Holyrood Academy

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2021

Cambridge Offer! Inside this Issue

Headteacher’s message…

Competitions…

Students’ work work work...

Governors’ message...

Useful websites...

...and a whole lot more. Caitlin Smith heading to Cambridge University

Headteacher‟s Message

Mr Dave MacCormick Headteacher

What a half term it has been! Our students, staff and their families have been faced with yet more challenges in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic and have come through the other side together. I would like to congratulate our students for their hard work and resilience throughout this challenging half term and would like them all to know that we do hope to see them back at school as soon as it is safe for them to return. A 43 acre site is very empty indeed with just 100 students and 20 (or so) staff working on-site each day. The atmosphere and sense of togetherness in school is great, though, with everybody working together in what we know are tricky times for all. A big 'well done' must go to those students who are in school every day - they are amazing.

I am delighted to read this bumper edition of our Newsletter and to see so many lovely opportunities being provided for our students. It really goes to show that although the school is not fully open, the 'Team Holyrood' spirit continues through lockdown, with students and staff working hard, being kind and joining in. It is great to see so many of our students taking advantage of the activities being offered both in lessons and outside of them. Please do encourage your child to enter the year group competitions, listen to the podcast and take regular screen breaks to exercise during their PE lessons and beyond.

Finally, I have mentioned this before, but it is such a significant achievement that I will do so again. Congratulations to Caitlin Smith who has become Holyrood Academy's first student to gain a place at Cambridge University. Caitlin will study English at Peterhouse College and everyone at Holyrood is delighted for her. She is such a hard-working, intelligent and curious student who really has blazed a trail for others to follow, just like Lauren Winch did when she gained a place at Oxford University two years ago. It is so inspiring for our students to be able to see these highly motivated and successful students. They really should be thinking 'if those Holyrood students can, why can't I?'.

Thank you once again for your support over the course of this half term and I hope that all our students and their families enjoy a restful half term break.

2 DECEMBER 2020

Caitlin Receives Offer from Cambridge University

We are incredibly proud to celebrate that Holyrood Sixth Form student, Caitlin Smith, has received an offer to study at Cambridge University from October 2021. Caitlin will read English at Peterhouse College, Cambridge and is the first ever Holyrood Sixth Form student to gain a place at this prestigious institution. Caitlin achieved a fantastic set of GCSE results while studying at Holyrood Academy and is set to achieve an impressive series of A Level results this summer. Her determination has never wavered to study at Cambridge and she has utilised every opportunity presented to her to ensure that this dream would become a reality. Of Caitlin's achievements, Mr Dave MacCormick, Headteacher of Holyrood Academy said, “I am absolutely delighted for Caitlin because she has consistently shown a relentless work ethic and the kind of academic curiosity befitting of an Oxbridge candidate. She has worked so hard to achieve her place, at a time when competition for places becomes more fierce each year. Everyone at Holyrood is so proud of Caitlin, especially her teachers.” During the first lockdown Caitlin competed in the Peterhouse Campion Essay Competition, writing a beautiful piece on Wordsworth's Immortality Ode which allowed her to explore the nature of Wordsworth's relation to the Romantic Movement; combining her current studies with her own wider reading. Caitlin has been able to further her understanding of literature this year with her Extended Project Qualification on William Faulkner and other influential Southern American authors. We have no doubt that her academic ability will continue to flourish at Cambridge University and look forward to reading her own publications. On receiving the offer Caitlin said, “I was shocked and jumping for joy in my room as I read the offer! I texted my parents and friends and emailed Miss [Mrs Challis] and was so happy she rang and I was able to talk to her and share the news, I am still so happy just thinking about it. I know the next few months are going to need me to continue to work hard to ensure I achieve the necessary grades but the goal of being at Cambridge this October has made me more motivated than ever to do this. I am really looking forward to studying at Peterhouse College, I selected this college on my application not just for its professors and current fellows, but because of its history. It is the oldest and one of the smallest colleges at Cambridge, I am excited to explore the development of literature through history and to study where Nigel Balchin, Thomas Campion and Sir Peregrine Worsthorne did. More than anything I am grateful to those who have helped me achieve this offer, my A Level teachers have constantly encouraged me, the time, support and preparation Mrs Challis has given me and my friends and family who believed in me when I was uncertain. Thank you to them all! To all other students considering applying, don‟t be daunted enjoy the interview!” Mrs Challis enthused, “I am thrilled for Caitlin and am extremely proud of her achievement, it is a true testament to her academic capabilities. Caitlin is an exceptional student and has been a delight to both teach and support through the application process. She has secured an offer at Cambridge University at an incredibly difficult time but she has also received offers from Queen‟s University of Belfast, The University of Edinburgh, East Anglia and St. Andrews; a remarkable accomplishment. This success is down to her thirst for knowledge and sheer determination to excel in everything she does – she works hard and has earned this place. We are proud of all our students and I am honoured to be able to support them all in achieving whatever it is that they desire, nothing is unachievable and Caitlin is a wonderful example of this.” Mr MacCormick went on, “Personally, I am also very pleased for the Sixth Form Team at Holyrood who have been working tirelessly to support and guide students like Caitlin who aspire to study at the finest Universities in the country to do so through our OxbridgePrep programmes. We introduced these structured programmes four years ago and they are now allowing students from Chard and the surrounding area to progress to Oxford and Cambridge Universities. We are extremely proud of that and we hope that more of our students will be successful in their applications next year.” He added: “We are very proud of our Sixth Form and all its students and would urge any current year 11s, Holyrood students or students of other schools, to contact us to discuss how we can support their future aspirations. More information about our Sixth Form can be found here: https://www.holyroodacademy.com/academy/sixthform/apply-for-sixth-form/58/

3 DECEMBER 2020

Holocaust Memorial Event

On 29th January 2021 a group of our students across KS4 and KS5 took part in the University of Exeter‟s Holocaust memorial event. Originally we were to participate at Exeter University halls, but current restrictions meant we joined many other schools for a fantastic online experience. The event began with an hour-long talk between two incredible speakers who have joined forces to educate about the Holocaust. They were Dr Noemie Lopian and Derek Niemann. They speak together under the title: Speaking Across the Divide. Dr Noemie Lopian, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, teamed up with Derek Niemann, the grandson of an SS officer. In a highly unusual and indeed, possibly unique partnership, Noemie and Derek share their stories as a warning of the perils of extremism and to inspire greater understanding. Their ongoing speaking tour began in 2019. They have talked at schools, universities, and synagogues, as well as being keynote speakers at a range of public events. Noemie is the daughter of Ernst Bornstein, author of „The Long Night‟, which tells the horrifying story of his concentration and slave labour camp experiences. Noemie has translated the book into English. She is passionate about Holocaust commemoration and education, challenging audiences about why and how the Holocaust is relevant today and must never be forgotten. She was eloquent and inspiring as she told the story of her parents and their incredible resilience in those most difficult of times. Author and writer Derek discovered just a few years ago that the grandfather he never knew had been an SS officer, in charge of slave labourers in the Nazi concentration camps. Derek‟s book „A Nazi in the Family‟ tells the tale of all that he uncovered. He focuses on the ease with which an ordinary person can descend into the service of an evil regime. His brutal honesty about his background and the reasons for the choices his family made, enlightened us all to the perils of tolerating hate and the consequences of powerful movements to support it. Both speakers were inspirational and informative. They spoke openly about the dangers we face now, even in our own country, surrounding antisemitism and the rise of white supremacy. They also reminded us that the Holocaust was not the last genocidal event to happen in the last century, and that even now, there are genocides happening in our world. After hearing from Noemie and Derek, we took part in a selection of workshops. The students found „A Second Generation Perspective of the Holocaust‟ by Rosemary Schonfeld very interesting and informative. We all agreed that the event was well worth attending, if a little long.. (too much screen time!), and that we all learnt many things we didn‟t know before and felt privileged to have heard from such important speakers.

Dr Noemie Lopian and Derek Niemann

4 DECEMBER 2020

Music

YEAR 7s have been studying Ostinatos and have been COMPETITION TIME! looking at how they are used in different styles of music. There are two external competitions coming up for This has ended in a creation of the Potter Puppet Pals budding musicians: Ostinato on Bandlab. They will continue looking at Ostinatos next half term with a focus on how they are used The National Youth Musical Theatre UK is holding in world music such as Samba and African Drumming. video auditions for their 2021 season. They have plans for four new shows

The deadline for entries is the 28th February! For more YEAR 8s have been information please follow this link: https://nymt.org.uk/ studying The 12 Bar auditions/ Blues with focus on Bessie Smith and Blues performers. The The Young Songwriters competition: project has been to recreate the basic https://www.songacademy.co.uk/says21/ chord pattern and walking bass line on Bandlab. This will continue into next half term when we develop into the next genre in the timeline; ragtime.

YEAR 9s have been designing their own film and computer game characters and have been designing a leitmotif and character soundtrack to go with it on bandlab.

Calling all 8-18 year olds! Have you written your own original songs? Want to write your first ever song? The song academy young song writers competitions #SAYS21 is open for entries until the 31st March 2021. You can win great prizes including a recording studio session or Yamaha equipment worth £1000 as well as opportunities to be heard and connect to young songwriters worldwide. Judges All Students have been working to continue to develop include Fraser T Smith, Tom Odell, Miranda Cooper, Calum their musical practical skills over lockdown by using bandlab Scott and Tom Grennan. education.

5 DECEMBER 2020

Maths

DR FROST MATHS “The questions are sometimes quite challenging and make you think, but I like that I can ask Miss a question and she can see During the last two weeks we have what I am talking about and she can help me quickly”. introduced some of our students to www.drfrostmaths.com “I like that I can do a “clean up” and try a few questions I got wrong again and hopefully improve and get them right this time.” The website is used by hundreds of schools across the UK and allows students to access “Miss always makes you watch a video before trying the questions, videos of explanations and worked examples, questions on it annoyed me at first but now I find it jogs my memory and specific topics and exam questions. Students can practise reminds me what I need to do.” times tables, improve skills by “cleaning up” previous questions they got wrong and promotes healthy competition by awarding points for the number of LIVE LESSONS questions answered. In the maths department we have tried to be creative in our approach to online learning with our live lessons, and have found that students like to see how we are working: we use split screen and screen sharing to do this. We have also started to explore online whiteboard technology to see how the students are working too:

During “live lessons” it allows students to access whiteboards so that the teacher can see their working out live and there is the option to play a “live game” where students answer questions against each other to achieve points in a set period of time. Both of these features will be trialled over the next few weeks. It also allows students to ask their teacher for help on a specific question and teachers can give feedback to students when they spot errors or misconceptions.

MATHS CHALLENGE A number of our Year 10 and 11 students have been able to take part in the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge this half term, as this has now been made available for remote entries, allowing 80 of our highest achieving students to participate in this from home. This enables We have had lots of positive feedback from students students to apply the mathematical and problem-solving skills already! they have learned in lessons to some really tricky problems where they are competing with other students across the UK. “I like the leaderboard, it helps me feel motivated to do a little Results to follow! bit more.”

6 DECEMBER 2020

Science

It‟s been a busy half term for the Science department as we Two examples of work with excellent self assessment: readjust to new ways of teaching and working. Although we don‟t know what the system for awarding this year‟s GCSE, A Level and BTEC grades looks like yet we are encouraging all Year 11 and 13 students to take every opportunity to show us what they can do. Their continued effort will inform our tracking data and help us to get them the Science grades they deserve.

YEAR 11 During the last week of this half term we asked Year 11 GCSE combined science students to complete an assessment set on Google classrooms. This assessment covered the topics they have been studying in January (Earth‟s atmosphere, Waves and Electricity). Triple science students were asked to complete separate assessments set by their subject teachers. Electricity was a topic the majority of students found difficult in the mock examinations and we have been posting daily revision videos and quizzes on Google Classroom to help students gain confidence with this topic. Students who complete a quiz can leave their name and be entered for a prize draw for a £20 Amazon voucher and other prizes, the draw will take place on Friday 12th February.

YEARS 7-10 SCIENCE STARS OF THE WEEK Years 7-10 have been working on topics ranging from Congratulations to all students who have been our Science Rocks to Photosynthesis to energy transfers and stars of the week so far this term! Small prizes are mailed out calculations. It is clear to me that students who do not own to winners each week: a scientific calculator are finding the calculations more difficult. I would recommend that all parents purchase a Year 7: Cally Margetts, George Grinter, Amber Griffiths, scientific calculator for their child (I recommend a Casio Harland Morris, Macy Larcombe fx85GT X) as this is a popular model used by a lot of Year 8: Lewis Moore, Sophie Atyeo, Georgia Hounsell, teachers and students, the earlier students start with their Imogen Lee, Poppy Martin calculator the more confident they will be using it in their examinations. Year 9: Olivia Lawrence, George Evans, Josh Poole, Kathleen Marabut, Jess Fox We‟ve had some lovely work submitted by our students. The best work is organised and there is evidence that Year 10: Emily Retter, Lara Cardoso, Jake Wiscombe, students have listened to the teacher go through the Kieron Best, Savannah Lamb answers and made corrections using a different coloured Year 11: Kizzie Hull, Ryan Perry, Warren Bowditch, pen. Really good students are contacting their teachers and Ethan Underhill, Holly Collins clearly letting them know via private comments which bits Year 12/13: Cerys Llewelyn, Amy Tucker, Maddie Grabham, of a lesson they find difficult, all of these things help us offer Matt Zielinski, Zoe Hunt better feedback for our students while we‟re working online. Follow the Science Department on TWITTER @HolyroodScience

7 DECEMBER 2020

Textiles

YEAR 7 During this half term Year 7s have been working on a range of different sessions covering core KS3 content. Students have investigated fibres and materials, decorative techniques (applique) and looked into the repercussions of fast fashion and waste within all areas of design and technology. I have been exceptionally impressed with the work they have been completing and the level of written detail they have been using. Year 7s will be completing a design unit after half term, so pencils at the ready.

Sam Anderson Lucy Veale Finley Coath

Anais Baxter Holly Tucker

Elsie Hine Harry Farrow YEAR 8 During the beginning of this half term Year 8s have been covering core KS3 content on materials and their properties. From this they moved onto investigating smart and technical materials, fast fashion/sustainable design and the environmental impact and have most recently produced some amazing work on Alessi (product designer) where they have developed their own product designs inspired by his work. Going forward Year 8s will be investigating a project based around "Life on Mars".

Maisie Banfield

Ana Alves Scarlett Spokes Ben Parr

8 DECEMBER 2020

Textiles

YEAR 9 During the beginning of the term Year 9s have been completing the unit of work set before the Christmas break. This work culminated in the production of a creative inspiration board based around a chosen theme of 'military' or 'space race'. This saw the students then create designs based around their inspiration board. There were some exceptionally high standard pieces submitted for this unit. Students then moved on to cover environmental and social issues, in which they carried out a real- world challenge looking into designing for a physical need based on Kyle‟s story from the BBC's 'Big Life Fix'.

Charlotte Lamb Holly Griffiths

Jack Lewis Jess Fox

Grace Farmer Caitlin Eaton

9 DECEMBER 2020

Textiles

YEAR 10 Year 10s have covered a range of research, designing and making tasks during this half term. They completed a unit of work investigating a variety of user needs, eg visual impairment, mental health, and then sought to design a product based on their investigative findings, which addressed assisting with everyday tasks, eg Lily-Ann Squires‟ facemask. I was overwhelmed by the level of detail they considered within their design. Year 10s have now moved onto a unit of work based on fashion designer Christian Dior. They have researched the designer and design house, completed a report on a fashion collection and have now moved on to investigating different ways of using shapes to create surface manipulations. I have really enjoyed creating this unit of work, and the videos that go alongside it, and hopefully this offers the students a range of tasks both computer and practical based.

Lily-Ann Squires Lily-Ann Squires

Ella Farrow Keira Rendall

YEAR 11 Olivia Lukasiewicz Year 11s have been continuing with their coursework. This has seen them developing their ideas from before the Christmas break. They have been working hard on creating modelling of decorative techniques, pattern and shape at home. A range of short clips has been created to help them with this. Students have also been carrying out investigations into materials and components. Going forward students are moving towards their final design, manufacturing specification and overall analysis/ evaluation. I have been exceptionally proud of their continued hard work within an ever changing environment.

6TH FORM We have started the beginning of this term covering another main unit of work looking at materials and properties, smart and technical materials, brand names, etc. After an intensive few weeks of work we have now moved over to a unit of work investigating 'Biomimicry' within design.

10 DECEMBER 2020

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)

Over the past weeks students have been fantastic at keeping up with their progress in French and German. One of the important aspects of learning a language is extending vocabulary, and many students are using an online program called Memrise for this, which allows teachers to keep track of scores for each user. We want to congratulate the following students for their great performances on Memrise: Y7 – Beverley Pratt Y8 – Zofia Blicharska, Joshua Vincent, Ariel Ferreira Y9 – Tiegan Bide Y10 – Sam Witts Y11 – Isla Vincent

To help with online learning there are other programs and websites students can use, such as Linguagscope (username Holyrood; password MFL2020), Quizlet and of course the BBC pages. Year 10 and 11 students need to remember the exam board websites contain lots of lovely past papers to practise.

COMPETITIONS – open to all TRANSLATION: How would you translate either the French or the German poems below into English? Email your answers to Mr Migliari by 8th March.

Ne séparez pas les chaussettes! Sur le bord de la machine à laver, Une chaussette dit : c‟est décidé! Sans elle, je n‟irai pas! Allez chercher ma sœur qui est cache “TEST MR MIG!” Sous le lit de Sacha. Tâchez de la trouver. See the poster below and on social media to find out how you can challenge Je ne veux pas rester, Mr Migliari on his French or German! House Points to be won! Pendant des semaines, Au fond d‟un panier, Toute seule, sans sortir, Sans me promener. Les chaussettes, Il ne faut pas les séparer!

Die Ernährung Wenn man heute täglich hört, was die Gesundheit schrecklich stört, dürfte man, an dem gemessen, nichts mehr trinken, nichts mehr essen.

Überall hat man was gefunden, was mit Lebensgefahr ist verbunden, dass einem dem Genuss vermiesen wenn auch längst noch nichts bewiesen!

11 DECEMBER 2020

Food & Nutrition

YEAR 7: Students are looking into healthy eating, and good hygiene practices with the emphasis on 5-a-day and the „Eat-Well- Plate‟. Their work this term has been amazing and the quality of the written work is excellent, we are looking forward to being able to complete some practical work in school.

YEAR 8: We have sadly not been able to cook in school this year. Students have continued with understanding human nutrition and we have been working on the new scientific investigation module on raising agents making sugar flame throwers and Loo roll rockets, all using food as propulsion.

YEAR 9: Students have been working on a module looking into the international world of street food. GCSE options are almost upon us and we will hopefully be cooking again on our return to school, enabling students to hone their technical skills master chef style. This new GCSE will enable students to understand the science of foods as well as how to create skilfully produced products. The main areas of study will be: · Nutrition. In this section students will look at the guidelines for a healthy diet and the various nutritional needs depending on life stage. Students will look at the specific functions of nutrients in the diet and how to calculate energy and nutritional values. The study of the various food groups and their commodities within will also be scrutinised. · Cooking and food preparation. Students will understand why food is cooked and be able to choose the appropriate method. They will also look at the functional and chemical properties of ingredients. Food hygiene will also play an important part of the course and students will have the opportunity to take the level 2 award in food safety as well. · Practical skills. There are a number of practical skills to be practiced and honed through practical sessions and some of these will include: Making sauces, setting hot and cold mixtures, use of raising agents, making doughs, filleting of fish and the careful dissection of chickens, as well as numerous other skills and practical sessions.

YEAR 10: Students have sadly also been unable to cook so far this year, so we have been focusing on the exam element of the course, focusing particularly on nutrition, with the function of the macro and all the micro nutrients we require.

USEFUL WEBSITES FOR FOOD & NUTRITION STUDENTS

https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/ https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/ https://www.nutrition.org.uk/

12 DECEMBER 2020

Food & Nutrition

YEAR 11: Students have been working on their NEA2 Non Examined assessment (coursework). The project this year is international street food. Students were able to cook their ideas in school which enabled them to showcase some very high technical skills, such as being able to dissect a chicken and fillet a fish. Students must now ensure that all written work has been completed on these plates before moving on to section C, the planning for the practical exam. This will still take place on our return to school. All coursework completed will form part of the teacher assessment for GCSE so this is vital to complete to get the grades that students deserve. The students have amazed me this year with the quality of work produced.

Memphis Jones Katie Knight

Ruby Steed COMPETITION TIME Cooking in school has been a disappointment for us this year, but that should not stop cooking at home. Focaccia art is the latest craze, so the details can be found in google classroom for Food or DT if students fancy having a go and making a quality product at the same time for the family to enjoy. This competition will run until the start of the Easter holidays to complete, photograph and submit works of art! There have been a number of spectacular entries so far - the standard has been set particularly high by these two Year 7 entries! Oliver Swift, Year 7 Micaela Pereira, Year 7

13 DECEMBER 2020

Year 7 Book Club Health & Social Care

YEAR 7 (SOCIALLY-DISTANCED) BOOK CLUB YEAR 10s have been working on their Care Practitioners Mrs Edge is planning to run a socially distanced Book Club coursework this half term. They have been learning about during lunchtime for Year 7s who are based on site at the the different qualities that Care Practitioners have and how Academy. they use these qualities with service users. I have been so impressed by the level of application in the students‟ Students are encouraged to read The Story of Tracy examples. Well done to all of you. Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson during the February half-term. Readers will then be invited to meet up for a socially- A special mention to: Tiegan Harvey, Leah Murphy, Becca distanced chat on what they thought about the book. Holloway, Millie O‟Shea, Diana Almeida, Kian Stewart and Copies of the book are available from The Learning Centre Olivia Parsons for working exceptionally hard all half term on a first come basis, so Year 7s on site - pop in and see a on their coursework. member of Learning Centre staff who YEAR 11s have been working on their benefits of Creative will be happy to Activities coursework this half term. They have been help you. learning about the skills developed by participating in Year 7 students Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Language and Social who are home- activities and how this benefits the service users. The level working are invited of detail in their examples and the application of to write a book understanding has been fantastic. review on The Story A special mention to Nina Fortes, Emily Caddy, Kirsten of Tracy Beaker and Dallimore and Georgie Keeffe whose coursework and send it to The work effect has been incredible all half term. Learning Centre Google Classroom were we will bring it YEAR 12s have been working on their exam unit Human to our on site Lifespan Development. Live lessons have been interactive discussion. and the contribution from those online has been excellent. They have also been busy working incredibly hard on their coursework learning about anti-discriminatory practice, specifically individuals with different needs. Academy Expectations A special mention to Tia Langdon for the quality of her Our expectations of our students are simple and clear. coursework and engagement in lessons. Another special These posters are displayed around the Academy. mention to Georgia Skevington, Maddie Nicholls, Grace Bowker and Chloe Sochon for fantastic contributions in their live lessons. Well done girls, you have really impressed me.

YEAR 13s have been working on a new coursework unit „Public Health Policies‟ and looking at different strategies. It was incredibly interesting looking at statistics from 2009 for South West excess deaths and the decrease in the excess deaths the following year from the implementation of the flu jab. A special mention to Aallyah Culverwell who has worked incredibly hard during her live lessons and made a fantastic contribution. Also, to Ellie Knight for her ongoing fantastic commitment to the course and her hard work.

14 DECEMBER 2020

A Message from the Governors

BUSINESS AS USUAL The Local Governing Committee continues to be impressed by the dedication of students, parents/carers and staff at the current time. It is all too easy to let Covid 19 dominate everything that is happening, and so it is good to read that it is business as usual for all aspects of Holyrood life. One example is our Year 11 students talking about their career and course aspirations with staff in preparation for the future, whether this be A levels, Level 3 BTEC or Yeovil College Partnership pathways. The latest Academy bulletin also details the great work students have been doing in science and religious studies. Business as usual has also seen the election of Louise Allen to the Local Governing Committee. Thanks to all of you who took the time to consider the applications, and vote. It has been a difficult time for Louise to get to grips with how governors operate, but she has approached everything with good humour and a smile, for which we are all grateful. Governors look forward to involving Louise more in the future, working with her and drawing on her specific skills. Thanks also to Amy David Pugh, Chair LGC Hanley and Andrew Toyne for putting their names forward for the vacancy. The Local Governing Committee is now complete and fulfils the three categories specified by Uffculme Academy Trust (Parents: Louise Allen, Alison Collins, Richard Poole, Daniel Pritchard. Trust appointees: Jonathan Farey, David Pugh, Phil Wilson, Kate Yamada. Staff: Isabel Hamilton, Barney Haydon, Kathleen Lemon, Sue Watson.) As a governing body, nine governors have taken up appointment in the last two years, and it is testament to their enthusiasm and willingness to become involved in academy life that their monitoring, support and challenge is strong. Business as usual also applies to governor involvement in the appointment of staff at the Academy. Interviews are taking place for three teaching posts this term, when it is hoped to enhance the teaching capacity of three Academy departments with suitable qualified, experienced and enthusiastic teachers. Business, or rather „current‟ business as usual applies to on-line working taking place at the present time. It has not been easy for some students to adapt to this way of working, and thanks go to Holyrood staff for their support of individuals at this time. It is also hoped that students will take time to look at the „Step Away From The Screen‟ section in the recent Academy newsletter, Issue 14. Suggestions for giving „laptop eyes‟ a rest are categorised under: „making‟ „genius‟ „reading‟ „fitness‟ and „helping others‟ – there are some great ideas here, and knowing the ingenuity of our Holyrood students, governors are sure they could add many more. The Trust has also seen the addition of another school, with Neroche Community Primary School joining on 1st January, 2021. From Holyrood‟s point of view it will certainly be a bonus having a feeder primary school as a Trust partner. Governors at Holyrood are looking forward to working with Neroche governors and other governors across the Trust in building a strong governance network. With potentially sixty governors on Trust Local Governing Committees there will be a wealth of expertise and skills to draw on as the Trust moves forward. Governors at Holyrood certainly believe we have as much to learn from our primary counterparts as they have from us. Whilst we await more information from the Government about the re-opening of schools, in whatever form that takes, governors remain as resolute as ever in their support of students, staff and Holyrood families. The „Holyrood Family‟ is a large one, and together we can support each other to overcome whatever issues come our way at the present time. As Captain Sir Tom Moore said, „Let‟s try not to get downhearted, we will get through this, whatever is thrown at us and together we can ensure that tomorrow will be a good day.‟

15 DECEMBER 2020

Sixth Form

REMOTE LEARNING We are really proud of what our Year 12 and 13 students have achieved so far during this current lockdown. It isn‟t easy working from a computer screen but they have coped remarkably well thus far and I have no doubt that this will continue with the support from their teachers and families. A special mention to the following students for their exceptional work ethic which has been reported to me by ALL of their teachers. Year 12: Alex Albon, Katelin Berry, Grace Bowker, Francesca Drake, Alessandra Hounsell, Matthew Ingham, Wilf Parry, Daisy Reynolds, Zach Robotham and Mateusz Zielinski. Year 13: Kurt Beaver, Ollie Denning, Ellie Knight, Cerys Llewelyn, Kim Millett, Kian Parsley, Imogen Russell, Ellie Scriven, Caitlin Smith and Tabitha Snell.

MOCKS Year 13 students completed their January Mock series online. Their flexibility, resilience and enthusiasm to complete these was remarkable – it was certainly a first for me to be asked by numerous students to set exams! Whilst the students understand that these will not be their final Centre Assessed Grades but may contribute towards them; they were very keen to be provided with the opportunity to demonstrate to their teachers their subject knowledge and their ability to apply this in exam conditions. I would like to say a huge well done to them all!

VIRTUAL ENRICHMENT AND WORK EXPERIENCE Several of our Year 12 students have started to apply for the Sutton Trust Sumer Schools, providing amazing opportunities for them to discover what university life can be like. But as mentioned in our weekly briefings these are also a brilliant way to gain an insight into a specific field of interest to prepare our students for Higher or Degree Apprenticeships and make them stand out when mentioned on their CVs. There is still time to apply, the deadline is 2nd March https://summerschools.suttontrust.com/ Our sixteen Year 12 students on the HE+ Cambridge Programme are all now enjoying the opportunity of learning about their chosen supra-curricular fields. They are fortunate to be able to join live and recorded lectures from our top performing universities in Britain. This programme of enrichment is incredibly mindful of the pressures of lockdown learning and has provided the students with a flexible timetable, to ensure they are able to engage to the level they want and that they can fit around their A level courses without it being too demanding of their time. The Nuffield Research Placements are now open for Year 12 students to register for. These summer placements are a fantastic opportunity for students to complete a 4 to 6 week research project relating to an area of science, quantitative social science, computing, technology, engineering or maths - or a combination! They are fully-funded placements and enable the students to gain a more indepth understanding of a specialised STEM field. Details of these placements have been emailed to all Year 12 students but further details including webinars and how to register can be found here: https://www.stem.org.uk/nuffield-research-placements#fyrc All Year 12 and 13 students should be keeping a close eye on their emails for all the virtual work experience placements and shadowing that I share. These are a great way to help stand out when applying for employment or university and crucially will help to keep motivation high during the lockdown.

16 DECEMBER 2020

Sixth Form

UCAS 57% of Year 13 have applied to UCAS this year, with many of them already having heard back with impressive course offers and/or interview dates. A breakdown of the data from those who have applied follows:  42% of these students will be the first member in their family to attend university.  36% have already received reduced offers from their chosen university courses due to their involvement in the HE+ Plus Cambridge Programme, attending Sutton Trust Summer Schools, the Exeter Progression Scheme, our involvement on Exeter University‟s PCAP and their own work ethic.  18% have achieved unconditional offers already. Please remember whilst these are an achievement recognising students abilities and course choices, there can be loopholes attached to these offers so it is crucial that students continue to put in 100% effort to achieve their best (final grades will still be on their CVs when they later apply for jobs, now is not the time to become complacent – you want to achieve your very best).  30% have been called to interviews (and have had significant support in preparing for this). More universities are requesting online interviews this year, which is a fantastic opportunity for our students to demonstrate their enthusiasm towards their chosen course and the thirst for knowledge they each have to continue their education.  10% have already secured scholarships and/or bursaries. Further support on scholarships, bursaries and applying for student finance will be provided via a Zoom meeting after half term. As soon as Student Finance England have released the figures for this September‟s entries I will be in contact with Year 13 students, parents and carers with a date for our evening on student finance and accommodation.

YEAR 11s For any Year 11 students who are yet to apply to Holyrood Sixth Form please complete the online application here: https://www.holyroodacademy.com/academy/sixthform/apply-for-sixth-form/58/ Mrs Challis and the Sixth Form Team will be happy to discuss Post-16 options and support any young person in Year 11.

We have a breadth of Level 3 courses on offer, a huge variety of academic and extra- curricular enrichment opportunities and a wealth of expert teachers ready to support you to achieve everything you desire.

Mrs Felicity Challis Head of Sixth Form

17 DECEMBER 2020

Learning Support Careers Update

OUTDOOR LEARNING AREA NATIONAL CAREERS WEEK Our Outdoor Learning Area (OLA) is developing at great The week of 1st – 6th March is National Careers Week. pace. The learning classroom has had its new canvas roof There will be assemblies for different year groups as part of fitted this week; thanks to the help of Jay Ingrams, Mrs this. During this week, there will be a virtual careers fair Richards and the Site Team. taking place with global employers from key industries. Please visit https://nationalcareersweek.com/ for more details.

VIRTUAL CAREERS FAIR Another virtual careers fair aimed specifically at careers in the South West will also be taking place at the end of April. Please keep an eye on our weekly bulletin for more details on this.

TalentEd The TalentEd Academies continue to run online. These are regular virtual careers information evenings about a range of different careers. To register please visit https:// learnliveuk.com/partner/talented-academies/ with upcoming FOREST SCHOOL broadcasts being: Forest School leader Mrs Richards led a brilliant trip with her Upcoming broadcasts are all aired at 4pm on the dates forest school group to Neroche Woods before the shown. Christmas break. This was such a valuable opportunity for the group to practice their skills away from the school site.  10th February – Information Technology & Digital Industries  24th February – Education  3rd March – Food Production & Farming  10th March – Construction Industry  17th March – Emergency Services If you are not able to attend the live talks, they will be available on demand.

CAREERS ADVISOR Please remember that students are still able to book remote appointments with Mrs Higman, our Careers Advisor. Please contact her via email to arrange this.

As a team, we would also like to share how pleased we are PARENT UPDATES FROM SOMERSET EBP to be running our interventions for those students in school, Parents/carers are also able to sign up for careers updates during this tricky time. We also want to say a big well done via the Somerset Education Business Partnership through a to those who are working very hard at home and keeping in pop-up on their website https://www.somerset-ebp.co.uk/ touch with us. We miss you lots!

18 DECEMBER 2020

Computing & IT

BINARY STARS IN YEAR 7 Year 7s have been learning binary at the moment for the first time. We are very proud of how they have been taking on this new challenge and have shown fantastic resilience with a difficult topic. We have been impressed with their work ethic and the high scores achieved. Below are some of those binary stars, but well done to all. ● George Grinter ● Ava Larcombe ● Holly Mullane ● Rebeca Fernandes ● Henry Lant ● Izzy Agathocleous ● Gabriela Augusto

YEAR 9 - COOL CONFIDENT CODERS ● Rosie Zbijowski-Harris ● Matilda Clayton ● Holly Griffiths ● George Jones ● Joe Cashin ● Daisy Clayton ● Carly Retter ● Leala Bagg ● Flora Godfrey

YEAR 10 COMPUTER SCIENCE STAND OUT PROGRAMMERS As well as completing their theory lessons on Ethics & Legislation, our Year 10 Computer Scientists have been engaged in developing their programming skills with additional projects. We love to see your extra programming projects - please send them in! Nathan Pakenham has been working in Python & Java to develop various programs, including password security - well done Nathan! Jake Wiscombe has also been developing his coding skills in Python, working through various challenges - very impressed Jake! Josh Boarder has also been working through various Python challenges and developing his coding skills - keep up the good work!

YEAR 11 IT With a lot of uncertainty around Year 11 courses, we have been so impressed with our Year 11 IT students. They have begun work on their coursework to create an integrated IT system based on a set scenario. This coursework is worth 50% of their final grade. Students have been engaging well in live lessons and developing the initiation and planning stages of their projects - well done to you all so far.

YEAR 12 DIGITAL MEDIA STUDENTS DEVELOP GRAPHIC DESIGN & PUBLISHING SKILLS Well done to our Digital Media students who have continued to work on their coursework preparation for their eNewspaper. We have been learning how to use industry standard software „Adobe InDesign‟ via Google Meet & various tutorials. Students have had a chance to develop and practise their digital publishing skills - we are looking forward to seeing your completed publications, keep up the good work!

YEAR 13S ARE AMAZING We are simply amazed by your dedication and determination at this time. The live lessons have been really useful while revising for their Unit 2 exam and it's been so lovely to hear your voices on the other side. Government U turn - no problem for you guys. You can sit your exam, then you cannot… But you wanted to and were more than ready. Next the website unit - a breeze for you. Well done. ● Josh Alcock ● Paul Reffell ● Orrin Hobbs ● Toby Searle

19 DECEMBER 2020

Geography

A LEVEL Well done to all our Y13 students who remotely sat a marathon paper of 2hours 15mins last week! Marking is now underway, and results will be released during the Subject Evening later this month. Y13s have now moved onto our last few topics of the course: „Migration, Identity and Sovereignty‟ and „The Carbon Cycle and Energy Security‟. In both topics we look at contemporary issues such as climate change and conflict driven migration. Be prepared for much debate and deconstruction of current events, unmasking the truth behind media headlines! Coastal Landscapes and Regeneration are the topics being studied by Y12. Although we can‟t visit the beach or the regenerated areas we study currently, we can enjoy them through learning from afar!

YEAR 11 GCSE PREPARATIONS We had our first virtual Year 11 parents evening following the release of reports. It was great to be able to see our students faces and talk through strategies to help them maintain or boost their grade! If you weren‟t able to see us or would like any further guidance to prepare for your geography GCSE please follow this link to the geography website: https:// sites.google.com/gapps.holyroodacademy.com/holyroodgeography. The website has lots of options to practise questions as well as copies of Knowledge Organisers and electronic copies of the Case Study booklets. You can also find links to websites we recommend for recapping topics or quizzing on key information from the course.

YEAR 10 After learning about the impact humans are having on some of our most delicate ecosystems, the Arctic and Tropical Rainforests, Y10 are changing the scenery a little and moving onto Dynamic Development. In this topic we look forward to delving into some of the reasons behind uneven development around the world, focussing on Zambia as a case study.

CELEBRATION OF HOLYROOD’S KS3 GEOGRAPHERS! I have had lots of candidates for this section sent through from the geography team, so it was hard to choose just two! Students are working exceptionally hard at home to produce the best work and it‟s a delight to be able to look through and give positive feedback to so many of our geography students. I look forward to seeing more pictures sent through to celebrate in the next bulletin, so, awesome KS3 geographers, keep up the good work! Year 8 - The Formation of Bays and Headlands Year 7 - Diagram of the Long Profile of a River by Mikayla R by Amelia G

Coastline Before Erosion

Coastline After Erosion

20 DECEMBER 2020

SOME GREAT IDEAS HERE

FANCY SOME HEALTHY COMPETITION? These staff want to challenge you to match up their baby faces to their teacher faces! Good luck!

21 DECEMBER 2020

Drama

MASSIVE BIG SHOUT OUTS! We just want to shout out to all the students out there who are successfully managing to engage in remote Drama lessons! We understand it isn‟t easy, and we miss you all so much. Some shout outs here for outstanding work this term so far...keep them coming, we can keep shouting! YEAR 7

Phoebe Everritt

Sam Dunn

YEAR 8

Ben Parr

22 DECEMBER 2020

Drama

YEAR 8 continued YEAR 9

Kathryn Owens YEAR 12

Olivia Lawrence

YEAR 10

Joe Bartlett Jorja Packer

23 DECEMBER 2020

History

ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS Key Stage 3 students (Years 7, 8 and 9) will find an opportunity in their Google classroom to write a short article for our new History Department magazine. There are a series of questions for them to base their articles on, drawn from their learning so far at Holyrood. All articles need to be between 300-400 words long and submitted to their History teacher or straight to Mr Roper. Students have been provided with the questions about the topics they have studied, and will study, under the theme of Power(Y7), War(Y8) or Knowledge & Learning(Y9). If students want to focus on a different topic, they can e-mail their History teacher their idea before commencing on their article. Good luck!

REMOTE LEARNING ON THE GREAT WAR Students have been studying the Great War through the story of one man from Chard called Charles Percy Mayne who went on to die in 1915 in the trenches. Mr Roper has been posting a series of videos on YouTube that show him in our local area – these videos are currently being shared also with the wonderful Chard History Group Facebook page so if anyone would like to learn more why not join? We have had some lovely comments from students thanking us for the effort being put into these lessons – it is a pleasure! Charles Percy Mayne was an ex-student of the Ilminster Grammar School, who moved to London before the Great War began. Visit the Chard Local History facebook page to find out more!

CONGRATULATIONS! Huge congratulations (which I am sure will be repeated in this newsletter elsewhere!) to Caitlin Smith. She has secured a place at Peterhouse, Cambridge – a wonderful achievement. Mr Roper, now twenty-years into his Holyrood career, confirms that he has never seen a student write with such fluency and flair. Therefore we thought it was a fitting moment to share a small piece of writing from her current study of William Rufus, the son of William the Conqueror… The latter half of Huntingdon‟s extract delineates the punishments meted out for the rebels which, within the context of Norman chivalry, imply that he was merciful rather than ruthless in his dealings with opposition excellent, chivalric intentions had been a focus of Norman rulers for a generation now. Although Huntingdon writes that the “bishop of Durham and many of the (other rebels) were driven into exile”, his chronicle proves to be overly perfunctory. Despite Huntingdon‟s usual style of embellishment with morality tales, this extract does not acknowledge the contextual events that would render his statement into concrete evidence of Rufus‟ clemency. Acting in accordance with chivalry, St Calais was exiled. However, his welcome return in 1091 and his emergence as one of Rufus‟ most trusted advocates does not show the king as ruthless in his upholding of punishment.

YEAR 7 WORK Mr Tozer would thank to thank Samuel Dunn for a wonderful piece of writing about the early life of Adolf Hitler. Well done Samuel. “Hitler had a hatred of Jews since the Jewish doctor told him his mother could only live until Christmas. This first encounter started a path in which Hitler would use them as scapegoats. This path continued when he moved to Austria to study art at the Academy of Fine Arts of Vienna but he was rejected twice and lived on the streets for 6 years, again he blamed Jews for taking the food away from his mouth. This anti-Semitism was common during the early 20th century and Hitler grew up with this belief around him.”

24 DECEMBER 2020

English @english_at_holyrood

The English Department has recently created an Instagram account! Follow us here:

LITERACY DURING LOCKDOWN Tutor time reading Following our very successful relaunch of the tutor time reading programme in September, we have been able to continue this into lockdown thanks to members of staff, year leaders and SLT recording sections of specially chosen novels for each year group from years 7-10. These have been chosen from the „Holyrood Canon‟ a list of recommended reading which we will be launching formally on our return to school. The videos are uploaded onto the year group Google classrooms so that every student can access 20 minutes of reading every day. Our in school students are also enjoying the opportunity to read quietly every day with the support of the videos and following the books on screen.

Independent reading In addition to the tutor time reading, every KS3 student is encouraged to read for 10 minutes of each lesson as they would do in school and there is space at the top of each lesson‟s worksheet to reflect on what they have read. This not only encourages and reminds students to read but also gets them thinking about the key events of their reading. To support this, the National Literacy Trust has developed a virtual school library which every KS3 student is encouraged to have a look at; a new book is released online every week in digital and audio format and is a fantastic resource. Having access to a school library is really important for children. School libraries nurture a love of reading that can enrich children‟s literacy skills, academic achievements and mental wellbeing. This Virtual School Library will complement existing school libraries and will ensure that children have access to the magical world of stories all year round, whether they are learning at school or at home. Students in Year 7 and 8 can earn house points by writing a book review each week. See the Learning Centre Classroom for more details.

Literacy Support We have just invested in an exciting new online platform to support many of our students with literacy. Staff are being trained on this before half term and there will be more information to follow.

25 DECEMBER 2020

English

Year 7s have been exploring the world of magic in their new unit of work, reading a range of extracts from novels such as Northern Lights and Akata Witch. Using inspiration from a variety of different writers, the students have created some of their own magical descriptions, including creating their own daemons. Specks of light shone through the canopy, just barley illuminating the forest floor. Trees as tall as skyscrapers stood proudly for as far as the eye could see giving the forest an endless feel of tranquility and pine needles carpeted the ground and every footstep felt as if you were walking in the clouds high above humanity. This was heaven on earth. He came for a stroll in the woods (this wood to be exact) with his daemon, Pekkala, a blond Gibbon with teeth as sharp as razors and colour changing fur. Pekkala was his closest friend and had been by his side through thick and thin - no other Gibbon had ever been so loyal to another species. Samuel Dunn

The fragile orb rotated slowly in front of her, not causing any harm for a transparent orb, just slowly pivoting like a ballerina spinning circles in a repeated loop. Astrid was confused but intrigued about this orb, as she had never come upon such a paranormal entity/orb like this before or even anything like this in her entire life. She knew that this orb contained such a robust identity but there was always a mystery behind anything, even if it tells a backstory or not. It wasn‟t noticeable but the orb started to slowly expand, not noticeable enough to perceive from far away but noticeable enough that up close, you could see all the dainty little specks, slowly becoming the size of ivorny daisies. As it expanded, Astrid had observed this and cautiously took a step back. The orb was changing, and maybe changing too quickly for Astrid to handle. The hefty orb started to rotate faster, enlarge quicker and become much brighter. Astrid was practically on her knees, begging for this uncontrollable energy to stop. And right as she hit her breaking point.. BAM! Rebeca Fernandes

Year 8s have been reading Animal Farm by George Orwell, focusing on the writer's use of rhetorical devices to influence and persuade. As well as exploring Old Major's big speech, the students have read, annotated and shared ideas about Malala's address to the UN. This has allowed them to apply effective persuasive devices to their own speeches on a variety of topics linking back to the big ideas in the novel itself: treatment of animals, hierarchy, power and democracy. The writer uses language to present the farmer‟s fear through the quotation “they were both thoroughly frightened”. In particular, the word “thoroughly” suggests that they are scared because it implies that the whole entirety of them was scared and worried about their farm. To add to this the quote “both” tells us that the two of them are most likely thinking the same thing and are both equally worried. Another quotation that adds to the evidence is the word that says “frightened” as this word quite literally means worried or terrified which very clearly states that they are both scared of the thought of the animals running the farm. I believe that the reason for their anxiousness is because it has never happened before and they do not trust the animals as owners, they simply see the animals as food and slaves and nothing more. YEAR 7 COMPETITION Oscar Wadey

26 DECEMBER 2020

English

Year 9s have begun their study of Romeo and Juliet, starting with an exploration of what marriage means, the relevance of marriage in modern day society and how attitude towards marriage has changed throughout time. Using their attitude and viewpoint towards this topic, they have started to analyse the characterisation of protagonists, Romeo and Juliet, expressing their opinion on the characters' impetuous decisions throughout the play. The Year 9s have also been writing 'problem pages', coming up with issues faced in Romeo and Juliet and then advising the characters. Here is an example from Flora Godfrey.

What's the problem? A wonderful man wants to marry my daughter. Her father thinks she might be too young but I was about her age when I got married! I think she should consider marrying but she doesn‟t really seem interested. She really exasperates me! Lord Capulet What's the advice? Talk to your daughter calmly and listen to what she has to say without interruption. This is extremely important because if you do this she will be able to feel like she can trust you. Then, give her your opinion about the situation, because if you still feel strongly that you want her to marry, she will have a story to be able to relate to. Make sure she feels like her emotions and opinions are valid, and have you tried asking her the important question of why? At the end of the day, it‟s her life, and in my opinion she should be able to choose how she wants to spend it.

Year 10s have been revising literature, tackling a variety of exam style questions: Unseen poetry, A Christmas Carol, Jekyll & Hyde, An Inspector Calls and Romeo & Juliet. It is evident that the poet is waiting for the Spring to come. We can see this when the poet writes 'Earths in winter trusting for the spring.' In particular the use of the verb 'trusting' shows that he's waiting for spring to come and hoping spring can be better than winter. Lastly the quote “no breezes move the branches” this shows lack of wind, there is just a 'bitter' cold. The adjective 'bitter' suggests a nasty cold (almost painful), that make your entire body not move, almost as if you are numb. Liliana Jorge

Year 11s have been revising for Language Paper 2. Maia submitted an excellent article on whether we should raise or lower the age of criminal responsibility and how we should deal with children guilty of serious offences. This debate has been going on for years, from the Industrial Revolution to now. Being an older sister to a 10 year old doesn't always have its benefits but I could not stand by the justice system trying to prosecute him at this age. I know he knows right from wrong, but you can't expect a 10 year old to understand the severity of killing a fellow human being. I don't doubt he would know what he did was wrong, but would he be able to understand what that means for him? He would have to sit in court and take a sentence he wouldn't completely understand. Knowing this, can a child truly be sorry if they don't know what they are supposed to be sorry for, or therefore understand their punishment. Maia Watson

Year 13 work: In Frankenstein Mary Shelley explores rationality and emotion as elements that compose the „human‟. Shelley portrays the creature as eloquent, clearly with a rational mind when he presents his argument to Victor at the end of his oral narrative in Chapter 17. However, he is met with irrationality throughout the novel, inciting unnecessary violence and blind fury despite his pure intentions. Shelley here displays the human condition as involving a conflict between emotion and reason. (Caitlin Smith, Year 13, who has been offered a place to study English at Cambridge University)

27 DECEMBER 2020

Art

YEAR 7s are working on a landscape project, Here, Van Gogh's mark making has inspired Henry Lant's impressive landscape.

Henry Lant, Y7

Millie O’Shea, Y10

Year 10s have been researching the work of Joseph Cornell for their identity project. The students have been researching and responding to the work by taking their own photos and drawing from these.

Jessica Rogers, Y10

Do you follow our dedicated Art @ Holyrood Instagram page? We celebrate students‟ work every week on our feed, so sign up to receive notifications now: @art_ holyroodacademy

28 DECEMBER 2020

Art

Year 11s have been developing their Organic/Inorganic projects, JJ Burgess has really impressed the art department with her creation of her final piece whilst at home. Maisey Kelly worked on her tonal studies of architecture extending images.

JJ Burgess, Y11 Maisey Kelly, Y11

COMPETITIONS There are two national art competitions which we would like to encourage our students to enter. Details have been shared via the weekly bulletin and social media already. Click on the images to visit the websites which tell you everything you need to know. Deadline for entries to be sent to Miss Munro is16th March

29 DECEMBER 2020

P.E.

CORE PE Online We are posting all our Online PE lessons on Google Classroom, each class has two sessions per week set as a video link. Each week there is also a Teacher challenge that students can attempt to beat!

Miss Armstrong‟s Teacher challenge

Distance Challenge! We are encouraging all students to go the extra mile „literally‟ by taking part in our running/walking challenge programme. We are giving House Points for completing a distance either running or walking each week: 1km = 3 House Points 3km = 5 House Points 5km = 10 House Points 10km + = 20 House Points Lots of phones and/or smart watches can log this so send your completed walks/runs to Miss Armstrong and she can update the weekly leader board to see who our winners are.

Strava Challenge We have also created a Strava Group „Holyrood Academy PE Challenge‟ which you can join if you are over the age of 13. Please email Miss Armstrong with your name on Strava and she can add you in to start competing against other students.

Links to sporting activities which our students may also like to try: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/12-week-fitness-plan/ https://darebee.com https://www.saspchallenges.co.uk https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/ https://www.youtube.com/user/thebodycoach1 http://www.devoncricket.co.uk/virtualchallenge? fbclid=IwAR1DBmiwEfNpx8c4w7W7zI_ZgqgR33nwvt0RMixW9VSabXcFwmze0iZrsaM https://www.youtube.com/user/Chancetoshinecricket Home Court Basketball App from the AppStore or PlayStore

30 DECEMBER 2020

P.E.

In school Core PE Students have been actively engaged in two sports sessions each week in school, run by our PE teachers. It has been great to get students active and out in the fresh air. We have offered lots of different activities, from football to basketball, to table tennis to handball and hockey. Please ensure students have a pair of trainers for these sessions.

BTEC Sport Level 2 The Everlearner online learning website has been a really successful addition to our programme: https://theeverlearner.com/

We also have „live‟ online lessons by our PE teachers for BTEC Sport to complement the virtual Everlearner programme. One of the topics we have been learning is the components of fitness used in sport. Can you answer the question below?! In Year 10, a special mention to Jamie Berry, Savannah Lamb, Daisy Russell and Megan Read as well as Monty Willis, Sam Gregory, Max Clayton and Leon Gage-Wilks, for their outstanding work over the past months. Year 11s have completed their Unit 1 exam, they have achieved brilliant results, with 61% of the cohort getting the top grades of Distinction or Merit! Well done Team BTEC Sport. A very special mention to Heidi Warren who scored 93% in her exam, an amazing achievement! The following students also did brilliantly; Emily Coddy, Oli Board, Alec Evans and Toby Harding; well done all.

31 DECEMBER 2020

P.E.

BTEC Sport Level 3 In their live, online lessons, the Year 12 BTEC Sport students have been learning about the Cardiovascular System and how exercise affects it. They are all engaged, contribute insightfully to lessons and meet all coursework deadlines. What more could a teacher ask for? Well done to my brilliant class 12A/PX1. The Year 13 BTEC Sport students continue to complete their final assignment for the course. They too are focussed and motivated and are producing work of a very high standard. As always, Ellie, Kirsty and Seb are a pleasure to teach. Mrs Bowker

House Sport In our Distance challenge, Oscar Wadey, Holly Sunnick, Charlie Durie, Ollie Wells and Willow Herbert have all managed to run/walk/cycle over 40km in the last few weeks which is a fantastic effort! A special mention to those students who were achieving their first 5km walks or runs too, well done for getting out and staying active!

Sydney Kedge (9yQ) Sydney represented Holyrood at the National Schools Equestrian Association Dressage Championship qualifiers. It was an online event and she did brilliantly, placing 2nd nationally in her category! Sydney will again represent Holyrood at the NSEA National Championship in Dressage in October! An amazing achievement.

Jamie Berry (10xM) Jamie Berry is keeping her horse riding skills up in Lockdown for the Holyrood Equestrian Team. She would have been going up to the Championships of Great Britain in Wales this term, but unfortunately it‟s been postponed.

A REQUEST FOR YOUR SPORTING NEWS! All Students - Please send a photo and a paragraph explaining your sporting achievement to the PE department. ([email protected]) We will then post them to inspire others.

32 DECEMBER 2020

Term Dates 2021 Student Rewards

SPRING TERM Staff are maintaining their reward of student effort, even Monday 4th January 2021 - Thursday 1st April 2021 during remote learning, keeping competition fierce! Half Term Monday 15th February 2021 - Friday 19th February 2021 HERO OF THE WEEK

SUMMER TERM Monday 19 April 2021 - Friday 23rd July 2021 Half Term Monday 31st May 2021 - Friday 4th June 2021

INSET DAYS Monday 4th January 2021 Thursday 1st April 2021

HOUSE POINTS The new 2021/22 term will start for students on Monday 6th September 2021.

Holyrood Podcast

This Lockdown has seen the introduction of Holyrood Academy‟s Podcast. These episodes are created by the very talented Miss Wilsher and Mrs Wilsher and are proving a must-listen for students and staff. They are released every Thursday via Google Classroom and Social media. Students and staff are encouraged to get involved...you can find out how, by listening in! If you want to catch up over half term, then visit our Following us? YouTube page and view the Podcast playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF5R3Q- TV92FnuozblHECVsAwYuyhVA01

33 DECEMBER 2020

HOLYROOD ACADEMY | Zembard Lane, Chard, Somerset 34 TA20 1JL | 01460 260100 | [email protected] DECEMBER 2020