Boy) a feeble attempt to celebrate one’s birthday. I stumble down the stairs Outstanding Contribution Amelia Roberts Dance of my apartment building and step to KS4 Sport (Girl) out onto the streets of New York. Outstanding Contribution Luke Harris Achievement Award Lauren Heffernan The bright lights of the billboards to KS4 Sport (Boy) blind me, making me walk into a Sporting Excellence (Girl) Mia Chiariza complete stranger. I looked up at his blue eyes and his caramel coloured Sporting Excellence (Boy) Nathan Rudman Cross Country hair which flopped so casually to one The Martin Bacon Award Freya Larter Excellence Award (Boy) Luke Harris side. I have denied myself love for so long - should I let myself fall for this Excellence Award (Girl) Lauren Browne complete stranger?’
21 SPORTS UPDATE
ATHLETICS ROUNDERS It has been a busy term of athletics, with the inaugural CMAT Cup taking place at St Ivo track. This is a new athletics competition between all of the six CMAT secondary schools. We took a team of It has been a fantastic Rounders season, students from years 7-9 who competed in a range of athletics disciplines throughout the afternoon. seeing many students, both girls and boys, A particular mention to Amber Smith from year 7, who won both the 100m and the javelin in her attending the weekly Session 6 training age group. We finished a credible fourth overall, which was a good achievement considering we were sessions. This has been an opportunity for unable to enter any year 10s due to them being on work experience. Congratulations to Swavesey them all to work on their general Rounders who won the competition overall. skills, as well as develop their ability in game situations. The season began with a We also had the annual City Athletics year 7 tournament at fellow CMAT school competitions at Peterborough Athletics Stamford Welland Academy. The girls came track, with our years 7-10 competing away victorious after winning every game against all of the local schools over two they played! We then attended the annual days. Some notable performances from Peterborough schools tournament, this these competitions included a victory in time with years 9 and 10. The year 9s played the 100m sprint for Ricky-Jade Jones, a fantastically, especially after half of the team second place for Flynn Clarke in the 200m had completed their DofE award over the and a comfortable win for the year 10 boys previous weekend so were especially sore! 4 x 100m relay team. Despite this they still came away with a good win over TDA. The year 10s success in sport continued as they made it to the semi- final, and only lost by ½ a rounder against The Peterborough School. At the time of print, we still had a number of fixtures in the diary: Year 7 & 8 Peterborough Schools tournament, Year 10 vs Hampton, Year 7 & 8 vs Bushfield and Year 8 & 9 Tournaments at Stamford. Well done to all students who have trained and represented the school this year for Rounders, you have all been fantastic!
CRICKET
There were some new competitions on the calendar for our cricket teams this season, with the first 6-a-side tournaments taking place at under 13 and under 15 level. These were hosted by Hampton College and were thoroughly enjoyed by all. Unfortunately, we weren’t successful in winning any of the competitions but the students gave a good account of themselves and enjoyed the new ‘small sided’ concept.
We also played 11-a-side fixtures against Jack Hunt, TDA, AMVC and Kings amongst others. This was at under 13 level; it was great to see some new year 7s coming through and joining the current year 8s and forming a strong and cohesive team. We look forward to further building on this next season. Congratulations to Aaron Roe and Will Swales who thoroughly deserved their player of the year prizes in under 13 and under 15 cricket, presented at our annual Sports Awards Evening.
22 SPORTS UPDATE
PRIMARY SPORT LINKS & SPORTS LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
A large number of our students have been putting into practice their sports leadership skills over the past term. Various primary school summer sports events have been taking place and these have given our pupils the opportunity to lead sport for young children in the junior schools surrounding NPA. The schools included Woodston, Brewster Avenue and St Botolph’s Primary Schools, where our pupils led activities and supported the children during their sports days. NPA pupils have also played a crucial part in the successful running of the primary school sports festivals, organised and run by our PE department here at NPA. West Town and Elton are two other primary schools, as well as those previously mentioned, who participate in these events. These have recently included a Year 1 multi-skills festival, a dance festival, Rounders competition and a Cricket tournament.
Experiences like these prove extremely enjoyable for the primary school pupils, but they are also invaluable for our students, as they present opportunities for them to develop key life skills through leadership, such as communication, cooperation, problem-solving and initiative. It has been wonderful to see some of our students shine in terms of leadership and mentoring of younger children through our primary links. Congratulations to Archie Senior from year 8, who was awarded the ‘Student Leadership’ award at our recent Sports Awards Evening. This is due to his outstanding efforts and contributions to primary sport events over the past year.
MR AINSLIE
Finally, Mr Ainslie leaves us this summer so we would like to wish him all the best and thank him for all his efforts within the PE department during his time here. His dedication to PE and sport in various capacities over the past thirteen years, including as Director of Sport, has been invaluable for both staff and students. His work over this time has provided pupils with countless opportunities to progress and excel within sport.
Thank you Mr Ainslie and good luck for the future.
23 NPA’s 2018 Prom Goodbye and Good Luck to all of our leavers!
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