@PCSA

AUTUMN/WINTER TERM EDITION 2019

Dear Parents and Carers, After Christmas, we will publish details on our website with our plans for Easter and Evening School so parents and carers Welcome to our first newsletter are aware in advance. for this academic year. PCSA has a plethora of hidden curriculum sessions. Every I have been overwhelmed over afternoon, hundreds of our students are taking part in the last two terms with all of enrichment activities. Last week I saw a group of Year 7 the amazing things that take students working with Mr. Mainwaring in English studying place in our school on a daily Greek myths. The atmosphere was fantastic. PE, Art, Drama, basis. Every day, I walk around DT, Humanities, Music; there are wonderful activities on offer the academy making sure I visit every day. There is more information about our students and staff. Whether it extracurricular activities on our website. is lessons in DT, English, maths or science, PCSA students are As always, the conduct and behaviour of our students is intelligent, creative and thirsty for learning. exemplary and this is something that we are committed to at PCSA. Please remind our students of our expectations in Furthermore, I am very glad to see how well our Year 7 terms of uniform and the use of mobile phones in school. students have settled into our daily routines and systems. Last week in assembly, they all looked amazing in terms of their Please note that we are no longer going ahead with our uniform standards and their conduct. Please communicate previously planned Target Setting Day on Wednesday 15 with us and especially Miss Dodson, our Head of Year 7, if you January 2020, instead this will be a normal day of learning. As have any questions or need our support. We will be happy to always you are more than welcome to contact us as any point help you. Obviously, this invitation also extends to all of our regarding your child. parents and carers. We would love to hear from you and get My last message is about students’ safety. I am delighted that your feedback as this will help us improve. many students are coming to school using their bikes on a Our curriculum, with the 9-week Learning Cycles, is now daily basis. However, the great majority of them have no fully embedded and has become our school culture. helmets. Please support the school on our initiative in using Our students recognise the language and they are very much helmets and make sure all students can travel safely. involved with shaping the school’s teaching and learning Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you wish to discuss your with their feedback. We are committed in creating active child’s progress and attainment. learners for life. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our PCSA Our Year 11s are now fully into their preparation for their parents and carers a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful exams. Going to lessons and looking at the work they are New Year. producing I am very confident that the summer of 2020 will be one of success and celebration. However, we will leave “no Best Wishes, stone unturned” making sure that all students are working at full capacity and potential. We have already put in place 1:1 Period 6 for all curriculum areas offering sessions before and after school. [email protected] Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Year 8 Pop Art INSIDE THIS ISSUE Sculptures Page 7-9 Chepstow Awards Castle Visit Careers Evening Page 15 Page 28 Pages 30-31

@PCSA SPRING EDITION 2019 Executive Principal’s Message

Dear Parents / Carers and Students, can be for the students who study at the academy. This curriculum work has been ongoing and is jointly planned Thank you for your great support of across all our academies. You may have seen a recent vlog Mr. Markoutsas and the whole staff I did with our Directors of Science and English who have been team at Priory Community School – very heavily involved in curriculum development. Please do an Academy (PCSA) this past calendar have a look on this link https://pcsa.org.uk/information-on- year. Please enjoy reading this first the-schools-curriculum newsletter of the academic year. This newsletter reflects all the great Further to this, we have recently appointed Mrs. Dadds work that happens every day at PCSA. (Headteacher at St Anne’s) as our lead professional for the curriculum from Year 5 to Year 9. Mrs. Dadds will work closely with all colleagues across our primary and secondary GOOD TEACHING academies to make sure all our students have a great offer Each week, when I visit lessons, I always see very good that is well planned and well delivered. teaching. I also see plenty of strong after school provision – such as the recent rugby and football matches that I was able to watch. A big thank you to all staff and students who take part in our wide array of ‘extra’ provision. We are continuing to develop a great site at PCSA – we are always very pleased to welcome visitors and they often say what great facilities we have. Over many years now we have developed areas such as The Sir Richard Branson Centre (SRB), The Paula Radcliffe Centre (PRC) and various classroom projects.

This passion for high quality facilities is continuing under Mr. Markoutsas with The Spencer Science Centre again being a new ‘state of the art’ building on site at PCSA as well as the new LGU Department and Dennis Suite. We also have several great outdoor spaces at PCSA.

NEW ACADEMIES JOINING TPLT As a growing Trust, we now receive an annual allocation of capital funding called the Schools Condition Allocation (SCA). This will need to be spread across all academies in our CREATIVE ARTS Trust. We currently have six – although The Huntspill Of course, being part of PCSA, and any TPLT academy, is not Primary Federation are due to join us in April 2020. We will simply about what happens in the formal taught curriculum. be working up a priority list for our capital money based Our offer is also about all the wider aspects of a great school, firstly on health and safety and compliance. This SCA route aspects such as sport, music and the arts. Above is the latest allows us to plan future projects with some certainty. We are art exhibition in the PCSA Atrium - WOW! blessed in all of our academies with huge expanses of playing fields which allows lots of PE and sporting provision. We should not take for granted the great outdoor sporting CHARITY spaces we have at PCSA in addition to a very high quality 3G Our Trust-wide charity of the year for 2019/20 is In Charley’s pitch. Developing sport and having great outdoor spaces is Memory (ICM). I am delighted to say that a recent non- very much part of the way we want to see the PCSA site uniform day across all our academies raised a total of develop. I will update you in March on our progress with £4,517.32 for this super mental health charity and for future capital plans. Children in Need. Thank you for your great support. I know our Sixth Form at TKASA have already raised around £5,000 OUR WIDE CURRICULUM for ICM through their superb Rag Week 2019. There is much more great work to come. OFFER AT PCSA Please do follow the academy on Twitter @Priorycsa and on You may have heard a lot about ‘the curriculum’ in recent Facebook. times. Ofsted have certainly been talking at length about a new focus on what is taught and how it is planned - lessons Again – thank you for all your support. 1 - 5. I am really delighted to say that at PCSA all our Neville Coles students get a very broad and well-balanced curriculum from Executive Principal, The Priory Year 7 to Year 11. It has been carefully sequenced and it is Learning Trust very coherent. Staff have been doing a tremendous amount Twitter - @nevillecoles of work to make sure the PCSA curriculum is the very best it

2 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 YEAR 7 - Miss Dodson

Year 7 have had a terrific start to Priory Community School ‘Capture the Flag’. The students showed an exemplary engaging with school life and the opportunities available. The attitude when walking around the sites, and how engaged whole year group have fully immersed themselves in both they were in the outing. the academics and the after-school activities available. It has been a pleasure to get to know the students and watch their I continue to receive numerous nominations for Student of confidence grow. the Week and it is wonderful to hear of student’s achievements outside of school as well. Please do let me During Terms 1 and 2 students have built good relationships know of any external shows / competitions or awards with staff and peers as well as having guest speaker Rich received so we can celebrate these in school as well. Cottrell talk about E-Safety and mental health and wellbeing. Over the past terms Year 7s have taken part in many different I am impressed with the attitude to learning from the year activities from sports, myths and monsters to homework group and how determined they are to succeed. It is a club. It has been great to see many students taking pleasure to be part of their learning journey and I look responsibility for their education and broadening their forward to being part of their future successes. horizons. My final note, as I say in assembly is always be kind, and be We had our first Curriculum Enrichment Days where the change you want to see in the world. students had the opportunity to visit Chepstow Castle and Hodders Coombe. We watched live demonstrations and Miss Dodson - Head of Year 7 learnt how to invade a castle from within and played [email protected]

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 3 YEAR 8 - Mrs. Rowlands

As we fast approach the end of 2019, it is a perfect time to reflect on the fantastic progress Year 8 are making in their PCSA journey. It’s been my great pleasure to become their Head of Year and watch the students start to grow in confidence and maturity. As well as starting to get to know them as a group, I am getting to know them individually and it’s great celebrating their achievements, both big and small. Whether this is as a sports team representing school, auditioning for the school show, trying their very best in the end of cycle assessment, or producing some fantastic home learning. It has been wonderful to share the experience with them. We have also had students appearing in local theatres, appearing on national television and even representing weeks to produce their own sculpture of an everyday their country at gymnastics! What a hugely talented object in his style. It had to be larger than life, made year group I have! from recycled or found objects and include as much One of my favourite parts of the day is visiting my detail as possible and we were absolutely amazed at students in the classrooms and seeing them engaging the results! We have had 5 meter high pencils, 2 meter with their work, asking questions, exploring new ideas tall Nutella jars, enormous multi coloured cupcakes and showing their fantastic home learning. One and even a 6ft packet of French fries! The enthusiasm particular highlight this term has been Year 8 extended and skill the students brought to this project was home learning project for Art, looking at the work of fantastic and a joy to see. Pop Artist Claes Oldenburg. The students were given 6 This term also saw us visit Cheddar caves as part of our Curriculum Enrichment programme and it was a pleasure to go with them. We explored the caves with our guide who was also a previous PCSA student and learnt all about the geology of the caves and we were all very impressed with their knowledge of stalactites and stalagmites! This year we have also been very fortunate to welcome Mrs. Boyce as our excellent Assistant Head of Year 7 and 8. As an already experienced member of PCSA staff, Mrs. Boyce is excellently placed to help and support our students, and me, with all elements of PCSA Year 8 life. Mrs. Rowlands – Head of Year 8

4 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 YEAR 9 - Mr. Howard

It is my pleasure to write to you at the end of a first full cycle of learning for Year 9 students. They have slotted well into the new school year, wearing their green jumpers with pride and setting an excellent example to Year 7 and 8 in the process. When I started this role in the second half of last year, I hit upon a phrase that would become a mantra for our group of students: ‘Progress, not perfection’. As I have said before, it highlights the fact that, as teenagers, A new addition to the after-school curriculum offer for they can’t be expected to be perfect every day, but we can Year 9 has been the iDEA awards, launched by Mr Brand set the expectation that progress is within every student that towards the end of Term 1. iDEA is a course that helps we teach. Little did I know that they would take this and run students develop digital, enterprise and employability skills. as they have. As I write, I think of at least 5 students who, Through online events and challenges students earn badges last year, were bogged down in issues of poor conduct, or that help them gain industry recognised awards and others who struggled to get organised with their homework ultimately help them stand out from the crowd. So far over schedule. All of them have moved past these issues and are 20 students have taken up the offer and are busy working now attempting to tackle the next challenge with the their way through course material with Mr Brand. I think it knowledge that they can do it themselves, with a little has been a great addition to the Period 6 offer at the school encouragement from us along the way. It makes me very and I urge more students to attend. proud to be their Head of Year. It has also been encouraging to see so many of my year group The year always starts with our range of Curriculum respond to the offer of the Duke of Edinburgh awards. There Enrichment opportunities. This time Year 9 had the privilege is plenty of information regarding how that is going of staying on school site and engaging in Anti-Bullying elsewhere in this newsletter, but over 60 Year 9 students workshops, which they did with maturity and no small have so far shown interest. A great response to an excellent measure of creativity. Students were given the opportunity opportunity! to create a mural of their views on the subject and, I think you’ll agree, the results are stunning! It would be incredibly hypocritical of me to demand ‘progress, not perfection’, but not put in place any support to help students with the desire but perhaps not the motivation. As a result, I have launched the Conduct League with 20 of my year group. They are students who perhaps struggle to change some of their learned poor behaviours in the classroom on their own, but are students who I think would respond well to a little incentive. Working with our excellent catering team, Pabulum, we now offer free chips on a Friday to the 4 students who are making clear progress After I left school, I took an Art Degree, so I always like to week by week. It really has made a big difference to some keep an eye on what my students are doing in Art. It has been students, and seems particularly effective in engaging boys. great to pop into lessons and see For those who don’t make it one week, there is the promise them studying the work of Grayson of another week to try and get it right. With a simple gesture, Perry this cycle. Many students in a little motivation and a lot of encouragement we are seeing Year 9 start to make leaps in their students able to focus on their learning. With GCSE Options understanding of how to present Evening just around the corner, this is crucial in giving them information creatively and in a way the best chance of success in Upper School. that will ensure the reader is engaged. The mood board pictured Mr. Howard - Head of Year 9 demonstrates this perfectly. [email protected]

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 5 YEAR 10 - Miss Rees

Year 10 have enjoyed a hugely positive start to the school Students have continued with their lessons with year and have returned to PCSA determined to do their best determination and eagerness with many successes, with the and eager to impress as they embark on their GCSE courses. majority of students accumulating a considerable amount of Being Head of Year for this year group for the second year achievement points. Particular recognition must go to the I feel that I really know the year group well and I'm always following students who have gained the most achievement impressed with their manner, eagerness and aspiration for points to date for their hard work and positive attitude to success in all aspects of school life. This has fostered learning. All these students are excellent role models for the a wonderful atmosphere within the year group. rest of the year group. During the start of the year we have been focusing on getting work experience placements YEAR 10 STARS sorted ready for July next year. We've already had many Abel Luke (10A2) students secure a placement. Eloise Webb (10B1) This is great news and I’m so pleased to see Year 10 being so Chloe Soverall (10B5) eager to get out into the Meena Lowey (10A2) workplace. For those students who have yet to secure a Isabelle Board (10B1) placement do not hesitate to We had a great two days of Curriculum Enrichment where contact the Careers Team or service users from Broadway Lodge came to talk about their myself for advice. experiences with drug and alcohol use to Year 10. From speaking to a number of students they found this a great experience and thought provoking. The service users were very complimentary about how polite and engaging students were for the two days. Year 10 students have yet again been getting involved in the extra-curricular opportunities and activities in their droves, contributing to the wider school community. A special mention to a few key individuals who have excelled in extra- curricular activities, including; Rhys Hammond for achieving his RLSS (Royal Life Saving Society) Survive and Save Bronze Award in Life Saving/Guarding. He also passed his Level 3 in Life Support which covers the basics of how to perform CPR. Caitlin Rickard for competing in the Somerset Championships and having fantastic results! Caitlin came 3rd in the vault and 4th as an overall team. Owen Hitchins took part in ILM Level 2 award at the weekend - this involved lots of leadership tasks such as leading a team to complete a task with limited resources and instructions. Abel Luke performed as part of a musical theatre company singing at Wells Cathedral in the G4 concert. Finally, a number of PCSA students also performed at the Playhouse in Weston as part of the Dance Company in this year’s show ‘Evolution’. I’m sure you will agree that there are a number of talented students amongst the year group!! It was wonderful to meet so many of you at the Parents’ Evening on 12th December. Please do not feel you have to wait for a parents’ evening to contact us if you have any queries. We are always happy to speak with you in person, on the telephone or via email. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and look forward to seeing students in the New Year. Miss Rees – Head of Year 10 [email protected]

6 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 YEAR 11 - Mrs. Sandy-Carman

I am so pleased with the overall effort of Year 11 since the received them. The passports to prom will run from January start of the year. Attitudes to learning have been exceptional until the end of March and will be signed off once specific and there is a real buzz throughout the year group with targets have been achieved. I am hoping this year fantastic amounts of effort being put into their studies, to have the highest number of students attending our including the two-week period of PPEs. I hope they now have exciting new venue for prom – Batch Country House. A big a good understanding of how the exam process will work in thank you to the Student Leadership Team for their ongoing the summer which can only benefit them with their planning help with this. and revision. I hope the Year 11 Information Evening was useful in giving parents and carers some guidance on how There have been some great achievements from students best to support their children through the next 6 months. both inside and outside of school. Ellie Teale has competed For any parents/carers that missed the session, there are in a dance competition in Bristol and achieved a first, two leaflets and booklets available from my office and please do seconds and a third as well as being presented with the look at the Year 11 revision section on the school website character trophy for the highest marks in the competition. where there are plenty of tips and resources for both Cody White danced in an SDC British Championship for under rd students and parents/carers. 17 street dance with the crew coming 3 overall. Liberty Sprake-Cooper has been offered a place at The Big Act after REVISION INFORMATION – a very successful audition and the Year 11 boys’ football team had success by getting through to round 3 of the ESFA cup I hope that parents/carers and students are feeling the after a 5-4 win on penalties. Excellent achievements and benefits of the new Year 11 tutor programme which includes something you should all be very proud of. 3 x 20-minute English, maths or science lessons each morning. This allows time for retrieval practice and making Keep up the good work Year 11. Just remember the next 6 sure students are secure in their learning by recapping some months are going to be tough. You as a year group have been of what they have covered and exploring the topic in more amazing and I know you are all capable of achieving your detail. The feedback from tutors about the effort has been goals. My door is always open to anyone who wants to talk. brilliant and another example of the tremendous work Year You have absolutely got this, please believe in yourselves as 11 are putting in. much as I believe in you.

Hoodie letters have been sent out through tutor groups. This Mrs. Sandy-Carman – Head of Year 11 is a very exciting time for Year 11 as they earn the privilege of [email protected] replacing the black jumpers with a new hoodie. The hoodies will be issued in February and can be worn once they have

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 7 CREATIVE ARTS - Mr. Stanley

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY CLAES OLDENBURG INSPIRED SCULPTURES

GCSE FINE ART TRIP We were delighted to take a wonderful group of Year 11 Art students to the Eden Project in Cornwall this term. The focus of the trip was to carry out observational drawing and photographs of tropical and exotic plants that could be used for their sustained project based on “natural forms”. The students showcased independent learning and followed their own creative pathways and produced some amazing outcomes. Our students are still taking inspiration from this trip and applying relevant ideas in their sketch books.

YEAR 8 HOMEWORK CLAES OLDENBURG INSPIRED SCULPTURES We were so pleased to see our Year 8 students embrace and excel in the homework task to produce a large-scale 3D sculpture of an everyday item, in the context of the Cycle 1 Pop Art project. It is a project that encourages collaboration and imagination which the students seem to really enjoy. They were clearly very proud of what they achieved and everyone in the Art Department was thrilled to see such a vast range of creative ideas. To accompany their sculpture, they had to submit written work supporting their idea explaining where they would exhibit their work and why. Well done Year 8!

8 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, DRAMA & MUSIC

DRAMA MUSIC IT HAS BEEN A VERY BUSY FIRST CYCLE FOR Our music students have been incredibly busy this term with rehearsals now fully underway for our whole school THE DRAMA DEPARTMENT! production which will be performed in February. We started off the year with an upper school theatre trip. We have an incredible cast of singers including a chorus of I say theatre, the performance actually took place in the John munchkins and flying monkeys! Wesley Chapel in central Bristol, all of our students enjoyed this very unique experience. A huge thank you must go to Freddy Jones and Beau Le for wonderful performances at the awards evening in October. Their professionalism and talent is an inspiration to our younger musicians.

Cycle 1 also saw the switch from BTEC to RSL for Years 10 and 11. This new course allows the students to focus on performing along with developing their understanding of professional theatre. In other news our Year 10 music students are busy preparing Year 7 have started their PCSA drama careers by looking at for our annual concert at St George’s care home - a lovely the fundamental skills needed for performing: Facial event for all involved and a fantastic opportunity to gain expression, mime, movement and body language. These experience working out in the community. skills will be expanded and further refined as they progress Finally, the jewel in the creative arts crown, our whole school through the years. production! The photo below shows Year 8 students performing a whole class court scene.

The finale of a topic where students have been looking at peer pressure and British law.

This year saw a new high in the level of interest from Year 9 have found students wanting to be involved. themselves developing Ninety two students auditioned for the show, which has their creative skills that will prompted the decision to double cast the whole production! become essential in Years 10 and 11. They were tasked You can see ‘Dorothy’ and her friends in PCSA’s production with devising and creating a of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ for 3 nights on the 12th, 13th & 14th of performance from a given February 2020. Tickets will be available in the new year. stimulus. This fundamental part of drama completely relies on and heavily promotes team work and Mr. Stanley – Central Leader of Creative collaboration. [email protected]

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 9 DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY - Mr. Clay

YEAR 10 ENGINEERING Year 10 students have made an excellent start to their vocational course in Engineering. In cycle 1 they learnt how to interpret engineering drawings; understanding how to work to a tolerance and refining their practical skills. In this project, students have been developing their knowledge, skills and understanding in heat treatment, cold riveting, sheet metal cutting and folding and surface finishes. This includes plastic dip coating to produce garden trowels. Somehow I think there will be some relatives who might be getting some of these items for Christmas this year.

KS3 DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY This year we have developed some new and exciting projects in Product Design and Engineering. Year 7 students have been learning important key woodworking skills to produce their own model toy boats. They then use these skills in their own design and make project to produce a ‘Fantastic Beast’.

In the Year 8 Engineering module, students have been learning about aluminium; marking out tools; how to use the centre lathe and how to create screw threads using taps and dies to produce some simply stunning key hooks; again just in time for Christmas. Mr. Clay – Central Leader of Design and Technology [email protected]

10 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS On the recent curriculum enrichment days, Year 8 students had the opportunity to develop their understanding of healthy eating and diets by undertaking a range of activities in both science and D&T. They developed greater awareness of food allergies by undertaking the Food Standards Agency allergy awareness training. On successful completion of the course they all received an accredited certificate.

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 11 ENGLISH - Mr. Dodd

This has, as ever, been a very busy term for the English KS4 faculty. With our annual Spelling Bee and Poetry Slam, a new Year 10 have been on a Year 10 curriculum and the first round of PPEs, we have really journey towards redemption hit the ground running this year. As head of department, I with Ebenezer Scrooge from am pleased with how well the majority of our students have A Christmas Carol by Charles started the year; there is a real focus on knowledge and Dickens, alongside developing learning in all of the lessons that I see on my learning walks their reading and inference around the faculty. skills for the Language papers. KS3 This is their first GCSE text and they have been making Year 7 have spent this term honing and developing their non- brilliant revision notes which fiction writing skills, particularly focusing on persuasive will be invaluable when they writing. They have done this as part of an exciting project, come to the exams next year. in which they imagined they were the manager of a new, We have really enjoyed local band. introducing the students to the miserly, bitter old Scrooge Year 7 also had the exciting chance to take part in our annual and exploring the political message behind Dickens most Spelling Bee and Poetry Slam during their October famous story. As we have found, it is as relevant today as it Curriculum Enrichment days. This saw teams of poets and was when the book was first written over 170 years ago. individual spellers go head to head to prove their worth.

Both days saw very tense competition but eventually the winners came out on top. We saw poetry about topics as varied as Brexit, cupcakes and Peppa Pig.

Year 8 have spent Cycle 1 exploring a series of poems that deal with questions about culture and identity. They have really got to grips with what we mean by identity, and how our understanding of ourselves is influenced by where we grow up and the world around us. Most of the poetry in this unit used to be part of the GCSE course, so it is great to see how well Year 8 have coped with reading and analysing such difficult texts.

Year 11 have also had a successful term, showing real resilience in the face of lots of challenges. They have already sat two practice English exams, meaning that they are getting their heads into the exam game very early. This will

be excellent preparation for the real exam season, and allows us to focus our teaching efforts exactly where they need to be, based on performance in each of these exams. We have

been very impressed by how mature Year 11 have been in the face of these exams. We have had excellent take up with our revision guide buying opportunity, which has really raised the profile of

independent revision with the students. If you Year 9 have been studying the evergreen haven’t yet bought a bundle of guides from us, you American classic ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John can do so on ParentPay. The bundle costs £19.95 Steinbeck and have been as caught up in the and contains 7 CGP revision guides, covering the tragedies of George and Lennie’s as countless whole of the Language and Literature courses. These generations before them. It’s been a wonderful books retail for £5.95 each, so buying them through opportunity to consider how society has us represents a saving of over 50%. If you have any changed for the better since the 1930s but also queries about this, please contact me on. to consider what the inequalities and injustices in the world around us are now. It’s been a real pleasure to see the thoughtfulness and Mr. Dodd – Central Leader of English maturity with which the students have [email protected] engaged with the book.

12 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 ENGLISH

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 13 HUMANITIES - Mrs. Hancox

This September humanities welcomed three new members HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR VISIT of staff to the team: Mr. Payne (history), Miss Lawlor In late September 2019, Ruth Barnett made her annual visit (geography) and Mrs. Collins (geography). They have all to PCSA to talk to Year 9 about her experiences in Germany settled in well to PCSA and are injecting lots of new ideas before WW2 under Nazi rule and her experiences as one of into the faculty. the children sent to the UK on the Kindertransport. The As always humanities have been very busy at the start of the students listened exceptionally well and then asked some year with lots of trips over the Curriculum Enrichment days brilliant, thought-provoking questions. in October. This newsletter will also share some photos of the summer visit Year 7 (now Year 8) made to the French and Belgian battlefields; the visit Ruth Barnett made to PCSA to talk to Year 9 about her experiences of the Holocaust; as well as some excellent examples of cycle 1 Hinduism homework which took the form of a board game. There will also be an update about citizenship education from Mr. Hames (our new citizenship co-ordinator at PCSA) and what P0/6 humanities is offering at the moment.

BATTLEFIELDS 2019 In July, just before the end of term, humanities and Languages again ran a very successful trip to France and Belgium where students gained an insight and understanding of what the First World War was like as well as visiting and participating CITIZENSHIP in acts of remembrance at Tynecot Cemetery and the Menin Citizenship education at PCSA aims to equip students with Gate. The students represented PCSA exceptionally well and a core knowledge of the subject and help students to then got to have some fun visiting the French National understand the way modern Britain works and how they can Aquarium and spending an afternoon on the beach. be an active part of a functioning society. Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 study a range of topics, which covers citizenship themes throughout their humanities lessons and during the learning cycle, there will be a form of a citizenship assessment. In both KS3 and KS4 students access the citizenship curriculum through a number of avenues. These will include Thought for the Week, Curriculum Enrichment days, assemblies and visits from external specialists to name but a few.

RIVERS TRIP 2019 In October Year 7 once again visited the River Holford in Somerset. Here they had a busy day learning about the river environment, building dams and taking part in a treasure hunt. All students were fantastically behaved, enjoying the great outdoors and a completely different learning environment.

14 @PCSA Summer Edition 2019 HUMANITIES

CHEPSTOW HINDUISM HOMEWORK In October we took half of Year 7 to Chepstow Castle. This Here are just a few examples of the excellent homework is heavily linked to the lessons that we have been doing on produced by Year 8 students in cycle 1- one even using some Invasion and Conquest. Additionally it will link into the next cross-curricular ICT skills! Year 7 topic on Medieval Monarchs. The students were exemplary once again conducting themselves in the perfect PCSA manner. We had the privilege of having two knights lead a part of our day and they really captured the imagination with their displays of armour and different

Medieval weapons. I know the students enjoyed this aspect of the trip, particularly when they got to see the weapons up close. The feedback from students was excellent and their passion for the subject was visible throughout the trip. I believe that it has had a positive impact in really allowing our Year 7 students to visit a place which allows history to come alive.

Period 0/6 in Humanities:

CHEDDAR

Another annual visit for us in humanities was Year 8 visiting Cheddar caves and gorge. The students once again were excellent and were able to learn some local history alongside understanding physical processes about the formation of the gorge. The weather even held out long enough that we were able to climb Jacob’s Ladder!

HUMANITIES FILM CLUB Tuesdays – 3.05 – 4.00pm in H4 with Mrs. Collins COLOURING CLUB Wednesdays – 3.00 – 4.00pm in H2 with Mrs. Hancox (all year groups welcome) SOCIOLOGY DROP IN REVISION Thursdays – 8.00 – 8.30am in H2 with Mrs. Hancox (Year 11 only) ESSAY WRITING WORKSHOP Thursdays – 3.00 – 4.00pm in H2 with Mr. Howard (upper school)

Mrs. Hancox – Central Leader of Humanities [email protected]

@PCSA Summer Edition 2019 15 ICT - Miss Whitham

The ICT and Computer Science department have been busier than ever this term. The new Business Studies GCSE level course started this September and we have two very enthusiastic Year 10 Computer Science GCSE classes as well as a new Year 10 i-Media group.

YEAR 11 COMPUTER SCIENCE Our Year 11 GCSE Computer Science group have been working hard on their coursework NEA (where they have to problem solve and create computer code to solve a problem). They have also been working hard on their first Example of exam questions for GCSE Computer Science. PPE exam with revision classes after school to help them.

YEAR 11 i-MEDIA Year 11 research into computer console evolution. The Year 11 i-Media group are currently working on an exciting new coursework unit called RO91 Creating a computer games concept. They have had to research into the history of computer games as well as looking at how games consoles and gaming PCs have developed. They are then moving on to creating an idea for a computer game based on Teenage Life.

YEAR 9 STUDENTS Our Year 9 students have been using professional computer graphics software (Adobe Fireworks) to create logos, posters and merchandise for a fictitious rock band. They have learned about how to take into account the target audience when creating digital graphics and what makes computer graphics look ‘professional’. They are now moving onto website design where they will be using Adobe Examples of Year 9 band logos using Adobe Fireworks. Dreamweaver to create websites.

16 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 ICT

YEAR 8 STUDENTS Year 8 have been learning all about computer networks and how the Internet works. They have also been working together collaboratively online to create presentations for Year 8 students to educate them about (amongst other things) the difference between WI-FI and the Internet (which they were surprised to learn weren’t the same thing!)

Year 8 presentations (about how networks and the internet work).

YEAR 7 STUDENTS Our new Year 7 students have been learning all about E-Safety and how to use the Google Suite of online software. One of the E-Safety topics they have covered is Phishing (scam) emails and how to spot them. They are then moving on to a unit about Computer Systems where they get to look inside Examples of a phishing email with computers at the components and find out how they work. notes about how to spot the scam.

OTHER NEWS Mr Brand (our new NQT) has started a KS3 ICT club on Wednesdays during P6. The students there are a mixture of Year 7s, Year 8s and Year 9.

Miss Whitham – Central Leader of ICT [email protected]

Pictured - Proud of our Year 7s (creating stop motion animations with the iPads, our Year 8s (coding in Python for the first time using the BBC Micro Bits) and our Year 9s (signed up to achieve the iDEA award for digital literacy and enterprise skills) - all working happily together in our KS3 P6 club (set up by Mr. Brand).

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 17 LANGUAGES & GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING

This new academic year has started on a very positive note P0/P6 SPANISH AND SPANISH with the addition of two new full-time members of staff. Miss Healey and Miss Bond joined the team in September and EXCHANGE – MISS COLEMAN fitted in perfectly from the start! They have adjusted very well Year 11 have approached their studies this year with maturity to the school and the faculty and we are delighted to have and drive. It is great to see so many of you willing to attend them. The team is now made up of seven teachers and going P0 at 8am on a Friday morning to practice your speaking and from strength to strength. The faculty has joined in with the listening skills which has in turn increased your confidence – house points system this year and students will be adding as was demonstrated in your recent speaking mocks. Well house points to their team with their vocabulary scores. We done! It was clear to see that you had all spent time hope this will encourage more students to work on their preparing and revising your answers which enabled you all retention skills and see the value of assiduity in vocabulary to do your best. I am looking forward to seeing the inevitable learning. Students have also been taking part in a Greetings improvement that will come by the time the next speaking Card competition to earn points and we will provide further mocks happen in the new year. Additionally, all are welcome updates in the next edition of the newsletter. We wish and small group P6 sessions also take place with Miss everyone associated with PCSA de très bonne fêtes de fin Coleman – just put you name on the sign-up sheet in her d’année, fröhliche Weihnachten and Prospero año nuevo!! room.

KS3 SPANISH – MISS BOURGOIS In Year 7, students focused on learning the basics as well as learning about how to pronounce Spanish words and phrases. They learnt the alphabet, talking about themselves, the weather, their school and colours. They have been very brave in their speaking assessments and all students are becoming more confident when speaking Spanish. Well done Year 7, you have made a really good start! Our Year 8s are building on what they learnt last year. This cycle, they focused on using the present tense, extending their sentences and using a variety of opinions in Spanish. Twenty Year 10 and Year 11 students spent an amazing week They discussed their tastes in music and TV programmes. in Baza, near Granada in October – taking part in the Spanish Many students commented on how they particularly enjoyed Exchange. The students really rose to the challenge of living writing about music and many were very pleased with their with Spanish host families and embraced Spanish life music paragraph in their book. Many were also really proud completely. We had some great trips to the Alhambra and of how well they coped with the translation task in the mid- the beach and all of the students’ confidence and speaking cycle assessment. skills improved immensely. I was incredibly proud to watch them develop and achieve over the week. Well done chicos! “I am proud of the music paragraph because it was very good” Elliot W KS3 FRENCH – MISS HEALEY AND “I am proud of the work on the music… I understood it and enjoyed it” Ruby T MADAME BOLL In French, students in Year 7 have made a brilliant start and are beginning to use new language in their lessons to KS4 SPANISH – MISS BOND describe the date, the weather and classroom items. Their At KS4 both year groups have been learning how to improve effort in pronunciation has started to pay off and a lot of their writing skills by using acronyms such as PROF3 or students are “proud of [their] speaking in French” (James). AVOCADO to help them remember what to include to Year 7 has produced a colourful timeline to show off their achieve higher marks. PROF3: Past, reason, opinion, future knowledge of key events in the calendar. rd and 3 person. AVOCADO: adjectives; verbs; opinions; Year 8 have been making progress with their learning and are connectives; adverbs; descriptions; OMG phrases. Students beginning to use different tenses. They have been focussing have demonstrated using these structures in their Year 11 on the future tense and have explored French slang and speaking mocks as well as their end of cycle reviews, which music in Super Learning week. This will help to build up is reflected in students self-written progress review: "I am knowledge of tenses as we progress into using the past tense proud that I wrote in the past, present, future and when describing holidays! conditional tenses". Students in Year 10 and Year 11 will continue to build on these skills by adding new and more Year 8 French students have enjoyed knowing what to expect complex structures in Learning Cycle 2. in their lessons although they have found the vocabulary more challenging than in Year 7.They have embraced their quiz style

18 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 (LGU) - Mrs. Parsons

starters and are starting to get to grips with grammar which couple of minutes around that theme. It is essential they don’t will help them manipulate the language and become lose what they have learnt and keep revisiting in order to keep independent learners. Please continue to support students it fresh in their minds ready for their January PPE. They will with home learning as it really helps students consolidate then be tested on two of the three themes so they need to vocabulary and makes working on skills in lessons easier. keep preparing answers to their questions in order to bank as many points as possible. October PPEs were very promising Year 9 have continued to build on their knowledge from KS3 and we need to build on this success to keep going. It will pay and are using key tenses accurately. We have been impressed off on results day next August! Listening practice at 8.00am with the effort that students put into this cycle, and many on Fridays takes place weekly with Miss Douesnard students have seen this effort pay off in their end of cycle (everybody is welcome) and Miss Bourgois is leading a P6 assessments: “I am proud of my score and actually doing my session on Wednesdays about higher writing skills, which best” (Amelia) and “I got my highest score yet” (Lila). Year 9 focuses on skills required for the 150 words essay. have also recognised cross-curricular opportunities in French and the importance of “knowing my punctuation” (Katie). KS4 FRENCH – MISS DOUESNARD AND MADAME BOLL Year 10 French students are already making tremendous progress and enjoying their lessons in smaller groups and with likeminded people. They have found the structure of the main lessons and vocabulary lessons useful and have started the year with renewed focus. Home learning has been fun and challenging and assessments have shown students where they are and what they need to do to progress further. Students expressed the need to do more speaking activities as they need to become more confident in their foreign language and there will be many KS4 GERMAN – MRS. PARSONS opportunities for them to do so in lessons as well as in mock Students have been learning to describe where they live and exams. Can we re-emphasise that watching films in French, we have focused especially on speaking and developing listening to French radio, French songs or using apps like answers. Students had the opportunity to take part in a mock Duolinguo are always fun ways to develop skills further speaking exam as part of their PPE and I was impressed to outside the classroom. see all of them taking it so seriously and trying their best. The next one will be in January and will be exactly the same Year 11 took their French speaking PPE straight after the format as the “real thing”. Final speaking exams are October half term and it was obvious that most students had anticipated to take place at the end of April. taken the time to revise for the conversation part during the Mrs. Parsons break. Students were asked to prepare one of the three Central Leader of Languages and Global Understanding themes and most of them can now hold a conversation for a [email protected]

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 19 MATHS- Mrs. Kerrison

NEW TO THE TEAM HOMEWORK This year has seen the maths faculty continue to grow and A little bit about how homework has changed in maths. All year I have the pleasure in introducing three new teachers. groups now hand their homework in on the same day each week; Monday is Year 7, Tuesday is Year 8, Wednesday is Year Mr. Ennis: 10, Thursday is Year 9 and Year 11s have their Hegarty Maths I have always had a love for mathematics and checked on Monday and hand in any Friday homework during wanted to share that passion through assembly on Friday of the following week. teaching. A constant talking point for We are also increasing the use of Hegarty Maths across all the students is that I have to duck to walk year groups. In Year 7 and 8 they hand their homework in through doors which they never seem to tire during Week 4 and 8 of each cycle and notes are in their of. Outside of school I enjoy board games, walking, swimming homework booklet. In Years 9, 10 and 11 Hegarty Maths is due and role-playing games, like dungeons and dragons. Something every week and notes go in their home exercise book. In Year I would like to start a club for at PCSA. 9 a minimum of 1 task per week, in Year 10 a minimum of 2 tasks per week and Year 11 a minimum of 3 tasks per week. Mr. Gilbert: Your child is expected to achieve at least 50%, otherwise they I have had a few careers before deciding that will need to watch the video again and improve their score. If I would like to give something back to the they struggle or have any problems please ensure they talk to children in my local community through their teacher who will be happy to help. teaching. Before training at PCSA last year, I There is a schedule on the school homework website for maths was involved with lighting production in detailing every date for this school year when homework is due theatres, creative media provider for charities and on the and what is expected. leadership team at St Pauls Church. I enjoy film making, which I hope to use in the classroom and tennis and squash (any sport which keeps me fit). EXTRA HELP The maths faculty run three after school sessions on Mrs. Waite: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to help provide maths support to all students, including help with After taking time out to care for my five homework and use of ipads for Hegarty Maths. children, I decided I wanted to train as a maths teacher. With a background in Maths Clinic – Tuesday science and mathematics I wanted to share This is an opportunity for year 7 and 8 students to get a little extra maths my love of maths with others and felt that help. This could be with maths homework or a particular maths topics from becoming a teacher would enable me to do this. In addition to the lesson. It is a drop in session from 3pm – 4pm with members of staff being a maths teacher I am also a scout leader for children aged available to help. Students are encouraged to help each other and 6-14. I have level 2 sign language, am trained in autism investigate alternative ways of learning. Using feedback from the first cycle, awareness and enjoy teaching parts of my lesson in Welsh. staff can recommend students to come along on Tuesdays to improve on CHANGES TO THE FACULTY areas highlighted during the assessment week. This year has also seen some fabulous changes to the maths Year 11 Intervention Evening – Wednesday faculty facilities. We expanded the number of classrooms from 7 to 12 allowing all our staff to have a permanent base and for Specific Year 11 students are invited to the maths faculty P6 revision students to be in one classroom for their maths lessons. This sessions on Wednesday 3pm – 4pm. This is an opportunity for students helps in routine and consistency across all maths classes and to revise topics which are specific to their individual requirements in small enables lessons to run smoothly. In addition, the maths group environments. In addition, all students are invited to IT1 with maths teachers finally have one office to share and call their own. This teachers available to help with either Hegarty Maths or Method Maths. has already lead to an increase in sharing of ideas and resources to continually improve our students experience in the Year 9 and 10 Revision – Thursday classroom. To ensure our year 9 and 10 students start the process of revision early, Thursday 3pm – 4pm is their opportunity. These sessions enable students to get homework help and to revisit topics learnt in lessons. In addition students will be provided help with revision and exam techniques to prepare them for the GCSE exams they will be doing through the year. On top of all this Mr Wang has been extending our top students with A level topics.

Mrs. Kerrison – Central Leader of Maths [email protected]

20 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 PE - Miss Delaney

Girls’Girls’ PEPE WinterWinter 20192019

Under 16 Girls’ Football Year 10 and 11 Hockey Our U16 footballers are The U16 hockey squad now at round three in both have had some fantastic the Somerset and English performances over the last Schools Cup. We have two terms and have been so impressed with trained really hard not the team so far. In round missing a Tuesday or two of the Somerset Cup Thursday session. They are the girls were up against looking forward to Millfield and had an unbelievable 8-5 win so the girls are very representing PCSA in the much looking forward to their next round. There is so much North Somerset Schools potential across the team. Tournament. Well done to the following: T Young, M Stringer, J Habbits, S Brooks, B Gready, E Brennan, S Solomon, M Flynn, T Roberts, Opposition Score L Bragg, L Stephens and M Jeffreys. Worle 1-0 win Goal scorer: Stephanie Brooks POTM: Emily Edwards Under 14 Girls’ Football Queens College Taunton 7-0 lose. POTM: Maisie Flynn We had a great result for our U14 football team Sidcot 1-0 win Goal scorer: Olivia Hilbourne after beating Chew POTM: Ellie-Mae Brennan Valley School 6-4 in the Nailsea 2-2 Goal Scorers: Olivia Hilbourne first round of the and Stephanie Brooks Somerset Cup. We look POTM Ellie-Mae Brennan forward to seeing how they progress this year. Year 9 Netball Well done to:- K Jones, K Davison, M Ballentine, I Mullins, C Clarke The Year 9 netball squad (9A1), C Clarke (9B2), J Hughes, I Powell, E Bazell, C Hughes, have trained twice a R Millard, R Cousins, and K Pavey. week since September Under 12 Girls’ Football and have proved for another year, how well Well done to our Year 7 they play as a team and footballers who played how dedicated they are exceptionally well in the to P6 sport at PCSA. North Somerset Tournament. We have been able to The team played Gordano provide three teams to school in the final and after a play against other schools in North Somerset and we remain 0-0 full time result lost on proud of this. Lots of girls have been attending twice weekly penalties. A very promising and it has paid off. start by all and we wish the team the best of luck as they start their fixtures this term in The girls played their North Somerset Netball Tournament the English Schools Cup. recently and finished as runners up, claiming the silver medal. We lost out to Clevedon in the final 7-5; a very well contested Players: W Drewer, M Stringer (7A2), G Brown (7A3), E Knight, match. PCSA got the better of them in the pool game, however, S Kerridge, L Perry, B Bateman, M Townsend, H Hull and S Harling. they pipped us to the post in the final game of the day.

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 21 PE

Year 8 Netball

This year sees another big cohort of Year 8 students regularly attending both the Tuesday and Thursday P6 sessions. They are extremely committed and are playing matches on a weekly basis. I feel very lucky to have such a dedicated group of students who have a love for netball and I am looking forward to their upcoming North Somerset tournament to see how they progress.

A TEAM B TEAM

PCSA v Worle (Won) PCSA v Worle A (Won) PCSA v Sidcot Won (9-2) PCSA v Sidcot Won (4-3) PCSA v Gordano Won (10-0) PCSA v Hans Price A Lost (12-0) PCSA v Nailsea Won (30-0) PCSA v Gordano A Won (7-0)

C TEAM D TEAM

PCSA v Worle A (Lost) PCSA v Gordano A Won (4-3) PCSA v Hans Price Lost (3-2) PCSA v Gordano A Won (3-1)

Girls’ Rugby

Girls’ rugby at PCSA has taken off this calendar year A big thanks must go to Luke Harrington and Josh with around 20 girls attending training every Edwards (ex-PCSA student) from Weston University Thursday. These consist of girls from all year groups who have supported our P6 rugby every Tuesday and and a wide range of abilities, both experienced and Thursday. We have been able to offer more new to rugby. Fixtures and festivals will be arranged experiences of rugby with their support and it is in the new year, so keep learning new skills ready for highly appreciated. Long may it continue. Thank you the opportunity to represent PCSA at rugby. Well gentlemen! done everyone!

22 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 PE

Boys’ PE Winter 2019

Year 11 Boys’ Football Our Year 11 boys have Congratulations had a mixed start to to all of the boys their final campaign. who represent They were entered into Weston RFC, both the Somerset and Weston Hornets National competitions. RFC, Bristol We began with a win in Bears DPP and the National cup Bristol Bears against Chipping Sodbury school with a 5-4 win on penalties PDG. It has been after drawing the game 5-5. Jack Buckland scoring 4 and nice to see many new faces at P6 training sessions, especially Callum Black with 1. Charlie Gibson then stole the show by those who have gone on to find local clubs. Most committed saving Chipping Sodbury’s last penalty to take Priory into the at training has to go to James Sargent who never fails to miss next round. a session. Well done to Fin Windell who has captained and led the group with maturity beyond his years. The boys played a very strong Hanham Woods team and Priory were missing both goal scorers Black and Buckland from our last game so were slightly depleted. The boys Year 9 Boys’ Rugby ‘ battled well first half with Kallum Bobbin and Joe White in control of the midfield and our back 3 staying strong only The Year 9 boys’ rugby team have worked exceptionally hard going in at half time 1-0 down. The boys were confident at this year at what has been a difficult year of rugby for them half time and we changed our formation to take the game to in North Somerset. They have currently played 6 and lost 5 them. This proved costly as Hanham scored 2 early goals and to Churchill, Haygrove (Somerset Cup), Broadoak, Clevedon then ran away with the game 5-0 from then. The boys still and Worle but beat Nailsea 4 tries to 0. Despite the score need to play Worle in the next round of the Somerset Cup. lines being one sided, the boys have shown excellent commitment, courage, bravery and desire to continue as a Year 10 Boys’ Football team no matter what the score line. It has been encouraging to see the number of tries slowly increase every game from a The Year 10 boys’ football season is only 1 game underway range of different players. Liam Murray, Callum Richards, as they have played their national cup fixture against Charlie Robertson, Louis Milman and Micheal Ncube being Backwell. Unfortunately, they were outplayed in the second amongst the try scorers. A special mention must go to Jake half and lost 2-0 in a very close encounter. They are due to Hawey, Fin Hughes, Callum Richards and Milan Farrance play Preston School in the Somerset Cup and many other whose attendance has been impeccable at P6 and this has schools within North Somerset in the new year. Good luck! reflected in their individual performance.

Year 10 Boys’ Rugby

The Year 10 rugby team have played 6 games, won 4, drawn 1 and lost 1 in what has been a positive start to their rugby campaign. Wins against Worle 10-0, Churchill 5-0, Backwell 10-5, Castle School 19-0 and a 17-17 draw against The Kings of Wessex have shown glimpses of how exciting this year group can be when they play well. Try scorers throughout those games have gone to Sasha Potapenkov, Tom Lewis, Fin Windell, Matt Grinham and Deighton Bradford.

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 23 PE

Year 8 Boys’ Rugby

This year the Year 8 Rugby team have played in 3 rugby Year 7 Boys’ Rugby festivals. These festivals are designed to get students involved in rugby outside of school. I am pleased to say that a number We have had tremendous numbers at period 6 rugby with a of the team have recently joined one of the local rugby clubs vast range of abilities. Our aim is to try and encourage as and now regularly play/train outside of school. many students to join local rugby clubs and experience competitive rugby. We aim to be as inclusive as possible and The boys have thoroughly enjoyed these festivals as it has throughout the cycle we have given every student an allowed them to have lots of game time against a variety of opportunity to represent the school with our introduction to schools. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the rugby festivals. We have so far played 2 festivals as well as boys progress throughout their time at Priory. had friendlies against Worle, Hans Price and Broadoak.

Year 9 Boys’ Football The boys have come on leaps and The Year 9 football bounds from the team have had a start of the cycle mixed start to the and we have year winning 1 and around 8 of our losing 1 narrowly to students join local a good Downend clubs which is team. fantastic. Some of our more experienced students have been great in supporting the learning of others and lead the teams I have been hugely in matches. Most notably Finlay Simpson, Gethin Williams impressed with their dedication at P6 football with over 25 and Josh Kaschek. It has been a really encouraging start for students attending regularly. our year 7 teams and they will only improve. We aim to keep The style of football they are beginning to play is great to rugby training until Easter to further develop the boys’ skills. watch and will hold them in good stead for the future. Boys’ Hockey Year 8 Boys’ Football For the 2nd year running Boys’ hockey is becoming a regular The Year 8 football team have had another great start to the club with around 20 boys attending P6 from a range of year year with a fantastic performance against Chew Valley in the groups. They had their first KS3 game against Sidcot and won cup winning 6-2. We are looking forward to the league games 2-0 with both goals coming from Tom Fox. More friendlies, after Christmas, a competition we went unbeaten in last year. tournaments and cup fixtures are due to be played in the new year and They have a fantastic new players attitude and are are always really starting to play welcome to some good football the which is great to Wednesday watch. Attendance at after school P6 football is great, club. with over 25 students regularly attending!

24 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 PE

OtherOther SportingSporting NewsNews

North Somerset X-Country Sporting Success Since September 2019 Well done to all our x-country runners who competed in the Congratulations to Imogen North Somerset run. Special mention goes to Jasmine Old and Jasmine Old who finished who finished in 3rd in her age group. Leah Perry, in 2nd place in the West William Maine who came 5th and Oli Andrews who placed 7th Country Gymnastics League made it into the top 10 who go through to the next round. alongside their other team members.

Congratulations to Freya Grafton who achieved a silver medal representing Team

GB as part of a gymnastics trio in Bulgaria over the October half term break. Along with Mollie

Huge congratulations to Ellie Teale for her success at her most recent dance festival. Her results being a

1st place, 2nd place and a 3rd place as well as the trophy for the highest mark in the character section.

Congratulations to Cody White for her success in her recent national dance competition in which she came 3rd overall.

Congratulations to Callum Black who has played for Torquay If you have been successful in any sport or activity mens 1st team in a cup match recently, winning 4-0. let us know or tweet us. We are always keen to praise our students in any way we can. We can’t do Congratulations to Iestyn Owen who has had trials for Forest that unless we know. Don’t be shy and be proud of Green and Stoke and has been invited to train with Newport. what you have achieved.

HOUSE SYSTEM UPDATE This year at PCSA we have adopted a whole school house system whereby each year group is split into 4 houses; Tweddle, Daley, Holmes and Hoy. Named after famous Great British Olympians, these houses have created an opportunity for all students to compete in healthy competition in their day to day school life. All students can earn weekly house points in a variety of ways such as; receiving positive phone calls from teachers, being nominated for Student of the Week, 100% attendance in a term and 400 positives in a cycle. As well as competitions within PE, languages, reading lessons, science and humanities all provide chances to earn points throughout the year. Well done to every student who has contributed to their house so far this year and keep working hard to see which house comes out on top as of the end of the year. Keep an eye on our website for regular updates to the house system leader board!

@PCSASport Miss Delaney - Central Leader of PE [email protected]

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 25 SCIENCE - Miss Criddle

As we approach the end of the term (and decade!) it is lovely KS4 SCIENCE NEWS to reflect on the successes of our students in science. We are very proud of our Year 11 students who have worked hard in the build up to their first series of PPEs. Many We have been very impressed with all of our year groups and students have worked tirelessly in and out of lessons and their progress in their learning, but we are particularly their efforts have been rewarded with outstanding results. impressed with how well Year 7 have risen to the challenge of secondary school science. They have been brimming with There has been a buzz in Year 10 classes as they have learnt enthusiasm to learn and full of questions to ask about their about communicable diseases such as HIV, the thalidomide topics. Year 11 have been superb, showing resilience and scandal and how the HPV vaccine works to prevent cervical working hard to prepare for their GCSEs. cancer. Year 9 students have started the GCSE syllabus and we are delighted with their focus and early It has also been a pleasure each week to award our students determination to succeed. with Student of the Week in science, and it is very difficult at times to choose from all of our great young scientists. Last We do everything we can to support our students in class but term we chose our Year 11 Students of the Term and students must also work independently to reach their full congratulated Stephanie B and Adam S on the focus, effort, potential. Year 11 students are using GCSE revision packs and enthusiasm they have shown in their learning. Both are crammed full of exam questions and selected students are conscientious students and are driven to succeed. using an online programme called Tassomai. Year 9, 10 and 11 students can purchase revision guides from our technicians We look forward to the new year and the opportunities it at any time. There are a multitude of free online resources brings for our students in science. such as Doddle, Seneca Learning, Kerboodle to access our textbooks used in class, and many excellent YouTube channels such as My GCSE Science and Free Science Lessons. Miss Stanbury – Second in Science

KS3 SCIENCE AND STEM NEWS WOW! What another amazing start to the new academic year. A whole new cohort of Year 7 bursting with excitement, inquisitiveness and being really engaged in their science lessons. So far they have been learning all about forces and matter, and will be moving onto topics covering cells and energy.

Year 8 are not to be outdone, with many building upon last year’s success, they have been learning all about magnetism and health and disease. The department really is alive with the thirst for knowledge that our students bring to us.

26 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 SCIENCE

We have also seen big successes on Doddle with many witness the students taking part in amazing extra-curricular students achieving high scores in their home learning. Keep activities, with such passion. up the good work KS3! We have so many things in the pipeline for science with plans Science club has again been launched with massive success, being made for activities taking place in National Science lots of activities have taken place such as rocket making, Week, trips, and more hands-on science days. There really boat building, flame testing, and even surviving a zombie are exciting times ahead. attack! More activities are planned such as flying cup making, forensic skills and Santa landers. The club is supported by our Building on the success of the last two years, I will once again very own students who have become STEM (Science, be running the transition science club for the year, where Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) ambassadors. Year 6 students will once again get a first-hand glimpse at Thank you, Ellie, Alfie and Leeroy. the outstanding science facilities on offer.

Sixty Year 9 students were invited to take part in a Mrs. Bush - KS3 Lead in Science wonderfully successful STEM day. What a privilege it is to

Miss Criddle – Central Leader of Science [email protected]

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 27 CAREERS - Mr. Wilmot

The school has run a wide range of careers events and activities for our students since the beginning of the year. In September, selected Year 11 students met with staff from the University of Cambridge to learn more about studying at one of the world’s most prestigious universities. Year 10 DT students also took part in a fantastic employability day run by Hinkley Point and tried out scaffolding and In December, selected Year 9 computing students visited virtual welding. UWE to attend a full day of Cyber Security related activities and all Year 9 students attended employability skills workshops in the assembly hall hosted by previous students and local employers.

One hundred Year 8 students spent the day at University Centre Weston to learn more about degrees and life at In October, all Year 11 students took part in taster days at university. Twenty Year 11 students took part in a Sixth Form both Weston College and Bridgwater & Taunton College. road trip to The King Alfred School, Churchill, Backwell and Nailsea to help them choose their next step.

We were also very proud to help students This was closely followed by the first Priory Learning Trust publish an eBook of Christmas themed Careers Convention where 40+ exhibitors met with hundreds short stories, poetry and art. ‘Christmas of our students to talk about how to plan a happy, successful Stories Volume 4’ became a top 10 and healthy life beyond school. We also launched the Year bestseller in the Amazon Children’s 10 work experience programme to students and completed Christmas book chart. placement forms are coming into the careers office thick and Miss Silmon has been meeting our Year fast. Students are showing fantastic bravery and resilience 11 students to talk with them about when speaking to employers for the first time. their education choices next year. She is offering all the support that students and their families need to plan their studies and careers. The door to the careers office is always open… please feel free to pop in, phone us or email us. Looking ahead to next term, we will continue to support Year 11 students with their plans beyond school as well as running lots of further activities that all year groups can participate in while supporting Year 10 students with their work experience placements. Miss Silmon and I would like to wish all students and their families a very happy Christmas.

Mr. Wilmot – Director of Careers, [email protected] Miss Silmon – Careers Advisor, [email protected]

28 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 JILL DANDO STUDENT JOURNALISTS

The Jill Dando News Team winter is looking warm with many Starting the academic year with a bang in October, the new members joining our fast-paced team of journalists journalists (regular, experienced, and new) participated in a across all six of our academies! It’s not surprising that the special charity launch event which was hosted by St Anne’s opportunity is attracting students after the many life- School. The event was threefold. We celebrated the changing success stories we’ve been part of over the last few impressive fundraising efforts of the Priory Learning Trust by months. One of these was an unprecedented visit to Number handing over a cheque for £19,448 to Weston Hospice Care, 10 Downing Street where a group of students aged 10 to 12 our chosen local charity for last year. Following this, we from the Jill Dando News Centre got the unique chance to welcomed our new charity for 2019-20, In Charley’s grill their own Prime Minister - the one and only - Boris Memory; a remarkable organisation fighting for increased Johnson. Their tried and tested interview skills meant that mental health support for young people. The team looks they did not hold back, asking hard-hitting questions from forward to covering all the brilliant fundraising events fuelled the future of our NHS to the state of mental wellbeing for by students this year. Finally, we marked twenty years since youth; all ahead of the current election campaign. the death of Jill Dando, our inspiration, by planting an apple tree orchard on site. This will be the first of 50 trees to be

planted across the Trust to encourage the growth of her positive legacy – aiding the next generation of journalists. This October the Jill Dando News Centre was delighted to present Aimee Braithwaite, a Year 9 student from Priory Community School Academy, as our first JDNC Journalist of the Year. Aimee has been a dedicated member since joining in Year 7, taking part in every opportunity, volunteering her time and honing her skills – which has really paid off. Last year she and Olivia Finch (Worle Community School Academy) wrote, directed Dedicated journalists and presented their own BBC Aimee Braithwaite and Points West news feature. Lacey Madge interview former student Jack Evison

Students from Jill Dando News teams across our primary schools Miss O’Gorman – Teacher of English meet PM Johnson at No. 10 Downing Street sarah.o’[email protected]

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 29 AWARDS EVENING

WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER 2019 AT THE GRAND PIER.

We celebrated our fantastic students on Wednesday 16 October and it was so wonderful to see so many parents, carers, students and members of staff. We celebrated academic excellence, remarkable outcomes and attainment, resilience, special talents in arts and music, and extraordinary abilities in sports. PCSA has long established a culture of celebration, rewards and recognition for students that go above and beyond and for simply doing the right thing every day. Rewards are a big part of our successful school. In the last academic year, we have rewarded our students with 1000s of positive commendations, through our Class Charts system, and congratulatory letters and postcards. Furthermore, we ensure that students are recognised weekly through our Students of the Week system as well as our Friday positive phone calls. We really want to continue to praise our students on a daily basis and your support as parents and carers is invaluable. A huge thank you to our amazing Student Leadership Team who compered the event. Amy Warren – Head Girl, Alastair Boyd – Head Boy, Hannah Coulton – Deputy Head Girl and Jack Butland – Deputy Head Boy. Another special thank you to our special guests on the evening; Josh Caulfield and Max Bodilly. Josh and Max are currently playing in the Gallagher Premiership for Exeter Chiefs and we were incredibly grateful that they were able to join us in celebrating the success of our students. It was particularly brilliant for Josh to join us on the evening as he is an ex-student of PCSA and since leaving the school in 2013 has gone on to play rugby for England, Cornish Pirates and Exeter.

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@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 31 CURRICULUM ENRICHMENT DAYS

7 & 8 OCTOBER 2019 On the 7 and 8 of October we ran the first two of these days The PCSA curriculum prides itself on offering as many extra for this academic year. Year 7 took part in a spelling bee curricular opportunities as possible to help prepare our competition as well as having the opportunity to visit students for life after school so they can thrive. Our Chepstow Castle or the Quantock Hills on humanities visits. curriculum enrichment days play a vital role in this, these Year 8 also conducted vital humanities work at Cheddar involve students not following their usual timetable but Gorge as well as a healthy eating and nutrition workshop. spending the whole day focusing on a particular topic or Year 9 attended anti-bullying sessions as well as safer theme. We often use this time to invite outside organisations lifestyles classes. Year 10 worked closely with experts to visit our school to add a ‘real life experience’ to the exploring how to make the right choices in life and reduce classroom or take groups to visit locations local to our school risks whilst Year 11 used the days to visit both Weston and to bring context and meaning to their classroom study. We Bridgwater colleges to look into options for life after PCSA also use the collapsed timetable days to deliver vital such as apprenticeships and A Levels. personal, social and emotional sessions so our learners have All students were a credit to the school and a huge thank you an understanding of how to stay fit and healthy and make to all staff for the extra work to help improve the student’s the right decisions in life. enjoyment and understanding.

32 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 CURRICULUM ENRICHMENT DAYS

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 33 ATTENDANCE & STUDENT SERVICES

100% ATTENDANCE MEET THE TEAM To conclude what has been a record-breaking year for those Gemma Roberts School Attendance Lead PCSA students who achieved 100% attendance for the Serena Robertson Attendance and Student academic year 2018-19 we hosted an annual celebratory Services Manager breakfast. This was provided by the staff and team at PCSA to acknowledge and celebrate the students’ efforts. Students Becki Brown Education Attendance Officer were also awarded with their 100% attendance school badge Sarah Hamlin Student Welfare Officer to be proudly worn to school to share their success with the wider school. Jenna Catley-Day Student Services Receptionist Gemma Roberts Zoe Shattock Student Services Assistant

COMMUNITY Please welcome our newest BREAKFAST member of the team This event remains as popular Jenna Catley -Day. as ever and there was a high Jenna will be taking on the turnout as usual for this role of Student Service event. Receptionist. Our school catering team did a wonderful job of preparing and serving over 900 breakfasts to our potential new Year 7s and their ATTENDANCE LADDER families. Congratulations to Noah our winner of the colouring competition who Equates to: OUTSTANDING received a £20 Vue Cinema Voucher. 100%

School days 4 missed in an 98% VERY GOOD academic year

School days 5 missed in an 97% ON TARGET academic year

School days 7 missed in an GOOD academic year 96%

School days 10 missed in an ALMOST THERE academic year 95%

School days IMPROVEMENT 11 missed in an academic year 94% NEEDED

School days 20 missed in an 90% CONCERNED academics year

School days VERY 29 missed in an academic year 85% CONCERNED Mrs Robertson - Attendance and Student Services [email protected]

34 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 SIR RICHARD BRANSON CENTRE (SRB)

NEWS FROM THE SRB Hello! As always we have had been incredibly busy at the start of the academic year. In September we welcomed our brilliant new Year 7s and quickly screened them to check if they would need some support in lessons. Since then we have been testing to see if our Year 10 and 11 students are eligible for exam concessions. If you have any concerns at all about your child’s ability to access the lessons or exams please contact Miss Smith. We feel it’s really important to listen to our new students and we have asked them to share with us how they are finding their Phonics classes (which aim to improve reading ability) or their English intervention classes (which aim to improve comprehension skills). Cerys explains what they do: “We do intervention three times a week. We do spelling, reading and comprehension. I like phonics because it’s fun and a different way to learning them”. Izabelle says “Intervention lessons help me improve my reading and spelling. It also helps me being in a small group because I can concentrate more”. Sammy says “In a smaller group it is better because it builds your confidence so I can do better in bigger classes”. Bradley enjoys intervention as he says, “I find intervention very handy because we go over what we did in our English lessons and I am happier using new techniques.” We are now running a Period 6 Social Thinking Club based on Michelle Garcia Winner Super Flex Super Hero program. In these sessions we introduce the concepts of Superflex and the Team of Unthinkables through a series of lessons. We start by talking about how the brain works, how social information is part of the brain, how we can change our behaviour, what our brain is expected to do socially (Superflex) and then the thoughts that challenge our brains from doing our best (the Unthinkables). Bradley says, “It has given me confidence to stand up and speak in front of my class and handle new situations.” Miss Smith - Assistant Principal & SENCO Designated Safeguarding Lead. [email protected]

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 35 LIBRARY - Mrs. Watts

One of our favourite times of the school year is the start of which then facilitates us as librarians to guide them in the term 1 when we get to meet all our new Year 7 students. We direction of books that challenge them in regards to like to hear about students’ favourite books and authors and comprehension and vocabulary but at the level that is any book recommendations they may have for us that we neither too simple or too difficult for them. can add to our library shelves. Once they have read a book in their reading level they can The first English reading lesson that each Year 7 student has take a short quiz on the book. The expectation is that in the library is their induction. During this session we explain students read a minimum of two Accelerated Reading books everything the library has to offer them from fantastic fiction in their reading level per learning cycle but many students and non-fiction books to computers, iPads and printing go way above and beyond this. We always reward this with facilities. a reading award ceremony during their assembly and students can receive certificates, pencils, bookmarks, badges Also during this first lesson, the students get to choose a free and free books in recognition of their hard work. fiction book that is theirs to read, keep and enjoy. It is our way of welcoming them to their new library and kick starting The PCSA library is a warm and vibrant place where students their literacy journey at PCSA. from all year groups are always made to feel welcome. They can receive help and guidance on choosing books to help This year there were 17 books for them to choose from. The them with a particular subject or simply to read for pleasure. selection was fantastic and we know that it was a hard choice for some of our students. In the end the most popular book All students are able to make use of the library facilities was Who killed Darius Drake? by Rodman Philbrick with 59 during Period 6 which runs Monday through to Thursday 3- requests. This was closely followed by Still Water by 4pm. We aim to provide a quiet and calm learning Chris Priestly with 55 requests. environment for everyone. As you can see from the pictures below the students had a Please follow us on Twitter @PCSALRC where you can keep brilliant time choosing and receiving their books. We really up to date on all the latest news in our library. hope they have enjoyed reading them and if they want to read any of the other books that were on the list we have a Mrs. Watts – Learning Resources Leader copy of each one in the library that they can borrow. [email protected]

The second reading lesson focusses on introducing our new Follow us on Twitter: @PCSALRC Year 7s to our Accelerated Reader Program. This program where you can follow all the latest news allows us to ascertain a student’s individual reading level from the library.

36 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 PRC - Mrs. Mawford

WELCOME TO THE PRC The Paula Radcliffe Centre (PRC) has now been open for three years; we are a gym and fitness facility open to the public based at Priory Community School in Weston-super- Mare. We have a selection of high-end equipment available for your use, as well as professional fitness instructors to help and advise you. Please take a look around our website [email protected] and check out the facilities available and our membership packages. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly staff on 01934 319140 or email [email protected].

JUNIOR GYM 2020 Junior Gym Memberships are just £30 for the year and can be purchased via your online ParentPay account. These memberships are available from 1st December 2019 and can be used from the New Year! Junior gym memberships give students full use of the PRC in Period 6 without having to sign up at breaktime and allows them to use the PRC between 10am and 12noon on the weekends, plus full access to our junior gym sessions in the school holidays. We have 200 junior gym memberships available for the whole school so don’t miss out on getting yours! The first 50 to sign up will also receive a free PRC gym bag.

Mrs. Mawford – Head of the PRC [email protected]

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 37 DUKE OF EDINBURGH - Miss Gadd

Through the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) programme at PCSA our students have fun, make friends, improve their self- esteem and build confidence. They gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem- solving, team-working, communication and drive, enhancing CVs and university and job applications. Top employers recognise the work-ready skills Duke of Edinburgh Award holders bring to their business.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH CELEBRATION OF BRONZE AWARD ACHIEVEMENT

This year we have had 47 Year 10 students complete the expedition in the summer of Year 9 and 41 of these students have now achieved their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award and are looking to start their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award. The following students have received recognition at the celebration evening held in October. Zoe Bacon Haydn Greaves Jamie Lawrence Abi Phillips Abbie Wallington Alex Bazell Rhys Hammond Abel Luke James Sargent Samuel Wrigley Rubie Biddle Sophie Hartley William Maine Jacob Simpson Stephanie Brooks Keira Bradley Weronika Hatcher Nathan Makepeace Aidan Smith Cody White Hallie Buck Olivia Hilbourne Tianna Marshall Sophie Solomon Ruby Minty Chloe Coughlan Chloe Hobbs Benjamin Morgan Chloe Thompson Molly Elms Harry Hobbs Mia Mutch Charlotte Thorpe Rowan Fielding Jasmine Hopes James O’Mara Leah Toomer Eva Gilbert Jask Isgrove Oliver Pascoe Isabelle Wakefield

DUKE OF EDINBURGH CELEBRATION OF SILVER AWARD ACHIEVEMENT

This year we have had 10 Year 11 students complete the expedition in the summer of Year 10 and 9 of these students have now achieved their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award and are having a well-deserved break whilst studying for their exams. It’s excellent to hear that some of these students are looking to do their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award in the future. The following students have received recognition at the celebration evening held in October. Hannah Coulton Lily Burgess Jessica Cox Hannah Stott Sherree Simmonds Emily Evison Elliot Morgan Jing Ping Xia Chloe Parker

If you have any questions or queries relating to the DofE Regular updates and general information on what’s going on please direct emails to [email protected] and a with DofE are updated via twitter so please follow us- response will be issued as soon as possible. There is also @PCSA DofE. plenty of information available at www.dofe.org Miss Gadd - Teacher of PE and Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator [email protected]

38 @PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 TERM DATES

SEPTEMBER 2019 OCTOBER 2019 NOVEMBER 2019 DECEMBER 2019 M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 30 31

JANUARY 2020 FEBRUARY 2020 MARCH 2020 APRIL 2020 M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 24 25 26 27 28 29 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 27 28 29 30 30 31

MAY 2020 JUNE 2020 JULY 2020 Term Days M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S Holidays 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 INSET Days 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Mon 2 September 2019 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Fri 18 October 2019 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Mon 20 July 2020 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 29 30 27 28 29 30 31 Tues 21 July 2020 Weds 22 July 2020

TERM 3 Starts Monday 6 January 2020 Ends Friday 14 February 2020

TERM 4 Starts Monday 24 February 2020 Ends Friday 3 April 2020

TERM 5 Starts Monday 20 April 2020 Ends Friday 22 May 2020

TERM 6 Starts Monday 1 June 2020 Ends Friday 17 July 2020

School day finishes at 12.25pm on 17/07/20

REMINDER TO PARENTS/CARERS From September 2019 all PCSA publications, including the a written tutor report. We believe that the introduction of Class newsletter and the students’ reports, will be sent electronically. Charts has made communication much easier on a daily basis. Please ensure that the school has accurate details, especially an In combination with our annual Target Setting Day, email email address, as this will be vital for this type of communication. communication and telephone calls, Parents’ Evening and If you do not have an email address please do let us know. Curriculum Evenings, we believe there are plenty of opportunities In addition to this, we will reduce reports to three times per year. for constructive communication between the academy and Finally, this will be the last year, where parents/carers will receive parents/carers.

@PCSA Autumn/Winter Edition 2019 39 UPCOMING EVENTS TERMS 3 & 4

TERM 3 Monday 6 January Start of Term 3 Thursday 9 January Year 9 Options Evening Monday 13 January (all week) Spanish Exchange students visiting PCSA Wednesday 15 January World of Work Careers Event All students encouraged to attend this exclusive event for all TPLT students. Information about diplomas, A Levels, apprenticeship and higher education. Thursday 16 January Year 11 Parent/Carer Information Evening – Revision Support Friday 31 Jan – Friday 7 Feb Ski Trip Monday 3 February National Apprenticeship Week Monday 3 – Friday 7 February Year 9 Interview Challenge Apprenticeship focus for all Year 9 students to choose a vacancy, create a CV and attend an interview. Wednesday 5 February Year 11 Leavers’ Photos Thursday 6 February Year 9 Parents’ Evening Friday 7 February National Citizen Service Assembly (Year 11) The assembly is followed by a breaktime drop in session. Monday 10 February PE Trip to Bath University Tuesday 11 February HPV Vaccinations for Year 8 boys and girls (first dose) Tuesday 11 February Year 11 Photography Exam Preparation Trip National Portrait Gallery, London Friday 14 February National Citizen Service breaktime drop in session (Year 11)

TERM 4 Monday 2 March (all week) National Careers Week Monday 2 March PPE Week 3 Monday 9 March PPE Week 4 Monday 9 March Duke of Edinburgh Silver Training Expedition Friday 13 March Non-school Uniform Day (charitable donations will be split between Comic Relief and The Priory Learning Trust’s Charity of the Year – In Charley’s Memory) Wednesday 18 March PE Ice Hockey Trip, Cardiff – Year 7, 8 and 9 Friday 20 March Duke of Edinburgh Silver Practice Expedition Thursday 26 March Year 7 Parents’ Evening Thursday 2 – Sunday 5 April Year 11 Berlin Trip Friday 3 April Last day of Term 4

Keep an eye out for other careers related events throughout the year! All information on activities can be found on our website - https://pcsa.org.uk/careers-1 GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATIONS (GDPR) The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) came into force on hold about them. We comply with this right by providing ‘privacy notices’ May 25th 2018. Priory Community School Academy (PCSA) and The Priory (sometimes called ‘fair processing notices’) to individuals where we are Learning Trust (TPLT) take the collective responsibility for the secure holding processing their personal data. and management of the personal data of Parents/Carers and Students held by us very seriously. The TPLT Privacy Notices for Parents/Carers and Students are available to view on the school website under the Key Information tab at the top of the Under data protection law and the new regulations, individuals have a right home page. They include the contact details of the Trust Data Protection to be informed about how the school/Trust uses any personal data that we Officer should you have any questions or queries in this regard.

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