theHallParkAcademy newsletter December 2019 Our new Year 7 students have settled into life at Hall Park, engaging well in the wider life of the school through their participation in extra-curricular activities and already enjoying a number of trips, including a visit to Southwell Minster and a residential visit to Walesby Forest.

Armistice Day saw a number of our students invited to represent the at a Remembrance Service at the Memorial Cottages War Memorial and also participate in a tree planting ceremony at Brinsley Recreation Ground to remember those who lost their lives in the two World Wars. These students represented themselves and the academy with great dignity at both services.

A number of our students have been involved in the impressive production of ‘Eastwood Comics’, a series of comic books produced through the recognition of Nottingham as a UNESCO City of Literature. The students worked extremely hard to produce writing and art work of the highest quality over several months, including school holidays, and it has been wonderful to see these efforts and talents so brilliantly displayed in the finished books.

The Hall Park General Election on December 11th saw all students from Year’s 7-13, gather together in the sportshall to hear key pledges from different parties before then completing their own ballot paper to cast their vote.. This was a superb occasion and a fantastic way to engage all students in one of the key values of our academy, that of democracy.

It has been wonderful to see and meet with so many parents at a number of events we have held during this term such as our Year 7 Information Evening, Year 12 Welcome Evening, Year 9 GCSE Information Evening, the Year 11 Exam Preparation Evening, Year 13 Parent’s Evening, and Year 10, 11 and 12 Form Tutor review weeks. Your continued support in helping us to ensure your sons and daughters can achieve their potential as members of our school community is always greatly appreciated.

Mr Keogh - Head of School www.hallparkacademy.org.uk Message from the Chair of Governors The academic year of 2018/2019 was a year of consolidating progress at , making sure that we continue to provide a high standard of teaching for our students. And this has paid off once again for our A Level and GCSE students, with a set of excellent results coming in during the summer. Governors congratulate all our students on their success rates and thank all staff and parents/carers for their continued support. The last three years have seen serious changes to the way in which Government, and OFSTED, measures schools’ performance. This has led to significant changes in all parts of our curriculum. These changes were accompanied by the introduction of two new measures: Student Achievement and Student Progress. These will become even more important during the coming years as Academies will justify their existence based on the degree to which each student has achieved their full potential. And, linked to that, the degree to which the Academy itself has added value to the progress each student makes. Taken together, these measures will help all of you asses how well Hall Park is doing in educating your child. Looking ahead to 2019/2020, in September we again welcomed a much larger contingent of children into Year 7, including many from outside our normal catchment area. Prospective parents understand that we educate children well, treat them all equally and provide them with the skills they need for later life. All within a safe and inclusive environment. Once again I thank you for your continued support during the year. And I thank the Local Academy Body for their unstinting work and effort as unpaid volunteers. Working closely with the Academy’s senior team, they focus on keeping Hall Park Academy on course to provide ever better standards of education to your children and those who come after them.

Kevin Edwards Year 7 Careers Assembly As part of our Careers education at HPA this year, we have a programme of events delivered by Nottingham Trent University, to enable students to gain an understanding of what it is like to study at a University and to encourage aspiration. The programme will include assemblies about the benefits of higher education, campus visits and group works. On Friday 6th December a representative from Nottingham Trent University came to deliver the first of these sessions to our Year 7’s. This interactive assembly covered key terminology and the benefits of higher education and promoted the importance of participation and engagement at school as a key to success. Message from the Executive Headteacher Students in Year 11 and Year 13 have been gearing up for their mock exams. Revision has been at the heart of this preparation and students in both years have been reminded that planning their time effectively is crucial to ensuring they are ‘exam ready’. Mr West has shared strategies and resources to help students break down their notes and commit important information to their long term memory. December 12th was Year 11 mock results day and it is fair to say that whilst many were pleased with their performance in the mocks, there is still work to do to ensure all students secure their best grades in the final exams in the summer. The hard work certainly continues in the new year and students will continue to be supported by tutors and mentors. Mrs Dyce Executive Headteacher

Lest We Forget On a cold, dark and wet Monday afternoon, a small group of Hall Park Academy students helped to plant some trees at Brinsley Recreation Ground. There were 21 trees planted in total, one for each of the young men from Brinsley who lost their lives during the two World Wars. As the Mayor of Broxtowe pointed out, when the brave soldiers went off to fight, they would not have been much older than the students are today. Accompanying the Head Boy and Head Girl (Max & Jenny) were Logan King (EJM), Elizabeth Peters (EJF) & Alisha Charles (EJT). It was an emotional ceremony, particularly for both Elizabeth and Alisha who are actually related to two of the serviceman (Gerald Gilbourne and Edgar Jepson) that were being honoured. The trees are all upright growing trees and have been planted in rows, to represent servicemen on parade. They will be a poignant reminder for years to come, of the sacrifice that was made by so many young men from this area. PE News Netball club update

Netball club has been running weekly every Tuesday since September. We are now training indoor due to the freezing cold, however our matches are all outdoors. Whilst other sporting fixtures might get re arranged in the cold wet weather, netball carries on regardless. Year 10 were the first to have a taste of this horrible weather however it didn’t put them off!

Alex Parker was great defending in the circle (even with rain drops dripping off her nose!), Maisy Frost carried on playing through an injury to her hand to make some excellent interceptions. Paige Wing and Kirsty Maddock showed excellent attacking skills in the circle with some fantastic feeds from Caitlin Inkster. Freya Meakin, Freya Blackman and Daisy Jones all demonstrated excellent movement around the court to provide some great passing opportunities.

In the Year 7 tournament the girls had even colder but dry weather to contend with. By the end of the evening there were frozen fingers and toes however no one gave up and they continued to challenge for the ball throughout the fixture. Lauren, Cully and Elise made a great team in the middle of the court getting the ball into our attacking quarter. Izzy Plant and Emily Fogg were excellent as shooters. Courtney, Fern and Kayleigh were amazing in defence with lots of interceptions to help us keep in each game.

In Year 8 we have some very loud players - however they work really well together. Evie and Evie make great passes around the court, Izzy and Charlotte and Lexie always add that pressure in defence which helps us regain possession. Our other players include Lucy Timmins, Scarlett Walton, Chloe Herbst and Emily Houlden - these girls are committed to training and provide vital links between the attack and defence.

In Year 9 the girls played in the warmer weather. This made the games slightly more enjoyable! The girls have worked hard this year on the accuracy of passes and the interceptions around court. Hannah, Betty, Ellie, Rubi, Ashleigh, Cerys, Fraya, Libby and Lilly are really gelling as a team and have some of the best fluency of all the year groups. I can’t wait to see what the next game brings.

All of the girls have made vast improvements this year in their game play, the atmosphere at training is fantastic and very supportive. It is especially great to watch the older girls support those in lower year groups. Great start to the year - hopefully it will continue! Year 7 Boys Futsal The Year 7 boys Football team travelled to George Spencer school to take part in the Broxtowe Year 7 5-a-side Futsal tournament. The Hall Park 1 and 2 teams both competed well and scored some excellent goals. The Hall Park 2 team could not get out of their pool but played very well with notable performances from Dan Bailey and the pacey Cole Porter. The Hall Park 1 team qualified out of their group after beating teams like George Spencer. After winning their semi-final they played Bramcote school in the final and ran out 5-0 winners. Owen Hayes battled throughout the tournament after taking some blows while Alfie Kirk was his usual live-wire self. Both teams were a credit to the school and we look forward to more Year 7 games throughout the year.

Year 11 Girls Basketball The Year 11 Girls basketball team played their last ever games for Hall Park Academy. The girls played two challenging games against Arnold Hill and Carlton Academy, but this did not stop them putting up a fight.

The girls defended incredibly well in particular Aimee Bartram. We began to pick up the pace and attack in quick breaks with several baskets being scored.

A big thank you for your commitment over the last year and well done for all of your success! Year 10 Boys Football The Year 10 boys football team reached the next round of the cup thanks to a dramatic penalty shootout win over Becket School. The boys defended resolutely in the first half with the game goalless at half time. Two quick Becket goals put Hall Park on the back foot but they showed great commitment to score with five minutes to go through Fynnlay Bardgett, before Liam Salisbury’s last minute shot was palmed into the path of Charlie Bone who slotted home the equaliser with just seconds to play. Ten minutes of extra time passed without event leading to the shootout. Hall Park missed their first penalty to give Becket an early lead but the away side then missed consecutive penalties, hitting the post and being denied by a Ben Stapleford save. Hall Park scored their last four penalties to seal a 4-2 shootout win and a place in the next round.

The Year 10 boys football team go into the final weeks of the Autumn Term with a record of 2 victories from their three games, the only defeat coming away to Charnwood College (Loughborough) in the National Cup. After a bye in round 1 of the South Notts Cup, the team progressed from round 2 with a 4-1 victory over a much fancied Carlton Le Willows side. This means Hall Park now face a wait to see who their Quarter Final opponents will be in the New Year. Harry Potter Studios Tour Trip On Tuesday 26th November, 50 of our dedicated Year 8 students were rewarded for their progress in reading during their Accelerated Reader lessons. Students attended an exclusive trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. Our students successfully completed Summer 2019 termly reading targets and have been making exceptional effort to raise their reading ages.

Arriving at the studios we were all exceptionally excited, especially when the doors to the Great Hall opened and we rushed into Hogwarts! During the tour we were able to explore all the famous locations from the books, including inside Number 4 Privet Drive, Dumbledore’s office, and even on board the Hogwarts Express and The Knight Bus. Some students took their experience to the next level with a virtual broomstick ride and all of us were able to try out a Butterbeer in the café.

The trip was a great success and was such a fantastic way to celebrate our student’s achievements in reading and inspire them to keep reading. Eastwood Comics Nottingham UNESCO city of literature received £60,900 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for it’s project “Eastwood comics”. The aim of the project was to help a young audience connect with one of ’s most famous writers. Our young artists worked alongside creative writing students from and illustration MA students from Nottingham Trent University. Working collaboratively, they developed six comics inspired by DH Lawrence and his literature, under the mentorship of graphic novelists David Hine, Rachael Ball and Luke Healy as well as the international publisher SelfMadeHero.

On Wednesday 27th November the art students involved attended Page 45 in Nottingham with their parents, to celebrate the launch of their newly published comic books. These stories are available to the public for free in the form of a boxed- set of six from the DH Lawrence birthplace Museum and Hall Park Academy. The comics will feature in local book shops and libraries. (examples of Students creations below) Erin Shepard and Amy Pulford gave a very moving speech about their involvement, experiences and appreciation of working with graduates and artists and the students were proud to be the illustrators who were signing the books for members of the public.

Our art students have done an incredible job, giving up their weekends and parts of their holidays to create these stunning books. They have tackled the material of DH Lawrence creatively and maturely. A massive a well done to Amy Pulford (AER), Erin Shepherd (AER), Lorna Shephard (LTH), Atticus Davis (CPF), Honey Platts (AHP), Violet Beddoe (ALH), India Perkins (LTH), Melanie Jenkins-Weller(ACS), Jack Sadeghi (EAS), Cailtlin-Rae Ward (ALH), Ericka Stokes(LOL) and Elliot Burton (EAT). The Phantom of the Opera 33 Hall Park Academy students, all studying GCSE music, visited Her Majesty’s Theatre in London on Thursday 5th December to see the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’.

The trip was a great opportunity for the GCSE students to see a musical that links with one of their set works on stage and will benefit them when it comes to exam time. After some time spent having lunch in St James Park, then a short stroll to Trafalgar Square, it was time to see the big event, which was greatly enjoyed by all.

Christmas Concert On December 11th we performed our Christmas Concert for 2019 – ‘Winter Wonders’. This was a lovely evening celebrating the student’s talents in singing, dance, drama and even brass. As well as the usual Christmas readings, we also had a new addition: The Chamber Choir. The Art department were selling items made by art students in the interval. A perfect way to end the term. Inter House - It’s a Knockout! Congratulations to Lawrence house who won this event in early December! Students competed in a range of activities that ranged from balancing relays, to hooped games, to musical chairs! Collier came behind in 2nd with Astle and Erewash finishing 3rd and 4th respectively. Well done to all the students involved as this was an excellently competitive event and done in a enthusiastic and friendly environment.

Red Hill Academy Trust Book Awards

Ten of our Year 7 students are currently shadowing the Red Hill Academy Trust Book Awards. This is a cross Trust event with students from every school in our Trust taking part. Students are reading six shortlisted books and meeting biweekly for discussion and activities. Students from each school will be meeting at in March to meet one of the shortlisted authors – Darren Simpson – writer of the fantastic ‘Scavengers’.

Scholastic Book Fair In November our Library hosted the Scholastic Book Fair. A Book Fair is a celebration of reading that puts the very best books directly into our students’ hands. Over 200 titles were available for students to browse and buy in school. It was a fantastic opportunity to encourage our students to do more reading and grab themselves a book they are really interested to read in DEAR time at school. Students loved browsing the books in Library lesson time and the fair created a great buzz around reading! Overall we sold £555 of books and we will receive 50% of this back in books for our school library – a fantastic achievement.

Brilliant Book Award 2019 The Brilliant Book Awards will be returning to HPA this month – watch this space for more news soon!

Accelerated Reader Success Corner

We have had some fantastic successes from our Year 7 and 8 students who have been working exceptionally hard on improving their reading ages. Our Accelerated Reader system tracks student’s successful quizzing and word records.

This term Dylan Furniss, LTH, became our first Word Millionaire of 2019! Congratulations Dylan, may you wear your badge with pride!

Here are our current top ten readers:

TOP TEN WORD COUNT: 1. Furniss, Dylan - 1,053,694 2. Poyner, Maisy - 620,124 3. Cowlard, Matthew - 558,245 4. North, Jack - 543,496 5. Warr, Courtney - 536,448 6. Butler, Fern - 527,694 7. Collins, Jacob - 527,384 8. Beddoe, Scarlett - 522,011 9. Grainger, Kieran - 405,374 10. Morley, Cully - 388,535

Parents should look out for a letter coming soon detailing book suggestions that would be great ideas for Christmas gifts to help and support your child’s reading progress. Christmas Light Switch on

On the 26th November a selection of Hall Park students performed at the main stage at the Eastwood lights switch on. We had performances from Year 9,10 and 13 students and these were well received and great for kicking off the Christmas spirit.

Frontline Living

History students in Year 10 welcomed the Frontline Living History group - They provided a workshop on medical developments on the British sector of the Western Front through a range of informative and interactive workshops, including gas attacks, the evacuation route and the illnesses and conditions faced within the trenches. Geography Fieldwork Trip Year 13 Geographers took in the delights of the East Yorkshire Coast in late September. In a busy three day trip in preparation for the Paper 2 exam and the coursework, pupils studied regeneration in Bridlington and coastal erosion and management along the Holderness Coast.

Aided by the wonderful mini bus driving skills of Mr Fenby the group stayed true to form; Justin moaned a lot, Aidan wore shorts despite freezing temperatures, Max bought some questionable objects, Adam failed in a philosophical debate with Mr Fenby, Matthew pondered... a lot, Mary was not quite sure what day it was and William asked 300 history questions.

Sacred Space at Southwell Minster Trip 160 Year 7 students visited Southwell Minster on Wednesday 4 December. They took part in workshops about how a cathedral is used and what sacred space is. They explored the Minster’s beautiful buildings and met staff who run it. A good day was had by all and much learned about our topic in RS this term on Festivals & Rites of Passage. Post 16 University and apprenticeships UCAS season is well under way with early applications submitted so far for subjects such as Medicine and Chemistry. This year again, students are applying for a wide range of courses at a diverse selection of universities including as far flung as Northern Ireland and the USA. One student, Jenny Chung, took part in the Redhill mock medicine interviews in preparation for her interviews at university medical schools. In Year12 5 students have embarked on the Redhill Trust HE+ programme A number of students have applied for outreach courses such as the University of Sheffield Discover, the University of Nottingham Ambition, University of Cambridge Shadowing, UNIQ at Oxford University and Nottingham Trent Progression.One student in Year 13 was successful in his application to a level 3 apprenticeship.

Post-16 applications Our Post-16 open evening took place on the 16th October and we spoke to a large number of Year 11 students and their parents from Hall Park and other schools, to talk about the excellent offer Hall Park Sixth Form provides. Since then we have had a record number of applications and we are still getting enquiries from students who are interested. In the last week of the autumn term all applicants will be interviewed by Mr Leach or a Senior Leader and students will then be invited to follow up events. We are running a trip to York University for students who are currently achieving well enough to consider applying to top universities.

General Election Question Time In the run up to the general election, all 6 candidates standing for election in the Ashfield constituency were invited into school to take part in a Question Time style hustings with sixth form students. They faced some tough questions on Brexit, health and the environment amongst other topics and the event was excellently chaired by Miss Hale.

Sixth Form Committee Our Committee continues to be proactive, organising more charity events including the high profile #helloyellow day, spearheaded by Chloe Fordham, raising awareness of mental health issues.