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The Accolade November 2011 The Monthly Celebratory Newsletter from County Upper School Dear parents, students, staff and governors, usual range of activities and journeys continued and was much admired by Baroness Scott who made an official This month has seen students across all five year groups visit in the middle of this month. Year eleven had a receive their first interim assessments of the academic successful work experience which we will celebrate in a year and they reflect the atmosphere of mutual respect special assembly next month. In particular, November and hard work which pervades our classrooms with stu- demonstrated our students' commitment to playing their dents gaining gold awards in greater numbers than ever. part as young citizens, contributing to the wider communi- This academic excellence was further underlined this ty, showing respect for traditional values and engaging month as we held our formal presentation of GCSE certifi- with local, national and global issues. cates to last year's year eleven. Out of the classroom our Mrs V Neale 2 3 9 5 6 7 8 We were honoured to welcome Baroness Scott on an official visit to our school. She spoke to students in year UK Parliament nine and the sixth form about the work of the House of Lords. After the subsequent question and answer session, she described the students as "fantastic" and Week invited them to Westminster. She was also extremely This new national initiative aims to help young people complimentary about our school and keen to know how engage with parliamentary democracy. This year's theme we achieve our "incredible success". Well done to all was "stories of democracy". The whole school engaged in who took part. a range of activities designed to promote discussion of the importance of democracy and to debate the key moments which have improved democracy. We thank our 'A' level Government and Politics Captains, Beth Fearnley and Bart Williams together with Ms Rehahn who organised the activities. We especially congratulate Christopher Wilson in year nine and Oliver Harrington in year ten who best explained why they thought a particular event was significant in developing democracy together with Khembe Gibbons, Zoe Hall, Charlotte Orriss and Alex Tooke in year nine who were the runners-up. We were equally pleased to welcome local Borough Across the school, the Suffragettes and the Councillor, David Nettleton for a question and answer Representation of the People Act, closely followed by session offering an insight into the processes of politics the Abolition of the Slave Trade and the Execution of at local level and how local politics reflect national Charles I were judged the three most significant events. concerns. Students put forward their views on a Bury Youth Forum which impressed Councillor Nettleton as did their knowledge and enthusiasm. We congratulate Beth Keeley, Becky Macintyre and During Parliament week, as a member of the British Bart Williams who undertook work experience with three Film Club for schools, we had a special showing of "Paper MPs: Tim Yeo, David Ruffley and David Lammy respectively. Clips" This looks at how society has tried to distance itself The three students had to prepare reports on meetings they from the Holocaust and was followed by a discussion with attended for the MPs to whom they were attached and were visitors from Film Club to support UK Parliament week. sent to some high profile sessions. Bart so impressed David All the students from across the year groups impressed Lammy that he has been invited back. All three were a real the visitors. Well done to them and thank you to credit to our school and you may have seen Beth and Becky Mrs Kennedy for organising it. on the BBC News as they attended the inquiries with James Murdoch and Brodie Clark. Becky wrote: In November I was privileged to spend four days in Westminster working with David Ruffley and his team. The first meeting I attended centred on super-injunctions, which was particularly interesting and politically controversial, as it featured a number of high-profile bloggers, like Paul Staines. The following morning there was a televised Home Affairs Select Committee in which the spat between Brodie Clark, former head of the UK Border Force, and Theresa May was the focal point and I managed to grab a seat at the back to hear Clark's statement. Later that day I found myself sitting in on a Joint Finance Committee Meeting where George Osborne was a witness, although I'll admit I couldn't understand a word of their economic language! Attending various meetings, both in the House of Commons and Lords, really developed my under- The final activity saw a group of students go to a standing of how our political system operates and has left a lasting conference for schools in Westminster. It was an impression. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experi- excellent day where students had twenty minutes with each ence Westminster politics first-hand and would recommend it to of ten current and former politicians including Tony Benn, anyone interested in politics! John Bercow, David Blunkett and Nigel Farage. Each session allowed for questions as well as presentations. All our students participated very well and made the most of the experience. We thank Mrs Middleditch for organising the visit. Bart and Beth wrote: At the start of October I was fortunate enough to spend a week working in the office of David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham. His office was situated in Parliament and living in London was a great experience. Highlights for me included visiting post-riot Tottenham, helping with David's fortnightly surgery and writing letters to politicians, businesses and constituents. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Parliament and am looking forward to returning in the Success for Debaters New Year. Work experience with the MP Tim Yeo was a very worthwhile With our in-school programme of debates continuing week- experience. Being in that kind of environment was exciting, espe- ly, this month saw the first of the national debating compe- cially when going to meetings where Ian Hislop and Chris Huhne titions. This was the prestigious Cambridge Union were being questioned. I would really recommend anyone interested Competition. We entered three teams in all and all three in politics to try get work experience in Parliament, especially as comfortably won through to the next round. Very well you get to be in London for a week and see how everything really works in government. done to Isabel Tennant and Sam Harrison; Lucy Emmerson and Lauren Warford; Derek Rutter and Lucy Bourton. Our Students as Young Citizens This month has seen our students recognised for their efforts and continuing to play their part in the civic and religious life of our town. Jake wins St Edmund's Day award Support for the Royal British Jack Cutting in year Legion and the town's Acts of thirteen whose recent trip to Kenya featured Remembrance in our October edition This month we especially won the award of congratulate Douglas Sands in Young Citizen of the year ten who, as the trumpeter for Year for all his work as the Royal British Legion, played a sports leader. He the Last Post and Reveille for was nominated by eleven Remembrance services. St Edmundsbury Very well done, Doug. Primary School for all the football coaching We were pleased that our Head Student team he has led there and attended both the Civic Act of Remembrance on the sporting attitude he has passed on locally, nationally and Armistice Day and the Civic service in St Mary's Church globally. Jake was presented with his award on St Edmund's on Remembrance Sunday. On Armistice Day, they were Day, 20th November, at a special evening in The Athenaeum. joined by Kieran Sanders in year nine as we laid the Very well done, Jake. wreath at the town's war memorial to those former mem- bers of our school who gave their lives in war. The Head Duke of Edinburgh's student team also contributed readings, the placing of the wreath beneath our school's war memorial and the reading Award Evening of the names commemorated there as part of our school We are very remembrance assembly. proud of five of our students who repre- sented the seventy- five on our bronze, silver and gold pro- grammes at the County Awards Evening held at Culford School. Well done to year eleven students: George Aves, The Cathedral Eucharist on Sam Bingham, Advent Sunday Sam Lebbon, Robert Kimpton On the first Sunday of the Church’s year, staff, parents and and Philippa students were welcomed to St Edmundsbury Cathedral for Strachan. the Eucharist celebrating Advent Sunday. Our Head Boy and Girl, Stuart Field and Rebecca Macintyre read the lessons. William Curwen, Megan Filkins, Toby Jeffrey and Eleanor Thomas, representing the main school year groups, took up the offertory. We thank and congratulate A further nineteen have also completed their awards and them on their participation together with Captain of Music, all were presented with their certificates and badges. Peter Newton who continues to sing in the Cathedral Well done to: Choir. Bronze Daniel Horne Sarah Welsh Robert Kimpton Cara Wilcock George Aves Sam Lebbon Matt Wilcock Sam Bingham Karis Wright Laura Bramwell Chloe McMath Rowen Darlow Ruth Newton Sam Freeman Nathan Rackham Silver: Jess Gaskell Hannah Sainsbury Beth Fearnley Katherine Philippa Strachan Fred Koopmans Goodchild Eleanor Thomas Charlotte Thomas Sam Harrison Sam Walls Sam Walls Activity across the Bury St Edmunds Academy Trust This month has seen a number of activities for students Horse across the Trust's three schools, Horringer Court Middle, Westley Middle and County Upper.

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