Darlington 11-19 Practitioner Newsletter
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Darlington 11-19 Practitioner Newsletter In This Issue… Welcome Hummersknott Academy - Sporting success Welcome to this edition of the 11-19 practitioner newsletter. Teesside University - Raising aspirations Longfield Academy - Literary figures help inspire At the time of writing, partners are entering the main exam students season with all the preparation and revision that entails for QE 6th Form College - Art students visit New York the staff and students alike. Exam successes are of course an The Vibe Awards 2015 important foundation for future individual successes and I The Music Forum - Students search for X-Factor wish all our students well in the coming weeks. This edition highlights some of the other preparatory work that Education Village - Visit to Nursery and Springfield partners engage in in order to maximise each individual’s Carmel College - Students experience Big Freeze chances of success. Darlington College - Navy Engineering sponsorship Teesside University - Supporting progression There are common themes of careers education and conference guidance which the 11-19 Partnership continues to work Education Village - Careers for young students collaboratively in conjunction with the Foundation for Jobs Hummersknott Academy - Improving gender balance and Darlington Partnership to make even better. We have Hurworth School - Preparing school leavers raised awareness of opportunities in different sectors and Carmel College - Writer’s lab experience given the opportunity to students to improve their Darlington College - A bespoke furniture maker employability skills and practice interview techniques in "real life" settings. There have been international visits that Participation at 16 and 17 raise the awareness of opportunities beyond students' QE 6th Form College - Ten tipped for the top everyday experiences. This awareness and the skills gained Learning & Skills at the Vibe Awards from the activities are really valuable to our learners as they Hummersknott Academy - Visit to CERN enter the next stage of their education or as they start their Foundation for Jobs - Subsea challenge careers. Longfield Academy - Pupils dive into subsea challenge Though this newsletter is packed Hurworth School - Careers Week 2015 full of the great work of Learning & Skills at Tubwell Row practitioners and students, I am acutely aware it remains a Education Village - Year 11 mock interviews and industry showcase that is the tip of the Teesside University - Open days iceberg in terms of what is going on day in and day out in all of the Longfield Academy - Debate partner institutions. Thank you Foundation for Jobs - Funding for your hard work – it really QE 6th Form College - Careers fair for STEM does make a difference to the Darlington College - Holy Cannolis young people of Darlington. Darlington School of Mathematics and Science - Cyber Safety Foundation for Jobs - Hovercraft Event 2015 Calvin Kipling Carmel College - Education Secretary honours students Headteacher Darlington School of Mathematics and Science Issue 18 Chair, 11-19 Partnership May 2015 © Darlington 11-19 Partnership 1 Sporting success The Hummersknott Academy boys’ cross country teams recently represented Darlington in the Durham Individual Schools’ Cross Country Championship. The event was held at Emmanuel College, Gateshead with over 200 runners competing in brilliant conditions for cross country running. Hummersknott achieved excellent results with the Year 7 team winning their event and the combined year 10/11 team also winning. But not only did the school achieve team success, individual students won both of these races. George Barber, 12, won the Year 7 race and Cameron Stainsby, 15, finished first in the older students’ event. Alasdair Tatham said “As a PE Department we were delighted with the boys’ achievements this year and pleased with how they have shown great commitment to succeed at every level of competition. The boys are now looking forward to competing in the in the Northern Schools’ event to be held in Manchester.” Raising aspirations for young people in care Teesside University continues its work to raise the aspirations of looked after children and care leavers, hosting their third annual conference for foster carers, social workers, designated teachers and local authority teams. The conference brings together the key people responsible for shaping the future of our young people in care. The conference offers a chance to discuss ways to work together to encourage participation, achievement and progression in education. The conference opens with a keynote from Dr Samantha Callan from the Centre for Social Justice on the centre’s latest research, and offers the opportunity to hear from the young people themselves at a panel Q&A session. When is it? Wednesday 20th May 2015 at 9.00am-3.00pm Who is it for? Foster carers – local authority and independent Children’s home employees Social workers Personal advisers Designated teachers Virtual head teachers Local authority teams responsible for young people in and leaving care How to book W: www.tees.ac.uk/studentsupport T: 01642 384063 E: [email protected] 2 Literary figures help inspire students GCSE students have been stirred to action, as they make their final preparations for crucial English Literature exams in May, by a day-long conference aimed at boosting grades. Longfield Academy of Sport has high hopes for top grades after almost 100, Year 11 English Literature GCSE stu- dents attended an inaugural literature conference at the Blackwell Grange Hotel. Critically acclaimed award winning British poet Daljit Nagra was among a line-up of influential speakers that also included BBC Breakfast News business presenter Steph McGovern. Year 11 pupils study his poetry as part of the Clashes and Collisions Anthology. In 2007, 2011 and 2013 he was awarded Poetry Book of the Year and he attends workshops and literary festivals all over the country. He told them, “It is amazing to have students study my poems as part of the GCSE curriculum. I used to listen to a lot of rock music because I loved the lyrics. I found that poetry is like music without the guitar. Daljit told students that he was influenced by his background, as the son of immigrant workers who came to Britain in the 1960s from their home near the Golden Temple, in Northern India. As well as reading his poems, he answered a host of questions about his life, his poetry and the life experiences that shape his work.” Student Rebecca Simons, 16, said: “Hearing him will really help me remember when I am sitting my exams. Meeting Daljit has helped bring his work alive.” Middlesbrough born Steph McGovern told students about her life reporting business news in this country and abroad. “My job is about being nosy, about finding stories, stories that are true, but stories nevertheless,” said Steph, who works out of Manchester but still has a home in the North East. “It is hard work but it is a lot of fun. The biggest thing I have learnt is that you have to be true to yourself. Don’t lose your personality. That has been crucial to my career.” Teesside University senior lecturer in English Dr Rob Hawkes, who specialises in modernism, discussed the importance of English literature in future careers and life skills. Teesside University senior lecturer in English Dr Helen Davies, who specialises in Victorian literature, gave a lecture on the Victorian Gothic, widening delegates’ appreciation of the context and themes in Jekyll & Hyde, in preparation for their prose exam. The day was organised by assistant curriculum leader for English and literacy Louise Mower and faculty leader Louise Laver, just as the school received its early entry English GCSE results revealing an 81 per cent pass rate, up from 75 per cent last year. Mrs Mower said, “The day was absolutely fantastic for staff and students. We have so many ideas of how it can be followed up, and the students were truly inspired by some incredible stories and sound advice. Taking students out of the classroom succeeded in widening their experiences and appreciation of literature. I am convinced every one of them will think back to the conference when they are sitting their exams and this will boost their levels of achievement.” Year 11 pupils from Longfield Academy prior to the event 3 Art students visit New York Forty art students from Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College recently returned from a study visit to a very frozen New York where they researched ideas for their art and design coursework. Whilst there, the students recorded the city through drawing and photography and observed the work of many artists and designers to assist with the development of their own work. Despite delays to flights due to bad weather, the group arrived in time to travel to the top of a very atmospheric Empire State Building surrounded in mist and fog. The students visited other famous landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square and Central Park with the wintery conditions adding to the experience. They also went to Wall Street and the World Trade Centre site where there was notably a more sombre mood as they remembered the victims of the 9/11 attacks on New York. Visiting galleries such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Fashion Institute of Technology provided a wealth of information for students. The exhibitions allowed them to get up close to record the work that they had only seen in books and on the internet. Highlights included “Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs”, “Yves Saint Laurent & Halston: Fashion the 70’s” and “Cubism”. In addition, they were lucky enough to catch sightings of actors Hugh Grant and Colin Firth! The trip was an exciting and stimulating learning experience which was very much appreciated by students. Student, Sophie Gowling, said, "It was a fantastic opportunity to experience the culture - it's a world away from looking at photos to actually being a part of the city." Livy Thompson added, "I really gravitated towards the raw grittiness of the city.