Newsletter December 2017

Dear Parents/Carers

I would like to congratulate our students for the hard work and effort they have put into their studies this year. It has been a very packed term finishing with mock exams for our GCSE students, results being given out on January 18th. Good luck to the sixth formers who will be facing their mocks after the Christmas break.

We have been delighted with the leadership the students have shown during the term. We had a highly successful open evening for our potential new year 7s and our students demonstrated their strong work ethic and support for the school by organising and running activities, talking to parents about the facilities and experience of High School and by leading tours.

At the sixth form open evening we were able to announce the introduction of a number of new courses to broaden our provision such as the Access Course that is a combination of level 2 (GCSE level) and level 3 (A level) to support those students who are not ready to fully embark on a level 3 pathway. This will enable more of our cohort to access courses in the sixth form.

We have also taken the step to apply for Teaching School Status. We are hoping to form an alliance with 13 other schools and colleges to share good practice and access additional funds to develop our provision and that of the other schools. This is a very exciting development and we should hear in March/April whether this has been approved by the Department for Education.

We have a number of staff leaving us this term. I would like to say a fond farewell to Mrs StClair, Mr Rainbird, Mrs Rijckmans (Dimarco), Miss Brown, Ms Huismans, Miss Newton and Mrs McDonnell, who have all served the school well and will be missed. We wish them all well in their future roles. I would like to wish Miss Thornton good luck for her forthcoming wedding over Christmas and also to Mrs Hartley and Mrs Wheater who will be shortly leaving us to go on maternity leave.

I wish you all an enjoyable Christmas break and look forward to seeing the students back in school on Thursday 4th January 2018.

Ms C. Dallas SRE – Sex and Relationships Education at Taverham As part of the Personal Development curriculum we cover the following topics in each year group:

Year 7 - Relationships, skills for developing positive relationships including 1. 2. Is an identifiable part of our Is taught by staff regularly personal, social, health and 3. trained in RSE and PSHE economic (PSHE) education different types of behaviour Works in partnership suchPassive,Aggressive,as (with expert visitors curriculum, which has invited in to enhance with parents and carers, planned, timetabled and supplement the informing them about what lessons across all the programme where their children will Key Stages appropriate) be learning and about Assertive, Peer Pressure and taking responsibility for your behaviour how they can contribute at home 4.

(throughout the year) Delivers lessons where Our school is pupils feel safe and encourages participation by using a variety of teaching approaches with 5. committed to opportunities to develop Is based on reliable Year 8 - Friendship and Puberty (Spring Term) critical thinking and sources of information, relationships relationship skills including about the law and legal rights, and distinguishes between and sex fact and opinion

Year 9 - Healthy relationships, What is sex? Age of consent, STIs and 6. education, Promotes safe, equal, caring and enjoyable relationships which: and discusses real-life issues Contraception (Summer Term) appropriate to the age and stage of pupils, including 7. friendships, families, consent,

relationship abuse, sexual Gives a positive view of exploitation and safe human sexuality, with honest relationships online 9. and medically accurate Year 10 - Healthy relationships, Consent, STIs and Contraception, keeping safe- Includes learning information, so that pupils can learn about their bodies and about how to get sexual and reproductive health help and treatment in ways that are appropriate 8. from sources such as to their age and maturity the school nurse and reducing risk, Sexting and pornography, sexuality/Gender identity. other health and Gives pupils opportunities 10. to reflect on values and advice services, influences (such as from peers, including reliable Fosters gender equality media, faith and culture) that information online and LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, 11. may shape their attitudes to bisexual, trans) equality relationships and sex, and Year 11 - Healthy relationships, HIV/AIDs, Pornography, Testicular/Breast and challenges all forms Meets the needs of nurtures respect for of discrimination all pupils with their different views in RSE lessons and in diverse experiences - every-day school life including those with special educational 12. cancer, Making healthy choices. needs and disabilities Seeks pupils’ views about RSE so that teaching can be made

Notes relevant to their real These 12 points explain what is needed for good quality RSE. This is based on research evidence and is lives and assessed and supported by a wide range of organisations. The purpose of RSE is to help children and young people to be safe, healthy and happy as they grow up and in their future lives. RSE must always be appropriate to adapted as their pupils’ age and stage of development and is an essential part of safeguarding. The law requires that, from September 2019, relationships and sex education (RSE) is taught in all secondary schools in England, and needs change that relationships education is taught in all primary schools in England. In addition, National Curriculum Science* (*which is taught in maintained schools) includes some elements of sex education. Published 2017 All lessons are delivered by Mrs Barker, Mrs Davies and Miss Buffini

Kid’s Lit Quiz 2017

What is the Kid's Lit Quiz? It is an international quiz that turns reading into a sport. The 'Lit' is literature that includes anything from the first nursery rhymes shared with family, picture books, comics, and every genre through to classics by authors such as Charles Dickens and Robert Louis Stevenson. A team of four students from Years 7 and 8 represented Taverham High School at the UK Eastern Region heat, hosted by Neatherd High School in Dereham, in November. They knew that the winners of this heat would go to the UK final in December, with the winners going to the international final in Auckland, New Zealand, in July next year. This was a very closely contested heat, with four teams only four points apart leading into the final round. Litcham High School's (previous UK winners) team A and B had a tie-break question to decide third place. Our team of Rosie, Kieran, Nathalie and Sam were second, with a score of 81/100, with CNS High School in first place with a score of 82. This is the second time Taverham High School has come second, so keep reading and who knows, next time ... CIAG in Key Stage 3 As part of our Careers, Information and Guidance (CIAG) programme we have begun introducing students to life beyond Taverham High School. Our first trip saw a small group of students visit the Cambridge Civil Service offices as part of an Enterprise Employer Experience. Students were given an insight into working environments, and then competed in teams on work based challenges. Our next excursion involved taking a group of students (and a few parents) to the University of Suffolk for their Family Awareness day. This gave an insight into university life and what students could expect if they chose the university path. We had tours of the campus, student accommodation and then taster sessions of university style learning where some of us ended up extracting our own DNA from our cheek cells. Then a group of fourteen Year 9 students visited the last week to have a look around the site and check out some of the courses available. The Head of key stage 3 and the Ace staff supported this really valuable trip. The College has really expanded over the last few years and now has some amazing facilities on offer. The tour covered many of the main areas around the campus. The students who are still deciding their future pathways had a really enjoyable and informative morning. Some of the feedback we received…. “City College is an interesting place; there are lots of courses that we had no idea existed.” “We looked at Hospitality, Engineering, and Creative Art.” “It was a really inspirational and influential trip, so many courses in each area”. Resilience at THS – Learning to Learn Day As part of our drive to promote emotional and academic resilience to our students, we held a fantastic ‘Learning to Learn Day’ where active participation was encouraged, and mistake-making was welcome in every classroom. In response to a survey completed by all pupils in Years 7-11 in September, Taverham High School staff would like to emphasise to our students that making mistakes is a vital part of the learning process and that they should not be reluctant to put up their hand and have a go in all lessons. We have had very positive feedback from the day and we would also like to congratulate Izzy Nudds (7HRD), Antony Hastings (7HRD) and Lily Smith (8H) for their winning poster competition entries. #IMPACT Campaign Last week Taverham Sixth Form were joined by a large group of paramedics, police and firefighters to talk about the importance of road safety. This hour long assembly took place in order to make us, as learners or newly passed drivers, aware of the potential dangers and maybe life threatening or deadly consequences of road traffic accidents. We were firstly spoken to by the police who were very involved in the campaign and proceeded to talk to us about the deadly four. From this, we were shown a video of a young boy named Thomas who was involved in a serious accident whilst driving his car after only passing his test a few months previous. Hearing his story and the life long effects he has was hard hitting for many and was a massive eye opener in terms of making sure to be safe. From this, we all proceeded outside and to further Thomas’ story, we were shown the wreckage of his car after his accident had occurred. The car was completely destroyed, we could all see for definite the extent of the damage and could further see where the emergency services had intervened to cut Thomas from the car. After this we also had a demonstration on how they actually cut someone with a spinal injury from the car. This involved 5 paramedics and 5 firefighters all working together to make sure the wounded person was cared for whilst the car was carefully and safely deconstructed. All the doors were taken off along with both the front and back windscreens being smashed to allow the whole roof to be lifted off for easy access of a spine board and any other emergency medical treatment the person would need urgently. We also had a talk from a police officer, who was actually a Family Liaisons Officer, she spoke of the tragic moments she had to tell families they had lost sons, daughters and loved ones, this was particularly hard for many to imagine the hurt that would be felt by many as a consequence of these horrible road incidents. Personally, this campaign inspired me and allowed me to confirm my future career. Seeing such amazing work from both the paramedics, firemen and the police allowed me to decide I would like to pursue a profession in paramedic sciences. The campaign itself was very eye opening for everyone and I believe will definitely affect the way in which people will make decisions on whether they are safe to drive. Caitlin Pamment Classical Civilisation at Taverham The Year 11 Classics GCSE group has been busy with their controlled assessment research. They are studying the Roman Army and, to that end, we have visited Caistor St Edmunds, Colchester Castle, Colchester Archaeological Trust as well as Norwich Castle for a demonstration about the army. The Year 8s have made an enthusiastic start in Classics since September and they are currently working on their own designs of the Minotaur’s labyrinth. I am looking forward to seeing some creative ideas in the lessons in the new term. Mrs Barker

Personal Development As part of their PD programme, Year 7 students have had a thought provoking talk about road safety in their PD lessons from Richard Wiseman from NCC’s Casualty Reduction team. Some of our Year 10 and Year 11 students have had an informative lesson presented by a team from the Matthew Project relating to Drugs and Alcohol. All KS4 pupils, through the year, will follow a series of lessons which will provide students with the information to make healthy lifestyle choices both now and in the future. Year 10 Business Studies Earlier this term our Year 10 Business Studies students went on a field trip to Norwich City Centre. Their first unit of coursework focuses on customer service and this visit provided them with an opportunity to investigate the service delivered by two contrasting businesses. They used a mixture of observations, personal experience and mini interviews with staff and customers to find out what was good (or not so good on some occasions) about the customer service delivered. Upon returning to school, students used this information to inform their coursework write up. They are now moving on to demonstrate good customer service skills themselves through a series of role plays! More recently our Year 13 Business and Economics students also paid a visit to the City to look at competition in action. The business students focused on the promotional strategies in use across department stores, chain stores and small independent retailers. Their key focus was to investigate what happens between Black Friday and the January sales. Meanwhile, the Economists were looking at the competitive environment and the structure of markets in Norwich. It was an evidence based visit to ascertain the state of the economy by looking at consumer spending and whether or not new stores were opening up or if they were closing down. Year 7 Lunch Time Club We have a group of lovely Year 7 students who join us for lunch every Tuesday in Student Support. The aim of the Club is for the students to forge new friendships in a relaxed, safe environment and have fun. Below are a few quotes from some of the students who attend: • We spend Tuesday lunch time with Mrs Barber, Mrs Killington and Mrs Jacques. • Myron is our lovely friendly ELF, he helps out a lot at lunch and is always kind and willing to listen. • Lunch Club is a friendly place for everyone to come along, meet up and make new friends. • For anyone and everyone to interact with other people. • Set in ACE where you can come along and feel welcome and included. • The food is very yummy; sandwiches, pizza and fruit! The Open Youth Project In order to support the transition of year 7’s since September. The Ace Team part of Student Support has been visiting The Open Youth Project in Norwich. The first group of 12 students have completed 4 sessions covering working together, communication and listening skills. The students really enjoyed the whole experience. The second group of students are currently attending on a Thursday morning. They have worked really hard, for the last week’s session they should be given the opportunity to attempt the climbing wall, which they are all looking forward to. Mrs Killington Ace Key stage 3 support

Elf News The Elf Team promoting ChatHealth the new text service for 11-19 year olds. To support the school nursing service the Elf Team will be working towards becoming ChatHealth Ambassadors. This will be a chance for them to promote the service once a term, leading the way throughout . A valuable service for all young people to be aware of.

CHAT Health A quote from one of our ELF’s I am a CHAT Health ambassador and I feel more awareness needs to be made of this service. We handed out CHAT Health wristbands and cards to everyone to raise awareness and a way of people finding out the number of this service. Nowadays most people at High School age own a mobile phone so this service of sending a simple text about anything – your health and wellbeing or mental health – is ideal. Moreover it is confidential and is an easier way of finding out your questions without a face-to-face conversation. Sophie Rimmer – Young People’s Worker We have been really fortunate to have Sophie run a 6 week session in school for some of our Year 10 students. This course is an intensive course designed to support young people at Taverham High School. The Healthy Relationship course covers peer relationships (including bullying and peer pressure), romantic relationships, negative and exploitative relationships ( how to spot the signs of abuse and how to stay safe) sexual relationships (including pregnancy and STI’s, boundaries and consent), and self esteem. Each session includes creative activities and group work as well as dedicated time for questions and answers. Police and Crime Commissioning On Friday 17 November 2017 the ELF Team supported Lola Stafford with a consultation. Students were encouraged to help gain responses to the Norfolk Youth Commission Project. The goal is to raise awareness on topics such as abusive relationships, mental health, relationships with the police, etc. During a 40 minute lunch session over 100 students contributed fully to this local consultation.

Zurich Work Experience In October I was fortunate enough to travel to Zurich, Switzerland for a unique work experience opportunity with the global consultancy and accountancy firm Deloitte. This opportunity arose as Mark Carter, an equity partner of Deloitte, head of Risk Advisory for Deloitte Switzerland and ex-Taverham High School student, came in to school as part of a Sixth Form careers event last year. I flew out to Zurich and over the following 3 days I got to meet some truly incredible people from all over the world. I shadowed consultants and senior managers in roles ranging from cyber security consultants to marketing experts. It was fascinating and inspiring for me to see people operating at the top of their game in a competitive, global environment and I learnt a lot about the industry and about communication. The 11th October was the day of the global GirlsTakeOver event, organised by charity Plan International. Deloitte take matters of equality in the workplace very seriously, and so participated in this event by offering girls from across Europe a day at Deloitte Zurich focused on promoting the role and importance of women in leadership. We got to meet Deloitte Switzerland’s two incredible female partners, learn about the importance interpersonal skills in business and prepare and deliver a speech on gender equality. This experience has opened my eyes to the prospect of working for a global firm in a consultancy or even leadership role and has definitely raised my aspirations. I am incredibly grateful to Mark, Deloitte and the school for giving me this life-changing opportunity. Ellen Flower, Year 13

Year 8 - Religious Studies This term, students in year 8 worked really hard and over half term created their own shrines to represent their understanding of worship. Students were unbelievably reflective and engaged. The shrines themselves were fantastic and have been on show for the past few weeks. Below are some examples of their brilliant work. Miss R Green – Head of RS, Philosophy and Ethics THS Expedition 2019 After the disappointment of the late cancellation of our 2017 expedition to Africa and failing to get enough students to make a team for India 2018; it is time to have another try! Working closely with World Challenge, the global leader in School Expeditions, we are now advertising for students interested in a 4 week expedition to Zambia & Botswana. The opportunity is open to all Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students that will be Taverham High School students for the 2018/19 school year. It will take place at the start of the summer holidays 2019. In order to take part, you will need to be prepared for the physical, social and emotional challenges of a month long expedition to a culture very different to our own. You will need to commit to raising the funds for the Expedition, kit, jabs, etc. – rather than relying on the ‘bank of Mum and Dad’. You will need to commit to making sure you are ready for the expedition: physical fitness; finding out about the Countries, their people and culture; and building an Expedition Team. Taverham High School expeditions are primarily about personal development. As such you can expect the following in your expedition:

Physical challenge: Perhaps trekking through the Kalahari Desert, meeting the San Bushmen and learning about their culture and skills. Or trekking through the Batoka Gorge, home to the mighty Zambesi River.

Voluntary contribution: Maybe building a wooden-framed, mud-brick house for grandparents in a remote west Zambia village. This will allow them to look after grand children orphaned as a result of AIDS. Alternatively contributing to a conservation project such as a local rhino sanctuary. Cultural understanding: Living close to local communities and learning about their way of life: including language, food, dance and other culture.

We will also find time for some (R&R): This could include visiting the mighty Victoria Falls, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world; white water rafting along the Zambesi; or getting up close and personal with elephants in a local sanctuary. Of course, no visit to this part of Africa would be complete without a safari and we have quite a choice from punting along in dug-out canoes in the spectacular Okavango Delta – to jeep safaris in Chobe National Park. This will be your expedition: you will decide the final itinerary from a choice of treks and projects to a variety of cultural experiences and R&R activities. You will plan our in- country journeys and book the transport; find and book suitable accommodation; plan meals, purchase the food and cook the meals, sometimes on open fires others on Trangias. You will also carry out a range of roles on expedition from leader and time-keeper to budgeting and security roles.If this seems like too good an opportunity to miss, and you have not yet let us know – you had better get your skates on. Mr Philp & Ms Amis – Expedition Link Teachers Year 12 & 13 Sociology Students from Year 12 and 13 Sociology group along with a few others interested in Law and Criminology attended the Criminology Conference in the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster on 21st November. The event featured lectures from various sociologists and criminologists about a range to topics from Islamaphobia to domestic violence. They also gained an insight to the criminal justice system with interactive sessions relating to lie detection and an interview with a criminal on a life sentence. The visit with topped off with a little Christmas shopping in the Westfield. Once again the students were a credit to the school and were moved by the final interview. Another successful conference and we are looking forward to the next trip to the Old Bailey and LSE Women’s Library. Freya Bakes for Diabetes On the 14th November I did a bake sale to raise money for Diabetes UK. As my brother was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I wanted to raise awareness and some money for research. Some people thought it was strange me doing a bake sale for diabetes, but type 1 diabetes is all about the carbohydrates that go into the food, it's not all about the sugar! With the help of my friends, family and staff at the school, I raised a massive £168.80. I can’t believe that I have raised that much money, and hope it will go into further research to help others with type 1 diabetes. Freya Sheeran Engineering Club Engineering club has started back in full swing this year with some familiar faces and some very welcome new faces joining the fun and challenges. Pupils are currently in the process of making letters that will contribute to a new design and technology sign, a project that will leave a lasting mark on Taverham High School. The sign will be placed in a prominent position in the department and each letter will represent everything about the subject and will demonstrate a vast array of materials and creative processes.

Rocket Car Competition Year 7’s will soon have the chance to compete in the National rocket car competition. This is the second year that the school has participated in this STEM in conjunction with the Bloodhound Supersonic Car, which hopes to break the 1000mph barrier later this year. The pupil’s rocket car efforts will compete against local schools in the first instance, reaching speeds of 40mph before hopefully progressing further. Further details to be released soon! Anti-Bullying Week Anti-Bullying Week ran from 13th to 17th November 2017. The theme was 'All Different, All Equal' and it had the following aims: • empower children and young people to celebrate what makes them, and others, unique • help young people understand how important it is that every child feels valued and included in school, able to be themselves, without fear of bullying • encourage parents and carers to work with their school and talk to their children about bullying, difference and equality • enable school staff to celebrate what makes us ‘all different, all equal’ and celebrate difference and equality. Encouraging them to take individual and collective action to prevent bullying, creating safe environments where children can be themselves. With the help of our ELF’s, the Year 7 Form groups have been involved in a competition to design the best ‘wheelie board’ promoting the theme. The competition came to a close last Thursday and will be judged over the next week by Mrs Barber, Head of Year 7. See the next newsletter for details of our winners. Food to FitBit – Congratulations Nathaniel! During the first half of the autumn term our school canteen participated in a regional competition organised by Vertas. Students were required to earn stamps all week by buying school meals and any completed cards were entered into a prize draw with other schools in the area. Following the draw, the lucky winner was a Taverham High School student – Nathaniel Tuddenham in Year 7. Upon hearing the news, Nathaniel was extremely excited saying ‘I’m so proud, I’ve never won anything this exciting before!’ On Friday 3rd November Nathaniel was awarded his prize, a brand new FitBit, by a representative from Vertas. Big congratulations to Nathaniel!

All students should keep their eyes open for another forthcoming competition; let’s hope the next winner is another student from Taverham High School. Year 11 Cake Competition On Wednesday 13th December, Year 11 GCSE food students took part in their annual baking challenge. The theme was ‘Woodland Chocolate Cakes’. Students had only two hours to make and decorate their own creations. They fashioned wonderful array of designs. They were all worthy of praise but eventually a winner was chosen by our panel of Year 8 students. In first place was Kiera Thornhill with her ‘Winnie the Pooh’ design. Runner up was Katie Goldsmith with her ‘Woodland Tree Wonderland’, featuring some beautifully decorated trees. Highly commended, and my own personal favourite, was Elle O’Donoughoe’s tree stump. I am very proud of my creative, capable cooks. Mrs StClair Well Done Callum! Callum has recently participated in the World Martial Arts Games 2017, receiving 4 gold medals and 3 bronze medals. He also participated in seven separate categories and received an award in everyone. He represented not only his country, but his club, and family and friends and his school as a young athlete, who proved talented and courteous and also showed great sportsmanship and was a great support to his fellow Team GB. This experience has been one that will remain with him forever and will also give him confidence and encouragement to continue to reach bigger goals. He also qualified to attend the European Martial Arts Games in Liechtenstein next year, and will be defending his title in the following World Martial Arts Games in India 2019.

2017/18 EXAMINATION DATES

It is only possible to sit external examinations on the dates set by the Examination Boards

Mocks

GCE Mocks for Year 13: Friday 12th – Wednesday 17th January 2018 GCE Mocks for Year 12: Monday 16th – Friday 27th April 2018

Summer 2018 External Examinations

GCSE: Monday 14th May – Friday 22nd June 2018 (excluding half term) GCE: Monday 14th May – Tuesday 26th June 2018 (excluding half term)

PLEASE NOTE: Dates for practical/oral examinations will be advised to students by their relevant subject teacher and will normally be outside the examination dates.

Summer 2018 Results Day

GCE: Thursday 16th August 2018 GCSE: Thursday 23rd August 2018 Nelsonspirit Press Release Future Leaders from five Norfolk schools have completed a unique leadership programme designed to grow and inspire the next generation of business and community leaders. Last night parents, sponsors, schools, supporters, business and community leaders heard from the young people who reported back on graduating from the programme. Last September, twelve sixth formers from Taverham High School, , Norwich High, and were selected by business and community "leaders of today" to form a crew. A modern day "band of brothers". Nigel Cushion, Chairman of Nelsonspirit said "We have been blown away by the leadership potential of the young people in Norfolk, and realise that it can be found across all schools". The programme involves receiving mentoring and master classes from today's leaders, and delivering a real leadership project in a charity, working closely with the charity CEO and management team. Uniquely the project teams were made up of young people from different schools. The charities taking part were: Break, YMCA Norfolk, Build, and Nelson's Journey. James Kearns, CEO of charity Build, said “We were so pleased to support these inspirational leaders of the future. The video they made for us promoting the employment of people with disabilities, has already been hugely useful to us. The maturity, skill and professionalism they used when working with our people was remarkable". Kyra White (17), of Taverham High School, said “I have improved many important leadership skills that I can use in different aspects of my life, including time management which I used to struggle with, as well as increasing my confidence to lead a group. Also I gained experience of how to communicate with a diverse group of people including charity CEOs and business owners. It's been amazing". Crew board meetings were held in the Norwich Board room of sponsor Howes Percival Solicitors, where they received the leadership master classes from business and charity leaders. Alison Kirby, Partner in Howes Percival said "We have been inspired by what the young people have been able to achieve working with each other and in charities". The programme is entirely funded by Norfolk businesses. Nelsonspirit and all the adult leaders give their time for free, but the operating costs have been met by sponsors Almary Green (IFAs) and recruitment company Cooper Lomaz. Nicki Cushion, Nelsonspirit Director and Programme Lead said "We have some fantastic leaders in businesses, charities and education in Norfolk; and it's great to find that we have some brilliant future leaders out there too - it's so exciting to be able to all work together". Nigel Cushion Chairman, Nelsonspirit Innovative Project - Future Leaders Crew Three of our sixth form students completed a rigorous selection process to be able to participate in this innovative project and on the 13th December presented their project at this prestigious event. The students were Ellen Flowers, Kyra White and Leanne Smith. We are extremely proud of their achievements and I know they have found this a challenging yet very rewarding experience. This has contributed to their personal statement for UCAS and enhanced their leadership and communication skills. We are very proud of their achievements and are delighted to announce that Oliver Woodgate and Matthew Nudds have been successful in their applications for the project next year. Food Bank So the challenge was set back in November by the School Council for each form to collect as much food as they could and present it in the most imaginative Christmassy way possible. A huge well done to everyone, as 36 crates were collected and taken to the Food Bank. The Food Bank provides much needed necessities all year round to families but is all the more important at this time of year. 13 million people live below the poverty line in the UK with families going hungry every day. The Food Bank provides a minimum of 3 days emergency food and support people experiencing crisis in the UK. Vouchers are given to families in need and they can then bring them to the Food Bank and redeem them for 3 days emergency food. The Food Bank is about more than just food, they provide money management and financial advice, cookery courses and breakfast and school holiday clubs. Taverham Students Win Enterprise Competition In November two teams of students represented Taverham and competing against another school at the ‘Enabling Enterprise’ competition held at the Civil Service Buildings in Cambridge. As part of the experience they found out about the role the Civil Service plays in supporting the government, and how the different departments in the Civil Service have different areas of responsibility. The competition involved organising themselves into teams and using skills such as leadership, problem solving, creativity and teamwork to solve a recruitment challenge. Students had to analyse the strengths and areas for development of a number of job applicants, and present their findings to the rest of the participants. The ‘Workplace Wonders’ team won an award for presenting, creativity, innovation and confident communication. The team members were Luke Fox, Sam Dunn, Oliver Gray and Alex Edmunds. The ‘Wellbeing Wonders’ team won awards for teamwork, ambition and aiming high. They also won the overall prize for the day as the judges believed they showed ‘exceptional professional maturity’. The team members were Anastasia Killow, Rebecca Scolefield, Jamie-Lee Taylor and Caitlan Green. The students were superb ambassadors for Taverham High School and I am proud to of all of them. There are more careers, enterprise and work related learning events planned for the Spring term so watch this space for more updates. Mr Rapley A VISIT FROM ALEXANDER GORDON SMITH Every student in Years 7 and 8 had the opportunity to meet our favourite local author, Alexander Gordon Smith, just before half term as part of our book week. His message to the students was spot on; anyone can write, you just need to practice, and you need to read. Gordon (as he prefers to be called) entertained the students with tales of adventures he had, trying to experience something he wanted to write about. This did include exploding poo. Yes, you did read this correctly. If you missed Gordon's visit, or want to find out more about his books (which are available from the school library) and his adventures, you can visit his website at

http://www.alexandergordonsmith.com/. Our theme for book week was DYSTOPIA and it was brilliant to see how so many subjects were able to link elements of their lessons to this. From comparing society in The Hunger Games to Marxism in Sixth Form Sociology lessons to translations of dystopian novels in MFL classes; almost every topic in Geography appeared to link somehow this week and PE looked at how to increase fitness to survive as a tribute in The Hunger Games. ICT was linked to 1984 with 'big brother' and CCTV. So many teachers found they could link to Dystopia and we thank them for contributing to the success of book week. Finally, a short drama in the Atrium that saw staff and Sixth Form students collaborating, took place on the final day. Mr Rapley played the part of Director Rapley of the Taverham High School – the Taverham Happy State, condemning several of the population for being 'guilty of independent thought'. His speech used quotations from George Orwell's 1984, Lois Lowery's book The Giver and Aldous Huxley's Brave new World and brought cries from the students watching insisting on everyone's right to think for themselves!

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