Spotlight The Newsletter of the Benjamin Britten Music Academy and Centre of Excellence in Mathematics

Edition No.13: Spring half-term, 2017

Special Feature: Year 8 Donation to RNLI Members of the lifeboat station and crew of the

Lowestoft lifeboat ‘Patsy Knight’ recently visited the school

to accept a cheque for £400 raised by Year 8 during their

annual Christmas Fayre. Mr Andy Smith, representing the

lifeboat crew, who are all volunteers, presented an

assembly informing students of how their donations would

continue to help rescue stricken sea-farers. He explained

that the ‘Patsy Knight’, a Shannon class lifeboat, regularly

launches in response to mayday calls to vessels in distress

off the coast of Lowestoft. He went on to say that the new Lowestoft Lifeboat, the ‘Patsy Knight’. all-weather lifeboat has waterjets instead of traditional propellers, meaning it is incredibly manoeuvrable, having a top-speed of 25 knots. A short video was then shown to illustrate the various rescues and call-outs the lifeboat has recently been involved in, including the most recent award for bravery bestowed upon Coxswain

Mechanic John Fox in 2010 for the rescue of the crew of a vessel that had run aground on Ness Point.

Mr Humphrey and Miss Schofield (PE) also demonstrated how much clothing and life-preserving equipment the lifeboat crew have to wear on each call-out. The assembly ended with Mr Smith explaining how every penny donated to the RNLI goes towards helping save lives at sea. Mr Flanagan (Head of Year 8) congratulated scholars on their efforts stating, ‘we are very fortunate to have such committed scholars and parents who support our fund-raising events.’ The Lowestoft lifeboat station is of the oldest in Britain, having been founded in 1801, and volunteer crews from the town have received 45 awards for gallantry. The station is open to visitors from 11am-4:30pm daily and is located near the town’s yacht club. More information on the RNLI can be found at: www.rnli.org

Benjamin Britten Music Academy and Centre of Excellence in Mathematics Blyford Road Lowestoft NR32 4PZ Telephone: 01502 582312

Year Group News

Year 7: Congratulations to Lucy Dixon (pictured) who received her certificate and award for attaining first place in the Britten Day ‘Artistic Response Competition’. The following students received certificates for excellent progress in Accelerated Reader: Orcun Akbas, Stephanie Stanbrook, Josh Taylor, Kelsey Wellard, Drey Cooper, Mia Burley, Kajinth Murugadas, Jennifer Potter and Willow Woodger. Shamini Nagendram, Jasmine Winney, Farron Shilling and Emily Moore were also presented with the Arts Award. Further congratulations are extended to the following scholars who received certificates from Suffolk Sports: Caitlin Norman, Shannon Collyer, Tammy Johnston, Willow Woodger, Faith Spurgeon, Lily-Rose Clarke, Kasey-Mai Robbins, Danelle Stevens and Lyla Studd. The December Rewards Assembly saw certificates presented for outstanding

work across all subjects, awards for attendance and the Community Award which was bestowed upon Keira Honeyman. Keira has shown exceptional empathy to the needs of those less fortunate in our community. She was the driving force behind her form group, 7CG, collecting hundreds of items for the School Council Food Bank Collection and helped to deliver and pack the food at the packing warehouse. The prestigious ‘Head of Year Award’ was presented to 7AS scholar Georgina Parr. Since joining the school,

Georgina has whole-heartedly embraced all of the opportunities available to her, becoming involved in many extra-curric ular clubs and participating in school performances and trips. She is also a remarkably happy, polite and cheerful young lady! Our thanks and commendations are extended to Henry Black, Nathan Joyce, Emily Moore, Lahlee Painter- Wain, Georgina Parr, Thomas Pointon, Amelie Rough and Jasmine Winney for their participation in the Shakespeare Schools Festival. The Year 7 team would like to wish the best of luck to the following students who will be taking to the stage at Wembley for the Voice in a Million choir, with Year 7 scholar Sonny Rouse singing his own solo: Joshua Reid, Keira Honeyman, Lucy Dixon, Thomas Pointon, Emma Read, Nieve Smith , Katie Hitter, Arjun-ne Joe, Charlie Baker, Charlotte Godbold, Leillani Masehla, Riley Corral, Charlie Dobson, Maddison Foran and Megan Fisher. And finally, congratulations and good luck to Jazmin Knights, Georgina Parr, Sonny Rouse, Georgi Wilson and Thomas Pointon who have all been selected to participate in Rock Challenge 2017.

Guide Dogs for the Blind: Year 7 and 8 recently welcomed three very special guests to assembly, Mr & Mrs Tillett and their Guide Dog Tilly, a black Labrador. Scholars were introduced to the charity Guide Dogs for the Blind and learnt about the incredible work and meticulous training which goes into preparing a dog to become a lifelong support for a visually impaired person. Accordingly, in the coming months, the school will aim to fundraise a minimum of £2,500 to sponsor and train a puppy to become a Guide Dog! We will have the honour of naming our puppy and receive regular updates on its training progress which we will share on the school’s Facebook page and website. More information on the organisation can be found here: www.guidedogs.org.uk

Year 8: Congratulations to all Year 8 students who were nominated for awards at our Year 8 Rewards Assembly on Tuesday 7 February! Among the many scholars recognised

for their outstanding work this half-term were: Brooke Jermy and Ashleigh Durrant for being great ambassadors of the school at sporting fixtures; Hayden Bishop and Abigail Bower

for insightful contributions to class discussions in Social Ethics; Holly Debbage, Owen Shreeve and Lewis Jones for excellent effort in Language Studies and Alyssia Bullard,

Megan Foster, Jude Wareham and Tyler Whitlock who received certificates for 100% attendance in the second Autumn half-term. The following students also received their

’25 Credits’ certificates for this half-term: Molly Hambling, Louis Tillett, Maddie Hanson, Andrew Cross, James Grant, Kyiren Finnigan and Ashleigh Durrant; with Leilah Gooding,

Sara Jarvis and Willow Woodger receiving the Arts Award. Well done all! Year 9: It’s been a fantastic start to 2017 for Year 9! The year

began with a Community Awards Assembly to celebrate the fantastic contributions that Year 9 scholars have made to the school community. Rewards were presented for being an outstanding member of the school community, being an outstanding ambassador for the school, continuous commitment to music, commitment to the School Council and being helpful, polite and hardworking. In addition to this, Year 9 tutors also presented awards to one student from their tutor group who had shown excellent commitment and enthusiasm during form time. Certificates of Excellence were presented to Zara Williams, Jenson Read, Thomas Lawler and Cameron Hoath for receiving multiple nominations from teachers. We look forward to hosting our Academic Awards Assembly just after the half-term holiday!

Preparations are underway for Year 9 to make their GCSE option choices. There will be a Choices Information Evening for scholars and their parents on Thursday 23rd February. During the evening, Mr Park (Deputy Headmaster) will speak about the procedure of selecting your options and Miss Munnings and representatives from post-16 education providers will be on hand to provide further guidance on which subjects will compliment specific A-Level choices and NVQ courses. To supplement this, Year 9 have received information on options and careers during lessons with Miss Stanley this half-term. These lessons have been designed to encourage students to think about their options based on their future job aspirations. During form time this half-term, Year 9 scholars have received weekly sessions on Internet Safety. During these sessions they have had the opportunity to discuss topics such as online grooming, looking after your digital footprint and cyberbullying. Scholars contributed very well to the discussions and agreed that they felt they were equipped with the skills to manage their online activity in a safe and responsible manner. And finally, we are looking forward to hosting our next rewards trip after the half-term holiday and will keep you posted on the plans! Year 11: Congratulations to the following students who received certificates for being Students of the Half- Term: Becky Mawer (11AL), Cameron Harbord (11HF), Ellie-May Segust (11AW), Farrah Daines (11OB), Hannah

Reid (11NL), Lauren O'Dwyer (11TF) and Victoria Coleman (11OC). Fundraising: Throughout January, Year 11 scholars and their families were busy collecting all of their 1ps and 2ps for our Copper Coin Challenge. After a month of saving (and an hour or so of counting), the grand total amounted to a considerable £68.00, with Kia Clarke raising the most of any student with a total of £13.72. Well done Kia! Proceeds will be shared between a local charity and the Year 11 leavers' event. Furthermore, throughout the month of February, Year 11 scholars and their families are being asked to donate any unwanted games (XBOX, PlayStation, etc.) for us to sell, with all proceeds going towards a local charity and the leavers'

event. Upper School Awards Evening: Further information will be released following the half-term holiday, regarding the inaugural Upper School Awards Ceremony taking place at the beginning of May. Upper school students (nominated by their teachers) will be presented with an award for their hard work in select categories during their time at the Benjamin Britten School. The ceremony will mark the first of what we hope will become the most important and prestigious event of the academic year. Prom Committee: Year 11 scholars who have expressed an interest in being on the Prom Committee are having their first meeting with Mrs Greenard straight after the half-term break. Mock Exams: In order to help prepare scholars for their final GCSE exams, English, Maths, Science and Health & Social Care Mock Exams will be taking place in March, as well as 'Walk Through' English Mocks throughout

February, March, April and May.

Trip News

Primary School Book Club: On Friday 3 February, Miss Galeski (Head of English) accompanied the Benjamin

Britten English Ambassadors on a visit to Gunton Primary School to launch our ‘Primary School Book Club’. This is an ongoing partnership which will involve our English Ambassadors planning a variety of activities based on Phillip Pullman’s novel ‘The Adventures of the New Cut Gang’ for Year 5 Primary scholars who will then be invited to BBMA for a series of English workshops. A new book will be selected for each new term and the book club will eventually expand to incorporate the rest of our partner Primaries, allowing scholars from different Primary Schools to meet each other and interact with older students before the transition to Secondary School. As you can see from the photographs, everybody had a lovely time and our enthusiastic and professional English Ambassadors were a credit to the school.

School Council Update School Council trip to Westminster: On Wednesday 25 January 2017, 27 students from years 7-10 boarded the school minibuses and took a trip down to London to visit the Palace of Westminster and sail along the River Thames. The tour of the Palace included St

Stephen’s Hall, House of Commons, Central Lobby, and Westminster Hall. In the House of Commons we had the opportunity to observe MPs debating the UK prison service and stood on the spot where former US President Barack Obama and the late Nelson Mandela made inspirational speeches in

Westminster Hall. Following the tour, scholars took School Council members in St. Stephens Hall. part in a workshop on ‘Debating in Parliament’ where they were taught the key elements in delivering an effective speech. Local MP Peter Aldous popped in to the workshop for a brief question and answer session before disappearing to vote on two debates he had taken part in, earlier in the week. After leaving the palace, we boarded a boat from the London Eye to Tower

Bridge and then journeyed on the underground, back to the minibuses. Mr Champion and Miss Stanley would like to extend a big thank you to Mr David and Mr Stone for driving

the school minibuses and to our brilliant scholars for their exemplary behaviour. Congratulations on your articulate discussions and questioning of Mr Aldous and your

enthusiasm for learning about British politics. Here’s to our future leaders! Waveney Youth Council: On Tuesday 31 January, six members of the School Council attended the Waveney Youth Council meeting at . The WYC had sent a letter to Waveney MP Peter Aldous regarding the lack The ‘Debating in Parliament’ workshop. of transport subsidy available for schools from Lowestoft wishing to visit the Houses of Parliament after students from Benjamin Britten School raised concerns during the last WYC meeting in November. Peter Aldous passed our concerns on to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the RT Hon John Bercow, who replied by letter to say that he had spoken to the Parliament Education Service and although it will take time to implement it, they will look into reviewing the transport subsidy bands for school visits. On behalf of the WYC, Year 10 scholar, Thomas Huggins, has also been looking into provision for SEN students across Waveney, both inside and outside of school and presented his most recent findings to the Council during the meeting. Year 9 scholars Zara Williams and Cameron Hoath took the minutes of the meeting in their new positions as Secretaries to the WYC. Support for Syrian Refugees in Suffolk: Following the half-term holiday, the School Council will be raising funds to buy dictionaries for Syrian refugees due to arrive in Suffolk at the end of February. More information to follow!

News in Sport Year 10 scholars who participated in last year’s Sports Leaders course have been awarded with their certificates

for taking part. Thank you to Mr David (TA) who co- ordinated the course in conjunction with sports coaches from the Positive Futures programme. U13 Sports Hall Athletics: On Tuesday 24th January, ten Year 8 students took part in Sports Hall Athletics at Ormiston Denes Academy. They represented the school brilliantly, with the girls’ team finishing in 5th place overall and the boys’ team finishing in 4th place. We saw some fantastic performances in the track events with a number of 2nd and 3rd place finishes against some

Mr David with Year 10 ‘Sports Leaders’. very strong competitors from other schools. Bailey Woollard was one of the stand-out sprinters of the afternoon. A very strong performance in the throwing event from Stefan Carinhas gave Benjamin Britten School a strong start in the track and field section. Shem Bligh demonstrated some great resilience in the longer sprint events, showing determination all the way to the end. The girls’ team performed especially well in the relay events with Emily Sharman, Leilah Gooding, Jasmine Hill, Mia Rigall and Ashleigh Durrant all demonstrating great pace and teamwork. Well done to the students on their efforts and performances.

U12 Dodge-ball Tournament: On Thursday 26th January, Benjamin Britten School visited East Point Academy to take part in the U12 dodge-ball tournament. This was the first time that a number of our Year 7 students had represented the school in a sporting fixture. Therefore, it was all the more impressive that the team made it through to the final round. However, in a closely contested final they were unfortunately beaten to the top-spot by the Beccles Free School team.

A special mention to Mischa Williams and Eman Hatukai who were the stand-out players of the tournament. Well done to the scholars who took part and performed so brilliantly on their first time playing for the school. We very much look forward to seeing you represent the school on many more occasions in future.

Rugby: Year 10 Boys recently took part in a local rugby tournament and performed extremely well, beating Ormiston Denes Academy and Beccles Free School. Football: Mr David (T.A) coached the Year 10 Boys’ Football Team in a County Cup match against . Unfortunately we lost 2-0, however the boys played well and are looking forward to their next match. Top Right: Year 10 Boys’ Rugby Team. Back row L-R: Harrison Bull, Jamie Haylett, Daniel York, Kelvin Brady, Jamie Besford,

Henry Church, Jake Hook (Yr9). Front row L-R: Sean Headington, Jacob Davis, Craig Meen, Danny Cartwright, Korbyn Schamp and Thomas Huggins. Right: Year 10 Boys’ Football Team. Back row L-R: Mr David, Reece Oldman, Dean Short, Kelvin Brady, Harrison Hay, Dylan

Hodgson, Chris Thompson, Jamie Besford, Cameron High. Front row L- R: Zak Coombes, Jamie Haylett, Ole Alexander, Josh Riley, Korbyn Schamp and Rhys Tillett.

Kitchen Corner New Menus from Vive. with Mrs Sturman

Vive, the catering company behind our school meals, have released new menus which will be served up at school very soon. These include delicious Honey and Mustard Roast Gammon, Moroccan Chicken with Cous Cous and Yoghurt Flatbread and Raspberry and Apple Cake with Lemon Frosting. You can view the full menus, including allergen information on their website here: www.vertas.co.uk/companies/vive

School Nurse

Helen Dyer is the designated School Nurse for our school. Helen has been a school nurse for 14 years and is a Registered General Nurse and a Registered Midwife with a specialism in community public health. Helen is in school every Friday and is available for students to visit for support and advice regarding health related issues including physical, sexual, emotional health and well-being and friendships and relationships. Appointments made between Helen and students are confidential, unless there are safeguarding concerns or a student has agreed to her sharing information with others. Referrals to the School Nurse can be made by parents, schools,

other professional agencies and by the children themselves. You can contact Helen through the following details: Telephone: 01502 532056 Mobile: 07805143978 Email: [email protected]

School Notice: This is a reminder to parents that any mobile phone or smart watch brought onto school premises must be securely deposited with staff for the duration of the school day in the Upper or Lower School Office. These can subsequently be collected at 3:30pm. Any scholar caught with a mobile phone or smart watch during the school day, including at break and lunch times, will have their phone or smart watch confiscated until the end of the day, at which point it will only be returned to their parents or carers. Should parents need to contact their children, they can still do so through the School Office which is staffed throughout the day. It is hoped that all parents and carers will support the school in upholding this policy for the benefit of their children.

Philanthropy News

Year 7 Charity Week: During the last week of the half-term, Year 7 tutor groups hosted different activities in their classrooms to raise money for their class’ chosen charity:

Day Class Activity Charity

Monday 7CB Fairground Sweetshop Macmillan Cancer

Support Tuesday 7CG Cake and Cookie Sale Cancer Research UK Wednesday 7AS Doughnut Sale Water Aid

Thursday 7JG Cake Sale RSPCA

Friday 7BS Sponsored Cycle Ride British Heart Foundation The grand total of money raised from the week will be published in the next school newsletter! Wear a Hat Day: On Friday 31 March, the whole school will be taking part in ‘Wear a Hat Day’ in order to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research. Scholars will be asked to attend school in school uniform with the addition of a hat of their choosing and a customary £1 donation. There will be wristbands and pin badges for sale as well as a photo booth in Pod 2 in the Library. Scholars will have the opportunity to dive into our box of hats and props and have their photographs taken with friends for 50p per print! Red Nose Day: Is back on Friday 24 March 2017. Year 7s will be coming round to tutor groups with red noses for sale from Monday 20-Friday 24 March!

Dates for the Diary 23 February Year 11 Lowestoft Sixth Form College Interviews Year 9 Options Evening 1 March UEA Model United Nations Conference Trip School Council Youth Politics Expo Trip 2 March Year 10 Parents’ Evening 9 March Voice in a Million choir at Wembley 13-15 March Rock Challenge 13-16 March Year 11 Mock Exams 23 March Year 9 Parent’s Evening

29 March Year 7 and 8 Kidzania Trip 31 March Wear a Hat Day 3-17 April Easter Holidays 18 April PD Day 19 April Start of Summer Term